- Tony Jones of The Athletic has confirmed a report by Marc Stein that the Jazz and Jordan Clarkson have discussed a contract extension. In a series of tweets, Jones cites “mutual interest in moving forward” and states that negotiations are expected to continue. Sources tell Jones that the team views the 30-year-old Clarkson as young enough to be part of the rebuilding process.
- In his first season with the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen has turned into the player the Bulls were hoping for when they traded for him on draft night in 2017, says KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Utah visited Chicago tonight, and Markkanen said he always looks forward to returning to his first NBA home. “I think I’m a better player than I was a couple years ago when I was here and I’m just getting more mature. And then being in the right system utilizes my strengths,” he said. “Being on the move is getting me to my right spots. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to do this stuff earlier on.”
Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic may not be the biggest-name player to change teams prior to the February 9 trade deadline, but he seems to be the one who is the most in demand at this point, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.
According to Stein, the list of clubs with interest in Bogdanovic has reached double digits, even though the Pistons have been telling teams for weeks that they’d prefer not to trade their top scorer.
Although they’ve expressed reluctance to move Bogdanovic, the Pistons have also been conveying that if they do have a change of heart, the asking price would be at least an unprotected first-round pick, says Stein. A previous report suggested Detroit would seek a first-round pick plus at least one more asset. Bogdanovic’s potential suitors are hoping that the Pistons’ apparent hesitation to move the 33-year-old is a negotiating ploy and that the price will drop as the deadline nears, per Stein.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest rumor round-up:
- Two teams have told Stein recently that the Rockets‘ asking price for Eric Gordon is similar to what the Pistons have sought for Bogdanovic. While Houston may be trying to get an unprotected first-round pick for Gordon, the club probably knows it won’t get that sort of return, according to Stein, who views it as an example of just how high prices are in general with over a month to go until the deadline and few sellers on the market.
- The Cavaliers, Suns, and Raptors were among the teams thought to have some trade interest in Hornets wing Kelly Oubre before he underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand, Stein writes.
- According to Stein, Pacers big man Myles Turner and Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson have so far rebuffed extension offers from their respective teams. Stein doesn’t expect Utah to trade Clarkson even if no extension is in place by February 9, but is less sure about Indiana’s plans with Turner.
As the Timberwolves deal with injuries and disappointing box scores alike, it has become clear that 21-year-old shooting guard Anthony Edwards should be the one to lead them, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“All leaders have one thing in common,” head coach Chris Finch said. “People follow them.”
Krawczynski notes that Edwards is not without flaw, citing the swingman’s at-times questionable shot profile and occasional defensive gaffes. But over the past 10 contests, Edwards has emerged as the Wolves’ most reliable healthy player, averaging 28.1 PPG on 54.7% field goal shooting, 8.0 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.5 SPG.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Although veteran Jazz power forward Rudy Gay has been putting up modest numbers for Utah, he has been a huge contributor beyond the traditional stats. The 6’8″ forward is helping the club achieve a net rating of +12.9 when he’s on the court, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Todd notes that Gay has a strong connection with first-year Jazz head coach Will Hardy, who counts on the veteran’s leadership to help the team’s younger players.
- The fractured left hand of Nuggets reserve power forward Jeff Green has been improving, reports Harrison Wind of DNR Sports (Twitter link). According nto Wind, Green has been wearing a protective glove on the hand in recent pregame shootarounds. Wind adds that Green is expected to have his hand reassessed in two weeks.
- According to Wind (via Twitter), rookie Nuggets shooting guard Peyton Watson will miss the next few weeks with a strained left adductor. Denver has liked what it has seen out of Watson while he’s spent time with the team’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, per Wind.
Collin Sexton, who turns 24 on Wednesday, will miss at least a week due to hamstring weakness, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). The Jazz guard did not participate in Monday’s practice and he will rest and be reevaluated in a week.
The Jazz initially announced that Sexton had sustained a mild right hamstring strain on December 8, a day after playing the Warriors. He wound up missing a couple weeks — including seven consecutive games — before returning on December 22.
Through 32 games (10 starts, 24.1 MPG), Sexton is averaging 14.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG and 2.9 APG on .487/.386/.844 shooting. While he has scored efficiently this season, posting a career-high .605 true shooting percentage, defense and shot selection remain an issue for the talented guard, and his adjustment to playing point guard more often has been pretty bumpy — his 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio is not ideal.
With Sexton out, the 19-20 Jazz will likely lean on Nickeil Alexander-Walker for backup point guard minutes. There’s a chance Talen Horton-Tucker could receive some playing time as well, though he’s rarely seen the court of late.
Second-year reserve Nuggets guard Bones Hyland has developed into the de facto leader of the team’s bench, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Singer notes that Hyland has been showing plenty of promise of late, as when he scored 16 points to lead all bench scorers in a 124-119 Nuggets victory over the Heat Friday.
“Bones is such an important part to this team,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. “He really is. When Bones is playing well, the impact he has, not only on that second unit, but the starters, is (huge).”
“Once I’m being myself out there, being Bizzy, playing with confidence, I think I give so much confidence within the team,” Hyland added. “I ignite that spark.”
Across 27 games this season, the 22-year-old is averaging 13.1 PPG, 3.4 APG and 2.1 RPG in 20.9 MPG for the 23-12 Nuggets.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Two-time Nuggets MVP center Nikola Jokic has emerged as a potential contender for that hardware yet again this season, but he claims personal commendations are not a major motivator. “To be honest, the MVP trophy might mean a little more to me when I finish my career,” Jokic told Serbian TV Arena Sport in a recent interview (h/t EuroBasket). “I didn’t chase that recognition or think about it. When you want something and then you get it, it’s logical to be happy. However, that award wasn’t even on my mind, so maybe I’m not overjoyed enough because of that. I have to admit that I don’t play for records, nor to be the best in triple-doubles.” Speaking of triple-doubles, the 6’11” All-Star is nearly averaging one for the season, with 25.5 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 9.5 APG. For December, Jokic averaged 29.2 PPG on 60.4% field goal shooting, plus 12.3 RPG and 10.1 APG.
- The 19-20 Jazz, losers of four straight contests, remain in the thick of the playoff hunt as the 10th seed in the West. There is nothing imminent on the trade front for Utah at present, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jones notes that the team may now consider breakout star forward Lauri Markkanen, enjoying by far his best season ever as the club’s leading scorer, to be a long-term Jazzman. The seven-footer is averaging a career-best 23.8 PPG on .531/.429/.857. He is also pulling down 8.5 RPG and dishing out 1.9 APG.
- The Jazz are striving to be objective as they unpack the aforementioned four consecutive defeats, which can be chalked up to a variety of factors, writes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. Walden notes that, after a red-hot 10-3 start to the 2022/23 season, the Jazz have gone just 9-17. “We have a great group of guys, so everybody’s still working together, still having fun playing, still doing the proper work,” Markkanen said. “It’s a tough stretch — we could easily be 4-0 in the last four games, but that’s the NBA, and nobody’s gonna feel sorry for us. So we’ve got to figure out a way to get those wins down the stretch.”
Lauri Markkanen is having an outstanding season for the Jazz and is a prime candidate to make his first All-Star appearance. In a Q&A session with Mark Medina of NBA.com, the Finnish forward says that a strong performance at EuroBasket and being in top physical condition have contributed to his improved play, noting that he expected the team to be successful in 2022/23.
“I had high expectations, especially after this summer,” Markkanen said. “I got my confidence going with the national team. There were a lot of NBA guys [in EuroBasket]. Physically, I’m in the best shape of my life. So, I had high expectations from the beginning. We have a lot of good players on this team. So, I had high expectations with the team even coming into the year, especially after training camp started.
“We have a good team. We just have to stay on the same page and build off our chemistry. We have a lot of new guys. But that was the same thing last season when I was in Cleveland. Everyone was doubting you at the beginning of the year. Then we started out well. Having that experience and then going into training camp, I knew we had a good team. We just have to keep going and keep getting better with knowing each other and staying on the same page.”
Markkanen also says he was limited to highlights and recaps growing up in Finland due to games being on in the middle of the night, and didn’t actually start watching NBA games until he came stateside to play college ball at Arizona. It’s an interesting interview from Medina and worth checking out in full.
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Big man Kelly Olynyk, who recently missed four straight games with a left ankle sprain, was able to return to the lineup in Wednesday’s loss at Golden State, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. The 31-year-old Canadian is having a solid season for Utah, averaging 12.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.1 SPG on .520/.431/.835 shooting through 33 games (28.5 MPG).
- Marc J. Spears of Andscape details how David Fizdale went from coaching to an assistant general manager position with the Jazz. Fizdale was an assistant coach with the Lakers last season, but Darvin Ham decided to go in a different direction. Fizdale had a job offer to be an assistant coach under Nate McMillan with the Hawks, but he ultimately declined it when he was offered the Jazz’s front office position. According to Spears, Fizdale told friend and Jazz part-owner Dwyane Wade that “being a more present husband and dad” played a big factor in his desire for a new role, with Wade later informing president Danny Ainge of Fizdale’s interest.
- On the How ‘Bout This Jazz podcast, Walden and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune explored the reported rumor of Utah discussing a three-team trade, rookie Walker Kessler being a pleasant surprise, potential lineup changes, and other topics.
The Jazz, Hawks, and Suns discussed a possible three-team trade that would have sent John Collins to Utah and Jae Crowder to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported during an appearance on The Rally (Twitter video link).
As Charania outlines, Phoenix would have acquired swingman Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from the Jazz in the proposed deal, while Utah would have received Collins and other assets and Atlanta would have gotten Crowder and at least one other player.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that Suns guard Landry Shamet was also included in those trade talks and would have been sent to the Hawks along with Crowder in at least one proposed framework.
According to Charania, the trade failed to gain serious traction because Utah was seeking multiple first-round picks along with Collins.
That Jazz asking price is both an indication of how they view Collins’ long-term contract (he’s owed $78.5MM for three years after this season) and how they value Beasley and Vanderbilt. Scotto has heard from rival executives that the Jazz consider Vanderbilt to be worth a first-round pick based on his production, age (23), and contract ($4.7MM team option for 2023/24).
While Charania’s report doesn’t make it 100% clear, it sounds as if Utah may have been seeking one first-round pick from Atlanta and one from Phoenix in the proposed swap. However, the Hawks don’t consider Collins a player they want to salary-dump, according to Charania, so they’d probably be reluctant to attach a first-round selection to him for a non-star, especially after having already surrendered multiple future first-rounders for Dejounte Murray over the summer.
Both Collins and Crowder have spent much of the season on the trade block, so we’ll likely hear their names pop up repeatedly leading up to the February 9 deadline. The Jazz are another team expected to be active in trade discussions, though their unexpectedly solid first half has created some uncertainty about whether they’ll be more inclined to buy or sell.
The injury news regarding Jalen Brunson isn’t all that bad for Knicks fans who saw their point guard depart the Christmas Day loss to the Sixers during the second half. Brunson has a sore hip and is questionable to play against Dallas on Tuesday, the team tweets. Brunson has not missed a game since signing with the Knicks over the summer.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Nets forward Joe Harris had an MRI on his sore left knee which revealed only swelling, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Harris missed his second consecutive game on Monday and will also sit out the road game against Atlanta on Wednesday. The club is hopeful the injury will heal with rest.
- Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe that he insisted to former Celtics exec and current Jazz CEO Danny Ainge during his coaching search he couldn’t hire both Will Hardy and Joe Mazzulla away from Boston. Ainge, of course, chose Hardy as head coach. Mazzulla became the Celtics’ head man when Ime Udoka was suspended. Ainge was OK with Grousbeck’s demand. “They were very generous to give us permission to talk to them,” he said.
- Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa practiced on Monday and could return sometime this week, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Achiuwa is doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the Clippers. Achiuwa has been out since Nov. 9 with partial ligament tears in his right ankle.
- Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has a strong case to become a first-time All-Star, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. He says been striving to achieve that goal for years. “I’ve said this publicly before, but absolutely it has always been my personal goal. Obviously I’ve got team goals and I’m always gonna push those first, but like at an individual level that’s always been my goal. Not just to be one of the guys in the league, I want to make it to the top,” Markkanen said. Through 32 games (33.8 MPG), he’s averaging a career-high 22.8 PPG, along with 8.1 RPG and 2.1 APG. He’s also posting career-best marks from the field (53.3%) and from three-point range (43.8%).
- Lauri Markkanen had intended to lay down roots in Cleveland and admits that the offseason trade sending him from the Cavaliers to the Jazz came as “kind of a shock,” writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). However, Markkanen doesn’t hold any ill will toward his old team. “It was tough at first because we really enjoyed our time (in Cleveland),” Markkanen said. “Had a really fun year last season so it was tough at first. But then settled in and see the opportunity with Utah. Understanding the business, I know there’s always a chance. It’s not like I had any anger.”