Josh Green Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Green, Lively, Irving

December 31st, 2023 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luka Doncic was dealing with a sore left quad muscle on Saturday night, but it didn’t affect his performance, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. The Mavericks star had 39 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a win at Golden State after being listed as questionable before the game and not being assured of playing until after warm-ups.

“The first half was really good,” Doncic said. “The third quarter, I started feeling it again. I had to warm up. Obviously, it’s a concern. It’s been (this way) since March. So obviously there’s a concern. I just try to keep lifting in the weight room. That helps me a lot. But obviously there’s a little bit of concern.”

Sefko notes that Dallas is 10-3 this season when shooting at least 40% from three-point range, which is exactly what the team hit on Saturday. Doncic helped by going 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his improved three-point shooting has made him more difficult to guard.

“In the past he was 34 (percent) from three and you’d go into the game and you’d trust the numbers (and) we’re not going to chase him off the line,” Kerr said. “But now he’s at 38 (percent) and that’s a pretty dramatic difference, so this is probably the best he’s ever played because of the consistency of that three-point shot setting up the rest of his game.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

Josh Green enjoyed his best game since returning from an elbow injury this week, scoring 18 points in 25 minutes off the bench against Golden State, Sefko adds in a separate story. Green, who missed 12 games while he was healing, was impressed by the players who filled in for him. “I’m so happy for guys like Dante (Exum) and D-Jones (Derrick Jones Jr.),” Green said. “They’ve done an amazing job. It’s been good for everybody and great for our team. But at the same time, I need to continue to progress and get better every game.”
In another piece, Sefko examines the progress of rookie center Dereck Lively II, who has been outstanding some nights but often finds himself in foul trouble. “We’re asking a lot of D-Live,” Dwight Powell said. “And he’s doing an amazing job. He’s studying the game and bringing energy and effort. He’s impacting the game on a lot of levels. He’s doing everything in his power to shore up the things he needs to improve on. That’s a big challenge for rookies in this league, but especially centers.”
Kyrie Irving has been listed as questionable for Monday’s game at Utah, giving him a chance to play for the first time since suffering a right heel contusion three weeks ago, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

Injury Notes: Thompson, Edwards, McDaniels, Hunter, Irving, Markkanen, Kessler, Little

December 10th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amen Thompson, the fourth pick of the draft, will return to action on Monday. He’s no longer listed on the Rockets’ injury report.

Thompson will jump right back into the rotation when his team faces San Antonio, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. He’s been out since Nov. 1 due to a right ankle sprain.

“The plan is to incorporate him back into the lineup,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “Obviously, we have guys playing well, so we have to find minutes and opportunity there, and we’ll tweak our rotation some once we get him in with certain groups.”

We have more injury-related news with 13 games on Monday’s schedule:

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is listed as questionable against New Orleans due to a right hip pointer. Forward Jaden McDaniels (right ankle sprain), who hasn’t played since Nov. 20, is also listed as questionable, the team’s PR department tweets.
Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (right quad tendon soreness) is listed as questionable against Denver, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. He played 37 minutes against Philadelphia on Friday.
Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion) and Josh Green (right elbow sprain) are among the Mavericks players listed as out for their game against Memphis, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets.
The Jazz will be missing two key frontcourt players when they face Oklahoma City. Forward Lauri Markkanen (left hamstring strain) and center Walker Kessler (right foot soreness) won’t play, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets.
The Suns’ Nassir Little has an orbital fracture and is in the NBA’s concussion protocol, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets. Phoenix hosts Golden State on Tuesday.

Mavericks Notes: Exum, Doncic, Lively, Kleber, Green

December 4th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Dante Exum credits pre-draft advice he received from Kobe Bryant for helping him withstand the many challenges of his career, writes Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. Exum’s NBA path was derailed by numerous injuries and he spent two seasons playing in Europe before signing with the Mavericks this summer.

“There will be a lot of distractions off the court,” Exum said Bryant told him. “It’s about how you handle those and focus on the court. That’s what’s going to define my career.”

The Australian guard was projected to be a star when Utah selected him with the fifth pick in the 2014 draft. However, his second season was wiped out completely by a torn ACL, and after appearing in 66 games in his third year, he hasn’t been available for more than 42 in a season since then. He had brief stops in Cleveland and Houston, and it appeared his NBA career might be over when he left the league after the 2020/21 season. But Exum reestablished himself in Spain and Serbia and got another chance with Dallas.

“Definitely through the injuries, I stayed motivated to stay that way,” Exum said, referring to Bryant’s advice. “A lot of days were hard. I didn’t want to be there [for rehab]. I felt like life was unfair. But it’s something I have to go through and something that I have to keep pushing through. It made me mentally strong.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

Luka Doncic admitted to being exhausted after Saturday’s game, and it wasn’t just because he played 46 minutes and put up incredible numbers with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 18 assists, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Doncic became a father for the first time this week and only got four or five hours of sleep before the game. The team considered giving him a night off, but he insisted on playing because Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr. and several other rotation players were already out of action. “It was the happiest day of my life with the baby, but then today’s game was a big roller coaster too,” said Doncic, who led a comeback that included a 30-0 run but fell short. “I’m so sad we didn’t win this game, but man, we gave a big, big effort.”
Rookie center Dereck Lively II has been a major reason for the Mavericks’ early-season success, notes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Coaches have been urging Lively to take a larger role in the offense, Hollinger adds, and he responded by making all nine of his shots from the field Saturday, scoring 20 points to go with 16 rebounds and seven blocks.
Maxi Kleber‘s absence with a dislocated toe appears as though it will last for a while longer, as coach Jason Kidd tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News that Kleber still hasn’t been cleared to start running (Twitter link). Kidd also expressed concern that Josh Green‘s elbow injury could be a long-term concern.

14 Players Affected By Poison Pill Provision In 2023/24

November 15th, 2023 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The term “poison pill” doesn’t actually show up in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, but it’s used colloquially to refer to a provision in the CBA that affects players who recently signed rookie scale contract extensions.

As we explain in our glossary entry, the so-called poison pill provision applies when a player who signed a rookie scale extension is traded before the extension takes effect.

In that scenario, the player’s incoming value for the receiving team for matching purposes is determined by averaging his current-year salary and the salaries in each year of his new extension. His current team, on the other hand, simply treats his current-year salary as the outgoing figure for matching purposes.

For instance, Spurs wing Devin Vassell is earning a $5,887,899 salary in 2023/24, but signed a five-year, $135MM extension that will begin in ’24/25.

Therefore, if San Antonio wanted to trade Vassell this season, his outgoing value for salary-matching purposes would be $5,887,899 (this year’s salary), while his incoming value for the team acquiring him would be $23,481,317 (this year’s salary, plus the $135MM extension, divided by six years).

Most of the players who signed rookie scale extensions aren’t realistic candidates to be traded anytime soon. But even in the event that a team does want to look into trading one of these recently extended players, the gap between the player’s incoming trade value and outgoing trade value could make it a real challenge to find a deal that works for both sides.

The “poison pill” provision applies to 14 players who signed rookie scale extensions in 2023. Here are those players, along with their outgoing salaries and incoming salaries for trade purposes:

Player	Team	Outgoing trade value	Incoming trade value
Anthony Edwards	MIN	$13,534,817	$36,573,920
LaMelo Ball	CHA	$10,900,635	$36,134,889
Tyrese Haliburton	IND	$5,808,435	$35,286,189
Desmond Bane	MEM	$3,845,083	$33,512,589
Devin Vassell	SAS	$5,887,899	$23,481,317
Jaden McDaniels	MIN	$3,901,399	$22,483,567
Onyeka Okongwu	ATL	$8,109,063	$14,021,813
Isaiah Stewart	DET	$5,266,713	$13,053,343
Deni Avdija	WSH	$6,263,188	$12,252,638
Josh Green	DAL	$4,765,339	$11,441,335
Cole Anthony	ORL	$5,539,771	$11,159,943
Aaron Nesmith	IND	$5,634,257	$9,658,564
Zeke Nnaji	DEN	$4,306,281	$7,261,256
Payton Pritchard	BOS	$4,037,278	$6,807,456

Once the 2024/25 league year begins next July, the poison pill provision will no longer apply to these players. At that time, the player’s ’24/25 salary would represent both his outgoing and incoming value.

Until then though, the gap between those outgoing and incoming figures will make it tricky for several of these players to be moved, though it affects some more significantly than others.

The small difference between Pritchard’s incoming and outgoing trade figures, for instance, likely wouldn’t be very problematic if the Celtics decide to trade him. But the much larger divide between Bane’s incoming and outgoing numbers means there’s virtually no chance he could be dealt to an over-the-cap team in 2023/24 — given that the Grizzlies have no desire to move Bane, that’ll be a moot point, but it’s still worth noting.

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Hardy, Alvarado, Zion, VanVleet, Green, Rockets

October 23rd, 2023 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Good news for the Mavericks — Luka Doncic and Jaden Hardy practiced in full on Monday, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

The team will reevaluate Doncic, who has been dealing with a calf strain, after Tuesday’s practice before a decision on whether he’s good to go for the season opener against San Antonio. Hardy has been dealing with an ankle injury.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

It’s not looking like Jose Alvarado will be ready for the Pelicans’ opener. The spark-plug guard was unable to practice on Monday, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. Alvarado has been dealing with a right ankle sprain suffered during an offseason workout.
The Pelicans explored trading Zion Williamson over the summer, multiple executives told Clark, but there was never any serious traction on a deal. A better outcome would be for Williamson to stay healthy and fulfill his promise. Williamson is hopeful changes to the performance staff will help him reach that goal. “The Pelicans have put in a lot of things this offseason to not only prevent things like that, but to react to it in the best way possible,” Williamson said. “I think what the Pelicans have done, there is good structure.”
The Rockets made a huge investment in Fred VanVleet and their new point guard believes they signed him at just the right time, he told James Herbert of CBS Sports. “It’s the perfect time for me to be here in this situation after the last three years that this organization has had,” he said. “Hiring Ime (Udoka) here, bringing a couple more vets with the young guys that they have, I think it’s just a perfect fit and it’s perfect timing.”
Josh Green‘s salary structure in his rookie scale extension begins with a $12,654,321 salary next season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. He’ll make $13,666,667 the following season and $14,679,012 in 2026/27.
In a subscriber-only story, the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen discusses how the Rockets’ young core realizes that it’s time for them to start posting wins.

Mavs Sign Josh Green To Three-Year Extension

October 23rd, 2023 at 4:58pm CST by Rory Maher

4:58pm: The Mavericks have officially announced Green’s extension (Twitter link).

2:44pm: The Mavericks are finalizing a three-year, $41MM rookie scale extension with Josh Green, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal is agreed upon (Twitter link).

A 6’5″ wing who hails from Sydney, Australia, Green was the 18th overall pick of the 2020 draft after one college season at Arizona. His both his production and efficiency have improved over the course of his three NBA seasons.

As a rookie in ’20/21, Green only appeared in 39 games for an average of 11.4 MPG, and wasn’t very effective when he did play, posting a .452/.160/.565 shooting slash line. He started to turn the corner in ’21/22, playing 67 games (15.5 MPG) while averaging 4.8 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .508/.359/.689 shooting.

Last season, the 22-year-old emerged as a valuable rotation regular, averaging 9.1 PPG and 3.0 on .537/.402/.723 shooting in 60 games (21 starts, 25.7 MPG). According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), Green was one of only five players to convert at least 60% of his twos and 40% of his threes in ’22/23 (minimum of 100 attempts for each shot type).

Reports throughout the offseason indicated that Dallas and Green had mutual interest in getting a deal done. Assuming the extension is fully guaranteed, he’ll earn an average of $14MM from 2024-26. Green will make $4.77M in ’23/24, the final season of his rookie contract.

Green is now the 13th player to agree to a rookie scale extension this offseason, breaking the record of 11 that was set and then tied over the past two campaigns.

The full list of rookie scale extension recipients can be viewed right here, while the remaining candidates are listed here.

Extension Rumors: McDaniels, P. Williams, Bey, Mann, J. Green

October 22nd, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The five-year deal that Devin Vassell signed with San Antonio, which will be worth at least $135MM, plus incentives, threw a “grenade” into some other rookie scale extension negotiations around the NBA, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on the latest episode of his Lowe Post podcast.

However, even before word of Vassell’s extension broke, Lowe had heard that Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels was seeking a “large amount of money” on a potential new deal with Minnesota. Lowe believes that McDaniels is in position to command a significant payday.

“If I’m Jaden McDaniels, I’m saying, ‘That dude (Vassell) got ($135MM+) playing 38 games on a s—t team with no stakes?'” Lowe said. “‘I didn’t average 18-and-a-half (points) per game, but I shot it well from three. I’m already an All-Defense-level player. You guys – Minnesota, all you people I’m negotiating with, the brass – expressed outrage that I didn’t make an All-Defensive team, so you obviously agree that I’m one of the 10 best defensive players in the NBA.

“Yeah, I punched a wall, sorry. (But) I’m essential to your team in a critical two- or three-year period. I’m a winning three-and-D player, and watch me do a little bit more with the ball this year. Pay up. Pay up.'”

While Lowe thinks that McDaniels would be warranted in seeking an annual salary of at least $30MM per year, his ESPN colleague Bobby Marks suggested that an extension worth in the neighborhood of $134MM over five years (just below Vassell’s deal) might make sense for both the player and the team.

Here are a few more notes on possible extension candidates around the NBA:

Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension, is one player whose asking price may be influenced by Vassell’s new contract, according to Lowe. “I’m hearing Patrick Williams wants big numbers. Like, starts with a two and isn’t two-zero kind of stuff,” Lowe said, expressing skepticism that Chicago will go anywhere near that high for the forward. “… If that ends up being true and the Vassell deal ends up being the comp that his agents go to – which is what I would do if I were them – that’s a lot of cheese. Go to restricted free agency and get it.”
Here’s what Lowe had to say on the Hawks‘ rookie scale extension negotiations with forward Saddiq Bey: “$18 to $20 (million per year) is an interesting conversation with Saddiq Bey, because it’s enough above the mid-level that he’s got to think about it. I’ve heard those negotiations have not been going great. I don’t think Atlanta’s gotten to that level yet.”
Terance Mann, who is in the first season of a two-year, $22MM extension he signed with the Clippers in 2021, will be eligible to sign a new deal up until Monday, but he told reporters on Saturday that a preseason extension is “not happening” (Twitter link via Justin Russo). Mann will be extension-eligible again next offseason, so there’s no rush for either side to get something done now. Of course, it’s also worth noting that the 27-year-old – whose inclusion has been a sticking point in the James Harden trade talks between L.A. and Philadelphia – would be ineligible to be dealt this season if he signs an extension with a raise exceeding 5%.
The Mavericks and wing Josh Green continue to discuss a possible rookie scale extension ahead of Monday’s deadline, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Southwest Notes: Morant, Spurs, Sochan, Pelicans, J. Green

October 20th, 2023 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

Baxter Holmes and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com published a lengthy investigative story this week detailing the transformation of Grizzlies guard Ja Morant from a Murray State prospect with “zero” red flags into a player whose worrisome off-court behavior led to multiple sit-downs with the team’s brass and – eventually – to suspensions of eight and 25 games.

While ESPN’s report includes several new details and quotes and is worth checking out in full, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins rejected the idea that it created an “elephant in the room” for his club, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. According to Cole, shortly after ESPN’s article was published, Jenkins met with the team — and separately with Morant.

“I read the article, and I’m not going to comment on anonymous sources,” Jenkins said. “I’m not really going to comment on the past. I’m really just focused on the present right now — the strides he is making, positive strides, and the strides that the team is making. … I want him to know he’s got 100% support from us and his teammates.”

Morant’s teammates were equally dismissive of the ESPN report and expressed their support for the point guard, who will serve his 25-game suspension to begin the 2023/24 season. Big man Xavier Tillman called it “annoying” to have to relitigate Morant’s past behavior, while Desmond Bane said the rest of the team has “got his back.”

“People are bringing up anything they can just for people to have anything to read,” Bane said. “We ain’t worried about that. We with 12.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Spurs‘ starting five for the regular season will consist of Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Victor Wembanyama, and Zach Collins, head coach Gregg Popovich revealed this week (story via Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News). The 6’9″ Sochan will serve as the de facto point guard in the super-sized lineup, though he expects to share the ball-handling duties. “It doesn’t mean I have to control (the offense) or be the main ball-handler,” Sochan said. “Whoever gets the ball can push it and play with a flow instead of playing slow.”
Pelicans big men Larry Nance Jr. (ankle) and Cody Zeller (back) took part in contact drills in practice on Thursday, while guard Jose Alvarado (ankle) was a limited participant, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. New Orleans will be without Naji Marshall and Trey Murphy when the season gets underway, so having Nance, Zeller, and Alvarado available would help bolster the club’s depth.
Rockets guard and former No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green sat down with Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link) to discuss what he worked on during the offseason, his thoughts on the addition of free agent point guard Fred VanVleet, and his impressions of several of his new teammates, among other topics.
Mavericks wing Josh Green, who injured his back earlier this week, was a full participant in practice on Thursday and doesn’t sound concerned about his availability when the regular season begins next week, as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News relays (via Twitter).

Southwest Notes: Smart, Jones, Alvarado, Hardy, Green

October 17th, 2023 at 6:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Smart will make his preseason Grizzlies debut on Friday, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Smart, acquired from Boston this offseason, will go right into the starting lineup, coach Taylor Jenkins told Cole. Smart has been battling abdominal soreness.

“I’ve been doing this going on 10 years now, so for me, I know what it takes to get myself going and how long it takes,” the Grizzlies veteran guard said. “I’ll be ready.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Tre Jones signed a two-year, $19MM contract this offseason to remain with the Spurs. However, it’s uncertain if he’ll remain a starter. He told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News he’s fine either way. “No matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench, it will always be the same,” Jones said. “I’ve got to be a leader for us. I’ve got to continue to set my teammates up as many ways as possible, be an extension of coach on the court, be aggressive on the defensive end and try to help us win any way possible.”
The Pelicans have played poorly this preseason but they should toughen up when backup point guard Jose Alvarado returns. Alvarado has been sidelined by an ankle sprain but there’s optimism he’ll be back for the regular season opener next week. “He’s a big piece for our team, especially on the defensive side of the basketball,” forward Brandon Ingram told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “He brings us energy. He’ll be good for our second group, just trying to run our second group.”
The Mavericks are dealing with a few minor injuries, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. Jaden Hardy is getting treatment on a sprained ankle, while Josh Green suffered a back injury on Monday and sat out Tuesday’s practice.

Mavericks Notes: Green, Doncic, Kidd, Kyrie, Curry

September 29th, 2023 at 10:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Fourth-year wing Josh Green is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Mavericks. The former first-round pick is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 23, which is the day before the regular season begins.

Marc Stein reported last month that the Mavericks had opened extension talks with Green, but an agreement has yet to be reached.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Green said he hopes to reach a long-term deal, as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News relays.

“At the end of the day, I know I want to be here,” Green said. “I’m going to work as if I’m going to be here for a long time. I want to be able to win in Dallas; I want to be in Dallas.

“Whatever their decision is their decision, but at the end of the day I’ve got the same goal every single day and that’s to be the best teammate and the best player I can be for the team.”

If Green doesn’t sign an extension, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Star Luka Doncic said he’s still not exactly sure what’s wrong with his nagging thigh injury, which bothered him last season and lingered into this summer’s World Cup. “It’s better, but we still have some appointments,” Doncic said, per Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “So when we get the clear ‘What is it?,’ we’ll let you guys know.” When asked if he would be a full participant in training camp, which started Wednesday because the team is traveling overseas, Doncic said he might speak to the trainer about skipping “some stuff” due to two-a-days. However, according to Townsend, head coach Jason Kidd expected Doncic to be present for everything, despite being less than 100%. “And so the topic of getting him stronger, and getting him close to 100% before the first game is the goal,” Kidd said. “And so to answer the second part, yes, he will participate in two-a-days.”
Doncic also said he’s looking forward to building more chemistry with Kyrie Irving, who re-signed with Dallas this offseason after being acquired at the February trade deadline, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I mean better for sure,” Doncic said. “He came in the middle of the season last year, and we didn’t have much time. We went straight to playing games. It takes time to do chemistry, especially on the court, so we didn’t have the whole training camp and then I mean the preseason too. So I think it’s going to be way better.”
Speaking of Irving, he discussed why he decided to return to the Mavs in free agency, MacMahon writes in another article for ESPN. “It wasn’t too difficult of a process,” said Irving, who signed a three-year, $120MM+ deal. “Had Dallas as No. 1 on my list. Obviously I looked elsewhere — salary cap opportunities, where I could fit in with other guys around the league — but there just wasn’t much space. And me being 31 now, I had to have a different vantage point, and I felt like I could not just settle here but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace.”
Veteran sharpshooter Seth Curry, who signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Mavs in free agency, is also happy to be back in Dallas, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. This is Curry’s third stint with the team. “A lot of potential, a lot of talent – top to bottom, a lot of guys that can play,” he said. “It’s about putting it together. Offensively, we should have one of the best rosters in the league. It’s about getting timely stops on defense.”