Nets Notes: Durant, Harris, Adams, Irving, Mills, Simmons
The Nets will face the Celtics next Thursday in their first game after the All-Star break. Don’t expect Kevin Durant to be in uniform for that game, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Coach Steve Nash said Durant will be eased back into action from his knee injury.
“I’m not like, ‘He’s going to play right when the break ends.’ There’s obviously a small chance, but we want to be really careful because a setback would be tough when there are 20 or so games left,” Nash said. “We don’t want to jeopardize there and have a setback where he misses another six to 12 games, so I think we’ll be cautious coming out of the break. There’s a chance he could play, but I think it’s more likely that we don’t get our hopes that he’s going to play the first game out of the break.”
Durant hasn’t played since January 15.
We have more on the Nets:
- It’s been two weeks since reports revealed that Joe Harris was mulling a second ankle surgery. Nothing has changed in that regard, Lewis notes in the same story. “I think everything’s on the table at this point,” Nash said. “We hope that he comes back, but we have no idea where this is going to go at this point.”
- New New York City mayor Eric Adams agrees with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver that current city rules barring Kyrie Irving from playing home games, while opposing players don’t face the same sanctions, are unjust, Sam Raskin of the New York Post writes. “First of all, I think the rule’s unfair. I believe that we are saying to out-of-town athletes that they can come in and not be vaccinated, yet New York athletes do have to be vaccinated,” Adams said. However, Adams is concerned about “sending the wrong message” by lifting the sanctions altogether for fear of another outbreak.
- Veteran point guard Patty Mills hasn’t been teammates with Ben Simmons for very long but senses that his fellow Australian is hungry to reestablish himself, Nick Friedell of ESPN relays. “His demeanor and his desire not only to get back on the floor but make a significant impact — he’s got a lot of, I believe, fire built up underneath him that has a desire to get back and be the player that he is, and even get better, and even grow and even develop,” Mills said. “And that’s one thing that I’m excited to be in the same room and locker room as him to do my part to help him develop and help him grow and help in any way possible there.”
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/17/2022
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Patrick Beverley Signs One-Year Extension With Timberwolves
FEBRUARY 16: Beverley officially signed his extension with the Timberwolves on Tuesday, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
FEBRUARY 14: Veteran guard Patrick Beverley has agreed to a one-year, $13MM contract extension with the Timberwolves, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Minnesota already had a projected $107MM in salary commitments next season, not including the cap hold for its first-round pick, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The Timberwolves could still use their mid-level exception and remain below the projected $147MM luxury tax line.
Beverley is in the final season of a three-year $40MM contract he signed with the Clippers in 2019. The 33-year-old has made his mark in the league as a pesky defender but he has also posted some solid stats for Minnesota.
He is averaging 9.0 PPG, 4.9 APG and 4.4 RPG in 26.1 MPG in 38 games, including 34 starts. He’s shooting 34% from deep, which is below his 37.9% career average.
This leaves Taurean Prince ($13MM this season) as the only prominent member of Minnesota’s rotation heading into free agency this summer.
Beverley will be the 27th player to sign a contract extension during the 2021/22 NBA league year, including the 16th to finalize a veteran extension. Our extension tracker features the details on this season’s other 26 deals.
Heat Sign Haywood Highsmith To 10-Day Deal
FEBRUARY 15: Highsmith’s 10-day contract is now official, the Heat announced in a press release.
Highsmith’s contract will actually cover 11 days due to the All-Star break. Standard 10-day deals are required to cover either 10 days or three games, whichever comes later. Miami has two more games before the All-Star break, then doesn’t play again until February 25 — Highsmith would be eligible to play in that game before his deal expires.
FEBRUARY 14: The Heat are signing swingman Haywood Highsmith to a 10-day contract, agent Jerry Dianis told our JD Shaw (Twitter link)
Highsmith had a 10-day stint with Miami under the hardship exception in late December and early January. He appeared in four games, averaging 3.0 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 10.5 MPG. The Heat view him as a strong fit for the team’s culture.
As we noted earlier on Monday, Miami had two open roster spots after last week’s trade deadline and needed to fill at least one of them within two weeks. Highsmith’s versatility allows him to play shooting guard, small forward and power forward, something that could help Miami since the team traded KZ Okpala and still hasn’t cleared Markieff Morris.
Highsmith had a brief stint with the Sixers in 2018/19, appearing in five games for the club on a two-way contract. The 25-year-old also spent the 2020/21 season in Germany, but has otherwise played mostly for the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, since going pro in ’18. He has appeared in 17 games with the Blue Coats this season, averaging 13.6 PPG on 39% shooting from three-point range.
The 6’7” Highsmith also played on USA Basketball’s 2023 World Cup qualifying team in November.
Daishen Nix Signs Four-Year Deal With Rockets
FEBRUARY 15: Nix’s promotion to the 15-man roster is now official, the Rockets announced today in a press release.
Nix is joining Houston on a four-year, $6MM deal, with only the first two seasons guaranteed, per Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 14: Point guard Daishen Nix has agreed to a four-year contract with the Rockets, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets.
The exact terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but it almost certainly won’t be fully guaranteed across all four years. Houston will use a portion of its mid-level exception to give Nix four years.
Nix was on a two-way contract with the club and will have it converted to a standard contract. The rookie has excelled against G League competition and Rockets GM Rafael Stone said the promotion was well-earned, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.
“He’s playing great,” Stone said. “He’s really happy, and he’s just developing at an awesome rate. I would imagine that at some point, he will be back (in the NBA). He’s been on the court with the Rockets already, so that’s not a secret, and I would imagine we’ll see that again. But there’s not, like, a firm plan that he needs to do this or that. We’re really, really happy with his development, and so there’s no need to interrupt that right now.”
Nix has played in eight games with the Rockets this season, averaging 3.8 PPG in 8.4 MPG. In 22 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he is averaging 24.5 PPG, 7.3 APG, 6.4 RPG and 2.6 SPG.
Nix was one of a handful of prospects who opted to forgo college ball in favor of a spot on the G League Ignite last season, but he went undrafted.
Houston won’t have to make another roster move to promote Nix to the 15-man squad, since the team waived Enes Freedom earlier in the day.
Pacific Notes: Johnson, Bazemore, Craig, Biyombo
Magic Johnson stepped down from his post as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations in 2019 but team owner Jeanie Buss still leans on the Hall-of-Famer for advice, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. “To me, he’s still working with us,” Buss said. “In terms of an official capacity, in the NBA, you have to be very clear as to who can negotiate on your behalf and who can’t. So he doesn’t have that official designation. But in terms of his support, his wisdom, his insight, I freely call on him as needed.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Kent Bazemore hasn’t been part of the Lakers rotation since mid-November and hasn’t played since February 3. However, he’s not sulking over his lack of playing time, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes. “Some nights, it gets hard having to hold back that competitive nature. Especially if a guy gets going, I know defensively, I made a living off of taking guys out of the game, shutting off the water, so to speak. That gets the best of me sometimes,” Bazemore said. “But that’s just the competitor in me. … I’m doing what I love. I don’t mind putting in the work for it, even though I’m out of the rotation.”
- The Suns wanted to bring back Torrey Craig during the offseason but prioritized signing JaVale McGee with their mid-level exception, John Gambadoro of of 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets. Craig found a two-year deal with Indiana before the contract with McGee was finalized. Craig was traded back to Phoenix last week. The Suns still have a portion of the mid-level available to use on the buyout market, Gambadoro adds.
- Craig said the trade back to the Suns was a deadline-day surprise to him, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. “It just happened so fast,” Craig said. “I was literally practicing in Indiana and then I noticed it was an hour before the trade deadline. Came to my phone and I had a couple of missed calls from my agent. And then he called me and told me (the) situation and I was like, wow. It had just happened. It was a quick turnaround. I packed and I came here. I’m excited to be back.”
- Bismack Biyombo told his agent, former NBA player B.J. Armstrong, that he only wanted to sign with a title contender in free agency, Marc Spears of The Undefeated reports. “That was the hardest part,” Biyombo said. “I talked to my agent and I said, ‘Look, the only way I will do it is for a contender. Otherwise, I’m not doing it.’ Biyombo remained unsigned until a 10-day with Phoenix under the hardship exception. He later signed a rest-of-the-season deal with the Suns last month.
Central Notes: Haliburton, Bagley, Robinson, LaVine
Getting traded so early in his career was an emotional experience for new Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, as he wrote in a Players Tribune post. He was caught by surprise when his agent informed him he might be traded and “started crying my eyes out” when Kings GM Monte McNair told the second-year guard he’d been dealt to Indiana.
After reflection, Haliburton felt much more comfortable about the deal.
“More than anything, though, right now it really does just feel good to be wanted,” he wrote. “And I can’t thank the Pacers enough for their belief in me. I’m humbled to have been traded for an All-Star player like Domantas (Sabonis), and I fully understand that this team wouldn’t trade away a player like him for someone to just come in and be so-so.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The addition of Marvin Bagley III was coupled with an admission from Pistons GM Troy Weaver that he made a mistake while building the roster, The Athletic’s James Edwards III notes. Detroit has been sorely lacking in an athletic big to give the rotation a different look than Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk while providing a lob threat for guards Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes. In Edwards’ estimation, it was worth a roll of the dice to bring in Bagley this season, even at the expense of two second-round picks, because he’s the best player in the Kings-Pistons portion of the four-team trade and Detroit got even younger.
- The Bulls were among the teams interested in trading for Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson prior to the deadline, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. The Bulls viewed Robinson as a defensive center to back up offensively-skilled Nikola Vucevic for an extended playoff run, Berman adds. The Pistons were also among the teams who inquired about Robinson.
- The Bulls didn’t make a significant move before the deadline and that’s fine with Zach LaVine, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. “They’re going to go out there and try to improve the team any way they can, you can’t get mad at that,” LaVine said. “It’s our job to come out here with the guys that we have, and when we were healthy, we were showing that we were always at the top and one of the best teams in the NBA. I think that’s what we’re hanging our hat on. When we get healthy, we’ll get back to what we do.” That’s a big if, now that LaVine is getting his ailing left knee re-examined this week.
New York Notes: Claxton, Simmons, Barrett, Arcidiacono
Nets center Nic Claxton feared he would be dealt prior to last week’s deadline, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Claxton termed the days leading up to the trade deadline as a “roller coaster,” but sounds happy to stay in Brooklyn and is looking forward to playing with Ben Simmons, Friedell adds. Claxton returned to action on Monday after injuring his hamstring on February 4.
We have more on the New York teams:
- Nets coach Steve Nash says Simmons “is in a pretty good place mentally” and will be ready to play “when he’s ready physically,” Adam Zagoria of Forbes.com tweets. The Nets’ medical staff will determine the timetable for Simmons’ debut, with speculation that he could suit up after the All-Star break on February 24 against Boston.
- RJ Barrett missed Monday’s game against Oklahoma City but has shed his walking boot, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. The Knicks’ guard has now missed three games due to a left ankle sprain.
- Guard Ryan Arcidiacono’s contract with the Knicks is a one-year deal for the minimum and he’ll be a free agent again this summer, Katz reports in another tweet. Arcidiacono inked the rest-of-the-season contract on Sunday.
Tyreke Evans Reinstated By NBA
The NBA has reinstated Tyreke Evans from a lengthy drug ban, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
As JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors reported in early December, Evans had been seeking reinstatement and was hopeful the suspension would be dropped. He has been training in preparation for a return, working out in Miami with John Wall and Michael Beasley, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Evans is an unrestricted free agent and can sign a contract as soon as noon ET on Friday, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Evans played in the league from 2009-19. He was dismissed and disqualified by the NBA in May 2019 for violating the league’s anti-drug program. At the time, the league declared Evans would be eligible to apply for reinstatement after two years.
Evans, 32, was the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft and played for the Kings, Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Pacers. He had a down year in 2018/19 after signing a one-year, $12.4MM contract with Indiana, averaging 10.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 2.4 APG with a career-worst .389 FG% in 69 games (20.3 MPG).
He has averaged 15.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 4.8 APG in 594 career games.
Lakers Sought Trades With Knicks, Raptors, Celtics
Rival executives tried to take advantage of the Lakers’ predicament, which ultimately led to VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka standing pat at the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram.
Other teams wanted the Lakers to take on bad contracts or give up their limited draft capital, including their 2027 first round pick, to facilitate potential deals, according to Oram.
The Lakers were unable to gain any traction on a potential Russell Westbrook deal. They tried to put together some lower-level deals, including a proposed three-way trade with the Knicks and Raptors. Toronto big men Khem Birch and Chris Boucher and Knicks wing Cam Reddish could have been on the move, but those fell apart after the other two teams couldn’t agree on draft compensation.
The Lakers also mulled a possible reunion with Dennis Schröder, though there was some pushback from some members of the organization. The Lakers still pursued a deal with the Celtics but Boston’s high asking price ended those negotiations. The Celtics wound up trading Schröder to Houston.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were consulted on potential trades and understood why Pelinka chose to stand pat, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“You can’t force another team to present yourself with a deal that is going to make your team be better. That’s up to them,” Pelinka said. “And throughout this process we had different things we looked at and like I’ve done in the past had conversations with LeBron and Anthony about it and I would say there’s alignment here. And that’s all that matters.”
The Lakers will monitor the buyout market but would have to waive a player since their roster is full.