NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Lindsey Harding To Join Lakers’ Coaching Staff

July 16th, 2024 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lindsey Harding is leaving the Kings organization to join the Lakers’ coaching staff, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Last season, Harding was named G League Coach of the Year in her first season with the Stockton Kings. The previous four years, Harding was as an assistant/player development coach with the NBA’s Kings.

She will be the first full-time female assistant coach in Lakers’ history, according to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register.

New Lakers head coach J.J. Redick and Harding are Duke alums. Harding was a player development coach and pro personnel scout with the Sixers when Redick played for Philadelphia from 2017-19.

Harding interviewed for the Hornets’ head coaching job this offseason. Charlotte wound up hiring Boston assistant Charles Lee.

Harding has also coached the Mexican women’s national team since 2022 and previously served in the same role for South Sudan’s women’s team.

Former Hornets assistant coach Bob Beyer is also expected to join Redick’s staff, The Athletic’s Johan Buha reports. Beyer has been in attendance for multiple Lakers summer league games.

Former head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks will reportedly be Redick’s top assistants.

Hartenstein: Leaving Knicks ‘Was Definitely Hard’

July 16th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Isaiah Hartenstein struggled with the idea of leaving the Knicks but he couldn’t pass up the money and chance to play for another contender. That’s why he chose the Thunder in free agency, he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

“I was going to make sure I was set for the rest of my life,” Hartenstein said. “But then at the same time, if it wasn’t a team like OKC, I would’ve taken a pay cut because I loved it (in New York). But I now have an opportunity to make that money, make that pay raise, and still compete. I think that was the main factor.”

The Thunder targeted Hartenstein to pair up with Chet Holmgren in their frontcourt. They signed him to a three-year, $87MM contract, which includes a team option in the third year.

Although the Knicks wanted to retain Hartenstein, they were limited to a maximum offer of approximately $72.5MM over four years, since they only held his Early Bird rights, which allowed for a raise of up to 75% on his $9.25MM cap hit from 2023/24. The Knicks offered him the max they were allowed.

Additionally, Jalen Brunson tried to persuade Hartenstein to stay put.

“They said whatever we can give you, we’re going to give you,” Hartenstein said. “I talked to Jalen a couple times, Jalen and the guys. They really wanted me back and I really appreciate that. But it was definitely a hard decision. I couldn’t say no to an opportunity like this.”

Brunson signed a team-friendly extension this month but Hartenstein wasn’t making big money most of his NBA career. He totalled $22.65MM in career earnings in his first six seasons. He also recently became a father.

“He’s kind of in a different situation than I’m in. Already made $100 million (in his career). He’s the star player, knows he probably won’t ever get traded. So it’s a different situation,” Hartenstein said. “But that also shows what kind of a leader he is to make those sacrifices. I don’t think a lot of people are making those sacrifices. I think our situations are a little bit different but I have a lot of respect for him as a player and a human being for doing that.”

The Knicks still haven’t replaced Hartenstein. Oft-injured Mitchell Robinson is penciled in as the starting center with Jericho Sims as his backup. All things being equal from a monetary standpoint, Hartenstein would have re-signed.

“It was hard. For me if it wasn’t a situation like Oklahoma City with a chance to win, I don’t think I would’ve left. But that money is — you have to think about it, I just had a child so. …But it was really hard,” he said. “I love New York. I love the front office, I loved my team. So It was definitely hard. If it wasn’t a situation where I felt like I really had a chance to win, I probably wouldn’t have left.”

Raptors Sign Jamison Battle To Exhibit 10 Contract

July 16th, 2024 at 8:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have signed undrafted forward Jamison Battle to an Exhibit 10 contract, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.

The 6’7” Battle averaged 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 31.4 minutes per game in 35 starts as a fifth-year senior at Ohio State last season. He shot 46.9% from the field and 43.3% from beyond the arc, which ranked second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. Battle also led the Big Ten in free throw percentage at 92.6%.

Battle played two seasons at George Washington (2019-21) and two at Minnesota (2021-23) prior to joining the Buckeyes.

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 the player can earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate, in this case the Raptors 905.

Kyrie Irving Undergoes Surgery For Broken Hand

July 16th, 2024 at 7:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks star gaurd Kyrie Irving underwent surgery to repair a broken left hand, according to a team press release. He sustained the injury earlier this month while training.

Irving was coming off a stellar postseason in which he averaged 22.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game as he and backcourt partner Luka Doncic lifted Dallas to the NBA Finals.

He averaged 25.6 points, 5.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds during the regular season while appearing in 58 games. He missed time in December and late January due to heel and thumb injuries.

With training camps opening in two-and-a-half months, it stands to reason Irving should be healed by that time. To that end, a team source expressed optimism to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that Irving will be able to participate in camp (Twitter link).

Still, the injury will disrupt his usual offseason regimen.

Irving will make $41MM next season and has a $43.96MM player option next offseason on the final year of his current contract.

Heat Notes: Bisaccio, Powell, Christopher, Swider, Williams, Stevens, Rozier, Jones

July 16th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have officially promoted player development coach, Dan Bisaccio, naming him the head coach of the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to a team press release. Bisaccio, who is also currently serving as the Heat’s Summer League coach, has been with the organization for 10 years. Former Skyforce head coach, Kasib Powell, is joining Erik Spoelstra‘s staff as a player development coach.

We have more on the Heat:

Josh Christopher has averaged 21.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two Las Vegas Summer League contests. Christopher, who appeared in 138 games with Houston from 2021-23, had a two-way contract with Utah last season but was waived before seeing any NBA action. The 22-year-old is trying to catch the attention of the Heat or another team in his quest for another NBA deal. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get back to where I need to be because I know I belong,” Christopher told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I’m extremely hungry.”
Cole Swider and Alondes Williams, who finished last season on two-way contracts, are also on the Summer League squad. Both players are unrestricted free agents after Miami withdrew qualifying offers to both players last week. The Heat have filled all their two-way slots, so Swider and Williams are also trying to earn another NBA contract, Chiang writes. Both players have yet to sign a standard NBA deal in their careers. “I’ve learned not to expect anything. I’ve learned that throughout this whole entire process of being an undrafted guy, getting a two-way, getting cut last year, coming into training camp and nothing was guaranteed, getting a two-way,” Swider said.
Undrafted Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens has made a favorable impression in Summer League action. He racked up 11 assists with only one turnover in 27 minutes against Boston over the weekend. “First and foremost, it’s doing his thing, not listening to me, being who he is, being a player,” said Bisaccio, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He does such a great job of getting our offense organized. I have complete trust in him with that.”
Even if the team hadn’t traded away Kyle Lowry‘s expiring contract as part of the Terry Rozier deal last season, Miami’s offseason moves wouldn’t have looked much different, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Heat still wouldn’t have had cap space even if they had held onto Lowry’s contract, plus the non-taxpayer mid-level exception wouldn’t have netted them anyone as good as Rozier, Jackson notes.
The Heat had strong interest last season in point guard Tyus Jones — who remains on the free agent market — and had talks with Washington before landing Rozier, Jackson adds, but there’s no realistic pathway for Miami to acquire Jones now.

Team USA Notes: Brown, White, Australia Game, AD, Kawhi

July 16th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing at the Las Vegas Summer League on Monday, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown was asked about his reaction to not making USA Basketball’s Olympic team, either as one of the initial 12 players or as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard. Brown made it clear that, despite his apparent frustration, he was proud of teammate Derrick White for taking Leonard’s spot.

“I called Derrick right away,” Brown said, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. “Just to make sure there’s no confusion, my love for you and all of that. He knew that, and he did. You don’t always gotta make everything public. Me and D-White are good.”

Still, Brown – who said he “wasn’t surprised” at being passed over for Team USA – reiterated that he believes Nike was involved in that decision. As Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes, Brown has criticized Nike over the years and isn’t sponsored by the company, whereas White is.

“I do for sure,” Brown replied when asked if he thinks Nike influenced the roster decision. “There will be more stuff to come with that. As of now, I’m not gonna comment on it.”

Here’s more on Team USA:

As Joe Vardon of The Athletic relays, White told reporters in Abu Dhabi over the weekend that he was scheduled to be on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, but that he’d “much rather” be with Team USA. “I got the call and I was ready to go,” White said. “… I just had to talk to the family and try to figure out how we can make it work and as quickly as possible. I’m super thankful and grateful and excited to be here.”
Team USA still wasn’t at its best in Monday’s exhibition game against Australia, but key contributions from Anthony Davis and Anthony Edwards helped the team secure a six-point victory, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and The Athletic’s Vardon detail.
With Joel Embiid still trying to round into form and Davis having been the team’s most effective big man through two exhibition contests, head coach Steve Kerr may face a tough decision when determining his starting center for the Olympics, Vardon writes in another story for The Athletic.
Team USA is still playing NBA basketball, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who says the squad will need to adjust to better the international rules and style to ensure it wins gold in Paris.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said on Monday that he and the Clippers were “very disappointed” with USA Basketball’s decision to replace Leonard on the Olympic roster, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Frank’s comments are noteworthy, since even though Team USA managing director Grant Hill took responsibility for the move, reporting at the time indicated that Leonard’s camp and the Clippers were involved in making the decision, too. “No, it was USAB’s call and I was quite frankly very disappointed with the decision,” Frank said. “Kawhi wanted to play. We wanted him to play. I was there the first two practices, he looked very good. Was a full participant in everything that they did. I wasn’t there for the third practice where ultimately that was the point where they decided to go in a different direction (last Wednesday). I expressed to them I really wish that they would’ve given Kawhi more time.”

Mavs’ Harrison Discusses Jones’ Exit, Marshall, Grimes, Klay

July 16th, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Mavericks were defeated by Boston in the NBA Finals last month, head of basketball operations Nico Harrison referred to re-signing Derrick Jones as the team’s “priority 1A and 1B.” When the team agreed to trade Tim Hardaway Jr. to Detroit in a cost-cutting move prior to free agency, it seemingly paved the way for Jones to return, but the defensive-minded wing signed with the Clippers instead.

Asked by Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), why Jones didn’t end up back in Dallas and whether his 11th-hour agent change was a factor, Harrison suggested it wasn’t the Mavs’ decision to move on.

“Honestly, it’s a better question for him to answer,” Harrison said. “I mean, I don’t know. I guess he liked L.A. better than Dallas.”

Harrison admitted that he was somewhat surprised by Jones’ decision.

“Yeah,” he said. “But honestly, we have Naji (Marshall) and I’m excited about Naji. I did say (Jones) was 1A and 1B, and that’s how we approached it. That’s how we approached him for the whole year, in terms of how we approached him with respect and the love that we showed him and also the play that he had with our guys. He deserved it too, but he made his own choice. And we have Naji. We’re excited about Naji.”

Here are a few more highlights from Harrison’s conversation with Curtis:

On what new additions Marshall and Quentin Grimes will bring to Dallas:

“Naji’s a really good basketball player … He’ll be a really physical defender, which we’ve got good defense, but not physical. And he’s a physical (player), but he’s a good basketball player. He can shoot. He can really handle the ball. He’ll be able to drive the close out and he can make plays. So I think his skill level is kind of better than people know. And then Quentin, defensively, he’s elite and he can handle the ball and can shoot.”

On why he thinks the Mavericks, who don’t have a strong track record of landing impact free agents, appealed to Klay Thompson:

“I think winning. But before you get to the winning is the culture that we’re creating. I think when you create the right culture and people thrive in it, then I think people in the league take notice. They want to be a part of it.”

On how he expects Thompson to fit alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving:

“In terms of a basketball player, he’s one who’s relentless and has a crazy work ethic. He’s one of the best shooters the game has. I’m excited. Excited to have my team. And he’s a winner, too. I think we now have one of the best shooters in the NBA, maybe the best. And you add that to Luka and Kyrie, it’s only going to open up the floor. I think he opens up the floor for them and they open up the floor for him. I really think it’s a really good combination.”

On having made a series of changes to a roster that just appeared in the NBA Finals:

“It’s not like we added another ball-dominant scorer. We added complementary pieces that are really good. So I think you got to get better if you want to get back to where you were. If you just sit there, idling … the West is tough. Everybody in the West is getting better. You got to figure out how you can do it without disrupting the core makeup of the team because you don’t want to start training camp in ground zero. Now you bring in a few fresh faces, people that are additive they can fit in to what we’re already doing.”

Pacific Notes: Porter, Clippers, Lakers, Suns, O’Neale

July 16th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers‘ decision to sign Kevin Porter Jr. to a two-year contract is “in no way (meant to) downplay, diminish or condone domestic violence,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told Law Murray of The Athletic on Monday.

Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January after having been originally charged last fall with felony counts of assault and strangulation following an altercation with his former girlfriend in New York. He may still face discipline from the NBA, which is investigating the case.

Frank said Porter and the team will “abide by” any decision the league makes and told Murray that the Clippers had an independent specialist evaluate the guard before deciding to bring him aboard.

“He’s had an offseason personal-development plan that he’s been committed to,” Frank said. “And then, based on our specialist recommendation, he’ll have an offseason and off-the-court personal-development plan that he’ll be held accountable to. With that being said … we thought, hey, look, positive change is possible, and here’s an opportunity for him.

“… We take these allegations very, very seriously. With that being said, we’re going to lean on people who are experts in the field to be able to advise us — whether it’s Kevin or anyone else — is worthy of a second opportunity and why. And we’ll just kind of look at every case and every individual on a case-by-case circumstance. But we’re very aware and respectful to the sensitivities that come with, you know, these allegations. And like I said, that’s why we’ve invested a lot in terms of making sure that there’s a personal-development plan where there’s a high level of accountability.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Examining what has been a quiet offseason for the Lakers, Jovan Buha of The Athletic says the team is expected to continue to remain patient as it considers possible roster moves. The Lakers will likely make a consolidation trade at some point to potentially open up a roster spot and/or more room below the second tax apron, sources tell Buha, but that may happen until closer to the start of the season.
The Suns still have some work to do to fill out their coaching staff ahead of Mike Budenholzer‘s first season in Phoenix, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. As Rankin details, former NBA big man Pero Antic – who played for Budenholzer in Atlanta and is working with the Suns’ Summer League roster, is one possible candidate for an assistant role.
After signing a new four-year contract to remain with the team, Royce O’Neale said he thinks the Suns have “an opportunity to do something special” next season, which made it an easy decision for him to stay in Phoenix, according to Rankin. The Suns dealt with a series of injuries last season and made some major roster changes before and during the season, including adding O’Neale at the trade deadline. The hope is that more continuity will help make a difference in 2024/25. “We’ll have a whole complete year to build some team chemistry and everything, get acclimated and hit the ground running and do a lot of special things,” O’Neale said.

Patrick Beverley Plans To Sign With Hapoel Tel Aviv

July 16th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA guard Patrick Beverley is headed back overseas, announcing via his podcast’s Twitter account that he intends to sign with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel.

“They gave me everything I asked for,” Beverley said of the Israeli team. “… I couldn’t refuse.”

Beverley, who turned 36 last Friday, began his professional career by playing in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia from 2008-12, so he’s no stranger to international basketball. However, he has been in the NBA for the past 12 seasons, appearing in 666 total regular season games with the Rockets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Lakers, Bulls, Sixers, and Bucks during that time.

Known for his defensive tenacity, Beverley holds career averages of 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .413/.371/.760.

While his fiery personality can sometimes be an asset, Beverley’s 2023/24 season ended on a sour note due to a sideline outburst — he repeatedly threw a basketball at Pacers fans in Indiana during the waning moments of the Bucks’ season, at one point hitting an unsuspecting female fan in the side of the head.

The incident resulted in a police investigation and a four-game suspension, which Beverley would have had to serve at the start of the 2024/25 season if he had signed with an NBA team this summer.

Instead, the former Arkansas standout will cross the Atlantic, joining a Hapoel Tel Aviv squad that also recently signed NBA veteran Ish Wainright. The team finished second in the Israeli Basketball Premier League standings in 2023/24 with a 21-8 record, losing the best-of-three championship series to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Warriors Sign Daeqwon Plowden To Two-Way Deal

July 16th, 2024 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

7:17pm: The signing is official, the team tweets.

11:31am: Free agent guard Daeqwon Plowden has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Warriors, agent Drew Kelso tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Plowden, who went undrafted out of Bowling Green in 2022, has spent his first two professional seasons in the G League, playing for the Birmingham Squadron in 2022/23 and the Osceola Magic in ’23/24.

In 49 Showcase Cup and regular season outings for Osceola last season, he averaged 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 25.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .472/.397/.797.

The 6’6″ wing has made his case for a spot on Golden State’s 18-man regular season roster this month with his performance for the Warriors’ Summer League teams in California and Las Vegas. In five total Summer League games (24.2 MPG), Plowden has averaged 16.6 PPG on .537/.481/.706 shooting.

As our tracker shows, Plowden is poised to fill the Warriors’ only open two-way slot. Pat Spencer and Reece Beekman currently occupy the other two spots. Spencer is a carryover from last season’s roster – his two-way contract, signed in February, included a second year – so if Golden State wants to create a two-way opening for second-round pick Quinten Post, he might be the odd man out.