Hoops Rumors

Al Horford seemed to accept a deal below his market value when he agreed to a two-year, $20MM extension with the Celtics in December, but an unidentified league executive tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy that Horford’s decision was likely driven by market realities as well as his loyalty to Boston. Although Horford remains productive, he’ll turn 37 this summer. Most of the teams … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Horford, G. Williams, Mazzulla, R. Williams

It looked like Al Horford‘s NBA career might be winding down when he was traded in a salary-dump deal in 2020 following a failed stint in Philadelphia, but the 36-year-old has resurrected his career during his second stint with the Celtics. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports has the story. … [Read more...] about Al Horford Has Resurrected Career With Celtics

Celtics forward Grant Williams received his first DNP-CD of the season on Wednesday in a four-point win over Cleveland. Asked after the game why Williams didn’t play at all, head coach Joe Mazzulla simply replied, “Matchups” (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). Williams is in a contract year and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. … [Read more...] about Grant Williams Gets First DNP-CD Of Season

Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum got his first career ejection in a loss to the Knicks on Monday but he playfully put a positive spin on it, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes. “All the great players get thrown out a few times in their career,” he said. “So, it’s good for my rep.” … [Read more...] about Tatum Ejection “Good For My Rep”

The Knicks won’t have to deal with the Celtics’ second-leading scorer when the teams square off on Monday. Jaylen Brown is taking the night off for personal reasons, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston tweets. … [Read more...] about Jaylen Brown To Miss Monday’s Game

As we explain in a glossary entry, a player who is eligible for restricted free agency at the end of a given season can have the value of his qualifying offer adjusted depending on whether or not he meets the “starter criteria.” A player is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free … [Read more...] about Checking In On RFAs-To-Be Who Have Met Starter Criteria

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link) believes the Celtics are well-positioned to win the team’s first championship since 2008 and says there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to achieve that goal. One key down the stretch will be maintaining their narrow advantage over the Bucks for the No. 1 seed in the East, Washburn notes — the Bucks have the second-best home … [Read more...] about Washburn Says There’s No Reason Celtics Shouldn’t Win Title

The Hawks are considering Ime Udoka as a potential replacement for Nate McMillan, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Rumors swirled about several prominent coaches after McMillan’s dismissal was announced Tuesday, but this is the first time we’ve heard Udoka as a possibility. Stein notes that Atlanta officials have only acknowledged former Jazz coach Quin Snyder as a … [Read more...] about Ime Udoka Among Candidates For Hawks’ Coaching Vacancy

Celtics forward Grant Williams, formerly a vice president for the National Basketball Players Association, has been elected as the first vice president of the players’ union, per a press release. Williams will take over that role from Andre Iguodala, whose four-year term has expired following his election in 2019. Since Williams was promoted to first vice president and Kyrie … [Read more...] about And-Ones: NBPA, Dooling, A. Anderson, Officiating, Elam Ending