Sixers Notes: Embiid, George, Maxey
As expected, the NBA has officially launched an investigation into Joel Embiid‘s player participation, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The player participation policy requires stars (defined as players who have made an All-Star or All-NBA team in the past three seasons) to suit up for nationally televised games. If they’re held out of action without an injury or without the league granting an exception, the team is subject to a fine.
The Sixers have already stated that Embiid, who also didn’t play in the preseason, will miss the first three games of the season. They are determined to keep him fresh for the postseason.
We have more on the Sixers:
- Philadelphia opened its season with a 15-point loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, as Paul George also sat out with a knee injury. Tyrese Maxey said that injuries can’t be used as an excuse, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We played one game,” Maxey said. “I’m not about to sit here and say that just because Jo was out, we played bad. Yes, we did not win the game, which is the ultimate goal. But we’ve been with Jo all preseason. All training camp for the most part. … I mean, this team, us winning can’t solely be on Joel Embiid. It just can’t.”
- Embiid and George have developed a strong friendship. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell delves deep into this topic, noting they had extensive conversations at All-Star weekends. “He was like, ‘Man, regardless of what goes on, I look at you as someone that I want to be friends with for a long part of my life,’” George said. “And that was deep to me. Because we knew each other, but we didn’t know each other on that level yet. … [From] that point on, we just kind of built a stronger relationship, where it came to this summer.”
- Despite the presence of that star veteran duo, Maxey feels he needs to become more of a leader, he told The Athletic’s Tony Jones. “I need to lead by example. I need to lead with my voice,” he said. “I know that I’m young, but I have to play well and if I do that I can demand respect with my play. I think Joel has given me the green light to lead, especially because he doesn’t talk as much. I have a lot of veterans in the locker room that are here to help me. But I really want to set a good example just by how hard I work.”
Western Notes: Warriors, Davis, Morant, Pelicans
Most coaches stick with a nine- or 10-man rotation. Warriors coach Steve Kerr feels he has so many bench options, he can use a dozen players during the course of a game.
That was on display on opening night, as Golden State blew out Portland. Early in the second quarter, 12 players had already seen the floor.
“This is as deep of a team as I’ve ever coached, and we’ve got to lean into that,” Kerr said, per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “I’ve never played 12 before, but we’re going to do it. I was thinking, well, maybe I’ll just play 10 and we’ll have to tell two of these guys that they’re going to sit. But I just couldn’t justify that.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- JJ Redick‘s plans to feature Anthony Davis in his Lakers offense was on display opening night against Minnesota, The Athletic’s Sam Amick writes. Signed through the 2027/28 season, Davis racked up 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal. He also attempted 23 shots on which he wasn’t fouled. “I think it’s a good first step of seeing how (Redick) wants me to play and how he wants me to be that hub and to orchestrate the offense, in a sense,” he said.
- Ja Morant was limited to nine games last season due to a suspension and a shoulder injury. He came back strong in the Grizzlies’ opener, contributing 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes against Utah. “My job as a point guard is to control the game,” said Morant, per The Associated Press. “I hate if I let the other team’s point guard control the game. Whatever I can do to make sure it’s in our favor, I try to do.”
- It was an ominous start for the Pelicans, as Zion Williamson sat out with an illness against Chicago and Dejounte Murray broke his hand. Trey Murphy was already out with a hamstring strain. “Guys are ready for more opportunities whenever they may come,” CJ McCollum told William Guillory of The Athletic. “… It’s unfortunate that injuries are part of the game, but they happen sometimes. That’s why you need depth on your roster to compete in an 82-game season.”
Southeast Notes: Williams, Lee, Johnson, McClung
The Hornets won’t have their starting center available for the season opener. Mark Williams has been ruled out while he continues to rehab a left foot injury, the team’s PR department tweets. Williams has returned to on-court activity, so he should be back in action soon.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hornets first-year coach Charles Lee says he’s ready to get the season started, according to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “I feel the same way — cool and calm — and I can feel that way because I feel like we’re prepared,” said Lee, whose team opens its season at Houston on Wednesday. “I think that we talked through a lot of situations offensively, defensively. We put in a good amount of information and I think it’s going to help us be competitive in the early part of the year. As the season continues to evolve, we’ll continue to evolve and will continue to put more things in on defense and on offense. But I feel great and a lot of it is because I have a really good team and a team that’s been open-minded the whole preseason. And they’ve been consistent with their work ethic and their work habits.”
- The Hawks gave Jalen Johnson a giant commitment, signing him to a five-year, $150MM rookie scale extension. General manager Landry Fields was comfortable signing Johnson to a long-term deal because of his work ethic and attitude. “He’s competitive, he works his tail off and he’s willing to do what needs to be done in order to get better. For a lot of guys, that’s not always the case. But he embodies all of that,” Fields said, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and John Hollinger. “When we get those types of players, we want to invest in them. So we’re happy and excited to invest in him for our future because we see a high ceiling for him.” Johnson had a breakout last season after two nondescript seasons and is thrilled to have long-term security, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I mean, Atlanta is where I want to be,” Johnson said. “There’s nothing, no doubt about that. I feel like we’re building something really special here, and I want to be a part of it. So it meant a lot for, you know, them to want to get something done with me as well.”
- After toiling in the G League last season, Mac McClung is relieved to receive a two-way contract with the Magic, he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “It was a special moment,” he said. “I’ve been working hard to get something like this, so it was just very special and a relief, for sure.” McClung entered camp on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors Injuries, Raptors Schedule, Mazzulla, McCain
The Raptors have listed RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Bruce Brown as out for their season opener against Cleveland on Wednesday, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.
Barrett is making progress in his recovery from shoulder injury. He was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday but still hasn’t been cleared for contact, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter links). Olynyk is dealing with back stiffness, while Walter and Brown are recovering from shoulder and knee injuries, respectively.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have acknowledged this will be a rebuilding season but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. The Raptors plan to push the pace and play an entertaining brand of basketball but their early schedule is brutal, Koreen notes. In its first 25 games, Toronto will have 22 matchups against teams that finished better .500 in 2023/24.
- Joe Mazzulla had a blunt and somewhat amusing response to questions about the pressure to repeat as champions. “It’s not pressure,” said the Celtics coach, per ESPN News Services. “There’s nothing anyone in this circle can do to me that’s going to impact my identity and who I am as a person or a coach. We’re either going to win or we’re not, and 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral and that’s it.”
- Sixers first-rounder Jared McCain averaged 12.8 points and shot 37.9% on 3-pointers in five preseason games but he’s unlikely to find many minutes on a win-now team. McCain plans to work hard and deal with whatever’s thrown at him in his rookie campaign, he told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. McCain will be available for Philadelphia’s opener on Wednesday despite suffering bruised lungs during a preseason game last week. He’s not listed on the injury report, Pompey tweets.
Western Notes: Huerter, Murphy, Braun, Strawther, Jokic
Kings guard Kevin Huerter went through a full practice, including a scrimmage, on Tuesday. Huerter was cleared for full contact earlier this month after undergoing left shoulder surgery during the spring. It appears he’ll jump right back into a starting role.
“He looks good. Doesn’t look like he missed a beat at all. If he plays (in Thursday’s regular season opener), he’ll probably start,” head coach Mike Brown said, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Now that the Pelicans have locked in Trey Murphy to a rookie scale extension, it’s time to see what he can do as a full-time starter, Will Guillory of The Athletic opines. Guillory believes Murphy could play at an All-Star level and make New Orleans a prime contender but needs an expanded role to show if he can develop into that type of player. Murphy signed a four-year extension worth $112MM on Monday.
- While Christian Braun is generally considered the likely successor to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the Nuggets’ starting shooting guard, coach Michael Malone continues to insist that Julian Strawther is still in the running for that spot, Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports tweets.
- The Nuggets open their season on Thursday and center Nikola Jokic says the team needs to ramp it up after what he feels was a poor preseason, he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “I think we didn’t play the preseason how we’re supposed to be playing,” Jokic said. “The defense was not where it’s supposed to be. We couldn’t make shots. So we played really bad and poorly the whole preseason. So hopefully we can do something a little bit better when the (regular) season comes.”
Hardy Signs Three-Year Extension With Mavs; No Extension For Grimes
OCTOBER 22: Hardy has officially signed his extension, according to Mavs PR (Twitter link).
OCTOBER 21: Third-year guard Jaden Hardy has agreed to a three-year, $18MM extension with the Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The final year of Hardy’s extension will include a team option, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets.
Hardy was a second-round pick in 2022 and the contract he’s signing is considered a veteran extension rather than a rookie scale extension.
He was eligible to sign at any point this season, unlike some other veterans who faced a Monday deadline. However, Hardy and the team chose to get the deal done sooner rather than later.
In related news, the Mavericks won’t be signing Quentin Grimes to a rookie scale extension, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. Grimes will be headed to restricted free agency next summer.
Hardy has proved to be a valuable rotation player in his two NBA seasons. He saw action in 73 regular season games last season, including seven starts, averaging 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 13.5 minutes per contest. He’s established himself as a reliable three-point threat in his two seasons in Dallas (37.9%).
The 6’4” Hardy also played regularly in the postseason, albeit in limited minutes. He averaged 4.2 PPG in 6.8 MPG. He could have an opportunity for more minutes early in the 2024/25 season with Dante Exum sidelined due to wrist surgery.
Low-cost rotation players are extremely valuable to contenders with max contract players on their ledger, so Hardy’s willingness to sign for an average of $6MM per season was naturally an incentive for the Western Conference champions.
The Grimes news comes somewhat as a surprise, considering he was reportedly negotiating a three-year extension with Dallas. According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), despite some initial optimism, the two sides were unable to bridge a gap in their discussions during the final days leading up to Monday’s deadline.
Grimes, a late first-rounder in 2021, spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Knicks, then was dealt to the Pistons at the February trade deadline. Detroit included Grimes in the offseason Tim Hardaway Jr. deal.
Los Angeles Notes: Porter Jr., Harden, Olivari, James Family
The NBA’s investigation regarding Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. remains ongoing, Law Murray of The Athletic tweets. Porter will be able to play until the NBA decides whether to take disciplinary action. The Clippers signed Porter to a two-year contract in the summer despite his past troubles with the law.
In 2023, following an arrest on a domestic assault charge, Porter was traded by the Rockets to Oklahoma City shortly before the start of the regular season. The Thunder waived him the day after the deal was completed and he didn’t play in the league last season.
Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January. He was required to complete a court-ordered program, after which his plea was to move to not guilty with no criminal record.
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely due to his knee rehab, James Harden is thrust into the role of primary scorer for the Clippers. However, coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t want to place too much of a burden on the 35-year-old guard. “Yeah, we got to be smart about it. We’ve been talking about it, meeting about it, just making sure we don’t run him into the ground,” Lue told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “When you lose a power player like Kawhi to start, you can see yourself playing James way more minutes than you need to. So, we just got to make sure we keep him healthy and make sure we’re doing the smart thing, and we’re still working on that right now as far as minutes and what we try to have to start the season.”
- Quincy Olivari had his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal by the Lakers after his strong preseason showing. He’s thrilled to make the roster but has loftier goals in mind. “This ain’t my end goal in life, but it’s another milestone that I’ve completed and accomplished and I’m just ready,” Olivari told Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “I’m just glad I was able to come back here to practice, honestly. I woke up and I was like, ‘It might be early, I might still be tired, but there’s some people that don’t have this blessing that I have so I’m just going to take full advantage.’ It changed my whole mindset.”
- Will Bronny James appear on the court at the same time as his father in the Lakers’ season opener? LeBron James says there’s no rush to make history. “Whenever it happens, it will happen,” he said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “If it’s tonight or if it’s down the line, whenever it happens, it will happen. But it’s been a treat, and just in preseason, the practices, just every day … just bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about and how to prepare every day as a professional.” The Lakers host Minnesota on Tuesday.
Aaron Gordon Signs Long-Term Extension With Nuggets
11:00pm: Gordon’s new deal with the Nuggets is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
7:38pm: The Nuggets and forward Aaron Gordon have agreed on a contract extension, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. The deal will include a player option and a trade kicker, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets.
While Haynes and Charania refer to the contract as a four-year extension, the agreement will actually adding three new years to Gordon’s current contract and will begin in 2026.
Gordon, who is earning a base salary of $22.84MM in 2024/25, will exercise his $22.84MM player option for ’25/26 as part of the agreement, then receive his maximum salary for the next three seasons after that, Charania adds (Twitter link).
Because Gordon is eligible for a 40% raise on his option salary, the extension will start at $31.98MM, with a ’27/28 salary of $34.54MM and a player option worth $37.1MM in ’28/29. The deal will include $103.61MM in total new money over those three seasons, plus incentives that could increase the total value to approximately $109MM.
Gordon is the second Nuggets starter to get a major extension this offseason. Denver locked up point guard Jamal Murray with a four-year, maximum-salary extension in September.
Superstar center Nikola Jokic and forward Michael Porter Jr. are both signed through the 2026/27 season, with Jokic also holding a player option for ’27/28.
The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency in July and were intent on keeping their remaining core intact. Gordon would have remained extension-eligible during the season if he had declined his ’25/26 option as part of an agreement, but had to get the deal done by Monday night in order to pick up that option and extend off that number.
If he had declined his option, Gordon would have eligible for up to $143.3MM on a four-year extension starting in 2025, so the Nuggets managed to get the deal done somewhat lower than that figure. That should help the team better manage its luxury tax situation in ’25/26.
Gordon has proven to be a versatile starter since he was acquired from Orlando during the 2020/21 season, fitting in well with Jokic on offense and providing solid defense on the wing. He has appeared in at least 68 regular season games in each of his three full seasons with Denver. Last season, Gordon averaged 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while struggling with his shooting from deep (29.0%).
And-Ones: Walker, Silver, G League Rules, Cauley-Stein
After getting waived by the Celtics, Lonnie Walker could have a European opportunity if he’s willing to go that route. Real Madrid is targeting the forward, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Real Madrid is also exploring other potential options.
Walker will likely draw some NBA interest after clearing waivers on Monday. Boston let him go mainly due to luxury tax concerns.
As Urbonas notes, reporting to the Maine Celtics to open the season and trying to earn a promotion from the G League back to the NBA is another option for the six-year veteran, who holds career averages of 9.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG. He was the 18th pick of the 2018 draft.
We have more from around the international basketball world:
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that expansion produces side issues that often go unnoticed to the general public, he told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. “It’s one of the reasons why expansion isn’t as obvious as some people might think. There is a point of view that I often encounter that expansion is printing money. It’s not,” Silver said. “First of all, you’re in essence selling equity in the league. To the extent you have new national television deals, you now have two new partners, so you’re dividing up the money by two additional ways. There’s also a dilution of talent. It’s one of the reasons we haven’t expanded anytime recently, because we’ve been working towards creating a more competitive league.”
- The NBA G League is experimenting with several new rules, including a target score for overtimes, according to a league press release. Games that go to overtime will be determined by a final target score of seven points. For example, if the teams are tied at 100-100, the target score would be 107. A one free throw rule, expanded coaches challenges, and not counting missed end-of-quarter “heaves” toward a player’s field goal percentage against are among the other experimental rules.
- Former NBA big man Willie Cauley-Stein has signed with Chinese team Nanjing Monkey Kings, according to HoopsHype. Cauley-Stein had hoped to find another NBA opportunity but that didn’t pan out.
Wizards Re-Sign Jared Butler On Two-Way Deal, Waive Dennis
10:42pm: Butler has officially signed his two-way deal, according to the NBA transactions log.
6:21pm: The Wizards are bringing back free agent guard Jared Butler on a two-way deal, Marc Stein tweets.
Butler was on a standard contract with Washington entering training camp but was cut on Saturday. He cleared waivers on Monday.
It’s not surprising that Butler was brought back by the Wizards, who reportedly explored ways to keep Butler on the 15-man roster. He was on a non-guaranteed contract and the team was already carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed deals. It’s entirely possible Butler will wind up signing another standard contract at some point this season.
To make room for Butler, the Wizards waived guard RayJ Dennis, according to the NBA transactions log.
The 40th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Butler spent time with Utah and Oklahoma City before playing for the Wizards in 2023/24. He was on a two-way contract for most of the season before being converted to a multiyear standard contract in April.
Butler appeared in a total of 40 NBA games last season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per night, with a .488 FG%. He also had a strong preseason this month, with averages of 6.8 PPG and 4.2 APG on .536/.400/.667 shooting in five games (14.3 MPG).
Dennis was just signed to a two-way contract over the weekend. The undrafted Baylor guard averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game across 35 contests last season (all starts).
The Wizards opted to retain Justin Champagnie and Tristan Vukcevic with their other two-way deals.