Southeast Notes: Banchero, Magic, Sarr, AD, Whitmore, Dennis
Fourth-year forward Paolo Banchero doesn’t seem enthusiastic about the Magic‘s offensive system, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Asked after Wednesday’s loss to Milwaukee whether Orlando was playing to its potential in half-court offense, Banchero replied, “I think our record answers that question, honestly. I’m not going to sit here and harp on the problems with our offense or what I think is wrong with our offense. But I don’t think anyone would say that it’s where it should be or could be.”
As Robbins writes, the Magic currently rank 23rd in the league in points per possession in the half court. Injuries to key players (Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner) have once again been an issue, and floor spacing and outside shooting remain problems as well, despite the blockbuster trade to acquire Desmond Bane.
The Magic entered the season with aspirations of being a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, but they’re currently 28-25, the No. 7 seed. They’re 16th in the NBA in offensive rating, with a -0.4 net rating that ranks 17th. They have also lost their defensive identity, currently ranking 14th after being second and third in that category the previous two years, Robbins notes.
Big man Wendell Carter Jr. says the team’s offensive woes have bled into the defense.
“(It’s) human nature,” Carter said. “It’s an offensive-driven league. Everybody wants to do good offensively, including myself, and sometimes we fall into that aspect of when it’s not going our way offensively, we allow it to affect our effort. We allow it to affect our defense. We allow it to affect us getting back (on defense after we miss shots). And that’s something, as a fairly young team, that we have to do a better job of, including myself.”
While president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has publicly backed head coach Jamahl Mosley, Robbins wonders if Weltman will reassess that stance if the Magic struggle after the All-Star break. Orlando has been one of the more disappointing and underachieving teams this season, Robbins writes, even when accounting for injuries.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes, the Magic enter the All-Star break in a similar position as they have been the past couple years. They were 30-25 at the break two years ago and 27-29 last season. They wound up making the playoffs during both of those campaigns, but lost in the first round each time. “We’ve kind of been in the same position every year so … coming off the All-Star break is when we’ve got to start to turn it up,” Banchero said. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to figure out how we can be better for the postseason because we don’t want to have the same result as the last two years. We’ve got to come out hungry off the break … and figure out what type of team we want to be.”
- Wizards center Alex Sarr is confident about how he’ll fit next to Anthony Davis once both players are healthy, per Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network. “He has a very complete game. I can also step out and play inside-out, so I think it’ll be pretty seamless [playing alongside him],” Sarr said. “Just getting the reps in, that’s definitely going to help us.”
- Wizards wing Cam Whitmore is out for the remainder of his third season after being diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis — a form of blood clot — in his right shoulder. He recently discussed the serious health issue, which required three surgeries to address, with play-by-play announcer Chris Mills of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link).
- Second-year guard RayJ Dennis, who is on a two-way contract with the Hawks, has set a G League scoring record with the College Park Skyhawks (Twitter link). Dennis scored a franchise-record 47 points on Thursday, per the Skyhawks, and is the first player in team history to have multiple games with 45-plus points.
Magic’s Weltman Discusses Deadline, Injuries, Mosley, More
The Magic were projected to be among the contending teams in the Eastern Conference this season, but they’ve had an up-and-down year and currently sit in play-in territory at 26-24. Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required), president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman acknowledged that he’s not satisfied with the season to this point.
“I don’t like the state of the team right now,” Weltman said. “We’re not playing well and I think it’s been a little while that we haven’t been playing well. I would imagine our fans our frustrated by the way we’re playing and I’m frustrated with them. I remain optimistic about the rest of the season and it’s on us to turn this thing around. There’s still over a third of the season left and we’re right in the thick of the race. We’ve got to get it done.”
Weltman could’ve taken a swing at the trade deadline in an effort to upgrade the roster, but the Magic gave up most of their most valuable draft assets in last summer’s deal for Desmond Bane. Their only move at this year’s deadline was trading point guard Tyus Jones and his $7MM expiring contract to Charlotte in order to get below the luxury tax line.
Weltman said the relatively quietly deadline wasn’t a result of a lack of aggressiveness, but that he and the front office didn’t want to make a move just for the sake of making the move. The veteran executive also pointed out that making any sort of meaningful trade would likely require breaking up Orlando’s core of Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., and Bane, which the club isn’t looking to do.
“That core has been excellent when it’s been on the floor together,” Weltman said. “… So, for us to break up that core, it’s going to have to be a significant move. I will tell you, we had some substantive talks that I thought could have gone somewhere. Obviously they did not, they didn’t materialize but it wasn’t for a lack of pushing, for a lack of urgency. Our mission is to improve this team. We’re never taking a day off from that.”
Here are a few more notable quotes from Weltman, via Beede:
On the Magic’s recurring injury issues, which have carried over from last season to this one:
“It’s concerning. Every team has injuries, but it’s having these prolonged injuries. All I can say is, these are soft tissue injuries. What can you say? It’s the NBA and this is what happens sometimes. I do feel like we’re a little bit ‘Groundhog Day,’ with this season. The only thing is, I also think we’re better this year because we added Desmond Bane. So, I hate to keep saying it, but when this team has been healthy, it’s been really good.”
On whether Jamahl Mosley’s head coaching job is safe for the rest of the season:
(Orlando Sentinel story)
“Organizationally … Jamahl has our full support. And Jamahl’s our coach for the rest of the season. So, it’s not a matter of like — I know there’s a lot of chatter out there and stuff — it’s not one person. This is a basketball team, it’s a basketball organization and it’s a group effort. We’ve got to get better.
“I can tell you one thing, I know Mose is going home every night looking (at) himself in the mirror and not sleeping and trying to figure out how to do this thing and how to get us back on track. And I know the players are doing the same thing. There’s a lot of people that are frustrated and they care greatly about this. We feel the weight of the fans’ frustration. Let me say that. When I hear a lack of urgency or this and that, it’s like … I don’t sleep. I mean, we’ve got to get this thing right. And I’m confident that we will.”
On why 2024 addition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 2025 addition Jones saw their shooting percentages plummet in Orlando:
(Twitter link via Beede)
“We spent a lot of time on that. I don’t have an answer for that. … A lot of shooting, I say, comes from what kind of shots you can generate, for our team, through your defense and then roster stability, lineup stability. When you have the kind of crazy amount of lineups that we’ve had over the last couple of years through all these injuries, and then this year with the drop in our defensive effectiveness, I think those things feed in and they contribute.
“But I wish I had a better answer than that for you because at the end of the day, shooters got to make shots and… I don’t know why. I think some of those first two factors contribute to that. Tyus is a good shooter, he’s a good player. It just didn’t fit here.”
Magic Notes: Banchero, Wagner, Richardson, Carter Jr., Bitadze
Magic star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner possess similar skill sets, but Banchero bristles at the notion that he and Wagner can’t coexist and thrive together on the court.
“I think that’s bull—t,” Banchero told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I’m not going to lie. People are going to say whatever they want to say about me, Franz and whoever. But we know that we’re at our strongest when both of us are out there on the floor.
“People say that the ball moves more (when only one of us is out there). I don’t think that’s true, honestly,” Banchero continued. “I think sometimes you beat teams or you play certain games and it may look that way, but if you really watch and analyze, we play the same way every game. Nothing changes when somebody is out. We play the same way, especially on offense. Nothing really changes. I don’t buy too much into that (perception), but it is frustrating to see that and hear that just because, like I said, we’re at our best when both of us are out there.”
Banchero also addressed his shooting struggles. He entered Tuesday’s contest against the Trail Blazers shooting 43.4% from the field and a career-low 23.7% on three-point attempts. He feels the groin strain that cost him 10 games had something to do with it.
“It was definitely a setback,” Banchero said. “Nothing major, but definitely a minor setback. Just frustrating. But I was able to just focus on the rehab process and then get back on the court (as) quick as possible. I knew coming back that, with it being a groin injury, it would take some time. But I’ve been feeling better, and I’m looking forward to just kind of taking off and really finding my feet and starting to play some really good basketball.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- With Jalen Suggs out, rookie Jase Richardson received extended minutes for the third game in a row on Monday. He had 11 points in 22 minutes in a 23-point loss to Golden State but turned the ball over three times, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel notes.
- Wendell Carter Jr. was held to nine points by the Warriors after reaching double figures in his previous four outings. He has shot the ball well all season — a career-best 54.1% overall and 42.2% on three-point tries. “That’s just who we want him to be — just aggressive, shooting the 3, getting to the rim, rebounding on the boards and defending,” Banchero told Beede.
- Goga Bitadze (left knee strain) missed Tuesday’s game at Portland, the second of a back-to-back. Coach Jamahl Mosley said during his pregame press conference that Bitadze suffered his injury when he got kicked in the knee as he was going up for a rebound, Beede tweets.
Eastern Notes: Ivey, Pistons, George, Carter, Cavs
Playing in his first regular season game since January 1, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey made his season debut on Saturday in Milwaukee and helped his team pick up its 12th straight win by registering 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Ivey said during his post-game media session that he “cherished the moment” to be back on the court after being sidelined due to a fractured left fibula last season and right knee surgery this fall. Ivey said he had “so much gratitude to be out there again,” and his head coach suggested the team reciprocated that feeling.
“We’re just happy to have him back,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters, including Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “That’s the most important thing. For him to have that joy and competition and competing with his teammates, that was the most important thing for him out there. Obviously you see the way that he can impact the game at a high level. Fifteen minutes is hard to catch a rhythm sometimes but I thought he did all the things we needed him to do. This was just more celebration of his journey to get back out on the court and we were happy to be a part of it.”
All 13 Pistons who were active for the game saw the court in the 129-116 win over the Bucks, with 11 logging at least 13 minutes. Bickerstaff said after the victory that he’s going to try using a 12-man rotation going forward as he assesses Detroit’s best lineups and fits.
“We’re going to give guys opportunity, especially in the first half and see how the game progresses in the second half,” Bickerstaff said (Twitter link via Sankofa). “It may not always be easy but guys are going to have an opportunity because they’ve earned it.”
We have more from across the Eastern Conference:
- With the 14-2 Pistons sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings and well positioned from a salary cap perspective for in-season roster moves, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) evaluates whether it makes sense for them to try to make a major trade before February’s deadline. Gozlan ultimately concludes that Detroit is more likely to wait until the 2026 offseason to take a big swing.
- Sixers forward Paul George played well in his second game back from knee surgery on Thursday, contributing 21 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action. George’s conditioning still isn’t 100%, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but he provides the team with some stability at the forward spot and said all the right things after the game about his role. “Listen, whatever it is, to make the game easy for No. 0,” George said, referring to Tyrese Maxey. “I’ve been saying he’s been doing a lot for us. He might not want to say it, but I know he’s tired. He’s got to be tired. So, you know, I’m just trying to make the game easy for him within the offense, play my game.”
- Starting center Wendell Carter Jr. has been an under-the-radar impact role player for the Magic so far this season, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who takes a look at the ways in which Carter is making the team better both offensively and defensively. “Both sides of the floor, (he has) a huge gravitation. Whether that’s rebounding, defensive position, I feel like that’s stuff that maybe goes unnoticed,” teammate Tristan Da Silva said of Carter, who is averaging 12.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on .530/.458/.797 shooting.
- Darius Garland (toe) and Jaylon Tyson (concussion) returned to the Cavaliers‘ lineup on Friday after missing five games apiece due to injuries and were on minutes restrictions of roughly 30 minutes, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. While the Cavs got some reinforcements in that game, they remain banged up as they prepare to host the Clippers on Sunday. Jarrett Allen (finger) will miss a second consecutive contest, while Craig Porter Jr. has been ruled out for the first time this season due to a left hamstring strain, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Southeast Notes: Magic Rotation, Suggs, Achiuwa, Knueppel
Free agent addition Tyus Jones and trade acquisition Desmond Bane started their second straight preseason game on Friday for the Magic, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The veteran guards were once again paired with mainstays Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley praised Carter after the 26-year-old big man accumulated 20 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes during the 30-point victory over Philadelphia, Beede notes.
“The work that he continues to put in, his presence around that rim, his presence on the floor, his demeanor, it changes the way we play,” Mosley said about Carter. “When he plays with that presence, that poise and that strength for our team, it goes such a long way.”
According to Beede, the first five players of the bench for Orlando were Anthony Black, Jase Richardson, Jett Howard, Tristan Da Silva and Goga Bitadze. The Magic selected four of those players in the first round of the past three drafts, with Bitadze being the lone exception.
Here are a few more notes from around the Southeast Division:
- While president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said a couple weeks ago that the Magic were targeting opening night for Jalen Suggs‘ return from the left knee injury that has sidelined him since January, the team continues to take a cautious approach to his recovery. Mosley said before Friday’s contest that Suggs has done a limited amount of contact work to this point, according to Beede. “We’re slowly ramping him up,” Mosley said. “I think he’s different in the sense that how he responds to what we do on a day-to-day [basis]. He’s been in some 5-on-0, does that, not much contact in situations. But slowly trying to bake him in there. As we go on the next couple weeks, we’ll be able to see and tell more from that.”
- Forward/center Precious Achiuwa went unsigned for most of the offseason before agreeing to a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Heat in late September. Achiuwa, who was drafted by Miami and spent his rookie year with the team before being traded to Toronto in the 2021 offseason, said he’s happy to be back with his first NBA team, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays. “I think there’s some unfinished business,” Achiuwa said of returning to the Heat. “Just the culture of the Miami Heat kind of fits the way I play. A lot of tenacity, a lot of intensity. So I feel right at home here.”
- Brandon Miller has been impressed with fellow wing Kon Knueppel during training camp and preseason, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “Definitely a great competitor,” Miller said of Knueppel. “He’s going to have a great career in this league. I’m rooting. We’re going to be right there behind him, supporting him as he continues to get better every day. So, hats off to him for coming in with the most confidence, just continue to have that confidence and that competitive spirit. You can’t ask for much more from him.” Miller was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 draft, while Knueppel was selected fourth overall in June.
Magic Notes: F. Wagner, Carter, Black, Richardson
Fresh off winning a gold medal with Germany at EuroBasket 2025, Magic forward Franz Wagner is elated to have an opportunity to play an NBA game in his home country in January when Orlando faces Memphis in Berlin, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Wagner is also embracing loftier expectations after the Magic’s offseason trade for Desmond Bane.
“Our expectations should be higher than any of the other years,” the 6’10” forward said this week. “I mean, we added Desmond Bane [and] some other really good players to the roster. Talent-wise, mentality-wise, we should go into the year thinking like a contender — not cutting ourselves short and believing in the chance that we’ve got.”
While Wagner took a significant step forward in many respects last season, he shot below 30% from three-point range for the second year in a row after converting nearly 36% of his outside looks over his first two campaigns. He’s hoping to show his offseason work paid off entering 2025/26, according to Beede.
“I worked a lot on my three,” Wagner said about his summer. “I thought I had stretches in EuroBasket where I shot it a lot better and I think I can be more consistent with that. So, I’m super excited to show that.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman recently spoke glowingly of center Wendell Carter Jr. For his part, the 26-year-old big man says he’s feeling great after a healthy offseason (story via Beede). “My confidence is at an all-time high right now,” Carter said. “I’m feeling good. When I had this summer just to train, it wasn’t necessarily about me becoming a better shooter — I know I can shoot. It wasn’t about me being able to make moves in the post like I know I can do. It was just about me boosting my confidence. Because the more you work, the more you’re on the court, you get out there and you feel like, ‘OK, I know this is going in,’ even if it doesn’t. I know it feels good. I shot a million of these shots throughout the summer.”
- Guard Anthony Black feels comfortable in his third training camp with Orlando, according to Beede. The 21-year-old will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer. “When AB is on his game, in my opinion, he’s one of the best guards in this league,” Carter said. “When he’s playing carefree — not saying careless — when he’s just flowing and relying on his strengths, getting downhill, attacking the basket, shooting open threes, not turning them down, AB is a tough guard. He’s tough to guard for anybody. Anyone else would say that on this team, coaching staff included. When AB is just playing his game, he’s very hard to guard.”
- After Thursday’s practice, rookie first-rounder Jase Richardson discussed the physical adjustment of going from college to playing in the NBA and what his role has been so far in training camp (Twitter video links via Beede). “Just being a guy who’s willing to guard,” the 6’3″ guard said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for me. I have to show that I can guard, especially at my size.”
Eastern Notes: Carter, Lowry, Porzingis, Cavaliers
Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. feels energized by watching this year’s NBA Finals matchup between a pair of small-market franchises, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.
“It shows that anything is possible,” Carter said. “It’s very possible. We’ve just got to be even more locked in, be in better shape [and] take care of our bodies even more so that we can withstand 82 games and then go into the playoffs and not drop off at all.”
The Magic were injured early and often last season, with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs missing a combined 105 games. Still, all three players remain on an upward trajectory, having each posted career-best scoring averages in shortened seasons. That leaves Orlando, a playoff team in spite of the injuries, feeling optimistic.
Carter sees the Magic as capable of playing in a similar style to the Thunder and Pacers.
“It’s been nothing shy of amazing. With these two teams in the Finals, it’s very good for the NBA,” Carter said. “Very healthy that two small-market teams [are] getting this type of exposure. Of course, I want us to be there one day playing for a championship, to bring a championship to Orlando [but] it’s a good thing what’s going on right now with both teams young, scrappy [to have] made it that far. It’s a good sign, for sure.”
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Sixers guard Kyle Lowry is likely to be back for another season, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes in a subscriber-only mailbag. Philadelphia values Lowry for his leadership and mentorship of young guards like Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. As Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing writes, Blake Griffin revealed during a recent podcast on the Pardon My Take podcast (YouTube link) that Lowry may be joining Amazon’s NBA coverage in some capacity. However, Griffin referred to it as a “player correspondent” role, which suggests Lowry could work in that role prior to retiring as a player.
- Trading Kristaps Porzingis would be a mistake in the eyes of one anonymous front office executive, Heavy’s Steve Bulpett writes. “Unless they know something about Porzingis that we don’t, I don’t see how they can let him go,” the source said. “When Boston was right, he’s a major factor and they win. Yeah, he wasn’t a huge part of what they did in the playoffs last year. Because of the matchups, it didn’t hurt them that bad when he missed a bunch of games. But then you look and see, he scored well when he did play, and he was giving them a couple of blocks a game in limited minutes.” Porzingis was a major factor in two Celtics wins in the Finals last season but averaged just 7.7 points per game in the playoffs this year while dealing with the effects of a lingering illness.
- The Cavaliers will face an uphill battle to retain both Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill due to their already large payroll. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast (YouTube link), the Cavs’ front office is canvassing the league to see if salary-shedding trades are on the table. Fedor says they have had a hard time finding any takers for Isaac Okoro‘s contract that runs through 2026/27 unless they attach an asset. The team has also explored moving Dean Wade, per Fedor (hat tip to RealGM).
Magic Notes: KCP, F. Wagner, Suggs, Carter
After converting 40.3% of his three-point attempts from 2019-24, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled with his shot in his first season with the Magic, making just 34.2% of his outside looks — the third-lowest mark of his career.
Caldwell-Pope, who signed a three-year, $66MM contract with the Magic last offseason, conceded his shooting wasn’t up to par in 2024/25, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
“Not as I expected for my performance,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I finished a little solid, but shooting-wise that could be a lot better. That goes into a lot. I thought my season was pretty good despite everything we’ve been through.”
As Beede notes, injuries to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, among others, made it difficult for Caldwell-Pope to consistently find the types of looks he likes, particularly since he was playing with new teammates. The veteran shooting guard won’t have to worry about free agency this summer, so he plans to spend more time in the gym honing his craft.
“I felt like I was a little bit more stagnant this year as far as not moving to get open or find open windows to be able to get those shots,” he said. “For me, just this summer, getting more attempts at the rim and being able to just shoot all summer.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- Despite tearing a right abdominal muscle, which cost him 20 games, Franz Wagner posted career-best counting stats in ’24/25 and likely would have been an All-Star for the first time had he not been injured, Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel. “I was put into a little bit of a new spot when Paolo went out and looking back on it, I handled it pretty well,” Wagner said. “I was pleased with how I was playing then. For me, the injury was at a terrible time because I felt like we were rolling as a team. But that’s how it goes sometimes. I handled it well — the injury and the rehab stuff. I played a decent second half of season, got better at a couple of things and also saw a couple of things I need to improve on.”
- Suggs, who has dealt with numerous injuries over the course of his four NBA seasons, was limited to a career-low 35 games in ’24/25 due to back, quad and knee injuries. He recently discussed a number of topics at his end-of-season media availability, including his approach to the game and how his rehab is going, as Beede relays.
- Like many members of the Magic, big man Wendell Carter struggled with his long-range shot this season. After making 35.1% of his threes over the previous three seasons, he converted just 23.4% in ’24/25. He said rediscovering his outside touch will be a high priority this offseason (story via Beede). “Become that knockdown shooter I was a year or two ago, and be in the best shape of my life,” Carter said of his plans for the summer. “There’s a lot of goals I have for myself going into this next season … [including] being able to play as many games as possible, but also being at the top of my game.”
Southeast Notes: Risacher, Young, Carter, Hornets
The Rookie of the Year race is still wide open, but Hawks guard Trae Young believes teammate Zaccharie Risacher should be the favorite, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The top pick in last year’s draft has been given more responsibility than some of his competitors, becoming an instant starter for a team that appears headed to the play-in tournament.
“He should be, in my eyes, and I’m not saying it because I’m biased, but I think (he) should be Rookie of the Year,” Young said. “What he’s been doing this year, he’s been thrown into the fire as a starter. You put him up against some of the guys in the running. I think his numbers speak for himself, too. So he’s just not even focused on that. And that’s the best part about it. And we’re kind of, we’re kind of making it easy for him to just focus on the game, focus himself and having fun and having games like tonight, and just letting it loose and letting it fly.”
Risacher, who won’t turn 20 until next month, has posted solid numbers in his first season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game with .443/.350/.719 shooting stats. His teammates have tried to ease the transition as he adjusts to the NBA after playing in France, and Risacher said it has helped.
“I feel like every game I feel more comfortable. I’m able to learn like every possession,” Risacher said. “Honestly, it’s a new environment. I got great teammates, too. They helped me a lot on the court and off the court, and I’m just in great condition to learn, with, like, the coaches, my teammates, the organization. We’re playing a lot of games, so it’s like it’s great for young player like me to be able to compete every night with those guys.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- A technical foul called against Young late in the third quarter of the Hawks‘ win over Charlotte on Tuesday has been rescinded, the league announced (via Twitter).
- Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. is having a down year statistically, but he proved at Cleveland on Sunday that he can still affect the outcome of a game, observes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Carter had 16 points and 14 rebounds as Orlando snapped the Cavaliers’ 16-game winning streak. “Wendell was super aggressive in the game being really physical,” Franz Wagner said. “When he’s like that, he’s one of the best bigs in the league. He was a game-changer on both sides of the floor for us in that game. He’s one of those guys when his spirit is like that, it carries over to a lot of the other guys as well. When I talked about aggressiveness, I don’t just mean making shots or anything like that. It’s just the demeanor that they played with, finding different ways, especially on defense, to change the game.”
- LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges both sat out the Hornets‘ game Tuesday night, and that could happen more often as the season winds down, suggests Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Suns Notes: Booker, Road Trip, Allen, Trades
Within a discussion about Houston’s future trade options on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon points out that the Rockets control “a lot of Suns draft capital” and have “let it be known they are Devin Booker fans.”
However, while Booker might be the sort of player the Rockets would be willing to go all-in for on the trade market, MacMahon quickly added that there’s no indication the Suns would be interested in making that sort of deal, despite having underachieved this season at 19-20 with the league’s most expensive roster. His ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst interjected to drive that point home.
“Devin Booker is staying with the Suns,” Windhorst said. “I don’t see any wavering on that whatsoever.”
“There’s interest that’s been expressed and no indication that it’s even a possibility,” MacMahon agreed.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Ahead of Tuesday’s game in Atlanta, Doug Haller of The Athletic described the Suns’ five-game Eastern Conference road trip as a make-or-break stretch for a team with aspirations of contention. The trip got off to a disappointing start, as Phoenix’s road record fell to 6-12 with a loss to the Hawks. The Suns will visit Washington next, on Thursday, followed by dates in Detroit (Saturday), Cleveland (Monday), and Brooklyn (next Wednesday).
- After sitting out the second half of Sunday’s win over Charlotte due to left knee soreness, Suns wing Grayson Allen said he’s been managing an issue with that knee for “two (or) three years,” Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “That makes it sound like it’s always bad,” Allen said. “It’s not always bad. It’s one of those things that’s better if I don’t miss time. So it’s used to getting minutes and everything.”
- Within a discussion of all five Pacific Division teams, John Hollinger of The Athletic says the Suns are in a precarious position due to their pricey, underachieving roster and their lack of future draft assets. Hollinger suggests that if the club doesn’t trade Booker and Kevin Durant over the summer to get its draft picks back, “the next decade will be one of the most dismal chapters in NBA history.”
- Still, Hollinger doesn’t believe a fire sale is coming anytime soon and expects the Suns to consider using their 2031 first-round pick to pursue a roster upgrade. If they go that route, they should focus on a young player who can help the club now and in the future, according to Hollinger, who wonders if a deal involving Jusuf Nurkic and the Suns’ lightly protected 2031 first-rounder for Wendell Carter Jr. might appeal to the Magic.
- Hollinger’s trade suggestion was published before word broke that the Suns have agreed to acquire another center, Nick Richards of the Hornets. The full story on that trade agreement can be found here.