New York Notes: Knicks’ Second Unit, Knicks Defense, Nets Offense
There may be more pressure on the Knicks’ front office than coach Tom Thibodeau, Steve Popper of Newsday speculates.
The Knicks had to attach draft picks to trade three veterans during the offseason and now have three more — Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish — glued to the bench. They could use some help on the second unit, with Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen rumored as potential trade targets. Meanwhile, Thibodeau is leaning on younger players to produce.
“We know that a big part of learning is trial and error, so our young guys are getting better day by day, and that’s what I’m excited about,” the head coach said. “I know there’s a tremendous amount of growth they’ve already had, and I think there’s more to come.”
We have more on the New York City teams:
- With the jumbled standings and most teams at least in contention for the play-in tournament, there are more buyers than sellers in the trade market. That could make it more difficult for the Knicks to do anything, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes. The Knicks are hoping that more teams will go into sell mode prior to the trade deadline — Katz breaks down which clubs might fall into that category.
- The Knicks were disappointed with their defensive coverages in their loss to the Kevin Durant-less Nets, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. The Nets knocked down 22 3-pointers. “Closing out, sense of urgency, none of that. We have to be better,” Julius Randle said. “We didn’t play well enough to win. We definitely didn’t deserve to win the game. We didn’t pick up our sense of urgency until the game went on, the fourth quarter. We have to be better from the start.”
- On the flip side, the Nets might need to continue firing away from deep to make up for Durant’s absence, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. They attempted 40 3-pointers against the Knicks and head coach Jacque Vaughn wasn’t sure it was enough. “I wouldn’t mind having 10 more,” Vaughn said. “I say that in the huddle, let’s get 50 up. We have a good enough squad who can shoot the basketball and they have to be respected. [Kyrie Irving’s] ability, that’s why it’s so great to have the basketball in his hands. … If we can shoot 50 [3-pointers], we’ll shoot 50 and be OK with that as long as they’re good ones.”
Pacific Notes: Booker, Saric, Wiseman, Moody, Jackson
Suns guard Devin Booker is scheduled for a second reevaluation Wednesday for a left groin strain he suffered on Christmas Day, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Booker missed his 18th consecutive game with the left groin strain Monday against Toronto but there’s optimism he’ll play this week. The Suns have a home game on Wednesday, then embark on a five-game road trip.
“Everybody is excited,” Suns forward Dario Saric said. “He’s our best player.”
However, Suns head coach Monty Williams said Booker still hasn’t participated in any 5-on-5 scrimmages, Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com tweets.
We have more Pacific Division news:
- Speaking of Saric, he’s thrilled to be getting steady minutes, Rankin tweets. “I’m feeling great being back in the rotation. Serious minutes,” he said. “Feeling great about that. I think I deserve that. I work hard for that. Played a couple of good games. I hope I’m going to continue like that.” Saric, who is averaging 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 18.3 minutes this month, needs to pump up his value since he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr met with James Wiseman over the weekend to give the young center some encouraging words, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Wiseman has struggled to establish a rotation spot this season. “One of the things I told James is that in this league things change quickly,” Kerr said. “You just don’t know. … I would love to get him out there, but right now, JaMychal (Green) is playing really well. Obviously, we’ve gone to a smaller lineup, so that … creates a little bit of a logjam at that position. James just has to stay ready.”
- The Warriors have recalled second-year guard Moses Moody from their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team’s PR department tweets. Moody played two games with the G League team after being assigned last week, averaging 23 points in those games. Moody has appeared in 39 games with Golden State this season but recently fell out of the rotation.
- The G League’s Stockton Kings released former lottery pick Josh Jackson over the weekend, the team tweets. Jackson appeared in a combined 51 NBA games with Detroit and Sacramento last season. He joined the G League team last week, but appeared in one game.
Carlisle, Pritchard: Myles Turner Won’t Be Traded
The Pacers didn’t extend Myles Turner in order to trade him, coach Rick Carlisle told Marc Stein (Twitter link) and other media members.
“Yes, he’s off the trade block,” Carlisle said.
There were some questions initially whether the extension, which Turner signed on Monday, would still allow Indiana to deal the big man. While it turns out that Turner is trade-eligible, Carlisle’s comment made it clear that’s not going to happen.
President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard reiterated that Turner will be staying put, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star tweets.
“One of the things we’ve always believed in is we sign a player to sign a player. We don’t sign a player to trade a player. … We signed Myles to be here,” he said.
As for how Indiana will approach the trade deadline and this offseason, Pritchard spoke in vague terms, Dopirak adds in a separate tweet. Pritchard likes the way the Pacers have progressed and grown but adds they’ll be opportunistic if the right offer comes along.
Turner is enjoying a career year, averaging 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per night. He received a $17.1MM renegotiation on his salary for the current season. He’ll make approximately $21MM for 2023/24 and $20MM for the following season.
Injury Updates: Davis, James, Doncic, Wiggins, Gobert, Haliburton
The Lakers will play without both of their superstars against the Nets on Monday, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes.
LeBron James has a sore left ankle ankle, while Anthony Davis will rest his right foot. It’s the first game of a back-to-back, so they both could return on Tuesday against the Knicks.
We have more notable injury updates:
- Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is listed as questionable to play against Detroit on Monday, the team’s PR department tweets. Doncic suffered a left ankle sprain three minutes into their game against Phoenix on Thursday. He missed their loss to Utah on Saturday.
- Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who missed the last two games due to a non-COVID illness, is not listed on the injury report for Monday’s game against Oklahoma City, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
- Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is listed as questionable to play against Sacramento on Monday due to right groin soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. Gobert played 36 minutes in Minnesota’s victory over the Kings on Saturday.
- Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton hopes to practice Tuesday and Wednesday with “the aim to play this weekend,” according to coach Rick Carlisle, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star tweets. Indiana plays home games against the Lakers, Kings and Cavaliers later this week. Haliburton has missed 10 games due to knee and elbow injuries.
Community Shootaround: John Collins
Myles Turner‘s extension agreement with the Pacers may take him off the trade market. If that’s the case, Hawks forward John Collins could be the top available trade target at this season’s deadline.
In just the past two weeks, the Pelicans, Rockets, Jazz, Heat and Wizards have been mentioned as potential destinations for Collins.
Atlanta seemed somewhat reluctant to re-sign Collins after his rookie deal but eventually gave him a five-year, $125MM deal in 2021. He’s currently in the second year of that contract, which includes a player option in the final season.
That’s a significant salary commitment for an acquiring team, since Collins is viewed as a solid starter but not an All-Star level talent. He’s also been nicked up the last couple of seasons. He only appeared in 54 regular-season contests last year.
He’s played in 42 of 50 games this season, averaging 13.5 points per night, his lowest output since his rookie season. That can be attributed in part to the Hawks’ guard-oriented attack, as well as Collins’ subpar 3-point shooting (26.3 percent). He’s second on the team in rebounding (7.7) behind center Clint Capela.
There have been conflicting reports regarding what the Hawks are seeking in a Collins trade, but they certainly don’t view him as a salary dump. It’s a safe bet they’re seeking to upgrade their rotation to become a more dangerous playoff contender built around the backcourt duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
It’s not a given that the Hawks will trade Collins. They could simply ride with what they’ve got and seek a better offer for Collins during the offseason.
That brings us to today’s topic: Should the Hawks trade Collins? If so, which team would benefit the most from his services?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Nets Notes: Simmons, Warren, Marks, Rupert, O’Neale, Claxton
Nets’ Ben Simmons, who is dealing with left knee soreness, is questionable to play Monday against the Lakers, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. T.J. Warren, who has a left shin contusion, is listed as doubtful.
Simmons didn’t play in the 122-115 win over the Knicks on Saturday after suffering the injury against Detroit on Thursday. Warren also missed Saturday’s game after playing on Thursday. Both are considered day-to-day.
We have more on the Nets:
- GM Sean Marks has been traveling far and wide to scout a point guard, Nets Daily relays. Marks has reportedly twice scouted 18-year-old French point guard 6’7” Rayan Rupert, who plays for the New Zealand Breakers. Marks, who watched Rupert play in Australia and New Zealand, was accompanied on the trip by Nets director of player evaluation, B.J. Johnson. Rupert is currently ranked No. 18 on ESPN’s big board of 2023 prospects.
- They traded with Utah for Royce O’Neale this summer and it’s worked out well, according to another Nets Daily story. He’s leading the team in minutes played while enjoying a career year. “[He’s] a guy that you trust at the end of the game, who’ll take the right shot, who’ll make the right decision at the end of the game, who doesn’t mind playing on both ends of the floor,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “He has the trust of his coaching staff, his teammates and he’s in the right spot.” O’Neale’s $9.5MM contract for next season is only partially guaranteed at $2.5MM but they’re likely to fully guarantee it, considering his value to the team.
- Nic Claxton is enjoying the intra-city rivalry with the Knicks, especially since his team has won nine straight against them, Zach Braziller of The New York Post writes. “It does feel like a rivalry just because you felt the energy in there (Saturday),” he said. “We’re here at Barclays and they had a lot of fans and it was definitely a good atmosphere. But me, I’ve never lost to the Knicks since I’ve been in the league, I don’t think. It’s always fun playing the Knicks.”
Raptors Notes: VanVleeet, Trade Rumors, Anunoby, Achiuwa
Fred VanVleet is expected to decline his $22,824,074 option in order to become a free agent this summer. However, the Raptors guard downplayed the timing of his decision to cut ties with his long-time agent, Brian Jungreis, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. VanVleet also said he hasn’t chosen an agent, despite reports that he’ll sign with Klutch Sports.
“It was a long time in the making,” the Raptors guard said. “Maybe the paperwork getting filed around the time when my name is in a lot of trade rumors, it’s going to make some noise, but there’s really nothing to it. It’s just time for me to switch agents for the second half of my career. It didn’t work out with the previous thing going on. I’m looking forward to a long, prosperous career, so I wouldn’t read too much into it.”
We have more from the Raptors:
- VanVleet, of course, isn’t the only player who has been mentioned in trade rumors. Virtually the entire starting lineup has been thrown into the rumor mill and coach Nick Nurse admits the chatter hangs over them, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes. “There are guys that are thinking about where they’re living, where they’re moving, what their family situation is, kids in school,” Nurse said. “There’s the real-life part of it that, for sure, guys are thinking about. But I also believe once you get here and once the ball goes up, they probably focus in and do the best they can on the night.”
- OG Anunoby departed the Raptors’ victory over Portland early on Saturday due to a left wrist sprain. Though X-rays were negative, he has been ruled out for Monday’s game against Phoenix, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.
- With Anunoby sidelined, Precious Achiuwa stepped up with 27 points and 13 rebounds on Saturday. Nurse was impressed with Achiuwa’s performance, Erik Garcia Gundersen of The Associated Press writes. “He was in the right place at the right time a lot tonight and that’s a good sign that he’s making himself available,” Nurse said. “He made really good reads and (teammates) found him and he made a couple of plays on his own. I was happy that he was available because teams will step up to Pascal (Siakam) when he’s driving.” Achiuwa is extension-eligible this offseason.
Eastern Notes: Trent Jr., Butler, Yurtseven, Isaac, Brown
Gary Trent Jr. has been one of the hot names on the rumor mill due to the Raptors guard’s ability to opt out and become a free agent this summer. However, it’s no lock that the Raptors will trade him, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
The organization has been impressed with Trent’s professionalism and production after enduring an early-season shooting slump. The Raptors have signaled they are willing to re-sign him and Grange’s sources indicate Trent would like to re-sign with them during the offseason. Trent is likely to decline the $18.56MM option on the final year of his three-year contract.
We have more Eastern Conference news:
- Heat forward Jimmy Butler says he’ll play against Orlando on Friday, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. He was a late scratch against Boston on Tuesday due to lower back tightness. Center Omer Yurtseven, who hasn’t played this season after undergoing ankle surgery, did some shooting after practice on Thursday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Yurtseven still has a splint on his ankle and his return is not imminent.
- Magic big man Jonathan Isaac scored 10 points in 10 minutes against Boston and five points in eight minutes against Indiana on Wednesday. He hadn’t played since 2020 due to a serious knee injury and admits that he struggled through a 4 1/2-minute stint in the first half of his first game back. “That kind of first wind got to me. That last minute I could barely talk I was breathing so hard,” Isaac said to ESPN’s Andrew Lopez and other media members. “But the second rotation in the second half, that four minutes, I started to just relax and just feel good.”
- Pacers’ second-round rookie Kendall Brown is back in action with the G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants after sitting out six weeks due to a stress reaction in his right tibia. He absorbed a lot on information during his recovery, he told Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. “It’s been a lot of rehab, sitting on the bench watching my teammates play,” he said. “Being off, I spent a lot of time with the Pacers — in the film room and courtside just watching everything. It was really good to see everyone play and the speed of the game. I think it helped me a lot.”
Poll: Where Will Jae Crowder End Up This Season?
The curious case of Jae Crowder should be resolved over the next two weeks. If not, there’s more drama on the way regarding the veteran forward.
Crowder has been sitting out this season while awaiting a trade. We’ve seen veteran players in similar situations in recent seasons but this one has a twist. Normally, they’re stuck on a rebuilding team and awaiting a trade to a contender instead of languishing on the bench behind young players earmarked for developmental minutes — think John Wall in Houston.
Crowder chose this path with an organization that won a league-best 64 regular-season games a year ago. He was reportedly frustrated that he was about to lose his starting job and didn’t receive an extension on his three-year contract, which expires at the end of this season.
Phoenix had some legitimate reasons for its reluctance to extend Crowder. The Suns have some major salary cap issues for the next three seasons, especially after matching the Pacers’ offer sheet for Deandre Ayton. A dicey ownership situation also factored into the equation.
Crowder is also 32 years old in a league that has gotten increasingly younger over the years. While he’s considered a 3-and-D specialist, his 34.6 percent career average from deep isn’t particularly noteworthy.
He did play key roles for two teams that reached the Finals – the Heat in 2020 and Suns in 2021. Miami, as well as the Bucks and Hawks, are among the teams reportedly interested in him.
It’s surprising that Crowder hasn’t already been dealt, particularly after mid-December, when many players who signed free agent contracts last offseason became trade-eligible.
According to a recent report, the Suns have been holding out for two of the following for Crowder: A first-round pick, a good young player, and a solid rotation player.
It’s likely they’ll have to drop the price tag to deal Crowder. The acquiring team can’t even be sure how much he’ll help them this season after sitting out for so long. Crowder has reportedly been working out regularly in the Atlanta area but there’s a difference between being in good physical condition and being in basketball shape.
If he’s not traded, it could get even messier. He could choose to sit out the whole season, finally rejoin the team or give back some of this season’s salary in a buyout and then choose his destination after clearing waivers.
That leads us to our poll: Which team will Jae Crowder play for this season, or will he play at all? Vote and then head to the comments to weigh in with your thoughts.
Which team will Jae Crowder play for after the trade deadline?
-
Milwaukee Bucks 34% (657)
-
He won't play at all this season 23% (458)
-
Another team 16% (318)
-
Miami Heat 16% (313)
-
Atlanta Hawks 7% (137)
-
Phoenix Suns 4% (77)
Total votes: 1,960
New York Notes: Nets Trade Talk, Simmons, Vaughn, Dolan, Robinson
The Nets are one of the more active teams on the trade market, sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Joe Harris, Seth Curry and/or Patty Mills could potentially be on the move due to their short-term salaries and reduced roles, O’Connor notes. Beyond that, they could only dangle young players Day’Ron Sharpe and Cam Thomas, their 2028 or 2029 first-round pick, and a future first-rounder from Philadelphia in 2027 or 2028.
We have more on the New York teams:
- The Nets’ Ben Simmons says that coach Jacque Vaughn hasn’t really informed him why he’s often been on the bench in late-game situations, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. “I really had no message from him. I think it’s more just wherever team needs,” Simmons said. “When we’re winning I have no problem with it; if we’re losing then I got an issue.”
- Speaking of Simmons, Vaughn says he expects him to be more consistent in the second half of the season, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. Simmons had a 10-point third quarter against Philadelphia on Wednesday and the coach wants to see that offensive aggression more often. “That’s the goal,” Vaughn said. “That’s where we’re going to get him to, where each possession he has to be dealt with on both ends of the floor. Where you feel him on both ends of the floor and he imposes his will and has an impact on every single possession, which he has the ability to do. That’s where we’re going to get to, that’s the challenge and we’re going to continue to expect it from him.”
- Knicks owner James Dolan figures it’ll be another month or so before center Mitchell Robinson returns to action, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays (Twitter link). In a Fox5 interview, Dolan said the Knicks will have to “make it through the next four weeks” without Robinson. Robinson underwent thumb surgery last week and is expected to be reevaluated in approximately two weeks.