International Notes: Gabriel, Korkmaz, Marjanovic, T. Williams
Former NBA big man Wenyen Gabriel is headed to Panathinaikos after the team agreed to pay a $350K buyout fee to Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. In his first EuroLeague season, Gabriel is averaging 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game with the Israeli team while shooting 54% from the floor. He could make his debut in Greece as early as Friday.
Coach Ergin Ataman confirmed on Sunday that Panathinaikos was looking for roster help after losing Mathias Lessort, a member of the French Olympic team, to a fractured fibula that will sideline him for at least four months.
“We have three to four candidates,” Ataman said. “Gabriel is one of them, but he’s a Maccabi player, and we don’t know if Maccabi will let him go. Our GM [Sani Becirovic] is working, and I hope [Monday] we’ll have an answer from one of our candidates. At this point, we need a player urgently.”
Gabriel played for seven teams during his five years in the NBA and appeared in five games with Memphis last season. He was also part of the South Sudan team during the Olympics.
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Furkan Korkmaz, who signed with AS Monaco this summer after seven NBA seasons, plans to transfer before the EuroLeague’s Wednesday deadline, Urbonas states in a separate story. Sources tell Urbonas that Korkmaz is considering options both in and outside of the EuroLeague. His production has been limited by a leg injury that forced him to miss the first month of the season. In an interview with Urbonas last month, Korkmaz indicated that he had interest in playing in his native Turkey.
- Long-time NBA center Boban Marjanovic is looking for a new team after being released by Fenerbahce, Urbonas adds in another piece. The one-year contract Marjanovic signed this summer included a termination option that had to be exercised by January. The team recently elected to retain former NBA big man Khem Birch, who had the same clause in his deal. Marjanovic is exploring his options, which may include leaving the EuroLeague, Urbonas adds.
- Trevion Williams has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv after leaving ALBA Berlin, according to EuroHoops. The former Purdue star spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by the Suns’ new affiliate in the June expansion draft.
Knicks Add Landry Shamet, Waive Matt Ryan
DECEMBER 23: The Knicks have announced the signing of Shamet (Twitter link). Both roster moves are now official.
DECEMBER 22: The Knicks have agreed to a standard contract with guard Landry Shamet, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. It’s a one-year deal, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.
To make room for Shamet and remain under the second-apron hard cap, the Knicks have waived forward Matt Ryan, the team’s PR department tweets.
It’s not surprising New York brought back Shamet. who dislocated his shoulder during the preseason while participating in Knicks training camp. He remained with the Westchester Knicks in the G League while rehabbing his injury and the NBA club was simply waiting for him to get back to full strength. Coach Tom Thibodeau commented on Shamet’s status a week ago.
“It’s good to see him out there healthy again,” Thibodeau said then. “(But) there’s a number of things that have to happen before he can play with us.”
Shamet was likely to make the opening night roster prior to the injury. He had signed a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract during the offseason.
He was waived before opening night. Shamet appeared in 46 games with Washington last season and averaged 7.1 points in 15.8 minutes per contest. He has also played for Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn and Phoenix in 348 total regular season outings.
Ryan was inked to a non-guaranteed contract in early November and appeared in nine Knicks games, but logged very few minutes in those outings.
Assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, Ryan will count for $621,439 in dead money on New York’s books. The cap hit for Shamet’s contract will depend on when he officially signs — if it’s officially finalized on Monday, the deal will carry a cap charge of $1,343,690 for the Knicks.
Stein’s Latest: Butler, Beal, Nnaji, Kuzma, Hawkins
The Suns‘ interest in acquiring Jimmy Butler is “absolutely genuine,” but they may not have enough assets to entice the Heat, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).
In theory, Bradley Beal‘s $50MM contract is a good salary match f0r Butler’s $48.8MM deal, and it’s being portrayed in some circles that Beal’s no-trade clause is the major impediment. That’s not really accurate, according to Stein, who states that there’s little evidence that the Heat have interest in adding the 31-year-old guard.
Beal has two more seasons left on his contract at $53.7MM and $57.1MM, which would greatly impact Miami’s future roster flexibility. He has also missed 36% of the Suns’ games since he joined the team at the start of last season. His scoring has dropped significantly after leaving Washington as he’s no longer being asked to carry the offense, although his shooting percentages are still strong at .504/.375/.795.
Stein notes that Phoenix doesn’t have many options to sweeten the deal for Miami. As a second-apron team, the Suns can’t aggregate contracts in a trade and they’ve already parted with most of their draft assets. They don’t have control over their first-round picks for the next six years, leaving just their 2031 first-rounder and three second-rounders to offer.
Stein shares more inside information from around the league:
- Stein confirms a report from KC Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network that Zeke Nnaji‘s contract could stand in the way of a potential Nuggets-Bulls trade. One version of a deal would send Nnaji and Michael Porter Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Zach LaVine and Torrey Craig, but the Bulls are reluctant to make a four-year commitment to Nnaji, who has a $32MM contract that runs through 2027/28. Stein reiterates that Denver is considering whether it makes more sense to trade Porter for two rotational pieces, rather than trying to land LaVine.
- League executives believe the Wizards are “eager” to move veteran forward Kyle Kuzma before the trade deadline, according to Stein. Washington had a deal in place with Dallas involving Kuzma last winter, but he chose to stay with the Wizards when given the option. He’s not expected to be consulted this time, Stein adds, as Washington’s front office seeks to tear down a roster that has compiled a league-worst 4-22 record. Stein points out that Kuzma has $3MM in unlikely bonuses that could complicate a deal (since they count against the aprons), but his contract is otherwise team-friendly with a declining salary that will reach $19.4MM in 2026/27. Stein adds that the idea that the Mavericks might pursue Kuzma again was “strongly dismissed,” but the Kings could be an option. He describes Sacramento’s recent interest in Kuzma as “up-and-down.”
- Stein considers Jordan Hawkins to be among the players who the Pelicans are unlikely to trade before the deadline. The 22-year-old guard is averaging 13.1 PPG in his second NBA season and has taken on a larger role in New Orleans’ offense. Stein previously listed Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy and rookie center Yves Missi as keepers for the Pelicans.
Central Notes: Cunningham, Lillard, Toppin, Buzelis
The Pistons collected a road win over the Suns on Saturday and Kevin Durant gave high praise to Detroit guard Cade Cunningham, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic writes.
“I think it’s his year to be an All-Star, take off and go to that next level. It’s always a joy to play against him because we compete,” Durant said. “He doesn’t treat me like the old head and take it easy on me and vice versa. I don’t try to take it easy on him.”
Cunningham, who grew up watching Durant, was grateful for the support from the star forward, referring to him as a “living legend.”
“It’s an honor, man,” said Cunningham, who signed a max rookie scale extension in the offseason. “Every time. I tell (Durant) every time we play each other, it’s an honor to be able to compete with him. He’s such a basketball junkie. I’ve gotten the chance to work out with him, see what he’s like in the offseason and how he works. It’s an honor to be able to play against him, somebody that I’ve watched as a kid.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Bucks don’t expect Damian Lillard to miss much time. Lillard, who sat out Friday’s game against Cleveland due to a right calf strain, felt some discomfort before the NBA Cup final but still scored 23 points. “He could play as early as Chicago on Monday or right after that, so he’s close,” head coach Doc Rivers said told The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “He worked out (Saturday) and felt pretty good.”
- Obi Toppin signed a four-year, $60MM contract during free agency to remain with the Pacers. He’s backing that up by posting some solid numbers. Over his last eight games, Toppin is averaging 15.1 points on 59.2% shooting (including 42.9% from three-point range), 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. As the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak points out, the forward is impressing head coach Rick Carlisle with more than just his offensive production. “In the last two-and-a-half, three weeks, Obi has taken his game to another level,” Carlisle said. “More physical. Defense and rebounding really, really tremendous. Offensively, he’s getting in a rhythm. He’s one of our important weapons. When he defends and rebounds the way he has been in recent games, it’s another really important factor for us.”
- After the Bulls selected him in the lottery, Matas Buzelis set two goals, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe: 1. Win as many games as possible; 2. Win Rookie of the Year. Buzelis has been getting rotation minutes but has posted modest stats thus far. Buzelis discusses his rookie season at length with Poe.
Atlantic Notes: Drummond, Embiid, Whitehead, Quickley
With Joel Embiid missing a majority of the Sixers’ games so far, Andre Drummond has played an unheralded role in Philadelphia, not just on the court but also as a respected locker room voice, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.
Drummond, who signed a two-year, $10MM with the Sixers during the summer, is averaging 7.1 points and 8.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game across 23 outings (14 starts). That’s his highest MPG average and the most starts he has made since the 2021/22 season.
“I’m at a point now where I’ve done everything individually, accolade-wise,” Drummond said. “A lot of things that guys in this league haven’t done, I’ve done it already, individually. My goal now is to win. And whatever capacity that comes in, you know, I’m down to do for the team. Do I want to play more? Of course, who doesn’t want to play more? But that’s not best for the team right now.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Embiid’s latest injury was a right sinus fracture but he was able to rack up 34 points against Charlotte this week. The Sixers star said he’s stopping feeling sorry for himself when he gets injured, Pompey writes. “A lesson that I learned is stop feeling bad about myself, live day by day, enjoy the good people around, the positive and not focus on the negative,” he said.
- Dariq Whitehead has only appeared in three games with the Nets this season but the 2023 first-rounder isn’t upset. He’s actually glad to be spending time with the Long Island Nets, since being in the G League gives the forward an opportunity to play regular minutes. “I was very clear with my agent that I needed to continue to play,” he told Eric Slater of Clutch Points (hat tip to NetsDaily.com). “I knew we had some guys that were injured, some older guys, and I knew they were gonna come back and get back in the rotation. So I was very adamant with my agent that I needed to go back down to the G League and play. That was a big boost for me.”
- Immanuel Quickley is inching closer to a return after missing 17 games due to a left elbow injury. The Raptors guard, who also had an eight-game absence early in the season due to a pelvic injury, went through a light practice Saturday and was a full participant in all non-contact elements, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. He’ll know he’s ready to suit up again when he can throw all the one-handed passes a point guard needs with his left hand, Grange adds.
Jaylin Williams Ready To Make Season Debut
Thunder big man Jaylin Williams is available to make his season debut on Monday. Williams is no longer on the injury report, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets.
Oklahoma City plays the Wizards on Monday. Williams had been on the road with the team the past nine days while it played in the NBA Cup semifinals and finals in Las Vegas, then embarked on a two-game road trip to Florida. He went through individual workouts during that time.
Williams originally suffered a right hamstring strain early in training camp. The team stated in early October that he would miss the remainder of camp and the entire preseason while rehabbing the hamstring. The 22-year-old suffered a setback during a workout in late October. At the time, he was expected to miss four-to-six more weeks.
Williams was a valuable backup for Oklahoma City last season, averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest in 69 games while shooting 36.8% from three-point range.
With Chet Holmgren still sidelined by a pelvic fracture, Williams could jump right into the rotation. The Thunder haven’t had their frontcourt healthy all season, with Williams sidelined until now, Isaiah Hartenstein‘s debut delayed until November 20, and Holmgren out since Nov. 10. However, they’re 22-5 and lead the Western Conference.
Williams was selected with the 34th pick in the 2022 draft. He signed a four-year contract that runs through the end of next season.
Alex Caruso Signs Four-Year Extension With Thunder
Veteran guard Alex Caruso and the Thunder have agreed to a four-year, $81MM contract extension, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. The team has officially announced the deal in a press release.
Caruso became eligible for the $81,096,960 extension on Saturday. Because it has been six months since he was traded to the Thunder, he was allowed to sign for up to 140% of this season’s estimated average salary ($12.93MM) and for up to four new years. Prior to Saturday, his maximum extension would have been worth $48,875,400 over three new years.
The extension will begin at $18,102,000 in 2025/26 and will rise annually by 8%, increasing to $22,446,480 by the final season. It’s unclear whether or not it will be fully guaranteed.
Caruso was due to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He’s in the last year of a four-year, $36.98MM contract.
Caruso was traded straight up by the Bulls for Josh Giddey in June. He’s one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, earning All-Defensive team nods each of the past two seasons.
He started 57 of 71 games with the Bulls last season but has come off the bench in all 19 games in which he’s played for his new team this season. He’s averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a career-high 1.9 steals in 20.2 minutes per contest.
Caruso shot a career-best 46.8% from the field last season but has struggled with his shooting this season (38.5%). However, he has helped Oklahoma City become the league’s premier defensive club. The Thunder have allowed the fewest points per game in the NBA. They also lead the league in opponents’ field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
Caruso’s extension means the Thunder no longer project to have any 2025 unrestricted free agents on their standard roster.
John Wall Still Hoping For Another NBA Opportunity
Five-time All-Star point guard John Wall hasn’t given up on his NBA dream, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
The 6’3″ Kentucky product hasn’t played in the NBA since a brief, 34-game stint with the Clippers in 2022/23, but he continues to put in reps at the University of Miami, near his Miami offseason home, staying in game shape.
“It’d mean the world,” Wall said of a potential return to the league. “You want to go out on your own terms. I want to finish it the way I want. If I play my last game, I want to walk off the court my way.”
The 34-year-old was recently on hand at the G League’s Orlando Winter Showcase this weekend. Last year, he auditioned for attendant NBA franchises during the Winter Showcase. This season, he made his broadcasting debut, calling a pair of G League games.
“I was here last year working out for a couple teams,” Wall said. “I was on the other court, working out before games. That was fun. This was fun.”
Wall was selected with the No. 1 overall pick out of a loaded Kentucky class in 2010 by the Wizards. A nightmare in the open court, he developed as a passer and jump shooter en route to making five straight All-Star teams from 2014-18. During those five prime seasons, Wall averaged 19.9 points, 9.9 dimes, and 4.4 boards per night, with a shooting line of .436/.340/.787.
An Achilles tendon tear in 2019 forever changed his career trajectory. After sitting out the entire 2019/20 season, Wall was eventually traded to the Rockets ahead of the 2021/22 season. He agreed to a contract buyout with Houston in the summer of 2022 and subsequently signed with the Clippers.
Magic’s Moritz Wagner Tears ACL, Will Miss Rest Of Season
Reserve Magic center Moritz Wagner has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the rest of his club’s 2024/25 season, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Michigan alum departed the club’s eventual comeback victory against the Heat on Saturday after injuring the knee. There was immediate concern among Magic players and head coach Jamahl Mosley that the injury was significant.
Across what will wind up being his only 30 games of the season, Wagner averaged a career-best 12.9 points on .562/.360/.718 shooting splits, along with 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals per night.
Losing the 27-year-old frontcourt standout is another early-season blow for the rising Magic. Orlando is 18-12 on the year despite currently being without both of its top two players, All-Star forward Paolo Banchero and forward Franz Wagner, Moritz’s younger brother. Unlike Moritz, however, Franz and Banchero are expected to return this season from their right oblique tears.
This injury now casts some uncertainty on Moritz Wagner’s long-term future with the club. The veteran big man inked a two-year, $22MM contract with the club as a free agent this past summer, but his $11MM salary for 2025/26 is a team option.
Given that it often takes players a full calendar year – or more – to recover from ACL tears, Wagner’s availability for the start of next season is up in the air, so the Magic may be reluctant to bring him back at that $11MM price point — declining the option and re-signing him to a more team-friendly deal could be one option Orlando considers.
The Magic have the ability to apply for a disabled player exception as a result of Wagner’s injury. It would be worth $5.5MM and would allow the team to acquire a player on an expiring contract via trade or waiver claim or to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season deal.
Community Shootaround: 2024/25 NBA MVP Race
As we relayed on Friday, three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic led the way in the first MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps for the 2024/25 season. However, while Jokic earned 57 first-place votes from the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, it’s clearly a three-player race at this point.
Jokic totaled 827 total points in the voting, with Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 678 points and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo at 643. Gilgeous-Alexander received 24 first-place votes, while Antetokounmpo got 19 — no other player earned a single first-place vote, and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was the only other player to even claim a second-place vote (he got three).
Plenty could change between now and the end of the regular season, and injury luck is always a factor, but it seems highly likely at this point that one of Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, or Antetokounmpo will be named this season’s Most Valuable Player. Here are their cases so far:
Nikola Jokic:
As usual, the Nuggets center has been an advanced-stats star. He leads the NBA in player efficiency rating (31.9), win shares per 48 minutes (.287), box plus/minus (12.8), and value over replacement player (3.0).
Of course, Jokic’s traditional stats look awfully impressive too. His 31.0 points per game would be a career best, as would his league-leading 50.0% mark on three-point attempts. He’s nearly averaging a triple-double, with 13.0 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game.
The main knock against Jokic at this point is that his Nuggets are fighting to stay out of play-in territory — they’re currently tied for sixth in the Western Conference at 14-11. But it’s hard to blame the big man for that modest record. Denver has a +9.7 net rating in his 819 minutes on the court, while their net rating in the 391 minutes he hasn’t played is a brutal -14.3.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game with a 50.8% field goal percentage, a very strong mark for a guard. He’s also the only player in the NBA who is averaging at least two steals and one block per contest.
The fact that MVPs historically come from teams at or near the top of the standings works in SGA’s favor — his Thunder are 22-5, which is the second-best record in the league and the top mark in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City has a three-game lead in the conference standings on the No. 2 Rockets.
While his supporting cast is certainly stronger than Jokic’s, Gilgeous-Alexander has obviously had a huge hand in OKC’s success. The team has a +15.5 net rating in his 935 minutes and a +1.5 mark in 361 minutes without him on the floor.
The Thunder star also ranks first in the NBA in defensive win shares (2.0) and total win shares (5.4), while placing just behind Jokic in WS/48, BPM, and VORP. His only real weakness is his subpar three-point rate of 33.5% on 6.3 attempts per night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo:
No NBA player has averaged more points per game this season than Antetokounmpo (32.7), who is also among the league leaders in rebounds per game (11.6). The Bucks forward also fills the box score with 6.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per night, along with a career-best field goal percentage of 61.3%.
Giannis is right there with Jokic in terms of PER (31.8) and ranks third behind Jokic and SGA in BPM (9.1) and VORP (2.4). He earns extra points for pulling the Bucks out of an early-season hole, but as a result of that slow start, the team is still just 15-12, fifth in the Eastern Conference. That won’t help his case, so the Bucks will have to keep winning.
Antetokounmpo’s on/off-court numbers are also surprisingly unflattering compared to his top two MVP competitors. Milwaukee’s net rating is essentially the same with him on the court (+1.4) as it is when he’s not playing (+1.3).
We want to know what you think. Which of these three players would you be your MVP pick right now? Which one do you expect to lead the MVP race as the season progresses? Outside of this trio, which player do you think has the best chance to make a run at this season’s MVP award?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!