Jon Phelps Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hurley, Beal, Suns, Hield, Clippers, Warriors

June 7th, 2024 at 7:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up (YouTube link) on Friday, Brian Windhorst stressed that Dan Hurley coaching the Lakers is far from a sure thing, despite UConn’s head coach being open to L.A.’s advances.

“I know that this has momentum as (Adrian Wojnarowski) talked about, but it’s been emphasized to me that this is not a done deal,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “That there is still relationship building and conversations that need to take place that are probably going to take place over the next couple of days.”

A source tells Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link) that Hurley was going into today’s meeting with the Lakers “completely open-minded” and is expected to fly back home and weigh his decision over the weekend.

Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:

Suns guard Bradley Beal underwent a follow-up procedure on his nose shortly after the team was eliminated from the playoffs this spring, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal, who initially had a procedure performed on his nose after breaking it in January, said in March that he still had to get his septum “realigned,” adding that it would likely happen after the season.
Responding to a report that claims the Suns will be among the teams to watch for Buddy Hield this offseason, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that he doesn’t expect Phoenix to have any interest in the veteran sharpshooter. Barring significant cost-cutting moves, the Suns won’t be able to offer more than the veteran’s minimum to free agents or to acquire them via sign-and-trade, so Hield is probably an unrealistic target to begin with.
The Clippers hosted four senior guards as part of a pre-draft workout on Thursday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Xavier Johnson (Southern Illinois), Tristen Newton (UConn), Cormac Ryan (UNC), and Tyler Thomas (Hofstra) took part in the session. None of those prospects ranks higher than No. 68 (Newton) on ESPN’s big board, but they could be in the second-round mix. The Clippers’ lone 2024 draft pick is 46th overall.
The Warriors have officially named Jon Phelps their senior director of basketball strategy and team counsel, confirming the front office addition in a press release (Twitter link). Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported last week that Golden State would be hiring Phelps away from the Pistons following his decade-long stint in Detroit.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Phelps, Suns, Lakers, Clippers

June 1st, 2024 at 8:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are making an addition to their front office, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that the team is hiring Jon Phelps as its cap strategist and team counsel.

Phelps has long been a member of the Pistons‘ front office, having held a number of different roles with the team since 2014, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press tweets. His most recent title in Detroit was senior director of basketball strategy.

As Slater observes, Phelps will fill the hole in the Warriors’ front office that was created when Onsi Saleh left the organization earlier this spring to become an assistant general manager in Atlanta. Saleh’s position in Golden State had been VP of basketball strategy and team counsel.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

While the Suns could use some additional play-making, they don’t need to add a traditional starting point guard to their roster this summer, according to Gerald Bouguet of PHNX Sports. As Bourguet outlines, it would be extremely difficult to find a player who fits that bill anyway, given the team’s limited resources and the fact that there are bigger needs elsewhere on the roster.
Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times makes the case against the Lakers using either of their two draft picks on Bronny James, arguing that it would be a “insanity” to take LeBron James‘ son at No. 17 and “pandering” to use the No. 55 pick on him. In Plaschke’s view, the Lakers would only be drafting Bronny as further incentive for LeBron to re-sign, which isn’t fair to the 19-year-old.
While it happened a year later than initially expected, it was good to see the Clippers putting their money where their mouth is by extending head coach Tyronn Lue, writes Law Murray of The Athletic, noting that the team can now shift its attention to its major roster decisions. Paul George will be the focus of the offseason in L.A., but the team also has important calls to make on free agent guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook and may look to extend center Ivica Zubac, as Murray details.

Coaching Notes: Frank, Iske, Lucas, Pistons

June 29th, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers and assistant coach Lawrence Frank have reached an agreement that will see him promoted to executive vice president of basketball operations, reporting directly to team president and coach Doc Rivers, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Frank will be tasked with reorganizing the franchise’s front office, including building out the infrastructure of its scouting, sports science and long-term strategic planning, Wojnarowski notes.

Frank, 45, has been a two-time head coach in the NBA with the Nets and Pistons, and had been working toward a transition to the front office in recent years, the scribe notes. As Nets coach, Frank reached the Eastern Conference semifinals three out of his first four seasons on the job. He won 279 games as a head coach, including an 18-20 (.474) playoff record. Frank has been an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the past two seasons with Los Angeles.

Here’s more coaching news from around the league:

The Pistons announced via press release that the team has named Jon Phelps as GM and Rex Walters as head coach of the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate. “We’re fortunate to be able to fill these two positions with guys we feel very comfortable with,” said coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. “Jon was in Grand Rapids with the Drive the last two years so there’s familiarity and continuity there. We’re confident he will continue to do a good job and transition well into this new role. “Rex Walters brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and experience and has a passion for developing young players. He’s spent some time with us here and already has a good understanding of how we operate. We look forward to working with both of them.”
The Wizards will be adding former Kings assistant Chad Iske to Scott Brooks‘ coaching staff in Washington, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays (on Twitter).
Former Wizards assistant coach Roy Rogers has reached an agreement to join Mike D’Antoni‘s staff with the Rockets, Wojnarowski tweets.
Former NBA player and coach John Lucas is joining the Rockets‘ staff as the head of player development, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays.