Injury Updates: Mitchell, Embiid, Turner, Lauvergne
Donovan Mitchell will be a game-time decision for the Jazz tonight, according to Kyle Goon of The Salt Lake Tribune. Mitchell, who stubbed a toe during the second half of the series opener with Oklahoma City, plans to go through warm-ups before deciding if he can play.
“If I’m limping or whatever, if I’m out there kinda trying to adjust and not playing right like my normal self, that will dictate it,” he said. “That was really my first time going at it since the game. … I’m waiting to see what I feel right before the game, so we’ll go from there.”
Mitchell, who is listed as questionable for tonight’s contest, was able to return to Sunday’s game after the injury, but has been limited at practice this week. He is Utah’s leading scorer at 20.5 points per game and posted 27 in the series opener.
There’s more injury-related news to pass along:
- The Sixers are listing Joel Embiid as doubtful for Game 3, the team announced on Twitter. Coach Brett Brown said Embiid, who is recovering from March 31 facial surgery, was able to handle contact “quite well” in Tuesday’s practice, relays Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia (Twitter link). “He did a little bit of contact,” Brown said. “Not much, but a little. Got up and down and scripted some plays. But really not much more than that.” Embiid will be evaluated again at tomorrow’s shootaround (Twitter link).
- Trail Blazers guard Evan Turner is questionable for Game 3 after suffering a bruised toe last night against the Pelicans, reports Jason Quick of NBC Sports Northwest. Turner was kicked in his big toe during a scramble for a loose ball and was limping after the game. Jusuf Nurkic, who left Tuesday’s game with a leg bruise, is expected to be OK.
- The Spurs are listing Joffrey Lauvergne as out for Game 3 because of “personal business,” with no explanation of what that involves, relays Cody McCrary of The San Antonio Express-News.
- The Timberwolves will be without rookie center Justin Patton tonight because of a sore left foot, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, LeBron, Leonard, Oladipo
Most of Tristan Thompson‘s recent headlines have been for his off-court behavior, but that isn’t why he has fallen out of the Cavaliers’ playoff rotation, writes Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report. Thompson, who played just two minutes at the end of the Game 1 loss to Indiana, is coming off his worst statistical season since he was a rookie and may still be hampered by a torn calf muscle he suffered in November.
According to Swartz, Thompson’s playing time has declined because of his inability to handle the two priorities of a modern center: protecting the rim and shooting from long distance. He averaged just 0.3 blocks per game this season and hasn’t made a 3-pointer in his seven-year NBA career.
Kevin Love has taken over as the starting center, with Jeff Green at power forward. The back-up minutes in Game 1 went to Larry Nance Jr., who was acquired from the Lakers in a February trade. Thompson is a huge expense to keep on the roster if he doesn’t play, with two seasons and more than $36MM left on his contract.
There’s more today out of Cleveland:
- LeBron James believes the Cavaliers’ roster uncertainty throughout the season may have impacted them in the playoff opener, relays Dave McMenamin on ESPN Now. “I think we spent so much time trying to figure out who we were in the regular season and getting the right lineups and guys in and out and things of that nature, we could never build for the playoffs,” James said. “It was kind of like, build for the next game. So the postseason finally hit us and it hit us very well. And I think that can be the best teacher for us to know exactly what we should be ready for tonight.”
- If the Spurs decide to trade Kawhi Leonard, that could affect James’ strategy in free agency, suggests Brian Windhorst of ESPN. In a video posted on Twitter, Windhorst says if the Cavaliers fail to reach the NBA Finals, James and Leonard will have about six weeks to discuss their future and plot a way to end up on the same team. Windhorst names the Sixers and Lakers as teams with the assets to acquire both.
- With Victor Oladipo shredding the Cavs for 32 points in Game 1, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert wanted Oladipo instead of Anthony Bennett with the top pick in the 2013 draft, but decided to listen to the front office. Bennett, who is now out of the NBA, played just one season for the Cavaliers before being traded to Minnesota.
Latest On Kawhi Leonard
The Spurs continue to insist they won’t consider trading Kawhi Leonard this summer, but it’s getting harder to believe, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Stein suggested last month that coach Gregg Popovich should have a one-on-one discussion with Leonard after the season to repair the relationship. Now he writes that it may be too late for that to make a difference.
Rumors of strained feelings between Leonard and the Spurs have escalated in the playoffs as he chose to remain with his doctors in New York rather fly to California to support his teammates. Popovich, who has taken veiled shots at Leonard before, raised them to a new level in responding to a question about LaMarcus Aldridge after Monday’s game.
“He plays through everything,” Popovich said of Aldridge. “I can’t imagine being more proud of a player as far as playing through adversity and being there for his teammates night after night after night. He’s been fantastic.”
While Aldridge is deserving of the kind words, the double meaning was clearly aimed at Leonard, who hasn’t been with the Spurs despite receiving medical clearance from team doctors in February. He remains in New York after traveling there last month to consult with his personal physicians about treatment for a lingering quad injury that limited him to nine games this season.
San Antonio will face a major decision in July when Leonard becomes eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension that would pay him more than $200MM. If Leonard doesn’t agree to an extension and the Spurs refuse to trade him, the clock will being ticking toward next summer when he can opt out of a $21.33MM salary and become an unrestricted free agent.
There’s more news today regarding Leonard:
- The Spurs have expected for weeks that Leonard wouldn’t return for the playoffs, relays Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Bontemps expresses similar doubts about Leonard’s future in San Antonio, although the relationship with Popovich remains solid. Nearly every team will be interested if Leonard becomes available in trade, but Bontemps expects the Lakers and Clippers to be among the most active, along with the Sixers, who could offer Markelle Fultz and two first-round picks in this year’s draft. He also mentions the Celtics, who are stocked with young talent, and the Cavaliers, who might be willing to part with the unprotected Nets’ pick in an effort to convince LeBron James to stay.
- Popovich denied his comments on Aldridge were directed at Leonard, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Told that a lot of people were interpreting his words that way, Popovich responded, “Who are these lots of people? Who are they? Did you count them? I think you just made that up.”
- Aldridge serves as a reminder that broken relationships between teams and players can be repaired, notes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Aldridge issued a trade request last summer, but Popovich smoothed things over in an offseason meeting that led to Aldridge signing a three-year extension and turning in his best season since coming to San Antonio.
- Don’t forget to vote in our poll on what the Spurs should do about the Leonard situation this summer.
Draft Updates: Gabriel, Bowen, Mokoka, Marinkovic
Kentucky forward Wenyen Gabriel has decided to declare for the 2018 NBA draft, but won’t hire an agent for now in order to retain his NCAA eligibility, he announced today on Twitter.
“After talking with Coach Cal (John Calipari) and the staff, they believe it’s in my best interest to see where I stand in the eyes of the NBA,” Gabriel said in his statement. “I’m confident I can play at the next level, but I want to be absolutely certain that this is the right decision for me at this time.”
In his sophomore year for the Wildcats, Gabriel averaged a modest 6.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG, but showed the ability to protect the rim (1.1 BPG) and hit outside shots (.396 3PT%). He’s the fifth Kentucky underclassmen to declare for this year’s draft, joining teammates Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Knox, and PJ Washington.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- South Carolina forward Brian Bowen, who enrolled at the school in January, is hoping to be granted eligibility for the 2018/19 season. However, he tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN (Twitter link) that he plans to declare for the NBA draft just in case he’s not reinstated by the NCAA.
- A pair of international prospects, French shooting guard Adam Mokoka and Serbian shooting guard Vanja Marinkovic, have declared for the 2018 NBA draft, according to their agency BeoBasket (Twitter links via agents Pedja Materic and Misko Raznatovic). Mokoka, who was born in 1998, currently plays for Gravelines in France, while 1997-born Marinkovic is a member of Partizan Belgrade.
- Spanish wing Xabier Lopez-Arostegui has declared for the draft, sources tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Lopez-Arostegui has spent the season with Joventut in Spain’s ACB, averaging 5.7 PPG and shooting 37% on three-pointers.
NBA Player Option Decisions For 2018/19
A number of NBA contracts include player options in the final year. Those option years give the player the opportunity to either opt into the final year of his deal, finishing out his contract, or to decline the option and hit the free agent market a year early.
Over the last two years, only eight of 53 veterans who held player options on their contracts have actually exercised those options. Half of those eight players (Tim Duncan, Caron Butler, Mo Williams, and Spencer Hawes) haven’t played a single NBA minute since picking up their options, having either retired or been waived. Another one of the eight (Chris Paul) only opted in because it cleared the way for him to be traded to his preferred destination.
In other words, if you had a player option decision to make during the last two offseasons, declining that option was almost a no-brainer. That’s unlikely to be the case again in 2018, however.
With less cap room available around the NBA this summer and teams not expected to be as aggressive on the free agent market as they were in 2017 or – especially – 2016, exercising a player option may be the most prudent move for a veteran mulling his future. After all, in many cases, there’s no guarantee that he’d do better on the open market.
This year’s player options are listed below. Option decisions are due by the end of the day on June 29 unless a player’s contract specifically calls for an earlier deadline, so we’ll continue to update this list through to note the latest decisions.
Point Guards
- Cory Joseph, Pacers ($7,945,000): Opted in
- Jeremy Lin, Nets ($12,516,746): Opted in
- Garrett Temple, Kings ($8,000,000): Opted in
- Milos Teodosic, Clippers ($6,300,000): Opted in
Shooting Guards
- Ron Baker, Knicks ($4,544,400): Opted in
- Jamal Crawford, Timberwolves ($4,544,400): Opted out
- Danny Green, Spurs ($10,000,000): Opted in
- Jodie Meeks, Wizards ($3,454,500): Opted in
- Austin Rivers, Clippers ($12,650,000): Opted in
- Iman Shumpert, Kings ($11,011,234): Opted in
Small Forwards
- Wilson Chandler, Nuggets ($12,800,562): Opted in
- Kevin Durant, Warriors ($26,250,000): Opted out
- Rudy Gay, Spurs ($8,826,300): Opted out
- Paul George, Thunder ($20,703,384): Opted out
- LeBron James, Cavaliers ($35,607,968): Opted out
- Wesley Johnson, Clippers ($6,134,520): Opted in
- Wesley Matthews, Mavericks ($18,622,514): Opted in
Power Forwards
- Carmelo Anthony, Thunder ($27,928,140): Opted in *
- Darrell Arthur, Nuggets ($7,464,912): Opted in
- Thaddeus Young, Pacers ($13,764,045): Opted in
Centers
- Dewayne Dedmon, Hawks ($7,200,000): Opted in
- DeAndre Jordan, Clippers ($24,119,025): Opted out
- Enes Kanter, Knicks ($18,622,514): Opting in
- Kosta Koufos, Kings ($8,739,500): Opted in
- Joffrey Lauvergne, Spurs ($1,656,092): Opted out
- Mike Muscala, Hawks ($5,000,000): Opted in
- Kyle O’Quinn, Knicks ($4,256,250): Opted out
- Jason Smith, Wizards ($5,450,000): Opted in
* Note: Anthony had an early termination option on his contract. This isn’t technically a player option, but practically speaking, it serves the same function.
And-Ones: M. Brown, China, Evans, BIG3
Former NBA head coaches have been popular candidates for this spring’s coaching openings around the league, with David Fizdale, Steve Clifford, Frank Vogel, Mark Jackson, David Blatt, and Mike Woodson among the many names said to be under consideration for at least one job. Top Warriors assistant Mike Brown would fit comfortably in that group, but hasn’t yet been identified as a candidate for any head coaching jobs.
The former Cavaliers and Lakers head coach tells Mark Medina of The Bay Area News Group that while he’d have interest in another head coaching opportunity, he’s perfectly happy to see things out with the Warriors as the club looks for its third title in four years.
“I want to be a head coach again. But if I hadn’t experienced that already and if I wasn’t in a situation that I’m already in right now, maybe the itch might be there more,” Brown said. “Maybe I might be focused more on that than the task at hand. But I’m really excited about trying to do what I can and do my part in helping us win again.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA will return to China during the 2018 preseason, with the Sixers and Mavericks set to become the 16th and 17th teams to play in the country since 2004, per a press release. Dallas and Philadelphia will play in Shanghai on October 5 and in Shenzhen on October 8.
- The Grizzlies made a surprising move at February’s trade deadline when they held onto Tyreke Evans rather than dealing him to a contender. The Grizzlies have maintained that they want to re-sign Evans, but they’ll likely face competition for his services. Frank Urbina of HoopsHype speculates that the Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Sixers could be fits for Evans this offseason.
- The BIG3 has officially announced its rosters for the upcoming 2018 season, with captains Kenyon Martin, Rashard Lewis, Corey Maggette, Mike Bibby, Chauncey Billups, DerMarr Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, and Brian Scalabrine heading the legaue’s eight squads.
Kings’ G League Affiliate Becomes Stockton Kings
The Reno Bighorns are no more, as the Sacramento Kings’ NBA G League affiliate has officially re-branded in advance of its 2018/19 relocation. As detailed in a press release, Sacramento’s NBAGL team will be known as the Stockton Kings going forward.
We heard earlier this month that the Kings planned to move their G League affiliate closer to home, relocating the club from Reno, Nevada to Stockton, California. Before that move could become official, a vote by the Stockton City Council was required. That vote took place on Tuesday night, and the City Council unanimously authorized the city to move forward with a lease agreement between the Kings and Stockton Arena.
While the Stockton Kings haven’t yet unveiled their new logos and uniforms, the G League franchise has updated its name on Twitter and other social media platforms, and launched its new website at StocktonKings.com.
The team formerly known as the Reno Bighorns is the second G League squad to re-brand itself in recent weeks. The Sixers’ NBAGL affiliate is remaining in Delaware, but is changing its name from the Delaware 87ers to the Delaware Blue Coats for the 2018/19 season.
The Bighorns were initially established in 2008 and have been affiliated with the NBA’s Kings since their inception. Sacramento has been the only NBA team affiliated with the G League franchise since 2013, and bought the team outright in 2016.
Poll: 2018 All-NBA Second Team
In an NBA season packed with incredible individual performances, we’re letting you decide which 15 players are most deserving of All-NBA recognition.
On Monday, we opened voting for the All-NBA First Team, and we now have our answers for which five players you believe deserve spots on that team — sort of. Anthony Davis‘ multi-position eligibility at forward and center complicated matters. While our voters were in an agreement that he deserved a spot on the All-NBA First Team, Davis received nearly as many votes at forward as he did at center, winning the voting at center and placing second as a forward.
For our purposes, we’ll leave Davis at center, where he earned slightly more votes, but it’ll be interesting to see whether these results foreshadow a positional split in the actual All-NBA race.
Here are the voting results so far:
- Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
- Guard: Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
- Forward: LeBron James (Cavaliers)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Note: Antetokounmpo was the third-leading vote-getter at forward behind Anthony Davis, who won the voting at center.
- Center: Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
Harden, James, and Davis were the leading vote-getters here and look to me like locks to earn spots on the All-NBA First Team, assuming Davis’ positional split isn’t a factor. Westbrook and Antetokounmpo are probably the favorites to fill out the top five too, though they’ll face stiff competition for those last guard and forward slots on the First Team.
We’re moving on today to the All-NBA Second Team, so cast your votes below for the two guards, two forwards, and one center that you believe are most deserving of being named to that squad. Don’t forget that a few players – including LaMarcus Aldridge, Ben Simmons, and Jimmy Butler – qualify at two positions.
You’ll have about 48 hours for this round of voting before we move on to the All-NBA Third Team on Friday morning. You’ll also have the opportunity to select two players apiece in the guard and forward polls, so be sure to take advantage of that. And if there’s a player not listed below that you believe deserves All-NBA consideration, be sure to mention him in the comments section too — if I agree, I’ll make sure he’s included in our All-NBA Third Team polls later this week.
Guards:
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team guards.
Forwards:
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team forwards.
Centers:
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team center.
Latest On Suns’ Head Coaching Search
We passed along several updates on the Suns‘ search for a new head coach on Tuesday night, relaying reports on the club’s plan to interview former Magic coach Frank Vogel, along with details on an upcoming meeting with former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale. We also noted that Phoenix’s interview with Mike Budenholzer took place on Monday and Tuesday this week, as the current Hawks coach sat down with Suns GM Ryan McDonough and owner Robert Sarver over those two days.
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski writes, the Hawks and Budenholzer are open to ending their partnership, so if the Suns decide he’s their man, there could be a path to making it happen. Still, there are roadblocks that would need to be cleared, as Atlanta would likely require compensation in order to let Budenholzer out of his contract with the team, which still has two years and $13MM left on it.
Here’s more on the Suns’ head coaching search:
- While the Suns have mostly focused on getting to know Budenholzer so far this week, they’re considering several other candidates, including Steve Clifford and David Blatt, according to Wojnarowski, who says the team has been in contact with both of those former NBA coaches.
- Confirming the Suns’ contact with Clifford, Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic writes that the ex-Hornets coach is expected to interview with Phoenix. A source tells Bordow that the club hasn’t yet ruled out any candidates, and expects to have “many conversations” with prospective hires.
- Spurs assistant James Borrego has drawn interest from the Suns as a potential target, per Bordow. It’s not clear whether the team has received permission from San Antonio to meet with Borrego, or if Phoenix’s discussions about the veteran assistant remain internal for now.
David Fizdale Plans To Interview With Knicks, Suns
APRIL 17, 10:52pm: Marc Stein of The New York Times tweets that Fizdale will interview with the Suns tomorrow.
APRIL 14th, 1:00pm: Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic has confirmed that Phoenix plans to interview Fizdale sometime this week.
APRIL 14th, 10:14am: Former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale plans to interview with the Knicks and Suns next week, tweets Mark Medina of the Mercury News.
Fizdale coached the Grizzlies to a 43-39 record during the 2016/17 season but the team was eliminated in the first round of the postseason. He was relieved of his duties after just 19 games this season as Memphis struggled to win and Fizdale’s relationship with Marc Gasol reportedly deteriorated.
However, Fizdale has been a popular name for many teams with head coaching vacancies. As we relayed this week, Heat guard Dwyane Wade — who played in Miami when Fizdale was an assistant coach — advocated for him as a potential target for the Knicks.
The Suns were granted permission to interview Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, and are also set to meet with interim head coach Jay Triano and Fizdale.
Before his tenure with the Grizzlies, Fizdale served as an assistant coach with the Heat, winning two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013.