Hawks Notes: Murray, Young, Rebuild, Forrest, Milestone
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, whose name has been mentioned prominently in trade circles, made an interesting comment during Monday’s TNT broadcast. In an interview with Dennis Scott relayed by Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs (Twitter link), Murray indicated he wouldn’t mind playing for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich again.
“Pop is like a father to me, I would welcome that,” Murray said. “But right now, I’m a Hawk, I’m going to stay professional and play the right way.”
The Hawks gave up three first-rounders in a package to acquire Murray from San Antonio in the summer of 2022. However, the Spurs reportedly have some interest in reacquiring the standout guard.
We have more on the Hawks:
- They are on a fast track toward major changes, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines. While a Trae Young trade probably won’t happen this season, it may come to a point where Young and the franchise decide it’s best if he goes elsewhere to pursue a title. In the meantime, the Hawks may sit Young later in the season if they keep losing in order to improve their lottery odds, O’Connor suggests.
- In terms of Murray, O’Connor reports that the Hawks are asking for two first-round picks as part of the package but no one has met their demands. O’Connor adds that Murray would prefer to play for a contender, although the Spurs would seem to be the exception.
- Fourth-year guard Trent Forrest has carved out a rotation spot, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. He’s averaging 16 minutes per game this month. Forrest is on a two-way deal.
- Young reached a milestone in the Hawks’ 10-point win over San Antonio on Monday. He passed 10,000 points for his career while scoring 36 against the Spurs. “It was not on my mind at all,” Young said, as relayed by The Associated Press’ Charles Odum. “I was just trying to go out there and win and put on a show.”
Bulls’ LaVine: Not Thinking About Trades At All
When it comes to trade rumors, Bulls wing Zach LaVine is near the top of the list. Speculation about LaVine’s future has been rampant ever since a report surfaced in mid-November that he was increasingly open to being traded.
With the trade deadline only a few weeks out, LaVine says he’s only thinking about the Bulls’ recent surge. They were 4-1 since LaVine returned from a foot injury entering their game against Cleveland on Monday night.
“We’re winning,” said LaVine said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “There’s nothing better than that. I don’t think about (trades) at all. Unless I get a call from my agent, it’s just another day at the office for me. I’m glad to be out here playing. I’ve been in trade talks for a long time, obviously. I think this year was bigger than years prior. But at the end of the day, it’s nothing new.”
LaVine’s maximum-salary contract, injury history and iffy defense has made it difficult to build a market for him. The two-time All-Star is also averaging just 20.1 points per game, his lowest figure since the 2017/18 season.
He’s taken fewer shots this month while averaging 16.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per night. In two of the five games, LaVine only attempted eight field goals.
LaVine says he’s fine with that.
“We’re in a good rhythm. Offensively, I didn’t have as much output scoring,” he said. “But I feel like I impacted the game the right way and we got the wins. I know who I am and what I can do on the court. So we’ll keep going with it.”
The fact he’s been able to play 35.6 minutes per game after missing over a month of action has been encouraging.
“Couple overtime games, back-to-back kicks you in shape pretty quick. I’m tired, sore but I feel good overall and happy to be back on the court,” LaVine said. “And I think I’ve been solid considering the fact I missed 17 games. I feel I found a rhythm pretty quickly and been able to do a lot of things on the court, including defensively.”
At this point, LaVine seems content with staying put.
“As long as I have a Bulls jersey on, I have no inclination of looking into the future of if I’ll be here,” he said.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Barlow, Murray, Young
Victor Wembanyama started the season at power forward but he’s mainly manned the center position in recent weeks. The first pick of the draft says he’s eager to find out where he best fits, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez writes.
“I’m glad we can experience stuff and figure out my role. I’m a rookie,” he said. “It’s also me figuring out how I want to play now but also for the future how we want to build. We’re still trying some stuff.”
The Spurs also want him to develop chemistry with wing Devin Vassell.
“Those are two of the people we want to have the ball a lot since they’re our skilled players in a sense,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “Seeing those two guys meld together is important for us. They’re doing pretty well.”
We have more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama is planning to participate in the Skills Challenge during All-Star weekend in Indianapolis next month, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
- With Wembanyama sitting out against Chicago over the weekend, Dominick Barlow got a chance to start on Saturday. He didn’t dazzle, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes, as he contributed five points, six rebounds and a block in 22 minutes. It was still a milestone for an undrafted two-way player. He’s been backing up the super rookie since Zach Collins was sidelined by an ankle injury.
- The Spurs have been linked to Dejounte Murray, but Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer argues that they should pursue the Hawks’ other starting guard, Trae Young. Wembanyama and Young could form a dynamic duo that teams wouldn’t want to switch screens against. Young is also one of the league’s best at creating easy shots for bigs, which would allow Wembanyama to score off of rolls and cuts on a regular basis, O’Connor notes.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 1/15/2024
The transcript from our live chat today can be accessed at this link.
Luke Adams will field your questions in our next live chat on Thursday.
Western Notes: Jazz Streak, Edwards, Blazers, Allen
The Jazz have moved one game above .500 by winning 11 of their last 13 games. They’re now ninth in the Western Conference and the players have taken note of the team’s rise in the standings, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes.
“Of course,” big man John Collins said of checking the standings. “All the time, and I see us popping up in the standings a little bit. I like it. I’m enjoying all this good energy right now.”
The coaching staff hasn’t made it a point of emphasis.
“I haven’t mentioned the standings once to the team but they all know,” coach Will Hardy said. “I can promise you that with the way social media is now and friends and family and agents and all of you guys, they know where we are, but it’s my job to try to keep them focused on the present moment.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards is shooting more free throws this season — 6.5 attempts per game compared to 5.3 last season. Edwards is falling short of his goal of averaging eight free throws a game, but he’s pleased that he’s getting more calls. “I worked on it all summer because that was an emphasis,” Edwards told Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Being able to draw fouls, get to the line, stop the clock, especially when we’re down, I think I’m doing a pretty good job at it right now.”
- While the expectations for the Trail Blazers dropped after they traded away Damian Lillard, they’ve still been worse than projected this season, Sean Highkin of RoseGardenReport.com writes. They are coming off a road trip in which they went 1-6 and got outscored by 192 points. The games have been as non-competitive as Portland’s post-trade deadline tanking during the past two springs, Highkin notes.
- Could Grayson Allen be the Suns’ best bargaining chip? Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported on TNT during Phoenix’s 127-109 road win over the Lakers that the Suns are more interested in acquiring an athletic wing player, rather than a point guard. Allen, who has an expiring $8.5MM contract, might be the only player the Suns could move and get that type of wing in return to help improve the team’s perimeter defense, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane Out At Least Six Weeks
The Grizzlies’ lengthy injury list added two more names on Sunday, the team announced (via Twitter).
Guard Desmond Bane suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain during the third quarter against the Clippers on Friday. He will be reevaluated in six weeks.
Forward Jake LaRavia has a Grade 2 high left ankle sprain, which he suffered during the first quarter against the Knicks on Saturday. He will be reevaluated in three weeks.
Ja Morant and Steven Adams have already suffered season-ending injuries. The team announced on Thursday that Marcus Smart will be out at least six weeks due to a finger injury, and Brandon Clarke (Achilles) and Derrick Rose (hamstring) are also currently sidelined.
Bane is enjoying a career year, averaging 24.4 points, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He officially leads the teams in scoring and assists, as Morant only appeared in nine games before a shoulder injury ended his season.
LaRavia has appeared in 11 games this season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds.
As was the case earlier this season, Memphis will soon become eligible for multiple hardship exceptions. The Grizzlies carried as many as 17 players on their standard roster in the fall when they was beset by injuries, adding Jaylen Nowell and Shaquille Harrison to 10-day contracts.
Community Shootaround: Two-Day Draft
The NBA has tinkered with the draft lottery in recent years, mainly to discourage tanking.
The draft itself has gone relatively untouched for decades. The NBA switched to a two-round format in 1989 with all the picks being made in one frenzied night.
The second round often runs past midnight Eastern time and by then, most NBA fans have already tuned out and turned in for the night.
With a nod toward the NFL, which stretches its draft across three days, the NBA is expected to change to a two-night format. The Players Association still must sign off on the proposal, but that seems likely.
Front office executives should benefit from the alteration. There is usually a flurry of activity in the second round and now the deal-makers will have more time to map out their strategies and ponder what moves they need to make. They’ll also have more time to decide which undrafted prospects they might look to add to their summer league teams and training camp rosters.
It’s unknown whether more time will be allotted between first-round picks but at least it should end at a more reasonable hour. The change could be nerve-wracking for prospects who are borderline first-round picks and second-rounders, since they might have to go through an extra night of suspense to find out if their names are called.
Considering most of the suspense of the NBA draft comes during the lottery, it’s also fair to wonder whether holding the second round on the following night will draw much of a TV audience.
That brings us to our topic of the day: What do you think of the NBA possibly switching to a two-night format for the annual draft?
Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Southeast Notes: Livers, Bagley, Christopher, Hawks’ Trade Chatter, Washington
The Wizards view Isaiah Livers and Marvin Bagley III as the most important parts of their trade with the Pistons on Sunday, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, rather than the two second-round picks Detroit tossed in to rid itself of Bagley’s contract.
Washngton parted with Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala in the deal. The Wizards are banking on their player development system to get more out of the two forwards they acquired. The team can make Livers a restricted free agent this summer if it likes what it sees from him the rest of the season.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Josh Christopher is joining the Heat’s NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Christopher, who had a two-way contract with the Jazz before he was waived on Monday, appeared in 138 games with Houston from 2021-23 but hasn’t seen any NBA action this season. He has appeared in 18 games (17 starts) for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 29.0 minutes per contest.
- Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are the only players the Hawks are unwilling to trade, John Hollinger of The Athletic confirms. There’s plenty of trade chatter involving Dejounte Murray and they’re also trying to determine the trade value of De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela. The Hawks could use Murray as means to shed the contract of either Capela or Hunter.
- Hornets forward P.J. Washington returned to action on Sunday after missing the previous three games with a foot injury. the team’s PR department tweets. Washington, who is averaging 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season, signed a three-year contract over the summer.
Stein’s Latest: Hield, Wiggins, Finney-Smith, O’Neale, Fultz, McDermott, Osman
The Pistons and Wizards pulled off a trade involving four players and two draft picks on Sunday. Expect a lot more activity in the coming weeks, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.
Stein offers a number of interesting tidbits from around the league:
- Buddy Hield‘s name was prominently mentioned around the trade market after the veteran guard and the Pacers failed to reach an extension agreement during training camp. Sources tell Stein that Indiana continues to look for ways to move Hield. The Pacers are trying to package his expiring $18.6MM contract and a future first-rounder to get an impact player. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam continues to be talked about as a potential Pacers target. However, Indiana would be reluctant to give up second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin or rookie Jarace Walker in any trade.
- Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is looked upon as another potential Pacers target but it may be difficult for Golden State to create a market for him, Stein writes. Wiggins not only has three more years left on his contract, his production has nosedived.
- Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale could be on the move. The Nets are listening to offers for both of those forwards and Stein suggests the Cavaliers should pursue O’Neale, considering they need a wing and he’s close friends with Donovan Mitchell. O’Neale has an expiring contract, while Finney-Smith is signed through 2025/26.
- Speaking of expiring contracts, the Magic are “exploring the trade market” the top pick of the 2017 draft. They’ve made guard Markelle Fultz and his $17MM expiring deal available, along with center Wendell Carter Jr, per Stein.
- Another team dangling expiring contracts is the Spurs. Forwards Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman are available for teams looking to clear cap room this summer or upgrade their second unit, according to Stein.
Jazz Notes: Lineup, Preston, George, Confidence
Jazz coach Will Hardy has been doing a lot of tinkering with the starting lineup and rotation and it’s paying off, according to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. Utah has had 12 different players in the starting lineup at some point.
“I think it just shows our depth and that we can win in a lot of different ways,” guard Collin Sexton said. “You’ve just got to be ready when your number is called.”
In their win over Milwaukee on Monday, the Jazz started John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, Simone Fontecchio, Sexton and Kris Dunn.
We have more on the Jazz:
- Jason Preston received a two-year two-way contract from the Jazz on Monday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Preston will get the maximum two-way guarantee for next season, which is equivalent to an Exhibit 10 bonus –that figure was worth $75K this season and will increase at the same rate as the salary cap. Utah waived Josh Christopher to make room for Preston, who had been playing for the Memphis Hustle in the G League.
- Keyonte George admits it’s been a struggle for him since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for six games, he told Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. The rookie has been relegated to a bench role, though he delivered a 19-point, four-assist performance against Milwaukee on Monday. “Yeah, to be honest, a little difficult for sure. I mean, I’m human,” George said. “It’s gonna take some time to get back to where I was and try to figure out times be aggressive and times where you’re trying to get people involved.”
- After winning eight of their last 10 games, including road victories over Philadelphia and Milwaukee, the Jazz are feeling better than they have all season, Walden writes. “I like to call it ‘swag,’ and our swag is a little up right now,” Dunn said. “We just keep doing the right things. We have a lot of talent on this team. If we move the ball, if we guard at a high level, good things can happen, as we showed in this three-game road trip.”