Northwest Notes: Towns/D-Lo, Thunder, Gordon, Wolves
Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell made his long-awaited return to the floor in a 116-106 win against the Kings on Monday night after missing 26 games due to a left knee surgery. It marked just the sixth contest in which Russell appeared alongside his friend Karl-Anthony Towns for Minnesota.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes that Russell’s return has to encourage Timberwolves fans, as it perhaps can be seen as a preview of the interplay that could lift the club out of the depths next season.
“As long as we continue to work, work the way we want it, we can do something special,” Towns said of himself and his Timberwolves teammate. “We just got to work. Obviously, first, we got to be healthy enough to stay on the court with each other.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault discussed the team’s latest additions, Justin Robinson and two-way player Jaylen Hoard, according to Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman. “Robinson gives us a little extra ball handling,” Daigneault said, adding that Hoard “[p]lays hard, [is a] defender, somebody that understands how to play in a system on offense.”
- Dan Devine of The Ringer wonders if Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is allowing his new team to maximize its ceiling — and if being in Denver is doing the same for Gordon. Because he can cut off the ball, handle the rock, and roll to the rim, in addition to being a multifaceted defender, Gordon thus far has proven to be a more-than-serviceable facsimile of what Jerami Grant was in Denver last season. As of this writing, the Nuggets are poised to win their fifth straight game since adding Gordon.
- The Timberwolves have announced (via Twitter) that Minnesota’s players and staff have received their COVID-19 vaccines.
Pacific Notes: CP3, Lakers Cap, Hield, THT
Suns All-Star point guard Chris Paul has a $44MM player option for the 2021/22 season, but John Hollinger of The Athletic wonders if the 35-year-old may consider an extension before the year ends or possibly a Gordon Hayward-esque move during the offseason.
Hollinger suggests that, just as the Hornets forward did during the 2020 offseason, Paul could opt out of the final year of his extant deal this summer for longer-term money, at a slightly lower yearly number.
Hollinger expects ambitious clubs like the Mavericks, Heat, Knicks and even Pelicans to be interested in Paul, who is still seeking a title in his 16th NBA season out of Wake Forest.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Should the Lakers want to retain new center Andre Drummond, reserve big man Montrezl Harrell (likely to opt out of the $9.7MM second year of his current deal in the offseason), point guard Dennis Schröder, and guards Talen Horton-Tucker and Alex Caruso, they could face significant cap challenges, as Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report outlines. Pincus notes that the best route to retaining all three would be if the Lakers could get Drummond, currently grappling with a toe injury, to agree to a team-friendly deal worth the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth a projected $5.9MM).
- The NBA announced on Monday (Twitter link) that it has fined Kings swingman Buddy Hield $20K after an exchange of words with referees during a 129-128 defeat to the Bucks on April 3.
- Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is looking for more court awareness out of shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker, writes Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. “He’s been blessed with a gift to be able to get into the paint anytime he wants,” Kuzma raved. “With that being said, getting into the paint means reaching opportunities to find other guys shots.”
Patrick Beverly Back For Clippers
Clippers starting point guard Patrick Beverley will suit up against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Beverley has been sidelined with right knee soreness for LA since March 11. He has partaken in just 29 games for the Clippers this season as a result of multiple injuries. Head coach Tyronn Lue noted that Beverley will be playing on a minutes limit.
The 32-year-old vet, known for his defensive moxie, is averaging 8.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.1 APG this season. He is connecting on a stellar 42% of his 4.1 three-point looks. Reggie Jackson had been starting in Beverley’s stead for the Clippers.
Beverley’s longtime backcourt mate Lou Williams was recently traded to the Hawks in exchange for two-time champion Rajon Rondo, who brings his leadership and ball-handling to Los Angeles.
The Clippers are currently the No. 3 seed in the crowded Western Conference with a 33-18 record.
Atlantic Notes: Henson, Hill, Fournier, Maxey
It doesn’t sound as if Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau expects the team’s latest addition, big man John Henson, to crack the center rotation, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“The John Henson signing was just insurance,” Thibodeau said. “Felt we wanted to get a look at both [Henson and fellow recently-added big man Norvel Pelle). We had a roster spot available and that’s what we chose to do with it. I like the idea of it.”
With center Mitchell Robinson out indefinitely after undergoing a surgery to address a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot last month, the team still expects to lean on veteran big men Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson to soak up most of the minutes at center.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that he does not know when new addition George Hill will make his Philadelphia debut, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. The veteran point guard is still recovering from a February thumb surgery. “I can’t see it anytime soon,” Rivers said. “I had that same injury. That’s not anything you mess around with. Just one whack, you may not get injured, but the pain is excruciating because the nerves are so raw. So we’re gonna try to be as tentative as possible with his injury.”
- New Celtics shooting guard Evan Fournier will likely miss Boston’s games for the rest of the week as he remains in the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “We hope that it’s as little time as possible but (it’s) still part of what you have to get used to this year,” Boston head coach Brad Stevens said during an interview with Boston FM radio program Zolak and Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub, as recapped by Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link).
- After missing one game due to the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, first-year Sixers point guard Tyrese Maxey has been cleared to return to the court, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Maxey, the No. 21 pick out of Kentucky in the 2020 NBA draft, has shown plenty of promise across a limited 14.9 MPG, averaging 7.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG and 1.6 APG in 42 appearances.
Lakers Sign Ben McLemore To Rest-Of-Season Deal
7:00pm: The Lakers have issued a press release officially announcing the addition of McLemore.
2:14pm: Free agent guard Ben McLemore has reached an agreement to sign with the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll be a rest-of-season contract, Charania adds (via Twitter).
McLemore, 28, had been playing for the Rockets until he was released on Saturday. The former seventh overall pick cleared waivers on Monday, making him eligible to sign with any team, and Charania suggests (via Twitter) that he drew interest from a few other contenders, including the Bucks.
The Lakers make sense as McLemore’s destination, given that he’s a Klutch Sports client, like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, among others. The team was also said to be seeking a three-and-D wing after signing Andre Drummond.
McLemore had a strong season in Houston a year ago, averaging 10.1 PPG on .444/.400/.746 shooting in 71 games (22.8 MPG) for a Rockets team that made the postseason and won its first-round playoff series.
This year, playing for a squad that has undergone major roster upheaval and has been hit hard by injuries and COVID-19 protocols, McLemore’s numbers dipped across the board — he recorded 7.4 PPG on .357/.331/.719 shooting in 32 contests (16.8 MPG).
Since the Lakers have an open spot on their 15-man roster, no corresponding move will be required to make room for McLemore. The team also has enough space below its hard cap to finalize the deal immediately. If McLemore were to officially sign today, he’d earn just under $611K for the rest of the season, with L.A. taking on a $455K cap hit.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ankle Sprain To Sideline Nickeil Alexander-Walker At Least Two Weeks
Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker underwent an MRI yesterday to address an ankle injury. New Orleans discovered that Alexander-Walker has a “moderate left high-ankle sprain,” per a team press release.
This continues a string of bad luck for the Pelicans’ back court, as the team announced in the same press release that fellow guard Josh Hart had a right thumb surgery today, and will miss at least three weeks in his own recovery. Rookie point guard Kira Lewis Jr. is also on the Pelicans’ injury list.
Sharp-shooting veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas was clearly added just in time on a 10-day deal last week.
Alexander-Walker had enjoyed a significant uptick in play during his sophomore NBA season. He was named to the league’s 2020/21 Rising Stars list ahead of the All-Star Game last month.
Selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2019 draft, the 22-year-old out of Virginia Tech holds averages of 10.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.0 SPG across 41 games this season (including 10 starts). Alexander-Walker is also connecting on a solid 34.8% of his 4.6 three-point attempts a night. He has seen his playing time increase from 12.6 MPG in his rookie year to 20.8 MPG for 2020/21 so far.
Josh Hart Has Surgery For Right Thumb Tear
Pelicans reserve swingman Josh Hart has undergone surgery to address a torn UCL in his right thumb, New Orleans announced via a press release. His will be reassessed by the club in three weeks.
The operation was conducted by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
Hart, a restricted free agent in 2021, has proven himself to be a valuable bench cog on a scrappy New Orleans squad with aspirations of a play-in berth. The 6’5″ wing is averaging 9.2 PPG, a robust 8.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG in 47 contests for the Pelicans, across 28.7 MPG.
The 26-year-old out of Villanova holds a shooting slash line of .439/.326/.775 thus far this season.
Hart is not the only wounded Pelicans guard. Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be out for at least two weeks of game action with an ankle sprain, and Jennifer Hale of Fox Sports tweets that rookie point guard Kira Lewis Jr. will miss tonight’s bout against the Hawks with a right calf strain.
The team recently added guard Isaiah Thomas via a 10-day contract, and he could help address these absences with offensive firepower.
2021’s Most Valuable Traded Second-Round Picks
Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the league’s reverse standings down the stretch because of the effect they’ll have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2021 first round.
However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second round, and an early second-round pick can be nearly as valuable as a first-rounder.
Traded first-round selections will ultimately be more valuable than any second-rounder, but it’s still worth taking a closer look at some traded 2021 second-rounders that project to be quality picks.
[RELATED: Traded Second-Round Picks For 2021 NBA Draft]
Here are a few of those traded picks:
From: Minnesota Timberwolves
To: Oklahoma City Thunder or Golden State Warriors
Current projection: No. 31
The top-three protected first-round pick the Timberwolves sent to the Warriors in last February’s D’Angelo Russell trade rightly gets most of the attention, but it’s worth remembering that Minnesota also included its 2021 second-rounder in that deal.
It’s not a lock that Golden State will receive that pick, however. If the Warriors’ 2021 first-round selection lands in the top 20 (it projects to be No. 13 for now), they’ll keep that pick and instead send the Wolves’ second-rounder to the Thunder as part of last November’s Kelly Oubre trade agreement.
From: Houston Rockets
To: Milwaukee Bucks
Current projection: No. 32
As part of last month’s P.J. Tucker trade, the Rockets gained the right to swap their own 2021 second-round pick for Milwaukee’s 2021 first-rounder. Currently, Houston’s pick projects to be No. 32, while Milwaukee’s would be No. 26.
If the Bucks keep winning and the Rockets keep losing, Milwaukee might end up not having to move down very far at all on draft day. If the Rockets get hot or the Bucks slump though, the difference between the two picks could be 10 spots or so.
From: Detroit Pistons
To: New York Knicks
Current projection: No. 33
The Pistons originally gave up this pick (and their 2023 second-rounder) on draft day in 2018 in order to acquire the draft rights to Khyri Thomas, the 38th overall pick, from Philadelphia.
Thomas is no longer a Piston and this second-rounder has since been flipped multiple times. The Sixers included it in the package they sent to the Clippers for Tobias Harris in 2019, then the Knicks acquired it as part of their return for Marcus Morris at the 2020 deadline.
From: Washington Wizards
To: New Orleans Pelicans
Current projection: No. 35
From: Cleveland Cavaliers
To: New Orleans Pelicans
Current projection: No. 36
The Wizards’ second-rounder was originally traded to Utah during the 2016 offseason for Trey Burke. The Cavaliers acquired it from the Jazz in a 2018 swap involving Korver and Alec Burks, then flipped it to Milwaukee along with George Hill in a three-team trade just one week later. Two months after that, it was one of four future second-round selections the Bucks sent to New Orleans in a deal for Nikola Mirotic.
As for the Cavaliers’ pick, it was first traded first to the Hawks in 2017 for Kyle Korver, then to New Orleans during the 2019 draft when Atlanta moved up for De’Andre Hunter. It was initially meant to be a 2019 first-rounder, but since it landed within its protected range (top 10) for multiple years, it eventually turned instead into a pair of second-rounders, including Cleveland’s 2021 pick.
Latest On Kristaps Porzingis’ Wrist Injury
APRIL 6: Carlisle shared a positive update on Porzingis today, telling reporters that the big man will travel to Houston with the Mavericks and that there’s a good chance he’ll play on Wednesday vs. the Rockets (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).
APRIL 5: Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis has a sprained right wrist and could miss multiple games, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
It’s the latest ailment for the oft-injured Porzingis, who has appeared in 31 games this season. He missed the first nine games while recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee. He sat out three February games due to lower back tightness and has also been sitting out the second game of back-to-backs.
Dallas defeated Utah on Monday without him, the Mavs’ fifth consecutive victory.
The latest injury has been a nagging one.
“We don’t have a timetable,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We hope it’s not serious. It’s something that he’s been dealing with for a number of weeks, so we’re going to hope for the best on that.”
Porzingis is averaging 20.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 1.6 BPG this season. He’s signed through the 2023/24 season, with the final year being a player option.
Ayo Dosunmu Entering NBA Draft, Going Pro
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu has decided to enter the 2021 NBA draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility, he said on ESPN’s The Jump on Wednesday (link via Jonathan Givony of ESPN).
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
Dosunmu, who returned to the Fighting Illini after testing the draft waters a year ago, enjoyed his best season in 2020/21, averaging 20.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 5.3 APG with a shooting line of .488/.386/.783 in 28 games (35.1 MPG).
The 21-year-old’s strong performance as a junior earned him the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard, and made him a consensus first team All-American. It also helped Illinois earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, though the team bowed out in the second round.
Dosunmu ranks 22nd overall on ESPN’s big board for the 2021 draft, with Givony calling him one of the best two-way guards in this year’s class.