Trae Young Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Giddey, Bridges, Sixers, Daniels, Young

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

Fourth-year guard Josh Giddey hasn’t been part of the Bulls‘ closing lineup in any of the team’s last four games and was on the bench to start the second half on Friday vs. Cleveland, with Ayo Dosunmu taking his spot in the lineup.

Head coach Billy Donovan insisted after the game that he’s still “got confidence” in Giddey and said the 22-year-old will close games in certain situations, adding that the decision to have Dosunmu on the floor to start the second half on Friday was about Giddey’s three fouls (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network). However, speaking to reporters after the game, Giddey wasn’t willing to use his foul trouble as an excuse for the decision.

“It was horrible from start to finish,” Giddey said of his performance, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I think defensively it was just — and I’m talking about me — it was a mess from the jump. They put me in action, I have to be way better, whether it’s coverage or sitting down and guarding somebody. I don’t even blame it on the fouls. It was part of it, but everything else was just as bad. I wouldn’t have played myself if I was Billy. I was bad on both sides of the ball.”

Giddey’s subpar defense was one reason why he fell out of Oklahoma City’s starting lineup during the playoffs this past spring. Improving on that end of the court has been a point of emphasis for him this fall, which is one reason why he was so disappointed with his showing on Friday against the undefeated Cavaliers.

“It pisses me off to be on that side of the ball and be like that,” said Giddey, who will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. “I thought I was making steps in the right direction. To have a night like I did tonight kind of kills your confidence.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Hornets announced nine days ago that forward Miles Bridges would be reevaluated in two weeks after hyperextending his knee and being diagnosed with a bone bruise. But Bridges’ recovery progressed quicker than anticipated — he was upgraded to available for Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Milwaukee after missing just three games (Twitter link).
While the Sixers‘ 2-10 start to the season is “obviously frustrating,” according to Paul George, and the sense of urgency in Philadelphia has increased, the club isn’t in panic mode, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN that the 76ers also haven’t altered their long-term plan to manage George’s and Joel Embiid‘s minutes during the season in order to keep the stars as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
The Pelicans tried to keep Dyson Daniels out of the Dejounte Murray trade this past offseason, but the Hawks “badly wanted” a player who could help protect Trae Young on defense and insisted on his inclusion, says Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). Daniels, who is exceeding expectations in Atlanta, had another huge game on Friday in a win over Washington, racking up 25 points and six steals. According to NBA University (Twitter link), he’s the first player since Alvin Robertson in 1986 to record at least six steals in four consecutive games.
Speaking of Young, the Hawks guard was back in action on Friday following a one-game layoff, but admitted the Achilles tendinitis that sidelined him on Tuesday is an issue he may have to continue to manage. “It has been like a random thing throughout the season,” Young said (Twitter link via Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com). “It just started feeling a little bit more uncomfortable before the last game… (Sitting out) was just more of a precaution thing, and sometimes I’m going to have to play through it.”

Southeast Notes: Butler, Kuzma, Young, Nance Jr.

November 11th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler will miss his second straight game and the Heat‘s NBA Cup opener in Detroit on Tuesday, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets.

Butler, who has not appeared in more than 65 regular season games in any of the last six seasons due to a variety of injuries, is dealing with an ankle sprain. The star swingman has a $52.4MM player option after this season and Miami’s front office was reluctant to discuss a maximum-salary extension over the summer due to his injury history.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Kyle Kuzma is back in action on Monday after missing the last five games with a groin strain, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Kuzma had been averaging 17 points on 32.7% shooting through three games prior to the injury. The Wizards have lost their four games without him.
Trae Young has been playing more off the ball to make the Hawks’ offense less predictable, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “When I am off the ball, guys are worried about me and they’re connected to me and on my body,” Young said. “So it allows teammates to have a lot of space to go and create for themselves and others, too.” Now it’s up to his teammates to make it work. “We’re not always waiting for Trae to create for everyone, but to learn to create for each other,” Bogdan Bogdanović said. “So he’s going to continue to do what he does the best. But, we need to come together and increase that level of creation as a team.“ Young is listed as out for Tuesday’s game against Boston due to right Achilles tendinitis, Brad Rowland tweets.
Larry Nance Jr. could be an attractive trade candidate, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic tweets. The veteran forward has been a valuable reserve for the Hawks after being included in the blockbuster trade that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans. Nance, playing on his fifth team, has an $11MM expiring contract.

Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis Named Players Of The Week

October 28th, 2024 at 2:47pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum and Lakers star forward/center Anthony Davis were named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the stretch of Oct. 22-27, the league announced (Twitter link). Tatum was the Eastern Conference’s winner, while Davis claimed the Western Conference award.

Tatum helped the Celtics to a 3-0 start to the season, which included blowout wins over the Knicks and Wizards. In his first three games, Tatum averaged 33.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting a blistering 54.7% from the field and 48.6% from beyond the arc.

Davis has also shot the ball extremely well to open the year, connecting on a .571/.400/.800 line. He has helped the Lakers win against three playoff hopefuls this year, defeating the Timberwolves, Suns and Kings to remain undefeated. Davis is averaging 34.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.7 steals per game to open the year.

According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the East were Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Orlando’s Franz Wagner and Atlanta’s Trae Young. Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, the Clippers’ James Harden and Ivica Zubac, and the Lakers’ LeBron James were nominated in the West.

Southeast Notes: Young, Heat’s Expectations, Smith, Bogdanovic

September 1st, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks have already traded away Dejounte Murray. Is it possible they’d move his backcourt partner? That’s not likely, but he could be looking at a new contract next offseason.

Trae Young is entering the third year of a five-year max contract, which includes a player option. He’ll be eligible for an extension next summer. Right now, Young’s trade value isn’t as high as many might expect, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst in the latest Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Hoops Hype).

“I’m not sure that Trae Young’s value is as high as they’d like it to be. So this is a real pivotal year as you say for Trae Young,” Windhorst said. “Number one: after this season he can extend his contract and in the current environment first off we know that he’s on the ‘fun max’, we know the next contract is ‘stress max’ time. It’s been dubbed the ‘stress max’ because it affects both sides. Sometimes it’s the stress on the team whether they can get the player to sign and sometimes it’s stress on the player about whether he can get that second max.

“In this environment – where under the new rules, you’ve got to watch the dollars being spent, especially when you get to the 30 percent part of the max – Trae is going to have to have a big year, even if it’s to stay in Atlanta and sign a max deal.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Perhaps it’s time for the Heat to look at the upcoming season with somewhat reduced expectations compared to previous seasons, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. Avoiding the play-in tournament and winning at least one playoff series could rank as more reasonable goals than expecting to make a run to the Finals, given the current pecking order in the East, Winderman suggests.
Dru Smith currently holds one of the Heat‘s three tw0-way deals but there’s no assurances he’ll retain that contract, Winderman notes. Smith continues to recover from a knee injury and the team could create an open competition during training camp as they evaluate Smith’s status ahead of the Oct. 23 regular-season opener.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic believes Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic can play into his late 30s, Eurohoops.net relays from a Luka i Kuzma podcast. Rajakovic notes Bogdanovic is in excellent shape. “I think he can play in the NBA for another 6-7 years without any problems. I have a hard time preparing for the matches we will play against him,” Rajokovic said. “He always has a smile on his face, he enjoys playing basketball very much. I am his fan.”

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Pagliuca, Young, Murray

August 13th, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers’ roster has one glaring absence — a traditional power forward. KJ Martin is the only power forward listed on Philadelphia’s roster, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, and he’s 6’6”.

The Sixers have a roster opening and there are a number of power forward options. They have some interest in reuniting with Marcus Morris Sr. and are also considering Davis Bertans, as Pompey previously reported.

However, a number of other Eastern Conference elites — including the Celtics and Knicks — thrived in the regular season and playoffs with lineups that didn’t include traditional power forwards. With that in mind, the Sixers could employ Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr or Caleb Martin at that spot, Pompey suggests.

We have more Eastern Conference news:

Celtics manager general partner Steve Pagliuca is also co-owner of Atalanta, an Italian Serie A soccer team. Atalanta prevailed in the Europa League this season, giving Pagliuca two championships to celebrate. “I don’t know if it’ll ever happen again,” Pagliuca told James Horncastle of The Athletic. “I just have to be grateful that I was able to be a part of that with all the great people at the Celtics and all the great people at Atalanta.”
Trae Young said it was disappointing his partnership with Dejounte Murray on the Hawks didn’t produce the desired results, he told the Sixers’ George on his latest Podcast P broadcast (Youtube link). “It’s tough cause we wanted to win. We’re not the first duo that couldn’t work and we’re not going to be the last,” Young said of his two seasons with Murray. The Hawks dealt Murray to the Pelicans for a package that included forward Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks.
In case you missed it, there’s only one team in the NBA that currently has cap room — the Pistons. Get the details here.

And-Ones: Toscano-Anderson, 2024 Draft Class, Durant, FAs

August 13th, 2024 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran swingman Juan Toscano-Anderson, who appeared in 11 games with Sacramento last season and spent much of the year playing for the Mexico City Capitanes, will be part of the G League United roster that plays a pair of exhibition games against Mega Basket in September (Twitter link).

In past years, the G League Ignite participated in those exhibition contests against international clubs — the most notable games occurred in 2022 when Scoot Henderson and the Ignite matched up against Victor Wembanyama and Metropolitans 92. However, with the Ignite no longer active, the NBAGL will put together an All-Star team of sorts for this year’s event.

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

Asked during an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George about No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and the rest of the prospects selected near the top of his year’s draft, Hawks guard Trae Young suggested that there may not be any franchise players in the 2024 class. “Some guys might surprise us, but a lot of us look at them as role players,” Young said (hat tip to Clutch Points). “… Whether it’s Reed (Sheppard), who is going to be a hell of an NBA player or Alex (Sarr), who didn’t play well in Summer League, but is going to be a hell of an NBA player, a lot of these guys could be just role players, so I feel like the GMs this year were all probably just trying to figure out who is going to be the best role player for their team.”
Suns star Kevin Durant has become a minority stakeholder in the French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain, according to an announcement from his investment firm Boardroom (Twitter link). Sources with knowledge of the deal tell Peter Rutzler and Shams Charania of The Athletic that Durant and Boardroom bought a “single digit millions” shareholding in the club. Durant visited with the team while he was in France for the Olympics.
Who are the top free agents still available? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers that question, ranking Cavaliers restricted free agent Isaac Okoro atop his list, followed by Markelle Fultz, Lonnie Walker, Cedi Osman, and Justin Holiday. Okoro, Fultz, and Osman are the only players from our June list of this summer’s top 50 free agents who are still seeking new deals.

Spurs Inquired On Young Point Guards Before Signing CP3

July 24th, 2024 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Before they signed future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to a one-year contract, the Spurs made several calls to teams around the NBA to inquire about the availability of younger point guards who have yet to enter their prime years, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Darius Garland of the Cavaliers and Andrew Nembhard of the Pacers were among the players the Spurs called about, Fischer reports. Cleveland has shown no interest in moving Garland and the Pacers presumably weren’t keen on trading Nembhard either — he has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Indiana that will make him ineligible to be dealt for six months.

Fischer also mentions Hawks star Trae Young and Josh Giddey – who was sent from the Thunder to the Bulls last month – as players who had San Antonio among their preferred destinations in the event of a trade. However, Young and Giddey now appear on track to open the 2024/25 season in Atlanta and Chicago, respectively, and Fischer doesn’t specify to what level the Spurs reciprocated either player’s interest.

While Paul will be Victor Wembanyama‘s primary pick-and-roll partner for the 2024/25 season, the Spurs figure to remain on the lookout for a player who can ideally fill that role for the next decade, Fischer writes.

No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle is one candidate — he considers himself a point guard and San Antonio targeted the former UConn star for much of the pre-draft process, sources tell Yahoo Sports. However, as Fischer observes, Castle showed with the Huskies that he can thrive alongside another point guard, so even if they’re bullish on his NBA upside, the Spurs may not be prepared yet to pencil in the 19-year-old as the long-term answer at the position.

In addition to Paul and Castle, the Spurs also still have Tre Jones in the point guard mix. Jones is in the final year of his current contract and will reach unrestricted free agency next summer.

Hawks Notes: Young, Capela, Gueye, Djurisic, Risacher

July 18th, 2024 at 4:45pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Hawks moved one of their two starting guards this offseason, sending Dejounte Murray to New Orleans while hanging onto Trae Young. Veteran center Clint Capela also remains on the trade block, sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link).

If the Hawks end up trading Capela, the 25-year-old Young could become the oldest member of a starting lineup that also features Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, and Onyeka Okongwu, Lowe suggests, noting that Daniels’ secondary play-making and elite defense could pair well with Young’s skill set, allowing Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter to lead the second unit. In that scenario, the three-time All-Star could “lead a fun, up-tempo team that might be ready to peak by the middle of his prime,” Lowe writes.

Still, Lowe wonders if that path to eventual contention might progress too slowly for Young’s liking, especially since the team doesn’t control its own first-round picks for the next three years, hindering its ability to continue adding young talent. On the other hand, going all-in by trading their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks for veteran help would probably be too aggressive an approach for the Hawks.

If Atlanta remains stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference, it could lead to an “inevitable decision point” with Young, Lowe says. The star guard is under contract for at least the next two seasons, with a player option for 2026/27, and trade interest from teams like the Spurs and Lakers has “cooled” in recent months, sources tell ESPN, so it’s a safe bet he’ll open the 2024/25 season with the Hawks. But depending on how the coming year plays out, it may just be a matter of time before Young is once again the subject of trade speculation.

Here’s more on the Hawks:

Atlanta is optimistic about Mouhamed Gueye‘s chances of earning a rotation spot as early as this fall, sources tell Lowe. The 2023 second-round pick was limited to just six games as a rookie, largely due to a lower back stress fracture and a UCL sprain, but the team remains high on his potential.
Agent Misko Raznatovic has provided an update on his client Nikola Djurisic, who sustained a left foot fracture in Summer League play. According to Raznatovic (Twitter link), Djurisic is undergoing surgery this week and the plan is for him to get back on the court by the end of September. That timeline suggests the 2024 second-rounder could be ready for training camp in the fall if he signs an NBA contract, though I’d expect the Hawks to take a patient, cautious approach with his recovery.
Marc J. Spears of Andscape spoke to Zaccharie Risacher and his father Stéphane about the elder Risacher’s long, successful career as a basketball player in Europe and the impact it had on his son. “That was the first player I ever watched,” Zaccharie said. “When I started to grow and I got my first iPad and iPhone, I would go to watch my father’s highlights on YouTube.”

Trade Rumors: Markkanen, DeRozan, Young, Cavaliers

July 5th, 2024 at 4:09pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz continue to listen to trade offers for Lauri Markkanen, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (subscriber link), who hears from sources who say the Heat are among the teams interested in the star forward.

As Lowe writes, Markkanen’s situation is complicated because he’s on a below-market contract that will pay him $18MM in 2024/25, which is the final season of his contract. That makes a standard contract extension – which can’t start above 40% of his current salary – unlikely. Rival teams may not be willing to give up a major haul of assets with no guarantees that the 27-year-old would stick around beyond next season.

Utah could potentially get more value in return for Markkanen in several months if the team renegotiates and then extends his contract. However, that scenario is also tricky.

As Marc Stein details (Substack link), Markkanen becomes eligible for a renegotiation and extension on August 6, but he won’t be trade-eligible for six months if he signs a new deal. That means if he signs the extension on the first day he’s eligible to, he would only be eligible to be traded for one day during the season: February 6, the day of the deadline. If the extension is signed on August 7 (or later), Markkanen would not be eligible to traded during the upcoming season.

While it’s not surprising that the Heat have shown interest in the Finnish star, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald casts doubt (via Twitter) on the feasibility of the team actually acquiring him. As Jackson notes, Utah has placed a high asking price in previous talks with Miami, which lacks future first-round picks to offer.

One team interested in Markkanen seems confident that he’ll eventually be traded, per Stein. Utah’s own 2025 first-round pick is top-10 protected, so the Jazz could be incentivized to tank ahead of a strong draft class. Utah has also struggled to acquire a second star to build the roster around him.

Here are some more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Kings appear to be the frontrunner to acquire DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who made the comments on SportsCenter (Twitter video link; hat tip to RealGM). However, Wojnarowski said a third team would likely to be need to be involved to absorb salaries, as Chicago is reluctant to add to its payroll. A six-time All-Star, DeRozan remains the top free agent left on the market.
According to Lowe, the trade market for Hawks point guard Trae Young “is as chilly as it has ever been.” Sources tell Lowe that the Spurs and Lakers — two teams linked to Young — haven’t expressed much recent interest in the three-time All-Star. Lowe says San Antonio appears unmotivated to help Atlanta regain control of its own first-round picks in a deal for Young.
Lowe hears rumors of Darius Garland potentially requesting a trade from the Cavaliers following Donovan Mitchell‘s extension have “quieted,” which confirms a report from his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst. According to Lowe’s sources, the Cavs are still on the hunt for a 3-and-D wing, with Nets forwards Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith worth monitoring, though Cleveland only has one tradable first-round pick (2031). Stein has also heard that center Jarrett Allen will likely be difficult to acquire after Kenny Atkinson was hired as head coach, which means the Cavs could have the same core together entering next season.

Fischer’s Latest: Markkanen, Isaac, DeRozan, Lakers, D-Lo, Nets

July 1st, 2024 at 6:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz are “welcoming” inquiries on Lauri Markkanen, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who wonders if Utah’s offseason could play out like Brooklyn’s has. The Nets agreed to trade Mikal Bridges after efforts to pair him with an impact player came up short. Utah has also explored the trade market for a possible second star to complement Markkanen, talking to Brooklyn about Bridges (as previously reported) and to the Hawks about both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young, sources tell Fischer.

While it’s possible the Jazz will follow the Nets’ lead, selling off their lone star after failing to land another one, they don’t appear eager to part with Markkanen. According to Fischer, the Jazz have conveyed that they remain interested in renegotiating and extending Markkanen’s contract later this offseason and that listening to every offer for the star forward is just about due diligence.

As reported earlier today, both the Warriors and Spurs have interest in Markkanen, Fischer confirms, naming the Kings and Timberwolves as a couple more teams to watch. However, Sacramento’s reluctance to put Keegan Murray on the table in trade scenarios – which NBA personnel believe would be necessary to land Markkanen – may result in the Kings shifting their trade focus to Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Fischer writes. As for the Wolves, they’re operating over the second apron and barely have any future draft capital available, so it’s hard to envision a way for them to make a serious play for Markkanen.

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Magic may not end up using all of their cap room on free agents or trades — according to Fischer (Twitter link), they’re working on possibly renegotiating and extending forward Jonathan Isaac‘s contract. A team with cap space can use it to give a player a raise on his current-year salary, then reduce his salary by up to 40% in the first year of an extension, so Orlando may be looking at essentially giving Isaac a bonus this season to get him a team-friendly deal beginning in 2025/26.
Although LeBron James has expressed a willingness to take a pay cut if it allows the Lakers to bring in an impact player, Fischer writes that the team seems to be running out of potential targets – and time – to make that happen. The Lakers “hold an affinity” for DeMar DeRozan, but they’d likely have to incorporate a third team to move off some salary, including perhaps D’Angelo Russell or Gabe Vincent, to have a shot at DeRozan, according to Fischer.
The Nets could be a trade destination for Russell. Sources tell Fischer that Brooklyn has been open to the idea of a reunion with Russell since February’s trade deadline.
If Klay Thompson had re-signed with the Warriors, the plan was to bring him off the bench next season behind second-year guard Brandin Podziemski, according to Fischer. Thompson appears likely to be a starter in Dallas.