Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Donte DiVincenzo

Northwest Notes: Wolves, DiVincenzo, Henderson, Camara, Murray

January 16th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Timberwolves are out of excuses after losing to the shorthanded Warriors on Wednesday, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. Nearly everything went wrong for Minnesota, including a slow start to open the game that saw the Wolves fall behind 13-0.

“They came out how we should’ve come out,” said Donte DiVincenzo, who scored 28 points to go along with nine assists and six rebounds. “There’s no excuses. I think we just have to be better to start the game. We got it together. We fought and clawed our way back, but we start the game differently, this is a different story.”

Gui Santos made his first career start for Golden State and was effective, while Rudy Gobert was out-rebounded by Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Wolves rank 22nd in defensive rebounding after finishing ninth last year, which Krawczynski writes is a direct result of Gobert’s regression.

Anthony Edwards was critical of the lineup – himself included – that surrendered that early 13-0 deficit, Krawczynski writes in the same story.

“The starting five, we are terrible,” Edwards said. “Every game we come out low energy and the second group comes in and gives us energy. I would say the starting group has gotta come out with more energy like we want to play the game of basketball, like we love the game.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Things won’t get any easier for the Timberwolves as they embark on a difficult stretch that includes tilts against the Knicks, Cavaliers and Grizzlies. DiVincenzo is out with a toe sprain, according to team PR (Twitter link). It’s not clear exactly how much DiVincenzo will miss, but toe sprain absences are often measured in weeks and not days.
  • The Trail Blazers saw a glimpse of a brighter future in a Tuesday loss to the Nets, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report writes. Second-year players Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara both recorded career games, with Henderson scoring a career-high 39 points while making eight three-pointers and Camara finishing the night with 24 points.
  • Nuggets coach Michael Malone expressed confidence last month that Jamal Murray would begin to silence his critics with his play and, after a season-high 45 points from the Kentucky product on Tuesday, Malone defended his guard again. “I think the microscope on Jamal is a little intense,” Malone said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Everybody’s just got to kind let the kid breathe a little bit. He’s not perfect. And if you look, I think his overall stats as of recently, he’s been very good for us.“
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Finch, DiVincenzo, Wolves, Clingan, Jazz

January 7th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After Saturday’s loss to the Pistons, the Timberwolves‘ third consecutive defeat, head coach Chris Finch insisted that he was not going to make any changes to his starting lineup, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“You guys ask me this question all the time,” Finch said. “If I felt that the magic bullet was changing the starting lineup, I would’ve done that already. I don’t think I’m being particularly stubborn. There’s a chain reaction to everything you do. There are other combinations and things that go on on the floor that are just as important if not more so than the starting lineup.”

Finch’s starting five for most of the season was made up of guards Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards, forwards Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle, and center Rudy Gobert. As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details, Finch defended the group’s struggles in the opening frame against the Pistons. In the eventual 119-105 Minnesota loss, the Pistons managed to overcome a 53-point effort out of Edwards.

“In fact, our starters didn’t get us off to a poor start tonight, except they had some low energy,” Finch said. “I didn’t like their defense, particularly… But I thought that, offensively, they looked OK.”

Apparently they didn’t look OK enough, as Finch opted to swap in combo guard Donte DiVincenzo for Conley ahead of a 108-106 victory over the Clippers on Monday, Krawczynski writes in a separate story for The Athletic. Minnesota used the new-look starting lineup again on Tuesday in New Orleans.

“I just read all the papers, and what everybody was telling me and said, ‘You know what, s–t, I should change the starting lineup,’” Finch joked on Monday.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

  • The 2024/25 iteration of the Timberwolves are still seeking an identity, contends Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “Every game matters, especially in the West,” Gobert said. “We have confidence in who we are and who we can be as a team, but it has to show on the court. We have to focus on the things we can control, and everything else will follow.” Goodwill writes that the club’s on-court dynamic ahead of the Clippers clash was looking remarkably shaky, adding that the team has struggled to mesh with new additions Randle and DiVincenzo. Although Randle’s shooting from long range has improved significantly from his last season with New York, Goodwill notes that he has been a defensive liability.
  • Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan has impressed defensively, but remains very raw on the other end, notes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report in a reader mailbag (Substack link). Highkin projects that Clingan will be a long-term pro thanks to his already high-level defense, but notes he has a ways to go as a scorer. Highkin also predicts a long-term futures for general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups and unpacks the upside of his squad’s young core.
  • As the Jazz‘s youth movement begins to find its footing, Utah has started winning occasional games — entering Tuesday’s action, the team was 4-5 in its last nine games after starting the season 5-20. Those on-court improvements could prove detrimental to the club’s clear goal of maximizing its draft position this summer, observes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Utah currently has only the fifth-best lottery odds. “The messaging doesn’t change,” head coach Will Hardy told Jones. “The players deserve all of the credit. They have dug in, and they have bought into the little things that it takes to win. This has become a cohesive group that’s committed to helping each other.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: 2025, Balance, Expansion, Neto, MVP

January 2nd, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Rory Maher

In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.

“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”

Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.

League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Gordon, Avdija, DiVincenzo

January 2nd, 2025 at 12:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Following Monday’s victory in Utah, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone lavished praise on nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook, who finished with a “perfect” triple-double: 16 points (7-of-7 from the floor, 2-of-2 from the line), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and zero turnovers, with Denver outscoring the Jazz by 23 points in his 33 minutes.

“He came in, and this is a guy who’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Malone said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “One of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. And what I admire so much about him aside from the leadership and toughness he brings every single day, is he’s got no ego.

“He (says), ‘I’m playing with that guy. I’m gonna play through him. I’m gonna make (him) better. And if I do that, that means I’m doing my job to help this team win.’ And he came here for one reason. That’s to help us win a championship. He hates to lose. And that’s what I also love about him. He’s built the right way. I’ll go to war with Russell Westbrook any day.”

ESPN has more details on Westbrook’s big night, with the former MVP becoming just the third player in league history to record a triple-double without missing a shot or turning the ball over (Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis are the others).

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • Prior to Wednesday’s win over Atlanta, Malone said starting forward Aaron Gordon will miss at least a couple more games for the Nuggets, tweets Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports. Malone added that there’s currently no return timetable for Gordon, who remains out after aggravating a calf strain. Gordon missed 10 games earlier in the season with the injury and has now missed the past four contests.
  • After being traded from Washington to Portland in the offseason, fifth-year forward Deni Avdija started his Trail Blazers tenure in a shooting slump, averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal on .346/.233/.813 shooting in his first 13 games (24.9 minutes per contest). However, over his past 19 games, Avdija has scored in double figures 17 times, averaging 16.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.0 APG and 0.8 SPG on .505/.424/.776 shooting (28.1 MPG). “I feel like I’m being more aggressive and consistent in my shooting and driving, finishing around the rim, and just playing hard and competing,” Avdija told Grant Afseth of RG.org. “As I mature, I have more experience knowing when to make the right play, passing, and everything.” Avdija, who turns 24 years old on Friday (happy birthday), also told Afseth he’s looking forward to playing for his home country of Israel at the 2025 EuroBasket tournament this summer; Israel qualified in November, Afseth notes.
  • In an extensive interview with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo admitted he found himself thinking about how well he played for the Knicks last season and found it difficult to move on after being traded to Minnesota right before training camps opened. The 27-year-old credited an unlikely source for helping change his mentality and rediscover his “joy and love of the game” over the past couple weeks — Dennis Schröder reached out to DiVincenzo for tips on getting acclimated after being traded to Golden State (DiVincenzo’s former club). Then the veteran guard gave DiVincenzo some advice of his own. “He was just straightforward with his words,” DiVincenzo said. “He said that it’s hard. You just have to go out and do it. No matter where you’re at, just be you and just go do it. You look yourself in the mirror and be like, all right, the situation is the situation. Let last year go. This year is this year.”
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Henderson, Jazz, Nuggets, Dort, Wallace

December 28th, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Earnest Marshall

The Timberwolves haven’t looked like the team that went to the Western Conference Finals last year in the early part of this season after replacing Karl-Anthony Towns with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo via trade. Randle has a $30.9MM player option for next season, and Fred Katz of The Athletic ponders whether the veteran forward will wind up opting in as opposed to hitting free agency.

As Katz points out, there are few teams with projected cap space next offseason. Trades to shed salary to create cap space are also hard to pull off, and teams may be pickier than ever with their long-term money, given the restrictions in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Katz also looks to other top potential free agents like Jimmy Butler and James Harden, and the difficulty either would have in finding suitable money from a competitive team if each declines his player option for 2025/26.

While Randle and his representation likely wouldn’t have considered proposing a team-friendly long-term deal below his projected option salary to Minnesota in the past, the new CBA landscape could change things. Randle, who is extension-eligible, is averaging 20.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • DiVincenzo continues to round into form after a cold start to the season, shooting 48.5% from three in his past five games. After the Timberwolves won consecutive games on Wednesday and Friday, the guard spoke on the team’s chemistry, according to The Star Tribune’s Chris Hine (Twitter link). “We know what the expectations are,” DiVincenzo said. “We know everything and everybody feels it. But at the end of the day, can’t do s–t about it. We have to stay together. You either grow apart or grow together. Tonight was huge.“
  • The Timberwolves‘ narrow win over the Rockets on Friday showcased a team with title aspirations, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Anthony Edwards hit a game-winner, head coach Chris Finch handled rotations well, and several pieces stood out. But the play of Randle and DiVincenzo is perhaps the biggest reason for optimism, Krawczynski writes, with Randle going for 27 points and DiVincenzo hitting six threes. “It’s tough. Four straight years, four different teams,” DiVincenzo said. “But the thing about this team is they’ve embraced me. They’ve embraced my ups and downs and continued to push me because I know — and they know — the tide turns. You ain’t gonna be down the whole season. That’s everybody’s mentality here, and I really feel at home.”
  • 2023 No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson‘s stats for the Trail Blazers this season are underwhelming, but he had one of the best moments of his young NBA career on Thursday against Utah. Henderson made the game-winner for Portland while scoring 18 points and 10 assists. “You dream of plays like that,” Henderson said, according to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin.
  • Meanwhile, the Jazz falling to Portland in last-second fashion was an “ideal loss,” opines Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Rookie Isaiah Collier drew his second career start and showed flashes while the rest of the young core got an opportunity for big minutes.
  • The Nuggets have lost two games in a row and surrendered 149 points to the Cavaliers in their latest defeat. After Friday’s loss to Cleveland, Nikola Jokic addressed Denver’s lackluster play that has the team outside the top six in the West, according to DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind (Twitter link). “We are not even close to where we’re supposed to be,” Jokic said. “I think how bad we’ve played, we’re in a good spot. We need to start thinking what I can do for this team to help, not what the team can do to help me…We should point [the thumb not the finger].“
  • Thunder guards Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace are both listed as out for Saturday’s game against the Hornets, according to The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi (Twitter link). Dort is dealing with an ankle sprain while Wallace is suffering from a quad contusion. This will be Wallace’s first career missed game since entering the league last year.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

New York Notes: Towns, Achiuwa, Claxton, Fernandez

December 20th, 2024 at 8:04am CST by Arthur Hill

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.”
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Knicks Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Finch, Towns

December 19th, 2024 at 6:22pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Knicks and the Timberwolves are set to play each other on Thursday night for the first time since making a blockbuster deal that sent long-time Wolves star Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Former Knick Julius Randle was a part of that deal after spending five seasons with New York — it was the best stretch of his career, as he averaged 22.6 points per game and made three All-Star teams.

Despite Randle’s impressive stint in New York, he told reporters that he sees Thursday’s matchup as just “another game,” according to Peter Botte of the New York Post, and didn’t offer many further remarks when asked about facing his old team.

“Whenever you get traded, no matter what it is, it’s always tough, it’s always emotional,” former teammate Josh Hart said. “You always have that sense of not being wanted. That’s on both sides. I think [Donte DiVincenzo] and [Randle] probably felt that way. And KAT probably felt that way, and every time a trade happens, you feel, even if you’re the big piece of the trade and another team wants you, you still feel a little chip on your shoulder and you still feel unwanted.”

The Knicks know the challenge they’re facing off against with Randle, who is averaging 20.1 points this season.

“Jules is a great player. He can do it all,” OG Anunoby said, per Botte. “Pass, shoot, drive. Great player.”

We have more from the Knicks:

  • DiVincenzo still keeps in touch with his former Knicks teammates and knows what they’re going through, Botte writes in another story. DiVincenzo is averaging 8.3 PPG while shooting 31.9% from deep and was open about the difficulties of adjusting to a new team. “It’s not normal to make a trade the day before media day. Both sides, it takes time to adjust,” DiVincenzo said. “Great things take time. On our side, I believe that, but also on their side. I think KAT’s playing really well, but it’s going to take time to mesh, for other guys to adjust to what he does.”
  • Adding another layer to an already interesting relationship between the two teams, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports (subscriber link) that Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch almost took a job under Tom Thibodeau in 2020 before winding up with Nick Nurse in Toronto. “Thibs had his staff already full. And so he just wanted me to come in as a consultant/backroom guy,” Finch said. “But I wanted more to coach. I wanted to be out there.”
  • The Knicks have gotten everything they hoped for from Towns when they traded for him, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. Towns is averaging a career and league-high 13.9 rebounds per game while also contributing 24.8 points per contest, his most since the 2020/21 season. His shooting line is a scorching .526/.439/.845.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Jazz, Holmes, Murray, Nuggets

December 14th, 2024 at 11:14am CST by Earnest Marshall

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.”
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Wolves Viewed As ‘Potential Player’ On Trade Market

December 6th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves made arguably the biggest trade of the offseason at the start of training camp when they sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York in a deal that saw Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo head to Minnesota. That might not have been their last major move of the 2024/25 league year.

According to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link), Minnesota is being viewed by rival decision-makers as a “potential player” on the in-season trade market.

As ESPN’s duo explains, one reason why the Timberwolves are considered a team with a move to make is that Randle and DiVincenzo haven’t been perfect fits in Minnesota so far. Windhorst notes that scouts and executives have pointed to Randle’s “ball-stopping” habit as a factor that has slowed down the Wolves’ offense, while Bontemps cites a scout who says DiVincenzo is being asked to be more of a play-maker with his new team, something he didn’t really do in New York.

“When you watch them you can see the guys who can be free agents (Randle and Naz Reid) get frustrated at times,” one scout told ESPN. “If they were winning more it probably wouldn’t be an issue, but it’s one of the things that happens when a team underachieves.”

“Just because you’re trading for talent, it has to be the right fit. They have to learn and adjust,” another scout said. “Making a trade that late (in the offseason) is hard. So I’m empathetic.”

Bontemps and Windhorst don’t specify exactly what the Timberwolves might be looking for or what sort of assets they’d be willing to give up, but it’s worth noting that both Randle and Reid can be free agents if they decline 2025/26 player options and it’s unclear if the team would be willing to extend both, given that the Towns trade was at least partly financially motivated.

Minnesota also has a lot riding on veteran point guard Mike Conley, an important connecting piece on offense who has had an up-and-down age-37 so far, making just 35.4% of his field goal attempts. It would make sense for the team to try to find another reliable point guard who could organize the offense when Conley sits and provide much-needed insurance for a player who missed a few games in November due to injury. The Wolves have been significantly better with Conley on the court (+7.4 net rating) than off it (+0.2) and went 0-4 in the games he missed.

Still, making a trade won’t be easy, given that the Wolves are operating above the restrictive second tax apron and don’t have any of their own future first-round picks available to move (they do have one protected first-rounder from Detroit). There are still two months to go until the 2025 trade deadline and Minnesota has looked good this week, with back-to-back blowout wins over the Clippers and Lakers, neither of whom scored more than 80 points. If the Wolves can keep playing like that, a deadline move may not be necessary.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Reath, Hendricks, DiVincenzo, Wolves

December 5th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The restrictions imposed by the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement and tax apron rules will likely inspire teams to get creative on the trade market this season, insider Jake Fischer writes for The Stein Line. Second-apron teams like Milwaukee and Phoenix are among those likely to scour the trade market for players whose contracts can be acquired using the minimum salary exception or by using an outgoing minimum-salary player for matching purposes.

Trail Blazers center Duop Reath is one such player who has come up in trade chatter across the league, Fischer writes. Reath is on a three-year contract, so he can’t be absorbed using the minimum salary exception, but because his cap hit is just $2.05MM, any team (regardless of its proximity to the aprons) could legally acquire him by sending out a veteran on a one-year, minimum-salary contract ($2.09MM).

“He’s really interesting,” one Western Conference executive said to Fischer.

Reath is firmly behind all of Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III and Donovan Clingan in Portland’s rotation. If none of those players are on the move, Reath could be gettable at or before the trade deadline after flashing in each of his first two seasons. Reath is also on the books for $2.2MM next season.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Jazz second-year forward Taylor Hendricks suffered a freak injury in his third game of the season when he slipped on a wet spot on the court and fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle. He appeared in 40 games as a rookie, starting 23, but was poised for a larger role in his sophomore year and had started each of his first three games. “To feel like I’m going back to that where — I have to get ready for the next season again, and I was just getting ready for this season — it was kind of heartbreaking,” Hendricks said, per The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen. Hendricks will be out for the rest of the season and isn’t expected to be available for Summer League, according to Larsen, who says the goal is for the forward to be ready for the start of the 2025/26 season.
  • Donte DiVincenzo‘s mechanics haven’t been off to start the season — he merely seemed to be in a cold slump after shooting just 30.3% from deep in his first 13 games with the Timberwolves, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Since making five of his 10 three-point attempts against Phoenix on Nov. 17, DiVincenzo is connecting on 38.0% of his outside shots in the past eight games. The Wolves acquired DiVincenzo in the Towns trade but struggled in the early parts of the season following the move. Now, they’ve won three games in a row and the veteran wing has made seven of his 15 three-point attempts (46.7%) in that stretch.
  • The Timberwolves weren’t just slumping offensively in the early going, as Rudy Gobert and the overall defense was down too. The club has reemerged on that side of the ball amid its three-game win streak, Krawczynski observes in a separate story. Minnesota held the Lakers and Clippers to 80 points apiece in back-to-back games, with Gobert contributing five steals in the win over the Clippers. “This is what we’ve got to do,” head coach Chris Finch said. “We haven’t been doing that and we’re starting to figure it out and find a rhythm and understand how important defense is to us.”
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts