Dion Waiters To Work Out For Lakers On Monday
MARCH 1: In addition to meeting with Waiters, the Lakers will also work him out on Monday in Los Angeles, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
The Lakers, who waived Daniels on Sunday, now have an open 15-man roster spot, but the team won’t be in a rush to fill it, according to ESPN. Although Woj and McMenamin suggest that Waiters will be one candidate for that roster opening, the ESPN duo notes that the Lakers will go through a “significant vetting process” with the veteran guard after his turbulent year in Miami.
FEBRUARY 26: The Lakers have a meeting scheduled with free agent guard Dion Waiters for March 2, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (relayed by Marc Stein of The New York Times on Twitter).
After being traded by the Heat and then waived by the Grizzlies earlier this month, Waiters has been on the open market, free to sign with any team except Miami. In the wake of his release, a report indicated that Waiters was expected to have “exploratory” discussions with the Lakers.
As we noted on Monday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested earlier this week that Waiters and the Lakers had already met, but that may have been more of a touching-base conversation then a full-fledged meeting. Windhorst added that the team would likely want to bring the 28-year-old in for a workout to “see what kind of condition he’s in.”
Waiters, who averaged 14.0 PPG and 3.6 APG in 120 games (28.7 MPG) during his first three seasons in Miami, barely played for the Heat this season, appearing in just three games. He fell out of favor with the club, serving three separate suspensions for violating team rules before being traded to Memphis.
Still, the Lakers are said to be in the market for a play-making perimeter scorer and Waiters could fit that bill. Of course, it’s worth noting fact that their meeting is set for March 2. Since March 1 represents the deadline for players to be waived and retain their postseason eligibility, the Lakers will know by next Monday whether there are other players on the buyout market who would be more favorable options than Waiters.
If the Lakers sign Waiters or another free agent, they’ll have to release someone from their 15-man roster. Troy Daniels and Quinn Cook would probably be the club’s most likely release candidates.
Northwest Notes: Russell, Johnson, SGA, MPJ
The Timberwolves were hit with a $25K fine by the NBA on Thursday for violating the league’s resting policy when they sat D’Angelo Russell a week ago despite D-Lo being considered a healthy player. Following that decision, the Wolves faced accusations of tanking, but president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas insists that’s not the case, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes.
“I wouldn’t say it gets under my skin, but it’s just disappointing when you don’t have all the facts,” Rosas said of claims that the Timberwolves are tanking. “The reality is if individuals knew what was going on behind the scenes, how hard our coaches are working, our players are working — that’s the disappointing part because I think it’s disrespectful to them and what they’re putting in.
“… The side effects (of the Timberwolves’ midseason roster overhaul) unfortunately for Coach (Ryan Saunders) and his staff is you have nine players from three different programs, three different philosophies that are coming here and learning on the fly what we’re trying to do,” Rosas continued. “When you’re playing good teams like we’re playing, you get exposed. That’s the stage we’re at. But to say we’re not focused day in, day out on winning? That’s false and inaccurate.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- While he was hardly the biggest name of the players acquired by the Timberwolves at the deadline, James Johnson has quickly emerged as a team leader in Minnesota, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “If James told me to jump off a cliff I would do it yesterday,” Josh Okogie said of his new teammate. “He’s been great for us, and we’ve been following his lead.”
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s breakout year and budding stardom is giving the Thunder plenty to think about as they contemplate a potential rebuild, writes ESPN’s Royce Young. If Gilgeous-Alexander has All-NBA upside, it likely reduces the odds of the team fully bottoming out in the next couple seasons.
- Nick Kosmider of The Athletic attempts to make sense of Michael Porter Jr.‘s reduced playing time for the Nuggets, arguing that it’s time to let the second-year forward reclaim a more impactful role.
Lakers Waive Troy Daniels
5:58pm: The Lakers have officially waived Daniels, the team announced in a press release.
5:35pm: The Lakers are releasing veteran guard Troy Daniels, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Wojnarowski, the two sides had been working on an agreement that would give Daniels a chance to find an opportunity with a new team, with the Lakers opening up a spot on their 15-man roster. Head coach Frank Vogel, confirming the move, said that releasing Daniels was a “very, very tough decision” for the Lakers, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).
“(Lakers executives) Rob (Pelinka) and Kurt (Rambis) were fantastic in giving Troy optionality based upon all the scenarios that could play out in the coming weeks,” Bartelstein told Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Daniels signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Los Angeles last summer and played a modest role for the club this season, averaging 4.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG on .392/.357/.625 shooting in 41 games (11.1 MPG). The 28-year-old was considered a strong locker-room presence, but wasn’t part of the Lakers’ rotation as of late, having logged just 10 minutes in the team’s last six games, including four DNP-CDs.
March 1 is the last day that a player can be waived and retain his postseason eligibility. Since he’s being released today, Daniels can still participate in the playoffs if he signs with a new team between the time he clears waivers and the end of the regular season.
As for the Lakers, Vogel said today that they don’t have any specific player lined up for their newly-opened roster spot, per Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Having an opening on the 15-man roster will give the team some options going forward though. Our look at the 2020 buyout market includes a few names that may be of interest to the Lakers.
Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter) that L.A. still intends to meet with Dion Waiters this week, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be the one replacing Daniels on the roster. Woj suggests Pelinka will be patient, since the Lakers may want to retain their roster flexibility in case an injury occurs down the stretch.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Injury Notes: Doncic, Isaac, Holmes, Bowman
While Mavericks guard Luka Doncic seems to be over the ankle issues that bothered him earlier in the season, he’s missing Sunday’s game vs. Minnesota with a new injury — a left thumb sprain. Doncic played through the injury on Friday, but struggled to work around it, per an ESPN report.
“I didn’t know how important the thumb was to hold the ball,” Doncic said on Friday. “It was tough. … I wasn’t myself today. Just have to learn from that and move on.”
Head coach Rick Carlisle said that he’s not sure about Doncic’s status for Monday’s game against Chicago.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Although Jonathan Isaac has started doing some rehab work with the Magic, there’s only an outside chance of him playing this spring, according to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com, who says that Isaac’s knee injury is still expected to keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the season.
- Kings center Richaun Holmes, who hasn’t played since January 6 due to a shoulder injury, is getting closer to being able to take full contact, and hopes to resume practicing with the team this week, the team announced today in a press release.
- Warriors guard Ky Bowman, who is currently on the shelf with a sprained right ankle, will be monitored for the next few days before the team provides another update, per a press release.
- It’s not an injury, but Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein is missing his fourth consecutive game for personal reasons today. According to Dwain Price of Mavs.com (Twitter link), Rick Carlisle expects the big man to return to Dallas’ active roster on Monday. “We’ll try to get him prepared to play some minutes if needed tomorrow,” the Mavs’ head coach said of Cauley-Stein.
J.J. Redick Out At Least Two Weeks With Hamstring Strain
After leaving Friday’s game with a leg injury, Pelicans guard J.J. Redick has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain, the team announced today in a press release. According to the Pelicans, Redick will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Redick, 35, has been a key contributor in his first season in New Orleans, averaging 14.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.0 APG in 54 games (26.4 MPG). The veteran sharpshooter has been his usual effective self from beyond the arc, knocking down 2.9 three-pointers per game at a 45.2% rate.
The Pelicans lost one of their top outside threats, Darius Miller, to a season-ending Achilles tear before the regular season began, but have still been one of the league’s most dangerous three-point-shooting teams in 2019/20. They currently rank third in both threes per game (14.1) and 3PT% (.375). However, Redick is the team leader in both categories and New Orleans will miss his floor spacing.
In Redick’s absence, E’Twaun Moore figures to take on a larger role, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker has a chance to earn some rotation minutes again. Jrue Holiday and Josh Hart will likely be leaned on heavily by the Pelicans too as the club continues its push for a playoff spot.
Playoff Teams With Open Roster Spots
Sunday is March 1, which is the last day that a player can be waived and retain his postseason eligibility for a new team. Although we haven’t heard many buyout rumors this week – beyond a small update on Evan Turner – it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a couple more veterans hit the waiver wire by Sunday night and become free agents next week.
Any team can sign a free agent between now and the end of the season, but teams with open roster spots have a cleaner path to doing so. And those teams are worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks, since even if no appealing targets emerge on the buyout market, those roster spots will likely be filled at some point.
During the regular season, there are benefits to carrying 14 – or even 13 – players for long stretches, particularly for healthy teams with luxury-tax concerns. But when the postseason rolls around, there’s little downside to filling the entire roster, even if it just means adding a 15th man during the final week (or day) of the season.
With that in mind, here are the teams in the top eight in each conference that still have at least one open spot on their 15-man rosters and seem likely to sign a player between now and April 15:
Playoff teams with an open roster spot:
- Denver Nuggets
- Houston Rockets
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Memphis Grizzlies *
- Oklahoma City Thunder
The Rockets are only on this list due to a technicality — Jeff Green‘s 10-day contract expired last night and he hasn’t yet officially signed his rest-of-season deal with the team. Once he does, Houston will have a full 15-man roster.
The other teams are worth keeping an eye on though. I’d guess the Thunder will save their 15th roster spot for two-way player Luguentz Dort, but the Nuggets and Clippers don’t have obvious internal candidates for promotions, so they could target a veteran free agent if they want to add a little more depth.
* As for the Grizzlies, they technically have a full 15-man roster for the time being, but Jarrod Uthoff is on a 10-day contract, so he could be replaced after it expires next weekend.
Playoff contenders with at least one open roster spot:
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
Of the teams within five games of a playoff spot, these are the ones with roster openings. The Trail Blazers have tax concerns and may not add a 15th man, but the Suns and Spurs are candidates to do so. Phoenix, in particular, is reportedly keeping an eye on the free agent market in the wake of Kelly Oubre‘s knee injury.
For a full breakdown of the current NBA roster counts, be sure to check out our tracker.
And-Ones: P. Gasol, Player Options, 2020 Draft
Veteran big man Pau Gasol suggested earlier this month that he hopes to get healthy in time to represent Spain in the 2020 Olympics, and that he hasn’t given up on the possibility of an NBA comeback. Gasol, who will turn 40 in July, recently reiterated that point to Spain’s Agencia Efe, as relayed by Eurohoops.
“I understand that sooner or later, whether this summer, next season or another, my retirement is inevitable,” Gasol said. “I hope that the foot recovers so that it can allow me to play a little more. We will see how much more. Enjoy one last season.”
Gasol’s foot issues limited him to 30 games in 2018/19 and sidelined him altogether in 2019/20 before he was waived by Portland. At this point, a return to the NBA seems unlikely, but it would be great to see Gasol get healthy and get a farewell season in 2020/21.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes an early look at this summer’s player option decisions, projecting which players are locks to opt in or out, and which decisions will end up being a little trickier. Gozlan singles out Mike Conley, Andre Drummond, and DeMar DeRozan as complicated cases, since they won’t match their 2020/21 option salaries if they opt out, but they could earn more total money on new multiyear deals.
- Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) takes a look at some draft-related storylines to watch over the next month in the NCAA, including the final games of Anthony Edwards‘ college career, Isaac Okoro‘s draft stock, and the logjam of first-round point guard prospects.
- Speaking of Edwards, the Georgia guard remains atop Sam Vecenie’s 2020 draft big board at The Athletic. LaMelo Ball, Deni Avdija, James Wiseman, and Killian Hayes round out Vecenie’s top five.
Robert Williams Cleared To Return For Celtics
Celtics center Robert Williams, who has been sidelined since December 6 due to a hip injury, has been cleared to return to action, head coach Brad Stevens confirmed today (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe).
Williams, a first-round pick in 2018, was playing a part-time role for Boston earlier in the season before he went down with the hip ailment, averaging 3.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 19 games (14.2 MPG).
The 22-year-old will play limited minutes for now, as Washburn notes, but he’ll give the C’s another option up front to go along with centers Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter. Boston’s next game is on Saturday night vs. Houston, which may not be an ideal spot for a big man like Williams to see much playing time, but it sounds like he should be active for that contest.
Meanwhile, point guard Kemba Walker is expected to miss Saturday’s game against the Rockets as he continues to deal with a knee injury, Stevens said today (Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston). It will be the fifth straight game Walker has missed since the All-Star break.
However, the All-Star guard will likely ramp up his work over the weekend with an eye toward returning next week, Stevens added. It sounds as if a return on Tuesday vs. Brooklyn or on Wednesday in Cleveland remains in play for Walker.
Poll: Which Western Team Will Claim No. 8 Seed?
After moving to two games above .500 for the first time this season heading into the All-Star break, the Grizzlies lost four consecutive games on a post-All-Star road trip and now hold a 28-30 record. They still have the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, according to Tankathon.com, and they’re missing two of their most important rotation players, as Jaren Jackson and Brandon Clarke are both sidelined with injuries.
It all points to a team that looks vulnerable to losing its hold on the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Especially since there are five challengers within 4.5 games of Memphis in the standings, ready to make a run at that eighth seed.
So far though, none of those challengers has gotten on the sort of run that really closes the gap with the Grizzlies. The closest current threats are the Trail Blazers (26-34) and Pelicans (25-33), who are each three games back of the No. 8 spot.
Portland lost its star player, Damian Lillard, to a groin injury at an inopportune time, and has dropped five of its last six games, but the All-Star guard could be back by early next week and the Blazers have the NBA’s third-easiest schedule the rest of the way, per Tankathon. Lillard is probably the best player on any of the six teams competing for the No. 8 slot, so if he gets on another hot streak like the one he was riding before his injury, it’s possible he’ll shoot the Blazers into the playoffs.
New Orleans is a more popular playoff pick, however, in large part because the team has looked rejuvenated since getting No. 1 pick Zion Williamson into its lineup. Adding Williamson to a group that already features Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram gives the Pelicans the most dangerous “Big Three” of any of the playoff competitors, and their schedule is the league’s second-easiest down the stretch, according to Tankathon. Still, it’s worth noting that the Pelicans are a modest 7-6 when Zion plays, so it’s not as if his return has transformed them into a contender overnight.
While one of those three teams is probably the best bet to earn the West’s final playoff spot, there are a few other teams not far behind. The Spurs (24-33) have a disastrous 10-20 record on the road, but will play 14 of their final 25 games at home and have the league’s sixth-lightest schedule in terms of opponents’ winning percentage. Gregg Popovich‘s squad won’t let its 22-year playoff streak end without a fight.
The Kings (24-34) and Suns (24-35) also still have an outside shot at a playoff berth if they can get hot. Injuries have hit Sacramento hard, with Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley missing for much of the season and De’Aaron Fox now battling an abdominal issue. But they’ve played much better in the last month than they did in the first half, winning nine of their last 14 games. And their end-of-season schedule is favorable — it’s the ninth-easiest, per Tankathon, with 14 of 24 games at home.
Phoenix, meanwhile, will badly miss Kelly Oubre, who had been averaging nearly 19 PPG before going down with a torn meniscus. The Suns are said to be considering free agency options to help replace Oubre, a signal that they haven’t given up on the playoff chase. If they want to stay in the hunt, they’ll need to play well in their next five games, all at home. After that, they finish with 12 of 18 on the road, against a pretty challenging slate of opponents.
What do you think? Will the Grizzlies hang onto the No. 8 seed? Will the rising Pelicans grab it from them? Will last year’s Western Conference finalists, the Trail Blazers, get back into the postseason? Will the Spurs extend their playoff streak to 23 years? Or can the upstart Kings or Suns make an end-of-season run for No. 8?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Which team will claim the final playoff spot in the West?
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New Orleans Pelicans 37% (655)
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Portland Trail Blazers 25% (436)
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Memphis Grizzlies 16% (283)
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San Antonio Spurs 10% (181)
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Sacramento Kings 9% (152)
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Phoenix Suns 4% (71)
Total votes: 1,778
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Knicks Notes: Rose, Carmelo, Knox, Harkless
Carmelo Anthony, a longtime client of Leon Rose, thinks the Knicks are in good hands with the veteran CAA agent set to take over their basketball operations department, telling Al Iannazzone of Newsday that it’s “an exciting time” for the team.
“I love it,” Anthony said of Rose’s transition from player agent to team executive. “I didn’t understand it at first because it happened so fast. When you’re somebody in that position, that’s the top of the mountain for you. That’s becoming the trend now in the NBA. I think it’s a great situation for him.”
Julius Randle, meanwhile, isn’t specifically a Rose client, but is also represented by CAA and is familiar with the Knicks’ incoming president of basketball operations. Like Anthony, he’s optimistic about what Rose can bring to the franchise, as he tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.
“Leon’s is a well-respected agent who’s done a lot of great things representing players in his career,” Randle said. “I haven’t heard one bad thing about him. My personal relationship with him has always been very respectful. … Great guy, great family guy and well-respected agent. Straight-up guy. He’s a good dude.”
Here’s more on the Knicks and Rose, who is reportedly on track to officially start his new job on Sunday:
- Despite speculation that Rose’s presence in New York’s front office creates a path for Anthony to eventually finish his career with the Knicks, Carmelo tells Iannazzone that he hasn’t discussed that possibility at all with Rose and isn’t sure a reunion is in the cards. “It’s hard to say because I don’t know what that situation is going to be,” Anthony said. “The easiest thing to say is, ‘His agent is there, he’s coming back.’ Until I sit down and see the whole plan, I don’t know.”
- Establishing an effective player development program in New York will be one of Rose’s primary goals in his new role, says George Willis of The New York Post.
- Kevin Knox had one of his worst games of the season on Thursday, scoring a single point in eight minutes of action, going 0-of-3 from the floor and 1-of-4 from the line. Still, the second-year forward is trying to remain positive, as Marc Berman of The New York Post writes.
- Ian Begley of SNY.tv hears that teams in touch with the Knicks before the trade deadline came away with the impression that New York would be “very hesitant” to trade Knox unless the return was significant. It’s not clear if Knox will continued to be valued so highly by the new management group.
- Asked on Thursday whether it has been hard to go from a contender (the Clippers) to one of the NBA’s worst teams, Maurice Harkless simply replied, “Yeah” (video link via SNY.tv). While Harkless appears frustrated by the Knicks’ six-game losing streak, a report last week indicated that the veteran forward and the team have no plans for a buyout.