Central Notes: Atkinson, Okoro, Bucks, Giannis, Duarte
Visiting Brooklyn on Monday for the first time as the Cavaliers‘ head coach, Kenny Atkinson – who coached the Nets from 2016-20 – picked up a resounding win over his old team, with Cleveland blowing out Brooklyn by a score of 130-101. Magnanimous in victory, Atkinson made it clear he harbored no ill will toward the Nets for dismissing him midway through the 2019/20 season, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“I don’t look at it that way. I just look at it as part of the story, right, part of your growth,” Atkinson said. “You have good things happen, you have setbacks, and — it’s like a player, how do you bounce back? And it was definitely a bounce back. And in the long run, the journey after Brooklyn really helped me, helped me grow as a coach. Who knows? If that doesn’t happen, maybe I’m not in Cleveland; I don’t improve as much as a coach if that didn’t happen. So I look at it more as a positive.”
While Atkinson wasn’t necessarily seeking revenge or vindication entering Monday’s matchup, he admitted that facing his former team provided an extra layer of motivation.
“I’m competitive, right? And when you have setbacks, you remember things, right?” Atkinson said. “And players do the same thing. If something happened or a team beat you or you get fired, you’re motivated. You’re motivated to prove people wrong; and that’s kind of how I took it. It’s a chip on your shoulder or whatever you want to call it. But there’s definitely some of that. I think any competitor feels the same way.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Isaac Okoro, who has been the Cavaliers‘ starting small forward since November 4 with Max Strus still sidelined, will undergo further testing on a right shoulder injury he sustained in Monday’s win over Brooklyn, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
- Ahead of the Bucks‘ appearance in the final of the NBA Cup on Tuesday, Jamal Collier of ESPN and Eric Nehm of The Athletic explore how the team bounced back from its 2-8 start and the role Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in the turnaround, not just as an MVP-level performer but as a more confident leader. “He was being vocal, talking about things he wanted (on the court), talking before the game, things that the first couple years he didn’t really do as often as he does now,” Bobby Portis, who has been with the Bucks since 2020, told Collier. “It’s cool to see guys’ leadership go to another level. Especially at a time of the season when it was critical for us to get back to at least playing some good ball.”
- Bucks rookies Tyler Smith and AJ Johnson aren’t playing much so far this season, but they’re poised to supplement their first-year salaries with lucrative bonuses as a result of the team’s NBA Cup run and are enjoying being part of the experience in Las Vegas. Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the story and the quotes from the two 20-year-olds.
- The Bulls have assigned fourth-year wing Chris Duarte to the G League for the first time this season ahead of the Winter Showcase, per the team (Twitter link). Duarte, who was acquired in the DeMar DeRozan trade in July, has played sparingly for Chicago this season and is on an expiring contract, so he figures to be a trade candidate at the deadline — playing for the Windy City Bulls in Orlando at the G League Showcase, which begins Thursday, will give him an opportunity to try to catch the eye of scouts and executives from around the league.
Lakers Rumors: Trade Targets, LeBron, Davis, Bronny, Hachimura
The Lakers are expected to be one of the most active buyers on the trade market during the 2024/25 season, though it remains unclear how much of their available draft capital they’re willing to move and how significant a deal they’ll make, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
As Buha notes, the Lakers were also considered likely to buy last season, but ultimately stood pat at the February trade deadline, choosing not to surrender a first-round pick. However, there’s hope that Golden State’s deal for Dennis Schröder (which saw the Warriors give up three second-round picks and get one back) may be a signal that teams’ asking prices for useful role players will be more modest this time around.
The Lakers are believed to be in the market for three kinds of players, according to Buha: a “physical, defensive-minded” center, a three-and-D wing, and an athletic guard with some size who can defend at the point of attack. As Buha writes, players the Lakers have been linked to in the past, including Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Nets wings Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, are among the targets who would make sense at this season’s deadline.
Jazz guard Collin Sexton and center Walker Kessler, Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and center Robert Williams, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are some of the other potential players of interest who have come up in Buha’s conversations with team and league sources. However, the Lakers aren’t expected to be in on former All-Stars like Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram, Buha adds.
Here’s more on the Lakers and their approach to the trade deadline:
- Unsurprisingly, the Lakers aren’t considering trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis and almost certainly wouldn’t do so unless they asked to be dealt, sources tell Buha. Other players unlikely to be moved include Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Dalton Knecht, who are viewed as potential long-term pieces.
- While Bronny James isn’t untouchable, he’s not expected to be included in a trade that doesn’t involve his father, sources tell The Athletic.
- One or more of the Lakers’ four mid-sized contracts – D’Angelo Russell ($18.69MM cap hit), Rui Hachimura ($17MM), Gabe Vincent ($11MM), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.71MM) – figures to be included in any deal of note this season. Of those players, Hachimura looks like the one the Lakers would least want to move, Buha writes, though the forward would probably also have the most trade value of the four. Russell hasn’t drawn significant interest from potential suitors during previous discussions, Vincent has dealt with injuries and has struggled offensively since joining the Lakers, and Vanderbilt has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason surgeries on both feet.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 12/17/2024
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Nets got enough in exchange for Dennis Schröder, Myles Turner's future in Indiana, the Bulls' price for Nikola Vucevic, the Knicks' options with Mitchell Robinson and more!
And-Ones: NBA Cup, Timma, Trade Candidates, Flagg
While the NBA Cup figures to be a regular part of the league’s schedule going forward, there will likely still be some tweaks to the format and the schedule in future seasons, according to stories from Joe Vardon of The Athletic and Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Managing the schedule for both the knockout round games and the extra regular season contests for teams not in Las Vegas is a challenge, but Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault isn’t thrilled that his team will play a road back-to-back set on Thursday and Friday on the East Coast after its Cup final in Vegas on Tuesday, as Vardon relays.
“We’re basically on a six-day West Coast road trip right now, and our next game coming out of this is three time zones away, four-hour flight to Orlando and then a back-to-back against Miami — which if you look that as a road trip, is an unprecedented road trip,” Daigneault said. “The NBA would never schedule that. They would never put a team a on six-day West Coast road trip, and then fly them east for a back-to-back.”
Besides considering potential scheduling tweaks, the league may explore a new location for the final four of the NBA Cup. According to Vardon, Abu Dhabi’s public investment fund has expressed interest in hosting the event, though that would create more significant scheduling issues. Cities like Mexico City, Nashville, Tampa and San Diego have also inquired about hosting, per Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal.
As for for the format, the NBA and Amazon – which will broadcast the NBA Cup knockout round beginning next season – have discussed possible changes, including possibly moving the tournament later in the regular season, says Bontemps.
Sources who spoke to ESPN cautioned that there’s no guarantee the format will look any different next season, but Bontemps suggests expanding the group-play stage from four games to eight is one idea the NBA may explore, since it would increase the odds of the league’s top teams advancing to the knockout round and create more marquee matchups.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Veteran Latvian forward Janis Timma has been found dead in Moscow, according to a report from the Russian news agency TASS (via Eurohoops), who say that authorities believe it was a suicide. Timma was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 60 pick of the 2013 draft and had his rights traded to the Magic in 2015 but never signed an NBA contract, having spent most of his career competing in European leagues — in addition to playing in Latvia, Russia, Spain, Greece and Turkey, he also had stints in the G League and in Puerto Rico. Timma won Baltic League and Latvian League titles and was named an All-Star a total of five times in Latvia and Russia.
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has published his first “trade board” of the 2024/25 season, identifying 30 of the most notable players who are candidates to be on the move by February 6. Vecenie’s list is headlined by Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Cameron Johnson and includes three or more players apiece from the Bulls, Nets, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Wizards, and Jazz.
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) spoke to NBA executives and scouts about Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, exploring his strengths and weaknesses, what makes him a unique prospect, and why he’s the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Andrei Kirilenko, Jayson Tatum, Franz Wagner, Aaron Gordon and Grant Hill are some of the current and former NBA players Woo’s sources referenced as comparables for Flagg.“I don’t think he’s a generational guy — I think that word started getting used too frequently,” one executive said. “(But) when you look back at this draft, if he goes at 1, regardless of if other people end up better, nobody is going to say that was a bad pick.”
Southeast Notes: Ball, Miller, Mann, Carter, Wizards, Vukcevic
There was both good and bad news on the injury front for the Hornets on Monday. Star point guard LaMelo Ball, who had been out since November 27, returned to action vs. Philadelphia after missing seven games, and while he made just 5-of-15 shots from the field, Ball posted his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 assists in just 26 minutes of action.
However, the return of one key Hornets starter coincided with an injury to another. As Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, forward Brandon Miller – the team’s second-leading scorer behind Ball – sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter and missed the rest of the game. The severity of Miller’s injury isn’t yet known, so it’s unclear how much additional time (if any) he might miss.
“I think that he might have stepped on a foot in front of our bench — I’m not sure whose — then going down the other way, he drives on I believe it was (Paul) George and lays it in,” head coach Charles Lee said. “And then just as he came down, he tweaked it. We’ll evaluate him, and I know our performance staff will be on top of it.”
The Hornets also provided an update on another injured guard on Monday, announcing (via Twitter) that Tre Mann has begun light court work and weight-room activities. Mann, who has been out since Nov. 21 due to disc irritation in his back, will be reevaluated in two weeks, according to the club.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Since returning from a 12-game injury absence on November 27, Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. has been starting alongside Goga Bitadze and spending more time as a power forward than a center. The adjustment, necessitated by injuries to forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, has been a challenging one for Carter, though he said he thinks he’s getting back to his “old self” after spending a few games feeling like he was “floating” around the court, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “It’s tough. I’m more used to crashing the glass, being around the rim a lot more, being in the pick-and-rolls a lot more,” Carter said. “But being at the four is a little different for me. Sometimes it’s tough because it feels like you’re not doing anything, but guys who watch basketball actually understand that the more you are spaced, the more you give driving lanes for your teammates.”
- The Wizards got a first-hand look on Sunday at the sort of offense they hope to build, according to Varun Shankar of The Washington Post, who says the front office wants to be able to field a lineup that features no offensive weak links and “multiple decision-makers and ball-handlers.” In their Sunday win over Washington, the defending champion Celtics had seven players score double-digit points and four players record at least four assists apiece, showing what that kind of offense looks like. The 3-21 Wizards, whose 103.7 offensive rating is easily the worst mark in the NBA, obviously have a long way to go.
- Within the same Washington Post story, Shankar notes that Wizards two-way player Tristan Vukcevic made his G League season debut on Sunday after recovering from a left knee injury. Discussing Vukcevic’s return, head coach Brian Keefe spoke about what he wants to see from the young center this season. “You want him to start impacting the game on the defensive end, being a defensive anchor,” Keefe said on Sunday. “And then continue to do what he does offensively, which is stretch the court. Decision-maker, play-maker — those are the things he’s really good at. Really happy for him that he’s back on the court today.”
Raptors Notes: Barnes, Poeltl, Boucher, Brown, Barrett, Knicks Dispute
After Scottie Barnes went down with an ankle sprain last Monday, a report from ESPN indicated that he was expected to miss several weeks. However, the Raptors forward appears on track to beat that projected timeline, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, who says there’s optimism Barnes could return to action as soon as this week.
Within the same story, Grange explores which Raptors players are and aren’t likely to be in-season trade candidates ahead of the February 6 deadline. Notably, sources who have spoken to Grange believe that starting center Jakob Poeltl will probably stick with the team through the deadline rather than being dangled as a trade chip.
As Grange explains, Toronto would ideally like to just spend one season rebuilding and then begin pushing back toward contention next season in a relatively weak Eastern Conference. Poeltl is under contract for at least 2025/26 (with a player option for ’26/27), so he could be part of the Raptors’ next playoff team. And if the retooling process don’t progress as quickly as hoped, he’d still have trade value in a future transaction window.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Grange identifies big man Chris Boucher and swingman Bruce Brown – both on expiring contracts – as logical trade candidates for Toronto, but notes that the club is unlikely to extract a significant return for either player due to their large cap hits ($10.8MM for Boucher, $23MM for Brown) relative to their production. “If there was big demand, he wouldn’t be on the Raptors,” one Eastern Conference executive said of Boucher.
- As for Brown, Grange hears from team sources that the veteran has bought into what the Raptors are trying to build and wouldn’t be opposed to sticking around, meaning it’s not entirely out of the question that he stays in Toronto and re-signs in the summer.
- In a separate story for Sportsnet.ca, Grange takes a look at the impressive strides that forward RJ Barrett has made this season as a play-maker and de facto point guard with Immanuel Quickley having missed most of the season due to injuries. The 24-year-old, who never averaged more than 3.0 assists per game with the Knicks, increased that number to 4.1 APG after being traded to the Raptors last season and has bumped it up again to 6.0 APG so far in 2024/25.
- After the Knicks and Raptors informed the U.S. District Court last week that the NBA hadn’t provided them with any updates on its investigation into the Knicks’ allegations of stolen files, the league reached out to both teams on Monday to begin the process, reports Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). The Knicks, who initially filed a lawsuit against the Raptors and were referred back to the NBA’s arbitration process by the court, have maintained all along that commissioner Adam Silver isn’t an impartial judge and beat that drum again on Monday. “The NBA has admitted to sitting on this serious theft of proprietary and confidential files for several months,” the team told The New York Post in a statement. “The NBA has a clear conflict of interest and a lack of desire to see a fair outcome in this matter – which we’ve said all along.”
New York Notes: Nets, Simmons, Bridges, Sims, Towns
While dealing Dennis Schröder to Golden State is viewed as a tanking move for a team looking to accumulate assets, the Nets can now play at a faster pace, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez.
“Dennis was bottom ten slowest point guards in the NBA – pace doesn’t mean you’re better or worse – and Ben (Simmons) is 18th-fastest,” Fernandez said, per Lewis (Twitter link). “… We’re going to try to play faster. The ball is going to fly. He’s going to push. He’s going to throw it ahead.”
We have more from the New York teams:
- Simmons, who underwent back surgery in March, hasn’t played more than 27:20 in any game this season. An unrestricted free agent after the season, the Nets‘ new top point guard said his playing time could expand soon, Lewis adds in another tweet. “I think my restriction right now is 27,” he said. “I think it’s around that. So hopefully that changes soon.”
- In an era when playing in all 82 regular-season games is a rarity, Mikal Bridges has established himself as NBA’s iron man. The Knicks wing made his 500th consecutive appearance in Sunday’s 100-91 victory over the Magic, a streak that began with his first game with the Suns as a rookie, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. “Everyone talks about offensive traits and talents and defensive traits and talents, but the most impactful and the greatest trait you can have is availability and he has it and he’s shown it,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Shoutout to him. That’s a huge accomplishment.”
- Jericho Sims has garnered some trade interest, according to Bondy. Sims, playing on an expiring $2.1MM contract, has seen his playing time cut in recent games. The center position is the Knicks’ most obvious need, even though Mitchell Robinson is expected to return at some point. But the team doesn’t have many assets left after making two blockbuster trades in the offseason, though Miles McBride and/or Josh Hart could conceivably be dealt for the right player, Bondy suggests.
- Towns will return to Minnesota on Thursday for the first time since he was traded to the Knicks. He’s not sure how he’ll be received, according to Bondy. “I don’t know (how they will embrace me). But I know that every single day that I put on that Timberwolves jersey I gave the absolute best of me even when I wasn’t 100 percent,” Towns said. “I gave them all of me mentally, physically, spiritually. I was there nine years, so I go there with a lot of pride and joy for the memories that I have.”
Southwest Notes: Popovich, Thompson, Morant, Boston
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has released a statement via the team’s PR department regarding his recovery from a stroke and the support he’s received since he stepped away from the team (Twitter link). Popovich mentioned that he anticipated returning to coaching at some point.
“This has certainly been an unexpected six weeks for my family and me,” Popovich said. “As we work together on my recovery, I want to take a moment to share that the outpouring of support we’ve received during this time has been truly overwhelming in the best possible way. While I wish I could get back to each one of you, for now, let me say that my family and I are forever grateful. We’re thankful for our wonderful community, the entire Spurs organization, and our family and friends.
“No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process. They’ve quickly learned that I’m less than coachable.”
Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2. This was his first public statement since the Spurs initially announced he would be away from the team. Assistant Mitch Johnson has served as the club’s acting head coach in Popovich’s absence.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Longtime Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored a season-high 29 points in the Mavericks’ win at Golden State on Sunday. It was the second trip back to his former home arena and Thompson said he was much more relaxed. “Way easier,” Thompson said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Especially not seeing all the captain’s hats. I saw a few of those. Much easier. Felt more settled in than the first time I was out here.” Warriors employees lined up along the walls of the ramp where the visiting team arrives at Chase Center and saluted Thompson with a tip of a captain’s hat in Dallas’ first trip there last month.
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said earlier this month that he doesn’t want to dunk anymore as he tries to avoid injuries any way he can. However, his teammates are somewhat skeptical, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I don’t think that he’s serious,” forward Brandon Clarke said. “I just don’t think that he’s going to dunk as many on people because that’s when it’s a risk of getting fouled hard or getting hurt.”
- The Pelicans lost their 13th straight road game on Sunday but they got a strong effort from reserve two-way player Brandon Boston, who scored 20 points to lead five Pelicans in double figures. “His confidence is growing more and more as he progresses throughout the season,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said, per the Associated Press. “He’s understanding his role. He’s started some games. Right now he’s in the second unit. He’s getting solid minutes each and every game and he’s very confident in what he can do once he touches the floor.”
Central Notes: Cunningham, Lillard, Middleton, Phillips
The field of contenders is deep, but Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has put himself in the discussion for All-Star consideration, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes.
Cunningham entered Monday’s game against Miami averaging 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists per contest. He has admirers around the league not only for his stats but also because he’s establishing himself as a leader and clutch performer, Langlois notes.
However, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young are likely to be popular in the fan voting for Eastern Conference guards while LaMelo Ball, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Tyler Herro, Tyrese Haliburton, Darius Garland, Zach LaVine and the Boston duo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday also merit consideration from fans and the coaches who will choose the reserves.
We have more Central Division news:
- With the Bucks preparing for the NBA Cup finals against Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Lillard sat out practice due to a calf issue. However, it was a precautionary move, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, and Lillard says he’ll suit up for the game. According to the team’s PR department, the Bucks’ point guard has a right calf contusion (Twitter links here).
- Bucks forward Khris Middleton has appeared in four games off the bench since returning from offseason surgeries on both ankles. Middleton was irritated by the notion that he took his sweet time to get back into action, he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “People say I was scared to play mentally, or whatever case may be. It was just I wasn’t ready to play physically, mentally,” he said. “When you go through injuries, when you go through surgeries, you have to make sure physically you feel fine and mentally you’re there. All the way around, you have to be ready to play.” Middleton’s status for the Cup final is uncertain; he missed practice on Monday due to an illness, according to an Associated Press report. He’s listed as probable, Nehm tweets.
- Bulls forward Julian Phillips has seen his role diminish since making a couple of starts earlier this month. Phillips, a 2023 second-rounder, needs to expand his game and create offense for teammates in order to get more playing time. “Julian has done a really good job of spacing the floor, shooting his threes, but I think he can do a little bit more off the dribble,” coach Billy Donovan told Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “Whether or not we can get there this year, I don’t know.”
Pistons Re-Sign Paul Reed, Waive McCoy
The Pistons have re-signed center Paul Reed and waived wing Javante McCoy, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter links).
Detroit signed McCoy to a standard, non-guaranteed contract on Sunday. That turned out to be just a stopgap in order for the Pistons to reach the minimum salary floor while Reed was on waivers.
Detroit needed to fill a roster spot after cutting Reed on Saturday because that move dropped the Pistons to $1,417,937 below the minimum salary floor, which they were required to reach by the end of Sunday. Detroit is now back at the minimum salary floor as a result of bringing back Reed and is still the only NBA team with cap room, holding about $14MM in space, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Reed had a $7.7MM salary this season that would have become fully guaranteed next month. Instead, he will return as Detroit’s third-string center on a more team-friendly deal. He’ll get the veteran’s minimum, Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
Reed, 25, was the 58th overall pick of the 2020 draft out of DePaul. He spent his first four seasons with the 76ers, who waived him in July to create enough cap room to sign all of their external free agents. The Pistons claimed him a couple days later.
Reed was a rotation regular with Philadelphia last season, averaging 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in 82 games (19.4 MPG). He has appeared in 12 contests this season, averaging 4.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 10.4 MPG.
Despite being on the roster for just 24 hours, McCoy will be paid for four days — the two he spent on the roster and the two he’ll spend on waivers. That will result in a prorated salary of $32,596, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets.
It’s likely that McCoy will just rejoin Detroit’s G League team. The 6’5” McCoy has appeared in 12 games this season for the Motor City Cruise, averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. McCoy is also shooting 51.4% from 3-point range.