Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/3/2022
Our weekly Thursday chat took place this afternoon. Click here for the transcript.
Our next live chat, with Luke Adams, will take place on Tuesday at noon Central time.
Southwest Notes: Rockets, Brunson, Finney-Smith, Grizzlies, Hayes
The Cavaliers team that Houston defeated on Wednesday has provided a blueprint for the Rockets to follow as they go through their own rebuild, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Cleveland patiently accumulated talent while enduring seasons of 19 wins, 19 wins (again), and 22 wins, and that patience is paying off this year.
“They have a bunch of young guys, and had some rough years for sure, but stuck with those young guys,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said on Wednesday, per Feigen. “Those young guys were working together during the summer and going to Summer League and getting a little bit better to the point they are really having a good season led by J.B. (Bickerstaff) and the job J.B. has done and them sticking with J.B. and the organization being super solid with that group. That’s what we’re looking for here.”
Asked about the Rockets, Bickerstaff acknowledged that he could see some similarities between his own team and Houston, pointing to the young backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. as a duo worth building upon.
“This group, especially being able to play with the size of those guys, they have big guards who can play different positions and score different ways,” Bickerstaff said of the Rockets. “They’re what the future of the league looks like, that size and skill.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Amid speculation about whether the Mavericks will trade or re-sign a pair of 2022 free-agents-to-be, Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith, Dalton Trigg of DallasBasketball.com reached out to team owner Mark Cuban and received the following response: “We will do all we can to keep (both Brunson) and Dorian.”
- Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News outlines how the trade exception the Mavericks created in last summer’s Josh Richardson deal could come in handy at the trade deadline.
- With the Grizzlies firmly in control of a top-three seed in the West, Tim MacMahon of ESPN takes a deep dive into the young squad’s success and its short- and long-term goals. “Obviously, everybody’s ultimate goal is to win a championship,” All-Star point guard Ja Morant told ESPN. “We’ve just got to make sure we’re laying brick by brick each day to get better. At the end, we’ll build an empire.”
- Playing almost exclusively at power forward, Pelicans big man Jaxson Hayes racked up 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting on Monday vs. Cleveland. The performance prompted head coach Willie Green to say after the game that jumbo lineups with Hayes alongside center Jonas Valanciunas are “something we’re definitely going to explore” more going forward, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
Lance Stephenson Signs With Pacers For Rest Of Season
FEBRUARY 3: Stephenson has signed with the Pacers for the rest of the season, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files and Stephenson’s agency, Priority Sports (Twitter links). Agness confirms (via Twitter) that the deal won’t cover multiple seasons, so the veteran swingman will be a free agent this summer.
FEBRUARY 2: The Pacers will sign Lance Stephenson for the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Stephenson’s latest 10-day contract expired on Wednesday night.
Stephenson came to Indiana at the beginning of January on a pair of 10-day hardship deals while the team dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak. When those expired, he signed two standard 10-day contracts. In total, he has appeared in 17 games, averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 assists per night.
Stephenson isn’t eligible to sign another standard 10-day deal with the team this season. Marc Stein of Substack notes that he could have inked another hardship contract as long as Domantas Sabonis remains in the league’s health and safety protocols (Twitter link). However, if Sabonis were to exit before the 10 days are up, Stephenson would be ineligible to play.
The Pacers have known for some time that they were going to sign Stephenson for the rest of the season, Stein tweets. There has been discussion about keeping a roster spot open for added flexibility heading into next Thursday’s trade deadline, so we’ll have to wait to see when Stephenson’s contract becomes official.
2022 NBA Trade Deadline Preview: Northwest Division
With the NBA’s February 10 trade deadline around the corner, we’re taking a closer look at all 30 teams, breaking down their potential plans for the deadline and identifying their most likely trade candidates. We’re focusing today on the Northwest Division.
Denver Nuggets
Trade deadline goals:
A report in early January clearly laid out the Nuggets’ goals: Denver was in the market for help on the wing, along with a backup center. Since then, the team has made a trade with the Spurs to acquire sharpshooter Bryn Forbes and signed big man DeMarcus Cousins to a pair of 10-day contracts.
While the Nuggets moved quickly to address their most pressing needs, we shouldn’t necessarily assume they’re done dealing. Forbes and Cousins are good offensive players, but they could be exposed on defense in big games. That’s the main reason why Forbes fell out of the Bucks’ rotation in the NBA Finals last year, and why Cousins has had a hard time finding a permanent home since dealing with a series of leg injuries from 2018-20.
The Nuggets will likely continue shopping for players – especially on the wing and in the frontcourt – who are more reliable two-way contributors. However, the team’s assets are limited, so it may end up being a fairly quiet deadline.
That wouldn’t be the end of the world for Denver though. The team is holding out hope that Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. will be able to return to action by the time the playoffs begin in April. If the Nuggets can get both players back healthy, they’ll be more significant lineup additions than just about any team can hope to acquire at the trade deadline.
Top trade candidates:
JaMychal Green and Jeff Green have popped up in trade rumors here and there this season, but if the Nuggets are going to move either Green, it would probably have to be for a clear upgrade. Jeff has been in the starting lineup for the last month, so I’m skeptical he’ll be shopped; JaMychal is struggling this season, but would have the ability to veto any trade he doesn’t like.
If they do try to move one of those forwards or another veteran player for a roster upgrade, the Nuggets will be hard-pressed to find sweeteners. Having traded away R.J. Hampton and Bol Bol in the last year, they don’t really have expendable prospects to include in trade offers anymore — Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji are still around, but they’ve looked good this season and are part of the regular rotation.
Denver’s previous trades also left the club without the ability to realistically trade a future first-round pick due to the Stepien Rule and the Seven-Year Rule. Second-round picks in 2024, 2025, and 2026 are essentially the Nuggets’ only draft ammo.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Trade deadline goals:
The Timberwolves’ desire to land a power forward has been an open secret for the last couple years, and it remains a top priority for the club. However, the urgency to address the position has been lessened by the emergence of Jarred Vanderbilt and the continued development of Jaden McDaniels.
A lineup that includes Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell doesn’t require any more offense-first players who need the ball in their hands, so defense-first players like Vanderbilt and McDaniels (along with guard Patrick Beverley) have meshed well with Minnesota’s stars.
Still, a player who can provide solid defense like Vanderbilt and McDaniels while more reliably knocking down open three-point looks would be an even better fit in the frontcourt. It would keep opposing defenses more honest and would give the Wolves’ top scorers more room to operate. Minnesota will remain on the lookout for that kind of player, with Harrison Barnes and Robert Covington among the veterans who would make sense as targets.
The Wolves have also remained involved in the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, but probably won’t have the assets to make a serious play for him unless Philadelphia significantly lowers its asking price.
Top trade candidates:
Malik Beasley is one player the Timberwolves are known to be shopping. In theory, he could be the sort of three-and-D wing who would make sense alongside Edwards, Russell, and Towns, but both his shooting and defense have been erratic this season — Minnesota has been about eight points per 100 possessions better when he’s not on the court.
Beasley’s contract isn’t exactly team-friendly, but it’s not a major albatross either. He makes $14.5MM this season and $15.6MM in 2022/23, with a $16.5MM team option for 2023/24. In other words, if he doesn’t bounce back going forward, he’s just a few months away from being on an expiring deal.
Beasley isn’t a significant asset on his own, so the Wolves would need to attach a young player or draft pick if they’re seeking an upgrade. McDaniels, Naz Reid, or Jaylen Nowell could fit that bill.
If a team is unwilling to take on Beasley’s multiyear contract, Taurean Prince‘s expiring deal could be in play. Former first-round pick Josh Okogie is also a trade candidate, and the Wolves have even been willing to discuss Beverley, though the odds of him being moved are slim.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Trade deadline goals:
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but it looks like the Thunder’s primary goal at this season’s deadline will be to acquire more draft picks.
Someday, the Thunder will shift from asset accumulation mode into contending mode, but that day hasn’t arrived yet. At 16-34 and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battling an ankle injury, Oklahoma City isn’t in the running for a play-in spot in the West and is once again prioritizing player development and draft positioning over its place in the standings.
The Thunder are well positioned to acquire draft picks this season even if they don’t want to sell off any of their current players. Their cap situation means they’ll get the first call from any team looking to dump an unwanted contract. And, depending on the size of the contract, they should be able to accommodate multiple deals — if they remove all the cap holds from their books, the Thunder will have over $33MM in cap room to work with.
Oklahoma City acquired two future first-round picks in the 2021 offseason by taking on Kemba Walker and Derrick Favors in separate deals. They’ll be looking for ways to do that again at the deadline.
Top trade candidates:
While the Thunder could be satisfied to take on unwanted contracts and the draft picks that come along with them, they also could shop two or three of their veterans, if they so choose.
Kenrich Williams is perhaps the most intriguing player in this group. A throw-in for salary-matching purposes in 2020’s Steven Adams trade, Williams has emerged as a reliable (and underrated) three-and-D forward who would fit nicely into most playoff teams’ rotations. I’m not sure the Thunder will get the first-round pick they reportedly want for him, but it’s certainly not inconceivable, especially if they take back some bad money. Williams is under contract through next season at just $2MM per year.
Oklahoma City would also presumably move Favors for a modest return, but he has a $10MM+ player option for 2022/23, so he’s probably doesn’t have positive trade value at this point.
Certain Thunder youngsters – particularly Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey – will be off the table at the deadline, but the club will be willing to discuss the ones who are less likely to be part of the long-term plan in OKC. I expect the Thunder to receive plenty of inquiries on Luguentz Dort — I’d be surprised if they move him unless they get an offer they can’t refuse.
Portland Trail Blazers
Trade deadline goals:
There are a whole lot of directions the Trail Blazers could go at the trade deadline.
The most logical direction based on their roster situation and their place in the standings – and the one we’re assuming they’ll take – would be to hang onto injured star Damian Lillard and their most promising young players (Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little), making any other veterans available as they prioritize next season over this one.
At 21-31, the Blazers are hanging onto the 10th spot in the Western Conference and could conceivably make the playoffs. But even with Lillard back, this isn’t a team that’s going to contend for a title — or even win a first-round series. So reshaping the roster a little and trying to bounce back in 2022/23 makes the most sense.
Top trade candidates:
Focusing on next season means veterans on expiring contracts are logical trade candidates. In Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic, Portland has two good ones. Covington, in particular, should net a nice return, with so many playoff teams in the market for a two-way wing.
If the Blazers are willing to move Larry Nance Jr. just a few months after surrendering a first-round pick to acquire him, he’d likely draw plenty of interest too. But he’s under contract for 2022/23 at a team-friendly rate, so there’s no urgency at all to make a move with him.
Simons’ recent emergence has made him a worthwhile long-term keeper, but a backcourt made up of Lillard, Simons, CJ McCollum, and Norman Powell is just too crowded. Even though trading a contract as big as McCollum’s or Powell is harder to do during the season than in the summer, I expect the Blazers will be very open to discussing both players. Ben McLemore is another guard who could be on the move in the next week.
Portland’s front office situation is worth taking into account as we consider what they may or may not do at the deadline. Will interim GM Joe Cronin have the freedom to make significant changes to the roster? Based on the changes he has already made to the organization’s basketball operations department, it appears the answer is yes.
Utah Jazz
Trade deadline goals:
The Jazz couldn’t ask for a better defensive anchor than Rudy Gobert, but the three-time Defensive Player of the Year isn’t getting a whole lot of help on that end of the floor. Despite Gobert’s presence, Utah ranks in the middle of the pack in defensive efficiency. The team is also giving up nearly nine more points per 100 possessions when Gobert isn’t on the court.
The Jazz’s top priority at the trade deadline stems from this shortcoming — the team badly needs another solid defensive wing or forward who won’t be a black hole on the offensive end. Adding a second unit play-maker who could step in for injured forward Joe Ingles would be a bonus.
Like Minnesota, the Jazz would love to acquire a forward like Jerami Grant, Harrison Barnes, or Robert Covington, but they aren’t loaded with the assets necessary to make it happen. Utah can’t trade a first-round pick earlier than 2026, and even then, it would have to be conditional (based on the team’s traded 2024 first-rounder not falling in its protected range). The club also lacks the sort of promising young prospects who would move the needle in a trade offer.
If those higher-end targets are out of reach, the Jazz could shift their focus to a Plan B like Josh Richardson or a Plan C such as Josh Okogie or Jarrett Culver.
Top trade candidates:
Ingles has been lauded for years for his impact both on the court and in the locker room. However, he became a trade candidate this year due to his expiring contract and his declining production. Unfortunately, a season-ending ACL tear makes him even more expendable — he won’t be able to play again before his contract expires, so his $13MM salary represents a logical matching piece for the Jazz.
Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson has seen his shooting efficiency fall off this season — his .400 FG% would easily be a career low. I imagine Utah would be open to moving him in a deal for a defensive upgrade, but his guaranteed $13.3MM salary next season and a $14.3MM player option for 2023/24 may turn off some potential trade partners.
Like Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic is an important part of Utah’s scoring attack, but could probably be had in a trade that upgrades the team’s defense without dealing a significant blow to the offense.
And-Ones: Giddey, Cunningham, Fitch, Bell, More
Thunder guard Josh Giddey has been named January’s Rookie of the Month for the Western Conference, while Pistons guard Cade Cunningham earned the honors for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced on Wednesday (Twitter link). The other nominees can be found here.
With most of this season’s top rookies in the East, Giddey won the Western award for a third straight time. He averaged 13.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 6.1 APG on 14 games (33.2 MPG) for the Thunder in January, posting a shooting line of .443/.284/.786.
Cunningham is a first-time Rookie of the Month, joining Evan Mobley and Franz Wagner as the East’s award winners so far in 2021/22. The rising Pistons star got off to a slow start, but began to flash more potential in January, averaging 17.3 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 4.2 RPG on .420/.365/.879 shooting in 15 games (32.3 MPG).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The Suns‘ 13-1 performance in January earned head coach Monty Williams his second Coach of the Month nod of 2021/22, the NBA announced on Wednesday (via Twitter). Williams was also named the Western Conference’s Coach of the Month for October/November. J.B. Bickerstaff, whose Cavaliers had an 11-4 month, was the East’s Coach of the Month for January.
- Hall-of-Famer Bill Fitch, a two-time Coach of the Year, has passed away at age 89, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link). Fitch coached the Cavaliers, Celtics, Rockets, Nets, and Clippers from 1970-98, winning a title with Boston in 1981.
- Veteran NBA big man Jordan Bell was acquired this week by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers‘ G League affiliate, per a press release. The Mad Ants made a trade with the Santa Cruz Warriors – Golden State’s affiliate – to secure Bell’s NBAGL rights.
- In an in-depth story for The Athletic, Joe Vardon details the series of logistical nightmares the Nigerian national team experienced en route to competing at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. As Vardon outlines, several assistant coaches who flew to Japan never made it into the Olympics and Nigeria nearly wasn’t able to play its first game after almost missing a necessary round of COVID-19 testing. The team entered the Olympics with medal aspirations, but lost all three of its round-robin games and was quickly eliminated.
Central Rumors: P. Williams, Turner, Pangos, Pistons
The Bulls remain, for the most part, unwilling to discuss injured forward Patrick Williams in trade talks leading up to next Thursday’s trade deadline, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said this week on Chad Ford’s podcast. According to Fischer, Chicago could potentially be convinced to part with Williams, but only in a deal that significantly upgraded the team’s chances of competing for a title.
“From the people I’ve talked to in Chicago, it’s been made very clear to me that they are not going to consider moving (Williams) unless it’s for the piece,” Fischer said, per HoopsHype. “Not a piece but the piece that they think will push them to that championship.”
Such a deal seems unlikely to materialize at this year’s deadline for the Bulls, who probably don’t view a player of Jerami Grant‘s caliber as that sort of major difference-maker.
Here are a few more items from around the Central:
- Fischer said on that same Chad Ford podcast that he has heard Pacers center Myles Turner might be ready to return from his foot injury shortly after the All-Star break (hat tip to HoopsHype). Barring setbacks, Fischer thinks Turner will be back in early March at the latest.
- Longtime EuroLeague standout Kevin Pangos finally made the move to the NBA last year, but he hasn’t played much for the Cavaliers and doesn’t have a guaranteed contract beyond this season, resulting in speculation that he’ll return to Europe sooner rather than later. Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com stated on his podcast this week that CSKA Moscow is pushing to land Pangos as soon as this month should Cleveland decide to waive him.
- James L. Edwards III and John Hollinger of The Athletic are unconvinced that the Pistons will end up moving Jerami Grant at the deadline, with Hollinger observing that the contending teams who could most use Grant to push them over the top would likely be wary about giving him a major role on offense. Hollinger adds that he views Bucks swingman Donte DiVincenzo and Grizzlies guard De’Anthony Melton as a couple ideal trade targets for the Pistons, though there’s no indication the team has inquired on either player.
New York Notes: Irving, Nash, Brunson, All-Star Weekend
The Nets have been close to unbeatable when Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving are on the court together, but that lineup hasn’t been seen much since the three stars teamed up last January. Irving tells Nick Friedell of ESPN that he thinks “daily” about how good the team could be if all three were playing on a regular basis.
“It’s not something that is shortsighted for us,” Irving said. “We think about the long term and how well we jell together as a trio. And when we say as a trio we’re not excluding anybody else on the team, but we just know that the energy runs through us, and when we’re flowing out there and we’re playing — I think James said it last year — there’s not a lot of teams that could be out on the floor with us that can match up very well with us.”
Of course, Irving is a major reason why the trio has barely been together this season. He has played in just nine games so far because of his refusal to comply with New York City’s vaccination requirement and the Nets’ reluctance to have him as a part-time player until their roster was decimated by the virus.
There’s more from New York:
- Nets coach Steve Nash is trying to keep his team focused through a slew of injuries and its longest losing streak in two years, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn was on top of the East 11 days ago, but it’s in danger of moving down into play-in territory after dropping five straight games. “They haven’t dropped their heads because we’ve lost games. We’ve had a tough schedule with a lot of guys out of the lineup, and we can’t lose that connectivity and that energy and that spirit,” Nash said. “To me, there’s no moral victories, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban‘s desire to keep Jalen Brunson through the trade deadline is bad news for the Knicks, contends Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Brunson will be a free agent this summer, but he’ll reportedly be seeking about $80MM over four years, which exceeds New York’s available cap space unless team president Leon Rose can clear out a few contracts. The Knicks need immediate help at point guard, but there are few good options on the market considering what they have to offer. Sources tell Bondy that New York is looking to unload Evan Fournier, Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks and Kemba Walker and hopes to create playing time for newly acquired Cam Reddish.
- With Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes bypassed for the Rising Stars competition, it looks like the Knicks won’t have any representatives in any of the games at All-Star Weekend, notes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Sixers Notes: Maxey, Simmons, Rivers, Trade Deadline
The emergence of second-year guard Tyrese Maxey may be affecting the Sixers‘ desire to get a deal done for Ben Simmons by the trade deadline, writes David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer. With Joel Embiid out of the lineup Monday, Maxey assumed the role of team leader and put up 33 points and eight assists in a matchup with Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
Murphy suggests it’s a performance that Simmons would have difficulty duplicating, which may lead the Sixers’ front office to think they have the lead guard they need for an extended playoff run. Amid the persistent trade rumors involving Simmons, there have also been reports that Philadelphia may prefer to wait until summer and take another shot at landing a star.
“He’s a helluva basketball player, a great leader at such a young age,” teammate Andre Drummond said of Maxey. “He has a lot on his shoulders being in the position that he’s in to carrying an entire team, he’s great. He’s a great basketball player, and I’m glad that he’s my point guard.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Reports about Simmons in an ESPN story that appeared Tuesday indicate that he still doesn’t understand why Sixers fans are disappointed in him, claims Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. Neubeck notes that fans remained supportive even when Simmons was struggling to make a free throw in last year’s playoffs, but they turned on him in the offseason when he pulled away from the team and appeared to stop trying.
- Among the claims in the ESPN report is that Simmons was disappointed that coach Doc Rivers didn’t visit him while he was training in Los Angeles during the offseason. That’s despite Simmons ignoring text messages and calls from Rivers and later telling some of his teammates not to try to see him. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that,” Rivers told Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “There’s nobody that’s been more supportive than me. I have a tape someone sent me of almost an hour of me over and over (praising Simmons). You heard me last year every day. It’s all posturing. That’s why you haven’t heard me – I don’t get involved in all that stuff. I’ll leave that up to the front office and Ben’s camp. I’m staying out of that part. But, listen, some of this stuff I laugh at and I feel bad. I think Ben’s a good kid. I want Ben to do well.”
- With the trade deadline a little more than a week away, Rich Hofmann and John Hollinger of The Athletic look at the Sixers’ options involving Simmons and other players.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Play-In Tournament, West, Jones
LeBron James is looking at a variety of potential treatments for the swelling in his left knee, but he won’t consider platelet-rich plasma therapy, also known as PRP, Dave McMenamin of ESPN said on “NBA Today” (video link). James is being treated away from the team, and Lakers coach Frank Vogel said he has the full support of the organization in that decision, McMenamin adds.
James is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Trail Blazers, and McMenamin said he’s expected to miss his fourth straight game since the swelling developed on the team’s last road trip. He was sent home early from that trip, and the Lakers have no intention of trying to play him until the swelling is gone, according to McMenamin.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- James was one of the most outspoken critics of the play-in tournament last year, but it looks like the Lakers’ only hope to save their season, writes Bill Oram of The Athletic. At four-and-a-half games out of sixth place and five games ahead of 11th, L.A. is comfortably in the play-in range. With that in mind, James’ possible extended absence isn’t being met with panic. “The No. 1 goal is that he’s healthy for the long haul,” Vogel said, “and everything else is less important after that.”
- Lakers legend Jerry West says his relationship with the franchise has deteriorated over the years, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes in a profile of West as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history. West was particularly upset over the decision last year to rescind the lifetime season tickets for him and his wife that were promised by late owner Dr. Jerry Buss. “Sometimes you feel like you’re discarded, like a piece of trash,” said West, now a consultant with the Clippers. “And there’s a couple of people over there — not (owner Jeanie Buss) — but there’s a couple of people over there that, uh … I don’t get it. I don’t. … I always had a great relationship with Jeanie — at least I thought I did. I don’t know where it is now.”
- Lakers two-way player Mason Jones was named the G League Player of the Month for January, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors. Jones averaged 28 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game during the month.
Cavaliers Granted Disabled Player Exception
The Cavaliers have received a disabled player exception as a result of Collin Sexton‘s knee injury, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The exception will be worth a little more than $3.17MM, which is half of Sexton’s $6,349,671 salary this season.
Sexton has been out of action since suffering a torn meniscus in early November. He underwent surgery on November 19 and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. This is the second DPE of the season for the Cavaliers, who also received an $8.9MM exception following an injury to Ricky Rubio.
The disabled player exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers or to acquire a player in a trade. It can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.
The exception also doesn’t open up a spot on the 15-man roster, so the Cavs would have to create a roster opening before they could use the DPE. Cleveland also has a DPE worth $8.9MM as a result of Ricky Rubio‘s torn ACL. The team will have a March 10 deadline to use the exceptions before they expire.
Sexton has reported progress with his rehab and has expressed hope that he might be able to return for the playoffs. He will be a restricted free agent this summer if Cleveland makes an $8.56MM qualifying offer.