Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns’ Devin Booker: “Frustration Level’s High”

January 1st, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past five games with a left groin strain, star guard Devin Booker returned to action on Tuesday vs. Memphis, recording 16 points, four rebounds, nine assists and a steal in 30 minutes. However, he went just 4-of-20 from the field as the Suns dropped their third straight game.

While Booker expressed confidence that he’ll soon return to his normal form, he admitted that the team is very frustrated with its recent play — after starting the season with a 9-2 record, the Suns have gone just 6-15 since, and are currently 15-17, the No. 11 seed in the West.

“Frustration level’s high,” Booker said (Twitter video links via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). “We’re all competitors in here, and we realize these games are gonna cost us in the end of the season. …We wanna gain some ground, get up out of the play-in position and just win every possible game.”

“We have guys that have won at a high level, that have high expectations, high standards,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said, per Bourguet (Twitter video link). “…We gotta find ways to get better, so these are not easy times. But our guys will find a way through it, and we’ll find a way through it together.”

Kevin Durant, who finished with 29 points (on 11-of-19 shooting), 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks in 39 minutes, said he needed to play better for the team to find success, according to Bourguet (Twitter video link).

“I feel like I can do so much out there, I just feel like I gotta be better,” Durant said. “And I feel like every player in the locker room got that same mentality. So we all look in the mirror, we’ll be a better team.”

As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, on the night Booker returned, Phoenix lost Bradley Beal to a hip contusion of unknown severity. And Grayson Allen, who was probable entering Tuesday’s contest after missing the previous four games while in the NBA’s concussion protocol, was unable to suit up due to a shoulder injury he sustained in Monday’s practice. Veteran forward Royce O’Neale is also out at least 10 days with a left ankle sprain.

NBA Suspends Amen Thompson Two Games, Terry Rozier One Game

December 31st, 2024 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets swingman Amen Thompson has been suspended for two games, while Heat guard Terry Rozier has received a one-game suspension, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Thompson and Rozier are being suspended for the roles they played in the on-court altercation that occurred during the final minute of the Heat/Rockets game in Houston on Sunday. In addition to the suspensions, the league announced that Rockets guard Jalen Green has been fined $35K and Heat guard Tyler Herro has been fined $25K for their involvement in the fracas.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has received a $50K fine for verbal abuse of a referee and not leaving the court in a timely manner after being ejected.

Additionally, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $35K for making “reckless” contact with official Marc Davis. That incident occurred moments before the altercation that led to the other penalties.

With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in Sunday’s game, Herro and Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link). Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Rozier tackling Thompson as Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.

Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Udoka and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Sullivan is the only one of those ejected who wasn’t fined or suspended today.

Tensions were already running high leading up to the melee, as VanVleet was tossed from the game after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).

VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.

The suspension will keep Thompson out of action for Wednesday’s game vs. Dallas and Friday’s contest vs. Boston. It will also cost him $127,586, which is 2/145ths of his $9,249,960 full-season salary, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Rozier, who will have to sit out Wednesday’s game vs. New Orleans, will forfeit $143,242, which is 1/174th of his $24,924,126 salary.

Jimmy Butler Rejoins Heat, Addresses Trade Rumors

December 31st, 2024 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing two games due to an illness and three due to return-to-competition reconditioning, Heat forward Jimmy Butler rejoined the team on Tuesday, participating in practice and telling reporters that he’ll play in Wednesday’s game vs. New Orleans.

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays, Butler also spoke to the media about last week’s ESPN report suggesting that he prefers to be traded out of Miami. Heat president Pat Riley announced a day after that report that the club wouldn’t be trading its star forward.

“Does it matter?” Butler said today when asked if he prefers a trade. “I honestly do not care about getting traded, where I’m supposed to go, who’s saying what…. All of that is out of my control anyway.”

Reporters in Miami posed a series of questions related to Butler’s future, including whether he’d be content if he’s not traded this season, whether it’s in his and the Heat’s best interests to have an amicable divorce in the summer of 2025, and whether he wants to be in Miami. In each case, he began his answer by saying, “I don’t know.”

The 35-year-old also said he’s “happy” and “in a good space,” adding that he’ll defer to Riley on roster decisions.

“Right now, I’m here and I’m to make the most of it,” Butler said. “I am going to compete and I’m going to win. It’s a lot of talk, a lot of noise, which I’m cool with. It doesn’t bother me at all. I love that. I thrive at it. It keeps you all wondering, the world wondering. It’s good to be talked about. Even better to be wanted.”

Asked if he and/or his agent have talked to Riley, Butler offered no comment, simply replying, “Next.”

While Butler’s remarks suggest he doesn’t intend to take the scorched-earth route he did six years ago in Minnesota to force a trade, he also passed on the opportunity to put the issue to bed, offering vague responses and not outright denying that he prefers a trade. Despite Riley’s statement last Thursday about not trading Butler, this still looks like a situation worth keeping an eye on as the February 6 trade deadline nears.

In addition to addressing the trade rumors, Butler also spoke about his five-game absence, explaining that he was “pretty messed up” as a result of a bad stomach illness, but that he’s feeling better now and looking forward to getting back on the court. It’s possible Miami will be down a player or two as a result of Sunday’s altercation vs. the Rockets – the NBA has yet to announce suspensions and/or fines – so Butler’s return should be a welcome one.

LeBron James Plans To Retire As Laker

December 30th, 2024 at 8:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James said on his 40th birthday that he plans to retire with the Lakers, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“I think that’s the plan,” James told a swarm of reporters on Monday. “I would love for it to end here. That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I’m also not silly or too jaded to know the business of the game as well, to know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. And hopefully, I don’t got to go nowhere before my career is over.”

James is in his seventh season as a Laker. He signed a two-year, $101.4MM contract with a no-trade clause during the offseason but could become a free agent again in the summer. He holds a $52.6MM player option.

No one his age in league history has posted the kind of numbers he has this season. He’s averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists in 35 minutes per game while appearing in 28 of 31 Lakers contests so far.

“If I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it’s weird that I might say this — but probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to,” James said. “But I’m not going to do that.”

When will James retire? If he has a notion, he didn’t reveal it on Monday. He did declare that once he leaves the game, he’ll resist the urge to make a comeback.

“I would miss the hell out of (basketball), for sure,” James said. “But no, I won’t walk away and come back.”

Ja Morant ‘Week To Week’ With Shoulder Injury

December 30th, 2024 at 7:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant will miss multiple games due to another shoulder injury. Morant has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder and is considered week-to-week, according to a team press release.

Morant, who suffered the injury against the Pelicans on Friday, underwent season-ending surgery in January to repair a labral tear in the same shoulder.

Morant has flashed All-Star form in his return this season, averaging 21.2 points, 7.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game. He has appeared in 20 of the team’s 33 contests, missing eight consecutive games in November due to a posterior hip subluxation.

The latest injury will likely prevent Morant from making any All-NBA teams this season. Players are required to appear in 65 games to be considered for major awards.

Morant was limited to nine games last season due to a league suspension and then the shoulder injury.

Another prominent Memphis guard, Marcus Smart, is dealing with a finger injury and is expected to miss at least a couple weeks of action.

With Morant and Smart sidelined, Scotty Pippen Jr. will join Desmond Bane in the starting backcourt. Luke Kennard and two-way rookie Cam Spencer are the top options off the bench.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Maxey Named Players Of The Week

December 30th, 2024 at 2:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the NBA’s Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has won the award for the East, the league announced today (via Twitter).

Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished runner-up for last season’s MVP award, continued his excellent play during the 2024/25 campaign over the past week. In victories over Washington, Indiana, Charlotte and Memphis, he averaged an eye-popping stat line of 35.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.5 blocks in 33.6 minutes per game on .630/.409/.970 shooting.

The Thunder, who are off to their best start in franchise history, are currently 26-5, the No. 1 seed in the West. Canadian star Gilgeous-Alexander has yet to miss a game this season.

Maxey put up stellar numbers himself in victories over San Antonio, Boston and Utah, averaging 32.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.7 steals on .465/.394/.857 shooting in his three appearances (40.7 minutes).

After opening the season with an abysmal 3-14 record, Philadelphia has been gradually climbing up the standings, having won nine of its past 12 games, including three straight. The 76ers are currently, 12-17, the No. 11 seed in the East, a half-game back of No. 9 Chicago.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Kyrie Irving, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, Julius Randle, Austin Reaves and Shaedon Sharpe. Maxey beat out Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Tyler Herro, De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell to claim the East’s award.

Heat/Rockets Altercation Likely To Result In Suspensions, Fines

December 30th, 2024 at 7:03am CST by Luke Adams

An on-court altercation broke out during the final minute of Sunday’s Heat/Rockets game, resulting in several ejections that will likely to lead to suspensions and/or fines for the players involved.

With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in the game, Heat guard Tyler Herro and Rockets guard Amen Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link).

Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Heat guard Terry Rozier tackling Thompson as Rockets guard Jalen Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.

Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and assistant Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Crew chief Marc Davis explained the decision after the game to pool reporter Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

“During the dead ball, Thompsons grabs the jersey and body slams Herro,” Davis said. “Herro responds and they are both ejected for fighting fouls. Green is ejected as his actions escalated the altercation. Rozier as well is ejected as his actions were escalators to the altercation. Coach Sullivan is assessed a technical foul and ejected for his unsportsmanlike comments directed at me as I was attempting to redirect (Alperen) Sengun.”

Tensions were already running high leading up to the play, as Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was tossed from the game moments earlier after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).

VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.

Naji Marshall (four games), Jusuf Nurkic (three games), and P.J. Washington (one game) received suspensions on Saturday for their roles in an incident involving the Mavericks and Suns in Friday’s game, so it would be a surprise if similar penalties aren’t handed out in response to this latest skirmish.

Thompson seems likely to face the most significant punishment from the league, with Rozier and Green at risk of possible suspensions as well. It’s unclear how the NBA will view Herro’s role, given that he didn’t reenter the fray after initially being thrown to the floor.

Although it took the NBA less than 24 hours to make its ruling after the Mavs/Suns altercation, that was at least partly because both teams were in the middle of back-to-back sets and the league wanted to announce suspensions prior to Saturday’s games. Neither the Heat nor the Rockets play until Wednesday, so the NBA may take a little more time to review this case.

Thompson didn’t speak to reporters after Sunday’s game, but Herro suggested with a smile during his post-game media session that his own big night (27 points, nine assists, six rebounds) led to Thompson’s frustration.

“Guess that’s what happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing,” Herro said (Twitter video link). “I’d get mad, too.”

Lakers Acquire Dorian Finney-Smith In Four-Player Deal

December 29th, 2024 at 3:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:33pm: The trade is official, according to press releases from both clubs.

11:20am: The Lakers will trade D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

The second-rounders heading to Brooklyn will be Los Angeles’ own selections in 2027, 2030 and 2031, sources tell Charania. The ’27 pick being conveyed to Brooklyn is contingent on the ’27 first-round pick (top-four protected) L.A. owes Utah, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), as the Lakers will send the Jazz their ’27 second-round pick if the ’27 first-rounder lands in the top four.

Finney-Smith had been one of the most sought-after three-and-D players on this year’s market and will bring versatility to a team that has been looking to improve its defense. He’s having one of the best shooting seasons of his career, connecting at 45.9% from the floor and 43.5% from three-point range while averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night through 20 games.

The 31-year-old forward is earning $14.9MM this season and has a $15.4MM player option for 2025/26 that he may be more likely to exercise if he’s part of a contending team in L.A. He could also decline the option in order to sign a longer-term deal with the Lakers or to test the free agent market.

Milton is signed through 2026/27, but only this season is guaranteed at $2.875MM. His salaries of $3MM for next season and $3.3MM for the following year won’t become fully guaranteed until the summer before each season.

Russell has an $18.7MM expiring contract, along with $700K in unlikely bonuses that will count toward the apron, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Lewis is making $1.9MM this year and has a $100K guarantee on his $2.2MM salary for 2025/26.

Russell spent time with Brooklyn early in his career and reportedly didn’t part on great terms when he was traded to Golden State in 2019. While he may be a buyout candidate, Russell’s $18MM+ salary would make him ineligible to join any team operating above either tax apron if he’s waived.

The Lakers were able to save some money in the deal and give themselves more flexibility under the second apron, Marks adds (Twitter links). They are currently within $30K of the second apron, but that number will rise to about $3.5MM once the deal is finalized and their projected tax bill will drop by about $11MM. Because they won’t have to aggregate their two outgoing salaries, the Lakers also still won’t be hard-capped at the second apron.

The trade will cost the Lakers three of the five second-round picks they had available to move, but they still have a pair of 2025 second-rounders, first-rounders in 2029 and 2031, and first-round pick swaps in 2026, 2028, and 2030 to offer in any future deals.

The Nets will continue their rebuilding process after sending Dennis Schröder to Golden State two weeks ago. They now project to have $65MM in cap space this summer, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), which gives them more ammunition to pursue high-level free agents and still re-sign Cam Thomas. Their cap room had previously been projected at around $50MM due to Finney-Smith’s player option.

Brooklyn will have 16 second-round picks and 15 first-rounders over the next seven years, Gozlan adds (Twitter link), giving them more draft equity than any other team. Taking on the extra salary leaves the Nets about $677K below the luxury tax for this season.

A report on Saturday night from Marc Stein indicated that the Nets and Grizzlies were actively involved in discussions that would send Finney-Smith to Memphis in exchange for a package centered around John Konchar and Luke Kennard.

The Grizzlies may have been willing to part with a first-round pick for Finney-Smith, but reportedly wanted to heavily protect that selection and sought second-round compensation in return. Stein states that the Lakers were able to top that offer by giving Brooklyn three second-round picks (Twitter link).

Mavericks Say Luka Doncic Will Be Reevaluated In One Month

December 28th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luka Doncic will be reevaluated in a month for a left calf strain he suffered during a Christmas Day game, the Mavericks announced in a press release, confirming a series of Friday reports.

Although there was no contact on the play, Doncic appeared to suffer the injury on a drive to the basket in the second quarter while being defended by Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels. Doncic underwent an MRI on Thursday and consulted with doctors to determine the best course for his recovery.

The left leg continues to be a problem area for Doncic, who has strained his left calf three times in recent years. He also missed the entire preseason with a left calf contusion and recently returned from a left heel contusion.

The Mavericks were impressive Friday night in their first game since Doncic’s injury, leading nearly the entire way in a 98-89 win over Phoenix.

“An injury is an injury,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s had a couple of them this year and we’ve played without him. Next man up mentality. That’s what we’re facing right now. Not just with Luka, but with Dereck Lively out. The depth of our team is being tested and those guys in the locker room are up for the test.”

Naji Marshall took Doncic’s place in the starting lineup on Friday, but he won’t be an option for a while. He was suspended for four games for an on-court altercation with Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic that continued in the locker room area.

The Mavericks have 16 games on their schedule over the next month, including tonight’s contest at Portland. Kidd plans to be careful about not overtaxing his starters to make up for Doncic’s absence.

“The big picture is always in focus,” he said. “Running (Kyrie Irving) up over 40 minutes, that puts us in a different situation. We have to lean on our leader here to help us, but that doesn’t mean running his minutes up to 40, 42 minutes as the final way to win. We believe we have other guys that can eat minutes and play at a high level. We’ll have that opportunity with Luka out.”

In a related matter, Kidd told reporters before tonight’s game that Doncic is “doing fine” after his house was broken into on Friday, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. Approximately $30K worth of jewelry was taken from the residence, but nobody was home at the time of the incident. It’s at least the sixth home invasion involving a professional athlete since September, Clark adds.

Kings Players React To Sudden Coaching Change

December 28th, 2024 at 7:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Interim Kings coach Doug Christie stressed the need for unity as he addressed the team following Friday’s surprise firing of Mike Brown, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Christie, who served as an assistant to Brown, will be in charge of trying to salvage a season that is spiraling out of control after an 0-5 homestand. Sacramento is 12th in West at 13-18 and needs a quick turnaround to climb back into the playoff race.

Christie spoke to his players before their flight departed Friday for tonight’s game against the Lakers and again at this morning’s shootaround, according to McMenamin.

“To come out and stick together, fight and just be us, be who we are and turn this thing around,” Domantas Sabonis said in sharing his new head coach’s message.

Malik Monk said “all the vibes were high” at the shootaround, as the team feels a renewed energy from the sudden coaching change. Sabonis exhibited that by arranging for his own travel to Los Angeles. He was considered questionable to play because of an illness that forced him to miss Thursday’s game, but he wanted to be there to display his commitment to Christie.

“I got here and went right onto the court,” Sabonis said. “We’re all focused on winning the game. But we obviously know we haven’t been performing at our best. And we have to do a better job. Me, as one of the leaders of the team, I got to make sure that that happens. We got to win all the games that we can.”

Brown appeared to have a long future in Sacramento after leading the team to the playoffs in 2023 and narrowly missing another playoff appearance in last season’s play-in tournament. He was rewarded with an offseason extension that runs through 2026/27 and gives him an extra $20MM in guaranteed money, but management quickly lost patience with the slow start. The offseason addition of DeMar DeRozan hasn’t work out as planned, and there was skepticism that the Kings could move up the standings with Brown in charge.

Sabonis and Monk expressed shock over the sudden move, while De’Aaron Fox told McMenamin that he was notified “a minute before everybody else.” Fox also pondered the players’ role in the coaching change when he was asked if he felt any “pressure or guilt” over Brown’s fate.

“Any pressure or guilt? I mean, obviously we all know the job that we have,” Fox responded. “You can be traded at any point. Released. Cut. Fired. Whatever it may be. I mean, I wouldn’t use the word ‘guilt.’ But that’s the nature of the job that we have. But I mean, obviously him signing his extension this summer, we felt like we would be together a whole lot longer but that’s the decision that they made. But at the end of the day, too, he’s still being paid. A great part of being an NBA player, being an NBA coach, is those things can happen, but these contracts are guaranteed.”

Although Brown’s dismissal seemed to come out of nowhere, there were already rumors about “waning confidence” from ownership even before he was given the extension, Jake Fischer states in his latest Substack story. Sources tell Fischer there were “internal disagreements” regarding the team’s starting lineup and the tradeoff in playing time between Keon Ellis and Kevin Huerter.

Fischer reported in 2022 that Mark Jackson was the preferred candidate of owner Vivek Ranadive before Brown was hired. Jackson was head coach of the Warriors when Ranadive became a minority owner of that team, and several NBA sources have told Fischer that Ranadive seems to prefer having a former player in that role. That may explain why Christie was chosen to run the team, although it’s not clear if there’s any commitment to him beyond the end of the season.