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Nets Rumors: Simmons, Irving, Harris, Curry, Dragic

April 27th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When Ben Simmons and agent Rich Paul met with Nets leadership – including GM Sean Marks – earlier this week, Simmons told the people in the room that he’s experiencing a “mental block,” which is creating stress that could be exacerbating his back problems, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The setback Simmons experienced prior to his anticipated Nets debut in Game 4 of the team’s first-round series vs. Boston was initially described as a physical one — he was said to be suffering from renewed back pain. But Charania’s report suggests there are still mental obstacles to clear before Simmons returns to the court.

Reporting this week from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype backs up that idea. Fischer wrote that it’s “quite clear that the mental aspect of Simmons’ return to game action is the biggest hurdle” he has to overcome, while Scotto has heard from a source close to Simmons that the 25-year-old is “going through it right now mentally.”

According to Charania, Nets officials told Simmons in this week’s meeting that the franchise is willing to do whatever is necessary to support him, and Scotto hears that the team has indeed been “supportive at every turn,” making the three-time All-Star more comfortable than he was in Philadelphia. Simmons didn’t end up making it back this season, but Scotto’s source is “very confident” he’ll return to action next season.

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • Echoing Jake Fischer’s reporting from earlier in the week, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer suggests a Simmons trade this offseason is unlikely because teams are warier than ever about his condition. A source from a non-playoff team that was previously interested in Simmons told O’Connor, “We’re at the point we’d want to see him play first.”
  • Within his story on the Nets, O’Connor writes that there were “crickets” earlier in the 2021/22 season when the team was reportedly willing to listen to trade inquiries on Kyrie Irving.
  • The Nets had some interest in acquiring an athletic wing defender such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, or Marcus Smart prior to this year’s trade deadline, according to Scotto, who thinks the team could explore the trade market for that type of player again this offseason. Scotto speculates that Brooklyn might dangle one of its sharpshooters – Joe Harris or Seth Curry – in those talks.
  • Goran Dragic, who turns 36 next Friday, isn’t considered retirement. The veteran point guard said this week that he’d like to play for two or three more seasons, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Dragic will be a free agent this summer after signing a rest-of-season contract with Brooklyn in February.
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Atlantic Notes: Dragic, Curry, Brown, Thybulle, Raptors

April 11th, 2022 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets will have their veteran point guard available for Tuesday’s play-in matchup against Cleveland. Goran Dragic has cleared the league’s health and safety protocols, Marc J. Spears of ESPN tweets. Dragic hasn’t played since March 31. Dragic’s backcourt partner, Seth Curry, will also play on Tuesday, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Curry has been dealing with an ankle injury.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Bruce Brown comes into the postseason in top form, Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes. Brown racked up 18 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks in a key win over the Cavaliers on Friday. The Nets swingman followed that up with 21 points against Indiana. Brown has made 12 three-pointers in the last six games. “Just all mental for me,” he said. “Just having confidence to shoot the ball. I got a lot of reps up this summer and during the year.”
  • Matisse Thybulle remains ineligible to play Games 3 and 4 in Toronto due to his vaccination status, Sixers coach Doc Rivers confirmed to ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter link) and other media members. Thybulle explained why he decided not to get fully vaccinated to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com, among others, on Sunday. “I was raised in a holistic household, where anti-vax is not like a term that was ever used, it’s a weird term that has been kind of been thrown around to just label people,” Thybulle said. “We grew up with Chinese medicine and naturopathic doctors. Just with that upbringing, coming into the situation, I felt like I had a solid foundation of medical resources that could serve me beyond what this vaccine could do for me.”
  • The Raptors have been thriving with an unusual rotation, using no true centers in the starting lineup and numerous big men off the bench, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes. They have a strong core group and can use their full mid-level exception this offseason for a guard to improve their depth in that area, Hollinger adds.
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Nets Notes: Simmons, Brown, Dragic, Curry, Edwards

April 4th, 2022 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on SportsCenter on Sunday that it was “not realistic” to expect Ben Simmons to be ready for the Nets‘ first play-in game next week (hat tip to NetsDaily), head coach Steve Nash confirmed as much when he spoke to reporters on Monday.

The Nets are ruling out Simmons for the rest of the regular season and the play-in tournament, Nash told reporters, including Laura Albanese of Newsday and Alex Schiffer of The Athletic (Twitter links). If he’s going to make it back this season, Simmons’ return would have to come in the playoffs.

Although Simmons was able to do a little more at practice on Monday, Nash said the team doesn’t plan on scrapping its requirement that he must take part in at least three high-intensity workouts before being cleared. The three-time All-Star isn’t at that stage yet and has only been doing light shooting work.

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • After missing Saturday’s loss in Atlanta due to a non-COVID illness, Bruce Brown will be ready to play on Tuesday, tweets Schiffer.
  • Goran Dragic remains in Atlanta with COVID-19, tweets Schiffer. Nash is hopeful that the veteran guard will be back in time for one of the team’s final regular season games.
  • Seth Curry, who is battling ankle pain, didn’t do much at practice on Monday and Nash admitted that there has been some discussion about holding him out of the rest of the regular season to give him more time to rest the ankle (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN). The goal would be to make sure he’s as healthy as possible for the play-in tournament and playoffs.
  • Asked by Schiffer whether the Nets will give two-way player Kessler Edwards a standard contract this week in order to make him postseason-eligible, Nash didn’t rule out the possibility, but said he expects today’s roster to be the group he enters the play-in with (Twitter link).
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Atlantic Notes: Harden, Simmons, Dragic, R. Williams

April 2nd, 2022 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers scored 144 points in beating the Hornets this afternoon, easing concerns that the offense has stagnated since James Harden arrived. Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak as Harden reverted to the playmaker role he adopted after being acquired from the Nets in February, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He took just 10 shots from the field and handed out 13 assists while playing three quarters in the blowout.

“Like I said, it’s possession by possession, game by game,” Harden said. “Some games I need to be a little more aggressive. But with all that said, I think when all of us are playing well together and on the same page, we got a very, very good chance to win.”

Coach Doc Rivers compared Harden’s situation to what Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen experienced when they joined the Celtics. It’s harder to put up impressive stats on teams with multiple scoring options.

“His numbers are not going to be like his numbers in Houston, because he’s playing with a pretty good player [Joel Embiid],” Rivers said. “So those types of numbers I would never compare him to or anybody to.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Rivers was relieved the Sixers were able to work out a deal for Ben Simmons at the deadline, saying his standoff with the team was becoming too much of a distraction, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “The guys were just over it,” Rivers said. “We were winning games, and, every town we went to, we were talking about Ben. I don’t know if we could have gotten through the second half of the season with that hanging over our heads. I was praying something happened.”
  • Simmons traveled with the Nets for tonight’s showdown in Atlanta, but he was limited to “light shooting” before the game and didn’t move around much, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Coach Steve Nash said nothing has changed with Simmons’ status, adds Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link).
  • Nets guard Goran Dragic, who has entered health and safety protocols, is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, Nash said in a pregame meeting with reporters (Twitter link from Lewis). Nash added that Bruce Brown has the flu and hopefully will return soon. Seth Curry will miss tonight’s game because of soreness in his left ankle (Twitter link).
  • Celtics center Robert Williams was happy with the results of his meniscus surgery, tweets NBA writer A. Sherrod Blakely. “Everything went as well as we wanted to (with the surgery),” Williams said. “We have to take our time, make sure I’m healthy … everyone here cares about me long-term.”
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New York Notes: Dragic, Brown, Porter Jr., Randle

April 2nd, 2022 at 11:11am CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets guard Goran Dragic has entered the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the team tweets. Dragic has been a rotation piece since signing with the Nets as a free agent, averaging 7.3 PPG and 4.8 APG in 25.5 MPG through 16 games.

Bruce Brown has a non-COVID illness and will also miss Saturday’s contest against the Hawks.

We have more on the New York teams:

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Kyrie Irving Now Exempt From NYC’s Vaccine Mandate

March 24th, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 24: In a press conference at Citi Field, Adams officially announced that New York City’s vaccine mandate exemption has been expanded to include local athlete and performers, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. That clears the path for Irving to begin playing in home games.

MARCH 23: Kyrie Irving has been unable to play home games the entire season for the Nets, but that could change soon.

As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jeff Passan relay, there’s cautious optimism that New York City’s private-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate may be rolled back soon — Irving is unvaccinated, which is why he’s been unable to play in Brooklyn. Sources tell Wojnarowski and Passan that talks are progressing to the point that Irving may be able to return for home games as soon as next week.

Sally Goldenberg of Politco goes a step further than ESPN’s report, writing that NYC mayor Eric Adams plans to reverse the vaccine mandate for performers and athletes on Thursday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic hears the same as Goldenberg, reporting that Irving will be cleared on Thursday. The change will give exemptions to unvaccinated performers and athletes, Charania states, which is the current protocol for visiting players (Twitter links).

Irving, who turned 30 today, is averaging 27.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.4 SPG on .490/.430/.901 shooting through 19 games this season. The seven-time All-Star holds a $36.5MM player option for next season and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines the option.

With a 38-34 record, Brooklyn is currently the No. 8 seed in the East. The Nets hold a one-game lead on the No. 9 Hornets and trail the No. 7 Raptors by two games. It’s worth noting that if the season ended today, Irving still wouldn’t be able to play at Toronto (for the play-in tournament) due to the vaccine requirements to enter Canada.

Here are a few more notes on the Nets:

  • Seth Curry (left ankle sprain) and Goran Dragic (left knee soreness) are out for Wednesday’s game at Memphis, but coach Steve Nash is hopeful both guards will be able to play Saturday at Miami (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
  • Unsurprisingly, Nash says he “would welcome” Irving being able to play home games soon, tweets Friedell. Brooklyn’s next home game is Sunday, March 27, against Charlotte.
  • Nash also said he’d be comfortable using Ben Simmons in a playoff game for his potential season debut, although that may be in a limited role off the bench, Friedell relays (via Twitter). Simmons still isn’t doing any basketball-related activities as he deals with a herniated disc in his back.
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Knicks Reportedly Missed Out On Chances To Trade Alec Burks

March 16th, 2022 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks had several opportunities to trade Alec Burks ahead of last month’s deadline, but the deals fell apart because New York kept pressing for additional draft assets, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Among the proposals was a three-way trade involving the Lakers and Raptors that would have sent Burks and Cam Reddish to L.A., Talen Horton-Tucker and Nerlens Noel to Toronto, and Goran Dragic and the Raptors’ 2022 first-round pick to New York, sources tell Fischer.

Those talks reportedly collapsed because the Knicks insisted on getting more draft picks, which doesn’t surprise one unidentified Eastern Conference executive who spoke to Fischer.

“They are always trying to squeeze out an extra second-round pick here and an extra second-round pick there,” the executive said.

Since the failed trade, Reddish has been lost for the season with a separated shoulder, while Dragic – traded instead to San Antonio – reached a buyout with the Spurs and signed with the cross-town Nets. The Knicks are still without a reliable point guard and are expected to pursue one in free agency this summer, with the Mavericks’ Jalen Brunson likely to be a prime target.

Burks has been filling in at point guard after injuries to Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose, but New York approached the deadline searching for an alternative. Burks, who will turn 31 this summer, is under contract for a little more than $10MM next season and the Knicks hold a team option on his $10.49MM salary for 2023/24.

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New York Notes: Dragic, Irving, Thibodeau, Payne

March 16th, 2022 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

With James Harden traded away and Kyrie Irving unavailable for most of their remaining games, the Nets were able to stabilize their backcourt by signing Goran Dragic, who had been inactive for most of the season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Dragic, who hadn’t played since November 13, signed with Brooklyn following a buyout with the Raptors. He quickly got into game shape and moved into the rotation.

“Physically I’m good. So I got in shape in one week; it’s crazy,” Dragic said. “The last game (Sunday against the Knicks) I played 38 minutes. I even talked to (coach Steve Nash) and tell him ‘Steve, that’s too much.’ But he’s like ‘Yeah, we don’t have nobody else, a couple of guys are hurt.’ So, do whatever it takes for the team. I still have to have to catch my rhythm, but I’m just happy to be out there and to help and try to organize everybody and put the right situation and try to make it easier.”

Nash was hoping to ease Dragic into the lineup, but circumstances have dictated otherwise. Seth Curry and Cam Thomas are both dealing with injuries that forced them to miss tonight’s game and Irving will only be eligible for three more games during the regular season, so there’s not much choice but to rely on Dragic.

“We’d like to keep him in a range though that is a little more reasonable, especially in some of these stretches where he’s playing four in six nights,” Nash said. “It’s not easy to throw him out there after having three or four months without playing and play over 35 minutes consistently, so we’ve got to try to protect him if we can. But we’re in a little bit of desperation here with guards out of the lineup.”

There’s more from New York:

  • Nets fans hoping that New York City’s vaccine mandate might be lifted soon, allowing Irving to participate in home games, were let down today by Mayor Eric Adams, per Kevin Sheehen, Bernadette Hogan and Sam Raskin of The New York Post. “I’m focused on 9 million people,” Adams said. “And so, I am not looking at one person, I’m looking at my city not closing down again, not having to deal with this crisis again.”
  • Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau brushed aside speculation about his future with the team during tonight’s pre-game session with the media, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I don’t worry about any of that stuff,” Thibodeau said in response to a report this morning that he’s likely to return next season. In a column that ran today, Berman supports keeping Thibodeau, arguing that a coaching change wouldn’t solve the team’s biggest problems.
  • Knicks assistant Kenny Payne will be hired Friday as the new head coach at the University of Louisville, sources tell Jeff Borzello of ESPN.
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Nets Notes: Irving, Vaccine Mandate, Durant, Dragic

February 27th, 2022 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

With the Nets desperate for a victory, Kyrie Irving delivered his best game of the season Saturday night in a win over the defending champs, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Irving scored 38 points and carried Brooklyn’s offense in crunch time in a 126-123 victory at Milwaukee.

Not only was the win significant in the standings for the Nets, who moved to within three-and-a-half games of escaping the play-in tournament, it helped erase some bad memories for Irving, who suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out of the playoffs in his last trip to Fiserv Forum.

“I haven’t been back in this building since then, and I tried my best not to wear my emotions on my face or on my shoulder, but sometimes they get the best of me,” Irving said. “But it definitely felt like there was a weight lifted just getting back here, being healthy, getting a win and knowing that there’s a possibility we could see them down the line again. So it makes our competition in our league that much more fun.”

There’s more on the Nets:

  • After the game, Irving addressed comments this week from New York City mayor Eric Adams, who is thinking about lifting the city’s vaccine mandate, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. Whenever that happens, Irving will instantly become eligible to play in the Nets’ home games. “I’m glad that things are kind of settling down and there’s light at the end of the tunnel here,” Irving said. “Hopefully, I can get back on that home floor playing in the Barclays and now we can finally have that conversation that you’ve been dying to have just about turning the page and moving forward beyond this.”
  • Brooklyn is 5-14 since Kevin Durant suffered an MCL sprain on January 15, but there’s optimism that he won’t be out much longer, according to Greg Joyce of The New York Post. The Nets put Durant through a second high-intensity workout Saturday, and if he doesn’t show any ill effects he’ll just need one more to be medically cleared. Coach Steve Nash doesn’t expect Durant to be available for back-to-back games with the Raptors Monday and Tuesday, but said he may play later in the week.
  • Goran Dragic made his debut with the Nets Saturday, playing 14 minutes and scoring six points. It was his first game action since November 13 and he admits being tired and having to come out after six minutes, Lewis tweets.
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Nets Notes: Dragic, Durant, Simmons, Curry, Irving

February 25th, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Goran Dragic is probable to make his Nets debut on Saturday against Milwaukee, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. Dragic has been reconditioning since signing with the club after passing through waivers. Dragic played five games for Toronto this season but hasn’t been active since November 13. Kevin Durant (left knee – MCL sprain) remains sidelined.

We have more on the Nets:

  • Ben Simmons‘ team and season debut has been held back due to conditioning, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “It’s been a long layoff, right?” coach Steve Nash said. “So he hasn’t played NBA basketball for a long time, so just trying to work through that.”
  • While some have suggested there was friction between Seth Curry and Simmons in Philadelphia, Curry says that’s inaccurate, ESPN’s Nick Friedell reports. They’re now teammates in Brooklyn, as Curry was included in the blockbuster deal. “I don’t take anything personal,” Curry said. “When we’re on the court, we’re teammates. Everything’s fine. And we depend on each other to do good things. There’s been nothing negative he’s done to me personally, so I’m fine.”
  • Kyrie Irving is excited by the possibility of New York City relaxing its vaccination rules and allowing him to play home games, Friedell writes in a separate story. “I sense a real focus and urgency from (mayor Eric Adams),” Nash said. “And so if that’s any indication, I would say he is getting excited at the prospect of being allowed to play in all our games and hopefully in the short term.” However, there are no set dates regarding a rollback of the mandates, as Adams urges caution, Lewis reports.
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