Kansas, Duke and Purdue lead the preseason AP Top 25 poll for the 2023-24 season.Marcus Smart has yet to make his preseason debut for the Memphis Grizzlies, due to an abdominal injury. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said that abdominal soreness has dissipated, and now it’s about ramping Smart up for the regular season. That process includes Smart potentially making his Grizzlies debut in Friday’s preseason finale.
Smart was traded to Memphis from the Boston Celtics this summer in a three-team trade that involved the Washington Wizards. Memphis is counting on Smart to fill in at the point guard position, while Ja Morant serves a 25-game suspension to open the season. Smart will then shuffle to the wing, to help replace Dillon Brooks, who signed with the Houston Rockets.
The New Orleans Pelicans will be even more shorthanded to open the season than they already were. Naji Marshall suffered a bone bruise in his right knee during Saturday’s preseason game. Marshall will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The fourth-year forward joins Trey Murphy as out for the start of the regular season for the Pelicans. Murphy is recovering from a meniscus injury in his left knee.
The injuries to Murphy and Marshall could open up an opportunity for one of the team’s training camp invites to make the regular season roster. New Orleans may also lean on two-way player Kaiser Gates and Dereon Seabron more than was expected.
There has been “no progress” made between Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors over a contract extension, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
“I’m told that there been absolutely no progress on a Klay Thompson extension in Golden State, that they are both still apart on years and money.
“And there’s a very real possibility that Klay Thompson goes into free agency next summer without a deal,” said Wojnarowski on NBA Countdown.
Thompson is entering the final year of a five-year, $189.9 million deal and will have a base salary of $43.2 million this season.
Bob Myers, the former president of basketball operations for the Warriors, acknowledged the difficulty of the negotiation.
“This is a delicate negotiation. From what I know and see, he wants to stay. They want him to stay,” added Myers.
