Tag: Mason Plumlee

Five Boston Celtics buyout candidates for the 2023 NBA postseason

With the $3.2 million disabled player exception available to be used to sign a player in the last year of his deal or a free agent, the Boston Celtics will be able to offer more salary than most other teams.

“Boston is going to pick off whoever they want on the buyout market,” said an anonymous source to Celtics Blog’s Keith Smith regarding the team’s plans for team building beyond the 2023 NBA trade deadline. “They have money and minutes. And they’re a title contender. That checks all the boxes.”

With the $3.2 million disabled player exception available to be used to sign a player in the last year of his deal or a free agent, the Boston Celtics will be able to offer more salary than most other teams, as well as being a contender with some real needs to be filled.

The league awaits potential buyout options that could hit the market soon that might be up the Celtics’ alley — let’s dive into some of the better options out there.

Assessing low-cost big and wing trade targets for the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are reportedly on the hunt for some frontcourt depth help on the trade market ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline.

The Boston Celtics are reportedly on the hunt for some frontcourt depth help on the trade market ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline, and there is no shortage of analysts ready with proposals of who the Celtics should consider going after to such an end.

Boston is reportedly looking for low-cost help as a stipulation, with the team ill-disposed to moving most heavy-minutes players in their rotation. With the best record in the NBA at present, that certainly seems a prudent path, but it can also be said that this team’s depth still needs a bit of an upgrade if the Celtics want to give themselves a real shot at an NBA title. The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and Jay King put together a trade deadline primer in particular with some interesting targets proposed by the duo that could be what Boston might be after.

Let’s dive into the various options they mention we haven’t addressed much elsewhere and their potential fit with the Celtics squad.

Ranking the 20 most interesting NBA players who could get traded and where each may go

A look at the players who could be dealt by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

The NBA trade deadline is one week from Thursday, and while it might seem quieter than normal, there could still be a lot of activity.

Even if there isn’t a looming blockbuster move like when the Nets and Sixers swapped James Harden and Ben Simmons last season, there are teams around the league that could have an entirely different roster before the beginning of the All-Star break.

While there are some obvious sellers (e.g. Pistons, Hornets, Spurs, Rockets), others (e.g. Raptors, Pacers, Jazz) have slightly less clear intentions.

Based on the latest rumors and intel provided by insiders around the NBA, these are the players considered most likely to get traded — and where each player is rumored to go.

But remember: The trade deadline is always full of surprises. No one in the league predicted the Kings would have traded Tyrese Haliburton last season! So in addition to these players, expect the unexpected.

ACC players selected in the 2022 NBA draft

Who from the Irish’s conference have made the jump?

For the fourth time since 1999, a Duke player was the first overall selection of the NBA draft. That also made it the ninth consecutive year in which the ACC had one of its players taken within the first four picks. The conference had a decent night overall, but the 2022 NBA Draft particularly was amazing for Duke, like that surprises anyone. Meanwhile, Notre Dame saw one of its own selected in the first round, which had not happened in seven years.

While it would be nice to guarantee that all of these players will hit it big in the NBA, we all know that’s unlikely. Some might be future superstars, and others might not even register a single minute in the league. Time will let all of these careers play out, and it’s not really the time to speculate on who will be good or bad. This is the time for them to celebrate the next chapter of their lives.

Here are the ACC players who were drafted by NBA teams in 2022:

Charlotte Hornets player grades from opening night win over Pacers

Here are the individual player grades as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers on the road.

Well, that’s one way to open up the regular season.

The Charlotte Hornets hold off the Indiana Pacers at the buzzer, 123-122, as Domantas Sabonis misses a fadeaway jumper over the stretched hands of P.J. Washington.

The Pacers had their hands all over this one, jumping out to a 23-point lead, but a 24-0 run by the Hornets, led by LaMelo, in the third quarter, got Charlotte back in the game.

LaMelo Ball led the way for the Hornets with 31 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals on 11-of-23 shooting and 7-of-9 from 3-point range.

Gordon Hayward got hot in the fourth quarter, finishing with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Miles Bridges added 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block as he filled the stat sheet.

Check out the individual player grades below.

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Mason Plumlee returns to practice, Gordon Hayward remains in protocol

The Hornets will get their starting center for tomorrow’s game against the Mavericks.

The Charlotte Hornets are slowly getting back to full health before the regular season kicks off next week.

Starting center Mason Plumlee has been cleared from health and safety protocols and returned to practice today, per Hornets PR.

Gordon Hayward remains in protocol and will miss his third-straight game on Wednesday when the Hornets take on the Dallas Mavericks.

 

Charlotte will also be without Terry Rozier, who is dealing with a left ankle sprain, while Kelly Oubre Jr. is considered questionable after missing the last two contests.

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Hornets season preview: Is LaMelo Ball ready to become an All-Star?

The Charlotte Hornets are a team that can potentially exceed expectations, especially if LaMelo Ball is able to further improve his game.

The Charlotte Hornets are a team that can potentially exceed expectations, especially if LaMelo Ball is able to further improve his game.

Ball is one of the most exciting young players in basketball and the sky is the limit when it comes to his career. But there are still some questions about if that will translate to winning for the Hornets. For example, will he have enough talent around him to make a splash in the postseason?

Below, check out our preview for the 2021-22 Hornets campaign.

Gordon Hayward, Mason Plumlee placed in health & safety protocol

Being in protocol will force the two Hornets will miss Thursday’s preseason game.

The regular season hasn’t even started yet and the Charlotte Hornets have been bit by the health & safety protocol bug.

The Hornets announced on Wednesday that Gordon Hayward and Mason Plumlee had been placed in health & safety protocol, forcing them to miss Thursday’s preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Head coach James Borrego told the media that he didn’t have much more information regarding Hayward and Plumlee’s status going forward past Thursday’s game, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Stay tuned to Lonzo Wire for all Charlotte Hornets updates.

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Recent trade proposal sees Boston Celtics swap Al Horford for two Charlotte Hornets

Would it make sense to flip Horford for a big and a wing?

In a recent article full of trade proposals for every team in the NBA to get rid of their “worst” contract by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, the Boston Celtics’ worst deal is the two-year, $53.5 million owed veteran big man Al Horford in the eyes of the B/R analyst.

We have to say that if that is the Celtics’ worst contract, they are doing pretty well given Horford put up numbers more or less in line with what he has managed throughout his career while shooting a career-best 36.8% on volume 3-pointers. There’s been a little slippage with age to be sure, but given — as Buckley notes — the deal is only guaranteed for $41.5 million, it’s a “problem” the Celtics won’t likely mind too much.

But supposing they did?

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gives the Charlotte Hornets offseason a C+ grade

Check out why the additions of Kelly Oubre, Mason Plumlee, and James Bouknight landed the Bulls a C+ grade from Pelton.

The Charlotte Hornets didn’t necessarily make any huge splashes during the offseason, but you can’t say that they’re coming away worse as a team.

The Hornets signed wing Kelly Oubre Jr. and veteran guard Ish Smith while acquiring center Mason Plumlee via trade and drafting first-rounders James Bouknight and Kai Jones.

The Athletic’s David Aldridge ranked the Hornets as having the No. 7 best offseason in the league, while ESPN’s Zach Lowe crowned Charlotte as one of his winners during free agency.

On Monday, Lowe’s colleague, Kevin Pelton, gave the Hornets’ offseason a C+ grade.

See Pelton’s reasoning for the C+ grade below..

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