- The Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx have agreed to a multiyear corporate sponsorship deal with Sezzle Inc., which includes a jersey patch sponsorship, according to Nick Williams of the Star Tribune. Terms of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed but those sponsorship deals around the league are expected to average $10MM for the upcoming season. The Wolves, according to Williams, are expected to earn near the average via their sponsorship.
The NBA’s opening night schedule will feature home games for the league’s two most accomplished franchises, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Celtics will host the Knicks in the early game, while the Lakers will host the Timberwolves in the late game.
The Celtics, who won their record 18th NBA title in June, will receive their championship rings on opening night, which will take place on Tuesday, October 22. That game will be the first for the new-look Knicks, featuring Mikal Bridges.
The game between the Lakers and Timberwolves will feature several stars who participated in Saturday’s gold medal game in Paris, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Lakers and Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert of the Wolves.
Both games will air on TNT Sports, which will be distributing NBA games for one final year in 2024/25, assuming their lawsuit against the league doesn’t result in a new broadcast rights deal that begins in ’25/26.
The full regular schedule for the 2024/25 NBA season is expected to be released later this week, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. In the meantime, here are a few more notable matchups, courtesy of Charania:
- The new-look Sixers, led by former MVP Joel Embiid, reigning Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey, and free agent addition Paul George, will host the Bucks on October 23 to open their regular season (Twitter link).
- The first regular season game at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood will be played on October 23, when the Clippers host the Suns (Twitter link).
- Klay Thompson and the Mavericks will visit the Warriors on November 12 in Thompson’s first trip back to the Bay Area (Twitter link). That will also be the first game of the in-season tournament (NBA Cup) for both Dallas and Golden State (Twitter link).
- The NBA Finals rematches between the Celtics and Mavericks will take place on January 25 in Dallas and February 6 in Boston (Twitter link).
- In case you missed it, 2024’s Christmas Day matchups were reported last week.
The NBA’s leaked slate of Christmas Day games will feature several heavy hitters.
Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that, as usual, five games will be broadcast, highlighted by a marquee matchup between two longtime Eastern Conference foes, the revamped Sixers and the Celtics. Boston, the reigning league champion, will host.
The schedule will be rounded out by several clashes between starry clubs, from veteran-laden squads to young up-and-comers. The Spurs will travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks. A Western Conference Finals rematch is also on the docket, as the Mavericks will host the Timberwolves.
The newly Klay Thompson-less Warriors will host the Lakers, and the Nuggets will travel to Phoenix to face the retooled Suns.
Philadelphia almost completely overhauled its roster around incumbent All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The new additions are headlined by nine-time All-Star combo forward Paul George, who departed the Clippers to sign a four-year, maximum-salary deal with the Sixers. Philadelphia also signed seasoned free agents like forward Caleb Martin, center Andre Drummond, and shooting guard Eric Gordon while bringing back wing Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Celtics retained all of their own key players after going 64-18 in the regular season and 16-3 in the playoffs. A pair of new extensions for All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White highlighted the team’s transactions, though longer-term uncertainty looms as owner Wyc Grousbeck is looking to sell the franchise.
Led by Defensive Player of the Year and impending Olympic medalist Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs figure to improve on their paltry 21-61 record in 2023/24. The team signed 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a one-year deal this summer, and traded for veteran combo forward Harrison Barnes. San Antonio also used its No. 4 pick in the lottery on NCAA championship-winning UConn guard Stephon Castle, the 2023/24 Big East Freshman of the Year.
The Knicks, meanwhile traded for former All-Defensive small forward Mikal Bridges this summer to maximize their ability to switch on the wing. The team also re-signed free agent forward OG Anunoby to a long-term contract and free agent center/power forward Precious Achiuwa to a shorter-term deal, inked All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson to a contract extension, and brought aboard veteran point guard Cameron Payne for extra depth.
Fresh off its first NBA Finals appearance with star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas added future Hall of Famer Thompson away from the Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade, while also acquiring young guard Quentin Grimes from the Pistons. Dallas also signed free agent wing Naji Marshall to a three-year deal.
After winning their first (two) playoff series in 20 years this spring, the Timberwolves traded for the draft rights to No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham and retained several of their own free agents.
While Golden State did lose out on Thompson, the Warriors quickly pivoted on the perimeter, signing free agent guard De’Anthony Melton and signing-and-trading for free agent wings Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. The team is hoping to rebound from a finish as the West’s No. 10 seed and a quick play-in tournament exit.
Denver let free agent starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency and brought in reserve guard Russell Westbrook.
The Suns hired title-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer and signed Tyus Jones to a steal of a veteran’s minimum contract. Phoenix also brought back several of its own free agents, including wings Josh Okogie and Royce O’Neale and Damion Lee. The team also inked free agents Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris to minimum-salary contracts.
The most questionable omission from all this Christmas scheduling is clearly the Thunder, who claimed the West’s No. 1 overall seed last season and added ex-Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein via a lucrative three-year, $87MM deal. Oklahoma City also dealt guard Josh Giddey – who fell out of the starting lineup in the playoffs – to Chicago for All-Defensive wing Alex Caruso.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having finished as the MVP runner-up last year and young pieces Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams set to develop, the Thunder look poised to contend for the West’s top seed once again.
In a pair of press releases, the Timberwolves announced a series of updates to their coaching and medical staffs, with most employees receiving promotions.
Max Lefevre, Jeff Newton, Chris Hines, Nathan Bubes, Moses Ehambe, and James White are the coaches who received internal promotions. White, known for his elite dunking ability, was the 31st pick of the 2006 draft. He played parts of three NBA seasons and had a lengthy pro career in Europe.
Minnesota also added former NBA big man Joey Dorsey to its staff as a player development assistant. Like White, Dorsey had a long, productive career in Europe. Lastly on the coaching side, Cole Fisher has been promoted to manager of basketball analytics.
Gregg Farnam, who has been with the Wolves for 27 years, including the past 24 as head athletic trainer, has been promoted to vice president of medical services. In his place, the team promoted former assistant athletic trainer Erin Sierer, who has been with Minnesota for five years and is now the first female head athletic trainer in Wolves history. Lisa Pataky (sports physical therapist) is a new addition on the medical side of the organization.
In addition to being the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and a key part of a Timberwolves team that looks like a perennial title contender, Naz Reid has become somewhat of a folk hero in Minnesota, writes Jared Ebanks of Slam Online.
There’s a fan culture that has sprung up around Reid that includes $20 tattoos of his name, a beach towel giveaway night and a sign outside a pizza parlor in Northeast Minneapolis that encourages drivers to “Honk if you love Naz Reid.” Reid is accepting the adulation as part of the reward for the years he spent developing his game.
“I treat it as second hand and whatever comes with me putting the work that I put in, I’m excited to have,” Reid said. “Obviously, I’m truly humbled to have all that. I think as anyone should at the professional level, take that along with the bumps and bruises. Just keep being you and playing your game.”
Reid wasn’t an instant success in the NBA, as he went undrafted out of LSU in 2019 amid concerns about his height and pre-draft workouts. He landed a two-way contract with the Wolves and worked his way up from there, but Reid tells Ebanks that the slights coming out of college provided motivation.
“It just made me more hungry. It kind of rose, kind of changed to where I was the hunted, now I’m hunting at that point,” he said. “In high school, I was a top recruit, five-star, McDonald’s All-American, things like that, to where now I had to grind to be in a position where I had to compete against others who were at high levels, who were drafted and things of that nature. So [I was] putting myself in that perspective of just hunting.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- There are indications that Chauncey Billups may not be interested in continuing as the Trail Blazers’ head coach when his contract expires at the end of the season, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report states in a mailbag column. According to Highkin, Billups recently appeared on two podcasts hosted by his former teammates, Rasheed Wallace and Carmelo Anthony, and indicated that the state of the organization isn’t what he signed up for. Billups was expecting to coach a contending team built around Damian Lillard, but the Blazers traded Lillard last summer and have entered a rebuilding stage where player development is prioritized over winning. Highkin hears that Billups still has the respect of the locker room and a good working relationship with general manager Joe Cronin, but he will enter the season as a lame-duck coach unless the front office picks up his fifth-year option.
- In the same piece, Highkin says Trail Blazers officials were “big fans” of the job Jim Moran was doing as head coach of the team’s G League affiliate before he left to join Mike Brown‘s staff in Sacramento. Highkin suggests that Moran views the job with the Kings as a better path toward eventually becoming an NBA head coach.
- The Thunder have upgraded their roster with the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, so Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated examines whether they’ve improved enough to beat Dallas in a playoff series. Oklahoma City was eliminated from the 2024 postseason in a six-game Western Conference semifinal loss to the Mavs.
Reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert was on the court for just 3:41 in France’s upset win over Canada in Tuesday’s Olympic quarterfinal showdown. Matchup and health concerns were both factors in that decision, according to post-game quotes from Gobert and French head coach Vincent Collet.
Speaking to reporters, including Sam Amick of The Athletic and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter links), Gobert said that he injured his left ring finger in a Sunday practice and underwent surgery to address the injury on Monday. He added that he was thankful he was able to play at all in the victory, which secured France a spot in the semifinals. Teammate Evan Fournier also said after the game that Gobert had a “little surgery” on his finger, according to BasketNews.com.
However, Collet later disputed that Gobert underwent surgery, telling reporters that the big man had an exam – including an MRI – and was in pain leading up to Tuesday’s game, but was eventually cleared to play (Twitter link). While the injury was one reason for Gobert’s limited role, Collet also wanted to use a smaller lineup to match up with the Canadians.
“They always start the game with Dillon Brooks at (the) four, and they play small ball,” Collet said of Canada, per Amick. “…I wanted (Victor Wembanyama) to start at (the) five, so that’s why I put back (Guerschon) Yabusele at (the) four, and the second change was (Isaia) Cordinier for Evan Fournier, because I wanted to start with a defensive starting five.”
Gobert played at least 18 minutes in each of France’s three pool-play games, averaging 6.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per contest while making 8-of-11 (72.7%) of his shot attempts. On Tuesday, he didn’t score in his four minutes of action, grabbing a single rebound to go along with one turnover.
Despite Gobert being a non-factor, France played its best game of the tournament, with Yabusele (22 points, five rebounds), Mathias Lessort (13 points, five rebounds), and Wembanyama (seven points, 12 rebounds, five assists) providing productive minutes in the frontcourt.
In the short term, it’s unclear how much Gobert will play in Thursday’s semifinal vs. Germany. In the longer term, the Timberwolves probably aren’t too concerned about his availability this fall. With about seven weeks to recover between the end of the Olympics and the start of training camp, I’d expect the veteran center to be good to go for the NBA regular season.
Veteran forward Marcus Morris remains unsigned over a month into free agency, but it sounds like he has no shortage of options. Sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers, Cavaliers, Hornets, Pistons, Heat, Pelicans, and Timberwolves have all shown some level of interest in Morris.
According to Pompey, Philadelphia and Cleveland appear to be the most likely landing spots for Morris. The Sixers are the 34-year-old’s hometown team and could use a power forward, but they’re limited to offering a minimum-salary contract. Morris finished last season with the Cavaliers, who are willing to offer him nearly double the minimum salary, sources tell Pompey.
Morris said that he “really enjoyed” his time in Cleveland and referred to the organization as “top-notch,” but also admitted he likes the idea of returning to his hometown team in Philadelphia.
“It felt like it was something that just helped my career,” Morris said of playing for the Sixers earlier in the 2023/24 season. “You know sometimes you’ve been doing it for so long that you find different things that get you up for playing. Being home is one of those things for me. … I just felt so free. I just felt so much love. So it’s like, yeah, man, I would definitely entertain coming back. I just hope … we can get something going hopefully.”
As Pompey explains, the 76ers currently have 13 players on standard contracts and will likely keep a 15-man roster spot open to start the regular season, so they’ll likely add just one more player. It’s unclear if Morris is their top target. Sources tell The Inquirer that Philadelphia also has some interest in sharpshooting power forward Davis Bertans.
As for the Cavs, this is just my speculation, but they may want resolution on Isaac Okoro‘s restricted free agency before they move forward with other free agents. Whether they re-sign Okoro or sign-and-trade him, resolving his situation would give them a better idea of where their team salary stands relative to the luxury tax line and tax aprons.
As Morris weighs his options and waits for offers, he tells Pompey that he’s willing to be patient as he prioritizes finding the right fit.
“I know the game. I’ve been around 14 years. I’m still playing,” the veteran forward said. “I just want to come in and help a team, be a voice, be a vet, but still compete at a high level. I also want to be somewhere I already know what the team needs. I want to be a piece that’s versatile and playing, either starting or coming off (the bench), and helping younger guys and things like that.
“… I’m just taking my time, because everybody needs a vet that can still play and (be a part of a) good situation in the locker room. I’m just taking my time to see what comes to be, what’s good for both sides.”
Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant only made nine appearances last season after missing the first 25 games of the year due to a suspension and then his final 48 with a shoulder injury. Speaking to reporters on Thursday (Twitter link via WPSD’s Logan Whaley), Morant asserted he was about 75% healthy ahead of next season and sent a warning to the rest of the league.
“I feel like that’s still scary for whoever’s in front of me,” Morant said.
Memphis suffered a litany of injuries last season, with 33 players seeing playing time for the organization after various hardship signings. Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart played just 71 combined games and only two Grizzlies players appeared in 60 or more games.
If Morant comes back healthy, the Grizzlies will almost certainly factor into the Western playoff picture. The team won 50 or more games in the two seasons prior to 2023/24 and while last season was disappointing, the openings created by the injuries allowed young players like Vince Williams and GG Jackson to emerge as rotation options.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Timberwolves two-way guard Jaylen Clark missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, but the UCLA product was all smiles even amid a tougher-than-expected first summer league with the team, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. The 53rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, Clark might not see much playing time on a contending Wolves roster, but he’s happy to simply be back on the court. He earned praises from his coaching staff in Las Vegas. “What I like about him is he picks up early and he’s very strong,” Wolves assistant and summer league head coach Chris Hines said. “He stands up guys. For him, it’s just finding how to drive and kick and get back to respace, set his feet and shoot the ball.“
- Jerry Stackhouse was expecting to sit out a year from coaching after exiting from Vanderbilt, but the Warriors called him and he impressed Steve Kerr, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater details. “I don’t think the timing could’ve been more perfect for me,” Stackhouse said of joining the team as an assistant. The Warriors are reportedly excited to be bringing in a former player and plan on having Stackhouse run the team’s defensive schemes.
- The Suns‘ ’23/24 season went far from expected, as the team bowed out in the first round of the playoffs following the formation of a “big three” consisting of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. In a subscriber-only story, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic breaks down his predictions and projections for next season. The Suns improved by adding Tyus Jones and generally did well in addressing their depth but as Rankin observes, it will be difficult to climb the standings if the likes of Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Dallas continue on their current trajectories along with mainstays like Denver.
The top two picks in the draft — Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr — were also two of the biggest disappointments during Summer League action, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes.
The Hawks‘ Risacher shot 11-of-28 from the floor in 59 minutes before being sidelined by a quad contusion. The Wizards‘ Sarr shot 0-of-15 from the field in his third game and only scored two points in his fourth outing. The Pacers‘ Jarace Walker and Timberwolves‘ Rob Dillingham were among the other notable players who struggled in Vegas.
On the flip side, third overall pick Reed Sheppard of the Rockets showcased his all-around skills, Hollinger writes. Another standout was Scotty Pippen Jr., who made a strong case to be the Grizzlies‘ backup point guard.
The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann and ESPN’s experts also shared their thoughts on the biggest takeaways from Summer League action.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- LeBron James ranks No. 1 among the top 25 players in this century, according to a poll of ESPN experts. Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal round out the top five.
- The new broadcasting deals signed by the league with Disney, NBC and Amazon include national broadcasts on every day of the week during the regular season. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps provides more details on the rights packages.
- Patrick Beverley will not face criminal charges for throwing a basketball at a Pacers fan during the playoffs, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov tweets. A Marion County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman said the county won’t bring charges after it reviewed the Indianapolis police department investigation. Beverley is expected to play with an Israeli team next season.
The Timberwolves’ ownership dispute will stretch into next season. An arbitration hearing that would essentially settle the dispute between minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and principal owner Glen Taylor will begin early November, Nick Williams of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The dispute has been ongoing since the tail end of the regular season. Taylor nixed the previous tiered payment agreement with Lore and Rodriguez, citing a breach of contract. Lore and Rodriguez disputed that characterization, stating that they had the funds necessary to become majority owners but were awaiting NBA approval and should have been entitled to an extension.
The third payment in dispute would increase Lore and Rodriguez’ share from 36% to about 80% and the purchase agreement stipulates that they could buy out Taylor’s remaining 20% stake anytime before March 2025.
The arbitration hearing will last approximately one week, with the ruling from a three-member arbitration panel coming within 30 days, Williams adds. A mediation hearing on May 1 failed to resolve the dispute, automatically moving the issue to arbitration.
If the arbitration panel rules in Taylor’s favor, he’ll retain majority ownership. The panel could also rule Lore and Rodriguez qualified for a 90-day extension, and Taylor must sell them the team or pay monetary damages.