2022 December | Hoops Rumors

Checking In On Open NBA Roster Spots

December 30th, 2022 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Raptors waived Justin Champagnie on Thursday night, they became the 11th NBA team to create an opening on its 15-man roster.

Early in the season, we often don’t see teams take advantage of those open roster spots. However, we’re getting to the point in the year when they’ll start to become more important.

January 5 is the first day that teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts, which require an open roster spot unless the team qualifies for a hardship exception. We’re also entering trade season, so teams with openings on their rosters will have more flexibility to accommodate two-for-one type deals.

It’s also worth noting that January 7 is the last day a team can waive a player on a non-guaranteed contract and avoid paying his full-year salary, so we could see more roster spots around the league open up within the next eight days as some of those players on non-guaranteed deals are cut.

For now, here are the 11 teams with open roster spots:

Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Toronto Raptors

Some of these clubs have avoided carrying a 15th man due to luxury tax concerns. The Heat, for instance, are so close to the tax line that they’re not expected to fill their 15th roster spot until March. But 10-day contracts cost so little that we’ll likely see some taxpaying teams take a flier on a free agent or two.

One team on this list that’s well clear of tax territory is Charlotte, but the Hornets may be saving their 15th roster spot for restricted free agent Miles Bridges. If Bridges signs a contract and faces a lengthy NBA-mandated suspension, the Hornets would be able to move him to the suspended list five games into that suspension, reopening their 15th spot until he’s eligible to return.

As our roster counts page shows, there are currently no NBA teams with open two-way slots — all 60 are filled.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

And-Ones: Wembanyama, L. Miller, Elam Ending, Lin

December 30th, 2022 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

While it’s not as if he needed to further cement his place as the top prospect in the 2023 draft class, Victor Wembanyama put on a dazzling performance in the LNB’s All-Star Game, per an Associated Press report.

Wembanyama was named the MVP of the LNB showcase, which pits the league’s top French players against its non-French stars. The big man racked up 27 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, leading the French team to a 136-128 victory. The game was Wembanyama’s last as an 18-year-old — he’ll turn 19 next Wednesday before his Metropolitans 92 resume play on January 9.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Canadian forward Leonard Miller, currently a member of the G League Ignite, is planning to enter the 2023 NBA draft and go pro, he tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Miller is viewed as a potential first-round pick and currently ranks 26th overall on ESPN’s big board of 2023 prospects.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports is the latest reporter to take a closer look at the G League’s experimentation with a “target score” (also known as the Elam Ending). The NBAGL has used a target score in overtime all season long and employed it in the fourth quarter of games during its Winter Showcase in Las Vegas. The new overtime format has “strong supporters” in NBA front offices and the league office, according to Fischer. When we asked you last week whether the NBA should adopt the Elam Ending for overtimes, more of our poll respondents were against it than for it.
Veteran point guard Jeremy Lin, who had been playing for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, has left the CBA for the rest of the season, he announced in an Instagram post. “I’m gonna go back to the U.S. to rest and reset before I make a decision with my family for my next step,” Lin wrote. He has appeared in 480 total NBA regular season games, but hasn’t played in the league since 2019, when he was a member of the champion Raptors.

Cavaliers, Nuggets In Market For Wing Help

December 30th, 2022 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and Nuggets are among the teams expected to peruse the trade market for help on the wing in the coming weeks, according to a pair of reports.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe (insider link) says league sources expect Cleveland to seek another short-term option on the wing, while Sam Amick of The Athletic cites sources who say the Nuggets will be looking for at least one wing to help bolster their bench.

Lowe’s report on the Cavaliers comes as no surprise, given that the club has long been thought to be in the market for a wing. With Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in the frontcourt and Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland in the backcourt, a three-and-D wing who can make shots on offense and lock down opposing perimeter threats would be an ideal fit for the Cavs.

Cleveland has some solid defensive wings on the roster, but players like Isaac Okoro and Lamar Stevens don’t offer much offensively. Caris LeVert, meanwhile, is a career 33.4% three-point shooter who isn’t an especially stout defender.

As for the Nuggets, Amick says the goal is to get “longer, more athletic, versatile, defensive-minded, and bigger” on the wing. The “dream scenario,” he adds, would be to find another player with a similar skill set to Aaron Gordon, who is enjoying the best year of his career in Denver.

While it doesn’t hurt to aim high, it seems unlikely that the Nuggets will be able to land that sort of impact player, given their relative lack of trade assets. They’ve already moved three future first-round picks and don’t have many logical salary-matching pieces — only six players on the roster are earning more than $5MM (Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Bruce Brown) and none of them are good bets to be moved this season.

Denver could potentially acquire a mid-level type player by building a package around Ish Smith and his $4.7MM expiring salary.

Lore, A-Rod On Track To Buy Next 20% Stake In Timberwolves

December 30th, 2022 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

The plan for Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to succeed Glen Taylor as the controlling owners of the Timberwolves continues to move forward, according to Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic, who report that Lore and Rodriguez have exercised their option to buy another 20% of the team.

When Lore and Rodriguez reached an agreement with Taylor in the spring of 2021, the succession plan called for the new owners to initially come aboard as minority stakeholders with a 20% share of the franchise. The duo had until the end of 2022 to exercise an option to purchase another 20%, bringing their total stake in the club to 40%.

Now that Lore and A-Rod have exercised that option, they’ll have until March 15 to formally close on their second 20%, according to Krawczynski and Charania.

The final stage of the ownership change would see Lore and A-Rod exercise an option to buy another 40% of the team by December 31, 2023. Assuming that happens, the duo would then control 80% of the Timberwolves. Sources tell The Athletic that the plan is for Taylor to retain a 20% stake after giving up majority control of the team.

A report in August raised questions about whether Rodriguez had the liquidity necessary to contribute his half of the purchasing price and suggested that the deal could be in jeopardy, but it appears it’s still moving forward as planned.

As Krawczynski and Charania point out, Taylor would have the right to nix the succession plan and retain Lore and Rodriguez as limited shareholders if they miss either of the next two payments. However, the buyers have expressed confidence that those payments remain on track to be completed, per The Athletic’s report.

According to Krawczynski and Charania, Lore and Rodriguez have recruited other investors to join their Purple Buyers Holdings LLC, and should be in good position to bring in more if they need to do so. The recent $4 billion valuation the Suns received as part of their sale to Mat Ishbia was good news for Lore and A-Rod, since the Wolves – who are selling at a $1.5 billion valuation – look like a bargain by comparison.

Once they control 40% of the franchise, Lore and A-Rod will have invested $600MM in the Wolves, with another $600MM to come. The duo has already been involved in front office and personnel decisions in preparation of assuming majority control in another year.

Cavs Concerned Garland Could Miss Time With Thumb Injury

December 30th, 2022 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland injured his right thumb during Thursday’s loss in Indiana and there’s concern that he could miss some time, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Garland sustained the injury when his right hand got hit by Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, who was attempting to knock the ball loose. Flexing his right thumb in clear discomfort, Garland stayed in the game for a couple more possessions before exiting to be evaluated by Cleveland’s training staff. The 22-year-old checked back in about three minutes later, but didn’t attempt another shot the rest of the night and missed a pair of free throws in the game’s final minute, Fedor writes.

“It was bothering me a lot,” Garland said after the game. “I was just trying to go out there and compete as much as I could. The last two free throws, I looked at (head coach) J.B. (Bickerstaff) and I was like, ‘Ah, I really don’t want to shoot these.’ But I got fouled and just tried to make two. They didn’t go in. Everything hurt. I was playing with a wrapped thumb. I couldn’t really do anything. I wasn’t going to be effective with that. It was already throbbing and swollen at that point.”

Garland will be examined further on Friday before the Cavs announce an official diagnosis and provide an update on his availability for Saturday’s game in Chicago. According to Fedor, the point guard said he hopes to “fight through it” and be ready to face the Bulls.

Still, even if Garland has avoided a serious injury, he couldn’t hide his frustration about the amount of contact he has taken this season, which began when he suffered an eyelid laceration due to a reach-in attempt on opening night.

“Just getting hacked all season,” Garland said. “Nothing has changed. The physicality isn’t a factor at all. It’s the whistle not being blown at the right time when it’s a foul, an obvious foul. Some of this stuff we should be reviewing.

“… The whole thing about the league taking care of the players, it seems like we’re not doing that as much this year. At least, the way we did in previous years.”

Raptors Waive Justin Champagnie

December 29th, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Raptors small forward Justin Champagnie has been waived by the team, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). The club officially confirmed the move in a press release.

An injury after training camp seemed to kill Champagnie’s chances of making the club’s rotation, Murphy observes. He appeared in just three games for Toronto this year.

Champagnie’s contract was only partially guaranteed for $825K. Toronto would have owed the 6’6″ swingman the entirety of his $1,637,966 contract for 2022/23 if he had remained on the roster beyond January 1, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Murphy believes Champagnie has a good chance to join another club on a two-way deal at some point this season. Since making his NBA debut in October 2021, the former Pitt standout has appeared in 39 games for Toronto, averaging 2.2 PPG and 1.9 RPG across just 7.5 MPG.

With Champagnie coming off their books, the Raptors now have an available spot on their 15-man standard roster. Murphy adds that, thanks to that opening, Toronto will have more flexibility when discussing trades and will be in better position to consider 10-day signings. As we outlined earlier this week, teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts as of January 5.

Central Notes: Stewart, Theis, Bucks, DeRozan, LaVine, Allen

December 29th, 2022 at 10:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Starting Pistons center Isaiah Stewart has emerged as a key leader for a rebuilding 9-28 Detroit team this season, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Edwards notes that the third-year big man, still just 21 years old, has become the team’s de facto main presence with star point guard Cade Cunningham shelved indefinitely.

“I’ve been sitting back and just seeing his growth, his progress on the floor and as a leader,” journeyman Detroit shooting guard Rodney McGruder told Edwards. “He’s being more vocal in the locker room, on the bench, in timeouts and in huddles.”

McGruder has spoken with Stewart about being more careful not to show frustration or disappointment on the court during games.

“For me, personally, that’s another growth step in regards to not showing that body language,” Stewart told Edwards. “I do feel like that kind of helped me in terms of learning how to talk to my teammates. You can talk to a certain teammate a certain way, other teammates you can’t talk to a certain way. That aspect has helped me.”

Through 30 games in 2022/23, Stewart is averaging a career-best 11.7 PPG on .467/.373/.742 shooting splits. He is also pulling down 7.8 RPG and dishing out 1.2 APG.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The health of reserve Pacers center Daniel Theis appears to be improving as he continues to rehabilitate from a preseason knee scope, notes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). The 6’8″ big man was spotted working through on-court shootarounds, per Jeremiah Johnson of Bally Sports Indiana (via Twitter).
The Bucks‘ 139-118 blowout Christmas loss to the Celtics looked a lot like last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Nehm notes that Boston was frequently able to free up All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum for exploitable mismatches on offense. “He had a big night of tough shot-making and, at some point, it’s on me to maybe change it up, give him a different look, but credit to Jayson tonight,” Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Tatum, who scored 41 points in the Celtics’ win.
In Wednesday’s 119-113 overtime Bulls victory over the Bucks, Chicago All-Star DeMar DeRozan took exception to a hard forearm in his back courtesy of Milwaukee shooting guard Grayson Allen, and there was a brief dust-up with play stopped. After the game, both DeRozan and Zach LaVine alluded to Allen’s reputation for borderline plays, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Though video review indicated that Bulls forward Patrick Williams initially fouled Allen, who then fell into DeRozan, Chicago’s stars remained frustrated. “I didn’t know if it was on purpose or what happened,” DeRozan said. “I just felt a hit. That’s all it was.” LaVine weighed in as well: “We know his (Allen’s) track record. Pat got the foul, but DeMar got elbowed in the back of the head. It is what it is. We made up for it with a big win. DeMar responded the right way. The next 20 minutes, you saw what happened.”

NBA Suspends Two Pistons Players, Nine Magic Players For Roles In Fracas

December 29th, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA has suspended two Pistons players and nine Magic players for their roles in an altercation during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game, the league has announced (Twitter link).

Pistons guard Killian Hayes was given the harshest punishment, a three-game suspension without pay. Magic center Moritz Wagner has been suspended for two games, while Detroit guard Hamidou Diallo was also dinged for a one-game suspension. Both Hayes and Diallo will be held out of the team’s road game against the Bulls Friday.

Hayes, Wagner and Diallo were all ejected from the game Wednesday night, which Detroit won 121-101, for their roles in the on-court confrontation that began when Wagner hip-checked Hayes out of bounds into the Pistons’ bench while the two were scrambling for a loose ball. Diallo subsequently shoved Wagner in the back, but Hayes then escalated the conflict when he punched Wagner in the back of the head. Wagner appeared to lose consciousness after the hit. Several Magic players left the bench to support Wagner and all have been penalized for doing so.

The NBA is additionally suspending eight additional Orlando players after they left the bench to support Wagner during the scuffle: guards Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris and Kevon Harris, swingmen Franz Wagner and Admiral Schofield, and big men Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba. All eight players will receive one-game bans.

The NBA’s press release indicates that the absences of the Magic players will be staggered to ensure the team has enough available bodies for its ensuing two contests. Anthony, Gary Harris, Hampton, Bamba, and Carter will miss Orlando’s next game on Friday against the Wizards. Wagner will also begin his two-game suspension on Friday. The others will miss the club’s January 4 matchup with the Thunder.

Atlantic Notes: Lee, LeBron, Maxey, Grimes

December 29th, 2022 at 7:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After being released from his two-way contract with the Sixers earlier this week, young point guard Saben Lee has re-joined the Raptors‘ NBA G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, writes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

Lee initially joined the 905 in October before latching on with Philadelphia in late November on that two-way deal.

The 23-year-old was initially selected with the No. 38 pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2020 draft. He spent his first two NBA seasons with the Pistons, averaging 5.6 PPG across 85 games. This season, he has appeared in 15 NBAGL games between the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, and the Raptors 905, averaging 23.3 PPG, 6.4 APG and 4.7 RPG.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

With Lakers forward LeBron James recently voicing his concerns about being able to compete with his current team during the twilight of his career, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice wonders if the Sixers could work as a potential trade landing spot for the 18-time All-Star this summer. James, who just inked an extension prior to the start of this season, cannot be moved until the start of the 2023 offseason. Next summer, Neubeck notes, the Sixers could potentially trade the expiring contract of starting small forward Tobias Harris along with explosive young guard Tyrese Maxey, plus some future draft compensation, to L.A. in exchange for James.
Maxey, who has been sidelined with a fractured foot since November 18, practiced with the Sixers on Thursday, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, a positive sign that he’ll be back in action this weekend. The possibility of a potential Friday return against the Pelicans in New Orleans was recently floated, and he has been officially listed as probable to suit up for that game, Mizell reports (Twitter link).
Young Knicks guard Quentin Grimes continues to develop as a potent 3-and-D option for New York, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Grimes has been performing well since been promoted to a starting role for his team last month. “It’s not an easy chore to take the best perimeter player every game,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Grimes. “Sometimes, you can do it great, and they still can score. But he’s got the right mindset for it.”

Southwest Notes: Wood, LaVine, Pelicans, Vassell

December 29th, 2022 at 5:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mavericks center Christian Wood, inserted into the team’s starting lineup in recent weeks, seems to finally be adjusting to his new Dallas teammates, and his two-way output has blossomed of late, writes Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News.

“Any time a trade happens, it’s just not the numbers or analytics,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “A human athlete has to perform and has to make the adjustments. As much as we want trades to happen and for them to be successful overnight, it just takes time… You can see he’s starting to get comfortable, and his teammates are getting comfortable with him, and now it’s just a matter of building on the foundation that we’ve built.”

“He’s active,” All-NBA guard Luka Doncic said of Wood earlier this week. “He listens to us, and that’s what he needs to do. He helped us a lot, not just [Sunday], but the last couple games he’s been amazing.”

Across his last eight contests, Wood has been averaging 20.3 PPG on 51.8% shooting and 9.1 RPG, while his net rating increased to plus-8.4 points per 100 possessions.

“I feel like my defense has picked up a little bit in these few weeks,” Wood said, “and these guys just having that confidence to trust in me to make defensive plays.”

Wood is now eligible for a four-year contract extension worth as much as $77MM, but Caplan notes that neither the Mavericks nor Wood’s reps seem to have made major inroads into negotiations as of now.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Maximum-salaried Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine could emerge as an intriguing trade target for the Mavericks, partnering Doncic with an elite backcourt scorer, provided the oft-hurt LaVine can stay healthy. Tim MacMahon of ESPN recently told colleague Zach Lowe on the latter’s Lowe Post podcast that some members of the Mavericks’ front office could have interest in LaVine. “I just know that there are fans of him that hold prominent positions within the Mavericks,” MacMahon said. “Again, I’m not sitting here and telling you there’s some great consensus. I think there’s enough fans of him where I wouldn’t totally rule it out.”
Though the Pelicans‘ lease on their current home court, Smoothie King Center, will expire in 2024, it does not appear that New Orleans is planning to migrate in the immediate future, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Their intention is to extend the lease,” vice president of stadiums for ASM Global Doug Thornton said. ASM Global handles lease negotiations with the Pelicans. “We’re going to determine what capital improvements need to be made. We’re always putting money into the arena. The question is how much?”
Spurs guard Devin Vassell has exhibited a skill set beyond just being a talented scorer, writes Jeff MacDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Though Vassell has seen his scoring output improve from averaging 12.3 PPG last season to 19.6 PPG this season, the 22-year-old feels that he has grown as a leader as well for this rebuilding young San Antonio club. “I’ve had a good year when it comes to scoring, but it’s not just scoring,” Vassell said. He is set to sit tonight against the Knicks due to a sore left knee, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News reports (Twitter link).

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