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Timberwolves Notes: Connelly, Nori, Ownership, Finch

May 2nd, 2024 at 10:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Timberwolves team president Tim Connelly joined the organization two years ago with a deliberate, aggressive plan in place for returning Minnesota to contender status, writes Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune.

With core pieces Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels already all in place, Connelly opted to go for size and veteran help, ultimately rounding out his starting five with former Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley.

Now, Minnesota’s defense in all facets is helping guiding the club deep into the playoffs. The Timberwolves, currently the West’s No. 3 seed with a 56-26 regular season record, have won a playoff series for the first time in 20 years. Scoggins concedes that he did not appreciate just how good Conley still was when Minnesota acquired him in a February 2023 trade, while noting that much of the league was critical of Connelly’s decision to obtain Gobert for major future draft equity.

There’s more out of Minnesota:

Connelly also recently addressed questions about how the team will handle what could be a very pricey roster in the offseason, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (via Twitter). “I think we’re a contender now,” Connelly opined. “We have to believe it. We’re entering the second round with an unblemished playoff record. This room certainly thinks we’re a contender. Relative to what the offseason looks like, it would be unfair to answer those questions prior to our conclusion and what we hope not to conclude for a long time.” Connelly also had high praise for assistant coach Micah Nori, who finished out the closing minutes of team’s Game 4 win over the Suns after head coach Chris Finch left the game with a patellar tendon injury. Micah is gonna make a great head coach when some smart team hires him,” Connelly said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). “The whole staff is really connected and I think Finch empowers those guys, so it’s a collective.”
Mediation efforts between Timberwolves minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and majority owner Glen Taylor did not ultimately succeed in resolving the two sides’ ownership dispute, Darren Wolfson of KSTP Sports tweets. They’ll move on to arbitration, which Wolfson believes could happen several weeks from now.
Just one day removed from a surgery on his ruptured right knee patellar tendon, Chris Finch was back in action with the Timberwolves, overseeing a team practice, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Minnesota intends to have Finch available with the the team once its second round series against the Nuggets tips off in Denver on Saturday. “Finch is obviously a leader and a super tough guy,” Connelly reflected. “I have a ton of respect for him bouncing back so quickly… He’s really excited about the series and it’s great to have him back.”

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Trade Assets, Bam

May 2nd, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

A source tells Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald that they anticipate 34-year-old All-NBA Heat small forward Jimmy Butler will look to nab a two-year, maximum-salaried contract extension with Miami, worth $113MM, before the start of the 2024/25 season.

The theoretical deal would kick in for 2025/26. Butler has a $52.4MM player option for that year, which an extension would replace.

If Miami opts to not extend Butler, Chiang argues, the team could be faced with an unhappy star. The 6’7″ swingman led the Heat to three Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals appearances during his first four seasons with the club, though he has struggled with injuries during several of his first five years with the team, including an MCL sprain that knocked him entirely out of the playoffs this year.

Should the Heat decline the extension, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald speculates about the potential trade haul Miami could receive in exchange for its best player.

There’s more out of Miami:

Following a first-round playoff elimination marred by injuries, the Heat face a variety of questions about their future this offseason. The biggest, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel contends, surrounds what Miami brass wants to do with shooting guard Tyler Herro. Winderman wonders if Miami will look to trade the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year this summer, or if it will consider demoting him back to a bench role going forward. Herro is owed three years and $93MM across the rest of his deal.
With the Heat set to explore the trade market this summer, Jackson takes stock of the club’s movable assets in a new piece, during which he consulted a rival scout. The scout criticized Herro’s inconsistency both as a player and as an injury risk. As far as young players still on rookie scale deals go, the scout is high on the ceilings of forwards Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic. The scout also addressed the contracts of guards Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier, Miami being a potential trade destination for Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, and more.
One fascinating potential internal change the Heat could consider, according to one alum who still works for the franchise, is shifting All-Star center Bam Adebayo from center to power forward, writes Jackson in another piece. While on the ESPN program “First Take” this week, 20-year Miami vet Udonis Haslem explained why he thinks the 6’9″ big man could benefit from a positional move. “He can guard all five positions but he would have even more of a matchup at the 4 position where we can post him up and do different things with him,” Haslem said. “Go for a center and possibly another scoring guard.” Haslem is currently the Heat’s vice president of basketball development, and also hosts a podcast with fellow ex-Heat champion Mike Miller.

Suns Notes: Narratives, Future, Olympics, Jones

May 2nd, 2024 at 6:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After getting swept out of the first round of this year’s playoffs by the Timberwolves, the Suns face a potentially very pricey future, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

The Suns have limited options for improving the team around their current starting lineup of All-Stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, plus former All-Star Bradley Beal, center Jusuf Nurkic, swingman Grayson Allen. Pincus notes that the Suns may look to offload one of their three priciest players in Durant, Beal or even Booker to add higher-quality role player help.

The Suns’ payroll could head north of $213MM next year, far ahead of even the league’s second tax apron of $189.5MM. That will greatly impede some of the team-building options previously open to tax-paying teams under the recently ratified new CBA.

Pincus believes Phoenix will strive to hold onto combo forward Royce O’Neale this summer, and thinks the Suns should at least explore offloading Nassir Little‘s $6.8MM contract.

There’s more out of Phoenix:

Though things do look dire for the Suns now, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports takes pains to push back on five “annoying” Phoenix-relative narratives heading into a long offseason, suggesting that the team has a bit more opportunity and higher upside than it might appear. Though the Suns don’t have their own draft picks in the immediate future, the team will still have at least some picks, for instance. Bourguet also believes the club’s current core might just need more time playing together to truly become successful in the playoffs.
The 2024 Olympics in Paris could have an impact on the fates of the Suns’ stars, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN (YouTube video link) details. “Kevin Durant has reached a point in his career where his future is basically determined by him, and so where he’s at is going to be very important,” Windhorst said. “One variable… is that this summer is an Olympic summer. Team USA is gathering, and this is the biggest gathering of star players on Team USA since the Beijing Olympics in 2008. On that team will be Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, they have committed to play in it… Let’s see where everybody’s mood is after the Olympics experience is, because you know that Team USA always opens up doors for big things to happen with star players.”
Following pressers from both Suns owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones on Wednesday, Doug Haller of The Athletic seems convinced the team will not look to move on from its starting five. The club’s three stars — Durant, Booker, and Beal — only suited up for 41 regular season contests together, and key Phoenix decision makers believe they have room to grow together. The team will at least talk about acquiring a true starting-caliber point guard, Haller notes. “We’ll go through every channel,” Jones said. “We’ll explore every scenario to add and build our team. It’s important to remember that we’re starting with six, seven, eight, really good core players. And when you’re talking about building on the margins, I think we have more than enough to do that effectively.”

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Shelved For Game 6 Friday

May 2nd, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard has already been ruled out for L.A.’s must-win Game 6 contest against the Mavericks on Friday, the team has announced.

The 6’7″ swingman is dealing with right knee inflammation that has limited him to just two games this season. Injuries have now waylaid him for four straight postseasons, if one counts the 2022 play-in tournament during which he was still rehabilitating from a right knee ACL tear initial incurred during the 2021 playoffs.

During his two healthy contests against the Mavericks, Leonard lacked a lot of his normal two-way mobility. He averaged just 12.0 PPG on 45.8% shooting from the floor and 66.7% shooting from the charity stripe, along with 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 2.0 SPG.

The two-time Defensive Player of the Year enjoyed his healthiest regular season in years during 2023-24, but Leonard’s good injury fortune appears to have run out during these playoffs. L.A. inked him to a three-year, $149.7MM contract extension midway through the season, but has yet to come to term with its other injury-prone All-Star forward, Paul George.

L.A. reveals that starting shooting guard Terance Mann is considered merely questionable to play with a right lower leg contusion.

According to the NBA’s most recent injury report, 3-and-D Dallas wing Tim Hardaway Jr. will be unavailable with a right ankle sprain.

The Mavericks lead the Clippers 3-2 in their 4-5 Western Conference series matchup. The action is returning to Dallas on Friday night.

Bucks’ Damian Lillard Back For Game 6 Thursday, Giannis Out

May 2nd, 2024 at 4:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard is set to come back just in time for Milwaukee’s must-win Game 6 in their ongoing series against the Pacers Thursday night, sources inform Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Lillard had been dealing with right Achilles tendinitis of late, which has forced him to sit out the Bucks’ last two contests, during which the club has gone 1-1. Indiana leads the series 3-2, so Milwaukee must win out to advance.

All-NBA Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, however, will miss his sixth straight contest of the series due to a left calf strain, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Lillard’s return will be imperative as he looks to give Milwaukee’s offense a major boost. In the three games he has played during the series, Lillard is averaging 32.3 PPG and 5.3 APG across 40.7 MPG.

According to the NBA’s latest injury report, starting combo guard Patrick Beverley (right oblique muscle strain) will be available to suit up, as will starting small forward Khris Middleton (right ankle sprain).

Indiana, meanwhile, could be without All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who’s listed as questionable due to low back spasms.

Pistons Considering Scott Perry For President Role

May 2nd, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Knicks general manager Scott Perry has emerged as a candidate to be the Pistons‘ new president of basketball operations, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

As Begley notes, Detroit is consulting with an outside firm in its search for a head of basketball operations.

A Detroit native who got his start as a front office executive with the Pistons in 2000, Perry had stints with Seattle, Orlando and Sacramento before becoming New York’s GM in 2017. He parted ways with the Knicks last year when his contract expired.

For the 2023/24 season, Perry has been working as an analyst for ESPN. According to Begley, Perry is “well-regarded around the league among executives and agents.”

Marc Stein previously reported some other potential candidates to watch in Detroit’s search.

Clippers Notes: Harden, Game 5 Loss, Leonard, Coffey

May 2nd, 2024 at 3:23pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers guard James Harden drew praise for his strong play in the first four games of the team’s first-round series with Dallas.

However, in Wednesday’s 30-point home loss, the 34-year-old turned in the latest in a lengthy history of dreadful playoff performances, going 2-of-12 from the field and scoring just seven points in 33 minutes, per Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times. Harden did not speak to the media after the game, notes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

As Hernandez writes, Harden wasn’t the only Clipper who played poorly, with Paul George (15 points on 4-of-13 shooting) and Russell Westbrook (six points on 2-of-11 shooting) struggling as well. But L.A. obviously needs more from Harden, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, if it hopes to advance.

According to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post (Twitter link), Harden now has 13 playoff games shooting 20% or worse on 10-plus shot attempts, which is the most in NBA history since the league implemented the three-pointer in 1979/80. Westbrook is third on the list with nine.

The Clippers now trail the series 3-2 and are facing a potential elimination game in Dallas on Friday.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Prior Wednesday’s Game 5, head coach Tyronn Lue said the Clippers were still uncertain about when Kawhi Leonard might be able to return to action, tweets Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “We’re not sure when he’s coming back,” Lue said. “It’s a day-to-day thing. When he’s feeling good and medical says he’s cleared to go, then that’s when we’ll go. Right now, we’re just focused on tonight.” Leonard, who has been battling right knee inflammation and clearly wasn’t 100% in his two postseason appearances, appears unlikely to be ready for Game 6, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link via FanDuelTV’s Run It Back show).
Despite the disappointing effort in Game 5, Lue noted the Clips have a recent history of winning on the Mavs’ home floor in the playoffs, including Game 4, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “We’ve shown that past two playoff series,” Lue said of being able to win in Dallas. “We were down 3-2 [in 2021]. We didn’t play our best game and we understand that. I think we all understand that collectively. So we’ll be better for Game 6.”
While the Clippers are certainly capable of winning two straight games to advance to the second round, the Mavericks have played with much more urgency to this point in the series and look hungry to advance, according to Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group. That doesn’t bode well for L.A.’s chances in Game 6, says Swanson.
He hasn’t posted impressive numbers in the series, but Lue said wing Amir Coffey has gained confidence starting in place of Leonard, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “He’s always been able to attack in transition. He can make a shot,” Lue said. “… He can defend. He can defend multiple positions. So, just his confidence, I think his growth, understanding the NBA game, understanding what we need from him on a nightly basis, and he’s grown, and he’s gotten better and better. So, it’s just good to see that he could finally be in the rotation and get consistent minutes too.”

Southeast Notes: Young, Hawks, Saleh, Magic, Wizards

May 2nd, 2024 at 1:20pm CST by Rory Maher

There have been several rumors over the past few months that Atlanta will look to trade either Trae Young or Dejounte Murray this offseason. On his From the Point podcast (YouTube link), Young suggested he would be open to a change of scenery if the Hawks aren’t doing their best to win in 2024/25.

“Everybody knows like obviously I want to be in Atlanta,” Young said, per Sonny Giuliano of ClutchPoints. “When I was drafted, that’s where I wanted to spend my whole career, but at the same time I want to win. So if we’re not on the same page and all, I want to win right now.

“I mean there’s times teams want to take their time and be slow with the winning process and it’s just like, I’m not there anymore. Like I want to win, and I’ve always been that way. I don’t feel like I have very much time to waste, and so I just want to continue to play at a high level and I feel like I can do that and play at a high level and win.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

In a press release, the Hawks officially announced that they have hired Onsi Saleh to be their new assistant GM. A former executive with the Spurs and Warriors, Saleh’s hiring was first reported a couple weeks ago. “Onsi has played significant roles with two of the most well-respected organizations in the NBA,” Hawks GM Landry Fields said. “In addition to his experience and expertise, we are thrilled to add someone with our shared values to our leadership team.”
The Magic are facing a 3-2 deficit in their first-round series with the Cavaliers, but they’re confident they can win two straight games to advance, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “I’m riding with this team no matter who it is in front of us,” center Wendell Carter Jr. said. “I believe that we can beat any team in this league. I’m riding with my guys. I feel like we can win two in a row. It won’t be easy but we can do it.” Shooting guard Gary Harris (right hamstring strain) will be a gametime decision for Friday’s Game 6, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network relays some exit interview comments from Wizards president Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins. In addition to making “environmental” changes at Washington’s practice facility and arena, Winger said the team will likely make “incremental moves” this offseason as opposed to last year’s blockbuster trades of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.

Alex Caruso Wins NBA’s Hustle Award For 2023/24

May 2nd, 2024 at 11:24am CST by Rory Maher

Bulls guard/forward Alex Caruso has won the Hustle Award for the 2023/24 season, the NBA announced in a press release written by Brian Martin.

According to the league, the award “honors a player who makes impactful effort plays that might not appear in the box score.” The award was created eight years ago, with Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart being a three-time winner.

Some of the hustle statistics that the NBA tracks include deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs. Caruso led in the league in deflections per game (3.7) and on a per-minute basis, he ranked first in loose balls recovered and seventh in charges drawn.

Caruso, who was named to the All-Defensive First Team in ’22/23, is one of the NBA’s top defenders and is known for his all-out playing style. He ranked fourth in the league in steals per game (1.7) and averaged a career-high 1.0 block per game this season.

As Martin details, when Caruso was on the court, Chicago had the equivalent of Boston’s 110.6 defensive rating, which ranked second in the NBA. When he wasn’t playing, the Bulls had the equivalent of the league’s 24th-ranked defense.

A former undrafted free agent who made it into the NBA by working his way through the G League, Caruso won a championship with the Lakers in 2020. The 30-year-old had a strong all-around season in ’23/24, averaging 10.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 3.5 APG on .468/.408/.760 shooting in 71 games (28.7 MPG). Several of those figures represented career highs.

Caruso will earn $9.89MM in ’24/25, which is the final season of his contract. He’ll be eligible for a veteran extension this offseason.

The top-five finishers for the 2023/24 Hustle Award were, in order: Caruso, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, Thunder wing Luguentz Dort, and Hornets forward Grant Williams.

As Howard Beck of The Ringer tweets, the award is determined by aggregating the hustle stats the league tracks, so there is no voting panel.

Atlantic Notes: Williams, Martin, Tatum, Brown, Nurse, Randle

May 2nd, 2024 at 10:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

Could Bulls forward and restricted free agent Patrick Williams get a fresh start with the Raptors? The Athletic’s Eric Koreen believes Williams could be a realistic free agent target and good fit in Toronto.

Caleb Martin, Tyus Jones and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are some of the other free agents who could fill a need on the Raptors’ roster, Koreen adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Jayson Tatum said that opponents’ gameplans in the postseason against the Celtics put an emphasis to “pick up the pace, the pressure, be more physical, crash the glass, do all the intangible things.” Boston showed it could wreck those plans, at least against a depleted Heat team while advancing to the second round. “Why don’t we flip the script and be the tougher team?” Tatum told The Athletic’s Jay King. “Why don’t we crash the glass more? Why don’t we pick up the pressure on defense while still being the talented team that we are? It’ll be tough to beat us.”
Jaylen Brown‘s bank account benefitted from the Celtics’ first-round victory. With his team reaching 49 wins and the second round of the playoffs, he received a $553,572 bonus, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said that his team’s improbable late rally in Game 5 against the Knicks on Tuesday shows the value of playing at full tilt until the finish, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “Well, I think that the main thing is that — and I know it sounds very trite — it’s 48 minutes,” Nurse said. “You have to really understand this is 48 minutes and the amount of times I was saying, ‘This is only a two-possession game.’ It felt a lot worse than that. You know what I mean?”
Knicks forward Julius Randle has decided to return to Creative Artists Agency as his representative, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. Randle left CAA for WME Sports last year.