Jazz’s Elijah Harkless Named NBAGL Most Improved Player
Guard Elijah Harkless, who is on a two-way contract with the Jazz, has been named the NBA G League’s Most Improved Player for the 2024/25 season, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
Harkless earned the award for his time with the San Diego Clippers and Salt Lake City Stars. He’s the first player from the Stars to win NBAGL MIP, according to the press release.
After averaging 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal in 20 regular season games (22.7 MPG) for San Diego in 2023/24, the 25-year-old improved his counting stats across the board in ’24/25, averaging 26.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.3 SPG in 19 regular season appearances, 17 of which came for Salt Lake City (31.4 MPG). He has posted a .447/.419/.745 shooting line during the G League’s regular season.
Harkless, who went undrafted out of UNLV in 2023, was named to the NBAGL’s Up Next event — essentially the G League’s All-Star game — earlier this season. He also had a stint in the Canadian Elite Basketball League with the Saskatchewan Rattlers this past spring.
Known for his defense, Harkless has played 10 games for Utah in what is technically his rookie NBA season. The combo guard has averaged 3.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 13.8 MPG during those appearances.
Drew Timme and Tyson Etienne of the Nets finished second and third in voting for the award, respectively. Both players have been standouts for Brooklyn’s affiliate in Long Island.
Nets Rule Out Noah Clowney For Rest Of Season
Noah Clowney‘s second NBA season has come to an early end, according to Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who said on Wednesday that the big man is in a walking boot as he recovers from a right ankle sprain and won’t play again this spring (Twitter link via C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News).
It was an injury-plagued year for Clowney, who had two extended absences earlier in the season due to left ankle sprains. He made a total of 46 appearances (20 starts) and averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 22.7 minutes per game.
Clowney showed some promise during the final few weeks of his rookie season, but struggled to carry it over on a consistent basis in his second year. The 20-year-old made just 41.4% of his two-point shots and 33.3% of his three-point tries in 2024/25 for an overall shooting percentage of 35.8%.
Clowney will be entering the third year of his rookie scale contract, which will pay him $3.4MM in 2025/26. Brooklyn will have to decide by the end of October whether or not to exercise his $5.4MM team option for the ’26/27 season.
As Holmes relays, the Nets also provided two more injury updates on Wednesday, indicating that Cameron Johnson (lower back contusion) will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday, while Day’Ron Sharpe (right knee sprain) will soon be reevaluated. Sharpe has been inactive for the club’s last four games.
Checking In On Starter Criteria, Traded Draft Picks, Mavs’ Two-Ways, More
The months on the calendar between the NBA's in-season trade deadline and the start of the offseason represent the only time of year in which teams aren't permitted to make trades.
Still, while the possibility of Shams Charania dropping shocking trade news in the middle of the night is off the table during this final stretch of the regular season, there's plenty going on around the league that will impact future roster decisions and trade talks.
We're checking in on a few of those subplots today. Let's dive right in...
Nets Notes: Timme, Etienne, Johnson, Clowney, Draft
Big man Drew Timme, who recently signed a two-year deal with the Nets, recorded a double-double — 11 points and 10 rebounds — in 25 minutes off the bench on Friday in his NBA regular season debut, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“I was nervous as crap out there. But it was awesome. It was a dream come true,” Timme said. “And I like this feeling. I don’t want it to end. So I got to keep working hard so I can keep doing this.”
Guard Tyson Etienne, who is on a two-way contract with Brooklyn, also made his NBA debut in Friday’s lopsided loss to the Clippers, Lewis adds. The 25-year-old grew up in New Jersey and had several family members on hand. He finished with eight points and an assist in 10 minutes.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Timme followed up his solid debut by putting up 19 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes during Saturday’s victory over Washington, helping Brooklyn snap a six-game losing streak, per Net Income of NetsDaily.com. Timme, who was credited for the game-winning basket when his layup attempt was goaltended, tied Derrick Coleman for the Nets’ franchise record for most points by a player in his first two games (30).
- While the players and coaches were happy to snap the six-game skid, the victory could prove harmful in the long run, notes Lewis of The New York Post. Starters Cameron Johnson (hard fall on his back) and Noah Clowney (right ankle) were both injured late in the fourth quarter, and perhaps more importantly, the win put Brooklyn a half-game behind Philadelphia in the NBA’s reverse standings, potentially reducing the team’s odds of landing the top pick in June’s draft.
- The Nets officially secured a lottery pick when they were eliminated from postseason contention on Thursday. It’s been a long and difficult wait for Brooklyn to get to this point, as Lewis writes in a subscriber-only story. June will be the first time general manager Sean Marks will have a chance to make a top-20 selection in his nine-year tenure with the team.
- The Nets control five total picks in the upcoming draft, the most of any team. In addition to their own first- and second-rounders, they also hold the rights to the first-round picks from Milwaukee, New York and Houston. It’s possible they could look to move one or two of those selections to add to their 2026 total, but don’t expect the lottery pick to change hands, according to Lewis, who takes a look at what would happen if Brooklyn and Philadelphia tie for the league’s fifth-worst record.
Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Cap Room, Nets, Wolves FAs, Connelly
Given the lack of cap room available around the NBA this season, it’s not a great time to be entering the market as a restricted free agents, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes in an Insider-only story.
“There’s only one team that has a lot of cap space and they may want to do a slower rebuild and aren’t looking to spend it all now,” a veteran agent told ESPN. “I’ve never seen a free agency where only one team has real cap space in my career. These free agents are f—ed.”
That “one team that has a lot of cap space” is Brooklyn — the Nets are expected to operate with between $45-60MM in room, according to Windhorst, and could open up additional space beyond that if they let certain players go. However, there’s an expectation around the league that the Nets won’t necessarily be looking to make win-now moves in free agency this summer.
“They’ve sent the message that if they do anything major with their space, it’s likely going to be through trade, not signings,” one rival executive told Windhorst. “Even if that trade doesn’t happen this summer, they’ll want to keep their options open.”
Nets general manager Sean Marks has shown in the past that he’s willing to pursue restricted free agents and give them aggressive offer sheets. During the team’s initial rebuild, Marks and his front office took that route with Allen Crabbe, Tyler Johnson, Donatas Motiejunas, and Otto Porter Jr. in a span of two years (2016-17). But there’s no indication at this point that Brooklyn plans to pursue an RFA such as Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, or Santi Aldama in the same way, which means those players may have limited leverage.
“Actually it’s no leverage,” another agent told ESPN. “I’ve prepared my clients for a free agent recession this summer. Next year will be different, the cap will be going up and teams will clean up their books as they deal with the new spending rules. So you may have to wait and try again.”
Here’s more from Windhorst and his ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps:
- Examining the Timberwolves‘ upcoming free agent decisions, Bontemps says multiple scouts and executives believe that guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker could command a deal in the range of the full mid-level exception, since he has been a reliable three-and-D role players and is entering his prime years. As our projections show, a full four-year mid-level contract in 2025/26 is expected to be worth in excess of $60MM.
- Sources around the NBA believes that both Julius Randle and Naz Reid will return to the Timberwolves next season, according to Bontemps. Both power forwards hold player options for 2025/26, with Randle’s worth $29.5MM (plus incentives) and Reid’s worth $15MM. Even if both players remain in Minnesota, it’s unclear what form that would take — opting out to sign a new deal would be one path, as would opting in, with or without a new extension.
- The Timberwolves have another important free agent in their front office, having pushed back Tim Connelly‘s opt-out clause from 2024 to 2025. Team sources tell Windhorst that prospective owner Marc Lore has “made it a priority” to sign the president of basketball operations to an extension if and when he and Alex Rodriguez gain full control of the franchise.
- In case you missed it, we also passed along reporting from Windhorst and Bontemps on the Pacers and starting center Myles Turner. That story can be found here.
New York Notes: Simmons, Whitehead, Knicks
Speaking to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post (subscriber link), former Nets guard Ben Simmons reflected on his unhappy tenure in Brooklyn, discussing the differences between his Brooklyn and L.A. stints and explaining why he feels more comfortable with his new team, the Clippers, than he ever did during his injury-plagued years with the Nets.
“(Los Angeles) feels like home, honestly,” Simmons told Schwartz. “I never really felt like New York was home for me. Being in L.A., I feel like me as a person, it’s my kind of scenery or environment to be in. I think I thrive in situations like that. It was a blessing and a great experience to be in New York and experience being in New York City, there’s no city in the world like it. But I’m happy where I’m at, I love being in L.A.”
In his 11 games with L.A., Simmons is averaging 4.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.5 BPG. It’s a far cry from his All-Star peak, but the 28-year-old remains a solid, versatile defender who can pull down a rebound at will.
There’s more out of New York:
- Second-year Nets wing Dariq Whitehead‘s call-up to Brooklyn represents just the latest step in his comeback from three recent leg surgeries. Head coach Jordi Fernandez weighed in on Whitehead’s progress this season, per Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link). “It’s a process for him,” Fernandez said. “He’s gotta buy into all these things. He shows up and works. And now, when he has these minutes, he has to take advantage of them. So learning all that is extremely important.”
- The 45-27 Knicks, currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference, have 10 games on their slate before this year’s playoffs. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post unpacks the seven most important questions that face the team down the stretch of the 2024/25 season.
- In a reader mailbag, Ian Begley of SNY.tv fields questions about Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson‘s ankle health, how rookie guard Tyler Kolek can carve out a rotational role, reserve center Mitchell Robinson‘s minutes restriction, and more.
Drew Timme Signs Two-Year Deal With Nets
MARCH 28: Timme’s new contract is official, the Nets announced (via Twitter).
MARCH 27: The Nets are signing free agent forward Drew Timme to a two-year contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The second year will be a team option.
Timme went undrafted in 2023 after a highly decorated collegiate career at Gonzaga. He has spent the past two seasons in the NBA G League.
A 6’10” power forward, Timme signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Bucks in August 2023 and was waived before the 2023/24 season began. He spent his rookie campaign with Milwaukee’s NBAGL affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
Timme didn’t make the same impact in his first professional season as he did during his time with the Zags, but he found another NBA opportunity last fall, inking a training camp deal with Sacramento. He opened ’24/25 with the Stockton Kings during the Tip-Off Tournament, averaging 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field in 14 appearances, though he only played 19.0 minutes per contest.
Timme switched teams for the G League’s regular season this winter, landing with Nets’ affiliate in Long Island. As Scotto notes, Timme was recently named NBA G League Player of the Week after averaging 35.7 points and 12.7 rebounds over a three-game span, including a career-best 50-point performance.
The 24-year-old has put up big numbers for Long Island, averaging 23.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists on .574/.384/.731 shooting in 29 regular season games (35.6 minutes per contest). Now he’ll be getting his first standard NBA contract with the Nets.
As our tracker shows, the Nets currently only have 14 players on their standard roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Timme.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Brown, Sixers, Maxey, Payne, Robinson
The Celtics didn’t have Jayson Tatum on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. It didn’t matter, as they blew out the Suns, 132-102, for their seventh straight victory.
Boston is rounding into playoff form at just the right time. The Celtics have won 14 of their last 15 road games with their only loss coming against the Pistons on Feb. 27.
Another encouraging sign, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com, is that Jaylen Brown looks healthy, In his second game back after missing three with a knee injury, Brown had 24 points in 29 minutes.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers are desperately trying to retain a top-six selection so that they don’t have to forward their first-round pick to the Thunder. That made Wednesday’s 119-114 loss to the woeful Wizards a key one, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Sixers have lost six straight and 23 of their last 27 games. They remain tied with the Nets for the league’s fifth-worst record with nine games remaining. Philadelphia has a home back-to-back against Miami and Toronto this weekend.
- While Sixers coach Nick Nurse believes Tyrese Maxey will play again this season, Pompey argues that there’s no reason to bring him back under the current circumstances. Maxey hasn’t played since March 3 due to back and finger injuries.
- The Knicks‘ point guard depth took another hit on Wednesday. Cameron Payne, who started with Jalen Brunson (ankle) and Miles McBride (groin) sidelined, rolled his ankle in the first half against the Clippers and did not return. Rookie Tyler Kolek played 19 scoreless minutes with seven assists but was exploited defensively, ESPN’s Chris Herring notes. “They kept coming at us with that high two-man game, and I’ve got to be better about defending that,” Kolek said.
- Mitchell Robinson is hopeful he can play in both ends of a back-to-back before the end of the regular season. He has not yet been cleared by the Knicks medical staff to play in back-to-back games. Robinson didn’t play in Tuesday’s win over Dallas, then logged 13 minutes against the Clippers. Robinson told SNY’s Ian Begley that he’ll “probably” be cleared soon.
And-Ones: Award Races, Summer Flight Risks, BRI, RFAs
As we relayed on Wednesday, Warriors forward Draymond Green took over this week as the new betting favorite for Defensive Player of the Year honors, surpassing Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley.
Mobley’s teammates and head coach disagree that Green should be considered the frontrunner and Zach Harper of The Athletic sides with the Cavs’ contingent, placing Mobley ahead of Green (and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels) on his hypothetical ballot in his latest look at this season’s award races.
With just over two weeks left in the 2024/25 season, Harper currently has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of Nikola Jokic in the MVP race, Stephon Castle ahead of Jaylen Wells for Rookie of the Year, Payton Pritchard ahead of Malik Beasley for Sixth Man of the Year, Kenny Atkinson over J.B. Bickerstaff for Coach of the Year, and Cade Cunningham over Mobley for Most Improved Player.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report runs through all 30 NBA teams and predicts their most likely flight risk in 2025 free agency. In some cases – like Seth Curry in Charlotte or Dalano Banton in Portland – the player in question has a relatively modest role, but others – such as Ty Jerome in Cleveland or Russell Westbrook in Denver – have been important contributors. Of course, a handful of clubs have stars or high-level starters to worry about, including Indiana with Myles Turner and the Clippers with James Harden.
- In a free article for his Substack, Pincus shares some highlights from the NBA’s recent memo to teams, including the fact that players – who have 10% of their salaries put into escrow each season – are only on track to get a very small percentage of that money back in order to balance the basketball-related income split between players and teams. In other words, Pincus writes, a player with a $10MM cap hit for 2024/25, is only projected to actually earn about $9.1MM.
- What sort of contracts will this season’s restricted free agents sign? Keith Smith of Spotrac digs into that question, making predictions ranging from nine-figure deals for Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Sixers wing Quentin Grimes to minimum-salary contracts (and no qualifying offers) for players like Pacers center Isaiah Jackson and Nets wing Ziaire Williams.
Nets Notes: Tsai, Johnson, Thomas, Free Agency, Sharpe
While his team is in tank mode this season, Nets owner Joe Tsai says his commitment to winning hasn’t wavered, NetsDaily.com relays.
“For a sports owner, the return season after season is winning. Every season, you’re trying to win the championship, so you want to win games, right?” Tsai said at a CNBC conference in Singapore (hat tip to Sports Illustrated’s Wilko Martinez Cachero). “You’re not looking at the income statement of the team from season-to-season, so I guess the final payoff for me is less financial — even though the financial aspects are important, I have to make sure that the bottom line investment can make sense — but at the end of the day, it’s through the love of sports. I have a passion for sports. That’s why I invested in these teams.”
Tsai holds a 3% interest in the Miami Dolphins, but he’s not looking to become a majority owner in the NFL until he delivers in Brooklyn, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“No, I still don’t feel like I’m an NFL owner,” Tsai said. “I’ve got to take care of the Brooklyn Nets first, which means you need to win first in the sport that you’re already involved in. So you’ve got to take care of business here.”
We have more on the Nets:
- Cameron Johnson was considered a prime trade candidate before February’s deadline. He remained on the roster and feels responsible for making his younger teammates better, he told Lewis. “It’s not like I’m out there barking at them every day about this, about that. But anytime I can help them, or seen something that I’ve been through that I see they’re going through, I try to help,” Johnson said. “And [we have] a good group of guys willing to listen, willing to compete. Maybe our record isn’t what we want it to be, but we’re in a lot of these games because we compete at a high level, we play hard. And that’s a starting point.”
- The trade rumors regarding Johnson could crop up again in the offseason and the Nets have numerous other decisions to make with the current roster, Lewis writes in a subscriber-only article for The Post. Cam Thomas, who won’t play again this season due to a hamstring injury, is due to become a restricted free agent if the team extends a qualifying offer. Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams are also eligible for restricted free agency, while Maxwell Lewis has a partially guaranteed deal and Trendon Watford will be an unrestricted free agent.
- Sharpe won’t play against Toronto on Wednesday due to a right knee sprain, Collin Helwig of NetsDaily.com tweets. Johnson will also sit out as the coaching staff will rest him.