Western Notes: Paul, Jazz, Miller, Zion
While Oklahoma City is exceeding expectations this season, GM Sam Presti is still operating with the franchise’s long-term future in mind, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman writes. Chris Paul is unlikely to be dealt before the deadline, but his play could be increasing his trade value and that helps the team’s long-term position, whether a trade happens this season or down the road. On Monday night, Paul had arguably his best game as a member of the Thunder, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter as the team beat the Bulls.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Tony Jones of The Athletic wonders if the Jazz can turn their season around on their own or if the team needs to make a trade. While Utah could use additional depth, the franchise doesn’t have many assets that would make a trade worthwhile.
- Darius Miller, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, spoke with William Guillory of The Athletic about his journey back to the court as well as the differences between the Pelicans this season vs. last. “Of course, we’ve had our ups and downs, but it’s a great group of guys,” Miller said. “Griff (head of basketball operations David Griffin) did a great job putting great teammates here, great people. Not just great basketball players, but great people. It’s been good getting to know all these guys. We’re still young, so we’re really just trying to figure out everything.”
- Paul Pierce believes that the Pelicans should shut down Zion Williamson for the season, as he explains on ESPN’s The Jump. The 2019 No. 1 overall pick hasn’t played for New Orleans yet this season because of a knee injury.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/17/19
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Pacers have assigned Victor Oladipo to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants as the former All-Star continues his rehabs, the team announced on Twitter. Indiana also recalled Edmond Sumner, Alize Johnson, and JaKarr Sampson.
- The Knicks have assigned Ignas Brazdeikis to the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Brazdeikis was available for the G League contest tonight.
- The Wizards assigned Justin Robinson to the Capital City Go-Go, per the team’s Twitter feed. The guard has appeared in six games for Washington this season.
- The Rockets have assigned Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets. The center has appeared in nine games for Houston this year.
- The Clippers have assigned Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, per the team.
- Jalen McDaniels is making another trip to the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets announced on their website. The second-round pick has appeared in 13 games in the G League this season.
Nuggets Notes: Beasley, Porter Jr., Bol, G League
Malik Beasley hasn’t seen consistent minutes for the Nuggets lately, but head coach Mike Malone insists that the current rotation decisions are not set in stone.
“I think our players understand the importance of staying ready because I’m going to go back to Malik,” Malone said (via Mike Singer of The Denver Post). “Malik could play 25 minutes tomorrow night and help us win the game.
“By no means is anybody written off, we believe in all of our players, but it’s my job when we’re struggling to find something that maybe gives us a better chance.”
Here’s more from Denver:
- Michael Porter Jr. won’t improve without playing meaningful minutes regularly and Singer (separate piece) examines whether the Nuggets should make a trade to free up playing time for the second-year wing. Beasley and Juan Hernangomez are both restricted free agents this summer, so perhaps trading one of two makes sense.
- Nick Kosmider of The Athletic breaks down why the Nuggets are taking it slow with Bol Bol, who is on a two-way contract with the club. Denver wants to see Bol play within a system. Through his first 154 minutes in the G League, the rookie center hasn’t had one assist, which is something that seems problematic given Malone’s free-flowing game plan.
- The Nuggets don’t have a G League team, though they do have an interesting agreement with the Windy City Bulls with regard to their two-way center, Kosmider relays in the same piece. The franchise mandates that Bol receives a certain amount of minutes per game when the big man is with Chicago’s G League squad.
De’Aaron Fox Returns From Injury
The Kings had been anticipating that De’Aaron Fox would return to the lineup tonight against the Hornets and the point guard tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee he will do just that.
Fox missed the past 17 games with a left ankle injury and the team went 9-8 during that stretch. The Kings have hopes of making the postseason and they currently are sole owners of the seventh seed in the Western Conference, though six teams are within 2.5 games of them.
Fox is expected to start at the point guard, sending Cory Joseph to the bench. Joseph recently spoke about the former No. 5 pick returning to the court for the franchise.
“He’s a huge part of our organization, everybody knows that, so we’re happy to get him back,” Joseph said. “He looks good. He’s running good. So we’re excited. He’s huge to what we do here.”
Eastern Notes: DeRozan, Heat, Hornets
Would it make sense for the Raptors to trade for DeMar DeRozan? Toronto can combine the contracts of Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka in order to make a trade work, John Hollinger of The Athletic writes. However, the scribe believes there are other options on the trade market that would better fit the team such as Orlando’s Evan Fournier.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Trading for either Chris Paul or Kevin Love would take Miami out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes in 2021 due to a lack of cap space, Hollinger adds in the same piece. The Heat are one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and may need more time to figure out whether it’s worth giving up the chance to strengthen the squad now to chase a superstar later.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer wonders whether Malik Monk is better served as a long-term piece in Charlotte or as a trade asset that could bring in additional talent. Bonnell doesn’t see Monk as a key piece for the Hornets‘ future in the way Devonte’ Graham and PJ Washington are.
- Despite a weak Eastern Conference, the Hornets are unlikely to make any moves with the playoffs in mind, Bonnell adds in the same piece. Charlotte could look to trade one of their players on expiring deals, though the team would be looking for draft picks or younger players with upside in any such trade.
Trey Burke’s Father Demands Sixers Make Trade
Trey Burke‘s first year in Philadelphia isn’t going as well as his father had hoped. Burke has played in just 10 games for the Sixers this season and Alfonso Clarke Burke II took to Instagram to express his concerns.
“Man get my dude off this team. Killing him. They will not get out the East without bench scoring. Free TB23 please,” the elder Burke said (h/t Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
The point guard, who’s on a one-year deal with Philadelphia, said he doesn’t share his father’s view on the issue, as he explained in a statement provided by the team.
“Earlier today, I was made aware of my dad’s social media post,” the statement read. “While I appreciate the support he’s shown throughout my career, his comments don’t reflect how I feel and we’ve addressed that. My focus is doing whatever I can to help this team win a championship. I appreciate the support this organization, the fans and city of Philadelphia have shown me.”
Teammate Kyle O’Quinn was one of the many people to “like” the post before it was taken down. The Sixers didn’t comment about O’Quinn, though they told Pompey they believe the social media post is a non-issue.
Knicks Open To Trading Julius Randle?
On Sunday, seven of the Knicks‘ offseason signees became trade-eligible and with the team in the midst of another woeful season, New York could look to ship out some of its veterans.
Steve Popper of Newsday hears from an NBA source that the Knicks are believed to be open to trading Julius Randle. The big man inked a three-year, $57MM deal with the club back in July and he’s had an uneven first couple months in New York, as he’s making just 44.5% of his shots from the field. Randle is the only one of the team’s offseason free agent signees that received multiple fully guaranteed years.
Marcus Morris is likely the team’s best trade chip right now. He’s averaging 48.2% from downtown in his point-forward role for the club and his one-year, $15MM deal won’t hinder any team’s long-term future (it’s probably safe to assume the Spurs won’t be the team trading for Morris).
The Knicks are balancing playing their veterans with getting their young core experience and it would be surprising if the team doesn’t make at least one deal before the trade deadline.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/16/19
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pacers have assigned JaKarr Sampson, Alize Johnson and Edmond Sumner to their G League affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. All three players are available for the Mad Ants’ contest tonight.
- The Celtics have recalled Romeo Langford from the Maine Red Claws, as the team relays on Twitter. Langford was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
- The Wolves have recalled Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Krawczynski notes that Reid looked quick and explosive during Minnesota’s practice earlier today.
- The Kings have assigned Caleb Swanigan to the Stockton Kings, per Sacramento’s Twitter feed. The power forward has appeared in five NBA contests this season, seeing a total of 13 minutes.
Southwest Notes: Gentry, Executives, Covington
The Pelicans entered the season without championship expectations as the team embraces year one of the post-Anthony Davis era. However, not many expected the team to have a record of 6-21, and some of the blame for that poor performance falls on Alvin Gentry. Still, the head coach is confident that he can turn things around and isn’t worried about the possibility of being let go before he’s given the chance to do so.
“I’ve been in the league 31 years, I don’t ever worry about anything that I don’t have any control over,” Gentry said (via William Guillory of The Athletic). “I don’t have any control over that. You would have to ask that question to the people that have control. I just know I’m going to come in to work every day and do everything I can to get this turned around.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes that it’s “highly unlikely” R.C. Buford would leave the Spurs to take a potential top role with the Knicks. Buford is under contract for multiple seasons after the 2019/20 campaign, per Begley.
- In the same piece, Begley names Mavericks GM/president Donnie Nelson as a candidate for the Knicks‘ potential top executive role. The scribe hears that Nelson is an at-will employee, so New York wouldn’t have to offer Dallas any compensation to hire him as the team would with Masai Ujiri or other executives under contract.
- The Rockets should do whatever it takes to land Robert Covington in a trade, Kelly Iko of The Athletic contends. Iko believes RoCo would mesh well with James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Prying Masai Ujiri From Toronto Expected To Be Pricey
The Raptors simply aren’t going to let president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri waltz down to New York and take the Knicks‘ job before his contract – which runs through the 2020/21 campaign – expires. New York would have to send Toronto compensation if the franchise intends to hire him this summer and Ujiri wants to leave — but what would that compensation look like?
Ian Begley of SNY.tv sniffed around for the answer and learned that one NBA team recently demanded two first-round picks when another club inquired about letting its top executive out of his contract. Talks between those two teams stalled because of the price tag, but Begley hears that the two first-rounders are likely to be the baseline for any Ujiri-to-New York deal.
Raptors chairman Larry Tannenbaum recently said Ujiri wasn’t going anywhere. “He is the best,” Tanenbaum said. “But no team can come to talk to him. That’s tampering. And every owner knows that. Masai is here to stay.”
It’s not certain whether or not Ujiri has interest in the Knicks despite widespread speculation. There were conflicting reports on whether the executive turned down a long-term extension with the Raptors, with Tannenbaum denying that the team had made such an offer yet.