Hoops Rumors

The Rockets‘ decision to give contract extensions to Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun was made after two of their future targets in free agency came off the market this summer, Brian Windhorst of ESPN states in an article co-written with Tim Bontemps. When the Cavaliers‘ Donovan Mitchell and the Celtics‘ Derrick White both reached extensions with their teams, Houston’s front … [Read more...] about Rockets Notes: Green, Sengun, Thompson, Sheppard, Adams

The Raptors have listed RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Bruce Brown as out for their season opener against Cleveland on Wednesday, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets. Barrett is making progress in his recovery from shoulder injury. He was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday but still hasn’t been cleared for contact, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Raptors Injuries, Raptors Schedule, Mazzulla, McCain

Neither of the Knicks‘ two major offseason acquisitions got off to the sort of start they were hoping for this season on Tuesday night in Boston. While Mikal Bridges salvaged his night to some extent by making 7-of-8 shots for 16 points in the second half, he went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting in the first two quarters, didn’t grab a single rebound in his 35 minutes on the … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Bridges, Towns, Tatum, Thomas, Shead

After getting waived by the Celtics, Lonnie Walker could have a European opportunity if he’s willing to go that route. Real Madrid is targeting the forward, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Real Madrid is also exploring other potential options. Walker will likely draw some NBA interest after clearing waivers on Monday. Boston let him go mainly due to luxury tax … [Read more...] about And-Ones: Walker, Silver, G League Rules, Cauley-Stein

The Thunder have waived forward Malevy Leons, the team announced today. Leons went undrafted in June out of Bradley and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City in September. His next stop will likely be with the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Blue, Leons will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K. Meanwhile, the … [Read more...] about Minor Moves: Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, Bucks

Lonnie Walker IV didn’t survive the Celtics‘ final cuts, but the decision to part with him clearly wasn’t an easy one, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Walker faced long odds to earn a roster spot with an organization operating under the second apron, and his teammates were impressed by his effort during his time in Boston. “I love Lonnie,” Luke Kornet said. “He’s a great … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Walker, Walsh, Scheierman, Potential Buyers

With teams finalizing rosters ahead of Monday’s cut-down deadline, there could be a flurry of activity from teams exploring avenues to keep players on crowded rosters. According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link), several luxury tax teams are exploring moving off salary in an effort to keep other players they like. While the Wizards aren’t a luxury tax team, they’re one of … [Read more...] about Wizards, Bucks, Wolves Among Teams Exploring Roster-Trimming Trades

Promising Sixers rookie guard Jared McCain took a hard fall late in the fourth quarter of Philadelphia’s Wednesday preseason game against the Nets. He was down for a while, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link), but he was able to get up under his own power. Head coach Nick Nurse said McCain went to the hospital to be evaluated and the Sixers announced he’d be checked … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: McCain, Yabusele, Raptors Injuries, Shead, Walker