Heat Notes: Ware, Defense, Powell, Lawsuit, LaRoche
Heat second-year big man Kel’el Ware is experiencing growing pains and his playing time has been shaved. He was on the court for just 11 minutes and 30 seconds in a loss to the Lakers on Sunday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes.
“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating,” Ware said of his usage. “I feel like you got to trust the coach and the decisions that he comes up with. And then you got to go from there and be ready when your name is called.”
Entering Monday’s matchup against the Clippers, the Heat have been outscored by 10 points per 100 possessions with Ware on the court this season, according to Chiang. No other Miami rotation player has a worse net rating.
“We’re not going to give up on him,” frontcourt partner Bam Adebayo said. “We know how great he can be. He moves the needle for this team.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- The Heat’s defense in general was poor against the Lakers, as they gave up 130 points. They are 0-2 on their current road trip. “It really boiled down to a lack of effort on plays that we’re accustomed to doing and making, and/or mindless plays,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “Either fouls or just things that we haven’t been doing. So you do have to credit them, but we’re much better defensively than we showed (Sunday). That’s probably what’s really frustrating.”
- Norman Powell missed his third straight game on Sunday because of a right groin strain, Chiang adds. Powell was listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest before being ruled out a few hours before tip-off. He’s considered questionable to play against the Clippers, who dealt him to the Heat in July as part of a three-team trade.
- Will the Heat sue the Hornets for their failure to disclose gambling allegations against Terry Rozier before they traded him to Miami in January 2024? The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson believes it’s unlikely, noting that Heat owner Micky Arison and his son, team CEO Nick Arison, are not predisposed to filing lawsuits. The NBA was immediately informed of the suspicious betting activity the day it happened and did not inform the Heat at that time or before it approved the trade, according to Jackson’s sources. However, the Arisons have a strong relationship with commissioner Adam Silver.
- Noah LaRoche has been a significant addition to the staff, Chiang writes. He was brought in this season as a consultant after being an assistant with the Grizzlies before last season. LaRoche was credited with helping to install a more free-flowing, motion-based offense with Memphis and is doing the same with the Heat.
Kings Eyeing Free Agent Precious Achiuwa
12:27 pm: Isaac Jones would likely be waived if the Kings come to an agreement with Achiuwa, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points tweets.
11:31 am: The Kings could soon add a veteran big man. They are looking at bringing in Precious Achiuwa, NBA insider Jake Fischer tweets.
Sacramento is off to a 2-4 start and is undersized at the power forward spot. The Kings have been using smaller starting lineups with DeMar DeRozan essentially manning the four. Overall, they have an underwhelming collection of big men outside of Domantas Sabonis.
With Keegan Murray currently sidelined by a thumb injury, Sabonis is the only non-guard or wing on the roster averaging more than 3.2 points per game.
Sacramento has a full roster and would have to drop someone to add Achiuwa. He was waived late in training camp by the Heat, who would have been pushed over the luxury tax limit if they had held onto him.
Achiuwa has spent the past five years in the NBA after being selected 20th overall by Miami in the 2020 draft. The 26-year-old has appeared in 320 regular season games with the Heat, Raptors and Knicks over that span, with career averages of 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per contest. He appeared in 57 regular season games with the Knicks last season, including 10 starts.
However, Achiuwa struggled to find a suitable opportunity in free agency this summer and wound up taking a non-guaranteed contract to rejoin the Heat. Erik Spoelstra discussed Miami’s decision to waive Achiuwa before opening night, citing cap concerns.
“It is tough, especially because we spent time with him four years ago, it felt like we wanted to keep that going,” the longtime Heat coach said. “But that’s just where we are right now with the roster. We’ll have to see what happens in the future.”
Achiuwa averaged 4.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game across four preseason outings.
Nets Notes: Fernandez, Saraf, Martin, Powell, Wolf
Nets coach Jordi Fernandez understands that wins aren’t likely to be plentiful this season, but he wants to see a better effort from his players than he did in Sunday’s game against Philadelphia, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn gave up 129 points in a home loss to a Sixers team playing without Joel Embiid and was never really competitive while falling to 0-6.
“We go back to the same with poor defensive effort,” Fernandez said. “I’m failing at trying to get my guys to play hard. I’m trying to ask them questions: How can I do it to get them to play really hard? And then you live with the result. I’m not living with this result because the effort is not there and the defense is not there. And we’re turning it over — 19 turnovers for 20 points. Until we don’t have that, we’re not gonna be able to fight for a win. It’s plain and simple. How many games is it gonna take? It’s six now.”
Fernandez was upset after watching his team allow Kelly Oubre Jr. to score 22 first quarter points on his way to a 29-point night. Tyrese Maxey added 26 and Quentin Grimes contributed 22 off the bench as Philadelphia shot 52.1% from the field.
“We know after every game we come here and say the same thing, our defensive presence, our defensive presence. So you know what it is. It’s obvious,” Terance Mann told reporters. “We’re gonna have to or we’re gonna keep losing. So, that’s what coach wants, if we don’t figure out how and have the willingness to do it, then it’s just gonna be the same results, to be honest. That’s just what it is.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Fernandez made a change to his starting lineup on Sunday, replacing rookie point guard Ben Saraf with Tyrese Martin, Lewis states in a separate story. Martin went scoreless in 27 minutes, missing all six of his shots from the field, while Saraf wasn’t used at all after starting his first five games. “I think (Fernandez) wants more on the defensive side. I think the last two games, I had, like, a couple of breakdowns on defense. So, it’s really important for the team. I think this is the main thing,” Saraf said. “I feel like I’m a capable defensive player. I think I just need a little more focus on some possessions. Yeah, I need to be there.”
- Fernandez was planning an increased role for rookie guard Drake Powell on Sunday, but he had to be removed with a twisted left ankle after playing just 4:27. Powell wasn’t limping after the game and didn’t have ice or a wrap on the ankle, Lewis adds. “He’ll be back soon because he’s a worker and he’s great,” Fernandez said. “He started very well with great energy, the two transition points. Unfortunately, this is part of the game.”
- Danny Wolf missed Sunday’s game as he continues to experience soreness after spraining his left ankle during the opening-night shootaround, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. Of Brooklyn’s five first-round picks this year, Wolf is the only one who hasn’t appeared in a game yet.
Myles Turner Discusses Free Agency Decision, Return To Indiana
Five months after helping the Pacers reach the NBA Finals, Myles Turner may be treated as a villain as he returns to Indiana on Monday. Tyrese Haliburton‘s ruptured Achilles in Game 7 of that series and Turner’s offseason decision to sign with the Bucks have quickly unraveled a potential championship team, and Turner isn’t sure how the fans will react when he’s introduced, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“I don’t know what to expect,” he said. “There’s going to be some cheers. There’s going to be some boos. It kind of just is what it is. For me personally, the biggest thing is obviously winning the basketball game, that’s paramount. But there’s going to be some mixed emotions. Still got some great people in the organization that I rock with. Obviously old teammates, it’s going to be a blend of emotions, for sure.”
Turner approached free agency fully expecting to re-sign with the Pacers, Collier adds. He had been the subject of trade rumors in the past, but those had always blown over and he anticipated continuing his 10-year relationship with Indiana.
However, sources tell Collier that negotiations between Turner’s agent and the team hit a snag because the Pacers wouldn’t increase their offer past $22MM annually for three years, as has been previously reported.
Meanwhile the Bucks were plotting a bold strategy to add Turner to their roster and hopefully quell trade speculation regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo. They provided the most shocking move of free agency when they waived Damian Lillard and stretched the $113MM left on his contract. That opened enough cap room to offer Turner a four-year, $107MM deal with a player option on the final season.
He considered it an easy choice, stating, “(Indiana) made it very clear how they valued me. And so did the Milwaukee Bucks.”
“I’ve always been told when I was in trade rumors, this is a business, this is a business, this is a business,” Turner added. “And that’s kind of what this decision was for me. It was a business decision. It’s unfortunate that it came at the time that it did, but it’s a $40MM difference at the end of the day.”
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard was shocked by Turner’s decision, Collier adds. Pritchard believed the negotiating process was still continuing and wasn’t aware of the deal with Milwaukee until he saw it on social media. He thought the team was nearing an acceptable offer, but Turner viewed it differently.
“There were a lot of factors that went into the decision,” Turner said, “but Indiana made it very easy for me.”
So far, Turner’s decision has worked out well for him and the Bucks and poorly for his former team. He’s off to a rough shooting start — averaging just 9.8 points through six games while connecting at 39.3% from the field and 34.4% from three-point range — but Milwaukee is 4-2 and looks like one of the best teams in the East. The Pacers didn’t pick up their first win until Saturday and have been suffering from a lack of star power.
Turner’s new teammates are raving about the veteran leadership he’s providing for a squad that lost Lillard, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton over the past year, and he’s enjoying the chance to play alongside a superstar in Antetokounmpo.
“He’s about to change my life, man,” Turner said. “I spent 10 years of my life doing the exact same thing. It’s obviously an adjustment, but it’s hoops at the end of the day.”
Stein’s Latest: Morant, W. Green, Borrego, Vucevic, Irving, Davis
Trade speculation regarding Ja Morant has perked up following his confrontation with the coaching staff and subsequent one-game suspension, but the idea of the Grizzlies moving Morant isn’t a new concept, Marc Stein of The Stein Line writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).
Rival teams have been monitoring Morant’s situation in Memphis since this summer, according to Stein, when the organization gave a huge extension to Jaren Jackson Jr. but didn’t pursue a similar deal with Morant. The Grizzlies unloaded salary for a renegotiation and extension that resulted in a new deal for Jackson valued at an estimated $240MM over five years.
Regarding Morant, who has two years at $87MM+ left on his current deal after this season, Stein notes that general manager Zach Kleiman called this “a big season for Ja” at media day, adding, “I think it is fair to say as we continue to build this team, to be able to achieve a high-end outcome, we need Ja to be a consistent All-NBA-caliber player.”
Stein also points out that Kleiman has “very publicly backed” head coach Tuomas Iisalo in the current dispute with Morant.
Stein offers m0re inside information from around the league:
- Sunday’s 31-point loss at Oklahoma City is turning up the heat on Pelicans coach Willie Green, Stein adds. At 0-6, New Orleans is one of two remaining winless teams and time may be running out to salvage the season. They already have three 30-point losses, and there are serious concerns about whether the Pelicans have enough shooting and play-making to work their way into the play-in race. Stein notes that owner Gayle Benson is fond of Green, and there were rumors that she forced Joe Dumars to keep him in place when he took over as head of basketball operations. New Orleans is under pressure to win this season after sending an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Atlanta in the Derik Queen trade, so patience with Green might be very thin. Stein notes that the Pelicans denied a request from the Knicks to interview associate head coach James Borrego this summer to become the lead assistant on Mike Brown‘s staff. Stein states that there were whispers behind the scenes that the organization was keeping Borrego in anticipation of a potential coaching change.
- Nikola Vucevic was heavily involved in trade speculation dating back to last season’s deadline, but he’s rewarding the Bulls‘ decision to hold onto him, Stein notes. The 35-year-old center, who has an expiring $21.5MM contract, is off to a fast start, averaging 19.3 points and 12.3 rebounds through six games. His trade value is increasing, but Chicago may decide to keep him if it remains in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
- Head coach Jason Kidd offered hope over the weekend that Kyrie Irving may be back sooner than expected, but sources tell Stein that the timeline for the Mavericks guard should still be considered “fluid.” Stein was surprised to see Anthony Davis going through a pregame workout Saturday at Mexico City. Davis is sidelined with a low-grade left calf strain and will be reevaluated on Tuesday after the team returns from its current road trip.
Mavs Notes: Flagg, Veterans, Irving, Approach
Cooper Flagg‘s start to his NBA career with the Mavericks has been an exercise in steady progress and managing expectations, writes Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing so far for the 6’9″ rookie forward, who joined a team with aspirations of contending and has unexpectedly taken on the role of starting point guard. The No. 1 overall pick is shooting just 37.3% from the floor and 28.6% on three-pointers as he learns a new role.
Flagg, for his part, is not satisfied with his performance so far, but neither is he losing confidence.
“It’s a tough league. It’s a transition,” Flagg said. “Honestly, I haven’t made a lot of shots or been as efficient as I would’ve wanted to, but I’m gonna just keep trusting the work. It’s nothing I think they should be worried about. I’m not worried about anything.”
The Mavericks share Flagg’s faith in his ability to figure things out.
“Cooper’s not the kind of player who gets rattled,” a Mavericks staffer said. “He wants to understand why something didn’t work, then figure out how to fix it. That’s rare for someone his age.”
We have more from around the Mavs:
- One way that the Mavs are helping to ease Flagg’s burden as he transitions to being the new face of the franchise is through their veteran stars, writes Tim MacMahon for ESPN. Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis both have the perspective of being former No. 1 overall picks who entered the NBA with big expectations, and they’re using their experiences to help Flagg. “Being a No. 1 pick is still going to come with the pressure, still going to come with a lot of the inner thoughts that you want to impose on the team,” Irving said. “You want to let everybody know who you are, and you want to earn everybody’s respect. And that’s what it takes to be in this league. There’s no boys allowed. For me, it’s just making sure he doesn’t get overwhelmed or it’s not too much for him.” MacMahon describes Flagg as a 6’9″ shadow to Irving when the point guard goes through his post-practice routine, whether shooting sessions or one-on-one work.
- Head coach Jason Kidd is tantalized by the potential combination of Irving playing alongside Flagg and is hopeful that fans will get to see that duo sooner rather than later, Afseth writes. “[Irving] is going to be a perfect fit with Cooper Flagg, when you talk about his skill set of being able to dribble and score,” Kidd said. “He also creates space on the floor for Cooper, and vice versa. We just can’t wait to get Kai back, at some point. Hopefully it’s in the year of ’25 — not ’26.” Afseth notes that the optimistic timeline stands in clear contrast to the cautious approach Kidd and the Mavs have taken when previously discussing Irving’s rehabilitation schedule.
- Until Irving does return, Mavs fans shouldn’t expect a change in approach, despite the team’s early struggles to score, according to Christian Clark for The Athletic. Dallas’ offense went bone-dry in the fourth quarter against the Pistons in Mexico on Saturday, Clark writes, a trend largely indicative of the greater struggles the team has faced en route to a 2-4 start to the season. Entering Sunday, the Mavs were averaging 104.2 points per 100 possessions while every other team in the league was scoring at least 106, Clark notes. However, Kidd seems content to focus on the bigger picture rather than getting weighed down by the offense’s current struggles. “We are playing for something greater,” Kidd said about the ongoing Point Flagg experiment. “Just to have that experience early on is a blessing.”
Serge Ibaka Teases NBA Comeback
Serge Ibaka recently teased a potential return to the NBA, tweeting a black and white picture of himself practicing in an open University of Miami gym with the caption “@nba Comeback.”
The 14-year veteran’s most recent NBA action came in the 2022/23 season, when he appeared in 16 regular season games for the Bucks and averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per contest.
Ibaka played the following season overseas with Bayern Munich, with whom he averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 48.0% from three. He spent last season with Real Madrid, averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG during EuroLeague play.
The 36-year-old Ibaka led the league in blocks three times during his NBA career and won the 2019 NBA championship as a key contributor for the Raptors. He rose to prominence as an important member of the Thunder team that, along with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, lost the 2012 NBA Finals to the LeBron James-led Heat.
Blake Wesley Out Indefinitely With Broken Bone In Foot
Trail Blazers guard Blake Wesley has suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot and is out indefinitely, according to the team. The Blazers added that Wesley’s recovery timeline will be determined at a later date.
Wesley signed a one-year deal with the Trail Blazers this summer. With Scoot Henderson out due to a hamstring tear, the former Spur has played in each of Portland’s first six games, averaging career highs in points (6.0), rebounds (2.3), assists (3.2), steals (1.7) in 16.3 minutes per night.
The 25th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Wesley played the first three seasons of his career with San Antonio before being traded to Washington this offseason. He was subsequently bought out by the Wizards and signed with the Blazers as a free agent.
With Wesley out, rookie Caleb Love could be in line for additional playing time. The undrafted guard has appeared in two games for Portland, averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 assists in 9.5 minutes per contest.
In addition to missing Wesley and Henderson, the Blazers are playing without Damian Lillard, who will spend the entire 2025/26 season recovering from an Achilles tear.
Josh Hart Reveals Nerve Damage In Shooting Hand
Knicks forward Josh Hart is suffering from nerve damage throughout his shooting hand, he revealed on Sunday to Fred Katz and James L Edwards III of The Athletic.
Hart previously acknowledged prior to training camp that an offseason procedure on his right ring finger didn’t sufficiently address the issue. Now he’s providing more details on the injury and suggesting it’s more wide-ranging than previously reported.
According to Katz and Edwards, not only is the injury impacting the fourth finger of Hart’s shooting hand, but it’s also causing him to lose feeling in his middle and pinky fingers throughout the day, whether on the court or off.
“It’ll probably be a process until I get full feeling back,” Hart said. “The hand will be what it is. I’m working (on shooting) all the time. That’ll come along. I’m not getting surgery.”
After missing much of the preseason and entering this fall with a different role than he played in the previous two seasons, Hart has gotten off to a slow start, averaging 2.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 22.3 minutes on .211/.100/.500 shooting splits over his first four games heading into Sunday’s contest against the Bulls.
With his minutes down significantly from the 35.5 MPG he averaged over the last two seasons with the Knicks, Hart is still seeking some stability and structure in his position with the team.
“If I’m not going to start, I’m totally cool with it,” he said. “I don’t want to be, like, the next starter up because then everything is varying by game. I want more of a consistent role so that I can affect that role.”
Pelicans’ Slow Start Intensifies Coaching Questions
After losing 137-106 to the Thunder on Sunday, the Pelicans remain one of only two teams without a win on the season, along with Brooklyn.
The rough start has set off alarms around the NBA media landscape, with the Pelicans drawing the wrong kind of attention not just for their 0-6 start but for the way in which those losses have occurred. It was previously reported that head coach Willie Green is on the hot seat after winning just 21 games last season.
Rylan Stiles of Locked On Thunder wrote (via Twitter) during Sunday’s game that the team appeared to have quit on Green, noting the lack of player engagement on the bench. The Ringer’s Zach Lowe echoed the sentiment, tweeting that the team looked broken across the board and speculating that Green likely had to be feeling some level of personal pressure given the state of the team’s performance.
This performance comes after previous reporting that the players seemed to be tuning Green’s messaging out at times.
The Pelicans have given up at least 120 points in each of their six games, and The Athletic’s Law Murray notes that three of the last four games have been 30-point losses (Twitter link).
As William Guillory of the Athletic observes (via Twitter), the team’s disappointing performances last season could be largely chalked up to injuries, but that this year’s Pelicans are relatively healthy, making it harder to justify the lackluster performance. The team is missing Dejounte Murray, who is still rehabbing from an Achilles rupture, but was otherwise at full strength on Sunday. Guillory adds that if New Orleans is unable to turn things around quickly and dramatically, a change in leadership feels inevitable.
Bret Siegel of Clutch Points notes that multiple players have already expressed frustration with the state of the team (Twitter link).
The Pelicans will be under particular scrutiny this season in the wake of their draft-night trade with the Hawks to select Derik Queen with the No. 13 overall pick. The Pelicans gave up their unprotected 2026 first-round pick in the deal, despite the consensus strength of the top of the 2026 draft class. Queen played just 6:51 in Sunday’s loss, scoring four points.
After missing much of the preseason recovering from a left wrist injury, Queen has played in all of the team’s games this season, coming into Sunday with averages of 8.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 19.6 minutes per contest.