In case you missed any of this past week’s biggest stories from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Three players – Lakers forward Brandon Ingram, Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, and Rockets’ guard Chris Paul – were suspended for their roles in a fight between the teams last week. Ingram, who commenced the entire issue with a push to James Harden, received four games, while Rondo got three and Paul two. After the suspensions were handed down, Rondo called Paul a “horrible teammate” after Paul accused Rondo of spitting on him during the fight. Rondo denied the spitting.
The Rockets have proposed a trade offer to the Timberwolves for All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler that consists of four first-round draft picks in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025. However, the T-Wolves are apparently showing no inclination to accept the offer, choosing instead to re-open negotiations with the Heat.
Nuggets swingman Will Barton, who was off to a solid start this season as the team’s starting small forward, suffered an adductor muscle injury in his right hip and core and is expected to miss a couple months. Barton has since undergone successful surgery to repair the injury and he will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
The Pelicans will launch a G League affiliate that will begin play during the 2019/20 season. The team will eventually call Birmingham, AL its permanent home, but will start in Erie, PA while arena renovations are completed. The team isn’t expected to begin play in Birmingham until 2022/23, meaning it will spend three seasons in Erie. The Pelicans will become the 28th of 30 NBA teams with their own affiliate, with only the Nuggets and Trail Blazers still holding out.
The Kings have exercised the rookie scale options on five of their players. Guards De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, small forward Justin Jackson, and big men Harry Giles and Skal Labissiere will all now have guaranteed contracts for the 2019/20 season. Fox, the highest pick of the five, will have a salary just shy of $6.44MM next season.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- Grizzlies starting power forward JaMychal Green suffered a broken jaw and is out indefinitely, with no time table for his return.
- Bulls swingman Denzel Valentine remains out of action with a bone bruise in his left ankle.
- Celtics’ point guard Kyrie Irving says he would’ve considered his hometown Knicks in free agency next summer had he not been traded to such a good situation in Boston.
- Free agent guard Shaquille Harrison signed a standard NBA contract with the Bulls, who waived veteran center Omer Asik to make room for Harrison.
- Potential 2019 lottery pick Jontay Porter will miss the entire season for Missouri after tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee during a scrimmage.
- In more injury news, Hawks big man John Collins is still weeks away from returning to action from an ankle injury.
- Nets’ guard Treveon Graham has been diagnosed with a torn left hamstring and is expected to be sidelined for the next two months.
- Bulls starting point guard Kris Dunn will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks after suffering a sprained MCL.
- Former NBA Commissioner David Stern called Pelicans GM Dell Demps a “lousy general manager.”
- In more Bulls injury news, Bobby Portis has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee and is expected to miss several weeks of action.
Rondo is the consummate pro. When u throw a punch as a pro athlete u always use the off hand. We all learned that from Crash Davis…