Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. Plans To Play Friday
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. says he’s “definitely playing” on Friday against Portland, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter links).
Oddly, head coach Michael Malone spoke to the media before Porter, and he said the 24-year-old’s status for Friday was still up in the air and indicated that he would have a minutes restriction when he does play. According to Wind, Porter then followed Malone and stated that he was playing and didn’t think there would be any restrictions, so evidently there was a miscommunication between the coach and player.
Porter has been sidelined since Nov. 22 while dealing with a left heel strain, missing the past 13 games with the injury. He downplayed the severity of the injury despite missing a month of action.
“For me, if it’s not related to my back, I’m not too worried about it…this is something that’s unrelated to my back,” Porter said (Twitter link via Wind).
Porter, who played just nine games last season after undergoing his third back surgery since college, is averaging 16.4 points and 6.0 rebounds on .466/.427/.800 shooting through 16 games (29.1 minutes per contest). He’s officially listed as questionable for Friday night, as is guard Jamal Murray (left knee injury management), tweets Wind.
After defeating Memphis on Tuesday, the Nuggets have recaptured the top seed in the West, currently sitting with a 19-11 record through 30 games.
Lottery Prospect Nick Smith Jr. Out Indefinitely
Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr., who is projected to be one of the top picks in next year’s draft, has been sidelined indefinitely due to “right knee management,” writes Jeff Borzello of ESPN.
The 18-year-old freshman is No. 4 in ESPN’s latest draft rankings, making him the top prospect in college basketball. ESPN had him listed as the third-best recruit coming out of high school.
“He’s out indefinitely. That’s what it is,” Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said following Wednesday’s game. “There’s nothing else. He’s out indefinitely and he’s going to continue to rehab the best he can.”
Borzello notes that Smith missed the team’s first six games because of the knee, with the school calling it a precautionary measure. He played just six minutes in his debut November 28, then started the next three games, averaging 19.7 points and 3.0 assists.
Smith also started Saturday’s victory against Bradley, but played just 20 minutes and shot 1-of-8 from the field while scoring five points.
“Nick is a competitor, and he looked forward to playing for the Razorbacks,” Musselman told reporters, including Christina Long of The Fort Smith Times Record. “He’s kind of been in and out of the lineup, and we just want him to get healthy as quickly as possible and for him to be 100 percent.”
Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki Among Newly Eligible Hall Of Fame Candidates
Several former NBA stars are first-time nominees on the list of eligible players released Wednesday by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Headlining the list are Dwyane Wade, who won three NBA titles with the Heat, along with three international players, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Wade was a 13-time All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA honoree and a member of the 75th anniversary team that was selected last year. He is currently a part owner of the Jazz.
Nowitzki, also on the 75th anniversary team, is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in league history with 31,560 career points. He was named MVP in 2007 and was chosen as Finals MVP in 2011 after leading the Mavericks to their first championship. He set a league record by spending 21 years with the same franchise, made the All-Star Game 14 times and was an All-NBA selection 12 times.
Gasol captured back-to-back NBA titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010 and was the first non-American to be honored as Rookie of the Year. A six-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, Gasol was also successful internationally, winning a FIBA World Cup, three EuroBasket titles and three Olympic medals with Spain.
Parker played a huge role in helping the Spurs win four NBA championships and was named Finals MVP in 2007. He was a six-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, and was named MVP of EuroBasket in 2013 as France won the tournament.
Popovich holds the record for most wins by an NBA coach with 1,354. He guided the Spurs to five NBA titles and was named Coach of the Year three times.
Finalists for enshrinement will be announced February 17 during All-Star Weekend, and the Class of 2023 will be unveiled April 4 during the NCAA’s Final Four. The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for August 12.
Knicks Lose 2025 Second-Round Pick For Free Agency Gun Jumping
The Knicks will lose their own second-round pick in the 2025 draft as a penalty for violating NBA rules governing free agency, the league announced today (via Twitter).
“This outcome reflected a finding, following an investigation, that the Knicks engaged in free agency discussions involving Jalen Brunson prior to the date when such discussions were permitted,” the NBA said in its statement, adding that the team “fully cooperated” with the investigation.
The Knicks were one of two teams investigated this year for possible free agency gun jumping after they signed Brunson to a four-year, $104MM contract in July. Days before free agency opened, word began to trickle out that Brunson was “widely anticipated” to sign with New York for a four-year deal exceeding $100MM, with multiple reports suggesting that the Mavericks had believed for weeks that the point guard was bound for the Knicks.
It’s not unusual for free agents’ presumed destinations to leak before the negotiating period officially begins on June 30. However, it raises eyebrows in the league office when the details of a rival team’s offer to a free agent leaks days in advance and there’s a publicly reported widespread belief that the player will join that team.
Brunson’s case was complicated further by the fact that he had personal relationships with so many people within the Knicks’ organization. President of basketball operations Leon Rose represented Brunson as a player agent before he joined New York’s front office, and his son Sam Rose is one of Brunson’s reps at CAA. Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, was hired by the Knicks as an assistant coach several weeks before free agency began.
According to Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link), besides investigating the Jalen Brunson signing, the league also looked into the hiring of Rick Brunson and the signing of another CAA client, Isaiah Hartenstein. However, the league only found an issue with the Jalen signing.
The Sixers faced a similar investigation due to their free agency moves, including a contract agreement with P.J. Tucker that leaked early. Philadelphia was docked a pair of second-round picks for early contact with Tucker and Danuel House.
A year ago, the Heat and Bulls each forfeited second-round picks for free agency gun jumping related to Kyle Lowry and Lonzo Ball, so the NBA has established a pattern of penalizing a second-rounder for each instance of early free agency contact.
The Knicks have traded away their own 2023 and 2024 second-round picks, so the 2025 pick was their earliest available second-rounder. The team had acquired extra second-rounders in ’24 and ’25, but it appears the NBA decided to rescind New York’s own pick to simplify matters.
Pistons Sign GM Troy Weaver To Contract Extension
The Pistons have signed general manager Troy Weaver to a contract extension, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Weaver’s extension was agreed to months ago. It’s unclear if the team simply didn’t announce it at the time or if it wasn’t officially finalized until now. Either way, it’s a done deal now.
Charania’s report doesn’t specify how many years the Pistons have added to Weaver’s contract or how long he’ll be under team control going forward. However, when he first joined the franchise in 2020, Weaver reportedly signed a four-year contract — he’d be in the third year of that deal now, which means his current contract was set to expire in 2024. I’d be surprised if his extension doesn’t tack on at least two more years.
Since arriving in Detroit, Weaver has been guiding the Pistons through a rebuilding process and stockpiling young talent. During his first offseason, he added Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, and Saddiq Bey in the draft and landed Jerami Grant in free agency. He selected Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick the following year and then drafted Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren in this year’s lottery while trading Grant to Portland and acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah.
With Cunningham out for the season following surgery on his leg, the Pistons haven’t taken the step forward they’d hoped to this year — they currently rank last in the NBA with an 8-25 record. Still, team owner Tom Gores has expressed optimism about the direction of the organization.
“We’re growing,” Gores said last month. “Right now, we have an amazing core group and a lot of confidence. We’re better than our record is. We’re much better than that and I like the way that this team has a lot of heart. I feel great about it. (head coach) Dwane (Casey)‘s doing good work. Troy continues to think about growth and everything, so I feel great about it.”
Casey received a contract extension in 2021 that runs through the 2023/24 season, so the Pistons will face a decision on his future within the next 18 months or so.
Hawks’ Schlenk Moving Into Advisory Role; Fields To Run Basketball Ops
9:09am: The Hawks have officially announced that Schlenk is stepping down from his position as president of basketball operations and moving into an advisory role, with Fields assuming control of the team’s basketball ops. A statement from Schlenk suggests that he was the one to initiate the change.
“Throughout this season, Tony and I have had multiple, honest conversations about some of the personal things I’ve been going through and how I’ve been feeling, and I appreciate the counsel he has provided me as well as the opportunity he gave me six seasons ago to be a first-time general manager,” Schlenk said. “As we enter a new year, the timing feels right for me to take a step back, reflect and prioritize my family.
“I am proud of the group I assembled both on the floor and in the front office. We have built a strong foundation for the Hawks franchise and achieved a high level of success. As an advisor, I look forward to working with Tony and Landry and continuing to make contributions in less visible but still impactful ways.”
9:02am: The Hawks are making a change to their front office structure, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk will be transitioning into a senior advisory role.
General manager Landry Fields will take Schlenk’s place as the executive who oversees and runs Atlanta’s basketball operations, Wojnarowski adds.
It’s unclear whether the move was instigated by the Hawks or whether it stems from a desire on Schlenk’s part to take a step back. Either way, he has multiple years left on his contract and will remain in the organization working alongside team owner Tony Ressler for the foreseeable future, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Fields, meanwhile, has enjoyed a meteoric rise as an executive since his NBA playing days ended in 2015. He joined the Spurs as a scout in 2016, then was named the general manager of their G League affiliate in Austin in 2016. The Hawks brought him aboard as an assistant GM in 2020, and he was subsequently promoted to GM earlier this year amid rumors that other teams were trying to lure him away from Atlanta.
Schlenk, formerly an assistant GM in Golden State, was hired as Atlanta’s general manager in 2017 and had been the ninth longest-tenured head of basketball operations in the NBA. He was promoted to president of basketball ops in 2019.
Schlenk launched a rebuild when he initially joined the Hawks and oversaw three losing seasons before the team turned things around in 2020/21, making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
During his tenure atop the team’s front office, Schlenk swung two major draft trades to land Trae Young (for Luka Doncic and a future pick) and De’Andre Hunter; drafted John Collins, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish, and Onyeka Okongwu; and acquired Dejounte Murray from San Antonio in a blockbuster deal this past summer.
Going forward, Fields will be tasked with trying to transform the Hawks from a playoff team into a legitimate title contender. Atlanta is expected to be active before this season’s trade deadline, with Collins once again believed to be on the block.
Sarver Reaches Agreement For Sale Of Suns, Mercury
6:15pm: Sarver has issued a statement, confirming that an agreement has been reached between him and brothers Mat and Justin Ishbia regarding the purchase of the majority stake in the Suns and WNBA’s Mercury, Charania tweets. The agreement values the Suns and Mercury at $4 billion.
The deal involves more than 50% ownership of the team, including all of Sarver’s interest, and a portion of the interest of minority partners. Mat Ishbia will serve as governor, while Justin Ishbia will serve as alternate governor, pending league approval.
12;05pm: Mat Ishbia, a billionaire mortgage lender, is finalizing a deal to buy the Suns, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ishbia will pay about $4 billion, according to Wojnarowski, which would be a record price for an NBA team. The WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury will also be part of the deal, Woj adds.
Ishbia is chairman and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, which is based in Michigan, and he has a net worth of $5.1 billion, per Forbes. He played college basketball at Michigan State from 1999 to 2002 and won a national championship in 2000. He was part of a group that tried to buy the NFL’s Denver Broncos earlier this year, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports.
Mat’s brother, Justin Ishiba, will be “a significant investor” as well and will serve as an alternate governor for the team, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Current Suns owner Robert Sarver decided to sell the team in September following a lengthy investigation into workplace conditions. The NBA suspended Sarver for a year and fined him $10MM for behavior that “clearly violated common workplace standards.”
The law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which conducted the investigation, determined that Sarver had used racially insensitive language in the workplace, made inappropriate comments about female employees and treated workers in general in a “demeaning and harsh” manner.
In a statement issued when he decided to sell the Suns, Sarver said he “deeply” regrets the comments he made to employees and vowed to “work on becoming a better person.” He also expressed disappointment at not being able to return to running the team and “make amends” for his behavior.
Sarver purchased the Suns in 2004 for $401MM, so he will realize a huge profit from the sale. The current record price for an NBA team is $2.35 billion, which Joe Tsai paid for the Nets in 2019. As Wojnarowski notes, the Lakers sold a minority share based on a $5 billion valuation, but that deal only involved a small portion of the team’s ownership changing hands.
Although Sarver only owned about one-third of the Suns’ shares, he has the authority to sell the team in full as its managing partner, sources tell ESPN. Mat Ishbia will have to undergo a background check and his purchase of the franchise will be subject to a vote by the NBA’s Board of Governors, but that’s expected to be a formality, per Wojnarowski.
Luke Adams contributed to this story.
Maxi Kleber Has Surgery For Hamstring Tear
Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber underwent surgery Tuesday for a torn right hamstring, the team announced (via Twitter). Kleber suffered the injury at a practice last week.
Rehab is set to begin immediately, and no timetable has been set for him to return.
The average recovery time for a player who suffers a hamstring tear is about 62 days, according to Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com (Twitter link). However, the average recovery time dips to 38 days in cases where surgery isn’t required, so Kleber could certainly be sidelined for more than two months.
As Stotts adds (via Twitter), Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd compared Kleber’s injury to one Khris Middleton suffered in 2016. Middleton returned to action 133 days (over four months) after undergoing surgery on his torn hamstring.
Dallas is just 2-8 this season in games that Kleber has missed, so a prolonged absence is an unfortunate break for a team locked in a tight battle for a playoff spot. The German forward is averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds through 22 games.
Lakers’ James, Suns’ Booker Out For Monday’s Matchup
Lakers star LeBron James has been ruled out for Monday’s contest in Phoenix due to left ankle soreness, tweets Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.
Guard Austin Reaves will also be sidelined with a right ankle sprain, while fellow guard Patrick Beverley is questionable with right calf soreness.
It will be James’ eighth missed game thus far in 2022/23, and the timing isn’t great since Anthony Davis is reportedly out for at least a month after injuring his right foot in Friday’s win over Denver. However, it’s the second game of a back-to-back — the Lakers defeated the Wizards on Sunday night — so the team is likely being cautious with its star forward, who will turn 38 on December 30.
Losing Reaves is a big blow as well. His counting stats are fairly modest — he’s averaging 10.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 2.1 APG through 29 games (29.5 MPG) — but his efficiency is elite: his shooting slash line is .521/.391/.915, including a .680 true shooting percentage. It will be the 24-year-old’s first missed game of 2022/23.
The Suns will also be without their best player, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Shooting guard Devin Booker, who was previously listed as questionable with groin soreness, has been downgraded to out for tonight’s game against the Lakers.
Booker scored a season-high 58 points in Saturday’s victory over New Orleans, but he’d been dealing with left hamstring tightness early last week, which caused him to miss a couple games. It’s unclear if the two injuries are related or how long the 26-year-old might be sidelined, but the fact that he was initially deemed questionable seems to indicate that he should be back in action fairly soon.
Facundo Campazzo Joins Serbian Team
Former Nuggets and Mavericks guard Facundo Campazzo is officially a member of Crvena Zvezda, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. The Serbian team issued a press release to confirm the deal, which will run through the 2023/24 season and includes a third-year player option.
Real Madrid, Campazzo’s team before he came to the NBA, had an opportunity to match the offer of 1.8 million Euros for the rest of this season and 2.8 million Euros for next season, but didn’t act before last week’s deadline.
Campazzo was a star with Madrid from 2014-20, helping the team capture two EuroLeague championships and three ACB titles.
The veteran point guard signed with Denver in 2020 and appeared in 130 games over two seasons, mostly in a reserve role. After spending the entire offseason as a free agent, the 31-year-old got an opportunity with Dallas in mid-October. He played just eight games for the Mavericks, averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 assists in 6.5 minutes per night, before being waived November 29 when the team added Kemba Walker.