2023 August | Hoops Rumors

Jabari Parker Signs With Barcelona

August 7th, 2023 at 12:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

August 7: Parker’s one-year deal with Barcelona is now official, pending the results of his physical exam, the team announced in a press release.

August 6: Free agent forward and former lottery pick Jabari Parker is expected to ink a new deal with international club FC Barcelona, per Ramon Palomar of Sport.es.

Palomar notes that the 6’8″ power forward is being eyed as a positional replacement for longtime Barcelona star Nikola Mirotic, another former NBA vet (and one-time Parker teammate on the Bulls).

Lucas Clemente of Mundo Deportivo reports that Parker underwent a physical with the club earlier this week to ensure that his surgically repaired left knee is in good enough shape to compete.

The No. 2 pick out of Duke in 2014 never quite had the NBA career many pundits had pegged for him. Parker was affected by a pair of ACL tears in that left knee, in 2014 and 2017.

Never a great defender, his offense stalled out too following the injuries, as he lost some of his athletic burst. Through 310 regular season games with the Bucks, Bulls, Wizards, Hawks, Kings and Celtics, he holds career averages of 14.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.9 SPG. He last played in the NBA with Boston during the 2021/22 season.

Barcelona may not be done adding NBA alums. George Syrigos of Apex Sports notes that the Spanish club is rumored to also have interest in signing former title-winning shooting guard Bryn Forbes as a potential replacement for departing guard Cory Higgins.

Heat Notes: Swider, Cain, Audige, Herro

August 7th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have been quiet while hoping for a Damian Lillard trade to materialize, but they reached an agreement Sunday with Cole Swider on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The former Lakers forward spent most of last season in the G League on a two-way contract.

Chiang hears that Swider will have a chance to compete for a two-way deal with Miami and possibly even a spot on the 15-man roster. As a 6’9″ long-range shooter, Swider could have some value for a team that lost three-point threats Max Strus and Gabe Vincent in free agency. Duncan Robinson, a similar player, may be sent elsewhere in a potential Lillard deal, Chiang adds.

Swider made a verbal commitment to the Heat, according to Chiang, but if the team intends to include Exhibit 9 language in his deal, he can’t officially sign until the team has at least 14 players with standard deals. Drew Peterson, another 6’9″ sharpshooter who played for Miami’s Summer League team, is in a similar situation.

There’s more from Miami:

With the commitments from Swider and Peterson, along with 13 standard contracts and a pair of two-way deals, the Heat have four more roster spots to fill before training camp opens, Chiang adds. One of those could go to power forward Jamal Cain, who received a qualifying offer to return to the team on a two-way contract. Cain is still searching for a standard deal, which Miami has been reluctant to offer, according to Chiang. The deadline to rescind the two-way offer passed in July, so Cain is free to accept it at any time.
The Heat also contacted Northwestern guard Chase Audige about an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. However, a source tells Jackson that Audige has decided to accept an Exhibit 10 offer from another team where he believes he has a better chance to earn a roster spot.
Zach Kram of The Ringer takes an in-depth look at Tyler Herro to determine whether he’s valuable enough to be the central piece in a Lillard trade. Miami is hoping to find a third team to take Herro and increase the number of draft assets going to Portland. Kram finds that Herro is part of a star-studded group that averaged at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists per game at age 23, but his defensive limitations put a cap on his trade value.

World Cup Notes: Jackson, Reaves, Murray, Bogdanovic

August 7th, 2023 at 10:42am CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. was named the standout of training camp in a straw poll of Team USA players taken by Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The American World Cup team wrapped up camp on Sunday in advance of tonight’s first exhibition game, and Jackson made a strong impression on his teammates.

“Jaren, particularly (Saturday), his energy and the way he went to the glass and went to the foul line every other possession,” Jalen Brunson said. “He was just really a force (in the Saturday scrimmage against the Select Team).”

As its best rim protector and most versatile big man, Jackson will be important to Team USA’s chances of capturing a gold medal. He’s looking forward to the international competition, noting that it’s conducive to his style of play, which often gets him into foul trouble in the NBA.

“It’s more physical in FIBA,” Jackson said. “You can use your chest a lot more. You can’t really use your hands, so that’s the similarity (with the NBA), but you can use your chest in FIBA just to get him off you or whatever the case. The defense gets a lot of benefit of the doubt, for the most part.”

There’s more World Cup news to pass along:

Even after a breakout season, Austin Reaves was surprised to receive an invitation to join the Team USA roster, per Steve Carp of The Sporting Tribune. Entering the league as an undrafted player, Reaves doesn’t have the credentials of his more heralded teammates, but his performance with the Lakers caught the attention of USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill. “I was shocked,” Reaves said. “As a kid, you watch (USA Basketball) and you fantasize taking that last shot to win the gold medal. Now I’m here and with a chance to contribute and be part of it. It’s a tremendous honor personally and to also represent the Lakers.”
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will miss Team Canada’s exhibition games in Europe as his status for the World Cup is evaluated, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The Canadians will play three times this week in Germany and twice next week in Spain before the actual tournament begins August 25. Canada will also be without newly signed Warriors guard Cory Joseph, who experienced an issue with his back during training camp, Kassius Robertson, who will report to his new EuroLeague team instead, and Oshae Brissett, who is rehabbing an injury (Twitter link).
Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic tells Eurohoops that he’s optimistic about Serbia’s chances even though it won’t have NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic or new Thunder guard Vasilije Micic. “Given that it’s a relatively young team, we’ve managed well,” Bogdanovic said. “… We play a fast and attractive style of basketball.”

Wyc Grousbeck Explains Celtics’ Decision To Shake Up Roster

August 7th, 2023 at 9:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and fell one game short of returning last season, but management decided changes were needed after the playoff loss to the Heat, co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said in an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Grousbeck characterized the last two seasons as “missed opportunities,” even though he admitted his team lost to two good opponents. Following the playoffs, he had a meeting with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla in which they decided to explore chances to revamp the roster. That led to a three-team trade in late June that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.

“The general tone was, how do we take this energy we’re feeling right now that was built up over having two good seasons, but then didn’t get all the way,” Grousbeck said. “The whole point is, how do we get to banner 18? If we’d all agreed we should keep things the same, that would have been fine. But the idea of bringing in another talented big popped up early in the conversation, and we ended up executing on that idea.”

They decided to focus on Porzingis, who was facing a decision on a $36MM player option after a productive season with the Wizards. Porzingis had other interested teams if he had opted for free agency, but Grousbeck said he was eager to join the Celtics.

“He is a committed and now seasoned and effective player. He’s a real force. I’m really impressed with his commitment to being part of a winning Celtics team,” Grousbeck said. “I met with him when he came up for the press conference and spent some real time with him, and he’s so happy to be here. He’s so ready to shine at this stage of his career. But he sees a team concept, not the KP show. He’s continually improved over his career, and he thinks this is his prime. But he’s about the team, his teammates and the banner. He chose us. There were other people, I hear, that wanted him. And he chose us. He wants to be here and he wants to win a ring.”

Grousbeck covers several other topics in the interview, including:

The commitment to Mazzulla, who faced criticism in the playoffs in his first year running the team:

“If Joe had done a poor job, I would have thought about replacing him, but he did a very good job. He took us within one game of the best record in the league and then one game of being in the Finals, as a rookie coach. So I’m comfortable and happy to have Joe as head coach.”

The Celtics’ willingness to spend despite restrictions in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement:

“The league doesn’t allow us to comment on the details of the CBA, but having said that, we’re obviously all in, with the record contract for Jaylen (Brown) and with our payroll this year and in coming years. Eventually, there are basketball penalties for spending, so that will go into the thought process down the road. But at the moment, the best basketball thing we can do is what we’re doing.”

Heading into the future with Brown and Jayson Tatum as franchise cornerstones:

“They’re the best two people I could imagine building a team around. We’ve had them since the beginning. We’ve been very lucky to have them here for their whole careers, and we’re building the team around them. But you add the next eight guys to the list. You take our top 10 and we’ve got a really good team. The focus is naturally on those two because they’re All-NBA players and All-Stars, but I like the whole roster.”

Matt Thomas Signs With German Team

August 7th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA shooting guard Matt Thomas has signed a one-year contract with Alba Berlin in Germany, the team announced in a press release. He played last season with Panathinaikos after signing with the Greek team in late January.

The 29-year-old appeared in 40 games with the Bulls during the 2021/22 season, but didn’t get another NBA opportunity after his contract expired.

“In my three years in the NBA and last year at Panathinaikos, I was often limited to the role of (shooting) specialist,” Thomas said. “This season, I want to show all aspects of my game in a bigger role and thus contribute to the team’s success. I also know that the team has a very loyal fan base. It will be great to play in front of the passionate Alba fans in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Since I have German roots, I am extra motivated to immerse myself in the culture, history and everything Berlin has to offer. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I’m already looking forward to Berlin.”

Thomas had prior experience in Europe, playing for two teams in Spain after going undrafted out of Iowa State in 2017. He signed with the Raptors in 2019 and spent a season and a half in Toronto before being traded to Utah. Thomas appeared in 126 combined games for three NBA teams and averaged 4.0 PPG while shooting 38.5% from three-point range.

Eastern Notes: Livers, Bridges, C. Johnson, Brunson, Celtics

August 6th, 2023 at 10:06pm CST by Rory Maher

After being limited to 19 games in 2021/22 — his rookie season — due to a right foot stress fracture he sustained in college, Pistons forward Isaiah Livers now realizes he may have done more harm than good with his strenuous workout regimen last offseason. He appeared in just 52 games during his sophomore campaign in ’22/23, having dealt with multiple injuries.

As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes, Livers has taken a different, more measured approach this summer in an effort to prepare his body for an 82-game schedule.

“I’ve built a new friendship with the weight room,” Livers told Sankofa. “I feel a lot more explosive, bouncier, and I feel more in control of my body. It’s no secret, the No. 1 thing about me is just avoiding injuries. It’s been some small injuries. I tweaked my workout plan to the point where I won’t have those wear-and-tears, those nagging injuries. I’ve been put on a smart plan where I’m not overworking myself. This is the season. I’m excited and we have big things to look forward to.”

A relentless worker, Livers admits it hasn’t been easy to take a step back, but he knows ’23/24 will be a key season for his future. As Sankofa notes, the former second-round pick will be headed to restricted free agency next summer after Detroit exercised its team option on his contract at the end of June.

Livers also spoke to Sankofa about the return of Cade Cunningham and new head coach Monty Williams, among other topics. It’s an interesting, thoughtful interview and worth checking out for Pistons fans.

Here’s more from the East:

Both Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson are thrilled to be able to represent Team USA in international competition, and the Nets are fully supportive of their choices, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only piece. “It seems so much fun,” Johnson said. “You know, I’ve talked to people that have played, I’ve talked to people that have been a part of it. They said it’s such a valuable experience for your career, and you can learn a lot from it. And then you just get the experience to see high level basketball across the world in a different type of environment. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson believes playing for Team USA in the World Cup this summer will be beneficial for him entering the 2023/24 season, according to Ethan Sears of The New York Post. “I think it’s another way to get ready for training camp,” Brunson said. “You gotta look at it and see the positives that come out of this, going towards the NBA season. I know I’ll be ready for that. I think for me, my mindset is focused on this and not really worrying about what’s going on ahead right now.”
Brian Robb of MassLive.com covers a number of Celtics topics in a mailbag article. Most of the questions are centered around how the team should fill out the end of the roster. Robb would take a patient approach and thinks free agent big man Christian Wood is an unlikely target for a variety of reasons.

Community Shootaround: 2023/24 Most Improved Player

August 6th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA’s Most Improved Player award has an impressive list of winners since it was created ahead of the 1985/86 season. That’s been particularly true since ’12/13, with Paul George, Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler, CJ McCollum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Ja Morant and most recently Lauri Markkanen honored over that span.

Over the past couple decades, the award has favored rising young players — 17 of the past 23 winners had played fewer than five seasons. However, two of the past three winners — Randle and Markkanen — broke that mold, as Randle won following his seventh season, while Markkanen just completed his sixth.

Attempting to predict the future is often a fool’s errand, obviously, but I’ve always enjoyed the MIP award because it’s fun to see players exceed what people may have thought they were capable of, and unexpected breakout seasons are both entertaining and rewarding.

According to BetOnline.ag, the way-too-early list of favorites for the 2023/24 Most Improved Player award is as follows:

Jordan Poole, Wizards (+700 odds)
Mikal Bridges, Nets (+1000)
Scottie Barnes, Raptors (+1000)
Cade Cunningham, Pistons (+1600)
Austin Reaves, Lakers (+1800)
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers (+1800)
Alperen Sengun, Rockets (+2000)
Josh Giddey, Thunder (+2000)
Paolo Banchero, Magic (+2000)
Jabari Smith, Rockets (+2200)

Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley (+2500) and Thunder wing Jalen Williams (+2800) just missed out on the top 10.

Poole might seem like an odd choice to be the early favorite given his playoff struggles to end last season, but it makes some sense. There’s a good chance he’ll put up big offensive numbers for the Wizards after they traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, their two leading scorers in ’22/23; he often did the same when Stephen Curry was injured.

I wonder if the mini-breakout Bridges had with Brooklyn after the team acquired him at the February deadline might work against him to an extent for MIP in ’23/24. It’ll be hard to top his averages with the Nets from last season — 26.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.0 SPG on .475/.376/.894 shooting in 27 games (34.2 MPG).

Barnes — the ’21/22 Rookie of the Year — would likely benefit individually if Toronto decides to trade Pascal Siakam, as their skill sets have a good deal of overlap. Sharpe will almost certainly have a bigger role next season if Portland eventually trades Damian Lillard as well.

Cunningham’s strong performance with the U.S. Select Team is worth noting after the former No. 1 overall pick missed the majority of last season with a shin injury. I’m not going to go over all the early betting favorites, but I do think it’s a solid list given we’re still two-plus months from the season starting and there are so many unknown variables in play.

That brings us to our question of the day: Who is your early pick for the 2023/24 Most Improved Player award? Head to the comments and let us know what you think.

And-Ones: Team USA, Contracts, EuroBasket Qualifiers, BIG3

August 6th, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Team USA got revenge on the Select Team during Saturday’s scrimmage, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, who writes that the senior team won 84-61 after three periods, which were 10 minutes each.

As Vardon notes, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram and Jaren Jackson Jr. started both days for Team USA. On Friday, Cameron Johnson was the fifth starter, while Anthony Edwards received the nod on Saturday.

Given that the team performed much better yesterday, it seems like Edwards might have the edge for a starting nod, though head coach Steve Kerr still isn’t ready to commit to anything.

Despite what he’s said publicly in terms of the lineup, it’s clear that Kerr has a major role in mind for Brunson, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

“I think Jalen is such a natural leader,” Kerr said. “Because he’s a point guard, he immediately comes to mind. He’s the one who’s leading the ‘1, 2, 3 USA’ chant. Some guys just, it just comes naturally to them.”

With the Select Team heading home and the Americans having a non-contact practice on Sunday, the next test for Team USA as it prepares for the 2023 World Cup will come during Monday’s exhibition game against Puerto Rico, Vardon adds.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Which NBA players have benefited the most from the salary cap rising 10% each of the past two years? ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides a chart (via Twitter) of salary comparisons over the past four league years, and notes the highest earners have actually received the biggest bump in terms of relative volume.
The 32-nation qualifying field for the 2025 EuroBasket tournament has been set, as Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando relays. The qualifiers will take place over three different windows between February 2024 and February 2025.
BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube has a handful of former NBA veterans on his wish list, including DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Dwight Howard and Jamal Crawford, he tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). The 12-team 3-on-3 league started at the end of June and runs through August 26, with the championship held in London, England.

Ben McLemore Signs With AEK Athens

August 6th, 2023 at 5:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent shooting guard Ben McLemore has signed a one-year contract with Greece’s AEK B.C., also known as AEK Athens, the team announced today (via Twitter).

It will be the first European stint for McLemore, who was the seventh overall draft pick in 2013. McLemore’s last NBA stop came with Portland in 2021/22, when he averaged 10.2 points while shooting 36.2% from three-point range in 64 games (20.1 minutes).

Last season, McLemore played in China after he was unable to find an NBA opportunity. He held a private workout last month during Las Vegas Summer League, with several teams — including the Knicks — reportedly attending. Obviously nothing came of that, so the 30-year-old will be heading to Europe to continue his professional career.

McLemore played for the Kings, Grizzlies, Rockets, Lakers and Trail Blazers over the course of his nine-year NBA career, which spanned from 2013-22. In total, he appeared in 556 regular season games (267 starts, 22.5 minutes), averaging 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds on a .414/.363/.780 shooting line.

AEK Athens is a member of the Greek Basketball League, which has been dominated by Olympiacos and Panathinaikos over the past 30 years. AEK also competes in the Basketball Champions League.

Anthony Davis Signs Three-Year Extension With Lakers

August 6th, 2023 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: Davis’ new three-year extension is now official, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the final year is a player option (Twitter link).

AUGUST 4: The Lakers and star big man Anthony Davis are in agreement on a three-year, maximum-salary contract extension, agent Rich Paul tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The two sides wasted little time in reaching a deal after Davis became extension-eligible on Friday.

Although Wojnarowski refers to it as a $186MM extension, the exact value of the three-year contract won’t be determined until June 2025. Davis will earn a starting salary worth 35% of the salary cap in 2025/26, with subsequent 8% annual raises.

As we outlined earlier today, in order for the deal to be worth $186MM, the cap would have to increase by the maximum allowable 10% in each of the next two seasons, reaching nearly $164.6MM by ’25/26. That would be a best-case scenario, but the NBA is currently projecting more modest cap increases. If the cap is instead at $150MM in ’25/26, for example, Davis’ three-year deal would be worth about $170MM.

Either way, the long-term agreement – which was reached quickly and seemingly without any drama – is good news for both Davis and the Lakers, who are now tied to one another through the 2027/28 season.

Davis has shown a tendency in the past to take long-term guaranteed money when it’s on the table rather than trying to maximize his earnings with shorter-term deals. He’s sticking to that approach here, accepting a max extension offer when it’s available rather than playing out the 2023/24 season in the hopes of signing a bigger deal as a free agent in 2024, when he would have been eligible to opt out of his current contract.

It’s possible that accepting an extension now will cost him a little money in the long run, but for a player who has battled injuries throughout his career, it’s hard to argue with the decision. Davis has been limited to 132 of 236 regular season games over the past three years and hasn’t played more than 62 games in a season since 2017/18.

For the Lakers, meanwhile, it’s a massive investment in a player who has Davis’ injury history, but it’s an investment that could pay dividends, given that the alternative may have been negotiating a maximum-salary free agent contract of up to five years in 2024.

By signing Davis to an extension now, Los Angeles ensures that he’s locked into his current deal through the 2024/25 season, when he’ll be earning a salary ($43.2MM) well below his potential maximum. The team also won’t have to commit to him beyond 2028, when he’ll be 35 years old.

And when healthy, Davis has continued to be one of the NBA’s most dominant two-way stars. The 30-year-old averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game in 56 appearances (34.0 MPG) during the 2022/23 season, shooting 56.3% from the floor.

Davis is also an elite rim protector whose performance on that end of the court was a major factor the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals this spring. He ranked first in the postseason with 14.1 RPG and 3.1 BPG.

Davis will earn $40.6MM in 2023/24, so he’s now in line to make up to approximately $270MM over the next five seasons if the cap continues to rise by 10% annually.

Davis and LeBron James have been the cornerstones of the Lakers over the last few seasons, including in the 2020 championship season. James’ future with the team beyond the 2023/24 season remains up in the air, since he has the ability to opt out of his deal and – at 38 years old – has alluded to the possibility of retirement. But whether or not LeBron remains in Los Angeles for the long term, it appears the franchise is committed to building around Davis for the foreseeable future.

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