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Atlantic Notes: McCain, Thomas, Hauser, Scheierman

June 28th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tyrese Maxey is one of the few definite members of the Sixers‘ roster next season, but that didn’t deter the team from drafting another small guard Wednesday night. Philadelphia used the No. 16 pick on Duke’s Jared McCain, a 6’2″ scoring specialist whose skills seems to overlap with Maxey’s.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey admitted that having an undersized backcourt isn’t ideal, but he added that McCain has learned how to be effective despite his stature (video link from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

“He’s got a strong frame, very strong, good rebounder,” Morey said. “We think he’ll be a solid defender in the league over time. He was being targeted at Duke, but as the season wore on he was actually one of their better defenders. He’s got the attitude that coach (Nick) Nurse likes to bring, which is just get a little bit better every day. He’s got 95th percentile approach to the game, good teammate, work ethic. We’ve had some good luck with taking kids with a real base of potential and a strong work ethic.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Cam Thomas, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, was the Nets‘ leading scorer this season and his opportunities should increase now that Mikal Bridges is being traded to New York, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis expects Thomas’ usage rate to soar, possibly among the league leaders, but until Brooklyn starts winning he’ll never be able to escape the reputation of putting up good stats on a bad team. “I’ve always gone through that stuff,” Thomas said. “Whenever I … have a big season or leap, it goes a little under the radar or unnoticed. If other players do it, it’s all talked about a lot. Obviously, I’m kind of used to it in a way. I don’t really care. I go out there and play for my guys and the organization to be the best player I can be. … I want to go out there and be the best version of myself.”
With Sam Hauser entering the final season of his minimum contract, the Celtics may have drafted his eventual replacement when they took Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman at No. 30, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Scheierman is a similar type of player, and Weiss points out that he ran some of the same sets in college that Boston uses to create shots for Hauser. The Celtics will be well into tax territory for multiple seasons after expected extensions for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, so they’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the extra tax bill to re-sign Hauser. Team president Brad Stevens appears willing to make that commitment, telling reporters, “We want him to be here for a long time.” (Twitter link from Brian Robb of MassLive)
With most of the roster already under contract for next season, Stevens doesn’t expect any major changes to the team this offseason, per Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.
A judge granted the Raptors‘ motion to compel arbitration in their legal dispute with the Knicks, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Commissioner Adam Silver will make the final decision on whether the case will be arbitrated. All parties must update the court on the status of arbitration by December 13.

Kings Trade Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov To Raptors

June 28th, 2024 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 28: The trade is official, the Raptors announced in a press release, confirming the details outlined below. Toronto used the No. 45 pick to select Houston Cougars guard Jamal Shead on Thursday.

“This trade provides us with a mix of young and veteran players, as well as future flexibility and draft assets, as we continue our quest to win, and so we’re pleased to welcome Davion, Sasha and Jamal to the Raptors and to Toronto,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in a statement. “We thank Jalen for his contributions, and we wish him all the best in the future.”

Because the trade was completed before the new league year began, Toronto completed it using salary-matching and the Siakam trade exception (as explained below) rather than using cap room, which is a signal that they intend to operate over the cap this offseason.

JUNE 27: The Kings have agreed to trade guard Davion Mitchell and forward Sasha Vezenkov to the Raptors, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Toronto is also receiving the No. 45 pick in tonight’s draft, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link), as well as Portland’s 2025 second-round pick, according to Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link).

Sacramento will acquire forward Jalen McDaniels from Toronto in the swap, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

The ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Mitchell averaged 11.5 points per game as a rookie but is primarily known as a defensive specialist. In 2023/24, he averaged 5.3 points and 1.9 assists in 15.3 minutes per game across 72 appearances for the Kings, almost exclusively in a reserve role.

Keon Ellis‘ emergence last season and the arrival of No. 13 pick Devin Carter created a crowded backcourt picture in Sacramento and it appears Mitchell will be the odd man out.

Vezenkov, the 2022/23 EuroLeague MVP, was selected 57th overall in the 2017 draft but didn’t make the move to the NBA until last summer, when he signed a three-year, $20MM contract with the Kings. It was an up-and-down NBA rookie year for the 28-year-old, who converted 37.5% of his three-point tries but averaged just 12.2 minutes per game in 42 contests, contributing 5.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG.

A series of June reports suggested that a trade involving Vezenkov was a possibility for the Kings, who projected to be up against the luxury tax after agreeing to re-sign Malik Monk to a four-year, $78MM contract. As cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets, swapping out Vezenkov’s $6.66MM salary and Mitchell’s $6.45MM cap hit for McDaniels’ incoming $4.74MM salary will give Sacramento about $7MM in spending flexibility below the tax heading into free agency.

The move will also open up a spot on the Kings’ 15-man roster and should generate a pair of trade exceptions for Sacramento, including one worth Vezenkov’s salary ($6.66MM).

McDaniels had a poor season in Toronto in 2023/24, averaging just 3.4 PPG on .344/.169/.730 shooting in 50 games (10.8 MPG). But the athletic 6’9″ wing is only one year removed from scoring a career-high 9.4 PPG, and he had a career shooting line of .465/.345/.784 prior to last season.

As for the Raptors, they’ll take on some extra salary for 2024/25 but neither Mitchell nor Vezenkov is owed guaranteed money beyond next season, and both players could vie for rotation minutes if they remain on the roster. Mitchell is extension-eligible this offseason before potentially reaching restricted free agency in 2025, while Vezenkov’s deal includes a $6.98MM team option for 2025/26.

Toronto now controls the No. 31 and No. 45 picks on Thursday after selecting Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter at No. 19 on Wednesday.

The Raptors have multiple options for how to complete the deal. If they intend to operate over the cap, they could use McDaniels’ outgoing salary to match Vezenkov’s incoming figure, then take Mitchell’s salary into a $10MM+ trade exception they created in January’s Pascal Siakam deal. If they plan to operate under the cap, they’ll simply absorb the two incoming salaries using their room. Taking the former route would hard-cap them at the first tax apron for 2024/25.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Mavs, Thompson, Pelicans, Cissoko

June 28th, 2024 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets will have enough cap flexibility to use the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason, but Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) is skeptical that they’ll do so. As Feigen explains, Houston will have nearly all of last year’s rotation players back, with No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard joining the mix and Steven Adams and Tari Eason returning from injuries, so there may not be a role available for a mid-level signee.

Since the mid-level exception can be used for the first time in 2024/25 as a de facto trade exception, Feigen expects Houston to be fine with the idea of hanging onto it into the regular season in case it comes in handy on the trade market.

Within that same story, Feigen also briefly touches on the contract situations for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, who will both be eligible for rookie scale extensions beginning in July. While the Rockets are expected to explore deals with both players, they’re unlikely to offer either Sengun or Green a maximum-salary contract, says Feigen.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Marc Stein adds another team to the list of possible Klay Thompson suitors, reporting on Substack that the Mavericks will explore the feasibility of adding the veteran Warriors sharpshooter. Dallas will have a little flexibility below the first tax apron after agreeing to send Tim Hardaway to Detroit, but won’t have cap room, so a sign-and-trade deal looks like the only way the Mavs would have any chance at Thompson.
Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin vowed in April that the front office would operate with a sense of “urgency” to upgrade the roster this offseason. He reiterated that message this week, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com relays. “We need to be aggressive,” Griffin said. “I think it’s really a positive thing for our organization that we’ve won more games three years in a row. We’ve built what we’ve built in terms of players wanting to stay here. That’s tremendous. That’s not why we are doing this. We are doing this to win.”
Spurs forward Sidy Cissoko underwent an arthroscopic clean-up procedure on his right knee last month, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required), who says Cissoko’s participation in Summer League could be limited as a result. While the Spurs are hopeful that the 2023 second-rounder will be able to suit up at the Las Vegas Summer League, he won’t play in the California Classic Summer League that tips off on July 6, per Orsborn.

Raptors Notes: Mogbo, Quickley, Shead, Chomche

June 28th, 2024 at 1:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors selected San Francisco’s Jonathan Mogbo with the first pick in the second round because they like his game, but it didn’t hurt that he was a childhood friend of Scottie Barnes, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN. The former AAU teammates grew up together in Florida and still train together during the offseason. General manager Bobby Webster said the team wasn’t aware of their friendship – which dates back to the fourth grade – when it started scouting Mogbo.

“Around the league a lot of guys grow up playing with each other, and I think those relationships are fun to see from afar, but you can probably imagine the basketball [piece] has to work and we have to like him as a player,” Webster said. “By doing that it creates a basis for that relationship to be fun, and I’m sure they enjoy it, but he has to fit as a basketball player first.”

Mogbo is only 6’6″, but he was used as a big man in college because of his 7’2″ wingspan. He’s considered a potentially elite defender with a questionable shot, but the Raptors are impressed by his versatility and believe he can adjust to a wing role in the NBA.

“It probably feels like a bit more of a Raptors pick,” Webster added. “An athletic wing who can do a little bit of everything. There’s probably some development curve for him, shooting-wise. But I think, physically, [he has an] NBA body… He can really run, can really jump. So that felt like us; the makings of a two-way Raptors wing.”

There’s more from Toronto:

There may be some “sticker shock” regarding Immanuel Quickley‘s new five-year, $175MM contract, but it should wind up being an average salary for a starting NBA point guard, contends Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Koreen points out that 11 point guards will already earn more than Quickley next season, and Jamal Murray, Jalen Brunson, De’Aaron Fox and Derrick White may surpass him soon. Koreen adds that Quickley will get 8% annual raises while the salary cap is expected to rise by 10% each year, so the new contract will steadily become less burdensome.
Although they opted to keep the 31st pick, the Raptors’ front office got plenty of phone calls between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, Koreen states in a separate story. Webster is among several executives who prefer the new draft format with the first and second rounds on separate days. “There’s a little interesting dynamic in the late first, early second, and that’s what we’ve kind of found with 31,” he said. “In some ways teams would almost prefer the early seconds. They cost a little bit less (against) the tax.”
Toronto appears to have promised a guaranteed contract to Houston guard Jamal Shead, who was selected with the 45th pick. Sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic that the NCAA’s Defensive Player of the Year turned down more than a dozen two-way offers before getting guaranteed money from the Raptors (Twitter link).
Toronto paid $1MM to acquire the 57th pick from Memphis, sources tell Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link). It was used to select Cameroon center Ulrich Chomche, making him the first player ever drafted from the NBA Academy Africa, which Raptors executive Masai Ujiri helped to develop.

Pacers’ Jalen Smith To Decline Option, Become Free Agent

June 28th, 2024 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers big man Jalen Smith has decided not to pick up his player option for the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Declining that $5.42MM option will make Smith an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.

Smith, one of Myles Turner‘s backups at center, was among the beneficiaries of the Pacers’ high-flying offense led by Tyrese Haliburton, setting new career highs in points per game (9.9), field-goal percentage (59.2%), and three-point percentage (42.4%) in 2023/24. He also contributed 5.5 rebounds per game in his part-time role (17.2 MPG).

Teams with interest in Smith may be wary of his leap in efficiency – he was a 48.5% career shooter, including 29.7% on three-pointers prior to ’23/24 – but he’s a versatile forward/center who is still just 24 years old and should get a long look from teams in need of frontcourt depth.

A new agreement with Indiana remains a possibility, since the team will hold his Bird rights and can go over the cap to re-sign him. However, Indiana has already committed to Pascal Siakam on a four-year, maximum-salary contract and will have to deal with Obi Toppin‘s restricted free agency as well.

With the luxury tax line to consider and Isaiah Jackson a candidate to take on a larger role at the five, the Pacers will likely be cautious about how high they go to retain Smith, who came in at No. 42 on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.

James Borrego Pulls Out Of Pistons’ Coaching Search

June 28th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego has removed his name from consideration for the Pistons‘ head coaching vacancy, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Justin Napoli of Boot Krewe Media first tweeted on Thursday that he was hearing Borrego would remain in New Orleans.

Borrego, who also received serious consideration for the Lakers’ and Cavaliers’ head coaching jobs this offseason, was immediately identified as a candidate for Detroit following the dismissal of Monty Williams last week.

The veteran assistant, who served as the head coach of the Hornets from 2018-22, has spent the last two seasons on Willie Green‘s staff in New Orleans, overlapping with new Pistons president of basketball operations and former Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon.

One recent report from Marc Stein indicated that the Lakers would also have interest in Borrego as an assistant if he didn’t get a head coaching job, though Stein stressed that the Pelicans would be determined to hang onto him in that scenario.

With Borrego off the table, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, and former Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff are among the candidates to watch for the Pistons. All three have had interviews with the team, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

Pacers To Sign Josiah-Jordan James To Exhibit 10 Contract

June 28th, 2024 at 12:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James will join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Mike Wilson of The Knoxville News Sentinel (Twitter link). He’ll be part of Indiana’s Summer League team and will be given a chance to earn a two-way roster spot, Wilson adds.

James is a fifth-year senior who appeared in 144 games during his time with the Volunteers. He helped Tennessee reach the Elite Eight this year for the second time in program history.

The 23-year-old appeared in 36 games this season, averaging 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.2 minutes per night while shooting 46.3% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

Cavaliers Officially Hire Kenny Atkinson As Head Coach

June 28th, 2024 at 12:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

JUNE 28: The Cavaliers have officially announced the hiring of Atkinson, with president of basketball operations Koby Altman referring to it as the culmination of a “thorough and extensive search.”

“Kenny brings a wealth of experience, a proven track record of player development, and a relentless work ethic that aligns with the vision we have for this franchise,” Altman said in a statement. “His innovative approach will instill a style of play and brand of basketball that will give us a chance for sustainable success and ultimately compete for Championships. His familiarity coaching alongside some of the NBA’s best elevates this partnership and we are excited that Kenny will guide our team and help us achieve our goals both on and off the court.”

JUNE 26: The Cavaliers and Atkinson have agreed to a five-year contract, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

JUNE 24: The Cavaliers will hire Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson as their next head coach, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The two sides are working on a contract and an agreement is expected soon, Wojnarowski adds.

Atkinson and Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego were the finalists for the position, according to Wojnarowski, who hears that Cleveland prioritized Atkinson because of the potential influence his player development program could have on Evan Mobley. Atkinson also has a prior relationship with Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert after coaching them in Brooklyn.

Atkinson’s only previous head coaching experience came with the Nets, where he compiled a 118-190 record while overseeing a rebuilding project. He resigned after the 2019/20 season, then spent a year with the Clippers before becoming Steve Kerr’s top assistant with Golden State in 2021. Wojnarowski notes that Atkinson briefly accepted a head coaching job with the Hornets two years ago before changing his mind and staying with the Warriors.

The Cavaliers conducted an extensive search after firing J.B. Bickerstaff last month, as our coaching search tracker shows. Nuggets assistant David Adelman, Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Heat assistant Chris Quinn all reportedly interviewed for the job, while Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen, Bucks assistant Dave Joerger and former Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts also reportedly received consideration.

Atkinson will take over a Cavs team that has improved significantly over the past two seasons, but didn’t achieve enough in the playoffs to save Bickerstaff’s job. Among the issues Atkinson will have to address is how to get the most out of similar players in Mobley and Allen in the frontcourt and Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland in the backcourt, assuming Cleveland keeps the core of its roster intact.

Negotiating a long-term extension with Mitchell will be the team’s next priority, Wojnarowski adds. The All-Star guard has a player option on his $37MM contract for 2025/26.

Borrego remains a “prominent candidate” for the Pistons, who now have the only open head coaching job in the league, Wojnarowski tweets. After joining the staff in New Orleans last summer, Borrego worked closely with Trajan Langdon, who recently took over as head of basketball operations in Detroit.

Atkinson’s departure is a significant loss for the Warriors, notes Anthony Slater of the Athletic (Twitter link), who hears that the team will consider adding two new assistants this offseason.

Warriors, Paul Agree To Push Guarantee Date Back To Sunday

June 28th, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Chris Paul have agreed to push back his salary guarantee deadline from Friday to Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Paul’s $30MM salary for 2024/25 will now become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30 rather than June 28. The move will give Golden State a couple more days to continue exploring trades involving Paul’s expiring contract.

Paul, who turned 39 in May, remained productive in 2023/24, averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game in 58 appearances (18 starts) for the Warriors. He posted a shooting line of .441/.371/.827.

While those are solid numbers for a backup point guard, they don’t warrant a $30MM investment. Still, rather than simply waiving the 12-time All-Star, the Warriors have been scouring the trade market to see if they can use his expiring salary to accommodate a trade.

The NBA’s salary-matching rules only count the guaranteed portion of a player’s cap hit for outgoing purposes in a trade (his incoming value for a trade partner would be his full $30MM), so in order to use CP3 as a trade chip, Golden State will have to partially or fully guaranteed the contract. That scenario would benefit Paul, who wouldn’t make any of that $30MM otherwise if he’s waived, so he has some incentive to lend the Warriors a hand by giving them more time to find a deal.

Paul George is one possible trade candidate who has been linked to the Warriors this week, with Marc Stein reporting on Substack that Golden State has been “prioritizing the pursuit of George above all other business.” The Clippers forward would have to pick up his 2024/25 player option and request a trade for that to be a feasible possibility.

What happens with Paul could have an impact on the Warriors’ negotiations with Klay Thompson. The team will be hard-capped at the second tax apron in 2024/25 after agreeing to send out cash in a trade on Thursday, so there may not be room under that apron to acquire another player with a significant salary and then re-sign Thompson.

USA Basketball Announces 15-Man Select Team

June 28th, 2024 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

USA Basketball has announced in a press release that a 15-man Select Team will train with the U.S. Olympic squad as it prepares for the upcoming Olympics. The Select Team, which is made up mostly of younger players and some who have previous Team USA experience, will work out with the men’s national team in Las Vegas from July 6-8.

The members of the Select Team are as follows:

Jalen Duren (Pistons)
Cooper Flagg (Duke)
Langston Galloway (free agent)
Nigel Hayes-Davis (Fenerbahce)
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Warriors)
Jaime Jaquez (Heat)
Brandon Miller (Hornets)
Trey Murphy (Pelicans)
Keegan Murray (Kings)
Brandin Podziemski (Warriors)
Micah Potter (Jazz/two-way FA)
Payton Pritchard (Celtics)
Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets)
Jalen Suggs (Magic)
Amen Thompson (Rockets)

Perhaps the most notable name on the list is Flagg, who has committed to Duke and will begin his first college basketball season in the fall. He’s viewed as a strong candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Duren, Galloway, Murphy, Murray, and Pritchard were part of the U.S. Select Team that trained with the national team ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

It’s possible some of these players will use their Select Team experience as a springboard to represent Team USA in international competitions down the road. Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton are among the players on this year’s Olympic team that were members of a Select Team earlier in their respective careers.

The select team will be coached by Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, who will be joined by assistants Jim Boylen and Matt Painter. Boylen, a former Bulls head coach and current Pacers assistant, was Team USA’s head coach during the qualifying contests. Painter has been the longtime head coach at Purdue.