Roster Transformation Looming For Raptors?
With less than 36 hours to go until the 2021 trade deadline, the Raptors are “hurtling toward a roster transformation,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the team is engaged in multiple trade discussions involving Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell.
We covered some of the latest Lowry and Powell rumors late last night, noting that Lowry will reportedly seek a two-year contract worth at least $50MM from whichever team lands him, while Powell seems increasingly likely to be moved.
Wojnarowski confirms that Powell will probably be dealt, suggesting the question now is more about which of his “dozen or so” suitors will land him. Toronto could go in a number of different directions on the Powell front, depending on whether the team prioritizes young players or draft picks, Wojnarowski suggests. The odds of a Lowry trade are also gaining traction, Woj adds.
The Sixers and Heat have been frequently cited as the most likely landing spots for Lowry, but there are a handful of other teams involved as well, according to Wojnarowski, who says the Raptors are taking into consideration the veteran guard’s wishes as they consider possible scenarios. Lowry has an “open mind” about several possible destinations, sources tell ESPN.
Here’s more on the Raptors’ top two trade candidates:
- The Sixers have discussed separate deals with the Raptors involving both Lowry and Powell, reports Wojnarowski.
- In a deal with the Sixers for Lowry – not Powell – the Raptors would want at least one of Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle, but Philadelphia appears unwilling to part with Thybulle, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Michael Scotto of HoopsHype has heard similar rumblings, writing that Maxey is among the assets available in a package for Lowry, while the Sixers are reluctant to part with Thybulle. Some executives around the league believe the inclusion of Thybulle – who has drawn interest from multiple teams – could swing the Lowry sweepstakes, Scotto adds.
- One league executive thinks a package of Maxey, a first-round pick, and matching salaries (Danny Green, Tony Bradley, and Mike Scott) could get a Lowry deal done, assuming the Raptors can open up roster slots for all the incoming players, Pompey writes.
- Tyler Herro is the sticking point in a potential Lowry-to-the-Heat trade, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Toronto wants Herro, who still has two years left on his rookie contract after this season, but Miami is more comfortable parting with RFA-to-be Duncan Robinson, Grange explains.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Randle, Johnson, Payne
34-year-old Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is hoping to ink at least a two-year, $50MM contract this summer, no matter where he lands after the trade deadline, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Heat and the Sixers, at present, are the two clubs most often connected to Lowry in trade chatter. Though Lowry is not eligible for an in-season contract extension, he may be hoping for a wink-wink understanding from whichever team deals for him. Nothing could be officially agreed upon until free agency commences this summer.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Raptors are engaged in potential trade conversations for both Lowry and Toronto shooting guard Norman Powell, and that these chats may last up till the Thursday trade deadline. Woj adds that the 76ers are looking at other guard options beyond Lowry or Powell, including Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball and injured Thunder guard George Hill.
The Raptors, losers of nine straight, appear fairly set on dealing Powell, rival team executives have relayed to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter). Powell has an $11.6MM player option for the 2021/22 season that he has outperformed with his play this season.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- At the end of a 101-100 overtime defeat to the Sixers, Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle got into a verbal altercation with a referee. The league fined Randle $15K for the incident, according to an official NBA press release.
- Nets reserve guard Tyler Johnson could see expanded minutes with All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and role-playing guards Landry Shamet and Spencer Dinwiddie all unavailable, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. All-Star guard James Harden, who was listed as questionable by Lewis with a neck injury, is playing through it to thrilling effect tonight against the Trail Blazers, per Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). “[Head coach Steve Nash] and I haven’t really talked about minutes per se, but it’s a game-to-game basis,” Johnson said earlier this evening. “I think right now during this little stretch while we’ve got some guys out, we don’t fully know what it is we’re going to do right away.
- Knicks assistant coach Kenny Payne could be a leading contender for the newly-vacant DePaul University men’s basketball head coaching gig, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. “I think all my staff is terrific and they’ll be recognized,” head coach Tom Thibodeau raved. “So anytime someone has an opportunity to advance we’ll certainly allow them to interview.” Popper adds that Payne is not the only Knicks assistant coach up for a potential new opportunity as a college head coach, as Johnnie Bryant may be under consideration as Utah’s new head coach, and Mike Woodson may be up for the opening in Indiana.
Western Notes: Johnson, Redick, Blazers, Jensen
Mavericks forward James Johnson missed five games for Dallas due to both traveling for a family emergency and then needing to enter COVID-19 protocols, but the veteran enforcer rejoined the Mavericks for a team practice today, according to Dwain Price of Mavs.com. Johnson can return to the hardwood tomorrow for the club’s game against the Timberwolves, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com (Twitter link) adds.
“We don’t get that much chemistry going on throughout this [COVID-19] thing, and how we have to be separated a lot,” Johnson noted of this unique 2020/21 season. “The times that we can get it are at practice and on the road, and I miss that.”
There’s more out of the Western Conference:
- Veteran Pelicans wing J.J. Redick is most likely to be bought out of his expiring $13MM contract after the trade deadline passes, and ink a deal with a team on the East Coast to be near his family, sources tell Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons and forward Nassir Little have entered the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols and are missing at least this evening’s contest against the Nets, Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com tweets.
- Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen has been given the go-ahead by the team to interview for the head coaching gig with his alma matter, the University of Utah, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (via Twitter). Brandon Judd of the Deseret News notes that Jensen, a former Utes player, has been on the Jazz’s bench since 2013.
California Notes: Lakers, Warriors Health, Curry, Wiseman
With All-Star Lakers forward LeBron James unavailable indefinitely as he deals with a high-ankle sprain, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports wonders if a rival contender like the Clippers, Jazz, Heat, or Nets will be more motivated to try to make roster improvements at the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, Jovan Buha of The Athletic considers whether James joining his fellow injured L.A. All-Star Anthony Davis on the sidelines could impact the Lakers’ trade deadline plans. Frank Vogel certainly seems to think so.
“I’m sure we’ll get into deeper conversations in the coming days,” the Lakers’ head coach said. “But, obviously, when you have two key guys that are gonna be out, you look at the trade market differently and obviously the buyout market differently, so those are conversations that will be had in the coming days.”
Buha opines that the Lakers could use an additional ball-handler with James and Davis sidelined.
There’s more out of California:
- Warriors big men James Wiseman and Eric Paschall have been given the green light to return to the floor for Golden State during tonight’s game against the Sixers, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both players have been quarantining per the league’s coronavirus protocols since last week.
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr noted that All-Star point guard Stephen Curry will miss at least another week of play as he recovers from an inflamed tailbone, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. “This is going to be a little bit longer than we thought and hoped,” Kerr said. The team will reassess Curry’s injury next week.
- Rookie Warriors center James Wiseman has been named the club’s starter at the position for the rest of the season, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports. “James has come along really well. He’s picked up a lot of the concepts,” Kerr said. “He needs to be out there.”
Southeast Notes: Beal, Okpala, Hornets, Fournier
Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal mentioned that team GM Tommy Sheppard presents potential club transactions to him ahead of time, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. At 15-26, the Wizards are currently 3.5 games behind the tenth-seeded Pacers for a play-in berth. Washington may have to determine whether to be in buyer or seller mode as the trade deadline looms this week.
“Whenever he brings something to the table, he always asks me or incorporates me, so I appreciate that,” Beal said of Sheppard. Beal, 27, is averaging a career-best 32.1 PPG, the top scoring mark in the NBA, across 38 contests for the Wizards.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Second-year Heat power forward KZ Okpala has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according to Tim Reynolds of ESPN (via Twitter). Miami big man Udonis Haslem remains absent, also due to the league’s coronavirus protocols, per the Heat (Twitter link). Okpala and Haslem had previously been sidelined as a result of COVID-19 protocols in January.
- The Hornets are boosting their arena fan capacity from 3,000 fans (15% capacity in Charlotte’s home arena, the Spectrum Center) per game to 5,000 fans (25% arena capacity) per game, according to an official team press release. No COVID-19 pre-game testing or vaccine requirements have been announced, though coronavirus protocols including social distancing and face masks, will be enforced.
- Despite being the frequent subject of trade chatter, with teams like several interested teams circling, Magic guard Evan Fournier, an unrestricted free agent this summer, is striving to not let talks affect his on-court play, according to Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel. “Sometimes like a deal might happen and then not at the last minute and you will never know it,” Fournier said. “It’s just the nature of this business, so there’s really no reason for me [to worry].” The list of interested teams continues to grow, as apparently the Nuggets have asked about Fournier’s availability as well, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Southwest Notes: Lonzo, Terry, Thornwell, Dieng
Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball may be on the move at the trade deadline, a possibility that could be predicated on the fact that Ball is hoping to make around $20MM annually on his next deal, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. The 6’6″ UCLA alum, 23, is currently earning $11MM in the final season of his rookie deal, and will enter restricted free agency this summer.
Ball is enjoying the best scoring season of his career, averaging a career-high 14.2 PPG. He is connecting on a career-high 42.5% of a career-most 12.1 field goal looks a night, including a career-best 38.5% from long range on a career-most 7.8 three-point looks a night. His 76.7% free throw percentage is also leagues beyond his previous high of 56.6%, though the volume remains modest (1.1 attempts a night).
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks point guard Tyrell Terry is not traveling with Dallas at present for personal reasons, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News tweets. “I don’t have any timetable for him being back,” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Terry. The rookie, who has appeared in 11 games for Dallas, has been sidelined from the team for the past seven contests.
- Though Pelicans swingman Sindarius Thornwell has run out of 10-day contracts with New Orleans, he may latch on with the club for the rest of the year as early as this Friday, depending on what trade deadline transactions transpire for the Pelicans by Thursday, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). The 6’4″ wing has appeared in 14 games for New Orleans this season.
- Grizzlies reserve center Gorgui Dieng, who has been out of the lineup for almost a month, seems more likely to be bought out than be traded due to his hefty $17.3MM expiring deal, per Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Though Dieng has some appeal as a lengthy stretch big man, connecting on a career-best 47.9% from long range this season, his salary may preclude a deal. The Grizzlies have prioritized rookie big man Xavier Tillman Sr., the No. 35 pick in the 2020 draft out of Michigan State, over Dieng in their rotation.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 3/23/2021
With the NBA trade deadline just two days away, there was no shortage of news and rumors to talk about during today’s live chat.
Click here for the transcript.
NBA G League Announces 2020/21 All-NBAGL Teams
After being named the G League’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year on Monday, Delaware Blue Coats forward Paul Reed – who is on a two-way contract with the Sixers – headlines the All-NBA G League First Team, as the league announced today in a press release.
Reed was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by MVP runner-up Kevin Porter Jr. of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, as well as Oklahoma City Blue big man Moses Brown, Lakeland Magic forward Mamadi Diakite, and Westchester Knicks guard Jared Harper. All of those players are currently on either standard NBA contracts or two-way deals.
That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams. The majority of the 15 players named to the three squads are either currently under contract with NBA teams or have past NBA experience.
The complete list of the 2020/21 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on NBA contracts are noted with an asterisk (*), while those on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).
All-NBAGL First Team:
- Paul Reed (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
- Kevin Porter Jr. (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) *
- Moses Brown (Oklahoma City Blue) ^
- Mamadi Diakite (Lakeland Magic) ^
- Jared Harper (Westchester Knicks) ^
All-NBAGL Second Team:
- Oshae Brissett (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
- Henry Ellenson (Raptors 905)
- Malachi Flynn (Raptors 905) *
- Alize Johnson (Raptors 905) *
- Note: Johnson is currently on a 10-day contract.
- Brodric Thomas (Canton Charge) ^
All-NBAGL Third Team:
- Tyler Cook (Iowa Wolves) *
- Note: Cook is currently on a 10-day contract.
- Tre Jones (Austin Spurs) *
- Jordan Poole (Santa Cruz Warriors) *
- Robert Woodard II (Austin Spurs) *
- Jarrod Uthoff (Erie BayHawks)
NBAGL All-Rookie Team:
- Paul Reed (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
- Mamadi Diakite (Lakeland Magic) ^
- Malachi Flynn (Raptors 905) *
- Brodric Thomas (Canton Charge) ^
- KJ Martin (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) *
NBAGL All-Defensive Team:
- Paul Reed (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
- Moses Brown (Oklahoma City Blue) ^
- Mamadi Diakite (Lakeland Magic) ^
- Tahjere McCall (Lakeland Magic)
- Gary Payton II (Raptors 905)
Of the 18 players who earned a spot on one of the G League’s All-NBAGL, All-Rookie, or All-Defensive teams this year, only four – Brissett, Uthoff, McCall, and Payton – haven’t been on some form of standard, two-way, or 10-day NBA contract since the ’20/21 season began. All four of them have previous NBA experience.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
LaMelo Ball Undergoes Wrist Surgery
After fracturing his right wrist on Saturday, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball underwent surgery this morning in New York to repair the injury, per Ashley Stroehlein of NBC Charlotte (Twitter link).
Ball will require about four weeks to recover from the surgery, then will begin rehabbing his wrist, says Stroehlein. Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that Ball will be reevaluated at the four-week mark, notes that the team still hasn’t closed the door entirely on the possibility of the star rookie returning this season.
At 21-21, the Hornets currently hold the No. 6 seed in the East, putting them right in the thick of the playoff race. Getting Ball back down the stretch, perhaps for a play-in tournament or a first-round postseason series, would be a huge boost, but it seems like a long shot at this point.
Reports at the time of Ball’s injury indicated it was expected to be a season-ender, and the Hornets certainly won’t want to risk rushing back their franchise player, who is still just 19 years old.
In 41 games (28.6 MPG) this season, Ball averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on .451/.375/.789 shooting.
Trade Rumors: Hill, Bledsoe, Redick, O. Porter, Knicks, More
George Hill‘s name has come up more frequently in conversations among team executives as the trade deadline approaches, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, adding that the Clippers, Lakers, and Sixers are among the teams with interest in the Thunder guard. Hill hasn’t played since January 24 due to a thumb injury, but is out of his cast and is working toward a return, as Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder tweets.
While some clubs are hoping the Thunder will buy out Hill, that seems unlikely, since he has another partially guaranteed year left on his contract, and buyouts aren’t really Sam Presti‘s “M.O.,” as one assistant general manager tells Fischer.
Plus, the Thunder are in position to take on salary in trades if it nets them greater draft compensation, Fischer writes. Oklahoma City is one of two teams – along with New York – that remains below the salary floor this season, as John Hollinger of The Athletic observes, so the club could take on about $12MM without taking any real financial hit.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- A number of Pelicans players were prominently involved in trade rumors in January and February, but some of that talk has died down as of late, according to Fischer, who says there doesn’t seem to be any real traction toward an Eric Bledsoe deal. As for J.J. Redick, a buyout seems more likely than a trade at this point, per Fischer.
- Bulls forward Otto Porter Jr. is available in trade discussions, but would probably only make sense as a salary-matching piece for a high-salary player, such as DeMar DeRozan, writes Fischer. If Porter remains in Chicago through the deadline, it’s possible he could emerge as a buyout candidate.
- The only way the Knicks would realistically pull the trigger on a Victor Oladipo trade this week is if the team receives assurances that he’ll re-sign this summer, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who says the team isn’t interested in giving up any real assets for a rental.
- Potential buyers are expecting – or at least hoping – that the price tags on certain big-name trade candidates, such as Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, and Harrison Barnes, will drop as the deadline nears, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. I’m not sure that’s a safe bet, since it seems to be a sellers’ market.