Injury Notes: Ball, Kleber, Wade, Okeke, Okogie
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball suffered his third left ankle sprain this season in yesterday’s victory over Houston. Ball and teammate P.J. Washington were contesting a layup by Jabari Smith Jr. when Washington landed on Ball’s ankle (YouTube link via ESPN).
While the injury certainly looked painful, the 21-year-old sounds fairly confident he won’t miss as much time as he did with his previous sprains, which sidelined him for 13 and 11 games, respectively.
“It feels a little bit better,” Ball said, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “It doesn’t feel like those other ones. … I can walk, so take it day-by-day and see what it is.”
Boone writes that the young All-Star didn’t require an X-Ray or other tests to determine the severity of the injury.
Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Maxi Kleber, who underwent surgery on December 20 to repair a torn hamstring, says he’s targeting a return to the Mavericks‘ lineup next month, though he isn’t committed to that timeline (Twitter video link via Bally Sports Southwest). “I’m not out for the season,” the German big man said. “I can’t give an exact date, but I hope I’m gonna be back… preferably before All-Star break, but I don’t want to jinx anything or say anything or make promises. … But that’s the goal.”
- Cavaliers forward Dean Wade, who has been sidelined since December 2 due to a shoulder ailment, suffered a setback in his rehab process earlier this month, injuring his ankle when he stepped on a player’s foot during practice, a source tells Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “He’s not (doing) five-on-five yet,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Tuesday. “Again, because of where he was before, it won’t need as much to get him back to going because it wasn’t as big of a setback.”
- The return of Magic forward Chuma Okeke isn’t imminent, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). Okeke has yet to resume contact work after undergoing a procedure on his left knee in December. Price adds within the same story that forward Jonathan Isaac is expected to play in a third G League game for the Lakeland Magic on Thursday as he makes his way back from an ACL injury.
- Suns wing Josh Okogie broke his nose in Monday’s game in Memphis when he took an inadvertent elbow from teammate Deandre Ayton, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Okogie is listed as out for Thursday — it’s unclear how much additional time he might miss.
Luke Adams contributed to this story.
John Collins’ Contract A “Hindrance” In Trade Talks?
The Hawks are trying to trade forward John Collins, but there’s one big obstacle — opposing teams don’t view his contract as having positive value, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (video link).
“John Collins has been at the center of their trade talks,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown. “… Starting next year, (he’s) still owed another $25 million a year, essentially $75 million over the next three years. I think that’s been a hindrance in the trade market. There are some teams, such as Utah, that would like a draft pick with Collins to offset that money.
“Landry Fields, the new general manager in Atlanta, he does not see John Collins as a money dump.”
While Wojnarowki’s report isn’t new information, it’s still interesting to hear him use the word “hindrance” to describe Collins’ deal. He’s technically owed $78.5MM over the next three years after this one, including his $26.6MM player option for 2025/26.
Collins’ situation is reminiscent of Tobias Harris‘ with the Sixers — both are quality players, so their current teams can’t afford to just get rid of them while attempting to win, but opposing teams don’t like their contracts. Harris makes more money and only has one more year left on his deal, but still, the parallels are pretty obvious.
Wojnarowski went on to say that talks should pick up steam closer to the deadline, and like Dallas, Atlanta is expected to be “really active” in looking for roster upgrades.
Mavs Targeting Pistons’ Bogdanovic, Noel In Package Deal?
The Mavericks have been linked to Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic multiple times, and have also expressed interest in his teammate, center Nerlens Noel. To this point, that interest appeared to be separate.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested on NBA Countdown (video link) that the Mavs might pursue a package deal for both players.
“I think the kind of players the Mavs are knocking on the door on, like a lot of other teams, look in Detroit,” Wojnarowski said. “Bojan Bodanovic, Nerlens Noel. That’s a tandem that could be in a package together. Certainly, the shooting of Bogdanovic, his ability to complement (Luka) Doncic, like he would a lot of contending teams.”
Woj added that, unlike some other trade candidates who are impending free agents, Bogdanovic holds appeal because he’s under contract for two more seasons beyond 2022/23 after signing a two-year, $39MM extension with Detroit. His $20MM salary for next season is fully guaranteed, but his $19MM salary for ’24/25 only has a small partial guarantee ($2MM).
As for Noel, he has a $9.7MM team option on his contract for next season, which seems likely to be declined, mostly due to injuries — he’s only played 37 games over the past two seasons. When healthy, he can be a difference-maker on defense, so it makes sense that Dallas might be interested — the Mavs are ranked 25th in the league on that end and have given up 130-plus points in three straight losses.
It’s unclear what it would take for the Mavs to pull off such a deal, but Tim Hardaway Jr. or Davis Bertans would likely be included for salary-matching purposes. They cannot trade their 2023 first-round pick, as it is owed to the Knicks (top-10 protected).
The Pistons are rumored to be looking for at least an unprotected first-rounder for Bogdanovic. They could also just hang onto him through the deadline — he’s their leading scorer and they hope to be more competitive next season.
Wojnarowski concluded by saying he expects the Mavs to be “really active” ahead of the February 9 trade deadline.
LaMelo Ball Suffers Another Ankle Sprain
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball suffered a left ankle sprain in the third quarter of Wednesday’s game in Houston and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced (via Twitter).
According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), Ball was stepped on by teammate P.J. Washington, which apparently caused the sprain. Ball went back to the locker room before being ruled out.
Unfortunately, this is the third time Ball has sprained his left ankle in 2022/23. His first ankle injury occurred during a preseason game on October 10 and he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain the following day.
Ball missed the first 13 games of the regular season with the injury, then re-injured his ankle in his third game back on November 16. He missed an additional 11 games while recovering from the second sprain before returning to action last month.
A first-time All-Star in ’21/22, Ball is putting up big numbers in his third season, averaging 24.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 8.4 APG and 1.1 SPG on .415/.374/.870 shooting through 21 games (34.8 MPG). The Hornets have struggled both with and without him, however, as they’re 6-16 in games he’s played and 6-18 when he hasn’t, for an overall record of 12-34.
If Ball misses additional time, look for players like Dennis Smith Jr. and Bryce McGowens to get more minutes.
Community Shootaround: Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers were one of the teams I was most interested in following entering the 2022/23 season. Perhaps most importantly, I was curious to see how Damian Lillard would perform after the first lengthy injury absence of his career following abdominal surgery last season.
Lillard has been as brilliant as ever offensively, averaging 29.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 7.1 APG on .455/.366/.898 shooting, including a career-best .638 true shooting percentage, through 32 games (35.6 MPG). So, no worries there.
As we noted when we checked in on the Blazers at the end of August, the new front office, led by general manager Joe Cronin, reshaped the roster around Lillard through a series of trades, acquiring Josh Hart, Jerami Grant and Justise Winslow. The team also added Gary Payton II in free agency, re-signed Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic, and selected Shaedon Sharpe No. 7 overall in June’s draft.
Portland got off to a terrific start, going 9-3 over its first 12 games. Unfortunately, it turns out that hot start wasn’t sustainable, as the Blazers have gone 12-20 since. They currently sit with a 21-23 record, the No. 11 seed in the West (they are 16-16 when Lillard plays).
Payton has missed most of the season with injury, as has Nassir Little, who recently returned from a fractured hip. Winslow is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain. The team’s bench depth has definitely been tested, even though the starters have been quite healthy overall.
Sharpe has been up and down, which is to be expected for a 19-year-old rookie who didn’t play at all in college. Grant has been very good, posting a career-best .621 TS% while playing solid defense.
Hart was great in 13 games (32.1 MPG) with Portland last season, averaging 19.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.3 APG and 1.2 SPG on .503/.373/.772 shooting, including a career-high 6.4 3-point attempts per contest. However, as John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, Hart has been a very reluctant shooter in ’22/23, averaging just 2.0 3PA despite playing a heavy workload (a career-high 34.2 MPG through 42 games).
Even with notable offensive weapons around him, it’s odd to see a player coming off his best individual season pass up shots like Hart has this season — he’s averaging just 7.1 FGA and 9.5 PPG. Complicating matters further is his unique contract and the team’s future cap outlook, Hollinger notes.
The Blazers want to re-sign or extend Grant, which is understandable. But Hart is almost certain to decline his non-guaranteed $12.96MM player option for next season in search of a longer deal. Keeping both while staying under the luxury tax might be impossible, according to Hollinger, who wonders if Portland would be better off dealing Hart at the deadline while they can still get value for him.
The 27-year-old is a solid defender, excellent rebounder and smart passer, plus he’s a vocal leader who plays with plenty of energy and effort. He will have positive value if Portland does move him.
The last thing I was interested in monitoring with Portland was the backcourt fit of Lillard and Simons, two scoring guards with poor defense. The results haven’t been great — the Blazers rank 11th in offense, but 22nd in defense. It’s hard to envision that changing as long as they’re together.
I actually like both players a lot individually, so this isn’t as critical as it might seem; I just think they’re a poor fit. I could easily see Simons thriving as the lead guard in Portland or another location — he averaged 29.0 PPG and 5.9 APG on .462/.419/.940 shooting in 10 games without Lillard.
The Blazers seem intent on being as competitive as possible this season. They’re only 2.5 games back of the Mavericks, the West’s No. 5 seed, and they could definitely end up there if things go right. But do they have what it takes to win a playoff series if they make it? Anything beyond that seems unlikely, even with Lillard playing at such a high level.
We want to know what you think.Where will the Trail Blazers finish in the standings this season? Can they make noise in the playoffs, if they make it? Should they move Hart while they can still get value for him, or hold off and try to re-sign him, even if it means going into the luxury tax? There are a lot of questions for this team, but not many easy answers.
Southeast Notes: Kuzma, Wizards, Hornets, Lowry
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma probably won’t be an All-Star for the first time in 2022/23, but he’s at least on the list of players worth considering, and that’s a sign of progress. The 27-year-old was seventh in fan voting among frontcourt players last week when the NBA released it’s second update, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post.
“To become an All-Star, you’ve got to win,” Kuzma said. “If you’re the 14th seed in the East and you’re killing, you’re not going to be an All-Star unless you’re an all-time great. So it’s a blessing, but I’m just working my way up.”
Kuzma, who plans to be come a free agent in the offseason, says he’s still adjusting to being a focal point of Washington’s offense with Bradley Beal sidelined for most of the past six weeks. The star guard has only appeared in six games since December 4, but he’ll be back in action on Wednesday.
“This is all new for me. This is the first time in my career I really am having a role [with] this high of a usage, so I’m learning on the fly — I’m learning pretty fast, too,” Kuzma said, per Wallace. ” … I played with some great players, so watching them, understanding how teams guarded them, I’m kind of seeing those things now — especially when we have guys hurt.”
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- At 18-26, the Wizards have had a disappointing season, and they have some important decisions to make ahead of the February 9 trade deadline, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who breaks down the questions the team needs to answer in his deadline primer. The most pressing question is, can the team be successful in its effort to build around Beal? Is it even a viable strategy at this point? It’s worth noting that Robbins’ guide was released prior to his report with Shams Charania stating that the Wizards are discussing trades involving forward Rui Hachimura, who is set to his restricted free agency in the summer, which signals that they might be confident in their ability to re-sign Kuzma in the offseason.
- Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer believes the Hornets should focus on playing their younger players instead of veterans, as “losses don’t hurt anything except their pride.” Coach Steve Clifford had a thorough answer to Fowler’s question regarding the balance of trying to be competitive and playing the youngsters, but the gist is that he believes players should develop by earning their minutes in practice, and some of them haven’t. At 11-34, the Hornets currently sit in last place in the East, and are only one win ahead of the Rockets for the worst record in the NBA.
- Point guard Kyle Lowry will return to the Heat‘s starting lineup on Wednesday at New Orleans, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The 36-year-old veteran had missed the team’s previous four games with left knee discomfort. It will mark the first time in two weeks — and just the 15th time this season — that the opening night starting lineup of Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo has played together, Winderman adds. The Heat have been hit hard by injuries throughout the ’22/23 season.
Community Shootaround: Coach Of The Year Contenders
Now that we’re a little more than halfway through the 2022/23 season, some contenders have emerged for the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. According to BetOnline.ag, Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla is the betting favorite at +175, followed by Nets coach Jacque Vaughn at +400.
Four other head coaches are tied at +650: Taylor Jenkins of the Grizzlies, Michael Malone of the Nuggets, Mike Brown of the Kings and Willie Green of the Pelicans. The next closest on the list is Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff at +1400, and everyone else is at +2000 or higher.
Last season, Monty Williams won the award after leading the Suns to the best regular season record in the league (64-18, eight wins better than second-place Memphis). Jenkins was the runner-up, followed by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
The Celtics entered the offseason as a title favorite after reaching the Finals last season, but the organization was thrown into disarray when coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the season. Despite Mazzulla being the youngest head coach in the league and only having an interim tag, Boston hasn’t skipped a beat under its new leader, as the team currently has the best record in the NBA at 32-13. He certainly deserves credit for staying even-keeled under tumultuous circumstances.
Similarly, the Nets had a ton of drama in the offseason and started out 2-5 before parting ways with former coach Steve Nash. Vaughn helped right the ship, with Brooklyn going 25-10 since he was promoted. We’ll see how the Nets do without Kevin Durant (they’re 0-2 so far), but clearly the team has taken Vaughn’s messaging to heart.
The Nuggets are the No. 1 seed in the West, and Malone has seamlessly integrated offseason additions Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown. The returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. have been a little less smooth, which is to be expected after major injuries. Still, it’s hard to argue with their place in the standings.
The Grizzlies have had key players miss significant time, including Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, and they lost two rotation players from last season (Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton) and replaced them with rookies, but they’re still tied with Denver at 30-13. Pretty easy to make a case for Jenkins here.
Green has guided the Pelicans to a 26-18 record, the No. 3 seed in the West, despite missing star Brandon Ingram for most of the season. Zion Williamson is now sidelined as well, yet New Orleans keeps grinding out victories with its impressive depth.
The Kings are the West’s No. 5 seed at 24-18 in Brown’s first season at the helm, and could break their 16-year playoff drought, which is an NBA record. The turnaround has been impressive, as Sacramento went just 30-52 last season.
Who do you think will win the Coach of the Year award? Will Mazzulla keep the Celtics at the top of the standings and win as an interim coach? Head to the comments and let us know what you think.
And-Ones: Mason, Terry, Africa, Eastern Trade Guide
Former NBA guard Frank Mason III has signed a deal with France’s SLUC Nancy Basket for the remainder of the season, the team announced in a press release.
Mason was the 34th overall pick of the 2017 draft out of Kansas. He spent his first two seasons with Sacramento, appearing in 90 games, and then made brief appearances with the Bucks and Magic from 2019-21.
The 28-year-old won G League MVP in ’19/20 with Milwaukee’s affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, and spent most of last season in the G League with the Herd and South Bay Lakers. In 103 total NBA games, Mason holds career averages of 6.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.0 RPG in 15.7 minutes per contest.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Another player with both NBA and G League experience, forward Emanuel Terry, has signed a rest-of-season contract with Pallacanestro Trieste, the Italian club announced in a press release. Terry has played in six total NBA games, including three with Phoenix last season on a 10-day hardship deal. The 26-year-old has also made international stops in Turkey, Israel, Serbia, France and Korea.
- The NBA is discussing hosting a preseason game in Africa, Basketball Africa League (BAL) president Amadou Gallo Fall told Connor O’Halloran of ESPN. The NBA previously played three exhibition games in Africa, O’Halloran notes, featuring Team Africa versus Team World, but this would mark the first time two NBA teams would compete on the continent. Sources tell O’Halloran that the logistics still need to be worked out, but it could occur as soon as the 2024 preseason. “This was always part of the plan,” Fall, speaking at the BAL combine in Paris, told ESPN. “Those Africa games that were hosted before, the crowds were just incredible. I know this is going to happen, and it is in the plans.”
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) provides his detailed trade guide for the Eastern Conference, going over each team’s trade history and available assets. Marks views the Hornets (10 on his “trade meter”), Hawks and Pistons (both with nines) as the most likely to make deals, followed by the Bulls and Raptors (eight apiece).
Trade Candidate Watch: Popular Forward Targets
Leading up to the February 9 trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA. We’re starting today with a handful of popular targets who share positional overlap.
John Collins, F, Hawks
Collins is only 25 years old, but he’s been in trade rumors for at least three years now. He’s a good player, he just doesn’t fit very well on Atlanta’s roster anymore.
The reason his scoring has declined so precipitously – from 21.6 PPG in 2019/20 to 13.1 PPG in ’22/23 – is because the team no longer caters to his strengths. The Hawks rarely run plays for him, which makes it seem like he’s less effective. I don’t believe that’s the case.
Collins’ best attribute as a player is that he’s an excellent dive man on pick-and-rolls, where he’s adept at both setting and slipping screens and is a terrific lob finisher. The problem is that’s basically all centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu do on offense besides getting offensive rebounds, so their strengths are somewhat redundant on that end, and Collins doesn’t have the size or strength to play center full time on defense.
He has been a solid shooter in the past – 37.6% from deep on 2.5 attempts per night over his first five seasons – but is only converting 22.8% this season. That seems more like an anomaly than a worrisome trend.
It’s clear that it would be in both parties’ best interests if he was moved to a new team. There are two main complications.
Including his player option in ‘25/26, Collins will earn $102MM over the next four years – not unreasonable, but not exactly easy to move either. His best fit would be alongside a center who can protect the paint and shoot from outside, but that’s a small list. Keep an eye on the Pacers and Jazz, two teams that don’t have long-term cap concerns.
Bojan Bogdanovic, F, Pistons
Most players find their efficiency diminished with an increased offensive role — being targeted by opposing teams’ game plans makes scoring more difficult. Not so with Bogdanovic, who is averaging career highs in points (21.2), assists (2.8), and free throw attempts (5.2) per game, as well as true shooting percentage (.629), in his first year with Detroit.
Bogdanovic can score from all over the court and his contract is reasonable ($39MM over two years following this season), but he turns 34 in April, is a below-average rebounder (3.6 per game), and is best suited to defending bigger forwards. The Pistons are said to be looking for an unprotected first-round pick for the veteran, and he has a long list of teams interested in his services.
I highly doubt that asking price will be met unless it’s from a team outside the lottery or a pick years down the line. I understand why they’re maintaining that position right now – not many sellers have emerged yet and he’s one of the top players available. But I think that will change ahead of the deadline, and the Pistons will have to decide whether to take the best offer available or just hold onto him.
Jae Crowder, F, Suns
Crowder has been a solid role player for a long time, mostly due to his toughness, defense and ability to make quick reads on offense. He’s 32 now and definitely best suited to play power forward, as he struggles staying in front of quicker players, but there’s a reason his teams consistently make the playoffs.
His ability to space the floor is a bit overrated – he’s more of a willing shooter than a good one, converting 34.6% of his career looks behind the arc, including 33.9% in the playoffs. That said, he’s good enough that you can’t just leave him open, especially if he gets hot.
Crowder’s season-long holdout with the Suns is one of the strangest NBA situations I’ve seen in my years following the league. He’s on a $10.2MM expiring contract, so you’d think he would be incentivized to play to maximize his future earnings, yet he’s done the opposite.
There has to be more to the story here, but whatever the reason is, it hasn’t helped his value or the Suns’ ability to move him. Who knows what type of shape he’ll be in when he returns? Whichever team acquires him will be taking a risk if it gives up assets.
The Suns’ ownership situation also complicates matters — outgoing suspended owner Robert Sarver reportedly has to sign off on a potential deal, even though the team is being bought by Mat Ishbia. The Bucks and Hawks have been the two teams most consistently linked to Crowder.
Jarred Vanderbilt, F, Jazz
The No. 41 overall pick of the 2018 draft, Vanderbilt has worked his way up from the bottom – he barely played at all his first two seasons (28 total games and 115 minutes), but he’s turned himself into a valuable role player on competitive teams.
Vanderbilt’s playing style is the most unique out of the players on this list. He’s the closest to what some might call a “traditional” power forward — an energizer who is a very strong rebounder, but is still rounding out his game in other areas.
He has expanded his game with Utah, attempting more threes (1.0 per game at 32.6%), more than doubling his assists (from 1.3 to 2.8) and improving his free throw percentage (a career-high 69.8%). Interestingly, although his offensive game has improved, I think his defense has actually declined a little – he was always prone to some over-aggressive fouls, and the team’s defense is certainly worse, but he hasn’t looked as solid on that end to my eyes.
That said, Vanderbilt won’t turn 24 until April, is still improving, and he’s on a very team-friendly contract ($4.3MM this season, and his $4.6MM deal for next season is only guaranteed for $300K). The Jazz are said to be looking for a first-round pick for Vanderbilt. There haven’t been any rumors regarding protections on the potential pick, but I think there’s a good chance he gets moved in the next few weeks.
Western Notes: Clarkson, Booth, Gobert, Ingram, Eason
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson denied the rumor that he turned down a contract extension offer, according to Karlo Sacamos of Spin.ph. At least three reporters have stated that Clarkson’s representatives and the Jazz have discussed an extension.
“I’ve really had no communication in terms of extension from my side or my team that I know of,” the Filipino-American combo guard said in a recent online media availability with Manila-based reporters. “And if those talks are happening, sometime soon, I would love to be here in Utah, continue to play with my teammates further.”
Clarkson, who turns 31 in June, is posting career highs in multiple categories for Utah, including points (21.1), rebounds (4.2), assists (4.4) and minutes (32.6) per game, Sacamos notes. However, due to CBA rules regarding veteran extensions, the Jazz are limited in what they can offer him at the moment.
“If the summer comes and it’s nothing else or it’s not an agreement or anything comes through, we just have to wait and see,” the Clarkson said, per Sacamos. “I can’t tell that far in the future, but in terms of right now, I don’t think there’s really been much talking.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- In an interview with Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports Radio (Twitter link), GM Calvin Booth suggested the Nuggets might have a relatively quiet trade deadline. “When healthy, I don’t think we need much. I think we have a lot of what we need inside our locker room,” he said. The Nuggets are currently 30-13, the No. 1 seed in the West.
- After being limited to 13 minutes in Saturday’s over Cleveland, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert attempted to play on Monday against Utah, his former team, but was ruled out after just five minutes of action (Twitter link). The three-time All-Star is dealing with right groin soreness.
- Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram missed his 25th straight game on Monday in Cleveland due to a left big toe contusion, and his extended absence is frustrating some people in the organization, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com (subscriber link). Clark notes that injuries have long been an issue for Ingram. He has played just 15 games this season.
- Rookie first-rounder Tari Eason plans to appeal his $30K fine for his role in an altercation between the Rockets and Kings on Friday, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link). “There is an appeal process and I’m working on one as we speak,” Eason said. The forward was docked for escalating the fracas and making inadvertent contact with a game official. Eason added that he “was surprised” that he was penalized and that he didn’t realize he had come in contact with an official, according to Feigen.