Southwest Notes: Wood, Hardaway, Poeltl, Rockets, Pelicans
Despite being the subjects of trade rumors for weeks, Mavericks veterans Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr. remained with Dallas beyond this year’s trade deadline. Still, Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News notes that their futures with the club are somewhat unclear.
As Caplan writes, Hardaway’s inefficient play has made him and his remaining contract money tough to trade. Including this season, the veteran wing still has three years and $53.7MM left on his current deal.
Wood, meanwhile, is eligible for a four-year contract extension worth up to $77MM through the rest of the season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. A source tells Caplan that the Mavericks’ front office has not offered Wood an extension yet, in an effort to maximize the team’s flexibility this summer.
There’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Spurs opted to ship center Jakob Poeltl to the Raptors, rather than have to pay him in free agency this summer, in part because the team reportedly was not comfortable paying the rim-protecting center more than $65MM over four years, per LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk. Ellis says San Antonio believes the bidding price for Poeltl will go well north of that sum.
- New veteran Rockets additions Danny Green, Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky could ultimately be retained by Houston, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are set to assess if Green would like to remain on their roster, which has been their general policy with the veterans they’ve traded for in the recent past. Houston likes the possible fit of Holiday even past 2022/23, and Kaminsky has a connection with head coach Stephen Silas, thanks to their shared time on the Hornets.
- The Pelicans made just one trade deadline deal, acquiring swingman Josh Richardson from the Spurs. William Guillory of The Athletic reveals that New Orleans hopes to bring Richardson, an unrestricted free agent this summer, back into the fold next season as well.
Atlantic Notes: Hart, Thybulle, Raptors, Muscala
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is excited for the new addition of veteran swingman Josh Hart, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
“I have great respect for him,” Thibodeau said. “He’s been a top-flight competitor in the league for a long time, and he brings a lot of intangibles to the game… A lot of respect for him.”
Thibodeau would not offer insight into whether he would start Hart or make his rotation deeper now. In his 51 games for Portland this season, Hart is averaging 9.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 1.1 SPG.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers got close to sending defensive stopper Matisse Thybulle to the Mavericks this year, but Dallas was uninterested in including a first-round draft pick in the offing, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The two-time All-Defensive Teamer was instead shipped out to the Trail Blazers as part of a four-team trade today.
- Raptors team president Masai Ujiri explained why, beyond bolstering their frontcourt depth with their deal for center Jakob Poeltl, the team opted to not make any other major moves at the trade deadline, despite attracting significant interest around the league, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “The way I look at the deadline (is) it’s really not a great place to make long-term decisions,” Ujiri said. “To be fair (to) this team, I think I haven’t done my part for this team to maybe play a little bit better… I think we needed a big like Jak (to) protect the rim, who these guys have confidence in — a really good passer, a big body, one of our own, which I think really fits.”
- The Celtics opted to augment their bench depth with sharpshooting forward Mike Muscala at the trade deadline. Jared Weiss of The Athletic unpacks how Muscala will help Boston in some major areas of need for the 2022/23 season’s home stretch.
Pacific Notes: Ayton, LeBron, Westbrook, Warriors
In case you hadn’t heard, the Suns drastically remade their roster this week, trading several picks and young talent in exchange for one of the greatest players in league history, who is still arguably in his prime. But that doesn’t mean there won’t still be questions about at least one of the team’s other priciest players going forward.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, there’s skepticism that Phoenix management truly values Suns starting center Deandre Ayton at his salary of $33MM per year. Fischer suggests that the big man’s long-term future in Phoenix remains “curious.”
Ayton is in the first year of new contract with the Suns, signed only after a maximum offer sheet was tendered by the Pacers this summer. He’s averaging 18.4 PPG on 58.6% shooting from the floor, 10.3 RPG, 2.1 APG and 0.7 BPG.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Lakers All-Star power forward LeBron James will be sidelined by ankle soreness Thursday against the Bucks, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. McMenamin writes that James will be available for a pregame ceremony to commemorate him setting the NBA’s all-time scoring record on Tuesday. L.A. did already celebrate the moment with a mid-game video montage, a presentation from league commissioner Adam Silver and the previous scoring record holder, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and speeches from James and Silver.
- The situation with former Lakers reserve point guard Russell Westbrook had devolved so drastically in the last week that L.A.’s coaching staff might have pushed to waive him had he stuck on the roster through the trade deadline, according to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic. The Athletic’s duo cites sources who referred to the situation as “toxic.” Westbrook is currently with the Jazz, but is widely expected to be bought out.
- At today’s trade deadline, the Warriors essentially flipped 2020 No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman for Gary Payton II in a four-team deal. Payton departed Golden State in free agency last summer, but the Warriors wanted to bring back a reliable veteran who had already proven his mettle with the team during its 2020 title run, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Stephen Curry To Be Reassessed After All-Star Break
Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry has been out since February 4 after injuring his left leg against the Mavericks. Imaging after the game, a 119-113 Warriors win, revealed that the 6’2″ vet incurred a lower left leg contusion and partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane.
Curry will be reevaluated following the league’s All-Star Weekend festivities next week, the Warriors announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Thus, he will not have an opportunity to suit up for his ninth All-Star appearance in Salt Lake City. He had been voted in as a Western Conference starter. A timeline for his return may be established more clearly after All-Star weekend.
The reigning 2022 NBA Finals MVP had been enjoying a stellar 2022/23 campaign. Through his 38 healthy games, the 34-year-old has been averaging 29.4 PPG on .495/.427/.922 shooting splits. He’s also contributing 6.4 APG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.0 SPG.
Golden State could certainly use him sooner rather than later. The club has more or less treaded water across the 17 contests Curry has missed thus far, going 8-9 in those games.
Spurs Release Dewayne Dedmon
4:20pm: The Spurs have officially waived Dedmon, according to a press release from the team.
4:17pm: Veteran journeyman center Dewayne Dedmon will be waived by the Spurs just days after San Antonio acquired him via trade, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Heat flipped a 2028 second-round draft pick to the Spurs to get off of Dedmon’s money earlier this week, while the Spurs sent Miami back $110K.
The 33-year-old seven-footer was in the midst of his third season with the Heat after inking a two-year, $9MM free agent deal to return in 2022. He had been squeezed out of the rotation by the emergence of two-way big Orlando Robinson in recent weeks. A minutes-related squabble on the bench prompted Miami to take the extreme step of suspending Dedmon for a game.
Provided Dedmon clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent, and be free to latch on with any team besides the Heat.
Across his 30 games behind All-Star Heat center Bam Adebayo this season, Dedmon averaged 5.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG, while posting shooting splits of .496/.297/.727.
LeBron James Becomes All-Time Regular Season Scoring Leader
On Tuesday night, Lakers forward LeBron James achieved a feat many of us had once thought impossible. The 19-time All-Star surpassed Hall of Fame center and Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s all-time regular season scoring record of 38,387 career points.
With 10 seconds left in the third quarter of a nationally televised game against the visiting Thunder on Tuesday night, James scored his 35th and 36th points, which moved him into sole possession of the league’s scoring record (video link via Bleacher Report).
Play was stopped for a special mid-game presentation, as Abdul-Jabbar and NBA commissioner Adam Silver were on hand to congratulate the four-time champion and four-time MVP.
James actually passed Abdul-Jabbar in historic cumulative scoring last year, lapping the six-time MVP’s total combined regular season and postseason points.
Now, LeBron possesses both that record and this regular season mark. He looks poised to significantly widen his lead in both categories, given that he’s averaging an impressive 30.2 PPG this season and recently expressed a desire to play for a few more years.
Presumably, the four-time MVP’s next goal is simply making the 2022/23 postseason, which is no sure thing. L.A. is currently the No. 13 seed in a bunched-up West, behind Oklahoma City.
Pacific Notes: Hachimura, Irving, Durant, Fox
Lakers combo forward Rui Hachimura is comfortably slotting in to his new role with the club, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The athletic 6’8″ forward has become a solid fast-breaking force for Los Angeles so far.
His length, size and speed are massive attributes for a team desperately bereft of those components.
“[Russell Westbrook and LeBron James] get all the defensive attention so I have a lot of easy looks, in either transition of the half court,” Hachimura said. “So, yeah, I love playing with those guys.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Prior to his eventual move to the Mavericks, the Lakers had conversations with the Nets about a framework for a Kyrie Irving trade, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Woj reveals that Brooklyn prioritized the Dallas trade offer because it gave them better role-player depth than Los Angeles could offer, in addition to similar future draft equity.
- Now that Irving is off the Brooklyn roster, the Suns are hoping to make a legitimate trade offer for the Nets’ lone remaining All-Star, power forward Kevin Durant, sources inform Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). There’s no indication that Brooklyn is willing to listen on Durant at this point — if that changes, plenty of other suitors figure to join the Suns.
- With Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry likely to be sidelined for multiple weeks due to a leg injury, commissioner Adam Silver may have to select an injury replacement for the All-Star Game. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets that Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox deserves to receive serious consideration for that spot.
Stephen Curry Out Several Weeks With Partially Torn Ligaments In Leg
2:35pm: Imaging on Curry’s left leg on Saturday night revealed that he partially tore his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane, in addition to incurring a lower leg contusion, the Warriors have announced in a press statement (Twitter link). The team intends to establish a recovery timeline for Curry in the coming days.
12:36pm: Warriors All-Star point guard Stephen Curry will be sidelined for several weeks with a left leg injury, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Curry departed Golden State’s victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night in the third quarter after incurring the injury. He underwent imaging subsequently that determined the ailment was more serious than his club had hoped.
This is naturally a huge blow for Golden State, currently the seventh seed in the West at 27-26. There are just 29 games left in the 2022/23 regular season and only two-and-a-half games separate the Warriors and the No. 13 seeded-Lakers. If Golden State cannot at least tread water in the absence of Curry, the team could quickly fall out of the play-in tournament bracket.
As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets, Curry’s injury means he will likely be sidelined through at least the 2023 All-Star Weekend, so an injury replacement figures to be selected. Slater cautions that the Warriors are continuing to determine exactly how severe the injury is and exactly how long Curry will be shelved.
Per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link), Golden State is hopeful Curry could come back soon after the All-Star break. The regular season resumes on February 23.
The reigning Finals MVP is having another great individual season, despite his team’s middling record. Curry is averaging 29.4 PPG on .495/.427/.922 shooting splits, along with 6.4 APG, 6.3 RPG and 1.0 SPG across 38 games.
This could also further complicate the Warriors’ approach to the impending league trade deadline, as the club will have to determine what young assets it is willing to surrender – if any – in order to make a playoff push.
Atlantic Notes: Randle, Reddish, Young, Simmons
Knicks power forward Julius Randle has returned to an All-Star level of play following a down year during the 2021/22 season. Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News details how the 6’9″ big man adjusted his approach to the game to maximize his abilities yet again.
Randle recently credited a summer 2022 conversation with New York assistant coach Johnnie Bryant, who gave Randle a reality check about his attitude last season.
“He was talking about the year before and said something like, ‘If you were your teammates and saw you acting the way you did sometimes, with body language, showing frustration, would you want to be your teammate?’” Randle recalled. “And I said, ‘No.’ So I had to look myself in the mirror and take accountability and get better and learn from it.”
“He came and saw me and it was more like big brother, little brother, holding me accountable, talking to me, getting my mind right, more than anything,” Randle explained. “He came to me and had an honest conversation. And it helped me put my ego and my pride to the side. And try to adjust my game and look at myself in the mirror and do what’s best for the team.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Though it seems likely the Knicks will find a new home for 2018 lottery pick Cam Reddish, who has been out of New York’s rotation for two months, Steve Popper of Newsday wonders if the club will make additional trades by Thursday’s trade deadline.
- Raptors forward Thaddeus Young has been a massive tone-setter for Toronto’s younger players, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who opines that Young’s influence will resonate beyond his time with the club. “Big time vet,” Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa said of the 34-year-old. “Been in the league a long time, and we’re just trying to learn from him as much as we can.”
- Nets point forward Ben Simmons had imaging done on his troublesome knee, but head coach Jacque Vaughn indicates that an MRI revealed nothing particularly worrisome long-term in the ligament, per Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link). Simmons has been unavailable since January 26 as a result of knee soreness.
Cavaliers Interested In Josh Hart
The Cavaliers, who are looking to bolster their small forward position at the trade deadline, are one of multiple clubs registering “very strong interest” in Trail Blazers swingman Josh Hart, according to Marc Stein’s latest Substack story (subscriber link).
Hart, 27, is currently in the second season of a very reasonable three-year, $37.9MM deal. He has a player option for the 2023/24 season, meaning he can choose to enter unrestricted free agency this summer.
Across 49 games this year, all starts, the Villanova alum is averaging 9.4 PPG on .506/.311/.732 shooting splits. He’s also chipping in a career-high 8.1 RPG, along with 4.0 APG and 1.1 SPG.
Hart has the outlines of a solid 3-and-D contributor, but in his first full season for Portland, he is falling short on one element of that equation. Hart’s three-point shooting has regressed this season, in both volume and success rate. His 31.1% completion percentage represents a career low, and his 2.1 attempts per contest are likewise his lowest nightly average for a given season.
Cleveland could certainly use help along the wing. The team is currently starting raw swingman Isaac Okoro, a solid defender averaging a modest 6.0 PPG on .485/.333/.720 shooting splits on low volume.