DeMar DeRozan Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Rondo, Tyson, Okoro, Jerome, Duren, White

October 3rd, 2024 at 9:12pm CST by Tristan Tucker

When Rajon Rondo got married this summer, his first NBA coach Doc Rivers was one of the attendees, Baxter Holmes of ESPN writes. Rivers motivated and encouraged Rondo to get into the coaching sphere this season.

That’s exactly what Rondo is doing, as he’s serving as a guest coach for the Bucks during training camp. According to Holmes, Rondo will remain with the Bucks through the rest of the season in an unspecified role. Rondo has said he “absolutely” hopes to be a head coach some day.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into coaching,” Rondo said. “You just can’t say, I’m going to be a coach, and then everything works out and that’s how it happens. So certain personalities have to mesh, [and there’s] a lot of sacrifice. There are certain things that I’m learning. The morning meetings, the amount of hours you’re spending watching film, it’s a lot.”

Rondo declined to say whether he received any other offers from teams. However, it was reported in June that he was high on the list of preferred staff members for new Lakers coach J.J. Redick.

We have more from the Central Division:

Cavaliers rookie Jaylon Tyson — the No. 20 overall pick this year — is making a strong first impression in training camp so far, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “Our rook has impressed me,” Max Strus said. “He plays basketball the right way. He’s mature in the way he carries himself. He’s not out here asking for the ball or trying to do too much. He’s just trying to get in where he fits in. As a rookie, that’s not easy to do always. It’s impressive to see that. It’s refreshing to have a rookie come in and do that.” All three Cavs players who were asked for their immediate standout named Tyson, who has shown a little bit of everything, including rebounding, defense, and shooting. While Cleveland has a deep rotation, there’s a chance Tyson will make an impact right away.
Isaac Okoro admitted that he considered taking the Cavaliers‘ one-year, $11.8MM qualifying offer in order to hit unrestricted free agency next year. He eventually signed a three-year contract that includes $33MM in guaranteed money. “In my head I was like, ‘Nah, I think Cleveland wants me and I want to be here.’ I wanted to be here,” Okoro said. Fedor writes in a separate piece that head coach Kenny Atkinson is considering an expanded role for Okoro, who will be expected to screen more often and diversify his game.
In the same piece, members of the Cavaliers continue to point to Ty Jerome as a standout player in camp, per Fedor. “Ty has been one of the best players in camp in my opinion,” Darius Garland said. Jerome could be a surprise member of the rotation due to the fact that he was previously coached by Atkinson in Golden State and the front office likes him.
Jalen Duren served as an effective rim-runner and shot-blocker during his first two seasons as a member of the Pistons. However, according to Omari Sankofa II of Detroit Free Press, Detroit is hoping to unlock other aspects of Duren’s game — namely his play-making. He has been working on those skills in camp, and with just three true play-makers on the roster, Duren might be leaned on sooner rather than later. “I think we’re going to let him play with the ball some,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Whether he defensively rebounds the ball and has the ability to bring it up the floor some, whether he catches it on the elbow and we play split action and he can make those reads. So I think just trying to diversify where he touches it, and then we’ll keep building from there.“
DeMar DeRozan left the Bulls for the Kings this offseason, but he’s still giving advice to Most Improved Player runner-up Coby White, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. White is aiming to limit the number of off nights he has as a scorer after breaking through last year. “It’s got to be an every night thing. … I’ve got to build on this,” White said. “That’s what I talked to DeMar a lot about, how he prepares for every moment.“

Pacific Notes: Sabonis, DeRozan, Monk, Kings, Mann, Lakers

September 29th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Rory Maher

Kings center Domantas Sabonis recently spoke to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee about “Starting 5,” the Netflix series in which he stars alongside LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards. The show’s premiere is Oct. 9.

As for Sacramento’s offseason, Sabonis said he’s he looking forward to playing with six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, whom the Kings acquired from Chicago in a three-team sign-and-trade.

“It’s amazing,” Sabonis said. “Having a veteran like that, I’ve wanted that for a long time. He has a Hall of Fame career, and to bring that IQ — I was with him in L.A. for a couple weeks working out at USC and I learned so much personally in those couple weeks of workouts. Having him be around the team and having that rub off on everyone is going to be good. He’s here for the right reasons and he wants to win. That’s going to be good for us.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Sabonis also covered a number of topics in an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, including his love for Sacramento, the team’s high expectations, and what to expect out of Keegan Murray entering his third season. Sabonis was ecstatic the Kings were able to re-sign Malik Monk to a four-year, $78MM deal in free agency. “Thank God that we kept him,” Sabonis said. “He’s a big piece of how we play, and his energy and vibes off the court. He’s a great locker room guy. He keeps us always locked in and happy. That’s something you can’t replace with a lot of players in the league. He brings a swagger and is always ready to go. For us off the bench last year, he had a burst coming in and helping the second unit. To maintain that with another year of experience under his belt and a new contract it usually gives you more confidence. I’m expecting big things from him.”
Terance Mann‘s new three-year, $47MM extension with the Clippers is fully guaranteed with no team or player option, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Mann will earn $15.5MM in 2025/26, when the extension begins, and he remains trade-eligible due to the terms of the agreement, Marks adds (via Twitter). Mann, a 27-year-old swingman, figures to take on an increased offensive role after the offseason departure of Paul George.
The Lakers intend to hire Vanessa Brooks to be their new head athletic trainer and senior physical therapist, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). Brooks had been with the Thunder since 2019.

Raptors To Retire Vince Carter’s No. 15 Jersey

September 23rd, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Vince Carter‘s jersey will be retired by two separate NBA franchises during the 2024/25 season. After the Nets announced last week that they’ll retire Carter’s No. 15 at a ceremony in January, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports that the Raptors will do the same with his No. 15 jersey when they host the Kings on November 2.

It will be the first time in Raptors history that the team has retired a player’s jersey.

The fifth overall pick in the 1998 draft, Carter spent his first six seasons in the NBA with Toronto. He was traded to the Nets midway through his seventh season and spent the next four-and-a-half years with New Jersey before bouncing around the league and playing for six different teams during the second half of his 22-year Hall of Fame career.

As a Raptor, Carter became the first true star in the history of a franchise that began play in 1995, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 and making the All-Star team six consecutive times beginning in 2000. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in 403 total regular season appearances for Toronto and put on one of the all-time great shows at the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest in 2000.

As Lewenberg writes, Carter’s emergence as an NBA superstar and his role in leading the Raptors to the first three postseason appearances in team history helped spur the growth and popularity of basketball in Canada, leading to a significant uptick in the number of Canadians playing in the NBA. The 6’6″ wing still ranks fourth overall on the Raptors’ all-time scoring list, despite coming in at just 12th in games played.

Despite the impressive résumé he compiled during his time with the Raptors, Carter’s legacy in Toronto is a complicated one, Lewenberg notes. When he requested a trade, there was a widespread perception among many Raptors fans that he had given up on the team. When he returned to Toronto as a visitor, he was loudly booed for several years after the deal.

Within the organization, the decision to retire Carter’s No. 15 wasn’t a given, according to Lewenberg, who says there were “high-ranking members” of the organization who felt that Kyle Lowry should be the first Raptor to have his jersey hung in the rafters.

With Lowry still active, however, and the Nets indicating back in the spring that they planned to retire Carter’s jersey, there was a “strong push” made on the 47-year-old’s behalf in Toronto, per Lewenberg. The relationship between Carter and Raptors fans has also healed significantly within the last decade — he received a standing ovation as a member of the Grizzlies when the Raptors honored with him a tribute video during their 20th anniversary season in 2014/15, Lewenberg adds.

According to Lewenberg, the Raptors considered the idea of retiring Carter’s No. 15 on October 25, when Lowry and the Sixers will be in town. However, they ultimately settled on the Nov. 2 game vs. Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan, another longtime Raptor who will likely have his jersey retired eventually, will be in town as a member of the Kings that night.

Atlantic Notes: DeRozan, Raptors, Ujiri, Simmons, Dolan

September 20th, 2024 at 7:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked this week during a radio appearance on Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto whether he’s interested in eventually returning to the Raptors to finish his NBA career, DeMar DeRozan expressed interest in the idea, though he made it clear that he doesn’t want to spend his final season as a benchwarmer in Toronto.

“You always want a poetic ending (in) that way,” DeRozan said. “Granted, most people don’t get to write their own ending. But what a better ending than being able to end where you start. Not just end, by just putting on the jersey. It has to be in a sense of me still being myself. I wouldn’t want to come back and be (Hakeem) Olajuwon (who spent an underwhelming final season in Toronto after 17 years in Houston). It has to just make sense. You kind of want to go out like you came in. That’s what people kind of remember you as.”

DeRozan, who was drafted ninth overall by the Raptors in 2009, spent his first nine seasons with the club before being sent to San Antonio in 2018’s Kawhi Leonard blockbuster trade. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in points (13,296) and games played (675), among other statistical categories.

DeRozan is under contract with the Kings for the next three seasons after joining the team via sign-and-trade this offseason.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

What does it mean for Masai Ujiri‘s future in Toronto that Rogers has bought out Bell’s stake in the Raptors and gained majority ownership control? Eric Koreen of The Athletic explores that question, noting that Rogers chairman Edward Rogers III and Ujiri, the team’s longtime president of basketball operations, have had a “strained relationship” in the past. Rogers reportedly opposed the terms of the contract extension that Ujiri signed with the club in 2021, which has two years left on it.
Nets guard Ben Simmons, who underwent back surgery in March, is on track to fully participate in training camp next month, agent Bernie Lee tells veteran NBA reporter Chris Haynes (Twitter link). “Ben is fully cleared and is a full participant for the start of camp,” Lee said. “He is excited to get started.”
A U.S. District Court judge in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a woman who accused Knicks team owner James Dolan of sexual assault, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. The suit, which was filed in January, referenced incidents that took place in 2013 and 2014 allegedly involving Dolan and former Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein. A Dolan spokesperson referred to the suit as “a malicious attempt to assert horrific allegations by an attorney who subverts the legal system for personal gain,” while the accuser’s attorneys said they’ll be appealing the court’s decision and will continue to pursue their client’s sexual battery claims against Dolan and Weinstein.

Southwest Notes: Jones, DeRozan, Rose, Pippen Jr., Thompson

September 17th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tre Jones has started 113 games for the Spurs at the point over the past two seasons. He’ll likely be relegated to the second unit this season with the free agent addition of Chris Paul. Jones isn’t upset about losing his starting job to a future Hall of Famer, as he told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

“It was extreme excitement right away,” Jones said of the Spurs signing Paul. “To be able to learn from a generational point guard like that, it’s something I’ll never take for granted.”

Jones looks at the upcoming season as a learning experience.

“He’s a guy who thinks the game at such a high level,” he said. “He’s been on some of the best teams and been around some of the greatest to play the game. He’s gone to the Finals. He’s been in huge moments in the playoffs. Just being able to pick his brain and learn from him all year – I’m going to take full advantage of that.”

It’s a crucial season for Jones — he’s entering his walk year and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Spurs showed some interest in bringing free agent wing DeMar DeRozan back to San Antonio, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports. At the same time, the Spurs made it clear they would be willing to help him get to the team of his choice by helping facilitate a three-team trade. And that’s exactly what happened, as DeRozan was dealt by the Bulls in a sign-and-trade transaction to the Kings in a three-team swap. Harrison Barnes was sent to San Antonio as part of that trade.
The backup point guard spot is the biggest question hovering over the Grizzlies, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Derrick Rose and Scotty Pippen Jr. are the top candidates for the job, but Rose has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and only appeared in 24 games last season. Pippen played well in the second half of the season but didn’t play much with the team’s biggest stars due to the team’s injury issues. If neither of them emerges, Memphis may have to lean on non-traditional options like Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane to back up Ja Morant at the point, Cole writes.
Amen Thompson‘s versatility makes it difficult to pinpoint what position he’s best suited to play, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes. When Thompson was at his most impactful last season, he defended point guards, but offensively was more of a rim-running center, according to Feigen. However, Rockets coach Ime Udoka said he plans to have Thompson back up Fred VanVleet at the point this season.

Atlantic Notes: Walker, Celtics, Raptors, Brunson, Bridges

September 11th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Celtics Exhibit 10 signee Lonnie Walker IV, who has probably done enough to warrant a roster spot on a rebuilding team this year, is instead looking to prove that he’s worthy of a roster spot with the defending champions in 2024/25, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Walker is a solid shooter who has enough offensive talent to play in the NBA, but he’ll likely have to show improved defensive awareness to stick in Boston, according to Weiss, who speculates that the veteran wing could serve as a possible roster option in the event second-year swingman Jordan Walsh and rookie guard Baylor Scheierman need further seasoning.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

All of the Celtics’ top nine players from their run to the 2024 title are returning for an encore next season. With those champs’ places in the Boston hierarchy more or less set in stone, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston speculates as to which player will emerge as the club’s 10th man.
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday, ex-Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan said he believes his former team still would have won a championship in 2019 if he and Jakob Poeltl had remained on the roster instead of being traded to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green (Twitter video link). “I felt, off the year we had before, we just needed one more piece to kind of push us over the top, and that piece came to be LeBron (James) going to the West,” DeRozan said. “I didn’t get an opportunity to see what would’ve happened, but I have the utmost confidence within myself. I have no doubt in my mind the same outcome would’ve happened.”
Knicks All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson showed true leadership in agreeing to a below-market contract extension, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper also opines that the team took a major swing in trading for All-Defensive small forward Mikal Bridges this summer, in the hopes that he can help them match the Celtics and the East’s other top clubs. Finally, Popper considers the fate of Julius Randle, a critical piece who has yet to be locked up beyond 2025, leaving his long-term future in doubt.

DeMar DeRozan Discusses Free Agency, Decision To Join Kings

September 10th, 2024 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Podcast P with Paul George on Monday (YouTube link), new Kings forward DeMar DeRozan explained that finding an opportunity to contend for a championship was his top priority when he entered free agency this July, which is why he and the Bulls didn’t work out a new deal despite having previously expressed mutual admiration.

“I had a hell of a time in Chicago,” DeRozan said. “… Great city, great place. I think I was just looking for an opportunity just to win at a high level, wherever that was going to be. I think coming out of last season, that was my view and my approach on this upcoming season.”

DeRozan noted with a laugh that he had to wait for George to make his free agent decision before he was able to get clarity on his own options. After George agreed to sign with the 76ers, there were no contenders with cap room pursuing DeRozan, but Sacramento expressed interest in bringing him in and had the ability to make him a competitive contract offer via a sign-and-trade deal.

“Sac came about and they were showing interest. Like, real interest,” DeRozan said. “So when I sat back and looked at it and analyzed the team, great players, great coach. I just always remember the last couple years always seeing them light the damn beam and winning and all that.”

When George interjected to observe that the Kings have built “a movement” during the past couple years, snapping a lengthy playoff drought and gaining respectability under head coach Mike Brown, DeRozan agreed.

“That’s definitely one thing you always want to be a part of, is a contagious culture of an organization that wants to win,” DeRozan said. “When I looked at all that, I just felt like it fit. It was a big key piece that I felt like I could bring from a leadership standpoint and definitely from a skill standpoint that could kind of push us over the edge. It became more and more appealing as I weighed it. I kind of took a while to sign because I just wanted to make sure the next decision I made gave me the best opportunity to win. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

Asked by George what other teams he considered in free agency, DeRozan identified Philadelphia as one possibility he looked at, though the Sixers may have been eliminated as an option after using most of their cap space to sign George. DeRozan said he also considered another Eastern Conference contender, along with his two hometown teams.

“I was thinking about Philly. Philly definitely was an option. Lakers was an option, always. Clippers was an option. And the Heat was an option,” DeRozan said. “I’d say those teams, for sure, were the real, legitimate options for me, that I was considering.”

The Lakers and Heat are operating right up against the second tax apron, so they would’ve needed to shed salary to acquire DeRozan unless he was willing to take a substantial pay cut.

Nikola Vucevic Talks Future, Trade Rumors, LaVine, More

September 6th, 2024 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link) at Goran Dragic‘s farewell game in Slovenia recently, Bulls center Nikola Vucevic clarified his recent comments about wanting to play for four more seasons.

“I think that kind of came out wrong. It wasn’t that I want to play four more years. It was just more so that … they were asking me, like, am I thinking about retirement? I was just like, ‘Retiring?’ In my mind I have at least four more years and then I want to see from there what I can do,” Vucevic said. “But it came out as, like, I want to play four more years.

“I have two more years in this contract (with the Bulls). And hopefully I’m able to get two more after that, which will take me to 37. And at that time, I’ll have to see what I would like to do. This is more so four years of me being at a high level. Maybe in two years I’ll say four more. I said it in the moment; I didn’t think it’d turn into such a big thing.”

Vucevic, who has been with the Bulls since 2021, was the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but no deal materialized. It’s possible that will change before the season begins, but for now he projects to be Chicago’s starting center on opening night.

In his conversation with Stein, Vucevic discussed how he handles those trade rumors, the Bulls’ potential for 2024/25, Lonzo Ball‘s comeback chances, DeMar DeRozan‘s departure, his dip in three-point efficiency, and several other topics.

The interview is worth reading in full if you’re a subscriber to Stein’s Substack, but here are a few more highlights:

On dealing with trade rumors:

“I’m used to it at this point. Since I’ve been with the Bulls, I’ve been in a lot of trade stories, especially last summer as well throughout last season. So it’s just part of it. If things were going well and we’re winning and everything was great, that wouldn’t be the case. But because things weren’t going that well, we weren’t winning and we weren’t achieving our goals, then obviously change is bound to happen.

“Honestly, I know it’s a pretty basic answer, but you don’t have much control over it, so you kind of just wait and see. If they decide to change and trade me, it’s on them to do. Just like a year and a half ago I was a free agent and I could have chosen to go elsewhere. … I chose to stay and I felt like we had something to prove and unfortunately we didn’t do it. But now it’s a new team and I’m excited to play with these younger guys and I think we can play better than people think.”

On what he expects from Zach LaVine after a down year in 2023/24:

“I spoke to him a couple of times over the summer. He’s good health-wise. I think he’s in a good place mentally. I’m sure, knowing him, he’ll come back motivated to show that he’s still a great player — that maybe he kind of had a weird year last year with the injury and everything. I think he’s motivated to show people that it was just one season and that he’s a really good player.”

On the impact of DeRozan’s offseason exit:

“It’ll definitely be a little bit of an adjustment just because obviously we all know what he brought to us on the court. But I think also just his presence in general. DeMar was really liked and obviously very well respected in the locker room … kind of the guy that everybody gravitated towards and was always the storyteller of all these veteran stories and all these things and the young guys really gravitated towards that.”

Western Notes: Sabonis, Monk, DeRozan, Spencer, Prosper, James

August 26th, 2024 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings big man Domantas Sabonis admits he expected sixth man Malik Monk to sign elsewhere in free agency. Monk stayed put on a four-year, $78MM contract.

“I was actually very surprised,” Sabonis said, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). “I was talking to him a lot during the year and I thought we really lost him, but I’m happy he stayed.”

Sabonis believes the addition of DeMar DeRozan, acquired in a sign-and-trade, will diversify the offense, according to Logan Struck of Sports Illustrated.

“I think it’s going to be good for us,” Sabonis said. “It’s going to make us think differently on the court, move differently, and really read each other. We are used to playing one style but he does something at a Hall of Fame level that we’re going to have to play around and it’s going to make it so much harder for teams to guard us because we can basically score from anywhere.”

We have more Western Conference news:

Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard said the addition of former UConn guard Cam Spencer, who was drafted in the second round and signed on a two-way deal, gives the club another offensive option. “He can shoot, man,” Kennard said, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “He really can. I think he’ll be really close in our shooting competitions. Well let him get in a couple and see how he can hang.”
Olivier-Maxence Prosper spent most of last season in the G League after the Mavericks drafted him in the first round. He’ll have a tough time cracking the rotation in his second year with the additions of Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes. However, the club is still optimistic about his future and the wing’s development remains an intriguing element to monitor, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal.
The Lakers re-signed LeBron James on a two-year deal this summer but the franchise seems poised to waste the future Hall of Famer’s remaining years, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. The team needs another star to compete with the other Western Conference contenders and the front office has done very little to upgrade the roster this offseason, Plaschke adds.

Western Notes: DeRozan, Rockets, Suns, D. Jones

August 12th, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Kings wing DeMar DeRozan is staying sharp in California. DeRozan erupted for 54 points for the Mecca Cheaters in the Drew League championship game on Sunday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. The Drew League is a pro-am event held every year in Los Angeles. DeRozan was named the game’s MVP after his team erased a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes and pulled out a one-point victory.

A free agent last month, DeRozan was acquired from the Bulls in a blockbuster, three-team deal. His new contract with the Kings is worth approximately $74MM over three years.

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Rockets are doing some early bonding, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jalen Green is hosting a players-only minicamp in Los Angeles this week with Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson among the teammates expected to show up.
The Suns are hiring Oronde Taliaferro as their director of scouting, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Taliaferro, who is expected to focus on college scouting, was previously a scout for the Nets.
The Thunder‘s Dillon Jones, the No. 26 overall pick, is one of the most interesting rookies in this class, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated opines. Oklahoma City was interested in selecting Jones, a Weber State product, in the second round last year before he opted to return to college to improve his stock. The Thunder gave up five second-round picks in a deadline-deal with the Knicks to acquire the 26th pick. Jones could play a variety of positions for a coaching staff that enjoys tinkering with rotations and lineups.