April 2023 NBA Wiretap

Rudy Gobert, Chris Finch Fined For Criticizing Officials Following Suns Loss

Mar 31, 2023 11:54 PM

Rudy Gobert was fined $25,000 and Chris Finch was fined $15,000 after each criticized officials following the Minnesota Timberwolves' 107-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

The Suns had a 27-12 advantage in free throw attempts in the game.

Finch said that Monty Williams' previous criticism of officials "works, because tonight they went to the line 27 times and we went to the line 12 times" after the game.

Gobert then claimed that officials were "trying to help them [Phoenix] win" the game.

"I think you want to see KD [Kevin Durant] in the playoffs, Steph [Stephen Curry] in the playoffs, you want to see LeBron [James] in the playoffs. Timberwolves are not there yet," added Gobert. 

ESPN

Tags: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Fines

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Naz Reid Out Six Weeks With Surgery On Fractured Left Wrist

Mar 31, 2023 9:59 PM

Naz Reid will undergo surgery on his fractured left wrist and miss at least six weeks.

Reid had a breakout season in 22-23, averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Reid will be a free agent this offseason and went undrafted in 2019 out of LSU.

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Tags: Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Injury

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LaMarcus Aldridge Announces Retirement For Second Time

Mar 31, 2023 9:37 PM

LaMarcus Aldridge has retired from the NBA for the second time.

"In the words of TB12, you only get one big, emotional retirement... so, on that note...I'm thankful for all the memories, family and friends I made throughout my career," Aldridge tweeted. "It was one hell of a ride and I enjoyed every min!"

Aldridge briefly retired during the 2020-21 season after experiencing an irregular heartbeat while a member of the Brooklyn Nets. Aldridge returned to the Nets and appeared in 47 games last season.

ESPN

Tags: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Nick Nurse Plans To Evaluate 'Where I'm At' After Season

Mar 31, 2023 9:32 PM

Nick Nurse revealed he plans to "take a few weeks to see where I'm at" after what he described as "a difficult season from a number of standpoints."

Nurse has been with the Toronto Raptors for 10 years, first as an assistant coach and then five years as head coach.

"Early on, had some pretty serious injuries with some key guys," Nurse said. "I thought we kind of weathered that for a while ... and then yeah, I think the trade deadline stuff, I don't know if there was a thousand rumors, 999 of them were about us, it seemed like. So that was probably as interesting as it gets."

Nurse, when asked where his head is at, said he is primarily focused on two things.

"First of all, I think when this season gets done, we'll evaluate everything, and even personally, I'm gonna take a few weeks to see where I'm at, you know?" Nurse said. "Like you said, where my head's at. And just see how the relationship with the organization is and everything. It's been 10 years for me now, which is a pretty good run. I don't know, over those 10 years we got to be up there in number of wins with anybody in the league. I don't know even know where that is, but we've had a lot of big seasons.

"And then, right now, my head is to make this as long of a season as possible. This team needs playoff experience. So that is where I'm at right now ... finish out these six, see where we land, see if we can't creep up a spot or two in the standings, and then give them hell in the playoffs, see if we can get in a real series and take it from there."

Tim Bontemps/ESPN

Tags: Toronto Raptors, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Gradey Dick Leaves Kansas For 2023 NBA Draft

Mar 31, 2023 4:11 PM

Gradey Dick will leave Kansas after his freshman season and enter the 2023 NBA draft.

"None of this would be possible without God and my family," Dick told ESPN. "They've been with me every step of the way. I also want to thank my coaches, teachers, and friends along the way."

Dick is the No. 11 prospect in ESPN's draft projections.

Dick averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game this season, shooting 40% for 3.

Malika Andrews/ESPN

Tags: Gradey Dick, Kansas Jayhawks, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA Draft Declarations

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NBA, NBPA Won't Lower Minimum Age For Draft As Part Of Next CBA

Mar 31, 2023 4:06 PM

The NBA and NBPA have tabled the possibility of lowering the minimum age to enter the draft as part of its next collective bargaining agreement, which will mean the "one-and-done" rule will continue.

The league wanted to eliminate the rule, but the players wanted to ensure veteran players would be taken care of as part of the change.

NBA owners and executives were largely indifferent or fully against returning to high school gymnasiums to evaluate players, and even less enthusiastic about that idea without concessions from the NBPA on providing increased access to pre-draft player medical information and increased participation in several elements of the draft combine.

The rise of financial opportunities for non-NBA players has softened the NBPA's belief there needed to be an aggressive push for lowering the draft limi

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Tags: High School, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Kenneth Lofton Jr. Named G League Rookie Of The Year

Mar 31, 2023 11:47 AM

Kenneth Lofton Jr. has been named the 2022-23 NBA G League Rookie of the Year.

Lofton Jr. averaged 20.2 points and 10.5 rebounds in 17 games for the Memphis Hustle. 

Santa Cruz Warriors guard Lester Quinones and Rio Grande Valley Vipers forward Darius Days finished second and third in voting, respectively.

Past winners of the award include Paul Reed, Quinn Coo, Robert Covington and Tim Frazier.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Kenny Lofton, Jr., Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Hustle, NBA, D-League, D-League Award, D-League Teams

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Jalen Hood-Schifino Leaves Indiana For 2023 NBA Draft

Mar 31, 2023 11:24 AM

Jalen Hood-Schifino will leave Indiana after his freshman decision to enter the 2023 NBA draft.

Hood-Schifino is a projected lottery pick.

"For me, the time is now," Hood-Schifino told ESPN. "This has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy."

Hood was voted the Big Ten Conference Freshman of Year and second-team All-Big Ten after averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

"My freshman season was nothing short of amazing," said Hood-Schifino, who is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. "My coaches kept their word by having the ultimate trust in me as a freshman. We didn't win a national championship, but overall the season was successful and experiencing March Madness was a surreal moment."

Jonathan Givony, Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Tags: Jalen Hood, Indiana Hoosiers, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA Draft Declarations

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Hollinger & Duncan: The Playoff Field is Set in Our Minds

Mar 31, 2023 10:01 AM

John and Nate predict the playoff field, but really use the exercise as an excuse to discuss where the 5 teams they are ruling out of the playoffs are going from here.

Catch every Hollinger & Duncan Episode on Dunc’d On Prime, plus five more Episodes per week with Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux. You also get Daily Duncs, Dan Feldman’s newsletter analysis of the most important NBA writing and news of the day, and Seth Partnow’s stats nuggets as well.  

DuncdOn.SupportingCast.fm

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: NBA

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Pacers Sign Gabe York To Two-Way Contract

Mar 31, 2023 1:33 AM

The Indiana Pacers signed Gabe York to a two-way deal on Thursday.

The 29-year-old averaged 21.4 points and 3.9 assists for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

The Pacers now have 17 players on the roster.

Indiana Pacers

Tags: Gabe York, Indiana Pacers, NBA, NBA Official Signing

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Nikola Jokic Sits Thursday Game With Calf Injury, Status For Friday To Be Determined

Andrew Lopez/ESPN

Naz Reid Suffers Broken Wrist, Out For Significant Time

Shams Charania & Jon Krawczynski/The Athletic

Blazers Sign Shaq Harrison To 10-Day Contract

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Julius Randle Out For Regular Season With Sprained Ankle

RealGM Staff Report

Brandon Miller Declares For 2023 NBA Draft

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Giannis Antetokounmpo Admits He Cares About MVP But Priority Is Championship

Vincent Goodwill/Yahoo Sports

Anthony Davis: I Think We've Got Everything We Need, We Can Definitely Make A Run

Dave McMenamin/ESPN

Kevin Durant: I Don't Care About Legacy Anymore

Shams Charania/The Athletic

Kyrie Irving: It's Been Nothing But Great With Mavericks, Outside Of Losses

Tim Bontemps/ESPN

Stephen Curry Signs Long-Term Extension With Under Armour

Nick DePaula/ESPN

James Harden Has Been Dealing With Achilles Soreness For 'Some Months'

Tim Bontemps/ESPN

Joel Embiid Has Narrow Lead Over Nikola Jokic In Final MVP Straw Poll

Tim Bontemps/ESPN

Kansas State's Markquis Nowell Enters NBA Draft

Markquis Nowell

Baylor Freshman Keyonte George Enters NBA Draft

Jonathan Givony/ESPN

Duke Freshman Dariq Whitehead To Enter NBA Draft

ESPN

UCLA's Jaylen Clark Declares For NBA Draft

ESPN

Julius Randle Leaves Game With Sprained Left Ankle

ESPN

Justise Winslow Out For Season With Ankle Surgery

RealGM Staff Report

Andre Drummond Misses Wednesday's Game After Post On Mental Health

ESPN

Sources With NBA, NBPA Share Optimism On State Of CBA Talks Ahead Of Deadline

Tim Bontemps/ESPN