Grant Williams Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Notes: Bridges, Ball, Micic, Williams

December 11th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Miles Bridges is getting closer to making his return as the Hornets start to overcome their early-season injury issues, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges, who hasn’t played since November 19 because of a bone bruise on his right knee, was able to participate in team activities during Wednesday’s practice.

“It’s good,” he said. “You know I hate sitting out. I’m progressing toward the right way. That’s what I’m trying to get to. I’m getting better every day.”

Charlotte’s 7-17 start can be explained by the lengthy string of injuries that has hit the team since Mark Williams suffered a strained tendon in his left foot just before the start of training camp. Nick Richards, Tre Mann, LaMelo Ball and Tidjane Salaun followed him on the injury list, and Grant Williams was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Williams and Richards have already resumed playing, and Mann is expected to be reevaluated in the next few days.

“You see different teams dealing with injuries now, so I’m kind of happy that we’ve got that out the way — except for Grant missing the whole year,” said Bridges, who added that he re-aggravated his condition by trying to return too soon. “But just guys being able to come back now, it’s the right time — at the meat of the season. So, I feel like we’ll be good.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

Coach Charles Lee said the team is being cautious with Ball, who is recovering from a left calf strain he suffered in a November 27 game, Boone adds. Ball was projected to miss at least two weeks, and Lee said he’s not quite ready to return. “You’ve got to be able to see, No. 1 how does his body respond to trying to run, especially full speed motions?” Lee said. “And then after that, it’s how do we see him do some cutting now within the full speed running, So, there’s a progression.”
Vasilije Micic should be considered expendable as the Hornets explore trade options ahead of the February 6 deadline, Boone states in a mailbag column. Micic has been seeing increased minutes as a backup point guard while Ball and Mann are sidelined, but Boone views KJ Simpson as more of a long-term foundation piece than Micic.
Fans shouldn’t expect Williams to reclaim his place in the starting lineup anytime soon, Boone adds in the same piece. Injuries forced the big man to miss nearly a full calendar year, so he’ll need time to regain his conditioning before he’s able to play more than 30 minutes every night.

Grant Williams Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out 9-12 Months

December 11th, 2024 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Hornets forward Grant Williams has undergone surgery on his right knee to repair multiple torn ligaments, including his ACL, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Charania, Williams is expected to be sidelined for nine-to-12 months.

Williams suffered the injury in a November 23 game against Milwaukee. Reporting the next day indicated that the veteran forward had torn his meniscus and other connected ligaments in addition to his ACL, and that the injury would keep him on the shelf for the rest of the season.

While it’s no surprise that Williams is done for the season, the recovery timeline reported by Charania suggests that his debut next season could be delayed as well. ACL tears on their own often require upwards of a full year in recovery time, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Williams isn’t ready to fully participate in training camp next fall.

While Williams could technically be included in a trade while he’s injured, he’s under contract with the Hornets for two more years beyond this one, so a return to Charlotte is his likeliest outcome for next season. He’ll make $13.65MM in 2025/26 and $14.27MM in ’26/27 before potentially becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027.

Charlotte was recently granted a disabled player exception as a result of Williams’ season-ending injury. The Hornets have until March 10 to use the $6.5MM exception, which can be used to sign a player to a rest-of-season contract or to acquire a player via trade or waiver if he’s on an expiring deal and his salary fits into the exception.

Hornets, Pacers Granted Disabled Player Exceptions

December 5th, 2024 at 2:53pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hornets have been granted a disabled player exception in the wake of Grant Williams‘ season-ending knee injury, reports Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter). The DPE, which is worth half of Williams’ 2024/25 salary, comes in at $6,512,625.

The Pacers have also been granted two separate disabled player exceptions for big men Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, sources tell Marks (Twitter link). Both players suffered torn Achilles tendons, which will keep them sidelined through at least June 15, as determined by an NBA-designated physician.

Indiana’s DPEs will be worth $2,217,691 (for Jackson) and $1,118,846 (for Wiseman), 50% of each center’s ’24/25 salary.

The Hornets and Pacers will have until March 10 to use their new disabled player exceptions.

As Luke Adams explains in our glossary entry, a disabled player exception can only be used on a single player, but a team can use it in a variety of ways — the DPE can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade.

A free agent signed using the DPE can only be offered a rest-of-season deal, while a player acquired via trade or waiver claim using the DPE must be in the final year of his contract. Essentially, the purpose of the exception is to give the team some flexibility to replace an injured player for the rest of the season, but not beyond the current season.

However, the team must have room on its roster to sign the replacement player — the disabled player exception doesn’t allow the club to carry an extra man beyond the usual limits. Both Charlotte and Indiana have full rosters at the moment, but each club has a little bit of flexibility, with players on non-guaranteed (or partially guaranteed) contracts.

Hornets’ Grant Williams Out For Season With Torn ACL, Meniscus

November 24th, 2024 at 2:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

2:37pm: The Hornets have confirmed Williams’ ACL tear and say in a press release that he’ll be out indefinitely.

12:12pm: Hornets forward Grant Williams tore his ACL, meniscus and other connected ligaments in his right knee during his team’s 125-119 defeat to the Bucks on Saturday night, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN.

Williams will miss the rest of the 2024/25 NBA season, according to Charania.

The 25-year-old was in the midst of a productive second season in Charlotte. Across his 16 healthy games this fall while playing behind starters Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges, Williams averaged 10.4 points per game on .439/.365/.838 shooting splits. He also logged 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per night.

The Tennessee alum was initially selected by the Celtics with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He had some memorable moments with Boston, but was plagued by shooting inconsistency in the postseason. A bit undersized for his defensive assignments at 6’6″, Williams ultimately moved on to the Mavericks as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023. He inked a four-year, $53.3MM deal as part of a three-team sign-and-trade.

That experiment lasted just 47 games before Williams was traded again. As part of a transformative 2023/24 midseason deal, he was shipped out along with guard Seth Curry and a future first-round draft pick to the Hornets in exchange for P.J. Washington. With Washington in tow, the Mavericks marched all the way to the NBA Finals.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link), the Hornets will have the ability to file for a disabled player exception worth half Williams’ $13MM+ salary (approximately $6.5MM). However, while that exception gives teams extra cap flexibility, it doesn’t provide for an extra roster spot. Charlotte currently has all 15 standard roster spots occupied, so the team would need to create an opening to use a DPE.

At 6-10, the Hornets are currently the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference, tied by record with the Nets and Pacers. Losing Williams is a major blow to their bench depth.

Southeast Notes: Ball, G. Williams, Wagner Brothers, Butler

November 24th, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

LaMelo Ball joined Kemba Walker as the only Hornets players to reach 50 points in a game in Saturday’s loss to Milwaukee, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. At 23, Ball is the third-youngest player in NBA history to achieve that mark. He only had 10 points at halftime, but he took over after intermission, particularly in the third quarter when he repeatedly attacked the basket and posted 22 points.

“It’s just him leading the team as always, leading everybody, making everybody better, getting everybody in the right places,” Brandon Miller said. “… (It’s) a great effect. It just builds confidence for everybody to play harder. We didn’t get the win, so we are going to work toward trying to get some wins.”

Ball had a scary moment early in the second half when he crashed to the floor following a mid-air collision with Brook Lopez. However, he was eventually able to get up and continue playing. Ball’s aggressiveness was a welcome sign for coach Charles Lee, who has been encouraging his point guard to drive to the hoop more often rather than settling for outside jumpers.

“He’s been phenomenal with his offensive production so far,” Lee said. “Things that I think he can continue to grow in are just understanding time and score. Slowing down a little bit and not letting the defense speed him up and just getting the shots that he wants or that we want is an area for him that he can continue to watch film and continue to talk about.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets forward Grant Williams had to be helped off the court after an awkward fall on a drive late in Saturday’s game, Boone adds. Williams couldn’t put any weight on his right leg and needed assistance to get to the locker room. “I think it has just been diagnosed as a right knee injury,” Lee said. “We’ll continue to get some imaging and evaluations. The most important thing is all of our prayers are with Grant and we hope the news comes back as good as possible.”
In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Moritz Wagner talks about watching his brother, Franz Wagner, raise his game to the next level. Franz has been running the Magic‘s offense since Paolo Banchero was sidelined with an injury and is averaging career highs with 23.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. “An introduction to superstardom,” Moritz said. “Not to exaggerate, but I think he’s understanding his power and how good he can be.”
After being listed as questionable due to an illness, Heat forward Jimmy Butler will be available for tonight’s game against Dallas, sources tell Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Southeast Notes: Daniels, Herro, Spoelstra, Salaün

November 13th, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Entering play on Wednesday, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels‘ has 31 more deflections (76 total) and 15 more steals (36 total) than any other NBA player, establishing himself as one of the league’s very best defenders. He’s also holding his own offensively, averaging a career-high 14.3 points per game on 46.9% shooting.

As Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution details, Daniels’ breakout third season is making the Hawks’ return in this summer’s Dejounte Murray trade look better and better.

“Coming here was just was so good for his confidence, both offensively and confidence defensively,” said teammate Larry Nance Jr., who was traded with Daniels from New Orleans to Atlanta. “He’s taking some more gambles now, and obviously they’re paying off. So, I truly could not be happier for a guy that is so deserving of the praise and the opportunity he’s gotten.”

While Nance suggested Daniels has an increased willingness to take gambles on defense, head coach Quin Snyder made it clear that the third-year guard’s impressive defensive numbers aren’t just a result of taking more risks that might hurt the Hawks if they backfire.

“What’s impressive to me about that is, usually when you get that many steals, it’s because you’re gambling,” Snyder said. “You take yourself out of a play. And rarely is he taking himself out of the play. He may not steal the ball, but he’s still in position. He’s calculated with that. He’s just, he’s so focused. And, it’s unusual. You don’t take it for granted that he brings it every night.”

We have more from around the Southeast:

Ahead of the season, Heat president Pat Riley challenged his team’s top four players to be the best versions of themselves. Tyler Herro is the only one meeting that challenge so far, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who refers to the former Sixth Man of the Year as Miami’s first-month MVP after he put up 40 points in a loss to Detroit on Tuesday. “He’s having a hell of a year,” teammate Bam Adebayo said. “He deserves that All-Star nod. We’ve been pushing him for three or four years to get that nod. He’s healthy, playing at his own pace, making decisions, making plays.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra took the blame for that overtime loss to Detroit on Tuesday after he tried to call for a timeout the Heat didn’t have in the game’s final seconds, allowing the Pistons to hit a tie-breaking technical free throw. “There’s really no excuse for that,” Spoelstra said (story via The Associated Press). “I’m 17 years in. We had talked about it in the huddle, I knew that we didn’t have anything. I just got emotional and reactive on that and I made just a horrendous mistake there at the end. It’s a shame.”
After starting Tidjane Salaün in place of Miles Bridges for the Hornets‘ first two games after Bridges was diagnosed with a knee bone bruise, head coach Charles Lee turned instead to Grant Williams to take Bridges’ spot on Tuesday, writes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Still, Salaün played roughly as many minutes off the bench as he did as a starter, and Lee said he’s encouraged by the progress he has seen from the 19-year-old. The Hornets’ coach noted that the speed of the game, the language barrier, and learning a new system and terminology have all been challenges for Salaun, but Lee believes the rookie forward is getting more comfortable. “He’s just getting better with more reps, which makes sense for young guys,” Lee said. “… I love his energy and effort and the competitiveness he plays with every time he’s on the floor.”

Hornets’ Nick Richards Out Indefinitely With Rib Fracture

November 5th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets starting center Nick Richards will be sidelined for multiple weeks due to a right first rib cartilage fracture, the team announced in a press release.

An MRI revealed the extent of the injury. He suffered it during an on-court collision in the first half against the Celtics on Friday.

Richards will be evaluated on an every other week basis to monitor progress toward a return to basketball activities. The team will provide its next update on his status following its November 17 road trip.

Richards was averaging career highs in points (11.0), rebounds (10.0) and blocks (2.4) through five starts this season. He appeared in 67 games, including 51 starts, last season despite battling ankle and foot injuries. He averaged 9.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per night.

Richards in the second year of a three-year, $15MM contract.

The injury severely depletes Charlotte up front. There’s still no timetable for center Mark Williams, who is recovering from a strained tendon in his left foot.

Moussa Diabate‘s role will expand and the Hornets will also be forced to used smaller lineups with forwards Grant Williams and Taj Gibson manning the middle. Diabate, a 2022 second-round pick, is on a two-way contract.

Charlotte is off to a 2-5 start and will carry a three-game losing streak into its home game against Detroit on Wednesday.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, Queta, Lee

November 3rd, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

A hip flexor issue that forced Celtics guard Jaylen Brown to miss Saturday’s game has been bothering him for several weeks, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown sat out the second game of a back-to-back in Charlotte after playing 37 minutes on Friday night. An MRI two weeks ago revealed that it’s a strain and showed fluid in the affected area, and Brown plans to have more imaging done because his condition has worsened.

“I got an MRI in training camp and it’s been back and forth since then,” he said. “[Friday] I think I extended it a little more, and it’s already been giving me some trouble. I’m going to have to get another MRI and go from there.”

Brown is still playing at an All-Star level, averaging 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists through the first six games of the season. Saturday’s contest is the first one he has missed, and coach Joe Mazzulla told Washburn that Brown is considered day-to-day. He hopes to return for Monday’s game in his hometown of Atlanta, but he’s not sure how his body will respond.

“I haven’t felt like my legs have been underneath me, dealing with this hip flexor,” Brown said. “It’s more [affecting] my explosion and my burst. And then, mentally, trying to figure that out as well. Thinking about it kind of throws everything off a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

An NBA source tells Washburn that Jayson Tatum talked with former teammate Grant Williams after Williams was ejected Friday for a hard foul on Tatum. Williams was reportedly apologetic and they patched up any differences, although they didn’t greet each other before or after Saturday’s contest. Tatum refused to discuss the incident while meeting with reporters Saturday (Twitter video link from Kayla Burton of NBC Sports Boston).
Mazzulla turned to center Neemias Queta to finish Saturday’s game rather than Luke Kornet or Xavier Tillman, observes Brian Robb of MassLive. Kornet got the start, but Queta logged 15 minutes off the bench compared to three for Tillman and appears to have passed him in the rotation.
Charles Lee only spent one season as an assistant in Boston, but he believes it helped him get hired as head coach of the Hornets, Washburn adds in a separate story. Lee said he learned a lot from being part of a title-winning team. “It’s cool to go to a championship-caliber organization with so much history,” he said. “How they structured their everyday schedule and what it means to be a Celtic. It was really cool and interesting for me and my family to experience. As a coach I was able to see how it works to have that much talent on your team, to have the target on your back all year as one of the best teams in the NBA. This team had gone through some hardships and we’re trying to get over that hump. To go through that journey with them last year and see that all that had to go into it was cool for me and my growth.”

Hornets Notes: G. Williams, M. Williams, Miller, Richards

November 2nd, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hornets coach Charles Lee talked about the need to develop “emotional maturity” following a late-game skirmish in Friday’s loss to Boston, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The altercation started when Grant Williams ran into former teammate Jayson Tatum while the Celtics were pushing the ball up court (Twitter video link from NBC Sports Boston). Williams was ejected from the game with a Flagrant 2 foul and may face further discipline from the league office.

“It was a transition opportunity and I was trying to make a play on the ball. I did reach across his body and when you slow down the replay, it looks like I make a play and then I kind of go after it,” Williams explained. “J.T. is one of my closest friends always. There was no intention of trying to harm him in any way. So, it was just one of those plays where in full speed he passes the ball, which probably makes it worse because that’s when I reach for the ball. The ball is already out of his hand. … You seen me raise my hand, say I fouled him.”

Williams added that he wanted to apologize to Tatum immediately after the play occurred. But the teams were immediately sent back to their respective benches, and Williams was tossed out of the game before he could say anything to Tatum.

“We all know J.T. is my guy. Nothing intentional,” Williams added. “He got up quick and by the time I got up, there was a ruckus and they brought us to our benches. I’ll talk to him tonight or (Saturday). He knows. We probably don’t even have to talk. He knows it wasn’t intentional or malicious by any means.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

There’s still no timetable for injured center Mark Williams, Boone adds in the same piece. It’s been five weeks since Williams was diagnosed with a strained tendon in his left foot, and he hasn’t been able to scrimmage or take part in any full team drills. “He’s engaged and observing all practice activities and film,” Lee said, “and even (Friday) at shootaround, he’s sitting next to me, trying to talk through the game plan and stuff. So, he’s doing all he can to make sure he’s soaking up all the information and terminology and when he comes back, he’s going to be ready to hit the ground running. But for now, he’s just kind of doing individual work. And the next phase of his return-to-play plan, he’ll do some group-type activities. And then once we get to practices and things like that, I think we’ll update further.”
Brandon Miller will return to action tonight for the first time since leaving the season opener with a glute strain, Boone states in a separate story. However, Seth Curry will miss the contest with a right knee injury and Nick Richards, who has been starting at center in place of Williams, will be sidelined after leaving Friday’s game with a sore shoulder. “Nick has been a big part of what we’ve done these first five games. I’ve been very happy with him and his ability to kind of dominate the paint,” Lee said. “He’s altered a lot of shots, and I think he’s helping us with his pick-and-roll coverage and understanding the different gaps to be in in center field and create some indecision for ball-handlers. He’s done a great job defensively, and then offensively, he’s created a ton of advantages for all of our scorers, all of our ball-handlers.”
Jared Weiss of The Athletic examines whether Miller, LaMelo Ball and the rest of the young Hornets can create an identity as a team. Weiss also talks to president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson about the unique approach he took in becoming the third team in the Karl-Anthony Towns deal, acquiring three players through sign-and-trades and effectively using the room exception as a trade exception.

Atlantic Notes: Williams, Achiuwa, K. Johnson, Nets Lineup

November 2nd, 2024 at 11:53am CST by Tristan Tucker

A Grant Williams foul on Celtics star Jayson Tatum resulted in an ejection for the former Boston forward on Friday night (video link via NBA.com). Teammate Jaylen Brown took offense to the foul – ruled a flagrant two – and approached Williams after the hit, questioning his motives, according to The Athletic’s Jay King.

“It was for sure intentional,” Brown said. “What are we talking about here? Did y’all see the same play that I’m seeing? He hit him like it was a football play, like (former NFL linebacker) Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant knows better than that.”

Williams said he was trying to make a play on the ball and that the collision looked worse than it actually was. The Hornets forward said “if [Tatum] had prepared and actually turned his head to the left,” it wouldn’t have looked as gnarly.

“It was just a hard foul,” Williams said. “And we play them again tomorrow. It’s nothing crazy or beyond the means. We all know JT’s my guy, so nothing intentional.”

Celtics players weren’t so sure. Both Brown and Derrick White chided Williams for the play after the game. While the Hornets forward called Tatum one of his closest friends in the league, Brown made it clear there was nothing friendly about Williams’ play.

“Actions speak loud,” Brown said. “So it is what it is. We got the win, we’ll move on, but there’s no place in the game for that. I thought JT and him was friends. I guess not.”

Williams jokingly said after the game that he was preparing to have his former Celtics teammates over to his house after the game, but that they probably wouldn’t take him up on the offer anymore. Friday’s game served as a reunion for more than Williams. Former Celtic Kemba Walker is on Charlotte’s coaching staff, while Hornets head coach Charles Lee served as Joe Mazzulla‘s assistant last year.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa is making good progress from his hamstring strain, but head coach Tom Thibodeau says he’s still not practicing, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “He’s doing a little more on the court,” Thibodeau said. “Once a guy can start doing stuff on the court, then usually he’ll travel with us. Sometimes it’s better to keep him back [in New York] because we can do more rehab stuff at the facility.“
The Nets received a spark off the bench from Keon Johnson in a Friday win over the Bulls, Bridget Reilly of the New York Post writes. In just five second-quarter minutes, he hit five shots in a row, including a pair of three-pointers and a dunk. Johnson, who finished with a season-high 12 points in just nine minutes on the night, is on a minimum-salary contract that’s partially guaranteed ($700K) for this season and includes a team option for next season.
Nic Claxton hasn’t been starting for the Nets as he recovers from an offseason injury that held him out of the preseason. But as the New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes, head coach Jordi Fernandez is going to have to make some tough calls when it comes to who remains in the lineup when the team is fully healthy. The Nets have six players who have a case to start: Claxton, Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons. Out of those options, Johnson, Finney-Smith or Simmons are probably the likeliest candidates to move to the bench. “I mean, whatever. Personally, I feel like if I’m at full strength, then I’m a starter,” Simmons said. “That’s just what goes. But, yeah.“