Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

“Strong Optimism” Anthony Edwards Could Return Sunday

March 25th, 2023 at 1:03pm CST by Rory Maher

There’s “strong optimism” that guard/forward Anthony Edwards could return to the Timberwolves‘ lineup for Sunday’s game at Golden State, sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Edwards has missed the past three games — his first absences of the season — after spraining his right ankle last week against Chicago. He sustained the injury in the first quarter when he landed awkwardly and rolled his ankle following a cross-court jump pass.

The former No. 1 overall pick had scored eight points in eight minutes in the game, which the Wolves went on to lose without him. They have gone 2-1 in the subsequent three games to currently hold a 37-37 record, making them the No. 7 seed in the West.

While the injury certainly looked bad at the time, Edwards has been listed as questionable before being ruled out in each of the past three contests, indicating the sprain wasn’t as serious as it could have been.

A first-time All-Star in 2022/23, Edwards is Minnesota’s leading scorer, averaging career highs in points (24.7), rebounds (5.9), assists (4.4) and steals (1.6) per game. He has posted .461/.371/.767 shooting splits through 71 games (36.0 minutes).

Houston’s Jarace Walker Plans To Enter 2023 NBA Draft

March 24th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Rory Maher

After being eliminated by Miami in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, Houston forward Jarace Walker told reporters that he plans to enter the 2023 NBA Draft, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link).

In 36 games (27.6 MPG) with the Cougars in 2022/23, the 6’8″ freshman averaged 11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG on .465/.347/.663 shooting. Walker is currently the No. 6 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list.

While Walker’s individual stats don’t jump off the page, he is considered one of the best defenders in the 2023 class, which is why he’s a potential top-five pick.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony recently praised Walker for his ability to protect the rim and stand tall against big men in the post while also switching onto perimeter players and drawing charges.

Luka Doncic Fined $35K By NBA

March 24th, 2023 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been hit with a $35K fine for “directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” toward a referee during the closing seconds of the team’s loss to Golden State on Wednesday, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Doncic was seen rubbing his fingers together in an apparent money signal aimed at the officiating crew (Twitter video link).

The incident occurred at the conclusion of a game that the Mavericks protested due to a controversial call that occurred in the third quarter. The Warriors, who essentially got a free basket on the play in question, ended up winning the game by two points.

While that third quarter call was the big story after the game, it’s unclear whether Doncic’s gesture was referencing that play or was a culmination of his frustration with the officiating all night. Seconds earlier, he missed a layup attempt and didn’t get the foul call he seemed to be seeking (Twitter video link).

It comes as no surprise that Doncic was fined for his actions, though it’s interesting that he faces a more significant penalty than the one given to Fred VanVleet, who lambasted game officials and singled out one referee in particular (Ben Taylor) during a postgame press conference. VanVleet was fined $30K for his comments.

Magic Sign Jay Scrubb To Two-Way Contract

March 24th, 2023 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

10:56am: The Magic have officially signed Scrubb, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). According to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), Scrubb’s two-way deal covers two seasons, running through 2023/24.

8:15am: The Magic have agreed to sign guard Jay Scrubb to a two-way contract, agent Corey Marcum tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

The 55th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Scrubb spent his first two professional seasons on a two-way contract with the Clippers. He appeared in just 22 games at the NBA level during that time, averaging 3.8 PPG on .390/.267/.800 shooting in 9.3 minutes per night.

After being waived by the Clippers during the 2022 offseason, Scrubb signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Magic in October. He didn’t make Orlando’s regular season roster, but became an affiliate player for the Lakeland Magic, the team’s G League affiliate.

Scrubb has had a big year in Lakeland, averaging 22.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 26 regular season NBAGL contests (31.0 MPG). He was even better in the Showcase Cup in the fall, putting up 24.6 PPG with a .505/.350/.768 shooting line in 17 appearances (32.8 MPG). The 22-year-old’s production in the G League has earned him a late-season look on a two-way deal.

The Magic have been sitting on an open two-way slot since promoting Admiral Schofield to their standard roster over a month ago, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Scrubb. Orlando had been one of three NBA clubs with an open two-way slot — Charlotte and Phoenix are now the only teams left in that group.

Rockets Sign D.J. Augustin For Rest Of Season

March 23rd, 2023 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 23: The Rockets have officially signed Augustin for the remainder of the season, the team announced today (via Twitter).

MARCH 22: The Rockets are signing free agent point guard D.J. Augustin for the rest of the season, agent Raymond Brothers tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). It will be a minimum-salary contract, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

It will be Augustin’s second stint with the Rockets. He was acquired by Houston in a March 2021 trade and spent nearly a year with the organization before being waived in February 2022 at the trade deadline. He finished last season with the Lakers, but has been out of the NBA so far in 2022/23.

A reliable backup point guard for much of his career, Augustin has averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists per game in 976 career regular season appearances (23.4 MPG). At age 35, he may not have a whole lot left in the tank, but the Rockets are presumably adding him to their roster to serve as a veteran mentor for their young players rather than expecting him to play big minutes down the stretch.

The Rockets have two openings on their standard 15-man roster, so no corresponding moves will be necessary to make room for Augustin.

In fact, since it has nearly been two weeks since Willie Cauley-Stein‘s 10-day contract with Houston expired, the team was just about due for a mandatory roster move in order to get back to the NBA minimum of 14 players on standard contracts. Teams can only dip below that minimum for up to two weeks at a time.

Augustin’s exact rest-of-season salary will depend on when he officially signs his contract, but he’ll earn $16,700 per day.

Optimism LeBron James Could Return Before Regular Season Ends

March 23rd, 2023 at 1:48pm CST by Rory Maher

1:48pm: James sent out a tweet saying he was not reevaluated today and there’s no target date for his return. He added that he’s “working around the clock” to give himself the “best chance of coming back full strength,” whenever that might be. However, he did not dispute that he was optimistic about returning before the regular season ends.

12:46pm: The Lakers announced on Thursday that LeBron James has started on-court work, but there’s no specific timeline for his return (Twitter link via Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times).

However, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, and Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (All Twitter links), James is optimistic he could return in the final week of the regular season and play a few games. Head coach Darvin Ham previously said the Lakers expected James to return before the season ended.

As Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group notes (via Twitter), the Lakers play at Houston and at the Clippers on April 4 and 5, followed by home games against the Suns and Jazz on April 7 and 9. Goon believes the final three games are logic target dates for James, as they’re all in Los Angeles.

James last played on February 26 against Dallas after sustaining a foot injury. On March 2, he was diagnosed with a tendon injury in his right foot and was scheduled to be reevaluated in three weeks, hence today’s update.

Bolstered by trade deadline additions and strong play from Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, among others, the Lakers have gone 7-5 since James went down with the injury. They’re currently 36-37, the No. 10 seed in the West, but the standings remain extremely tight — only one game separates the Nos. 7-12 seeds.

Getting the team’s leading scorer, second-leading rebounder and top assist man back would obviously be beneficial for the Lakers in their effort to make the playoffs. James, 38, has been limited to 47 games this season, but continues to play at a very high level, averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 36.1 minutes per night

Pistons Sign Eugene Omoruyi

March 23rd, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons have signed second-year forward Eugene Omoruyi to a contract that covers at least the rest of the 2022/23 season, the team announced.

The 26-year-old just completed his second 10-day deal with Detroit, and the Pistons decided to keep him around. Head coach Dwane Casey and center James Wiseman praised Omoruyi for his drive, energy and defense in recent weeks.

The former Oregon standout was on a two-way contract with the Thunder earlier this season until being promoted to Oklahoma City’s standard roster after last month’s trade deadline. However, he was cut in late February in order to make room for Lindy Waters on OKC’s 15-man squad.

Omoruyi appeared in 23 games with the Thunder, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds on .468/.258/.607 shooting in 11.8 minutes per night. In 10 games with the Pistons, he’s averaging 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds on .455/.231/.750 shooting in 21.3 minutes per contest.

We’ll have to wait for more details to see whether Omoruyi’s new contract only covers the rest of the season or is a multiyear deal. Either way, the Pistons had a roster opening after his second 10-day contract expired, so they didn’t have to release anyone to bring him back.

Mavericks To Protest Loss To Warriors

March 22nd, 2023 at 9:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks plan to file an official protest with the league office after tonight’s 127-125 loss to the Warriors, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The protest is in response to an alleged officiating error late in the third quarter that led to an uncontested basket for Golden State (video link from The Athletic). All five Dallas players were on the opposite side of the court as the Warriors inbounded the ball, resulting in an easy dunk for Kevon Looney.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban provided an explanation of the play (via Twitter), claiming the referees informed his team that it would have the ball after a stoppage in play.

“For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened,” Cuban wrote. “The ref called Mavs ball. The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout. During the time out the official changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up as if it were our ball, he just gave the ball to the Warriors. Never said a word to us. They got an easy basketball. Crazy that it would matter in a 2 point game. Worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA. All they had to do was tell us and they didn’t.”

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also addressed the play in his post-game press conference, claiming that officials didn’t handle the situation properly (Twitter link from Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News).

“If there’s confusion, it’s easy to just come in and blow the whistle and get us restarted,” Kidd said. “Because it was confusion. Understanding that we thought it was our ball, the referee pointed towards our bench. That was the signal of the timeout, but there was confusion on the play before it even started with whose ball it was because he pointed, I thought, to us first. Then he changed it and then went to a timeout, and pointed to us.”

In a tweet from the league, crew chief Sean Wright explained why officials handled the play the way they did.

“Initially on the floor the original signal was in fact Golden State ball as this can be seen on video,” Wright said. “There is a second signal but that signal is for a mandatory timeout that was due to the Mavs.”

Under NBA rules, notice of the protest must be submitted to the commissioner’s office within 48 hours of the end of the game. Both teams will have five days to submit evidence to the NBA after the protest is filed, and commissioner Adam Silver will then have an additional five days to make a ruling.

No team has been successful in protesting a game since 2008, notes NBA writer Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Hornets Sign Nick Richards To Three-Year Extension

March 22nd, 2023 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:32pm: The extension is official, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).

6:14pm: Nick Richards has agreed to a three-year, $15MM extension with the Hornets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal was confirmed by Richards’ agents, Javon Phillips and Jared Mucha of Excel Basketball, Wojnarowski adds.

The 25-year-old center has established himself as a member of Charlotte’s rotation in his third NBA season by averaging 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.3% from the field.

He has appeared in 58 of the team’s 73 contests, making five starts and playing 18.2 minutes per night. He’s coming off a career high 17-rebound performance Monday against the Pacers.

Richards has seen up an uptick in playing time since Charlotte sent Mason Plumlee to the Clippers in a trade deadline deal. He has even entered the Hornets’ starting lineup as of late, making his first five starts of the season since March 11.

The Hornets acquired Richards from New Orleans in a draft night trade after he was selected with the 42nd pick in 2020. He appeared in just 18 games as a rookie, spending much of the season in the G League, and played 50 games last season.

Richards, who is making $1.78MM this season, was nearing the end of his three-year contract, so the extension will prevent him from entering free agency this summer.

All three of the Hornets’ young centers are now under contract for multiple seasons. Kai Jones‘ rookie deal runs through 2025, while Mark Williams‘ expires in 2026.

Karl-Anthony Towns To Return On Wednesday

March 22nd, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

5:46pm: Coach Chris Finch confirms that Towns will play tonight with “some sort of limitations” on his minutes, tweets Timberwolves writer Dane Moore. Finch added that he had “no update” on Edwards’ status, which will likely be determined during warmups.

10:32am: Barring a setback in pregame warmups, Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns will return on Wednesday from a calf injury that has sidelined him for the last 51 games, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). Speaking to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Towns confirmed the news.

“I’m super excited to get back out on the court and help my team because these next nine games are super important,” he said.

Charania first reported yesterday that Towns could be cleared to play on Wednesday vs. the Hawks. He also stated that Anthony Edwards (ankle sprain) might make his return against Atlanta, but Edwards’ status remains unclear. Both Towns and Edwards were listed by the Wolves as questionable for Wednesday’s contest.

Towns injured his calf on November 28 and reporting around the time of his injury suggested he would miss about four-to-six weeks. However, his recovery process has extended well beyond that, with the 27-year-old indicating this week that he experienced a “major setback” in January that essentially reset his rehab.

Towns was still adjusting to playing in the frontcourt alongside newcomer Rudy Gobert when he went down. His scoring average (20.8 PPG), rebounding rate (8.2 RPG), and three-point percentage (32.5%) were all career worsts or close to it, though he was still making 50.5% of his shots from the field and was thriving as a facilitator, with a career-best 5.3 assists per game.

With just nine games left in the season and the 36-37 Wolves in the midst of a tight playoff race (they currently hold the No. 9 seed in the West), Towns will have to get back up to speed quickly. He told Shelburne that he doesn’t expect to face major minute or role restrictions upon returning.

“I’m just trying to pick up where I left off,” Towns said. “I was telling my dad right before I got hurt, I felt the most complete as a player in my career. From defensive end, from offensive end, from a mental aspect, leadership aspect … I felt very complete.”

Following Wednesday’s matchup vs. Atlanta, the Wolves will finish the season with seven of their last eight contests against Western Conference teams, including a three-game road set in Golden State, Sacramento, and Phoenix starting this Sunday. They also have home games against the Lakers, Trail Blazers, and Pelicans on tap before the end of the regular season.