Pacific Notes: Green, Warriors, Kings, Clippers Fans
After the Warriors were eliminated in the play-in game by Memphis on Friday, Draymond Green said the team has a long way to go to become a title contender again, Nick Friedell of ESPN writes. “We’re far away. Because in order to win a championship, you got to be in the playoffs,” Green said. “So, we’re clearly a ways away — a few tweaks here and there, and we’re not that far. But right now we’re a ways away because we’re not in the playoffs.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Upgrades to the rotation are imperative for the Warriors, Anthony Slater of The Athletic opines. They must decide whether to re-sign free agent Kelly Oubre, whose style of play doesn’t mesh well with his current teammates. Re-signing Kent Bazemore to a low-cost deal would be a prudent move, but Alen Smailagic and Eric Paschall have tenuous futures with the organization, though Paschall’s contract for next season is guaranteed.
- The Kings will take an aggressive approach to the off-season, GM Monte McNair told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “We’ll be aggressive whether it’s really (any of) the three avenues — draft, free agency, trade,” McNair said. “We’re going to continue to be aggressive and smart in looking for big or small ways that we can upgrade the team.” However, it could be difficult for the Kings retain unrestricted free agent Richaun Holmes, Anderson notes. Holmes will likely seek upwards of $15MM annually and the Kings will be hard-pressed to pay more than $12MM due to cap issues.
- The Clippers will have approximately 7,000 fans in the stands for their playoff opener, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. That’s the maximum they can sell, per local regulations. The remainder of the seats will be filled with cardboard cutouts.
Victor Oladipo Could Return In November
Unrestricted free agent Victor Oladipo could return to full contact basketball as soon as November, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Oladipo underwent surgery on May 13 to repair his right quadriceps tendon. It’s the same tendon that he injured in January 2019, which ended his season in 36 games that year and limited him to 19 games last season.
This could positively impact Oladipo’s free agent status, if teams are confident the prognosis is correct. Oladipo would have certainly been one of the hottest names on the market had he not re-injured the quad.
The Heat looked at Oladipo as a key cog for another deep playoff run. Oladipo was also nagged by a right knee injury that caused him to miss several games.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Glashow, who performed the latest surgery, told Wojnarowski that he was surprised Oladipo had been playing NBA basketball due to the condition of the tendon. Oladipo appeared in just four games after Houston traded him to the Heat.
Miami dealt Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk, and also agreed to a 2022 first-round draft-pick swap, for Oladipo. He turned down a two-year, $42.5MM extension offer from the Rockets in February.
“The quad wasn’t really hooked up. It was torn, and I re-attached it,” Glashow said. “I was amazed he was playing with what he had. I’m very optimistic that I could clear him in six months, by November. … I’m confident he’ll play next year.”
The Heat and Oladipo will hold discussions about his potential future in Miami, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.
Oladipo would “love” to return and Miami hasn’t ruled out that possibility, Jackson adds. He will rehab the injury under the supervision of the Heat medical staff and Dr. Glashow, per Wojnarowski.
Fully-Vaccinated Head Coaches No Longer Required To Wear Masks
Fully-vaccinated NBA head coaches will no longer be required to wear face masks on the sidelines, says Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The updated guidance comes from increased vaccination rates among head coaches and updated protocols issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Charnia notes.
We relayed last week that the league was discussing changes to health and safety protocols after the CDC updated its guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. The CDC announced that “fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed this week that approximately 75% of players have been vaccinated. The league also reported just one new COVID-19 positive case out of nearly 500 players tested since May 12.
LeBron James Violates Protocols, Will Not Face Suspension
Lakers superstar LeBron James violated the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols by attending an event promoting his tequila brand, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.
James was reportedly one of several big-name guests at the event, which included rapper Drake and actor Michael B. Jordan, per McMenamin. Attendees were required to provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test.
“It’s a violation of the agreed upon protocols, and, as we have in other comparable instances around the league, it has been addressed with the team,” an NBA spokesman said to ESPN.
Despite the violation, James will not be suspended, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). James’ attendance at the event did not rise to “a threat level of virus spread” and he will be available for the team’s first-round series against the Suns, which tips off on Sunday.
As McMenamin notes, James has declined to outright state whether or not he has yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Teammate Dennis Schröder recently told German outlet N-TV last month that he and James both had not been vaccinated, but later amended that statement, telling reporters, “I’m the only guy that didn’t get vaccinated. I’ll just leave it at that.”
The Lakers as a team have yet to reach the 85% threshold for fully vaccinated players and personnel, which would loosen several health and safety protocols.
“We have not reached it yet, but we’re still hopeful,” head coach Frank Vogel said recently. “And I think there’s obvious benefits from the standpoint of us being able to do more things with each other in the cities that we’re going to. Something that’s been absent leaguewide in terms of team building and team bonding for all of us. “
Northwest Notes: Porter Jr., Daigneault, Gobert, Wolves
With Jamal Murray sidelined, Michael Porter Jr. will be the No. 2 option for the Nuggets in the playoffs alongside likely Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic. Porter is looking forward to showcasing the growth of his game on the big stage, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post.
“I’m welcoming it, I’m embracing it,” Porter said. “It’s where I wanted to be. Progressing, taking a jump. I want to take a jump every year, I’m never going to be content. … I’m excited to see what teams throw at me, and how I’m going to overcome those situations.”
Porter is eligible for a rookie scale extension prior to next season.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Thunder GM Sam Presti was impressed by the performance of first-year coach Mark Daigneault during a rebuilding season, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets. “I think he did an excellent job … There was a significant amount of adjustments he had to make,” Presti said.
- Rudy Gobert only missed one game this season and his impact on the Jazz is undeniable, according to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. Gobert led the league in total plus-minus at plus-728 and ranked first in the NBA in defensive rating (100.6), defensive win shares (5.2) and total blocks (190). “When you look at other players in the league, his impact is at the highest level,” coach Quin Snyder said.
- The Timberwolves have a solid starting five, regardless of how the draft lottery shakes out, Jim Souhan of the Minnesota Star Tribune writes. They also have some good young pieces on the bench and therefore they don’t need saviors, just more experience and growth, Souhan adds.
Mavericks Notes: Richardson, Redick, Kleber, Fans
Mavericks wing Josh Richardson admits he’s not thrilled with a reserve role but he’s not going to make any waves, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Richardson is expected to come off the bench during the postseason after starting 56 of the 59 games in which he played this season.
“I was kind of upset at first, but you know, bigger picture, it’s the playoffs, and we don’t have time for anybody to be worried about personal issues or anything like that,” he said.
Richardson holds an $11.6MM option on his contract for next season.
We have more Mavericks news:
- J.J. Redick is “unlikely” to play in the first round series against the Clippers, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. After being acquired from New Orleans to fortify the backcourt, Redick has appeared in only 13 games due to a nagging heel injury.
- The injury news is more promising for power forward Maxi Kleber. He’s got a good chance to play in Game 1, Rick Carlisle told Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com and other media members. Kleber missed the last two regular season games with right Achilles soreness.
- The team will bring in crowds in excess of 15,000 when the series shifts to Dallas, Caplan tweets. The franchise will also host vaccination centers outside of American Airlines Arena.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Southwest Division
Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this off-season. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Southwest Division:
DeMar DeRozan, Spurs, 31, SG/SF (Down) – Signed to a five-year, $139MM deal in 2016
DeRozan threw in a clunker in San Antonio’s play-in game against Memphis, shooting 5-for-21 from the field. The master of the mid-range game now enters unrestricted free agency in a league that craves 3-point shooters at the wing.
DeRozan does more than just knock down 18-footers. He’s got a knack for drawing fouls and this season he averaged a career-high 6.9 assists. What will that package of skills draw on the open market? We’ll find out if DeRozan doesn’t reach an extension agreement with San Antonio. The Spurs have an exclusive window to reach a new deal with DeRozan before free agency begins at the start of August.
Lonzo Ball, Pelicans, 23, PG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $33.5MM deal in 2017
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram said glowing things about Ball in their post-season press conferences. Ball said he would “love” to remain in New Orleans. Now, the proverbial ball is in the front office’s court.
Will the Pelicans extend a $14.36MM qualifying offer to Ball to make him a restricted free agent? If so, will they match any offer sheet? Should the Pelicans do so, they’re basically telling everyone they believe the trio of Williamson, Ingram and Ball is a championship-caliber core. That’s a pretty big leap of faith, considering the Pelicans went 31-41 this season with each of them playing at least 55 games. But Ball’s going to get paid this summer, one way or another.
Josh Richardson, Mavericks, 27, SF/SG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $42MM deal in 2018
Richardson was acquired from the Sixers in a draft-night deal to upgrade their perimeter defense. According to the numbers, Richardson hasn’t made much of an impact in that area. He ranked 22nd among shooting guards on ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus ratings. Richardson’s offensive rating was even lower after averaging 12.1 PPG on 42.7% shooting (33% on threes) despite playing with a premier play-maker.
Richardson holds an $11.6MM option on his contract for next season. Perhaps he’ll seek for a multi-year deal on the open market but it may be prudent for him to take the guaranteed money and test the waters next summer.
Kelly Olynyk, Rockets, 30, PF/C (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $50MM deal in 2017
Anyone want a stretch four who averages 19 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 4.1 APG and 1.4 SPG? Those are the stats Olynyk posted in a 27-game stint with the tanking Rockets. Those numbers can be taken with a grain of salt – Olynyk didn’t suddenly turn into an All-Star level talent at 30 years old. He did show that he can still be a highly productive rotation player. For obvious reasons, Olynyk enjoyed his stint in Houston and that will factor into his decision as he heads into unrestricted free agency. If nothing else, he gained more leverage over the past two months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: Williams, Knicks, Harris, Rose
Celtics big man Robert Williams sat out Friday’s practice due to a turf toe injury, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. However, he’s expected to play in Game 1 against Brooklyn, sources told Shams Charania of Stadium (video link). Williams saw 14 minutes of action in the play-in victory over Washington.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks will host a league-high 15,000 fans per game for their playoff contests against Atlanta, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. “This overwhelming response by Knicks fans — almost 90% of whom are vaccinated — should silence any doubters,” owner James Dolan said in a statement. “It’s time to start booking events and filling up our schedules.”
- Sixers owner Josh Harris is stepping down from his day-to-day role as managing director of Apollo Global Management, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets. He will remain on the company’s board and its executive committee.
- Derrick Rose is grateful that he’s been named a finalist for the Sixth Man award but the playoffs mean a lot more to him, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. “It means something, but at the same time I’m just happy, I’m more happy with being in the playoffs, to be honest,” said Rose, an unrestricted free agent after the season. “Being in that category, being a finalist, that shows that when I came here, I guess I did my job.”
Nets Notes: Free Agency, James, Fans, Tsai
Nets GM Sean Marks said the team’s success or failure in the playoffs will impact how he handles free agent decisions, Joe Makar of Nets Republic tweets.
“We need to be focused on the task at hand,” Marks said. “If the team lives up to expectations, we might have some easy decisions. If not, we might have to refocus elsewhere.”
Bruce Brown can be a restricted free agent this offseason, while Blake Griffin, Jeff Green, Tyler Johnson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot are among the group of players who will be unrestricted free agents.
We have more on the Nets:
- Mike James can also become a restricted free agent, though he’d have to work out an agreement with CSKA Moscow to remain in the NBA. Brooklyn would like to hold onto the point guard, who averaged 7.7 PPG and 4.2 APG in 13 games after he was added on two 10-day contracts, then a rest-of-the-season deal, NetsDaily.com relays. “I will tell you that I really like Mike and I would like to have him with us in the years to come,” director of player personnel J.R. Holden said to Greece’s Gazzetta.
- More fans will be allowed into Barclays Center for the postseason and there will be vaccinated and unvaccinated sections, Malika Andrews of ESPN tweets. Fans will have to pay more for tickets in the unvaccinated sections, according to team CEO John Abbamondi. “We are not neutral, we want people to get vaccinated,” he said.
- Owner Joe Tsai was pleasantly surprised how the team transformed from an also-ran to an up-and-coming team to the Eastern Conference favorites in a short period of time, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “In hindsight this ‘process’ was brilliant, but I certainly didn’t see it coming at the time,” he said.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Ariza, Nunn, Robinson
Unsurprisingly, Heat forward/center Bam Adebayo learned on Thursday that he isn’t a finalist for either the MVP or Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes.
That’s notable not because Adebayo had a realistic shot at either award, but because the value of his five-year, maximum-salary extension would have risen to $195.6MM if he had won the MVP award or $179.3MM if he had been named Defensive Player of the Year (based on a 3% salary cap increase)
The value of that five-year extension could still technically increase to $185.8MM if Adebayo is named to the All-NBA First Team. However, that’s not going to happen, so the Heat can safely pencil in $163MM as the projected five-year amount of the big man’s new contract, which begins in 2021/22.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Given how important Jae Crowder‘s contributions were in last year’s playoff run to the NBA Finals, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald wonders if Trevor Ariza, acquired during the season, can play a similar role this time around. “We might be similar players but we have different roles and different attributes about ourselves,” Ariza said. “To say I can come in and do what he did would probably be disrespectful to what he brings to teams. I’m my own individual player. I would like to think what I do is good.”
- The book is now closed on the Heat’s 2015 acquisition of Goran Dragic, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes. While surrendering two future first-round picks for Dragic was a bit of a risk, the 2018 first-rounder (Zhaire Smith) had little impact and this year’s pick will fall outside of the lottery, at No. 18. It’ll go to Houston or Oklahoma City depending on the lottery results.
- Of the Heat’s two key RFAs-to-be, Kendrick Nunn would probably benefit more than Duncan Robinson from a strong performance in the postseason, Winderman says in a separate story for The Sun Sentinel. As Winderman explains, Robinson has already established his value over the last two seasons, while Nunn’s contributions have been less consistent, and the aftereffects of COVID-19 limited his role in last year’s postseason.