Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Curry, Butler, Dunleavy
The Warriors, who’ve been tearing through the league since picking up Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, added another explosive element to their lineup Thursday night, writes Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Jonathan Kuminga, who has been recovering from a lateral right ankle sprain that kept him sidelined since January 4, returned with 18 points in 20 minutes in a blowout win over Sacramento.
Golden State fans gave Kuminga a rousing ovation when he checked into the game midway through the first quarter, and Kroichick observes that he showed few signs of being rusty after the two-month layoff. He shot 7-of-10 from the field, finishing his night with three straight dunks.
“We’re a lot more dangerous in transition with him,” Kevon Looney said. “Early in the year, that was one thing we wanted to be better at. Since he’s been out, I don’t think we’ve been as good and our identity changed a little bit. But you see it when he’s out there: We’re a totally different team in transition. He’s putting a lot of pressure on the rim, and when he does that (Stephen Curry) gets open shots, Buddy (Hield) gets open shots, Moses (Moody) gets open shots.”
Kuminga described his ankle injury as “pretty bad,” and coach Steve Kerr told reporters that it turned out to be more significant than the team originally believed. Kerr experimented Thursday by playing Kuminga alongside Butler and Draymond Green in a small-ball lineup and was encouraged by how they looked together.
“What you notice is the different dimension (Kuminga) gives us, with his explosion to the rim,” Kerr said. “The way teams are playing Steph now, everybody is top-locking him. It completely distorts the defense, and it makes sense, but then you don’t have help in certain areas. So if you have a guy like JK who can attack and score at the rim, it’s a huge help.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Curry became the first player with 4,000 career three-pointers, reaching that mark off a broken play in the third quarter, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. As Youngmisuk points out, he has made more than 1,000 long-distance shots since passing Ray Allen in 2021 for the all-time lead in that category. “It’s a clear milestone threshold,” Curry said. “A number that I didn’t think about, that it was realistic even from 2,974, which is a number that means the most because that was the record at the time. It’s beyond my wildest dreams to push a record that far.”
- After Butler was dealt to the Warriors, he was determined to move past the drama that marked his contentious exit from Miami, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. He started by telling his new teammates that winning is more important to him than anything. “When I walked in, I was like, ‘Yo, look man, I’m only here to win,’” Butler said. “’I don’t care about nothing else. I don’t care about points. I don’t care about shots. I don’t care about none of that. I’m only here to win and I’ve always only been places to win. So, whatever y’all need me to do, y’all let me know.’”
- Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard examines general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.‘s strategy for remaking the roster after a pair of major offseason trades fell through, making sure he had the right pieces in place when the opportunity arose to acquire Butler.
Bulls Notes: Giddey, White, Vucevic, Smith, Phillips
Bulls guard Josh Giddey is nearing the end of his rookie contract and will be one of the most interesting restricted free agents to monitor this offseason. While appearing on an episode of Nothing But Net with ESPN’s Kane Pitman (Twitter video link), Brian Windhorst pointed to Immanuel Quickley‘s five-year, $162.5MM contract as a deal that Giddey’s camp figures to use as a point of comparison.
While Giddey likely won’t get quite that much money, $30MM annually seems to be about the going rate for starting point guards in the league now. Reporting last fall indicated that the Bulls guard was seeking $30MM per year on a rookie scale extension.
However, Giddey’s restricted free agency might not play out that simply. As Windhorst observes, if Giddey doesn’t receive an offer sheet worth signing from a rival suitor, the Bulls could potentially play hardball. In that scenario, the 22-year-old would have the option of signing his one-year qualifying offer and reaching the market again the following year as an unrestricted free agent.
Windhorst also points out that the Bulls recently re-signed point guard Lonzo Ball to an extension, which could improve their leverage in the Giddey negotiations. However, since the Bulls traded Alex Caruso for Giddey, they likely view him as part of their long-term future. After having a similar situation play out last year with restricted free agent Patrick Williams, all signs point toward an extension of some kind.
Since Giddey received an expanded role, he’s averaging 20.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks in his last 15 games. He’s currently sidelined with an ankle injury.
We have more on the Bulls:
- According to coach Billy Donovan (Twitter link via Chicago Sports Network’s K.C. Johnson), Giddey will travel for the start of the six-game road trip while continuing rehab on his ankle. In a follow-up tweet, Johnson reports that Giddey said he’s happy with how his recovery is going and that there’s optimism he’ll return on the trip.
- Coby White scored a career-high 44 points in a game earlier in March and his strong play over the past two seasons has been a result of his evolution into a multi-layered scorer, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “From where I was with him, from his first year to now is amazing,” Donovan said. “He deserves all the credit because he is a guy who never points fingers, never blames, always looks internally, ‘How do I get better?’ He’s really made a strong investment to himself [and] the game.” White’s arsenal of shots has expanded since he entered the league as primarily a shooter and he has improved significantly as a finisher around the basket, Mayberry notes.
- After missing seven games due to a calf injury, Nikola Vucevic came off the bench for the Bulls’ game against the Pacers on Monday. He returned to the starting lineup on Thursday, according to Johnson, but he’s currently on a restriction of 28-30 minutes per night. With Vucevic back in the lineup for the past two games, Jalen Smith has been the odd man out of the frontcourt rotation, Johnson adds (Twitter link).
- Julian Phillips was the first man off the bench, ahead of Williams, in the Bulls’ Thursday win over the Nets. Phillips responded with a career-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists while playing as part of the closing lineup, Johnson observes in a series of tweets. The Bulls are on a four-game win streak.
Injury Notes: Davis, Lively, Gafford, JJJ, Sabonis, Lakers, Walker
There are no indications that the Mavericks are seriously considering shutting down Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford for the rest of the season, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. If any or all of the three currently injured big men are able to return while the Mavericks are mathematically in the play-in/postseason hunt, they’ll play, says Townsend.
A recent report suggested that it might be in Dallas’ best interest to preserve those players for the long run due to Kyrie Irving‘s season-ending injury and the team’s unfavorable spot in the standings.
“We know how good we can be when everyone’s healthy,” guard Dante Exum said. “But that’s one of the big things about the NBA: timing. Timing is everything. Runs and staying healthy during the season and going into playoffs, that’s a big part, and it’s something that we’re gonna have to figure out, quick.”
Davis is dealing with an adductor strain and Lively is recovering from a stress fracture. Both players, as we wrote, are on track to make their returns before the end of the season, if that’s the path the organization and players agree to. Gafford is recovering from an MCL sprain. His original six-week recovery timeline would have him back toward the end of March or the beginning of April, but there’s a sense he might be a little further off.
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Jaren Jackson Jr. appears to be be nearing a return for the Grizzlies, as he was upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game against the Cavaliers, according to Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal. The Grizzlies have gone 4-1 without Jackson, but his return will be a welcome one for a team with aspirations of competing for a title. Jackson has been considered week-to-week due to an ankle sprain.
- Domantas Sabonis hasn’t suited up for the Kings since March 1, but he was upgraded to questionable ahead of the team’s Thursday game against the Warriors, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Sabonis, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, was ruled out just before the game, tweets Anderson. But the fact that his injury status was upgraded at all is a signal that his return should be just around the corner.
- Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and forward Rui Hachimura left the team’s road trip to return to L.A. alongside LeBron James for health reasons, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Both Hayes and Hachimura are battling knee injuries. They, along with James, are considered day-to-day, according to McMenamin. We previously wrote about James’ injury here.
- Sixers guard Lonnie Walker IV was diagnosed with a concussion on Thursday morning, according to PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck (Twitter link). Walker hit his head on the court on Wednesday against Toronto and entered the NBA’s concussion protocol. He’ll be evaluated daily moving forward.
Southeast Notes: Black, Magic, Krejci, Wizards
Second-year Magic guard Anthony Black is looking to close the season on a high note, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. Black, who is averaging 9.0 points and 3.1 assists in 62 games, has seen his minutes increase while he’s started fewer games. His overall efficiency has declined in his second season, though his counting numbers have improved.
“Good, bad … I would say mediocre,” Black said when asked to describe his second season. “I don’t think I was able to find enough consistency in just everything I was doing but I definitely think I got a lot better with the opportunities that I’ve had. It’s been good to get some reps.”
When the Magic have been at full strength, Black’s role has been limited, but that has rarely happened this season, as Orlando has dealt with injuries affecting several key players, including guard Jalen Suggs. Black is planning to take advantage of the opportunity for playing time down the stretch and is leaning on veteran teammates like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cory Joseph and Gary Harris for advice.
“They know what it takes to do everything that I’m trying to do,” Black said. “It’s just good having a group of older dudes that have been in the league. Definitely thankful for them.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic are searching for good vibes as they prepare for the third game of a five-game road trip, Beede writes in a separate story. Orlando currently averages the fewest points in the league (104.3), so increasing that number has been a focal point for the team, which currently holds the eighth seed in the East. “Practice was great. There was a focus on creating offense, stepping into shots with confidence, execution,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Those small pieces are what we really, really honed in on.”
- Hawks guard Vit Krejci recently returned from an extended absence due to a lumbar fracture. He’s become a key piece of Atlanta’s rotation over the past year and is averaging 7.0 points in 41 games (15 starts) this season. As Caleb Johnson of 92.9 The Game (Twitter link) relays, Krejci said this week that he also was dealing with a sprained right wrist at the same time as his lumbar fracture, and that both injuries occurred on the same play. He made his return on March 10.
- The Wizards have played better as of late, with five wins in their past nine games, but all their recent moves have been made with an eye toward the future. With that in mind, Varun Shankar of The Washington Post takes a closer look at the strides that potential building blocks like AJ Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly (who is out now due to injury), and Kyshawn George have taken. As Shankar notes, Johnson played his most minutes in a Wizards jersey on Monday, registering six assists in a loss to Toronto.
De’Aaron Fox To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Spurs star point guard De’Aaron Fox is undergoing season-ending surgery on Tuesday for his pinkie finger, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The decision had been expected, as we relayed earlier in the month.
Fox is dealing with tendon damage in the finger. As Charania clarifies in a follow-up tweet, the injury occurred during training camp, but the veteran guard had played through the injury to this point.
The decision to have the surgery now was made to speed up the healing process, per Charania, and to get the injured Spurs stars on a similar recovery timeline to establish better chemistry in the offseason. Superstar center Victor Wembanyama is out for the season due to deep vein thrombosis.
The Spurs, at 27-37, are 4.5 games out of the play-in picture. Not having Fox and Wembanyama obviously reduces their chances of making the postseason. However, they just beat the 10th-place Mavericks and have multiple games against projected lottery teams in the coming weeks, so the door isn’t entirely closed yet.
With Fox on the shelf, point guard Chris Paul is likely to receive an uptick in minutes. The Spurs may also opt to spread Fox’s minutes across younger players on the roster, with Stephon Castle potentially having a shot at a starting role. Former first-round picks Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley could get minutes after being out of the rotation, or the Spurs might opt to play veteran point guard Jordan McLaughlin more.
The Spurs acquired Fox at the trade deadline after the Kings decided to make him available. He averaged 19.7 points and 6.8 assists per game in 17 appearances (all starts) with the team. His 19.7 PPG scoring average would have been his lowest since his 2018/19 season, but it’s important to note that he was still rounding into form and only briefly overlapped with Wembanyama. In his most recent outing against Dallas, Fox recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.
Heat Notes: Wiggins, Ware, Losing Streak, Takeaways
Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins says he’s still getting adjusted to an expanded offensive role with the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Wiggins’ brief tenure with Miami has already been interrupted by a right ankle sprain, causing him to miss five games, having returned for the past two.
“It has been great,” Wiggins said of his increased usage rate. “It’s something I love to do. I love getting the ball, driving, just doing whatever I can to help the team win, most importantly.
“Just getting adjusted, getting situated. Just trying to figure out all the sets and picking my spots on the floor and building up that chemistry. Seeing what everyone likes to do, everyone’s spots. But it’s coming along.”
Wiggins, who was acquired from Golden State in the Jimmy Butler trade, says it takes time to build chemistry with new teammates, but he’s confident he’ll figure it out.
“I feel like I will get better with each game, experience just as the chemistry builds, especially around these guys,” Wiggins said. “I feel like I will be better.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Rookie center Kel’el Ware has been a bright spot amid a disappointing season, but he struggled in the past two outings against larger centers in Mark Williams and Ivica Zubac. As Chiang writes for The Herald, Ware didn’t play at all in the second half of Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers. For his part, Ware says he’s “rolling with the punches” of the ups and downs of his debut campaign. “Those are guys who have been in the league for a minute and I’m still learning through it,” Ware said. “So I don’t really think it’s tough. I just think it’s more of a lesson to learn, look back on it and get better next year.”
- In another story, Chiang shares his takeaways from Wednesday’s defeat, which extended the Heat’s losing streak to a season-high five games. Second-round pick Pelle Larsson was one of the bright spots for the team in a game in which Miami was outplayed from start to finish, per Chiang.
- The Heat’s next five games are against teams with winning records and Miami has struggled in those situations clubs all season, according to Chiang. The team is in danger of dropping eight games below .500 for the first time since 2016/17, Chiang notes. “We just got to stay with it,” All-Star guard Tyler Herro said. “I know it’s getting old hearing that. But that’s our job is to stick with it. I think these last couple games, our spirit hasn’t been at the level it needs to be. Obviously, wins and losses can affect emotionally. But I feel like right now is a time when we need to come closer, be as close as we’ve ever been from top to bottom. Being able to come in and just lean on each other, try to turn this thing around.”
And-Ones: Flagg, 2025 Draft, Hayes, Kaminsky, Records, RoY
Duke forward Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, sustained a left ankle injury after corralling a rebound and landing on an opponent’s foot in the first half on Thursday vs. Georgia Tech (YouTube link via ESPN).
Flagg was eventually helped to the locker room with the assistance of teammates, and while he was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest, he was at least able to return to the bench to cheer on the comeback victory.
“He sprained his ankle,” head coach Jon Scheyer said (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com). “X-rays were negative, which is great. We just have to understand there’s going to be swelling and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there.”
In their latest 2025 mock draft for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) unsurprisingly have Flagg going first overall (to Washington). Two other Blue Devils — center Khaman Maluach and wing Kon Knueppel — also go in the lottery, coming off the board with back-to-back picks (seventh and eighth overall, respectively).
UConn’s Liam McNeeley is the final lottery pick of ESPN’s mock, going 14th to Atlanta (via Sacramento), while South East Melbourne forward Malique Lewis is the last player selected at No. 59 (Cleveland). Lewis, who spent last season in the G League with the Mexico City Capitanes, grew up in Trinidad and Tobago.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Killian Hayes has rejoined the Long Island Nets following a 10-day contract with Brooklyn, the G League team announced today in a press release. The former lottery pick averaged 9.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in six games with Brooklyn from February 20 – March 1. He has spent most of ’24/25 with Long Island.
- Veteran NBA big man Frank Kaminsky is no longer on the Raptors 905 roster, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who points out (via Twitter) that the former Wisconsin star has been battling a knee injury and recently announced he and his wife are expecting a child. Kaminsky, who spent last season in Serbia, last played in the NBA with Houston in ’22/23. The 31-year-old appeared in 23 regular season games with Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate in ’24/25, averaging 12.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 4.1 APG on .483/.349/.769 shooting in 26.8 MPG.
- ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a look at some of the NBA’s most unbreakable records. Some records are season-long (Wilt Chamberlain for multiple statistics in ’61/62), some are career-long (Moses Malone‘s 6,731 offensive rebounds), and some are for a single game.
- Zach Harper of The Athletic checks in on the underwhelming Rookie of the Year race. Harper currently has Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells as his top choice for the award, followed by Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Wells’ teammate Zach Edey.
Paul George Weighing Treatment Options For Injuries
Sixers forward Paul George is meeting with doctors this week to determine the best course of action to treat his groin and knee injuries, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that surgery is among the options being considered.
A decision on which path to take is expected to be made early next week, sources tell Charania.
While he hasn’t yet been formally ruled out for the remainder of 2024/25 like Joel Embiid was, Charania reports that “George is likely headed down the same route,” so he is unlikely to suit up again this season.
George, 34, has missed Philadelphia’s past four games with a left groin injury. During preseason, he hyperextended his left knee, causing him to miss the first five games of the season, then had a similar injury in November, which cost him three more games. He has also been battling tendon damage in his left pinky finger since January.
About a month ago, Charania reported that George had been receiving painkilling injections to deal with his various injuries, which the nine-time All-Star later confirmed.
George has been limited to 41 games this season due to the aforementioned injuries and hasn’t replicated his typical production when he has played, averaging just 16.2 points per contest, his lowest mark in a full season since ’11/12. His three-point percentage (.358) is also well below his career rate (.383).
George, who has made six All-NBA and four All-Defensive appearances in 15 seasons, signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the 76ers as a free agent last summer. Philadelphia entered the season with championship aspirations, but has consistently been at the bottom of the standings in ’24/25, starting out 2-12. After dropping 15 of their past 18 games, the Sixers are currently just 22-43.
The Sixers’ 2025 first-round pick will head to Oklahoma City if it drops outside the top six, but they’ll keep the selection if it lands within the protected range (Nos. 1-6). Philadelphia is currently tied with Brooklyn for the fifth-worst record in the NBA.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 3/13/2025
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central time (3:00 pm Eastern).
Hornets Notes: Williams, Salaün, Bridges
It has been a whirlwind season for Hornets center Mark Williams, who was technically traded to the Lakers ahead of last month’s deadline only to see the deal rescinded by Los Angeles for what the team called medical concerns. Williams says he has moved on from that period of uncertainty, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“That was definitely a crazy time for me, but I think I’m past it,” said Williams. “Just trying to play the season out as hard as I can and dominate. I don’t think it does me any good to continue to harp on that situation.”
Williams says he has received support from people who know him well.
“Yeah, it’s been great,” Williams said. “Obviously, my teammates have been super supportive. My teammates, it’s obviously going to be easy with them. It’s not like they are the ones in front offices or anything. I would say being around them always makes it easier. Coaches, and then my people around me, like my family.”
Here’s more on the Hornets:
- Viewed as a project entering the 2024 draft, No. 6 overall pick Tidjane Salaün has predictably struggled in some ways during his rookie campaign, Boone writes in another story. The 19-year-old French forward has converted just 31.9% of his field goals attempts. Head coach Charles Lee says Salaün needs to be more consistent but is pleased with his effort. “I think he’s done a great job of progressing throughout the whole year,” Lee said. “He’s had his ups and downs, but through it all, he continues to just show great flashes. … I look forward to just more consistency from him. The kid works extremely hard, the care factor is there. He’s going to continue to get better. I know it.”
- Although it has largely been a disappointing season in Charlotte, with injuries once again a major cause for concern, the play and leadership of Miles Bridges have been bright spots, according to Boone. Bridges, who signed a three-year, $75MM contract with the Hornets last summer, missed the entire ’22/23 season after being charged with three felonies following an alleged assault of his former girlfriend and mother of his two children in front of them. He initially pleaded not guilty, but reached a plea deal for three years of probation and no jail time, ultimately entering a plea of no contest to one felony count of injuring a child’s parent. The NBA later suspended him for 30 games, with 20 of those considered retroactive for missing all of ’22/23.
- In case you missed it, in addition to their own selection, which would currently be No. 33 overall, the Hornets also control the Pelicans’ 2025 second-round pick, which is projected to be No. 34.