And-Ones: Payton, Williams, Rising Stars, Taxpayers
Former NBA guard Elfrid Payton has signed with Puerto Rican club Osos de Manatí, per Dario Skerlectic of Sportando.
Evidently Payton decided against going the G League route and instead went with a (presumably) bigger payday. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Suns as the team’s third string point guard. He was a lottery pick back in 2014, selected 10th overall by the Magic.
Across 500 regular-season games (395 starts, 26.8 MPG) with Orlando, New Orleans, New York and Phoenix, he holds career averages of 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.2 steals.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA big man Alan Williams has signed a two-year extension to remain with the NBL’s South East Melbourne Phoenix, the Australian team announced in a press release. Williams started his career in China after going undrafted in 2015, spent time with the Suns from 2016-18, then played for the Nets in 2018/19. After that, he made a brief return to China and played three seasons in Russia. The 30-year-old played 67 games during his time in the NBA, averaging 6.2 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 13.0 minutes per contest.
- Deron Williams, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol drafted their respective teams for the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, per the NBA. You can find the full results right here (Twitter link).
- There are currently 10 teams — the Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, Sixers and Suns — the above the luxury tax threshold, and John Hollinger of The Athletic believes several of them could make minor cost-cutting moves ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. The Sixers are an obvious candidate, as they’re just $1.17MM over the line. Hollinger also points out that the Bucks and Lakers could save a significant amount of money if they were to deal away some of their little-used veterans (he points to Serge Ibaka and Damian Jones as players who could be moved).
Bulls Notes: Deadline, Vucevic, Caruso, Green, Drummond
The Bulls remain unlikely to trade away one of their “Big Three” in the next few days, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The front office is committed to seeing how the current group will finish out the season, despite a relatively disappointing 26-28 record thus far.
Part of the reason for that is the Bulls owe their 2023 first-round pick (top-four protected) to the Magic, so even if they bottomed out for the rest of 2022/23, they’d likely just be sending a better pick to Orlando unless they had some major lottery luck. They also haven’t received any “substantive, serious offers” for DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine or Nikola Vucevic, a source tells Johnson.
Vucevic theoretically would be the most likely trade candidate, as he’s on an expiring contract. But Johnson says Chicago is confident it can re-sign the veteran center, who is averaging 17.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG and 3.4 APG on .524/.359/.833 shooting through 53 games (33.8 MPG).
Here’s more from Chicago:
- DeRozan was sidelined for Tuesday’s game in Memphis due to a hip injury, as Bulls radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky relays (via Twitter). Alex Caruso, who had missed the previous two games with a sprained foot, took DeRozan’s place in the starting lineup. DeRozan missed three games last month with hip soreness, so it’s not a new issue.
- Head coach Billy Donovan says VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas takes a big-picture approach to evaluating the Bulls, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “I don’t think that he would isolate eight or 10 games and not look at — like, I think Arturas, quite honestly, he’s looking at it from the All-Star break last year. Where I think we were, I don’t know, maybe tied for first or second going into the break. And then looking at the break from there. … So I think he’ll look and evaluate our team from after the All-Star break all the way through this,” he said.
- Donovan also gave an update on Javonte Green, Mayberry adds. Green has been slow to recover from last month’s arthroscopic knee surgery. “He’s not running right now. He’s biking,” Donovan said. “He can do stationary shooting, but they haven’t done anything dynamically with him, lateral or straight-ahead running or any of that stuff. But he continues to progress. The All-Star break coming up will be another important period for him, that week. But he’s getting closer and closer to doing more.” When asked if Green was behind schedule, Donovan said that wasn’t the case. “From everything that I’ve heard, at least at this point, he is on schedule,” Donovan said, per Mayberry. “I haven’t heard of any setbacks or anything like that. … It’s a little bit of time before he comes back.”
- Andre Drummond is one player who could be on the trading block. He’s earning $3.2MM in 2022/23 and has a $3.36MM player option for ’23/24. The veteran center has been in and out of Donovan’s rotation this season, but he had a big game in Monday’s victory over San Antonio, posting 21 points (on 9-of-9 shooting), 15 rebounds and three steals in just 21 minutes, notes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “It says a lot about him. It just shows how truly professional he is,” Vucevic said. “When you’re not playing in the rotation, sometimes it’s hard to stay focused and stay locked in. He’s been doing that this whole season, working before and after practice, extra work just to make sure to stay in shape. He played a huge role for us.”
Suns Spokesperson Denies Team Hiring Isiah Thomas
7:50pm: A spokesperson for Ishbia tells Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link) that while Ishbia and Thomas are friends, Thomas will not be part of the Suns’ front office.
7:02pm: New Suns owner Mat Ishbia is planning to hire NBA TV analyst Isiah Thomas for a “prominent role” in the team’s front office, sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link).
According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link), Thomas is on the board of directors of United Wholesale Mortgage, Ishbia’s company, so the two are obviously familiar with one another.
Thomas, who is in the Hall of Fame, is widely considered one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Pistons, which included two championships and 12 All-Star appearances.
The 61-year-old became a front office executive with the Raptors from 1994-97 after his playing days ended. Thomas also coached the Pacers from 2000-03 and was the Knicks’ president of basketball operations from 2003-08 (and their coach from 2006-08), so he certainly has a lot of experience.
However, his time in New York was controversial. As Vorkunov notes (via Twitter), in 2007 a Manhattan jury found that Thomas sexually harassed a former Knicks executive, who was improperly fired for reporting the unwanted behavior. The victim was awarded $11.6MM as part of the lawsuit.
Thomas’ tenure with the Knicks was also lousy from an on-court perspective. The team went just 151-259 during his five seasons as the lead basketball executive, a .368 winning percentage.
Hiring someone accused of sexual harassment and creating a hostile working environment is a pretty terrible look for Ishbia’s first move as an owner, considering the reason he was able to buy the Suns is because former owner Robert Sarver was suspended for one year and fined $10MM for engaging in behavior that “clearly violated common workplace standards.”
Kevin Durant Expected To Be Out Through All-Star Break
Nets star Kevin Durant, who is currently sidelined with a sprained MCL in his right knee, is expected to remain out through the All-Star break, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
Brooklyn has five more games before the break, so Durant will miss at least those contests. The team resumes post-break on February 24 against Chicago.
Durant, who was named an All-Star for the 13th time last month, will also miss the exhibition event, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. An injury replacement will likely be named soon to take his place.
Head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters, including Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link), that Durant received a “really good report” from doctors. The veteran forward has been doing some on-court work, but hasn’t been taking contact yet.
Before Wojnarowski broke the news, Vaughn also suggested that Durant was looking unlikely to suit up before the break.
“I won’t step over that line…but the days are adding up,” Vaughn said (Twitter link via Alex Schiffer of The Athletic).
A couple of reports over the past couple weeks indicated that Durant was hopeful to return shortly before the mid-season event, but it makes sense for the Nets to be cautious with their best player. In addition to being 34 years old, Durant has had extended injury absences in each of the past three seasons after tearing his Achilles tendon in 2019.
In other injury news for the Nets, forward Yuta Watanabe will be out for Tuesday’s game against Phoenix due to back tightness and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Nick Friedell (Twitter link).
Christian Wood Hopes To Remain With Mavericks
Mavericks big man Christian Wood, who has missed the team’s last eight games with a fractured left thumb, will return to action for Monday’s game in Utah, the team confirmed (via Twitter). The forward/center sustained the injury on January 18 against Atlanta after getting swiped by Hawks forward John Collins.
“That’s when I hurt it the first time,” Wood said, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “Then I tried to go for a dunk later in the game and I re-hurt it again, making it 10 times worse.”
Wood’s name has popped up in trade rumors — Dallas reportedly tried to include him in the Kyrie Irving deal, which has yet to be finalized. He discussed the rumors with media members, including Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, during Monday’s shootaround.
When asked what Kidd and Harrison have communicated to him, Wood said they hadn’t.
According to Caplan, Tim Hardaway Jr. also discussed his name coming up in trade rumors. He says he loves being a part of the team and tries to block out the distractions.
“Control what you can control — plain and simple,” Hardaway said. “That’s all I really can say. I don’t really want to elaborate on that. As far as I know, I’m a Dallas Maverick. I’m going to ride with my guys and do whatever I can to compete and do our best to win ballgames while I’m here. Everybody knows I love it here. Everybody knows that, but like I said, control what you can control.”
Heat Open To Dealing Kyle Lowry
While it was previously reported that the Heat weren’t actively shopping Kyle Lowry and a deal was considered unlikely, evidently the team is now open to moving him if it receives an “advantageous” offer, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
As Jackson and Chiang point out, Lowry’s list of suitors might be small. In addition to being 36 years old, he is making $28.33MM this season and $29.68MM in 2023/24.
The other issue is Lowry has been battling left knee soreness off and on since December. He had a “minor medical procedure” on the knee in mid-January, which caused him to miss four games, Jackson and Chiang report. He missed Saturday’s game as a result of the issue and plans to meet with a doctor soon.
Lowry, a six-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion with the Raptors, has seen his production drop off in ’22/23. He’s averaging 12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.0 SPG on .396/.333/.855 shooting through 44 games (33.3 MPG).
The Clippers are one team that has expressed interest in the veteran point guard, but others have inquired as well, per Jackson and Chiang.
In addition to Lowry, Miami is “willing to listen to offers on most players” on its roster. One player rival teams have been calling about is Max Strus, who is an impending free agent in the summer, a source tells Jackson and Chiang. The Heat would like to re-sign him, but it might be costly due to luxury tax concerns.
The Herald’s duo suggests the Heat are unlikely to trade away a first-round pick unless they can acquire a “quality starter.” The primary reason for that is the team is always on the lookout for star talent and would prefer to save its draft capital.
The Heat continue to look for frontcourt help and will attempt to unload Dewayne Dedmon‘s $4.7MM contract (his deal is non-guaranteed for ’23/24), Jackson and Chiang add.
Nets Looking To Expand Irving Trade To Include Third Team
The Nets are looking for a third team to fold into the Kyrie Irving trade, which is why it hasn’t been made official yet, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Brooklyn is set to receive guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick in the swap. Those draft picks will all be the Mavericks’ own.
Marc Stein was first to report (via Twitter) that the Nets were considering trading Dinwiddie to a third team. It’s possible that Finney-Smith could be on the move as well, as he acknowledged in an interview with Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
According to Stein (Twitter links), the Nets are exploring a deal that would send Dinwiddie and unspecified draft picks to Toronto for Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. The Nets also have interest in forward Pascal Siakam, but the Raptors are reluctant to move the All-NBA forward.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst stated on The Hoop Collective podcast that the Nets were also intrigued by Raptors forward OG Anunoby, though they were uncertain if they would be able to land him (hat tip to RealGM).
“I still don’t know what the Raptors are going to do,” said Windhorst.
“The Nets are definitely calling the Raptors over the last 24 hours,” replied Zach Lowe.
“If the Nets could flip some of this stuff that they got and pry OG Anunoby out of there, you may have something there with the Nets, but I don’t know if they’re going to be able to,” added Windhorst.
Wojanrowski reports (via Twitter) that several teams are speaking to the Raptors today, including the Nets.
The Irving deal will be finalized on Monday regardless of if a third team is included, notes ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). Irving plans to join the team in Los Angeles for practice on Tuesday and intends to suit up on Wednesday versus the Clippers, so the Mavs need the deal completed by Monday.
Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo Named Players Of The Week
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced (via Twitter). It’s the second straight player of the week award for both players.
Lillard, who won for the Western Conference, led Portland to a 3-1 week by averaging 38.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 6.8 APG on .500/.383/.981 shooting in 39.6 MPG. The veteran point guard was recently named an All-Star for the seventh time.
Antetokounmpo, the East’s winner, led Milwaukee to a 3-0 week by averaging 41.0 PPG, 17.3 RPG and 5.7 APG on .585/.231/.649 shooting in 36.0 MPG. He had a 54-point, 18-rebound effort versus the Clippers, plus a 35-point, 15-rebound, 11-assist triple-double against Miami.
Lillard has now been named the West’s player of the week three times this season, while Antetokounmpo has won the Eastern award four times.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Mikal Bridges, Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard, while Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz, Darius Garland, Dejounte Murray and Cam Thomas were nominated in the East.
Sixers’ Furkan Korkmaz Reportedly Requests Trade
Sixers wing Furkan Korkmaz has requested a trade and hopes to be moved before Thursday’s deadline, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The 25-year-old told Pompey he would “not confirm nor deny” the trade request.
Korkmaz is in his sixth NBA season, all with Philadelpha. He has only appeared in 25 games for an average of 10.2 minutes per contest — the fewest minutes he’s played since his rookie season. Korkmaz makes $5MM this season and $5.37MM in 2023/24.
According to Pompey’s sources, the Sixers have informed Korkmaz that they will try to include him in a trade.
His contract would almost certainly be viewed as a negative asset due to the guaranteed money he’s owed next season, so if he’s involved in a smaller trade, it would likely be a salary-dump move to help the Sixers dip under the luxury tax line. His contract and lack of playing time has caused his name to pop in trade rumors this season, so it’s not surprising that he hopes to be moved.
As Pompey writes, this is the second time that Korkmaz has requested a trade out of Philadelphia. His previous request came back in ’18/19 due to a lack of playing time. The team declined its third-year option on the former 26th overall pick, but he wound up re-signing with the Sixers after a bump in minutes.
In 281 career games (18.0 MPG), the Turkish wing holds averages of 7.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .405/.354/.759 shooting. He’s averaging 3.8 PPG this season while shooting 34.3% from deep.
In another article for The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscriber link), Pompey reports that the Sixers are looking for a “reserve center, a backup point guard, and another shooter.”
Devin Booker Expected To Return On Tuesday
Suns star Devin Booker is expected to return to action for Tuesday’s contest in Brooklyn, head coach Monty Williams told reporters, including Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that the shooting guard could return as soon as Tuesday, and barring any last-minute setbacks, it appears that will be the case.
Booker, a three-time All-Star, has been sidelined since Christmas Day due to a left groin strain, missing 21 consecutive games with the injury. The Suns were initially in a tailspin without their best player, losing nine of 11 games, but have righted the ship recently, winning eight of their past 10 contests.
Through 29 games (34.6 MPG), Booker is averaging 27.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 5.6 APG on .477/.370/.850 shooting. Phoenix is currently 29-26, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.