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Southwest Notes: Rockets, Grizzlies, D. Green, Doncic

October 19th, 2022 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

Having extended Kevin Porter Jr. earlier this week, the Rockets now have all but one of the players on their current 15-man roster locked up through the 2023/24 season, observes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. While not every player’s salary is guaranteed in ’23/24, Boban Marjanovic is the only Houston player who has a standard contract that doesn’t cover at least the next two seasons.

“Stability is always good,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said of the team’s situation. “It feels good to have the guys we have. I love our group. The guys that have been here with Eric (Gordon) and J.T. (Jae’Sean Tate) and K.J. (Martin) and then the new guys from last year and now the new guys from this year, it does seem like we’re moving in the right direction as far as solidifying who we’re going to be.”

Even with so many players locked up beyond this season, the Rockets can create a significant chunk of cap room next summer, since most of the roster will be earning salaries between $2-10MM. Only Gordon, whose $20.92MM cap hit is non-guaranteed, and Porter, who will earn a guaranteed $15.86MM, have eight-digit salaries in 2023/24.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Can the Grizzlies continue to ascend the ranks of the Western Conference’s contenders without making any major roster additions? Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explores where Memphis stands in the West, noting that the team is coming off another quiet offseason and hasn’t signed an outside veteran free agent since 2019.
As he continues to recover from an ACL tear, Grizzlies wing Danny Green will appear on ESPN as an analyst this season, Cole writes in a separate story for The Commercial Appeal. Green, with an eye toward his post-retirement plans, agreed to a deal for 15 TV appearances, according to Cole. “When I’m done playing, it’s something that I always wanted to venture out into,” Green said. “This an opportunity to build a résumé and can get some reps.”
With Mavericks star Luka Doncic entering the season as the betting favorite to be named the NBA’s 2023 Most Valuable Player, Tim Cato of The Athletic takes a look at Doncic’s potential path to winning the award. In Cato’s view, as long as Doncic puts up his usual huge numbers, he would be a strong candidate for MVP if Dallas wins 50 games and “overwhelmingly likely” to win the award if the team gets to 55 or more victories.

Jae Crowder Rumors: Hawks, Jazz, Celtics, Grizzlies

October 12th, 2022 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

Rival teams are a little surprised by the way the Suns have handled the Jae Crowder situation, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who notes that keeping a player away from the team generally lowers his trade value. Crowder didn’t join the Suns for training camp this fall as the two sides attempt to find him a new NBA home.

“I thought the way Phoenix played the situation was strange,” a Western Conference executive told Fischer. “You’re not a super deep team. You’re a contender. Doesn’t it seem like there’s some other way to resolve this other than him sitting out and hurting your depth?”

An Eastern Conference exec who spoke to Fischer offered a similar assessment: “For Jae to hold out is pretty rare. It’s pretty extreme. It’s really interesting they didn’t just play hardball with him.”

A Shams Charania report earlier this week indicated that the Hawks are among the teams with interest in Crowder, and Fischer confirms that Phoenix and Atlanta have had conversations about the veteran forward throughout the offseason. The Hawks are believed to be one of Crowder’s preferred landing spots, along with the Heat, Fischer writes.

As for what the Hawks might be willing to give up for Crowder, that remains unclear. Front office personnel have speculated about the possibility of a Crowder/Landry Shamet package for Bogdan Bogdanovic, but one source told Fischer that Shamet isn’t part of the Suns’ discussions with the Hawks. Some league executives have wondered if Atlanta would give up De’Andre Hunter in a deal for Crowder, says Fischer, but there’s no indication the team is exploring that scenario.

As I suggested on Monday, a package of Justin Holiday and a young player such as Jalen Johnson could theoretically work from a salary-matching perspective. According to Fischer, it’s possible that structure would work if a third team were involved, allowing the Suns to acquire a different player on their wish list.

Here’s more on Crowder from Fischer:

The Suns have inquired about acquiring Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson in exchange for Crowder, sources tell Fischer. It’s unclear whether Phoenix would be willing to attach a draft asset to Crowder to land Clarkson. The rebuilding Jazz wouldn’t have much interest in Crowder as a player, so they’d need to be enticed to make a deal.
The Suns are believed to have interest in Celtics guard Derrick White, but Boston hasn’t entered the mix for Crowder so far, according to Fischer.
While the Grizzlies could theoretically build a package for Crowder around Danny Green‘s expiring contract, there are a couple roadblocks, as Fischer explains. The Suns don’t want to take on Green while he recovers from a torn ACL and are reluctant to send Crowder to a Western Conference rival unless the deal makes Phoenix significantly better. Sources tell Fischer that Memphis isn’t actively pursuing Crowder.

Grizzlies Notes: Crowder, Jackson Jr., PF, Clarke, Brooks, Adams, Green

September 26th, 2022 at 3:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies star Ja Morant would like to reunite with former teammate Jae Crowder, who is sitting out training camp as the Suns seek a trade partner for the veteran forward. In reply to Crowder’s tweet about seeking work “where he is wanted..where he is needed,” Morant sent out a “back soon” emoji (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Morant noted that Crowder hit a game-winning three in overtime to help him get his first NBA win.

Crowder didn’t shoot well in 45 games with Memphis in 2019/20, Morant’s rookie season, but he caught fire with Miami after being dealt away. Crowder has spent the past two seasons with Phoenix after signing a three-year, $29MM deal as a free agent in 2020. He’s making $10.2MM in ’22/23, the final season of his contract.

Here’s more from Memphis:

Starting power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. underwent surgery to repair a right foot stress fracture at the end of June, with the team saying he’d miss four-to-six months at that time. At Monday’s Media Day, executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager Zach Kleiman said that timeline remains accurate. However, Jackson said that while he’s unlikely to suit up for opening night, he believes he’s ahead of the team’s schedule (Twitter links via Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian). Jackson hopes to win Defensive Player of the Year in ’22/23 after coming fifth last season, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I want it badly,” Jackson said.
With Jackson injured, second-year big man Santi Aldama was the first name to pop up as a possible replacement in the starting lineup from both Kleiman and head coach Taylor Jenkins, but Jenkins said that there are a number of other candidates for the role, including Brandon Clarke, Ziaire Williams, Dillon Brooks, Xavier Tillman, David Roddy and Jake LaRavia, so it sounds like there might be a training camp battle for the job, or even fluctuate depending on matchups (Twitter links from Cole).
Speaking about the contract statuses of Clarke, Brooks and Steven Adams, all of whom are extension-eligible, Kleiman didn’t want to go into specifics of negotiations, but he said the Grizzlies like all three players. “We view them as potential long-term pieces of our group,” Kleiman said, per Cole (via Twitter). Clarke would be a restricted free agent in 2023 if he doesn’t receive an extension, while Brooks and Adams would both be unrestricted. In case you missed, we broke down what an extension for Clarke might look like earlier today.
Despite being injured with a torn ACL, it doesn’t sound like veteran wing Danny Green is in danger of being waived anytime soon. “Danny Green is part of this group,” Kleiman said, adding that Memphis expects Green to return in ’22/23. However, his status as a free agent next summer is “to be determined.” (Twitter link via Cole). Green has a nearly $7MM partial guarantee on his $10MM contract this season, so he could be used as a trade chip for salary-matching purposes, but it also makes it expensive to waive him. If the Grizzlies retain Green, Killian Tillie is probably the odd man out, as the team is facing a roster crunch. Tillie will earn a guaranteed $1.9MM this season.

Western Notes: Suns, Durant, Green, Tillie, Holmgren, Mitchell

August 27th, 2022 at 3:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns coach Monty Williams never discussed the Kevin Durant trade rumors with his players, he said during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio (hat tip to Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic).

“When I first heard about the Kevin Durant stuff, I was kind of blown away by it just because, you know, we’ve been so blessed here to have guys want to come,” Williams said. “At the same time, ‘At the expense of what?’ was my thinking. And I like our team. I love our guys. But I wasn’t going to have conversations that didn’t need to be had.”

Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder were among the names speculated as part of the talks between Brooklyn and Phoenix.

“I think our guys are mature enough to understand that part of our business,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to have conversations about stuff that didn’t need to be brought up.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

Danny Green‘s contract may be the reason he makes the Grizzlies’ roster, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Green is on the roster bubble as he recovers from a torn ACL that will likely keep him out of action until at least the second half of the season. However, his expiring $10MM contract is one of the team’s best trade chips. Forward Killian Tillie may be the odd man out if Green isn’t traded, though he could still find his way onto the roster due to his shooting ability and position versatility.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, declared out for the season due to a foot injury suffered during a pro-am event, is hardly the first high-profile rookie in that predicament, Drew Maresca of Basketball News notes. Joel Embiid, Blake Griffin, Nerlens Noel, Michael Porter Jr. and Ben Simmons were some of the other highly-touted prospects who had to sit out a full year due to injuries.
The Jazz are reportedly trying to get the best offer for Donovan Mitchell prior to training camp and Sarah Todd of the Deseret News believes that’s a wise approach. She notes that Utah isn’t out to win this coming season, so there’s no reason to keep the All-Star on the roster, while the team that acquires him will want him to build chemistry with his new teammates. It would avoid the awkwardness of having Mitchell in their camp while trade rumors swirl.

Southwest Notes: Josh Green, Rockets, Grizzlies

July 21st, 2022 at 4:07pm CST by Rory Maher

After being benched during last season’s playoff run, Mavericks wing Josh Green is working diligently on his game to try to stay in the lineup as much as possible going forward, according to Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.

“I think the biggest thing for me is just realizing what I need to do to help the team out; I’m not trying to work on stuff that I’m not gonna do in a game,” Green said. “And I’m coming in with full confidence, knowing what I need to do and being ready to go. I’m more motivated than ever.”

The 18th pick of the 2020 draft, Green averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .508/.359/.689 shooting in 67 games (15.5 MPG) last season. Still just 21 years old, Green says he’s feeling self-assured entering his third season.

“My confidence is high, man. I’m ready to go, and I can’t wait for next year,” Green said, per Kennedy. “Coach (Jason) Kidd really helped me out last year, and he has a lot of trust in me, so now it’s just about me going forward and continuing to develop and show what I can do. I’m on a veteran team — a very good team — so for me, it’s just about doing what I can do to impress and just play like I usually play.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Assuming Eric Gordon remains on the roster entering training camp, he should be the starting small forward for the Rockets, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Houston’s starting lineup projects to be Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Gordon, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun, according to Iko, with the first five reserves possibly being Daishen Nix, Josh Christopher, Tari Eason, Jae’Sean Tate and Usman Garuba. Iko notes that Tate, who has started 135 of his 148 NBA games to this point, will likely be the team’s sixth man and receive significant playing time. Noticeably absent from the projected 10-man rotation is Kenyon Martin Jr., who requested a trade last month due for that very reason, and Iko says rival teams continue to keep an eye on Martin’s situation with the Rockets.
Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal grades each of the Grizzlies‘ Summer League performances, giving undrafted rookie Kenneth Lofton Jr., who is signed to a two-way contract, an A. Lofton’s low-post scoring could provide something the current roster doesn’t have, Cole notes. On the other end of the spectrum is first-rounder Jake LaRavia, who received a C-minus from Cole due to his offensive passivity.
As we noted yesterday, the Grizzlies are among the teams facing a roster crunch entering training camp. In a separate story, Cole writes that Danny Green and Killian Tillie are likely to be the most vulnerable members of the roster at the moment, and if Lofton gets promoted to a standard deal, perhaps both of them could be traded or released.

Grizzlies, Danny Green Agree To Push Back Guarantee Date

June 28th, 2022 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies and swingman Danny Green have reached an agreement to push his salary guarantee date back by more than six months, according to Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Green is under contract for $10MM in 2022/23. That figure had been non-guaranteed, but became partially guaranteed for $6,964,781 in order to meet salary-matching rules when he was traded from Philadelphia to Memphis in exchange for De’Anthony Melton.

The remainder of Green’s $10MM salary was scheduled to become guaranteed on July 1, this Friday. However, that deadline has been scrapped and Green will now receive his full guarantee only if he remains under contract through January 7, the NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date.

The move will give the Grizzlies the flexibility to hang onto Green deeper into the offseason in case a trade opportunity arises.

Green is unlikely to play much, if at all, in 2022/23 after tearing his ACL in the playoffs this spring, so it’s unclear if Memphis would carry him on its 15-man roster in the fall if he’s still with the team by that point. Players often take a full calendar year to return from an ACL tear, but the 35-year-old wing has talked about wanting to return to the court by the All-Star break.

At the very least, the Grizzlies should have the opportunity to assess how Green’s recovery process is progressing and make a more informed decision on whether to hang onto him in October if he’s not included in another trade before then.

Southwest Notes: Green, Grizzlies Draft, Daniels, Grant

June 27th, 2022 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman says the status of Danny Green, who was traded from Philadelphia to Memphis, has yet to be determined, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. The Grizzlies have a July 1 deadline to decide whether to guarantee the remainder of his contract or cut loose Green, who tore his ACL in the playoffs and is expected to miss most or all of next season.

Green received a $6,964,781 guarantee on his $10MM salary as part of the trade, as Eric Pincus of SportsBusinessClassroom.com explains. That was the minimum amount that had to be guaranteed in order to legally match De’Anthony Melton‘s salary. If they waive Green by July 1, the Grizzlies would avoid paying the remaining $3MM+ owed to Green.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Grizzlies wound up with four players via the draft and the common denominator was 3-point shooting, Cole writes in a separate story. Each player shot at least 38% from deep in their final college season. “That’s going to open things up for us,” Kleiman said. “That was a priority for us.”
The Pelicans were holding their breath that G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels would still be on the board with the No. 8 pick, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. They weren’t sure what the Trail Blazers would do at No. 7 — not only which player they wanted, but whether they would deal the pick. Portland wound up taking Shaedon Sharpe, leaving Daniels available for New Orleans. “We had a couple guys we liked that went after, but Dyson was the guy,” Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon said. “We had some intel that Portland liked Dyson and they liked Shaedon. So, there was a chance they could’ve taken (Dyson) at (No. 7). When they took Shaedon, the room exploded.”
Mavericks assistant GM Keith Grant announced his retirement Monday after 42 seasons, according to a team press release. “Keith Grant is an NBA legend with a heart of gold,” team owner Mark Cuban said in the statement. “He did so much for the Mavs, and he made our organization and our community better. I can’t express enough appreciation for everything that KG has done for this franchise.” Grant has been an assistant GM since 1998.

Grizzlies Trade De’Anthony Melton To Sixers For Roddy, Green

June 24th, 2022 at 5:12pm CST by Rory Maher

JUNE 24: The deal is now official, both teams announced in press releases.

JUNE 23: The Grizzlies and Sixers have agreed to a trade that will send the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft to Memphis and guard De’Anthony Melton to Philadelphia, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Danny Green is also headed to the Grizzlies in the swap, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Colorado State’s David Roddy will be Memphis’ pick at No. 23. Roddy had an excellent junior season for the Rams, averaging 19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .571/.438/.691 shooting in 31 games (32.9 MPG).

In order for the trade to work, Green’s non-guaranteed contract will have to be partially guaranteed to at least $6.52MM for salary matching purposes, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets. Melton will earn $8.25MM next season and his $8MM salary in 2023/24 is partially guaranteed at $1.5MM.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic observes (via Twitter), the Sixers would lose the full mid-level exception with the deal unless they’re able to dump salary in subsequent moves, which could take them out of the running for P.J. Tucker, who is an unrestricted free agent after declining his player option.

Trading a guard in Melton and drafting a couple of forwards in Jake LaRavia and Roddy seems to indicate that Memphis wants to re-sign free agent Tyus Jones, who is one of the top point guards on the market. Jones has led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for four straight seasons and set career highs in PPG (8.7) and 3PT% (.390) in 2021/22.

It was reported multiple times in the past couple weeks that the Sixers were dangling the No. 23 pick and Green’s expiring, non-guaranteed deal in an effort to add a win-now veteran, and they were able to acquire a talented young player in Melton, who had reportedly drawn considerable interest around the league.

Melton, 24, is a strong, versatile defender capable of playing both guard positions. In 73 regular season games this past season (22.7 MPG), he averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.4 SPG on .404/.374/.750 shooting. He’s extension-eligible this offseason, although the Sixers might hold off on that decision.

Fischer’s Latest: Turner, Sixers, Thybulle, Jazz, Micic

June 23rd, 2022 at 8:31am CST by Luke Adams

As the Pacers continue to weigh the possibility of trading center Myles Turner, the Timberwolves, Raptors, and Hornets are among the teams believed to be interested, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

According to Fischer, the Knicks have showed interest in Turner in recent years too, but the expectation is that they’d only be a serious suitor for the big man if Mitchell Robinson leaves in free agency.

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Sixers have called “a healthy portion” of the teams around the NBA in an effort to gauge their interest in Tobias Harris, Danny Green, and Matisse Thybulle, sources tell Bleacher Report. Fischer suggests Philadelphia has been trying to find teams that would give up a first-round pick for Thybulle as part of a three-team trade that would send an impact veteran rotation to the 76ers.
The Jazz are seeking a first-round pick in exchange for any of their rotation players besides Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, according to Fischer, who adds that Royce O’Neale is generating significant trade interest around the NBA.
Nikola Jokic is thought to be a “driving factor” in the Nuggets‘ interest in Serbian point guard Vasilije Micic, a draft-and-stash EuroLeague star whose NBA rights are held by the Thunder. The Spurs, Bucks, and Bulls have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Micic, Fischer reports.

James Harden Expected To Re-Sign With Sixers On Short-Term Deal

June 16th, 2022 at 12:06pm CST by Rory Maher

“All signs point toward” James Harden re-signing with the Sixers on a short-term extension, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

The two sides are aligned on a reunion, but Philadelphia’s ownership is reluctant to offer Harden the full four-year, maximum-salary extension he’d be eligible for if he opts into his 2022/23 player option worth $47.4MM, which he’s expected to do, according to Fischer.

Fischer notes that a two-year extension would give Harden significant financial security while allowing more flexibility if things don’t work out with the Sixers. Harden could earn approximately $1.5MM more in a theoretical three-year contract if he waits until August 10, which is six months after he was traded to Philadelphia, Fischer adds.

It’s also possible that Harden could take less than the max to create more roster flexibility to build around star center Joel Embiid, who finished second in the MVP race for the second consecutive year. For that to make sense, the team would have to move off some long-term salary.

Fischer’s sources confirm a report from The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor stating that the Sixers are dangling the No. 23 pick and Danny Green in trade talks, but as we previously mentioned, using Green’s expiring contract as a salary-matching piece would also be a little tricky, since it’s currently non-guaranteed, meaning it would count as $0 for outgoing purposes.

The Sixers could guarantee some or all of Green’s $10MM salary to make it more useful in a trade. But the more money they guarantee, the less appealing it will be as an asset to a potential trade partner, since Green is expected to miss most or all of next season after tearing his ACL.

Fischer also confirms a report from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers are dangling Matisse Thybulle and Tobias Harris in trade talks. However, Philly values Thybulle’s strong defense and believes his poor performance in the playoffs may have been a result of being ineligible to play in Toronto due to his vaccination status, Fischer writes.

The Sixers would require “a significant upgrade to their rotation” in the form of a starting-caliber player in order to move Thybulle, according to Fischer.

While Fischer doesn’t specify what Philadelphia would be looking for in exchange for Harris, he does note that “Harris’ representation has made it known that the veteran would like more on-ball opportunities within the Sixers’ offense, particularly in pick-and-roll action.”