Pistons Re-Sign Deividas Sirvydis, Fill 20-Man Roster
The Pistons have re-signed guard/forward Deividas Sirvydis after waiving him in July, the team announced today (via Twitter). Detroit also confirmed its previously–reported agreements with guards Cassius Stanley and Derrick Walton, officially filling its 20-man roster for training camp.
A Lithuanian wing, Sirvydis was the No. 37 pick in the 2019 draft and was stashed for a year overseas before signing his first NBA contract in the 2020 offseason. His rookie season was uninspiring, as he played limited minutes in 20 games, averaging 2.1 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 6.7 MPG. The Pistons released him just ahead of free agency.
Stanley and Walton received non-guaranteed deals and it seems like a safe bet that Sirvydis did as well, since there’s no clear path for him to make the regular season roster. Detroit has 15 players on guaranteed deals, with Chris Smith and Jamorko Pickett on two-way contracts.
Given that Sirvydis opted for a training camp deal with the Pistons over a return to Europe, he may intend to play for Detroit’s G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, in 2021/22. If so, his contract likely includes Exhibit 10 language that would put him in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Cruise.
Blazers Notes: Lillard, Nance, Nurkic, Billups
Despite plenty of speculation this offseason that Damian Lillard may request a trade from the Trail Blazers, the star point guard is still in Portland and indicated at the team’s Media Day on Monday that he remains committed to the franchise.
Lillard wanted to see signs from the front office that it was serious about competing for a title, and while the Blazers didn’t make a huge splash in free agency or on the trade market, the 31-year-old expressed enthusiasm about the team’s roster updates, as Jason Quick of The Athletic details.
“Obviously, at the end of last season I wanted to see our roster improve, I wanted us to have a better chance at winning,” Lillard said. “And we had our conversations throughout the summer about what that looked like and how we could take steps in that direction.
“… We’ve done some things that I like,” Lillard added, singling out the athleticism and versatility of newly-added big man Larry Nance Jr.. “I didn’t expect us to go out there and get Kevin Durant all the sudden. But I think the conversations we’ve had … I feel like it’s genuine that we are trying to move in the right direction and give our team a chance to actually go get another (title). That’s why I have faith — the fact that we’ve had real conversations and that’s what everyone’s intentions were.”
There was a sense that the Blazers might need to take a bigger swing – perhaps a trade involving CJ McCollum – in order to satisfy Lillard. However, as Quick writes, Lillard stressed that he didn’t want to see the team make a major move just for the sake of change and that he’s satisfied with the club taking smaller steps, as long as those steps are in the right direction.
“I think he knows we exhausted every opportunity to improve the roster through trade and free agency,” president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said. “And he knows we will continue to work on that throughout this early part of the season and up to the trade deadline like we always do.”
As for that persistent trade speculation surrounding Lillard, Olshey told reporters that the Blazers “will never be receptive of moving Dame,” according to Quick (Twitter link). The club may be willing to accommodate Lillard if he ever wants out of Portland, but that’s certainly not the case right now, per Olshey, who said the veteran guard is “fired up to be here.”
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- In a conversation with Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com, Nance spoke about making the “really difficult” decision to ask the Cavaliers if they could accommodate a trade to a win-now team, as well as the role he believes he can play on a club like the Blazers. “I didn’t come out here (to lose),” Nance said. “I had a comfortable, cushy situation in Cleveland; I lived close to my family, I was happy and it was all good. I did not come out here to half-ass this thing. I’m all in, and that means going for it all. Last year, we saw a few teams come out of nowhere; the Hawks came out of nowhere, the Suns came out of nowhere. There were teams that surprised some people, and that’s fully what I’m planning on doing here.”
- At the end of the 2020/21 season, Jusuf Nurkic expressed frustration with his role and the situation in Portland, but he sounded far more optimistic on Monday about the future, as Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian relays. Echoing comments he made earlier in the month, Nurkic said he’s pleased that head coach Chauncey Billups envisions him taking on an expanded role. “I’m glad somebody wants me to be a bigger part of the organization,” Nurkic said. “… I’m looking for a big year personally for me and the team.”
- Billups spoke on Monday about how he intends to prioritize accountability in Portland this season and will call out players who aren’t performing at the level they should be. “I think it does two things,” the Blazers’ new head coach explained, per Casey Holdahl of TrailBlazers.com. “One, it let’s that guy understand and know that he has to be better. And two, it puts everybody else on notice. Nobody wants that, nobody wants to be the star of the tape the next day because you’ve blown five coverages. But it’s a respectful way to do everything and at the end of the day, it’s just coaching.”
Caris LeVert Dealing With Stress Fracture In Back
Pacers guard Caris LeVert has a stress fracture in his back, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). However, according to Wojnarowski, the team is relatively optimistic about LeVert’s prognosis, viewing the injury as a “minor” setback and believing that he could still be ready to return around the start of the regular season.
There will be more testing to come on the injury, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).
LeVert, 27, has dealt with multiple serious health issues since entering the NBA in 2016. He broke his leg in gruesome fashion near the start of the 2018/19 season, then had surgery earlier this year to treat renal cell carcinoma of his left kidney.
When he got healthy and debuted for the Pacers last season, LeVert made a strong first impression, averaging 20.7 PPG and 4.9 APG in 35 games (32.9 MPG). The team had been hoping the former first-round pick would be 100% healthy entering his first full season in Indiana, but it looks like his status for opening night is up in the air.
The Pacers have been dealt some of the worst injury luck to open the 2021/22 league year. Edmond Sumner sustained a torn Achilles tendon that will likely sideline him for the entire season, while T.J. Warren‘s recovery from a foot injury is progressing slower than expected and he has been ruled out indefinitely.
Ben Simmons Unmoved By Sixers’ Media Day Comments
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and star center Joel Embiid were among the prominent figures within the organization who spoke on Monday at the team’s Media Day about the Ben Simmons situation, expressing a hope that the three-time All-Star would end his holdout and report to Philadelphia.
However, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the team’s messages “fell flat” from the perspective of Simmons and his camp, and – if anything – only added to the 25-year-old’s agitation. Amick suggests that Morey’s claim about there being “a lot of hope” for reconciliation was seen as particularly laughable.
“It’s total bulls–t,” one source with knowledge of Simmons’ thinking said of Morey’s comments, per Amick.
Asked on Monday why Simmons wanted out, head coach Doc Rivers was evasive, suggesting that Philadelphia is a tough place to play, then admitting that Simmons hadn’t specifically given that reason. According to Amick, those comments from Rivers – which shifted the blame away from the team and placed it on Simmons’ relationship with the fans – didn’t help matters either.
Here’s more from Amick on the Simmons situation:
- Although there’s no animosity between the two stars at a personal level, people with knowledge of the situation believe Simmons has decided he’s done playing with Embiid, says Amick. Sources tell The Athletic that Simmons believes the club’s choice to build its system around Embiid’s style of play isn’t conducive to the way Simmons needs to play. “It has run its course,” an Amick source said of the pairing of the two All-Stars.
- Simmons and his camp had hoped to avoid this kind of training camp circus when they went to Sixers management and directly requested a trade earlier in the offseason, according to Amick, who suggests the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up thought he would’ve been moved by now.
- Simmons was so convinced back in January that he’d be traded to the Rockets in a deal for James Harden that he actually started researching Houston real estate, reports Amick. When Harden was sent to Brooklyn, Simmons didn’t publicly gripe about sticking with the Sixers, but it certainly seems possible that the relationship between the two sides had begun fraying as a result of those public negotiations.
Deandre Ayton Optimistic He’ll Sign Extension
Suns center Deandre Ayton expects to sign a rookie scale extension before the season-opening deadline, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports.
Ayton is eligible for a five-year, $172.5MM max contract that would kick in at the start of the 2022/23 season.
“Honestly, I’m expecting something to get done so that we as a team can finish what we started, which is bring a championship to Phoenix,” he said. “Period. Literally. That’s all it is.”
Mikal Bridges is also eligible for a rookie scale extension. Suns GM James Jones would not elaborate on either player’s contract situation.
“We’ll address that when the time comes, but for us right now, our focus is training camp and getting ready for the regular season,” Jones said.
The top pick in the 2018 draft, Ayton has averaged a double-double in all three of his seasons. His scoring average dropped last season (14.4 PPG) but his efficiency rose (62.6% from the field). He averaged 10.5 RPG during the regular season.
He ramped up his production during the Suns’ Finals run, averaging 15.8 PPG on 65.8% shooting and 11.8 RPG in 22 games.
Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. have all reached rookie scale max agreements with their respective teams this offseason.
Warriors Notes: Thompson, Wiggins, Curry, Roster
Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said Klay Thompson can participate in some training camp activities, “just not contact, no 5-on-5,” Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Thompson’s return will perhaps come in January when he feels he’s ready. However, he’ll ramp up activities gradually and will participate in numerous scrimmages, and perhaps high-intensity G League practices, before he returns.
Thompson hints that he’s a little more optimistic about his return date, saying he wouldn’t return until late November or early December, Slater adds in another tweet.
Coach Steve Kerr said Thompson, who has missed two seasons due to knee and Achilles injuries, will make his season debut in a home game, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets.
We have more on the Warriors:
- Andrew Wiggins isn’t backing down from his anti-vax stance, though he won’t elaborate on his reasons, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. If Wiggins is not fully vaccinated by October 13, he will not be allowed inside Chase Center for practices or games. For every game he misses, he’ll forfeit more than $350K in pre-tax salary, Poole notes. Myers is hopeful Wiggins will change his stance, according to Friedell. “My belief and my thoughts are that we’ll have the full team,” Myers said. “I’m not preparing really for anything different right now.”
- Though Golden State is deep into the luxury tax, Stephen Curry would like to see the front office to use its taxpayer mid-level exception, perhaps in the buyout market, if the right opportunity arises, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic tweets.
- There are no roster changes anticipated heading into the season, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic tweets. “I expect this roster to be our roster, especially in the near term and probably into the season,” Myers said. “I want to see what the team looks like as constructed.” There will be spirited competition for the final roster spots on a team with 13 guaranteed contracts. Golden State recently added veterans Avery Bradley, Langston Galloway and Jordan Bell to the camp roster.
Southeast Notes: Oladipo, Beal, Dinwiddie, Hornets
Heat guard Victor Oladipo is determined to regain the status of being one of the league’s top wings, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.
Oladipo went under the knife in May, undergoing surgery to repair his right quad tendon. Once considered a top name entering the free agent market, he signed a minimum contract to rebuild his value.
“It’s been really tough. It’s been hard. This is another battle in the books for me,” he said. “I want to show my resiliency and have one of the best comeback stories ever. I want to make the most of my situation. It’s easy to quit and say ‘woe is me,’ but that doesn’t solve the problem. I know there are a lot of eyes watching. Hopefully, I can be a vessel for them and show them they can get through anything if they really put their mind to it.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Wizards star Bradley Beal won’t share his “personal reasons” why he hasn’t been vaccinated, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post tweets. However, Beal was a little more open about the possibility of signing an extension, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. Beal said that he’ll let his agent handle those negotiations: “I’ve got all year to sign it, so I’m not in a rush.”
- Wizards guard Spencer Dinwiddie said he tried to buy the Wizards‘ jersey patch before this season to advertise crypto currency, Hughes adds in a separate tweet. According to Dinwiddie, he was willing to meet the $12MM asking price but the league wouldn’t allow it.
- The Hornets officially announced Marlon Garnett, Nick Friedman and Norman Richardson as assistant coaches under head coach James Borrego in a press release. The team also promoted Jackson Simmons to head video coordinator.
- Borrego expects the Hornets to be fully vaccinated by the beginning of the season, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer tweets.
Central Notes: LaVine, Vaccines, Warren, Garza, Smith, Livers, Pacers
While the Bulls have yet to sign Zach LaVine to an extension, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas promises that the organization is committed to their high-scoring wing, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“The one thing we know is that we’re committed to Zach,’’ Karnisovas said. “We want him to be in Chicago for a very long time. I think the trade deadline and free agency moves kind of proved that.’’
That message is resonating with LaVine.
“It means a lot hearing that from them,’’ he said. “I think you guys know I’m a team-first guy, I’m excited with all the moves that were made, and really looking forward to getting into camp and getting to know these guys and getting the season started because we all have a lot to prove.”
LaVine was also asked for his input on offseason moves, Cowley tweets.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Karnisovas said the Bulls are not 100% vaccinated but “pretty close,” K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets.
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle hopes T.J. Warren can make a swift recovery from the stress fracture in the navicular bone in his left foot, Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star reports. “Hopefully, it’ll be weeks and not months, that’s the hope,” Carlisle said. “It’s important for him to keep a very upbeat view of things. The healing process with people is always better and more aggressive when you have a great attitude about it and he has.” Warren has not suffered any setbacks but the location of the injury makes for a tricky rehab, Glaspie adds.
- The Pistons converted rookie center Luka Garza‘s two-way contract into a two-year standard deal this week. It’s a minimum-salary contract, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, The first year is guaranteed and Detroit has a team option for 2022/23. If it’s picked up, the second year will also be fully guaranteed.
- Chris Smith, who suffered a torn ACL in January playing for UCLA, is looking at a couple more months before he’s back, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. The Pistons signed the forward to a two-way contract in August. Another Pistons rookie forward, second-round pick Isaiah Livers, is aiming for clearance to return from his foot injury at the beginning of November, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets.
- The Pacers’ arena has officially been renamed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, according to a team press release. It’s a multi-year partnership, replacing the former name Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Gainbridge, a Group 1001 company, is a self-managed digital platform providing clients with direct access to financial products to grow their savings.
Clippers Notes: Ibaka, Zubac, Leonard, George
Clippers big man Serge Ibaka, whose 2020/21 season was sidetracked by a back injury, says he’s close to 100% heading into camp, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets. The next step for Ibaka will be to participate in contact practices. His season-ending surgery in June cleaned up a disc, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Ibaka, who regrets not getting the surgery sooner, still has no timetable for his return to action.
We have more on the Clippers:
- Ivica Zubac, who was slowed by a right knee MCL sprain during the Western Conference Finals, says he’s felt 100% for about six weeks heading into camp, Greif tweets. The team holds a $7.52MM option on his contract for next season.
- Kawhi Leonard could have signed a two-year, $80.6MM contract with a player option rather than the four-year, $176.3MM deal with a player option he accepted. Leonard said he chose the longer deal in part because he hopes to return from his knee injury before season’s end, according to Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. “One thing, I wanted to secure some money,” he said. “And I wanted to be able to come back if I was able to this year. If I would have took the one-and-one, I probably would have not played just to be cautious and opted out and took a five-year.” Leonard added that he doesn’t expect to change teams unless “something drastic” happens, so he was comfortable locking in a long-term contract.
- With Leonard out of action, Paul George vows to be the team’s leader, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. “I’m looking forward to taking on all facets, whether it’s scoring, defending, playmaking. I’m looking forward to taking on the whole facet of the game,” George said. “I’m really going into this year as this being one of my most complete seasons as far as doing a little bit of everything. I think I proved it and showed i to myself during the playoffs in that run, that stretch against Phoenix, whether it was rebounding, pushing the tempo, playmaking, scoring the ball. That really just fed my appetite even more.”
Cavs Rumors: Sexton, Love, Vaccinations, Windler, Valentine
Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton was the subject of some trade rumors earlier in the offseason, but he remains in Cleveland and general manager Koby Altman said today that he wants Sexton to stay with the team for years to come, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“We want him here long term. He wants to be here long term. We’re working with his representation to see that through, but this is someone that has been with us since the start of this thing and we love him,” Altman told reporters. “We will deal with that behind closed doors. The feelings are mutual in terms of something long term.”
Sexton is eligible for a rookie scale extension up until October 18, the day before the regular season begins. While Altman didn’t go into much detail about those negotiations, Fedor suggests that De’Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaylen Brown have been brought up in those talks as possible financial comparables. Fox and Mitchell signed maximum-salary deals, while Brown received slightly below the max.
If the Cavs and Sexton don’t reach an extension agreement in the coming weeks, neither Altman nor head coach J.B. Bickerstaff expects the fourth-year guard’s contract situation to affect his performance on the court this season, for better or worse.
“I don’t think (the contract) will ever affect Collin’s internal drive,” Altman said, per Fedor. “I don’t think contract or anything else will ever affect that. He just innately loves this game and wants to get better.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- According to Fedor (Twitter link), Kevin Love told reporters on Monday that there were never conversations this offseason about him accepting a buyout, and he has yet to have a conversation with Bickerstaff about his role for the upcoming season.
- Altman said his expectation is that everyone on the roster will be vaccinated against COVID-19 within the next few weeks (Twitter link via Fedor).
- Multiple sources tell Fedor that Dylan Windler‘s left knee is “feeling good” following April surgery, and the third-year wing is expected to be available for training camp. As one of the team’s better shooters, Windler could be in line for a regular role this season, but he’ll have stay healthy, writes Fedor.
- Denzel Valentine‘s two-year, minimum-salary deal with Cleveland has a $500K partial guarantee in 2021/22, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Valentine’s second-year salary is fully non-guaranteed.