Lakers Notes: Kuzma, Lopez, KCP, Nance Jr.
Rookie power forward Kyle Kuzma had a feeling the Lakers would draft him after his stock rose, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Kuzma, who declared after his junior season at Utah, was originally pegged as second-round material who might even go undrafted. Kuzma wound up getting picked 27th overall and has taken the league by storm, posting three double-doubles and three 20-point games. “I knew I was way better than that, better than how people pegged me,” he told Charania. “After I killed draft workouts and the combine, I knew I would go in the first round. I had a good hint that it would be L.A., just because of the workout and my combine interview with them, but I didn’t know until draft night.”
In other items concerning the Lakers:
- The offense has perked up in recent games and center Brook Lopez has played a big role in that improvement, as Joey Ramirez of the team’s website notes. Lopez, who was acquired in an offseason deal with the Nets, is the NBA’s sixth-highest scorer over the last three games, averaging 27.3 PPG. Kuzma believes improved health has led to Lopez’s offensive outburst, as he told Ramirez. “The whole preseason he was really bad with a back injury and little nicks and bruises,” Kuzma said. “You can tell he’s getting back to the Nets version of Brook Lopez.”
- Lopez and shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have helped to stabilize a mostly youthful roster, coach Luke Walton told NBA.com’s David Aldridge. Lopez has provided a steadying force on offense, while Caldwell-Pope has helped establish a defensive mindset, Aldridge adds. Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year, $18MM free agent contract after the Pistons renounced his rights during restricted free agency. “I think KCP coming over, just a hard-nosed player,” Walton told Aldridge. “He’s been in that Eastern Conference, hard worker. He kind of helps set that tone. Brook’s been a solid vet in this league for a long time.”
- Larry Nance Jr. is frustrated by his latest injury setback, as he told Bill Oram of the Orange County Register and other media members. Nance Jr., who missed multiple games with knee injuries the last two seasons, is out 4-6 weeks with a fractured left hand. He was averaging 10.6 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 23.1 MPG before suffering the injury Thursday. “I was given a really good chance, was making the most of it,” he said. “So I’m just anxious to get back and keep making a good impression.”
Community Shootaround: Pistons’ Fast Start
Veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver knows that the Pistons’ 7-3 start doesn’t mean much in the long run.
“It’s part of 82 games. We’ve got to keep doing it,” he said. “Just one game at a time and don’t get ahead of ourselves. Don’t get too confident, but also using this confidence knowing that whoever we play against we have a chance and we can win and we can beat anybody.”
Suffice to say, though, that no one predicted Detroit would lead the Cavaliers by three games in the standings at any point this season. The Pistons, who are off to their best 10-game beginning since 2008, have only qualified for the playoffs once in the last eight seasons. Cleveland will eventually get its act together but there are signs that the Pistons’ start is not a fluke.
They have posted some quality wins and shown the ability to erase double-digit deficits. That included a road triumph against the Warriors, even though the Pistons were playing the second end of a back-to-back.
Center Andre Drummond, their franchise player, has returned with a renewed focus and looks like an All-Star again after a subpar season. He’s even making his free throws (75%).
Point guard Reggie Jackson, slowed by a knee injury a year ago, looks healthy and is running the offense efficiently (3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio). Tobias Harris is shooting with confidence from the perimeter, averaging nearly 20 PPG, while Stanley Johnson has provided a defensive presence at small forward.
Detroit’s major offseason acquisition, Avery Bradley, has impacted the team at both ends. The shooting guard’s tenacious defense has rubbed off on his new teammates and his steady offensive output has been a major upgrade over the inconsistent player he replaced, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Coach Stan Van Gundy has so many solid bench options that he’s struggling to decide who should be in the rotation.
Of course, things could change in a hurry, as the Pistons don’t have the talent to beat many teams unless they’re at their best. They proved that with a road loss to the Lakers and a home loss to the Sixers.
They also have no viable options if Drummond suffers a significant injury. They lost Aron Baynes in free agency and are using power forward Jon Leuer and a summer-league addition, Eric Moreland, as his backups.
This brings us to our question of the day: Will the Pistons make the playoffs this season or is their quick start a mirage?
Please weigh in on this topic in the comments section. We look forward to what you have to say.
Luol Deng, Lakers Pursue Buyout Or Trade
Veteran forward Luol Deng and the Lakers are discussing buyout and trade options, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports. Deng’s contract will make trading him a difficult task and the Lakers could eventually use the waive-and-stretch provision if the other options fail, Shelburne adds.
Deng has been stuck on the inactive list in the early going and remained there on Sunday even though forward Larry Nance Jr. suffered a fractured left hand on Thursday. Deng, who signed a four-year, $72MM contract as a free agent last year, has only appeared in one game this season.
Deng told Shelburne he needs to find another team that will give him a chance. He has tried to keep a positive attitude, especially around the young players.
“It definitely hurts but the only answer for me now is to prove myself away from LA,” Deng said. “I’m not asked to play, I’m not in the rotation so I can’t prove myself here. Most of these young guys don’t understand the business of basketball, so if I come in here and I’m angry every day, I’m taking something away from them. I have to be smiling, I have to be in the best mood I can be in, because they’re living their dream of being an NBA player.”
Deng, 32, appeared in 53 games last season before he fell out of the rotation. He added to Shelburne that it could be “a month, it could be a week, it could be three months” before his situation is resolved.
The Lakers would certainly be glad to find a taker for Deng’s contract so that they can clear more cap space and pursue top-level free agents over the next two summers. They managed to move Timofey Mozgov‘s four-year, $64MM deal during the offseason, Shelburne notes.
Knicks Rumors: Jack, Porzingis, McDermott
Knicks starting point guard Jarrett Jack feels pressure to remain productive because he doesn’t have a guaranteed contract, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports. New York has won five of its last six, coinciding with Jack replacing Ramon Sessions in the lineup. Jack’s $2.33MM contract doesn’t become guaranteed until January 10th, so he can’t become complacent, as he told Bondy. “It keeps you on your toes, forces you to stay sharp – knowing you can’t take any day or any situation for granted,” Jack said. “I know a lot of the owners would love to have it that way in the collective bargaining agreement.” The Knicks will have to make a roster move when Joakim Noah‘s PED suspension ends on November 13th in order to retain Jack in the short run. Trading Kyle O’Quinn or Willy Hernangomez is a possibility, according to Bondy. They could also eat a guaranteed contract, with Sessions, Michael Beasley and Mindaugas Kuzminskas as the likely candidates in that scenario, Bondy adds.
In other news concerning the Knicks:
- Kristaps Porzingis admits that former team president Phil Jackson’s comments about his readiness to be a franchise player motivates him, as he told ESPN’s Ian Begley and other media members. Jackson said in his postseason press conference last spring that Porzingis wasn’t ready for that role or to be the featured player on offense. Porzingis is currently the league’s second-leading scorer at 30.2 PPG. “The challenge is never too big for me,” Porzingis said. “I always accept the challenge and that’s why I knew coming into this season [if Carmelo Anthony] was not going to be here, then I’m going to have to be that guy and that’s why I was just [spending] 24 hours in the gym. I was preparing for this, preparing myself physically, and I’m just happy that I’m capable of playing at this level right now.”
- Doug McDermott anticipated he would fit into coach Jeff Hornacek’s up-tempo offense when the team acquired him from the Thunder in the Anthony trade, Alex Squadron of the New York Post writes. McDermott has settled into his role as an offensive sparkplug, averaging 7.0 PPG and 1.6 APG in 20.0 MPG while shooting 49% from the field. “I’m just accepting it right now, coming off the bench,” McDermott told Squadron. “Playing that 20 minutes per game. Just coming in, being aggressive. They want me to be aggressive scoring the ball.”
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Simmons, White
The Wizards didn’t have the flexibility to go out and make major moves in free agency this offseason, so after keeping their roster relatively intact, they had to bet on improvement from within for the 2017/18 season. As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter have been making good on that bet so far this season.
Bradley Beal, in the second year of a maximum-salary contract with the Wizards, is coming off a career season and has looked even better so far in 2017/18, averaging a career-high 25.7 PPG and .503 FG%. As for Porter, he’s in the first year of a max deal of his own, and he’s topping last season’s career year so far too, with new career-bests in PPG (18.3), FG% (.569), 3PT% (.525), RPG (6.9), and several other categories.
It still feels like the Wizards might meed a midseason trade to turn into a legit title contender, but with the Cavaliers looking vulnerable and the Celtics missing Gordon Hayward, the door is open for Washington to make a move in the East this year.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- This year’s cavalcade of LeBron James free agency predictions is underway, with former Wizards forward Paul Pierce suggesting recently on ESPN that D.C. would be an ideal landing spot for the four-time MVP in 2018. Hughes passes along the rationale for Pierce’s idea, which seems like a long shot.
- With Elfrid Payton and D.J. Augustin sidelined, the Magic appeared poised to turn to free agent addition Shelvin Mack as their starting point guard. While Mack has seen increased minutes in the absence of Payton and Augustin, it was another offseason signee, Jonathon Simmons, who got the start at point guard on Sunday. John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com has the details.
- Okaro White, whose 2017/18 salary recently became fully guaranteed, is emerging as a reliable rotation player for the Heat, says Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. After playing just 18 minutes in Miami’s first five games, White has averaged 17.7 MPG in the last four, starting three of those contests.
Veterans Eligible For Extensions Until June 30
Rookie scale extensions have historically been the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. Veteran extensions are signed occasionally, but few players are eligible to receive them due to restrictive regulations — and for many of those extension-eligible vets, it simply makes more sense to wait until free agency to maximize their earnings.
The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement has loosened the rules on eligibility for veteran contract extensions, and has also made them a little more financially advantageous for players who don’t expect mega-deals.
For stars like DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George, who are currently eligible for veteran extensions, it still makes sense to wait until free agency, since the maximum raise they can receive on an extension is far below the maximum salary they’re eligible to get on the open market. However, the new rules have made veteran extensions more viable for a number of players. As our extension tracker shows, six of the 10 contract extensions signed during the 2017/18 league year were veteran deals, including three Designated Veteran Extensions.
Once the regular season starts, the number of veterans eligible for contract extensions shrinks, since players with more than one year left on their contracts are no longer permitted to extend their deals. But there are a number of veterans in the final year of their respective contracts who remain eligible for extensions right up until June 30, the last day of the current league year.
Listed below are the players who meet the criteria for a veteran extension. Players who were recently traded can be extended, but they have to wait for six months after the trade to sign a contract longer than three total years (including the current season). So if a player below is noted as having “limited” eligibility until a certain date, that’s probably why. Once those six months pass, he’s eligible to sign a contract of up to five years (including the current season).
Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2018/19 would have to eliminate that option year as part of an extension agreement in order to meet the necessary criteria.
Here’s the full list of veterans eligible for contract extensions until June 30:
Atlanta Hawks
- None
Boston Celtics
- None
Brooklyn Nets
- Sean Kilpatrick
- Note: Will become extension-eligible on March 19.
Charlotte Hornets
- None
Chicago Bulls
- None
Cleveland Cavaliers
- None
Dallas Mavericks
- Wesley Matthews (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
- Salah Mejri
Denver Nuggets
- Will Barton
- Wilson Chandler (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
- Devin Harris
- Note: Extension eligibility limited.
- Nikola Jokic (if 2018/19 team option is declined)
Detroit Pistons
- None
Golden State Warriors
- None
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
- Cory Joseph (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
- Glenn Robinson III
- Joe Young (if 2018/19 team option is declined)
- Thaddeus Young (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
Los Angeles Clippers
- Avery Bradley
- Note: Extension eligibility limited.
- Montrezl Harrell
- DeAndre Jordan (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
- Lou Williams (Update: Signed extension)
Los Angeles Lakers
- Corey Brewer
- Channing Frye
- Note: Extension eligibility limited.
- Brook Lopez
- Isaiah Thomas
- Note: Extension eligibility limited.
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
- None
Milwaukee Bucks
- None
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
- Enes Kanter (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
- Note: Extension eligibility limited until March 25.
- Note: Extension eligibility limited until March 25.
- Kyle O’Quinn (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Paul George (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
- Jerami Grant
Orlando Magic
- None
Philadelphia 76ers
- Robert Covington (Update: Signed extension)
- Richaun Holmes (if 2018/19 team option is declined)
- T.J. McConnell (if 2018/19 team option is declined)
Phoenix Suns
- None
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
- Kosta Koufos (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
San Antonio Spurs
- Danny Green (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
- Tony Parker
Toronto Raptors
- None
Utah Jazz
- Derrick Favors
- Raul Neto
- Iman Shumpert (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
Washington Wizards
- None
Information from ESPN was used in the creation of this post.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/6/17
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Spurs have assigned veteran point guard Tony Parker back to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Parker, recovering from quadriceps surgery, has been back and forth between San Antonio and Austin as part of his rehab process.
- Rookie big man Zhou Qi is headed to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets announced today (via Twitter). Zhou appears likely to suit up for the Vipers tonight against the Wisconsin Herd.
- The Raptors have sent rookie forward Alfonzo McKinnie to the G League, according to the team (via Twitter). McKinnie has played very limited minutes in three games so far for Toronto.
- The Clippers recalled second-year power forward Brice Johnson from the G League on Sunday, per the team. Johnson helped lead the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario to a Saturday win, piling up 25 points and 11 boards.
Bulls, Hawks Most Likely Suitors For Okafor?
The Bulls and Hawks appear to be the most likely landing spots for Jahlil Okafor, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, who cites league sources in his latest report at NBA.com. However, the Sixers continue to hold out for “at least a draft pick,” Aldridge writes.
While it’s not clear if Aldridge is referring to a first-round pick or just a decent second-rounder, his report sounds similar to one from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski last week. Wojnarowski indicated that the 76ers remain committed to acquiring some sort of “asset” in exchange for Okafor, who has asked to be traded or bought out.
[RELATED: Jahlil Okafor confirms he wants trade or buyout]
The Bulls and Hawks are both very much in rebuilding mode, with just two wins apiece so far this season, so a move to acquire a 21-year-old with Okafor’s pedigree would make sense for either team. However, both clubs figure to maintain a tight hold on their draft picks, and – like Boston – would almost certainly be unwilling to part with a first-rounder for Okafor.
Although the former third overall pick still has plenty of potential, his contract situation makes him a tough sell. Because his fourth-year option was turned down, Okafor will be an unrestricted free agent next July, and the team carrying him as season’s end won’t be able to offer him a contract with a starting salary higher than about $6.3MM, the amount of his declined option. So if Okafor were to be traded now and then enjoyed a breakout year with his new team, that club may not be able to re-sign him.
Okafor would like resolution sooner rather than later, but as Aldridge notes, it’s possible that the Sixers will hang onto him as insurance against a potential Joel Embiid injury, or in order to use him as a salary-matching piece in a deadline deal.
The 76ers don’t want to take on any extra salary in a potential Okafor trade, since they want to have the flexibility to renegotiate Robert Covington‘s contract after November 15 and to retain cap space for next summer, says Aldridge. Philadelphia is also reluctant to buy out Okafor, according to Aldridge, since they believe it would take the division-rival Celtics “about 30 seconds to scarf him up.”
Spurs Rookie Derrick White Fractures Wrist
Rookie guard Derrick White, the Spurs’ 2017 first-round pick, has suffered a fractured right wrist, the team announced today in a press release. No timeline for White’s recovery and return has been deterimed at this point, according to the Spurs.
The 29th overall pick in this year’s draft out of Colorado, White has played sparingly for the Spurs so far, appearing in four games for the team. San Antonio has been assigning him frequently to the Austin Spurs for additional work, and White’s injury actually took place during his most recent G League assignment — he fractured his wrist during Saturday’s game against the Texas Legends.
The injury won’t have a major impact on the Spurs’ NBA rotation, since White hadn’t yet earned a spot in that group. Still, it will cost him at least a few weeks of valuable developmental time in San Antonio and Austin. As we’ve seen this season with Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson, the Spurs have a habit of taking things slow with their first-round draft picks, gradually easing them into larger roles.
Bulls’ David Nwaba Out 2-4 Weeks
At the same time the Bulls are set to get some reinforcements in their frontcourt, with Bobby Portis returning from his eight-game suspension, the team’s backcourt has taken a hit. According to head coach Fred Hoiberg, starting shooting guard David Nwaba will be sidelined for the next two to four weeks due to a severely sprained ankle (Twitter link via Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago).
Nwaba, who is currently in a walking boot, sustained the injury in the third quarter of Saturday night’s overtime loss to the Pelicans, and had to be helped off the court.
The 24-year-old, claimed off waivers from the Lakers during the offseason, had stepped into Chicago’s starting lineup for Paul Zipser last week, and had been playing well. In eight total games this season for the Bulls, Nwaba has averaged 6.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG to go along with a shooting line of .526/.400/.722 in 21.0 minutes per contest.
With Nwaba sidelined, Zipser will return to the starting lineup at small forward, with Justin Holiday shifting back to shooting guard.
Once Nwaba misses three games, the Bulls will be eligible to apply for an injury hardship exception, if they so choose. Hardship exceptions grant an extra roster spot to teams missing at least four players for three or more games due to injury or illness. Chicago is already without Zach LaVine, Nikola Mirotic, and Cameron Payne.