New York Notes: Simmons, Whitehead, Knicks
Speaking to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post (subscriber link), former Nets guard Ben Simmons reflected on his unhappy tenure in Brooklyn, discussing the differences between his Brooklyn and L.A. stints and explaining why he feels more comfortable with his new team, the Clippers, than he ever did during his injury-plagued years with the Nets.
“(Los Angeles) feels like home, honestly,” Simmons told Schwartz. “I never really felt like New York was home for me. Being in L.A., I feel like me as a person, it’s my kind of scenery or environment to be in. I think I thrive in situations like that. It was a blessing and a great experience to be in New York and experience being in New York City, there’s no city in the world like it. But I’m happy where I’m at, I love being in L.A.”
In his 11 games with L.A., Simmons is averaging 4.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.5 BPG. It’s a far cry from his All-Star peak, but the 28-year-old remains a solid, versatile defender who can pull down a rebound at will.
There’s more out of New York:
- Second-year Nets wing Dariq Whitehead‘s call-up to Brooklyn represents just the latest step in his comeback from three recent leg surgeries. Head coach Jordi Fernandez weighed in on Whitehead’s progress this season, per Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link). “It’s a process for him,” Fernandez said. “He’s gotta buy into all these things. He shows up and works. And now, when he has these minutes, he has to take advantage of them. So learning all that is extremely important.”
- The 45-27 Knicks, currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference, have 10 games on their slate before this year’s playoffs. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post unpacks the seven most important questions that face the team down the stretch of the 2024/25 season.
- In a reader mailbag, Ian Begley of SNY.tv fields questions about Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson‘s ankle health, how rookie guard Tyler Kolek can carve out a rotational role, reserve center Mitchell Robinson‘s minutes restriction, and more.
Thunder Notes: Dort, SGA, J. Williams, Caruso, Scouts
Asked on Friday about the defensive impact of big men vs. wings in relation to Luguentz Dort‘s Defensive Player of the Year case, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t fully engage in that debate, but he argued that Dort has been the standout and the constant of the NBA’s top-ranked defense (Twitter video link via Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman).
“We have a lot of really good defenders, but he’s anchored consistently what’s been the best defensive league numerically to this point in the season, by a long shot,” Daigneault said.
The gap between the Thunder’s 106.1 defensive rating and that of the No. 2 Magic (109.5) is greater than the difference between Orlando and the No. 12 Heat (112.5).
For his part, Dort tells Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that while he’s focused on winning games rather than winning awards, he would be honored to make an All-Defense team or to be named Defensive Player of the Year.
“I don’t play for that. I want to win,” Dort said. “And I want to do everything I can to look good for my teammates. But it’s always good to get rewarded for that. So if my name is up there, I’ll be good.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- In speaking to Medina, Dort was more interested in advocating for teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to earn MVP honors than to make his own case for award recognition. Thunder forward Jalen Williams conveyed a similar sentiment while talking to D.J. Siddiqi of Basketball Insiders. “I think he’s the MVP,” Williams said of SGA. “Obviously I’m his teammate, so I’m very inclined to say that. From what I see, the amount of Michael Jordan comparisons and the accolades and all that, I think it would be a very big disservice to him if he’s not the MVP, just based on what he’s been able to accomplish this year.”
- Williams returned to action on Thursday after missing seven games due to a right hip strain and was effective in his first game back, contributing 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 29 minutes as Oklahoma City set a franchise record with its 61st regular season win, Lorenzi writes for The Oklahoman. However, a pair of Thunder regulars – Alex Caruso (low back soreness) and Jaylin Williams (left hip stiffness) – did leave the game early due to injuries, Lorenzi notes (via Twitter). It’s unclear if either player will have to miss any additional time as a result of those ailments — Rylan Stiles of Thunder On SI tweets that Caruso and Williams have been listed as questionable for OKC’s matchup with Indiana on Saturday.
- The Thunder are losing multiple members of their scouting department to college programs, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. As Scotto details, amateur scout Corey Evans is expected to be named the general manager at the University of Cincinnati, while fellow scout Andrew Slater has left the team to take the GM position at North Carolina State.
Celtics Rumors: Holiday, Porzingis, White, Horford, Ownership
While no one expects the Celtics to move on from Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown anytime soon, there are questions around the league about how long the club can carry one of the NBA’s highest payrolls, subjecting itself to significant luxury tax penalties and onerous second-apron restrictions, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
The general consensus is that the Celtics might be willing to run it back again if they win another title this season. “You can’t break up a team that could be going for a three-peat,” one Western Conference executive told Fischer. But if Boston falls short of a championship? “They’re going to have to trade some guys at some point,” a team capologist said.
According to Fischer, league figures are keeping a close eye on guard Jrue Holiday and big man Kristaps Porzingis as possible trade chips later this year or next. Fischer suggests that guard Derrick White would likely have more trade value than either Porzingis or Holiday if he were made available this summer, but says no one he talked to seems to believe Boston would consider moving White.
If the Celtics do consider trading one of their top five highest-paid players, Holiday could be the most obvious odd man out due to a handful of factors, including his contract (three years and $104.4MM after this season) and Boston’s loaded backcourt.
As Fischer writes, besides White, the Celtics’ depth chart includes Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner Payton Pritchard and rookie Baylor Scheierman, whose development over the course of this season has been viewed by the team as very promising.
Here’s more on the C’s:
- Turning Al Horford‘s $9.5MM salary slot into a minimum-salary player next season would help the Celtics with their cap/tax situation, but the club likely wouldn’t welcome that possibility if it means losing Horford. Assuming the big man wants to continue his career, there are rival cap strategists who believe his market could start around the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.7MM), Fischer writes.
- Sixth Street Partners, a private equity firm, has committed more money to William Chisholm‘s ownership bid than Chisholm himself, reports Dan Primack of Axios. That’s not permitted by NBA rules, which allow private equity firms to hold up to a 20% stake in a team as long as their share is less than that of the controlling owner (which must be at least 15%).
- In Primack’s view, Chisholm’s two options are to be granted some sort of waiver by the NBA to get around that rule or to bring in enough new investors that Sixth Street’s full check is no longer necessary and they’re contributing less to the bid than Chisholm. Silver said on Thursday that the option of a waiver isn’t being discussed, according to Fischer. “Not at all,” he said. “And while the deal in a preliminary fashion has just been presented to the league, at this time there’s no contemplation of changing our ownership rules.”
- Fischer also asked Silver on Thursday about the reported arrangement between Chisholm and outgoing owner Wyc Grousbeck that would keep Grousbeck in the CEO and governor positions through 2028. As Fischer notes, it sounds similar to what Mark Cuban wanted when he sold the Mavericks, but in that instance it wasn’t put into writing and didn’t happen. “I think the Grousbeck family and the buyer are still working through those arrangements on exactly how that would work in terms of CEO roles and governor roles during some transition,” Silver said. “I think the situation was very different in Dallas. There was a clear change in control of the franchise to Patrick Dumont and his family. Any decision as to what Mark’s role would be in basketball operations was a function of an arrangement to be made between Mark Cuban and Patrick. The ultimate governance was absolutely clear, as presented to our board, that the last word on any basketball activities or any significant decision for the franchise would be made by Patrick.”
- In his latest mailbag, Brian Robb of MassLive answers questions about Luke Kornet‘s upcoming free agency, the best first-round playoff opponent for the Celtics, and the ownership transition.
LaMelo Ball Undergoing Procedures On Ankle, Wrist
4:26 pm: The Hornets have confirmed Charania’s reporting, officially announcing in a press release that Ball will undergo arthroscopic surgery to address a right ankle impingement and will also have a minor procedure on his right wrist. He’s expected to return to full basketball activities within four-to-six weeks, according to the club.
4:01 pm: Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will undergo a pair of minor procedures to address issues in his right ankle and right wrist, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that Ball will miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
As Charania details, Ball played through both injuries in recent weeks, but after consultation with team doctors and outside specialists, the decision was made to shut him down and address those ailments sooner rather than later. The hope is that undergoing those two procedures now will allow the 23-year-old to have a “full, productive offseason,” Charania writes.
Ball, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has been plagued by health problems since entering the NBA five years ago. The Hornets star has played more than 51 games in a season just once and has appeared in just 105 of 246 possible contests over the past three years, including 47 this season. That’s his highest total since 2021/22.
He previously underwent surgery on his right ankle in March 2023 and on his right wrist in March 2021.
When he was healthy and available this season, Ball continued to be an effective scorer and play-maker for Charlotte, averaging a career-high 25.2 points to go along with 7.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game. His shooting efficiency dropped off this season, however — his 40.5% field goal percentage and 33.9% mark on three-pointers were both career lows.
Ball will be entering the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension in 2025/26. That deal will pay him $168.7MM over the next four years.
While rival executives are monitoring Ball as a possible trade candidate, the Hornets have maintained that they have no interest in moving him.
Adam Silver Talks Expansion, Wolves Sale, Tanking, RSNs
Asked at his Thursday press conference whether the NBA has looked any more at adding an expansion team or two, commissioner Adam Silver said the league is “still in the process of digesting the Celtics (sale)” and expects to explore expansion in a “more serious way” once that transaction is finalized, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
As Bontemps notes, ESPN has previously reported that the Celtics sale was viewed as a possible precursor to expansion, since it would provide a point of reference for how much the expansion fees for new teams could potentially be worth.
“I wish I could be more conclusive today and say, ‘Here it is, here’s the timeline,'” Silver said, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “There are events that are clearly outside of my control. Part of it, as I said, is trying to assess value in a way that’s both fair, even to a potential owner, and fair to the existing owners in terms of what it means to add additional partners, different cities, divide up our current media pie with the 31st or 32nd share.
“And also, we want to make sure we put teams in a position, particularly as we’re setting the price, to be in a position to be competitive, economically successful and just as important for the other teams, successful on the floor.”
According to Bontemps, the widespread belief is that if the NBA expands, it would do so by two teams instead of one, with Seattle and Las Vegas considered the strong frontrunners for new teams.
We previously relayed Silver’s comments on Thursday about a new European league and the NBA’s All-Star format, but he also addressed several other topics during his New York presser. Here are some highlights:
- Addressing the Timberwolves‘ ownership situation, Silver said longtime owner Glen Taylor is still considering whether to appeal an arbitration ruling in favor of prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and that Taylor continues to communicate directly with Lore and Rodriguez, Bontemps writes. Silver referred to the situation as “on hold” while Taylor weighs his options.
- Silver believes that the variety of tweaks made by the NBA in recent years – including new draft lottery odds, the introduction of the play-in tournament, and the implementation of the 65-game rule and player participation policy – have helped limit the impact of tanking, but admits that the league is still mulling ways to further address the issue. “It comes down to incentives,” Silver said, per Bontemps. “There’s no doubt that incentives change at the end of a season, especially when you have a draft that’s perceived not just with the top pick, but the top maybe few picks is an incredibly strong draft. That’s a way, a legitimate way of rebuilding in this league. So I’m not sitting here saying, ‘All right, here’s the new calibration to the draft lottery and that will solve it.’ We don’t have a new plan at the moment. I don’t have an answer sitting here today as to what we’re going to do other than to say that we recognize it’s an issue and it’s an issue for our fans. And so we’re paying attention to it.”
- While Silver acknowledges the regional sports network landscape has become murky in recent years, he’s optimistic that the NBA will be able to “derive value from the situation,” Bontemps writes. “We think there’s tremendous opportunity there,” the commissioner said. “You have bankruptcies of RSNs, other RSNs that have shut down, and I think that’s created, for lack of a better term, a lot of transactional friction of people who would otherwise be interested. At the same time, well-known streaming services that only a year ago were saying they have no interest in live sports are now aggressively bidding on live sports. So we see no reason why the extent there’s that interest on a national basis or even a global basis there wouldn’t also be on a local basis.”
Kings’ LaRavia Out At Least 7-10 Days With Thumb Injury
Kings forward Jake LaRavia underwent imaging on his injured left thumb and has been diagnosed with a bone contusion, the team announced today (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). LaRavia’s injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s loss to Oklahoma City when he took a hard fall under the basket (Twitter video link via Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento).
According to the Kings, LaRavia will be sidelined for the time being and will be reevaluated in approximately seven-to-10 days. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be ready to return at that time — just that he’ll be reassessed.
LaRavia, who was traded from Memphis to Sacramento at last month’s trade deadline, has played a regular rotation role off the bench for his new team. In 19 appearances since joining the Kings, he has averaged 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .438/.385/.579.
The timeline for LaRavia indicates he’ll at least miss the team’s next three games – on Saturday in Orlando, Monday in Indiana, and Wednesday in Washington – and could remain out for more beyond that. Saturday’s contest is the first of a six-game road trip that runs through April 7 before Sacramento returns home for its final three games of the regular season.
With LaRavia unavailable, forwards Trey Lyles, Isaac Jones, and Doug McDermott are among the candidates to pick up additional minutes in the Kings’ frontcourt.
Latest On Ja Morant, Cade Cunningham Injuries
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant missed a sixth consecutive game on Thursday vs. Oklahoma City due to a left hamstring strain. As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters on Thursday – before being fired by the team on Friday – that Morant is in the “day-to-day phase” of his recovery and is aiming to return soon.
“He’s been progressing in his on-court workouts,” Jenkins said. “It’s a matter of hitting top-end speeds to make sure that hamstring is in a good place when he’s comfortable enough to return. … He’s working his tail off to get back out there. We’re excited to get him back out there. He is, too.”
Morant has battled injuries, including a series of shoulder issues, all year long and has appeared in only 43 of Memphis’ 73 games this season. The club has a 28-15 record in those contests and has gone just 16-14 when its star point guard is unavailable.
Having Morant as much as possible down the stretch would be big for the Grizzlies, who are in the midst of a competitive race for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. At 44-29, they’re tied with the Lakers for the fourth-best record in the conference and have a 2.5-game cushion on the Clippers and Warriors, who are both 41-31.
Meanwhile, over in the East, another star point guard is on the shelf for a team battling for a top-four spot in the playoffs. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will miss a third consecutive game on Friday vs. Cleveland due to a left calf injury.
According to a press release from the team (Twitter link), Cunningham underwent an MRI on his affected calf, which confirmed that he’s dealing with a contusion, an injury he suffered last Friday vs. Dallas. Like Morant, Cunningham is considered day-to-day in his recovery, per the Pistons.
The Pistons have a 41-32 record, which puts them fifth in the East, two games behind the No. 4 Pacers and a half-game ahead of the No. 6 Bucks. There’s a significant gap between Milwaukee and No. 7 Atlanta, so Detroit is in no danger of falling out of the top six in the conference, but the team could secure a more favorable seed (and first-round matchup) with a strong finish.
Cunningham has appeared in 66 games so far this season, so he has met the minimum requirement to qualify for award consideration and looks like a good bet to make an All-NBA team. If he achieves that feat, his maximum-salary rookie scale extension would start at 30% (instead of 25%) of the 2025/26 cap.
Wizards Notes: Record Loss, Sarr, Champagnie, Middleton
Losing games is beneficial for the Wizards as they try to maximize their lottery odds, but there was nothing to be gained from Thursday night’s performance, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington set franchise records by giving up 162 points to Indiana and losing by 53 points. The Pacers overwhelmed the Wizards’ defense, shooting 64.1% from the field and 57.4% from three-point range.
“You should be upset,” coach Brian Keefe said. “You shouldn’t be happy. But it’s always about what you do going forward. Unfortunately, losses like this happen. You don’t want them to. No one’s happy about it, most of all our organization, me and the players especially. We’ve got competitive guys in our locker room. But it’s how you go forward. It’s always how you respond.”
At 16-57, Washington remains a half-game “behind” the 16-58 Jazz in the race for the league’s worst record. Robbins points out that the Wizards have been playing better lately, putting together a 6-4 run from February 24 to March 15 that included wins at Detroit and Denver. They also won at Philadelphia on Wednesday, so there were no warning signs that they were about to break this 54-year-old record.
“We’re competitors, so we definitely don’t want to be on the bad side of games like that,” Jordan Poole said. “I think we know that the longer you play, the more games you play, there will be nights like this, especially coming off of a back-to-back. I think we in the locker room know that’s not acceptable, especially for the standard that we’re trying to set, in how we played. But we’ve got to find ways to just learn from it, get better and then bounce back in a couple of days.”
There’s more from Washington:
- Rookie big man Alex Sarr scored 22 points Thursday night and led the Wizards in shots for the seventh time in the last eight games, according to Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. The No. 2 overall pick is enjoying his best month of the season, averaging 17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in March, and may be making a late bid for Rookie of the Year honors. “I think it’s a nice accomplishment. But at the same time I think there’s way more than just getting (an) individual award,” Sarr said. “… I’m going to be part of this team hopefully for a lot of years to come. And what we’re building right now is more important than (individual awards).”
- In an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Justin Champagnie admits he considered giving up his NBA dream as he fought to earn a roster spot over the last three years. The 23-year-old small forward’s efforts were rewarded this season when he signed a four-year, $10MM deal with the Wizards that includes $1.8MM in guaranteed money. “To be honest with you, I probably thought about quitting three or four times,” Champagnie said. “I always told myself no matter what happens, stay grounded, remember where you came from, keep doing what you’re doing, and let it be what it’s going to be.”
- Khris Middleton, who was traded to Washington at the deadline after a long career in Milwaukee, believes the Wizards have a bright future and could challenge for the playoffs soon, Scotto adds. “I think if you give us a full offseason and give us a full season together,” he said, “with the improvement of the young core, which is going to be huge, I think they can take a big step because of the way they work, how talented they are, and how smart they are.”
Grizzlies Fire Taylor Jenkins
The Grizzlies have announced the firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins. It’s a surprising late-season move for a team that’s solidly in the playoff picture and fighting for home court in a first-round series.
“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”
Jenkins was fired in person this morning when he arrived at the team’s office, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who expects him to be among the league’s top free agent coaches when the offseason begins.
Although they’re tied for fourth in the Western Conference playoff race at 44-29, the Grizzlies have been on a downslide lately, losing five of their last seven games and 12 of their last 20. Even so, Jenkins has done an admirable job of keeping the team competitive with star guard Ja Morant limited to 43 games.
There’s no immediate word on who will replace Jenkins for the rest of the season. Memphis has a huge game set for Saturday night, hosting the Lakers, who are also 44-29.
Jenkins, 40, has put together a 250-214 record since being hired as head coach in 2019, making him the winningest coach in franchise history. However, the Grizzlies have only won a single playoff series in his tenure, advancing to the second round in 2022.
Jenkins, who won a G League title with the Austin Toros in 2012, was hired as an assistant coach by Atlanta in 2013. He spent five seasons with the Hawks and one with the Bucks before taking over the Grizzlies.
Hawks Notes: Young, LeVert, Daniels, Capela
A year ago, there was trade speculation regarding Trae Young, but the Hawks now seem committed to him as the veteran leader of an inexperienced roster. Young, who’s in his seventh year with Atlanta, talked about his situation in an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, saying it’s “not new territory.”
“People probably know that this isn’t the first time I’ve been a part of a team with young guys and where they wanted me to lead,” he said. “I think this is really what they wanted me to do this year. Not focus on the wins and losses. It’s more about how I can bring the young guys along and build them up and build their confidence up as much as possible.”
The Hawks appear to have a bright future after remaking their roster over the past 12 months. The most significant moves were trading for Dyson Daniels and drafting Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick. They form a promising young core along with Jalen Johnson, who was in the midst of his best NBA season before it was ended in January by a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Young will become eligible for an extension this summer, but he sidestepped a question from Scotto about whether he expects to sign a new deal.
“I’m still stuck in the moment right now and not really focusing on that right now,” he said. “I know it’s going to come. People will be asking questions here. I’m just focusing on this team, building these young guys, and giving them confidence. At the end of the year, everything else will be discussed.”
There’s more on the Hawks, all from Scotto:
- Caris LeVert, who was acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, tells Scotto that he’s interested in staying with Atlanta when he becomes a free agent this summer. LeVert adds that he was “playing a certain role” with the Cavaliers and he “can play more like myself” in the Hawks’ system. “I love this situation that I’m in right now. I love this team,” LeVert said. “The staff has welcomed me with open arms. I didn’t really know (head coach) Quin (Snyder) previously before coming here. Obviously, I’ve admired his style from afar for a long time. Antonio (Lang), Ekpe Udoh and Ron Nored on the staff I’ve had relationships with, so I feel pretty comfortable here. Like I always tell them, I’d love to re-sign here. My focus right now is the rest of the season and making the playoffs. It’s definitely something I’d want.”
- Daniels is among the favorites for Defensive Player of the Year honors, but he tells Scotto it feels like “a big man’s award.” Daniels, who leads the league in steals by a wide margin, adds that he gained more confidence in his game since coming to Atlanta. “Coach Quin has instilled confidence in me to play freely and be myself,” Daniels said. “My teammates have given me confidence as well. It’s just that my mindset has changed. I’ve come in wanting to be more aggressive and play more freely without any restrictions. I think it’s been more that my mindset has changed rather than anything between the two organizations.”
- Clint Capela is expected to leave the Hawks in free agency this summer, sources tell Scotto. The veteran center is currently sidelined with a ligament injury in his left hand and may not return if Atlanta doesn’t reach at least the first round of the playoffs.