Australian League Coach Trevor Gleeson To Join Raptors As Assistant
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse will be adding former Perth Wildcats head coach Trevor Gleeson to his bench for the 2021/22 season, tweets Marc Stein.
As Stein notes, Gleeson led the Wildcats to five National Basketball League championships in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Gleeson is the reigning NBL Coach of the Year for the 2020/21 season. Gleeson asked to be released from the final year of his contract with Perth this weekend in order to pursue an NBA opportunity, per a team press statement.
Gleeson led the club to a 171-99 record during his eight seasons with Perth. The Wildcats made it to the championship round again this year, but lost to Melbourne United.
Nurse has been the head man in Toronto since the team’s championship 2018/19 season. He inked a multiyear extension with the club ahead of the 2020/21 season that is set to take him through at least 2024. The Raptors have a 226-138 record under Nurse.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets that Nurse appreciates assistants with head coaching track records, which may have added to Gleeson’s appeal. Lewenberg adds (Twitter link) that Gleeson also served as a basketball coach in Korea and the NBA G League, and moonlit as an Australian rules football coach.
2021 NBA Offseason Preview: Portland Trail Blazers
After an injury-plagued 2019/20 season in which they barely sneaked into the Western Conference playoffs, the Trail Blazers entered the ’20/21 campaign with loftier goals. Portland added Robert Covington and Derrick Jones on the wing and was counting on the frontcourt duo of Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins to get healthy and help complement the team’s star backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
However, injuries continued to be a problem for Nurkic, who missed half the season, and for Collins, who missed the entire year. And while Covington meshed well with the current core, Jones didn’t have the impact the Blazers had hoped for, falling out of the rotation in the second half.
President of basketball operations Neil Olshey added some midseason reinforcements by acquiring Norman Powell from Toronto, but it wasn’t enough to make a serious playoff run. Portland was eliminated from the postseason in the first round by a shorthanded Nuggets squad, spelling the end of Terry Stotts‘ tenure as the club’s head coach.
The offseason has gotten off to a shaky start in Portland. There are questions about whether Lillard’s loyalty to the franchise might start wavering after what he called the most frustrating season of his career, and the Blazers came under fire for hiring Chauncey Billups as their new head coach in light of the sexual assault allegations he faced in 1997.
The Blazers said they investigated the incident and came away confident that Billups hadn’t engaged in any wrongdoing, but their caginess and lack of transparency left many fans with a bad taste. Olshey and Billups may have some work to do to ensure that both Lillard and those fans feel comfortable moving forward with the franchise.
The Trail Blazers’ Offseason Plan:
The Blazers will be capped out even before attempting to re-sign Powell, all but eliminating free agency as a viable path for pursuing roster upgrades. The team also doesn’t have either of its 2021 draft picks, having traded away its first-rounder last year for Covington and its second-rounder two years ago for Rodney Hood.
That leaves the trade market as Olshey’s best bet for reshaping the roster.
Lillard is, of course, Portland’s best trade chip, but the team won’t move the All-NBA point guard unless he expresses a desire to leave. Lillard has long been loyal to the Blazers and still has four years left on his contract, so I wouldn’t expect him to force his way out this summer — it’s not impossible, but I imagine he’ll want to at least see what Billups brings to the team before making any major decisions.
If Lillard is off the table, that leaves McCollum and Nurkic as two potential major trade chips for the Blazers. Olshey has long insisted he doesn’t want to break up Portland’s high-scoring backcourt duo, but trading McCollum for an impact forward or big man would certainly help balance the roster. It’s unclear how high McCollum’s value will be on the trade market though, since he has $100MM left on his contract and will be entering his age-30 season.
Nurkic, meanwhile, has played solid two-way basketball in the middle in the past, but leg injuries have limited his effectiveness. The veteran center also dropped hints at the end of the season that he didn’t necessarily envision a long-term future for himself in Portland. While his value isn’t as high as it would’ve been two years ago, his $12MM expiring salary would certainly be movable. He’d even have positive value if he’s back to full health.
No other players on the Blazers’ roster should be untouchable, though Covington is on a team-friendly deal and the club may still be high on young players like Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, despite their up-and-down development.
In free agency, re-signing Powell should be a priority, especially if the Blazers make a trade involving McCollum. Portland gave up a productive and controllable rotation player in Gary Trent Jr. to acquire Powell and won’t want to lose him for nothing.
Collins once looked like a long-term keeper, but he has undergone three surgeries on his foot in the last year. It’s possible he’ll be back, but it would have to be at a bargain rate. Portland may not even tender him a qualifying offer.
Role players like Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter will also be free agents and seem to enjoy playing for the Blazers. If Lillard remains in Portland, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them stick around too.
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
- Damian Lillard ($39,344,970) 1
- CJ McCollum ($30,864,198)
- Robert Covington ($12,975,471)
- Jusuf Nurkic ($4,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 2
- Anfernee Simons ($3,938,818)
- Andrew Nicholson ($2,844,429) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Nassir Little ($2,316,240)
- CJ Elleby ($1,517,981)
- Total: $97,802,107
Player Options
Norman Powell ($11,615,328): Bird rights 3- Derrick Jones ($9,720,900): Bird rights 4
- Total: $21,336,228
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Jusuf Nurkic ($8,000,000) 2
- Total: $1,824,003
Restricted Free Agents
- Zach Collins ($7,031,451 qualifying offer / $16,218,765 cap hold): Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $16,218,765
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- None
Extension-Eligible Players
- Anfernee Simons (rookie scale)
- Robert Covington (veteran)
- Jusuf Nurkic (veteran)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Enes Kanter ($6,506,955): Early Bird rights
- Caleb Swanigan ($3,665,787): Bird rights 6
- Carmelo Anthony ($1,669,178): Early Bird rights
- Harry Giles ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $15,180,276
Offseason Cap Outlook
It’s a safe bet that the Blazers will guarantee Nurkic’s salary for 2021/22, and Jones seems likely to opt in. Those moves would bring Portland’s total guaranteed commitments to about $115.5MM for eight players, pushing team salary over the cap. If they re-sign Powell, the Blazers may find themselves in luxury tax territory again next season.
For now, we’re assuming Portland will have its full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception available, but that could change if team salary creeps into the $130-135MM range (or higher).
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,536,000 7
- Bi-annual exception: $3,732,000 7
- Trade exception: $1,737,145
- Trade exception: $1,663,861
- Trade exception: $661,655
Footnotes
- This is a projected value. Lillard’s salary will be 35% of the 2021/22 salary cap.
- Nurkic’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 3.
- Powell’s decision is reportedly due by July 22.
- Jones’ decision is reportedly due by July 28.
- Because he’ll have four years of NBA service, Leaf is ineligible to sign another two-way contract.
- The cap hold for Swanigan remains on the Trail Blazers’ books from a prior season because he hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal. The Blazers also can’t offer Swanigan a starting salary worth more than his cap hold, since his rookie scale team option for 2020/21 was declined.
- These are projected values. If the Trail Blazers approach or cross the tax line, they may forfeit these exceptions and instead gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9MM).
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post.
Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors
Hoops Rumors makes it easy to keep up with your favorite NBA teams as they plot their next moves, and we also provide multiple ways to follow the latest updates on all of your favorite players, including the top free agents and trade candidates from around the league.
You can get news about players wherever you go with our Trade Rumors app, available for iOS and Android devices. The app, which is free, allows you to add a feed for any player and set up notifications that will alert you whenever we write about him. It’s the easiest way to keep tabs on specific players.
If you’re using the desktop or mobile version of our site, there are other ways to follow your favorite player(s). Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page. You can find any player by using our search box, by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post in which he’s discussed, or by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces.
For example, LeBron James‘ page is hoopsrumors.com/lebron-james. Those player pages can be added to RSS readers too.
In addition to players, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags that we use at the bottom of posts or by searching for them in the app.
For instance, you can keep tabs on our 2021 NBA draft stories right here. Items about the NBA G League can be found on this page. Olympics-related stories about the Tokyo games are all here. And you can simply scan our top stories here.
Tad Brown Hired As Sixers’ CEO
Longtime Rockets executive Tad Brown has reached an agreement to become the new CEO of the Sixers, as well as the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Both franchises are owned by Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, which officially announced the hiring today in a press release.
“We are thrilled to welcome Tad to the HBSE family,” Sixers co-owner Josh Harris said in a statement. “Tad is an exceptional leader in our industry, and one with a deep passion for innovation and community engagement. With nearly twenty years’ experience leading the Houston Rockets and Toyota Center, we are confident that he will bring a fresh energy and new ideas to our teams, organization and local communities.”
Brown spent 15 years as the Rockets’ CEO, announcing earlier this year that he’d be stepping down from that position at the end of the 2020/21 season.
It didn’t take Brown long to find a new job. The position in Philadelphia will reunite him with former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who is now the Sixers’ president of basketball operations. Brown will be replacing Scott O’Neil, who left the franchise last month after eight years as the CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment.
During his time in Houston, Brown helped the Rockets secure All-Star games in 2006 and 2013 and oversaw the sale of the club in 2017. In his new role with the 76ers, he’ll oversee the team’s business functions, per ESPN’s report.
Although his role is ostensibly on the business operations side of the franchise, Brown did discuss basketball matters with the media a number of times during his tenure in Houston and figures to be involved in negotiations involving players or coaches in Philadelphia. As Wojnarowski notes, Brown and Morey developed a “shorthand” with one another during their many years of collaboration that should be beneficial going forward.
Checking In On NBA’s Offseason Coaching Changes
With the NBA draft just two-and-a-half weeks away, a pair of teams are still without a head coach.
The Wizards, who opted not to bring back Scott Brooks after he spent five years at the helm in D.C., were said to be conducting second interviews with finalists last week, meaning they should be close to making a decision. Wes Unseld Jr., Darvin Ham, and Charles Lee are among the team’s remaining candidates.
The other team with a vacancy is New Orleans. Having parted ways with Stan Van Gundy after just one season, the Pelicans are seeking a head coach who can better connect with their young players, including star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Lee, a finalist for the Washington job, is also still in the mix for the Pelicans’ position too, with Willie Green and Fred Vinson among the other candidates receiving serious consideration.
Five other teams made coaching changes since the regular season ended. The details on those completed searches are as follows:
- Boston Celtics: Hired Ime Udoka to replace Brad Stevens (transitioned to front office role).
- Dallas Mavericks: Hired Jason Kidd to replace Rick Carlisle.
- Indiana Pacers: Hired Rick Carlisle to replace Nate Bjorkgren.
- Orlando Magic: Hired Jamahl Mosley to replace Steve Clifford.
- Portland Trail Blazers: Hired Chauncey Billups to replace Terry Stotts.
Technically, the Hawks also named a new permanent head coach this offseason, since Nate McMillan only held the interim role up until last week. However, his promotion was long expected, and Atlanta didn’t conduct any sort of search before announcing that McMillan would keep the job.
We’ve been keeping an eye on the Bucks‘ situation throughout the postseason, since there was a sense Mike Budenholzer‘s job would be in danger if Milwaukee failed to make a deep playoff run. It’s possible Budenholzer could still be replaced if the Bucks lose the next two games in embarrassing fashion, but the team is currently three games away from a title, so it’s safe to assume the head coach’s seat isn’t nearly as hot as it was a month ago.
The rest of the NBA’s teams have had plenty of time to make a coaching change if they felt the need to do so. It’s not out of the question that one more summer surprise could be on the way (maybe Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich abruptly retiring after winning Olympic gold with Team USA?), but the odds are against it. At this point, we’re assuming the other 21 teams are happy with their current coaches and won’t be making changes prior to the start of the 2021/22 season.
International Notes: Zizic, Nunnally, Daniels, Yabusele, Macon
Former NBA first-round pick Ante Zizic, who signed last summer with Maccabi Tel Aviv, will be returning to the Israeli club for another season, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). The 24-year-old previously spent three seasons in the NBA, all with the Cavaliers, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 113 games (13.4 MPG).
Maccabi Tel Aviv also recently announced the signing of an NBA free agent, announcing in a press release that James Nunnally was joining the team on a one-year contract with a second-year option. Nunnally has plenty of EuroLeague experience under his belt, but actually finished the 2020/21 season on an NBA roster, having signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans in April.
Here are a few more updates from the international basketball world:
- After announcing the signing of Nicolo Melli last week, Olimpia Milano has added another veteran with NBA experience, inking shooting guard Troy Daniels to a contract, per the team. Daniels, who will turn 30 on Thursday, has played 339 NBA games for seven teams, averaging 6.6 PPG with a .395 3PT%. He last played for Denver in 2020.
- Former NBA first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele, who played in France last season, is headed to Spain for the 2021/22 season. He has signed a one-year contract with Real Madrid, according to a team press release. Yabusele spent two NBA seasons with the Celtics , appearing in 74 games from 2017-19.
- Panathinaikos BC has officially signed former NBA guard Daryl Macon to a one-year contract with a second-year option, the Greek club stated in a press release. A report last week indicated the move was expected to happen. Macon saw a little NBA action from 2018-20 for Dallas and Miami.
Bobby Portis Talks 2020 Free Agency, Giannis, Mirotic, Bulls
Speaking to Shams Charania of The Athletic about his experience as a free agent in 2020, Bucks forward Bobby Portis confirmed that the Knicks offered him a new contract after turning down his $15.75MM team option. However, he didn’t view New York as a “good situation” for him in 2019/20 and was unsure about whether the new leadership group (executives Leon Rose and William Wesley, along with head coach Tom Thibodeau) would change that.
“Obviously, Leon and (Wesley) and those guys were going to come in and try to change it around, but I just wanted to go to a winning culture and where I felt like I can fit in with guys,” Portis said. “I watched the bubble last season and I watched Milwaukee a lot, and I felt like it was a team I really fit on.
Joining the Bucks meant taking a substantial pay cut — Milwaukee had to fit in Portis using the bi-annual exception, meaning he earned just $3.6MM in 2020/21. However, the 26-year-old told Charania that he has saved money throughout his career and that a modest salary “wasn’t the biggest issue” for him, since he hopes to be playing in the NBA for another decade. After years of playing for lottery teams, Portis’ preference was to show he’s capable of contributing to a contender.
“I wanted to use this year as a get-back year for me just to get my name back,” Portis said. “An investment year. And so far, so good. It’s one of the best decisions of my career so far.”
Here are a few more of the most notable comments from Portis’ interview with Charania:
On how he and the Bucks began free agent talks last offseason:
“I actually hit Giannis (Antetokounmpo) up and told him I can come help the team and I can help everyone out. He went to the boss (front office) and told him come and get me.
“… I didn’t know Giannis much. So being able to reach out to him and him responding back was great. He was over in Greece. We were in two different time zones so I had to catch him when he was seven hours. I finally caught up with him, and everything worked out.”
On what changed his mindset and made him want to take a discount to play for a winning team:
“I think last year, the bubble did it for me. Years before, when my team didn’t make the playoffs, I was able to take my mind off of it. Going on a trip with my family or traveling or flying here and working out there. But last year when my team wasn’t invited to the bubble, I think that’s when I had enough of it because I was at home for f—ing nine months from March to November. No NBA games to play in, just straight working out. Watching the other teams that were invited in the bubble from home, that’s what really did it for me.”
On the 2017 incident when Portis punched Bulls teammate Nikola Mirotic in practice:
“Me and Mirotic, we always got into altercations. That wasn’t our first time. The guys in the front office knew that. That one was a little different. Some of the things that got misconstrued was that I sucker-punched him or whatever. The guys that were there at the time, they knew what happened. If it was that serious, they wouldn’t have offered me a contract extension.
“… What’s so crazy is me and (Mirotic) were balling together when he came back from injury. I haven’t talked to him ever since then, but no hard feelings at all my way. I was 22 at the time, and he was 26 or something. So we were both young guys. That’s a blur for me.”
On turning down a four-year contract extension (reportedly worth $40-50MM) from the Bulls prior to his fourth NBA season in 2018:
“If I knew then what I know now, I’d tell my younger self to take the extension. It’s life-changing money, money that can set my family up and generational wealth that can provide for generations to come. I wasn’t looking at it like that. I was looking at it like, ‘Oh, I think my worth is this and that.’ But really at the time, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Sometimes, it works for people. I would’ve told myself to take it. I think it was a great fit for me. I had a very good connection with the Bulls.”
Terence Davis To Seek $9MM Per Year As RFA?
Kings guard Terence Davis won’t accept his modest $1.9MM qualifying offer in free agency this offseason, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, who reports that Davis is expected to seek a new contract worth in the neighborhood of $9MM annually.
Davis, who signed with the Raptors as an undrafted free agent in 2019, earned a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team a year ago, then was traded to the Kings at the 2021 trade deadline. He played some of the best basketball of his career down the stretch in Sacramento, averaging 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game on .439/.372/.784 shooting in 27 games (21.5 MPG).
Near the end of the season, Davis spoke about a desire to re-sign with the Kings, and the team will have the ability to match any offer he receives, since he’ll be a restricted free agent.
Anderson likens Davis’ situation to that of Grizzlies guard De’Anthony Melton, who reached restricted free agency in 2020 after two NBA seasons. Melton – whose offensive numbers weren’t as strong as Davis’ but whose reputation as a defender is stronger – signed a four-year contract worth just shy of $35MM, without a full guarantee on the fourth year. Based on Anderson’s report, Davis will be looking to match or top that deal.
Although the Kings don’t hold Davis’ full Bird rights, they’ll have his Early Bird rights, giving them the ability to sign him directly to a new contract or to match any offer sheet he signs with another team.
A rival suitor could put pressure on Sacramento by backloading a three- or four-year offer via the Gilbert Arenas provision. However, I’d be surprised if bidding on Davis is that competitive — his track record is limited and the domestic assault allegations he faced earlier in his career may make teams wary of investing significantly in the 24-year-old.
Western Notes: Hammon, Rockets, Mobley, Giddey, Curry
Although she interviewed with the Trail Blazers twice and was identified as a finalist for the team’s head coaching position, Spurs assistant Becky Hammon sensed that she wasn’t the favorite to land the job.
“I knew I was second; I knew who they wanted,” said Hammon, who openly discussed multiple topics with Jabari Young of CNBC. “And I’m OK with that, because every race I’ve gotten into my entire life, I’ve been behind, and I’m OK with that. And that’s just how it is — but at the same time, I’m not ignorant to what I’m going up against.”
Instead of Hammon, Portland opted to hire Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups in the position. Billups was one of two preferred names mentioned by Blazers star Damian Lillard last month, immediately making him a strong candidate for the job.
“I’m not mad,” Hammon said. “This is the business, and it’s a very competitive business. But, at the end of the day, throw everything out the window — if you want to hire me, you’ll find a reason to hire me. And if you don’t want to hire me, you’ll find that reason, too. And that’s just that.”
There’s more from the Western Conference tonight:
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle examines the pros and cons of drafting Evan Mobley for the Rockets. Houston owns the No. 2 pick in the draft. In addition to Mobley, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs are widely projected to be drafted in the top five, joining probable No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham.
- Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman lists five things to know about prospect Josh Giddey, who’s arguably the best international player in the draft. Giddey is expected to be available when the Thunder select at No. 6 later this month and could even be in play at No. 16 or 18 if he slips a little.
- Warriors superstar Stephen Curry won an ESPY award for “Best NBA Player” this past weekend, as relayed by NBA.com. The award was voted on by fans, with Curry averaging a career-high 32 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in 2020/21.
Eastern Notes: David, Pistons, Rose, Nored, Barrett
The Pistons have hired George David as the franchise’s assistant general manager, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
David will report to general manager Troy Weaver, who was hired by the organization in June of 2020. David was previously with the Pistons for nearly two decades, serving in a variety of roles. This includes being the assistant GM from 2012-14.
Detroit owns the No. 1 pick in the draft and finished this season with a 20-52 record, the worst in the Eastern Conference and second-worst in the league.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Ian Begley of SNY examines the main factors of Derrick Rose‘s impending free agency. Rose helped propel the Knicks to playoff status this season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 assists and 26.8 minutes in 35 regular season games. He’ll be entering his 13th NBA season.
- The Pacers are finalizing a deal with Ronald Nored to join Rick Carlisle‘s staff, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Nored most recently served as an assistant coach with Charlotte from 2018-21, though he’s been involved in coaching and player development since 2013.
- Knicks swingman RJ Barrett isn’t considered untouchable by the franchise this offseason, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. However, Barrett – who is coming off an impressive season, averaging 17.6 points per game at just 21 years old – only figures to be available if the opportunity arises for New York to acquire a superstar.