Atlantic Notes: Nesmith, Barnes, Knox, Vildoza
Aaron Nesmith‘s rookie season saw him go from the end of the Celtics‘ bench to a spot in their playoff rotation and he’s hoping to make a greater impact in his second year, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. The 14th pick in the 2020 draft was dealing with a foot injury when last season started, and he had to adjust to the NBA during a short offseason with no Summer League. The swingman eventually settled into a consistent role and shot 50% from the field and 42% from three-point range over the final two months of the season.
“It was definitely a quick turnaround from the moment I got drafted,” Nesmith said. “The season started and I didn’t get a lot of preparation or many chances to get my feet wet. Coming off the injury and not being able to play 5-on-5 for almost a year, that definitely was a whirlwind. It also taught me a lot of good lessons as well. It taught me how to adjust faster and adapt to a new system, a new level of play very quickly so if there was ever a point in time where I have to adapt very quickly again, I already know how to do it and I have a layout to do it as well.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Rookie forward Scottie Barnes introduced himself to Raptors fans with a first-hand piece on The Players Tribune. The No. 4 overall pick out of Florida State states that he was quickly embraced by the Toronto fanbase and gained about 80-100K new followers on social media within 24 hours of being drafted. He shares experiences from Summer League and draft night and says there was one message he wanted to deliver in his first post-draft meeting with the Raptors’ front office. “I’m ready to work,” he wrote. “Not ease into it, not half-do things or make excuses because I’m one of the new guys. I’m ready to work. I’m ready to grind. I’m ready to WIN. And I could tell that the feeling was definitely mutual.”
- Knicks forward Kevin Knox is about to enter the most important season of his NBA career, observes David Vertsberger of Yahoo Sports. Knox is now the longest-tenured player on New York’s roster, but unless he finds a way to become a contributor, this could be his last season with the team.
- Luca Vildoza returned to the Knicks this week to let team doctors examine his injured right foot before the start of training camp, per Alder Almo of Empire Sports Media. The injury limited Vildoza to two games during Summer League, and he was prescribed rest and treatment rather than surgery. He also played for Argentina during the Summer Olympics.
Pacific Notes: McGee, Kuminga, M. Gasol, Collison
JaVale McGee already has three NBA championship rings and he believes joining the Suns gives him a good chance to get another one, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. McGee chose the defending Western Conference champs in free agency, signing a one-year contract worth $5MM, and he sees his role as a mentor who can contribute valuable minutes as a backup center.
“I feel like my game definitely helps Deandre Ayton in a major way just for the veteran leadership alone,” McGee said. “Also when he gets into foul trouble and having that veteran big to come in that’s 7 foot, block shots, defend, rebound and does all the intangibles that a real big man does.”
McGee has played alongside some elite teammates during his 13-year NBA career, including Stephen Curry and LeBron James. Now he’s looking forward to teaming up with Chris Paul, who transformed Phoenix into a title contender last season.
“Every big man that has ever played with Chris Paul has done well,” McGee said. “I just feel like Chris Paul is definitely the head of the snake and he’s definitely going to lead us to the finals again.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Jonathan Kuminga will need to be versatile to see significant playing time as a rookie, Warriors assistant Kris Weems tells Grant Liffman of NBC Sports. Golden State experimented with Kuminga as a small-ball center during Summer League to see how well he could defend post players. “When you are going to draft a kid that size, and knowing that long term he is going to be bigger and stronger, he may grow a couple inches taller, his versatility because of his size gives him a chance to stay on the floor longer,” Weems said.
- Marc Gasol came close to signing with the Warriors last summer and could emerge as an option later this season, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Gasol has returned to Spain after being waived by the Grizzlies, but Slater notes that he’s the type of passing big man who performs well in Steve Kerr’s system and he could be tempted to return around midseason if Golden State is in the title hunt. The Warriors still have their taxpayer mid-level exception available, although using it would result in a significant increase in their luxury tax bill.
- Darren Collison worked out for the Warriors earlier this month and remains an option for the 15th roster spot, but there’s speculation that he’s hoping for a training camp invitation from the Lakers, Slater adds in the same piece.
Joe Johnson Keeping Door Open For NBA Return
Coming off a second straight MVP season in the BIG3, Joe Johnson hasn’t given up on the idea of returning to the NBA. Johnson, who turned 40 in June, tells TMZ he still believes he can play at the highest level.
“No, I’m not done,” he said. “We’ll see what happens here … We’ll see, man. We’ll see. I don’t have nothing definite to tell you, to be honest with you. But, I’mma be out here to try to get things done.”
Johnson hasn’t been in the NBA since the 2017/18 season when he played a combined 55 games for the Jazz and Rockets. He was in training camp with the Pistons in 2019, but lost a battle for the team’s final roster spot and was waived before the season began.
Johnson had a workout with the Bucks in April, but Milwaukee opted not to sign him. He played for Team USA in February at the AmeriCup qualifiers in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A seven-time All-Star, Johnson played 17 NBA seasons, averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 1,276 career games.
Although it may be difficult for Johnson to get a training camp invitation with so many teams having full rosters, he told TMZ he continues to be motivated by the thrill of playing basketball long after most of his contemporaries have retired.
“I just love hooping,” he said.
Eastern Notes: Martin, Mills, Bucks, Heat
New Heat two-way forward Caleb Martin cited the team’s reputation, culture, and successful development history as key reasons why he joined the franchise, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald details. Martin, who spent the last two seasons with the Hornets, will join undrafted guard Marcus Garrett as Miami’s two-way players entering the season.
“The culture and the reputation were the big things that caught my eye,” Martin explained. “Obviously, the coaching staff and just everybody that’s involved over here. One of the things they said was they’re big on development. They’re going to work with me and do the best they can to make me the best player I can be. They think this is a great spot for me in terms of my playing style and I agree with that.”
Miami has a well-documented history of developing players — Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson being two of the most recent examples — something that Martin simply couldn’t ignore as a free agent.
“You hear a lot of great things about the organization in Miami,” he said. “It’s clear that they bring in winning players and a winning culture, and they do a great job of molding guys and developing guys through their program. Obviously, those were all key points for me when it’s time to choose somewhere to go.”
Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference today:
- Brian Lewis of the New York Post examines how Kevin Durant helped recruit veteran point guard Patty Mills to the Nets in free agency. Mills is expected to provide ball-handling and shooting behind the likes of Kyrie Irving and James Harden for Brooklyn this season.
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic explores a number of Bucks-related topics in his mailbag, including how the team could address any lack of size up front, Alex Antetokounmpo‘s situation and more. Milwaukee is coming off its first championship season since 1971.
- The Heat will have several options to try at starting power forward this season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel examines in his mailbag. Miami signed P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris to deals in free agency, both of whom are expected to contend for minutes. The team also has 23-year-old center Omer Yurtseven, who could bump Bam Adebayo to power forward if and when they share the floor.
Pacific Notes: Davis, Lakers, Moore, Clippers
Add Lakers legend James Worthy to the growing list of people who believe Anthony Davis should play more at center this season. While speaking on Spectrum SportsNet (hat tip TalkBasket), Worthy was adamant about Davis playing at the five, citing a variety of reasons why it would make sense.
“I think initiating Anthony Davis in the post is the best option,” he explained. “I’ve never been one of those players to say ‘I don’t wanna play three, I wanna play four. I wanna play.’ I don’t know what the problem is, maybe who he defends or where he is on the floor. I think the five is a good spot for him. Because other fives don’t have a shot at guarding him.
“You want to make opponents make adjustments. Him at the five shooting three is going to pull Gobert out and they’re going to have to put somebody small on him and he can take advantage of that. I think he needs to look at what position best suits the team and what position best suits how they wanna play before he just says ‘Ahh, one or the other.’”
Giving Davis more minutes at center could also help with the Lakers’ potential floor-spacing issues. The team added Russell Westbrook to its core this offseason, wisely signing shooters such as Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington to fill around its star trio.
There’s more from the Pacific Division today:
- Speaking of the Lakers, Jovan Buha of The Athletic examined a number of topics related to the team in his latest mailbag, including Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker and more. Buha also examined which new addition (outside of Westbrook) could have the biggest impact on the club this season.
- New Magic guard E’Twaun Moore had hoped to re-sign with the Suns after reaching the NBA Finals last season, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Moore also believes Phoenix would’ve had a better chance at winning the Finals if he played. “Just being another playmaker,” he said. “Somebody else that can make shots. Somebody else that can handle. Man, I felt like we would’ve gave Milwaukee some problems if I would’ve played. I felt like I could’ve helped us win for sure in the Finals. So, I definitely do wish I played more towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. I ain’t going to lie. I was itching for it.”
- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer recently brought up an interesting point about his team sharing Staples Center with the Lakers, as relayed by Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “I attended a whole lot of 12:30 p.m. games with sleep-deprived players rubbing bleary eyes in timeouts,” Ballmer said. “Don’t like those 12:30 p.m. games on Saturdays and believe me, in our own building we don’t have to play as many.” Team consultant Jerry West echoed the same sentiment. “The Clippers have been in a great building in Staples but when you are the third tenant in the building, I mean, my goodness, we have the worst schedule every year.” The Clippers held a groundbreaking party on Friday to celebrate the team’s new Intuit Dome arena, which will open in 2024.
And-Ones: USA Basketball, Mayo, Mejri
Grant Hill has taken over as USA Basketball’s managing director and one of his first tasks is to find a replacement for coach Gregg Popovich. Hill told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears that he plans to hire a new coach before the NBA season begins on October 19.
Candidates that have previous experience with USA Basketball will have the upper hand, according to Spears. That group would include Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pierce, Jay Wright, Doc Rivers, Nate McMillan, Monty Williams, Tom Thibodeau, Erik Spoelstra and Jeff Van Gundy.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard O.J. Mayo has reached an agreement with Russia’s Unics Kazan, Sportando relays. Sport-Business.ru was first to report the news. Mayo was banned by the NBA in 2016 for violating the league’s drug program. Mayo has recently played in China.
- Former Mavericks big man Salah Mejri has reached an agreement with Al Jahra in Kuwait, according to Sportando. Mejri appeared in 204 games with Dallas from 2015-19.
- In case you missed it, Jarrell Brantley is expected to sign with a Russian team after being waived by the Jazz. Get the details here.
Eastern Notes: Goodwin, Bulls, Wizards, Knicks
Former Hawks guard Brandon Goodwin worked out for the Celtics this week, Chris Grenham of Forbes Sports tweets. There’s mutual interest in a training camp invite, though no contract has been signed. Goodwin saw action in 47 games with Atlanta last year, averaging 4.9 PPG and 2.0 APG.
He played on a $1.7MM contract last season and became a free agent when the team failed to extend a qualifying offer. He didn’t play in the postseason, partially due to a respiratory condition.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- While most of the rotation spots are a given, the Bulls will have a number of intriguing training camp battles, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. Marko Simonovic could work his way into the mix at both power forward and center, while Troy Brown Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr. will compete for second-unit minutes at the wing. Free agent signee Alex Caruso and Coby White will fight for backcourt minutes once White fully heals from shoulder surgery.
- Oddsmakers don’t think much of the Wizards, but they may be underestimating what the front office did this offseason, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. PointsBet has a 34.5-win over/under line for the Wizards, 12th among Eastern Conference teams, and ESPN’s experts peg them as the 11th-best team in the conference. However, Washington improved its depth this summer and project to be an improved defensive unit, Hughes notes.
- The Knicks get a B-minus from The Athletic’s Zach Harper as their offseason grade. While the backcourt was upgraded with the addition of Kemba Walker, Harper believes the small forward spot didn’t improve all that much by replacing Reggie Bullock with Evan Fournier. They also didn’t improve in the frontcourt spots, in Harper’s estimation.
Wolves Sign Leandro Bolmaro To Rookie Contract
SEPTEMBER 18: Bolmaro has officially signed his rookie deal, according to the NBA transactions log.
SEPTEMBER 14: Leandro Bolmaro, the No. 23 pick in the 2020 draft, will be signing his rookie scale contract with the Timberwolves this week, according to Dane Moore of Blue Wire (Twitter link). Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News adds (via Twitter) that the deal is expected to be completed in the next 24 hours.
The Wolves stashed Bolmaro overseas for a year after drafting him — he remained with Barcelona in Spain for another season in 2020/21 before coming stateside.
The 21-year-old guard won a Liga ACB championship and a Spanish Cup title with the team in 2021, and was named the ACB Most Spectacular Player (essentially an award for the player who shows up the most on the league’s highlight reel). He averaged 6.4 PPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.5 RPG on .500/.453/.867 shooting in 33 Liga ACB games (15.5 MPG).
As a No. 23 pick, Bolmaro will sign a rookie contract identical to the one signed by this year’s 23rd overall selection, Usman Garuba. That means he’ll earn about $2.35MM as a rookie and $11.8MM over four years, as our breakdown shows.
The Wolves, who also reached agreements with restricted free agents Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan McLaughlin last week, are expected to formally announce those deals soon, per Wolfson. Once Vanderbilt, McLaughlin, and Bolmaro are locked up, Minnesota’s regular season roster looks set, barring a trade, according to Moore, who notes that the club would have to cross the luxury tax line in order to retain a 15th man.
The Wolves will have 12 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell on non-guaranteed deals.
Rockets Sign Dante Exum, Waive Tyler Bey
The Rockets have officially re-signed guard Dante Exum and waived Tyler Bey to create a roster space for him, according to the NBA’s transactions log. Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw was the first to report the Bey transaction (Twitter link).
The deal is expected to be for three years and could be worth up to $15MM, but it will be non-guaranteed and will be heavy on incentives, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). We’ll have to wait for more details on the agreement to get a sense of how much Exum will realistically earn if he makes the regular season roster.
With John Wall not expected to play for the team this season as it seeks to trade him, the Rockets were in the market for another point guard. The Rockets’ interest in Exum surfaced on Tuesday.
Exum’s career has been marred by major injuries since he was selected with the No. 5 overall pick by the Jazz in 2014. He was dealt to Cleveland in December 2019.
Exum ended up with the Rockets this past winter as part of the four-team James Harden trade, though injuries kept him on the bench for the entirety of his 2020/21 Houston tenure. He appeared in just six games for Cleveland last season.
Exum played a prominent role on Australia’s bronze medal-winning squad at the Tokyo Olympics, averaging 9.0 PPG and 2.8 APG.
Bey, a 6’7” forward, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Houston on Aug. 25.
He was a high second-round selection in 2020 out of Colorado, taken with the 36th pick by the Sixers. He was included in the deal that sent Josh Richardson to the Mavericks for Seth Curry. Bey only played 18 games with the Mavs, and averaged just 3.9 minutes a game in those 18 contests, though he recorded 15.1 PPG and 9.2 RPG in the G League.
Bogdan Bogdanovic Says He’s Completely Healthy
Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic says he’s completely recovered from the right knee soreness that hampered him during the postseason, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Bogdanovic appeared in 18 postseason games and averaged 14.1 PPG but shot a subpar 32.9% from long range after knocking down a career-best 43.8% of his 3-point attempts during 44 regular season games.
He received a PRP shot after the season and says he’s ready for training camp.
“I wanted to just make sure that I was 100 percent healthy at the beginning of this coming season,” he said. “It’s nothing serious where I had surgery or anything like that. I am good, and I am healthy now. That’s already behind me and was a long time ago. I have no problems now.”
He admitted the injury nagged him during the playoffs.
“You just don’t have time in the playoffs to recover how you would want,” he said. “It’s such a loss to get hurt in the playoffs because you feel like you can’t do anything that you want to do.”
Bogdanovic, who will be entering the second year of the four-year, $72MM contract he signed as a restricted free agent, addressed numerous other topics with Kirschner. Here are some of the highlights:
- Bogdanovic says it’s imperative that the team doesn’t get complacent after its surprising postseason run: “Our heads should be on this is a new season and we need to scratch everything that we did last season,” he said. “It’s a new mentality. We have to find new motivation.”
- He believes the team won’t gain greater respect around the league unless it continues to advance deep into the playoffs: “We can’t just do it one year and then the next season we get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs,” he said.
- He sees De’Andre Hunter as a key to the team’s continued success. “He’s really one of those players I was talking about that just wants to be one of those great players,” Bogdanovic said. “He’s so good on both ends of the floor, and it’s just different when you have him on the court.”