Trade Rumors: MPJ, LaVine, Butler, Suns, Nets
The Nuggets are open to the idea of making a significant trade prior to the February 6 trade deadline, but they’re hoping they’ll see enough from their current group in the coming weeks to feel confident about not having to make a major in-season deal, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, who takes a closer look at Denver’s trade candidates and potential paths.
Meanwhile, following up on the rumor linking Zach LaVine to Denver and Michael Porter Jr. to the Bulls, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) confirm the Nuggets are indeed considering whether to trade Porter, whose $35.9MM cap hit would be necessary to complete a trade for a player earning a substantial salary.
According to Stein and Fischer, the Nuggets have “always been somewhat unsure” about Porter’s value on the trade market, due in part to his injury history, and are wary about making the team smaller by swapping him out for a guard like LaVine.
Sources tell The Stein Line that some people in the Nuggets’ front office believe that if the team needs to make a moving involving Porter, trading him for two starting-caliber players instead of a single star would be the best course of action. Fischer and Stein point to the Hawks‘ duo of De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic and the Nets‘ duo of Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith as examples.
I may be unsure about Porter’s trade value myself, but given two years and $79MM left on his contract after this season, I have to think that Atlanta and Brooklyn would require some serious sweeteners to seriously consider those trade ideas. That’s an issue for the Nuggets, who aren’t exactly stocked with draft assets — they’ve traded away three future first-round picks and included protections on all of them, complicating their ability to offer additional first-rounders or swaps in subsequent trades. That’s why targeting a distressed asset like LaVine makes sense in the first place.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- The Suns are Jimmy Butler‘s preferred landing spot in the event of a trade, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links). However, Gambadoro says Phoenix plans to wait until at least mid-January before making any decisions on trades, which includes anything involving Butler. Although Gambadoro believes the Suns like Butler, it’s unclear if they’d have the pieces to acquire him, given that Bradley Beal (who holds a no-trade clause) would have to be included in any deal.
- Net Income of NetsDaily rounds up a few recent trade rumors involving the Nets and provides his own analysis on each of them. According to NetsDaily, Brooklyn is believed to be seeking at least one first-round pick and potentially “a prospect or two” for Cameron Johnson and is very reluctant to take on multiyear money in trades unless the accompanying return is “rich.”
- Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) has published his pre-deadline trade primer for the 2024/25 season, running through all 30 NBA teams and taking a closer look at the big questions they have to answer, their tradable players and draft picks, and various restrictions they’re facing.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines 10 potential trade candidates, including a pair of Trail Blazers centers (Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams), and considers which landing spots are most realistic for them.
Injury Notes: Strus, Embiid, Suggs, Booker, Nets
Cavaliers wing Max Strus, who initially hoped to make his season debut last Friday, is being listed as questionable for tonight’s Central Division showdown with the Bucks and has a chance to suit up for the first time this season, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Strus sustained a hip contusion early in the preseason and was nearing a return from that injury when he sprained his right ankle during an individual workout just days before the season opener. He has been recovering from that sprain for the last two months.
“Nine weeks is a very long time,” Strus said on Thursday. “It’s been hard. There’s been definitely dark days. But this is the best team. Best vibes ever been around. These guys have made it easy and kept me involved and kept me around and made sure to reach out at times when I needed it. I’m itching to get back.”
As Fedor writes, Strus’ impending return is coming at a good time, given that the player who replaced him at small forward in the starting five – Isaac Okoro – is now sidelined with an injury of his own. Strus will be on a minutes restriction upon returning, so he may not reclaim his starting role right away, Fedor writes, but there’s excitement within the organization about how he’ll fit in head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s offense.
“It’s been fun to watch from the outside, but also frustrating that I haven’t been able to be a part of it. Hopefully sometime soon I could join the party,” Strus said. “The way we’ve played offense and scored the ball, it’s kind of everything I’ve wanted to do since I’ve been here. We struggled with that last year.”
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Sixers star Joel Embiid (sinus fracture) practiced on Wednesday and Thursday and is considered questionable to play on Friday vs. Charlotte, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The 76ers announced on Monday that Embiid would be reevaluated in one week, but it sounds like he has a good chance to return to the court before that one-week evaluation date.
- Magic guard Jalen Suggs sustained an ankle injury on Thursday vs. Oklahoma City, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel tweets. Suggs injured the ankle late in the first half and started the third quarter, but was pulled after less than four minutes and didn’t play the rest of the night. “As he comes out in the second (half) I just saw there wasn’t a high pace,” head coach Jamahl Mosley explained. “I mean, there were moments of it but I just want to make sure he’s going to be OK for the long haul.” Orlando is already playing without forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, so the team will be hoping Suggs doesn’t have to miss much – if any – time.
[UPDATE: Suggs has been listed as probable to play on Saturday vs. Miami, per Beede.] - Suns guard Devin Booker exited Thursday’s game vs. Indiana in the third quarter with left groin tightness and didn’t return, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker’s status for Saturday’s game vs. Detroit remains unclear.
- Nets guards Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain) and Ziaire Williams (left knee sprain) are making progress in their respective recoveries but aren’t yet cleared for contact, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez (story via Bridget Reilly of The New York Post). “They’ve been able to shoot, and that’s all they’re doing right now,” Fernandez said. “It’s step by step.” Meanwhile, Nets forward Trendon Watford was out for Thursday’s game due to left hamstring soreness — Watford missed the first 13 games of the season due to a left hamstring strain.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Green, Schröder, Podziemski
The Warriors‘ worst loss of the season featured a historically bad performance from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. As Golden State fell to Memphis by 51 points Thursday night, Curry and Green were both scoreless from the field in the same game for the first time in their long careers as teammates. Curry was 0-of-7 while missing all six of his three-point attempts, while Green misfired on all four of his shots.
“First time for everything, right?” Curry said. “I never thought that would be a situation or a result of the game. From the very jump, they kind of punched us in the mouth. We didn’t have an answer. … That was kind of embarrassing.”
Coach Steve Kerr expressed the same sentiment after a night where nothing went right for the Warriors. Golden State trailed by 31 points at halftime and 46 when Kerr removed his starters for good midway through the third quarter. They allowed Memphis to set a franchise record by making 27 three-pointers and have now lost nine of their last 11 games after starting the season 12-3.
“You lose by 51. That’s humbling,” Kerr said. “So what I know about this team, this is the second time we’ve been blown out. We got blown out in Cleveland early in the season, so I know who we are. I know what our team is about. I know we’ve got competitors. I know we’re going to bounce back and we’re going to regroup, so I’m not concerned about that. But we’ve got a lot of work to do to execute.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- There were some spacing issues with the offense as Dennis Schröder played his first game since being acquired from Brooklyn, observes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Schröder, who was in the starting lineup as Kerr moved Jonathan Kuminga back to the bench, contributed five points and five assists in 22 minutes while shooting 2-of-12 from the floor. “It’s challenging (acclimating to Golden State) and I love that,” he said. “Coming to a new organization with great players, I want to see what they do first. Of course, I’ve got to play my game. But I still like to feel comfortable but it’s going to take a little bit of time.”
- Brandin Podziemski should benefit from the Schröder acquisition because his ball-handling duties will be reduced, Gordon adds in a separate story. Gordon notes that Podziemski’s numbers have declined from last season when he had more freedom to get open for shots. “He’s best when he’s on the weak side,” Kerr said, so that when “somebody else creates, the ball starts to move, now he’s cutting, putting it on the floor and making a play for somebody else. I think we’ll see more of that now that Dennis is here.”
- Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle contends that the Warriors were wise to trade for Schröder rather than continuing their fantasies about LeBron James or pursuing a more expensive option like Jimmy Butler.
And-Ones: MVP Race, Redick, Birch, Obst
Nikola Jokic has a commanding lead in ESPN’s first straw poll of the season on the MVP race, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The Nuggets center captured 57 first-place votes among the 100 ballots, giving him 827 total points.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second with 24 first-place votes and 678 points, followed by Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo, who topped 19 ballots and has 643 points. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (267 points) and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (123) round out the top five.
A win by Jokic would give him four MVP trophies in five years and would put him in very select company, Bontemps notes. Only LeBron James and Bill Russell have collected the award four times in five seasons, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain are the other players to be named MVP at least four times.
Bontemps adds that Antetokoumpo had a significant surge in the poll after his dominant performance in the NBA Cup final. Twenty-nine voters changed their ballots after Tuesday’s game, giving him more than twice as many first-place votes and moving him much closer to Gilgeous-Alexander.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- J.J. Redick, who was a rising media star before being hired to coach the Lakers, weighed in on the NBA’s declining television ratings after Thursday’s game, according to Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Redick doesn’t believe the league is being presented well by its national TV outlets. “We don’t have anybody that’s willing to step up to the fact that this is an awesome game and we should talk about it and celebrate it in a positive way,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t critique it. We should critique it, but we should celebrate it. Nobody’s doing that, and the people that are have a small niche following on Twitter. And frankly, I would argue as well, that everyone in our ecosystem pays too much attention to what is said on Twitter. And part of this whole ratings discussion is because people on Twitter are talking about it.”
- Khem Birch will remain with Fenerbahce for the rest of the season, relays Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. In September, Birch signed a one-year contract with an exit clause that would have allowed the Turkish team to terminate the deal in January. Urbonas states that other EuroLeague teams had interest if the 32-year-old center had become a free agent again.
- German sharpshooter Andreas Obst spoke about a potential three-point shootout with Stephen Curry and his interest in an NBA future in a BasketNews Film Session Episode. Obst says he heard that NBA executives were talking about him after he starred in the 2023 World Cup, but he never got a formal offer. “At some point, yeah, I could see myself in the NBA,” he said. “I can fill a role as a shooter. I know how to use my gravity to space the floor, spot up, and play off the ball. That’s something I think any NBA team could use.”
Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Brown, Springer, Horford
Head coach Joe Mazzulla had to be restrained from approaching official Justin Van Duyne after the Celtics lost to Chicago on Thursday night, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Mazzulla was angry about being whistled for a technical foul for coming onto the court after a jump ball was called following a loose-ball battle between Payton Pritchard and Ayo Dosunmu. Although Mazzulla was upset in the moment, he admitted to reporters after the game that the technical was justified.
“I just can’t be on the court,” he said. “The ref had to do his job. I was on the court.”
Jaylen Brown, who also received a technical during the exchange, provided a little more insight, Washburn adds. Brown told Van Duyne that he T’d up Mazzulla for no reason and alleges that the official told him not to say that again or he would get a technical of his own. When Brown repeated his comment, Van Duyne obliged.
“You can’t threaten guys with a technical foul,” Brown said. “That’s not part of the game either. You want to fine people for gestures and all this stuff, [then] fine that. We were down three at that time and that led to us being down eight. That affects the game. That could have been avoided. Joe didn’t say anything to deserve a tech.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Brown’s mother and assistant coach Amile Jefferson both had their homes broken into this week, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Jefferson was with the Celtics in Washington when burglars struck his house on Monday, but Mechalle Brown was at home when she was targeted on Sunday. “We’re all right,” Jaylen Brown said. “We’ll deal with situations accordingly. Thank God nothing serious or physical or threatening happened, but the fact that it could have kind of lingers in your mind.” The NBA issued a statement saying that it is “deeply concerned” about burglaries in the Boston area, and its security representatives have contacted the Celtics and local law enforcement.
- With Sam Hauser unavailable on Thursday, Jaden Springer got a rare opportunity for extended playing time, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Springer had four rebounds and missed both his shots in 13 minutes, marking the first time this season he’s played outside of the fourth quarter. Mazzulla said matchups were behind his decision to keep Springer on the court so long. “Just match the speed that (the Bulls) play with overall,” Mazzulla said. “I thought he does a good job on the offensive glass and his individual defense and just kind of wanted to match the speed there. I thought he played well.” Terada adds that Springer has already been involved in trade rumors and that his $4.2MM expiring contract could be useful in any Celtics deal.
- Al Horford believes that becoming a three-point threat has extended his career, Terada states in a separate story. Horford only attempted 65 total shots from beyond the arc during his first eight NBA seasons, but he has evolved as the game has changed. “For me, physically, it has added years to my career, I feel like,” Horford said. “It’s been good for me, and I think Brook (Lopez) saw it as well, and it’s been a great benefit. And that’s what I was mentioning, that now, like the guys are coming in from college, and they’re already shooting it, and they’re confident, they’re giving them the green light, and it’s a good thing.”
Spencer Dinwiddie Blasts Nets In Podcast Appearance
Spencer Dinwiddie doesn’t have many fond memories of his days with the Nets, especially his most recent go-round, writes Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily. In an appearance on the Run Your Race podcast hosted by former teammate Theo Pinson, Dinwiddie said the time he spent in Brooklyn left him “extremely scarred.”
The 31-year-old guard, who now plays for the Mavericks, recalled being acquired by the Nets at the 2023 trade deadline. He walked into a difficult situation after the team had just parted with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and needed a veteran presence to hold the young players together. Fans were turning against the organization and there was a feeling that more of its prominent players were on their way out.
“You asked me to do a very specific task, and I did it,” Dinwiddie said. “‘We need to stay in the playoffs. You need to help feature our trade pieces.’ ‘Okay, I will do what you ask of me.’ And then the reward that they gave me was, ‘we’re going to kick you out the door.’”
Dinwiddie was referring to being shipped to Toronto at the 2024 deadline after a tumultuous year in which he became a target of fan anger and reportedly clashed with coach Jacque Vaughn. Dinwiddie believes people in the Nets organization added to the negative reputation he developed during his time with the Wizards.
“To go back to a team that you spent like five years at, had a lot of success at, basically lead the league in assists because they asked you to help feature their trade pieces and whatnot,” Dinwiddie said, “and then basically kicked out the door — and for them to re-bring up the ‘cancer’ label because of what happened in [Washington] D.C., if another team doubles down on that, it effectively kills your career.”
The Raptors waived Dinwiddie immediately after the trade, but he was only out of the league for a couple of days before signing with the Lakers. After playing a bench role for the rest of the season in L.A., he moved on to Dallas this summer and is earning rotation minutes with the defending Western Conference champions.
Kaplan points out that the Nets gave Dinwiddie his first NBA opportunity when they signed him off Chicago’s G League affiliate in 2016. He became a fixture during a rebuilding process and remained with the team until the summer of 2021 when he agreed to a sign-and-trade that sent him to Washington as part of a five-team deal.
Dinwiddie covers some other ground during the podcast, including the surprising 2019 playoff run when he says, “We didn’t know the business enough to know that we were supposed to be bad” and the 2021 team with Durant, Irving and James Harden that Dinwiddie believes could have won a title if not for injuries.
However, Dinwiddie also believes that the Nets spread negative gossip about him around the league, even though Kaplan notes that the team never made any negative public statements. Kaplan adds that Nets officials refused to respond to Dinwiddie’s podcast comments.
“There was already things that were taking place while I was in Brooklyn the first time that you rise above, you get past, you’re learning the NBA, you’re a kid, you chalk it up as a learning experience,” Dinwiddie said. “But now you’re on the other side of that, and all the apologies and things for everything that happened the first time … I said, ‘Guys, listen, you remember what happened the first time. It was it was rocky the first time. Just, you know, please. Please, don’t, don’t do that.’”
New York Notes: Towns, Achiuwa, Claxton, Fernandez
Karl-Anthony Towns was outstanding in his return to Minnesota Thursday night, and the Knicks look like the clear winners of the trade that shook up the NBA just before the start of training camp, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
Towns, one of the top players in Timberwolves history, was sent to New York in a three-team deal to get the Wolves out from under his pricey contract. He didn’t have anything negative to say about the franchise as he played in Minnesota for the first time since the trade, but his play spoke loudly as he racked up 32 points, 20 rebounds and six assists while shooting 10-of-12 from the field.
“I was here nine years. That’s a long time. I called this place home,” Towns said. “To be back here, to be able to sleep in my house one more time, it was really a nostalgic feeling.”
While Towns is making a strong case to be an All-Star starter, the trade hasn’t worked out nearly as well for the Wolves, Bondy adds. Julius Randle came out hot on Thursday with 15 points and three assists in the first quarter while directing numerous comments at the Knicks’ bench. However, he was mostly ineffective after OG Anunoby began guarding him and left without speaking to reporters. Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points in 25 minutes, but much of that came during garbage time as New York held a huge lead for most of the night.
“The game wasn’t just another game,” Towns said. “If anyone tells you otherwise that’s a lie.”
There’s more on the two New York teams:
- Josh Hart missed the game for personal reasons, marking the first time all season that the Knicks have been without one of their starting wings, according to Bondy. Precious Achiuwa made his first start of the season and delivered 13 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. Jericho Sims returned to the rotation and had six points in 18 minutes.
- Nets center Nic Claxton admits he needs to stay in control after being ejected Thursday for the third time this season, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Claxton got tossed when he threw the ball into the stands after being intentionally fouled by Kelly Olynyk on a drive to the basket. He appeared to be frustrated over a non-call on the previous possession. “I just had a mental lapse, and I just launched the ball in the crowd,” Claxton told reporters after the game. “And I can’t let my emotions get to that point. I got to be there for my team.”
- The Nets rallied for a win at Toronto that boosts their playoff chances but likely hurts their position in the lottery, Lewis adds. Coach Jordi Fernandez was happy that his players kept battling, as he wants their focus to be on remaining competitive rather than next year’s draft. “There was adversity, for many different reasons, but nobody dropped their shoulders, and they kept playing,” Fernandez said. “Winning a game like this, it’s important for us.”
Central Notes: LaVine, Lillard, Smith, Sheppard, Furphy
Zach LaVine has reinvented himself and is restoring his trade value, says Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
LaVine’s play hasn’t been bad during his time with the Bulls, but his large contract (owed $44.5MM in AAV over the next two seasons with a $48.9MM player option in 2026/27) is a deterrent in this second-apron era and he missed much of last season due to a foot injury. This year, LaVine has taken his offensive game to another level in terms of efficiency. He’s shooting what would be a career-best 42.8% from beyond the arc on 7.5 attempts per game.
The Nuggets have reportedly shown real interest in trading for LaVine, which is a testament to just how much he has changed outside perceptions about his game this season. An anonymous Western Conference scout spoke to Mayberry about a potential fit between LaVine and Denver.
“He’s obviously going to have to defer (offensively),” the scout said of LaVine. “But the thing about (Nikola) Jokić is he makes everybody better. I’d be champing at the bit to be playing off of him. I think [LaVine] will fit in fine. Jokić is so special, he makes guys better probably more than anybody in the entire league.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- For his part, LaVine remains focused on the Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). “I’m not the one controlling that,” LaVine said of the trade rumors. “That’s what has been so good about my mindset. I can control what my mood is and my mindset going into each game. Outside of that, it’s out of my control. … I signed a lengthy contract here for a reason. I wanted to stay here. But it’s always good to know you have interest because that means you’re a player other people want to play with. I’m just thankful the position I’m at today getting ready for defending NBA champs.” LaVine’s 42.8% three-point percentage is a 7.9 percentage point increase from the previous season and he’s averaging 21.7 points per game.
- After signing a G League contract on Wednesday, Dennis Smith Jr. was claimed by the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). Smith will also have a pro day in Orlando in front of several NBA teams as he hopes to make his league return, insider Chris B. Haynes relays (Twitter link). Smith went unsigned this offseason after spending last year with the Nets.
- Milwaukee’s NBA Cup win gave Damian Lillard a taste of why he was traded to the Bucks, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski writes. “I feel happy,” Lillard said. “The experience of winning something. I’ve had a lot of experience individually where I’ve had accomplishments and stuff, but to have some team success and win something and be the last team standing in this tournament, it feels great.“
- After missing the last 14 games with a strained oblique, Ben Sheppard was available for the Pacers on Thursday, as first reported by IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak (Twitter link). The second-year wing played a limited role off the bench.
- Sheppard’s return might mean fewer minutes for second-round rookie Johnny Furphy, but the Pacers were impressed by what they saw from the young guard when he stepped up amid injuries. In 17 games this season, he’s averaging 3.4 points and shooting 39.3% from three. “We drafted Furphy to play 40 games in the G League and he’s been in our rotation,” coach Rick Carlisle said, per Dopirak (Twitter link).
Pacific Notes: James, Harden, Harkless, Fox, Schröder
LeBron James enters Thursday just 10 minutes from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most total minutes played in regular season NBA history after having passed him in total minutes (playoffs included) last year. He’s likely to set the regular season record against the Kings. James discussed the achievement with The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick.
“I just think it’s just a commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game,” James said. “I don’t take much time in the offseason. A little bit more time now, I didn’t take much time in the offseason, no matter if I was making the 10 Finals appearances back to back and just always trying to keep my body in tip-top shape.
“And I’ve been able to, like I said, play a lot of minutes and for the most part of my career be injury-free and be available. I don’t want to say injury-free. We all have our injuries in this league and in this sport. But to be available for the majority to my teammates, to the franchises, the three franchises I play for, is something I took very seriously.”
James has been rehabbing an injury over the past couple weeks, missing a pair of games last week. According to Buha and Amick, he’s open to resting down the line if it makes sense in the schedule.
“I’m just not a guy that likes to sit games, if I’m somewhat healthy,” James said. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just, it’s never been my thing. … If there’s an opportunity where it could benefit my body and benefit my play long-term for the better of the team, then I’m always open to having that conversation. So we’ll see what happens.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- As a result of Kawhi Leonard‘s knee injury and Paul George‘s free agency departure, James Harden has been the only member of the Clippers‘ former big three still standing this season and has continued to keep the team competitive by providing strong leadership and playing big minutes, Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes. Harden is averaging 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc. The Clippers entered Thursday at 15-12. “If he has a bad shooting night, the next night he’s probably going to come back and play well,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “That’s what good players do. They bounce back. We’ve asked him to do a lot. He’s carried a load offensively, making the right passes, reads and also scoring the basketball. And at 35 years old, that can get tiring. So, we are asking a lot of him.“
- Current San Diego Clippers guard Elijah Harkless is drawing NBA interest ahead of the G League Showcase, SNY’s Ian Begley reports (via Twitter). Harkless is averaging 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 steals per contest for L.A.’s G League club. He went undrafted in 2023 out of UNLV and spent back-to-back offseasons on a training camp deal with the Clippers.
- The Kings have won three of their last four games and four of their past six, but they dropped some winnable games earlier in the season and are at an uneven 13-14, good for 12th in the Western Conference. Head coach Mike Brown challenged star De’Aaron Fox to help the team continue to lock in and focus on the details, according to FOX 40 Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham (Twitter link). “Fox has to step up,” Brown said. “He’s a great player, on the verge of being a superstar…you have a lot of responsibility if you’re that guy, and he’s that guy. And he can’t be a part of not being locked in and he damn sure can’t be a part of letting it go if we’re not [locked in] as a team.“
- Dennis Schröder appeared in his first game as a member of the Warriors, starting on Thursday after being traded by the Nets. As observed by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link), Jonathan Kuminga moved to the bench after having started each of Golden State’s past six games.
Southeast Notes: Heat Picks, Jovic, Banchero, Harris, Valanciunas
The Heat have just one first-round pick available to trade unconditionally, with two others having been traded away to acquire Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The only picks Miami can trade unconditionally are their 2030 or 2031 picks, but not both due to the Stepien Rule.
This complicates matters for the Heat as they approach what could be an eventful deadline, given Butler’s uncertain future with the team. The Heat don’t generally look to trade stars for draft picks, but acquiring win-now players in a deal that sends Butler away might be more difficult without many tradable picks.
Draft picks matter in the trade landscape that saw the Knicks surrender five first-rounders for Mikal Bridges this year and the Timberwolves give up four in exchange for Rudy Gobert in 2022. The Heat could, of course, recoup picks in a potential Butler trade, but Miami hasn’t traded a player for a pick (without giving one up) since 2009.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Heat forward Nikola Jovic sprained his ankle after rejoining the rotation on Dec. 12 and was sidelined for Monday’s game against Detroit. However, as Chiang writes in another story, it doesn’t appear Jovic will miss much time with the injury, as he’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Thunder.
- Magic star Paolo Banchero has missed 23 games with a torn abdominal muscle and he’s continuing to progress, but hasn’t yet been able to participate in contact drills thus far, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “His spirits have been great,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He understands that it is a process, and does he want to be on the court? Absolutely. … He’s done a great job of responding [to] that, to staying engaged, to communicating, being in and communicating in film sessions, all of those little things that he’s able to do, that he can control, he’s doing a great job of it.” According to Beede, Banchero has been able to do ball-handling and jogging at his own pace.
- After being upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game against the Thunder earlier today, Magic guard Gary Harris ended up missing the matchup, Beede writes in the same story. However, Harris’ return to the floor appears imminent. He hasn’t played since November 25 and is averaging 4.1 points per game in 17 outings this season.
- The Wizards‘ front office continues to emphasize its primary goal of player development this season. That includes playing rookies heavy minutes while some veterans are coming off the bench. However, the Wizards were upfront with center Jonas Valanciunas this summer about their plans before he agreed to a three-year contract with the team, according to The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar. “I know what’s going on. I know we have a bright future in front of us, so we got to keep following the plan, keep working, keep grinding, keep getting better,” Valanciunas said. “I’m [an] older guy, but in this environment I got to be young.” According to Shankar, other veterans like Marvin Bagley III are also on board with the plan.