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International Notes: Olympics, Sneaker Deals, Wemby, Exum, Birch

July 28th, 2024 at 9:15pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Thirteen of the top 20 highest earners in the Paris Olympics are NBA players, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. They aren’t paid to play by the NBA or any Olympic committee, but players earn money through their shoe contracts from companies like Nike or Under Armour.

Sneaker companies have bonuses for games played in the Olympics because players using them are putting their products on a global stage. Adidas, for example, earns 76% of its revenue outside of North America.

Nike has a major presence in the Olympics since they’re a longtime sponsor of USA Basketball. Converse, a Nike-owned brand, recently extended Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and expects to launch his signature shoe in 2025. He was named creative director as part of the deal.

Countries can also shell out money for performance incentives. For example, Serbia has one of the largest gold medal bonuses for players, meaning Nikola Jokic would be eligible for $215K if Serbia were to win gold.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Victor Wembanyama has become the face of French basketball at a young age and he’s carried that into the Olympics in his home country, Andrew Lopez of ESPN writes. France lost by five points in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 without Wembanyama and took home its first silver medal since 2000. Now, with him on board, the host country is aiming to take home the gold in 2024.
Mavericks guard Dante Exum is returning from a right index finger injury and missed Australia’s Olympic game against Spain. However, according to Sportando, there is “growing optimism” about Exum’s return for his country’s game against Canada on Tuesday.
Former NBAer Khem Birch served as an “insider” for Canada’s win against Greece since he played for Greek club Olympiacos, according to Eurohoops.net. “It’s definitely gold or nothing,” Birch said of Canada’s Olympic chances. “That’s the number one goal. I think we have a lot of parity in the Olympics right now. I think anyone can win it. so we have a big chance.”

Community Shootaround: Underrated Remaining Free Agents

July 28th, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Tristan Tucker

For the most part, standard roster spots across the league have dried up with the bulk of the top free agents having decided their destinations earlier in July. And some of the teams that do have open roster spots seem to be maneuvering to bring back some of the bigger names remaining in free agency.

Take the Grizzlies for example, who salary dumped Ziaire Williams in a move that seems to be setting up a return for Luke Kennard, one of the top players still available. The Cavaliers have three open standard roster spots, but figure to fill one or more of them once Isaac Okoro‘s restricted free agency is resolved (whether they’re keeping flexibility for a sign-and-trade or simply plan to bring him back remains to be seen). The Knicks, likewise, are the most likely destination for Precious Achiuwa but could still execute a sign-and-trade.

The remaining players on our top-50 list are Okoro (No. 20), Kennard (No. 29), Achiuwa (No. 37), Markelle Fultz (No. 43), Cedi Osman (No. 46) and Gordon Hayward (No. 49). While teams seem to have at least some level of plans in place for the top few remaining free agents, there are several others who have found recent success in the NBA and could help teams, but who appear to have been overlooked to this point.

A pair of Nets guards in Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr. are among the free agents who haven’t found new homes. Both are still relatively young and have shown promise in their careers. Smith, in particular, established himself as one of the better backcourt defenders in the league in his season with Charlotte in 2022/23, but he didn’t catch on for the long term. Walker has shown an ability to score in bunches and averaged 9.7 points in just 17.4 minutes last season (20.1 points per 36).

Likewise, Jordan Nwora is a young wing who can score in a pinch, but he hasn’t been brought back by the Raptors to this point. Though he’s shown flashes in Milwaukee, Indiana and Toronto, Nwora’s NBA future is unknown at this point. In 206 career appearances, the former No. 45 overall pick has averaged 7.6 points per game.

Talen Horton-Tucker made 11 starts for the Jazz last season and averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 assists per contest. While it’s possible the Jazz continue to develop the 23-year-old, there has been no indication so far that he remains in their plans.

Other young players like Omer Yurtseven, Dominick Barlow and Brandon Boston Jr. have had moments in the league, but none have found homes this offseason.

Davis Bertans feels likely to end up signing a deal with a contender, but his name hasn’t come up much in free agent conversations. Though he isn’t young, Bertans seemed to rehabilitate his value with Charlotte after averages 20.8 minutes last year after being acquired at the deadline, and he shot 37.5% from three on 6.3 attempts per game.

To be clear, the perceived lack of a market for the aforementioned players isn’t necessarily surprising. Tyus Jones and Gary Trent, though they reportedly passed on more lucrative offers, ended up only signing for the minimum. Teams are impacted by the CBA’s recent tax apron changes and a smaller-than-usual cap increase, resulting in a slower free agency this season.

Still, there’s always value to be found across professional basketball, and plenty of talented players are available to be signed by teams.

We want your input. Who do you think are the most underrated remaining free agents? Are there any players you feel are unfairly overlooked? Is there anyone we forgot?

Head to the comment section to let us know! We look forward to hearing your input.

Kevin Durant Discusses Olympic Return, Opener Performance

July 28th, 2024 at 7:03pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Suns and Team USA forward Kevin Durant made his return to the U.S. Olympic team after missing the exhibition slate of games with a calf injury. He impressed right away, scoring 23 points while making eight of his nine shot attempts in under 17 minutes of play on Sunday, as detailed by Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr planned on easing Durant in the rotation, but the star forward forced Kerr’s hand with his strong play. He scored five three-pointers in the first half and didn’t miss a shot until the fourth quarter. The Americans defeated Serbia 110-84.

Durant opened up about his return, including how he felt after his outstanding game.

“I was tired, I’m not gonna lie to you,” Durant said after the game. “My lungs were getting used to that, the intensity of the game, but it felt good to make some shots. I think everybody played their role pretty well tonight. My role was to come and provide spacing and shot making for the team and glad I was able to knock them down.”

Below are more highlights from Durant’s comments to reporters, as gathered by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and BasketNews.

On coming off the bench in the Olympic opener:

“I’ve [come off the bench] a couple of times in the NBA — three times. That’s enough for me to just kind of lean on those times. You know, that’s what I thought about as I was coming in, just staying ready mentally, staying focused on what the game plan is. And when I come in, don’t make the game about myself. Try to add to the team. And tonight I was able to [do that].

“I told Coach [Kerr], whatever he needs from me, I’m willing to do anything and adapt to anything. So it’s always been fun trying to figure out new roles and just adapt to whatever the game tells you to do.”

On having LeBron James back on the Olympic Team:

“I’m so grateful to have him back. We missed him in the last two Olympics. He puts fear in the other team. I think that goes a long way, the psyche of the game, so he’s running downhill, making the right plays on the offense and defensive end. He’s just insane, and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

On whether today’s win is the best game Team USA has played this summer:

“I just think all of those games and those practices leading up until today prepared us. Coach has been doing a great job of keeping us on our toes and letting us know how important each day is, so we try to come together pretty quickly I think the beauty of tonight is we played a lot of random basketball on the offensive side.

“Defensively, we were talking to one another throughout the whole game, so that communication and that random basketball made us tough to stop. So we continue to build on this and see where we can go.”

On playing in front of fans and how it compares to the Tokyo Olympics that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic:

“[It was] incredible. 27,000 [fans]. I looked around, and I saw so many different NBA jerseys in the stands. I just love when the game of basketball can bring people from all over the world, different walks of life together like this. [Tokyo] seems like so long ago. The era of the world seems like it was just 20 years ago, and also to see so many people in here supporting the game of basketball.”

Western Notes: Morant, Clark, Stackhouse, Suns

July 28th, 2024 at 5:38pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant only made nine appearances last season after missing the first 25 games of the year due to a suspension and then his final 48 with a shoulder injury. Speaking to reporters on Thursday (Twitter link via WPSD’s Logan Whaley), Morant asserted he was about 75% healthy ahead of next season and sent a warning to the rest of the league.

“I feel like that’s still scary for whoever’s in front of me,” Morant said.

Memphis suffered a litany of injuries last season, with 33 players seeing playing time for the organization after various hardship signings. Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart played just 71 combined games and only two Grizzlies players appeared in 60 or more games.

If Morant comes back healthy, the Grizzlies will almost certainly factor into the Western playoff picture. The team won 50 or more games in the two seasons prior to 2023/24 and while last season was disappointing, the openings created by the injuries allowed young players like Vince Williams and GG Jackson to emerge as rotation options.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

Timberwolves two-way guard Jaylen Clark missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, but the UCLA product was all smiles even amid a tougher-than-expected first summer league with the team, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. The 53rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, Clark might not see much playing time on a contending Wolves roster, but he’s happy to simply be back on the court. He earned praises from his coaching staff in Las Vegas. “What I like about him is he picks up early and he’s very strong,” Wolves assistant and summer league head coach Chris Hines said. “He stands up guys. For him, it’s just finding how to drive and kick and get back to respace, set his feet and shoot the ball.“
Jerry Stackhouse was expecting to sit out a year from coaching after exiting from Vanderbilt, but the Warriors called him and he impressed Steve Kerr, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater details. “I don’t think the timing could’ve been more perfect for me,” Stackhouse said of joining the team as an assistant. The Warriors are reportedly excited to be bringing in a former player and plan on having Stackhouse run the team’s defensive schemes.
The Suns‘ ’23/24 season went far from expected, as the team bowed out in the first round of the playoffs following the formation of a “big three” consisting of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. In a subscriber-only story, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic breaks down his predictions and projections for next season. The Suns improved by adding Tyus Jones and generally did well in addressing their depth but as Rankin observes, it will be difficult to climb the standings if the likes of Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Dallas continue on their current trajectories along with mainstays like Denver.

International Notes: Burke, Gates, Korkmaz, Kagame

July 28th, 2024 at 4:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran guard Trey Burke, who has spent nine seasons in the NBA, signed on with Puerto Rican club Mets de Guaynabo, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando.

The former All-Rookie First Teamer out of Michigan played for the Jazz, Wizards, Knicks, Mavericks and Sixers from 2013-22, posting averages of 9.6 points, 3.1 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game across 498 total regular season contests .

Burke has been tooling around the G League for the past two years, first with the Stockton Kings and then with the Mexico City Capitanes. In 10 Showcase Cup contests with the Capitanes last season, the 6’1″ vet posted averages of 21.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per night, with a shooting line of .465/.429/.864.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Former Pelicans small forward Kaiser Gates has inked a contract with Spanish club Joventut Badalona, according to a press release from the team. After going undrafted out of Xavier in 2018, the 6’7″ wing mostly played in the G League for the affiliates of the Bulls, Celtics, and Nets. He also suited up for Israeli club Hapoel Jerusalem in 2021/22. Gates was briefly on a two-way deal with New Orleans during the ’23/24 season, though he appeared in just one game before being waived.
Former Sixers swingman Furkan Korkmaz could be nearing a deal with French club AS Monaco Basket, reports Kevin Martorano of Sportando. After suiting up for multiple pro teams in his native Turkey, the 6’7″ swingman was selected with the No. 26 pick by Philadelphia in 2016. He was finally dealt to the Pacers at the February trade deadline, as part of a three-team deal to acquire Buddy Hield. Indiana cut him a day after the trade.
As the NBA has looked to broaden its brand recently, it appears to have gotten into business with a man seen by many as a dictator, per Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN. Rwandan president Paul Kagame, considered guilty of major human rights violations by the U.S. State Department, negotiated a new $104MM basketball facility for the country as part of the league’s growing NBA Africa business. “The conversations that we’ve had with Paul Kagame have all been about improving the lives of Rwandan people,” league deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said of the relationship. “How can we create, how can we inspire and connect people through the game of basketball to make Rwandan peoples’ lives better.”

Olympic Notes: Embiid, Ivey, Jones, Tatum

July 28th, 2024 at 3:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Seven-time All-Star Sixers center Joel Embiid had a major decision to make ahead of his 2024 Olympics debut. The big man was born in Cameroon, holds French citizenship, and of course had the option to make a stacked Team USA even more loaded, writes Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Having a family here and living here half of my life… it made sense,” Embiid explained to reporters while Team USA prepared for the Olympics in Las Vegas.

Former Sixers head coach Brett Brown told Sielski that he sometimes talked to Embiid about the Olympics during his time in Philadelphia and thought the star center might want a chance to display his greatness by going up against the U.S. on an international stage.

“Then all of a sudden, you could feel like the U.S. having a chance to be an option,” Brown said. “Previously, I did not think that. I think what’s happened over time is that he well and truly sees himself as the United States being his home.”

There’s more from the Olympics:

After beating Puerto Rico 90-79 for the first Olympic victory in his country’s history, South Sudan head coach Royal Ivey has been reveling in the moment, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “This is a movie, my life is a movie right now,” Ivey said. “Being in the Olympics, and getting our first win, I’m proud of my players, one through 12, everybody contributed. This is so, so real, I couldn’t experience anything better than this. And I’m so thankful for the opportunity, I thank you all, and I thank my coaching staff, [South Sudan Basketball Federation president] Luol Deng, everyone.” Ivey is currently a Rockets assistant coach.
South Sudan point guard Carlik Jones powered the club to its victory over Puerto Rico, notching 19 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, Barkas writes in another piece. During the team’s Olympics opening-night presentation, Sudan’s national anthem was played instead of South Sudan’s. South Sudan separated from Sudan as its own country in 2011. “I’ll say it added more fuel to the fire,” Jones said. “I feel like a lot of people don’t think we belong. A lot of people think that we don’t deserve to be here. But if you ask me, I think we have every right to be here. And, you know, we’re confident. We’re confident in the team. We’re confident in what we’ve done so far. And we just know we’ve got to keep going.”
During Team USA’s 110-84 victory over Team Serbia in its first game of the Paris Olympics, head coach Steve Kerr did not play All-NBA Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum for a single second. Tatum confirmed to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he was not injured or sick (Twitter link). Speaking post-game, Kerr explained his decision to make Tatum a healthy scratch, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “It’s really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys,” Kerr said. All-NBA Suns power forward Kevin Durant, who had missed all five of Team USA’s exhibition games with a calf injury, returned to the lineup and seemingly absorbed Tatum’s minutes off the bench. He scored 23 points while shooting 8-of-9 from the floor across a scant 17 minutes. “With Kevin coming back, I just went to the combinations that I felt made the most sense,” Kerr added. “It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I wanted to get to.”

Knicks Notes: Odds, Jokubaitis, Backup Center

July 28th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Oddsmakers have given the Knicks their highest projected win total since the 1993/94 preseason, according to Dylan Svoboda of The New York Post. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, New York’s projected over/under line is set at 53.5 victories. In ’93/94, they were projected to win 56 games. They racked up 57 victories and advanced all the way to the Finals.

Only once in the 21st century have the Knicks previously been projected to win 50 or more games in a season, in 2012/13. They won 54 contests that year and fell in the second round of the postseason.

Last year’s Knicks surpassed preseason expectations, thanks in large part to an All-NBA Second Team turn from point guard Jalen Brunson and a third All-Star season from power forward Julius Randle, plus a utilitarian, switchable rotation around that dynamic duo.

Among preseason over/unders, New York trails only the reigning champion Celtics, whose line is listed at 58.5, wins and the Thunder, who are at 56.5 wins. Boston and Oklahoma City were the top seeds in their respective conferences last season.

There’s more out of New York:

Draft-and-stash prospect Rokas Jokubaitis played in the Las Vegas Summer League for New York this month for the second time since being drafted by the team in 2021. When it became apparent that there was no roster space available for him, the 6’4″ guard inked a three-season deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a deal which includes an NBA out every year until August 1, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link).
With former Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein departing for the Thunder this summer, Mitchell Robinson projects to return to the starting lineup for New York, which doesn’t have an obvious No. 2 option at the five. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the team doesn’t necessarily need to address that issue by finding a permanent solution this offseason. Re-signing free agent big man Precious Achiuwa, who can play small-ball center, could be a short-term fix and the Knicks could revisit the trade market during the season, Katz writes.
In case you missed it, former Pistons assistant coach Mark Bryant is joining head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s staff.

Pistons Notes: Holland, Cap Room, Potapenko, Roster Upgrades

July 28th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons have used a rookie in their opening-night starting lineup for the past four seasons, but Ron Holland isn’t likely to continue that tradition, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes in a mailbag column. Holland was a high lottery pick — like Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson — but he may not have an opportunity to contribute right away on an improved roster.

Tobias Harris will claim one starting forward spot after signing a two-year, $52MM deal in free agency. Holland will battle for minutes with Thompson, Simone Fontecchio, Tim Hardaway Jr. and possibly Isaiah Stewart if he’s not used exclusively as a center. Sankofa points out that Fontecchio and Hardaway are among the team’s most effective outside shooters, so at least one of them should be on the court most of the time.

Sankofa called Holland “electric” during the Las Vegas Summer League and states that his defensive prowess and play-making should give him a bright NBA future. However, there may not be a path to regular playing time until Hardaway’s contract expires next summer.

There’s more from Detroit:

The Pistons are still in position to take on an unwanted contract in exchange for draft assets, Sankofa adds in the same piece. New head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon expressed a willingness to get involved in those type of deals, but so far it’s only happened with the addition of Hardaway. Sankofa points out that Detroit still has about $11.5MM in remaining cap room, along with a $7.9MM room exception. He expects opportunities to arise before the February deadline to become the third team in a trade and help facilitate a deal.
Vitaly Potapenko will become an assistant to new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The longtime NBA center transitioned to coaching in 2009 after his playing career ended, and he spent the past six years as an assistant in Memphis.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report lists the Pistons as one of the most improved teams during the offseason. In addition to adding Harris, Holland and Hardaway, Detroit also signed Malik Beasley in free agency and claimed Paul Reed off waivers.

Tyus Jones Expected To Start At Point Guard For Suns

July 28th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Tyus Jones is expected to take over as the Suns‘ starting point guard after reaching an agreement with the team on Saturday, writes Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports.

Jones will earn $3MM on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, opting to take less money for the chance to play for a contender. In a statement to ESPN on Saturday, he indicated that he expects to start in Phoenix.

In the same story, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports hears that Grayson Allen will likely be moved to a bench role to open up a starting spot for Jones. Allen was the NBA’s top three-point shooter last season, connecting at 46.1% on 5.9 attempts per game.

Jones, who has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio for the past five seasons, will bring a steadying presence to a Phoenix team that played without a true point guard last season. He’ll take some of the ball-handling duties away from Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, allowing them to focus on their traditional roles on offense.

The Suns also signed Monte Morris this summer and added Collin Gillespie on a two-way deal, giving new head coach Mike Budenholzer plenty of depth at point guard.

Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic examines Phoenix’s options in the wake of the signing, noting that a team with Jones, Beal and Booker in the starting lineup would have issues with both size and defense. That’s a greater concern because Jusuf Nurkic isn’t really a shot blocker in the middle, Rankin states, and Durant would be counted on to be the best defender on the starting unit at age 36.

Rankin suggests that another option is to start Royce O’Neale, who excels as a perimeter defender, but that would likely mean bringing Beal off the bench. Beal could provide instant offense in a sixth-man role, but it might be hard to sell him on it since he’s making $50MM this season and has been a starter throughout his career.

Kevin Durant Available For Team USA’s First Game

July 28th, 2024 at 9:55am CST by Arthur Hill

After missing the entire exhibition slate due to a strained right calf, Kevin Durant has been cleared for Team USA’s Olympics opener today against Serbia, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Durant will be used off the bench, Charania adds (Twitter link).

Durant had been trending toward playing after being sidelined for several weeks with the injury. Head coach Steve Kerr said earlier this week that Durant’s status would be a mutual decision with input from the training staff, Durant’s representatives, Suns officials and Durant himself.

Durant was considered “day-to-day” for exhibition games Monday and Wednesday in London. He didn’t take the floor in either contest, with Kerr saying he preferred to see how Durant’s calf responded to back-to-back practices and a scrimmage.

Durant is hoping to become the first player to ever win four Olympic basketball gold medals. He led the team in scoring in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Games and is the top scorer in U.S. Olympic men’s basketball history. He also captured gold in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

After today’s opener, Team USA will face South Sudan on Wednesday and Puerto Rico on Saturday.

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