What would it take for teams without cap room to ink Zach LaVine and engineer a sign-and-trade? Evan Sidery of Basketball News takes a look at several potential trades in which LaVine winds up with the Heat, Hawks or Mavericks. In the Hawks’ case, Sidery speculates that a three-way deal in which the Bulls receive Kevin Huerter and Onyeka Okongwu and the Pacers get Danilo Gallinari and a 2023 first-round pick from the Hawks might work.
In the most recent update to their 2022 NBA mock draft, BasketballNews.com has G League Ignite guard/forward Dyson Daniels, who has been rising up draft boards of late, going to Indiana at No. 6, and fellow G League Ignite players MarJon Beauchamp and Jaden Hardy go off the board at Nos. 21 and 23, respectively.
Ohio State’s Malaki Branham, another draft riser, goes to Oklahoma City at No. 12. The mock has three Duke players going in the lottery, which has been pretty common lately. A fourth, Trevor Keels, is the final pick of the first round, and a fifth, Wendell Moore Jr., is at No. 37.
Michigan’s Caleb Houstan, who is rumored to have received a first-round promise, goes to Memphis at No. 29.
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis has been projected to go to the Wizards at No. 10 in several recent mock drafts, including BasketballNews’, and he had a solo workout in front of all of Washington’s major decision-makers on Thursday. He told Josh Robbins of The Athletic that he thinks he’d be a good fit with the Wizards. “Especially with the projections and all that right now, I feel like this is a spot I could land at and be able to come in and make an impact right away,” Davis said. “I just wanted to be able to show the whole front office and the coaches that I can hoop.” Davis also told Robbins that he has workouts next week with the Pistons (No. 5) and the Spurs (No. 9).
- Overtime Elite guard Jean Montero, who recently worked out for the Hornets and Wizards, has upcoming workouts with the Cavaliers, Hawks, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Bulls, Robbins tweets. Montero is a projected second-round pick, and all of those teams except Chicago currently control at least one second-rounder.
- The NCAA’s withdrawal deadline passed on June 1, so Rafael Barlowe of NBA Big Board updated all of his projected second-round picks following last-minute decisions from several prospects.
Two-time All-Star Zach LaVine is no longer considered a lock to return to the Bulls, with “league gossip” linking him to rival teams, as reported by K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago a couple of weeks ago. With that in mind, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype explores four potential teams who might pursue the 27-year-old in unrestricted free agency this summer.
The Lakers would obviously have interest, but acquiring LaVine would be complicated because it would require moving Russell Westbrook first, or him to be involved in a sign-and-trade. They’d also be hard-capped at that point and only able to sign minimum-salaried players to fill out the rest of the roster, per HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan.
Lavine makes sense as a fit next to Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, according to Urbina, and Detroit has the ability to create enough cap space to sign him outright. However, after reaching the postseason for the first time in his career in 2021/22, I’m skeptical LaVine would be interested in joining a rebuilding club.
The Heat and Hawks are two other sign-and-trade possibilities, but Urbina notes that HoopsHype and other publications still believe LaVine returning to Chicago is the most likely outcome, as the Bulls can re-sign LaVine for up to $212.3MM over five years, while rival teams will be limited to four years at $157.4MM.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic lists 10 offseason questions looming over Chicago this summer. Mayberry wonders how the Bulls can go from good to great, whether they’ll be able to re-sign LaVine, where things stand with Lonzo Ball‘s balky knee, how to improve the team’s depth, and whether or not it’s the right time to deal away guard Coby White (who’s eligible for a rookie scale extension on July 1), among several other questions.
- The Bulls worked out former Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell on Wednesday, as Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago relays (via Twitter). The Bulls control the No. 18 pick and Liddell is currently No. 20 on ESPN’s big board, so he could be a realistic target at that spot. Liddell had an impressive junior season for the Buckeyes, averaging 19.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.6 BPG on .490/.374/.765 shooting in 32 games (33.2 MPG).
- Memphis forward Josh Minott will also work out for Chicago on Thursday, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Minott is currently No. 48 on ESPN’s board and averaged 6.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG in a limited role as a freshman (33 games, 14.6 MPG).
Because Zach LaVine wasn’t named to any of the All-NBA teams announced this week, the Bulls will be facing a lower price for a maximum deal for the free agent guard, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine can re-sign with Chicago for up to $212.3MM over five years, while rival teams will be limited to four years at $157.4MM.
The roughly $55MM difference will work in the Bulls’ favor, but Cowley echoes several other reports suggesting that re-signing LaVine isn’t a sure thing. He lists the Lakers, Hawks and Trail Blazers as teams with interest and says more are expected to emerge as free agency draws closer.
Cowley adds “all indications” are that Bulls management plans to offer a full max deal, and it will be up to LaVine to decide whether he wants to continue his career in Chicago. If he does want to move on, Cowley expects executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas to explore sign-and-trade options.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Cowley’s assessment of LaVine is part of an overall look at the Bulls‘ backcourt, where the fate of Coby White is also uncertain. White will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer, but Cowley believes the front office is more likely to try to trade him for outside shooting help. Cowley doesn’t expect free agent Matt Thomas to return and says the team could target TyTy Washington or Malaki Branham in the draft if either is still available at No. 18.
- Expect the Pistons to be among the teams pursuing Suns center Deandre Ayton, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press states in a mailbag column. Ayton will be a restricted free agent, and Sankofa suggests Detroit might use Jerami Grant to facilitate a sign-and-trade deal. Grant is entering the final year of his current contract and is eligible for a four-year extension worth $112MM.
- Evan Sidery of Basketball News looks at five potential trade destinations for Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, who may no longer be in the team’s plans after the acquisition of Tyrese Haliburton. Sidery proposes potential deals involving the Suns, Jazz, Lakers, Timberwolves and Heat.
While Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero are the consensus top three prospects in this year’s draft, it’s rare that the top three picks in a draft end up being the three players who enjoy the best pro careers, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.
The ESPN duo identifies Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe and Dyson Daniels as the other prospects who are the best bets to emerge as top-three players from the 2022 draft class, breaking down the strengths of that quartet and considering which lottery teams might benefit the most from their talents.
We have plenty of draft-related news to pass along:
- Colorado State’s David Roddy has worked out for the Magic, Nuggets and Rockets, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. The power forward is ranked No. 47 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- Memphis forward Josh Minott has workouts lined up with the Magic, Raptors, Hawks, Spurs, Bulls and Hornets, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. Minott is ranked No. 48 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- Buffalo guard Ronaldo Segu will continue to pursue professional opportunities and forgo his remaining year of college eligibility, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. He averaged 14.9 PPG and 5.1 APG last season.
- Nathan Mensah is withdrawing from the draft and returning to San Diego State, the school announced in a press release. Mensah is the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
- Josh Mballa is pulling out of the draft and transferring from Buffalo to Ole Miss, Jeff Goodman tweets. Mballa averaged 13.0 PPG and 8.6 RPG last season.
- Texas Tech guard Adonis Arms has workouts scheduled with the Nuggets, Pistons, Pelicans, Magic and Jazz, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets.
- Northern Colorado’s Bodie Hume will remain in the draft, Rothstein adds in another tweet. The senior forward averaged 11.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG last season.
- Potential top-10 selection Johnny Davis wants to model his game after Devin Booker. Another potential top-10 pick, Daniels, believes he’s a combination of Tyrese Haliburton offensively and Alex Caruso or Lonzo Ball defensively. Numerous draft prospects told The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov which NBA players they most closely resemble or strive to be.
Recent reports suggest that it’s no slam dunk Zach LaVine will re-sign with the Bulls. However, execs around the league believe the chatter is agent-driven and he’ll likely stay put, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. The thinking is that his agency, Klutch Sports, is trying to ensure he’s considered the franchise player in Chicago and that he gets a max deal. An NBA source told Deveney, “It is still Zach’s team, Klutch just wants to make sure everyone knows it.”
- If LaVine does indeed leave, the Trail Blazers or Spurs would be the logical move for him, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report writes. LaVine could join forces with Damian Lillard in Portland or Dejounte Murray in San Antonio. Re-signing with the Bulls is still the likely outcome, Fischer echoes, but the fact that DeMar DeRozan was often the crunch-time go-to scorer this season may play a role in LaVine exploring other options.
The 2021/22 All-NBA teams have officially been announced by the NBA. For the fourth straight season, Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was unanimously selected to the All-NBA First Team by a voter panel of 100 media members. Antetokounmpo, 27, is making his sixth All-NBA team overall.
Antetokounmpo, reigning MVP Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic received the most votes. Suns All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker and Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid rounded out the list of top five vote-getters. Because the All-NBA teams, unlike the All-Star squads, require just one center per team, Embiid was relegated to an All-NBA Second Team placing.
Below is a list of the three All-NBA teams. Vote tallies are listed in parentheses next to player names. Five points were awarded to players for a First Team Vote, three points netted for a Second Team vote, and one for a Third Team vote. Antetokounmpo earned a perfect 500 points.
All-NBA First Team
- Guard: Luka Doncic, Mavericks (476)
- Guard: Devin Booker, Suns (460)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (500)
- Forward: Jayson Tatum, Celtics (390)
- Center: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (476)
All-NBA Second Team
- Guard: Ja Morant, Grizzlies (301)
- Guard: Stephen Curry, Warriors (274)
- Forward: Kevin Durant, Nets (276)
- Forward: DeMar DeRozan, Bulls (184)
- Center: Joel Embiid, Sixers (414)
All-NBA Third Team
- Guard: Chris Paul, Suns (114)
- Guard: Trae Young, Hawks (110)
- Forward: LeBron James, Lakers (169)
- Forward: Pascal Siakam, Raptors (63)
- Center: Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves (174)
Jazz center Rudy Gobert and shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, Heat center Bam Adebayo and small forward Jimmy Butler, Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, Bucks guards Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane, Suns small forward Mikal Bridges, Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray, and Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet all received All-NBA votes. Surprisingly, Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, who played in just 29 games this season, also received a single vote.
As we previously outlined, the All-NBA selections come with significant financial ramifications. As a result of being named to All-NBA teams, Booker and Towns have become eligible for super-max extensions that would begin in 2024/25. If they’re signed this offseason, those deals would be for four years and would start at 35% of the ’24/25 cap. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter), they currently project to be worth $211MM apiece.
Young’s five-year contract extension, which was signed last August and will go into effect in 2022/23, will now be worth 30% of next season’s cap instead of 25% by virtue of his All-NBA selection. Based on a projected $122MM cap, that means it’ll be worth about $212MM instead of $177MM.
Jokic had already met the super-max requirements prior to this announcement, since he won last year’s MVP award — he’s eligible to sign a five-year, super-max extension this offseason and has said he plans to do so. Doncic, who signed a maximum-salary contract extension last summer, also previously met the super-max criteria by earning All-NBA nods in 2020 and 2021.
Notable players who are not eligible this offseason for super-max deals include Morant and Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine. As Marks tweets, Morant needs to make the All-NBA team again in 2023 to qualify for a starting salary worth 30% of the cap (instead of 25%) on his next deal.
LaVine, a free agent this offseason, would have been eligible to earn up to 35% of next season’s cap from the Bulls if he had made an All-NBA team, but will instead be able to earn no more than 30% of the ’22/23 cap on his next contract.
With their inclusions, Morant, Booker, and Young are making their All-NBA team debuts. Meanwhile, on the other side of the NBA aging curve, two 37-year-old veterans further cemented their Hall of Fame credentials during the 2021/22 season. James made his 18th All-NBA team, while Paul was named to his 11th All-NBA team.
As expected, Bulls guard Zach LaVine has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, the team announced today in a press release. The procedure took place on Tuesday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, according to the Bulls.
LaVine battled soreness in his left knee for most of the season. He missed 10 games in January and February while dealing with the injury and had fluid drained from his knee around the All-Star break. The 27-year-old, who didn’t feel 100% healthy in the second half due to that knee issue, first acknowledged in early March that offseason surgery might be necessary.
Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times reported last month after the Bulls’ season ended that LaVine was expected to undergo a procedure on his left knee, and Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed it a couple weeks later.
LaVine’s knee issue isn’t viewed as a long-term problem and there has been no indication that the surgery will delay his 2022/23 debut, though the team didn’t specify a recovery timeline in today’s announcement. K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who notes that Bulls executives have been in L.A. for various pro days and have been in close contact with LaVine, says the former UCLA standout is expected to begin rehab work “shortly.”
Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has stated that the knee injury won’t impact negotiations between the team and LaVine’s camp when the two-time All-Star reaches free agency this summer.
Multiple recent reports have stated that LaVine is no longer viewed around the NBA as a lock to remain in Chicago, but the Bulls are still considered the favorites to sign him this offseason. Many of the teams linked to LaVine recently don’t have the cap flexibility to offer him a maximum-salary contract outright and would likely need to try to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal if they want to pry him away from the Bulls.
The Bulls and Pistons will play a regular season game in France during the 2022/23 season, according to a press release. The game will take place on January 19, 2023 at the Accor Arena in Paris.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA’s Global Games initiative has been on hiatus for the last two-plus years. The most recent regular season contest played outside the U.S. or Canada also took place at the Accor Arena in Paris on January 24, 2020, when the Bucks defeated the Hornets.
Next season’s Bulls/Pistons contest will be the NBA’s 12th game in France since 1991 and the third time the Bulls have played there — Chicago took part in two preseason games in Paris in 1997. This will be the Pistons’ first time playing in the French capital.
With COVID-19 restrictions loosening around the world, the NBA is expected to play several preseason and regular season games outside of its teams’ home markets in 2022/23. The league has already announced a pair of preseason matchups in Abu Dhabi, and the Spurs are expected to play a couple “home” games in Mexico.
The Nets are prepared to match any offer to keep restricted free agent Nic Claxton, according to a report from Heavy.com. A second-round pick in 2019, the 23-year-old center will be on the market this summer after spending three years in Brooklyn. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.6 rebounds this season, mostly in a backup role, and his numbers have improved each year.
An Eastern Conference general manager told Sean Deveney that there’s interest in Claxton on the open market, speculating that the Hornets or Bulls might give him an offer above the mid-level exception, possibly around $35MM over three years.
“(The Nets) are not sold on him as the big guy of the future but at that number, they’d keep him around, and know they can move him in a deal next summer if they have something better in mind,” the GM said. “Trouble is, they’ve got a short window here so they can’t wait for him too long. But (Brooklyn GM Sean Marks) is a believer in development and they are not going to give up on him that fast.”
There’s more on the Nets:
- The Celtics could be Brooklyn’s main competition for free agent Bruce Brown, Deveney adds in a separate story. Brown will be unrestricted after accepting the Nets’ qualifying offer last summer, and Boston coach Ime Udoka got to know him while serving as an assistant coach for Brooklyn last season. “He might be out of their price range in the end and maybe he goes back to Brooklyn,” a rival executive told Deveney, “but Ime was an assistant there and we’ve seen that carries some weight with who they bring in. He was good in that Celtics series. If he can’t get a big offer, they could sneak in with him on a one-and-one (one year, with a player option) deal and put him to good use.”
- Former NBA coach and current TNT broadcaster Stan Van Gundy believes the Nets have to overcome trust issues to be successful next season, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn has a talented roster, but Van Gundy hasn’t seen the cohesion necessary to win in the playoffs. “Over time … are guys going to look around and really have trust for other guys? Or will they be looking around saying, ‘You know what, that dude is going to let us down. I know he is. We can’t count on him,’” Van Gundy said. “And so they’ve got a lot to overcome in that way, which I think may even be more important than the talent they put out on the floor.”
- In another story, Lewis retraces the fall of the Nets’ Big Three and suggests that things may have gone differently if Spencer Dinwiddie hadn’t been injured. Dinwiddie underwent knee surgery on January 4, 2021, and Brooklyn traded for James Harden nine days later.