MRI Reveals Kristaps Porzingis Has Torn ACL
9:59pm: Results of an MRI have confirmed that Porzingis has torn his ACL, the team’s PR department tweets. He could be out for as long as 12 months, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News tweets.
7:56pm: Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis is scheduled to have an MRI on his left knee, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes. The 22-year-old needed to be helped off the court after a dunk in the first half of New York’s Tuesday night contest.
Porzingis remained on the court for a minute after his knee initially buckled but, as Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes, he was able to put weight on it as he headed toward his MRI.
In his third year, Porzingis has upped his scoring averaged to 22.9 points per game, earning his first career All-Star Game nod in the process.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/6/18
Here are the G League moves from around the Association today:
- The Pistons sent recently acquired forward Brice Johnson to their G League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Johnson had previously played 23 games of action with Agua Caliente, the Clippers’ affiliate.
- The Lakers have recalled center Ivica Zubac from South Bay, the team announced in a press release. He has averaged 21.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during his stints with the affiliate.
- The Cavaliers have brought Ante Zizic back up from a stint with the club’s G League affiliate in Canton, the team announced in a press release. Zizic has seen action in just 12 games with the big league club this year.
- The Bulls assigned Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen to their G League affiliate today, with the intention of recalling them after practice, the team announced in a pair of tweets.
Marco Belinelli ‘On Course’ To Be Traded By Deadline
The Hawks have informed veteran guard Marco Belinelli that he is “on course” to be traded by the Thursday deadline, Marc Stein of The New York Times writes.
At this point, Stein writes, the team is weighing its options as to where exactly to send him.
Earlier this evening, Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote that Belinelli was held out of Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies because they didn’t want to risk him getting injured prior to a deal.
Sam Amick of USA Today adds, in his own tweet, that there is no done deal at this point in time but the team is confident enough in its “several options” to sit him.
There’s no clear indication who Atlanta would be most actively engaged with at this point but it’s likely that the club is shopping the 31-year-old to the highest bidder.
In his 11th NBA season, Belinelli is averaging 11.4 points per game off the bench for the rebuilding Hawks, but his ability to get hot off the bench and connect from outside would serve numerous contending teams well.
Belinelli, a .377 career three-point shooter has hit at least two threes in 27 of the 52 games he’s played for Atlanta this season. His expiring $6.6MM contract is palatable, too.
Willie Reed Suspended Six Games For Domestic Incident
6:06pm: The NBA Player’s Association has announced that it will file a grievance on behalf of Reed, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets.
4:26pm: Recently acquired Pistons big man Willie Reed has been suspended by the NBA for six games, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays. The incident at hand unfolded in Florida last August.
As we wrote at the time, the NBA built into its latest Collective Bargaining Agreement a new policy for dealing with domestic violence situations such as this one and the punishment will end up costing the big man $65K (h/t ESPN’s Bobby Marks).
While Reed’s wife elected not to press charges at the time, the 27-year-old had an arraignment hearing in October and was given the option to participate in a diversion program. We broke down Winderman’s reporting on the legal proceedings at the time.
Per the press release announcing the league’s six-game suspension, the NBA conducted its own extensive investigation into the matter, as outlined in the new CBA.
Northwest Rumors: Evans, Ingles, Chandler
As the February 8 trade deadline draws closer, it doesn’t take long to hear new whispers about who might be moved and where. In a preview of the big day, Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer ran through some of the dominoes that he thinks are yet to fall.
Here are some Northwest Division rumors from that SI piece and more:
- As we’re all aware of by now, Tyreke Evans and Lou Williams are on the block. One team that could emerge as a suitor for both is Minnesota, Fischer writes. The Timberwolves won’t be the only club looking to add the two talented wings, however.
- Another thing from the Fischer piece is that he says the Jazz consider Joe Ingles untouchable. We documented earlier that Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert aren’t for sale but this is the first time that that the 30-year-old Aussie has come up as off limits.
- Finally, the Sports Illustrated feature pins, in addition to the usual suspects, Wilson Chandler as a buyout candidate. Chandler has a $12.8MM player option for 2018/19 so it would be a dramatic move by the Nuggets but stranger things have happened.
- The Jazz, winners of six straight, are playing well enough of late to beg the question; should they make a move at all? Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that Derrick Favors is one well-documented possible trade chip who’s played a major role in Utah returning to their winning ways.
Players Who Are Ineligible To Be Traded At Deadline
At the start of any NBA season, there’s generally a long list of players who can’t be traded. Most of those players signed new contracts during the offseason and subsequently don’t become trade-eligible until at least December 15. Offseason signees who meet certain criteria don’t have their trade restrictions lift until January 15.
Now that both of those dates are behind us, the list of players who are still ineligible to be traded has shrunk considerably. However, there are still several guys around the NBA who won’t have to worry about hearing their names pop up in trade rumors this week, since they can’t be dealt.
Here’s a breakdown of the players who aren’t eligible to be traded at this Thursday’s deadline:
Designated Veteran Extension recipients:
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- James Harden (Rockets)
- John Wall (Wizards)
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
The Designated Veteran Extension, a super-max deal introduced in the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, made its debut during the 2017/18 league year, and the four players listed above were the first stars to receive the new form of extension. Once a player signs a Designated Veteran Extension, he’s ineligible to be traded for one year, which means that Curry (July 6), Harden (July 7), Wall (July 26), and Westbrook (September 29) can’t be traded for a while — not that they would have been anyway.
Veteran contract extension recipients:
- LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs)
- Robert Covington (Sixers)
- Norman Powell (Raptors)
- Josh Richardson (Heat)
Aldridge, Covington, Powell, and Richardson didn’t get Designated Veteran Extensions, but they did all sign veteran contract extensions that exceeded the very restrictive limits of an extend-and-trade transaction. As such, they can’t be traded for six months after signing their new deals. All four players signed their extensions between September 18 and November 17, meaning their trade windows won’t open until after the regular season.
Recently signed players:
- Trey Burke (Knicks)
- Dwight Buycks (Pistons)
- Isaiah Canaan (Suns)
- Tyler Cavanaugh (Hawks)
- Josh Gray (Suns)*
- Gerald Green (Rockets)
- Sean Kilpatrick (Bucks)
- DeAndre Liggins (Pelicans)
- Emeka Okafor (Pelicans)*
- Alex Poythress (Pacers)
The NBA’s trade eligibility rules dictate that a player who signs with a team as a free agent can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever comes later. That’s why most players who sign in July aren’t trade-eligible until December 15. For players who sign after September 15 though, that three-month restriction applies.
In the case of the players listed above, their deals were signed sometime after November 8. That means their three-month restriction won’t lift in time for the February 8 trade deadline.
As for Gray and Okafor, marked with asterisks, they’re simply on 10-day contracts, making them ineligible to be moved.
Note: This list doesn’t include players with the ability to veto trades or players on two-way contracts.
Pistons Awarded Disabled Player Exception
The NBA has awarded the Pistons a disabled player exception in the wake of Jon Leuer‘s season-ending ankle injury, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The exception will be worth $5,248,660, half of Leuer’s salary for 2017/18.
The disabled player exception granted to the Pistons won’t give the team an extra roster spot or any additional compensation. However, Detroit now has another tool available to acquire a player without requiring cap room.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Disabled Player Exception]
The Pistons’ disabled player exception will allow the team to sign a free agent for the rest of the season or to acquire a player in the final year of his contract via trade or waiver claim. The team will have until March 12 to use its DPE.
With the Pistons having been awarded a disabled player exception, there are now seven NBA teams holding those exceptions for 2017/18. One of those clubs – the Celtics – has committed to using its DPE to sign free agent center Greg Monroe. Of the remaining six disabled player exceptions, the Pistons’ DPE is the third-most valuable, behind the ones held by the Nets ($6MM) and Heat ($5.5MM).
Trade Rumors: Hernangomez, Bucks, Hawks, Raps
Word broke on Monday that Willy Hernangomez‘s representatives have asked the Knicks to trade the young center, though as Marc Berman and Zach Braziller of The New York Post note, that trade request was hardly shocking news. Hernangomez had publicly said several times already this season that he’d welcome a move to another team if that’s what it took for him to receive more playing time.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN, more than a dozen teams have expressed some level of interest in Hernangomez, and several of those clubs have put specific offers on the table for the Knicks. Still, New York’s front office won’t give Hernangomez away — the team is seeking a significant return for the 23-year-old, per Begley.
One source who has spoken to Knicks higher-ups expects the team to hang onto Hernangomez through the deadline unless a deal returns better long-term assets than the young big man, according to Berman and Braziller. Meanwhile, Begley notes that the Knicks are confident they’ll be able to reintegrate Hernangomez if they don’t trade him by Thursday.
As we wait to see what Hernangomez’s future holds, here are more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- Even after acquiring Tyler Zeller, the Bucks remain interested in Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. However, according to Woelfel, Milwaukee is unwilling to give up a key piece like Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton, or Jabari Parker in exchange for Jordan.
- While the Hawks are ready to deal, GM Travis Schlenk tells Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he doesn’t feel pressure to make moves, since the club has already stockpiled a number of extra draft picks. “We are willing to use our (cap) flexibility if we can get assets we want,” Schlenk said. “But I feel like we’ve done enough early on (that) we have the flexibility to sit back and not take too much (salary) on because we have so many picks. We don’t feel pressure to do anything because of that, but if there is an opportunity that makes sense for us we are certainly going to take a hard look at it.”
- Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet (Twitter link) is hearing “more and more” that the Raptors will be minor players at the trade deadline, if they’re active at all. Toronto has no interest in Tyreke Evans and views RFA-to-be Rodney Hood as too pricey, says Grange.
- Daryl Morey and the Rockets view the buyout period as just as likely to result in a roster addition as the trade market, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets still may complete a deal this week, with an emergency backup guard atop their wish list, but they want to hang onto their 2020 first-round pick, says Feigen. Houston’s 2019 first-round pick can’t be moved, since the team has already traded its 2018 first-rounder.
Latest On Thunder’s Search For Wing Help
With Andre Roberson sidelined for the rest of the season, the Thunder are on the lookout for help on the wing. With less than 48 hours left until the arrival of this year’s trade deadline, let’s check in on the latest reports on OKC’s options…
- There’s a “growing expectation” that the Thunder will make a move in advance of the trade deadline, since there’s a lot riding on this season, says ESPN’s Royce Young. Oklahoma City would prefer not to give up rookie Terrance Ferguson in a deal for a veteran rental though, Young adds.
- TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link) identifies Maurice Harkless and Tony Allen as two potential targets to watch for the Thunder. Harkless would be an interesting fit, though it may be difficult for the Trail Blazers and Thunder to figure out a deal, since both teams are projected taxpayers and will be reluctant to add salary. As for Allen, Aldridge tweets that the veteran swingman has been cleared to play after recovering from his broken leg, but will need some time to get back to full speed.
- The Thunder have done “due diligence” on Clippers guard Avery Bradley and Magic swingman Jonathon Simmons, per Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports. Mannix suggests that the Thunder might wait until closer to the deadline in the hopes that teams’ asking prices come down, noting that they could also wait until after the deadline and take their chances on what’s expected to be a “robust” buyout market.
- Within his trade deadline preview, Jake Fischer of SI.com writes that the Thunder have shown interest in Clippers guard Lou Williams and expressed “serious” interest in Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans.
- Oklahoma City has also been linked to Rodney Hood.
Lakers Receive Another Tampering Fine From NBA
After being fined $500K for tampering with the Pacers and Paul George during the 2017 offseason, the Lakers have once again been penalized by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-tampering rules. The NBA announced today that the Lakers have been fined $50K for tampering related to Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The latest fine levied upon the Lakers by the NBA comes as a result of a recent interview between ESPN’s Nick Friedell and Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. During that discussion, Johnson raved at length about Antetokounmpo’s talent and potential, comparing The Greek Freak’s game to his own.
[RELATED: Magic Johnson offered to pay George tampering fine out of his own salary]
“He plays above the rim. I never could do that,” Johnson said of Antetokounmpo. “But in his understanding of the game, his basketball IQ, his creativity of shots for his teammates. That’s where we [have the] same thing. Can bring it down, make a pass, make a play. I’m just happy he’s starting in the All-Star game because he deserves that. And he’s going to be like an MVP, a champion, this dude he’s going to put Milwaukee on the map. And I think he’s going to bring them a championship one day.”
While Johnson appears not to have learned his lesson after the Lakers were fined $500K for tampering with George last offseason, his comments on Giannis seem pretty innocuous, which is why this penalty is a slap on the wrist compared to that initial fine. Still, it serves as another reminder to Johnson and the Lakers’ front office to watch what they say going forward as they plot their next roster moves.