The Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman at No. 2 ahead of LaMelo Ball, who went No. 3 to the Charlotte Hornets: The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson reported that the Warriors reportedly viewed Wiseman as the better fit at center, but may have considered Ball the more talented prospect.
Ball and Wiseman are believed to be two of the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year.
The Houston Rockets have received interest from multiple teams in P.J. Tucker, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Tucker has sought an extension with the Rockets but never was able to agree to a deal. Houston’s forward will be a free agent in the offseason.
Sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that Tucker’s value around the league is perceived as being worth three secaond round picks. The Rockets could hold out for a team to offer a late first ahead of the March 25th deadline.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Philadelphia 76ers are “just fine” with no trading All NBA Ben Simmons in exchange for former MVP James Harden, with the Rockets star ultimately going to Brooklyn.
“I think I can say this on your podcast,” said Ramona Shelburne. “I think it will be okay. I’m not betraying a confidence. I think the 76ers are just fine. They’re happy. Like, they were intrigued by this idea. Obviously, Daryl Morey knows how good James Harden is. I think they were really intrigued by the idea of what James Harden would do for Joel Embiid. We’ll never know. We’re never going to know what that would have been. But they really had been playing well with Joel and Ben Simmons. I talked to Joel Embiid just a couple days ago and he was really talking up Ben Simmons and how much they’ve gotten along this year. They really have connected this year. Now, we get to see what actually happens with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.”
Sixers offer for Harden was reportedly composed of Simmons, Matisse Thybulle and draft picks.
During an interview on Thursday following the completion of the James Harden trade, Danny Ainge revealed the Boston Celtics were involved in the trade talks but that the price wasn’t to their liking.
“Yeah, we had conversations regarding James, not recently but yeah, we did have conversations,” Ainge said. “We had numerous talks, but the price really wasn’t changing. The price was really high for us, and it was something we really didn’t want to do … I think unanimously, we decided it wasn’t time for us and it wasn’t the price.”
According to Brian Robb of the Boston Sports Journal, the Rockets were asking for Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and draft compensation.
The Houston Rockets are waiving Bruno Caboclo, Shams Charania reports.
The Texan team was obliged to release a player before formalizing the trade that will send James Harden to Brooklyn in exchange for 4 future first round picks plus three pick swaps and three players: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs.
The Rockets are waiving forward Bruno Caboclo, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 14, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets are acquiring James Harden in a four-way deal with Houston, Indiana and Cleveland.
Rockets get: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, 3 BKN first-rounders (22, 24, 26), 1 MIL first (22, unprotected), 4 BKN 1st round swaps (21, 23, 25, 27)
Nets get: James Harden
Pacers get: Caris LeVert, 2nd-rounder
Cavaliers get: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince
Fonte: Shams Charania.
DeMarcus Cousins criticized his teammate James Harden that said, after last night’s loss to Lakers, that the Rockets are not good enough.
Harden is trying to force a trade that may happen soon.
Via Slam, “My interest is to play with John Wall, to be brutally honest,” offseason acquisition DeMarcus Cousins told the media, including The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “The disrespect started way before.”
Interesting to hear Demarcus Cousins speak about the James Harden drama. Here's a moment between the wo caught by @mrkmully when the Rockets came on the court at the end of halftime last night. pic.twitter.com/OUOYHmzltb
— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) January 13, 2021
“We feel a certain type of way about some of his actions,” Cousins continued. “This is the nasty part of the business that kind of gets swept under the rug.“
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will miss tonight’s game against the LA Clippers due to the health and safety protocol.
He will probably miss other games as he enters quarantine.
New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is out tonight against the LA Clippers, the team says.
Ball will miss the game with bilateral knee tendinopathy.
Fonte: New Orleans Pelicans.
The Houston Rockets are planning to keep James Harden away from the team until a trade gets done, according to ESPN.
Trade talks with Philadelphia and Brooklyn are gaining momentum as Marc Stein reports the Rockets are determined to get a deal done as soon as today.
Stein also reports that the Rockets are pursuing a package including Ben Simmons and Tyrese Maxey from the Sixers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are signing Yogi Ferrell to ten-day contract.
Per Cleveland.com, The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed point guard Yogi Ferrell to a 10-day contract, helping them overcome a rash of injuries that’s led to a shortage on guards, league sources tell cleveland.com. The Cavs used the hardship exception, which allows teams to temporarily sign an additional player beyond the maximum of 17 (including a pair of two-ways).
Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks is on the hot seat after starting the season with only two wins in ten games.
Per The Ringer, Head coach Scott Brooks, who is in the final season of his five-year contract, looks lost trying to find effective lineups. League sources say Brooks is sitting firmly on the hot seat. New coach or not, the team also just needs to be better. Some of their returning players are struggling—Davis Bertans has apparently lost his jumper, and Thomas Bryant still can’t protect the rim (and now he’s out for a season with a torn ACL). Their new additions haven’t moved the needle, either—Robin Lopez looks roasted, and Deni Avdija is just a rookie figuring things out.
Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic suffered a right knee injury during the second quarter of last night’s game at Charlotte and didn’t return to the contest. Following an MRI earlier today at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, he has been diagnosed with an avulsion fracture in his right knee with associated soft tissue inflammation and a bone bruise. His treatment plan is being reviewed and will be updated later this week.
Fonte: Atlanta Hawks.
Jalen Adams is going back in G League.
The American is leaving Chalons Reims to return to Erie Bayhawks, sources told Sportando.
Adams was averaging 20.3ppg in Jeep Elite and was the top scorer in French top division.
Adams spent last season with Bayhawks, which are Pelicans G League team, averaging 19ppg, 4rpg and 4.7apg.
Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic went down with a right knee injury during the loss to the Charlotte Hornets last night.
“We’re probably looking at another guy that’s probably going to be out for a while,” head coach Lloyd Pierce said.
Fonte: Sarah K. Spencer.
The Boston Celtics have seven players either listed as questionable, doubtful or out for tonight’s game against Miami due to the health and safety protocol.
Questionable: Jaylen Brown, Javonte Green, Semi Ojeleye
Doubtful: Jayson Tatum
Out: Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, Robert Williams
Romeo Langford and Kemba Walker are also out due to injuries.
Jayson Tatum tested positive for COVID-19 and the team is likely waiting for confirmation of his positive test, according to the Boston Globe.
Luca Banchi has an agreement in place with Long Island Nets to become the new assistant coach of the G League team, sources tell Sportando.
The Italian coach will fly to New York next week and will be in Orlando’s bubble from late in January for the G League season.
Banchi recently coached Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia.
He won two Serie A titles with Siena and Milano.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is expected to enter quarantine due to the COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according to Shams Charania.
Tatum will be out for the next 10-14 days.
Fonte: Shams Charania.
Three Dallas Mavericks rotation players remained in Denver when the team returned from its trip after one of them tested positive for COVID-19, as reported by ESPN and The Athletic. Guard Jalen Brunson, forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Josh Richardson are listed as out for Saturday’s home game against the Orlando Magic due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Dallas’ injury report does not specify which of the players tested positive. The other two are sidelined due to contact tracing, which requires players to quarantine for seven days before being cleared to return if they continue to test negative for the coronavirus, meaning they will miss a minimum of three games.
The NBA is close to the season’s second coronavirus-related game postponement, as the Philadelphia 76ers are awaiting the league’s ruling on the submission of a contact-tracing report of several players who shared close proximity to guard Seth Curry, sources told ESPN.
The Sixers’ list of seven players placed in the health and safety protocol based on close recent contact to Curry, who tested positive for Coronavirus, could leave them short of the league-mandated eight players required to start today’s 3 p.m. ET game against the Denver Nuggets in Philadelphia. For now, the Sixers are down to six available players: All-Star forward Ben Simmons, centers Dwight Howard and Tony Bradley, rookie guards Tyrese Maxey and Isaiah Joe and guard Dakota Mathias.
The Sixers await the league’s evaluation of the circumstances surrounding those seven players’ individual cases to discover if it is possible that at least two of them could be cleared on Saturday to avoid a postponement. The NBA’s contact-tracing guidelines could determine different clearances for different players, including isolation periods anywhere from zero to seven days.
Fonte: ESPN.
While the NBA appears to be seriously considering expansion for the first time in years, it does not yet appear to be imminent as reported by David Aldridge of The Athletic. While discussion is reportedly ongoing, no serious consideration of expansion is reportedly likely to happen before the end of the 2021-22 season.
Seattle is the most obvious expansion candidate and The Athletic was told that the league could even go with 31 teams for a while instead of 32. Las Vegas and Vancouver are the two cities that could get the second slot.
Fonte: The Athletic.
The NBA G League will play its 2021 season in a bubble environment at Disney World near Orlando in February, confirms Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The top eight teams (of the 18 that will play) will advance to a single-elimination Playoff.
Fonte: Shams Charania.
John Collins has criticized Atlanta Hawks’ offense during a recent film session.
Per The Athletic, John Collins, the fourth-year big man who just weeks before bet on himself in a big way during his failed extension talks with the Hawks, shared his unfiltered and unhappy views about the way franchise centerpiece Trae Young was running the offense,” Kirschner and Amick wrote. “According to three sources who were either in the session or had knowledge of what was said, Collins raised several issues about the way these Hawks were functioning with Young at the helm.
“Collins talked about the need to get into offensive sets more quickly and to limit all those early shot-clock attempts that leave his teammates on the outside looking in. He shared his desire to be more involved and expressed a desire for more ball involvement and flow on offense.
“There was no back-and-forth between the two, but the pointed criticism caught the attention of the room. And Young, sources say, made it clear to others later that he strongly disagreed with Collins’ assessment.
“‘Trae is my brother regardless,’ Collins, who chose not to elaborate further, told The Athletic via text message when he was asked about the situation.”
Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley have signed contracts to play in the NBA G League.
Both players will be in next Monday’s draft.
Veteran NBA players Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley have signed contracts to play in the NBA G League, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Stephenson and Beasley will be in the Draft on Monday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 7, 2021
Jeremy Lin firma inks in G League with Santa Cruz Warriors.
Lin averaged last season 22.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists with Beiking Ducks in CBA.
Guard Jeremy Lin will sign a deal in the NBA G League and play with the Golden State Warriors’ affiliate, Santa Cruz, as he pursues his NBA return, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 7, 2021
The New York Knicks are expected to sign veteran big man Taj Gibson, according to Shams Charania. Gibson will reunite once again with head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached him in Chicago and Minnesota.
The Knicks are expected to waive Omari Spellman to clear roster space for Gibson, per SNY’s Ian Begley.
The New York Knicks announced that Alec Burks will be out at least 7-10 days.
Burks is in walking boots after suffering a sprained ankle.
Medical Update – Alec Burks underwent further testing for his sprained left ankle and will be in a walking boot and re-evaluated in 7-10 days.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 6, 2021
Pistons rookie Killian Hayes has suffered a labral tear in his hip.
The French rookie sustained the injury last Monday.
Detroit Pistons rookie Killian Hayes has suffered a labral tear in his hip, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Hayes, the No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft, sustained the injury on a drive to the basket in Milwaukee on Monday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2021
Tough blow for the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom won’t be able to count on Dante Exum for at least a month (if not two) after the Australian guard suffered a strained right calf.
Exum was averaging 3.8 ppg and 2.1 apg as Cavs’ backup guard.
Atlanta Hawks guard Rajon Rondo is set to miss at least the next three games due to a sore right knee. Former Lakers and Celtics has missed the previous three games with the injury.
Rondo will be re-evaluated before the team leaves for a West Coast trip starting January 13th.
