Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Reath, Hendricks, DiVincenzo, Wolves

December 5th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The restrictions imposed by the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement and tax apron rules will likely inspire teams to get creative on the trade market this season, insider Jake Fischer writes for The Stein Line. Second-apron teams like Milwaukee and Phoenix are among those likely to scour the trade market for players whose contracts can be acquired using the minimum salary exception or by using an outgoing minimum-salary player for matching purposes.

Trail Blazers center Duop Reath is one such player who has come up in trade chatter across the league, Fischer writes. Reath is on a three-year contract, so he can’t be absorbed using the minimum salary exception, but because his cap hit is just $2.05MM, any team (regardless of its proximity to the aprons) could legally acquire him by sending out a veteran on a one-year, minimum-salary contract ($2.09MM).

“He’s really interesting,” one Western Conference executive said to Fischer.

Reath is firmly behind all of Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III and Donovan Clingan in Portland’s rotation. If none of those players are on the move, Reath could be gettable at or before the trade deadline after flashing in each of his first two seasons. Reath is also on the books for $2.2MM next season.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Jazz second-year forward Taylor Hendricks suffered a freak injury in his third game of the season when he slipped on a wet spot on the court and fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle. He appeared in 40 games as a rookie, starting 23, but was poised for a larger role in his sophomore year and had started each of his first three games. “To feel like I’m going back to that where — I have to get ready for the next season again, and I was just getting ready for this season — it was kind of heartbreaking,” Hendricks said, per The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen. Hendricks will be out for the rest of the season and isn’t expected to be available for Summer League, according to Larsen, who says the goal is for the forward to be ready for the start of the 2025/26 season.
Donte DiVincenzo‘s mechanics haven’t been off to start the season — he merely seemed to be in a cold slump after shooting just 30.3% from deep in his first 13 games with the Timberwolves, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Since making five of his 10 three-point attempts against Phoenix on Nov. 17, DiVincenzo is connecting on 38.0% of his outside shots in the past eight games. The Wolves acquired DiVincenzo in the Towns trade but struggled in the early parts of the season following the move. Now, they’ve won three games in a row and the veteran wing has made seven of his 15 three-point attempts (46.7%) in that stretch.
The Timberwolves weren’t just slumping offensively in the early going, as Rudy Gobert and the overall defense was down too. The club has reemerged on that side of the ball amid its three-game win streak, Krawczynski observes in a separate story. Minnesota held the Lakers and Clippers to 80 points apiece in back-to-back games, with Gobert contributing five steals in the win over the Clippers. “This is what we’ve got to do,” head coach Chris Finch said. “We haven’t been doing that and we’re starting to figure it out and find a rhythm and understand how important defense is to us.”

Knockout Round Matchups Set For NBA Cup; Games Scheduled For Non-Quarterfinalists

December 4th, 2024 at 6:27am CST by Luke Adams

Following the conclusion of the group play games in the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the eight teams advancing to the knockout round have been set, and the quarterfinal games have been scheduled.

After the Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks previously clinched spots in the knockout round, the Thunder, Mavericks, Bucks, Knicks, and Magic joined them as a result of Tuesday’s outcomes. The quarterfinal matchups are as follows, per the NBA (Twitter links):

Eastern Conference:

Orlando Magic (No. 4) at Milwaukee Bucks (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (7 pm ET)
Atlanta Hawks (No. 3) at New York Knicks (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (7 pm ET)

Western Conference:

Dallas Mavericks (No. 4) at Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (9:30 pm ET)
Golden State Warriors (No. 3) at Houston Rockets (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (9:30 pm ET)

While those four games will be played in the home team’s arena, the winners will advance to a neutral site for the final four. The semifinals (Dec. 14) and final (Dec. 17) will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The quarterfinal and semifinal results will count toward each team’s regular season record, whereas the final won’t. A team that loses in the quarterfinals will play the other quarterfinal loser in its conference in newly scheduled regular season games to make sure those clubs get the full 82.

Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.

Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league (Twitter link):

Thursday, December 12:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (7:30 pm ET)
Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat (7:30 pm ET)
Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans (8 pm ET)

Friday, December 13:

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers (7 pm ET)
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers (7 pm ET)
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves (8 pm ET)
Brooklyn Nets at Memphis Grizzlies (8 pm ET)
Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls (8 pm ET)
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets (9 pm ET)
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz (9:30 pm ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (10 pm ET)

Sunday, December 15:

New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers (5 pm ET)
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards (6 pm ET)
Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs (7 pm ET)
Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns (8 pm ET)
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 pm ET)

Monday, December 16:

Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets (7 pm ET)
Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons (7 pm ET)
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors (7:30 pm ET)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 pm ET)
Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings (10 pm ET)
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 pm ET)

Injury Notes: Sochan, Embiid, Henderson, R. Williams, Wade

December 3rd, 2024 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan appears set to take on the court on Tuesday night for the first time in nearly a month, having been listed as probable for San Antonio’s NBA Cup game in Phoenix, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

Sochan has been sidelined since November 4, missing the Spurs’ past 13 games due to a fractured thumb that required surgery.

The former ninth overall pick appeared to be taking an impressive step forward prior to the injury. In his six full games this season, he averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 32.2 minutes per night, with a 50.6% field goal percentage.

The Spurs have been playing well lately with rookie Stephon Castle starting in place of Sochan, having won five of their past six games, so we’ll see if Sochan reclaims his spot in the lineup upon his return or if acting head coach Mitch Johnson has him come off the bench.

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

Sixers star Joel Embiid remains listed as out for Tuesday’s game in Charlotte due to left knee injury management and personal reasons, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team hasn’t provided any sort of timeline for Embiid’s return, but this will be the fifth consecutive contest the big man has missed.
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson underwent an MRI this week on the quad injury that has forced him to miss three games, including the past two, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. However, that MRI didn’t show anything more than a contusion, so Henderson is considered day-to-day and is listed as questionable to play in Los Angeles on Tuesday vs. the Clippers. Blazers center Robert Williams, however, didn’t make the trip to L.A. and will miss a fourth straight game while he remains in the concussion protocol, Highkin adds.
Cavaliers forward Dean Wade, who has been unavailable for the past six games due to a left ankle sprain, is listed as questionable to play vs. Washington on Tuesday and was in attendance for today’s shootaround, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). According to Fedor, Wade – whose +12.9 net rating ranks second among Cavs players – wanted to play on Sunday vs. Boston and went through a 3-on-3 workout on Monday in the hopes of showing Cleveland’s training staff that he’s ready to return.

Western Rumors: Kings, Grant, Kessler, Moody, Looney, Rockets, A. Mitchell

December 2nd, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are off to a disappointing 9-12 start this season, already 2.5 games back of a play-in spot in the Western Conference, prompting executives around the NBA to keep an eye on the situation in Sacramento to see if the front office will make another move to try to upgrade its roster, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Citing a “heightened sense of urgency” in Sacramento, Scotto suggests that teams talking to the Kings will be eager to see if the club is willing to part with first-round picks, rookie Devin Carter, or perhaps former No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray, who has essentially been off the table in trade discussions in recent years.

For now, it seems safe to assume that the Kings will dangle Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles in trade talks, according to Scotto, who points out that both players were also available last season. Between Huerter’s $16.8MM cap hit and Lyles’ $8MM expiring deal, Sacramento could get to about $25MM in matching salary and then sweeten an offer from there by adding draft capital and/or a young player.

Here are a few more Western Conference rumors from Scotto:

Although Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and Jazz center Walker Kessler are both considered potential trade candidates, Portland has been unwilling to move Grant without getting two first-round picks back and Utah has sought at least two first-rounders for Kessler, Scotto writes. Teams with interest in Grant and Kessler have viewed the Blazers’ and Jazz’s asking prices as too high, Scotto notes.
Moses Moody signed a three-year contract extension with the Warriors before the season, but his role hasn’t increased at all, leading to speculation that he’s a player to monitor as a possible trade chip, says Scotto. “Moody could be part of a package in a bigger deal, and (head coach) Steve Kerr still doesn’t play him 20 minutes a game,” one league executive told HoopsHype. Moody would be subject to the poison pill provision if he’s dealt this season, which wouldn’t preclude a trade but would make it more complicated.
The Knicks, Thunder, and Grizzlies had “exploratory” trade interest in Warriors center Kevon Looney during the offseason before they addressed frontcourt holes in other ways, Scotto reports. Looney, who is on an $8MM expiring contract, has been Golden State’s leading rebounder (7.6 RPG) despite playing just 14.9 minutes per night.
Despite reports insisting the Rockets aren’t looking to break up their young core to acquire a player like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo, many rival executives believe it’s just a matter of when – not if – Houston makes a big splash on the trade market, according to Scotto. Those execs believe Jalen Green won’t be off limits in future Rockets trade talks, even after signing a three-year, $105MM+ contract extension in October.
Thunder rookie Ajay Mitchell, who has impressed in a rotation role this fall, is considered a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster later this season, per Scotto. Oklahoma City currently has a full 15-man roster, but has some flexibility with its last roster spot, which is held by Branden Carlson on a non-guaranteed deal.

Injury Notes: DeRozan, Blazers, Pelicans, Thunder, Bulls

November 29th, 2024 at 8:27am CST by Rory Maher

Kings forward DeMar DeRozan will be sidelined for Friday’s game in Portland due to muscle inflammation in his lower back, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. It will be DeRozan’s second straight absence — and fifth overall — as he continues to deal with the back issue.

The Trail Blazers will also be shorthanded on Friday, announcing (via Twitter) that Jerami Grant (left knee sprain) and Robert Williams (concussion protocol) are doubtful to play, while Donovan Clingan (left knee sprain) and Matisse Thybulle (right ankle sprain) remain out with multi-week injuries.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Four Pelicans — Jamal Cain (right ankle sprain), Jordan Hawkins (low back soreness), Brandon Ingram (right calf soreness) and Trey Murphy (left knee contusion) — are questionable for Friday’s contest in Memphis, per the NBA’s latest injury report. Of the four, only Hawkins was able to suit up for Wednesday’s blowout home loss to Toronto. Jose Alvarado, Herbert Jones and Zion Williamson remain sidelined with their own respective injuries.
[Update: Cain, Hawkins and Ingram are out Friday, while Murphy is a game-time decision, head coach Willie Green told reporters, including Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).]
Although he sustained a right eye injury on Wednesday which caused him to exit the road win at Golden State, Thunder forward Jalen Williams doesn’t appear on the injury report for Friday’s matchup at the Lakers, indicating he’ll be ready go, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. However, Alex Caruso will miss Friday’s game against his former team, having been ruled out due to a right hip strain. It will be the All-Defensive member’s third consecutive absence.
Three rotation members of the Bulls are questionable for Friday’s contest vs. Boston. Guard Coby White (left wrist sprain), wing Dalen Terry (right ankle sprain) and big man Jalen Smith (left ankle sprain) are the players in question, while guard Lonzo Ball (right wrist sprain) is probable, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Highkin: Jerami Grant Is Most Likely To Be Traded By The Deadline

November 27th, 2024 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jerami Grant is the Trail Blazers player most likely to be traded before the February deadline, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report states in a mailbag column. Highkin picks Grant because at 30 he’s too old to be part of the team’s long-term foundation, but he’s still productive enough to help a contender. Highkin adds that Grant is a “known quantity” around the league, and his contract will become more reasonable once money from the new television rights deal starts coming in and the salary cap rises.

Northwest Notes: Conley, Dillingham, Hartenstein, Sensabaugh, Blazers

November 27th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves, who fell to 8-9 on the season on Tuesday with a loss to Houston, have a Mike Conley problem, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.

As Katz outlines, Conley was an extremely valuable role player for Minnesota last season, organizing the offense and knocking down a carer-high 44.2% of his three-point attempts. So far this season, the veteran point guard has battled injuries and has seen his shooting percentages drop off to 31.9% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc.

Conley’s teammates still perform better on offense when he’s on the court to set them up, per Katz. The club has a +5.5 net rating during the 37-year-old’s 325 minutes this fall, compared to a -0.8 mark in the 501 minutes he hasn’t played. Minnesota has also lost all four games he has missed, so getting him healthy will help. But if the Timberwolves want to make another deep playoff run in 2025, they’ll likely need Conley to serve as a more reliable offensive threat than he has been so far.

As for the Wolves’ options when Conley is unavailable, they’ve tried using Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the point guard role, but both players are better fits off the ball, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. As Hine writes, the team’s best alternative to Conley at the point may be rookie Rob Dillingham, who enjoyed his best game as a pro on Tuesday, racking up 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Minnesota was a +26 in those minutes.

“He’s been working extremely hard all year,” teammate Julius Randle said of the No. 8 overall pick. “And these past few games he’s got his number called and been ready for his moment.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Isaiah Hartenstein has been an ideal fit in his first two games with the Thunder (both wins), earning praise from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who called Hartenstein a “dream big man for a marquee guy,” according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Gilgeous-Alexander said he watched Hartenstein with the Knicks in the 2024 playoffs and knew he might be available in the offseason, but didn’t actively recruit him or encourage general manager Sam Presti to pursue him. “I leave the front office stuff to Sam,” he said. “Trust him really well. Obviously he reads minds. So I didn’t have to say anything. … We knew as a group and the world kinda knew there was a hole in us as a team last year. I think Isaiah fills that hole very well. Sam did a good job filling it. We are better because of it.”
The Jazz‘s decision to assign rookie Cody Williams to the G League for a stint with the Salt Lake City Stars should open up regular rotation minutes for second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh, as Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune details. Sensabaugh has had his two best scoring games of the season within the last week vs. the Spurs (18 points last Thursday and 16 points on Tuesday), but Utah still needs more from him on defense and as a rebounder, Larsen writes.
In a pair of mailbags for his Substack subscribers, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report tackles several Trail Blazers-related questions, discussing Deni Avdija‘s role, Anfernee Simons‘s trade candidacy, and Shaedon Sharpe‘s ceiling, among other topics. Noting that both Simons and Scoot Henderson are off to slow starts this season, Highkin suggests the conditions aren’t ideal right now for a Simons trade — not only has Simons’ slump limited his trade value, but Henderson’s struggles mean Portland won’t feel comfortable handing the former No. 3 overall pick the keys to the offense.

Trail Blazers’ Thybulle, Clingan Sidelined Multiple Weeks

November 26th, 2024 at 6:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle suffered a right ankle sprain while ramping up in an effort to return to the court. He’s now expected to miss an additional three-to-six weeks, the team announced in a press release.

Thybulle underwent an MRI which confirmed a Grade 2 sprain of the ankle. He has yet to make his season debut due to a right knee injury that cropped up during training camp.

Thybulle, who was acquired by the Blazers in a trade at the 2023 deadline, appeared in 65 games in his first full season in Portland in 2023/24, making 19 starts and averaging 22.9 minutes per night. He holds an $11.55MM option on his contract for next season.

Rookie center Donovan Clingan received additional imaging on the left knee which revealed a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Clingan will be reevaluated in two weeks, according to the Blazers.

The lottery pick has appeared in 17 games, including six starts, averaging 5.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He was injured during the Blazers’ game against Houston on Saturday.

Additionally, veteran center Robert Williams has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol. Williams left Monday night’s game at Memphis and did not return for the second half. Williams has appeared in seven games since rehabbing from knee surgery.

Trail Blazers Notes: Simons, Henderson, Clingan, Remix

November 24th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers have been waiting for Anfernee Simons to start taking over games with his scoring like he did in Saturday’s win at Houston, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Simons scored 15 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as Portland got a measure of revenge after dropping an NBA Cup game to the Rockets Friday night.

“It was amazing to see Ant make some shots and kind of carry us down the stretch,” coach Chauncey Billups told reporters.

It’s something that Billups and the Blazers were hoping to see more often, but Simons has been in a shooting slump for much of the season. Before Saturday, he was averaging 15.6 PPG while connecting at career-worst marks of 37.8% from the field and 30% from three-point range. Fentress notes that the team is 4-1 whenever Simons tops 24 points, but only 1-8 when he fails to reach 20.

“I’m proud of him, honestly,” Deni Avdija said. “He struggled a little bit offensively last game. But he bounced back. And that shows a lot about the player, especially their personality. And I feel like today, he showed what he’s made of. And hopefully, he’s going to continue doing it, being aggressive. And he’s big for our offense.”

There’s more on the Trail Blazers:

Scoot Henderson missed both games in Houston after being involved in a minor car accident Thursday afternoon, Fentress adds in a separate story. A source tells Fentress that Henderson was riding in the back seat of a ride-share vehicle that was struck from behind, and a team official said he’s considered “day-to-day.” Henderson is also dealing with a quad contusion that forced him to leave Wednesday’s game, along with a back strain.
Rookie center Donovan Clingan posted an unusual line Saturday night with 19 rebounds and no points, tweets Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. It’s happened 14 other times in NBA history, with seven of them belonging to Dennis Rodman.
The Blazers are using their Rip City Remix G League affiliate to experiment with a different approach to the game, Highkin explains in a full story. While Billups’ focus is primarily on defense, assistant general manager Sergi Oliva, who took over as head coach this season, has the Remix playing at the fastest pace in the G League and taking more than half their shots from beyond the three-point line. The Blazers hope to eventually incorporate that style when they’re ready to contend for the playoffs again. “We’re getting up a ton of threes,” Oliva said. “What we’re trying to find out is, what are the causes that have led to the best of those attempts, and how can those causes be implemented within the Blazers’ system? How can things be adjusted so that it’s a clear net gain, where it’s not, ‘We’re gaining this but we’re losing that’? That takes a lot more time to settle and needs more certainty.”

Fischer’s Latest: Melton, Warriors, P. Williams, Lakers, Blazers, More

November 22nd, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Luke Adams

With De’Anthony Melton out for the season, his $12.8MM expiring contract should become a useful trade chip for the Warriors, Jake Fischer said on Friday in his latest Bleacher Report live stream (video link). As Fischer acknowledges, Melton’s expiring money and Non-Bird rights will have little value on their own, but attaching draft picks or players to him could create an attractive outgoing trade package for Golden State.

Discussing what kind of player Golden State may target with that sort of package, Fischer suggests a frontcourt addition is a possibility. The Warriors had interest in Kelly Olynyk at last season’s deadline and believe he’d be a good fit for their system, according to Fischer, who adds that the club may also consider more of a rim-running big man.

However, Fischer wouldn’t be surprised if the Warriors seek out a more direct replacement for Melton. As he explains, Golden State was high on the veteran guard not only for his fit next to Stephen Curry but because he gave the team a second lockdown point-of-attack defender to complement Andrew Wiggins. Finding another player who could fill that role could be a priority for the front office.

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Bulls are “more willing than ever” to discuss forward Patrick Williams in a trade, says Fischer (video link). Williams is in the first season of a five-year, $90MM deal and continues to experience foot pain following a February surgery, so his value would likely be limited at the moment, but that could change if he shows he’s healthy and begins to produce more consistently.
Fischer continues to hear that the Lakers are scouring the market for a center, with Jonas Valanciunas‘ name still coming up frequently. The Wizards‘ big man is “definitely available for trade,” Fischer says (video link).
While Fischer also brought up Robert Williams as a possible option for the Lakers, he says he has talked to people around the league recently, including scouts, who believe the Trail Blazers may be more inclined to trade Deandre Ayton than Williams at this season’s trade deadline. Given that Ayton’s cap hit is nearly three times higher than Williams’, the Blazers may have a hard time extracting much of value for the former No. 1 overall pick.
Fischer suggests there are NBA veterans currently playing overseas or for national teams who will soon be looking to sign G League contracts (video link). Robert Covington, currently representing Team USA in AmeriCup qualifiers, is one player to watch, Fischer reports. There also may be some players returning stateside from the Chinese Basketball Association, since several who signed in China have received month-to-month contracts.
Writing for Marc Stein’s Substack, Fischer shared some ideas for in-season tournaments that the NBA considered before settling on the current format. One idea on the league’s “long list of half-baked ideas,” according to Fischer, was a 32-team single elimination event that would’ve included two marquee teams from Europe.