Wolves Among Teams With Interest In Dennis Smith Jr.
While many Knicks trade rumors this season have focused on frontcourt players like Marcus Morris, Bobby Portis, and Taj Gibson, several teams that have been in touch with the Knicks recently believe they’re open to moving a point guard, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton certainly won’t be untouchable, but Begley singles out Dennis Smith Jr. as one player who has drawn interest from multiple teams. Sources tell Begley that the Timberwolves are among the clubs with interest in Smith.
Minnesota has been seeking a long-term answer at point guard, and while Smith may not be that answer, he could represent a low-cost flier for the Wolves. DSJ’s stock has slipped since he was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Mavericks. He’s averaging just 17.0 minutes per game in New York this season, and has received multiple DNP-CDs since Mike Miller took over for David Fizdale.
Still, Smith is only 22 years old and showed on Tuesday vs. Atlanta that he’s still capable of filling up a box score. In just 13 minutes, he recorded eight points, five rebounds, and five assists.
It’s unclear what sort of return the Knicks would want back in a trade involving Smith. Begley hears from one executive that the club probably can’t realistically demand a first-round pick in exchange for the third-year guard, which doesn’t come as a surprise.
Celtics’ Poirier Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Broken Finger
DECEMBER 18: After Poirier underwent surgery on his finger this morning, the Celtics issued a new update on his recovery timeline, tweeting that he’s expected to return in four-to-six weeks.
DECEMBER 17: The Celtics‘ frontcourt depth has taken another hit, as the team announced today (via Twitter) that big man Vincent Poirier suffered a fractured right pinky finger during Monday’s practice. Poirier is expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks, according to the C’s.
The update on Poirier comes less than 24 hours after Boston announced that center Robert Williams would be out for at least three weeks due to a hip injury.
As I noted yesterday, the Celtics figure to lean more heavily on centers Enes Kanter and Daniel Theis with Williams – and now Poirier – on the shelf. Semi Ojeleye may also play increased minutes, and Grant Williams could see more consistent action too.
The Celtics’ depth issues in the middle may also prompt the club to call up two-way player Tacko Fall from the Maine Red Claws for certain matchups. Fall hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since October 26, having spent most of his rookie season in the G League, but could be called upon for emergency purposes.
NBPA Appeals Dion Waiters’ Latest Suspension
For a third time this season, the National Basketball Players Association is appealing a Dion Waiters suspension, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
As Winderman explains, the NBPA’s appeal isn’t intended to reduce Waiters’ current six-game suspension or get him on the court any faster. The union’s goal is to recoup some or all of the salary the Heat guard has lost as a result of the ban.
The NBPA filed similar appeals following Waiters’ one-game and 10-game suspensions earlier this season, as we relayed last month. In total, the three suspensions have sidelined Waiters for 17 games and have reduced his 2019/20 salary by $1.419MM. Additionally, because he won’t appear in at least 70 games, Waiters has missed out on a $1.2MM bonus, though that lost bonus hasn’t been appealed by the players’ union, per Winderman.
The appeals, which could be heard individually or concurrently, are unlikely to happen anytime in the near future, according to Winderman, who notes that the NBPA hasn’t asked to expedite the appeals. They’ll likely happen a few months from now, and may result in Waiters’ camp and the Heat reaching a settlement brokered by the union, Winderman writes.
Although the appeals will determine how much salary Waiters ultimately loses, they’ll have no impact on the Heat’s salary cap or tax situation, since all three suspensions have been issued by the team rather than the league.
Waiters’ current six-game ban runs through December 23, so he’ll be eligible to return on December 27 when the Heat host the Pacers. Still, considering the veteran guard has yet to play this season and the club is reportedly exploring options to get rid of him, it seems increasingly unlikely that he’ll see any action for Miami this season.
Rui Hachimura To Miss At Least Five Games
Wizards rookie forward Rui Hachimura will be out of action for at least the next five games, the team announced today in a press release. Hachimura sustained a groin contusion in the second quarter of Monday’s win in Detroit.
Hachimura, the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, was off to a solid start in his rookie season, averaging 13.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 25 games (29.2 MPG). His injury will further deplete a Wizards frontcourt that’s already missing Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner.
In Hachimura’s absence, Washington figure to lean heavily on big men Davis Bertans and Ian Mahinmi, with Admiral Schofield likely playing regular minutes too. The club also signed center Anzejs Pasecniks to a two-way contract today, providing another option up front.
The Wizards will embark on a four-game road trip following Wednesday’s home game vs. Chicago, so Hachimura will be evaluated after that trip ends on December 26. His earliest possible return date would be on December 28 against the Knicks.
Atlantic Notes: Bullock, Fall, Raptors, Chandler
Reggie Bullock, who underwent surgery in July for a cervical disc herniation, appears to be inching closer to making his debut for the Knicks. According to the team (Twitter link), Bullock has been cleared for full participation in practices, beginning on Wednesday.
Bullock initially signed a two-year, $21MM contract with the Knicks in free agency, but when his health issue arose, the two sides renegotiated a two-year deal worth $8.2MM, with only one fully guaranteed year. At that price, Bullock could be a bargain for New York – or a valuable asset at the trade deadline – if he proves he’s healthy and back to his old self.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- With Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier sidelined, the Celtics will call up two-way player Tacko Fall for at least their next couple games, per Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “We’ll just play it by ear, but he’ll be in Dallas and back home after Dallas for our game on Friday (vs. the Pistons),” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “Then we’ll just take it week by week and see what’s happening.”
- The Raptors have exceeded expectations so far this season and have an impressive 18-8 record, but they still rank just fifth in the Eastern Conference. With that in mind, Blake Murphy of The Athletic explores whether Toronto is more likely to be a buyer or seller at the trade deadline. As Murphy observes, standing pat or some combination of buying and selling are also viable possibilities for the Raps.
- Wilson Chandler played more than expected in his Nets debut on Sunday, contributing two points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes of action. For his part, Chandler said he was just happy to be back on the court after serving a 25-game suspension, as Greg Joyce of The New York Post writes. “Every single game, it was kind of like dreadful,” Chandler said of his suspension. “… They could have cut me at any time. I thought about it a couple times.”
Wizards Sign Anzejs Pasecniks, Cut Chris Chiozza
The Wizards have signed former first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks to a two-way contract, waiving two-way player Chris Chiozza to make room for Pasecniks, the team announced today in a press release.
Pasecniks, who will turn 24 this Friday, was drafted 25th overall by the Sixers in 2017 but never suited up for Philadelphia, having spent the next two seasons overseas. After the 76ers renounced his rights earlier this year, the 7’1″ center joined the Wizards’ Summer League team, then reported to Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, this fall.
In 12 NBAGL games, Pasecniks has averaged 10.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG with a .604 FG%.
As Fred Katz of The Athletic explains (via Twitter), the Wizards “really like” Chiozza, but felt they had to add another center to the mix with Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner both injured. Ian Mahinmi is currently the club’s only healthy player at the five.
Chiozza, who appeared in 10 games for Washington this season, will become a free agent if he clears waivers on Thursday. The point guard is expected to return to the Go-Go if he goes unclaimed, tweets Katz.
Top Prospect Cole Anthony Out 4-6 Weeks With Knee Injury
Yet another top 2020 prospect will be sidelined into the new year with an injury, as the University of North Carolina announced today in a press release that freshman point guard Cole Anthony is expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks. According to the school, Anthony underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee to treat a partially torn meniscus.
Anthony is the third player viewed as a probable top-10 pick who has gone down with an injury this month, joining LaMelo Ball (foot) and R.J. Hampton (hip). Like Ball and Hampton, who are both playing in Australia, Anthony intends to return to action before the end of his team’s season, sources tell Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).
Anthony averaged 19.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.4 APG in his first nine games as a Tar Heel, though he has struggled at times with his efficiency, posting a .368/.355/.679 shooting line.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes in his scouting report that Anthony can be a streaky shooter and is more of a scorer than a facilitator for now. However, Givony praises Anthony’s ball-handling ability, athleticism, and effort on defense, ranking him as the No. 4 prospect in the 2020 class.
Anthony is one of a handful of players who should receive consideration for the top pick, along with Ball, Memphis center James Wiseman, and Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards.
Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday Available Via Trade?
The Pelicans are believed to consider Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram untouchable in trade talks, and have remained reluctant to trade J.J. Redick, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links). However, according to Stein, there’s a belief that Jrue Holiday is available via trade.
Stein cautions that it would surely require a substantial offer to convince the Pelicans to part with Holiday. Based on Stein’s report, it sounds like the team is open to listening to inquiries, but won’t actively shop its standout guard.
Still, as recently as this summer, when David Griffin took over as New Orleans’ head of basketball operations, Holiday was viewed as entirely off-limits. It appears the club’s dismal 6-21 start to the season has influenced the front office’s thinking on the subject.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested on Sunday that Holiday loves New Orleans, but might not be opposed to a change of scenery if it means avoiding an extensive rebuild.
Holiday, 29, is considered one of the NBA’s best defensive guards, and has also been his usual productive self on offense so far this season. In 25 games, he has averaged 19.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, and 5.0 RPG with a .454 FG% and a .338 3PT%. He has shot 48.9% from the field and 38.9% on threes over his last 17 games, following an early-season slump.
Holiday is under contract through at least 2020/21, with matching cap hits of $26.2MM this season and next season. He also has a $27.1MM player option for 2021/22. If the Pelicans begin fielding trade offers in earnest, he could quickly become the most intriguing player on the trade block this winter.
Wizards Receive Disabled Player Exception For C.J. Miles
The Wizards have become the second team today to receive a disabled player exception as a result of a season-ending injury. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link), the NBA has granted Washington with a DPE to replace C.J. Miles, who recently underwent surgery to repair ligament damage in his wrist.
The league also granted a disabled player exception to the Trail Blazers in response to Rodney Hood‘s season-ending Achilles tear.
[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions]
The Wizards’ DPE is worth $4,365,079, half of Miles’ 2019/20 salary ($8,730,158). The team can use it to sign or trade for a player, or claim someone off waivers. That player’s contract can’t extend beyond the end of this season, and his salary must fit within $100K of the DPE’s amount.
The Wizards previously applied for a disabled player exception this season in response to John Wall‘s Achilles injury. However, that request was denied by the NBA, since Wall underwent surgery last February and presumably wasn’t considered likely to be out through June 15, 2020.
Washington now has a DPE as a result of Miles’ injury, but the club probably won’t use it on the free agent market — the rebuilding Wizards already have $128MM in salary on their books for this season and don’t need free agent help. Still, it could come in handy in a smaller trade. Last season, the Wizards used a DPE to acquire Wesley Johnson from New Orleans, allowing the team to generate a trade exception that was eventually used to land Davis Bertans.
Bucks Co-Owner Discusses Team’s “Lack Of Drama”
In a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry admitted that he was “very pissed off” after his team fell to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring. Lasry said he fully believed Milwaukee was headed for the NBA Finals after the club took a 2-0 lead in the series and was “pretty upset” when the Raptors won the next four straight games.
“We had a lot of meetings with (GM) Jon (Horst) and with Bud (head coach Mike Budenholzer), and it’s, ‘OK, what happened?'” Lasry said. “And you know, you sort of look at how they shot lights out. I mean (Fred) VanVleet shot – what was it? – 60 or 70 percent from 3-point land? You (had) guys who weren’t supposed to make those shots, or at least shoot their average – not double the average.”
While it took Lasry some time to get over that loss, the Bucks’ hot start to the 2019/20 season has certainly helped the club and its owners move on. It has also limited speculation about the future of reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is under contract through next season. If the Bucks had struggled out of the gate, we might be hearing a lot more whispers about Antetokounmpo’s next contract right now.
In his discussion with Amick, Lasry addressed that topic and a handful of others. Here are some of the highlights from the Q&A:
On the fact that there hasn’t been constant speculation from fans and media about the Bucks’ future:
“People want issues, and we don’t have any issues. And you know what, we didn’t have any issues last year either. If you think about it, we had four free agents (from last season). You had Khris Middleton, you had (Eric) Bledsoe, you had Brook Lopez, and then you had Malcolm (Brogdon). And you know, we re-signed who we needed to re-sign. So I think the great thing about the Bucks, good or bad, is that there’s very little drama. And I think we have surprised people with the lack of drama, and how good we are.”
On whether Bucks ownership has sought advice on retaining Antetokounmpo from others who have been in similar situations:
“No. No. I think the approach is that you have a relationship, and you rely on that relationship. So, you know, at the end of the day, my view is that people are going to do what they think is in their best interests. And I hope their view ends up being the same as our view, right? We’re going to do whatever we can. Others will do whatever they can. It’s fine.”
On not getting caught up in rumors about other teams eyeing Antetokounmpo:
“Whether it sounds dumb or not, I’m very comfortable with the relationship that we have with everybody on this team. And I think at the end of the day, what players want is stable ownership. They want a culture which is focused on winning. They want a coach who they respect. They want to play in a city that they love. It’s what we all want. Let’s be serious. You just want consistency, and you want to know that what you’re being told is reality. So I think as long as we do what we’re supposed to do, everything is going to be fine.”