Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: SGA, OKC, K. George, Jazz, R. Jackson

December 12th, 2023 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

After finishing fifth in NBA MVP voting in 2022/23, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is building another strong case for the award this season, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.

Gilgeous-Alexander is once again averaging over 30 points per game through his first 21 contests, and he’s scoring those points more efficiently, with career highs in field goal percentage (55.0%) and free throw percentage (91.7%). He’s also dishing a career-best 6.2 assists and is leading the NBA with 2.8 steals per night, establishing himself as a legitimate All-Defensive candidate, Mussatto opines. On top of all that, Oklahoma City’s 15-7 record is good for second place in the Western Conference.

According to Mussatto, if he were casting an MVP ballot today he’d have usual suspects Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid at the top, but Gilgeous-Alexander would come be at No. 3.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Oklahoma City voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether or not to approve a six-year, one percent sales tax that would help fund a new arena for the Thunder. Sean Murphy of The Associated Press has the story on the vote and the plan for a new arena, which is expected to cost at least $900MM.
The Jazz were beaten soundly in Oklahoma City on Monday to fall to 7-16 on the season, but the play of rookie guard Keyonte George was a silver lining, as he scores 30 points for the first time in his professional career, per Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Tonight is good for his mentality,” head coach Will Hardy said. “Now he’s seen himself do it. … There’s always a part of your brain that’s not sure if you can actually do it.”
After the good vibes that last season generated, the Jazz have to tread carefully as they struggle to compile wins this season, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. While Utah isn’t expected to be a playoff or play-in team, the club needs to make sure it’s competing hard and playing the right way to avoid developing a losing culture, Jones notes.
Speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson discussed what it meant to win an NBA championship, taking on a bigger role in Denver this season, and the opportunity to play alongside Nikola Jokic (“the best player in the world”), among other topics.

And-Ones: Bronny, In-Season Tournament, Las Vegas, SGA

December 11th, 2023 at 1:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bronny James was grateful to be playing in a basketball game again Sunday, less than five months after he suffered cardiac arrest, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. With LeBron James in attendance to watch his son’s USC debut, Bronny totaled four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 16 minutes in a loss to Long Beach State. He came off the bench and played under a minutes restriction.

“I just want to say I’m thankful for everything,” Bronny said in his first public comment since the July 24 health scare. “Mayo Clinic, everything they helped me with, my parents, siblings for supporting me through this hard time in my life. I just want to give appreciation to everyone that’s helped me through this. Also, my coach, my teammates, all my other coaches. They’ve been with me since the start and I just want to say I’m thankful for them.”

LeBron posted an Instagram message expressing pride in his son and saying he’s already won the “ultimate goal/championship.” Bronny didn’t receive medical clearance to start playing again until November 30. He participated in full-contact practices Thursday and Friday in preparation for Sunday’s game.

“Everybody’s been through a lot emotionally,” Trojans coach Andy Enfield said. “Bronny the most. He’s handled it very well. And anytime you go through an emotional situation, it’s nice to have teammates and staff that care. And I thought his teammates did a great job with Bronny and he’s back now and we’re all excited for him.”

There’s more from around the basketball world:

The NBA is happy with the reception for its first in-season tournament, but changes are likely on the way. Tim Bontemps of ESPN reviews several alterations being considered, including a more substantial prize for the winner, increased financial incentives for players and coaches, toned-down court designs, a new name, potential changes to group play and tie-breakers, and a different way of scheduling the teams that fail to advance.
Las Vegas turned out to be a perfect host for the tournament’s final four, according to Barry M. Bloom of Sportico (subscription required). Although commissioner Adam Silver hasn’t determined if any of next year’s games will be played in Vegas, Bloom notes that there’s no other neutral site with the glamour to make it an attraction for NBA players. He adds that Saturday’s title contest attracted 19,021, and the semifinals and final brought in a total of 53,875 people.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won the 2023 Northern Star award, which recognizes Canada’s top athlete, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. After earning his first All-Star and All-NBA (First Team) nods in 2022/23, the 25-year-old was named to the All-Star 5 at the World Cup, leading the Canadian national team to its first-ever medal finish at the event, claiming the bronze after defeating the favored Americans. As Smith writes, Gilgeous-Alexander also helped Team Canada clinch a spot in the Olympics for the first time since 2000. Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash is the only other basketball player to claim the Northern Star, Smith notes, with the former MVP point guard winning back in 2005.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Thunder Notes: Top Trio, Bertans, K. Williams, Holmgren

November 14th, 2023 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren have excelled during their first 10 games together. Oklahoma City should be a perennial threat going forward, but coach Mark Daigneault cautions that there are many lessons to be learned before the team reaches a championship level, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

“Wisdom is not something you can shortcut,” Daigneault said. “We have to have a level of patience. It’s something you can’t fast forward.”

We have more on the Thunder:

Forward Davis Bertans, who was traded by the Spurs in 2019, believes San Antonio will soon become a free agent destination thanks to Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs rookie and Holmgren will face each other in a much-anticipated matchup on Tuesday. “I think once everyone sees they have the potential to win, then yes. Especially when they don’t have any max or super max players at the moment,” Bertans told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “There is plenty of money available. So they can make something happen, maybe.”
Bertans is now OKC’s oldest player at 31 and he has tried to impart his knowledge to his teammates. “I definitely have some experience. I can help with that,” he said. “Most of the guys on the team, I’ve been in the same type of position they’ve been in before. I try to help any way I can.” Bertans is signed through next season, though he holds an early termination option on his $16MM salary for 2024/25, which is only partially guaranteed for $5MM.
Kenrich Williams is available to play for the first time this season. Williams, who was sidelined by a back injury, can’t wait to suit up, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets. “Felt like the night before Christmas,” he said on Tuesday morning.
Holmgren has become the focus of the national media but he doesn’t want to be the focal point of the team. He’s trying to blend his skills to his teammates in his first year, he told Lorenzi. “I just tried to come in and find the balance between being aggressive and not making it the Chet show,” Holmgren said. “It’s not that, it’ll never be that.” Thus far, Holmgren is averaging 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.

Injury Notes: Murray, Fox, Gilgeous-Alexander, Fultz, Beal

November 5th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray departed their game against Chicago on Saturday after just 10 minutes. He’s been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and won’t be available for Denver’s contest against New Orleans on Monday, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets.

We have more injury-related updates:

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox won’t play against Houston on Monday due to an ankle injury, according to James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com (Twitter link). It’ll be the third straight game that Fox has been out of the lineup.
Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his second straight game on Monday due to a left knee sprain, Brad Rowland tweets.
Magic guard Markelle Fultz, who’s dealing with left knee soreness, is listed as questionable to play on Monday against Dallas, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. Fultz has missed the last two games. Gary Harris (strained right groin) has already been ruled out.
Bradley Beal could make his Suns debut as early as Wednesday against Chicago, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Beal has been sidelined since training camp due to a back ailment.

Northwest Notes: KCP, Porter Jr., Jazz, Thunder

November 5th, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has set a goal of making the All-Defensive Team, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando writes.

“I feel like I’ve been snubbed a couple years from that. Or even just being mentioned,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve even been mentioned in that category, and now it’s a goal this year. I’ll make some noise, so they can’t ignore me.”

Coach Michael Malone typically assigns KCP to guard the opponent’s top guard. He already held Desmond Bane and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to poor shooting performances this season.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Speaking of the Nuggets and defense, Malone awarded Michael Porter Jr. with the team’s defensive player of the game “chain” for the way he blanketed Luka Doncic on Friday, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com relays. “Part of it is experience,” he said. “Playing against certain players, just being out there on the floor more over the years, you naturally get better. Part of it has to do with how I feel physically. My ankle doesn’t feel 100%, but I’ve kind of figured out how I should be playing guys on defense in ISO situations. And that’s not crowding them. It’s using my length. I think it’s just something you get better with over time.”
The Jazz have the league’s worst half-court defense in the early going and the Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen opines that the players simply aren’t taking enough pride at that end of the floor. The Jazz allowed 123 points in just 95 Minnesota possessions on Saturday. “We’ve got way too many moments where we’re not doing a good job on the ball. We’re not doing a very good job with secondary defenders. The activity has been pretty lackluster in general,” coach Will Hardy said.
The Thunder assigned Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann to the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue. According to Thunder beat writer Brett Dawson (Twitter link), the Blue held a scrimmage on Sunday and it allowed that trio to get in some five-on-five work.

Injury Notes: Kyrie, Thunder, Mann, Lyles

November 3rd, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing the last two games due to a sprained left foot, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to available for Friday’s game vs. the Nuggets, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Mavericks are the only undefeated team left in the Western Conference, but will face a tough matchup in their first in-season tournament game tonight as they visit the defending champions in the altitude of Denver, so they’ll be happy to have Irving back in their lineup.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

There’s good and bad news on the injury front for the Thunder. Center Jaylin Williams will be available for the first time this season on Friday after having been sidelined with a right hamstring strain. However, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the team’s unavailable players vs. Golden State due to a left knee sprain (Twitter links via Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder).
Clippers guard/forward Terance Mann, who has yet to play this season due to what the team is calling a sprained left ankle, said in a YouTube video that he “overstretched” a muscle or “maybe tore it a little” (hat tip to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times). Mann added that there’s no timeline for his return and he’s still focused on trying to reduce the swelling in the ankle.
The Kings have ruled out forward Trey Lyles for at least two more games, the team announced today (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). Lyles, hampered by a left calf strain, has yet to suit up for Sacramento this season.

Super-Max Candidates To Watch In 2023/24

September 14th, 2023 at 7:30am CST by Luke Adams

Note: This is an updated version of an article that was sent exclusively to our Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers in June. Click here for more information on Trade Rumors Front Office.

The NBA’s Designated Veteran rule, as we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, allows players to qualify for a maximum salary worth 35% of the cap before they gain the required NBA service time.

Typically, a player is ineligible to receive a maximum contract that starts at 35% of the cap until he has at least 10 years of experience, but the Designated Veteran rule gives a player with between seven and nine years of experience the opportunity to do so if he meets certain performance criteria. This has become colloquially known as signing a “super-max” deal.

The performance criteria are as follows (only one of the following must be true):

The player was named to an All-NBA team and/or was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.
The player was named the NBA MVP in any of the three most recent seasons.

Since the NBA introduced the concept of the Designated Veteran contract in 2017, 12 players have signed them across seven offseasons. Celtics wing Jaylen Brown became the latest player to join that group this summer when he signed a five-year super-max deal that could become the NBA’s first $300MM contract.

Brown will be the only player who signs such a contract this offseason, but it’s worth taking a peek down the road to see which players are the best candidates to join the list of super-max recipients in 2024 and 2025.

We can start by penciling in another Celtic, Jayson Tatum, for 2024. Although he doesn’t yet have enough years of NBA service to sign a Designated Veteran extension, Tatum met the performance criteria in the spring by earning his second consecutive All-NBA berth.

That means that even if he doesn’t make an All-NBA team in 2024, he’ll have received an All-NBA nod in two of the previous three seasons when he meets the service time criteria next summer, making him super-max eligible. It seems likely the Celtics will offer him a Designated Veteran extension at that time.

Here are some other candidates to watch during the 2023/24 season:

2024

Bam Adebayo (Heat)
De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
Brandon Ingram (Pelicans)
Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Pascal Siakam (Raptors)

Because a player become ineligible for a Designated Veteran extension if he’s traded after his first four years in the NBA, prime candidates like Donovan Mitchell and Domantas Sabonis won’t be able to qualify. Still, there’s an intriguing group of candidates in play for next summer.

Ingram, Murray, and Siakam, members of the 2016 draft class, would have become super-max eligible if they had made an All-NBA team this year. They’ll get another chance in 2024.

Ingram averaged a career-best 24.7 points and 5.8 assists per night in 2022/23, but injuries limited him to just 45 games. While he’s not one of the best 15 players in the NBA, it’s not impossible to imagine the 26-year-old earning an All-NBA spot if he stays healthy and helps lead the Pelicans to a top-four seed in the West. He’s probably a long shot, but we can’t rule him out entirely.

Murray was making his way back from an ACL tear last season, which meant he was subject to load management and wasn’t necessarily at his best from day one. But his postseason performance – 26.1 points per game on .473/.396/.926 shooting en route to a championship – served as a reminder that he has All-NBA upside.

Siakam made the All-NBA Second Team in 2020 and the Third Team in 2022 and received some votes in 2023. However, he still needs one more All-NBA nod in 2024 to become eligible for a Designated Veteran deal. He’ll be a candidate to watch as long as he remains in Toronto for the 2023/24 season. A trade – which would make him ineligible – still looms as a possibility.

Adebayo and Fox are 2017 draftees with just six years of NBA experience, which means that Fox didn’t meet the Designated Veteran performance criteria by earning All-NBA honors in May — he’ll need to do it again in 2024 to qualify for a super-max deal. His performance this past year showed that he’s capable of it.

Adebayo’s path to an All-NBA berth is complicated by the fact that the All-NBA teams will become positionless beginning in 2024. That means voters won’t necessarily have to choose three centers, which may reduce his odds of making the cut.

Still, the field of All-NBA candidates may be more wide open than usual in 2024, since the league is also requiring players to appear in at least 65 games in order to be eligible for one of the 15 spots. That means a player who misses a few weeks with an injury might be out of the running. If Ingram, Murray, Siakam, Fox, and Abebayo can stay healthy and play at least 65 times, their All-NBA odds will increase.

It’s worth noting too that being named Defensive Player of the Year is another way to qualify for a super-max. Adebayo has finished in the top five in voting for that award in each of the last four seasons and is a legitimate candidate to win it at some point.

2025

Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)

Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jackson were drafted in 2018 and have just five years of NBA experience, so they’re still two years away from having the service time required for a Designated Veteran contract — none of them would be able to sign a super-max extension until 2025. However, they all have an opportunity to meet the performance criteria in 2024.

Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander made up the All-NBA First Team backcourt in 2023, so if they make an All-NBA team again next year, they’ll have done so in at least two of the three years leading up to the 2025 offseason.

As for Jackson, he missed out on All-NBA honors in 2023, but was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. It’s a tall order, but if he can win a second DPOY award in either of the next two seasons, he’ll make himself eligible to sign a super-max contract in 2025.

The rookie scale extension recipients

LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)

Ball, Edwards, and Haliburton have all signed five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extensions this offseason that project to start at 25% of the 2024/25 cap. If we assume the cap will rise by the maximum allowable 10%, those deals would be worth just shy of $217MM.

However, all three extensions include Rose Rule language. This is another form of the super-max — we can call it the “mini” super-max, paradoxical as that may sound. Unlike a player who signs a Designated Veteran contract, which starts at 35% of the cap instead of 30%, a player who meets the Rose Rule criteria can receive a starting salary worth 30% of the cap rather than 25%.

The performance criteria for a Rose Rule salary increase are essentially the exact same as for a Designated Veteran bump, but must be achieved by the end of the player’s four-year rookie contract. That means Ball, Edwards, and Haliburton would have to make the All-NBA team in 2024 in order to increase the projected value of their respective extensions to $260MM over five years — an All-NBA berth in 2025 or 2026 would be too late.

Each of these three players has an All-Star berth under his belt, so making the leap to All-NBA certainly isn’t inconceivable. Edwards may be the best bet of the three to qualify for the mini super-max, but if Ball and Haliburton can lead their teams to playoff spots, they’d certainly have a case.

World Cup/Team USA Notes: Paul, Embiid, SGA, Canada, Bertans

September 11th, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Add Chris Paul to the list of stars who might join Team USA for the 2024 Olympics. The Warriors point guard is considering another Olympic appearance, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Paul won gold medals during the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Joel Embiid would be an even bigger catch for Team USA, which lost three times in the World Cup in large part due to its lack of interior size. However, the Sixers’ big man, who holds both United States and French citizenship, remains noncommittal.

As reported earlier in the day, LeBron James is trying to round up a number of All-Stars for the Olympics.

We have more World Cup-related info:

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led Canada to a bronze medal, believes the World Cup experience will have a positive impact on the upcoming NBA season, according to George Efkarpides of Eurohoops.net. “I think this whole tournament will help me be ready for the next season,” he said. “I’ll be in shape, I’ve played basketball, so it won’t be as much of an adjustment next season.”
Team Canada’s coach, Jordi Fernandez, hopes the roster assembled for the World Cup returns for the Olympics, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net writes. We have a great program and we will decide about the Olympic roster when this time comes. But they made this happen, those guys have the number one ticket. We will hold on to those guys,” Fernandez said.
Latvia had a strong run in the World Cup and Thunder forward Davis Bertans hopes it becomes a turning point for his country’s basketball program, he told Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.net. “Hopefully, that inspires the kids back home,” he said. “There are a lot bunch of videos back home where instead of studying the kids were watching our games. Probably a better lesson than the one they could learn in school. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

World Cup Notes: F. Wagner, Schröder, Top Players, Banchi

September 11th, 2023 at 10:28am CST by Arthur Hill

Germany’s Franz Wagner was thrilled not only to win a gold medal at the World Cup, but to be able to accomplish the feat while playing alongside his brother, writes Cesare Milanti of EuroHoops. Franz and Moritz Wagner are also teammates on the Magic, but their undefeated run through the World Cup field is the highlight of their careers.

“It’s special,” Franz Wagner said after Sunday’s win over Serbia. “Special to have our parents here too. This is so surreal, it doesn’t make sense that we are both on this team and we can enjoy it.”

Wagner appears to be fully recovered from a sprained ankle he suffered in Germany’s opening game. Although he missed the rest of pool play, he was back for the knockout round, scoring 22 points and grabbing five rebounds in a semifinal win over Team USA, then posting 19 points and seven rebounds in the gold medal contest.

“There were so many moments this year in so many games that the other team made a run, this game, the game before against the States,” he added. “We never let it slip, we just kept playing and kept staying together. That made a huge difference in all these games.”

There’s more from the World Cup:

Tournament MVP Dennis Schröder hopes Germany’s success will lead to more exposure for basketball in his home country, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. The German team has become more successful in international competitions, but the games aren’t widely available to the public. “We first thought the tournament was going to be on the TV. Only the final was on the TV,” Schröder said. “Basketball is a great sport and I hope we can get our respect for what we are doing the last two years. I wish that every single game is on TV. Ten years ago when I started, we had Dirk Nowitzki but nobody knew who were the other guys on the team. Now we go to Japan and the Philippines and they know us. We hope to get this respect also in our country and get recognized.”
Schröder was a first-team selection by Brian Windhorst of ESPN on his list of the best players at the World Cup. Joining him on the first team are Team USA’s Anthony Edwards, Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Slovenina’s Luka Doncic and Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic. Making up Windhorst’s second team are the USA’s Mikal Bridges, Australia’s Josh Giddey, South Sudan’s Carlik Jones, Serbia’s Nikola Milutinov and the Dominican Republic’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
Luca Banchi was honored as the tournament’s best coach after leading Latvia to a fifth-place finish in its first-ever World Cup.

Germany Wins Gold Medal, USA Fourth At World Cup

September 10th, 2023 at 10:29am CST by Arthur Hill

Germany wrapped up an undefeated World Cup by topping Serbia, 83-77, in Sunday’s gold medal game. Team USA, which had been favored to win the gold, left without a medal after falling to Canada in an overtime thriller in the bronze medal contest.

Dennis Schröder led the Germans with 28 points in the finals and Franz Wagner added 19. Germany was able to take down all challengers in the tournament despite playing much of it without Wagner, who suffered a sprained ankle in the opener against Japan.

Schröder was named World Cup MVP (Twitter link) and was joined on the All-Star 5 by Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, USA’s Anthony Edwards, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic (Twitter link).

Canada’s victory was noteworthy as it marked the nation’s first-ever medal in World Cup competition and only its second win against the U.S. in a senior men’s tournament. The Canadians were led by 31 points and 12 assists from Gilgeous-Alexander and 39 points from Dillon Brooks, who continues to rebuild his reputation following a playoff embarrassment and an unpleasant separation with the Grizzlies in free agency.

“It was so enjoyable. Obviously the hate doesn’t stop, it keeps going,” Brooks told reporters, including Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “It’s hard to battle against the world and a team.”

Before earning their medals, the Canadians had to survive a miracle finish from Team USA that sent the game to overtime. Trailing by four points with 4.2 seconds remaining, Mikal Bridges hit his first free throw and purposely missed the second before chasing down the rebound in the right corner and hitting a spinning three-pointer with 0.6 left on the clock. Bridges, who scored 19 points and battled Gilgeous-Alexander on defense, may be one of the members of the World Cup roster with a strong chance of returning for the Olympics.

However, Canada controlled play in the overtime to capture a 127-118 victory that sent the U.S. home without a medal for the second straight World Cup. The Americans dropped three of their last four games as defense and rebounding became persistent issues.

“We just didn’t defend well enough against Germany (in the semifinals) or against Canada, and that’s the bottom line,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Every year when you try to build a team, you try to build the best two-way team you can and be able to get stops and score, and everybody’s trying to do that.”

Windhorst points out that the Americans have now lost seven combined games over their last three major tournaments, creating a wide open race for the gold at the Paris Olympics next summer. The U.S. may have to reconsider the type of players it wants to invite, although Kerr said USA Basketball officials felt good about the World Cup roster they put together.

“We’ve really studied everything about FIBA and the history of United States basketball when we’ve won, what has been the reason and when we’ve lost what has been the reason,” Kerr said. “So we study all that stuff, and what it comes down to for us in this tournament, we put ourselves in a great position. We got to the semifinals and were right there.”