Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Notes: VanVleet, Grimes, Kaminsky, C. Martin, B. Lopez

March 9th, 2022 at 9:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet told Kayla Grey of TSN Sports (Twitter link) that he would return Wednesday at San Antonio, saying he’s feeling good. Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports later confirmed VanVleet’s return to action (via Twitter). He finished with 26 points and six boards in Toronto’s 119-104 win.

The All-Star point guard had missed the past five games with a right knee contusion, which he’s been dealing with since before the All-Star break. VanVleet is averaging 21.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.9 APG and 1.6 SPG on .415/.398/.876 (.568 true) shooting this season. He leads the league in minutes played at 38.2 per contest.

The Raptors have gone 5-7 in VanVleet’s absence this season, including 2-3 over the past five games. Toronto is currently 35-30, the No. 7 seed in the East.

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

Knicks rookie Quentin Grimes suffered a partially dislocated right knee on February 25, but he’s staring to ramp up towards a return to the court, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “He’s moving around, he’s getting closer, coming along nicely,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s a phenomenal worker, and you gotta give him a lot of credit. He’s a fierce competitor. [Contact] will be the next step, but [he is] doing everything else. So far there’s no issues.” A source tells Berman the Knicks will be cautious with Grimes, but Berman speculates the guard could return in about 10 days given his progress.
Appearing on the Burns and Gambo radio show, Suns general manager James Jones said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Frank Kaminsky return before the regular season ends, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets. Kaminsky suffered a stress reaction in his right knee in November which later required surgery. He was set to be reevaluated at the beginning of March, so presumably that evaluation yielded positive results. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Heat swingman Caleb Martin suffered a left knee injury in Wednesday’s 111-90 loss to Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Martin left the game early alongside Miami’s orthopedic specialist and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. Martin is having a nice season for the Heat, averaging 9.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .520/.396/.756 shooting through 51 games (23.1 MPG). He was promoted from a two-way contract to a standard deal last month.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Brook Lopez will travel with the team for the upcoming West Coast road trip. Lopez was cleared for full contact five-on-five practices last Friday. “We’ll just continue to evaluate and see how he’s doing with the 5-on-5 and he’s making good progress and just hope that continues,” Budenholzer said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Lopez has played just one game this season after suffering a bulging disc in his lower back which required surgery, but it appears he’s getting close to returning for the defending champs.

Play-In Tournament Seems Almost Inevitable

March 7th, 2022 at 10:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors’ loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday makes it seem almost inevitable that Toronto will wind up in the play-in tournament, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Canada writes. The defeat dropped Toronto three games behind Cleveland, which sits in sixth place in the East and also holds a tiebreaker advantage over the Raptors.

Raptors’ Malachi Flynn Out Indefinitely With Hamstring Strain

March 6th, 2022 at 3:06pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors point guard Malachi Flynn is out indefinitely after suffering a strained left hamstring, the team announced. The injury occurred during Toronto’s 103-97 loss to Orlando Friday night. He had a season-high 20 points and tied a season high with eight assists in the game.

It’s a very unfortunate setback for the second-year guard, who’s had arguably the best four-game stretch of his young career filling in for injured All-Star Fred VanVleet. In Flynn’s past four games, all starts, he averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game on .571/.500/.556 shooting. Remarkably, he only had one turnover across the four contests, good for a 22/1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Flynn, 23, was the 29th overall pick of the 2020 draft. He has struggled to crack Toronto’s rotation this season, but coach Nick Nurse recently praised his effort and gave Flynn significant playing time — 35.6 minutes per night — in VanVleet’s absence.

Strangely, Flynn had previously been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Cleveland, but now he’s out indefinitely, Michael Grange of Sportsnet observes (via Twitter). As Grange notes, it’s terrible timing for both the player and the team, as the Raptors have an extremely difficult schedule coming up, with eight of their next nine games on the road, mostly against teams vying for the playoffs.

With Flynn and VanVleet both sidelined, rookie Dalano Banton and the newly-signed Armoni Brooks could get extended playing time for the Raptors, currently 34-29, seventh in the East.

Raptors Sign Armoni Brooks To 10-Day Deal

March 6th, 2022 at 9:16am CST by Arthur Hill

10:14am: Toronto has signed Brooks and released Wilson, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. The Raptors will likely continue to fill that 15th roster spot – which Brooks now occupies – with 10-day signings unless they decide to convert Justin Champagnie‘s two-way contract, Lewenberg adds (Twitter link).

9:16am: Former Rockets guard Armoni Brooks will sign a 10-day deal with the Raptors, tweets Blake Murphy of Sports.net.ca.

Murphy adds that D.J. Wilson might be let go early from his 10-day contract to make room for Brooks. Wilson hurt his knee on Monday in the only game he played after signing his third 10-day agreement with Toronto. That deal is set to expire on Wednesday.

Brooks, 23, was waived by Houston last month to accommodate a three-for-one deal with the Celtics at the trade deadline. A long-distance shooting specialist, he averaged 6.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game for the Rockets this season, but connected at just 30% from three-point range. He signed with Houston as a two-way player last year and was converted to a standard contract in October.

Brooks had been playing for the College Park Skyhawks in the G League, and there was a report last week that the Rockets had interest in bringing him back.

If Brooks signs before tonight’s contest at Cleveland, he will be eligible for five games during the 10-day deal. Toronto’s next game after that isn’t until Wednesday.

Lack Of Perimeter Shooters Exposed

March 5th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors must address their perimeter shooting this offseason, Eric Koreen of The Athletic argues. Gary Trent‘s shooting slump and injuries to Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby have exposed the lack of natural shooters on the roster. Toronto ought to focus on finding another shooter or two in free agency or the draft, Koreen says. The Raptors currently rank 13th in 3-point shooting.

Atlantic Notes: Flynn, Sixers, Tatum, Celtics

March 4th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors backup point guard Malachi Flynn has stepped up in the absence of All-Star Fred VanVleet, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Flynn had an outstanding game on Monday against the Nets, putting up 18 points on 11 shots with four rebounds, five assists, two steals and zero turnovers in 34 minutes. He finished a game-high plus-42.

“He played great,” said head coach Nick Nurse. “Malachi kept his head up, kept his head in it and when he’s had any opportunities, whether it’s first half, second half, garbage, whatever, he’s played with what I consider some IQ, some toughness, some organization and that’s what led us to that decision [to start Flynn] tonight.”

The second-year guard has struggled to crack the team’s rotation this season, but he’s finally getting the chance to show what he can do with VanVleet sidelined with a knee contusion that’s been bothering him since before the All-Star break.

“I think my main thing is just trying to be aggressive — not necessarily to score or to pass, just being aggressive and seeing what the defense gives you and just kind of reading them and then going off of that,” Flynn said, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

Flynn had another strong performance during Friday’s 103-97 loss to Orlando, notching 20 points, three rebounds, eight assists and zero turnovers in 39 minutes.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The Sixers dared to dream big and it’s paying off, according to Dan Devine of The Ringer. James Harden has created easier shots for the entire team, including MVP candidate Joel Embiid, and second-year guard Tyrese Maxey has been outstanding. The Sixers have won five straight (four with Harden) and hold a 39-23 record after defeating the Cavs 125-119 on Friday. Philadelphia has jumped up to the No. 2 seed in the East.
Star Jayson Tatum has stepped up and become a vocal leader for the Celtics, per Taylor Snow of Celtics.com. “He has taken a step forward in that regard,” said Al Horford. “He is being more vocal. He’s letting us know what he’s thinking, how he’s feeling. For me, it gives me a lot of confidence, and it’s encouraging to know that he has my back. He’s obviously really trying to win, he’s trying to do things the right way … Seeing him that excited, that engaged, it’s a good sign for our group.”
The Celtics remained patient with head coach Ime Udoka and now they’re reaping the rewards, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes. Udoka was recently named the Eastern Conference’s coach of the month for February after leading Boston to an 9-2 record. It’s taken time for the players to adjust to Udoka’s hard-line coaching style. “That’s what really matters, that they’re letting us coach them,” Udoka said, per Washburn. “They’re letting us push them and learning and growing throughout the season and kind of what we thought we’d have when we got healthy. Credit to them for allowing us to coach them hard. That’s what they asked for and they’ve been great with it.”

Nets Notes: Simmons, Harris, Irving, Harden

March 4th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A best-case scenario for Ben Simmons‘ Nets debut would be within about two weeks, writes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. General manager Sean Marks said there’s “no real timetable” for Simmons, but indicated the team is hoping to get Simmons more fully involved in practices in about a week.

“Hopefully by the end of next week he’s getting more into the team environment,” Marks said during an appearance on YES Network. “And then we can really ramp up and start him getting into game shape.”

Sanchez suggests that Simmons could participate in a high-intensity workout for the first time next Saturday, noting that the Nets typically require players to go through three of those practices before they’re cleared to play. Sanchez speculates that the March 18 game vs. Portland or March 21 vs. Utah are possibilities for Simmons’ debut.

Here’s more on the Nets:

The Nets will recoup an estimated $4.5MM in insurance money as a result of Joe Harris‘ season-ending injury, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). While that insurance money will provide a little financial relief for an ownership group projected to spend over $260MM in team salary and tax payments, it won’t affect Brooklyn’s end-of-season tax bill, Marks notes (via Twitter).
During his YES Network appearance on Thursday, Marks suggested that the Nets are still hoping for some news soon on when New York City might lift its private sector vaccine mandate that prevents Kyrie Irving from playing in home games. “We’re waiting like everybody else to see how these mandates change, how they tweak,” Marks said, per NetsDaily. “Again, over the next 24-48 hours, hopefully, there’s some news for us as to what they may look like. And Kyrie can get back out here. Nobody wants to be on the court more than Kyrie.” As The New York Times outlines, NYC mayor Eric Adams confirmed today that the public Key to NYC vaccine mandate will be lifted on Monday, but that won’t affect Irving’s status.
A source tells Ian Begley of SNY.tv that the possibility of the Nets facing the Raptors in the postseason was one reason James Harden was concerned earlier this season about Irving’s vaccine status. Toronto is the only other NBA city where Irving is currently ineligible to play due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19.

Mavericks Notes: Dinwiddie, Trent, Porzingis, Kidd

March 4th, 2022 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Having appeared in his 50th game of the season on Thursday, Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie has earned a $1.5MM bonus, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Since that bonus was considered unlikely this season and will now be considered likely in 2022/23, Dinwiddie’s cap hit for next season will increase from $18MM to $19.5MM, Marks observes.

Dinwiddie’s ability to reach the 50-game threshold could have additional financial ramifications beyond this season’s $1.5MM bonus. As Marks explains, the point guard’s contract includes language that calls for his third-year salary to become fully guaranteed if he appears in at least 50 games in each of the first two years of the contract.

For now, that 2023/24 salary – which will be worth at least $18.9MM and could get as high as $21.4MM via incentives – is partially guaranteed for $10MM. The remainder would become guaranteed if Dinwiddie plays at least 50 games in 2022/23.

Dinwiddie’s $1.5MM bonus is the second-highest individual incentive to ever be earned, according to Marks (Twitter link), who says Andrew Bogut‘s $1.9MM bonus in 2015 for All-Defense honors holds that record.

Here’s more on the Mavericks:

Before Dallas traded Kristaps Porzingis to Washington on deadline day last month, there were rumors that the Mavs and Raptors were discussing a possible deal. Appearing on The Lowe Post podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Tim MacMahon of ESPN shared a little more information on that rumor. “My understanding is their discussions there were (Goran) Dragic and Gary Trent,” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “Toronto understandably said, ‘We’re not giving up Gary Trent Jr.'”
MacMahon also provided more details on why the Mavericks were motivated to move Porzingis and why they were satisfied with a return of Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans for Porzingis and a second-round pick. “The Mavericks basically got to the point of ‘Hey, financially it’s a wash, but it’s two smaller contracts that would be easier to move,'” MacMahon told Lowe, per RealGM. “And they felt like K.P. was kind of in the way and those two guys could fill roles off the bench, so they pulled the trigger as soon as they found a deal where they didn’t have to give up a first-round pick. A lot of that was that the fit with K.P. wasn’t there. It doesn’t mean Porzingis necessarily did anything wrong. The Mavericks took a huge swing and a miss on him. It didn’t work out.”
In a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said he believes he’s grown since his days of coaching the Nets and Bucks. “I learned a lot from Frank (Vogel),“ said Kidd, who was on Vogel’s staff as a Lakers assistant before being hired by Dallas. “Don’t worry about the small stuff. If there’s something to address, address it.”

OG Anunoby Expected To Miss Two Weeks With Broken Finger

March 3rd, 2022 at 3:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 3: Anunoby is expected to miss the next two weeks and then will be re-evaluated regarding his timetable for a return to action, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

MARCH 1: After he fractured his right ring finger, there was some concern that Raptors small forward OG Anunoby might require surgery to correct the ailment. However, a hand specialist who consulted Anunoby in Los Angeles on Monday informed the 24-year-old swingman that his broken finger should fully heal on its own within the next two weeks, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (via Twitter).

According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), Anunoby saw his status upgraded to questionable ahead of the Raptors’ Tuesday night contest in Toronto, a 109-108 victory over the Nets, though he ultimately didn’t play. The team is still trying to determine whether or not Anunoby will be able to play with some pain and return sooner rather than later, says Lewenberg.

Anunoby had been experiencing soreness in the digit for some time even before the NBA All-Star break, and an X-ray last week finally revealed the fracture.

Anunoby is enjoying a career-best season with Toronto, his fifth in the league and with the Raptors. The 6’7″ wing out of Indiana is averaging 17.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.5 SPG, with shooting splits of .436/.351/.748. He has missed the past three games due to the fracture. Big man Khem Birch has been promoted to the starting lineup in Anunoby’s absence.

Josh Giddey, Scottie Barnes Named Rookies Of The Month For February

March 3rd, 2022 at 1:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Thunder guard Josh Giddey and Raptors guard/forward Scottie Barnes have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month for February, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

The other nominees in the West were Rockets guard Jalen Green, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Thunder guard Tre Mann. For the East, the other nominees were Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley, Nets guard Cam Thomas, and Magic forward Franz Wagner, the league announced (Twitter link).

Giddey, 19, averaged 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists on .466/.278/.773 shooting in 10 February games (33.4 minutes per contest). It’s his fourth straight Rookie of the Month honor for the West, as most of the league’s top rookies are in the East. He’s currently sidelined with a right hip injury and has missed the last three games for the Thunder.

Barnes, 20, averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on .540/.375/.781 shooting in 12 February games (31.8 minutes). It’s his first Rookie of the Month honor. The previous winners in the East this season were Wagner, Mobley, and Cunningham.

Mobley, Barnes, Cunningham, Giddey and Wagner are considered the leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award this season, with Mobley as a strong favorite, according to Vegas Insider.