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Atlantic Notes: Nets, J. Brown, Sixers, Nurse, Raptors

May 24th, 2023 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

There’s a good chance that the Nets, who have a surplus of wings, will trade at least one of their veterans this offseason, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). Brooklyn stocked up on two-way wings at the trade deadline, acquiring Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith in deals with Phoenix and Dallas.

Bridges looks like a player the Nets will build around, and while Johnson will reach free agency this summer, Brooklyn can control that process since he’ll be a restricted free agent. In Lewis’ view, that leaves Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale as the two wings most likely to be on the trade block this offseason. For his part, Finney-Smith is very aware that more changes could be coming to the Nets’ roster in the coming months.

“Everybody here knows what’s going on, we know the pieces we have and you just never know in this league,” he said. “So I guess we’re going to see after the draft. See what’s going on and go from there.”

According to Lewis, while there’s a belief that the Nets could move one of their three-and-D wings to try to balance their roster, people around the NBA also think the club may trade one of its first-round picks in order to add scoring and/or rebounding. Brooklyn currently controls two consecutive first-rounders at No. 21 and No. 22 in this year’s draft.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

If the Celtics were to make Jaylen Brown available this offseason, there would be “robust demand” from “a lot” of teams around the league, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on The Lowe podcast prior to Boston’s Game 4 victory (hat tip to RealGM). Although Brown has struggled in the Eastern Conference Finals vs. Miami, it’s obviously not groundbreaking news that a 26-year-old All-NBA wing would be popular on the trade market. Brown, who has one year left on his contract, will be super-max eligible this offseason, but wouldn’t be able to sign a super-max deal if he’s traded.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that Nick Nurse should be atop the Sixers‘ wish list as they seek a new head coach, arguing that the team would benefit from Nurse’s outside-the-box thinking. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Nurse will have interviewed with the Sixers, Bucks, and Suns by week’s end and is believed to be at or near the top of the list for all three jobs. If Nurse is their top choice, the 76ers may need to accelerate their search process in order to avoid losing him to Milwaukee or Phoenix, observes Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.
A perfect offseason for the Raptors would see the team hire Monty Williams as its head coach and trade Pascal Siakam to Portland in a package headlined by Anfernee Simons and this year’s No. 3 pick, Eric Koreen of The Athletic contends. In his proposed scenario, Koreen also envisions Toronto drafting Scoot Henderson, re-signing Jakob Poeltl, letting Gary Trent Jr. walk, signing-and-trading Fred VanVleet to Chicago, using the mid-level exception to sign Donte DiVincenzo, and flipping Simons to Memphis in a deal for Tyus Jones and Luke Kennard.

Sixers Interview Frank Vogel For Head Coaching Job

May 23rd, 2023 at 4:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel interviewed for the Sixers’ head coaching job on Tuesday, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia tweets.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms that the New Jersey native was interviewed by Philadelphia’s brass as it searches for Doc Rivers’ replacement. Vogel was one of the big names that popped up after Rivers’ dismissal. Vogel was linked to the Bucks’ job but isn’t among the reported finalists.

Vogel was an assistant with the Sixers early in his career (2004-05). He was the Pacers’ head coach from 2011-16 and the Magic’s head coach from 2016-18. He got the Lakers’ job in 2019 and coached them to a championship in the Orlando bubble in 2020. He was dismissed after the 2021/22 season.

Vogel has a .526 career regular-season winning percentage and a .557 mark in the playoffs.

The Sixers are also expected to interview Nick Nurse, the Raptors’ former head coach, among other candidates.

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.”

Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Embiid, Trade Assets, Quickley

May 20th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Would the Knicks consider a reunion with Kristaps Porzingis this summer? The Wizards‘ big man, who was drafted by New York in 2015, is one of several names floated by Steve Popper of Newsday as possible targets in the team’s search for another star.

Porzingis was once considered a future franchise player in New York, but his relationship with the front office soured after he suffered a torn ACL in 2018. He eventually demanded a trade, but Popper notes that everyone involved with that past bitterness is now gone from the organization and both sides may benefit from a return. Popper sees Porzingis as a potential replacement for Mitchell Robinson, adding that he has the outside shooting touch to open up the lane for his teammates.

Porzingis was reported to be discussing an extension with Washington in March, but if he doesn’t come to terms, he’ll have a decision to make on his $36MM player option for next year. New York doesn’t have the cap space to sign him as a free agent, but it could offer a package of young talent and draft assets that the Wizards might find tempting.

There’s more from New York:

There have been rumors since midseason that Sixers center Joel Embiid will be the Knicks’ No. 1 target if he asks for a trade, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. There haven’t been any public indications that Embiid is unhappy in Philadelphia, but Bondy suggests the situation is worth monitoring in light of the team’s second-round playoff exit, the firing of Doc Rivers and James Harden‘s potential move back to Houston.
The Knicks could benefit from an active trade market this summer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says in a conversation with New York reporters, including Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Marks believes many teams will be trying to unload pricey contracts to escape the restrictions of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, so more talent than usual could be on the move. Marks believes only the Thunder and maybe the Jazz are in a similar position to put together a trade package to land a star.
Immanuel Quickley is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, but he’s also likely to be sought after in any major trade the Knicks pursue, Begley adds in a mailbag column. Begley states that Quickley’s name was mentioned in informal talks with the Bulls before the trade deadline, but his value has likely risen after finishing second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Rockets Reportedly Expect To Land James Harden

May 19th, 2023 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets expect to reunite with James Harden this offseason, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to Pompey, the belief among executives across the NBA is that Harden will return to Houston. Sources tell The Inquirer that the 33-year-old’s interest in rejoining the Rockets is genuine and not a negotiating tactic to get a bigger contract out of the Sixers. Houston has the cap room necessary to offer him a maximum-salary deal.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta “loves” Harden, according to Pompey, who hears that coaching candidates during Houston’s search for Stephen Silas‘ replacement were asked during their interviews about their thoughts on coaching Harden.

For his part, the veteran guard still has family and business ventures in the city, where he spent eight-and-a-half years of his NBA career. He also visited Houston multiple times this past season when time permitted, says Pompey.

Very little from Pompey’s report is new information.

Word of a possible reunion between the Rockets and Harden first broke on Christmas Day and was corroborated a couple months later. Jake Fischer reported last week that Harden’s name came up frequently during the Rockets’ interviews of head coaching candidates, while Adrian Wojnarowski said the draft lottery outcome wouldn’t affect Houston’s level of interest in the former MVP. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Zach Lowe agreed in a podcast that the Rockets “think he’s coming.”

Still, even if Pompey’s report isn’t surprising, it’s noteworthy to see a Philadelphia beat writer state in such strong terms that a return to Houston is the expected outcome for Harden.

The Rockets have been one of the NBA’s worst teams since trading Harden to Brooklyn in January 2021, but they’re motivated to turn things around in 2023/24 since they’ll send their ’24 first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it lands outside of the top four. Multiple reports have indicated that the organization wants to acquire veteran talent this summer.

Although Harden missed out on All-Star honors this year for the first time since 2012, he still posted strong numbers during the regular season, averaging 21.0 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game with a .441/.385/.867 shooting line in 58 appearances (36.8 MPG).

His playoff production was inconsistent — his overall averages of 20.3 PPG, 8.3 APG, and 6.2 RPG were solid, but he shot just 39.3% from the field during the postseason and averaged only 12.5 PPG in four losses to Boston in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

We still have nearly a month-and-a-half before free agency officially begins, so even if Harden declines his 2023/24 player option with the Sixers, as he reportedly will, things could change in the next six weeks.

Philadelphia will have the ability to offer him more money than the Rockets, though Houston can afford to be aggressive, with the ability to create approximately $60MM in cap space. Harden’s projected maximum salary will be $46.9MM.

Given that the Rockets have the cap room necessary to sign a Harden outright, they’d have little incentive to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal with Philadelphia. The 76ers, meanwhile, wouldn’t be in position to create meaningful cap room if Harden left in free agency, so they could be left in a tough spot in that scenario.

As Pompey notes, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters this week that the team’s priority is re-signing Harden.

“Scenario A would be to bring James back,” Morey said. “Scenario B, if he’s not back, we’ll have to get creative.”

Atlantic Notes: Dowtin, Raptors, Simmons, Harden-Doc

May 18th, 2023 at 11:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Raptors reserve point guard Jeff Dowtin underwent surgery on his right ankle, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Lewenberg adds that Dowtin will be in a walking boot for about two weeks, and will recuperate under the supervision of the Raptors’ medical staff over the summer.

Signed to a two-way deal with Toronto, Dowtin appeared in 25 games for the club, averaging 10.4 MPG. With the Raptors’ NBAGL affiliate, he averaged 16.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, 4.2 RPG and 1.7 SPG.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Raptors have the No. 13 pick in this summer’s upcoming draft. Eric Koreen of The Athletic speculates about how Toronto will handle the draft selection. Koreen is fairly confident that the Raptors will hold on to the lottery pick to add a solid young player, rather than trading it.
Nets guard Ben Simmons has moved on to the next phase of his rehabilitation from the nerve impingement that ended his 2022/23 season, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Ben has been cleared to progress to his next stage of his rehab and is progressing really well,” his agent Bernie Lee told Lewis this week. “And we remain very excited about his ability to return to form next year.”
Sixers point guard James Harden has been pinpointed by Doc Rivers staffers as a key behind-the-scenes factor in the ex-head coach’s departure from the team, sources inform Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer cautions (Twitter link) that any possible Harden influence in the choice to move on from Rivers would have been one of several elements impacting that decision.

Sixers To Interview Nick Nurse This Week

May 18th, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former title-winning Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is set to interview with the Sixers this week, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia fired previous head coach Doc Rivers after the team’s seven-game second-round playoff loss to the Celtics last week.

Nurse was previously identified as a candidate for the Sixers gig. In his first season as Toronto’s head coach, he guided the club to its first-ever NBA championship, led by Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam on the floor.

After Leonard departed as a free agent that summer, the Raptors’ subsequent season outcomes were up and down. The team never got out of the second round during the next four years.

All told, Nurse posted a 227-163 regular season record during his five seasons as the head man in Toronto. He was dismissed from the position after the Raptors failed to win a single play-in game this spring.

The Sixers, who have yet to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs with reigning MVP Joel Embiid on their roster, are clearly looking to take the next step in their postseason development. Experienced former head coaches Monty Williams, Mike D’Antoni, Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel , plus longtime assistant coach Sam Cassell, are also rumored to be on Philadelphia’s shortlist.

Sixers Notes: Coaching Search, Rivers, Niang, Offseason

May 17th, 2023 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

During his end-of-season media session on Wednesday, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters taht it may take the team some time to pick its next head coach, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.

“We’re taking a careful process with the coach, we do not think it will move quickly,” Morey said. “We’re going to look at all the candidates, we’re already very encouraged by the candidates that reached out. We have an MVP player, we have a great roster that lots of players want to play with, lots of coaches want to be with.”

According to Morey, the Sixers are seeking a candidate who prioritizes accountability and who can build great relationships with star players and recruit stars (Twitter link via Gina Mizell of Philadelphia Inquirer). While the team also wants to hire a tactically sound coach, Morey suggested that won’t be his primary goal.

“I actually think people put too much importance on that, like it ends up being a much smaller part of the game than people expect,” Morey said. “Relative to you know, working with star players, recruiting star players, things like that. It is an important element, but it tends to get overvalued…it can only be one part of the puzzle.”

Interestingly, as Neubeck writes, Morey said the Sixers’ star players won’t have “direct input” on the hire. Morey also acknowledged that MVP center Joel Embiid was “shocked” by the club’s decision to move on from Doc Rivers, per David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

“It’s my job to help convince him that the new head coach is someone he’ll have a great relationship as well,” Morey said.

In a separate story for PhillyVoice.com, Neubeck takes a closer look at the six head coaching candidates who have been linked to the 76ers so far, breaking down the pros and cons of each one.
Doc Rivers posted a parting message to Sixers fans on Instagram, writing that he “really enjoyed” his time in Philadelphia and respected how “tough” and passionate the fans were. League sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that Rivers has a desire to continue coaching if the right opportunity arises.
Sixers forward Georges Niang, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, admits he doesn’t know what his future holds, but he sounds like a player who would happily re-sign in Philadelphia, writes Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “Obviously, I love it here in Philly,” Niang said after the team’s season came to an end. “Like I said, I haven’t really wrapped my head around everything, but I really enjoyed being here and the guys, the camaraderie, the organization, it’s been amazing.”
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (Insider link) previewed the Sixers’ offseason, observing that the team faces several big decisions beyond hiring a new coach and resolving Harden’s future. Tyrese Maxey and De’Anthony Melton are among the players eligible for contract extensions, while Philadelphia needs to find a way to improve its bench depth.

James Harden Intends To Decline Option, Seek Long-Term Deal

May 17th, 2023 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers guard James Harden plans to turn down his $35.6MM player option for 2023/24 and seek a long-term contract, reports Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. According to Haynes, Harden hopes to sign a four-year deal in free agency.

Harden will turn 34 in August, so this summer could be his last and best opportunity to secure a significant multiyear contract. He took a pay cut a year ago in order to give Philadelphia the cap flexibility necessary to add roster reinforcements.

The Rockets have been repeatedly linked to Harden since December, and those rumors have only intensified since the Sixers were eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend. However, sources tell Haynes that the former Arizona State standout will only consider suitors that can provide a “competitive roster and the basketball freedom” for Harden to be himself.

That makes Philadelphia the most logical option for now, according to Haynes, who suggests the Rockets would have to retool their roster to some extent if they’re committed to the idea of a reunion with Harden and want to sell the former MVP on the situation in Houston.

Although Harden missed out on All-Star honors this year for the first time since 2012, he still posted strong numbers during the regular season, averaging 21.0 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game with a .441/.385/.867 shooting line in 58 appearances (36.8 MPG).

His playoff production was inconsistent — his overall averages of 20.3 PPG, 8.3 APG, and 6.2 RPG were solid, but he shot just 39.3% from the field during the postseason and averaged only 12.5 PPG in four losses to Boston.

Asked on Wednesday during his end-of-season media session about the possibility of retaining Harden for next season, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters, “We can’t have those discussions yet, but we are interested in bringing him back” (Twitter link via Derek Bodner of The Daily Six).

When Morey was asked if that would mean signing Harden to a new contract, he responded, “Well, that’s the only way to do it,” signaling that the 76ers had been planning for the 10-time All-Star to opt out even before Haynes‘ report.

Lowe’s Latest: GM Meetings, Wizards, Blazers, Lue, Kuminga, Harden

May 17th, 2023 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s general managers held their annual meeting in Chicago on draft lottery day and the discussions among those GMs about a handful of competition-related issues were “lively,” according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link).

One of the topics the GMs talked about on Tuesday, according to Lowe, was the idea of turning the NBA draft into a two-day event. They also discussed whether the modern game has tilted too far toward offensive production and considered what could be done to help defenses. Additionally, sources tell Lowe that some executives in attendance suggested bringing back escalating fines as a penalty for players who flop.

Much of the general managers’ conversation revolved around the issue of load management, and Lowe hears from sources that there may be more load management-related rules implemented as soon as next season. According to Lowe, some in attendance at the meetings believe the NBA may revisit its guidelines on when teams are permitted to rest players, as well as the penalties for clubs that violate those guidelines.

Here’s more from Lowe, who was in the drawing room for Tuesday night’s lottery:

Before the fourth and final lottery ball was drawn for the No. 1 pick, the Wizards had six of the 11 available combinations, according to Lowe and other reporters who attended the drawing. The Magic, Pacers, and Trail Blazers were also still alive for the top pick at that point, but it was the Spurs who lucked out and held the winning combination: 14-5-8-2.
Rival executives are expecting Portland to re-sign Jerami Grant this offseason, according to Lowe, who says he believes the Trail Blazers will also look into renegotiating the protections on the lottery-protected first-round pick they owe to the Bulls. Removing or reducing the protections on that pick would give the Blazers more flexibility to trade future first-rounders.
The Clippers love having Tyronn Lue as their head coach and are “happy to remind” teams with interest in Lue that he remains under contract, Lowe reports. The Suns are said to have legitimate interest in hiring Lue away from their division rivals, but it sounds like Los Angeles would make that very difficult. As Lowe notes, it’s still unclear whether or not that’s even something Lue would want.
Executives in Chicago are “buzzing” about what the future holds for the Warriors and Sixers. Based on his conversations, Lowe says there’s a strong level of interest in Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga around the NBA. Lowe adds that, while the Rockets and James Harden have mutual interest in a reunion, league sources made it clear that Harden’s return to Houston is no lock after the dismissal of Doc Rivers in Philadelphia.

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