Wes Unseld Jr., Darvin Ham Leading Contenders To Become Wizards Coach
The frontrunners in the Wizards‘ search for a new head coach are Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bucks assistant Charles Lee is also a finalist for the job, Woj adds.
All three were reported last week as moving past the first round of interviews, along with former Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, who was hired as head coach of the Magic over the weekend. Washington and New Orleans are the only teams currently without a head coach.
Unseld is the sentimental choice for Wizards fans because his father was a legend in the area as a five-time All-Star with the Bullets. The younger Unseld started his coaching career with the Wizards in 2005 and spent time with the Warriors and Magic before coming to Denver.
Ham has been as assistant under Budenholzer for the past eight years in Milwaukee and Atlanta. His coaching career began with the Lakers in 2011.
The Wizards have been looking for a coach since deciding not to extend Scott Brooks‘ contract in mid-June.
Kings Unlikely To Include De’Aaron Fox In A Ben Simmons Offer
The Kings are among the “known suitors” who would like to get Ben Simmons from the Sixers, but they aren’t likely to part with De’Aaron Fox, sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Numerous reports have stated that Philadelphia is putting a high asking price on Simmons and is hoping to get an All-Star player in return. Fox hasn’t been an All-Star yet, but he has been extremely productive in his first four NBA seasons and is part of the young foundation in Sacramento. He averaged 25.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 58 games this year while shooting 47.7% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range. He’s also under contract for the next five years.
Anderson states that the Kings are more likely to offer a package that includes shooting guard Buddy Hield, power forward Marvin Bagley III, and multiple future first-round picks. A league source told Anderson that Sacramento would have to give up at least three first-rounders to make the deal work, while another source said the Sixers wouldn’t have any interest unless Fox or rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton is part of the offer.
Hield would fill a need for the Sixers, who ranked 23rd in the league in made three-pointers this season, Anderson notes. He’s a career 40.6% shooter from beyond the arc and holds the league record for most three-pointers made in his first five seasons.
Bagley is a talented young player who so far is best known for being selected ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young in the 2018 draft. He has missed a combined 108 games due to injury in first three NBA seasons and has been part of public disputes with the Kings about playing time and his future with the organization.
Assessing The Recovery Timeline For Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard will miss at least part of next season after having surgery Tuesday to fix a partial ACL tear in his right knee, and the length of his recovery process will determine what the future looks like for the Clippers.
Leonard suffered a Grade II tear, which falls between a best-case and worst-case scenario, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. The injury is similar to what Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie had in December, and although Dinwiddie talked about returning before the end of the season, he never made it back.
Dinwiddie was cleared for basketball activities in June, and Murray notes that a similar timeline would have Leonard ready sometime in January, meaning he would miss roughly half the season. However, it’s more likely that he will need about nine months, which means he would be ready sometime around the start of the playoffs.
It’s very possible that Leonard will sit out the entire season, Murray adds. He has a history of leg injuries, and the Clippers may decide to be cautious with one of their franchise cornerstones.
Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register talked to Dr. Alan Beyer, executive medical director at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, California, who confirms an absence of about nine months is the most likely outcome.
“We don’t have long-term data on some of the bridging partial ACL tear procedures, so I can’t say to you, ‘That’s all he needed, he’ll be fine,’” Beyer said. “The only difference is you haven’t sacrificed any of the athlete’s own tissues – quad, patellar, hamstring – but you have added this scaffolding or bridge, and that goes through a period of time when it might be a little bit weaker because it has to get vascularized. And that might take a year, and I might go slower on rehabilitating a partial ACL construction.”
The surgery comes at a crucial time for Leonard, who has a $36MM player option for next season. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton notes that Leonard could opt out and re-sign with the Clippers, which would add $3.3MM to his salary for next year and give him three more guaranteed seasons after that. He could also pick up the option and become eligible for an extension, which would run through 2025/26, when his salary would be $50.2MM.
The Clippers were able to advance to the Western Conference finals after Leonard’s injury, but they were barely better than a .500 team when he missed games during the regular season. It will be expensive just to keep the current roster together, Pelton notes, as Reggie Jackson will be a free agent and the team only has Early Bird rights to try to re-sign him. Nicolas Batum is also headed to free agency, and L.A. would have to use part of its mid-level exception to make more than an offer worth much more than the minimum.
Central Notes: Pistons, Antetokounmpo, Tucker, Taylor
With the number one pick in the draft and a promising, newly re-made young core, this is a pivotal offseason for the Pistons, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic in a mailbag.
Within the piece, Edwards discusses the likelihood of the Pistons selecting Cade Cunningham (very likely), the fit between Cunningham and last year’s top selection (French point guard Killian Hayes), 2021 free agency plans, what the Pistons are likely to do with restricted free agent Hamidou Diallo, Isaiah Stewart‘s status as a starting center, Jerami Grant, and much more.
We have more from the Central Division:
- David Aldridge of The Athletic profiles Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s dramatic return from injury and resumption of his regular season dominance. He talks to two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas, among others, about what Antetokounmpo has done in the three games since his return. “He’s been the most inspiring player during these playoffs, while (Chris) Paul has been the sentimental player we all root for and want his career to end with a ring,” Thomas said in a text to Aldridge.
- Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps of ESPN examine the journey Bucks forward P.J. Tucker has taken from the Ukrainian SuperLeague to the NBA Finals. One of the keys to Tucker’s resilience and fortitude, write MacMahon and Bontemps, was his ability to form connections in the locker room. “We had a team with an old Serbian guy who didn’t speak particularly good English, and P.J. made a connection with him and had a great friendship with him,” said former coach Chris Fleming. “The U.S. players, the young German players, he had an ability to reach everybody.”
- The Bulls worked out Terry Taylor on Monday, tweets Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw. The 6’5″ guard averaged over 20 PPG and 11 RPG over his final two seasons at Austin Peay State University.
And-Ones: Offseason Questions, Zipser, Ellenson, Henry
In a piece on Monday for ESPN (Insider-only link), Bobby Marks laid out the 10 questions that he believes will define the 2021 off-season.
Some of the questions discussed include how COVID-19 will affect the league’s salary cap, which position has the deepest free agent pool, the next All-Star to get traded, and the futures of stars Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard with their current teams, as well as the Grizzlies‘ ability to be a dark-horse player in free agency.
As a bonus, Marks touches on Joel Embiid‘s looming extension, whether Kevin Love can rediscover his game and improve his trade value with Team USA, John Collins‘ restricted free agency, and more.
We have more from around the world of basketball:
- Former Bulls wing Paul Zipser has signed a three-year extension with German team Bayern Munchen, according to a team press release. Zipser averaged 4.7 PPG over 98 games in his two seasons in Chicago.
- Henry Ellenson has signed with Obradoiro CAB of the Spanish Liga ACB, per a team press release. Ellenson, the former 18th overall pick, played two games this season for the Raptors and was one of the leading scorers in the G League.
- Myke Henry has agreed to a deal with French team Champagne Basket, reports Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. The small forward played 20 games for the Grizzlies in the 2017/2018 season, averaging 5.4 PPG and 1.6 SPG.
Kawhi Leonard Undergoes Knee Surgery
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard underwent successful surgery today to repair a partial tear of his right ACL, per a Clippers press release.
There is no timetable for Leonard’s return, according to the team. However, the diagnosis suggests that his recovery could extend into the 2021/22 season.
Leonard only managed to play in four games during the Clippers’ second-round series against the Jazz before being sidelined with the knee injury that kept him on the shelf for the entire Western Finals vs. Phoenix. He had previously dealt with lingering leg injuries, including the mysterious quad injury that effectively ended his time with the Spurs.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Finals MVP has a player option to return to the Clippers next season, or he can decline the option and become an unrestricted free agent. He has long been expected to take the latter route, if only to sign a new contract with Los Angeles, since he’ll be eligible for a higher maximum salary this offseason.
Community Shootaround: Antetokounmpo’s Finals Run
When Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a hyperextended knee in Game 4 of the Bucks‘ Eastern Conference Finals series against the Hawks, it was unclear what it would mean for the his chances at playing in the NBA Finals. His medical status was up in the air until just moments before tip-off in Game 1 against the Suns, but he ultimately was able to suit up.
Even with the Bucks losing the opening game and getting a relatively pedestrian 20-point performance from the two-time MVP, it was clear that Giannis was back. From his 17 rebounds to his work in the post, he found his footing after some early hesitancy.
Antetokounmpo’s following two games were nothing short of spectacular. The Greek Freak joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only two players in Finals history to post back-to-back 40-point, 10-rebound games as the Bucks split Games 2 and 3 with the Suns.
With Game 4 looming on Wednesday on the Bucks’ home court, Antetokounmpo currently has the 12th-highest scoring rate in NBA Finals history at 34.3 PPG, the fifth-highest rebound rate at 14 RPG, and the third-highest free throw rate at 15.7 FTA. Only two points per game separate Antetokounmpo’s scoring rate with the sixth-highest output in Finals history, O’Neal’s 36.3 PPG in the 2000 Finals.
Antetokounmpo’s co-stars, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, have struggled to contribute at the highest level all series, though Holiday managed to free himself for 21 points in Game 3. If those two players continue to struggle, the Bucks will need Antetokounmpo to continue his Herculean efforts if they want any chance to bring home the coveted Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
If the Bucks are to complete the comeback from a 2-0 deficit for the second time this postseason, it will likely be on the back of an all-time, legacy-making Finals performance from Antetokounmpo.
Which leads to the question of the day: Can Antetokounmpo enshrine his name in the pantheon of the all-time Finals performances? Can he lead the Bucks to their first championship since 1971?
Head to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Barton, Edwards, Nuggets Workouts
Keeping Mike Conley is a top priority for the Jazz, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic in his off-season primer, but there are plenty of other questions beyond that facing this year’s No. 1 seed in the West.
One such question will be if the Jazz can hit on the 30th pick in the draft. While it’s not historically a wellspring for players who can help a team with championship ambitions, this is a deep draft and there are plenty of examples of success stories at that spot, such as Jimmy Butler, Kevin Porter Jr.., Kevon Looney, and Kyle Anderson, among others.
There’s also the question of their current young players on the roster. Though Donovan Mitchell is the only young player who is a member of the team’s core, the Jazz will have to decide which other youngsters they keep and try to develop, and which they let go.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Will Barton of the Nuggets was cagey about the topic of his impending player option deadline and whether he’ll look to enter free agency, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “Being appreciated,” Barton said of what he’s looking for in free agency. “Team knowing my value. Of course, an important role. Just the right situation. I want to win.” Barton will have to decide whether he picks up his $14.6MM player option by July 17.
- The Timberwolves have brought Anthony Edwards back to Minnesota for an injury evaluation, reports Christina Long of The Star Tribune. Edwards was among the players chosen to practice with Team USA as part of the Select Team, but was seen limping off the floor last week. A Star Tribune source reports that the injury is non-knee related, and is a sprain.
- The Nuggets held a workout for six draft prospects yesterday, tweets Mike Singer: Josh Christopher, Quentin Grimes, Jason Preston, Duane Washington, Jordan Goodman, and Matt Coleman. Of the six, Christopher and Grimes are the highest-ranked, and either one could potentially be in play when the Nuggets are on the board with the 26th pick.
Southwest Notes: Draft Day Trades, W. Green, Morey, Spurs
Before a Tuesday report indicated that the Rockets are trying to trade up for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. Kelly Iko of The Athletic, along with beat writers for other teams, took a look at some potential deals Houston could make with the No. 2 pick. Some were considered hard passes (such as a trade-down with the Kings), others were considered interesting but not good enough (including a trade with the Magic for Nos. 5 and 8, and Wendell Carter Jr.), and only a couple were deemed acceptable. The bottom line: there are deals to be made, but it won’t be easy.
Meanwhile, William Guillory of The Athletic examined four potential trades for the Pelicans with the 10th pick, with beat writers from the Kings, Magic, Cavaliers, and Wolves chiming in on the likelihood of each respective deal’s appeal.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune profiles Willie Green, who is expected to be named the next Pelicans head coach. One of the primary appeals of Green, Kushner writes, as opposed to Stan Van Gundy or Alvin Gentry, is his focus on player relationships and establishing trust, rather than instilling a rigidity and system. “The best coaches aren’t necessarily the ones that talk about Xs and Os,” Green said in an interview last year. “It’s doing everything from a place of love. People feel that.”
- When the Rockets were sold to Tilman Fertitta, part of the agreement included guaranteed five-year extensions for GM Daryl Morey, CEO Tad Brown, and others, which had to be paid out even if those execs joined other teams before the deals expired, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. This could have helped incentivize higher-ups to step down and pursue new opportunities, Feigen notes. This report comes on the heels of Brown being named CEO of the Sixers and New Jersey Devils.
- As two teams that have eschewed all-out tanking in order to find other ways to rebuild, the Spurs could look to Suns GM James Jones for inspiration, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. Jones was not without his fair share of criticism for his moves in 2019 to maintain competitiveness while retooling around star Devin Booker, Finger writes. But by following his own compass – including the surprise selection of playoff breakout Cameron Johnson with the 11th pick after trading down from No. 6 – and taking advantage of the opportunity to trade for Chris Paul, Jones has found his own way to bring the Suns to greatness. Whether the Spurs can do the same remains to be seen.
2021 NBA Offseason Preview: Dallas Mavericks
When the Mavericks acquired Kristaps Porzingis from New York in 2019, they envisioned him as half of a superstar duo alongside Luka Doncic for the next decade. But Porzingis, who flashed star potential in his early years with the Knicks, has plateaued in recent years as ongoing injury problems and his lack of defensive versatility have limited his ability to make a huge on-court impact.
Without a reliable go-to second option in the playoffs – where Porzingis averaged just 13.1 PPG and 5.4 RPG – the Mavs have been unable to break through so far, despite Doncic giving the Clippers all they could handle in the first round for two straight years (including 35.7 PPG and 10.3 APG in Dallas’ seven-game series loss this spring).
Strengthening the supporting cast around Doncic will be the primary goal going forward for the new-look front office, which includes longtime Nike executive Nico Harrison as Dallas’ new general manager. Harrison stepped in following the departure of veteran executive Donnie Nelson.
Meanwhile, it’ll be up to new head coach Jason Kidd to get the most of out the Mavs’ roster. Kidd’s two previous stints running the show in Brooklyn and Milwaukee were up and down, and he’ll have big shoes to fill in replacing Rick Carlisle, who was the NBA’s third longest-tenured head coach. But there’s optimism that Kidd has learned from past mistakes and – as a Hall-of-Fame point guard himself – will be a good mentor for Doncic.
The Mavericks’ Offseason Plan:
The 2021/22 season will likely be the last time for the next 10 or 15 years that Doncic is earning less than the maximum salary, so it would be a good time for the Mavericks to take advantage of their financial flexibility. Besides Porzingis, no one on the roster is currently on the books for more than about $11MM next season.
Unfortunately, the Porzingis contract is an issue. He’ll earn $31.65MM in ’21/22 and a total of $101.5MM over the next three seasons, and he hasn’t lived up to that salary so far. Trading him is an option, but the Mavs will be loath to sell low on the 25-year-old rather than hoping for better injury luck going forward, which might allow Porzingis to rebuild his value.
The contract situations of Josh Richardson and Tim Hardaway Jr. will also compromise the Mavs’ offseason flexibility. Richardson had a somewhat underwhelming first year in Dallas and now seems like a good bet to pick up his $11.6MM player option, cutting into the team’s potential cap room. And if the Mavs want to re-sign Hardaway, an unrestricted free agent, they may end up without any cap room at all, instead operating over the cap and gaining access to the full mid-level exception.
Even if the Mavs, who have traded away both of their 2021 draft picks, can add a solid rotation player with the MLE, they likely won’t be satisfied with simply running back a similar group next season, so I’d expect them to be active on the trade market. Even if a favorable Porzingis deal doesn’t materialize, other veterans – including Dwight Powell and Trey Burke – could be shopped.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson are terrific bargains for the time being, but are entering contract years and will get more expensive in 2022. If Dallas isn’t able to lock them up to team-friendly extensions this year and isn’t confident in its ability to re-sign them to reasonable deals in unrestricted free agency, the idea of trading them should at least be considered.
The Mavs will also have to reassess 2020 draftees Josh Green and Tyrell Terry, neither of whom had a great rookie season. Their value has dropped, so they may not be especially useful trade chips, in which case Dallas will have to focus on developing them into useful role players.
Perhaps the simplest move of the Mavs’ offseason will be signing Doncic to a maximum-salary rookie scale extension that projects to pay him north of $200MM over five seasons. Ideally, Dallas would avoid adding a fifth-year player option to that deal, but if Doncic insists on it, the club will have to relent.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4MM cap for 2021/22.
Guaranteed Salary
- Kristaps Porzingis ($31,650,600)
- Dwight Powell ($11,080,125)
- Luka Doncic ($10,174,391)
- Maxi Kleber ($8,825,000)
- Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,000,000)
- Trey Burke ($3,150,000)
- Josh Green ($2,957,520)
- Tyrell Terry ($1,517,981)
- Total: $73,355,617
Player Options
- Josh Richardson ($11,615,328): Bird rights
- Total: $11,615,328
Team Options
- Willie Cauley-Stein ($4,100,000): Early Bird rights
- Total: $4,100,000
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Jalen Brunson ($1,802,057) 1
- Total: $1,802,057
Restricted Free Agents
- Nicolo Melli ($4,871,795 qualifying offer / $5,066,667 cap hold): Early Bird rights 2
- Total (cap holds): $5,066,667
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- None
Extension-Eligible Players
- Luka Doncic (rookie scale)
- Jalen Brunson (veteran)
- Dorian Finney-Smith (veteran)
- Maxi Kleber (veteran)
- Dwight Powell (veteran)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($28,462,500): Bird rights
- J.J. Redick ($16,917,810): Early Bird rights
- Boban Marjanovic ($4,550,000): Early Bird rights
- Total: $49,930,310
Offseason Cap Outlook
If we assume Brunson is retained (a safe bet) and Richardson opts in, that increases the Mavs’ guarantees to nearly $87MM for 10 roster spots. Letting everyone else walk would leave Dallas with upwards of $24MM in cap room.
However, if Hardaway re-signs at a number in the neighborhood of his previous salary ($18.98MM), that cap space essentially goes away, and Dallas will be operating over the cap. The team’s outlook could change if it adds or subtracts salary in trades or if Hardaway wants to play elsewhere. For now though, my working assumption is that the team will try to re-sign the free agent wing and will use its full mid-level rather than dipping under the cap.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,536,000 3
- Bi-annual exception: $3,732,000 3
- Trade exception: $1,678,854
Footnotes
- Brunson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 2.
- Melli has reached a contract agreement with Italian team Olimpia Milano. The Mavericks could still make the procedural move of tendering him a qualifying offer if they want to retain matching rights in the event of his return to the NBA.
- These are projected values. If the Mavericks decide to operate under the cap, they’d forfeit these exceptions and their trade exception and would instead gain access to the room exception ($4.9MM).
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post.