Pistons Notes: Front Office Candidates, Weaver, Buzelis

Michael Blackstone, an executive who worked with new Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon in New Orleans, is considered the favorite to become Langdon’s second-in-command in Detroit, sources tell James L. Edwards and Shams Charania of The Athletic. Blackstone, the Pelicans‘ vice president of basketball administration, was an assistant general manager in Atlanta before coming to New Orleans in 2020.

Other prominent names to watch, according to the authors’ sources, are Matt Lloyd, senior vice president of basketball operations with the Timberwolves; Travis Schlenk, the Wizards‘ vice president of player personnel and former team president in Atlanta; Brock Aller, the Knicks‘ vice president of basketball and strategic planning; and Tayshaun Prince, vice president of basketball affairs with the Grizzlies. The authors note that Prince is a sentimental favorite among fans because he was a starter on Detroit’s last championship team in 2004.

There’s an opening in the front office after the Pistons parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver in what the team described as a mutual decision. Weaver, who served as GM for the past four years, lost decision-making authority with the addition of Langdon.

There’s more from Detroit:

  • Poor draft decisions marked the biggest mistake Weaver made during his time running the organization, contends Andrew Birkle of The Detroit Free Press. Birkle acknowledges that seven of Weaver’s eight first-round picks look like they’ll have a future in the NBA, but he views them as a mismatched collection of talent that doesn’t fit together. He also questions whether the team has any potential stars other than Cade Cunningham, adding that it’s too early to fully evaluate the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 because he’s missed so much time due to injuries.
  • Shooting and rim protection are the most important assets in the NBA, and Weaver failed to provide the Pistons with either of those things, observes Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). Windsor adds that everyone should be considered expendable after a 68-loss season, starting with head coach Monty Williams, who will be Langdon’s next major decision before addressing the roster.
  • Keith Langlois of NBA.com examines Matas Buzelis as a potential pick for the Pistons at No. 5 in this year’s draft. Although the G League Ignite had a disastrous season, Buzelis showed promise with 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Langlois notes that his 6’10” size, floor-spacing and play-making ability, and his versatility on defense make Buzelis a good fit with the rest of the roster.

Heat Notes: Bryant, O. Robinson, Wright, Mills, Butler, Highsmith

A pair of decisions — only one of which is in their control — will determine what the Heat’s big man rotation looks like next season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Backup center Thomas Bryant, who appeared in just 38 games after signing as a free agent last summer, has a $2.8MM player option that must be picked up by June 29. The 26-year-old center may decide to test free agency again after falling out of Erik Spoelstra‘s rotation and missing 41 games due to coach’s decision.

“I haven’t given too much thought about it right now,” Bryant said during exit interviews last month. “Really it’s just trying to deal with the end of the season. But for me, I love this Heat organization. I love the Heat culture, I love what these guys represent and what they bring to the table and how everybody here has to work.”

The Heat have a July 15 deadline to guarantee Orlando Robinson‘s $2.1MM salary for 2024/25, and that decision could be influenced by what Bryant opts to do. Chiang notes that the 23-year-old Robinson’s best moments during his two years with the organization have come outside the NBA as he was named to the All-Summer League First Team last year and scored 41 points in a G League game.

Robinson, who was limited to 36 games this season, cited defensive improvement as his priority for the summer.

“I feel like just honing in on that side of the floor,” he said. “The Miami offense, I feel like I can impact it without really having to focus on it. I’ve tried to study it to a point where I understand how we move the ball, play off of each other. … But defensively, I feel like the more I can do with my body will allow me to impact the defensive end.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • The Heat also have to decide whether to re-sign unrestricted free agents Delon Wright and Patty Mills, who joined the team in the middle of the season following buyouts with other organizations, Chiang adds in a separate story. Both veteran guards saw playing time because of a rash of injuries, but there may not be a long-term role for either of them.
  • With at least three teams reportedly expressing interest in trading for Jimmy Butler, the Heat will have to determine if there’s a way to get better next season without one of their stars, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Winderman believes it’s beneficial to the organization to have some time pass after team president Pat Riley’s pointed comments about the need for Butler to appear in more games.
  • There’s a market around the league for unrestricted free agent Haywood Highsmith, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (video link). The 27-year-old forward has expressed a desire to stay in Miami, but the Heat’s offer could be limited because of luxury tax concerns.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Horford, Irving, Tatum

The Celtics haven’t offered any indication of whether Kristaps Porzingis will be ready when the NBA Finals open Thursday night, but he appears to be trending in the right direction, writes Matt Vautour of MassLive. Porzingis, who has been sidelined by a calf strain since April 29, was a full participant at Saturday’s practice, although coach Joe Mazzulla clarified that it was a light workout, with a more intense session planned for Sunday.

“He did everything the team did,” Mazzulla told reporters. “We’ll go significantly harder tomorrow. Today was kind of moderate, but he went through everything that the team did today.”

Porzingis’ presence will be important against Dallas, which has gotten stellar performances from its center duo of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II throughout the playoffs. Mazzulla declined to say if Porzingis will return to a full workload if he’s medically cleared for Game 1.

“He’s a great player. He’s done a lot of great things for us,” he said. “Just like any other guy, you go through what gives us the best chance to win, what gives us the best possible chance to win this series, this game, these matchups. When K.P. is at his best he’s been tremendous for us. We know he’ll give that to us.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Celtics players who were part of the NBA Finals team two years ago believe that playoff run will be beneficial this time around, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. In 2022, Boston faced a Golden State squad that had an edge in playoff experience, but now the Celtics will be in that role against Dallas. “I think it is gonna help tremendously, because the first time, it felt like a roller coaster,” Al Horford said. “Just a lot going on. The increased coverage of media and all the responsibilities that we had and just everything that came with it. So I just think that this time around, we all have an understanding. We know what things are like, and I feel like we’ll be able to manage everything better.”
  • Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will be cast in the villain’s role as he returns to Boston with a championship on the line, notes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Irving had an uneasy relationship with the fans during his two seasons as a Celtic, and he infamously stomped on the team’s logo at center court after Brooklyn completed a first-round sweep in 2021.
  • Those hard feelings don’t carry over to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who were Irving’s teammates early in their careers, Vautour adds along with Brian Robb in another MassLive story. Tatum and Brown are both grateful for the guidance Irving provided as they got accustomed to the NBA. “Obviously there were some ups and downs but I think, for me, being a first, second-year player, being around a superstar, essentially, every day and seeing how to navigate that space,” Tatum said. “And then obviously on the court, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen. So it seems like a very long time ago, but I’ve got a lot of great memories from having Kai as a teammate.”

Draft Notes: 2024 Mocks, Withdrawals, Sheppard, Traore

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) recently published a new 2024 mock draft that features lots of interesting information.

Former Dayton star DaRon Holmes II has canceled several upcoming workouts, sources tell Woo, “raising strong suspicions that he has secured a guarantee in the back part of the first round.” The mock has Holmes, who is ranked No. 45 on ESPN’s big board, going No. 28 overall to the Nuggets.

According to Givony, rival teams think the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies and Bulls have interest in moving up in the draft — possibly to No. 3, a pick the Rockets control — to select UConn center Donovan Clingan.

While the Hawks haven’t made their intentions known regarding the No. 1 pick, each team in the top five has “significant interest” in French forward Zaccharie Risacher, who looks “highly unlikely” to fall past the Wizards at No. 2, per Givony. ESPN’s mock has Atlanta selecting Risacher first overall.

The entire mock draft is worth reading in full for those who subscribe to ESPN+.

Here are a few more draft notes:

  • In a separate article for ESPN (Insider link), Givony and Woo answer questions related to the early-entrant withdrawal deadline for college players to maintain their NCAA eligibility. That deadline passed on Wednesday night. Of the players who withdrew from the draft, Givony thinks Michael Ajayi (transferring to Gonzaga) has a great chance to improve his stock in 2025, while Woo views Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson as a player who could move up boards next year.
  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report also updated his mock draft after the withdrawal deadline. While the top-three picks (Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Reed Sheppard) are the same on both mocks, there are also some major differences. For example, ESPN’s mock has Colorado’s Cody Williams landing with Portland at No. 14, but Wasserman has Detroit selecting Williams at No. 5. Kel’el Ware (No. 23 in ESPN’s mock, No. 14 in Bleacher Report’s) is another player with a seemingly wide draft range.
  • Kentucky guard Sheppard recently sat down for an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter video link), answering questions about his family background, NBA players he looks up to, and more.
  • French guard Nolan Traore, who spent this season with Saint-Quentin in France’s top basketball division, has signed a two-year extension, the team announced (via Twitter). ESPN’s Givony was the first to report the news, writing that Traore was being recruited by major colleges as well as other professional teams from around the world. “Basketball-wise, it’s the best situation for me,” Traore told Givony. “I can play with a coach that I know, that gave me the confidence to play in the playoffs. I liked the first experience that I had with them. Playing in the FIBA Champions League [BCL] group stage next season will be exciting and was a big positive.” The 17-year-old is a projected lottery pick in 2025, according to Givony, who adds that Traore will be ranked in the top five when ESPN updates its mock draft for next year.

Pistons Part Ways With GM Troy Weaver

JUNE 1: The Pistons announced Weaver’s departure in a press release, calling it a “mutual decision.”

“I very much appreciate all the dedication Troy displayed to our Pistons franchise,” Gores said in a statement.  “As much as we have struggled lately, we will look back and see Troy as an important person in the remaking of the Pistons. He took the pain of rebuilding head on and he did the hard work to get us the flexibility we have today. He also assembled a great core of young men with tremendous skill and character to give us a path to the future. Make no mistake, I have real appreciation for who Troy is as a person and what he has meant to the organization. I wish him the very best as he pursues his ventures.”


MAY 31: The Pistons and general manager Troy Weaver are parting ways following the team’s decision to hire Trajan Langdon as its new head of basketball operations, according to James L. Edwards III and Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Reporting ahead of Langdon’s hiring indicated that Detroit’s new top front office decision-maker would be given the freedom to either retain or let go of Weaver. According to Edwards and Charania, the Pistons offered Weaver the option of staying with the franchise in an off-site scouting role, but he turned down that position and will leave the organization.

Weaver was hired as the Pistons’ general manager in 2020 and oversaw a full-scale rebuild during his four-year tenure. However, the team hasn’t made the strides that ownership and management were hoping for and expecting. After winning 20 games in Weaver’s first year and 23 in his second, Detroit has gotten even worse over the last two seasons, compiling just 17 wins in 2022/23 and a league-worst 14 this past season.

Weaver made some good draft picks during his time with the Pistons, as Edwards and Charania note. Cade Cunningham, 2021’s No. 1 overall pick, has star potential, 2020 first-rounder Isaiah Stewart has developed into a solid rotation player, and Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Marcus Sasser have shown promise. However, Weaver’s first lottery pick – Killian Hayes at No. 7 in 2020 – was a miss, and his moves to fill out the roster around the young core weren’t particularly fruitful.

Langdon is expected to have “free rein” to make changes to both the front office and coaching staff, according to Edwards and Charania, who say that team owner Tom Gores has told him that money is no object.

With Weaver no longer in the picture, Detroit is in serious talks to potentially hire another Pelicans executive, league sources tell The Athletic — Michael Blackstone, the VP of basketball administration in New Orleans, could become Langdon’s second-in-command with the Pistons, per Edwards and Charania. Blackstone spent time in the Cavaliers’ and Hawks’ front offices before being hired by the Pelicans in 2020.

Giannis Antetokounmpo To Play For Greece In Olympic Qualifier

Vassilis Spanoulis, the head coach of the Greek national team, confirmed that Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will suit up for Greece during the Olympic qualifying tournament in early July, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24.gr.

The news is noteworthy because the two-time MVP and former Finals MVP hasn’t played a game since April 9, when he sustained a left calf strain. He was sidelined for Milwaukee’s entire first-round playoff series with Indiana; the Bucks were eliminated in six games.

At the beginning of May, Antetokounmpo said he did his best to return, but he was still quite limited by the injury.

“I tried my best to come back to help my teammates,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn’t. I did all the tests I had to do, these protocols you have to follow and have to check the boxes. I wasn’t even close at checking the boxes.”

That same ESPN report stated that while Antetokounmpo hoped to play in the Olympic qualifying tournament, he had yet to make a firm commitment, and his decision would be based on how his calf was responding. Evidently he’s feeling better now, since Greece’s head coach says the perennial All-NBA member will be playing next month.

As Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops writes, Antetokounmpo has represented his home country in multiple international events since 2013, most recently the EuroBasket tournament in 2022. Greece hasn’t qualified for men’s basketball at the Olympics since 2008 in Beijing, when the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Host country Greece will face the Dominican Republic on July 3 and Egypt on July 4, according to Askounis. The top two finishers from each group will advance to the single-elimination semifinal. The other side of the bracket features Croatia, Slovenia and New Zealand. Only the winner of the tournament will advance to Group A of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will begin in late July.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers

If Kentavious Caldwell-Pope picks up his $15.4MM player option or declines it and signs a new, more lucrative deal with Denver, the Nuggets will be over the second tax apron in 2024/25. That means they would be limited to offering free agents minimum-salary contracts.

With that in mind, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports lists 10 ring-chasing veterans who might be able to help the Nuggets next season (the players have to be at least 30 years old in ’24/25 and potentially available for the minimum). Some players on Wind’s list include Gary Harris (a former Nugget), Gordon Hayward and Jae Crowder.

According to both Wind and Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link), several people within the organization are fans of Hayward’s game, though it’s unclear if he’d actually accept a minimum deal after making $33.3MM last season. The 34-year-old was largely a non-factor with Oklahoma City and has a lengthy injury history, however, so his market is tricky to gauge.

Durando answers a handful of offseason questions related to the Nuggets, writing that the team will likely make small tweaks to the edges of the rotation instead of doing anything drastic.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune (subscription required) argues the Timberwolves should pay the luxury tax to keep the core of the current roster together for next season no matter which ownership group ultimately prevails in their ongoing dispute for majority control. As Souhan writes, the Wolves just made the Western Conference finals for the second time in franchise history, and this team is much better positioned for continued success than the group from 2004.
  • The Timberwolves‘ roster should look similar in ’24/25, assuming ownership is willing to spend, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscriber link). “They’ve been nothing but supportive with us,” head coach Chris Finch said of the team’s owners. “In many ways, this run that we’ve been on has pushed all of that to the background, and they’ve been 100 percent committed to the team, the team’s efforts and enjoying the success. That stuff will be what it will be. They’ve all pledged that no matter how it shakes out, that they’re going to give us every opportunity to be successful and continue to build, build a winner and a champion and all the things that we’re all trying to do together.”
  • The Trail Blazers held a pre-draft workout with six prospects on Thursday, tweets Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Those players were French wing Melvin Ajinca (No. 48 on ESPN’s big board), Minnesota guard Cam Christie (No. 34), G League Ignite guard Thierry Darlan (No. 85), Michigan State forward Malik Hall (unranked), North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram (No. 42) and Arizona forward Keshad Johnson (No. 49). Portland controls four picks in the 2024 draft, including a pair of second-rounders (No. 34 and No. 40).

Pelicans Defer Lakers’ First-Rounder To 2025

June 1: The Pelicans have officially informed both the league and the Lakers that they’ll be deferring the pick to 2025, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).


May 31: The Pelicans intend to defer the unprotected first-round pick the Lakers owe them until 2025, a source tells Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune. Reporters from ESPN and HoopsHype confirmed the news (Twitter links).

New Orleans technically has until Saturday at 10:59 pm CT to let the NBA know its intentions. According to Clark, the Pelicans will likely wait until a day to make the move official.

Clark reported a few weeks ago that the Pelicans were leaning toward deferring the pick, which is No. 17 overall in the 2024 NBA draft. Now that a decision has been reached, the Lakers will control that selection. Once the new league year begins on July 1, they’ll also be able to trade their 2029 and 2031 first-rounders.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), deferring the pick was always viewed as the logical outcome for New Orleans. The Pelicans already control the No. 21 pick in what is perceived as a weak draft, and pushing the pick back a year will remove a $3.8MM cap hold from their books, which is pretty significant given the team’s financial situation.

The 2025 first-rounder that L.A. will send New Orleans is the final outgoing piece of the Anthony Davis trade from 2019, Clark writes. If the Lakers struggle next season, it’s possible it could be a lottery selection in what is viewed as a much stronger draft class. L.A. went 47-35 this season, entering the playoffs as the West’s No. 7 seed before being eliminated in the first round by the defending-champion Nuggets.

In addition to the 2025 first-round pick from the Lakers, the Pels also control Milwaukee’s 2027 first-round pick (from the Jrue Holiday trade) and all of their own future firsts.

2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Atlanta Hawks

When I previewed the Hawks‘ 2023 offseason a year ago, I wrote that they had been trending in the wrong direction since they made a surprise appearance the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

That remained true in 2023/24, with Atlanta going just 36-46 and failing to make the playoffs for the first time since that ’20/21 run. The team was eliminated in its first play-in game as the No. 10 seed, ending the season on a seven-game losing streak.

In general, much of what I wrote last year remains an issue for Atlanta. The team has talent on the roster, but the pieces don’t fit well together and not many of the players are well-rounded.

Last offseason, the Hawks had a messy financial situation — that’s still the case. Owner Tony Ressler has never paid the luxury tax and there’s almost no chance he will next season with this group.

During the season, not a whole lot went well from a big-picture perspective. Nearly every player on the roster either stayed about the same or their value took a hit (Trae Young, AJ Griffin, Kobe Bufkin, Saddiq Bey). That certainly isn’t what the Hawks were hoping for in the first full campaign under head coach Quin Snyder.

Even the best part of the team’s season — the emergence of third-year forward Jalen Johnson — comes with a couple of caveats. The 22-year-old was limited to 56 games due to a variety of injuries, plus he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason. Those negotiations will be far from straightforward — the sample size of Johnson producing at a high level is pretty small, yet he seemingly has more leverage than most players in his situation.

The Hawks were never anything more than mediocre this past season. Maybe they could have been .500 — or at least closer to it — if they were a little healthier, but they didn’t have abnormally poor injury luck, and slightly better on-court results would have been a far worse outcome than what actually transpired, for a number of different reasons.

If Atlanta had made the playoffs, the team wouldn’t have been in the draft lottery. The Hawks wound up winning the lottery, moving up from No. 10 to No. 1 overall. The odds of that happening were just 3%.

If the Hawks had not only made the playoffs but had also made another surprising run by winning a round or two, that could have inspired further belief in the current roster. Perhaps the front office would have considered minor tweaks instead of a more drastic overhaul, which is sorely needed.


The Hawks’ Offseason Plan

In most years, the No. 1 pick is extremely coveted. On some occasions, it can be franchise-altering. If the consensus among talent evaluators is accurate, 2024 is not that year.

The Hawks are reportedly expected to select a French prospect – either Zaccharie Risacher or Alexandre Sarr – with the top pick. UConn center Donovan Clingan has also reportedly received some consideration. The team should draft whichever player it thinks has the best chance of developing into an All-Star, because Atlanta needs more high-end talent.

Could the Hawks trade the top pick? Sure, they could. But if the perception is accurate that there isn’t a huge difference in value between No. 1 and No. 10, I don’t think the return would be worthwhile.

Atlanta will definitely be hoping it doesn’t win the lottery again in any of the next three years — as part of the Dejounte Murray deal, the Spurs control Atlanta’s unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 and they have swap rights with the Hawks in ’26.

Last year, I wrote that the biggest offseason question facing the Hawks was “what to do with the backcourt pairing of Young and Murray.” The biggest question now is, which of the two should they trade?

Murray likely has more trade value than Young, largely due to his contract. Murray surprisingly signed a four-year, $111MM+ extension last offseason when he was expected to be seeking a max in 2024 free agency — that was one of the best things that happened to Atlanta in the last calendar year, as he would have far less trade appeal on a max deal.

In a vacuum, Young is a better player, but you have to build your team specifically around his skill set. Frankly, I’m not sure how many teams would even be interested in taking on the three-time All-Star’s maximum-salary contract.

Both players are somewhat polarizing. Murray has had moments of immaturity and is at his best with the ball in his hands, but he isn’t an efficient scorer and his defense has gone from plus to minus the past few seasons — the Hawks were much better defensively when the 27-year-old was off the court in ’23/24.

Since they don’t control their own picks for the next three years, the Hawks have no incentive to tank. It also makes the Spurs a natural source of speculation as a trade partner, as Atlanta would love to have those picks back.

I don’t see San Antonio seriously entertaining trade proposals for Young or Murray, especially if they’re centered around those picks. It would give the Hawks a free avenue to rebuild, and their current position is much more precarious and thus more advantageous for the Spurs.

For all his offensive talent, Young has always been a liability on the other end. He actually tried much harder on defense last season, but he’s relatively diminutive for an NBA player and is physically over-matched. He also doesn’t fit the archetype of what the Spurs have valued in recent years (length, defense, versatility).

Murray is probably more realistic. San Antonio drafted him and helped him develop into an All-Star. The Spurs already traded him once though, and his fit with their current roster would be awkward — they badly need shooting and that isn’t one of his main strengths.

This is admittedly a little outside the box, given they’ve traded away players each of the past two deadlines, but would the Jazz have interest in Young or Murray? A recent report said Utah is open to trading its picks this year and that rival teams think owner Ryan Smith is ready to add more high-end talent to the roster.

Utah will have enough cap room this summer to acquire Murray outright without taking any money back. And the team would only have to move one mid-sized contract to fit Young’s contract on the books.

The Lakers will continue to be linked to both guards. The Magic project to have plenty of cap room and don’t have a clear long-term answer at point guard, but maybe they don’t need one. The Pelicans have been linked to Murray and also have a hole at point.

Clint Capela is a prime trade candidate. The veteran center is on an expiring $22.3MM expiring contract and remains productive, but he has certain limitations (non-shooter, doesn’t dribble or pass well) and he’s on the wrong side of 30 now. For a player who is very reliant on athleticism, that’s a little worrying.

De’Andre Hunter is another player who will continue to pop up in trade rumors, even if Atlanta’s salary cap crunch is resolved. I’m not sure how much value he’ll have either, given his injury history and relatively stagnant production. The idea of a 3-and-D combo forward has always been intriguing, but his actual play has never consistently aligned with that notion.

Bogdan Bogdanovic is another veteran whose situation is worth monitoring. His skill set is easier to plug-and-play and he would thus hold a wider appeal, but Atlanta values him for the same reasons.

All three of those players could potentially be acquired by cap-room teams without sending any money back in return. I’m not implying the Hawks will just straight up dump them without getting any assets back — they’re all solid players — but Atlanta is financially incentivized to get below the luxury tax.

Including the cap hold for the No. 1 pick, the Hawks will have 11 players on guaranteed deals and a team salary of $170.9MM. The luxury tax line is projected to be $171.3MM. Something has to give.

I don’t expect Atlanta to re-sign Bey unless he comes at a major discount after tearing the ACL in his left knee in March. He likely would have been tendered a $8.5MM qualifying offer to become a restricted free agent if the injury hadn’t occurred, but I’d be a little surprised if it happens now.

Realistically, no one on this roster should be untouchable, even Johnson. I’m not advocating for Atlanta to trade him or anything, but if some team really wants him and is willing to overpay, the Hawks have to at least listen. They aren’t in a position to say anyone is off limits — they need to get better any way they can at this point. Even doing a reset with another team’s picks is better than continually dealing with expensive rosters that don’t produce the results needed to justify the costs.


Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Bruno Fernando ($2,717,391)
    • Fernando’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 29.
  • Total: $2,717,391

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • Garrison Mathews ($2,230,253): Bird rights
    • If his option is exercised, Mathews’ salary would remain non-guaranteed until June 29.
  • Total: $2,230,253

Restricted Free Agents

  • Saddiq Bey ($8,486,620 qualifying offer / $13,670,949 cap hold): Bird rights
  • Total (cap holds): $13,670,949

Two-Way Free Agents

Note: Because he is no longer eligible to sign a two-way contract, Windler’s qualifying offer would be worth the minimum salary for a player with five years of NBA experience (projected to be $2,432,511). It would include a small partial guarantee.

Draft Picks

  • No. 1 overall pick ($12,605,760 cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $12,605,760

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Clint Capela (veteran)
  • Bruno Fernando (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible as of October 2.
  • Jalen Johnson (rookie scale)
  • Garrison Mathews (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible until June 30 (or beyond, if his team option is exercised).
  • Trae Young (veteran)

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

Unrestricted Free Agents

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Hawks project to operate over the cap and over the first tax apron. If they move below the first apron, they would gain access to the bi-annual exception ($4,681,000) and the full mid-level exception ($12,859,000) instead of the taxpayer mid-level exception and would regain access to their three trade exceptions (the largest of which is worth $23,019,560 and expires on July 8).

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,183,000

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Pacers Notes: Defense, Toppin, McConnell, Workouts

Having already taken one big swing this year by trading for Pascal Siakam in January, the Pacers aren’t opposed to having a relatively quiet offseason and running it back with a similar group to the one that made this year’s Eastern Conference finals, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required).

“You always gotta look and see what’s out there on the market,” general manager Chad Buchanan said this week during his end-of-season press conference. “Is there a player or players out there who are available who make sense for your team? You’re also very excited about the young core we have. It’s a balance. It’s going to be a lot of discussion, a lot of debate. Maybe there’s nothing out there that makes sense, and we’re fine with that. We really like this team. If we come back with this same group next year, we still believe there’s a lot of upside with this group.”

Improving the defense will be an offseason priority in Indiana, though it’s possible that could happen without making any outside additions, according to Dopirak, who points to young players like Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, and Jarace Walker as guys who are capable of getting better on that end of the court. Buchanan acknowledged that the defense will be a focus for the front office after the team ranked 24th in defensive rating during the regular season.

“As you watch the team that eliminates you, it’s always fresh in your mind what they did to beat you,” Buchanan said. “I think Boston, obviously they have more experience than us, No. 1, but they have a tremendous defensive foundation. When we needed to try to score these last couple of games, it’s been very, very challenging. That’s one thing we take away that’s going to be important for us moving forward if we want to make another step.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

  • While Indiana’s spending power will be limited if Siakam signs a maximum-salary contract, the team hopes to continue its relationship with restricted free agent forward Obi Toppin, per Buchanan. “I thought Obi had a tremendous year for us,” the Pacers’ GM said, per Dopirak. “… I thought he really blossomed this year. We envisioned him being a good with a team that played fast; he was exactly that. His three-point shooting really developed and improved as we saw this year. The way we play, you get a lot of open shots. If you can catch and shoot, you’re going to have some success. His defense grew as the season wore on. He seems to be happy here too. Would like to continue the relationship.”
  • Buchanan also raved about the contributions of backup guard T.J. McConnell, who will be extension-eligible this offseason as he enters a contract year. It sounds as if Indiana will explore an extension for McConnell, as Dopirak relays. “He’s not slowing down. You’re not seeing any sign of an aging player,” Buchanan said. “… His value to us is very, very high, and that has not changed by anything that happened this year and we hope he’s with us for a long time as well.”
  • In a separate story for The Indianapolis Star, Dopirak observes that the Pacers‘ first pre-draft workout on Friday only consisted of prospects who played college basketball for four or more years and started for at least three seasons. As Dopirak writes, Indiana has three picks in this year’s draft but none higher than No. 36, so the team may be targeting seasoned prospects capable of stepping in and contributing right away, rather than focusing on upside. Dopirak notes that head coach Rick Carlisle frequently said during the season that Sheppard’s four years of college experience made it a smooth transition to the NBA for the No. 26 pick in last year’s draft, since he understood his role without requiring much instruction.
  • The Pacers’ second pre-draft workout, scheduled for Tuesday, will feature several more experienced college players, including Reece Beekman (Virginia), DJ Horne (NC State), Lance Jones (Purdue), Cam Spencer (UConn), and Harrison Ingram (UNC), tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Mantas Rubstavicius, who has played professionally in Lithuania and New Zealand since 2018, will fill out the six-man workout group.