Pacers Notes: Huff, McConnell, Injuries, Bradley
Pacers center Jay Huff had a career night in Friday’s win over New Orleans, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). The 7’1″ big man posted a career-best 29 points (on 13-of-17 shooting) while chipping in nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 29 minutes.
“(Huff’s) getting better just at understanding where he needs to be,” Pascal Siakam said. “Continuing to run the floor, get some good rolls. He’s a shooter, so sometimes I think he forgets that he’s seven-feet, you know?
“So get down there. Get some of those dunks, those tricky ones — he owes me an assist today too for that missed dunk he had — but naw, I think he’s just playing free, shooting open shots, running hard and playing hard and getting those rolls and he’s able to get buckets.”
Huff, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Memphis, got off to a relatively slow start with Indiana, averaging 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds on .413/.294/.833 shooting in 34 games through the end of December (19.5 minutes per contest), Dopirak notes. However, the 27-year-old has played some of the best basketball of his career since the start of the new year, scoring 20-plus points three times and averaging 13.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .667/.424/.833 shooting over the past eight games (23.0 MPG).
“There’s growth with his connection with his teammates,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s feeling the game that we play better and better all the time.”
Known for his shot-blocking prowess, Huff — a former G League Defensive Player of the Year — is second in the league in blocks per game (2.1) among players who qualify, Dopriak adds.
Here’s more from Indianapolis:
- While there was little doubt that he would reach the threshold given that he’s been regular part of the rotation, Huff also had his salary for 2026/27 fully guaranteed after playing at least 825 minutes in 2025/26 — he’s currently at 845. His contract previously featured a $379K partial guarantee for next season, but he will now earn a guaranteed $2,667,944. The Pacers have a 2027/28 team option on Huff worth $3,005,085 — that figure will now be guaranteed as well if the option is exercised.
- Backup point guard T.J. McConnell joined Lou Williams as just the second player in NBA history to record at least 3,000 assists off the bench, per Tony East of Circle City Spin. The 33-year-old dished out nine assists on Friday to surpass that threshold. “Getting an assist, my teammates have to make the shots at the end of the day,” he said. “So for me, this says more about the players that I’ve played with in Philadelphia and especially here. Been fortunate to play with some great players in some great locker rooms, and just thankful for each and every teammate I’ve played with.”
- The Pacers will be shorthanded on Saturday in Detroit on the second of a back-to-back, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Siakam (rest), McConnell (left knee/elbow injury management), Aaron Nesmith (rest) and Andrew Nembhard (lower back injury management) are all out. However, center Isaiah Jackson has a chance to return — he has been upgraded to questionable. Jackson has been out since December 23 due to a concussion.
- Tony Bradley‘s 10-day contract will expire on Saturday night, East notes (via Twitter). The veteran big man was waived at the beginning of January before his contract became guaranteed but Indiana brought him back a few days later. The Pacers have the option to re-sign Bradley to a second 10-day deal.
Central Notes: Cunningham, Nesmith, Pacers, Bucks
It was only two seasons ago that the Pistons lost 28 games in a row and wound up with the league’s worst record. Many of the players from that squad now find themselves on the top team in the Eastern Conference.
Cade Cunningham said the team’s previous futility is a constant motivator.
“So many long car rides after the games and stuff, long nights thinking about what could’ve happened different, stuff like that,” Cunningham told The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II (subscription required). “That stuff lives with you. I carry it on the court all the time. I know my teammates carry it. (Isaiah Stewart) has had a lot of experiences in this league that he carries with him every time he plays. I think we’re all better for it.
“It’s the small things that make it up, and we’ve been through the losing end of those things and now, every night, we’re just trying to find ways to come out on top,” he added. “It’s just the details and (it’s) still early. We’re not satisfied or content with where we’re at right now. We’re just trying to keep on stacking, see where it takes us.”
Entering Saturday’s game, each of Detroit’s previous seven matchups had been decided by six points or less. The Pistons were 4-3 during that stretch.
“It’s crazy this year,” Cunningham said. “The difference in those plays is so small, you know? A loose ball with a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter, this year we’re coming up with it. In the past we don’t come up with it. We lose those games. This year we had a game [against Orlando] where we gave up a few offensive rebounds at the end, we lose that game. It’s the little plays that make up the outcomes. I think we’re just getting better at finding those moments and taking advantage more.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith has been out since Nov. 13 with a left knee MCL sprain. He’s not close to coming back, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “There’s no timetable,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “… It’s gonna be a while. Hopefully not too long. It would be great if he could be back playing some time this month. He’s making great progress with no setbacks. Time will tell, but I don’t have any set timetable for you.” Quenton Jackson, who has been out with a right hamstring strain since November 3, could return later this week. Second-round pick Kam Jones, sidelined since suffering a back injury in training camp, is ramping up his conditioning. Carlisle said Jones’ first games will most likely be with the Noblesville Boom, the Pacers’ G League affiliate.
- Carlisle has been employing a center by committee approach with Jay Huff, Isaiah Jackson, and Tony Bradley sharing minutes. The Pacers were forced to improvise when Myles Turner left in free agency, and Carlisle has been pleased with the results in recent games. “A lot of progress,” he told Dopirak. “Doesn’t matter who starts. It’s a tag-team thing, it’s a brotherhood thing. Those guys’ job is to hold down the fort. Tony is included in that too. It’s important that the spirit is we just find a way to get it done.”
- Bucks coach Doc Rivers gave his team two days off after playing back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. His banged-up squad will have two big practice days on Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday’s game against the Celtics, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “I think it’s a very pivotal time for us,” forward Kyle Kuzma said. “It’s sink or swim. We have to treat it like that.”
Pacers Notes: Backup Guard, Peter, Mathurin, Huff
The Pacers are entering the season without a clear plan for the backup point guard spot behind Andrew Nembhard, writes Dustin Dopirak for The Indy Star. Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire season with an Achilles tear; steadfast backup T.J. McConnell is out at least a few more weeks with a hamstring strain; and Kam Jones, the No. 35 pick in the 2025 draft, is on a similar timeline due to a back injury.
Indiana had bad luck with the veterans it brought in with the hopes of filling the spot. Monte Morris had a calf strain that resulted in the Pacers backing off their plan to sign him, while Delon Wright sustained a head injury in the preseason and was subsequently waived. Cameron Payne made it through the preseason healthy, but Dopirak writes that he was unable to integrate into the Pacers’ system.
“It didn’t work out,” said head coach Rick Carlisle.
With few options heading into the first month of the season, Dopirak writes that third-year guard Ben Sheppard may be asked to tap into his collegiate point guard roots. He also notes that another free agent move is not out of the question.
“We’re looking at everything,” Carlisle said. “The waiver wire. We’re looking at people’s nephews and uncles and everything else, but good point guards aren’t growing on trees. We’re going to have to be creative.”
We have more from around the Pacers:
- One very creative solution to the aforementioned point guard problem comes in the form of this year’s 54th overall pick Taelon Peter, Dopirak writes in the same story. Despite never averaging more than 2.3 assists per game in college, Peter has shown a knack for play-making in the preseason, handing out nearly 3.3 assists to 1.3 turnovers in 24.1 minutes per game. According to Dopirak, Carlisle asked Peter during the team’s second preseason game if he’d ever played point guard, then proceeded to let him run the offense for the second unit in Friday’s preseason finale. “It’s easy to sprint to the corners and knock down shots,” Peter said. “But being able to get everybody where they need to be and know every spot on every play, it’s something that is a challenge, but it’s something they’ve been great about helping me transition into. They’ve been really gracious with me throughout the process.”
- Bennedict Mathurin is looking forward to having what he considers a consistent role, Dopirak writes in a separate piece. Mathurin’s scoring ability has been a useful tool for Indiana when its offense bogs down, but his style has sometimes clashed with the team’s fast-paced, ball movement-based attack, resulting in Mathurin being shuffled in and out of the starting unit as needed. With the team more in need of his scoring than ever, the fourth-year guard is likely to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. “I’ll have a little bit more freedom to go out there to be myself, you know, within the system,” he said. “I look forward to going out there and accomplishing a lot of great things.” Carlisle wants him to make quick decisions and take advantage of easy reads, rather than play hero ball, feedback which Mathurin is taking seriously. “It’s just about watching a lot of film, seeing what’s in front of me and taking advantage of every little thing, whether it’s about timing or spacing,” he said.
- Indiana is seeking an answer at the center position after losing Myles Turner in free agency. For new Pacer Jay Huff, it’s the opportunity he has been waiting for, Dopirak writes in a profile of the big man. This marks the fifth NBA home in five years for Huff, who has played for the Lakers, Wizards, Nuggets, and Grizzlies. Last season was something of a breakout for the big man, as he averaged 6.9 points and 0.9 blocks in 11.7 minutes per game while shooting 40.5% from three and making a career-high 64 appearances. “Opportunity at the right place and right time is everything in the league,” Huff said. “I think that was just what I was waiting for.” While not comparing them as players, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan believes Huff can slot in well as a facsimile of the role previously played by Turner. “When a need came up for a stretch five this summer, he was the name that our analytics staff has always targeted,” Buchanan said. “He was just a great fit for us. His age, his shooting, his IQ. So we thought this is a good match for us.”
Pacers Notes: Nembhard, Siakam, Mathurin, Centers
After starting alongside Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton for most of his first three NBA seasons, Andrew Nembhard is preparing to take on a more significant on-ball role in 2025/26 as Haliburton spends the year recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered in June.
“It changes my whole perception of the game,” Nembhard said on Monday, per Joshua Heron of The Indianapolis Star. “Bringing the ball up is a whole new way of looking at the game instead of running off the ball.”
While Haliburton has been Indiana’s offensive engine and lead play-maker since joining the Pacers in 2022, it won’t simply be a matter of plugging in Nembhard as the new point guard and making Pascal Siakam the primary scoring option, according to Siakam, who suggested that replacing Haliburton will be a group effort.
“I think for us, last year and the way we play, it’s always been about team,” the star forward said, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “It’s never been about one person. I think this year it’s not gonna be different. We all are gonna have to do it collectively. I was telling the guys, it’s not going to take one person to replace Ty. We’re gonna all have to do it collectively. That’s the way we have to think about it.”
Siakam is aware that he’ll be one of the players who is asked to take on more ball-handling and play-making responsibilities without Haliburton available. That’s not a problem for the 31-year-old, who got accustomed to operating on the ball and initiating the offense during his time in Toronto.
“I’ve done that in the past,” Siakam said. “I think just watching my last two years you don’t really see some of the other things I’ve done before. I feel like one of the funniest questions coach asked me was, ‘Oh, have you had a triple-double before?’ It was like, “Well yeah, I’ve had multiple.’ I can do that too. I feel like what makes me different is that I can adapt to every situation and I’ve worked on every facet of my game.”
We have more out of Indiana:
- It’s an important fall for Bennedict Mathurin, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension and is on track to join Nembhard in Indiana’s starting backcourt. The fourth-year wing said at media day on Monday that making “better reads and smarter decisions” will be a key to success for him, according to Dopirak. Head coach Rick Carlisle agreed. “We just need him to run hard, shoot open shots that are there and make simple reads offensively. Our game is played best when it’s fast and simple,” Carlisle said, adding that Mathurin will likely see greater defensive challenges too. “… There’s a very good chance he’ll be asked to guard the ball on a lot of situations.”
- Four spots in the Pacers’ starting lineup look set, as Aaron Nesmith will likely join Nembhard, Mathurin, and Siakam in that group. That leaves the center spot up for grabs, with Isaiah Jackson and Jay Huff considered the leading candidates and James Wiseman and Tony Bradley also in the mix. “We have four guys that really are very, very good,” Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “They all bring something different. A lot of this, we just gotta play it out in training camp and the preseason games and see what’s what. I don’t have any preconceived notions as to who’s going to start.” Carlisle acknowledged that Jackson has been working with the starting group in pickup games, but praised the other three centers on the roster and noted that Huff’s ability to shoot and protect the rim will be an “important ingredient” for the club.
- In a separate story for The Indy Star, Dopirak passed along notable media day quotes from several other Pacers players, including T.J. McConnell, who knows that he and a few of his teammates will have to step up as leaders with Haliburton out and James Johnson no longer on the team. “I’ve never been a guy to use my voice too much,” McConnell said. “… James and Tyrese were those constant voices. Not only myself, but others have to step up and have more of a voice, not just when they see something.”
Pacers Hire Johnny Carpenter, Promote Jim Boylen
The Pacers have added Johnny Carpenter to Rick Carlisle‘s coaching staff as an assistant, the team announced on Monday in a press release.
Carpenter spent the 2024/25 season in a player development/scouting role with the Grizzlies and was with the University of Virginia for nine years before that, working in a series of roles that included assistant coach, director of player personnel, and basketball technology assistant.
Carpenter has an existing relationship with Carlisle, having served as an assistant video coordinator for the Mavericks in 2014/15 when Carlisle was Dallas’ head coach.
As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star tweets, Carpenter also worked with big man Jay Huff at Virginia — he helped convince the Grizzlies to acquire him last season and will now reunite with Huff after a July trade sent the 27-year-old to Indiana.
The Pacers also announced in today’s press release that veteran assistant Jim Boylen will move to the front of the bench, joining Lloyd Pierce and Jenny Boucek as Carlisle’s top assistants. Boylen will fill the opening created after Mike Weinar and the Pacers mutually agreed to part ways.
Pacers Notes: Huff, Wiseman, Oladipo, Johnson, Haliburton
After losing longtime starting center Myles Turner to the division-rival Bucks, the Pacers will take a “by committee” approach to the position in 2025/26, general manager Chad Buchanan confirmed during an appearance on the Setting The Pace podcast (YouTube link).
The team re-signed Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman earlier this month and made a trade with Memphis to acquire Jay Huff. Veteran journeyman Tony Bradley is also in the mix, though his contract is fully non-guaranteed, so if Jackson and Wiseman are fully recovered from Achilles tears, there may not be room for him on the regular season roster.
Discussing the team’s deal for Huff, Buchanan pointed out that the big man had a huge game against the Pacers’ G League team in the playoffs a couple years ago and added that Indiana’s analytics department had its eye on the 27-year-old for a while.
“Watching him in Memphis this year when he got his opportunity, he really shined,” Buchanan said (hat tip to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). “He had moments of running the floor, finishing lobs, shooting threes, protecting the rim. He’s not a perfect player by any means — he’s got areas that he needs to be better at and improve at. But we felt like what we were losing in Myles and what Jay provided at the age he was at, his basketball IQ, his feel of the game were really good fits for the way we play.”
Buchanan also spoke highly of Jackson and Wiseman, suggesting that Jackson’s skill set will give the Pacers’ lineup a different look and stating that the team remains just as bullish on Wiseman as it was when it first signed him a year ago.
“He’s in a great spot physically,” Buchanan said of the former No. 2 overall pick. “He still has to go through the hurdles of playing in a 5-on-5 game and things like that, but we’re very encouraged with where his recovery is going.”
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Buchanan confirmed on the Setting The Pace podcast that Indiana was among the teams that attended Victor Oladipo‘s workout in Las Vegas (YouTube link). However, he didn’t suggest that a reunion with the former Pacers All-Star is forthcoming . “Obviously, we have a history with Victor,” the Pacers’ GM said (hat tip to Dopirak). “We’re always going to be looking for, if it’s the right player at the right time that fits us, we’re going to have to consider it whether it’s Victor or not. Many teams watched along with us. We get tied to him because he’s a former player of ours. I don’t think we’re any different than any other team that watched him out there.”
- Veteran forward James Johnson, who has been with the Pacers for parts of the last three seasons, hopes to continue his playing career, according to Buchanan, though it’s unclear whether Indiana will have room on its roster for him (YouTube link). “Tyrese (Haliburton)’s injury creates a butterfly effect with what we have to plan on and how the roster fits together,” Buchanan said (hat tip to Dopirak). “Right now, it could be challenging to find a spot for James, as much as we want him back.” The GM did acknowledge “that could change,” and it’s worth noting that Johnson didn’t start the 2023/24 season on the Pacers’ roster but was eventually added, first on a non-guaranteed contract, then on 10-day deals, then on a rest-of-season agreement.
- Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link) this week, Haliburton said that he has been in touch with both Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant to discuss the recovery process from a torn Achilles. Souichi Terada of MassLive.com has the details
And-Ones: Summer League, Clifford, Barton, Apron Teams
The Kings and Raptors will square off in one of the semifinal matchups at the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday, while the Thunder and Hornets will match up in the other semifinal, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).
Those clubs are four of the six who have gone undefeated in Vegas and earned spots in the final four due to their point differential edge over the 4-0 Timberwolves and Hawks. The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will play in the Summer League championship game on Sunday night before the event wraps up.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- As impressive as No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was during his brief stint with the Mavericks‘ Summer League team, Kings guard Nique Clifford beat Flagg out as the best rookie in Las Vegas, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. Pelton also names Trail Blazers big man Yang Hansen the “most intriguing” rookie in Summer League, Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears as the slowest-starting rookie, and Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski as the best second-year performer.
- Veteran guard Will Barton, who spent 11 seasons in the NBA from 2012-23, is joining the DMV Trilogy in the BIG3 and will make his debut for the 3×3 team this Sunday, according to a report from Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Barton hasn’t been on an NBA roster since finishing a rest-of-season contract with Toronto in 2023. The 34-year-old has played in Spain, Puerto Rico, and China since then.
- In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a look at which teams are members of the NBA’s “apron club” this season and which clubs are positioned to cross that threshold within the next year or two if they don’t end up shedding salary.
- The Pistons‘ acquisition of sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, the Heat‘s trade for swingman Norman Powell, and the Pacers‘ addition of big man Jay Huff are a few of the top “under-the-radar” moves that have been made so far this offseason, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Pacers Notes: Nembhard, Mathurin, Turner, Jackson, More
With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the entire 2025/26 season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, the Pacers‘ offense is expected to look significantly different in the fall and likely won’t be nearly as “high-octane,” according to Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Indiana ranked second in both offensive rating and pace during the 2023/24 regular season and was a top-10 team in both categories again in ’24/25, despite getting off to a slow start last fall. The Pacers also played at the fastest pace of any Eastern Conference team during the 2025 playoffs en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.
As Collier observes, Andrew Nembhard – who figures to take over as the team’s starting point guard in 2025/26 – doesn’t have the same burst as Haliburton, so the Pacers figure to lean more into his strengths, including his decision-making in half-court sets.
According to Collier, several executives around the league believe that fourth-year wing Bennedict Mathurin is in line for an increased offensive role with Haliburton on the shelf and Myles Turner no longer on the roster. Mathurin, a 2022 lottery pick, has averaged 15.9 points in 28.3 minutes per game during his first three years in the NBA. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Confirming remarks made by president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said during an appearance on The Green Light with Chris Long podcast (YouTube link) that the club didn’t have the opportunity to match the contract offer Turner got from Milwaukee before he agreed to sign with the Bucks. “We were talking to them – ‘them’ meaning his agent – about him returning,” Carlisle said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “And really, kind of out of nowhere, Milwaukee decided to waive Damian Lillard and stretch his contract…and then they created space to sign Myles. I think what probably happened—and this is part of negotiation in any sport—a team will say: ‘Hey, look, we have this offer. It’s this much over this many years, but if we make this offer, we need to know that you’re going to take it and not shop it.’ And so, I believe that’s probably what happened with Milwaukee. It was a number. It was a certain number of years. And they just jumped at it, and there was never a chance to counter. So—those things happen. And when they do, you just have to keep going.”
- While Isaiah Jackson‘s new three-year, $21MM contract with the Pacers is guaranteed for now, it includes injury protections in years two and three in the event that the big man suffers another major Achilles injury that prevents him from reaching games-played benchmarks, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Jackson missed nearly the entire 2024/25 season while recovering from an Achilles tear he sustained in early November.
- Pascal Siakam tops the list of the Pacers’ most important players for the 2025/26 season with Haliburton out and Turner gone, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). Nembhard, Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Jay Huff round out Dopirak’s top five, in that order.
- In a separate story for The Indianapolis Star, Dopirak shares his takeaways from the Pacers’ fourth Las Vegas Summer League game on Thursday, including forward Enrique Freeman continuing to make a strong case for a two-way slot in Indiana. Freeman racked up 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and four assists, in Thursday’s win over New York.
Grizzlies To Sign Jock Landale, Trade Jay Huff To Pacers
July 6: The Huff trade is official, according to the Grizzlies (Twitter link).
July 5: Free agent center Jock Landale has reached a contract agreement with the Grizzlies, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Memphis will make room on its roster by sending Jay Huff to the Pacers in exchange for a future second-round pick and a second-round pick swap, Charania adds (Twitter link).
Landale was waived by the Rockets on Thursday before his $8MM salary for the upcoming season became guaranteed. He was expected to be on the move on after Houston agreed to sign Clint Capela in free agency, adding to its center depth along with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
The 29-year-old big man signed a four-year, $32MM contract with the Rockets in 2023 that contained just one fully guaranteed season. He appeared in 42 games this year, averaging 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per night.
Landale’s new contract with Memphis will cover one year at the veteran’s minimum, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). He will provide another option for Memphis in light of Zach Edey‘s uncertain status after undergoing ankle surgery in June.
Indiana was able to pick up an additional big man in Huff after losing Myles Turner to Milwaukee earlier this week. The Pacers will be the fifth team in five years for the 26-year-old center, who is coming off his best NBA season. He appeared in 64 games for Memphis, averaging 6.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per night while shooting 51.5% from the field and 40.5% from three-point range.
Huff will make $2.4MM and $2.7MM over the next two seasons, and his contract includes a $3MM player option for 2027/28.
The draft choice headed to Memphis will be a 2029 second-rounder that originally belonged to Portland, while the option for the second-round pick swap will take place in 2031, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Inside The Nuggets’ Firing Of Michael Malone, Calvin Booth
Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had lost the support of virtually the entire locker room by the time he and general manager Calvin Booth were fired earlier this week, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required) reports within an investigation of what went wrong in Denver.
Malone was a strong-willed coach whose emotions varied greatly depending on whether the team won or lost, sources tell Fischer. Many players found that experience grating and began to tune him out.
“I can’t say any player was vouching for him,” one source told Fischer, while another said “this thing is broken” after a loss to Indiana last week.
As several other reports have indicated, Malone and Booth had a strained relationship and rarely communicated other than to discuss matters involving the team. Booth turned down a contract extension prior to the season, believing it was below his market value, and it was widely believed that Malone’s time in Denver would have ended this offseason if Booth had accepted the offer and remained GM.
Much of their conflict stemmed from Malone’s preference to rely on experienced veterans at the expense of younger talent, which Fischer notes is a practice that pre-dates Booth’s arrival to the team. Fischer points to Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the most sought-after free agents on last year’s market, as the best example. Hartenstein could have developed into a reliable backup for Nikola Jokic, but Malone only used him in 30 games during the 2020/21 season before he was traded to Cleveland at the deadline.
A similar situation played out last year with Jay Huff, who has blossomed this season in Memphis. Sources tell Fischer that Booth and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis both implored Malone to play Huff, who was on a two-way contract at the time, but he only got into 20 games and averaged 2.5 minutes per night.
While Christian Braun eventually broke through and has established himself as a reliable starter, Malone was pushing to trade him for a more established player leading up to the 2024 deadline, sources tell Fischer.
Fischer points out that despite their animosity, Malone and Booth were able to produce the most successful seasons in Nuggets history, winning the NBA title in 2023 and matching the franchise record for victories with 57 last year.
Much of the frustration stemmed from Malone’s refusal to give regular minutes to the young players Booth brought in after Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency. Fischer notes that Booth had a sign-and-trade opportunity with the Mavericks last summer involving Caldwell-Pope, but he didn’t want to strengthen the roster of the defending Western Conference champions.
The Nuggets were quiet at this year’s trade deadline, as Booth said potential deals would have to involve Zeke Nnaji‘s $8.8MM salary and Dario Saric‘s $5.1MM. Fischer hears that Denver expressed interest in several players — including Terance Mann, who was ultimately dealt to Atlanta — but Booth felt the price was too high and many potential trading partners shied away from Saric because he holds a player option for next season.
The front office also considered trade options that would turn Michael Porter Jr.‘s $36MM salary into multiple players on lesser deals, according to Fischer. He adds that it never got past the conceptual stage, noting that the Kroenkes are fond of Porter because he’s a Missouri alum just like they are, and they’re considered unlikely to trade him away.
Nuggets players are more supportive of interim coach David Adelman, and Fischer hears that he’ll get a chance to keep the job on a permanent basis. Fischer notes that Booth wasn’t immediately replaced, but sources tell him the team will conduct a search for a new head of basketball operations while keeping most of the current front office together. Fischer mentions Minnesota general manager Matt Lloyd as a name to watch.
The biggest question hanging over the Nuggets as the season winds down is whether Jokic might grow tired of all the chaos and ask for a trade. Fischer states that the three-time MVP has shown no indication of wanting out, but adds that rival teams are sure to be calling with offers this summer.