Injury Notes: Butler, AD, FVV, Porter, Grimes
Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Sacramento due to hip tightness, the Heat announced (via Twitter). It will be Butler’s first missed game of the 2022/23 season after being sidelined for 25 contests last season.
The injury doesn’t sound very serious and the Heat are likely just being cautious with their star forward on the second night of a back-to-back, with Butler helping lead a comeback victory over the Warriors on Tuesday. The 33-year-old is averaging 21.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.5 SPG on .470/.391/.873 shooting through eight games (35.5 MPG) for the 3-5 Heat.
Here are some more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Anthony Davis is determined to play through his lingering lower back pain, writes Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. Davis was clearly wincing at various moments during the Lakers‘ first win of the season against Denver on Sunday, and head coach Darvin Ham said he asked the star big man if he needed to leave the game. “I gestured, ‘Do you need a break?’ And he was like, ‘Nah.’ He waved me off,” Ham said. “He wants to dispel that myth that he’s never available. He’s had some unfortunate injuries over the last couple of years, but I can tell you right now, man, he’s been nothing short of monstrous since I’ve shown up.” Davis will play Wednesday against the Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable, sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT (Twitter link). Ham confirmed the news to reporters, Goon tweets.
- Like Davis, Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is also dealing with lower back soreness, and will miss his second consecutive game on Wednesday vs. the Spurs. On the positive side for the Raptors, free agent addition Otto Porter is available for the first time this season after dealing with a hamstring injury and then being away from the team for the birth of his daughter (Twitter links via Josh Lewenberg and Kayla Grey of TSN Sports).
- Second-year guard Quentin Grimes, who has been sidelined with a sore left foot to open 2022/23, is available to make his regular season debut for Wednesday’s against the Hawks, the Knicks announced (via Twitter). Head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that Grimes wouldn’t have a minutes restriction, but said his use would be “situational” while he attempts to rebuild his conditioning after appearing in just one preseason game (Twitter links via Fred Katz of The Athletic and Ian Begley of SNY.tv). New York leads Atlanta 65-57 at halftime, but Grimes has yet to play.
Kyrie Irving, Nets, ADL Issue Joint Statement
Kyrie Irving, the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have issued a joint statement (via Twitter) following Irving’s promotion of an antisemitic film last week.
According to the statement, Irving and the Nets will each donate $500K “toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.” Irving and the Nets will work the ADL, a nonprofit organization devoted to fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate, in an “effort to develop educational programming that is inclusive and will comprehensively combat all forms of antisemitism and bigotry.”
“I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,” said Irving. “I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles. I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion of people, and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light.”
“There is no room for antisemitism, racism, false narratives or misguided attempts to create animosity and hate,” said Sam Zussman, Chief Executive Officer of BSE Global, parent company of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center. “Now, more than ever, there is a pressing need to ensure education in these areas. We are putting our prior statements into practice because actions speak louder than words.”
“At a time when antisemitism has reached historic levels, we know the best way to fight the oldest hatred is to both confront it head-on and also to change hearts and minds. With this partnership, ADL will work with the Nets and Kyrie to open dialogue and increase understanding,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “At the same time, we will maintain our vigilance and call out the use of anti-Jewish stereotypes and tropes – whatever, whoever, or wherever the source – as we work toward a world without hate.”
As Fred Katz, Mike Vorkunov and Sam Amick of The Athletic observe (All Twitter links), while Irving claims to “take responsibility” for the “negative impact” of his Twitter post, which has since been deleted after a combative exchange with reporters over the weekend, it’s notable that he did not actually apologize to the Jewish community.
Both the NBA and NBPA previously issued fairly toothless statements condemning antisemitism in general terms without directly naming or rebuking Irving. General manager Sean Marks said the team wanted Irving to “simmer down” and not create more “fuss” as explanation for why Irving didn’t speak to the media on Monday or Tuesday, noting that Irving’s last media session “didn’t go well.”
Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton Out Wednesday For Sixers
Sixers star center Joel Embiid will miss his second consecutive game against the Wizards on Wednesday with a non-COVID illness, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. According to head coach Doc Rivers, Embiid has the flu.
As Pompey notes, Embiid also missed Friday’s game vs. Toronto with right knee soreness, but returned during Saturday’s victory over the Bulls. In six games this season (34.5 MPG), the five-time All-Star is averaging 27.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.2 BPG on .532/.300/.788 shooting.
In addition to Embiid, Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton will also miss Wednesday’s game with back stiffness, and Matisse Thybulle will start in his place, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Melton, who was acquired in a trade with Memphis this offseason, had previously started the two games that Embiid was sidelined, with the Sixers opting to go small and sliding P.J. Tucker up to center. Melton performed well in both victories, and is averaging 9.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.3 APG and 2.0 SPG on .517/.407/1.000 shooting through eight games (22.5 MPG) in 2022/23.
The Sixers started the season 0-3, but have won four of their past five games to even their record at 4-4, while the Wizards have dropped three straight after guard Delon Wright suffered a strained hamstring and currently sit with a 3-4 record. Wednesday’s game has an unusually early tip off, beginning at 6:00pm ET.
Jazz Notes: Sexton, Conley, NAW, Bolmaro, Strong Start
Jazz point guard Mike Conley has taken new teammate Collin Sexton under his wing and is helping him see the game in a new way, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. With 16-year veteran Conley held out of the second game of a back-to-back set, Sexton received his first start of the 2022/23 season in Saturday’s win over Memphis, recording 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and four assists in nearly 32 minutes.
“We’ll walk through, and he’ll be like, ‘Alright, what are you doing in this situation?’ And I’ll let him know, and then he’ll be like, ‘Well, in this situation, I think you should do this. Just try it,’” Sexton explained. “During the game, he’ll be like, ‘OK, you got to the basket — now let’s see if you can pitch [the ball] behind two or three times.’ And I’ll do it. And then he’s like, ‘Alright, now the next time, try to see if you can get all the way there [to the rim].’ It’s opening my mind to multiple ways of playing, and also multiple ways of seeing the game, too. I know he sees it from a different angle than I do.”
As Walden writes, the Jazz have been cautious not to overextend Sexton after he only played 11 games last season with a torn meniscus, which required surgery. He’s technically not on a minutes restriction, but that’s partly why he’s only averaging 19.0 MPG.
Sexton is eager to prove his worth after inking a four-year, $71MM deal as part of the Donovan Mitchell sign-and-trade with Cleveland, but he recognizes he’ll have more opportunities as the season goes on, per Walden.
“Just giving [it all in] the time that I’m out there and just making an impact. And I might play four-minute spurts, so in those four minutes, giving it all I can, whether it’s pressuring the ball or pushing the ball and changing the pace of the game, whether it’s on the defensive side or offensive side,” Sexton said. “Just trying to use the little time that I’m given just to make sure that they know I’m out there, you know what I mean? Because I know once the season continues to go, more minutes, more time [will come].“
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Little-used guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker got an opportunity for extended run with Conley sidelined against the Grizzlies, and he showed that he can be a positive player when given the opportunity, writes Sarah Todd of The Desert News. Alexander-Walker played solid defense against Desmond Bane and Hardy was pleased with his effort, as Todd relays. “He came in with such a fire,” head coach Will Hardy said of Alexander-Walker. “He really got into the ball with Desmond Bane and I think he got two steals on the ball, just taking the dribble. He has really good instincts and really long arms and he did a good job of just trying to speed up their ball handlers, which I thought was great…It’s a difficult situation. He hasn’t played that much and he got thrown into a big game with Mike out, and I thought he handled himself great.”
- Second-year guard Leandro Bolmaro, who recently had his third-year option declined by Utah, has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is out for Monday’s game against Memphis, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio are still in the protocols. Rookie center Walker Kessler (non-COVID illness) has also been ruled out for the contest, according to Jones (Twitter link).
- How have the Jazz gotten off to a 5-2 start? Tony Jones tackles that topic for The Athletic, concluding that the team’s depth, offensive pressure, floor spacing, and key adjustments from head coach Will Hardy have been instrumental to the surprising seven-game stretch.
Sixers Lose 2023, 2024 Second-Round Picks Due To Gun-Jumping
After discovering that the Sixers held early free agent discussions with forwards P.J. Tucker and Danuel House prior to the permitted date, the NBA announced today (via Twitter) that it has rescinded the team’s 2023 and 2024 second-round picks.
The league noted that Philadelphia “fully cooperated” with its investigation into tampering, or “gun-jumping.” The Sixers released a statement confirming the news (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps).
“The Philadelphia 76ers fully cooperated with the NBA’s investigation and acknowledge the league’s ruling. We’re moving forward, focused on the season ahead.”
As Shams Charania of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), while the NBA did dock the Sixers for the early discussions with Tucker and House, it found no wrongdoing with James Harden‘s significant pay cut, which gave the Sixers the flexibility to use their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Tucker and their bi-annual exception to sign House. Both players previously played with Harden on the Rockets under former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who is now Philadelphia’s top basketball executive.
Some around the league have wondered whether the Sixers and Harden already have a future deal in place, which is against the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Such a handshake agreement would involve declining his player option in 2023 and signing a lucrative new contract at that time.
Marc Stein first reported that the Sixers were likely to face a tampering investigation, and he was also one of the first reporters to link Tucker to Philadelphia, with rival teams reportedly convinced that Tucker was signing a three-year deal for the mid-level multiple days before free agency officially opened.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the NBA and the Players Association are expected to discuss tampering and the punishments that teams face when found guilty, as early free agent discussions are “rampant, but hard to police and largely impossible to eliminate.” The two sides are currently in early negotiations for a new CBA.
Warriors Exercise 2023/24 Options On Wiseman, Kuminga, Moody
2:50pm: The options have been officially picked up, the Warriors announced (via Twitter).
12:29pm: The Warriors are exercising their 2023/24 rookie scale options on center James Wiseman, forward Jonathan Kuminga and wing Moses Moody, sources tell ESPN’s Kendra Andrews (Twitter link).
All three players will have their contracts for next season fully guaranteed. Wiseman will earn $12,119,440 in year four, while Kuminga and Moody are set to make $6,012,840 and $3,918,480, respectively, in year three.
Wiseman, the second pick of the 2020 draft, has been limited to 46 career games due to a series of knee injuries and setbacks, but he’s back and healthy again to start the ’22/23 season, averaging 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds through seven games (14.6 minutes per contest). The 21-year-old will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer after having his fourth-year option picked up.
Following a promising rookie year that saw him average 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 70 games (16.9 minutes), Kuminga has struggled to gain traction early in his second season, averaging just 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in six games (10.8 minutes). Still, the seventh pick of last year’s draft just turned 20 years old earlier this month, so he has a lot of time to improve.
Moody played less as a rookie compared to Kuminga last season, appearing in 52 regular season games (11.7 minutes), but he’s playing more in year two, averaging 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 36% from deep through seven games (17.0 minutes). Moody was the 14th pick in 2021.
Today is the deadline for teams to exercise ’23/24 rookie scale team options. As our tracker shows, the defending champions were the last team with decisions to make.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo Named Players Of The Week
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named the NBA’s players of the week for October 24-30, the league announced (via Twitter).
Gilgeous-Alexander, the Western Conference winner, led Oklahoma City to a 3-0 record in victories over the Clippers (two times) and Mavericks with averages of 31.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on .500/.500/1.000 shooting in 37.4 minutes per contest. The Thunder now sit with a 3-3 record after Gilgeous-Alexander’s stellar performances.
Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo, the East’s winner, averaged 35.7 points, 15.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.7 blocks during Milwaukee’s 3-0 week. The Bucks defeated the Nets, Knicks and Hawks, and are now 5-0 to start the 2022/23 season.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Desmond Bane, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic and Keldon Johnson, while Paolo Banchero, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young were nominated in the East. Antetokounmpo, Booker, Banchero and Mitchell were all nominated for the second consecutive week.
Magic Decline R.J. Hampton’s 2023/24 Option; Exercise Four Others
The Magic will decline to exercise their 2023/24 rookie scale option on guard R.J. Hampton, multiple sources tell Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). The third-year combo guard will now be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
Hampton, 21, was the No. 24 pick of the 2020 draft. He was technically drafted by the Bucks, but was traded to the Nuggets shortly thereafter. During his rookie season, he was sent to Orlando along with Gary Harris as part of the Aaron Gordon trade.
In 94 games (22.4 MPG) with the Magic, Hampton has averaged 8.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.5 APG on .402/.343/.649 shooting. His declined option was worth $4,220,057, which means the Magic will be prohibited from offering him a first-year salary worth more than that in free agency next summer if he finishes the season on the roster.
Price also reports that the Magic have exercised their 2023/24 options on guards Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, as well as forwards Chuma Okeke and Franz Wagner. The team confirmed the news (via Twitter).
Suggs, the No. 4 pick of last year’s draft, will earn a guaranteed $7,252,080 in his third season, while Wagner, the No. 8 pick last year, will earn $5,508,720. Anthony (No. 15 in 2020) and Okeke (No. 16 in 2020) will make guaranteed salaries of $5,539,771 and $5,266,713 for their fourth seasons, respectively.
Wagner, Suggs, Anthony and Okeke have all been rotation players for the Magic when healthy, so it was expected that their options would be picked up. Hampton, however, is only averaging 11.0 minutes per night in four games this season despite several injuries to the backcourt (including Suggs and Anthony) after averaging 21.9 minutes last season.
The deadline for ’23/24 rookie scale team options is October 31. The full list of those decisions can be found right here.
Spurs Waive Joshua Primo
9:30pm: “I know that you all are surprised by today’s announcement,” Primo said in a statement to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). “I’ve been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time.”
6:32pm: In an absolutely stunning move, the Spurs announced that they have waived second-year guard Joshua Primo, the No. 12 overall pick of last year’s draft (Twitter link via Andscape’s Marc J. Spears).
“It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua,” said Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO RC Buford.
“The Spurs organization, including front office executives, coaching staff and players, will have no additional comments to share at this time.”
When asked about releasing Primo prior to Friday’s game against the Bulls, head coach Gregg Popovich declined to elaborate, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Primo, 19, averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games (16 starts, 19.3 minutes) as a rookie last season, but struggled with efficiency, posting a .374/.307/.746 shooting slash line. He was the youngest player drafted last year and won’t turn 20 years old until December.
Through four games this season (23.3 minutes), Primo is averaging 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists on .346/.250/.778 shooting.
The Spurs exercised their 2023/24 team option on Primo a couple weeks ago, so he will earn a guaranteed $4.1MM this season and $4.3MM in ’23/24. Unless he’s claimed on waivers, San Antonio will be on the hook for both of those figures over the next two seasons.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, a rival team could claim Primo using cap room or an exception, but obviously would have to be pretty confident about what transpired given he was so abruptly cut. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Spurs had been “excited” about Primo’s development and future.
“Joshua has an uncanny maturity about him, kind of a steady demeanor,” Popovich said in January. “He is not awed by the NBA or anything like that. He makes good decisions. He definitely knows how to play. It’s just a matter of getting stronger and aware that these are men and they are coming after your head, so to speak. He just has to get used to that physicality and all that sort of thing.”
Many NBA executives are scrambling to get to the bottom of what might have prompted the Spurs to waive last year’s lottery pick, especially after already guaranteeing his salary for next season.
“He’s a talent,” one executive texted Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). “Everyone is trying to find out what the hell happened.”
Prior to releasing him, the Spurs had listed Primo as out due to left glute soreness for Friday’s contest, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
Primo, a native of Ontario, Canada, spent one year at Alabama prior to turning pro.
Northwest Notes: Nowell, Reid, MPJ, Billups, Jazz
After Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Timberwolves have engaged in talks with center Naz Reid and guard Jaylen Nowell about possible contract extensions, Keith Smith of Spotrac decided to examine what extensions for the two 23-year-olds might look like.
As our Luke Adams wrote on Monday, veteran extensions for players on minimum-salary contracts like Reid and Nowell can begin at 120% of this season’s estimated average salary of $10,792,000, so 120% of that amount is $12,950,400. Therefore, a maximum four-year extension that includes 8% raises would be worth about $58MM.
It would behoove Nowell to wait until unrestricted free agency next summer rather than sign an extension, according to Smith, who believes Nowell could receive $15-20MM in annual average salary on a new contract if he has a breakout fourth season, as several teams are expected to have a significant amount of cap room in 2023 (it’s worth noting that Charania reported that Nowell was likely to opt for unrestricted free agency). Smith compares Nowell’s situation to Jalen Brunson‘s, who wound up signing a four-year, $104MM contract with the Knicks in free agency after a big season with Dallas in ’21/22.
As for Reid, Smith thinks a three-year, $22MM descending contract makes sense for the Wolves and Reid, comparing it to the three-year, $18.5MM extension Dean Wade received from the Cavaliers. Since Minnesota will be over the salary cap for the next handful of years, Smith says the Wolves should aggressively pursue extensions for both Nowell and Reid.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. explained what happened when he suffered a back spasm during Monday’s game vs. Portland, which caused him to miss Wednesday’s game against the Lakers, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscription required). “I couldn’t really move the same as I wanted to in the second half, so that’s when we were just like, ‘Let’s just calm it down for a couple of days,’” Porter said on Friday. “But it was just a little tweak in a muscle. It wasn’t anything related to a prior injury.” Despite the minor setback, Porter says he still expects to play the “vast majority” of Denver’s games in ’22/23 after appearing in just nine contests last season after undergoing a third back surgery.
- Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups says that Damian Lillard missing most of last season after undergoing core muscle surgery forced Portland to acknowledge that the team around the star guard wasn’t good enough. The Blazers revamped their roster over the past year, adding Josh Hart, Jerami Grant, Gary Payton II, Justise Winslow and No. 7 overall pick Shaedon Sharpe, among others. “He’s the guy,” Billups told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “He’s our guy. We’re always gonna play through him. But we want to be good enough that when he goes 5-for-18 (from the field), that we can win a game. They’ve never been able to do that, you know what I’m saying? So it gives him confidence to know that (he doesn’t) have to be the best player in the league every night.” Lillard is currently sidelined with a right calf strain and will be reevaluated in one-to-two weeks, though he said he didn’t think the injury was serious.
- The Jazz have gotten off to a surprising 4-1 start, but the “general consensus around the league” is that opposing teams will take them more seriously going forward, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Head coach Will Hardy is telling his players to keep proving people wrong. “He’s tired of looking at media or even his friends telling him, ‘Wow, you guys are winning, this is crazy,’” Malik Beasley said of Hardy’s message. “It’s not crazy. We’re not even playing well and we’re still winning.”