Southwest Notes: Campazzo, Morant, Durant, Sengun, Rockets
Facundo Campazzo‘s visa issues have been resolved and he’ll be in uniform Tuesday and ready to play in the Mavericks’ game in New Orleans, coach Jason Kidd told Dwain Price of the team’s website (Twitter link) and other media members.
Campazzo was signed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract last week to add depth for the Mavericks at point guard. Campazzo spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets after establishing himself as one of the top point guards in the EuroLeague.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies star Ja Morant poured in 49 points against Houston during the opening week of the season and Nets perennial All-Star Kevin Durant is dazzled by Morant’s talent, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes. “He’s a unique player. A lot of athleticism and creativity out there,” Durant said. “Body type reminds you of somebody like — well he’s taller than A.I. [Allen Iverson], but a wiry, strong player … but he’s an incredible player, man.”
- The Rockets’ rotation, particularly at center, remains a fluid situation, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes. Alperen Sengun didn’t start on Saturday even with Bruno Fernando out with a sore left knee. While there are some matchups where Sengun will be suited for the starting lineup, there are others where it’s wise for him to be on the second unit with Fernando or Usman Garuba in the starting five. Sengun missed Monday’s game with an illness, Feigen tweets.
- Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. are the main building blocks in the Rockets’ rebuild and Kelly Iko of The Athletic takes a deep dive into the state of the franchise and its plans to develop those young players.
Eastern Notes: Crowder, Bucks, Claxton, Williams, Mitchell
What kind of trade package could the Bucks put together for the Suns’ Jae Crowder, considering they’re one of the teams reportedly interested in the veteran forward? Eric Nehm of The Athletic explores that topic, speculating that Milwaukee could deal some combination of Grayson Allen, George Hill and second-round picks.
However, dealing Allen would remove one of the Bucks’ top shooters and it’s questionable whether Crowder would be part of the team’s crunch time unit.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Nets big man Nic Claxton posted back-to-back double-doubles in the team’s first two games. His teammates and coaches want to see him do that consistently, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I’m happy he played well, we want him to keep it up, but now as a young player in the league he has to show consistency,” Kyrie Irving said. “And we have to be right there with him.” Claxton re-signed with Brooklyn this summer on a two-year, $20MM contract.
- Bulls forward Patrick Williams has gotten off to a rough start this season, but he’s not discouraged, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago relays. “They (coaches and teammates) know, obviously, I want to play well, and I want them to play well, and they want to play well for themselves as well. But just can’t get too down when you don’t play well,” he said. “Just reminding, that was what, game three? Of at least 82. Obviously we want to play past 82. But that was game three of 82.” Williams averaged 5.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in the first three games.
- The Cavaliers have already embraced Donovan Mitchell as a leader, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “He’s just a good dude,” center Jarrett Allen said. “That’s what it boils down to. He is easy to talk to; he doesn’t boast about his accomplishments, he is one of the hardest workers every single game in the gym. It’s easy to root for a guy like that and easy to follow somebody’s lead like that.”
Southeast Notes: Martin, Hunter, Wembanyama, Ross
Caleb Martin will serve his one-game suspension on Monday and the Heat forward expressed regret for the incident that led to that one-game ban, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“I definitely expected something like that to that degree,” Martin said of the suspension. “I knew they were going to look through something and find out the proper consequences, and I definitely don’t disagree with it.”
Martin was deemed the instigator in an on-court altercation with the Raptors’ Christian Koloko on Saturday.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- It’s questionable whether Hawks owner Tony Ressler would actually be willing to pay a luxury tax unless the Hawks have 60-win potential, which is why De’Andre Hunter‘s extension could become an issue in the near future, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hunter’s extension of four years and up to $95MM puts the Hawks in a bind as early as next summer if Bogdan Bogdanović picks up his $18MM option for 2023/24, Hollinger notes. They’ll also have to shell out big bucks to re-sign Dejounte Murray in 2024, so unless they clear cap space, the Hawks could be limited to using the taxpayer mid-level exception and still ending up paying the tax in ’23/24, then go even deeper into tax territory the following season.
- The Hornets shouldn’t go into tank mode to land projected top pick Victor Wembanyama, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer opines. They haven’t enjoyed lottery luck throughout their history, Boone notes. It would also leave their current franchise player, LaMelo Ball, without any postseason experience and would risk alienating season ticket holders.
- Magic wing Terrence Ross sees a silver lining in the team’s 0-3 start, as he told Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s great, as much as it hurts to lose a game,” he said. “The learning experience is amazing. We’ve played some really good teams. All in all, it’s going to give us confidence and let us know we can compete with anybody.”
Spurs Notes: Bassey, Jones, Langford
Charles Bassey‘s representatives spoke to 22 teams after the big man was waived by Philadelphia on October 13, including the Pistons, Cavaliers, Suns, and Raptors, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. However, according to Pompey, most of the teams that reached out to Pompey wanted to sign him to an Exhibit 10 contract and have him play on their G League affiliate this season.
Some of those G League offers might’ve resulted in a promotion to the NBA later this season or in 2023/24, but Bassey didn’t want to settle — he ultimately signed a two-way contract with the Spurs earlier today.
“I didn’t want to wait for the next year for a roster spot,” Bassey said, per Pompey. “That’s too long. The Spurs came hard … Some of the teams wanted to give me a roster spot, but they couldn’t give me one right now. I just didn’t want to go through that (Exhibit 10/G League) route. San Antonio said, ‘We can give you a two-way this year and we’ll see where it goes from there.'”
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Bassey, who lived in San Antonio when he first moved to America from Nigeria in 2015 and still has some family in the city. He also believes the franchise is an ideal fit for him.
“It’s a young organization,” Bassey said. “They are rebuilding. I feel like I’m going to have a great chance to play in a pretty good organization. And it’s a character organization. Everybody does stuff the same. … I feel like I’m going to fit right in.”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- In an in-depth story for The San Antonio Express-News, Tom Orsborn takes a look at how Tre Jones is embracing what he calls a “big opportunity” to start at point guard for the Spurs this season. Jones is averaging 16.3 PPG on 53.1% shooting in his first three games this season, a significant step up from last season’s 6.0 PPG on 49.0% shooting. “When we find guys we think have that potential (to be leaders), we try to help it grow,” head coach Gregg Popovich. “Tre has just got it. Some people don’t, some people do. I remember Coach K (former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski) telling me about what I would like about Tre, and that was one of the major things. He is just a born leader.”
- The battle for the Spurs’ 15th regular season spot entering the season was believed to come down to Romeo Langford vs. Joe Wieskamp, with Langford ultimately making the team. Asked what he wants to see from Langford this season, Popovich said he believes the former Indiana standout has the potential to be a “hell of a defender,” per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).
- Here’s more from Popovich on Langford: “He’s got quick feet, he’s really long, he anticipates well, and he’s got a real bounce to him. Offensively, I think confidence is what he needs right now. I think he an become a two-way player. He can score at one end and really shake it up at the defensive end. That’s what I’ve seen from him in the short time I’ve been around him and that’s why we kept him.”
Injury Notes: DiVincenzo, Zion, Ingram, Boucher, Barnes
Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo injured his left hamstring during Sunday’s victory over Sacramento and won’t travel with the team to Phoenix for Tuesday’s contest, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Speaking today to reporters, including Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link), Warriors head coach Steve Kerr revealed that DiVincenzo will miss more than just Tuesday’s game, indicating that the swingman will be reevaluated in one week.
As Andrews relays, the Warriors will be in the midst of a five-game road trip at that point and haven’t yet determined whether DiVincenzo will join them on that trip, which ends on November 4.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Pelicans are listing forwards Zion Williamson (hip), Brandon Ingram (head), and Herb Jones (knee) as questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Dallas, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Williamson and Ingram left Sunday’s loss after sustaining their respective injuries, while Jones tweaked his knee during that game, but it sounds like none of the three injuries are significant. Imaging on Jones’ knee came back clean, per head coach Willie Green.
- Although Green told reporters today that Ingram wasn’t in the NBA’s concussion protocol, the Pelicans put out a press release announcing that Ingram is, in fact, in the protocol. Within the announcement, the team noted that the return-to-participation process can begin no earlier than 24 hours from the time of the injury, which is why Ingram can’t yet be cleared.
- Raptors big man Chris Boucher has been cleared to make his regular season debut on Monday after missing the team’s first three games due to a hamstring issue, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Scottie Barnes remains questionable for Monday with an ankle sprain, but the fact that he’ll likely be a game-time decision is a sign that the injury isn’t as serious as the team initially feared it could be, Lewenberg observes.
- In case you missed it, the Lakers ruled out two-way forward Cole Swider for at least the next four weeks due to a foot issue.
Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum Named Players Of The Week
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum are the NBA’s first Players of the Week of the 2022/23 season, having won the awards in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).
Lillard led Portland to an impressive – and unexpected – 3-0 week to open the season, averaging 34.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.3 APG on .471/.364/.929 shooting in victories over the Kings, Suns, and Lakers. He scored 41 points in each of the latter two wins.
Tatum’s Celtics also opened the season with three consecutive wins, having defeated the Sixers, Heat, and Magic. Tatum was the team’s leading scorer in all three games, averaging 34.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG on .587/.333/.880 shooting. The All-NBA forward had his first 40-point game of the season on Saturday night in Orlando.
According to the NBA (Twitter links), Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, De’Aaron Fox, Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markkanen, CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant were the other nominees for Player of the Week in the West, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero, Donovan Mitchell, and Pascal Siakam were nominated in the East.
Lakers’ Cole Swider Out At Least Four Weeks With Foot Injury
Lakers forward Cole Swider has been diagnosed with a navicular stress reaction of the right foot, the team announced today in a press release.
Swider will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks, according to the Lakers. He’s not a lock to return at the four-week mark, but his status will be updated at that time.
An undrafted rookie who signed a two-way contract with the Lakers this offseason, Swider made his regular season NBA debut last Tuesday in Golden State. However, he played just two garbage-time minutes in that game and is far down the club’s depth chart, so his absence shouldn’t have any real impact on L.A.’s rotation.
Still, Swider is the latest in a growing string of Lakers who are on the shelf with multi-week injuries. Both Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schröder underwent procedures to repair torn thumb ligaments and were ruled out for at least three or four weeks. With Swider joining them on the injured list, the Lakers will be missing one more option off the bench for the foreseeable future.
Spurs Sign Charles Bassey To Two-Way Deal
1:18pm: The Spurs have officially signed Bassey to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release. San Antonio waived Hall to open up a spot for the new addition.
12:26pm: The Spurs have agreed to sign free agent big man Charles Bassey to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 53rd overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Western Kentucky, Bassey appeared in 23 games for the Sixers as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per contest. He thrived when assigned to the G League, averaging 18.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 17 regular season games (28.6 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats.
Bassey, who played two years of high school basketball in San Antonio, had been under contract in Philadelphia for two more seasons, but his partial guarantee for 2022/23 was only worth about $75K. That made him one of the odd men out when the Sixers had a roster crunch — he was waived at the end of the preseason and become a free agent earlier this month.
In order to sign Bassey to a two-way deal, the Spurs will have to waive one of their current two-way players, Dominick Barlow or Jordan Hall. Both rookies signed with San Antonio this summer after going undrafted in June, with Hall receiving a two-year contract. He’ll likely be the player cut to make room for Bassey, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
As our two-way contract tracker shows, 59 of the 60 league-wide two-way slots are currently occupied. The Timberwolves are the only team with an opening.
Community Shootaround: NBA’s Undefeated Teams
Just six days into the 2022/23 NBA regular season, only four teams remain undefeated.
Two of those teams are in the Eastern Conference, where the Celtics are 3-0 and the Bucks are 2-0. Both teams have picked up nice victories in the early going, with Boston defeating the Sixers in the opener and then beating the Heat on the road. The Bucks also beat the 76ers in their own season opener, picking up a win in Philadelphia last Thursday.
Still, the Celtics and Bucks were both expected to be title contenders coming into the season. They’re likely pleased to be off to good starts while missing key players (Robert Williams and Danilo Gallinari in Boston; Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton in Milwaukee), but their early success comes as no surprise.
In the West, on the other hand, you could’ve made very good money if you’d beat a week ago that the last two undefeated teams left standing would be the Trail Blazers (3-0) and Jazz (3-0).
Portland expected to be a playoff contender after revamping its roster in the offseason, most notably trading for veteran forward Jerami Grant. But the reviews on the Blazers’ summer moves were mixed, and most experts didn’t expect them to be better than a play-in team. So their start to the season – which includes road wins over the Kings and Lakers and a home victory over Phoenix – has come as a pleasant surprise.
It certainly hasn’t been more surprising, however, than what the Jazz have done in the first week of the season. After trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, Utah was viewed as a prime contender in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, but the team opened its season with a home win over Denver and then picked up road victories in Minnesota and New Orleans.
Newly acquired forward Lauri Markkanen has looked like a star so far, leading the way with 24.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 3.7 APG through three games, while Jordan Clarkson (19.0 PPG) and Kelly Olynyk (16.3 PPG; .750 3PT%) have provided secondary scoring.
The Jazz’s 3-0 start was so unexpected that it prompted Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune to write an article headlined, “What in the world is happening with this 3-0 Utah Jazz team? How are they doing this?” Larsen’s hypothesis is that the Jazz have been doing all the little stuff right and making terrific decisions, especially on offense.
The sample size is small, but we want to know whether your feelings about any of the NBA’s four undefeated teams – especially the two in the West – have changed based on their play so far.
Are you any more confident in the Blazers’ chance of making the playoffs than you were a week ago? Could the Jazz actually make a play-in push, or will their hot start be short-lived (either due to regression or more trades)? If you had any doubts about the Celtics or Bucks, have they begun to put them to rest?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Charania’s Latest: Lakers, Rozier, J. Richardson, Crowder
Hornets guard Terry Rozier was on the Lakers‘ radar over the offseason as a potential trade candidate, and Los Angeles still has a “high” level of interest in him, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
As Charania outlines, the Lakers and Hornets explored possible three- and four-team trade scenarios involving Rozier during the summer, but his availability during the season will depend on how Charlotte performs.
As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer noted earlier today, Charlotte was mentioned as a possible landing spot for Lakers guard Russell Westbrook earlier in the year, but that was when the Hornets were interested in moving off some multiyear salary in preparation of a lucrative new deal for Miles Bridges. With Bridges’ basketball future up in the air, that may no longer be a priority.
Still, it’s possible that if the Hornets fall out of playoff contention, a deal structured around Westbrook, Rozier, and perhaps Gordon Hayward (who is owed $31.5MM in 2023/24) could appeal to the team, despite a reduced need to create future financial flexibility.
Here’s more from Charania:
- The Lakers have had preliminary discussions in recent weeks about a possible trade involving Spurs swingman Josh Richardson, sources tell Charania. San Antonio still has a significant amount of cap room available this season and could take on Westbrook’s contract without having to match salaries. However, the Spurs would need to trade at least one more player in addition to Richardson to be able to absorb Westbrook’s $47MM+ cap hit.
- Charania reiterates that the Bucks, Heat, and Hawks are potential suitors for veteran forward Jae Crowder, who remains away from the Suns as they seek a trade. According to Charania, Phoenix and Milwaukee have engaged in some recent discussions about a possible deal involving Crowder.
- As we relayed in a full story earlier this morning, Charania also reported that the Timberwolves have discussed possible extensions with Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell.