Danuel House Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Wings, Oubre, Embiid, Maxey

November 15th, 2023 at 6:51pm CST by Luke Adams

For as good as the Sixers have been so far this season, the wing rotation remains a puzzle to figure out for the 8-2 squad, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As Mizell details, between the roster changes that occurred in the James Harden trade and players being in and out of the lineup for personal reasons or due to injuries, head coach Nick Nurse has had to continue experimenting with different combinations in those positions.

Danuel House had been out of the rotation for much of the season but logged 34 total minutes over the team’s past two games. He’s one player who has been affected by what Mizell refers to as the team’s “ever-changing wing hierarchy” but he says he’s not bothered by his inconsistent role.

“I’ve never been a player to go up in the coach’s office and be like, ‘Hey, Coach, what’s going on?'” House said on Tuesday. “I trust his process. He’s the coach. The organization hired him to make sure they would take care of them and us, to make sure that he’d get us where we need to be.”

Currently, the team is without Kelly Oubre (fractured rib) and Nicolas Batum (personal), which has resulted in minutes bumps for House and Marcus Morris. Furkan Korkmaz, who has requested to be traded out of Philadelphia in the past, is another player whose minutes have fluctuated.

“The difference this year is Nick is trying to get everybody in,” Korkmaz told Mizell. “It’s not like he chooses three guys and then lets those guys play 15 or 20 minutes. If it’s three minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes, whatever the minutes, he just puts people out there. It’s still early [in the] season. He’s just trying to find a way for the real rotation. … There [are] opportunities for everybody.”

Here’s more on the 76ers:

Surveillance footage that has been reviewed so far by the Philadelphia Police Department shows no evidence that a collision took place at the Center City intersection where Oubre reported being hit by a vehicle, a police spokesperson said on Wednesday, per Max Marin, Ximena Conde, and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. A source who spoke to The Inquirer stressed that Oubre is new to the area and was shaken up after being struck by the vehicle, so he may not have provided an accurate account in his initial statement to police of when and where the alleged hit-and-run took place. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Oubre’s injury absence may not be as lengthy as initially anticipated, Appearing on NBA Countdown on Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter video link) said there’s a “realistic expectation” that Oubre could return to action in about “two-plus weeks” — either around the end of November or start of December.
Star center Joel Embiid had been considered a game-time decision for Wednesday’s tilt vs. Boston after being listed as questionable due to left hip soreness, but he’s playing, as Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports tweets. Embiid, who has never appeared in more than 68 games in a season, has yet to miss a game in 2023/24.
Former Sixers guards Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and Harden never turned into the sort of long-term partner for Embiid that the franchise envisioned, but there’s reason to believe Tyrese Maxey can be that player, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Through 10 games, Maxey has averaged 28.4 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per night with a .493/.429/940 shooting line. “He’s running a pretty good floor game right now,” Nurse said last week. “He’s going to what’s open. And I think that was everybody’s question: Can he create for somebody else?” With Maxey showing his bona fides as both a scorer and a play-maker, the Sixers should be able to approach this season’s trade deadline confident they have two stars to build around, not just one, says Bontemps.

Sixers Notes: Maxey, Oubre, Batum, Harden Trade

November 13th, 2023 at 8:03am CST by Arthur Hill

During the best game of his career, Tyrese Maxey was thinking about his injured teammate, according to an ESPN report. The Sixers guard posted his first-ever 50-point performance in Sunday’s win over Indiana, then dedicated the outing to Kelly Oubre, who is recovering after being struck by a car Saturday night.

“This had nothing to do with me,” Maxey said. “This is all Kelly Oubre. We’re praying for him. Love my dawg. I just met him, but I love him. I hope he gets well soon.”

Oubre was on the mind of all the Sixers players in their first game since the accident, which left Oubre with a broken rib, along with bruises and cuts. They couldn’t reach him on FaceTime Sunday night, so they sent him a video of their locker room celebration.

“The game today, I’m sure Tyrese was thinking about it and we were all thinking about it,” Joel Embiid said. “We just want (Oubre) to take his time, recover and know that we have his back. He’s needed because he’s a big part of us. We missed him tonight, but he should take his time.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

Nicolas Batum replaced Oubre in the starting lineup, but the Sixers have plenty of options considering their roster depth following the James Harden trade, observes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Robert Covington and Marcus Morris, who were also acquired in that deal, should see expanded roles, and coach Nick Nurse has other experienced players he can turn to. “I would imagine, we’ve been using Covington, but (he) will probably take some of those minutes,” Nurse said. “There’s still (Furkan Korkmaz) and (Danuel House) there as well, kind of at that wing position that we can possibly see.”
The police report on Oubre states that he was hit in the upper chest by the mirror of a speeding silver vehicle and the driver left the scene, Pompey tweets. Oubre is reported to have injuries to his hip and right leg in addition to the broken rib. Nurse talked to Oubre and said he has an ‘”I’ll be back before you know it’ type of attitude.”
The Sixers are clearly a better team since resolving the Harden standoff, Pompey adds in a separate story. Batum and Covington have upgraded the defense, there’s more quickness all around and Maxey and Tobias Harris are thriving in expanded offensive roles.

Sixers Notes: Springer, Wings, Hines, T. Smith, Harden

October 11th, 2023 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

Jaden Springer, the 28th overall pick in the 2021 draft, has only appeared in 18 NBA games in his first two professional seasons, logging just 95 total minutes in those contests. The Sixers guard began making his case in the team’s preseason opener on Sunday for more playing time in year three, racking up 14 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists in 24 minutes of action.

“I’m just proud of him, man,” Tyrese Maxey said after the game, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s been working the last three years. I told him, ‘This year, it’s time. We’re probably going to need you. We’re going to need you to step up and play bigger and older than what you are.’ … So I’m proud of him.”

While Springer hasn’t had a regular role at the NBA level, he had a strong season with the Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia’s G League affiliate) in 2022/23, earning Finals MVP honors for the NBAGL champions.

The Sixers will have until October 31 to make a decision on Springer’s $4.02MM rookie scale team option for the 2024/25 season. Although that cap hit is pretty team-friendly, it would cut into Philadelphia’s projected cap room for next summer. Maintaining that cap flexibility has been a priority for the front office, so Springer’s option isn’t a lock to be exercised.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

With Jalen McDaniels, Matisse Thybulle, and Georges Niang no longer on the roster, a handful of new and returning players are fighting for minutes on the wing, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer details. Danuel House and Furkan Korkmaz, who were out of the rotation for much of last season, are among those in the mix, along with newcomers like Kelly Oubre and Danny Green.
Within a wide-ranging conversation with Mizell, Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines praised guard Terquavion Smith, who took part in Hines’ pickup games at UCLA this summer after signing a two-way contract with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent. “I think he has a world of talent, and I think the sky’s the limit for him to continue to grow and get better,” Hines said. “He’s a kid that had first-round talent if he would have come out, probably, a year ago. But whatever the case may be, he fell to us and we’re lucky to have him. For us, it’s just continuing to coach him and getting him better. But I thought he raised a lot of eyebrows in there from veteran guys saying, ‘Man, who is this kid?’ Because they didn’t know him.
Although James Harden has been a full participant in Sixers’ last few practices, it’s unclear whether he’ll make his preseason debut on Wednesday, per head coach Nick Nurse, who says the team continues to take a “day by day” approach with the star guard. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer has the story.

Sixers Notes: Green, House, Reed, Nurse, Dowtin

September 15th, 2023 at 6:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Danny Green‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Sixers is fully non-guaranteed, sources tell Yossi Gozlan and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

As Gozlan details, Green’s deal has multiple trigger dates that would give him sizeable partial guarantees. If the veteran wing makes the opening night roster, he’ll earn $500K; if he’s still on the roster on November 24, the guarantee will increase to $750K; and if he remains on the team by December 24, he’ll be guaranteed $1.3MM.

The NBA’s league-wide guarantee date is January 10. If he’s not waived by January 7 (in order to clear waivers before Jan. 10), Green will earn his full $3.2MM salary.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

In June, wing Danuel House picked up his $4.3MM player option to stay with the 76ers for 2023/24. He called the decision to come back a “no-brainer,” writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As Mizell notes, House has a longstanding friendship with teammate James Harden, but the 30-year-old said he has “no knowledge” about Harden’s future with the team. “I respect any decision that he (Harden) does,” House said. “Everything that’s going on, (I) don’t know.” Harden, of course, requested a trade after picking up his own player option, then publicly criticized president of basketball operations Daryl Morey after it was reported that the Sixers planned to keep the former MVP.
Big man Paul Reed says new head coach Nick Nurse has made an early impression ahead of training camp, tweets Mizell. “Since the first day, he’s already been really hands-on,” said Reed, who added that Nurse has been working with him on his shooting form. Reed was a restricted free agent this summer and signed a unique offer sheet with Utah, which Philadelphia matched. The 24-year-old previously discussed Nurse envisioning an expanded role for him.
The Delaware Blue Coats — the Sixers’ NBA G League affiliate — recently acquired Jeff Dowtin‘s returning player rights from the Osceola Magic. The 26-year-old guard is currently on a non-guaranteed deal with the Raptors — if he’s still on the roster past October 21, he’ll receive a $900K partial guarantee. According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), the G League trade won’t impact the Raptors as long as Dowtin remains under contract in Toronto. It just means the Blue Coats will hold Dowtin’s G League rights if he’s waived and unable to find another NBA deal. Dowtin was on a two-way deal with Toronto last season and spent time with the team’s NBAGL affiliate, the Raptors 905. NBA contracts take precedence over G League rights — that’s how Toronto was able to assign Dowtin to the 905 in ’22/23, Murphy adds (via Twitter).

Sixers Notes: Harden, Nurse, Embiid, House

June 4th, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Asked during his introductory press conference this week about how he’d pitch James Harden on coming back to Philadelphia and playing for him next season, new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters that “winning has to be the sell,” according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

“‘Can we be good enough to win it all?’ That’s got to be a goal of his,” Nurse said. “And if it is, then he should stay here and play for us, because I think there’s a possibility of that.”

According to Nurse, he has already touched base with Harden and intends to meet with him – and every other player on the roster – in the not-too-distant future.

As Bontemps writes, Nurse also said that a combination of talent on the roster and stability at the ownership level made Philadelphia his top choice as a sought a new job following his exit from Toronto. Nurse was also said to be in the mix for the coaching vacancies in Milwaukee and Phoenix — both teams have undergone ownership changes in recent months.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Nurse said during this week’s press conference that his years of experience game-planning against Joel Embiid with the Raptors should come in handy as he attempts to get the most out of the reigning MVP going forward, per Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. “We threw everything, almost everything you could possibly throw at a guy,” Nurse said. “It was that hard for us to try to stop him. We threw a lot at him. So, at least I think that we can offensively say, ‘This is what we did, and here’s how we can beat it,’ and we’ve almost covered most things.”
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com has a few more quotes from Nurse’s presser, including the new Sixers coach stating that he won’t necessarily be looking to reuse the strategies and playing styles he utilized with the Raptors. “What we did in Toronto, it’s just trying to maximize what the roster looked like,” Nurse explained. “We really had to generate turnovers to get out and score, transition, and in 2018 it was a different roster. We did have (Marc) Gasol so we played a different style and a different defense, and it’s going to be whatever’s best for this team.”
Following Danuel House‘s decision to pick up his player option for 2023/24, Neubeck wonders at PhillyVoice.com whether we should expect House to play a role similar to the limited one he had in ’22/23 or if Nurse will want to try to get more out of him.

Sixers’ Danuel House Picks Up 2023/24 Player Option

June 2nd, 2023 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers wing Danuel House has exercised his player option for 2023/24, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). House, whose $4,310,250 salary for next season becomes guaranteed, is now on track to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 rather than this offseason.

House, who will turn 30 next Wednesday, signed a two-year, $8.4MM contract with Philadelphia last summer using the team’s bi-annual exception.

A career 36.6% three-point shooter entering the season, House was expected to be part of the Sixers’ regular rotation as a three-and-D contributor. However, his minutes were inconsistent during his first year in Philadelphia.

House finished the season having averaged 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in just 14.4 minutes per game across 56 regular season appearances, with his three-point percentage dipping to 33.6%. He didn’t have a role in the postseason, logging only 42 minutes across seven contests.

House’s opt-in brings the Sixers’ total guaranteed salary for 2023/24 to approximately $115MM. That number – which would increase to just over $124MM if De’Anthony Melton‘s salary is fully guaranteed and Montrezl Harrell also exercises his player option – doesn’t include salaries for notable free agents such as Paul Reed, Jalen McDaniels, and, of course, James Harden.

As our tracker shows, House is the second veteran to formally exercise a player option this offseason, joining Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr.

Atlantic Notes: Mazzulla, Ujiri, M. Robinson, House

May 10th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Following a Game 5 loss at home on Tuesday, the Celtics are now one game away from elimination, heading to Philadelphia down 3-2 in the second round series. With Joe Mazzulla taking much of the blame for the Celtics‘ up-and-down play in the series, Marcus Smart jumped to the defense of the first-year head coach, telling Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com that “it’s not just one person’s fault.”

“We still believe in our coach. We believe in Joe to the fullest,” Smart said. “We haven’t lost faith in him and we won’t. He has a game plan; it’s on us to go out and execute it. We’re the ones out there playing, so we’ve got to help him. He’s been doing great.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

A rival general manager believes Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is “really, really frustrated,” pointing to Toronto’s disappointing season and Fred VanVleet‘s looming free agency as sources of Ujiri’s supposed discontent, according to Bulpett. “(VanVleet) hasn’t shown him any indication that he wants to stay. So I think he’s really down about that situation,” the GM told Heavy.com. “Maybe it’s because everything’s still so fresh, but there’s a lot they have to get done there. It didn’t surprise anyone that (head coach) Nick (Nurse) moved on.” The GM added that the Wizards, who are in the market for a new head of basketball operations, may pursue Ujiri again this spring.
Responding to a tweet claiming that he has been getting “abused” by center Bam Adebayo in the second round series against the Heat, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson pushed back, suggesting that he has to provide help “every time” on defense. Zach Braziller of The New York Post has the story.
Viewed as one of the Sixers‘ key additions last offseason, Danuel House has been out of the rotation in the playoffs. However, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, the veteran wing logged 15 minutes in the team’s Game 5 win and played well, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds. “My job is to bring energy, showcase a little something for the team, to guard the yard and make sure I’m executing plays,” House said after Philadelphia’s victory. “… It was a joy to be out there, to be honest.”

Injury Updates: Randle, Middleton, House, Isaac

April 11th, 2023 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Julius Randle practiced on a limited basis on Tuesday, giving the Knicks hope that he might play this weekend against Cleveland, Zach Braziller of the New York Post reports. Randle sprained his left ankle on March 29.

“He did some [work in practice]. Making steady progress. Taking it day-to-day,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s doing some running, shooting, scripting, that sort of thing.”

We have more injury updates:

Khris Middleton was not a full participant during the Bucks’ practice session on Tuesday but they’re hopeful he’ll be ready to go by the end of the week, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Middleton tweaked his troublesome right knee last week. “He’ll do some individual work, get some weight room work and he’ll do more individual work (Wednesday) and then we’re anticipating and planning for him to practice on Thursday,” coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Sixers swingman Danuel House Jr. didn’t practice on Tuesday due to a sore foot, but head coach Doc Rivers expects him to be available for Game 1 against Brooklyn, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He hurt his foot in one of the (last) two games,” Rivers said. “But I think he will be OK.”
Magic big man Jonathan Isaac underwent season-ending adductor surgery in early March. He expects to be at full strength by training camp, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel reports. “This is really going to be the first summer I have to fully work,” Isaac said. “Every other summer I’ve been rehabbing trying to get back on to the court. So I’ll be hopefully in the next few weeks be a full go. And doing everything I need to do to have a healthy next season.”

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Mitchell, House, Sixers, VanVleet

April 2nd, 2023 at 6:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s likely that the Knicks and Cavaliers will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks failed in their pursuit of trading for Donovan Mitchell, a New York native, during last offseason.

Mitchell is looking forward to the prospect of facing the Knicks in the postseason, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “It’s full circle. Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Mitchell said. “What kid wouldn’t want to grow up and play against his hometown team in the playoffs? … It’s going to be a lot of fun — if that happens.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Danuel House has given the Sixers a boost since he was reinserted into the rotation in March, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. House has maintained a positive outlook and provided locker room leadership, regardless of how much he plays. “It takes a lot of focus. It takes a lot of energy,” said House, who averaged 12.2 minutes last month. “But you’ve got to sacrifice. Sacrifice is the biggest key, so you can set in your mind — or for your life — what’s really important. This is important to me. … All I’ve been trying to do is resume playing, stick [in the rotation] and just help the team.” House holds a $4.31MM player option on his contract for next season.
The Sixers played at Milwaukee on Sunday and face Boston on Tuesday. Joel Embiid downplayed the significance of games against the other top teams in the East, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “It’s a regular season game — that’s the approach I take, you know? You’ll use those matchups to see where you are at,” he said. “But there is no more excitement, in my opinion, because you are playing the two best teams in the league.”
Fred VanVleet, a potential free agent after the season, already held the Raptors’ single-game scoring record at 54. He added the single-game assist record against Charlotte on Sunday with 20, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star notes. “That’s a heck of an honor,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “There have been some great guards in the history of the organization. That’s really something, it really is.”

Sixers’ Embiid, Harden Out Monday In Denver

March 27th, 2023 at 8:21pm CST by Rory Maher

8:21pm: Harden has now been ruled out for Monday’s game as well, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The former MVP is targeting a return later this week after the Sixers return home, Woj adds.

1:10pm: Sixers star Joel Embiid is out for Monday’s matchup in Denver due to right calf soreness, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

On a positive note for Philadelphia, guard James Harden, who has missed the past three games with Achilles soreness, is on track to play tonight, per ESPN.

According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, Embiid — who was previously listed as questionable — tried to work out this morning, but the Sixers decided to be cautious with their best player. He recently spoke about the need for a day off to recover due to his nagging injuries and heavy workload.

“I’ve been playing a lot of minutes, I’ve been playing every single game.” Embiid said. “So to add to that, dealing with the calf and whatever the foot, I think at some point you gotta look at the bigger picture, which is the playoffs, obviously.”

It’s disappointing that Embiid will be unavailable for the highly anticipated matchup with the Nuggets and back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, as the two centers are once again MVP frontrunners. Embiid recently played in back-to-back games — road losses at Golden State and at Phoenix — on Friday and Saturday. Still, being healthy for a potential playoff push is obviously much more important, as he mentioned.

In other Sixers health news, forward Danuel House (shoulder) participated in Monday’s shootaround and told reporters he was going to suit up on Monday (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). House had missed the past two games with the injury.