Pacific Notes: Davis, Lakers, Fox, Clippers
With LeBron James expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Lakers need the version of Anthony Davis they got in the bubble in 2020, who can “single-handedly change games on the defensive end,” writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Although the Lakers lost in Memphis on Tuesday, they got Davis at his best in that game, according to Mannix, who points to the big man’s stat line (28 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks) as one he’ll have to replicate a few more times if Los Angeles is going to move up the standings and clinch a play-in or playoff spot.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Davis won’t be available in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. As Mannix relays (via Twitter), the team announced today that Davis (right foot stress injury) will join James and D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) on the sidelines, leaving L.A. shorthanded in a crucial game. The Thunder will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols this week.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- The Lakers certainly aren’t throwing in the towel following James’ injury diagnosis. Head coach Darvin Ham said on Tuesday that the team remains focused on winning enough games to claim at least a play-in spot and ideally a top-six seed in the West. “The mission hasn’t changed for us, so the goal of securing a playoff spot is still very much alive,” Ham said, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “It’s unfortunate that ‘Bron went down, but injuries are a real part of our sport and it’s next man up. You got to step up and hold down the fort until he returns.”
- The Kings got good news on Tuesday night, as the MRI on De’Aaron Fox‘s sore left wrist revealed no significant damage, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Fox, who was out for Tuesday’s game, is day-to-day and Sacramento is optimistic that he won’t miss much – if any – more time.
- The Clippers have lost three consecutive games since the All-Star break and are still trying to figure out how to best use their recently added veterans, including point guard Russell Westbrook, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. As Greif outlines, Eric Gordon, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann are among the players whose roles still need to be sorted out, and head coach Tyronn Lue will have to determine whether to continue starting Marcus Morris, who has struggled as of late and played just 21 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. “We definitely do feel that we have the deepest team,” Gordon said, “but … the chemistry has to be there.”
Tyler Dorsey Signs With Fenerbahce
Former Mavericks guard Tyler Dorsey has officially signed with Fenerbahce, the Turkish team announced today in a press release.
According to the club, the deal will cover the next two seasons beyond this one, running through 2024/25. Sources tell Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops that the agreement isn’t expected to include NBA outs.
A former college standout for an Oregon team that made it to the Final Four in 2017, Dorsey thrived in the EuroLeague from 2019-22 while playing in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv and in Greece for Olympiacos. The 27-year-old’s success overseas led to a two-way deal with the Mavericks this past offseason, but he failed to crack Dallas’ rotation, appearing in just three games at the NBA level before being waived in late December.
Dorsey, who saw extensive action in the G League for the Texas Legends both before and after he was cut by the Mavs, performed at a high level during the Showcase Cup in the fall, averaging 24.3 points per game on .463/.470/.840 shooting in 17 appearances (32.5 MPG). His scoring efficiency slipped a little during the NBAGL regular season, as he averaged 18.9 PPG on .396/.370/.800 shooting in 12 contests (30.7 MPG).
The Legends granted Dorsey his release last week, allowing him to return overseas before the EuroLeague’s March 1 deadline to register new players. He’s joining a Fenerbahce team that features former NBA players Carsen Edwards, Johnathan Motley, and Nick Calathes, among others.
Northwest Notes: Towns, Sexton, Clarkson, Jokic, SGA
Teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on Karl-Anthony Towns‘ situation in Minnesota and wondering whether the Timberwolves big man might become available via trade in the not-too-distant future, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said on the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (hat tip to RealGM). However, Krawczynski told Lowe that there’s no indication that the Wolves are considering such a move.
“I can tell you from everyone that I’ve talked to within the organization, they very much believe in KAT,” Krawczynski said, per RealGM. “They believe that once he comes back and they have some time to build around (Anthony Edwards) and (Rudy) Gobert and KAT, they very much believe that can still work. (Head coach) Chris Finch believes it. (President of basketball operations) Tim Connelly believes it. They don’t have any plans to trade him.”
There has been skepticism that the Timberwolves’ twin towers duo of Towns and Gobert can be effective, but the organization still believes in the pairing and hasn’t had an opportunity to assess it at length this season — Towns has been limited to just 21 games so far due to a calf strain that has sidelined him since November 28.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Jazz guard Collin Sexton will remain on the shelf for at least one more week due to his left hamstring strain, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. The team stated that Sexton is “progressing as expected” and will be reevaluated next Monday. His backcourt mate Jordan Clarkson has also been added to the injury list and will miss Tuesday’s game with a sprained right thumb, tweets Larsen.
- It remains to be seen whether Nikola Jokic will win a third consecutive Most Valuable Player award, but Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has already made up his mind about this season’s MVP race, per Craig Meyer of The Associated Press. “If you’re looking for a super athlete to win MVP, he’s not your candidate,” Malone said of Jokic. “If you’re looking for a great player that impacts winning in every possible way, whose team is first place in the Western Conference, then he’s your man. Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people think. I know he’s the MVP and his teammates know that and all the fans here in Denver and back home in Serbia know that.”
- Already hampered by an abdominal strain and right ankle soreness, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The OKC All-Star has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game vs. Sacramento and will likely miss at least Wednesday’s contest against the Lakers too now that he’s in the COVID-19 protocols, Mussatto adds.
Raptors Sign Will Barton, Waive Juancho Hernangomez
3:56pm: The Raptors have officially signed Barton and waived Hernangomez, the team announced in a press release.
2:35pm: The Raptors are making a change to their 15-man roster, having reached an agreement to sign veteran swingman Will Barton, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the team is waiving Juancho Hernangomez to create an opening for Barton.
Barton became a free agent last week after he reached a buyout agreement with the Wizards. Having been packaged with Monte Morris in an offseason trade that sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to Denver, Barton had a disappointing season for his hometown team in D.C., averaging just 7.7 points per game on 38.7% shooting in 40 appearances (19.6 MPG).
Still, Barton’s three-point shooting remained strong (38.0%) in 2022/23 and he had several solid years with the Nuggets before last summer’s trade. The 32-year-old will add some depth to a Raptors team that has lacked consistent bench production this season. Toronto also ranks just 27th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (33.5%), so signing Barton will give the team another outside threat.
Hernangomez, who starred as Bo Cruz in the Netflix film Hustle, was seeing regular minutes for the Raptors earlier this season, but struggled to produce consistently and had fallen out of the rotation in recent weeks. Although the 6’9″ forward has been effective as a stretch four in past years, he made a career-low 25.4% of his three-point attempts in Toronto, averaging just 2.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 42 appearances (14.6 MPG).
Because he’ll be waived by March 1, Hernangomez will retain his playoff eligibility in the event that he signs with another NBA team before the end of the regular season.
As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), because his deal will only cover the last few weeks of the season, the Raptors are in position to stay narrowly below the luxury tax line after signing Barton.
Bulls Waive Goran Dragic
The Bulls have officially waived veteran guard Goran Dragic, the team announced today in a press release.
The move was a mutual decision made by the Bulls and Dragic, and had been in the works since the team added Patrick Beverley, sources tell K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link).
There was some speculation at the time of Beverley’s signing last week that Dragic would be the player released to make room on the 15-man roster for the newcomer, but Chicago cut center Tony Bradley instead. Now, the Bulls have an open roster spot and are in position to sign another player before the end of the regular season.
Dragic, 36, inked a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Bulls last summer and had been part of the club’s point guard rotation for most of the season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 rebounds per night on .425/.352/.659 shooting in 51 games (15.4 MPG). However, he looked like the odd man out following Beverley’s arrival.
Because he was waived before March 1, Dragic will be playoff-eligible if he signs with another NBA team between now and the last day of the regular season. It’s also possible he could be claimed on waivers, since any team could absorb his contract using the minimum salary exception. A club placing a claim would have to be willing to take on Dragic’s full $1.84MM cap hit and would owe him the money left on that contract.
Assuming Dragic clears waivers, his $1.84MM cap charge will stay on the Bulls’ books and Chicago’s team salary would remain about $1.2MM below the luxury tax line, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That gives the club more than enough room to sign a player to a rest-of-season minimum-salary deal to fill Dragic’s roster spot.
Warriors Notes: D. Green, Poole, Baldwin, Lamb, Jerome
Having missed two straight games due to a right knee contusion, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green underwent an MRI to determine whether there was any damage in the knee. Fortunately, that MRI came back clean, head coach Steve Kerr said on Monday (Twitter link via Kendra Andrews of ESPN).
Green practiced on Monday and was initially listed as questionable for Golden State’s contest against Portland on Tuesday, but was later upgraded to probable, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
While it sounds like the Warriors should have Green back in action later today, forward Andrew Wiggins remains out for personal reasons — he hasn’t played since February 13.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- With Stephen Curry on the shelf, Jordan Poole has relied more heavily on isolations and is performing below his usual standards as of late, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Kerr, who was seen at Monday’s practice having a one-on-one sitdown with the fourth-year guard, told reporters that he wants Poole to focus on “trying a little less hard to make the great play.” The 23-year-old is shooting just 28.3% from the floor (21.7% on threes) since the All-Star break. “He wants so badly to help that he’s trying too hard and taking some shots that are a little difficult,” Kerr said.
- Warriors rookie Patrick Baldwin only appeared in 16 NBA games prior to the All-Star Game, but has played at least 10 minutes in the team’s three games since the break, scoring 25 points in 39 minutes and making 7-of-13 threes during that stretch. While Baldwin’s recent success bodes well for his long-term outlook, it may also pay dividends for this season’s version of the Warriors, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, who notes that the team is always on the lookout for frontcourt players who can spread the floor while playing alongside Green or Kevon Looney.
- Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome are both nearing the 50-game limit for players on two-way contracts, notes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Lamb can be active for up to four more games, while Jerome has eight active games remaining. The Warriors could circumvent those restrictions and make both players postseason-eligible by promoting them to the 15-man roster, but the club currently only has one opening available on its 15-man squad and may soon have to make some difficult decisions.
Kevin Durant On Track For Suns Debut On Wednesday
Superstar forward Kevin Durant is expected to play his first game for the Suns on Wednesday in Charlotte against the Hornets, the team announced today (via Twitter).
The announcement had been anticipated, as a report last week indicated that Durant and the Suns were targeting March 1 for his return from a right MCL sprain that has sidelined him since January 8.
Of course, back when Durant suffered that injury, he was still a member of the Nets. His injury absence resulted in a prolonged slump in Brooklyn and was one domino that led to Kyrie Irving‘s trade request. After the Nets sent Irving to Dallas, Durant quietly requested a trade of his own and was sent to Phoenix at this month’s deadline in exchange for a package headlined by Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and four unprotected first-round picks.
Durant’s new teammates, including Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Chris Paul, have repeatedly expressed excitement to play alongside the former MVP, and head coach Monty Williams said on Sunday that KD was “itching to get out there,” per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
With Durant in their lineup, the Suns will take aim at securing one of the top seeds in the West. The 33-29 squad currently holds the No. 4 spot in the conference, but seven teams are within three games of the Suns in the standings and chasing Phoenix for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Knicks Sign Duane Washington To Two-Way Deal
12:21pm: The Knicks have officially signed Washington to a two-way contract, the team announced today (press release via Twitter). As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Washington will be eligible to be active for up to 12 regular season games.
9:14am: The Knicks intend to fill one of the open slots on their 17-man roster by signing guard Duane Washington Jr. to a two-way contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Washington, who played for the Pacers as a rookie after going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2021, signed a two-way contract with the Suns last August and spent the first half of the 2022/23 season with Phoenix before being waived at the start of February.
Washington had several strong outings for the Suns in his second NBA season, including four games of 21 points or more. In total, he averaged 7.9 PPG and 2.0 APG in 31 appearances (12.7 MPG) while making 36.0% of his three-point attempts. The team cut him in order to sign Saben Lee to a two-way deal.
The Knicks have been on a roll lately and don’t have any open spots in their rotation, so it’s unclear whether Washington will any real action at the NBA level once he signs with New York. He could end up spending much of his time with the Westchester Knicks as the G League season enters its home stretch.
Having promoted Trevor Keels from his two-way contract to a 10-day deal last week, the Knicks have an open two-way slot alongside DaQuan Jeffries. New York also still has the flexibility to continue making changes to its standard 15-man roster — after Keels’ 10-day contract expires this weekend, the team will be carrying just 13 players on standard deals.
Players Waived After Wednesday Won’t Be Playoff-Eligible
In order to retain his postseason eligibility for a new NBA team, a player must be waived on or before March 1. That means that any player who remains on an NBA roster after Wednesday won’t be eligible to suit up in the playoffs for a new team, though there’s at least one key exception to that general rule.
A player who is currently on a 10-day contract – or who signs one after March 1 – will retain his playoff eligibility going forward. For instance, once Meyers Leonard‘s 10-day deal with the Bucks expires this Friday night, he’d still be able to re-sign with Milwaukee or join a new team and be eligible to play in the postseason, since he’s not being placed on waivers after March 1.
Here’s the list of players currently on 10-day contracts who will retain their playoff eligibility when their current deals expire:
- Meyers Leonard, Bucks (runs through 3/3)
- Kris Dunn, Jazz (3/3)
- Frank Jackson, Jazz (3/3)
- Trevor Keels, Knicks (3/4)
- Willie Cauley-Stein, Rockets (3/8)
It’s also worth clarifying that a player doesn’t have to sign with a new team by March 1 to be playoff-eligible — he simply has to be placed on waivers by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Wednesday. As long as a player who fits that bill signs with a new team by the final day of the regular season (April 9), he can play in the postseason.
The buyout market in 2023 has been pretty active, with veterans like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Reggie Jackson, Danny Green, Patrick Beverley, Terrence Ross, and Justin Holiday among those who have been bought out since the trade deadline and found new teams.
All of those players – and those who have been waived but haven’t yet signed with new teams, like Will Barton – will be playoff-eligible for their new clubs, but anyone on a standard contract who is waived after Wednesday won’t be. We know that the Pistons will officially release Nerlens Noel by March 1 after the two sides reached a buyout agreement — we’ll be keeping a close eye out for any other veterans who might hit waivers in the next day-and-a-half.
Knicks Notes: Rose, Brunson, Hart, Grimes
Veteran point guard Derrick Rose said last week that he hasn’t sought a buyout from the team, and that’s just fine with the Knicks, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who says the club has little interest in negotiating a buyout agreement. As Begley explains, New York values the 34-year-old’s veteran leadership and recognizes that he would provide important backcourt depth in the event of an injury.
Although Rose has been out of the rotation since December, he saw some action in garbage time on Saturday for the first time in nearly two months, playing the final 2:21 of a blowout win over New Orleans. The former MVP wasn’t effective, going scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting, but his enduring popularity was on display, as he got a huge ovation from the home crowd, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
“D-Rose, that’s a legend,” Julius Randle said of the crowd’s reaction to his teammate. “That’s a legend and he’s not playing. Obviously he’s still got some juice and he can still play. But that’s not his role on this team. I would argue that he’s having just as much if not more of an impact vocally as a leader for us. He’s constantly talking to me, giving me advice. His impact is huge. I love to see him out on the floor.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Tom Thibodeau‘s decision to trim the Knicks’ rotation and relegate Rose and Cam Reddish to the bench in December turned the club’s season around, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. New York is 26-14 since Thibodeau made that move on December 4 and has climbed from 11th in the Eastern Conference standings to fifth.
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, Fred Katz discusses Jalen Brunson‘s chances of winning the Most Improved Player award, the possibility of ownership paying the tax in future seasons, and the likelihood of the Knicks negotiating a new contract with Josh Hart this summer, among other topics. Katz believes Brunson will get some MIP votes but won’t win the award, speculates that ownership would be happy to go into the tax if there’s a move that makes the club a contender, and says he’d be surprised if Hart and the Knicks don’t work out a new deal in free agency.
- Quentin Grimes remains a part of the Knicks’ starting lineup, but his minutes have tailed off since the trade deadline. Grimes had been averaging 34.2 minutes per contest in his previous 40 starts, but has logged just 22.1 MPG in his last six games. As Peter Botte of The New York Post relays, Thibodeau says that’s not an indictment of Grimes’ performance. “The big thing is, when you have quality depth, you have versatility. Just go out and go as hard as you can,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what I like about Quentin. He’s played long minutes, he’s played short minutes. You can start him, you can bring him off the bench and he’s going to be the same every day.”
- In case you missed it, the Knicks intend to sign Duane Washington Jr. to fill their open two-way contract slot.