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Injury Notes: Strus, Embiid, Suggs, Booker, Nets

December 20th, 2024 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers wing Max Strus, who initially hoped to make his season debut last Friday, is being listed as questionable for tonight’s Central Division showdown with the Bucks and has a chance to suit up for the first time this season, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Strus sustained a hip contusion early in the preseason and was nearing a return from that injury when he sprained his right ankle during an individual workout just days before the season opener. He has been recovering from that sprain for the last two months.

“Nine weeks is a very long time,” Strus said on Thursday. “It’s been hard. There’s been definitely dark days. But this is the best team. Best vibes ever been around. These guys have made it easy and kept me involved and kept me around and made sure to reach out at times when I needed it. I’m itching to get back.”

As Fedor writes, Strus’ impending return is coming at a good time, given that the player who replaced him at small forward in the starting five – Isaac Okoro – is now sidelined with an injury of his own. Strus will be on a minutes restriction upon returning, so he may not reclaim his starting role right away, Fedor writes, but there’s excitement within the organization about how he’ll fit in head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s offense.

“It’s been fun to watch from the outside, but also frustrating that I haven’t been able to be a part of it. Hopefully sometime soon I could join the party,” Strus said. “The way we’ve played offense and scored the ball, it’s kind of everything I’ve wanted to do since I’ve been here. We struggled with that last year.”

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Sixers star Joel Embiid (sinus fracture) practiced on Wednesday and Thursday and is considered questionable to play on Friday vs. Charlotte, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The 76ers announced on Monday that Embiid would be reevaluated in one week, but it sounds like he has a good chance to return to the court before that one-week evaluation date.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs sustained an ankle injury on Thursday vs. Oklahoma City, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel tweets. Suggs injured the ankle late in the first half and started the third quarter, but was pulled after less than four minutes and didn’t play the rest of the night. “As he comes out in the second (half) I just saw there wasn’t a high pace,” head coach Jamahl Mosley explained. “I mean, there were moments of it but I just want to make sure he’s going to be OK for the long haul.” Orlando is already playing without forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, so the team will be hoping Suggs doesn’t have to miss much – if any – time.
[UPDATE: Suggs has been listed as probable to play on Saturday vs. Miami, per Beede.]
Suns guard Devin Booker exited Thursday’s game vs. Indiana in the third quarter with left groin tightness and didn’t return, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker’s status for Saturday’s game vs. Detroit remains unclear.
Nets guards Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain) and Ziaire Williams (left knee sprain) are making progress in their respective recoveries but aren’t yet cleared for contact, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez (story via Bridget Reilly of The New York Post). “They’ve been able to shoot, and that’s all they’re doing right now,” Fernandez said. “It’s step by step.” Meanwhile, Nets forward Trendon Watford was out for Thursday’s game due to left hamstring soreness — Watford missed the first 13 games of the season due to a left hamstring strain.

Southeast Notes: Carter, Suggs, Bridges, Risacher, Sarr

November 27th, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. will return to action on Wednesday against Chicago after missing the past 12 games due to left foot plantar fasciitis, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Head coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters that Carter, who last played on November 3, will be on a minutes limit.

“He’s definitely going to be on a minutes (restriction) after sitting out that long. You’re going to have a time frame of 14-16 minutes just to see where he is,” Mosley said. “Sometimes those guys, coming from (injury), the conditioning side is a big piece. But we want to make sure we slowly walk it back in vs. just ramping up right away.”

The Magic played some of their best basketball early in the season during the six games in which Carter was available. His +10.4 on-court net rating is the second-best mark among the team’s regulars.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Carter’s foot injury plays a central role in a story from Jason Quick of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at the bond between the Magic big man and teammate Jalen Suggs. Frustrated in that Nov. 3 contest by suffering another injury after setting a goal of playing all 82 games this season, Carter broke down in tears on Orlando’s bench and was consoled by Suggs, his closest friend on the team. “I’m glad he cried, glad he let out tears,” Suggs said. “I think it’s important to have those moments. In those moments you know you are still human. And it shows he is one with himself. In that space, in front of 17,000 fans, he was still authentically him.”
Hornets forward Miles Bridges, sidelined since last Tuesday due to a right knee bone bruise, has resumed individual on-court work, the team announced today (via Twitter). Bridges returned just 10 days after sustaining a similar injury earlier this month, but the team may be more cautious this time around, given that he aggravated the issue in his third game back.
Zaccharie Risacher wasn’t a typical no-brainer No. 1 pick, but it looks like he should be a good fit for the Hawks, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, who examines Risacher’s first few weeks in the NBA and shares early impressions from his head coach and teammates. As Weiss relays, Quin Snyder has lauded Risacher’s work ethic and mentality, while teammate Larry Nance Jr. praised the rookie’s willingness to embrace a team-first role. “I think he’s got a high ceiling, but I think it’s going to take time,” general manager Landry Fields said of the 19-year-old forward. “He’s got a longer runway.”
This year’s No. 2 overall pick, Wizards center Alex Sarr, had his best offensive game of the season on Tuesday vs. Chicago, with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. Varun Shankar of The Washington Post has the story on the silver lining of the Wizards’ 12th straight loss, noting that veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon has offered the rookie some tips on his outside shot.

Southeast Notes: Suggs, Brogdon, Coulibaly, Williams, Salaun, Diabate

November 25th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic guard Jalen Suggs won’t play in Monday’s game against Charlotte due to a left hamstring strain, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets. Suggs has started all of Orlando’s previous 18 games, averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Suggs signed a five-year, $105.5MM extension last month.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Malcolm Brogdon has provided a calming influence on the Wizards since returning from a thumb injury, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post writes. Brogdon has scored 33 points with six assists over the last two games. “When things go awry or things are feeling sticky … Malcolm is a surefire way for us to get back in the groove of what we’re trying to do,” teammate Corey Kispert said. Brogdon will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly says he’s improved defensively in his second season by “not respecting” his opponents as much and “getting more physical with them,” he told Wizards reporter Bijan Todd (Twitter link). Coulibaly has racked up eight steals and three blocks over the past four games.
With Grant Williams suffering a season-ending knee injury, Hornets coach Charles Lee will have to try to replace Williams’ production in the short term with Tidjane Salaün and two-way player Moussa Diabate, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer points out. That’s because Mark Williams and Nick Richards are still on the mend from injuries. Williams hasn’t played for nearly a year and Richards is recovering from a rib injury.

Magic Notes: Da Silva, F. Wagner, Black, Suggs

November 23rd, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tristan da Silva didn’t appear to have a path to consistent playing time when the Magic took him with their first-round pick in June, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. That changed when Paolo Banchero suffered a torn right oblique in late October. Da Silva took his place in the starting lineup and has averaged 7.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 11 games as a starter.

“He’s a player,” Gary Harris said. “He’s smart. He understands where he’s supposed to be. He works hard. It’s just a testament to who he is. He was drafted for a reason.”

At 23, da Silva was old for a prospect, which is part of the reason he was still on the board when Orlando picked at No. 18. He fits the Magic’s profile for a forward with his size (6’8″ with a 6’10” wingspan) and he was a capable outside shooter in college. He has shown an ability to take care of the ball, compiling a 3.57 assist-to-turnover ratio that leads all rookies who’ve appeared in at least 11 games, and he’s contributing on defense as well.

Beede notes that coach Jamahl Mosley will eventually face a difficult decision. Before Banchero’s injury, da Silva had logged five total minutes, all on opening night. His performance over the last three weeks may be enough to keep him in the rotation once Banchero returns.

There’s more from Orlando:

Franz Wagner is the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week and is making a bid for his first All-Star appearance, notes Law Murray of The Athletic. Wagner has been the focal point of the Magic’s offense since Banchero got hurt, as his touches per game have risen from 46.4 in October to 72.2 in November. With his unique combination of size and skills, Wagner told Murray he has difficulty selecting a player to compare himself to. “I don’t know if there’s someone who I would say I play really close to,” he said. “I think I’m definitely like a tall guard, I would say that. I’m a perimeter player, but pretty tall. I try to do a lot of different stuff out there. And I hope when you see me play, you see that I’m having fun and play for the right reasons. That’s what I hope people see when they see me play.”
Some rival general managers were upset when the Magic gave Wagner a full max extension this summer even though he was coming off somewhat of a down season, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. They viewed the deal as inflationary because it would cause more players to demand the same terms. However, sources tell Windhorst that Orlando’s front office was happy to reward Wagner for the work ethic and character he displayed during his first three NBA seasons, and they expect the contract to be less of a strain on the salary cap once the new television money starts rolling in.
Anthony Black has improved in his second season and there’s speculation that he and Jalen Suggs could eventually challenge Boston for the league’s best defensive backcourt, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps adds in the same piece. “I think he can be their long-term point guard,” a scout told Bontemps. “That allows Suggs to play off the ball, where he looks more comfortable.”

Magic Notes: Wagner, Depth, Black, Isaac

November 14th, 2024 at 5:29pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Magic have been playing without Paolo Banchero as he deals with a torn right oblique, but Franz Wagner has been playing like an All-Star in his absence, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel opines.

As Bianchi points out, Wagner is one of just seven players averaging at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game, with the former Michigan forward joining stars Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, James Harden and De’Aaron Fox in that company.

The former No. 8 overall pick has yet to earn an All-Star nod, but he has increased his scoring average every season and is putting up 19.3 points since the start of the 2022/23 campaign. In his last five games, Wagner is averaging 27.8 PPG and 6.0 APG.

We have more on the Magic:

Life without Banchero proved to be difficult initially, as the Magic lost their first four games without their All-Star forward after his injury, including three by double figures. Since then, they’ve won four straight. Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes that Wagner’s All-Star level play is helping, but they’re also getting terrific defensive contributions from the likes of Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac and Anthony Black. “I’m so proud of them, so proud of this group,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “It wasn’t a pretty one, but it’s the way you have to try to get it done in this league, and these guys embraced it. [They] easily could’ve given in. But we talk about how much grit this team has, and you see how connected they are. They fought through the shooting lulls at times, the turnovers early, and they found a way.“
Although rookie Tristan Da Silva has taken over Banchero’s spot in the starting lineup, the team has been closing games with Black next to the starters, as the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede details. “Super comfortable,” Black said. “When I play with [the starters], my role is super simple and easy — just affect the game on the defensive end.“
Isaac played in both games of the Magic’s home back-to-back against Charlotte on Tuesday and Indiana on Wednesday. He began playing in back-to-backs last season for the first time since 2019. This season, it’s not a question whether he’s going to play in both games, Beede writes in the same piece. “It does feel like a big deal,” Isaac said. “Especially when it’s not so much of a thought anymore. That’s huge. … It’s been a slow start to the season but I’m starting to feel like myself again with just my energy level, getting back to running up and down and playing heavier minutes. I feel great.“

Magic Notes: Banchero, Mosley, Anthony, KCP

November 1st, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Magic star forward Paolo Banchero will be sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a torn right oblique. Head coach Jamahl Mosley was understandably disappointed by the news, but he also said it’s an opportunity for other players, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

“It sucks. There’s no other way to put it,” Mosley said. “It sucks for him, the way in which he started this year, the way in which he was playing, the way he’s carrying us in so many ways. And in the same breath, you have to say it’s an opportunity — it’s an opportunity for guys to step up, step into their role, opportunity for guys to continue to play to our standard of basketball.”

Orlando announced that Banchero will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks. The former No. 1 overall pick is hoping he’ll be back sooner rather than later, Reynolds adds.

“Hopefully, it’s not a multi, three-, four-month injury,” Banchero said. “Hopefully, it’s just six, something weeks. Just trying to stay engaged as much as I can and stay positive, take it one day at a time and be ready to come back.”

Here’s more on the Magic:

Since Banchero is such a huge part of Orlando’s offense, particularly in half-court settings, Josh Robbins of The Athletic suggests the team might look to push the pace a bit more while he’s sidelined. Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs are obvious candidates for more play-making duties, but multiple players will have to step up offensively, Robbins notes.
Reserve guard Cole Anthony, who played 81 games last season, received a rare DNP-CD in Wednesday’s loss to Chicago. He said the reason he didn’t play was simple, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “I mean, I’ve been playing like [expletive],” Anthony said. “It’s not really that much to it.” In four games this season, Anthony is averaging just 2.0 PPG while shooting 3-of-16 from the floor (18.8%) in 14.0 MPG. The 24-year-old said Mosley informed him of the decision before the game, and while it wasn’t an easy conversation, he said he has a great relationship with his coach. “I’m going to continue working … and at some point, I’m hopeful I get an opportunity out there,” Anthony said, per Beede. “I’ll be ready to hoop.”
Veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope told Marc J. Spears of Andscape it was a difficult decision to leave the Nuggets in free agency, but he has no regrets about signing a three-year, $66MM contract with the Magic. “It was hard. We gave them the opportunity, but things happen,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I let my agent, Rich Paul, handle all that. But my agent always told me, ‘This is a business at the end of the day.’ I got to figure out what’s going to make me happy, what fits best for me and my family … I was part of the first [Nuggets title] in almost like 40-something years. Of, course everybody that was on that team that year is going to be a part of that championship going down in history. It’s just always a blessing and I’m thankful just to be a part of stuff like that and to also play a major role in it.”

Southeast Notes: J. Johnson, Suggs, Ball, Mann, Okongwu, Banchero, Miller

October 25th, 2024 at 12:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Johnson‘s five-year extension with the Hawks was one of the last deals to be announced on Monday because the paperwork reached the league office just minutes before the 5:00 pm Central deadline, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. In an article co-written with Tim Bontemps, Windhorst states that the two sides didn’t come to an agreement until after Jalen Suggs reached an extension with the Magic. Both teams slightly increased their offers to get the deals finalized, sources tell Windhorst.

He adds that Hawks officials were relieved to get Johnson to commit to a five-year arrangement with no player option. Johnson is coming off a breakthrough season in which he averaged 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 56 games, and at 23 he’s viewed as one of the young cornerstones of the franchise.

Scouts and executives from rival teams were impressed that Atlanta and Orlando were able to sign their young stars to contracts that will become less burdensome over time, Bontemps adds. The salary cap is projected to increase by up to 10% each season, but Johnson’s deal will stay flat at $30MM for each of the next five years, while Suggs’ salary starts at $35MM next season and declines until it reaches $26.7MM in 2029/30.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is wearing strong ankle braces to help avoid the injury problems that have ended his last two seasons, Bontemps reveals in the same piece. Ball was impressive with 34 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in the season opener, and he got help from Tre Mann, who contributed 24 points off the bench and could be in line for a breakout season after being acquired from Oklahoma City in February. Sources tell Bontemps that Mann had offseason talks about a rookie scale extension with Charlotte, but wasn’t able to come to an agreement.
Center Onyeka Okongwu sparked the Hawks with 28 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in an opening night win over Brooklyn. He was happy to be able to play 28 minutes after missing time late last season with a toe injury and being used sparingly during the preseason, per Lauren Williams of The Journal-Constitution. “That was my main concern, just coming into this season,” Okongwu said. “It was my conditioning. I was blessed to spend my summer getting right, but I felt really good out there and I’m just happy we got the win.”
Magic forward Paolo Banchero has released the first installment of this year’s Andscape diary with Marc J. Spears. Banchero talks about growing up in Seattle, the adjustment to Orlando, the playoff series with Cleveland, advice from Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic and a few other topics.
Brandon Miller will be reevaluated in a week after being forced out of Wednesday’s opener with a glute strain, the Hornets announced (via Twitter). Head coach Charles Lee talked to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer about the challenge of replacing Miller.

Contract Details: Gordon, Moody, Suggs, Green, Sengun, Murphy, More

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

The three-year veteran extension that Aaron Gordon signed with the Nuggets is worth $103,608,840 in total base salary, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. As expected, Gordon is getting the maximum 40% raise on his 2025/26 salary ($22,841,455), with 8% annual raises after that.

Gordon’s is also getting the maximum 40% bump (and 8% subsequent increases) on his $1.2MM in incentives for the ’25/26 season, so they’ll increase to $1.68MM in the first year of the extension and will be worth $5,443,200 in total across the three years of the deal. That means that if the Nuggets forward earns all his bonuses, he could make up to $109,052,040 over those three seasons.

The trade kicker on Gordon’s extension is for just 3%, which represents the lowest percentage of any active trade kicker around the NBA.

Here are more details on some of the contracts recently signed by players across the league:

Moses Moody‘s three-year extension with the Warriors actually has a total base value of $37.5MM, rather than the $39MM initially reported. The deal includes $1.5MM in incentives that could push the total value up to $39MM.
Jalen Suggs‘ five-year, $150MM extension with the Magic starts at $35MM in 2025/26 and has a descending structure. By the fifth year, in 2029/30, Suggs’ cap hit will be just $26.7MM.
The exact value of Jalen Green‘s three-year extension with the Rockets is $105,333,333. It starts at $33,333,333, with matching $36MM cap hits in years two and three (the third year is a player option).
Alperen Sengun‘s five-year, $185MM extension with the Rockets has an ascending structure, though it doesn’t increase by the maximum allowable 8% per year. It begins at $33,944,954 in 2025/26 and eventually gets as high as $39,036,697 in years four and five. The fifth year is a player option.
Trey Murphy‘s four-year, $112MM extension with the Pelicans begins at $25MM and increases by $2MM annually, getting up to $31MM by year four.
The new standard contract Alex Reese signed with the Thunder is a straightforward one-year, minimum-salary deal that is fully non-guaranteed. I’d be a little surprised if Reese lasts the whole season on that contract, but if he does, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.
Alondes Williams‘ two-way contract with the Pistons is for two years. While it’s pretty rare for a player to play out a full two-year, two-way contract, Detroit could technically keep Williams on his current deal all the way through the end of the 2025/26 season.

Magic Sign Jalen Suggs To Five-Year Extension

October 21st, 2024 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

4:08pm: Suggs’ extension with the Magic is official, according to a press release issued by the team (Twitter link).

The $150.5MM deal is fully guaranteed, with no options, according to NBA reporter Jake Fischer and The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede (Twitter links).

3:37pm: The Magic have agreed to sign guard Jalen Suggs to a five-year rookie scale extension worth $150.5MM, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

According to Charania (via Twitter), Suggs’ agent Darren Matsubara and team officials held a series of meetings in Orlando leading up to Monday’s extension deadline in order to finalize the terms of the deal.

Suggs’ NBA career got off to a bit of a slow start after he was selected fifth overall in the 2021 draft, as he battled injuries and struggled with his shot during his first two seasons. However, he enjoyed an impressive breakout year in 2023/24, averaging a career-high 12.6 points per game with a .471/.397/.756 shooting line and earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team. He also showed up on Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year ballots.

With Markelle Fultz no longer in the point guard picture in Orlando, Suggs will likely be given more offensive responsibilities in his fourth NBA season and is poised to improve upon his career averages of 11.5 PPG and 3.2 APG while continuing to play lock-down defense on the other side of the ball.

As we wrote multiple times earlier in the offseason, Suggs’ camp likely viewed the five-year, $131MM extension Jaden McDaniels signed last fall as a point of reference for the Magic guard’s new deal. Like Suggs, McDaniels was considered one of the NBA’s top perimeter defenders and showed off an improved three-point shot in his third season before signing his second contract.

However, Suggs has a bigger offensive role than the Timberwolves forward and was able to secure an annual salary exceeding $30MM on his extension (assuming that $150.5MM total isn’t being inflated by incentives) compared to $26.2MM per year for McDaniels.

Suggs is the second core Magic player to sign a lucrative rookie scale extension this offseason, joining teammate Franz Wagner, who got a five-year, maximum-salary contract. Paolo Banchero is the next man up — he’ll become eligible for his own rookie scale extension in 2025.

Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. also signed long-term veteran extensions with Orlando this offseason and are each under contract through at least 2028.

Jalen Johnson Not Trending Toward Extension?

October 20th, 2024 at 5:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Johnson and the Hawks are not yet trending toward a rookie scale contract extension, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post.

Johnson is one of a handful of prominent players from the 2021 draft who has not signed an extension. In a Front Office column earlier this month, our Luke Adams ranked Johnson No. 1 among a group of nine players who are legitimate candidates for a rookie scale extension.

Another source informed Stein that Johnson has stood out during the Hawks’ training camp and the preseason. Johnson, the No. 20 pick in 2021, averaged 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in his breakout 2023/24 campaign while appearing in 56 games (52 starts).

Rookie scale extensions must be reached by Monday at 6 p.m. ET. Otherwise, those players will be restricted free agents next summer.

Here’s more from Stein:

As he reported over the weekend, Quentin Grimes is a prime candidate for an extension, according to Stein, who says the Mavericks and Grimes, who was acquired from the Pistons during the offseason, are discussing a three-year deal.
Trey Murphy III and the Pelicans are also in active extension negotiations ahead of Monday’s deadline, league sources tell Stein. Murphy will miss the early portion of this season with a hamstring injury but has been highly productive when healthy. The five-year, $135MM extension signed in October 2023 by San Antonio’s Devin Vassell is a potential comparable for Murphy, Stein notes.
Reiterating a tweet from Saturday, Stein says the Magic’ Jalen Suggs is seeking a deal with an average annual value of at least $30MM.