Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Notes: Jazz, Lakers, Sixers, Leonard, Payton, Clarke

December 21st, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz will be shorthanded for Thursday’s back-to-back in Detroit, with Lauri Markkanen (left hamstring — injury maintenance), Keyonte George (left foot inflammation) and Talen Horton-Tucker (left foot soreness) among the eight players who will be unavailable, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Utah is just 2-13 on the road this season, but the team will be facing the Pistons, who have lost 24 straight games, two shy of the single-season record. If Detroit hopes to snap the skid in the near future, tonight certainly seems like a good opportunity.

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

LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Gabe Vincent are out for Thursday’s back-to-back in Minnesota, tweets Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet. Lakers center Anthony Davis (left ankle sprain/bone bruise), meanwhile, is questionable for the matchup against the West’s current No. 1 seed.
Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton exited Wednesday’s victory with a thigh contusion, but it’s not expected to be a serious injury, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Melton, Nicolas Batum (hamstring) and Robert Covington (illness) did not practice on Thursday, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). On the league’s official injury report, Melton is questionable for Friday’s matchup with Toronto, while Covington is probable and Batum has been ruled out.
He has yet to miss a game this season, but Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard popped up on the injury report ahead of Thursday’s back-to-back in Oklahoma City. He’s officially questionable with a left hip contusion.
Warriors guard Gary Payton II has been “making good progress” from his right calf strain and has been cleared to start “various forms of team practice,” the team announced (via Twitter). Payton, who has missed the past nine games, will be reevaluated again early next week, per the Warriors.
Grizzlies forward/center Brandon Clarke tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape he expects to return to action sometime around the All-Star break. A key rotation player for Memphis, Clarke has been sidelined since March 3 of last season after tearing his Achilles tendon.

Northwest Notes: THT, Sexton, Murray, Camara, Sharpe

December 21st, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

After an up-and-down start to the season that saw them primarily coming off the bench, Jazz guards Talen Horton-Tucker and Collin Sexton have been inserted into the starting lineup with Keyonte George and Jordan Clarkson injured and are playing their best basketball of the season, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Horton-Tucker has averaged 20.3 points and 6.5 assists in his past four games (three starts), with a shooting line of .484/.389/.824. Sexton, meanwhile, has put up 25.6 PPG and 4.0 APG in his past five, with a scorching-hot shooting line of .506/.406/.900.

The results when the two guards have shared the court have also been more encouraging as of late. In Utah’s first 23 games of the season, the team had a -6.3 net rating in the 267 minutes that Horton-Tucker and Sexton played together. In the past five games, the duo has spent 91 minutes on the court together and the team has a +10.8 net rating in that time.

“I get a kick out of the dynamic between the two,” head coach Will Hardy said, per Larsen. “I mean, they argue like brothers when they’re on the bench. It’s really funny. I come back to the timeouts frequently and hear them going back and forth in a spirited, healthy way about whatever’s going on on the court.”

“It’s actually kind of funny, because everybody, like, my family and my teammates, they’re always thinking me and Collin are arguing. We’re never arguing,” Horton-Tucker clarified. “We’re both trying to help each other. If I see something that he did wrong, he sees something that I could help him with, he’s always going to come tell me. Collin’s whole makeup is, like, intense. You never know if he’s yelling or just having a regular conversation with you.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

With Jamal Murray back in his home country of Canada on Wednesday night to face the Raptors, Eric Koreen of The Athletic takes a look at how the Nuggets guard has established himself as a star without ever earning an All-Star berth, while Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca notes (via Twitter) that Murray reiterated his desire to play for the Canadian national team at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
An overlooked part of the three-team blockbuster that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee, Trail Blazers rookie Toumani Camara has emerged as a regular starter and a reliable defender for his new team, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, who says that Camara’s inclusion in that deal was one of the final sticking points between Portland and Phoenix. The fact that Camara is thriving in Portland is all the more improbable given that he and head coach Chauncey Billups agree that his pre-draft workout with the Blazers wasn’t great.“He didn’t look very good. He really didn’t. … He didn’t stand out,” Billups said. “… I can remember watching summer league, one of the first games, and … the kid is good! He’s really good. Active. Tough as heck. I didn’t really see that in the workout, which is why I always say you can’t put too much into a workout. You have to actually see a guy play (five-on-five).”
Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, who missed the second half of Tuesday’s game due to a hip issue, has been ruled out for Thursday’s game vs. Washington due to right adductor soreness, according to the team (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether Sharpe will miss additional time beyond tonight’s contest.

Northwest Notes: R. Jackson, Thunder, K. George, Wolves

December 20th, 2023 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

It’s a little too early in the season to project 2023/24 award winners, but Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon told reporters after Monday’s win over Dallas that Reggie Jackson deserves serious consideration for Sixth Man of the Year honors (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports).

Jackson, who has technically started 14 of 28 games so far due to Jamal Murray‘s injury, didn’t play regular minutes during Denver’s championship run in the spring, but he has emerged as a key rotation player this season. He has averaged 13.6 points and 4.5 assists per night with shooting percentages (.495 FG%, .407 3PT%) well above his career rates.

The veteran guard has been “huge for us,” according to Gordon, who wanted to make sure to get Jackson’s name into the Sixth Man conversation.

“He has to be in the running,” Gordon said. “I know being in Denver you don’t get a lot of pub, you don’t get a lot of media nods as far as the All-Star team, All-Defensive team, MVPs, and Sixth Man of the Year. But Reggie is arguably the Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA right now.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Sam Presti has referenced the Thunder‘s losing record last season and has tempered expectations for the team in the short term, suggesting that Oklahoma City won’t be in any rush to add win-now reinforcements to its roster. However, appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter audio link), Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says some people around the league are skeptical of that claim and expect Presti’s front office to be active in the coming weeks. The Thunder have an air of unpredictability about them, according to Rylan Stiles of Thunderous Intentions, who says it wouldn’t be surprising to see the club go in any direction at the trade deadline.
Rookie Jazz guard Keyonte George has missed the past three games due to left foot inflammation, but he’s progressing toward a return. As Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (via Twitter), George is now traveling with the team and participating in on-court activities.
The bond that Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are building is one that the Timberwolves previously envisioned Towns having with Jimmy Butler, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Butler era in Minnesota crashed and burned in dramatic fashion five years ago, but Towns and Edwards have always respected each other’s skill sets and have had one another’s backs, as Krawczynski details.

Trade Rumors: Mitchell, Grant, Hawks, Clarkson

December 19th, 2023 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

There’s no indication that the Cavaliers are considering trading Donovan Mitchell, and the star guard shut down that topic of conversation following injuries to teammates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. However, in an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton argues that it’s something the team should think about, given that Cleveland doesn’t appear to be a legitimate title contender in the short term and Mitchell can become a free agent in 2025.

As Pelton writes, if the Cavaliers aren’t confident in their ability to extend Mitchell beyond his current deal, they could maximize his value on the trade market by moving him sooner rather than later, potentially getting back pieces that could complement Garland and Mobley as they enter their respective primes.

It seems unlikely that the Cavs will heed Pelton’s advice and make Mitchell available in advance of this season’s trade deadline. But if the four-time All-Star eventually ends up on the trade block, the Knicks, Nets, Heat, and “at least two other” Southwest teams would be among the potential suitors to watch, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his latest Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to NetsDaily).

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

Ever since Damian Lillard requested a trade out of Portland, forward Jerami Grant has been viewed as a logical trade candidate, given that he seems to be on a different timeline than the rebuilding Trail Blazers. However, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland (Twitter link) says he continues to hear the team has “zero interest” in moving Grant and is happy with the role he’s playing on the current roster.
Teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on the Hawks to see if they’ll become a trade deadline seller, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story. Atlanta was at the center of several offseason trade rumors – many of which involved Clint Capela and/or De’Andre Hunter – but didn’t end up doing anything too significant and is off to an underwhelming (11-15) start this fall.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (video link) confirms that Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson is considered available via trade, as previous reports have suggested. Clarkson likes playing in Utah and isn’t seeking an exit, Haynes notes, but multiple contenders have inquired about him.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Carlisle, Sexton, Williams

December 18th, 2023 at 10:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Timberwolves are truly gelling this season, and it all starts with their defense, writes Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports.

After a very bumpy 2022/23 season, Minnesota has looked like an altogether different team thus far in 2023/24. At 20-5, the club is currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference alone, three games ahead of the No. 2 Thunder.

Devine writes that the Timberwolves currently lead the NBA in points permitted per possession, and also boast the one of best defenses of the young century.

The Wolves’ length and size helps them stand apart on that end, thanks to its fearsome frontcourt tandem of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, plus its size on the wing with All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards and small forward Jaden McDaniels.

There’s more out of the Northwest:

Following a 127-109 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was struck by the Timberwolves’ sheer ability, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “This is one of the best teams on the planet,” Carlisle reflected postgame. “These guys have really got it going here. The building is alive, the environment is way different than it used to be.”
Combo guard Collin Sexton remains a critical energy player for the Jazz this season, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. His enthusiasm appears to be a big part of his charm, according to Utah head coach Will Hardy. “I love Collin to death,” Hardy said. “His intensity, his passion, his want to win, his energy is infectious… Collin’s a very endearing person.” Through 26 contests, mostly as a reserve, Sexton is averaging 14.3 PPG on .474/.333/.884 shooting splits, along with 3.3 APG and 2.7 RPG.
Second-year Thunder forward Jalen Williams has carved out a significant role on Oklahoma City’s new “big three” alongside All-Star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Chet Holmgren, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Williams is emerging as a secondary play-maker as well, and figuring out how best to work in tandem with Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren. “I think the biggest thing for me is just realizing what spots I’m in on a consistent basis and trying to rep those out continuously over this past summer,” Williams said. “And even now I feel like I also treat games like the most live reps you can get.”

Lauri Markkanen Hopes To Remain With Jazz

December 18th, 2023 at 3:53pm CST by Rory Maher

In a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, forward Lauri Markkanen made it clear he hopes to remain with the Jazz. An All-Star for the first time in 2022/23, Markkanen also won the Most Improved Player award in his first season with Utah.

Markkanen’s name has popped up in recent trade rumors, though rival executives expect him to stay put. He’s on a very team-friendly contract, making $17.26MM this season and $18.04MM in 2024/25.

Here are a few highlights from Amick’s interview with the Finnish star.

On the team’s slow start (Utah is currently 9-17 after going 37-45 last season):

“I try to look at the big picture. Obviously, we haven’t had the easiest start to the year, but I think it’s about keeping that long-term mindset in mind and trying to get better every day. Of course, we want to win every game, but even when you lose I think there’s things that we can learn and get better at. It’s not the easiest start, but everybody’s being positive still and working on the team stuff and individually as well. We just have to try to get more together and hopefully, we can grab a couple of these wins.”

On Salt Lake City:

“Oh, yeah. Love it. So we’d like to be there. We like the environment. It’s a pretty comfortable place to be.”

On dealing with trade rumors:

“I’ve been traded, I guess, technically three times with draft night included. Sometimes I knew about it. Sometimes I didn’t. So I kind of learned the business side of basketball. I’ve kind of learned to just go day by day and really put the work in and try to play to the best of my abilities and whatever happens happens, really. Like I said, I love being in Utah and it’s a compliment of what you’ve done in the past (that teams have interest). We’ll see. But yeah, I just want to emphasize that I really believe in what we’re building here with the Jazz. Go day by day. Do your best. That’s all you can do.”

The interview is worth reading in full for those who subscribe to The Athletic.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Stewart, Giannis, Beachamp, A. Jackson

December 18th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Donovan Mitchell didn’t want to discuss his future on Saturday after leading the Cavaliers to a win in their first game since long-term injuries knocked Darius Garland and Evan Mobley out of the lineup, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. There is already speculation that Mitchell, who has a $37MM player option for 2025/26, will end up somewhere else if he turns down an extension offer from Cleveland. Rumors escalated on Friday when the Cavs announced the prognosis for Garland and Mobley, but it’s not a topic Mitchell feels like addressing.

“My job is to focus on this,” he said, referring to on-court matters. “We have two guys that are out, so I’m not answering anything. And no disrespect. I appreciate that you have to ask the question, but I’m not going there with any of those questions. My focus is on these guys being out, us trying to find a way to get wins.”

Mitchell posted a career-high 13 assists as he took over full-time point guard duties in Garland’s absence. According to Vardon, coach J.B. Bickerstaff talked to Mitchell before the game about the need to get role players involved in the offense as they handle more responsibility with Garland and Mobley sidelined. Bickerstaff is also seeking greater production from center Jarrett Allen, who finished Saturday’s game with 25 points and 14 rebounds.

“J.B. said before the game, it’s not our job to go out there and try to be Superman,” Allen said. “It’s not our job to go out there and try to make up for everything that’s lost. It’s just for us to try to find one area that we can improve in and try to help the team win.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Several contenders, including the Celtics, Thunder and Mavericks, have expressed an interest in Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, sources tell James L. Edwards of The Athletic. Stewart has been one of the few bright spots in Detroit’s ugly season, averaging 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds through 25 games. He signed a four-year, $64MM extension this summer and would be subject to the poison pill provision in any trade until July 1. Edwards also addresses trade suggestions from readers, saying he’s heard the Pistons don’t have interest in adding Utah’s John Collins or Charlotte’s P.J. Washington.
After passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the Bucks‘ career leader in rebounding Sunday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about what it means to eclipse an NBA legend, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “That a kid from Greece, a skinny kid from Greece that was drafted, supposed to play in the G League, be in a position to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record, I don’t think anybody thought about that,” Antetokounmpo said.
MarJon Beauchamp and Andre Jackson are both contributing to a Bucks team that needs production from its young wings, Nehm adds in a full story.

Western Rumors: Markkanen, Giddey, Mann, Kings, Lofton

December 15th, 2023 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

After Marc Stein reported that teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says that several clubs have already contacted Utah to inquire on Markkanen.

Fischer stresses that the Jazz are “by no means expected” to trade Markkanen, who is a favorite of team officials. However, opposing executives have gotten the sense that the All-Star forward is no longer quite as untouchable as he was in the past.

“Do I expect Utah to trade Lauri? No,” one general manager told Fischer. “But they are saying they’re willing to listen. They are willing to listen to calls on everyone, but it’s a matter of meeting their price like Minnesota did for Rudy [Gobert].”

As Fischer notes, even if a deal is unlikely, the fact that the Jazz are open to listening on Markkanen means that there will continue to be plenty of buzz around him as the trade deadline nears. League personnel believe that the Kings, Hawks, and Thunder are among the teams that would have the most interest in the Finnish star, Fischer adds.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Rival teams had begun to zero in on Thunder guard Josh Giddey as a possible trade target before the NBA and California police began looking into allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, per Fischer. Depending on the outcome of those investigations, Giddey may still draw interest ahead of the trade deadline. Oklahoma City also explored moving Tre Mann prior to the start of the season, Fischer adds.
If the Kings pursue either Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby, the Raptors are expected to ask for Keegan Murray in return, which may be a non-starter for Sacramento, Fischer writes, since the Kings view Murray as an important piece in both the present and the future. However, another former lottery pick, Davion Mitchell, is considered a “strong” trade candidate, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
The Grizzlies have made calls to potential trade partners to gauge those teams’ interest in some of Memphis’ reserves, but if a deal doesn’t materialize in the coming days, the expectation is that the team will probably waive Kenneth Lofton Jr. to open up a roster spot to activate Ja Morant next week, says Fischer. We took a closer look at Memphis’ looming roster decisions earlier in the week.

Jazz Notes: Trade Candidates, Markkanen, George, Hendricks

December 15th, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

There will likely be no shortage of Jazz veterans available on the trade market this season. Following up on reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, Marc Stein confirms in his latest Substack story that guards Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton and big man Kelly Olynyk are cited frequently by rival executives as players Utah is thought to be willing to move.

According to Stein, there’s also “palpable” curiosity from some teams about the Jazz’s long-term plans for Lauri Markkanen, the franchise’s top scorer and lone 2023 All-Star.

As Stein notes, Larsen wrote this week that Markkanen is at the top of the list of players the Jazz want to keep, so the odds that the Finnish forward will be involved in a midseason trade seem low. However, Stein says there’s a “rising belief” that there will be a club or two willing to “test Utah’s resolve” by making a play for Markkanen.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Utah got good news on rookie Keyonte George, who injured his left foot during the team’s win over New York on Wednesday. As Larsen relays (via Twitter), the Jazz announced on Thursday that an MRI showed George avoided significant damage. The first-year guard missed Thursday’s game in Portland and will remain sidelined for Saturday’s contest in Sacramento before being reevaluated when the club returns home.
After making a brief appearance in Utah’s season opener and then not playing at all in the next 18 games, lottery pick Taylor Hendricks has been getting a longer look as of late, averaging 20.9 minutes per night in the team’s past six games. The early returns have been up and down, but Hendricks was a plus-25 in Wednesday’s victory and recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in Thursday’s win, earning praise for his effort, especially on defense. “He’s playing really hard. He’s still learning the detail part of it all,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said before Thursday’s game, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “… His activity is great. All I’m asking of Taylor right now is that he just plays as hard as he can. Because he has an ability to block in transition, gets his hand on a couple of passes with his length — his athleticism really shows up.”
It’s too early to tell whether Utah’s consecutive wins this week are a blip on the radar or the start of the Jazz turning a corner on their season, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Still, as Jones details, there have been some positive signs, including good ball movement, quality defense from Hendricks and Walker Kessler, and some of Sexton’s best scoring nights of the fall.

Jazz’s John Collins Reportedly On Trade Block

December 14th, 2023 at 3:24pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are open to trading forward John Collins, a team source tells Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link).

The news is somewhat surprising, since Utah just traded for Collins in July. Still, the Jazz only gave up a second-round pick to acquire the 26-year-old, who was essentially salary dumped by the Hawks after being involved in rumors for years.

As Larsen explains, the Jazz have been “frustrated” by Collins’ “slow uptake” on learning the team’s system on both offense and defense. He also has the worst net rating differential on the team (minus-11.8), and hasn’t provided much beyond his solid shooting and rebounding, says Larsen.

However, Collins’ “iffy” performance early in 2023/24 — plus the $77MM he’s owed over the next three years — could make it difficult for the Jazz to find a trade partner, according to Larsen. Utah acquired the seven-year veteran to either have him as long-term piece or to flip him in the future for a positive return. Both of those scenarios seem unlikely at this point.

Here are a few more Jazz notes and rumors from Larsen:

Aside from Collins, guards Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are also in Larsen’s “more likely to be traded” category, and he notes that a previous report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype indicated that Talen Horton-Tucker and Kelly Olynyk could be on the trade block too. Clarkson, Sexton and Horton-Tucker are all guards who “have had a penchant for over-dribbling, turnovers, and poor shot selection” in ’23/24, Larsen writes. Utah likes Sexton’s intensity and effort, but is looking for long-term backcourt members “who are more natural play-makers or have more defensive size.”
Scotto reported that the Jazz could be in the market for a veteran point guard, but Larsen hears they’d only be interested if the price is right. The team’s disappointing start will likely have the front office prioritizing the future over a big win-now splash unless a superstar becomes available, per Larsen.
The Jazz are unlikely to trade for Bulls guard Zach LaVine “unless it comes at a bargain-basement price,” the source tells Larsen.
As for the players the team wants to keep, that group features Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji, according to Larsen. Hendricks was selected ninth overall in June’s draft, but has spent most of the season in the G League. However, the Jazz are strong believers in his potential, and declined “an otherwise promising trade opportunity” involving Hendricks over the summer, Larsen reports.