Stephen Curry Plans To Return Sunday
Warriors All-Star point guard Stephen Curry is planning to come back from his leg injury on Sunday against the Lakers, reports Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Haynes cautions that a setback could impede this tentative return timeline, but Sunday is the target date.
Curry, 34, has missed 10 games for Golden State thus far. He suffered a lower left leg contusion and partially tore his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane during a 119-113 Warriors victory over the Mavericks on February 4.
The 32-30 Warriors have gone 5-4 through their nine completed contests since Curry’s injury. The 10th, a nationally televised TNT battle against the Clippers, is currently underway as of this writing.
Kendra Andrews of ESPN reports that Curry participated in team scrimmages Wednesday and Thursday while gearing up for his comeback. Per head coach Steve Kerr, however, Curry will miss an 11th straight contest, Friday night against the Pelicans.
Across his healthy 38 games, the reigning NBA Finals MVP has been his typically excellent self, averaging 29.4 PPG on .495/.427/.922 shooting splits. He’s also contributing 6.4 APG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.0 SPG in 34.6 MPG.
Bucks Closing In On Goran Dragic
The Bucks are considered leaders in the clubhouse to sign veteran free agent point guard Goran Dragic, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (Twitter link).
Dragic, who just cleared waivers today after being released by the Bulls earlier this week, has spoken recently with several title-contending teams, according to Wojnarowski. However, Milwaukee – currently riding high on a 16-game win streak – seems to have the best odds of adding Dragic, Woj adds.
Dragic is set to visit the Bucks tomorrow, and a deal could be finalized as soon as then, Wojnarowski reveals. Milwaukee was also trying to add Dragic last year, before he latched on with the Nets for the final stretch of the season.
The 6’3″ vet, a former All-Star during his tenure with the Heat, started off strong during his first full month with Chicago this year, averaging 9.3 PPG on .448/.440/.667 shooting splits, plus 3.8 APG and 1.9 RPG, in just 19.2 MPG. Lately though, his production has declined in a major way. Across his final 10 games with the Bulls, he averaged just 2.6 PPG with a .333/.250/800 shooting line, plus 2.4 APG.
The 36-year-old was supplanted in Chicago’s rotation when the team brought in Patrick Beverley. Beverley immediately became the team’s starter, pushing down then-incumbent starter Ayo Dosunmu to a backup role and leaving Dragic as the odd man out.
This is a curious choice for Milwaukee, as it is unclear how much Dragic has left to give a team gunning to win it all this year. But the Bucks have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move would be necessary to add Dragic.
Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of The Month
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the NBA’s players of the month, the league announced (via Twitter).
Jokic, the Western Conference’s winner for the second straight month, averaged 22.6 points, 14.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists on .642/.500/.806 shooting in 11 February games (33.3 MPG). Denver went 9-2 in games he played and got blown out in the one game he missed (four starters were out). The Nuggets are 44-19, the No. 1 seed in the West.
The reigning back-to-back MVP recorded eight triple-doubles last month and now has 24 on the season — the team is undefeated on those occasions. According to the Nuggets, Jokic has shot 50-plus percent from the field in 49 straight games, which is the third-longest streak in NBA history.
Brunson, meanwhile, averaged 27.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists on .529/.426/.776 shooting in 10 games (37.8 MPG) last month. The Knicks went 9-2 in February, including 8-2 with Brunson in the lineup, and are currently on a seven-game winning streak, which has moved them up to the No. 5 seed in the East.
According to New York (Twitter link), Brunson is the first Knick to be named the East’s player of the month since Julius Randle won in April 2021. The 26-year-old guard is having a stellar season for the Knicks, averaging career highs in points (23.8), assists (6.2) and three-point percentage (41.0%).
The other nominees in the West were Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen and Klay Thompson, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Randle, Pascal Siakam and Trae Young were nominated in the East, per the NBA (Twitter link).
LeBron James Out At Least Three Weeks With Foot Tendon Injury
Lakers superstar LeBron James has been diagnosed with a tendon injury in his right foot and will be reevaluated in about three weeks, the team announced (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).
Even if his reevaluation goes well in a few weeks and he’s medically cleared, it seems safe to say that James will need some time to ramp up his conditioning. If he were to return to the lineup in exactly three weeks, the Lakers would have nine games remaining on their schedule.
This is the first official update the Lakers have given since reports surfaced on Monday that James could be out multiple weeks. He suffered the injury during Sunday’s game against Dallas, in which the Lakers rallied from a 27-point deficit to pull out a 111-108 win, with James scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter despite being injured.
“It’s been better,” James said after the game. “That’s for sure. But I definitely wasn’t going to go to the locker room and not finish the game out tonight. Just understood the importance of the game, and then with the momentum that we had, I felt like we could still win after being down. We’ll monitor it the next couple days, see how it feels and go from there.”
James reportedly will not require surgery for the injury. He was spotted wearing a walking boot and moving “gingerly” during the Lakers’ loss in Memphis on Tuesday night, but returned to L.A. and was away from the team during Wednesday’s victory in Oklahoma City.
If there is one silver lining to James’ absence it’s that the Lakers have the third-easiest remaining schedule of any team, according to Tankathon. As Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times tweets, over the next three weeks, the Lakers have a five-game homestand against Minnesota, Golden State, Memphis, Toronto and New York, followed by road games in New Orleans and Houston, then another homestand versus Dallas, Orlando and Phoenix.
The 38-year-old 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. James became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader last month and was named to his 19th All-Star team, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for another league record.
At 30-33, the Lakers are currently the No. 11 seed in the West. However, the standings are so close they only trail the No. 5 seed Clippers by 2.5 games.
Bucks Waive Sandro Mamukelashvili
10:49pm: Mamukelashvili has officially been waived, the Bucks announced in a press release.
4:06pm: The Bucks will waive big man Sandro Mamukelashvili, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Milwaukee worked with Mamukelashvili’s agents to try and help with his options in the future. We’ll have to wait and see whether the young forward/center has another opportunity lined up if he clears waivers.
After spending four college seasons at Seton Hall, Mamukelashvili was selected 54th overall in the 2021 draft. He has spent the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Bucks, but his playing time was very limited at the NBA level — he averaged 3.2 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .439/.345/.750 shooting in 65 games (9.6 MPG) from 2021-23.
The Bucks have one of league’s best frontcourts, so it’s understandable why the 23-year-old’s minutes were limited. Still, he put up strong numbers in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd this season, averaging 23.3 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .486/.471/.667 shooting in four regular season games (36.5 MPG).
Once Mamukelashvili is officially waived, the Bucks will have one two-way slot open. They also have a couple of standard roster spots available; Meyers Leonard is temporarily occupying one, but his 10-day deal expires in a couple days.
Wizards Waive Vernon Carey Jr.
The Wizards have officially waived big man Vernon Carey Jr., the team announced today in a press release.
Carey, who turned 22 on Saturday, has appeared in just 11 games this season for the Wizards and 14 overall since joining the team at the 2022 trade deadline in the Montrezl Harrell deal. The former Duke standout, who was drafted 32nd overall by the Hornets in 2020, has played in 37 total games for Charlotte and Washington, with career averages of 1.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.1 MPG.
Carey’s contract covered one additional season beyond this one, but the Wizards held a minimum-salary team option for 2023/24. By releasing him, Washington is essentially declining that option and will only be on the hook for the rest of this season’s $1.78MM salary, assuming Carey is not claimed on waivers.
The move will create an opening on the Wizards’ 15-man roster for another addition, and the club still has enough breathing room below the luxury tax line after signing Jordan Goodwin to fill that spot without becoming a taxpayer. Washington also still has an open two-way contract slot.
As for Carey, because he’s being waived on March 1, he’ll be playoff-eligible if he catches on with another NBA team. Given his lack of meaningful NBA experience though, it seems unlikely that he’ll be targeted by contenders.
Stephen Curry May Return During Warriors’ Upcoming Road Trip
2:29pm: The Warriors’ official update on Curry (via Twitter) states that he’s “making good progress” and has begun scrimmaging. The team doesn’t offer a specific timeline for his return, indicating that it will be based on how he responds to full practices and scrimmages.
1:04pm: There’s optimism that Warriors star Stephen Curry will be able to return to action sometime during the team’s upcoming road trip, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
That three-game trip begins on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles against the Lakers. The Warriors then travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Tuesday and to Memphis to face the Grizzlies next Thursday.
Curry has been unavailable since February 4 due to a left leg injury, and it sounds like he’ll miss at least two more games — Golden State hosts the Clippers this Thursday and the Pelicans on Friday.
The Warriors lost four of their first six games after Curry went down, but have perked up in the last week, winning consecutive home contests against Houston, Minnesota, and Portland. The Dubs have actually moved up to No. 5 in the West, though their record (32-30) is modest and there are only 3.5 games separating them from the No. 13 Thunder, so a couple losses could significantly affect the club’s place in the standings.
Curry was putting up his usual All-NBA numbers prior to his injury, averaging 29.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 6.3 rebounds in 38 appearances (34.6 MPG) and making 42.7% of 11.4 three-point attempts per night. It goes without saying that his return would provide a major boost for the Warriors, putting the team in a good position to secure a playoff spot in the final few weeks of the season.
Pistons Buy Out Nerlens Noel
FEBRUARY 28: Noel has been placed on waivers, the team’s PR department tweets.
FEBRUARY 27: Nerlens Noel and the Pistons have completed a contract buyout, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Noel will now be placed on waivers before Wednesday’s deadline to preserve his playoff eligibility.
Acquired from the Knicks in a draft-day deal, Noel played sparingly this season as Detroit evaluated younger players. He only appeared in 14 games, averaging 2.3 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 10.9 MPG.
Noel, who has played for Philadelphia, Dallas and Oklahoma City, had a $9.24MM salary this season with a club option for $9.68MM next season. That team option will come off the Pistons’ books and this season’s cap hit also figures to be reduced slightly.
Noel reportedly wasn’t actively seeking out a buyout earlier this month but obviously changed his mind. He’s expected to have multiple contenders pursuing his services once he clears waivers.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link), Noel is the 10th player to be bought out since the trade deadline.
Detroit now has an open roster spot, though the club doesn’t necessarily have to fill it right away.
Raptors Sign Will Barton, Waive Juancho Hernangomez
3:56pm: The Raptors have officially signed Barton and waived Hernangomez, the team announced in a press release.
2:35pm: The Raptors are making a change to their 15-man roster, having reached an agreement to sign veteran swingman Will Barton, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the team is waiving Juancho Hernangomez to create an opening for Barton.
Barton became a free agent last week after he reached a buyout agreement with the Wizards. Having been packaged with Monte Morris in an offseason trade that sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to Denver, Barton had a disappointing season for his hometown team in D.C., averaging just 7.7 points per game on 38.7% shooting in 40 appearances (19.6 MPG).
Still, Barton’s three-point shooting remained strong (38.0%) in 2022/23 and he had several solid years with the Nuggets before last summer’s trade. The 32-year-old will add some depth to a Raptors team that has lacked consistent bench production this season. Toronto also ranks just 27th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (33.5%), so signing Barton will give the team another outside threat.
Hernangomez, who starred as Bo Cruz in the Netflix film Hustle, was seeing regular minutes for the Raptors earlier this season, but struggled to produce consistently and had fallen out of the rotation in recent weeks. Although the 6’9″ forward has been effective as a stretch four in past years, he made a career-low 25.4% of his three-point attempts in Toronto, averaging just 2.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 42 appearances (14.6 MPG).
Because he’ll be waived by March 1, Hernangomez will retain his playoff eligibility in the event that he signs with another NBA team before the end of the regular season.
As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), because his deal will only cover the last few weeks of the season, the Raptors are in position to stay narrowly below the luxury tax line after signing Barton.
Bulls Waive Goran Dragic
The Bulls have officially waived veteran guard Goran Dragic, the team announced today in a press release.
The move was a mutual decision made by the Bulls and Dragic, and had been in the works since the team added Patrick Beverley, sources tell K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link).
There was some speculation at the time of Beverley’s signing last week that Dragic would be the player released to make room on the 15-man roster for the newcomer, but Chicago cut center Tony Bradley instead. Now, the Bulls have an open roster spot and are in position to sign another player before the end of the regular season.
Dragic, 36, inked a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Bulls last summer and had been part of the club’s point guard rotation for most of the season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 rebounds per night on .425/.352/.659 shooting in 51 games (15.4 MPG). However, he looked like the odd man out following Beverley’s arrival.
Because he was waived before March 1, Dragic will be playoff-eligible if he signs with another NBA team between now and the last day of the regular season. It’s also possible he could be claimed on waivers, since any team could absorb his contract using the minimum salary exception. A club placing a claim would have to be willing to take on Dragic’s full $1.84MM cap hit and would owe him the money left on that contract.
Assuming Dragic clears waivers, his $1.84MM cap charge will stay on the Bulls’ books and Chicago’s team salary would remain about $1.2MM below the luxury tax line, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That gives the club more than enough room to sign a player to a rest-of-season minimum-salary deal to fill Dragic’s roster spot.