Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Yuta Watanabe Expected To Join Chiba Jets

June 11th, 2024 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

After announcing during an Instagram Live session in April that he plans to return to his home country of Japan, Grizzlies forward Yuta Watanabe is widely expected to sign with the Chiba Jets, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. Nothing is official yet, but Urbonas classifies the move as “close.”

Watanabe, 29, was born and raised in Japan, then played his college ball in the U.S. at George Washington from 2014-18. The undrafted 6’9″ forward spent a pair of seasons with the Grizzlies from 2018-20 and two years in Toronto from 2020-22. He enjoyed his best NBA season in Brooklyn in 2022/23, averaging 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game off the bench while ranking among the league leaders in three-point percentage (44.4%).

Watanabe’s solid showing with the Nets earned him a two-year, minimum-salary contract from the Suns last summer, but he ended up not playing a major role in Phoenix, averaging just 13.2 minutes per game in 29 appearances before being traded to Memphis in February as part of the three-team deadline deal that sent Royce O’Neale and David Roddy to the Suns. Having joined an injury-plagued roster in his return to Memphis, Watanabe had a path to regular minutes, but he was limited to just five games due to a wrist issue and personal reasons.

The contract Watanabe signed with Phoenix includes a minimum-salary player option for 2024/25 worth about $2.65MM. It stands to reason that if he signs a new contract in Japan, he’d decline that option, though his decision has yet to be formally reported.

While it’s not a significant number, moving Watanabe’s salary off their cap for next season would help out the Grizzlies, who could be facing a luxury-tax crunch this summer and likely didn’t have the veteran in their plans going forward.

Thunder Could Make Serious Run At Hartenstein

June 10th, 2024 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein pumped up his value this season during his walk year. They’ll have competition for his services and the Thunder are viewed as the main threat, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

Hartenstein made approximately $9.25MM this season and he’ll get a huge raise this summer. The Knicks hold his Early Bird rights and can offer a maximum of about $72MM over four years.

That might not be enough to keep Hartenstein, who started 49 regular-season games after Mitchell Robinson was injured and all 13 of the Knicks’ postseason contests. One recent report said the 26-year-old could receive $80-$100MM on a new deal from a team with cap room.

The Thunder will have around $35MM in cap space. While Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren manned the middle for the Thunder, Hartenstein could provide a different element.

Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer recently noted that Hartenstein would help OKC with his rebounding, screening and passing. Rebounding was a major issue for the Western Conference’s top seed.

The Thunder will soon need to make some major salary commitments to keep its strong young core intact, so they make take a different approach with Hartenstein. Citing a source, Bondy suggests OKC might offer a short-term deal, perhaps two years, with a high salary. That would provide both OKC and Hartenstein with long-term flexibility.

OKC could go with a bigger starting lineup, sliding Holmgren to the power forward slot, or use Hartenstein as their main frontcourt reserve.

Dan Hurley Turns Down Lakers’ Offer, Will Stay At UConn

June 10th, 2024 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Dan Hurley has passed on a six-year, $70MM contract offer to become the Lakers‘ head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two-time national champion will remain at UConn and will look to lead the Huskies to a third consecutive title in 2024.

According to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link), Hurley – who met with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka on Friday – “strongly considered” making the leap to the NBA but ultimately decided it wasn’t the right career move for him.

While he was impressed with the Lakers’ “vision for him,” Woj adds (via Twitter), Hurley didn’t want to walk away from the opportunity to make history by winning a third straight NCAA title.

Hurley is expected to finalize a new deal with UConn soon that will make him one of college basketball’s highest-paid coaches. Wojnarowski says those negotiations are ongoing, while Goodman hears from a source that Hurley has a six-year offer worth about $50MM on the table from the Huskies (Twitter link).

It’s a disappointing setback for the Lakers, who had talked to other head coaching candidates since dismissing Darvin Ham last month but had zeroed in on Hurley and made him their top choice. According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Lakers will regroup this week and will continue interviewing other candidates for the job in the hopes of filling the vacancy before the June 26-27 draft.

James Borrego – the only candidate to have two in-person meetings with the Lakers so far, per reporting from Woj – will remain in the mix, as will J.J. Redick, whom Shams Charania and other reporters previously described as the frontrunner for the position. Wojnarowski suggests that Redick has yet to have a formal interview with L.A., though Charania said last month that the two sides spoke at length at the draft combine.

As our head coaching search tracker shows, the Lakers have also been linked to a number of veteran assistant coaches around the NBA, including Sam Cassell, David Adelman, Micah Nori, and Chris Quinn.

Hall of Famer Chet Walker Passes Away

June 8th, 2024 at 8:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hall of Famer Chet Walker has died at age 84, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. His death was announced by the National Basketball Players Association.

Walker was a seven-time All-Star who played 13 NBA seasons from 1962-75.

After starring at Bradley University, he was selected by the Syracuse Nationals with the 14th pick in the 1962 draft and remained with the team when it moved to Philadelphia a year later and became the Sixers. He was the starting small forward on the 1966/67 team that won the championship and set a league record at the time with 68 regular season victories.

Walker was traded to the Bulls in 1969, and he finished his career with six seasons in Chicago. Earlier this year, he was among the first 13 members inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor.

Walker appeared in 1,032 games and compiled career averages of 18.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Our condolences go out to Chet’s family and friends.

Sasha Vezenkov Seeking Exit From Sacramento?

June 8th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Rory Maher

After an uneven rookie season, forward Sasha Vezenkov has informed the Kings he’d prefer a change of scenery, sources tell Mihalis Stefanou of Eurohoops.

Vezenkov signed a three-year, $20MM contract with Sacramento last summer. His $6.66MM salary for 2024/25 is fully guaranteed, while his $6.98MM salary for ’25/26 is a team option.

According to Stefanou, Vezenkov has yet to decide whether he wants to continue his NBA career or return to Europe. The ’22/23 EuroLeague MVP would generate “huge interest” overseas, Stefanou adds.

Still, as Keith Smith of Spotrac observes (via Twitter), the Kings will certainly have a major say in what transpires. Since Vezenkov’s deal for next season is guaranteed, Sacramento has no incentive to waive him unless he’s willing to give back some or all of the money he’s owed in a buyout.

In our Kings offseason preview, which was released last night, Luke Adams identified Vezenkov as a possible salary-dump candidate due to the team’s proximity to the luxury tax.

Vezenkov, 28, averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .440/.375/.800 shooting in 42 games last season for Sacramento (12.2 MPG). He missed 22 games with a Grade 3 right ankle sprain, but even when he was healthy, he wasn’t a consistent part of the team’s rotation.

Interestingly, the former Olympiacos star said he had no regrets about coming stateside when the Kings’ season concluded in April.

“I made the right choice, no doubt about it,” Vezenkov said.

TNT Remains In Talks For Possible Fourth NBA Rights Package

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

The NBA appears to be nearing agreements on media rights deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon, but the league hasn’t yet closed the door on its longtime partnership with TNT Sports.

According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT’s parent company) is in talks with the NBA about a possible fourth rights package that would be smaller overall in terms of both total games and cost.

Those conversations are ongoing, so it’s unclear where the games for that potential fourth package would come from. McCarthy suggests it could feature both regular season and playoff games, which would likely mean taking games from one or more of the ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon packages. Another scenario, McCarthy writes, would be for the league to set aside games that would typically be locally televised and turn them into national games for TNT.

McCarthy characterizes WBD’s efforts as a “long shot,” but outlines several reasons why a fourth media rights package with TNT could make sense for the NBA:

It would allow the league to continue its 40-year relationship with Turner Sports, which has been a reliable broadcast partner for decades.
It would pave the way for TNT to continue operating NBA TV and NBA.com on behalf of the league.
It would allow for the ongoing survival of TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” studio show, featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal.
Paying less money for a smaller package may appeal to Warner Bros. Discovery, which is dealing with $40 billion in debt and whose CEO David Zaslav has talked about not wanting to overpay for the NBA.

If TNT and the NBA can’t come to terms on a fourth package, Warner Bros. Discovery believes it would still have the right to match the NBC or Amazon deals. However, previous reporting has suggested the league would argue TNT can’t simply match NBC’s bid dollar-for-dollar since TNT lacks the over-the-air broadcast infrastructure that NBC can offer. The league may also push back on the idea that TNT can match Amazon’s bid, since it’s a new third package of games.

If TNT attempts to match one of those offers and the NBA rejects the bid, the issue could end up in court, McCarthy notes.

The current NBA media rights deal, which features just two partners (ESPN/ABC and TNT), will expire after the 2024/25 season, with the new agreements going into effect for ’25/26.

Bloomberg To Join Wolves’ Ownership Group Led By Lore, A-Rod

June 6th, 2024 at 12:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman and former three-term mayor of New York City, is joining the Timberwolves‘ ownership group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, sources tell Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Bloomberg has a net worth of over $100 billion, according to Forbes, making him one of the wealthiest people in the world.

Longtime Wolves owner Glen Taylor is currently the controlling stakeholder in the franchise after he 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 that it’s in dispute would increase Lore and Rodriguez’ share from 36% to about 80%, per The Athletic, and the purchase agreement stipulates that they could buy out Taylor’s remaining 20% stake anytime before March 2025. That’s where Bloomberg fits in — his investment would help Lore and Rodriguez’s group obtain that final 20%, with Taylor no longer holding a stake.

Lore and Rodriguez have been preparing as though they will assume majority control, but the dispute is still in arbitration and a decision could take months. Bloomberg’s addition would not impact that case, which is only based on the events leading up to the contract’s deadline (March 27). However, if they emerge victorious, Bloomberg could factor into the league’s decision, Krawczynski tweets.

Krawczynski and Charania clarify that while Bloomberg is obviously very well known and a “considerable financial partner,” his investment only represents a portion of the $300MM+ needed for Lore and Rodriguez to purchase Taylor’s final 20%.

Should they emerge victorious in the dispute, Lore and Rodriguez would remain the group’s top decision-makers. According to The Athletic, the group is committed to paying the luxury tax in 2024/25 and beyond if president of basketball operations Tim Connelly makes that recommendation. Taylor has also said he’s prepared to pay the tax next season.

League sources tell The Athletic that Lore and Rodriguez are in the midst of developing plans for a new, privately funded arena to replace the Target Center, which is the second-oldest building in the league. The group believes that could transpire as early as 2031.

According to Krawczynski and Charania, Lore and Rodriguez have also had discussions with Gerry Cardinale about collaborating on a new regional sports network to broadcast Timberwolves and Lynx (WNBA) games, as well as other local teams. Cardinale, the founder of RedBird Capital, has “deep connections to the New York Yankees and played a leading role in the formation of the YES Network in New York, which would serve as a model for a potential new venture in the Twin Cities area.”

Lakers Targeting Dan Hurley In Head Coaching Search

June 6th, 2024 at 6:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are targeting UConn’s Dan Hurley to become their next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the team is preparing a “massive, long-term” offer for the back-to-back national champion.

Sources tell ESPN that Hurley has been at the “forefront” of the Lakers’ search process, though the club has only had preliminary discussions with him so far and has done its due diligence on other candidates. The plan is for Los Angeles to escalate its discussions with Hurley in the coming days, Wojnarowski adds.

After playing his college ball at Seton Hall from 1991-96, Hurley immediately transitioned into coaching, spending a year as a high school assistant coach before being hired to Rutgers’ staff as an assistant.

Hurley became the head coach at St. Benedict’s Prep (a New Jersey high school) from 2001-10, then broke into the college ranks at a head coach with coached Wagner from 2010-12. Following a stint as Rhode Island’s head coach from 2012-18, he arrived at Connecticut in 2018. He has since led the Huskies to a 141-58 (.709) record, with national championships in both 2023 and 2024.

As Wojnarowski details, Hurley has talked in the past about wanting to one day coach in the NBA and has let the Lakers know he’s interested in exploring what a partnership would look like. For their part, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka are enthusiastic about the idea of bringing his “tactical acumen and elite player development” to the Lakers, Woj adds, while star forward LeBron James has expressed admiration for Hurley’s creative offensive system.

It’s a surprising development, as the Lakers were long believed to be eyeing ESPN and ABC analyst J.J. Redick for their head coaching vacancy. Several reports from many different outlets in recent weeks have identified Redick as the frontrunner for the position, with Shams Charania of The Athletic stating on Tuesday that L.A. was “zeroing in” on the former NBA sharpshooter.

Wojnarowski described Redick several weeks ago as a “name to watch” in the Lakers’ search, noting that the team was “drilling down” on him in its initial research. However, he has never described Redick as the favorite.

There was a belief that the recent silence from Wojnarowski on the Lakers’ search was perhaps due to the fact that Redick was an ESPN colleague, but it appears now that Woj just had different information — he stresses in today’s report that the “potential of landing Hurley has been the focus of the Lakers’ search,” even as they interviewed candidates like Redick, James Borrego, and Sam Cassell, among others.

According to Wojnarowski, part of Hurley’s appeal is the fact that the Lakers anticipate player development becoming a greater priority for the franchise under the current CBA, due to the roster-building limitations facing teams above the tax aprons. They believed that their younger players, including Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Max Christie, can continue to get better under a coach like Hurley.

The Lakers have been searching for a new head coach since formally dismissing Darvin Ham on May 3. Ham had a 90-74 (.549) record during his two seasons in Los Angeles, winning a pair of playoff series in his first year last spring.

Projected Lottery Pick Nikola Topic Has Partially Torn ACL

June 5th, 2024 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

Nikola Topic, long considered a probable lottery pick in the 2024 draft, has been diagnosed with a partially torn ACL, agent Misko Raznatovic confirmed to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Topic is among the prospects currently in attendance at the NBA’s international draft combine in Treviso, Italy for players who couldn’t make it to last month’s combine in Chicago. This week’s international combine features a medical examination – including imaging – for all participants, which confirmed the diagnosis for the 6’7″ guard.

As an early entrant in this year’s draft class, Topic has until June 16 to decide whether or not he wants to keep his name in the pool. The plan, Givony writes, is for the Serbian point guard to travel in the coming days to the United States, where he’ll be evaluated by NBA team doctors and work out a treatment plan, including possible surgery.

For what it’s worth, Raznatovic told Givony that he doesn’t think the injury will have a significant impact on Topic’s draft stock due to his age (19 in August) and the early feedback from U.S. doctors who have looked at his MRIs. Those doctors have said the stability of the knee is “in excellent shape,” per Raznatovic.

While it’s hard to imagine an NBA franchise being quite as enthusiastic about using a lottery pick on a player with an injury that could cause him to miss some or all of his rookie season, Topic’s recovery timeline could be accelerated if doctors determine that reconstructive surgery isn’t necessary.

Teams drafting in the top 15 will be assured of receiving Topic’s medical information, Givony notes, due to a rule change in the new CBA. It would be up to Topic’s representatives to decide whether to share his medicals with teams outside of the top 15.

As Givony writes, Topic initially sustained a left knee injury in January while playing for Crvena Zvezda in Serbia. He returned to action in late April, but played just three Adriatic League games before hurting the knee again. The No. 9 player on ESPN’s 2024 big board, Topic was excellent when healthy in 2023/24, averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 assists per game for Mega Basket and Crvena Zvezda, per Givony.

Timberwolves President Connelly Agrees To Restructured Contract, Will Stay With Club

June 4th, 2024 at 10:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The speculation regarding Tim Connelly‘s future has been pushed back for at least one season.

According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania (Twitter links), Connelly has agreed to a restructured contract with the Timberwolves that will keep him in charge of Minnesota’s front office for at least one more season.

Connelly had an opt-out clause in his contract that could have made a highly desirable “free agent” among NBA executives. Connelly helped build the Nuggets into a championship club and constructed a Timberwolves roster that made them a Western Conference finalist.

He’ll now be able to opt out after next season.

There has been heavy speculation that Connelly might exercise the opt-out due to the franchise’s ongoing ownership dispute. Current majority owner Glen Taylor is at odds with prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez over financial issues. A three-person arbitration panel has been selected to oversee the ownership dispute, but there are no signs of a quick resolution.

Connelly, the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations, recently indicated that the ownership dispute wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for his future with the organization.

“I’ve had a blast here. Feels like we have roots here. It’s pretty special. That’s the goal. It has been a great couple years, and hopefully, we can make it a much longer couple years,” he said.

By restructuring his contract, Connelly can now focus on trying to tweak the Timberwolves’ roster and get them into next year’s Finals. If things go sour, he’ll have the option of moving on to another organization.

Connelly was on the Pistons’ radar for their president of basketball operations job before they decided to hire Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon.

Even with the ownership issues, Connelly’s preference was to stay in Minnesota. He and his family have settled into the area. He could sign another long-term deal after the ownership situation settles, Krawczynski reports.