- Within his latest mailbag, Kelly Iko of The Athletic discusses the No. 2 pick, Eric Gordon‘s trade value, and several more Rockets-related topics.
The Cavaliers, Rockets, Pelicans, and Thunder are among the teams that are “making overtures” to evaluate what it would take to trade up to the No. 1 spot in this year’s draft, sources tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Givony cautions that any talks are in the very early stages and says that if the Pistons make a deal involving the No. 1 pick, it would happen much closer to the draft. Givony adds that he’s skeptical at this point that Detroit would actually trade out of the top spot, suggesting that the team is simply leaving “no stone unturned” in its evaluations. The most likely scenario is that the Pistons stay put and snag top prospect Cade Cunningham.
Still, Givony – like several other reporters – has heard that the Pistons continue to do their homework on prospects like Jalen Green and “especially” Evan Mobley. The USC big man may be Detroit’s target if the team were to move down, according to Givony.
If the Pistons do want Mobley, they likely wouldn’t feel comfortable moving down further than the No. 2 or No. 3 spot, which would make Cleveland or Houston a logical trade partner. New Orleans (No. 10) and Oklahoma City (Nos. 6, 16, and 18) pick later in the lottery, though both teams have a huge surplus of future first-rounders that could intrigue Detroit if general manager Troy Weaver is open to the idea of moving out of the top five.
The Rockets are hiring Chris Wallace and Matt Bullard to positions in their front office, according to reports from Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Wallace, a longtime NBA executive who has decades of experience in front office roles, previously served as the general manager for both the Celtics and the Grizzlies. He was re-assigned to a scouting job when Memphis shook up its basketball operations department in 2019.
According to MacMahon, Wallace will join the Rockets as the team’s director of scouting. As MacMahon explains, Houston has prioritized adding experience and expertise to its front office around general manager Rafael Stone, making an effort to invest in infrastructure during the organization’s rebuilding period.
As for Bullard, his résumé looks quite different than Wallace’s. A former NBA forward for the Rockets, Hawks, and Hornets, Bullard transitioned to broadcasting after he retired. He had been a television analyst on Rockets broadcasts for the last 16 years, up until an announcement last month that AT&T SportsNet Southwest wouldn’t be renewing his contract for the coming year.
Bullard’s exact role is unclear, but he’ll become the third former player in Houston’s front office, joining Ed Pinckney and Chuck Hayes, Feigen notes.
Rookie Rockets small forward Kenyon Martin Jr., a second-generation NBA player, showed promise during his first NBA season, per Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle.
Martin noted that living his childhood while his father Kenyon Martin Sr. enjoyed a successful 15-year NBA career helped prep him for the ups and downs of the Rockets’ fortunes during Jr.’s first season.
“My first game back from the G League, I honestly got kind of nervous or whatever but I just thought to myself, ‘It’s still basketball,’ so I just go out and play and not really think about that,” Martin said. Across 45 games for the Rockets, the 6’6″ rookie averaged 9.3 PPG and 5.4 RPG, while shooting a solid .509/.365/.714.
Small forward Cameron Reynolds has signed a one-year contract with Italy’s Dolomiti Energia Trentino, Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relays.
Reynolds finished this NBA season with the Rockets. He inked a 10-day contract under the hardship provision in May and appeared in two games, averaging 6.5 PPG in 17.0 MPG. The Rockets have an excess of wing players, which would have made it difficult for Reynolds to gain a spot with them next season.
Reynolds, 26, also appeared in three games with the Spurs this season after signing a 10-day contract in late March. He played just six total minutes and wasn’t offered a second 10-day deal. Reynolds was a member of the Austin Spurs in the G League bubble after getting waived by San Antonio in December.
Reynolds was named this week to the U.S. Select team, which will help Team USA prepare for the Olympics.
He also played 19 games for the Timberwolves during the 2018/19 campaign.
The roster has been released for the U.S. Select Team, which will help Team USA prepare for the Olympics, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Select Team, which will practice with and scrimmage against the national team during the upcoming training camp in Las Vegas, is made up mostly of first- and second-year NBA players. It will be coached by Erik Spoelstra of the Heat.
Making up the roster are:
- Saddiq Bey, Pistons
- Miles Bridges, Hornets
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
- Darius Garland, Cavaliers
- Tyrese Haliburton, Kings
- Tyler Herro, Heat
- John Jenkins
- Keldon Johnson, Spurs
- Josh Magette
- Dakota Mathias, Sixers
- Immanuel Quickley, Knicks
- Naz Reid, Timberwolves
- Cameron Reynolds, Rockets
- Isaiah Stewart, Pistons
- Obi Toppin, Knicks
- P.J. Washington, Hornets
- Patrick Williams, Bulls
There’s a belief that the Pelicans won’t be especially eager to add another rookie to an already young roster, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link), who says the No. 10 pick in next month’s draft, currently held by New Orleans, is considered one of the most available in the lottery.
Within his latest mock draft, Givony also provides some intel on some other picks at the top of the draft, confirming that the Pistons are looking hard at Jalen Green and Evan Mobley, though most executives anticipate they’ll select Cade Cunningham. According to Givony, NBA teams don’t have a good feel for which direction the Rockets will go at No. 2, since the new front office doesn’t have an extensive track record. For now, Givony believes Green would be the pick for Houston over Mobley.
Here’s more on the 2021 NBA draft, which is exactly one month away:
- In a separate Insider-only story for ESPN, Givony and Mike Schmitz break down the winners and losers of last week’s draft combine, noting that Australian prospect Josh Giddey was generating plenty of buzz despite not even attending the event in Chicago. James Bouknight, Sharife Cooper, and Trey Murphy were among the other projected first-round picks receiving positive feedback.
- Speaking of Murphy, he has worked out for the Celtics and Spurs so far in the pre-draft process, as he told reporters. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington has the story on the Virginia forward whose draft stock is on the rise.
- The “rumor in Chicago” was that Oregon’s Chris Duarte, who pulled out of the draft combine, has received a guarantee early in the second round, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.
- Potential first-round pick JT Thor of Auburn is working out for the Pacers, Hornets, Hawks, and Pelicans between now and July 6, as Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report details (Twitter link).
With Suns point guard Chris Paul one game away from an NBA Finals appearance as of this writing, the Rockets‘ 2019 offseason trade of Paul has not aged well, writes Rahat Huq of the Houston Chronicle.
The deal sent Paul, two pick swaps and two future draft selections to the Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook, who lasted just one season in Houston before the team sent him to the Wizards for the oft-injured John Wall. Paul was sent to the Suns during the 2020 offseason.
Paul has been healthier during his two All-Star seasons following the deal than he was in Houston, Huq observes. The 2021 All-NBA Second-Teamer has appeared in 140 out of 144 possible regular season contests since being moved.
Huq opines that the fact that the Rockets, under the stewardship of then-team president Daryl Morey, felt compelled to trade picks to get off of Paul’s contract is especially frustrating now that Houston is in full rebuilding mode. At least the Rockets have the No. 2 selection in what looks to be an exciting 2021 draft.
Paul has a $44.2MM player option for the 2021/22 season, but it is anticipated that he may opt for a longer-term deal with more guaranteed years this summer.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Free agent Mavericks big man Nicolò Melli is hoping to stick around in the NBA this summer, writes Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Barkas writes that Melli may need to continue his career in Europe, where the 30-year-old vet last played during the 2018/19 season. He made his NBA debut with the Pelicans for the 2019/20 season. Melli was part of the deal that sent J.J. Redick to the Mavericks from New Orleans during the March trade deadline.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has indicated that assistant general manager Keith Grant, the club’s longtime salary cap expert, will remain with Dallas under new GM Nico Harrison, tweets Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
- After 2018 lottery picks Trae Young and Deandre Ayton stepped up to help the the Hawks and the Suns reach their respective conference finals this year, the Grizzlies should be encouraged that their young core, led by 2019 No. 2 pick Ja Morant and 2018 No. 4 selection Jaren Jackson Jr., can follow suit, writes Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Provided Jackson can return to Memphis healthy, Barnes believes the club can progress deeper into the postseason soon.
Sources who have spoken to John Hollinger of The Athletic are skeptical that the Pistons, Rockets, or Cavaliers will trade out of the top three spots in the draft.
As Hollinger notes, there are a lot of teams that figure to have interest in moving up in the draft, including several holding multiple first-round picks, such as the Magic, Thunder, and Knicks. However, it’s more difficult to find teams that will give serious consideration to moving down. Any trade up may require a substantial overpay, Hollinger adds.
Here are a few more tidbits from Hollinger following his time at the pre-draft combine in Chicago:
- There’s a “widespread expectation” around the NBA that the Warriors will dangle the No. 7 pick and James Wiseman as they seek immediate roster upgrades, according to Hollinger, who identifies Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as one name to watch.
- League sources widely expect restricted free agent Gary Trent Jr. to re-sign with the Raptors, says Hollinger.
- Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland might’ve boosted his stock more than any other player at the Chicago combine, per Hollinger. However, it was also a good week for Corey Kispert, Joe Wieskamp, Quentin Grimes, Jericho Sims, and A.J. Lawson, among others.
- DJ Steward, Max Abmas, and Johnny Juzang were among the prospects who didn’t help their stock at the combine based on their performances in scrimmages, Hollinger writes.
Clint Capela felt like the Rockets gave up on him too quickly when they shipped him to the Hawks at the 2020 trade deadline, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The four-team deal came less than two years after Houston signed Capela to a five-year, $90MM contract, as the team opted to fully invest in a small-ball approach.
That decision has worked out well for Atlanta, which needed a strong rebounder and an interior presence on defense. Capela led the league in rebounding this season with 14.3 per night while averaging 2.0 blocks and shooting 59.4% from the field.
“What I like about this team is we always beat the odds,” he said. “People just don’t expect us to do it. People keep doubting us, and we just keep shocking them. In Houston, it was really a championship mentality every year, so it was almost like a must-win game, every game.”
There’s more on the Hawks:
- Nate McMillan was hesitant to join the Hawks as an assistant under Lloyd Price because he didn’t want to be perceived as a “coach in waiting,” according to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. When McMillan took over in midseason, he made some important changes that pointed the team in the right direction, including gaining the trust of Trae Young and challenging John Collins to improve as a two-way player. McMillan also brought a new attitude to the job. “I know I’ve changed,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned is you have to adapt to a new generation of players. I’m a huge fan of Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski), and when I got the job in Indiana he sent me a message that basically said, ‘Adapt.’ He had to do that with the kids going from staying in school four years to being one-and-done, and I also had to learn to adapt.”
- Young accepted the blame for the Hawks’ embarrassment in Game 2 against the Bucks, per Royce Young of ESPN. Coming off a 48-point performance in the opener, Young shot just 6-of-16 and committed nine turnovers. “That’s all on me,” he said. “I’ve got to be better at taking care of the ball. And do a better job of at least getting us a shot and not turning it over so much. And I’ve got to do better and I will be better next game.”
- If there was a bright side in Friday’s blowout, it was the return of Cam Reddish after missing more than four months with right Achilles soreness, writes Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Reddish played 17 minutes and scored 11 points. “Basically it was an opportunity to get him some minutes,” McMillan said. “… It’s really tough to throw a guy out there in a situation like he’s been put in.”