COVID-19 Updates: Grant, McConnell, Doumbouya, More
Pistons coach Dwane Casey said forward Jerami Grant has cleared the league’s health and safety protocols and is currently reconditioning, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
In 21 games this season (33.2 MPG), Grant is averaging 20.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 1.1 BPG. He was cleared for on-court work earlier this month in his recovery from thumb surgery, but then was placed in the league’s health and safety protocols.
At least 10 teams are reportedly interested in dealing for Grant, who’s one of the hottest names on the trade market.
Here are some more COVID-related updates from around the NBA:
- Pacers guard T.J. McConnell has exited the health and safety protocols and is back with the team, but he’s still unable to play as he rehabs from hand surgery, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles tweets. McConnell might miss the rest of the season with the injury.
- Lakers two-way forward Sekou Doumbouya has cleared the protocols and is back with the team’s G League affiliate in South Bay, per the NBA’s injury report.
- According to the same report, Raptors two-way rookie David Johnson has exited the protocols and is back with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. Johnson was the 47th overall pick of the 2021 draft out of Louisville, but has appeared in just two games for the Raptors for a total of two minutes.
- Bulls head coach Billy Donovan informed reporters, including K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) that assistant coaches Maurice Cheeks and John Bryant both tested positive for COVID-19 and have entered the health and safety protocols.
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said that assistant coach Chip Engelland has entered the protocols, but assistants Becky Hammon and Darius Songaila have exited. “It’s like a merry-go-round,” Popovich said, as Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News relays (via Twitter). Mike Finger of the Express-News tweets that all of the Spurs’ front-bench assistants and a dozen players have been placed in the protocols this season.
Cavaliers Notes: DPE, Rubio, Love, Rebuild Over
The Cavaliers have been granted a disabled player exception worth $8.9MM – half of Ricky Rubio‘s salary – for the season-ending torn ACL that Rubio suffered last month, sources tell Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (via Twitter).
A disabled player exception can be granted when a team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending (with the player more likely than not to be sidelined through June 15). The cap exception doesn’t open up an extra roster spot, but it gives the club some additional spending flexibility, functioning almost as a cross between a traded player exception and a mid-level exception.
We go into more detail on who qualifies for disabled player exceptions and how exactly they work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE gives a team the opportunity to add an injury replacement by either signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.
The Cavs are currently only $3.5MM below the luxury tax threshold and already have a full roster, so they might not end up using the DPE by the March 10 deadline. Still, it’s another asset for the team to potentially utilize.
Here’s more from Cleveland:
- Kevin Love is relishing his reserve role, according to Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Love has been on a rocky path the past couple of years, transitioning from four straight NBA Finals appearances to a full rebuild. However, he’s enjoying the ride with the ascendant Cavs this season. “We may be the ultimate share-the-wealth team,” Love said. “That’s beautiful. We really pay it forward for the next guy. We trust the extra pass. We trust guys to make the right plays out there and understand that they have great intention in everything that they do and we do. That allows guys to play free.” Love is in contention for the Sixth Man of the Year award, averaging 14.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on .439/.408/.873 shooting in just 21.6 minutes per contest (41 games).
- Jason Lloyd of The Athletic declares that the team’s rebuild is officially over and the Cavs are a team to be feared throughout the league after beating the defending champion Bucks 115-99 on Wednesday night. He notes that Cleveland is fourth in the league in net rating at plus-5.1, typically a hallmark of a contending team. Last season, the Cavs held a minus-8.3 net rating, so it’s been a 13.4 point turnaround. Lloyd believes GM Koby Altman and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff deserve a lot of credit for the year-to-year transformation and should be in the running for Executive and Coach of the Year, respectively. Altman recently received a long-term contract extension and a promotion to president of basketball operations.
- Along the same lines, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes that the Cavaliers have the perfect blend of talent and chemistry, with a real shot at becoming the No. 1 seed in the East. “This is not the Cleveland we knew in the past years,” reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said following Cleveland’s victory over Milwaukee Wednesday. “They’re a good team. They have a better record than us right now. It’s a team that we’ve got to be careful, we’ve got to scout better and make sure we respect them even more now. They’re a playoff team and they’re fighting for the title themselves.” The Cavs are currently in third place with a 30-19 record, one-and-a-half games back of the 31-17 Heat.
Jazz Notes: House, Mitchell, Gobert, Barnes
Danuel House is playing on his second 10-day contract with Utah (the first was via a hardship exception, the current one is a standard deal, which expires Friday), and Sarah Todd of The Deseret News makes the case for the Jazz to keep him around. If they want to prioritize roster flexibility, the Jazz could opt to re-sign House to a second standard 10-day contract which would expire just ahead of the February 10 trade deadline.
Utah has two open roster spots and needs high-energy wing defenders, which House has provided thus far, according to Todd. House says playing for the Jazz has been a great experience.
“They welcomed me with open arms, accepted me, no one has ever turned me down, they always ask me if I need anything, they always make me comfortable,” House said. “So especially being a guy that has been accustomed to a certain way for years, and then you come over here and to be welcomed — it makes you really enjoy the process and everything.”
Through six games in a limited role with Utah (19.8 MPG), House is averaging a modest 6.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG. However, Todd writes that House’s impact goes beyond the standard stat sheet, creating deflections, hustling after loose balls and contesting shots. Coach Quin Synder likes what he’s seen from House.
“Just intensity and competitiveness,” Snyder said of House after the Jazz’s 115-109 loss to the Suns on Monday night. “I think playing hard is as much a skill as anything else and you saw a guy who’s hungry and played hard.”
Todd thinks it’s an easy decision for Utah to give House another 10-day contract and believes the Jazz should seriously consider signing him for the remainder of the season after that.
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Two-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell might return to action this weekend, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune relays. Mitchell has been in the NBA’s concussion protocol after receiving an inadvertent elbow from Russell Westbrook on Jan. 17. He could suit up as soon as Friday at Memphis.
- Within the same column, Walden says that Rudy Gobert‘s calf strain is still causing him problems. His recovery timeline remains murky, with Walden stating that Gobert could be sidelined for “several more games at the very least,” but that isn’t set in stone. The Jazz plan to be conservative with the injury, as calf strains can be tricky to recover from. He will be listed as day-to-day for the time being.
- Count Kings forward Harrison Barnes among the players Utah has shown interest in, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (hat tip to HoopsHype).
Wizards Notes: Beal, Kuzma, Collapse, Sabonis
The Wizards blew a 35-point lead against the Clippers on Tuesday, suffering a humiliating 116-115 defeat, raising questions about Washington’s direction, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Wizards guard Bradley Beal said it should’ve been an easy win, but that’s not how the game transpired.
“It just should have been a game where starters get their rest, plain and simple, right?” Beal said afterward. “That’s what type of game it should have been, and we didn’t. And Coach (Wes Unseld) kept saying, ‘Stay locked in. Stay locked in. Keep pushing.’ But for whatever reason, we relax, like we can just flip on a switch and be great.”
Beal should be held culpable too, Robbins writes. He was on the court for the majority of the fourth quarter in which the Wizards were outscored 40-22, and only half-heartedly attempted to foul Justise Winslow, a poor free throw shooter, who Unseld had instructed the team to foul in the closing seconds. Making matters worse, Beal proceeded to commit a cardinal basketball sin by weakly fouling Luke Kennard on a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left while Washington was clinging to a 115-112 lead. Kennard made the three and sank the free throw, clinching the victory for the Clips.
After a 10-3 start to the season, the Wizards have gone 13-22 since, now holding a 23-25 record, 10th in the East. Forward Kyle Kuzma thinks “somethin’ got to change.” After the game, Kuzma was asked whether he agreed with Unseld that the team stopped competing after building the large lead, per Robbins.
“Everybody stopped,” Kuzma said. “It felt like defensively we didn’t do anything. We’ve got to do a better job of reading the room from the bench as well. It’s a team loss. Everybody lost tonight.”
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- Beal recently joined Adrian Wojnarowski’s “The Woj Pod” on ESPN (hat tip to RealGM). Beal knows the Wizards need to improve to be competitive long-term, but he likes being the centerpiece of the franchise. “Honestly, realizing that a franchise is willing to build around you. It’s not always like that everywhere. Like, if I go somewhere else, they’re just not going to build around you. They’ll build around what they have,” Beal said. “There’s nothing absolutely nothing wrong with that, but if I have the chance to create my own legacy and make it work here with the team that drafted me, then why not give it a shot? It it works, it works, If it doesn’t, I can say ‘At least I tried.’ That’s just who I am. That’s my blessing and curse, my loyalty. We’re transitioning, we’re going in the right direction, but we still have a lot of improvements to make.”
- Robbins and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic explore what it might type of trade package it might take for the Wizards to acquire Pacers All-Star Domantas Sabonis. Pacers owner Herb Simon says he’s disinterested in a full-fledged rebuild, so draft picks might not do the trick — in any case, the 2023 first-rounder Washington owes to Oklahoma City is protected through 2026, so any future first-round pick the team offers would have to be conditional. Kravitz says if he were Indiana’s GM, he’d want Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, and Corey Kispert, Washington’s three most recent first-round picks, in exchange for Sabonis.
- Keep track of all of the latest notes and rumors from Washington on our Wizards team page.
Nets Won’t Listen To Deadline Offers For James Harden
The Nets have no intention of dealing former MVP James Harden by the trade deadline, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. While this news isn’t surprising given Brooklyn’s championship aspirations, it’s noteworthy due to a recent report which stated that Harden was interested in testing the waters as a free agent this summer.
However, Harden has consistently informed upper management and ownership that he’s committed to staying and winning a championship with the Nets, allaying concerns that he might ask out in free agency, per Wojnarowski.
Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving still believe the Nets are the best team in the league when the trio are healthy and in the lineup together — a relative rarity during their tenure. Durant is currently sidelined with a sprained MCL, while Irving is still unable to play home games due to New York City’s vaccine mandate. Irving’s part-time status has reportedly frustrated Harden.
The Sixers have been linked to Harden ever since Daryl Morey took over as president of basketball operations prior to last season. They were in the running to acquire Harden a year ago, but the Rockets ultimately accepted the Nets’ package that offered more draft picks. The Sixers haven’t made any trade offers to the Nets for Harden, and the Nets aren’t interested in listening to offers for their star guard ahead of the trade deadline on February 10, sources tell Wojnarowski.
The Nets will be able to offer Harden more years and more money than any other team in free agency. He’s among a handful of star free-agents-to-be – along with Zach LaVine and Bradley Beal – who can maximize their future earnings by forgoing an early extension and waiting until the offseason to sign a new deal.
Harden missed Wednesday’s game against Denver with left hamstring tightness, Nick Friedell of ESPN relays. Coach Steve Nash said it’s difficult to manage Harden’s minutes (37.0 per game) at times, especially with Durant out and Irving only able to play road games.
“It is a challenge,” Nash said. “We would like to protect him more. But he’s a competitor and wants to be out there so we try to have our little tug of war and I think that’s why at times we’d like to ask him to miss games so that he can regenerate and be a little bit safer as far as being ready to go when the playoffs begin.”
Domantas Sabonis To Return This Weekend?
Two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis might return from a sprained left ankle this weekend for Indiana. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), that “the weekend is potentially in play” for Sabonis, who injured the ankle during Indiana’s win over the Lakers last Wednesday.
As we noted earlier today, Sabonis’ name has been frequently linked in trade rumors over the past couple of months, but it would take a lot to pry him from the Pacers. One reason for that, aside from his strong play, is he’s on a very team-friendly contract, having signed a four-year, $77MM rookie extension in October of 2019. After this season is complete, he’s still under contract for two more years, and will earn $18.5MM next season, followed by $19.4MM in 2023/24 (both seasons include $2.6MM in unlikely incentives, per Spotrac).
The 25-year-old is having another outstanding season for Indiana, putting up 19.0 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steal per contest on .577/.327/.744 shooting through 44 games (34.9 minutes). Sabonis is also shooting a career-high 63.7% on two-pointers and leads the team in several advanced statistics, including player efficiency rating, true shooting percentage, win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player, per Basketball-Reference.
In addition to Sabonis, Caris LeVert, Myles Turner (currently sidelined with a stress reaction in his left foot), Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb have all been mentioned in trade rumors to varying degrees for the struggling Pacers, currently 17-31, 13th in the East.
Terence Davis Out Indefinitely With Wrist Injury
Kings guard Terence Davis has suffered a right wrist ECU tendon injury which will sideline him indefinitely, per Sean Cunningham of ABC10 (KXTV) Sacramento (Twitter link). The injury occurred during the second quarter of Tuesday’s 128-75 blowout loss at Boston.
Davis had an MRI on the wrist in Atlanta Wednesday morning which confirmed the injury. An X-ray taken of the wrist in Boston was negative. Davis also received five stitches above his right eye to repair a laceration after the hard fall.
Davis, a third-year undrafted guard out of Mississippi, is in his second season with Sacramento after spending his rookie year and part of last season with Toronto.
He had a tumultuous offseason prior to the 2020/21 campaign in which he was arrested in New York and had domestic assault charges filed against him. The legal problems certainly didn’t help matters for Davis, and the Raptors ended up trading him to the Kings last March in exchange for a second-round pick (Dalano Banton was later selected).
Davis was a restricted free agent last summer and was hoping to receive a contract in the neighborhood of $9MM annually, however he ended up re-signing with the Kings on a two-year deal worth a total of $8MM. In 30 games this season (17.9 MPG), Davis is averaging 10.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .423/.329/.818 shooting.
Reserves Buddy Hield and Davion Mitchell figure to see an uptick in minutes with Davis sidelined. The Kings have struggled of late, losing four straight games and eight of their last ten. They currently hold a 18-31 record, 13th in the West.
Gordon Hayward Enters Protocols
Hornets forward Gordon Hayward has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will miss Wednesday’s game at Indiana, Charlotte’s PR department tweets. Hayward has been dealing with right foot discomfort and was listed as questionable earlier in the day (Twitter link) after missing the past two games versus Atlanta and at Toronto, respectively.
Hayward is in the second season of a four-year, $120MM contract with the Hornets. He’s having another strong season for Charlotte, playing 45 out of 48 games (33.1 MPG) while averaging 17.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG on .471/.397/.846 shooting.
A one-time All-Star with Utah, Hayward has struggled to stay on the court at times after suffering a gruesome ankle injury during the opening minutes of his debut with Boston in 2017/18. However, he’s been very effective over the past three seasons when he’s been able to play. The Hornets (26-22, seventh in the East) have struggled without Hayward this season, going 0-3 thus far with an average margin of defeat of more than 14 points.
Hayward is now the 12th player actively in the protocols according to our tracker, down considerably from the end of last month. He is currently the lone Hornets player affected.
Hawks, Kings Considered Strong Suitors For Jerami Grant
The Hawks and Kings are viewed as “strong” suitors for Pistons forward Jerami Grant, sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Grant is one of the hottest names on the trade market, with the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Knicks, Jazz, Wizards, Celtics, Pacers and Timberwolves also interested in the 27-year-old.
Grant’s agents reportedly provided a list of preferred destinations to Detroit’s front office in the event of a trade. While the interest in Grant’s services is high, it’s still no sure thing that the Pistons move one of their top players, as Grant is under contract through next season.
In 21 games this season (33.2 MPG), Grant is averaging 20.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 1.1 BPG. He was cleared for on-court work earlier this month in his recovery from thumb surgery, but then was placed in the league’s health and safety protocols.
Fischer also says the Hawks are more actively shopping John Collins, according to league sources. Collins is in the first year of a five-year, $125MM contract signed last summer. The 24-year-old has been an efficient three-level scorer throughout his career, and this season is no exception. He’s averaging 17.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.1 BPG on .537/.426/.797 shooting. The 42.6% mark from deep is a career-high.
Injury/COVID Notes: Gobert, Mitchell, FVV, Barnes, Banes, More
Jazz stars Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) and Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol) continue to be sidelined and will miss Wednesday’s game against the Suns, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). It will be Gobert’s second consecutive absence, while Mitchell has missed five straight. Both players are having strong seasons for the reeling Jazz, who are 4-9 in their last 13 games (30-18 overall, fourth in the West).
Here are some more injury and COVID-related notes from around the NBA:
- The Raptors are playing without Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) and Scottie Barnes (swollen right wrist) on Tuesday night against Charlotte. Coach Nick Nurse called VanVleet “day-to-day,” while Barnes was a late scratch, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports relays (all Twitter links). VanVleet could be an All-Star this season, averaging 21.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals on .421/.393/.870 shooting through 41 games. He leads the league in minutes per game at 38.2. Barnes is one of the leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award.
- Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has rejoined the team after clearing the league’s health and safety protocols, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets.
- De’Aaron Fox (ankle) and Chimezie Metu (knee) were both late scratches for the Kings on Tuesday at Boston, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. Thankfully, coach Alvin Gentry said neither injury is serious. “It’s no big deal,” Gentry said. “If this was a playoff series or something, they would be playing, but it’s precautionary measures and stuff.”
- Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop has entered the health and safety protocols, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- Matisse Thybulle returned to action for the Sixers against New Orleans on Tuesday after a five-game absence. Thybulle suffered a sprained shoulder after being pushed in the back on a dunk by Dennis Schroder, resulting in a flagrant foul, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.