Pascal Siakam Talks Trade Rumors, Shoulder Injury, More
Pascal Siakam was the subject of some trade rumors earlier in the NBA offseason, but the Raptors reportedly assured the forward and his camp that they weren’t looking to move him, and Siakam’s agent Todd Ramasar publicly stated that his client wasn’t looking to be moved.
Speaking to Sopan Deb of The New York Times, Siakam publicly weighed in on those trade rumors himself for the first time, suggesting that he envisions himself remaining in Toronto long-term. Siakam told Deb that he wasn’t irritated by the offseason rumors, since all the reports framed any trade discussions as teams pursuing him, rather than the Raptors shopping him.
“It didn’t bother me really, because I never really heard anything from the Raptors. Even all the news I was seeing it was never like: ‘Oh. The Raptors wanted to give up Siakam for this,'” he said. “It was always like, ‘The Warriors like Pascal,’ or it was always, ‘The Kings like Pascal,’ or this. There was never nothing where it was like, ‘The Raptors wanted to give away Pascal.'”
Siakam’s conversation with Deb touched on several other topics, including his rehab from shoulder surgery, his run-in with head coach Nick Nurse, and Kyle Lowry‘s departure from Miami. The Q&A is worth checking out in full, but here are some highlights:
On where he’s at in the rehab process:
“I’m shooting, ball handling. I think at this point in the process I look better than I thought I was expecting at least or I’m doing more than I thought I would do at that time.”
On his altercation with Nurse:
“I don’t think it was that bad… This is what happened: It was after a game. I’m just so frustrated. It’s like, ‘Oh, we’re losing and I’m just mad I didn’t play and I could’ve really helped my team.’ And we’re having a losing season and I think those things happen between a coach and a player.
“Obviously, I probably used language, uh, people use. It is what it is, but I don’t think it was such a big deal because after that situation happened, we talked. We are on good terms. It was just an argument. Literally one argument and like: ‘Oh, I’m mad at this. I’m yelling and this is it.’ That’s it. Grown men.”
On becoming one of the Raptors’ centerpieces following Kawhi Leonard‘s departure in 2019:
“For me at that point when I started becoming that person, I just felt like there wasn’t that much level of communication (from the team), to be honest. And that was the only thing really that I felt. It was like, ‘We got you the max contract, but are you the guy?’ I think that’s something that I was struggling with.
“Kyle was, to me, always the greatest Raptor of all time. I think he was always like, ‘I was the guy.’ I had the contract, but I never really felt like I was the guy, to be honest. … And I think those conversations are happening now.”
On his expectations for himself in 2021/22:
“I feel like when the season was ending, I was catching a rhythm, finally feeling good. ‘Man, I just had Covid. Lost 20 pounds.’ These are things that I was going through, and I feel like I’ve always gotten better in my eyes. And I think there’s another level that I can definitely get to. And for me, I definitely see myself as an All-Star. Potentially, wanting to be a most valuable player in the league one day. But for me, I do think that there’s definitely a lot more to unleash into my dream that’s going to take me to the next level.”
Isaiah Thomas To Work Out For Warriors
Free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas will work out for the Warriors next week, sources tell Jorge Sierra and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Thomas, who has only appeared in 55 total games over the last three NBA seasons with the Nuggets, Wizards, and Pelicans, has indicated he’s fully recovered from the hip problems that bothered him for years and is looking to get back into the league. He recently worked out for the Lakers and Mavericks in the hopes of securing an NBA deal.
Rumors surfaced this week linking Thomas to EuroLeague club CSKA Moscow, but those reports were either inaccurate or were the result of a misunderstanding — both Thomas and his agent Bernie Lee took to Twitter on Wednesday to shoot them down and to stress that the 32-year-old remains focused on playing in the NBA rather than going overseas.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have been working out some free agent guards as they consider possible candidates to come to training camp and compete with Mychal Mulder and Gary Payton II for the 15th spot on the team’s regular season roster. Darren Collison and Ryan Arcidiacono are among the players who have recently auditioned for Golden State.
Northwest Notes: Beverley, Billups, Brase, Thunder
Patrick Beverley hasn’t missed the playoffs since his NBA career began in 2012, and he’s determined to keep his postseason streak alive in his first season with the Timberwolves, writes Chris Hine of The Star-Tribune. Beverley was traded from the Clippers to the Grizzlies and then from Memphis to Minnesota this summer, winding up with an organization that only been to the playoffs one time since 2004.
“My biggest focus is seeing how locked in we can be each and every night consistently, over a preseason, a season and eventually if we’re doing the right things getting to the playoffs,” Beverley said today during his introductory press conference. “Basketball is basketball. That won’t change. But everything else in the middle, I think you can control that to put yourself in a position to win a lot of games.”
Team president Gersson Rosas sees Beverley as a player who “can change the whole defense,” which will be a priority for a Wolves team that was 28th in defensive rating last season. Beverley will also be a veteran leader on a team filled with young players.
“Understand what’s going on. Understand positioning. Understand spacing. Understand timing and once you understand those things, you’re a student of the game and then you’re able to become a teacher,” Beverley said. “When … you’re able to teach the defense or teach that position, you put yourself in the position to be successful defensively.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Tutoring sessions with Tyronn Lue during last year’s COVID-19 hiatus convinced Chauncey Billups to try coaching, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. Billups, who was an announcer for the Clippers at the time, learned the game from a different perspective during that makeshift coaching camp, which routinely lasted four to five hours a day. Billups spent a season as an assistant with L.A. before being hired as head coach of the Trail Blazers this summer.
- Matt Brase is the newest addition to Billups’ staff with the Trail Blazers, per Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. Brase was an assistant to Mike D’Antoni in Houston from 2018-20.
- The Thunder and their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, will share the Paycom Center as their home arena this season, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. They are scheduled to play home games on the same day 15 times.
Central Notes: Satoransky, Lowe, Okoro, Garza
Former Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky wasn’t happy with the circumstances regarding his exit from Chicago, according to a story from BasketNews. Satoransky was part of the package sent to the Pelicans in a sign-and trade deal for Lonzo Ball, and he was disappointed that he didn’t get more of an acknowledgement from executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas after spending two years with the team.
“It was tense. You’re in the city for two years, you fight for them, you live for the team — and then you receive a text from general manager Karnisovas which says, ‘Thanks for your time in Chicago,’” Satoransky said in an interview with Czech media. “That was the only thing I got from him. But I’m not angry; you can’t be emotional at that moment. But when one thinks about it … after two years of hard work, it’s actually brutal.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- In an interview with Kelsey Russo of The Athletic, Sidney Lowe says a conversation with his long-time friend J.B. Bickerstaff led him to become an assistant coach with the Cavaliers. Lowe, who was on the Pistons’ staff the past three seasons, mentioned his possible availability while they were talking this summer. “And so, we’re just talking, and he wasn’t really aware of my situation,” Lowe recalls. “And then I let him know what was going on. And, he just told me, he said, ‘Well, you know, we might have something available.’ We’ve always respected each other, and we talked basketball when we saw each other and over the phone. So he said, ‘Well, let’s see what happens down the road here.’”
- Isaac Okoro made notable progress between his rookie season and Summer League, and an NBA.com article examines what’s ahead for the Cavaliers swingman. Okoro was Cleveland’s leading scorer in the two games he played in Las Vegas, averaging 16.0 PPG and making 13 of his 22 shots from the field. The Cavs would like to see him become more aggressive on offense this season.
- There’s an expectation around the league that the Pistons will convert Luka Garza‘s two-way deal to a standard contract before the season begins, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The rookie big man out of Iowa averaged 15 points and 9.6 rebounds per game during Summer League. Detroit currently has both two-way slots filled, so converting Garza’s contract would create an opening.
Lakers Notes: Anthony, LeBron, Nunn, Coaching Staff
Carmelo Anthony was hoping to return to the Trail Blazers this summer before LeBron James urged him to join the Lakers, writes Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Appearing on Haynes’ “Posted Up” podcast, Anthony said he was waiting to see if Portland was interested in bringing him back when James reached out to him. Anthony spent the last two years with the Blazers, but said management didn’t contact him about a return.
“No, not the way I thought. But honestly, I wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “… Not to say Portland did anything wrong, but I was sitting around because I’m a loyal person. I didn’t want to leave (Damian Lillard) and CJ (McCollum) and those guys. But I know the business.”
In addition to his long friendship with James, Anthony chose the Lakers because he sees the team as his best hope to cap off his career with a championship. He told Haynes that several other organizations expressed interest, which felt good after being out of the league two years ago.
“New York was always there, always a story,” Anthony said. “I told my son when he made it to high school, I’d be there. Philly, I didn’t get a chance to converse with Philly, but there was interest. New Orleans had interest. It felt good to see that again and being a part of teams being interested in me when 18-20 months again, it was nobody.”
There’s more from L.A.:
- James has played fewer minutes per game each season since 2016/17, and Jovan Buha of The Athletic expects that trend to continue this year. James will turn 37 in December and the Lakers will be try to be careful with him to avoid the kind of long-term injury he had last season.
- Of all the players the Lakers added in free agency, Kendrick Nunn was probably the most surprising, Buha adds in the same piece. The former Heat guard signed for the taxpayer mid-level exception, and Buha speculates that he could have gotten a better offer from another team. Buha also questions whether Nunn will get the playing time he’s used to with Russell Westbrook handling most of the minutes at point guard.
- The Lakers have officially announced the additions of David Fizdale and John Lucas III as assistant coaches (Twitter link). Both hires were previously reported.
Cavaliers Waive Tre Scott
Tre Scott, who signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Cavaliers last week, has been waived by the team, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
The 24-year-old forward signed with the Jazz in 2020 after going undrafted out of Cincinnati and played for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League, averaging 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 15 games. He also played five games for Cleveland last month in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Scott was one of six players who signed non-guaranteed contracts with the Cavs this summer. His departure leaves the team with 17 players under contract – including 10 fully guaranteed and one two-way – plus reported agreements with Denzel Valentine and Kevin Pangos.
2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Brooklyn Nets
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves, examine what still needs to be done before opening night, and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Brooklyn Nets.
Free agent signings:
Note: Exhibit 10 deals aren’t included here.
Patty Mills: Two years, $12.075MM. Second-year player option. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.- Bruce Brown: One year, $4.736MM. Accepted qualifying offer as restricted free agent.
- LaMarcus Aldridge: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Blake Griffin: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- James Johnson: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Paul Millsap: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- DeAndre’ Bembry: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception. Partially guaranteed for $750K.
Trades:
- Acquired Jevon Carter and the draft rights to Day’Ron Sharpe (No. 29 pick) from the Suns in exchange for Landry Shamet.
- Acquired either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards), the right to swap the Warriors’ 2025 second-round pick for the Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (from Wizards), and the draft rights to Nikola Milutinov (from Spurs) in a five-team trade in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie (sign-and-trade; to Wizards).
- Note: The Nets created a $11,454,048 trade exception in the deal.
- Acquired Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor from the Pistons in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, the Nets’ 2022 second-round pick, either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), either the Warriors’ or Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), the Nets’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash ($5.78MM).
- Note: Okafor has since been waived.
Draft picks:
- 1-27: Cameron Thomas
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $10,455,849).
- 1-29: Day’Ron Sharpe
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $10,317,802).
- 2-44: Kessler Edwards
- Signed to two-way contract.
- 2-49: Marcus Zegarowski
- Unsigned.
- 2-59: RaiQuan Gray
- Unsigned.
Contract extensions:
- Kevin Durant: Four years, $192,504,908 (base value). Includes $5,152,000 in incentives and 15% trade kicker. Starts in 2022/23.
Departing players:
- Chris Chiozza
- Spencer Dinwiddie
- Jeff Green
- Mike James
- Alize Johnson
- Tyler Johnson
- DeAndre Jordan
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
- Reggie Perry
- Landry Shamet
Other offseason news:
- Added David Vanterpool, Brian Keefe, and Kyle Korver to coaching staff; Ime Udoka and Mike D’Antoni departed coaching staff.
- Added Steve Clifford as coaching consultant.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap and above the tax line.
- Carrying approximately $172.3MM in salary.
- Used full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.89MM) to sign Patty Mills.
- Rest of non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($3,646,000) and bi-annual exception ($3,732,000) are unavailable, since using either would create a $143MM hard cap.
- Three traded player exceptions available, including one worth $11.5MM and another worth $6.3MM.
Lingering preseason issues:
- The Nets have 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus DeAndre’ Bembry on a partially guaranteed deal. In order to carry Bembry on the regular season roster, Brooklyn will need to trade or waive a player with a guaranteed salary.
- The Nets have an open two-way contract slot.
- The Nets have two unsigned second-round picks.
- James Harden and Kyrie Irving remain eligible for veteran contract extensions, and the Nets reportedly would like to get deals done.
- Nicolas Claxton also remains eligible for a veteran contract extension all season.
The Nets’ offseason:
Even with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving rarely healthy at the same time in 2020/21, the Nets put up some of the best offensive numbers of all time, recording a league-leading 117.3 offensive rating during the regular season. The defense was shaky at times, but tightened up in the playoffs and would’ve been good enough to support a deep postseason run.
Unfortunately for Brooklyn, the injury bug bit the Big Three again in the second round vs. Milwaukee, as both Harden and Irving missed multiple games. Their absences were enough to give the Bucks the edge in a series that went down to the wire, with Milwaukee winning Game 7 in overtime.
Given how close that series with the eventual champions was, it’s hard to argue the Nets weren’t a championship-caliber team in their own right entering the offseason. But since Brooklyn can’t necessarily count on Durant, Harden, and Irving to all be 100% healthy during next year’s postseason run, the front office couldn’t just stand pat this summer — it had to do all it could to upgrade the roster around the edges.
And many of those moves made around the edges were very good ones. With the Nets’ Big Three earning a combined $121MM+ in 2021/22, the club had limited resources to fill out its bench, but did so admirably. Patty Mills, Bruce Brown, and Blake Griffin will count against Brooklyn’s cap for a combined $12.3MM this season, while Paul Millsap, LaMarcus Aldridge, and James Johnson were among the other reliable veterans who signed minimum-salary contracts with the team.
Of course, it’s easier to sign players to team-friendly contracts when you’re a title contender based in New York than when you’re a lottery team based in, say, Cleveland. But general manager Sean Marks still deserves high grades for the work he did on the roster this offseason, including adding a pair of low-cost first-round draftees (Cameron Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe) to the mix.
Mills should be a clear upgrade over Mike James and Tyler Johnson in the backcourt, while Aldridge and Millsap are more suited to the Nets’ small-ball lineups than a traditional center like DeAndre Jordan, who was jettisoned in a salary-dump deal.
Losing Spencer Dinwiddie is a blow to the Nets on paper, but shouldn’t have a major impact on the court — after all, Dinwiddie only appeared in three games in 2020/21 before tearing his ACL, so the club did just fine without him last season.
The one spot the team’s depth will be tested is on the wing, where Jeff Green, Landry Shamet, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot are no longer in the picture. Bruce Brown and DeAndre’ Bembry (if he makes the roster) are solid defenders, but aren’t major offensive threats. Thomas was one of the NCAA’s leading scorers last season, but it’s unclear if he’s ready to immediately jump into a regular rotation role on a veteran playoff team. If Brooklyn seeks midseason reinforcements, I’d expect the club to target wing depth.
Of course, as important as those supporting players are, the Nets’ ceiling will ultimately dictated by Durant, Harden, and Irving. All three stars became extension-eligible this offseason and the franchise didn’t waste any time locking up Durant to a new maximum-salary deal.
It will be interesting to see if Harden and Irving also get extensions done before the season begins. They’re essentially the Nets’ second and third options, but they’ll be among the NBA’s very highest-paid players if they receive new max deals. Harden turned 32 this summer; Irving will turn 30 this season. Brooklyn wants to keep them, of course, but it may not just be a matter of simply handing over a blank check, like in the negotiations with Durant.
The Nets’ upcoming season:
The Nets’ 2021/22 regular season may look similar to some of LeBron James‘ later seasons with the Cavaliers. LeBron’s veteran-heavy Cavs teams never pushed all that hard for the top seed in the East, since they knew preserving their legs for a lengthy playoff run was more important than getting an extra home game or two in the postseason.
This Nets team will likely take a similar long view — winning a couple extra games in November and December isn’t all that important if Durant, Harden, and Irving — or even role players like Griffin, Aldridge, and Millsap — are being overextended. Keeping the stars healthy will be Brooklyn’s top priority for most of the year, and if the club still manages to earn the top seed in the East, that’ll be a bonus.
If the three stars are healthy in the postseason, this team looks to me like the favorite to win the 2022 title. That’s a big “if,” but there aren’t many teams around the league that wouldn’t trade positions with the Nets if given the opportunity.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
Cavs’ Brodric Thomas Accepts Two-Way Qualifying Offer
Cavaliers shooting guard Brodric Thomas has accepted his qualifying offer and will return to Cleveland, a league source tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Because he spent last season on a two-way contract, Thomas’ qualifying offer was the equivalent of another two-way deal with a $50K partial guarantee.
Thomas, 24, began his rookie season with the Rockets after going undrafted out of Truman in 2020. He had his Exhibit 10 contract with Houston converted to a two-way pact at the end of the preseason, then appeared in four games with the Rockets before being waived in February. Thomas caught on with Cleveland on a new two-way deal less than two weeks later and finished the season with the Cavs.
In 32 total games for his two teams, Thomas averaged 3.9 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .361/.271/.674 shooting in 12.5 minutes per contest. He put up better numbers in the G League, with 18.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 3.5 APG on .447/.413/.571 shooting in 14 games (33.6 MPG) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Canton Charge.
By extending Thomas a qualifying offer this summer, the Cavs made him a restricted free agent and essentially earmarked one of their two-way slots for him — at least for now. With Tacko Fall, Tre Scott, RJ Nembhard, and Mitch Ballock expected to be in training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts, the Cavs’ other two-way slot figures to be up for grabs, and if multiple camp invitees make a strong impression, it’s possible Thomas could face competition for his spot as well.
Thomas had been one of two restricted free agents left on the market. Clippers two-way RFA Amir Coffey is now the only one.
And-Ones: Mirotic, Head Coaches, Gasol, Littles
Veteran forward Nikola Mirotic shocked NBA observers and fans alike during the 2019 offseason when he opted to return to his home country of Spain as a free agent, signing with Barcelona despite reportedly having lucrative multiyear NBA offers on the table. Two years later, Mirotic said that he doesn’t really miss the NBA, with one notable exception.
“I would say I only miss playing against the best, those superstars like (Kevin) Durant, (James) Harden, Steph (Curry), Giannis (Antetokounmpo)… It’s something unforgettable,” Mirotic told Alex Molina of Eurohoops.net. “Playing against LeBron (James)… just amazing. Thinking that I also played with some of them like Anthony Davis, Giannis himself, Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose… An amazing experience. You always want to play against these guys, but apart from that, I don’t miss the NBA.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- NBA coaches will once again be allowed to wear casual attire on the sidelines rather than having to wear suits and ties, tweets Marc Stein of Substack. The league adjusted the dress code for head coaches during the 2020 bubble and has opted not to revert back to the old rules.
- Although the expectation is that newly-released center Marc Gasol will sign a contract with Girona in Spain, a report from Spanish outlet CCMA.cat indicates that the 36-year-old hasn’t yet made a final decision on his future (hat tip to HoopsHype).
- Gene Littles, who played in the ABA and later coached the Cavaliers, Hornets, and Nuggets, has died at age 78, according to a press release from his alma mater, High Point University. Littles’ head coaching stints were short-lived, as he led Cleveland, Charlotte, and Denver to a 44-111 (.284) record across parts of four seasons. However, he did win an ABA title as a player with the Kentucky Colonels in 1975.
Justin Robinson Signs Two-Way Deal With Bucks
SEPTEMBER 15: The Bucks have officially signed Robinson to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 12: The Bucks have agreed to a two-way contract with guard Justin Robinson, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Milwaukee now has both of its two-way roster spots filled.
Robinson, 23, spent most of last season in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, shooting 40.5% from three-point range.
Robinson also signed two 10-day contracts with the Thunder toward the end of the season. He saw action in nine games, averaging 2.3 points and 9.8 minutes.
Milwaukee still has one open roster spot to use for training camp later this month. The franchise is coming off its first championship since 1971, bringing back much of the same core for the coming season.