Southwest Notes: McCollum, Kyrie, Sochan, Porter
In his latest diary entry for Andscape, Pelicans guard CJ McCollum discussed a handful of topics, including injured teammates Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado and his expectations for the home stretch of the season. Perhaps most notably, he confirmed that his own right thumb injury will require surgery during the offseason.
“I knew the final outcome would probably be surgery, and I was notified that that’s what it’s going to have to be,” McCollum wrote. “It’s my shooting hand, so you’re always a little nervous. So, I’ve just been checking in with a hand specialist out of New York and just making sure things are progressing and continue to get images every couple weeks to track the progress as to what type of surgery I may need, what’s the process going to look like and I’m comfortable with what I’ve been hearing so far, so I’ll be all right.”
McCollum acknowledged that it hasn’t been ideal playing through the thumb injury, which has “affected how I dribble, shoot, pass, (and) absorb passes.” However, he said that shutting it down for the season has never been an option he seriously considered, since he believes he can still be effective.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Dallas is just 7-12 since Kyrie Irving made his Mavericks debut and has slipped out of the top 10 in the West, but Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) has heard only positive things about the guard’s professionalism and locker room presence since last month’s trade. Blaming Irving for Luka Doncic‘s recent frustration wouldn’t be “fair or accurate,” MacMahon adds.
- A nagging right knee injury will sideline Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan on Sunday for the seventh time in his last 11 games. However, the rookie has downplayed the issue as “nothing serious” and head coach Gregg Popovich said the team “probably” won’t shut down Sochan for the season, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). It sounds like there’s no concern that the knee problem will turn into a major injury, and the Spurs want to give Sochan all the reps they can before his first NBA season ends.
- Despite the way in which his time in Cleveland ended, Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. still values the time he spent with the Cavaliers and said he’s looking forward to playing in Cleveland on Sunday, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “I would say that’s the first time I learned about the business of the NBA,” Porter said of the trade that sent him to Houston following a locker-room incident with the Cavs. “But we’re all still close, still. Those relationships are still there and very valuable to me, and (to) the other side, too. Definitely, a lot of people would say it was bad, a bad (ending). It was (for) the best for both of us.”
Grizzlies Notes: Williams, Kennard, Jackson, Morant
Grizzlies wing Ziaire Williams is considered week-to-week due to right foot and ankle soreness, the team announced on Saturday (Twitter link).
As a result of injuries and Memphis’ depth, Williams has played less this season than he did as a rookie. After starting 31 of his 62 appearances last season and averaging 21.7 minutes per night, he has logged just 14.7 MPG in 36 contests (three starts) this season. His shooting numbers (.424/.247/.778) have also dipped this season, so he’s extremely unlikely to have a regular rotation role in the playoffs even if he does get healthy by then.
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Acquired at last month’s trade deadline, Luke Kennard has already entered the Grizzlies’ record books, having knocked down a franchise-record 10 three-pointers in Friday’s blowout win over Houston, Damichael Cole writes for The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Kennard, who went 10-of-11 on threes, became the first player in league history to shoot at least 90% of the field while making at least 10 three-pointers (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies have been challenging Kennard to be more aggressive in seeking out his shot and the veteran wing has helped add stability to an inconsistent area of the team’s offense, according to Cole at The Commerical Appeal.
- In the latest episode of their podcast, Cole and Evan Barnes of The Commercial Appeal discuss how Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s recent offensive surge and the return of Ja Morant will raise the Grizzlies’ ceiling entering the postseason.
- In case you missed it, the Grizzlies became the second Western Conference team to clinch a playoff spot this season, doing so on Friday night (Twitter link). Memphis is 3.5 games back of Denver for the No. 1 seed in the conference and has a 1.5-game cushion on No. 3 Sacramento
Pacific Notes: Fox, Huerter, Warren, Poole, Warriors
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox exited Friday’s win over Phoenix in the third quarter and didn’t return, even though he wanted to keep playing, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. It’s unclear whether Fox, who was dealing with right hamstring soreness, will be forced to miss any additional contests, including Saturday’s against Utah.
“Until I get a quote-unquote official report, there’s always concern in situations like that,” head coach Mike Brown said after the game. “But we’ll wait and see what they say and then kind of go from there.”
While they lost Fox halfway through the game, the Kings got a boost on Friday when Kevin Huerter made his return following a three-game absence due to a leg injury. Huerter didn’t miss a beat upon rejoining the starting lineup, racking up 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting and chipping in nine rebounds and five assists in one of his best performances of the season.
“It’s great to get Kevin back on the floor,” Brown said. “His ability to create separation without the basketball is really — it’s up there with the elite guys in the league. I’ve been around some pretty good ones. He’s up there with that. Any time you have a player who is capable of that, who shoots it the way he does and draws as much attention as he does, it’s huge.”
Whether or not Fox is available on Saturday night, it has a chance to be a memorable evening in Sacramento. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the Kings would officially clinch their first playoff berth since 2006 if they win and both Phoenix and the Clippers lose.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Suns forward T.J. Warren said this week that he’s “slowly but surely” finding his footing in his second go-round with Phoenix, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Warren, who was something of an afterthought in the Kevin Durant blockbuster, didn’t play more than 13 minutes in any of his first 15 games as a Sun and was a frequent DNP-CD, but has scored 21 points in 48 minutes across his last two outings. “It’s tough coming to a team that’s pretty established and trying to find a good rhythm along the way, but it’s been solid,” Warren said. “Just looking to bring some value on both ends of the floor.”
- Jordan Poole‘s production for the Warriors this season has been up and down, but Friday’s performance was a reminder of how he played in the 2022 postseason and what the team hopes to get from him this spring, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 23-year-old had 33 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter. More importantly, he has turned it over just once in the last two games. “Just better decision making and more mindful play,” Kerr said of Poole’s play. “Understanding that the ball is everything for us.” Poole’s four-year, $123MM rookie scale extension will go into effect in 2023/24.
- While the defending champion Warriors aren’t concerned about their exact playoff seed, they’re certainly making it a priority to end up in the top six in the West so they don’t have to worry about competing in the play-in tournament, where one bad night could end their season, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “That is dangerous,” Draymond Green said. “We’d much rather avoid that.” Golden State currently holds the No. 6 seed, with a 1.5-game lead on the top two play-in teams.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: Gilbert Arenas Provision
Gilbert Arenas hasn’t played in the NBA since 2012, but his legacy lives on in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The NBA introduced the Gilbert Arenas provision in the 2005 CBA as a way to help teams retain their restricted free agents who aren’t coming off standard rookie scale contracts. While Arenas isn’t specifically named in the CBA, the rule colloquially known as the Arenas provision stems from his own restricted free agency in 2003.
At the time, the Warriors only had Early Bird rights on Arenas, who signed an offer sheet with the Wizards starting at about $8.5MM. Because Golden State didn’t have $8.5MM in cap room and could only offer Arenas a first-year salary of about $4.9MM using the Early Bird exception, the Warriors were unable to match the offer sheet and lost Arenas to Washington.
Introduced to help avoid similar instances of teams losing promising young free agents, the Arenas provision limits the first-year salary that rival suitors can offer restricted free agents who have only been in the league for one or two years.
The starting salary for an offer sheet can’t exceed the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which allows the player’s original team to use either the mid-level exception or the Early Bird exception to match it. Otherwise, a team without the necessary cap space would be powerless to keep its player, like the Warriors were with Arenas.
An offer sheet from another team can still have an average annual salary that exceeds the non-taxpayer’s mid-level, however. The annual raises are limited to 5% between years one and two and 4.5% between years three and four, but a team can include a significant raise between the second and third years of the offer.
As long as the first two years of a team’s offer sheet are for the highest salary possible, the offer is fully guaranteed, and there are no incentives included, the third-year salary of the offer sheet can be worth up to what the player’s third-year maximum salary would have been if not for the Arenas restrictions.
Based on a projected $136,021,000 salary cap for 2023/24, here’s the maximum offer sheet a first- or second-year RFA could receive this coming summer:
| Year | Salary | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | $12,405,000 | Value of non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. |
| 2024/25 | $13,025,250 | 5% raise on first-year salary. |
| 2025/26 | $37,405,638 | Maximum third-year salary for a player with 1-2 years in NBA. |
| 2026/27 | $39,088,892 | 4.5% raise on third-year salary. |
| Total | $101,924,780 | Average annual salary of $25,481,195. |
It’s important to note that in order to make the sort of offer outlined above, a team must have enough cap room to accommodate the average annual value of the contract. Because if the offer sheet isn’t matched, the player’s new club will spread the cap hits equally across all four years (ie. $25.48MM per season).
In other words, a team with $26MM in cap space could extend this offer sheet to a first- or second-year RFA. But a team with only $20MM in cap space would have to reduce the third- and fourth-year salaries in its offer sheet to get the overall average salary of the offer down to $20MM per year, despite being able to comfortably accommodate the first-year salary.
The application of the Arenas provision is infrequent, since first- and second-year players who reach free agency rarely warrant such lucrative contract offers. First-round picks sign four-year rookie deals when they enter the NBA, so the Arenas provision generally applies to second-round picks or undrafted free agents whose first NBA contracts were only for one or two years.
The Arenas provision hasn’t been used at all in recent years. Based on our data, it was last relevant during the 2016 offseason, when multiple teams made use of the Arenas provision as they attempted to pry restricted free agents from rival teams.
One notable example from that summer was Tyler Johnson‘s restricted free agency with Miami. The Heat had Early Bird rights on Johnson, who had only been in the NBA for two seasons. The Nets attempted to pry him away with an aggressive offer sheet that featured salaries of $5,628,000, $5,881,260, $19,245,370, and $19,245,370. It wasn’t the maximum that Brooklyn could have offered Johnson, but the massive third-year raise was a tough pill for Miami to swallow.
Overall, the deal was worth $50MM for four years. If the Heat had declined to match it, the Nets would have flattened out those annual cap hits to $12.5MM per year, the average annual value of the deal. However, due to the Arenas provision, Miami was able to match Brooklyn’s offer sheet with the Early Bird exception, even though the Heat wouldn’t have been able to directly offer Johnson a four-year, $50MM contract using the Early Bird exception.
When a team matches an Arenas-provision offer sheet, it also has the option of flattening those cap charges. However, that option is only available if the team has the cap room necessary to accommodate the average annual value of the deal. Otherwise, the club has to keep the unbalanced cap charges on its books. In the case of Johnson, the Heat didn’t have enough cap room to spread out the cap hits, so they were forced to carry those exorbitant cap charges in years three and four.
When Johnson’s cap hit for the Heat jumped from $5,881,260 to $19,245,370 in 2018/19, it became an albatross — the team eventually sent him to Phoenix in a salary-dump deal at the 2019 deadline.
This coming offseason, the best candidate for an Arenas-provision offer sheet is Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who has emerged as an important rotation player for the club during its push for a playoff spot.
If the Lakers negotiate with Reaves directly, they’d be limited to offering him a little over $50MM on a four-year deal using the Early Bird exception. However, a rival team with the necessary cap room could offer him up to nearly $102MM, as detailed above.
A four-year, $102MM deal seems awfully ambitious for Reaves, but it’s possible that a rival suitor could test the Lakers’ limits by using the Arenas provision to put an offer sheet of $60MM or more on the table for the young guard. If Los Angeles matched such an offer, the contract would look the same in the first two years as the one L.A. could offer, but would include larger salaries in years three and four.
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, Raptors guard Dalano Banton, and Heat center Omer Yurtseven are among the other players who will become eligible for restricted free agency this offseason with just two years of NBA experience under their belts and would be subject to the Arenas provision.
Finally, just because a club is given the opportunity to use the Arenas provision to keep its restricted free agent doesn’t mean that club will necessarily have the means. Here are a few situations in which the Arenas provision would not help a team keep its restricted free agent:
- If a team only has the taxpayer mid-level exception or room exception available, it would be unable to match an offer sheet for a Non-Bird free agent if the starting salary exceeds the taxpayer mid-level, room exception, and/or Non-Bird exception amount.
- A team would be unable to match an offer sheet exceeding the Non-Bird exception for a Non-Bird free agent if that team has used its mid-level exception on another player. The club could use Early Bird rights to match if those rights are available, however.
- If the player is a Non-Bird or Early Bird free agent with three years of NBA experience, the Arenas provision would not apply — only players with one or two years in the league are eligible.
- If the player is eligible for restricted free agency but doesn’t receive a qualifying offer, the Arenas provision would not apply.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Earlier versions of this post were published in past years by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron.
Mavs Notes: Slump, Doncic, Brunson, Protest
Dallas’ recent slide down the standings went from bad to worse on Friday night as the Mavericks dropped a game to the lowly Hornets and were met with loud boos from their home fans in the third quarter when they fell behind by 18 points, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Most of the Mavericks’ recent losses have come with at least one of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving unavailable, but both stars played on Friday as the club fell out of the top 10 in the Western Conference. The 36-38 Mavs now hold the No. 11 spot, putting them at least temporarily out of the play-in picture in the West.
According to ESPN, Dallas entered the game as a 16-point favorite, which made the eight-point Hornets victory the biggest upset of the NBA season so far. Head coach Jason Kidd described his team’s effort as “dog s–t” and said the Mavs probably should have been booed in the first quarter rather than the third, per MacMahon.
“The interest level wasn’t high,” Kidd said. “It was just disappointing.”
Here’s more on the struggling Mavs:
- Doncic said after Friday’s game that he’s as frustrated now as he has been at any point since entering the NBA, MacMahon relays. “I think you can see it with me on the court,” Doncic said. “Sometimes I don’t feel it’s me. I’m just being out there. I used to have really fun, smiling on court, but it’s just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball.” Asked to clarify his “not just basketball” comment, the All-NBA guard cited issues in his personal life, MacMahon adds.
- In an interview with Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson expressed some regrets about the way his final year in Dallas played out, noting that he expected to be a Maverick for a long time and wishes things “would’ve happened differently.”
- According to Haynes, Brunson would have been willing to sign the same four-year, $55.6MM extension that Dorian Finney-Smith got from Dallas if the team had offered it prior to the 2021/22 season instead of waiting until after the 2022 trade deadline. “There were two times that I thought we had offers on the table before the season, and then around, I think December or January, they looked the other way,” Brunson said. “They had every right in the world to do so. I don’t blame them for making any business decisions. That’s on them.”
- The Mavericks officially submitted the paperwork and paid the $10K fee to formally protest Wednesday’s loss to the Warriors, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up (YouTube video link), Brian Windhorst explained why the Mavs shouldn’t count on the protest being successful.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Joe, Ingles, McDaniels
As Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscription required) writes, the Trail Blazers looked ready on Friday to pull the plug on the 2022/23 season.
Having slipped out of the play-in race during a recent six-game losing streak, Portland ruled out Damian Lillard (right calf tightness) and Jusuf Nurkic (right knee soreness) for Friday’s game vs. Chicago and ran out a starting lineup made up of Ryan Arcidiacono, Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle, Trendon Watford, and Drew Eubanks. The outcome was predictable, with the Blazers losing to the Bulls by 28 points.
With the Trail Blazers now sitting at 32-41, three-and-a-half games back of the No. 10 seed in the West with nine games to go, there’s little reason to believe the team will resume its push for a play-in spot down the stretch — and it’s possible we won’t see a whole lot more of banged-up vets like Lillard and Nurkic this season. That would be good news for playoff hopefuls like the Thunder and Pelicans, who will visit Portland on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Given the team’s lack of impact moves on the free agent market since relocating to Oklahoma City, Isaiah Joe may be the most important free agent addition in Thunder history, declares Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link). While Joe won’t become a star and may never even be a starter in OKC, he has enjoyed a breakout season and looks like a potential rotation player for years to come, Lowe writes. Joe has knocked down 42.0% of his three-point attempts this season and the Thunder have a plus-6.6 net rating when he’s on the court, easily the best mark by any player who has spent the entire year with the club.
- Bucks forward Joe Ingles admits that he took it hard when he was traded by the Jazz at the 2022 trade deadline, but he has since comes to terms with it and now appreciates the fact that he got to spend eight years with the franchise, writes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. The roster overhaul that the Jazz have undergone since Ingles’ departure made it easier for him to move on. “We had a hell of a run; at some point, they always come to an end,” he said. “Ours did — not by the players’ choice, but that’s how it works.”
- In an interview with Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link), Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels says he thinks he’s the best defender in the NBA.
South Carolina’s GG Jackson Among Players Declaring For Draft
South Carolina freshman Gregory “GG” Jackson II announced on Friday that he has decided to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility and declare for the 2023 NBA draft, per a press release from the school.
A 6’9″ forward, Jackson averaged 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds on .384/.324/.677 shooting in 32 games (31.9 MPG) for the Gamecocks in his first and only college season. He earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman team, but has proven to be a difficult player for NBA scouts to evaluate, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
As Givony explains, Jackson was the youngest player in college basketball and wasn’t ready to be a featured option as a freshman, as his shooting percentages show. While he exhibited flashes of brilliance, Givony says NBA evaluators have concerns about his decision-making, his effort on defense, and his body language when things aren’t going well. The 18-year-old also criticized his own coaches in an Instagram Live session last month.
Jackson currently comes in at No. 28 on ESPN’s big board, though Givony had him ranked as a borderline lottery pick earlier in the college season.
Here are a few of the other players who have recently declared for the 2023 NBA draft:
- Colorado State senior guard Isaiah Stevens announced today on Twitter that he’ll test the draft waters while leaving the door open to return for one more year. Stevens has averaged 15.2 PPG and 5.3 APG with a .390 3PT% in 117 career college games (34.7 MPG).
- Rutgers junior center Clifford Omoruyi is entering his name in the 2023 draft pool while maintaining his remaining NCAA eligibility, he announced on Instagram. Omoruyi nearly averaged a double-double in 2022/23, with 13.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 34 appearances (30.3 MPG).
- Notre Dame senior guard Cormac Ryan has entered the transfer portal while also declaring for the 2023 draft, he tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Ryan could withdraw his name from the draft and play one more college season, but it sounds like it won’t be with the Fighting Irish.
- Butler forward Manny Bates is testing the draft waters following his senior season, he tells Rothstein (Twitter link). Bates began his college career at NC State before transferring to the Bulldogs last season.
- Niagara senior guard Noah Thomasson is entering the draft without forgoing his final year of eligibility, according to an announcement from the school. He’s coming off a breakout year in which he averaged a team-leading 19.5 points per game on .481/.386/.667 shooting.
- Syracuse senior guard Joseph Girard is entering both the draft pool and the transfer portal, he announced on Twitter. Girard put up 16.4 PPG and 3.0 APG with a .381 3PT% for Syracuse in 2022/23.
Luka Doncic Fined $35K By NBA
Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been hit with a $35K fine for “directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” toward a referee during the closing seconds of the team’s loss to Golden State on Wednesday, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Doncic was seen rubbing his fingers together in an apparent money signal aimed at the officiating crew (Twitter video link).
The incident occurred at the conclusion of a game that the Mavericks protested due to a controversial call that occurred in the third quarter. The Warriors, who essentially got a free basket on the play in question, ended up winning the game by two points.
While that third quarter call was the big story after the game, it’s unclear whether Doncic’s gesture was referencing that play or was a culmination of his frustration with the officiating all night. Seconds earlier, he missed a layup attempt and didn’t get the foul call he seemed to be seeking (Twitter video link).
It comes as no surprise that Doncic was fined for his actions, though it’s interesting that he faces a more significant penalty than the one given to Fred VanVleet, who lambasted game officials and singled out one referee in particular (Ben Taylor) during a postgame press conference. VanVleet was fined $30K for his comments.
Suns’ Monty Williams Fined For Criticizing Officiating
The NBA has fined Suns head coach Monty Williams $20K for his comments criticizing the officiating after a loss to the Lakers on Wednesday, the league announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Williams made the statements in question to reporters in a post-game press conference after the Lakers shot 46 free throws – compared to 20 for the Suns – in a game L.A. won by 11 points.
“I can sit here and rant and rave about what I feel like is not a fair whistle. It’s just not,” Williams said (Twitter video link via Mark Medina of NBA.com). “46 free throws. We’re attacking the rim. I’m getting explanations about (how) we’re taking too many jump shots, mid-range jump shots. We’re playing a physical game.
“They had 27 free throws in the first half, they end up with 46. When do you see a game with 46 free throws for one team? That’s just not right. I don’t care how you slice it, it’s happening to us too much. Other teams are reaching, other teams are hitting, and we’re not getting the same calls, and I’m getting tired of it.”
It wasn’t the first time Williams has complained about the whistle the Suns have been getting. He also griped about the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo went to the line 24 times last Tuesday and that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 19 free throws on Sunday. The Suns attempted a total of 40 free throws in those losses to Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, compared to 73 for their opponents.
Knicks Notes: Trade Chips, Brunson, Randle, Quickley
Given their excess of future first-round picks, the Knicks have long been viewed as a good candidate to make a trade for a star player — they seemingly got close last summer when they pursued Donovan Mitchell. In a recent Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested that the team could be even more ambitious heading into the 2023 offseason.
“Here’s what I think about the Knicks,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “They have two handfuls of trade material, in my opinion. They can make, in my opinion, two big trades if they had to coming into this summer. They have the expiring contract of Evan Fournier, which can act as ballast in a trade. They have a bunch of younger players that people are interested in. And they have something like nine tradable first round picks.
“In my view, they can trade for two star-level players if they needed to. … In my opinion, they can hold Jalen Brunson, they can hold Julius Randle, and they can make two giant trades. Now, whether they can hold Brunson, Randle AND (RJ) Barrett and make two giant trades, that would depend on the players. But there is even a window that they can hold all three of those and make two giant trades.”
Windhorst went on to offer some caveats. He believes that a star (or two) may have to explicitly seek a move to New York in order for the Knicks to realistically be able to use their assets to land two impact players. He also acknowledged that, as well positioned as the Knicks are to pursue a blockbuster deal or two, actually making those deals won’t be easy.
“Leon Rose has put them in position,” Windhorst said. “Getting into position is not the hard part. Executing is the hard part. But he’s put them in position.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Three games after returning from a foot injury, Jalen Brunson was out again on Thursday in Orlando due to a right hand sprain, notes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Following the Knicks’ loss to the Magic, Brunson appeared to be sporting a hard plastic brace on his hand. “I think he’ll be evaluated when we get back (to New York), so we’ll see where he is,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said.
- An All-NBA second-teamer in 2021, Julius Randle had a down year in 2022 but now once again looks like a legitimate All-NBA candidate, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Katz polled 39 media members on their All-NBA picks and found that Randle received the fourth-most votes among forwards, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Jimmy Butler. As Katz observes, Randle could benefit from superstars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard missing significant time due to injuries.
- Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports spoke to Sixth Man of the Year candidate Immanuel Quickley about the strides he has made on both sides of the court during his third NBA season. Quickley will be eligible for a rookie scale extension beginning in July.
- Randle received a technical foul for yelling at official Leon Wood at the end of the first half of Thursday’s loss. Quickley, who tried to calm down Randle, ended up nose-to-nose with his teammate as the two exchanged words (Twitter video link), but downplayed the altercation after the game, Botte writes for The New York Post. “Honestly, everybody’s trying to win. Heat of the moment. That’s basically what it is,” Quickley said. “We all want to win. We’re all trying to get dubs.”