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Author: Luke Adams

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, McBride, Tillman, Celtics

By | at March 5, 2024 10:59 am

The left lower back nerve impingement that is currently keeping Ben Simmons on the shelf is the same issue that affected him earlier this season, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv and Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who confirm that the Nets guard/forward didn’t suffer a new impingement.

Simmons’ agent Bernie Lee, referring to his client as day-to-day, said he continues to seek answers on how to get Simmons past this health issue, which has affected the former No. 1 overall pick for multiple seasons.

“We continue to try and find non-surgical options to allow Ben to move forward on a permanent basis and that is where this is my responsibility and I am (the) one to blame,” Lee said. “When I began working with Ben I made a commitment to him that I would do everything I could to find the right answers and specialists for him to work with (in order) to move forward from the issues he has been having. Clearly it hasn’t happened, and that’s my responsibility.

“… Come the offseason, we’re going to implement some processes and outside input that’ll allow him to finally move forward from this ongoing issue and resume his career at the levels he’s established prior to being injured.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • The Knicks aren’t surprised by the strides that Miles McBride has made as a shooter this season, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who notes that the third-year guard is making a strong case for rotation minutes even when everyone is healthy. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post observes, the signing of Shake Milton will give New York another option in an increasingly crowded backcourt. However, Katz suggests that Milton is viewed as a depth piece and that McBride’s performance should keep him ahead of Milton – and Alec Burks – on the team’s depth chart.
  • Celtics newcomer Xavier Tillman has made a positive impression on his new teammates, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com and Jay King of The Athletic. Tillman played just three total minutes in his first seven games as a Celtic (he missed four of those games while recovering from a knee injury), but has scored 13 points across 33 minutes and been a +26 in Boston’s past two games. “X looked good out there, man,” Jaylen Brown said after Friday’s win over Dallas. “It’s like, he fit right in. He came right in and made contributions on defense, got a few rebounds, got some stops. Offense, you could tell he got a good feel for the game. A good screen setter.”
  • The Celtics‘ offensive success this season stems in large part from the fact that their top eight players are all reliable three-point shooters on relatively high volume, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hollinger considers whether it’s just a matter of time until the NBA features several more teams that look like the Celtics or whether Boston is an anomaly due to the difficulty of building a roster that has that many shooters and still plays strong defense.
9 comments Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks

Injury Notes: Curry, Martin, Booker, Craig, Giannis, Markkanen

By | at March 5, 2024 9:38 am

The Hornets will be without injured wings Seth Curry and Cody Martin for at least two weeks, the team announced on Monday (Twitter link). Both players were injured in Friday’s loss to Philadelphia, with Curry spraining his right ankle and Martin suffering a left ankle sprain.

The banged-up Hornets had already been playing without a pair of key starters in LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams. Martin had been a fixture in the starting lineup for the better part of the past two months, while Curry got his first start on Friday since being traded to Charlotte at last month’s deadline.

It’s an unfortunate setback for Martin, who missed most of last season and the first two months of this season due to a knee issue. The Hornets guard/forward had been looking more like his old self in recent weeks before heading back to the injured list over the weekend.

As for Curry, this injury clouds his availability for a showdown vs. the Warriors in Charlotte later this month. That game is expected to reunite Seth with his brother Stephen Curry and their father Dell Curry (a Hornets broadcaster) in the city where the brothers grew up. If Seth is ready to return – or at least close to returning – when he’s reevaluated in two weeks, he could still suit up for that March 29 game.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

  • Sources told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic on Monday that Devin Booker‘s recovery timeline for his sprained right ankle is expected to be in the range of five-to-14 days, with five days as a best-case outcome and two weeks representing a worst-case scenario. Earlier in the day on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic had projected a seven-to-10 day timeline for the Suns guard.
  • Injured Bulls wing Torrey Craig is ramping up his activity as he makes his way back from a right knee sprain, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who says Craig was doing individual work on Monday. Head coach Billy Donovan told reporters that the veteran will be on a minutes restriction upon his return, which may not be far off. “I don’t know about this road trip, (but) it’s not out of the question,” Donovan said. “A lot of it depends on how he continues to progress, but I think the medical guys are pretty optimistic of where he is at this point and time, so he’s definitely progressing closer and closer to playing.”
  • A pair of star forwards sat out on Monday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (left Achilles tendinitis) missed the Bucks‘ game against the Clippers while Lauri Markkanen (right quad contusion) was unavailable for the Jazz‘s matchup with the Wizards (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). There’s no indication at this point that either injury is more significant than a day-to-day issue.
0 comments Charlotte Hornets Chicago Bulls Milwaukee Bucks Phoenix Suns Utah Jazz

Contract Details: Omoruyi, Wilson, Freeman-Liberty, Bolden

By | at March 5, 2024 8:53 am

Eugene Omoruyi‘s new two-year standard contract with the Wizards will pay him $900K for the rest of this season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Washington dipped into its mid-level exception in order to give Omoruyi that $900K, since using the minimum salary exception would have resulted in a rest-of-season salary worth approximately $522K.

Omoryui’s 2024/25 salary is worth the minimum and is non-guaranteed for the time being. If he remains under contract until the start of the ’24/25 regular season in the fall, he’ll earn a partial guarantee of $1MM. He’d receive his full guarantee for next season if he’s not cut on or before January 7, 2025.

Here are a few more details on recently signed contracts from around the NBA:

  • Jalen Wilson‘s three-year contract with the Nets is worth approximately $4.96MM in total, with a $850K rest-of-season salary for 2023/24 and minimum salaries for the following two years. Brooklyn used its mid-level exception to give him a contract that covers three seasons and a starting salary well above the prorated rookie minimum. Wilson is also assured of a $75K partial guarantee next season, which will increase to $325K if he makes the opening-night roster.
  • The standard contract that Javon Freeman-Liberty received from the Raptors is a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a $100K partial guarantee for next season and multiple trigger dates for his 2024/25 salary. Freeman-Liberty’s partial guarantee would increase to $150K if he’s not waived by July 23 and to $800K if he’s still under contract at the start of the ’24/25 regular season.
  • Marques Bolden‘s two-way contract with the Hornets is a two-year agreement, so it will cover next season in addition to the rest of 2023/24.
0 comments Brooklyn Nets Charlotte Hornets Toronto Raptors Washington Wizards

NBA’s Two-Way Signing Deadline Has Now Passed

By | at March 5, 2024 7:12 am

The deadline for NBA teams to sign players to two-way contracts was Monday, March 4. Since that deadline has now passed, no two-way deals can be signed between now and the end of the 2023/24 league year. Clubs will be permitted to begin signing two-way contracts for the ’24/25 season on July 1.

Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, two-way signings weren’t permitted after January 15. Teams took advantage of the extended window to complete two-way deals this season, completing 29 of them between the February 8 trade deadline and Monday’s deadline. During that same period, teams promoted 17 players from two-way contracts to standard deals.

There were only seven teams – the Celtics, Nuggets, Rockets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Magic, and Jazz – that didn’t make any moves involving their two-way players between last month’s trade deadline and the two-way signing deadline. An eighth team – the Knicks – made a pair of two-way transactions but ended up with the same three two-way players under contract.

As our tracker shows, all 90 two-way slots around the NBA are now filled.

Still, that doesn’t mean the 90 players that are currently on two-way contracts will all finish the season on those deals. There are still a handful of two-way players who could receive standard deals before the regular season ends. The Celtics and Suns, for instance, are two teams who have open spots on their 15-man rosters and legitimate candidates for promotions (Neemias Queta and Saben Lee, respectively).

A team can promote one of its two-way players to its standard roster at any time between now and the end of the season — that team simply wouldn’t be permitted to sign a new player to fill the empty two-way slot.

Here are all the transactions related to two-way players that have been finalized since the trade deadline, sorted by team and listed in the order they were completed:

Atlanta Hawks

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Washington Wizards

1 comment Hoops Rumors Originals Newsstand

Pelicans Sign Izaiah Brockington To 10-Day Contract

By | at March 3, 2024 1:50 pm

1:50pm: The Pelicans have signed Brockington to a 10-day deal and assigned him to the Squadron, the team announced today in a pair of press releases.

7:37am: The Pelicans are set to sign guard Izaiah Brockington to a 10-day contract, agent Darrell Comer tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Brockington, who played his final year of college ball at Iowa State in 2021/22, suffered a torn ACL during a pre-draft workout with New Orleans that spring. However, the Pelicans remained high on his upside, waiting out his recovery and keeping him in their system — he finished his rookie year with the Birmingham Squadron, joined the Pels’ Summer League team in 2023, and then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the club this past October.

Brockington was waived by New Orleans before the 2023/24 season began, but has spent the year with the Squadron, averaging 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per game across 40 appearances in the G League’s Showcase Cup and regular season. He has posted a strong shooting line of .462/.400/.854 at the NBAGL level.

While it remains to be seen if Brockington will stick in the NBA beyond these 10 days, the deal will at the very least give him a nice raise on top of his G League salary — he’ll earn $64,343 on the 10-day contract.

New Orleans won’t have to make a corresponding roster move to open up a spot for Brockington, since Jalen Crutcher‘s 10-day contract with the club expired overnight on Saturday, creating an opening on the 15-man standard roster. The Pelicans will once again have a full roster once Brockington officially signs.

0 comments New Orleans Pelicans Transactions

Wizards Sign Justin Champagnie To Two-Way Contract

By | at March 3, 2024 1:19 pm

1:19pm: The deal is now official, the Wizards have announced in a press release.

9:38am: Following the expiration of his 10-day contract with the Wizards, Justin Champagnie will remain with the team on a new two-way deal, agent Daniel Hazan tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The contract will cover next season as well as the rest of 2023/24, per Haynes.

Champagnie, who appeared in 41 total NBA regular season games with Toronto and Boston prior to this season, signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat last summer after being waived by the Celtics. He competed in training camp for a regular season roster spot with Miami, but was one of the club’s final cuts and spent most of this season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.

In 34 Showcase Cup and regular season games this season for the Skyforce, Champagnie averaged an impressive 22.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.4 steals in 37.6 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .494/.292/.742.

That performance in Sioux Falls earned the 22-year-old a shot with the Wizards, who signed him to a 10-day contract in February. He saw action in three games during his initial 10 days with the club, scoring 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 16 total minutes.

The Wizards opened up a two-way slot by promoting Eugene Omoruyi to a two-year standard contract on Friday, so Champagnie will fill that opening. Washington will still have one open spot available on its 15-man standard roster once Champagnie’s deal is official.

Champagnie will be eligible to be active for up to 12 NBA games for the Wizards during the final stretch of this season.

0 comments Transactions Washington Wizards

Wizards Sign R.J. Hampton To 10-Day Deal

By | at March 3, 2024 1:15 pm

1:15pm: Hampton has officially signed his 10-day contract, the Wizards announced in a press release. It will run through March 12.

10:48am: The Wizards will fill the open spot on their 15-man standard roster by signing former first-round pick R.J. Hampton to a 10-day contract, a source tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 24th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Hampton bounced around the NBA during his first few years in the league, spending time in Denver, Orlando, and Detroit from 2020-23.

After being waived by the Pistons last June, he signed a two-way contract with the Heat in September and spent much of this season with Miami, appearing in eight NBA games before being waived following last month’s trade deadline, just two days after his 23rd birthday.

After being let go by the Heat, Hampton had his G League rights acquired by the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s affiliate. He has played well in six regular season appearances for the Go-Go, averaging 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists with a .500/.412/.818 shooting line in 20.1 minutes per contest.

Hampton will fill the 15-man roster spot that was previously occupied by Justin Champagnie, whose own 10-day contract expired on Saturday night. Champagnie is sticking with the Wizards, but will get a two-way deal rather than another standard contract.

Hampton will earn $120,250 over the course of his 10 days with the Wizards, while the club takes on a $116,075 cap hit. He’ll be under contract for Washington’s next five games and will be eligible to sign a second 10-day deal with the team when his first one expires. If he doesn’t get a second contract, he’d likely report back to the Go-Go, who would still hold his G League rights.

4 comments Transactions Washington Wizards

Bucks Sign Jaylin Galloway To Two-Way Contract

By | at March 3, 2024 12:40 pm

MARCH 3: Galloway’s two-way contract is now official, according to an announcement from the Bucks.

MARCH 1: The Bucks intend to sign Australian wing Jaylin Galloway to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal will cover the 2024/25 season in addition to the rest of ’23/24, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link).

Galloway, 21, has spent the last few seasons playing for the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League. In 2023/24, he appeared in 22 games for the team, averaging 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 22.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .545/.338/.592. The athletic 6’7″ guard/forward also has real defensive upside, as Sam Vecenie of The Athletic tweets.

Marc Stein reported earlier this week that Galloway, who played for the Timberwolves’ team in the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League, was generating NBA interest and was a candidate to come stateside before the end of the regular season.

The Bucks have one open two-way slot alongside TyTy Washington and Ryan Rollins, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to create room on the roster for Galloway.

The deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract is March 4, so the Bucks will have until Monday to officially finalize their deal with Galloway. Once it’s done, the team will have a full roster, with all 15 standard spots and three two-way slots filled.

1 comment Milwaukee Bucks Transactions

New York Notes: Hart, DiVincenzo, Simmons, Claxton

By | at March 3, 2024 12:00 pm

With so many regulars missing due to injuries, the Knicks have been leaning heavily on forward Josh Hart, who has played at least 40 minutes in six of the team’s past seven games, including 47:10 in Thursday’s loss to Golden State. After admitting earlier in the season that his Team USA stint last summer might be catching up with him, Hart has welcomed the extra playing time and shown no signs of hitting a wall, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.

“At the end of the day as a competitor I want to play,” Hart said following Thursday’s game. “If I went out, especially if we were making a run and I got (taken) out, I’m mad. You know what I mean? I want to play as much as I can.”

Head coach Tom Thibodeau told Botte and other reporters that he’s “always talking” to Hart about his workload and that he’s pleased with how the 28-year-old has responded to his increased role.

“He’s handled it well,” Thibodeau said. “Obviously, we’re shorthanded right now so that’s what’s required. But (he had) 18 rebounds, seven assists (on Thursday). And he’s a great defender, so we need him right now.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

  • While Donte DiVincenzo is a long shot to suit up for Italy in this year’s Olympics, the Knicks wing said in a conversation with Simone Sandri of Gazzetta Dello Sport that he hopes to represent the national team in the years to come, even if he can’t get his Italian passport in time for Paris this summer.
  • Fred Katz of The Athletic examines a few areas of concern for the Knicks, including the offensive production from the first unit and all the teams that are right on their heels in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
  • Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons missed a third consecutive game on Saturday due to left leg soreness, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Simmons has been limited to 15 appearances in 2023/24, including just 10 since playing the first five games of the season.
  • The Nets only have a couple more months to experiment with the way they use Nic Claxton before they’ll have to pay up to retain him in free agency, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). As Lewis details, Claxton and Simmons have remained altogether incompatible in their minutes sharing the court, and while Simmons was a major part of Brooklyn’s game plan entering this season, Claxton now looks like the player who will be a bigger part of the franchise’s plans going forward.
6 comments Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks

Suns Notes: Booker, O’Neale, Nurkic, Beal

By | at March 3, 2024 9:17 am

Suns guard Devin Booker exited Saturday’s loss to Houston in the fourth quarter after spraining his right ankle, according to reports from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic and ESPN.

Booker suffered the injury when he and teammate Royce O’Neale got their feet tangled up on defense while Booker was guarding Rockets guard Fred VanVleet with just over a minute left in the game (Twitter video link). The Suns’ All-Star guard, who was in obvious pain, immediately left the court and headed to the locker room (Twitter video link).

Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Frank Vogel said that X-rays were negative on Booker’s ankle and that the team doesn’t yet know the severity of the sprain (Twitter video link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). The Suns are back in action on Sunday night vs. Oklahoma City, and while it would be a bit of a surprise if Booker is ready to go for that game, Vogel didn’t entirely rule out that possibility.

“We’ll see how he responds overnight,” he said.

Here are a few more injury-related notes out of Phoenix:

  • O’Neale also sustained an ankle injury on the play where he and Booker got tangled up, but his sprain appears to be a mild one. The forward said after the game that he was OK, per Rankin, and Vogel said O’Neale’s injury is “not as much of a concern,” adding that he didn’t get X-rays like Booker did.
  • Suns center Jusuf Nurkic left Saturday’s game in the second quarter and didn’t return after taking an inadvertent shot to the head from teammate Josh Okogie (Twitter link). According to Vogel, Nurkic was tested for a possible concussion, but has been diagnosed with “just a neck sprain.”
  • On the plus side for the Suns, Bradley Beal was back in action on Saturday for the first time since February 13 after missing five games due to a left hamstring issue. However, he was ejected from the game in the third quarter after he picked up a pair of technical fouls in quick succession following a brief altercation with Rockets guard Jalen Green (Twitter video link).
0 comments Phoenix Suns
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