Lonzo Ball To Undergo Knee Surgery, Could Miss All Of 2023/24
5:22pm: In a press release, the Bulls have added further details on what Ball’s procedure will entail, revealing that the guard will receive a cartilage transplant in his left knee.
“My main focus has been on returning to the court getting to a place where I can rejoin my teammates,” Ball was quoted as saying in the team statement. “This has been a frustrating process, but I’m confident these next steps are the best path forward.”
3:29pm: Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will undergo left knee surgery, his third in the past 14 months. The surgery is expected to cause him to miss “most, if not all,” of next season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).
There have been concerns about Ball’s ability to resume playing, but there is optimism that another surgery could help him revive his career, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Charania reported a similar sentiment.
The Bulls’ PR department confirmed the news that Ball will have a third left knee surgery, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. Johnson hears from a source that a return timeline won’t be known until the surgery has been performed, and it could be “nebulous.”
Wojnarowski reported last week that a third left knee surgery was being considered. Ball’s initial injury was a torn meniscus on January 14, 2022. He was originally projected to miss just a few weeks following his first knee surgery that month, but he experienced multiple complications which caused him to miss the remainder of last season.
Ball underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure last September to clear up lingering issues with his knee. He has made incremental progress since then, but he still can’t run, cut or jump without feeling pain in the knee.
The 25-year-old did not play at all in 2022/23 and was officially ruled out for the remainder of the season last month.
It has been a brutal process for both Ball and the Bulls, who were playing terrific basketball before their starting point guard went down last season. At the time of Ball’s injury last January, Chicago had a 27-13 record. They finished last season 19-23 without Ball and have gone 31-37 this season, currently holding the No. 11 seed in the East.
Ball came to Chicago in a sign-and-trade deal with New Orleans in the summer of 2021. He played strong defense and was a dynamic open-court play-maker during his 35 games (34.6 MPG) with the Bulls last season, averaging 13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.8 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .423/.423/.750 shooting.
Ball still has two years left on his contract with the Bulls beyond this season. He’s owed a guaranteed $20.5MM salary next season, with a $21.4MM player option for 2024/25.
Pacific Notes: Wiggins, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has now missed 13 consecutive games due to undisclosed personal reasons, leading to speculation about why he’s been absent and when he might return. As Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes, Wiggins’ teammates know why he’s been gone, but instead of feeling angry or resentful, they’ve expressed “patience and understanding, a little disappointment but a lot of concern.”
“What he’s dealing with,” one player said, “is some real (expletive).”
Wiggins’ privacy deserves to be respected, according to Thompson, and the fact that an organization that has had some very public leaks over the past year-plus — including Wiggins’ vaccine hesitancy last season and Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during training camp — has kept the matter in-house “says a lot.”
With the team in the midst of its most crucial stretch of the season, and so many major decisions hanging over the franchise, Wiggins being gone is even more amplified. But that doesn’t mean outsiders are entitled to know what’s going on, says Thompson.
“If we’re fine with it,” one player said, “and the people who pay him understand, then so should everyone else.”
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- On the bright side for the Warriors, second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga was able to play on Wednesday night after missing the past three games with a sprained ankle, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Unfortunately, longtime veteran Andre Iguodala broke his left wrist and will undergo surgery next week. Head coach Steve Kerr spoke about losing Iguodala last night, per Mark Medina of NBA.com (Twitter link). “It’s a huge loss. …We’ll see what it means, roster wise. We’ll see how things play out, whether we use the last roster spot on one of our two-way guys or something else comes up,” Kerr said as part of a larger quote.
- Law Murray of The Athletic tackles a number of topics in a mailbag column, answering questions about Eric Gordon‘s importance to the Clippers, small-ball lineups, and possible favorable postseason matchups, among others. According to Murray, prior to Wednesday’s victory over Golden State, Gordon had the highest plus-minus on the team in fourth quarters since he was acquired at the trade deadline (plus-46 in 84 minutes).
- The Lakers have an open roster spot and a couple of frontcourt players injured in LeBron James and Mohamed Bamba, plus Anthony Davis has been rested on back-to-backs (only one more back-to-back remains on the schedule). Prior to Wednesday’s loss to Houston, in which Davis was out, Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group asked head coach Darvin Ham if the Lakers had any plans to add another big man with their roster opening. “We feel like we have a good vibe, a good rhythm with the guys that are out there. We’re standing pat for now,” Ham said as part of larger quote. “But the process of trying to improve our roster never changes. We’re constantly looking.”
Draymond Green Receives 16th Technical, Faces Suspension
Warriors forward/center Draymond Green received a technical foul on Wednesday night against the Clippers, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.
As Kendra Andrews of ESPN notes (via Twitter), it was Green’s 16th technical foul, so he will be suspended for Friday’s game versus Atlanta unless it’s rescinded by the NBA.
According to Greif (Twitter link), shortly after Green’s technical he was involved in a scuffle with Clippers forward Marcus Morris. Upon an official review of the incident, Morris received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game.
Last week, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he hadn’t spoken to Green about being on the technical threshold, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).
“I’ve never said one word to Draymond, and he’s never gone over the limit,” Kerr said. “He always comes right up to the edge and then he stops. He knows how valuable he is, I don’t have to say anything to him. He knows that he can’t get that next one; we need him.”
Wednesday’s matchup between the Warriors and Clippers — and Green’s imminent suspension — could have a huge impact on the Western Conference playoff race. The two teams have an identical 36-33 record, and both could easily go as high as the No. 4 seed or even drop out of the play-in tournament entirely depending on how the rest of the season plays out.
A four-time All-Star and seven-time All-Defensive team member, Green is averaging 8.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .525/.324/.705 shooting through 61 games (31.4 MPG) this season.
Ja Morant: “I Take Full Responsibility…I Made A Bad Mistake”
In an interview with ESPN’s Jalen Rose (partial video link), Grizzlies guard Ja Morant expressed contrition for flashing a gun at a Denver-area strip club, which led to him being suspended for eight games without pay. When asked who the gun belonged to, Morant simply replied “the gun wasn’t mine.”
“It’s not who I am,” Morant said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I don’t condone it or any type of violence, but I take full responsibility from my actions. I made a bad mistake. I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes. But in the future, I’m going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I’m about and change this narrative that everybody got.”
Regarding the other troubling off-court incidents that he’s reportedly been involved in over the past several months, Morant discussed them in vague terms.
“The majority of the things that’s happened in the past, obviously, I kind of put myself into by even being there,” Morant said. “But all the incidents you’ve seen recently, most of them is a lie. I can’t speak too much on those situations because all of ’em are sealed. I really can’t wait to be able to finally tell the truth. But what I can say is, like I said before, none of those are my character. I’m a big family guy. I always care for my family. So it was just me checking on my family’s safety. Once my family is safe, I left the scene.”
Morant acknowledged that he and his inner circle have made some “bad decisions” recently, and says his time away — which included entering a counseling program — helped him reflect on those mistakes, according to MacMahon.
“Honestly, I feel like we put ourselves in that situation with our past mistakes, and now it’s only right that we focus in and lock in on being smarter and more responsible, holding each other accountable for everything,” Morant said. “I feel like in the past we didn’t know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realize everything, have that time alone, I realize that now.
“I realize what I have to lose, and for us as a group, what we have to lose. It’s pretty much just that being more responsible, more smarter and staying away from all the bad decisions.”
As MacMahon writes, the fourth-year guard says he’s in a better mental space now and has learned how to “manage stress in a positive way.” Morant technically could play in Monday’s game, which is when the retroactive suspension will lift, but he will require a short ramp-up period to get back in shape before he returns to action.
“I also put my team in a tough position with me not being able to be out there on the floor for decisions I’ve made,” Morant said. “I regret all that. I can’t wait to be back out there on the floor now, knowing what my punishment is. I accept that, and I feel like I deserve that punishment for my mistakes and what I did. But when I get back out there, I’m going to be ready to go and ready to push for a ring.”
Atlantic Notes: McBride, Noel, Pritchard, R. Williams
Miles McBride has been reinserted into the Knicks‘ rotation over the past six games with Jalen Brunson sidelined due to a foot injury. The second-year guard has been making an impact on both ends of the court as of late, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.
During Sunday’s road victory over the Lakers, McBride recorded eight points (on 3-of-5 shooting) and three steals in 17 minutes, finishing plus-15 in the four-point win.
“It’s huge. … But, honestly, if I didn’t score a point and we win, I’d still be happy. Just being able to impact the game however I can always is the number one thing,” McBride said. “I think the second unit knows that when we get in, our job is just look at the score, understand what we have to do as a unit and move the needle. And I think we came in and did that.”
The 22-year-old followed that strong performance with a career-high 18 points (on 6-of-8 shooting), three assists, two blocks and one steal in 25 minutes in Tuesday’s victory at Portland, Botte adds in another story. It remains to be seen if McBride will get minutes once Brunson returns, but he’s certainly building a strong case for himself.
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Veteran center Nerlens Noel averaged 14.3 minutes in his three games with the Brooklyn, but a source tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post that the Nets will not bring him back for a second 10-day contract (Twitter link). Noel’s initial deal expires on Wednesday, Lewis notes. Head coach Jacque Vaughn previously suggested that he expected Noel to stick around.
- Payton Pritchard has switched agents and will now be represented by CAA Sports, the agency announced on Instagram. “At the end of the day, it’s a business decision,” Pritchard told Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. “I think when you’re going into making choices on your future and your business, you want somebody that you believe is going to represent you in the best way and really help you. I’m not dissing my previous agent or anything like that. At the end of the day, it’s a nerve-wrecking time so you want to go with somebody that you really believe.” The third-year Celtics guard, who is currently sidelined with a heel injury, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason. Pritchard previously expressed disappointment that he wasn’t traded ahead of last month’s deadline, as he’s looking for more playing time.
- Celtics big man Robert Williams could return to action “within the next week or so,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said prior to Wednesday’s matchup with Minnesota (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Boston). Williams has been dealing with a left hamstring strain, but has responded well to treatment and said he was “feeling good” over the weekend.
Central Notes: Mitchell, Cavs, Osman, Ingles, Caruso, Ivey
Donovan Mitchell says the Cavaliers believe they can make a deep playoff run this season, as he tells Chris Mannix of SI.com.
“You got to get there and see it,” Mitchell said. “We’ve put the work in. It’s tough going from the hunter last year to the hunted. But you see the progression. That tells you the mindset is there. That tells you this team believes.”
Mannix notes that there are signs Cleveland should be viewed as a contender — the team is first in net rating, second in defense, and Mitchell is having a career year and is surrounded by talented young players. However, only Mitchell and Jarrett Allen have postseason experience among the starters, and inexperienced teams rarely advance far in an initial playoff run.
Here’s more from the Central:
- Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman has been in and out of the rotation in recent weeks, but he provided a major spark on Tuesday with Mitchell out, finishing with 24 points and six three-pointers in the victory over Charlotte. He admits the inconsistent playing time has been a challenge, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link). “It’s tough. It’s not easy,” Osman said. “I feel like when you don’t play and then you do play, sometimes you’re trying to do more than you would normally do because you’re trying to stay in the game, you’re trying to show you deserve to be out there and that’s what is best for the team. I’ve learned how to deal with that throughout the season. I would say it’s going better for me now.”
- Joe Ingles signed with the Bucks for the taxpayer mid-level exception last offseason, which was a risk by Milwaukee considering he was coming off a torn ACL suffered in February 2022. The veteran forward showed his worth at the end of Tuesday’s victory over Phoenix, with point guard Jrue Holiday calling on Ingles to handle the play-making duties. As Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes, the Bucks went on a 17-4 run once Ingles started running the show. “He just gives us a presence in the locker room, practices,” Budenholzer said of Ingles. “As a coach, you have to figure out how to best put him in his spots and the spacing around it and the players, they gotta keep developing that chemistry, so it’s still growing. I wish you could just snap your fingers and have it immediately, but that’s just not how basketball works, but he’s been invaluable to us, especially recently.”
- Bulls head coach Billy Donovan says Alex Caruso has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game against Sacramento, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter links). The defensive stalwart had previously been listed as questionable with an illness. The Bulls are competing for a spot in the play-in tournament, so Caruso will certainly be missed versus the Kings.
- Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, who entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols last Friday, is listed as probable for Thursday’s matchup with Denver, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. The No. 5 overall pick of last June’s draft, Ivey is averaging 15.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 4.9 APG on .415/.331/.732 shooting through 62 games (30.2 MPG) as a rookie.
Andre Iguodala To Undergo Surgery For Fractured Wrist
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala suffered a fractured left wrist on Monday against Phoenix and will undergo surgery next week, the team announced (via Twitter).
No timetable was given for Iguodala’s potential return, with the Warriors saying an update will be provided after he has surgery.
Iguodala, 39, seriously contemplated retirement before the 2022/23 season began, but was convinced to come back for one more year with the Warriors. However, he has made just eight appearances this season, averaging 2.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 2.4 APG in 14.1 MPG.
It’s unclear if this will mark the end of the 19-year veteran’s career; that might depend on how the Warriors finish out the season as they look to defend their title. It’s possible they might need to win at least one playoff series for Iguodala to make it back in time to play again, as wrist fractures typically take several weeks to heal.
A two-time All-Defensive team member, Iguodala has won four championships with Golden State and was the 2015 Finals MVP. In 1,231 regular season games (32.1 MPG), he holds career averages of 11.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.2 SPG on .463/.330/.709 shooting.
Trade Breakdown: Eric Gordon To The Clippers (Three-Team Deal)
This is the eighth entry in our series breaking down the significant trades of the 2022/23 season. As opposed to giving out grades, this series explores why the teams were motivated to make the moves. Let’s dive into a three-team deal between the Clippers, Rockets and Grizzlies…
On February 9:
- The Clippers acquired Eric Gordon (from the Rockets) and three second-round picks (from the Grizzlies; details here).
- The Grizzlies acquired Luke Kennard (from the Clippers) and the right to swap a 2026 second-round pick with Los Angeles.
- The Rockets acquired Danny Green (from the Grizzlies), John Wall (from the Clippers), and the right to swap the Bucks’ 2023 first-round pick for either the Clippers’ or Thunder’s 2023 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-six protected; from Clippers)
The Rockets’ perspective:
Shortly after the trade, both Green and Wall were subsequently released by Houston; Green reached a buyout agreement and later signed with Cleveland, while Wall remains a free agent.
Multiple reports indicated that Houston was interested in keeping Green around, but obviously he had other plans. That makes a lot of sense — the three-time champion is 35 years old and the Rockets are the second-worst team in the NBA after finishing dead last in each of the previous two seasons.
After reaching a buyout with Wall over the summer, the Rockets wound up reacquiring him in this deal following his tumultuous first stint with the franchise. Considering he called his initial go-round “beyond trash,” it’s not surprising that he was waived outright this time.
The Rockets were rumored to be looking for a first-round pick for Gordon for at least a couple of years, and instead of receiving an extra one, they’re going to end up swapping a pick they control for one with much higher upside.
At the time of the trade, the Bucks were 37-17 and the Clippers were 31-27. Those picks would have landed at Nos. 28 and 18, respectively, last month.
The Bucks proceeded to go on a long winning streak and are now 50-19, holding a three-game lead over Boston for the best record in the NBA. Milwaukee’s 2023 first-rounder would currently land at No. 30.
The Clippers are now 36-33. Their first-rounder remains at No. 18.
However, the 34-35 Thunder only trail the Clippers by two games, and they have swap rights with the Clippers – if Oklahoma City passes L.A. in the standings, Houston would instead receive the Thunder’s 2023 first-rounder.
If both the Clippers and Thunder miss the playoffs – which is certainly possible, given how jumbled the standings are – then the Thunder would receive the more favorable of the two lottery picks. Assuming the second pick falls outside of the top six (highly likely given how the NBA’s draft lottery works), that pick would go to Houston, with the Clippers receiving Milwaukee’s pick.
All of that is basically out of the Rockets’ control. The Clippers could easily finish as high as fourth in the West or could drop out of the playoffs entirely – six teams trail them in the standings by three games or less.
Long story short, there’s a chance the Rockets could receive a late lottery pick, but perhaps more likely a pick in the late teens, in exchange for Gordon and a pick in the 27-to-30 range.
Gordon was having a down season for Houston, is 34 years old, and makes $19.57MM this season (his $20.92MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed). I’m honestly surprised the Rockets were able to get as much for him as they did, given those factors.
The Rockets also created a $3.09MM traded player exception in this deal, as noted in our TPE tracker.
The Clippers’ perspective:
Gordon is eight years older than Kennard, and it would be a little surprising if the Clippers bring him back next season on his current contract. Still, he’s a better all-around player than Kennard, and the Clippers did get back three second-rounders from Memphis to somewhat offset giving up a higher value first-rounder to Houston.
While Kennard has remained a highly efficient three-point shooter with the Clippers in ’22/23, he battled a calf strain that sidelined him for significant stretches – he only appeared in 35 of 58 games. He also wasn’t a major part of the team’s playoff rotation a couple years ago and can be frustratingly passive on offense considering he’s a minus on the defensive end – it’s bizarre to see a 44.9% three-point shooter not be more aggressive looking for his shot.
Wall struggled mightily on both ends with Los Angeles, posting a .408/303/.681 shooting line (.498 true shooting percentage) while playing porous defense. Shedding his salary in this deal could be viewed as a bonus, as there were rumors that the Clippers might buy him out if they couldn’t trade him.
Guard play was a major weakness on the roster, and Gordon was a necessary upgrade for a team hoping to compete for a title. Sure, the Clippers took on the most risk in this trade, but you could easily make the argument that not making changes would have been an even bigger risk – both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George can opt out of their contracts in 2024, and the team still owes unprotected first-rounders and swaps to the Thunder through 2026 as part of the George trade.
I didn’t view Gordon as having a relatively down season with Houston as that big of a deal. His driving ability was still there, his true shooting percentage (57.2%) remained above average for a guard, and can you really blame him for being frustrated by the situation?
When Gordon signed with the Rockets in 2016, they were a regular playoff team that had already made one conference finals appearance (in 2015). They came very close to making the Finals in 2018, but wound up losing in seven games.
The following season, the Rockets won 53 games and were eliminated by Golden State again, after which Gordon signed an extension. They made the playoffs again in ‘19/20, but everything turned to dust when James Harden requested a trade. The past few seasons Gordon became the de facto elder statesman on a roster full of very young players.
That’s not to say Gordon is still in his physical prime; that came when he first entered the league back in 2008 with the Clippers, the team that selected him No. 7 overall out of Indiana. A couple of significant knee injuries from 2011-12 changed that trajectory.
However, Gordon still evolved into a valuable player, leaning into his long-range shooting and quick first step to attack players off the dribble with Houston. He still possesses those qualities in his 15th NBA season.
In 10 games (25.0 MPG) in his second stint with the Clippers, he’s averaging 10.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 2.4 APG on .447/.386/.762 shooting splits (.592 TS%). He has posted a 3.43 assist-to-turnover ratio in those contests, which is an impressive mark.
One of Gordon’s strengths is that he’s self-aware. He knows his job isn’t to be a primary scorer anymore — it’s to shoot open threes, leverage his shooting to drive and draw fouls, or kick out to open shooters. He’s a smart, unselfish passer on the perimeter.
Another positive attribute that Gordon brings to the Clippers is that at 6’3″ and 215 pounds, he has a low center of gravity and a strong core, which allows him to defend forwards. Houston often ran switching schemes in the past, and he’s comfortable as part of a five-out offense as well – two things that Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue favors in the postseason.
Gordon has played the entire fourth quarter in each of the past three games, all victories. I expect that to continue as the Clippers attempt to secure a playoff spot and make a deep postseason run.
The Grizzlies’ perspective:
Memphis had the best available information on Green’s recovery from a torn ACL, as he spent the majority of the season rehabbing – he had just made his season debut on February 1, eight days before the trade deadline. I’m sure the Grizzlies valued his locker room presence, but if they didn’t think he could contribute down the stretch, there wasn’t much to be gained by keeping him around, as his contract was set to expire at the end of the season.
Kennard, on the other hand, is only 26 years old, nine years younger than Green. He brings a much-needed skill to the Grizzlies, who rank just 25th in the league in three-point percentage (34.3%).
The lefty sharpshooter out of Duke led the league in three-point shooting last season and has matched that stellar mark (44.9%) in 46 total games in ‘22/23. Kennard is also under team control for multiple seasons – he’ll make $15.42MM in ’23/24 and the Grizzlies will hold a team option for the same salary in ’24/25.
Kennard has shown in the past that he has some play-making chops as well, averaging 4.1 APG back in ‘19/20 with Detroit. Through 11 games (21.0 MPG) with Memphis, he’s averaging 6.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.9 APG on .404/.455/1.000 shooting splits (.611 TS%).
The Grizzlies’ roster is full of players in their early-to-mid 20s, with veteran center Steven Adams the elder statesman at 29. Kennard fits perfectly with their timeline as far as that goes, and he’s young enough that he could certainly improve in the coming years.
As previously mentioned, Kennard is not a great individual defender, but he does fine in team concepts and is generally in the right spots. The Grizzlies have a few excellent defensive players on the roster, so perhaps they will be able to mask some of his weaknesses.
This could be viewed as both a short- and long-term upgrade for the Grizzlies, and adding Kennard’s extra salary this season (he makes $14.42MM this season vs. Green’s outgoing $10MM salary) didn’t affect the team much financially, as they’re still well below the luxury tax threshold.
Kennard’s mid-sized contract isn’t onerous given his age and shooting ability. The Grizzlies could conceivably use him as a salary-matching piece in the future as well if they’re so inclined.
Two-to-four second-round picks seemed to be a sweet spot for landing role player upgrades at the deadline. The Grizzlies moved three to land Kennard, but still have all of their own future first-rounders – along with one extra in 2024 – if they want to make a major trade down the line.
It’s interesting that the Clippers agreed to send Kennard to a Western Conference rival, particularly one they might have to face in the postseason. I’m sure he would have a little extra motivation if the Grizzlies are matched up against the Clippers in the playoffs.
Trade Breakdown: Josh Richardson To The Pelicans
This is the seventh entry in our series breaking down the significant trades of the 2022/23 season. As opposed to giving out grades, this series explores why the teams were motivated to make the moves. Let’s dive into a deal between the Pelicans and Spurs…
On February 9, the Pelicans sent guard Devonte’ Graham and four second-round picks (details here) to the Spurs in exchange for swingman Josh Richardson.
The Pelicans’ perspective:
Acquiring Graham via sign-and-trade in 2021 didn’t work out for New Orleans. The team wound up dealing for CJ McCollum last year and running him at starting point guard, and Graham got outplayed by undrafted free agent Jose Alvarado in each of the past two seasons.
The Pelicans also had former first-rounder Kira Lewis Jr. return from a torn ACL in 2022/23 and drafted Dyson Daniels No. 8 overall last summer. Carrying five players on the 15-man roster who primarily play the point isn’t ideal.
There’s also the fact that, when healthy, both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram handle the ball a significant portion of the time and are play-makers. That makes a short (6’1″) subpar defender like Graham an awkward fit.
The 6’6″ Richardson, meanwhile, fills a positional need at shooting guard and is a much better defensive player than Graham. At his best, Richardson uses his 6’10” wingspan, athleticism and quick hands to be disruptive on that end of the floor — he has averaged 2.6 SPG and 0.8 BPG through nine games with the Pelicans (his career marks are 1.1 SPG and 0.6 BPG).
Shedding Graham’s salary over the next couple of seasons — he’s owed $12.1MM in ‘23/24 and a partially guaranteed $2.85MM ($12.65MM base) in ‘24/25 — likely cost the Pelicans at least two second-round picks, if not three. Replacing him with Richardson for an extra second or two was a low-risk maneuver.
Richardson is on an expiring $12.2MM contract, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason. If the Pelicans can bring him back at a similar rate — essentially swapping Graham’s salary slot for Richardson — that would be solid value. Letting him walk is also a valid option if they’re concerned about the luxury tax going forward.
Richardson has bounced around quite a bit after spending his first four, most successful seasons with Miami, having played for Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, San Antonio and now New Orleans over the past four seasons.
As is the case with nearly every NBA player outside of the superstars, how a player fits within the dynamic of the rest of the roster largely determines whether he’s successful or not. Richardson is a quality role player, but not on every team.
The 29-year-old sometimes gets the generic 3-and-D label, which I think is a little bit of a misnomer in his case.
While Richardson is a solid defensive player, his offensive game is more varied than just spotting up for open threes. He’s an erratic outside shooter, converting 36.4% for his career from deep, which is right around league average (35.9% over the same eight seasons). However, he has been as high as 46.1% (on his lowest volume as a rookie), and as low as 33.0% (two separate seasons).
Richardson plays with a lot of energy on both sides of the ball and understands how to optimize spacing offensively. If things look congested on one side of the floor, you will see him flying around to an open area to create more room and better passing angles. 90.5% of his career three-point attempts have been assisted — he’s not looking to create his own shot from beyond the arc.
He is a crafty complementary pick-and-roll operator who particularly favors getting his defender on his hip and then stopping and pulling up around 12-to-17 feet. He has been very efficient from mid-range this season, converting 48.5% of those opportunities — that ranks in the 85th percentile, per DunksAndThrees.com.
If the right-handed Richardson gets all the way into the paint, he prefers to finish with his left hand, often using a scoop shot. He will use hesitation moves or his speed to get to the rim during pick-and-rolls.
The eight-year veteran is an unselfish passer and has a soft touch when throwing lobs, though his handle is a little loose at times, which can lead to turnovers. He generally does a solid job of taking care of the ball and making good reads though, especially for a secondary or tertiary ball-handler – his career assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.97-to-1, a respectable mark for a shooting guard.
This season represents the first time in Richardson’s career that he’s taken more threes than twos, and from an efficiency standpoint you could argue he should have been pushed in that direction sooner, even if he’s just an average shooter from long distance. He’s also not a great rebounder for a two guard and can struggle with bigger, more physical players on defense, as his frame is relatively thin (he’s listed at 200 pounds).
Another weak point is that Richardson will gamble on occasion defensively, reaching instead of using his feet to stick with his opponent. Still, when he’s engaged, he’s an above-average defender.
Overall, this trade made a lot sense for New Orleans. The Pelicans were able to fill a positional need in the short term and get rid of Graham’s contract, which had become problematic given his poor fit and the long-term commitments to other players.
The Spurs’ perspective:
Richardson played some of his best basketball since his Miami days with San Antonio, but he’s 29 years old and on expiring contract. The Spurs are in the midst of their first rebuild in decades, so extracting value for Richardson was logical.
While Graham was redundant on the Pelicans, the Spurs had a glaring need at point guard – Tre Jones is the only other true lead guard on the roster. In fact, Richardson was serving as the backup point at times, and though he did a respectable job, Graham is better suited for the role.
Graham is a good ball-handler and passer. He also takes care of the ball, posting a career 3.09-to-1- assist-to-turnover ratio – 3-to-1 is generally considered a very good benchmark. He is more of a shoot-first point guard who can play off the ball than a traditional pass-first floor general.
This trade is a good example of how statistics can be misleading without context. Richardson is a career 36.4% three-point shooter, while Graham is at 35.7%. On the surface, that seems like Graham is a worse three-point shooter.
Yet if you watch the two play, it would immediately be evident that Graham is a much more dangerous outside shooter. He has taken more than twice as many threes as twos in his career and is able to find shots from long distance in multiple ways.
Graham doesn’t hesitate to pull up from deep in transition, and utilizes dribble moves – including side-steps, crossovers and relocation dribbles – to create his own shot. He can shoot on the move coming off screens, in addition to the typical catch-and-shoot threes.
The Spurs rank just 26th in the league in three-point attempts and 25th in the three-point percentage. Graham’s shot selection can be a little questionable at times, in my opinion, but his ability to stretch the floor and make good reads while passing adds a different dynamic to their offense.
If the young draft picks on San Antonio’s roster can learn from some of Graham’s offensive skills, that would be an added bonus. Several of them are still in the early stages of their development.
In 53 games with the Pelicans this season (15.3 MPG), Graham was averaging just 5.3 PPG and 2.2 APG on .368/.347/.746 shooting. In 11 games (28.1 MPG) with the Spurs, he’s averaging 15.8 PPG and 4.2 APG on .394/.378/.825 shooting. He’s attempting 8.9 threes per game with San Antonio, which is right around what he averaged a few years ago with Charlotte.
Graham is a limited defensive player due to his size and doesn’t always give the required effort; the Spurs are dreadful on that end, ranking dead last in the NBA. Still, they’re barely better on offense (29th), and I do think Graham is an upgrade over Richardson in that regard. In a vacuum, their values are closer than this trade might make it seem – look how similar their contracts are (Graham makes $11.55MM this season).
Unlike New Orleans, San Antonio has plenty of cap room going forward, so adding Graham’s longer-term salary isn’t burdensome. He just turned 28 years old and has already showed in his brief stint with the Spurs that he can still play, so trading him in the future for more assets could be an option.
Another aspect of this deal that I found interesting is that both Graham (No. 34 overall in 2018) and Richardson (No. 40 overall in 2015) are examples of successful second-round picks. The Spurs added four second-rounders in this deal while filling a positional need – that’s a quality return for a solid role player on an expiring deal.
Curry, Green, Kerr Hope Warriors Retain Bob Myers
Warriors president of basketball operations and general manager Bob Myers is in the final year of his contract, and his future with the team is reportedly uncertain.
Franchise star Stephen Curry, former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, and longtime head coach Steve Kerr all support Myers and hope the Warriors will extend his contract before it expires, reports Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We were all young at one point when we were trying to figure it out,” Curry said of Myers. “One of his special abilities is to connect with you where you are. Be truthful and honest and authentic about how difficult the NBA is in the sense of decisions that are made and the business side of it. But also, he has a personal touch that you trust.”
Myers has been Golden State’s GM since 2012/13, winning four championships, including last season. Green has a $27,586,224 player option for next season, and if he exercises it, Myers will be one reason why, according to Poole.
“Bob is huge for us,” Green told NBC Sports Bay Area. “Some GMs put a team together and then they go into their office and watch to see if it works. You don’t see many GMs working daily, having conversations with guys, keeping a pulse of the team, and then having those tough conversations. General managers don’t do that in this league. Bob does. He’s incredible.”
A few months ago, Warriors owner Joe Lacob stated that the team made two contract extension offers to Myers, but obviously nothing has come to fruition as of yet. Like Curry and Green, Kerr praised Myers’ ability to build rapport with individuals at all levels, both inside and outside of the organization.
“I always talk about connectors on the floor,” Kerr told Poole. “Bob is our connector, organizationally, off the floor. His relationships with all the key figures are so important. His ability to connect with Steph and Draymond and Klay (Thompson) and, in the same moment, go upstairs and talk to Joe, talk to others in the front office, talk to media . . . he just has an amazing way with people.
“He keeps us connected in a business where it’s really easy to fray because of the pressures and the different factors involved.”
Myers has declined to discuss his contractual situation, saying he’s focused on the Warriors and the current season as they attempt to defend their title. Poole’s story features more quotes from Curry and Kerr and is worth checking out in full.