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Eastern Notes: Craig, Harris, Raptors, Hawks

October 18th, 2020 at 3:30pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat assistant Dan Craig impressed in his interview for the Pacers’ head coaching job on Friday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.

Pelicans associate head coach Chris Finch still remains the favorite for the Indiana job, Jackson notes, with Miami assistant Chris Quinn also interviewing for the position. In addition, former Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni is reportedly in the mix as well.

The Pacers fired Nate McMillan in August after being swept by the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The team accrued a 45-28 record this season, good for fourth-best in the East, but hasn’t won a playoff series since 2014.

Craig has been an assistant with the Heat for eight years. He started with the franchise in 2003 as a video intern, working his way up through the organization over time — much like current Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference tonight:

Nolan Jensen of Nets Daily examines how Joe Harris‘ free agency could play out with the team. Harris is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and would provide an off-ball threat around Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant next season, though it’s unclear how much money the team is willing to spend to retain him. “Joe is a guy who is always in the gym,” teammate Caris LeVert said this season. “He’s always trying to get better. He’s always watching film. His maturation and his development obviously hasn’t been a huge surprise, especially for a lot of us who see him work each and every single day,” he said. “It’s especially good to see in games, but we know what Joe is capable of. We know how hard he works. It’s great to see that pay off, especially down the stretch of a game like that.”
The Raptors could target a number of free-agent wings this offseason, Blake Murphy of The Athletic writes. Toronto has multiple high-level free agents of its own, including Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka, but the team could show interest in players such as Harris, Jae Crowder and Kent Bazemore.
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic interviewed Hawks assistant general manager Landry Fields, touching on subjects such as scouting, his job with the team and more. Atlanta named Fields as assistant GM earlier this month, with the former NBA player previously serving as GM of the Austin Spurs.

Cavs, Hornets, Hawks Expected To Have Interest In Derrick Jones

October 15th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Unrestricted free agent wing Derrick Jones is expected to receive interest from the Cavaliers, Hornets, and Hawks, among others, sources tell Charania. At just 23 years old, Jones is an unusually young UFA and still has room to develop, which explains why several rebuilding teams will likely kick the tires.

[SOURCE LINK]

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Expected To Decline Player Option

October 15th, 2020 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to be among the Lakers turning down a player option for the 2020/21 season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Earlier reports indicated that Rajon Rondo is likely to opt out and that Anthony Davis plans to do the same.

The second-year option on Caldwell-Pope’s for next season is worth approximately $8.54MM, but there’s a perception that he has outperformed that figure and could be in line for a raise and/or a longer deal after essentially acting as the Lakers’ third option during the team’s NBA Finals victory.

Having put up relatively modest numbers (9.3 PPG on .467/.385/.775 shooting) during 69 regular season games (25.5 MPG), Caldwell-Pope made some big shots in the playoffs, knocking down 42.1% of his three-point attempts in the first three rounds and then averaging 12.8 PPG in the Finals, the third-highest scoring average on the team behind LeBron James and Davis. He also provided strong perimeter defense.

Caldwell-Pope has spent the last three seasons with the Lakers and the two sides have “significant mutual interest” in reaching a new agreement, per Charania. Los Angeles holds KCP’s Bird rights, giving the club plenty of flexibility to sign him to a new contract worth essentially any value up to the max.

The 27-year-old is expected to receive interest from a handful of external suitors, according to Charania, who identifies the Hawks as one team that could “emerge with interest.”

Besides Caldwell-Pope, Rondo, and Davis, the Lakers with player options for 2020/21 include Avery Bradley and JaVale McGee. They’re also candidates to opt out, though their intentions remain unclear for now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference Odds For 2020/21

October 13th, 2020 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat lost just three games during the first three rounds against their playoff opponents in the East en route to an NBA Finals appearance this year, eliminating three of the top four seeds in the conference in the process. However, Miami’s impressive postseason run hasn’t made the team the favorite to come out of the East in 2021, according to oddsmakers.

At BetOnline.ag, the Heat are listed at +450 to win the Eastern Conference in ’21, meaning you’d win $450 on a $100 wager should Miami repeat as conference champs. The Bucks (+375), Celtics (+425), and Nets (+425) are currently considered more likely to represent the East in next year’s NBA Finals.

The rest of the odds to win the East next year are as follows, per BetOnline.ag:

Raptors: +750
Sixers: +1200
Bulls: +3300
Hawks: +3300
Pacers: +3300
Wizards: +3300
Magic: +10000
Cavaliers: +12500
Knicks: +12500
Pistons: +12500
Hornets: +17500

It’s obviously way too early to forecast the outcome of the 2020/21 season with any confidence. The draft and free agency are still to come, and we don’t know yet which teams will make major splashes on the trade market. If Victor Oladipo is dealt from Indiana to another Eastern team, for example, it could significantly change the conference’s outlook for next season.

Still, anticipated roster moves are at least somewhat baked into BetOnline’s current odds — if the Pacers had a ton of cap room to use this offseason and Oladipo and Myles Turner weren’t viewed as potential trade candidates, it’s a safe bet that they wouldn’t be listed alongside lottery teams Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington on the list above.

So, with the caveat that plenty could change in the coming months to alter the outlook of the East for the 2020/21 season, we want to get your thoughts on the early projections from oddsmakers.

Should the Bucks be considered the favorites to win the East? Should the Heat be listed higher than fourth among Eastern teams? Are the Nets or other teams being overvalued? Are the Pacers or other teams being undervalued? Which team do you like to come out of the East next season? And which club do you view as the best value pick based on the odds listed above?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your early forecast for the Eastern Conference in 2020/21!

Hawks Face Offseason Decisions, Prioritize Communication For 2020/21

October 10th, 2020 at 7:22pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Hawks face a myriad of challenging roster decisions this offseason. In an extensive mailbag, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic addresses several possible options the team could take with its present and future roster. Kirschner suggests that intriguing young players Lonzo Ball, Kelly Oubre, or Derrick White could all be solid options for the team, but wonders how many of them are worth the Hawks’ No. 6 pick in the 2020 draft in compensation.

Kirschner continued to discuss the team’s future in a second mailbag, citing other young role players like De’Anthony Melton and Kris Dunn as solid free agent targets. In the 2020 draft, Kirschner sees guard Tyrese Haliburton and swingman Isaac Okoro as fascinating draft possibilities if the Hawks opt to stick with the sixth pick. Assessing how these various players gel with core Hawks players Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter will be key.

The Hawks and coach Lloyd Pierce are focusing on honing their on-court communication whenever the 2020/21 season does eventually get underway, according to Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Forward Cam Reddish, the 2019 No. 10 pick, noted that engaging in dialogue during games was a focus of the team’s recent mini-camp, which ran from September 21 to October 1. “Definitely a key emphasis, we definitely have to talk on the court,” Reddish said.

Georgia Native Goodwin Wants To Stay With Hawks

October 5th, 2020 at 9:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Georgia native Brandon Goodwin would like to remain with the Hawks next season, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets. “There’s no place I’d rather be than home,” Goodwin said. The second-year point guard has a non-guaranteed $1.7MM salary heading into the 2020/21 season. Goodwin, 25, played in 34 games for Atlanta in 2019/20.

Hawks Ended Mini-Camp Five Days Early

October 4th, 2020 at 3:31pm CST by JD Shaw

The Hawks ended their mini-camp five days early, Sarah Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, with the team choosing to halt activities on October 1. Spencer reports the team always planned to end early with a focus on injury prevention and keeping players engaged in voluntary workouts. “We wanted to maximize the opportunity that we had and to compete at the level that we’re doing, to be in a new environment and situation, we wanted to do what made most sense, and that’s why we’re ending today,” head coach Lloyd Pierce said.

Hawks Hire Landry Fields As Assistant GM

October 2nd, 2020 at 1:05pm CST by Jovan Alford

OCTOBER 2: The Hawks have officially hired Fields as their assistant general manager, the team confirmed today in a press release. According to the team, his role will focus on “bolstering player relations, scouting, and strategic planning.”

“Landry has quickly risen through the ranks, bringing a unique combination of playing experience, sharp eye for player development and strong skills as a communicator,” Schlenk said in a statement. “He will be a welcome addition to our group.”

SEPTEMBER 23: The Hawks are hiring Austin Spurs general manager Landry Fields as their new assistant general manager, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 32-year-old Fields joined the Spurs as a scout in 2016 and was promoted to G League GM last year. He is filling a vacancy in Atlanta that has been open since Jeff Peterson, who was the Hawks’ assistant general manager under general manager Travis Schlenk, left in 2019.

Fields also spent five seasons in the NBA, playing for both the Knicks and Raptors. In 255 games, he averaged 6.8 PPG and 4.3 RPG.

Jerami Grant Expected To Draw Interest From Pistons, Suns, Hawks

October 1st, 2020 at 5:31pm CST by Luke Adams

After a strong showing in the playoffs, Nuggets forward Jerami Grant is expected to turn down his $9.3MM player option in favor of free agency. A recent report from Mike Singer of The Denver Post indicated that there appears to be mutual interest in a new deal between the Nuggets and Grant, who could command upwards of $14-16MM per year.

However, Denver is expected to face stiff competition for Grant’s services. According to Singer, the Pistons, Suns, and Hawks are among the clubs that are expected to express interest in the forward once free agency begins.

As Singer notes, Detroit and Atlanta will have plenty of cap room available, and Phoenix has a path to open up space as well. All three teams could make contract offers worth significantly more than the mid-level (projected to be worth about $9.3MM).

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver and Suns head coach Monty Williams are both former Thunder employees, so they’re very familiar with Grant, who played in Oklahoma City from 2016-19 before being traded to the Nuggets last July. The Hawks have no obvious connection to the 26-year-old through their front office or coaching staff, but he’d be a nice fit on a squad that had the NBA’s third-worst defensive rating this season.

Of course, the Nuggets will hold Grant’s Bird rights, allowing them to go over the cap to make a competitive offer for the former Syracuse standout. Head coach Michael Malone told reporters today that Grant is “a big part of our future,” as Eric Spyropoulos of Nuggets.com relays.

Grant averaged 12.0 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .478/.389/.750 shooting in 71 games (26.6 MPG) for the Nuggets in 2019/20 and became a full-time starter in the postseason as the team made a run to the Western Conference Finals. His outside shooting ability and defensive versatility will make him one of this offseason’s most popular free agents.

It’s worth noting that the Suns and Pistons are also expected to have interest in free agent point guard Fred VanVleet, while Phoenix and Atlanta have been linked to sharpshooter Davis Bertans. The Hawks can afford to pursue multiple top free agents, but the Suns and Pistons are less likely to fit two pricey new contracts in under the cap. If they go after another top free agent like VanVleet or Bertans instead, that could take one of Grant’s potential suitors out of the mix.

Kevin Huerter Expects Hawks To Make Playoffs Next Season

September 30th, 2020 at 8:53pm CST by Jovan Alford

Earlier this week, Kevin Huerter said he expects the Hawks to make the playoffs next season (h/t Sarah Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Atlanta is among the eight teams holding in-markets workouts this month.

The second-year wing player added that the Hawks are not far away from competing for a playoff spot, especially with the talent they have acquired. “There’s definitely teams that we think we can jump ahead of going into next year and we’re trying to make the playoffs,” said Huerter. “That’s kind of the main focus for us. It’s something we talked about even at the beginning of this training camp is a lot of individual stats and individual accolades have to be put aside and we have to really try to come together as a team.”

When the NBA postponed its season back in March, the Hawks had a record of 20-47, which was the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, behind the Cavaliers (19-47).