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Stephen Curry Named 2024/25 Teammate Of The Year

April 28th, 2025 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry has been named the NBA’s Teammate of the Year for the 2024/25 season, the league announced today (via Twitter).

The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment to his team,” per the NBA.

The award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place.

Curry just narrowly won this season’s vote ahead of Rockets center Steven Adams.

Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:

It’s the first Teammate of the Year award for Curry, though it’s the seventh time in a row that a point guard has earned the honor.

The award, which was introduced in ’12/13, had gone to either Mike Conley (2019 and 2024) or Jrue Holiday (2020, 2022, and 2023) in five of the past six seasons, with Damian Lillard claiming it in 2021.

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Nuggets Notes: Rotation, Westbrook, Porter, Murray, Gordon, More

April 26th, 2025 at 8:25am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nuggets are banged up, but they don’t have much time to adjust as they find themselves facing a 2-1 hole against the Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, interim coach David Adelman has hinted at rotation changes.

Denver used an eight-man rotation to open the series, with Jalen Pickett playing sparingly as the eighth man. DeAndre Jordan and Julian Strawther have also seen a little action, while Hunter Tyson and Zeke Nnaji have been limited to garbage time and Vlatko Cancar and Dario Saric haven’t played.

Key reserve Russell Westbrook is questionable for Game 4 on Saturday due to left foot inflammation, Durando adds. He exited Game 3 after just nine minutes.

“They checked him out this morning. … So we’ll kind of gauge that as we go,” Adelman said on Friday. “And if Russ plays or doesn’t play, we’re gonna take a look at our rotation. We may play different people. See who can impact the game with how [the Clippers] are guarding and how we’re trying to guard.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • As we noted on Friday, Michael Porter Jr. was able to play the duration of Game 3 but was clearly struggling through a left shoulder injury he suffered in Game 2. According to DNVR Nuggets (Twitter link), Porter is officially considered questionable to play in Game 4.
  • The players on the injury report aren’t the only ones hurting. In an appearance on NBA on ESPN (Twitter link), Andscape’s Marc J. Spears said Jamal Murray is working through an injury and that Aaron Gordon told him he could barely jump. “No one’s 100% right now,” Adelman said, per Durando. “Aaron’s not 100%. Nikola [Jokic]’s not 100%. Just like the Clippers. All their guys have ailments at this part of the season. Michael is one of our guys. He’s a mainstay here. If he’s available to play, he will play.”
  • With their backs seemingly against the wall, Denver will need to get creative in how it attacks Los Angeles, Durando writes in another Denver Post story. “We got embarrassed today,” Adelman said after a 34-point loss in Game 3. “It happens in the playoffs. I’ve been a part of it before. I’ve been a part of the other side of it. The bottom line is, it’s one game.” As Durando writes, the Clippers have multiple lengthy defenders while the Nuggets don’t have many top-caliber shooters, allowing L.A. to at times triple-team Jokic.
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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Braun, First-Round Opponents, Jordan

March 23rd, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nikola Jokic missed his fourth straight game on Sunday vs. the Rockets due to a left ankle impingement but Nuggets coach Michael Malone is hopeful his superstar center won’t be out much longer, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

The Nuggets begin a five-game homestand after playing at Houston, starting with a matchup against the Bulls on Monday. Malone said Jokic won’t play in that contest, but he believes the three-time MVP can return sometime during the stretch of home games.

“We’re just trying to get home and kind of see where he’s at,” Malone said. “It’d be great to have a chance to get our starting five some run together, because we haven’t had a lot of opportunity to do that this season.”

Jokic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the top candidates for this season’s Most Valuable Player award.

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • Christian Braun has quietly moved into the conversation for the league’s Most Improved Player award, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes. “I would hope that I’m in that mix,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of guys that get a lot of mentions, and they deserve it, too. But I want to be in that mix. I feel like I work hard to be in that mix. And that’s not just an individual award. I think that it shows how good those guys around me are, too.” As Durando points out, Braun posted one 20-point performance in his first two seasons, but has 16 of them this year. He’s averaging 15.2 points (a 7.9 point increase from last season), 5.0 rebounds (up 35%), 2.4 assists (up 50%) and 1.1 steals (up 120%) per game.
  • The Clippers and Rockets are the two best matchups among the Nuggets’ potential first-round opponents, Durando opines. The Clippers may not be as equipped to expose Denver’s defensive deficiencies and league-low three-point volume, he notes. The Lakers and Timberwolves would present the most problems for them in the first round, in Durando’s estimation.
  • DeAndre Jordan played 38 minutes on Sunday after not getting off the bench in the previous 10 games. He contributed 11 points and 15 rebounds in a five-point win over the Rockets. “DJ is one of the best defensive rebounders. He’s one of our best rim protectors and if we’re getting our butts kicked on the glass, let me put out one of our biggest, strongest guys that has a very impressive 17-year resume,” Malone said (video link). “Special day for Deandre because this is where he’s from, playing in front of a lot of family and friends. Fifteen rebounds, 12 defensive, four assists, a steal — did a lot of really good things for us.” Jordan, 36, was re-signed on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal last summer and will be a free agent again this offseason.
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Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Murray, Jokic, Jordan, Ganta

December 27th, 2024 at 7:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, who aggravated a calf strain on Wednesday after missing 10 games due to the injury earlier in the season, is expected to be out for the “next couple of games,” head coach Michael Malone told reporters today (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports).

Malone doesn’t expect Gordon to be sidelined for as long as he was the last time he injured the calf, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. While the Nuggets’ coach was reluctant to project a recovery timeline, he said on Friday that the club thinks Gordon caught the issue before it got bad.

While the Nuggets will be down one regular starter on Saturday vs. Cleveland, guard Jamal Murray has been deemed available after being listed on the injury report due to his right ankle sprain, per the team (Twitter link).

Here’s more out of Denver:

  • Nuggets star Nikola Jokic appears increasingly frustrated with the team’s supporting cast, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post, who points to multiple examples of Jokic’s on-court exasperation during the Christmas Day game vs. Phoenix and suggests that the team’s decision-makers, including general manager Calvin Booth and governor Josh Kroenke, “better take notice.” So far this season, Denver has outscored opponents by 208 points during Jokic’s 929 minutes on the court and been outscored by 125 in the 430 minutes he hasn’t played.
  • The Nuggets frequently shuffled through backup centers earlier in the season, but have stuck with DeAndre Jordan in that role as of late, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post details. The veteran big man has played between nine and 15 minutes in each of Denver’s past eight games and the team has a perfectly even (+0.0) net rating during those minutes, which is a win with Jokic off the floor. “We’ve kind of settled into our backup five right now with DJ, so I think that helps. You know, ‘Is it Dario (Saric)? Is it Zeke (Nnaji)? Is it DJ?’ Right now, it’s DeAndre Jordan,” Malone said earlier this week. “And he’s playing well for us, and trying to get those guys more and more comfortable, creating that on-court chemistry. But I think if that (second unit) can go out there and hold their own defensively and execute offensively — even if we don’t score, just generate good shots (and) not turn the ball over — now we’re giving ourselves a chance.”
  • Neel Ganta, who had worked in the Nuggets’ front office since 2022, most recently as the team’s basketball strategy/analytics coordinator, is returning to Illinois to become the new men’s basketball general manager for the school, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Ganta was previously a graduate assistant for the Fighting Illini.
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Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Jazz, Holmes, Murray, Nuggets

December 14th, 2024 at 11:14am CST by Tristan Tucker

After reaching the Western Conference Finals last year, the Timberwolves got off to a rocky start to the 2024/25 season. But they’ve now won five of their last six games, with Chris Hine of the Star Tribune suggesting that increased communication off the court is one key reason for the turnaround.

Minnesota lost four straight games in November following a game in Toronto in which Julius Randle didn’t get the ball to Rudy Gobert late, upsetting the Timberwolves center. The team had a player-only meeting, and their group chat has been instrumental in starting to turn the season around.

“That’s essentially our safe space,” guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “Everybody knows whatever you say in there stays in there. More so like 90% of the time you’re joking around, messing around, sending funny stuff back and forth, picking on each other. Then when [stuff] hits the fan, that’s where most guys feel comfortable being able to express what they’re thinking.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Second-year forward Taylor Hendricks is feeling the Jazz‘s “show love” motto while recovering from his season-ending leg injury. The team came together around him and has kept him in the mix despite his injury absence, according to The Athletic’s Jason Quick. “The guys reaching out to him and keeping him involved is important, just from a human level,” coach Will Hardy said. “Like, screw the team … this is a human thing. He’s part of our messed up little family.”
  • Nuggets first-round pick DaRon Holmes II will miss his entire rookie season due to an Achilles injury, but he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out on the rookie experience, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes. Holmes is taking an optimistic approach to his injury recovery. “At the end of the day, I knew I was going to get better, and I looked at the positives,” Holmes said. “It’s kind of an advantage for me. I get to watch. Learn all the plays. And grow with all these teammates, and learn from great coaches. I get to have a great opportunity to learn in the best organization out there.”
  • Jamal Murray is dealing with plantar fasciitis, the Nuggets guard said on Friday, per Durando. Murray missed Denver’s last two games due to a hamstring injury, but revealed he that wasn’t the only injury affecting him. “I just kind of went out there and said, ‘I’m gonna give it what I’ve got,’” Murray said after scoring 20 on Friday. “Fresh legs. Had energy. Feel good now. Some plantar fasciitis. Everybody’s going through something. But I’m good, man. Excited to be back.” He’s averaging 17.9 points per game this season.
  • While the Nuggets have had some lows this season, including a loss to the 3-20 Wizards, they’re not fractured, in the eyes of DeAndre Jordan, Durando writes in another story. “Both good and bad,” the veteran said about the how the team is dealing with adversity. “It’s a game of runs. It’s a roller coaster out there. We’re handling it OK. We haven’t splintered. It hasn’t become a blame game. When you get to that point, I think the team is done. And we’re not there. … Just try to string together a few wins here. Because once you win, that’s all that matters.”
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Northwest Notes: Braun, Nuggets, R. Williams, Thunder

December 12th, 2024 at 6:37pm CST by Rory Maher

In an lengthy interview with Spencer Davies of RG.org, Nuggets wing Christian Braun says he has learned from a number of veterans over the course of his three NBA seasons, including Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Braun, who is posting career highs in several statistics, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason.

“I mean, I’ve learned a ton in my years, not just from [Jokic]. Each player I’ve played with, I think, has done a good job of helping me out,” Braun told RG. “Just watching KCP [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and Bruce [Brown] and how they played off of [Jokic] helped me a lot, and they were always quick to reach out and tell me what they thought or what they saw.

” … You can take a little bit from each person. I think I’ve tried to take a little bit from each of the guys that have been in the league for a long time. Whether it was Ish Smith, DJ [DeAndre Jordan], they all do little things. Jeff Green. Just watching each person’s routine and try to take a little part of each of their routine that I like and make it mine and do it my way.

“But just watching [Jokic’s] approach and the way he was in the training room, the way he’s on the court, the way he approaches each game, his routine, his consistency. Each person, like I said, has good parts of their routine that I try to put into mine, but I’m still learning every day and trying to implement different things.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • Tony Jones of The Athletic takes a look at the Nuggets‘ “confusing” and “inconsistent” start to the season, with Denver currently holding a 12-10 record despite regular “herculean” efforts from three-time MVP Jokic, who may be having the best season of his career. According to Jones, while depth has been an issue, the biggest concern for the Nuggets has been the play of Murray, who hasn’t looked like the same player who helped Denver win its first NBA championship in 2023.
  • Big man Robert Williams is nearing a return for the Trail Blazers following a six-game absence while in the league’s concussion protocol, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. As Highkin notes, Williams has been sidelined by numerous injuries throughout his career, but a hard fall vs. Memphis on Nov. 25 resulted in his first concussion. “I was in a daze,” Williams said. “Nausea, headaches, stuff like that. I didn’t feel terrible. I’ve seen people with worse concussions than mine, for sure. But it slowed me down.” Williams, who was a full practice participant on Thursday, needs to pass one more computer-based test before being cleared by the medical staff — that could come on Friday vs. San Antonio. “I’m tired of dealing with all this s–t, man,” said Williams, who also missed several weeks early in the season due to a hamstring injury. “I miss the game so much. Trying to have fun with my teammates on the court, not just in practice.”
  • Unlike some teams, who watch film as a whole group, the Thunder split into subgroups for their sessions, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman, who details how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams have grown comfortable using game tape to learn and grow from their mistakes. “Film, for me, opens my eyes,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s right in your face. The writing is on the wall. If I should’ve been in this spot, it’s right in front of your face that you should’ve been in that spot. If I should’ve took a shot and I was passive-aggressive, it’s right in front of my face.“
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Northwest Notes: Bediako, Westbrook, Blazers’ Centers, Jordan

July 30th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets‘ G League team, acquired the returning rights to center Charles Bediako in a deal with the Austin Spurs, according to OurSportsCentral.com. The Spurs‘ affiliate received the returning player rights of Jamorko Pickett and Reggie Kissoonlal.

Bediako went undrafted last year and had a two-way deal with San Antonio. He was waived by the Spurs in late December after suffering a left meniscus tear. Bediako played 11 games and averaged 7.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game before the injury. He most recently played for the Magic in the Summer League, where he averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups believes Russell Westbrook will be a good fit with the Nuggets, adding toughness and a mentality that will make the team better, he told Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. “Russ does help that (depth),” Billups said. “He helps bring some of those things. Obviously, (he and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are) totally different players. But, yeah, losing KCP was — I’m happy and proud of him for getting to capitalize (financially) on the great years that he had here — but it’s a substantial loss.”
  • Deandre Ayton will be the Trail Blazers’ starting center, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report, but the distribution of minutes for the post reserves is up in the air. Lottery pick Donovan Clingan will definitely soak up some of those minutes but Duop Reath is also deserving of playing time. It’s uncertain where Robert Williams III fits in, even when he finishes rehabbing from his latest knee injury.
  • DeAndre Jordan‘s one-year contract with the Nuggets is worth the minimum salary, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Jordan’s deal was originally reported to be worth $3.6MM, which would have been possible if he were re-signed using his Early Bird rights, but it’s simply a veteran’s minimum contract, which will pay the veteran center approximately $3.3MM.
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DeAndre Jordan Re-Signs With Nuggets

July 24th, 2024 at 5:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 24: Jordan’s new contract is official, the Nuggets announced in a press release.

JUNE 29: Free agent center DeAndre Jordan plans to remain with the Nuggets on a one-year, $3.6MM deal, sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Jordan, 35, will be committing to a third season with the Nuggets after signing as a free agent in 2022, just in time for the team’s championship run. His on-court presence has diminished from his peak years, but he’s still a strong locker room presence who can provide rim protection and a lob threat when needed.

Jordan appeared in 36 games this season, making two starts and averaging 3.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 11 minutes per night. Operating exclusively near the basket, his shooting percentage remains high at 62.4%.

A second-round draft pick by the Clippers in 2008, Jordan had his best years in L.A., earning one All-Star appearance and becoming a central part of the “Lob City” teams. He had brief stays with the Mavericks, Knicks, Nets, Lakers and Sixers before coming to Denver.

The veteran’s minimum salary for a player with 10 or more years of experience is projected to be worth a little over $3.3MM, so it will be interesting to see whether Jordan’s new deal is actually worth $3.6MM or if it will come in as a minimum deal. Denver’s proximity to the luxury tax line and the aprons makes every dollar important, and a minimum salary would only count as $2.1MM for salary cap and tax purposes.

The agreement with Jordan takes care of one Nuggets question mark before the start of free agency on Sunday evening. The team’s priority is re-signing shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who declined his player option on Thursday. Vlatko Cancar and Justin Holiday are also unrestricted free agents.

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Trade/FA Rumors: Markkanen, Westbrook, DeRozan, Achiuwa, Trent

July 1st, 2024 at 3:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed a report from his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst stating that the Warriors are among the teams with interest in trading for Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (YouTube link).

“Utah is not sure it wants to trade (Markkanen), but they have to listen; they’ve been listening,” Wojnarowski said. “And a lot of the teams that missed out on Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn have transferred over to try and see if they can land Lauri Markkanen from Utah. Golden State is one of those teams.”

Here are a few more trade and free agency rumors from around the NBA:

  • According to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link), three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has “pushed behind the scenes” for the Nuggets to trade for Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, himself a former NBA MVP. Wind hears Jokic has wanted to play with Westbrook for multiple seasons. Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated confirms (via Twitter) Wind’s reporting, adding that DeAndre Jordan has been supportive of the idea of adding Westbrook as well. According to Linn, the Clips are exploring “several” trade possibilities for Westbrook, and even if he isn’t traded to Denver directly, it’s possible he might eventually land with the Nuggets.
  • The Bulls and DeMar DeRozan appear destined to part ways, with a source telling Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that the six-time All-Star will be landing elsewhere. According to Cowley, DeRozan made up his mind to leave once Chicago traded Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey. The Bulls have been targeting younger players in free agency, re-signing restricted free agent Patrick Williams and agreeing to a three-year deal with big man Jalen Smith.
  • While the Knicks chose not to tender a qualifying offer to forward/center Precious Achiuwa, they are still open to a potential reunion with the 24-year-old, a source tells Fred Katz of The Athletic. Ian Begley of SNY.tv hears (via Twitter) interest in a reunion is mutual, but the young big man is also drawing interest from “several” contenders, so he could have multiple options to choose from.
  • There hasn’t been much news related to Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr., a 25-year-old unrestricted free agent who earned $18.6MM last season. As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes, GM Bobby Webster said before free agency opened that a return to Toronto was still possible, assuming the terms were agreeable for both sides. “You want to be strategic about what’s tradable, what’s not tradable,” Webster said of Trent. “We have some big contracts coming up in the future, so it’ll just have to be something that makes sense for everyone.”
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