USA Basketball

Stein’s Latest: Curry, James, Embiid, Yurtseven, Micic

August 18th, 2024 at 3:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry is eligible for a one-season, $62.6MM contract extension prior to October 21. He could also wait until the 2025 offseason to seek a two-year deal worth a projected $130MM, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

Stein notes that, having missed out on Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen and Sixers All-Star Paul George, Golden State continues looking for opportunities to upgrade the roster via trade. The Warriors believe they have the current and future assets necessary to do just that.

Last year’s Warriors went 46-36, finishing with just the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. Golden State failed to make the playoffs after falling to the Kings in the play-in tournament.

Curry, 36, had yet another excellent individual year. The 10-time All-Star averaged 26.4 points on .450/.408/.923 shooting splits, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in 74 games.

Here are some other key notes from Stein’s newest Substack article:

According to Stein, there’s a belief that the Lakers would have “reluctantly” engaged in trade discussions to send All-NBA combo forward LeBron James to the Warriors, so he could join then-future Team USA colleague Curry and friend Draymond Green, if that’s what James had wanted. However, Stein’s sources say that Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent, urged both L.A. and Golden State to scrap the idea — in part because Paul didn’t want James to be faced with criticism for jumping teams for a fourth time.
Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid, fresh off winning his first Olympic gold medal for Team USA this summer, hinted that he might be interested in playing for his native Cameroon during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. However, as Stein writes, a player over the age of 17 can only change his country affiliation if he receives clearance from FIBA and his previous country (in this case, USA Basketball). Stein is skeptical that Embiid will be permitted to do so.
According to Stein, free agent center Omer Yurtseven was one of several players to recently work out for the Knicks, who opted not to sign him at that time. Greek club Panathinaikos reportedly remains intrigued by the 7-footer. New York lost its 2023/24 starting center, Isaiah Hartenstein, to the Thunder in free agency, and no doubt needs to get creative filling out its frontcourt depth, so Yurtseven would have made sense as a fringe rotation option. Across three NBA seasons with the Heat and Jazz, the big man has appeared in 113 contests (24 starts), averaging 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.7 steals per night.
Hornets point guard Vasilije Micic is considered a potential down-the-road trade target for the Nuggets, given his close relationship with Nikola Jokic, Stein writes. Micic may not be a practical option for Denver at this point though, given his $7.7MM salary and the team’s proximity to the tax aprons. Acquired midway through his 2023/24 rookie season, the 6’5″ guard averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 assists across 30 games for Charlotte down the stretch.

Western Notes: Mills, Booker, Mavericks

August 17th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Tristan Tucker

New Jazz guard Patty Mills is a respected veteran who has been a key part of several contenders and championship winners across the span of his 15-year career. That’s what made him an appealing target for Utah, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes.

As Jones observes, Mills and Jazz coach Will Hardy crossed over in San Antonio and Hardy observed as Mills worked hard to become the player who helped the Spurs win a ring in 2014. Mills isn’t the player he was a decade ago, but his hard work and veteran guidance could help aid Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and others in their professional development.

Jones notes that the Jazz have been interested in Mills for a while now and almost acquired him at the February trade deadline. The guard was eventually bought out from Atlanta and finished the 2023/24 season with Miami. While the Jazz won’t officially announce the signing quite yet as they continue exploring taking in salaries from trades, it says a lot about Mills that he was able to land a guaranteed deal with the team.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Stars like Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant rightfully dominated Olympic headlines as the U.S. brought home the gold, but there were impressive showings up and down the roster. One such “unsung” player is Devin Booker, Doug Haller of The Athletic writes. Haller ponders whether Booker will gain more respect as he enters his 10th NBA season, arguing that he isn’t as “strongly appreciated” as he should be outside of Arizona.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard praised Booker for his role on the Olympic team, saying he was able to put his head down and fill various team needs, Dana Scott of Arizona Republic writes. “Watching the games, I thought it was extremely obvious that he went into it with that mentality,” Lillard said of Booker. “Like, ‘I’m gonna pick guys up, I’m gonna get into the ball, make open shots, I’m gonna compete for the team.’ I think it takes a special type of person to take that role when there’s so many outside voices and people talking about every little thing, and he definitely did that.” Lillard sees the Suns superstar as holding a critical role on the 2028 iteration of Team USA.
The Mavericks are holding their training camp in Las Vegas this year, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com relays. They’ll train on UNLV’s campus from Oct. 1-4 before returning to Dallas, where they play Memphis in their preseason opener on Oct. 7.

Team USA Notes: Curry, LeBron, Durant, Haliburton, Banchero

August 13th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Could some of the gold-medal winners from Team USA pair up in the future on an NBA team? Sam Amick of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that superstar-laden teams are sometimes born out of their bonding experiences with USA Basketball.

A LeBron James–Stephen Curry pairing seems unlikely now that LeBron’s son is on the Lakers roster and Curry would like to finish his career with the Warriors. Could Golden State eventually wind up with Durant-Curry reunion or a Devin Booker–Curry backcourt? Suns owner Mat Ishbia has squashed talk of trading his stars but Amick speculates that could change if Phoenix flops in the postseason again.

We have more USA Basketball-related news:

If Kevin Durant wants to play for Team USA in Los Angeles, team officials would like to have him back, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (hat tip to Zach Bachar of Bleacher Report). “I would not rule out KD playing, and I talked with Team USA officials, and they would give him a provisional yes right now,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. Durant has already set the Olympic record with four gold medals in men’s basketball. Durant, who averaged 13.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in Paris off the bench, will be 39 in 2028.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hopes to retain his spot on Team USA in future Olympics, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. He informed managing director Grant Hill that he’d welcome an invite to the Los Angeles Games. “I’ve told Grant — I’ve said it many times — I want to represent USA Basketball for as long as I can,” Haliburton said. He was essentially the 12th man on this year’s squad, averaging 8.8 minutes in three appearances. He was dealing with a minor leg injury during the tournament.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero, a member of USA’s last World Cup team, was under serious consideration for the Paris Olympics, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. He’s a player Hill wants to feature in future Olympics. In the same piece, Vardon speculates which players from this year’s gold medal squad might be back for 2028.

Western Notes: Durant, Holmgren, Williams, Wolves, Grizzlies

August 13th, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant admits that retirement has crossed his mind, the Suns superstar revealed on the latest episode of TV One’s “Raising Fame” (hat tip to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic).

“As I get older in the league and the league is getting younger, I tend to think about retirement more,” the Suns forward said. “… Should I stop thinking about it? What is that? But it creeps in my mind for sure.”

Durant, 35, remains one of the league’s most productive players — he averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game last season. He has also battled his share of injuries in recent years, though he was durable enough to start 75 regular-season games for the Suns in the 2023/24 season. Durant is entering the third year of his four-year, $194.2MM contract.

Durant has been in the league since 2007, when he was the second overall pick of the draft.

We have more from the Western Conference:

With the Olympics still fresh on everyone’s mind, will a couple of Thunder players represent Team USA in 2028? Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman explores that question in his latest mailbag. Lorenzi speculates that Chet Holmgren has a strong chance to be on that 12-man U.S. roster, noting that his skill set translates well to the international game. He’s a shot-blocker and rim protector who stretches out defenses with his range at the offensive end. Jalen Williams could also be in the mix as a combo wing if his game continues to develop as expected.
The Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx have agreed to a multiyear corporate sponsorship deal with Sezzle Inc., which includes a jersey patch sponsorship, according to Nick Williams of the Star Tribune. Terms of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed but those sponsorship deals around the league are expected to average $10MM for the upcoming season. The Wolves, according to Williams, are expected to earn near the average via their sponsorship.
The Grizzlies, who were overwhelmed by injuries to key players last season, didn’t do much this offseason beyond drafting two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey to fill their void in the middle and re-signing Luke Kennard on a one-year deal. They also hired six new assistant coaches. Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal gives the front office high marks for its approach to this offseason.

Team USA Notes: Booker, Curry, Legacies, Durant

August 11th, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Though Devin Booker generally wasn’t one of Team USA’s primary offensive options in the club’s run to gold at the Paris Olympics, ranking just fifth on the team in points per game, head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that the Suns’ All-Star guard provided an essential, steady two-way presence, David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“He was incredible this entire round,” Kerr said of Booker’s play during the knockout games. “Just what he does, play to play to play. Rock solid. Completely changed his role from the NBA to now. He was kind of our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”

There’s more out of Team USA:

During the 98-87 gold medal game win against Team France on Saturday, 10-time Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry saved the day by shooting 4-of-4 from long range in the game’s final three minutes, making his final three-pointer over a double team. Even by Curry’s lofty standards, he had a night to remember, writes Aldridge in an article for The Athletic. “Coach (Kerr) reminded me, at a certain point, early, the game will come to you if you allow it,” Curry said. “And even if I was missing shots, just stay engaged. And that kind of fed into being locked in for these last two games, because the game called for me to get shots up, and knock them down. … you just stay confident, stay present, and don’t get rattled by the moment.”
Nabbing a gold medal in Paris helped seal the historic legacies of several Team USA personal, opines Sam Amick of The Athletic. Thirty-nine-year-old LeBron James, 36-year-old Curry, and 35-year-old Kevin Durant may have put the finishing touches on their international careers with this summer’s victory. It was Curry’s first Olympic medal, James’ third gold and fourth medal overall (he won bronze on that infamous 2004 team), and Durant’s record-breaking fourth gold. Curry had won gold at two FIBA World Cup events, but had never participated in an Olympics. “It’s everything I imagined, and more,” Curry said. “The guys in that locker room, we all signed up for the mission to continue USA Basketball dominance. Obviously, I understand it’s gonna be a really tough task, with some great teams that we’re gonna have to face, and there’s a sense of relief at the end, but it’s more a sense of accomplishment, obviously, knowing what we were able to do.”
Durant explained how the team that James has nicknamed the ‘Paris Avengers’ got together, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “[Team USA managing director Grant Hill and Kerr] came to Brooklyn and they tried to get me to play in the World Cup,” Durant said. “So I knew how important it was for us to be here for 2024 and kind of committed there. And I think last summer, Bron had started texting everybody, giving his input on who should be on the team and if everybody was playing. And so when you start sending those texts out, I kind of knew we were all gonna get together.” Having Curry onboard for the first time in the Olympics made it all click, according to Durant: “This was a special time. I knew Steph was gonna play, as he had never been on an Olympic team before. He had a couple of world championships but never won an Olympic medal. So it was a no-brainer, especially when them two committed. And once the team was built, I kind of knew it was gonna be special.”

Olympic Notes: France, Hill, Lue, Spoelstra, Winners & Losers

August 11th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA has defeated France in the gold medal game in each of the last two Olympics, but the challenge could be more difficult if they meet again in four years, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Both games have been extremely close, and while the U.S. will likely lose several veteran stars by 2028, French basketball appears to be on the rise.

It starts with Victor Wembanyama, who is already a force at age 20 and could be the best player in the world by the next Olympiad. He led France with 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this year and is already looking ahead to his next Olympics opportunity.

“Nobody knows what’s going to happen, but what’s for sure is we’re growing. Basketball is growing here,” Wembanyama said after Saturday’s game. “Nobody is going to take [this experience] from me. I’m learning and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple years.”

France had the top two selections in this year’s NBA draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, neither of whom played in the Olympics. French guard Nolan Traore is projected to go in the 2025 lottery and could be part of a loaded roster in 2028.

Nicolas Batum, who retired from international basketball on Saturday after a long career, believes France is ready to challenge the Americans for Olympic superiority.

“The U.S. is still the best team in the world but we’re getting closer and closer,” he said. “We respect them, but we’re not scared of them. We’ll just go out there and try to beat them.”

There’s more from the Olympics:

USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill is looking forward to a break after overseeing a fifth straight gold medal, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The U.S. won’t have another major international tournament until the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, so he’ll have some time to think about assembling the next roster. “Over four years, a lot can and will happen,” Hill said. “Now, getting away from it a little bit, just letting things play out and see how guys continue to develop and see what kind of season guys have over the next year or so. And then, at some point, you start that process all over again.”
Assistants Tyronn Lue and Erik Spoelstra appear to be the favorites to succeed Steve Kerr as Team USA’s head coach, Reynolds adds in the same piece. Kerr committed to coach in the 2023 World Cup and this year’s Olympics when he took over for Gregg Popovich.
As the Olympics prepare to wrap up, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today picks winners and losers from the men’s basketball competition. Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Team USA are obvious winners, along with France and Serbia for also capturing medals. Zillgitt’s losers are Canada, Germany, Australia and Spain, which all went home empty-handed despite high expectations, along with Nikola Jokic, whom Zillgitt criticizes for not talking to the media during his brilliant performance.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Yabusele, LeBron, Sale

August 11th, 2024 at 10:30am CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics star Jayson Tatum was often the odd man out in Team USA’s lineups, but he won’t let this year’s Olympic experience affect his availability for international basketball in the future, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Tatum didn’t get off the bench in two of the six U.S. games, including the semifinal matchup with Serbia. He saw 11 minutes in Saturday’s gold medal contest, finishing with two points and three rebounds.

“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” Tatum said. “If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028 — it is four years from now and I [would have] to take time and think about that. So I’m not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually.”

Tatum’s surprising lack of playing time was one of the few controversies affecting this version of Team USA. He’s among the best players in the world, earning first-team All-NBA honors last season while winning his first championship and appearing in his fifth straight All-Star Game. Coach Steve Kerr explained numerous times that Tatum’s minutes were the result of matchups and having so many talented players on the roster. Tatum said at Saturday’s post-game press conference that he received a lot of feedback from supporters.

“A lot of people text me and reached out and said ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate. There’s a lot of people that care about me,” he said. “I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human. … Part of being in the moment, I’ve sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or [whenever] the season is, but like I said, it’s something I’m going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It’s definitely challenging and humbling at the same time.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Former Celtic Guerschon Yabusele used the Olympics to show that he’s one of the best players outside the NBA, observes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. He averaged 14 points per game and earned second-team honors while helping France capture the silver medal. Washburn notes that Yabusele was an undersized power forward without a developed shooting touch when he played for Boston from 2017-19, but he has refined his game and gotten into excellent shape during his three seasons with Real Madrid.
It’s possible that LeBron James could eventually become a part owner of the Celtics, according to Josh Kosman of The New York Post. Boston’s longtime rival is a business partner with Fenway Sports Group and RedBird Capital, who are considering making a bid for the shares being sold by Wyc Grousbeck. James couldn’t be part of an ownership group while he’s an active player, but there’s a chance he’ll be retired by the time the sale is finalized in 2028.
The Celtics’ value has been estimated at $5.12 billion, according to Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, who report that the franchise has hired JPMorgan Chase and BDT & MSD to oversee the sale.

Community Shootaround: 2028 U.S. Olympic Team

August 10th, 2024 at 11:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mission accomplished for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, which survived a few small scares and one really big one on its way to a perfect record in this year’s Paris Games. With a fifth straight gold medal, the Americans provided a reminder of their dominance in men’s basketball, although much of the world clearly isn’t far behind.

From the time this year’s roster was assembled, the focus was on NBA legends LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant teaming up for the first time in international competition. All three are well into their 30s and are approaching the end of their basketball careers, but it’s hard to picture the U.S. emerging from France with gold medals if they hadn’t been involved.

Assuming James, Curry and Durant are retired by then, there will be some mighty big sneakers to fill in 2028. They were the team’s top three scorers, with Curry leading the way at 14.8 PPG. James led in rebounds (6.8), assists (8.5) and efficiency (23.5) as coach Steve Kerr leaned heavily on his veterans whenever things got tough.

Apart from those three, most of the roster should still be in the mix for Olympic spots in 2028, assuming good health and continued production. Anthony Edwards could be the NBA’s next superstar by then, and he’ll almost definitely be part of the guard corps. Devin Booker will probably be back, along with Tyrese Haliburton, who should have an expanded role after not playing much this year. Jrue Holiday and late addition Derrick White are less likely to return.

Jayson Tatum didn’t see the playing time he expected, but he could be one of the team’s top forwards in 2028. Big men Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo are all young enough to be back four years from now.

That leaves several open spots and plenty of good candidates to fill them. In the backcourt, it’s easy to picture Ja Morant returning to stardom if he can leave his legal issues and bad injury luck behind. Jalen Brunson should get serious consideration, and Tyrese Maxey is a rising star who will be in his prime by 2028. Other potential candidates include Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball and Cade Cunningham.

After feeling slighted this year, Jaylen Brown should get an invitation in 2028. He and Tatum will likely be joined by Paolo Banchero if he continues on his current trajectory and Zion Williamson if he can overcome the injuries that have slowed his career. There are plenty of other strong candidates such as Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Evan Mobley.

And who knows how good Cooper Flagg or any of the highly touted rookies in the next two draft classes will become?

We want to get your feedback. If you were picking the 2028 team, what would it look like? Please leave your responses in the space below.

Olympic Notes: Durant, Batum, Wembanyama, Awards

August 10th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

After becoming the first men’s basketball player with four Olympic gold medals, could Kevin Durant stick around long enough to try for a fifth? He hinted at that possibility at Saturday’s post-game press conference when asked about the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, writes Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

“Records are meant to be broken,” Durant said. “My goal was always to represent my country, my state, my street, my family name. And help to push the game forward. Since I’ve been there, I’ve done that. We’ve built on the 1992 Dream Team, and I’m glad we managed to carry it over. Regarding L.A., who knows, man? We’ll see.”

Durant is still playing at an All-Star level at age 35, and he’s under contract with the Suns for two more seasons. If he decides to extend his career beyond that, he’ll be the same age that LeBron James is now when the 2028 Olympics roll around.

Durant is one of the most accomplished players in Olympics history and is among eight men who have reached 500 career points. He passed Carmelo Anthony as the men’s all-time leading scorer for Team USA, and he recently eclipsed Lisa Leslie as well.

“For me, it’s about pushing the game forward on the biggest stage, helping USA Basketball,” Durant added. “I didn’t even think about who is the best player. You just try to contribute as much as you can to the big picture.”

There’s more from Paris:

Nicolas Batum‘s long career with the French national team ended with today’s loss in the gold medal game, according to BasketNews. Appearing on French television, Batum announced his retirement from international competition. “It was my last one with this jersey,” he said. “I spent 15 years playing four World Cups, four EuroBaskets and four Olympics. I did what I had to do: seven medals. I’m happy.”
Victor Wembanyama savored the chance to compete for a medal on his home soil, Urbonas tweets. The 20-year-old phenom was a crowd favorite throughout the tournament and was at his best in Saturday’s game, finishing with 26 points and seven rebounds. “It’s an incredible experience,” he said. “The anthem is one of my favorite parts. I know I’m only 20, but I don’t know when that will happen again. And it makes me want to cry again. It was just such a chance.”
Wembanyama was named to the All-Star Five, which recognizes the best players in the Olympics, along with Team USA’s James and Stephen Curry, Germany’s Dennis Schröder and Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, FIBA announced (via Twitter). Making up the second team are Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, Germany’s Franz Wagner, France’s Guerschon Yabusele and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. James was selected as Olympics MVP, Wembanyama is the Rising Star, France’s Vincent Collet is the Best Coach and Serbia’s Aleksa Avramovic is the Best Defensive Player.

U.S. Wins Olympic Gold Medal In Paris

August 10th, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA closed out an unbeaten run through the Olympics by defeating France 98-87 in Saturday’s gold medal game.

In front of a thunderous home crowd, the French team was able to close within three points late in the contest, but Stephen Curry sealed the victory by sinking four dramatic three-pointers in the final three minutes. Playing in his first Olympics, Curry hit eight shots from beyond the arc Saturday and led the U.S. with 24 points.

“That was an unbelievable moment,” he told NBC’s Mike Tirico. “I’ve been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a very long time. This ranks very high in terms of the excitement and the sense of relief getting to the finish line.”

Kevin Durant reached a milestone by becoming the first men’s basketball player with four Olympic golds. He made his first start of this year’s Olympics in the gold medal game and contributed 15 points.

LeBron James, who picked up his third career gold, posted 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, while Lakers teammate Anthony Davis had eight points and nine boards. James earned Olympics MVP honors.

It’s the fifth straight gold for Team USA, which hasn’t lost in Olympic competition since 2004. With 11 All-Stars on the roster, this year’s squad has drawn comparisons to the 1992 Dream Team as one of the most talented groups ever assembled.

“I think we might be the only team in the world whose fans are ashamed of them if they get a silver medal,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “That’s the pressure that we face. But our players, and you saw Steph, they love the pressure. They appreciate this atmosphere and they were fantastic.”

The French took home silver for the second straight Olympics after also losing to the Americans in the gold medal game at Tokyo. Victor Wembanyama had his best game of the tournament on Saturday with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Guerschon Yabusele added 20 points.

France became the first nation to win a medal while hosting the Games since Team USA did it in 1996.

“For sure, it’s a disappointment because we expected we could do it,” French coach Vincent Collet said. “But we have to recognize at the end that they are better. We are very close … When they make fantastic shots, that’s the difference.”

Serbia claimed the bronze medal by defeating Germany earlier today.

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