Knicks Notes: Hart, Anunoby, Robinson, Dadiet, Thibodeau
Josh Hart and OG Anunoby will be available as the Knicks face Boston this afternoon, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). Both players went through pregame warmups before a final decision was made on their status.
Hart had been upgraded to questionable after sitting out the previous two games due to a bout with “runner’s knee.” Bondy notes that it’s the first time he has missed consecutive games since joining the Knicks. Anunoby played Friday at Cleveland after missing six games with a foot injury, but he was limited to five points and no rebounds and was a minus-23 in 27 minutes.
Mitchell Robinson will miss another game as he works his way back from offseason ankle surgery. He resumed practicing last week, but said earlier this month that he wants to make sure he’s fully ready before trying to play.
“I’ve just been taking my time. I want to make sure it’s 100 percent, I ain’t trying to keep having these sit-outs and setbacks and stuff like that,” Robinson said at the time. “This time, I’m just going to play it smart. Usually, I’d be young and dumb to go out there and try to get back as fast as I can. I can’t do that no more.”
Robinson’s goal is to return to action at some point within the next week, Shams Charania reported today on ESPN’s NBA Countdown (Twitter video link), adding that the big man has participated in multiple 5-on-5 scrimmages in recent days.
There’s more on the Knicks:
- This season has been a learning process for first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, who is adjusting to the NBA after playing in Europe, Bondy writes for The New York Post. Even though he has spent much of the season in the G League, Dadiet doesn’t have any doubt that he can succeed at the NBA level. “I try to be focused and watch what others are doing, guys that have been in the league for like 10 years,” he said. “Having a routine is very important. Watching (Karl-Anthony Towns) and (Cameron Payne) doing the same thing every day. And it’s working for them.”
- Tom Thibodeau has been criticized for relying too heavily on his starters ever since he became a head coach, but he doesn’t see any reason to change, Bondy adds in a separate story. The issue came up regarding Friday’s matchup with the Cavaliers, who use a deep rotation and only have two players averaging more than 30 minutes per night. “We’ve got to (have lineups that are) strong on both sides of the ball, and then, ‘Can your guys handle minutes?’” Thibodeau said. “There’s different minutes in the course of the game. If you look at Jalen (Brunson) and (Towns), their minutes are what other the main players are. The wings are different. OG is at 36 (minutes). Mikal (Bridges) is the highest, and Josh’s are high as well. Both of those guys can handle minutes, and they want the minutes. If they can handle the minutes, give it to them. If they can’t, cut it back.”
- The way the Knicks are constructed, they’ll need all five starters to be healthy to have any chance of making a long playoff run, opines Steve Popper of Newsday.
Atlantic Notes: Walker, Anunoby, Robinson, Nets
Having been born and raised in Pennsylvania, new Sixers guard Lonnie Walker said on Friday that it’s “a surreal moment” to have signed a contract with his hometown team, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I’ve come to plenty of games (in Philadelphia), watching Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand … the list goes on and on,” Walker said. “I’m only an hour and 20 [minutes] from here. I’m not too far. I played for a Philly (AAU) team, as far as Team Final. This is for sure a full-circle moment in my career, and I’m just truly blessed to be here.”
Walker received a two-year, minimum-salary deal that will pay him $780,932 for the rest of this season, with a $2,940,876 team option for 2025/26. According to Pompey, the 26-year-old finalized a buyout with Zalgiris Kaunas, his team in Lithuania, just two hours before his opt-out deadline on Tuesday. It initially appeared as if that deadline would pass without an NBA agreement and he’d finish the season in Europe.
“It’s funny, everyone found out before me,” Walker said. “I was actually sleeping. I got the phone call from my agent. I had about 30 missed calls. I guess it was all over Twitter already. But by that time, my mind was already made as far as being in Europe, finishing the season there.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- In his return from a foot injury that cost him six games, Knicks forward OG Anunoby contributed just five points and zero rebounds and was a minus-23 in 27 minutes on Friday vs. Cleveland. He also grabbed his foot after falling to the court in the third quarter. However, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays, Anunoby said after the blowout loss that his foot felt fine and head coach Tom Thibodeau downplayed the forward’s struggles. “It was about what I thought it would be,” Thibodeau said. “There were some good minutes early, and then there’s some rust he’s got to work through, but I thought he had good energy.”
- With Jakob Poeltl sidelined due to a hip injury, Orlando Robinson started at center for the Raptors on Friday against his old team, the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Robinson was waived by Sacramento last month, but has carved out a modest role in Toronto, having signed two 10-day contracts and a two-way deal with the team. “That’s his NBA ability is perseverance and his work ethic,” said Erik Spoelstra, who coached Robinson in Miami from 2022-24. “He will just continue to grind and work, and that’s why we thought he was a great fit with us and that’s why I always respect guys like that. … I think (Toronto) is a good fit for him here because they do value player development and he’s all about the work. So I continue to root for him.”
- Brian Fleurantin of NetsDaily takes a look at some of the major Nets-related storylines to watch for the rest of the season, including whether Cam Thomas can return and finish strong ahead of restricted free agency and which of the club’s young players will take a step forward down the stretch.
Atlantic Notes: Gordon, George, Holiday, Hart, McBride, Anunoby
Sixers wing Eric Gordon has been out since February 9 due to what the team is calling a sprained right wrist. When word broke that Lonnie Walker had agreed to sign with Philadelphia, Marc Stein reported that the team made the move in part because Gordon’s return from that wrist injury may not happen in the near future. Head coach Nick Nurse confirmed as much on Thursday.
“He’s seen two specialists, and they still don’t know what to do,” Nurse said, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
According to Nurse, Gordon is expected to receive more medical opinions on his wrist before he and the team decide on a treatment plan. While there’s a possibility the injury can be managed, there’s also a scenario in which it keeps the veteran shooting guard sidelined for a “long time,” Nurse acknowledged.
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- In other Sixers injury news, forward Paul George confirmed last week’s report from Shams Charania, which said that he had been receiving injections in order to play through various health issues, including tendon damage in his finger. “I’m hanging in there,” George said on Thursday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m giving this team everything I have. The report is true. You know, I am taking some sorts of medicines to kind of, I guess, play through pain. But yeah, I’m going to try to give everything I got.” As Pompey writes, with George and Joel Embiid both at less than 100% and Philadelphia holding a 20-35 record, it would be “completely understandable” if the team decides to shut down its two stars for the season, though there has been no indication that will happen.
- After missing the Celtics‘ last four games prior to the All-Star break due to a right shoulder issue, Jrue Holiday returned on Thursday and played 20 minutes in a win over Philadelphia. As Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays, Holiday said the injury had been nagging him “for a little bit,” but that it “feels really good” now after the team’s training staff insisted he take some time off. “Sometimes they’ve got to save you from yourself,” he said. “Especially for me, if it’s a game I want to play. You play through injuries, you play through being hurt but sometimes it’s smarter to take a little bit of time especially since we’re at the second half of the season. Obviously I would have played through it, which I feel a lot of us do, is play through injuries. All testament to the training staff.”
- Knicks forward Josh Hart will miss a second consecutive game on Friday in Cleveland due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee), writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. With Hart out on Thursday vs. Chicago, Miles McBride got his first start of the year and scored a season-high 23 points in a tight overtime win, as Peter Botte of The New York Post details.
- While Hart will be out on Friday, another injured Knicks forward – OG Anunoby – is on track to return to action. Anunoby, who has been on the shelf since February 1 due to a sprained foot, is expected to be available vs. the Cavaliers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, McBride, Hart, Towns, Shamet
The return of Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby to today’s practice gave the Knicks a fully healthy roster for the first time all season, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. This was Robinson’s first time participating in a full practice with contact since undergoing offseason ankle surgery, while Anunoby missed the last five games before the All-Star break with a sprained right foot.
New York has already declared Robinson out for Thursday’s game with Chicago, but it appears his season debut won’t be far away. Coach Tom Thibodeau is looking forward to having his defensive anchor back on the court.
“You have to anticipate that the game’s gonna be different, so we’ll see where he is once he’s out there,” Thibodeau said. “He’ll need a little bit of time. But the things that he can bring, the hustle, the ability to see things early, play pick and roll, rim-protect, offensive rebound; those are things he’ll bring right off the bat.”
Thibodeau added that Anunoby was able to heal during the week-long All-Star break. Miles McBride was also back at practice today after a rib issue forced him out of last week’s game with Atlanta.
“It means a lot. Obviously after the break you want everyone to be ready to go,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m excited to get down this stretch. I love this team a lot.”
There’s more from New York:
- Josh Hart will be held out of Thursday’s game with patellofemoral syndrome in his right knee, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. The condition is also known as “runner’s knee.”
- The Knicks have been the clear winners of the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, who has become their best center since Patrick Ewing, contends Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. He states that Towns has been far more productive than Julius Randle, who was sent to Minnesota in the deal, while Donte DiVincenzo has suffered through an early-season shooting slump and a recent toe injury. Vaccaro notes that Towns has also shed any reputation he had of being “soft.” He has been able to stay on the court despite knee issues and a sprained thumb.
- Landry Shamet appears to be the odd man out of the rotation once Robinson is cleared to resume playing, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Shamet is averaging 11 minutes per night in 22 games off the bench, but Edwards notes that Thibodeau prefers a nine-man rotation at most and isn’t likely to expand that when Robinson becomes available. However, Edwards expects Robinson to start out on a minutes restriction, so there should still be some opportunities for Shamet.
- Towns isn’t likely to complain if he has to move from center to power forward to accommodate Robinson’s return, Edwards adds. He points out that Towns’ most successful season came playing alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Knicks, Turner, Wade, Thomas, LaMelo
Sixers rookie Justin Edwards sprained his left ankle during a post-All-Star practice this week, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
The injury will cost Edwards at least a couple games. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), the 21-year-old has been ruled out for Thursday vs. Boston and Saturday vs. Brooklyn. The plan is for him to be reevaluated early next week.
The Sixers could be shorthanded in the backcourt coming out of the All-Star break. Kyle Lowry (hip) and Eric Gordon (wrist), who each missed the last two games prior to the break, didn’t participate in practice on Tuesday, Bodner notes. Lonnie Walker‘s reported deal with the team also isn’t yet official.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and forward OG Anunoby both fully participated in Wednesday’s practice, which included a 5-on-5 scrimmage, per head coach Tom Thibodeau (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv). It was the first time this season that Robinson has advanced to 5-on-5 with contact. While the big man has yet to make his season debut following offseason ankle surgery, Anunoby has been out for five games due to a right foot sprain.
- Myles Turner missed the Pacers‘ last three games before the All-Star break due to a cervical strain, but is expected to be available on Thursday vs. Memphis, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
- Cavaliers forward Dean Wade appears likely to sit out on Thursday during the first half of a back-to-back set before making his return on Friday, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Wade has been on the shelf since January 24 due to a right knee bone bruise.
- Nets guard Cam Thomas will take part in his first 5-on-5 scrimmage on Thursday since going down with a hamstring strain on January 2, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).
- Hornets star LaMelo Ball is listed as probable to play on Wednesday vs. the Lakers (Twitter link), so it appears the right ankle sprain he sustained on February 10 wasn’t a significant one.
Eastern Notes: Williams, Russell, Suggs, Banchero, Knicks
In an ironic twist, Hornets center Mark Williams is listed as probable to play against the Lakers on Wednesday, Charlotte’s PR department tweets.
Williams would be playing in his first game since the Hornets-Lakers trade was rescinded after he failed to pass Los Angeles’ physical due to “multiple issues.” The probable status is due to “return to play reconditioning.”
The Lakers front office thought it had solved their starting center issue by acquiring Williams. They had agreed to give up rookie wing Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap. Knecht and Reddish returned to the Lakers along with the draft capital when the team decided to void the deal.
Williams, who has battled injuries throughout his young career, is averaging 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.7 steals per game in 22 contests this season.
We have more Eastern Conference news:
- While the Nets gave all the appearances of tanking earlier this season, their young core isn’t cooperating. They are within range of a play-in spot, trailing the 10th-place Bulls by just 1.5 games. They’ve gotten a boost from D’Angelo Russell in his second stint with the organization. Russell led them to an unlikely postseason berth five years ago and it could happen again, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Russell is averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 assists in 16 games since he was acquired from the Lakers. “Last time it just … kind of happened,” Russell said. “So I think if it’s gonna happen, it will. We definitely have the chance. We definitely have a nice group, definitely have all the coaches and everything to give it that. So we’ll keep preparing like that’s in the plans. But as far as getting ahead of myself and trying to do things out of the ordinary, that’s not really … it’s kind of out of my control, I would say. So [we’ve] just got to go one game at a time, one win at a time.”
- Even with added rest and recovery time, Jalen Suggs is still not 100 percent. Head coach Jamahl Mosley told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) on Tuesday that the Magic guard was “able to go through running portions of practice but no contact still.” Suggs missed the last nine games before the All-Star break due to a left quad contusion.
- Expect better results from Paolo Banchero after the All-Star break, Beede opines as he examines five storylines to watch for the remainder of the Magic‘s season. After missing 34 games due to a torn right abdominal muscle, Banchero has averaged 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.4 turnovers per game while shooting 28.9% from 3-point range over the past 18 contests. Banchero said his main issue after recovering from the injury was getting back into top shape to play with the same energy and effort on a nightly basis.
- The Knicks got good grades on their midseason report card. The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy gives Josh Hart an A-plus, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns earning As.
And-Ones: Award Eligibility, Towns, Vincent, Brown, WNBA, Dunk Contest
A key requirement for NBA postseason awards is 65 games played and 20 or more minutes per game, though there are some exceptions to the rule. According to Clippers reporter Justin Russo (Twitter link), a majority of the players in the league will fall short of that baseline.
There are 524 players currently in the NBA and only 148 remain eligible, according to Russo. Among the current eligible players, only 108 are on pace to play 65 games. Russo provides a comprehensive spreadsheet on the eligibility of players throughout the league.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Lakers guard Gabe Vincent were elected by the Players Association’s Board of Representatives as vice presidents on the NBPA Executive Committee, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Additionally, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was reelected as a VP.
- Cleveland is likely to be awarded the next WNBA franchise, Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal reports. The new franchise will begin play in 2028. Multiple sources told Friend that Cleveland’s approximate bid was a league record $250MM. An official announcement is expected no later than March. The WNBA is also considering scrapping its original plan of adding one team and could award one or two more franchises to bring its league total to 18 clubs. Philadelphia, Houston, Nashville, Detroit and Miami are the other cities in the running for a franchise.
- Mac McClung‘s three straight triumphs in the annual Dunk Contest on All-Star weekend proves that the event doesn’t need star power, Jason Jones of The Athletic opines. Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed some interest on social media of participating in next year’s competition but Jones argues that it’s more important to have entrants who are passionate about the art of dunking and performing on a grand stage.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics All-Star Bid, Claxton, Russell, Watford, Dadiet
The Celtics’ bid for an All-Star Game remains under consideration even though the team is up for sale, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports.
The All-Star Game hasn’t been held in Boston since 1964. The Celtics’ bid had been put on hold as the league determines other scheduling commitments, Washburn adds.
With the refurbishing of Boston’s TD Garden and the construction of additional hotels over the past several years, commissioner Adam Silver has previously stated that the city would be an ideal candidate for a future All-Star weekend.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Nic Claxton has reestablished himself as the Nets’ defensive anchor in recent weeks, Andrew Crane of the New York Post writes. After averaging 1.1 blocks per game in his first 40 games this season, Claxton has swatted an average of 3.1 attempts in the last seven contests, including a five-block night against Philadelphia. Claxton is in the first year of a four-year, $97MM contract.
- Following the departure of Ben Simmons via a buyout, Brian Lewis of the New York Post anticipates that D’Angelo Russell and Trendon Watford will soak up more minutes. After missing six weeks due to hamstring injury, Watford returned on January 29. He has averaged in 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes per game this month for the Nets.
- Knicks rookie Pacome Dadiet has renewed his Ivorian citizenship, according to Basketnews.com. That could pave the way for Dadiet to play for Ivory Coast in international competitions. Dadiet has represented France at various youth international levels. Dadiet, a late first-round selection, has appeared in 13 games this season.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Brunson, 3-Point Contest
All-Star Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is in the midst of perhaps his best season yet. The sharpshooting big man spoke with Stefan Bondy of The New York Post about how he’s adjusted over the past few months after being dealt from Minnesota to New York.
“Of course, you always want better,” Towns said. “But I’m just happy that I was able to implement myself into the team and that it resulted in winning. You guys were telling me the stats of having the best record going into the All-Star break since [the Knicks’ last championship season in 1973]. Hopefully, history coincides with that and brings a ring with it.”
The team is currently 36-18 on the year, just 2.5 games behind the No. 2-seeded Celtics.
Towns has meshed well with fellow All-Star Jalen Brunson, and is happy to serve as the Knicks’ second option behind Brunson, who was named the team’s captain in August. Of course, Towns is still averaging 24.7 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per night, so the Kentucky alum is doing just fine.
“I didn’t come over to be a distraction or disrupt the flow or be on an ego trip or anything,” Towns said. “And I came to amplify them and amplify Cap’. You can’t win a championship by yourself. You need everybody. And I’m just happy we have a team full of guys who are willing to sacrifice and look at the big picture and do what it takes to bring the city wins every single night, and hopefully it results in a chip.”
There’s more out of New York:
- Brunson remains that rarest of things: a humble All-Star. According to Steve Popper of Newsday, Brunson credits his humility to his immediate friends and family. “I have a decent circle who keeps me humble,” Brunson told Popper. “So no. I think my mindset stays the same where I just want to get better. I know there’s a lot more for me to achieve. I want to win. “All the individual stuff is great. I’m really thankful. It’s goals of mine, of course, but the main thing is for me to win. That’s what I focus on. When I focus on that, the individual stuff comes. But my main focus is just winning. It’s always been that way.”
- Despite a hot start, Brunson faded at the end of the first round of All-Star weekend’s three-point contest on Saturday and ultimately didn’t advance. Still looking for his first win in the event, Brunson is open to potentially returning for a third appearance in a future seasons, writes Bondy in another article. The 6’2″ vet is nailing 39.7% of his 5.8 three-point attempts per game this season. He was looking to become the first Knicks player – and the first southpaw – to win the contest. “I’ll leave that door open,” Brunson said of returning for future shootouts.
- In case you missed it, we recently took a closer look at New York’s hard cap situation, detailing when the team will be able to add a 15th man.
Hard Cap Details For Mavs, Warriors, Knicks, Lakers
While 24 of 30 NBA teams are hard-capped at either the first or second tax apron as a result of one or more roster moves they made this season, the hard cap shouldn’t be an issue for the majority of those 24 teams.
Now that the trade deadline has passed, clubs will generally only be increasing their payrolls with 10-day deals or minor free agent signings, and most teams have more than enough breathing room below their hard caps to comfortably accommodate those moves.
There are a few exceptions though, so we’ll take a closer look in the space below at four teams whose hard caps will – or could – come into play down the stretch.
Before we dive into those specific situations, let’s provide some context: The cap hit for a full-season veteran’s minimum contract for 2024/25 is $2,087,519, which means those deals cost a team $11,997 per day over the course of the 174 days in the regular season. That amount is prorated based on how many days are left in the season — a minimum contract signed with 20 days remaining in the season, for example, would count for $239,945 against the cap.
In the space below, we’ll be referring to how many “days” of minimum deals each team can accommodate. For instance, a team that’s $100K away from its hard cap would be able to squeeze in eight days of a veteran minimum contract (which works out to $95,978), but not nine days (which would be $107,975). That club couldn’t sign a player to a minimum-salary contract until there are just eight days left in the season.
The cap hit for a rookie or a player with one year of NBA service comes in a little lower than the veteran’s minimum, but if the player is a free agent, it still counts as if it’s a veteran’s minimum deal for tax and apron purposes due to the tax variance rule. So a team up against a hard cap won’t be able to sign a rookie free agent any earlier than it could sign a veteran free agent.
The one exception is if the team holds the draft rights to the player — for instance, when the Knicks converted Ariel Hukporti from his two-way contract to a standard NBA deal back in November after drafting him 58th overall last June, Hukporti’s rookie minimum cap hit was equivalent to his tax and apron charge, since he wasn’t signed as a free agent. If one of the teams we’re examining below has the option to take this route, we’ll make note of it.
Let’s dive in…
Dallas Mavericks
- Open roster spots: 1
- Room below hard cap: $171,120
- Veteran minimum days available: 14 ($167,961)
The Mavericks currently have four injured big men (Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and Dwight Powell) and would likely welcome the opportunity to sign a free agent center using their open 15-man roster spot. However, their hard cap restrictions seriously complicate matters.
Since they can only accommodate 14 more days of a veteran minimum salary for the rest of the season, the Mavericks essentially have two options:
- Wait until March 31 to sign a free agent.
- Sign a free agent to a 10-day contract at any time, then wait until April 10 to either re-sign that player or add a new free agent.
If they had a good candidate among their draft-rights-held players to fill that 15th roster spot, the Mavericks could accommodate a rookie minimum deal for up to 25 days.
But none of their two-way players fit the bill, and their only draft-and-stash possibility is 20-year-old forward Melvin Ajinca, who is currently playing for ASVEL in France. Bringing Ajinca stateside isn’t a practical solution, so they’ll have to stay patient.
Golden State Warriors
- Open roster spots: 3
- Room below hard cap: $1,372,306
- Veteran minimum days available: 114 ($1,367,685)
On the surface, the Warriors’ restrictions don’t look too bad — 114 days is a lot!
But Golden State is currently carrying just 12 players on standard contracts and must get back to 14 by February 20, since teams can dip below that roster minimum for no more than two weeks at a time (or 28 total days in a season).
A rest-of-season contract signed on Feb. 20 would cover 53 days, which means two rest-of-season deals would total 106 days. If the Warriors go that route, they wouldn’t be able to squeeze in a 15th man until there are just eight days left in the season.
It sounds like the Warriors are more likely to sign a pair of players to 10-day contracts on Feb. 20 — they’ve already reportedly reached a 10-day deal with G League standout Kevin Knox, and I expect a similar agreement with a second player will be reported in the coming days.
Those 10-day contracts would eat up 20 of the club’s remaining 114 days (leaving 94) and would allow Golden State to go another two weeks from March 2-15 with fewer than 14 players under contract. At that point, there would be just 29 days left in the season, so the Warriors could fill all three of their remaining roster spots and stay below the hard cap.
There are other variations in play for the Warriors here. For instance, if they sign a pair of players to back-to-back 10-day contracts on Feb. 20 and Mar. 2, they could dip back down to 12 players for the second half of March before filling their remaining three roster openings with just a couple weeks left in the season. Of course, there’s also no obligation for them to fill that 15th roster spot as soon as they’re eligible to.
It looks like the Warriors will have to go the free agent route. Their two-way players were signed as undrafted free agents and they have no good candidates among their draft-and-stash players to sign to rookie minimum deals unless they want to try to get 2020 second-rounder Justinian Jessup out of his contract in Germany. I don’t see that happening.
New York Knicks
- Open roster spots: 1
- Room below hard cap: $540,127
- Veteran minimum days available: 45 ($539,876)
The Knicks have been unable to sign a 15th man for much of the season and a relatively quiet trade deadline didn’t materially change their situation. The one minor change? Having reduced their team salary by $4,825 in their Jericho Sims/Delon Wright swap, the Knicks can now sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract on February 28 rather than March 1.
Ten-day signings are also a possibility for New York if the team wants to bring in someone before Feb. 28 or doesn’t want to make a full-season commitment as soon as it legally can.
The Knicks also hold the draft rights to more than a dozen international players and could promote two-way player Kevin McCullar to the 15-man roster on a rookie minimum deal as soon as today, if they want to. But I expect they’ll be looking to add a 15th man who can actually help the team down the stretch or in the playoffs, which means targeting an NBA veteran rather than a rookie.
T.J. Warren, who was with the Knicks in camp in the fall and is putting up big scoring numbers for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, looks like the top candidate to eventually become New York’s 15th man.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Open roster spots: 0
- Room below hard cap: $893,647
- Veteran minimum days available: 74 ($887,795)
Unlike the three teams listed above, the Lakers don’t have an open roster spot to fill and don’t need to wait at all to make another veteran free agent signing. Still, I’m including them here because they’re the only other team within $1MM of a hard cap and there’s a chance they’ll consider another roster move.
For instance, if the Lakers want to bring in another free agent center and waive one of their current players (likely Cam Reddish) next Wednesday, before their post-All-Star schedule begins, a veteran minimum deal would cover 54 days and would carry a cap hit of $647,851. That would leave the team just $245,796 (or 20 days) shy of its hard cap.
Note: Data from Sports Business Classroom was used to confirm team salaries.