Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Horford, Tucker, Trade Deadline, Pritchard
With everybody healthy for Friday’s game against New Orleans, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla tinkered with his closing lineup, according to to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Mazzulla rotated his centers in the final minutes of the two-point victory, using Kristaps Porzingis when Boston had the ball and Al Horford when the team was on defense.
“Just different looks,” Mazzulla explained. “We need to play different ways, different coverages. Give them different ones. We just needed to change the matchup and give them a different coverage, looking to take away the three and so just kind of do that.”
Terada notes that Porzingis played well defensively, collecting three steals and four blocks. However, Mazzulla opted to use Horford in key defensive possessions because he’s more effective in closing out on perimeter shooters.
“For me, nothing changed,” Porzingis said. “We trust Al and he comes in for defense and when my name gets called, I’m always ready. Nothing changed.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- P.J. Tucker could wind up being an option on the buyout market after today’s Clippers-Jazz trade, Terada suggests in a separate story. Tucker hasn’t played yet this season, but he’s a tough defender with a lot of playoff experience. As a second apron team, the Celtics are limited in the buyout candidates they can pursue, but they’re eligible to sign Tucker because his $11.5MM salary is below the $12.8MM mid-level exception. Boston has kept a roster spot open since the start of the season.
- In a mailbag column, Brian Robb of MassLive puts the chances of a Celtics trade by the deadline at 95%. Robb says it’s possible the team could move Jaden Springer to reduce its luxury tax bill, even though he’s been an important contributor lately. Beyond that, Robb sees a need to upgrade from Springer, Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman on the wing, as well as Xavier Tillman in the frontcourt.
- Payton Pritchard has become famous for his success on long-distance shots at the end of quarters, but he’s proving there’s a lot more to his game than that, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Holmes examines how Pritchard has been able to work his way up from a little-used reserve to become a point of emphasis for opposing coaches on a team filled with stars. “Every day, I’m trying to prove that I can still reach another level,” he said. “I can still show people what I’m trying to become. That’s why I’m always challenging the best that we have — like Jaylen (Brown) and Jayson (Tatum). I’m trying to become as good as them one day. That’s why I challenge them. I’m trying to keep taking steps to better myself, which, at the end of the day, is only going to better our team.”
Raptors Considering Major Deals Ahead Of Trade Deadline
The Raptors are eager to shake up their roster before Thursday’s deadline and have interest in either facilitating a Jimmy Butler trade or acquiring Brandon Ingram from the Pelicans, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).
Stein published a piece earlier this week detailing Toronto’s interest in Ingram. Since then, he says Stein Line partner Jake Fischer has heard from several sources that team president Masai Ujiri is considered to be a “fan of Ingram’s.” Ujiri is hoping to add a “significant piece” to his roster and reportedly likes the idea of combining Ingram’s scoring prowess with Scottie Barnes‘ play-making abilities.
However, the Raptors also want to be part of a potential deal if the Heat can find a taker for Butler, and they likely don’t have the resources to pull off both trades. Their primary salary-matching asset is Bruce Brown‘s $23MM expiring contract, while Chris Boucher and Davion Mitchell – both on expiring deals – are also being made available.
Sources tell Stein that if the Warriors decide to make an offer for Butler, they would likely feature Andrew Wiggins as the centerpiece. There’s a “strong expectation” that Toronto would try to get involved in that deal to land the Canadian, according to Stein.
Fischer recently reported that the Heat would have some interest in adding Brown, and Stein calls them “reluctant in the extreme” to take back any contracts that extend beyond 2025/26. That means they’d be less inclined to take on Wiggins, who has a $30.1MM player option for the 2026/27 season.
Brown’s salary would also be vital in the effort to acquire Ingram from New Orleans. Stein points out that Toronto hasn’t enjoyed much success in free agency, so trading for Ingram now could be a wise move before he becomes a free agent in July.
There are a limited number of teams projected to have cap space this summer, and taking a few months to build a relationship with Ingram could give the Raptors an advantage toward signing him to a long-term deal. They would hold his Bird rights in the offseason if they trade for him at the deadline.
Julius Randle To Be Sidelined ‘For The Near Future’
A right groin strain will keep Timberwolves forward Julius Randle out of action “for the near future,” coach Chris Finch said in a session with reporters before tonight’s game (Twitter link from Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic).
While that’s a vague assessment, it sounds like the Wolves may be reluctant to let Randle play again before the All-Star break, which is less than two weeks away. Minnesota has eight games remaining before the break, starting with tonight’s contest against Washington.
Finch added that the training staff needs to get a second opinion on some medical imaging before setting a timeline for Randle to resume playing, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. However, Finch indicated that the veteran forward is expected to be sidelined for more than just a few days.
Randle had to leave Thursday’s game at Utah in the second quarter when he experienced soreness in his right groin area, Hine writes in a full game story. He played a little over 10 minutes and wasn’t able to return.
Randle’s health is a legitimate concern after the shoulder separation that caused him to sit out the second half of last season with the Knicks.
He has been remarkably durable in his first year with Minnesota, as tonight marks his first missed game. The three-time All-Star has played a major role in the team’s recent resurgence and is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists through 48 games.
In Randle’s absence, Naz Reid will make his first start of the season and will probably remain in the starting lineup until Randle is able to return.
Several Two-Way Players Nearing NBA Game Limit
NBA players on two-way contracts operate under different regulations than the rest of the league. One of the most important differences is they are limited in the number of games that they’re permitted to be on the active roster.
For two-way players who’ve been with their current teams since the start of the season, that number is 50. Each time they’re listed as active counts toward that total, whether they play or not. Players who sign two-way deals during the season have their limit of games pro-rated.
Those numbers are becoming important since we’ve passed the halfway point of the season, and Keith Smith of Spotrac sent out a tweet earlier today identifying a few players who are getting close to reaching their limits.
Once a player hits his allotted number of games, he’s not eligible to appear in the NBA as a two-way player for the rest of the season. He can remain on the team and play in the G League, but he must be signed to a standard contract to see any more NBA action.
Here are the names Smith noted and the number of games they have remaining:
- Jacob Toppin, Knicks (2) – New York has used up nearly all of Toppin’s active time, even though he has only gotten into 15 games and averages 3.1 minutes per night. The small forward seems likely to finish the season in the G League.
- Tyrese Martin, Nets (5) – Martin has become part of the rotation in Brooklyn, averaging 21.3 minutes in the 31 games that he played. The shooting guard is a little old for a prospect at 25, but he seems like a strong candidate to land a regular roster spot so the Nets can evaluate him for the rest of the season.
- Jordan Miller, Clippers (5) – The small forward isn’t part of the rotation in L.A. and may not be in the team’s playoff plans. He has logged just one minute in three of his last four appearances, and the Clippers don’t appear concerned about preserving the number of games he has remaining. He has been mentioned as a candidate for a promotion.
- Jared Butler, Wizards (8) – Washington has nothing left to play for, so it makes sense to take a long look at the 24-year-old combo guard. This is Butler’s fourth NBA season and his second with the Wizards, so this is a good time to determine whether he’ll be part of their future.
- Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (9) – Boston was among the two-way players most likely to earn a promotion even before the season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. Boston has played in all 41 games in which he’s been listed as active, making 10 starts and averaging 10.7 PPG in 23.9 minutes per night.
Here are a few more players getting close to their game limits:
- Kai Jones, Clippers (11) – Jones has made 27 appearances as a backup center, but he’s only averaging 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per night. The addition of Drew Eubanks in today’s trade with Utah gives L.A. another veteran big man and lessens the need to promote Jones to the standard roster.
- Moussa Diabate, Hornets (11) – Part of the reasoning for the Nick Richards trade was Diabate’s emergence as a dependable center off the bench. He’s been playing big minutes over the past week and seems like he’ll definitely be on a standard contract soon.
- Ryan Rollins, Bucks (12) – Rollins is a marginal member of Milwaukee’s rotation, making five starts in his 30 appearances and playing 11.9 minutes per night. His fate could depend on what the Bucks are able to do before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Pacers Aren’t Looking To Trade Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner
Moving Andrew Nembhard before the trade deadline could help avoid a tax issue next season, but the Pacers are more focused on winning than their financial future, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Nembhard, a 25-year-old guard, is only making $2MM this season, but that will increase to $18.1MM when his extension begins in 2025/26. Katz notes that Indiana could deal him now for a low-salaried player and create a significant savings on next year’s payroll. Because he was a second-round pick in 2022, Nembhard isn’t affected by base year compensation language in the collective bargaining agreement.
However, Katz hears that the Pacers view Nembhard as part of their future and plan to hold onto him even if it means going into luxury tax territory for the first time in 20 years. Sources tell Katz that teams have inquired about Nembhard’s availability, but haven’t been able to make any progress in trade talks.
Nembhard is averaging career highs with 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in his third NBA season. Katz notes that Indiana is better by 15 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court, which is the fourth-best differential in the league.
The Pacers currently have 10 players under contract for next season at a total cost of about $165MM, which is $23MM short of the projected tax line. That’s without starting center Myles Turner, who is on an expiring $19.9MM contract and has been the subject of recent trade rumors.
Indiana would almost certainly be in tax territory if Turner is re-signed, but league sources tell Katz that “all signs” point to Turner not being traded before next week’s deadline. He adds that the Pacers have surged to fifth place in the East after a slow start and have no desire to weaken their roster before the playoffs.
Katz hears that Obi Toppin, who’s on the books for $14MM next season, has been discussed with other teams, though sources tell him there “hasn’t been much traction” toward a deal. Katz suggests Indiana may be able to trade Toppin for an expiring deal now, whereas waiting until the summer and just unloading his contract at that point might mean giving up draft assets to anyone willing to take on his contract.
Isaiah Stewart Suspended, Fined
Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has received a one-game suspension for accumulating six flagrant foul points, the NBA announced (via Twitter). He will serve the suspension during Friday’s home game against Dallas.
The release from the league notes that Stewart had four flagrant foul points heading into Wednesday’s contest at Indiana. He was ejected for a Flagrant 2 midway through the second quarter for shoving Pacers center Thomas Bryant (Twitter video link), adding two points to his total and triggering the automatic suspension.
Stewart was also fined $50K for making “inappropriate and objectionable gestures” after being tossed out of the game.
The incident will cost Stewart $86,207 in salary, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN, bringing his total loss to more than $136K with the fine included.
The league’s system imposes an automatic two-game suspension for any player with five or more points who commits another Flagrant 2, so Stewart could be in danger of missing more time later in the season.
Pelicans Contact Heat About Jimmy Butler
The Pelicans are the latest team to get involved in Jimmy Butler trade talks, Jake Fischer and Marc Stein reveal in a Substack column (subscriber only).
League sources tell Fischer and Stein that New Orleans contacted the Heat this week about Butler, although terms of the offer weren’t divulged. The authors’ sources say Brandon Ingram‘s $36MM expiring contract would be the basis of the deal.
The Pelicans have been exploring the trade market for Ingram after being unable to work out an extension with him last summer. Sources tell The Stein Line that New Orleans has been attempting to use Ingram’s contract to facilitate a Butler trade, but eventually decided to make its own offer.
Even though Ingram hasn’t played since December 7 due to injury, getting a player with his pedigree would intrigue the Heat as they prepare to make a playoff run. However, the authors aren’t sure what Butler’s reaction might be to joining a 12-36 New Orleans team whose season has been derailed by injuries to numerous rotation players.
Butler makes roughly $12.8MM more than Ingram this season, so the Pelicans would have to add multiple players to match salaries. Fischer and Stein note that they’re currently almost $1.5MM over the tax line and are expected to maneuver underneath it to avoid paying the tax in a lost season. That means one or more additional teams may have to get involved to allow them to acquire Butler and still duck the tax.
The Suns remain Butler’s preferred destination, according to the authors, but that possibility looks increasingly remote as no teams want to take on Bradley Beal‘s contract and Beal appears unlikely to waive his no-trade clause. That leaves the Pelicans with the Warriors, Bucks and Grizzlies as teams that have been publicly linked to Butler. They all have the resources to complete a deal, but Fischer and Stein note that none of them have gone all-in with their efforts to acquire the disgruntled forward.
Stein reported earlier this week that the Raptors have expressed interest in Ingram, marking the first movement on that front in several months. The Pelicans also had preliminary discussions with the Hawks about Ingram, but sources told Stein that they “have not gained significant traction.”
Timberwolves Notes: Dillingham, Clark, Finch, Alexander-Walker, Ingles
A trio of little-used players helped the Timberwolves pick up a win Thursday night at Utah, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. With three members of the rotation unavailable, Rob Dillingham, Jaylen Clark and Luka Garza stepped in to fill the void. Dillingham, a lottery pick last summer, turned in one of the best games of his career with 19 points and eight assists while shooting 8-of-11 from the field.
“There was really no figuring it out,” he said of the team’s changing lineups. “We work out every day together. We get ready to play together. Them guys put in the work, even though they don’t get to show it all the time. They put in the work.”
Clark, a two-way guard who was appearing in just his sixth game, saw significant minutes off the bench for the second straight night. He was selected with the 53rd pick in the 2023 draft, but missed all of last season due to a ruptured Achilles. He won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors at UCLA, and the Wolves believe he could have a future as a defensive specialist.
“He’s got a maturity that we could use,” coach Chris Finch said. “Just felt like he deserved a chance. Been thinking that way for a little while, and Wednesday [against Phoenix] was certainly an opportunity to do it.”
There’s more on the Timberwolves:
- Finch received the first ejection of his coaching career on Wednesday and Anthony Edwards had to separate him from referee C.J. Washington before he left the court, Hine adds in a separate story. His players said Finch was in a confrontational mood all day after Monday’s lethargic effort against a short-handed Atlanta team. “I think he went to sleep last night with violence on his mind, and you know how you go to sleep with something on your mind and you’re hoping when you wake up — I don’t think his sleep was good enough,” Edwards said. “The way he did us in film today, particularly me, it was a tough day for us.”
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker was able to play 25 minutes on Wednesday, even though he had to be helped off the court Monday after suffering a lower leg contusion. With Donte DiVincenzo already sidelined, Alexander-Walker knew he had to be ready, notes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Everything I’ve been through in my career, playing, not playing, every time I can play I don’t want to miss that,” he said.
- Joe Ingles, who signed with Minnesota as a free agent last summer, remains a popular figure in Utah, where he played the first eight seasons of his career, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. With Thursday’s game well out of hand, fans chanted for Ingles to be inserted, which he was for the final 3:51. The 37-year-old forward has made 10 brief appearances this season and has yet to score.
Southwest Notes: Paul, Wembanyama, Zion, Rockets, Grizzlies
As the Spurs move into the trade spotlight as a potential destination for Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox, Chris Paul is urging his younger teammates to ignore the online chatter, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Paul has been traded six times and has seen many teammates come and go during his 20-year career, so he’s encouraging everyone to focus on controlling what they can, which means trying to stop a recent slide that has seen San Antonio fall to 12th place in the West.
“Trades, trade deadlines always get tricky,” Paul said. “I know enough GMs, coaches. A lot of them were my teammates and friends. Things can change. One minute, they’re not trying (to make a deal) and then they are. I done heard it all, trust me. So, control what you can control. Show up, do your job. And hopefully people deal with you respectfully. That’s all you can hope for.”
Acting coach Mitch Johnson is also concerned about how trade rumors will affect his players, many of whom have never dealt with that type of speculation before. He notes that social media makes trade rumors inescapable, especially when a high-profile player like Fox comes on the market.
“Social media has gotten to a point now where if you want to find it, you can go look for it. Not even during just the trade deadline,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of opinions on how we play every game, what you wear to the game, what shots you took, what comment you said, and hopefully it’s just something where guys don’t need to look for that stuff. With that being said, it’s a human part and this is a business, and I think it’s understandable when people have feelings about their personal situation. I think we have a great organization that’s always been very supportive and (has emphasized) we’re going to control things we can control.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Lakers star Anthony Davis suggested this week that there’s a “narrative” in place to have Victor Wembanyama win Defensive Player of the Year honors, but the second-year Spurs big man told Orsborn that he doesn’t consider individual achievements to be that important. Wembanyama, who was named to his first All-Star game on Thursday, is leading the league in blocks at 3.9 per game. “It’s not something I worry about,” he said. “If I end up being Defensive Player of the Year, it means I’ve helped my team on that side of the court. It means I’ve done my best and I’ve been rewarded for it, but at the end of the day, the best reward is the wins.”
- After missing more than two months with a strained hamstring, Zion Williamson believes he has sufficiently recovered to play both ends of back-to-backs, per Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, the Pelicans are still being cautious, holding him out last Friday at Memphis before using him Saturday at Charlotte. “Let me make this clear to everybody out there,” Williamson said. “If I could play in the back-to-backs, I would. Physically? Yes, I can. But I work for the Pelicans. They have decided that, based off the numbers, it’s not smart to do that right now. If that’s what they feel, I’m rocking with them on that.”
- Kelly Iko and John Hollinger of The Athletic discuss how the top three teams in the West should approach the trade deadline, looking at the options for the Rockets and Grizzlies as well as the Thunder.
Scotto’s Latest: Bogdanovic, Hawks, K. Johnson, Ingram, Pistons
Rival teams are watching the Hawks ahead of next week’s trade deadline to see which players they’re willing to part with in the wake of a season-ending injury to Jalen Johnson, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. League sources tell Scotto there’s a “growing sense” that Bogdan Bogdanovic could be on the market, echoing a report from Marc Stein earlier this week.
Scotto hears that the Suns, Heat and others could have interest in working out a deal for Bogdanovic. Phoenix is reportedly hoping to combine one of its newly acquired first-round picks with Jusuf Nurkic to acquire either a starter or a “high-level” rotation player, and Scotto’s sources say the team considers Bogdanovic to fit that description. He adds that a deal involving Bogdanovic for Nurkic and a pick has been discussed as part of a “larger potential construct.”
Injuries have limited Bogdanovic to 24 games this season, and he is currently away from the team for personal reasons. At 32, he’s not a good fit with Atlanta’s young core, especially if the Hawks are focused on the future rather than a postseason appearance following Johnson’s injury.
Bogdanovic is having an uncharacteristically bad shooting season, connecting at just 37.1% from the field and 30.1% from three-point range, but Scotto states that several teams believe a change of scenery could help. He’s a career 38% shooter from long distance and is under contract for one more season at $16MM, with a $16MM player option for 2026/27.
Scotto offers a few more trade rumors:
- Several teams have reached out to the Hawks about veteran center Clint Capela, sources tell Scotto. However, many of those offers involve players whose contracts extend beyond this season, while Capela’s deal is expiring. Atlanta has also received interest in De’Andre Hunter, Scotto adds.
- Keldon Johnson could be part of the package if the Spurs work out a multi-team deal to acquire De’Aaron Fox from the Kings, according to Scotto’s sources. Johnson, who averaged 22 PPG two years ago, is appealing because his $19MM salary declines to $17.5MM in each of the next two seasons. Scotto adds that San Antonio checked on the price of Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram earlier this season, but it was nothing more than “exploratory interest.”
- The Pistons are willing to use their $14MM in cap space to help facilitate trades, but they want a first-round pick in return, Scotto notes, adding that several teams looking to unload salaries to escape the luxury tax or the second apron have made calls to Detroit.