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Community Shootaround: Pistons’ Offseason

June 3rd, 2024 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trajan Langdon, the Pistons‘ new president of basketball operations, has an enormous task ahead of him.

The Pistons were supposed to turn the corner this season and show marked improvement. Instead, they smashed into a brick wall, setting a single-season record for most consecutive losses and finishing with the league’s worst record. Adding to their misery, they dropped from the top spot to No. 5 in the draft lottery.

Troy Weaver’s four-year regime as general manager was a disaster. The Pistons won the lottery in 2021 and drafted Cade Cunningham, the only player on the roster with All-Star potential. Otherwise, his personnel moves only made a bad situation worse.

Langdon has been tasked with building a roster around Cunningham to maximize his talents. That means some serious evaluations of other recent first-round picks – Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser – on the roster. All of those players have shown talent to some degree but none are surefire starters on a quality team.

Langdon also has some decisions to make regarding restricted free agent Simone Fontecchio and Quentin Grimes, who is extension-eligible as he enters a contract year. It’s generally assumed the club will retain Fontecchio, who provided much-needed outside shooting after he was acquired from Utah, as long he doesn’t receive an overly generous offer sheet. Grimes, who barely played after being acquired from the Knicks due to injuries, is a bigger question mark.

The good news is the Pistons will have plenty of cap room – projected around $60MM – to spend on free agents and facilitate trades. The fact they still owe the Knicks a first-round pick hampers their ability to include draft assets in deals.

Another obvious issue is coach Monty Williams, who still has five years left on his contract. Langdon apparently has the leeway to hire another coach, but owner Tom Gores might not want to eat that much money unless Langdon has someone specific in mind who can turn things around quickly.

And that’s what makes the new president’s job even more difficult. The organization and its fans are tired of losing and don’t want to go through another long rebuilding process to see some positive results. Yet he inherits a roster that looked overmatched against its opponents on a regular basis.

That brings us to our topic of the day: What kind of moves should Langdon make this offseason to turn around the team’s fortunes? What type of players should he target in free agency and trades and which young players on his roster should he be willing to deal? Should he retain Williams or look for another coach?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Clippers Notes: Mann, George, Harden, Offseason

June 3rd, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Terance Mann is crossing his fingers that free agent Paul George will re-sign with the Clippers. During an interview on FanDuel’s Run It Back program (video link), Mann said, “I hope (he returns), but you never know with this free agency stuff. We had a great chance this year if we were healthy, so I hope we get him back.”

We have more on the Clippers:

When James Harden makes his personal choice for greatest player of all-time, he looks at Los Angeles’ other team and its late great star. “I mean, there was only one person who made me love, I mean fall in love with the game, and that’s Kobe Bryant,” Harden told Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype. “Being from L.A. and being a Lakers fan watching him grow up and win several championships and his passion and love and what he did for the game of basketball, I think the world, you know, feels the same way, but that’s why I started playing basketball. The skill set and things that I’ve learned, I kind of picked up on my own, but as far as falling in love with the game, it’s definitely been Kobe.”
In a YouTube video, Yossi Gozlan addresses a number of Clippers topics, including what might happen with George and Harden in free agency and the team’s payroll constraints. Ultimately, Gozlan believes it’s possible the Clippers could slowly break apart if the team continues to fall short of expectations.
In a written breakdown of the Clippers’ offseason outlook for Spotrac, Keith Smith anticipates the roster will look much the same if the Clippers are able to re-sign George and Harden. The second tax apron will make it difficult for them to make trades and to do any other roster retooling.

Kyrie Irving: “Wasn’t My Best Self” With Celtics

June 3rd, 2024 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Perhaps the biggest subplot of these Finals is Kyrie Irving‘s return to Boston after his rocky two-year stay with the Celtics. Irving expressed contrition for some of his actions during those 2017/18 and ’18/19 seasons, as well as two subsequent playoff series against the Celtics when he played for the Nets, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes.

The Mavericks guard views his time in a Celtics uniform as a learning experience.

“It was just a chapter in my life that I got to enjoy for the most part,” Irving said. “We had a great opportunity to do some special things, but it was cut short, just based off personal reasons on my end. One thing I look back on my time in Boston — I’ve said this over the past few years, but somehow it gets tossed under the rug — but the greatest thing I learned from Boston was just being able to manage not only my emotions or just what’s going on on a day-to-day basis of being a leader of a team or being one of the leaders, and having young guys around you that have their own goals, but you have to learn how to put the big picture first.”

Irving also admits he deserved some of the criticism that came his way during his two seasons in Boston. Irving was often moody and aloof during that time.

“I don’t mind, after a few years, taking the brunt of the blame (for my time in Boston not working out),” Irving said, per Tim Cato of The Athletic. “(I’m) one of the best players in the world so I know what comes with that fair criticism. You know, it’s just that a little bit more grace could have been extended my way, especially with what I was dealing with during that time as a human being. I know sometimes in sports, it’s literally about the end goal and result in what you accomplish, and that’s one thing. But we’re still human. At the end of the day, I wasn’t my best self during that time. When I look back on it, I just see it as a time where I learned how to let go of things and learned how to talk through my emotions.”

Irving had difficulty handling his emotions during the 2021 and 2022 playoffs. In the latter, he was fined $50K for flashing his middle finger at fans during the Nets’ Game 1 loss.

Irving says he’s better prepared and more mature now, as he and Luka Doncic try to lead Dallas to a second championship in 14 years. Irving knows the road games during the Finals, which begin Thursday in Boston, will test his patience. But he feels he’s better equipped to block out the noise.

“I think I’m better at consolidating kind of the emotions now or being aware of what it’s going to be like,” Irving said. “We call it animosity, we call it hate, we call it, ‘It’s going to be hell in Boston.’ I mean, there are real, live circumstances going on in the world that are bigger than the basketball, kind of the competitive side of things and answering those questions. But I will say last time in Boston, I don’t think that was the best — not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my (bleep) a little bit — that wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level. It wasn’t a great reflection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you.

“I’m built for these moments, to be able to handle circumstances like that, and I’ve been able to grow since then,” he added. “So of course it’s going to be a hectic environment, but I’m looking forward to it and I see it as a healthy relationship that I have with the fans. I almost think about ‘Gladiator,’ just winning the crowd over. It is good to hear the TD Garden silent when you’re playing well. They still respect great basketball.”

Irving has been stellar in this postseason, averaging 22.8 points and 5.2 assists per game. He has made 48.5% of his field goal attempts, a career best in the postseason.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Hartenstein, Raptors, Edey, Nets

June 3rd, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Fred Katz and Danny Leroux of The Athletic answer several CBA-related offseason questions for the Knicks, including why they’ll be limited to offering Isaiah Hartenstein a four-year, $72.5MM contract in free agency.

As The Athletic’s authors explain, New York only holds Hartenstein’s Early Bird rights because he has only spent the past two years with the Knicks. One recent report said the 26-year-old could receive $80-$100MM on a new deal from a team with cap room.

Katz and Leroux also cover several other topics, including why the Knicks are in a much better position to potentially trade for a star during the 2024/25 league year instead of in ’25/26 (they could be over the second tax apron at that point).

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

Cap expert Yossi Gozlan explores a few cap room teams that reportedly could be threats to sign Hartenstein away from the Knicks (YouTube link). Gozlan views Orlando as the most logical potential (external) suitor for the big man, but he thinks Hartenstein will ultimately re-sign with New York.
The Raptors are hosting six prospects for a pre-draft workout on Monday, including Purdue star center Zach Edey, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Edey, who won back-to-back college Player of the Year awards, is ranked No. 16 on ESPN’s top-100 list. The other five players are Keion Brooks Jr. (Washington), Joseph Girard III (Clemson), Emanuel Miller (TCU), Tyrese Samuel (Florida) and Jahmir Young (Maryland). Edey, Miller and Samuel are all natives of Canada. The Raptors control the No. 19 and No. 31 picks in the 2024 draft.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez discussed his staff of assistants, which was made official last week (Twitter links via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “Common thread is bringing energy on the court, a lot of player development-oriented coaches,” Fernandez said. “And also coaches with a lot of experience as players…I was not a pro…so it’s important that we have enough guys that have done it.”

Suns Expected To Retain Royce O’Neale

June 3rd, 2024 at 3:43pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns forward Royce O’Neale is expected to remain with Phoenix this offseason, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast.

“They’re going to re-sign Royce O’Neale,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “That’s going to get done.”

O’Neale, who turns 31 years old on Wednesday, was acquired from Brooklyn in a three-team trade ahead of the February deadline. He appeared in 79 regular season games with the Nets and Suns, averaging 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.0% from three-point range in 24.7 minutes per contest.

A former Baylor Bear who started his professional career in Europe, O’Neale has been a solid 3-and-D player for several seasons now. He spent his first five NBA seasons with Utah before being traded to Brooklyn a couple years ago.

Most impending free agents technically can’t negotiate with their current teams until the NBA Finals end later this month. That doesn’t apply to O’Neale, however, because he’s also eligible for a veteran extension.

O’Neale earned $9.5MM in 2023/24 and will likely be in line for a raise. The Suns project to be well over the highly restrictive second tax apron next season and have limited flexibility in how they can build out their team, but they have O’Neale’s Bird rights, meaning they can go over the cap to re-sign him up to his maximum salary.

As long as ownership is willing to foot the bill, Phoenix is actually incentivized to increase O’Neale’s salary in order to have a larger contract for matching purposes — the Suns won’t be able to aggregate salaries in trades due to being over the second tax apron.

Cavs Granted Permission To Interview Wolves’ Micah Nori

June 3rd, 2024 at 1:33pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers been granted permission to interview Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for their head coaching vacancy, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

An Ohio native, Nori also interviewed for the Lakers’ head coaching job, Wojnarowski notes. The veteran assistant coach was first linked to Cleveland by Wojnarowski’s ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst.

Nori, 50, spent several years as a scout with Toronto before becoming an assistant coach with the Raptors in 2009. He was also an assistant with Sacramento, Denver and Detroit before joining Minnesota in 2021.

Known for his humor, wit and intelligence, Nori patrolled the sidelines for the Wolves and made many in-game decisions this postseason after head coach Chris Finch sustained a major knee injury in the team’s first-round victory over Phoenix. Nori has drawn high praise from stars like Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic.

As our tracker shows, Nori is at least the fifth candidate to interview for the Cavs’ lead coaching job, joining Kenny Atkinson (Golden State), James Borrego (New Orleans), Johnny Bryant (New York) and Chris Quinn (Miami). Of the five, only Atkinson and Borrego have previous NBA head coaching experience (with Brooklyn and Charlotte, respectively).

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported last week that the Cavaliers could meet with up to 10 candidates. Multiple reports have indicated that Atkinson is viewed as the frontrunner for the job after J.B. Bickerstaff was dismissed last month. Cleveland advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2023/24, ultimately losing to Boston in five games.

Southeast Notes: Bridges, Ball, Highsmith, Wizards

June 3rd, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets shouldn’t expect any type of “hometown discount” in their negotiations with free agent forward Miles Bridges, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes in a mailbag column. Even though Bridges has stated several times that he would like to re-sign with Charlotte, Boone expects him to take the best available offer regardless of which team it comes from.

Boone points out that Bridges is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who encourages his clients to get the maximum possible value in contract talks. Paul advised Bridges to sign his qualifying offer from the Hornets last summer, which has made him unrestricted as he hits the open market after averaging career highs with 21.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season.

Boone points to the Pistons, who will have the most cap space of any team this summer, as a potential suitor for Bridges, meaning the Hornets will have to make a significant offer to bring him back.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets‘ new owners aren’t ready to explore trade opportunities involving LaMelo Ball, Boone adds in the same piece. Injuries have prevented Ball from playing a full NBA season, and the new regime wants to give him a chance to see if he can stay healthy. Boone also points out that Ball’s trade value is low because of his repeated ankle issues, so it’s unlikely that other teams would give up multiple first-rounders in return. Boone doesn’t expect Ball to be traded within the next year.
Free agent forward Haywood Highsmith prefers to remain in Miami, but he understands that the Heat’s finances might limit their offer, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Highsmith, who earned just $1.9MM this season, compared his situation to that of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, who both signed elsewhere last summer after leading Miami to the NBA Finals. “I can’t make my decision based off of what I like and don’t like. I have to make the decision that’s best for me,” Highsmith said. “Gabe and Max loved it here; I love it here, too. They didn’t end up staying here, so I don’t know what’s to come for me. Nothing’s on the table, so we’ll see. Obviously, I would love to stay in Miami. That’s where my daughter’s at, that’s where my family is at, so I would love to be here, too.”
The Wizards may have interest in adding Finnish coach Tuomas Iisalo to Brian Keefe’s staff, according to Eurohoops.

Mavericks Notes: Jones, Kidd, Irving, Gafford

June 3rd, 2024 at 10:40am CST by Arthur Hill

The decision to sign with the Mavericks last summer has given Derrick Jones Jr. a chance to play in the NBA Finals, but he could been there with either team, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Jones confirmed to reporters on Sunday that he considered an offer from the Celtics before opting to go to Dallas.

Boston was looking for another wing to back up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but the Mavs gave Jones a chance to start and he has turned out to be a bargain on a one-year minimum deal. He will be back on the free agent market this summer and figures to earn a substantial raise after averaging a career-high 8.6 PPG in 76 games. He’ll more than make up for the money he lost when he decided to turn down a $3.3MM player option with the Bulls.

“I could have accepted my player option in Chicago and still be on the team that’s not in the playoffs right now,” Jones said. “I just decided to bet on myself. I took less money to come here, but the money wasn’t the problem. The money wasn’t the issue. I just wanted to have the opportunity to be on the floor and to showcase what I’m able to do, and it happened for me.”

There’s more from Dallas:

There was speculation that Jason Kidd might have been on the hot seat with an early playoff exit, but instead he’s in the NBA Finals and has a multiyear contract extension, notes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. The Mavericks‘ head coach is grateful to general manager Nico Harrison and new team governor Patrick Dumont for having faith in what he’s trying to build. “And for Nico and Patrick to see that with the extension before we even got past the first round,” Kidd said. “Understanding that they believed in what I could do, and they saw the impact I had on the guys. … It’s definitely a vote of confidence. I actually believed I was doing the right thing. If you looked at our roster, it got better. We all got better.”
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports examines the career paths of Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis, noting there was a time where they were nearly traded for each other. It happened before the 2019 deadline, when Irving was near the end of his tenure in Boston and New York was starting to explore deals involving Porzingis. The Mavericks killed the potential trade by offering the Knicks two first-round picks in exchange for Porzingis. Fischer also notes that the Celtics weren’t on Irving’s original list when he asked to be traded out of Cleveland. The Spurs, Knicks, Timberwolves and Heat were his preferred destinations.
Daniel Gafford had exploratory talks about joining the Slovenian national team as a naturalized player, but that won’t happen this summer, sources tell Marc Stein (Substack link). Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney will be part of Slovenia’s coaching staff for an Olympic qualifying tournament next month, and while Luka Doncic is expected to play, he won’t discuss his plans until the playoffs are done.
TNT analyst and former head coach Stan Van Gundy isn’t backing down from his claim that Irving and Doncic are “arguably the best offensive backcourt in the history of the NBA,” according to Howard Beck of The Ringer. Beck compares them to some historically great guard tandems to see how they stack up.

Celtics Notes: Holiday, Porzingis, Horford, Tatum

June 3rd, 2024 at 9:12am CST by Arthur Hill

Jrue Holiday‘s season began with a shocking trade to Portland and is ending with a trip to the NBA Finals. Brian Windhorst of ESPN retraces the steps of the deals that turned a player who described himself as a “Buck for life” into an indispensable part of the Celtics‘ quest for a title.

Milwaukee was looking for a roster upgrade to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign an extension, and even though the Bucks were barely mentioned in Damian Lillard trade talks throughout the summer, they emerged as the favorites in late September. Holiday was sent to the Trail Blazers, who notified the rest of the league that he was going back on the trade market.

Portland was determined to separate the trades into two separate transactions, which meant the Bucks had no say in where Holiday would ultimately end up. The Blazers also worked closely with Holiday, who wanted to go to a team that was willing to give him an extension.

Holiday compiled a list of five or six preferred destinations, according to Windhorst, who hears that several teams, including the Knicks and Pacers, made offers loaded with draft assets but were told they weren’t on Holiday’s list. The bidding ultimately came down to the Clippers and Celtics, and Boston landed him by giving up its unprotected first-round pick in 2029 and the Warriors’ first-round selection this year, along with Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams.

“There’s a list of guys in the league that you always think you’ve never had a real chance to get that you think are perfect fits,” team president Brad Stevens said after the deal was finalized. “And Jrue is one of those guys.”

There’s more from Boston:

Kristaps Porzingis had been labeled as a bad teammate in the past, so he was determined to make a good first impression after the Celtics acquired him from Washington last summer, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “They were open to me here. There was not any kind of tension,” Porziņgis recalled. “I told them from Day 1, I’m coming in here to help you guys win. That’s all I’m here for and whatever it takes. If it takes me sitting on the bench or coming off the bench or whatever, then I’m here for it.”
Chad Finn of The Boston Globe looks back at Al Horford‘s decision to leave the Celtics in free agency in 2019, stating that it seemed like the heart of the team was lost when he signed with the rival Sixers. Finn adds that it “felt like a wrong had been righted” when Boston brought Horford back in a 2021 trade with Oklahoma City.
After closing out the Eastern Conference Finals on May 27, the Celtics are in the unusual position of having more than a week to rest and prepare for Dallas, notes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. It’s a huge difference from 2022 when Boston won a seventh game at Miami and faced a quick turnaround for the start of the NBA Finals in San Francisco. “Having nine days off is kind of good for your body, for everybody to get healthy,” Jayson Tatum said. “But we’re in the NBA Finals and we’re also anxious and excited to play. I wish it did start a little bit earlier. A lot of guys have been here before. We understand the magnitude of the moment, guys starting sharp, guys staying fresh.”

Community Shootaround: Lakers’ Offseason

June 2nd, 2024 at 8:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers always make some big headlines in the offseason and this summer will be no different.

They’ve already been in the news since the end of their regular season, firing Darvin Ham after just two seasons as their head coach. J.J. Redick and James Borrego are reportedly viewed as the frontrunners for the job.

What they do with their roster is more important to their legions of fans. A lot hinges on LeBron James‘ decision whether to exercise his player option or become a free agent. While it’s generally believed that James will stay put, either by opting in or by signing a new deal with Los Angeles, there’s no certainty until he commits contractually. If he’s open to going elsewhere, a team like the Sixers — with tons of cap room to work with — would love to add him to their star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

The other major question mark regarding free agency is starting guard D’Angelo Russell, who has an $18.7MM player option. If Russell decides to go on the market, the Lakers will have to decide whether to pursue another contract with him or fill the hole in their lineup in another manner.

The Lakers will have more flexibility than in recent years regarding trading draft picks and making pick swaps. They control their own pick at No. 17 after the Pelicans deferred a trade obligation until next year’s draft. They also have two other future first-round picks to dangle after the free agency period begins in July.

In terms of tradeable salaries, the Lakers have four players besides their two superstars making at least $10MM next season — Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt. Reaves would be the most coveted of that group but the Lakers have been reluctant to part with the young guard. Vincent and Vanderbilt are coming off injury-marred seasons, leaving Hachimura ($17MM) as the most likely player to be dealt. However, the market for Hachimura would probably be lukewarm at best.

That leads us to our topic of the day: Assuming that LeBron remains with the team, what moves should the Lakers make this offseason to upgrade their team? Should they look to re-sign Russell if he opts out? Should they be more open to trading Reaves if they could get an All-Star level talent in return?

Let us know in the comments section. We look forward to your input.