Author: clarkcrum

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

Wizards perennial All-Star point guard star John Wall will undergo season-ending surgery on his left heel that will keep him out of action for six to eight months. Described by the team as a debridement and repair of a Haglund’s deformity and a chronic Achilles tendon injury in his left heel, the operation was deemed necessary because of persistent pain and inflammation in Wall’s heel. Some viewed the Wizards’ poor 2018/19 performance as a factor in Wall’s decision, but Wall maintains that his decision was solely motivated by his fear that he was risking a ruptured Achilles by continue to play on the sore heel. The Wizards are now figured to be active sellers at the trade deadline as a result of Wall’s status and the resultant minimal hopes of a playoff berth this season.

The Warriors opted not to match the offer sheet given to swingman Patrick McCaw by the Cavaliers, who will now officially welcome McCaw to Cleveland on a two-year, $6MM deal. Both the potential locker room consequences of McCaw’s lengthy and public holdout and the idea of keeping its 15th roster spot open to retain flexibility going forward were the primary reasons behind Golden State’s decision to let McCaw go. It also didn’t help that matching the offer sheet and keeping McCaw for the remainder of the 2018/19 season would have cost the Warriors an extra $11MM in luxury tax penalties. McCaw ultimately seems satisfied that Golden State didn’t match, saying he’s ready for a “a new opportunity.”

Just a few months after forcing his way out of Minnesota, Jimmy Butler has reportedly now “aggressively challenged” Sixers head coach Brett Brown on his role in Philadelphia’s offense. Per reports, Butler, who is averaging five-year lows in PPG and MPG since joining the Sixers, would prefer to play more traditional pick-and-roll and isolation sets, rather than trying to find his place in the Sixers’ free-flowing offense. Despite the negative tone of the report, however, Brown has told people within the Sixers’ organization that he has no issues with Butler or their communication. For what it’s worth to fans understandably frustrated with what appears to be this new found, relatively entitled attitude for Butler, he also told reporters this week that he won’t be in the league past the age of 35.

The Bulls traded swingman Justin Holiday to the Grizzlies in exchange for guards Wayne Selden and MarShon Brooks and Memphis’ own second-round picks in 2019 and 2020. The Bulls received interest from multiple teams on Holiday, but ultimately settled on this trade with the Grizzlies. In order to make room on the roster for both Selden and Brooks, the Bulls opted to waive former first-round pick, point guard Cameron Payne, who had been outplayed by both Ryan Arcidiacono and Shaquille Harrison so far this season. In addition to the two players and two draft picks, the Bulls also created a traded player exception worth just over $2.7MM in the deal.

A day before the aforementioned trade, the Grizzlies’ three-game losing streak took its toll on the locker room, with veterans Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi  involved in a physical altercation after a team meeting. The meeting began with coaches and players questioning effort and areas needing improvement, but when the bench’s enthusiasm was questioned, Casspi took exception, leading to the altercation. Despite the incident and the trade for Holiday, there’s no indication at this point that Memphis will look to trade Temple or Casspi.

Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:

• Grizzlies’ forward Chandler Parsons insists he’s healthy enough to play but that GM Chris Wallace is holding up his return.
• Less than a month after signing him, the Nuggets have parted ways with veteran guard Nick Young.
• Enes Kanter met with Knicks’ general manager Scott Perry earlier in the week to discuss his diminishing role.
• The Nets did veteran big man Alan Williams a solid and released him so that he could sign a lucrative deal in China.
• Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra says he’s “sick to (his) stomach” about not being able to find more minutes for veteran sharpshooter Wayne Ellington.
• After only one appearance with the team, the Suns have waived 27-year-old veteran big man Eric Moreland.
• Wizards’ forward Markieff Morris has been diagnosed with transient cervical neuropraxia and is expected to be out of action for six weeks.
• The Hornets may be ready to include big man Frank Kaminsky in a trade after other teams have expressed interest.
• Cody Zeller has undergone surgery for a fracture of the third metacarpal of his right hand and will miss four to six weeks.
• Lakers’ superstar LeBron James will remain out through next weekend with a strained left groin.

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

Last week, we relayed how front offices of some teams were upset about perceived tampering by LeBron James when he said it would be amazing to play with Anthony Davis. James, apparently unfazed, met Davis for a post-game meal in L.A. after the Lakers defeated the Pelicans, later telling reporters that he considers recruiting other stars to be part of his job and that he knows his success in L.A. will be tied to his ability to woo free agents. Most around the league ultimately expect Davis to be traded before next season, likely to the Celtics or Lakers, but the league is unwilling to sit by and let the recruitment of Davis begin now, issuing a memo to all teams, reminding them about the rules and consequences related to tampering.

Speaking of James, the Lakers are preparing for him to miss “several games” after he suffered a groin strain in his team’s victory over the Warriors on Christmas Day. James’ MRI came back clean, but there’s a healing process that will need to occur before he is able to get back on the court. Moreover, the Lakers are understandably  expected to play it safe to avoid further aggravating the injury and risk more missed time later this season or beyond. The Lakers have lost two straight without LBJ.

After remaining on the free agent market for nearly six months, shooting guard Patrick McCaw has signed an offer sheet with the Cavaliers worth $6MM over two years. Both seasons are non-guaranteed, but this season will become guaranteed if he remains on a roster past January 7. Because McCaw is still a restricted free agent, the Warriors will have the opportunity to match Cleveland’s offer. An earlier report indicated that they were prepared to match any offer, but given everything else going on the Warriors, it may not be worth it to bring someone back who clearly doesn’t want to be in Oakland in McCaw. The Warriors have until tomorrow to make a decision.

Former Wizards guard Austin Rivers reached an agreement to join the Rockets, signing a fully-guaranteed rest-of-season contract with the defending regular season champs. The move makes sense after the injury to Chris Paul, but it will be interesting to see whether Rivers can carve out enough of a role with Paul out to remain in the rotation once the veteran returns. The deal is for the veteran’s minimum, so Rivers’ cap hit is just under $923K.

With the emergence of wunderkind Luka Doncic, there’s growing confidence around the league that the Mavericks will move on from and trade last year’s first-round pick, point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Of course, Dallas has denied any interest in moving Smith, but due to injuries, he has only played in three of the Mavericks’ 12 games in December and the Mavs are still competing for a playoff spot without him, thanks to Doncic’s play. Ultimately, the Mavericks plan to build their roster around Doncic, and Smith would likely garner the biggest return in a trade.

Here are 9 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:

• Despite being under contract with the Clippers, Turkish club Anadolu Efes is seriously pursuing guard Milos Teodosic.
• Lakers’ point guard Rajon Rondo would have remained with the Pelicans if the team had made an offer.
• Speaking of Rondo, he is expected to miss four to five weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a ligament in his right ring finger.
• Sixers’ guard Markelle Fultz plans to return to the lineup at some point this season.
• Knicks’ guard Frank Ntilikina was not happy about being benched and receiving a DNP on Christmas Day.
• The Bulls signed shooting guard Brandon Sampson to a two-way deal, waiving point guard Tyler Ulis to make room.
• Despite a lack of playing time, Nets’ forward Kenneth Faried has not approached the team for a buyout.
• The Thunder waived two-way player Tyler Davis and replaced him with big man Donte Grantham.
• With a potential player revolt behind him, Bulls’ head coach Jim Boylen may actually now be in position for an extension this summer.