Kevin Durant Departs With Knee Injury
7:50pm: Durant will have an MRI on Monday, according to Nets coach Jacque Vaughn, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets.
7:15pm: Nets superstar Kevin Durant exited Sunday’s game against Miami with a right knee injury, the team tweets.
The Heat’s Jimmy Butler fell onto Durant’s knee after Ben Simmons blocked Butler’s shot late in the third quarter. Durant played two more possessions before retreating to the locker room, Frank Isola tweets.
Brooklyn has been the hottest team in the league since its 6-9 start, winning 20 of its last 24 games. Durant, of course, has been the biggest part of that success, averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per night.
Durant has battled multiple injuries in recent years. Last season, Durant sprained the MCL in his left knee on January 15 and was sidelined for over a month. Brooklyn went 5–17 in his absence and its season feel apart.
Durant said in April that his injury “derailed” the Nets’ season. The team will have to hope Durant’s latest injury is nothing serious and there won’t be a repeat.
Bulls Notes: DeRozan, LaVine, Trade Deadline, Bradley
Bulls wings DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine have exhibited improved chemistry in recent games, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes. The Bulls have scored 121 or more points over the last four games, and both players surpassed the 30-point mark in a win over Utah on Saturday.
“It’s coming along. We had a lot of trial and error early on where you saw the inconsistency,” DeRozan said. “We’re just finding our rhythm, sharing the ball, understanding our spots.”
We have more on the Bulls:
- LaVine feels he’s rounding into form and it’s a natural progression after undergoing left knee surgery in May, Johnson adds in the same story. “It’s what happens when you come off surgery, man,” he said. “Everybody expects you to come back and be yourself or better. But without a lot of training and rehab, you’re going to have to go through those ups and downs. I take it on the chin. I knew I was going to get back to what I was supposed to do.”
- LaVine has pumped up his trade value with his recent surge, but if the Bulls stay hot, the team could stand pat or even become a buyer before the deadline. LaVine wants to stay in Chicago and believes the team is headed in the right direction, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Every year I get asked the same question [around the] trade deadline,’’ LaVine said. “Whoever is on our team, I fight with those guys, I play for them. I’m happy to be on this team, and I’m happy to say that whoever we play, I’m confident. Front office is going to do what they have to do because it’s their job and their livelihood. I do what I do on the court.’’
- Center Tony Bradley was placed into the league’s health and safety protocols on Saturday, the first time this season a Bulls player tested positive for COVID-19, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. Last season, 18 Bulls players and coaches tested positive between Dec. 1, 2021, and Jan. 5, 2022.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Martin, Oladipo, January Deadlines
All-Star Heat center Bam Adebayo beleives he’s the best defender in the league, making the claim in a Q&A with Mark Medina of NBA.com.
“I feel like I’ve been the best defender in the last two seasons,” Adebayo said. “I can guard one through five and I can guard anybody on the court. In past seasons, that’s how I got on the court. Defense is how I got to where I am today. That’s never going to be away. I’m always going to have the mindset of wanting to be in the top five on both units.”
Adebayo is certainly the fulcrum of one of the league’s best defenses. The Heat currently rank second in opponent points allowed per game (109.1) and sixth in defensive rating (111.4). His most seasoned teammate thinks he has also evolved as a leader.
“The more he talks, the less I have to do,” reserve big man Udonis Haslem told Medina. “He takes over the huddles. He holds guys accountable. He’s engaged. He’s building that trust and relationship with guys. That’s what you want from your best player.”
Through 36 games this season, Adebayo is averaging a career-high 21.8 PPG while shooting 54.4% from the field and 81.8% from the charity stripe. He’s also chipping in 10 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.8 BPG.
There’s more out of South Beach:
- Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes 6’5″ starting power forward Caleb Martin is growing more comfortable in his new role, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “His versatility is vital to our group,” Spoelstra said. “Night after night after night, he’s taking on all the different kinds of challenges that this league can present, whether he’s guarding the small, super-quick guys, or whether he’s switching on to centers. And he has great instincts for deflections and steals…. Our defense always just seems to be a whole lot more active and fast when he’s out on the court. He’s a playmaker out there, which really truly fits with Jimmy [Butler] and Bam.” Winderman notes that the Heat still intend to make Martin into a reliable spot-up three-point shooter.
- Miami reserve shooting guard Victor Oladipo continues to find his way with the club this season, Winderman writes in a separate story. “He’s been getting more comfortable, more confident, getting his legs under him,” Spoelstra remarked. “And he’s a big-time X-factor for us, on both sides of the floor… And I’ve mentioned this before — his growth and improvement and how he feels comfortable within the system and everything, that won’t be linear. It’ll be some minor ups and downs with it, because he has missed a good deal of time.”
- Three notable NBA dates in January aren’t having a huge impact on the Heat, explains Winderman in another article. Because of the league’s proximity to the luxury tax, the club as currently comprised won’t be in the market for 10-day contracts, the window for which opened Thursday. The team opted to guarantee reserve big Haywood Highsmith‘s contract for the season Saturday and also seem destined to guarantee the contracts of intriguing two-way players Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson at the January 20 two-way guarantee deadline.
Kenyon Martin Jr. Signing On For Slam Dunk Contest
Rockets small forward Kenyon Martin Jr. has committed to take part in the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). He will join previously announced rookie Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe in the competition.
Martin, 22, has been enjoying a solid third NBA season with the 10-29 Rockets, as Charania notes. The 6’7″ swingman is averaging 10.4 PPG on .550/.317/.651 shooting splits, along with 4.8 RPG, 1.4 APG and 0.5 SPG.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets that second-year Rockets shooting guard Jalen Green was also invited to participate in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest, but he turned down league overtures.
This year’s dunk contest will take place on Saturday, February 18, as part of the All-Star Weekend festivities in Utah.
LeBron James Again Hints At Desire For Roster Upgrades
Lakers star LeBron James hasn’t come right out and said he believes the front office should be shopping its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in an effort to upgrade the roster via trade. However, he hinted shortly after Christmas that he’d welcome that approach and reiterated that point in stronger terms to Sam Amick of The Athletic following Saturday’s win over Sacramento, despite still not saying it outright.
When he spoke to Amick following his postgame press conference, James repeatedly stated that his job is to play the games and let the front office handle roster moves, suggesting that he’ll leave any trade suggestions up to the media.
“If you guys know, then you guys know,” James replied when Amick asked whether it makes sense for the Lakers to stand pat until the offseason when the four-time MVP is playing at such a high level at age 38. “You guys know. I don’t need to talk about it. You guys know.”
Pressed on whether he needs to say anything publicly or privately to the Lakers’ top executives to encourage them to act, James added, “Listen, you guys know. It’s not rocket science. It’s not rocket science.”
Before parting ways with Amick, James added, “Y’all know what the f–k should be happening. I don’t need to talk.”
As we’ve discussed ad nauseam in recent months, there seemed to be an understanding after James signed a contract extension in August that the Lakers would be more aggressive in their efforts to improve this year’s roster. But multiple reports have indicated that head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and the organization’s top decision-makers have been unwilling to part with those 2027 and 2029 first-rounders unless there’s a move that significantly improves the team’s title chances.
When Anthony Davis went down with a foot injury last month, the odds of the Lakers making a major move seemingly dropped. However, the team has gone 7-5 since Davis’ injury and is actually closer to a play-in spot than it was when the big man went down.
Given the level James and Davis have played at this season and the contributions the Lakers are getting from some of their role players, including Thomas Bryant, Dennis Schröder, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker, and sixth man Russell Westbrook, the club may be able to talk itself into the possibility of contending — especially if Davis returns sometime this month. After all, none of the Western Conference’s top teams have pulled away and established themselves as clear frontrunners to make the NBA Finals.
Still, finding a suitable trade won’t be easy. Westbrook ($47MM), Patrick Beverley ($13MM), and Kendrick Nunn ($5.25MM) are the only logical trade chips earning more than the minimum on the Lakers’ roster and none are considered positive assets. That means it might be a challenge for L.A. to get an impact player in return for any of those vets even if the team becomes more willing to give up a future first-rounder or two.
Cavaliers Eyeing Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Cavaliers have interest in Mavericks wing Tim Hardaway Jr., Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said during an appearance on Jake Fischer’s Please Don’t Aggregate This podcast. Fedor identified Hardaway as a possible target for Cleveland after Fischer discussed the team’s interest in Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
“I would add another name,” Fedor said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “The Cavs believe this player is available, and my sources tell me that he could be had. It’s, again, at the right price. And it’s a little bit tricky, because he’s on a team that’s fourth place currently in the Western Conference.
“Tim Hardaway Jr. is somebody that the Cavs have been watching and they’ve been keeping an eye on. And I think if the Cavs had their choice, it would be very, very close. And they’re not going to have their choice, it doesn’t work that way, but if they had their choice, it would be between Bojan and Tim Hardaway Jr.”
The Cavaliers have two All-Stars (Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) in their backcourt, with All-Star center Jarrett Allen and last year’s No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley up front. The small forward spot is the only one in the starting five that remains a question mark, with players like Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Lamar Stevens, and Dean Wade cycling through it this season.
Fischer, having reported earlier this week that the Cavs are in the market for a defensive-minded wing who is also an outside shooting threat, likes the idea of Hardway for Cleveland, especially since LeVert would probably have to be included in a hypothetical trade (his $18MM+ salary is within $1MM of Hardaway’s). The Mavs kicked the tires on LeVert before Cleveland acquired him from Indiana a year ago, according to Fischer, who also suggested that Dallas has been seeking another shot creator to complement Luka Doncic.
Fedor believes a trade centered around Hardaway and LeVert would be a “logical stylistic swap,” though he acknowledged that there could be some obstacles. Hardaway is under contract for two seasons beyond this one, so the Cavs may be reluctant to make that sort of commitment before seeing how he fits (LeVert is on an expiring deal). Both Fischer and Fedor also agreed that the Cavs may want an extra asset as opposed to making a one-for-one trade.
Here are a few more Cavs-related notes from the podcast:
- “I’ve been told that the Cavs are not going to trade Isaac unless they get a significant piece back in return,” Fedor stated, referring to Okoro. Fedor initially said he’s not quite sure what sort of player would fit that profile, but agreed with Fischer when he suggested Raptors forward OG Anunoby. It’s difficult to imagine the Cavaliers having enough ammo to land Anunoby even if they were willing to include Okoro, since they can’t currently trade any of their future first-round picks.
- The Cavaliers are about $2.5MM below the luxury tax threshold and are unwilling to go into the tax this season, per Fedor. That will be a factor to watch as Cleveland consider possible deals.
- Neither Fischer nor Fedor gets the sense that Suns forward Jae Crowder is a target for the Cavaliers, and Fedor said he also heard that the club is “not all that interested” in Magic wing Terrence Ross.
- The Cavs won’t make a trade just to make one, Fedor said, adding that some people within the organization want to see what it looks like if Wade gets an extended shot at the starting small forward job. Wade made nine starts earlier in the season, but has been out since December 2 due to a shoulder injury.
Spurs Sign Gorgui Dieng To 10-Day Contract
10:57am: The deal is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log. It will run through Tuesday, January 17.
7:14am: Just days after waiving him, the Spurs have agreed to re-sign big man Gorgui Dieng, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). A source tells Wojnarowski that San Antonio is bringing back Dieng on a 10-day contract.
Dieng, who will turn 33 later this month, signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with San Antonio over the summer. The former Louisville standout played sparingly for the team in the first half of the season, averaging 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 13 appearances (11.6 MPG), and was perhaps valued more for his veteran leadership in the locker room than his contributions on the court.
Because the Spurs had a full 15-man standard roster, they had to cut a player when they agreed to acquire Noah Vonleh and cash in a salary-dump trade with the Celtics. Dieng was the odd man out, despite having a fully guaranteed salary.
Having already locked in his full-season $2.64MM salary, Dieng will now get the opportunity to double-dip with the Spurs on a 10-day deal, which will pay him approximately $152K.
No corresponding roster move will be necessary for San Antonio to open up a spot for Dieng, since the club waived Vonleh shortly after trading for him. Assuming the signing becomes official today or tomorrow, Dieng will be eligible to play in the Spurs’ next five games, starting with Monday’s contest in Memphis.
Salaries For 10-Day Contracts In 2022/23
When a player signs a 10-day contract, his team has the ability to use cap room or an exception to pay him more than the minimum salary. However, in practice, that never happens — virtually every player that signs a 10-day deal receives a prorated portion of the minimum salary.
The minimum salary in a given season differs from player to player, based on his years of NBA experience entering the season. For instance, in 2022/23, a rookie on a full-season minimum deal will earn $1,017,781, whereas a 10-year veteran who is earning the minimum will make $2,905,851.
[RELATED: NBA Minimum Salaries For 2022/23]
The same is true for 10-day deals. A rookie will earn significantly less over the course of his 10 days with a team than a tenured NBA veteran will.
Because the 2022/23 season is 174 days long, a player’s full-season minimum salary can be divided by 174 to calculate his daily salary. From there, it’s just a matter of multiplying by 10 to determine his salary on a 10-day contract.
Using that formula, here’s the full breakdown of what salaries for 10-day deals look like in ’22/23:
| Years in NBA | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0 | $58,493 |
| 1 | $94,136 |
| 2 | $105,522 |
| 3 | $109,318 |
| 4 | $113,114 |
| 5 | $122,602 |
| 6 | $132,091 |
| 7 | $141,580 |
| 8 | $151,069 |
| 9 | $151,821 |
| 10+ | $167,003 |
Because the NBA doesn’t want teams to avoid signing veteran players in favor of cheaper, younger options, the league reimburses clubs who sign veterans with three or more years of experience to 10-day, minimum-salary contracts.
In those instances, teams are on the hook for $105,522, the minimum salary for a player with two years of experience, while the NBA covers the difference. So a team would pay the same amount whether they sign a player with three years under his belt or a player with 12 years of NBA experience.
Here are a few examples based on 10-day deals that are currently active:
| Player | Team | Years | Salary | Paid by team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Wieskamp | Raptors | 1 | $94,136 | $94,136 |
| Sterling Brown | Lakers | 5 | $122,602 | $105,522 |
| Gorgui Dieng | Spurs | 9 | $151,821 | $105,522 |
Recap Of 2022/23 Salary Guarantee Decisions
As of December 29, there were 30 players who were signed to standard, full-season contracts but whose salaries for the 2022/23 campaign weren’t fully guaranteed.
The deadline for teams to waive those players and avoid having their full ’22/23 salaries become guaranteed was on Saturday, January 7 at 4:00 p.m. CT.
Although their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, those players would still receive their full-season guarantees if they’re cut today or tomorrow, since they wouldn’t clear waivers until at least Tuesday.
Here’s a roundup of the decisions teams made with those 30 players:
Players who will have their salaries guaranteed:
Each player’s salary is noted here. His cap hit is identical to his salary unless otherwise indicated.
- Jonathan Isaac, Magic: $17,400,000
- Danny Green, Grizzlies: $10,000,000
- James Johnson, Pacers: $2,905,851 *
- Markieff Morris, Nets: $2,905,851 *
- Austin Rivers, Timberwolves: $2,905,851 *
- Matthew Dellavedova, Kings: $2,628,597 *
- Ryan Arcidiacono, Knicks: $2,133,278 *
- Justin Jackson, Celtics: $2,133,278 *
- Luke Kornet, Celtics: $2,133,278
- Dennis Smith Jr., Hornets: $2,133,278 *
- Svi Mykhailiuk, Knicks: $1,968,175 *
- Edmond Sumner, Nets: $1,968,175
- Yuta Watanabe, Nets: $1,968,175 *
- Jaylen Nowell, Timberwolves: $1,930,681
- KZ Okpala, Kings: $1,902,133
- Wenyen Gabriel, Lakers: $1,878,720
- Oshae Brissett, Pacers: $1,846,738
- Nathan Knight, Timberwolves: $1,836,090
- Lamar Stevens, Cavaliers: $1,782,621
- Haywood Highsmith, Heat: $1,752,638
- Stanley Johnson, Spurs: $1,670,643 ^
- Jose Alvarado, Pelicans: $1,563,518
- Vit Krejci, Hawks: $1,563,518
- Jock Landale, Suns: $1,563,518
- Austin Reaves, Lakers: $1,563,518
- Tyrese Martin, Hawks: $1,017,781
(*) cap hit of $1,836,090
(^) cap hit of $1,245,164
Of the 26 players on non-guaranteed contracts who were retained, 24 are earning the minimum salary, so the financial impact of keeping them is relatively minor. Still, open roster spots are valuable at this time of year — some of these players were fortunate not to be let go by a team prioritizing flexibility.
Isaac and Green were the only two players in this group earning more than the minimum. Neither has seen the floor this season while recovering from injury, but both had significant partial guarantees on their respective contracts — Isaac was already owed $16MM and Green was owed $7MM, so it didn’t make sense for either player to be cut.
Players who were waived before their salaries became guaranteed:
Each player’s cap hit is noted here. The team would no longer be on the hook for that cap charge if a player is claimed off waivers.
- Noah Vonleh, Spurs: $1,160,955
- Justin Champagnie, Raptors: $825,000
- Kemba Walker, Mavericks: $684,712
- Chima Moneke, Kings: $500,000
All four of these players were on minimum-salary contracts. Walker was signed well after the regular season got underway and Moneke was earning the rookie minimum, so their dead cap hits are especially modest. Champagnie’s and Moneke’s cap figures are the result of previously negotiated partial guarantees, rather than their prorated minimum salaries.
Vonleh was traded from Boston to San Antonio before being waived, as the Celtics reduced their projected luxury tax bill by getting the Spurs to eat that dead money.
There were a few other players with non-guaranteed salaries who were waived earlier in the season. That group consisted of Facundo Campazzo (Mavericks), Jordan Hall (Spurs), Matt Ryan (Lakers), and Alize Johnson (Spurs). Those moves didn’t go down to the wire like the others listed above, having occurred well in advance of the salary guarantee deadline.
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Zeller, Clippers, Bridges
Lakers star LeBron James is getting closer to the career scoring record, but there’s plenty of motivation for him to keep playing after he passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In an interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James, who recently turned 38, reiterated that he’s determined to stay in the NBA until his oldest son arrives, which would be the 2024/25 season at the earliest.
“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” he said. “Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him. I don’t mean like [guarding one another all game] — because he’s a point guard and I’m a, at this point now I’m playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”
James is also determined to lift the Lakers back into title contention. He said individual records don’t mean much to him anymore, citing his decision to sit out the final five games of last season with an ankle injury, which prevented him from qualifying for the scoring title.
“I want to win. [The losing is] not sitting well with me,” James said. “I don’t like having accomplishments, and it don’t feel right, when it comes in a losing effort. … So as we sit here right now as a franchise and as a team that’s below .500 — we’ve been playing some good basketball as of late, but we want to and I want to win at the highest level. Breaking records or setting records or passing greats in a losing effort has never been a DNA of mine.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Cody Zeller is among the free agents who have worked out for the Lakers recently, Marc Stein tweets. The longtime Hornets center held his audition when L.A. visited Charlotte last week, according to Stein.
- The Clippers continue to be careful with the health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but a five-game losing streak may bring some urgency to the team, per Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports. L.A. was so thoroughly outplayed Thursday in Denver that coach Tyronn Lue benched his starters for the entire second half.
- Mikal Bridges still hasn’t missed a game in his NBA career, but the Suns forward may be wearing down as he tries to compensate for injured teammates, observes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Bridges had a wrap on his right knee Friday as Phoenix dropped its fifth game in a row. “Just makes us stay together even more,” Bridges said of the losing skid. “That’s what we’ve got to do. It’s easy when you win to stay together. So our true selves is going to show when we’re losing. We just keep fighting. I think you stay together more as a team when you lose. That’s going to show if you’re a really good team or not and I think we have that.”