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Durant, Curry, LeBron, Other U.S. Stars Express Olympic Interest

October 2nd, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2024 Olympics in Paris were a popular topic of discussion on media days around the NBA in Monday, with many of the league’s biggest American stars expressing interest in representing Team USA next summer.

Suns forward Kevin Durant, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016, and 2020, was adamant in addressing his 2024 plans, telling reporters, “I will play in the Olympics next year,” according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Durant’s Suns teammate Devin Booker also indicated that he would accept an invite from USA Basketball, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, while KD’s former Warriors teammate Stephen Curry told reporters, “(I) definitely want to be on the team,” per Reynolds.

Lakers forward LeBron James, who was rumored last month to be recruiting his fellow U.S. stars to play at next year’s Olympics, confirmed his interest, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. His teammate Anthony Davis wasn’t prepared to commit yet, telling reporters that it’s too early to say whether he’ll play (Twitter link via Buha).

Of course, one of the biggest question marks for Team USA is Joel Embiid, who has yet to take part in an international competition and has citizenship in France and the U.S. in addition to his native Cameroon.

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Embiid said today that he’d like to play in the Olympics but is still weighing his options. While the U.S. and France have already qualified, Cameroon will compete in a qualifying tournament next summer in the hopes of earning a spot in the 12-team Olympic field. Embiid, who was reportedly given an October 10 deadline by the French team, said he hopes to make his decision “in the next few days.”

“I love all three options,” Embiid said, per ESPN. “Cameroon, I’m born there, I’m from there and I always want to represent my country. But the goal is also to play in the Olympics. If we had a chance, or if we would qualify for the Olympics, that will be an easy decision. But that’s still up in the air. And I really do want to play in the Olympics.”

Here’s more on the potential Team USA roster, which can only accommodate 12 players:

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum intends to play for the U.S. in Paris, tweets Jeff Goodman of The Messenger. His teammate Jaylen Brown also expressed interest, telling reporters that there’s “no greater honor” than representing his country and adding that it would be “great” to play in next year’s Olympics (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe).
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard said he would consider playing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Bucks forward Khris Middleton and center Brook Lopez (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic), Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files), Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (Twitter link via Chris Mannix of SI.com), Bulls guard Zach LaVine (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago), and Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports) are among the players who indicated they’d accept invites from Team USA if they received them. Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Suns guard Bradley Beal, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Knicks forward Julius Randle also fall into that group, per a report from ESPN.
Clippers forward Paul George, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma expressed some interest in playing for Team USA, while Heat wing Jimmy Butler didn’t rule out the possibility, according to ESPN.

And-Ones: Holiday, N. Young, J. Parker, 2024 Draft, More

October 2nd, 2023 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat and Clippers are believed to be the other teams that were seriously in the mix for Jrue Holiday before the Trail Blazers accepted the Celtics’ offer for the All-Defensive guard, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast.

“I’m not sure exactly where are the offers were at the end for the Blazers before they decided on the Celtics’ offer, but based on my conversations, my feel was there was at least three teams who were making significant bids.” Windhorst said, according to RealGM. “… The teams I really think were there in the end were the Celtics, Heat and the Clippers.

“The reason I think those three teams were there because I think those were the three teams Jrue Holiday was really focused on at some point being able to sign a longer-term contract (with). And that message kind of went out in recent days. Other teams made offers but it was sort of a three-team, aggressive race at the end. Only the Blazers know exactly what the offers were.”

The Clippers came close to acquiring Malcolm Brogdon back in June, so it will be interesting to see if they make any effort to re-engage the Trail Blazers in talks for Brogdon after missing out on Holiday.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA guard Nick Young is resuming his playing career overseas, having signed with the Macau Black Bears of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), according to the team (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando). A former first-round pick, Young has appeared in 720 regular season NBA games, but has been out of the league since being waived by Denver in 2018.
Speaking to Alex Molina of Eurohoops following his move to FC Barcelona, former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker said he believes the NBA is getting “watered down” because so many teams are trying to tank for draft picks each season, and expressed dismay that players like Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, and John Wall can’t find NBA homes.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) has updated his mock draft for 2024, moving USC guard Isaiah Collier up to No. 2 and Perth Wildcats big man Alexandre Sarr up to No. 4. While Ron Holland of the G League Ignite is still considered the early favorite to be next year’s No. 1 pick, Givony says Sarr has done enough to join the small group of prospects with a legitimate case for the top spot in the 2024 draft.
With a series of holes in its programming schedule this winter due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, ABC will air NBA games on every Wednesday night in January, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That slate of games will includes matchups between the Pelicans and Warriors, Mavericks and Lakers, and Suns and Nets, among others.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports believes that Jason Kidd (Mavericks), Steve Clifford (Hornets), and Billy Donovan (Bulls) are three head coaches who will be on the hot seat this season.

Bryson Williams Joins Clippers On Exhibit 10 Deal

October 2nd, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:00pm: The signing is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

7:56am: Bryson Williams is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers and join the team for training camp, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.

The 25-year-old power forward played for L.A.’s G League affiliate in Ontario last season after being signed and waived by the Clippers last October. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 23 games while shooting 48% from the field and 36% from three-point range. Williams also spent time with JL Bourg in France after signing with the team in May.

Williams’ college career consisted of two years at two years at Fresno State, two years at UTEP and one year at Fresno State. He went undrafted in 2022.

The Exhibit 10 deal means Williams can earn a bonus of up to $75K if he joins the Ontario team again and stays there for at least 60 days.

James Harden Skips Sixers’ Media Day

October 2nd, 2023 at 8:55am CST by Arthur Hill

James Harden has decided to skip the Sixers‘ media day to protest the team’s failure to meet his trade request, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Harden could be fined for missing the event, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). After the session with the media wraps up, the Sixers will depart for training camp at Colorado State University, and it’s not clear whether Harden intends to accompany them.

The Clippers remain Harden’s preferred destination, but sources tell Wojnarowski that although the teams engaged in recent trade discussions, there’s no traction on a Harden deal to Los Angeles or anywhere else.

Bobby Marks of ESPN points out that Harden could be found in violation of his contract under the CBA’s “withholding services” clause if he stays away from the team for more than 30 days, which could endanger his free agency for next summer (Twitter link). The fine for not appearing at media day could be added to fines for missing practice as well as 1/91.6 of his salary ($389,083) for each preseason or regular season game he sits out.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey opened media day with a statement about Harden (Twitter link from Tim Bontemps of ESPN), telling reporters, “He continues to seek a trade and we are continuing to work with his representation to find the best solution for the 76ers and all parties. In terms of a trade, I will continue to work on those fronts and, if he’s here, then coach will work with him on the court. I think it’s pretty straightforward.”

Asked about potential fines, Morey said Harden will be treated “like every other player under the rules of the CBA” (Twitter link).

New head coach Nick Nurse said he has a “Plan A” and “Plan B,” depending on whether Harden eventually decides to be part of the team. Nurse’s immediate concern is getting a foundation in place to start the season.

Harden has been feuding with the Sixers, and Morey in particular, over what he believes are promises that weren’t lived up to. Harden expected to sign a lucrative long-term deal with the team after giving up money last summer, but he didn’t get the offer he was expecting. He made a surprising choice in late June to pick up his option for next season and ask for a trade, but hasn’t been gotten dealt as he’d hoped. He has indicated that he will continue to be disruptive as long as he remains in Philadelphia.

Latest On Celtics-Trail Blazers Trade

October 1st, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malcolm Brogdon preferred a fresh start after the Celtics nearly dealt him to the Clippers this summer, The Athletic’s quartet of Shams Charania, Jared Weiss, Jared King and Jason Quick report. However, he did not want to be camp holdout, according to Weiss.

A three-way deal involving Kristaps Porzingis fell through due to concerns regarding Brogdon’s injured elbow. Porzingis, of course, was eventually acquired by Boston in a restructured deal with Marcus Smart serving as the primary outgoing piece.

Brogdown was dealt to the Trail Blazers on Sunday along with Robert Williams and two first-rounders for Jrue Holiday.

Boston didn’t want to part with Williams, but he needed to be included to convince Portland to make the trade, per The Athletic’s report.

We have more on the big deal:

Brogdon believed after meeting with the team’s brass earlier this year that he was part of the franchise’s long-term plans, according to Weiss. He was blindsided when he learned the team attempted to include him in a Porzingis blockbuster. Brogdon was also frustrated by rumors he would undergo elbow surgery. He planned to rehab the elbow, as the other areas of concern in his lower body felt relatively fine.
Brogdon was also upset when coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters that Derrick White would be the starting point guard during a press conference announcing Jaylen Brown’s contract extension in July, Weiss adds. Brogdon only communicated with top executive Brad Stevens during the offseason and the veteran guard eventually decided he was willing to rejoin the team but still preferred to be dealt.
The Trail Blazers were initially seeking a haul for Holiday that included four or five future first-round picks, but that demand eventually softened, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Holiday can opt out of his contract after the season, but Himmelsbach hears that both sides view his arrival as the start of a long-term partnership.
The Warriors were never a part of trade discussions involving Holiday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. They are comfortable with their guard rotation entering camp. Golden State’s 2024 first-rounder, which was included in the deal, has now been traded three times. Memphis originally traded for the pick, then dealt it to Boston. It’s now the property of the Trail Blazers.

Clippers Waive Jason Preston

October 1st, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers point guard Jason Preston is being waived by L.A., reports Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team has officially confirmed the move.

Preston’s $1.8MM non-guaranteed salary for 2023/24 would have become fully guaranteed had he remained with the club through Sunday. Earlier this week, team president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank had indicated that the Clippers were still considering whether or not to retain Preston into training camp.

John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets that this move had been anticipated given that L.A. already has 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts. Hollinger adds that the 6’4″ guard may have intriguing upside as a two-way signing somewhere. The Clippers currently have all three of their two-way slots occupied.

Preston, 24, was selected with the No. 33 pick in the 2021 draft out of Ohio, but missed the entirety of what would have been his rookie campaign in 2021/22 after undergoing a preseason foot surgery. He appeared in a scant 14 games for the Clippers in 2022/23, averaging 2.9 PPG, 1.9 APG and 1.6 RPG across 8.9 MPG.

That said, Preston showed some promise with his club’s G League team in 2022/23. In 21 games with L.A.’s NBAGL affiliate, the Ontario Clippers, Preston averaged 16.7 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.2 RPG and 0.7 SPG. He posted a shooting line of .486/.372/.844.

Clippers Need Joshua Primo To Be On His Best Behavior

September 30th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers gave Joshua Primo a chance because he’s a talented young player that they were able to get on a two-way contract, but his future will depend on a lot more than how he performs on the court, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Primo was out of the NBA for nearly a year after being accused of predatory and indecent acts for allegedly exposing himself to a Spurs team psychologist on numerous occasions. Swanson adds that it’s a bad sign that Primo still insists the incidents were accidental.

Pacific Notes: Primo, Hachimura, Jasikevicius, Poole

September 30th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers signed guard Joshua Primo to a two-way contract on Friday, the same day the league suspended him for four games after the league determined he “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.” Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes that the Clippers felt comfortable with signing Primo after meeting with him for months and hearing from specialists who spent time with him.

Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said that the decision to sign Primo came with “a great deal of conversation with people throughout the organization,” according to Greif. Frank also said that female employees who most frequently interact with players were consulted on the decision, per Greif.

“We took many steps to make sure that we could feel very confident that we will be able to create a safe and comfortable workplace,” Frank said.

The specialists who met with Primo worked in mental health fields, Frank said, according to Greif.

“We’re not disputing allegations or condoning the alleged conduct, but why we’re here is because of all the work he’s put in since those allegations,” Frank said.

Primo was drafted with the 12th overall pick by the Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft but was waived four games into his second season after a psychologist who worked for the Spurs, Dr. Hillary Cauthen, alleged in a civil complaint against the Spurs that Primo exposed himself to her nine times during individual private sessions.

A source tells San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Orsborn (Twitter link) that, in addition to Dr. Cauthen, Primo exposed himself to two other women, with all incidents occurring while he was with the Spurs. Orsborn adds that it’s possible that charges could arise in other counties like they did in Bexar County (Twitter link).

In addition to being suspended for the first four games of the season, Primo is ineligible to appear in the NBA’s preseason, Greif writes.

We have more notes from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers have four of their five starting positions relatively locked in, with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell expected to start. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Rui Hachimura will enter camp as the favorite to earn the third starting frontcourt spot, though Taurean Prince and Jarred Vanderbilt could also build their own respective cases.
Veteran coach Sarunas Jasikevicius will be with the Kings for the preseason, according to Eurohoops. Jasikevicius parted ways with FC Barcelona after winning the ACB championship in 2021 and 2023, along with the Copa del Rey in 2021 and 2022. Jasikevicius holds 138 games played during his stint as a player in the NBA, playing for the Pacers and the Warriors.
While getting Chris Paul is an overall positive, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes that Jordan Poole‘s departure shouldn’t be glossed over. The former Michigan guard was one of the quickest players on the team, according to Poole, who says that the Warriors may miss his burst and overall offensive production.

Jrue Holiday Notes: Clippers, Sixers, Kings, Pacers, Knicks

September 30th, 2023 at 9:46am CST by Tristan Tucker

After being sent to the Trail Blazers as part of the Damian Lillard blockbuster, Jrue Holiday is likely the next guard to be traded by a Portland team seeking draft capital and/or players who fit the club’s timeline. The Blazers are expected to be active in the next few days in attempting to find a landing spot for the two-time All-Star and there’s a “good chance” he’s on the move by Monday, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The market for Holiday, a tenacious defender, is already robust. As we wrote on Thursday, the Clippers, Heat, Bulls, Celtics, Knicks, Pacers, and Sixers are among the teams that could explore acquiring him.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic looks at several hypothetical landing spots for Holiday and considers what the trade package might look like in each scenario. In his view, the Clippers are the most viable destination for Holiday, with an easy-to-build package consisting of matching salaries, young players and draft picks. While the Clippers have been tied to Sixers guard James Harden for some time, Vecenie reasons that Holiday could be more appealing, since he’s extension-eligible while Harden is not, due to his two-year deal last offseason.

Of course, the rumors linking Harden and the Clippers make a three-team deal that sends Harden to L.A, Holiday to Philadelphia, and salaries, picks and other assets to Portland easy to imagine, Vecenie writes. However, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports says that he’s hearing no real traction on any such move and that it will be difficult for Philadelphia to land Holiday.

The Heat, Knicks and Warriors are among other teams who can put together reasonable packages for Holiday, Vecenie writes, with Golden State providing his favorite potential landing spot for the guard.

We have more Jrue Holiday-related notes:

The Kings are one of the few teams who will not be in on the Holiday sweepstakes, tweets Sam Amick of The Athletic. According to Amick, the Kings “looked at” the possibility, but will not pursue the guard. While Holiday makes sense for just about every team in the league, it stands to reason that the Kings, who seem to have a set backcourt rotation, wouldn’t want to shake things up this close to the season.
Indiana is a dark horse candidate to trade for Holiday. IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak explores the subject, weighing the pros and cons of the Pacers acquiring Holiday. While adding the former All-Star would give Indiana a secondary ball-handler and shooting, along with high-level defense, it might not be the best idea for the team to sacrifice draft capital and/or young players at this stage of its timeline. With Holiday potentially becoming a free agent next offseason, it’s also possible he would be a rental and, if not, he would be costly at 33 years old, Dopirak writes. Ultimately, Dopirak believes the Pacers shouldn’t get desperate to acquire Holiday, even if he would boost their playoff odds this season.
As noted above, New York makes some level of sense as a suitor for Holiday’s services. Fred Katz and Mike Vorkunov write about the topic, arguing that while Holiday would help in a major way on the court, the cost to acquire him would be great. Ian Begley of SNY writes that if the Knicks did acquire Holiday, they’d do so with the idea of extending him.

Clippers Sign Joshua Primo To Two-Way Contract

September 29th, 2023 at 6:16pm CST by Luke Adams

6:16pm: Primo’s two-way deal is official, the Clippers announced (via Twitter).

3:23pm: The Clippers have reached an agreement to sign free agent guard Joshua Primo to a two-way contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The news comes on the heels of the NBA’s announcement that Primo will be suspended for four games for conduct detrimental to the league. An investigation into the circumstances that led to Primo’s release from the Spurs nearly a year ago found that he “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women,” per a statement from the NBA.

One of those women, Dr. Hillary Cauthen, was a sports psychologist who was employed by the Spurs at the time. She filed a lawsuit against Primo and the Spurs that accused the team of being “willing to tolerate abhorrent conduct” by prized athletes.

While that lawsuit was settled a few weeks later, a spokesperson from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office tells Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News that it filed an indecent exposure case against Primo with the district attorney’s office in May after having interviewed Cauthen. Indecent exposure is a misdemeanor that is punishable by a maximum of 180 days in a state prison and a maximum fine of up to $2,000, per Orsborn.

According to Wojnarowski, Primo has been undergoing therapy since being cut by the Spurs and that treatment will continue in Los Angeles. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the Clippers organization was comfortable giving the 20-year-old this opportunity after he was evaluated by specialists who consult with the team.

Primo, the 12th overall pick in 2021, was the youngest player drafted in his class. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games (16 starts; 19.3 minutes per night) as a rookie, but struggled with efficiency, posting a .374/.307/.746 shooting slash line.

He will be ineligible to play in the first four games of the Clippers’ regular season while he serves his suspension.