Following a wild 2019 offseason, the NBA has been in a period of relative stability for the last several months. However, there are a number of tipping points on tap for the 2020 postseason and offseason that could re-inject some chaos into the basketball landscape, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com.
According to Bontemps, people around the league will be keeping an especially close eye on teams like the Rockets and Sixers, who will be looking to make deep playoff runs after falling short of their goals in recent years. If those two teams are eliminated early in the postseason, it’s possible major changes could be made, with Mike D’Antoni and Brett Brown potentially on the way out and roster shakeups around the corner.
League insiders will also be curious to see whether the Warriors look to use their 2020 lottery pick as the centerpiece in a trade for another impact player, Bontemps writes. Most notably, all eyes will be on Milwaukee as Giannis Antetokounmpo decides whether to sign a super-max extension with the Bucks. For what it’s worth, Bontemps says every executive he spoke to expects Antetokounmpo to remain in Milwaukee.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA forward Donatas Motiejunas said he has drawn interest from some NBA and EuroLeague teams, per Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link). However, Motiejunas remains under contract with the Shanghai Sharks during the Chinese Basketball Association’s coronovirus-related hiatus and isn’t looking to get out of that deal.
- Lucas Nogueira, a former first-round pick who spent four seasons in the NBA with the Raptors, has signed with Muharraq Club in Bahrain, according to the team (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando). The 16th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Nogueira appeared in 141 games for Toronto between 2014-18.
- Chris Bosh took to Instagram to express his disappointment after not being included in 2020’s list of finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
I want Giannis to go to the Warriors!
No
Chris Bosh is borderline hall of fame.
He is easily a hall of famer. You know nothing about basketball!!!
So do you think Chris Webber should be in the Hall of Fame?
Yep, he doesn’t have the resume of Bosh but Webber should be in.
Webber has better numbers but does have the championship but then Bosh was playing with 2 soon to be in the Hall of Fame with Wade and James.
Seriously? He’s an 11-time All Star, apart from 2-time NBA champion. BRef has his HoF odds at 99.51%. Not a bad chance.
Borderline is too nice. 1 time all NBA in 13 seasons. 11 all stars but that’s just a popularity game and not an entirely stats driven roster.
Chris Bosh should feel lucky that he isn’t going in, in this class the drop off of nba talent from the top 3 to him is a massive drop.
yo Lucas Nogueira is my boy!
Not sure Bosh should ever get in
Bosh should get in. Look at ray Allen he’s a for sure HOF and he could never win by himself. Plus Bosh would probably still be a factor in today NBA if not for his condition.
There is no way Giannis leaves the Bucks if he wanted out he would’ve left by now… the only thing that would’ve made him leave is if Middleton left last off-season but that didn’t happen so I expect him to sign a super max extension this offseason.
Gee, ‘every executive says Giannis will stay in Milwaukee’ no doubt means, in commenter translation, that he’s absolutely, positively, without a doubt NOT staying, and will join some big market team with another superstar (or 2) DESPITE stating he has no interest in such an idea.