Wizards Notes: Hachimura, Goodwin, Davis, Barton
A Wizards source denied a rumor that the team offered Rui Hachimura to the Suns in a deal for Jae Crowder, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes in a mailbag column. Robbins acknowledges that Crowder would be an asset for Washington in its battle for a play-in spot, but he states that it makes no sense to part with a young player like Hachimura in return.
Although the Wizards didn’t work out an extension with the 24-year-old forward before the October deadline, they still have the ability to make him a restricted free agent and match any offer he receives this summer. Crowder will be an unrestricted free agent in July, and there’s no guarantee that Washington would be able to re-sign him.
Wizards management believes Hachimura has improved this season, particularly on defense, and can be part of the team’s long-term future. The only concern, Robbins adds, is whether the organization can afford to re-sign Hachimura, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis if they all become free agents at the same time.
There’s more on the Wizards, all from Robbins:
- The team plans to convert Jordan Goodwin‘s two-way deal to a standard contract at some point, the same source tells Robbins. The 24-year-old guard, who is averaging 7.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 19.1 minutes per game, was developed through the team’s G League affiliate after going undrafted and is viewed as a potential rotation player, Robbins adds. He’s appeared in 31 games so far this season, nearing the limit of 50 for two-way players, so the Wizards will have to make a move fairly soon. Washington currently has a full roster, and an opening will have to be created before Goodwin’s contract can be converted.
- First-round pick Johnny Davis may spend most of his rookie season in the G League, coach Wes Unseld Jr. indicated this week. Davis has only appeared in 10 NBA games so far and appears to be the victim of a roster crunch. “Once again, there’s not a ton of minutes,” Unseld said. “Those minutes were opened up for Corey (Kispert last season as a rookie) because we had injuries to significant guys, and he was able to benefit from that. So it’s hard to say how this shakes out for Johnny when it comes to minutes with the Wizards (this season). Hopefully, we’re over the injury bug and can move forward, but he’s just got to develop, and continue to (develop), at his own pace. We’re going to continue to push him and try to maximize as many minutes as he can get on the floor whether that’s with us or the (G League) Go-Go.”
- Will Barton may be a buyout candidate if the Wizards can’t trade him before next month’s deadline, Robbins adds. The 32-year-old swingman, who was acquired from the Nuggets in an offseason deal, has fallen out of the rotation and is headed toward free agency.
Stein’s Latest: Raptors, Hardaway, Clarkson, Turner
The Raptors appear unlikely to tear down the foundation of their team before the trade deadline, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column. Sources tell Stein that Toronto is open to parting with Gary Trent Jr., who has an $18.56MM player option for next season and could be headed for free agency, but it would take a significant offer to pry away OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam.
The player to watch might be Fred VanVleet, according to Stein. VanVleet reportedly received a four-year, $114MM extension offer before the start of the season, and he and the team decided to delay any further extension talks. Stein believes that if the Raptors keep VanVleet past the deadline, it’s an indication that they plan to commit to a longer deal.
Toronto has slipped into a tie for 11th in the East at 17-23 and could be headed for a spot in the lottery. A source indicated to Stein that the team might be content with taking a shot at Victor Wembanyama or another elite draft prize rather than trying to reconfigure its roster on the trade market.
There’s more from Stein with the deadline just one month away:
- The Mavericks are making Tim Hardaway Jr. available, and the Cavaliers can get him if they’re willing to take on his contract, which has two years remaining at a total of $34.1MM. Stein points out that Hardaway has been shooting much better since moving into the starting lineup, which would make him a valuable asset for a Cleveland team that’s in the race for the best record in the East. Caris LeVert‘s expiring $18.8MM contract is an easy way for the Cavs to match Hardaway’s current $19.6MM salary, Stein notes.
- After reporting on Saturday that Jordan Clarkson turned down an extension offer from the Jazz, Stein clarifies that he doesn’t expect the shooting guard to be traded. Stein explains that Clarkson is significantly underpaid at $13.3MM with a $14.3MM player option for 2023/24, and CBA rules limit what Utah can offer him before the current season ends. Stein hears that Clarkson wants an annual salary in the $18-20MM range, and the Jazz appear willing to give him that when they’re able to.
- The Pacers are in a much better position to work out an in-season extension with Myles Turner, since they can restructure his current-year salary up until a March 1 deadline, Stein adds. He says the team has discussed an extension with Turner’s representatives, but they haven’t been able to reach an agreement.
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Zeller, Clippers, Bridges
Lakers star LeBron James is getting closer to the career scoring record, but there’s plenty of motivation for him to keep playing after he passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In an interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James, who recently turned 38, reiterated that he’s determined to stay in the NBA until his oldest son arrives, which would be the 2024/25 season at the earliest.
“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” he said. “Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him. I don’t mean like [guarding one another all game] — because he’s a point guard and I’m a, at this point now I’m playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”
James is also determined to lift the Lakers back into title contention. He said individual records don’t mean much to him anymore, citing his decision to sit out the final five games of last season with an ankle injury, which prevented him from qualifying for the scoring title.
“I want to win. [The losing is] not sitting well with me,” James said. “I don’t like having accomplishments, and it don’t feel right, when it comes in a losing effort. … So as we sit here right now as a franchise and as a team that’s below .500 — we’ve been playing some good basketball as of late, but we want to and I want to win at the highest level. Breaking records or setting records or passing greats in a losing effort has never been a DNA of mine.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Cody Zeller is among the free agents who have worked out for the Lakers recently, Marc Stein tweets. The longtime Hornets center held his audition when L.A. visited Charlotte last week, according to Stein.
- The Clippers continue to be careful with the health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but a five-game losing streak may bring some urgency to the team, per Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports. L.A. was so thoroughly outplayed Thursday in Denver that coach Tyronn Lue benched his starters for the entire second half.
- Mikal Bridges still hasn’t missed a game in his NBA career, but the Suns forward may be wearing down as he tries to compensate for injured teammates, observes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Bridges had a wrap on his right knee Friday as Phoenix dropped its fifth game in a row. “Just makes us stay together even more,” Bridges said of the losing skid. “That’s what we’ve got to do. It’s easy when you win to stay together. So our true selves is going to show when we’re losing. We just keep fighting. I think you stay together more as a team when you lose. That’s going to show if you’re a really good team or not and I think we have that.”
Northwest Notes: Gobert, Clarkson, Markkanen, Murray
Rudy Gobert hasn’t made a smooth transition to his new team after the Timberwolves acquired him in an offseason trade, but his performance Friday indicates that things may be turning around, writes Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune. Gobert posted 25 points and 21 rebounds and scored on six lob dunks, showing that he’s building a connection with his teammates.
“I try to just be in the right spot,” Gobert said. “Make it easy for them. And those guys have been getting better. A lot of guys [had] turnovers trying to throw me the ball earlier this season. And, every night, that’s going to happen here and there. But I really try to reward them by finishing those plays and being in the right spot.”
The Wolves talked a lot after Friday’s game about how long it takes to get used to a new teammate after a major personnel move. Kyle Anderson, who’s also in his first season in Minnesota, said he studied film of Joe Ingles passing the ball to Gobert when they were together in Utah.
“You just have to trust him,” Anderson said. “I mean, it’s hard. It is a lot of pressure on someone to come into a new team and be good in October and November. Like, that’s rare. So I think he’s getting his rhythm in the pocket. We’re starting to trust him more and he’s making the right play.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Tony Jones of The Athletic has confirmed a report by Marc Stein that the Jazz and Jordan Clarkson have discussed a contract extension. In a series of tweets, Jones cites “mutual interest in moving forward” and states that negotiations are expected to continue. Sources tell Jones that the team views the 30-year-old Clarkson as young enough to be part of the rebuilding process.
- In his first season with the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen has turned into the player the Bulls were hoping for when they traded for him on draft night in 2017, says KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Utah visited Chicago tonight, and Markkanen said he always looks forward to returning to his first NBA home. “I think I’m a better player than I was a couple years ago when I was here and I’m just getting more mature. And then being in the right system utilizes my strengths,” he said. “Being on the move is getting me to my right spots. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to do this stuff earlier on.”
- Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is getting to the point where he’s not afraid to test his surgically repaired ACL, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Murray turned in a vintage performance Thursday with 13 first-quarter points. “For the most part, I’m just playing out there,” he said.
Mavericks Notes: Green, Roster Spot, Wood, Dorsey
Mavericks guard Josh Green participated in contact drills Friday and is hoping to return soon from a sprained right elbow, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. While most of his teammates were watching film, Green was taking part in drills and one-on-one scrimmages to test the condition of his elbow.
“I feel good,” he said afterward. “I started with contact the last two days. It’s been tough because we’ve had so many games and there’s not so many practice days. So I’m just going to continue with this, see how the elbow feels, put it in situations that (simulate games) and see how it goes.”
Green was on a hot streak before being hurt December 9, averaging 9.2 points and shooting 44.8% on three-pointers in his previous 10 games. He hurt the elbow playing defense in a game against the Bucks and said he knew right away that something was wrong.
“In the first half, I kind of got a steal out of bounds, a deflection and my arm kind of got arm-locked by Grayson Allen,” Green said. “I kind of got stuck and it hurt a lot. I couldn’t really shoot too much in the second half, so I tried to get to the basket as much as I could. And I wanted to finish the game out.”
There’s more from Dallas:
- The Mavericks may consider re-signing Kemba Walker, who was waived Friday in advance of the league-wide contract guarantee date, but first the team will see what other options are available, Sefko adds. With a newly open roster spot, Dallas may decide to target someone else. “You’re always looking at the waiver wire to see if you can better the team,” coach Jason Kidd said. “That’s what management will be doing to see who is let go here in the next couple of days for tax purposes or just making moves.” Sefko suggests that the opening could also be used to convert McKinley Wright IV‘s two-way contract to a standard deal.
- In an interview with Grant Afseth of DallasBasketball, Christian Wood said he has been working to improve his defense since being inserted into the starting lineup. “My teammates have trust in me to make big plays,” Wood said. “My coaches have trust in me to make big plays. With a few guys out like our defensive anchors — (Dorian Finney-Smith), Maxi (Kleber), Josh — the guys have to step up, and I think I’ve been doing that as of late.”
- After signing a contract to return to the G League, Tyler Dorsey‘s rights have been acquired by the Mavericks’ affiliate, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Dorsey played for the Texas Legends earlier this season while on a two-way contract with Dallas, but the Mavs waived him in late December.
Warriors Notes: Two-Way Players, Curry, Wiggins, Iguodala
The Warriors have been forced to rely more than they expected on two-way players Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome, and both are starting to get close to their game limits for the season, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
NBA rules state that two-way players can’t be on the active roster for more than 50 games and they’re not eligible for the playoffs. With the season not quite at the halfway point, Lamb has already appeared in 31 games, while Jerome has played 25 and had two more in which he was active but didn’t get on the court.
“We have to navigate that,” coach Steve Kerr admitted. “There will be some games where those guys will not suit up.”
Lamb, who is on his third team in three years, signed with the Warriors in October shortly before the start of the regular season. He has earned a consistent role off the bench, averaging 6.6 PPG in 19.3 minutes per game. Jerome also came to Golden State in October, after being traded and waived during the offseason, and is putting up 7.5 PPG in 18 minutes per night.
“It says a lot about the culture,” Andre Iguodala said, “just with them looking for guys like that who will make the most of their time here and even extend their time because of their work ethics.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry felt good after taking part in Friday’s practice, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN. He was able to play 5-on-5 with contact and said his conditioning is fine after missing nearly four weeks with a left shoulder subluxation. President of basketball operations Bob Myers indicated this week that Curry might be able to return January 13, but the former MVP wouldn’t commit to that, saying he plans “to be ready when I’m ready.” (Twitter link)
- The Warriors confirmed that Andrew Wiggins will be in the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Magic, ending a 15-game absence due to an adductor strain and an illness, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Donte DiVincenzo will return to his role off the bench. Wiggins will be on a minutes restriction, although Kerr wasn’t specific about how long he will play, according to Andrews (Twitter link).
- Iguodala, who will make his season debut tonight, will also play restricted minutes, Andrews tweets. Kerr didn’t reveal how long that will be, saying the team is working out a long-term plan for Iguodala, including whether he will be available for back-to-back games.
Cavaliers Notes: Garland, Mobley, Wade, Defense
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland returned to the court Friday night after missing three games with a sprained right thumb, but the injury was clearly bothering him, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Garland scored 21 points, but shot just 1-of-6 from three-point range and admitted that a wrap he wore on his hand affected his ability to dribble and prevented him from playing his normal style.
“Felt like I could come back and help the team,” Garland said. “I’m trying to just go out there and play through it. I know it’s gonna have an effect on me. I was just trying to fight through and play my game.”
The Cavs needed Garland on Friday with Donovan Mitchell being held out for rest and Ricky Rubio still not ready to start playing. Fedor observed that Garland took another hard hit to the thumb area during the game, along with a shot to the eye and an inadvertent kick to the groin.
“He’s out there taking a beating,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He kept fighting. We’re gonna have to figure something out as a way to protect it. But I don’t know if you can. It’s tough the way he plays and the way he’s defended. People are handsy and they do a lot of swiping at the ball trying to get steals, not in a malicious way by any means, I’m not trying to say that, but his hands are involved in a lot of the plays. I thought he got through it. He’s a tough kid.”
There’s more on the Cavaliers:
- Evan Mobley spent the summer working to improve his offense in anticipation of a larger role on that end of the court, but plans changed with the trade for Mitchell, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Mitchell provides Cleveland with an elite scorer, and as a result, Mobley is getting fewer shots than he did as a rookie. “Every time I go out there, shooting shots, I can find my spots as much as possible and just let the game come to me — try not to force too often,” Mobley said. “… Some guys have to be the guy and I don’t necessarily have to be the guy on this team, but I’m just gonna try to traditionally produce as much as I can in my role right now.”
- Dean Wade is making progress with a left shoulder injury that has sidelined him for more than a month, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Bickerstaff told reporters Friday that he expects Wade back “sooner rather than later.”
- The Cavaliers take pride in having the league’s best defensive rating, Russo writes in a full story. Cleveland has held opponents under 100 points 12 times this season and has been able to win games on nights when the offense isn’t clicking. Since Russo published that story, the Cavs have slipped to second in defensive rating, with the Grizzlies inching ahead of them — Cleveland’s mark is still best in the East.
Hawks To Guarantee Salaries For Krejci, Martin
The Hawks will retain Vit Krejci and Tyrese Martin through the NBA’s salary guarantee deadline, tweets Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
All salaries throughout the league will become fully guaranteed on January 10. Players with non-guaranteed deals must be released by today so they can clear waivers ahead of that deadline.
Krejci, 22, signed with the Thunder during the offseason and was traded to Atlanta in late September. His contract carried a partial guarantee for this season at $781,759, with team options for the following two years. He will make $1,563,518 this year by remaining on the Hawks’ roster through the guarantee date. Krejci has appeared in 17 games this season, averaging 1.5 PPG in 6.3 minutes per night.
Martin, 23, was acquired from the Warriors on draft night and signed a two-year deal that carried a $450K guarantee for this season. He will make a little over $1MM with the full guarantee. Martin has gotten into 11 games with Atlanta, averaging 1.4 PPG in 3.8 minutes per night.
Lakers Sign Sterling Brown To 10-Day Contract
12:56pm: The Lakers have officially signed Brown to a 10-day contract, according to the team.
The first recipient of a 10-day deal in 2023, Brown will be eligible for the team’s next five games — his contract will expire after the Lakers play Philadelphia next Sunday (January 15).
11:26am: The Lakers are “progressing toward” signing free agent wing Sterling Brown to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Brown, 27, is playing with the Raptors 905 after being waived by the Thunder before the start of the season. He has appeared in six games for the G League team.
Brown spent last season with the Mavericks, averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per night while seeing limited playing time in 49 games. During the offseason, he was sent to the Rockets as part of the Christian Wood trade and was later shipped to Oklahoma City in an eight-player deal.
The Lakers currently have a roster opening, so no corresponding move would have to be made before signing Brown.
Nets To Guarantee Contracts For Watanabe, Sumner, Morris
Yuta Watanabe, Edmond Sumner and Markieff Morris will have their contracts guaranteed by the Nets for the rest of the season, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Saturday marks the deadline for teams to waive players on non-guaranteed contracts and avoid paying their full-season salaries.
Watanabe has been a tremendous find after signing with Brooklyn in August. He’s making 51.4% of his three-point shots, the best percentage in the league, and is averaging a career-high 7.7 points per game in his fifth NBA season.
Sumner has become a reliable rotation player after missing all of last year with an Achilles injury. The Nets acquired him in a trade with Indiana before the start of the 2021/22 season, then re-signed him last offseason. Sumner has appeared in 33 games, averaging 6.8 PPG in 14.4 minutes per night.
Brooklyn is the seventh team for Morris in a 12-year NBA career. He has only played 19 games and averages 11.4 minutes, but he provides a valuable veteran presence to help mentor the Nets’ young big men.