Pacific Notes: Wainright, Ross, Warriors, Sabonis, Vezenkov
Suns forward Ish Wainright was active for a 50th game on Thursday and has now maxed out the games-played limit on his two-way contract, confirms Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Wainright can remain on his two-way deal for the rest of the season, but he’ll be ineligible to be activated for another regular season or playoff game unless he’s promoted to the 15-man roster.
As Rankin notes, the Suns do have an open spot on their 15-man squad, so promoting Wainright is one option the club should seriously consider. But Phoenix could also decide to use that final roster spot on a veteran on the buyout market — the team was linked on Thursday to Kevin Love, for instance. If the Suns sign a vet like Love, that wouldn’t leave room for Wainright unless another player is waived.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- The Suns have already added one veteran who reached free agency after negotiating a buyout. Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports takes a closer look at that newest Sun, exploring what Terrence Ross can bring to the team.
- Tim Kawakami of The Athletic examines where things stand for the Warriors entering the All-Star break and considers whether this season represents a last stand for Golden State’s dynasty. As Kawakami writes, last week’s trade of James Wiseman for a win-now role player (Gary Payton II) signals that the team’s much-discussed “two-timeline plan” has essentially fallen by the wayside.
- In a Q&A with Sam Amick of The Athletic, veteran center Domantas Sabonis spoke about the Kings‘ resurgence, playing through a thumb fracture, and why this year’s All-Star nod means more to him than his previous two. “A lot of stuff was said when the trade happened,” Sabonis said. “(Kings executives) Monty (McNair) and Wes (Wilcox) trusted me to come here and start changing the franchise around. And it’s not just me — there’s obviously a lot of pieces. … But I was kind of that first piece, and there was a lot of responsibility. As a player, as a competitor, being named an All-Star on the West Coast, having been on the East Coast, I feel like it just means more because of everything that came with it, you know?”
- Kings assistant coach Jay Triano headed to Europe this week to scout draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Vezenkov, according to Stavros Barbarousis and John Rammas of Eurohoops. Sacramento holds the NBA rights to Vezenkov, who is having a terrific season in Greece for Olympiacos.
Suns Notes: Paul, Durant, Landale, Ross, Payne, Sarver
It appeared Chris Paul‘s championship window may have closed after the Suns‘ second-round loss in last year’s playoffs, but it’s wide open again after the team was able to land Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. The new version of the Suns hasn’t been unveiled yet because Durant remains sidelined with an MCL sprain, but Phoenix now looms as potentially the most dangerous team in the West.
The 37-year-old point guard will direct an offense that features Durant, who was playing at an MVP level prior to his injury, and Devin Booker, who finished fourth in the MVP voting last season. Paul admits there will be “a process” to making the new arrangement work, but he’s thrilled about the possibilities, telling reporters that he was in disbelief as he watched Durant on the team’s bench Tuesday night.
“I know, know KD, you know what I’m saying?” Paul said. “We done talked for years, worked out, all this stuff. It’s wild. Everything happens for a reason. KD is like family. So now, to get an opportunity to play alongside him in this capacity, I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity.”
There’s more from Phoenix:
- Appearing on a podcast with Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports, Jock Landale said the addition of Durant has invigorated the entire team.“Guys are running around like ‘Man, I’m playing with Kevin Durant now! I gotta step this thing up!'” Landale said. “So everything’s gone up a level, and that’s what needed to happen for us to win this thing this year.”
- Terrence Ross had his first practice with the Suns today after agreeing to a buyout with Orlando, Bourguet tweets. Ross confirmed reports that he was convinced to come to Phoenix after initially leaning toward Dallas. “At the last second, really, I was just talking a lot to (president of basketball operations) James (Jones) and talking to (head coach) Monty (Williams) and just kinda understanding what my role would be, and I just felt like this was a better fit,” Ross said. The veteran swingman signed a minimum-salary contract with Phoenix.
- Cameron Payne, who has been sidelined since January 4 with a foot injury, is hoping to return on February 24, the Suns’ first game after the All-Star break, Bourguet adds (via Twitter).
- Former Suns owner Robert Sarver will give $20K bonuses to many team employees and plans to make a $5MM donation to the team’s charity, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
Suns Officially Sign Terrence Ross
The Suns have officially signed free agent swingman Terrence Ross, the team announced today in a press release.
Ross reached an agreement to join the Suns after finalizing a buyout agreement with the Magic, so today’s announcement had been expected. He cleared waivers on Tuesday, paving the way for him to join Phoenix just before the All-Star break.
Ross had been with the Magic since being traded from Toronto to Orlando at the 2017 deadline. He had been considered a trade candidate for the last couple years, but ended up staying put — with his contract set to expire at season’s end, the team agreed to set him free a little early by completing a buyout.
The 32-year-old averaged 14.4 points in 27.2 minutes per game in 220 contests during his first four full seasons with the Magic, but has seen his role cut back in the last two seasons as Orlando has gone through a rebuilding process. He has averaged just 9.2 PPG in 22.8 MPG across 105 appearances since the start of last season, though he’s knocking down 38.1% of his three-point attempts in 2022/23.
The Mavericks reportedly pursued Ross along with the Suns and believed they were poised to sign him. Instead, the veteran wing chose the opportunity to compete for a title in Phoenix alongside Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and new Sun Kevin Durant. With Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson having been sent to Brooklyn in the Durant trade, the door is open for Ross to earn a rotation role.
Ross surrendered $918,516 in his buyout agreement with the Magic, Hoops Rumors has learned. That’s the equivalent of his minimum salary for 55 days. There are now 54 days left in the regular season, so if he received a minimum-salary deal from Phoenix, Ross will earn slightly less than what he gave up. His contract details aren’t yet known.
Since the Suns had a pair of open spots on their 15-man roster, no corresponding move was necessary to officially add Ross. The team still has one roster opening available.
Mavericks Notes: Ross, Irving, Harrison, Doncic, Trade Breakdown
The Mavericks thought they had a verbal commitment from Terrence Ross after the veteran wing secured a buyout from the Magic, Marc Stein reports in a Substack story.
Dallas found out on Saturday night that Ross chose the Suns instead. It’s possible that Ross had a financial motive, since Phoenix had leftover money from its midlevel exception while Dallas could only offer the prorated veteran minimum, but we still don’t know what his deal with the Suns will look like.
The Mavs pivoted to Justin Holiday after getting spurned by Ross.
We have more on the Mavericks:
- Kyrie Irving had a message for the media during his introductory news conference on Monday. He requested that they not ask about his future plans beyond this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. Irving will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. “It puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team,” Irving said. “I’ve dealt with it before, and it’s very emotionally draining to ask questions like, ‘What’s the long term? What’s the long term?'”
- Even though Irving could turn out to be a rental, GM Nico Harrison said he had no qualms about acquiring the mercurial guard, MacMahon tweets. “I don’t see any risk at all. I actually see risk in not doing it,” Harrison said.
- The Athletic’s Tim Cato takes a look at the early returns on the Luka Doncic-Irving partnership. Cato notes that the trade has eaten into the Mavs’ depth and has created more defensive issues. On the flip side, the offense has hummed when they’ve played together and the team is more competitive when Doncic needs a breather.
- While the Mavs are 0-2 with Doncic and Irving playing together, Doncic is excited about his new backcourt partner, MacMahon writes. “He’s an amazing basketball player, and I think it’s going to be really fun,” Doncic said.
- In a story for SportsBusinessClassroom.com, Eric Pincus breaks down all the financial aspects of the Kyrie trade with the Nets, including the math behind Irving’s and Finney-Smith’s trade bonuses.
Magic, Terrence Ross Finalize Buyout Agreement
FEBRUARY 12: Ross has officially been released by Orlando, the team has revealed in a press release (via Twitter). He’ll reportedly sign with the Suns upon clearing waivers.
11:06am: The Magic and veteran swingman Terrence Ross are finalizing a buyout agreement that will put him on track for free agency, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Ross, 32, has been with the Magic since being traded from Toronto to Orlando at the 2017 deadline.
He averaged 14.4 points in 27.2 minutes per game in 220 contests during his first four full seasons with the team, but has seen his role cut back in the last two seasons as the Magic have gone through a rebuilding process. He has averaged just 9.2 PPG in 22.8 MPG across 105 appearances since the start of last season.
Ross has been viewed as a trade candidate since Orlando’s 2021 fire sale that saw Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier all dealt. However, he stuck around for an extra two years beyond that, as the Magic never got the sort of offer they sought for the veteran shooter, who has made 36.2% of his 3,500 career three-point attempts.
Given that Ross is on an expiring contract and suggested last spring he’d welcome a change of scenery, it comes as no surprise that he’s seeking his exit from Orlando after staying put through the trade deadline.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who first reported that Ross was a buyout candidate, says the Mavericks and Suns are two potential suitors to keep an eye on. Marc Stein (Twitter link) has also heard word of Dallas’ interest in the veteran wing.
Terrence Ross To Sign With Suns Following Buyout
Terrence Ross plans to join the Suns after his buyout with the Magic is complete, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ross must clear waivers before he can sign with Phoenix.
Earlier in the day, Wojnarowski reported that the Mavericks were the frontrunners to add Ross, but he says that changed when new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and coach Monty Williams got involved. They were able to sell Ross on the idea of coming to Phoenix to join Kevin Durant in pursuit of a title.
The Suns have two open roster spots, so they can sign Ross without a corresponding move.
Dallas’ offer is limited to a pro-rated minimum contract, which is worth about $900K, points out Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link), while Phoenix has $5.2MM of its mid-level exception left and could offer more than the minimum (though it’s unclear whether they will).
Ross will help replace some of the wing depth the Suns had to send to Brooklyn in the Durant trade. He’s a career 36.2% shooter from three-point range and is connecting at 38.1% from long distance this season. He was averaging 8.0 PPG in 42 games for Orlando.
Atlantic Notes: Pritchard, D. Green, Ross, Harden, Raptors
Payton Pritchard was a little surprised and disappointed to still be with the Celtics when the trade deadline passed Thursday afternoon, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The third-year guard has proven he can contribute when he gets the opportunity, but he’s only averaging 12.6 minutes per game this season, the lowest figure of his career.
“I definitely was expecting and hoping (for a trade),” Pritchard said. “But you know, I (have to) look at the good things. We’re the best team in the NBA right now and we have a great team with really great players, so for me it’s an opportunity to learn and to keep growing.”
The Celtics were open to trading Pritchard and reportedly explored the market to see what they could get in return for him and Danilo Gallinari. One report said Pritchard was part of Boston’s offer to the Spurs for Jakob Poeltl, but San Antonio opted to send Poeltl to the Raptors.
Pritchard, a four-year college player, is already 25 and is hoping to find a situation soon that offers consistent playing time. The Celtics already picked up his option for next season, so there’s little he can do about his situation until the summer of 2024.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Danny Green and Terrence Ross are probably the most realistic targets for the Celtics in the buyout market, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He points out that the $3.2MM disabled player exception that Boston received for Gallinari puts the team in position to outbid most competitors.
- James Harden played his first game in Brooklyn tonight since being traded to the Sixers at last year’s deadline. Harden offered his thoughts about what went wrong for the Nets‘ Big Three and said he was glad to get out when he did, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I don’t look like the crazy one,” Harden said. “I don’t look like the guy or the quitter or whatever the media want to call me. I knew what was going on and I just decided to … hey, I’m not built for this. I don’t want to deal with that. I want to play basketball and have fun.”
- The Raptors had to renounce their rights to six former players to complete the Poeltl trade, tweets Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. They are Isaac Bonga, Jeremy Lin, Jodie Meeks, Lucas Nogueira, Jason Thompson, and longtime restricted free agent Nando De Colo.
Buyout Rumors: Love, Ross, Beverley, Sixers
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman doesn’t expect to have buyout talks with veteran big man Kevin Love, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Love has an expiring $28.9MM contract and was recently removed from coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation after Dean Wade returned from injury. Love hasn’t played at all since logging 12 minutes in a January 24 game.
Love is the last link to the Cleveland teams that made the NBA Finals in four straight seasons, and he can serve as a mentor to a Cavs roster with little playoff experience.
There’s more news on the buyout market:
- Magic swingman Terrence Ross is a potential buyout candidate to keep an eye on, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Ross is making 38.1% of his three-pointers this season and would appeal to teams in need of another shooter.
- Patrick Beverley was an emotional leader for the Timberwolves last season, but Minnesota doesn’t plan to pursue him if he agrees to a buyout, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). The 34-year-old guard was traded today from the Lakers to the Magic, who aren’t expected to keep him.
- Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com speculates about which veteran buyout candidates might be targets for the Sixers.
- As we relayed in earlier stories, buyouts are considered likely for Reggie Jackson (Hornets), John Wall (Rockets), and Russell Westbrook (Jazz).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Stein’s Latest: Drummond, Agbaji, Magic, Ross, Wizards
Bulls center Andre Drummond is a good candidate to be on the move prior to the February 9 trade deadline, according to Marc Stein, who notes in his latest Substack story that the veteran big man hasn’t been a regular part of Chicago’s rotation as of late.
Drummond wasn’t playing big minutes early in the season either, but has seen his playing time decline further since then, having received a handful of DNP-CDs in January. He has played more than nine minutes in only two games since the calendar flipped to 2023. For the season, the 29-year-old averaging 6.1 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 13.0 minutes per game in 36 appearances — all of those numbers are career lows.
Drummond isn’t on a minimum-salary contract, but his modest $3.2MM cap hit makes him an attainable trade chip for just about any NBA team. He does have a $3.36MM player option for 2023/24, so a club acquiring him would have to be comfortable with the possibility that he’ll exercise that option.
Here’s more for Stein:
- After having previously reported that the Jazz are willing to listen to inquires about anyone on their roster except for Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, Stein adds a third name to that list, citing a source who says rookie wing Ochai Agbaji also appears to be off-limits.
- The Magic are “welcoming” inquiries on Terrence Ross, Gary Harris, Mohamed Bamba, and R.J. Hampton, league sources tell Stein. Rival teams are keeping an eye on Ross as a possible buyout candidate if he’s not moved by February 9, Stein adds. Orlando hasn’t made a habit in recent years of buying out veterans in contract years, but it’s possible that Ross – who suggested last spring that he’d welcome a trade – could push for a change of scenery.
- Having previously reported that the Suns turned down a trade involving Jae Crowder and Rui Hachimura, Stein corrects the record, writing that the obstacle in those discussions was actually the Wizards’ desire to flip Crowder to the Bucks — the three teams discussed a deal, but couldn’t work out an agreement that appealed to Washington more than the Lakers’ offer.
Cavs Rumors: Bey, Hayward, Love, Ross, Possible Targets
After discussing several possible Cavaliers trade targets on Jake Fischer’s podcast last week, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com expanded on the club’s hunt for a wing in a subscriber-only story on Tuesday, taking a closer look at why Mavericks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. appeals to Cleveland, why the club is reluctant to part with former lottery pick Isaac Okoro, and much more.
Here are a few highlights from Fedor’s story:
- Pistons forward Saddiq Bey “has some fans” in Cleveland, but there’s still a gap between how the Cavaliers and Pistons value him, writes Fedor, noting that Detroit’s asking price would have to come down significantly for Bey to be a realistic target for the Cavs. That line of thinking applies to a number of other possible trade candidates on the market, including Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma.
- Although Gordon Hayward‘s skill set makes the Hornets forward a logical target for the Cavaliers, his $30MM salary makes him a long shot for Cleveland. Kevin Love ($28.9MM) would likely have to be included in a deal for Hayward, and trading Love isn’t a possibility the team has internally considered, according to Fedor, who has previously reported that there’s mutual interest between the Cavs and Love in continuing their relationship beyond this season.
- If the Cavaliers liked Magic wing Terrence Ross, they could have acquired him “multiple times” in the past, Fedor writes, implying that the asking price was one Cleveland could have easily met. Fedor said on Fischer’s podcast last week that the Cavs don’t have much interest in Ross.
- Fedor identifies Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith and Spurs veterans Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson as players worth monitoring in Cleveland’s search for wing help. He adds that the Cavs would have interest in Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson and Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate, but there’s no indication that either player will be available at this season’s trade deadline.