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Adam Silver Discusses Media Rights, Expansion, More

June 7th, 2024 at 8:42am CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to reporters prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver didn’t give a firm timeline for when the league’s ongoing media rights negotiations would be completed, but he did address why the process is so complex, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

“It’s complicated for several reasons,” Silver said. “One is the advent of new platforms, particularly streaming and the interest of streaming companies and in the traditional media companies also carrying our games on streaming platforms. It’s complicated because with multiple partners, all seeking similar assets in many cases, you’re just figuring out the right way to balance those games as they go to different partners.”

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the NBA continues to move closer to finalizing a media rights deal with ABC/ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. The new agreement would be worth approximately $76 billion over 11 years. The current deal, which expires after the 2024/25 season, was worth about $24 billion over nine years, Reynolds notes.

“We tend to do long-term deals,” Silver said. “We think that’s good for the stability of the league. But it means to a certain extent you’re trying to predict the future, which is of course impossible. Part of it is a bet on the partners that we’ll ultimately align with and their ability also to adjust the times and their willingness to continue to invest in media and to become global, which is very important to the league as well.”

Here’s more from Silver’s press conference:

  • Silver apologized to TNT employees affected by the media rights negotiations. “I will say directly from me (to) the people that seem to be most impacted right now — the folks at Turner Sports — I apologize that this has been a prolonged process,” Silver said, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I know that they’re committed to their jobs. … No one likes this uncertainty. And I think it’s on the league office to bring these negotiations to a head and conclude them as quickly as we can.” Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported on Thursday that TNT was still negotiating with the league for a fourth, smaller package of games, but he characterized those efforts as a “long shot.”
  • Silver said that the NBA will be focused on exploring the viability of expansion once the media rights talks conclude, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s not preordained that we will expand this time, but I know there’s an enormous amount of interest out there,” Silver said. “And to me, yes, there are wealthy individuals, institutions that would like to invest and buy NBA teams, but I think it’s on the league to look holistically because there is the dilution, of course.” The “dilution” Silver was referring to was potentially adding another 36 players — two full teams — to the league’s player pool, McMenamin adds. “I feel great about where the talent is right now in the league, but those players have to come from somewhere,” Silver said.
  • While Seattle and Las Vegas have been frequently cited as the most likely cities for expansion, Silver also said the league was focused on finding markets that could optimally “grow the game” in the future, per McMenamin. “At some point, we’d like to look outside the United States, in addition to Canada,” Silver said. “This may not be the right moment to do that, but I’m thinking long term, as well.”
  • Silver also discussed the 65-game rule and the potential of automating certain in-game calls in the future, among other topics. Those quotes can be found in McMenamin’s article as well.
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Lakers To Meet With Dan Hurley On Friday

June 6th, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Luke Adams

UConn coach Dan Hurley is traveling to California to meet with Lakers leadership – including team owner Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka – on Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the team is “eager to close” on a deal that would make Hurley its next head coach.

After initially reporting early on Thursday morning that the Lakers have prioritized Hurley in their head coaching search, Wojnarowski says the team’s pursuit of the two-time national champion has “accelerated.” Sources tell ESPN that the two sides have already talked about what a potential deal would look like — Woj notes that it would be “significant” in terms of both years and salary.

Hurley let UConn administrators know on Wednesday and told his players on Thursday that he was exploring his options with the Lakers. While he hasn’t made any decisions yet, there’s “momentum” in his talks with the Lakers, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Woj stated during a TV appearance on Thursday (Twitter video link) that he expects resolution on the Hurley front within the next few days – perhaps by the end of the weekend or early next week – since the coach won’t want to leave the Huskies hanging for too long.

We have more on Hurley and Lakers after passing along several Hurley-related notes this afternoon:

  • The Lakers’ interest in Hurley wasn’t just kept secret from the public until Thursday morning — many people within the organization weren’t even aware of that interest, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Hurley’s name began coming up in internal conversations about head coaching candidates last week, but he seemed like a long shot at that time, Buha adds.
  • Buha describes Hurley as a legitimate candidate for the Lakers’ job and perhaps the favorite over J.J. Redick, who was considered the frontrunner as recently as Wednesday. However, sources tell The Athletic that the search is “far from settled” and that Redick is still a very viable candidate.
  • Longtime Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has advised the Lakers during their coaching search, and his connection to Redick (a former Blue Devil) was believed to be a major consideration for Los Angeles. However, as Buha observes, Krzyzewski also coached Hurley’s brother Bobby and has a strong relationship with the UConn head coach. Krzyzewski’s belief in Hurley is one of the factors that has convinced the Lakers to aggressively pursue him, Buha writes.
  • Wojnarowski said during a TV appearance on Thursday that he believes the Lakers would be “far more likely” to draft LeBron James‘ son Bronny James if they end up hiring Hurley. “When you talk about LeBron James and the impact this has for him, I think this is the first significant action the Lakers have taken to show you they are actually very serious about drafting Bronny James at 55,” Wojnarowski said (YouTube link). “Because they do see Dan Hurley as the perfect coach to guide his development.”
  • Veteran columnist Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times, who previously argued against the idea of the Lakers hiring Redick as their head coach, strongly endorsed Hurley for the job, referring to it as a “no-brainer.”
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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Golden State Warriors

June 6th, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Luke Adams

No NBA team has spent more money during the past two seasons on player salaries and luxury tax payments than the Warriors. The return on those hundreds of millions of dollars committed by ownership? A 90-74 regular season record, a single playoff series win in 2023, and a one-and-done play-in appearance in 2024.

Of course, the Warriors still have many of the same pieces on the current roster that they did on the version that won a championship in 2022. But the club’s longtime core stars are all in their mid-30s and need more help from the supporting cast than they once did.

Following a disappointing finish to the 2023/24 season, Golden State ownership and management will need to make a crucial decision this summer.

Is it worth maximizing the years the Warriors have left with all-time great Stephen Curry by continuing to pour massive amounts of money into player payroll and remaining in championship-or-bust mode? Or is the time right to take a step back by shedding some salary, ducking below the tax aprons, and gaining access to more roster-building tools, even if it means sacrificing a couple assets and perhaps ending an important longtime relationship along the way?

Cutting costs doesn’t necessarily mean the Warriors can’t be a contender in 2024/25 and beyond, but one or two missteps in that process could put the team at risk of wasting Curry’s remaining high-level years. It will be a tricky tightrope to walk for general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., who is in just his second year as Golden State’s head of basketball operations.

The Warriors’ Offseason Plan

If money continues to be no object for the Warriors, re-signing veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, should be atop their to-do list. The two sides have expressed mutual interest in continuing their relationship, which began when Golden State drafted Thompson 11th overall back in 2011. But Thompson reportedly turned down a two-year, $48MM extension prior to the season and seems intent on testing the open market to get a sense of his options.

The Warriors are in a difficult spot with Thompson. He’s not the same player he was in his best years, as ACL and Achilles tears in 2019 and 2020 sapped him of some athleticism and slowed down his lateral movement on defense. But he’s still one of the NBA’s best shooters (38.7% on 9.0 attempts per game in 2023/24) and will likely draw significant interest from young teams with cap room that covet both his floor-spacing ability and his championship experience.

As Anthony Slater of The Athletic recently noted, clubs like the Thunder, Magic, and Sixers could make life difficult for Golden State by putting lucrative short-term offers on the table for the 34-year-old, forcing the Warriors to go a little higher than they’d be comfortable with in order to retain him.

Letting Thompson go would significantly reduce the payroll, but it wouldn’t allow the Warriors to sign an equivalent replacement (ie. a player making well above the mid-level exception), since they still wouldn’t be in position to open up cap room.

If the Dubs intend to take the aggressive, win-at-any-cost route, it could also mean using Chris Paul‘s $30MM expiring contract as a trade chip for an impact player who is more firmly in his prime. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement no longer allows an over-the-cap team to trade a $30MM non-guaranteed salary for a $30MM guaranteed salary, since only the guaranteed portion counts for matching purposes. But Golden State could be somewhat flexible on the trade market with Paul — for instance, if the team targets a player making $20MM, it could just guarantee $20MM of CP3’s salary rather than having to guarantee the full amount.

Paul won’t have much value on his own, so attaching draft assets and/or young prospects would be necessary to build an appealing package. The Warriors could theoretically offer up to three future first-round picks despite having sent their 2030 first-rounder to Washington last offseason — that pick includes top-20 protection, so Golden State could trade it a second time if its new trade partner is willing to accept 21-30 protection (that team, in other words, would acquire it if it lands in the 1-20 range).

In terms of prospects, Moses Moody may be the most expendable of Golden State’s young players, given that he’s entering his fourth season and has yet to establish himself as a consistent rotation piece. Trade partners would likely have more interest in Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, both of whom are under very affordable team control for three more seasons, and especially Jonathan Kuminga, who has the most star potential of the quartet.

I don’t love this high-spending, win-now path for the Warriors though, particularly since there’s no obvious star trade candidate who would turn the club into a title favorite. Going that route would almost certainly mean operating over the second tax apron, which would impose several severe roster-building limitations, including an inability to aggregate salaries in trades or to sign free agents to more than minimum-salary contracts. Co-owner Joe Lacob has talked about ideally wanting to avoid being in that territory going forward.

So let’s consider the alternative.

Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Kuminga, Moody, Podziemski, and Jackson-Davis are owed a combined $125MM in guaranteed money. Adding Kevon Looney ($8MM) and Gary Payton II ($9.13MM) would bump that figure to $142MM+, but Looney’s salary is only guaranteed for $3MM, while Payton holds a player option.

Let’s say Looney, who played a pretty limited role last season, is waived and re-signs for the minimum. And let’s assume that Payton, who spoke in April about possibly “redoing” his contract, is willing to accept a pay cut in 2024/25 (to, say, $6MM) if he gets another guaranteed year or two tacked onto a new deal.

Now we’re at $136MM for nine players, with a projected luxury tax line around $171MM. With at least five more players needed to fill out the roster, that admittedly doesn’t leave a ton of wiggle room to get a new deal for Thompson under the tax threshold, unless he’s willing to accept a relatively team-friendly rate (perhaps at or below the team’s previous extension offer). But with the first apron projected for about $179MM, the Warriors could bring back Thompson, waive Paul rather than trying to trade him, and have the ability to comfortably fill their remaining roster spots without surpassing either apron.

Even with the repeater tax rate applied to them, the Warriors’ tax bill would be fairly modest if they’re just a few million dollars above the tax line. And by operating under the aprons, Golden State could use some of the mid-level exception to pursue a rotation player and would be able to explore the trade market (perhaps dangling Wiggins?) without having to worry about not being able to aggregate salaries or take back more salary than they’re sending out.

If Thompson walks, the Warriors could offer a more significant role to Moody and would have additional flexibility on the trade market with Paul’s expiring deal, which would be a stronger matching piece as long as the team’s salary remains below the aprons.

While apron teams can’t take back more than 100% of their outgoing guaranteed salary in a trade, the salary-matching rules for non-apron teams are far more lenient. To acquire that aforementioned hypothetical $20MM target, Golden State would only have to guarantee Paul’s salary for $13.5MM (instead of $20MM as an apron team), increasing his value to any trade partner that intends to simply waive him.

It’s hard to envision a scenario in which either Curry or Green isn’t a Warrior next season, but there are no other players on the roster whom I view as locks to still be in Golden State by opening night. There are simply too many permutations for how this offseason could play out, with Thompson’s free agency and the handling of Paul’s expiring contract acting as the fulcrums that will dictate how the rest of the summer goes.

If Kuminga remains with the club – and I think he should – figuring out whether or not to extend him this offseason will represent another major decision for Warriors management. The third-year forward broke out in a big way beginning in the middle of the 2023/24 season after he saw inconsistent minutes during his first two-plus years in the NBA. He’s not a maximum-salary player yet, but Kuminga has probably earned a $100MM+ payday. It remains to be seen whether that payday will come from Golden State and whether it will happen this year.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Chris Paul ($30,000,000)
    • Paul’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 28.
  • Kevon Looney ($5,000,000)
    • Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted above. Looney’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 24.
  • Gui Santos ($1,891,857)
  • Pat Spencer (two-way)
  • Total: $36,891,857

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Note: Because he’s a former first-round pick who had his third- and/or fourth-year option declined, Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent.

Draft Picks

  • No. 52 overall pick (no cap hold)

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Stephen Curry (veteran)
  • Jonathan Kuminga (rookie scale)
  • Kevon Looney (veteran)
  • Moses Moody (rookie scale)
  • Chris Paul (veteran)
  • Gary Payton II (veteran)
    • Player option must be exercised.
  • Klay Thompson (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible until June 30.

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 Warriors’ 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 Warriors project to operate over the cap. Their proximity to the tax aprons will be determined largely by their decisions with Thompson and Paul. If the Warriors operate above the first tax apron, they will lose access to all of the exceptions noted below and would instead be able to use the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,183,000). If they operate above both tax aprons, they’ll lose access to all of these exceptions, including the taxpayer MLE.

  • Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $12,859,000
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,681,000
  • Trade exception: $2,337,720
    • Expires on July 8.
  • Trade exception: $2,019,706
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Southwest Notes: Harrison, Kyrie, J. Smith, Spurs

June 6th, 2024 at 8:34pm CST by Luke Adams

When Mark Cuban, the majority owner of the Mavericks at the time, first reached out to longtime Nike executive Nico Harrison about the team’s general manager vacancy in 2021, Harrison declined an invitation to talk about the job, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. However, Harrison eventually decided to listen to what Cuban had to say and came around to the idea of accepting the top front office role in Dallas.

“We talked for an hour,” Harrison said of his initial conversation with Cuban. “He told me his process, which was going to go for a few weeks. And then the next day, he skipped the process and wanted to hire me. I think he was just thinking outside the box. And the one thing he always says is that I had a real job. He respected the background that I had at Nike and all the people that were in my organization, managing the budget and all that stuff. He always says, ‘You had a real job. You had a real job.’ So I think that was one of the things.”

During his time at Nike, Harrison established a relationship with Kyrie Irving, which came in handy at the 2023 trade deadline when the star guard became available with his stock near an all-time low following a handful of off-court controversies. As Amick details, that relationship emboldened Harrison to “ignore the outside noise,” as he puts it, and take a shot on Irving.

“I don’t want to call it a life raft or lifeline, but it was like family reaching out,” Irving told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “… This has been the greatest … portion of my career. To be able to now give wisdom and also speak from a place of experience. When you’re a young person, again, you’re trying to speed through life, you’re trying to get through everything.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Acting as an “NBA correspondent” at Wednesday’s NBA Finals media day, Rockets forward Jabari Smith asked Celtics star Jayson Tatum what advice he’d give to a young player entering his third season who feels like he hadn’t lived up to his pre-draft expectations. That characterization describes Smith, who made major strides in his second season but apparently believes he should have accomplished more after being drafted third overall in 2022. According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required), Tatum advised Smith to avoid rushing the process. “It takes however long it takes,” Tatum said. “But as long as you work hard, you believe, you got the right support system — obviously, you do down in Houston; I know all those guys, coaches — everything will take care of itself how it’s supposed to.”
  • Kelly Iko and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic analyze the Spurs‘ options in the draft as they weigh how to best build around franchise player Victor Wembanyama. Vecenie loves the potential fit of UConn’s Stephon Castle next to Wembanyama, but says San Antonio should entirely rule out UConn’s other lottery talent, Donovan Clingan, since the two big men wouldn’t fit alongside one another. Vecenie also suggests that the Spurs should be open to trading down for extra value if Clingan is still on the board at No. 4 or even at No. 8.
  • Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) takes a closer look at Matas Buzelis‘ skill set and considers how he might fit with the Spurs, outlining the case for San Antonio to use one of its two lottery picks on the former G League Ignite forward.
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Porzingis Will Come Off Bench In Game 1, Won’t Face Minutes Restriction

June 6th, 2024 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Playing on Thursday for the first time since suffering a calf strain on April 29, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will come off the bench in Game 1 of the NBA Finals vs. Dallas, with Al Horford continuing to start at the five for the Eastern Conference champions, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

However, according to head coach Joe Mazzulla, Porzingis won’t be a minutes restriction on Thursday, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets.

During his three healthy games at the start of the postseason, Porzingis averaged 30.5 minutes per game after logging 29.6 MPG across 57 regular season contests. Given those numbers, it would be surprising if he played more than 25-30 minutes in Game 1, but it sounds like he could do so if needed.

In his first season as a Celtic, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game with a .516/.375/.858 shooting line. He has diversified Boston’s offense with his ability to score in the post and make outside shots while serving as the team’s top rim protector on defense, so keeping him healthy will be a top priority during the NBA Finals. The big man missed Game 5 of the first round vs. Miami and the entire Eastern Conference semifinals and finals due to his calf injury.

Porzingis has started 458 of 459 career regular season games over the course of his nine-year career, as well as all 14 of his playoff contests. His lone appearance off the bench came in January 2017 for the Knicks when he returned to action following a four-game injury absence.

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TNT Remains In Talks For Possible Fourth NBA Rights Package

June 6th, 2024 at 6:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA appears to be nearing agreements on media rights deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon, but the league hasn’t yet closed the door on its longtime partnership with TNT Sports.

According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT’s parent company) is in talks with the NBA about a possible fourth rights package that would be smaller overall in terms of both total games and cost.

Those conversations are ongoing, so it’s unclear where the games for that potential fourth package would come from. McCarthy suggests it could feature both regular season and playoff games, which would likely mean taking games from one or more of the ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon packages. Another scenario, McCarthy writes, would be for the league to set aside games that would typically be locally televised and turn them into national games for TNT.

McCarthy characterizes WBD’s efforts as a “long shot,” but outlines several reasons why a fourth media rights package with TNT could make sense for the NBA:

  • It would allow the league to continue its 40-year relationship with Turner Sports, which has been a reliable broadcast partner for decades.
  • It would pave the way for TNT to continue operating NBA TV and NBA.com on behalf of the league.
  • It would allow for the ongoing survival of TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” studio show, featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal.
  • Paying less money for a smaller package may appeal to Warner Bros. Discovery, which is dealing with $40 billion in debt and whose CEO David Zaslav has talked about not wanting to overpay for the NBA.

If TNT and the NBA can’t come to terms on a fourth package, Warner Bros. Discovery believes it would still have the right to match the NBC or Amazon deals. However, previous reporting has suggested the league would argue TNT can’t simply match NBC’s bid dollar-for-dollar since TNT lacks the over-the-air broadcast infrastructure that NBC can offer. The league may also push back on the idea that TNT can match Amazon’s bid, since it’s a new third package of games.

If TNT attempts to match one of those offers and the NBA rejects the bid, the issue could end up in court, McCarthy notes.

The current NBA media rights deal, which features just two partners (ESPN/ABC and TNT), will expire after the 2024/25 season, with the new agreements going into effect for ’25/26.

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Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Porzingis, Celtics, Nets, Sixers

June 6th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Star forward Jayson Tatum admitted to reporters this week that the Celtics‘ storied history creates some additional pressure in the quest for a championship, which would be the franchise’s record-setting 18th title, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

“We only hang NBA championship banners, right? 17 of them,” Tatum said. “Some of the greatest players to ever play this game wore this uniform. All of us are honored to follow in their footsteps, the way they paved for us to live out our dream. … If you want to be one of the greats to put on this uniform, every great before you won a championship. That’s what we try to play for every single season. The expectations are obviously different here. It takes special players to be here and to be a part of an environment like that.”

Tatum, who is in his seventh season with the Celtics and is competing in his 20th career playoff series, said he’s gotten accustomed to that pressure over the years and that his goal in this year’s Finals is to “enjoy the moment.” Boston has made four Eastern Conference finals and two NBA Finals during Tatum’s tenure. As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, Tatum and the Celtics believe they’re ready for the Finals this time around after experiencing some growing pains in the postseason earlier in his career.

“We come into the league at such a young age, and they want us to be perfect right away. It’s just part of growing up,” Tatum said. “You’re still growing up. I’m still growing up. It’s a process, right? Nothing was accomplished overnight. I think you’ll find a value in tough times, the ups and downs of just what life brings you.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Jared Weiss of The Athletic and Brian Robb of MassLive.com each published in-depth features on Kristaps Porzingis this week ahead of his Game 1 return, with Weiss covering the big man’s transition to the Celtics following last summer’s blockbuster trade, while Robb details how that trade was a culmination of the team’s longtime interest in Porzingis, which dated back to 2014 when he initially declared for the draft before withdrawing and reentering in 2015.
  • Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was noncommittal when asked about a recent report that suggested senior consultant Jeff Van Gundy could transition into a role on Boston’s bench next season, per Robb of MassLive.com. “We don’t really know yet,” Mazzulla said during a radio appearance on Zolak and Bertrand on 98.5 FM in Boston. “We always said we are going to hire from within and kind of talk more about that after the season.”
  • Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who described his new coaching staff as “player development-oriented,” went into more detail earlier this week about what his idea of player development looks like, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays. “There’s no better player development in the world than playing real minutes. And we value real minutes, not just in the NBA but also the G League,” Fernandez said. “And we have all the resources we need to help our guys get better. But at the end of the day, we’re going to value team success over everything else. So it’s gonna be a clear message from the beginning; we’re gonna expect these guys to work really hard every day.”
  • While LeBron James is widely considered likely to remain with the Lakers, the Sixers – armed with $60MM+ in cap room and a pair of stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey – could make a compelling pitch to the four-time MVP. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores what it would look like if James decided he wanted to leave Los Angeles for Philadelphia.
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And-Ones: West, Finals Predictions, Spain, Hezonja

June 6th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA guard Delonte West was arrested in Virginia on Thursday morning on misdemeanor charges of violating the conditions of his release and resisting arrest, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reports. West is being held on a $2,000 bond at the Fairfax County Detention Center. An arraignment is scheduled for Friday morning.

Local police say they spotted West around 1 a.m. ET and attempted to serve a warrant. West allegedly fled and was found unresponsive after police lost track of him during the pursuit, per Holmes.

According to the Faifax County police, West was administered Narcan — which is used to treat overdoses — but it didn’t have the desired effect. Narcan was administered a second time after West was transported to a hospital, and the second dose was effective.

The former St. Joseph’s guard discussed his struggles with bipolar disorder while he was playing and he has battled substance abuse in recent years, Holmes notes.

West, 40, played eight NBA seasons from 2004-12. In 432 career regular season games, he averaged 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.4 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • While the Celtics are the betting favorites to win the NBA Finals in 2023/24, ESPN’s panel of experts believes the Mavericks will emerge victorious and claim their second championship. Nine voters selected Dallas, with eight going for Boston, so it was a very slim margin.
  • The Spanish basketball federation announced its preliminary 22-player roster ahead of the country’s Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, per Eurohoops. While the team features several former NBA players, Santi Aldama (Grizzlies) and Usman Garuba (Warriors) are the only two who finished the 2023/24 season on 15-man rosters. Former NBA guards Ricky Rubio and Sergio Rodriguez are among the noteworthy players who are not on Spain’s 22-man roster.
  • Former NBA wing Mario Hezonja, who is on Croatia’s preliminary roster for its qualifying tournament in Greece, is nearing a contract extension with Real Madrid, per Ramón Álvarez de Mon of La Galerna (Twitter link). The fifth pick of the 2015 draft, Hezojna last played in the NBA in 2019/20. A report in March said the 29-year-old was “aggressively exploring” the viability of a return to the league.
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Latest On Dan Hurley, Lakers

June 6th, 2024 at 2:35pm CST by Rory Maher

UConn head coach Dan Hurley confirmed to his players on Thursday morning that he’s been in discussions about becoming the new head coach of the Lakers, a source tells John Fanta of Fox Sports (Twitter link).

According to Fanta, Hurley “didn’t want to hide” the news from the team, since it’s legitimate, but cautioned that nothing has been finalized. Dana O’Neil of The Athletic confirms Fanta’s report (via Twitter), adding that UConn has yet to restructure Hurley’s contract after becoming a back-to-back champion in 2024. Hurley received a six-year, $32MM extension after the Huskies won the title in 2023.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this morning that L.A. is preparing a “massive, long-term” offer to Hurley — a surprising development after multiple outlets had pegged former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst J.J. Redick as the frontrunner for the job.

Hurley has discussed his desire to transition to the NBA multiple times, per Wojnarowski, and did so again on Wednesday during an appearance on the Mike Francesa podcast (YouTube link).

“I do aspire one day, if the right NBA situation were to come along, to really testing myself…where an organization wants a tone-setter to come in and instill a culture with young players and an organization that wants to pursue championships,” Hurley said (Twitter link via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer).

Here’s more on Hurley and the Lakers’ coaching search:

  • According to Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, Hurley’s contract with UConn stipulates that he would have to give back $1.875MM if he were hired by NBA team (Twitter link). That figure rises to $7.5MM if he were to leave for a rival NCAA team during the same time period (April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025).
  • ESPN’s Pete Thamel explores whether Hurley could be successful if he is ultimately offered and accepts the job to become the Lakers’ new head coach, while five ESPN insiders — including Thamel — examine how Hurley could impact L.A., LeBron James and his son Bronny James. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst refers to Hurley as a “high-risk, high-reward” candidate who is undeniably talented but lacks experience at the NBA level. It’s worth noting that LeBron has publicly lauded Hurley’s basketball acumen — ironically while he was being interviewed by Redick.
  • A source tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that LeBron James hasn’t talked to the Lakers about Hurley, Redick or any other candidate (Twitter links). According to McMenamin, James has stressed that the Lakers need to make a long-term decision on a coach who could be with the organization beyond the next couple seasons — the 39-year-old impending free agent is only expected to play for one or two more years.
  • Shams Charania of The Athletic — one of the reporters who repeatedly pegged Redick as the favorite — says L.A. is still trying to convince Hurley to take the job, and a decision isn’t imminent. “The Lakers have started working to convince Dan Hurley, the UConn coach, the back-to-back champion, to take their head coaching job,” Charania said on Run It Back (YouTube link), per RealGM. “I’m told it’s likely that Hurley will make a decision over the next week or so — likely goes into next week on a decision.”
  • Appearing on the GoJo and Golic show (Twitter video link), Redick declined to comment on all of the reports linking him to the Lakers. However, he did seem to take umbrage with Charania. “My focus is on the NBA Finals. In terms of Shams, that will be addressed once the season is over. I’ll just say that,” Redick said, before later adding: “I don’t mean any job, I mean Shams. After the season.”
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Bloomberg To Join Wolves’ Ownership Group Led By Lore, A-Rod

June 6th, 2024 at 12:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman and former three-term mayor of New York City, is joining the Timberwolves‘ ownership group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, sources tell Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Bloomberg has a net worth of over $100 billion, according to Forbes, making him one of the wealthiest people in the world.

Longtime Wolves owner Glen Taylor is currently the controlling stakeholder in the franchise after he nixed the previous tiered payment agreement with Lore and Rodriguez, citing a breach of contract. Lore and Rodriguez disputed that characterization, stating that they had the funds necessary to become majority owners but were awaiting NBA approval and should have been entitled to an extension.

The third payment that it’s in dispute would increase Lore and Rodriguez’ share from 36% to about 80%, per The Athletic, and the purchase agreement stipulates that they could buy out Taylor’s remaining 20% stake anytime before March 2025. That’s where Bloomberg fits in — his investment would help Lore and Rodriguez’s group obtain that final 20%, with Taylor no longer holding a stake.

Lore and Rodriguez have been preparing as though they will assume majority control, but the dispute is still in arbitration and a decision could take months. Bloomberg’s addition would not impact that case, which is only based on the events leading up to the contract’s deadline (March 27). However, if they emerge victorious, Bloomberg could factor into the league’s decision, Krawczynski tweets.

Krawczynski and Charania clarify that while Bloomberg is obviously very well known and a “considerable financial partner,” his investment only represents a portion of the $300MM+ needed for Lore and Rodriguez to purchase Taylor’s final 20%.

Should they emerge victorious in the dispute, Lore and Rodriguez would remain the group’s top decision-makers. According to The Athletic, the group is committed to paying the luxury tax in 2024/25 and beyond if president of basketball operations Tim Connelly makes that recommendation. Taylor has also said he’s prepared to pay the tax next season.

League sources tell The Athletic that Lore and Rodriguez are in the midst of developing plans for a new, privately funded arena to replace the Target Center, which is the second-oldest building in the league. The group believes that could transpire as early as 2031.

According to Krawczynski and Charania, Lore and Rodriguez have also had discussions with Gerry Cardinale about collaborating on a new regional sports network to broadcast Timberwolves and Lynx (WNBA) games, as well as other local teams. Cardinale, the founder of RedBird Capital, has “deep connections to the New York Yankees and played a leading role in the formation of the YES Network in New York, which would serve as a model for a potential new venture in the Twin Cities area.”

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