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Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Embiid, Trade Assets, Quickley

May 20th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Would the Knicks consider a reunion with Kristaps Porzingis this summer? The Wizards‘ big man, who was drafted by New York in 2015, is one of several names floated by Steve Popper of Newsday as possible targets in the team’s search for another star.

Porzingis was once considered a future franchise player in New York, but his relationship with the front office soured after he suffered a torn ACL in 2018. He eventually demanded a trade, but Popper notes that everyone involved with that past bitterness is now gone from the organization and both sides may benefit from a return. Popper sees Porzingis as a potential replacement for Mitchell Robinson, adding that he has the outside shooting touch to open up the lane for his teammates.

Porzingis was reported to be discussing an extension with Washington in March, but if he doesn’t come to terms, he’ll have a decision to make on his $36MM player option for next year. New York doesn’t have the cap space to sign him as a free agent, but it could offer a package of young talent and draft assets that the Wizards might find tempting.

There’s more from New York:

There have been rumors since midseason that Sixers center Joel Embiid will be the Knicks’ No. 1 target if he asks for a trade, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. There haven’t been any public indications that Embiid is unhappy in Philadelphia, but Bondy suggests the situation is worth monitoring in light of the team’s second-round playoff exit, the firing of Doc Rivers and James Harden‘s potential move back to Houston.
The Knicks could benefit from an active trade market this summer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says in a conversation with New York reporters, including Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Marks believes many teams will be trying to unload pricey contracts to escape the restrictions of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, so more talent than usual could be on the move. Marks believes only the Thunder and maybe the Jazz are in a similar position to put together a trade package to land a star.
Immanuel Quickley is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, but he’s also likely to be sought after in any major trade the Knicks pursue, Begley adds in a mailbag column. Begley states that Quickley’s name was mentioned in informal talks with the Bulls before the trade deadline, but his value has likely risen after finishing second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Ryan Kalkbrenner Has Worked Out For Bulls

May 20th, 2023 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II are among the draft prospects who worked out for the Nets prior to the draft combine, Schiffer writes for The Athletic. Kalkbrenner, who has also auditioned for the Bulls, said that his session with Brooklyn went well, but Holmes wasn’t as positive about his workout in Brooklyn. “I didn’t do too well, I feel like, at the Nets,” Holmes said. “I feel like I could have stepped it up a bit, but it was good to learn. Great players there.”

2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Chicago Bulls

May 19th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

After winning between 22 and 31 games for four straight seasons from 2018-21, the Bulls took a major step forward in the first half of 2021/22, going 27-13 with offseason additions DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball playing key roles in their success. They were the No. 1 seed in the East on January 14 of last year.

Unfortunately, Ball tore his meniscus that day against Golden State, and hasn’t played a game since, having undergone three different knee surgeries to address persistent pain. Caruso dealt with multiple injuries of his own, and the Bulls weren’t the same team the rest of the way, going 19-23 to close out the season and getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

Caruso was healthier in ’22/23, but Ball’s void was felt all season long, with Chicago going 40-42 and entering the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed. The Bulls were able to sneak past Toronto thanks to late-game heroics by Zach LaVine (after the Raptors went 18-of-36 on free throws and blew a 19-point lead), but fell in a close game to the Heat, who advanced as the No. 8 seed.

Chicago is a hard team to pin down. You would expect a club led by three offense-first multi-time All-Stars to be highly effective on that end, but after ranking 13th last season, they were just 24th in offensive rating in ’22/23. Similarly, you would not expect them to be stout defensively, yet after ranking 23rd a year ago, they had the fifth-best defense in the league this season.

The Bulls’ Offseason Plan:

Chicago has a couple great players (LaVine and DeRozan), an All-Defensive First Team guard (Caruso), and some young talent. Still, it feels like the Bulls are stuck in no-man’s land.

A big part of that is due to Ball’s balky knee, and there’s still no timetable for his return – it’s possible his career could be over. It has been a brutal series of events, because Ball is a very good two-way player. The Bulls have gone just 59-65 since he was injured – a large sample size of blah play.

Having a $20.5MM cap hit on your books (and a $21.4MM player option for ‘24/25 that Ball will certainly exercise) for a player who might not play at all for a second consecutive season really hurts your team’s flexibility. It’s no one’s fault either. Sure, Ball had injuries in the past, but nothing like this.

The Nikola Vucevic trade was an unmitigated disaster, but the Bulls don’t have a viable way to replace the impending free agent’s production, so it feels like they need to extend him, re-sign him, or at least explore sign-and-trade scenarios. They can’t just lose him for nothing. He played well in 2022/23 after a down year in ’21/22, but he’s limited defensively and will be 33 years old at the start of next season.

That deal is why the Bulls don’t have a lottery pick in June’s draft — it landed 11th overall and will be sent to Orlando to complete the trade (they also gave up Wendell Carter and their 2021 first-round pick, which turned into Franz Wagner – ouch). Chicago also doesn’t control its second-rounder (via Denver) due to free agency gun-jumping when the team completed its sign-and-trade for Ball.

With nearly $112MM committed to just six players, and a couple of $3.4MM player options (Andre Drummond and Derrick Jones Jr.), becoming a cap room team doesn’t make sense. Even if Drummond and Jones opt out, the Bulls would only be able to create about $16MM in space. They would be better off re-signing some of their own free agents and using their $12.2MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, but they can’t just bring back the same core roster again and expect different results.

DeRozan turns 34 years old this summer, is entering the final year of his contract, and will be eligible for a veteran extension. That makes him a logical trade candidate, but his age, expiring deal, subpar defense and well-documented playoff struggles somewhat limit his market value.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a ton of respect for DeRozan. You can tell he puts a ton of work into his craft, and he has improved tremendously throughout his career. I’m just not sure how much the Bulls could realistically get for him if they made him available – maybe a late lottery pick, matching salaries and a decent young player? That’s nothing to sneeze at, but it could take a while to translate into wins.

LaVine would have far more trade value. He’s only 28 and is under contract for four more years (the last year is a player option). The Knicks are a logical suitor, and reportedly talked to the Bulls about him ahead of the February deadline.

Do the Bulls want to trade the player they tried to build around? Do the Knicks want to trade multiple first-round picks and young players for a star who is a legitimately great shooter and scorer (they do need both of those things), but isn’t a great defender or decision-maker?

I don’t know the answer to either of those questions, but I do know Chicago’s current roster isn’t good enough to contend for a title and isn’t bad enough to land a top draft pick. The Bulls have to pick a path.

There’s nothing preventing the Bulls from trading both of their stars and starting from scratch. They could always prioritize young players instead of draft capital if they want to retool instead of doing a full-fledged rebuild. Caruso is worth keeping an eye on as well – the defensive stalwart drew a lot of interest leading up to the trade deadline and is on a team-friendly contract through ‘24/25, so he’d have quite a bit of value.

Aside from the big-picture roster questions, forward Patrick Williams will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. I’d be a little surprised if a deal gets done. While Williams has a lot of upside, he’s also been very inconsistent (which is normal for a young player). I suspect there might be a gap in what his agents are looking for and what the team wants to pay.

That said, I would not trade Williams if I were running the team. He could be special if he figures it out, and even if he doesn’t, he’d still be coveted due to his two-way skill set. I’d also re-sign Coby White, who’s a restricted free agent – I think he’ll get somewhere around the mid-level exception, and he’s improved from his first couple seasons.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Zach LaVine ($40,064,220)
DeMar DeRozan ($28,600,000)
Lonzo Ball ($20,465,117)
Patrick Williams ($9,835,881)
Alex Caruso ($9,460,000)
Dalen Terry ($3,350,760)
Justin Lewis (two-way)
Total: $111,775,978

Dead/Retained Salary

None

Player Options

Andre Drummond ($3,360,000): Non-Bird rights
Derrick Jones Jr. ($3,360,000): Bird rights
- Note: Jones has said he plans to exercise his option.
Total: $6,720,000

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Carlik Jones ($1,927,896)
- Note: Jones would receive a partial guarantee ($250K) if he’s not waived on or before the first day of the 2023/24 regular season.
Marko Simonovic ($1,836,096)
- Note: Simonovic’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 7.
Total: $3,763,992

Restricted Free Agents

Coby White ($7,744,600 qualifying offer / $22,241,865 cap hold): Bird rights
Ayo Dosunmu ($5,216,324 qualifying offer / $5,216,324 cap hold): Early Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $27,458,189

Two-Way Free Agents

Terry Taylor: Non-Bird rights

Draft Picks

None

Extension-Eligible Players

Lonzo Ball (veteran)
Alex Caruso (veteran)
DeMar DeRozan (veteran)
Marko Simonovic (veteran)
Patrick Williams (rookie scale)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Nikola Vucevic ($33,000,000 cap hold): Bird rights
Javonte Green ($1,989,698 cap hold): Bird rights
Patrick Beverley ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Matt Thomas ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Total: $38,969,094

Cap Exceptions Available

Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
Bi-annual exception: $4,448,000

Note: The Bulls would lose access to the full mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception if their team salary surpasses the tax apron.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, K. Williams, Anderson, Jazz

May 19th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

While Charlotte’s pick at No. 2 represents the first pivot point of the 2023 NBA draft, the Trail Blazers‘ decision at No. 3 is arguably even more interesting. That pick is a valuable one in a draft considered to have a consensus top three prospects, but Portland is eager to build a contender around Damian Lillard in the short term and may be more inclined to trade the choice.

In the view of Jason Quick of The Athletic, the Trail Blazers’ only real option – if they’re serious about keeping Lillard and building a winner around him – is to trade the pick. But ESPN’s Jonathan Givony isn’t sure Portland will take that route, suggesting during an appearance on Zach Lowe’s Lowe Post podcast that he believes the Blazers will hang onto the selection.

“I don’t see them trading it either, honestly,” Givony said, per RealGM. “I think they would be very happy with Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson. “I also think they’re going to kick the tires on the Thompson twins and Cam Whitmore. I think this is going to be a process here where they’re looking at a lot of different options.”

If the Blazers do shop the pick, the expectation is that they’ll be targeting two-way impact players, a league source tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. As Johnson observes, Lillard has strong relationships with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but neither of those offensive-minded Bulls wings really qualifies as a two-way dynamo.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Thunder wing Kenrich Williams underwent a follow-up procedure on Tuesday to remove hardware that was inserted during his March wrist surgery, the team announced. According to Thunder, Williams’ rehab process is still on the same timeline, and he remains on track to be ready for the start of the 2023/24 season.
Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson, who sustained an eye injury during the team’s first-round playoff series, underwent surgery on Wednesday to address the issue, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North. While there’s no official timeline for Anderson’s recovery, there’s no indication he won’t be ready for training camp.
Tony Jones of The Athletic sketches out an offseason to-do list for the Jazz, including identifying a point guard, resolving Jordan Clarkson‘s free agency, and comprehensively investigating what trade opportunities might be out there for them.

Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons Pick, Weaver, Mobley

May 18th, 2023 at 5:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After finishing outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Bulls face some major decisions with the pricier players on their roster, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes in a new mailbag.

Mayberry believes Chicago may look to finally dismantle its roster following two trade deadlines and one offseason of extreme inactivity. Veteran center Nikola Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent this summer, while 33-year-old small forward DeMar DeRozan will become extension-eligible during the offseason.

There are a variety of approaches the Bulls could take in dealing with long-injured point guard Lonzo Ball, still not back after undergoing three major knee surgeries. Ball has two years and $41.8MM remaining on his deal with Chicago, and it already appears possible he will miss most or all of 2023/24.

The futures of Bulls role players Andre Drummond and Coby White are also addressed in the piece.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

After winding up with the fifth pick in this year’s draft, the rebuilding Pistons could opt to venture in a variety of directions, including a possible trade of the asset. James Edwards III of The Athletic unpacks some possible prospects Detroit could target if it retains the pick. Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required) examines some other potential draft options for the Pistons.
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is putting an optimistic spin on a disappointing result, Curtis writes in a separate piece (subscription required). Detroit entered this year’s draft lottery with the best chance (14%) of nabbing the top pick and a potential generational talent in projected top selection Victor Wembanyama this year. “I wasn’t going in expecting the No. 1 pick,” Weaver said. “I don’t believe in luck and chance. If we landed there, we would’ve been excited, but we’re prepared to move forward. It’s not (No. 1) or bust.” Detroit last had the No. 1 pick in 2021, which it used on point guard Cade Cunningham.
For the Cavaliers to take a leap into meaningful playoff contention, power forward Evan Mobley needs to continue to develop, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Draft Notes: Henderson, Miller, Combine, Mock Drafts

May 17th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Victor Wembanyama is considered a lock to be taken with the No. 1 pick, but Scoot Henderson doesn’t want to give up without a fight, writes Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Speaking to reporters Wednesday at the NBA Draft Combine, Henderson said he believes he’s just as valuable as the French big man and he’s willing to meet with the Spurs to make his case.

“I think I have the ability to go No. 1,” he said. “I believe in myself as any competitor should.”

Henderson added that he hasn’t met with any teams at the combine yet, but he expects to hold several meetings and workouts over the next few weeks. Even if San Antonio doesn’t take him up on his offer, the Hornets and Trail Blazers, who hold picks No. 2 and 3, should be very interested. Those teams already have established lead guards in LaMelo Ball and Damian Lillard, but Henderson believes he could be successful in either situation.

“I don’t have to be ball dominant,” he added. “When my time comes, I’ll kill.”

There’s more draft news to pass along:

Brandon Miller, who’s projected as a top-three pick, is willing to hold meetings with teams outside of that range, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Miller has already met with the Bulls, who lost their first-round pick to Orlando when they failed to move up in Tuesday’s lottery.
Five-on-five scrimmages are among the highlights of the combine, but the highest-rated players typically choose not to participate. Thirty-seven prospects are skipping this year’s scrimmages, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. That list includes Leonard Miller of G League Ignite, who was a last-minute decision, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Twitter link).
Tuesday’s lottery resulted in a slew of new mock drafts from ESPN, The Ringer, The Athletic and Bleacher Report. Outside of Wembanyama at No. 1, there’s a lot of disagreement among the mocks, which reflects the uncertainty over many of the top prospects.
John Hollinger of The Athletic offers his ranking of the top 20 players in this year’s draft class, along with a pair of sleepers from Creighton and Santa Clara.
Jordan Walsh of Arkansas appears to be leaning toward keeping his name in the draft after a strong first day at the combine, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Walsh has already worked out for the Nets and Celtics and is currently considered to be an early second-round pick.
Tyrece Radford will withdraw from the draft and return for his final year of eligibility at Texas A&M, according to The Dallas Morning News. Rob Perry will also leave the draft and return to Murray State next season, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Lowe’s Latest: GM Meetings, Wizards, Blazers, Lue, Kuminga, Harden

May 17th, 2023 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s general managers held their annual meeting in Chicago on draft lottery day and the discussions among those GMs about a handful of competition-related issues were “lively,” according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link).

One of the topics the GMs talked about on Tuesday, according to Lowe, was the idea of turning the NBA draft into a two-day event. They also discussed whether the modern game has tilted too far toward offensive production and considered what could be done to help defenses. Additionally, sources tell Lowe that some executives in attendance suggested bringing back escalating fines as a penalty for players who flop.

Much of the general managers’ conversation revolved around the issue of load management, and Lowe hears from sources that there may be more load management-related rules implemented as soon as next season. According to Lowe, some in attendance at the meetings believe the NBA may revisit its guidelines on when teams are permitted to rest players, as well as the penalties for clubs that violate those guidelines.

Here’s more from Lowe, who was in the drawing room for Tuesday night’s lottery:

Before the fourth and final lottery ball was drawn for the No. 1 pick, the Wizards had six of the 11 available combinations, according to Lowe and other reporters who attended the drawing. The Magic, Pacers, and Trail Blazers were also still alive for the top pick at that point, but it was the Spurs who lucked out and held the winning combination: 14-5-8-2.
Rival executives are expecting Portland to re-sign Jerami Grant this offseason, according to Lowe, who says he believes the Trail Blazers will also look into renegotiating the protections on the lottery-protected first-round pick they owe to the Bulls. Removing or reducing the protections on that pick would give the Blazers more flexibility to trade future first-rounders.
The Clippers love having Tyronn Lue as their head coach and are “happy to remind” teams with interest in Lue that he remains under contract, Lowe reports. The Suns are said to have legitimate interest in hiring Lue away from their division rivals, but it sounds like Los Angeles would make that very difficult. As Lowe notes, it’s still unclear whether or not that’s even something Lue would want.
Executives in Chicago are “buzzing” about what the future holds for the Warriors and Sixers. Based on his conversations, Lowe says there’s a strong level of interest in Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga around the NBA. Lowe adds that, while the Rockets and James Harden have mutual interest in a reunion, league sources made it clear that Harden’s return to Houston is no lock after the dismissal of Doc Rivers in Philadelphia.

Spurs Win 2023 NBA Draft Lottery; Hornets, Blazers, Rockets In Top Four

May 16th, 2023 at 7:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have won the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.

San Antonio claimed the No. 1 overall pick in Tuesday night’s draft lottery, putting the club in position to select Wembanyama, a 7’5″ French phenom who is widely considered the top NBA prospect since LeBron James.

The top 14 slots for the 2023 draft have officially been set. The lottery order is as follows:

San Antonio Spurs
Charlotte Hornets
Portland Trail Blazers
Houston Rockets
Detroit Pistons
Orlando Magic
Indiana Pacers
Washington Wizards
Utah Jazz
Dallas Mavericks
Orlando Magic (from Bulls)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Toronto Raptors
New Orleans Pelicans

It’s the third time in franchise history that the Spurs have won a draft lottery and earned the right to add a generational big man to their roster. San Antonio drafted David Robinson with the No. 1 overall pick in 1987 and Tim Duncan with the top pick in 1997.

The Spurs entered the night third in the lottery standings, but had a 14.0% chance at the No. 1 pick, the same odds as Detroit and Houston, the top two teams in the lottery standings.

The Pistons are the biggest loser of the night, slipping all the way out of the top four after finishing the season with the NBA’s worst record at 17-65. It also wasn’t an ideal outcome for the Rockets, who slipped from second to fourth in a draft widely considered to have a consensus top three prospects.

The Hornets, who had a 12.5% chance at the No. 1 pick and a 48.1% chance to end up in the top four, move up two spots to No. 2 and will likely decide between G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson and Alabama wing Brandon Miller, who are viewed as the next-best prospects behind Wembanyama.

Henderson was once considered a lock for the No. 2 spot, but had an up-and-down year in the G League while Miller had a big freshman season for the Crimson Tide.

At No. 3, the Trail Blazers also moved up two spots and are the night’s other big winner — they’ll be in position to draft either Henderson or Miller, whichever one the Hornets pass on. Of course, Portland badly wants to build a roster around Damian Lillard that’s capable of contending sooner rather than later, so it’s possible the team will listen to offers for its lottery pick, but the price would presumably be extremely high.

Outside of the top five, the remaining lottery picks remain unchanged from the pre-lottery order. That means the Mavericks will keep their first-round pick, which would have been sent to the Knicks if it had slipped out of the top 10. Dallas will instead owe New York its 2024 first-rounder with top-10 protection.

The Bulls, meanwhile, would have hung onto their lottery pick if it had moved into the top four, but it will be sent to the Magic since it fell outside of its protected range. That pick was the last asset that Chicago owed to Orlando as part of the 2021 Nikola Vucevic trade.

Tuesday’s lottery results also shook up the order of the second round. Because San Antonio will be picking ahead of Houston in the first round, the Rockets’ second-round pick has moved up from No. 33 to No. 32, which means it will be sent to the Pacers instead of the Celtics.

That’s great news for the Pacers, who move up 18 spots from No. 50 as a result of that lottery outcome and a convoluted set of trade criteria involving multiple second-rounders. Rather than getting Houston’s pick, Boston will receive Portland’s second-rounder at No. 35, while the Thunder – who had been in position to get No. 35, will instead pick at No. 50.

Central Notes: LaVine, Bucks, Pistons, Bird

May 13th, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After falling short of a playoff appearance this year, the Bulls are open to reconfiguring their personnel to better fit maximum-salaried shooting guard Zach LaVine, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

Deveney notes that Chicago may be open to moving on from its two other priciest players, 32-year-old center Nikola Vucevic and 33-year-old All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan. Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent, and Deveney writes that the Bulls are not necessarily interested in keeping him around long-term.

The team could consider flipping DeRozan for young Suns center Deandre Ayton, Deveney speculates.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

After firing title-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer, Bucks GM Jon Horst is expected to conduct an expansive search in looking for his replacement. Eric Nehm of The Athletic examines a variety of possible Milwaukee head coaching candidates, including decorated longtime assistant coaches like Chris Quinn and Adrian Griffin and recent champion head coaches Frank Vogel and Nick Nurse, among others.
This past week, as was previously reported, Pistons owner Tom Gores met with the team’s head coaching finalists: Bucks assistant Charles Lee, former Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins. The team is not expected to hire a new coach until after the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Former Pacers head coach and team president Larry Bird is serving as a consultant with Indiana’s front office once again, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscription required). The Hall of Famer and former Pacers coach and executive recently attended the team’s first pre-draft workout workout at their practice facility on Friday. “Larry has been a consultant to basketball operations since the beginning of this past season,” head coach Rick Carlisle revealed. “It’s always great to have him in the gym!”

Suns Considered Likely To Shop Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul

May 12th, 2023 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Center Deandre Ayton (ribs) and point guard Chris Paul (groin) were inactive for the final game of Phoenix’s season on Thursday night, and it’s possible they’ve played in a Suns uniform for the last time, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.

According to MacMahon, who cites league sources, the Suns are expected to “aggressively” explore Ayton’s trade market this offseason. Sources tell ESPN that the former No. 1 overall pick would be excited by the opportunity to get a fresh start with another team.

Ayton reached restricted free agency last summer after he logged a playoff-low 17 minutes and had a sideline confrontation with head coach Monty Williams during the Suns’ final game of the postseason, a 33-point home loss to Dallas. The big man signed a four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet with the Pacers, and was said to be keen on the idea of teaming up with Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana, but the Suns quickly matched that offer in order to retain him.

Sources tell MacMahon that Williams and some Suns players have been frustrated at times with “what they perceive to be inconsistent effort and aggression” from Ayton. Sean Deveney of Heavy.com has also heard that the center will likely be on the trade block this offseason.

“It’s almost certain they will look into trading him,” one general manager told Deveney. “I think they feel like they can do all right with a mishmash of decent centers and changing their focus on getting better talent around those two star guys. That’s been true for the past couple of years, really. Deandre has butted heads with Monty. But he can be a great player, still, it just needs to be somewhere else.”

Executives who spoke to Heavy.com speculated that the Bulls, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Hornets could be potential Ayton suitors.

The belief is that the Suns would be targeting ball-handlers, shooters, and/or three-and-D type players in any Ayton deal, rather than another big-money center, Deveney adds. MacMahon conveys a similar sentiment, writing that Phoenix would like to lessen the burden on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker by adding role players who complement them rather than a third star.

According to MacMahon, there’s also an expectation that Paul will be shopped before the Suns have to make a decision on his contract for 2023/24. Currently, only $15.8MM of the veteran’s $30.8MM salary is guaranteed.

In addition to mentioning this possibility in his ESPN.com story, MacMahon stated in stronger terms on the Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst that he expects Paul’s name to pop up in trade rumors.

“I certainly would anticipate they aggressively shop Chris Paul before that June 28 (salary guarantee) deadline,” MacMahon said. “I think it’s pretty likely that Chris Paul is elsewhere next year.”

As for a possible head coaching change or front office shakeup in Phoenix, there’s no solid reporting yet suggesting either will happen, but sources with other teams have speculated about the idea, MacMahon writes, noting that one scout told him when the Suns were down by 30 points at halftime on Thursday, “Some heads are going to roll for this one.”

Williams and GM James Jones have strong résumés and have helped rebuild the culture in Phoenix following several years in the lottery, but the team has now had two embarrassing playoff exits in a row and has a new owner (Mat Ishbia) who may be looking to put his stamp on the franchise.