Providence’s Devin Carter Declares For 2024 Draft
Providence guard Devin Carter has decided to enter his name in the 2024 NBA draft and go pro, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
The No. 17 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, Carter had a big junior year in 2023/24 for the Friars, averaging 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 35.3 minutes per game across 33 outings (all starts). He made 47.3% of his shot attempts from the floor, including 37.7% of 6.8 three-pointers per contest.
Carter, who began his college career at South Carolina before transferring to Providence in 2022, led the Big East in scoring and was named the conference’s Player of the Year. He didn’t make one of the Associated Press’ All-America teams, but appeared on multiple ballots, earning an honorable mention.
While he stands only 6’3″, Carter has a 6’9″ wingspan, is an elite rebounder for his position, and is considered one of the most “versatile and impactful” defensive players in college basketball, per Givony. He’s the son of former NBA guard Anthony Carter, who is now an assistant coach on Taylor Jenkins‘ Grizzlies staff.
Steve Clifford To Step Down As Hornets’ Head Coach After Season
10:32am: The Hornets have put out a press release officially confirming the news.
“This is the appropriate time for me to step down,” Clifford said in a statement. “I believe this is best for me and the organization. I’m excited about the future of the Hornets – our young core of players, Jeff’s leadership of our basketball operations and Rick and Gabe’s vision for the organization. I want to thank all the Hornets players and staff for their work the past two seasons and our Hornets fans for their continued support of our team.”
In a statement of his own, Peterson thanked Clifford for his contributions to the franchise and said the search process for a new head coach will begin immediately.
“We will look to hire someone that shares our values and vision in developing our young core and creating a culture and identity based on teamwork, accountability and competitiveness,” Peterson said. “We will conduct a thorough search process to select the best head coach for the Hornets moving forward.”
9:48am: Hornets head coach Steve Clifford will step down from his current position with the franchise at the conclusion of the 2023/24 regular season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Clifford informed his players and assistants of the plan on Wednesday morning and will coach the team’s final seven games.
According to Wojnarowski, Clifford will likely remain with the organization in a front office role. He and the team are working to finalize the details of that potential transition — Woj suggests there’s a desire from management and ownership to have the 62-year-old serve in an advisory role that would allow him to “impact all parts of the organization.”
With the Hornets under new ownership heading into the 2024 offseason, there was a sense that a head coaching change was possible. Charlotte has already undergone an in-season front office overhaul after head of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak moved into an advisory position. He was replaced by former Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson, who was named Charlotte’s executive VP of basketball operations.
However, Wojnarowski says that co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin were open to the idea of bringing back Clifford. The veteran coach decided that he didn’t want to commit to the “year-round grind” of the job for another year and conveyed his intentions early so that the Hornets can immediately begin searching for his successor.
Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, Celtics assistant Charles Lee, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, and Suns assistant Kevin Young are among the candidates expected to receive consideration for the permanent job in Charlotte, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) singles out Lee as a candidate to watch, noting that there’s been “a lot of chatter in coaching circles” indicating that he’ll be a strong contender to replace Clifford.
Clifford, who also coached Charlotte from 2013-18, had less success in his second stint with the club, posting a 45-112 (.287) record over the past two seasons. Multiple injuries to star point guard LaMelo Ball hamstrung Clifford and the Hornets, as did the domestic violence charges against Miles Bridges, which cost the forward the entire 2022/23 season.
The team entered ’23/24 with postseason aspirations, but essentially threw in the towel following an injury-plagued first half, trading away veterans Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and P.J. Washington prior to February’s deadline.
The next Hornets’ head coach will take over a retooling club that has a few promising building blocks, including Ball, rookie wing Brandon Miller, and young center Mark Williams. Bridges will be an unrestricted free agent, though the team hopes to re-sign him. Charlotte also currently has the NBA’s fourth-worst record, putting the franchise in position to land a draft pick in the top half of this year’s lottery and add another core piece.
The Wizards and Nets, who have made in-season coaching changes and currently employ interim replacements, are expected to join the Hornets in seeking new head coaches this spring. It’s possible other clubs will join that list in the coming weeks.
Raptors Sign Malik Williams To 10-Day Deal
9:38am: The Raptors have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Williams to a 10-day contract.
8:47am: The Raptors have agreed to sign G League center Malik Williams to a 10-day contract, agent Brian Jungreis tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Williams, 25, went undrafted out of Louisville in 2022, then spent his first professional season in Poland before joining the Sioux Falls Skyforce – Miami’s NBAGL affiliate – for the 2023/24 campaign.
In 42 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Skyforce, Williams has averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in just 21.5 minutes per contest. Sioux Falls is scheduled to face the Oklahoma City Blue in the Western Conference semifinals of the G League playoffs this week, but will be down a key piece of its frontcourt for that matchup, with Williams headed to Toronto.
The Raptors opened up a spot on their standard 15-man roster on Tuesday night when Kobi Simmons‘ 10-day contract expired. It appears that Simmons, who averaged 5.0 PPG and 3.0 APG in four appearances (16.8 MPG) with Toronto, won’t be getting another contract from the club — unless he’s brought back at the end of the season after Williams’ 10-day deal expires.
As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca points out (via Twitter), with point guard Immanuel Quickley back in the lineup, it makes more sense for the Raptors to use their final roster spot on a big man, given that Kelly Olynyk is the only center who is healthy and available.
Williams will earn $64,343 over the course of his 10 days with the Raptors. Assuming he officially signs on Wednesday, the deal will run through next Friday, April 12, covering six of Toronto’s seven remaining games.
Pistons Sign Jaylen Nowell To 10-Day Contract
APRIL 3: The Pistons have officially announced their 10-day deal with Nowell, confirming the move in a press release (Twitter link). The contract will run through next Friday, April 12, paying Nowell a salary of $124,425.
APRIL 2: The Pistons intend to sign free agent swingman Jaylen Nowell to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
After showing promise as a scorer across four seasons with the Timberwolves, Nowell was unable to find a full-season spot on an NBA roster last fall. He signed a non-guaranteed deal with Sacramento, but was waived by the team before the regular season tipped off and ended up spending much of the season with the Stockton Kings in the G League.
In 28 regular season NBAGL games for Stockton, Nowell averaged 17.4 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .441/.385/.868. He also had a brief stint in Memphis earlier in the season, appearing in nine games for the Grizzlies over the course of two 10-day contracts.
Both of Nowell’s 10-day deals in Memphis were completed via hardship exceptions and it appears that will be the case in Detroit as well. A hardship exception, which allows a team to carry one or more extra players beyond its standard 15, is granted when the team has at least four players who have missed three consecutive games and are expected to remain sidelined for two more weeks.
Quentin Grimes, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, and Stanley Umude all meet that criteria for the Pistons, so the club will be able to add Nowell to their roster as a 16th man.
Since all four of those players have been ruled out for the season, Detroit will continue to qualify for a hardship exception beyond the expiration of Nowell’s 10-day contract, so he could be re-signed to a second deal — or the team could sign another player on a hardship contract to close out the season.
NBA To Look At Sixers For Possible Injury Reporting Violation
The NBA is expected to take a look at the Sixers to determine whether they violated the league’s injury reporting rules with their handling of Joel Embiid leading up to Tuesday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, TNT reporter Jared Greenberg said prior to last night’s game (Twitter video link).
As Greenberg notes, after reports on Monday suggested that Embiid had a chance to return vs. the Thunder following a two-month injury absence, he was officially listed as out for the game, then didn’t attend the team’s shootaround on Tuesday. He was upgraded to questionable after 5:30 pm Eastern on Tuesday and was ultimately determined to be available in a game-time decision.
“I’ve spoken to multiple people inside the NBA league office and we should expect some sort of investigation into how the Sixers handled the injury report, going from out, out, out to questionable to playing in this short span of time,” Greenberg said. “The league office will certainly take note of that.”
The Sixers were fined by the NBA’s league office on February 1 for a previous episode involving Embiid and the injury report. In that instance, the reigning MVP wasn’t listed on the injury report at all for a January 27 game in Denver until he was ruled out just hours before tip-off.
The NBA fined the franchise $75K for that violation, stating in its announcement that the penalty “takes into account Philadelphia’s prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules.” That’s likely to be the case again this time around if the league determines the team didn’t follow the required steps.
The 76ers likely won’t be too concerned about whatever fine they may receive for an injury reporting violation, given how well Embiid’s return went. Although the star center wasn’t at the top of his game and – as Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton of ESPN note – appeared “visibly exhausted” at times during nearly 30 minutes of action, he scored 24 points and helped the club secure an important victory over the Thunder.
Embiid appeared to get through the game without any setbacks and told reporters that he hopes to suit up again on Thursday, in what will be a big game at Miami. The Sixers (41-35) currently trail the Heat (42-33) by 1.5 games for the No. 7 seed in the East, with the Pacers (43-33) a half-game ahead of Miami for the No. 6 spot. A loss on Thursday would make a top-six finish an extreme long shot for Philadelphia, likely relegating the team to the play-in tournament.
Draft Notes: Two-Day Format, Sandfort, Penda, Early Entrants
The NBA will hold a two-day draft for the first time this year, but the concept has been batted around for over a decade, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, who hears from a team source that a group executives first presented the idea to the league in 2011. Extending the second round to give teams more than two minutes per pick was one important reason for the change, as Woo details.
“Way more second-round picks would be traded every year, except (due to the lack of time between picks) no one knows who has them,” one Eastern Conference executive told Woo. “A team makes a trade, then another trade. I’m spending 10 minutes hunting down picks, and by the time you find out where it is, it’s too late to make a deal.”
“… The second round is not fun. Chaos. Insanity. Not how we should be running our business. This will solve that. We didn’t need a second day, we just needed a longer second round — but I understand we can’t start at 3 p.m. or finish at 3 a.m., so this is a good solution.”
The second round of the draft will get its own day this June and there will be four minutes per pick instead of two. The hope is that, in addition to giving front offices more time to consider their options – including potential deals – the second night of the draft will allow the league’s broadcast partners to better spotlight the 28 players being selected in round two.
“The second round has become more and more important,” NBA head of basketball operations Joe Dumars told ESPN. “Rosters have expanded, and you’re seeing a larger influx of talent into the league, a lot of times from the second round. (The one-day format) was not doing justice for the second-round picks and the teams.”
While it remains to be seen exactly how adding an extra day to the draft may change teams’ strategies, sources who spoke to Woo suggested they wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more action than usual during the final few picks of the first round – as teams look to land players before rivals get a chance to reset their boards – and the first few picks of the second round, after clubs have had 24 hours to consider their options.
Here’s more on the NBA draft:
- Following a breakout junior season, Iowa wing Payton Sandfort announced (via Instagram) that he’ll enter his name in the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Sandfort, the No. 35 prospect on ESPN’s big board, averaged 16.4 PPG and 6.6 RPG with a .446/.379/.911 shooting line in 34 games in 2023/24.
- Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress has put together a running list of early entrants for the 2024 NBA draft at RookieScale.com. We’re maintaining our own early entrant list, which can be found right here.
- One of the most recent additions to the early entrant list is 6’8″ French forward Noah Penda, who has submitted his paperwork to enter the draft, according to Chepkevich (Twitter link). The 19-year-old has played a key role this season for Vichy-Clermont in France’s Pro B league, Chepkevich notes.
- The following college players were recently reported to be testing the NBA draft waters or announced themselves that they plan to test the waters. Unless otherwise indicated, these players also entered the NCAA transfer portal:
- Marchelus Avery, F, UCF (senior) (Twitter link)
- Dion Brown, G, UMBC (sophomore) (Twitter link via Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress)
- Xavier DuSell, G, Fresno State (senior) (Instagram link)
- Elijah Fisher, G, DePaul (sophomore) (Twitter link via Derek Murray)
- Vladislav Goldin, C, Florida Atlantic (senior) (Instagram link)
- Ben Humrichous, F, Evansville (senior) (Twitter link)
- Andrej Jakimovski, F, Washington State (senior) (Twitter link)
- Kobe Johnson, G/F, USC (junior) (Twitter link)
- Scotty Middleton, G/F, Ohio State (freshman) (Twitter link)
- Noah Reynolds, G, Green Bay (junior) (Twitter link)
- Jahmyl Telfort, G/F, Butler (senior) (Instagram link)
- Note: Not in transfer portal.
- Saint Thomas, F, Northern Colorado (junior) (Twitter link via Mike Sautter of Hurrdat Sports)
- Aboubacar Traore, G/F, Long Beach State (junior) (Twitter link via Sam Kayser of 24/7 High School Hoops)
Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of The Month
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month, while one of his former teammates – Knicks guard Jalen Brunson – has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
It’s the second consecutive Player of the Month award for Doncic, who has strengthened his case for MVP consideration in recent weeks as the driving force of a streaking Mavs team that has moved into fifth place in the West. Doncic is the second player to earn Player of the Month honors twice this season, joining Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
Doncic won the award for March by averaging a triple-double – 32.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.1 assists – through 14 games, with a .470/.381/.781 shooting line. The Mavericks lost the first three of those games but have won each of the last 11 contests in which Doncic has been active.
Brunson has earned Player of the Week honors three times in 2023/24, but this is his first Player of the Month award of the season. He helped the banged-up Knicks hang onto a top-four seed in the East in March by putting up 28.8 PPG and 5.8 APG in 13 games (30.9 MPG) on .481/.376/.813 shooting.
Those per-game averages include a March 3 contest in Cleveland that Brunson exited due to a knee injury after just 47 seconds. Not including that game, the Knicks’ point guard averaged over 31 points per contest for the month.
The other Player of the Month nominees in the Western Conference were Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Green, Nikola Jokic, and Domantas Sabonis, according to the NBA (Twitter link). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, and Pascal Siakam were also nominated in the East.
Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller Named Rookies Of The Month
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Hornets forward Brandon Miller have been named the NBA’s Rookies of the Month for a third straight time, the league announced today (via Twitter). The top two picks in the 2023 draft also earned the honor in both January and February.
The Western Conference Rookie of the Month, Wembanyama is now the overwhelming favorite to win this season’s Rookie of the Year award. In 12 games in March, he averaged 23.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.8 blocks in 31.6 minutes per game, making 47.3% of his field goal attempts.
Miller, the Eastern Conference’s winner, hasn’t received nearly the same level of attention that Wembanyama has in his first professional season, but he has quietly put together a strong debut season in Charlotte. In 14 games in March, he averaged 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33.4 minutes per contest, with a .362 3PT%.
Last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Miller is a strong candidate to join Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren as Rookie of the Year finalists and looks like a lock for the All-NBA Rookie first team.
Holmgren, Keyonte George, Amen Thompson, and GG Jackson were the other Rookie of the Month nominees in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link), while Jaime Jaquez, Gradey Dick, and Miller’s teammate Vasilije Micic were nominated in the East.
Pacers’ Tshiebwe Named NBAGL Rookie Of The Year
First-year big man Oscar Tshiebwe, who is on a two-way contract with the Pacers, has been named the NBA G League’s Rookie of the Year for the 2023/24 season, according to an announcement from the league.
An undrafted free agent out of Kentucky, Tshiebwe has only appeared in eight NBA games as a rookie, but had a monster season for the Indiana Mad Ants in the G League, where he began the Showcase Cup in the fall by racking up 33 points and 22 rebounds in his first ever NBAGL outing.
Over the course of 33 total Showcase Cup and regular season games, Tshiebwe averaged 16.4 points per contest and pulled down 532 total rebounds, including 201 offensive boards, setting a new team record. He also established a new high-water mark for rebounds per game in a G League season, averaging 16.2 in 23 regular season appearances.
Tshiebwe was busy at All-Star weekend in Indianapolis in February, competing in both the G League Up Next game and the Rising Stars event.
Because Tshiebwe’s two-way contract with the Pacers only covers a single season, he’ll become eligible for restricted free agency this summer, so Indiana will need to sign him to a new contract in order to keep him around beyond 2023/24.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), Clippers two-way guard Jordan Miller was the runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting, with Sixers two-way guard Ricky Council IV placing third.
Miller averaged 20.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 30.3 minutes per game with a .491/.355/.829 shooting line across 39 total Showcase Cup and G League regular season outings for the Ontario Clippers.
Council, meanwhile, put up 23.8 points per game on .473/.380/.775 shooting to go along with 5.3 RPG and 1.9 APG in 27 Showcase Cup and regular season contests for the Delaware Blue Coats.
Council will also be a restricted free agent this summer, while Miller is on a two-year deal and will remain under contract for 2024/25.
NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2023/24 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running for Teammate of the Year honors.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
- Kevin Love (Heat)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Harrison Barnes (Kings)
- Tre Jones (Spurs)
None of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award have earned the honor in the past, so the 2023/24 winner will be a first-timer. Mike Conley won the award last year for a record fourth time.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2023/24. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Like Conley with the Sportsmanship Award, last season’s Teammate of the Year – Jrue Holiday – has the record for most times winning the award (three), but isn’t among the finalists for 2023/24. Of this season’s 12 finalists, the only one to take home the award in the past is Conley, who claimed it in 2019.
The Teammate of the Year finalists finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Mikal Bridges (Nets)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Al Horford (Celtics)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Georges Niang (Cavaliers)
- Markelle Fultz (Magic)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Nuggets)
- Mike Conley (Timberwolves)
- Jalen Williams (Thunder)
- Harrison Barnes (Kings)
- Larry Nance Jr. (Pelicans)
- Dwight Powell (Mavericks)