Devin Carter Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Among Teams Eyeing Jonathan Kuminga

July 3rd, 2025 at 11:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are the latest potential suitor to emerge in the Jonathan Kuminga sweepstakes, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who reports that Washington has entered the picture within the last 24 hours. The idea of the 22-year-old forward fitting into the Wizards’ rebuild has “gained real momentum,” sources tell Slater.

In addition to Washington, the Kings, Heat, Bulls, Bucks, and Nets have all expressed “varying levels” of interest in the Warriors‘ restricted free agent, Slater writes.

Confirming prior reporting out of Sacramento, Slater says the Kings floated an offer that would include 2024 first-round pick Devin Carter, veteran forward Dario Saric, and a pair of second-round picks. However, Golden State views that as a “buy-low” attempt, per Slater, who suggests the Pacific rivals haven’t gained any real traction.

Both the Warriors and Kuminga appear willing to be patient in the hopes of getting what they want out of the process, Slater explains. From the team’s perspective, that would mean acquiring a promising young player and a first-round pick in any sign-and-trade scenario. For Kuminga, the goal is ending up in a situation where he feels he has the full support of an organization and its coaching staff and can be a featured part of a team’s core.

If there’s no resolution by the time the Las Vegas Summer League tips off next week, the tentative plan is for Kuminga’s camp to have in-person meetings with interested teams in Vegas, Slater notes.

One of those meetings could involved the Warriors. As Slater details, the idea of the former No. 7 overall pick working out a deal to remain in Golden State isn’t off the table, so there has been talk of Kuminga, agent Aaron Turner, head coach Steve Kerr, and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. sitting down together in Vegas to discuss what a reunion might look like.

Kuminga appeared in just 47 games in 2024/25, having missed more than two months due to a badly sprained ankle. He had an inconsistent role when healthy, averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game, with a .454/.305/.668 shooting line.

Although he was out of the Warriors’ rotation entirely for some key games at the end of the regular season and in the postseason, Kuminga averaged 24.3 points per game on .554/.389/.720 shooting in his final four playoff games vs. Minnesota after Stephen Curry injured his hamstring, providing a reminder of his offensive upside ahead of his restricted free agency.

Kings Rumors: Sabonis, Schröder, Kuminga, Monk

July 3rd, 2025 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

While a number of Kings rotation starter- or rotation-level veterans, including Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, are viewed as potential trade candidates, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (YouTube link), center Domantas Sabonis remains unlikely to be moved.

When Sabonis spoke after the season about wanting to meet with the new lead basketball operations executives – including general manager Scott Perry – to discuss the future, there was speculation about the possibility that he might ask for a trade, but there has been no indication that will happen this summer, Sam Amick of The Athletic confirmed during an appearance on The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross (YouTube link).

“So far, he’s been signaling patience and had good conversations with the new front office,” Amick said of Sabonis. “The (Dennis) Schröder move to me is an interesting one in the context of Domas, because for the short term, I could see Domas saying, ‘Listen, I just want to feel like I have a chance every night, and now you’ve got me a point guard.’

“They’ve still got to figure out the fact that you have so many guys who like to score the ball, and Domas wants to get back to the higher usage that he had a couple years ago. So it’s still not even close to perfect, but it’s enough that nobody’s causing a ruckus and they’re just trying to wait and see what the roster looks like in the next couple months.”

We have more on the Kings:

Echoing reporting from Tuesday night about the Kings’ sign-and-trade talks for Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, Ali Thanawalla and Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area say Sacramento has talked about sending out Devin Carter, Dario Saric, and two second-round picks in a package for Kuminga. However, Amick hears that the Kings have made “zero progress” toward finalizing a deal (Twitter link). That makes sense, considering that would be a pretty light return for a Golden State team believed to be seeking at least one reliable rotation player in any Kuminga sign-and-trade.
The idea that the Kings, Warriors, and Pistons are seriously discussing a three-team trade that would see both Kuminga and Schröder signed-and-traded to Sacramento is “totally false,” a source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Although the Kings have interest in Kuminga, those talks are unrelated to their deal for Schröder, according to Anderson.
According to Thanawalla and Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area, the Kings are considered more likely than not to part ways with Monk this offseason and haven’t closed the door on sending him to Detroit in the Schröder sign-and-trade. However, reports of Monk’s potential inclusion seem to be coming entirely from Sacramento-based outlets rather than the Detroit side, so it sounds like the Kings have more interest in including Monk in that deal than the Pistons do.

Free Agent Rumors: Kuminga, CP3, Horford, Westbrook, Lillard

July 2nd, 2025 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are “very engaged” on Warriors restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, according to Matt George of ABC 10 in Sacramento (Twitter links).

While the Kings have seemingly been extremely willing to discuss Malik Monk in trade scenarios, Monk likely wouldn’t be involved in any deal for Kuminga, says George, noting that Golden State doesn’t appear to have much interest in the veteran guard.

George has heard that the Kings have explored sending out guard Devin Carter, forward Dario Saric, and draft compensation as part of a deal to acquire Kuminga via sign-and-trade (Twitter link). If a deal along those lines came to fruition, it would likely be combined with Sacramento’s Saric/Jonas Valanciunas swap with Denver in order to maximize the Kings’ outgoing salary, which would allow them to give Kuminga a more lucrative deal.

However, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), there’s no agreement imminent at this point. Conversations on the Kuminga front with the Warriors and “several” teams are ongoing, Slater adds.

Here are a few more items of interest on some of the top free agents still on the board:

After starting all 82 games for San Antonio this past season, veteran point guard Chris Paul is hoping to be a starter again in 2025/26, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), which is one reason why he’s still weighing his options in free agency. Reynolds says the Clippers are hoping Paul will join them, while Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter video link) views the Suns as his most likely landing spot. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) believes Paul would like to return to Phoenix, but thinks there would be a very limited role for him with the Suns, so he considered a reunion unlikely.
The Warriors have been “very aggressive” in trying to recruit Al Horford to Golden State, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter video link). Windhorst believes Horford could end up in the West Coast if he continues his career, noting that the Lakers are among the other teams pursuing him. Windhorst’s report came before the Lakers reached an agreement with Deandre Ayton, but Los Angeles could still use frontcourt depth and still has its $5.1MM bi-annual exception available.
Russell Westbrook, an L.A. native, would like to “be closer to home,” according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter video link). Multiple reports this week have linked Westbrook to the Kings, but it sounds like that would only become a viable option if Sacramento ends up trading Monk.
In ranking what he believes are the top five best landing spots for Damian Lillard once he becomes a free agent, Spears places the Timberwolves atop his list (Twitter video link). Mike Conley is still penciled in as Minnesota’s starting point guard, but he’ll be 38 in October and struggled in the postseason, and the Wolves don’t have much reliable depth at the position behind him. Lillard could be a perfect fit, though he’ll miss most or all of the 2025/26 season while recovering from his Achilles tear.
In addition to previously reported suitors like Milwaukee and Indiana, the Knicks, Clippers, Cavaliers, and Nuggets also expressed some level of interest in Ayton before he agreed to join the Lakers, Shams Charania of ESPN said on SportsCenter (Twitter video link). Charania added that several suitors reached out to Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin to ask about Ayton and got “rave reviews of him as a teammate.”

Kings Viewed As A Leading Suitor For Dennis Schröder

June 25th, 2025 at 7:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are viewed as a leading suitor for free agent point guard Dennis Schröder, according to league sources who have spoken to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Sacramento is in the market for a point guard after having traded De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio earlier this year and has been considering potential targets on the trade market and in free agency. Schröder, according to Stein and Fischer, is expected to command a contract that starts in the neighborhood of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which projects to be worth $14.1MM. The Kings, who have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line, should be in position to offer most or all of that exception.

It was an up-and-down 2024/25 season for Schröder, who thrived in Brooklyn, struggled in Golden State, then helped fill a Jaden Ivey-shaped hole in Detroit down the stretch. On the season, he averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 assists in 28.1 minutes per game across 75 outings for those three teams, posting a shooting line of .406/.342/.838.

The Kings won’t be Schröder’s only suitor. The Pistons have expressed interest in re-signing him, and he’s also expected to be an option for a Mavericks team in need of a point guard while Kyrie Irving recovers from his ACL tear. Sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN that Schröder, D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, and Malcolm Brogdon are among Dallas’ point guard targets.

However, the Pistons have other free agents – Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. – to try to re-sign, so it’s possible Schröder won’t be a top priority with Ivey on his way back from his broken leg. As for the Mavs, they’ll likely only be able to offer the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception.

We have more on the Kings:

Sacramento’s front office has signaled that it’s open to a wide range of trade inquiries, per Stein and Fischer, with previous reporting from The Sacramento Bee indicating the team was gauging the market for Malik Monk and Devin Carter. According to The Stein Line duo, it’s worth noting that the Jazz previously expressed interest in Carter when the Kings inquired about Lauri Markkanen last summer before he ultimately signed an extension with Utah.
The Kings are viewed by agents and rival executives as a strong candidate to trade into the back half of the first round on Wednesday, Stein and Fischer report. They point to Utah’s pick at No. 21 as one possible target for the Kings, but notes that some teams believe Sacramento is working on a deal for the Thunder‘s second first-rounder at No. 24.

Scotto’s Latest: Thunder, Pacers, Kings, Barrett, Rockets, Wolves, KD

June 23rd, 2025 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Their seasons ended less than 24 hours ago, but the Thunder and Pacers will have significant roster decisions to make in the coming days, and executives around the NBA are keeping an eye on both teams to see how they’ll handle them, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The Thunder have the ability to essentially run it back with their same roster, since 13 of their players are on guaranteed deals for next season, while the team holds cost-effective options on the other two. However, Oklahoma City also has multiple first-round picks at No. 15 and No. 24 and could be facing a roster crunch.

According to Scotto, rival executives believe the Thunder may either trade the No. 24 pick for a future first-rounder or use it to select a potential draft-and-stash prospect like Hugo Gonzalez or Noah Penda. Execs also view former lottery pick Ousmane Dieng as a possible trade candidate as he enters the final year of his rookie scale contract, Scotto notes.

Meanwhile, with Tyrese Haliburton potentially sidelined for all of the 2025/26 season after tearing his Achilles, people in league circles are wondering if the Pacers and team owner Herb Simon are still prepared to go into luxury-tax territory in 2025/26 to re-sign Myles Turner and keep their roster intact, says Scotto. There’s an expectation that rivals will inquire this summer on the trade availability of role players like Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Jarace Walker, Scotto adds.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Although a Sacramento Bee report over the weekend indicated that the Kings haven’t yet engaged in trade discussions about Malik Monk, Scotto hears from sources that the team has gauged the market on both Monk and Devin Carter as it seeks a potential first-round pick and a point guard upgrade. Sacramento was unwilling to move Carter when the club talked to the Nets about Cameron Johnson prior to the trade deadline, Scotto writes, but Scott Perry has replaced Monte McNair as the Kings’ head of basketball operations since then and may not be as attached to last year’s No. 13 overall pick.
According to Scotto, the Raptors have continued to gauge the trade market for forward RJ Barrett. The former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t come off the bench since his rookie year in 2019/20, but could be the odd man out of Toronto’s starting five with Brandon Ingram set to make his Raptors debut this fall.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who spent a season with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, was in favor of the Celtics trading for Durant during his time in Boston and advocated for Houston to acquire the star forward this summer, per Scotto. In addition to reuniting with Udoka, Durant will be teaming up again with friend and fellow Texas alum Royal Ivey — the Rockets assistant interviewed for the Suns‘ head coaching vacancy and turned down interest from the Grizzlies and Spurs for assistant coaching positions, Scotto reports.
In addition to being concerned about Durant’s lack of enthusiasm for Minnesota, the Timberwolves didn’t want to lose Rudy Gobert, a Suns target in trade talks, which is why the Wolves didn’t end up beating Houston’s offer for the 15-time All-Star, Scotto explains. Giving up Gobert and potentially having Durant play alongside Julius Randle in their frontcourt wasn’t considered an “ideal pairing defensively” for the Wolves, Scotto writes.

Pacific Notes: Curry, LeBron, Redick, Carter

April 12th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry left Friday’s game in Portland with a right thumb injury, but X-rays were negative and he returned to action after getting it wrapped up, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Curry, who initially injured the thumb in January, downplayed the issue after the game and said he’ll be good to go on Sunday vs. the Clippers, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“From what I know, just an aggravation,” Curry said. “The same thing (as the earlier thumb injury), but hopefully it wasn’t anything serious. … I just know it hurts right now, but I’ll be all right.”

The Warriors will need their top scorer at his best on Sunday — a win over L.A. would clinch a playoff spot for the team, while there’s a good chance a loss would lead to a play-in berth.

“I don’t want to be too dramatic,” Curry said when asked about Sunday’s game. “It should be like a Game 7 kind of vibe. You win and you control your destiny on a guaranteed playoffs series. If you lose, you roll the dice.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Like Curry, Lakers forward LeBron James exited Friday’s game with an injury. However, head coach J.J. Redick told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN, that James is “fine” after appearing to tweak his left hip/groin area. With Los Angeles locked into the No. 3 seed, LeBron seems unlikely to play much – if at all – on Sunday in Portland.
Asked on Friday whether he finds being a head coach more rewarding than being a player, Redick quickly said yes, though the Lakers‘ coach admitted he didn’t have a great explanation for why that’s the case, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (subscription required). “I tried to figure that out for the last six months, I’m not sure,” Redick said. “But I will say, I think anybody that was around me as a player knows how much I enjoyed the job every day and knows how grateful I was to be in the NBA every day and very grateful to have a 15-year career. I like this more.”
Kings rookie Devin Carter didn’t make his debut until January due to a shoulder injury and has struggled offensively, averaging just 3.8 points per game on .375/.288/.591 shooting in 35 outings (10.7 MPG). Still, he’s playing a rotation role lately for the play-in club in large part due to his contributions on the other end of the floor. “I live with a lot of what DC does offensively as he still finds his way because he is spectacular on the defensive end,” interim head coach Doug Christie told Spencer Davies of RG.org, who spoke to Carter about his first NBA season.

Pacific Notes: Payton, Beal, Hayes, Carter, Kings

April 3rd, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Golden State should have one of its top defensive players back in the near future. While veteran swingman Gary Payton II has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, he is making “good progress” from the partially torn ligament in his left thumb is now considered day-to-day, according to an announcement from the Warriors (Twitter link).

Initial reports on Payton’s thumb injury indicated he would be sidelined indefinitely, but the Warriors announced last Thursday that he’d be reevaluated in one week and it sounds as if that exam went well. While the defensive specialist won’t suit up on Thursday, he has yet to be ruled out for the second end of the team’s back-to-back set, so it’s possible he could return as soon as Friday vs. Denver.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Bradley Beal isn’t listed on the Suns‘ injury report for Friday’s game in Boston and is on track to make his return after missing eight games with a left hamstring strain. He shares fans’ frustrations about his inconsistent availability this season and is hopeful he won’t have to miss any more games this spring, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s not ideal, obviously, it’s not fun,” Beal said. “You don’t enjoy it. You control what you can control. That’s all I can do. I always preach about being available and that’s something I’m definitely kicking myself about, but that’s sometimes how the cookie crumbles. All I can do is keep my head up and keep getting better. The staff has been great, my body is in a better place and I feel really good right now. Hopefully it continues to stay that way.”
Jaxson Hayes averaged a career-low 12.5 minutes per game in his first season with the Lakers in 2023/24, but has taken on a significantly more important role in the second year of his minimum-salary deal following the trade sending Anthony Davis to Dallas. Hayes, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is looking to make the most of the chance to start at center alongside an elite pick-and-roll play-maker like Luka Doncic. “I just view it as opportunity to make a name for myself, an opportunity to go win some games and win a ring,” Hayes said on Wednesday, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “And I just look at it as I gotta come in locked in every day and just try to make the most out of every day, be the best version of myself.”
The Kings got good news on Devin Carter after the rookie guard exited Saturday’s game early due to a right shoulder injury. Carter is considered day-to-day due to a shoulder contusion and is being listed as questionable to play on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). Carter has a history of shoulder issues, so the team can breathe a sigh of relief now that the injury appears to be relatively minor.
While the Carter update was a positive one, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate in Sacramento as of late. As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, the Kings‘ loss in Washington on Wednesday represents a new low for a team struggling to separate itself in the play-in race from a Phoenix squad that has lost four games in a row. The 36-40 Kings have a one-game lead on the Suns for the No. 10 seed in the West.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Redick, Beal, Carter

March 31st, 2025 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies in Memphis represented perhaps the best overall showing to date for the Lakers‘ trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. They combined for 85 points, 25 assists, and 21 rebounds, with Reaves (31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) leading the way.

The performance came on the heels of head coach J.J. Redick gathering James, Doncic, and Reaves for a meeting on Saturday morning, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.

“We challenged all three of them when we get to their three-man actions to play with a little more force and a little more thrust and a little more creativity,” Redick said of that meeting, noting that it paid immediate dividends. “We played as well as we’ve played so far, offensively.”

“I think the meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful,” Reaves added. “(Saturday’s game) just showed that when we play the right way and trust one another, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost every possession. … It was really just a conversation about how bad all of us want to win and win at a high level.”

James, Doncic, and Reaves have all missed multiple games this month due to new health issues and/or management of old injuries, but they’ve all been available for each of the past five contests. While the Lakers lost the first of those two games, they’ve won two of the past three, with their only loss in that stretch coming on Josh Giddey‘s half-court buzzer beater on Thursday.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Within a feature story about Redick, Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes that the first-year head coach has expressed a strong affinity for Los Angeles and hopes his job with the Lakers gives him a reason to remain there for the long term. “I’m not moving again. I’m not moving my kids again,” Redick said. “We’re in it for the long haul. I would love to be the Lakers coach for the next 15 to 20 years. If I’m not the Lakers coach, I’m in it for the long haul in L.A.”
Suns guard Bradley Beal missed a seventh consecutive game on Sunday due to a left hamstring strain. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, Beal is pushing hard in the hopes of returning to action sooner rather than later. “He wants to get back,” rookie guard Ryan Dunn said over the weekend. “He’s working his butt off.” Phoenix is 1.5 games back of a play-in spot and will be without leading scorer Kevin Durant for at least the next three games.
Kings guard Devin Carter exited Saturday’s game against Orlando early after injuring his right shoulder (Twitter video link via Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento) and had his right arm in a sling after the game, tweets Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. Carter, who has a history of shoulder issues, has been ruled out for Monday’s game in Indiana due to a right shoulder contusion, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat.

No Recent Talks Between Nets, Kings About Cameron Johnson

January 22nd, 2025 at 5:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings are considered to be among the top suitors for Nets forward Cameron Johnson, but the teams haven’t engaged in trade talks for several weeks, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

A source tells Stein that Sacramento officials currently don’t see a way to complete a deal for Johnson before the February 6 trade deadline. The Kings are pursuing deals with other teams instead of focusing on Johnson, Stein adds.

A weekend report from Jake Fischer at the Stein Line confirmed that the Nets haven’t lowered their price for Johnson, as they continue to ask for two first-round picks and a young player. Earlier this month, Stein stated that Sacramento wasn’t willing to part with rookie guard Devin Carter, and it appears that stance hasn’t changed.

Fischer added that the Cavaliers have called about Johnson, but their interest seems to just be exploratory. He points out that Cleveland doesn’t have a first-round pick that it can trade until 2031, so it’s nearly impossible to meet Brooklyn’s demands.

Stein brings up the Pacers as another team to watch in the Johnson pursuit. However, Indiana has risen to fifth in the East after a recent hot streak, and Stein questions whether the front office would want to break up the current roster in light of its success.

It’s possible that the Nets will hang on to Johnson past the trade deadline and see if better offers arise this summer. He’s in the midst of a career-best season, averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc.

Nets Notes: Kings Trade Talks, C. Johson, Thomas, Sharpe, K. Johnson

January 8th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordi Fernandez‘s experience in Sacramento makes him a valuable resource for Nets general manager Sean Marks as he engages in trade talks with the Kings, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only piece. While the topics might include the future availability of De’Aaron Fox, the more immediate concern is Sacramento’s interest in Cameron Johnson, Lewis adds. The Post reported last summer that the Kings topped the list of teams hoping to acquire Johnson, and his trade value has only increased in the midst of a career-best season.

Brooklyn is believed to be asking for the equivalent of two first-round picks in exchange for Johnson. Lewis suggests that Sacramento could meet that price by offering rookie guard Devin Carter, along with a future first-rounder and other players to match salaries. That’s where input could be valuable from Fernandez, who spent two years as an assistant with the Kings before the Nets hired him as their head coach during the offseason, along with assistant coaches Deividas Dulkys and Dutch Gaitley, who also left Sacramento for Brooklyn.

“I look at the coaching staff and the front office — that relationship and that dynamic — as a partnership,” Marks said. “It’s not something where I’m telling you what to do and you go and do it, or vice versa. This is something that I should rely on them, because at the end of the day their experiences and their interactions with players — whether it’s from other teams or just being on the court — they’re up close. I’m not in the foxhole down on the court with them.

“So it would behoove me to talk to them and rely on their input. And I think, one, it’s being honest right off the get-go at the start of the season. And even before that when Jordi signed up. I mean, Jordi and I had heart-to-hearts of ‘hey, look, we’re going to build this and this is how we’re going to build it. We want to be a partnership together on this.’ So he’s been nothing but fantastic in that realm.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

In the same story, Cam Thomas talks to Lewis about the frustration of dealing with another strain of his left hamstring two games after returning from the first one. Thomas is guaranteed another long absence, as he won’t be reevaluated until January 19 when the Nets return from an upcoming six-game road trip. “Me dealing with what I’m dealing with is tough,” he said. “But we’ve still got enough guys in here to play; we’ve got to go out there and keep playing. I’m gonna keep fighting through, keep fighting through it. I’m going to just keep going.”
Day’Ron Sharpe posted season highs with 16 points and 13 rebounds in 22 minutes Monday night, Lewis states in a separate story. Sharpe, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 boards in his last four games while shooting 53.3% from the field. “I feel like I still got some room to go. I just feel like this is the start of it,” he said. “About three games ago, I feel like I really was starting to feel like myself again. Just coming back from the injury and not playing for months, I’m just still trying to figure my way out. And I feel like this is the start of it.”
It’s no secret that the Nets are tearing down their roster in hopes of landing a high lottery pick, but the players and coaches have offered a consistent public message throughout the process, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post (subscription-only). “I wouldn’t say it’s hard. We all understand it’s part of the business, and that this is what we signed up for on Day 1,” said Keon Johnson, one of several young players getting increased minutes during the makeover. “But one thing we can control is what’s in front of us. Night in and night out, we don’t know who is going to be laced up. We don’t know who is going to be playing, but it’s just a better opportunity for everybody to be prepared and hope that your number is called.”