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Heat Notes: Adebayo, Robinson, Cain, Love

April 4th, 2023 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Heat big man Bam Adebayo, who missed Saturday’s game due to a right hip contusion, should be back in action on Tuesday when the team visits Detroit. Adebayo has been upgraded to probable for tonight’s contest, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Additionally, since the Sioux Falls Skyforce’s season came to an end on Sunday with a playoff loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Heat’s two-way players – Orlando Robinson and Jamal Cain – are back from the G League and will be available on Tuesday vs. Detroit, per Winderman.

Robinson piled up 28 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks in Sunday’s NBAGL Western Conference Finals loss, but Cain struggled, scoring just four points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Here’s more on the Heat:

With Adebayo sidelined on Saturday, Kevin Love came off the bench for the first time since arriving in Miami and had his best game as a member of the Heat, scoring 18 points in 19 minutes. Now it’s up to head coach Erik Spoelstra to determine whether Love should be reinserted into the starting five or whether keeping him a reserve role makes more sense, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. For his part, Love expressed no preference. “Whatever coach wants,” he said. “I told him that even before I got here. I said, ‘Listen, I’m not tripping about starting, coming off the bench. I just love to play my minutes extremely hard and try to make an impact.'”
The Heat have a history of signing developmental prospects to multiyear contracts late in the season and still have their mid-level exception available if they want to do so this week, says Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. However, Miami doesn’t have any openings on its 15-man roster to promote Robinson or Cain or to sign an outside free agent, and it’s unclear whether the club would be willing to cut any of its current players to accommodate such a signing.
Nine of the 15 players on the Heat’s standard roster went undrafted, which has been a factor in the team’s tendency to play with a chip on its shoulder in recent years, Jackson notes in the same story. But guard Tyler Herro and Spoelstra feel as if this year’s group hasn’t consistently drawn on that source of motivation. “Having a monster-size chip on our shoulders has always been a big part of guys’ identities,” Spoelstra said. “That could be a chip on the shoulder or could just be savage competitiveness. At our core, that’s who we are. That’s not who we have been consistently the last 12 to 15 games. In pockets, we’ve done that.”

What To Watch For In NBA Season’s Final Week

April 4th, 2023 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2022/23 regular season will wrap up on April 9, which means we now have just six days left in the season. Here are a few things worth keeping an eye on during those six days:

Play-in races and playoff positioning

Eastern Conference

Frankly, the race for the playoffs in the East would have been more exciting under the NBA’s old system, where only the top eight seeds at the end of the regular season made the playoffs. Currently, the Hawks and Raptors are tied for the No. 8 spot at 39-39 (Atlanta has the tiebreaker advantage), while the Bulls are one game back at 38-40. It’s a safe bet that all three teams will make the play-in tournament, whereas in past years they would’ve been fighting for a single playoff spot.

Of course, there’s still some intrigue related to which team finishes in which slot. The No. 8 team at the end of the regular season gets two chances to win one play-in game to earn a playoff berth, whereas the Nos. 9 and 10 teams need to win two games to make the playoffs. The No. 10 club would have to win two play-in games on the road.

Further up the Eastern Conference standings, there’s currently a gap of at least two games between each of the top seven teams, so even though those seeds aren’t set in stone yet, they’re getting close to being locked in, barring some late surges or slumps.

Most notable remaining intra-conference games:

4/4: Celtics at Sixers, Hawks at Bulls
4/5: Raptors at Celtics, Bulls at Bucks
4/6: Heat at Sixers
4/7: Sixers at Hawks, Raptors at Celtics
4/9: Hawks at Celtics, Sixers at Nets, Bucks at Raptors

Western Conference

As has been the case for months, the Western standings are more tightly bunched than the East’s. The Nos. 5-8 seeds are only separated by a half-game, for instance, and 12 teams technically remain in the playoff picture or play-in hunt.

The Clippers and Warriors are both 41-38 and currently hold the fifth and sixth spots in the Western Conference standings, but if they want to avoid the play-in tournament, they’ll have to hold off the surging Lakers and Pelicans, who are both 40-38.

The No. 10 Thunder (38-41) are currently in the driver’s seat for the final play-in spot. They have a one-game lead over the 11th-place Mavericks (37-42) and a 1.5-game cushion on the 12th-place Jazz (36-42) and hold the tiebreaker over both teams. Oklahoma City’s remaining schedule is no cakewalk though, with road games in Golden State and Utah following by a home game vs. Memphis.

Most notable remaining intra-conference games:

4/4: Kings at Pelicans, Lakers at Jazz, Thunder at Warriors
4/5: Grizzlies at Pelicans, Kings at Mavericks, Lakers at Clippers
4/6: Thunder at Jazz, Nuggets at Suns
4/7: Warriors at Kings, Suns at Lakers
4/9: Pelicans at Timberwolves, Grizzlies at Thunder, Kings at Nuggets, Jazz at Lakers, Clippers at Suns

Lottery positioning and traded draft picks

There are important races happening at both ends of the standings as the season winds down. At the bottom, the Pistons (16-62) are on track for the No. 1 spot in the draft lottery standings, with the Rockets (19-60) and Spurs (20-58) vying for the No. 2 spot.

The Hornets (26-53) comfortably hold the No. 4 lottery spot, but the race for No. 5 is a tight one — the Trail Blazers (33-45), Pacers (34-45), Magic (34-44), and Wizards (34-44) are separated by a single game.

The lottery odds for each team in the top 14 can be found here.

Additionally, a handful of traded draft picks remain up for grabs as the season winds down. For instance, the Mavericks will trade their first-round pick to the Knicks if it’s not in the top 10, which appears increasingly likely but is far from certain. Dallas and Minnesota could both end up surrendering lottery picks, as the Timberwolves owe their unprotected first-rounder to the Jazz.

It appears the Wizards and Trail Blazers will hang onto their top-14 protected first-rounders rather than sending them to the Knicks and Bulls, respectively. But it’s still worth keeping an eye on Chicago’s own pick — it’s top-four protected, so the Bulls will have an outside shot at keeping it instead of sending it to the Magic if they lose in the play-in tournament.

Award races

Some of this year’s awards look like they’re all but sewn up, including Rookie of the Year (Paolo Banchero) and Coach of the Year (Mike Brown).

But one of the most fascinating Most Valuable Player races in years remains very much up in the air, with Sixers center Joel Embiid and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo prepared to submit their closing arguments in the next few days. Could the ongoing injury absence of Nuggets center Nikola Jokic cost him his third consecutive MVP?

Defensive Player of the Year also isn’t a foregone conclusion, with Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson and Bucks center Brook Lopez among the leading candidates.

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are among the players who continue to make strong cases for the Most Improved Player award, while Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley and Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon look like the top two candidates for Sixth Man of the Year.

Roster moves

With just six days left in the season, this year’s period of 10-day contract signings is essentially over. A team filling its final open roster spot will sign a player to a rest-of-season or multiyear deal at this point, rather than a 10-day pact.

The one exception is 10-day hardship deals, which can still be completed during the final week of a season by teams dealing with several injuries.

Why wouldn’t those hardship contracts just take the form of rest-of-season deals too? Well, this way, teams can’t gain certain offseason rights to more players than the standard roster limits allow. A rest-of-season contract would give the club a player’s Bird, Early Bird, or Non-Bird rights for the offseason, whereas a 10-day deal won’t.

As we outlined on Sunday, here are the teams that still have an open roster spot with six days left in the season:

Boston Celtics *
Brooklyn Nets **
Charlotte Hornets **
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
New York Knicks
Phoenix Suns ***
Utah Jazz ****

* The Celtics are expected to fill their open roster spot by signing Justin Champagnie.

** The Nets and Hornets each have a player on a 10-day contract filling their 15th roster spot. Those deals will expire before the season ends.

*** The Suns have a full 15-man roster but have an open two-way spot.

**** The Jazz have one open 15-man roster spot and a player on a 10-day contract filling their 14th spot, so they’ll have two openings before the end of the week.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

And-Ones: More CBA Notes, Sportsmanship Award, A. Johnson

April 4th, 2023 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

One major reason the one-and-done rule for draft prospects wasn’t changed in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement was that neither the NBA nor the NBPA was particularly gung-ho about adjusting it and both sides wanted the other to give something up in exchange for scrapping it, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on his Woj Pod. According to Wojnarowski, one idea the league proposed during the one-and-done discussions was to tack a year onto rookie scale contracts for first-round picks.

“I think the league wanted the rookie scale to go another year so it would be another year before players could get their rookie extension or restricted free agency,” Woj said (hat tip to RealGM). “That was something that obviously they didn’t get in talks, but I think was tied a little bit to one-and-done.”

Current rookie scale contracts cover four seasons and give players the ability to sign extensions after three years, so it sounds like the NBA proposed the idea of bumping those numbers to five and four years, respectively.

Later on his podcast, Wojnarowski said that he views the new rule requiring postseason award winners to have played at least 65 games as a “ceremonial” one designed to make it look as if the NBA is doing something to reduce load management.

“I don’t know that this is going to change much behavior,” he said (hat tip to RealGM). “… I’m rolling my eyes a little bit at that one… I just don’t see this impacting star players playing in any more or less games than they would have before.”

Wojnarowski’s ESPN colleagues Bobby Marks and Tim Bontemps also questioned the rule, with Marks pointing out that teams – not players – are generally the ones dictating load management plans, while Bontemps observed that most players who suit up for fewer than 65 games are doing so because of actual injuries, not load management.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter links) provides some more information on the investment opportunities that NBA players will have in the new CBA, clarifying that individual players won’t be able to directly invest in NBA teams — the NBPA will have the ability to passively invest in teams on behalf of all players. Individual players will have the ability to directly invest in WNBA teams, but there will be restrictions: They can’t invest in WNBA teams that an NBA owner controls a stake in, an individual player can’t own more than 4% of a franchise, and players can’t collectively control more than 8% of a franchise.
The NBA has announced six finalists – one from each division – for its 2022/23 Sportsmanship Award (Twitter link). Those players are Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, and Rockets big man Boban Marjanovic.
Big man Alize Johnson, who has been an NBA free agent since being waived by the Spurs in December, has new representation. He has signed with agent Bernie Lee of Thread Sports Management, according to HoopsHype (Twitter link). Johnson joined the Austin Spurs of the G League following his short stint with San Antonio, then was dealt to the Wisconsin Herd in January.

Pacific Notes: Jerome, Lakers, Westbrook, M. Brown

April 4th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Although Ty Jerome was a candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to the Warriors‘ standard roster, that honor ultimately went to fellow two-way player Anthony Lamb, who had his deal converted last month. As a result, Jerome has been inactive since March 11 as the team looked to preserve his final three games of eligibility, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.

With just three games left in the Warriors’ regular season, Jerome is in position to be reactivated on Tuesday. However, unless the team waives someone else to make room for him on the 15-man roster, he won’t be eligible to play in the postseason. Speaking to Johnson, the 25-year-old guard said he understands the situation and has “zero hard feelings” toward Lamb or the organization about it.

“They were very open about it with both me and Anthony,” Jerome told NBC Sports Bay Area. “In the heat of it, we were both playing leading up to that decision. Steph (Curry) was out and a few other guys were out, and it really wasn’t on the forefront of my mind at the time. I was really locked in. I’m just trying to win games.

“We had a good stretch of like five in a row. We won some good games, and that was kind of more on the forefront of my mind, and then with Andre (Iguodala) being out for the year and (Andrew Wiggins) not being here, it just came down to positional depth.”

Assuming Jerome’s contract remains unchanged during the final few days of the regular season, he’ll be on track to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Within a larger story about the Timberwolves‘ duo of Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports looks back at how the trade deadline blockbuster involving the Wolves, Lakers, and Jazz came together, noting that Utah significantly dropped its asking price for taking back Russell Westbrook as the deadline neared. While those negotiations initially involved just the Jazz and Lakers, they expanded to include Minnesota in part because “some factions” of the Lakers’ front office preferred to acquire a point guard younger than Conley and zeroed in on D’Angelo Russell, Fischer writes.
Westbrook, who joined the Clippers after being bought out by Utah, is fitting in much better with his new L.A. team than he did with his old one, as Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times outlines. Several people within the organization have expressed both privately and publicly that the union has gone better than expected, Greif writes, adding that the former MVP has been a “popular addition in the locker room.”
Kings head coach Mike Brown earned Mark Daigneault‘s vote for the Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year award, the Thunder coach said on Monday (Twitter link via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman). “There was an external stigma that existed around that team,” Daigneault said of Sacramento. “I really admire the energy he brought to that job … He’s really brought a swagger and confidence.”

Knicks Notes: Randle, Barrett, Resting Players, Postseason, Brunson

April 3rd, 2023 at 10:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Knicks have found tactical methods to survive without the services of shelved starting forwards Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, writes Petter Botte of The New York Post. Randle is done for the rest of the regular season with a left ankle sprain, while Barrett is dealing with a non-COVID illness.

In their most recent game Sunday night, the Knicks were able to beat the Wizards at home sans Randle or Barrett, 118-109, with a balanced offensive attack that featured four 20-point scorers.

“The ball was moving. We were just out there, just having fun, moving the ball and just playing freely,” Randle substitute Obi Toppin said. “It feels good, but I just got to come back here and do what I gotta do every single day to help the team win.”

There’s more out of Madison Square Garden:

The win against Washington officially allowed New York to clinch its second playoff berth in three seasons under head coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “It’s a great accomplishment, because it’s one of the goals,” Thibodeau said. He also mentioned that he would not consider resting his top players until New York was officially locked into a seed in the East, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). “There’s still some things at stake,” Thibodeau noted. At 46-33, the Knicks are currently three games behind the fourth-seeded Cavaliers and 2.5 games ahead of the sixth-seeded Nets, so they’ll likely finish at No. 5.
Bontemps adds that players are looking beyond just making the playoffs this year. “It’s a good accomplishment,” reserve wing Immanuel Quickley said. “But I think we want a bit more for ourselves.” As Bontemps writes, New York has only made it out of the first round once since 2000.
Knicks starting point guard Jalen Brunson is making a convincing push to secure Most Improve Player honors this season, thanks to his major contribution to the club’s on-court performance and his role as a team leader during his first year in New York, Bondy writes in another piece. “It’s a unique award,” Brunson told Bondy. “It’s not something I’m really focused on 100 percent. I don’t really think about it but if it’s something I win or achieve, I’ll be very thankful. But it’s not on the forefront of my mind.” The team has already improved its win-loss record by nine games, and still has three left to play. Brunson is having by far his best season as a pro statistically, averaging 24.0 PPG, 6.2 APG, 3.5 RPG, and 0.9 SPG in his 68 healthy games.

Central Notes: Terry, LaVine, Giannis, Wiseman

April 3rd, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bulls rookie Dalen Terry, a first-round pick in 2022, is determined to crack Chicago’s rotation in 2023/24, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Cowley notes that Terry intends to play with the Bulls’ Summer League team this summer. Chicago drafted the 6’7″ swingman out of Arizona with the No. 18 pick last year. In just 5.3 MPG, the 20-year-old is averaging 1.8 PPG on .453/.300/.533 shooting splits across 34 games.

‘‘I just know I ain’t going through this again,’’ Terry said of his limited role as a rookie. ‘‘So just the part of my development, what does everybody want to see from me, as well as the expectations I have in myself? I know I want to come back a different player.’’

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Maximum-salaried Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine just broke his own franchise record for total three-pointers made in a single season, set initially during his All-Star 2020/21 season, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. LaVine has made 201 triples this year, one more than he did in 2020/21. There are four games left in the 38-40 club’s season, with which he can build a bit more distance between his previous record and his new one.
Bucks All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been putting up superlative numbers on the team with the best record in the league, but seems to rank a distant third in the current 2023 MVP conversation behind Sixers All-NBA center Joel Embiid and Nuggets All-NBA center Nikola Jokic. Antetokounmpo’s teammates and coach believe he deserves a little more credit, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “We certainly feel like Giannis is the MVP,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Best player, best record, what he does on both ends of the court, the rebounding, the blocked shots, the defense, guarding on the perimeter. He does everything: play-makes, attacks, gets to the free throw line. We feel like he’s in the conversation and he should be the guy.” All-Star Milwaukee point guard Jrue Holiday agrees: “He’s [on] the No. 1 team, not just in the East, but in the league.”
Pistons center James Wiseman is enjoying his opportunity to grow with his new team. The seven-footer recently reflected on his development in Detroit and his future with the club, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. “This is apparently like my rookie year, I can say, because just the amount of games I’ve played,” Wiseman, who has appeared in 80 total games across his three pro seasons, told Friedell. “So, I just got to take it one day at a time. I can’t be so hard on myself about anything, about trying to be good right now, all the instant gratification stuff. Sometimes it comes into my mind, but I got to just look at it for what it is and be real with myself. It’s going to take time.”

Western Notes: Kessler, Watson, Morant, KAT

April 3rd, 2023 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Jazz center Walker Kessler will likely miss the rest of the regular season after entering the league’s concussion protocol, a source tells ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).

The 21-year-old sustained the injury when he was inadvertently elbowed by teammate Talen Horton-Tucker as Horton-Tucker drove to the basket, causing Kessler to fall backward. The play occurred during the third quarter of Utah’s loss at Brooklyn on Sunday.

Kessler, the No. 22 overall pick of the 2022 draft, has been one of the league’s best rookies in 2022/23. He leads the NBA in field goal percentage (72.0%), is second in block percentage (8.5%), fourth in blocks per game (2.3), and is second among rookies in rebounds per game (8.4) while also chipping in 9.2 points per game in 74 contests (23.0 minutes).

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports doesn’t expect Peyton Watson to be in the Nuggets‘ playoff rotation, but the young wing has shown in the last two games that he’s a terrific athlete with plenty of defensive upside, compiling 13 rebounds and five blocks over 47 minutes against Phoenix and Golden State. Watson, the No. 30 overall pick last year, has spent most of the season with Denver’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, but Wind writes that people within the organization believe the rookie could make All-Defensive teams in the future.
For his part, Watson says he’s not taking his opportunity for granted and believes he’s ready to contribute, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. “This is a big responsibility that coach is trusting me with,” the Nuggets rookie said. “I’m grateful for it all and I’m going to continue to work. I’m not satisfied.”
Due to the Rose Rule language included in his rookie scale extension, Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant would earn a projected $233,160,000 if he makes an All-NBA team again this season, compared to $194,300,000 if he doesn’t. Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commericial Appeal takes a look at Morant’s chances of making one of the three All-NBA teams, writing that the star’s eight-game suspension shouldn’t be held against him from a merit standpoint, as he has already appeared in more games than last season. However, Morant faces stiffer competition with so many guards having strong seasons, and if he does make it, which is far from a lock, he might be the sixth and final guard selected, according to Giannotto.
Timberwolves power forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns has seen his status downgraded to questionable ahead of Minnesota’s next contest, Tuesday against the Nets, the team announced (Twitter link). Towns just recently returned to the club’s lineup after a four-month absence due to a Grade 3 calf strain.

Alex Kirschenbaum contributed to this report.

Mavs “Seriously Considering” Shutting Down Doncic, Irving

April 3rd, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks are “seriously considering” shutting down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link via FanDuel TV).

As Charania notes, the Mavs owe a top-10 protected pick to the Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. As things currently stand, Dallas would have a 76.3% chance of keeping the pick, a 13.9% chance of moving into the top four, and a 3% chance of winning the lottery and the No. 1 overall pick, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Both players have dealt with injuries in recent weeks. Doncic missed five games last month due to a thigh strain, while Irving missed four and continues to deal with plantar fasciitis in his foot, Charania adds.

Dallas has been in a tailspin, losing seven of its past eight games to currently hold a 37-42 record with only three games remaining. The Mavs trail the Thunder by one game for the No. 10 seed and the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, but the 38-41 Thunder hold the tiebreaker, making it essentially a two-game lead.

The pick the Mavs owe is top-10 protected through 2025, so if they keep it this year it will just push back the obligation until ’24. They would be able to trade the ’23 pick after they make the selection if they want to make a win-now move, but the only other pick they’d be able to trade is their own ’27 first-rounder due to the Stepien rule.

Despite a very disappointing stretch after the All-Star break after trading for Irving, Charania believes the team’s top offseason priority will be re-signing the veteran point guard, who was named to his eighth All-Star team this season (Twitter video link via FanDuel TV). Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report has heard the same thing, with sources telling Haynes that Irving plans to wait until free agency to maximize his potential earnings (his extension eligibility is limited after being traded).

Anthony Davis, Mikal Bridges Named Players Of The Week

April 3rd, 2023 at 2:45pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers big man Anthony Davis and Nets wing Mikal Bridges have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced (via Twitter).

Davis, the Western Conference’s winner, averaged 38.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 2.0 blocks on .652/.333/.806 shooting in leading the Lakers to a 3-0 record last week. After winning six of seven, L.A. is currently 40-38, the No. 7 seed in the West.

Bridges, the East’s winner, averaged 33.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals on .500/.455/.885 shooting last week as the Nets went 3-0. Brooklyn is close to locking up the No. 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff spot, currently sitting with a 43-35 record and a two-game lead (and the tiebreaker) on the No. 7 Heat.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Brandon Ingram and Domantas Sabonis, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were nominated in the East.

And-Ones: Hard Cap, In-Season Tournament, J.R. Smith, Teammate Award

April 3rd, 2023 at 1:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA owners originally sought a hard cap in negotiations with the union regarding the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but the idea was taken off the table fairly early, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says in his latest podcast (hat tip to Real GM). He notes that the proposal was intended to restrain the league’s top spenders, but many franchises in smaller markets were opposed to it as well.

“Even a lot of small market teams were worried about a hard cap in places, like let’s say Cleveland, where all of a sudden you’re good enough to win a championship,” Wojnarowski said. “You have a team and you’re willing to go into the tax to keep that team together. Then all of a sudden with a hard cap and guaranteed contracts, the Cavs, using them as an example, or Oklahoma City four or five years from now, the smaller market teams worried ‘This is going to work against us.'”

Wojnarowski explains that a pure hard cap would make it impossible for the Cavaliers to keep the four players they hope to build the franchise around. They would eventually have to make a choice between re-signing Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell or between retaining Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein isn’t a fan of the in-season tournament that will begin in 2023/24 under the new CBA, writing in his latest piece for Substack (subscription required) that there’s nothing special about the competition until it reaches its Final Four. All the early rounds will be regular-season games played at NBA arenas, but the semifinals and finals will be held at a neutral site. Stein claims the league failed in its attempt to recreate the excitement of cup competitions in soccer.
J.R. Smith spoke about his current projects with Jenna Lemoncelli of The New York Post, but the 37-year-old guard notes that he hasn’t officially retired from the NBA. Smith, who last played for the Lakers during the bubble in Orlando, continues to work out so he’s ready in case another opportunity arises.
Last week the NBA announced the 12 finalists for the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award, per a league press release. The finalists are Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges, Cleveland’s Darius Garland, Miami’s Udonis Haslem, Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday, New York’s Derrick Rose, Boston’s Grant Williams, Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Denver’s Aaron Gordon, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Phoenix’s Damion Lee and Portland’s Damian Lillard. According to the NBA, a panel of league executives selected the finalists, but current players will select the winner. Holiday won the award for the second time last season.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

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