NBA Notes: Celtics, Malcolm Brogdon, Nets, Rockets

Celtics

Malcolm Brogdon is excited to be joining Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the rest of the Celtics partially because of the franchise’s tradition, he told Spencer Davies of Basketball News.

“I mean, they’re the most winning organization in the league, and I think they’re more hungry to win than anybody,” Brogdon said, via Davies. “You can see that with the move they made for me and Danilo Gallinari. They want to improve. They want to win a championship. It’s all about Banner 18 for ’em. Now that’s all it’s about for me as well, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Brogdon was acquired in a trade with the Pacers on July 1. He indicated he will be content starting or coming off the bench in Boston.

Meanwhile, Gallinari suffered an MCL injury during EuroBasket play last week and is out indefinitely. Brogdon said he has been in contact with Gallinari since the injury.

“I reached out to him,” Brogdon said, via Davies. “I sent him a text that just said, ‘Hey man, praying for you. Get healthy, we need you this year.’ He said, ‘I appreciate it, brother.’ It was short. When you get injured, it’s frustrating. You want people to check on you, but a lot of the time, you don’t want to talk a lot about it, so I just sent a text out to let him know I was thinking about him and I was praying for him.”

Nets

• The one-year contract agreed to by the Nets and forward Markieff Morris is not guaranteed, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Still, Morris is a safe bet to make the regular-season roster, joining other veteran offseason acquisitions such as Royce O’Neale and T.J. Warren.
• The Nets still have four spots available for their offseason roster limit of 20, Lewis added. Three of those spots are Exhibit 10 training camp deals, with the other being an open two-way slot.
• Restricted free agent David Duke Jr. originally turned down the Nets’ two-way offer, but may reconsider after the Morris signing, Lewis wrote.

Rockets

• The Rockets will retire the No. 44 worn by legendary center/forward Elvin Hayes on Nov. 18, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Hayes played at the University of Houston, and then for the Rockets from 1968-72. He was the No. 1 overall draft pick when the franchise was still located in San Diego, later going on to win a title with the Washington Bullets.
• The Rockets have revealed their Hardwood Classics uniforms for the 2022-23 season, as relayed by Chris Bengal by CBS Sports. You can check out more in the video below.

History propels us forward. pic.twitter.com/IiheLJKemO

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) August 31, 2022