Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein’s Latest: Rivers, Dragic, Harris, R. Lopez, Dinwiddie, Bertans

February 20th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers have confidence in coach Doc Rivers to lead the team to a title now that James Harden has been paired up with Joel Embiid, a source tells Marc Stein (Substack link). Philadelphia hasn’t won an NBA championship in 39 years and Rivers has a recent history of playoff disappointments, but team officials believe he can oversee the new partnership.

Shortly after the trade with the Nets was completed, Stein heard rumors that the Sixers might be considering Mike D’Antoni, who coached Harden for four years in Houston. D’Antoni is currently serving as a coaching advisor to the Pelicans after spending last season with Harden as an assistant in Brooklyn.

However, Stein’s source insists that Rivers’ job is safe, saying he gained admiration from ownership and the front office with the way he guided the team through the distractions caused by Ben Simmons‘ absence.

Stein offers more inside information from around the league:

Goran Dragic met with the Nets on Friday as he considers his next team following a buyout with the Spurs. Coach Steve Nash served as a mentor when Dragic entered the NBA with the Suns and has been the team’s lead recruiter for the free agent guard. Along with Brooklyn, Stein cites the Bucks, Bulls, Warriors and Clippers as the top suitors for Dragic. He’s been “really open-minded” to the offers from each team, a source tells Stein.
Magic veterans Gary Harris and Robin Lopez haven’t pushed for buyouts so far, according to Stein’s sources, who add that Harris may want to stay in Orlando in hopes of re-signing during the offseason. There was talk that Lopez might join his brother in Milwaukee after a buyout, Stein states, but the recent additions of Greg Monroe and Serge Ibaka may have quelled the Bucks‘ interest (though Monroe’s most recent 10-day contract has expired). Golden State may need another center for the playoffs, and Stein sees Lopez as a potential “home run” for the Warriors if he becomes available.
Small guarantees for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans in the final year of their contracts motivated the Mavericks to acquire them in last week’s trade for Kristaps Porzingis. Dinwiddie has just a $10MM guarantee on his $18.9MM salary for 2023/24, while Bertans carries a $5MM guarantee on his $16MM salary for 2024/25. Dallas is hoping those limited guarantees will make both contracts easier to trade.

Adam Silver Says Sixers Aren’t Being Investigated For Tampering In Harden Trade

February 19th, 2022 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

There were some complaints around the league regarding the circumstances that led to the Sixers’ trade for James Harden, but the team isn’t under investigation for tampering, writes Joe Varden of The Athletic.

Some executives in rival front offices considered asking for tampering charges based on suspicions that Philadelphia was talking to Harden about signing in the offseason if a trade with the Nets couldn’t be completed, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported recently. Harden has a close relationship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and chief executive officer Tad Brown from his time in Houston, and he’s a friend of co-owner Michael Rubin.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the situation tonight during his annual All-Star Weekend press conference and confirmed that no investigation is being conducted.

“It’s no secret that I’ve expressed my unhappiness with public trade demands,” Silver said. “I think you’re dealing with a situation where you have players with literally a unique skill on the planet, and that’s always going to give them leverage. And you have teams with leverage. … I mean there may be tools that we can think of to create stronger incentives for players to comply with those agreements, but there’s no silver bullet here, that we’re going to go in and collectively bargain and say, ‘now we fix this problem.’”

Silver touched on numerous other topics during the media session:

He continues to express optimism about an in-season tournament, saying the play-in tourney has helped build momentum for change, Varden adds. “In some ways, the players have been more receptive to the possibility of an in-season tournament because the play-in has been a bit more successful,” Silver said.
Silver expressed concern about the situation involving Rockets guard John Wall, saying, “Of course I think it’s a problem when players are paid not to play,” tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Wall hasn’t played at all this season under a mutual agreement with the rebuilding team.
With COVID-19 regulations easing around the country, Silver hopes a resolution can be reached involving the New York City vaccine mandate that has prevented Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Silver confirmed that the investigation into the Suns organization and owner Robert Sarver is still ongoing, but didn’t offer any updates, according to Bontemps (Twitter link).
Silver said no regular-season games will be played in Europe next year, but some teams may travel there during the preseason, Bontemps adds (via Twitter).
The halftime ceremony for Sunday’s All-Star Game will honor the 75th anniversary team, and Silver expects about 50 of the 61 living members to be on hand, tweets Marc Stein of Substack.

Joel Embiid: “Play Speaks For Itself” In MVP Race

February 19th, 2022 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers center Joel Embiid believes he should be the favorite in this year’s Most Valuable Player race, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Embiid, who finished second in last year’s voting, has the stats to back up his claim. He’s leading the NBA in scoring at 29.6 points per game while pulling down 11.2 rebounds and dishing out a career-best 4.5 assists per night. He has Philadelphia near the top of the Eastern Conference at 35-23, despite the season-long distractions caused by the absence of Ben Simmons before he was traded last week.

“I don’t want to push for the whole thing, but the way I’ve been playing speaks for itself,” Embiid said. “Especially with everything we went through, the drama this whole year, obviously missing a big piece and then everything that happened to our team and the way our team is set up.

“So I knew had to take my game to another level whether it was offensively, defensively or playmaking and I’ve got great teammates that are coming in every single day and giving their all on the floor. But it always goes back to winning. As long as we win I’ll be at that level and have a chance to win it all and win the MVP. But to answer your question, the play speaks for itself. Every single night that’s what I’ve been doing offensively and defensively and I don’t plan on stopping.”

Embiid finished slightly ahead of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic in an ESPN straw poll of MVP voters conducted over the past week. Embiid may be able to expand his game after the All-Star break when he teams up with former MVP James Harden, who was acquired from the Nets in the Simmons trade. If they can lead Philadelphia to the top spot in the East, Embiid’s case for MVP honors will get even stronger.

Embiid also told reporters that he believes he can still reach another level because of improved conditioning over the last two seasons.

“That level is the last two years I really worked on my body and the results are showing,” he said. “I still feel like I’m not there. I’m not close to where I want to be when it comes to my body, so I feel like once I get to that level, a lot of times, most of the time, I play I’m 100 percent, but to be asked to do everything offensively and defensively it takes a toll, it’s hard.

“There’s not a lot of guys that can do that in the league, so I really believe once I get to that level … I don’t get a lot of respect when it comes to my defense. So, I want to be able to be this great offensive player and I already think defensively I’m up there but I really want to earn that respect when it comes to defense, but it takes a lot. It takes your body to be in the best shape possible and I think that’s where I got to get to.”

Nets Notes: New Rivalry, Curry, Drummond, Irving

February 19th, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Rory Maher

The Nets/Sixers matchup has the making of the league’s next great rivalry, Brian Lewis of The New York Post opines. There could be some bad blood between the two sides after the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade, as Harden and Simmons both clearly left on poor terms.

Simmons refused to suit up for the Sixers this season and didn’t exactly get along well with Joel Embiid, while Harden appeared to stop trying towards the end of his stint in Brooklyn after becoming frustrated with the team’s performance and Kyrie Irving‘s part-time status.

The two teams clashed in the playoffs in 2019, creating some animosity, but Brooklyn’s roster is very different now. Lewis thinks a feud could be great for the league.

“Yeah, it could,” Patty Mills said. “Or not; we’ll have to see. And if it is, then, awesome, it’s great. I mean, we’re trying to get better as a team; if that brings the best out of us, great. Vice versa. Good for the fans. Good for TV. Good for basketball around the world.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Seth Curry and Andre Drummond are integrating quickly with their new team, as NetsDaily.com relays. Brooklyn has gone 2-1 since the trade was officially completed, and both players have started all three contests. “I think in our league today it’s so important to have shooters who can space the floor [and] having him to do so for Kevin [Durant], Ky [Kyrie Irving] and Ben [Simmons] is really important,” coach Steve Nash said of Curry. “It gives us depth in shooting, spacing, but I think he’s a better player than just that. He’s pretty good in pick-and-roll, pretty good at scoring out of pick-and-roll situations or playing that game taking space to create offense and he can deliver the ball pretty well in those scenarios as well.” Curry is eligible for an extension this summer. He’ll earn $8.5MM in 2022/23, the final year of his four-year deal.
Nash expects Drummond to play a larger role with Brooklyn than he did with Philadelphia, per the same article from NetsDaily. “I think he fills needs that our group is looking for, and we’re excited for him to continue to get more comfortable in the way we play and also really get in great shape,” Nash said. “He’s going to play more minutes for us as far as the way we project things to go, so he’s used to (playing behind Embiid, but we’re going to ask him to) play more. I think part of it is adapting to the new role.” The Nets were interested in Drummond last season after he reached a buyout agreement with the Cavaliers, but he ultimately finished the season with the Lakers before signing with the Sixers on a minimum deal as a free agent last summer. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link) ponders what the future holds for Irving. He has a player option for 2022/23, but no one knows what his plans are. Only a few teams project to have money to spend on free agents this summer, and given Irving’s volatility, Lowe questions whether other teams would even offer a long-term deal. Will the Knicks make another run at Irving if he opts out? A short-term contract with the Nets could make sense if Irving opts out, Lowe posits, assuming they want him back.

Sixers Notes: Championship Potential, Simmons, Maxey

February 18th, 2022 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

With just 24 games between now and the playoffs, it will be a challenge for the Sixers‘ new superstar duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid to mesh quickly enough to make the team a legitimate championship threat this spring.

However, head coach Doc Rivers‘ plan isn’t to work out the kinks this year and focus on winning a title in 2023. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Rivers fully believes the team is capable of a championship run this spring and wants to make the most of the opportunity.

“I always think right now,” Rivers said on Thursday. “I’ve been in this league too long. And I always go back to [the Celtics’ 2007/08 NBA championship team.] Kevin [Garnett] and I talk about it all the time. I remember the first year during training camp we had a meeting and they were saying, ‘Man, we have to get it together. This might not be the year. But by next year, we might…’ I said, ‘Next year? Are you guys kidding me? Next year one of you can get hurt.’

“I know it’s short. I know it’s going to be hard to get it together. But having said that, the time is always now.”

Here’s more on the 76ers:

Appearing on the Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said he believes Ben Simmons was dealing with mental health struggles in Philadelphia, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. “I believe him. He was going through something,” Morey said. “And it was just whether or not we could’ve gotten to the point where we would have him play basketball for us,”
During the same interview, Morey said he should have communicated better with Simmons when the Sixers were originally trying to acquire Harden from Houston in 2021, and that he “should have had a better relationship” with the former No. 1 overall pick. “I think knowing how sensitive he was to public comments that that behooved us to be, just organizationally, more careful on that,” Morey said, per Feldman. “I think it’s important you know your top players and their different spots where you have to pay attention.”
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey will replace injured Kings guard Davion Mitchell in Friday’s “Clutch Challenge,” a shooting competition that will take place prior to the Rising Stars final, the league announced in a press release. Maxey will team up with Toronto forward Scottie Barnes in the event.
In case you missed it, we asked on Thursday whether the Sixers or Nets are better positioned for a deep playoff run.

And-Ones: Mock Draft, Ownership, Offseason Outlook, Upgrades

February 17th, 2022 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons could wind up with the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year. In Chad Ford’s Mock Draft 2.0, they’ll take Auburn freshman forward Jabari Smith with the first pick. According to Ford’s sources, Detroit GM Troy Weaver would love to pair up Cade Cunningham with Smith. Ford throws a curveball with the second pick, with the Magic selecting Purdue wing Jaden Ivey. That leaves Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren for the taking at No. 3, where the Rockets snap him up.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Private equity firms have increasingly become a force in NBA ownership, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic notes. Private equity firms have purchased stakes in five teams, and their influence will continue to increase as the value of franchises continues to climb.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks not only takes a look at potential buyout candidates this month, he also turns his attention to the offseason, breaking down the free agent class, teams with significant cap space and significant players eligible for extensions. Regarding cap space, he notes that the Pacers and Trail Blazers have moved onto the list due to their trades. The Pistons, Magic and Spurs were already projected to have cap space.
The Nets, Sixers and Celtics did the most to upgrade their 2021/22 rosters before the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Seth Partnow. The Bucks, Jazz and Suns made slight alterations that could help them in the postseason, in Partnow’s evaluation.

Community Shootaround: Nets, Sixers Playoff Hopes

February 17th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

We’re a week removed from the biggest trade in the NBA this season and the early returns haven’t even come in.

James Harden has yet to make his Sixers debut. Ben Simmons remains a few weeks away from wearing a Nets uniform.

According to VegasInsider.com, the Nets and Bucks are currently co-favorites to win the Eastern Conference with the Sixers having the third-best odds.

It will be fascinating to see who ultimately benefited from the trade or perhaps if both teams weakened themselves.

This is an all-in move by the Sixers, given Harden’s age and penchant for quickly souring on the team he’s on. Brooklyn was backed into a corner by Harden’s desire to play in Philly but the deal may end up improving its chemistry.

Harden obviously gives the Sixers a formidable 1-2 offensive punch with Most Valuable Player candidate Joel Embiid. The latter has delivered the best season of his career, keeping Philadelphia within striking distance of the conference’s best record despite Simmons’ refusal to play.

Harden will certainly ease the scoring burden on Embiid. The Sixers had to surrender one of their best shooters, Seth Curry, in the deal but held onto defensive stalwart Matisse Thybulle and young point guard Tyrese Maxey. While Philadelphia apparently tried to dump Tobias Harris’ contract prior to the deadline, he’s still a solid, consistent, low-maintenance contributor.

If and when the Nets get all their pieces back from injuries, their roster remains stacked. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can carry the scoring load and won’t have to incorporate Harden into the equation. Given that Adam Silver criticized New York City’s vaccine mandate this week, there’s a good chance Irving will eventually be able to play home games.

Simmons’ lack of perimeter shooting could be masked by the weapons around him. He’s also one of the top defenders in the league, so if his free throw shooting isn’t a total disaster, he should be able to finish out games. That’s a best case scenario for Simmons and the Nets – it’s anyone guess whether Simmons is physically and mentally ready to perform under playoff pressure.

With Curry, Patty Mills and Joe Harris (whenever he returns from his ankle issues), there are plenty of perimeter shooters to space the floor for Brooklyn.

Both teams will have to build chemistry on the fly and it’s important to note Embiid, Harden, Durant and Irving have all dealt with significant injuries in recent seasons, often during the postseason.

That leads us to our question of the day: In the wake of the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons trade, which team will go deeper into the playoffs – the Sixers or Nets?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Poll: Which Team Will Win Eastern Conference?

February 17th, 2022 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

With the All-Star break set to begin after tonight’s games, it’s as good a time as any to check in on the NBA’s playoff race and assess which teams are best positioned to finish the season strong and make a deep postseason run.

We’ll start today with the Eastern Conference, which is more competitive in 2021/22 than it has been in years.

No team has been able to pull away from the pack in the East so far, with the 38-21 Bulls currently hanging onto the No. 1 seed by a half-game. If the season were to end today, Chicago’s .644 winning percentage would be the lowest mark for a conference’s top seed since Detroit went 50-32 (.610) in 2002/03.

However, while the East may lack a dominant team, the conference makes up for it in depth. The top five seeds are all within three games of one another, and the top eight seeds are all at least four games over .500 — the same certainly can’t be said of the West, where the 29-31 Clippers are in the No. 8 spot.

The parity in the Eastern Conference has created a fascinating playoff landscape. Instead of having one or two clear-cut favorites to represent the conference in the NBA Finals, the East has at least five or six teams that could realistically make it.

The aforementioned Bulls have the East’s best record despite having dealt with injuries and COVID-related absences to key players all season long. If they’re healthy in time for the postseason, they’ll be an incredibly tough out, especially with DeMar DeRozan shooting the lights out like he has lately.

The 37-21 Heat have also been affected by injuries, but have been dangerous when healthy. Their preferred starting lineup of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, and P.J. Tucker has a +13.5 net rating for the season.

The Bucks (36-23) are the defending champions, having proven in last year’s playoffs that they can win big games and big series. The upstart Cavaliers (35-23) are on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of postseason experience, but have one of the NBA’s best defenses and added some more offensive firepower at the deadline by acquiring Caris LeVert.

Further down the standings, the Sixers (34-23) and Nets (31-27) made themselves legitimate title threats by completing a deadline-day trade to acquire stars who actually want to play for them. James Harden is expected to make his Philadelphia debut after the All-Star break, while Ben Simmons will play at some point for the Nets, who will also be getting Kevin Durant back in the coming weeks.

The Celtics (34-26) and Raptors (32-25) were out of the East’s playoff picture earlier this season, but have been two of the conference’s hottest teams as of late. Boston’s +5.4 net rating and 104.9 defensive rating both rank first in the conference, while Toronto’s length and defensive versatility has created problems for many of its opponents — the Raps have a 6-3 record against the East’s current top three seeds.

Of course, the Hornets (29-30), the Hawks (28-30), and a couple others teams remain in the mix for an Eastern Conference playoff spot, but unless Atlanta can replicate its late-season success from a year ago, a spot in the NBA Finals is an extreme long shot for any of those clubs.

What do you think? Who’s your current pick to come out of the Eastern Conference? How many teams in the wide-open East do you think have a realistic chance to make the NBA Finals?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

And-Ones: MVP Race, I. Thomas, Draft, I. Clark

February 17th, 2022 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

The top two finishers in last season’s MVP voting appear to be the top two candidates for this year’s award too, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Bontemps recently conducted a straw poll of 100 media members and found that Sixers center Joel Embiid narrowly – and unofficially – leads Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic in the MVP race.

As Bontemps details, Embiid received 45 first-place votes from the poll respondents, while Jokic got 43. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (nine), Suns guard Chris Paul (two), and Warriors guard Stephen Curry (one) were the other players who got first-place votes. Interestingly, Embiid was the only player to show up on all 100 five-player ballots, while Jokic was left off five.

Curry received 94 first-place votes when Bontemps conducted a similar straw poll in December, but the veteran sharpshooter has slowed down since his hot start, while players like Embiid, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo have made stronger MVP pushes.

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

Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas is expected to rejoin the Grand Rapids Gold – the Nuggets‘ G League affiliate – after the All-Star break, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Thomas had a very brief stint in Grand Rapids in December, scoring 42 points in his only NBAGL game before getting called up to the NBA. Thomas signed 10-day contracts with the Lakers and Mavericks before returning to the open market.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has published a new 2022 mock draft, while Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his top-50 big board. Both draft experts currently have Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren at No. 1 and Jabari Smith of Auburn at No. 2, with Purdue’s Jaden Ivey moving up to No. 3 ahead of Duke’s Paolo Banchero.
Veteran guard Ian Clark, who has 330 regular season appearances on his NBA résumé and won a title with Golden State in 2017, has signed with the Sydney Kings, the Australian team recently announced in a press release. Clark played in 60 games for New Orleans in 2018/19, but has been out of the NBA since then.

Sixers Notes: Maxey, Thybulle, Harden, Millsap

February 16th, 2022 at 7:25am CST by Luke Adams

Confirming a series of reports that were published both before and after last week’s Ben Simmons/James Harden blockbuster, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said on Tuesday that the team viewed it as imperative to hang onto Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle in that deal.

“Yeah, they were critical [to keep],” Morey said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Tyrese absolutely has the chance to be an All-Star in this league. … Thybulle, I think, easily can be Defensive Player of the Year — after Joel (Embiid) wins it first, he told us. … Both of them, I think, the sky’s the limit. And that’s a big reason why we made sure that they weren’t in this trade.”

While the Sixers were never willing to discuss Maxey, the Nets reportedly pushed for Thybulle, ultimately agreeing to accept two future first-round picks in lieu of one of Philadelphia’s promising young players.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

With Harden’s Philadelphia debut delayed until after the All-Star break, the Sixers will only have about a month-and-a-half before the playoffs to adjust to their new-look lineup, but head coach Doc Rivers doesn’t think it will be too challenging to incorporate Harden. “Listen, putting James Harden into an offense is not that hard. It really isn’t,” Rivers said (ESPN story via Bontemps). “I mean, he’s just a terrific basketball player, so you don’t need to overcomplicate it. You know where he’s been great at, you know which direction he wants to go, and so you put him on those sides of the floor.”
After pushing to be traded in two consecutive years, Harden has a situation in Philadelphia that’s as good as it gets for him, according to Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Sielski says that if it doesn’t work out for Harden with the Sixers, he won’t have anywhere else to go, since no other executive in the NBA trusts and believes in the former MVP like Morey does.
Although Harden won’t play until at least next week, Paul Millsap made his Sixers debut on Tuesday, scoring nine points in nine minutes. Millsap didn’t get into the game until the fourth quarter, when Philadelphia was already trailing Boston by more than 40 points.
In case you missed it, we passed along some of Harden’s comments from his introductory presser on Tuesday, including that he still plans to pick up his $47.4MM player option for 2022/23.

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