Heat Notes: Larsson, Herro, Jaquez, Bam, Backup Centers
Former Arizona wing Pelle Larsson, who received a standard contract from the Heat after being selected No. 44 overall in June’s draft, has made a strong impression on his new club ahead of his rookie season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 23-year-old recorded 10 points (on 4-of-5 shooting), two assists and a steal in 16 minutes of action during Tuesday’s preseason opener in Charlotte.
“He’s as advertised,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Larsson. “I think that’s what is so interesting about the draft process for all the different teams. Each team has their own philosophy, each team values different things. He’s an elite role player. If you mention that to some organizations, they probably think that that’s horrible. I think it fits absolutely with our style of play, our culture, how we view players and how they impact winning.
“He knows how to defend multiple positions, he brings you physicality on that side of the floor. Offensively, he moves very well without the ball, so he could be a connector with whatever unit he plays. And also, he’s been really working diligently on his shooting.”
As Chiang notes, Larsson may not receive consistent rotation minutes when the roster is fully healthy, but he’s doing his best to make it a difficult decision for Spoelstra.
“Just that I can make winning plays,” Larsson said when asked what he wants to prove this preseason. “They’re not going to put anyone out there who doesn’t show that. That’s the first thing they look for. And then if you can knock down open shots, they’ll be really happy. But the main thing is making winning plays — on the ball and off the ball. As a cutter, as a passer, whatever it is, just stack up winning plays.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Tyler Herro (right groin strain) and Jaime Jaquez (left groin strain) were both able to practice on Friday and could make their preseason debuts on Sunday vs. New Orleans, Chiang writes in another story for The Miami Herald. Spoelstra previously said the injuries were considered relatively minor, and a little bit of rest seems to have gone a long way.
- Three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo, who won his second Olympic gold medal over the summer with Team USA, appears committed to expanding his offensive repertoire, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Adebayo went 5-of-9 from the field in 17 minutes on Tuesday, recording 13 points. Notably, he went 2-of-5 from long distance. Adebayo attempted a career-high 42 three-pointers in 71 games last season, converting 15 (35.7%). He should easily set new career bests in makes and attempts if he continues to feel confident from beyond the arc.
- In a mailbag column, Winderman says he expects Kevin Love to open the season as the primary backup center behind Adebayo, leaving rookie Kel’el Ware and veteran Thomas Bryant on the outside looking in for rotation minutes. Winderman believes Miami will run various small-ball lineups as well due to the team’s wing depth, which could further limit the opportunities for frontcourt players.
Wizards’ Malcolm Brogdon Undergoes Thumb Surgery
OCTOBER 8: Brogdon underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his thumb, the Wizards announced (via Twitter).
The team didn’t offer any specifics on his recovery timeline, but it seems like a safe bet that Brogdon will be sidelined for at least a month, as detailed below. When Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons had a similar surgery last fall, he missed approximately five weeks of action.
OCTOBER 7: Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, whom the Wizards acquired in an offseason trade with Portland, is expected to miss several weeks with a right hand injury, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Brogdon sustained the injury during Saturday’s practice in Montreal and was subsequently sent back to Washington, D.C. to undergo testing. The full severity of the injury has yet to be determined, but a source told Robbins that Brogdon is expected to be out at least a month.
The 36th pick of the 2016 draft out of Virginia, Brogdon has compiled an impressive NBA résumé, winning Rookie of the Year in 2017 with Milwaukee and Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 with Boston. However, the 31-year-old has also been hampered by injuries throughout his career.
Brogdon has appeared in more than 56 regular season games just once in the past five years and only played 39 times in 2023/24. He remains effective when he’s available, averaging 15.7 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 3.8 RPG on .440/.412/.819 shooting last season for Portland (28.7 MPG).
Brogdon, who is on an expiring $22.5MM contract, seems like a prime candidate, with the Wizards in the early stages of a rebuild. The hand injury complicates matters, but it’s fairly unusual for trades to occur this time of year anyways.
If Brogdon misses exactly one month, he would be sidelined for the Wizards’ remaining preseason contests and would likely miss at least a handful of regular season games. As Robbins writes, rookie guards Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George are candidates for more playing time while Brogdon is sidelined.
Southeast Notes: KCP, Coulibaly, Davis, Baldwin, Hornets
In an interview with David Aldridge of The Athletic, veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope explained why he chose to sign with the Magic in free agency.
“The young core,” Caldwell-Pope told Aldridge. “These are most of the guys that they had last year, just adding new pieces. But that core they have, they already believe in each other, trust each other. Just watching them, the way they played, it was not ‘me, I.’ Everybody took sacrifices. For a young team to be able to grow up that fast says a lot about them and their organization. That made my decision easy.
“They were one of the best defensive teams last year, and that’s what I like to do — defend. Natural fit. It was easy for me to just come in and fit right in and not try to step on anyone’s toes. When I talk to most of the young guys, it’s about defense, them helping me and what I see and they don’t see, and I’m telling them. Everybody is eager to learn, I would say.”
Caldwell-Pope, a key role player on two championship-winning teams in the past five years (the Lakers and Nuggets, respectively), was one of the top free agents to switch teams this summer, going from Denver to Orlando. He signed a three-year, $66MM deal with the Magic.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- Second-year wing Bilal Coulibaly and showcased his offseason improvement during the Wizards‘ preseason opener on Sunday, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. According to Robbins, Coulibaly appears “stronger, more confident and more skilled.” The 20-year-old grew an inch, added 10 pounds to his thin frame, won a silver medal with the French national team, and has also developed his ball-handling, particularly with his left hand, after his rookie campaign ended due to a fractured right wrist.
- Wizards guard Johnny Davis is another player who looks improved as he enters his third season, Robbins adds. Davis struggled over his first two seasons, averaging just 4.0 PPG and 1.8 RPG on .394/.282/.549 shooting in 78 combined games (13.3 MPG). However, he reworked his shooting form over the summer with his personal trainer in Wisconsin. “The past two years,” Davis told The Athletic on Sunday night, “a development coach from each year has been tinkering with my shot, messing with it. So I came back into this year, and I said, ‘Nobody is touching my jump shot. I’m just going to leave it as it is, leave it comfortable.’ And they’ve left me alone about it. So, it feels really good right now. I’ve been working on it the whole summer, so I’m just glad to see it pay off.”
- While it’s encouraging that Davis seems to have rediscovered some of what made him a former lottery pick (No. 10 overall in 2022), he’s still deep on the depth chart. Robbins wouldn’t be surprised if the Wizards decline their fourth-year options on Davis and Patrick Baldwin Jr., pointing out that neither player was drafted by the current front office. If that comes to fruition, both players would be unrestricted free agents in 2025.
- The Hornets dealt with a plethora of injuries to key players last season. In their preseason opener, they had four players out: Mark Williams (left foot), Grant Williams (right hamstring), Cody Martin (right wrist, thumb) and Nick Smith (left groin strain). Head coach Charles Lee doesn’t seem worried about any of the injuries though, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “No concerns,” Lee said. “Everything seems like it’s minor injuries at the moment — some nicks, some bruises. Unfortunately, Grant is another guy that kind of tweaked his hamstring in the preseason, but he was a full participant in camp. There are no worries from my standpoint because a lot of these guys are following their return to play plans and it seems like they’re in a really good place.” Mark Williams is set to be reevaluated on Thursday, while Smith will be checked out in a week.
Nets’ Sharpe, Watford Out Multiple Weeks With Hamstring Strains
A pair of Nets players sustained left hamstring strains during practices last week, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv). According to the Nets, forward Trendon Watford will be reevaluted in two weeks, while center Day’Ron Sharpe will be reexamined in six weeks.
The timing of the injury is very unfortunate for Sharpe, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension until Oct. 21, the day before the NBA’s regular season begins. In addition to missing Brooklyn’s preseason contests, he will also be sidelined for at least 14 regular season games (through Nov. 17), and he’ll likely miss additional time beyond that, even in a best-case scenario.
Sharpe, 22, was the 29th overall pick of the 2021 draft. He appeared in 61 games for the Nets last season, averaging 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per contest.
Watford’s injury appears to be far less severe. Assuming things go well in his recovery, he might only miss a few regular season games; two weeks from today is Oct. 21, a couple days before Brooklyn’s regular season opener vs. Atlanta.
If Sharpe doesn’t sign an extension in the next couple weeks, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer, while Watford will be an unrestricted free agent.
Starting center Nic Claxton is also dealing with hamstring soreness and will miss Tuesday’s preseason opener vs. the Clippers, though the injury is considered relatively minor.
With Sharpe and Watford sidelined, second-year big man Noah Clowney seems primed to earn significant rotation minutes. The 20-year-old has been one of Brooklyn’s standouts during training camp, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“Noah, he’s getting better, man. He’s getting real good,” veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith gushed of Clowney. “He’s getting real good. You know, the game is slowing down for him. That tends to happen in your second year after you get some bump. He’s shooting the ball a lot more, and with a lot more confidence. So, again, he’s going to have a great year. He’s been getting better all summer.”
L.A. Notes: Harden, Tucker, Porter, LeBron, Redick
Following the offseason departure of Paul George, Clippers star James Harden knows he’ll have an increased workload in 2024/25. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the 35-year-old said he’s in great shape (Twitter video link via Law Murray of The Athletic).
“I’m on pace,” Harden said. “At the start of the season I’m gonna be … in the best shape I’ve been in in five, six, seven years. I don’t really wanna talk, I just wanna go out there and show it. I feel like I’ve been talking too much.”
A 10-time All-Star and former NBA MVP, Harden averaged 16.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 8.5 APG and 1.1 SPG on .428/.381/.878 shooting in 72 games with Los Angeles last season. He re-signed with the Clips on a two-year, $70MM deal over the summer, including a player option for 2025/26.
Here’s more on the two Los Angeles-based teams:
- Clippers forward P.J. Tucker, who exercised his $11.54MM player option for ’24/25 over the summer, was not present for the team’s media day, tweets Murray of The Athletic. It’s unclear if Tucker’s absence was a mutual decision or a sign of a deeper disconnect, but the 39-year-old was unhappy with his limited role last season after being sent to the Clips in the Harden deal. For what it’s worth, Tucker is with the team at its training camp in Hawai’i, Murray notes (via Twitter).
- Kevin Porter Jr. is grateful the Clippers gave him what could be his last chance after he was out of the NBA last season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January after having been originally charged last fall with felony counts of assault and strangulation following an altercation with his former girlfriend in New York. He may still face discipline from the NBA, which is investigating the case. “I’m accountable for whatever comes, the league is going to do what the league does and I’m ready for it,” Porter said. “I’ve been getting ready for this season and nothing else really is going to provoke that.”
- Lakers superstar LeBron James will sit out Friday’s preseason opener vs. Minnesota for rest purposes but is expected to play in Sunday’s contest vs. Phoenix, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James is the oldest player in the league for the second straight season, turning 40 years old in December. James played for Team USA over the summer, helping the Americans win a gold medal at the Olympics in Paris.
- In an interesting feature for ESPN, Ramona Shelburne takes a look at how LeBron’s decision to sign with the Lakers back in 2018 was influenced by the “standard of care” the organization showed during Kobe Bryant‘s final years — and how the team wants to avoid having the end of James’ career play out like Kobe’s did, with the team unable to surround its franchise icon with a roster capable of championship contention. Of course, the current iteration of the Lakers has a much higher floor than the group that won 65 total games in Bryant’s last three NBA seasons, thanks in large part to the fact that LeBron continues to play at such a high level.
- New Lakers head coach J.J. Redick is earning early rave reviews from his players. Rui Hachimura and Bronny James cited the fact that Redick was in the NBA so recently as a key reason why it’s been easy to connect with him (Twitter links via Mike Trudell and McMenamin), while D’Angelo Russell lauded the first-year coach’s “high IQ,” per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Robert Williams Out At Least Two Weeks With Hamstring Strain
Center Robert Williams has been diagnosed with a grade 1 left hamstring strain, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release (Twitter link). The 26-year-old big man will be reevaluated in about two weeks, per the team.
It’s a disappointing development for Williams, who has been plagued by injuries over the course of his NBA career, having played more than 35 regular season games just twice in six years. However, he has made a significant on-court impact when healthy, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team in Boston in 2022.
After undergoing knee surgery last fall that ended his season early and limited him to just six appearances in 2023/24, Williams had been taking part in five-on-five scrimmages in recent weeks and expected to be ready for the start of the ’24/25 season. He was a full practice participant on Tuesday but evidently that’s when the hamstring injury occurred, as he sat out Wednesday’s practice with soreness.
Williams’ latest injury means he will be sidelined for the rest of training camp and will almost certainly miss Portland’s three preseason games as well, with the finale set for Oct. 18, exactly two weeks from today. Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a big story, since the regular season is what really matters, but Williams hasn’t played in a game in 11 months, and soft-tissue injuries can be problematic even in best-case scenarios.
What’s less clear is if Williams’ absence will extend into the ’24/25 regular season. The Blazers’ season opener is on Oct. 23, with six additional games running through Nov. 2, approximately four weeks from now. The team will likely want to err on the side of caution after how much time he’s missed the past couple seasons.
If Williams does miss some regular season games, rookie lottery pick Donovan Clingan is the most obvious candidate to receive backup center minutes behind Deandre Ayton. Big man Duop Reath is also in that mix.
The 27th overall pick of the 2018 draft, Williams is under contract for two more seasons. He’ll make $12.4MM in ’24/25, followed by $13.3MM in ’25/26 before hitting free agency.
Magic Exercise 2025/26 Options On Banchero, Black, Howard
The Magic announced (via Twitter) that they have exercised their 2025/26 rookie scale options on Paolo Banchero, Anthony Black and Jett Howard.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Banchero won Rookie of the Year in ’22/23 and followed that up with his first All-Star appearance in ’23/24. Now that his fourth-year option for ’25/26 (worth $15,334,769) has been picked up, Banchero will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.
Obviously, it was a foregone conclusion that Orlando would exercise its option on Banchero, who recently discussed what he’s been working to improve as he enters his third season. He’ll earn $12,160,800 in ’24/25.
Black, a 6’7″ guard, and Howard, a 6’8″ wing, were both lottery picks in 2023 (No. 6 and No. 11, respectively). Howard only played 67 regular season minutes over 18 NBA games, having spent much of his rookie season in the G League. Black was a rotation regular though, averaging 4.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 69 regular season games (16.9 minutes per contest).
Both players were already under contract this season. This move means they’ll earn guaranteed salaries for their third seasons in ’25/26. Black will make $7,970,280 that year, while Howard will earn $5,529,720.
Our tracker has the full list of rookie scale team options for ’25/26. The deadline for teams to make those decisions is Oct. 31.
Pelicans Exercise 2025/26 Option On Jordan Hawkins
The Pelicans have picked up their third-year team option on Jordan Hawkins, they announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Hawkins, who was selected 14th overall in last year’s draft, was already under contract for $4,525,680 in 2024/25. He will now earn a guaranteed $4,741,320 during the ’25/26 season as well.
The Pelicans will have until next October to determine whether they want to exercise their fourth-year option on Hawkins. That option for the ’26/27 season is worth $7,021,895.
As a rookie last season, the former UConn guard appeared in 67 regular season games (17.3 minutes per contest), averaging 7.8 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 36.6% from three-point range. He had a handful of big scoring games, including a career-high 34 points in a January 13 victory over Dallas, but his minutes were sporadic when the Pelicans were at full strength.
Hawkins, 22, said in July that he was focused on improving defensively as he enters his second season.
The deadline for teams to decide on ’25/26 rookie scale team options is Oct. 31. We’re tracking all of those decisions right here.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Thibodeau, McCullar, DiVincenzo
Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was understandably stunned by the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Knicks after spending his first nine seasons in Minnesota, writes Chris Herring of ESPN. Still, Towns believes his familiarity with head coach Tom Thibodeau, his former coach with the Wolves, should make the transition to New York a little smoother.
“I think it gives us a little bit of a head start,” Towns said of his relationship with Thibodeau. “I know the offense he likes to run. I know the way he likes to play defense and what he expects from his players.”
Towns, who is from New Jersey, has several other ties to the Knicks — president of basketball operations Leon Rose is his former agent, another executive, William Wesley, has known Towns for over a decade and remains a family friend, and senior VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was Minnesota’s top basketball executive after Thibodeau’s exit. Towns’ first stint with Thibodeau was rocky, but the 28-year-old said they settled their differences “years ago,” and a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Thibodeau was fully on board with the trade.
“He’s a lot more experienced,” Thibodeau said of Towns. “I think all those experiences teaches you a lot. He’s been through a lot of different things now, so he’s bringing all those experiences here.
“I think as with most players, now he’s had experience being deep in the playoffs. He knows what that’s like. As much as you try to prepare for it, until you go through it, you don’t fully understand what it is and I think his understanding is much further along now than it was his second year in the league, and his skill set is so unique. I think he fits well with everybody.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- James L. Edwards III and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic take an in-depth look at how Towns and Thibodeau repaired their relationship and now have a second chance to find success together. “There is some benefit to having coached him before and to know who he is as a person, but, also, that was more than five years ago,” Thibodeau said. “He’s in a different place, he’s a different player. There is going to be a learning curve and we have to adjust quickly.”
- Rookie Kevin McCullar, who sustained a knee injury at Kansas prior to the draft, traveled with the Knicks to Charleston, South Carolina, for training camp. However, he hasn’t been an active participant as he continues to rehab from the injury, league sources tell Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link). A 6’5″ wing who was selected 56th overall in June, McCullar is on a two-way contract with New York.
- Donte DiVincenzo, who was sent to Minnesota in the Towns trade, recently sent out a thank you message to Knicks fans, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).
- In case you missed it, the Knicks have reunited with Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. You can find the full story right here.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Miller, Salaun, Carrington
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, new Hawks big man Larry Nance Jr. singled out Jalen Johnson and Vit Krejci as players who have impressed him in training camp, tweets Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com.
“He dominated practice today,” Nance said of Johnson. “He was awesome. He was knocking down threes in transition. He’s been really, really impressive, and I’m trying to push him into speaking some more and leading the group and breaking the huddles and stuff like that, because he’s going to be a guy in this league and with that comes ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown.’ He’s going to wear the crown one day, and he is being groomed for that.”
Nance, who was acquired from the Pelicans this offseason in the Dejounte Murray trade, said he wasn’t very familiar with Krejci’s game before he joined Atlanta, but that has quickly changed.
“The dude can really play,” Nance said of Krejci. “He passes, he dribbles, he can shoot it. He’s shooting the heck out of it. And he defends. … Vit has been super impressive.”
Johnson is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason ahead of the final season of his rookie contract, while Krejci just signed a new four-year contract with Atlanta over the summer.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- With several new players on the roster, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder is trying to figure out which lineup combinations work best together, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Snyder suggested that the starting lineup is very much up in the air, and could change over the course of the season. “So, I think the question really is, ‘How does our team function?’” Snyder said Thursday. “And the other part of it is, people will focus on the first game as, like, a definitive statement about something. And, we have an 82-game (regular) season. Well, say that we’ll have focus on that in the first (exhibition) game. And, we could start anybody we want, and there’ll be different starters, I think, throughout the year, based on a lot of things, there’ll be different lineups, and it’s something we have to continue to observe and see how guys play together, see who complements each other, see what rotations look like.”
- Hornets wing Brandon Miller is coming off a strong debut season in which he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. While he has a reputation as a scorer, Miller has set an unusual goal for the 2024/25 season, per Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. “I want to lead the team in charges taken,” said Miller, who added that he wants to be an “elite two-way player.” As Fowler writes, the rookie led the team several hustle stats last season, including charges taken. The 21-year-old Miller also wants to add muscle to his lean frame.
- French forward Tidjane Salaun, whom the Hornets selected No. 6 overall in June, may have a lengthy learning curve as he enters his rookie season. But the team has been pleased with Salaun’s competitiveness, work ethic, and constant desire to improve his game, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “It’s for sure a lot for Tidjane right now,” head coach Charles Lee said. “I think the terminology is a lot different than what he’s experienced — the physicality, the pace of the game. He’s in different positions on the floor, but he’s done a really good job of paying attention and asking questions.”
- Wizards wing Corey Kispert says rookie guard Carlton Carrington has a great on-court mentality, according to Chase Hughes of The Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). “I mean, he flips the switch, man,” Kispert said. “He’s the most friendly, talkative, bubbly guy off the court. And then as soon as the ball goes up, he turns into a killer. You want guys like that on your team and you hate playing against guys like that on other teams.”