COVID-19 Updates: Suns, Blazers, Rockets, Wolves, More
Here are the latest health and safety protocols updates from around the NBA:
Entering the protocols:
- Jae Crowder and Elfrid Payton have become the first two Suns players to enter the COVID-19 protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
- The Trail Blazers‘ outbreak continues to grow, with Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller among the players now in the protocols, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Seven Portland players have been placed in the protocols since Friday.
- Rockets guard Garrison Mathews became the second Houston guard to enter the protocols today, joining teammate D.J. Augustin, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
- Timberwolves big man Naz Reid is now in the health and safety protocols, bringing Minnesota’s list of affected players up to eight, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
- The Thunder announced today that they’ve placed rookie guard Tre Mann in the protocols. Oklahoma City now has two players affected — Mann and Darius Bazley.
Exiting the protocols:
- Point guard De’Aaron Fox returned to action on Sunday when the Kings hosted Memphis. Fox had been in the health and safety protocols since December 16.
- A pair of Timberwolves – Patrick Beverley and Josh Okogie – are no longer in the health and safety protocols, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. They’re both listed as questionable for Monday’s game vs. Boston.
- Clippers forward Marcus Morris has cleared the health and safety protocols, though he remained inactive on Sunday as he goes through a reconditioning period, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
- Cavaliers wing RJ Nembhard was no longer listed on the team’s injury report on Sunday and played vs. Toronto, so he’s out of the protocols. Isaac Okoro has exited the protocols too, though he’s still working his way back, according to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff (Twitter link via Kelsey Russo of The Athletic).
Northwest Notes: Little, Thunder, Porter Jr., Nuggets
The Trail Blazers have received a much-needed boost from swingman Nassir Little, who helped the team secure a 105-90 victory over the Lakers on Saturday, Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com writes.
Little finished with eight points, five rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes of action off the bench. His strong effort helped lift Portland back to a .500 record (5-5).
“Energy. I think that’s it,” teammate Larry Nance Jr. said of what comes to mind when he thinks of Little. “Nas comes in and plays with so much energy. Obviously, Ant (Anfernee Simons) plays with a lot of energy. Cody (Zeller) getting after every ball and myself, that’s a lot of what I’ve prided myself on for the past few years.
“I think playing with a certain level of intensity. I think we’ve got some rangy defenders as well. So that group is looking to provide a spark every time we check-in and so far, we’re doing a pretty good job of it.”
Here are some other notes out of the Northwest Division tonight:
- The Thunder have recalled Vit Krejci, Tre Mann and Isaiah Roby from their G League affiliate, the team announced in a release. Oklahoma City has upcoming games against the Spurs on Sunday, Pelicans on Wednesday and Kings on Friday.
- Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will undergo further testing on his lower back, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. Porter exited the team’s game against Houston on Saturday with soreness and will miss Monday’s contest against Miami. Back issues sidelined Porter for his entire rookie season in 2018/19.
- Speaking of Porter, Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post believes the Nuggets should remove him from the starting lineup and relegate him to a bench role. The 23-year-old is shooting just 36% through nine games, averaging 9.9 points per contest.
Western Notes: Conley, Valanciunas, Ayton, Mann
The Knicks, Bulls, Mavericks and Pelicans showed interest in Mike Conley during free agency but re-signing with the Jazz was an “easy” choice, as he told Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“It was an easy decision (based) on what we had built here and what I was able to be a part of last year and in the last few seasons,” he said. “Just wanted to be a part of that journey with these guys. Trying to bring a championship to a place that, you know, it’s not easy to do. I think that seeing Milwaukee win was awesome.”
Conley signed a three-year, $68MM contract that includes some incentives.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Jonas Valanciunas has quickly emerged as a crucial player for the Pelicans, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. Valanciunas is averaging 18.2 PPG and 14.7 RPG while logging a career-high 34.3 MPG through six games. Coach Willie Green said the starters would continue to play big minutes until Zion Williamson returns. “Right now, those guys are going to play high minutes. That’s why we’re not doing much at practice,” Green said. After being acquired from Memphia, Valanciunas signed a two-year, $30.1MM extension this fall.
- Suns coach Monty Williams isn’t worried about Deandre Ayton‘s focus even though the team didn’t reach an extension agreement with their center, Amick writes in a separate story. In fact, Williams hopes Ayton plays more selfishly as he heads toward restricted free agency. “He probably doesn’t get enough credit for how unselfish he is. We want him to be more selfish,” Williams said. “We want him to be more aggressive, but I don’t foresee that happening. The young man wants to win, and that’s what I’ve seen since I’ve been with him from Day 1.”
- The Thunder have assigned Tre Mann, the 18th overall pick, to the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue. Head coach Mark Daigneault believes that will accelerate his development more than having him play spotty minutes with the Thunder, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. “His ability to go there, play more minutes, take on a heavier load defensively, find a little bit of rhythm offensively, settle into games a little bit more, settle into practices a little bit more is a great opportunity for him to grow,” Daigneault said. Oklahoma City also has a logjam of young guards, Mussatto notes.
Thunder Sign Josh Giddey, Tre Mann To Rookie Contracts
The Thunder have signed first-round picks Josh Giddey and Tre Mann to their rookie scale contracts, the team announced today in a press release.
Having entered draft night with the sixth, 16th, and 18th overall picks in the first round, Oklahoma City traded the No. 16 selection to Houston, but used No. 6 to pick Giddey and No. 18 to nab Mann. The two rookies are projected to earn first-year salaries of $5.99MM and $2.9MM, respectively.
Giddey, a member of the Adelaide 36ers in 2020/21, averaged 10.9 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 7.4 RPG in 28 games, earning NBL Rookie of the Year honors. The 18-year-old Australian was a surprise pick at No. 6 over the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and James Bouknight, but his size (6’8″) and play-making ability make him an intriguing fit for the rebuilding Thunder.
As for Mann, he spent two seasons in college, emerging as a full-time starter in the Florida Gators’ backcourt in 2020/21. The 6’5″ guard put up 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 3.5 APG with a shooting line of .459/.402/.831 in 24 games as a sophomore before entering the draft.
As our tracker shows, No. 32 pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is now the Thunder’s lone unsigned 2021 draftee.
Western Notes: Culver, Mann, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Nuggets
It’s possible that Timberwolves third-year wing Jarrett Culver could be available this offseason for a second-round pick, according to a tweet from Darren Wolfson of SKOR North.
Not only has Culver had trouble carving out a role for himself with the Timberwolves, but between last year’s No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards and Malik Beasley, who was signed to a four-year deal last summer, there’s little room on the wing for the 22-year-old to get developmental reps.
The Wolves are only two years removed from trading Dario Saric and the No. 11 pick to Phoenix in order draft Culver with the sixth overall pick, so the idea that they may be willing to settle for a second-round pick is discouraging. But it doesn’t take long for a prospect’s value to decline if he isn’t taking positive strides forward — even if he was a lottery pick.
We have more news from around the Western Conference:
- Likely first-round pick Tre Mann is conducting last-minute workouts this week with the Suns, Kings, and Nuggets this week, Mann said in an interview with HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Mann also mentioned that from conversations with his camp, he expects his draft range to be “from 16-25, maybe.”
- On the heels of the Grizzlies‘ trade with the Pelicans, John Hollinger of The Athletic breaks down the salary and personnel machinations of the trade, as well as some potential moves that may stem from it, such as different ways Memphis could move Eric Bledsoe again. Sources tell Hollinger that the Grizzlies are discussing additional trades involving their surplus of perimeter players — Tyus Jones‘ name popped up in trade rumors earlier today.
- The Nuggets worked out six prospects on Monday, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post: JT Thor, Juhann Begarin, Scottie Lewis, Feron Hunt, and Ibi Watson. Of the six, Thor is the only prospect expected to potentially be in play when the Nuggets pick at No. 26.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Mann, Taylor, Cunningham, Hornets
NBA draft prospect Tre Mann expressed confidence that he’s the best guard in this year’s class, as relayed by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Mann, 20, spent the past two seasons at Florida. He held per-game averages of 16 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists during the 2020/21 campaign, shooting 46% from the floor and 40% from deep.
“I think I’m the best guard in the draft, top-five for sure,” Mann said.
When asked about his strengths and weaknesses ahead of Thursday’s event, he gave a fair outlook.
“My strengths are my ability to create for myself and my teammates, my craftiness, and my ability to shoot off the dribble on the three-point line or a couple of steps behind the line,” Mann said. “The weaknesses that I think I need to work on are the simpler plays, like making the simple reads out of the ball screens and trying to make the game as easy as possible.”
Here are some other draft-related notes to pass along:
- Former Austin Peay wing Terry Taylor worked out for the Mavericks on Saturday and Suns on Sunday, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link). Taylor has earned workouts with over half of the league’s 30 teams and will also audition for the Hawks on Monday.
- Cade Cunningham is widely considered to be the best option in the draft, but Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle contends that it shouldn’t be a sure thing. Detroit owns the No. 1 selection in the event, followed by Houston at No. 2.
- The Hornets worked out Sam Cunliffe, Marcus Garrett, Austin Reaves, Jordan Schakel, Isaiah Todd and McKinley Wright IV on Saturday, the team announced on social media. A separate group consisting of Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Javonte Smart, Ziaire Williams and Damien Jefferson attended a team workout on Sunday.
Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Raptors Picks, Mann, Jackson, MacLeay
Projected lottery pick Scottie Barnes worked out for the Raptors on Tuesday, Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. Toronto holds the No. 4 pick and Florida State’s Barnes is the top-rated small forward on ESPN’s Best Available list, though he’s ranked No. 6 overall.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have back-to-back second-round picks at No. 46 and No. 47 and Blake Murphy of The Athletic takes a look at a dozen prospects the front office might consider at those spots. Georgia Tech’s Moses Wright and Michigan’s Isaiah Livers are among the players profiled.
- Tre Mann, Charles Bassey, Ayo Dosunmu and Isaiah Jackson worked out for the Knicks on Tuesday, Ian Begley of SNY.TV reports. New York has picks at No. 19, 21 and 32. Kentucky forward Jackson (No. 19 on ESPN’s list) and Florida guard Mann (No. 22) are the highest-rated prospects among that group.
- The Celtics have hired DJ MacLeay away from the Sixers as a player enhancement coach, Clevis Murray reports (via Twitter). He’s been Philadelphia’s video coordinator the last three seasons.
Pacific Notes: Warriors Workouts, Lakers, LeBron, CP3
The Warriors, who hold the seventh and 14th overall picks in this year’s draft, are busy this week working out prospects, many of whom could be in play for one of those two lottery picks.
As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets, Cameron Thomas, Tre Mann, Isaiah Todd, Quentin Grimes, Nah’Shon Hyland, and LJ Figueroa came in for a group workout with the Warriors on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Baylor’s Davion Mitchell is conducting an individual workout with Golden State before Jalen Johnson, Kai Jones, and Moses Moody audition later in the afternoon, according to Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).
Of those 10 prospects, Mitchell (No. 7), Johnson (12), Moody (16), Jones (20), Mann (22), Thomas (26), Grimes (29), and Hyland (30) are all projected by ESPN to be first-round picks.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Jovan Buha of The Athletic presents the case for and against the Lakers re-signing each of their own free agents, including Dennis Schröder, Alex Caruso, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Andre Drummond.
- During an appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live,’ LeBron James laughed off a question asking about the possibility of the Lakers signing or trading for Suns point guard Chris Paul, but admitted that he’d “absolutely” like to play with his close friend at some point, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic details. Maybe it could happen before the two stars retire, but I wouldn’t count on it being a realistic option in 2021/22.
- In case you missed it, Suns assistant Willie Green is on track to become the Pelicans’ new head coach and is expected to finalize a deal with the team this week.
Southeast Notes: Crowder, Heat, Mosley, Wizards
The Heat made a key personnel decision that could have adversely impacted their 2020/21 season in letting Jae Crowder walk as a free agent during the 2020 offseason, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The club opted to not sign Crowder to a long-term deal so that it could keep its coffers open for the summer of 2021, when Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was scheduled to be a free agent. Of course, Antetokounmpo then signed a lucrative extension with Milwaukee, and the Bucks would go on to sweep the Heat 4-0 in the first round of the 2021 postseason.
Crowder, meanwhile, signed a three-year, $29.2MM deal with the Suns. Though Crowder’s statistical numbers may be modest, Winderman notes that his toughness and versatility would have significantly aided Miami’s 2020/21 season. Crowder is now bringing those same attributes to bear for the Suns in the NBA Finals. The club is up 2-0 against the Bucks.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Team Nigeria head coach Mike Brown sang the praises of Heat forwards Precious Achiuwa and KZ Okpala after they contributed to Team Nigeria’s 90-87 exhibition match upset over Team USA in an Olympics tuneup game, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Achiuwa and Okpala’s contributions went beyond their minor offensive output. Their Miami teammate Gabe Vincent, meanwhile, enjoyed a stellar offensive game for Nigeria, scoring a team-high 21 points on 66.7% field goal shooting.
- Several current and former Magic players expressed their excitement when the news broke today that Orlando would be hiring Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley to be the club’s new head coach, writes Chris Hays of The Orlando Sentinel. “I’m happy for him,” Magic forward Jonathan Isaac told Hays. “He’s been faithful to the grind and the league for many years.” Former Magic guard J.J. Redick, who was coached by Mosley in Dallas this season, tweeted “Love this!!”
- The Wizards, who have the No. 15 pick in the 2021 draft, will hold pre-draft workouts for six draft candidates on Monday, per a team press release. Richmond guard Blake Francis, Florida guard Tre Mann, Avtodor Saratov forward Nikita Mikhailovskii, Tennessee swingman Yves Pons, Stanford forward Oscar Da Silva, and Coppin State wing Koby Thomas will all get a look from Washington’s brain trust.
Draft Notes: Early Entrant Decisions, Grimes, Henry, Pacers, More
Justin Bean (Utah State), Eric Ayala (Maryland), Jeenathan Williams (Buffalo), Latrell Jones (Portland), Quentin Scott (Texas State), and De’Vion Harmon (Oklahoma) are all withdrawing from the 2021 NBA draft after testing the waters as early entrants, according to a series of reports from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and Jeff Goodman of Stadium (all six links go to Twitter).
Of those six players, three will transfer, with Jones heading to Nicholls State, Scott making the move to Tulane, and Harmon going to Oregon.
Meanwhile, Texas big man Jericho Sims, who boosted his stock with a strong showing at last week’s combine, will remain in the draft. Klutch Sports published a tweet today welcoming Sims to the agency. UCLA’s Chris Smith is also expected to go pro, per Goodman (Twitter link).
Here’s more on the draft:
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report passes along several of the latest draft-related tidbits he has heard, including mixed opinions from scouts on Jalen Johnson and Davion Mitchell. Wasserman says Houston’s Quentin Grimes has improved his stock drastically as of late and is being talked about as a possible first-round pick.
- Michigan State wing Aaron Henry suffered a quad strain during last week’s combine and is day-to-day, agent Dan Frank tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The plan is for Henry to resume workouts within a week, per Givony, who says the former Spartan may attend the Minnesota group workout next week if he’s healthy enough.
- In addition to JT Thor, whose workout was previously reported, Tre Mann, Eugene Omoruyi, Joshua Primo, DJ Steward, and Marcus Zegarowski are auditioning today for the Pacers, per a press release from the team.
- Besides Indiana, Primo is scheduled for workouts with the Pelicans, Hornets, Spurs, and Thunder, a source tells Wasserman (Twitter link). The draft’s youngest prospect, Primo is “firmly” in the first-round picture, Wasserman adds.
- Howard center Makur Maker is working out today for the Bulls, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link).