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Poll: Western Conference Outlook For 2023/24

September 23rd, 2023 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, we discussed the contenders to come out of the Eastern Conference in 2023/24, noting that many of the presumed favorites have major question marks hanging over them as training camps near.

The same is true in the Western Conference, where there’s no powerhouse poised to run roughshod over its rivals like Golden State did during the Kevin Durant years.

The Nuggets are the defending champions, and made a convincing case during their title run this spring that they’re the team to beat in the West. But they’re not bringing back quite the same roster that won the 2023 championship.

The team’s two most-used reserves in the postseason, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, headed elsewhere in free agency, while Vlatko Cancar will likely miss the season after tearing his ACL this summer. Denver will have to rely on young players like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Zeke Nnaji to take on increased roles and hope Reggie Jackson can give the club more than he did down the stretch last season.

The Suns have the most star-studded roster in the West, with Bradley Beal joining Durant, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton as part of an extremely talented starting lineup. But the rest of the roster is comprised of nearly entirely minimum-salary players, many of whom are newcomers, so it may take some time for Phoenix to develop chemistry. And an injury to one of its stars would seriously test the team’s depth.

The Warriors are a perennial threat as long as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are on the roster, and adding Chris Paul to the mix will give the franchise another experienced veteran to lean on in big moments. But all four of those players will be at least 34 years old when the playoffs tip off in the spring and may not withstand the rigors of a deep postseason run as comfortably as they would have a few years ago.

The Lakers made the Western Conference Finals last season and are bringing back a similar roster, swapping out role players like Dennis Schröder, Lonnie Walker, Troy Brown, and Malik Beasley for guys like Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes. As long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy, Los Angeles is a contender, but that certainly hasn’t always been the case in recent years.

The other Los Angeles team, the Clippers, has had even more trouble keeping their stars – Paul George and Kawhi Leonard – healthy for the playoffs, but would be a legitimate threat in the West if both of those stars are at their best.

The Kings were one of the NBA’s best stories last season, with a feel-good squad that snapped a 16-year playoff drought. But their postseason run was short-lived, and it remains to be seen if De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis can be the best players on a title contender.

In the Southwest, Luka Doncic certainly looks capable of being the best player on a contender, but the Mavericks may still not have enough talent around him to seriously vie for a title. The Grizzlies have won 107 regular season games over the last two seasons, but have yet to translate that success to the playoffs, and will have to get through at least the first 25 games of the season without suspended star Ja Morant. The Pelicans looked like a potential top-four seed during the first half of last season when Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram were healthy, but that hasn’t happened often.

Among the dark horse options, the Thunder are an exciting team on the rise, but didn’t even make it out of the play-in tournament last season and may still be a year or two away from taking a huge leap. The Timberwolves could be a legitimate threat if Anthony Edwards makes the jump to superstardom, but they still have to figure out whether the Rudy Gobert/Karl-Anthony Towns experiment will work in the frontcourt.

The betting website BetOnline.ag currently lists the Nuggets (+240) as the favorite to win the West, followed closely by the Suns (+325). The Warriors (+650), Lakers (+750), and Clippers (+900) make up the next tier, followed by the Mavericks (+1200) and Grizzlies (+1400).

The Pelicans (+2000), Kings (+2500), Thunder (+3300), and Wolves (+3500) are all longer shots, while the Spurs, Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Jazz aren’t considered likely contenders.

We want to know what you think. Which team is your early choice to come out of the West? Are you taking one of the betting favorites or is there a dark horse that you like?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your predictions!

Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Hall Of Fame, Clippers, Suns

September 23rd, 2023 at 11:30am CST by Tristan Tucker

Though it was widely reported he would retire at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season, Andre Iguodala remains noncommittal on his retirement. On a recent episode of J.J. Redick‘s Old Man and the Three podcast (Spotify link), Iguodala continued to be 50/50 on whether he would play in the NBA this season.

“We recorded my decision, but I might come back and hoop … or I might go home,” Iguodala said.

Iguodala, 39, is a four-time NBA champion with the Warriors and won the 2015 Finals MVP award. Through his 19 seasons in the league, Iguodala holds career averages of 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

His most productive on-court seasons came with the Sixers and Nuggets, but he quickly became a staple on Golden State’s championship teams after arriving in ’13/14. Iguodala spent six consecutive seasons with the Warriors from 2013-19 before being traded to the Grizzlies and then the Heat. After playing in 84 games with the Heat, Iguodala signed back with the Warriors ahead of ’21/22 and has played 39 games with the team in the past two years.

For what it’s worth, as of August, it sounded like general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. didn’t expect Iguodala to return to Golden State this season, although he wasn’t ruling out the possibility.

“We’re not going to close the door on anything,” Dunleavy said in August. “But my guess, and my belief, is that he won’t be back.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

While Iguodala was a massive part of Golden State’s championship teams, he doesn’t think he deserves to be enshrined in Springfield, he admitted on the Old Man and the Three podcast (Spotify link). “I’m not a ‘ring culture’ guy, but I’ve benefited from that,” Iguodala said. “I know I have a lot of flaws. And I think there should be tiers of the Hall of Fame. … I’m not a Hall of Famer, if you ask me. No, no, no. Those guys [Hall of Famers] had no flaws.“
While four of the five starting positions for the Clippers appear to be filled, there still remains a hole at the starting power forward spot, opines Law Murray of The Athletic. Murray explores the team’s depth chart and goes through multiple possible options for the starting position, including Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and outside options like Kobe Brown and Kenyon Martin Jr. Murray expects the team to eventually make an outside addition via trade at some point during the season.
The Suns are one of 10 NBA teams who have yet to win an NBA championship. However, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic believes this season provides one of the franchise’s best opportunities to change that. Rankin lists five reasons why the Suns can win the NBA Finals this year, including their newly developed big three, their defensive-minded coach and their chemistry.

Jordan Bell To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Pacers

September 23rd, 2023 at 10:28am CST by Tristan Tucker

Free agent big man Jordan Bell is signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link).

Bell, 28, won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2017/18 and has 161 games of NBA experience across five seasons with Golden State, Minnesota, Memphis, Washington and Chicago. The former Oregon big man holds career averages of 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per night.

The 6’8″ forward/center began his career in Golden State after being drafted with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2017 draft and spent the subsequent two seasons with the Warriors. Bell bounced around the league over the next few years, with his last NBA appearance coming with the Bulls in ’21/22 on a 10-day contract. He then played with the Guangzhou Loong Lions in China last season, appearing in 44 games, averaging 10.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks.

Scotto adds that Bell “will be a veteran leader” for the Indiana Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League affiliate. Bell has 39 games of G League experience in the regular season and Showcase Cup, and he averaged 13.5 points with the Mad Ants last season.

If Scotto’s phrasing wasn’t enough indication that Bell is almost certainly headed to the G League, the Pacers also have what looks to be a set regular season roster. Barring a potential Buddy Hield trade, the Pacers have 15 players on standard, guaranteed contracts, as well as three players on two-way contracts. Indiana is also reportedly bringing Darius McGhee to training camp.

Bell’s Exhibit 10 deal will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived by the Pacers and spends at least 60 days with the Mad Ants.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors Front Office, Stevens, Hield, Harden

September 23rd, 2023 at 9:13am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors issued a press release on Friday announcing several front office changes, including the promotions of Chad Sanders to director of scouting, Luke Winn to Raptors 905 general manager and Rayhan Malik to head athletic trainer, as well as the hiring of Ben Uzoh as a pro scout. We previously wrote about the hiring of Uzoh, which is now official.

Sanders was the Raptors 905 general manager before his promotion, earning 2020/21 G League Executive of the Year honors. Winn is entering his seventh year with the organization and is continuing his role with Toronto as director, prospect strategy. Malik began with the organization as the head athletic trainer for the Raptors 905 before moving to an assistant athletic trainer with Toronto in ’21/22.

Uzoh appeared in 60 NBA games from 2010-12 with the Nets, Cavaliers and Raptors. The former NBA guard joined the Raptors organization prior to last season as part of the NBA’s Future Basketball Operations Stars (FBOS) program.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

In agreeing to a deal with Lamar Stevens, the Celtics are hoping he can bring “grit and toughness” that was lost following the offseason departures of Marcus Smart and Grant Williams, tweets The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. Stevens has 165 NBA appearances over the past three seasons, averaging 5.3 points per game across that span.
The Sixers are among the teams mentioned by The Athletic’s Shams Charania who are displaying a level of interest in acquiring sharpshooter Buddy Hield from the Pacers, prompting PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck to consider how Hield would fit in Philadelphia’s system. From an offensive standpoint, the fit is obviously seamless, as Hield is a career 43.4% shooter from deep, but Neubeck assesses his defense as a red flag for a team trying to contend. Neubeck also breaks down what a trade might look like, with Tobias Harris or P.J. Tucker among the pieces that could potentially be used in a swap.
If James Harden were to hold out from Philadelphia, the Sixers would have an obvious hole to fill at the point guard position. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) breaks down possible options to take over for Harden in the rotation if the Sixers were to be without the 10-time All-Star. Tyrese Maxey and Patrick Beverley are among the obvious in-house options named by Mizell.

Kings Sign Deonte Burton

September 23rd, 2023 at 7:55am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Kings have signed free agent guard/forward Deonte Burton to a contract, according to RealGM’s NBA transaction log. The move was first reported by Sactown Sports 1140’s Brenden Nunes (Twitter link).

While the exact details of the deal aren’t known, it’s a safe bet that it’s a non-guaranteed camp contract with Exhibit 10 language.

Burton, 29, has 73 games of NBA experience across three seasons with Oklahoma City and Sacramento, with the majority of his time in the league coming from 2018-20 with the Thunder. The former Iowa State wing began his professional career in South Korea’s Korean Basketball League, where he won the KBL Foreign MVP Award after averaging 23.8 points.

His overseas scoring antics captured the attention of the Thunder in 2018, who signed him to a two-way deal before converting him to a standard contract in 2019. Burton then spent the past couple seasons in the G League, first with the Maine Celtics in 2021/22 and then the Stockton Kings for most of ’22/23. He earned a brief call-up with Sacramento last season on a 10-day deal, but did not close out the season with the Kings after being waived in February.

Having signed Burton, the Kings have 19 players under contract, with 14 on standard deals, three on two-way contracts, and Burton and Chance Comanche on training camp deals.

The Kings aren’t in the tax and could add a 15th player to a standard deal — it’s possible they’ll use training camp as an audition for that spot. It’s unclear what Sacramento plans to do with that opening but there’s technically a route for Burton to make the regular season roster if he impresses in camp.

If Burton’s contract includes Exhibit 10 language, he would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton.

Jazz, Bulls, Hornets, Nets Interested In Tyler Herro

September 22nd, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Add the Jazz to the list of teams that could be involved on the periphery of a Damian Lillard trade, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

In particular, if the Trail Blazers eventually trade Lillard to the Heat, the Jazz, Bulls, Hornets and Nets are all thought to be interested in acquiring Tyler Herro in a multi-team trade, sources tell Fischer. Portland is reportedly unenthusiastic about Herro, in part because the team already has a trio of young guards in Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons.

League personnel also expect the Blazers to ask the Heat for Jaime Jaquez in a possible deal, according to Fischer. A small forward out of UCLA, Jaquez was selected 18th overall by Miami in June’s draft.

Brooklyn has long been considered a team with a level of interest in Herro. The other three teams are new possible landing spots for the 23-year-old, however, from what we’ve seen reported in recent months.

Trade talks for Lillard have picked up steam ahead of training camp, though a deal isn’t considered imminent. The Bulls and Raptors are reportedly among Lillard’s other suitors, despite the veteran guard making it clear (via his agent) that he wants to land in Miami.

Multiple sources tell Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports that the Pacers are another team that could potentially help facilitate a Lillard trade, along with the Suns.

Indiana is looking to move Buddy Hield after extension talks fizzled. It’s unclear where Hield would be headed in that scenario — or if he’d even be involved. Dallas, Philadelphia and Milwaukee are rumored to be interested in the veteran sharpshooter.

Raptors Considered Legitimate Suitor For Damian Lillard

September 22nd, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat have long been viewed as the frontrunner to land Damian Lillard, in large part because Miami is his preferred destination.

However, outside of the Heat, the Raptors are one of the top contenders – “if not the most viable threat” – to trade for the Trail Blazers star, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer draws a comparison to the Donovan Mitchell deal last year, when the Knicks were long viewed as the favorite to land the All-NBA guard but the Cavaliers surprisingly traded for him instead.

A couple different reporters have cited the Raptors as a possible Lillard suitor, and Fischer suggests their interest is more than just cursory. Still, despite being involved in plenty of rumors over the past year, Toronto’s lack of actual moves has created skepticism around the league that the team will actually acquire Lillard, Fischer writes.

As for what Toronto would give up, OG Anunoby is a name worth watching, according to Fischer, but it’s unclear where the defensive stalwart would eventually land in a potential deal. Sources tell Fischer that Scottie Barnes is off limits and Pascal Siakam is unlikely to be involved, but first-rounder Gradey Dick could be included.

The Trail Blazers are focused on finding the “greatest possible return” for Lillard, sources tell Fischer, and have “strongly considered” the possibility of acquiring Suns center Deandre Ayton as part of a multi-team framework. Ayton’s potential involvement was first reported by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 on Thursday night.

The Bulls are also interested in Lillard, Fischer confirms, but teams around the league — including Portland — aren’t excited about acquiring Zach LaVine, who has been available for a few months now, as Fischer has reported multiple times.

And-Ones: Extension Predictions, Overtime Elite, Hines, Streaming

September 22nd, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Of the players eligible for rookie scale extensions in 2023, five have signed new contracts. What will happen with the remaining group?

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explored that topic today, making predictions on which players will sign extensions and which won’t. The players who don’t sign extensions before the start of the 2023/24 regular season will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

Let’s start with former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who is now on the Pistons after being traded in February.

“No deal to be done,” sources told Pincus. “He has too much to prove unless he wants an extremely team-friendly extension. This one will wait.”

How about Magic guard Cole Anthony, who is a member of a crowded backcourt in Orlando?

“I think they move Anthony, maybe even before the season. But I don’t think they extend him,” one player agent said.

Ultimately, Pincus believes most of the rookie scale candidates will hit restricted free agency next summer, but a handful could get extensions and a few more have situations worth monitoring.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The Overtime Elite league has finalized its rosters for the ’23/24 season, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. A total of 31 players on three teams will compete in OTE during the upcoming campaign. A number of prospects have been drafted from the upstart league over the past couple seasons, including Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson, twin brothers who were back-to-back lottery picks in June (Nos. 4 and 5, respectively).
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin takes an in-depth look at the competitive summer pickup games at UCLA’s student center, which are run by former Bruins guard and current Sixers assistant Rico Hines. Multiple NBA players and teams are in attendance every year, McMenamin writes, including Warriors star Stephen Curry last offseason. “For me, it’s how can somebody get from being a two-way player or just a subpar player to then getting, ‘Man, he’s made it. He’s a real NBA player,'” Hines said. “That’s what it’s about for me.”
Some NBA games will be streamed on Max this season, according to Richard Deitsch and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The games will be part of an add-on package in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, and will cost $9.99 per month.

Windhorst Says Heat Aren’t “Desperate” For Damian Lillard

September 22nd, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Friday that trade talks for Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard have “intensified” but no deal is imminent. Wojnarowski also said the Heat — Lillard’s preferred landing spot — haven’t been involved in recent trade talks with Portland, though he did caution that could change at a moment’s notice.

In addition to confirming Wojnarowski’s report, his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst says Miami hasn’t been acting like a team that’s prepared to go all-in to land Lillard.

“I don’t think the Heat are desperate at all to trade for Damian Lillard,” Windhorst said on NBA Today (YouTube link). “I think they want to trade for him, but I don’t think that it’s something that if they don’t get it done that it wrecks their season.

“They were in the Finals last year. They have young players that are getting better. They have assets that they can trade for other deals. And as we talked about earlier on the show, Dame Lillard isn’t potentially the only star player that could be on the market. Maybe not today, but certainly in the next six-to-12-to-18 months.

“I don’t think the Heat have ever approached it like it’s the be-all, end-all,” Windhorst added. “… Like Woj reported, and I have heard the same thing … I don’t think that the Heat and the Trail Blazers have been engaged in talks at all, on almost any level, for quite some time.

“That could change very quickly. Dame Lillard could be a member of the Heat in the short-term future. But I think that there has been a misjudgment in sort of the way it’s all viewed, that this is something that the Heat have absolutely got to get done, and I just don’t think they view it that way.”

For what it’s worth, when Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) sent Windhorst’s explanation of the Heat’s thinking to an “involved source,” Jackson was told that it was “100 percent right.”

International Notes: McKinnie, Caboclo, Stanley, Sarr

September 22nd, 2023 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Alfonzo McKinnie, who appeared in 182 games for five teams from 2017-22, has officially signed a one-year deal with Dinamo Sassari, the Italian team announced in a press release.

McKinnie, who turned 31 on Sunday, last appeared in the NBA during the 2021/22 season, when he saw the court in 17 games for the Bulls. He previously spent time with the Raptors, Warriors, Cavaliers, and Lakers, then played for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League last season. This will be his first professional stint in Europe.

Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:

Despite being under contract with Reyer Venezia, former NBA forward Bruno Caboclo has recently been linked to European teams like KK Partizan and Maccabi Ra’anana, with rumors suggesting the forward may be seeking a return to the NBA, per Eurohoops. Those reports prompted Reyer Venezia to put out a statement confirming that the Italian team was told by Caboclo’s agents that the forward doesn’t intend to play the club for personal reasons (hat tip to Sportando for the translation). The team referred to it as “a severe violation of the agreements between the parties” and said it still expects Caboclo to play in Venice in 2023/24.
Former NBA second-round pick Cassius Stanley, who last played in the NBA with Detroit in 2021/22, is joining Israeli team Hapoel Afula for the upcoming season, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link). The deal, first reported by the Moses Barda (Twitter link), will include a buyout clause, says Urbonas.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer takes a closer look at French prospect Alexandre Sarr, noting that one NBA general manager told him after the Perth Wildcats played the G League Ignite in a pair of exhibition games earlier this month that Sarr “might go first” in the 2024 draft.