Southeast Notes: Young, Ennis, Clifford, Curry
The Hawks brought in a major acquisition ahead of last Thursday’s trade deadline, trading for center Clint Capela in a four-team deal that featured 12 different players.
General manager Travis Schlenk also traded Jabari Parker and Alex Len to Sacramento in exchange for Dewayne Dedmon and a pair of second round-picks, later acquiring Skal Labissiere and cash from Portland for a 2024 second-round pick.
The deals received high praise from observers around the league, none more important than one figure in particular: All-Star point guard Trae Young.
“It’s hard to tell because we haven’t played with each other,” Young said when asked how good this current group of players could be, as relayed by Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “I think once we play with each other well really be able to feel if it’s going good. Everyone wants instant gratification and instantly knowing what’s going to happen and what we should expect, but we really don’t know until we play with each other. I feel like it’s going to be great for us but I don’t really know until we play together.
“I definitely feel like a lot of teams made some good moves, but we are up there with making some of the biggest moves. We got some really good guys and I definitely think we are one of the winners of the trade deadline.”
Atlanta now sports a promising core of Young, Capela, Kevin Huerter and John Collins, along with young talents such as De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish. The one major question remains how far this group could go in the improving Eastern Conference.
“I think we’re right there,” Young said. “I think we’re ready to make that jump.”
Here are some other notes from the Southeast Division:
- Magic forward James Ennis hopes to find some stability with his new team, Luis Torres of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Ennis, a proven six-year NBA veteran, saw his playing time suddenly decrease in Philadelphia and was traded to Orlando in exchange for a second-round pick last week. Ennis consulted with family members and agent Scott Nichols of Rize Management before ultimately waiving his no-trade clause and accepting the trade. “It came down to what was best for me,” Ennis said. “I gave up a lot in the summer to go [back] to Philly so it was time for me to be selfish. When I saw Orlando wanted me, I was like, ‘I’m gonna go there.’ I feel like it’s a good fit.”
- Magic head coach Steve Clifford was fined $25,000 by the NBA for verbally abusing game officials, the league announced in a press release. The incident occurred at the end of the team’s loss in New York last Thursday.
- Mavericks guard Seth Curry would welcome the opportunity to play in his hometown in Charlotte with the Hornets at some point in his career, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer relays. “I’d love to,” Curry said following the team’s win against Charlotte on Saturday. “If the opportunity came about, I would embrace it.” Curry’s contract with Dallas runs through 2023, so he’s expected to remain with the Mavs for the foreseeable future.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/9/20
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pacers have assigned Goga Bitadze to their G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, the team announced. Bitadze was drafted by Indiana with the No. 18 pick last June.
- The Wizards have recalled center Anzejs Pasecniks, guard Gary Payton II and forward Admiral Schofield from the Capital City Go-Go, the team announced on social media.
- The Thunder have recalled guard Deonte Burton and forward Isaiah Roby from the Oklahoma City Blue, general manager Sam Presti announced.
And-Ones: Free Agency, Goodwin, Robinson, Brown
An active 2020 trade deadline has likely watered down the free-agent market this summer, a pattern far from the norm after a combined $4 billion was spent on more than 150 players last July, Bobby Marks of ESPN.com explores.
There were a total of 12 trades within the 48-hour window of the trade deadline this year, with high-profile players such as D’Angelo Russell, Andre Drummond, Andrew Wiggins and Clint Capela switching teams.
As Marks notes, the 2020 free agency class is projected to be mediocre for the most part. The Knicks could have upwards of $50MM to spend (though they’ll likely wait until the following summer for stronger talent), with the Hawks, Pistons, Hornets, Suns, and Heat also set to have north of $20MM.
Beyond Anthony Davis, some of the top unrestricted free agents this summer include Fred VanVleet, Montrezl Harrell, Danilo Gallinari and Serge Ibaka. Drummond ($28.7MM), DeMar DeRozan ($27.7MM) and Evan Fournier ($17MM) all have player options in their contracts, while Brandon Ingram and Bogdan Bogdanovic are set to enter restricted free agency.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Free agent guard Archie Goodwin has signed in Germany with Ratiopharm Ulm, the team announced, as relayed by Sportando. Goodwin, 25, holds NBA experience with the Suns, Pelicans and Nets, most recently playing in Turkey. Goodwin was drafted with the No. 29 overall pick by Oklahoma City back in 2013.
- Former NBA forward Thomas Robinson has signed in Russia with BC Khimki, the team announced on social media. Robinson signed a one-month deal with an extension until the end of the season. The 28-year-old has played for Sacramento, Houston, Portland, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Los Angeles across his professional career, spending time with the Spurs during summer league in 2019.
- Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown has agreed to be the head coach of the Nigerian men’s basketball team, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated (Twitter link). Brown will coach Nigeria during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer, with Nigeria BB president Musa Kida reportedly looking for a high-profile coach that holds NBA experience.
Rockets To Fully Guarantee Fourth Season Of P.J. Tucker’s Contract
The Rockets are planning to fully guarantee the fourth season of P.J. Tucker‘s contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Tucker’s salary of $7.97MM will now be completely guaranteed for the 2020/21 season, with the veteran forward accepting a larger role in Houston’s rotation following the trade deadline last week. Only $2.57MM was originally guaranteed.
Tucker, who turns 35 in May, will likely serve as the Rockets’ starting center going forward as they test a new variation of small-ball. He’s taken the challenging task head-on thus far, holding his ground in the middle despite being only 6-foot-5.
Tucker was drafted 35th overall back in 2006 and has established himself as one of the league’s most physical defenders. He appeared in all 82 games during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons for Houston, averaging 7.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and a career-high 34.9 minutes in 52 contests this year.
Houston has several of its key rotation players under contract with Tucker for next season, including James Harden ($40.8MM), Russell Westbrook ($41MM), Eric Gordon ($16.8MM) and Robert Covington ($12.1MM). The team is 6.5 games out of first place in the West at 33-19.
Darren Collison To Remain Retired
Veteran free agent Darren Collison has decided to remain retired and is no longer considering an NBA comeback this season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Collison had been pondering a return to the court, with both the Clippers and Lakers heavily interested in adding the 32-year-old to their roster. Collison informed teams that the timing for his return simply isn’t right for him, Wojnarowski adds.
Collison last saw action with the Pacers during the 2018/19 season, averaging 11.2 points and six assists in 28.2 minutes per contest. He was seen at Staples Center for the Lakers’ game against Houston on Thursday with owner Jeanie Buss.
Collison holds career averages of 12.5 points, five rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest, spending time with New Orleans, Indiana, Dallas, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Indiana across his 10-year NBA career.
Although he won’t return to the league now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Collison won’t make a comeback down the road, perhaps even as early as this summer, as Sean Deveney of Heavy.com wrote last week.
Cavaliers Sign J.P. Macura, Malik Newman To 10-Day Deals
The Cavaliers have signed guards J.P. Macura and Malik Newman to 10-day contracts, the team announced in a press release.
The transactions bring Cleveland’s total roster count to 17 players, which includes Dean Wade and Matt Mooney on two-way contracts.
Macura, 24, has appeared in 32 games with Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. He’s averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists across those contests, playing 30.1 minutes per game.
Newman, 22, has appeared in 31 contests with Canton this season, holding per-game averages of 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 30.9 minutes. He also spent time with the team during summer league in 2019.
Cleveland was active around the trade deadline last week, trading for star center Andre Drummond while sending Brandon Knight, John Henson and a future second-round pick to Detroit. The team has upcoming games against the Clippers on Sunday and Hawks on Wednesday before the All-Star break.
Macura and Newman will both be eligible to play in three games over the course of their 10-day deals, with Cleveland also visiting Washington the Friday after All-Star Weekend.
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Kawhi, Warriors, Suns
For LeBron James, the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant last Sunday in a helicopter crash provided a powerful reminder of life’s priorities, Ben Golliver of the Washington Post writes.
The crash also took the lives of eight others, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna. James has three children of his own (Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri, all between the ages of five and 15), and the three-time NBA champion was impacted harder than most by the devastating news.
“Seeing Kobe playing the game of basketball for 20 years,” James said, “you know what’s crazy? Out of all the success he had — five rings, MVPs, first-team everything, all-life, all-world, all-basketball — I felt like the last three years were the happiest I’ve ever seen him. Being able to be with his daughters and his family.”
James gave an inspiring speech prior to the Lakers‘ game against Portland on Friday night, speaking from his heart and remembering the lives of each victim. The game also included various performances, decorations and memorabilia to honor the Bryant family.
“What he said was just beautiful. It was strong,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of James’ speech. “It represented who he is and who we are as a team. [That was] definitely the heaviest game I’ve been a part of.”
For the Lakers, it’ll unquestionably be difficult to progress forward this season. However, in James’ mind, basketball remains second on his list of priorities.
“When you punch your clocks and we punch our clocks, when we’re done for the day, make sure you hug the s— out of your family,” James told the media. “If you have kids, tell them you love them. Try to make it to as much as you can, and don’t feel bad if you happen to go to one of your loved one’s events and [that means you] sacrifice your job.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division tonight:
- Kawhi Leonard‘s impressive scoring surge has lifted the Clippers in recent games, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. Leonard has scored 30+ points in his last nine outings, averaging 34.6 points per contest over that span. “Just midseason,” Leonard said. “My teammates are being aggressive. I’m able to get open shots off of their attacks and drives. I’m just able to make shots right now.”
- Anthony Slater of The Athletic previews the trade deadline for the Warriors, including their current mindset, which players could be available via trade, and more. The NBA’s annual deadline falls on Thursday, February 6 this season.
- Gina Mizell of The Athletic examines which players are most likely to be dealt for the Suns, examining the contracts of Aron Baynes, Tyler Johnson and others. Phoenix has had a tumultuous season to date, accruing a 20-29 record through 49 games.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/2/20
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Celtics have recalled Carsen Edwards from their G League affiliate in Maine, announcing the news on social media. Edwards has averaged 3.1 points on 31% shooting through 30 contests this season.
- The Magic have assigned Melvin Frazier Jr. to their G League team in Lakeland, the team announced (Twitter link). Lakeland will play the Erie BayHawks on Monday.
Northwest Notes: Porter Jr., Blazers, Nuggets, Conley
For Michael Porter Jr., focusing on the postseason is significantly more important than being snubbed from the Rising Stars Challenge this past week, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes.
“He knows I deserve to be a Rising Star, be in that game, but I’m gonna be playing in the playoffs, and that’s worth a lot more to me than playing in that game,” Porter said, mentioning that he sent coach Mike Malone a lengthy text after the Rising Stars rosters were announced. “So I’m just gonna keep working, get my rest during that All-Star break and be ready for that second half of the season.”
As noted by Singer, six of the 10 players selected to the annual game for the United States are currently out of the playoffs. Porter has given consistent production in his first NBA season, averaging eight points, 4.4 rebounds and 14.3 minutes through 39 contests.
“I’ll use it as motivation, but I don’t really try to play the game out of anger,” Porter said. “Like I’m not going to go out there and be mad I didn’t make it, so try to go score a bunch of points. Like I just go out there and try to play the game that I love. To not get picked, it definitely adds some fuel to the fire. It is what it is. Man, that’s other people’s decision.”
The Nuggets currently have a 34-16 record through the season’s first 50 games, good for the third-best record in the Western Conference. Porter missed the team’s game against Detroit on Sunday due to an ankle injury, with Denver losing in overtime 128-123.
Here are some other notes from the Northwest Division:
- Trail Blazers president Neil Olshey should take the week off and not make any monumental changes to his team, Jason Quick of The Athletic opines. Portland has been red hot over the past 1-to-2 weeks, led by Damian Lillard‘s incredible production (48.8 points per game in his last six contests). The team has won four straight games and is 7-3 in it’s last 10 outings. “I think it’s definitely a conversation,” Lillard said when asked if this group needs to be kept together to continue its momentum, according to Quick. “We are moving, and it’s against good teams. Golden State, Indiana, Houston, Lakers, Utah … I mean, good wins, so there’s something to be said about it.”
- Nick Kosmider of The Athletic explores various trades the Nuggets could consider ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, labeling Jrue Holiday, Robert Covington and others as potential targets. Denver is 34-16 and sports one of the league’s best offenses.
- The Jazz shuffled their lineup against Portland on Saturday, choosing to start Mike Conley at point guard and bring Royce O’Neale off the bench, ESPN’s Tim McMahon writes. Utah thrived off a Mitchell-O’Neale-Ingles-Bogdanovic-Gobert starting lineup without Conley, who missed several games due to a hamstring strain. “I know how frustrated he’s been because he’s wanted to play,” coach Quin Snyder said. “You hear about someone’s character, and until you go through things with them and you see how they react to that adversity … that’s what he’s demonstrated in my mind.”
Rockets Shopping Clint Capela
The Rockets are engaged with multiple teams on possible trades involving center Clint Capela, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The NBA’s annual trade deadline will arrive on Thursday, February 6.
Houston has discussed packages centered around Capela with several Eastern Conference clubs, Wojnarowski notes. The Hawks are among those clubs, with a few multi-team trade scenarios also reportedly in play between now and Thursday.
[RELATED: Hawks among teams with interest in Clint Capela]
The Rockets have centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Tyson Chandler behind Capela, with the team currently sitting fifth in the West at 31-18. Capela, who will make $16.5MM this season, is also under contract for next season ($17.5MM), 2021/22 ($18.5MM), and 2022/23 ($19.6MM).
In talks around the league, the Rockets are expressing that they’d like to acquire a wing and center if they move Capela this week, according to Wojnarowski. The team could also acquire draft compensation for the big man, which would likely be flipped for a wing player.
Capela, 25, is in his sixth season with the Rockets. He’s expected to be one of the most sought-after players ahead of the trade deadline, averaging 13.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks through 39 games this season.