Julius Randle’s Future ‘Unlikely’ To Involve Lakers
It’s very unlikely that Julius Randle‘s future will come with the Lakers, Adrian Wojnarowki of ESPN says (via RealGM). Los Angeles, of course, is positioning itself to sign multiple max free agents in the summer of 2018, just when Randle will be hitting restricted free agency.
For now, Lakers’ execs Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson will need to determine whether the franchise would be better off shipping Randle out of town prior to the February trade deadline or potentially rolling the dice when he’s a restricted free agent next summer.
Randle’s cap hit will be worth $12.4MM in the offseason, a significant chunk for a team looking to potentially sign the likes of LeBron James and/or Paul George.
Lost in all of the anticipation about 2018, however, is an impressively efficient 23-year-old in the best condition of his NBA career. In less than 20 minutes per game so far this season, Randle has averaged 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Not surprisingly, the Lakers will likely at least consider moving Randle to a team during the course of the 2017/18 season, with a potential yield of a first-round pick.
It’s not unrealistic to expect another organization around the league, one without major free agency ambitions like L.A., to take a flyer on the 2014 NBA Draft’s seventh-overall pick, a versatile young power forward who’s even spent time at the five so far this season.
Community Shootaround: Regrading Offseason Deals
The solid play of Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis has had many a sportswriter publishing stories about how the Pacers may have actually handled the Paul George saga pretty well, after all.
So far this season, the former has averaged 25.6 points per game while the latter has added an impressive 13.2 and 10.6 boards of his own.
Add in the fact that Oladipo is still just 25 years old and that Sabonis is merely 21 and it looks as though Indian’s president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard drew a more than reasonable yield for his disgruntled star.
Of course George isn’t the only star who was traded this offseason, we also saw Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler change teams.
Are there any other situations where the first three weeks of the NBA season have fans and writers reconsidering their hot takes from the summer? Do we, for example, give John Paxson and Gar Forman more credit for landing Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine for Butler than we did when the deal first went down?
Does the current state of the Cavs (or the Nets, for that matter) impact how we grade the Irving swap?
It’s important not to get carried away with the small sample size but the early returns are intriguing to say the least. What offseason transactions have you changed your tune about since the season began? Weigh in below!
Central Notes: Portis, Love, Pistons
Having served his team-mandated eight-game suspension, Bulls forward Bobby Portis will make his return to action on Tuesday night. As Nick Friedell of ESPN writes, however, it’s not yet clear how he’ll fit into the club’s rotation.
“I think he’s handled it as well as he could have,” Bulls center Robin Lopez said of Portis. “I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen going forward with rotations or anything, but I know he’s mentally prepared for it, and we’re excited to have him back.”
Portis came on strong for the Bulls toward the end of last season but the franchise is in a much different spot now than they were just a few months ago. There’s no guarantee that the big man’s spot on the depth chart will look the same in 2017/18.
Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen has thrived at the four, averaging 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in his first campaign.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- After exiting Sunday’s afternoon tilt with the Hawks, Cavaliers forward Kevin Love was sent to the hospital as a precautionary measure because of an illness, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. Details are not yet known.
- After a busy offseason, the Pistons are off to their best start since 2008/09. It’s not because of recently acquired starter Avery Bradley alone, however. “I’ve said this several times, I think [Bradley] has changed the demeanor of our team,” head coach Stan Van Gundy told the media, Ansar Khan of MLive among them. “I would give him a good part of the credit, but then I think Stanley Johnson being in the starting lineup has helped with that. But I don’t want to take away from the other guys – Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, some of those other guys have made a more concerted effort talking.”
- As of Saturday evening, the Cavaliers had allowed a league-worst 111.9 points per 100 possessions. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that the teams offensive woes could be having an impact on their performance on the other side of the ball. “When we’re not making shots and not scoring I think it becomes mental,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “That’s for a lot of teams. If you’re not scoring, your defense drops. So, I think a lot of guys are frustrated that we’re not making shots and we’re not scoring.“
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Beasley, Thunder
The new Nuggets frontcourt has gotten off to a slow start this season but that doesn’t mean Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap won’t figure it out eventually. As Buddy Grizzard of Basketball Insiders writes in a feature exploring the duo’s production thus far, the club is committed to building something special.
It initially seemed inevitable that Jokic’s passing abilities would make Millsap’s life easier scoring in the post. A boost in efficiency down low, however, hasn’t yet materialized.
Over the course of his first 10 games with the Nuggets, Millsap has averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. That’s down from his last year averages of 17.1 and 7.7, respectively, with the Hawks.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Trail Blazers will host the Thunder in a Sunday tilt, the first appearance either Carmelo Anthony and Paul George will make in Portland this season. As Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes, the franchise actively pursued both over the course of the summer, to no avail.
- The Nuggets are starting to incorporate sophomore Malik Beasley into their rotation. Dennis Chambers of Basketball Insiders spoke with the 20-year-old about vying for a consistent role.
- The Thunder have struggled in the clutch, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes, thanks in no small part to the 6.3 rebounds per game the club allows its opponents to pull down in the final five minutes. That mark sits dead last in the league and the club is 29th in opponent’s field-goal percentage during that stretch, too.
Knicks Notes: Noah, Porzingis, Kanter
It seems inevitable that the Knicks will need to make a move before November 13, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. On that day, Joakim Noah will return from the 20-game suspension he’s been serving since last season.
Not only does the addition of Noah give the Knicks a logjam in their frontcourt, it pushes them to 16 players. While Jarrett Jack remains the lone player on a non-guaranteed deal, the veteran has been a welcome presence on the overachieving club, suggesting that they may need to get creative if they hope to continue winning ball games. New York has won five of its last six contests after dropping the first three games of the season.
With Noah back, the Knicks could cut an individual on a guaranteed deal – a dissatisfied Mindaugas Kuzminskas perhaps – or, if they prefer not to eat a contract, trade a player for a draft pick or look to execute a two-for-one deal with a willing participant.
There’s more out of New York:
- Bad news for Knicks fans in Turkey, for the second year in a row, the country has blocked Turkish residents from watching Enes Kanter‘s NBA games. Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that the Thunder were blacked out last season, due to the center’s criticisms of the government there.
- Former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, now enjoying a successful stint with the Rockets, thinks highly of Kristaps Porzingis and wouldn’t mind part of his game rubbing off on Houston project Zhou Qi. “I think he’s unbelievable. I really do,” D’Antoni told Al Iannazzone of Newsday. “He is really good. I told [Qi], ‘Go get your tapes on him. That’s who you need to be right there.’ He shoots threes, runs the floor, long, thin. Everything, that guy’s got it.“
- Expectations are high for 22-year-old Kristaps Porzingis, as former Knicks center Tyson Chandler believes that the 7’3″ forward can one day be the best player in the league. Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that Porzingis himself believes it, too.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/3/17
Here are the G League moves from around the Association today:
10:53pm:
- The Sixers assigned Furkan Korkmaz to the Delaware 87ers, Keith Pompey of The Inquirer tweets. The 20-year-old has yet to see action with Philadelphia.
- The Clippers sent Brice Johnson and Jawun Evans to the G League, according to the team.
8:03pm:
- The Nets have assigned guard Isaiah Whitehead to the Long Island Nets, an official press release reports. The big man is expected to play with the G League affiliate in their season opener on Saturday.
- The Grizzlies recalled sophomore Deyonta Davis from the Memphis Hustle, the team’s Twitter account said. The center had been assigned to the G League affiliate on Thursday.
Pacific Notes: Bogdanovic, McCaw, James
Rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic may not know the ins and outs of the NBA but he hasn’t struggled to keep up in his first taste of action in the big league, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. Through fives games with the Kings, the relatively seasoned 25-year-old first-year swingman has averaged 10.0 points per contest.
Bogdanovic missed the first three games of the season with a sprained ankle but has since earned his way into the starting lineup as the club’s first-unit small forward. While he may slot in as a two-guard eventually, Bogdanovic has gotten by thanks to his basketball IQ and broad shoulders.
“He may not know the ins-and-outs of the NBA game, but he’s a guy that’s really meshed and transitioned well,” teammate Garrett Temple said. “He’s a guy that can really create, he’s a workhorse. You’ve got to kick him out of the gym to get some rest.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division tonight:
- The Clippers have employed the power of the long ball of late and, thanks to guards like Patrick Beverley and Austin Rivers, looked particularly proficient doing so. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes that the franchise is doing its diligence to keep up with a changing league.
- The Warriors aren’t afraid to mix up their rotation, as evidenced by Steve Kerr‘s decision to run Patrick McCaw as the first shooting guard off the bench as opposed to Nick Young, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes. McCaw’s stat line leaves much to be desired but he’s a versatile threat on both ends of the ball and the club likes his work ethic.
- After breaking into the Suns rotation and carving out a role as the team’s starting point guard, 27-year-old rookie Mike James could see his two-way contract converted into a standard deal, Benny Nadeau of Basketball Insiders writes. The two-way contract that he signed over the offseason, of course, limits James’ NBA service to 45 days.
Southeast Notes: Oubre, Payne, Porter
The Wizards have benefited from third-year swingman Kelly Oubre‘s energy so far this season and the 21-year-old is earning a more substantial role with the squad, Chris Gehring of the team’s official site writes.
On a team built around core trio John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter, Oubre has managed to average 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and almost a block per game since sliding into the starting lineup. That spot in the first unit may not last but the impact Oubre’s had on the team could.
“He has the ability, and at times last year it went up and down. But he hasn’t had those dips yet this year, though it’s early,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “He’s definitely improved with all of the hard work he put in.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- After going 15th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, Adreian Payne‘s NBA opportunities have come few and far between. Now a member of the Magic, the Michigan State product is excited to earn another shot. “I haven’t really gotten a chance to play the whole time I’ve been in the NBA,” Payne told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. “Being able to spend some time down in the G League, to work on my game, to get better, to just be able to become a better person and a better player, on the court and off the court. I think it is going to help me grow, and then when I get called up and be able to play with the Magic team, I’ll be that Adreian that I was when I was in college.”
- Don’t expect the Hornets to make a play for somebody like Eric Bledsoe, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. A lateral move to add another point guard to the mix alongside Kemba Walker wouldn’t be worth what the Suns would presumably want for him.
- The Wizards paid big bucks to bring Otto Porter back and, to this point, LeBron James believes he’s earned his $107MM contract. “He’s worked on his game extremely well and he’s earned the big paycheck that he got,” James told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.
Pacific Notes: Russell, Teodosic, Randle
After spending his first two seasons with the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell will face them as a member of the Nets tonight. As Bill Oram of the Orange County Register writes, Los Angeles him expects him to be fired up in his return to the Staples Center.
“You see him right now in Brooklyn, he’s cooking,” former Lakers teammate Jordan Clarkson said. “He’s balling. … He’s got a new home, feel like it’s the right fit for him. He’s able to create, score, have the ball in his hands a lot, play the style of play that he wants to.”
In seven games with the Nets this year, the Lakers’ second-overall pick in 2015 has averaged 21.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. Those numbers are up from his sophomore figures of 15.6 and 4.8, despite playing over two minutes less per contest thus far in 2017/18.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Injured guard Milos Teodosic has shown progress in his recovery from a plantar fascia injury in his left foot but there’s still no timetable for his return. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Clippers rookie is now getting around in a walking boot, whereas previously he was confined to a scooter.
- As we wrote about earlier today, Larry Nance Jr. will miss four to six weeks undergoing surgery for a hand fracture. That could spell a big opportunity for Julius Randle, the forward slotted behind him in the depth chart. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Randle’s role change could be particularly significant considering that the pending restricted free agent’s qualifying offer amount could increase if Randle starts at least nine games this season.
- Don’t expect 17-year veteran Tyson Chandler to demand a trade out of Phoenix, Michael Lee of The Vertical writes in an excellent feature. The 35-year-old Suns big man may be on a different timeline than the rest of the franchise but doesn’t plan on forcing his way out of town. He spoke about teammate Eric Bledsoe who, well, has. “I’m not surprised about that. I kind of saw that stuff coming,” Chandler said. “He’s in a different place than I’m in. He’s in the prime of his career. Everything that happened last season and then rolling over into the summer, of course, I felt like it could’ve been handled differently. But I understand his stance and I understand it’s his career. He’s got to eat. He ultimately has to make his own decisions, as a man.”
Central Notes: Turner, LaVine, Antetokounmpo
The Pacers will see Myles Turner return to action tonight, Nate McMillan told the media, including the team’s official Twitter account. Turner has missed seven games since suffering a concussion in the team’s season opening victory.
Turner, 21 years old, is the new cornerstone of the Pacers franchise now that Paul George is off with the Thunder. He will, however, be charged with the tough task of sliding into a lineup that has found success playing a faster style of basketball than what he saw over the course of his rookie and sophomore seasons.
Last year Turner averaged 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. If he can return to action alongside his new and familiar Pacers teammates without disrupting the 5-3 squad’s flow, Indiana could be even better than they’ve looked thus far. Turner will come off the bench in his debut.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- After three years with Nike, Bulls guard Zach LaVine has agreed to a four-year, $35MM shoe deal with Adidas, Nick DePaula of ESPN says. The prolific slam dunk contest champion has been sidelined with a torn left ACL since last February.
- It seems that Giannis Antetokounmpo is perfectly comfortable suiting up for a small market team like the Bucks. As Marc Stein of the New York Times writes in a feature dedicated toward the budding superstar, Antetokounmpo doesn’t particularly like flashy cities like L.A. or Miami.
- The Bulls don’t have a set date for when Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis will meet for the first time following their fight, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes.