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Pacific Notes: Bradley, Warriors, Thompson, Suns

September 16th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Tristan Tucker

With the Warriors eyeing the free agent market for a possible frontcourt addition, Tony Bradley is an option to keep an eye on, reports The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Golden State is actively considering signing Bradley to a deal, according to Charania.

Bradley, 25, holds career averages of 4.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 179 career appearances across six NBA seasons. After being drafted by the Lakers with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Bradley’s rights were immediately traded to the Jazz. He played three seasons in Utah and also had stints with Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Chicago.

This news comes off the heels of the Warriors scheduling to meet with free agent center Dwight Howard next week. As we noted in that story, Golden State is continuing to do its due diligence on available bigs. The team was interested in Harry Giles and JaVale McGee before each agreed to deals with other teams. Charania mentions Dewayne Dedmon as another player on the Warriors’ radar, while Derrick Favors is another option.

As we wrote on Friday, Golden State is at 13 players on standard contracts and needs to get to at least 14 by opening night.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Appearing on an episode of The Lowe Post with ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Ramona Shelburne said the Warriors have opened extension talks with guard Klay Thompson. According to Shelburne, Thompson, who’s due to hit unrestricted free agency in 2024, could end up with a deal similar in structure to the four-year, $100MM contract Draymond Green signed this summer. That would mean Thompson could be in line to receive a three-year extension. The report that the two sides are engaging in these discussions isn’t a major surprise, as owner Joe Lacob went on record stating his intentions to keep Thompson a Warrior for the “rest of his career” earlier this month.
The NBA’s new player participation policy is ultimately a good thing for fans, according to Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic (subscriber link), who takes a deeper look at what it means for the Suns. Phoenix is among 15 teams with multiple players who are affected by the policy, which includes any player named to an All-NBA Team or All-Star Game across the past three seasons. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are all impacted by the rule, and Scott explores how that will impact each player’s availability for the Suns’ upcoming season and slate of nationally televised games.
In case you missed it, the Clippers, Warriors and Suns are among teams who are over the NBA’s second tax apron and are limited to just minimum contracts for potential veteran signings.

And-Ones: Team USA, Prospects, Load Management, Porter

September 15th, 2023 at 8:32pm CST by Rory Maher

It was reported earlier this week that LeBron James was recruiting stars for the 2024 Olympics, with several players planning on joining the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in Paris.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN (Insider link) recently crafted a 12-man roster for Team USA next summer by following three criteria: An ideal team, not necessarily the best individuals; prior success with USA Basketball; and young players who can continue with the national team in the future.

Pelton’s starting five features Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, James, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, with Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Evan Mobley coming off the bench. Donovan Mitchell was “perhaps the single toughest cut” from Pelton’s ideal roster.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

John Hollinger of The Athletic attended the G League Fall Invitational between G League Ignite and the Perth Wildcats to scout prospects for the 2024 NBA draft and beyond. While next year’s class isn’t considered particularly strong, Hollinger writes that several players stood out at the event, including Ron Holland, Alexandre Sarr and Izan Almansa. Ignite forward Tyler Smith was another standout who may have moved up draft boards, according to Hollinger, who notes that Perth guard Ben Henshall will be closely monitored going forward as well, perhaps for 2025 or 2026.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has a difficult balancing act when it comes to star players resting, with fans, revenue, and player health among the key factors to consider. But the new player participation policy is a step in the right direction, contends Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Having more stars on the court should make for a more compelling regular season, and Silver said at his press conference he had been weighing the advice of retired players, Goodwill notes. “You know, a lot of older players — by that I mean now, at this point, retired players — when I first came in the league, used to believe that they were more likely to get injured if they took nights off, that they would get out of rhythm,” he said. “In some cases, maybe (they) played fewer minutes, but they played. That’s something we want to look at as well.”
Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested this week on felony charges of assault and strangulation, but he’s far from the first NBA player to be accused of domestic violence. If the horrific allegations are proven true, Porter’s career in the league could be over, considering his history of off-court incidents. Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated believes the NBA should have a zero-tolerance policy for violence against women, though he concedes it would be a challenging rule to implement and would likely take several years. According to Herring, since salaries are rising across the board, players should be held to “extremely high behavioral standards.”

LeBron James Recruiting NBA Stars For 2024 Olympics

September 11th, 2023 at 8:52am CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James wants to play in the 2024 Olympics and has started recruiting other veteran stars to join him, multiple sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

James reached out to Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green, who are all planning to be part of the team next summer in Paris, Charania adds. Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, De’Aaron Fox and Kyrie Irving are also interested in participating, according to Charania’s sources.

Team USA is coming off a fourth-place finish at the World Cup, but Charania reports that James’ team-building efforts started well before that tournament and aren’t related to the disappointing result. Charania points out that although the U.S. has failed to medal in the last two World Cups, it has won four straight Olympic golds and James wants to see that streak continue.

James was part of gold medal teams in 2008 and 2012, but he hasn’t played in the Olympics since then. He will be 39 in December, and sources tell Charania that he and Durant, who will turn 35 later this month, are viewing the 2024 Games as their “last dance” with USA Basketball.

They have both talked to Curry, who will be 36 next summer, about forming the core of the U.S. team, Charania adds. Curry has never played in the Olympics, but he has two World Cup gold medals.

Charania states that USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill refused to comment on the reported interest from James and other stars, but he is aware of it.

Team USA Notes: Reaves, Haliburton, Anthony, Curry

September 9th, 2023 at 5:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA will leave the World Cup without a gold medal, but it may have developed a few players who will be useful in future international competitions, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. This version of the American squad was built around young talent than established stars, and many of them could return for future World Cup or Olympic tournaments.

Vardon points to Lakers guard Austin Reaves as one of those players. The 25-year-old is third in scoring for the U.S. at 12.4 PPG and second in steals at 1.3 per game. He has also regularly been on the court late in close games.

“I think I’ve been able to learn a lot from a lot of really good players, a lot of really good coaches, and basically just see that I belong,” Reaves said.

International play has often been the springboard for players to assert themselves as future stars, such as Kevin Durant in the 2010 World Championship, Vardon notes. Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards appears ready to move into that role, and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton may be as well.

“I think being the point guard with other great scorers, other great players and understand that they want to be on the court at the same time as me, they want me to be in there to get them involved,” Haliburton said.

There’s more on Team USA:

Friday’s loss to Germany was among the topics addressed by global ambassadors Pau Gasol, Luis Scola and Carmelo Anthony during an appearance on a talk show, relays Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Anthony, one of the most accomplished international players in American history, considers the result an “upset,” but not a huge surprise. “You have to take your hat off to Germany, and for Serbia as well,” Anthony said. “That’s good for the sport, everybody has to think differently when approaching these competitions. The game has grown globally. Everybody has an opportunity to go there and win a gold medal.”
Lack of size was an issue for the U.S. not only against Germany but throughout the World Cup, observes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. He notes that in three games against larger European teams, the Americans gave up 53 offensive rebounds and 64 second-chance points.
Stephen Curry is Team USA’s “must-have guy” for the Paris Olympics, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Instead of turning to LeBron James and Durant again, Rankin would like to see the 2024 roster built around Curry with Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Bam Adebayo and Jarrett Allen all in prominent roles.

Pacific Notes: McGee, Durant, Reaves

September 3rd, 2023 at 8:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings have signed JaVale McGee to a one-year contract. McGee got a guaranteed veteran’s minimum deal but that doesn’t mean he’s assured of making the roster out of training camp, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes.

The Kings have McGee, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, Neemias Queta and Skal Labissiere on the camp roster as potential backups to star center Domantas Sabonis. Labissiere is ticketed to the G League but Len has a fully guaranteed one-year deal, while Noel and Queta have partial guarantees. That means four players are essentially vying for two roster spots.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Warriors won championships in 2017 and 2018 with Kevin Durant on their roster. Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic compares those Warriors teams to the current Suns group with Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as the main trio, evaluating how Phoenix might emulate those championship clubs.
The Lakers have tried to acquire a third star in recent years to join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Do they now have that player on the roster in the form of Austin Reaves? Jovan Buha of The Athletic explores that topic, considering how well Reaves has performed for Team USA. With several weeks to adjust to his new role as a primary ball-handler during training camp, Reaves can cement his status as an All-Star-level third option, Buha concludes.
Reaves said the World Cup hasn’t taken a physical toll on him, he told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times in a Q&A session. “I feel great. It’s been better than I expected,” the Lakers guard said. “You look at it, you go down the list of minutes guys have played and nobody plays more than 25 minutes. On max, someone might play 30 minutes a game. So, it’s not really like the NBA season where you’re playing 32, 35, maybe 40 minutes. The minutes are way shorter.”

Drew Eubanks Talks Suns, Lillard, Beal, Durant, Booker

August 27th, 2023 at 3:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After drawing interest from several playoff hopefuls in free agency this summer, Suns center Drew Eubanks decided to ink a two-year, minimum-salary deal with Phoenix in the hopes of winning his first NBA title. The agreement features a player option for the 2024/25 season.

The 6’9″ big man recently sat down with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic for an extensive interview.

“It was kind of a no-brainer to go with Phoenix when the time came,” Eubanks said. “They’ve been high on me really since I had a pre-draft workout with them back in the day and they’ve always kept in touch with my agent [James Dunleavy of Excel Sports Management] throughout my career.”

Across 78 contests with the Trail Blazers in 2022/23, Eubanks averaged 6.6 PPG (on .641/.389/.664 shooting), 5.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, and 0.5 SPG off the bench.

The conversation is well worth checking out in full, but here are some highlights:

On his free agency this past summer:

“I had interest from other teams along the same lines of what Phoenix was offering, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I had an offer from Phoenix right out the gate. They were very high on me. My agent was saying they had the most interest out of anybody. Being able to go play for a contender and to play with guys like [Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal], I just couldn’t turn that down. That’s kind of how I got there.

“I got a little taste of what it’s like playing with a superstar with [former Trail Blazers teammate Damian Lillard]. I feel like every step in my career so far has prepared me for the next. I’m looking forward to the challenge in Phoenix and bringing some of what I learned playing alongside Dame last year and doing that with KD, Book and Beal.”

On what he learned playing alongside Lillard:

“If I had business cards I had to hand out everybody of the one, two or three things I excel at that, it’d be hustling, blocking shots and setting screens – and finishing at the rim. With Dame, you’ve got to respect him as soon as he comes off a screen. My screens are so effective with Dame, he would come off and be able to shoot wide open 3s. When my guy would step up and try to take his 3 away, they might do a hard double team on Dame, I just flip out of it, get in the pocket. He’s a great passer. He’d hit me and then you just go play four on three on the back end. There was a lot of that last year where I never really played with such a dynamic guard coming off a screen where I just got rep and rep of attacking mismatches and having numbers downhill. I’m a great screen setter.”

On how he can help the three star perimeter players on Phoenix:

“I’ll be able to get Book wide open 3s, I’ll be able to get KD wide open 3s, Beal, all those guys and they want to double one of them, that’s fine. They can kick it to me, I’ll drive, I’ll find the shooter in the corner, find the shooter at the wing or I’ll go finish at the rim. There was a lot of that last year that [Portland center Jusuf Nurkic] did well. He was really good at that in years past and last year, too. So I got to learn a lot from him in that regard. Just being able to play off those guys and let them to do their thing and try to make their job as easy as possible.”

Pacific Notes: Lillard, Suns, Curry, Reaves

August 22nd, 2023 at 9:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Damian Lillard, still awaiting a trade from the Trail Blazers, is impressed how the Suns have assembled an All-Star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.

“That’s definitely a Big 3,” he said. “Brad Beal, Book, KD. I mean, that’s a monster three. I think it will be fun to watch. They’ll win a lot of games and the goal is to win. As players of their level, it just has to click. They’ve got to connect. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did click, but that’s the most important thing is being able to click out there and to be able to work together towards winning.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Stephen Curry isn’t being modest about his accomplishments. The Warriors point guard expressed to former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas on a podcast that he’s the best point guard in history. “I have to, yes. It’s me and Magic [Johnson] is that the conversation? Obviously, I have to answer that way,” Curry said, adding, “Magic’s resume is ridiculous. So the fact that we’re having that conversation, that’s the place I never thought I’d be in.” Arenas brought up that Johnson was more of a “point forward” due to his height and that Curry’s style has been more influential when it comes to young kids trying to emulate him, Eurohoops.net relays.
Austin Reaves has a brand new four-year, $54MM contract from the Lakers and has emerged as one of the key players on Team USA this summer. Yet, he believes he still has plenty of doubters, he told Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “I don’t think (my mentality) shifts at all,” the undrafted guard said. “I think there’s still a good majority of people that probably still don’t think I’m that good — or any good at all.”
The Kings are adding Skal Labissiere on an Exhibit 10 contract. Get the details here.

Suns Notes: Ayton, Gordon, Booker, Beal

August 15th, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns center Deandre Ayton led the Bahamian national team to a blowout victory over Cuba in a pre-Olympic qualifying tournament game on Monday, putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds in a game the Bahamas won by 41. Ayton, who said it felt “amazing” to represent his home country, was excited to team up with new Suns wing Eric Gordon, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes.

“Definitely lit,” Ayton said when asked about playing with Gordon. “Definitely something that you never thought would happen. He’s such a great player as well. Just having a feel for his game before we both hit training camp and start fighting each other to figure out some type of chemistry. I’m glad we’re handling that early. Just us trying to make some history now to make the Olympics is truly something special.”

Asked about the former No. 1 pick, Gordon said he believes he’s an ideal fit alongside Ayton both on the Bahamian squad and in Phoenix.

“He’s going to be a threat,” Gordon said. “So we needed to use him as much as possible. When he gets double-teamed, that’s when you got guys like me to space the floor.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

Kevin Durant is a former MVP, a 13-time All-Star, and a future Hall of Famer, but former NBA star Kevin Garnett believes the Suns are Devin Booker‘s team, as he said during an episode of Showtime’s Ticket and The Truth (Twitter links). “So down the stretch, Booker’s getting the first look over KD?” Paul Pierce asked. “Abso-f–king-lutely, yeah,” Garnett replied.
Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com outlines four ways that Bradley Beal can raise the Suns’ ceiling and make them legitimate championship contenders in 2023/24, noting that he’ll help carry the play-making load and can also be a spot-up threat when others are handling the ball.
In case you missed it, the NBA has announced the schedule for the league’s first ever in-season tournament. The Suns will face the Lakers on November 10, followed by Utah (Nov. 17), Portland (Nov. 21) and Memphis (Nov. 24).

Pacific Notes: Payne, Durant, Queta

August 11th, 2023 at 1:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cameron Payne isn’t hiding his feelings about the Suns dealing him to the rebuilding Spurs. Payne admits he’d rather be in Phoenix, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic relays via an Instagram Live post from the point guard.

“Man, I love Phoenix, bro, I miss Phoenix already,” Payne said. “I wish I was in Phoenix still but hey, it is where it is, man. They’re trying to win a chip and I respect it. I feel like they could’ve won a chip with me though ’cause like, I’m tough.”

Payne was dealt, along with the Pelicans’ 2025 second-rounder acquired in a previous deal, to the Spurs for a protected 2024 second-rounder. Phoenix reduced its luxury tax bill by trading Payne’s $6.5MM salary and also acquired a trade exception of the same value.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Due to injury and other factors, Kevin Durant hasn’t played in Golden State since he left the Warriors and signed with the Nets in 2019. As long as he’s not injured coming out of training camp, Durant will finally make his return to the Warriors’ home floor when the Suns open their regular season there on Oct. 24, according to Rankin.
The Kings signed Neemias Queta to a two-year, $4.2MM contract, according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype (Twitter link). The first year is partially guaranteed and the second season salary is non-guaranteed. Queta, who played with Sacramento on a two-way contract last season, signed a standard contract earlier this week. According to Ricardo Brito Reis (Twitter link), Queta’s $2,019,706 salary for next season includes a $250K guarantee. It’s guaranteed for $500K if he’s on the Opening Day roster and becomes fully guaranteed on Jan. 10. His 2024/25 salary of $2,196,970 becomes guaranteed for $1,098,485 on July 10 and fully guaranteed on Jan. 10, 2025.
In case you missed it, the Clippers have guaranteed the final year of Tyronn Lue’s contract. Get the details here.

Pacific Notes: Durant, Bates-Diop, Curry, Joseph

July 27th, 2023 at 6:34am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant takes credit for helping to lift the NBA’s ban on marijuana and talks about his desire to eventually get into ownership in an interview with CNBC, relays Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic.

The Suns star, who’s involved in cannabis business ventures, said he reached out to commissioner Adam Silver about removing the drug prohibitions from the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Players were previously required to enter the league’s treatment and counseling program after a first offense and faced fines and suspensions for multiple violations.

“I actually called him and advocated for him to take marijuana off the banned substance list,” Durant said. “I just felt like it was becoming a thing around the country, around the world that it was the stigma behind it wasn’t as negative as it was before. It doesn’t affect you in any negative way.”

Durant talked about his numerous business interests, which he said were starting to take up too much of his time. He and his agent, Rich Kleiman, agreed that he’ll take a step back from those commitments to focus more on basketball. Durant also discussed his longtime dream of becoming an NBA team owner, preferably with a new franchise in Seattle, where he debuted in the league.

“That would be cool for sure in a perfect world,” Durant said. “Whatever opportunity comes up, hopefully I can be a part of something special. But yeah, Seattle would be the ideal spot. They deserve to have a team there again, and I would love to be a part of the NBA in that fashion. But we’ll see.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Keita Bates-Diop is a defensive specialist, but he can help the Suns‘ offense as well, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes in an examination of what the free agent forward will bring to the team. “I think you’re gonna be surprised at some of the stuff he’s able to do around the rim with his length,” said Doug McDermott, who played alongside Bates-Diop in San Antonio. “Like, he can finish layups I’ve never seen just ’cause how long his arms are.”
In a new PBS documentary, Warriors guard Stephen Curry says he still feels like he’s in “the prime of my career, in a sense of what I’m able to accomplish.” The project, titled ‘Stephen Curry: Underrated,’ traces his journey from unproven prospect to the top three-point shooter in NBA history.
Veteran guard Cory Joseph is thrilled to have the chance to back up Curry and Chris Paul after signing a one-year deal with the Warriors, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Joseph called it an “unbelievable opportunity” during an introductory press conference via Zoom. “I get to learn from two of the greats to ever do it at their position,” he said. “I’m extremely excited. I’m sure I’ll get there and learn a lot from them.”