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Luke Travers Departs Melbourne United, Pursuing NBA Opportunities

August 6th, 2024 at 9:26pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Forward Luke Travers, the No. 56 overall pick in the 2022 draft, was granted release from his contract with Melbourne United, Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports (Twitter link).

According to Uluc, the release was mutual so that Travers can “pursue NBA opportunities.” Travers’ rights are owned by the Cavaliers, so unless his rights are traded in the near future, the only contract he could sign would be with Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are in an interesting place, with first-round pick Jaylon Tyson representing their only offseason addition so far. They signed three players to extensions but have kept their roster flexibility as open as it can be. They have three standard contract spots open and are the only team to not have a player signed to a two-way contract for next season.

Their holdup in making moves is almost certainly tied to restricted free agent Isaac Okoro, who is the biggest domino left to fall in free agency. The Cavs have reportedly had talks about re-signing him and about possible sign-and-trade deals with other teams. Regardless, they seem to be in a holding pattern until that situation is resolved.

But if the team re-signs Okoro (or signs-and-trades him in a move that brings back just one player), they’d still have multiple open roster spots to fill. Of their own free agents, Marcus Morris and Emoni Bates seem the most likely to return.

Travers would be eligible to sign either a standard or two-way contract with the team. If they wanted to save some money, it would make sense to sign him to a deal that’s similar in structure to the one Gui Santos, picked one slot before Travers, received from Golden State last year.

Travers, 22, has spent three straight years with Cleveland’s summer league team. Across 15 total summer league appearances spanning 2022-24, he has averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks. During his last season with Melbourne, he averaged 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds across 36 games.

A 6’7″ forward, Travers would provide versatile youth and depth. If he signed, he would be the second-youngest player on the roster.

Semifinal Matchups For Olympic Men’s Basketball Set

August 6th, 2024 at 6:23pm CST by Tristan Tucker

With all four of the Olympic quartefinals games completed on Tuesday, four teams are advancing to the semifinal round. The two semifinal games take place on Thursday and will remain single elimination.

Germany and France open the semifinal round with a game at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, while Team USA and Serbia play each other at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. The two winners will play for the gold on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET while the losers will face off for bronze at 5:00 a.m. ET on the same day.

Team USA got to the semifinal round by defeating Brazil by way of a 35-point blowout. Six players for the U.S. scored in double figures, with Devin Booker leading the way with 18 points.

As we noted, the United States did well to earn the top possible seed. Because of their positioning, they avoided a potential semifinal matchup with two of the stronger teams in the entire event in France or Germany, who will now play each other.

Serbia escaped a close overtime game against Australia with a five-point victory. Despite falling behind early, Serbia came back behind Nikola Jokic‘s 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 points while Vasilije Micic recorded 14 points and six assists off the bench.

This will be the third matchup between the U.S. and Serbia this summer, with the Americans winning both games (one exhibition and one group stage game). Germany defeated France in the group stage.

Although guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, the Canadians fell to France 82-73. With Rudy Gobert dealing with injury, France’s top scorer was former NBAer Guerschon Yabusele (22 points). Isaia Cordinier, the 44th pick in the 2016 draft, finished with 20 points, while free agent guard Evan Fournier scored 15.

Franz Wagner continued his strong summer in the quarterfinals against Greece, scoring a team-high 18 points. Dennis Schröder recorded 13 points and eight assists as Germany moved past Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s team.

Suns Announce Mike Budenholzer’s Coaching Staff

August 6th, 2024 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have issued a press release formally announcing their coaching staff for the 2024/25 season under new head coach Mike Budenholzer.

As is typically the case, most of these hires were reported earlier in the summer, but the Suns waited until now to officially confirm them all at once.

Here are Budenholzer’s assistants:

Chad Forcier, who has worked as an NBA assistant in Detroit, Indiana, San Antonio, Orlando, Memphis, Milwaukee, and Utah since 2001, winning titles with the Spurs (2014) and Bucks (2021).
David Fizdale, formerly the head coach of the Grizzlies and Knicks, who was first hired as an assistant by the Suns in 2023 and decided to remain with the team following its head coaching change.
Vince Legarza, who worked under Budenholzer in both Atlanta and Milwaukee and also served as an assistant coach in Utah from 2019-22.
Mike Hopkins, a longtime assistant coach under Jim Boeheim at Syracuse and the head coach at the University of Washington from 2017-24.
Brent Barry, a former NBA sharpshooter, TNT analyst, and front office executive. He was most recently the Spurs’ vice president of basketball operations and the Austin Spurs’ general manager.
James Posey, who won titles with the Heat and Celtics as a player and has served as an assistant coach in Cleveland and Washington since his retirement.
Schuyler Rimmer, who won a championship with Budenholzer in 2021 as a Bucks player development assistant and also worked under Budenholzer in Atlanta. He has been a Lakers assistant for the past two seasons.

Fizdale is the lone holdover from Frank Vogel‘s 2023/24 staff.

Charles Barkley Won’t Retire In 2025, Will Remain With TNT Sports

August 6th, 2024 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA analyst Charles Barkley, who previously stated that he planned to retire after the 2024/25 season, has reversed course and will remain on with TNT Sports for “many years to come,” the cable network announced today in a statement (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News).

TNT is expected to lose its NBA broadcast rights after the 2024/25 season, but Barkley remains under contract with Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT’s parent company) well beyond that, having signed a 10-year, $210MM contract in 2022. He has stated that he didn’t intend to accept a pay cut, so it sounds like TNT plans to honor that contract.

“I love my TNT Sports family,” Barkley said in a statement. “My #1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me.

“I have to say … I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”

An NBA broadcast partner for several decades, TNT was unable to reach an agreement in the latest round of negotiations as the league struck deals with Disney (ABC/ESPN), NBC, and Amazon. TNT attempted to exercise its matching rights on Amazon’s offer, but was rejected by the NBA, which has led to a lawsuit from WBD.

Barring an unexpected development, the 2024/25 season will likely be TNT’s last as an NBA broadcaster. The popular Inside The NBA studio show, which stars Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson, may also be entering its final season. Barkley said last month that he was open to listening to pitches from Disney, NBC, and Amazon and was still leaning toward retirement, but has now reaffirmed his commitment to TNT for the next several years.

While TNT will likely no longer have NBA broadcasts beyond 2025, the network airs March Madness games and features Barkley on its studio show during the NCAA tournament. It also has the rights to several other sports and events, as TNT Sports Chairman & CEO Luis Silberwasser noted in a statement of his own.

“Charles is one of the best and most beloved sportscasters in the history of television,” Silberwasser said. “I know I speak for all members of the TNT Sports family when I say we are incredibly thrilled to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’ one-of-a-kind talents and entertain fans well into the future.

“We continue to add to the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio — including new properties in the College Football Playoffs, Roland-Garros, NASCAR, BIG EAST college basketball, Mountain West football, among others — and it’s fantastic to have Charles for this journey as we develop new content ideas and shows for our fans.”

Lakers Officially Announce Redick’s Coaching Staff

August 5th, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have formally announced the coaching staff that will work under J.J. Redick during his first season in Los Angeles, issuing a press release to confirm its assistant coaching hires.

Most of the Lakers’ hires, headlined by former NBA head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks, have been previously reported, but here’s the full list of assistants in one place:

McMillan, who has compiled a 760-668 (.532) career regular season record as the head coach of the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Hawks.
Brooks, who most recently served as an assistant in Portland and was a longtime head coach in Oklahoma City and Washington. He had a 521-414 (.557) regular season record and a 49-48 (.505) postseason mark, having led the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012.
Bob Beyer, a veteran assistant who spent time with the Raptors, Magic, Warriors, Bobcats, Pistons, Thunder, Kings, Pelicans, and Hornets from 2003-24.
Greg St. Jean, who was a Lakers player development coach from 2019-21 before spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach in Dallas (2021-23) and Phoenix (2023/24).
Lindsey Harding, the reigning G League Coach of the Year for the Stockton Kings and the first full-time female assistant coach in Lakers franchise history.
Beau Levesque, who has held the title of player development coordinator with the Clippers for the past four seasons.

The Lakers also announced that they hired Michael Wexler as their head video coordinator. He was a coaching associate last season with the Suns and previously served as the head video coordinator for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

The Lakers’ goal was to surround Redick, a first-time NBA coach, with an experienced staff that could help him learn the ropes, which is why the club targeted former head coaches like McMillan and Brooks and a longtime assistant like Beyer to lead the group.

“Through an international and thorough process, we’ve brought together an experienced, diverse, and dedicated coaching staff,” Redick said in a statement. “Our goal from day one is about fostering a high-performing environment of player development and team alignment through relentless work, daily collaboration and innovation. Players and staff are here to enjoy the pursuit of excellence every time they step on the court. The expectations are clear, and my staff and I are committed to doing everything we need to do to ensure success at the highest level.”

Lauri Markkanen Not Expected To Sign Extension Until After August 6

August 5th, 2024 at 10:44am CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz star Lauri Markkanen appears likely to delay signing his new extension until after Tuesday so he can ensure that he won’t be traded this season, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Markkanen will become renegotiation-eligible on August 6, which is exactly six months before the NBA’s trade deadline. Contract renegotiations trigger a six-month moratorium on trades, so if he waits until August 7 or later to accept the new deal, Markkanen can make sure that he’ll spend the entire upcoming season with Utah. Tony Jones of The Athletic previously stated that’s likely what will happen.

Veteran extensions are limited to a 40% raise in the first year, so Markkanen would normally be looking at $25,262,362 as the starting salary in his next contract. But because the Jazz still have more than $35MM in cap room, they can renegotiate his salary for 2024/25 from $18MM up to $42,176,400 and start the extension based on that number, giving him something in the neighborhood of a max deal.

With the clock ticking on Markkanen’s extension eligibility, it appears less likely that he’ll be traded before he can sign a new deal with Utah. The Jazz have reportedly been listening to offers, but have said they aren’t actively trying to move their All-Star forward.

Sources tell Fischer that the Kings and Warriors have both tried to deal for Markkanen since the start of free agency. Sacramento made “significant progress” in negotiations before trade talks collapsed in early July, Fischer adds. Golden State has also made offers for Markkanen, but Fischer’s sources say that Utah has prioritized Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga, who are both viewed as starters for the Warriors this season.

Fischer also hears that the Spurs have expressed interest in Markkanen ever since he was a restricted free agent back in 2021, and San Antonio had hoped to acquire Markkanen in the sign-and-trade deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to Chicago that summer. The Thunder also had interest in Markkanen at the time, Fischer adds.

Fischer points out that Utah already has a large collection of first-round picks and trade swaps, so there’s limited value in acquiring more draft assets in exchange for Markkanen, a 27-year-old who’s playing at an All-Star level and wants to stay in Salt Lake City. Fischer believes that – except for the Kings – much of the trade talk surrounding Markkanen this summer has been “preliminary at best.”

Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon of ESPN also examine the Markkanen situation, including the prospects of a last-minute trade. Their sources indicate that the Warriors and Jazz haven’t come close to reaching a deal, with one source saying Golden State is being “very protective” of Podziemski.

Luka Samanic Signs One-Year Contract With Fenerbahce

August 5th, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Jazz power forward Luka Samanic has signed with Fenerbahce in Turkey, according to Eurohoops. It’s a one-year deal, and although there were discussions about adding an option, that didn’t happen, the report states.

Samanic, 24, began his career in Barcelona and later played for Petrol Olimpija before being selected by San Antonio with the 19th pick in the 2019 draft. He appeared in 36 games over two seasons with the Spurs before being waived in October of 2021.

Samanic joined the Knicks on a two-way contract, but spent the entire 2021/22 season in the G League. He signed a training camp deal with the Celtics in September of 2022, but was released before the start of the season.

He came to Utah on a 10-day deal in March of 2023 and made an immediate impact, starting four of the seven games he played and averaging 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per night. That earned him a contract that ran through the end of the 2023/24 season.

Samanic’s role diminished last season, as he appeared in 43 games and made seven starts. He saw just 9.4 minutes per night and his averages dipped to 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Jordan Nwora Signs With Anadolu Efes

August 5th, 2024 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Nwora, who split last season between the Pacers and Raptors, has signed with Anadolu Efes, the Turkish team announced (via Twitter). The 25-year-old small forward is headed overseas for the first time after four NBA seasons.

Nwora has been part of significant trades the past two winters. He went from the Bucks to the Pacers in the four-team trade in February 2023 that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix, then was shipped from Indiana to Toronto in January 2024 in the Pascal Siakam deal.

Nwora saw limited time in 18 games with Indiana last season before being moved. He got a greater opportunity to play with the Raptors and responded by averaging 7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 34 games while logging 15.6 minutes per night. However, he wasn’t in Toronto’s long-term plans and became a free agent when his two-year contract expired at the end of last season.

Nwora was selected by Milwaukee with the 45th pick in the 2020 draft. He spent his first two and a half years with the Bucks and enjoyed his best season in 2021/22 when he appeared in 62 games and averaged 7.9 PPG.

With Anadolu Efes, Nwora will team with former NBA player Shane Larkin, who has become one of the top stars in Europe.

Bulls Reportedly Still Trying To Trade LaVine, Vucevic

August 4th, 2024 at 11:29am CST by Rory Maher

Marc Stein reported a couple weeks ago that while Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic remain trade candidates, it appears increasingly likely that both players will open the 2024/25 season as Bulls.

Apparently it isn’t for lack of effort from the front office though. According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas continues to actively explore deals for the former All-Stars, but obviously the team hasn’t found anything suitable to this point.

LaVine is owed about $138MM over the next three seasons (including a $49MM player option for 2026/27), while Vucevic will earn $41MM through 2026. That salary differential is one reason why Vucevic is viewed as more likely to be moved than LaVine, though Stein wrote that a trade for the 33-year-old big man might not come together until after the season begins.

Cowley’s article is mostly focused on the Bulls’ rotation, which will be difficult for head coach Billy Donovan to manage if the roster remains intact. As Cowley writes, the backcourt, in particular, could be problematic, with Josh Giddey, LaVine and Coby White — three offense-first guards — seemingly likely to start, with Patrick Williams and Vucevic rounding out the first five.

Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, Jevon Carter, and perhaps even Lonzo Ball will be among the guards off the bench, Cowley notes, further illustrating the rotational dilemma Donovan could face this fall.

Olympic Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal Matchups Set

August 3rd, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Olympic pool play now complete, the men’s basketball quarterfinal matchups have been determined. All four games will take place Tuesday, and the competition will be single-elimination from now on.

Germany will face Greece at 5 a.m. Eastern time, followed by Serbia vs. Australia at 8:30 a.m., France vs. Canada at noon and the U.S. vs. Brazil at 3:30 p.m. The Germany-Greece winner will face the France-Canada winner in one semifinal, with the Serbia-Australia winner taking on the U.S.-Brazil winner in the other.

It’s the best possible draw for Team USA, which clinched the top seed with a 21-point win over Puerto Rico earlier today. The Americans, who were 3-0 in Group C, won’t have to face the unbeaten Germans or Canadians or the host French until the gold medal game.

They’ll start with a Brazilian team that went 1-2 in Group B, with its only win coming against Japan. Vitor Benite is Brazil’s leading scorer in the Olympics at 14.3 PPG, while Bruno Caboclo leads in rebounds at 7.3 per game and Yago Santos is tops in assists at 6.0 per game.

Germany breezed through the competition in Group B, compiling a +47 point differential that was second only to Team USA. Led by Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, the reigning FIBA world champions are trying to cement their place as an international basketball power. To advance, they’ll have to get by a Greek team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been dominant in the Olympics, averaging 27.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games.

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic leads Serbia, which went 2-1 in Group C and lost only to the United States. Jock Landale has been Australia’s top player so far, averaging 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, but the Boomers feature a roster loaded with NBA talent such as Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum and Patty Mills.

Canada, which is trying to win its first-ever Olympic basketball medal, also has a roster packed with NBA players. RJ Barrett (21.0 PPG), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19.0) and Dillon Brooks (14.3) have been the leading scorers as they swept through Group A, which was billed as the toughest grouping. The host French have been mildly disappointing, even at 2-1, but they’ll have a chance to exploit the size of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert against the smaller Canadian team.