2025 January | Hoops Rumors

Scotto’s Latest: Warriors, Vucevic, Centers, Connaughton, Suns

January 16th, 2025 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

After telling reporters earlier this week that he doesn’t want the Warriors to make a “desperate” trade that compromises the team’s long-term future for short-term gain, Stephen Curry clarified on Wednesday that his comments don’t mean he’s content playing on a .500 team that’s not trying to improve.

“Anyone who thinks I’m OK being on an average basketball team is insane,” Curry said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Take whatever I said, I still stand on it. But that doesn’t mean we’re not in a situation where we are trying to get better, make appropriate moves that help you do that. (General manager) Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) knows that. We’ve talked about it. That’s the expectation from me. It doesn’t mean you’re reckless.”

As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports, Dunleavy and the Warriors are indeed exploring their options on the trade market, with a focus on upgrades in the frontcourt rather than on the wing. Golden State has looked into centers like Nikola Vucevic, John Collins, Jonas Valanciunas, and Robert Williams, according to Scotto, who says the odds of the team making a trade for a forward like Jimmy Butler or Cameron Johnson have decreased.

While the Warriors want to give Curry and Draymond Green a chance to compete for another title, they won’t mortgage their future to make it happen, Scotto writes, adding that the front office still remains reluctant to part with forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Following up on the trade market for centers, Scotto says some NBA executives believe the Bulls could land a first-round pick in a deal for Vucevic, who is having a strong season in Chicago. The Wizards and Trail Blazers are expected to command second-rounders for Valanciunas and Williams, respectively, while Collins’ value is hard to pin down, Scotto notes, given the $26.6MM player option the Jazz big man holds for 2025/26.
Rival executives who spoke to Scotto are monitoring Bucks wing Pat Connaughton as a trade candidate, since Milwaukee could duck below the second tax apron and create more roster flexibility by moving off of his $9.4MM salary. Connaughton is having a down year and holds a $9.4MM player option for ’25/26, so the Bucks would have to attach draft picks and/or cash to move off of him. While the Bucks can’t trade cash as long as they remain above the second apron, they could do so in a trade that moves them below that threshold.
After trading for Nick Richards, the Suns are expected to continue gauging Jusuf Nurkic‘s trade market and trying to figure out a Butler deal as they seek out win-now upgrades, Scotto writes. Scotto points out that role players Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen would both have positive value as trade chips, but there has been no indication that Phoenix would have interest in moving either player.

Central Notes: Jackson Jr., Beal, Hardaway Jr., Mitchell

January 16th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. suffered a right hip contusion late in the first half against Orlando on Wednesday, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Jackson did not return in the second half. Milwaukee is currently playing without Gary Trent Jr., who strained a left hip flexor against the Magic on Jan. 12.

We have more from the Central Division:

What are the chances that the Pistons — the only team currently with cap room — will acquire Bradley Beal from the Sunsl? Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois doubts Beal would waived his no-trade clause to come to Detroit, he writes in his latest mailbag. Langlois also doubts the Pistons front office would want to hamstring their cap flexibility by taking on Beal’s contract, which has two more years remaining.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has not only become a valuable part of the Pistons’ rotation, he’s also embraced the role of veteran leadership. Hardaway, a free agent after the season, was acquired from Dallas in an offseason trade. “We’re here for a great cause,” he told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic regarding the team’s veteran acquisitions. “We’re here to help the young guys and do the best we can to make their jobs easier out there on the floor. They’re doing a great job of listening and being sponges.”
In a subscriber-only story, Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor describes how Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell delivered a vintage performance against Indiana to avenge a loss to the Pacers two days earlier. Mitchell scored 35 points, his highest output since Dec. 1.

New York Notes: Towns, Hart, Embiid, Nets’ Worst Loss, Johnson, Giannis

January 16th, 2025 at 9:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns missed Wednesday’s overtime victory over Philadelphia due to a thumb injury. He has a bone chip in the thumb, which he injured during a loss to Detroit on Monday, but plans to play through it, Peter Botte and Stefan Bondy of the New York Post report. The thumb is also sprained but surgery isn’t necessary or anticipated, either during or after the season, the Post duo adds. KAT is averaging 25.4 points and 13.5 rebounds in his first season in New York.

We have more on the New York City teams:

Josh Hart called out unnamed Knicks teammates during recent losses for letting egos and individual agendas get in the way of team goals. Coach Tom Thibodeau said on Wednesday that Hart needs to choose his words more carefully, Bondy writes. “I think oftentimes the next day after you look at the film, you’re putting a mic in front of someone right after a game. And sometimes they may say things, we all may say things that we wish we had not said until you watch the film the next day,” the coach said. “And then there’s usually a pretty good reason why something occurred. So before you say something, you probably should think.”
The Knicks are fortunate they didn’t go all in and trade for Joel Embiid when rumors circulated last season about the team’s interest in the Sixers center, Bondy opines. They would have squandered their draft capital and other assets for an oft-injured center still owed $300MM due to his extension without injury protections.
The games just keep getting uglier for the rebuilding and tanking Nets, as they suffered the worst loss in franchise history on Wednesday. The 126-67 pummeling by the Clippers was also one of the 10 biggest routs in NBA history, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. “This is not the time to point or deflect anything,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “It’s time for everybody to own, and I will own first. The guys kept fighting; I don’t think that they quit. And it’s one of those days that you don’t do anything right, you don’t have that right energy and togetherness. But you try and you just need a little bit more focus and all these things.” Cameron Johnson, who could be moved before the trade deadline, missed the second game of a back-to-back due to a sprained right ankle, Lewis adds.
With the front office clearing more cap space than any other team for next offseason and hoarding draft picks in trades, the Nets have the flexibility to make a franchise-altering move, Lewis writes. The big prize would be Giannis Antetokounmpo if he ever asks out of Milwaukee, as the Nets covet the superstar forward.

Jeff Peterson: Hornets Will Continue To ‘Listen To Everything’

January 16th, 2025 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

After finalizing a deal to send Nick Richards to the Suns on Wednesday, Hornets president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson suggested in a Zoom call with reporters that the team isn’t done exploring its options on the trade market, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

“We’ve received calls on multiple of our players,” Peterson said. “Nick Richards, we received multiple calls on him. We have good players. I think some of the injuries from a synergy standpoint have made it really tough to jell and see what this group can do.

“But, yeah, I think at this point, look, we are going to listen to everything. We are not going to do anything to compromise the future, but we are going to do what’s best for the organization that we see going forward in order to be sustainable going forward.”

Richards had been a productive contributor for the Hornets in recent years and was on a team-friendly contract, with a $5MM salary this season and a $5MM cap hit for 2025/26. However, as Boone details, Charlotte was comfortable sacrificing some depth in the middle due to the fact that starting center Mark Williams is healthy and looking like his old self, while two-way big man Moussa Diabate has emerged as a regular part of the rotation.

“We feel good about it,” Peterson said. “(Head coach) Charles (Lee) and me are lockstep in what a deal like this means for the roster.”

As Peterson explained, his goal is to build a “sustainable” contender and to avoid “taking shortcuts,” which is why he remains focused on stockpiling assets that will benefit the team in the long run.

“I have zero interest in making the playoffs for one year, and then being out for the next four or five, and then in for two and out again after that,” he said. “So, we want to again build something that has sustainability to it. So, at the same time, we’ve got to continue to take advantage of deals like this that’s adding picks to our treasure chest, if you will, or whatever it may be for us to have that optionality.”

Here’s more on the Hornets on the heels of their first in-season deal of 2024/25:

Josh Okogie may not end up being part of the Hornet’ long-term plans, but Peterson’s comments on Wednesday indicated that the club isn’t necessarily looking to flip him right away. As Boone relays, Charlotte’s head of basketball operations referred to Okogie as the kind of player “we want to bring into this organization,” lauding his character and competitiveness. “He’s having a career year shooting the basketball this year,” Peterson added. “It speaks to his work ethic and amount of time he puts into the gym. So he’s physical, he’s a great defender. We are just excited to get him into the organization.”
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Suns and Hornets explored a bigger deal involving Richards and Jusuf Nurkic before agreeing to their Richards/Okogie swap. According to Scotto, Phoenix coveted Hornets swingman Cody Martin, but Charlotte wasn’t willing to take on Nurkic’s sizable contract, which includes a $19MM+ guaranteed salary in 2025/26.
Scotto says the Hornets will continue to prioritize adding draft capital in the coming weeks while positioning themselves for a high pick in the 2025 draft. Scotto identifies Martin, point guard Vasilije Micic, and possibly Okogie as some trade candidates to watch.

Dennis Smith Jr. Signs With Real Madrid

January 16th, 2025 at 7:18am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 16: Real Madrid has officially announced its rest-of-season deal with Smith.

JANUARY 15: Free agent point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has traveled to Spain and is expected to sign with Real Madrid, pending a physical, according to reports from Nacho Duque of Marca and Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.

Ricardo Gonzalez of AS.com initially reported on Tuesday that the possibility of Smith joining Real Madrid was gaining steam. The EuroLeague club had previously been linked to another veteran NBA guard, Devonte’ Graham, but Smith reportedly became the team’s priority in recent days.

Smith reposted several stories on his Instagram about his impending deal with Real Madrid, including a photo from Madrid’s airport.

The ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Smith has appeared in a total of 326 regular season games for the Mavericks, Knicks, Pistons, Trail Blazers, Hornets, and Nets over the course of seven NBA seasons. He made 56 appearances last season for Brooklyn, averaging 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 18.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .435/.294/.741.

Smith isn’t much of a scorer or shooter, with career marks of 40.7% from the floor and 29.8% on three-pointers. However, he’s a solid ball-handler and distributor and a strong point-of-attack defender.

Smith signed a G League contract last month, expecting to be claimed by the Austin Spurs. However, the Bucks’ affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, claimed him instead. It’s unclear if the 27-year-old ever reported to the Herd — either way, he didn’t play in a game for the team.

Assuming he officially completes his deal in the coming days, Smith will be joining a Real Madrid team that features a handful of former NBA players, including Facundo Campazzo, Mario Hezonja, Dzanan Musa, Serge Ibaka, and Usman Garuba.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Ball, Williams, Donovan

January 15th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Although Bulls swingman Zach LaVine is in the midst of a career year, the two-time All-Star’s teammates feel he is getting short shrift from national media and fans, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune.

“I don’t understand it,” guard Lonzo Ball said. “(He’s) definitely a top-three shooting guard in the NBA right now. I don’t understand why people talk down on him. He’s a true professional.”

Bulls guard Coby White, LaVine’s longest-tenured Chicago teammate, believes LaVine’s excellence has been under-appreciated for the entirety of their partnership.

“He’s been overlooked since I’ve been here,” White told Poe.

LaVine is shooting with remarkable efficiency as the top scorer on the 18-23 Bulls. Through 36 games, the 29-year-old is averaging 23.8 points per game on a .516/.455/.807 slash line. He’s also chipping in 4.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per night.

Poe notes that Chicago has had just three games on national television this year, which could be partly to blame for why LaVine has been somewhat unheralded in 2024/25.

“Unfortunately, sometimes it’s out of sight, out of mind,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “When guys are not necessarily out there all the time, it’s hard. You’re not really watching them or seeing them or thinking about them.”

There’s more out of Chicago:

Ball, meanwhile, has been impressive in his first healthy stretch since 2021/22, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Following three surgeries to address a recurring knee issue, he is finally back in action for Chicago, on a minutes limit. Cowley notes, however, that Ball is now consistently playing more minutes off the bench. “I didn’t know what to expect [of Ball] because a lot of the workouts that I watched were one-on-one, and I didn’t see him play five-on-five,’’ Donovan said of Ball’s gradual return ahead of the season. ‘‘I got pretty optimistic when training camp started. I was able to see he was running and doing the things he was doing. He [just] needed to get his timing back.”
Bulls forward Patrick Williams has been only sporadically available to Donovan this season. When Williams does hit the floor, the head coach wants to see steadier production from the fifth-year wing out of Florida, Cowley notes in another Sun-Times story. “My expectations for him, even in my conversations with him, is, and this is going to be kind of a broad statement, but you got to feel him out there,” Donovan said. “That’s not necessarily scoring. He’s shot the ball pretty well. You gotta feel him on the glass, feel him in transition, feel him with the activity with his hands, feel him at the rim. That. I think he’s capable of doing that. That’s really been the message more than anything else, of him getting his body size, physicality into the game.”
Williams inked a five-year, $90MM deal as a restricted free agent to stay with Chicago long-term over the summer. On Wednesday, he became trade-eligible.

NBA Suspends Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin For One Game

January 15th, 2025 at 8:53pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pacers swingman Bennedict Mathurin has been suspended for one game without pay for his behavior towards a referee during a 127-117 loss to the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link).

With about four minutes remaining in regulation during Tuesday’s game, Mathurin fouled Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley on a look near the rim. Upon being whistled for an infraction, Mathurin took umbrage with the decision and approached the official who made the call (Twitter video link). After he made physical contact with the official, he was immediately whistled for a technical foul and ejected from the bout.

Mathurin had been a critical contributor for the Pacers throughout the night. He finished with 19 points while shooting 8-of-12 from the floor. The Arizona alum also notched four boards, two dimes, one swipe and one rejection.

Mathurin has been starting in the stead of Indiana forward Aaron Nesmith, who has missed all but six contests this year with an ankle injury.

Mathurin will serve the suspension on Thursday when the 22-19 Pacers face the rising Pistons.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter), Mathurin will lose $41,642 by sitting out Thursday’s game, which represents 1/174th of his $7,245,720 salary for the season. The Pacers, meanwhile, will earn a $20,821 tax variance credit through Mathurin’s suspension, 50% of his lost salary.

Suns Notes: Booker, Road Trip, Allen, Trades

January 15th, 2025 at 8:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Within a discussion about Houston’s future trade options on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon points out that the Rockets control “a lot of Suns draft capital” and have “let it be known they are Devin Booker fans.”

However, while Booker might be the sort of player the Rockets would be willing to go all-in for on the trade market, MacMahon quickly added that there’s no indication the Suns would be interested in making that sort of deal, despite having underachieved this season at 19-20 with the league’s most expensive roster. His ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst interjected to drive that point home.

“Devin Booker is staying with the Suns,” Windhorst said. “I don’t see any wavering on that whatsoever.”

“There’s interest that’s been expressed and no indication that it’s even a possibility,” MacMahon agreed.

Here’s more on the Suns:

Ahead of Tuesday’s game in Atlanta, Doug Haller of The Athletic described the Suns’ five-game Eastern Conference road trip as a make-or-break stretch for a team with aspirations of contention. The trip got off to a disappointing start, as Phoenix’s road record fell to 6-12 with a loss to the Hawks. The Suns will visit Washington next, on Thursday, followed by dates in Detroit (Saturday), Cleveland (Monday), and Brooklyn (next Wednesday).
After sitting out the second half of Sunday’s win over Charlotte due to left knee soreness, Suns wing Grayson Allen said he’s been managing an issue with that knee for “two (or) three years,” Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “That makes it sound like it’s always bad,” Allen said. “It’s not always bad. It’s one of those things that’s better if I don’t miss time. So it’s used to getting minutes and everything.”
Within a discussion of all five Pacific Division teams, John Hollinger of The Athletic says the Suns are in a precarious position due to their pricey, underachieving roster and their lack of future draft assets. Hollinger suggests that if the club doesn’t trade Booker and Kevin Durant over the summer to get its draft picks back, “the next decade will be one of the most dismal chapters in NBA history.”
Still, Hollinger doesn’t believe a fire sale is coming anytime soon and expects the Suns to consider using their 2031 first-round pick to pursue a roster upgrade. If they go that route, they should focus on a young player who can help the club now and in the future, according to Hollinger, who wonders if a deal involving Jusuf Nurkic and the Suns’ lightly protected 2031 first-rounder for Wendell Carter Jr. might appeal to the Magic.
Hollinger’s trade suggestion was published before word broke that the Suns have agreed to acquire another center, Nick Richards of the Hornets. The full story on that trade agreement can be found here.

Hornets Trade Nick Richards To Suns

January 15th, 2025 at 6:43pm CST by Luke Adams

6:43 pm: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Suns and Hornets.

3:47 pm: The Suns and Hornets have agreed to a trade that will send center Nick Richards and a second-round draft pick to Phoenix in exchange for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Suns only have three tradable second-rounders on hand: Denver’s 2026 and 2031 selections, and Phoenix’s own 2031 pick. Those are the three picks headed to Charlotte in the deal.

According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), the pick being sent from the Hornets to the Suns is a 2025 selection. It will be the least favorable of Denver’s and Philadelphia’s picks, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Charania (Twitter link). Barring an unexpected development in the second half of this season, that figures to be the Nuggets’ second-rounder.

Richards, 27, has seen regular rotation minutes in Charlotte since the start of the 2022/23 campaign and served as the team’s primary starting center in ’23/24 with Mark Williams sidelined. So far this season, he has appeared in 21 games, averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 21.0 minutes per night.

Richards is on a team-friendly contract that pays him $5MM this season, with a $5MM non-guaranteed salary for next season. Okogie’s deal is also guaranteed in 2024/25 and non-guaranteed in ’25/26, but he’s earning $8.25MM this season, so the swap will reduce Phoenix’s projected end-of-season luxury tax bill by approximately $20MM, per cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), while giving the team an athletic option in the frontcourt.

Richards is expected to take over as the Suns’ starting center once he gets acclimated, tweets Gambadoro.

Reporting over the weekend indicated that the Suns and Hornets were in talks about a potential Richards trade that would send second-round draft capital to Charlotte.

Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic was believed to be part of those discussions, but the Hornets were likely unwilling to take on Nurkic’s contract, which has a significantly higher cap hit ($18.13MM) than Okogie’s and is also fully guaranteed for next season ($19.38MM). An Okogie/Richards swap is simpler from a cap perspective and doesn’t require Charlotte to include a second player.

Because they’re operating over the second tax apron, the Suns have limited options on the trade market this season. They’re not able to aggregate contracts or take back more salary than they send out. This deal meets those requirements while taking advantage of an Okogie contract that had been viewed as a probable trade chip since it was first signed in July. Not coincidentally, Okogie became trade-eligible on Wednesday.

Besides its newly acquired 2025 second-round pick, Phoenix’s only remaining tradable draft asset is its 2031 first-rounder. The front office figures to make that first-round selection available as the club continues to weigh its options on the market ahead of the February 6 deadline.

As Marks tweets, Phoenix will generate a $3.25MM trade exception as a result of this transaction. The Suns would be able to use that exception during the season, but not in the 2025 offseason as long as they continue to operate over the second apron.

As for the Hornets, after taking advantage of their significant breathing room below the luxury tax line to take on contracts and acquire three second-round picks from the Knicks in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster in the fall, they’re taking a similar path here, absorbing some extra salary in a deal for their backup center and netting multiple future second-rounders in the process.

Charlotte will still be operating $7MM+ below the tax line once this move is official, leaving the team with some flexibility to potentially facilitate another deal or two with a cap-strapped trade partner by Feb. 6.

While the Hornets are making this trade for the draft assets rather than for Okogie, the veteran swingman has been solid in limited minutes this season, averaging 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game across 25 outings, with career-high shooting percentages of 49.1% from the floor and 38.1% on three-pointers. He’s considered a versatile and above-average wing defender.

If Okogie isn’t part of Charlotte’s plans going forward, the club could look to flip him in the coming weeks, though he’ll be ineligible to have his salary aggregated with another player’s.

Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan Sprains Ankle

January 15th, 2025 at 6:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan exited Portland’s matchup with Brooklyn early on Tuesday night, hobbling to the locker room with just over a minute left in the game.

Now, Portland has announced (Twitter link) that the 7’2″ big man has been diagnosed with a mild sprained left ankle. The two-time NCAA champ will have the injury reevaluated in a week, the Blazers add.

During his first season for the 13-26 Trail Blazers, the 20-year-old has averaged 5.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 0.6 assists and 0.5 steals per game in his 31 healthy outings.

Another Portland reserve center, former All-Defensive Teamer Robert Williams III, missed Tuesday’s clash with an illness. Depending on Williams’ availability, Portland will have to lean on starter Deandre Ayton and perhaps fourth-string center Duop Reath for its next few games.

Clingan has already impressed defensively in his first year as a pro, though he remains fairly raw on the other end of the floor. With veterans Ayton and Williams both looking like potential trade chips, a healthy Clingan could get more minutes and touches soon enough.

The Trail Blazers selected Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in this past summer’s draft following a run as an All-American Honorable Mention during his second and final college season with the Huskies.

Month: January 2025