Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 3/31/2022
Click here for a transcript of our live chat on Thursday.
Our next live chat, with Luke Adams, will take place on Tuesday at noon Central time.
Trail Blazers Sign Reggie Perry To 10-Day Deal
MARCH 30: Perry’s 10-day contract is now official, the Blazers announced in a press release. It’ll run through April 8, covering six of Portland’s final seven games.
MARCH 28: The Trail Blazers are signing forward Reggie Perry to a 10-day contract under the injury hardship exception, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. He’ll be the third Blazer on a 10-day hardship deal, joining Drew Eubanks and Kris Dunn.
Perry played two games with Portland earlier this season under the 10-day hardship exception during the league’s COVID outbreak. He had a similar stint with the Pacers in February under the same provision.
The 57th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Perry spent his rookie year in ’20/21 on a two-way contract with the Nets, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 26 games (8.1 MPG) at the NBA level and putting up 18.1 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 15 games (28.8 MPG) for the Long Island Nets in the G League.
Perry signed with the Raptors for training camp this fall, then joined Toronto’s G League affiliate after failing to secure a spot on the regular season roster. He has averaged 20.3 PPG and 11.5 RPG in 22 games with the Raptors’ G League team this season.
Portland has been wracked by injuries. The Trail Blazers confirmed today in a press release that center Jusuf Nurkic and guards Anfernee Simons and Eric Bledsoe won’t return this season.
Paul George To Return On Tuesday
MARCH 29: Barring any setbacks in his pregame workout, George will return to the Clippers’ lineup tonight against the Jazz, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
MARCH 28: Paul George could be back in action for the first time in more than three months on Tuesday.
The team’s PR department listed the Clippers star forward as questionable to play against Utah, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets.
George hasn’t suited up since December 22 due to a torn ligament in his shooting elbow. He was averaging 24.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 5.5 APG prior to the injury.
George played five-on-five in practice on Sunday as he continued to make steady progress from the injury, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue spoke on Monday about the possibility of George playing this week. The Clippers will head to Chicago on Thursday and Milwaukee on Friday after hosting the Jazz.
“We’ve just got to see how (Monday’s) practice goes and see how he’s feeling and then just go from there,” Lue said. “Whatever the medical staff seems to think is ideal, that’s what we’ll do.”
The Clippers are virtually locked into the eighth spot in the Western Conference. They have lost five straight and George’s return will obviously be a major boost for them heading into the postseason.
“It would be huge,” Lue said of George’s potential return, according to the Orange County Register’s Mirjam Swanson (Twitter link). “Like I always say, hope is stronger than fear. So to have the hope that he could come back would be great for our team… right now we’re dragging a little bit and to get a guy like PG back would definitely help us out.”
Warriors Notes: Green, Thompson, Porter, Iguodala
The Warriors are trying to survive the remainder of the regular season without Stephen Curry, due to his foot injury. They were also without three other key players during their lopsided loss in Memphis tonight. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Otto Porter Jr. sat out the game, as Kendra Andrews on ESPN tweets.
On the flip side, Andre Iguodala played for the first time since February 7 after recovering from a back injury. Iguodala wound up playing 16 minutes.
We have more on the Warriors:
- In terms of Iguodala, he told Anthony Slater of The Athletic he needs to “crank it up.” Knee and hip issues have also sidelined him prior to the back pain. “It’s like cancer spreading out to different areas,” he said. “Small things. Nerve damage here. Bulging disc there. The pieces never really quite come together. One area will feel really good and then another area (hurts) the next day and you’re starting over with your rehab. It’s frustrating.”
- When Green returns to action, he’s determined to make a bigger impact. In seven games since he recovered from a back injury, Green has a minus-41 plus-minus rating, Andrews notes. “I’ve just got to grind my way out of it,” Green said. “Make plays and impact the game. That’s why I feel like I’ve been terrible. I don’t feel like my impact has been on the game when it needs to be and normally is. I’ve just got to work my way out of it. Chip away at it every time I step on the court.”
- Unless Green turns things around, the Warriors are doomed to a have short postseason run, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area opines. Green is one of the few players in the league capable of turning a game, or part of a season, in his team’s favor due to his defensive prowess.
Los Angeles Notes: James, Davis, Coffey, Ojeleye, Powell
Lakers star forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis are listed as doubtful to play Tuesday at Dallas, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. James injured his left ankle against New Orleans on Sunday and under treatment on Monday. In Davis’ case, it’s an upgrade. Davis went through a full, live practice for the first time since he suffered a mid-foot sprain on February 16.
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Amir Coffey has been a steady contributor since Clippers forward Paul George was sidelined and his status won’t change when the perennial All-Star forward potentially returns on Tuesday, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register tweets. Coffey is averaging 8.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 1.8 APG in 23.6 MPG in his third NBA season. “He’s earned it, last three years, the work he’s put in … this season he’s kind of kept us afloat,” Lue said.
- Coffey had his two-way contract converted to a standard one this weekend and Semi Ojeleye was waived to make room for him on the 15-man roster. It was due to the franchise’s desire to reward Coffey rather than anything regarding Ojeleye’s play. Lue said Ojeleye “did everything right” and was sad to see him depart, Greif tweets.
- Norman Powell still has a number of steps to go before returning from his left foot injury. The Clippers forward has done some shooting but hasn’t progressed beyond that in his recovery, Greif added in another tweet.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Will Miss Remainder Of Season
The Thunder have shut down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the remainder of the season, head coach Mark Daigneault told The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto (Twitter link) and other media members on Monday.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been bothered by right ankle soreness during portions of the season and hasn’t played since last Monday. The team’s star guard signed off on the decision to let the ankle heal.
He had another strong season statistically, though his 3-point shooting dropped dramatically (down from 41.8% last season to 30% this year). He averaged 24.5 PPG, 5.9 APG, 5.0 RPG and 1.3 SPG in 34.7 MPG while appearing in 56 games.
Forward Darius Bazley was also ruled out for the remainder of the season on Monday due to a knee injury.
Gilgeous-Alexander remains a major piece in Oklahoma City’s rebuild. His five-year, maximum-salary extension that he signed last summer will kick in next season.
Central Notes: Ball, Grant, Carlisle, Guy, Wade
Lonzo Ball will be reevaluated this week and “wants to come back and play,” Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago tweets.
A week ago, the Bulls announced Ball would not run for 10 days. His rehab from surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee was halted after he felt discomfort in the knee. Ball’s reevaluation is expected to happen when the team returns from its road trip, which ends on Tuesday. There’s hope Ball can ramp up to full-speed running and cutting after he’s reevaluated.
“Lonzo really wants to come back and play. He wants to do everything possible…,” coach Billy Donovan said. “If we do start ramping up and [he doesn’t respond well again], I don’t know what they’ll do because we have not discussed that.”
Ball has been out since January 14.
We have from the Central Division:
- Jerami Grant, the Pistons’ leading scorer, will sit out the rest of the season due to a left calf strain, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Grant suffered the injury against Washington on Friday. A prime trade candidate this offseason, he has one year remaining on his three-year contract.
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has returned to the sidelines after leaving the team for two games due to personal reasons, James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star tweets. “Felt very bad about not going on that trip because it’s just a hard set of couple games, given our personnel situation. But we’ve got seven (games) left, and we’ve got to focus,” he said.
- Guard Kyle Guy has rejoined the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League team, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Guy was waived by the Heat on Thursday. Guy signed a two-way contract with Miami in mid-January after playing with the Charge. He appeared in 19 games with Miami, averaging 3.9 PPG in 9.8 MPG.
- Cavaliers forward Dean Wade has a six-to-eight week recovery period from his knee surgery, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic tweets. The meniscus surgery on his right knee will be a cleanup procedure and he should be a full participant in Summer League activities, Russo adds.
Thunder’s Bazley Out For Rest Of Season
Thunder forward Darius Bazley has sustained a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture in his right knee and will miss the team’s remaining eight games, the team’s PR department tweets.
Bazley has appeared in 69 games this season, averaging 10.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.0 BPG in 27.9 MPG. He was injured during the first half of the Thunder’s game against Denver on Saturday.
Bazley had been on a scoring tear prior to the injury, scoring 22 or more points in four of the previous seven games.
Back in October, the Thunder exercised their fourth-year option on Bazley, who is on his rookie contract. He’ll make $4.26MM next season.
Bazley is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason and it will be interesting to see if the knee injury impacts Oklahoma City’s desire to extend him or the offer they’ll present. His scoring, rebounding and minutes totals dropped this season — he averaged 13.7 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 31.2 MPG last season. However, Bazley displayed greater defensive versatility this season by effectively guarding multiple positions, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets.
Pistons Notes: Grant, Bagley, Hayes, Brunson, Robinson, Ayton, Draft
Jerami Grant‘s name was prominently mentioned in trade rumors prior to last month’s deadline. More recently, a report from The Athletic claims that the Trail Blazers will make a strong push for the Pistons forward in trade talks this summer.
On that subject, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and The Athletic’s James Edwards III opined on a HoopsHype podcast that the deal will happen this summer. Grant, who will be entering the final season of his three-year contract, would plug a major hole at power forward for the Blazers. A first-rounder would likely be required in Portland’s package for the Pistons to make such a move, though Scotto isn’t convinced it would necessarily be a high lottery pick this season.
Edwards speculates that where the Pistons land in the lottery will impact their decision on Grant. If they’re able to select Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray, or Chet Holmgren, they’d be more inclined to deal him.
Scotto and Edwards also discussed a number of other Pistons-related issues:
- The acquisition of Marvin Bagley III from Sacramento has gone well thus far and Edwards believes both parties are interested in a multi-year deal. Bagley will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Pistons view him as a second-unit standout due to his defensive shortcomings, Edwards adds.
- Detroit isn’ ready to give up on point guard Killian Hayes, their 2020 lottery pick, says Edwards. Settling in as a reserve, Hayes has shown progress as a defender and his passing skills are superior.
- The Pistons will likely make a push for free agents Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinson this summer, according to Scotto. He and Edwards agree that Detroit is less likely to go after top RFAs like Deandre Ayton or Miles Bridges.
- Holmgren would probably top the Pistons’ draft wish list with Smith next in line, per Edwards.
Blazers Sign Kris Dunn To Second 10-Day Deal
9:11pm: The signing under the hardship exception is official, according to a team press release.
8:15pm: The Trail Blazers are signing guard Kris Dunn to a second 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Dunn has appeared in six games with depleted Portland, averaging 7.3 PPG and 5.2 APG in 24.8 MPG. He was added under the injury hardship exception and presumably the Blazers will use the same provision the second time around, since they have a full 15-man roster.
Dunn was playing for the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario prior to getting another opportunity to play in the NBA. The former No. 5 overall pick spent last season with the Hawks, but was limited to four games due to an ankle injury. He was traded from Atlanta to Memphis in the offseason and was subsequently waived.
Portland is scrambling to find bodies to finish out the season.
Drew Eubanks is reportedly signing a fourth 10-day with Portland. The Blazers have seven players who might miss the remainder of the season due to assorted injuries. Additionally, Josh Hart has missed the last two games due to a left knee issue.