Nets’ Treveon Graham Expected To Miss Two Months
Treveon Graham‘s first season in Brooklyn is off to an unfortunate start. After leaving Friday’s game with a leg injury, Graham has been diagnosed with a torn left hamstring and is expected to be sidelined for the next two months, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Graham, who signed a two-year minimum salary contract with the Nets over the summer, was set to provide some depth on the wing on the club, playing 17 minutes in the first game of the season on Wednesday. However, with his hamstring injury expected to keep him out of action for at least a couple months, the soon-to-be 25-year-old may have to wait until the new year to reclaim a regular role in Brooklyn’s rotation.
Graham’s injury won’t create any spending flexibility or open up an extra roster spot for the Nets, since it’s not a season-ending ailment and the club doesn’t have enough injured players to apply for a hardship exception.
Although Graham won’t be available, the Nets will get a boost at the small forward spot this Wednesday, with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson set to make his 2018/19 debut after missing the club’s first three games due to an adductor strain and the birth of his son. Tom Dowd of BrooklynNets.com has the details on Hollis-Jefferson’s return.
LeVert Making Front Office Look Wise
Caris LeVert‘s impressive early-season performances could make the Nets a more attractive free agent destination, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer points out. The Nets guard, who is averaging 24.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.0 APG, is a versatile talent who can mesh with anyone because of his passing, cutting and spot-up shooting, O’Connor continues. Brooklyn’s front office looks smart for taking LeVert off the table in trade discussions with the Timberwolves for Jimmy Butler, O’Connor adds.
- Nets draft-and-stash prospects Aleksandar Vezenkov and Isaia Cordinier are off to good start overseas, according to a NetsDaily.com post. Vezenkov, a 6’9” forward has played three Euroleague games for Olympiacos and is averaging 9.7 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 17.0 MPG. Cordinier, a 6’5” shooting guard who plays in the French League, returned to action on Friday after missing last season with knee tendinitis. It’s uncertain whether they’ll pursue NBA careers next season. Another draft-and-stash player, Juan Pablo Vaulet, was sent home by his Argentine team for undisclosed reasons.
New York Notes: Knox, Lee, Kurucs, Dudley
The Knicks will have to adjust their lineup to compensate for the loss of first-round pick Kevin Knox, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knox went down with an ankle sprain in Saturday’s game and will miss at least two weeks. He will stay behind for rehab work as the team embarks on its upcoming road trip, and his condition will be re-evaluated in another week.
Guard Damyean Dotson took Knox’s rotation spot after the injury, but coach David Fizdale has other options. He played centers Mitchell Robinson and Enes Kanter together at one point and could also give more minutes to Mario Hezonja.
“It’s the ugly thing about the sport,” teammate Trey Burke said. “Kev is going to be a big piece of this team. I talked to him back in the locker room. I told him to keep his head up. We’re going to need him back and get that ankle well. I’m sure he’ll be back out there soon.”
There’s more this morning from New York City:
- Courtney Lee‘s physical condition continues to be a concern, Berman adds in the same story. Tests are scheduled today to determine the cause of the neck pain he has been experiencing, which has now expanded to his chest. Lee has been dealing with the condition since getting fouled early in training camp. The Knicks reportedly would like to trade Lee, but they need him to get back on the court first.
- The Nets have been impressed by the early performance of rookie Rodions Kurucs, but it may be difficult for him to find playing time with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson returning to the lineup, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Kurucs is averaging 8.7 PPG in about 14 minutes per night while shooting 47% from the floor and 40% from 3-point range. He has put aside any thoughts of sending him to the G League. “Rodi, he plays hard,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s some good and some bad. He does everything full-out and we love his energy.”
- Jared Dudley was expected to bring a veteran presence when the Nets acquired him this summer, but he has been surprised to find himself in the starting lineup, relays Ben Stinar of AmicoHoops. Dudley didn’t play much with the Suns the past two years, but Atkinson has been using him with the starters while Hollis-Jefferson is out. “Obviously, two years with limited playing time in Phoenix, to get out there and dust the cobwebs off, and something that felt good,” he said.
New York Notes: LeVert, Porzingis, Dinwiddie, Fizdale
Caris LeVert wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the Nets’ rotation heading into training camp, notes Michael Scotto of The Athletic, but through two games he looks like the early favorite for Most Improved Player. LeVert torched the Knicks for a career-high 28 points Friday night, including the game-winning shot. That followed a 27-point outburst against the Pistons in the season opener.
A month ago, LeVert was part of a large group in Brooklyn battling for playing time. He was competing with DeMarre Carroll, Joe Harris and Allen Crabbe at the wings and D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Shabazz Napier in the backcourt. LeVert’s transformation may be shocking to outsiders, but teammate Jarrett Allen said it has been building for a while.
Richard Jefferson Officially Joins YES Network
As expected, after announcing his retirement as a player over the weekend, Richard Jefferson has quickly secured a new job. The longtime NBA forward has officially joined the YES Network and will work as a Nets game and studio analyst this season, according to a press release.
DeMarre Carroll Undergoing Procedure On Ankle
- DeMarre Carroll will undergo a surgical procedure on his injured ankle, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters today (Twitter link via Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily). Atkinson downplayed the seriousness of that procedure, but didn’t offer a timetable for Carroll’s return (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
Extension Roundup: Rozier, Portis, Jones, Russell
- The Timberwolves and point guard Tyus Jones did not reach a rookie scale extension agreement. Jones will be a restricted free agent, and that’s been the expectation all along, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Minnesota would have to make a $3,573,205 qualifying offer before free agency next summer, otherwise Jones would be unrestricted. Jones saw action in all 82 regular-season games last season, including 11 starts, and averaged 5.1 PPG and 2.8 APG in 17.9 MPG.
- The Bulls and forward Bobby Portis couldn’t come to an extension agreement before Monday’s deadline, Wojnarowski tweets. Agent Mark Bartelstein and Chicago GM Gar Forman had lengthy negotiations as the deadline approached, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets, but couldn’t close the financial gap. “We had very positive talks,” Bartelstein told Johnson. “These are hard extensions to get done.” (Twitter link). Portis will be a restricted free agent if Chicago gives him a $3,611,813 qualifying offer. He averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 73 regular season games after returning from his eight-game team suspension following his well-publicized dust-up with former teammate Nikola Mirotic.
- Nets guard D’Angelo Russell and forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson did not receive extensions, Michael Scotto of The Athetic tweets. Neither player was aware of Monday’s deadline, according to Scotto, suggesting that the Nets never made a serious pitch to lock them up before free agency. The Nets would have extend a $9,160,706 qualifying offer to Russell to make him a restricted free agent. Hollis-Jefferson’s qualifying offer would be $3,594,369.
Nets Exercise 2019/20 Options On LeVert, Allen
The Nets have exercised their 2019/20 team options on the rookie contracts of Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, the team announced today in a press release. The moves were mere formalities that come well in advance of the October 31 deadline.
Picking up LeVert’s fourth-year option will lock him in for 2019/20 with a very modest cap charge of $2,625,718. That’s a bargain for the 24-year-old, who is coming off a promising sophomore season in which he averaged 12.1 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 3.7 RPG with a .435/.347/.711 shooting line. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2019 offseason.
As for Allen, his ’19/20 option, worth $2,376,840, is for his third NBA season — Brooklyn will have one more option decision to make on him next fall, for his fourth year (2020/21). The 20-year-old center averaged 8.2 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 72 games (31 starts) for the Nets as a rookie after being selected with the No. 22 pick in the 2017 draft.
Be sure to check out our tracker for a breakdown of all the decisions on 2019/20 rookie scale options that NBA teams must make by October 31.
Nets Notes: Trades, Hollis-Jefferson, Kurucs
- Although the Nets didn’t gain traction in Jimmy Butler talks with Minnesota, they’ve already been “active in their pursuits of trades” this fall, as Shams Charania of Stadium details (link via NetsDaily).
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson‘s status for the Nets‘ first game of the season on Wednesday has been up in the air, but the forward is “trending in the right direction,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Sunday, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post. “I’ll definitely listen to the medical team and the performance team,” Atkinson said. “We can’t play him 40 minutes that first night, obviously.”
- In a separate piece for The New York Post, Joyce takes a closer look at Nets second-rounder Rodions Kurucs, who is making a case for regular minutes to start his rookie season.
Dinwiddie Believes He Should Have Won MIP; Graham Making Case For More PT
- Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie believes he should have won the Most Improved Player award last season, clarifying his comments in a detailed quote to The Athletic’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Indiana’s Victor Oladipo won the award, with Clint Capela finishing second and Dinwiddie coming in third.
- Treveon Graham is making a serious case to be given more playing time, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Graham has provided physical defense for the Nets this preseason, nearly leading the team in plus/minus.