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Lakers Meet With J.J. Redick, James Borrego, Sam Cassell

May 21st, 2024 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

The interview portion of the Lakers‘ head coaching search is underway, according to Jovan Buha and Shams Charania of The Athletic, who report that the team has had formal meetings in recent days with ESPN analyst J.J. Redick, Pelicans assistant James Borrego, and Celtics assistant Sam Cassell.

The Lakers also intend to meet with Micah Nori (Timberwolves assistant), David Adelman (Nuggets assistant), and Chris Quinn (Heat assistant), per Buha and Charania.

Of those three, Nori is the only one whose team’s season isn’t over. He has also taken on a larger role on Minnesota’s bench during the postseason due to a knee procedure that has rendered Wolves head coach Chris Finch immobile during games, so scheduling an interview with him will be a little trickier than lining up meetings with Adelman and Quinn.

The Athletic previously referred to Redick, Borrego, and Cassell as the Lakers’ “initial leading targets” in their head coaching search. Since then, multiple reports have indicated that people around the NBA view Redick as the frontrunner for the job.

League sources tell Buha and Charania that the Lakers are “infatuated” with Redick’s potential as a head coach, despite his lack of experience. They view him as a “Pat Riley-like coaching prospect” who could thrive both in the short and long-term, The Athletic’s duo adds.

Redick co-hosts a podcast with Lakers star LeBron James, resulting in speculation that his relationship with LeBron is driving his candidacy in Los Angeles. However, James’ agent Rich Paul has insisted that’s not the case, as we relayed this morning. Redick also reportedly received consideration for the Hornets’ coaching job earlier this spring and interviewed with the Raptors in 2023.

Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney have also been mentioned as possible Lakers candidates in recent weeks, but neither was mentioned in The Athletic’s latest report.

Porzingis Won’t Play In Game 1 Of Conference Finals

May 20th, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kristaps Porzingis won’t return for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics big man has been listed as out for the opener against the Pacers on Tuesday, the team’s PR department tweets.

Another frontcourt player, Xavier Tillman, is listed as questionable due to personal reasons.

It’s no surprise Porzingis will remained sidelined. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported over the weekend that Porzingis would likely miss at least the first two games of the conference finals, but there’s optimism he’ll return sometime during the series.

Porzingis has been out with a calf injury since Game 5 of the first round against the Heat on April 30, missing the entirety of Boston’s second-round series against Cleveland. Porzingis has been making progress in his recovery and is increasing his on-court activity.

In 57 regular season games, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest and shot 51.6% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc while helping the Celtics to an NBA-best 64 wins. He was traded by the Wizards to Boston in a three-team blockbuster last summer.

Tillman has only appeared in three postseason games, logging a total of 25 minutes.

NBA Announces 2023/24 All-Rookie Teams

May 20th, 2024 at 1:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA officially unveiled the two All-Rookie teams for the 2023/24 season on Monday (Twitter links). The teams are as follows:

First Team

Chet Holmgren, Thunder
Jaime Jaquez, Heat
Brandon Miller, Hornets
Brandin Podziemski, Warriors
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Second Team

Keyonte George, Jazz
GG Jackson, Grizzlies
Dereck Lively, Mavericks
Amen Thompson, Rockets
Cason Wallace, Thunder

Unsurprisingly, Wembanyama and Holmgren were unanimous selections to the first team (Twitter link). Last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Wembanyama was also the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year, with Holmgren receiving all but one second-place vote for that award.

The entire first team mirrored the Rookie of the Year balloting, with Miller, Jaquez and Podziemski coming in third through fifth. Lively received the most points for the second team, followed by Thompson, George, Wallace and Jackson.

Jackson is the only All-Rookie member who wasn’t drafted in the first round; he was selected 45th overall in 2023 and initially signed a two-way contract. He was converted to a standard contract in February.

The current youngest player in the NBA, Jackson didn’t start receiving regular minutes until mid-January. The 19-year-old put up some big numbers down the stretch though, including 31 points and 44 points in the final two games of the season.

Jackson beat out Warriors big man Trayce Jackson-Davis for the final spot on the second team by a single point. Jackson actually received fewer overall votes (38 vs. 42 for Jackson-Davis), but earned the nod by receiving five first-team votes, which were worth two points apiece (second-team votes were worth one point each).

A total of 22 rookies received at least one vote. Aside from Jackson-Davis, the other top finishers who didn’t make the cut were Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (35 points), Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (33), and Wizards wing Bilal Coulibaly (14). Ausar is Amen’s identical twin brother.

All-Rookie was one of the awards that didn’t require players to meet the newly instituted 65-game minimum. Jackson, Lively, Thompson, and Wallace didn’t meet that criteria, but they were still eligible for All-Rookie honors.

Dan Craig Joins Billy Donovan’s Bulls Staff

May 19th, 2024 at 5:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dan Craig is leaving the Clippers staff to become one of Billy Donovan’s top assistants with the Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

Craig, 43, spent the past four years on Tyronn Lue‘s staff in Los Angeles, having been named the team’s associate head coach in November 2020. He spent the previous four seasons under Erik Spoelstra with the Heat, where he also had a stint as the head coach of the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce.

He’ll team with former Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. as top assistants for Chicago. Unseld’s decision to join the Bulls was reported on Saturday.

The Bulls’ staff was been in a state of flux since the end of the regular season. Josh Longstaff departed to join the Hornets’ staff. Last month, a report surfaced that Chris Fleming would not be retained while Maurice Cheeks would transition to a different role in the organization.

Jalen Brunson Suffers Fractured Left Hand

May 19th, 2024 at 4:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Brunson fractured his left hand during Game 7 of the Knicks–Pacers series, New York PR department tweets.

It was a brutal end to a brilliant season for the Knicks guard. Brunson carried his club throughout the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, averaging 33.7 points and 7.3 assists per contest. He had 17 points and nine assists in 29 minutes before retreating to the locker room during the second half.

New York also lost forward OG Anunoby early in the contest. Anunoby made an early departure after trying to come back from a hamstring strain. He only lasted five minutes.

The Knicks were ravaged by injuries late in the regular season and in the playoffs. Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic were all ruled out for the season due to a variety of ailments. Anunoby had missed the last four games prior to his brief return on Sunday.

Pistons Have Four Frontrunners In Search For President Of Basketball Operations

May 18th, 2024 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Four candidates stood out in the Pistons‘ first round of interviews as they look for a new president of basketball operations, sources tell Vincent Goodwill and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon, former Knicks GM and current ESPN analyst Scott Perry, Mavericks advisor Dennis Lindsey, and Magic senior advisor John Hammond were all impressive in their meetings with the firm that’s conducting the initial search, according to the authors’ sources. They are considered frontrunners to meet with owner Tom Gores, who hopes to hire someone in advance of the draft.

Goodwill and Fischer suggest that Detroit might be waiting to see if Timberwolves president Tim Connelly becomes available before making a final decision, echoing a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic earlier this week. Connelly’s contract includes an opt-out clause at the end of the season, and he may be tempted to leave Minnesota, given the franchise’s unstable ownership situation.

Whoever takes over the Pistons’ front office will determine whether general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams will remain with the team. There are several other important decisions upcoming this offseason, including a possible rookie scale extension for Cade Cunningham and how to spend up to $64MM in cap room.

Several of the top candidates have previous ties to the Pistons organization, the authors note. When Langdon was a player, his agent was Arn Tellem, who now serves as the team’s vice chairman. Perry is a Detroit native who got his first executive job with the Pistons in 2000 and served as vice president of basketball operations from 2008-12. Hammond was formerly an assistant coach and assistant general manager in Detroit.

Wes Unseld Jr. Joining Bulls As Top Assistant

May 18th, 2024 at 11:02am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. has agreed to join the Bulls as Billy Donovan‘s top assistant, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (Twitter link). Unseld went 77-130 in two-and-a-half seasons as head coach of Washington.

Before earning the top spot in Washington, Unseld was a longtime assistant on various NBA coaching staffs. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the Wizards from 2005-11 before joining the Warriors for a season and then being part of the Magic’s staff from 2012-15.

Unseld was hired as an assistant in Denver in 2015 and spent the next six seasons with the Nuggets, earning a promotion to associate head coach during that time. Unseld helped the Nuggets improve and was instrumental in allowing Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to develop and flourish.

Unseld was named Washington’s head coach in 2021, giving him the chance to coach the franchise his Hall of Fame father played for and bringing his own career full circle. The Wizards went 35-47 in both of his first two seasons, missing the playoffs both years. This year, he went 7-36 before being replaced by Brian Keefe.

Unseld wasn’t technically fired this season. Instead, he was reassigned to an advisory role in the front office. As we relayed in January, Wizards executive Michael Winger made sure to applaud Unseld for the strides several players made in their development during his tenure. Now, he’s departing the organization to resume his coaching career.

As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports (Twitter link), Bulls PR officially announced the move. According to Johnson, the Bulls had been seeking someone with head coaching experience to work under Donovan, and Unseld was a candidate for Chicago’s head coaching job in 2020 before Donovan became available.

Kristaps Porzingis Likely Out For Start Of ECF, Could Return In Series

May 17th, 2024 at 7:36pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is expected to remain out for Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which will take place on Tuesday and Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. However, there is optimism that Porzingis will be able to return later in the series, barring any setbacks.

Porzingis has been out with a calf injury since Game 5 of the first round against the Heat on April 30, missing the entirety of Boston’s second-round series against Cleveland.

Al Horford — who racked up 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in Game 5 against Cleveland — has been starting in Porzingis’ place.

According to Wojnarowski, Porzingis has been making progress in his recovery and is increasing his on-court activity, but still needs time before he’s considered ready to play.

In 57 regular season games, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and shot 51.6% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc while helping the Celtics to an NBA-best 64 wins.

Outside of the Porzingis injury, the Celtics have stayed healthy through the first two rounds of the playoffs. The big man was the only player listed on the team’s injury report prior to Game 5 on Wednesday.

Boston will take on the winner of the Knicks-Pacers series, with Game 6 of the series being played on Thursday night. New York leads the series 3-2.

Spurs Haven’t Shown Much Interest In Trae Young

May 16th, 2024 at 9:24am CST by Dana Gauruder

Trae Young could be an ideal fit for the Spurs. However, San Antonio has thus far shown little interest in acquiring the Hawks point guard, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer’s story echoes a couple other reports from the past month that have downplayed the idea of Young ending up in San Antonio.

The Hawks, who unexpectedly landed the top overall pick via the draft lottery, are widely expected to consider trade scenarios that would break up their backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray. Atlanta scoured the league to gauge interest in all of its players prior to February’s trade deadline with the exception of forward Jalen Johnson, Fischer notes.

San Antonio has no clear long-term floor leader and it’s expected the Spurs will explore their options to find a pick-and-roll partner for Victor Wembanyama. Yet multiple league figures tell Fischer that San Antonio’s interest in trading for Young has been vastly overstated.

The two teams could be doing some business together this summer, whether or not it involves Young. San Antonio holds the No. 4 and No. 8 picks, making it a natural trade partner if the Hawks choose to move down. The franchises, of course, completed the Murray blockbuster two summers ago and Atlanta’s front office duo of general manager Landry Fields and assistant GM Onsi Saleh began their careers in the Spurs’ front office.

As for Young, the Lakers hold some interest in him and now have three first-rounders available to trade. Los Angeles will have to consider other options before committing any type of capital for Young, Fischer adds, though Donovan Mitchell might be off the table if he signs an extension.

The Lakers are still pondering their coaching options and they might wait until next month to make that hire, Fischer confirms in a separate story. That’s primarily due to their interest in J.J. Redick. His current obligation to ESPN/ABC for the network’s postseason schedule and NBA Finals has various insiders under the impression Los Angeles’ search may stretch into June, as Marc Stein previously reported.

The Lakers have numerous candidates on their list, but James Borrego has been widely categorized as the experienced, veteran foil to Redick’s candidacy, Fischer writes. The former Hornets head man and current Pelicans assistant has maintained close ties with Anthony Davis since Davis was a rookie and Borrego was an assistant for the then-Hornets.

In other coaching news, Mike Brown’s contract extension talks with the Kings are expected to center around an eight-figure threshold and a Tom Thibodeau extension with the Knicks is also expected to reach those figures, Fischer notes.

“Growing Sentiment” Mitchell Will Sign Extension With Cavs

May 15th, 2024 at 11:59pm CST by Rory Maher

While there are reportedly teams waiting to make trade offers for him if he decides not to sign, there is a “growing sentiment” around the NBA that Donovan Mitchell will wind up inking a maximum-salary extension with the Cavaliers this offseason, according to Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

A four-year extension for Mitchell is projected to be worth $200MM+. A new deal would require Mitchell to decline his $37.1MM player option for 2025/26.

A five-time All-Star, Mitchell played at an All-NBA level again in his second season with Cleveland, averaging 26.6 PPG and career highs of 5.1 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.8 SPG. However, the 27-year-old was limited to 55 games, largely due to a left knee injury, and is thus ineligible for an All-NBA nod.

Even if he had made an All-NBA team, Mitchell would have been ineligible for a super-max extension, since he was traded from Utah to Cleveland two years after signing his rookie scale extension.

Mitchell signing a new long-term deal with the Cavs after they gave up a major haul of assets to acquire him two years ago is theoretically a major positive for the organization. However, sources tell The Athletic that if Mitchell re-ups with Cleveland, Darius Garland‘s agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, “would have a conversation with Cavs officials on potentially finding a new home for the one-time All-Star.”

The fit of Garland and Mitchell, two diminutive guards who are at their best with the ball in their hands, has long been a question mark. The same is true of the big man pairing of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

According to The Athletic’s trio, Wasserman, which represents Mobley, tried to convince Cleveland not to draft him a few years ago — the agency wanted him to land with the Thunder, who unsuccessfully tried to trade for Cleveland’s (at the time) No. 3 overall pick. The Cavs ignored that ploy, and have maintained a “healthy and positive” relationship with Mobley and his representatives since then.

Mobley, 22, is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in ’22/23.

As for Allen, the former All-Star is coming off a strong season and is on a very reasonable contract ($40MM over the next two seasons). But the rib contusion that sidelined him for the team’s final eight playoff games reportedly “caused frustration toward him in at least some corners of the organization with teammates and staff members who felt he could have done more” to attempt to suit up — according to The Athletic, Allen “refused an injection to try and numb the pain to play.”