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Leonard, Haliburton, Embiid Expected To Be Ready For Team USA

June 27th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Steve Kerr expects a fully healthy roster when Team USA begins training for the Olympics next week in Las Vegas, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Sixers center Joel Embiid, who were all sidelined with injuries late in the season or during the playoffs, are likely to participate.

Right knee inflammation prevented Leonard from playing in the final eight games of the regular season and limited him to two playoff games as L.A. lost to Dallas in the first round. Kerr cautioned that there could still be a late surprise, but staff members have been in frequent contact with Leonard and they expect him to be ready for camp. Sources tell Vardon that there’s no new structural damage to Leonard’s knee, and the inflammation is the result of previous surgeries.

Haliburton suffered a strained left hamstring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and wasn’t able to return as Indiana was swept by Boston. He was concerned about his availability for the Olympics when the injury occurred, but Vardon states that the Pacers training staff always believed he would be ready in time.

Embiid missed more than two months after meniscus surgery on his left knee in late January. He was back in time for the playoffs, but appeared to be affected by the knee during the first-round series with New York. He also experienced a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which causes weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles.

Training camp for team USA will open July 6, followed by an exhibition game against Canada four days later in Las Vegas. The team will travel to Abu Dhabi and London for more exhibition contests before heading to Paris.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to see limited action when Greece takes on the Bahamas this afternoon, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24. A left calf strain forced Antetokounmpo to miss all of Milwaukee’s first-round series with Indiana. Greece has to advance through an Olympic qualifying tournament next week to earn a spot in the Summer Games.

Kristaps Porzingis Will Be Sidelined 5-6 Months Following Surgery

June 27th, 2024 at 9:42am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have announced that Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined for five to six months after undergoing surgery for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. His projected recovery timeline means he’ll miss at least the first month or two of next season.

Porzingis wasn’t available for most of the Celtics’ playoff run because of a strained right calf he suffered in the first-round series against Miami. He was able to return for the start of the NBA Finals, but was knocked out of action in Game 2 with the new left leg injury that forced him to have surgery. He made a brief return as Boston won the title in Game 5, but he admitted that he probably made his condition worse by playing.

Injuries have plagued Porzingis throughout his career, but he was relatively healthy for most of the regular season, appearing in 57 games and averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per night. He negotiated a two-year, $60MM extension after being traded to Boston last summer and is under contract through 2025/26.

Porzingis’ early-season absence increases the Celtics’ urgency to keep at least one of their backup centers. The team will want to be careful with Porzingis when he does return, along with veteran big man Al Horford, who recently turned 38.

Boston holds a $2.2MM team option on Neemias Queta, but Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are unrestricted free agents.

Brian Robb of MassLive suggests the front office should be aggressive on the free agent market in trying to find another big man willing to accept a veteran’s minimum contract, which is all Boston can offer as a second-apron team. He lists former Celtic Daniel Theis as one possibility, along with Mason Plumlee, Andre Drummond and Drew Eubanks.

Timberwolves Acquire No. 8 Pick Rob Dillingham From Spurs

June 26th, 2024 at 11:17pm CST by Luke Adams

11:17pm: The deal is official, the Spurs announced in a press release.

8:04pm: The Spurs used the No. 8 pick in tonight’s draft on Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, but he won’t begin his NBA career in San Antonio, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Timberwolves are acquiring Dillingham’s rights from the Spurs.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), San Antonio is receiving Minnesota’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap in the deal. The ’30 swap will be top-one protected, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Neither of the Wolves’ 2024 picks (No. 27 and No. 37) are involved in the trade, confirms Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Minnesota’s ability to make roster moves this offseason will be extremely limited due to the fact that team salary will be above the second tax apron. That means the Wolves won’t be able to aggregate players in trades, take back more salary than they send out in trades, or sign outside free agents to contracts worth more than the minimum.

However, the second apron doesn’t prohibit them from acquiring a player’s draft rights, which don’t count as incoming salary for trade purposes as long as the player has not yet signed his rookie contract. That means they’ll be able to trade for Dillingham without sending out any players.

In his first and only college season with the Wildcats, Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game, posting an impressive shooting line of .475/.444/.796

Despite the Wolves’ ongoing ownership dispute, it appears management has been given the go-ahead to keep adding pieces. The addition of Dillingham, who projects to earn about $6.28MM as a rookie, will increase the club’s projected tax bill to approximately $100MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) estimates Minnesota’s projected tax bill at $84MM, but that number is fluid depending on how the club fills out its roster.

As for the Spurs, after adding Stephon Castle with the No. 4 pick, they clearly weren’t in love with any of the prospects available to them at No. 8, opting instead to continue adding to their stockpile of future draft picks by acquiring a pair of assets far down the road with little to no protection.

Clearing the $6.28MM cap hold for the No. 8 pick from their books will put the Spurs in position to create additional cap room this summer.

Jimmy Butler To Stay With Heat, Won’t Sign Offseason Extension

June 26th, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Star Heat swingman Jimmy Butler is set to remain with Miami for the 2024/25 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, who has a player option for 2025/26, will not complete a contract extension with the Heat or agitate for a trade prior to the 2025 offseason, sources inform Charania, who says Butler “has an affinity” for Miami and wants to remain with the organization.

While Miami could still unilaterally decide to trade Butler, there’s no indication they want to do so, Charania adds, especially since he’s reportedly unwilling to sign an extension with any team, which would limit his value on the trade market.

There had been speculation this spring that Butler may seek a change of scenery due to the fact that he was reportedly seeking a two-year, maximum-salary extension and Heat president Pat Riley publicly expressed reluctance to put that deal on the table for the 34-year-old, who has battled injuries in recent years.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (YouTube video link) stated earlier today during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that Butler had informed rival clubs of his preference to stick with the Heat, even without a new deal in place.

“Even if there’s no extension, he’s going to focus on next season. He’s got a player option in the summer of 2025 next year that he can use,” Windhorst reported on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think Jimmy Butler wants to be in Miami. There’s teams that have definitely said ‘Hey, are you looking to get out?’ And I think he said, ‘I’m solid in Miami.’ I think that’s been communicated with the Heat. We’ll see what happens next summer.”

The 6’7″ swingman submitted another impressive season when he was available. Across 60 healthy contests, Butler averaged 20.8 points (on .499/.414/.858 shooting), 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game for the 46-36 Heat in 2023/24. However, he was unavailable for the team’s first-round series loss to Boston due to an MCL sprain.

Since joining Miami in a sign-and-trade during the summer of 2019, the Marquette alum has led the team to two Finals appearances, plus three Eastern Conference Finals berths.

According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), Butler and the Heat could revisit extension talks at some point in the 2024/25 season.

Rockets Draft Reed Sheppard With No. 3 Pick

June 26th, 2024 at 7:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard is the first college player to come off the board in the 2024 NBA draft, heading to the Rockets with the third overall pick.

Sheppard wasn’t even a starter in his lone college season at Kentucky, but he averaged 28.9 minutes per game as the Wildcats’ sixth man and impressed NBA evaluators with his shooting, play-making, and good hands on defense.

In 33 games, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per contest while making 53.6% of his field goals, including 52.1% of his three-point tries. He also shot 83.1% from the free throw line.

There had been rumors in the days and weeks leading up to the draft that Houston was very open to trading the third overall pick, either in a package for an impact player or as part of a deal that would provide them with additional future draft assets.

But no trade materialized with the Rockets on the clock, and Sheppard has been the player long viewed as their likely target if they were to keep the pick. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), they intend to hang onto Sheppard, who will add shooting to a talented young Houston core headed by Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith.

Wizards Use No. 2 Pick On Alexandre Sarr

June 26th, 2024 at 7:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards have selected power forward/center Alexandre Sarr with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft.

In a rarity for the draft, top-two picks Sarr and newly-drafted Hawks small forward Zaccharie Risacher are both Frenchmen.

Sarr’s athleticism and dominant defensive presence make him one of the top prospects in this year’s class. The seven-footer played this season with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

Sarr has drawn comparisons with Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr. for his defensive instincts and rim protection. He may be a bit small to thrive as an NBA center right away, so it’s possible he’ll see more time at power forward early in his career. If Sarr can improve his outside shooting, he has the physical skills to develop into an All-Star big man.

In 2023/24, the Wizards posted a 15-67 record, their worst in history. The team has enjoyed an active offseason already, having agreed to acquire the No. 14 pick in this draft’s lottery, a 2029 first, two second rounders and the contract of Malcolm Brogdon, from the Trail Blazers in exchange for swingman Deni Avdija.

Sarr is the younger brother of Thunder reserve center Olivier Sarr.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Hawks Select Zaccharie Risacher With No. 1 Pick

June 26th, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have made Zaccharie Risacher the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

Atlanta unexpectedly moved up from No. 10 to No. 1 at the draft lottery last month, despite having just a 3% chance to get that first overall pick. While there was no consensus number one prospect in this year’s class like Victor Wembanyama a year ago, the jump to the top of the draft gave the Hawks the opportunity to take their pick of this year’s draft-eligible prospects.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter video link), the Hawks ultimately narrowed their choices to Risacher and Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard before selecting Risacher.

A 19-year-old French forward who was born in Spain, Risacher began his professional career with ASVEL Basket in France in 2021. He spent the past season on loan to another French team, JL Bourg, where he showed promise as a shooter, ball-handler, and versatile defender.

The 6’9″ forward averaged 13.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 24.0 minutes per game across 17 EuroCup appearances in 2023/24, with a .566/.561/.659 shooting line. In 32 contests in France’s LNB Elite, he averaged 10.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 0.9 APG on .439/.352/.740 shooting.

This pick is just the beginning of what promises to be an eventful offseason in Atlanta. The Hawks are widely expected to trade one of their two star guards – Trae Young or Dejounte Murray – and may make additional changes to their rotation, with Clint Capela among the other Atlanta veterans mentioned as a trade candidate.

Mat Ishbia Says Suns Are Keeping Kevin Durant

June 26th, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns owner Mat Ishbia sent out a Twitter message this afternoon to try to quash rumors about a Kevin Durant trade. Speculation regarding a potential deal has increased since the Rockets reached an agreement with Brooklyn to acquire three future Phoenix first-round picks.

“NBA Draft night is the best,” Ishbia wrote. “Everyone talking about the drama and storylines, some are right and some are just wrong. My turn. Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it. Gotta love draft night! Go Suns.”

Ishbia provided confirmation to a report this morning that there’s “zero chance” Durant will be traded. While Ishbia didn’t mention Devin Booker, another possible Rockets target, it’s believed that Phoenix isn’t looking to move any of its current core players.

Durant has two years left on his contract at $51.2MM and $54.7MM, so there’s no urgency for the Suns to trade him and no indication that he’s unhappy with his current situation. Phoenix was the destination Durant chose when he submitted his second trade request to Brooklyn two years ago. He was also Ishbia’s first major acquisition after purchasing the team, so it’s understandable that the owner would be reluctant to part with him already.

At 36, Durant might be an awkward fit with Houston’s roster, which is still mostly young. Booker, 28, fits the timeline better, but he’s under contract through the 2027/28 season.

Multiple Suitors Reportedly Willing To Offer Paul George Four-Year Deal

June 26th, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers and Paul George appear to still be in a stand-off, with his player option decision just three days away. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday morning (YouTube link), Brian Windhorst provided an update on where things stand with the star forward, who could pick up his option and push for a trade, opt out to become a free agent, or sign a new deal to remain in Los Angeles.

“I have been told that multiple teams out there are willing to trade for him and offer him the four-year max contract that he’s not currently being offered by the Clippers,” Windhorst said. “That means he’s got a set of options. But the question is, are the Clippers going to play ball with such a deal, or are they going to risk losing him for nothing if he can walk to a team like Philadelphia or Orlando?

“… At the end of the day, what I think he really wants to do is get that four-year max offer from the Clippers. They have not been willing to go there yet, especially after giving Kawhi Leonard just a three-year deal at less than the max. So this is really a bit of a stare-down right now. At the moment, at least it appears the Clippers (are) kind of calling a bluff from Paul George (about whether) he actually wants to leave his hometown.”

While an opt-in-and-trade scenario remains in play for George, one of his potential suitors likely took itself out of the running on Tuesday night, as the Knicks agreed to give up five first-round picks and a first-round swap in a deal for Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges. New York had frequently been mentioned recently as a team with potential trade interest in George.

The Warriors and Rockets are among the other clubs who have been linked to the 34-year-old, and Windhorst hinted during the most recent Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that Golden State could have a geographical edge.

“I’m not so sure Paul George really wanted to leave the West Coast,” Windhorst said in explaining why the Knicks are acquiring Bridges instead of pushing for George. “I think that was something that Philadelphia kind of ran into when they kicked the tires there.”

A report last week indicated that the Sixers‘ interest in pursuing George has “waned.” While there has been some push-back on that report in the days since then, Windhort stated on the Hoop Collective podcast that he thinks Philadelphia has “moved past the idea” of landing George, though he cautions that it’s not “dead” yet.

In the event that George opts in for 2024/25 and is traded to a new team, he would be able to sign a three-year extension worth up to a projected $171MM without having to wait six months, since the extend-and-trade rules will become more lenient beginning in July.

Taking into account his $48.8MM player option, that would put George in line to earn nearly $220MM over the next four seasons, which is more than the maximum four-year contract he could get if he signs with a cap-room team like the Sixers or Magic as a free agent this summer (such a deal would be worth a projected $212.2MM). Those $171MM and $220MM figures are based on the assumption that the salary cap will increase by the maximum allowable 10% in 2025.

Typically, the Clippers would have the option of going all the way up to five years for George, since they hold his Bird rights, but he can’t get a contract longer than four years this offseason due to the over-38 rule.

Nets, Rockets Officially Complete Swap Of Draft Assets

June 26th, 2024 at 3:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets and Rockets have officially announced their trade involving a series of future draft assets, with each team issuing a press release to confirm the move. We previously covered the deal within our story on the Mikal Bridges trade between the Nets and Knicks, but here are the full terms of the Brookyn/Houston swap:

Nets acquire:

Control of their own 2025 first-round pick (negating the Rockets’ right to swap either its own 2025 first-rounder or the Thunder’s 2025 first-rounder for Brooklyn’s pick).
Their own 2026 first-round pick.

Rockets acquire:

The right to swap either their own 2025 first-round pick or the Thunder’s 2025 first-round pick for the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick.
The Suns’ 2027 first-round pick.
Either the Mavericks’ or the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
The right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick with either the Mavericks’ or the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Note: Houston now essentially controls the two most favorable of the Mavericks’, Suns’, and Rockets’ 2029 first-rounders, with the Nets retaining control of the least favorable of the three.

The Nets’ motivation for the deal seems clear — their decision to trade Bridges signals that they’re prepared to take a step back in the short term rather than pushing toward contention. Having control of their own first-round picks for 2025 and 2026 will aid their rebuilding process, reducing the need to accelerate that process.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter), Brooklyn will be in position to create more than $60MM in cap room in 2025, so the team will have no shortage of cap flexibility going forward in addition to being flush with future draft assets.

As for the Rockets, a report back in early May suggested they had interest in talking to the Nets about returning some of Brooklyn’s draft assets in exchange for some of those future Suns picks. Houston is pushing its collection of draft assets down the road a little and making a bet against Phoenix’s sustainability as a contender for the next several years.

As Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links) has reported, the Rockets believe acquiring those future Suns assets puts them in a good position to pursue a star like Kevin Durant or Devin Booker in the event that they submit trade requests, or in the event that Phoenix eventually decides to break up its roster.

As the Nets showed with this deal, if a team pivots to a rebuild, it’s crucial for that team to control its own first-round draft picks — the Rockets now essentially own the Suns’ picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029 and could offer those assets back to Phoenix in any major trade between the two teams.

Still, for the time being at least, the Suns have no interest in considering a trade involving Durant or Booker, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who responded to Wojnarowski’s report about Houston’s interest in acquiring Durant by tweeting that there’s “zero chance” that happens. Woj followed up on his initial report by clarifying (via Twitter) that the Rockets won’t necessary wait for a Suns star to become available and will also shop those picks to other teams in an effort to upgrade their roster.