Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors’ Ryan Rollins To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

February 6th, 2023 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Ryan Rollins‘ rookie season is expected to come to an early end, according to the Warriors, who announced in a press release that the first-year guard is undergoing surgery to repair a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

The procedure, which is scheduled to take place this Wednesday, will likely keep Rollins sidelined for the remainder of the 2022/23 season, according to the team.

The 44th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Rollins appeared in just 12 games this season for the Warriors and played a very limited role, scoring 23 points in 62 total minutes.

Rollins averaged 18.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 3.6 APG for Toledo as a sophomore last season before declaring for the draft as an early entrant. Golden State sent $2MM in cash to Atlanta during the draft to move up from No. 51 to No. 44 to nab him.

However, Rollins’ rookie season got off to an ominous start when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot shortly after being drafted. The injury, which was discovered during a medical evaluation that was part of Rollins’ on-boarding process, affected the same bone that he’s now undergoing surgery on.

Rollins’ three-year contract with the Warriors includes a fully guaranteed minimum salary for 2023/24, so he’s on track to remain on the club’s roster for next season.

Devin Booker Expected To Return On Tuesday

February 6th, 2023 at 12:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns star Devin Booker is expected to return to action for Tuesday’s contest in Brooklyn, head coach Monty Williams told reporters, including Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that the shooting guard could return as soon as Tuesday, and barring any last-minute setbacks, it appears that will be the case.

Booker, a three-time All-Star, has been sidelined since Christmas Day due to a left groin strain, missing 21 consecutive games with the injury. The Suns were initially in a tailspin without their best player, losing nine of 11 games, but have righted the ship recently, winning eight of their past 10 contests.

Through 29 games (34.6 MPG), Booker is averaging 27.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 5.6 APG on .477/.370/.850 shooting. Phoenix is currently 29-26, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

Mavs Don’t Plan To Offer Irving In-Season Extension

February 5th, 2023 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kyrie Irving demanded a trade when he couldn’t reach an extension agreement with the Nets. Some may assume the Mavericks, who agreed to acquire Irving on Sunday, have given the temperamental star guard some assurances that they’d sign him beyond this season.

That would be a false assumption, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post. League sources told Stein that Dallas has not promised Irving a new contract, since the team wants to see how Irving will mesh with franchise player Luka Doncic before making a long-term commitment.

It’s an obvious risk for the Mavericks to take that approach, even though The Athletic reported that Irving now prefers to head into unrestricted free agency with the hope that his new team, which also gains his Bird rights, will sign him to a four-year, $198MM maximum salary deal.

Dallas is counting on Irving’s relationships with coach Jason Kidd and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, a former Nike executive, to facilitate a fruitful partnership. The Mavericks are also looking to make other moves with the aim of making a serious run at the title this season.

If the Irving gamble doesn’t pan out for Dallas, the club would have to strike gold in free agency to minimize the trade’s impact. The Mavs are giving up two solid rotation players in Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick. The Nets threw forward Markieff Morris into the deal.

Stein also offers up some other interesting tidbits:

The Mavericks initially attempted to send the Nets Christian Wood‘s expiring contract or one of their two burdensome long-term contracts — Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dāvis Bertāns. Wood, who is headed to free agency unless he signs an extension, could still be moved before the trade deadline.
A source suggests to Stein that one of the presumed objectives of Nets owner Joe Tsai was to not trade Irving to the Lakers — his preferred destination.
Doncic signed off on the deal, not only because he was intrigued by the prospects of playing with another star but also because he’ll no longer have to shoulder the offensive load.
As Stein previously reported, the Clippers have shown some interest in Wood, along with Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell, who is also on an expiring contract.

Suns Reportedly Offered Chris Paul, Jae Crowder For Kyrie Irving

February 5th, 2023 at 9:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns put together a trade offer for Kyrie Irving that included Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, along with draft capital, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Brooklyn also received an offer from the Lakers that included the only first-round picks left at their disposal — the ones in 2027 and 2029. Confirming a report that surfaced on Friday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that the Lakers offered the Nets a package of Russell Westbrook and the two first-round picks but the Nets also wanted all of their young players, including Austin Reaves and Max Christie.

Charania also provided more specifics on Phoenix’s offer. The Suns were willing to give up Paul, Crowder and one first-round pick. However, the Nets wanted three first-round picks in order to take that deal. The Suns never added those picks and ultimately lost interest in pursuing a trade.

The Nets ultimately decided to go with the Mavericks‘ offer of Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick with Markieff Morris also going to Dallas.

Despite Paul’s age, Phoenix’s willingness to give up its floor leader for the unpredictable Irving is an eye-opener. The Suns had a successful weekend, picking up victories in Boston and Detroit, and should get Devin Booker back soon from his groin injury.

However, Paul has battled heel and hip injuries that have led to questions about how his body will hold up throughout this season and the remainder of his contract. Paul is making $28.4MM this season and $30.8MM next season, though only $15.8MM is guaranteed. His $30MM salary in 2024/25 is not guaranteed.

Crowder has been sitting out all season, awaiting a trade.

Bamba, Rivers, Suggs Suspended For Fight

February 4th, 2023 at 9:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA has announced suspensions (via Twitter) for three players involved in an altercation during Friday night’s game between the Magic and Timberwolves.

Orlando center Mohamed Bamba was suspended for four games and Minnesota guard Austin Rivers received three games for their roles in the fight. Magic guard Jalen Suggs received a one-game suspension for escalating the incident, and Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels was fined $20K for running into the fray and pushing Bamba in the back.

All four players were given technical fouls and were ejected from the game. Minnesota’s Taurean Prince was also ejected, but he wasn’t disciplined by the league.

Bamba appeared to start the fight with a comment to Rivers after his missed three-pointer late in the third quarter. Rivers took exception and challenged Bamba on Orlando’s bench. Both players threw punches, although it looked like none of them connected. Suggs tackled Rivers, and McDaniels and Prince also got involved.

The NBA’s press release states that Bamba tried to “continue to engage with Rivers in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms where he also aggressively shoved a security representative,” which explains why he got the longest suspension.

Clippers Part Of Kyrie Irving Trade Talks

February 4th, 2023 at 7:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are among the teams that are active in trade negotiations for Nets guard Kyrie Irving, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

When Irving’s trade request was made public Friday, Wojnarowski listed the Lakers, Mavericks and Suns as the teams with the greatest interest in acquiring him. Sources tell Woj that the Clippers, who are in need of point guard help, should be added to that list.

Wojnarowski hears that Brooklyn is talking to a number of teams about Irving and appears determined to work out a deal before Thursday’s trade deadline. He adds that the Nets expect Kevin Durant to return soon from his MCL sprain and are focused on getting a return that will keep them in title contention.

Sources tell Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the Clippers made a “strong offer” to Brooklyn and that Tyronn Lue is interested in coaching Irving again after they spent time together in Cleveland.

Irving decided to seek a trade after being unhappy with an extension offer that Brooklyn presented to him last week. Wojnarowski’s sources say Irving wants a deal close to the maximum $198.5MM over four years that he’s eligible to receive. If he’s traded, he can sign a two-year extension with his new team worth up to $78.6MM through the end of June.

Wojnarowski cites a “strong mutual interest” between Irving and the Lakers that dates back to last summer when he was considering whether to pick up his option for the current season. Woj’s sources describe the Lakers as a “motivated suitor” for Irving and say LeBron James is “an immense proponent” of dealing for his former Cavaliers teammate.

Irving missed tonight’s game with right calf soreness, and there’s a chance he might not play for the Nets again if they’re serious about trading him away.

Clippers May Seek Buyout With John Wall If He’s Not Traded

February 4th, 2023 at 6:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are attempting to trade point guard John Wall and may consider a buyout if they can’t find a deal, multiple sources tell Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.

Wall, 32, signed with L.A. in July after reaching a buyout with Houston. His two-year contract includes a $6.479MM salary for this season and a $6.8MM team option for 2023/24.

After sitting out all of last season, Wall was playing fairly regularly before suffering an abdominal injury on January 13. He has missed the past 11 games, and Greif hears there are concerns about his fit with the Clippers for the remainder of the season.

Wall has averaged 11.4 points, 5.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 34 games, but he’s shooting just 40% from the field and 27% on pull-up jumpers. Wall also has a team-low minus-9.2 net rating, which measures the point differential between when he’s on the court and not.

Wall still doesn’t have a target date to return from his injury, although Greif notes that he was able to participate in a full-court scrimmage with coaches and some of his teammates this week. Wall wouldn’t comment directly on trade rumors, telling Greif that he’s concentrating on things he can control.

“This period for the whole league is interesting, trying to see if any trades happen, getting to see if teams stay healthy and stuff like that, so you kind of just all playing it by ear,” Wall said. “Kind of like, if you be here just try to figure out what your role is, and if you’re not here, then you got to try to find a new situation, like what the new situation might be and stuff like that. I’m just trying to focus on trying to get back and play. Just let everything else happen the way it’s going to happen.”

The Wall rumors come as the Clippers continue to search for point guard help before Thursday’s trade deadline. Greif identifies Toronto’s Fred VanVleet as the team’s number one target, and notes that Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have also been linked to L.A. in trade rumors. Greif doesn’t consider the Clippers to be a potential landing spot for Kyrie Irving, who submitted a trade request to the Nets on Friday.

Kyrie Irving Sitting Out First Game Since Trade Request

February 4th, 2023 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

In the wake of Friday’s trade request, Kyrie Irving won’t be active for the Nets‘ game tonight against the Wizards, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. Brooklyn has added Irving to its injury report, citing right calf soreness.

In a pre-game session with reporters, coach Jacque Vaughn said Irving didn’t attend the team’s afternoon walkthrough, and he’s not sure if Kyrie plans to show up for the game (Twitter link). Vaughn added that he considers Irving’s status to be day-to-day and doesn’t know when he might play again.

Vaughn reached out to Irving on Friday after the trade request became public, but not to talk about basketball or his future with the team, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).

“There’s a business side to this thing and there’s a human side to this thing,” Vaughn said. “I elected to touch on the human side and check on him as an individual. I’ll leave the business side to (general manager) Sean (Marks) and that group.”

If Irving has played his last game for Brooklyn, Vaughn faces the challenge of trying to keep the team competitive, especially while Kevin Durant remains sidelined with a right MCL sprain, Lewis adds. Vaughn instructed his players to remain focused on business and shut out the distractions.

“I said to them, we’re not gonna make this weird,” he stated. “We’re here to play, we’re here to do a job, show up and do your job. I said you’ve done the first step of this thing … let’s do the work to get a win tonight.”

There’s more news regarding Irving:

Friedell reports that the Nets’ locker room feels “off” after Irving’s decision, but some players expressed support for him (Twitter link). Nic Claxton and Royce O’Neale admitted they were surprised by the trade request, but Claxton dismissed the idea that Irving let the team down. “At the end of the day we’re all our own individuals,” he said.
In a full story for the New York Post (subscription required), Lewis examines the organization’s options with Irving and cites a limited market for a trade to be completed before Thursday’s deadline. The Lakers are considered to be the most interested suitor, with one Western Conference general manager telling Lewis, “I think there’s only one team that actually wants him.” Lewis also doesn’t believe it’s out of the question that Irving could eventually re-sign with Brooklyn if he’s not dealt.
John Hollinger of The Athletic identifies nine teams that might have some interest in trading for Irving, listing the Lakers as the number one option. Hollinger states that a three-team trade may be the most likely outcome and notes that Brooklyn will be asking for players who can help right away, rather than draft picks.
Sources tell Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link) that the Hawks won’t be among the teams pursuing Irving.

Knicks, Jazz Have Had Exploratory Talks About Beasley, Vanderbilt

February 4th, 2023 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and Jazz have engaged in some exploratory conversations about a possible trade that would send wing Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt to New York, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

According to Scotto, the proposed deal would see Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, and draft capital going to Utah.

As Scotto details, the specific draft assets going from the Knicks to the Jazz presumably represent the sticking point in the talks between the two teams. Utah has reportedly sought a first-round pick for Beasley and one for Vanderbilt as well.

Given that Fournier’s contract, which includes an $18.9MM guaranteed salary for 2023/24, is viewed as a negative asset, the Jazz may want another first-round pick for taking on that deal rather than simply considering him the salary-matching piece for Beasley. On the other hand, Toppin – the eighth overall pick in 2020 – should have positive value and could perhaps take the place of one of the first-rounders Utah is seeking, Scotto notes.

Of course, even if the Knicks and Jazz could agree on the number of first-round picks that would accompany Fournier and Toppin to Utah, the two teams may not see eye to eye on how those picks are protected.

New York controls several protected first-rounders from other teams, including Dallas’ 2023 pick (top-10 protected), Washington’s 2023 pick (top-14 protected), Detroit’s 2023 pick (top-18 protected), and Milwaukee’s 2025 pick (top-four protected). Of those selections, only Milwaukee’s has a chance to ultimately land in the top eight. The Knicks also have the ability to add protections to their own first-rounders if they’re willing to trade one or more of them.

However, CEO Danny Ainge made it a priority to stockpile unprotected first-round selections in his offseason trades involving Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. Beasley and Vanderbilt don’t carry the same value as those two All-Stars, so Ainge won’t have as much leverage in this instance, but he’ll still be pushing to make the protections as light as possible on any pick he acquires.

Current Knicks executive Gersson Rosas signed both Beasley and Vanderbilt to their current contracts when he was the head of basketball operations in Minnesota. Led by president of basketball operations Leon Rose, New York had interest in Beasley before he re-signed with the Wolves in 2020, Scotto writes.

Beasley has reportedly drawn interest this season from teams like Cleveland, Atlanta, Phoenix and New Orleans in addition to New York.

As for Vanderbilt, Scotto has heard that the Pacers have interest in the fifth-year forward, previously named the Suns as a possible suitor, and confirms that the Trail Blazers are in the mix as well. Forward Nassir Little is a player to watch if Portland gets involved in trade talks with Utah, Scotto adds.

Five Players Ejected From Magic-Wolves Game After Scuffle

February 3rd, 2023 at 9:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Orlando’s Mohamed Bamba and Jalen Suggs, as well as Minnesota’s Austin Rivers, Taurean Prince and Jaden McDaniels, were ejected from Friday’s Magic–Timberwolves game after a scuffle broke out, reports Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link)

It appears as though Bamba may have initiated the incident by saying something to Rivers after he missed a three-pointer, as Markelle Fultz looked absolutely shocked by whatever was said (Twitter video link via Rob Perez).

Clearly Rivers didn’t appreciate the comment, as he returned to Orlando’s bench (Bamba wasn’t in the game at the time), and then a fight broke out between Bamba and Rivers, with punches thrown, though none appeared to connect (Twitter video link via Bally Sports North).

Suggs then ran into the fray and tackled Rivers, with chaos ensuing. Prince and McDaniels were both shoving and trying to get involved, so apparently they were ejected for escalating the altercation.

According to Pierre Noujaim of Fox 9 Minneapolis (Twitter link), Bamba and Rivers tried to continue the fight in the arena hallway after being ejected, and had to be restrained, presumably by security.

All five players are likely to face suspensions and/or fines, with Bamba and Rivers almost certain to receive the most significant penalties.

Bamba is typically a backup center, but he started the game for the Magic, with Suggs a reserve guard. Losing them to suspensions would affect the team’s rotation, but not as substantially as it would the Wolves, as McDaniels is a starter and Prince and Rivers are two of Minnesota’s primary reserves.