Southwest Notes: Durant, Rockets, Cuban, Udoka, Williamson
The Rockets’ interest in Kevin Durant has been overstated, Marc Stein reports in a Substack post. Stein wrote last month that there was a strong belief around the league that the Rockets were interested in a Durant deal.
Stein hears now that Houston is determined to prioritize internal development this season rather than looking to make a big move before the February trade deadline. Houston’s front office intends to prioritize timeline considerations, as much as talent and fit, when they do make their next major trade. The Rockets’ roster is loaded with younger players, featuring seven first-round picks who are 23 or younger.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic previously reported that the Rockets aren’t interested in breaking up their young core to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. Of course, it’s worth noting that neither Durant nor Antetokounmpo is available at this time.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Mark Cuban has essentially ceased going to Mavericks games on the road and there’s a big reason why, he told Stein. “The NBA got really, really, really petty and said that I can’t sit behind the bench anymore,” Cuban said. Stein points out that Cuban’s presence in the second row behind the bench was a violation of league rules but the league ignored it for many years when he was the franchise’s controlling owner. Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks last year. Cuban talks to Mavs general manager Nico Harrison frequently but Patrick Dumont is the Mavericks’ official governor and operates as day-to-day owner, according to Cuban.
- The Rockets’ strong start has been fueled by an improved defense and that’s no accident. Head coach Ime Udoka firmly believes that defense wins championships. “We’re only as good as our one-on-one defense,” Udoka told The Ringer’s Michael Pina. “We’re only as good as all our five on the court, and any weak link is exploited. Everything flows out from that philosophy, which makes a ton of sense on paper but is quite grueling in practice. It’s not a lot of schematics to it. There’s a lot of will and want to it, for sure. But it’s also very eye-opening when you show them the numbers from the previous few years in those areas. If you’re honestly tired of losing and want to change the perception of the team, I mean, that’s where we all start.”
- The Pelicans have a lot of hard decisions to make in the coming months and offseason, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith opines. One thing they should seriously consider, in Smith’s view, is moving on from oft-injured Zion Williamson via the trade route or by getting out of his contract. He’s a dominant offensive force when healthy but his rebounding and defense is subpar, Smith notes. Due to a games played clause, the Pelicans can get out of Williamson’s contract after this season with no more than $7.8MM owed to him if he doesn’t appear in at least 41 total games this season. Williamson is currently out with another hamstring injury.
Rockets’ Fred VanVleet Fined $50K By NBA
Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $50K for “confronting and directing profane language” toward the referees in Saturday’s loss to Portland, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Upset about the officiating in the game, VanVleet committed a frustration foul with just over four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Rockets trailing by five points.
He then yelled “you suck” toward each of the game’s three referees before walking over to official John Conley, and jabbing a finger toward his face while directing a profane insult toward him (Bluesky video link). VanVleet was immediately assessed with a technical foul and ejected from the game.
If VanVleet had made contact with Conley, he almost certainly would’ve been facing a suspension. He still got off relatively lightly, given that this isn’t his first fine for an incident with officials. In March 2023, the veteran guard singled out and ripped referee Ben Taylor at length during a post-game press conference, earning a $30K fine.
At the time VanVleet received that $30K penalty, the maximum fine the NBA could have levied was $50K. That maximum has increased to $100K under the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, so the league could have gone higher in this case.
And-Ones: Harrell, Covington, Neto, Awards, More
Former NBA big man Montrezl Harrell, who won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2020, is currently playing in Australia’s National Basketball League as a member of the Adelaide 36ers. The 30-year-old received a three-game suspension on Monday for his part in on- and off-court incidents during a Nov. 17 game vs. Melbourne United.
As Olgun Uluc of ESPN details, United big man Rob Loe drew a charge on Harrell early in the fourth quarter of the contest, and while both players were on the ground, Harrell shoved Loe. That led to a “melee involving most players” for both teams. Harrell appeared to throw a punch at one opponent and “multiple open-handed strikes” at other United players, per Uluc.
Directly after the on-court scuffle, 36ers staffers and players — including Harrell and teammate Kendric Davis — were involved another altercation, this time with spectators behind the team’s bench. Davis received a two-game suspension for initiating contact in that incident, which saw four spectators ejected. Davis claimed a fan directed racist language at him; the United put out a statement saying they were unable to corroborate that allegation.
The 36ers have 24 hours to appeal the suspensions, according to Uluc, who says Harrell has suggested multiple times on social media he may not return to Australia, pending the outcome of his punishment; he’s currently back home in the United States with the NBL season on pause due to the FIBA window (qualifiers for international tournaments).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In an interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, free agent forward Robert Covington says he’s confident he can still contribute to NBA teams. “Ain’t nothing changed,” Covington said. “Someone that can give energy on the other side, the defensive side, can come in space the floor, move the ball, do the little things that won’t show up on the stat sheet, what made me very effective.” The 33-year-old, who holds 11 seasons of NBA experience, dealt with a knee injury for most of last season, last suiting up on December 30, 2023, but he says he’s fully healthy now. Covington is currently playing for Team USA in a qualifying round for the AmeriCup. One recent report said he might be open to playing in the G League as he attempts to make it back to the NBA.
- Former NBA guard Raul Neto has signed a rest-of-season contract with Spanish club Barcelona, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Neto, who played eight seasons in the NBA from 2015-23, missed all of last season with a knee injury, but he’s “fully recovered” now. Barcelona was looking for backcourt help after losing Nicolas Laprovittola to a season-ending ACL and meniscus injury, Askounis notes.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports lists his award winners for the first month of the 2024/25 season. As of now, O’Connor has Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the frontrunner to win his fourth MVP in five years, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama leading the race for Defensive Player of the Year, and Sixers guard Jared McCain as the league’s top rookie.
- On a somewhat related note, with the first month of the season finished, several writers for The Athletic to compiled a list of each team’s biggest concern, with one exception — the 17-1 Cavaliers don’t have a have a real weakness right now, says Joe Vardon.
- Magic guard Anthony Black and Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson are two of the six young players John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights as showing marked improvement in their season seasons.
Holiday, Sheppard Seeing More Playing Time
- Rookie Reed Sheppard and veteran Aaron Holiday have earned spots in the Rockets‘ rotation by providing reliable three-point shooting, observes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Over a recent seven-game stretch, Holiday shot 45.5% from beyond the arc and Sheppard was at 38.9% as both guards are seeing more playing time. Holiday chose to re-sign with Houston in free agency this summer because he likes the city and believes in the future of the team, even though he knew his minutes might decrease.
Warriors Become First Team To Clinch NBA Cup Quarterfinal Berth
The Warriors are now 3-0 in NBA Cup games, making them the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the in-season tournament. As the NBA announced late on Friday night after Golden State beat New Orleans and Dallas beat Denver (Twitter link), the Warriors have won West Group C, officially securing a quarterfinal berth for December.
The 3-0 Warriors are one game ahead of the 2-1 Mavericks in the NBA Cup standings, while no other team in their group has more than one victory so far. That means the Mavs are the only West Group C club with a chance to match Golden State’s win total, and the Dubs would hold the tiebreaker in that scenario as a result of beating Dallas last Tuesday in their NBA Cup opener.
The winners of the six groups advance to the eight-team knockout round, along with one “wild card” from each conference. The Mavs have a good chance to be that wild card team in the West if they defeat Memphis on December 3, since their +41 point differential in NBA Cup contests is the second-best mark in the league. Point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.
The Rockets (Group A) and Lakers (Group B) are the only two other Western Conference teams who are undefeated in NBA Cup play, putting them in the driver’s seat to join the Warriors in the quarterfinals if they can keep winning.
Over in the East, the Hawks (2-1) could clinch Group C with a win over Cleveland next Friday, assuming the Bulls lose at least one of their two remaining NBA Cup games. If Atlanta loses, a Celtics victory over Chicago on Friday would secure the group for Boston. There are still two undefeated teams apiece in East Group A (Magic, Knicks) and East Group B (Bucks, Pistons).
Western Notes: Durant, Beal, Rockets, Giannis, Marshall, Pelicans
There’s optimism that Kevin Durant will be able to return from his left calf strain at some point next week, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link), who suggests the Suns star could be back on the court as soon as Tuesday for an NBA Cup matchup with the Lakers.
There’s also optimism that Bradley Beal, who is dealing with a left calf strain of his own, will be able to return at some point next week, says Charania.
After taking on the Knicks on Wednesday in Phoenix, the Suns will have five days off before facing the Lakers, so if Durant can make it back for that Tuesday game, he’ll only be sidelined for one more contest. That would be great news for the Suns, who got off to an 8-1 start with Durant in the lineup and have gone 1-5 since he went down.
Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:
- The Rockets aren’t interested in breaking up their core to acquire Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). The report is presumably a response to Marc Stein saying that rival teams are keeping an eye on Houston as a possible Antetokounmpo suitor should he become available. However, given that Giannis isn’t actually available and Houston’s “core” isn’t precisely defined, it reads less like the Rockets are taking a hard-line position they’ll stick to in hypothetical negotiations down the road and more like they simply want to express how highly they value their young players.
- Mavericks forward Naji Marshall admitted he was “a little bit excited” to play the Pelicans on Tuesday, since it was his first time since entering the NBA that he got a chance to face a former team, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Marshall, who had 15 points and three steals as Dallas secured a blowout win, said he has enjoyed seeing several former teammates who arrived in New Orleans around the same time as him secure contract extensions. “It’s crazy to see how it panned out,” Marshall said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Herb (Jones) is somebody. Jose (Alvarado). Trey (Murphy). Me. It’s a blessing. It’s something you dream about literally. When we were kids, wondering if we were going to be here or not. To see it all pan out and go in our favor is amazing.”
- Reinforcements should be coming soon for the injury-plagued Pelicans, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic, who says CJ McCollum could be back as soon as this Friday, with Jones and Jordan Hawkins to follow in the coming weeks. There’s hope that the team will be mostly healthy early next month, Guillory writes, though Alvarado’s and Zion Williamson‘s absences will likely extend beyond that. As Guillory details, if and when the Pelicans get back to full strength, the pressure will be on head coach Willie Green to get the team back into playoff contention.
Southwest Notes: Antetokounmpo, V. Williams, Bane, Edey, Doncic, Pelicans
Despite recent reporting indicating that rival scouts and executives view Houston as a favorite to make a big in-season splash, NBA insider Marc Stein writes at Substack that “consistent whispers” around the league point to the Rockets waiting until the offseason to buy more time to see if a big trade target shakes loose.
Houston expressed interest in trading for Kevin Durant this past summer and was immediately rebuffed by Phoenix. According to Stein, similar rumors are starting to percolate about a potential down-the-line Rockets pursuit of Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
As we’ve relayed, the Bucks aren’t expected to entertain any offers for their franchise legend even amid a 4-9 start to the year. But the Rockets’ treasure chest of draft assets and young players could put them in prime position to be a suitor if Antetokounmpo ever decides to ask out of Milwaukee.
Stein notes that Giannis has an admiration for Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon. Antetokounmpo is selective about who he works out with, but hasn’t been shy about training with Olajuwon, who Steins says would be a strong recruiter in this specific scenario.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- After missing the first 12 games of the season for the Grizzlies, rotation wing Vince Williams Jr. made his return on Friday, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes (Subscriber link). In his first two games back with the team, Williams is averaging 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists as part of the rotation. Williams broke out for the Grizzlies last season, starting in 33 games and averaging 10.0 PPG. Meanwhile, Desmond Bane returned from a seven-game absence on Friday, playing off the bench for the first time since his rookie season. He started the team’s next game on Sunday.
- Grizzlies rookie center Zach Edey exited Sunday’s contest against the Nuggets with an ankle injury and did not return ESPN reports. It’s unclear what the severity of Edey’s injury is, but he left when the Grizzlies were up by 18 points, so there’s a chance he was held out for the rest of the game as a precautionary measure.
- Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic continues to be listed as probable on the team’s injury reports, but the type of injury he’s dealing with in recent games has changed. According to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal, Doncic was affected by a left groin strain before that listing was changed to a right knee contusion. When asked about his injury status, Doncic said he feels “a little bit less” than 100% right now. “I mean, it’s probably a matter of time, just, there’s not a lot of time to rest, but I’ll get better. I promise,” Doncic said.
- The Pelicans are 2-8 in their last 10 games as injuries continue to mount, with almost every member of their regular rotation suffering some sort of injury. New Orleans’ most recent loss came to former Pelicans player JJ Redick‘s Lakers. According to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, Redick acknowledged that New Orleans’ health issues are preventing them from reaching their potential. Redick played in New Orleans from 2019-21 alongside Brandon Ingram, who finished Saturday’s game with 32 points and eight assists, and Zion Williamson, who missed the matchup with an injury. “With Zion, the biggest thing is him being healthy,” Redick said. “We all want to see Zion perform and play because he’s a special player. I got a chance my second year, before I got traded, to see sort of the version 1.0 of Point Zion. It’s been fun to watch that from afar as he’s gotten opportunities to initiate the offense and be the ball handler in the pick and roll.“
Texas Notes: Mavericks, Smith, Sengun, Jones
The Mavericks’ 110-93 victory over the Spurs on Saturday ended a four-game losing streak, which included an 0-3 road trip. At 6-7, Dallas is still struggling to find consistency just a few months after making a run to the 2024 Finals, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“(The players) have things that go on outside of the arena, and that’s always monitored (but) those things aren’t shared publicly,” head coach Jason Kidd said prior to the victory over San Antonio. “This has been an emotional week, starting in Denver, having an opportunity to win there and just the buildup of the game against Golden State with Klay (Thompson). We could be a little bit more concerned of not just the buildup, but what the effects are.”
As Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com notes, Dallas has been getting the best efforts from the opposition, night after night. New additions to the club are a bit perplexed by the club’s lack of a clutch gene this season.
“We’re still trying to figure it out,” small forward Naji Marshall said. “Stuff happens. Obviously it didn’t go in our direction, all we can do is get better from here. It’s still early in the season… We’re just having a rough patch right now, but we’ll definitely get through it.”
There’s more out of the Lone Star State:
- 2022 lottery Rockets lottery pick Jabari Smith Jr. enjoyed something of a breakout performance in a 125-104 NBA Cup victory over the Clippers on Friday, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The 6’11” big man, who had averaged 10.5 points per game on 38.1% shooting in his first 12 games (all starts), scored 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds.
- Fourth-year Rockets center Alperen Sengun continues to develop his game after signing a five-year, $185MM extension with the team last month, Feigen writes in another piece. Sengun notched his first triple-double of the season in Houston’s victory over the Clippers on Friday. His defensive growth has been a primary focus. “I do (a) good job,” Sengun said. “I do my best on defense, trying to help my teammates. Everybody is trying their best on defense. I’m just trying to help them more.” On Houston’s third-ranked defense, opposing players are connecting on a scant 42.9% of their looks when being guarded by Sengun. Head coach Ime Udoka singled out and praised the big man’s rim protection acumen.
- After a 12-game absence, Spurs reserve guard Tre Jones came back from an ankle injury in the team’s loss to the Mavericks on Saturday, notes Jeff Macdonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The 6’1″ Duke product scored three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field, while also contributing four dimes and three boards.
Warriors, Rockets Viewed As Two Teams Most Likely To Make Big In-Season Trade
The Warriors and Rockets have been tabbed by scouts and executives as the two teams most likely to make a significant in-season trade, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Insider link). After big deals across the league dried up assets for most teams, not many have the combination of young players, draft picks and movable veterans that Golden State and Houston do.
Golden State has been at the center of several high-level trade rumors in the past few months, including for now-Sixers wing Paul George and Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. Brandin Podziemski, 2023’s No. 19 overall pick, was deemed untouchable specifically in talks for Markkanen, which led to the Warriors and Jazz being unable to reach an agreement on any trade. Podziemski spoke openly about the process to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“It was hard for me to process it mentally,” Podziemski said in an interview for the Hoop Collective podcast. “Everybody is hyping you up but at the same time tearing you down, like ‘Why didn’t we trade him? We should’ve traded him for X, Y, Z.’”
According to Windhorst, league executives are well aware that chairman Joe Lacob is a big fan of Podziemski’s and know that the price to acquire the Santa Clara product would be steep.
“You feel the respect and love from [GM] Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob and our front office and how much they value me after seeing just one year of what I could do,” Podziemski said. “And it’s not like I was being mentioned for another role player, these were All-Stars being talked about. … To see the Clippers and the Jazz to want me in return, it showed Golden State’s value for me to teams around the league.”
It’s unclear what kind of star players, if any, will be on the trade block this winter. As we wrote earlier Saturday, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson aren’t available right now, and likely wouldn’t be as part of any mid-season move in any case. It’s early in the season, so teams are all still trying to sort out what their postseason chances are and how their talent is meshing. The Warriors at 10-2 might not feel inclined to make a move anyways.
Still, De’Anthony Melton ($12.8MM), Gary Payton II ($9.1MM) and Kevon Looney ($8.0MM) present three large expiring deals that could theoretically be used in trades. The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga weren’t able to agree to an extension before the season, so he could be an outgoing piece in any hypothetical trade. Golden State owns nearly all of its future first-round draft capital, giving the team plenty of ammo for a move.
As for the Rockets, the impressive young duo of Tari Eason and Amen Thompson has been made off limits in any trade talks, according to Windhorst. The Rockets at 9-4 are also not in any sort of rush to make a deal, per Windhorst, and Eason and Thompson have helped the team rank third in defensive efficiency in the early part of the season.
In theory, as noted by ESPN, the Rockets have strong assets that wouldn’t require moving a young piece. Steven Adams is on an expiring $12.6MM deal and Houston retained Jeff Green ($8.0MM), Jock Landale ($8.0MM), Jae’Sean Tate ($7.6MM) and Aaron Holiday ($4.7MM) this offseason despite their lack of playing time. Houston has several draft picks at their disposal from Phoenix that could be enticing. Reports this offseason suggested they may be interested in trading those picks back to the Suns for Kevin Durant. While Durant is almost certainly off the table, perhaps some of those assets could be used elsewhere.
Again, most of the biggest names across the league seem unlikely to change teams in the coming months. Some, like Markkanen, agreed to long-term contracts or were recently on the move, taking them off the shortlist. Others, like Durant, are playing at a high level for contenders. That leaves a small group of players who would be worth sacrificing significant assets for.
It’s worth noting that reporting in October indicated the Rockets were signaling they were unlikely to make a major in-season move. Still, one name that should be monitored for both Golden State and Houston is Heat forward Jimmy Butler. He didn’t sign an extension with the Heat this summer and is planning on declining his player option this coming offseason to test the waters.
Both the Warriors and Rockets have been mentioned as potential suitors for the star swingman. Regardless, it would be pretty surprising to see the Heat move Butler. Even facing the risk of him departing in free agency, Miami selling a star player for young assets runs counter to the organization’s modus operandi.
Southwest Notes: Thompson, Eason, K. Johnson, Pels’ Injuries, Boston, Grizzlies
The Rockets‘ duo of Amen Thompson and Tari Eason completely took over in Houston’s Wednesday victory over the Clippers, Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle observes. The two players combined for 36 points, 21 rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the win.
Clippers star James Harden made his first four shots before Thompson and Eason helped limit him to just 18.2% from the field for the rest of the game.
“It’s becoming the regular thing,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said of the two reserves. “Both [were] very disruptive on both ends — 18 and 18 [points], 11 and 10 rebounds, and guarding all over the place, doing what they do. Yeah, we needed a spark. It was kind of a back-and-forth game, and they brought it.”
Thompson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, is averaging 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks in his second season. Eason, selected 17th overall in 2022, has put up 12.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG and 1.2 BPG while making 36.4% of his threes. Despite their impressive seasons thus far, Udoka expressed he’s happy to have them where they are in the rotation.
“Don’t know if it would be any different if they started or came off the bench,” Udoka said. “That’s who they are. Very disruptive. You know, they’re going against starters half the time. It’s not like they’re playing against bench guys. They just impact the game. It’s just a tandem. It makes it stick out even more because they’re so disruptive all over the court. … It’s more magnified when two guys are … flying all over the court and making that impact.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Keldon Johnson knew his approach to the game would have to change as the Spurs made win-now moves in adding Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes this offseason, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. “Ultimately, I just wanted to be more efficient,” Johnson said. He changed his diet and got his weight down before the season and has reshaped his offensive profile to be that of a slasher, according to Iko. 70% of Johnson’s 12.5 points per game this season come from drives. Johnson is under contract for $19MM this season and is on the books for $17.5MM in each of the following two seasons.
- The Pelicans lost to the Thunder in blowout fashion on Wednesday, and it’s another culmination of their devastating list of injuries, Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes. Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, Jordan Hawkins, Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado are all out with multi-week injuries. The Pelicans have lost six in a row to fall to 3-9 entering Thursday.
- As Clark observes in the same piece, primary play-making duties have fallen to Brandon Ingram and Brandon Boston Jr. Though Boston has limited NBA experience, let alone professional play-making experience, he has been impressive from a statistical standpoint in the wake of New Orleans’ injuries. He’s averaging 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game after being claimed on waivers by the Pelicans from the Spurs just before the season. Boston is on a two-way contract.
- The Grizzlies have a rotation predicament on their hands, Michael Wallace of Grind City Media writes. With Luke Kennard returning to action last week, Marcus Smart coming back this week and Vince Williams Jr. on the verge of making his season debut, Memphis is getting healthier, forcing the team to consider how the rotation will look. While it’s a good problem to have, Memphis’ deep reserves have more than proven their spot in the league by helping leading the team to a 7-5 record amid injury absences. “I can’t give you that answer right now, but it’s been on my mind a lot,” coach Taylor Jenkins said of the rotation. “As I told these guys, it doesn’t matter whether you start or come off the bench. It’s about impacting winning. We’re looking to find our advantages.“