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Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Kyrie, Ingram, McCollum

March 15th, 2024 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is the heavy betting favorite to be named this season’s Defensive Player of the Year. However, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, who is leading the NBA in blocked shots despite averaging just 28.8 minutes per game, is considered a likely finalist for the award in his rookie year.

Responding in French to a reporter from his homeland on Thursday, Wembanyama said that Gobert has earned the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024, but suggested he intends to supplant his fellow Frenchman as the favorite in future seasons, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

“I know that Rudy has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved,” Wembanyama said. “Let him win it now, because after that, it’s no longer his turn.”

Wembanyama is one of the most talented rim protectors to enter the NBA in years. Besides racking up blocked shots, he frequently uses his 7’4″ frame and eight-foot wingspan to force opposing players to alter their shots.

“He makes guys think about shooting layups that are usually just gimmes, easy shots, little bunnies around the rim,” teammate Tre Jones said. “He’s making guys question it, dribble out. And it’s been some of the best players in the league. We all see his dominance on the defensive end and it’s only going to get better.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has a “deep desire” to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics this summer, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back (Twitter video link). Irving has previously won gold medals at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics with Team USA, but wasn’t one of the 11 players identified a couple weeks ago as a virtual lock or a “strong candidate” to be part of this year’s team. Still, that group could change in the coming months.
  • Brandon Ingram is best known for his abilities as a scorer, but his Pelicans teammates and coaches are impressed with the strides he has made as a defender, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Trey Murphy said that Ingram has made “humongous steps” on defense and is “taking those steps to become a two-way superstar.”
  • Veteran guard CJ McCollum spent the first eight-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career in Portland, but he has found a new home in New Orleans with the Pelicans, both on and off the court, as William Guillory details for The Athletic. “I’m serious about my commitment to New Orleans. I don’t do this for play-play,” McCollum said. “This place holds a special place in my heart, and my family feels the same way.”
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Teams Have Used 2023/24 MLEs More During Season Than In Offseason

March 15th, 2024 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The mid-level exception – which is available to over-the-cap teams whose salaries are below the second tax apron – and the room exception – available to teams that operated under the cap and used up their cap space – are typically viewed as tools to upgrade a roster during the offseason. And for many clubs in 2023, that was indeed the case.

The Knicks used most of their mid-level exception on Donte DiVincenzo. The Cavaliers used a chunk of theirs to sign Georges Niang. The Nuggets used their full taxpayer mid-level on Reggie Jackson. Gabe Vincent (Lakers) and Dennis Schröder (Raptors) were among the other players to get significant MLE money, while the Kings (Sasha Vezenkov) and Thunder (Vasilije Micic) used their room exceptions to add draft-and-stash prospects.

In total, 11 players were signed using the mid-level exception before the 2023/24 season began and two more were added using the room exception.

However, as our tracker shows, both of those numbers have more than doubled since the season got underway. A total of 12 MLE signings have been finalized since opening night, along with four more signings using the room exception.

In many cases, the players signed using these exceptions were on two-way contracts and were being promoted to a team’s standard roster. Those players were often in their first or second NBA season, so their teams wanted to lock them up to longer-term deals.

The mid-level exception accommodates that — it can be used to sign players for up to four seasons. The room exception also helps in that regard, since it can now be used to sign players for up to three seasons instead of just two. The minimum salary exception, conversely, only allows for deals up to two years.

In other cases, the mid-level or room exception comes in handy because it allows a team to offer more money than the minimum salary exception allows for. For example, when they signed Kyle Lowry on the buyout market, the Sixers were able to use their MLE to give him a rest-of-season salary of $2,795,839. A prorated minimum-salary deal would’ve paid him just $1,138,964.

Sometimes, the fact that the mid-level and room exception allow for more years and more money than the minimum salary exception is crucial. Offering a player a higher salary in year one might be the incentive needed to get him to agree to a longer-term contract that keeps him under team control at an affordable rate in future seasons.

Here’s the full list of players who have been signed using teams’ mid-level or room exceptions since opening night, along with the length of their contract and their starting salary:

Mid-level exception signings:

Room exception signings:

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Central Notes: Pistons, Giannis, Lopez, Craig, Phillips

March 15th, 2024 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons entered this season hoping to push for a spot in the postseason. They currently have the NBA’s second-worst record (12-53), so they’ll fall well short of that preseason goal. Still, they’ve won as many times (six) in their past 16 games as they did in their first 49 contests, and have shown real signs of growth as of late, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.

During their past 16 games, the Pistons rank 20th in the NBA in net rating (-3.0) and 16th in defensive rating (113.0). Their pieces also seem to fit together in a way that they didn’t before their trade deadline overhaul, Langlois observes.

“We’re coming together as a team,” center Jalen Duren said, per Sankofa. “We’re all feeling good playing, I feel like everyone is catching their rhythm. You see (Marcus Sasser) coming in and doing his thing, Big Wise (James Wiseman) coming in and doing his thing. … Everyone’s contributing in their own way. That’s helping us.

“… We talk about running through the tape as a team and finishing the year strong, so that’s kinda been my mindset these last whatever games it’s been since All-Star break. Just running through the tape.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • In a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered some interesting thoughts on the integration of Damian Lillard, the team’s multiple recent coaching changes, and the MVP race, among other topics. Antetokounmpo admitted this might be “the hardest season” of his career due to the adjustments to the personnel and coaching changes, as well as the procedure he underwent on his knee last summer.
  • Bucks center Brook Lopez tells Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he believes the ups and downs of the season have made the team more resilient, adding that Doc Rivers‘ impact on the club has been “incredibly noticeable” since he replaced Adrian Griffin. “He’s given us a great energy and a great confidence,” Lopez said. “Things have been simplified. We have a lot of people on the same page right now.”
  • Torrey Craig made his ninth start of the season on Thursday, replacing injured Bulls guard Coby White. As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago details, Craig made a strong impression, knocking down four three-pointers and serving as the primary defender on Kawhi Leonard.
  • The Bulls announced today in a press release that rookie forward Julian Phillips has been diagnosed with a right foot sprain. The team didn’t offer any sort of recovery timeline for Phillips, simply stating that he’s wearing a walking boot and that his status will be updated as appropriate.
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Mavs Notes: Doncic, THJ, Gafford, Green

March 15th, 2024 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

MVP candidate Luka Doncic didn’t travel to Oklahoma City with the Mavericks for Thursday’s game against the Thunder, but head coach Jason Kidd shared a positive update on the superstar’s left hamstring injury, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required).

An MRI performed on Doncic’s hamstring “came back clean,” Kidd told reporters, adding that it’s “great news” and that the NBA’s leading scorer will be reevaluated when the team is back in Dallas.

The Mavericks are off Friday and Saturday before hosting the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon. It sounds like there’s at least a chance that Doncic will be able to return for that game.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

  • Dallas’ loss to the Thunder on Thursday dropped the club’s record to 3-6 without Doncic this season, but Kidd suggested prior to the game that there’s a silver lining to not having the star guard available. “There’s not one person who can make up for Luka. This is a great test for us,” Kidd said, per Townsend. “We’ve had injuries before, playing without Luka and (Kyrie Irving). So this gives us another chance others to step up and do their job.” Tim Hardaway Jr. stepped up on Thursday with one of his best games in weeks, posting 21 points and nine rebounds, Townsend notes.
  • A missed put-back attempt by Daniel Gafford early in Thursday’s game ended the big man’s streak of 33 consecutive made field goal attempts, Townsend observes. It was the second-longest streak in NBA history, behind Wilt Chamberlain‘s 35 straight in 1967. “I’m smiling ear-to-ear on the insides, just because of the simple fact that I had a chance to (break Chamberlain’s record),” said Gafford, who’s shooting an incredible 77.4% (72-of-93) since joining the Mavs at last month’s trade deadline. “And it’s not my only chance. I know for a fact — I don’t know how many games we’ve got left this season — but I’m for sure gonna try to do that before the regular season is over with, no doubt.”
  • Mavericks wing Josh Green left Thursday’s game in the first quarter due to a right ankle sprain (story via The Dallas Morning News). Kidd told reporters that X-rays on Green’s came back negative, but it remains possible that he’ll have to miss some time as a result of the injury.
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Kuminga Says He Hopes To Be “Warrior For Life”

March 15th, 2024 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Less than two-and-a-half months after a report stated that he had lost faith in head coach Steve Kerr, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga said this week during the latest episode of the Dubs Talk podcast that he wants to remain in Golden State for the rest of his career, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

“I would love to just be one of the Warriors for life – and just never change,” Kuminga said, indicating that he’d like to follow in the footsteps of teammates Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, as well as his all-time favorite player, Kobe Bryant.

“When I look at those three people – Steph and Klay and Draymond – and I look at their pictures in the practice facility every day, I’m like, ‘This is where I want to be.’ I want to be right there.” Kuminga said, according to Poole. “I want to play here my whole life.

“You don’t choose and control where you want to be, but that’s the goal. That’s where I want to be. I want my name hanging next to those guys one day. And, you know, anywhere you get drafted, you always have love for the places you get drafted.  And, obviously, I got drafted here. The people are great. They always take care of me. They’re always helping me grow as a person.

“… Obviously, my favorite player (Bryant) was a Laker for life,” he added. “So, obviously, I would love to be a Warrior for life.”

It’s a fascinating turnaround from earlier in the year for Kuminga, whose future with the Warriors appeared to be in doubt when that report about his frustration with his role surfaced in early January. He and Kerr subsequently had a one-on-one meeting to talk things out, and the 21-year-old has played a bigger role in the months since then.

In his past 28 games, Kuminga has averaged 20.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 30.3 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .551/.393/.793. Looking back on where things stood before his recent breakout, the 2021 lottery pick explained during his Dubs Talk appearance that he never wanted to leave the Warriors but that he believed he had earned a chance to play more consistent minutes.

“I did not lose faith of being here; it’s not what I said,” Kuminga said. “It was just definitely to a point where I felt like I need to be (on the court). I felt like I could help. I felt like there was just so much left on the table where I felt like me and the young guys could go out there and help Steph, Klay and Draymond.

“… It was just me trying to go out there and just find a way to play. Find a way to be on the floor. Find a way to help every young guy get their chance. And as you see every young guy getting a chance, including me, we are doing the things that we were supposed to be doing. We’re not going to help every day. We’re not going to win every day. But as you gain that experience, you’re going out there and just helping as much as we can.”

Besides Kuminga, rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis have seen regular playing time for the Warriors this season, while fellow ’21 lottery pick Moses Moody is also averaging a career high in minutes per game.

Kuminga is in the third season of his four-year rookie contract, so he’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension in July. Two or three months ago, it was unclear whether Golden State would pursue a new deal with the young forward this offseason, but it seems relatively safe to assume now that the team will make a strong effort to lock him up long-term.

If he and the Warriors don’t agree to an extension by the start of the 2024/25 season, Kuminga will be eligible for restricted free agency during the summer of 2025.

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Northwest Notes: SGA, Bazley, I. Thomas, R. Jackson

March 15th, 2024 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played in his 65th game of the season on Thursday, meaning he now officially qualifies for end-of-season awards such as Most Valuable Player and All-NBA, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

If Gilgeous-Alexander makes an All-NBA team this year – which is a virtual lock – he’ll become eligible to sign a super-max extension with Oklahoma City during the 2025 offseason. He’ll have met the performance criteria by having earned an All-NBA spot in each of the past two years, but will remain one season shy of the service time requirement — he’ll have six years of service after this season, and a super-max deal (which starts at 35% of the cap instead of 30%) can’t be signed until a player has at least seven seasons under his belt.

Given that Gilgeous-Alexander has been performing at an MVP level this season and shows no signs of slowing down, it seems safe to assume that super-max offer will be waiting for the two-time All-Star on July 1, 2025.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • The terms of Darius Bazley‘s new three-year deal with the Jazz are virtually identical to those of Kenneth Lofton‘s contract, Hoops Rumors has learned. Bazley will make $500K the rest of this season via Utah’s room exception, with various trigger dates on non-guaranteed minimum salaries in 2024/25 and ’25/26. Because this is Bazley’s fifth NBA season, his minimum salaries are worth more than Lofton’s, so the overall value of his contract is approximately $5.74MM, whereas Lofton’s is about $4.9MM. The other difference between the two deals is that Bazley’s final year is simply non-guaranteed, rather than a team option.
  • Isaiah Thomas, who is playing with the Salt Lake City Stars as he pursues an NBA comeback, credited Jazz CEO Danny Ainge for pulling the strings to get him a shot with the team’s G League affiliate, per Jay King of The Athletic. “Danny helped make this thing happen,” Thomas said of the veteran executive who previously had the guard on his roster in Boston. “He connected the dots.”
  • Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson has been struggling with his shot in recent weeks, making just 36.8% of his attempts from the field and 25.5% of his three-pointers since February 4. However, he appreciates the fact that his teammates and coaches have encouraged him to shoot his way out of the slump, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). “They want me to continue to be myself. Continue to be aggressive. They’ve been kind of upset at me for not playing my game the last few,” Jackson said. “So then I started playing aggressive. Even still in the midst of missing shots. … But just hearing the encouragement from my teammates … once you have a great group like that — front office, coaches, teammates — believing in you like that, you can’t do anything but start believing in yourself again.”
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Injury Notes: Middleton, J. Johnson, Harden, Heat, Avdija

March 15th, 2024 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks forward Khris Middleton still isn’t quite healthy enough to return from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since February 6, head coach Doc Rivers said on Thursday, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links).

“He’s just not ready,” Rivers said. “He’s close, as I’ve said for, I don’t know, 10 games now, it feels like it, but he’s really close. I’ll stop there.”

After wrapping up a four-game road trip on Tuesday, the Bucks are back in Milwaukee for a two-game homestand and will have days off on Friday and Saturday between those two contests. Those off days could result in some practice time for Middleton, Rivers noted.

“It does help,” Rivers said. “We have two days off. And we may practice on both days, which is unusual to do, number one, and unusual that you have two days. But we feel like we may do it regardless, just to get him some time with the guys.”

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

  • Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, who has missed the past three games due to a right ankle sprain, has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Friday’s game in Utah, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There’s optimism Johnson will be available for that matchup with the Jazz, adds Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
  • Star forward Kawhi Leonard was available for the Clippers on Thursday after leaving Tuesday’s contest due to back spasms, but James Harden missed the game in Chicago due to a left shoulder strain. As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, it snapped a streak of 59 straight appearances for Harden, his longest such run since 2017.
  • Injured Heat guard Tyler Herro and big man Kevin Love didn’t travel with the team to Detroit for Friday’s contest, the first of a four-game road trip, per Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. While Herro (right foot) and Love (right heel) could meet up with the Heat at some point during the trip, it doesn’t appear either player is on the verge of returning.
  • Wizards forward Deni Avdija left Thursday’s game vs. Houston following an awkward collision with Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (video link) and told Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) after the game that his left knee is sore. However, he’s optimistic about his prognosis. “I feel like I kind of avoided something severe, and I’m happy about that,” Avdija said. “That’s all that matters.”
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Atlantic Notes: Achiuwa, Hart, Anunoby, Porzingis, Celtics

March 14th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa has impressed in the midst of several injuries to key players like Julius Randle, starting 18 straight games and averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per night. He returned to the bench as the team got healthier on Tuesday, but remained productive, registering 12 points, eight boards and two blocks against Philadelphia.

As observed by Newsday’s Steve Popper (subscriber link) and as we previously noted, it’s been a pleasant homecoming for Achiuwa, who moved to New York from Nigeria in eighth grade and played some high school ball there.

“It was a very, very cool moment for me,” Achiuwa said. “Inner city kid, growing up in the city, of course, hearing about the Knicks, seeing the games and stuff. Now, being able to represent the city on that platform is really huge. Seeing how the city accepted me and just me being there in that particular moment was very nostalgic in a way. It was a crazy moment for sure.

“This is the best I’ve played in a really really long time.”

While Achiuwa’s play is exciting, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes New York may soon have a difficult decision to make. Achiuwa’s a restricted free agent this offseason and while his current projected $8-10MM valuation is more than reasonable for his production, Mitchell Robinson, due $14.3MM next season, is under contract. Additionally, Isaiah Hartenstein, who has taken over the starting job in the wake of Robinson’s injury, will become an unrestricted free agent.

Assuming the Knicks re-sign OG Anunoby, bringing back both Hartenstein – who could get a contract with an annual value around $13-14MM – and Achiuwa would send New York into the luxury tax, Bondy observes. While those salary projections seem safe for now, Bondy writes, it’s possible each Hartenstein and Achiuwa get more money than expected in a relatively weak frontcourt free agent class.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau defied his own trend of playing one lead guard, two wings, a power forward and a center when he transitioned to a position-less lineup in Anunoby’s return, Bondy writes in a member-only New York Post article. As Bondy observes, Anunoby played alongside Josh Hart in the starting lineup, and that duo has the NBA’s best net rating among two players with at least 241 minutes together (+37.7). “I like that versatility, and we thought that was one of the big reasons why we wanted OG, was what he would bring to the team,” Thibodeau said. “So I think it’s a huge plus for us.“
  • Kristaps Porzingis missed his fourth straight game for the Celtics on Thursday, but head coach Joe Mazzulla gave a promising update on the star before the game, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb. “He’s progressing well,” Mazzulla said. “He was on the court today earlier, just working out with the guys. Don’t have an official timeline, but he’s getting better and better.“
  • Boston’s starters have gotten plenty of credit for the Celtics‘ success this season, but the bench has played a pivotal, yet understated role this year, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. The bench unit including Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet have outscored opponents by 219 points on the year, the best in the NBA. In-season addition Xavier Tillman has also been a key contributor as of late.
  • In case you missed it, the Sixers are signing Kai Jones to a 10-day contract. Get the details here.
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Bulls Notes: Bitim, White, Phillips

March 14th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Bulls rookie Onuralp Bitim has been a pleasant surprise, emerging in the rotation after having his contract converted from a two-way to a standard deal. He stood out with 10 points and six rebounds against Cleveland on Feb. 28 and scored 17 against Dallas on Monday. In a conversation with Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, Bitim said he tries to emulate the game of Manu Ginobili.

“He’s a very rare talent, definitely,” Bitim said of Ginobili. “But I love his basketball IQ on offense, on defense, how he passed the ball, shot the ball, drove the ball. But, yeah, like you said, he’s definitely a rare talent.”

Bitim is primarily known as a shooter, but he’s trying to stick in the league by showcasing other aspects of his game.

“I was a very good scoring player in Europe and also a good pick-and-roll player,” Bitim said. “I know how to read defenses because that’s what they have been teaching us since a young age. That’s why I think a lot of European players in the NBA know how to read defenses and how to read the games because they’re teaching us at a young age. But right now, I’m trying to just help my team. Whatever they need. If I need to defend, I need to defend. If I need to shoot, I need to shoot. If I need to take a rebound, I need to do that.”

Mayberry goes over a handful of other topics with Bitim, including his transition from Europe to the NBA and his early playing days.

We have more from the Bulls:

  • Coby White went through a tumultuous start to his career after being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft, averaging 12.6 points per game through the first four years of his career, including a career-low 9.7 points last season. In need of a breakout season, White has delivered, increasing his scoring average to 19.5 PPG in his fifth year and becoming a frontrunner for Most Improved Player. SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell explores how White attacked this past summer, detailing his close work with trainer Johnny Stephene.
  • An MRI on White revealed a left hip strain, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) and the injury wasn’t as serious as it initially looked. According to Wojnarowski, White missed Thursday’s game, but could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson details how White, the NBA’s leader in minutes at 2,242, avoided a major injury and is day-to-day. “He was in some pretty significant pain right when it occurred and then he was in pain afterward,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “When you see a guy go down with that kind of force on top of him, you worry about this thing could be a lot worse. In some ways, we escaped a bullet there so to speak that it wasn’t something more significant or severe.“
  • Rookie forward Julian Phillips missed Chicago’s Thursday game against the Clippers due to right foot soreness, according to Johnson (Twitter link). Phillips is averaging 4.1 points in his last eight games, including an 11-point outing against Dallas.
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And-Ones: Stackhouse, Schröder, 2024 Mock, Mayo, Adams

March 14th, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse, a former NBA player and assistant coach, is not expected to return as the Commodores’ head coach, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein (Twitter link).

According to fellow college insider Jeff Goodman (Twitter link), Stackhouse’s buyout for Vanderbilt was “extremely high.” As Goodman points out, Vanderbilt signed Stackhouse to a contract extension after the team played its way to the NIT quarterfinals last season.

Stackhouse finishes his coaching career at Vanderbilt with a 70-92 record in five seasons with zero NCAA Tournament appearances. Before being hired Vanderbilt, Stackhouse was an assistant coach for the Raptors in the 2015/16 season and the Raptors 905’s head coach from 2016-18. He was also an assistant for the Grizzlies in the ’18/19 season. He has been linked to NBA head coaching jobs in the past.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Nets point guard Dennis Schröder, 30, isn’t planning to stop playing professional basketball anytime soon, according to Eurohoops.net. Schröder sees himself playing for at least another decade and eventually returning to play in Germany at the tail end of his career. The same goes for his stint with the German national team, according to Eurohoops. “I have the feeling that I want to stay there for a long time, like Dirk Nowitzki back then,” Schröder said. “I can realistically assess if and how I can still help the team.”
  • With conference tournament play underway, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman provided his latest 2024 NBA mock draft. Alexandre Sarr to the Wizards, Zaccharie Risacher to the Pistons and Reed Sheppard to the Spurs are his top three projected picks. Indiana’s Kel’el Ware and UConn’s Stephon Castle are some of the biggest risers, while potential top pick Nikola Topic falls to seventh to the Spurs in Wasserman’s mock.
  • Former NBA players O.J. Mayo and Jaylen Adams are signing in China with the Liaoning Flying Leopards, according to Sportando. Mayo had been previously playing in Egypt, while Adams just wrapped up the NBL season in Australia. Mayo, the third overall pick in 2008, played eight NBA seasons (2008-16), averaging 13.8 points. Adams has two seasons of NBA experience, playing with Atlanta (2018/19) and Milwaukee (’20/21), averaging 2.7 points in his career.
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