LaMelo Ball Returning To Action On Wednesday
5:05pm: Ball will be “active and available” for tonight’s game against the Pistons, the Hornets confirmed (via Twitter)
11:17am: Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against Detroit and is aiming to return to action, barring a setback during pregame warmups, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) classifies Ball as “optimistic” about playing on Wednesday, while Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) says the former No. 3 overall pick is “hopeful” to return.
Ball, who missed the first 13 games of the Hornets’ season due to a left ankle sprain, re-injured his ankle in his third game back on November 16. He has been sidelined for 11 more games since then and has now been on the shelf for 24 of 27 total contests during the first third of the season.
The Hornets have struggled mightily without their All-Star available this fall, going 6-18 in the games Ball missed. They won one of the three he played, as the 21-year-old averaged 19.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per night. Charlotte is currently on a five-game losing streak.
The Hornets will host the Pistons tonight and the Hawks on Friday. Assuming Ball returns and makes it through those two games without aggravating his ankle, he should be good to go for the team’s six-game road trip that begins on Sunday in Denver.
NBA, NBPA Move CBA Opt-Out Deadline To February 8
The NBA’s Board of Governors has formally approved an extension to the deadline to opt out of the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Confirming Charania’s report, the league announced today in a press release that the deadline for either the NBA or the National Basketball Players Association to opt out of the CBA is now February 8, 2023, a day before the trade deadline. That opt-out deadline had previously been this Thursday (December 15), but a report last week indicated the two sides had agreed to push it back.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which went into effect in 2017, runs through the 2023/24 season. However, the league and the players’ union hold a mutual option to terminate that agreement at the end of the ’22/23 league year (June 30).
Extending the opt-out deadline gives the league and the union more time to come to terms on a new agreement that would cover the next few seasons. Reporting last week indicated that the NBA and NBPA would be willing to extend the opt-out deadline beyond February 8 if they haven’t yet finalized terms and ratified the new CBA by then.
There has been a widespread expectation that the two sides will be able to work out a new agreement without any sort of work stoppage, though the NBA has reportedly been pushing harder this time around for the implementation of an “upper spending limit,” which would function like a hard cap and replace the current luxury tax system. The players’ side has been adamantly opposed to the idea, so the two sides will have to reach some sort of compromise on that issue.
Brandon Ingram To Miss At Least Four More Games
Brandon Ingram will be sidelined at least another week after what was described as a minor setback in his rehab from a toe injury, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
The Pelicans forward missed his eighth consecutive game on Tuesday due to a left big toe contusion. The Pelicans did more imaging on the injury, Lopez adds, which continued to show just a bruise. However, the team will proceed with caution.
Ingram will be reevaluated in a week, so he’ll be out at least four more games.
New Orleans has cruised along without Ingram, winning seven straight games until falling to the Jazz on Tuesday. Zion Williamson led the club in scoring in all but one of those victories.
Ingram’s stats are down slightly over recent seasons, which is understandable given Williamson’s reemergence. Ingram is averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting a career-best 47.1% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Injuries have nagged Ingram throughout his career. After appearing in 79 games as a rookie with the Lakers, he has not played more than 62 regular-season games in any of the past five seasons.
He’s in the third season of a five-year, $158MM+ contract.
Spurs Sign Stanley Johnson, Waive Alize Johnson
3:07pm: The Spurs have officially signed Stanley Johnson, the team announced in a press release.
11:04am: The Spurs have waived big man Alize Johnson, who was on a non-guaranteed contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Johnson initially signed with San Antonio two weeks ago when the club was seeking frontcourt depth following injuries to forward Jeremy Sochan and center Jakob Poeltl. During his brief tenure in San Antonio, he logged 30 minutes across four games, scoring seven points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Poeltl, who has a bone bruise in his knee, isn’t taking contact yet, so he’s probably still a ways off from playing, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. However, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News notes (via Twitter), Sochan returned to action on Monday, reducing the need for Johnson, who hadn’t appeared in the Spurs’ last two games.
With their newly opened 15th roster spot, the Spurs intend to sign free agent swingman Stanley Johnson to a one-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, Stanley Johnson recently signed a G League contract and joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s affiliate. He has appeared in three games since then and was off to a slow start, averaging 2.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 3.0 APG in 19.2 minutes per game. The 26-year-old has converted just 2-of-16 field goal attempts, including 1-of-11 three-pointers.
Stanley Johnson appeared in 48 games for the Lakers last season, starting 27 of them and averaging 6.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG on .466/.314/.716 shooting in 22.8 minutes per contest. He’s primarily known for his defensive versatility and the energy he brings to the court, having never made much of an impact on the offensive end.
The last two players the Spurs have signed to fill their 15th roster spot – Jordan Hall and Alize Johnson – have been on non-guaranteed deals, so it seems likely that Stanley Johnson’s contract will also be non-guaranteed. However, Charania’s report doesn’t confirm that.
NBA Rebrands Major End-Of-Season Awards
Beginning in 2023, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player will receive the Michael Jordan trophy, named after the current Hornets owner and former Bulls guard who received five MVP awards during his time as a player, the league announced today in a press release.
The NBA’s Most Valuable Player previously received the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. However, as we noted last week, that trophy will now be awarded to the team that finishes the regular season with the NBA’s best record.
The new MVP trophy is part of the NBA’s wider rebranding of its major awards. The league also announced the following changes:
- The Defensive Player of the Year will receive the Hakeem Olajuwon trophy in honor of the former Rockets center who won a pair of DPOY awards and was named to nine All-Defensive teams.
- The Rookie of the Year will receive the Wilt Chamberlain trophy in honor of the Hall-of-Famer who led the league with 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game as a rookie for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959/60.
- The Sixth Man of the Year will receive the John Havlicek trophy in honor of the Celtics legend who came off the bench for the first seven years of his career and made four All-Star teams during that time.
- The Most Improved Player will receive the George Mikan trophy in honor of the late Hall-of-Famer who played from 1948-56. The NBA notes in its press release that “a layup and footwork exercise known as the ‘Mikan Drill’ has been used for decades by players at all levels to improve their game.”
The NBA also announced the introduction of the Clutch Player of the Year award — the winner will receive the Jerry West trophy, named after the former NBA star who is currently an executive board member for the Clippers and was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” by Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn.
According to the NBA, the new award will “honor the NBA player who best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.” Like the other major awards, it will be voted on by a media panel, though the nominations will be provided by NBA head coaches.
“Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA,” commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “As we recognize the league’s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.”
Images of the new trophies can all be viewed within the NBA’s press release.
Bradley Beal Cleared Following Hamstring Strain, But Out Monday
Guard Bradley Beal has been cleared to resume all on-court activities after dealing with a right hamstring strain, but he’s out Monday against Brooklyn, the Wizards announced (via Twitter).
Beal sustained the injury on December 4 while diving after a loose ball against the Lakers. He was reevaluated today and subsequently cleared by Washington’s medical staff.
Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. previously stated that Beal had a low-grade strain, so he was relatively fortunate that it wasn’t more severe. Monday will mark his fourth consecutive missed game, and “his status moving forward will be determined by his clinical evolution,” according to the Wizards.
The 29-year-old is in the first year of a five-year, $251MM contract after re-signing with the Wizards as a free agent this past summer. Through 18 games, he’s averaging 22.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.4 APG and 1.2 SPG on .522/.352/.873 shooting.
After winning six of seven during a November stretch, Washington has lost nine of its past 10 games, including six straight. Wizards are currently 11-16, the No. 12 seed in the East, trailing the No. 10 Heat by one game for the final play-in spot.
$3 Billion Offer Made For Suns
A pair of venture capitalists recently submitted a $3 billion offer to buy the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, according to Marc Vartabedian of The Wall Street Journal.
The offer was made by Jack Selby, managing director of the Thiel Capital investment firm, which was founded by tech mogul Peter Thiel, and Jason Pressman, managing director of Shasta Ventures. Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, among other companies, could also provide financing for the purchase, Vartabedian reports.
Selby and Pressman had a meeting in Phoenix last Wednesday with some of the Suns’ top officials and got a tour of the team’s arena and practice facility, Vartabedian adds. They are one of several groups that are hoping to buy the team, and second-round bids are due in January.
The $3 billion offer would be the second-highest purchase price ever for an NBA franchise, trailing only the $3.3 billion that Joe Tsai paid for the Nets in 2019.
The Suns were put up for sale after the NBA suspended owner Robert Sarver for a year and fined him $10MM following an investigation into inappropriate workplace conduct. He purchased the team in 2004 for $401MM, which was a record price at the time.
Team vice chairman Sam Garvin said over the weekend that Sarver will seek a buyer who plans to keep the team in Phoenix.
“Everyone Is Watching Chicago” For Potential Trades
Rival teams are monitoring the Bulls on the NBA’s trade market, a source tells Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
There’s speculation that Chicago, which is sitting outside the Eastern Conference play-in race at 11-15, could dismantle its current roster in hopes of landing a high draft pick, Pincus explains. The team owes this year’s first-rounder to the Magic as part of the Nikola Vucevic trade unless it lands a top-four pick in the lottery. Pincus notes that there are five teams with eight wins or fewer, so if the Bulls plan to pursue that strategy they need to start soon.
“Everyone is watching Chicago very closely,” an NBA source told Pincus. “They’re so poorly constructed, they need to blow it up.”
Pincus cites a recent rumor that the Lakers might be willing to part with their first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, along with Russell Westbrook as a buyout candidate, in exchange for Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. That move would put the Bulls in position to tank and would give the franchise two valuable draft assets for the future.
Pincus sees that as a better route than losing this year’s first-rounder to Orlando and trying to re-sign Vucevic when he becomes a free agent next summer. That would leave Chicago with just its mid-level exception, plus smaller trades, to try to upgrade the roster.
Zach LaVine could also be a trade candidate once he becomes eligible on January 15, Pincus adds. There hasn’t been much talk about LaVine yet in trade circles, but Pincus believes the Bulls would find plenty of interest if they make him available. LaVine signed a five-year, $215MM contract in July.
Trade Market Heating Up For Kyle Kuzma
There’s plenty of interest in Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma as the NBA’s unofficial trade season begins this week, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Pincus cautions that Washington hasn’t decided to move Kuzma, but there’s a risk he’ll leave in free agency next summer if he declines his $13MM player option for 2023/24 as expected. General manager Tommy Sheppard recently indicated that the Wizards intend to re-sign Kuzma, but Pincus points out that the team already has two established scorers in Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis and is off to an 11-16 start.
Pincus adds that Kuzma could be one of the five best players on the free agent market and may become too expensive for Washington to keep.
“He wants out,” an NBA source said told Pincus. “He’s looking for over $20 million a season and in a big market (or with a contender).”
Pincus cites the Kings, who tried to trade for Kuzma in 2021 before the Lakers sent him to the Wizards, as a team to watch. Sacramento can’t unconditionally offer a first-rounder earlier than their 2028 pick, but Pincus believes a deal could be constructed around Harrison Barnes and either that future pick or a young prospect such as Davion Mitchell.
The Suns may see a Kuzma trade as a chance to finally unload Jae Crowder, Pincus notes, suggesting Crowder and Cameron Johnson, who is recovering from knee surgery, may be enough to get a deal done. Johnson will be a restricted free agent next summer, which would allow the Wizards to match any offer he might get.
Pincus also believes the Knicks have interest in Kuzma, who is represented by CAA, the former agency of team president Leon Rose. Obi Toppin could be the centerpiece of a deal, according to Pincus, who adds that New York has young players such as Immanuel Quickley and Cam Reddish to offer, along with a wealth of draft assets.
Heat Sign Orlando Robinson, Waive Dru Smith
The Heat have brought back center Orlando Robinson on a two-way contract and waived guard Dru Smith, the team announced (via Twitter).
Miami has switched the two players several times this season. Smith originally won a roster spot on a two-way deal, but he was waived in favor of Robinson on November 13 as injuries provided a need for more depth in the middle. Twelve days later, the Heat re-signed Smith to a two-way contract and unloaded Robinson to make room on the roster.
Robinson, a rookie out of Fresno State, appeared in two games during his first stint with Miami, averaging 7.0 points and and 4.5 rebounds in 20 minutes per night.
Smith saw limited playing time in five games, but made one start. He will likely rejoin Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls if he’s not claimed on waivers.