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Rockets Rumors: Clingan, Sheppard, No. 3 Pick, Smart, More

June 20th, 2024 at 1:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets have UConn center Donovan Clingan and Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard at the top of their board heading into next week’s draft, league sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Houston controls the No. 3 overall pick.

According to Iko, Clingan seems to have the edge over Sheppard, but it’s not a sure thing the 7’2″ big man will be available with the third pick. ESPN recently reported that while Zaccharie Risacher remains the favorite to go No. 1 to the Hawks, Atlanta is also high on Clingan, who may be Risacher’s top competition. Ken Seguira of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has also heard the Hawks are high on Clingan.

The Rockets already have Alperen Sengun at center and he shares an agent with Clingan, Iko writes. Those factors — plus the trade deadline addition of Steven Adams — would seemingly work against Houston selecting Clingan, and the team has been unable to get him in for a private workout to this point. Sheppard, meanwhile, will visit the Rockets this week, sources tell Iko.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman recently suggested Houston might not have much leverage if they decide to trade the No. 3 selection due to a perception that there’s a minimal difference in value between that pick and those later in the lottery. However, Iko has heard differently, writing that there’s “rapidly growing interest” from rival teams in Clingan and Sheppard. Those teams may also be motivated to move up ahead of the Spurs, who control the Nos. 4 and 8 picks.

While several teams have shown interest in the third pick, team and league sources tell Iko the Hornets, Grizzlies and Trail Blazers have been “the most vocal” in their pursuit of the selection, with Memphis and Charlotte particularly “aggressive.”

Iko hears all three clubs are fans of both Clingan and Sheppard. The Hornets control the 6th and 42nd overall picks; the Grizzlies control Nos. 9, 39 and 57; and the Blazers control Nos. 7, 14, 34 and 40.

Here are some more Rockets rumors, all from Iko:

  • In an ideal situation, Houston would prefer to use the No. 3 pick as part of a package to acquire a star player like Donovan Mitchell, but there hasn’t been much league-wide “activity or movement” when it comes to stars this offseason, according to Iko. The Pelicans are rumored to have floated a proposal of Brandon Ingram for Sengun, but Houston has “no interest” in that deal, team sources tell Iko. Iko also hears New Orleans discussed Ingram with the Sixers.
  • If the Rockets can’t land a star and still decide to move the third pick, Iko wonders if a Grizzlies offer centered around Marcus Smart and the ninth pick could make sense for both sides. According to Iko’s sources, GM Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka are fans of Smart, who played under Udoka in Boston. In a move-back scenario, Houston might be interested in selecting Tennesee forward Dalton Knecht, says Iko.
  • Houston also controls a second-round pick (No. 44) in the upcoming draft. San Francisco’s Jonathan Mogbo, Minnesota’s Cam Christie, Illinois’ Terrence Shannon, Colorado’s KJ Simpson, UCLA’s Adem Bona and Marquette’s Oso Ighodaro are among the prospects who have been discussed at that spot, though Iko acknowledges some of those players might get drafted before then. Clemson forward/center PJ Hall, Texas forward Dylan Disu, St. John’s guard Daniss Jenkins and Washington State forward Jaylen Wells are among the players who will work out for Houston this week, Iko reports.
  • For free agency, Iko hears the Rockets have placed a high priority on adding shooting, but the team is only interested in two-way contributors — Alec Burks, Gary Harris, Talen Horton-Tucker and Saddiq Bey are names to watch. Bey, however, will be a restricted free agent if he’s given a qualifying offer, which complicates matters (he’s also recovering from a torn ACL). A source close to Eric Gordon tells Iko that the veteran guard is “50-50” on exercising his player option to remain with the Suns, but the longtime former Rocket is also open to a reunion with Houston. The Rockets will have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to dangle in free agency, Iko notes.
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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers

June 20th, 2024 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

In 2022/23, the Cavaliers made the playoffs without LeBron James on their roster for the first time since 1998 and earned the No. 4 seed before being quickly dispatched in the first round by the No. 5 Knicks. They entered the ’23/24 season with a fairly simple goal: win their first playoff series without LeBron since 1993.

Cleveland ultimately achieved that goal, but the path to get there was a bumpy and somewhat unsatisfying one. Rather than taking a step forward during the regular season, they won three fewer games (48) than they did a year ago (51), then narrowly escaped a seven-game first-round series against a lower-seeded Magic team whose core players were participating in their first postseason. The Cavs were never close to getting past the Celtics in the second round, falling to the eventual champions in five games.

Now, there are a few caveats that make the Cavs’ season sound better than it appeared on the surface. They had to deal with a series of injuries affecting their most important players in both the regular season – Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley each missed 25+ games – and the postseason, where starting center Jarrett Allen missed eight of 12 contests due to a rib injury and a calf issue sidelined Mitchell for final two games vs. Boston. And even if the Cavs had been fully healthy, no one was beating the Celtics in these playoffs — Cleveland’s one win against them was as many as any of Boston’s four playoff opponents earned.

Still, Cavs management was dissatisfied enough with the team’s season on the whole to make a head coaching change this spring, dismissing J.B. Bickerstaff after he spent four-plus seasons in that role. The club has yet to officially hire a replacement, but appears to be leaning toward James Borrego, the former Hornets head coach who has spent the last two seasons as a top assistant in New Orleans.

Will the head coaching change be the only major move the Cavaliers make this offseason, or will the front office also determine that significant roster changes are needed to take the next step toward title contention? Will Mitchell, who can become a free agent in 2025, sign an extension with the franchise or decline to commit beyond next season? The answers to those two questions will help the Cavs chart a path this summer and will determine just how similar next year’s roster looks to this year’s.

The Cavaliers’ Offseason Plan

We don’t yet have definitive answers to the two questions posed above, but recent chatter has suggested we’re trending in a certain direction. A series of reports have indicated there’s growing optimism in Cleveland about the team’s odds of extending Mitchell this offseason. That would be a big win for the Cavs, who gave up a huge collection of assets — including Lauri Markkanen and multiple unprotected first-round picks — to acquire Mitchell from Utah two years ago.

There has been speculation that Mitchell will opt for a shorter-term extension that lines him up to get his next deal in 2027, when he has 10 years of service under his belt, rather than seeking the longest term possible at this time. I have to think that would be just fine with the Cavaliers, who would be happy to get some clarity of any kind and would be able to put off any major decisions about Mitchell’s future for at least a couple more years. If that scenario comes to pass, the star guard would likely sign a three-year extension worth a projected $151MM that begins in 2025/26 and includes a third-year player option for ’27/28.

If Mitchell gets extended, Garland’s future will become the newest subject of speculation in Cleveland. The former All-Star is under contract for four more guaranteed seasons and the Cavs have shown no inclination to break up their star-studded backcourt, but at least one report has stated that a new deal for Mitchell could prompt Garland’s representatives at Klutch Sports to talk to the club about finding a new home for their client. Garland, who made the All-Star team in 2022, has seen his scoring, assists, and usage rate decline in the two seasons since Mitchell’s arrival.

Even if Garland or his reps ask for a trade, the Cavaliers would be under no obligation to grant that request, given that he has no path to free agency until 2028. But it’s fair to wonder if it might actually be in the club’s best interest to consider a deal that sends out Garland for a wing who would better balance the roster.

The best stretch of Cleveland’s 2023/24 season came after Garland suffered a broken jaw in December. The team, which had a 13-12 record to that point, went 15-4 with Garland sidelined. Additionally, while Mitchell had a +7.3 net rating during his 1,943 regular season minutes, that number dipped to +4.4 during the 750 minutes in which he shared the court with Garland.

On their own, those numbers aren’t nearly compelling enough to justify trading a 24-year-old who has an All-Star nod on his résumé, especially since they don’t tell the full story — for instance, a few of the wins in that 15-4 stretch came without Mitchell available, and the team’s hot streak extended well into Garland’s return. While they’re both ball-dominant, Mitchell and Garland are also reliable three-point shooters, so the fit isn’t bad. That’s why I expect the club to keep its guard duo intact through the 2024 offseason, unless things go south in some way (e.g. Mitchell doesn’t sign an extension, or Garland pushes aggressively for a trade).

That’s not the only positional overlap the Cavs will have to evaluate this summer though. Mobley is up for a rookie scale extension and is considered likely to get a maximum-salary offer. Up to this point, the team has been happy to play him at power forward alongside Allen at center, but the strengths (rim protection, interior scoring) and weaknesses (a lack of floor spacing) of those two big men are pretty similar, resulting in speculation that Mobley will eventually make the move to the five.

As with the guards, there are reasons why it makes some sense to retain both bigs. Having both of them available gives the Cavs the ability to have an elite rim protector on the floor for all 48 minutes, and playing them alongside one another helps make up for defensive breakdowns on the perimeter. The duo also didn’t really get the chance to show what it could do together on the postseason stage, since Allen was injured in Game 4 of the first round and didn’t play again after that.

But again, the Cavs had a better net rating with just one of Allen or Mobley on the court than they did when the two big men played together. And if the club decides Mobley is the center of the future, Allen would have substantial value on the trade market this summer, given his relatively team-friendly contract, which has just two years and $40MM left on it.

While I like the idea of moving Allen a little more than I like the idea of moving Garland, finding a perfect match isn’t easy. From an on-court perspective, a deal with the Pelicans (who have had interest in Allen for years) involving Brandon Ingram makes a ton of sense, but if the Cavs are already on the hook for maximum-salary contracts for Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley, acquiring Ingram in order to extend him and add a fourth max deal to their books probably isn’t financially feasible. If Cleveland is going to move Allen for a wing or forward, the team would probably want that player earning a salary more in the range of Allen’s $20MM.

Washington could be a fit. Kyle Kuzma‘s three-year, $64.4MM contract is far more manageable that what Ingram will earn over the next few seasons. However, Kuzma’s subpar three-point efficiency (33.6% in 2023/24; 33.7% for his career) would be an issue for the Cavs, and the rebuilding Wizards, who are in position to draft their center of their future (Alexandre Sarr or Donovan Clingan) at No. 2 in next week’s draft, may not have much interest in Allen.

With those roadblocks in mind, it’s perhaps not surprising that Koby Altman told reporters in May that he doesn’t expect “sweeping changes” this offseason, or that recent reports have suggested the front office’s private stance has aligned with its public one.

If Mitchell signs an extension, all four of Cleveland’s core pieces will be under contract for multiple seasons and would each still have significant trade value at the 2025 trade deadline, in the 2025 offseason, or even at the 2026 deadline. The Cavs can afford to be patient for the time being, perhaps waiting to see if the new head coach helps that core unlock its full potential. There’s no reason to rush into a trade involving Garland or Allen this summer unless the deal is an obvious fit from both a basketball and financial perspective.

So if the Cavs stand pat with their big four, what might their offseason look like? Well, their position to the tax line will have to be a consideration as they weigh possible decisions, including what to do with restricted free agent Isaac Okoro. If we assume the team locks in Craig Porter‘s partially guaranteed salary and keeps its first-round pick (20th overall), payroll would be at about $159MM for 11 players. That would leave plenty of room below a projected $171MM+ luxury tax line to fill out the roster with minimum-salary players, but a new deal for Okoro – whose qualifying offer is $11.8MM and who will likely exceed that figure on a new contract – would almost certainly push the Cavs into a tax territory.

If the Cavs want to retain Okoro and aren’t prepared to be a taxpayer, perhaps a deal involving Caris LeVert ($16.6MM) or Georges Niang ($8.5MM) could be in the cards. Frankly, both players could become trade candidates even if tax savings aren’t a consideration.

LeVert doesn’t make sense in the club’s starting five and is on an expiring contract. While he has some value as a sixth man, the club could stagger Mitchell and Garland to ensure one of them is running the second unit, reducing the need for another ball-dominant player like LeVert in that group. As for Niang, he was one of Cleveland’s most-used reserves during the season and shot the ball well (.376 3PT%), but saw his minutes slashed in the playoffs due to his defensive limitations. Both guys have value to Cleveland, but I expect the team to at least explore upgrading their spots.

Ty Jerome is another candidate to be traded after he missed nearly his entire first year in Cleveland due to an ankle injury, though his cap hit is just $2.56MM. If he’s healthy, the Cavs may prefer to keep Jerome and see if he can deliver on the promise he showed in 2022/23 that prompted the club to give him a guaranteed two-year deal in the first place.

If this year’s No. 20 pick isn’t used as a sweetener in a trade, the Cavs can afford to take the best player available at that spot, since they won’t necessarily be expecting that player to vie for a spot in the rotation right away. I could also see the club trading down in order to replenish its cupboard of future draft assets a little and to reduce the cap hit for that pick. For what it’s worth, the latest mock drafts from both ESPN and Bleacher Report have the club rolling the dice at No. 20 on one of the youngest players in the draft, Pittsburgh guard Carlton Carrington.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Sam Merrill ($2,164,993)
  • Craig Porter ($891,857)
    • Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted above.
  • Total: $3,056,850

Dead/Retained Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

  • Isaac Okoro ($11,828,974 qualifying offer / $26,762,385 cap hold): Bird rights
  • Total (cap holds): $26,762,385

Two-Way Free Agents

Note: Because he has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, Mobley’s qualifying offer would be worth his minimum salary (projected to be $2,093,637). It would include a small partial guarantee.

Draft Picks

  • No. 20 overall pick ($3,336,000 cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $3,336,000

Extension-Eligible Players

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for these players are on the Cavaliers’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Cavaliers project to operate over the cap and under the first tax apron.

  • Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $12,859,000
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Atlantic Notes: Van Gundy, Brunson, Harden, George, Hartenstein, Raptors

June 20th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Jeff Van Gundy and the Celtics’ brass mutually agreed it would be better for him to become the lead assistant with the Clippers rather than taking a similar job with Boston, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.

Van Gundy was a candidate to replace former associate head coach Charles Lee, who is leaving to coach the Hornets. But the Celtics were somewhat uneasy about the prospect of Van Gundy, a senior consultant for the organization, leapfrogging members of the coaching staff and getting the job. The Celtics are expected to hire Lee’s replacement from an in-house candidate, Himmelsbach adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Jalen Brunson is eligible for an extension this summer for a max of four years and $156MM. If he waits until next summer, Brunson would be eligible for a five-year, $270MM contract. Yet Ian Begley of SNY TV believes Brunson will be willing to listen to an extension offer from the Knicks this summer, which would give the front office more cap flexibility in future seasons.
  • Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein will get a big raise in free agency, but how much is he worth in the open market? The Athletic’s Fred Katz polled 16 front-office officials, with their answers ranging from $15MM to $22.5MM per season. The Knicks, who hold his Early Bird rights, can offer a maximum of four years and $72.5MM.
  • James Harden ripped Sixers top executive Daryl Morey last offseason, calling him a “liar” among other things, until he was traded to the Clippers. Could Harden’s contentious relationship with his former boss influence teammate Paul George‘s decision whether to stay put or sign with the Sixers? Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer explores that topic.
  • The Raptors have picks No. 19 and 31 in this year’s draft. The Athletic’s Eric Koreen looks at eight wings who might make sense in that draft range, including Colorado’s Tristan da Silva and Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman.
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International Notes: Giannis, Team Canada, Hezonja, Clarkson, Vildoza, Ataman, Team China

June 20th, 2024 at 9:11am CST by Dana Gauruder

Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking forward to participating in Greece’s training camp, though he’s still dealing with the injury that short-circuited the Bucks’ playoff run. Milwaukee’s superstar will look to help Greece advance out of the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Piraeus early next month.

“I have not practiced yet, but I feel better. I cannot wait to join the training camp,” he told Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net and other reporters.

Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain late in the NBA regular season. The announcement that he would play for Greece was made at the beginning of this month.

We have more international basketball news:

  • Canada’s preliminary Olympic roster is loaded with NBA players and there will be tough decisions ahead to pare it to 12 players, Josh Lewenberg of TSN notes. Kings forward Trey Lyles, former NBA bigs Khem Birch and Mfiondu Kabengele and two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey are some of the players who, on paper, will be fighting for the last two spots on the roster, writes Lewenberg.
  • Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja announced on social media that he’s re-signing with Real Madrid, Sportando relays. “Real Madrid believed in me when many didn’t, cared for me and my family since the first day I arrived and made us feel at home. My only intention was to stay so I am happy to communicate to you that I will continue my journey at MY HOME, MY REAL MADRID for a long time!” he wrote. There had been speculation he might look at NBA opportunities.
  • Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was not on the Philippines’ 12-man roster for the FIBA Olympic qualifier. Coach Tim Cone opted for continuity, according to executive director Erika Dy. Cone decided to go with the same group that participated in an Asia Cup qualifier over the winter. “Premise of coach Tim, we have the same roster every time. The shorter training periods will accumulate, and the players will build chemistry,” Dy said, per BasketNews.
  • Virtus Bologna is reportedly interested in former NBA guard Luca Vildoza, who is leaving Greece’s Panathinaikos, according to another Sportando report. Vildoza had a seven-game stint with the Bucks in 2021/22.
  • After leading Panathinaikos to a Euroleague title, Ergin Ataman is eager to get a shot at coaching in the NBA. But he told the Spanish outlet AS that he only wants to make the jump if he’s offered a head coaching job. “Before it was my dream, now it’s not, but if you want a star coach from Europe, here I am. Why would I be afraid of training NBA stars?” he said, per Eurohoops.net.
  • The Chinese national team will participate in the California Classic in Sacramento next month, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports. They’ll be grouped against Summer League teams from the Kings, Hornets, and Spurs. Squads from the Warriors, Lakers and Heat will play against each other in San Francisco.
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Atlantic Notes: Knicks Offseason, New York Targets, Celtics, Marinkovic

June 19th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks have a busy offseason ahead of them, but have a solid foundation of returning players, led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, Spotrac’s Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride are under contract, as is Bojan Bogdanovic, though his salary is only partially guaranteed for now and he may be used as a trade chip.

Still, New York has two key free agents to take care of: OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Knicks may have an easier time signing Anunoby, who is expected to explore unrestricted free agency but whose full Bird rights are held by New York. A four-year, $160MM deal makes sense for Anunoby, Smith writes, given his production and what the team sent out to trade for him (Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and draft capital).

However, the Knicks are limited to offering Hartenstein an average annual salary of about $18.1MM, which could be topped by teams with ample cap space like the Thunder and Magic, each of whom may have interest. Nonetheless, it’s not impossible Hartenstein opts to return. The difference in what he might earn from another team and from New York might not be sizable enough for him to want to make a drastic scenery change, given his current role. Smith writes the Knicks could look to agree to a two-year deal with Hartenstein that allows him to hit free agency again before he turns 28 and gives the club full Bird rights, when the cap is expected to increase.

If the Knicks re-sign both Anunoby and Hartenstein, Smith points out they’ll almost certainly be a second apron team, which would limit their ability to trade for a star player, something they’ve seemed poised to do for some time. What New York decides to do with its two biggest free agents will also likely impact the team’s willingness to bring back free agents such as Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks and Jericho Sims.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • In the second half of a two-part series, Fred Katz of The Athletic examines the names that might arise this offseason if the Knicks pursue a star, considering how realistic each player would be as a trade target. Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lauri Markkanen, Brandon Ingram, Joel Embiid and Zach LaVine are the names mentioned by Katz, but only a Markkanen deal feels like it might make sense for both sides.
  • The Celtics almost made a number of massive moves in the build-up to what led to their 2024 title team. They had trade talks over the years about Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, and had a godfather offer out to the Hornets with an eye toward moving up to No. 9 in the 2015 draft to select Justise Winslow. Any of those moves could have drastically altered Boston’s timeline. In a piece exploring Boston’s process to building a championship team, ESPN’s Zach Lowe (ESPN+ link) reports that the Celtics tried to acquire a second lottery pick in 2017 in order to select Donovan Mitchell, and again attempted to trade for him after Utah selected him.
  • Vanja Marinkovic will return to Partizan Mozzart Bet, with whom he has played 119 career games, after signing a two-year deal with them on Monday, the team announced. Marinkovic’s draft rights are held by the Nets after Brooklyn acquired them in the three-team deal that sent Royce O’Neale to the Suns. Marinkovic was the No. 60 overall pick in 2019.
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Stein’s Latest: Brown, Van Gundy, Coaching Carousel, More

June 19th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors are still determining how they plan to move forward with Bruce Brown‘s $23MM team option for 2024/25, NBA insider Marc Stein relays in his latest around-the-league notebook. The Pacers originally signed Brown to the two-year, $45MM deal last summer in a successful effort to poach him from Denver, then traded him as part of a package to acquire Pascal Siakam.

According to Stein, numerous teams expect the Raptors to pick up that option to help facilitate a trade further down the road.

Brown played in 67 games (44 starts) between the Pacers and Raptors last season, averaging 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists contest one year after helping Denver win the championship.

We have more from Stein:

  • Before joining Tyronn Lue‘s staff in Los Angeles as an assistant, Jeff Van Gundy was pursued by the New Zealand Breakers of Australia’s National Basketball League to be their head coach, Stein reports. The Breakers formally requested permission from the Celtics to interview Van Gundy, who spent the year as a special adviser in Boston’s basketball operations room, but were told he had another coaching opportunity lined up already (with the Clippers).
  • J.J. Redick is the overwhelming favorite to be hired as the Lakers‘ head coach, while James Borrego is still considered the frontrunner to get the Cavaliers‘ job, according to Stein. Though he cautions that anything can happen, as of Wednesday Stein expects those two positions to be filled by those candidates soon.
  • Jayson Tatum and Derrick White‘s contract extensions with the Celtics are viewed as inevitable, Stein writes. Tatum is eligible for a five-year, $315MM deal that would make him the highest-paid player in NBA history.
  • Klay Thompson is in Houston training with Team Bahamas ahead of Olympic qualifiers, but likely would never have been able to participate in the tournament due to the timing of the event (July 2-7). An unrestricted free agent with an injury history, Thompson — like other free agents — can’t officially sign a new contract until July 6, making any play before then an unnecessary risk. Even if he were willing to make that risk, Thompson likely wouldn’t have received clearance from USA Basketball anyways after the organization was criticized last year for allowing Eric Gordon to join the Bahamas, which won a pre-qualifying tournament, Stein writes.
  • Stein confirms reports that Atlanta has been unable to secure an in-person workout with Alexandre Sarr, increasing rumblings that the Hawks may select Zaccharie Risacher first overall.
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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Denver Nuggets

June 19th, 2024 at 8:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning the first championship in franchise history a year ago, the Nuggets kept their starting five intact but lost a pair of reserves who played key roles during that title run. While Bruce Brown and Jeff Green were the first two players off the bench for Denver in last year’s postseason, the Nuggets weren’t in position to compete with Indiana’s offer for Brown – which included a $22MM starting salary – or the Rockets’ bid for Green (an $8MM starting salary, plus incentives).

The Nuggets’ plan to address those holes in their rotation centered on youth. In addition to drafting three experienced prospects who had a combined 13 college seasons under their belts (Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson), Denver figured second-year players Christian Braun and Peyton Watson would be ready to take on larger roles, as would fourth-year big man Zeke Nnaji.

The Nuggets’ plan wasn’t entirely misguided — Braun, in particular, had a strong sophomore season, earning head coach Michael Malone‘s trust and a spot in Denver’s playoff rotation. But Watson was up and down, Nnaji’s playing time dropped to just 9.9 minutes per game, and the three rookies weren’t as NBA-ready as the front office had hoped.

By the time the Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs, there were only really six players (the starters, plus Braun) that Malone felt like he could count on, with even veteran reserves like Justin Holiday and Reggie Jackson seeing very limited minutes in the postseason.

The Nuggets don’t need to overhaul their roster. The starting five of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, Aaron Gordon, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope remained extremely effective in 2023/24, registering the second-best net rating of any lineup that played at least 250 minutes together (+13.6). But Malone simply had to rely on that five-man group too heavily — it logged 958 total minutes together across 48 games, while the league’s second most-used lineup (the Thunder’s starters) played 799 minutes in 63 outings.

The challenge for Denver’s front office this offseason is twofold. First, can the Nuggets keep that starting five intact for another year? Caldwell-Pope holds a $15.4MM player option that he’s expected to decline, and there will certainly be rival suitors looking to steal the three-and-D stalwart away from the 2023 champions.

Second, whether Caldwell-Pope re-signs or whether Denver has to elevate Braun to its starting five, can the Nuggets do a better job of constructing a reliable second unit? The salary cap situation won’t make it easy — with Caldwell-Pope back, team salary could rise above the restrictive second tax apron, and even without him on the books, the club projects to be a taxpayer.

General manager Calvin Booth earned kudos a year ago for the moves he made to help turn the Nuggets into a championship team, but most of the core was built when Tim Connelly was running the front office. This offseason will represent Booth’s biggest challenge yet, as he looks to put together a roster capable of returning to the NBA Finals.

The Nuggets’ Offseason Plan

The Nuggets hold Caldwell-Pope’s full Bird rights, so assuming he turns down his ’24/25 player option, as expected, there’s nothing stopping them from offering as much as it takes to re-sign him. It simply comes down to what sort of commitment management and ownership are comfortable with.

Caldwell-Pope isn’t a particularly dynamic offensive player, but he has made 41.5% of his three-point attempts since arriving in Denver and is one of the keys to the defense — he and Gordon take on the most challenging assignments on that end of the floor. That makes him an extremely valuable role player, and at age 31, a team can feel relatively confident about investing in him for the next three or four seasons and not having his performance fall off significantly in the later years of that contract.

An annual salary of $20MM+ certainly seems within reach for Caldwell-Pope, so unless he’s willing to accept any sort of discount to remain in Denver, the team may have to offer something in the neighborhood of Gordon’s current deal ($87MM over four years) to retain him. That would likely mean operating over the second apron unless the Nuggets can shed salary elsewhere on the roster.

If Denver does look to cut costs, Nnaji would be an obvious candidate to be moved. He’s entering the first season of a front-loaded four-year, $32MM contract that he signed last fall. At the time, it seemed like a reasonable investment, with Nnaji seemingly poised to take on a larger role in Green’s absence, perhaps even serving as Jokic’s primary backup at center. But 2023/24 was the 23-year-old’s worst NBA season, as he averaged just 3.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .463/.261/.677 shooting. Needless to say, if he were eligible for restricted free agency this summer, a four-year, $32MM deal would be a long shot.

Nnaji’s salary isn’t massive, and he’s still young enough to be a bounce-back candidate, but his value has slipped so precipitously in the last year that it would take draft assets to move off his four-year contract. The Nuggets may prefer to preserve those assets for a move that actually upgrades the roster instead of just saving some money.

If we assume Caldwell-Pope re-signs and Nnaji returns, the Nuggets’ roster-building options aren’t extensive. Jokic, Murray, and Gordon aren’t going anywhere, and the team’s top decision-makers signaled at the end of the season that Porter wouldn’t be moved either. No one else is earning more than $5.25MM – or $3.1MM, if Jackson declines his $5.25MM player option – and if Denver is operating over the second apron, the team won’t be able to aggregate salaries in a trade.

A lack of trade activity would leave two paths for filling out the bench: hoping for improvement from young players and scouring the free agent market for minimum-salary bargains. As we discussed above, that was the strategy that didn’t work particularly well last year, though there’s reason to hope it could be more successful this time around. Players often make major strides between their first and second or second and third seasons, so guys like Watson, Strawther, and Pickett could follow Braun’s path and become more consistent performers in 2024/25.

It’d be risky to count on that though, so the Nuggets ought to be a little more aggressive seeking out a rotation player or two who would be willing to sign for the minimum. Denver can offer a good situation for veterans looking to contend for a championship and potentially play regular minutes. Torrey Craig, Kyle Lowry, Lonnie Walker, Delon Wright, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Mason Plumlee, and Daniel Theis are some potential low-cost targets I like.

The Nuggets will also have to make a decision on Vlatko Cancar, who missed the entire 2023/24 season due to an ACL tear and has a $2.35MM team option for ’24/25. Cancar steadily took on a larger role over his first four years in Denver (2019-23) and his injury was a factor in why the team’s bench didn’t live up to expectations last season. Having Cancar available wouldn’t have entirely turned things around, but he showed some real promise in the championship season, averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG with a 37.4% three-point percentage in 60 games (14.8 MPG). If the club feels good about where his health is at following his ACL recovery, he should be back.

Finally, Denver holds the 28th and 56th overall picks in this year’s draft. The front office is unlikely to find an immediate contributor at No. 56, but the other selection could prove useful. There have been rumblings that the Nuggets have made Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II a draft promise — if he’s the target and the team believes he’ll be available early in the second round, exploring a trade back would make sense, since the luxury tax impact of an early second-rounder could be quite a bit less than that of a late first-rounder.

Of the Nuggets’ extension candidates, Murray and Gordon are the ones worth keeping the closest eye on, as both players could become free agents in 2025. Murray has just one year left on his current contract, while Gordon has a player option for 2025/26.

Murray could make himself eligible for a super-max contract (starting at up to 35% of the 2025/26 cap instead of 30%) if he makes an All-NBA team next season. That idea may be tempting, given that Booth suggested last October the Nuggets would open to offering Murray a super-max deal. But it’s a risky move for a player who has battled injuries in recent years, including an ACL tear that cost him the entire 2021/22 season. Murray could still sign for up to $208MM over four years on a standard maximum-salary deal this summer, which would be a pretty nice payday if Denver is willing to offer it.

As for Gordon, he’ll become eligible in September for an extension that could be worth up to about $143MM over four years. That’d be a huge commitment for a player who is a fourth option on offense, but the former lottery pick has been such a perfect fit alongside Jokic in Denver on both sides of the ball that he might be worth it, especially with the salary cap expected to rise by 10% annually over the life of the deal.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • None

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

Team Options

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Note: Because he has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, Gillespie’s qualifying offer would be worth his minimum salary (projected to be $2,093,637). It would include a small partial guarantee.

Draft Picks

  • No. 28 overall pick ($2,538,240 cap hold)
  • No. 56 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $2,538,240

Extension-Eligible Players

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for these players are on the Nuggets’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Nuggets project to operate over the cap and over the first apron. If they move above the second apron, they would lose access to the taxpayer mid-level exception.

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,183,000
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Draft Notes: Green Room, Mock Drafts, Samuel

June 19th, 2024 at 6:57pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Four more players have received green room invites for the 2024 NBA draft. Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, Indiana’s Kel’el Ware, Colorado’s Tristan Da Silva and Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington have all accepted invitations to attend the draft in person, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (all Twitter links here).

Holmes, the A-10 Player of the Year, averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game last season while shooting 54.4% from the field and 38.6% from three. He’s listed at No. 39 on ESPN’s big board and is the lowest-ranked prospect on that list to be invited.

Ware (No. 24 on ESPN’s list) averaged 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds this season in 30 games with Indiana after transferring from Oregon. Da Silva (No. 17 on ESPN) is a toolsy forward who spent all four seasons of his college career at Colorado. He averaged 16.0 PPG this season while making 39.5% of his 4.8 three-point attempts per game. Carrington (No. 19) made the ACC’s All-Freshman Team this season after averaging 13.8 PPG and 4.1 APG, establishing himself as a premier pull-up mid-range shooter.

Holmes, Ware, Da Silva and Carrington join France’s Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr and Tidjane Salaun, Serbia’s Nikola Topic, UConn’s Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle, Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, Duke’s Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski, Colorado’s Cody Williams, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, Providence’s Devin Carter, Baylor’s Yves Missi and Ja’Kobe Walter, Kansas’s Johnny Furphy, Miami’s Kyshawn George, USC’s Isaiah Collier and the G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland as the 24 players who accepted invitations to the green room. Purdue’s Zach Edey also received an invite, which he declined.

We have more draft-related notes:

  • There’s plenty of room for change in the next week leading up to the draft, but for now James L. Edwards of The Athletic sees Sarr as the best prospect in this class and believes he’s the player the Hawks should take at No. 1 if they don’t trade down. In a new mock draft that also involves Kelly Iko and Josh Robbins, The Athletic has Risacher going second to the Wizards and Castle going third to the Rockets. Carter going No. 8 to the Spurs and Holland falling to No. 11 to Chicago are among some of the more intriguing picks in the mock.
  • The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor doesn’t view Sarr or Risacher as the best players in this class, according to his latest big board, but still has Atlanta selecting Risacher in his latest mock. O’Connor lists Castle, Clingan and Buzelis as the best three players in the class, in that order. He has Holland as the 13th-best player and Bobi Klintman as the No. 18 prospect in the class. Terrence Shannon Jr., Nikola Djurisic and Trentyn Flowers are other prospects O’Connor has first-round grades on, deviating from the consensus. As for his mock, O’Connor has Sarr going second to Washington, Sheppard going third to Houston and Buzelis going fourth to San Antonio.
  • Former Florida and Seton Hall forward Tyrese Samuel has worked out for the Knicks, Spurs, Nets, Heat, Jazz, Bulls, Pelicans, Cavaliers, Raptors, Suns, Lakers and Pistons, NJ.com’s Adam Zagoria tweets. The 6-10 Samuel averaged 13.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks last season for Florida.
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Latest On Pistons’ Decision To Move On From Monty Williams

June 19th, 2024 at 5:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons parted ways with Monty Williams on Wednesday morning following the franchise’s worst-ever season after signing him to a six-year, $78.5MM deal just one year ago.

The decision to move on from Williams came soon after hiring Trajan Langdon as president of basketball operations. According to reports, owner Tom Gores indicated Williams’ remaining money wouldn’t be an issue if Langdon ultimately decided to let him go, and the decision to move on from Williams came within the last 24 hours.

Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, former Pistons assistant Jerome Allen, Heat assistant Chris Quinn and former Nets assistant Will Weaver are among the candidates for the Pistons’ head coaching vacancy, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes. In a tweet, Edwards added that he believes Borrego, Sweeney and Bryant are the three primary names to watch for the position.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter link), Shams Charania suggested Borrego remains the favorite for the Cavaliers‘ vacant head coaching position. Borrego has also drawn interest from the Lakers, though it’s worth noting that the Pistons hired Langdon from New Orleans, where Borrego coached last season.

Sweeney served as an assistant on Dwane Casey‘s staff for three years in Detroit and helped develop Giannis Antetokounmpo while with Milwaukee. Helping the Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance aids Sweeney’s case. Meanwhile, Bryant has been an assistant under Tom Thibodeau in New York since 2020 following a stint with the Jazz.

We have more from the Pistons’ decision to move on from Williams:

  • According to Edwards (Twitter link), the firing of Williams has no impact the team’s decision to bring in Fred Vinson as an assistant for next year’s staff. Vinson will be on the Pistons next season.
  • In order to fight to keep his job, Williams essentially went through an interview process with Langdon, Edwards writes in a separate story. The team was searching for complete synergy from its front office to its coaching staff, and wanted to know for certain if Williams was committed to coaching a rebuilding team. Ultimately, Langdon was given free rein, via Gores, to make whatever decision he saw fit, and the pair opted to clean house in tandem.
  • Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press echoes Edwards’ reporting in that Langdon and Gores were on the same page in regard to firing Williams (Twitter link).
  • Williams and Weaver aren’t solely to blame for Detroit’s woeful season, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports writes. There were “four factions” in the Pistons organization, with chairman Arn Tellem also serving as a prominent voice, according to Goodwill, who says that objective No. 1 this offseason should be getting everyone on the same page.
  • J.J. Redick could be a name to watch, Goodwill writes, but it’s unclear how much traction Detroit could gain with him since he’s widely viewed as the favorite for the Lakers’ position. Redick and Langdon have a Duke connection and crossed over briefly in New Orleans, though Redick’s time with the Pelicans didn’t end well. Tellem is also reportedly a fan of Redick’s.
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Moore’s Latest: Kings, Kuzma, Bulls, Bridges, Sixers, Jones, Grizzlies, More

June 19th, 2024 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are expected to return to the trade market this offseason with the same assets they offered Toronto for Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby earlier in 2023/24, writes Matt Moore of ActionNetwork.com: Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, and draft compensation.

While Sacramento will do its best to re-sign Malik Monk, the team only holds his Early Bird rights and will be limited to offering him up to $78MM over four years. If Monk ends up getting away, the Kings will likely feel some additional pressure to make a trade to upgrade its rotation — and will have some additional financial flexibility to add salary.

The Kings will likely circle back to the Wizards to discuss Kyle Kuzma, according to Moore, who says Sacramento has also talked to the Bulls about Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso. LaVine, whose price tag is believed to be lower now than it ever has been, could become a more attractive target if Monk departs, Moore adds.

Here are a few more items of interest from Moore’s latest look at free agency and the trade market:

  • The Sixers are expected to have interest in forward Miles Bridges in free agency, according to Moore. Philadelphia would have more than enough cap room to make a competitive offer for Bridges, especially if it misses out on its top targets. Moore reports that the Hornets are “known to be” fans of Bulls restricted free agent Patrick Williams, so he could be a target for Charlotte if the team loses Bridges.
  • Veteran point guard Tyus Jones, who was a full-time starter this past season for the Wizards, is expected to seek a deal worth north of $15MM annually, two sources tell Moore. Jones is the No. 15 free agent on our top-50 list.
  • There’s an expectation that the Grizzlies will look to add multiple centers this summer, Moore writes, noting that Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe is a name to watch for Memphis. A Grizzlies offer for Sharpe could consist of a second-round pick and one of their bench wings, Moore adds.
  • The Grizzlies are also among the teams that have expressed interest in Hawks center Clint Capela, along with the Wizards, Pelicans, and Bulls, Moore says.
  • The free agent market for Heat forward Haywood Highsmith is expected to start around the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM), two team cap strategists tell Moore.
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