Hoops Rumors

After being called out by agent Bernie Lee, who accused him of publishing “made-up bulls–t” about his client Jimmy Butler, Shams Charania responded to Lee and doubled down on his reporting during a Thursday appearance on ESPN’s First Take (YouTube link). “I one thousand percent stand by my reporting,” Charania said. “It’s fully vetted, and as a professional, that’s what I do. … [Read more...] about Latest On Jimmy Butler

The Rockets, Mavericks and Warriors are the teams most often linked to a potential Jimmy Butler trade, but none of them are considered certain to make a strong bid to acquire the Heat star, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Stein views Golden State as the most serious contender among the group, with sources telling him that the Warriors … [Read more...] about Stein’s Latest: Butler, Wizards, Jazz, Nets, H. Jones, Sixers, Cavaliers

Donovan Clingan, the No. 7 overall pick of June’s draft, has been cleared for on-court workouts as he ramps up toward a return, according to the Trail Blazers, who announced (via Twitter) that the rookie center is day-to-day going forward. Clingan has been sidelined for the past seven games after sustaining a sprained MCL in his left knee. The former UConn big man, who won … [Read more...] about Injury Updates: Clingan, P. Williams, Rockets, Pacers

The Rockets didn’t commit a turnover in the final 20 minutes of their win over the Clippers on Sunday despite the absence of Fred VanVleet, who is recovering from a right knee injury. It was a very encouraging sign for coach Ime Udoka, who leaned on Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun to organize the offense, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “He’s such … [Read more...] about Rockets Notes: Green, Thompson, Sengun, NBA Cup, VanVleet, Eason

Ahead of an eventual win for his new team over his old one, Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart reflected on the Celtics’ decision to trade him as part of the three-team deal that sent center Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. The Celtics went on to win the title in the first year after the trade. As Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter video link) relays, Smart was surprisingly generous … [Read more...] about Southwest Notes: Smart, Grizzlies, Sheppard, Thompson