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Lakers Notes: Davis, Reaves, Russell, Vanderbilt, Jokic

April 22nd, 2024 at 7:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Davis could have some extra motivation for the remainder of the Lakers‘ first-round series against the Nuggets. Davis feels slighted that he wasn’t one of the three finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“I’ll never get it,” Davis said. “They’re not giving it to me. The league doesn’t like me. I’m the best defensive player in the league. I can switch 1 through 5. I can guard the pick-and-roll the best in the league, from a big standpoint. I block shots. I rebound. I don’t know what else to do. I’m over it. I’m just going to do what I got to do to help the team win and try to play for a championship. Accolades and individual awards, I’m done with those.”

We have more on the Lakers:

  • Austin Reaves is hopeful that D’Angelo Russell remains with the team beyond this season, and his reasons go beyond the court, he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I want him to be around. That’s probably my best friend on the team,” Reaves said. “We hang out off the court and golf a lot together. We’re constantly in communication and play Call of Duty together. He’s been one of my closest friends since I’ve been in the NBA. Obviously, his basketball play speaks for itself with how talented he is and what he can do for our group. We need him to be at our best. When he’s playing at his best is when we’re playing at our best. Anything we can do or I can do to help him stay around, I’m definitely going to try to do that.” Russell holds an $18.7MM option on his contract for next season.
  • Jarred Vanderbilt is no longer wearing a walking boot, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. Vanderbilt hasn’t played since Feb. 1 due to a right midfoot sprain. He went through some drills during the team’s shootaround on Tuesday but won’t play in Game 2.
  • Coach Darvin Ham admits it’s virtually impossible to keep Nikola Jokic in check, Buha adds in another tweet. “It’s like (bleep), I don’t know what to do. You just gotta go out there and try to be as disciplined as possible, aggressive and consistent. And have a next-play mentality, man. … Kid is a generational-type player,” Ham said.
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JJ Redick To Interview For Hornets Coaching Job

April 22nd, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA guard JJ Redick will be interviewed by the Hornets for their head coaching position, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets.

Redick is currently a podcaster and analyst for ESPN. This isn’t the first time he has been a head coaching candidate. The Raptors interviewed him for their head coaching job last May.

Redick scored over 12,000 points in his NBA career. He retired after the 2020/21 season.

He joins a lengthy list of candidates for the opening.

Former Vanderbilt and G League coach Jerry Stackhouse, Lakers assistant Jordan Ott, Houston’s Royal Ivey, Denver’s David Adelman, Boston’s Charles Lee, the Clippers’ Jay Larranaga, Phoenix’s Kevin Young and Kings G League coach Lindsey Harding have also been identified as candidates.

Jordi Fernandez was also on the Hornets’ list before he was hired as the Nets’ head coach.

Steve Clifford announced prior to the end of the season that he’d be stepping down. He’s reportedly transitioning to a consulting role in Charlotte.

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Sixers’ Embiid, Maxey To Play In Game 2

April 22nd, 2024 at 6:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will both play tonight in the Sixers’ Game 2 matchup with the Knicks, according to TNT’s Chris Haynes (Twitter links).

The team’s two stars were considered game-time decisions leading up to the contest. Embiid played 37 minutes in Philadelphia’s Game 1 loss on Sunday but continued to struggle with his mobility due to his surgically repaired left knee. He shot 8-for-22 from the field while scoring 29 points and had issues defensively as the Knicks scored 27 fast-break points and out-rebounded Philadelphia, 55-33.

Embiid collapsed to the court with pain in the knee late in the first half on Saturday. He was eventually able to slowly walk to the locker room and was cleared to return after intermission. Some media members have questioned whether Embiid should even be playing.

Maxey is battling through an illness which forced him to miss the morning shootaround. Maxey had 33 points in 44 minutes during the 111-104 Game 1 loss.

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2024 Pre-Lottery NBA Draft Order

April 22nd, 2024 at 5:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers on Monday, further cementing the draft order for 2024. While we’ll have to wait until the May 12 draft lottery to learn the exact order for this year’s event, we now know what most of the 58 selections look like.

Listed below is the pre-lottery 2024 NBA draft order. Each lottery team’s chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick is noted in parentheses. We’ve also included notes for picks whose status remains up in the air depending on the lottery results.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Draft Lottery Odds]

The second-round draft order for teams with identical regular season records is the inverse of their first-round order. This rule applies even when one club made the playoffs and one didn’t. For instance, the 46-36 Heat will pick ahead of the 46-36 Kings in the second round.

We’ll provided an updated list after the May 12 lottery, once the official draft order is set, but here’s the tentative 2024 NBA draft order:

First Round:

  1. Detroit Pistons (14.0%)
  2. Washington Wizards (14.0%)
  3. Charlotte Hornets (13.3%)
  4. Portland Trail Blazers (13.2%)
  5. San Antonio Spurs (10.5%)
  6. Toronto Raptors (9.0%)
    • Note: The Spurs will receive this pick if it falls out of the top six (54.2%).
  7. Memphis Grizzlies (7.5%)
  8. Utah Jazz (6.0%)
    • Note: The Thunder will receive this pick if it falls out of the top 10 (0.5%).
  9. Houston Rockets (from Nets) (4.5%)
  10. Atlanta Hawks (3.0%)
  11. Chicago Bulls (2.0%)
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Rockets) (1.5%)
    • Note: The Rockets will retain this pick if it moves into the top four (7.2%).
  13. Sacramento Kings (0.8%)
  14. Portland Trail Blazers (from Warriors) (0.7%)
    • Note: The Warriors will retain this pick if it moves into the top four (3.4%).
  15. Miami Heat
  16. Philadelphia 76ers
  17. Los Angeles Lakers
    • Note: The Pelicans have until June 1 to decide whether they want to acquire this pick or instead acquire the Lakers’ unprotected 2025 first-round pick.
  18. Orlando Magic
  19. Toronto Raptors (from Pacers)
  20. Cleveland Cavaliers
  21. New Orleans Pelicans (from Bucks)
  22. Phoenix Suns
  23. Milwaukee Bucks (from Pelicans)
  24. New York Knicks (from Mavericks)
  25. New York Knicks
  26. Washington Wizards (from Clippers)
  27. Minnesota Timberwolves
  28. Denver Nuggets
  29. Utah Jazz (from Thunder)
  30. Boston Celtics

Second Round:

  1. Toronto Raptors (from Pistons)
  2. Utah Jazz (from Wizards)
  3. Milwaukee Bucks (from Trail Blazers)
    • Note: This pick would move to No. 34 if the Trail Blazers end up with a higher first-round pick than the Hornets via the lottery.
  4. Portland Trail Blazers (from Hornets)
    • Note: This pick would move to No. 33 if the Trail Blazers end up with a higher first-round pick than the Hornets via the lottery.
  5. San Antonio Spurs
  6. Indiana Pacers (from Raptors)
  7. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Grizzlies)
  8. New York Knicks (from Jazz)
  9. Memphis Grizzlies (from Nets)
  10. Portland Trail Blazers (from Hawks)
  11. Philadelphia 76ers (from Bulls)
  12. Charlotte Hornets (from Rockets)
  13. Miami Heat
  14. Houston Rockets (from Warriors)
    • Note: This pick would move to No. 45 if the Warriors end up with a higher first-round pick than the Kings via the lottery.
  15. Sacramento Kings
    • Note: This pick would move to No. 44 if the Warriors end up with a higher first-round pick than the Kings via the lottery.
  16. Los Angeles Clippers (from Pacers)
  17. Orlando Magic
  18. San Antonio Spurs (from Lakers)
  19. Philadelphia 76ers
  20. Indiana Pacers (from Cavaliers)
  21. Indiana Pacers (from Pelicans)
  22. Washington Wizards (from Suns)
  23. Golden State Warriors (from Bucks)
  24. Detroit Pistons (from Knicks)
  25. Boston Celtics (from Mavericks)
  26. Los Angeles Lakers (from Clippers)
  27. Denver Nuggets (from Timberwolves)
  28. Memphis Grizzlies (from Thunder)
  29. Phoenix Suns (from Nuggets)
  30. Dallas Mavericks (from Celtics)
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2024 NBA Draft Lottery Odds

April 22nd, 2024 at 5:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will be using its revamped lottery system for the sixth time this year. The format, instituted in 2019, smoothed out the odds for top picks, reducing the league’s worst team’s chance of getting the No. 1 selection from 25.0% to 14.0%.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: NBA Draft Lottery]

The changes had an immediate impact in 2019, when the Pelicans and Grizzlies were tied for the seventh-best lottery odds, but jumped up to No. 1 and 2, respectively, allowing them to land Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.

In 2020, the Bulls and Hornets landed picks in the top four despite entering lottery night with the seventh- and eighth-best odds, respectively. That stroke of luck was especially meaningful in Charlotte, where the Hornets were able to land LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick.

The lottery results since 2021 have featured fewer surprises. Perhaps, after a few relatively by-the-numbers lottery outcomes in a row, we’ll see a more significant shake-up in 2024. This year’s draft lottery will take place on Sunday, May 12.

With the help of data from Tankathon.com – which is worth checking out for all sorts of draft-related info – the draft lottery odds for 2024 are listed in the chart below.

The numbers in the chart indicate percentages, so the Pistons‘ pick, for instance, has a 14% chance of becoming the No. 1 selection and a 47.9% chance of ending up at No. 5. If a team’s odds are listed as >0, that percentage is below 0.1%. Odds are rounded to the nearest decimal place.

Here’s the full chart (if you’re on our mobile site or app and can’t see the whole thing, try turning your phone sideways):

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
DET 14 13.4 12.7 12 47.9 – – – – – – – – –
WSH 14 13.4 12.7 12 27.8 20 – – – – – – – –
CHA 13.3 12.9 12.4 11.7 15.3 27.1 7.4 – – – – – – –
POR 13.2 12.8 12.3 11.7 6.8 24.6 16.4 2.2 – – – – – –
SAS 10.5 10.5 10.6 10.5 2.2 19.6 26.7 8.7 0.6 – – – – –
TOR* 9 9.2 9.4 9.6 – 8.6 29.8 20.6 3.7 0.1 – – – –
MEM 7.5 7.8 8.1 8.5 – – 19.7 34.1 12.9 1.3 >0 – – –
UTH* 6 6.3 6.7 7.2 – – – 34.5 32.1 6.7 0.4 >0 – –
BKN* 4.5 4.8 5.2 5.7 – – – – 50.7 25.9 3 0.1 >0 –
ATL 3 3.3 3.6 4 – – – – – 65.9 19 1.2 >0 >0
CHI 2 2.2 2.4 2.8 – – – – – – 77.6 12.6 0.4 >0
HOU* 1.5 1.7 1.9 2.1 – – – – – – – 86.1 6.7 0.1
SAC 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 – – – – – – – – 92.9 3.3
GSW* 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 – – – – – – – – – 96.6

Notes:

  • The Raptors‘ pick will be sent to the Spurs if it lands outside the top six.
  • The Jazz‘s pick will be sent to the Thunder if it lands outside the top 10.
  • The Nets‘ pick will be sent to the Rockets.
  • The Rockets‘ pick will be sent to the Thunder if it lands outside the top four.
  • The Warriors‘ pick will be sent to the Trail Blazers if it lands outside the top four.

The full pre-lottery 2024 draft order can be found right here.

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Magic Notes: Chippy Play, Fultz, Game 1 Flop, Lineup, Mosley

April 22nd, 2024 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Game 1 between the Magic and Cavaliers had an edge to it and it could get even more chippier as the series goes along, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins opines. Orlando’s Markelle Fultz was assessed a Flagrant-1 foul and the Cavs’ Georges Niang received a technical foul for an altercation during the series opener.

“Either he was going to hit me first or I was going to hit him,” Fultz said. “So, I just took the initiative to body up, not trying to hurt nobody or anything like that but just deliver a hit, make it be known that we’re not soft.”

Cleveland’s Isaac Okoro received a technical foul for shoving Moritz Wagner during another incident.

“We love that stuff,” Magic guard Cole Anthony said. “Especially for us, we’re a hard-nosed team. We want the game to be physical. So, I think that for us that works in our favor.”

We have more on the Magic:

  • The Magic tried to quickly move on from their 97-83 loss in Game 1, in which they shot a woeful 32.6% from the field. “It’s the first game,” center Wendell Carter said. “We don’t want to overreact to anything. The first game on the road, we got to see what kind of game they want to play. I think we’re good. I thought we did really good defensively. I think offensively we struggled. Holding a team under 100 is always a good defensive outing.”
  • There will be no changes to the starting lineup for Game 2 tonight, Robbins tweets. Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Jonathan Isaac will take the court for the opening tip.
  • In a subscriber-only piece, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel details how Jamahl Mosley‘s methods propelled his team to the postseason, comparing and contrasting him to other recent first time head coaches who flopped on rebuilding teams.
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2024 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results

April 22nd, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Tiebreakers among teams with identical regular-season records were broken on Monday through random drawings to determine the order for this year’s draft prior to the lottery.

The results are as follows, according to a press release from the league:

  • Charlotte Hornets (No. 3) over Portland Trail Blazers (No. 4).
    • Note: The Hornets will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Trail Blazers.
  • Sacramento Kings (No. 13) over Golden State Warriors (No. 14)
    • Note: The Kings will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Warriors.
    • Note: The Warriors will send their pick to the Trail Blazers unless it moves into the top four.
  • Philadelphia 76ers (No. 16) over Los Angeles Lakers (No. 17) over Orlando Magic (No. 18) over Indiana Pacers (No. 19)
    • Note: The Pelicans have until June 1 to decide whether to acquire the Lakers’ pick or defer it to 2025.
    • Note: The Pacers will send their pick to the Raptors.
  • Milwaukee Bucks (No. 21) over Phoenix Suns (No. 22) over New Orleans Pelicans (No. 23).
    • Note: The Pelicans will exercise their swap rights with the Bucks and move up to No. 21.
  • Dallas Mavericks (No. 24) over New York Knicks (No. 25).
    • Note: The Mavericks will send their pick to the Knicks.
  • Denver Nuggets (No. 28) over Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 29).
    • Note: The Thunder will send their pick to the Jazz.

While the tiebreaker winner will pick ahead of the loser(s) in the first round, that order will be flipped in the second round. For instance, the Pacers’ second-round pick (traded to the Clippers) will be at No. 46, followed by the Magic at No. 47, and the Lakers (traded to San Antonio) at No. 48. Philadelphia’s second-round pick (which would have been No. 49) is forfeited due a previous free agency violation.

For lottery teams that finished with identical records, the second-round order is still to be determined depending on the lottery results.

For example, if the Trail Blazers win the No. 1 overall pick on lottery night and Charlotte slips to No. 5, the Hornets’ pick in the second round would be at No. 33, while Portland’s would be at No. 34 (Charlotte has traded its second-rounder to Portland, however, while the Blazers have sent theirs to Milwaukee).

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Kings Notes: Monk, Brown, Ranadive, Offseason, Vezenkov

April 22nd, 2024 at 4:07pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sixth Man of the Year finalist Malik Monk made it pretty clear that he plans to test the open market in free agency this summer, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

“I can go somewhere else with a lot more money and be in a worse situation, so you never know,” the Kings guard said. “I’ve got a great agent who’s going to do his job. I think my job is done.”

Sacramento holds Monk’s Early Bird rights, so the team is somewhat limited in what it can offer him this summer. Monk said in a perfect world, he’d “definitely” like to return, but he’s not sure what the future will hold, as Anderson relays (Twitter links).

“I came here, (played with) one of my best friends, turned the organization around, turned the city around,” Monk said. “The city loves me and I love the city, so the emotions are everywhere right now.”

Monk added that he would prefer a starting role, but he’s willing to come off the bench if it’s better for whichever team he signs with, per James Ham of ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the Kings:

  • Even though they lost their second play-in game in disappointing fashion, the Kings have undoubtedly played much better under 2023 Coach of the Year Mike Brown the past two seasons. Sources tell Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic that Brown is essentially entering the last season of his contract (2025/26 is a mutual option), and he hopes to sign a long-term extension that includes a raise. However, owner Vivek Ranadive hasn’t presented an extension offer to this point, and it’s unclear if he’ll be willing to commit to Brown going forward, per The Athletic.
  • Anderson of The Sacramento Bee recently released an offseason preview for the Kings, with Monk’s future the biggest question mark.
  • In a feature for The Ringer, Howard Beck wonders if Sacramento will be able to escape NBA purgatory as a good-but-not-great team. “We knew the expectations were coming for us right away,” GM Monte McNair told Beck. “That’s what we’ve seen this year. And that’s the reality of the NBA. For us, it’s trying to figure out: How do we continue to take those next steps? And that means getting back into the playoffs and eventually winning a round or two.”
  • Despite dealing with injuries and inconsistent minutes, rookie forward Sasha Vezenkov said he had no regrets about coming stateside last summer, Ham tweets. “I made the right choice, no doubt about it,” last season’s EuroLeague MVP said. The 28-year-old will earn $6.7MM next season, with a $7MM team option for ’25/26.
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Colorado’s Cody Williams Entering 2024 NBA Draft

April 22nd, 2024 at 2:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Colorado freshman forward Cody Williams, a projected lottery pick who is currently No. 10 on ESPN’s big board, is declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft, he told Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

In 24 games for the Buffaloes in 2023/24 (28.4 MPG), Williams averaged 11.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.6 APG on a .552/.415/.714 shooting line. He’s considered one of the top defenders in the 2024 class, according to ESPN.

At one point, Williams was considered a contender for the top overall pick, ranking No. 2 in ESPN’s mock draft in February. However, minor injuries limited his effectiveness toward the end of the season, per Wojnarowski and Givony.

In addition to scoring efficiently, particularly in the open court, Williams was frequently tasked with defending the opposing teams’ top scorer, ESPN’s duo adds. The Arizona native is the young brother of Thunder forward Jalen Williams.

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Pistons Notes: FA, Trade Targets, Draft, President, More

April 22nd, 2024 at 1:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic said the Pistons will likely explore the viability of pursuing Miles Bridges or Tobias Harris in free agency, though he conceded that could change depending who they hire to be the new president of basketball operations.

While he doesn’t expect Detroit to give anyone a long-term, maximum-salary deal, Edwards suggested a short-term deal with a higher annual salary could be an option if the team pursues Bridges or Harris. Edwards also thinks the Pistons will undergo a “significant roster overhaul” this offseason through a combination of trades and free agent signings, with Malik Monk another impending free agent to potentially keep an eye on.

Scotto said the Nets want to keep Nic Claxton on a long-term contract, and Brian Lewis of The New York Post recently told Scotto he believes there’s better than a 50/50 chance the center will remain with Brooklyn. However, Edwards thinks Claxton would fill a major need for Detroit as a rim protector, even though it might push Jalen Duren to a reserve role.

Edwards previously listed five ideas for the new head of basketball operations, and Scotto believes Bucks GM Jon Horst, a Michigan native, is the main name to keep an eye on.

As for the futures of GM Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams, Edwards said he wouldn’t be surprised if neither is back next season, particularly Weaver. Despite being on a lucrative long-term deal, Edwards placed the odds at 60/40 that Williams would not be Detroit’s head coach in 2024/25.

Here’s more on the Pistons:

  • Edwards of The Athletic predicts that, of the veteran free agents Detroit has this offseason, only Simone Fontecchio will be retained. Edwards is convinced of that happening, putting the odds at 100%. He also thinks Fontecchio will receive a four-year deal worth in the range of $56-68MM as a restricted free agent. The Italian forward has said he expects to be back next season.
  • In a mailbag for The Detroit Free Press (subscription required), Omari Sankofa II discusses the Pistons’ basketball operations hierarchy, among other topics. The objective of hiring a president of basketball operations, according to Sankofa’s sources, is to “unify a front office that has clearly hit a significant stump, to say the least, in its ongoing remake of the team.” That person would have full autonomy over who gets hired and fired, Sankofa adds.
  • If the Pistons decide to keep their first-round pick, who should they target? If it lands No. 1 overall, Edwards of The Athletic would select French big man Alexandre Sarr, who played for the Perth Wildcats of the NBL this season. However, if it were up to him, Edwards says he’d trade the pick. After finishing with the worst record in the NBA for the second straight season, Detroit has a 14% chance of landing the top selection and can do no worse than No. 5 overall.
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