USA Basketball Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Olympics Notes: Durant, Brown, Edwards, Haliburton, LeBron

July 13th, 2024 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant remains sidelined with a calf strain, but Team USA is optimistic that he’ll be ready in time for the Olympics, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Durant missed practice again today in Abu Dhabi and isn’t expected to play in Monday’s exhibition contest against Australia. He also sat out Wednesday’s game against Canada in Las Vegas.

“I know there’s still a couple of weeks before we have to make a decision roster-wise,” coach Steve Kerr said. “So we’re just taking it day by day.”

The U.S. squad has already made one roster move, selecting Derrick White to replace Kawhi Leonard, who has been troubled by inflammation in his right knee since late in the regular season. White is headed to the United Arab Emirates and is expected to participate in his first practice on Sunday, Windhorst adds.

The team doesn’t seem to have a backup plan in place if Durant is unable to play.

“It’s not something we’ve even discussed at this point because we feel good that he is going to be OK,” Kerr said.

There’s more on Team USA:

Jaylen Brown didn’t intend any disrespect toward White when he sent out a series of tweets expressing disappointment that he wasn’t considered to replace Leonard, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown was upset that he wasn’t a priority after helping the Celtics post the league’s best record and being named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. Brown also suggested that politics may be involved, as Nike is sponsoring the Olympic team and Brown has been critical of the company in the past, particularly after it dropped Kyrie Irving.
First-time Olympians Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are the youngest players on a veteran squad and will likely be part of the future for Team USA, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. The two guards are the only members of last year’s World Cup team that were invited to be part of the Olympics. “We got one common goal in mind and that’s to not come up short this year,” Edwards said. “We the young’uns. We might be in this thing a few years to come. That’s my brother.”
In an interview with Drew Weisholtz of The Today Show, LeBron James confirmed that he won’t be playing in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. James, 39, already has two Olympic golds and wants to win one more for his country before he retires. “At this point in my career, I still, I have a lot to give,” he said, “and Team USA has given a lot to me, so I feel like it’s an opportunity for me to give back.”

Olympic Notes: Kawhi, Durant, Coulibaly, Germany

July 12th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The decision to remove Kawhi Leonard from the roster for the U.S. Olympic team was made by USA Basketball, managing director Grant Hill told reporters this week (story via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Reports on Wednesday suggested that Leonard’s camp had expressed concerns to Team USA about the forward’s knee, but Hill took responsibility for the move to replace Leonard with Derrick White.

“We just felt that we had to pivot, and not to get into the particulars, in terms of what went into the decision, but we just felt it was in our best interest, but also in the Clippers’ and Kawhi’s best interest, to move into a different direction,” Hill said. “We tried. I think we all tried and we gave it a valiant effort, and unfortunately, we have to move forward.”

Asked directly if Team USA made that call, Hill replied, “We did. Ultimately he was sent home, but we were in conversation with the Clippers on that.”

Another one of Team USA’s forwards – Kevin Durant – is dealing with an injury of his own, but Hill expressed optimism that KD’s calf strain won’t keep him sidelined for much longer. It’s unclear if Durant will actually play in either of the team’s exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). However, it sounds like he’ll return to practice soon.

“Durant will be on the plane, unless you know something,” Hill said. “He has been working, rehabbing, he’s looked great. I think we’re just being cautious and conservative. I think we expect to see him on the court when we’re in Abu Dhabi.”

Here’s more on Team USA and the upcoming Olympics:

Team USA looked just fine without Leonard and Durant on Wednesday in an exhibition game against Team Canada. While the U.S. struggled offensively, the team played excellent defense against a strong Canadian roster led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray and won by a comfortable 86-72 margin. A panel of ESPN experts shares their takeaways from that game, while Bontemps passes along post-game quotes from head coach Steve Kerr and a handful of U.S. players about their performance.
Speaking to Bontemps (YouTube link), Durant pushed back on the idea that he, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry are viewing the 2024 Olympics as a “last hurrah” or “farewell tour” playing for Team USA. “These guys are still playing at an elite level,” Durant said. “I feel like ‘Bron could play four or five more (seasons), he might be here in 2028 in L.A. Steph’s still playing great ball. I’m doing alright too. So I don’t want to look at it that way. I think we’ve still got some good ball in the tank.”
Still just 19 years old, Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly will get the opportunity this summer to represent the French national team at the Olympics in his home country. He tells Sapna Bansil of The Washington Post that he views it as a “once-in-a-lifetime moment” and that he’s enjoying being able to reunite with former Metropolitans 92 teammate Victor Wembanyama. “I forgot how easy it was to play with him,” Coulibaly said. “… Even with the friendly games, he’s been doing his thing, I’ve been doing my thing. We just complement each other very well.”
Coming off a gold medal at the 2023 World Cup, Germany has finalized its roster for the Paris Olympics, formally announcing the 12-man group in a press release. As expected, NBA veterans Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Daniel Theis are among the headliners.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Grousbeck, Sale

July 11th, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, fresh off capturing his first NBA title, just signed the biggest contract in league history, a five-year, super-max deal worth a projected $313.93MM. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Tatum believes his championship has helped quiet some of the discourse surrounding him in the league at present.

“You know, just being the topic of discussion of so many debates or whatever it is. ‘Can he lead a team? Is he a top-five player?’” Tatum said. “There’s still a lot of things I guess they can debate, but I’ve done some things they can’t debate. I won a championship. I did it at the highest level. So having that under my belt, like, obviously there’s still conversations to be had or whatever people want to say, but they’ve always got to refer to me as an NBA champion.”

Tatum seemed grateful for his lucrative new extension, too.

“For me just to feel wanted, and they want me to be here and want me for the long haul,” Tatum said. “I’ll spend my whole career here and have got nothing but love for the fans, the city, and the organization. You know, we just won a championship and I want to try to win as many as I can.”

During the 2023/24 regular season, the five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA honoree posted superlative averages of 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks across 74 contests, with a .471/.376/.833 shooting line.

There’s more out of Boston:

Tatum’s All-Star teammate Jaylen Brown appeared miffed to have been passed over to replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA in favor of another Celtics wing, Derrick White, Himmelsbach writes in a separate piece. Brown posted an emoji-packed tweet expressing his apparent displeasure. Sources confirmed to Brian Robb of MassLive that the 6’6″ small forward was indeed frustrated by the choice. Team USA managing director Grant Hill explained the decision on Wednesday. “This is about putting together a team,” Hill told gathered media. “Just kind of overall, you have incredible interest from an abundance of talent that we have here in the United States. I’ve talked a little about when we assembled this roster.”
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck recently revealed his intentions to sell his stake in the team. Now, Grousbeck has outlined some supplemental details of the plan, Robb notes in an additional article. “I want to clarify, it’s not my majority stake,” Grousbeck said. “The control of the team is owned by my family, so it’s a family that I belong to and then I have the Celtics family I also belong to, so there’s an intersection and there’s an involvement.” According to Robb, Grousbeck hopes to sell the majority of his family’s ownership stake early next year. “The plan, the expectation is to sell the team in two parts, 51 percent going fairly soon,” Grousbeck said. “49 percent then closing in a second closing, that’s the expectation in 2028. I’m planning or expected to stay on until 2028 (as governor) and we’re going to hire bankers and advisors and this is going to be quite a bidding process.”
Grousbeck may be selling his portion of the Celtics chiefly because of long-term family estate planning, writes Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. Boston is valued at an estimated $5.12 billion by Sportico, Novy-Williams adds.

Derrick White Replaces Kawhi Leonard On Team USA Roster

July 10th, 2024 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

11:05am: As first confirmed by Spears (via Twitter), White has officially replaced Leonard on Team USA’s roster, according to a press release.

“I am happy to announce that Derrick will compete at his first Olympic Games on the heels of a championship season in Boston,” managing director Grant Hill said in a statement. “We look forward to him joining the team in the coming days as we continue preparations for Paris. “I want to thank Kawhi for his commitment to the USA Men’s National Team. He earned the opportunity to represent the United States, but USA Basketball and Clippers leadership felt it’s important to allow Kawhi to prepare for the NBA season.”

Team USA now features three members of the defending champion Celtics, with White joining teammates Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.

9:57am: Star Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will withdraw from Team USA’s roster ahead of the Olympics in Paris, sources tell Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic (Twitter link).

USA Basketball intends to name a replacement for Leonard on the 12-team roster that will travel to Paris, with Celtics guard Derrick White considered a strong candidate, according to Charania and Vardon.

Leonard was sidelined at the end of the 2023/24 season due to right knee inflammation. He missed the last eight games of the regular season and first game of the playoffs due to the ailment, returned for Game 2 and Game 3 vs. Dallas, then sat out the final three contests of the Clippers’ first-round loss.

After reporting to Team USA’s training camp, he said over the weekend that his knee had improved in recent weeks enough for him to play this summer. Neither The Athletic’s report nor USA Basketball’s official statement (Twitter link) on Leonard’s exit from the team specifically mentions that knee, but it sounds as if the forward’s health is the motivating factor for the decision.

“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas,” Team USA’s statement reads. “He felt ready to compete. However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it’s in his best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris.”

While that statement suggests the decision was made by the Clippers and Team USA, Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link) hears from a source that Leonard’s camp reached out a couple days ago to USA Basketball to express concern.

Team USA Notes: Edwards, Durant, Leonard, LeBron

July 8th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards declared himself “the No. 1 option” for Team USA during a media session on Sunday, but that’s not how he really views his place on the squad, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Vardon suggests that Edwards may have been performing a little bit when talking to reporters, defaulting to the brash personality that has helped him become one of the NBA’s most recognizable figures at age 22. Outside of the media spotlight, Edwards acknowledged that he’s teaming up with some of the greatest players of all time.

“We got LeBron (James), (Kevin Durant) and (Stephen Curry),” Edwards told Vardon. “So I don’t feel like nobody can beat those three by themselves on the court. You mix in two of us regular guys, we’ll be all right.”

Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are the only returning players from the U.S. contingent that failed to win a medal at last year’s FIBA World Cup. Edwards became a star on that team after initially being projected for a sixth-man slot, but he knows it will be more difficult to earn a consistent role while playing with legends.

“They mentioned some guys might not play some games, or might not play many minutes,” Edwards said. “I don’t mind. Like I said, I’m playing alongside Hall of Famers. So I’m just here. But if they need me, I’ll be one call away.”

There’s more on Team USA:

A strained calf forced Durant to sit out the first two days of training camp, Vardon adds along with Shams Charania in a separate story for The Athletic. Coach Steve Kerr said the injury isn’t considered serious, but the Suns forward may miss Wednesday’s first exhibition game against Canada. “We’re just going to use an abundance of caution,” Kerr said. “It’s not bad. He’s assuring me that it’s not bad. We’re just going to be really careful and take it day by day.”
Kawhi Leonard had fears that lingering inflammation in his right knee might cause him to miss the Olympics, but he’s experienced enough improvement that he expects to be ready to play, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Yeah, but this is just my journey, so whatever … I can’t lay out the perfect script for me,” Leonard said. “Last year, I tried to play as much as possible, felt great. And at a certain period of time I couldn’t go. I tried the best that I could, but it’s just my journey. I don’t want to be in a situation that I do be in, but I got to take it for what it is. And a lot of people are watching, supporters or doubters, but I motivate a lot of people.” Leonard refused to comment on Paul George‘s decision to leave the Clippers in free agency, Bontemps adds, saying he wants to focus on Team USA.
Kerr was amazed after watching James operate at full speed during Saturday’s first practice session, according to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. The 39-year-old Lakers star had no problem keeping up with his younger teammates. “I was blown away by how hard he practices,” Kerr said.

And-Ones: Team USA, Bonuses, Summer League, Draft, Tavares

July 5th, 2024 at 7:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The members of the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Paris this summer have arrived in Las Vegas, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Team USA will hold a pre-Olympic camp in Vegas from July 6-8 and will be joined by a 15-man Select Team for scrimmaging purposes.

Led by LeBron James (two Olympic gold medals, 20 All-Star berths) and Kevin Durant (three gold medals, 14 All-Star berths), the 12-man Olympic roster is as formidable as any team USA Basketball has fielded in the 21st century, with 84 combined All-Star nods. It will make picking a starting lineup a challenging task for head coach Steve Kerr.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Kerr said on Friday, per Reynolds. “I’m guessing that all 12 players on this roster will be in the Hall of Fame someday. So, how do you pick five out of 12? The idea is, you find combinations that click, and you find two-way lineups that can be effective at both ends. Our big job in Las Vegas is to find five-man combinations that fit and to just ask all 12 guys to fully commit to the goal of winning a gold medal no matter what it looks like, no matter who’s playing.”

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

Expect NBA teams to include unlikely incentives less frequently in player contracts going forward, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Those unlikely bonuses don’t count against the cap if they’re not earned, but they do count when determining a team’s position relative to the tax aprons, giving high-spending teams less wiggle room below those aprons. For instance, the Heat – who are operating in between the first and second aprons – would presumably prefer not to have to account for the $1.5MM unlikely bonus Tyler Herro would earn for winning Defensive Player of the Year.
With the Bulls, Magic, Nets, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, and Hawks among the teams announcing their Summer League rosters on Friday, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points has updated his tracker of the Summer League squads from around the NBA.
While no concrete decisions have been made yet about next year’s draft schedule, the expectation is that the NBA will want the second round (ie. the second day) to start in the evening instead of the afternoon, Marc Stein writes at his Substack. The second day of the 2024 draft began at 4:00 pm Eastern time on June 27 so as not to compete with the U.S. presidential debate that was scheduled for that evening.
There had been some speculation in the spring that Walter Tavares might try to make an NBA comeback this summer, but the former Hawks and Cavaliers big man – who has been a star in Europe since 2017 – won’t be going anywhere, having signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid, the Spanish team announced in a press release. The all-time EuroLeague blocks leader, Tavares has won a pair of EuroLeague championships with Madrid in 2018 and 2023.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Team USA, Las Vegas, Bronny

July 5th, 2024 at 11:50am CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers have agreed to a new two-year contract with LeBron James that features a player option for 2025/26 and a full no-trade clause. It will likely either be for the maximum salary or just under the max.

Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times argues James’ lucrative new contract is a mistake from a team-building perspective and confirmation that the club’s offseason has been a failure to this point. Plaschke points to L.A.’s fruitless pursuits of Dan Hurley and Klay Thompson — both of whom reportedly accepted less money than the Lakers were offering — as evidence of how negatively the team is currently viewed, particularly when it comes to championship contention.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Will James be a starter for Team USA at the Olympics in Paris? Joe Vardon of The Athletic explores that question, writing that while there’s a case to be made that the 39-year-old would be better suited to come off the bench, two sources close to the situation “cast serious doubt” on the possibility. Those same sources told Vardon that James will likely be the Americans’ starting point forward, allowing Stephen Curry to play more off the ball. Vardon also ponders which other players from the star-studded roster will start and the potential roles for the reserves.
There have been several reports indicating that James’ playing career could end in a year or two. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter video link via First Take), James will be weighing a couple of factors as he decides how long he wants to play. “The biggest thing, other than health, that we’re gonna see that is going to determine when the end of LeBron’s career is when the owners of the league set forth a timeline about when they’re gonna establish that expansion team in Las Vegas,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “Now, nothing is assured … but I suspect once the TV rights deals get wrapped up … they’re gonna bring expansion to the table. … (James) wants to join up with partners to become the face of the franchise in Las Vegas.” Windhorst acknowledges that several factors would have to line up perfectly for that scenario to come to fruition.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers five paths the Lakers could take to improve their roster, with some scenarios more plausible than others.
The Lakers expect second-rounder Bronny James to spend most of his rookie season in the NBA G League, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter (YouTube link). LeBron’s eldest son was the No. 55 pick of last month’s draft.

USA Basketball Announces 15-Man Select Team

June 28th, 2024 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

USA Basketball has announced in a press release that a 15-man Select Team will train with the U.S. Olympic squad as it prepares for the upcoming Olympics. The Select Team, which is made up mostly of younger players and some who have previous Team USA experience, will work out with the men’s national team in Las Vegas from July 6-8.

The members of the Select Team are as follows:

Jalen Duren (Pistons)
Cooper Flagg (Duke)
Langston Galloway (free agent)
Nigel Hayes-Davis (Fenerbahce)
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Warriors)
Jaime Jaquez (Heat)
Brandon Miller (Hornets)
Trey Murphy (Pelicans)
Keegan Murray (Kings)
Brandin Podziemski (Warriors)
Micah Potter (Jazz/two-way FA)
Payton Pritchard (Celtics)
Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets)
Jalen Suggs (Magic)
Amen Thompson (Rockets)

Perhaps the most notable name on the list is Flagg, who has committed to Duke and will begin his first college basketball season in the fall. He’s viewed as a strong candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Duren, Galloway, Murphy, Murray, and Pritchard were part of the U.S. Select Team that trained with the national team ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

It’s possible some of these players will use their Select Team experience as a springboard to represent Team USA in international competitions down the road. Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton are among the players on this year’s Olympic team that were members of a Select Team earlier in their respective careers.

The select team will be coached by Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, who will be joined by assistants Jim Boylen and Matt Painter. Boylen, a former Bulls head coach and current Pacers assistant, was Team USA’s head coach during the qualifying contests. Painter has been the longtime head coach at Purdue.

Leonard, Haliburton, Embiid Expected To Be Ready For Team USA

June 27th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Steve Kerr expects a fully healthy roster when Team USA begins training for the Olympics next week in Las Vegas, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Sixers center Joel Embiid, who were all sidelined with injuries late in the season or during the playoffs, are likely to participate.

Right knee inflammation prevented Leonard from playing in the final eight games of the regular season and limited him to two playoff games as L.A. lost to Dallas in the first round. Kerr cautioned that there could still be a late surprise, but staff members have been in frequent contact with Leonard and they expect him to be ready for camp. Sources tell Vardon that there’s no new structural damage to Leonard’s knee, and the inflammation is the result of previous surgeries.

Haliburton suffered a strained left hamstring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and wasn’t able to return as Indiana was swept by Boston. He was concerned about his availability for the Olympics when the injury occurred, but Vardon states that the Pacers training staff always believed he would be ready in time.

Embiid missed more than two months after meniscus surgery on his left knee in late January. He was back in time for the playoffs, but appeared to be affected by the knee during the first-round series with New York. He also experienced a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which causes weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles.

Training camp for team USA will open July 6, followed by an exhibition game against Canada four days later in Las Vegas. The team will travel to Abu Dhabi and London for more exhibition contests before heading to Paris.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to see limited action when Greece takes on the Bahamas this afternoon, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24. A left calf strain forced Antetokounmpo to miss all of Milwaukee’s first-round series with Indiana. Greece has to advance through an Olympic qualifying tournament next week to earn a spot in the Summer Games.

Stein’s Latest: Brown, Van Gundy, Coaching Carousel, More

June 19th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors are still determining how they plan to move forward with Bruce Brown‘s $23MM team option for 2024/25, NBA insider Marc Stein relays in his latest around-the-league notebook. The Pacers originally signed Brown to the two-year, $45MM deal last summer in a successful effort to poach him from Denver, then traded him as part of a package to acquire Pascal Siakam.

According to Stein, numerous teams expect the Raptors to pick up that option to help facilitate a trade further down the road.

Brown played in 67 games (44 starts) between the Pacers and Raptors last season, averaging 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists contest one year after helping Denver win the championship.

We have more from Stein:

Before joining Tyronn Lue‘s staff in Los Angeles as an assistant, Jeff Van Gundy was pursued by the New Zealand Breakers of Australia’s National Basketball League to be their head coach, Stein reports. The Breakers formally requested permission from the Celtics to interview Van Gundy, who spent the year as a special adviser in Boston’s basketball operations room, but were told he had another coaching opportunity lined up already (with the Clippers).
J.J. Redick is the overwhelming favorite to be hired as the Lakers‘ head coach, while James Borrego is still considered the frontrunner to get the Cavaliers‘ job, according to Stein. Though he cautions that anything can happen, as of Wednesday Stein expects those two positions to be filled by those candidates soon.
Jayson Tatum and Derrick White‘s contract extensions with the Celtics are viewed as inevitable, Stein writes. Tatum is eligible for a five-year, $315MM deal that would make him the highest-paid player in NBA history.
Klay Thompson is in Houston training with Team Bahamas ahead of Olympic qualifiers, but likely would never have been able to participate in the tournament due to the timing of the event (July 2-7). An unrestricted free agent with an injury history, Thompson — like other free agents — can’t officially sign a new contract until July 6, making any play before then an unnecessary risk. Even if he were willing to make that risk, Thompson likely wouldn’t have received clearance from USA Basketball anyways after the organization was criticized last year for allowing Eric Gordon to join the Bahamas, which won a pre-qualifying tournament, Stein writes.
Stein confirms reports that Atlanta has been unable to secure an in-person workout with Alexandre Sarr, increasing rumblings that the Hawks may select Zaccharie Risacher first overall.