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New York Notes: Towns Trade, Knicks, Simmons, Nets

September 29th, 2024 at 8:43am CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks are still working through the details of their blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, which has yet to be finalized. Why did they choose to go all-in on the 28-year-old big man?

For starters, president of basketball operations Leon Rose was Towns’ representative when he was the head agent at CAA, notes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Knicks executive William Wesley is also close with the Towns family, per Begley — clearly there’s an affinity between the two sides.

As Begley writes, the Knicks view Towns as an ideal complementary piece to their core roster, particularly on offense with Jalen Brunson. Towns’ presence should create more driving lines for Brunson and make it more difficult for opponents to trap him.

Begley confirms New York has coveted Towns for some time, but trade talks with Minnesota didn’t pick up steam until the Knicks signaled a willingness to include Donte DiVincenzo in the package. Begley isn’t sure why the Knicks changed their mind — they were opposed to dealing DiVincenzo for the majority of the offseason.

According to Begley, DiVincenzo wasn’t thrilled with the idea of playing a reduced role this season after he had a career year in 2023/24. Still, Begley doesn’t think that had much to do with New York’s decision. He speculates that Julius Randle‘s contract situation (he can be a free agent in 2025 if he declines his 2025/26 player option) and Mitchell Robinson‘s injury absence were likely bigger factors.

Here’s more on the two New York-based teams:

While all eyes will be on Towns with training camp about to begin, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post believes Mikal Bridges is the “most intriguing” player the Knicks acquired this offseason. Bondy projects a starting lineup of Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Towns, with Miles McBride likely the team’s sixth man. With major roster changes and some players coming off injuries, Bondy expects the Knicks to look sluggish in preseason.
Ben Simmons‘ health is the biggest storyline to watch for the Nets as they enter training camp, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons has appeared in just 57 of 246 regular season games over the past three seasons — including 15 in 2023/24 — and is coming off a second back surgery. However, he’s fully cleared for camp and has been one of the team’s standouts in pickup games, sources tell Lewis. Second-year big man Noah Clowney and offseason acquisition Ziaire Williams are two other players who have played well in informal games ahead of camp, Lewis adds.
In a pair of stories for The New York Post, Lewis examines the other Nets storylines ahead of training camp and provides a rundown of their 20-man roster, which is one player shy of the offseason limit.

Northwest Notes: Towns, Westbrook, Jazz, Trail Blazers

September 28th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves were facing significant financial losses for the foreseeable future if they had kept the current roster together, league sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN. The need to unload Karl-Anthony Towns‘ contract is Minnesota’s primary motivation for agreeing to the trade that will send him to the Knicks.

Towns will earn $49.2MM this season as his four-year, $220MM extension kicks in. Windhorst points out that the front office gave him that deal in 2022 when it looked like he had established himself as the franchise cornerstone. That designation now belongs to Anthony Edwards, who increased the value of his own maximum-salary extension by $41MM by making the All-NBA team last season. Throw in Rudy Gobert, who will make $43.8MM this season and is almost certain to pick up his $46.7MM player option for 2025/26, and that’s already the core of a very expensive roster.

The financial uncertainties are accompanied by a dispute over who will ultimately own the team. Sources tell Windhorst that the group headed by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez has become confident it will prevail in the arbitration hearings set to begin November 4. They have lined up more than $900MM in escrow, Windhorst adds, with the support of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Lore and Rodriguez plan to present more than $200MM in working capital, according to Windhorst’s sources, providing evidence that they can cover the final payment to current owner Glen Taylor and still handle the team’s projected deficits.

Windhorst points out that even if Lore and Rodriguez prevail in arbitration, they aren’t guaranteed to get the team. That will be decided in a vote by the NBA’s Board of Governors, many of whom may still be loyal to Taylor. Windhorst expects lawsuits to be filed no matter what the final decision is.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

New Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook suggested to reporters that he was misused by the Clippers last season, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “To be honest, it was unique,” Westbrook said. “They just didn’t put me in a position to make it unique. I was in a position where I was playing not my position. And being able to be here, and coach (Michael) Malone allowing me to be able to use my speed, use my transition skill to be able to make other guys better, makes the game easy for everybody surrounding me. That’s what I love to do best.” Malone has raved about Westbrook’s work ethic and the example he sets for his young teammates, Durando adds.
The Jazz were prepared for a major acquisition this summer, but they couldn’t find any suitable opportunities, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “You guys have seen how things evolve in an offseason,” general manager Justin Zanik told reporters. “In this organization, we are extremely aggressive with pursuing any and all means necessary to make this a championship-caliber roster. When those opportunities come up, we’re ready for it. There weren’t any.”
The quality of Milwaukee’s picks toward the end of this decade will determine how much value the Trail Blazers got in exchange for Damian Lillard, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian states on the one-year anniversary of the trade. Portland has swap rights for the Bucks‘ first-round selections in 2028 and 2030, and will receive the most and least favorable among their own pick, Boston’s, and Milwaukee’s in 2029.

Celtics Notes: Training Camp, Scheierman, Tatum, Cassell

September 28th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are getting an early challenge from head coach Joe Mazzulla as they begin the defense of their NBA title, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Boston and Denver opened training camps this week in preparation for their games next Friday and Sunday in Abu Dhabi, and Jaylen Brown said the first practices have been intense.

“Training camp has been hard,” he said. “Training camp has been a lot of conditioning, a lot of defensive stuff, setting the tone on the defensive end, pushing ourselves. It’s been great. It’s exactly what we needed. We did not ease into training camp by no means. Joe Mazzulla is a psycho in a good way.”

It was a very short offseason for the Celtics, who closed out the NBA Finals a little more than three and a half months ago. It was even shorter for Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, who were part of Team USA in the Summer Olympics. Despite the brief break, the players seem ready to get back to business.

“I think it’s very, very mental,” Holiday said. “Obviously that’s where most of the game can be won. Concentration, doing things while you’re tired, playing without passing, playing without scoring. How do you win the mental game, I feel like, is the biggest part – if you’re tired physically or mentally. Again, he’s just throwing everything at us.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics ordered Baylor Scheierman to add weight as he prepares for his first NBA season, Robb adds in a separate story. Scheierman reported to camp about 10-15 pounds heavier than he was in July. “I think from Summer League to now I spent a lot of time on my body, working on my body, trying to put on a lot of lean mass,” Scheierman said. “… Also just working on my shot, continuing to tune up things, try to get it off quicker.”
As Tatum predicted at media day, Mazzulla is hoping he’ll take extra motivation from not being named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals and then being benched for much of the Olympics, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet, because of how much he works and how he’s willing to grow,” Mazzulla said. “So I thought it was great that he has something to work toward. Sometimes when you get success you don’t have that next hunger right in front of you. Sometimes you’ve got to wait for it. Sometimes it’s a loss; sometimes it’s a losing streak. He was able to get that right in front of him.”
Assistant coach Sam Cassell has experience in defending an NBA championship, Himmelsbach adds. Cassell was part of the Rockets team that won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995. “I can tell you no one here is talking about repeating or trying to defend anything,” Cassell said. “It’s just a new year and a new season. We just want to go win a championship every year.”

Pacers Adding Jahlil Okafor On Training Camp Deal

September 28th, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jahlil Okafor has reached an agreement with the Pacers on a training camp contract, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old center, who was selected by Philadelphia with the third pick in the 2015 draft, gets a chance to return to the NBA after three years away. Pacers officials watched him in workouts over the summer and were impressed by his conditioning level, Charania adds.

Okafor has been out of the NBA since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with Detroit. He was traded to Brooklyn that summer and later signed with Atlanta, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot with either team.

Okafor resumed his basketball career overseas, playing in China and Spain before signing with a Puerto Rican team in February. He also spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by Phoenix’s new affiliate at the expansion draft in June. The Pacers’ affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, acquired Okafor’s rights in a G League trade on Friday.

Okafor averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in his first season and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting, but he wasn’t able to sustain that level of success. He was traded to Brooklyn after a little more than two seasons with the Sixers, and played two years in New Orleans before moving on to Detroit.

The Pacers only have 12 players in camp with fully guaranteed contracts, so Okafor should have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot. They will be at the offseason limit of 21 players once his signing becomes official.

Bucks Notes: Middleton, Lillard, Giannis, Wolf

September 28th, 2024 at 6:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

With training camp about to open, Bucks swingman Khris Middleton still hasn’t received medical clearance for 5-on-5 action, sources tell basketball reporter Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Middleton is “progressing nicely” after offseason surgical procedures on both ankles, Haynes adds, but the team plans to be careful with him in camp.

Middleton had been bothered by pain in his left ankle since spraining it in February, so he underwent arthroscopic surgery to fix the issue. He also had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right ankle, which he sprained during the playoff loss to Indiana.

Middleton, 33, was limited to 55 games last season, averaging 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per night. He played just 33 games the year before, and the Bucks will need him to have a strong bounce-back season to have a chance to compete for a title.

There’s more from Milwaukee:

In a recent appearance on Marshawn Lynch’s “Get Got” podcast, Damian Lillard reflected on the surprise of being traded to the Bucks last September after spending the summer expecting to be headed to Miami (hat tip to The Sports Rush). “I’m in a great situation, but when I had my mind thinking I was going, you know, one place and then I ended up going somewhere else, it changed that experience for me,” Lillard said, adding that he doesn’t have any regrets about how the situation played out.
On the one-year anniversary of the three-team Lillard trade, Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel looks at how it affected the Bucks, Trail Blazers and Suns to see if a clear winner has emerged.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered pointers to incoming Rutgers freshmen and projected 2025 lottery picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper on Friday during a workout arranged by Nike (Twitter link).
The Bucks organization is mourning the loss of Joe Wolf, who served as an assistant coach with the G League’s Wisconsin Herd. Wolf unexpectedly passed away this week. “Throughout his life, Joe touched many lives and was a highly respected, adored and dedicated coach and player across the NBA,” the team said in a statement. “His well-regarded talent was instrumental for the Bucks and Herd over eight years with the organization, including as a player and coach.” Wolf, 59, was a standout at North Carolina and played for seven teams during his 11-year NBA career.

Kings Sign Brodric Thomas To Camp Deal

September 28th, 2024 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

5:08pm: The signing is official, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat.

4:00pm: The Kings are adding free agent shooting guard Brodric Thomas to their training camp roster, reports Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).

While Anderson doesn’t specify what type of contract Thomas will sign, it will almost certainly be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, which won’t count against Sacramento’s cap.

Thomas appeared in a total of 44 NBA regular season games for the Rockets, Cavaliers, and Celtics from 2020-22, but has mostly played in the G League since going undrafted out of Truman State in 2020. Last season, he appeared in 22 games for the Clippers’ G League affiliate, averaging 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 24.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .387/.357/.750.

The 27-year-old also represented the G League United earlier this month in exhibition games against Serbian team KK Mega Basket.

Although Thomas has only made 18-of-68 (26.5%) three-point attempts at the NBA level, he’s known as a talented shooter and has made 38.9% of 373 career outside shots in the G League.

Assuming Thomas signs an Exhibit 10 contract, he could have it converted to a two-way deal before the regular season or he could be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by Sacramento and then spends at least 60 days with the Kings’ G League affiliate. However, the Stockton Kings would have to acquire his returning rights from the San Diego Clippers for that latter scenario to happen.

Once Thomas’ deal is official, Sacramento will have a full 21-man preseason roster.

Knicks Waive Marcus Morris, Chuma Okeke

September 28th, 2024 at 4:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have placed forwards Marcus Morris and Chuma Okeke on waivers, the team announced on Twitter.

Both players had non-guaranteed camp contracts, so New York won’t have any future financial obligations to either of them. Morris signed an Exhibit 9 deal two weeks ago, while Okeke inked an Exhibit 10 contract in August.

The moves are a prelude to the looming Karl-Anthony Towns trade with Minnesota. As our Luke Adams explained this morning, the Knicks’ financial situation will likely require multiple sign-and-trade deals before Towns can be acquired, so roster spots had to be opened to make those moves possible.

Morris, 35, is a 13-year NBA veteran. He split last season between Philadelphia and Cleveland, averaging 6.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 49 total games.

Okeke, 26, spent the past four season with Orlando after being selected with the 16th pick in the 2019 draft. He averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 47 games with the Magic last season.

It’s unclear whether or not the Knicks plan to bring back Morris and/or Okeke after the Towns trade is officially completed.

Timberwolves Waive Chasson Randle

September 28th, 2024 at 4:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have parted ways with veteran guard Chasson Randle, the team announced in a press release.

Randle, 31, officially signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Minnesota on Friday, although the move had been rumored for several weeks. He’ll have an opportunity to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate in Iowa.

Randle played for five teams in four NBA seasons before heading overseas in 2021. He spent last season with AEK Athens in the Greek Basketball League, averaging 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 21 games.

Waiving Randle leaves the Wolves with 20 players, one short of the NBA’s offseason roster limit. They’re reportedly taking back three players from New York in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, so at least one more spot will have to be opened before that deal can be completed.

Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Allen, Goals, Rotation

September 28th, 2024 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Marc J. Spears of Andscape on Thursday, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell discussed a variety of topics, including why he was comfortable signing an extension this offseason to remain in Cleveland, his thoughts on the team’s decision to replace head coach J.B. Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson, and his expectations for the Cavs in 2024/25.

The Cavs won a playoff series this past spring for the first time since 2018, but Mitchell believes the club’s ceiling is much higher than another second-round appearance.

“We’re championship contenders when we’re healthy,” Mitchell said. “I feel like last year we grew in a lot of ways. We played a lot of different ways. Now during that (22-4) stretch we went on (from December to February), obviously D.G. (Darius Garland) and Evan (Mobley) were hurt. But we found something that really can help bring us to the next level. So now the trick is how do we continue to implement that style of play over 82 (games) and then the final 16 (playoff) wins.

“But the development, that’s part of the reasons why I decided to sign was because I believe in our development,” he continued. “I believe in the hunger and the will that we have as a group. And so, for us, I believe we’re cherished contenders when healthy. But at the end of the day, I can tell you this, we got to go out there and continue to prove it on a daily basis. We haven’t done anything.”

Here’s more on the Cavs:

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link) passes along some of the most notable quotes from the pre-camp press conference that Atkinson and Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman held on Friday morning. Altman referred to the 2024 offseason – which included contract extensions for Mitchell, Mobley, and Jarrett Allen – as “a major success to extend the lifeline of this core” and agreed with Mitchell that a championship is a realistic goal with the current roster.
Altman also offered high praise for Allen when discussing his starting center’s new contract: “Jarrett’s immensely important to us. I think we’re almost like a .500 team when he’s not playing, which is remarkable. He’s the oldest 26-year-old you’ll ever find. It’s incredible that he’s 26 years old somehow, and this is his second extension. The first one was a five-year, $100 million extension that everyone was like, ‘Whoa, that’s a lot.’ It became one of the best contracts in the league. Now to extend him and tack on another three years, it keeps that continuity. He’s the core of our defense, super consistent. … To have him locked up for another five years is incredible. It speaks to what we’re building here.”
After winning a playoff series in 2024, the idea of “taking the next step” in 2025 was a key theme during Friday’s presser, according to Fedor (subscriber link). The team barely underwent any changes during the offseason, but the most notable newcomer – Atkinson – is confident that continuity and improvement from within will allow the Cavs to take another step forward. “I think continuity is a coach’s dream,” Atkinson said. “It’s a team that’s won 99 games in the last two years and I think the other important thing about that, it’s a young team so internal improvement is huge for us.”
Atkinson is open to using a deeper rotation than the Cavs did in 2023/24, per Fedor, who says that approach will please many within the organization who wanted Bickerstaff to deploy more than eight or nine players on a regular basis last season. “This is important just from my point of view, really celebrating our depth,” Atkinson said. “I think right off the bat you’ll see I’m going to play 10 guys. I’d even say 11. That’s very possible. We have great depth. How many rotation players do we have? I think by developing your bench, that prepares you for the playoffs, right? You never know. There’s a Richard Jefferson story. Richard was like a 12th man. All of a sudden Game 3 he comes out and hits three 3s. I embrace that philosophy.”
In a separate subscriber-only story for Cleveland.com, Fedor considers four important questions facing the Cavaliers this season, including how Atkinson will change the offense, whether Garland can recapture his All-Star form, and whether Mobley is ready to take a leap to stardom.

Injury Notes: Walter, M. Williams, Lyles, McLaughlin, Watson

September 28th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors wing Ja’Kobe Walter, the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft, has been diagnosed with an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, the team announced in a press release on Friday.

According to the Raptors, Walter – who sustained the injury during informal workouts this week – won’t be able to take part in on-court activities during training camp. An update on the rookie’s status will be provided by the club after camp has ended.

While it doesn’t necessarily sound as if Walter’s absence will be a long-term one, Toronto is now dealing with a pair of injuries on the wing that could impact the team’s depth in the early going. Bruce Brown underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday and was ruled out for at least three weeks.

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

Hornets center Mark Williams, who missed much of the 2023/24 season due to a back issue, strained a tendon in his left foot during an offseason workout on Thursday, according to a press release from the team. Williams will be sidelined through training camp and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the club said in its statement.
The Kings announced on Friday that a pair of veterans won’t be available for training camp, as James Ham of The Kings Beat relays (via Twitter). Forward Trey Lyles will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks after straining his left groin during offseason workouts, while newcomer Jordan McLaughlin has been diagnosed with a grade 2 right ankle sprain and will be reexamined in about two weeks.
Nuggets guard Peyton Watson is dealing with a soft-tissue hamstring injury and likely won’t suit up for either of the team’s first two preseason games in Abu Dhabi next weekend, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “I think it’s really important that we’re smart about his injury, his rehab, his recovery,” head coach Michael Malone said. “Because as much as we want him playing these games, the season opener in probably about four weeks is more important.”