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Warriors Won’t Nix Four-Team Deal

February 12th, 2023 at 6:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

6:00pm: A formal league inquiry into the Trail Blazers ‘ alleged failure to provide sufficient medical information is expected to be opened, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. That could result in the Warriors receiving further compensation.

5:07pm: The Warriors have decided to go through with the four-team deal despite Payton’s injury, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. Golden State will not pass Payton’s physical exam but they’ve decided to move forward with the trade anyway.

All the players involved can now suit up for their teams.

4:45pm: The trade is tracking toward becoming official, Wojnarowski tweets.

1:00pm: The NBA is working with Golden State to help the Warriors finalize their four-team trade without losing their ability to pursue recourse for the way the Trail Blazers shared Gary Payton II‘s health information, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

As we previously relayed, the Warriors have filed an official complaint with the league office, arguing that Portland withheld key medical information about Payton.

The reserve guard, shipped out to Golden State from Portland at the trade deadline last week, flunked a physical exam when the Warriors’ medical staff discovered that his core muscle injury, which he had been playing through for a month, was severe enough it could sideline him for three additional months this season.

Reports from The Athletic and ESPN have indicated that Payton was using Toradol to relieve his pain, which the Warriors didn’t know before agreeing to the trade. Agent Aaron Goodwin told Chris Haynes of TNT (Twitter link) that “despite of what’s being reported, my client never took Toradol shots to be available for games during his time in Portland.”

[Note: The Athletic has since clarified that Payton received Toradol doses orally, rather than via injection.]

Should the Warriors ultimately decide not to move forward with their trade, it would have a ripple effect on four clubs. Their deadline to do so is 9:30 pm ET tonight.

According to Wojnarowski, Golden State will likely move forward with the deal as long as doing so doesn’t cost the team its ability to further pursue the matter. As Woj explains, an NBA investigation could result in a fine and/or lost draft picks for the Blazers if the league discovers “a failure to disclose relevant information.”

The Warriors shipped out 2020 No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman to the Pistons and two second-round draft picks to the Blazers in the trade. Meanwhile, the Pistons sent out small forward Saddiq Bey to the Hawks and combo forward Kevin Knox to the Trail Blazers. The Hawks traded three second-round picks to Portland and two seconds to Golden State.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Wiseman To Pistons, Bey To Hawks, Payton To Warriors In Four-Team Deal

February 9th, 2023 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

9:01pm: The trade is now official, the Hawks announced in a press release. According to Atlanta’s announcement, three of the five second-round picks the team is sending out in the deal are going to Portland, while the other two are going to Golden State. Here’s the breakdown:

To the Blazers:

Either the Hawks’, Nets’, or Hornets’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable).
The Hawks’ 2024 second-round pick (the Hawks previously traded this pick to Portland with top-55 protection; those protections are now removed).
The Hawks’ 2025 second-round pick (protected 41-60).
- Note: Portland will receive this pick if it’s between 31-40 and Oklahoma City will receive it if it’s between 41-60 (based on a prior trade).

To the Warriors:

The Hawks’ 2026 second-round pick.
The Hawks’ 2028 second-round pick.

The Blazers are still receiving five second-rounders in total, however. According to the Warriors’ own press release announcing the deal, they’ve sent two other second-round picks to Portland. Those picks are the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-rounder (top-42 protected) and the Warriors’ own 2028 second-rounder.

1:55pm: The trade is being expanded further, according to Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the Warriors are sending five second-round picks and Knox to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Gary Payton II.

It’s unclear if those are the same five second-rounders Golden State is getting from the Hawks, but the Warriors are essentially trading out Wiseman and getting back Payton, who was a key rotation player on last season’s championship team.

Interestingly, the Warriors just faced the Blazers last night, getting an up-close look at the defensive stalwart, who will now rejoin Golden State. Payton signed a three-year, $26.1MM deal with Portland in the offseason, but has only appeared in 15 games in 2022/23 — he was slow to recover from abdominal surgery.

In addition to getting back a player they’re very familiar with, the Warriors will also save a good chunk of money toward the luxury tax over the next two seasons, as Payton’s cap hit is smaller than Wiseman’s.

1:34pm: Kevin Knox is headed from Detroit to Golden State in the trade for salary-matching purposes, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Knox isn’t a lock to remain with the Warriors, Woj notes.

1:04pm: The Pistons will acquire James Wiseman from the Warriors in a three-team trade that will send Saddiq Bey to the Hawks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Golden State will get five second-round picks from Atlanta in the deal, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).

Detroit needs to send out another $2.5MM to match salaries, so at least one more player will be involved in the deal, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the Warriors also had Wiseman discussions with the Trail Blazers and Spurs. The Pistons and Hawks discussed a separate deal involving John Collins, but sources tell Fischer that those talks have stalled.

Reports that the Pistons and Warriors were discussing a deal involving Wiseman broke earlier this afternoon. Detroit has been interested in the 21-year-old center since the 2020 draft, and Golden State was willing to move on from a player who never lived up to expectations after being the second overall pick.

He has appeared in just 21 games this season after sitting out all of 2021/22 with injuries and has spent a significant portion of the season in the G League. The Warriors picked up Wiseman’s fourth-year option, so he will be under contract for $12.1MM next season. He will be eligible for an extension this summer, but it’s extremely unlikely that the Pistons will want to make that type of commitment.

Bey has been a productive forward for Detroit since being selected 19th overall in 2019. Through 52 games (30 starts, 28.8 MPG) in ’22/23, he’s averaging 14.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.0 SPG on .404/.345/.861 shooting.

The 23-year-old is still on his rookie contract, which is very affordable considering he’s been a regular contributor in each of his first three seasons. He’s making $2.96MM this season and will make $4.56MM in ’23/24. Like Wiseman, he will eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Raptors’ Anunoby, Pistons’ Bogdanovic Among Trade Candidates Staying Put

February 9th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While there was quite a bit of activity at the trade deadline, numerous players who were expected to be moved wound up staying put.

At or near the top of that list is the Raptors’ OG Anunoby. He generated plenty of interest around the league, with the Grizzlies, Pelicans, Knicks and Trail Blazers reportedly all in the bidding. Even the Warriors made a substantial run at Anunoby, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (video link).

Toronto, rather than going into sell mode, brought back center Jakob Poeltl in a deal with the Spurs and kept Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam, all of whom were mentioned in trade rumors. They’ll now have some hard decisions to make this summer with VanVleet, Trent, and Poeltl expected to hit the free agent market, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN notes (Twitter link).

Here are some of the notable teams who retained key players:

Perhaps no team surprised the league more by not making a move than the Bulls, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets. It was anticipated the Bulls might blow up an underperforming roster and ship out some combination of Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Coby White. Vucevic will be a free agent this summer and White will also enter the market, though Chicago could make him a restricted free agent by extending a qualifying offer.
The Pistons made a splash in a three-team swap, shipping out Saddiq Bey and Kevin Knox and bringing in former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman from the Warriors. However, Detroit decided to hold onto Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Bogdanovic, in particular, drew a lot of interest around the league but the team’s front office repeatedly made it clear in recent weeks it wanted to keep Bogdanovic and Burks to blend in with an otherwise young team next season.
Another surprise was that Heat president Pat Riley failed to make a big move. Miami was unable to find a taker for some of its unpalatable contracts (Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry). However, the Heat will actively explore the buyout market, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The Heat have two available roster spots (and need to fill at least one) and have their $4.1MM bi-annual exception and a portion of their mid-level exception still available to entice free agents.
The Cavaliers were the rare contender that decided to stand pat, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Cleveland had long been considered a prime candidate to acquire another wing. Thus, the Cavs will ride with Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman. LeVert will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Mavericks didn’t move big man Christian Wood, Marc Stein notes (Twitter link), even though it doesn’t appear the two parties are close to an extension agreement. Wood had said he didn’t want to be traded.
The Sixers failed to deal disgruntled wing Furkan Korkmaz, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Korkmaz, who has fallen out of Doc Rivers’ rotation, had requested a trade.

New York Notes: Knox, Harris, Brunson, Nash

October 22nd, 2022 at 11:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Knox takes responsibility for his failure to establish himself with the Knicks, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post.

“I had my fair opportunity; didn’t make the best of it, unfortunately,” Knox said.

The ninth pick of the 2018 draft was traded to Atlanta last season, then signed a two-year contract in free agency with the Pistons.

“Got to move on, got to play harder, learn from it,” he said. “Learned a lot playing under (Tom Thibodeau), playing here in New York. I have to take it to my next chapter.”

We have more from the New York teams:

Joe Harris made his season debut on Friday for the Nets, posting modest stats: three points, two rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. He hadn’t appeared in a game since November 14 of last season due to an ankle injury. Harris was thrilled to be back, Brian Lewis of the New York Post relays. “Oh, yeah, it was amazing. The fun atmosphere, great team win. So I think it was a perfect, perfect game to come back,” he said. “Yeah, everything felt great. I was definitely a little winded, the lungs were burning. But you know, that’s to be expected.”
Jalen Brunson hasn’t made a turnover in his first two Knicks games, Braziller notes. “He has a great understanding of the game, and I think that’s probably the most important thing,” Thibodeau said of his new point guard. “And I think how you manage and control the game is another strength. But usually, when you analyze turnovers, they fall into one of two categories. They’re either risky passes that you’re trying to thread the needle, or you’re going too much one-on-one. And he has a great feel for when to go and when to pass.”
Nets coach Steve Nash said it wasn’t all that difficult for him to move on from this summer’s drama, which included a Kevin Durant request to the team owner that he be fired, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets. “It was just that we needed to sit down at some point,” Nash said. “That was it. That’s kind of what happened. I would say our environment has been outstanding.”

Central Notes: Okoro, Bucks, Giannis, Stewart, Knox

October 13th, 2022 at 11:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Cavaliers clearly have four of their starting roles set, with All-Star guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell sharing the backcourt alongside Evan Mobley and All-Star center Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt. For the small forward gig, it appears that Isaac Okoro is making a case for himself, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

The 6’5″ wing was selected by Cleveland with the fifth pick out of Auburn in 2020. Okoro has started 128 of his 134 career NBA games thus far. Through two seasons, he is averaging a fairly modest 9.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 0.9 SPG, but the Cavaliers will be looking for defense more than offense at the three.

The competition has boiled down to Okoro and Caris LeVert, writes Fedor, noting that LeVert – who has earned praise from head coach J.B. Bickerstaff in camp – has started most of the team’s 2022 preseason games.

“I’m always being myself,” Okoro said. “I know what the coaches want me to do. I’m gonna do that and it’s ultimately up to J.B. to see who starts. I’m fine either way. I’m gonna go in and play my role.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The Bucks had a relatively quietly offseason that saw them sign veteran small forward Joe Ingles and draft wing MarJon Beauchamp. They’re betting that continuity on a roster that won a title in 2021 will help the club return to the NBA Finals in 2023. John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a look at how the 2022/23 season could play out for Milwaukee, predicting a 53-29 finish.
All-NBA superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is not concerned that the Bucks just wrapped up their preseason with a 0-5 record, though he would like to see more from the team, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. “It doesn’t worry me,” Antetokounmpo said after a 107-97 defeat Wednesday to the Brooklyn Nets. “What worries me is our habits and building good habits…. Right now, we’re not vocal enough. We’re not urgent enough. We’re not hungry enough. But at the end of the day, it’s the preseason. We have the whole regular season to find ourselves.”
Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart has been given the green light to launch three-pointers, and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes that Stewart has appeared fearless during the team’s preseason. He connected on 4-of-10 shooting from long range during a 126-111 preseason loss Thursday to the Grizzlies. Langlois notes that, should this trend continue into the regular season, it could affect how Dwane Casey opts to use Stewart as a stretch four option in Detroit’s frontcourt. Langlois also discusses new forward Kevin Knox, a Knicks lottery pick in 2018. Langlois thinks Knox’s size and shooting touch could eventually help him crack the team’s rotation.

Central Notes: Pistons, Haliburton, Dosunmu, Lopez

October 12th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Marvin Bagley III‘s knee injury is the latest mishap for a Pistons team that will start the season with a diminished frontcourt, writes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News.

Nerlens Noel, who was acquired from the Knicks in an offseason trade, is reconditioning after plantar fasciitis and hasn’t played during the preseason. Rookie center Jalen Duren hurt his shoulder last week, but was able to return Tuesday. Newly acquired Bojan Bogdanovic sat out Tuesday’s game with a strained calf, and Alec Burks, Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo are all dealing with injuries as well.

“It’s part of the NBA,” coach Dwane Casey said. “That’s one reason (general manager Troy Weaver) has done a good job of bringing multiple guys in. Unfortunately, the multiple guys are (sitting out, injured) behind the bench. I think it’s a freak thing. I do know that some of the guys that were behind the bench — Kevin, (Diallo) — if it was a regular season game, they’d be able to go. That’s refreshing to know that.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers seem headed for a rebuilding year, but that’s not how the players are approaching the new season, according to Michael Marot of The Associated Press. Trade deadline deals for Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Smith have added some youthful enthusiasm to the team. “I think we’ve just got a lot of guys who love basketball, who love to compete and that’s a great place to start,” Haliburton said. “There are so many young guys and they have a lot to prove not only to the media or the naysayers but to themselves.”
Ayo Dosunmu will take over as the Bulls‘ starting point guard while Lonzo Ball is sidelined, per Annie Costabile of The Chicago Sun-Times. Coach Billy Donovan confirmed that Dosunmu won the role with his performance since camp opened. “Ayo right now is going to be the guy back there for us,” Donovan said. “He’s done a really good job this training camp and preseason.”
The Bucks are counting on better health from Brook Lopez to improve their defense, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN. The veteran center was limited to 13 games last season because of back issues, but he came to camp noticeably leaner and motivated to prove he deserves a contract extension. “He’s in the best physical condition I’ve seen,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He seems hungry. … I feel like he’s moving well at both ends of the court. His aggressiveness is in a good place.”

Central Notes: Osman, Hill, Pistons Rotation

October 4th, 2022 at 6:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cedi Osman has heard his name mentioned in trade rumors, including a potential deal involving Suns forward Jae Crowder. He’s trying to block out those distractions during training camp, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes.

“I’ve been hearing those things,” the Cavaliers forward said. “But I’m just focused on my basketball because you cannot control that. That’s why whenever I stepped on a court I was just working on my game and trying to get better. It’s been six years since coming over, six years in Cleveland. I’m happy here and this is my home.”

Those rumors persist and the franchise would like to upgrade at small forward, if possible, though the fact that Cleveland is close to the luxury tax line complicates the issue, Fedor adds.

We have more from the Central Division:

George Hill admits that enduring an injury-plagued season actually encouraged him to keep playing, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The Bucks guard had seriously considered retiring after last season. “I felt like I let the city of Milwaukee down last year not being able to perform the way I normally perform,” he said. “I let my teammates down being injured. And I thought about retiring. … but as a competitor I didn’t want to go out like that. So, had a great offseason for the summer, decided to come back and try to redeem myself and make myself better.” Hill signed a two-year, $8MM contract prior to last season.
With the addition of Bojan Bogdanovic, how will the Pistons’ frontcourt rotation shake out? James Edwards III of The Athletic projects the former Jazz forward to start alongside Saddiq Bey, with Isaiah Stewart at center. Edwards projects Marvin Bagley and Isaiah Livers as part of the second unit ahead of Jalen Duren, Nerlens Noel and Kevin Knox.
Will the Pistons’ drought without a playoff win extend to 15 seasons? That’s what John Hollinger of The Athletic anticipates. He sees this as a 28-win season in Detroit with the caveat that the team’s fortunes should improve sharply in the near future.

Pistons Finalize Camp Roster, Announce Injury Updates

September 26th, 2022 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons officially announced their training camp roster on Monday, and it includes two new names. According to the team, guards Jules Bernard and Stanley Umude have signed Exhibit 10 contracts, filling out the 20-man roster.

Bernard, a 6’7″ swingman, went undrafted out of UCLA earlier this year. As a senior in 2021/22, he averaged 12.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG with a shooting line of .419/.337/.818 in 35 games (30.1 MPG). He subsequently played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Umude, whose agreement with the Pistons was previously reported, spent his first four college seasons at South Dakota from 2017-21, averaging 21.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior in 2020/21. He transferred to Arkansas for his “super-senior” season last year and played more of a complementary role for the Razorbacks, putting up 11.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG on .460/.371/.724 shooting in 37 games (27.8 MPG).

Like Bernard, Umude went undrafted and then played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in July. Both players will likely end up playing for the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate.

Here are a few more updates from the Pistons today:

While Kemba Walker is listed on Detroit’s training camp roster, he’s marked as “not with team,” which had been expected. Bojan Bogdanovic is the lone Piston missing from the team’s camp roster — while NBA.com’s transaction log indicates the trade sending him to Detroit was completed last Thursday, he may still need to conduct a physical with his new team before it’s officially official.
In a separate press release, the Pistons announced that guard Alec Burks will miss the start of training camp as he continues his rehab following a navicular fracture. Burks will be reevaluated in three weeks, according to the team.
Kevin Knox (right gastroc strain) and Nerlens Noel (reconditioning / plantar fasciitis) will be limited participants to open training camp, the Pistons announced.

Central Notes: Bagley, Knox, Hayes, Pacers, Ball, Pistons

September 19th, 2022 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Breakout seasons from Marvin Bagley III, Kevin Knox and Killian Hayes would go a long way toward a much improved season for the Pistons, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. All three lottery picks have yet to fulfill their promise but could become part of the team’s core group if they establish a firm foothold in the NBA this season.

Bagley was re-signed on a three-year, $37MM deal this summer, while Knox received a two-year, $6MM contract after passing through two organizations. Hayes is entering his third year with the Pistons and projects as the second-unit floor leader.

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pacers announced the signing of forwards James Johnson and Bennie Boatwright and guards David Stockton and Gabe York on Friday. Hoops Rumors has learned Johnson was signed to an Exhibit 9 contract while Boatwright, Stockton and York signed Exhibit 10 deals. An Exhibit 9 contract must be for one season and for a minimum salary. Generally speaking, if a player only receives an Exhibit 9 clause and not an Exhibit 10, it signals he won’t be joining the team’s G League affiliate if he’s waived before the season begins. Johnson spent most of last season in Brooklyn, averaging 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 62 appearances (19.2 MPG).
Lonzo Ball‘s recovery from his persistent knee issues remains fluid, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes. The reason the Bulls haven’t officially put a timeline on Ball’s return is that they don’t really know when he’ll be back. Some days when Ball works out, everything seems fine. Other times, the knee flares up again. Ball, who hasn’t played since January, is doubtful for the start of the season.
The Athletic’s Zach Harper gives the Pistons a B-plus grade for their offseason maneuvers. Adding point guard Jaden Ivey with their lottery pick, then trading for another to snare center Jalen Duren were the highlights of their offseason moves, with only the Knox addition ranking as a head-scratcher, according to Harper.

Contract Details: Dellavedova, McGruder, Knox

August 3rd, 2022 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Matthew Dellavedova‘s new one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Kings, originally reported as partially guaranteed, is actually non-guaranteed for the time being, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Dellavedova will receive a partial guarantee of $250K if he’s not waived before Sacramento’s first game of the regular season, then would lock in his full $2.63MM guarantee if he remains under contract through the NBA’s league-wide guarantee deadline of January 7.

Here are a few more details on recently signed NBA contracts:

Rodney McGruder‘s one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Pistons is fully guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned. That gives Detroit 17 players on guaranteed contracts, though one of those players (Kemba Walker) is very likely to be bought out. The Pistons would still have to trade or release one more player with a guaranteed salary in order to get to the 15-man regular season limit.
Kevin Knox‘s two-year, $6MM contract with the Pistons is worth a flat $3MM in each of the two seasons. While the first year is guaranteed, the deal includes a team option for the 2023/24 season.
As expected, Goran Dragic‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Bulls and JaMychal Green‘s with the Warriors are both fully guaranteed.