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Injury Notes: Curry, Melton, Wiggins, Raptors, Clarkson, More

November 1st, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors guards Stephen Curry (left peroneal strain) and De’Anthony Melton (strained lower back) have been ruled out for Saturday’s contest against Houston, the team announced today (via Twitter), and Melton will remain sidelined for at least two games beyond that before being reevaluated a week from now.

However, the injury news from Golden State isn’t all bad. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets, Curry has been cleared to participate in parts of Friday night’s practice and will be reevaluated on Sunday, so it’s possible he could return to action as soon as Monday vs. Washington.

Additionally, forward Andrew Wiggins is on track to suit up on Saturday after missing two games due to a low back strain. He’ll be immediately reinserted into the starting lineup upon returning, according to head coach Steve Kerr (Twitter link via Slater).

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

After missing the first five games of his rookie season, Raptors first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter was cleared to make his NBA debut on Friday vs. the Lakers, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Elsewhere on the Raptors injury front, forward Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) has a doctor’s appointment on Monday, which could help determine the treatment plan for his injury, while big man Kelly Olynyk (back/lumbar strain) is still at least a “couple more weeks” away from playing, per head coach Darko Rajakovic (Twitter links via Lewenberg). Guard Immanuel Quickley (pelvic contusion) isn’t far off from returning, but he remains out on Friday and will likely miss Saturday’s game vs. Sacramento too, tweets Lewenberg.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has been diagnosed with left plantar fasciitis and will be reevaluated in a week, the team announced today (via Twitter). Collin Sexton, who figures to play an increased role with Clarkson out, suffered a left fourth finger distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint avulsion fracture on Thursday but will attempt to play through the injury, according to the Jazz.
Hornets center Mark Williams is doing a “good amount of individual work,” per head coach Charles Lee, but he hasn’t been cleared for full team drills or scrimmages yet, writes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Williams has yet to play this season due to a sprained tendon in his left foot.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who is recovering from offseason surgeries on both feet, has experienced some “minor discomfort,” but that’s a normal part of the recovery process, head coach J.J. Redick told reporters on Friday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Redick added that Vanderbilt is “progressing” but that his return isn’t imminent. “We’ll have another update in a week or so,” he said.

Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Butler, Reaves, Kessler, Giannis

November 1st, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is the headliner among the six players named by Sam Amick and John Hollinger of The Athletic as possible trade candidates to watch over the course of the 2024/25 season.

League sources tell Amick there was a “significant” gap between Kuminga and the Warriors when they discussed a possible rookie scale extension prior to the season, with Golden State’s offer topping out at around $30MM per year, while the fourth-year forward sought at least in the range of $35MM annually.

The two sides were unable to agree to an extension, putting Kuminga on track for restricted free agency in 2025. While he and the Warriors could finalize a new deal at that time, rival executives believe Golden State is “more willing than ever” to put the former No. 7 overall pick in a trade package, according to Amick, though he cautions the return would have to be significant.

Heat swingman Jimmy Butler is one name to keep an eye on, says Amick, citing league sources who say the Warriors registered some interest in the 35-year-old. Butler is extension-eligible and holds a player option for 2025/26, but reportedly plans to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors from around the NBA:

Lakers guard Austin Reaves is a favorite of both team owner Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and has been made virtually untouchable in past trade discussions, Amick writes. The former undrafted free agent is a developmental success story, is on a team-friendly contract, and has another fan in new head coach J.J. Redick, but if the Lakers hope to make a trade for a star, they may have to have another internal discussion about how strong their hold on Reaves will be, according to Amick.
Walker Kessler is among the other possible trade candidates listed by Amick and Hollinger, with Amick suggesting that Jazz head coach Will Hardy has pushed the third-year center hard in the hopes of advancing his development and getting a clearer sense of whether he’s a long-term keeper in Utah. The Lakers are among the teams that have registered interest in Kessler, and while the Jazz are open to listening, a team source tells Amick that they wouldn’t be interested in a deal centered around D’Angelo Russell and draft picks.
The Bucks‘ slow start this season has led to a surge in trade speculation about star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. There has been no indication that Antetokounmpo will seek a change of scenery and it’s extremely unlikely Milwaukee would consider moving him if that doesn’t happen, but Bill Reiter of CBS Sports says rival executives are increasingly hopeful about the two-time MVP’s potential availability. The Nets have had interest in Antetokounmpo for years, a league source tells NetsDaily, but it’s safe to assume that could be said of many teams around the league, so Brooklyn would have plenty of competition if Giannis ever lands on the trade block.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Holmgren, A. Mitchell, Alexander

November 1st, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Following the Jazz‘s loss to San Antonio on Thursday in Utah, head coach Will Hardy had some pointed words for his club, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. The Jazz committed a ghastly 26 turnovers, with the Spurs stealing the ball nine times in the third period — the most thefts in a single quarter since 1996.

“This is not guaranteed. Being in the NBA is not guaranteed,” Hardy said. “There’s a lot of players who have established themselves, but they’ve had to fight to do so. You have to scratch and claw and battle to be an NBA player for a long time. I think the average NBA career is like under four years or something, and that’s because the league will just churn players in and out.

“And right now, I just don’t feel that desperation. I don’t feel that hunger on every play.”

Larsen points to a couple of bad plays by second-year guard Keyonte George as being emblematic of the team’s poor effort, and writes that none of Utah’s young players — aside from maybe Walker Kessler — should feel secure about their place in the NBA. The Jazz (0-5) are the only team in the league that has yet to win a game.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Chet Holmgren and the Thunder bested Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Wednesday in a marquee matchup between two of the league’s top young big men, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. Holmgren finished with 19 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 28 minutes, while Wembanyama recorded just six points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes. Both players downplayed any talk of a budding rivalry, with Holmgren saying Oklahoma City’s defense was key to the 105-93 victory. “We won tonight on the defensive end,” Holmgren said. “It wasn’t perfect on offense. I feel like we were very solid almost throughout the whole game on the defensive end.”
Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell has been receiving rotation minutes to open his rookie season, writes Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. The 22-year-old, who was selected No. 38 overall in June’s draft, turned in his best performance on Wednesday vs. San Antonio, finishing with 12 points (on 5-of-6 shooting), four rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. “We play a lot of 5-on-5 at training camp, so there is a lot underneath the surface that you guys might not see, but we do,” Head coach Mark Daigneault said of Mitchell. “We take those minutes really seriously…he showed a capacity early, on both ends of the floor. As good as he was offensively tonight, he was really good defensively. He continues to make strides and get better defensively.”
It appears as though rookie Trey Alexander, who is on a two-way deal, is ahead of Jalen Pickett in the Nuggets‘ backcourt rotation, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Pickett, a 2023 second-round pick who is on a standard contract, was recently assigned to the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s G League affiliate, while Alexander remains with the Nuggets.

Jazz Notes: Hendricks, Markkanen, Starters, Rotation

October 31st, 2024 at 12:07pm CST by Rory Maher

Second-year Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks requires surgery to repair his fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle, sources told Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Hendricks suffered the gruesome non-contact injury on Monday in Dallas. As MacMahon previously reported, Hendricks will miss the remainder of the season.

The No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft, Hendricks is very well-liked by his teammates and showed consistent progress early on in 2024/25, particularly defensively, after an offseason of hard work; that made the injury all the more devastating, as Tony Jones of The Athletic writes.

“Taylor is very important to us,” starting center Walker Kessler told The Athletic. “In many ways, he’s our best defender. We were putting him on the other team’s best player every night. He’s such a great guy off the floor. He’s our brother. We didn’t see him (Tuesday), but we already miss him a bunch.”

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Star forward Lauri Markkanen is considered day-to-day after experiencing lower back spasms in the first half of Tuesday’s loss to Sacramento, per ESPN News Services. “His back pretty much locked up,” head coach Will Hardy told reporters. “He got treatment throughout halftime, and with about a minute left on the clock, was still on the table, not really able to move. So it was my decision, and our medical team’s decision, to hold him out.” Markkanen received treatment on Wednesday and will be reevaluated before Thursday’s game vs. San Antonio.
With Markkanen out for the second half, Hardy turned to rookie big man Kyle Filipowski, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who notes that Hardy also made two other changes to the starting five on Tuesday: 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams replacing the injured Hendricks and Jordan Clarkson replacing Collin Sexton. After the game, Hardy offered an in-depth explanation for the decision to swap the two score-first guards.
“Yeah, we’re trying to make the two groups function a little bit better, and we can do that without impacting minutes too much, impacting opportunity too much. You know, I believe in Collin. Collin knows that this has nothing to do with his play. It’s about what makes the two groups function the best. I think early in the game, the first group showed some pretty decent cohesion offensively. I think I have some work to do to help Collin with that second group, if it’s something we continue to do,” Hardy said. “But nothing with our team right now is set in stone. I had a conversation with Collin before the game about wanting to try something different to see if we could find a little bit of a rhythm offensively. And Collin’s great. He understands he wants the team to do well. He’s always done anything and everything that I’ve asked from a role standpoint, and so it’s my responsibility that, if he is going to be accepting of those things, to continue to try to think about him and put him in a position to be successful.”

Rudy Gay Announces Retirement

October 29th, 2024 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Rudy Gay has decided to call it a career, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran NBA forward is retiring. Gay confirmed the news with an article in The Players’ Tribune.

Gay, 38, was the eighth overall pick in the 2006 draft out of UConn. He began his professional career with the Grizzlies and spent his first six-and-a-half seasons in Memphis before being sent to the Raptors ahead of the 2013 trade deadline.

The forward was flipped to Sacramento less than a year later and spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Kings (2013-17) before moving onto San Antonio during the 2017 offseason. He wrapped up his NBA career by playing for the Spurs for four seasons (2017-21) and the Jazz for two years (2021-23).

Gay was in camp with the Warriors during the fall of 2023, but didn’t make the regular season roster and hasn’t played for an NBA team since then, though he was still being paid by the Thunder in 2023/24 after being waived in July 2023 with guaranteed money left on his contract.

Over the course of his 17 NBA seasons, Gay compiled 17,642 career points, which places him 91st on the league’s all-time scoring list, right behind Magic Johnson and Shawn Marion. Gay averaged 15.8 PPG across 1,120 total regular season outings (779 starts), with a shooting line of .452/.346/.799. He also chipped in 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest.

Gay still ranks among the Grizzlies’ all-time franchise leaders in a handful of statistical categories, including points (fifth), rebounds (fifth), and steals (fourth). He averaged at least 20 points per game in three separate seasons, including in 2014/15, when he put up a career-best 21.1 PPG for the Kings.

The 6’8″ forward never made an All-Star Game, but finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2007 and was named to the All-Rookie First Team. His career earnings exceeded $184MM, per Basketball-Reference.

“I’m 38 years old,” Gay wrote in his Players’ Tribune article. “That’s nowhere even near mid-career for most people’s professional lives. So, the way I see it, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I just need to figure out what exactly that means.

“Maybe it’s public speaking, or media, or business. We’re gonna see. I have a contracting company, a real estate company. I have the PickUp USA Fitness gym in Towson, Maryland. There are a bunch of things I’ve already begun devoting some time to. Now it’s just a matter of finding one big new thing that I love, and then throwing my energy into it.”

Jazz Notes: Hendricks, Collins, Williams, G League

October 29th, 2024 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

The gruesome right leg injury that Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks suffered on Monday is expected to sideline him for the rest of the 2024/25 season, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN. While Hendricks will undergo further testing on Tuesday, he was diagnosed on Monday night with a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle.

“That’s hard to stomach,” head coach Will Hardy said of the injury. “He’s put in a lot of hard work. He’s a great kid, and so we’re really just trying to focus on him, his health, keeping him up, his spirits up as he begins the road of his recovery. But these are the moments in sports that suck.”

Hendricks, who will turn 21 next month, played sparingly as a rookie, especially in the first half of the season, finishing with 23 starts in 40 total outings. The Jazz had planned to increase his role and his responsibilities in his second year. The 6’9″ forward started each of Utah’s first three contests and averaged 26.6 minutes per night in his two full games, well above the 21.4 MPG he logged last season.

“This is far from over for him,” Hardy said, per MacMahon. “This is a pause button for Taylor. You can see [his work paying off] even in the early parts of this season. You can see the flashes, you can see where this could be going with him, and that’s a credit to him.”

I expect the Jazz to apply for a disabled player exception following Hendricks’ injury, but that exception would be worth just $2.92MM (half of his salary) and wouldn’t grant the team an extra roster spot, so its usefulness would be limited.

Here’s more on Hendricks and the Jazz:

Hendricks’ teammates were devastated to see him go down with such a significant injury, as Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “It’s just put me in an emotional state,” fellow 2023 first-rounder Keyonte George said. “That’s just my brother. I didn’t know him growing up, and then building a relationship with him over the year, he felt like family. I told him I loved him, told him I’m here for him, whatever he needs.” Third-year center Walker Kessler echoed that sentiment: “The biggest thing is just being there for him physically and checking up on him. Right now, he just needs a lot of support from a lot of people.”
Hendricks’ absence will leave an opening in the Jazz’s starting lineup and a significant gap in the rotation, according to Larsen, who considers in a separate story for The Salt Lake Tribune how the team might plug those holes. As Larsen writes, while John Collins is an obvious candidate to take Hendricks’ spot in the starting lineup, units that featured him, Lauri Markkanen, and Kessler weren’t effective last season. With that in mind, Larsen believes rookie forward Cody Williams might be the better option. While he expects Utah’s decision to come down to Collins vs. Williams, Larsen also mentions Brice Sensabaugh, Johnny Juzang, and Kyle Filipowski as longer-shot options for promotions to the starting five.
The Salt Lake City Stars have announced their training camp roster for the 2024/25 season (via Twitter). It includes a handful of players who were with Utah during training camp and the preseason, including Isaiah Wong, Taevion Kinsey, Max Abmas, and Justin Lewis.

Jazz Forward Taylor Hendricks Suffers Fractured Fibula, Dislocated Ankle

October 28th, 2024 at 9:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks suffered a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle in the second half of Utah’s game at Dallas on Monday night, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets.

Hendricks’ injury occurred on a non-contact play as he was running into the offensive lane. He took an awkward step and dropped to the floor with his lower leg bent in an unnatural position. He was removed on a stretcher.

Hendricks was quickly ruled out with a right ankle injury, the Jazz’s PR department tweets. He’ll return to Utah with the team for further testing, MacMahon adds.

Hendricks was making his third start of the season. He averaged six points and six rebounds in the first two games and was 0-for-5 from the field against the Mavs in 21 minutes.

The 20-year-old Hendricks was the ninth pick of last year’s draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 40 NBA games, making 23 starts. He averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game.

With Hendricks sidelined for an extended period, more minutes will open up for other players. John Collins, a starter the majority of his career, could return to the lineup. Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams and rookie Kyle Filipowski are among the other candidates for increased playing time.

Walker Kessler Could Emerge As Trade Possibility For Lakers

October 28th, 2024 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

In a recent video, Jovan Buha of The Athletic suggests Jazz center Walker Kessler as a trade possibility for the Lakers as they look for a reliable big man to pair with Anthony Davis (hat tip to Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated).

Larson Questions Whether Current Second Unit Can Work

October 27th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Blazers aren’t the only team to be throttled by Golden State this week. The Jazz only managed 86 points in a 41-point home loss to the Warriors on Friday. While Utah is expected to be among the worst teams in the league, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune questions whether the second unit featuring Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins can play competitive minutes together, as they don’t seem to possess complementary skill sets.

Injury Notes: Pelicans, Kings, Raptors, Adams, Collier

October 24th, 2024 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Maher

He technically wasn’t injured, but Pelicans star Zion Williamson sat out Wednesday’s season-opening victory over Chicago due to an illness. There’s optimism Willliamson will be ready for Friday’s contest in Portland after he practiced on Thursday, according to Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune (Twitter links).

“Looks like he’s good to go,” head coach Willie Green said.

In a press release (Twitter link), the Pelicans also provided injury updates on Trey Murphy (right hamstring strain) and Dejounte Murray, who fractured his left hand last night.

The team said Murray is out indefinitely, with further updates to come when appropriate, while Murphy has made good progress in his recovery and will begin conditioning work. Murphy, who signed a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension earlier this week, will be reevaluated in two weeks.

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

Kevin Huerter (shoulder surgery) and Trey Lyles (left groin strain) missed the entire preseason for the Kings, but both veterans were full practice participants on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be active for Thursday’s season opener vs. Minnesota, writes James Ham of The Kings Beat. Neither player will be on a minutes restriction, according to head coach Mike Brown, who confirmed Huerter will start at shooting guard.
Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley sustained a pelvic contusion in Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland and did not practice on Thursday, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Both Quickley and RJ Barrett (shoulder) are doubtful for Friday’s contest vs. Philadelphia, while Kelly Olynyk (back), Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder) and Bruce Brown (knee) remain out (Twitter link via Lewenberg).
Rockets center Steven Adams, who missed all of last season with a right knee injury, was initially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte due to knee injury recovery and a left calf strain and wound up sitting out. Head coach Ime Udoka referred to Adams as “day-to-day, game-to-game” on Thursday afternoon, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Jazz rookie Isaiah Collier (right hamstring strain) has been cleared for on-court work, but he’ll miss at least 10 more days, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced (Twitter link via Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). The former USC guard was the No. 29 overall pick of June’s draft.