Raptors’ Otto Porter Exercises Player Option
Raptors reserve combo forward Otto Porter Jr. has exercised his player option for 2023/24, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
As Charania notes, Porter appeared in a scant eight contests during his inaugural stint with Toronto this year. He underwent a season-ending surgery in January to correct a left foot ailment, described as a dislocated left toe. The Raptors filed for a $3MM disabled player exception following the operation.
Porter inked a two-year, $12.3MM deal with Toronto last summer after serving as a critical bench contributor for the title-winning 2021/22 Warriors. He is now set to earn $6.3MM in the second year of the deal.
When he did play, the 6’8″ wing averaged 5.5 PPG on .500/.353/1.000 shooting across those eight games for a 41-41 Raptors club. He also chipped in 2.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 1.0 APG.
Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca tweets that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Toronto explores a potential trade to offload Porter’s salary this summer, given how close the team may be to the league’s punitive luxury tax.
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Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Green, Looney, Thompson
Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins has been a surprisingly excellent two-way contributor in the team’s 2-2 series against the Kings, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The 6’7″ swingman had been away from the team since February 13 tending to personal issues, but hasn’t missed a beat in his return — he has played a total of 139 minutes in the series, a total just below those of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. He’s averaging 19.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.3 BPG across the first four games of the series.
There’s more out of Golden State:
- Following his very public physical training camp altercation with teammate Jordan Poole, Warriors power forward Draymond Green felt he had to work to regain his standing in the locker room, he tells Shams Charania of The Athletic. “We all know the situation,” Green said. “And I felt like I had to earn my voice. A voice isn’t given. For me, I wanted to do things to earn that back… I needed to earn respect and I needed to earn a voice. And not just because you’re Draymond… you’ve done this, you’ve done that in this organization and everyone’s just supposed to listen.”
- Starting Warriors center Kevon Looney, who once again has emerged as a major figure in these playoffs, recently detailed how a rigorous yoga routine keeps him, well, centered, per Scott Cacciola of The New York Times. Looney, who has struggled with injuries in the past, has not missed a single game over the past two season, a fact he credits to “Jana Joga,”
- Though Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson has yet to submit a massive offensive showing through four playoff games against Sacramento, history suggests that one is forthcoming, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “He’s in that weight room every day, training room every day,” Green said. “As far as him competing and looking like Klay? It’s April. That is who Klay Thompson is. He is one of the biggest and best winners I’ve been around, and that’s what matters most to him.”
Raptors Notes: Ujiri, Poeltl, Coaching Search, Nurse
The Raptors lost in the play-in tournament and parted ways with their head coach, but comments from president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri at last week’s press conference indicate that he believes the team is close enough to being a contender that he won’t try to rebuild, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
Ujiri emphasized the parity throughout the league this season, noting that 26 teams still had a path to the playoffs heading into the final two weeks. He also pointed out that Toronto was 15-10 after acquiring Jakob Poeltl from the Spurs at the trade deadline.
“I think Jakob has a lot of high basketball IQ and he’s a pass-first center,” Ujiri said. “I call players like that a championship piece because you can put him on any of the teams (still playing) except the one’s that already have great centers. But you can put a player like that on that team and he fits in right away.”
Grange notes that Ujiri appears to have more belief in the Raptors’ future than Nick Nurse, who didn’t seem to mind being replaced as head coach with a year left on his contract, or Ime Udoka, who accepted an offer from the Rockets on Monday without giving Toronto an interview.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes this summer. Ujiri faces significant decisions on potential free agents Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. as well as possible trades involving Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, but he seems to believe the organization is capable of turning around quickly.
“We’ve got to build spirit back here, the culture, those things that bring us together to move like we’ve always done here. We need that back,” Ujiri said. “This is very crucial for us. With our culture here, I’ll continue to say that. It’s very vital for us to have incredible energy that lifts people and gets us to work together.”
There’s more from Toronto:
- The Raptors don’t appear close to finding their next coach, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Udoka’s deal with the Rockets takes away the presumed leading candidate, so the team may wait to see if any prominent coaches unexpectedly become available as the postseason plays out. Lewenberg notes that Ujiri wants to have his next coach in place before the draft, so the process could take up to two months.
- The front office sounds willing to shake things up, but the Raptors will be working with a few limitations, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Toronto doesn’t have an obvious path to clear cap room, leaving the team with just the $10MM mid-level exception to pursue free agents. The Raptors’ first-round pick is likely to be in the late lottery, and they don’t have a second-rounder this year and probably won’t have a first-round selection in 2024.
- In another Toronto Star story (subscription only), Smith takes an inside look at what went wrong during Nurse’s final season as head coach.
NBA To Phase In Second Tax Apron
The second tax apron that’s included in the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be phased in over two seasons, sources tell John Hollinger of The Athletic.
The new financial provision is designed to discourage excessive spending by the league’s wealthiest franchises. It is set at $17.5MM above the luxury tax threshold and places severe restrictions on teams that go above that figure.
Penalties for exceeding the second apron include the loss of the mid-level exception, a ban on including cash as part of trades and the inability to accept more salary in a trade than the team sends out. A team in the second apron will also be unable to aggregate salary in trades and cannot trade its first-round pick seven years in the future (ie. its 2030 pick in 2023/24) or sign players on the buyout market.
Also, if a team exceeds the second apron and remains there in two of the four subsequent years, its frozen draft pick (the one that was initially seven years out) will get moved to the end of the first round, regardless of the team’s record in that season.
Hollinger points out that the Clippers and Warriors face the most immediate concerns about the second apron. Both teams are currently about $40MM above the luxury tax line and are locked into payrolls at the same level for next season. Hollinger notes that the only way for either team to substantially reduce its payroll over the next few years is to downgrade its roster.
He adds that the Bucks, Celtics, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns are also more than $17.5MM above the tax line this season, but they have easier paths to avoiding the second apron in the future.
There’s more on the new CBA:
- Teams that exceed the first apron by going $7MM above the tax will see their taxpayer MLE reduced to $5MM with a two-year maximum for signings, Hollinger adds. Like teams above the second apron, they will also be unable to take back more salary than they send out in any deal and will be prohibited from signing most players who get bought out.
- Any team that’s below the league’s salary floor on the first day of the 2024/25 season will not receive a tax distribution for that year, Bobby Marks points out in an ESPN writers’ discussion of the CBA provisions. That’s likely to encourage low-spending teams to add an additional free agent or two to make sure their payroll qualifies. Marks notes that the union also benefits from the addition of 30 more jobs with each team adding a third two-way slot, as well as growth in the non-taxpayer and room mid-level exceptions.
- The number of players that teams can have under contract during the offseason and training camp will increase from 20 to 21, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.
Heat Notes: Butler, Salary Structure, Oladipo, Highsmith
Jimmy Butler was reluctant to accept the “Playoff Jimmy” moniker, even after one of the most remarkable postseason performances in Heat history, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Butler set a franchise record with 56 points and led an incredible comeback on Monday night to give Miami a 3-1 lead in its series with the top-seeded Bucks.
Butler was 19-of-28 from the field and 15-of-18 from the foul line as he tied Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley for the fourth-highest point total ever recorded in the playoffs. He’s now the leading scorer in this year’s postseason at 36.5 PPG.
“I love the competitive aspect of (the playoffs),” Butler said. “This is where all the best players, they show up and they show out. I’m not saying I’m one of those best players; I just want to be looked at as such. I want to do everything for my team to win, along with everybody on this roster. I think (team president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra) wanted me here for a reason. I feel like this is part of that reason.”
Holding a 12-point lead with 6:08 left to play, Milwaukee was on the verge of evening up the series before Butler took over. He scored or assisted on 22 of the Heat’s final 30 points and personally outscored the Bucks 13-8 over the final five minutes of the game.
Milwaukee used seven different defenders to try to control Butler, Collier adds, but he was able to make 16-of-21 shots that were classified as contested.
“When he gets in that zone, he’s just such a killer,” Kevin Love said. “Lions like to hunt, man. They make their kill, and they keep hunting. That’s what he does. He’s got a huge heart. He wants to see us win. He doesn’t want to make it about him; he just wants to go out there and get the job done.”
There’s more from Miami:
- The Heat could use another scorer to help Butler, but their salary structure for next season makes that difficult, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Butler will earn $45.1MM in 2023/24, and the team has close to $90MM committed to Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry. Unless Miami can unload some of that salary, the need for Butler to carry the offense is unlikely to change.
- Victor Oladipo has remained in good spirits despite his latest knee injury, Winderman adds in another Sun Sentinel story. Spoelstra addressed the media Monday for the first time since Oladipo was diagnosed with a torn left patellar tendon that will require surgery. “He said, ‘Don’t shed any tears for me, I’m going to get through all of this,’” Spoelstra said. “That human side, we keep on talking about, when you see how much he’s been able to go through and over time, you just naturally are kind of rooting for him these last three years. But he will. … He has all of convinced he’s going to get through this and he will find a way. He has that kind of a fortitude.”
- Oladipo’s injury has resulted in a greater role for Haywood Highsmith, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The third-year small forward was the first player Spoelstra used off the bench Monday night.
Tyronn Lue Defends Kawhi Leonard Amid Latest Injury
Kawhi Leonard will miss his third straight game as the Clippers try to prevent their season from ending tonight in Phoenix, and coach Tyronn Lue made it clear that Leonard’s absence is unavoidable, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Lue said Leonard suffered a sprained right knee during the series opener, and the injury got worse as he played through it in Game 2. Leonard sat out Monday’s practice while receiving treatment on the knee and has already been ruled out for Game 5.
The Clippers have received criticism for their “load management” policy with Leonard, who played just 52 games in his first season after returning from a partial ACL tear. Lue said that’s not what’s happening now, and Leonard would be ready to play if he were physically capable.
“He’s definitely hurt,” Lue said. “Like this is not load management where he’s taking time off. He’s shown in his past that he’s played through injuries in the playoffs. If it’s something that he can’t play through, then it has to be pretty serious. We’re not talking about he’s sitting out because of load management or he’s tired or nothing like that. It’s an actual thing. What the outside is saying, who cares.”
Leonard was outstanding in the first two games of the series, scoring 38 points in Game 1 as L.A. picked up a win on the Suns’ home court, then following that with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Game 2. Without him available, the Clippers lost back-to-back games at home and now have to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
Leonard’s injury comes at an especially bad time, with Paul George already sidelined by a right knee sprain that he suffered in late March. George has been making progress in his recovery and was seen driving hard to the basket Monday, but he’s considered unlikely to return during the first round.
Without his two stars, Lue has been turning to unorthodox lineups in an effort to create difficult matchups for the Suns. The Clippers have used five guards at times as Russell Westbrook and Norman Powell have taken on more of the scoring load, and Lue indicated that he has more tricks ready for Game 5.
“It’s a tough situation to be in, with your two main guys out,” he said. “But I love our guys in the locker room. I’d go to war with these guys any time. That’s the reason I have confidence, because of the guys we have in the locker room, and we are not going to give in. We just (got to) clean up a few things, like we’re right there.”
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Ham, Davis, Reaves
At age 38, LeBron James is still reaching new heights, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. For the first time in his 20 NBA seasons, James posted 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game Monday night as the Lakers rallied for an overtime win to take a commanding 3-1 lead over Memphis.
James’ performance was about much more than stats, however, as he banked in a layup high off the backboard to tie the game with less than a second left in regulation, then delivered a three-point play late in the extra session to put the game out of reach. He followed that final basket with a show of emotion, flexing his biceps and screaming toward the crowd.
“These are the moments that I love,” James said. “I love the postseason. I’ve been a part of a lot of the games and I just love being able to make plays and be out there with my teammates to give them experiences that they maybe never had before.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- First-year coach Darvin Ham understands that it’s a rare experience to have one of the league’s all-time greatest players in his lineup, per Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register. Ham strikes a balance between marveling at James skills’ and still trying to make him better. “I don’t take it for granted,” he said, “being in the position to coach him.”
- James’ heroics came on a rare down night for Anthony Davis, who sources tell McMenamin was slowed by pain in his right hip, which he hurt two and a half weeks ago. Davis made just one of his first eight shots from the field, but still managed 12 points and 11 rebounds while playing 42 minutes. “Things aren’t always going to be perfect,” he said. “Sometimes you got to win ugly. Sometimes you don’t play well, but still try to leave your imprint on the game. And that’s what I tried to do tonight on the defensive end.”
- Austin Reaves was L.A.’s leading scorer on Monday with 23 points to go along with four rebounds and six assists. Appearing in his first playoff series, Reaves said he continues to feed off the crowd, which showered him with “MVP” chants once again. “The way that they support me, the way I believe that they love the way that I play. … I’m gonna give it everything I got every night,” Reaves said (video link from HoopsHype)
Injury Updates: Anderson, Leonard, George, Fox, Embiid
Forward Kyle Anderson has been ruled out by the Timberwolves for Game 5 of the first-round series against the Nuggets on Tuesday, the team’s PR department tweets.
Anderson suffered an eye injury on Sunday when he was struck by teammate Anthony Edwards as the two Timberwolves teammates defended a dunk attempt by DeAndre Jordan. Anderson is averaging 8.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the series, which Denver leads 3-1.
We have more injury-related news:
- The Clippers will be without both of their superstars again for Game 5. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have been ruled for Tuesday’s game as their team faces elimination against the Suns, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets. Leonard received treatment on his sprained right knee on Monday but didn’t practice, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
- While Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox was initially considered doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Warriors due to a fractured index finger on his left hand, there is internal optimism that Fox will try to play, Sam Amick and Shams Charania of The Athletic report. The medical staff will try to figure out if it’s feasible for Fox to play with the injury, which is on his shooting hand. The Kings have confirmed Fox has an avulsion fracture, Marc Stein tweets.
- Joel Embiid‘s status for the second-round series remains unclear as he tries to recover from a sprained LCL in his right knee. “I’m told he’s doing better and he’s moving around better,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on the NBA Today show (video link) regarding the Sixers’ center. “The swelling has subsided … (but) you’re not going to push it with something like that.”
Knicks Notes: Barrett, Roster Moves, Brunson, Centers, Thibodeau
Knicks forward RJ Barrett has gone from bust to boom in the past two games, Peter Botte of the New York Post points out. Barrett shot 6-for-25 from the field in the first two games of the first-round series against the Cavaliers. He has gone 17-for-30 in the last two games, averaging 23.5 points per contest.
“I just wanted to continue to make the right plays, make the right reads. Just do whatever to help the team,” said Barrett, who will begin his four-year, $107MM extension in 2023/24.
We have more on the Knicks:
- The moves the Knicks made during the offseason and at the trade deadline have put them in a position to reach the second round, Ian Begley of SNY TV writes. They signed Jalen Brunson instead of trading for Donovan Mitchell, signed Barrett to his extension and re-signed big man Mitchell Robinson. They also added Isaiah Hartenstein via free agency and acquired Josh Hart from Portland in February.
- Brunson is running pick-and-rolls with wings and other guards such as Barrett to great effect during the postseason, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes. Their defense is also much more intense, particularly in transition. “We’re playing extremely hard,” Barrett said. “We’re making hustle plays. … The whole team, all the hustle plays we’re making, we’re really together collectively.”
- The center rotation of Robinson and Hartenstein became increasingly effective as the regular season wore on, coach Tom Thibodeau told Botte and other media members. “That tandem, from the second half of the season on, Mitch is the anchor of the defense. Isaiah gives us the rim protection and he’s different offensively,” Thibodeau said. “So there’s different components to it.” They combined for 13 points, 19 rebounds and four blocked shots in Game 4 on Sunday.
- Thibodeau’s willingness to bench gimpy Julius Randle for a good portion of the second half is an example of how much the veteran coach has changed his approach, Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post opines. Thibodeau has become much more willing to rely on younger players and his second unit, rather than leaning too heavily on veterans.