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Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Porter, Trent

By | at March 5, 2025 11:17 am

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has never been a three-point marksman and is attempting fewer outside shots than ever this season, having gone just 8-of-42 from beyond the arc. However, that decline in three-point tries has coincided with an uptick in shots from the mid-range, where Antetokounmpo is getting more and more comfortable.

Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required) takes a closer look at the two-time MVP’s offensive evolution, digging into how favorably his mid-range numbers stack up against his peers. Of the 35 players who have averaged at least 2.5 mid-range attempts per game this season, Giannis ranks seventh with a 46.8% mark, putting him ahead of DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, and Jalen Brunson, among several other stars.

“We are seeing a lot of growth in his game,” teammate Taurean Prince said. “It’s crazy to say but he’s getting better. Every day he’s adding on. Obviously the mid-range to his game and now guys gotta kind of step up and respect it. Whether they contest it or feel like he’s going to make it or not that’s up to them, but him adding to that to his game makes him more deadly.”

Despite attempting more mid-range shots, Antetokounmpo continues to score as efficiently as ever. He’s averaging 30.8 points per game with a .604 FG% this year after becoming the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG with a field goal percentage of at least 60% in 2023/24.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

  • Point guard Damian Lillard took a Clint Capela elbow to the left eye during the first quarter of Tuesday’s win over Atlanta and initially called for a substitution, but he was ultimately able to stay on the court and finish the game. He explained after the victory that his vision blurred after the play, but improved with time. “It got better, it just was hard to keep my eye just open,” Lillard said, according to Owczarski. “My right one I could see clear, this one was just kind of like, blurry. From the impact this side of my face was a little irritated. That was it.”
  • Reserve guard Kevin Porter Jr., acquired from the Clippers at last month’s deadline, has fit in well in Milwaukee so far. On Tuesday against the Hawks, he scored 15 points in just 12 minutes for the game and was 5-on-5 from the floor in the fourth quarter. “It feels good, just being able to contribute to wins,” he said after the game, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’ve never been on a winning team or organization. I don’t know winning ways, so that’s what I’ve been learning here. These guys, the environment, the atmosphere, the team – it’s just been team, team, team and I’ve been soaking up the knowledge and wisdom from these guys and it’s been beautiful, honestly.”
  • Gary Trent Jr., viewed as a steal last summer when he signed a minimum-salary contract with the Bucks, got off to a slow start in Milwaukee and dropped out of the starting lineup just seven games into the season. However, he has bounced back impressively since then and has played some of his best basketball since the trade deadline, Nehm writes for The Athletic. Trent, who will be an unrestricted free agent again in 2025, has made 44.8% of his three-point attempts since November 13 and is averaging 14.3 points per game since the February 6 deadline.
1 comment Milwaukee Bucks

Kyrie Irving On ACL Recovery: ‘I Will Be OK’

By | at March 5, 2025 10:05 am

Not long after the Mavericks officially confirmed on Tuesday that Kyrie Irving has been diagnosed with a season-ending ACL tear, the star guard took to Instagram Live to discuss his injury and to thank fans for their messages of support, as The Dallas Morning News relays.

“It hasn’t been 48 hours since I tore my ACL, but the recovery process already started mentally, spiritually, emotionally,” Irving said. “So just wanted to let you guys know I’m OK and I will be OK moving forward. It does suck a lot. I ain’t gonna lie to you guys. This one stings for sure, but I have a great support system around me. I have incredible family members and friends, and I know I’m supported not just here in America, but internationally. And I’m not on this journey alone.”

Irving’s injury occurred during a challenging period for Mavericks fans, who saw the team trade away beloved franchise player Luka Doncic last month and then watched as the centerpiece from that deal, big man Anthony Davis, suffered an adductor injury in his first game as a Mav. Irving acknowledged during his social media stream that he’s still processing a tumultuous few weeks as he embarks on his recovery.

“I gave it (my) all this season, was giving it all, you know, starting in the summertime after we lost in the (2024 NBA) Finals,” he said. “It’s been a lot of change that’s happened very quickly over the last month and some change, so I’ve been dealing with emotions just with that too.

“… When you fall down nine times, you get up 10. I don’t know any other strategy,” he continued. “It’s just when you fall down, you get back up, and there’s no time to feel bad for yourself or feel sorry, feel the emotions, but this is part of it.”

As we noted on Tuesday after Irving’s ACL tear was first reported, the injury complicates his contract situation going forward. He holds a $43MM player option for the 2025/26 season, but was expected to seek a long-term deal this offseason, either by declining that option and becoming a free agent or by opting in and extending off of the option.

It’s not unprecedented for a team to make a lucrative long-term commitment to a player coming off an injury of this nature. The Warriors signed Klay Thompson to a five-year, maximum-salary contract in 2019 just weeks after he sustained a torn ACL in the NBA Finals, for example.

Of course, Thompson was 29 years old at that time and Irving will turn 33 later this month, so the two situations aren’t exactly the same. But Irving has become more important than ever to the Mavericks in the wake of the Doncic trade, a fact that president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison stressed in his own statement on Tuesday.

“There aren’t words to fully describe who Kyrie Irving is to this team or what he means to us as an organization,” Harrison said, per ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). “Kyrie is the heart and soul of this team, and he has embraced the city of Dallas as his home and our fans as an extension of his own family.

“… His work ethic and absolute dedication to his craft, it’s cut from the cloth of greats. I know it, I lived it, and I see the same ferocity and passion in him that I saw in Kobe (Bryant). All my thoughts and that of our staff are with Kyrie and his family, and we are confident that he will come back from this stronger than ever just like he always has.”

49 comments Dallas Mavericks

Suns’ Durant Criticizes Reaction To Sideline Exchange With Budenholzer

By | at March 5, 2025 8:39 am

Speaking to reporters after the Suns pulled out a 23-point comeback to beat the Clippers 119-117 on Tuesday, Kevin Durant strongly pushed back against the “narrative” that formed among NBA fans and observers as a result of a heated exchange between him and head coach Mike Budenholzer on the sidelines during the first quarter.

TNT’s cameras captured Durant exchanging words with Budenholzer as he came off the court during a timeout. The Suns’ coach went to stop the star forward, who yanked his arm away from Budenholzer as he continued to the bench (Twitter video link). Durant said after the game that outsiders read too much into the exchange.

“That’s what usually happens when you don’t know dynamics of the relationship,” Durant said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “You catch something on TV, you get a quote and now you pushing that narrative as if me and Bud don’t do that s–t all the time.

“We [are] competitive as two individuals who want to see things done the right way, and sometimes my way ain’t the way that Bud want to do it and vice versa. He allows me as a player on the team, a veteran on the team, to voice my opinion. If we both didn’t care, we would never have stuff like that, you know what I’m saying?

“So I’m glad that the win is going to sweep all of that stupid stuff under the rug. Because people couldn’t wait. Even some people in Phoenix, in here, couldn’t wait to run with that and say, ‘This is the reason why the team ain’t playing well, because of that specific thing.’ But come on man, that shows that me and Bud really care about trying to right this ship and trying to win basketball games.”

It has been a disappointing season so far in Phoenix, where the Suns have a 29-33 record and are three games back of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. There has also been an increased spotlight on Durant’s relationship with the team in recent weeks after he was “blindsided” by having his name come up in trade rumors prior to the February 6 deadline. The Suns’ poor season and Durant’s reaction to those rumors has led to speculation that an offseason trade is a virtual certainty.

Even if that’s true, Durant took exception to the idea that there’s any animosity between him and Budenholzer, telling reporters that he wished TNT’s broadcast would show the two of them “smiling on the bench and tapping each other in the chest and slapping hands” after their animated conversations yield a solution.

“We’re like old friends or whatever where we’re always probably grabbing and talking to each other,” Budenholzer said when asked about the first quarter exchange. “I thought actually his energy and his voice tonight was great. I think there was some kind of offensive play. He wanted something, I wanted something [else] and it’s the beauty of basketball. But really from that moment, his voice and him talking — feedback, ideas, suggestions — was really I think a big part of the night.”

Budenholzer earned praise from his top scorer for pushing the right buttons during the Suns’ big second-half comeback, including inserting two-way guard Collin Gillespie into the lineup. Gillespie had 10 points and was a +21 in his 15 minutes of action.

“Coach made a great adjustment throwing (Gillespie) in there,” Durant said. “Coach was just perfect, to be honest. Every adjustment he made was incredible. He was catalyst for all of it.”

25 comments Phoenix Suns

NBA’s Two-Way Signing Deadline Has Now Passed

By | at March 5, 2025 7:03 am

The deadline for NBA teams to sign players to two-way contracts was Tuesday, March 4. Since that deadline has now passed, no two-way deals can be signed between now and the end of the 2024/25 league year. Clubs will be permitted to begin signing two-way contracts for the ’25/26 season on July 1.

Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, two-way signings weren’t permitted after January 15. Teams took advantage of the extended window to complete two-way deals this season, finalizing 30 of them between the February 6 trade deadline and Tuesday’s deadline. During that same period, teams promoted 16 players from two-way contracts to standard deals and made two waiver claims on two-way players.

There were nine teams – the Nuggets, Pistons, Pacers, Grizzlies, Heat, Suns, Kings, Spurs, and Jazz – that didn’t make any moves involving their two-way players between last month’s trade deadline and the two-way signing deadline. The other 21 clubs were active.

As our tracker shows, all 90 two-way slots around the NBA are now filled. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the 90 players currently on two-way contracts will all finish the season on those deals.

There are still a handful of two-way players who could receive standard contracts before the regular season ends. The Lakers, for instance, will likely consider promoting Jordan Goodwin and/or Trey Jemison to their standard roster in order to make them playoff-eligible.

A team can promote one or more of its two-way players to its standard roster at any time between now and the end of the season — that team simply wouldn’t be permitted to sign a new player to fill the empty two-way slot created by the promotion.

Here are all the transactions related to two-way players that have been finalized since the trade deadline, sorted by team and listed in the order they were completed (from earliest to most recent):

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers

Portland Trail Blazers

Toronto Raptors

Washington Wizards

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Newsstand

Atlantic Notes: Towns, Drummond, Raptors, Norris

By | at March 4, 2025 9:45 pm

Karl-Anthony Towns missed the Knicks’ loss to Golden State on Tuesday due to personal reasons, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. It’s uncertain whether Towns will join the team in Los Angeles when the Knicks face the Lakers on Thursday and Clippers on Friday.

“When he’s ready to come back, obviously we want him back,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But he needs some time right now.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Andre Drummond posted big numbers in the Sixers’ loss to Portland on Monday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. The veteran center finished with season highs of 25 points and 18 rebounds. Philadelphia will continue to rely on Drummond with Joel Embiid out for the season. “I mean, that’s what I set out to do on a nightly basis — [show] that I still am effective,” he said. “Regardless of whatever minutes you give me and whatever chance that I get, I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do.” Drummond holds a $5MM player option on his contract for next season.
  • With the Raptors pointing toward the offseason, Eric Koreen of The Athletic suggests ways they can subtly tank the remainder of the way. That includes limiting the minutes of their top players, going with younger players off the bench and not signing another center.
  • Miles Norris‘ two-way contract with the Celtics is a two-year deal, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. The forward, who had been playing for the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League, signed his contract on Tuesday.
15 comments Boston Celtics New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors

Bucks Promote Ryan Rollins, Sign Jamaree Bouyea To Two-Way

By | at March 4, 2025 8:09 pm

March 4: Both roster moves are now official, the Bucks announced in a pair of press releases.

March 3: The Bucks are poised to make a pair of roster moves, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that two-way guard Ryan Rollins will be promoted to the standard roster, with guard Jamaree Bouyea getting a two-way contract from the club.

Charania, citing agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier, says Rollins is getting a rest-of-season contract from the Bucks, which suggests it’ll be a straight conversion rather than a new multiyear agreement. Assuming that’s the case, Rollins would be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.

The No. 44 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Rollins didn’t see much action for Golden State or Washington in his first two NBA seasons, but has emerged as a rotation player for the Bucks in his third year, averaging 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 12.5 minutes per night across 39 games (eight starts).

Players on two-way contracts aren’t eligible to be active for more than 50 NBA regular season games in a season and Rollins reached that 50-game limit last Thursday. Once his promotion is official, he’ll once again be able to suit up for the Bucks and will also be eligible to participate in the postseason.

Bouyea, a former San Francisco standout, has bounced around the NBA and G League since going undrafted in 2022, playing for the Heat, Wizards, Trail Blazers, and Spurs at the NBA level, as well as the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Rip City Remix, and Austin Spurs in the NBAGL.

In 28 games this season for San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the 25-year-old has averaged 18.9 points, 4.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per contest, with a shooting line of .501/.343/.816.

No corresponding roster moves will be necessary for the Bucks, who already have an open spot on their 15-man roster. Bouyea, of course, will take the two-way slot vacated by Rollins.

Milwaukee will have 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals once the transactions are complete, but could technically carry one more player on the standard roster until Bobby Portis‘ 25-game suspension is over — players serving suspensions longer than five games can be moved to the suspended list and don’t count against a team’s roster limit until they’re reactivated.

8 comments Milwaukee Bucks Transactions

Southeast Notes: Suggs, Champagnie, Heat Injuries, Nurkic

By | at March 4, 2025 7:54 pm

With point guard Jalen Suggs out for the season after undergoing knee surgery, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley will rely more on his frontcourt players to create offensive opportunities, he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.

“It’s going to be different handlers at different times of the game,” he said. “If we realize a team is fully aggressive picking our point guard up, we might have to play through our bigs. Wendell (Carter Jr.), Goga (Bitadze), JI (Jonathan Isaac), those guys being able to handle the basketball and get us into easier sets. If they’re not pressuring Paolo (Banchero) and Franz (Wagner), those guys become our point-forward play-makers. That’s going to be a big key but that’s also going to vary game-to-game as well.”

Longtime veteran Cory Joseph made his first start of the season in place of Suggs on Tuesday.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Justin Champagnie had his two-way contract converted into a standard four-year, $10MM deal by the Wizards on Monday. He’s been angling for a standard contract since going undrafted in 2021. “It means a lot,” he told Varun Shankar of the Washington Post. “I’ve been working hard these past four years of my career, trying to get to this point, and I’m super happy. I’m super thankful. I’m grateful that I got the opportunity here to be myself.” He will earn $1.8MM for the remainder of 2024/25, well above this prorated minimum. The final three seasons of the contract will be non-guaranteed.
  • Jaime Jaquez (right ankle sprain), Nikola Jovic (broken right hand), Kel’el Ware (left knee sprain) and Andrew Wiggins (right ankle sprain) will miss the Heat‘s game against the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers on Wednesday, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Undrafted rookies Keshad Johnson and Isaiah Stevens, who have been playing the G League, are expected to suit up for the NBA team to add depth.
  • After losing his starting spot with Phoenix and getting traded to the Hornets, Jusuf Nurkic is eager to reestablish himself, he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I’ve been in this league long enough. I know what the situation can be and how it’s good for the player to change the situation and have a fresh start,” he said. “I have an eagerness and excitement for the game again. I can’t wait to play again on the court.” He’s averaging 7.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in six games with Charlotte.
0 comments Charlotte Hornets Miami Heat Orlando Magic Washington Wizards

Hawks Sign Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Contract

By | at March 4, 2025 6:46 pm

6:46pm: The signing is official, the Hawks confirmed in a press release.

4:21pm: The Hawks are filling their open two-way slot by signing second-year forward Jacob Toppin, The Stein Line contributor Jake Fischer tweets.

Toppin became a free agent when the Knicks waived him on Sunday. The 6’9″ Toppin made 16 appearances for New York this season but his minutes were limited — he averaged 0.4 points and 0.7 boards across 3.1 minutes per game.

Toppin posted big numbers for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League. In 11 regular season games, the younger brother of Pacers forward Obi Toppin averaged 25.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per contest.

Toppin went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2023 and had a two-way deal with the Knicks for much of last season. New York re-signed him on a two-way deal in August.

He can be active for as many as 12 games for the remainder of the Hawks’ regular season.

Atlanta created an opening to sign another two-way player by elevating Dominick Barlow to the 15-man roster on a standard, two-year contract. The Hawks opened a spot on the 15-man roster for Barlow by terminating Kevon Harris’10-day deal.

Tuesday night is the deadline for teams to sign two-way players.

1 comment Atlanta Hawks Transactions

Jaren Jackson Jr. ‘Week To Week’ With Ankle Sprain

By | at March 4, 2025 6:02 pm

Grizzlies star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left ankle sprain, the team’s PR department tweets.

Jackson suffered the injury during the first quarter against the Hawks on Monday. He is considered week-to-week, the team adds.

This could impact the Grizzlies’ playoff position. They’re currently in fourth place in the Western Conference, one game ahead of Houston. They have a 5 1/2-game cushion on the teams currently sitting in the top three play-in spots.

However, the team’s other star, guard Ja Morant, is also currently sidelined with shoulder soreness. On Monday, coach Taylor Jenkins expressed optimism that Morant would return soon.

“I don’t think there’s any long-term concern. It’s just some day-to-day soreness that he’s been navigating,” he said. “Not feeling comfortable with how the arms been raising after taking a hit or two over the course of the last couple of weeks. He’s been playing through it, and obviously, I think it’s just more of a short-term situation.”

Jackson is averaging 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals in 29.4 minutes per game. The forward/center has appeared in 59 games and needs to see action in six more to qualify for NBA postseason awards. He’d have to return by early April to make that happen — Memphis has seven games in April before the postseason begins.

With Victor Wembanyama out for the season, Jackson is considered a top candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award. That has major implications in terms of Jackson’s future earnings.

As we recently detailed, if Jackson wins the DPOY award this season, he’d become eligible for a super-max contract extension, starting at up to 35% of the 2026/27 salary cap.

0 comments Memphis Grizzlies Newsstand

Warriors Promote Pat Spencer, Sign Braxton Key To Two-Way

By | at March 4, 2025 4:57 pm

6:07pm: Spencer has officially had his contract converted and Key has signed his two-way deal, the team’s PR department tweets.

4:57pm: The Warriors are converting Pat Spencer‘s two-way deal into a standard contract and will fill that two-way spot by signing forward Braxton Key, The Stein Line contributor Jake Fischer reports (Twitter links).

Golden State had two open spots on the 15-man roster and needed to fill at least one of them. The signing of Kevin Knox to a second 10-day contract at the beginning of the month bumped its roster count to 13.

Spencer has appeared in 28 games off the bench for the Warriors this season, averaging 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 7.0 minutes per night. He scored a career-high 17 points against Indiana on Jan. 10.

Spencer, 28, went undrafted out of Northwestern in 2020. He had a brief stay in Germany but has spent the bulk of his pro career in the G League. He’s played five games for the Santa Cruz Warriors this season.

Key, 28, has appeared in 34 career NBA games, including 20 contest with Denver last season. He was part of the Clippers’ training camp roster last fall but was waived prior to the season opener.

Key has been playing in the G League with the San Diego Clippers. In a total of 38 NBAGL appearances, he’s averaging 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals in 31.8 minutes per game.

19 comments Golden State Warriors Transactions
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