California Notes: Batum, Monk, Sabonis, Loucks, Curry
Clippers forward Nicolas Batum made just his fourth start this year on Friday and helped his club notch a 105-95 win over New York, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Typical starter Derrick Jones Jr. is still dealing with a groin injury, opening up an opportunity for the 36-year-old reserve.
Batum, whose season-high 17 points against the Knicks included 5-for-7 shooting from deep, noted that his gig as a backup under head coach Tyronn Lue has meant staying ready and adjusting to an irregular role.
“I mean that was the talk I had with Ty during the offseason after the Olympics and during training camp,” Batum said. “I mean some games I play 25 (minutes), some games five minutes, some games I won’t play… But I knew, like maybe like down the road, like the last 20 games, I might mean more like (in) a game tonight (with) some injury, so I need to be ready to step up.”
The 6’8″ vet is averaging just 17.4 minutes per game this year, his lowest in 17 NBA seasons. All told, Batum is logging 3.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.7 SPG during his time on the hardwood for the 34-29 Clippers.
There’s more out of California:
- Kings starters Malik Monk (sprained toe) and Domantas Sabonis (hamstring strain) have both been given the green light to resume on-court activity this weekend, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Both will miss Sunday’s clash against the Clippers, and Sabonis has been ruled out for Monday’s matchup with the Knicks as well. Jonas Valanciunas has served as Sabonis’ replacement, while Keon Ellis has been starting in place of Monk.
- Kings assistant coach Luke Loucks is set to start his reported new gig as the head coach at Florida State immediately. According to Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL Sacramento (Twitter link), the 34-year-old Loucks logged his last game on interim coach Doug Christie‘s staff on Friday in a 127-109 win over San Antonio. Loucks played under 23-year now-former FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton in college.
- Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored his 25,000th career point against Detroit during a 115-110 win Saturday, Golden State announced in a press statement (via Twitter). Curry, 36, is now just the 10th player in the history of the league to have reached that tally for a single team. Across 55 healthy bouts so far this season, the two-time MVP and 11-time All-Star is averaging 24.5 points, 6.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per night. He’s the best player on an ascendant Golden State squad, which has won nine of its past 10 contests and is currently the West’s No. 6 seed at 36-28 overall.
Checking In On Traded 2025 First-Round Picks
With just five weeks left in the NBA’s regular season, we have a pretty good general sense of what the final standings will look like in 2024/25. While seeding in both the playoff race and the lottery standings remains up for grabs, there’s more clarity on which 2025 first-round picks traded with protections will actually change hands and which ones will fall within their protected range.
We’re checking in today on those picks, taking a closer look at which traded first-rounders will roll over to 2026, which ones will be conveyed, and which ones are still up in the air.
Let’s jump right in…
Traded 2025 first-round picks that will be protected:
- Wizards‘ pick traded to Knicks (top-10 protected).
- Jazz‘s pick traded to Thunder (top-10 protected).
- Hornets‘ pick traded to Kings (top-14 protected).
We’ll start with three of the most straightforward picks of the bunch. The Wizards (13-49), Jazz (15-48), and Hornets (15-48) currently own the three worst records in the NBA, which means there’s no chance of their traded first-round picks conveying this year.
If either the Wizards or the Jazz went on a hot streak in the season’s final weeks and finished as low as seventh in the lottery standings, there would be an ever-so-slight chance of that team’s pick falling outside of the top 10. But the odds of that happening are so minuscule that it’s not really worth discussing. There’s a very good chance that these three teams will all be picking in the top half of the lottery in June.
After they keep their first-rounders for 2025, the Wizards will instead owe their top-eight protected 2026 pick to the Knicks, the Jazz will owe their top-eight protected 2026 pick to the Thunder, and the Hornets will instead fulfill their obligation to the Kings by sending their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks.
Traded 2025 first-round picks unlikely to change hands:
- Trail Blazers‘ pick traded to Bulls (top-14 protected).
The Trail Blazers are four games behind No. 10 Dallas in the Western Conference standings, and with the injury-plagued Mavericks at risk of sinking like a stone, we can’t safely rule Portland out of the play-in race quite yet.
But the Blazers are a long shot for that spot, and likely wouldn’t win back-to-back play-in games on the road to make the playoffs even if they did come away with the No. 10 seed. So it seems pretty safe to assume Portland will hang onto its own first-round pick, even if we can’t guaranteed it quite yet.
Assuming the Blazers retain their first-rounder, they’ll instead owe their top-14 protected 2026 pick to the Bulls.
Traded 2025 first-round picks that will change hands:
- Suns‘ pick traded to Nets or Rockets (unprotected).
- Hawks‘ pick traded to Spurs (unprotected).
- Timberwolves‘ pick traded to Jazz (most/least favorable; unprotected).
- Bucks‘ pick traded to Nets (top-four protected) or Pelicans (5-30 protected).
- Knicks‘ pick traded to Nets (unprotected).
- Lakers‘ pick traded to Hawks (unprotected).
- Nuggets‘ pick traded to Magic (top-five protected).
- Cavaliers‘ pick traded to Suns (most/least favorable; unprotected).
Seven of these eight picks are unprotected and the eighth – the Nuggets’ first-rounder – has such light protection that there’s no chance it won’t change hands. Still, there are a few conditions worth noting.
The Suns’ first-rounder, for instance, will technically be sent to Brooklyn, but the Rockets will have the ability to swap their own first-round selection for that pick and will almost certainly do so, since they’re currently ahead of Phoenix in the standings by 9.5 games. In that scenario, Houston will end up with Phoenix’s pick (currently projected to be No. 12, per Tankathon) and the Nets would get the Rockets’ pick (No. 23 right now).
The Jazz will receive the more favorable of the Timberwolves’ and Cavaliers’ first-round picks, while the Suns receive the least favorable of the two. That means the Minnesota first-rounder (currently No. 19) will go to Utah and the Cleveland first-rounder (No. 30) will go to Phoenix, since the Cavs are currently 18 games ahead of the Wolves in the standings.
The Bucks’ pick, meanwhile, will go to Brooklyn if it lands between 5-30 or to New Orleans if it ends up in the top four. Milwaukee should comfortably earn a playoff spot in the East, so there’s essentially no scenario where the Pelicans end up with that pick, which projects to be No. 22 as of today. The Bucks will convey that pick to the Nets and their obligation to New Orleans will be extinguished.
The other picks are relatively straightforward. The Hawks’ pick headed to the Spurs figures to end up at No. 15 or 16 if Atlanta makes the playoffs or in the 10-12 range if they don’t. Of course, there’s always a chance it could move into the top four if the Hawks are in the lottery, which is a scenario San Antonio will be rooting for.
The Knicks’ pick going to Brooklyn, the Lakers’ pick going to Atlanta, and the Nuggets’ pick going to Orlando currently project to be 25th, 26th, and 27th overall, respectively.
Traded 2025 first-round picks likely to change hands:
- Kings‘ pick traded to Hawks (top-12 protected).
- Pistons‘ pick traded to Timberwolves (top-13 protected).
- Clippers‘ pick traded to Thunder via swap rights (unprotected).
- Warriors‘ pick traded to Heat (top-10 protected).
- Grizzlies‘ pick traded to Wizards (top-14 protected).
- Thunder‘s pick traded to Clippers via swap rights (unprotected).
The Kings aren’t a lock to make the playoffs, but they increasingly look like a pretty safe bet to at least qualify for the play-in tournament. In that scenario, they’d either clinch a playoff berth or end up at No. 13 or No. 14 in the lottery standings, meaning the only outcome that would prevent the Hawks from receiving their pick would be if the pick jumps into the top four on lottery day — the odds of that happening would be extremely slim.
The Pistons haven’t clinched a playoff berth yet, but they have a five-game lead on the No. 7 Hawks for a top-six seed, so it’s a pretty safe bet their first-round pick will be sent to the Timberwolves, finally freeing Detroit of that obligation — that first-rounder has landed in its protected range three years in a row.
The Thunder technically have the ability to swap their own first-round pick for either the Rockets’ or the Clippers’ first-rounder. Houston has a 4.5-game lead in the standings on L.A., so Oklahoma City is more likely to use that swap on the Clippers’ pick (as of today, that would mean moving up from No. 29 to No. 17), but it’s not set in stone yet.
If the Clippers pass the Rockets in the standings, it would actually be bad news for Brooklyn, since after the Thunder swap with Houston, the Rockets could use their swap rights (outlined in the section above) to send OKC’s pick to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-rounder.
Finally, there’s still a non-zero possibility that the Warriors and/or Grizzlies drop into play-in territory and miss the playoffs, so we can’t say with certainty yet that the Heat and Wizards will receive those first-rounders. But both picks are likely to convey, and Miami is in especially good shape to get Golden State’s selection even if the Dubs end up in the lottery — the pick would have to jump into the top four in that scenario for the Warriors to keep it.
Traded 2025 first-round picks still very much up in the air:
- Sixers‘ pick traded to Thunder (top-six protected).
- Heat‘s pick traded to Thunder (top-14 protected).
These are the two picks whose odds of conveying remain closest to 50/50.
As of today, the Sixers have the NBA’s seventh-worst record, which would mean they’d have a 31.9% chance of hanging onto their pick. But they’re only a half-game ahead of Brooklyn in the standings and one game ahead of Toronto. If the 76ers finish with the sixth-worst record, their odds of keeping their pick would increase to 45.8%. With the fifth-worst record, that number would jump to 63.9%. So this one will come down to lottery night.
If Philadelphia’s pick lands in its protected range, the club would instead owe its top-four protected 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City.
As for the Heat, they remain firmly in the mix of an uninspiring play-in race in the East, with a 29-34 record that’s good for the No. 9 seed. If they’re able to earn a playoff spot via the play-in tournament, they’d send their pick to the Thunder. If not, they’ll keep it and would owe their unprotected 2026 first-rounder to OKC.
LeBron James Expected To Miss At Least 1-2 Weeks With Groin Strain
March 9: James is expected to miss at least one-to-two weeks as a result of his groin strain, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The plan is to evaluate the injury again in the next day or two, Charania adds.
March 8: A left groin injury that forced LeBron James to leave tonight’s game in Boston midway through the fourth quarter could sideline the Lakers star for “a matter of weeks,” according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
McMenamin’s sources caution that it’s too early to pinpoint a timeline for how long James might be out of action. He will undergo extensive testing to determine the extent of the damage before a final prognosis is made.
Speaking to reporters following the game, James seemed to downplay the injury, saying there’s “not much concern” about it, tweets Khobi Price of The Orange County Register.
“Look at it each day to see if it gets better,” he said. “Take the proper measurements [and] see what we need to do going forward.”
James added that when he felt the pain, he immediately thought of the groin injury he suffered on Christmas Day in 2018 that forced him to miss significant time, according to McMenamin (Twitter link). He said he doesn’t consider this injury to be as severe, then knocked on the wooden locker behind him to avoid jinxing his comment.
He appeared to get hurt while making a post move against Jaylen Brown with 7:05 left to play, according to Brian Robb of MassLive. James ran down the court gingerly on defense and called for a sub after the Celtics scored. He worked with the training staff during the subsequent time out, then headed for the locker room.
He finished the night with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists and was leading a Lakers comeback before being forced out of the game.
James has been remarkably productive and durable for a player who just turned 40 in December. He has appeared in 58 of L.A.’s 62 games and was averaging 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.5 assists coming into tonight. He seems like a lock for All-NBA honors, assuming he reaches the 65-game threshold.
A prolonged absence could be devastating for the Lakers, who have spent the last few weeks developing James’ on-court chemistry with Luka Doncic. L.A. slipped into third place in the West with tonight’s loss at Boston and could fall even further if the team has to survive multiple weeks without James.
Nuggets’ Cancar Cleared To Return, Discusses Knee Surgery
Nuggets forward/center Vlatko Cancar, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the fall, was cleared to return earlier this week and was technically active in Denver’s games on Wednesday and Friday, though he didn’t play at all.
According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, after Cancar injured his knee in November, he spent two weeks seeking out medical opinions and had multiple surgical options to consider, including waiting until the end of the season to go under the knife or undergoing a cartilage transplant, which would have been a more serious procedure with a longer recovery time.
“To me, (the cartilage transplant) was never an option because it’s a longer period. You have to rehab for 12 months,” said Cancar, who missed the 2023/24 season with a torn ACL in the same knee. “We kind of sat down and talked this through, the whole training staff. … The coaches and everybody knew what I’ve been through before, so they were like, ‘Whatever you do, we’re going to support you.’
“And then after, I think it was just an easy decision for me (to have surgery immediately), the reason being I knew I was going to get back healthy during the season rather than the offseason. Because back home, you’re not really in focus mode that much.”
As Durando explains, the opportunity to recovery from surgery while having access to the Nuggets training staff appealed to Cancar, who wouldn’t have had the same resources over the summer in his home country of Slovenia. The 27-year-old also liked the idea of addressing the issue sooner rather than later and returning before the end of the season so he could be available for the playoffs.
According to Cancar, his surgeon discovered some lingering scar tissue from his ACL injury during the procedure, which involved shaving off a bit of cartilage.
“When I was playing, I didn’t really notice it,” Cancar said. “But once he went in, he was like, it took him more time to get rid of the scar tissue than actually to do the cartilage shave. … It’s a good thing and a bad thing that I went under the knife, because he cleared a lot of scar tissue, but at the same time set me back a little bit more.
“Everything went smooth. I wanted to be back before, but I think (the team) said to be a little bit more patient and give me a little bit more time. Now I just have to build tolerance, because not pain, but soreness and stiffness now is going to be there a long time.”
Cancar wasn’t a regular part of the Nuggets’ rotation prior to the injury, logging just 34 minutes in four appearances off the bench. But he had a couple solid outings in mid-November, including scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds in 11 minutes in the game in which his injury occurred.
As Durando writes, Cancar will likely remain a “deep-bench” reserve for Denver as long as the team stays healthy, as reflected by his two DNP-CDs this week.
Lakers Notes: Hachimura, Hayes, Doncic, Redick
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura missed a fifth consecutive game on Saturday due to patellar tendinopathy affecting his left knee, but he’s doing “well,” according to head coach J.J. Redick, who told reporters that Hachimura is going through the return-to-play process and doing more on-court work (Twitter link via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group).
The plan, Redick added on Saturday, is for Hachimura to be reevaluated in about a week.
Meanwhile, the Lakers were also without center Jaxson Hayes on Saturday, which is a more significant loss than it would have been earlier in the season. Hayes had been Los Angeles’ starting center for each of the team’s past 16 games following Anthony Davis‘ injury and the subsequent trade sending him to Dallas.
Hayes, who was listed as out due to a right knee contusion, was replaced by forward Jarred Vanderbilt in the starting five. Redick said the club has been monitoring swelling in Hayes’ knee, but added that he doesn’t believe the injury is “anything serious” and conveyed optimism that the big man’s absence won’t last too long, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Luka Doncic was shocked when he first learned of the trade sending him from Dallas to Los Angeles, but after over a month with the Lakers, he’s feeling more comfortable in his new NBA home, having recently moved into a leased house in L.A., according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link). “He’s felt more and more appreciative and comfortable with how the Lakers have surrounded him with support, with inclusion in the process of everything,” Charania said on NBA Countdown. “This has been a true partnership that they’re trying to develop, and that means a lot for his long-term future for the Lakers.” Doncic will be extension-eligible this offseason and the Lakers are expected to offer him a maximum-salary deal at that time.
- The Lakers’ trade for Doncic earned the organization the Alpha Award for Transaction of the Year at this year’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, tweets McMenamin. As McMenamin points out, the Celtics won that award a year ago for their acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis.
- In an interesting article for The Athletic, Jovan Buha takes a look at the connections between Redick and Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who offered Redick a spot as an assistant on his staff on Boston before his first year at the helm in September 2022, then again in March 2023. Redick wasn’t ready at that time to get into coaching, but he made it clear there’s significant mutual respect between him and Mazzulla. “When I was going through this process, he, along with a few other coaches in the NBA, were really helpful,” Redick said. “Not just in preparing for an interview, but just really helping me understand what this was and what it required.”
- In case you missed it late on Saturday night, LeBron James is being evaluated after sustaining a groin injury in Saturday’s loss to Boston.
Rockets’ Thompson Injures Ankle, Will Undergo MRI
Rockets wing Amen Thompson, who turned his left ankle during the fourth quarter of the team’s blowout win over New Orleans on Saturday, will undergo an MRI to assess the severity of the injury, a source tells Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The injury occurred as Thompson drove into the lane and attempted a pull-up jumper. His left foot came down on Pelicans center Karlo Matkovic‘s foot when he landed, causing his ankle to roll (Twitter video link via ClutchFans).
According to Iko, Thompson was seen wearing a walking boot and using crutches as he left the arena, though head coach Ime Udoka told reporters, including Sam Warren of The Houston Chronicle, that he didn’t have any news on the injury after the game.
“Saw the replay, looked like he rolled (his ankle),” Udoka said. “Kind of went up under (Matkovic) on a jump shot and landed on his foot. But no update.”
The fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Thompson has been enjoying a breakout year for the Rockets. In 60 games (33 starts), the 22-year-old has averaged 14.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game, with a .553 FG% and strong, versatile defense. He opened the season with the second unit, but has started every game he has played since January 5.
If Thompson’s injury causes him to miss time, it will hurt a little more because the Rockets were up by 33 points when it happened and were in the process of subbing out their regulars. Thompson, who was just one rebound away from recording a triple-double, was the only starter still on the floor after Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason came out with 6:00 left to play.
Thompson’s injury occurred on Houston’s next offensive possession. He was subbed out at the 5:31 mark and immediately limped to the locker room under his own power (Twitter video link via ClutchFans).
Southwest Notes: Morant, Irving, B. Williams, VanVleet
It’s been a frustrating season for Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, but he turned in a vintage performance in Friday’s win over Dallas, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Morant capped off a 31-point night by scoring 11 points in the final 6:15 to help Memphis pull away. It marked a rare high point in a season where Morant said he hasn’t felt like himself “at all.”
“A little bit of Ja, the old Ja,” he said. “Yeah, so it was nice to see some baskets go down. Obviously, it’s kind of what I’m used to.”
Morant is averaging 20.9 points per game, but MacMahon points out that he’s shooting just 43.1% from the field and 28.4% from three-point range while fighting through a series of injuries. He missed eight games in November due to a right hip subluxation and associated pelvic strains after taking contact in mid-air while trying to finish an alley-oop. In December, he ran into a hard screen and suffered an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, which was surgically repaired last winter.
He has only been available for 39 of Memphis’ 63 games so far.
“Fouls, getting hurt, that plays a lot,” Morant said. “Makes you move different, makes you think different. But I’m out there, so just try to find a way.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Following Friday’s game, Morant expressed get-well wishes to Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear Monday night, per Rashad Miller of Dallas Hoops Journal. Morant revealed that during the lowest points of his career, Irving reached out to him to provide support and advice. “That relationship kind of just hit different,” Morant said. “In a time where pretty much the whole world is talking down on you, and you have somebody to lift you up. He has always been that guy for me.”
- Irving is defending Mavericks coach Jason Kidd against complaints that an oversized workload led to the ACL injury, relays Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. On his Instagram account (Twitter link), Irving posted a photo of the play where he got hurt while trying to split two defenders, along with the caption “Too many minutes??? Or did I get knocked off balance?”
- Two-way point guard Brandon Williams was outstanding on Friday, scoring 31 points in 34 minutes to help the Mavericks stay close, Curtis adds in a separate story. Kidd indicated that Williams will continue to be given chances to succeed. “He’s fighting to get a job and he’s got a great opportunity to get an NBA contract and not be on a two-way,” Kidd said. “That’s our job is to hopefully put him in a position to do that, here or somewhere else.”
- Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has missed 15 of the past 16 games due to right ankle issues, but coach Ime Udoka expects him back soon, according to Sam Warren of The Houston Chronicle. Udoka told reporters that VanVleet should be able to return on Monday against Orlando or Wednesday against Phoenix. He sat out 11 games with an ankle strain, then aggravated it when he stepped on an official’s foot in his first game back. Udoka said VanVleet has been “getting some good work in,” and his return date will depend on his pain tolerance.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Scheierman, Norris, Walker
There’s a spotlight on every Celtics-Lakers game, but tonight’s nationally televised matchup takes on extra significance because the teams are meeting for the first time since L.A. acquired Luka Doncic. While Jayson Tatum acknowledges the years of classic games between the two franchises, he tells Brian Robb of MassLive that he doesn’t view it as a rivalry.
“I mean, I obviously understand the history between the Lakers and Celtics,” Tatum said. “I would say from my time in the league, I wouldn’t look at the Lakers as rivals. We only play them twice (per season). The teams that we play over and over again in the playoffs — Philly would be one of them, and the other teams as well.”
Tatum is excited about getting another chance to compete against LeBron James, who was his teammate on the gold-medal-winning U.S. squad at last year’s Olympics. Although James continues to play at a high level at age 40, he likely only has a few Celtics-Lakers games left in his career.
“As much as we probably talk about LeBron, we probably don’t talk about him enough,” Tatum said. “Being 40 in his 22nd season, playing at an All-NBA level, is incredible. It’s a testament to the work that he puts into this game, to his body to stay in the best shape to be able to compete and perform at the highest level for over two decades now. It’s something that we should all strive to do, even if it might be unlikely. But it’s a joy to be able to compete against him in these matchups for however long we get to do it.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Rookie Baylor Scheierman turned in the best performance of his brief NBA career with 15 points in Thursday’s win over Philadelphia, Robb states in a separate story. He also got to enjoy the experience of taunting the Sixers’ bench, blowing them a kiss after sinking a corner three-pointer in the third quarter. “Yeah. I mean, every time you shoot by the bench they’re always saying, ‘Hell nah,'” Scheierman explained. “So I’m having to turn around and give ‘em a little kiss.”
- Newly signed two-way player Miles Norris made his NBA debut in the closing minutes of Thursday’s contest, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Norris said he wasn’t nervous about the opportunity, as his teammates urged him to have fun with it. “Once you get up and down, you start to feel a little better,” he said. “Once I subbed in, got my first rebound, running up and down the court, I felt pretty good. … The guys encouraged me to go out there and play how I play. Play loose. The vets on the team, Payton (Pritchard) and everybody, telling me to go out there and play loose.”
- Sixers guard Lonnie Walker returned to TD Garden Thursday night for the first time since Boston waived him in the preseason, Terada adds in another piece. The Celtics opted not to keep Walker for financial reasons, but he considers the time he spent with the team to be valuable. “When you’re a part of a championship organization and how they approach the game, it gives you a little bit more motivation and inspiration,” Walker said. “You want to be the best. You want to see how everyone has proceeded to be the best and why they’re such a great team. There’s definitely some motivation that was given playing with the Celtics.”
James Dolan Calls For More Transparency Regarding NBA Finances
Knicks owner James Dolan wants the NBA to adopt a more open accounting process for its finances and he plans to call for a vote on a resolution to that effect when the board of governors meets later this month, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
In a letter sent this week to the league office and the board of governors, Dolan stated that the NBA needs “increased financial transparency and operating efficiency.” His proposed resolution, which would take effect beginning with the 2025/26 fiscal year, would “adopt a zero-based method of budgeting operating costs, headcount, and capital expenditures for all League and Affiliate League operations” and “adopt a process to present and distribute the League’s annual proposed budgets inclusive of all underlying account detail summarized by department and type of expense, headcount, and fully allocated costs against each League revenue stream.”
The letter was co-signed by Dolan and Madison Square Garden chief operating officer Jamaal Lesane, who serves as the team’s alternate governor. They point out that the league’s operating budget has risen by nearly 8% over the previous year and cite an increase of more than 800 people in “League office headcount.”
The letter also requests further details “summarized by department and type of expense — including headcount, capital expenditures, and fully-loaded budgeted costs with respect to the League and each of its subsidiaries and Affiliate Leagues.” Dolan and Lesane are seeking an estimate of projected costs and employment numbers relating to the NBA’s new media rights deal, along with “any contemplated NBA Europe league operations.”
In addition, the Knicks are calling for next year’s budget proposal to be presented at the annual Las Vegas meeting in July so a vote can be taken in September when the owners meet again prior to the start of next season.
Bontemps points out that Dolan has clashed with the league on numerous topics over the last few years. He resigned from the advisory/finance and media committees in the summer of 2023 and sent a letter to the league last year criticizing its new television deal, which he claims will make regional sports networks “unviable.”
Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports notes that Sphere Entertainment Co., which is led by Dolan, released a statement Monday saying that its MSG Networks may have to file for bankruptcy soon unless $800MM in debt can be restructured. The company warned that the NBA’s new national media deal could take too many games away from local outlets.
Reed Sheppard Out At Least Four Weeks With Thumb Fracture
Rockets rookie guard Reed Sheppard will miss at least the next four weeks due to a fracture in his right thumb, writes Sam Warren of The Houston Chronicle.
Meeting with reporters before tonight’s game, coach Ime Udoka said Sheppard hurt the thumb while “slapping down” in an attempt to steal the ball from the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson during Thursday’s contest. Sheppard was able to continue playing after the contact and his hand wasn’t bandaged following the game, according to Warren.
Udoka said Sheppard will have his thumb in a splint for the next four weeks to give the fracture time to heal. He added that it’s fortunate that the fracture occurred in the top joint of the thumb, rather than the lower joint, which would have carried a longer recovery timeline.
With a little more than five weeks remaining in the regular season, Sheppard may not be able to return before the start of the playoffs.
The No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, Sheppard got off to a slow start and was sent to the G League for a few games in the middle of the season. He has been more productive since being called back up to the NBA in early February, averaging 11.8 minutes and 4.0 points per game over the past month and scoring a career-high 25 points Monday at Oklahoma City.
Sheppard was selected to appear in the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend. For the season, he’s averaging 3.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 45 games while shooting 33.2% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range.