NBA trade sends Domantas Sabonis to Kings, Tyrese Haliburton to Pacers

The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has acquired forward-center Domantas Sabonis, forward Justin Holiday, guard Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round draft selection from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.

“We are ecstatic to welcome Domantas, Justin and Jeremy to our Sacramento Kings family,” said Kings General Manager Monte McNair. “This was a unique opportunity to acquire a two-time All-Star and two veteran wings, all whom will help us, as we continue to build here in Sacramento. We would also like to thank Tyrese, Buddy and Tristan for their contributions to the Kings and wish them well moving forward.”

During the 2021-22 campaign, Sabonis is averaging 18.9 points (.580 FG%, .324 3pt%, .740 FT%), 12.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 34.7 minutes per game in 47 games (46 starts). A former 11th overall selection in the 2016 draft by the Orlando Magic, Sabonis currently ranks third in the NBA in double-doubles with 34 and sixth in triple-doubles with five, while ranking fourth in the Association in rebounds per game and fifth in field goal percentage.

The Gonzaga product has garnered career averages of 14.2 points (.533 FG%, .322 3pt%, .727 FT%), 9.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 28.3 minutes per game in 400 games (260 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2016-17) and Indiana Pacers (2017-22).

Holiday brings eight years of experience to Sacramento holding career averages of 8.7 points (.401 FG%, .366 3pt%, .821 FT%), 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 551 games (260 starts) with the Philadelphia 76ers (2012-13), Golden State Warriors (2014-15), Atlanta Hawks (2015-16), Chicago Bulls (2015-16, 2017-18), New York Knicks (2016-17), Memphis Grizzlies (2018-19) and Indiana (2019-22).

In his tenth season from Connecticut, Lamb has accrued career averages of 10.2 points (.440 FG%, .344 3pt%, .857 FT%), 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals and 20.8 minutes per game in 556 contests (136 starts) for three teams: Oklahoma City (2012-15), Charlotte (2015-19) and Indiana (2019-22).

2022 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest participants

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin and Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson will take flight in the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. A first-time champion will be crowned as Anthony, Green and Toscano-Anderson are set to make their event debuts, and Toppin returns for his second appearance after finishing as the runner-up last year.

2022 NBA All-Star Weekend: 3-Point Contest participants

NBA All-Stars Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks headline the 2022 NBA 3-Point Contest, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

The eight-player field for the two-round, timed shooting competition also features guard CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers (though he will reportedly soon be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans), guard Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies, guard Luke Kennard of the LA Clippers and guard Patty Mills of the Brooklyn Nets.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal will undergo season-ending wrist surgery

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will undergo surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament of his left wrist and will miss the remainder of the regular season.

The decision to proceed with the surgery was mutually agreed upon by the team, Beal and his representation after a re-evaluation today by Hand Specialist Dr. Michele Carlson of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and the Wizards medical team.

“Despite the last 10 days of getting intensive treatment and rehab on my wrist, it became clear that I would not be able to compete to my standards or to the level that our team and our fans deserve,” said Beal. “I’m disappointed to have my season end this way, but we all agreed that this was the best decision. I look forward to coming back at 100% and continuing to lead this team as we work together to build toward the future.”

Per the Washington Times, “now, Beal will focus on rehab in the coming months. But he‘ll have a gigantic decision to make this summer as the three-time All-Star can opt out of his contract to reach free agency. The Wizards can offer Beal a five-year contract worth $241 million, though there’s no guarantee that Beal would accept. Beal has long said he wants to stay in Washington, but a recent report from The Athletic indicated that the 28-year-old “remains uncertain” whether the Wizards’ front office can surround him with enough talent to seriously compete in the long run.”

The injury, which Beal suffered at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter at Memphis on January 29, was originally revealed following examination and testing by Wizards Head Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. William Postma and Hand Specialist Dr. Curtis Henn of MedStar Health in conjunction with Dr. Carlson and Monumental Basketball Chief of Athlete Care & Performance Dr. Daniel Medina.

The three-time All-Star averaged 23.2 points, a career-high 6.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 40 games this season.

Pacers trade Caris LeVert to Cavaliers for Ricky Rubio

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired forward Caris LeVert and a 2022 second-round pick (via Miami) in a trade with the Indiana Pacers for guard Ricky Rubio, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick (via Houston) and 2027 second-round pick (via Utah), Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We are very excited to add a dynamic young player of this caliber and experience,” said Altman. “Caris LeVert fits uniquely into our culture and his Ohio roots brings an immediate connection to our community. We look forward to seeing what type of impact he can make on this roster. We also want to send our best wishes to Ricky Rubio and his family. Ricky has been the consummate professional and his leadership both on and off the court was invaluable and we respect everything he brought to this franchise.”

LeVert (6-6, 205) played in 39 games (all starts) for the Pacers this season, averaging 18.7 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 31.1 minutes. Over his six-year NBA career, he has appeared in 299 games (170 starts) with Brooklyn and Indiana, owning career averages of 14.7 points, 4.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.09 steals in 27.4 minutes per contest. He has also appeared in nine career playoff games (six starts), averaging 20.7 points, 5.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.11 steals in 31.6 minutes. LeVert was selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Pacers after attending the University of Michigan for four years (2012-2016).

Rubio (6-3, 190) was acquired by the Cavaliers on August 8, 2021 via trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves and played in 34 games this season (eight starts), averaging 13.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.44 steals in 28.5 minutes.

LaMelo Ball selected as injury replacement for Kevin Durant in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been selected by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as an injury replacement for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant for the 2022 NBA All-Star that will be played at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 20, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland and air live on TNT and ESPN Radio.

Ball, who was previously selected for the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars, is the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to be named an All-Star and one of nine players with an All-Star selection before their 21st birthday. He is the first Hornets player to earn the honor since Kemba Walker in 2019.

In his sophomore campaign, Ball is averaging 19.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 47 games, all starts. He ranks 26th in points, 10th in assists and 17th in steals per game in the NBA this season and is also 13th in free throw percentage (.875%). Ball has posted four triple-doubles, already tying the Hornets single-season franchise record and is just one of 10 players with four or more triple-doubles on the year. The 20-year-old became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach five career-triple doubles on Jan. 26 at Indiana.

The 2020-21 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year, Ball is just one of two players averaging at least 19.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. His 12 points-assist double-doubles are tied for the fourth most among Eastern Conference guards as he has 16 double-doubles overall this season. Ball has had 12 games with 10 or more assists, ranking fifth in the East, while his 10 games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists ranks tied for fourth among guards in the Eastern Conference this season.

He joins Larry Johnson (1993, 1995), Alonzo Mourning (1994, 1995), Glen Rice (1996, 1997, 1998), Eddie Jones (2000), Baron Davis (2002), Gerald Wallace (2010) and Kemba Walker (2017, 2018, 2019) as the only players in franchise history to be named an NBA All-Star. Ball is just the third Hornets player to earn an All-Star selection in their second season, joining Johnson (1993) and Mourning (1994).

Ball will be among the pool of players that were selected as starters and reserves in each conference that will be drafted by LeBron James and Kevin Durant who will serve as captains after leading their respective conference in fan voting.

Dejounte Murray selected as injury replacement for Draymond Green in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has been selected as an injury replacement for Draymond Green in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. The fifth-year Spur will make his first career All-Star appearance.

Murray is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists this season. The Spurs guard holds averages of 19.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.06 steals. There has never been a player in NBA history that has averaged more than 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 2.0 steals for an entire season.

Leading the league in steals and ranking fourth in assists, Murray has 10 triple-doubles this season which is second in the league behind only Denver’s Nikola Jokić (14). The former Washington Husky has twice as many triple-doubles already this year (10) than any other player in Spurs history previously had in an entire season (5, David Robinson in 1993-94 and Johnny Moore in 1984-85).

Murray becomes the first Spurs player named to an All-Star roster since LaMarcus Aldridge in 2019. The Spurs have now had at least one All-Star selection in 41 of the 45 All-Star Games since joining the NBA in 1976, the most of any team in that span.

Joining Murray as Western Conference All-Stars are: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Ja Morant (Memphis), Nikola Jokić (Denver), Andrew Wiggins (Golden State), Stephen Curry (Golden State), Devin Booker (Phoenix), Luka Doncic (Dallas), Rudy Gobert (Utah), Draymond Green (Golden State), Donovan Mitchell (Utah), Chris Paul (Phoenix), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota).

The Eastern Conference All-Stars: Kevin Durant (Brooklyn), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia), Trae Young (Atlanta), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago), Jimmy Butler (Miami), Darius Garland (Cleveland), Zach Lavine (Chicago), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee), James Harden (Brooklyn), Jayson Tatum (Boston), Fred VanVleet (Toronto), LaMelo Ball (Charlotte – injury replacement).

The 71st NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, where there will be a celebration for the league’s 75th anniversary.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic keeps moving up NBA all-time triple-doubles list

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic keeps moving up the NBA’s all-time triple-doubles list. Via ESPN.com:

Nikola Jokic, inching closer to tying Wilt Chamberlain on the career triple-doubles list, joined the Hall of Famer as the only players with multiple 25-point triple-doubles on 80% shooting in NBA history on Sunday.

Jokic had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 12-of-15 from the field in a 124-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He has an NBA-best 14 triple-doubles this season and 71 for his career, just seven away from tying Chamberlain for sixth all-time.

The Nuggets are 29-24 this season, which is the sixth best record in the Western conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Jokic at 25.9 ppg, Will Barton at 15.3 ppg, Aaron Gordon at 14.5 ppg, and Monte Morris at 12.8 ppg. Star point guard Jamal Murray is injured and hasn’t played this season.

Erik Spoelstra will coach Team Durant in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff will coach Team Durant in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The matchup between Team Durant and Team LeBron will air live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States and reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages.

By virtue of the Chicago Bulls’ 119-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers today, the Heat (34-20, .630) clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 6 (today). As a result, Spoelstra has earned a spot as a head coach in the NBA All-Star Game for the second time. He coached the Eastern Conference in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game.

Spoelstra is in his 14th season as Miami’s head coach and his 27th season as a member of the Heat organization. He was named the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in December, marking the ninth time he has won Coach of the Month honors.

The winningest coach in Heat history, Spoelstra has led Miami to two NBA championships, five Eastern Conference championships and 10 playoff appearances. Under Spoelstra, Miami won back-to-back NBA championships in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.

Each head coach in the NBA All-Star Game will lead the team that includes the captain from the same conference. Spoelstra will coach the All-Star team captained by Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant.

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams previously earned the spot to coach the All-Star team captained by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

Return date for Heat forward Markieff Morris remains unclear

It remains unclear when the Miami Heat will be at full strength. Via the Miami Herald:

Heat forward Markieff Morris, who has been sidelined since Nuggets center Nikola Jokic shoved him to the floor three months ago, wants to play in games but the team still has not cleared him to do so, multiple sources told The Miami Herald this week.

The Heat’s position has left in question when or if the veteran power forward will return to play this season.

Morris’ injury — sustained in that Nov. 8 game in Denver — was termed “whiplash” by the Heat. The Heat is now listing him as out because of a “return to competitive reconditioning.” But the team has declined to discuss his status, what he has been cleared to do physically or whether he will play again this season.