Isaiah Stewart Out At Least Two Weeks With Toe Sprain
The already floundering Pistons got more bad news on Monday as big man Isaiah Stewart has a sprained right big toe and will be out a minimum of two-to-three weeks, according to a team press release.
Stewart suffered the injury in the second quarter of Monday’s game against Toronto. At the time, Stewart’s injury was listed as a right foot sprain. Further testing conducted by team doctors updated the diagnosis.
Stewart is averaging 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this season while starting all 15 games. He made 71 starts last season, averaging 8.3 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Coach Dwane Casey had expressed a desire to go with bigger lineups and play Stewart more often at power forward. That plan will have to be put on hold.
Stewart added a 3-point shot to his skill set this season, knocking down 33.3% of his attempts so far. Without Stewart, the Pistons will use Marvin Bagley III, rookie Jalen Duren, and Nerlens Noel as their primary bigs.
Franchise player Cade Cunningham has missed the last three games due to left shin soreness. The team is now without two starters until Cunningham returns.
Clippers Reportedly Have Interest In Myles Turner
After months of rumors about the Lakers‘ pursuit of Myles Turner, it may be the Clippers who make a strong play for the Pacers center, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Multiple sources tell Pincus that the Clippers have discussed targeting Turner. The team is in need of another center after losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Knicks in free agency, and Turner appears to be the best option on the market, provided that Indiana is willing to move him.
Nicolas Batum is currently serving as the primary backup to starting center Ivica Zubac, Pincus notes, with Marcus Morris and Robert Covington also spending time in that role. Turner would provide a legitimate option at the five and would ease the burden on Zubac.
Turner is in the final year of his contract, but Pincus hears that wouldn’t be a factor for the Clippers, as owner Steve Ballmer is willing to accept a high luxury tax in order to build a contender. Pincus’ sources say that L.A. prefers to move some of its wing depth in the deal, rather than a lead guard such as Reggie Jackson or John Wall.
Turner has an $18MM salary this season, so the Clippers would have to send out at least $14.3MM in any trade. Assuming the team keeps Zubac, Pincus states that Norman Powell, Luke Kennard, Jackson, Morris or Covington would have to be included to get a deal done soon. L.A.’s options will expand on December 15 when Wall becomes trade-eligible and again on January 15 when Amir Coffey and Batum can both be dealt.
The Clippers are limited to offering either their first-round pick in 2028 or 2029 because the team’s other first-rounders are covered by obligations to the Thunder from the Paul George trade. Pincus points out that L.A. has plenty of second-rounders to offer, apart from 2027, along with young prospects such as Brandon Boston, Jason Preston and Moussa Diabate.
Turner is off to a strong start, averaging career highs of 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in seven games. He’s also blocking 3.1 shots per game after leading the league twice in that category and would be a valuable rim protector for the Clippers.
Pincus cautions that the Pacers may not be in a hurry to make a move. The trade deadline isn’t until February 10, so there’s plenty of time for Indiana’s front office to gauge its offers. One source tells Pincus that the Pacers have become skeptical that a deal with the Lakers will work out.
Langston Galloway Signs With G League Team
Veteran guard Langston Galloway has joined the G League’s College Park Skyhawks, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Galloway, 30, was in training camp with the Pacers, but was waived before the start of the regular season. He has been playing for Team USA in World Cup qualifying games and scored 23 points Monday in a victory over Colombia.
Galloway has spent eight years in the NBA, including seven combined games last season with the Nets and Bucks after signing 10-day contracts with both teams. He has also played for the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons and Suns and holds career averages of 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 452 career games.
College Park is the Hawks‘ G League affiliate.
Desmond Bane Expected To Miss At Least 2-3 Weeks With Toe Injury
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain of his right big toe, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). According to the Grizzlies, Bane will be reevaluated in two-to-three weeks.
Bane, who sustained the injury in Friday’s win over Minnesota, had been off to a tremendous start in his first 12 games of the season. After increasing his scoring average from 9.2 points per game as a rookie to 18.2 PPG last season, the 24-year-old has taken another step forward in his third year, having boosted his scoring average to 24.7 PPG.
Bane is also averaging career highs in RPG (4.9), APG (4.8), and 3PT% (.451), among other categories. His career three-point rate is now up to 43.6%.
The Grizzlies have a +9.2 net rating when Bane is on the court this season, compared to a -9.7 mark when he sits, which is the biggest disparity of anyone on the roster. In other words, replacing him while he recovers won’t be easy.
Still, Memphis is on the verge of getting some lineup reinforcements, as Jaren Jackson Jr. is expected to make his regular season debut on Tuesday following offseason foot surgery. Jackson is listed as questionable for tonight’s game, but plans to suit up, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Ja Morant – who missed Sunday’s game due to an ankle injury – is not on the team’s injury report and also should be available.
With Bane sidelined, John Konchar and Dillon Brooks are among the top candidates for a bump in minutes on the wing.
Warriors To Send Wiseman To G League For Extended Stint
The Warriors will assign center James Wiseman to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz for an “extended period,” head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the team’s blowout win over San Antonio on Monday (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic).
“It’s not going to be one game and bring him back,” Kerr said. “We want to give him maybe 10 straight days, something like that.”
Wiseman opened the season as a regular part of Golden State’s rotation off the bench, but struggled to produce consistently and was a DNP-CD for three straight games last week. He got back on the court on Monday vs. the Spurs, but only once the Warriors had already put the game out of reach. For the season, he has a -24.4 net rating in his 147 minutes.
While Kerr said he anticipates the former No. 2 overall pick regaining a rotation spot at some point, the Warriors want to make sure he’s getting regular playing time and game reps instead of sitting on the bench with the NBA club.
As Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes, Wiseman said on Monday that he isn’t viewing the move as a demotion. Jordan Poole spent time in the G League during the 2020/21 season before eventually breaking out for the Warriors, and he’s optimistic that – like it did for him – some time in Santa Cruz could serve his teammate well.
“I’m telling (Wiseman) this is not a demotion. This is not a punishment,” Poole said, according to Andrews. “… I’m telling him to go down there and take 50 shots, be aggressive, get techs, hang on the rim, do it all. Just so he can understand what he wants to be at the highest level. This is just a step in that direction.”
Santa Cruz is scheduled to play against the South Bay Lakers on Saturday, followed by a back-to-back set against the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday and Tuesday. If Wiseman stays with the team beyond that, he could square off against Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite next Friday (November 25).
Temperature Rising On Tom Thibodeau’s Seat?
The temperature is rising on Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s seat after Sunday’s blowout loss to the Thunder, in which New York gave up 145 points at home, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The Knicks’ effort has been lacking multiple times in the young season, leading to questions about Thibodeau’s ability to get through to his team, Begley writes.
“I thought (Sunday) was just a readiness (issue). We just weren’t ready,” Evan Fournier said. “Noon game, whatever. I don’t know. But lack of intensity, just not doing what we’re supposed to.”
After Thibodeau led the Knicks to the East’s No. 4 seed in 2020/21 with a 41-31 record and won Coach of the Year, the team faltered in his second season, finishing with a 37-45 record.
According to Begley, owner James Dolan gave president Leon Rose permission to decide Thibodeau’s fate just before the All-Star break last season after the Knicks blew a 28-point lead to a Nets team playing without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Obviously, Rose decided to retain Thibodeau, but it put his future performance under more scrutiny.
At 6-7 thus far in 2022/23, New York’s record isn’t egregious relative to external expectations, but the Knicks had higher hopes entering ’22/23 than a possible play-in berth, in part due to moving some draft assets to free up cap space to sign Jalen Brunson to a lucrative contract in free agency (Thibodeau was a proponent of trading for Donovan Mitchell as well, Begley adds). People with knowledge of the situation told Begley in the offseason that the team’s early-season performance would be “critical,” with Thibodeau “under a microscope early on.”
As Begley writes, not all of the Knicks’ struggles are on Thibodeau. They don’t have the most talented roster, and there aren’t many defensive-minded players for a coach with well-known reputation for prioritizing defense.
“The thing that sits with me is the disappointment of losing,” Thibodeau said after Sunday’s loss, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). “We have to look at every game and say, ‘OK, what do we have to fix, what do we have to prioritize?’ . . . But I know if we’re relying on trying to outscore people that’s not going to work. Our margin of error is small, we have to play with great intensity on every possession.”
Still, changes are likely to come in some form if the team struggles on its upcoming five-game road trip, whether it be via a trade, in the front office or with Thibodeau being replaced, Begley notes. The Knicks have a brutal schedule over that stretch: road games at Utah, Denver, Golden State, Phoenix and Oklahoma City.
Something feels off with the Knicks, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. The starters are struggling again, the bench isn’t performing as well as last season, the pieces are ill-fitting and the effort comes and goes. Katz argues the Knicks should make a consolidation trade because they have too many rotation players but not enough standout performers.
Scotto’s Latest: C. Johnson, Washington, G. Williams, Reddish, White
The Suns discussed a rookie scale extension with Cameron Johnson that would have been worth about $66-72MM over four years, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said on his latest podcast. Scotto points out that those figures are in line with recent contracts for shooters such as Davis Bertans, Joe Harris and Duncan Robinson, but there’s a belief that Johnson can earn more considering the expected rise in the salary cap and his role on a contending team.
Johnson was off to a great start, averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 43.1% from three-point range, before undergoing meniscus surgery that could sideline him for up to two months. Scotto notes that Phoenix gave Mikal Bridges a four-year, $90MM extension and cites league sources who have told him the team doesn’t want to approach that number to keep Johnson.
On the same podcast, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype said Johnson will be in demand as a restricted free agent, even if he doesn’t make a full recovery during the season. He notes that Collin Sexton received $72MM over four years after missing nearly an entire season with a meniscus tear and suggests that Johnson will get at least that much. Gozlan adds that Johnson is much easier to trade without an extension and wonders if that was the Suns’ plan all along.
The duo discussed several other players who are headed to restricted free agency:
- The Hornets were offering P.J. Washington a four-year extension in the $50-52MM range, but he’s hoping for an annual salary closer to $20MM, sources tell Scotto. Washington has become a full-time starter with the loss of Miles Bridges and is averaging a career-high 14.6 points and 1.1 blocks per game. Gozlan believes Washington made the right decision, noting that the mid-level exception will soon be in the range of Charlotte’s offer.
- The Celtics never offered Grant Williams more than $50MM in guaranteed money over four seasons, according to Scotto, who adds that Williams would have accepted a deal that paid him at least $14MM a year. Williams’ hot start puts him in line for a much bigger contract, and some sources tell Scotto he’ll get an offer starting in the $18MM range, which might be too high for Boston to match.
- The Knicks didn’t have serious extension talks with Cam Reddish, but he has a chance to change his outlook after moving into the starting lineup, Scotto notes. Gozlan expects Reddish to get full MLE offers next summer if he keeps producing.
- Coby White has become a trade candidate for the Bulls, NBA executives tell Scotto. White’s production continues to fall and he doesn’t appear to have a future in Chicago’s backcourt.
Taiwanese Team Pursuing Carmelo Anthony
Could Carmelo Anthony follow Dwight Howard‘s footsteps and resume his playing career in Taiwan? The Tainan TSG GhostHawks are hoping to sign Anthony to a contract, RealGM relays via Focus Taiwan.
GhostHawks head coach Liu Meng-chu said the team’s ownership has given the go-ahead to make an offer to Anthony, who hit the free agent market this summer.
Howard signed with the Taoyuan Leopards on Monday.
Anthony, 38, appeared in 69 games with the Lakers last season, averaging 13.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG while coming off the bench in all but three of those games. The 10-time All Star played two seasons with Portland prior to joining Los Angeles.
While there has been plenty of speculation regarding Anthony’s free agency, there have been no known firm offers.
The six-team T1 League will soon start its second pro season.
Heat Waive Dru Smith, Sign Orlando Robinson To Two-Way Deal
5:53pm: Both moves are official, according to a team press release.
10:44am: The Heat are making a minor change to their roster, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, who reports (via Twitter) that the team will waive two-way player Dru Smith and sign Orlando Robinson to a two-way contract to fill the newly opened spot.
Both Smith and Robinson were in training camp with the Heat this fall. Smith earned a two-way spot at the end of the preseason, while Robinson was waived and eventually became an affiliate player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League team.
However, with center Omer Yurtseven expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2022/23 season due to ankle surgery, the Heat have a greater need in the frontcourt than on the wing. Robinson is a center; Smith is a shooting guard.
Miami does have an open spot on its 15-man standard roster and could sign a more experienced center to fill that opening, but doing so would put team salary above the luxury tax threshold for the season. Two-way contracts don’t count against the cap or tax.
Robinson, 22, went undrafted out of Fresno State earlier this year. The big man averaged 19.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .484/.352/.716 shooting in 36 games (33.2 MPG) as a junior in 2021/22. He has gotten off to a strong start for the Skyforce this season, putting up 20.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG in four starts (31.3 MPG).
Smith, who went undrafted in 2021 and played for Sioux Falls as a rookie, made his NBA debut last month, logging six minutes of garbage time during a blowout win over Portland on October 26. It was the only game he played in for the Heat.
Jamal Cain occupies Miami’s other two-way slot and should be unaffected by the Heat’s roster moves.
Omer Yurtseven Expected To Undergo Ankle Surgery
Heat center Omer Yurtseven is expected to undergo surgery on his injured left ankle this week, barring a last-minute change in plans, reports Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
As we relayed on Thursday, Yurtseven is reportedly dealing with a bone spur issue in his ankle and was weighing the possibility of a surgical or non-surgical approach to the injury, having sought out multiple opinions. While the 24-year-old would likely be facing an extended absence either way, there was a belief that undergoing surgery could end his season.
According to Chiang, there’s now hope that Yurtseven will stay be able to play this season even if he goes under the knife. The expectation is that the big man be sidelined for about three months after surgery, meaning he’d have a chance to return by March.
Yurtseven has yet to play at all in 2022/23 after suffering his ankle injury during the preseason, but was productive when given playing time as a rookie last season. During one 10-game stretch as a starter with Bam Adebayo sidelined, he averaged 13.6 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steal in 30.9 minutes per contest.
Yurtseven is in a contract year and will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2023.
Having Yurtseven unavailable until well into the second half of the season will leave the Heat a little shorthanded, since they’re only carrying 14 players due to luxury tax concerns and aren’t particularly deep at center.
Dewayne Dedmon has been a regular contributor off the bench when healthy this season, while Udonis Haslem has also gotten into a couple games. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has leaned a little more heavily on Adebayo, who’s averaging a career-high 34.9 minutes per night so far.