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Kings, NBA Open Joint Investigation Into Walton Allegations

April 25th, 2019 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings and the NBA announced today in a press release that they’ve launched a joint investigation into the allegations against new Sacramento head coach Luke Walton. As we detailed earlier this week, Walton is facing a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.

As Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, the résumés of the investigators handling the case suggest that the Kings and the NBA are taking the situation seriously and are determined to discover the truth.

The Kings have hired Sue Ann Van Dermyden, the founding partner of Sacramento law firm Van Dermyden Maddux, who has extensive experience with employment law and conducting investigations. Jennifer Doughty, another veteran investigator at Van Dermyden Maddux, will work the case for the franchise as well.

As for the NBA, it has assigned one of its top attorneys to the investigation, announcing that senior vice president and assistant general counsel Elizabeth Maringer will take the lead on the league’s side.

According to Amick, the Kings will take an “innocent-until-proven-guilty” approach with Walton, who the team signed to a four-year contract earlier this month. However, they won’t hesitate to ask tough questions as part of the investigation.

After Walton’s accuser, former television reporter Kelli Tennant, spoke about the allegations at a press conference earlier this week, Walton’s attorney Mark Baute issued a statement strongly defending his client.

“These claims are false and Luke’s innocence will be proven in court,” Baute said. “(Tuesday’s) press conference was a poorly staged attempt to portray the accuser as a viable spokesperson for an important movement. Her lawyers want to create a public circus to distract from their complete lack of evidence to support their outrageous claims. We will not try this case in the media or pay them a dime.”

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Hoops Rumors’ 2019 NBA Award Picks: Most Valuable Player

April 25th, 2019 at 10:05am CST by Hoops Rumors

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until June, we’re making our picks for 2019’s major awards now.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts.

We’re wrapping things up today with the award for Most Valuable Player. Here are our selections:

Chris Crouse: James Harden (Rockets)
This year’s tight MVP race features two players whose teams built an entire offense around them. The scheme in Milwaukee is designed around Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s play-making ability and lack of shooting. Harden’s masterful game is what powers Houston.

Giannis blossomed into a superstar during the 2018/19 season, blending his athleticism with a smart, fundamentally sound game. He led the league in win shares per 48 minutes and in player efficiency rating. Eight of the past 10 regular season leaders in PER have taken home the MVP award.

Harden, the reigning MVP, maintained his level of play this season, capping off a three-year stretch in which he realstically could have earned three Maurice Podoloff Trophies. In 2018/19, he led the league in win shares (15.2), points per game (36.1), and VORP (9.89, which ranks 12th all-time).

As I mentioned in part two of our “Contract MVPs,” Giannis played under 2,400 minutes this season, ranking 47th in the league (sandwiched between CJ McCollum and Nicolas Batum). The Bucks were able to regularly handle competition and let Antetokounmpo sit early. Harden finished second in the league in time accrued, behind only Bradley Beal.

Should we penalize Antetokounmpo for the Bucks being a much better regular season team than the Rockets? No, but we also shouldn’t discount what Harden was able to do, carrying a team plagued with instability because of injuries and a new cast of rotation players.

Both players are deserving, but Harden gets my vote.

Dana Gauruder: James Harden (Rockets)
I can’t fault anyone who votes for Antetokounmpo, but here’s the stat that tips the scale for me — Harden’s 36.1 PPG is the highest since Michael Jordan averaged a career-high 37.1 in 1986/87. Harden was a one-man band on quite a few occasions, as Chris Paul missed 24 games and Clint Capela sat out 15 due to injuries. Despite facing defenses completely geared to stop him, Harden rarely had an off night. When the situation called for him to be more of a play-maker, he notched double digits in assists 24 times.

Arthur Hill: James Harden (Rockets)
The MVP narrative favors Antetokounmpo, who was the best player on the team with the best record, but Harden deserves the honor for a second consecutive year thanks to a historically great season. Harden posted the 10th 2,800-point season in league history and won the scoring race by a margin of 8.1 PPG. He also became the first player ever to average 36 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the same season.

Harden rallied the Rockets to the No. 4 seed after a painfully slow start, putting up scoring numbers we haven’t seen in years while lifting his injury-riddled team up the standings. Antetokounmpo may have led the Bucks to 60 wins, but many of those came in an Eastern Conference that only had three other good teams once the Pacers lost Victor Oladipo. The Rockets were 53-29, so seven extra wins against weaker competition shouldn’t be enough for anyone to take away Harden’s trophy.

JD Shaw: James Harden (Rockets)
I was Team Giannis heading into the season and for roughly the first half of the campaign, but what Harden has been able to accomplish in 2019 is historically great — especially on the offensive end. He ended with 36.1 points per game on the year, the NBA’s highest mark in over three decades. He led his team to a 53-29 record despite dealing with injuries across the roster. You can’t go wrong with choosing either him or Antetokounmpo, really, but I’m sticking with Harden.

Luke Adams: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
There’s no doubt that Harden has posted historic numbers this season, but the same can be said of Antetokounmpo. The last – and only – player to match his 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 5.9 APG was Oscar Robertson in his infamous triple-double season back in 1961/62, per Basketball-Reference.

Antetokounmpo put up those numbers while also helping to anchor the league’s best defense by net rating. Harden isn’t as bad defensively as certain YouTube compilations may suggest, but his impact on that end of the floor pales in comparison to Giannis’ — The Greek Freak ranked in the top 10 in the NBA in blocks per game (1.5) and in the top 15 in three-point shots contested per game (4.1), showing off a defensive versatility that allowed him to hound offensive players both on the perimeter and at the rim. He’s a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Antetokounmpo’s on/off court stats also reflect his value. The Bucks (+2.7) and Rockets (+2.4) had fairly similar net ratings with their respective stars on the bench, but Milwaukee was absolutely dominant when Giannis played (+12.8 net rating), while Houston’s numbers when Harden played were simply very good (+6.4).

The quality of competition argument in Harden’s favor isn’t a particularly compelling one to me, given that the Bucks had a better winning percentage than the Rockets against both Eastern Conference opponents (.769 to .700) and Western foes (.667 to .615). I’m not overly swayed by Harden’s role in the Rockets’ midseason resurgence either, impressive as it was, since it’s not as if he didn’t also have a hand in the team’s 11-14 start. That was the sort of slump the Bucks never experienced, thanks in large part to Giannis’ dominance over 82 games.

Clark Crum: James Harden (Rockets)
This is a tough decision for me between The Beard and The Greek Freak, but I think Harden is closing the gap between himself and LeBron James as the greatest player in the world (sorry, Kevin Durant). That opinion, combined with Harden’s ridiculous ability to put the ball into the hoop this season (his 2,818 total points scored are the most since Kobe Bryant in 2005/06, when The Black Mamba scored 2,832 points in two more games played) has me giving the slight edge to Harden.

Yes, I know Antetokounmpo had an all-time great stat line as well, and that his team had a better record. But the Western Conference is still better than the Eastern Conference and Harden had to carry the Rockets on his back for a large portion of the season due to injuries to key teammates. If Giannis wins, it would be well-deserved, but if I had to pick one of the two, I’d pick Harden.

Austin Kent: James Harden (Rockets)
It’s physically painful for any sane basketball fan to say that Antetokounmpo shouldn’t be named the 2018/19 MVP, but year-end awards are imperfect traditions.

To put it simply, Antetokounmpo is a 24-year-old marvel who just recorded one of the most mind-blowing seasons in NBA history. Unfortunately, there’s only one name permitted on the ballot and while Antetokounmpo’s 2018/19 campaign may very well have been worthy of the award in countless previous seasons, it just missed the cut in, well, 2018/19.

Here’s why I’ve given Harden the nod: While both Harden and Antetokounmpo have reached unprecedented levels of dominance, Harden is the one that has reinvented and refined his game to single-handedly drag a ho-hum roster to title contention. Harden’s ability to adjust his game to execute Mike D’Antoni‘s offense deserves more recognition than it gets.

Antetokounmpo’s method is a relatively simple one: be gigantic, mythically athletic, and one of the hardest working players in the NBA. Harden, in contrast, has taken a relatively pedestrian NBA body, choreographed his footwork to the rhythm of a geometry text book and somehow established himself as one of the most potent point catalysts in NBA history.

In an era of padded stats and data-driven efficiency, Harden has Moneyballed the actual physics of the sport. He’s not Shaquille O’Neal dunking with an opposing team’s frontcourt hanging off his back; he’s not LeBron James running like a train in transition; he’s a portly combo guard who exploits weaknesses and studies angles like a teenager who makes $100K per year destroying people in Counter-Strike.

Harden has always been an All-Star caliber guard but now he’s an All-Star caliber guard who draws fouls better than any player in the league – to the chagrin of everyone – and has perfected a step-back that renders anybody with less than a seven-foot wingspan helpless.

I eagerly await what comes next from Antetokounmpo – there’s no question that he’s the NBA’s Best Asset – but if limited to one pick for MVP, I’m going with the mortal who figured out a new way to play a 100-year-old sport. I think in the tome of NBA history, that’s a more valuable chapter.

Who is your pick for Most Valuable Player? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comment section below!

Previously:

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Cavs To Interview Jazz Assistant Alex Jensen

April 25th, 2019 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers requested and were granted permission to interview Jazz assistant Alex Jensen for their head coaching position, league sources tell Joe Vardon and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to the Athletic duo, the meeting is expected to take place sometime next week.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this month that the Cavs were expected to meet with Jensen sometime after Utah’s season ended. The Jazz fell to the Rockets on Wednesday night, bringing their first-round series – and their season – to a close.

As Vardon observes (via Twitter), Jensen is one of many candidates with pre-existing ties to Cleveland — he served as the head coach of the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate from 2011-13 before joining the Jazz.

Of the Cavaliers’ other head coaching targets, Jamahl Mosley and Nate Tibbetts were previously a part of coaching staffs in Cleveland, while J.B. Bickerstaff‘s father Bernie Bickerstaff was also a Cavs assistant a few years ago.

Heat assistant Juwan Howard and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are among the other coaches who have either interviewed for the Cavs’ job or will do so soon.

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Western Notes: Morris, Fournier, Kanter, Booker

April 24th, 2019 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics forward Marcus Morris believes Thunder coach Billy Donovan made a big mistake by using his brother Markieff Morris sparingly during their playoff series against Portland, Jay King of The Athletic reports.

Markieff Morris chose to play with Oklahoma City after reaching a buyout with New Orleans, which acquired him from the Wizards at the trade deadline. Markieff played just four minutes in Game 5 and between 13 and 15 minutes in the other games of the series won by the Trail Blazers, 4-1.

“I’m not a coach or anything like that, but I feel like they just didn’t utilize their bench enough. I feel like my brother went over there for no reason,” Marcus said. “He never got an opportunity to play. I thought that he would really help them in the playoffs, but from what I seen he should have went somewhere else just to be able to show that veteran leadership and that experience.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • The Trail Blazers made an offer for Magic swingman Evan Fournier that Orlando passed on prior to the trade deadline, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets. Portland was willing to ship a roster player and a protected first-rounder for Fournier, who will make $17MM next season and holds a player option on his $17MM salary for the 2020/21 season.
  • Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter played with a separated left shoulder in Game 5, Kevin Pelton of ESPN reports. Kanter suffered the injury during the opening quarter but managed to play 32 minutes. He received a pain-killing injection at halftime. Kanter averaged 13.2 PPG and 10.2 RPG in the series as the primary replacement for injured Jusuf Nurkic. Portland would have to rely more on Zach Collins and Meyers Leonard in the conference semifinals if Kanter is forced to miss any games.
  • Suns star guard Devin Booker had no input in the firing of coach Igor Kokoskov, GM James Jones told the Arizona Republic’s Katherine Fitzgerald and other media members. “I speak to Devin, I speak to all of our players, about our organization. But in these instances, this isn’t a decision for Devin to make. This is my decision,” Jones said. That’s curious, since Booker indicated after signing his five-year maximum salary extension that he’d have a say in all major moves going forward.  I think it’s a collective agreement. Moving forward, throwing in any advice I can, stay in the loop and watch what’s going on and know what’s going on,” Booker said last month.
  • The Rockets held a predraft workout on Wednesday that included Mississippi guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, Washington guard Jalyen Nowell and Campbell guard Chris Clemons, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets.  Houston does not currently own a pick in this year’s draft. Nowell is the highest-ranked prospect among the trio, as he’s ranked No. 87 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
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Community Shootaround: Thunder’s Future

April 24th, 2019 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Russell Westbrook‘s disdain for the media has been talked about quite a bit in recent weeks. Westbrook certainly won’t like what’s written about him and his team now that the Thunder failed to win a playoff series for the third straight season.

The perennial All-Star point guard was outplayed by counterpart Damian Lillard throughout the series with the Trail Blazers, culminating in Lillard’s series-ending 37-footer on Tuesday. Westbrook shot a playoff career-low 36% during Oklahoma City’s abbreviated postseason appearance, the third consecutive time he’s shot below 40% in the opening round. His 22.8 PPG average was his lowest since his first playoff appearance during the 2009/10 season.

Westbrook is undeniably one of the league’s best and most durable players. He’s averaged a triple-double the last three seasons, a momentous feat for anyone but especially a 6’3” guard. However, he’ll be 31 next season and he’s owed a whopping $171MM over the next four seasons.

Paul George averaged 28.6 PPG in the playoffs despite a nagging shoulder injury, though it did affect his 3-point shot (31.9%). George, like Westbrook, was also turnover-prone in the series.

With the possible exception of sixth man Dennis Schroder, the team’s stars didn’t get a whole lot of help. Steven Adams wasn’t the same tenacious defender he’s been in past postseasons, even though Portland lacked its starting center. Jerami Grant had some good moments in the last three games but overall the wings didn’t produce nearly enough.

So where do the Thunder go from here? George is signed through the 2021/22 season, though he has a player option on the final year. Adams has two big years ($53.3MM) left on his deal. Three other players are making at least $9MM next season, putting a major strain on the team’s cap and ability to make moves.

The club could look to trade one of its stars, though Westbrook’s contract would be very difficult to move. Or they could simply try to add some new pieces, particularly through the mid-level exception, and hope for better results.

That brings us to our question of the day: Should the Thunder try to trade Russell Westbrook or Paul George with the aim of starting a rebuild? Or can they be a better playoff team by adding some different pieces around them?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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Blake Griffin Undergoes Knee Surgery

April 24th, 2019 at 7:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons All-Star forward Blake Griffin underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to a team press release.

The procedure addressed the issue that caused soreness in the knee late in the regular season and the playoffs. He is not expected to miss any planned offseason training for next season, the release adds.

Griffin had a banner season, carrying the Pistons to the playoffs for just the second time since the 2008/09 season. He averaged 24.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 5.4 APG during the regular season while staying healthy until the knee issue cropped up. He appeared in 75 games this season after playing 67 or fewer games the previous four seasons.

He was a late scratch against Portland on March 30 and then missed the next two games before scoring 45 points in a loss to Oklahoma City. He played the next two games with diminishing returns and sat out the playoff-clinching win over New York in the regular-season finale.

He missed the first two games of the opening round against Milwaukee, then averaged 24.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 6.0 APG in the last two games of the lopsided series. Griffin has three years and approximately $110MM remaining the contract he signed with the Clippers before getting traded to Detroit during the middle of last season.

As Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer notes, Griffin has dealt with a sprained MCL, broken kneecap, meniscus tear, partially torn quadriceps and bone bruise in the same leg during his career.

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Central Notes: Bickerstaff, Smith, Griffin, Connaughton

April 24th, 2019 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff is “definitely interested” in the Cavaliers’ head coaching opening, he said in a SiruisXM interview with Mitch Lawrence, Zach Harper and Sarah Kustok (Twitter link). “It would be an honor to have an opportunity to work with that group,” said Bickerstaff, who was fired by Memphis two weeks ago. Bickerstaff is reportedly on Cleveland’s radar screen, though there has been no indication if he’ll be interviewed for the job.

We have more from around the Central Division:

  • Backup point guard Ish Smith is willing to return to the Pistons but it’s uncertain if there’s mutual interest, Rod Beard of the Detroit News reports. Smith will enter unrestricted free agency this summer. “Obviously, if they call, I’m for sure going to pick up,” Smith said. “This has been home the last three years.” The cap-strapped Pistons could look to re-sign Smith at a lower cost than the $6MM he made this season. Otherwise, they might go with an in-house alternative, such as Luke Kennard or Bruce Brown.
  • Pistons All-Star forward Blake Griffin said he won’t get involved in personnel decisions this offseason unless his opinion is requested, Beard writes in a separate story. “I’m not here to make decisions; it’s the front office. (Senior adviser) Ed (Stefanski) and all those guys do a really good job, in the short time I’ve known them,” Griffin said. “They have plans and an idea and a direction. It might not happen overnight because of the (financial) situation. They have a great grasp on that. If they ask my opinion, I’ll, of course, give my honest opinion. I’ve never been the type of player to go in and make demands, just because sometimes as players and coaches, we’re all about winning right now, which is very important but not at the expense of the next year or however that may be.”
  • Bucks reserve guard Pat Connaughton hasn’t given up his dream to play major league baseball, as he explained to NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner in a Q&A session. Connaughton was a minor-league pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles system five years ago before choosing to pursue his basketball dreams. “Obviously I’ve wanted to be as successful at both sports as possible. You have to shoot for being an All-Star to have a chance to even make it in either, right? But I did think, “If I really went into baseball right now, if I dropped basketball when I was coming out of high school, I fully believe I’d have had the chance to be an All-Star, to be one of the top two pitchers on a championship team.” But something drew me to basketball, something drew me to having success in two sports,” Connaughton said. The Bucks have until July 1 to guarantee his $1.723MM salary for next season.
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D’Angelo Russell “Definitely” Wants To Stay With Nets

April 24th, 2019 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s possible that Brooklyn’s season-ending loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday night was D’Angelo Russell‘s last game with the Nets, given that the All-Star point guard is facing restricted free agency this summer. However, Russell told reporters today that he hopes to extend his stay with the franchise a little longer, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com details.

“I definitely want to be here. But I also know it’s a business, too. So I’m not going to play that role like I don’t know what could possibly happen,” Russell said. “Say somebody comes here that I have to be a part of (a transaction to acquire them), I know that could be a possibility. So I just want to stay in this moment and not speak too soon about anything.”

A former No. 2 overall pick, Russell enjoyed a breakout season for the Nets in 2018/19, establishing new career highs in PPG (21.1), APG (7.0), FG% (.434), and 3PT% (.369), among other categories. The 23-year-old’s performance set him up well for free agency, particularly since Brooklyn and several other teams around the NBA have the cap flexibility to accommodate a maximum-salary contract.

[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2019/20]

While it remains to be seen if Russell will get a max offer from the Nets or another team, league sources have intimated that he’ll likely be seeking one, Brian Lewis of The New York Post wrote this week. As I’ve noted before, considering how active GM Sean Marks has been on the restricted free agent market in recent years, it isn’t unrealistic to expect a rival team to return the favor by going after Russell with an aggressive offer sheet, forcing the Nets into a tough decision.

While Russell would have to listen if another team came up with a more lucrative offer than Brooklyn’s, the point guard’s familiarity with the franchise means the Nets will enter free agency with a leg up on re-signing him.

“Yeah, for sure, for sure,” Russell said, according to Begley, when asked if he’ll favor the Nets over other suitors. “I don’t know any other teams, I don’t know any other GMs or coaches. I don’t know any of those people. I know where I’m at. So it definitely gives you that advantage.”

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Memphis Grizzlies

April 24th, 2019 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

An era came to an end for the Grizzlies in 2018/19, as the franchise moved on from longtime center Marc Gasol in a deadline deal. With a potential rebuild looming, Memphis now must determine whether the time is right to trade Gasol’s longtime running mate Mike Conley, or whether the veteran point guard can still be a cornerstone piece going forward.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Grizzlies financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Avery Bradley ($10,960,000) 1
  • Bruno Caboclo ($1,845,301) 4
  • Dillon Brooks ($1,618,520) 5
  • Ivan Rabb ($1,246,762) 2
  • Total: $15,670,583

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistic cap room projection: $0
  • Although the Grizzlies only have about $86.5MM in guaranteed salaries on their books, they’re unlikely to create cap room – barring cost-cutting moves – due to Valanciunas’ option and the cap hold for their first-round pick.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Trade exception: $1,544,951 (expires 7/17/19)
  • Trade exception: $2,416,222 (expires 7/23/19)
  • Trade exception: $8,000,000 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $1,512,601 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Mid-level exception: $9,246,000 6
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,619,000 6

Footnotes

  1. Bradley’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 3.
  2. Rabb’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
  3. The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap.
  4. Caboclo’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($300K) after July 10.
  5. Brooks’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 5.
  6. These are projected values. In the unlikely event the Grizzlies use cap room, they’d lose these exceptions (and their trade exceptions) and would instead would gain access to the $4,760,000 room exception.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Pacific Notes: Suns, Jones, Cousins, Clippers

April 24th, 2019 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, new permanent Suns general manager James Jones took responsibility for the dismissal of head coach Igor Kokoskov, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes. Owner Robert Sarver has taken the brunt of the criticism – perhaps deservedly so – for the revolving door of coaches in Phoenix, but Jones said that firing Kokoskov was “my decision alone,” per Rankin.

“The decision I had to make Monday was a tough one,” the Suns GM told the media. “Not one I take lightly.”

As for who might replace Kokoskov on the Suns’ bench, Jones said today that the club is seeking a “leader” who can relate to and challenge its players (Twitter link). While that description might sound generic, the mention of leadership is worth noting — after all, one report this week suggested that Suns players felt assistant coach Joe Prunty was more in charge of the bench than Kokoskov was.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Later in today’s press conference, Jones said that the Suns want to focus on adding players “in their prime” this summer, and will explore all possible avenues to do so (Twitter link). Phoenix doesn’t project to have much – if any – cap room, so it will be interesting to see how aggressive the club is on the trade market.
  • In an in-depth look at Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, Ken Berger of Bleacher Report cites one Western Conference executive who believes that Cousins’ Achilles and quad injuries over the last two years may ultimately cost him upwards of $150MM. Berger also explores whether it’s realistic to believe that Golden State could re-sign Cousins, even after his latest health issue.
  • While the Clippers have tried to hold their own against the Warriors and have one impressive comeback win under their belts, the series has reaffirmed why L.A. ultimately needs a superstar on its roster, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Despite their depth, the Clips don’t have the sort of No. 1 option who can go head to head with Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, so their foray into free agency this summer will be worth watching closely.
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