Joel Embiid Sustains Knee Sprain, Out For Game 4 Vs. Nets
Sixers center Joel Embiid underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed a right knee sprain, and he will be sidelined for Saturday’s Game 4 in Brooklyn, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
While it’s obviously unfortunate news that Embiid was injured, it doesn’t sound like he will be sidelined for very long. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, the team is optimistic that Embiid might be able to return early next week, though his status for a possible Game 5 on Monday is unclear.
Embiid suffered the injury while contesting a layup by Cameron Johnson in the third quarter of Game 3, which the Sixers wound up winning to hold a 3-0 lead in their first-round series with the Nets. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer provides a Twitter video link of the play in question.
Game 3 was controversial, as James Harden was ejected for the first time in his career following a flagrant foul 2 on what seemed like a fairly normal basketball play, while Embiid only received a flagrant 1 earlier in the game for intentionally kicking up at Nic Claxton‘s groin when Claxton tried to step over him following a dunk. Harden called his ejection “unacceptable.”
The fact that the Sixers are up 3-0 gives them breathing room for Embiid’s absence. If they’re able to complete the sweep on Saturday, the earliest they would have to play again would be either April 29 or 30, and that’s assuming their possible second-round series gets moved up — otherwise, they’d play again on either May 1 or 2, per NBA.com.
Embiid is considered the leading candidate for his first MVP award after finishing as the runner-up each of the past two seasons. He led the league in points per game for the second consecutive season, but the injury bug has bitten him once again in the postseason.
Kawhi Leonard Ruled Out For Game 4 With Knee Sprain
Kawhi Leonard will miss his second consecutive game on Saturday due to a right knee sprain, as the Clippers have officially ruled him out of Game 4 of their first-round series against Phoenix, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Leonard reportedly sustained the injury in Game 1, but was able to play through it for the first two games of the series. However, he was ruled out of Thursday’s Game 3, which the Clippers wound up losing to fall behind in the series two games to one, and he will now miss Game 4 as well.
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link), there was optimism that Leonard might be able to return on Saturday, but obviously the team decided to be cautious with its best player. As Hollinger notes, the star forward will have multiple days of extra rest — Game 5 is set for Tuesday in Phoenix.
Leonard had been dominant through two games, averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals on .545/.600/.882 shooting in 40.2 minutes.
Norman Powell (42 points on 15-of-23 shooting, five rebounds, three assists) and Russell Westbrook (30 points on 11-of-23 shooting, 12 assists, eight rebounds, three steals) had huge performances in his absence yesterday, but the shorthanded Clippers — who were already playing without Paul George due to his own right knee sprain — lost by a final score of 129-124.
Head coach Tyronn Lue went with an unorthodox lineup of five guards in the fourth quarter of Game 3 (Powell, Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Terance Mann and Bones Hyland), and while the group had a lot of success on offense, it was unable to slow down Devin Booker and defensive rebounding was a struggle. It will be interesting to see Lue if utilizes another extreme small-ball group or tinkers the lineup further for Game 4 with Leonard once again sidelined.
Amen, Ausar Thompson Declare For 2023 NBA Draft
Projected lottery picks Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson — identical twin brothers who played for the City Reapers of the Overtime Elite league — have declared for the 2023 NBA draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).
Amen is currently ranked No. 4 on ESPN’s big board ahead of June’s draft, while Ausar, who was born one minute after Amen, is ranked just behind him at No. 5.
Although they share many traits, including top-notch athleticism, terrific frames, and excellent defense, they also have some differences. According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Amen is considered a lead guard due to his superior passing and ball-handling, while Ausar is more of a wing — he’s stronger, faster and a better shooter.
The Thompson twins are the latest draft early entrants to declare ahead of Sunday’s deadline. Projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama formally entered the draft on Friday as well.
Tyler Herro Out At Least Six Weeks After Hand Surgery
Heat guard Tyler Herro is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing successful hand surgery on Friday, the team announced in a press release.
The news was expected, as Herro said on Tuesday that his surgery was scheduled for Friday. The fourth-year sharpshooter broke the middle and ring fingers on his right hand during Game 1 against Milwaukee on Sunday.
Being out a minimum of six weeks means Herro won’t return to the court until early June. The NBA Finals start on June 1, so obviously the Heat will have to make a very deep playoff run in order for him to have a chance at returning this season.
Herro averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists on a .439/.378/.934 shooting line in 67 games (34.9 MPG) in 2022/23. His 93.4% free throw percentage led the NBA.
Miami, the East’s No. 8 seed, won Game 1 of its first-round series with the top-seeded Bucks, but Milwaukee evened things up in a blowout victory in Game 2.
Players like Max Strus, Duncan Robinson and Victor Oladipo have received more playing time with Herro sidelined. Game 3 will be on Saturday night in Miami.
Draft Notes: Phillips, James, Vukcevic, Hifi, Alexander, More
A pair of Tennessee prospects will enter the 2023 NBA draft while preserving their remaining NCAA eligibility, Vols head coach Rick Barnes told reporters on Thursday. As Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports relays (via Twitter), freshman forward Julian Phillips and senior wing Josiah-Jordan James both intend to test the draft waters.
Phillips, the No. 52 player on ESPN’s big board, had an underwhelming freshman season, averaging just 8.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .411/.239/.822 shooting in 32 games (24.1 MPG). However, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony suggests Phillips has good size and length for his position and has the frame of a prototypical small forward. He could boost his stock with strong workouts this spring, but may benefit from another year in college, Givony adds.
James, meanwhile, averaged 10.0 PPG and 4.7 RPG with a .372/.313/.861 shooting line in his fourth year at Tennessee. He ranks 61st on ESPN’s board, with Givony lauding his toughness and defensive versatility, but is far from a lock to be drafted if he opts to go pro.
Here are a few more updates on early entrants declaring for the draft:
- Tristan Vukcevic, a 20-year-old forward/center playing for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, has declared for the draft, a source tells Givony (Twitter link). Vukcevic is a talented three-point shooter who is a candidate to be drafted in the second round, currently ranking 53rd overall on ESPN’s top 100.
- Nadir Hifi, a 20-year-old French-Algerian wing having a big year for Le Portel in LNB Pro A (France’s top league), is entering the draft, agent Olivier Mazet tells Givony (Twitter link). Hifi comes in at No. 78 on ESPN’s board.
- Creighton sophomore guard Trey Alexander will test the draft waters this spring, he announced on Twitter. Alexander boosted his numbers across the board in his second college season, averaging 13.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG with an impressive .410 3PT% in 37 games (32.1 MPG). He’s the No. 89 prospect on ESPN’s list.
- Auburn senior forward Jaylin Williams (Twitter link via Rothstein), Pitt redshirt junior guard Blake Hinson (press release), and UConn senior guard Tristen Newton (Instagram link) are among the other early entrants who have recently declared for the draft. All three will test the waters while maintaining their NCAA eligibility.
Victor Wembanyama Officially Enters 2023 NBA Draft
Projected No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama has entered the 2023 NBA draft, he announced today during an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today (link via ESPN’s Jonathan Givony).
“Declaring for the draft…it’s something crazy I’m not realizing yet,” Wembanyama told ESPN. “I realized pretty young I wanted to play in the NBA but it becomes a reality more every day. I’m so lucky to have this dream within the reach of my hand.”
The announcement is a formality, since Wembanyama has long been considered the top prospect in the 2023 draft class. In fact, the 7’5″ French phenom has widely been viewed as the NBA’s best prospect since LeBron James entered the league 20 years ago.
Playing this season for the Metropolitans 92 in France as a 19-year-old, Wembanyama has averaged 21.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 2.3 assists in 32.2 minutes per game across 29 LNB Pro A appearances. He has led the club to a 19-10 record, good for second place in France’s top basketball league, and is the favorite to earn MVP honors.
Wembanyama’s combination of size and length, as well as his shooting and rim protecting ability, makes him a unique prospect whom every lottery team would love to build around.
The draft lottery, which will be known this year as the Wembanyama sweepstakes, will take place on May 16.
Latest On Pistons’ Head Coaching Search
The Pistons began conducting interviews for their open head coaching position earlier this week, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who reports that a trio of candidates have emerged as potential frontrunners in the early stages of the process.
Former Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie, Bucks assistant Charles Lee, and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins are the top three candidates for Detroit’s coaching vacancy so far, says Edwards.
The Pistons had Ollie and Lee high on their list entering the process, according to Edwards, and have now interviewed both of them. Marc Stein identified the duo earlier this week as possible favorites of general manager Troy Weaver, though he noted that vice chairman Arn Tellem would also have “considerable influence” in the search.
As for Collins, the Pistons were “very interested” in the veteran assistant when they began their search, says Edwards. League and team sources tell The Athletic that Collins’ interview with the club was “stellar.”
None of Detroit’s early frontrunners have previously served as NBA head coaches, though Collins and Ollie played in the league.
Lee, who competed in international leagues as a player, has been a longtime assistant under Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee and Atlanta, while Collins was on Steve Kerr‘s staff for seven years in Golden State before moving to New Orleans under Willie Green in 2021. Ollie lacks any sort of NBA coaching experience, but coached at UConn for eight seasons (six as head coach) and led the Overtime Elite program for two years.
The Pistons have no definitive timetable to make a hire and will take their time to evaluate candidates, according to Edwards, who says that more contenders could emerge over the course of the search.
NBA Team Option Decisions For 2023/24
Having already created a space to track this offseason’s player option decisions, we’re turning our attention today to team options. Over the next couple months, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the team options for 2023/24, making note of whether they’re exercised or declined.
True team options are different than non-guaranteed salaries, which aren’t listed in the space below. Non-guaranteed salaries are less restrictive and provide a little more flexibility than team options, which clubs must act upon by a specific date (June 29) each year.
However, team options can be useful at the end of a contract, since turning down that option allows the team to retain some form of Bird rights on the player — waiving a player with a non-guaranteed salary doesn’t present that same opportunity. Additionally, a handful of contracts still don’t become fully guaranteed once an option is picked up, giving teams an extra level of flexibility.
The list below doesn’t include rookie scale team options for 2023/24, since those third- and fourth-year options function differently than team options on standard veteran contracts. Those ’23/24 rookie scale team option decisions were made during the 2022 offseason, and can be found here.
The standard team options for 2023/24 are listed below. This list – which can be found anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu – will be updated throughout the fall to note the latest decisions as they’re reported and/or announced.
Unless otherwise indicated, a player’s salary will become guaranteed once his team option is exercised.
Boston Celtics
- Mike Muscala ($3,500,000): Exercised
- The Celtics exercised Muscala’s option in order to trade him to the Wizards.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Lamar Stevens ($1,930,681): Exercised
- Note: Stevens’ salary remains non-guaranteed.
Detroit Pistons
- Alec Burks ($10,489,600): Exercised
- Eugene Omoruyi ($1,927,896): Exercised
- Note: Omoruyi’s salary remains non-guaranteed.
- Isaiah Livers ($1,836,096): Exercised
Houston Rockets
- Kenyon Martin Jr. ($1,930,681): Exercised
Los Angeles Lakers
- Malik Beasley ($16,524,106): Declined
Memphis Grizzlies
- Xavier Tillman ($1,930,681): Exercised
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Nathan Knight ($1,997,238): Declined
New Orleans Pelicans
- Willy Hernangomez ($2,559,942): Declined
- Naji Marshall ($1,930,681): Exercised
- Herbert Jones ($1,836,096): Declined
New York Knicks
- Derrick Rose ($15,596,339): Declined
- Miles McBride ($1,836,096): Exercised
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Lindy Waters III ($1,927,896): Declined
Orlando Magic
- Michael Carter-Williams ($3,051,144): Declined
- Goga Bitadze ($2,066,585): Exercised
- Admiral Schofield ($1,997,238): Declined
Phoenix Suns
- Ish Wainright ($1,927,896): Exercised
- Note: Wainright’s salary remains non-guaranteed.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Kevin Knox ($3,000,000): Declined
Sacramento Kings
- Kessler Edwards ($1,927,896): Exercised
Northwest Notes: Murray, MPJ, Thunder, Clarkson
Jamal Murray‘s breakout on a postseason stage occurred during the 2020 playoffs in the Orlando bubble, when he averaged 26.5 points and 6.6 assists with a .505/.453/.897 shooting line in 19 games as the Nuggets made the Western Conference Finals.
Between then and now, Murray has had to endure a lengthy recovery process from an ACL tear, but he’s off to a great start in the 2023 postseason, putting up 32.0 PPG and 6.5 APG on .500/.500/.909 shooting in his first two games against Minnesota. Teammate Michael Porter Jr. told reporters this week that Murray “looks better than ever,” as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays.
For his part, the star guard is eager to prove that “Bubble Murray” isn’t just a moniker to live up to — it’s a level he believes he can surpass.
“People say, ‘Oh, that’s like vintage (Murray),'” he told Youngmisuk, referring to the “Bubble Murray” term. “It’s like, I haven’t even hit my best. … I feel like people are making that to be the best that’s been seen. And I’m thinking that was just the beginning.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Like Murray, Porter has had to overcome injury issues to get to where he’s at with the top-seeded Nuggets this spring, as Nick Kosmider of The Athletic details. Porter has undergone multiple back surgeries, including one procedure that wiped out his rookie year and another that limited him to nine games in 2021/22. “Injuries have definitely made my basketball career a little different path than I would have wished for growing up,” Porter said. “But I’m here in the playoffs, and it is a dream come true. I’m playing for the No. 1 team in the West. I’m playing a lot of minutes for the No. 1 team in the West and we’re up 2-0 in (the first round of) the playoffs. It’s all you can ask for.”
- Speaking to local reporters on Thursday in his end-of-season presser, Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti didn’t rule out the possibility of last year’s No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren playing for OKC’s Summer League squad and stressed that he wants to see the team become more physical going forward, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “A lot of people think about physicality, and they think about one side of the ball, they think about defense,” Presti said. “Offensively I think there’s room for us to get more physical. You can see that at the free throw line. We were last in the league of getting into the bonus before our opponent. That’s not a place you want to be.”
- If Jordan Clarkson declines his player option for 2023/24, the opportunity to play for a winning team will be a top priority as he weighs his options in free agency, writes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. However, that doesn’t mean Clarkson would rule out the retooling Jazz, who exceeded expectations this past season and are well positioned to keep improving. “Everybody this year really took steps super fast and grew super fast,” Clarkson said. “I think next year we’ll be back to our winning ways, with a chance to compete for something.”
Latest On Rockets’ Head Coaching Search
The Rockets, who kicked off their head coaching search very early in the offseason, are progressing toward a second round of interviews with some of their candidates, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Frank Vogel and Ime Udoka are expected be involved in that second round, which will also see newly available Nick Nurse be introduced to the process.
While Wojnarowski suggests a second round of interviews is around the corner, it doesn’t appear the Rockets have completed their first round yet.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), Sixers assistant Sam Cassell – whose candidacy was previously reported – will interview with Houston on Sunday. Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle says that the club also still plans to meet with Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson in the coming days.
Both Cassell and Atkinson are employed by teams that are competing in the first round of the playoffs, so I imagine it’s more logistically challenging for the Rockets to schedule interviews with those candidates than the ones who are between jobs.
Here’s more on the Rockets’ coaching search:
- In addition to Vogel and Udoka, the Rockets have also completed their initial interviews with James Borrego, Adrian Griffin, and Kevin Young, Feigen confirms. Adding Cassell, Atkinson, and Nurse to that group would give Houston a total of eight candidates, which was the number initially reported at the time the team parted ways with Stephen Silas.
- Iko and Eric Koreen of The Athletic teamed up to take a closer look at Nurse’s style of coaching, to break down his performance with the Raptors, and to consider how he might fit with the Rockets.
- The Rockets are overdue to get a head coaching hire right, Jerome Solomon writes in a column for The Houston Chronicle, arguing that the franchise hasn’t hit a home run on that front since bringing in Rudy Tomjanovich way back in 1992.