Kevin Durant Cleared To Return
After missing three full games – and parts of a fourth – due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Nets star Kevin Durant has been cleared to return. Head coach Steve Nash confirmed that Durant was able to practice today and said he’ll be a “full go” for Saturday’s game against the Warriors, per Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link).
Durant was placed in the league’s COVID-19 protocols last Friday after being in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. The two-time Finals MVP has continued to test negative for the coronavirus during the last week, allowing him to get back in Brooklyn’s lineup on Saturday. It will be his first time playing in Golden State since he left the Warriors as a free agent in 2019.
While the Nets will have Durant back, they’ll be without DeAndre Jordan, who will miss the game for personal reasons unrelated to the coronavirus, according to Nash (Twitter link via Andrews). The expectation is that Jordan will continue to be tested for COVID-19 during his absence and will be able to rejoin Brooklyn during its West Coast road trip, which runs through February 21.
With Jordan out, both the Nets and Warriors will be extremely shorthanded at the center position, so we could see plenty of small-ball when the two teams take the court tomorrow.
James Harden Discusses Exit From Houston
It has been nearly a month since word broke that the Nets had reached a deal to acquire James Harden, a move that was preceded by a press conference in which the former MVP declared that the Rockets were just “not good enough” and that he didn’t believe the situation in Houston could be fixed.
In a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (video link), Harden reflected on his actions during the weeks leading up to his exit from Houston, from his trade request to his late arrival at training camp to that final press conference. He admitted that the way his last month or two with the Rockets played out isn’t how he envisioned his eight-year tenure with the franchise ending.
“I don’t like it at all, because that’s not who I am,” Harden said. “The drama, the extra — whatever you want to call it, the negativity. I don’t really like negative energy, it’s draining. I don’t like how it necessarily happened. I feel like it could have happened a lot smoother, a lot easier, but it is what it is.”
While Harden would’ve preferred a cleaner break with the Rockets, he also told Nichols that he wouldn’t necessarily want to go back and do things differently, since the outcome was ultimately the one he wanted.
“I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, I wasn’t trying to be selfish. I feel like the front office knew where I stood and what I wanted,” Harden said. “I apologize for how it went down, but I guess I had to do what I had to do in order to get to where I wanted to go.”
When Harden’s trade request first broke in November, he was said to be focused on getting to the Nets. The Sixers were later reported as a favorable landing spot, and he eventually added several more teams to his wish list, but he told Nichols that he appreciated the Rockets being able to work out a trade that sent him to the destination he preferred from the start.
“Credit to Houston. They didn’t necessarily have to trade me to Brooklyn,” Harden said. “They could’ve traded me anywhere, but those are some stand-up guys over there. It ended up the right way. I just didn’t like how that month or two played out.”
Pacific Notes: Wiseman, JTA, Davis, Kings, Suns
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hinted earlier this week that James Wiseman may be close to returning from sprained left wrist, but after being reevaluated on Thursday, the rookie center has been ruled out for at least another week. He’ll be reassessed again in seven-to-10 days, as Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.
Wiseman has been going through individual workouts, but has been somewhat limited in those sessions because he’s still feeling pain in his injured left hand. Until that pain goes away, the Warriors’ big man is unlikely to return, tweets Andrews.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the Pacific…
- An Oakland native, Juan Toscano-Anderson still can’t quite believe that he’s a member of the Warriors, as Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated writes in an in-depth look at the forward’s circuitous path to the NBA. While he’s currently on a two-way contract, Toscano-Anderson is a candidate to eventually be promoted to the standard 15-man roster.
- Lakers star Anthony Davis, who has missed the last two games due to right Achilles tendonosis, is content to play it safe with the injury to avoid the risk of making it worse, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes. “I just don’t want to play a game where I still feel it and then get hurt and now I’m out for the playoffs or whatever or for multiple weeks,” Davis said.
- Although it’s still too early to say whether the Kings will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee points out that veterans like Cory Joseph, Jabari Parker, and Nemanja Bjelica are candidates to be moved no matter which direction the team goes.
- The Suns are increasing the limited capacity at the Phoenix Suns Arena from 1,500 fans to 3,000, as of February 16, the team announced in a press release.
Amick’s Latest: J. Collins, OKC, Pistons, Cavs, Kings, Nuggets
It will be worth keeping an eye on John Collins‘ situation with the Hawks as next month’s trade deadline approaches, says Sam Amick of The Athletic. The two sides were unable to reach a contract extension agreement prior to the season, with Atlanta reportedly offering $90MM+ while Collins viewed himself as a max player.
Given the gap in negotiations and Collins’ upcoming restricted free agency, a deal could make sense — sources tell Amick that the Hawks have shown a willingness to listen to offers for the big man. However, the 23-year-old, who is averaging 18.5 PPG and 7.8 RPG on .559/.407/.841 shooting in 24 games (31.9 MPG), has been a major part of Atlanta’s success so far this season. The club has a +6.0 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to -11.0 when he’s not, per NBA.com.
Since the Hawks badly want to make the playoffs this season and Collins has been so crucial to keeping them in the hunt, an in-season trade may be unlikely, according to Amick, who notes that Atlanta may end up having to decide what to do with the young power forward in the offseason, when his contract expires.
Here’s more from Amick:
- The Thunder, Pistons, and Cavaliers are among the teams expected to be “open for business” as potential trade deadline sellers, though their most promising young players will be off limits, sources tell Amick. A 5-10 start to the season had the Kings looking like probable sellers too, but they’ve bounced back and are very much in the playoff hunt. A source with knowledge of the team’s thinking tells The Athletic that Sacramento hasn’t ruled out being a deadline buyer.
- If the Kings do sell, Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, and Nemanja Bjelica will be among the players to monitor. Barnes is known to be on the Celtics‘ radar, while the Sixers – who have long been tied to Hield – are also considering Bjelica, says Amick.
- After bowing out of the James Harden sweepstakes last month, the Nuggets are focused on in-house improvements. Michael Porter Jr.‘s development will be crucial to that process, per Amick, who notes that the temptation to move Porter for a more proven veteran will always be there until he takes another leap. Amick identifies Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and Aaron Gordon as some impact players who could pique Denver’s interest, though he cautions that rival executives don’t expect them to be available at this season’s deadline.
Wolves Notes: Towns, Edwards, G League Bubble
After suiting up and taking the court for the first time in nearly a month on Wednesday, Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns admitted he endured a “rough journey” during his absence as he battled COVID-19.
“I am a high-risk case,” Towns said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “COVID did not treat me well whatsoever. A lot of scary nights. One of the things that I told my sister when I got COVID was that, ‘Hey, I got it, and I don’t got a good version of it. I got a lot of COVID in me, but I am going to fight and beat it.'”
While Towns acknowledged that many players around the NBA have experienced few symptoms – or none at all – after testing positive for the coronavirus, he noted that everyone’s experience is “totally different.” Several of Towns’ family members have died of complications from COVID-19, including his mother, to whom Towns said he is most “genetically connected.”
“You hear those stories where people get COVID,” Towns said, according to Youngmisuk. “And they’re like, ‘Oh, for four days, five days, I didn’t feel well, and then I turned the corner magically one day and I was feeling great.’ That did not happen with me.”
Towns was solid in his return to action, putting up 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds, but he admitted to reporters that he didn’t feel mentally ready for the game. It may take a little more time before the 25-year-old back to his usual dominant self.
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- As Youngmisuk relays, Towns also became the latest star player to question the logic of holding an All-Star Game in 2021. “I personally don’t believe there should be an All-Star Game, but what the hell do I know?” Towns said, sarcastically adding: “S–t, I obviously haven’t dealt with COVID, probably a guy who has some insight into that. What should I know about COVID, right?”
- Anthony Edwards got off to a slow start during his rookie year, shooting just 34.4% from the floor and 27.4% from beyond the arc through his first 16 games. However, he has come on lately, averaging 16.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.1 APG on .435/.400/.800 shooting in his last nine, and entering Minnesota’s starting lineup during that time. The No. 1 overall pick is just getting started, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who says the Wolves drafted Edwards knowing he was raw and not expecting him to dominate right out of the gate.
- The Iowa Wolves – Minnesota’s G League affiliate – have been penalized for violating the health and safety protocols at the NBAGL bubble at Walt Disney World. As Adam Zagoria of Forbes tweets, the club was fined $10K, while Charlie Brown, Ashton Hagans, Jaylen Johnson, Ade Murkey, and Dakarai Tucker were all suspended without pay for two games. Iowa added Isaiah Briscoe and Jaylen Morris from the bubble’s available player pool to temporarily fill the holes on its roster, tweets Adam Johnson.
Central Notes: Cavaliers, Walsh, Plumlee, LaVine
The Cavaliers are in relatively good shape in relation to the salary cap, but will have some challenging decisions to make later in 2021, as Kelsey Russo and Danny Leroux of The Athletic examine.
Russo and Leroux estimate a price range for newly-acquired center Jarrett Allen ($8-12MM annually), who will enter restricted free agency this summer, and try to assess whether or not Cleveland will bring back reserve center JaVale McGee. They also discuss whether or not Cleveland will extend standout guard Collin Sexton during the offseason.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Former Pacers consultant Donnie Walsh, 79, spoke with Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files about his retirement this season. “I don’t have the same energy, I don’t have the same body, I guess, that I used to have,” Walsh said. “I just thought I’d like to spend the complete time with different members of my family and have the ability to do that. So that was the real reason I did it.”
- New Pistons free agent addition Mason Plumlee has emerged as Detroit’s “glue guy,” willing to do the team’s glass-cleaning and interior defensive dirty work, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “Mason is a great facilitator and obviously a great rebounder,” said fellow free agent signing Jerami Grant. “He can finish a lot of plays. We’re still a new team, so he’s getting more comfortable and playing at a high level.”
- The Bulls may have a decision to make regarding star shooting guard Zach LaVine, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times contends. The athletic sharpshooter, currently earning $19.5MM a year, will be in line for a raise on his next contract and could come at a cost higher than what Chicago should pay for a one-way player. Cowley points to LaVine’s ranking as 113th of 113 shooting guards in defensive real plus-minus as a limiting factor to his efficacy on a contender, and suggests the Bulls should think about moving the guard if they’re not comfortable maxing him out.
Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Ntilikina, Langford, Nets Big Three
New Sixers head coach Doc Rivers deserves a lot of credit for the 18-7 Philadelphia’s current perch as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Rivers commands respect in the Sixers locker room due to his championship pedigree and prior success across head coaching stops in Orlando, Boston, and most recently Los Angeles. Sixers center Joel Embiid is enjoying his best season as a pro thus far, averaging career-bests in scoring (29.1 PPG), steals (1.4 SPG), and shooting (.547/.377.855).
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks reserve guard Frank Ntilikina is not traveling with New York for the team’s game against the Wizards tomorrow despite continuing to test negative for the novel coronavirus, according to Ian Begley of SNY. Ntilikina has been held out of team activities since Tuesday after contact tracing determined he had been close to someone who later recorded a positive test for COVID-19.
- Celtics head coach Brad Stevens indicated in comments today that reserve guard Romeo Langford will not be back with the club until after the NBA All-Star break in March, per Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Langford had a right wrist surgery to address torn ligaments in his shooting wrist in September.
- The Nets still hope to improve the on-court dynamic between their new Big Three of All-Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden now that everybody is healthy, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “It’s funny,” head coach Steve Nash noted. “[It’s been] four weeks already, Kevin and [Irving] and James have played 5 ½ games, if you include the Raptors game, together.”
Wizards Granted Disabled Player Exception For Bryant
The NBA has awarded the Wizards a $4.16MM disabled player exception to account for the loss of starting center Thomas Bryant, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bryant will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn left ACL last month. Charania adds that the disabled player exception expires on April 19.
The disabled player exception can be applied toward adding a player via free agency, on the waiver wire, or in a trade. The Wizards’ new $4.16MM DPE is half of Bryant’s $8,333,333 salary for the 2020/21. Any new player added through the DPE cannot be making more than that $4.16MM amount, plus $100K.
[RELATED: 2020/21 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions]
There are a few more stipulations for the Wizards to take into account. The DPE can only be used on one player, and only for the length of a one-year deal. A free agent can only be added for the single year of the exception. Any player gained through a trade or waivers has to be in the last season of his contract.
Journeyman center Alex Len has already been added to help make up for the positional loss of Bryant, and is currently starting in Bryant’s stead. Backup Robin Lopez is sharing the center minutes burden. The 6-16 Wizards may use the new exception to address one of their other needs across their underperforming roster.
Trae Young Fined $20K
The league has docked Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young $20K as a result of “directing inappropriate language” toward a referee over a contested foul no-call after a 118-117 loss to the Mavericks yesterday, per an official NBA announcement.
The league indicated in its press release that the play in question, wherein Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein made contact with Young while taking a step on a screen, was accurately ruled on the floor during game action as a moment of incidental contact, and thus not a foul on Cauley-Stein.
The 6’1″ third-year lead guard out of Oklahoma is averaging 26.6 PPG, 9.5 APG, and 4.2 RPG across 22 games this season. He holds a slash line of .419/.369/.889.
With the loss, the Hawks have slid to 11-13 for the 2020/21 season. Atlanta, now the No. 8 seed in the packed East, is merely 2.5 games removed from the third-seeded Nets and only 2.5 games better than the current No. 13 seed, the Magic.
DaQuan Jeffries Returns To Kings Practice
Kings swingman DaQuan Jeffries has returned to team practice, per Jason Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Jeffries was on a two-way contract during his 2019/20 rookie season, but the club elevated him to its 15-man roster and fully guaranteed his deal ahead of the 2020/21 season. He has yet to play in a regular season game during this sophomore campaign.
Back soreness was the initial culprit behind Jeffries’ lack of availability for Sacramento in all but one preseason game this year. While recuperating, Jeffries incurred a Grade 3 left ankle sprain in December after landing on Jabari Parker‘s foot during a scrimmage, which sidelined him until now.
Jeffries appeared in 13 games for Sacramento during his rookie season, averaging 10.8 minutes per contest.
Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets that Jeffries has been listed as questionable to return to the court for the Kings in a Friday contest against the Magic.