Daniel Theis Signs With AS Monaco
February 17: The signing is official, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.
February 11: Theis has committed to sign with AS Monaco and is finalizing an agreement with the team, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.
According to Urbonas, Theis drew interest from NBA teams and received a more lucrative offer from Panathinaikos, but the big man is seeking a situation in which he can play a significant role.
If Theis ends up signing a multiyear contract, it will likely include an NBA opt-out clause, Urbonas adds.
February 9: Daniel Theis is considering a return to the EuroLeague after being waived by the Thunder this week, and AS Monaco appears to be the favorite to sign him, according to Greek outlet SDNA.
Theis, who joined the Pelicans as a free agent during the offseason, was traded to Oklahoma City at Thursday’s deadline along with a 2031 second-round draft pick. Unloading his minimum-salary contract enabled New Orleans to move beneath the luxury tax threshold.
Theis has cleared waivers and is free to sign with any NBA team, but there may not be an offer available for the 32-year-old big man. He played for four EuroLeague teams before coming to the NBA in 2017, and a return to Europe may be his best option.
SDNA reports that Monaco “has taken a big lead” in the competition for Theis due in part to his familiarity with its personnel. He worked with assistant coach Ilias Kantzouris for three seasons at Brose Bamberg from 2014-17.
Panathinaikos has also expressed an interest in Theis and is reportedly willing to outbid Monaco, according to SDNA. However, money may not be the primary factor as Theis considers his next move.
Theis has played for six teams during his eight NBA seasons, starting with Boston, which signed him in 2017. He was traded to Chicago at the 2021 deadline and then to Houston later that year. He also had brief stints with Indiana and the Clippers before coming to New Orleans.
He has appeared in 411 total NBA games, making 160 starts and averaging 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per night.
Theis is also a prominent name in international basketball, serving as the starting center on the undefeated German team that won the World Cup in 2023.
Stephen Curry Named All-Star MVP; Shaq’s Team Wins Mini-Tournament
Stephen Curry was named the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player, Octagon Basketball tweets. Curry was a member of the victorious Shaq’s OGs squad.
Shaq’s OGs defeated Candace’s Rising Stars 42-35 in the semifinals of the four-team mini-tournament. In the final, they faced Chuck’s Global Stars, who had defeated Kenny’s Young Stars 41-32 in the other semifinal. Shaq’s OGs downed Chuck’s Global Stars, 41-25, for the championship.
Shaq’s squad also featured Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Jaylen Brown. Anthony Davis was originally chosen for the squad but was sidelined by an adductor injury and was replaced by Irving.
LeBron James was also on the team but was a late scratch, as he rested his sore ankle and foot.
The championship-winning players received $125K apiece. Each player on Chuck’s team received $5oK, while all other participants collected $25K.
Northwest Notes: Daigneault, Edwards, Camara, Henderson
Mark Daigneault made a meteoric rise from an assistant on Billy Donovan‘s staff at the University of Florida to being a head coach at the All-Star Game. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater takes a deep dive into the Thunder coach’s career, noting that his former boss is proud of his accomplishments.
“It’s crazy how life works,” Donovan said. “I remember when he was sitting there, and we were having camp (at Florida), and he’s waiting to meet me. He’s 24, 25 years old, just wants a job, and he’s willing to work for free. And if you just said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be an NBA head coach and coaching the All-Star game.’ Nobody would’ve believed that, right?
“So, I just think it speaks to him and the people in Oklahoma City and the players and his staff. I’m just really happy for him because he’s a great guy.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Anthony Edwards has improved his three-point shot this season and now he’s using that threat to make him even more effective driving to the basket, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. After averaging 2.4 free-throw attempts per game in December, Edwards took an average of 8.1 free throws in January and 11 per game in February. The Timberwolves star averaged just 20.5 points per game in December, but pushed that figure to 30.3 in January. In six February games, he’s averaging 34.3 PPG.
- Toumani Camara was included in a three-team blockbuster in 2023, moving from Phoenix to Portland ahead of his rookie season. He never got a chance to play for the Suns but he feels he would have thrived there, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Camara is averaging 10.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and has emerged as a defensive ace in his second season with the Trail Blazers. “I feel like the month I spent in Phoenix, a lot of people appreciated my game and stuff like that,” Camara said. “I was pretty confident in the space and environment I was in. I feel like the month I spent in Phoenix, a lot of people appreciated my game and stuff like that. I was pretty confident in the space and environment I was in.”
- Camara and Scoot Henderson have become the best of friends, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, and the Trail Blazers teammates have lofty goals. “Me and Tou, we have told each other: ‘We are going to do this. We are going to be great together … and we are going to do it here, in Portland,’” Henderson said. “We haven’t told anyone, but we have those conversations.” Henderson, the No. 3 pick of the 2023 draft, has mainly come off the bench this season. He’s averaging 12.4 points and 5.3 assists in 26.5 minutes per game.
LeBron James Won’t Play In All-Star Game
LeBron James won’t play in tonight’s All-Star Game, he announced during a pregame press conference (Twitter video link via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints).
“You won’t see anything from me tonight,” he said. “Unfortunately, I will not be in uniform tonight. Still dealing with ankle and foot discomfort.”
James was slated to make his 21st All-Star appearance. He was part of Shaq’s Team in the new four-team mini-tournament format. He won’t be replaced on that team, leaving seven players available on that squad.
James is hopeful that he’ll be able to suit up for the next Lakers game on Wednesday against Charlotte, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He has missed four regular season games.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Edwards, James, Harden
The Suns got off to an 8-1 start but it’s been a rocky ride since that point. They entered the All-Star break with a 26-28 record, 11th in the Western Conference. At All-Star media day on Saturday, Kevin Durant gave his take on why they’ve faltered, as The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin relays.
“We started well,” he said. “I feel like we definitely could be playing better. I feel like there’s a couple factors. We had some guys in and out of the lineup. We’re not rebounding well, turning the ball over. I think just fundamental stuff I think we’ll be better. If we fix that coming out of the break, I think we’ll have a better chance to win some basketball games.”
Durant believes the club will finish strong, citing the recent additions of Nick Richards and Bol Bol to the starting five.
“We made a couple lineup changes, too, that will help us out, adding more size to our starting lineup, so that may help, as well,” Durant said. “Our last few games, we’ve just been playing a better brand of ball. Even though we lost two, I feel like we’re just playing a better brand of ball, a more sustainable brand with the lineup switches like that.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Timberwolves reportedly made a last-ditch attempt prior to the trade deadline to engage in talks with the Suns regarding Durant. Fellow Western Conference All-Star Anthony Edwards couldn’t believe the Suns even entertained offers for Durant, according to Rankin. “Yeah, I was super surprised,” Edwards said. “Didn’t think Phoenix would be trying to trade him.”
- LeBron James will become the third player in NBA history to appear in an All-Star Game after turning 40. James will also be making his 21st appearance in the game and he’s humbled by the opportunity. “Special thanks to my fans that voted me in their portion,” the Lakers forward said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “The coaches, the players who had anything to do with me being a part of it. It’s always special and very humbling and I don’t take it for granted being an All-Star. It’s something that, when I was a kid, I always watched the All-Star Game and had the opportunity to do and I always wanted to be on that floor. But it’s always special. I’m pretty happy about it.”
- James Harden is making his first All-Star appearance since 2022. The Clippers guard was confident he could reach that level again, he told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “I never doubted it,” Harden said. “It was me just, you know, finally being healthy and getting back to my zone. Getting back to who I am and here I am.” Harden is averaging 21.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game this season.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Iguodala, Oakland Arena, Green
With the Warriors slated to retire the No. 9 jersey of former four-time champ Andre Iguodala next weekend, All-Star point Stephen Curry recently looked back on the role his former teammate played on those four title squads, writes Grant Afseth of RG.org.
Iguodala spent eight seasons with Golden State, earning NBA Finals MVP in 2015 thanks to his clampdown defense of then-Cleveland forward LeBron James. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 boards, and 3.4 assists in his 452 regular season games for the Warriors.
“I speak for both of us [Draymond Green and himself] when we talk about honor. It’s going to be fantastic for the entire organization to welcome my brother back,” Curry told Afseth. “He helped us win a lot of championships.”
Iguodala’s jersey retirement ceremony will take place on February 23, the day of a matinee tilt against Dallas. That means longtime Warriors champ Klay Thompson, who signed with the Mavericks as a free agent last summer, will also be on hand for the big moment.
“His IQ, his impact on the game,” Curry said. “We obviously don’t win those without him.”
There’s more out of Golden State:
- Curry was back at the site of many of those titles, Oakland Arena (formerly Oracle Arena), for his All-Star media obligations on Saturday. Curry suggested that he’d be open to returning to Oakland Arena for an encore appearance in the future, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “I absolutely love the idea of coming back to play a game here,” Curry said. “It should be a regular season game.”
- Green, another core member of the Warriors’ championship teams, offered up some harsh criticism of the league at large this week, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more threes, it’s no substance,” Green said. “I think it’s very boring.”
- In case you missed it, the Warriors plan to sign former lottery pick forward Kevin Knox to a 10-day deal.
Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Jokic, Welts, Armstrong
By all accounts, now-Lakers star Luka Doncic was blindsided by his trade away from the Mavericks earlier this month. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a longtime friend of Doncic’s, spoke about the five-time All-NBA First Teamer’s reaction to the surprising deal during his Saturday presser at All-Star media day.
“He was building something there,” Jokic said. “I think he was hurt… I think as a trade, it’s not such a big thing, but if you trade someone like that, I think it kind of becomes a little bit of a big thing, and maybe players become a little bit serious about it.”
There’s more out of Dallas:
- New Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, seen across the league as a financial wizard, is stewarding this new post-Doncic era on the business side, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who wonders if Welts’ decision-making can help Dallas fans eventually move beyond the front office’s bold recent transactions. “I thought I’d seen everything in my 47 years in the NBA, but clearly this was different,” Welts said. “I probably underestimated the reaction. I think we’ve done the best we can, basically, with the staff and trying to do the right thing with everybody who touches the Mavericks.” Welts had previously led business operations for the Steve Nash-era Suns from 2002-11 and the peak Stephen Curry-era Warriors from 2011-21. As we outlined on Saturday, he played a big part in building out the modern format of the All-Star weekend during his 17-year tenure as an NBA executive.
- Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning for alleged aggravated assault with a weapon, reports Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Afseth adds that Dallas has placed Armstrong on administrative leave following the booking. “The preliminary investigation determined the suspect and victim were in an argument when the suspect hit the victim with a gun and threatened to shoot them,” the Dallas police department told Afseth. “The suspect and victim are known to one another. This remains an ongoing investigation.”
- In case you missed it, All-Star Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving appears to have found peace in Dallas following rocky stints in Boston and Brooklyn.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Brunson, 3-Point Contest
All-Star Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is in the midst of perhaps his best season yet. The sharpshooting big man spoke with Stefan Bondy of The New York Post about how he’s adjusted over the past few months after being dealt from Minnesota to New York.
“Of course, you always want better,” Towns said. “But I’m just happy that I was able to implement myself into the team and that it resulted in winning. You guys were telling me the stats of having the best record going into the All-Star break since [the Knicks’ last championship season in 1973]. Hopefully, history coincides with that and brings a ring with it.”
The team is currently 36-18 on the year, just 2.5 games behind the No. 2-seeded Celtics.
Towns has meshed well with fellow All-Star Jalen Brunson, and is happy to serve as the Knicks’ second option behind Brunson, who was named the team’s captain in August. Of course, Towns is still averaging 24.7 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per night, so the Kentucky alum is doing just fine.
“I didn’t come over to be a distraction or disrupt the flow or be on an ego trip or anything,” Towns said. “And I came to amplify them and amplify Cap’. You can’t win a championship by yourself. You need everybody. And I’m just happy we have a team full of guys who are willing to sacrifice and look at the big picture and do what it takes to bring the city wins every single night, and hopefully it results in a chip.”
There’s more out of New York:
- Brunson remains that rarest of things: a humble All-Star. According to Steve Popper of Newsday, Brunson credits his humility to his immediate friends and family. “I have a decent circle who keeps me humble,” Brunson told Popper. “So no. I think my mindset stays the same where I just want to get better. I know there’s a lot more for me to achieve. I want to win. “All the individual stuff is great. I’m really thankful. It’s goals of mine, of course, but the main thing is for me to win. That’s what I focus on. When I focus on that, the individual stuff comes. But my main focus is just winning. It’s always been that way.”
- Despite a hot start, Brunson faded at the end of the first round of All-Star weekend’s three-point contest on Saturday and ultimately didn’t advance. Still looking for his first win in the event, Brunson is open to potentially returning for a third appearance in a future seasons, writes Bondy in another article. The 6’2″ vet is nailing 39.7% of his 5.8 three-point attempts per game this season. He was looking to become the first Knicks player – and the first southpaw – to win the contest. “I’ll leave that door open,” Brunson said of returning for future shootouts.
- In case you missed it, we recently took a closer look at New York’s hard cap situation, detailing when the team will be able to add a 15th man.
Heat Notes: Herro, Highsmith, Durant
Heat guard Tyler Herro earned his first All-Star nod in 2024/25. He also won his first three-point contest on Saturday night, defeating Buddy Hield and Darius Garland in the final round.
As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Herro has displayed a different level of maturity this season after dealing with trade rumors for much of his career. He credits an improved mental approach for his excellent season.
“I think it comes with being OK with everything, trying to be at peace,” Herro said. “I try to work on myself off the court just as much as I was working on the court. So just being at peace, having my kids, my girl, I’ve got everything I need. So just being able to stay present.”
The 25-year-old sharpshooter said becoming an All-Star has long been a goal of his, so he was thrilled to be selected for the first time, Winderman adds.
“I’ve always wanted to be an All-Star,” he said. “I think I said that from the very beginning, not selfishly, but just trying to be ambitious in my own way. I’m a hard worker, so I feel when I’m able to put my mind on something, I usually go get what I want. So that’s usually how I try to do it. And All-Star was one of my goals coming into the league.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Herro brought his family and friends with him to All-Star weekend, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, who takes a look at the former lottery pick’s journey to achieve his goal. “Just spending it with my family, getting a break,” Herro said when asked what he’s looking forward to the most this weekend. “Just seeing all my people there and being able to experience it with them.”
- Haywood Highsmith‘s playing time has dwindled of late. Is there still room for him in the rotation after the trade additions of Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson? Winderman examines that question in a subscriber-only mailbag.
- Is it inevitable that Kevin Durant will once again be linked to the Heat when the summer rolls around? Winderman weighs in on that topic for The Sun Sentinel, noting that while there still seems to be mutual interest between the two sides, Miami also wasn’t willing to part with the young players and draft capital the Suns were seeking before the trade deadline.
Community Shootaround: Most Improved Player
According to the latest betting odds (link via Kevin Rogers of VegasInsider), there are two clear frontrunners to be named 2024/25’s Most Improved Player: Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Clippers wing Norman Powell.
Cunningham is the current favorite for the award, but Powell is a close second. Tyler Herro, Amen Thompson, Trey Murphy, Christian Braun, Evan Mobley, Jalen Williams, Dyson Daniels, Victor Wembanyama and Max Christie are among the other players in consideration, but it would be genuinely shocking if anyone from that group wins, given the current odds.
Griffin Wong of DraftKings recently weighed in on what is seemingly a two-man race, making the case both for and against Powell and Cunningham. While Wong believes that Powell has “clearly” shown more individual improvement, he thinks voters — 100 members of the media — will ultimately choose Cunningham, given the recent history of selecting rising young players and Detroit’s dramatic turnaround from a season ago.
A 10-year veteran, Powell is posting career-best numbers in virtually every major statistic in 2024/25, including points (24.2), rebounds (3.6), assists (2.2), steals (1.3) and minutes (33.6) per game. In 45 appearances, he has posted an extremely efficient shooting slash line of .496/.428/.819, good for a career-high true shooting percentage of .633. He is the leading scorer on the West’s No. 6 seed (the Clippers are 31-23).
At 31, Powell would be the oldest player to ever win MIP. That distinction currently belongs to former Magic guard Darrell Armstrong, who was 30 when he won the award in ’98/99.
Cunningham, 23, is also posting career-best numbers in several statistics in ’24/25, averaging 25.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 9.3 APG on .455/.351/.850 shooting (.551 TS) in 50 games (35.5 MPG). After finishing with the NBA’s worst record (14-68) last season, the Pistons have already more than doubled that meager win total and currently hold a 29-26 record, good for the No. 6 seed in the East.
Obviously, Cunningham has far more impressive rebounding and assist totals, and he’s Detroit’s best player. But as Wong writes, the first-time All-Star has been a far less efficient scorer than Powell, who also has better on/off numbers. According to Wong, Cunningham’s improvement was more or less expected — he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 — whereas Powell’s has been much more surprising and arguably more impactful to winning. Neither player is great defensively, so Wong views that as essentially a wash.
We want to know what you think. Should Cunningham, Powell or another player be selected as this season’s Most Improved Player? Head to the comments section to share your thoughts.