NBA News Today: Philadelphia 76ers lose 2 second-round picks; Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named Players of the Week, and more | November 1, 2022
The NBA has punished the Philadelphia 76ers for violating tampering rules in the offseason. The Sixers began negotiating with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House before the start of free agency, so the league stripped the Sixers of their second-round picks in 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the OKC Thunder were named NBA Players of the Week. Antetokounmpo has looked unstoppable to start the season as the Bucks remain the only unbeaten team in the league.
On that note, here's a look at the NBA news today (November 1) brought to you by Sportskeeda:
Nike reacts to Kyrie Irving sharing link to antisemitic movie
Kyrie Irving is embroiled in another controversy to start the NBA season. He received a ton of criticism for promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter. Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai has called out his star point guard, while the league released a statement on the same.
Nike also released a statement regarding Irving's recent actions. The Nets star has a shoe line with Nike.
"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech, and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the statement said via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Irving has since deleted the links and screenshots he posted of the movie "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America." He made the post after rapper Kanye West lost billions of dollars from Adidas and Gap for his antisemitic comments.
Philadelphia 76ers lose two second-round picks due to tampering
The Philadelphia 76ers have been found guilty of tampering for negotiating with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House before the start of free agency. The NBA has stripped the Sixers of their second-round picks in 2023 and 2024. The Sixers released a statement accepting the league's punishment.
"The Philadelphia 76ers fully cooperated with the NBA’s investigation and acknowledge the league's ruling," the statement said. "We're moving forward, focused on the season ahead."
The Sixers signed Tucker to a three-year, $33 million contract, while House received a two-year, $8.5 million deal. James Harden took a pay cut for the Sixers to sign the two free agents. Tucker and House were brought in as potential missing pieces for a championship run.
Joshua Primo clears waivers, becomes unrestricted free agent
The San Antonio Spurs waiving Joshua Primo on Friday has been the most shocking news in the NBA this season. The Spurs parted ways with Primo, who allegedly exposed himself to multiple women on many occasions. A former female Spurs employee even hired an attorney because of the situation.
Before waiving Primo, the Spurs exercised their team option for the next two seasons. The former lottery pick went unclaimed before Monday's afternoon deadline. He's now an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any NBA team.
However, Primo is focused on improving his mental health following his release. He said that a previous trauma was the cause of his problems. Despite the circumstances of his release, several teams are interested in Primo, as reported by ESPN.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander named NBA Players of the Week
The NBA announced on Monday that Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the OKC Thunder are the Players of the Week.
Antetokounmpo averaged 35.7 points, 15.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in three games last week. The Bucks are the only undefeated team in the league, with Antetokounmpo emerging as the early-season favorite for the MVP award.
A lot of points were scored this past week.
Congrats to @Giannis_An34 on earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week!! https://t.co/u1FXxwd5Gc
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to an undefeated week. He averaged 31.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in three games last week. He suffered a knee injury in the preseason, but it seems he has fully recovered from that.
𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩. https://t.co/YrETYCneCV
Warriors exercise options on Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman
To the surprise of no one, the Golden State Warriors plan on keeping three of their young stars. The Warriors announced on Monday that they exercised the options for James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. The team picked up Wiseman's fourth-year option and the third-year options for Kuminga and Moody.
Wiseman was the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He struggled in his rookie year and missed the entirety of last season due to a knee injury. He's averaging 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds this season.
Meanwhile, Kuminga and Moody were the Warriors' lottery picks last year. While Kuminga has struggled to start the season, Moody has become an important role player off the bench. The Warriors are relying on the three young players to step up this season.