Pacific Notes: Davis, Lakers, Fox, Clippers
With LeBron James expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Lakers need the version of Anthony Davis they got in the bubble in 2020, who can “single-handedly change games on the defensive end,” writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Although the Lakers lost in Memphis on Tuesday, they got Davis at his best in that game, according to Mannix, who points to the big man’s stat line (28 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks) as one he’ll have to replicate a few more times if Los Angeles is going to move up the standings and clinch a play-in or playoff spot.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Davis won’t be available in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. As Mannix relays (via Twitter), the team announced today that Davis (right foot stress injury) will join James and D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) on the sidelines, leaving L.A. shorthanded in a crucial game. The Thunder will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols this week.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- The Lakers certainly aren’t throwing in the towel following James’ injury diagnosis. Head coach Darvin Ham said on Tuesday that the team remains focused on winning enough games to claim at least a play-in spot and ideally a top-six seed in the West. “The mission hasn’t changed for us, so the goal of securing a playoff spot is still very much alive,” Ham said, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “It’s unfortunate that ‘Bron went down, but injuries are a real part of our sport and it’s next man up. You got to step up and hold down the fort until he returns.”
- The Kings got good news on Tuesday night, as the MRI on De’Aaron Fox‘s sore left wrist revealed no significant damage, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Fox, who was out for Tuesday’s game, is day-to-day and Sacramento is optimistic that he won’t miss much – if any – more time.
- The Clippers have lost three consecutive games since the All-Star break and are still trying to figure out how to best use their recently added veterans, including point guard Russell Westbrook, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. As Greif outlines, Eric Gordon, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann are among the players whose roles still need to be sorted out, and head coach Tyronn Lue will have to determine whether to continue starting Marcus Morris, who has struggled as of late and played just 21 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. “We definitely do feel that we have the deepest team,” Gordon said, “but … the chemistry has to be there.”
Suns Notes: Crowder, Okogie, Warren, Payne, Bridges
A rift with head coach Monty Williams over the loss of his starting spot led to the end of Jae Crowder‘s time with the Suns, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Williams informed Crowder during the offseason that Cameron Johnson would be replacing him in the starting lineup, sources told Fischer. While Crowder didn’t go into detail, he confirmed that a strained relationship with Williams prompted him to ask for a trade.
“Yeah, we had differences,” Crowder said. “They asked me to keep it in-house, I’ll keep it in-house. I’m now gone, same thing I’ve told everybody else: I’ve moved on from the situation. I wish them the best, I’m leaving that behind.”
Crowder was initially on track to be shipped to the Nets as part of the Kevin Durant trade, but he ultimately wound up with the Bucks, who had been attempting to acquire him from the Suns. Phoenix gave permission to Milwaukee to meet with Crowder, and several trade scenarios had been discussed that included players such as Grayson Allen, Serge Ibaka, George Hill and Jordan Nwora.
“I landed where I wanted to land at the end of the day,” Crowder said. “I think I gained just knowing myself as a player and my mental. I never wavered. Never wavered on the process. From a month, to two months … I stayed with the plan of what it was and what I wanted to accomplish. So I give kudos to my mental and me staying sane throughout the entire process, because I did want the process to end fairly sooner than when it did.”
There’s more on the Suns:
- Phoenix will undergo a major lineup change tonight when Durant makes his debut with the team, and it appears Josh Okogie will be the fifth starter alongside Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Okogie has made five consecutive starts and is averaging 18.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over his last six games while shooting 53.4% from the field. “We’ve been looking forward to (Durant’s first game) since the trade, but we had to wait a little bit,” Okogie said. “We’re excited to finally get him in the mix of things, show him how we play. Show him the love that we play with, the passion and the unselfishness that we play with.”
- T.J. Warren hasn’t played in the two games since the All-Star break, Rankin notes in another Arizona Republic article. Warren was productive in Brooklyn, but Williams points out that he’s already using a 10-man rotation and someone else will be bumped now that Durant is active.
- Tania Ganguli of The New York Times looks at the long friendship between Cameron Payne and Mikal Bridges, who are no longer teammates since Bridges was sent to Brooklyn in the Durant deal.
Sixers Notes: Tucker, Butler, McDaniels, Embiid
P.J. Tucker seemed like a perfect fit during his lone season with the Heat, but he couldn’t turn down the three-year, $33MM offer he got from the Sixers last summer, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 38-year-old forward said he expected to retire with Miami, but the realities of NBA business pushed him toward Philadelphia.
Multiple sources tell Chiang that the Heat wanted to re-sign Tucker, but they only offered $26.5MM over three seasons through their Non-Bird exception. Miami could have used its $10.5MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception to match the offer from Philadelphia, but passed on the opportunity because of Tucker’s age and the limits the deal would have placed on other potential moves.
“I wanted the full mid-level,” Tucker said. “I thought I deserved the full mid-level and that was something that I wanted. They knew that coming out of the gate. I expressed that I wanted that from the beginning. I feel like for what we did, for what we had, I feel like I deserved that and it just is what it is. But I don’t fault them at all. I understand they didn’t want to be hard-capped and wanted to be able to make moves later with whatever they thought the team may need.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Jimmy Butler keeps reminding the Sixers why it was a mistake to trade him, observes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Butler knocked Philadelphia out of the playoffs last season, and he contributed several clutch plays on Monday as the Heat pulled out a narrow road win. Pompey notes that the Sixers haven’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since sending Butler to Miami in 2019.
- Jalen McDaniels is learning to adjust after being traded to the Sixers at last month’s deadline, Pompey writes in another Inquirer story. Through six games, McDaniels is seeing less playing time and fewer scoring chances than he did with the Hornets. “I will say when I was in Charlotte, (there were) more opportunities with the ball in my hand more,” he said. “But here you have three guys (Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey) that are going to take most of the shots. So just me playing off them is something I can do that’s probably part of my game as well. So I feel like it’s a plus, even though I’m not touching it as much as I was in Charlotte.”
- Joel Embiid has been through a series of demoralizing defeats during his time in Philadelphia, but he hasn’t demanded a trade or lost faith in the organization, as Ben Golliver of The Washington Post details.
Rockets Notes: Harden, Green, Porter, Kaminsky
The possibility that Sixers guard James Harden might return to Houston in free agency this summer remains as strong as ever, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. League sources expect the Rockets, who will have ample cap space, to aggressively pursue Harden once he turns down his $35.64MM player option. Sources close to Harden confirm to Iko that he’s considering the move.
Harden forced his way out of Houston two years ago after the loss of coach Mike D’Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey. His relationship with the organization appeared confrontational — he reported late and out of shape to training camp and having numerous clashes with coaches and teammates — but sources tell Iko that it never became acrimonious. Harden was disappointed that the Rockets were no longer contenders, and management was unhappy with how he handled the situation.
Harden still has a good relationship with team owner Tilman Fertitta and has maintained strong ties in the Houston area, Iko adds. Also, former Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin, a good friend of Harden’s who played a role in his desire to come to Philadelphia, sold his stake in the team last June.
Money will be an important factor in Harden’s decision, Iko notes, which gives the Sixers an advantage. Holding his Bird rights, they can offer up to a projected $272MM over five years, while Houston and any other potential suitor will be limited to four years at about $202MM. Iko states that if he stays in Philadelphia, Harden will expect to be compensated for taking a deal below his market value last summer to help the team sign several free agents.
There’s more from Houston:
- After returning Tuesday from a groin injury, Jalen Green is thankful that the damage wasn’t worse, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The injury sidelined the second-year guard for two weeks and forced him to miss the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend. “I actually called Coach the other day and was just telling him, ‘The last 24 games, I’m with you,’” Green said. “’I’m ready to lock in. Whatever we’ve got to do, we’ve got to string together some wins.’”
- Coach Stephen Silas is optimistic that Kevin Porter Jr., Green’s backcourt partner, will be able to return Wednesday night, Feigen tweets. Porter has been out of action since January 11 with a foot contusion.
- Today is the last day that players can agree to a buyout and still be eligible for the postseason with their new team, which makes it significant for Frank Kaminsky, notes Ben DuBose of RocketsWire. Of the four veteran players the Rockets acquired at the trade deadline, Kaminsky is the only one left on the roster — John Wall, Danny Green, and Justin Holiday were all released.
Heat Notes: Lowry, Dragic, Jovic, Yurtseven
Kyle Lowry will miss his 10th straight game Wednesday due to knee soreness, but the Heat haven’t been aggressively pursuing another point guard in the buyout market, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Lowry was flown to Philadelphia on Sunday and took part in a practice in hopes of playing Monday. He was briefly upgraded to questionable before being ruled out.
Jackson cites several factors for the team’s lack of urgency to find a replacement for Lowry, even with Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Reggie Jackson all receiving buyouts and John Wall still on the market. Heat officials remain confident that Lowry will eventually return and can still play at a high level, and they’re happy with how Gabe Vincent has performed in his absence.
Miami also believed it had greater needs in the frontcourt, Jackson notes, which is why Kevin Love and Cody Zeller were prioritized on the buyout market. The front office looked into Westbrook, a source tells Jackson, but decided not to pursue him due to deficiencies on defense and with three-point shooting, as well as a negative review from a league insider.
Jackson hears that the Heat also had interest in Kyrie Irving when he asked the Nets for a trade, but management wasn’t unanimous in believing he would be a good addition. Miami never aggressively pursued a deal with Brooklyn, according to Jackson’s sources.
There’s more from Miami:
- Longtime Heat point guard Goran Dragic may seem like an obvious target after being waived by the Bulls Tuesday, but Jackson doesn’t expect him to wind up in Miami. He and the team still have a good relationship, but sources tell Jackson there are more likely destinations, including the Mavericks, where he could team with fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic.
- After falling into seventh place during a recent losing streak, the Heat will open a crucial six-game home stand Wednesday as they try to avoid the play-in tournament, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. It’s not a position the team expected to be in, but Udonis Haslem said players are focused on landing a top-six spot. “I don’t operate well in losing spaces. I’m tired of losing like Jimmy (Butler),” Haslem said. “We just got to keep fighting, though. We got a locker room full of fighters, we got a locker room full of guys who have built their reputation off hard work and they wouldn’t be here without that. So we got to go back to our roots and what got us here — busting our [butt] and working hard.”
- The Heat have assigned Nikola Jovic and Omer Yurtseven to their G League affiliate as they try to return from injuries, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jovic has been sidelined since late December with a back injury, while Yurtseven is rehabbing from ankle surgery that has kept him out all season.
Tyler Dorsey Signs With Fenerbahce
Former Mavericks guard Tyler Dorsey has officially signed with Fenerbahce, the Turkish team announced today in a press release.
According to the club, the deal will cover the next two seasons beyond this one, running through 2024/25. Sources tell Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops that the agreement isn’t expected to include NBA outs.
A former college standout for an Oregon team that made it to the Final Four in 2017, Dorsey thrived in the EuroLeague from 2019-22 while playing in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv and in Greece for Olympiacos. The 27-year-old’s success overseas led to a two-way deal with the Mavericks this past offseason, but he failed to crack Dallas’ rotation, appearing in just three games at the NBA level before being waived in late December.
Dorsey, who saw extensive action in the G League for the Texas Legends both before and after he was cut by the Mavs, performed at a high level during the Showcase Cup in the fall, averaging 24.3 points per game on .463/.470/.840 shooting in 17 appearances (32.5 MPG). His scoring efficiency slipped a little during the NBAGL regular season, as he averaged 18.9 PPG on .396/.370/.800 shooting in 12 contests (30.7 MPG).
The Legends granted Dorsey his release last week, allowing him to return overseas before the EuroLeague’s March 1 deadline to register new players. He’s joining a Fenerbahce team that features former NBA players Carsen Edwards, Johnathan Motley, and Nick Calathes, among others.