Atlantic Notes: Curry, Siakam, Sixers, Fitts
In his second game back from a left ankle injury, Nets guard Seth Curry re-injured the same ankle, leaving Monday’s game late in the second quarter with what the team has initially diagnosed as a sprain, per Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. Brooklyn is hopeful that Curry’s latest injury isn’t too significant.
“We’ll see what it’s like [Tuesday], but speaking to him at halftime, it didn’t sound like he thought it was doom and gloom,” head coach Steve Nash said after the Nets’ win over Utah. “Hopefully, it’s a quick recovery, but you never know how these things respond, if they balloon up over night. … I think he feels optimistic that it’s not too bad.”
Although Ben Simmons was ostensibly the centerpiece of the Nets’ James Harden trade last month, Curry has provided the most value so far, averaging 15.5 PPG on .493/.471/.846 shooting in 13 games (30.3 MPG) since arriving in Brooklyn.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has reemerged as an All-NBA candidate this season, averaging 22.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.1 APG with a .488 FG% through 59 games (37.7 MPG). However, as Eric Koreen of The Athletic outlines, Siakam’s odds of making an All-NBA team will be slim if voters view DeMar DeRozan as a forward and/or list Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid at forward to squeeze both onto the First Team.
- The Sixers have performed very well when both Embiid and Harden are on the court, but have struggled in recent weeks with just one of their two stars playing, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com, who says the team will need to find a way to address that issue. Both Embiid (back soreness) and Harden (left hamstring injury recovery) missed Monday’s game, but Philadelphia pulled out a 113-106 upset over the top-seeded Heat.
- Malik Fitts‘ new two-year contract with the Celtics is, as expected, worth the minimum salary and is non-guaranteed for next season. Fitts will receive a partial guarantee of $50K if he’s still under contract beyond September 1, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Domantas Sabonis Has Bruised Left Knee, No Structural Damage
6:57pm: Sabonis has a bruised left knee and will be reevaluated when the Kings return from their upcoming five-game trip, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Imaging shows no structural damage but the Kings will only have four games left after the re-evaluation on April 2.
12:53pm: The Kings are awaiting the results of an MRI on Domantas Sabonis‘ knee after the big man left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter due to an injury, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Sabonis hit the floor following a collision with Suns forward Mikal Bridges, clutching his left knee in “obvious pain,” writes Anderson (video link). Sabonis was able to walk to the bench under his own power and stayed in the game for another 28 seconds, but headed to the locker room at the next stoppage and didn’t return.
Head coach Alvin Gentry, who confirmed that Sabonis would undergo an MRI, told reporters there would be an update on Monday or Tuesday, adding that the Kings would have to “wait and see” whether the injury is anything serious.
“We don’t know anything other than that,” Gentry said. “But, obviously, he’s a key to what we’re doing, and, if nothing else, we’re trying to have growth with the chemistry and everything on this team and learning to play with each other, so obviously when he goes down like that, there’s always concern.”
Even if the injury turns out to be a minor one, the Kings likely won’t be in a rush to get Sabonis back on the court. The team is six games out of a play-in spot with just nine games remaining on its schedule, so a lottery finish is a near certainty. The priority would be making sure Sabonis – Sacramento’s big in-season acquisition – is 100% healthy for next season.
The Kings announced last week that Richaun Holmes will be out for the rest of the season for personal reasons, so if Sabonis has to miss time too, the club will be without its top two centers. That would result in more playing time for Chimezie Metu, Damian Jones, and possibly Alex Len down the stretch.
Western Notes: Snyder, Lakers, Warriors, Nurkic, Hayes
After writing last week that he has heard Quin Snyder‘s name mentioned as a possible Gregg Popovich successor in San Antonio, Marc Stein says in his latest Substack article that he has also heard Snyder suggested as a probable candidate to replace Frank Vogel if and when the Lakers seek a new head coach.
Stein cautions that Snyder won’t necessarily be available this offseason. The details of the Jazz head coach’s contract aren’t publicly known, but his deal is believed to run for at least one more season beyond 2021/22.
However, according to Stein, coaching sources have said Utah has been unsuccessful in its attempts to further extend Snyder, creating the sense that he “might be more gettable than advertised.” There’s a sense that major changes could be in store for the Jazz if they don’t make a deep playoff run this spring — it remains to be seen if Snyder’s job could be among those potential changes.
Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:
- With James Wiseman‘s return up in the air following a recent setback, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Sunday that head of basketball operations Bob Myers and the front office are “constantly looking at options” for frontcourt help (Twitter link via Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area). Golden State hasn’t made a change to its 15-man roster since re-signing Gary Payton II to be the team’s 15th man on October 19.
- The NBA has yet to announce anything, but Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic could be facing a fine after a video surfaced showing him grabbing a fan’s phone and tossing it away following Sunday’s game in Indiana.
- Jaxson Hayes‘ shift from center to power forward has allowed him to defend more on the perimeter and become an ancillary shot-blocker and rebounder instead of having to anchor the Pelicans‘ defense, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Hayes, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, has played some of his best basketball since adopting his new role. “I feel like playing the four, I’m out guarding more guards and switching one through four instead of playing in my actual drop coverage like the other bigs,” Hayes said. “… I can showcase more of what I can do on the defensive end.”
Damian Lillard Out For Rest Of Season
2:51pm: The Trail Blazers have confirmed that Lillard’s season is over, announcing the news in a press release.
“(Lillard) has met several key performance benchmarks to date and will continue end-stage rehab over the next few weeks,” the team said in a statement.
8:57am: Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from abdominal surgery, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Sources tell Charania that Lillard is “making tremendous progress” and looks good in workouts, but Portland has decided to have him sit out the remaining 12 games on the team’s regular season schedule.
The news comes as no surprise. If the Blazers were in the playoff picture, it might be a different story, but the club pivoted to retooling mode when it traded CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington away prior to last month’s deadline and is prioritizing lottery positioning rather than pushing for a play-in spot.
The club hasn’t issued a recent update on Jusuf Nurkic, who is sidelined due to plantar fasciitis, but it won’t be a shock if he is also ruled out for the rest of 2021/22.
The Blazers, who will continue to take an extended look at some of their young players down the stretch, are currently 26-44 and have lost 10 of 11 games since shutting down Nurkic at the All-Star break. As our reverse standings show, they’d be seventh in the draft lottery standings if the season ended today.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum Named Players Of The Week
Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has won the award for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
Oddly, this is the third time this season that Towns and Tatum have earned Player of the Week honors for the same week. Both players won the award on December 20 and again on March 7.
Towns’ numbers during the week of March 14-20 were buoyed by his 60-point, 17-rebound outburst in San Antonio last Monday, but he also led the Timberwolves to blowout victories over the Lakers and Bucks. He averaged 38.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG on .569/.600/.925 shooting in just 31.4 minutes per contest in those three wins.
Tatum’s Celtics also enjoyed a dominant 3-0 week as they continued their climb up the Eastern standings, winning by 20 or more points in Golden State, Sacramento, and Denver. The All-Star forward put up 29.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 5.0 APG with a .592/.571/.933 shooting line in those three games (34.6 MPG).
The other nominees for this week’s Player of the Week awards were Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell in the West, along with Kevin Durant, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Pascal Siakam, and Tatum’s teammate Jaylen Brown in the East (Twitter link).
Heat Notes: Beal, Butler, Martin, Oladipo, Haslem
The belief around the NBA is that signing a new contract with the Wizards is the most likely offseason outcome for veteran guard Bradley Beal, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic. However, multiple sources tell Charania that the Heat are considered a “legitimate” suitor for Beal if he decides to seek a change of scenery in free agency.
Even if Beal were interested in going to Miami, it would be a challenge for the capped-out Heat to acquire him. As Charania writes, a sign-and-trade would almost certainly be necessary, and it’s a safe bet the Wizards would drive a hard bargain if they were sending their franchise player to a division rival. Reacting to the report, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald says he’d be surprised if the Heat were willing to move Tyler Herro in a sign-and-trade for Beal.
The entire scenario remains hypothetical for now. Although the Heat are one of several teams that have monitored Beal for years in case he asks to be dealt – Charania reports the Sixers also did plenty of work this season on a possible Beal trade before acquiring James Harden – the longtime Wizard has always remained committed to D.C. It sounds like there’s a good chance that trend will continue this summer.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Caleb Martin (hyperextended left knee) said on Monday that he’ll play vs. Philadelphia tonight, and head coach Erik Spoelstra said that Jimmy Butler (right ankle sprain) will warm up with the intention of playing (Twitter links via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald). Sixers center Joel Embiid, meanwhile, will sit on the second night of a back-to-back set due to back soreness, tweets ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
- Victor Oladipo didn’t travel to Philadelphia due to back spasms, but the Heat don’t seem concerned about the veteran guard, tweets Chiang. “He’s just rehabbing and trying to get ready for Wednesday,” Spoelstra said of Oladipo.
- Heat big man Udonis Haslem remains interested in getting involved in the franchise’s ownership group after he retires, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “This is always the place I wanted to win. This is always the place I wanted to retire. This is always the place I felt I could make the biggest impact,” Haslem said, noting that he took discounts earlier in his career to stay with the Heat. “… You don’t give up $40, $50, $60 million dollars temporarily because it [isn’t] temporarily coming back. So everything I’ve done is to be part of this organization for the rest of my life.”
Pelicans Sign Tyrone Wallace To Second 10-Day Deal
12:03pm: The Pelicans have officially signed Wallace to a second 10-day contract, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).
9:34am: The Pelicans are signing guard Tyrone Wallace to a second 10-day contract, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Wallace’s initial 10-day deal with the team expired overnight following Sunday’s game in Atlanta.
Wallace signed a standard 10-day contract with New Orleans on March 11 after CJ McCollum entered the health and safety protocols. Even after McCollum returned, Wallace saw some action for the club, averaging 4.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG in four appearances (15.8 MPG).
Wallace struggled a little with his shot, making 7-of-18 field goals (38.9%), including 2-of-8 three-pointers (25.0%) and just 1-of-5 free throws (20.0%). However, the Pelicans – who won three of the four games in which Wallace played – apparently liked what they saw enough to commit to him for at least 10 more days.
The Pelicans will take on a cap hit of $95,930 for Wallace’s 10-day deal, which will pay him $99,380. If he officially re-signs before Monday’s game, he’ll be under contract through March 30, making him eligible for New Orleans’ next five games.
Once Wallace’s new contract expires, the Pelicans will either have to sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk, assuming the team doesn’t qualify for a hardship exception.
Bryce McGowens, Others Declare For 2022 NBA Draft
Nebraska freshman shooting guard Bryce McGowens has opted to declare for the 2022 NBA draft and will go pro, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
“I am planning on forgoing my college eligibility and hiring agent Drew Gross of Roc Nation Sports,” McGowens told ESPN.
In his first and only college season, McGowens averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 31 appearances (33.3 MPG) for the Cornhuskers. He got the opportunity to play with his brother, junior guard Trey McGowens, en route to earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Rookie team.
Bryce McGowens is the No. 30 prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2022, with Givony writing in his scouting report that the 6’7″ wing looked like a potential lottery pick on some nights and a second-rounder on others. McGowens told ESPN that he hopes to “squeeze into the lottery.”
Givony praised McGowens as a “fluid, versatile scoring threat” who can finish with either hand around the basket and has deep range on his pull-up jumper. However, he had some trouble scoring efficiently as a freshman, making just 40.2% of his field goal attempts, including 27.2% of his three-pointers.
Saint Joseph’s sophomore forward Jordan Hall (Instagram link) and Rutgers freshman guard Jaden Jones (press release) have also declared for the 2022 draft in recent days. The wording of their statements suggest they both plan to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility rather than simply testing the draft waters. Hall tested the waters in 2021 before returning to school.
Blazers Expected To Pursue Jerami Grant In Offseason
The Trail Blazers are expected to seriously pursue Pistons forward Jerami Grant during the 2022 offseason, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Even after moving CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington prior to last month’s trade deadline, Portland continued to be linked to Grant in the days and hours leading up to the deadline. Reports at the time indicated that, while they may have been throwing in the towel on this season, the Blazers weren’t necessarily prepared to embark on a lengthy rebuild and hoped to add pieces capable of helping them return to the playoffs in 2022/23.
Grant, who is under contract through next season before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023, would be one such piece. The 28-year-old forward is a talented, versatile defender who has expanded his offensive game during his two seasons in Detroit, averaging 21.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .427/.352/.842 shooting in 99 total games as a Piston.
Grant will also become eligible for an extension this offseason, and reports prior to the trade deadline suggested he’d want a new team to be willing to offer a new contract, which could be worth up to about $112MM over four years.
Grant will earn a $20,955,000 salary next season. Portland created a $20,864,198 trade exception in the McCollum deal which would theoretically allow them to acquire Grant without sending back any salary, since trade exceptions include $100K in extra wiggle room.
Also as a result of the McCollum trade, the Blazers will receive the Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick if it falls between No. 5 and No. 14. They’d consider putting that pick into an offer for Grant, Charania reports.
Without the Pelicans’ first-round pick, Portland’s package likely wouldn’t be as strong as what other Grant suitors could offer, according to Charania, whose wording hints that the Blazers may not want to make their own first-rounder available if it’s the only one they have (there would also be complications related to the Stepien rule in that scenario, though the club could work around those issues if necessary).
Cavs Re-Sign Moses Brown; Dean Wade To Miss Several Weeks
The Cavaliers have brought back big man Moses Brown on a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Brown’s first 10-day deal expired on Saturday night.
Brown, initially signed earlier this month to provide some frontcourt depth with Jarrett Allen sidelined due to a finger injury, appeared in four games during his first 10 days with Cleveland. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per contest.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Allen – who is taking a non-surgical approach as he recovers from his broken finger – is hopeful of getting back into the lineup within the next three weeks. However, it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent.
Additionally, Charania reports that forward Dean Wade has sustained a partial meniscus tear in his right knee and will be out for several weeks, creating another hole in the Cavaliers’ frontcourt. Wade had been a regular part of Cleveland’s rotation this season, averaging 19.2 MPG in 51 appearances. The hope is that he’ll be able to make it back by the end of the regular season or the start of the postseason, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
The Cavs will play five games in the next 10 days, starting with a matchup vs. the Lakers on Monday night. Their games on Thursday in Toronto and on Saturday vs. Chicago will be crucial in the race for a top-six seed in the East.