Dorian Finney-Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Rumors: Trade Targets, LeBron, Davis, Bronny, Hachimura

December 17th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are expected to be one of the most active buyers on the trade market during the 2024/25 season, though it remains unclear how much of their available draft capital they’re willing to move and how significant a deal they’ll make, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

As Buha notes, the Lakers were also considered likely to buy last season, but ultimately stood pat at the February trade deadline, choosing not to surrender a first-round pick. However, there’s hope that Golden State’s deal for Dennis Schröder (which saw the Warriors give up three second-round picks and get one back) may be a signal that teams’ asking prices for useful role players will be more modest this time around.

The Lakers are believed to be in the market for three kinds of players, according to Buha: a “physical, defensive-minded” center, a three-and-D wing, and an athletic guard with some size who can defend at the point of attack. As Buha writes, players the Lakers have been linked to in the past, including Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Nets wings Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, are among the targets who would make sense at this season’s deadline.

Jazz guard Collin Sexton and center Walker Kessler, Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and center Robert Williams, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are some of the other potential players of interest who have come up in Buha’s conversations with team and league sources. However, the Lakers aren’t expected to be in on former All-Stars like Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram, Buha adds.

Here’s more on the Lakers and their approach to the trade deadline:

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers aren’t considering trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis and almost certainly wouldn’t do so unless they asked to be dealt, sources tell Buha. Other players unlikely to be moved include Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Dalton Knecht, who are viewed as potential long-term pieces.
While Bronny James isn’t untouchable, he’s not expected to be included in a trade that doesn’t involve his father, sources tell The Athletic.
One or more of the Lakers’ four mid-sized contracts – D’Angelo Russell ($18.69MM cap hit), Rui Hachimura ($17MM), Gabe Vincent ($11MM), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.71MM) – figures to be included in any deal of note this season. Of those players, Hachimura looks like the one the Lakers would least want to move, Buha writes, though the forward would probably also have the most trade value of the four. Russell hasn’t drawn significant interest from potential suitors during previous discussions, Vincent has dealt with injuries and has struggled offensively since joining the Lakers, and Vanderbilt has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason surgeries on both feet.

Warriors Acquire Dennis Schröder From Nets

December 15th, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 15: The trade is official, according to press releases from the Warriors and Nets. As detailed below, Brooklyn received Melton, Beekman, and three second-round picks from Golden State in exchange for Schröder and a second-round pick.

As first reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the Nets received Atlanta’s second-round picks in 2026 and 2028, along with Golden State’s second-rounder in 2029, while the Warriors acquired Miami’s 2025 second-rounder (top-37 protected).

In order to open up a two-way slot for Beekman, Brooklyn waived rookie Yongxi Cui, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear earlier this week.

DECEMBER 14: The Warriors are finalizing an agreement with the Nets to acquire veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Sources tell Charania that Brooklyn will send Schröder and one second-round pick to Golden State in exchange for injured guard De’Anthony Melton and three second-rounders.

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer (Twitter links), who first reported that Brooklyn’s return would include Melton’s expiring contract and second-round compensation, suggest the deal is on track to be completed on Sunday, when Melton officially becomes trade-eligible.

Fischer hears that the two teams also discussed Nets forward Cameron Johnson, but he won’t be included in this trade (Twitter link). However, Warriors two-way player Reece Beekman is expected to be added to Golden State’s outgoing package, Fischer notes (via Twitter).

Both Melton and Schröder are on expiring contracts and will hit free agency in 2025. Melton has a cap hit of $12,822,000 this season, while Schröder is earning $13,025,250. The Warriors, who are currently operating just $533K-ish below their hard cap, will move closer to that threshold as they take on an extra $203K in salary in the swap with the Nets.

Melton, 26, signed a one-year deal deal worth the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception with the Warriors over the offseason to try to rebuild his value following an extended absence last season due to a back ailment. Unfortunately, the defensive stalwart suffered a partially torn ACL just six games into his tenure with Golden State, requiring him to undergo season-ending surgery.

Schröder is off to an excellent start to the ’24/25 campaign and is a major reason why the Nets have been surprisingly competitive to this point. In 23 games, all starts (33.6 MPG), he’s averaging 18.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.6 APG and 1.1 SPG on .452/.387/.889 shooting.

Charania reported earlier this week that the Nets had been discussing trades involving Schröder, Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, with the Warriors expressing interest in all three players. Now a deal for Schröder is being finalized.

Multiple reports indicated Brooklyn was hoping to land a first-round pick for Schröder, but that was considered an overly optimistic ask for a role player on an expiring contract. The team will ultimately accept a net gain (pun not intended) of two second-rounders. Moving on from the point guard sooner rather than later will also limit the Nets’ upside on the court, potentially increasing the value of their own 2025 first-round pick.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the Nets continue to be active in trade discussions, particularly involving Johnson and Finney-Smith.

While Melton won’t return this season, his contract could come in handy in a subsequent trade for Brooklyn — he’ll become eligible to aggregated again on February 5 as long as the Nets and Warriors complete their deal on or before Monday. The Nets could hang onto him until then, then perhaps waive him after the Feb. 6 deadline if they don’t find a use for his expiring contract on the trade market.

Warriors Notes: Schröder, Trade Talks, Kerr, Green, Curry, Wiggins

December 14th, 2024 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors expect their trade with the Nets to be finalized in time for Dennis Schröder to begin practicing with the team early next week and make his debut Thursday night in Memphis, sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

The deal will reportedly send Schröder and a second-round draft pick to Golden State in exchange for the expiring contract of De’Anthony Melton, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, along with two-way player Reece Beekman and three second-round selections. It can’t be completed until Sunday when Melton becomes trade-eligible.

The two teams have been in sporadic trade talks for weeks, Slater adds. He confirms reports that the discussions at one point included a larger deal involving Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, but those negotiations fell apart. He hears that Golden State preferred a simple trade for Schröder, giving them much-needed scoring help without sacrificing any of their young talent. Schröder was the only player who had been discussed in the last few days, Slater adds.

Schröder, 31, is a veteran guard who brings plenty of playoff and international experience. He will run the offense whenever Stephen Curry is resting, but the Warriors also envision having them on the court together, according to Slater. Coach Steve Kerr has been running 11- and 12-man rotations for much of the season, but Slater points out that Schröder’s arrival is likely to mean reduced roles for Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield and others.

There’s more on the Warriors:

Kerr, Curry and Draymond Green were all advocates for acquiring Schröder because they’ve faced his German team so often in international competitions, states Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link). The trade won’t prevent the Warriors from “big-game hunting,” according to Charania, who adds that the team remains “active in the hunt for a star player.” He also points out that Golden State can aggregate Schröder’s contract in another deal before the February 6 deadline if necessary. The Warriors have been prominently mentioned in Jimmy Butler trade rumors, but other desirable targets could become available.
The Warriors weren’t happy about being knocked out of the NBA Cup with a controversial loss Wednesday at Houston, but it did give them a break in the schedule, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. They’ll have three days off following Sunday’s game against Dallas, which gives them the rare chance to concentrate on practice and film sessions. “I think it’s really beneficial for us to get some more practice time. During the NBA season it’s really hard to get really good practices in,” Kevon Looney said. “We get to work on all the execution things. The small things that we keep talking about on film. We can actually go out on the practice court and work on the kinks.”
Curry and Andrew Wiggins are both listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest, Slater tweets. Curry is experiencing inflammation in his neck area, and Wiggins is dealing with adductor tightness.

Nets Notes: Butler, Schröder, Potential Trades, K. Johnson

December 12th, 2024 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

Jimmy Butler has shown interest in joining the Nets in the past and would still be interested in potentially ending up in Brooklyn, a source tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post. However, the Nets aren’t considered a potential trade suitor for the Heat star and would only make sense as a landing spot in free agency.

That outcome isn’t out of the question. The Nets project to have more cap room than any other NBA team in 2025, and multiple reports have indicated that Butler’s plan is to turn down his $52MM+ player option for 2025/26 in order to become a free agent after the current season.

Still, Lewis cautions that any Nets interest would have to be “at the right price and on the right terms” — at age 35, Butler can’t realistically expect a long-term, maximum-salary contract as a free agent in 2025, but it remains to be seen how eager he’ll be to take a pay cut and/or a short-term contract. He may prefer one to the other.

With no contending teams projected to have maximum-salary cap space next summer, it’s possible Butler would use the retooling Nets as leverage in order to extract the best possible deal from the Heat or whichever team he’s playing for at the end of this season. But it’s worth noting that Brooklyn has been more competitive than expected so far this season and doesn’t necessarily want to spend several years in the lottery while rebuilding.

“Their reset will be around signing a max free agent and draft picks,” one league source told Lewis. “They for sure won’t tank multiple years. It’s going to be a one-year reset.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

While it’s generally difficult for NBA teams to net a first-round pick in exchange for a role player who has an expiring contract, that’s expected to be the Nets’ asking price on veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, Lewis reports in another story for The New York Post. Marc Stein reported something similar on Tuesday. The 31-year-old, who will earn about $13MM this season before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2025, is averaging career highs in several statistical categories, including assists per game (6.5) and three-point percentage (38.5%).
The Nets may benefit from selling off their productive veteran players sooner rather than later in order to ensure they land a high lottery pick in the 2025 draft, but that doesn’t mean they’ll simply accept the best offer available for players like Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith. Brooklyn will be seeking real value for its top trade chips, according to Lewis. “They’re not giving anyone away,” one source told The New York Post.
After averaging 12.6 minutes per game in his first 15 outings, Nets guard Keon Johnson has logged 26.3 MPG in seven games (three starts) since Cam Thomas went down with a hamstring injury. As Lewis writes for The Post, Johnson recognizes his playing time could fall off again once Brooklyn’s leading scorer returns. “Nothing is guaranteed, and it’s not guaranteed for him or anybody else,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “So the group’s been doing great. There’s going to be guys at times going in and out of the rotation. I hope if you’re out of the rotation, you work really hard to get back in. If you’re in the second group, you work hard to be in the first group. That’s important because that just helps the entire group to be better.”

Stein’s Latest: Butler, Wizards, Jazz, Nets, H. Jones, Sixers, Cavaliers

December 11th, 2024 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets, Mavericks and Warriors are the teams most often linked to a potential Jimmy Butler trade, but none of them are considered certain to make a strong bid to acquire the Heat star, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

Stein views Golden State as the most serious contender among the group, with sources telling him that the Warriors have expressed some interest in Butler and one informant saying the team wants to “take a swing” on a significant move by the trade deadline. Stein notes that Golden State attempted to land Paul George and Lauri Markkanen during the offseason, even though those efforts were unsuccessful. He adds that Draymond Green has experience playing alongside Butler on the U.S. Olympic team in 2016.

Houston has plenty of assets to offer in exchange for Butler, but Stein points to general manager Rafael Stone‘s stance that he doesn’t plan to pursue a major in-season trade. The Rockets have also let it be known that age considerations will be important if they do go after a star, making sure that player is on a similar timeline as the rest of their young core. That would seem to exclude any interest in the 35-year-old Butler.

Financial restraints will likely prevent the Mavericks from getting involved, Stein adds. They already have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on max contracts, and both players will become eligible for new deals in July. Stein doesn’t believe Dallas is looking for another player like Butler, who is used to having the ball in his hands.

Butler, who has a $52.4MM player option for next season, has been open about his intention to pursue free agency. Meeting with reporters after Wednesday’s practice, he refused to commit when asked if he wants to finish his career in Miami.

“I don’t know,” he responded. “I’m pretty sure y’all are going to get a report that’s going to say otherwise anyways. So there’s no sense in me answering that question.”

Stein offers more inside information from around the NBA:

The Wizards, Jazz and Nets are the primary sellers as the league’s unofficial trade season gets set to open Sunday, with a rival executive telling Stein, “When you call them, they’re willing to make a deal right now.” Stein hears that the Raptors, Trail Blazers and Bulls are also being monitored to see if they’re interested in parting with certain players. Sources tell Stein that Brooklyn is asking for at least one first-round pick in exchange for swingman Dorian Finney-Smith or point guard Dennis Schröder. Washington is “increasingly regarded as likely” to pursue trades involving Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon while listening to offers for Kyle Kuzma, who is in the second season of a four-year, $90MM contract.
Sources tell Stein that the Pelicans have no interest in fielding offers for Herbert Jones despite the team’s disastrous 5-20 start. Jones is the team’s best perimeter defender and is under contract through the 2026/27 season.
The Sixers aren’t expected to be active in December, according to Stein, because their most logical trade chip — KJ Martin — doesn’t become trade eligible until January 15.
Scouts believe the Cavaliers will try to acquire at least one more wing before the deadline, Stein adds. Even though Cleveland is at the top of the East, there’s a belief that the team will need to upgrade its perimeter defense for the playoffs.

Nets Discussing Johnson, Finney-Smith, Schröder Trades; Warriors Have Interest

December 10th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Nets veterans Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Dennis Schröder have all generated trade interest early this season, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Insider link), who reports that Brooklyn has begun to have exploratory discussions involving the trio.

The Warriors are among the clubs that have expressed interest in those three players, sources tell Charania, who adds that rival teams believe Golden State is willing to use De’Anthony Melton‘s $12.8MM expiring contract and draft assets in a trade. Melton suffered a season-ending ACL injury last month.

While the wording of Charania’s report suggests Golden State has expressed interest in all three of those Nets trade candidates, Johnson looks to me like a less likely target for the Warriors. He has a $22.5MM cap hit and another $4.5MM in unlikely incentives that count toward the tax aprons, which could be problematic for a Warriors team operating right up against its hard cap.

Besides being a complicated fit from a salary perspective, Johnson is the player (of those three Nets) whose skill set overlaps least with Melton’s, so if Golden State is seeking a replacement for its injured guard, he’s not an obvious fit. But he’s off to a great start this season — his 18.8 points per game, 48.8% field goal percentage, and 43.4% three-point percentage would all be career highs.

Finney-Smith ($14.9MM) and Schröder ($13MM) have salaries in the range of Melton’s and have more in common with the 26-year-old guard on the court. Finney-Smith is a solid, versatile defender capable of knocking down three-point shots (a career-best 43.2% this season), while Schröder is a talented ball-handler, scorer, and play-maker whose 38.5% three-point rate and 2.5 three-pointers per game this season are career highs.

Besides having more modest cap hits, Finney-Smith and Schröder also have shorter-term contracts than Johnson. Schröder will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025 while Finney-Smith can join him by turning down his 2025/26 player option worth $15.4MM. Johnson’s contract runs through the 2026/27 season.

The Nets project to have the most cap room of any NBA team during the 2025 offseason, so they’ll likely try to avoid taking on multiyear contracts in any deal involving Finney-Smith and/or Schröder.

Besides registering interest in role players like the Nets’ trio, the Warriors remain interested in adding a star – ideally a play-maker and scorer – who could complement Stephen Curry, Charania reiterates.

Charania made a similar point during an NBA Today appearance last week, noting that Golden State will try to determine in the two months leading up to the February 6 trade deadline whether forward Jonathan Kuminga can become that sort of impact player or whether the club will need to keep trying to acquire a star via trade. The Warriors expressed trade interest over the summer in both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen.

New York Notes: Finney-Smith, Fernandez, Knicks, Hart

December 8th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Rory Maher

Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who has missed the past four games — and six of the past seven — with a left ankle sprain, will return to action on Sunday vs. Milwaukee, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 31-year-old was able to practice for the second consecutive day on Saturday and is not on the injury report for today’s matinee against the Bucks.

“It’s a long season. Nobody’s really 100 percent, so I’m pretty sure everybody’s got some nags and bumps and bruises, but I feel better and I’m ready to play [Sunday],” Finney-Smith said. “Yeah, no question. You know I’m playing.”

As Lewis writes, Finney-Smith has by far the best plus-minus on Brooklyn’s roster (plus-56). On top of shooting a career-best 42.2% from three-point range and playing solid, switchable defense, he’s also the Nets’ locker-room leader.

“Doe brings toughness, his veteran leadership that he brings to any team,” Trendon Watford said. “That’s what he’s made his name off of, just him being a leader and him being that tough guy, him just being a knockdown shooter and lock-down defender. We know what Doe brings every night, and we definitely can use it.”

Second-year big man Noah Clowney is questionable for Sunday’s contest after missing the past six games with his own left ankle sprain, Lewis adds.

Here are some more notes on the NBA’s two New York-based teams:

First-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has been lauded for his job performance thus far, Lewis writes in subscriber-only story for The New York Post. In addition to being nominated for the Eastern Conference’s Coach of the Month award, Fernandez has drawn praise both inside and outside the organization for instilling belief in a club that was widely expected to finish with among the worst records in the league. Despite dealing with injuries to several key players, Brooklyn is currently 10-13, the No. 8 seed in the East.
Playing without Karl-Anthony Towns, who was a late scratch due to a right knee patellar tendinopathy, the Knicks had a disappointing home loss to Detroit on Saturday, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post. Jericho Sims got the start at center in place of Towns, but he only played six minutes, with head coach Tom Thibodeau turning to Precious Achiuwa and rookie Ariel Hukporti to man the middle. Mikal Bridges expressed disappointment with the team’s defensive effort after giving up 120 points to a Pistons team that ranks 22nd in the league in offensive rating. “Not good. I think we pick and choose when [to play defense],” Bridges said. “And we ain’t that good that we can just pick and choose when to play defense.”
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was questionable ahead of Saturday’s game due to a lower back contusion he sustained in Thursday’s victory over Charlotte, but he wound up playing a season-high 44 minutes and scoring a game-high 31 points to go along with 10 assists in the loss, notes Christian Arnold of The New York Post.
Thibodeau was disappointed that Knicks forward Josh Hart was ejected for receiving his second technical foul late in the fourth quarter, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “Josh plays on emotion which is great,” Thibodeau said. “But there’s a fine line and just, we can’t have that in the fourth quarter.” Hart claimed he didn’t know why he received either technical.

Nets Rumors: Johnson, Schröder, Finney-Smith, Sharpe, Bogdanovic

December 2nd, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets have been surprisingly competitive through the first quarter of the season, but they have a chance to be one of the NBA’s most active teams heading into the trade deadline, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Nearly the entire roster could be considered expendable as Brooklyn starts building for the future, and Cameron Johnson might bring the greatest return.

The 28-year-old power forward is in the midst of his best offensive season, averaging a career-high 18.1 points per game while shooting 49% from the field and 42.2% from three-point range. His increased production has helped to fill the void that was created when Mikal Bridges was traded to New York over the summer.

League executives tell Scotto that the Nets might be able to get a first-round pick if they part with Johnson before the February 6 trade deadline. He has two more full seasons left on his contract, which pays him $23.6MM this year before declining to $21.6MM next season and returning to $23.6MM for 2026/27. Johnson is aware of the trade rumors, but he tells Scotto that his preference is to remain in Brooklyn.

“I want to build this,” he said. “I really like coach Jordi (Fernandez). I like our staff. I think we’re headed in the right direction. I can’t tell them exactly what to do and how to proceed. The business will do what the business does. I don’t take it personally either way. For me, I’m invested in what we have. It’s been exciting to find progress and to see the potential. I want to be here and get this thing really turned around and back to winning basketball. I think we have the group to do it, and I think we have the assets and pieces to do it. Whatever they decide, no hard feelings.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

NBA executives tell Scotto that point guard Dennis Schröder, who has a $13MM expiring contract, is also considered one of the Nets’ top trade assets. He continues to produce at a high level at age 31, averaging 18.7 points and 6.4 assists per night while shooting a career-best 40.5% from three-point range. Schröder has become a strong voice in the locker room as well as the team’s on-court leader. The executives Scotto spoke with believe Brooklyn can get multiple second-round picks from a contender that wants to acquire Schröder as a “rental” for the rest of the season.
Scotto hears that several playoff-caliber teams have already contacted the Nets about Dorian Finney-Smith. The 31-year-old forward is shooting 42.2% from beyond the arc and he brings a wealth of playoff experience. Finney-Smith holds a $15.38MM player option for 2025/26, so any team that acquires him should be considering a relationship that lasts beyond the end of this season.
Rival teams are also watching Day’Ron Sharpe as a potential backup center, Scotto adds. Sharpe is expected to return soon from a hamstring injury, and he’ll get an opportunity to play while Noah Clowney is sidelined with a sprained ankle. Sources tell Scotto that the Grizzlies, Clippers, Pelicans, Lakers and Raptors all have interest in Sharpe.
The Nets are expected to showcase Bojan Bogdanovic for potential suitors when he returns from offseason foot surgery later this month. Scotto hears that the team might be able to get a second-round pick in return if Bogdanovic can stay on the court.

And-Ones: Silas, Covington, Efficient Shooters, WBD, 2025 FAs

November 29th, 2024 at 8:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Silas was an NBA assistant for two decades from 2000-20, spending time in Charlotte, New Orleans, Cleveland, Golden State, and Dallas, establishing himself as a legitimate head coaching candidate and eventually being hired by Houston to fill that role.

However, Silas’ three-year stint with the Rockets didn’t go well. His .250 winning percentage (on a 59-177 record) is the worst in NBA history among 168 coaches with at least 200 games under their belts. His next stop wasn’t any better, as he spent the 2023/24 season as an assistant to Monty Williams on the 14-68 Pistons. Having been let go along with Williams this past offseason, Silas is coaching Team USA’s AmeriCup qualifying roster as he resets following a challenging few years.

“I’ve been enjoying the family time, and it’s important because, like, obviously my dad (former NBA player and coach Paul Silas) passed a couple years ago, and now I have a daughter who is a senior in high school, and I can actually go to the parent-teacher conferences and be there when she comes home and be there for homecoming and stuff like that,” Silas said, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “It is really cool at a time that I probably needed to have after three years in Houston, one year in Detroit which wasn’t very successful. Kind of like take a step back, enjoy the fam’, do the USA thing. It’s really cathartic for me.”

As Vardon writes, a successful stint with USA Basketball could revitalize Silas’ stock and help him earn a new NBA role in 2025. Some of his players, such as Robert Covington and Frank Kaminsky, are also viewing their time with Team USA not just as an opportunity to represent their country but as a chance to show NBA teams they’re still capable of contributing.

“This is a great opportunity just to show people that I’m healthy,” Covington said. “I’ve got four or five years left of basketball in me.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Mike Shearer of HoopsHype takes a look at 12 players who have significantly increased their shooting efficiency so far this season. As Shearer cautions, there’s no guarantee those players will maintain their efficiency spikes all season, but there are some interesting names on this list, including a handful who will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer (Christian Braun, Ochai Agbaji, and Bennedict Mathurin) and trade candidates like Nets teammates Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Warner Bros. Discovery – the parent company of TNT Sports – has been sued by investors who claim the company mischaracterized the impact that losing its NBA rights beginning in 2025 would have on its business. Winston Cho of The Hollywood Reporter has the story.
Danny Leroux of The Athletic looks ahead to next summer and previews the top players in the NBA’s 2025 free agent class, starting with stars like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, and James Harden. Leroux also singles out Pacers center Myles Turner as a fascinating free agent to watch, since he has a coveted skill set for a big man and will be very much in his prime when he reaches the open market at age 29.

Injury Notes: Nets, Giannis, Morant, Poole, Hayes

November 27th, 2024 at 8:14am CST by Luke Adams

There’s good news and bad news for the Nets on their latest injury report, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays. Leading scorer Cam Thomas has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game in Phoenix due to left hamstring soreness. Thomas, who has also dealt with an illness and a sore back as of late, was removed in the third quarter on Monday vs. Golden State to “protect him from himself,” in the words of head coach Jordi Fernandez.

Big man Noah Clowney will join Thomas on the sidelines, having been ruled out for a second straight game due to a left ankle sprain. Brooklyn has yet to provide an update on the results of an MRI Clowney underwent on his injured ankle, Lewis notes.

A banged-up Nets team could get some reinforcements soon, however. According to Lewis, Nic Claxton (lower back soreness), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain), and Cameron Johnson (right ankle sprain) are all considered questionable to play on Wednesday. Claxton and Finney-Smith each missed Monday’s game, while Johnson exited in the first half.

Ben Simmons is also off the injury report after sitting out on Monday due to lower back injury management.

We have a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Originally listed as probable due to a left calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was a late scratch vs. Miami on Tuesday due to swelling in his left knee, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. As Owczarski notes, Antetokounmpo had surgery on that knee during the summer of 2023.
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant played on Monday for the first time since November 6, but he has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Detroit due to a new injury, a left knee contusion, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Morant downplayed the ailment after the game on Monday: “A little knee to knee. Everybody know I get back up every time. … Quick little stinger, get out the way and just take care of it now.”
Wizards guard Jordan Poole missed a second straight game on Tuesday due to left hip flexor soreness, per the team (Twitter link). Poole had initially been listed as questionable, so it sounds as if the issue is a day-to-day one rather than one that will keep him sidelined for an extended period.
In his first game back following a two-week absence due to a right ankle sprain, Lakers center Jaxson Hayes re-aggravated that same ankle injury during the final minute of Tuesday’s loss to Phoenix. He had to be helped to the locker room, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter links), who says the team plans to provide an update on Hayes on Wednesday afternoon.