Heat Notes: Portis, Riley, Free Agents, Butler
A decision not to pursue Bucks big man Bobby Portis in free agency may have led to the Heat’s playoff downfall, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson traces several missteps for Miami, which is in a 3-0 hole against Milwaukee, but the most significant might be passing on Portis, who is averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the playoff series.
A source tells Jackson that the Heat showed “mild interest” in Portis during free agency, but decided against making an offer. Portis would have considered Miami, Jackson adds, but he wound up signing with Milwaukee for $3.6MM and having a career-best season. The Heat signed Maurice Harkless for the same money, but he played just 11 games and scored 15 total points before being traded to the Kings in March.
Portis figures to be back on the market this summer as an unrestricted free agent and should get much better offers this time.
There’s more from Miami:
- The Heat made overtures to Marcus Morris in free agency before he re-signed with the Clippers for $64MM over four years, Jackson adds. They lost two of their own free agents when they refused to come close to the three-year, $30MM deal that Jae Crowder got from the Suns or the two-year, $19MM contract that the Trail Blazers gave Derrick Jones Jr. Instead, Miami split its $9.6MM mid-level exception between Harkless and Avery Bradley, neither of whom is still with the team. The Heat also drafted Precious Achiuwa and gave a two-year, $19MM deal to Meyers Leonard, but Achuiwa dropped out of the rotation when Dewayne Dedmon was added and Leonard played just three games before a season-ending shoulder injury.
- Team president Pat Riley has a history of making major changes after playoff embarrassments, and Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel suggests that another one may be coming. Winderman notes that the current roster was built for an immediate overhaul, with team options on Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala for next season and Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala, Victor Oladipo, Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Udonis Haslem and Dedmon all potentially headed for free agency.
- Jimmy Butler believes the Heat need to fall back on toughness to salvage the series, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN. “(I’m most surprised by) just how fast it got out of hand,” Butler said after Thursday’s loss. “We’ve got to pick who we want to be — be physical, make things much tougher. Then you’ve got to live with the result.”
Knicks Notes: Rose, Gibson, Payton, Second-Round Tickets
Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau may finally get to enjoy the playoff success that they should have had together in Chicago, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Rose’s career was upended by injuries after his MVP season in 2010/11, and the Bulls fired Thibodeau four years later. Now they’re trying to give the Knicks their first postseason series win since 2013.
New York was able to acquire Rose for a bargain price in February, sending little-used Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick to the Pistons in return. There were concerns that Rose might get in the way of the team’s rebuilding process, but he has led them to the playoffs as an explosive scorer and a valuable veteran presence. He helped turn around Wednesday’s Game 2 win over the Hawks, coming off the bench to score 26 points in 39 minutes.
“One thing about Derrick I’ve noticed, when he’s in a familiar situation, in a situation that he’s comfortable in, he understands it’s family, he understands that it’s a good environment, a winning environment, he’s going to flourish,” said Taj Gibson, who was also with Rose and Thibodeau in Chicago. “And right now he’s around familiar faces he’s been in battle with for a long time.”
There’s more from New York:
- Gibson, who wasn’t on an NBA roster when the season began, could be the Knicks’ starting center for tonight’s Game 3, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The team considered bringing Gibson to training camp, but opted to go with Omari Spellman instead. Spellman earned a roster spot, but when he was sidelined by a sore knee in early January, the Knicks waived him and added Gibson. The veteran big man played an important role in Game 2 while Nerlens Noel was limited by a sprained ankle, and he could be given a starting role if Noel isn’t ready tonight.
- Elfrid Payton‘s playoff future appears to be in doubt after playing just five minutes Wednesday, notes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Payton remained in his starting role, but he never re-entered the game after being pulled for Rose midway through the first quarter.
- The Knicks announced this morning that tickets for a possible second-round playoff series will only be sold to vaccinated fans, Berman adds in a separate story. The team wants to fill Madison Square Garden to its capacity of 19,040, which means no socially distanced seating will be offered.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Davis, Kidd, Three-Point Shooting
LeBron James is still dealing with the effects of a high-ankle sprain, but it’s becoming less obvious in his on-court performance, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. James had 21 points and nine assists Thursday night and even threw down a vintage dunk in the third quarter as the Lakers took control of their series with the Suns by posting a double-digit win in Game 3.
James, who aggravated the ankle injury a couple of times since originally hurting it in March, admits he needs “round-the-clock treatment” to be able to play.
“Obviously it’s been a rough year on me as far as physically with my ankle and dealing with that and still trying to get it where it was before the injury,” he said. “But every day is a step forward.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Anthony Davis may have hyper-extended his left knee while trying to block a shot in the second quarter, Goon adds. Coach Frank Vogel considered taking Davis out of the game in the second half, but the medical staff said it was safe for him to keep playing, even though it was painful. “Just keeping it warm, keeping it loose and wanted to keep going,” Davis told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It felt fine throughout the rest of the game. Really didn’t have any problems with it. … It was all full of adrenaline, so we’ll see how I feel tomorrow. Get some treatment and get some treatment Saturday and be ready to go Sunday.”
- Jason Kidd is in his second season as a Lakers assistant, and he tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that hopes to become a head coach again some day. Kidd compiled a 183-190 record with three playoff appearances in five seasons with the Nets and Bucks. “I would love to have another opportunity at it,” Kidd said. “Being here with Frank, understanding his strengths and watching him and how he handles different situations, is a big key that I’ve learned. Patience, communication is really key to understanding where everybody stands. Not just your top players, but the end of the bench.”
- Jovan Buha of The Athletic examines the Lakers’ three-point shooting, which he says is becoming an X-factor for the team in the postseason.
Poll: 2021 All-NBA Second Team
The competition for the league’s 15 All-NBA spots was fiercer than ever in 2020/21, with tens of millions of dollars up for grabs for certain players based on the voting results. Since the NBA has already started to announce its end-of-season award winners, we want to give you an opportunity to vote on the All-NBA rosters for 2020/21 before they’re officially revealed.
We started on Wednesday with the First Team before moving onto the Second Team today. We’ll vote on the Third Team early next week.
Here are the voting results so far:
- Guard: Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Guard: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Forward: Joel Embiid (Sixers)
- Center: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
I certainly have no qualms with these picks, and wouldn’t be surprised if these players end up in the top five of MVP voting for 2020/21.
Is it a little ridiculous to view Embiid as a forward? Absolutely! But, as we outlined in our First Team poll, the NBA was pretty lax with several positional designations on this year’s official ballot, perhaps to ensure that an outcome like this is possible — Jokic and Embiid were two of the five most impactful players in the NBA this season, but one would end up on the Second Team if both are only eligible at center.
Should the NBA just do away with positional designations altogether and let voters pick the 15 best players? Probably! But for now, we’re sticking to the league’s positional designations, with some help from Howard Beck of SI.com (Twitter links). As a reminder, here are the most notable multi-position eligible players who didn’t make the First Team:
Players eligible at both center and forward:
Players eligible at both forward and guard:
- Devin Booker
- Jaylen Brown
- Jimmy Butler
- Paul George
- LeBron James
- Zach LaVine
- Kawhi Leonard
- Khris Middleton
- Ben Simmons
- Jayson Tatum
A couple more notes before we move onto the Second Team polls:
- If there’s a player you believe deserves All-NBA consideration who isn’t named below, be sure to mention him in the comment section — if I agree, I’ll make sure he’s included in our Third Team poll.
- Be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to select two players apiece in both the guard and forward polls.
Vote for your All-NBA Second Team below, then take to the comment section to explain your picks!
Guards
(choose two)
Who are your All-NBA Second Team guards?
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Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) 19% (423)
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Bradley Beal (Wizards) 15% (340)
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Chris Paul (Suns) 10% (223)
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James Harden (Nets) 8% (177)
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Devin Booker (Suns) 8% (172)
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Russell Westbrook (Wizards) 5% (114)
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Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) 4% (93)
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LeBron James (Lakers) 4% (90)
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Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 3% (71)
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Trae Young (Hawks) 3% (62)
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Kyrie Irving (Nets) 3% (58)
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Jrue Holiday (Bucks) 2% (52)
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Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) 2% (52)
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Ja Morant (Grizzlies) 2% (50)
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Ben Simmons (Sixers) 2% (46)
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Jaylen Brown (Celtics) 2% (42)
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Jimmy Butler (Heat) 2% (35)
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Zach LaVine (Bulls) 1% (31)
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Khris Middleton (Bucks) 1% (25)
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De'Aaron Fox (Kings) 1% (20)
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Mike Conley (Jazz) 1% (18)
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Paul George (Clippers) 0% (7)
Total votes: 2,201
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team guards.
Forwards
(choose two)
Who are your All-NBA Second Team forwards?
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Julius Randle (Knicks) 17% (342)
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LeBron James (Lakers) 14% (266)
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Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 13% (249)
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Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) 12% (233)
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Kevin Durant (Nets) 8% (158)
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Zion Williamson (Pelicans) 6% (122)
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Devin Booker (Suns) 5% (89)
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Anthony Davis (Lakers) 5% (89)
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Jimmy Butler (Heat) 3% (65)
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Khris Middleton (Bucks) 2% (45)
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Ben Simmons (Sixers) 2% (42)
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Domantas Sabonis (Pacers) 2% (39)
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Jaylen Brown (Celtics) 2% (38)
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Tobias Harris (Sixers) 1% (27)
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Zach LaVine (Bulls) 1% (26)
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Bam Adebayo (Heat) 1% (25)
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Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) 1% (23)
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Draymond Green (Warriors) 1% (23)
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Paul George (Clippers) 1% (21)
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Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets) 1% (14)
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DeMar DeRozan (Spurs) 1% (11)
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Brandon Ingram (Pelicans) 1% (10)
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Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks) 0% (8)
Total votes: 1,965
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team forwards.
Center
Who is your All-NBA Second Team center?
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Rudy Gobert (Jazz) 47% (445)
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Anthony Davis (Lakers) 12% (118)
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Domantas Sabonis (Pacers) 8% (81)
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Nikola Vucevic (Magic/Bulls) 6% (60)
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Bam Adebayo (Heat) 6% (59)
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Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) 6% (56)
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Clint Capela (Hawks) 4% (39)
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Deandre Ayton (Suns) 3% (33)
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Draymond Green (Warriors) 3% (25)
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Jonas Valanciunas (Grizzlies) 2% (23)
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Myles Turner (Pacers) 1% (10)
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Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks) 1% (7)
Total votes: 956
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team center.
Southwest Notes: Alexander-Walker, KP, Adams, Mavs
Pelicans combo guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker found ways to improve during his second NBA season, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Clark highlights Alexander-Walker’s growth as a ball-handler. The 22-year-old, who may play for Team Canada this summer, averaged an encouraging 19.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 3.0 APG across the 13 games he started.
Alexander-Walker indicated that extended reps at the NBA level have yielded his growth with the Pelicans. “You start to catch onto things,” he said. “You start to read things and understand what buttons control different things.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis told reporters that the behavior that violated COVID-19 protocols and yielded a $50K league fine was a result of his not understanding the NBA’s stringent new rules as more businesses open across the country during the pandemic, tweets Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. “I was honestly a little bit confused (about the protocols), but I made a mistake and I paid for it,” Porzingis said. The Dallas big man, who is vaccinated, visited an indoor L.A.-area club.
- In trading for and subsequently extending center Steven Adams, the Pelicans were hoping to establish an intense interior presence with their new frontcourt tandem of Adams and All-Star power forward Zion Williamson, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. That approach did not even yield a top-10 finish in the West this season, prompting Clark to wonder if New Orleans head of basketball operations David Griffin will attempt to move on from Adams.
- Though the Mavericks won both the first two games of their first-round matchup against the Clippers on the road, the team is looking to improve from a lackluster free-throw shooting performance, writes Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s an area where we can gain ground,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. The Mavericks connected on just 66% of their foul shots during the first two games of the series, down from 77.8% during the regular season. Swingman Tim Hardaway Jr., an unrestricted free agent this summer whom Dallas hopes to retain, has shot just 4-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Central Notes: Warren, Fiserv Forum, Pistons, Bucks
After Pacers team president Kevin Pritchard said that he views forward T.J. Warren as pivotal to the team’s success, and his absence as a key reason why Indiana had a disappointing season, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star considers whether Warren’s presence is as crucial as Pritchard believes.
“The most important thing in this league right now is having rim defense and a big wing who can guard those guys,” Pritchard said of losing oft-injured Warren for all but four Pacers games due to a foot surgery. “We didn’t have a lot of that for a lot of the year.”
Michael acknowledges that Warren was the team’s best option as a defensive forward, but notes that there is room for improvement still, as Warren occasionally fouls too often while hunting for steals. The emergence of Oshae Brissett as a viable option for spotting Warren will lessen his burden when he returns to full health next season, Michael adds.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- The Bucks will be raising crowd capacity at their home arena, Fiserv Forum, from 9,100 fans to 16,500 fans for the rest of playoffs, per a team press release. The earliest date this could go into effect is June 1, if the team’s series against the Heat extends to five games.
- The fact that the Pistons were able to land two stellar mid-first-round selections during the 2020 NBA draft bodes well for the club’s future under first-year GM Troy Weaver, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Langlois notes that rookies Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey already appear to have carved out roles as reliable role players in their first season and could be capable of much more in the coming years. With an 80% chance at nabbing a top-five pick in the upcoming draft, the rebuilding Pistons will have an opportunity to add more firepower to their intriguing young roster.
- The Bucks internally talked about tanking a matchup with the Heat in the final weekend of the season to avoid facing Miami in the first round, but unanimously decided against it, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN. With Milwaukee on the cusp of taking a 3-0 advantage in its series against Miami tonight, it appears that was the right call.
L.A. Notes: Kawhi, Gasol, Battle Of L.A., Clippers Starters
During his two seasons with the Clippers, All-Star swingman Kawhi Leonard has yet to come close to the level of playoff success he achieved during his lone season with the Raptors, writes Scott Stinson of the National Post. After Leonard was traded by the Spurs to the Raptors in 2018, he led Toronto to the only title in its history in 2019.
Leonard, 29, holds a player option on his $36MM deal for the 2021/22 season. Los Angeles is currently in an 0-2 deficit in its first-round playoff series against the Mavericks. Last season, amidst championship expectations, the Clippers fell 4-3 in a second-round matchup against the Nuggets.
There’s more out of the City of Angels:
- Lakers reserve center Marc Gasol proved a key part of L.A.’s Game 2 adjustments, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The 36-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year, who did not play in the opening game of the team’s first-round series against the Suns, replaced fellow reserve big man Montrezl Harrell in the Lakers’ rotation. Gasol helped as a floor spacer, passer, and post presence. He played nearly 27 minutes in the 109-102 victory, logging 6 points (on 2-of-4 shooting from deep), 2 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. With free-agent-to-be Andre Drummond having displaced Gasol as the team’s starter during the regular season, head coach Frank Vogel has experimented in doling out rotational minutes between Harrell and Gasol. Playoff performance could impact all three players’ futures with the team. Gasol is on a veteran’s minimum contract through the 2021/22 season, while Harrell holds a player option on the second year of his deal with the Lakers, worth $9.7MM.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPN wonders if the long-awaited postseason “Battle of Los Angeles,” a hypothetical playoff series between the star-studded Lakers and Clippers, will ever transpire, with All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard able to enter free agency this summer. Shelburne notes that, in fact, the two Los Angeles NBA teams have never faced each other in the playoffs.
- After the Clippers‘ starting lineup was outscored by 18 points in 19 minutes across two playoff losses to the Mavericks, head coach Tyronn Lue noted that a change was quite possible, writes Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “Something needs to be done,” Lue said. The Clippers are currently starting point guard Patrick Beverley, All-Star wing Paul George, power forward Marcus Morris, and center Ivica Zubac alongside Leonard.
Lakers Ink 20-Year Staples Center Lease Extension
The Lakers have signed an extension with the Staples Center that will keep them at their home arena through 2041, per a team press release. The Lakers have played at the Staples Center since the 1999/2000 season, when the franchise won its first title in more than a decade. The news was first reported by David Wharton at the Los Angeles Times.
The club has won six titles during its tenure at the Staples Center, including the pandemic-truncated 2019/20 season. The press release notes that L.A. has a regular season record of 987-780 and a playoff mark of 139-79 during its 22 years at Staples Center.
“We are excited to extend our partnership with [Staples Center owner] AEG,” said team owner Jeanie Buss in a statement. “Staples Center ranks as one of the best arenas in the world to play and watch basketball and we are thrilled to be able to call it home for another two decades.”
The Lakers’ press release also indicated that the team and AEG intend to make serious renovations to the arena. Wharton’s sources noted that another reason behind the franchise sticking around was that it wanted to remain in downtown L.A.
This is a big get for the Staples Center, especially as the Lakers’ NBA co-tenants in the arena, the Clippers, continue to plan their likely exit to a new Inglewood arena within the next few years.
Mavs Confident In Ability To Re-Sign Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is expected to be one of the top wings available on the free agent market this offseason, but he may end up not going anywhere. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link), there’s confidence within the Mavericks‘ organization about the team’s ability to sign Hardaway to a new contract.
Hardaway, 29, is in the final season of the four-year, $71MM deal he signed with the Knicks in 2017. New York faced some criticism at the time of the signing for what was perceived as an overpay, but Hardaway has lived up to his end of the bargain, averaging 16.9 points on .423/.364/.825 shooting and playing solid defense in 263 games (30.5 MPG) for the Knicks and Mavericks over the life of the contract.
Having made 39.4% of his three-point attempts during the last two years in Dallas, Hardaway has gotten even hotter to start the postseason, averaging 24.5 PPG and making 11-of-17 threes in the Mavs’ two wins over the Clippers in Los Angeles. If he keeps it up and helps push the team to the second round, that should only help his stock in free agency.
According to Basketball Insiders’ data, the Mavs currently have approximately $73MM in guaranteed money on their books for 2021/22. Theoretically, Dallas could create a sizeable chunk of cap room, but that would depend on what they do with free agents like Hardaway, J.J. Redick, and Boban Marjanovic. Josh Richardson‘s $11.6MM player option and Willie Cauley-Stein‘s $4.1MM team option are also wild cards that could impact the club’s flexibility.
Even if the Mavs were to carve out significant cap space, it’s unclear whether they’d realistically be able to land anyone who fits the current roster better than Hardaway, considering this year’s free agent class isn’t particularly star-studded. Focusing on re-signing the veteran wing makes sense, though it may take an offer that matches or exceeds his previous $18MM annual salary to lock him up.
Scotto’s Latest: Oubre, Bazemore, Wiseman, Ball, Spurs
The Warriors have interest in bringing back free agent wings Kelly Oubre and Kent Bazemore, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. However, it sounds like neither player will be as affordable on his next contract as he was on his previous deal.
Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast alongside Yossi Gozlan, Scotto said he has gotten the sense from a league source that Oubre and his camp believe they can get a long-term contract worth at least $20MM annually, which may be higher than the Warriors are willing to go. As for Bazemore, Scotto didn’t specify an asking price, but said the goal for the veteran forward is to get a multiyear deal — ideally one that covers three years rather than two.
The Warriors have Oubre’s full Bird rights, but only hold Non-Bird rights on Bazemore, so their ability to offer him a raise on his minimum-salary contract will be limited.
Here’s more from Scotto, including another note on the Warriors:
- Although the Warriors won’t be actively looking to move James Wiseman, they’d be open to listening to inquiries on the big man if an All-Star caliber player is available, a league source tells Scotto.
- There’s a belief that Lonzo Ball will be able to get around $20MM per year in restricted free agency, though it’s unclear if the Pelicans are prepared to go that high, says Scotto, adding that rumors of the Bulls’ interest in the former No. 2 overall pick seem to “have some legs.”
- Re-signing RFAs-to-be Ball and Josh Hart would almost certainly take the Pelicans into luxury tax territory, so Scotto expects Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams to be names that come up in trade rumors this offseason. Bledsoe will earn $18.1MM in 2021/22, while Adams will make $17.1MM.
- Scotto says he has heard from an executive or two around the NBA that Spurs assistant Will Hardy is viewed as a legit candidate to be Gregg Popovich‘s eventual replacement as San Antonio’s head coach. Hardy received consideration from multiple teams that sought a head coach in 2020.