Carlton Carrington Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Trade Deni Avdija To Trail Blazers

July 6th, 2024 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is official, according to press release from the Wizards and the Trail Blazers. The terms are outlined below, with the rights to No. 14 pick Carlton Carrington headed to Washington along with Brogdon and the three future draft picks.

JUNE 26: The Wizards and Trail Blazers have agreed to a trade that will send forward Deni Avdija to Portland, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

In exchange for Avdija, Washington will receive guard Malcolm Brogdon, the No. 14 pick in Wednesday night’s draft, a 2029 first-round pick, and two second-rounders, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The 2029 pick will be the second-most favorable of the three first-rounders Portland controls, per Wojnarowski. Besides their own pick, the Blazers hold the Celtics’ and Bucks’ first-rounders in ’29.

The two second-rounders will be 2028 and 2030 picks, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The ’28 second-rounder could be either the Blazers’ own pick or the Warriors’ pick (Portland controls both), while the ’30 second-rounder will be either the Blazers’ own pick or the Knicks’ pick.

Avdija, who was selected ninth overall in the 2020 draft, has spent his first four NBA seasons in Washington and enjoyed a breakout year in 2023/24. In 75 games (all starts), he established new career highs in points (14.7), rebounds (7.2), and assists (3.8) per contest, as well as FG% (.506) and 3PT% (.374). The performance earned him a sixth-place finish in the Most Improved Player vote.

The 23-year-old is also on a very team-friendly contract for the next several seasons. He signed a four-year, $55MM rookie scale extension last offseason that will go into effect in July and will run through the 2027/28 season. It has a declining structure, starting at about $15.6MM and dipping to $11.9MM by year four.

While it’s a little surprising to see the retooling Trail Blazers as an aggressive buyer on the trade market, Avdija’s age and contract make him an ideal long-term fit in Portland. The deal will also create some financial flexibility for the Blazers, who projected to be over the first tax apron in 2024/25. As cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets, moving off of Brogdon’s expiring $22.5MM salary and the No. 14 pick (which had a cap hold of about $4.5MM) will move team salary out of luxury tax territory.

Brogdon has appeared in more than 56 games just once in the past five seasons due to injuries and only played 39 times in 2023/24. However, he remains effective when he’s available, averaging 15.7 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 3.8 RPG in 28.7 MPG with a .440/.412/.819 shooting line in his first and only season as a Blazer. The 31-year-old won the Sixth Man of the Year award with Boston in 2023 but was sent to Portland in the Jrue Holiday trade last fall.

Still, it’s safe to assume that the draft pick were the primary motivator for the rebuilding Wizards, who were rumored for much of the spring to be eyeing a third first-round pick. While Avdija would have fit Washington’s timeline too, he was part of the roster that the current front office – led by team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins – inherited, so it seems they weren’t especially attached to him. Winger and Dawkins have reportedly made it a priority to build the new-look Wizards’ roster through the draft.

It’s unclear if the Wizards will keep Brogdon for the 2024/25 season or look to flip him to a new team. The veteran would make a logical trade chip, given his expiring contract and his age, and sources indeed tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) that he’ll be a candidate to be traded again. But Brogdon could also provide depth and veteran leadership in Washington’s backcourt if the team loses point guard Tyus Jones in free agency.

Due to the poison pill provision, the trade can’t be completed until July, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). That means the Blazers will make their pick at No. 14 tonight on behalf of the Wizards.

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Martin, Murray, Bridges

June 30th, 2024 at 9:30am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards held a press conference Saturday to introduce their three first-round picks, who are products of an aggressive strategy to add young talent in this year’s draft, writes Sapna Bansil of The Washington Post. Heading into Wednesday night with the second and 26th selections, Washington took Alexandre Sarr at No. 2 as expected, then traded up to No. 14 to grab Carlton Carrington and moved up to No. 24 to add Kyshawn George.

“We walked into [the draft] Wednesday night and had a plan in place,” general manager Will Dawkins told reporters. “We were aligned from top to bottom. We were strategic, [and] we were aggressive and made sure that we accomplished our goals. So with these three young men to my left, we feel like we’re adding a few more bricks to that base-level foundation that we talked about at the end of the season.”

Sarr, a 7’0″ center, becomes the cornerstone of the franchise and an anchor for the defense. Carrington will provide scoring punch in the backcourt, while George is a wing who can handle the ball and shoot threes. All three players are expected to be part of the Wizards’ Summer League team.

Bansil notes that for the second straight year, the front office prioritized athleticism, positional size and the ability to contribute on both ends of the court. They also looked for players who are mentally tough enough to handle rebuilding.

“Not every team [has] three first-round picks, and I think it was just very cool to be able to be with these guys that enjoy the game, are very positive and are easygoing people,” George said. “We’re all in the same boat, and getting to start this rebuild as a young group, young core is very exciting.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat are unlikely to be able to re-sign free agent forward Caleb Martin, a source tells Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Martin, who declined his $7.13MM player option on Saturday, may get offers for the full $12.9MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Chiang adds. Re-signing him would mean second-apron status for Miami, which may now prioritize keeping Haywood Highsmith. They have been talking since teams were allowed to start negotiating with their own free agents, and Chiang hears there’s mutual interest in a new deal. Chiang also reveals that second-round pick Pelle Larsson is expected to sign a standard contract for next season worth between $1-2MM, although a two-way deal remains an option depending on how the rest of the roster comes together.
In a SportsCenter appearance (video link), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said there was “more of a market” to trade Dejounte Murray than fellow Hawks guard Trae Young. Murray is heading to New Orleans in exchange for a package that includes the Lakers’ first-round pick next year, and Wojnarowski said Atlanta was determined to land a selection in what’s projected to be a strong 2025 draft.
There’s still no clarity on Miles Bridges‘ future with the Hornets, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges has been able to negotiate with the team for the past week-and-a-half, but Boone states that there hasn’t been “a hint of much traction” and the forward appears ready to test the open market.

Draft Rumors: Knicks, Sixers, Dillingham, Heat, Jazz, Lakers, More

June 26th, 2024 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

After surrendering several future first-round picks in their trade agreement for Mikal Bridges, the Knicks are now considered more likely to keep their three picks – No. 24, No. 25, and No. 38 – in this year’s draft, which begins on Wednesday night, Jonathan Givony writes in ESPN’s latest mock draft (Insider link).

The updated mock draft from Givony and ESPN’s Jeremy Woo includes several more notable tidbits, including the fact that the Sixers have conducted perhaps the fewest pre-draft workouts of any team with a first-round pick, resulting in speculation that the No. 16 selection will be traded.

Givony also provides an update on Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, who wasn’t able to work out for teams for most of the pre-draft process due to an ankle injury. According to Givony, teams picking both earlier and later in the first round are trying to figure out where they might need to get to in order to land Dillingham, who has been considered a candidate to fall further than initially anticipated.

The Heat at No. 15 would be one option for Dillingham, as rival teams expect them to select a guard at that spot. Jared McCain, Isaiah Collier, and Carlton Carrington have also been mentioned as candidates for Miami at No. 15, Givony writes.

Here’s more on the 2024 NBA draft, which gets underway in less than 11 hours:

According to Givony, the Jazz (No. 10) have looked into some trade-up scenarios involving the Pistons‘ No. 5 overall pick. Their likely target would be UConn’s Stephon Castle, who is considered a possibility for the Hornets at No. 6 but may also come off the board at No. 4 to the Spurs, Givony explains.
Some rival executives think the Lakers will attempt to move up from No. 17 in the draft in order to target a specific player, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, who says Providence’s Devin Carter and Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter are two prospects the team likes.
Within his final look at the Spurs‘ draft options at No. 4 and 8, LJ Ellis of SpursTalk says a rumor that San Antonio has made a promise to French forward Tidjane Salaun has been “spreading like wildfire in the draft world,” though he hasn’t been able to confirm it himself. Ellis lists Salaun at No. 5 on his big board of Spurs draft prospects.
Salaun is also a potential target to watch for the Trail Blazers at No. 7, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who identifies Donovan Clingan, Cody Williams, Dalton Knecht, and Salaun as the prospects he believes Portland is most interested in. At No. 14, Highkin views Kyshawn George, Tristan Da Silva, Kel’el Ware, and Zach Edey as the Blazers’ most likely targets.

Fischer’s Latest: Draft Rumors, Marshall, Young, Kings, Topic, Knicks, Lowry

June 26th, 2024 at 7:10am CST by Luke Adams

As several of this year’s green room invitees gathered on Tuesday to speak to the media, there was a sense of uncertainty about how Wednesday’s draft will play out, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who says that many prospects don’t have a real sense of where they’ll be picked.

According to Fischer, the Spurs conducted a meeting with Donovan Clingan over Zoom this past weekend and have been linked to the UConn center more in recent days than they were earlier in the pre-draft process. However, many people around the league believe that’s a smokescreen to entice a team like the Trail Blazers or Grizzlies to trade up to No. 4 to draft him.

If the Grizzlies end up trading down from No. 9, the Heat (No. 15) are viewed as a team that may have interest in moving up, Fischer writes, adding that the Cavaliers at No. 20 have also received a number of calls from teams drafting near the end of the first round with interest in trading up.

The Thunder, who hold the No. 12 pick, have more than enough ammunition in future picks to move up from there if they want to, but if they stand pat, Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington is viewed as one possibility for that pick, Fischer reports. Meanwhile, Indiana big man Kel’el Ware has been repeatedly mentioned by league personnel as a candidate to be drafted at No. 19 by the Raptors, Fischer says.

As for the Bucks at No. 23, with rumors circulating that they could move Brook Lopez this offseason, rival teams believe they may be targeting a possible center of the future at that spot. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that Dayton’s DaRon Holmes is one player Milwaukee tried to bring in for a workout, but he declined that invitation. However, Fischer confirms – as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported – that Holmes, who has also been linked to the Kings, doesn’t have a promise from the Nuggets.

Here’s more from Fischer:

If the Mavericks are unable to re-sign Derrick Jones and have a hole to fill on the wing, they’re expected to show interest in Pelicans free agent Naji Marshall, sources tell Fischer, who adds that the Pistons are another potential suitor to watch for Marshall.
The Lakers, Pelicans, and Spurs are among the possible destinations that would appeal to Trae Young if the Hawks decide to move him, Fischer says.
While the Kings continue to explore the market for a potential deal involving the No. 13 pick and one or both of Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter, they don’t appear to have gained any momentum toward a deal for either Hawks guard (Young or Dejounte Murray), Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, or any other player of that caliber, Fischer writes.
The Magic hired Milenko Topic – Nikola Topic‘s father and a former coach in Serbia and Hungary – to a front office role this past season, per Fischer. That’s a key reason why people around the league believe Orlando at No. 18 is the floor for Nikola in Wednesday’s draft, though he may not make it that far.
After agreeing to acquire Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn, the Knicks might not be done adding former Villanova Wildcats. In a separate Yahoo Sports story on the Bridges deal, Fischer cites sources who say veteran point guard Kyle Lowry has been mentioned as a possible free agent target for New York.

Draft Notes: Rockets, Wizards, Suns, France, Big Boards

June 22nd, 2024 at 8:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Rockets may be more interested in moving their pick than keeping it, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reports. Offers for the selection are expected to be entertained until Houston is on the clock at No. 3 in Wednesday’s draft. If Houston does stand pat at No. 3, Reed Sheppard appears to be the heavy favorite for that spot. The Trail Blazers are among the teams that have called the Rockets about moving up to No. 3 in the draft.

According to Fischer, the Wizards have the league convinced they’re honing in on Perth’s Alexandre Sarr. As reported, Sarr hasn’t conducted a private workout for the Hawks, holders of the No. 1 selection, and Fischer reports Sarr’s preferred destination is, in fact, Washington. Beyond their plans at No. 2, the Wizards are a “prime candidate” to move up from No. 26 and have also been seeking a third first-round pick, Says Fischer.

Further down the draft, the Suns are a strong candidate to trade down from No. 22. The goal for the Suns, Fischer writes, would be to accumulate future second-round picks to restock their draft capital for trade flexibility. Additionally, the idea of adding inexpensive rookie contracts onto an expensive roster appeals to Phoenix.

We have more from around the draft:

A flood of talent is following 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama from France, Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek writes. His former teammate Bilal Coulibaly was selected No. 7 overall in last year’s draft and another ex-teammate, Armel Traore, could be in play in the second round of this year’s draft. Additionally, Zaccharie Risacher and Sarr are seen as the favorites for the top two draft selections in this class, while Tidjane Salaun, Melvin Ajinca and Pacome Dadiet are all likely to be selected this year too. Down the line, Nolan Traore and Nathan Soliman are picking up steam in future draft classes.
Risacher, Sarr and UConn’s Donovan Clingan, in that order, round out ESPN’s top three players on Jonathan Givony’s final big board update before the draft. Givony and Jeremy Woo provide their picks for the top 100 players in the class, with Sheppard, G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis, UConn’s Stephon Castle, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, Salaun, and Serbia’s Nikola Topic filling in the rest of their top 10 (in that order).
Risacher is lower on Sam Vecenie’s draft board at The Athletic, with the French wing coming in at No. 5. Salaun, Buzelis, Dillingham and Topic all sit outside the top 10 of Vecenie’s annual draft guide, while he ranks Colorado’s Cody Williams (No. 6), Providence’s Devin Carter (No. 7), Pitt’s Carlton Carrington (No. 8) and Ron Holland of the G League Ignite (No. 10) among the top 10. I highly recommend both Givony’s and Vecenie’s draft guides if you have a subscription to either platform, as this is some of the top draft content to come out annually.
Clingan is the name most linked to the Hawks over the past week, Vecenie writes in a recent mock draft. While Atlanta has openly stated it is content with standing pat at No. 1, Vecenie hears there’s an impression the club is open to making a move if the right deal presents itself. However, Atlanta hasn’t finalized its decision yet and even if it wanted to trade down to select him later, Chicago and Memphis have expressed interest in taking Clingan themselves if they can trade up. Vecenie indeed has Washington landing Sarr and Houston getting Sheppard, but has Risacher falling to San Antonio at No. 4, Buzelis going No. 5 to Detroit and Castle landing in Charlotte at No. 6.

Draft Notes: Green Room, Mock Drafts, Samuel

June 19th, 2024 at 6:57pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Four more players have received green room invites for the 2024 NBA draft. Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, Indiana’s Kel’el Ware, Colorado’s Tristan Da Silva and Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington have all accepted invitations to attend the draft in person, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (all Twitter links here).

Holmes, the A-10 Player of the Year, averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game last season while shooting 54.4% from the field and 38.6% from three. He’s listed at No. 39 on ESPN’s big board and is the lowest-ranked prospect on that list to be invited.

Ware (No. 24 on ESPN’s list) averaged 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds this season in 30 games with Indiana after transferring from Oregon. Da Silva (No. 17 on ESPN) is a toolsy forward who spent all four seasons of his college career at Colorado. He averaged 16.0 PPG this season while making 39.5% of his 4.8 three-point attempts per game. Carrington (No. 19) made the ACC’s All-Freshman Team this season after averaging 13.8 PPG and 4.1 APG, establishing himself as a premier pull-up mid-range shooter.

Holmes, Ware, Da Silva and Carrington join France’s Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr and Tidjane Salaun, Serbia’s Nikola Topic, UConn’s Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle, Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, Duke’s Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski, Colorado’s Cody Williams, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, Providence’s Devin Carter, Baylor’s Yves Missi and Ja’Kobe Walter, Kansas’s Johnny Furphy, Miami’s Kyshawn George, USC’s Isaiah Collier and the G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland as the 24 players who accepted invitations to the green room. Purdue’s Zach Edey also received an invite, which he declined.

We have more draft-related notes:

There’s plenty of room for change in the next week leading up to the draft, but for now James L. Edwards of The Athletic sees Sarr as the best prospect in this class and believes he’s the player the Hawks should take at No. 1 if they don’t trade down. In a new mock draft that also involves Kelly Iko and Josh Robbins, The Athletic has Risacher going second to the Wizards and Castle going third to the Rockets. Carter going No. 8 to the Spurs and Holland falling to No. 11 to Chicago are among some of the more intriguing picks in the mock.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor doesn’t view Sarr or Risacher as the best players in this class, according to his latest big board, but still has Atlanta selecting Risacher in his latest mock. O’Connor lists Castle, Clingan and Buzelis as the best three players in the class, in that order. He has Holland as the 13th-best player and Bobi Klintman as the No. 18 prospect in the class. Terrence Shannon Jr., Nikola Djurisic and Trentyn Flowers are other prospects O’Connor has first-round grades on, deviating from the consensus. As for his mock, O’Connor has Sarr going second to Washington, Sheppard going third to Houston and Buzelis going fourth to San Antonio.
Former Florida and Seton Hall forward Tyrese Samuel has worked out for the Knicks, Spurs, Nets, Heat, Jazz, Bulls, Pelicans, Cavaliers, Raptors, Suns, Lakers and Pistons, NJ.com’s Adam Zagoria tweets. The 6-10 Samuel averaged 13.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks last season for Florida.

Begley’s Latest: Lakers, Pistons, Carrington, Scheierman

June 18th, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Look for the Lakers to target at least one big man this offseason. They’re mulling their options to give Anthony Davis more opportunities to play his natural power forward position, according to SNY TV’s Ian Begley.

The Lakers have the No. 17 pick in the draft and could grab a center at that spot. Purdue’s Zach Edey, Baylor’s Yves Missi and Indiana’s Kel’el Ware are considered the top center options after UConn’s Donovan Clingan, who is expected to go in the top five. The Lakers could also look to free agent centers to fill that need. A list of all free agent centers can be found here.

Here’s more from Begley:

The Pistons, who are expected to have approximately $60MM in cap space, have made it known to teams looking to dump salaries they’re open for business. They would look to get draft capital and/or young talent in those deals. The punitive tax aprons confronting some organizations could lead to numerous trades on that scale this offseason.
The Magic are intrigued by Pittsburgh point guard Carlton Carrington. He’s rated No. 19 on ESPN’s Best Available list and Orlando holds the No. 18 pick. Carrington worked out for Orlando last week and has improved his stock during the pre-draft process, so it’s possible the Magic may have to move up to take him.
The Knicks haven’t announced who’ve they’ve worked out during the pre-draft process but Creighton wing Baylor Scheierman recently visited as part of a group workout. Scheierman (No. 27 on ESPN’s list) is considered a late first-round prospect and the Knicks have back-to-back picks at Nos. 24 and 25.

Draft Notes: Fit Vs. Value, International Prospects, Top PGs, More

June 12th, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In their latest mock draft for ESPN.com (Insider link), Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo provide two paths — Givony makes each pick based on the team’s biggest need, while Woo chooses the player who would be the best value at that spot.

For example, at No. 1, Givony has the Hawks taking Donovan Clingan, arguing that one of the league’s worst defenses would benefit from adding the draft’s best rim protector, while Woo views Zaccharie Risacher as the choice for Atlanta, since both he and Givony have the French forward ranked as the best prospect in this year’s draft class.

There are several spots where the best fit and best value overlap, including at No. 2 (Alexandre Sarr to the Wizards), No. 4 (Reed Sheppard to the Spurs), No. 5 (Matas Buzelis to the Pistons), No. 6 (Stephon Castle to the Hornets), and No. 12 (Nikola Topic to the Thunder).

Here’s more on the 2024 NBA draft:

In another Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Givony and Woo highlight 20 draft prospects who excel in specific areas. For instance, while Givony and Woo consider Kentucky’s Sheppard to be the best spot-up shooter in the 2024 draft class, ESPN’s duo names UConn’s Cam Spencer as the best pull-up shooter and Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht as the best movement shooter. On the other side of the ball, Virginia’s Ryan Dunn is viewed as the best defensive play-maker, UConn’s Castle is recognized as the best on-ball defender, and Risacher is identified as the best off-ball defender.
While top prospects Risacher and Sarr and potential lottery picks Tidjane Salaun and Topic have gotten plenty of attention leading up to the draft, there are several other international prospects worth getting familiar with, according to Givony, who provides a primer on a handful of others who could hear their names called on June 26 or 27, including French wing Pacome Dadiet, Spanish point guard Juan Nunez, and Serbian forward Nikola Djurisic.
In an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Djurisic said he has been told his game is similar to that of seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson and likened himself to a “less athletic, taller Anthony Edwards.”
Referring to UConn’s Castle as one of the biggest risers in the pre-draft process, Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports ranks the reigning national champion No. 1 among point guards in this year’s draft class, followed by Topic at No. 2. Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, Providence’s Devin Carter, and Pitt’s Carlton Carrington round out Peek’s top five point guard prospects.

Central Notes: Pistons, Ham, Bucks, Cavaliers

June 10th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Reports that the Bulls, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies are all interested in moving up in the draft could create some trade options for the Pistons with the No. 5 pick, writes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. He explores potential deals with all three teams that would still leave Detroit with a first-round selection.

Edwards’ proposed trade with Chicago is a swap for No. 11 in this year’s draft, plus a top-four protected pick in 2027. That would allow the Pistons to pick up some future draft capital and still wind up with a prospect such as Colorado’s Cody Williams, G League wing Ron Holland or French forward Tidjane Salaun.

Edwards suggests helping Portland clear cap space by taking Jerami Grant, the No. 14 pick and possibly Matisse Thybulle in exchange for No. 5. That could speed up the Blazers’ rebuilding process by giving them two selections in this year’s top seven while saving them about $40MM next season.

With Memphis, Edwards proposes parting with the fifth pick in exchange for the ninth choice in this year’s draft and a top-four protected pick in 2025. That gives Detroit an extra selection in what’s projected to be a stronger draft next near, while Memphis has a better shot to land a center such as UConn’s Donovan Clingan.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Darvin Ham, who was fired by the Lakers last month after their first-round playoff loss, will rejoin the Bucks as the top assistant to Doc Rivers, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Before being hired by L.A., Ham spent four years in Milwaukee, where he built a reputation as one of the league’s top assistant coaches.
Eric Nehm of The Athletic kicks off a series of Bucks draft previews by looking at guards who could still be on the board at No. 23 and 33. Nehm profiles Pitt’s Carlton Carrington, Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, A.J. Johnson, who played in Australia this season, UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell, Creighton’s Trey Alexander, Houston’s Jamal Shead, UConn’s Cam Spencer and Colorado’s KJ Simpson.
Speaking on the Wine and Gold podcast, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said he doesn’t expect Dan Hurley‘s decision on the Lakers‘ coaching job to impact the Cavaliers‘ search. Fedor considers James Borrego to be the current front-runner in Cleveland, and he speculates L.A. will turn to J.J. Redick if Hurley declines the team’s offer.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Knicks, Topic, Spurs, Grizzlies

June 9th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks part owner Mark Cuban denies the franchise purposely tanked last year to punish the Knicks, he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

By avoiding the play-in tournament last season, the Mavericks were able to retain a lottery pick, rather than conveying their pick to the Knicks as final compensation for the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Dallas used the pick on Dereck Lively. The Mavs will compensate the Knicks this year with their pick all the way down at No. 24.

Dallas lost Jalen Brunson in free agency in 2022 to the Knicks, who were later penalized a draft pick for tampering.

“I’m not a revenge guy,” Cuban said, adding, “We never tanked anything. We just decided to play our younger players the last couple of games. But it’s Nico Harrison’s and mine’s and Jason Kidd’s job to make the tough decisions. Nobody who decides to rebuild effectively likes it. When you play your young players, it’s not always fun. So we just felt it was time to go young.”

Cuban later admitted the franchise’s decision to rest key players was not truly a “rebuild” move. “We made the decision 10 other teams made, right?” Cuban said. “We just made it a little bit later. Obviously, it turned out well.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Lottery prospect Nikola Topic has a partially torn ACL. That shouldn’t deter the Spurs, who own two picks in the top 10, from drafting the 18-year-old point guard, LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk opines. From all appearances, the Spurs haven’t shown much interest in Topic but that could be a smokescreen, Ellis notes. With two lottery selections, San Antonio has the luxury of using the latter pick at No. 8 on Topic and waiting for him to heal.
What players could the Pelicans target with the No. 21 pick? Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune explores that topic, naming a trio of guards — USC’s Isaiah Collier, Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter and Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington — who could entice them at that spot.
The Spurs and Grizzlies are two of the teams who currently own more than two picks in this month’s draft. Check out the list here.