Five Key Stories: 1/13/18 – 1/20/18
Missed this week’s biggest NBA headlines? We’ve got a recap for you. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
The Hornets are reportedly open to moving Kemba Walker. That certainly doesn’t mean that Walker is a lock to be moved by February 8, or that Charlotte even wants to make a deal. But the Hornets recognize that attaching their star point guard to one or more of their less desirable contracts may be the quickest and most effective way to kickstart a rebuild.
Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out indefinitely due to right quadriceps tendinopathy. The Spurs forward returned from the same injury last month, but never looked quite right, missing games frequently even after getting back in the lineup. Head coach Gregg Popovich said Leonard’s injury “hasn’t responded the way we wanted it to,” so the superstar will focus on rehabbing his quad for the foreseeable future.
The deadline for teams to sign players to two-way contracts has now passed. That means that the 59 players currently on two-way deals are reasonably safe, since they can’t be replaced. Kay Felder, Demetrius Jackson, and Mike James were among the players with NBA experience who inked new two-way deals before Monday’s deadline.
Nikola Mirotic and 15 other players became eligible to be traded. In addition to being the deadline for two-way signings, Monday was also the day that trade restrictions lifted on several players who signed new contracts in the offseason. Of those players, Mirotic was the most notable, since the Bulls forward has been the subject of a number of trade rumors this season.
Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green received two-game suspensions as a result of an altercation in Los Angeles. NBA Twitter was abuzz late on Monday night as reports surfaced that multiple Rockets players had tried to get into the Clippers‘ locker room after a testy game in L.A. Chris Paul, James Harden, Austin Rivers, and Blake Griffin escaped without suspensions. While the incident wasn’t the biggest NBA story of the week, the various details (including a supposed “secret hallway” used by the Rockets to get to the Clips’ locker room) made it perhaps the most entertaining.
Here are 10 more NBA headlines from the last week worth noting:
- The Kings have begun to sit two veteran players per game as they focus on the future.
- Jazz swingman Thabo Sefolosha will miss the rest of the 2017/18 season due to a knee injury.
- The Cavaliers are believed to be eyeing George Hill, DeAndre Jordan, and Lou Williams as they explore potential trades.
- The Knicks signed Trey Burke to a rest-of-season deal after waiving Ramon Sessions.
- The Bulls are reportedly gauging trade interest in point guard Jerian Grant.
- Jazz guard Rodney Hood was identified as a possible trade candidate.
- The Kings have shut down 2017 first-rounder Harry Giles for the rest of the 2017/18 campaign.
- Jarell Eddie and Nigel Hayes signed 10-day contracts with the Celtics and Lakers, respectively.
- Pistons big man Jon Leuer underwent season-ending surgery on his troublesome left ankle.
- The deadline to apply for a disabled player exception passed on Monday. The Pelicans and Nets had their requests for DPEs granted; we’re still waiting for updates on requests by the Heat and Pistons.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 1/13/18 – 1/20/18
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- With the February 8 trade deadline fast approaching, we began to take a closer look this week at some specific trade candidates, identifying several players in the Southeast and Southwest divisions who could be on the move in the coming weeks.
- Some trade candidates will have a little more leverage than others this season. We examined five players who are viewed as possible trade chips, but would have to give their consent to be dealt.
- We continued our team-by-team series previewing the 2018 free agent market this week, assessing the stocks of free-agents-to-be for the Knicks and the Raptors.
- Eight first-round picks for the 2018 draft have already been traded, but most have protections on them. With the help of our 2017/18 Reverse Standings, we checked in on where things stand for those traded first-rounders, including the Lakers pick that will land in either Philadelphia or Boston.
- Chris Crouse’s weekly fantasy basketball feature zeroed in on finding under-the-radar values on lottery-bound teams.
- In his Sunday mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions on LeBron James, Andre Drummond, and the Bucks.
- Our Community Shootaround discussions this week focused on the following questions:
- What moves do the Cavaliers need to make?
- Should the Heat exploring moving Hassan Whiteside?
- Who was the NBA’s first-half MVP?
- Which 10 players deserved to be named All-Star starters?
Celtics Sign Jarell Eddie To 10-Day Deal
JANUARY 20, 11:22am: The Celtics have made the signing official, the team announced in a press release.
JANUARY 19, 10:48am: The Celtics intend to fill their open roster spot by signing free agent swingman Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Boston has been carrying 14 players on its roster (not counting two-way contracts), so no corresponding move will be required to add Eddie.
Eddie, who played his college ball at Virginia Tech, went undrafted in 2014 spent time in camps with the Hawks, Celtics, and Warriors before eventually making his regular season NBA debut with the Wizards in 2015. The 26-year-old has appeared in 31 total games for Washington and Phoenix since then, averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.0 RPG in very limited action (6.7 MPG).
After joining Chicago for training camp and the preseason this fall, Eddie headed to the G League to play for the Windy City Bulls. Limited to 10 G League contests due to injuries, he has been productive when he has played, posting 17.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG with an impressive .490/.500/.947 shooting line.
Assuming Eddie doesn’t officially sign his 10-day deal until Saturday or Sunday, he’d be eligible to play in five games for the Celtics before his contract expires. When Eddie’s 10-day deal ends, the Celtics would have the opportunity to sign him to another 10-day pact before deciding whether or not to commit to him for the rest of the season.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Looney, Bell, Young, McGee
Stephen Curry is a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and his shooting ability is one of the main reasons why. He obliterated his own record for made three-pointers during his unanimous MVP season two years ago, but he is actually having a better season from a shooting perspective in 2017/18.
Micah Adams of ESPN breaks down Curry’s field-goal selection and how the 29-year-old is compensating for shooting a lower percentage from beyond the arc compared to his 2015/16 season by taking better overall shots. Instead, Curry’s field-goal percentage (49.5%) and free-throw percentage (91.8%) are among the best totals he has posted in a season.
All told, the Warriors‘ point guard has averaged 27.7 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 5.3 RPG in 31 contests this year. Curry missed 11 games earlier in the sesason due to an ankle sprain.
Check out other news from the Warriors organization below:
- Warriors rookie Jordan Bell will miss at least two weeks due to ankle inflammation, the Warriors announced on Friday (via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Bell, 23, suffered the injury in Golden State’s Wednesday matchup against the Bulls.
- In Bell’s absence, third-year forward Kevon Looney figures to see an increased role, Mark Medina of the Mercury News writes. As Medina notes, Looney has accepted fluctuating playing time and played hard everytime he has been called upon, which was noticed by head coach Steve Kerr.
- Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders takes a look at how Nick Young and JaVale McGee, who started as teammates with the Wizards, are glad to be on the same side of the floor again as members of the Warriors.
Knicks Notes: Kanter, Hornacek, Porzingis, Trade Deadline Plans
Enes Kanter has been a bright spot for the Knicks this season, but his ongoing dispute with the Turkish government has generated more headlines than anything he has done on the court. While his future — both with the Knicks and his native country — is unclear, Kanter knows he wants to retire in New York.
In an in-depth interview with ESPN’s Ian Begley, Kanter addressed his perception of the Knicks before he joined the team as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade last September and his current view of the organization.
“I remember during the draft I went to see a lot of organizations. But after you play in New York, you don’t really want to go anywhere else,” Kanter said. “The people around are so cool. I remember maybe it was my second month here. I was thinking, ‘This place is so cool, I want to retire here.’ I remember one of the media guys was asking me, ‘Is it too early to decide because you’ve been here for not even a half season? Why did you want to decide that you wanted to retire as a Knick?’ I was like, ‘This is the place I want to be.’ You play at Madison Square Garden, you see all the famous people. I’m really cool with Ben Stiller.”
Kanter, 25, has averaged 13.5 PPG and 9.9 RPG through 43 games this season while holding down the center position. In addition to his Knicks future, Kanter also discussed his view of Turkey, his current relationship with his family, and his spat with LeBron James.
Check out other Knicks news below:
- There have been some rumblings of head coach Jeff Hornacek‘s future with the team given the team’s recent rough patch, which was addressed by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Amid the chatter, however, Hornacek responded by stating that he has the support of the organization and moving forward with the plan of developing young talent, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- Kristaps Porzingis was voted an All-Star starter by his fellow players, but lost the overall vote to Sixers big man Joel Embiid. Per ESPN, the Latvian sharpshooter addressed the news with confidence. “Players know,” Porzingis said. “That’s all I’m going to say.“
- The Knicks’ issues with their point guards, defensive capabilities, and ability to win were evident in a recent loss to the Grizzlies. Marc Berman of the New York Post examined how the recent losses — the rough patch that has left the team at 21-25 — could lead to a fire sale ahead of the February 8 trade deadline.
Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Leonard, Matthews
It’s inevitable, Keith Smith of RealGM writes, that the Grizzlies will need to trade Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. The two veterans were the last longtime core players standing after Zach Randolph and Tony Allen departed during the offseason and could help the franchise land desperately needed assets on their way out.
Although both players are approaching the wrong side of their primes, they could make an impact for contending teams. Gasol, Smith writes, could even land the Grizzlies a package of draft picks and young players if dealt.
Finding a suitor for Conley may be slightly more difficult as he’s owed nearly $114MM through 2020-21. For that reason, the scribe suggests that the Grizzlies should jump at any opportunity to get out of the deal if they get a chance, even if the yield is less than expected.
The moves may be difficult, Smith adds, but they’d put the Grizzlies on the quickest course to building a new contender.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- While it was announced that Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard would be out for an “indefinite period” of time to rehab his right quadriceps injury, the injury isn’t as disastrous as some have interpreted it as. “Career-threatening shouldn’t even be in the conversation,” one person close to Leonard told Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
- Rockets CEO Tad Brown was surprised that the league didn’t come down on Blake Griffin for allegedly hitting head coach Mike D’Antoni, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. Gerald Green and Trevor Ariza were the only players suspended for their parts in the kerfuffle that unfolded in Los Angeles on Monday night.
- Unsure of where the Mavs currently fall in the To Tank Or Not To Tank debate, Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News writes that there’s no major incentive to unload Wesley Matthews. The economics of the league have changed since Matthews signed his four-year, $70MM contract back in 2015. These days, the approximately $18MM cap hit for the lockdown perimeter defender doesn’t seem as outlandish as it did in the past.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/19/18
Here are the G League moves from around the Association today:
- The Cavaliers assigned big man Ante Zizic to their affiliate in Canton, the team announced in a press release. Zizic is averaging 16.3 points and 8.9 rebounds in just 23.4 minutes for the G League squad this season.
- The Bulls sent Cristiano Felicio and Paul Zipser down to the G League, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The big men plied their trade for the Windy City affiliate on Friday night.
- The Rockets assigned Troy Williams to Rio Grande Valley, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The Vipers are Houston’s G League affiliate.
And-Ones: Predictions, Discipline, Prospects
In a debut installment of a new feature, Marc Stein of the New York Times made a number of predictions for the upcoming year in basketball. The scribe ventures a guess that this is the year the Trail Blazers blow up their backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
Stein writes that dealing one of the star guards would be the easiest way for the Blazers to balance their roster, something that could come in handy if the organization seeks to go in a new direction. Bear in mind, however, that Stein’s prediction applies to this year and not necessarily to this season.
Stein also makes a series of arguments that a pair of big names stay with their current teams, despite ongoing speculation to the contrary. The Times journalist says that LeBron James to the Lakers is no guarantee and that Cleveland stands a legitimate chance of retaining the King.
On a similar note, Stein reasons that DeMarcus Cousins isn’t likely to find the market teeming with attractive salary offers this season and that he’ll end up staying put with the Pelicans.
There’s more from around the league:
- One possible solution to curb the growing tension between NBA players and referees is to ramp up the discipline assigned to players who act hostile to officials. “The hammer has to drop from above,” one Western Conference team official told Ken Berger of Bleacher Report. “When you had David Stern and Rod Thorn there, none of this stuff was going on because they weren’t going to put up with it. I think we’ve gotten away from that. There’s something every night.“
- Four active front offices have made a dozen or more trade deadline deals over the course of their tenures, Bobby Marks of ESPN weighed in on them and the rest of the league’s executives in his latest for ESPN Insiders.
- There has been plenty of movement among the DraftExpress team’s list of the top 100 NBA prospects. Jonathan Givony of ESPN recently broke down a number of NCAA players who’ve recently seen their values rise dramatically.
Cavs Pursuing DeAndre Jordan, Lou Williams
6:30pm: Stein added in a later tweet that the Cavs have similarly inquired about Lou Williams. David Aldridge of TNT confirmed Cleveland’s interest in the former Sixth Man of the Year but notes that talks with the Clips have stalled due to L.A.’s request for the Nets’ 2018 pick.
6:13pm: The Cavaliers are pursuing separate deals for both DeAndre Jordan and George Hill, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. While the latter was reported earlier today, the fact that the Cavs are now more aggressively seeking a Jordan deal comes as news.
About a month ago, the Cavs were said to be “sniffing around” the 29-year-old Jordan. Now, third in the Eastern Conference and losers of nine of their last 13 contests, the team could be more desperate to make a bold move ahead of the deadline.
Given that Jordan is owed $22.6MM this season and holds a player option for $24.1MM next season, the luxury-tax-bound Cavs would have to get creative with outgoing packages if they planned on somehow netting both Jordan and Hill.
One of the major assets that the Cavs could offer in exchange for the 2017 NBA All-Star is the famous 2018 Nets pick they acquired from the Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade. The team, however, has been said to be reluctant to deal the first-rounder.
The suddenly red-hot Clippers won’t be looking to give Jordan away for peanuts at the deadline, but there’s reason to believe that the club could be motivated to make a move. In 41 games for L.A. this season, Jordan has posted 11.8 points and 14.9 rebounds per game.
Andrew Bogut Expected To Sign After Trade Deadline
Veteran big man Andrew Bogut is expected to sign with a new team after the trade deadline, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. The 33-year-old is being courted by a number of playoff teams already, Stein adds.
Last seen with the Lakers prior to his release in early January, Bogut is a physical low-post presence that teams hope can still contribute, at least defensively, to a winner.
With the NBA trade deadline approaching and roster flexibility of particular importance, it’s unlikely that Bogut finds a new job prior to February 8. After the deadline, teams said to be interested in the Australian (like the Bucks) should have more roster clarity and are expected to pursue him more aggressively.