As The Athletic’s trio explains, each respondent picked their top five NBA front offices and points were awarded in the same way they are in the MVP vote – 10 points for first place, seven points for second, five points for third, three points for fourth, and one point for fifth – in order to determine the rankings. The only rule was that execs couldn’t vote for their own team.

The Thunder were a runaway winner with 354 points, showing up on 39 of 40 total ballots and earning 29 first-place votes. The Celtics (250 points; nine first-place votes), Heat (114 points), Grizzlies (64 points; one first-place vote), and Timberwolves (54 points; one first-place vote) rounded out the top five.

A total of 21 front offices received at least one vote. The nine who didn’t were the Lakers, Suns, Kings, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Bulls, Pistons, Hornets, and Hawks.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

• Dash Daniels, the younger brother of Dyson Daniels, has committed to joining the Melbourne United as part of the Australian National Basketball League’s Next Stars program, report Shams Charania and Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The younger Daniels, who is considered one of the top international prospects of the 2026 draft class, is considered a standout defender like his brother, having averaged a tournament-high 3.6 steals per game at this year’s FIBA U17 World Cup.
• NBA executive VP of basketball strategy Evan Wasch referred to Las Vegas as a “fantastic home” for the NBA Cup semifinals and final, but indicated this week in a Zoom call that the league isn’t necessarily committed to Vegas as the in-season tournament’s long-term host. “We’re very open to all sorts of different formats for the future,” Wasch said, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “That could mean taking the tournament on the road. It could mean taking it to different markets in the U.S. It could mean exploring international markets. It could mean, for example, having the semifinals in home markets like we have for the quarterfinals to build into the local fandom and exciting arena atmospheres. I would say everything is on the table for the future.”
• While most of the top picks in the 2024 draft haven’t come flying out of the gate this fall, there are plenty of second-rounders and undrafted free agents from the ’24 class who are making positive early impressions. John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights several of them, including Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski, Suns big man Oso Ighodaro, and Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells.
• The Athletic’s NBA writers identified the biggest need for all 30 teams, with good health coming up for a handful of clubs, including the Sixers, Bucks, and Magic.

“I was trying to play through something I probably shouldn’t have played through,” Gordon told Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “The whole side of my leg was bruised. I tried to play through it. My calf just took the brunt of it.”

As Durando details, Gordon has become one of the Nuggets’ most valuable players, serving not only as a crucial part of the starting lineup but as the team’s best option to back up Nikola Jokic at center. As a result, head coach Michael Malone will have to be careful not to overuse Gordon, who exceeded his minutes limit in his second game back from his calf injury on Tuesday (he played 33 minutes), then logged 34 more minutes on Thursday.

Following that heavy usage vs. Golden State and Cleveland, Gordon is back on the Nuggets’ injury report, listed as questionable to suit up on Saturday in Washington due to that same calf strain.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

• After Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara exited Friday’s game vs. Utah early due to a right foot ailment, head coach Chauncey Billups said after the game that Camara will undergo imaging on that injured foot, per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter links). Camara has started all 23 of Portland’s games so far this season, averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while playing solid defense.
• To add insult to injury, the Trail Blazers were blown out by the lowly Jazz by a score of 141-99 in Portland on Friday, prompting Billups to tell reporters after the game, “Our spirit just wasn’t right,” according to Highkin (Substack link). As Highkin writes, starting center Deandre Ayton was benched for nearly the entire second half because Billups “didn’t like his spirit” and fans in Portland booed the home team off the court at the end of the night. “It’s tough to be booed, but sometimes you feel like you deserve it,” Blazers forward Jerami Grant said. “Losing by 40 to a team that now has five wins… We’ve got to get our s–t together.”
• The Jazz assigned rookie forward/center Kyle Filipowski to the G League on Thursday, but his stint with the Salt Lake City Stars will be brief, head coach Will Hardy told reporters, including Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). While fellow rookie Cody Williams has been with the Stars since November 25, Filipowski will be back with the Jazz for Sunday’s game after registering a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) in his NBAGL debut on Friday.

Filipowski is being targeted defensively in his rookie season, but he has responded admirably and recorded three steals against the Kings on Saturday.

“I guess that’s how it is for rookies, especially rookies that stand up to that sort of thing,” Filipowski said. “I gotta pull my big boy pants on, you know, and not back down from that challenge.”

The No. 32 pick in this year’s draft is averaging 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 55.2% from the field. In his past five games, including three starts, he has increased those averages to 12.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

• Keyonte George was benched in the second half of the Jazz‘s Sunday game against Los Angeles, Larsen writes in a separate story. Coach Will Hardy was clear about his reasoning after the game: “I wasn’t happy with Keyonte’s defense in the first half. Keyonte knows how much I believe in him, but sometimes you have to make changes in the moment to reinforce your point.” George played with the second unit and ended up playing the final 19 minutes of the game. He didn’t seem to be phased by the change after the game, Larsen writes. “Urgency levels should be at an all-time high no matter what — but we’re all humans,” George said. “I don’t know if you have a boss, but if they say you should take a break, when you come back you’re going to be on your Ps and Qs.” He’ll need to continue to improve on his decision-making, Larsen opines.
• In George’s place, rookie guard Isaiah Collier started the second half and established career highs in minutes (26) and assists (8). Larsen writes in the same piece that Collier has been the Jazz‘s only true point guard and while he’s only getting to his own shot by beating the opposition in fast break situations (he’s shooting 11.1% from three), he’s helping the offense by taking care of the ball. “We know who our scorers are, we know where the ball needs to go,” Collier said. “Doing those little things, it definitely helped us int he second half.” The No. 29 overall pick in 2024 is averaging 4.3 PPG and 2.7 APG this year.
• Thunder No. 26 overall pick Dillon Jones set career highs in points (12), minutes (15) and assists (3) on Sunday in a loss to Dallas. The Weber State product made all but one of his six shot attempts. Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had nothing but praise for the first-round rookie, according to the Thunder’s Nick Gallo (Twitter link). “He’s getting his feet work, getting more comfortable… He’s doing a great job,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s keeping his head. He’s getting better. That’s all you can ask for.“
• The Nuggets were close to trading up for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft, former Denver Post writer Mike Singer said on Brian Windhorst’s Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to RealGM). “The Nuggets knew that Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic,” Singer, now an employee of the Nuggets, said. “And they had designs on pairing Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. There was a call placed. There was a proposal and the Nuggets attempted to get the No. 2 pick for Gary Harris and two first round picks was what I was told. You can roll your eyes at that price tag, but look in retrospect. The Kings ended up taking Marvin Bagley with the No. 2 pick. I’m not saying this trade was imminent. All I’m saying is this trade was discussed and considered because the Nuggets knew Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic and they tried to exploit it.”
• The Nuggets also previously tried to acquire Sasha Vezenkov in 2016, the former Kings forward said in a podcast, per a report from Eurohoops.net. “Jokic called me back in 2016, way before he became a three-time MVP,” Vezenkov said. “Back then, he wasn’t a superstar. He told me the Nuggets wanted me. They were signing European players. But I hesitated. I was an insecure 20-year-old. After playing in Europe, they lost interest. I don’t think about it a lot, but I often wonder what could have been.” Vezenkov made his NBA debut last year for Sacramento, but he was traded and then bought out in the offseason as he decided to head back overseas.
• After a 45-point loss last week, the Trail Blazers restored good vibes by winning three in a row, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report writes. Shaedon Sharpe has 65 points in his last two games, rookie Donovan Clingan is standing out, and bench players like Dalano Banton have played well during the streak.

The Nuggets have a +11.3 net rating in Jokic’s 381 minutes on the court this season, compared to a -28.5 mark in the 109 minutes he hasn’t played. While that doesn’t bode particularly well for tonight’s contest, they’ll be facing a banged-up Pelicans squad that’s missing six rotation players, so it’s still a winnable game.

Zeke Nnaji, Dario Saric, and DeAndre Jordan are among the candidates to play frontcourt minutes in Jokic’s absence.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

• Although some of John Collins‘ numbers, including an identical 37.1% three-point rate, look similar to the ones he posted last season, the veteran big man looks more comfortable so far in his second season with the Jazz, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who points to Collins’ increased usage rate, improved assist rate, and better on/off numbers as positive signs. After deploying him as their starting center for much of last season, the Jazz are using Collins more as a power forward – primarily off the bench – this fall and the role seems to suit him better, says Larsen. Collins still probably still isn’t a positive trade asset, but his value is moving in the right direction, Larsen adds.
• Jazz rookie Kyle Filipowski played well in his fourth career start on Thursday, registering 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and holding his own when switched on Luka Doncic, Larsen writes. Of the six players Utah has drafted over the past two seasons, Filipowski was the lowest pick (No. 32 overall in 2024), but he has looked like the promising prospect of the bunch so far this season, Larsen contends.
• Former Baylor standout Adam Flagler, who has been in the Thunder‘s system since going pro in 2023, has logged just 25 total minutes across seven appearances at the NBA level since signing a two-way contract in February, but he continues to develop in the G League, where he has emerged as a leader this season for the Oklahoma City Blue, per Rylan Stiles of SI.com. “I have always been a guy that has led by example but wanting to be more vocal, especially for the team,” Flagler said. “Being here for a second year now, knowing what to expect is big for me to put guys in place and let them know they not out there by themselves.”

“I was worried that he would be a little antsy,” coach Chauncey Billups said. “And kind of do some things, just because he was just getting back, that would be uncharacteristic of him. But he never did that. He looked great. I thought his shot selection was good, for the most part. Defensively, I thought he was sound.”

Fentress notes that the Blazers are counting on Sharpe to spark an offense that currently ranks 25th in the league at 107.8 points per game. He has the ability to create his own shot and is equally dangerous from beyond the arc or driving to the basket.

Sharpe admitted feeling some nervousness about his first game of the season, but added that it didn’t last long.

“Two up and downs and I was straight,” he said.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

• The Jazz are emphasizing player development this season, but coach Will Hardy relied heavily on his veterans in Thursday’s loss at Milwaukee, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh all found themselves out of the rotation as Utah slipped to 1-7. “I have the long view in mind for all of these guys. The reality is that we can‘t play every young guy every night. That’s not how this is going to work. This is the NBA, and there is a level of earning minutes that has to happen,” Hardy said. “I think this notion of like, just getting minutes helps you get better is not true. Just playing for playing’s sake doesn’t just make them better. That’s why we have practices. That’s why we have the G League. There’s so many ways that we’re going to use all of our resources to help all these guys get better.”
• The Timberwolves took over Thursday’s game at Chicago, but not before allowing 65 first-half points to a Bulls team that was missing Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball. Anthony Edwards told reporters, including Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, that the lack of early focus on defense is becoming a problem. “We ain’t taking no pride in stopping nobody right now early in the game,” Edwards said. “That’s troubling. That’s scary. We’ve got to figure that part out. We’re terrible until we get down. When we get down, that’s when everybody wants to play defense. But if we play from the beginning, we’ll be the best team.”
• With 14 points and 11 assists Thursday, 37-year-old guard Mike Conley became the oldest player in Timberwolves history to post a double-double (Twitter video link from Dane Moore).

The No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft, Hendricks is very well-liked by his teammates and showed consistent progress early on in 2024/25, particularly defensively, after an offseason of hard work; that made the injury all the more devastating, as Tony Jones of The Athletic writes.

“Taylor is very important to us,” starting center Walker Kessler told The Athletic. “In many ways, he’s our best defender. We were putting him on the other team’s best player every night. He’s such a great guy off the floor. He’s our brother. We didn’t see him (Tuesday), but we already miss him a bunch.”

Here’s more on the Jazz:

• Star forward Lauri Markkanen is considered day-to-day after experiencing lower back spasms in the first half of Tuesday’s loss to Sacramento, per ESPN News Services. “His back pretty much locked up,” head coach Will Hardy told reporters. “He got treatment throughout halftime, and with about a minute left on the clock, was still on the table, not really able to move. So it was my decision, and our medical team’s decision, to hold him out.” Markkanen received treatment on Wednesday and will be reevaluated before Thursday’s game vs. San Antonio.
• With Markkanen out for the second half, Hardy turned to rookie big man Kyle Filipowski, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who notes that Hardy also made two other changes to the starting five on Tuesday: 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams replacing the injured Hendricks and Jordan Clarkson replacing Collin Sexton. After the game, Hardy offered an in-depth explanation for the decision to swap the two score-first guards.
• “Yeah, we’re trying to make the two groups function a little bit better, and we can do that without impacting minutes too much, impacting opportunity too much. You know, I believe in Collin. Collin knows that this has nothing to do with his play. It’s about what makes the two groups function the best. I think early in the game, the first group showed some pretty decent cohesion offensively. I think I have some work to do to help Collin with that second group, if it’s something we continue to do,” Hardy said. “But nothing with our team right now is set in stone. I had a conversation with Collin before the game about wanting to try something different to see if we could find a little bit of a rhythm offensively. And Collin’s great. He understands he wants the team to do well. He’s always done anything and everything that I’ve asked from a role standpoint, and so it’s my responsibility that, if he is going to be accepting of those things, to continue to try to think about him and put him in a position to be successful.”

“That’s hard to stomach,” head coach Will Hardy said of the injury. “He’s put in a lot of hard work. He’s a great kid, and so we’re really just trying to focus on him, his health, keeping him up, his spirits up as he begins the road of his recovery. But these are the moments in sports that suck.”

Hendricks, who will turn 21 next month, played sparingly as a rookie, especially in the first half of the season, finishing with 23 starts in 40 total outings. The Jazz had planned to increase his role and his responsibilities in his second year. The 6’9″ forward started each of Utah’s first three contests and averaged 26.6 minutes per night in his two full games, well above the 21.4 MPG he logged last season.

“This is far from over for him,” Hardy said, per MacMahon. “This is a pause button for Taylor. You can see [his work paying off] even in the early parts of this season. You can see the flashes, you can see where this could be going with him, and that’s a credit to him.”

I expect the Jazz to apply for a disabled player exception following Hendricks’ injury, but that exception would be worth just $2.92MM (half of his salary) and wouldn’t grant the team an extra roster spot, so its usefulness would be limited.

Here’s more on Hendricks and the Jazz:

• Hendricks’ teammates were devastated to see him go down with such a significant injury, as Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “It’s just put me in an emotional state,” fellow 2023 first-rounder Keyonte George said. “That’s just my brother. I didn’t know him growing up, and then building a relationship with him over the year, he felt like family. I told him I loved him, told him I’m here for him, whatever he needs.” Third-year center Walker Kessler echoed that sentiment: “The biggest thing is just being there for him physically and checking up on him. Right now, he just needs a lot of support from a lot of people.”
• Hendricks’ absence will leave an opening in the Jazz’s starting lineup and a significant gap in the rotation, according to Larsen, who considers in a separate story for The Salt Lake Tribune how the team might plug those holes. As Larsen writes, while John Collins is an obvious candidate to take Hendricks’ spot in the starting lineup, units that featured him, Lauri Markkanen, and Kessler weren’t effective last season. With that in mind, Larsen believes rookie forward Cody Williams might be the better option. While he expects Utah’s decision to come down to Collins vs. Williams, Larsen also mentions Brice Sensabaugh, Johnny Juzang, and Kyle Filipowski as longer-shot options for promotions to the starting five.
• The Salt Lake City Stars have announced their training camp roster for the 2024/25 season (via Twitter). It includes a handful of players who were with Utah during training camp and the preseason, including Isaiah Wong, Taevion Kinsey, Max Abmas, and Justin Lewis.

Hendricks’ injury occurred on a non-contact play as he was running into the offensive lane. He took an awkward step and dropped to the floor with his lower leg bent in an unnatural position. He was removed on a stretcher.

Hendricks was quickly ruled out with a right ankle injury, the Jazz’s PR department tweets. He’ll return to Utah with the team for further testing, MacMahon adds.

Hendricks was making his third start of the season. He averaged six points and six rebounds in the first two games and was 0-for-5 from the field against the Mavs in 21 minutes.

The 20-year-old Hendricks was the ninth pick of last year’s draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 40 NBA games, making 23 starts. He averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game.

With Hendricks sidelined for an extended period, more minutes will open up for other players. John Collins, a starter the majority of his career, could return to the lineup. Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams and rookie Kyle Filipowski are among the other candidates for increased playing time.

“I think we’ve got a lot of players that, they like to get to the mid-range, they like to get to the rim,” Porter said. “So we know in this day in age, teams score a lot of points when they get some three up. So I don’t have my partner in crime, KCP. He was kind of a volume shooter last year. So we don’t have any really volume three-point shooters.

“I think Jamal (Murray), he’ll shoot some threes, but he likes to get to the middy. Joker (Nikola Jokic) should probably take a couple more per game. But I know it’s gonna be up to me and Julian (Strawther) to really be the volume 3-point shooters.”

Porter attempted 6.8 three-pointers per game last season and knocked down 39.7% of those tries. His career high is 7.3 attempts per night and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he exceeds that figure in 2024/25.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

• In an interview for an ESPN Cover Story feature (Twitter video link), Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards expressed a belief that he could make the jump from the NBA to the NFL. “I told my buddies, if I win a ring in the next three to four years, I’m going to play football,” he said. While Edwards’ confidence is admirable, this claim definitely falls into the category of “we’ll believe it when we see it.”
• Within his deep dive into the Timberwolves‘ roster, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic says the trade for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle helped ease any concerns the team had about its point guard depth behind Mike Conley. “(DiVincenzo)’s been outstanding with the ball in his hands as a play-maker,” head coach Chris Finch said. “We know Julius can also create, we know Nickeil (Alexander-Walker). We’ve seen even a little more increased play-making from Jaden (McDaniels), not in a classic point guard role, but I feel like we are very comfortable with what we will do going forward at the point guard spot.”
• Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune poses four questions that will help determine how the Jazz‘s season plays out, including what the front office plans to do with its non-core veterans and how good the team’s young players can be. As Larsen notes, Utah intends to prioritize the development of youngsters like Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski in 2024/25 — their performances will go a long way toward determining whether they have a place in the club’s long-term plans.

Gupta, 42, has been in the Timberwolves’ front office since May 2019. He also had stints with the Rockets, Sixers and Pistons. Gupta served as the interim head of basketball operations in Minnesota following the 2021 dismissal of Gersson Rosas before the organization hired Tim Connelly in 2022.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

• The Timberwolves’ NBA G League franchise, the Iowa Wolves, has acquired the returning player rights to guard Skylar Mays from the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the returning player rights to guard Vit Krejci and a 2025 G League first round pick, according to a Wolves press release. The Timberwolves signed Mays to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday. By trading for Mays’ returning player rights, the Wolves can offer him a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Iowa Wolves.
• A former Nuggets beat writer is joining their organization. Denver is hiring former Denver Post reporter Mike Singer as their director of intelligence and strategy, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. In addition to hiring Singer, the Nuggets are promoting Todd Checovich to the position of scouting director. Drew Nicholas, who held that position for two years, accepted a new job with the Nets this summer.
• Many of the Jazz players stayed close to their NBA home during the offseason. Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Kyle Filipowski, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton spent the majority of the summer working out in Utah, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.

By comparison, a “maximum” deal using the second-round exception would have been worth $9,062,682 over four years, with a $2,087,519 first-year salary.

Filipowski’s contract, which includes a flat $3MM cap hit across all four seasons, is fully guaranteed for the first two years, with a non-guaranteed salary in 2026/27 and a non-guaranteed team option for 2027/28, Hoops Rumors has learned. Filipowski will have to remain under contract through June 30, 2026 to ensure he receives his full ’26/27 salary.

As our chart of rookie scale salaries shows, The Jazz rookie will receive more guaranteed money in the next two seasons than the final eight picks of the first round.

We have more out of Utah:

• Johnny Juzang‘s new four-year contract with the Jazz is worth a total of $11,425,252, with a first-year salary of $3,087,519 for 2024/25, Hoops Rumors has learned. The final three years of the deal are non-guaranteed, so if Utah were to waive Juzang next June, the club wouldn’t be on the hook for his remaining cap hits of approximately $2.84MM (2025/26), $2.71MM (’26/27), and $2.79MM (’27/28). Re-signing Juzang using his Early Bird rights pushed the Jazz slightly over the 2024/25 cap ($140.6MM) — they’re now carrying $141.6MM in player salaries.
• According to RealGM’s transaction log, the team renounced Luka Samanic‘s free agent rights as part of its series of moves in recent days. Samanic signed a contract with Turkish club Fenerbahce earlier this month.
• With Lauri Markkanen no longer a trade candidate for the 2024/25 season, oddsmakers are projecting the Jazz to win between 27-30 games, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). That wouldn’t be enough wins to contend for a play-in spot, but may be too many to give the team a good shot at a top-four pick. With that in mind, Larsen considers what’s next for Utah, suggesting that the team could improve its odds in the 2025 draft lottery by giving significant playing time to young players and/or trading away veterans like John Collins and Jordan Clarkson, even if it’s not getting anything of value in return for those vets.
• Oscar Tshiebwe‘s two-way contract with the Jazz is for one year, Hoops Rumors has learned, so the 24-year-old will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2025.

Filipowski, a 7’0″ forward/center, declared for the draft this spring as an early entrant after averaging 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 30.4 minutes per game across 36 starts in his sophomore year at Duke.

He posted a shooting line of .505/.348/.671 in his final college season for the Blue Devils and was a consensus second-team All-American.

Although he was invited to the green room for the first night of the 2024 draft, Filipowski fell out of the first round and was selected by Utah with the 32nd overall pick on day two. He impressed last month at the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 16.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG in five games (25.3 MPG).

While Filipowski’s contract details aren’t yet known, the Jazz’s announcement indicates he received a standard contract rather than a two-way deal, which was expected. Given his draft slot, a three- or four-year deal with at least a couple guaranteed seasons seems likely.

Filipowski was one of the last 2024 draftees to officially sign a contract, as the Jazz looked to maximize their cap room well into the offseason in case trade opportunities arose. They’ve been in the process of using up that cap space in recent days, renegotiating and extending Lauri Markkanen‘s contract, then officially signing Drew Eubanks and Svi Mykhailiuk.

Utah now has 13 players on standard contracts, with Johnny Juzang‘s reported four-year contract still to be finalized. The team has also filled all three of its two-way slots, so its roster could be almost ready for the regular season.

Early second-rounder Kyle Filipowski showed enough skill and athleticism to make people wonder why he slid out of the first round, Jones adds. However, the seven-footer had a tough time when he slid over to the power forward spot.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

• The Portland City Council will consider two ordinances to extend a short-term lease between the city and the Trail Blazers’ ‘Rip City Management’ for the Moda Center, according to Aimee Plante of koin.com. The current lease is scheduled to end next year but the proposed agreement would keep the Blazers at their current arena through 2030 with a possible extension into 2035. That would give Portland officials more time to develop a major renovation plan for the Moda Center, the oldest NBA arena to have never undergone a significant upgrade.
• If the Trail Blazers don’t make any trades before the regular season, 2023 lottery pick Scoot Henderson will likely come off the bench, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link). He’d back up Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe. Deni Avdija, acquired in a trade with Washington, will likely start at small forward with Toumani Camara backing him up, Highkin writes, adding that the Blazers have an open two-way spot but probably won’t fill it until training camp.
• The Thunder‘s over/under win total for next season is 56.5, according to BetMGM, the highest among Western Conference teams. The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto believes they’ll surpass that figure. Oklahoma City won 57 games last season and Mussatto considers Alex Caruso a short-term upgrade over Josh Giddey. He also sees major free agent acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein as a better backup center than Jaylin Williams.

“I’ve always told him that maybe I could have done a better job of voicing my feelings in the public eye,” Tatum said. “He always knew that I wanted him here. I would always tell him like, ‘Man, I don’t get involved with any of those talks.’

“I never went to (Celtics president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens) or went to any player like, ‘Yo, I want this guy in, I want this guy out of here.’ I show up and I want to do my job and play basketball. And looking back on in those moments, I didn’t know how that could affect somebody, because I was never in that situation. I feel like maybe I could have done a better job of publicly saying, ‘No, we don’t want anybody, we want JB.’ I just was always like, ‘I want to stay out of it.'”

The Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals in five of Brown’s first seven seasons, but were unable to break through and win a championship until 2024. Now that they have that title under their belt, Tatum is relieved that he and Brown should no longer have to face questions about whether it can thrive together and win at the highest level.

“We’ve figured out that we need each other,” Tatum told Mannix. “We have learned how to coexist. And we know we need to be the best version of ourselves in order for all of this to work. We weren’t necessarily the best play-makers early in our careers but we developed into guys that really bleed the game. We want to be a great example of guys that play on both ends as a floor and guys who are the best teammates that we can be.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

• After locking up most of their rotation players to multiyear deals, the Celtics project to have the NBA’s first ever $500MM roster in 2025/26, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. That $500MM+ figure, which includes both player salaries and luxury tax penalties, will loom large over the organization as the team looks to defend its title and the ownership group looks to sell a controlling stake in the franchise.
• Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca takes a closer look at the unconventional path that Raptors rookie Jonathan Mogbo – the No. 31 pick in this year’s draft – took to the NBA and details how the 6’7″ forward boosted his stock significantly during the pre-draft process. According to Lewenberg, entering the second day of the draft, the Raptors did some extra homework on the projected first-round picks who were still available after day one – such as Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy – but ultimately decided they preferred Mogbo, whom they’d ranked in the early 20s. Eventual No. 41 pick Adem Bona was also high on Toronto’s board and received some consideration at the start of the second round, Lewenberg adds.
• Tom Thibodeau‘s new three-year extension with the Knicks doesn’t include any option years, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. While Begley doesn’t have the full salary details on Thibodeau’s new deal, he says it’s is “in line with the current market for head coaches” (Twitter link).

• First-round picks signed using the rookie scale exception: 30
• Second-round picks signed using the second-round pick exception: 13
• Second-round picks signed to two-way contracts: 5

That leaves 10 players from the 2024 draft class who have yet to sign with their respective NBA teams. Here are those players:

32. Utah Jazz: Kyle Filipowski, F/C, Duke
36. San Antonio Spurs: Juan Nunez, G, Ratiopharm Ulm
43. Atlanta Hawks: Nikola Djurisic, G, Mega Basket
48. San Antonio Spurs: Harrison Ingram, F, UNC
49. Indiana Pacers: Tristen Newton, G, UConn
50. Indiana Pacers: Enrique Freeman, F, Akron
51. Dallas Mavericks: Melvin Ajinca, G, Saint-Quentin
52. Golden State Warriors: Quinten Post, C, Boston College
54. Boston Celtics: Anton Watson, F, Gonzaga
56. New York Knicks: Kevin McCullar, G/F, Kansas

Of these 10 players, one has already signed a non-NBA contract — French team ASVEL Basket announced earlier this week that it has added Ajinca to its roster, so it appears he’ll become a draft-and-stash prospect, spending at least one season overseas before joining the Mavericks.

That’s likely the path Nunez will follow as well. While nothing is official yet, a report earlier this month stated that the Spanish point guard is expected to sign with Barcelona on a deal that will give him an NBA out during the 2025 offseason. The Spurs haven’t been operating as if they expect Nunez to be on their roster next season, having filled their 15-man roster with players on standard contracts.

Djurisic is the other international prospect in this group and his plans for 2024/25 remain unclear. He fractured his left foot during Summer League play and the injury is expected to sideline him until at least late September, putting him behind schedule in his offseason workouts.

The Hawks don’t appear to have room on their 15-man roster for Djurisic at this point (they have 15 players on guaranteed deals, plus Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed contract), though they do have a two-way slot open. We’ll see if the plan is to have Djurisic take that spot or if he’ll continue playing overseas for another season.

The Jazz have space on their 15-man roster for Filipowski and I expect him to sign a three- or four-year contract sooner or later. Completing that move would cut into Utah’s cap room a little, so the club will likely handle its other offseason business to make sure it doesn’t need that room for other purposes — Filipowski can be signed using the second-round exception whether team salary is over or under the cap. The Jazz also have yet to formally finalize reported deals with Drew Eubanks and Johnny Juzang, which is another sign they’re keeping all options open with their cap room.

The other six unsigned second-rounders – Ingram, Newton, Freeman, Post, Watson, and McCullar – all look to me like obvious candidates for two-way contracts. As we detailed on Tuesday, the Spurs, Pacers, and Knicks each have multiple open two-way slots, while the Celtics have one open spot, so there’s nothing standing in the way of their draftees filling those openings.

It’s worth noting that Indiana has two-way qualifying offers on the table for two players (Quenton Jackson and Oscar Tshiebwe), so there won’t be room for those two guys and Newton and Freeman on two-way deals. With 14 players on standard contracts, the Pacers could give one of those four players a 15-man spot if they want to retain all of them.

The Warriors, meanwhile, don’t currently have an open two-way slot for Post. One of their two-way players – Pat Spencer – is a carry-over from last season, so his grip on a two-way spot might be weaker than more recent signees like Reece Beekman and Daeqwon Plowden, but Spencer had a strong Summer League showing, so I’m not necessarily assuming Post will take his spot.

For what it’s worth, Post was born and raised in the Netherlands before playing college basketball in the U.S., so spending a season in Europe wouldn’t be a total curveball for him. Still, at age 24, he’s probably NBA-ready. A standard contract isn’t an option for Post for now, since the Warriors are right up against their first-apron hard cap and can’t afford to sign a 15th man. That could change if they make a trade, but for now, his best hope of opening the season with Golden State would be for the team to waive one of its two-way players.

While it’s rare for U.S.-born players to be stashed overseas, it’s not unheard of, so that’s also a possibility for some of the other unsigned players from the back half of the second round.

Another potential option would be signing a G League contract that allows the player’s NBA team to retain his rights while not dedicating an 18-man regular season roster spot to him. There’s often at least one player per draft class who takes that route. Mojave King did it in 2023, Gui Santos did it in 2022, and two Nets draftees (RaiQuan Gray and Marcus Zegarowski) did it in 2021. McCullar, a late pick who is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained at Kansas, might be a candidate for this path.