Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Thomas, Stauskas, Knicks, Jordan
Asked on Tuesday whether the Celtics considered signing Isaiah Thomas at any point this season, head coach Ime Udoka said that point guard “was never really a position of need” for his team, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston tweets.
The Celtics did trade away a point guard – Dennis Schröder – at last month’s deadline, but acquired Derrick White on the same day. The team came out of the trade deadline with five open spots on its 15-man roster and has since filled them all without adding another point guard.
Now a member of the Hornets on a 10-day contract, Thomas will face his old team on Wednesday night in Charlotte. And, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe details, the veteran point guard admitted that he’s disappointed a reunion with the Celtics has never materialized since he was traded by the team in 2017.
“I’ve tried to have conversations about that, but it’s hard to speak on because I’ve opened my arms to try to come back in so many ways,” Thomas said on Tuesday. “And it’s not even playing and trying to pick up where I left off. I’m past that moment. I know there’s been times where I can help in that locker room.
“This is from the outside looking in, but I felt like there’s times where (president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens) could make a call and give me an opportunity, and it hasn’t happened, so that’s very frustrating because of the relationship we have, the friendship we’ve been able to have over the years.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Nik Stauskas, who signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Celtics last week, said on Tuesday that he had considered the possibility of walking away from basketball after this season if he didn’t get another NBA opportunity, tweets Forsberg. Stauskas’ salary for 2022/23 is non-guaranteed, but if he impresses the C’s down the stretch, it’s possible he’ll stick around for next season.
- Fourth-year center Mitchell Robinson has been one of the few bright spots for the Knicks this season, according to Steve Popper of Newsday, who notes that Robinson has played some of his best basketball recently as he nears unrestricted free agency. “Mitch is playing really well, really well,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Monday. “I want him to continue on that path. His effort to the board — his execution is much, much improved in terms of what we can do with him in terms of dribble-handoff and pick-and-roll and that sort of thing. He’s growing day by day.” Robinson, who was limited to just two minutes on Monday due to an illness, is questionable to play in Dallas on Wednesday.
- With the Knicks in need of some reliable backcourt production due to the absences of players like Derrick Rose, Quentin Grimes, and Kemba Walker, Immanuel Quickley has broken out of a season-long shooting slump and strung together a series of impressive offensive performances at just the right time, says Peter Botte of The New York Post. In his last five games (26.5 MPG), Quickley is averaging 18.6 PPG on .528/.520/.960 shooting.
- DeAndre Jordan didn’t make much of an impact in Los Angeles this season, but he could be the ideal backup for Sixers star Joel Embiid, Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer contends.
Tyreke Evans Working Out For Warriors
Free agent wing Tyreke Evans is set to work out with the Warriors this week, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Anthony Slater of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that Golden State first worked out Evans last week in Miami, where he has been training with free agent forward Michael Beasley and shelved Rockets point guard John Wall. Slater concludes that Evans’ performance must have merited a second look.
Last week, Evans worked out for the Bucks, who are fairly thin on the wing due to injuries and a deadline trade. The fit for Evans on Golden State seems less definitive, especially since the Warriors don’t have an open roster spot like Milwaukee, but he would add some size and versatility across all three perimeter positions and is a capable passer.
Evans, the 2010 Rookie of the Year, boasts a decade of league experience from 2009-19. Last month, Evans was reinstated into the NBA after being suspended by the league since 2019 for violating its drug policy. The 32-year-old guard has not played elsewhere since his ban.
Over the course of his NBA career thus far, Evans has suited up for the Kings, Pelicans, Grizzlies and most recently the Pacers. In 594 games, the 6’6″ vet out of Memphis holds averages of 15.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.6 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .440/.323/.757 shooting splits. During his lone season in Indiana, he saw his role reduced. In just 20.3 MPG, Evans averaged 10.2 PPG on 38.9% shooting from the field.
Southeast Notes: Kuzma, Oladipo, Spoelstra, Hampton
Versatile Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is enjoying his new opportunity as Washington’s highest-usage player following a trade from the only NBA team he had ever known, the Lakers, during the 2021 offseason, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Kuzma won a title as a key rotation player for Los Angeles in 2020.
“I’ve referred to him on a number of occasions as our Swiss Army knife,” Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “Whatever we need in that moment, he’s capable of doing.”
The 6’9″ Kuzma is averaging 17.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG and 3.4 APG in 60 games for Washington, with shooting splits of .456/.342/.725.
“It’s been a great change of pace for me, a change of scenery,” the 26-year-old said of his new club. “I did as much as I (could) to maximize (myself) when I was with my former team, with changing my role every single year for the betterment of the team and trying to fit in with great players.
“But here, it’s been a lot different, because I don’t necessarily have to do that. My role has changed here. If you think about the first 25 games, I was in a different type of role than I am now: more scoring and just doing more things with the ball. It’s just great to be in a situation where I can just be myself and do what I do, and not dummy myself down.”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Heat reserve guard Victor Oladipo returned to the court with Miami for the first time this season on Monday. He logged 11 points while shooting 4-for-7 from the floor in a 123-106 win over Oladipo’s former team, the Rockets. Oladipo called his return from a right knee quadriceps tendon surgery “everything I wanted and more,” per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. A former two-time All-Star and 2o18 All-Defensive First Team honoree for the Pacers, Oladipo returned with a 15-minute cap. He has appeared in just 53 contests since the beginning of the 2019/20 NBA season due to a variety of injuries. When asked about when the guard would exceed his current strict on-court time limit, head coach Erik Spoelstra was quick to establish that the club is taking a longer-term approach. “I’m going to temper those expectations,” Spoelstra said. “He’s been out a year. Three years of injuries. Fifteen minutes, that feel amazing to him and to everybody in the locker room. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves on anything else.”
- Now that Oladipo is back as a contributor on the hardwood for the Heat, Spoelstra looks forward to having to make some roster adjustments with his perimeter players, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Miami guards Max Strus and Gabe Vincent rode the bench, until the game was well out of reach in the fourth, to accommodate Oladipo’s return. “Big shout out to Max and Gabe, who have been playing really well,” Oladipo said after the contest. “For them to sacrifice their minutes tonight, I know that’s not easy.” Spoelstra acknowledged the roster crunch but appeared to dismiss it as being an issue for team chemistry. “That’s for amateurs,” Spoelstra said. “Guys understand the opportunity with this group. It’s not all going to be perfect. Everybody is not always going to be happy, but we have a really mature group in this locker room… We have a bunch of guys who can fit in and impact the game. Max and Gabe didn’t play much, but they can come in and do the same thing.”
- With rookie Magic guard Jalen Suggs missing Orlando’s last two games due to a right ankle sprain, second-year guard R.J. Hampton has been tasked with bigger-ticket defensive assignments, writes Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. The 6’4″ guard may still be struggling on offense, as he is averaging 7.3 PPG on 38.4% field goal shooting this season, but he has exhibited plenty of promise on the other side of the floor.
Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Center Rotation, Moody, Kirk Lacob
Second-year Warriors center James Wiseman is scheduled to play in two games for Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, this week, per a team press release. Wiseman has recovered enough from a pair of procedures on his knee to be cleared to play in a game situation.
According to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link), while there’s still no official target date for Wiseman’s NBA return “whispers” indicate it could happen during an upcoming home stand at the Chase Center, from March 12-20. Sources tell Kendra Andrews of ESPN that Wiseman is “highly unlikely” to become a permanent part of Golden State’s playoff-bound rotation, but he is projected to earn occasional spot minutes.
The seven-footer, still just 20, was selected with the No. 2 pick out of Memphis in the 2020 draft. In his 39 healthy NBA games to this point, he has averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG. His lack of experience will likely preclude him from being more than the Warriors’ third center this year.
There’s more out of the Chase Center:
- Though the Warriors could benefit from an additional reserve center behind starter Kevon Looney, the team appears to have prioritized wings as it makes a postseason push, writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Kawakami notes that 6’7″ starting power forward Draymond Green remains the club’s most effective center as a small-ball option, adding that Wiseman could work as a backup big in certain situations.
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has identified rookie wing Moses Moody as a key piece for Golden State moving forward, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). “He’s a keeper,” Kerr raved after Moody scored a career-high 30 points in Denver on Monday.. “He’s a guy who’s going to be a cornerstone for this team for a long time to come. It’s easy to see that right now in his rookie year.”
- As part of his NBA 40 Under 40 series, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic interviews Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob, noting that the son of team majority owner Joe Lacob, has become a trusted voice for team president Bob Myers. The younger Lacob discussed how the team handles player development with a new youth-heavy roster. “We’ve got someone on the coaching staff who is solely kind of dedicated as the director of player development and their job is to make sure players have development courses at every part of their career, and that the coaching staff is on the same kind of alignment as the performance team because that’s a whole other player element is your physical performance,” he said. “On the front office side, we’ve got a whole group and we call them team development, but part of team development is player development.”
Nets Notes: Simmons, Aldridge, Irving, Marks, Peterson
Now a member of the Nets, Ben Simmons is expected to file a formal grievance against the Sixers at some point in the near future, league sources tell Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. The goal will be to recoup some or all of the $20MM+ that Simmons lost in team fines during his season-long holdout in Philadelphia.
As Neubeck explains, the Sixers fined Simmons for each game he missed (costing him about $360K per game) because he didn’t meet with team doctors to discuss the mental health issues he cited as the reason for his absence and because the club never received documentation providing an explanation for his absence or details on his treatment plan. Neubeck’s sources likened the situation to a player suffering a physical injury and only consulting with an outside specialist, without keeping his team in the loop.
Neubeck suggests the reception Simmons gets in Philadelphia on Thursday when he sits on the Nets’ bench may play a part in his grievance — his camp will likely point to the vitriol he receives on Thursday as evidence for why he wasn’t mentally prepared to suit up again for the Sixers, according to Neubeck. Still, based on his conversations with league sources and people familiar with the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Neubeck says the 76ers appear to be in a “much stronger position” in a potential arbitration case.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- LaMarcus Aldridge, who had already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game in Charlotte due to a right hip impingement, returned to Brooklyn to undergo an MRI, head coach Steve Nash said today. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post tweets, Nash said the results of that MRI were mostly good, but Aldridge won’t rejoin the team on its current road trip, so he’ll miss Thursday’s game in Philadelphia too.
- Speaking to reporters following the Nets’ loss to the Celtics on Sunday, point guard Kyrie Irving likened the Boston faithful who booed him every time he touched the ball to a “scorned girlfriend,” as Adam Zagoria of NJ.com writes. Irving also said that he feels like New York City mayor Eric Adams is “on my side,” though the private sector vaccine mandate that prevents Kyrie from playing in New York remains in place for now.
- In a conversation with Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, Nets general manager Sean Marks admitted that it was frustrating to never really see the Nets’ Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Irving together and healthy for an extended period, but said he’s excited to see what the new-look core looks like when everyone is available.
- As part of his NBA 40 Under 40 series, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic profiles Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson, whom Marks refers to as a “great sounding board.” Peterson has played a key role in the Nets’ college scouting department and had a hand in the selections of Cam Thomas and Kessler Edwards last year, per Vorkunov.
Thunder’s Dort, Muscala, Jerome Done For Season Following Surgeries
Thunder players Luguentz Dort, Mike Muscala and Ty Jerome will all be out for the rest of the 2021/22 season following surgeries to address various ailments, per a team press release.
Dort had an operation to treat a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Muscala had a scope and lateral ligament repair on his right ankle. Jerome, who has been dealing with a hip injury, went under the knife for what the Thunder term to be a sports hernia, and could return in just eight weeks. Oklahoma City anticipates that Dort and Muscala will be ready to play in time for the beginning of the 2022/23 NBA season.
Muscala had reportedly been considering an offseason surgery to address the ankle injury — it appears he opted to accelerate that timeline. The news of Dort and Jerome requiring surgeries comes as more of a surprise.
At 20-44, the rebuilding Thunder are currently the No. 14 seed in the Western Conference. The extended absences of Dort, Muscala and Jerome – all rotation players – for the rest of the year should help Oklahoma City’s tanking efforts.
According to Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman (via Twitter), Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said that the country’s top sports doctors were occupied with NFL Combine obligations over the last week, which led to all these surgeries all transpiring on the same day.
Dort, still just 22, has emerged as one of the Thunder’s best players. In 51 games this year, the defensive-oriented swingman averaged 17.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.9 SPG. “It’s gotta be pretty significant for a specialist to recommend surgery,” Daigneault said of the labrum tear, per Mussatto (Twitter link).
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Thunder hold a $1.9MM team option for Dort for 2022/23. Should Oklahoma City pick up the option, the team could then offer him a four-year, $58MM contract extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2023. The club could also turn down that team option to make him a restricted free agent this offseason.
The other two sidelined Thunder players have not been as essential for Oklahoma City this season. Jerome, a 24-year-old shooting guard, logged 7.1 PPG, 2.3 APG and 1.6 in 48 games (16.7 MPG) during his third NBA season. Muscala averaged 8.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 13.8 MPG across 43 contests for the Thunder, who have a $3.5MM team option on the 30-year-old big man for the 2022/23 season.
Wolves Notes: Cauley-Stein, Edwards, Beverley, Ownership
In an appearance on Darren Wolfson’s The Scoop podcast at SKOR North, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said that Minnesota is considering adding a free agent who could help improve the team’s rebounding numbers.
Asked specifically if the Wolves could bring back veteran center Greg Monroe, who was on a 10-day deal with the club earlier this season, Taylor responded, “We’re looking at a number of possibilities.”
According to Wolfson, one possible target the Wolves have discussed internally is Willie Cauley-Stein, who recently spent time in Philadelphia on a 10-day deal. Cody Zeller, who was waived last month while recovering from a procedure on his knee, isn’t currently considered an option, Wolfson adds.
Here’s more out of Minnesota:
- Anthony Edwards has missed the Timberwolves’ last four games due to knee soreness, but Taylor is confident the injury is not a major issue. “We’re dealing with some swelling and some pain,” Taylor told Wolfson. “We just want to buy a little time, but it’s nothing major or anything that will keep him from being out there soon.”
- Taylor doesn’t anticipate a significant offseason roster shakeup in Minnesota. “Most players are already signed for next year, so there won’t be major changes,” he told Wolfson.
- One player who had been on track for unrestricted free agency this summer was guard Patrick Beverley, but he signed a one-year, $13MM extension with the Wolves in February. Taylor said that was a fairly straightforward negotiation, since both sides had interest in continuing the relationship, and that the main issue was deciding on the length of the contract. Beverley “preferred to add something longer,” according to Taylor, who said the team wanted to maintain some flexibility beyond 2022/23.
- Asked by Wolfson if the plan is still for Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore to assume majority control of the Timberwolves in December 2023, Taylor replied, “Probably.” Pressed on whether it could happen sooner than next December or later than that, Taylor said that both scenarios are possible, indicating that nothing is set in stone yet.
Isaiah Stewart Has Bone Bruise In Knee, Out At Least One Week
Pistons center Isaiah Stewart has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee, the team announced today (via Twitter). Stewart will begin undergoing treatment for the injury and will be reevaluated in one week, according to the announcement.
It’s relatively good news for Stewart and the Pistons, since the injury initially looked like it could have been more serious. Stewart went down during the second quarter of Monday’s win over Atlanta, when Hawks center Clint Capela fell awkwardly into his legs. The second-year big man appeared to be in a good deal of pain, unable to put weight on his right leg as he left the court.
With less than five weeks remaining before the Pistons’ schedule wraps up, a more serious injury would’ve almost certainly shut down Stewart for the season. Instead, it sounds like we could see him back in action in the coming weeks.
Stewart, 20, has been Detroit’s full-time starting center this season, averaging 8.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 57 games (25.8 MPG).
Stewart is under contract for $3.4MM next season. The Pistons will likely pick up his $5.3MM option for 2023/24 later this year, which would make him extension-eligible during the ’23 offseason.
Pelicans Notes: Playoff Race, B. Graham, Williamson
Passing the Lakers in the standings should be the motivating factor that drives the rest of the season for the Pelicans, writes Scott Kushner of NOLA.com.
As Kushner notes, moving ahead of the Lakers would be doubly beneficial for the Pelicans. For one, the two teams currently rank ninth and 10th in the Western Conference standings, and the No. 9 seed will host the No. 10 team in a win-or-go-home game in the play-in tournament next month.
Additionally, the Pelicans will receive the Lakers’ first-round pick if it lands in the top 10, so pushing the Lakers further down the standings would increase the likelihood of New Orleans getting that lottery pick. Currently, the Lakers have the NBA’s 11th-worst record.
The Pelicans will host the Lakers on March 27, then will face them in Los Angeles on April 1, so they’ll have a couple opportunities in the coming weeks to directly help their own cause.
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- An assistant general manager in the Pelicans’ front office, Bryson Graham is viewed as a strong candidate to continue climbing the basketball operations ranks, either in New Orleans or elsewhere, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “I think he’s really good,” one NBA executive said of Graham. “He’s smart, he works hard and he knows his s–t. (He) will be a GM in the next five years.”
- Graham tells Vorkunov that he’s thrilled to be an assistant GM in New Orleans, but his goal is to ultimately run a team. “I mean, I’m winning right now, just being in the door,” Graham said. “But for me to sit here and say that, ‘Oh, I don’t care about being the GM one day or being the vice president.’ Eh, that’s a bunch of bull. I want that opportunity. And I think everybody that’s in my shoes ultimately should strive, as long as it’s coming from a good place.”
- With Zion Williamson eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, Keith Smith of Spotrac explores what the former No. 1 overall pick’s next contract could look like. As Smith observes, Williamson’s history of health issues, his “uneasy” relationship with New Orleans, and his incredible production when he has played will make the situation a fascinating one to watch.
- In case you missed it, Williamson – who is back in New Orleans after rehabbing his foot injury elsewhere for much of the year – is expected to rejoin the Pelicans when the team returns home this week. The club’s road trip wraps up with tonight’s game in Memphis.
Bulls Notes: Green, Donovan, LaVine, Thompson
Javonte Green has emerged as the most valuable piece of a three-team trade the Bulls made at the 2021 deadline, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Chicago also received Daniel Theis and Troy Brown Jr. in the deal with the Celtics and Wizards, but Brown has become indispensable for coach Billy Donovan. He was inserted into the starting lineup after an early-season injury to Patrick Williams and has been able to contribute as both a starter and reserve.
“I know what I’m on the team for and what I bring to the team. I’m going to continue to do that whether that’s coming off the bench or starting,” Green said. “I’m just here to do my job, be here for my teammates. Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do it regardless if I’m starting or coming off the bench. It’s not like I’m mad about it or anything.”
Green was asked to fill both roles this week as Donovan started Tristan Thompson alongside Nikola Vucevic in Friday’s game against the Bucks, then used Green as a starter again Monday at Philadelphia. Green might have to adjust again if Williams and Alex Caruso return before the end of the season, but he says he’s ready for anything.
“From the beginning, from my first game in the NBA, I knew I could play at this level,” Green said. “I’m just getting a great opportunity, and I’m taking advantage of it.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Donovan said it’s up to him to get the team back on the right path after a fifth straight loss on Monday, Johnson adds in a separate story. Donovan, who has extensive playoff experience, including coaching in a conference finals, understands that many of his players are unfamiliar with that level. “I think it’s my responsibility for guys like Ayo (Dosunmu) and Coby (White) even Zach (LaVine), some of these guys who haven’t played in places that they want to play in this league, that there are certain things you can’t escape that have to do,” Donovan said. “And you have to confront them.”
- LaVine is still dealing with swelling in his left knee that affects his mobility, but pain is no longer an issue, tweets Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Donovan said LaVine is feeling better now than before he saw a knee specialist last month.
- Even though the Bulls have hit a low point in the season, Thompson remains confident that he made the right choice in coming to Chicago after his buyout with the Pacers (video link from NBC Sports Chicago).