Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Anunoby, Flynn, Sixers, Celtics
Appearing on CNBC on Monday (video link), financial analyst Jonathan Boyar said that there’s a belief Knicks owner James Dolan will explore selling his sports franchises after Madison Square Garden Entertainment finishes building the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. The new Vegas venue is scheduled to open in 2023.
However, an MSG executive responded to that report with a quick and succinct denial, according to Knicks reporter Tommy Beer (Twitter link).
“We have no plans to sell either of the teams,” the executive said of the Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic division:
- OG Anunoby and Malachi Flynn are among the Raptors facing the most pressure in 2022/23, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. As Koreen outlines, if Anunoby can stay healthy and continues to develop on offense, he could become an All-Star caliber player, but he still has to stay on the court and show he deserves that bigger role. Flynn, meanwhile, is entering the third year of his rookie contract and may not be part of Toronto’s future plans if he doesn’t establish himself as a reliable backup this season.
- Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines some lingering offseason questions facing the Sixers, including whether the team will get seriously involved in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes and how the NBA’s investigation into the team’s free agency moves might play out.
- Jared Weiss of The Athletic takes a look at whether or not there will be regular minutes available in the Celtics‘ rotation for Payton Pritchard and/or Sam Hauser following the team’s offseason acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon. While Weiss believes both players are capable of contributing in Boston, he suggests they’ll have to earn their playing time.
Bulls Sign Carlik Jones To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Bulls have signed guard Carlik Jones to a training camp contract, as tweeted by Keith Smith of Spotrac and confirmed by Jones himself.
The deal is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract that includes Exhibit 10 language, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means it could be converted into a two-way contract before the regular season begins or it could put Jones in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.
Jones, 24, went undrafted out of Louisville in 2021 and spent most of his first professional season with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League team. He made the All-NBAGL Third Team and the All-NBAGL Rookie Team by averaging 21.1 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 33 regular season G League contests (35.6 MPG).
Jones also signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks and another with the Nuggets, appearing in five NBA games as a rookie. He subsequently suited up for the Bulls in last month’s Las Vegas Summer League, registering 11.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 2.2 SPG with a scorching hot .548/.667/.846 shooting line in five appearances (24.7 MPG).
Chicago is carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so there likely won’t be room for Jones on the regular season roster. However, the team has one two-way slot open and its only current two-way player, Justin Lewis, is facing ACL surgery, meaning there may be a path to a two-way deal for Jones.
Bulls Confirm Justin Lewis Will Undergo Surgery On ACL
Bulls rookie forward Justin Lewis has injured the ACL in his right knee, the team confirmed today in a press release. According to the announcement, Lewis will undergo surgery at some point in the coming weeks and will be out indefinitely.
Lewis’ knee injury was first reported last Thursday by K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who said at the time that there was concern about the possibility of an ACL tear. The Bulls technically didn’t confirm in their statement that Lewis’ ACL is torn, but the fact that he’s going under the knife and being ruled out indefinitely strongly suggests that’s the diagnosis.
It’s a brutal blow for the former Marquette standout, who caught on with Chicago on a two-way contract this summer after going undrafted. Lewis had a breakout sophomore season in 2021/22, averaging 16.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 32 games (32.2 MPG) for the Golden Eagles. He played for the Bulls’ Summer League team in Las Vegas last month before injuring his knee last week.
While the Bulls didn’t announce a specific timeline for Lewis’ return to the court, ACL tears typically sideline NBA players for a full year. If Lewis does indeed have a torn ACL, it’s unlikely we’ll see him in action until the 2023/24 season.
It’s unclear whether the Bulls will keep Lewis under contract all season or whether they’ll waive him and use that two-way slot on another player, given that he’s only on a one-year deal. If he’s released, the 20-year-old would likely be given the opportunity to remain around the team and use the Bulls’ facilities during his rehab process.
Knicks, Jazz Re-Engage In Donovan Mitchell Discussions
The Knicks and Jazz have been back in touch about Donovan Mitchell within the past week, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic, who report that the two teams have had a “fresh trade conversation” about what a deal sending Mitchell to New York might look like.
As Charania and Jones explain, the Knicks and Jazz had serious discussions during the Las Vegas Summer League in mid-July about a Mitchell trade, but those talks reached an impasse and had been dormant for a few weeks.
Although the Knicks have made their interest in Mitchell “abundantly clear” throughout the summer, there’s still no serious traction toward a deal, per The Athletic’s duo. Sources tell Charania and Jones that the Hornets and Wizards remain among the teams in pursuit of Mitchell. Charania reported in late July that those two Southeast teams had recently engaged with New York.
Previous reports have indicated that the Jazz are seeking a return for Mitchell that’s similar to – or greater than – the haul they received from Minnesota in exchange for Rudy Gobert. Although the Knicks have a surplus of first-round picks from previous trades, it’s unclear whether they – or any other suitors – are prepared to meet Utah’s asking price.
According to Charania and Jones, the Jazz have conveyed that they’re comfortable keeping the All-Star guard on the roster this season, since he still has three years remaining on his contract (plus a fourth-year player option). For his part, Mitchell hasn’t made any sort of trade demand and is believed to be fine with with either staying in Utah or being dealt elsewhere, sources tell The Athletic.
We’re still six weeks away from the start of training camps and nine weeks away from opening night, so the Jazz have plenty of time to consider their options before the 2022/23 season tips off.
Pelicans Reportedly Unwilling To Offer Ingram In Package For Durant
The Pelicans are unwilling to include Brandon Ingram in a trade offer for Nets star Kevin Durant, league sources tell Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
New Orleans has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Durant, who is pushing for a trade out of Brooklyn. Building an offer around Ingram would mean offering up a young forward with an All-Star nod on his résumé — the Pelicans would also be able to dip into their draft pick surplus from the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday blockbusters to give the Nets the kind of future assets they’re believed to be seeking.
However, according to Clark, the Pelicans want to see how Ingram and Zion Williamson play together in 2022/23, with Williamson on track to return from a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire ’21/22 season. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported in late July that the Pelicans had yet to put Ingram on the table in trade talks for Durant.
While it’s possible New Orleans will make some minor roster changes before opening night, Clark says not to expect any “earth-shattering” moves, adding that it’s unlikely the club will get seriously involved in the Durant sweepstakes.
In his latest look at the Durant situation, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes that executives around the league view the Celtics as the “unofficial” frontrunners to land the 33-year-old due to their reported willingness to include Jaylen Brown in their offer. However, league sources tell Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe the C’s aren’t close to making a deal for Durant and haven’t even really engaged in any “discussions of substance” with the Nets.
Brooklyn could accelerate the process by lowering the asking price for the former MVP, but there’s no indication that will happen anytime soon, if at all.
“(Nets general manager Sean) Marks is still asking for the world; that won’t change,” one front executive told Amick late last week.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 8/16/2022
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today. Click here to view the transcript.
Our next live chat will take place on Saturday at noon Central time with Dana Gauruder.
Jalen Harris Reinstated By NBA
Jalen Harris has been reinstated by the NBA, the league announced today in a press release.
Harris, who turned 24 on Sunday, was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA on July 1, 2021 for violating the terms of the league’s anti-drug program. The NBA announced at the time that the former Nevada guard would be eligible to apply for reinstatement in one year.
The 59th overall pick in 2020, Harris spent his first professional season on a two-way contract with the Raptors, then signed with Vanoli Cremona in Italy for the 2021/22 campaign following his suspension from the NBA. This May, he joined the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League as he prepared to apply for reinstatement to the NBA.
Harris averaged 7.4 PPG on .500/.472/.778 shooting in 13 NBA games (13.2 MPG) and put up 17.6 PPG on .457/.500/.667 shooting in seven NBAGL contests (29.4 MPG) as a rookie in ’20/21.
In 18 games in Italy, Harris led Vanoli Cremona with 13.8 points per game, though his shooting percentages dipped to .385/.295/.700. This season in the CEBL, he ranked third in the league with 19.9 points per game and led Scarborough to an appearance in the championship game, which the team narrowly lost.
Because Harris was still under contract with Toronto at the time of his suspension, the Raptors are expected to have 30 days to tender him a one-year offer in order to retain his rights, as Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
Nuggets Second-Rounder Ismael Kamagate To Remain In Paris
After being selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft, French center Ismael Kamagate will remain in his home country and will continue to play for Paris Basketball, the team announced today (via Twitter).
The No. 46 pick in June, Kamagate was technically drafted by the Pistons with a second-round selection they acquired from Brooklyn in last September’s DeAndre Jordan salary dump. Kamagate’s rights were then sent to Portland in the Jerami Grant trade and were subsequently flipped to the Nuggets in exchange for a future second-round pick.
[RELATED: 2022 NBA Draft Pick Signings]
Kamagate, who has played for Paris Basketball since 2019, received the Best Defender award in France’s top league (LNB Pro A) this past season. The 21-year-old averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in 34 appearances (27.1 MPG) for the club.
The Nuggets figure to keep a close eye on Kamagate’s development in Paris as they consider the possibility of bringing him stateside in a future season. The 6’11” big man suited up for Denver in Summer League play in Las Vegas last month, putting up 5.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in five contests (19.3 MPG).
Kamagate is the second draft-and-stash prospect confirmed this week to be sticking with Paris Basketball, joining 2021 Celtics second-rounder Juhann Begarin.
NBA To Release Full 2022/23 Schedule On Wednesday
9:04am: The NBA’s schedule announcement is set for 3:00 pm Eastern time (2:00 pm CT) on Wednesday, the league has confirmed (via Twitter).
7:50am: The NBA will announce its full schedule for the 2022/23 regular season on Wednesday, league sources tell veteran reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link).
A handful of key matchups on the coming season’s schedule have been reported in recent days, including all five Christmas Day games and a Warriors/Lakers season opener.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Celtics and Sixers will also play in Boston on opening night, which will fall on Tuesday, October 18.
Other newly reported matchups from the NBA’s opening week include the Suns hosting the Mavericks on October 19 after being blown out in Phoenix in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals by that same Dallas team (Twitter link via Charania); and the new-look Timberwolves hosting Rudy Gobert‘s old team, the Jazz, on October 21 (Twitter link via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports). The Wolves will visit Utah for the first time on December 9, Haynes reports.
The fact that the season will officially begin on October 18 means that Monday, October 17 will be a key deadline to watch. That will be the last day for teams to set their 15-man rosters for the regular season, to convert Exhibit 10 contracts into two-way deals, to complete sign-and-trades, and to sign players to rookie scale extensions.
Former First-Rounder D.J. White Announces Retirement
Veteran power forward D.J. White, the No. 29 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, is calling it a career, having confirmed in an Instagram post that he intends to retire as a player.
“You are never ready for it to be over, but I’m ready for what’s next,” White wrote as part of a larger statement.
Drafted by the Pistons out of Indiana University, White was immediately traded to the Thunder and spent his first two-and-a-half seasons with the newly relocated Oklahoma City team before being dealt to Charlotte. After his contract expired, the former Hoosier signed with Boston and was eventually part of the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce package sent to Brooklyn in one of the most memorable trades of the last decade.
White appeared in a total of 138 NBA games from 2008-14 for the Thunder, Celtics, and then-Bobcats, averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 15.3 minutes per contest.
Since 2014, White has played for a number of international teams in China, Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Korea. While he put up bigger numbers in the Chinese Basketball Association, his most impressive overseas stint may have come in 2015-17, when he played for Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino and averaged 15.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 38 games in the Italian League (Liga Serie A).