Terance Mann

Injury Notes: Mavs Bigs, Curry, Reaves, Coulibaly, Nets

November 6th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Mavericks have been shorthanded in the frontcourt as of late, and that will likely continue for at least another game. According to Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link), Anthony Davis is listed by the team as doubtful for Friday’s matchup against the Grizzlies, while Dereck Lively II will remain out for a sixth straight game.

Davis has missed the Mavs’ past three games after exiting the October 29 matchup against the Pacers in the first quarter. Prior to that, he was averaging 25.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per night, though Dallas was off to a slow start, with a 1-3 record in the full games he played.

Lively has only played three games this season and averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. He’s averaging a career-low 17.0 minutes per contest in the early going, despite starting all three games.

The Mavs are currently tied for the worst record in the Western Conference at 2-6.

We have more news on injuries around the league:

Stephen Curry will miss the Warriors‘ NBA Cup opener on Friday against the Nuggets due to an illness sustained on the team’s recent road trip, reports Anthony Slater for ESPN. Slater writes that Curry began feeling symptomatic heading into the team’s matchup with the Suns on Tuesday, and admitted post-game that he felt drained in the second half. Curry will not travel with the team, but instead will stay in the Bay Area and prepare for Sunday’s game against the Pacers. Draymond Green, who has a rib contusion, is listed as probable, while Jimmy Butler is questionable due to a lower back strain. Kerr said that both players are hopeful to suit up against Denver after sitting out Wednesday in Sacramento.
Lakers‘ coach JJ Redick says that Austin Reaves is “TBD” for the team’s next game on Saturday against the Hawks, reports Dave McMenamin (via Twitter). The club is being cautious as Reaves looks to return from a groin injury. McMenamin notes that Reaves tested the injury prior to Wednesday’s contest with the Spurs, but the medical staff ultimately decided to keep him sidelined.
Wizards‘ third-year wing Bilal Coulibaly is listed as out for Friday’s game against the Cavs, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Coulibaly, who missed the team’s first four games while recovering from thumb surgery, exited the contest on Wednesday with lower left leg tightness. Robbins adds that Khris Middleton is available to play after missing the previous two games.
The Nets will be missing Cam Thomas against the Pistons on Friday after he suffered a left hamstring injury, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link). Rookies Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf are also out while on assignment with the team’s G League affiliate, though Drake Powell has been upgraded to questionable from his ankle injury. Terance Mann, who is dealing with left shoulder soreness, is probable to play.

Nets Notes: Fernandez, Saraf, Martin, Powell, Wolf

November 3rd, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Nets coach Jordi Fernandez understands that wins aren’t likely to be plentiful this season, but he wants to see a better effort from his players than he did in Sunday’s game against Philadelphia, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn gave up 129 points in a home loss to a Sixers team playing without Joel Embiid and was never really competitive while falling to 0-6.

“We go back to the same with poor defensive effort,” Fernandez said. “I’m failing at trying to get my guys to play hard. I’m trying to ask them questions: How can I do it to get them to play really hard? And then you live with the result. I’m not living with this result because the effort is not there and the defense is not there. And we’re turning it over — 19 turnovers for 20 points. Until we don’t have that, we’re not gonna be able to fight for a win. It’s plain and simple. How many games is it gonna take? It’s six now.”

Fernandez was upset after watching his team allow Kelly Oubre Jr. to score 22 first quarter points on his way to a 29-point night. Tyrese Maxey added 26 and Quentin Grimes contributed 22 off the bench as Philadelphia shot 52.1% from the field.

“We know after every game we come here and say the same thing, our defensive presence, our defensive presence. So you know what it is. It’s obvious,” Terance Mann told reporters. “We’re gonna have to or we’re gonna keep losing. So, that’s what coach wants, if we don’t figure out how and have the willingness to do it, then it’s just gonna be the same results, to be honest. That’s just what it is.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

Fernandez made a change to his starting lineup on Sunday, replacing rookie point guard Ben Saraf with Tyrese Martin, Lewis states in a separate story. Martin went scoreless in 27 minutes, missing all six of his shots from the field, while Saraf wasn’t used at all after starting his first five games. “I think (Fernandez) wants more on the defensive side. I think the last two games, I had, like, a couple of breakdowns on defense. So, it’s really important for the team. I think this is the main thing,” Saraf said. “I feel like I’m a capable defensive player. I think I just need a little more focus on some possessions. Yeah, I need to be there.”
Fernandez was planning an increased role for rookie guard Drake Powell on Sunday, but he had to be removed with a twisted left ankle after playing just 4:27. Powell wasn’t limping after the game and didn’t have ice or a wrap on the ankle, Lewis adds. “He’ll be back soon because he’s a worker and he’s great,” Fernandez said. “He started very well with great energy, the two transition points. Unfortunately, this is part of the game.”
Danny Wolf missed Sunday’s game as he continues to experience soreness after spraining his left ankle during the opening-night shootaround, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. Of Brooklyn’s five first-round picks this year, Wolf is the only one who hasn’t appeared in a game yet.

Nets Notes: Clowney, Demin, Saraf, Mann, Williams, Claxton

November 1st, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets are off to a 0-5 start and Noah Clowney has been part of the problem. The forward has scored just 5.2 points per game while shooting 25% from the field, mostly from beyond the arc. The coaching staff wants Clowney to keep firing away.

“Just keep shooting it,” coach Jordi Fernández told Dan Martin of the New York Post. “Don’t overthink it.”

The front office picked up Clowney’s 2026/27 option at the start of the season. The third-year forward/center averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest last season, shooting just 35.8% from the floor in 46 games.

“We need Noah,” Fernández said. “Noah is a big presence for our team. [He has] toughness, size, shooting, rebounding [and] winning plays. We need more verticality and he’s a big part of doing that.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Fernandez sat rookies Egor Demin and Ben Saraf for the entire fourth quarter of their 117-112 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday, as the coach decided to go with veterans Tyrese Martin and Terance Mann, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. Demin has shot 9-for-22 from beyond the arc this season but hasn’t even attempted a shot inside the three-point line. “Yeah, he’s got to figure it out. Obviously, I want him to touch the paint,” Fernández said. “We all, everybody, will figure it out that he’s a threat from the three-point line, but he cannot play just behind the three.”
As for Mann, whose three-year, $47MM extension he signed with the Clippers last October kicked in this season, he’s averaging 11.2 points in 25.4 minutes per game while shooting 54.6% from the field. “Terance has a good overall feel for the game,” Fernandez said, per Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “He does a little bit of everything, and I like when he’s aggressive and he gets assists when he gets to the rim and he sprays the ball.”
Ziaire Williams has a “small, very minor” back fracture after a hard fall on Sunday in San Antonio. He’s hopeful he can return this Sunday when the Nets host the Sixers, according to Crane. “It locked up on me,” Williams said. “… But it’s something that can’t get worse. So at this point, it’s just a pain tolerance thing, so as soon as the pain just goes down, it’s never gonna be perfect, at least right now.”
Brooklyn ranks last in the league in defensive efficiency ranks and needs defensive anchor Nic Claxton to step up his game, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News writes. “It’s very simple. I mean, Nic is a very good defender. He’s not happy,” Fernandez said. “He has high standards and he’s hard on himself… We’re all together here. I believe in him. We had a great stretch last year when we were high level offensively, and right now we’re not. So, continuity, work together, believe in each other; all those things are important. And you know, we know he’s a great rim protector. We know he can get deflections. We know he can run the floor. We know he can rebound. So those things I believe he can do. And he believes.”

Nets Notes: Bufkin, Traore, Saraf, Clowney, Mann

September 27th, 2025 at 11:35am CST by Rory Maher

The Nets selected three prospects — Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf — who project to be point guards in the first round of the 2025 draft. So why did they trade for Kobe Bufkin?

“I don’t think you ever have enough ball-handlers, right? Making plays for others is always important,” explained head coach Jordi Fernandez (story via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).

As Lewis writes, Bufkin was on Brooklyn’s radar in the 2023 draft, but he was selected No. 15 overall, six spots before the Nets picked Noah Clowney. Bufkin also played his college ball at Michigan under Juwan Howard, who is now an assistant coach with the Nets.

“Obviously (Howard) knows the guy, and everything was very positive between Juwan, who knows him and speaks highly and positively about him,” Fernandez said. “We also have our scouting department that knew (him). … We were very high on him during the draft, and it was an opportunity to bring him in. So you put all that together, and that’s the reason why he’s here.”

For his part, Bufkin says he’s happy to be around a familiar face in Brooklyn.

“It’s definitely a big level of comfort. (Howard) is like family,” Bufkin said. “I spent two years with him. He was a mentor for me, kind of taught me about the league before I got to the league, what to expect, what not to expect. So it was good to see him.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Fernandez calls Traore’s speed his “superpower” but he acknowledges the French guard needs to improve in multiple areas to be a regular contributor as a rookie, Lewis writes in a subscriber-only story. “Yeah, there’s no saving here in the NBA. So he’s gotta play really, extremely hard every second he has the opportunity to play,” Fernandez said. “Nothing will be given to him, so they have to earn it. So far, we’re very happy with him. That’s his superpower, but his handle, he understands the game, he’s played in professional leagues for more than one year, so he has that experience, too. And you’ll see it soon. So, I trust him. I trust everything. His shooting, he’s putting time and work into everything and adjusting it to the NBA. It’s just going to take time. But, like I said, the first thing is come here, work and earn your minutes.”
Veterans Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton have been impressed by Saraf’s maturity and poise in training camp, Lewis adds in a third article for The New York Post. The Israeli guard noted he already has three professional seasons under his belt despite only being 19 years old. “I feel like, yeah, playing like it’s going to be my fourth year playing professional, so I’ve got some experience. With playoff games I played with full arenas, so I think it’s helped me,” Saraf said. “And my last teammates, my last vets … I’m trying to learn from each one of them. I don’t feel like a rookie here. I am a rookie, I’ll do all my duties, but it’s basketball, so I’m just going out there and playing.”
Third-year big man Noah Clowney added several pounds of muscle this offseason and he believes his improved strength will help him level up several facets of his game, writes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. Most importantly, Clowney is hoping for improved durability after being limited to just 46 games last season. “My primary goal is just to stay healthy, and outside of staying healthy, just to get better every game,” Clowney said. “I learn something from each game, but I don’t like to make the same mistake over and over again. That’s the goal.”
As Lewis writes for The New York Post (subscription required), trade acquisition Terance Mann is used to being one of the younger players on his NBA teams but he’s currently the oldest Net (he turns 29 next month) on the league’s youngest roster. Fernandez says Mann, who grew up mere blocks away from where Barclays Center now stands, has impressed the team with his leadership. “He showed up and worked every single day, and now he can show others why he’s the type of player he is and he’s accomplished what he’s accomplished,” Fernandez said. “I think leading with your voice is great, but leading by example is even better, and that’s what Terance so far has been doing.”

Atlantic Notes: Mann, McCain, Yabusele, Beasley, Raptors

August 23rd, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

After spending the first five-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career with the Clippers, Terance Mann was ready for a change when he was dealt to the Hawks at last season’s trade deadline, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Even though his stay in Atlanta only lasted a few months, Mann believes it was good for his career.

“I was super excited to be traded the first time, I kind of felt like my time in L.A. was up and it was time for me to get out of there,” he said. “I did six seasons there as a second-round pick and a lot of guys don’t get to do that so, I really felt excited to get traded to the East Coast and to an organization like Atlanta. The coaching staff was great and we had a good time.”

Mann was productive during his 30 games with the Hawks, averaging 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 22.7 minutes per night while shooting 54.1% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range. However, Atlanta was willing to part with him this summer for the chance to land Kristaps Porzingis, and he was shipped to the Nets in a three-team deal.

“It didn’t come as a surprise to me,” Mann said of the trade. “It’s going to be crazy to play in an environment like that, something new. I’m one of the oldest guys on the team, want to be a leader, show those guys what it takes to win. I’ve been with those guys a ton (this summer) and they’re super hungry, willing to learn basketball. It’s going to be fun. I’m excited for the challenge and I feel like I was built for this. I’m in my prime right now and ready to show the world what I’ve really got outside this role I’ve been playing for the last six seasons.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers guard Jared McCain tells Declan Harris of Sports Illustrated that he lost a close friend and mentor when Guerschon Yabusele signed with the Knicks in free agency. Yabusele helped McCain deal with a difficult rookie season that was cut short by a torn meniscus in December. “Man, I’m gonna miss him, that’s one of the best people I’ve ever been around,” McCain said. “I could go to him for anything; a lot of my teammates are like that, but him, I gravitated to a lot. He was just super nice, just a good person and fun to play with, also another great energy person, so I’m sad to see him go.”
A league source confirms to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that the Knicks have interest in Malik Beasley now that he’s no longer a target of a federal gambling investigation (Twitter link). However, New York can only offer a veteran’s minimum contract, and Beasley may have more lucrative options elsewhere.
The Raptors‘ G League affiliate traded its first-round pick in this year’s draft to the College Park Skyhawks in exchange for the returning player rights to Jarkel Joiner, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

New York Notes: Mann, Kolek, Demin, Wolf, Saraf

July 17th, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran guard Terance Mann was acquired by the Nets from the Hawks in the three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis from Boston to Atlanta. The main motivation for the Nets to take part in the deal was to acquire another first-rounder, which they used on Drake Powell.

Mann still has three years and $47MM remaining on his contract. He appeared in a combined 67 games with the Clippers and Hawks last season and is embracing a leadership role on a team filled with rookies and other young players.

“For sure. I’m the oldest on the team. Yeah, so definitely,” Mann told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “It’s definitely new for me coming from the Clippers, where guys were a lot older than me. So, it’s an adjustment for me, for sure. But I’m excited to embrace the journey, taking these guys under my wing, showing them how to be professionals.”

We have more on the New York teams:

Heading into his second NBA season, Knicks guard Tyler Kolek bounced back from two subpar outings in Summer League play and lit up the Nets for 25 points, four steals and four assists on Tuesday. Kolek felt he was putting too much pressure on himself prior to Tuesday’s outburst. “When I’m playing at my best,” Kolek told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (subscription required), “I got that swagger, I got that s— to me.”
The Nets collected their first Summer League win on Wednesday and Egor Demin and Danny Wolf were a big part of that success. Demin hit three key three-pointers in the late going and Wolf supplied 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. “I was just a little bit too sped up,” Wolf told Lewis. “I just went into this game with just a more relaxed mindset, just let the game come to me a little bit better and do what I do best and just play a little bit slower. And I think I did that to the best of my ability.”
Nets first-round pick Ben Saraf is struggling to adjust to the NBA style so far, Lewis writes (subscription required). The Israeli guard played in Germany last season and has found out quickly he has a lot to learn to be an effective player at this level. “I think the spacing, the pace and the athleticism are the most different things,” Saraf said. He has shown some hesitance to shoot and has not made a three-pointer in four attempts. “In Germany we had a lot of threes, but it’s different. Yeah, we need to make adjustments. Me and all the other guys, and we will do it,” Saraf said.

Nets Notes: Demin, Mann, Whitehead, Summer League

July 11th, 2025 at 6:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Nets‘ selection of Egor Demin with the No. 8 pick in the 2025 draft was met with surprise by many, but according to Lucas Kaplan of Nets Daily, there’s plenty of reason for optimism about the selection.

The clearest reason for this, according to Kaplan, is that the combination of size, passing, and shooting has never been more valuable than it is in today’s NBA, and Demin comes into the league clearly possessing at least two of those three attributes. The swing skill is, of course, the outside shot, which has troubled Demin throughout his career as a prospect, but has had moments of positive projection.

“I saw him up close and personal in his individual workouts, and other workouts that we had here with the group, and was able to compare what we saw during the season to what we saw now, and the uptick and the improvement that we saw was pretty outstanding,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said of the rookie.

Despite his skills as a passer, Demin will likely be reliant on having a high-quality screen-setter to help him shake defenders at the NBA level, according to Kaplan, who adds that playing off a natural scorer like Cam Thomas should help him get some easy looks as a catch-and-shoot option.

We have more from the Nets:

The Nets received 28-year-old wing Terance Mann in the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics to the Hawks. On a young team full of unproven players, Mann will have a chance to serve as a leader either as a starter or off the bench, writes Nets Income of Nets Daily, who adds that Mann’s defensive intensity should fit well in the culture that head coach Jordi Fernandez is trying to establish. Mann averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 30 games for the Hawks last season after being traded from the Clippers.
Dariq Whitehead‘s lack of participation in the Nets’ Summer League squad was met with some surprise, but the decision was made with an eye towards getting him as healthy as possible coming into the 2025 season, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lewis says the decision was made in conjunction with Marks and Whitehead’s agents at Excel Sports. “With the way I finished last season, it was just something that I guess my agent talked to Sean about and they were [thinking] more so get my body ready and prepare for training camp and next season,” Whitehead said.
Much was made of the Nets’ decision to use all five of their first-round picks in the 2025 draft. On Thursday, four of those five players made their Summer League debuts, but Lewis calls it more of a tease than anything revealing. Demin and Danny Wolf both shook off slow starts to ultimately have some interesting moments in the loss to the Thunder. Nolan Traore ended with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists, despite twisting his ankle in the first quarter, and Lewis called Traore’s speed with the ball one of the standout attributes in the game. Drake Powell missed the game with a knee injury, while Ben Saraf came off the bench.

Celtics Trade Porzingis To Hawks In Three-Team Deal

June 24th, 2025 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

July 7: The trade is official, according to the Hawks. The final terms are as follows:

Hawks acquire Kristaps Porzingis and a 2026 second-round pick (from Celtics).
Celtics acquire Georges Niang, the Cavaliers’ 2031 second-round pick (from Hawks), and cash (from Nets).
Nets acquire Terance Mann and the draft rights to Drake Powell (No. 22 pick).

“Kristaps is a unique and versatile talent with championship pedigree,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said in a statement. “His ability to stretch the floor, protect the rim, and make plays on both ends adds another dimension to our team. We are fortunate to add a player of his caliber to our group. We’d also like to thank Terence and Georges for their contributions last season and wish them the best.”

June 24: One day after agreeing to trade Jrue Holiday, the Celtics are moving another starter. Kristaps Porzingis is headed to the Hawks in a three-team trade, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link).

Atlanta will acquire Porzingis and a second-round pick in the deal; Terance Mann and Atlanta’s No. 22 pick in Wednesday’s draft are headed to the Nets; and the Celtics are acquiring Georges Niang and a second-round pick.

That second-round pick headed to Boston is coming from Atlanta and is the Cavaliers’ 2031 second-rounder, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). In exchange, the Celtics are sending a 2026 second-rounder with “least favorable” language to the Hawks, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The trade, coupled with the agreed-upon Holiday deal with Portland, will allow the Celtics to drop below the second tax apron by $4.5MM, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. The two deals will reduce their projected luxury tax penalty by nearly $210MM, estimates cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).

Porzingis has an expiring $30.7MM contract, while Niang’s expiring deal totals just $8.5MM. Shedding salary has been a goal this offseason for the Celtics, who were facing second-apron restrictions and substantial repeater taxpayer penalties with Jayson Tatum expected to miss most or all of next season while he recovers from a torn Achilles.

A 6’7″ marksman with a career average of 39.9% from beyond the arc, Niang will fit right in as the newest member of the NBA’s leading three-point shooting team in his hometown of Boston. The 32-year-old forward played some of the best basketball of his career after being traded from Cleveland to Atlanta in February, averaging 12.1 points and posting a 41.3% mark on 6.6 threes per game in 28 games for the Hawks.

While the deal gives the Celtics another shooter and creates substantial tax savings, it depletes their depth in the frontcourt, where Al Horford and Luke Kornet are eligible for free agency. Re-signing one or both of those players while potentially adding another big man figures to be a top priority for Boston this summer.

Meanwhile, with Clint Capela headed to free agency, it appears Porzingis will slot in as the Hawks’ starting center ahead of Onyeka Okongwu. He’ll give Atlanta a quality pick-and-pop partner to team up with franchise player Trae Young and will become extension-eligible in July, though it’s unclear whether his new team will look to extend him right away.

Porzingis has an extensive injury history and was hampered this past season by a lingering illness that affected him during the second half and into the postseason, but the expectation is that he’ll be fully recovered by the fall. The veteran big man continues to produce at a high level when he’s available, having averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game across 42 starts for the Celtics in 2024/25, with a shooting line of .483/.412/.809.

The Hawks were rumored to have interest in free agent big man Myles Turner, another rim-protecting, floor-stretching center. Their acquisition of Porzingis will presumably take them out of the mix for Turner, but they’re still well below the projected tax line and continue to explore opportunities to use a trade exception worth $25MM+, either on the trade market or in free agency (via sign-and-trade), tweets Fischer.

Atlanta made “a lot of calls” about Mann this week, according to Fischer (Twitter link), before eventually finding a taker for the 6’5″ swingman.

Mann, a Brooklyn native, has three years and $47MM remaining on his contract. Acquired from the Clippers at this year’s trade deadline, he had a solid finish to the season on Atlanta’s second unit alongside Niang, averaging 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 22.7 minutes per game across 30 outings. He posted a shooting line of .541/.386/.667 as a Hawk.

Accounting for Mann’s $15.5MM salary and the $3.4MM cap hold for the No. 22 overall pick, the Nets will use up roughly $19MM in cap space to make the deal, which can’t be completed until July 6, after the new league year begins and the July moratorium lifts.

Brooklyn still projects to have substantial cap room and now controls an amazing five first-rounders in this week’s draft — Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26, 27 — which figures to lead to more deals.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Inside The Nuggets’ Firing Of Michael Malone, Calvin Booth

April 12th, 2025 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had lost the support of virtually the entire locker room by the time he and general manager Calvin Booth were fired earlier this week, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required) reports within an investigation of what went wrong in Denver.

Malone was a strong-willed coach whose emotions varied greatly depending on whether the team won or lost, sources tell Fischer. Many players found that experience grating and began to tune him out.

“I can’t say any player was vouching for him,” one source told Fischer, while another said “this thing is broken” after a loss to Indiana last week.

As several other reports have indicated, Malone and Booth had a strained relationship and rarely communicated other than to discuss matters involving the team. Booth turned down a contract extension prior to the season, believing it was below his market value, and it was widely believed that Malone’s time in Denver would have ended this offseason if Booth had accepted the offer and remained GM.

Much of their conflict stemmed from Malone’s preference to rely on experienced veterans at the expense of younger talent, which Fischer notes is a practice that pre-dates Booth’s arrival to the team. Fischer points to Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the most sought-after free agents on last year’s market, as the best example. Hartenstein could have developed into a reliable backup for Nikola Jokic, but Malone only used him in 30 games during the 2020/21 season before he was traded to Cleveland at the deadline.

A similar situation played out last year with Jay Huff, who has blossomed this season in Memphis. Sources tell Fischer that Booth and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis both implored Malone to play Huff, who was on a two-way contract at the time, but he only got into 20 games and averaged 2.5 minutes per night.

While Christian Braun eventually broke through and has established himself as a reliable starter, Malone was pushing to trade him for a more established player leading up to the 2024 deadline, sources tell Fischer.

Fischer points out that despite their animosity, Malone and Booth were able to produce the most successful seasons in Nuggets history, winning the NBA title in 2023 and matching the franchise record for victories with 57 last year.

Much of the frustration stemmed from Malone’s refusal to give regular minutes to the young players Booth brought in after Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency. Fischer notes that Booth had a sign-and-trade opportunity with the Mavericks last summer involving Caldwell-Pope, but he didn’t want to strengthen the roster of the defending Western Conference champions.

The Nuggets were quiet at this year’s trade deadline, as Booth said potential deals would have to involve Zeke Nnaji‘s $8.8MM salary and Dario Saric‘s $5.1MM. Fischer hears that Denver expressed interest in several players — including Terance Mann, who was ultimately dealt to Atlanta — but Booth felt the price was too high and many potential trading partners shied away from Saric because he holds a player option for next season.

The front office also considered trade options that would turn Michael Porter Jr.‘s $36MM salary into multiple players on lesser deals, according to Fischer. He adds that it never got past the conceptual stage, noting that the Kroenkes are fond of Porter because he’s a Missouri alum just like they are, and they’re considered unlikely to trade him away.

Nuggets players are more supportive of interim coach David Adelman, and Fischer hears that he’ll get a chance to keep the job on a permanent basis. Fischer notes that Booth wasn’t immediately replaced, but sources tell him the team will conduct a search for a new head of basketball operations while keeping most of the current front office together. Fischer mentions Minnesota general manager Matt Lloyd as a name to watch.

The biggest question hanging over the Nuggets as the season winds down is whether Jokic might grow tired of all the chaos and ask for a trade. Fischer states that the three-time MVP has shown no indication of wanting out, but adds that rival teams are sure to be calling with offers this summer.

Hawks’ Terance Mann Named Assistant GM At Florida State

April 3rd, 2025 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks wing Terance Mann has been named an assistant GM of Florida State’s men’s basketball program, the school confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). NBA insider Chris Haynes was first to report the news (via Twitter).

Haynes’ report suggested that Mann was recruited by Luke Loucks, the former Kings assistant and new Noles head coach. The 34-year-old replaced Leonard Hamilton, FSU’s all-time leader in wins.

Mann was a second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2019 draft after playing four years at Florida State from 2015-19. He’ll be returning to his alma mater in a new role.

It’s unclear at this time what Mann’s specific job duties will entail. Warriors superstar Stephen Curry (Davidson) and Mann’s backcourt mate Trae Young (Oklahoma) are among the other NBA players who have accepted assistant GM jobs at their former schools.

Mann, 28, was traded to Atlanta ahead of the February deadline. He’s under contract through 2028 after signing a three-year extension before the 2024/25 season began.

Load More Posts