Isaiah Stewart Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: Bogdanovic, Knicks Trade Ideas, Nets Blueprint, Robinson, Achiuwa, Sims

January 20th, 2025 at 5:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bojan Bogdanovic has resumed on-court activities for the Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. However, he’s still not close to returning to action.

Bogdanovic, acquired from the Knicks in the Mikal Bridges blockbuster, underwent foot and wrist surgery during the offseason. Bodganovic, 35, has an expiring $19MM contract.

We have more on the New York teams:

While the Knicks are probably done making blockbuster moves, they could still make a notable move before the deadline. The Athletic’s James Edwards looks at some potential deals the Knicks could make, then canvasses other Athletic beat writers for their opinions. The most intriguing one would be a three-way deal with the Pistons and Bulls in which New York lands Isaiah Stewart and Torrey Craig, while Zach LaVine winds up in Detroit.
The Thunder have provided a blueprint for the Nets’ regime to follow, Lewis writes. The Nets have been collecting draft picks and opening up cap space and they can use those draft picks to build long-term sustainable success if they remain patient. They’ve already made necessary but difficult trades, moving veterans for assets. “[The Thunder] have trusted the process,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “You can see they’re a group that believe in what they do, and they trust what they do. And this is because, along a period of time, even if things go one way or the other and there’s adversity, there’s no second-guessing.”
Mitchell Robinson‘s uncertain return as he continues to rehab from foot surgery complicates the Knicks’ trade deadline approach, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Citing league sources, Popper reports that Robinson is considered a risk by potential suitors without seeing him play before next month’s deadline. He’s not expected to return before that happens. Assuming Robinson is not traded, the Knicks will have a hard time counting on him to stay healthy when he does return. Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims are also potential trade pieces as the Knicks seek to upgrade their bench but they are hesitant to move either one until they know when Robinson will suit up.

Knicks Notes: Shamet, Towns, Brunson, Robinson

December 29th, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Now that he’s back with the Knicks, Landry Shamet talked to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post about the injury that nearly cost him his latest NBA opportunity. Shamet was on his way to earning a roster spot in October when he dislocated his shoulder four days before the final cuts had to be made. Because his contract wasn’t guaranteed, the team let him go to give him time to heal, then re-signed him last week.

“There’s stretches in the first week where it’s just really acute and I can’t even lift my arm to wash under my arms or brush my teeth,” Shamet said. “There’s periods of time where you’re like, ‘God,’ And that’s what I talk about with the mental piece. Not only are you dealing with injury, rehabbing something you’ve never dealt with before, but now you’re away from your teams, kind of out of rhythm. So that part could be challenging. And there were days for sure where it was pretty bleak. Like, ‘Groundhog Day.’ Like, ‘Ahh, we’re still here. It still hurts.’ But then you had days where there were big jumps and you’re like, ‘OK.’ So both feelings were prevalent.”

Shamet could have opted for surgery, but after consulting with doctors he chose to let the shoulder heal naturally so he could resume playing more quickly. Bondy notes that the non-surgical path was a risky option, and it didn’t work for Julius Randle when he suffered a similar injury last season.

Shamet has seen his playing time gradually increase in his three games since returning, and he appears headed for a place in the rotation after posting seven points and two steals in 10 minutes Friday night. Shamet provides another veteran at the wing who can help reduce the burden on the starting lineup.

There’s more from New York:

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a tremendous addition for the Knicks, but he hasn’t been able to shake the foul problems that often plagued him in Minnesota, Bondy notes in a separate story. Coach Tom Thibodeau wants Towns to be more focused about avoiding unnecessary fouls that can force him to come out of games. “There’s good aggressive fouls and there’s fouls that are obviously cheap that you have to clean up,” Thibodeau said. “I think that’s the important thing for him to understand — the difference between the two and how it’s being called.”
Jalen Brunson heard some “MVP” chants Saturday night at Washington as he scored 55 points in an overtime victory, per Steve Popper of Newsday. It was Brunson’s third 50-point game since joining the Knicks, which ties him for second in franchise history. “We needed it,” Josh Hart said. “This one was a tough one for us. Back-to-back. I felt a little old today. So a lot of us felt the same way. We were a little slow. But he made big shots. That’s why he’s the captain. Find a way to win.”
It looks like Mitchell Robinson will be sidelined until at least late January, so it could be hard to trade him by the February 6 deadline, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Edwards expects the Knicks to look for another center on the trade market, and he suggests that Isaiah Stewart would fit well with the current roster if the Pistons would accept Robinson and Precious Achiuwa in return.

Injury Notes: Lillard, B. Brown, Poeltl, Stewart, M. Robinson

December 28th, 2024 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Damian Lillard, who has missed the Bucks‘ past four games due to a calf issue and an illness, will return to action on Saturday against Chicago, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (via Twitter).

Speaking to reporters after today’s shootaround, Lillard explained that the calf injury, which caused him to miss games last Friday and Saturday, was a “mild” strain and that the illness which sidelined him on Monday and Thursday hit him much harder, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“I’ve never been that sick before in my entire life,” Lillard said. “I wasn’t throwing up, nothing. I just didn’t eat for two days. I didn’t eat at all. I didn’t get up, nothing. I was down. It was bad. Couple days ago, I tried to work out – the night before (Thursday’s) Brooklyn game, because I wanted to play against Brooklyn – but I mean, the whole time I was working out, it just kept making me cough, coughing up s–t. I got through the workout, but I couldn’t breathe good.

“… I lost a couple pounds. I mean, if you don’t eat for two days. And I was just trying to at least stay hydrated. … (But) I didn’t have no food in me, it was just all liquid, so obviously I dropped some weight.”

Here are a few more health updates from around the NBA:

Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, who has been sidelined for the entire season while recovering from a knee procedure, is listed as questionable to make his season debut on Sunday vs. Atlanta, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Starting center Jakob Poeltl, out since December 16 due to a bilateral groin strain, is among several other Toronto players who are questionable to play on Sunday, Lewenberg notes.
Pistons center Isaiah Stewart is probable to suit up on Saturday vs. Denver after missing the team’s past four games due to a hyperextended left knee, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Before getting injured in his 27th game of the season on Dec. 16, Stewart had appeared in each of Detroit’s first 26 contests, averaging 22.0 minutes per night.
Although Mitchell Robinson still hasn’t been cleared for practice or even started sprinting at full speed, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is encouraged by the center’s rehab progress as he makes his way back from offseason ankle surgery, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “There’s still some benchmarks that he has to get through, but he’s done a terrific job,” Thibodeau said on Friday in Orlando. “He’s light, he’s lean, he’s worked extremely hard. So we just want to make sure we’re patient and let him work his way through it.” According to Thibodeau, the next phase for Robinson is full-speed running — after that, he’ll be cleared for practice and contact. However, the exact timeline for those steps is still unclear.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Porzingis, Hauser, Pritchard

December 6th, 2024 at 2:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has been fined $25K for making a throat-slash gesture during Wednesday’s game against Detroit, the NBA announced (via Twitter). As Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe describes, Brown’s reaction came after he dunked the ball, and it was directed at Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart to send a message that the Celtics wouldn’t be intimidated.

“Just caught up in the moment, I guess,” Brown said after the game, acknowledging that he was expecting a fine. “Big play. I think the NBA and the [Players Association] are sensitive about the gestures and things like that. I’ve got to be mindful of that.”

Washburn adds that Stewart later retaliated by pushing Brown into the crowd as they battled for position on a rebound. Brown decided not to escalate the situation so he wouldn’t risk being thrown out of the game.

“I feel like he’s always doing stuff like that,” he said of Stewart. “That’s how he plays the game. But my focus is on coming out and running our offense and getting our team into the right positions. I didn’t want to get distracted, but definitely some going back and forth, and we’re not tolerating that this year from nobody.”

There’s more from Boston:

The on-court chemistry that Kristaps Porzingis formed with Brown last season resurfaced instantly when Porzingis returned to action last week, observes Souichi Terada of MassLive. After posting 26 points and nine rebounds against Detroit, Porzingis lauded Brown’s play-making skills for handing out nine assists. “He does a good job of trying to read the team — who needs to get a touch, who we need to get going,” Porzingis said. “He’s good at that. If he needs to take more responsibility and attack more and create more, he does that for us. We already know what he gives us defensively, his physicality. When he’s engaged like this, he’s one of the best players in the league in my opinion.”
Sam Hauser offered a reminder on Wednesday that he can fit into the starting lineup whenever necessary, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. With Jayson Tatum sitting out the game, Hauser made his second start of the season and responded with 20 points while going 5-of-10 from three-point range. Robb notes that Hauser seems to have overcome early-season issues with back pain.
Payton Pritchard could be in the mix to close games at some point this season, even with a fully healthy roster, Robb adds in a mailbag column. Robb contends that Pritchard has been more effective than Jrue Holiday, even though Holiday continues to produce at a high level.

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, B. Brown, Stewart, Springer, Bulls

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Landry Shamet dislocated his shoulder during the preseason, scuttling his chances of making the Knicks‘ opening night roster, reports have indicated that the club is highly likely to re-sign him if and when he gets healthy.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms as much and adds another detail to those reports. According to Scotto, if Shamet returns, the hope in New York is that Matt Ryan – who is currently on a non-guaranteed contract – will clear waivers and rejoin the club on a two-way deal.

The Knicks have an open 15-man roster spot, but don’t have enough breathing room below their hard cap to carry both players on standard deals, so Ryan would have to be cut if Shamet re-signs.

Here are a few more rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

Although the Raptors declined offers of multiple second-round picks for Bruce Brown at last season’s trade deadline, there’s a widespread belief that the versatile swingman will be back on the trade block this season, per Scotto. Brown, who is on an expiring $23MM contract, continues to make his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and appears to be getting closer to making his season debut.
Isaiah Stewart‘s demotion to a bench role this season for the first time since his rookie year has led executives around the NBA to believe that the Pistons‘ big man will be available on the trade market this season, according to Scotto. Stewart is in the first season of a four-year, $60MM contract that features flat annual cap hits of $15MM.
Confirming previous reporting, Scotto says the Celtics gauged the trade market for Jaden Springer and his $4MM expiring contract in the fall. While there were teams willing to take on Springer if it means acquiring draft compensation from Boston, the C’s weren’t interested at that time in giving up draft capital to move off of the guard’s contract, Scotto reports. It will be interesting to see if that changes before the trade deadline.
Explaining the recent uptick in trade rumors surrounding the Bulls, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says, citing a source, that the only new development in Chicago is that the team is “starting to look at a more responsible asking price” for veterans like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls remain unwilling to attach a first-round pick to LaVine though, Cowley notes.

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Thompson, Stewart, Trades

November 24th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cade Cunningham missed Saturday’s loss to Orlando and his Pistons teammates struggled to fill the huge void. Detroit had more turnovers than assists in the 11-point loss while Cunningham sat out with a hip injury.

“Obviously those injuries are tough when you take a blow to the tailbone-ish area. That’s the core of where your movement starts. He’s obviously pretty sore, but feels like he’s improving. We’ll just take it day by day and see how he gets better,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press.

Cunningham was injured during the late going of Detroit’s game against Charlotte on Thursday. He’s listed as doubtful to play on Monday against Toronto, Sankofa tweets.

We have more on the Pistons:

Ausar Thompson is no longer on the injury report and is positioned to make his season debut as soon as Monday. Thompson’s rookie season was short-circuited by blood clotting issues. The second-year forward could impact the team defensively, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic describes in detail. Thompson’s return will likely mean reduced minutes for Wendell Moore Jr., rookie Ron Holland and Simone Fontecchio, Patterson notes.
Isaiah Stewart is receiving more minutes at center this season and prefers that role, compared to being a stretch four, he told Forbes contributor Mat Issa. “I love being back at center on offense,” Stewart said. “Playing at the power forward spot, I wasn’t really involved in too many actions. At the center spot, I’m constantly setting screens and using my body.”
In Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois’ latest mailbag post, he predicts the odds of a significant in-season move being pretty low, less than 20 percent. While there might be a minor move near the trade deadline that could net a second-round pick or two, Langlois doubts the front office will be particularly active this season.

Central Notes: LaVine, Donovan, Bulls, Pistons, Cavs

November 15th, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

There have been reports in recent years of tension between Bulls star Zach LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan, who often didn’t see eye to eye with one another, but the relationship between LaVine and Donovan this season is as good as it’s ever been, one Bulls player tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

As Cowley writes, LaVine seems happier and more willing to buy in to Donovan’s system so far this fall. His increased engagement has been evident on the defensive end, which has typically been his Achilles heel. While LaVine still isn’t a lock-down defender, his effort level has been higher on that side of the ball this season.

“I’m definitely trying,” LaVine said of his defense. “I know what I can do on that end, especially in isolation one-on-one, and just try and make it tough on them.”

“I really respect and admire what he’s doing because he’s trying to play on both ends of the floor and he’s giving everything he has on both ends,” Donovan said.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Bulls are just 5-7 so far this fall, but have picked up impressive road wins in Milwaukee, Memphis, and New York. Are they a little too talented to finish in the bottom 10 of the NBA standings and retain their protected 2025 first-round pick? Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic weighs that question, noting that a scenario in which the Bulls miss the playoffs but have their pick land in the 11-14 range would be a worst-case outcome.
Pointing out it took the Pistons just 13 games to get to five wins this season after it required 44 games a year ago, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) identifies Isaiah Stewart, Malik Beasley, and rookie Ron Holland as three players whose stock is up in the early going. While Cade Cunningham‘s shooting percentages (.456 FG%, .364 3PT%) are career highs, Sankofa has the former No. 1 overall pick in the “stock down” section of his article, observing that Cunningham needs to cut back on his turnovers (5.0 per game).
David Aldridge of The Athletic considers whether the 13-0 Cavaliers are built for postseason success, while Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda takes a look at the role that Georges Niang, whom head coach Kenny Atkinson refers to as a crucial “connector,” plays in Cleveland’s game plan.

Central Notes: Giannis, Stewart, Ball, Pacers, Furphy

November 14th, 2024 at 2:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for an NBA season-high 59 points in Wednesday’s overtime victory over Detroit, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Antetokounmpo was efficient from all over the court, going 21-of-34 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and 16-of-17 from the foul line. He also contributed 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals, becoming the first player in league history to finish with that stat line.

“His handprint was all over the game,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. “When you think about having the scoring off the floor that we had – no Dame (Damian Lillard), no Khris Middleton, no Bobby Portis, no Ryan (Rollins) so we’re down to one living point guard on our team – and for him to do that and for us to score 127 points, though he got half of them almost, every basket was needed.”

Center Brook Lopez, who had also had his best game of the early portion of the season (29 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, three steals), struggled to find words to describe Antetokounmpo’s impact, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“I’m not well versed enough in the English language, or unfortunately any other language, to find new ways to describe Giannis’ brilliance,” Lopez said. “Just to be able to watch it and be a part of it for as long as I’ve been here, these seven years now, to see the way he was tonight, I’m still seeing new stuff. And it’s just, it’s so special.

“So I’m just going to cherish it, night in and night out, but just let it inspire me too because his drive — you mentioned all the scoring he does — but he doesn’t care about that. Obviously, he can take us on his back and win games for us, but it’s just the way he goes about it. He’s not about the stats. He’s just about winning and that’s something the whole team gets behind.”

Here’s more from the Central:

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart was ejected in the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss to Milwaukee following a Flagrant 2 foul on Antetokounmpo, notes Owczarski of The Journal Sentinel. The Bucks star initiated contact with Stewart to create space, then spun baseline for a dunk attempt when Stewart pulled him down by the jersey with both hands. “I’ve been in that position many times in my life,” Antetokounmpo said of the play. “I have two older brothers that, you know, push me on the floor, play, be tough on me, especially Thanasis. I’ve been so many times hit. So, it doesn’t really faze me anymore. It doesn’t really faze me. All I could think about was get up and try to make two free throws. At the same time, it’s a dangerous play. That’s not a basketball play. I think the ref did a great job of making the right call.”
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who is recuperating from a right wrist sprain, has progressed to doing dribbling and shooting drills in recent days and hopes to return on Sunday vs. Houston, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. However, head coach Billy Donovan suggested that target date might be a little too optimistic. “I don’t know if that’s realistic,” Donovan said. “That’s what he was shooting for. We’re not ruling that out, but a lot of that is going to depend on how he progresses in those areas. When he starts shooting threes, how does that respond? They’re going to make him do some things live in guarding the ball to see how it feels when all of a sudden he’s hand-checking a guy. We haven’t gotten to those places yet, but those are markers he needs to get through, hurdles he needs to get through before he can take the next step in terms of getting on the floor.”
With James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson sidelined by long-term injuries (torn Achilles tendons) and Aaron Nesmith (left ankle) and Andrew Nembhard (left knee) out multiple weeks, the Pacers have turned to their two-way players and rookies for rotation minutes, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes. Two-way players Quenton Jackson and Enrique Freeman (he’s also a rookie, selected No. 50 overall in June’s draft) have received some run off the bench, as has No. 35 overall pick Johnny Furphy, who scored a career-best seven points in nine minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Orlando. “He’s a very good player off movement,” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Furphy, per Dopirak. “He’s a great runner at that size. He’s deceptively tough. He gave us some really good minutes in the first half. … You can see why we’re excited about him for the future and really right now too. That’s a pretty high culture game and he went in there and played well.”

And-Ones: Neto, Rookie Scale Extensions, 15th Men, More

October 16th, 2024 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran point guard Raul Neto has signed with Pinheiros Basquete in his home country of Brazil, the team announced in a press release.

Neto, the 47th overall pick in the 2013 draft, made his NBA debut in 2015 and spent eight seasons in the league, appearing in 435 regular season games with four teams. He signed with the Turkish club Fenerbahce during the 2023 offseason, then ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee while representing Brazil during last year’s World Cup and missed the entire 2023/24 season.

Neto said in a statement that he’s in the “final stages” of his recovery from that knee injury.

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

The contracts signed within the past year by Immanuel Quickley (five years, $162.5MM) and Jaden McDaniels (five years, $131MM) are the ones coming up most often in rookie scale extension negotiations this fall, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “Those are two contracts that are being referred to a lot and are looked at as sort of the break-even line for some of these agents,” Windhorst said. “Like, ‘I can’t have my guy get less than Quickly got’ or ‘I can’t have my guy get less than, you know, Devin Vassell,” (who) got a similar contract (five years, $135MM) to McDaniels as well. Those seem to be the ranges that we’re talking about.”
Keith Smith of Spotrac takes an interesting, in-depth look at the trend of teams becoming less inclined to fill their 15th roster spot – especially early in the season – and considers the factors that have pushed clubs in that direction.
The NBA is expected to update its policy on cell phone and social media use by players and coaches between the start and end of games, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), who explains what the revised rules will look like and why they’re a priority for the league.
Fred Katz of The Athletic runs through some notable preseason developments from around the NBA that have caught his eye, including Isaiah Stewart‘s usage at center for the Pistons, the Timberwolves deploying Donte DiVincenzo as a ball-handler, and Julian Strawther‘s strong preseason for the Nuggets.
Diamond Sports Group is asking a judge to approve an agreement that will allow FanDuel to become the new naming sponsor of the Bally Sports networks for the 2024/25 season, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter links). The deal, which could become a longer-term arrangement if Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy, would give FanDuel a 5% stake in the company, Vorkunnov adds.

Eastern Notes: Stewart, Raptors, Dick, Lillard, Martin

October 4th, 2024 at 11:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons‘ usage of Isaiah Stewart in recent years – and the players they’ve put around him – reflected the fact that they viewed him as a power forward rather than a center. Detroit used a lottery pick on center Jalen Duren in 2022 and encouraged Stewart to shoot more from outside. While the big man has gamely accepted that role, making a career-best 1.5 three-pointers per game last season on 38.3% shooting, he couldn’t hide his enthusiasm this week about playing more at the five, his preferred position, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.

“(New head coach) J.B. (Bickerstaff) loves my physicality and me playing strong down low, like in my early years in the league with my offensive rebounding and stuff like that,” Stewart said. “I spent a lot of time this offseason at the five and I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to getting back down in the paint, banging and doing what I do because at the end of the day, that’s what I love to do. That’s who I am.

“Playing the four, that was something that I had to work on and add to my game because I was being asked of it. Now I’m happy I get to play some five.”

As Sankofa explains, there are a few factors contributing to the Pistons’ desire to have Stewart spend more time at center this season. The arrival of power forward Tobias Harris is one. Stewart also has the ability to make more of an impact as a rebounder and rim protector if he’s spending more time in the paint.

As excited as he is about spending more time at center, the 23-year-old stressed that he’s willing to play wherever the team needs him.

“I don’t mind at all playing the four, because it’s something I can do,” Stewart said. “I can knock down the 3-point shot, I can space the floor, but we all know it’s something that’s new to me. … The four, it ain’t nothing wrong with it. But me, I love to bang. I love to be physical. I love to set the tone. I love to set great screens for my teammates. I like playing the five. But I don’t mind at all playing the four. I can do both.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

While Bruce Brown would’ve been an option to start at shooting guard for the Raptors if he were healthy, Michael Grange of Sportsnet views second-year sharpshooter Gradey Dick as the most logical candidate for that spot. As Grange outlines, besides looking like a good fit for spacing purposes, Dick is Toronto’s most recent lottery pick and has the potential to raise the club’s long-term ceiling if he develops into a reliable starter.
In interviews with Alex Squadron of SLAM and Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports, Bucks point guard Damian Lillard spoke about why he’s optimistic about the upcoming season in Milwaukee after going through what he called the “toughest year of my life” on both a personal and professional level last season. “I think a lot of times people talk about revenge seasons, it’s like they’re going out for blood with everybody else,” Lillard told Rohlin. “But I think it’s the revenge of something I need to go take back for me, not for anybody else. I know what went into last season. And I know what goes into me being my best. That’s all I’m focusing on.”
Hornets forward Cody Martin sustained a laceration on his thumb and sprained his right wrist while attempting to block a shot at the rim in training camp, the team announced today (via Twitter). It doesn’t sound like either injury is considered serious – he’s listed as day-to-day – but Martin has been ruled out of Charlotte’s preseason opener.