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Hawks, Magic To Play Regular Season Game In Mexico City

July 26th, 2023 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks and Magic will face one another in the NBA’s 2023 Mexico City Game, the league announced today in a press release. The regular season contest will take place on Thursday, November 9 at the Arena CDMX.

According to the NBA’s announcement, it will be the league’s 32nd game played in Mexico since 1992, including both the regular season and preseason. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, no country has hosted more NBA games during that time.

The Magic have competed a few times in Mexico City, including twice during the 2018/19 season, but it will be the Hawks’ first visit to the city.

Mexico City has been a frequent destination for NBA regular season games in recent years. The league held a pair of regular season contests in the city each year for four consecutive seasons from 2016-19. Following a COVID-related hiatus, the NBA returned to Mexico last December, when Miami faced San Antonio.

The Spurs participated in each of the two most recent games in Mexico City, but it appears that fans south of the border won’t get the opportunity to see No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama in person during his rookie year, assuming the league doesn’t have plans to separately announce a second Mexico City game.

The NBA will play at least two regular season contests outside of the U.S. and Canada in 2023/24 — the league announced a week ago that Brooklyn and Cleveland would square off in Paris.

Southeast Notes: Ball, Highsmith, Muscala, Magic

July 20th, 2023 at 8:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball signed a five-year, maximum-salary designated rookie extension, worth up to a projected $260MM, with Charlotte earlier this summer.

During a press conference with gathered reporters, Ball and team president and general manager Mitch Kupchak spoke about the new agreement, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.

“The decision, it wasn’t really hard,” Ball, the third draft pick in 2020, said. “All my years here I’ve had a good time. Life wasn’t bad. The basketball aspect, that’s not really going well. You kind of want to live your life and just have fun and just be living well. So in Charlotte I was doing that, so it just all felt like a great choice.”

Ball was limited to just 36 contests with the Hornets in 2022/23 due to ankle injuries, but was prolific on offense when he did play. The 6’7″ guard averaged 23.3 PPG on .411/.376/.836 shooting splits, along with 8.4 APG and 6.4 RPG. Charlotte has yet to make the playoffs during Ball’s NBA career.

“To have a player of LaMelo’s caliber with his game, with his youth, we know he is going to get better as a player,” Kupchak said. “He’s here every day. He certainly had a setback last year, but in terms of healing, he’s been 100 percent healed and he’s been on the court working out every single day trying to get better.”

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Heat forward Haywood Highsmith recently saw his $1.9MM salary for the 2023/24 season become fully guaranteed, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s a good step in the right direction for me,” Highsmith told Chiang. “Still developing, still trying to get better and big things coming for me, I hope. I’ve been working hard this offseason, so it’s definitely a good step in the right direction.” Former Miami teammate Udonis Haslem, now retired, unpacked how Highsmith approaches the game. “Undersized, not a guy who you’re going to run a lot of plays for, has to be efficient,” Haslem said. “His approach is a defensive-minded approach, so he takes the challenge every night. He’s just my guy.”
Despite a winless five-game 2023 Summer League run, the Magic were able to learn about their two rookie lottery selections, while in turn educating No. 6 pick Anthony Black and No. 11 pick Jett Howard about the team’s own approach to its internal dynamics, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “From everybody in the front office to the coaching staff to the players, everybody’s locked in,” Howard said, “We just met each other but we still had the willingness to keep fighting and sticking together. “Even down the stretch when we’re losing, we’re still cognate for one another. We showed up and worked hard in training camp. All of those things just make a culture.”
On the cusp of his 11th NBA season, 32-year-old Wizards big man Mike Muscala isn’t taking his longevity for granted, writes Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune. “As a young athlete, you’re always striving for something,” Muscala said. “It’s like, ‘I want to do this. I want to compete against this person.’ There’s still a lot of value in that. But once you kind of check those boxes, it’s like, now what? When you’re grateful for whatever situation you’re in and the opportunities you have, that’s been motivating me.”

Magic Sign Admiral Schofield To Two-Way Contract

July 20th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Rory Maher

5:46pm: The re-signing of Schofield to a two-way deal is now official, per a Magic press release (Twitter link).

12:15pm: Free agent forward Admiral Schofield is re-signing with the Magic on a two-way contract, agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussakis tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

A second-round pick in 2019 out of Tennessee, Schofield began his professional career with the Wizards but spent most of the past two seasons with the Magic, providing depth in Orlando’s frontcourt.

In 2022/23, he averaged 4.2 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .451/.324/.913 shooting in 37 games (12.2 MPG).

The 26-year-old had been on a two-way contract for most of his time with Orlando until he was promoted to a standard deal in February. His multiyear contract included a team option for ’23/24, which the Magic declined in late June, making Schofield an unrestricted free agent.

Once Schofield’s new contract is official, the Magic will have 15 players on their standard roster and two of their three two-way spots filled. Guard Kevon Harris occupies the other two-way slot.

NBA teams are permitted to roster 21 players in the offseason as opposed to 18 once the regular season begins(15 on standard deals and three two-way contracts).

Magic Trade Three Second-Rounders To Suns For 2026 Pick Swap

July 17th, 2023 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 17: The draft-pick trade is now official, the Magic announced (via Twitter).

JULY 16: The Magic and Suns have agreed to a draft-pick trade that will send three second-rounders from Orlando to Phoenix in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick swap, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The Suns have already given the Wizards the right to swap first-round picks in 2026 as part of their Bradley Beal blockbuster, so the Magic will get the opportunity to swap their own 2026 first-rounder for the least favorable of Phoenix’s and Washington’s two picks. The Suns will end up with the worst of the three picks.

The three second-round picks headed to Phoenix in the trade are as follows, per Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link):

The Nuggets’ 2024 second-rounder.
The least favorable of the Magic’s, Pistons’, and Bucks’ 2026 second-rounders.
The Celtics’ 2028 second-rounder (top-45 protected).

It’s a fascinating deal, and the third one of its kind that we’ve seen made this offseason. The Suns and Grizzlies completed a similar trade involving three second-rounders and first-round pick swaps in 2024 and 2030. The Spurs gave up multiple second-rounders in a three-team deal with Dallas and Boston in order to gain the right to swap 2030 first-round picks with the Mavericks.

The Suns are essentially betting on their own continued success in order to replenish their collection of second-round picks, which was depleted in the Beal trade. As long as Phoenix is among the NBA’s best teams, those swaps should’t amount to much, in which case the Suns are essentially adding second-round picks for free.

The Magic, meanwhile, are betting on their own ascent, and gambling against the sustained success of the Suns and the retooling project in Washington. The hope in Orlando is that the Magic will have moved up far enough in the standings by 2026 that they’ll get to take advantage of their swap rights in order to move up at least a few spots in the first round of the draft.

Magic Willing To Gamble On Themselves

July 16th, 2023 at 9:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic felt comfortable trading away second-round picks to the Suns because they have a large stash of draft assets, Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando has eight first-round picks and 12 second-rounders through the next seven drafts. In a trade that’s not yet official, the Magic are sending Phoenix three second-rounders to have the right to swap their own 2026 first-rounder for the least favorable of Phoenix’s and Washington’s two picks. Orlando is essentially gambling on its own future success.

Raptors Rumors: Herro, Siakam, Point Guard

July 15th, 2023 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors are among the teams that have conveyed “exploratory” interest in Heat guard Tyler Herro as part of the multi-team trade discussions involving the Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Toronto lost Fred VanVleet in free agency, and lottery pick Gradey Dick is just 19 years old and may not be ready for a significant rotation role as a rookie, so it makes sense that the team would be on the lookout for another backcourt player who can make outside shots.

The Raptors’ 33.5% three-point percentage last season ranked 28th in the NBA. The club also possesses the sort of expiring contracts that might appeal more to the Blazers in a Lillard trade than Herro’s four-year deal would.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Given how frequently the Hawks have been frequently linked to Pascal Siakam this offseason, rival executives are curious about how Atlanta might build an offer for the Raptors forward, Scotto says. Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic are currently ineligible to be traded due to recently signed extensions, and Clint Capela likely wouldn’t appeal to a Toronto team that just re-signed Jakob Poeltl. It’s unclear if a package centered around De’Andre Hunter would be strong enough for the Raptors, Scotto notes, especially since the Hawks have limited draft capital to offer after having already traded away multiple future first-round picks.
Although the Magic have been rumored as a possible suitor for Siakam, a league source who spoke to Scotto believes that’s more “noise than substance,” since Orlando has Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner locked into the forward spots and wouldn’t be inclined to move either player.
There was some skepticism among league personnel at the Las Vegas Summer League that the Raptors will ultimately trade Siakam, according to Scotto. “Toronto always does the same thing,” one scout told HoopsHype. “They dangle their guys, and then they pull them back.”
The Raptors are mulling the possibility of adding another point guard in free agency, per Scotto. The team signed Dennis Schröder, who will presumably replace VanVleet in the starting lineup, but doesn’t have a reliable backup at that spot.

Jett Howard Would've Put Off NBA For Another Year If Father Recommended It

July 14th, 2023 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, new Magic guard Jett Howard – the No. 11 pick in last month’s draft – said he likely would have stayed in college for another year if he hadn’t gotten the blessing of his father (Juwan Howard) to go pro. “If my dad told me to come back another year, I probably would’ve,” Jett said. “It being my dream is the reason I came out. This has always been my main dream. But you actually have to be honest with yourself and ask people if you’re ready. My dad said I’m ready now.”

Moritz Wagner Waived Right To Veto Trade

July 13th, 2023 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

Isaiah Stewart‘s four-year, $60MM extension with the Pistons and Moritz Wagner‘s two-year, $16MM deal with the Magic each have flat annual cap hits – $15MM each year for Stewart and $8MM each year for Wagner – with team options on the final season. As previously reported, Stewart’s deal also includes $1MM per year in incentives, so it could be worth up to $64MM. Meanwhile, as part of his agreement with Orlando, Wagner waived his right to veto a trade during the 2023/24 season, becoming the third player to do so under the new CBA.

Magic Re-Sign Moritz Wagner

July 11th, 2023 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 11: The signing is official, the team’s PR department tweets. A league source tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) that the second year of Wagner’s deal is a team option.

JULY 1: The Magic are re-signing unrestricted free agent forward/center Moritz Wagner, agent Jason Glushon tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wagner will receive a two-year, $16MM contract, Woj adds.

Wagner, 26, has been a rotation regular for the Magic over the last two seasons, averaging 9.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.4 APG on .499/.321/.826 shooting in 120 games (17.2 MPG).

Returning to Orlando will give Wagner the opportunity to continue playing alongside his brother Franz Wagner, who was the Magic’s lottery pick in 2021 and has emerged as a building block for the franchise.

Because Moritz has a minimum-salary cap hold and full Bird rights, the Magic will be able to use up all their cap room before going over the cap to complete his deal, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. Orlando could also still choose to operate as an over-the-cap team this season, since Joe Ingles‘ reported two-year, $22MM deal would fit into the mid-level exception.

It’s unclear whether the second year of Wagner’s contract will be guaranteed. The Magic have made a habit during the last two offseasons of signing free agents to two-year deals with only one guaranteed year, taking that route with Mohamed Bamba, Gary Harris, and (reportedly) Ingles.

NBA Reveals Dates, Groups For In-Season Tournament

July 8th, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA has announced the five-team groups that will used for the league’s first-ever in-season tournament, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The unveiling took place Saturday during a special episode of ESPN’s “NBA Today” held at “NBA Con” in Las Vegas.

The groups were determined in a draw similar to what is used in soccer’s World Cup. There are six groups — three each from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference — and each conference was split into five pots based on last season’s standings. One team was randomly selected from each of the pots to determine the opening-round matchups.

The results are:

Group 1: Sixers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pacers and Pistons.
Group 2: Bucks, Knicks, Heat, Wizards and Hornets.
Group 3: Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Bulls and Magic.
Group 4: Grizzlies, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Trail Blazers.
Group 5: Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans, Mavericks and Rockets.
Group 6: Kings, Warriors, Timberwolves, Thunder and Spurs.

The tournament will start with group play, which will match each team with the other four in its grouping. Those games will take place on Nov. 3, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28.

The winner of each group will advance to a knockout round, joined by the team with the best record in each conference among those who didn’t win a group. Quarterfinal games will be played Dec. 4 and 5, hosted by the higher-seeded teams. The four winners in that round will move on to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the Dec. 7 semifinals and the Dec. 9 championship game.

Bontemps points out that all teams will play within their conference until the last game, which guarantees an East vs. West matchup, just like the NBA Finals.

“Everybody’s not going to buy in right away,” admitted Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations. “So that can’t be the goal that everybody’s going to buy in from day one. These things take time. And I think, as time goes on, I think you can build this up and people can really get into it.”

The championship trophy will be called the NBA Cup, and players will receive $500K each for winning it. Other prize money includes $200K for second place, $100K for losing in the semifinals and $50K for losing in the quarterfinals. The league opted not to provide other incentives, such as a guaranteed playoff spot, for the tournament winner.

We passed along more details on the in-season tournament right here.