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Wyc Grousbeck Explains Celtics’ Decision To Shake Up Roster

August 7th, 2023 at 9:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and fell one game short of returning last season, but management decided changes were needed after the playoff loss to the Heat, co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said in an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Grousbeck characterized the last two seasons as “missed opportunities,” even though he admitted his team lost to two good opponents. Following the playoffs, he had a meeting with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla in which they decided to explore chances to revamp the roster. That led to a three-team trade in late June that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.

“The general tone was, how do we take this energy we’re feeling right now that was built up over having two good seasons, but then didn’t get all the way,” Grousbeck said. “The whole point is, how do we get to banner 18? If we’d all agreed we should keep things the same, that would have been fine. But the idea of bringing in another talented big popped up early in the conversation, and we ended up executing on that idea.”

They decided to focus on Porzingis, who was facing a decision on a $36MM player option after a productive season with the Wizards. Porzingis had other interested teams if he had opted for free agency, but Grousbeck said he was eager to join the Celtics.

“He is a committed and now seasoned and effective player. He’s a real force. I’m really impressed with his commitment to being part of a winning Celtics team,” Grousbeck said. “I met with him when he came up for the press conference and spent some real time with him, and he’s so happy to be here. He’s so ready to shine at this stage of his career. But he sees a team concept, not the KP show. He’s continually improved over his career, and he thinks this is his prime. But he’s about the team, his teammates and the banner. He chose us. There were other people, I hear, that wanted him. And he chose us. He wants to be here and he wants to win a ring.”

Grousbeck covers several other topics in the interview, including:

The commitment to Mazzulla, who faced criticism in the playoffs in his first year running the team:

“If Joe had done a poor job, I would have thought about replacing him, but he did a very good job. He took us within one game of the best record in the league and then one game of being in the Finals, as a rookie coach. So I’m comfortable and happy to have Joe as head coach.”

The Celtics’ willingness to spend despite restrictions in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement:

“The league doesn’t allow us to comment on the details of the CBA, but having said that, we’re obviously all in, with the record contract for Jaylen (Brown) and with our payroll this year and in coming years. Eventually, there are basketball penalties for spending, so that will go into the thought process down the road. But at the moment, the best basketball thing we can do is what we’re doing.”

Heading into the future with Brown and Jayson Tatum as franchise cornerstones:

“They’re the best two people I could imagine building a team around. We’ve had them since the beginning. We’ve been very lucky to have them here for their whole careers, and we’re building the team around them. But you add the next eight guys to the list. You take our top 10 and we’ve got a really good team. The focus is naturally on those two because they’re All-NBA players and All-Stars, but I like the whole roster.”

Anthony Davis Signs Three-Year Extension With Lakers

August 6th, 2023 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: Davis’ new three-year extension is now official, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the final year is a player option (Twitter link).

AUGUST 4: The Lakers and star big man Anthony Davis are in agreement on a three-year, maximum-salary contract extension, agent Rich Paul tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The two sides wasted little time in reaching a deal after Davis became extension-eligible on Friday.

Although Wojnarowski refers to it as a $186MM extension, the exact value of the three-year contract won’t be determined until June 2025. Davis will earn a starting salary worth 35% of the salary cap in 2025/26, with subsequent 8% annual raises.

As we outlined earlier today, in order for the deal to be worth $186MM, the cap would have to increase by the maximum allowable 10% in each of the next two seasons, reaching nearly $164.6MM by ’25/26. That would be a best-case scenario, but the NBA is currently projecting more modest cap increases. If the cap is instead at $150MM in ’25/26, for example, Davis’ three-year deal would be worth about $170MM.

Either way, the long-term agreement – which was reached quickly and seemingly without any drama – is good news for both Davis and the Lakers, who are now tied to one another through the 2027/28 season.

Davis has shown a tendency in the past to take long-term guaranteed money when it’s on the table rather than trying to maximize his earnings with shorter-term deals. He’s sticking to that approach here, accepting a max extension offer when it’s available rather than playing out the 2023/24 season in the hopes of signing a bigger deal as a free agent in 2024, when he would have been eligible to opt out of his current contract.

It’s possible that accepting an extension now will cost him a little money in the long run, but for a player who has battled injuries throughout his career, it’s hard to argue with the decision. Davis has been limited to 132 of 236 regular season games over the past three years and hasn’t played more than 62 games in a season since 2017/18.

For the Lakers, meanwhile, it’s a massive investment in a player who has Davis’ injury history, but it’s an investment that could pay dividends, given that the alternative may have been negotiating a maximum-salary free agent contract of up to five years in 2024.

By signing Davis to an extension now, Los Angeles ensures that he’s locked into his current deal through the 2024/25 season, when he’ll be earning a salary ($43.2MM) well below his potential maximum. The team also won’t have to commit to him beyond 2028, when he’ll be 35 years old.

And when healthy, Davis has continued to be one of the NBA’s most dominant two-way stars. The 30-year-old averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game in 56 appearances (34.0 MPG) during the 2022/23 season, shooting 56.3% from the floor.

Davis is also an elite rim protector whose performance on that end of the court was a major factor the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals this spring. He ranked first in the postseason with 14.1 RPG and 3.1 BPG.

Davis will earn $40.6MM in 2023/24, so he’s now in line to make up to approximately $270MM over the next five seasons if the cap continues to rise by 10% annually.

Davis and LeBron James have been the cornerstones of the Lakers over the last few seasons, including in the 2020 championship season. James’ future with the team beyond the 2023/24 season remains up in the air, since he has the ability to opt out of his deal and – at 38 years old – has alluded to the possibility of retirement. But whether or not LeBron remains in Los Angeles for the long term, it appears the franchise is committed to building around Davis for the foreseeable future.

Cameron Johnson Expects Ben Simmons To Be Close To “Full Form”

August 5th, 2023 at 9:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cameron Johnson is optimistic that Ben Simmons will look more like the player he used to be when the Nets open training camp in two months, writes Ethan Sears of The New York Post. Johnson said he was encouraged after talking to Simmons, who is working out this summer in Miami.

“He sounds good,” Johnson said. “He’s in a good place. He says it’s progressing and he’s excited for the season. Looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table this year. I expect him to be, if not full form, pretty close to it.”

Simmons only played 42 games in his first full season with Brooklyn and wasn’t on the court at all after February 15. When he did play, Simmons was dealing with back and knee issues that limited his effectiveness, as the three-time All-Star averaged just 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. He also appeared reluctant to shoot, Sears observes, with the confidence problems that plagued him in Philadelphia continuing to affect his game.

Simmons was the centerpiece of the return Brooklyn got when it traded James Harden to the Sixers in February of 2022. Injuries kept him from playing for the remainder of that season, and he hasn’t really been effective since 2020/21.

Sears points out that Simmons is the only current Net ever to appear in the All-Star Game, and at age 27 he has the potential to become a veteran leader for an otherwise young team. He’s under contract for $37.9MM this season and $40.3MM in 2024/25, so it’s vital for Brooklyn that his production begins to approach his salary.

“He’s very important to us,” Johnson said. “There’s things that he does on the court that not many players in the NBA can do. And he adds something that is very valuable to myself, Spencer (Dinwiddie), Mikal (Bridges) and being able to set us up and get us shots and play in flow like that. With him on the court, it’ll make us a better team.”

When Simmons reports for training camp, he’ll have to get used to a new group of teammates. Sears notes that he only played three games after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were traded in February. The Nets are now built around Johnson and Bridges, who were acquired from Phoenix in the Durant deal, along with Dinwiddie and fifth-year center Nic Claxton.

Simmons has the talent to bring that group together, but only if he can overcome the physical and psychological issues that have derailed his career.

“We’ll have to learn how to play in a manner that suits him on the court,” Johnson said. “He allows for me, Mikal, Spence to run around and find opportunities. Always head up, always looking. We’ll have to fully develop how that scheme will look. “Defensively, we’ll have a unique advantage of having Ben and (Claxton), who can guard everybody on the court. Definitely a lot of positives there.”

Nuggets’ Vlatko Cancar Suffers Torn ACL

August 5th, 2023 at 11:08am CST by Tristan Tucker

Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Friday while playing for Slovenia in an exhibition game against Greece leading up to the 2023 World Cup, per The Denver Post’s Mike Singer. According to Singer, there’s no timetable as of yet for the surgery.

A torn ACL typically necessitates upward of a year of recovery time, meaning it would be somewhat surprising to see Cancar suit up in 2023.

It’s unfortunate news for the 26-year-old, who began carving out a bigger role with the Nuggets last season. With Jeff Green and Thomas Bryant, along with hybrid guard Bruce Brown, departing Denver in free agency, it looked like Cancar was in line for an even larger responsibility this upcoming season.

Cancar is in the second year of a three-year, $6.8MM deal he signed in 2022. He has a team option for next season, his final year of club control before he hits the open market. Given that Cancar made noticeable strides last season and the fact that he’s been in Denver’s system for so long, it’s possible that the Nuggets will keep him around through next season, despite the injury.

The 6’8″ forward joined the Nuggets in 2019 after being selected by the team with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. In his first three seasons with Denver, Cancar averaged 2.3 points per game in 70 appearances. This past season, Cancar averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 60 contests (nine starts).

Cancar wasn’t just an important piece for the Nuggets, but also for Slovenia, who are aiming to medal in the World Cup. Cancar averaged 12.8 points in six games in the 2020 Olympics and averaged 11.6 points in seven EuroBasket contests in 2022.

Ricky Rubio Pausing Career To Focus On Mental Health

August 5th, 2023 at 10:11am CST by Tristan Tucker

Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio, the MVP of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, won’t be participating in the 2023 World Cup this summer, announcing in a statement through the Spanish Basketball Federation (Twitter link) that he’s taking a break from basketball to focus on his mental health.

“I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health,” Rubio said. “I want to thank all the support I have received from the FEB (Federación Española de Baloncesto) to understand my decision. Today #LaFamilia makes more sense than ever. Thank you. I ask to respect my privacy to be able to face these moments and to be able to give more information when the time is right.”

Rubio’s Spanish teammates Willy Hernangomez, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull were among those who took to social media to post messages in support of his decision, while Spain head coach Sergio Scariolo wrote in depth about Rubio.

“In La Familia, people have always come before results,” Scariolo said. “All my love and support to Ricky, and my admiration for his transparency and, through it, his ability once again to lead by example.”

The decision to release the news through the Spanish Basketball Federation – rather than the Cavaliers – suggests that, for now, Rubio’s hiatus will only affect the national team. But with no timeline specified for his return to basketball, there’s no guarantee he’ll be available this fall for Cleveland. Of course, Rubio’s mental well-being comes before basketball.

Rubio, 32, is a 12-year NBA veteran who has made 712 total appearances (614 starts) across the regular season and playoffs. The Spanish guard began his career as the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Timberwolves. He stayed in Spain for a couple more seasons before suiting up for Minnesota in 2011. After departing the Wolves, Rubio made stops in Utah and Phoenix before rejoining the Timberwolves in 2020/21. Following that season, Rubio was acquired by Cleveland via trade.

The veteran guard hasn’t yet played a full season with the Cavaliers. Rubio tore his ACL in December 2021 after appearing in 34 games for Cleveland and thus, wasn’t able to make his ’22/23 debut until January 2023.

Frank Ntilikina Signs With Hornets

August 5th, 2023 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

AUG. 5: Ntilikina’s deal with the Hornets is official, per team release (Twitter link).

AUG. 4: The Hornets are signing free agent guard Frank Ntilikina to a one-year contract, agents Sam Rose and Olivier Mazet tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski says that Ntilikina’s deal will be partially guaranteed, while Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) hears that it will be non-guaranteed — we’ll have to wait for more clarity on the exact details, but it’s a safe bet it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum.

Ntilikina, who turned 25 last week, was selected eighth overall in the 2017 draft by the Knicks. He spent his first four NBA seasons in New York before joining the Mavericks for the last two years.

Ntilikina has never developed into much of an offensive threat at the NBA level, averaging a modest 4.8 points and 2.2 assists per game in 316 career contests (17.1 MPG), with a shooting line of .371/.323/.760. However, he’s considered a strong perimeter defender.

While Ntilikina’s partially guaranteed contract won’t necessarily assure him of a regular season roster spot in Charlotte, he has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of another former Knicks guard who was drafted in the 2017 lottery – Dennis Smith Jr. earned regular playing time in the Hornets’ rotation last season due to his strong defensive play. He parlayed that showing into a guaranteed contract with Brooklyn this offseason.

Charlotte only has 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts – not counting restricted free agent P.J. Washington – and doesn’t have much point guard depth behind starter LaMelo Ball, so Ntilikina should have an inside track on a 15-man roster spot as long as he performs well in training camp. It’s also worth noting that two-way player Theo Maledon is still a restricted free agent, so his potential return could affect Ntilikina’s role in Charlotte.

If Ntilikina doesn’t claim a spot on the Hornets’ 15-man roster, it will be interesting to see whether the Frenchman catches on with another team or considers a move back to Europe. As Sportando relays, there had been rumors that French club ASVEL Basket made an offer to Ntilikina.

Terrence Williams Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

August 3rd, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former Nets swingman Terrence Williams has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding the NBA’s Health and Welfare Benefit Plan for former players, per Priscilla DeGregory of The New York Post.

In 2021, Williams and 17 other ex-NBA pros were charged for an elaborate plot to steal $5MM from the league. Last year, he pled guilty to coordinating the scheme, which required he and his fellow ex-players cumulatively submit at least that amount in phony claims between 2017 and 2021. Williams also earned $346K in kickbacks for setting up the operation, DeGregory notes.

The most notable name on the list of additional players charged was former six-time All-Defensive Team shooting guard Tony Allen, who won a title with the Celtics as a reserve in 2008.

As part of an already established plea agreement, Williams was also ordered to pay $3.1MM in restitution and forfeitures. $2.5MM of that sum will be doled out in restitution to the league’s health care plan, while $650K will be forfeited to the federal government.

“Williams recruited medical professionals and others to expand his criminal conspiracy and maximize his ill-gotten gains,” the case’s prosecutor said, per DeGregory. “Williams not only lined his pockets through fraud and deceit, but he also stole the identities of others and threatened a witness to further his criminal endeavors.”

The then-New Jersey Nets selected Williams with the No. 11 pick in the 2009 draft out of Louisville. He spent just a year-and-a-half with the Nets, and subsequently bounced around during a brief four-season NBA career. Across 153 regular season games with the Nets, Rockets, Kings and Celtics, Williams averaged 7.1 PPG on .412/.317/.659 shooting splits, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 RPG and 0.5 SPG.

In addition to a later stint with the Lakers’ NBAGL affiliate, then called the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the 6’6″ shooting guard/small forward also played for international clubs in China, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, the Philipines, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Israel, and Venezuela.

Nets Sign Trendon Watford

August 3rd, 2023 at 3:25pm CST by Rory Maher

3:25pm: Watford’s contract is non-guaranteed, per NetsDaily (Twitter link).

2:27pm: The Nets have signed free agent forward/center Trendon Watford, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, Watford received a standard contract (Twitter link). It’s unclear if the deal is guaranteed.

Watford was surprisingly waived by the Trail Blazers at the end of June before his minimum-salary contract for 2023/24 became guaranteed. He went unclaimed and became an unrestricted free agent a couple days later.

The 22-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists with a shooting line of .560/.391/.720 in 62 appearances (19.1 MPG) in 2022/23.

Watford, who played two seasons of college ball at LSU, went undrafted in 2021 and caught on with the Blazers, initially signing a two-way deal. His contract was converted to a standard deal in February 2022 during his solid rookie season.

After officially signing Watford, the Nets are now carrying 17 players on their roster — 15 on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.

Sale Of Hornets Finalized

August 3rd, 2023 at 9:34am CST by Arthur Hill

The purchase of Michael Jordan’s majority stake in the Hornets by a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall has been finalized, the team announced in a press release. The sale was approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors last month.

Plotkin and Schnall will immediately take over controlling interest in the team. They will serve as co-chairmen of Hornets Sports & Entertainment and will rotate the governorship every five years, starting with Schnall.

“Our vision is to take the Hornets to the next level, both on and off the court,” the new owners stated in the release. “We will look to build a highly competitive basketball team, develop innovative business practices, give back to our community and connect with our fans. We plan to further invest in the team, the facilities and the fan experience, with the goal of delivering a winner to our fans throughout the Carolinas. We are confident that our successful business backgrounds and our previous experience as NBA minority owners will be beneficial as we shape the future of the franchise as a best-in-class organization.”

Schnall had been a minority owner of the Hawks and an alternative on the league’s Board of Governors since 2015. Plotkin has held a minority stake in the Hornets since 2019 and served as a Board of Governors alternate as well. Their ownership group includes entertainers J. Cole and Eric Church, who are both from North Carolina.

Jordan, who has owned the team since 2010, will remain a minority owner and an alternate governor, the press release confirms. The purchase price isn’t disclosed, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the franchise is being valued at $3 billion for the sale.

“The opportunity to be the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in my home state of North Carolina for the last 13 years has been a tremendous honor,” Jordan said. “I’m proud of all that the organization accomplished: the exciting on-court moments, the return of the Hornets name, Charlotte hosting the 2019 NBA All-Star Game and HSE becoming a true pillar of this community. Through the years, the unwavering commitment, passion and loyalty of our Hornets fans has been incredible.

“As I transition into a minority ownership role, I’m thrilled to be able to pass the reins to two successful, innovative and strategic leaders in Gabe and Rick. I know the Hornets organization is in great hands moving forward. I’m excited about the future of the team and will continue to support the organization and the community in my new role in the years ahead.”

Sixers’ Montrezl Harrell Has Torn ACL, Meniscus

August 2nd, 2023 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Montrezl Harrell underwent an MRI on Wednesday to evaluate swelling in his right knee following offseason workouts, and the results weren’t good. According to the team, Harrell has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and a medial meniscus tear (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

It’s a brutal blow for both Harrell and the Sixers, who re-signed the big man to a guaranteed one-year, minimum-salary contract last month after he turned down a player option to reach free agency.

Harrell, 29, didn’t see significant playing time in Philadelphia’s rotation last season, averaging 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 11.9 minutes per game across 57 appearances.

However, the 76ers will have a new head coach in 2023/24, with Nick Nurse replacing Doc Rivers, so Harrell wasn’t necessarily in line for the same limited role going forward. In his previous five seasons, he had put up 14.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 361 games (23.3 MPG), earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2020.

The Sixers’ announcement today didn’t include any sort of recovery timeline for Harrell, but a torn ACL typically requires upwards of a year – if not more – to come back from. We’ll have to wait more clarity on the veteran’s prognosis and the team’s plans for him, but if the injury is deemed season-ending and Philadelphia is comfortable eating the salary and accompanying luxury tax hit, Harrell could be waived to open up a roster spot for another player.

The 76ers should still have a good amount of depth up front with or without Harrell. Mohamed Bamba, Paul Reed, and Filip Petrusev are expected to compete for frontcourt minutes behind reigning MVP Joel Embiid.