And-Ones: Rebuilding Teams, Free Agency, Flagg, NBL
Among 11 NBA teams in various stages of their respective rebuilds, the Spurs are best positioned for the long run, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link). San Antonio’s place atop the rankings has a lot to do with the presence of Victor Wembanyama on the roster, but Bontemps points to Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and recently acquired point guard De’Aaron Fox as other likely core pieces for the Spurs, who could end up with two more lottery picks this spring.
Interestingly, Bontemps places the Hornets and Wizards at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on his rebuild rankings, praising Charlotte in particular for its promising collection of young talent. The Trail Blazers and Bulls come in at 10th and 11th on Bontemps’ list, largely because there are questions about whether either team has a franchise player to build around and whether they’ll be in position to land one in the draft anytime soon.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights several of the challenging situations that teams will face in free agency this summer, including the Cavaliers with Ty Jerome, the Nuggets with Russell Westbrook, the Kings with Jake LaRavia, and the Sixers with Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele. Many of those clubs will be limited in what they can offer their free agents, either due to a lack of full Bird rights or tax/apron concerns.
- Meanwhile, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) looks ahead to 2026 and explains why next year’s star-studded free agent class will likely be something of a mirage, given all the contract extensions likely to be signed between now and then.
- ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) spoke to 10 NBA executives about projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, surveying those execs on the Duke freshman’s strengths and weaknesses, his odds of winning a title with the Blue Devils, and whether there’s any chance he decides to stay in school for another year. “I can’t remember a No. 1 pick deciding to go back to school,” one Eastern Conference scout told ESPN.
- Ahead of the NBA playing its first games in Australia this fall, a battle over the ownership of the country’s National Basketball League appears to be brewing. Olgun Uluc of ESPN Australia has the story.
Western Notes: Bogdanovic, Durant, Rockets, Mavs, Nuggets
Veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic was having the worst year of his NBA career in Atlanta this season, averaging 10.0 points per game on 37.1% shooting (30.1% on three-pointers). He has looked more like his usual self since being traded to Los Angeles, bumping his scoring average to 12.6 PPG while making 48.5% of his shots from the floor (and 40.0% of his threes).
Bogdanovic has emerged as an X-factor for the Clippers, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register, due to his ability to read the floor, his decision-making, and the way he complements star guard James Harden.
“Bogey, him coming to our team really gave us a shot in the arm and helped us out in all of those areas,” assistant coach Brian Shaw said. “(His) spacing, being able to handle the ball takes some of the pressure off of James … and then when we want to seek out mismatches, they have to account for him out on the three-point line and that leaves the paint and everything open.”
Bogdanovic has a guaranteed $16MM salary for next season and a $16MM team option for 2026/27, so he won’t simply be a rental for his new team.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Within a mailbag for SI.com, veteran NBA reporter Chris Mannix says he thinks Suns forward Kevin Durant would like to end up with with the Rockets this summer. While Mannix makes it clear that’s just his opinion, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) notes that he shares that opinion. Houston controls a handful of Phoenix’s draft picks, making the two teams an obvious match, but the question is how much interest the Rockets would have in giving up significant assets for a player who will be 37 next season — past reports have suggested they’ve sought to complement their young core with a more “age-appropriate” star.
- The Mavericks held Kessler Edwards out of their game against Detroit on Friday, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Edwards, who is on a two-way contract, can only be active once more and Dallas didn’t want to burn his last game quite yet, so he’ll join the team on its upcoming road trip. Another two-way player, Brandon Williams, is active for the Mavs on Friday and will have just four active games of his own left after tonight (Twitter link).
- Bennett Durando addresses a series of Nuggets-related topics in a mailbag for The Denver Post, exploring what the team’s playoff rotation might look like, discussing the latest on Aaron Gordon‘s nagging calf injury, and evaluating who’s to blame for Denver’s subpar defensive play.
Jaylen Brown Out At Least Two Games With Bone Bruise
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has been ruled out for at least two games after being diagnosed with a bone bruise with posterior impingement in his right knee, according to the team (Twitter link).
Brown will miss Friday’s contest in Utah and Sunday’s in Portland before being reevaluated on Monday. It’s unclear whether he’ll be available for the rest of the Celtics’ road trip, which includes games in Sacramento (March 24), Phoenix (March 26), San Antonio (March 29), and Memphis (March 31).
Brown also sat out on March 6 and March 14 due to his right knee issue, which was referred to at that time as simply “posterior impingement” — both of those games were part of back-to-back sets.
While Brown’s reevaluation timeline suggests the injury isn’t considered a significant one, it makes sense for the Celtics to keep him sidelined for at least a couple games if they believe that extra rest will help him get closer to 100%. Boston’s 50-19 record puts the team six games behind the top-seeded Cavaliers and six games up on the No. 3 Knicks, so the priority at this point is getting healthy for the postseason rather than fighting for a playoff seed.
Brown has averaged 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 35.3 minutes per game across 56 outings (all starts) this season. He’s a candidate for a spot on an All-NBA team, but his eligibility will hinge on whether his knee ailment keeps him on the shelf beyond Sunday. After missing the Celtics’ next two games, the 28-year-old will have to play in at least nine of the final 11 to meet the 65-game criteria.
Injury Notes: Thompson, Wiggins, Zion, Hornets, Flagg
Rockets wing Amen Thompson will return on Friday vs. Miami and will immediately reenter the team’s starting lineup, head coach Ime Udoka said today (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). Thompson won’t be on a minutes restriction after missing the past six games due to a sprained ankle.
Besides being good news for the Rockets, who are vying for playoff position and currently control the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Thompson’s return bodes well for his end-of-season award eligibility. He’ll reach the 65-game minimum if he plays at least 20 minutes in seven more games — Houston has 12 left on its schedule.
Thompson looks like a solid candidate to receive consideration for Most Improved Player and All-Defensive honors this spring.
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Heat forward Andrew Wiggins is returning on Friday vs. Houston after missing two games with a leg contusion. He had originally been listed as questionable with an ankle impingement. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said the team will be “mindful” of Wiggins’ minutes in his first game back, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links).
- Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will be inactive on Friday vs. Minnesota due to a low back contusion, according to the team (Twitter link). Although Williamson has been fairly healthy for the past two-plus months, he has appeared in just 30 total games so far this season.
- The Hornets have ruled out several players on the second end of a back-to-back set in Oklahoma City on Friday, including LaMelo Ball (right ankle injury management) and Mark Williams (left foot injury management), both of whom played key roles in Thursday’s win over New York. Marcus Garrett, who has played rotation minutes over the past four games, is listed as “not with team” on the final night of his 10-day contract.
- It’s not an NBA injury, but Duke star Cooper Flagg said ahead of the team’s NCAA tournament opener that he’s “pain-free” after injuring his ankle last Thursday against Georgia Tech (story via David Hale of ESPN). The projected No. 1 overall pick for the 2025 draft didn’t have to play a ton on Friday, as the Blue Devils rolled to a 93-49 win over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s. Flagg had 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 22 minutes.
Jazz Notes: Tshiebwe, Collier, Kessler, Markkanen
Oscar Tshiebwe has continued to put up incredible rebounding numbers at the G League level this season, averaging an eye-popping 18.6 boards per game – including 8.3 offensive – in 23 regular season appearances (31.8 MPG). On Wednesday, the Jazz two-way player brought those talents to the NBA just hours after after playing for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League.
Tshiebwe piled up 37 points and 26 rebounds for the Stars against the Mexico City Capitanes in the morning, then contributed four points and 10 rebounds for Utah in the evening, notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. In total, it was a 41-point, 36-rebound day for the big man, who played nearly 60 minutes overall. Did he feel like it was too much basketball in a single day?
“No. The season will finish soon and I will sleep for two weeks. I’m good,” Tshiebwe told Larsen on Wednesday night. “This is a great chance, it is a blessing to be here. It doesn’t matter if they asked me to play five games in 24 hours.
“… We always think we stay young and that we’re going to do this the rest of our life. But we don’t know, it might end tonight, it might end tomorrow. I feel like today is all I have, and today I have to give everything I have. Every time I go to bed, if I feel like I didn’t give everything, I am so mad. I go back in the gym at night. And then maybe I go on the treadmill and run, and make sure I empty out my tank.
“Tonight, I will sleep. I played 56 minutes and had 36 rebounds. That’s still not enough. That’s my attitude. Today is the only thing you have, and you will never get to do it again. That’s what I do.”
Tshiebwe will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason when his two-way deal expires.
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Utah’s coaching staff is said to be focusing on “player development” as the season winds down. What exactly does that mean? Asked by Larsen what specifically he’s focused on with Isaiah Collier‘s development, head coach Will Hardy pointed to the way the rookie guard gathers the ball when he drives to the basket. “I think Isaiah is used to being a lot stronger than people that he plays against, and at this level, it just doesn’t work that way,” Hardy explained. “If you’re driving most of the time, there’s somebody on your side, and that person usually has, in this league, relatively long arms. So if I gather the ball and bring it to the middle of my body, he has a chance to swipe it. I think the elite players are very good at gathering on the outside of their body and protecting the ball so that the on-ball defender doesn’t isn’t able to get their hands on it.”
- The Jazz and Wizards ended up activating multiple players who were initially listed as doubtful or out for Wednesday’s game. Utah, for example, originally said starting center Walker Kessler would miss the game due to “rest,” but ultimately made him available. Josh Robbins of The Athletic believes league officials spoke with both teams about their player usage ahead of a matchup that loomed large for lottery odds. The Jazz have already been fined once this month for violating the league’s player participation policy.
- Utah has listed at least seven players as out for Friday’s game vs. Boston, with forward Lauri Markkanen missing a second consecutive game for personal reasons.
- As we noted earlier this week, Hardy has encouraged Kessler to start letting it fly from beyond the arc — Hardy has reportedly told the big man to try to take six three-pointers per game after he attempted just six overall in his first 50 games this season. That trend continued on Wednesday as Kessler launched six threes in just 15 minutes of action. He’s 2-of-17 from the outside in his past three games.
Kings/Bulls Notes: DeRozan, White, LaVine, Huerter, T. Jones
Forward DeMar DeRozan became the 27th player in NBA history to record 25,000 career points on Thursday, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. As Law Murray of The Athletic notes, DeRozan joins LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry as active players who have scored at least 25,000 points.
However, the impressive milestone was bittersweet for DeRozan and the Kings, who lost to his former club, the Bulls.
While DeRozan exchanged in some lighthearted trash-talking with his former teammates leading up to the game, he made it clear afterward that he still supports them, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. DeRozan particularly singled out Coby White, who scored a game-high 35 points in Chicago’s victory.
“Rooting for all those guys, honestly,” DeRozan said. “I watch every single game when we don’t play. Even if we’re playing at the same time, I check the box score and see how guys do. Obviously, I still talk to my sons every day, make sure they’re making their bed and everything. It was great to see Coby thriving the way I knew he would be. You know, working out with him every summer, seeing how much he loved the game, how much he put into it, it was dope to see.
“In the group chat [Wednesday] night, I was talking trash to [Patrick Williams] and [Dalen Terry] about them having nightmares just thinking about guarding me. So it’s fun, and it’s a different type of excitement you have going against familiar faces.”
Here’s more on the Kings and Bulls:
- Thursday marked Zach LaVine‘s first game against Chicago since he was traded to the Kings last month. In the lead-up to the game, LaVine reflected on his time with the Bulls, saying he had “no bad blood” and a “really good tenure” during his nearly eight years with the team, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “I put that jersey on with a lot of pride,” LaVine said. “I love Chicago. Always will. If you go out there and try your best and it don’t work, sometimes it’s frustrating, both on the organization and as a player. But I wore it with my heart on my sleeve. I can’t get mad at that.”
- While LaVine wasn’t out for revenge, the same can’t be said for Kevin Huerter, who was traded by the Kings to the Bulls in the LaVine deal. The 26-year-old had one of his best games of the season against Sacramento, putting up 25 points (on 10-of-16 shooting), seven assists, five rebounds, four steals and a block in 37 minutes. “We’re competitors at the end of the day,” Huerter said Wednesday, per Cowley. “Any game we go into, we’re trying to win. I know those guys over there [in Sacramento] really well. Any time you get moved on from a team, I think it’s natural that you want to kick their ass next time you play them, but there’s no ill will, no hard feelings. [I’m] still pretty close with a lot of people there, so [I’ll] go try and compete.”
- Bulls point guard Tre Jones sustained a left midfoot sprain during Thursday’s game, tweets K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network. X-rays were negative, Johnson adds, and it’s unclear if Jones will miss time due to the injury. The impending free agent has played well for Chicago since he was acquired from San Antonio in the LaVine deal, particularly over the past couple weeks.
Hawks’ Clint Capela Out At Least 3-4 Weeks With Hand Injury
Clint Capela has been diagnosed with a ligament injury in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand, according to the Hawks, who announced (via Twitter) that the veteran center will be out at least three-to-four weeks as he rehabilitates.
It’s worth noting that Atlanta says Capela will be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks, not that he’s expected to return at that time. The 30-year-old underwent an MRI on Monday which revealed the injury, per the team.
Although the Hawks didn’t outright say it, Capela will almost certainly miss the remainder of the 2024/25 regular season, which concludes on April 13. Depending on how they fare in the postseason — they’re currently the No. 7 seed in the East — it’s possible he might be able to return at some point later next month.
It’s unclear when Capela sustained the injury, but Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears it occurred earlier this month and he initially tried to play through it (Twitter link). Capela has missed the past four games, with his most recent injury designation being personal reasons.
Capela was a longtime starter for the Hawks, but the Swiss big man was moved to the second unit in late January, having been supplanted by Onyeka Okongwu. Capela has averaged 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 55 games this season (21.4 minutes per contest).
Obviously, it’s unfortunate news for the Hawks, who have already lost Jalen Johnson and Kobe Bufkin to season-ending shoulder injuries. They’ve also been playing without backup big man Larry Nance Jr., who has been out since mid-February due to a knee injury. He’s set to be reevaluated next week.
It’s a disappointing setback on a personal level as well — Capela will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
With Capela out, the Hawks have been utilizing small-ball lineups off the bench, with forwards like Georges Niang and Dominick Barlow receiving more playing time. That figures to continue for the time being.
Kings’ Isaac Jones Reaches Active Game Limit
Rookie big man Isaac Jones, who is on a two-way contract with the Kings, has been active for the maximum of 50 NBA games this season and is no longer eligible to play for Sacramento in 2024/25, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Jones reached the 50-game limit in Wednesday’s victory over Cleveland when he played four minutes. He has appeared in 31 games this season and been active for 19 more, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per contest.
Although he ultimately wasn’t selected, Jones was among the players who boosted their stocks with strong performances in last year’s pre-draft process. The former Washington State standout quickly reached an agreement on a two-way deal with the Kings shortly after going undrafted.
As Marks notes (via Twitter), Jones can continue to practice with the Kings, but he won’t be able to play again unless his two-way contract is converted to a standard deal. A report back in January suggested that Jones was a candidate to be promoted if the Kings still had openings on their standard roster after the trade deadline, and they do — they’re tentatively carrying 14 players, with Terry Taylor on a 10-day contract that runs through March 27.
Jones, who was named to the NBA G League’s Up Next event at All-Star weekend, has also appeared in 15 total games this season with the Stockton Kings. His role has been more significant at the G League level, averaging 21.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block on .567/.300/.745 shooting in 32.3 minutes per contest.
Several other players on two-way contracts are also nearing their active game limits, according to Marks. Kessler Edwards (one) and Brandon Williams (five) of the Mavericks, Hornets wing Wendell Moore (five) and Sixers guard Jeff Dowtin (five) will soon be ineligible to appear in NBA games. All three of the Lakers’ two-way players — Jordan Goodwin (three), Trey Jemison (eight) and Christian Koloko (nine) — are close to their limits as well, as we noted on Thursday.
Players on two-way contracts are ineligible for the postseason, including the play-in tournament.
Stephen Curry Out Saturday With Pelvic Contusion
The Warriors received some promising news on Friday, as Stephen Curry‘s MRI confirmed a pelvic contusion but revealed no structural damage, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Curry, who sustained the injury after a hard fall in the third quarter of Thursday’s game vs. Toronto, won’t travel to Atlanta and will miss Saturday’s game against the Hawks. He will be reevaluated on Monday, per the Warriors.
Shams Charania of ESPN first reported (via Twitter) the update on Curry, which was later confirmed by Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Saturday’s matchup in Atlanta is the start of the six-game road trip for the Warriors. As Slater notes, the second game of the trip will be on Tuesday in Miami — it’s the first matchup between the Warriors and Heat after last month’s blockbuster trade of Jimmy Butler.
Butler struggled with his shot (4-of-15 from the field) on Thursday, but he still recorded a triple-double (16 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds) and had a clutch block late in the fourth quarter. After the game, he said the Warriors will need to play “perfect basketball” without Curry, according to Slater (Twitter video link).
“We can’t afford to turn the ball over. We can’t afford to foul. Because we don’t have the one individual who can automatically get us back into the game,” Butler said.
The Warriors have surged up the standings since they acquired Butler, currently holding a 41-29 record, good for the No. 6 seed in the West. However, they’re only 1.5 games ahead of the Clippers and Timberwolves in the race to secure an automatic playoff berth, so each of their 12 remaining games will be critical if they want to avoid the play-in tournament this spring.
Mavericks’ Davis, Lively, Gafford To Practice In NBAGL
The Mavericks assigned a trio of injured big men to their G League affiliate on Friday, announcing (via Twitter) that Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford will be heading to the Texas Legends.
According to Dallas-based NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter links), Davis will be going through his second round of 5-on-5 practice with the Legends, while Lively and Gafford are expected to start with a 3-on-3 session.
Davis first practiced with Dallas’ affiliate team on Monday, though head coach Jason Kidd later cautioned that the star forward/center had to clear additional hurdles before he’s able to play again. Davis has been out since February 8, when he sustained a left adductor strain in his Mavericks debut.
Second-year center Lively is recovering from a right ankle stress fracture that has kept him on the shelf since January 14. He has been doing individual on-court work in recent weeks.
Gafford was set to be reevaluated today after suffering a Grade 3 MCL sprain in his right knee on February 10. Evidently that examination went well, as Gafford will be practicing today for the first time in nearly six weeks.
Stein reported a couple weeks ago that Davis and Lively were on track to be healthy before the end of the season, though it wasn’t clear if they’d actually play again in 2024/25. A subsequent report stated there have been no indications the Mavs plan to shut down any of Davis, Lively or Gafford while they remain in postseason contention.
Amid a devastating wave of injuries, the Mavericks have dropped four straight and 11 of their past 13 games. At 33-37, Dallas is currently the No. 11 seed in the West. The Mavs have the same record as Phoenix, but the Suns control the head-to-head tiebreaker and thus the No. 10 seed.