NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Rockets Rumors: No. 4 Pick, FA Targets, Coaching Staff, More

May 23rd, 2023 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple teams have already expressed some level of interest in acquiring the Rockets‘ No. 4 overall pick, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

It remains to be seen just how much value that pick will have and whether it would be enough to be the centerpiece of a deal for an impact player, Iko writes. Because the draft is perceived to have a drop-off after No. 3, Houston is also considering whether it would be possible to move up into the top three with a package centered around the Nos. 4 and 20 overall picks, league sources tell Iko.

If the Rockets keep their lottery pick and there are no surprises in the top three, Overtime Elite wing Amen Thompson could be the player atop Houston’s board, according to Iko, who says that several people within the organization are high on Thompson. Iko hears that both Amen and his twin brother Ausar Thompson had positive interviews with the team at last week’s combine.

No matter what happens with the No. 4 pick, the Rockets intend to be aggressive in their pursuit of veterans this offseason, with a desire to improve their play-making, shooting, and defense, Iko adds. League sources tell The Athletic that James Harden is Houston’s top free agent target, with Brook Lopez, Dillon Brooks, Donte DiVincenzo, Jordan Clarkson, Cameron Johnson, and Austin Reaves among the other players the team may pursue.

Acquiring an established point guard will be a primary objective for Houston this summer, per Iko, so if they miss out on Harden, the Rockets could explore a trade for a veteran like Mike Conley or Chris Paul.

Here’s more out of Houston:

New Rockets head coach Ime Udoka recently traveled to Los Angeles to visit with Jalen Green, says Iko. That time spent with Green – which included workouts and a dinner – is part of Udoka’s efforts to get to know his new team before the fall. “I’ve gotten the chance to spend a lot of time with the players. Got some lunches, dinner, gym time with guys,” Udoka told Iko. “Also been busy putting together a staff, getting to know everybody, but the most important thing is to spend time with the guys, build a relationship with them, and I’ve done quite a bit of that.”
Speaking of Udoka’s staff, Iko reports that assistant coaches Lionel Hollins and Rick Higgins aren’t expected to be back with the Rockets next season. However, it’s unclear whether or not Mahmoud Abdelfattah – another assistant under Stephen Silas – will return. Abdelfattah was part of the Rockets’ contingent at last week’s combine and has frequently been at the club’s facility since the end of the season, sources tell The Athletic.
The Rockets could be the long-term winners of the blockbuster trade that sent Harden to Philadelphia and Ben Simmons to Brooklyn, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Houston controls the Nets’ first-round picks from 2024-27 (either outright or via swaps) and may be in position to steal Harden away from the Sixers this offseason.

Nikola Jokic Named MVP Of Western Conference Finals

May 23rd, 2023 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference Finals after Denver completed its four-game sweep of the Lakers on Monday, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

A panel of nine media members voted on the award and Jokic was the unanimous choice, receiving all nine votes (Twitter link).

The decision came as no surprise, given that Jokic continued his historic postseason run in four consecutive victories over the Lakers, registering triple-doubles in three of those four games and averaging 27.8 PPG, 14.5 RPG, and 11.8 APG on .506/.471/.778 shooting.

Over the course of 15 playoff games, including 12 Nuggets wins, Jokic has put up 29.9 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 10.3 APG with a shooting line of .538/.474/.784.

Jokic is the second player to win the Magic Johnson Trophy as the Western Finals MVP, joining Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who earned the honor in 2022. The NBA introduced the award – along with the Larry Bird Trophy for the Eastern Finals MVP – during the 2022 playoffs.

Asked after Denver’s victory about winning the Western Finals MVP award after finishing as the runner-up to Joel Embiid in the regular season MVP voting, Jokic defended the Sixers center, whose team was eliminated in the second round. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets, Jokic said Embiid had an incredible year and deserved MVP honors, adding that people who say Embiid didn’t deserve to win it are being “mean.”

LeBron James Mulling Possibility Of Retirement

May 23rd, 2023 at 7:01am CST by Luke Adams

Following the Lakers‘ elimination from the 2023 playoffs on Monday night, superstar forward LeBron James is contemplating the possibility of retirement, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

During his postgame media session, James cryptically told reporters that he has “a lot to think about” this offseason (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Haynes subsequently reported that LeBron is mulling retirement, which the 38-year-old himself confirmed to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

James told McMenamin that he has to consider “if I want to continue to play.” Pressed on whether he’d really retire at this point, LeBron replied, “I got to think about it.”

A 19-time All-Star, James put up his usual huge numbers during the 2022/23 season, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in 55 appearances (35.5 MPG) while shooting 50.0% from the field.

He missed time and was affected in the second half by a torn tendon in his right foot, but still appeared in all 15 of the Lakers’ games in the postseason, averaging 23.5 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 6.3 APG. The team’s season came to an end in the Western Conference Finals, where the Nuggets completed a 4-0 sweep.

As he weighs his future following a postseason that McMenamin describes as “taxing,” James will have to consider next steps for that foot injury. Asked if it might require offseason surgery, LeBron didn’t rule out the possibility, telling ESPN that he’ll undergo an MRI to see how his tendon has healed.

Regardless of whether or not surgery is required, James believes he would be able to get back to his usual All-NBA level with a full summer of rehab work.

“Because I’m still better than 90% of the NBA,” he said. “Maybe 95.”

James has at least one year and $46.7MM remaining on his contract with the Lakers, with a $50.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season. He has spoken in the past about wanting to remain in the NBA until at least ’24/25, when his son Bronny James will be eligible to enter the league. LeBron has repeatedly expressed a desire to play with Bronny, so Monday’s comments represent a potential change in direction.

When informed of James’ comments after Monday’s loss, Anthony Davis was initially surprised, according to McMenamin, but then recalled a prior conversation he had with his superstar teammate. According to Davis, when the two Lakers forwards were talking about possibly playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron told AD that he may have already retired by that point.

For what it’s worth, one person familiar with James’ thinking who spoke to Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune is skeptical that the future Hall of Famer will really retire this offseason.

Multiple theories are already emerging among NBA writers, with James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link) among those to speculate that LeBron could sit one season before returning to play with Bronny in 2024.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link) wonders if James’ comments are – at least in part – a negotiating tactic to push the Lakers further all-in on next year’s roster. Currently, only James, Davis, and Max Christie have guaranteed contracts, so many offseason moves would be necessary to fill out the supporting cast. One path the franchise could consider revisiting, O’Connor observes, is its pursuit of LeBron’s former teammate Kyrie Irving, who will be a free agent.

While it would be a surprise if James ultimately decides to hang up his sneakers this summer, his remarks on Monday ensure that it will be one of the biggest question marks hanging over the NBA’s offseason until he makes a decision one way or the other.

Draft Notes: Sasser, Smith, Rodriguez, Plavsic

May 22nd, 2023 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Sasser withdrew from last year’s draft as he recovered from a foot injury, which hindered him at the combine. He had a much better experience at the 2023 event, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Houston Cougars guard improved his draft prospects with a stellar season and a strong showing at the combine.

“I’m way more comfortable coming in this year, way more confident,” Sasser said. “It wasn’t as nerve-racking as last year. I was excited to go talk to these guys and build relationships.”

Sasser, who averaged 16.8 points and 3.1 assists per game last season, has a decent shot to be selected in the first round. He’s currently ranked No. 35 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list.

We have more draft-related notes:

Tolu Smith will withdraw from the draft and return to Mississippi State next season to use his additional year of eligibility, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein tweets. He averaged 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Bulldogs last season.
Ditto for UNLV guard Luis Rodriguez. He has decided to return to college, Rothstein tweets. Rodriguez averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds last season.
Tennessee’s Uros Plavsic disclosed in a Twitter post he’s leaving the university to pursue professional opportunities. The 7’1” Plavsic started 20 of 34 games for the Vols last season.

Kings Expected To Renew Talks With EuroLeague MVP

May 22nd, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings are expected to renew contract talks with EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov in the coming weeks, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.

After ending their playoff drought this season, the Kings are in position to add another key piece to become a more serious title contender. Vezenkov is under contract with Olympiacos beyond this season, but has a buyout clause believed to be worth approximately 1.5 million Euros.

The 6-foot-9 Vezenkov averaged 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists during his MVP season while shooting 53.6% from the field, 37.8% from 3-point range and 87.9% at the free-throw line. He continued his stellar play in the postseason, scoring a championship-game record 29 points along with nine rebounds and four assists in a 79-78 loss to Real Madrid.

Sacramento acquired his rights from the Cavaliers in exchange for the 49^th overall pick in last year’s draft. The Kings negotiated with Vezenkov last summer but couldn’t reach an agreement.

Prior to the EuroLeague playoffs, Sacramento coach Mike Brown said the Kings are eager to bring in Vezenkov.

“We’ll let him finish the season out and then we’ll talk to him, but we’ve obviously been highly, highly intrigued with him,” Brown said. “We made a trade to get his rights last year. … For us, the interest is at a high level, but we’ll let him finish the season and then he’ll make decisions as well as us when it’s time.”

Technically, teams must wait until after this year’s draft to begin negotiations with unsigned draft picks, including those from prior years, Anderson points out.

Those negotiations could impact whether the Kings re-sign unrestricted free agent Harrison Barnes. Last year’s lottery pick, Keegan Murray, had a solid rookie campaign and started 78 of 80 games at the other forward spot.

Malcolm Brogdon: Celtics’ Defensive Identity Has Slipped Away

May 22nd, 2023 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malcolm Brogdon admitted on Monday that the Celtics’ issues began well before the Eastern Conference Finals, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Boston trails in the series 3-0 and got blown out by the Heat on Miami’s home court on Sunday night. Brogdon, who was acquired last offseason to solidify a team that reached the Finals a year ago, said the team has lost its defensive identity.

“Miami, Denver, there are only a few of them — that have a really strong identity, and they play by it every single night. They’re super committed to it,” Brogdon said. “And, for us, our identity has waned all year long. We’ve been trying to figure out who we are, because I think we’re such a great, talented scoring team, but when we don’t make shots, we got to rely on our defense, and our defense isn’t consistent every night. So, playing a team that’s very consistent and disciplined, we struggle.”

The Heat are shooting 51.9% overall and 47.8% from 3-point range in the series. They have also committed just 31 turnovers, compared to Boston’s 45.

Brogdon said the Celtics’ lack of defensive cohesion has been apparent throughout the postseason. They eliminated the Hawks 4-2 in the first round despite Atlanta scoring 119 or more points in each of the last four games of the series. Boston had to scramble back from a 3-2 series deficit to eliminate the Sixers prior to their matchup with Miami.

“We haven’t been consistently great defensively all year long, and that was the team’s identity last year,” Brogdon said. “I think that’s slipped away from us. We’ve had spurts where we’ve been great defensively, but not consistently. And, honestly, we’ve struggled in every series we’ve played. So, now we’re playing a team that’s playing as if they’re the best team in the league, and they’re just incredibly disciplined, incredibly consistent.”

Brogdon is hopeful for a history-making turnaround, starting with Game 4 on Tuesday.

“We still believe we’re the better team,” he said. “We have not played like it in these three games.”

Eastern Notes: Love, Hornets’ Workouts, Pistons

May 22nd, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Love departed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the first half due to a strained lower left leg, but he’ll likely play in Game 4 on Tuesday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. The Heat big man says he’ll be “ready to go” as Miami looks to close out the series.

“It just felt like, honestly, a muscle cramp and was kind of off and on,” said Love, who was acquired by the Heat via the buyout market. “So I just wanted to ask to come out, wanted to be smart about it, tell Coach (Erik Spoelstra) that I could go back in if needed. At halftime we’d had a conversation. We were up 15. I said I was available. But then the score just got upwards of 20, 30. And from that point on, I just figured I’d get my treatment, make sure I was all good.”

We have more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Hornets held a pre-draft workout for six prospects on Monday, the team tweets. Baylor’s Jalen Bridges, Akron’s Xavier Castaneda, Pittsburgh’s Nelly Cummings, Miami’s Jordan Miller, Appalachian State’s Tamell Pearson and Kansas State’s Nae’Qwan Tomlin were the visitors.
Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins, Bucks assistant Charles Lee and former Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie remain finalists for the Pistons’ head coaching job, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. The trio will meet with the team’s brass again this week, with Edwards adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer and former Suns coach Monty Williams take the year off.
Speaking of the Pistons, what are their lottery options now that they’ve dropped to No. 5 in the draft? Edwards explores that topic and lists a handful of prospects who could be available at that spot, including Alabama forward Brandon Miller if he slides down the draft board. If he doesn’t, Houston’s Jarace Walker or Villanova’s Cam Whitmore could be the pick.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Malone, Gobert, Jazz Draft

May 22nd, 2023 at 5:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets are intent on ending the Western Conference Finals on Monday night, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Denver doesn’t want to give the Lakers a boost of confidence by failing to sweep the series. “We want to give them no hope,” swingman Bruce Brown said.

Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic believes the Lakers won’t go down quietly: “I’m not going to say that I’m scared. But I’m worried because they have (LeBron James) on the other side and he is capable of doing everything.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

A franchise that has never won the NBA championship is on the verge of reaching the Finals. Nuggets coach Michael Malone is excited by the possibility of ending the franchise’s drought. “I’ve never looked at the history of the Nuggets as a weight or a burden. I’ve looked at it as an opportunity to be the first team to win a championship,” Malone told Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post. “It’s never been about the pressure. This is an exciting chance to do something nobody in Denver Nuggets history has ever done. I want to write history. That’s what I want to do.”
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert went into a “dark retreat” last week, much like quarterback Aaron Rodgers did before he was dealt to the New York Jets, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Gobert wrote on a social media that he spent “64 hours in full darkness.” It’s part of Gobert’s plan to have “the best summer” of his career as he looks to bounce back from an inconsistent first season with the franchise.
Gobert’s former team, the Jazz, had a large presence at last week’s combine, Tony Jones of The Athletic notes. The Jazz conducted more than 20 player interviews during the combine and came away convinced they’ll get a solid player at the No. 9 spot. The Jazz also hold two other first-round picks at No. 16 and No. 28. They believe the draft is deep enough that they can nab a quality player at each spot, with a lead ball-handler high on their wish list.

Lakers “Determined” To Re-Sign Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura

May 22nd, 2023 at 4:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers could have a significant amount of roster turnover yet again this summer, but they’re “determined” to bring back restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, sources tell Marc Stein at Substack.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated a couple days ago that the Lakers were virtually certain to match any offer sheets that Reaves and Hachimura receive in free agency.

Stein writes that, based on his knowledge, “there is frankly no scenario” in which Reaves won’t be on the roster next season. The Lakers are “quite eager” to re-sign Hachimura as well, according to Stein.

The Lakers can only offer Reaves, a second-year guard, about $52MM over four years. Due to the Gilbert Arenas provision, his maximum offer sheet from a rival team would be upwards of $100MM over four years. The Lakers could match, but it would be harder to stomach if it approaches that figure.

Let’s say Reaves gets an $80MM offer sheet from a rival team, which seems possible based on his strong play in the second half of the season and playoffs. His starting salary in the first year, from the Lakers’ perspective, would be limited to the full mid-level exception ($12.2MM), followed by a 5% raise in year two. However, over the final two years, his salary would come in at an average annual value of about $27.5MM. He’s a good player, but that’s a lot.

Hachimura, a fourth-year forward whom the Lakers acquired from the Wizards in a January trade, had an uneven regular season with L.A., but has performed quite well in the postseason, averaging 12.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG on .588/.528/.867 shooting in 15 games (23.1 MPG). His four-year max offer from a rival club would be $144MM+, but there’s virtually zero chance of that happening. Something like $60-70MM over four years could be within reach, however.

Steve Nash Interviewed For Raptors’ Coaching Job

May 22nd, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Nets head coach Steve Nash interviewed for the Raptors‘ head coaching vacancy, according to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Nets went 94-67 (.584) in Nash’s two-plus regular seasons at the helm, including a 7-9 (.438) record in the postseason. He was fired following a 2-5 start to the 2022/23 season.

An eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA member, five-time assist leader and a two-time league MVP as a player, Nash was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. The 49-year-old also claimed a spot on the 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, earning recognition as one of the greatest players in league history.

Nash, who is Canadian, also played for — and was previously the general manager of — the country’s men’s national team. Obviously, that’s noteworthy due to Toronto being the lone NBA team located in Canada.

After his NBA playing days ended, Nash became a part-time consultant for the Warriors. He had no previous coaching experience prior to being named head coach of the Nets in 2020, so it was a surprising hire.

Brooklyn finished as the No. 2 seed in the East in Nash’s first season at the helm in ’20/21, losing a second-round playoff series to the eventual champion Bucks in seven games. The Nets went 44-38 in ’21/22 and entered the postseason as the No. 7 seed after a controversy- and injury-filled season. They were swept in the first round by the Celtics, who went on to make the Finals.

As Charania notes, the Raptors have undertaken an expansive search for a new head coach after firing Nick Nurse, who is now a finalist for the Bucks’ vacancy. According to our tracker, Nash is the 13th candidate either expected to or confirmed to have met with the team.