DeAndre Jordan Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Liddell, Jordan, Knight, Hardy

July 26th, 2022 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans rookie forward E.J. Liddell has undergone surgery to reconstruct the torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced in a press release. The surgery was performed Monday by Dr. Scott Montgomery and Liddell remains out indefinitely.

Liddell, a second-round pick out of Ohio State, suffered the injury during a Vegas Summer League contest.

The former Ohio State forward averaged 19.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.6 BPG over 33.2 MPG last season and was projected as a first-round pick. He remains unsigned and the Pelicans don’t currently have an opening on the 15-man roster, though they have a two-way slot available.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Why did the Nuggets choose DeAndre Jordan as a backup big rather than re-signing DeMarcus Cousins? According to Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com, there were concerns about Cousins staying healthy for a full season. He battled calf and foot injuries after signing with Denver last season. The Nuggets also wanted more rim protection at backup center and a lob threat for Denver’s current group of guards.
Nathan Knight‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Timberwolves includes a $350K partial guarantee in year one and a $380,718 partial guarantee and team option in year two, Hoops Rumors has learned. Knight, who was on a two-way deal with Minnesota last season, signed a standard contract over the weekend. The 6’10” forward appeared in 37 NBA games last season.
New Jazz coach Will Hardy has spent a lot of his time this month getting acquainted with the players on the current roster, he told Tony Jones of The Athletic. “The conversations with the players, they have been great,” the former Celtics assistant said. “I’ve talked to all of our guys, and some in person. My expectation is to get to know each other as people before we get to know each other as co-workers. I want us to create and develop trust with each other. We want an environment of honesty with each other.”

Nuggets Sign DeAndre Jordan

July 12th, 2022 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12: Jordan’s deal with the Nuggets is now official, the team announced.

JUNE 30: The Nuggets are signing DeAndre Jordan to back up two-time MVP Nikola Jokic at center, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link) that Jordan will be signing a one-year contract worth the veteran’s minimum.

Jordan, who will turn 34 later this month, began the 2021/22 season on a minimum-salary contract with the Lakers. However, he was waived by Los Angeles in February and caught on with the Sixers for the rest of the season. In total, he appeared in 48 games for the two clubs, averaging 4.3 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 13.0 minutes per contest.

Jordan will no longer rank among the NBA’s leading rebounders and blocks like he did in his prime, but the Nuggets apparently believe he still has something left in the tank after an up-and-down ’21/22 campaign.

Northwest Notes: Prince, Wolves, Nuggets, Jordan, Arms

July 5th, 2022 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

Taurean Prince‘s two-year extension with the Timberwolves was initially reported to be worth $16MM, but its base value actually comes in at just $14.56MM, and the second year is non-guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Prince’s new deal also includes $195K in likely incentives per year, along with another $870K in annual unlikely incentives, so if he plays out the full two-year contract and maxes out its value, it’ll be worth $16.69MM in total.

The second year of Prince’s new deal would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 28, 2023.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

It might be a while before we know if the Timberwolves “won” the deal for Rudy Gobert, and even evaluating what constitutes a win will be complicated, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. However, Rand views the deal as trading “nine dimes for a dollar,” and believes it’s the kind of move the team needed to make to be serious about contending for a title.
Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscription required) acknowledges that the Nuggets‘ deal with DeAndre Jordan may not have been an exciting way to kick off free agency, but says the team did its homework on Jordan, vetted his engagement, and felt comfortable bringing him into the locker room. “They’d learned enough about former center DeMarcus Cousins that they weren’t willing to make the same commitment,” Singer writes.
Both Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports and Singer (Twitter links) believe that Adonis Arms, who is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Nuggets, is a strong candidate to eventually fill Denver’s open two-way slot. Currently, Collin Gillespie is the only Nugget signed to a two-way deal.
In case you missed it, our Community Shootaround discussion on Monday explored what’s next for the Jazz following the blockbuster Gobert trade.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Jordan, Nurse, Smart

May 3rd, 2022 at 2:00pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers center Joel Embiid appears to be making progress in his recovery from an orbital fracture and mild concussion, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Embiid missed Game 1 of the team’s series against Miami and is expected to miss Game 2, though he could return after that.

Head coach Doc Rivers said today that Embiid, who suffered his injuries against Toronto in Game 6 last round, is “feeling a lot better.” However, Rivers added that he doesn’t “want to give false hope either.” Philadelphia missed the star center’s presence in Game 1, as the team lost the rebounding edge 47-37 and lost the game by 14 points.

Embiid, an MVP candidate, is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He also made the All-Star team for a fifth consecutive year. It’s clear the Sixers will need his presence in order to make a lengthy playoff run.

Here are some other notes from the Atlantic:

As Embiid continues his rehab, the Sixers plan to keep DeAndre Jordan in his starting role, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com relays. “We like DJ, we’re going to keep starting him whether you like it or not,” Rivers said. “That’s what we’re gonna do because our guys believe in him. It’s funny, at halftime, we asked our key guys, we were thinking about it because I thought Paul Millsap gave us decent minutes, and to a man, that’s where they wanted to go.”
Raptors coach Nick Nurse admitted the team could use more depth next season, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. Specifically, Nurse identified catch-and-shoot players and athletic wings as pieces he’d like to see the team pursue. “The more quality players you have the better chance you’re going to have to win,” he said as part of a larger statement.
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explores how the Celtics could adjust if Marcus Smart (thigh bruises) isn’t 100% healthy. Smart, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 10 points, six assists and two steals in the team’s Game 1 loss, shooting 3-of-11. His defense is especially important against the Bucks, who start Jrue Holiday at point guard. Holiday scored 25 points in Game 1.

Sixers Notes: Rivers, Thybulle, Green, Jordan, Bassey

April 8th, 2022 at 11:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Should the Sixers suffer an early playoff exit, there has been speculation that coach Doc Rivers might be on the hot seat, and with Frank Vogel expected to be fired after the season, Rivers has surfaced as a name to watch for the Lakers‘ head coaching job.

Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com explores the topic of whether Rivers makes sense as a candidate in Los Angeles — assuming he’d even be interested in the job. Neubeck states that Rivers deserves credit for publicly embracing the team’s championship aspirations, but it could lead to him being the fall guy if the Sixers fail to make a significant postseason run.

Here’s more on Philadelphia:

A league source tells Neubeck that there’s no indication that Matisse Thybulle has changed his stance about getting vaccinated. Toronto won Friday night, clinching at least the No. 5 seed in the East. As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps notes (via Twitter), the Bucks will either be the No.2 or the No. 3 seed after Friday’s victory, and the Sixers can finish no better than third, because Milwaukee holds the tiebreaker. Point being, the odds have increased that the Sixers could face the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
Rivers was vague in his response to Thybulle being ineligible to play in Toronto, per Gina Minzell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). “It’s one game tonight. We’ll go from there,” Rivers said before Thursday’s meeting. When asked how it might impact the team in the postseason, Rivers said, “We don’t know who we’re playing yet, so we’ll just handle that when it comes.” Philly lost to Toronto this week in Thybulle’s absence.
Veteran Danny Green says he’s not happy about the situation with Thybulle, but it wasn’t clear from his wording whether he’s displeased about the rule that unvaccinated foreign nationals can’t enter Canada, or with Thybulle himself. “I’m not happy about it. It is an opportunity for myself and other guys to get more minutes on the road with James [Harden] and other rotations, but I think we’re a better team when we’re whole and we have everybody,” Green said. He added that it was tough to evaluate the team when it isn’t whole. “Most guys, I don’t want to say [are] disappointed, but. … it’s still a point in the season when we’re still trying to gauge who we are, where we are. The only way to do that is to have everybody together. It’s tough to do that when we don’t have everybody” (Twitter thread courtesy of Mizell).
DeAndre Jordan has been positive locker room presence for the Sixers, Mizell writes in a story for The Inquirer. Jordan has served as the team’s primary backup center after being waived by the Lakers.
Rookie Charles Bassey suffered a right shoulder sprain and missed his game with the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, per Derek Bodner of The Daily Six (Twitter link). Bassey will be reevaluated in about 10 days. The 21-year-old hasn’t played much at the NBA level, appearing in 23 games with an average of 7.3 minutes per contest, but he’s been productive when given opportunities.

Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Jordan, Haslem, Morris

March 20th, 2022 at 8:13pm CST by JD Shaw

Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis showed he can still be dominant in the team’s victory over the Lakers on Saturday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Porzingis finished with 27 points and five assists, helping his team win 127-119.

“Just down the stretch, we wanted to play through him,” teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “No one could stop K.P. at the elbow. He was just turning around and shooting over everybody. It’s going to be great just to see if we can get him a full season. We already know what he can do.”

Porzingis was acquired by the Wizards in February. He has dealt with a variety of injuries over his career (and hasn’t played over 60 games since the 2016/17 season), but he can still be productive when healthy. In seven games with Washington, he’s averaging 20.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

DeAndre Jordan is discovering his niche as a late-season addition with the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines. Jordan was waived by the Lakers earlier this month and subsequently signed with Philadelphia. He recorded eight points and seven rebounds in the team’s win over Dallas on Friday, logging 13 minutes off the bench.
Longtime Heat veteran Udonis Haslem briefly explained why the team has had success developing players in recent years, as relayed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Those undrafted guys come here – Max [Strus], Gabe [Vincent], Caleb [Martin], Duncan [Robinson], Omer [Yurtseven], Chris Silva – when those guys come in here, it’s an automatic expectation from me to do more than the guys that got drafted, do more than the guys that got signed, work harder, push more, pay attention to detail more,” Haslem said. “And nobody complains here. That’s one thing about these young guys; they don’t complain.”
Playing Markieff Morris at small-ball five is no longer a stretch for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel contends. Morris saw action as a backup center against Oklahoma City on Friday, scoring 13 points in nearly 20 minutes. The Heat could play Morris more at center in certain lineups and matchups, as nine-year veteran Dewayne Dedmon has struggled in recent weeks.

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Embiid, VanVleet, Robinson

March 20th, 2022 at 5:31pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers coach Doc Rivers disagrees with the perception that his bench needs to score more, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Many league observers believe Philadelphia’s depth could be an Achilles heel, especially after the team gave up Seth Curry and Andre Drummond in last month’s deal for James Harden.

“All year, we were playing with five bench guys. I think that was too many for people,” Rivers explained. “Now, we are playing three bench guys. That’s not enough for people.”

Philadelphia’s bench consists of Shake Milton, Danny Green, Georges Niang and DeAndre Jordan, which likely isn’t better than other Eastern contenders such as Miami or Milwaukee. The team’s starting group certainly makes up for it, however.

“I think the biggest thing everyone is missing is since James has come, we play two starters with the bench,” Rivers continued, alluding to his new substitution pattern. “So when you do that, the bench guys aren’t going to score as much.

“The reason they aren’t going to score as much is because the two starters that are playing with the bench are probably scoring more when they are playing with the bench. So it does change it a little bit for sure.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers superstar Joel Embiid is eager to play in every game before the playoffs, but he understands the importance of being healthy, Pompey writes in a separate article for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid has been playing through a sore back. Philadelphia will need his production in the playoffs, as he’s currently averaging a career-high 30.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (right knee injury management) will miss the team’s game against Philadelphia on Sunday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. VanVleet played nearly 47 minutes against the Lakers in an overtime game on Friday. He leads the team in minutes per game (38.2) and is in the midst of his first All-Star campaign.
Mitchell Robinson has provided a boost for the Knicks on the offensive glass, Pette Botte of the New York Post writes. The seven-footer has averaged just over four offensive rebounds per game this season, trailing only Grizzlies center Steven Adams. “Huge … those effort plays, they inspire your team,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Our rebounding has been off the charts, that’s a big part of winning. You have to keep improving … keep fighting, scratching. Whatever we gotta do, we gotta do right now.”

Checking In On NBA’s Open Roster Spots

March 10th, 2022 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Several of the NBA teams that had open roster spots following the trade deadline have since filled them, either with free agent signings, such as DeMarcus Cousins (Nuggets) and DeAndre Jordan (Sixers), or with promoted two-way players, like Caleb Martin (Heat) and Daishen Nix (Rockets).

However, there are still a number of clubs around the league with openings available, either on their standard 15-man roster or among their two-way contract slots.

Here, with the help of our roster counts page, is a look at the teams that have open roster spots as of March 10:

Teams with open 15-man roster spots:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics (2) *
Charlotte Hornets *
Cleveland Cavaliers *
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans *
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors *
Utah Jazz

* The teams marked with an asterisk each technically have full rosters as of today, but are carrying at least one player on a 10-day contract. We’re considering those roster spots “open” because those 10-day deals will soon expire.

Despite a series of signings since last month’s trade deadline, there are still 12 NBA teams that aren’t carrying 15 players on full-season standard contracts. However, four of those clubs have filled their open roster spot(s) with 10-day signings, and a fifth will join that group when the Cavaliers complete their reported 10-day deal with Moses Brown.

The Celtics are one team to watch here. When the second 10-day contracts for Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin expire next Monday night, Boston will either have to sign at least one of them to a rest-of-season contract or add another player within the next two weeks in order to get back to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players on standard deals.

Teams with open two-way spots:

Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings

Following the trade deadline, five teams had open two-way contract slots. Four of those teams have since filled them — the Suns are the only holdout, having not carried a second two-way player since they released Chandler Hutchison in early January.

The Rockets have had an open two-way slot since they promoted Nix to the 15-man roster nearly a month ago, while the Kings‘ opening has existed since they waived Louis King on February 17.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Thomas, Stauskas, Knicks, Jordan

March 9th, 2022 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Tuesday whether the Celtics considered signing Isaiah Thomas at any point this season, head coach Ime Udoka said that point guard “was never really a position of need” for his team, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston tweets.

The Celtics did trade away a point guard – Dennis Schröder – at last month’s deadline, but acquired Derrick White on the same day. The team came out of the trade deadline with five open spots on its 15-man roster and has since filled them all without adding another point guard.

Now a member of the Hornets on a 10-day contract, Thomas will face his old team on Wednesday night in Charlotte. And, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe details, the veteran point guard admitted that he’s disappointed a reunion with the Celtics has never materialized since he was traded by the team in 2017.

“I’ve tried to have conversations about that, but it’s hard to speak on because I’ve opened my arms to try to come back in so many ways,” Thomas said on Tuesday. “And it’s not even playing and trying to pick up where I left off. I’m past that moment. I know there’s been times where I can help in that locker room.

“This is from the outside looking in, but I felt like there’s times where (president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens) could make a call and give me an opportunity, and it hasn’t happened, so that’s very frustrating because of the relationship we have, the friendship we’ve been able to have over the years.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Nik Stauskas, who signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Celtics last week, said on Tuesday that he had considered the possibility of walking away from basketball after this season if he didn’t get another NBA opportunity, tweets Forsberg. Stauskas’ salary for 2022/23 is non-guaranteed, but if he impresses the C’s down the stretch, it’s possible he’ll stick around for next season.
Fourth-year center Mitchell Robinson has been one of the few bright spots for the Knicks this season, according to Steve Popper of Newsday, who notes that Robinson has played some of his best basketball recently as he nears unrestricted free agency. “Mitch is playing really well, really well,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Monday. “I want him to continue on that path. His effort to the board — his execution is much, much improved in terms of what we can do with him in terms of dribble-handoff and pick-and-roll and that sort of thing. He’s growing day by day.” Robinson, who was limited to just two minutes on Monday due to an illness, is questionable to play in Dallas on Wednesday.
With the Knicks in need of some reliable backcourt production due to the absences of players like Derrick Rose, Quentin Grimes, and Kemba Walker, Immanuel Quickley has broken out of a season-long shooting slump and strung together a series of impressive offensive performances at just the right time, says Peter Botte of The New York Post. In his last five games (26.5 MPG), Quickley is averaging 18.6 PPG on .528/.520/.960 shooting.
DeAndre Jordan didn’t make much of an impact in Los Angeles this season, but he could be the ideal backup for Sixers star Joel Embiid, Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer contends.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Noel, Jordan, Raptors

March 7th, 2022 at 10:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets would have to go on a major winning streak to escape the play-in tournament. Winding up in that extra round could have major offseason consequences, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Coach Steve Nash could find his job in jeopardy, despite all the obstacles he’s been forced to deal with this season. The roster could be overhauled, as Lewis notes only six players have guaranteed contracts for next season and two others can opt out of their deals.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks center Nerlens Noel did not play on Sunday due to plantar fasciitis and he could be out for an extended period, according to The New York Post’s Marc Berman. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Noel would not play until he recovered from the foot ailment and got some regular practice time. Noel has played in just 25 games due to an assortment of knee, hamstring and foot injuries. He signed a three-year, $27.7MM contract last summer with a team option for the final year.
DeAndre Jordan said his prior relationships with coach Doc Rivers and starters James Harden and Tobias Harris, plus the need for a backup center, made the Sixers an easy choice after he cleared waivers, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Jordan heaped praise on his former Clippers coach, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “He’s the best coach I’ve ever had, he’s more than a coach to me … when a new player comes to a team, it’s always everybody trying to get them to feel acclimated, but with Doc, he’s gonna curse me out like I’ve been here all season,” said Jordan, who played 10 minutes in his Sixers debut on Monday.
The Raptors’ loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday makes it seem almost inevitable that Toronto will wind up in the play-in tournament, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Canada writes. The defeat dropped Toronto three games behind Cleveland, which sits in sixth place in the East and also holds a tiebreaker advantage over the Raptors.