Taurean Prince Undergoes Arthroscopic Ankle Surgery
Cavaliers forward Taurean Prince has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, the team announced today in a press release. The procedure took place on Tuesday in New York.
Prince had been experiencing ongoing discomfort in his left ankle for several weeks, and there had long been an expectation that he’d undergo surgery during the offseason. However, as was reported last week, he and the team opted to move up that procedure, completing it before the end of the 2020/21 season.
The Cavaliers didn’t provide a specific timeline for Prince’s recovery, simply stating that he has been ruled out indefinitely. It’s safe to assume his season is over and that he’ll aim to be ready by the fall, but the club says his return to basketball activities will be updated as appropriate.
Prince, who started the season in Brooklyn, was sent to Cleveland in the four-team James Harden trade in January. He has appeared in a total of 41 games for the Nets and Cavs this season, averaging 9.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG with a very solid .400 3PT% in 22.1 minutes per contest.
Prince will be entering a contract year in 2021/22 — his expiring $13MM salary could make him a trade candidate either in the offseason or at next year’s deadline.
2020/21 NBA Reverse Standings Update
Throughout the 2020/21 NBA season, Hoops Rumors is maintaining a feature that allows you to keep an eye on the tentative 2021 draft order. Our 2020/21 Reverse Standings tool, which lists the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, is updated daily to reflect the outcomes of the previous night’s games.
Our Reverse Standings are essentially a reflection of what 2021’s draft order would look like with no changes to lottery position. We’ve noted each club’s odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick, based on the league’s current lottery format.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Draft Lottery]
In instances where two non-playoff teams or two playoff teams have identical records, the order in our standings isn’t necessarily definitive — for draft purposes, the NBA breaks ties via random drawings, so those drawings would happen at the end of the year.
Of course, the 14 non-playoff teams all draft before the 16 playoff teams, even if some non-playoff teams have better records than those that made the postseason. Our reverse standings account for playoff seeding, though for now they assume that the Nos. 7 and 8 teams in each conference will earn those final two postseason spots. Since the NBA’s new play-in format opens the door for the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds to sneak into the postseason, we may have to account for a little movement in the draft order at season’s end.
Traded first-round picks are included via footnotes. For example, the note next to Portland’s pick says the Trail Blazers will send their pick to the Rockets if it’s not in the top 14. As of today, the Blazers’ pick projects to be 19th, meaning Houston would receive it.
Those same Rockets are currently in the driver’s seat at the “top” of our reverse standings — their current 4-37 run has dropped their overall record to 15-47, giving them a comfortable 3.5-game “lead” over the league’s next-worst teams, the Magic (18-43) and Timberwolves (19-44).
The league’s bottom three teams will all have an equal chance at the No. 1 overall pick (14.0%) and a top-four selection (52.1%), and the Rockets and Wolves will be especially invested in claiming one of those top lottery positions. Minnesota will send its first-round pick to Golden State if it falls outside of the top three, while Houston will have to swap its own pick for a lesser first-rounder (Miami’s) if it lands outside of the top four.
The Thunder, currently fifth in the lottery standings at 21-41, will also be worth watching closely on lottery night, since they control that Miami pick and the potential Rockets swap. The Thunder’s dream scenario would be moving into the top four themselves, bumping out Houston and claiming a pair of top-five picks.
Our Reverse Standings tracker can be found at anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” on our desktop site, or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu. It’s a great resource not just for monitoring a team’s draft position, but also for keeping an eye on whether or not traded picks with protections will be changing hands in 2021. So be sure to check back often as the season progresses!
Note: Mobile users are advised to turn their phones sideways when viewing the Reverse Standings in order to see team records and lottery odds.
Eastern Notes: Love, Hornets, Clifford, Bulls
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love apologized to his team after committing a turnover out of frustration during Monday night’s game that led to an easy Raptors three-pointer, writes Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Love, who was upset about a non-call, angrily swatted at the ball when a referee threw it to him to inbound — that swat put the ball in play, where it was snatched up by Raptors forward Stanley Johnson, leading to a Malachi Flynn three (video link).
It was a childish outburst from a player who is ostensibly one of the Cavaliers’ veteran leaders, contends Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. According to Haynes, the club intends to handle the matter internally and may fine Love, though Jason Lloyd of The Athletic suggests a one-game suspension might be a more appropriate penalty.
Haynes writes that the incident – which isn’t the first time that the former All-Star has expressed frustration with his in-game actions – will lead to questions about whether Love’s time in Cleveland may come to an end this offseason, and Lloyd also wonders if the two sides should discuss parting ways. However, Love still has two years left on his contract after this season, and the $60MM in guaranteed money left on that deal will make it challenging for the Cavaliers to find a favorable trade.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- In his latest mailbag, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer considers what the Hornets‘ starting lineup and rotation would look like if the team is able to get LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and Malik Monk back healthy by the end of the regular season. Bonnell thinks P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges, and Terry Rozier would be the starters alongside Ball and Hayward, with Monk, Devonte’ Graham, and Cody Martin among those first off the bench.
- Magic head coach Steve Clifford remains in the NBA’s health and safety protocols and isn’t traveling with the club to Cleveland for Wednesday’s game, tweets Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel. Clifford is still asymptomatic and feeling good after registering a positive test for COVID-19.
- While it’s safe to say Nikola Vucevic will be with the Bulls next season, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic is curious what the team’s plans are going forward for other key frontcourt players like Lauri Markkanen, Daniel Theis, and Thaddeus Young. Markkanen will be a restricted free agent this summer, while Theis will be unrestricted and Young will be entering a contract year.
Pelicans Sign Didi Louzada To Multiyear Contract
The Pelicans have officially signed draft-and-stash prospect Didi Louzada to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release.
A report earlier in the month indicated that the two sides were finalizing a deal, so this move was expected. Will Guillory of The Athletic said last week that Louzada’s first NBA contract is expected to be a two-year deal, though that’s not yet confirmed.
Louzada, who most recently played in Australia with the Sydney Kings, was the No. 35 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. The Brazilian guard averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 20 contests (24.1 MPG) with Sydney this season, shooting 39.1% from the field and 26.4% from behind the arc.
The Pelicans had been carrying 13 players on their 15-man roster since Isaiah Thomas‘ 10-day contract expired on April 13. Because teams are only permitted to dip below 14 players on standard deals for up to two weeks at a time, today was the deadline for New Orleans to re-add a 14th man. The club still has one open roster spot.
Cam Reddish Out For Rest Of Regular Season
Hawks forward Cam Reddish, who is dealing with right Achilles soreness, has progressed to running and dynamic foot contacts every other day, according to the team, which announced today in a press release that he’s also doing capacity-building strength work four or five days a week.
Reddish will be re-evaluated during the week of May 16 and his status will be updated as appropriate, the Hawks said in their statement. Since May 16 is the last day of the 2020/21 regular season, Reddish won’t be back until the playoffs — if he returns at all this season.
The 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Reddish was a key contributor for Atlanta earlier in the year, starting 21 of his 26 games and averaging 11.2 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 28.8 minutes per contest. However, he has been sidelined for over two months, having last played on February 21.
While Reddish remains an important part of the Hawks’ long-term plans, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be a part of the team’s regular postseason rotation if and when he returns, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The 21-year-old would have plenty of rust to shake off and would likely be on a minutes restriction, Kirschner notes.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 4/27/2021
Hoops Rumors’ weekly live chat has now concluded.
Click here to read today’s chat transcript. And if you have questions about the NBA’s playoff race, the upcoming offseason, roster moves, the salary cap, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, or anything else related to the NBA, be sure to join us each Tuesday at noon central time for our live chats!
Poll: Which Team Will Represent West In 2021 NBA Finals?
On Monday, we asked which team you expect to win the Eastern Conference in 2021. As of this writing, the Nets have received about 40% of the vote, easily besting the runner-up Bucks (23%). Those results aren’t surprising — the oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag have made Brooklyn the clear favorite to win the conference and represent the East in this year’s NBA Finals.
In the West, however, there’s not really a clear frontrunner. The defending-champion Lakers (36-25) still have the best odds, per BetOnline, but L.A. has only won eight of its last 20 games, having had to play for several weeks without injured stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
While Davis is back now and James should be soon, the Lakers have slipped to fifth in the Western standings, four games back of the fourth-seeded Nuggets. That means their path to the Finals could involve road series against Denver, Utah, and either the Suns or Clippers. That won’t be an easy road, even if AD and LeBron stay healthy and look like their usual selves.
The Clippers (43-20) and Jazz (44-17) are considered the next-best bets to win the West. After a disappointing showing in the 2020 postseason, the Clips should be a tougher out in 2021. Kawhi Leonard is a two-time Finals MVP, Paul George has played some of his best basketball in recent weeks (30.2 PPG on .503/.427/.920 shooting in his last nine games), and Rajon Rondo has been a perfect fit in the team’s rotation so far.
Utah, meanwhile, owns the NBA’s best record, led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert, leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, and a pair of Sixth Man of the Year contenders (Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles). The Jazz lack a superstar wing like LeBron or Kawhi, but this is a deep, talented club that is capable of winning multiple playoff series.
The Suns (43-18) are currently the No. 2 seed in the West, and while they haven’t made the postseason since 2010, they’ve proven this season that they can hang with the NBA’s top teams. Their duo of Chris Paul and Devin Booker has been the conference’s best backcourt this season, complemented by key role players like Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Jae Crowder.
The Nuggets, unfortunately, look like far less of a threat to make the Finals without Jamal Murray (torn ACL) available. But they’ve only lost once in seven games since Murray went down, as MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic has kept rolling and Michael Porter Jr. (25.7 PPG on .591/.544/.826 shooting in his last seven games) has stepped up to fill the scoring void that Murray’s injury created.
Some teams outside of the West’s top five, including the Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Warriors, could make some noise in the playoffs if their respective stars get hot at the right time, but none is better than a 25-to-1 shot to come out of the West this season, according to BetOnline.
What do you think? Will the Lakers repeat as Western champs, or will a team with home court advantage get the best of them? Which team do you expect will represent the West in the 2021 NBA Finals?
Which team will win the West in 2021?
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Phoenix Suns 31% (536)
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Los Angeles Lakers 28% (490)
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Utah Jazz 16% (276)
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Los Angeles Clippers 15% (251)
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Denver Nuggets 7% (113)
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Another team 3% (55)
Total votes: 1,721
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Magic Sign Moritz Wagner, Cut Robert Franks
9:40am: The Magic have officially signed Wagner, the team announced in a press release. Franks has been released early from his 10-day contract in order to open up the necessary roster spot.
9:00am: The Magic have agreed to sign free agent big man Moritz Wagner, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). It’ll be a standard contract for Wagner rather than a 10-day deal, Wojnarowski adds.
Wagner, who turned 24 on Monday, has already played for three teams since being selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He spent his rookie year with the Lakers, was traded to the Wizards in the three-team Anthony Davis blockbuster in 2019, then was flipped to the Celtics at this year’s deadline in a three-team deal that also involved the Bulls. Boston subsequently waived Wagner.
A 6’11” forward/center, Wagner has averaged 6.5 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 122 career games (14.1 MPG) as a pro. While the German has some potential as a floor-stretching big man, his three-point shot has been unreliable since he entered the NBA — he has made just 30.2% of his outside attempts.
Having shifted into rebuilding mode, the Magic will see what they can get out of Wagner down the stretch as he presumably auditions for a spot on next year’s roster. It’s not clear yet whether or not Wagner’s deal with the Magic will cover multiple seasons, but even if it’s just a rest-of-season pact, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.
Orlando doesn’t currently have an open 15-man roster spot, but has two players on 10-day deals. As we noted earlier today, Robert Franks‘ and Donta Hall‘s 10-day contracts run through Saturday and Sunday, respectively. If the Magic want to officially sign Wagner before this weekend, they could terminate one of those two contracts early (the player would still be paid for 10 days of service).
Checking In On Active 10-Day Contracts
Since the NBA’s 10-day signing window for the 2020/21 season officially opened in February, a total of 54 separate 10-day deals have been finalized. Many of those signings have be completed since the trade deadline passed a month ago — 36 10-day contracts have been signed in April alone.
With so much action on the 10-day market, we’re taking a little time today to check in on the 10-day deals that are still active, exploring which of those players are eligible for additional 10-day contracts and which teams are still shuttling players in and out of their back-end roster spots.
Here, with the help of our 10-day tracker and our roster counts page, are the players on active 10-day deals:
Players on their first 10-day contracts:
- Los Angeles Clippers: Yogi Ferrell (runs through 4/28)
- Denver Nuggets: Austin Rivers (runs through 4/29)
- Brooklyn Nets: Mike James (runs through 5/2)
- New York Knicks: Jared Harper (runs through 5/2)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Charlie Brown (runs through 5/4)
These players will all be eligible for a second 10-day contract once their current deals expire. In the case of Brown, it’s possible the Thunder would just sign him to a rest-of-season deal if they’re comfortable keeping him around, since a second 10-day deal would run through at least May 14. The regular season ends on May 16.
Players on their second 10-day contracts:
- Toronto Raptors: Freddie Gillespie (runs through 4/27)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (runs through 4/27)
- Golden State Warriors: Gary Payton II (runs through 4/28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Mfiondu Kabengele (runs through 4/30)
- Orlando Magic: Robert Franks (runs through 5/1)
- Update: Franks’ 10-day deal has been terminated early by the Magic.
- Philadelphia 76ers: Anthony Tolliver (runs through 5/1)
- Orlando Magic: Donta Hall (runs through 5/2)
These players won’t be eligible for a new 10-day contract when their current deals expire, since a player can’t sign three 10-day deals with the same team in a single season. It’s a safe bet that some of these players will receive rest-of-season contracts though — I’d be shocked if the Raptors let Gillespie get away, for instance.
Any team here that opts not to re-sign a player to a rest-of-season contract would open up a roster spot, which could be used on another 10-day trial before the regular season ends. Golden State and Portland are carrying just 14 players at the moment, so they’d have each two open roster spots if they don’t re-sign Payton and Hollis-Jefferson, respectively.
There are a handful of other teams that could still take advantage of the 10-day contract before the end of the season. The Heat, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Kings, Spurs, and Wizards all have at least one open roster spot.
The Heat and Pelicans are right up against the luxury tax line and may be done with 10-days for the season, preferring rest-of-season commitments if and when they fill their roster openings. The Wolves, Spurs, and Wizards may end up going that route too, but for now they’re still decent candidates for 10-day signings.
The Kings, meanwhile, had Damian Jones on a pair of 10-day contracts before his second deal expired on Monday night. Head coach Luke Walton spoke positively about Jones’ contributions to the team, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter), so the veteran center could end up getting a rest-of-season contract. If so, Sacramento would have a full roster and would likely be done with 10-days for the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Rumors: Offseason, Randle, Toppin, Powell
The Knicks took a patient approach to the 2020 offseason, opting not to pursue impact players like Russell Westbrook via trade or Fred VanVleet via free agency, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, and that approach has paid off so far this season. Many of the lower-cost veterans New York did add, including Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, have played key roles on a team that is currently 34-27, fourth in the East.
Given this year’s success, there will be a “cohort” of New York’s front office eager to push to add more impactful talent during the 2021 offseason, Fischer writes.
“Now the goal posts have been moved,” a person with knowledge of the situation told Bleacher Report. “Thibs (head coach Tom Thibodeau) isn’t going to want to rebuild. He has a lot of power, and there’s some momentum.”
While Thibodeau and other Knicks decision-makers may want to be aggressive in free agency, the club could again opt to take more of a middle ground, according to Fischer. One potential route would be re-signing Burks and Noel to one-year contracts and attempting to add an impact outside free agent, such as Kyle Lowry, on a short-term deal. Fischer hears that Lowry is expected to seek a multiyear commitment, but perhaps a lucrative one-year offer from the Knicks could entice him.
Fischer’s deep dive into the Knicks’ present and future includes many more interesting tidbits. Here are some highlights:
- There’s some skepticism around the NBA that Julius Randle‘s increased three-point efficiency is sustainable (he’s making 41.6% this season after entering the season as a 29.5% three-point shooter). And Fischer says the Knicks did, at least briefly, consider the possibility of trading Randle earlier this season when his value was on the rise. However, he hasn’t tailed off at all after his hot start. “Everyone knew Randle was a good player, but nobody thought he could be the best player on a playoff team,” one assistant GM told Fischer. “Now I’d vote for him second-team All-NBA, and there’s no question he should be Most Improved.”
- Given Randle’s success this season, that assistant GM who spoke to Fischer wondered how much the Knicks’ enthusiasm for Obi Toppin – who plays the same position as Randle – might have waned in recent months. “You can’t really play him and Randle together,” the assistant GM said, speculating that the rookie could become a trade candidate. “There’s no runway for him to be successful there.”
- The Knicks’ play this season has increased the appeal of the organization as a free agent destination in the eyes of agents, Fischer writes. “If you wanted to be part of a good organization and win, you couldn’t possibly send anyone there (before this year). And that’s changed with Thibs and (assistant coach) Kenny (Payne),” one agent said to Bleacher Report. “Even in the draft, if we had someone who wanted to go there and was maybe an immature kid and needed good people around them to grow them as a pro, you couldn’t send him there.”
- Fischer reiterates that Lonzo Ball, a restricted free agent this summer, has some big fans within the Knicks’ front office, and reports that Norman Powell is another free-agent-to-be who may draw interest from the club. Thibodeau is known to like Powell, sources tell Fischer.