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Southeast Notes: Wizards, M. Williams, Fultz, Krejci, Korver

September 30th, 2022 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Josh Robbins of The Athletic takes a look at the Wizards‘ projected depth chart and rotation, predicting that former Nuggets Monte Morris and Will Barton will join Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, and Kristaps Porzingis in the starting five to open the season.

Assuming Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. decides to roll with a 10-man rotation to open the season, Robbins projects Delon Wright, Deni Avdija, Rui Hachimura, and Daniel Gafford to be part of the second unit, with either Corey Kispert or Johnny Davis slotting into the second backcourt spot.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Longtime Hornets forward Marvin Williams has rejoined the franchise in a basketball operations role, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. In his new position, Williams will assist with player programs and with player development off the court, according to Boone.
  • Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel spoke to Dr. David Lee, a local orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon, to get a sense of how long it might take Magic point guard Markelle Fultz to return from a fractured toe. Lee estimated that Fultz could potentially return to Orlando’s lineup in about four to eight weeks, which would be anywhere from mid-October to mid-November. However, the team hasn’t provided a specific recovery timeline.
  • Hawks head coach Nate McMillan liked what he saw from newly added guard Vit Krejci in the 22-year-old’s first practice with the team on Thursday. “He knows how to play,” McMillan said, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). “I think he has a high basketball IQ. We put him right out there. It was good to see him be available to play and practice with our guys today. So that was exciting.”
  • Although Kyle Korver is technically part of the Hawks‘ front office and not the coaching staff, he has been working with players – including Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson – on their shooting during training camp, as Williams writes in a full story for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required). “I’ve worked with him quite a few times actually,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “Kyle has helped me make a few adjustments in my shot. You know, having him around has helped a lot. He’s been helping a lot of these guys, giving them pointers and things they can work on, so it’s good.”
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Thunder Trade Vit Krejci To Hawks For Maurice Harkless, Pick

September 27th, 2022 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:02pm: The trade is official, according to a Hawks press release. While also confirming the trade in their own press release, the Thunder provided more details regarding the picks involved.

The second-rounder headed to Oklahoma City is Atlanta’s 2029 pick. The Thunder will also receive amendments on the conditions of a previously traded 2025 second-round pick from the Hawks. The amended 2025 second-round pick will now be top-40 protected. Previously that pick was top-55 protected.

4:31pm: The Thunder are trading Vit Krejci to the Hawks in exchange for Maurice Harkless and a second-round pick, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

After signing a multiyear contract ahead of the 2021/22 NBA season, Krejci appeared in 30 games in his first NBA season, averaging 6.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.9 APG. He posted shooting splits of .407/.327/.864.

An early 2020 second-round pick, Krejci underwent an arthroscopic knee procedure in April. His $1,563,518 salary for the coming season is only 50% guaranteed for now.

The 6’8” Krejci, who turned 22 in June, could work his way into a rotation spot with Atlanta. However, the deal is primarily a cost-cutting move for the Hawks. The team drops from $1.7MM over the luxury tax line to $1.3MM below it by swapping Harkless for Krejci, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets.

The Hawks will also create a trade exception worth $4,564,980, the amount of Harkless’ outgoing salary.

Harkless, 29, has been in the league since the 2012/13 season. He spent last season with the Kings, appearing in 47 games (24 starts) while averaging 4.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG. He has also played for Orlando, Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers, New York and Miami. Overall, Harkless has appeared in 621 NBA games and averaged 6.9 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 22.6 MPG.

Harkless, who has an expiring contract, was traded from Sacramento to Atlanta in the Kevin Huerter deal earlier this offseason. It’s uncertain whether the Thunder plan to keep him or waive him.

Oklahoma City applied for a disabled player exception in late August worth $4.95MM in the wake of Chet Holmgren‘s season-ending injury. Harkless’ contract will slot into that exception, which was granted last week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. That allows the Thunder to complete the deal without matching salaries, since Krejci’s $1.56MM cap charge isn’t big enough to match Harkless’ $4.56MM salary.

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More Than 30 NBA Players On Track To Suit Up For EuroBasket

August 18th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The first EuroBasket tournament in five years will tip off in two weeks and there are currently 34 NBA players on track to participate in the event, representing 17 different countries, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net.

EuroBasket is a 24-team international basketball competition also known as the European Basketball Championship. It historically took place every two years, but that gap was recently adjusted to four years, emulating the FIBA World Cup schedule.

The last EuroBasket tournament was played in 2017 — the next one had been scheduled for 2021, but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. As a result, after being played every two years since 1947, it has now been five years since the last EuroBasket tournament, easily the longest layoff since World War II.

It’s possible that some NBA players will be cut from their teams’ rosters or will have to drop out due to injuries or personal reasons before the event begins on September 1, but in general enthusiasm to participate in the long-awaited event appears high.

Here’s the list of NBAers currently set to play in EuroBasket, per Eurohoops:

There are also multiple NBA free agents on EuroBasket rosters, including French swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and German guard Dennis Schröder.

A number of young NBA players, such as 2022 draftees Jeremy Sochan and Nikola Jovic, have dropped out to focus on getting ready for the 2022/23 season, while others, including Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) and Frank Ntilikina (France), were ruled out due to injuries.

Round robin play will begin on September 1, with each team facing the other five clubs in its group once. The top four teams in each group will advance to a 16-team bracket that begins on September 10. The final will take place on September 18, just over a week before NBA training camps get underway.

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International Notes: Patton, Holman, Dekker, Krejci

August 3rd, 2022 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA center Justin Patton, who spent last season in Israel, is off to France for the 2022/23 campaign, having finalized a one-year deal with Cholet Basket, the team announced today in a press release.

The 16th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Patton only ended up playing in 22 NBA games for the Timberwolves, Sixers, Thunder, and Rockets between 2017-21 before heading overseas. A series of foot injuries derailed the early part of Patton’s professional career, but the 25-year-old was able to suit up for 21 games in 2021/22 for Hapoel Eilat, averaging 11.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 27.5 minutes per contest.

Here are a few more items from around the international basketball world:

  • Former Mississipi State big man Aric Holman has signed with Tezenis Verona, the Italian club announced today in a press release. While Holman is a G League veteran and inked a 10-day hardship contract with the Heat last December, he has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.
  • The London Lions of the British Basketball League are in talks with veteran NBA forward Sam Dekker, according to Dario Skerletic and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. A former first-round pick, Dekker began last season with the Raptors, but appeared in just one regular season contest and was waived early in the season, before his full salary became guaranteed.
  • Although Vit Krejci of the Thunder is the only current NBA player on the Czech Republic’s initial 15-man roster for EuroBasket 2022, there are other notable names on the list, including Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops details.
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Vit Krejci Has Left Knee Procedure, Back By Start Of Next Season

April 12th, 2022 at 5:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie Thunder shooting guard Vit Krejci addressed a left knee injury with an arthroscopic procedure, according to Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman (Twitter link). Oklahoma City expects Krejci to return to the floor by the beginning of the 2022/23 NBA season, Mussatto tweets.

Mussatto points to the surgery as the probable reason behind Krejci’s missing the team’s exit interviews on Tuesday.

After signing a multiyear contract ahead of the 2021/22 NBA season, the 21-year-old appeared in 30 games in his first NBA season, averaging 6.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.9 APG. He posted shooting splits of .407/.327/.864.

Krejci was a small part of a concerted youth movement for a rebuilding 24-58 Thunder squad. The team has been accumulating draft assets and prioritizing young players around star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It remains to be seen whether this injury will set back Krejci’s role in the team’s rotation next season.

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Northwest Notes: Little, Thunder, Porter Jr., Nuggets

November 7th, 2021 at 7:55pm CST by JD Shaw

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.
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Northwest Notes: Simons, Gupta, Towns, Krejci

October 18th, 2021 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

No rookie scale extension is expected for Anfernee Simons before today’s deadline, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says the Trail Blazers want to see more from the fourth-year guard before committing to him beyond the 2021/22 season. The club believes Simons can be more consistent and productive under new head coach Chauncey Billups, Quick adds.

Simons hit 42.6% of his three-pointers last season for the Trail Blazers, but played a fairly modest role off the bench, with 7.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 64 games (17.3 MPG). He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency in 2022.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Chris Hine of The Star Tribune takes an in-depth look at the philosophy new Timberwolves head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta is bringing to the role. Despite not having any assurances that he’ll keep the job long-term, Gupta insists he doesn’t feel pressure to impress ownership by making a major move. “I couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said. “I don’t view it as like, ‘Oh I’ve got this for a time. I’ve got to try and prove myself and I’ve got to make a splash quickly and try to save the job.'”
  • Speaking to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns compared staying in Minnesota to sticking with the Dominican Republic national team rather than reclassifying to play for Team USA. “I like taking the hard route. I like going the more rewarding route,” Towns said. “I love being with the Dominican Republic national team. There’s a lot of things they haven’t done, and I’m able to possibly change that. The challenge is what I’ve always strived for.”
  • Thunder guard Vit Krejci, who had been dealing with visa issues, has been cleared to practice and play with the team, head coach Mark Daigneault said this weekend (Twitter link via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman). Krejci is expected to spend a good chunk of time this season with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League.
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Northwest Notes: Billups, Lillard, Thunder, Jazz

October 8th, 2021 at 10:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups recently sat down for an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link), and he says he’s not going to be preaching “stay here” to star point guard Damian Lillard.

Billups adds that he won’t be constantly discussing whether or not Lillard wants to stay with the team with his star player, saying he has a responsibility to coach the rest of the players. However, he definitely wants him to stay, and believes Lillard when he says he’s “all in” for the upcoming season with the Trail Blazers.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • Former first-round pick D.J. Wilson knows he might be a long-shot to make the Thunder‘s 15-man regular season roster, but that’s not going to stop him from trying, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Mussatto notes that the Thunder had their eyes on Wilson in the 2017 draft, but the Bucks selected him (17th) before Oklahoma City was able to (21st). Wilson is on a non-guaranteed training camp contract.
  • In a tweet, Mussatto says the Thunder are being cautious with Vit Krejci, who’s a year removed from an ACL tear. Coach Mark Daigneault said Krejci has been cleared to play, but he’s still not a full participant in practices. This could be a result of the “slight setback” Krejci had last week. Mussatto adds that the bigger issue for Krejci is his visa status, which has no timeline for a resolution.
  • One reason the Jazz appealed to Rudy Gay in free agency is they had the best regular season record in the NBA last season, so he doesn’t feel any pressure to rush his recovery process following heel surgery, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.
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Northwest Notes: Bol Bol, Krejci, Powell

October 2nd, 2021 at 11:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

Bol Bol has only appeared in 39 regular-season games since entering the league in 2019 as a second-round pick. The Nuggets center appears poised for a bigger role in his third season, as Mike Singer of the Denver Post details. The son of Manute Bol has made a strong impression during camp.

“I think Bol Bol’s had a really good camp and a consistent camp,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “When people ask me about Bol, it’s never about is he talented enough. It’s about, is he willing to do the little things and be consistent with his effort … After three, four days, whatever it’s been, I think Bol’s effort has been really good.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Thunder point guard Vit Krejci has suffered a “slight setback” in his rehab from an ACL injury, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets. The draft-and-stash prospect signed a multi-year contract early last month. He’s expected to spend the bulk of the season in the G League once he’s ready to play.
  • Norman Powell was shipped by the Raptors to the Trail Blazers at the trade deadline last season. After re-signing with Portland, he’s looking forward to spending a full training camp and season building chemistry with his teammates, Casey Holdahl of the team’s website writes. “Totally different. I feel really a part of the team, a part of the organization,” Powell said. “It’s starting to feel natural and normal to me, just getting into a routine, knowing exactly where I need to be. It’s definitely going to still take some time but it’s definitely a process that’s speeding up day by day.” Powell signed a five-year, $90MM contract in August.
  • In case you missed it, Jazz surprisingly released two-way player Justin James on Friday after signing him last week. Get the details here.
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Thunder Notes: Favors, SGA, Vaccinations, Krejci, Deck

September 27th, 2021 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After being traded from a title contender in Utah to a fully rebuilding team in Oklahoma City this offseason, Derrick Favors admitted on Monday that the idea of not reporting to his new team and/or asking to be sent elsewhere crossed his mind. However, he said he didn’t “want to be that guy,” as Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman relays (via Twitter).

Favors likely isn’t part of the Thunder‘s long-term plans, but he’s under contract for another year beyond this season, so the team likely won’t consider buying him out or releasing him anytime soon. As they did with veterans like Chris Paul and Al Horford, the Thunder will likely try to build up Favors’ value as much as they can before perhaps pursuing a trade at the 2022 deadline or next summer.

Here’s more out of Oklahoma City:

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed the last two months of the 2020/21 season due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, has “no limitations at all” entering training camp, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said last week, according to Paris Lawson of OKCThunder.com. Presti admitted the team took a “conservative approach” to the injury last season in the hopes that Gilgeous-Alexander would be 100% now.
  • Presti also said last week that all of the Thunder’s players are vaccinated against COVID-19, per Lawson.
  • It has now been a full year since rookie guard Vit Krejci tore his ACL, and he said today that his knee isn’t giving him any problems, tweets Mussatto. Krejci was selected with the 37th pick in the 2020 draft, but spent the year rehabbing his injury and didn’t sign his first NBA contract until this offseason.
  • There were rumors in international outlets over the summer that Gabriel Deck, who is on a non-guaranteed contract with the Thunder, might return to Spain this offseason. However, Deck denied those reports today. “The rumors are not true,” he said, per Mussatto (Twitter link). “It was always my plan to be here with the Thunder.”
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