“I also got a contract for three years, which was very important for my family, so that I don’t have to move every year,” he said.

Bertans was traded from Washington to Dallas at the 2022 deadline, then was moved to Oklahoma City in a 2023 draft-night deal. He got sent to Charlotte at this year’s deadline and was waived by the Hornets in July.

There were rumors this summer that Bertans might return to his former Partizan team in Belgrade, but he said that never came close to happening.

“I didn’t get an offer to go to Partizan,” Bertans said. “Maybe there was a chance to go for one season, but it wasn’t for me. I wanted to spend a longer time in the same city. I was traded four times in two years in the NBA, it’s very difficult for the family.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

• There’s a growing market for Saben Lee, who signed with Turkey’s Manisa Basket in August, according to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Sources tell Barkas that Fenerbahce is nearing a deal with the former NBA point guard after losing Scottie Wilbekin with a torn ACL. Maccabi is also interested in adding Lee, Barkas adds in a separate story, but he may be hesitant to play in Israel due to the fear of a war. Lee recently had a stellar debut in the Basketball Champions League with 36 points and six assists.
• Former NBA center Pero Antic hopes to convince Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to join Belgrade’s Crvena Zvezda once his NBA career is done, according to BasketNews. “We corresponded two days ago,” said Antic, who’s now president of the Basketball Federation of North Macedonia. “We’re in constant contact, we joke, we’ve been roommates. I’ll bring him to Crvena Zvezda sometime. He said that he would finish his career in Partizan, but I think that he will do it in Crvena Zvezda.”
• NBA commissioner Adam Silver said over the weekend that Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic have all requested exhibition games in their native countries. However, Jokic told reporters that he never asked for a game in Serbia, BasketNews relays. “I don’t have approval to talk about it, I didn’t demand it,” Jokic said in Abu Dhabi, where the Nuggets are playing their second preseason contest today.

“He played in the ABA League before moving to the NBA for seven seasons, where he earned millions, so he’s financially secure,” Kamenjasevic explained. “We’ve been saying this all along, but people didn’t believe us. Now, players, referees, and teams are starting to see that Dubai is a legitimate project with stability. The budget is still below the (4 million Euros) figure we mentioned, even though many think we paid more to sign Bertans. He didn’t come for the money. He came for the vision and the project.”

Bertans had been in the NBA since the 2016/17 season, playing for five teams and landing a five-year, $80MM contract in 2020. He’s joining a new venture in Dubai and will be the biggest star on a club that’s preparing for its first season in the ABA (Adriatic) League.

“If we look at the players who returned from the NBA to Europe this year — Cedi Osman, Sasha Vezenkov, Evan Fournier, Usman Garuba, and now Bertans — only Davis Bertans had a real role in the NBA,” Kamenjasevic added. “It’s a miracle because we didn’t just bring in someone who sat on the bench; we brought in a player who played.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

• In an interview with SDNA, Bruno Caboclo says he was waiting for another NBA opportunity, so his options were limited when he decided to play overseas. He reportedly had a workout with the Warriors in late August, but he wound up signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel. “It was a decision that came late for me,” Caboclo said. “I was trying to go to the NBA after the season ended. I didn’t have that opportunity in the end, all the clubs had already signed players and Hapoel was the only option but also the best possible for me.”
• Omer Yurtseven is happy to reunite with Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman even though they have clashed during their time with the Turkish national team, Eurohoops relays. “The team welcomed me with open arms from the first day,” Yurtseven told COSMOTE TV. “I would like to thank everyone on the team, especially coach Ataman. I feel like I am playing at home.”
• Alex Toohey raised his draft stock with his performance during the NBL Blitz in Australia, according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The 20-year-old forward scored 26 and 24 points in the two games he played while displaying a larger frame and an improved outside jumper. Nets general manager Sean Marks was among several NBA executives and scouts who attended the event.

Rumors circulated over the weekend that Bertans was on the verge of heading back overseas and joining Dubai on a multiyear deal that will include NBA outs. The newly formed franchise, which is entering its first season, will compete in the ABA (Adriatic) League in 2024/25.

“Davis Bertans clearly brings exceptional basketball talent to the table,” head coach Jurica Golemac said in a statement. “As an eight-season NBA player with substantial European experience, his arrival underscores the commitment and ambition of our project, while also greatly enhancing the credibility of our newly established franchise.”

The 42nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Bertans played in his home country of Latvia in addition to Slovenia, Serbia, and Spain from 2007-16 before eventually making the move stateside. The 6’10” forward began his career with the Spurs, then enjoyed a breakout 2019/20 season in Washington that earned him a five-year, $80MM contract from the Wizards as a free agent in the summer of 2020.

However, Bertans’ production and playing time dipped following the signing of that contract, and he was eventually traded to Dallas in 2022’s Kristaps Porzingis deal before being salary-dumped to Oklahoma City during the 2023 draft when the Thunder moved up for Cason Wallace. Bertans was subsequently sent to Charlotte as the primary salary-matching piece in the Gordon Hayward trade at the 2024 deadline, then was waived by the Hornets earlier this offseason.

Over the course of his eight NBA seasons, Bertans established himself as an extremely dangerous outside shooter, making 39.6% of his career three-point attempts. While his combination of size and floor-spacing ability had value, the 31-year-old didn’t bring a whole lot else to the table. He averaged 7.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game across 475 career regular season contests (41 starts).

Bertans had been planning to work out for the Warriors in the hopes of receiving an opportunity to compete for a roster spot, but will forgo that opportunity in favor of guaranteed money in Dubai.

Some details about Bertans’ contract offer are already in and an earlier report from Sport24.gr (relayed by Sportando) indicating Bertans would sign with Dubai BC signals the deal is on track to being finalized. According to Stein, the offer is for a multiyear contract with “out” conditions that would allow him to make an NBA return down the line.

Bertans, 31, is an eight-year NBA veteran who has played professionally since he was 19. The Latvian forward debuted in the NBA in 2016/17 and has made stops with the Spurs, Wizards, Mavericks, Thunder and Hornets. In 475 career games (41 starts), he has averaged 7.7 points while making 39.6% of his 2,234 career three-point attempts.

After beginning his NBA career with the Spurs, Bertans showed promise before being traded to the Wizards. With Washington, Bertans had the most prolific year of his career, averaging 15.4 PPG and 4.5 RPG while making 42.4% of his 8.7 three-point attempts per game, developing into one of the premier outside threats in the league.

Bertans was rewarded with a lucrative contract extension, but after a year in which he finished in 11th for the Most Improved Player award and eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting, his production gradually declined. He bounced between the Wizards, Mavs and Thunder as a fringe rotation piece before landing with the Hornets this past season.

Bertans rebuilt his value in 28 games with the Hornets, averaging 9.3 points on a 36.7% clip from deep in his last 24 appearances of the season. While that led to some reported NBA interest from the Warriors, Bertans is ultimately heading overseas for the first time since 2015/16.

Bertans became a free agent when the Hornets waived him in early July. He had a $16MM salary for 2024/25, but only $5.25MM of that total was guaranteed before Charlotte cut him loose.

Bertans, 31, was dealt to the Hornets from the Thunder midway through the 2023/24 season in the Gordon Hayward trade. He saw his role expand on a lottery-bound Charlotte squad, averaging 8.8 points on a .394/.375/.889 shooting line in 28 appearances.

Once one of the more sought-after stretch fours in the league, Bertans signed a five-year, $80MM contract in 2020.

He spent one full and one partial season with Washington after it re-signed him, then was dealt to Dallas. He came off the bench for one-and-a-half seasons with the Mavericks, then was moved to the Thunder in an offseason trade. He saw limited action in 15 games with OKC before he was dealt to the Hornets.

Bertans is a career 39.6% three-point shooter. He’s averaged 7.7 points in 18.0 minutes in 475 career games.

The Warriors have 15 players on their standard roster but three of them have non-guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show.

The Sixers have a roster opening and there are a number of power forward options. They have some interest in reuniting with Marcus Morris Sr. and are also considering Davis Bertans, as Pompey previously reported.

However, a number of other Eastern Conference elites — including the Celtics and Knicks — thrived in the regular season and playoffs with lineups that didn’t include traditional power forwards. With that in mind, the Sixers could employ Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr or Caleb Martin at that spot, Pompey suggests.

We have more Eastern Conference news:

• Celtics manager general partner Steve Pagliuca is also co-owner of Atalanta, an Italian Serie A soccer team. Atalanta prevailed in the Europa League this season, giving Pagliuca two championships to celebrate. “I don’t know if it’ll ever happen again,” Pagliuca told James Horncastle of The Athletic. “I just have to be grateful that I was able to be a part of that with all the great people at the Celtics and all the great people at Atalanta.”
• Trae Young said it was disappointing his partnership with Dejounte Murray on the Hawks didn’t produce the desired results, he told the Sixers’ George on his latest Podcast P broadcast (Youtube link). “It’s tough cause we wanted to win. We’re not the first duo that couldn’t work and we’re not going to be the last,” Young said of his two seasons with Murray. The Hawks dealt Murray to the Pelicans for a package that included forward Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks.
• In case you missed it, there’s only one team in the NBA that currently has cap room — the Pistons. Get the details here.

According to Pompey, Philadelphia and Cleveland appear to be the most likely landing spots for Morris. The Sixers are the 34-year-old’s hometown team and could use a power forward, but they’re limited to offering a minimum-salary contract. Morris finished last season with the Cavaliers, who are willing to offer him nearly double the minimum salary, sources tell Pompey.

Morris said that he “really enjoyed” his time in Cleveland and referred to the organization as “top-notch,” but also admitted he likes the idea of returning to his hometown team in Philadelphia.

“It felt like it was something that just helped my career,” Morris said of playing for the Sixers earlier in the 2023/24 season. “You know sometimes you’ve been doing it for so long that you find different things that get you up for playing. Being home is one of those things for me. … I just felt so free. I just felt so much love. So it’s like, yeah, man, I would definitely entertain coming back. I just hope … we can get something going hopefully.”

As Pompey explains, the 76ers currently have 13 players on standard contracts and will likely keep a 15-man roster spot open to start the regular season, so they’ll likely add just one more player. It’s unclear if Morris is their top target. Sources tell The Inquirer that Philadelphia also has some interest in sharpshooting power forward Davis Bertans.

As for the Cavs, this is just my speculation, but they may want resolution on Isaac Okoro‘s restricted free agency before they move forward with other free agents. Whether they re-sign Okoro or sign-and-trade him, resolving his situation would give them a better idea of where their team salary stands relative to the luxury tax line and tax aprons.

As Morris weighs his options and waits for offers, he tells Pompey that he’s willing to be patient as he prioritizes finding the right fit.

“I know the game. I’ve been around 14 years. I’m still playing,” the veteran forward said. “I just want to come in and help a team, be a voice, be a vet, but still compete at a high level. I also want to be somewhere I already know what the team needs. I want to be a piece that’s versatile and playing, either starting or coming off (the bench), and helping younger guys and things like that.

“… I’m just taking my time, because everybody needs a vet that can still play and (be a part of a) good situation in the locker room. I’m just taking my time to see what comes to be, what’s good for both sides.”

While this is just speculation on Scotto’s part, the Clippers could look to use some combination of the expiring contracts of P.J. Tucker and Russell Westbrook or draft compensation and Bones Hyland in sign-and-trade scenarios for the Wizards guard.

Jones, our No. 15-ranked free agent, averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 assists per game last season while shooting 48.9% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc.

We have more from Scotto:

• The leaguewide expectation is that Luke Kennard will return to the Grizzlies after the organization declined his team option before free agency, Scotto writes. Kennard averaged 11.0 PPG on 45.0% shooting from deep last season.
• As we noted earlier Friday, it’s likely the Sixers look to use newly signed KJ Martin‘s contract as a trade chip when he becomes eligible to be moved on Jan. 15. The Sixers could trade for a player making $14MM if they packaged Martin alongside three minimum-salary players in a trade.
• The Suns gave Josh Okogie a similar deal to what Martin got and could also look to utilize his salary as a trade chip, Scotto reports. However, unlike Martin, Okogie’s deal can’t be aggregated with other players on Phoenix’s roster due to the team’s position relative to the second tax apron.
• The Knicks are trying to add both size and shooting to their roster this offseason, Scotto writes. Davis Bertans has previously been mentioned as an option for the Knicks, and they’re also expressing interest in free agent guard Landry Shamet. As reported, New York has shown interest in Walker Kessler but Utah’s asking price remains high. Meanwhile, Precious Achiuwa remains open to a return to New York.
• Outside of the Knicks, Scotto reports that Shamet has drawn “exploratory interest” from the Bucks, Heat and Timberwolves. A return to the Wizards isn’t out of the question either.
• The Pistons are attempting to finalize a contract with their No. 37 overall pick Bobi Klintman. Klintman is expected to end up on the 15-man roster on a multiyear contract, according to Scotto. The Pistons were intrigued by his size and shooting ability and are hoping to have him on a standard deal.

As Lewenberg observes, Toronto sacrificed much of its cap flexibility by taking on salary in a trade with the Kings and exercising Bruce Brown‘s team option. The club also added a wing in the first round of the draft, selecting Ja’Kobe Walter with the 19th overall pick. The 15-man roster is now full, with little breathing room below the luxury tax line.

When the Raptors’ negotiating window with Trent opened last month, they were willing to offer him an annual salary in the neighborhood of $15MM, a source tells Lewenberg, but the swingman’s camp was seeking a raise on last year’s $18.5MM salary, possibly up to $25MM or so.

Toronto wasn’t prepared to meet that price, and it doesn’t look like there are any rival suitors who will go that high either. One league insider tells TSN that Trent would be lucky at this point to receive the full mid-level exception (worth about $12.9MM). The Raptors no longer have on offer on the table for the 25-year-old, according to Lewenberg.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

• The Jazz and Spurs, among other teams, had “real” interest in restricted free agent guard Immanuel Quickley before he agreed to sign a five-year, $175MM contract with the Raptors, Lewenberg writes, which is one reason why that deal came in higher than expected. Quickley’s new deal will be worth a flat $35MM across all five seasons, Lewenberg adds, so it’ll start at just under 25% of the salary cap in 2024/25 but that percentage will drop each year as the cap increases.
• Echoing previous reporting, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) confirms that the Knicks have inquired on Walker Kessler, but says he’d be surprised if New York makes a deal for the third-year center, given the Jazz‘s asking price, which includes “at least” a first-round pick.
• The Knicks are among the teams that have expressed some level of interest in free agent sharpshooter Davis Bertans, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
• After the Celtics officially re-signed centers Xavier Tillman, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta, director of player personnel Austin Ainge said he’s “extremely grateful” to have all those players back and suggested that one or more of them could have landed more lucrative deals elsewhere. “We had some guys turn down more money other places to come back,” Ainge said, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “It feels really good that guys we care about a lot to come back and go for another run.”

1:01pm: The Hornets will waive veteran power forward Davis Bertans, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bertans has a $16MM salary for 2024/25, but only $5.25MM of that total is guaranteed. Charlotte will be on the hook for that partial guarantee, creating more than $10MM in cap room in the move.

Ahead of Charania’s report, cap expert Yossi Gozlan had speculated (via Twitter) that Charlotte might make this move to accommodate the incoming salary of veteran point guard Devonte’ Graham in its trade with the Spurs. The Hornets are acquiring their former guard in exchange for a second-round draft pick from San Antonio. Graham is slated to be waived as well.

Bertans, 31, was dealt to the Hornets from the Thunder midway through the 2023/24 season in the Gordon Hayward trade. He saw his role expand on a lottery-bound Charlotte squad, averaging 8.8 points on a .394/.375/.889 shooting line.

A career 39.6% percent shooter on 4.7 long-range attempts a night, the 6’10” vet could have a decent market for his services as a floor-spacing stretch four. Given that this is at this point his only true skill and he’s now over 30, Bertans will probably be on the hunt for a veteran’s minimum-level deal.

We’ll start with Rockets forward Jeff Green. Reporting last week indicated that Houston planned to exercise his $8MM team option for 2024/25 and the team did just that, per RealGM’s transaction log. Green’s salary technically remains non-guaranteed until July 11 even now that his option has been picked up, but the expectation is that he’ll be retained — his expiring deal could be a useful salary-matching piece in a trade, and he also played rotation minutes for Houston last season, averaging 16.8 MPG in 78 appearances.

While there was no official confirmation on Saturday (as far as we could tell), Grizzlies forward Yuta Watanabe had long been expected to decline his $2.65MM player option for the 2024/25 season, since he’s on track to return to his home country of Japan and play for the Chiba Jets. There’s no indication that those plans have changed or that he picked up his option, so we’re assuming it was declined and that he’ll be off the board for NBA teams this offseason.

Finally, Davis Bertans‘ option with the Hornets was technically an early termination option rather than a player option, meaning that instead of needing to actively exercise it if he wanted to opt in, he needed to do nothing to opt in. He did just that, and will remain under contract with Charlotte for the time being, rather than becoming a free agent. However, his $16MM option salary is only partially guaranteed for $5.25MM, so he’s not assured of having the rest of that salary guaranteed, especially if the Hornets are looking to maximize their cap flexibility this offseason.

Here are a few more updates left over from a busy Saturday:

• Dominick Barlow, a 21-year-old forward who has spent the past two seasons with the Spurs, didn’t receive a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). San Antonio isn’t necessarily planning to part ways with Barlow, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News, who tweets that the Spurs still have interest in discussing a new deal. However, he’ll have interest from other teams as well, says Wojnarowski.
• The Kings didn’t tender qualifying offers to their three players eligible for restricted free agency (Kessler Edwards, Jordan Ford, or Jalen Slawson), confirms Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link). All three players will be unrestricted free agents.
• According to RealGM, players who did receive qualifying offers that weren’t previously reported (that we saw) include no-brainers like Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey and Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, as well as Mavericks two-way player Brandon Williams.
• We’ve previously published trackers for this year’s team option decisions and player option decisions, which are now fully up to date. We’ll be posting a full qualifying offer recap later this morning.

“These months, I’ve felt strange; I’ve wanted to change some things,” Rubio said. “Coming in the middle of the season is not easy, my way of being, more reserved and not feeling 100%. I don’t think I’ve been everything I expected, but I didn’t have any expectations either, but it’s clear that the balance is not good.”

We have more from around the basketball world:

• Trevion Williams is reportedly in advanced talks with Barcelona, according to Sportando’s Alessandro Maggi. There is already a “pre-agreement” in place, pending the final decision on the hiring of the new coach. Williams, who played collegiately at Purdue, was waived by the Warriors during their 2022 training camp. He played for a German team this past season.
• Latvia’s national team has unveiled its preliminary 24-man roster for the Olympic qualifying tournament, according to Eurohoops.net. Kristaps Porzingis heads the list of players, which also includes another NBA notable, Davis Bertans. Porzingis stated on social media last week that he was looking forward to playing with his national team this summer.
• Parity has become the new norm for the NBA, The Athletic’s John Hollinger writes. The championship continues to change hands every year and lower seeds have a legitimate chance to make a deep run. Hollinger concludes that if a contender is good enough to get to the second round, anything can happen.

When asked if he expected Embiid to play as long as he didn’t have any issues pregame, head coach Nick Nurse shifted around a bit while saying, “Yeah, same on the (other) questionable guys” (Twitter video link via PHLY Sixers).

De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery) and KJ Martin (left great toe contusion), the other two players with questionable tags, were later ruled out as well.

In his fifth game back following a torn left meniscus in January, which required surgery, Embiid appeared to tweak the same knee in Friday’s win over Orlando, calling to be subbed out a couple minutes before the first half ended. He returned for the second half and finished the game, but was noticeably grimacing at times.

Sunday’s game has major playoff implications for the 76ers, who currently have the same record as Orlando and Indiana at 46-35 but are the No. 7 seed due to tiebreakers. Still, Embiid’s health outlook is much more critical for the postseason and the future — Philadelphia went just 15-27 without the 30-year-old this season.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

• The Cavaliers, who have secured at least the No. 4 seed in the East and could move as high as No. 2, will be without some of their top players on Sunday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Donovan Mitchell (knee), Darius Garland (lower back contusion), Caris LeVert (knee soreness), Sam Merrill (neck strain) and Dean Wade (knee sprain) are all out. “It’s not rest,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to tipoff. “Those guys have things they are dealing with that we are trying to protect over the long term. Not guys who are just taking today off. That was the thinking going into it — if we can get them yesterday and today and get out throughout this week, hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, whenever we play, that’s an advantage for us. We will go out and compete our tails off to make sure whatever may happen. So much is out of our control. It’s not a situation where we are going in and saying, ‘We need to do this or do that.’ We don’t control the outcome. So many other teams that have their own plans and own minds that they are trying to make up. We’re going out and trying to compete our tails off and see what happens.”
• The Cavs are facing the Hornets on Sunday, and Charlotte will also be very undermanned, the team announced (via Twitter). Miles Bridges (right wrist), Brandon Miller (right wrist), Davis Bertans (left Achilles), Nick Richards (right plantar fascia) and Grant Williams (right ankle) were all downgraded from questionable to out, joining four other players who are dealing with long-term injuries.
• Heat guard Terry Rozier underwent additional testing on his neck injury in recent days, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). Head coach Erik Spoelstra continues to refer to Rozier as day-to-day, but he’ll miss his fourth straight game on Sunday, leaving his postseason status up in the air. Rozier has been taking anti-inflammatories to deal with the issue, Winderman adds.

Bertāns quickly became one of former head coach Steve Clifford‘s trusted reserves, with the team running set plays for the dangerous three-point scorer. In his 27 games with the Hornets so far, he’s shooting 37.3% from deep on 6.3 attempts per night. In fact, he has 18 games with multiple three-pointers made off the bench, marking the most in the NBA during that stretch.

“He’s a terrific shooter, obviously, but he creates a lot of problems for the defense just with his movement,” Clifford said. “And he never holds the ball. He either shoots it or moves it, which is the play.”

Bertāns’ play provides a glimpse into what could be next season when LaMelo Ball is healthy, with the 6’10” allowing the star guard more room to maneuver with his floor-stretching capabilities. However, Boone ponders whether Bertāns will remain with the team next season. Bertāns has an early termination option for next season worth $16MM and could get multiyear offers from contending teams if he hits the open market, Boone writes.

For what it’s worth, Bertans seems to have enjoyed his time in Charlotte so far this season.

“I’ve always loved shooting in [Spectrum Center], so it’s good to have more games [there] than before,” Bertāns said. “And definitely the crowd. Even though the season hasn’t been great winning-wise, the fans have been great and it’s a lot more people in [that] arena than other teams that are not making the playoffs. So, I think a bright future is ahead for the organization.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

• Like Bertāns, Micić didn’t play much for the Thunder after coming over from Europe to begin his NBA career this season. However, he has turned a corner after earning playing time with the Hornets, averaging 11.3 points and 6.4 assists in his first 28 games (19 starts) with Charlotte. “I’m more comfortable every day,” Micić said this week, according to Eurohoops.net. “… I’m trying to play more relaxed, at my own rhythm, without chasing anything. It’s hard when you don’t have enough minutes, but at this moment, with these circumstances, I have these minutes, and I’m just hoping it looks good from the outside.” Micić is in the first year of the three-year, $23.6MM deal he signed last offseason. He’s under contract for about $7.7MM next year and has a team option worth $8.1MM in 2025/26.
• At 15-65, the Wizards are wrapping up what will be the worst season in franchise history in regard to record. ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye explores Washington’s rebuild and how the Wizards have gotten to this point. Akintoye cautions against the ritual of losing and expecting to lose, along with the lack of cohesion that can follow.
• Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said Franz Wagner is “progressing slowly” from his right ankle sprain, according to Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede (Twitter link). “He’ll go through some work tomorrow as well and we’ll continue to see how he responds to those treatments,” Mosley said.

Many of the top names on the market — such as Kyle Lowry, Spencer Dinwiddie and Delon Wright — have already committed to other teams. Fedor hears that Cleveland had interest in Danilo Gallinari, but the veteran forward chose Milwaukee, where he’ll have a better shot at regular minutes. Marcus Morris appears unlikely to land with the Cavs since he’s reportedly leaning toward the Timberwolves if the Spurs buy him out, according to former teammate Patrick Beverley (Twitter link).

Fedor says Cleveland would like to add one more shooter off its bench, which makes former Net Joe Harris and ex-Sixer Furkan Korkmaz intriguing names to watch. The Cavaliers have liked Korkmaz for a long time and made an effort to sign him in free agency in 2021, according to Fedor. He also mentions Davis Bertans and Seth Curry as options if they agree to buyouts with the Hornets and considers the Pistons‘ Evan Fournier as a more remote possibility.

There’s more from the Central Division:

• The Cavaliers are committed to Max Strus as a starter and are unlikely to shake up their starting five before the end of the season, Fedor adds in the same piece. The team pursued Strus last summer to provide improved shooting and floor spacing, and Fedor notes that he requires constant attention from opposing defenses, even though his shooting numbers have declined. Fedor also points out that coach J.B. Bickerstaff wants a longer look at his current starting lineup, which has been limited to 239 total minutes together because of injuries.
• Bucks guard Damian Lillard doesn’t bring much strategy to the Three-Point Contest, which he won for the second straight year Saturday night, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I didn’t prepare at all,” Lillard said. “I think that’s the key to it. I kept telling (teammate Malik Beasley) my first two times I did it, I was practicing, I had racks, I was trying to get ready for it and I just went out there and I didn’t win. And then last year, I never practiced. I never shot off a rack. I just showed up and won.”
• Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton plans to keep trying for a three-point title after a close call on his home court, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Haliburton was in a four-way deadlock for the best score after the first round, but he lost in a tie-breaker and failed to reach the finals. “I think I’m going to just keep coming back until they don’t allow me to, and eventually I’m going to win one,” he said.