Dereon Seabron Waived By Pelicans
The Pelicans have waived two-way guard Dereon Seabron, the team has announced in a press statement.
Seabron spent most of his New Orleans tenure with the club’s G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron. He played in 28 contests for Birmingham, including 25 starts, with averages of 17.8 PPG, 5.1 APG and 4.8 RPG across 33.3 MPG. The 6’7″ reserve shooting guard made cameos in five games with the Pelicans proper this year, averaging 2.4 MPG.
Seabron had been considered one of the best undrafted rookies in his class when he linked up with New Orleans on a two-way deal in the summer of 2022, after having spent his college career at North Carolina State.
Injured power forward E.J. Liddell occupies the Pelicans’ other two-way roster slot. The 41-39 club is currently the eighth seed in a knotted-up Western Conference play-in tournament bracket. All 15 of its standard roster spots are filled at present.
Raptors Will Not Convert Jeff Dowtin’s Two-Way Deal
The Raptors will not convert Jeff Dowtin‘s two-way contract into a standard deal, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links), who reported earlier on Thursday that he didn’t sense any momentum on the guard getting a promotion.
Dowtin, who gained head coach Nick Nurse‘s trust recently by appearing in seven straight games, reached the 50-game limit on Tuesday for which a two-way player can be active for NBA games. Since his contract won’t be converted, Dowtin will be ineligible for Toronto’s remaining regular season and postseason games.
The second-year guard is officially listed as out for Friday’s matchup in Boston, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). In a Twitter thread, Murphy points out that Dowtin will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Raptors extend him a qualifying offer, and the fact that so many people wanted a two-way player to be converted — even a solid one — is a reflection of the team’s lack of development and depth.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca is confused as to what more Dowtin could have done to be converted, as he’s played well in an area of need and promoting him wouldn’t push the team into the luxury tax (Twitter links). The Raptors were once known for their strong player development, but Lewenberg says that area has become a “crippling weakness” for the team of late.
Northwest Notes: Thunder, KAT, Malone, Nuggets, Nnaji
As the NBA’s youngest team, the Thunder have didn’t have high external expectations entering 2022/23. However, their rebuild has taken significant steps forward thanks to a strong foundation of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, and Seerah Sohi of The Ringer believes that Oklahoma City might have the most interesting team in the league.
Despite prioritizing player development over immediate success, the Thunder — who still possess several additional draft picks in the future — find themselves in the play-in mix with just two games remaining on their schedule. Sohi points out that Chet Holmgren, last year’s No. 2 overall pick, is scheduled to return next season and could fill a void in the middle. She also notes that the team’s situation seems similar to Memphis a few years ago — a rising upstart that might shoot up the standings in ’23/24.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- After attempting just three shots in the Timberwolves‘ worst loss of the season on Sunday against the tanking Trail Blazers, Karl-Anthony Towns spoke to head coach Chris Finch to ensure they would be on the same page going forward, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “We had a conversation,” Towns told reporters after scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in an essential victory over the Nets. “We have a great relationship, so that conversation obviously paid dividends tonight. We had a good conversation about philosophies. We got it done today.”
- Head coach Michael Malone ripped the Nuggets‘ effort against the Rockets after getting blown out on Tuesday night, calling the team “soft,” according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “We had a chance to clinch number one (seed) tonight and we talked about it this morning, the opportunity at hand,” Malone said. “And we definitely did not take that opportunity seriously because the way we played tonight was unacceptable playing like that, this late in the year. If that’s how we’re going to play, we’ll be out in the first round. Easy. Easy.” The Nuggets wound up clinching the top seed in the West for the first time in franchise history last night after Memphis lost to New Orleans.
- Nuggets big man Zeke Nnaji missed his second straight game on Tuesday due to a knee injury, but it’s not considered serious, reports Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports (Twitter link). The third-year forward/center is expected to return to the team’s second unit for the postseason.
- Nnaji (right knee sprain) and the Nuggets‘ entire starting lineup — Jamal Murray (right thumb sprain), Nikola Jokic (right calf tightness), Michael Porter Jr. (left heel injury management), Aaron Gordon (right shoulder inflammation) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (non-COVID illness) — are listed as questionable for Thursday’s matchup with the Suns, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter links).
NBA Denies Mavericks’ Game Protest Vs. Warriors
The NBA has denied the Mavericks‘ protest of their loss to the Warriors on March 22, the league announced (via Twitter).
The protest was filed due to the Mavs’ claim that an officiating error occurred late in the third quarter, leading to an uncontested basket for Golden State (video link from The Athletic). All five Dallas players were on the opposite side of the court as the Warriors inbounded the ball, resulting in an easy dunk for Kevon Looney.
The league notes that there were nearly 14 minutes remaining in the game when the incident occurred, and the Mavericks later took the lead twice in the last four minutes. Thus, the protest failed because the Mavs were unable to prove that they were “deprived of a fair opportunity to win the game,” according to the NBA.
After the game, Mavs owner Mark Cuban incorrectly claimed that the officials signaled it was Dallas’ ball prior to a timeout and then changed the call to award Golden State possession without informing the Mavs. However, in their formal written protest, the Mavs agreed that the refs had initially awarded the ball to the Warriors.
The NBA says that while the “officials could have taken steps to better manage” the situation, it did not warrant the “extraordinary remedy” of upholding the protest.
Kansas’ Jalen Wilson Among Draft’s Latest Early Entrants
Kansas forward Jalen Wilson has declared for the 2023 NBA draft, he announced on social media (Twitter video link). Wilson didn’t say anything about maintaining his eligibility, so we’re assuming he plans to stay in the draft and hire an agent.
Wilson was a redshirt junior, so he technically had two years of college eligibility left. However, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year is a projected second-round pick, currently No. 51 on ESPN’s big board, and clearly he likes his chances of making it to the NBA.
Wilson, who helped the Jayhawks win a national championship in 2022, led the team in scoring (20.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.3 RPG) during his standout junior season, in which he was also named first-team All-American. Kansas was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but fell in the second round to Arkansas.
The 22-year-old joins teammate Gradey Dick — a potential lottery pick — as Jayhawks who have declared for the draft.
Here are a few more college players who are entering the draft:
- Oklahoma guard Grant Sherfield, who had previous stops at Wichita State and Nevada, has declared for the draft (Instagram link). As with Wilson, Sherfield didn’t say anything about maintaining his eligibility (he had one year left due to COVID), so we’re assuming he’s going pro. As a senior for the Sooners, Sherfield averaged 15.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists on .403/.394/.863 shooting in 32 games (33.7 minutes per contest).
- UC-Davis guard Elijah Pepper, who earned All-Big West honors each of the past three seasons, is entering his name in the draft while maintaining his college eligibility, he announced on Twitter. Pepper had a productive senior season for the Aggies, averaging 22.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals on .449/.322/.816 shooting in 31 games (35.5 minutes).
- Tulane’s Sion James, a junior guard, is also testing the draft waters while maintaining his eligibility, he announced via Instagram. James put up 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals on .483/.317/.710 shooting in 31 games (37.1 minutes) for the Green Wave in 2022/23.
Bucks Notes: Matthews, Middleton, Holiday, Lopez
The Bucks have been limiting Wesley Matthews‘ playing time to keep him fresh for the postseason, and the 36-year-old swingman showed Wednesday what his playoff impact might be, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Amid injuries to several teammates, Matthews played 30 minutes against the Bulls, contributing seven points and eight rebounds while frustrating DeMar DeRozan on defense.
Matthews has appeared in just 50 games this season and has logged 15.8 minutes per night, the lowest figure of his career. He hasn’t necessarily endorsed the reduced role, but he’s willing to do whatever coach Mike Budenholzer believes is best for the team.
“It’s tough to manage, but within that, it’s understanding that you can still impact the game and that goes back to what my mom told me, I think probably when I was like four or five years old is that there’s so many ways that you can impact the basketball game,” Matthews said. “Other than my high school time, my high school career, I’ve never been the leading scorer on my team. Could I have done it? Probably. But that wasn’t what was asked of me. It was to win. Help the team win, and by any means necessary.”
There’s more on the Bucks:
- Khris Middleton left Wednesday’s game in the first quarter with soreness in his right knee after appearing to hurt it on a jump shot (video link), Nehm adds. Budenholzer wasn’t able to offer much information on Middleton’s condition, but he called it a “re-aggravation of kind of something that we’ve been working with him on all year.” Middleton has dealt with a variety of ailments that have limited him to 33 games. He missed the first 20 games of the season while recovering from surgery and experienced persistent knee pain around the All-Star break.
- Jrue Holiday is close to wrapping up another bonus, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Holiday will receive a bonus if he averages 7.3 assists per game, and he’s at 7.4 after picking up 15 assists against Chicago.
- With 26 points on Wednesday, Brook Lopez reached the 20-point mark for the 26th time this season, tweets Kane Pittman of ESPN Australia. That matches his total during his first four years with the Bucks as he’s enjoying his best scoring season since 2016/17. Lopez is also among the top contenders for Defensive Player of the Year honors and is in position to land another significant contract at age 35.
Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Wiggins, Suns, Len
The Clippers savored Wednesday’s victory over their cross-town rivals in a game with huge implications for playoff seeding, but the win was a little sweeter for Russell Westbrook than anyone else, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Westbrook was a lightning rod for criticism and an easy target for all that went wrong during his season and a half with the Lakers. He was the subject of trade rumors dating back to last summer before being shipped to Utah in February.
Westbrook signed with the Clippers after reaching a buyout agreement with the Jazz and has been a productive if sometimes imperfect fit. With the chance to solidify a top-six seed on Wednesday night, Westbrook provided early energy with 10 first quarter points as the Clippers built a 19-point lead in the first half.
“It’s not about individual stuff, but we knew what was said about him and when he came over here, it’s the complete opposite of who he is,” Ivica Zubac said. “He’s a great dude, a great leader, always happy, always positive, always helping everyone on the court, helping a lot. So we just wanted to prove everyone wrong, all those rumors, all that stuff that was said about him, it just makes it better that it came in the biggest game of the season.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Andrew Wiggins is back with the Warriors, but he won’t play before the regular season ends, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Coach Steve Kerr said Wiggins had workouts on Tuesday with director of sports medicine Rick Celebrini and assistant coach Jama Mahlalela, then participated in a scrimmage on Wednesday with young players and staff members. “Full court, 5-on-5. He looked good,” Kerr said. “… He hasn’t played in two months and he’s out there running around and looking pretty good. He still has to stack a number of days like this before he’s ready to go out and play in an NBA game. We can’t put him in a bad spot, health-wise. We got to make sure we build him up, get his strength and conditioning in a good place before we put him out there.”
- Now that the Suns are locked into fourth place, they may consider resting players for the final two games of the season, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix will face the Lakers on Friday and the Clippers on Sunday, so that decision will impact the playoff race.
- Alex Len appears to have emerged as the Kings‘ primary backup center as they prepare for the postseason, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 4/6/2023
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 10:00 am Central time (11 am Eastern).
Click here to read the transcript, and join us on Tuesday afternoon for our next live chat, hosted by Dana Gauruder.
Dwane Casey Discusses Future With Pistons
With one year remaining on his contract, Dwane Casey isn’t a lock to return as the Pistons’ coach next season. One of the early steps in making that decision took place when Casey met with members of the team’s ownership after Wednesday’s game, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
“We talked about how we’re going to look at everything and meet again after we’re all done and see which way we all want to go as far as the organization,” Casey said. “There’s nothing that’s been decided as far as that’s concerned.”
Casey joined the Pistons in 2018 shortly after being fired by the Raptors despite winning Coach of the Year honors. He inherited a playoff-level team built around Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson and went 41-41 in his first season.
The Pistons eventually shifted to rebuilding mode, and when Troy Weaver was hired as general manager in 2020, he viewed Casey as the best coach to develop young talent. Casey was rewarded with an extension that runs through the end of next season.
According to Sankofa, Casey has enjoyed a full vote of confidence from the Pistons’ decision makers, including owner Tom Gores and senior advisor Arn Tellem as well as Weaver. That has enabled him to become the league’s sixth longest-tenured head coach despite a 120-262 record.
Coming off a promising year centered around No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, Detroit entered this season with hopes of contending for a play-in spot. But Cunningham played just 12 games before undergoing season-ending shin surgery in December, and the Pistons have gone through another year of losing with a young roster. At 16-64, they have clinched the worst record in the NBA and are in danger of setting a franchise mark for the most losses in a season.
Despite the frustrations, hope remains for a quick turnaround next season. Whether Casey will be part of that next step is a decision that will be made this summer.
“I’m here,” Casey told reporters when asked about his status. “I’m under contract for another year. I committed to Tom that we were winning 60 games when I left (Toronto), and now we’re losing 60 games, but I committed to him to come in and turn around the organization. We are where we are right now. I know it seems like it’s forever away, but we’re not that far away. This team is not that far away.”
Raptors Notes: VanVleet, Dowtin, Nurse, Siakam
Speaking to Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report (YouTube video link), Raptors guard Fred VanVleet admitted that being involved in so many trade rumors leading up to February’s deadline was a new experience for him, but said he wasn’t overly concerned about those reports because the team has always communicated well with him.
“I have such a great relationship with management and ownership, like it’s really a family thing,” VanVleet said (Twitter video link via Oren Weisfeld). “Even when all the outside noise was going on, there was really no talk behind the scenes, at least with me and them, like, ‘Hey, we might move you.’ Teams were calling, of course. There’s a lot of teams that could use me, that feel like I would take them over the hump to win a championship. Especially this year.”
VanVleet will become an unrestricted free agent this July if he turns down his 2023/24 player option, as expected. However, while it’s possible he’ll explore the open market, the veteran guard doesn’t sound like a player eager to move on from his current team.
“I’m very grateful for my situation,” VanVleet said. “This franchise gave me a chance. I’m in the NBA because they believed in me, and that’s something that I don’t take for granted, I don’t take lightly.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Toronto expects to make a decision on Thursday afternoon about whether or not to promote two-way player Jeff Dowtin to the 15-man roster, head coach Nick Nurse said on Wednesday (Twitter link via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca). Nurse added he’ll meet with general manager Bobby Webster to discuss the decision.
- In a column for Sportsnet.ca, Grange argues that the Dowtin situation seems to expose a gulf between Nurse and Raptors management. Meanwhile, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets that it would be a bad look for the organization if Dowtin’s solid play on his two-way deal isn’t rewarded with a promotion.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic considers Pascal Siakam‘s case for All-NBA honors, noting that the standout forward would become eligible for a super-max extension if he’s named to one of the All-NBA teams this spring. Siakam’s numbers (24.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 5.9 APG) are certainly All-NBA caliber, but the Raptors’ underwhelming record may hurt his case, Koreen observes.
- In a separate story for The Athletic, Koreen contends that the Raptors’ organization lacks consistency in its performance and philosophy, from the front office on down to the players. Koreen suggests the decision not to convert Dowtin’s contract in time for a big game on Wednesday was an odd one, given that the team could have used him in its loss to Boston.