Latest On Knicks/Raptors Trade
With the Knicks and Raptors both playing tonight, the two head coaches were able to talk about their new acquisitions in pregame sessions with reporters.
New York’s Tom Thibodeau started by saying he has handled personnel decisions before, so he understands how much work went into today’s trade. He added that it was difficult to part with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, but OG Anunoby brings too many positives to pass up (video link from Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files).
“I think what OG has done and what he has shown is, one, he has positional size,” Thibodeau said. “Two, he can guard multiple positions. Three, he’s a terrific three-point shooter so he can space the floor. He’s also good in transition, very good finishing. And he’s young, so he still has a lot of development left in his game.”
Thibodeau added that Precious Achiuwa will give the team much-needed size and offensive rebounding, and he called Malachi Flynn “a good young player as well.”
Prior to tonight’s game in Detroit, Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic discussed how adding Barrett will affect the offense, tweets Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
“RJ is a very dynamic player,” Rajakovic said. “He is a very good cutter, good driver, an improved spot-up shooter as well. I’m really excited to see how he’s going to jell with our team.”
There’s more on today’s blockbuster trade:
- Raptors president Masai Ujiri was in Detroit with the team and broke the news of the trade to Anunoby, Achiuwa and Flynn, tweets Kayla Gray of TSN Sports. She hears that Barrett and Quickley are expected to travel to Toronto tomorrow and meet with the media on Monday (Twitter link). They’ll likely make their debut in Monday night’s game against Cleveland.
- Knicks veteran Taj Gibson talked to both Barrett and Quickley this morning after the deal became public, relays Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link). Gibson said it was “gut-wrenching” to lose the two players, but he told them they’ll have great opportunities in Toronto.
- Although Anunoby is a nice addition to the roster, the Knicks don’t believe they’ll be able to obtain a true star player before next summer, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. New York still owns a wealth of draft assets, Katz adds, along with the salaries of Josh Hart, Evan Fournier, Donte DiVincenzo and Quentin Grimes to use in a trade for a max-salary player.
Nets Notes: Thomas, Walker, Bridges, Suns’ Picks
Cam Thomas isn’t complaining about being removed from the Nets‘ starting lineup, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Coach Jacque Vaughn shook things up Friday night by having Dorian Finney-Smith replace Thomas, who is the team’s leading scorer at 22.5 PPG. The third-year guard said he understands the move and is willing to do whatever is necessary to help the team.
“I’m going to just call it how it is: Everybody wants to start,” Thomas said. “At the end of the day, I want to start, but for what the team needs, I gotta come off the bench where it’s sixth or seventh man, come in and bring energy. So [I’m] just not getting down just staying positive and keep my energy high.”
Lewis notes that the previous starting five that teamed Thomas with Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton and Spencer Dinwiddie had been among the least efficient units in the NBA, sporting a minus-21.4 net rating that ranked last in the league among those with at least 100 minutes together. Vaughn was concerned that the Nets had been getting off too many slow starts, and he deemed that aspect of the new lineup successful, even though Brooklyn lost on Friday at Washington.
“At the first timeout, we did have a lead at that time. Finished the quarter even,” Vaughn said. “The numbers, they are what they are. That group that was previously starting … I was hoping that we’d be able to be so good offensively that it would cover up some of the holes defensively and just hadn’t, and so that’s what forced the change.”
There’s more on the Nets:
- After missing 14 games with a strained left hamstring, Lonnie Walker could be ready to return Tuesday at New Orleans, Lewis states in a separate story. Vaughn told reporters that date isn’t definite, but Walker accompanied the team on its road trip and he’s getting closer to being cleared. “I’m getting there,” said Walker, who hasn’t played since November 30. “Still no timetable, but [Friday] was a very, very huge step forward as far as understanding how my physical aspect as far as movement and jumping and running, how I feel. I felt terrific and probably the best I felt in quite a long time.”
- Bridges is averaging career highs in scoring, rebounding and assists, but Brooklyn’s sub-.500 record won’t help his All-Star chances, Lewis adds in another piece. There’s plenty of competition at forward in the Eastern Conference, and his teammates are aware of what’s at stake. “Mikal is playing his way into an All-Star-type of conversation,” Dinwiddie said, “if we can be fortunate enough to keep winning.”
- The Nets’ front office is keeping a close eye on the Suns‘ slow start, Lewis observes. Last season’s Kevin Durant trade gave Brooklyn unprotected first-round picks from Phoenix in 2025, 2027 and 2029, along with a potential pick swap in 2028. The Nets stand to benefit greatly if the Suns’ Big Three experiment doesn’t work out.
Brandon Williams Signs Two-Way Deal With Mavericks
December 28: The move is official, the Mavericks announced in a press release (via Twitter).
December 27: The Mavericks are planning to sign G League point guard Brandon Williams to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Williams is currently with the Osceola Magic, where he is averaging 23.9 points and 5.6 assists per game.
Williams, 24, was in training camp with Orlando on an Exhibit 10 contract, but was waived before the start of the season. He reported to Osceola, which is his third G League team in three years.
Williams’ first NBA opportunity came during the 2021/22 season when he signed a 10-day contract with Portland and was able to earn a two-way deal. He averaged 12.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 24 games with the Trail Blazers, making 16 starts, but was waived before the beginning of the next season.
Dallas currently has a full roster, so another move will have to be made before Williams can be signed. Greg Brown, Dexter Dennis and A.J. Lawson hold the team’s two-way contracts.
Lore, A-Rod To Acquire Controlling Ownership Of Timberwolves
Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will exercise their option to become controlling owners of the Timberwolves, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. They have a December 31 deadline to make the move, but sources tell Wojnarowski it could happen by today.
The option will give Lore and Rodriguez an additional 40% of the franchise, making them majority owners with an 80% stake by the early part of 2024, Woj adds (Twitter link). The purchase, which still must be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors, values the team at $1.5 billion.
This will mark the third payment for the new owners, who made their second installment in March. They currently own 40% in their succession plan to take over the Wolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx from current owner Glen Taylor.
Gore and Rodriguez began buying into the Timberwolves in 2021, making their first payment that summer. There have been rumors throughout the process that they might not have the financial equity to complete the deal, but they have made every payment according to schedule.
A report last month said the duo was negotiating with the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, to provide help with financing.
Jazz Notes: Horton-Tucker, Sexton, Olynyk, Play-In Tournament
Talen Horton-Tucker didn’t get off the Jazz bench Tuesday night despite being available to play after missing two games with a sore left foot, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Coach Will Hardy explained it was because other guards have been playing well during the team’s three-game winning streak, but Todd believes Horton-Tucker is in danger of being dropped from the rotation.
“There’s only so many people that can play in the game,” Hardy said. “Kris (Dunn) and Collin (Sexton) have been in a good groove. Talen has played well. It’s nothing that he’s done wrong, but he is coming off an injury and we had won two games in a row. It didn’t feel right to the team to disrupt that rhythm. I think it would have been the same if it had been somebody else.”
Todd points out that the same standard didn’t apply to rookie Keyonte George, who logged 24 minutes Tuesday after missing six games with a foot injury. Horton-Tucker began the season as a starter in Utah’s backcourt, but George took over that role in the team’s eighth game and held it until his injury.
At that time, it was Dunn who was out of the rotation, Todd adds, but he and Sexton have been meshing well together recently, so Hardy is relying on what has been working. With an $11MM expiring contract, Horton-Tucker may not be part of the team’s future unless something changes.
There’s more from Utah:
- Sexton has been working with assistant coaches to dissect the pick-and-roll so he can become more of a play-maker, Todd states in a separate story. As he expands his options, Sexton has raised his assists to 3.6 per game after averaging 2.9 last season. “He’s just sort of in a groove right now,” Hardy said. “I think the best thing for me is that he’s had a couple of games where he’s made a lot of good decisions and he’s still scored a lot of points and I think it’s just showing him that though he has a scoring mindset, you don’t have to think ‘score’ on every play to score a lot of points in this league.”
- Replacing Walker Kessler with Kelly Olynyk in the starting lineup has helped unclog the team’s offense, observes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Although Kessler remains one of the league’s best shot blockers in his second season, he doesn’t put enough pressure on opposing defenses. Jones notes that Hardy can run a five-out approach with Olynyk, which creates room for Sexton and Lauri Markkanen to attack the basket.
- The Jazz are focused on overcoming their slow start to reach the play-in tournament, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. The recent hot streak has moved Utah to within two-and-a-half games of 10th place. “You’ve got to just keep building,” Olynyk said. What’s happened in the past happened; now you gotta learn from it, grow, keep building, and not let the past dictate the future.”
Bulls Notes: LaVine, Vucevic, White, DeRozan
Bulls coach Billy Donovan provided a health update on Zach LaVine after Wednesday’s practice, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. LaVine has been sidelined since November 28 due to inflammation in his right foot, but Donovan said he responded well to recent physical activity, which added “light cutting” on Tuesday to his regimen of shooting and straight-ahead running. The Bulls will continue ramping up LaVine’s workload, but there’s still no target date for him to resume playing.
“Even if he passes that part of it — and I’m not sure how many days of cutting it will be — it’s going to be more loads and more intensity,” Donovan said. “A lot of it for him right now is going to be structured, where it’s ‘cut here and cut here.’ The next step after that would be to have him start randomly cutting and moving without it being a directional workout.”
“I think he’s a lot happier now because at least he can get on the court and run and he can do some shooting and work out,” Donovan said. “That’s probably the most frustrating part. These guys are so wired and trained to work out and work on their shooting, work on their game all the time. When that gets taken away from you for a period of time, you want to get back in the gym and start working out. He understands there has to be a process that he has to go through to keep ramping up. But he’s been in good spirits.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Donovan told reporters that center Nikola Vucevic, who is sidelined with a groin injury, is “progressing and feels better today than he did yesterday,” Johnson tweets. Donovan confirmed that the team hopes to have Vucevic back within seven to 10 days.
- One of the most pleasant surprises of this season has been Coby White‘s development into more of a complete player, Johnson adds in a separate story. The fifth-year guard has been in a shooting slump lately, but he’s finding other ways to contribute. “A couple years ago, I always determined how I played off making or missing shots. I feel like that’s showing how much I’m working on my game. I’m showing I can impact the game without hitting threes,” White said. “I didn’t want to be one looked at just as guy who could get hot. Whether it’s getting downhill, getting to the basket or playmaking, I’m trying to impact the game.”
- Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times lays out an argument for why the Bulls should reach a contract extension with DeMar DeRozan, outlining his positive impact on the team’s young talent.
Southwest Notes: Cuban, Brooks, J. Green, Pelicans
Mark Cuban has clarified his role once the Mavericks‘ sale is finalized, confirming that he will continue to handle most of the team’s personnel decisions, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Cuban spoke with reporters tonight after he finished a pre-game shooting session at American Airlines Arena and said he looks forward to working with the Adelson and Dumont families, who will soon have the controlling stake in the team.
“Nothing’s really changed except my bank account,” Cuban said. “I feel really good. I think it’s a great partnership. It’s what the team needed on the court and off. I’ll still be overseeing the basketball side of it, but having a partner like Patrick and Sivan (Dumont) and Miriam (Adelson) and their ability to build and to redevelop the arena and whatever comes next beyond that just puts us in a much better position to compete. That’s all. That’s what it comes down to.”
Cuban confirmed that there’s “no contractual language” in the purchase agreement that outlines his authority, but he has an understanding with the new owners about what he’ll do. He will keep a 27% stake as the Mavericks’ sole minority owner, but admitted that Patrick Dumont, who will serve as the team’s governor, will have “final say” on every decision.
Cuban expects the new owners to focus mainly on business interests, including a long-term plan to build an arena with a resort hotel and casino. He added that the new facility will be located somewhere within the city of Dallas.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Rockets forward Dillon Brooks sat out tonight’s game with a strained oblique he suffered Tuesday and the team doesn’t have a timetable for him to return, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Jae’Sean Tate took Brooks’ place in the starting lineup, Feigen adds, while rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore both got minutes in the first quarter.
- After Tuesday’s game, Rockets coach Ime Udoka told reporters that he has “not thought about” moving guard Jalen Green to the bench, according to Michael Shapiro of The Houston Chronicle. Green has struggled in his first season under Udoka, averaging 16.7 PPG while shooting career worsts from the field (39.4%) and three-point range (31.9%). “Obviously, with [Green] playing that way, if he was playing the other way we obviously wouldn’t struggle as much offensively and have to lean on other guys as much or play other guys minutes,” Udoka said. “We’ll continue to keep him confident, continue to [help] him improve in certain areas, and he’ll take a jump eventually.”
- The Pelicans announced the renewal of naming rights this week for Smoothie King Center, relays Rod Walker of NOLA.com. A statement from the team said the name will remain in place “for the foreseeable future.”
Woj: Zach LaVine Trade Market Is “Still Barren”
The trade market for Bulls guard Zach LaVine is “still barren,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski writes on Threads in a question-and-answer session with fans.
LaVine’s right foot injury is complicating Chicago’s efforts to find a taker for LaVine, Wojnarowski adds. He hasn’t played since November 28, and the team announced in early December that he would be sidelined for another three to four weeks while receiving treatment for inflammation in the foot. He has reached the three-week mark and recently began working on “light cutting” in hopes of working his way back onto the court.
The Bulls have been trying for weeks to work out a LaVine deal as the first step in what was expected to be a larger roster shakeup. However, the team has played much better without him, winning nine of its last 13 games to climb into 10th place in the East.
LaVine remains a dangerous offensive player, even though his current scoring average of 21.0 PPG and his shooting percentages of 44.3% from the floor and 33.6% from three-point range are all down from recent years. Questions about LaVine’s defense and durability are affecting his trade value, along with a hefty contract that will pay him nearly $138MM over the next three seasons if he picks up his player option for 2026/27.
Also on Threads, Wojnarowski states that Toronto “just isn’t there” on decisions to part with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. The Raptors‘ forwards are both headed toward free agency next summer, but it appears team president Masai Ujiri will wait until closer to the February 8 deadline before determining whether to make them available.
Wojnarowski describes trade talks around the league so far as “lots of buyers, few sellers.” He says the play-in tournament affects that balance, with more teams seeing a potential path to the playoffs. A draft class that’s projected to be weaker than normal also comes into play, with teams less motivated to chase a high pick without a potential franchise changer like Victor Wembanyama available.
Wojnarowski expects the trade market to eventually heat up, but he predicts “the asking price is going to be high from the really bad teams to move off assets.”
Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Holiday, Jackson, KCP
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon may not be out of action long after being bitten by a dog on Christmas Day, writes Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Gordon will remain away from the team while he recovers, and Wind gets the feeling that he could be back within a couple of weeks.
The incident, which left Gordon with lacerations on his face and his right shooting hand, occurred after Monday’s game. Gordon’s teammates were informed of his condition at today’s practice.
“Right now it’s open-ended. We’re not going to put any pressure on him,” coach Michael Malone said of a potential timetable. “We need him to heal inside and out. Going through something like that is not something you come back from easily. That’s something where you have to heal from the physical, but you also have to heal from the mental and what you just went through. We want him back. We know we’re better off with him. But I want to support Aaron Gordon and make sure when he comes back, he’s ready to come back and play at the level he’s capable of.”
Gordon has appeared in 28 of Denver’s first 32 games and is averaging 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per night. He played an integral role on last season’s championship team and has helped the Nuggets rise to second in the Western Conference standings with a five-game winning streak.
“I think he’s one of the more underrated players in the league,” Malone said. “We have his back. We love him and we’re here for him. Whenever he’s able to come back, we’re going to open our arms up and embrace him.”
There’s more on the Nuggets:
- Malone didn’t announce how his starting lineup will be affected by Gordon’s absence, but Wind speculates Michael Porter Jr. will shift to power forward and Justin Holiday will be used as a starter. Denver has gone 4-0 with that lineup in the games that Gordon has missed.
- Reggie Jackson briefly left Monday’s game, but he’s not listed on the injury report for Thursday, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. “I fully expect him to be able to go tomorrow,” Malone said. “He was dealing with a slight injury, but it’s nothing serious.”
- Malone was impressed by the defensive performance Kentavious Caldwell-Pope turned in against Golden State, Wind adds in a separate story. As the primary defender on Stephen Curry, Caldwell-Pope helped hold him to 18 points on a 7-of-21 shooting night. “If that guy is not considered one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, I don’t know who is,” Malone said. “I just have to say that because I don’t think KCP gets the respect that he deserves, to be honest.”
Heat Notes: Injury Updates, Trade Assets, Lowry
Even with half the rotation listed on the injury report, there was good news for the Heat as they gathered today for their final practice before leaving on a five-game West Coast trip, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jimmy Butler, who has missed three straight games with a strained left calf, and Josh Richardson, who was unavailable Monday due to lower back discomfort, were both partial participants in practice. Haywood Highsmith, who sat out Monday due to illness, was able to participate fully.
“I feel much better now,” Highsmith said. “Still trying to catch my wind. Get my breathing down and my chest down. Trying to get up and down, conditioning and stuff, but I feel much better. I think I lost some pounds from not eating and sweating a lot. But I’m good now.”
Miami also got an encouraging update on Caleb Martin, who sprained his ankle in the first quarter Monday and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Martin didn’t practice today and it’s not certain if he’ll be able to play during the trip, but he appears to have avoided a major injury.
“I’m feeling a lot better than expected,” he said. “… X-ray came back clean. So everything, for the most part, is good. Just being smart and taking it day by day. There’s some swelling and bruising, so just working with that.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Miami seems to be mentioned as a potential destination for every star who becomes available, but Heat players are confident that the current roster can compete for a title if there’s not a major addition before the trade deadline, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The organization didn’t land Damian Lillard, who was rumored to be headed to Miami all summer, and it lost Gabe Vincent and Max Strus from last season’s NBA Finals team, but it has remained competitive, sitting at fifth place in the East at 18-12. Vardon points out that the Heat still have plenty of draft assets and young talent on hand to make a run at any of the available players in Chicago or Toronto or even Donovan Mitchell if Cleveland decides to part with him.
- Among the reasons for the Heat’s success is point guard Kyle Lowry, who continues to be productive at age 37, Vardon adds. Lowry is starting and averaging 29.3 minutes per game during his 18th NBA season, and he made an impression on his former coach in Monday’s contest against Philadelphia. “When the ball goes up, man, deep down inside, he just competes,” said Nick Nurse, who spent several years with Lowry in Toronto. “I can’t tell you the amount of times that we talked about ‘We’re going to take you out here, we’re going to play you this amount of minutes,’ … and when the ball went up and the game got tough and we needed him out there, he wanted to be out there. He’d crash right through all those plans and keep on playing and keep making plays.”
- The Heat also have a talented young core in place that can keep the franchise competitive after veterans like Lowry and Butler are gone, observes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, who envisions a future built around Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez.