Central Notes: Bulls, Ball, Pacers, Cavaliers
The Bulls front office, led by team president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, needs to get candid about its roster intentions as the trade deadline nears, opines Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
As Cowley writes, head coach Billy Donovan, not Karnisovas or Eversley, has been compelled to answer reporters’ questions about Chicago’s long-term plans. The team occupies something of a no-man’s land for now. After trading DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso over the summer but retaining many talented veterans and bringing in Josh Giddey, the Bulls are in more or less the same terrain they were in last year.
At 18-24, the Bulls are the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished at No. 9 last season and were eliminated in the play-in tournament. They’re competent enough to at least be in the postseason conversation again, but are likely to miss the playoffs proper for the third straight season while still being at risk of losing their top-10 protected 2025 first round-pick.
Cowley suggests that Karnisovas owes reporters and fans a frank discussion of his intentions moving forward with the team.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- It may be time for the NBA to revive its Comeback Player of the Year award, in part to reward players like Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, posits Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The award lasted for six seasons before the league ultimately replaced it with its Most Improved Player honor. Ball overcame formidable odds to return from a two-and-a-half-year, three-surgery layoff, once again becoming a consistent contributor for Chicago.
- The Pacers have a long-term decision to make about the fate of their fifth starter, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Reserve wing Bennedict Mathurin performed admirably while filling in for injured starter Aaron Nesmith, who returned to action this week. Nesmith reclaimed his starting spot on Thursday on a minutes limit while Mathurin served a one-game suspension; Mathurin took it back on Saturday a 115-102 victory against Philadelphia. Nesmith has yet to play more than 11 minutes in either of his first two games back, and Dopirak predicts that, until he can reliably play 30 minutes a night, Mathurin will continue to start. Dopirak takes a look at what each player can bring to the table as a starter.
- The standout Cavaliers have earned an “A-plus” grade midway through their 2024/25 season, opines Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber exclusive). Cleveland is the top seed in the East, sporting a 35-6 record, and looks like it could send three or even four players to the All-Star Game next month. Under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, the team appears to have taken a leap and become a true-blue title contender.
Pistons Notes: Trade Deadline, Ball-Handler, Cunningham
The Pistons have been one of the most surprising teams of the 2024/25 season. After finishing last season with the worst record in franchise history (14-68), the Pistons are currently 21-21, on pace to nearly triple that abysmal 14-win total, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
Detroit also has plenty of financial flexibility ahead of the February 6 deadline, as the Pistons are the only team operating with cap room ($14MM). They also have the $8MM room exception at their disposal to potentially make multiple deals.
Their strong play over the past few weeks reportedly has the front office thinking about making in-season upgrades rather than serving as a salary dumping ground, though a recent report indicated that a major roster shakeup was unlikely.
While Detroit could pursue a number of different trade opportunities over the next two-plus weeks, Sankofa cautions that the Pistons ultimately might decide to be judicious with their flexibility, giving the team more time to evaluate the roster entering the offseason.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- Saturday’s four-point loss to Phoenix highlighted the Pistons’ need for a secondary ball-handler and play-maker to complement former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Jaden Ivey had served in that role, but he might miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a broken fibula in his left leg. “It’s just got to be ball movement,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “We keep talking about the diversity in our offense and just doing the next right thing. That’s one of the things, again, we’re continuing to work on. We don’t want to be a one-dimensional, ball-dominant team or dribble-dominant team.” Cunningham finished the game with 11 assists, half of the team’s total, but no other Piston had more than two, Patterson notes.
- Cunningham’s teammates believe he should be an All-Star for the first time in ’24/25, per Sankofa of The Detroit Free Press. “It’s an honor to play with him as a young, up-and-coming superstar in this league and I think he’s starting to get the recognition and the clout that he deserves,” Tobias Harris said. “Extremely hard worker, extremely humble human being and an amazing teammate and leader for this whole group. … He’s playing at an extremely high level leading this group, leading this team and coming to play night after night. And not for nothing. He’s a dynamic offensive player but he’s also a very good defensive player, and he brings it defensively for our group as well. He’s been spectacular for us all season long.”
- In case you missed it, Tim Hardaway Jr. is embracing his role as a veteran leader for the younger Pistons.
Nets Notes: C. Johnson, Z. Williams, Evbuomwan, Irving
The Nets aren’t sure if forward Cameron Johnson will be available for Sunday’s matchup in Oklahoma City, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn has gone 0-9 this season without Johnson, who is officially listed as questionable for the contest as he continues to deal with a right ankle sprain that has kept him on the sidelines for seven of the past eight games.
“It’s too early [to know] right now,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said about Johnson’s availability for Sunday. “He’s doing a great job with trying to get healthy and working every day and being around with the group.
“And that’s what we value the most, is his energy, his voice right now. And he still was doing his job [every] morning, and right now there’s no reason why we should make a decision, right? We want all our guys to be 100 percent healthy, to come back, and whenever the time comes, we will make a decision.”
According to Lewis, Johnson is the “most coveted player on the trade market right now,” but it’s certainly not a lock that he’ll be on the move by the February 6 deadline. Sources tell Lewis the Nets are reluctant to part with Johnson unless they receive two first-round picks or the equivalent in return, suggesting a talented young player on a team-friendly contract could be used in place of one of those first-rounders.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Fourth-year forward Ziaire Williams has drastically improved his outside shot of late, Lewis writes in another story for The Post. In his first 21 games prior to missing 12 contests with a knee injury, Williams had converted just 27.3% of his three-point attempts. However, in the nine games since he returned from the injury, he has converted an impressive 40.8% from long distance on significantly higher volume. “Yeah, man, shoot, they tell me constantly shoot, shoot, shoot,” said Williams, who will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer. “So, I’ve got to be the one to believe in myself. And yes, it’s good out there. It feels good right now. And I’m just trying to just stay in this rhythm.”
- Tosan Evbuomwan inked a two-way contract with Brooklyn at the beginning of the month and has impressed in a regular rotation role off the bench, Lewis adds. The second-year forward has averaged 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds on .583/.375/.789 shooting over the past six games (24.8 minutes), scoring in double figures in five of those contests.
- Kyrie Irving continues to sarcastically criticize the Nets nearly two years after he was traded to Dallas, according to Lewis. “Best trade in the business, baby. We won that trade!” Irving said Friday night after the Mavericks beat the Thunder, 106-98, then repeated for emphasis, “We won that trade! I was bad goods.”
- In case you missed it, we passed along several other Johnson rumors yesterday from NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Celtics Reportedly Expect 4-5 Initial Ownership Bids
The Celtics are expecting to receive a minimum of four ownership bids from prospective investment groups when the first round of the sale process closes on January 23, a source with direct knowledge of the process tells Michael Silverman of The Boston Globe (subscription required). A fifth bid is also a possibility, Silverman reports.
Current co-owner Steve Pagliuca is spearheading a consortium that will be making a bid, according to Silverman, but the identities of the control heads for the other groups remain a mystery, at least for now. Another current minority stakeholder, Robert Hale, expressed interest in becoming majority owner or joining a group in October, and he told Silverman he’s “still hanging around the hoop.”
Fenway Sports Group and Mark Bezos are reportedly among the other potential bidders. The founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group, Bezos is the half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The Grousbeck family announced on July 1 that it was putting the team up for sale, just a few weeks after the Celtics won their 18th championship. According to Silverman, the Grousbecks expect the final sale price to exceed $6 billion.
As Silverman writes, the Grousbecks and the investment banks advising them on the sale process are expected to review the first round of bids until sometime in February. At that point, two groups will be selected for a final round of bidding, unless one initial bid “meets the family’s expectations.”
If there’s a final round involving two bidders, it could take weeks or even months before a new owner is announced, Silverman adds.
The plan remains for the sale process to be conducted in two phases, with the new group controlling 51% of the franchise at some point in the first half of 2025. The remaining 49% would be sold in 2028.
Governor Wyc Grousbeck hopes to remain in that role until 2028, though it’s unclear if bidders will be open to that idea after he has given up his controlling interest in the first phase of the sale.
Pacific Notes: Richards, Poole, Green, Curry, Vincent, Clippers
Nick Richards looked like the big man the Suns have been missing during his debut with the team Saturday afternoon at Detroit, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Richards, who was acquired from Charlotte earlier this week, came off the bench to post 21 points and 11 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes.
Beyond that, Rankin notes that Richards brought energy and “edginess” to the game by competing for rebounds at both ends and driving hard to the basket, which created open three-point attempts for his teammates. He was a plus-22 in a game Phoenix won by four points.
“Everything was flowing,” Richards said. “I was out there being me, playing my style of basketball.”
Jusuf Nurkic, who was recently removed from the starting lineup, remains sidelined with the flu. However, coach Mike Budenholzer said Nurkic has “turned the corner” and his condition will be monitored to see if he’ll join the team before its road trip ends Wednesday in Brooklyn.
Rankin expects Richards to replace Mason Plumlee as the starter soon, and rookie Oso Ighodaro gives the team four capable big men, meaning one or two of them won’t see regular minutes if they’re all still on the roster after the trade deadline.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Wizards‘ visit to Golden State Saturday night prompted questions to coach Steve Kerr about Jordan Poole, according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Poole played an important role on the 2022 championship team and once appeared to be a future star for the Warriors, but he was traded to Washington in the summer of 2023 following an infamous incident with Draymond Green. “It’s just really fun to see all of his work pay off and just his growth as a professional, to see it in pretty dramatic fashion over those few years, it was wonderful to see,” Kerr said.
- Green will undergo an MRI on Sunday after leaving Saturday’s game with a left calf injury, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Warriors guard Stephen Curry twisted his ankle, but he doesn’t believe it’s serious.
- After missing most of last season due to injury, Gabe Vincent is enjoying the chance to finally be able to contribute to the Lakers, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. He had a season-high 14 points in Wednesday’s win over Miami, his former team, then followed that with 10 points Friday against Brooklyn. “My role … is just win games, help us win games,” Vincent said. “Some nights it might be purely defensive, some nights I might be on the ball some more, some nights I might be spotting up. But whatever the task is, I’m out there to help this ballclub win games.”
- When the teams meet Sunday, the Clippers will finally be able to host the Lakers in their own arena after years of sharing a facility, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The Clippers moved into the new $2 billion high-tech Inuit Dome this season. “I heard that place is sick,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. “I heard it’s really cool.”
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Randle, DiVincenzo, Towns
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson posted on his Instagram account Friday that his weight is down to 268.2 pounds as he awaits medical clearance to begin practicing, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Robinson, who is recovering from ankle surgery last May, is hoping to take part in practice by the end of January, but coach Tom Thibodeau cautioned that there are still several steps remaining.
“Just working individually right now. So he hasn’t been cleared. There will be a progression and it starts with 1-on-0, which is really where he is right now,” Thibodeau said in Friday’s pregame session with the media. “He hasn’t been cleared for contact yet. So that will be the next phase.”
Robinson’s return would be welcome for the Knicks, who have missed having a reliable rim protector. Thibodeau also confirmed that he envisions having Karl-Anthony Towns spend time at power forward to create a pairing with Robinson similar to what he had with Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.
“We feel like with Karl’s comfortable doing both, playing both positions,” Thibodeau said. “So we feel like it will be an added weapon for us.”
There’s more from New York:
- Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who made his return to Madison Square Garden on Friday after being traded in October, told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that he often wonders how good last year’s Knicks could have been if he hadn’t suffered a shoulder injury. Buoyed by a late-December trade for OG Anunoby, New York was tearing through the league before Randle was lost for the season on January 27. “We went into every game expecting to win,” Randle recalled. “Teams would hang around and we would end up winning by like 20 points. It felt like we were starting to get super dominant. We had everything. And everybody’s game was going to the next level. Chemistry was dope. It was unfortunate the injuries happened. But that team was incredible.”
- Randle was the only major player from that trade who took part in Friday’s game, notes Steve Popper of Newsday. Donte DiVincenzo was ruled out with a sprained left big toe, while Towns was a late scratch as he recovers from a right thumb injury he suffered Monday. There were no video tributes for Randle or DiVincenzo, according to Popper, as those took place during a preseason contest. “The thing is, it’s actually the third time we played now,” Thibodeau said. “And as time goes on, there’s always going to be that connection — it’s the reality of our league. Like I said, every night, there’s something for somebody. Just stay focused on getting ready to play. But that’s part of his story, part of Julius’ story, part of Donte’s, and that’s what makes the league what it is.”
- The Knicks’ reliance on Towns was on display Friday, Popper adds, as they struggled to score without him available. New York is just 2-3 without Towns, who averages 25.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per night.
Southwest Notes: Murphy, Green, Sochan, Castle, J. Smith
Pelicans small forward Trey Murphy has developed into more than just an outside shooting threat during his fourth NBA season, writes Rod Walker of NOLA. Murphy, who is starting regularly while Brandon Ingram is sidelined with an injury, is averaging a career-high 21.5 points per game this season. He has also improved other aspects of his game, posting career-best numbers for rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
“I probably would have identified him as playing more like a specialist a year ago,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “But I see his game expanding, which I see as a great sign for the Pelicans and (coach) Willie (Green). Trey is a heckuva player. He’s an elite shooter and you can tell the shooting has added confidence in the rest of his game.”
Walker notes that Murphy has scored at least 30 points in two of the last four games. He has also collected 10 rebounds twice, one short of his career high, and saved two games with late defensive plays — a steal against Chicago and a block against Dallas. In addition, he set a franchise record by making 52 straight free throws before that streak ended Friday night.
“The sky’s the limit,” Dejounte Murray said. “It’s all about opportunity in the NBA. He got his opportunity and he’s not playing with it. He’s showing that he works at his game. He’s showing that he’s a confident guy and he’s also showing that he’s down for the challenge and opportunity.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavericks are among the teams with interest in Pelicans veteran Javonte Green, sources tell Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). Dallas is exploring available wings on the trade market, Afseth adds, and Green is appealing because he can provide help on both ends of the court. A report earlier today said numerous teams are eyeing Green, who could be acquired via the minimum salary exception.
- Jeremy Sochan has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Miami, but the Spurs expect him back on the court soon, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Acting coach Mitch Johnson said Friday that Sochan is “doing great” and is “very close” to returning from a back bruise. Rookie guard Stephon Castle, who replaced Sochan in the starting lineup, is averaging 23 PPG over his last three games. “As a group, we feel confident in the poise that he has and we trust him to go make those plays,” Harrison Barnes said of Castle. “They’re going to put differing matchups on him or whatever, but we him to be aggressive and we need to play offense through him at times.”
- Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. has decided against having surgery on his fractured left hand, coach Ime Udoka told reporters before tonight’s game (Twitter link from Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). Udoka adds that letting the injury heal naturally may add a week or so to the recovery process.
Bulls Looking To Trade Patrick Williams
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has decided to explore trade opportunities involving Patrick Williams, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
The 23-year-old power forward has experienced a decline in production during his fifth NBA season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per night through 32 games while shooting career lows from the field (37.7%) and three-point range (36.2%).
Williams has been viewed as a project since Chicago selected him with the fourth pick in the 2020 draft. The source tells Cowley that Williams “hasn’t been easy to work with,” explaining that his attitude has been fine, but he hasn’t been comfortable enough with his role to buy into what the coaches are telling him.
Cowley explains that assistant coaches are typically assigned to certain players, and there have been “frustrations” on both sides with some of Williams’ matchups. Director of player development Peter Patton has taken over those duties this season, Cowley adds, and it seemed as though Williams was responding when he averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in November.
However, through nine games in January, Williams’ numbers are down to 6.6 PPG and 2.6 RPG. Head coach Billy Donovan has been reducing his playing time and he was on the court for just 17 minutes in Friday’s home loss to Charlotte, finishing the game with five points, no rebounds and a -17 plus/minus rating.
“I don’t want to use the word concerned, but I think Patrick’s heart is in a really good place as it relates to our team, and I think he really wants to do well,” Donovan told reporters after the game. “I think the one thing he will continue to get better at, and I think I mentioned to you guys that in closeouts, and I think the next iteration, the next part of it, at least offensively, is going to end up being, ‘What are the ones I need to go in and finish, what are the ones I need to spray out? And when I do spray it out, taking care of the ball?’
“The other part of it too, for our team, we need more rebounding from him. I think he’s made the effort to try and go there, but we probably need to get a little more out of him. But I’m not concerned about him. I know this stretch for him has not been good, but he has had moments where he has been pretty good. I think he does work, I think he’s a good player. He’s up in a tough stretch right now. He’s still going through a maturation process offensively.”
The decision to trade Williams comes roughly six months after the Bulls re-signed him to a five-year, $90MM contract. As Cowley notes, Williams was a restricted free agent last summer, so Karnisovas could have let him seek an offer from a rival team and then decide whether it was in his best interest to match it. Instead, he rewarded Williams with a long-term deal that will pay him $18MM each season, including a player option for 2028/29. Given Williams’ recent production, there may not be many teams willing to take on that contract without an incentive attached.
Williams becomes the latest rumored trade candidate ahead of what could be an active deadline in Chicago. The Bulls are reportedly also looking to move Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and possibly Lonzo Ball.
Heat Notes: Butler, Spoelstra, Defense, Richardson, Jaquez
Jimmy Butler got a mixed reaction from Heat fans as he returned to the lineup Friday night following a seven-game suspension, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. There were a few boos mixed in with loud cheers as Butler was announced as part of the starting lineup. He also heard some booing the first time he touched the ball.
Both sides seem entrenched in their positions as the February 6 trade deadline nears, Chiang adds. The Heat would like to find a deal for Butler, but they’ll hold onto him until the offseason rather than making a bad trade that involves taking back unwanted contracts. They also don’t want to keep him away from the team while paying his $48.8MM salary, which is why he was back on the court Friday night.
Butler, who talked about losing his “joy” before the suspension was imposed, was asked by reporters if he thought he could rediscover it in Miami. “I was told to say no comment, so no comment,” Butler responded. He gave a similar response to a question about whether he believes the situation with the Heat can be fixed.
Coach Erik Spoelstra provided a little more insight during his pregame media session, although he declined to provide many details about how he plans to handle the situation.
“Look, we work in a league of complexity,” Spoelstra said. “We’re in an unusual place right now. But really all it is is complex and we fully plan on operating within this complexity. So it’s my job to prepare this team, get them ready to play at a high level and that’s what I’m doing. That’s what the plan is. My methods for doing it are really none of your business.”
There’s more from Miami:
- While Butler has undoubtedly been a distraction during the team’s three-game losing streak, defense has been an even bigger issue, Chiang adds in a separate story. The Heat gave up 133 points Friday night, allowing Denver to score at least 30 points in all four quarters. Chiang points out that Miami is 12-0 when holding opponents to 100 points or fewer, but just 8-20 otherwise. “I know what I saw out there from a defensive standpoint,” Spoelstra said. “It was not good enough and that’s three straight games now. We found our identity of how we can win games. Then in three games, we haven’t been able to put that together and commit to that side of the floor, and we’ve paid the price.”
- An MRI didn’t show anything significant involving the heel injury that has been keeping Josh Richardson out of the lineup, Chiang tweets. Richardson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against San Antonio, but the team hopes he’ll be able to start preparing for a return to the lineup this week. He has only appeared in eight games so far this season.
- In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Jaime Jaquez credits Bam Adebayo with holding the team together through the Butler standoff. “He tries to stay extremely positive and understand that whoever is in the locker room, that’s who we’re rocking with at the moment,” Jaquez said. “We got games to win. So let’s focus on the main thing, and that’s winning games. Things that are out of our control, let’s not worry about that. Let’s try to focus on what we can control. That’s been his message.”
Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Starting Lineup, Roster Moves, Mazzulla
After scoring 23 points in 23 minutes on Friday, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis expressed hope that he might be available for tonight’s game against Atlanta, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Porzingis is officially listed as questionable, but if he’s able to take the court, it would mark his first back-to-back since returning from offseason surgery.
“I believe so,” Porzingis responded when asked if he felt he could be ready. “But that’s a little bit out of my hands. I think tomorrow we’ll know more information.”
Robb notes that Al Horford won’t be available because he also played in Friday’s game, and the Celtics haven’t used him on both nights of a back-to-back over the past two years. The final decision on Porzingis will be made by the medical staff, and Robb points out that Boston is in the midst of playing five games in seven days, so there are reasons to exercise caution.
Porzingis has played in seven straight contests since returning from an ankle injury, and he has topped 20 points in three of his last five games.
There’s more from Boston:
- Friday marked a vintage performance for the Celtics’ starters, who were considered one of the best five-man units in the league last season, Robb states in a separate story. Limited by Porzingis’ absence early on, the group had been together for just 10 games before Friday and had a -11.8 net rating in 147 minutes. They looked back to normal in the victory over Orlando, outscoring the Magic by 15 points in their 20 minutes on the court together. “Results can vary with plus/minus and things like that,” Jayson Tatum said. “But I think just how connected we were on both ends of the floor, especially on defense. Everybody was on the same page, we were connected, helping each other out. So regardless of the plus/minus, the way we went about it was a lot better today.”
- The Celtics emphasized continuity in the offseason, bringing back virtually the same roster than won the title in 2024, but a small trade may be necessary to shake things up, Robb adds in a mailbag column. He also suggests it might be time to reduce the minutes for starting guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White in light of their recent struggles.
- Coming off Wednesday’s embarrassing loss at Toronto, coach Joe Mazzulla encouraged his players to embrace the challenges that the NBA can present, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The team has been surprisingly average over the past month or so, and Porzingis said it lacked spirit and energy in the 13-point defeat against the lowly Raptors. “To me, this is the fun part of why you enter the arena,” Mazzulla said. “Anyone who is not in the arena, they don’t have a skin in the game. You enjoy it and it’s fun. This is why you do what you do. This is why you play for the Celtics. This is why you play in the NBA. This is why you go after something that’s extremely hard to do is for the challenge of it. And to have an expectation of it being anything other than challenging is the wrong way to attack. … You can’t only enjoy things when they go your way. That’s called being spoiled.”