Sixers Waive Saben Lee, Sign Louis King To Two-Way Deal
4:30pm: King’s two-way deal and Lee’s release are now official, the Sixers announced in an email.
3:28pm: The Sixers are signing forward Louis King to a two-way contract, his agent George Langberg tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Both of Philadelphia’s two-way spots are currently occupied, so the team will be waiving guard Saben Lee to make room for King, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
King spent one college season at Oregon before going undrafted in 2019. He has three years of NBA experience with the Pistons and Kings, all on two-way contracts. Sacramento waived him in February, making him a free agent.
In 26 career games (9.7 MPG), King holds averages of 4.2 PPG and 1.5 RPG on .392/.327/.684 shooting. Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, acquired hiss returning player rights at the end of September and he’s been playing for them in 2022/23. In 18 games with the Vipers, the 23-year-old averaged 19.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .451/.314/.778 shooting.
The 38th pick of the 2020 draft out of Vanderbilt, Lee spent his first two seasons with the Pistons, averaging 5.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.3 APG and 0.8 SPG on .434/.265/.731 shooting in 85 games (16.3 MPG). He was sent to Utah as part of the Bojan Bogdanovic trade in the offseason and was subsequently waived by the Jazz, despite having a guaranteed $1.84MM salary.
The 23-year-old signed contracts with Phoenix and Toronto in the preseason, but he was cut shortly after each deal was completed. Lee signed a two-way deal with the Sixers on November 23, though he hasn’t made an impact at the NBA level, appearing in just two games for 10 total minutes. However, he has put up big numbers in the G League this season, averaging a combined 23.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.4 APG and 1.5 SPG on .531/.308/.753 shooting splits with the Raptors 905 and the Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia’s affiliate).
Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey Could Return On Friday
Third-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who has been sidelined since November 18 due to a broken bone in his left foot, could return to the Sixers‘ lineup as soon as Friday’s contest in New Orleans, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Maxey will likely have his minutes limited upon his return to the lineup, per Charania. Even a somewhat restricted Maxey will be a huge boon for one of the league’s hottest teams — Philadelphia has won eight straight games.
The most recent official update on the 22-year-old’s status came a few days ago, when head coach Doc Rivers said the combo guard was “making great progress” and was “close” after a Thursday workout. Maxey had a strong start to the 2022/23 season prior to getting injured against the Bucks, averaging career highs of 22.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.0 SPG, along with a .462/.422/.738 shooting line.
Fellow guard De’Anthony Melton is likely to move back to the bench once Maxey returns to action. Shake Milton, who had several strong performances as a starter when Maxey and James Harden were out, could see his minutes reduced as well.
The Sixers are currently 20-12, the No. 5 seed in the East, but only trail No. 2 Milwaukee by one-and-a-half games.
Mavs Waive Tyler Dorsey, Sign A.J. Lawson To Two-Way Deal
3:35pm: The moves are now official, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter).
12:25pm: The Mavericks are waiving Tyler Dorsey, who is on a two-way contract, and plan to sign A.J. Lawson to fill the open two-way spot, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Lawson, a 6’6″ wing, went undrafted out of South Carolina in 2021. He signed a training camp deal with the Hawks last fall, but was waived before the season started and spent his first year as a pro with the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate.
The 22-year-old has had a busy 2022. He attended a free agent mini-camp with the Mavs over the summer and then played for their Summer League squad. At the end of July, the Wolves signed him to a two-way deal, waived him before the season started, and then re-signed him to another two-way contract in mid-November.
However, he was waived again on December 6 to make room for Matt Ryan, and thus became a free agent. Lawson has only made one NBA appearance (for two minutes), so he’s technically still a rookie, but he has been a G League fixture over the past two seasons and obviously the Mavs liked what they saw from him during Summer League action as well.
Dorsey, the 41st pick of the 2017 draft, played 104 games over two seasons with the Hawks and Grizzlies from 2017-19. The former Oregon star averaged 6.7 points and 2.3 rebounds before heading overseas in 2019.
The 6’5″ shooting guard had strong showings for Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Greece’s Olympiacos before returning stateside over the summer and inking his two-way deal with the Mavs. He only appeared in three NBA games for Dallas, but he put up big numbers for the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate, averaging 24.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 2.2 APG on .466/.467/.842 shooting.
According to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops (Twitter link), Dorsey is expected to draw significant interest from EuroLeague clubs, including Olympiacos, once he becomes a free agent in a couple days.
Luka Doncic, Pascal Siakam Named Players Of The Week
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Raptors forward Pascal Siakam have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced today (via Twitter).
Doncic, the Western Conference winner, led Dallas to a 3-1 week with averages of 31.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 9.0 APG and 2.3 SPG on .494/.429/.818 shooting. The highlight performance of his stellar week was Friday’s victory in Houston, when he recorded 50 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals on great efficiency (.567/.500/.833 splits). Doncic has accumulated eight player of the week awards since 2019/20, the most in the West over that span, per the Mavs (Twitter link).
Siakam, the East’s winner, led Toronto to a 2-1 week while averaging 38.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 7.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on .527/.368/.838 shooting. In Wednesday’s victory in New York, he racked up 52 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal on .680/.333/.889 shooting.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markkanen and CJ McCollum, while Jarrett Allen, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Haliburton, Franz Wagner and Trae Young were nominated in the East.
Poll: Which Teams Will Be Trade Deadline Sellers?
In the Eastern Conference, only three games separate the No. 6 seed (the 18-16 Knicks) from the No. 11 seed (the 14-18 Bulls). Both the Magic and Wizards are just 13-21, yet they’re only two-and-a-half games back of the play-in tournament, with the Raptors (15-18) currently holding the No. 10 seed.
Out West, the Warriors have struggled to this point, currently holding a 15-18 record and the No. 11 seed, yet they’re only four games back of the Suns (19-14), the current No. 4 seed. The Lakers dropped to 13-20 on Sunday after giving up a league-high 51 points in the third quarter to Dallas (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon), yet they’re still only three games back of the final play-in spot (currently held by the 16-17 Timberwolves).
The bunched-together standings are a major reason why relatively few sellers have emerged on the trade market with the February 9 deadline just six weeks away. In the West, the Rockets and Spurs are obvious candidates to deal away veterans, while the Pistons, Magic and Hornets figure to make some of their veterans available in the East, though Charlotte hasn’t been mentioned in any real rumors yet.
A couple teams are in a sort of awkward middle ground. The Pacers (17-16, No. 8 in the East) and Jazz (19-16, No. 7 in the West) were viewed as sellers entering the fall and were not expected to have a record above .500 roughly 40% of the way through the regular season, and yet they’re right in the mix for a playoff spot.
Several teams with playoff ambitions have been inconsistent thus far: the Knicks, Hawks, Heat, Raptors, Bulls, Wizards, Mavericks, Blazers, Timberwolves and Warriors (you could even throw in the Clippers and Kings). Out of that group, the Raptors, Bulls and Wizards are eyed by rival teams as possible sellers if they continue to have subpar results.
That leads us to our poll: Which teams will emerge as deadline sellers? Vote and then head to the comments and let us know what you think!
The wild thing is, it’s possible that any (or all) of the five teams listed in our poll could become buyers instead of sellers, and it could be an entirely different group that emerges as sellers in several weeks! That’s both exciting and confusing for trying to get a read on the market.
Jalen Brunson Exits Sunday’s Game With Possible Injury
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson exited Sunday’s loss to the Sixers in the fourth quarter and headed back to the locker room, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (all Twitter links).
As Katz details, Brunson appeared to be favoring his right hip in the second half. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that he wasn’t sure why Brunson had to sub out, but noted that the 26-year-old was being evaluated by the team’s training staff.
Brunson wasn’t made available to speak to the media after the game, Katz adds, and the Knicks haven’t made any formal announcements regarding his status, so it’s too early to say what might be ailing him, or if he might miss additional time.
The Knicks gave Brunson a four-year, $104MM contract as a free agent in the offseason, and he’s played at a high level so far. Through 33 games (32.4 minutes per contest), he’s averaging 20.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.1 steals on .458/.365/.875 shooting.
After dropping Sunday’s game, the Knicks have now lost three straight following an eight-game winning streak. They currently hold an 18-16 record, the No. 6 seed in the East, and their next game is Tuesday at Dallas, Brunson’s former team.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Caruso, Timberwolves, Williams
The Nuggets might to be turning a corner on the defensive end, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Denver has won six of its past seven games to move to 20-11, and the team is 12th in defensive rating over that span, up from 23rd on the season, Singer notes.
As Singer details, the third quarter of Friday’s home win over Portland was a particularly impressive defensive stretch, with the Nuggets outscoring the Blazers 35-16. Michael Porter Jr., who made his return to the lineup after a 13-game absence with a left foot injury, played a big part in that effort, as did Jamal Murray, who sat out Tuesday’s game due to knee maintenance.
“When our defense turned up, the offense is great, but I just get so excited when I see five guys locked in, on a string,” head coach Michael Malone said, per Singer.
Porter described his injury as a form of plantar fasciitis, and he finished with 18 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes, Singer adds. Murray nearly notched a triple-double, recording 25 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists and a couple steals.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- In a subscriber-only story for The Denver Post, Singer says league-wide parity has contributed to a lack of sellers on the trade market thus far. The Bulls haven’t shown any interest in dealing away contributing players yet, but if that changes, Alex Caruso would be a nice bench upgrade for the Nuggets, according to Singer, who also thinks an upgrade over Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan at the backup five might be needed if Denver doesn’t trust either player for a postseason run.
- Four Timberwolves role players — Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Jaylen Nowell and Nathan Knight — have a special bond, and their camaraderie has helped the team during tense moments, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I want to see the whole team succeed. But those are guys that I’m very, very close with,” Nowell said. “They’re really like blood brothers. It hits a little different when you see your family being successful.” All four are at key junctures in their careers — McDaniels is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer, Reid and Nowell will be unrestricted free agents, and Knight is playing on a non-guaranteed deal.
- Rookie big man Jaylin Williams, the 34th overall pick of June’s draft, sustained a concussion on Wednesday in a G League contest for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder announced. The second-rounder is now in the league’s concussion protocol. Williams has only made seven NBA appearances thus far, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 8.7 minutes per contest, but he has been a regular with the Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate, averaging 14.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.4 SPG on .626/.364/.741 shooting in 11 games (30.6 MPG).
Northwest Notes: Lillard, SGA, Gobert, Edwards, Markkanen
Point guard Damian Lillard has spent his entire career with the Trail Blazers, and despite publicly stating multiple times that he intends to spend the rest of his career in Portland, his name has been featured in trade rumors off and on for years. Lillard recently gave some advice to Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been the subject of similar speculation.
“The grass is not always greener on the other side,” Lillard said, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.
“You never know what it’s going to look like or how the next team might view you, especially when you’ve had some injuries like he’s had,” Lillard continued. “You just don’t know. Also I would tell him a lot of these people that are saying ‘free him’ and all of these things or whatever, they are not the people that are going to have to live with the consequences if it doesn’t work out. They’re not gonna ever have to walk in his shoes.”
Lillard also complimented Gilgeous-Alexander’s excellent start to the 2022/23 season, per Mussatto.
“He’s coming into his own,” Lillard said. “I can remember when I was younger and I became the leader of a team. … I see that he’s in that stage. He’s trying to show what he can do — almost like a coming out party for him.
“He’s having a great season. He’s playing confident, he’s playing well for the team and it’s fun to watch, just not when it happens against us.”
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- The Timberwolves continue to have an up-and-down season. They won three straight with Rudy Gobert sidelined with an ankle injury (though they were playing three similarly inconsistent opponents in the Thunder, Mavs and Bulls), and have now dropped two straight with him back. Still, Gobert says he’s pleased with the team’s effort, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I’m really happy about the way we come in every day working, putting in the extra work,” he said. “And then when it’s game time, I’m really happy with the physicality, the competitiveness. I think that’s what’s going to take us as far as we can go.”
- Anthony Edwards has shown improvement as a play-maker for the Timberwolves, and La Velle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune believes the 21-year-old has higher upside in that role than Karl-Anthony Towns. Edwards still needs to find more consistency, but it would be a good thing if Edwards becomes the face of the franchise sooner rather than later, according to Neal.
- Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has a strong case to become a first-time All-Star, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. He says been striving to achieve that goal for years. “I’ve said this publicly before, but absolutely it has always been my personal goal. Obviously I’ve got team goals and I’m always gonna push those first, but like at an individual level that’s always been my goal. Not just to be one of the guys in the league, I want to make it to the top,” Markkanen said. Through 32 games (33.8 MPG), he’s averaging a career-high 22.8 PPG, along with 8.1 RPG and 2.1 APG. He’s also posting career-best marks from the field (53.3%) and from three-point range (43.8%).
DeMar DeRozan Has No Desire To Make Trade Request
Opposing teams might speculate about DeMar DeRozan‘s future intentions, but he has no desire to request a trade from the Bulls.
In response to an article from Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, who cited rival executives that believe DeRozan might make an offseason trade request if the Bulls continue to struggle and do poorly in the playoffs, the five-time All-Star posted a clip on Instagram from the movie “Training Day,” in which Denzel Washington’s character tells Ethan Hawke’s character, “This is a newspaper, right? It’s 90 percent bulls**t, but it’s entertaining. That’s why I read it.”
DeRozan then elaborated on what he meant with the clip, if it wasn’t already clear.
“I take my job as a professional, honestly, and in every type of way,” DeRozan told Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “If I sign up for anything, my goal is to finish whatever I sign up for. That’s with anything in life. I signed up to be a father, not just a part-time father. I treat everything I do that way.
“I mean 14 years in my career, I’ve never talked about a trade, asked for a trade, anything. So when I see something like that [story], I try and make fun of it more than anything.”
DeRozan, who is under contract through 2023/24, “reiterated that he would never request a trade” under any circumstances, according to Cowley. The veteran guard/forward says he wasn’t bothered by the report.
“Obviously when you’re young in the league, don’t know nothing, you hear anything of that nature, and yeah it bothers you because you wonder where it came from,” DeRozan said, per Cowley. “The older I am, hell, I’m going to be honest with you – there’s nothing that bothers me. No he say, she say stuff … now, if my mom was saying some stuff [in the media] that would bother me, but no, don’t nothing bother me.
“We live in a world that’s full of opinionated people, and anyone can come up with something. These days I see fake pages acting like they’re Woj [ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski] or something. I just don’t get caught up in that. But if I’m in the mood, I’ll make fun of something like I did [Thursday].”
The 33-year-old hit a game-winning jumper over the Knicks on Friday night (Twitter video link) to increase the Bulls’ winning streak to three games. They now hold a 14-18 record, the No. 11 seed in the East, but are only three-and-a-half games back of New York, currently the No. 6 seed.
Celtics Notes: Brogdon, G. Williams, Stevens, Smart, R. Williams
In an interview with Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon says he isn’t interested in the Sixth Man of the Year award (Twitter video link).
“I really don’t care about that award at all. I really want to win with this team — I came here to win a championship, to put up banner 18. And that accolade really means nothing. I want to win,” he said.
Brogdon, acquired in offseason trade with Indiana, has a strong case for the award, even if he doesn’t care about it. Through 27 games (24.1 MPG), he’s averaging 14.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.8 APG on an excellent .482/.451/.855 shooting slash line.
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- The Celtics have hit some adversity for the first time in 2022/23, dropping five of their past seven games, including a lackluster performance on Wednesday against Indiana, when Boston trailed by 28 at halftime. As Jay King of The Athletic writes, the poor stretch seems like a “meaningful moment” to see how the team responds. Forward Grant Williams agrees. “We can let it derail our season,” Williams said, “or we can let it shift and make us understand where we’re trying to be and allow us to zone back in. Because in a month like this, where you’re approaching January in midseason, you can easily take your foot off the gas and step back. But for a team to be great, for a team to be special, for a team to do what we want to do, you can’t do that.” For what it’s worth, the Celtics beat Minnesota on Friday, recapturing the No. 1 seed in the East after the Bucks lost to the Nets.
- President of basketball operations Brad Stevens says he will continue to evaluate the roster and make changes if needed ahead of the trade deadline, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). “Listen, we want to win, there’s no question about it. We have a really good team and hopefully we are playing great over the next couple of months, but we’ll evaluate that and we’ll make decisions, right or wrong, we think may give us the best chance at winning,” Stevens said.
- Stevens also gave a strong endorsement for interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, Washburn adds in the same story. “It’s been really good,” Stevens said of Mazzulla’s job performance. “Looking at where we started from the start of training camp, the leadership, the organization, the way that everybody embraced him, he’s very open to people to the different ideas that they have, maybe too open sometimes, he’s been great.”
- Guard Marcus Smart (non-COVID illness) returned to the lineup on Friday after missing Wednesday’s game, but big man Robert Williams was ill and ruled out, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Williams just made his season debut last week after offseason knee surgery, so having him out of the lineup again so soon obviously isn’t ideal. Still, there’s plenty of time left for him to get acclimated ahead of a playoff push.