Bojan Bogdanovic

Central Notes: Turner, LaVine, Bogdanovic, Duren

October 31st, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on a podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Pacers center Myles Turner said the Lakers should take “a hard look” at a deal that would bring him to L.A. (Twitter link). A trade rumor that simmered for much of the summer had Turner and Buddy Hield headed to the Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook and the team’s unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029. The deal reportedly didn’t happen because of the Lakers’ reluctance to part with both draft picks.

“That’s such an intriguing question,” Turner responded when Wojnarowski asked if the Lakers should make the trade. “… We all know picks are so valuable in this league, and someone like myself, I’m heading into the last year of my deal and you want to make sure you’re getting a return for your assets. If I’m the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you’re in. I know what I can provide for a team.”

Wojnarowski recently reported that the Lakers don’t expect to make any trades until at least Thanksgiving, so it doesn’t appear a Turner deal will happen in the immediate future. The Pacers have been managing Turner’s return from an ankle injury, and he has only played in two games so far.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls could benefit by creating more motion for Zach LaVine, suggests Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, who notes that LaVine has just seven possessions in four games as a shooter after an off-ball screen, Coach Billy Donovan admits he reduced those situations for LaVine last season in response to lingering left knee pain, and LaVine believes they will eventually return as the offense evolves. “We have to look for them. I have to try to look for them,” LaVine said. “And then everybody off the ball has to recognize who we’re screening, who we’re pinning down on. That’s going to be the process of us starting this offense.”
Bojan Bogdanovic‘s two-year extension with the Pistons will pay him $20MM in 2023/24 and $19.03MM in 2024/25, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Only $2MM is guaranteed for the final year, but it will become fully guaranteed in late June of 2024, Marks adds. As we noted in our story on the deal, Bogdanovic remains trade-eligible since his new deal doesn’t exceed the extend-and-trade restrictions (and couldn’t have done so, since he was just traded last month).
James L. Edwards of The Athletic examines Jalen Duren‘s journey from a 13-year-old basketball prodigy to a lottery pick in his rookie season with the Pistons.

Pistons Sign Bojan Bogdanovic To Two-Year Extension

October 30th, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

6:00pm: The deal is now official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

3:45pm: Veteran Pistons power forward Bojan Bogdanovic is signing a two-year, $39.1MM contract extension to remain in Detroit, his agency Wasserman informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

As Wojnarowski notes, Bogdanovic is earning $19.5MM in 2022/23, the last year of his current deal. This new agreement, which has virtually the same annual average value, will keep him under team control through 2024/25.

According to Wojnarowski, when Pistons GM Troy Weaver traded for Bogdanovic, he had his sights set on extending the sharpshooting ace long-term.

The 6’7″ power forward, a nine-year NBA veteran, has started all of his first six games with Detroit since being traded from the Jazz during the offseason. He is averaging 23.0 PPG on .517/.511/.923 shooting, while chipping in 3.5 RPG and 2.0 APG.

Though the Nets traded for his draft rights as the No. 31 pick in the 2011 draft, Bogdanovic did not make his NBA debut until the 2014/15 season. Prior to Utah and Detroit, the 33-year-old has enjoyed stints on solid playoff clubs in Brooklyn, Washington, and Indiana.

Bogdanovic has thus far served as a helpful stretch-four veteran presence for the rebuilding Pistons. Though Detroit is just 1-5, the team’s longer-term outlook is fairly rosy, given the development of exciting young lottery additions Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.

With the advent of this new agreement, Bogdanovic, a knockdown long-range shooter (he has made 39.4% of 5.4 three-pointers per game for his career), could remain in Detroit well into the team’s return to the postseason.

Because Bogdanovic’s extension doesn’t lock him up for more than three total seasons and his first-year raise won’t exceed 5%, he’ll remain trade-eligible going forward.

Central Notes: Okoro, Bogdanovic, Pistons, LaVine, DeRozan

October 29th, 2022 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Isaac Okoro‘s stint as a starter for the Cavaliers in the absence of Darius Garland was short-lived. After starting the team’s second and third games of the season, Okoro was moved back to the bench for games four and five, with Dean Wade joining Caris LeVert, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley in the starting five.

Given that the Cavaliers spent much of last season starting three big men, Joe Vardon of The Athletic (Twitter link) wonders if the team could go back to that look even after Garland returns, keeping Wade in the starting five in place of LeVert. However, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) said he wouldn’t count on that, even before LeVert went off for 41 points in Boston on Friday night.

Okoro’s role, meanwhile, will be worth keeping an eye on. The former fifth overall pick has struggled so far this season, recording more fouls (11) than points (8). He played just five minutes in the Cavaliers’ dramatic overtime win in Boston on Friday.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Pistons are tied for last place in the East with a 1-5 record, but they’ve gotten all they hoped for so far from Bojan Bogdanovic, who has been a leader both on and off the court, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The veteran forward is averaging a team-high 23.0 PPG with a scorching-hot .517/.511/.923 shooting line through six games.“He’s very knowledgable about the game, and he shares his knowledge,” Cade Cunningham said of his new teammate. “He doesn’t hold it to himself. He makes sure that all of us are on the same page. He talks to us a lot. It’s fun to play with a guy like that, one who has a high IQ and cares about winning.”
Sopan Deb of The New York Times takes a broad look at the Pistons‘ rebuilding process, or what general manager Troy Weaver calls a “restoration.” As Deb writes, the team is laying promising groundwork, but still has a ways to go before becoming a contender. “Every morning, you want to drink a cup of urgency, and at night you want to drink a cup of patience,” Weaver said. “You’ve got to let it organically happen. And I think a lot of teams, they shortcut the process. They get impatient with process. We won’t do that.”
Bulls guard Zach LaVine missed his third game of the season on Friday due to “management” of his surgically repaired left knee, but intends to play on Saturday, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. As Cowley relays, head coach Billy Donovan said on Friday that Chicago’s medical staff seems to be getting a better grasp of LaVine’s situation and how to handle it.
The Bulls‘ loss to San Antonio on Friday was a disappointing one, but DeMar DeRozan reached an impressive milestone in the game, recording his 20,000th career point, notes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

Trade Breakdown: Bojan Bogdanovic For Kelly Olynyk

October 27th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Rory Maher

This is the 12th and final entry in our series breaking down the major trades of the 2022 offseason. As opposed to giving out grades, this series explores why the teams were motivated to make the moves. Let’s dive into a deal between the Jazz and Pistons…

On September 22, the Jazz agreed to send Bojan Bogdanovic to the Pistons in exchange for Kelly Olynyk, Saben Lee, and $1,752,638 in cash – that amount was the exact cap hit for Lee, who was subsequently waived before the season began.

The Jazz’s perspective:

None of the players involved in this deal are stars, but it was still a pretty surprising move because most league observers thought the Jazz would receive a young player and/or draft assets for an efficient scorer and shooter like Bogdanovic. So why didn’t they?

For starters, Bogdanovic is playing on a $19.55MM expiring contract, which made matching salaries difficult since nearly every team is over the cap (more on that later). He was rumored to be looking for an extension, which may have impacted his trade value since he’s 33 years old and most contending teams are taxpayers. Bogdanovic also has some clear limitations as a player, which we’ll get into.

By acquiring Lauri Markkanen and Jarred Vanderbilt (in separate trades), the Jazz had a couple of younger players to start at the two forward spots. That made Bogdanovic, another forward, redundant to some extent, and there’s no reason why he’d be interested in a reduced role when he’s still playing at a high level.

Reports after the trade indicated that the Jazz received late first-round pick offers for Bogdanovic that required them to take back longer-term salary, so Utah instead chose to create additional financial flexibility. The Suns reportedly pursued the veteran, but also wanted Vanderbilt in the deal, which caused the talks to break down.

It’s one thing to move an expiring veteran, but Vanderbilt is only 23 years old, under contract for two years, and is one of the league’s most energetic rebounders on top of being a plus defender, making him a coveted asset. It’s understandable why Utah didn’t want to deal him so soon after acquiring him.

Instead of receiving draft compensation, the Jazz saved $6.75MM ($5MM against the cap) in 2022/23, because Olynyk makes $12.8MM this season. Clearly Lee — a guard who was the 38^th overall pick in 2020 — wasn’t in the team’s plans, but Utah essentially got a free look at him in training camp with the cash received offsetting his salary.

Olynyk has been a solid, productive player for a long time and the Jazz lacked a starting-caliber center after trading Rudy Gobert to Minnesota. Rookie first-rounder Walker Kessler (acquired in the Gobert deal) looks promising and could eventually become a starter, but would be a poor spacing fit with Vanderbilt, whereas Olynyk helps in that regard.

There’s an arrhythmic quality to Olynyk’s game that’s difficult to describe. He has some unique qualities for someone 6’11”, and he provides value in atypical ways for a big man.

Olynyk leverages his outside shooting with drives to the basket, creating plays both for himself and teammates. He’s an unselfish passer and is an above-average ball-handler for a player his size.

If you try to put a smaller player on him, he can score over them in the post. He’s smart and runs the floor hard looking for easy buckets. Olynyk is also versatile enough to play both frontcourt positions against bigger lineups, with first-year head coach Will Hardy deploying him alongside Kessler at times.

The Canadian veteran likes flipping up finger rolls near the rim, such as what turned out to be an off-balance game-winning shot against the Pelicans on Sunday – it’s not always aesthetically pleasing, but more often than not it goes in. That’s basically Olynyk in a nutshell — unusual but effective.

I think Olynyk’s sometimes awkward-looking play makes people take him less seriously for some reason. Maybe that’s why writers, analysts and fans alike seemed to overstate the difference in on-court impact between Bogdanovic and Olynyk when evaluating this trade.

Case in point, with the caveat that per 36 numbers are a bit misleading:

Player A’s career per 36 averages (607 games): 18.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.9 APG (2.0 TO) and 0.7 SPG on .457/.393/.862 shooting. Career advanced stats: 59.2% true shooting percentage, 33.4 win shares, 5.0 value over replacement player, 14.0 player efficiency rating.

Player B’s career per 36 averages (614 games): 16.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.4 APG (2.4 TO) and 1.2 SPG on .477/.368/.782 shooting. Career advanced stats: 59.0 TS%, 35.6 WS, 9.9 VORP, 15.8 PER.

Player A is Bogdanovic. Player B is Olynyk.

Olynyk is clearly a better inside finisher and passer, while Bogdanovic is a more prolific scorer and higher-level shooter. Neither is a great defender, though Olynyk has the edge as a rebounder and play-maker on that end.

Two big differences: Bogdanovic has started the majority of his career with an average of 29.1 minutes per game, while Olynyk has primarily been a reserve and only holds a career average of 22.0 MPG.

The main reason Olynyk has come off the bench for most of his career is that he isn’t a traditional rim protector and is a below-average rebounder for a center. Protecting the paint is the foundation of any good defense, and it’s probably his biggest weakness as a player (he’s also foul-prone). Bogdanovic doesn’t have to worry about that as much since he’s a forward.

Don’t get me wrong, Bogdanovic is definitely a better player than Olynyk. There’s no question about that. That’s why he got $73MM over four years the last time he was a free agent and Olynyk got $37MM ($28MM guaranteed) over three.

But is Bogdanovic worth an additional $5MM cap hit for one season?

In a vacuum, yeah, probably. But that’s a much tougher call with the context that Utah’s power forward spot was crowded, Olynyk filled a positional need, and reducing the cap hit this season gave the Jazz more flexibility to take on additional salary without going into the luxury tax if they opt to make more trades, which seems highly likely.

Flipping Olynyk down the line is certainly a possibility; he’d have some takers as a floor-spacing big with only $3MM in guaranteed money in ‘23/24 (he’ll make $12.2MM if his contract becomes fully guaranteed). He’s off to a strong start with the Jazz, averaging 15.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on .611/.786/.778 shooting in four games (28.5 MPG). Obviously those shooting splits are unsustainable, but it’s reasonable to believe he’ll have another productive season.

It’s also worth noting that Jazz president Danny Ainge acquired Olynyk’s rights when he was drafted with the 13^th overall pick in 2013, and the 31-year-old spent his first four seasons under Ainge with the Celtics. That level of familiarity often plays a factor in trades.

The Pistons’ perspective:

Detroit’s side of things is easier to understand. The Pistons were one of only three teams under the cap this offseason (the Pacers and Spurs are the others), and used their remaining cap room to take on Bogdanovic’s extra salary (though including Lee would’ve allowed them to adhere to salary-matching rules anyway). That enabled them to receive a superior player without having to give up any draft compensation.

Olynyk was limited to 40 games due to injuries in his first year with the Pistons in ‘21/22 and struggled when he did play, posting career lows of 44.8% from the field, 33.6% on three-pointers, and 19.1 MPG. You’d think that may have depressed his trade value a little, but Utah didn’t seem to mind, instead focusing on his larger body of work.

As with Utah’s forwards, Detroit had a crowded center rotation with Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley III, Nerlens Noel and Olynyk all vying for minutes. Removing Olynyk from that equation and adding a forward in Bogdanovic made a lot of sense, because there wasn’t much depth at that spot.

I previously mentioned that per-36 numbers are a bit misleading. Here are Olynyk’s actual per-game averages from 2018-22:

10.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.8 SPG on .468/.360/.823 shooting (.605 TS%) in 256 games (108 starts, 22.9 MPG). 15.1 WS, 4.5 VORP, 15.4 PER.

Here are Bogdanovic’s over the same span:

18.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.9 APG and 0.6 SPG on .461/.403/.860 shooting (.601 TS%) in 285 games, all starts (31.6 MPG). 21.3 WS, 4.8 VORP, 15.4 PER.

It’s interesting that their TS%, VORP and PER are so similar, but Bogdanovic clearly offers more scoring and outside shooting, two key deficiencies for the Pistons last season (they were 28^th in points and 29^th in 3PT%). His career assist-to-turnover ratio is negative, which is never great, but he won’t be tasked with much play-making alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

Young teams like the Pistons need veterans to show them how to be professionals. Bogdanovic leads by example with consistent offensive output. He was the fourth-best player on the league’s top regular season team in ’20/21, and his play hasn’t dropped off since.

While Bogdanovic has the (deserved) reputation of being a sharpshooter, his offensive repertoire is more varied than that title might suggest. He can create his own shot, he’s an above-average finisher at the rim, he can post up smaller players on switches, and he gets to the free throw line at a decent clip.

Like Olynyk, Bogdanovic has gotten off to a great start with his new club. He has been Detroit’s most effective player through five games (31.2 MPG), averaging 23.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 2.4 APG on .533/.512/.882 shooting.

The fact that Bogdanovic is such a strong shooter and has reached peak performance in recent seasons might portend well for the future, even if he’s 33. If he enjoys playing for the Pistons, I could see the two sides reaching a short-term extension – maybe something like two years, $40-45MM — before he hits free agency next summer.

Another positive aspect of Bogdanovic’s career is that he’s been quite durable, only missing 33 games in the eight seasons leading up to ‘22/23.

Overall, I think it was a logical trade for both sides, with Bogdanovic and Olynyk filling positional needs for their respective clubs. The Jazz gained financial flexibility by reducing their team salary, and Olynyk’s mid-sized contract theoretically makes him pretty easy to trade once he becomes eligible, if they choose to go that route. The Pistons got the better player, and hope to keep him around beyond this season.

Central Notes: Pistons, Haliburton, Dosunmu, Lopez

October 12th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Marvin Bagley III‘s knee injury is the latest mishap for a Pistons team that will start the season with a diminished frontcourt, writes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News.

Nerlens Noel, who was acquired from the Knicks in an offseason trade, is reconditioning after plantar fasciitis and hasn’t played during the preseason. Rookie center Jalen Duren hurt his shoulder last week, but was able to return Tuesday. Newly acquired Bojan Bogdanovic sat out Tuesday’s game with a strained calf, and Alec Burks, Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo are all dealing with injuries as well.

“It’s part of the NBA,” coach Dwane Casey said. “That’s one reason (general manager Troy Weaver) has done a good job of bringing multiple guys in. Unfortunately, the multiple guys are (sitting out, injured) behind the bench. I think it’s a freak thing. I do know that some of the guys that were behind the bench — Kevin, (Diallo) — if it was a regular season game, they’d be able to go. That’s refreshing to know that.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers seem headed for a rebuilding year, but that’s not how the players are approaching the new season, according to Michael Marot of The Associated Press. Trade deadline deals for Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Smith have added some youthful enthusiasm to the team. “I think we’ve just got a lot of guys who love basketball, who love to compete and that’s a great place to start,” Haliburton said. “There are so many young guys and they have a lot to prove not only to the media or the naysayers but to themselves.”
Ayo Dosunmu will take over as the Bulls‘ starting point guard while Lonzo Ball is sidelined, per Annie Costabile of The Chicago Sun-Times. Coach Billy Donovan confirmed that Dosunmu won the role with his performance since camp opened. “Ayo right now is going to be the guy back there for us,” Donovan said. “He’s done a really good job this training camp and preseason.”
The Bucks are counting on better health from Brook Lopez to improve their defense, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN. The veteran center was limited to 13 games last season because of back issues, but he came to camp noticeably leaner and motivated to prove he deserves a contract extension. “He’s in the best physical condition I’ve seen,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He seems hungry. … I feel like he’s moving well at both ends of the court. His aggressiveness is in a good place.”

Injury Notes: Bagley, Bogdanovic, Mobley, Curry, Gallinari

October 11th, 2022 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons will find out the extent of Marvin Bagley III‘s right knee injury when he undergoes an MRI on Wednesday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Bagley suffered a non-contact injury when he slipped during the opening quarter of the Pistons’ preseason game against the Thunder on Tuesday. He had to be helped off the court. Detroit re-signed Bagley on a three-year, $37MM contract this summer.

Another Pistons forward, Bojan Bogdanovic, acquired from the Jazz last month, is nursing a calf strain, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.

We have more injury-related info:

Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is making good progress in his recovery from a right ankle sprain and could appear in a preseason game, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Mobley underwent a lengthy workout after Tuesday’s practice. “We’re hopeful. We haven’t ruled it out,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It’s always about tomorrow and how it responded the day before. But we have not ruled him out from playing in a preseason game.”
Nets guard Seth Curry will not play in the remaining two preseason games and his status for opening night is questionable, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Curry is still working his way back from left ankle surgery in May.
The Celtics’ Danilo Gallinari, who is expected to miss the season due to a torn left ACL, started walking a few days ago and is receiving physical therapy on his knee, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.

Central Notes: Nesmith, Pistons Lineup, Middleton, Drummond

October 10th, 2022 at 10:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith is nursing a foot injury and his availability for opening night is in question, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.

Nesmith is expected to play a second-unit role after being acquired from the Celtics in the Malcolm Brogdon deal. Coach Rick Carlisle said the former first-round pick has “a plantar fascia issue.”

“He’ll miss some time,” he said. “The hope is that there’s a possibility he could be back for the opener, but we don’t know for sure. As the days go on, we’ll have a better feel for that.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pistons could alter their frontcourt lineup depending on matchups, according to Mike Curtis of the Detroit News. Recently acquired Bojan Bogdanovic will join Saddiq Bey at the forward spots with Isaiah Stewart in the middle against certain teams. When a bigger lineup is desired, Bogdanovic could come off the bench with Marvin Bagley III sliding into the starting five.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Khris Middleton is “making progress” but “he’s still got a ways to go,” Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. The Bucks are hopeful Middleton will return early in the season after undergoing surgery in August to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.
Bulls backup center Andre Drummond is looking to become a 3-point threat, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago writes. “It’s something that I spoke to the coaching staff in the summertime when I signed here, that it’s something that I’ve worked on, that I want to be able to stay on the floor, and I want to be able to add different facets to my game to be able to help this team win,” Drummond said. “And if I’m able to make that corner 3 when I’m wide open, it adds another element to our team.”

Pistons Notes: Bogdanovic, Casey, Cunningham, Ivey

October 7th, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Bojan Bogdanovic is 33 years old and entering a contract year with the rebuilding Pistons, but he still may have a future with the team, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. After being acquired from the Jazz last month, Bogdanovic has made an immediate impact as both a player and a veteran leader, and coach Dwane Casey hopes he’ll be re-signed next summer.

“I’d love to have him back,” Casey replied. “He’s a free agent. Hopefully, he has a good experience with us and finds a good home with us. Everybody needs a guy like that who knows how to play and can shoot the ball. Hopefully, we can entice him to stay. If he doesn’t, he helps us, and we help him. He’s a pro. He’ll have a big role for us this year.”

Utah had serious trade talks with multiple teams before reaching a deal with Detroit. Sources tell Scotto that the Suns discussed offering Jae Crowder, Dario Saric and draft compensation, and the Lakers discussed a deal that involved Russell Westbrook and unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, along with several others that included Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley and a combination of Malik Beasley and Rudy Gay.

Bogdanovic wasn’t ready to answer questions about his future, but he told Scotto that the Pistons’ interest is flattering.

“I’m here only for a couple of days, but if they’re open for that, we’ll see what’s going to happen,” he said.

There’s more from Detroit:

Casey wasn’t discouraged by the Pistons’ 21-point loss to the Knicks in Tuesday’s preseason opener, according to Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. With the regular season less than two weeks away, Casey is more concerned with player development than trying to win. “What exhibition season does, it tells us what we need to work on,” he said. “In exhibition, I don’t get caught up in losses. I get caught up in what you put on video. It gives us a lot of teaching points to look at on the video in exhibition.”
An ankle injury forced Cade Cunningham to miss the preseason as a rookie, but he’s healthy and focused this time around, Curtis adds in a separate story.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic breaks down Jaden Ivey‘s 16-point performance in his first game. The No. 5 pick in this year’s draft was able to put constant pressure on New York’s defense and made good decisions with the ball, but he needs to improve defensively to stay in front of NBA guards, Edwards states.

Central Notes: Osman, Hill, Pistons Rotation

October 4th, 2022 at 6:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cedi Osman has heard his name mentioned in trade rumors, including a potential deal involving Suns forward Jae Crowder. He’s trying to block out those distractions during training camp, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes.

“I’ve been hearing those things,” the Cavaliers forward said. “But I’m just focused on my basketball because you cannot control that. That’s why whenever I stepped on a court I was just working on my game and trying to get better. It’s been six years since coming over, six years in Cleveland. I’m happy here and this is my home.”

Those rumors persist and the franchise would like to upgrade at small forward, if possible, though the fact that Cleveland is close to the luxury tax line complicates the issue, Fedor adds.

We have more from the Central Division:

George Hill admits that enduring an injury-plagued season actually encouraged him to keep playing, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The Bucks guard had seriously considered retiring after last season. “I felt like I let the city of Milwaukee down last year not being able to perform the way I normally perform,” he said. “I let my teammates down being injured. And I thought about retiring. … but as a competitor I didn’t want to go out like that. So, had a great offseason for the summer, decided to come back and try to redeem myself and make myself better.” Hill signed a two-year, $8MM contract prior to last season.
With the addition of Bojan Bogdanovic, how will the Pistons’ frontcourt rotation shake out? James Edwards III of The Athletic projects the former Jazz forward to start alongside Saddiq Bey, with Isaiah Stewart at center. Edwards projects Marvin Bagley and Isaiah Livers as part of the second unit ahead of Jalen Duren, Nerlens Noel and Kevin Knox.
Will the Pistons’ drought without a playoff win extend to 15 seasons? That’s what John Hollinger of The Athletic anticipates. He sees this as a 28-win season in Detroit with the caveat that the team’s fortunes should improve sharply in the near future.

Lakers Came Close To Trading Russell Westbrook To Pacers

October 3rd, 2022 at 11:16am CST by Arthur Hill

Russell Westbrook remains on the Lakers‘ roster, but only after the front office gave strong consideration to a blockbuster deal with the Pacers, according to Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

L.A.’s top decision-makers, including vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, owner Jeanie Buss and senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis, had in-depth talks about dealing Westbrook and the team’s unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to Indiana in exchange for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, sources tell the authors.

Although rumors about the potential deal were leaked throughout the summer, The Athletic report offers insights into how close it came to actually happening.

The views of new head coach Darvin Ham, along with executives Joey Buss and Jesse Buss were given plenty of weight as the Lakers considered how to proceed, according to Charania, Amick and Buha. A scheduled news conference involving Pelinka and Ham was delayed as the team considered whether to move forward with the Pacers deal.

As general manager, Pelinka has been given the final authority on trades, the authors add, but it appears the Buss brothers are more involved than ever in personnel decisions. It was agreed that everyone in the room should be committed to gambling on Turner and Hield before the Lakers pulled the trigger, and when that didn’t happen, Pelinka opted to take a cautious approach, holding onto Westbrook to see if his fit with the team improves under a new coach or if a better deal arises before the February trade deadline.

Westbrook has been doing what the Lakers have asked so far, sources tell Charania, Amick and Buha. He has met individually with Pelinka, Jeanie Buss and Ham and said he’s willing to accept an off-the-ball role this season. He has also shown a willingness to adapt to Ham’s system throughout training camp, focusing more on setting screens, pushing the ball in transition and trying to set up teammates rather than looking for his own shot.

The Indiana deal was one of several trades the Lakers considered this summer, according to the authors’ sources. They also sought to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Nets and both Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson from the Jazz. Irving will be a free agent in July, but he’s not currently in the Lakers’ plans, the authors add.

In addition, several versions of the Pacers trade were discussed. One involved Westbrook and one of the first-rounders for Turner, while others focused on Hield. Formal talks between the teams began after Summer League, the authors’ sources said, and the Lakers’ initial offer was Westbrook, one first-round pick, and a second-rounder for Turner and Hield. There were also discussions about including a third team, possibly the Grizzlies, but the Pacers were firm in their stance that they wouldn’t agree to a deal unless they got both Lakers’ first-round picks in return.

The contract status of Turner and Hield might have pushed the Lakers to their final decision, the authors add. Turner is headed for free agency next summer and may be able to command $25MM per year in his next contract. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis already on the roster, L.A. was reluctant to have its three highest-paid players in the frontcourt when the league is becoming more perimeter-oriented, according to The Athletic sources. Hield is under contract for $21.7MM this season and $19.2MM in 2023/24 and is reportedly open to being traded.

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