Eastern Rumors: Burke, Wizards, Hawks, J.R. Smith
Wizards guard Trey Burke didn’t travel with the club to Toronto due to a personal matter, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Under normal circumstances, there would be no need to read further into that news, but with Washington needing to clear a roster spot to sign Brandon Jennings, it might be safe to read between the lines, tweets J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.
The Wizards were said to be shopping Burke prior to the deadline, and the fourth-year guard hasn’t played a major role in Washington this season, averaging a career-low 12.4 minutes per contest. Burke’s role will likely be further reduced with Jennings in the mix, and the former Michigan standout is also an expiring contract, with possible restricted free agency around the corner.
According to Haynes (via Twitter), the Wizards have yet to make a final decision on which player will be released to clear a roster spot, so it’s possible Burke will rejoin the team after its trip to Toronto. However, it looks just as likely that he has played his last game for the club. Stay tuned.
Here are a few more items of interest from around the Eastern Conference:
- Speaking of Jennings, his teammate with the Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis, told reporters on Tuesday that being waived by New York was probably a good thing for Jennings. “He’s a great veteran, great guy,” Porzingis said, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “But he wasn’t, you could tell that he wasn’t himself lately so that’s probably the best thing for him. Because he loves basketball, he loves playing basketball (and) he wasn’t happy here.”
- The Hawks are still considering options for their 15th roster spot, but the team expects to add a “true point guard,” according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter link).
- J.R. Smith, who continues to recover from a thumb fracture, has rejoined the Cavaliers, though he’s not expected to play during the club’s current three-game road trip, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald looks ahead to free agency and wonders if a reunion with Dwyane Wade would be possible for the Heat this summer, exploring whether Wade would be a better fit for the club than Dion Waiters. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes, the Heat will have to evaluate Waiters as they would any outside free agent, since the team won’t hold his Bird rights in the offseason and won’t necessarily have a leg up on re-signing him.
Celtics Rumors: Bogut, T. Jones, Sullinger
The Celtics had been in the running to sign veteran center Andrew Bogut, but with the former No. 1 pick opting to sign instead with the rival Cavaliers, Boston doesn’t exactly have a Plan B in place, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald.
A source tells Murphy that, while the two sides were reportedly in touch, Terrence Jones doesn’t appear to be a target for the Celtics. However, team management hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a reunion with Jared Sullinger “somewhere down the line if it is needed.” As Murphy suggests, Sullinger has battled conditioning and health issues, and he hasn’t been himself this season, but the Ohio State product – who turns 25 this Saturday – has made the Celtics a better rebounding team in the past.
Here’s more from out of Boston:
- Although the Celtics haven’t closed the door on re-adding Sullinger, a reunion is “highly unlikely,” says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- A source tells Murphy that the Celtics may simply decide to rely on in-house options as they try to improve their rebounding, though they’ll keep an eye out for potential upgrades. “There’s nothing imminent; (the Celtics) will continue looking and see what happens,” the source said. Chris Mannix of The Vertical also hears that the C’s are likely to stand pat with their current roster.
- According to a separate source, the Celtics had internally debated the value Bogut would have in the lineup, Murphy writes. Due to concerns about Bogut’s health and uncertainty about whose minutes he would take, members of the Celtics had “mixed reviews” on whether or not the veteran center would be a good addition, Murphy’s source said.
Kevin Durant To Be Re-Evaluated In Four Weeks
9:02am: Durant has suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise, the Warriors announced today (via Twitter). According to the team’s announcement, the veteran forward will be sidelined indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. While there’s no timetable for Durant’s return, the club says he could play again before the end of the regular season.
7:56am: The Warriors are hopeful that the knee injury Kevin Durant suffered on Tuesday night will not be season-ending, according to Mike Wise of The Undefeated (Twitter link). However, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports, Golden State is bracing for the possibility that Durant may be sidelined for the rest of the regular season, or even longer.
Durant, who was initially diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, underwent an MRI on Tuesday night to assess the extend of his injury, per Wojnarowski. Doctors are evaluating the results of that test, and the Warriors are expected to make a formal announcement on Durant’s status later on Wednesday.
As Wojnarowski details, there are some team officials and members of Durant’s camp who fear that the injury will prevent the star forward from returning to the Warriors’ lineup before the playoffs begin in April. Some sources close to Durant are worried that the injury could keep him out of action for longer than that, sources tell Wojnarowski.
With their top scorer likely to miss extended time, the Warriors have reached an agreement to sign Matt Barnes. The former King will help provide depth at both forward positions in Durant’s absence, but Golden State will have to rely on its other All-Stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to help shoulder more of the scoring load with Durant on the shelf.
The Warriors’ interior players will face added pressure during Durant’s absence as well, since the 28-year-old had been arguably been the team’s best rim protector this season, averaging a team-high 1.6 blocks per contest.