Latest On Trae Young’s Sprained Ankle
1:02pm: Young will miss Thursday’s game vs. Miami and will be re-evaluated on Monday, per an official update from the Hawks.
11:46am: The Hawks got some good news, as Young won’t need an MRI on his ankle after all and is being considered day-to-day for now, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The 21-year-old could return as soon as next week, tweets Wojnarowski.
8:35am: Hawks guard Trae Young, the NBA’s second-leading scorer entering play on Tuesday, was limited to just 11 minutes in his team’s loss in Miami, having been forced out of action early due to a sprained right ankle. After the game, Young was on crutches and admitted that the sprain was “painful,” as Sarah Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.
“It’s definitely something they want me to stay off it as much as possible right now,” Young said.
While Young is undergoing an MRI on the ankle, X-rays were negative and there’s optimism that it’s not a serious injury, says ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Atlanta will be cautious with the second-year guard, who could be sidelined for a couple weeks. The team should be able to set an official recovery timetable once it gets the MRI results.
Young poured in 38 points in the Hawks’ opener against Detroit last week and 39 two nights later vs. Orlando, with Atlanta winning both games. He scored 25 more in a Monday loss to the Sixers before being held to five in 11 minutes against the Heat.
Assuming Young has to miss some time, Tyrone Wallace, DeAndre’ Bembry, and Jabari Parker are among the top candidates to take on additional ball-handling responsibilities for Atlanta. Evan Turner is in that mix as well, but missed Tuesday’s game with an Achilles injury.
Besides Young, only John Collins (18.3 PPG) and Parker (11.5 PPG) have averaged double-digit points so far this season, so the Hawks will have to get creative to find ways to score.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, I. Thomas, Herro, Magic
Hawks owner Tony Ressler has no regrets about trading Luka Doncic for Trae Young and would make the same decision again, relays Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Atlanta shook up the 2018 draft by agreeing to a deal that enabled Dallas to move up to No. 3 and select the eventual Rookie of the Year. The Hawks received Young, who also looks like a star after a slow start, along with a 2019 pick that was used to add Cam Reddish.
“I have to be honest, but I didn’t think Luka would be this good,” said Ressler, who admitted to being nervous about the gamble. “I didn’t think Trae was going to be this good. They are both better than I expected. I think they’re both really special players and have a shot to be for a really long time if they stay focused. I think this trade is going to have a nice, long history of discussion. I wouldn’t completely, again, declare success or whether we won it or lost it today because I do think both teams have someone they can really help build around for years and years to come.”
The Hawks are in the third step of the plan that Ressler developed to build a title contender after purchasing the team in 2015. Step one was a $200MM renovation to State Farm Arena. Next came a new management team with Travis Schlenk as general manager and Lloyd Pierce, who had experienced rebuilding with the Sixers, as head coach.
“The third step, we don’t know when and we want to do it intelligently, but is spending the money that it will take to add greatness to what we hope is existing greatness,” Ressler explained. “That is how you become a contender.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Isaiah Thomas had a promising debut with the Wizards Saturday night, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. After missing his first four shots, Thomas finished with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds in 20 minutes. The performance offered hope that he can become productive again after two injury-plagued seasons.
- Years of early-morning workouts with his father helped prepare rookie Tyler Herro for the Heat culture, notes Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. When Herro was taken with the 13th pick in this year’s draft, he was ready for Miami’s emphasis on fitness and hard work. “We say it all the time: We’re not for everyone. You have to be the right kind of player,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “So, for a young player you’re checking to see if there’s any kind of entitlement. And there’s zero with that kid. He has a whole lot to his game, because you can tell he’s put in a lot of hours and sweat equity behind the scenes when no one was watching. He’s extremely driven, very ambitious. We love that.”
- Even though the Magic are coming off a playoff season, outside shooting remains an area of concern, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Hawks Exercise 2020/21 Options On Collins, Young, Huerter
The Hawks have picked up their fourth-year option on John Collins and their third-year options on Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, officially announcing the moves today in a press release. All three players are now locked up for the 2020/21 season.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2020/21 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Collins, 22, enjoyed a breakout season in 2018/19, averaging 19.5 PPG and 9.8 RPG in 61 games (30.0 MPG) for the Hawks. The former 19th overall pick will have a cap hit of $4,137,302 in 2020/21 and will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2021 if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason.
Young, the runner-up to Luka Doncic in last season’s Rookie of the Year race, had a big second half and finished with averages of 19.1 PPG and 8.1 APG in 81 games (30.9 MPG). He’ll have a $6,571,800 cap charge in ’20/21. The Hawks will have to decide on his $8.33MM option for 2021/22 by October 31 of next year, though it’s a safe bet that option will be exercised.
Huerter, a member of the 2018 draft class like Young, averaged 9.7 PPG with a .385 3PT% as a rookie. The 21-year-old has a relatively modest $2,761,920 cap figure for ’20/21.
World Cup Notes: Team USA, White, Young
Head coach Gregg Popovich is strongly considering taking 15 players to Australia later this month in advance of the World Cup as opposed to cutting the roster down to a dozen players prior to leaving the country, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. FIBA regulations state that teams can only carry 12 players for the World Cup itself, though the remaining players could simply attend alongside the coaching staff and never suit up.
Here’s more surrounding the World Cup:
- Spurs guard Derrick White and Kings big man Marvin Bagley III are the strongest contenders to be promoted from the Select Team to Team USA’s primary World Cup roster, tweets Stein. Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher suggests (via Instagram) that White’s promotion has already happened, while Bagley’s is likely.
- Mitchell Robinson is dealing with a knee injury, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. The Knicks center initially suffered the injury over the weekend and returned to practice on Tuesday and re-injured it the following day. A source close to the situation describes the ailment as “just soreness.”
- Hawks guard Trae Young left Team USA’s training camp because of a minor eye infection, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Young had been practicing with the Select Team.
- Chris Boucher has withdrawn from the World Cup for personal reasons, Josh Lewenberg of the TSN tweets. The Raptors big man had been practicing with Canada’s National Team.
Team USA Updates: Millsap, Plumlee, Harrell, Select Team
USA Basketball has issued a press release announcing a series of updates relating to the team it’s putting together for the 2019 World Cup in China, as well as the training camp that will take place in August before that event. Here are the highlights of that announcement:
More withdrawals:
Nuggets big man Paul Millsap has joined the ever-growing list of players from Team USA’s initial 20-man roster who have decided not to participate in this year’s World Cup. As expected, Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love has also withdrawn from Team USA’s 2019 roster.
Millsap and Love join Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Damian Lillard, and CJ McCollum among the original invitees who have removed their names from World Cup consideration.
New invitees:
Team USA confirmed that Thaddeus Young, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, and Jaylen Brown will join the training camp roster for next month, as previous reports indicated.
In addition to those four players, two big men will join the roster as well, with Clippers center Montrezl Harrell and Nuggets center Mason Plumlee have received invitations from USA Basketball. Assuming the remaining 11 players from the original 20-man roster remain committed, that would bring the roster back up to 17.
[UPDATE: Harrell may turn down his invitation]
Those 11 other players are Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Kyle Lowry, Khris Middleton, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, P.J. Tucker, Myles Turner, and Kemba Walker.
Select Team:
For the first time, USA Basketball confirmed the players who will make up the Select Team at next month’s training camp in Las Vegas. The members of the 13-man Select Team will practice and scrimmage with Team USA’s training camp invitees, and will be coached by Jeff Van Gundy.
It’s possible that a player could be elevated from the Select Team to the primary roster and eventually find his way onto the 12-man squad that will play in China, but that’s probably a long shot.
The 13 players who will play for the Select Team are as follows:
- Jarrett Allen (Nets)
- Marvin Bagley III (Kings)
- Mikal Bridges (Suns)
- Jalen Brunson (Mavericks)
- John Collins (Hawks)
- Pat Connaughton (Bucks)
- De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
- Joe Harris (Nets)
- Jonathan Isaac (Magic)
- Mitchell Robinson (Knicks)
- Landry Shamet (Clippers)
- Derrick White (Spurs)
- Trae Young (Hawks)
Team USA’s training camp will take place during the week of August 5, while the World Cup itself is scheduled to run from August 31 to September 15.
Harris Withdraws From Team USA This Summer
Add Tobias Harris‘ name to the growing list of USA Basketball players pulling out of consideration for this year’s FIBA World Cup. Harris, who re-signed with the Sixers for five years and $180MM this summer, has decided to focus on the upcoming NBA season, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Anthony Davis, James Harden, Bradley Beal, CJ McCollum and Eric Gordon have also withdrawn from Team USA participation this summer, starting with training camp in Las Vegas early next month. Two other players, Damian Lillard and Kevin Love, are also undecided and will announce their decisions in the next few days, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.
Team USA will bring 12 players to the FIBA tournament. Among the players under consideration to replace the stars who have withdrawn, according to Vardon, include Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, D’Angelo Russell, Mike Conley, Josh Richardson, Thaddeus Young and Julius Randle. Select Team members could also be considered for the final 12-man roster, including Trae Young, Vardon adds. Top pick Zion Williamson has withdrawn from the Select Team this summer.
The original list of 20 invitees to the USA Basketball camp can be found here.
Hawks Notes: Jones, Roster, Parker, Minutes
Former first-round pick and newly-acquired Hawks big man Damian Jones is looking to show off his talent in a way he wasn’t able to on a loaded Warriors’ roster, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Jones, who says he is 100 percent recovered from last season’s injury, sees himself being able to provide Atlanta with rim protection, defense and a lob option around the basket.
“I haven’t really gotten a chance to show what I can do,” Jones said Friday at his introductory news conference. “… I still have more to prove.”
There’s more news out of Atlanta this afternoon from Vivlamore:
- After waiving point guard Jaylen Adams, the Hawks now have a roster of 13 players and will look to sign another veteran to the roster and a second two-way player alongside Charlie Brown, per Vivlamore (link). Because Trae Young is now the lone point guard on the team, one of those signings will almost certainly be a point guard. As for the final standard roster spot, Atlanta plans to leave that vacant for the start of the season.
- One of those 13 players is former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker. Parker, who saw his $20MM team option declined by the Wizards earlier this summer before signing with the Hawks on a two-year, $13MM deal earlier this week, says one the reasons he signed with Atlanta is because of the team’s medical staff and Parker’s confidence in them working with his twice surgically repaired left knee (Twitter link from Vivlamore).
- As we relayed earlier this weekend, Young, big man John Collins , and rookie lottery selections De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish will all see “a lot” of playing time during the 2019/20 season, per general manager Travis Schlenk.
Eastern Notes: Young, Westbrook, Siakam, Hawks
Thaddeus Young gives the Bulls a much-needed glue guy, Sam Smith of the team’s website writes. Not only does Young fill the stat sheet but he also provides other valuable assets, such as contesting shots, staying in front of his man and forcing opponents to pass late in the shot clock, Smith adds. Young signed a three-year contract with Chicago that could be worth up to $43.6MM. Young will embrace a leadership role, as Sean Highkin of NBC Sports Chicago relays. “I know the task is very, very hard,” the former Pacers big man said. “I carry that weight each and every day. I know I can help these young guys get better, I know I can push them over the hump.”
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Adding Russell Westbrook would have made the Pistons better in the short term but it wasn’t worth the long-term risk, Keith Langlois of the team’s website opines. The Pistons couldn’t afford to give up future first-rounders and agree to pick swaps as Houston did to acquire Westbrook from Oklahoma City. With Blake Griffin‘s big contract and Andre Drummond holding an option to become a free agent next summer, the Pistons would not have been able to make any more notable future upgrades if they took on Westbrook’s huge contract, Langlois adds.
- The Raptors might as well offer Pascal Siakam a max four- or five-year extension this summer, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca argues. Ben Simmons has reportedly received a similar offer from the Sixers, while Jamal Murray has already signed an extension with the Nuggets. Siakam has outperformed both of his peers in many categories, Grange notes. The Raptors also don’t have any salary-cap restraints in future seasons that would prevent them from maxing out Siakam, Grange adds.
- Rookie of the Year finalist Trae Young and young big John Collins will see an increase in playing time, Hawks GM Travis Schlenk told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Lottery picks De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish will also get thrown into the fire for the rebuilding Hawks. “Last year, Trae and John played about 30 minutes. They are probably going to play 35 minutes this year as they continue to grow,” Schlenk said. “De’Andre is obviously going to play a lot of minutes. Cam, we are going to play a lot.”
Southeast Notes: Ross, Thomas, Wizards, Young
Veteran swingman Terrence Ross was one of the first players to come off the board after the free agent period officially opened on the evening of June 30, opting to return to the Magic on a four-year deal that will pay him a reported $54MM. However, remaining in Orlando was hardly Ross’ only option.
As John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details, Ross said he received either serious interest or a contract offer from the Lakers, Jazz, Mavericks, Pacers, and Kings while he was a free agent. Like teammate Nikola Vucevic though, Ross preferred to stick with the Magic.
“I felt like for us, we both had a lot of other suitors, but our main focus all along was here (with the Magic),” Ross said. “It was one of those things where we were like, ‘Hey bro, wanna go and run it back?’ And we both were like, ‘Yeah.’ It worked out pretty quick because we were on the same page and it worked out perfectly.”
Let’s round up a few more notes from around the Southeast…
- Speaking to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, new Wizards point guard Isaiah Thomas said his free agency this time around was all about “opportunity,” since he wanted to join a team that would give him a chance to play a regular role. “When the Wizards called and showed interest, with John Wall being out possibly the whole year, that seemed like a big opportunity for me to be able to showcase that I’m 100 percent healthy and that I can still play at the high level that I’m used to playing at,” Thomas said.
- The Wizards are interviewing candidates in an effort to hire a new assistant to Scott Brooks‘ coaching staff, reports Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. While it’s not clear what kind of coach the team is seeking, Hughes notes that there has been talk within the franchise about finding someone with a “strong defensive track record.”
- According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), Hawks guard Trae Young is expected to be among the players invited to join the USA Basketball Select Team, which will participate in training camp with the Team USA squad in Las Vegas next month prior to the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Luka Doncic Claims Rookie Of Year Honors
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic was named Rookie of the Year at the league’s annual awards show on Monday.
The flashy Euro playmaker held off a late charge by Hawks point man Trae Young. Suns center Deandre Ayton, the top pick in the 2018 draft, was the other finalist for the prize.
Doncic was a triple-double threat on a nightly basis, posting averages of 21.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 6.0 APG in 32.2 MPG. Doncic and Young, who averaged 19.1 PPG and 8.1 APG in 30.9 MPG, will forever be linked since they were essentially traded for each other in last year’s draft.
Dallas moved up to the No. 3 pick to select Doncic. Atlanta moved down two slots and chose Young and also got the Mavs’ first-rounder this year, which it used to select Duke forward Cam Reddish.
Doncic was also Hoops Rumors’ unanimous choice for the award.