Tennessee’s Kennedy Chandler Entering NBA Draft
Tennessee freshman Kennedy Chandler will enter the 2022 NBA draft, hiring an agent and forgoing his remaining college eligibility, he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on NBA Today on Tuesday (link via Jonathan Givony of ESPN).
Chandler is a projected first-round pick, according to Givony, who ranks him at No. 17 on ESPN’s big board. The six-foot point guard averaged 13.9 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.2 SPG on .464/.383/.606 shooting in 34 games (30.8 MPG) for the Volunteers, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman team. He also led Tennessee to an SEC tournament championship and was named MVP of the tournament.
As Givony outlines, Chandler improved as the season went on, becoming a more vocal leader, improving his shooting, and playing strong defense.
“Adjusting to the speed of the college game was the big thing early on,” Chandler told ESPN. “Coach [Rick] Barnes had me watching a lot of Chris Paul and Tony Parker film. Learning how to make different reads, and understanding that every team is going to have a different game plan.
“… I want to show NBA teams how much stronger I will get through the pre-draft process. Being ready to play with physicality in the NBA, a six-foot guard like me can play with anybody in the league. Just being coachable, cerebral, that’s how I can separate myself in this process.”
Injury Updates: LeBron, LaVine, Murray, Powell, Knicks, More
Facing a must-win game in Phoenix on Tuesday and looking to keep their play-in hopes alive, the Lakers will once again be without star forward LeBron James, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James, who continues to deal with a left ankle sprain, has been ruled out for a second consecutive game and will now have missed three of the last four.
If the Lakers lose to the Suns and the Spurs win in Denver, L.A. would be officially eliminated from play-in contention by the end of the night.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Bulls guard Zach LaVine (knee) will likely miss Tuesday’s game vs. Milwaukee, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). LaVine’s left knee has been an issue for much of the season, though he has been able to play through the discomfort for the most part — this would only be the second game he has missed since the All-Star break.
- Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (ACL) has “really ramped up” his activity in the last week, Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown on Sunday (video link). While Wojnarowski describes Murray as “aggressive” in his efforts to get back on the court, he cautions that the guard is still experiencing some soreness at times in his surgically-repaired left knee.
- Norman Powell (foot) will be a full participant in Tuesday’s practice for the Clippers, according to head coach Tyronn Lue, who noted that the team isn’t playing five-on-five today. Lue is hopeful that Powell will be able to return within the next several days, tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group.
- Asked today about whether Julius Randle (quad) or Derrick Rose (ankle) will play again this season, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau responded, “I don’t see it happening” (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic).
- Mavericks guards Sterling Brown and Trey Burke are out of the COVID-19 protocols and will be available on Wednesday vs. Detroit, per head coach Jason Kidd (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).
- Out since March 14 due to a high ankle sprain, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Washington (Twitter link). “I think he’s had a really good week, good evaluation,” head coach Chris Finch said (Twitter link via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic). “Just not sure if he’s ready to play in the game tonight, but try to push him today in our ‘stay in shape league‘ and see how everything goes.”
Central Notes: Bickerstaff, Nembhard, P. Williams, Key, Vildoza
Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fined $15K on Monday for his public criticism of the league’s officiating, the NBA announced in a press release. Bickerstaff griped about the foul calls on Sunday following a 112-108 loss to Philadelphia in which James Harden and Joel Embiid combined to attempt 32 free throws.
“We deserved to win that game. That game was taken from us,” Bickerstaff said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “We did a great job defensively, making their two best players have a difficult time from the field. But one thing you can’t defend is the free throw line. That’s absurd. That’s absurd. Our guys deserve way better than what they got tonight.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- RJ Nembhard‘s new contract with the Cavaliers is a straight-up conversion from his two-way deal, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Nembhard, who will earn $58,493 on the prorated minimum-salary contract, remains on track for restricted free agency this offseason.
- Having returned from a wrist injury on March 21, Patrick Williams is playing increasingly well for the Bulls as the postseason nears, according to Cole Huff of The Athletic, who says the second-year forward has been “efficient and opportunistic” on offense while showcasing his usual versatility on the defensive end. Having already displayed the potential to be a long-term cornerstone in Chicago, Williams could help in the short term too and be an asset in the playoffs if he keeps progressing, Huff writes.
- Braxton Key‘s new two-way contract with the Pistons is a two-year agreement, covering 2022/23 as well as the rest of this season, league sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link).
- Luca Vildoza‘s two-year deal with the Bucks will be non-guaranteed for next season, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Lakers Rumors: Coaching Change, Davis, Westbrook, THT, Nunn, Monk
An offseason coaching change seems inevitable for the Lakers, who could see their hopes for the play-in tournament end as early as tonight, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
Sources tell Fischer that L.A. is expected to fire Frank Vogel after the end of the season. Vogel has reportedly been on the hot seat for some time, and only received a one-year contract extension last summer.
There will be a long list of potential replacements, but Fischer identifies Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Sixers coach Doc Rivers as the most intriguing names to watch. Marc Stein of Substack recently linked Snyder to the Lakers’ job, and possibly to the Spurs as well. Snyder responded by calling it “disrespectful” to the teams involved to discuss rumors while those coaching positions are filled.
Snyder was a Lakers assistant 10 years ago, and Utah may decide to make a coaching change of its own after a late-season slide, but Fischer cites skepticism around the league that he’ll wind up in Los Angeles. The feeling is that Snyder would prefer to wait for the San Antonio job, even if Gregg Popovich returns next season.
Rivers could become available if Philadelphia has an early playoff exit, and he would be considered by the Jazz as well, Fischer adds. Rivers had a long history in Boston with Utah CEO Danny Ainge.
Fischer has more news regarding the Lakers:
- Some rival teams have wondered if Anthony Davis might be available in a trade this summer, but multiple sources told Fischer that won’t be an option the Lakers seriously consider. Davis has been severely limited by injuries the past two years, playing 39 games so far this season and 36 in 2020/21, but L.A.’s front office still believes it has the makings of a championship contender when Davis and LeBron James are healthy.
- The Lakers will try again to trade Russell Westbrook, but they still may not have any options other than a deal with the Rockets for John Wall that would likely also cost them a future first-round pick. Talen Horton-Tucker, who Fischer said was nearly sent to the Raptors at the deadline in a three-way deal that would have included the Knicks, will also be on the market, along with Kendrick Nunn, who is expected to pick up his $5.25MM player option.
- Malik Monk was the Lakers’ best offseason signing, ranking third on the team in points scored and minutes played on a minimum-salary contract, but he may be somewhere else next season. L.A. only holds Non-Bird rights on Monk and will be limited to a contract that starts at the taxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected to be $6.4MM. Rival executives expect him to get offers with a starting salary as high as $10MM, says Fischer.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 4/5/2022
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 12:15 pm Central time (1:15 pm ET).
Click here for the transcript of today’s chat, and join Dana Gauruder this Thursday at 11:00 am CT for our next live chat.
Auburn’s Jabari Smith Declares For 2022 NBA Draft
Auburn power forward Jabari Smith has confirmed that he’ll put his name into the 2022 NBA draft pool, making the announcement in a video published on the men’s basketball program’s official Twitter account.
While Smith didn’t specify whether he’s forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility or testing the waters, it’s safe to assume – based on both the tone of his announcement and his projected draft range – that he has played his last college game.
A freshman in 2021/22, Smith started all 34 games he played for the Tigers and averaged 16.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.0 BPG in 28.8 minutes per contest. The 18-year-old also showed an impressive ability to knock down outside shots, hitting 42.0% of his three-point tries. He was a consensus second-team All-American and was named the NABC Freshman of the Year.
Smith is widely viewed as one of the top three prospects in the 2022 draft class, with some experts even placing him atop their boards. His time at Auburn came to a disappointing end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when the team was upset by Miami — Smith shot just 3-of-16 from the field in what was his worst offensive game of the season, but that performance is unlikely to hurt his draft stock much, if at all.
In his scouting report, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony refers to Smith as one of the most dynamic shooters in college and a “highly versatile” defender who has the ability to switch all over the floor. Smith is the No. 2 player on ESPN’s big board, behind only Chet Holmgren.
Smith is the second standout underclassman at Auburn to declare for the draft this spring, joining teammate Walker Kessler, who is also projected to be a first-round pick.
Thunder Sign Zavier Simpson To Hardship Deal
In addition to signing Georgios Kalaitzakis to a 10-day hardship contract, the Thunder have also added guard Zavier Simpson to their roster using a hardship exception, per NBA.com’s official transactions log.
As we noted when we discussed Kalaitzakis’ signing earlier today, Oklahoma City has a full 15-man roster, but is eligible to sign additional players to short-term contracts because the team qualifies for multiple hardship exceptions due to all its injured players. The Thunder now have 20 players under contract, including two-ways.
Simpson, who went undrafted out of Michigan in 2020, has spent his first two professional seasons playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. In 35 regular season NBAGL games in 2022, he has averaged 14.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.5 SPG with a .487/.353/.686 shooting line in 32.3 MPG.
It looked earlier this season like Simpson would get a call-up on a COVID-related 10-day hardship contract, but he entered the health and safety protocols himself before the deal was officially finalized. Three months later, he’ll get a chance to play in the Thunder’s final four games of the season.
Checking In On Active 10-Day Contracts
With just six days left in the 2021/22 season, no more standard 10-day contracts will be signed this spring.
Teams looking to fill open 15-man roster spots will do what the Pistons did with Carsen Edwards or what the Bucks are doing with Luca Vildoza, signing players to rest-of-season contracts, ideally with at least one extra non-guaranteed year tacked onto those deals.
It is possible that one or two more “10-day” contracts will be signed by teams eligible for hardship exceptions. Those clubs have full 15-man rosters but are hardship-eligible either because a player tested positive for COVID-19 or because several of their players are injured.
Those hardship 10-days, like the one the Thunder completed with Georgios Kalaitzakis on Monday, are technically just rest-of-season contracts that don’t give the team any form of Bird rights this offseason. Kalaitzakis will become a free agent immediately after the season ends, and Oklahoma City won’t be able to use the Non-Bird exception to re-sign him in the summer.
Here are the remaining active 10-day contracts, which will expire in the coming days:
- Utah Jazz: Greg Monroe (standard — runs through 4/6)
- Boston Celtics: Juwan Morgan (standard — 4/6)
- Indiana Pacers: Justin Anderson (standard — 4/6)
- Dallas Mavericks: Brandon Knight (COVID hardship — 4/7)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Reggie Perry (injury hardship — 4/8)
- Orlando Magic: Devin Cannady (standard — 4/9)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Jaylen Hoard (injury hardship — 4/10)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Georgios Kalaitzakis (injury hardship — 4/10)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Zavier Simpson (injury hardship — 4/10)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Kris Dunn (injury hardship — 4/10)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Drew Eubanks (injury hardship — 4/10)
The Mavericks, Thunder, and Trail Blazers have full 15-man rosters, so they won’t create any openings on their respective rosters when their current 10-day agreements expire.
However, the Jazz, Celtics, Pacers, and Magic are each using a roster spot on a 10-day player. When those contracts expire, those clubs could either bring back the same player on a rest-of-season contract or use that 15th slot on someone else. For instance, Utah might want to promote two-way player Trent Forrest to its standard roster to ensure that he’s playoff-eligible.
Nearly any free agent signed to a rest-of-season deal using a 15-man roster spot will be playoff-eligible, so the Jazz and Celtics will have plenty of options. Semi Ojeleye, Kyle Guy, Joel Ayayi, Luka Samanic, and Chris Smith are the only players who have been placed on waivers since March 1, making them ineligible for the postseason.
Thunder Sign Georgios Kalaitzakis To Hardship Deal
The Thunder have signed Greek forward Georgios Kalaitzakis to a 10-day contract using the hardship exception, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. The deal was completed on Monday.
There are only six days left in the regular season, so referring to Kalaitzakis’ agreement as a “10-day” is a bit of a misnomer — it’s essentially a rest-of-season hardship deal that won’t give Oklahoma City any form of Bird rights on the rookie this offseason.
Kalaitzakis, 23, was the 60th overall pick in the 2021 draft and joined the Bucks to begin his NBA career. However, his initial contract with Milwaukee was only partially guaranteed and he didn’t see much action with the team, logging just 48 total minutes across nine games. He was waived in December when the club signed Wesley Matthews.
Kalaitzakis subsequently joined the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, and appeared in 31 regular season games for the team, averaging 10.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .422/.241/.750 shooting in 19.7 minutes per contest.
The Thunder are missing about half their roster due to injuries — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, and Mike Muscala have all been ruled out for the season, and it’s possible Kenrich Williams and Tre Mann will join them. As such, Kalaitzakis will likely just be a depth piece to help the team finish out its regular season schedule.
Jaylen Hoard is also on a 10-day hardship deal with the Thunder, who now have 19 players under contract (including two-ways).
Southwest Notes: Doncic, Murray, Sengun, Pera
Luka Doncic ranks among the top five in the league in scoring and assists but he’s getting very little Most Valuable Player buzz. The Mavericks guard shrugs it off, according to Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.
“We’re winning. That’s what I care [about]. Our goal is to get home advantage,” he said. “We’re so close. We’ve got three games left, and that’s our goal right now.”
Assistant coach Peter Patton said Doncic deserves more consideration. “If you watch every game since the All-Star break or just before the All-Star break, it’s been go time,” he said. “I mean, he’s been outstanding. Arguably, you can say he’s the best player in the league. He is the most valuable player in the league, in my opinion, because he can score, he can pass, he can defend, he can rebound. He makes his teammates better, and I think that’s the biggest thing.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- The Spurs will be without their top player, Dejounte Murray, for the third consecutive game when they face the Nuggets on Tuesday, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. Murray is battling an upper respiratory illness. Currently holding the 10th and final spot in the Western Conference play-in picture, San Antonio has won its last two games without the All-Star guard.
- Rockets rookie big man Alperen Sengun said he will play for the Turkish National Team at EuroBasket 2022 this summer, Adam Spolane of SportsRadio 610 tweets. Sengun plans to participate in Houston’s Summer League minicamp prior to playing in the international tournament.
- The Grizzlies’ Robert Pera is the third-richest owner in the league and his deep pockets will help the much-improved team maintain its new standing as a Western Conference contender, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. The Grizzlies haven’t spent into the luxury tax since 2005, but Pera is willing to do that, according to Windhorst. The team has also been sending signals that it intends to be aggressive in retaining and acquiring talent, Windhorst adds.