Clippers reportedly agree to trade for Marcus Morris, Isaiah Thomas in three-team deal with Knicks, Wizards

By Kurt HelinFeb 6, 2020, 2:19 PM EST

UPDATE: After this trade got announced as agreed upon, it grew.

The Clippers also are trading for Washington reserve point guard Isaiah Thomas, as well as New York’s Marcus Morris, adding more veteran depth to their win-now roster, while sending out Jerome Robinson to the Wizards and Moe Harkless plus a first-round pick to the Knicks.

The Clippers, Knicks and Wizards have agreed to a three-team trade that will land Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN. Jerome Robinson will join the Wizards, Moe Harkless and a 2020 first-round pick to the Knicks.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020

Thomas, however, is not sticking around in Los Angeles. He will be a free agent again (and likely snapped up by some team).

The Clippers will not be keeping Isaiah Thomas, acquired today from Washington in three-team deal with Knicks that brought Marcus Morris to LA and send Moe Harkless/picks to NYC, per league source.

— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 6, 2020

Given that the Clips (along with the Lakers) have been linked to FA Darren Collison (still reportedly deciding) for weeks, and freed up multiple roster spots for potential buyouts post-deadline, this doesn’t come as a shock.

— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 6, 2020

(The Lakers are the Darren Collison frontrunners, several league sources have told NBC Sports. Collison played for the Clippers and Doc Rivers in 2013-14 and reportedly that did not end on the best of terms. Still, the Clippers are smart to keep the door — and a roster spot — open.)

In a tight Western Conference with slim margins between the top teams, the Clippers just got more physical up front with Morris, and they kept him away from the Lakers.

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It’s a real rivalry in Los Angeles now — Clippers and Lakers have been in a trade deadline arms race, not just to improve their rosters but to keep elite talent from going to the other side.

The Clippers reportedly have won one battle in that race: They have agreed to trade for Marcus Morris from the Knicks, via Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Sources: Knicks have agreement in principle to trade Marcus Morris to the Clippers.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2020

Morris and Harkless both expect for deal to close and end up with Clippers and Knicks, respectively, league sources said. Knicks and Clippers working finer details of the deal. https://t.co/5xNsMWOry6

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2020

Reports said right before the deal was announced the Lakers took Kyle Kuzma off the table in talks, which means they were out. It was always hard for the Lakers to construct a trade other teams would want (especially after sending so many picks to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade). Kuzma was the bait, but he only makes $2 million, to match salaries the Lakers would have to throw in Danny Green (something they were not going to do), get the Knicks to accept a combination of players with Kuzma (DeMarcus Cousins and Avery Bradley would work, for example), or get a third team involved.

The Clippers’ path to a trade always has been more direct.

The Clippers’ proposed package for Marcus Morris being discussed is Moe Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann and their 2020 first-round pick, league sources tell @TheAthleticLA. https://t.co/OucHi07Vgt

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 6, 2020

Moe Harkless is the obvious salary-matching player the Clippers would throw in any big trade (he makes $11.5 million), and the Clippers kept their 2020 first-round pick just for this kind of trade. Terrence Mann has shown some real potential this season as a reserve point guard, it’s just tough for him to get much run on a deep Clippers roster. Mfiondu Kabengele also has potential.

The Knicks had wanted Landry Shammet from the Clippers, but Los Angeles has refused to include him in any trade.

Morris will bring both floor spacing and some interior toughness to the Clippers (plus a few technicals). Morris leads the Knicks scoring at 18.5 points per game, he’s grabbing 5.4 boards a game, and he’s’s spacing the floor shooting 45.4 percent from three. He is a physical defender — exactly the kind of player teams want on their side in the playoffs.

Yahoo Sources: Clippers intend to go with an extremely versatile starting lineup of Patrick Beverley, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris and Ivica Zubac.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 6, 2020

The Clippers also still bring Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell off the bench behind that starting five.

While Scott Perry is the acting GM and is making the calls on this trade, there is zero chance it went forward without him talking to Leon Rose, World Wide Wes and the new power structure coming to the Knicks front office.

Lakers’ LeBron James says he could need offseason foot surgery

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 9:11 PM EDT

LeBron James wanted back on the court. He saw the glimpses of what this current roster can do when healthy and focused — the same glimpses that have Laker exceptionalism running strong in Los Angeles — and he sees a West without a dominant team. Together those things mean opportunity.

LeBron could have shut it down when he felt something pop in his foot last month, admitting that two doctors told him to get surgery. However, the “LeBron James of foot doctors” told him he could be back this season — and he made that return Sunday. Still, LeBron admitted he could need off-season surgery.

"When the doctors told me I was healing faster than anybody before they've seen with the injury." @KingJames' response to when he knew he would return from his foot injury. pic.twitter.com/YU0nqhkobj

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 26, 2023

“I don’t know. Right now, I don’t need it, so we’ll see what happens. I’ll probably get another MRI at the end of the season and go from there. But if I end up having to get surgery after the season, you guys won’t know. I don’t talk to you guys in the offseason, and by the time next season starts, I’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go.”

As for what motivated him to get back on the court this season and not shut it down.

“Now we sitting at a chance to be able to… to hell with the play-in, we actually can be a top-[six] seed. That definitely changed my mindset on me coming back and trying to be a part of this, obviously, so — well, I don’t really want to say changed my mindset, it just enhanced what I was trying to do as far as my workouts, as far as my treatment and everything”

The Lakers sit tied for 9/10 in the West, one game below .500. While LeBron can say, “to hell with the play-in,” his Lakers would need help from the Clippers or Warriors to climb into the top six even though they are only 1.5 games back (time is short for L.A., if the Warriors or Clippers go 4-3 the rest of the way, the Lakers need to go 6-2 over their last eight). Los Angeles also is just a game up on Dallas for the 11 seed, and if the losses pile up they could fall out of the play-in completely.

With LeBron back, missing the play-in is unlikely. But having him back (and eventually a healthy D'Angelo Russell, who was out Sunday with a hip issue) also is no guarantee of wins — the Lakers still need peak Anthony Davis to compete. When he has a solid game of 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists (as he did Sunday), they lose. The Lakers need bubble Davis every night, or even if they make the postseason it will be short-lived.

Dončić dodges suspension, NBA rescinds 16th technical

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 4:32 PM EDT

Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

This was unexpected, especially after crew chief Kevin Scott said after the game last night: “Doncic was assessed a technical foul for his use of profanity directed at the officials in protest to a no-call that was correctly judged in postgame video review.”

The NBA league office reviewed the incident (as it does with all technicals) and rescinded what would have been Luka Doncic’s 16th technical.

Luka Dončić’s (DAL) technical foul (7:51, 3rd qtr) from the game on 3/26/23 has been rescinded upon league office review.

— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) March 27, 2023

That 16th technical would have triggered an automatic one game suspension. With it rescinded, Dončić is clear to play Monday night when the Mavericks take on the Pacers.

Sunday night in Charlotte, Dončić was given a technical when he didn’t get a call on a leaning baseline jumper and said something to the nearby official.

Luka Dončić got his 16th technical foul of the season, resulting in a one-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/K3X0Np47dA

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 26, 2023

This incident comes days after Dončić was fined $35,000 for making a money gesture towards a referee in frustration after a Mavericks loss.

Through all this the Mavericks have lost four straight, 7-of-9, and have slid back to 11th in the West, outside even the play-in. Their team is disintegrating and if they don’t pick up some wins fast they have less than two weeks until they are on summer vacation.

MVP showdown off: 76ers to sit Joel Embiid due to calf tightness

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 2:32 PM EDT

Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

Recently Joel Embiid said,” ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.” Today’s news plays right into that narrative.

Embiid has been playing through calf tightness for a few games now — he only played a half against the Bulls last Wednesday — but still putting up numbers (46 points against the Warriors, 28 and 10 against the Suns). However, there had been some concern in the organization about not pushing things and making sure Embiid is healthy for the playoffs. Which is why they will rest him on Monday night, short-circuiting an MVP-race showdown against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN broke the news and John Clarke of NBC Sports Philadelphia has confirmed it.

Joel Embiid is out tonight. His calf is still bothering him. https://t.co/SqRdaoBRmg

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 27, 2023

Embiid did go through part of the 76ers’ shootaround this morning. The decision was made after that point.

Undoubtedly this will spark the load management discussion around the league again, and Embiid is going to take heat for this — but this is a situation where the team’s medical staff made the call, likely over Embiid’s objection.

From the 76ers perspective what matters is having Embiid healthy during the playoffs — they are going nowhere without him — and there is no reason to take undue risks with the team all but locked into the No. 3 seed in the East.

James Harden is still expected to make his return to action Monday from a three-game absence.

But it robs fans — including those who bought tickets in Denver — of one of the great showdowns in the league, and one of the more anticipated games of the season’s final weeks. The NBA has to find a way to balance player health with having their best players on the court for the biggest games. Keep telling fans the regular season doesn’t matter and they will start treating it like that.

Joel Embiid not stressing about MVP: ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.’

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Joel Embiid is the MVP betting favorite — -160 at our partner PointsBet — heading into Monday’s showdown with the reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokić (+180 at PointsBet).

Embiid campaigned for the MVP award the past couple of years but came up second to Jokić. This season, Embiid is not stressing about it. Or at least trying not to stress about it. Here is what Embiid told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

What matters — it’s just about winning, winning, winning. I’ve been focused on that. We’ve been doing that. Whatever happens, happens. If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.

Why hasn’t Embiid won the MVP? Outside of Jokić also being deserving and the complaints of Antetokounmpo and others that the criteria for the award are constantly changing (which suggests there are criteria for the award, but there are none officially), Embiid thinks it’s because he is not well-liked.

People always thought that I was crazy when I said this — I really believe that I’m not well-liked. And it’s cool with me, that’s fine. I’ll be the bad guy. I like being the a–hole anyway. I like being the underdog. So that’s fine with me. My thing is … when I leave the game, I want to make sure that they say: No one was stopping him offensively and defensively, and he was a monster.

There’s no doubt he will leave the game remembered as one of the great 76ers and a “monster” on both ends when healthy. However, resume matters with legacy and an MVP award helps with that. Just not as much as being the best player on a championship team, something more difficult to pull off because it requires a lot of help (it’s up for debate whether Embiid has the help he needs around him to win it all, and if they can stay healthy enough to make that run).

This season the MVP race is a tight three-way contest between Embiid, Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+450 at PointsBet). There are legitimate cases to be made for each member of this trio. However, with the Sixers surging (and the Nuggets stumbling a little), things may break his way this season.

Another dominant performance against Jokić with just a couple of weeks left in the season would stick in voters’ minds and help his cause.

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