Northwest Notes: Jones, Johnson, Nuggets, Dosunmu
It’s widely expected that the Nuggets will sign two-way player Spencer Jones to a standard contract once he clears concussion protocol, but there are still hurdles to clear before the move is completed. According to head coach David Adelman, the team and Jones have not yet come to terms on a deal, though that shouldn’t give fans any cause for alarm.
“The negotiation that’s going on there obviously is being slow-played because of (Jones’) concussion,” Adelman said (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports). “The negotiation, I’ve been updated by (vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer) and (executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace), but it’s slow-moving right now. But the concussion thing is real, we’ll probably have more information after the break. Right now, I think it’s just, let’s get him right and then let Ben and Jon and his agency and his people talk.”
Jones has already reached his 50-game limit with the Nuggets as a two-way player, so getting a deal done will be a top priority as the team moves forward into the final stretch of the season.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets have been dealing with injuries all season, and this most recent stretch of games is no exception. That’s why Cameron Johnson‘s return to play is timely, Bennett Durando writes for the Denver Post. Johnson suited up last Saturday against the Bulls in his first action since December 23, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. With Peyton Watson sidelined for at least a month, Aaron Gordon out for multiple weeks with a hamstring strain, and Jones in concussion protocol, Denver’s depth at forward has grown very thin heading into the All-Star break. Johnson feels good physically about his return. “It’s been a lot of time spent trying to get conditioning back up to where it is, and we track a lot of stuff over the course of (the recovery) to be able to come back and play in the mid to high 20s minutes, instead of having to be a lot lower,” the veteran wing said. “Obviously, with any situation, you come back and just try to feel your best. Sometimes, it’s not all the way 100. But I feel good enough to definitely go out there and compete.”
- After converting Jones, the Nuggets will have one more 15-man roster spot to fill, which they will look to do on the buyout market. Durando examines 10 options that could fit Denver’s needs. Lonzo Ball, Tyus Jones, and Chris Paul are all guards Durando thinks could help stabilize the Nuggets’ backcourt depth if they become available, while Khris Middleton, Kyle Anderson, Chris Boucher, Haywood Highsmith, Kevin Love, and Georges Niang could all be useful wings and bigs, especially given the team’s injuries. Durando notes that Love has an existing relationship with Adelman, as they were together in Minnesota in the early 2010s. The team has previously been reported to have some level of interest in Ball.
- The Timberwolves‘ move to trade for soon-to-be restricted free agent Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline filled an immediate need, but the team is hoping that the deal yields returns that last much longer than this season, writes the AP’s Tyler Mason. “We’re certainly hopeful it’s a long-term match,” said team president Tim Connelly. “He wasn’t just identified for the next 30-plus games. He was identified because we think he’s a guy that could be a huge part of our core.”
- Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes that the Timberwolves‘ pivot to Dosunmu came when it was clear that the Bucks were not reciprocating trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo in meaningful ways, and that pulling off the smaller deal helped ease the new ownership’s mind when it came to not wanting to break up the core of Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, and Naz Reid. Krawczynski also writes that Nickeil Alexander-Walker‘s success with the Wolves is a helpful blueprint for Dosunmu and the style he will need to play to help elevate the team in similar ways. Dosunmu, for his part, is ready to compete at a higher level. “I want to be labeled as a guy who plays in the playoffs, a guy who’s a winning player, a guy who does whatever it takes to help the team win,” he said. “So now that I have the opportunity, don’t take it for granted.”
Mavs Owners Have No Plans To Sell
While rumors circulated this week that there was an investor group interested in teaming up with Mavericks minority shareholder Mark Cuban to buy the franchise back from its new owners, it appears that any such efforts may be futile.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line reports (via Twitter) that the Dumont and Adelson families, led by Mavs governor Patrick Dumont, have no intentions of selling the team.
“The Dumont and Adelson families remain fully committed to the Dallas Mavericks’ franchise and to the Dallas community,” Stein’s source close to the Dumont family says (Twitter link). “They remain focused on building a championship organization for the long term.”
Since Monday’s report, Cuban expressed skepticism to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News that the current ownership group would be interested in selling the Mavs after having just bought the team in 2023, though he did confirm that he’s been approached by parties interested in making an attempt.
“I have been contacted by multiple groups and individuals who have interest in buying the Mavs,” Cuban told Townsend. “[But] I don’t know who the report was talking about. … I get asked fairly often if I would be part of a group if they could buy the team. I tell them all the same thing: I don’t see them selling
Townsend confirms Stein’s reporting and notes that the new ownership group has until December 2027 to buy out all but 7% of Cuban’s stake in the team. The Dumont/Adelson group does plan to at least buy some part of Cuban’s remaining 27% stake, Townsend writes, adding that he believes that Dumont is planning to be with the Mavericks for the long term.
Cooper Flagg Diagnosed With Foot Sprain
Cooper Flagg has been diagnosed with a left midfoot sprain, the Mavericks announced (Twitter link). Flagg injured the foot in Tuesday’s game against the Suns and underwent an MRI, which revealed the sprain.
The team notes that Flagg will miss Thursday’s matchup against the Lakers as well as Friday’s Castrol Rising Stars game in All-Star weekend.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Flagg is not expected to miss additional time following the All-Star break.
The star rookie has played in 49 of the Mavericks’ 53 games this season, averaging 20.4 points along with 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 34.1 minutes per game.
Knicks Notes: 15th Man, Anunoby, Diawara, Alvarado, Clarkson
At the trade deadline, the Knicks were able to free up enough room below their second-apron hard cap to sign another player to the roster immediately rather than having to wait until late in the season to do so.
While they’re prohibited from adding a free agent whose pre-waiver salary was $14.1MM or higher, the Knicks can bring in anyone waived by March 1 and still have them be playoff-eligible. With that in mind, The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III breaks down five potential Knicks targets on the buyout market, singling out Chris Boucher, Marvin Bagley III, Haywood Highsmith, Drew Eubanks, and Mason Plumlee.
Edwards views third-string center as one of the remaining holes on the roster, hence the ample big man representation on his list. He also notes that the team could try to add another wing who can guard ball-handlers. Highsmith is one such name, as is Jeremy Sochan, whom he mentions as another player to keep an eye on — his article was published before news broke that the Spurs were waiving Sochan.
Given rumors that the Knicks had checked in on potential deals involving Sochan before the trade deadline, it stands to reason that the versatile defender, who is significantly younger than anyone on Edwards’ list, could be of interest to the team that is thin on bench forwards with size.
We have more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby is missing his fourth straight game tonight with a toenail avulsion on his right foot, and head coach Mike Brown says there’s no clear timeline for his return, per Edwards (via Twitter). Anunoby is considered day-to-day as a result of the injury. The Knicks are 1-2 during his absence heading into Wednesday’s game against the Sixers, having been blown out by the Pistons on Friday and then losing to the Pacers in overtime on Tuesday.
- One player benefiting from the absence of Anunoby is the Knicks’ lone rookie, Mohamed Diawara. While the 51st pick in the 2025 draft has been impressing offensively, he showed out defensively in Boston on Sunday and turned some heads while doing so, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. In that game, he guarded both Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown equally well and was rewarded by the team by being named the defensive player of the game, a tradition the Knicks have started under Brown. “It was tough because they’re both great players, but I was ready to take the challenge to guard them,” Diawara said. “And I was happy the coaches put me on them because that means they think I’m a great defender, and I appreciate it.” Brown noted that it’s the little things Diawara has shown the willingness to do, such as diving on the floor, making the right pass, and defending hard, that have impressed him the most.
- Jose Alvarado called his first game for the Knicks in Madison Square Garden “one for the books,” Dan Martin writes for the New York Post. “Playing for the Knicks is a huge thing, but I’m literally a kid from the same streets the fans are, and to be part of everything here, it’s a blessing,” the newly acquired point guard said. “It’s something I had to get used to and to get it out of the way, let’s get the ball rolling.” It wasn’t Alvarado’s best performance, as he finished with four points and five assists in 18 minutes as the Knicks lost to Indiana, but he believes it helped him calm the nerves related to his much-anticipated homecoming. “I was nervous today, for sure,” he said. “There was a lot going on. I was glad I got it out the way. I can’t wait to come back and get better and win some games here.“
- Jordan Clarkson, who spoke recently about adjusting to his diminished role with the Knicks, took to social media to vent some of those frustrations, Stefan Bondy writes for the Post. “Stop saying my minutes, I never had minutes,” Clarkson wrote in response to someone posting a question about how Collin Sexton would look with Clarkson’s playing time. Clarkson is playing the fewest minutes of his career and has struggled to find consistency, especially with his outside shot.
Joel Embiid To Be Reevaluated After All-Star Break
Joel Embiid will miss Wednesday’s game against the Knicks, the second contest in a row that the Sixers‘ big man is sitting due to right knee soreness, the team announced today (Twitter video link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports).
According to the Sixers, Embiid will be reevaluated following All-Star weekend, which will give him a week to recuperate and hopefully get back to full strength (Twitter link via Marc Stein of the Stein Line).
Neubeck notes that the team doesn’t sound overly concerned about the knee at this point, a sentiment The Athletic’s Tony Jones echoes, calling the move a precautionary one (Twitter link).
“It’s bothering him enough that he’s not playing,” said coach Nick Nurse. “I think it is improving a little bit, it’s just not quite there to get out there tonight.”
After it was unclear how much Embiid would be able to play coming into the season, the former MVP has managed to put together a strong season for the 30-23 Sixers. He has averaged 26.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 31 games this season while playing 31.4 minutes per night, all of which are improvements from his output over 19 games last year.
In Monday’s loss to the Trail Blazers, Andre Drummond assumed command of the starting spot in Embiid’s place, recording 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks, while Adem Bona took the backup center minutes. Jones notes that Bona will start tonight against the Knicks (Twitter link).
Jakob Poeltl To Return Wednesday
Raptors center Jakob Poeltl will return to the court tonight in his first action since December 21 as the team faces off against the Pistons, Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy notes (via Twitter).
Head coach Darko Rajakovic indicated that Poeltl will be on some form of minutes restriction, though it’s not clear what his limit will be. Toronto has prioritized caution with the back issues that have limited the Austrian big man to just 21 games this season; according to Murphy, Poeltl’s main goal is simply to be loose out there and try to play without thinking about the injury.
The lingering back strain has made it difficult for Poeltl to get a rhythm during the time he’s been on the court. He is playing his fewest minutes since the 2019/20 season and scoring at his lowest rate since 2021/22, though he’s managed to be efficient in his time, posting a career-high 69.1% true shooting percentage.
Rookie big man Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili have split much of the starting center responsibilities in Poeltl’s absence, with Mamukelashvili starting 11 games and Murray-Boyles starting 19, including the last 15 games that he’s suited up for.
Murray-Boyles will miss tonight’s game with a thumb injury, and it’s unconfirmed whether Poeltl will step straight back into the starting lineup.
While returning against the East-leading Pistons is no easy feat, Poeltl will not have to go against Detroit’s physical center tandem of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, as both will be serving the first games of their respective suspensions for their involvement in Monday’s brawl against the Hornets.
Celtics Trade Josh Minott To Nets
9:52 pm: The trade is official, according to announcements from the Celtics and the Nets. Brooklyn sent cash to Boston to complete the deal and has formally waived Cam Thomas to make room on the roster for Minott.
The Celtics received $110K from the Nets, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That was the minimum necessary to make the deal legal.
1:15 pm: The Celtics are trading Josh Minott to the Nets, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (Twitter link). According to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), no additional players or draft picks are involved in the deal.
Boston signed Minott last summer to a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a second-year team option. The athletic 6’8″ wing appeared in 33 games for the Celtics this season, including 10 starts, and averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 44.2% from three.
While Minott played reasonably well in Boston, he has been out of the rotation since before Christmas, and moving off his contract will help the Celtics reduce their luxury tax bill or perhaps even get out of the tax entirely, though at least one more move would be necessary to accomplish that.
Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter) points to Xavier Tillman Sr. as a name to keep an eye on if the Celtics are aiming to duck the tax.
[UPDATE: The Celtics have indeed traded Tillman.]
As for the Nets, they’ll use their cap room to absorb Minott’s contract. It’s unclear whether they like him and will make him part of their plans going forward or if they’re being incentivized with cash to take on his remaining salary.
Haywood Highsmith Nearing Return, Drawing Interest
Veteran wing Haywood Highsmith is drawing interest from playoff teams after being waived by the Nets to accommodate their three-team deal that sent Chris Paul to Toronto and Ochai Agbaji to Brooklyn, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Highsmith has yet to play a game this season after he underwent surgery on a torn meniscus in August and experienced a setback in his rehab in October. However, agent Jerry Dianis tells Scotto his client is healthy, is participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages, and was targeting February 11 for his Nets debut prior to being waived.
If fully healthy, Highsmith could provide valuable depth to a playoff team. He’s a career 37.4% three-point shooter and strong defender who broke out with the Heat, with whom he played for four seasons.
Miami traded him to Brooklyn this offseason in what was viewed as a financially motivated deal.
Highsmith will clear waivers on Saturday, at which point he’ll be free to sign with any team except the Heat — a player who is traded and subsequently waived can’t return to the club that traded him away.
Northwest Notes: Henderson, Krejci, Nuggets, Murray
According to Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, third-year guard Scoot Henderson is expected to make his return “very, very soon,” Joe Freeman reports for The Oregonian (Twitter link).
Henderson has missed the entire season to this point with a left hamstring tear, but was recently said to be in the final stages of recovery. While Splitter and the team’s ownership have been wary of putting an exact timeline on when he could make his debut, it sounds like it should happen sooner rather than later.
The third overall pick in the 2023 draft, Henderson holds career averages of 13.3 points and 5.2 assists on 34.0% shooting from three in 27.5 minutes per game. Turnovers have been an issue for him early in his career, though he lowered his giveaways from 3.4 per game as a rookie to 2.7 in his second season.
The Blazers currently hold the ninth seed in the West despite Jrue Holiday only playing 21 of the team’s 49 games. Henderson’s return could help stabilize the point guard rotation while giving Portland more data on the third-year guard, who will be extension-eligible this summer.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Splitter said that he talked to newly-acquired guard Vit Krejci today, Freeman writes (via Twitter). Splitter suggested that – given the current makeup of the Trail Blazers’ roster – Krejci will be a very welcome presence in the rotation. “He’s excited about coming here,” Splitter said. “Great shooter. A guy that doesn’t need many inches to shoot the basketball. And I think we are thirsty for a shooter like him … he’s a player that’s going to help us a lot.” Krejci is a career 40.5% shooter from three and is averaging a career-high 9.0 points per game this season. Portland currently ranks last in the NBA in three-point percentage, hitting just 33.6% as a team.
- The Nuggets aren’t expected to move veterans like Jonas Valanciunas or Cameron Johnson at the trade deadline, writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, who says he would be “shocked” by such a move. Peyton Watson is also presumed to be off-limits, despite the Nuggets’ expected difficulty in retaining him this summer in free agency. Instead, Durando reiterates that Denver’s priorities will likely be getting under the luxury tax and converting two-way forward Spencer Jones into a standard deal. Zeke Nnaji is the player the Nuggets would most like to move, but his guaranteed multiyear salary will make that difficult.
- Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was named to his first All-Star game on Sunday, ending his run as one of the league’s most decorated players without an All-Star appearance. Several around the league felt it was long overdue, Durando writes. “When I saw (the announcement), so many things went through my mind,” coach David Adelman said. “Multiple 50-point games. Multiple 50-point games in the playoffs… Triple-double in the Finals. NBA champion. Most wins in the West over the last 10 years.” Ahead of the team’s matchup with their Western Conference rivals in Oklahoma City, Thunder coach Mark Daignault echoed Adelman’s sentiment. “First of all, congrats to Jamal Murray,” Daigneault said, unprompted. “It’s remarkable he’s never been an All-Star. He’s an All-Star-level player. And very deserving this season.” Murray is the first Nugget All-Star outside of Nikola Jokic since Carmelo Anthony, Durando notes.
Southwest Notes: Poole, Hawkins, Flagg, Durant
Jordan Poole has been benched for the last four games for the Pelicans in favor of a starting lineup of Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, Saddiq Bey, Zion Williamson, and Derik Queen. This move sent rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears to the bench and Poole out of the rotation altogether, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
“Obviously, Poole will stay ready and he’ll be ready to go,” head coach James Borrego said when asked about the veteran guard’s diminished playing time. “(He was) back at it today in practice and so we expect him to stay ready. You never know when your number is going to get called. Everybody who has stepped in for us this year has made an impact. I expect him to do the same.”
Poole has been rumored to be a trade candidate for New Orleans, given his up-and-down play and role with the team since being brought over in a trade with the Wizards in the offseason.
He’s averaging his fewest minutes (25.4), points (14.5), and assists (3.1) per game since 2020/21, his second season in the league. He has started only six games, the fewest of any season of his career.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Jordan Hawkins is probably the Pelicans player most likely to be traded at this year’s deadline, Walker writes. Hawkins, like Poole, has been excised from the rotation of late, having not seen the floor in the last six games. After a promising sophomore campaign in which he averaged 10.8 points in 23.6 minutes per game, the third-year guard has struggled to find a rhythm this season, averaging just 4.3 PPG on .320/.301/.778 shooting splits. Billed as a shooting specialist coming out of UConn, Hawkins has hit just 34.2% of his career threes, but he’s still just 23 years old and could be viewed as a player in need of a change of scenery.
- The Mavericks believe that Cooper Flagg doesn’t get a fair whistle on his drive, and the numbers might back that up, writes Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. Curtis notes that Flagg drives to the rim 11.9 times per game, an equivalent rate as the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards, but gets only 1.8 free throw attempts on those drives, compared to Edwards’ 3.3. “You just gotta play through it,” Flagg said. “It’s not the first time in my life that I probably haven’t gotten calls and it probably won’t be the last.” Coach Jason Kidd had a slightly more less serene take on the matter after Saturday’s loss to the Rockets, lambasting the referees over what he perceived as a missed call on Amen Thompson, as did former owner Mark Cuban. “He’s going to continue to keep going until he hears the whistle,” Kidd said. “There were a lot of fouls missed with this young man. Maybe they just don’t know his game yet, but that’s who he is. He’s going to continue. He’s not going to get discouraged.” The no-call was ultimately upheld by the league in the NBA’s last two-minute report (Twitter video link).
- Kevin Durant will miss the Rockets‘ game on Monday in Indiana with a left ankle sprain, Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter). Durant played 38 minutes in the win over the Mavericks, going 6-of-17 from the field for 13 points. Will Guillory of the Athletic writes that this will be Durant’s first game missed due to injury this season (Twitter link).