With NBA training camp less than a month away, some teams are still tweaking their roster. The following are some rumors and news from around the league for September 6. This includes the impact of Trey Murphy’s injury on the New Orleans Pelicans.
NBA Rumors: Impact of Trey Murphy’s Injury and Christian Wood Could Start For Lakers, Plus More
Trey Murphy’s Injury Impact on Pelicans
Murphy will likely miss some time this season after suffering a meniscus injury during a workout at the team’s facility on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Adrain Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: New Orleans Pelicans G Trey Murphy III suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee during a workout today and will undergo further testing. It is immediately unclear whether he’ll require surgery. pic.twitter.com/34kB1sb4vk
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 5, 2023
Wojnarowski said that the severity of Murphy’s injury is unknown and that he will undergo further testing. This is important because meniscus treatment and recovery times vary depending on the damage. Doctors are waiting for the swelling to go down before making a further evaluation.
“A surgical procedure on the meniscus likely would sideline Murphy for the first few months of the season, Wojnarowski wrote. “A non-surgical alternative would likely cause him to miss significantly less time out of the lineup — perhaps as short as six to eight weeks.”
Murphy, a 2021 first-round draft pick of the Memphis Grizzlies, made significant strides in year two, and he was expected to take another step forward this season. The 23-year-old averaged 14.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 79 appearances last season, including 65 starts. Known as a 3-point specialist, Murphy knocked down 2.6 treys a game while producing a shooting slash line of .484/.404/.905/ He ranked fifth in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers in the NBA last season.
With Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson expected to be healthy when the season starts, Murphy was projected to return to the bench. That said, Murphy’s absence will be a major problem for the Pelicans’ second unit.
Who Steps Up on Second Unit
Naji Marshall will likely now become the Pelicans’ sixth-man. Marshall, who started 21 games last season, had a good year as he produced 9.1 points and 3.6 boards, though he is not the shooter that Murphy is. Larry Nance Jr. will be the first big off the bench, while the Pelicans hope that Dyson Daniels, chosen No. 8 in the 2022 draft, will take a huge step after a disappointing campaign last season. Other than that, who grabs the other two spots on the second unit is anyone’s guess.
Oleh Kosel, editor-in-chief of The Bird Writes, believes Kira Lewis Jr. is a name to watch during training camp.
With Trey Murphy's injury today, Kira Lewis Jr. could be the one to watch among reserves. The Pelicans will likely need solid scorer off the bench to start the season. KLJr's athleticism, skill set and glimpses last year feel best for the role.
Praying he gets a legitimate shot.
— Oleh Kosel 🇺🇦 (@OlehKosel) September 6, 2023
Lewis, who had his last two seasons cut due to an ACL injury and recovery, showed some real promise his rookie season. He averaged 4.6 points and 1.3 assists with a slash line of .455/.441/.864 in 25 appearances last season.
Another option, Jordan Hawkins, the Pelicans lottery pick this year, was known as a knockdown shooter at UConn. However, Hawkins struggled mightily on both ends of the floor during summer league action. The 21-year-old wing scored 16 points in three of his five games but produced a shooting slash line of .319/.250/.550. He also contributed 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.8 steals a game.
What Christian Wood Brings To Lakers
Christian Wood has finally found a home. Wood, who struggled in his lone season with the Dallas Mavericks, agreed to a two-year, $5.7 million deal, with the second year being a player option.
23-24: $2,709,849
24-25: $3,036,040 (P)
Wood can reestablish himself with a strong Laker team and enter free agency once again next offseason.
Depth of bigs include: Anthony Davis, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and now Wood https://t.co/yKp9Fewcfh
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 6, 2023
Wood is a mobile big who thrives on the offensive end. He can score with his back-to-the-basket or facing up and is an above-average 3-point shooter. While Wood is a top-notch defensive rebounder, he mainly demonstrates indifference on the defensive end.
Wood is an excellent signing for the Lakers. He has some familiarity with Anthony Davis and head coach Darvin Ham. Wood played with Davis with the Pelicans, and Ham was on the staff during his short stint with the Milwaukee Bucks. More importantly, he improves the Lakers’ depth in the frontcourt and gives Ham an excellent option in games Davis misses games.
According to the Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Wood has a chance to start alongside Davis.
“Wood is going to be in the mix to start, battling Rui Hachimura, whom the team invested heavily this offseason, and Jarred Vanderbilt, who was the primary frontcourt starter last season. At a minimum, Wood will be the primary backup center behind Anthony Davis and play around 20 minutes per game.
Former Pelican Jaxon Hayes is also on the roster. Meanwhile, LeBron James and Taureen Prince also could see time at the four.
The Lakers roster now appears set. They have 14 players under contract, and all three two-way spots are filled.
Philadelphia 76ers Sign Two Players
The Philadelphia 76ers 2023-24 roster appears set following the signing of veteran wing Danny Green on Tuesday. Green’s deal is for one year, per Wojnarowski.
Free agent G Danny Green has agreed on a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, agent Sam Permut of @RocNationSports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 6, 2023
Green, who was with the Sixers from 2020-22, was limited to 11 games last season due to injuries. However, the 37-year-old still shoots it well from deep and defends. He also rebounds a little.
Green is the 15th player on a standard contract. 2021 second-round draft pick Filip Petrusev has a partially guaranteed deal, but he is a lock to make the 15-man roster with Montrezl Harrell suffering a season-ending ACL injury.
In other news, the 76ers signed David Duke to an Exhibit-10 contract. Duke split time with the Brooklyn Nets and their G-League affiliate, Long Island Nets, last season. He has NBA career averages of 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds with a shooting slash line of .403/.204/.763 in 42 appearances.
Duke is the second player, along with Javonte Smart, to sign a training camp contract. Both players are likely to start the season with the Delaware Blue Coats.
Other News
- Harry Giles’ one-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets is nonguaranteed. Giles, who has not played since the 2021-22 season, is slated to compete for a roster spot during training camp.
The deal between Harry Giles and the Brooklyn Nets is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, league sources told @hoopshype. Giles will compete for a roster spot. https://t.co/jZbcM7xZx8
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 2, 2023
Giles, eligible for a two-way deal, is the 16th Net player on a standard contract. Presumably, he will compete with Darius Bazley and Trendon Watford for the final roster spots. Bazley also has a nonguaranteed deal, while Watford has a small guarantee.
Brooklyn has one two-way spot left.
- With the recent signing of P.J. Washington, the Charlotte Hornets now have 15 players on standard contracts. Thirteen of those players have fully guaranteed deals, with Frank Ntilikina (partial) and JT Thor being the exceptions. However, Hornets’ general manager Mitch Kupchack told the Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone that they are unlikely to add more players on guaranteed contracts before the season begins.
With PJ officially on board, #Hornets have 14 guaranteed contracts. Kupchak said they will likely remain at that number to maintain roster flexibility. https://t.co/ShwbO4aQcy
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) September 5, 2023
- Milwaukee Bucks signed free agent Marques Bolden to a training camp deal on Tuesday, reports Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
The Bucks are signing Marques Bolden to a training camp deal, per a league source.
Bolden, 25, also signed a training camp deal with the Bucks last offseason. He was eventually waived before the start of the 2022-23 season.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) September 5, 2023
Bolden has seven games of NBA experience and has spent the last two seasons with the G-League Salt Lake City Stars. The 25-year-old center was limited to six appearances for the Stars this past season due to a shoulder injury.
Milwaukkee now has 21 players on their training camp roster. There is no word whether Bolden’s contract includes Exhibit 10 language, but the Stars still own his G-League rights. Therefore, if he gets waived, the Wisconsin Herd would have to trade for Bolden for him to remain with the organization.
Bolden, Jazian Gortman, and Drew Timme are players currently invited to the Bucks’ training camp. Iverson Molinari and Alex Antetokounmpo previously signed Exhibit 10 deals but have since been waived. Molinari and Antetokounmpo will begin the season with the Herd. All three of their two-way spots are filled.
