Blazers Expected To Pursue Jerami Grant In Offseason
The Trail Blazers are expected to seriously pursue Pistons forward Jerami Grant during the 2022 offseason, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Even after moving CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington prior to last month’s trade deadline, Portland continued to be linked to Grant in the days and hours leading up to the deadline. Reports at the time indicated that, while they may have been throwing in the towel on this season, the Blazers weren’t necessarily prepared to embark on a lengthy rebuild and hoped to add pieces capable of helping them return to the playoffs in 2022/23.
Grant, who is under contract through next season before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023, would be one such piece. The 28-year-old forward is a talented, versatile defender who has expanded his offensive game during his two seasons in Detroit, averaging 21.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .427/.352/.842 shooting in 99 total games as a Piston.
Grant will also become eligible for an extension this offseason, and reports prior to the trade deadline suggested he’d want a new team to be willing to offer a new contract, which could be worth up to about $112MM over four years.
Grant will earn a $20,955,000 salary next season. Portland created a $20,864,198 trade exception in the McCollum deal which would theoretically allow them to acquire Grant without sending back any salary, since trade exceptions include $100K in extra wiggle room.
Also as a result of the McCollum trade, the Blazers will receive the Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick if it falls between No. 5 and No. 14. They’d consider putting that pick into an offer for Grant, Charania reports.
Without the Pelicans’ first-round pick, Portland’s package likely wouldn’t be as strong as what other Grant suitors could offer, according to Charania, whose wording hints that the Blazers may not want to make their own first-rounder available if it’s the only one they have (there would also be complications related to the Stepien rule in that scenario, though the club could work around those issues if necessary).
The NHL Trade Deadline Is Today
What’s already been a hectic week of trades and transactions is set to culminate today, as the NHL’s 2022 Trade Deadline is at 2:00 p.m. CT. Make sure to follow our coverage on Pro Hockey Rumors (@prohockeyrumors on Twitter!) to see what happens as teams have their last chance to move talent in and out before the end of the regular season.
We’ve already seen some gigantic waves this week, such as the Florida Panthers acquiring longtime Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux for an unexpectedly low price, and the Boston Bruins shoring up their defense by trading for and extending former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm.
There’s still the potential for blockbusters today, though. All eyes are on the Arizona Coyotes and defenseman Jakob Chychrun, as the 23-year-old defenseman is now the best man on the market, but it’s not a given that he gets moved out. The Anaheim Ducks may not be done yet after dealing away a good portion of their defense, as two-time 30-goal scorer Rickard Rakell is also on the market.
Make sure to continue to follow Pro Hockey Rumors throughout Deadline Day as all the action wraps up. You can also keep up with all of the trades on our Twitter.
Cavs Re-Sign Moses Brown; Dean Wade To Miss Several Weeks
The Cavaliers have brought back big man Moses Brown on a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Brown’s first 10-day deal expired on Saturday night.
Brown, initially signed earlier this month to provide some frontcourt depth with Jarrett Allen sidelined due to a finger injury, appeared in four games during his first 10 days with Cleveland. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per contest.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Allen – who is taking a non-surgical approach as he recovers from his broken finger – is hopeful of getting back into the lineup within the next three weeks. However, it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent.
Additionally, Charania reports that forward Dean Wade has sustained a partial meniscus tear in his right knee and will be out for several weeks, creating another hole in the Cavaliers’ frontcourt. Wade had been a regular part of Cleveland’s rotation this season, averaging 19.2 MPG in 51 appearances. The hope is that he’ll be able to make it back by the end of the regular season or the start of the postseason, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
The Cavs will play five games in the next 10 days, starting with a matchup vs. the Lakers on Monday night. Their games on Thursday in Toronto and on Saturday vs. Chicago will be crucial in the race for a top-six seed in the East.
Zion Williamson Not Expected To Play This Season
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is not expected to return from his right foot injury before the end of the 2021/22 season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Williamson, who underwent surgery on his foot during the 2021 offseason, has gone through a stop-and-start recovery process that included multiple setbacks. He hasn’t played in an NBA game since May 4, 2021.
According to Charania, the former No. 1 overall pick is able to bear weight on his foot and is making progress toward on-court work. However, with just 11 games left on the Pelicans’ regular season schedule, it’s an “improbably tight window” for Williamson to go through all the necessary remaining stages of his rehab, starting with one-on-zero work, Charania observes.
It’s possible the odds of a Williamson return would increase if the Pelicans were able to make a deep postseason run. But as things stand, New Orleans will have to win two play-in games to even earn a spot in the playoffs — and in that scenario, the club would be a massive first-round underdog against the No. 1 Suns.
Assuming Williamson doesn’t play this spring, he and the Pelicans will enter a hugely important summer with a ton of questions that remain unanswered. Williamson, whose commitment to New Orleans has been questioned since he entered the NBA in 2019, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
[RELATED: Community Shootaround: Zion Williamson]
The Pelicans will need to decide whether they’re comfortable putting a maximum-salary offer – or something very close to it – on the table for an extremely talented player who has had trouble staying healthy since entering the NBA and may prefer to play elsewhere. Williamson will have to decide whether he wants to try to work out a new deal with New Orleans, take his chances in a contract year in 2022/23, or perhaps even push to be traded.
Chris Paul Nearing Return For Suns
When word first broke on February 20 that Suns point guard Chris Paul had fractured his right thumb, the timeline provided for his potential return was six-to-eight weeks. The six-week mark from that date would be April 3, but Paul appears likely to be back even sooner than that, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic.
According to Amick, some sources close to the situation wouldn’t even rule out the possibility that Paul could play as soon as this Wednesday in Minnesota. Amick cautions that the exact timing for Paul’s return will be determined in the coming days.
The Suns guard has recently ramped up his activity and was seen taking part in a “rigorous” workout prior to Sunday’s game vs. Sacramento, according to Amick, who suggests that getting Paul’s conditioning back up to speed and deciding on a reintegration plan appear to be the last steps in his comeback process.
Of course, while a Wednesday return is apparently still in play, the Suns should be in no rush to get the 36-year-old back on the court. The team is 10-4 since Paul went down and holds a nine-game lead on the No. 2 Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings with just 10 games left to play.
In other words, Phoenix won’t need any help from CP3 to officially secure the West’s No. 1 seed. His return will be more about getting him enough regular season reps to ensure he’s ready to roll when the playoffs begin next month.
After visiting the Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Suns will play in Denver on Thursday and will host the Sixers on Sunday before traveling to Golden State to face the Warriors next Wednesday.
Jamal Crawford Announces Retirement
Veteran guard Jamal Crawford published a tweet early on Monday morning announcing his retirement as a professional basketball player.
“‘Goodbye to the game, all the spoils the adrenaline rush,'” Crawford wrote, quoting a Jay-Z song. “Thank you basketball, I owe you everything …..✌🏾”
While Crawford’s tweet doesn’t explicitly state that he’s retiring, it seems pretty safe to assume that’s his intent.
The longtime NBA guard turned 42 years old on Sunday and hasn’t played in the league since he appeared in a single game for the Nets during the 2020 bubble at Walt Disney World.
Selected out of Michigan with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, Crawford played in 1,327 regular season games and another 74 playoff contests across 20 seasons for the Bulls, Knicks, Warriors, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Nets.
Crawford averaged 14.6 PPG and 3.4 APG on .410/.348/.862 shooting in 29.4 minutes per game over the course of his career.
In his final non-bubble game, playing for the Suns in Dallas on the last day of the 2018/19 season, Crawford went off for 51 points. It was the most points he had scored in a game since 2007 and the second-highest mark of his career.
The Seattle native was a three-time Sixth Man of the Year, earning the honor in 2010, 2014, and 2016. He also won the league’s Teammate of the Year award in 2018.
Western Notes: Murray, Green, Craig, Towns
Nuggets star Jamal Murray isn’t close to returning from a torn ACL, head coach Michael Malone said on Sunday, as relayed by Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Murray suffered the injury 11 months ago and an ESPN report from last month suggested he could return before the playoffs.
Murray, who spent some time with the Grand Rapids Gold earlier this month, may rejoin the team’s G League affiliate for another block of practices, Malone added. No timetable was revealed for a possible return.
Murray averaged a career-high 21.2 points per game before sustaining the injury last season, shooting 48% from the floor and 41% from deep. The Nuggets own the seventh-best record in the West (42-30) despite his absence. The team has also dealt with other significant losses — including Michael Porter Jr. (back) — and should be viewed as a legitimate contender at full strength.
Here are some other notes from the West:
- In a separate story for the Denver Post, Mike Singer examines how JaMychal Green‘s leadership has been valuable for the Nuggets. Green lit a fire in the team’s huddle against Philadelphia last Monday, helping motivate them en route to a 114-110 win, Singer shares.
- Suns wing Torrey Craig stepped up in the absences of Jae Crowder (groin) and Cameron Johnson (quad) against the Bulls on Friday, as relayed by the Arizona Republic. Craig finished with 14 points and nine rebounds as a starter, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor in 31 minutes of action.
- Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns expressed confidence in his squad after winning its fourth straight game, Dane Moore of Bring Me The News tweets. Minnesota defeated Milwaukee 138-119 on Saturday. The team is 9-1 in its last 10 games, leading Towns to make the following statement: “Any time we step on the court, we should win… We feel we can beat anybody.”
Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Jordan, Haslem, Morris
Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis showed he can still be dominant in the team’s victory over the Lakers on Saturday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Porzingis finished with 27 points and five assists, helping his team win 127-119.
“Just down the stretch, we wanted to play through him,” teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “No one could stop K.P. at the elbow. He was just turning around and shooting over everybody. It’s going to be great just to see if we can get him a full season. We already know what he can do.”
Porzingis was acquired by the Wizards in February. He has dealt with a variety of injuries over his career (and hasn’t played over 60 games since the 2016/17 season), but he can still be productive when healthy. In seven games with Washington, he’s averaging 20.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- DeAndre Jordan is discovering his niche as a late-season addition with the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines. Jordan was waived by the Lakers earlier this month and subsequently signed with Philadelphia. He recorded eight points and seven rebounds in the team’s win over Dallas on Friday, logging 13 minutes off the bench.
- Longtime Heat veteran Udonis Haslem briefly explained why the team has had success developing players in recent years, as relayed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Those undrafted guys come here – Max [Strus], Gabe [Vincent], Caleb [Martin], Duncan [Robinson], Omer [Yurtseven], Chris Silva – when those guys come in here, it’s an automatic expectation from me to do more than the guys that got drafted, do more than the guys that got signed, work harder, push more, pay attention to detail more,” Haslem said. “And nobody complains here. That’s one thing about these young guys; they don’t complain.”
- Playing Markieff Morris at small-ball five is no longer a stretch for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel contends. Morris saw action as a backup center against Oklahoma City on Friday, scoring 13 points in nearly 20 minutes. The Heat could play Morris more at center in certain lineups and matchups, as nine-year veteran Dewayne Dedmon has struggled in recent weeks.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Biyombo, Westbrook, Poole
The Suns are surging despite missing star point guard Chris Paul (thumb fracture), going 9-4 in the games they’ve played without him, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Phoenix owns the league’s best record at 57-14, leading the second-place Grizzlies by 8.5 games.
“We know how talented this team is and we always pride ourselves on that,” Devin Booker said. “I always say nobody can replace what Chris does out there. We know how much we’re going to need him when it comes into this playoff run, but in the meantime, we’re just trying to hold it down.”
Phoenix is coming off its first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. The team lost to Milwaukee in six games, but it kept most of its core for this season. It has the chemistry, motivation and talent to make a title run — though it’ll be important to have a fully healthy team.
Here are some other notes from the Pacific:
- Michael Scotto of HoopsHype hosted a Q&A with Suns center Bismack Biyombo, who discussed how and why he’s donating his salary, why he fits in well with the team, and several other topics. Biyombo signed a 10-day hardship deal with Phoenix in January, impressing the club enough to earn a rest-of-season commitment. The 11-year veteran has averaged 6.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game.
- The Lakers embraced Russell Westbrook‘s feel-good moment in Toronto, rallying behind him after he helped the team earn an overtime win on Friday with a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes. “One of the highlights of our season – and it’s been a tough season for us, and specifically for him,” head coach Frank Vogel said. Contrary to public perception, Westbrook’s shooting percentages have only dipped slightly from last season, but his 15.7 shot attempts per game represent his lowest mark since 2009/10.
- Warriors guard Jordan Poole is proving he’s ready for the NBA spotlight, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Poole is averaging a career-best 17.1 points on 46% shooting this season, establishing himself as a valuable scoring threat in his third season.
Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Embiid, VanVleet, Robinson
Sixers coach Doc Rivers disagrees with the perception that his bench needs to score more, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Many league observers believe Philadelphia’s depth could be an Achilles heel, especially after the team gave up Seth Curry and Andre Drummond in last month’s deal for James Harden.
“All year, we were playing with five bench guys. I think that was too many for people,” Rivers explained. “Now, we are playing three bench guys. That’s not enough for people.”
Philadelphia’s bench consists of Shake Milton, Danny Green, Georges Niang and DeAndre Jordan, which likely isn’t better than other Eastern contenders such as Miami or Milwaukee. The team’s starting group certainly makes up for it, however.
“I think the biggest thing everyone is missing is since James has come, we play two starters with the bench,” Rivers continued, alluding to his new substitution pattern. “So when you do that, the bench guys aren’t going to score as much.
“The reason they aren’t going to score as much is because the two starters that are playing with the bench are probably scoring more when they are playing with the bench. So it does change it a little bit for sure.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers superstar Joel Embiid is eager to play in every game before the playoffs, but he understands the importance of being healthy, Pompey writes in a separate article for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid has been playing through a sore back. Philadelphia will need his production in the playoffs, as he’s currently averaging a career-high 30.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
- Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (right knee injury management) will miss the team’s game against Philadelphia on Sunday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. VanVleet played nearly 47 minutes against the Lakers in an overtime game on Friday. He leads the team in minutes per game (38.2) and is in the midst of his first All-Star campaign.
- Mitchell Robinson has provided a boost for the Knicks on the offensive glass, Pette Botte of the New York Post writes. The seven-footer has averaged just over four offensive rebounds per game this season, trailing only Grizzlies center Steven Adams. “Huge … those effort plays, they inspire your team,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Our rebounding has been off the charts, that’s a big part of winning. You have to keep improving … keep fighting, scratching. Whatever we gotta do, we gotta do right now.”