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Latest On The James Harden Deal

January 14th, 2021 at 11:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets are counting on star power to make them a title contender after shipping away much of their depth in the James Harden trade, writes Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. While Brooklyn now has two former MVPs in Harden and Kevin Durant, the move came at the cost of Caris LeVert, an explosive young scorer, and Jarrett Allen, who has been outplaying starting center DeAndre Jordan all season.

Veteran big man Jeff Green, one of the leaders of the now-depleted reserve unit, doesn’t believe the deal for Harden means the team is starting over.

“It’s just one guy that we have to integrate and get acquainted with what we’re trying to accomplish and what we’re doing on the floor, and I’m pretty sure he’ll pick it up fast,” said Green, who was Harden’s teammate for part of last season in Houston. “We’re going to do what we’ve got to do to make sure he’s aware of the spots and what we’re looking for. He’s going to do what he does best. I think it will be good for us, but I don’t look at it as a restart. It’s just another juice of energy that we’re going to get from him being on the floor and being part of this team.”

There’s more news related to the trade:

Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said the uncertain situation surrounding Kyrie Irving had nothing to do with the deal, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Marks added that Irving is excited to rejoin the team, although he didn’t say when that will happen. Marks indicated that more moves are coming, adds Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). “Without a doubt the roster is not done, it’s not finalized,” Marks said. “We’ll continue to try and add pieces as we go through this season.” The Nets currently have three open roster spots.
The Nets wanted to give up Taurean Prince rather than Spencer Dinwiddie for financial reasons, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. Dinwiddie may miss the rest of the season after having ACL reconstruction surgery last week, so he won’t be able to contribute to a team that’s built to win a title right away. However, Brooklyn was determined to get rid of Prince’s $13MM contract for next season. Hollinger explains that the Nets are already facing potential luxury tax payments between $70MM and $80MM for 2022, and keeping Prince on the roster could have added up to $50MM to that total.
By trading Victor Oladipo for LeVert and a second-round pick, the Pacers are able to avoid a difficult free agency decision this summer, Hollinger notes in the same story. While Oladipo is in the final year of his contract, LeVert is signed for two more years at $17.5MM in 2021/22 and $18.8MM in 2022/23. Hollinger points out that Indiana now has four starters in their 20s who are all under contract through 2023, along with T.J. Warren, whose deal expires in 2022. The Pacers were slightly over the tax line before the deal, but Hollinger adds that they can now use their full mid-level exception this summer without any tax concerns.
The Celtics never made a serious bid for Harden, tweets Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports. “We had conversations regarding James, but not recently,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said on a radio show this morning. “… It was just something that we didn’t want to do … Unanimously we decided it wasn’t the time for us.”

Nets Notes: Irving, Durant, Fertitta, Shumpert

January 13th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that a new Big Three is together in Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving will likely be asked to sacrifice to make it work, two NBA scouts told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Today’s trade that reunites James Harden with Kevin Durant gives the Nets three elite offensive players, but they may not fit together smoothly.

“On paper obviously that team wins the East and probably the whole thing,” said Bryan Oringher, a former scout with the Raptors, Hawks and Wizards. “But it all depends if they’re willing to do a Warriors-type thing and all sacrifice. (Harden’s) obviously incredible, but none of them seem super happy without the ball.”

Irving missed a fifth straight game tonight for personal reasons, and his absence could be extended if the NBA decides he has to quarantine when he returns to the team, Lewis adds. Coach Steve Nash refused to address specifics about Irving during a session with the media.

“I haven’t had an opportunity to know any new details about Kyrie’s situation,” Nash said. “So I’ll just rely on the front office to learn more as we go. They’re the ones that are going to do the messaging on that front.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Durant couldn’t talk directly about the Harden deal after tonight’s game because it’s still not official, but he did speak briefly about his previous experience with Harden in Oklahoma City, saying, “It was fun,” Lewis tweets. “I’ve heard that that’s not even finalized yet, so I’ll talk about it another time,” Durant added (Twitter link).
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta wasn’t impressed by the players the Nets were offering, such as Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie, who is sidelined with a torn ACL, Lewis adds in a separate story. That explains why Allen wound up in Cleveland and LeVert was sent to Indiana, while Houston acquired Victor Oladipo and a parcel of draft picks.
Today’s trade leaves the Nets with three open roster spots, and free agent Iman Shumpert could be worth considering, writes Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Shumpert played 13 games for Brooklyn last season and brought a strong defensive presence to the team. He briefly played alongside Harden in Houston, and was a teammate of Irving and Joe Harris in Cleveland.

New York Notes: Durant, Irving, Toppin, Gibson

January 13th, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Star forward Kevin Durant has yet to play both halves of a back-to-back set this season, as the Nets have made an effort to ease him back into the regular season schedule following his year-long absence due to an Achilles tear.

However, after leading the team to a comeback victory over Denver on Tuesday night, Durant is prepared to play the Knicks in New York tonight, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post details.

“I plan on it,” he said.

As of Tuesday night, head coach Steve Nash wasn’t ready to fully commit to having Durant available on Wednesday, cautioning that the Nets have to “judge these things day-to-day and moment-to-moment.” However, the team listed the two-time Finals MVP as available on its latest injury report today.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams ahead of their game tonight:

There’s “real concern” around the league from people who know Kyrie Irving about his ongoing absence, says Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The Nets guard, who was spotted on a Zoom call for a Manhattan District Attorney candidate on Tuesday evening, will face a quarantine period when he returns, assuming the NBA finds he violated COVID-19 protocols by attending a large gathering to celebrate a family member’s birthday. Having previously reported that Irving isn’t expected back this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link) suggests the star guard may not be active next week either.
The Knicks have unexpectedly upgraded Obi Toppin (calf) to probable for Wednesday’s game (Twitter link). The rookie forward said he was just cleared for contact today and hasn’t yet practiced in full, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll actually see much – or any – action tonight, says Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Taj Gibson will be available for the Knicks on Wednesday night, as Berman writes for The New York Post. The recently-signed big man is reportedly in shape, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll play an immediate role.

Latest On James Harden

January 13th, 2021 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

James Harden made some late-night headlines on Tuesday, declaring in the wake of a second consecutive blowout loss to the Lakers that he feels the Rockets are “just not good enough” and that he doesn’t believe the situation in Houston can be fixed.

Harden’s comments represent an escalation in his efforts to force his way out of Houston, but the Rockets’ front office has remained determined to have its asking price met, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who reiterates that the team is seeking a young franchise cornerstone, along with a collection of draft picks and/or young talent.

A source close to the situation tells MacMahon that the Rockets have had active trade talks with “more than a half dozen teams” and have kept in touch with Harden about those options. The former MVP has continually received assurances from team owner Tilman Fertitta that he’ll be traded, per ESPN, but it seems those assurances haven’t included a specific timeline — and Harden seems to be losing patience.

Here’s more on the situation:

Harden’s desire for a trade was reinforced following Sunday’s blowout loss to the Lakers, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic, who says the 31-year-old is eager to maximize his window to contend for a championship and no longer believes that can happen with the Rockets.
While Harden has expanded his list of preferred landing spots, sources tell Iko that the Nets remain atop that list. The general belief has been that Brooklyn would offer a package headed by Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, but one league executive who spoke to Joe Vardon of The Athletic on Tuesday believes that if a trade between the Nets and Rockets happens, it would have to be centered around Kyrie Irving.
Tuesday’s performances from Tyler Herro (34 points), Duncan Robinson (26 points), and Precious Achiuwa (17 points and 13 rebounds) helped reaffirm why the Heat are unwilling to send all their talented young players to Houston in a package for Harden, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson recently reported that Miami is open to offering “a couple” of their young players and a future first-round pick for Harden, but the Rockets want significantly more than that.

Kyrie Irving Not Expected To Play This Week

January 12th, 2021 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

4:27pm: If the Nets determine that Irving has ultimately violated NBA COVID-19 protocols, he will lose approximately $410K for each night missed, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

3:45pm: Nets general manager Sean Marks issued a statement on the Irving situation, confirming that the team and the league are “reviewing the circumstances” of the video showing the point guard at a family gathering. Irving’s return date has yet to be finalized, per Marks.

“Kyrie will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so,” Marks said.

10:32am: The Nets announced on Monday that star point guard Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for Tuesday’s contest against Denver, making it the fourth consecutive game he will miss for personal reasons (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).

Asked about Irving’s status on Monday, head coach Steve Nash said he didn’t have any updates, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

Multiple reports – from Lewis and others – have suggested Irving’s personal leave has been related to his frustration over social issues, including last Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. However, as NetsDaily details, his absence has become further complicated by new videos that appears to show him celebrating a birthday (believed to be his sister’s) amid a large gathering of people, without wearing a mask.

Sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews (Twitter link) that the NBA is examining those videos. If they’re found to be recent and constitute a violation of the league’s health and safety protocols, Irving would presumably be subject to a quarantine period when he returns to the Nets, like James Harden was last month when similar video emerged of him maskless in a nightclub.

Still, it remains to be seen when exactly the 28-year-old will report back to the team. In a separate tweet, Wojnarowski says sources expect Irving to remain sidelined for Brooklyn’s games against the Knicks on Wednesday and the Magic on Saturday — it’s unclear if his personal leave will extend through those games or if he’ll miss them due to an anticipated quarantine period.

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Durant, Irving, Fall, Knicks

January 10th, 2021 at 5:29pm CST by JD Shaw

Knicks guard Austin Rivers shined light on the importance of having available players this season, particularly as the league continues to navigate through a pandemic.

New York has mostly received good luck with COVID-19, while several teams (including the Heat and Celtics, who saw their game be postponed on Sunday) are unable to say the same. It’s a major reason why the team has a 5-4 record through the first nine contests of the season.

“The number one skill is availability,” Rivers said, as relayed by Steve Popper of Newsday. “If we can remain doing the things that we’re supposed to do — a lot of it has to do with just bad luck and good luck in terms of getting it. Some guys aren’t taking all the precautions. It’s a crazy thing. Some people touch something and end up getting it.

“With that being aside, if we do our job and we remain available, it gives us a chance to win every night and it gives us an advantage because you see a lot of teams having star players [out]. Just saw Tatum today with Boston go down. You get to see some of these teams missing some of their guys and if we’re fully loaded, it just gives us another advantage. So we’ve got to try to do our part.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:

Nets superstar Kevin Durant (health and safety protocols) will be available to play today against the Thunder, the team announced on social media. Star guard Kyrie Irving will miss another game due to personal reasons. A Nets win would give them a 6-5 record, while Oklahoma City is seeking its third straight victory.
Celtics center Tacko Fall has shown the team he’s ready for an increased role, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. Fall, 25, finished with four points, eight rebounds and three blocks off the bench in the team’s victory against Washington on Friday, logging 19 minutes. “Tacko’s gotten better since the first day that he got here,” teammate Jaylen Brown said. “He’s gotten better. His body has improved. His timing has improved. And he’s ready, as you’ve seen today. He came out, had a great game for us, defended, protected the rim, did everything we asked for, and that was just his first game. I think it’s only going to get better the more opportunity he gets.”
The Knicks have hired Nick Restifo to manage coaching analytics, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link). Restifo worked with head coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota as a basketball operations assistant, Vorkunov notes.

Durant ‘On Track’ For Sunday Return, Irving’s Status Unknown

January 9th, 2021 at 10:21am CST by marksuleymanov

The Nets are anticipating getting All-Star Kevin Durant back for Sunday’s home tilt against the Thunder, according to head coach Steve Nash.

“Kevin, I believe, is still on track for Sunday,” Nash said, per Nets Daily. “So we just have to hope his tests continue to be negative and everything stays as is, and it appears everything will be good to go Sunday.”

It was reported earlier this week that Durant would miss multiple games due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Durant was exposed to someone with COVID-19 and therefore faced a seven-day quarantine and a string of negative tests before he could return.

Durant tested positive for coronavirus in March in the early stages of the pandemic. The Nets’ prime acquisition from the 2019 offseason told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated he did not experience symptoms.

As for his All-Star teammate, Kyrie Irving, it’s unclear when he will return to the court. Anthony Puccio of The Association reported that Irving’s recent two-game absence is due to frustration with the recent riots in Washington, DC as well as the ruling in the Breonna Taylor case.

Nash said he has spoken to the point guard but that his status moving forward is unclear.

“I messaged with Kai [yesterday] but I want to keep all that stuff private,” Nash said. “We do not have any decision on Sunday yet but we will deal with that and figure it out before we go on Sunday.”

Seth Curry Returns Positive Test For COVID-19

January 7th, 2021 at 10:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers guard Seth Curry returned a positive test for the coronavirus today, which the team learned of during the first half of Thursday’s game vs. Brooklyn, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Curry, who was unavailable for the game due to a sore left ankle, immediately went into an “isolation room” and left the arena separate from the team shortly thereafter, says Wojnarowski. Before leaning of the positive test, Curry was on the 76ers’ bench for the first quarter, Woj adds (Twitter link).

As a result of Curry’s positive test, the Sixers will remain in New York tonight and commence contact tracing in the morning, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Wojnarowski (Twitter links). It remains unclear how many Philadelphia players might have to miss time due to the league’s health and safety protocols.

The Nets, who are scheduled to play the Grizzlies on Friday night, are still flying to Memphis, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Even though Curry didn’t play at all and likely wasn’t in close contact with Nets players, it’s possible some of those players will be affected by contact tracing protocols.

One Nets player who won’t make the trip to Memphis is Kyrie Irving, though his absence appears unrelated to COVID-19. As Malika Andrews of ESPN details, Irving didn’t play on Thursday night for personal reasons and will also miss Friday’s game. Head coach Steve Nash referred to it as a “private matter,” while Caris LeVert said Irving texted teammates before Thursday’s win.

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Irving, Nets, DSJ, Celtics

December 28th, 2020 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets forward Kevin Durant won’t be active on Monday night for the second game in the team’s first back-to-back set of the 2020/21 season, as Malika Andrews of ESPN writes. Durant had said over the weekend that he hoped to play in back-to-back games this season, despite coming off an Achilles tear, but he’s being held out tonight due to “injury recovery,” per the NBA’s official injury report.

“I definitely want to be able to play back-to-backs,” Durant said after Sunday’s game, per Andrews. “Get through ’em healthy and play my normal minutes, so we’ll see.”

While Durant may get a chance to play both halves of back-to-back sets later in the season, the Nets are clearly playing it safe with their top players to start the year. Kyrie Irving will also miss Monday’s game vs. Memphis for rest purposes, according to the club (Twitter link via Shams Charania of The Athletic).

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Alex Schiffer of The Athletic takes a look at how Spencer Dinwiddie‘s ACL injury will affect the Nets, noting that the team will have to change up its starting lineup and also may not have as many in-season trade options available without a healthy Dinwiddie to put on the table.
Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr., who has appeared in just one of the team’s three games so far, will remain in New York to continue rehabbing his left quad contusion, per the club (Twitter link). The hope is that Smith rejoins the Knicks at some point during their four-game road trip, which begins on Tuesday in Cleveland and runs through next Monday in Atlanta.
The Celtics‘ bench – an Achilles heel for the team in 2019/20 – remains thin this season, especially with Kemba Walker unavailable, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Washburn wonders whether the team would consider opening up a roster spot to create room for a veteran who can score, and suggests that Isaiah Thomas is one free agent who might be a fit.

Nets Notes: Durant, Irving, LeVert, Green

December 23rd, 2020 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

It took nearly 18 months for Kevin Durant to make his debut in a Nets uniform after Brooklyn landed him as the top prize in the 2019 free agency sweepstakes, but he turned out to be worth the wait, writes Malika Andrews of ESPN. Durant wasn’t quite at his former MVP level, but he put up 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals and brought a new level of excitement to the Nets, who crushed the Warriors to open the new NBA season.

“I don’t think I have to show anybody anything,” Durant said. “I’m just going to come out there and just hoop. … So, I don’t feel like I’ve got to prove myself, but I want to go out there and be able to do whatever.”

Durant played his first official game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals. He wasn’t on a minutes restriction, but coach Steve Nash said he plans to be “thoughtful” about how much to use his new star. Durant wound up playing 25 minutes and sat out the entire fourth quarter as Brooklyn held a commanding lead.

“With KD out there — the way that he looked, he looked all the way healthy, confident in his body, so it was good to see obviously from a health standpoint,” said former teammate Stephen Curry. “That means a lot to come off an injury like that.”

There’s more from Brooklyn this morning:

Kyrie Irving, who also had a brilliant opener with 26 points in 25 minutes, said he’s ready to move beyond the isolation-heavy style he has used in the past, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “It’s been a long journey to get here and to be able to master this craft and to learn that it’s not just about ‘hero’ basketball. It’s about how great the team is,” Irving said. “I got caught up in that in my career a few times, just trying to play ‘hero’ basketball, where the team success is really going to dictate how great you are as an individual and how great you play a role.”
Tuesday’s game offered a hint of how the Nets’ new rotation will look, Lewis adds in the same story. Caris LeVert handled the ball frequently with the second unit, while new addition Jeff Green subbed for Durant at power forward in the second quarter, then was used later as a stretch five with the starters.
The expansion of rosters in response to the pandemic allowed Nash to set a record in his debut as a head coach, notes Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Nash became the first coach to use 15 players in a game.