Southeast Notes: Daniels, Hawks Trade, Banchero, Smith
The Hawks acquired one of the best defenders in the NBA when they obtained Dyson Daniels in this past summer’s Dejounte Murray trade, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. Daniels’ 6.5 deflections per game so far this season represent the highest average since the NBA started tracking the stat.
“Dyson is a menace and I’m excited he gets to show that more this year,” said teammate Larry Nance Jr. “Deep wing and guards situation in New Orleans, then he comes here and gets put in a situation where he can grow and expand and make mistakes without having another player breathing down your neck for minutes.”
Weiss explores Daniels’ defensive prowess and how he became such an effective weapon on that end of the court. He’s averaging a league-high 3.1 steals along with 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.9 blocks per contest.
“I think the trade for him was a massive blessing in disguise. Well, not even in disguise,” Daniels’ friend Josh Giddey said. “He’s just had the opportunity to flourish and show his true colors. He’s one of the best defenders in the world. He’s always had that defensive ability and I’m glad it’s on full display for everyone to see. … Maybe I’m biased because we’re very close, but in my opinion, he’s the runaway for Defensive Player of the Year.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Hawks reset their franchise’s trajectory by trading for Daniels, cap expert Yossi Gozlan writes on his subscriber-only Substack. While Atlanta is still in play-in territory, the team replenished its draft capital by acquiring two first-rounders alongside Daniels in the Murray trade, as well as a strong rotation player in Nance.
- As we wrote on Friday, Magic star Paolo Banchero remains out but had his injury designation changed to “return to competition reconditioning” as he nears his first game back since October. He spoke on Friday to reporters, including The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede, about the checkpoints that remain before he can play again, explaining that he still hasn’t participated in any five-on-five scrimmaging and hasn’t done full contact, both of which are precursors to returning from an injury. “I’ve been trying to get back since I first went out, really,” Banchero said. “Now, it’s just going to be the fun part of getting back into actually playing. I feel I’ve just been showing up to the arena, just to watch for a long time now, so I’m going to just be excited just to be suiting up to play, warming up and getting back out here with the team.“
- Heat guard Dru Smith underwent successful surgery on Friday for his ruptured left Achilles, the team announced (via Twitter). He’s expected to miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
Spurs Positioning Themselves To Target De’Aaron Fox
Star guard De’Aaron Fox‘s agent — Klutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul — met with Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox on Thursday. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater, the meeting focused on what the long-term plan around Fox would be.
Fox declined a three-year, $165MM extension from the Kings in the offseason and isn’t interested in fighting for a lower-seed playoff spot for the rest of his career. He recently discussed the decision to turn down that extension, explaining that he wants the club to show it’s capable of seriously contending for a championship.
While Fox hasn’t asked for a trade, Amick and Slater write that the Kings star and his agent are reading the room to see what the Kings’ vision is. Fox has another year left on his deal and would qualify for a five-year, $345MM super-max contract if he makes an All-NBA selection this year.
The Kings aren’t a bad team, but they’ve been inconsistent in the first half and there’s little room for inconsistency in a competitive Western Conference, where they rank 12th at 13-15. Fox has stated multiple times that he likes the idea of spending his entire career with one franchise and he has been a major force in the local community. But with Sacramento stuck on the outside looking in for now, opposing teams have started to circle.
League sources tell Amick and Slater that the Spurs are “positioning themselves” to pursue a trade for Fox should he become available, eyeing him to be a long-term partner with Victor Wembanyama. Other teams would likely join San Antonio as suitors if Sacramento considers a trade.
While the Kings have shortened the rotation and their record isn’t inspiring thus far, they are still just three games out of a top-five seed in the West. They’re armed with proven NBA players like Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk, among others, and they’ve suffered several tight losses, with a 3-9 record in games decided by five points or less.
The Kings know they need an upgrade and are specifically targeting backup centers and wings. Among the names on their short list are Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, Jazz forward John Collins, Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, and Nets forward Cameron Johnson, according to Amick and Slater. They’ve also expressed some lesser interest in Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, while a bigger trade for Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine seems unlikely at this juncture.
Fox is having one of his most productive seasons yet, averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. But while his production is up, head coach Mike Brown has challenged him to do even more. As Amick and Slater report, there’s some pressure on the Kings to further fortify their roster to convince him to re-up long term.
Southwest Notes: Marshall, Irving, Grizzlies, Morant, Pelicans
After missing five of his previous six games, Mavericks forward Naji Marshall returned to the lineup on Thursday and will continue to bring an edge to a strong Dallas team, The Athletic’s Christian Clark writes. In 22 games with Dallas, Marshall is averaging 11.8 points per game, but he also serves as the muscle of the team.
Marshall began his NBA career on a two-way deal, working his way up to the rotation in New Orleans before signing with the Mavericks this season for three years and $27MM. According to Clark, Marshall breathed a “sigh of relief” when he signed that contract with Dallas after earning the minimum for his first few years, but he knows his work isn’t over.
“I know it’s a narrow window as far as opportunity and just having an overall career in the NBA. I’m in the door, and now I want to stay here,” Marshall said. “Whatever it takes.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- After missing Thursday’s game against the Clippers, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is off the injury report and will play, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). Superstar Luka Doncic will remain out with a heel issue that kept him out of Thursday’s loss.
- The Grizzlies sent a mature message in their 51-point drubbing of the Warriors on Thursday, according to Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal. Every Grizzlies rotation player scored and six members of the team finished in double figures. The Grizzlies are 19-9 and second in the Western Conference.
- There doesn’t seem to be a need for the Grizzlies to make a consolidating blockbuster trade, even with all their depth, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko opines in a mailbag. They could go for someone like Dorian Finney-Smith of Brooklyn, but the team is firing on all cylinders and shouldn’t blow up the core. In the same mailbag, Iko makes the case for Santi Aldama being Memphis’s fourth-best player and discusses their physicality.
- Grizzlies star Ja Morant suffered a hard fall in the second half of the blowout over Golden State and didn’t return, logging just 17 minutes. That mostly seemed precautionary, as Memphis already had a big lead at that point, but he’s listed as out for Saturday’s game against the Hawks, the Grizzlies tweeted.
- The Pelicans are still struggling to establish chemistry amid their injury woes this season, and their defense hit a new low in surrendering 133 points to Houston on Thursday, Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. New Orleans has lost 14 of its last 15 games.
- Despite dropping five in a row, the Pelicans are hoping to get back on track with a five-game homestand, Walker writes in another subscriber-only story for NOLA.com.
New York Notes: Clowney, Simmons, Bridges, Towns, Knicks
Nets center Nic Claxton was ejected from Thursday’s game against Toronto, allowing second-year forward Noah Clowney to close out the game and shine, The New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes. The 21st overall pick in 2023 recorded season highs of 37 minutes played and nine rebounds to go along with 11 points.
“His growth defensively, his physicality — obviously its multiple areas — he’s been one of our best players at going vertical, taking a charge,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “His physicality on the ball guarding a really good player like Scottie Barnes, that growth was important. That’s why I was comfortable with him playing all those minutes. … I’m very happy for him because he showed growth. That’s what it’s all about.”
Clowney is averaging 7.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this year and looks to be among the team’s young pillars moving forward. If forwards like Dorian Finney-Smith or Cameron Johnson are traded by February 6, Clowney may continue to see his minutes rise as the year goes on.
We have more out of New York:
- The Nets‘ identity changed after Dennis Schröder was moved to the Warriors, forcing Ben Simmons and Claxton to start together, which is inhibiting spacing, Lewis writes in another story. The duo struggled together in their first post-Schröder outing, but Simmons had a solid night in the win against Toronto. “Yeah, I mean, there’s more opportunity for me now, just being at that point guard position. So just finding my ways,” Simmons said. “I’m gonna go talk to coach about some different looks and things like that that I see out there.“
- Mikal Bridges started his Knicks career in a shooting slump, but he’s starting to flip the script, the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy writes. In his last eight games, Bridges is shooting 43.1% from beyond the arc on 7.3 attempts per game. “Once he started making shots, nobody said nothing [about his revamped shooting form]. Nobody is talking about how it looks now,” teammate Cameron Payne said. “So he just be locked in, man. He’s pretty good with stuff like that man. I actually applaud him for it. Because you could easily get distracted with that or get messed up in the head with it.”
- Karl-Anthony Towns is playing at an MVP-level pace, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post asserts. The Knicks center was No. 6 on NBA.com’s most recent MVP ladder. Towns’ 32 points and 20 rebounds against the Timberwolves put an exclamation point on a strong start to the season, Vaccaro writes.
- Five of the next seven Knicks‘ games come against teams in the bottom four of the league standings, Bondy observes. The Knicks have won seven of their last nine games and are third in the Eastern Conference at 17-10.
Southeast Notes: Hunter, Young, Williams, Butler, Jaquez
De’Andre Hunter is playing like a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, providing the Hawks with a scoring punch off the bench, Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Through 17 outings, Hunter’s 19.8 points per game and 45.3% shooting from beyond the arc are both career highs.
“He’s definitely in the running for Sixth Man of the Year, especially if you keep winning and doing the things we’ve been doing,” guard Trae Young said. “Because there’s not a guy come on the bench doing what he’s doing right now and being aggressive and scoring and efficiency and things like that. He’s really bought into it, and it’s made our team a lot better.”
The former No. 4 overall pick out of Virginia was an effective starter after being selected in 2019, averaging 14.3 PPG in 263 games (237 starts). After missing the first 11 games this year, the Hawks elected to bring him off the bench instead of starting him, and he’s thrived in the new role.
“We all know De’Andre can play,” center Onyeka Okongwu said. “He’s been able to play. He’s always been a scorer, defender. He’s finally healthy. Nothing he’s doing is really surprising to me. I’m glad he’s having the year he’s having right now. He deserves it the most.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Young is averaging career lows of 39.0% shooting from the field and 32.0% from three, but Williams writes in another story that the three-time All-Star is focused on making an all-around impact to win games rather than dwelling on his shooting percentages. “My percentages aren’t the way they’ve been, but I’m taking different types of shots, too,” Young said, noting that he has no qualms about taking low-percentage shots at the end of quarters or as the shot clock expires. “I’m obviously getting guys involved, and that’s my main priority, and obviously, the defense is the first priority.” As Williams notes, the Hawks star is leading the NBA in assists per game this season with 12.2 per contest.
- Since their starting center returned from injury on Dec. 3, the Hornets continue to take a conservative approach with Mark Williams, including having him not play in back-to-backs. Williams understands the vision, but is eager to resume his normal playing schdule, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes. “Just overall, as a leader of the team and one of the leaders of the organization, you have to understand what is your vision, what is your bigger picture? And as bad as you want to win games, we also want to make sure that we are putting our players in the best position possible to have great careers,” coach Charles Lee said of Williams.
- Heat star Jimmy Butler exited in the first quarter of Friday’s game against the Thunder after turning his ankle and didn’t return. However, as noted by ESPN, he was ruled out for the rest of the night due to an illness, not his ankle injury. There was no word of the ankle in the team’s announcement. It’s not yet clear how much time Butler, involved in trade rumors this season, will miss due to either ailment.
- With Butler ruled out, second-year Heat wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. started the second half and played 30 minutes, his third-most in a game this season. Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel speculates whether Jaquez could serve as Butler’s replacement in the starting small forward role if the latter is moved via trade.
Central Notes: LaVine, Lillard, Smith, Sheppard, Furphy
Zach LaVine has reinvented himself and is restoring his trade value, says Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
LaVine’s play hasn’t been bad during his time with the Bulls, but his large contract (owed $44.5MM in AAV over the next two seasons with a $48.9MM player option in 2026/27) is a deterrent in this second-apron era and he missed much of last season due to a foot injury. This year, LaVine has taken his offensive game to another level in terms of efficiency. He’s shooting what would be a career-best 42.8% from beyond the arc on 7.5 attempts per game.
The Nuggets have reportedly shown real interest in trading for LaVine, which is a testament to just how much he has changed outside perceptions about his game this season. An anonymous Western Conference scout spoke to Mayberry about a potential fit between LaVine and Denver.
“He’s obviously going to have to defer (offensively),” the scout said of LaVine. “But the thing about (Nikola) Jokić is he makes everybody better. I’d be champing at the bit to be playing off of him. I think [LaVine] will fit in fine. Jokić is so special, he makes guys better probably more than anybody in the entire league.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- For his part, LaVine remains focused on the Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). “I’m not the one controlling that,” LaVine said of the trade rumors. “That’s what has been so good about my mindset. I can control what my mood is and my mindset going into each game. Outside of that, it’s out of my control. … I signed a lengthy contract here for a reason. I wanted to stay here. But it’s always good to know you have interest because that means you’re a player other people want to play with. I’m just thankful the position I’m at today getting ready for defending NBA champs.” LaVine’s 42.8% three-point percentage is a 7.9 percentage point increase from the previous season and he’s averaging 21.7 points per game.
- After signing a G League contract on Wednesday, Dennis Smith Jr. was claimed by the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). Smith will also have a pro day in Orlando in front of several NBA teams as he hopes to make his league return, insider Chris B. Haynes relays (Twitter link). Smith went unsigned this offseason after spending last year with the Nets.
- Milwaukee’s NBA Cup win gave Damian Lillard a taste of why he was traded to the Bucks, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski writes. “I feel happy,” Lillard said. “The experience of winning something. I’ve had a lot of experience individually where I’ve had accomplishments and stuff, but to have some team success and win something and be the last team standing in this tournament, it feels great.“
- After missing the last 14 games with a strained oblique, Ben Sheppard was available for the Pacers on Thursday, as first reported by IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak (Twitter link). The second-year wing played a limited role off the bench.
- Sheppard’s return might mean fewer minutes for second-round rookie Johnny Furphy, but the Pacers were impressed by what they saw from the young guard when he stepped up amid injuries. In 17 games this season, he’s averaging 3.4 points and shooting 39.3% from three. “We drafted Furphy to play 40 games in the G League and he’s been in our rotation,” coach Rick Carlisle said, per Dopirak (Twitter link).
Pacific Notes: James, Harden, Harkless, Fox, Schröder
LeBron James enters Thursday just 10 minutes from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most total minutes played in regular season NBA history after having passed him in total minutes (playoffs included) last year. He’s likely to set the regular season record against the Kings. James discussed the achievement with The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick.
“I just think it’s just a commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game,” James said. “I don’t take much time in the offseason. A little bit more time now, I didn’t take much time in the offseason, no matter if I was making the 10 Finals appearances back to back and just always trying to keep my body in tip-top shape.
“And I’ve been able to, like I said, play a lot of minutes and for the most part of my career be injury-free and be available. I don’t want to say injury-free. We all have our injuries in this league and in this sport. But to be available for the majority to my teammates, to the franchises, the three franchises I play for, is something I took very seriously.”
James has been rehabbing an injury over the past couple weeks, missing a pair of games last week. According to Buha and Amick, he’s open to resting down the line if it makes sense in the schedule.
“I’m just not a guy that likes to sit games, if I’m somewhat healthy,” James said. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just, it’s never been my thing. … If there’s an opportunity where it could benefit my body and benefit my play long-term for the better of the team, then I’m always open to having that conversation. So we’ll see what happens.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- As a result of Kawhi Leonard‘s knee injury and Paul George‘s free agency departure, James Harden has been the only member of the Clippers‘ former big three still standing this season and has continued to keep the team competitive by providing strong leadership and playing big minutes, Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes. Harden is averaging 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc. The Clippers entered Thursday at 15-12. “If he has a bad shooting night, the next night he’s probably going to come back and play well,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “That’s what good players do. They bounce back. We’ve asked him to do a lot. He’s carried a load offensively, making the right passes, reads and also scoring the basketball. And at 35 years old, that can get tiring. So, we are asking a lot of him.“
- Current San Diego Clippers guard Elijah Harkless is drawing NBA interest ahead of the G League Showcase, SNY’s Ian Begley reports (via Twitter). Harkless is averaging 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 steals per contest for L.A.’s G League club. He went undrafted in 2023 out of UNLV and spent back-to-back offseasons on a training camp deal with the Clippers.
- The Kings have won three of their last four games and four of their past six, but they dropped some winnable games earlier in the season and are at an uneven 13-14, good for 12th in the Western Conference. Head coach Mike Brown challenged star De’Aaron Fox to help the team continue to lock in and focus on the details, according to FOX 40 Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham (Twitter link). “Fox has to step up,” Brown said. “He’s a great player, on the verge of being a superstar…you have a lot of responsibility if you’re that guy, and he’s that guy. And he can’t be a part of not being locked in and he damn sure can’t be a part of letting it go if we’re not [locked in] as a team.“
- Dennis Schröder appeared in his first game as a member of the Warriors, starting on Thursday after being traded by the Nets. As observed by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link), Jonathan Kuminga moved to the bench after having started each of Golden State’s past six games.
Southeast Notes: Heat Picks, Jovic, Banchero, Harris, Valanciunas
The Heat have just one first-round pick available to trade unconditionally, with two others having been traded away to acquire Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The only picks Miami can trade unconditionally are their 2030 or 2031 picks, but not both due to the Stepien Rule.
This complicates matters for the Heat as they approach what could be an eventful deadline, given Butler’s uncertain future with the team. The Heat don’t generally look to trade stars for draft picks, but acquiring win-now players in a deal that sends Butler away might be more difficult without many tradable picks.
Draft picks matter in the trade landscape that saw the Knicks surrender five first-rounders for Mikal Bridges this year and the Timberwolves give up four in exchange for Rudy Gobert in 2022. The Heat could, of course, recoup picks in a potential Butler trade, but Miami hasn’t traded a player for a pick (without giving one up) since 2009.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Heat forward Nikola Jovic sprained his ankle after rejoining the rotation on Dec. 12 and was sidelined for Monday’s game against Detroit. However, as Chiang writes in another story, it doesn’t appear Jovic will miss much time with the injury, as he’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Thunder.
- Magic star Paolo Banchero has missed 23 games with a torn abdominal muscle and he’s continuing to progress, but hasn’t yet been able to participate in contact drills thus far, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “His spirits have been great,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He understands that it is a process, and does he want to be on the court? Absolutely. … He’s done a great job of responding [to] that, to staying engaged, to communicating, being in and communicating in film sessions, all of those little things that he’s able to do, that he can control, he’s doing a great job of it.” According to Beede, Banchero has been able to do ball-handling and jogging at his own pace.
- After being upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game against the Thunder earlier today, Magic guard Gary Harris ended up missing the matchup, Beede writes in the same story. However, Harris’ return to the floor appears imminent. He hasn’t played since November 25 and is averaging 4.1 points per game in 17 outings this season.
- The Wizards‘ front office continues to emphasize its primary goal of player development this season. That includes playing rookies heavy minutes while some veterans are coming off the bench. However, the Wizards were upfront with center Jonas Valanciunas this summer about their plans before he agreed to a three-year contract with the team, according to The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar. “I know what’s going on. I know we have a bright future in front of us, so we got to keep following the plan, keep working, keep grinding, keep getting better,” Valanciunas said. “I’m [an] older guy, but in this environment I got to be young.” According to Shankar, other veterans like Marvin Bagley III are also on board with the plan.
Knicks Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Finch, Towns
The Knicks and the Timberwolves are set to play each other on Thursday night for the first time since making a blockbuster deal that sent long-time Wolves star Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Former Knick Julius Randle was a part of that deal after spending five seasons with New York — it was the best stretch of his career, as he averaged 22.6 points per game and made three All-Star teams.
Despite Randle’s impressive stint in New York, he told reporters that he sees Thursday’s matchup as just “another game,” according to Peter Botte of the New York Post, and didn’t offer many further remarks when asked about facing his old team.
“Whenever you get traded, no matter what it is, it’s always tough, it’s always emotional,” former teammate Josh Hart said. “You always have that sense of not being wanted. That’s on both sides. I think [Donte DiVincenzo] and [Randle] probably felt that way. And KAT probably felt that way, and every time a trade happens, you feel, even if you’re the big piece of the trade and another team wants you, you still feel a little chip on your shoulder and you still feel unwanted.”
The Knicks know the challenge they’re facing off against with Randle, who is averaging 20.1 points this season.
“Jules is a great player. He can do it all,” OG Anunoby said, per Botte. “Pass, shoot, drive. Great player.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- DiVincenzo still keeps in touch with his former Knicks teammates and knows what they’re going through, Botte writes in another story. DiVincenzo is averaging 8.3 PPG while shooting 31.9% from deep and was open about the difficulties of adjusting to a new team. “It’s not normal to make a trade the day before media day. Both sides, it takes time to adjust,” DiVincenzo said. “Great things take time. On our side, I believe that, but also on their side. I think KAT’s playing really well, but it’s going to take time to mesh, for other guys to adjust to what he does.”
- Adding another layer to an already interesting relationship between the two teams, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports (subscriber link) that Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch almost took a job under Tom Thibodeau in 2020 before winding up with Nick Nurse in Toronto. “Thibs had his staff already full. And so he just wanted me to come in as a consultant/backroom guy,” Finch said. “But I wanted more to coach. I wanted to be out there.”
- The Knicks have gotten everything they hoped for from Towns when they traded for him, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. Towns is averaging a career and league-high 13.9 rebounds per game while also contributing 24.8 points per contest, his most since the 2020/21 season. His shooting line is a scorching .526/.439/.845.
And-Ones: Hall Of Fame, Brown, Maledon, Lessort, G League
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame officially announced its list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2025, including several-first-time nominees (Twitter link). Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony and eight-time All-NBA team member Dwight Howard are among the notable names.
WNBA greats Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Chamique Holdsclaw and Maya Moore are first-time nominees, as are legendary coaches Lisa Bluder, Billy Donovan, Mark Few and Doc Rivers. NBA stars Marc Gasol and Amar’e Stoudemire round out the list of new candidates, while Heat owner Micky Arison is nominated as a contributor. According to a report from The Associated Press, the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team was among the repeat nominees.
Along with announcing the list, the Hall has adjusted its waiting period for candidates from three seasons out of the game to two.
“To better recognize the distinguished careers of potential first-ballot nominees in a more timely manner, the board has appropriately shortened the waiting period,” Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “We are excited about this change and believe that honoring individuals while their contributions are still fresh in people’s minds is both meaningful and impactful.”
This is the first step in the process of enshrinement. Finalists are selected on Feb. 14 in San Francisco during NBA All-Star weekend and the full class will be revealed on April 5 in San Antonio at the NCAA Tournament. There are a total of 189 candidates in various categories, according to the Hall.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- ESPN announced that 91-year-old Hubie Brown will call the final game of his broadcasting career on Feb. 9. That game, between the Bucks and the Sixers, will be jointly called by Brown and Mike Breen. Brown, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, worked for the Knicks, Grizzlies and Hawks.
- Former NBA guard Theo Maledon is reportedly being targeted by Real Madrid, according to a report from Sportando. Maledon is currently playing with French club ASVEL and is fourth in the EuroLeague in points per game (18.8). According to the report, Real Madrid offered a buyout to current guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes with an eye toward giving Maledon a multi-year deal. Maldeon most recently played with the Suns in 2023/24 and also had stints with the Thunder and Hornets after being selected with the 34th overall pick in 2020.
- Mathias Lessort, whose draft rights are held by the Knicks, suffered a fibula fracture and will be out for the next four months, according to a report from Eurohoops.net. Lessort has been an impressive defensive force for Greek club Panathinaikos. There’s been some speculation that Lessort, the 50th overall pick in 2017, could make the move stateside at some point — he’s in the final year of his current contract.
- The G League Union elected a new executive committee as the league is in the negotiation process of creating its first-ever CBA for players, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets. Robert Baker of the Osceola Magic will serve as president, Yauhen Massalski of the San Diego Clippers will be secretary-treasurer, and College Park’s David Singleton and Salt Lake City’s Josh Pierre-Louis were elected as vice presidents, according to Bontemps (Twitter link).