Stephen Curry Wins Inaugural Magic Johnson Trophy As Western Finals MVP
Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been awarded the inaugural Magic Johnson Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Western Conference Finals, the NBA announced following Game 5 on Thursday night.
The league introduced the award – along with the Larry Bird Trophy for the Eastern Finals MVP – earlier this month, and Curry has become the first-ever player to win it after leading Golden State to a 4-1 series victory over Dallas.
The award was voted on by nine local and national media members covering the series — Curry received all nine votes.
Although he only had 15 points in the Warriors’ close-out victory on Thursday, Curry was the team’s leading scorer in the five-game series, averaging 23.8 PPG on .444/.439/.840 shooting to go along with 7.4 APG and 6.6 RPG. His best performances came in Game 2 (32 points and six 3-pointers) and Game 3 (31 points and 11 assists) as he helped Golden State build an insurmountable series lead.
The Warriors are back in the NBA Finals after making it five consecutive times from 2015-19. They await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and Heat.
Draft Notes: Ivey, Murray, Sharpe, Daniels, Roddy, Minott, Segu
While Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero are the consensus top three prospects in this year’s draft, it’s rare that the top three picks in a draft end up being the three players who enjoy the best pro careers, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.
The ESPN duo identifies Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe and Dyson Daniels as the other prospects who are the best bets to emerge as top-three players from the 2022 draft class, breaking down the strengths of that quartet and considering which lottery teams might benefit the most from their talents.
We have plenty of draft-related news to pass along:
- Colorado State’s David Roddy has worked out for the Magic, Nuggets and Rockets, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. The power forward is ranked No. 47 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- Memphis forward Josh Minott has workouts lined up with the Magic, Raptors, Hawks, Spurs, Bulls and Hornets, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. Minott is ranked No. 48 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- Buffalo guard Ronaldo Segu will continue to pursue professional opportunities and forgo his remaining year of college eligibility, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. He averaged 14.9 PPG and 5.1 APG last season.
- Nathan Mensah is withdrawing from the draft and returning to San Diego State, the school announced in a press release. Mensah is the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
- Josh Mballa is pulling out of the draft and transferring from Buffalo to Ole Miss, Jeff Goodman tweets. Mballa averaged 13.0 PPG and 8.6 RPG last season.
- Texas Tech guard Adonis Arms has workouts scheduled with the Nuggets, Pistons, Pelicans, Magic and Jazz, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets.
- Northern Colorado’s Bodie Hume will remain in the draft, Rothstein adds in another tweet. The senior forward averaged 11.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG last season.
- Potential top-10 selection Johnny Davis wants to model his game after Devin Booker. Another potential top-10 pick, Daniels, believes he’s a combination of Tyrese Haliburton offensively and Alex Caruso or Lonzo Ball defensively. Numerous draft prospects told The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov which NBA players they most closely resemble or strive to be.
Northwest Notes: Taylor, Lore, A-Rod, Kroenke, Jazz
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has forged a sound working relationship with minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, proven by their successful recruitment of Denver’s Tim Connelly to head up their front office, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Taylor, who allowed the duo to design an offer that would be very difficult for the Nuggets to match, enjoys the ambition and energy of Lore and A-Rod and has gained confidence in their ability to complete a major transaction.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The press conference involving Nuggets president/governor Josh Kroenke has been postponed after he recently tested positive for COVID-19. He is one of several members of the organization to test positive this week, according to the team. The press conference, scheduled for today, has been tentatively moved to Tuesday, according to the Denver Post’s Mike Singer (Twitter links).
- What are the Jazz seeking to upgrade their roster? A long, rangy wing player who is solid offensively and can defend on the perimeter and switch 1-to-5, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. However, those players are in high demand throughout the league, which makes the Jazz’s task of finding such a player quite difficult.
- The Jazz’s draft workout on Thursday included R.J. Cole (UConn), Tyson Etienne (Wichita State), Johnny Juzang (UCLA), Jared Rhoden (Seton Hall), Akoldah Gak (Australia) and Trevion Williams (Purdue), Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Williams (No. 50 on ESPN’s Best Available list) is the highest-rated among that group of second-round prospects.
Blazers Close To Hiring ESPN’s Schmitz As Assistant GM
ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz is jumping from the media to an NBA front office position.
Schmitz is finalizing a contract to join the Trail Blazers as an assistant general manager, his ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Schmitz will play a significant role under new GM Joe Cronin in leading the Blazers’ domestic and international scouting departments.
Schmitz has also been a contributor to DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and international teams. Schmitz, who was a video coordinator for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA G League in 2012/13, is expected to formally join the Blazers in July, so he’ll spend one last draft with ESPN.
Cronin signed a four-year contract this month to become Portland’s permanent GM after being the interim at the position following the December firing of Neil Olshey. Portland also hired Andrae Patterson as an assistant GM earlier this year and is parting ways with assistant GM Bill Branch, who had been with the team since 2010.
Central Notes: LaVine, Hill, Carter, Bucks
Recent reports suggest that it’s no slam dunk Zach LaVine will re-sign with the Bulls. However, execs around the league believe the chatter is agent-driven and he’ll likely stay put, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. The thinking is that his agency, Klutch Sports, is trying to ensure he’s considered the franchise player in Chicago and that he gets a max deal. An NBA source told Deveney, “It is still Zach’s team, Klutch just wants to make sure everyone knows it.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- If LaVine does indeed leave, the Trail Blazers or Spurs would be the logical move for him, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report writes. LaVine could join forces with Damian Lillard in Portland or Dejounte Murray in San Antonio. Re-signing with the Bulls is still the likely outcome, Fischer echoes, but the fact that DeMar DeRozan was often the crunch-time go-to scorer this season may play a role in LaVine exploring other options.
- Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer made a mistake playing George Hill over Jevon Carter against Boston, Eric Nehm of The Athletic opines. Budenholzer overestimated Hill’s postseason impact as he battled through an abdominal injury. Nehm explores numerous topics in his mailbag, including how Milwaukee could improve defensively in future postseasons.
- With the Bucks near the luxury-tax threshold for the 2022/23 season, they’ll once again be looking for players who will sign at the veteran’s minimum, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes. Owczarski looks at all of the team’s free agent decisions this summer, pointing out Milwaukee will only have the taxpayer mid-level exception at its disposal to sign outside free agents beyond those minimum-salary roster fillers.
Warriors’ Otto Porter Jr. Out For Game 5
6:42pm: The Warriors have officially ruled out Porter, Slater tweets.
1:31pm: Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr., who had previously been listed as questionable for Thursday’s Game 5 against the Mavericks but was unable to practice on Wednesday (Twitter link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic), is expected to be inactive tonight, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
Porter hurt his left foot in the second quarter of Sunday’s Game 3 after an awkward landing on an attempted layup. He tried to remain in the game, but eventually had to be taken out. X-rays on the foot were negative, but obviously he’s been unable to return to action since.
A foot injury sidelined Porter for the last game of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 13, but that ailment affected his right foot, not his left, so this is a new injury rather than an aggravation of that one.
Porter has been a key member of Golden State’s rotation during the team’s playoff run this spring, averaging 5.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 2.2 APG on .467/.323/.714 shooting in 13 appearances (20.7 MPG). Those averages are diminished slightly due to the two games he left early due to his foot issues.
It’s possible the Warriors are just being cautious with Porter since they hold a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals heading into Game 5, but the fact that he’s been unable to practice or play recently isn’t a great sign. He’s an important two-way role player for Golden State, so if the injury lingers, his potential absence could be a significant concern if the team advances to the Finals.
Atlantic Notes: Smart, Williams, Diop, Nets, White
Celtics starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are listed as questionable for Game 6 on Friday, the team tweets. It’s the same injury designation they had for Game 5.
Smart wound up playing 24 minutes on Wednesday despite his right ankle sprain and Williams made it through 27 minutes on his sore left knee.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- DeSagana Diop is the new head coach of the G League’s Westchester Knicks, Marc Stein tweets. Diop was represented by Knicks president Leon Rose when Rose was a player agent. Diop has assistant coaching experience with the Jazz and, most recently, the Rockets.
- It has been reported that the Nets will likely defer the first-rounder owed by the Sixers from this year to next summer. However, that doesn’t mean the Nets will hold onto it and draft a rookie next summer, according to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. They might instead use it to facilitate an in-season trade next season to address injuries or roster shortcomings.
- The deadline deal that sent Derrick White from San Antonio to Boston has proven to be crucial to the Celtics in their postseason run, Brian Windhorst of ESPN notes. They have registered blowout wins in two of the three games Smart has missed during the playoffs and having White at their disposal was a key to those successes. The Spurs acquired Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, the Celtics’ 2022 first-round pick, and the conditional right to swap first-round picks with Boston in 2028 in exchange for White.
Zion Williamson No Longer Has Restrictions From Foot Injury
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who missed the entire 2021/22 season while rehabbing a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot, has been cleared to play with no restrictions, the team announced in a press release.
Recent imaging of Williamson’s foot revealed “continued improvement,” the team said. The update is notable because the 21-year-old experienced multiple setbacks early in the season while attempting to return to action.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 draft, Williamson has been beset by injuries in his first three seasons, having appeared in just 85 of a possible 226 games. However, he’s been undeniably effective when active, holding career averages of 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on .604/.333/.683 shooting in 31.7 minutes per contest.
As a former first-round pick entering his fourth season, Williamson is eligible for a five-year, $186MM rookie scale extension this summer, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Williamson expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of signing the extension at his end-of-season press conference last month.
It will be fascinating to see how New Orleans approaches the discussions with Williamson, as executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin admitted that the negotiations could prove to be “challenging.” The five-year, $186MM figure represents the maximum contract Williamson is eligible for, but it’s very possible the team could push for injury-related protection, with perhaps some of the money tied to games played, similar to the rookie extension Joel Embiid signed back in 2017.
Timberwolves Exec Rumors: Demps, Arthur, Lloyd, Simon
After recently signing a five-year, $40MM contract that includes a kicker for ownership equity to become the Timberwolves‘ new president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly appears to be looking to add some co-workers. Sources tell Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link) that Dell Demps and Darrell Arthur might join Connelly in Minnesota.
A former NBA player, Demps was the general manager of the Pelicans from 2010-19. He hired Connelly to be his assistant GM in New Orleans in 2010 before Connelly departed to run Denver’s front office in 2013. Demps is currently an assistant coach for the Jazz, having joined Utah in 2020.
Arthur is also a former player, having appeared in 503 games from 2008-18 with Memphis and Denver. His entire five-year tenure in Denver overlapped with Connelly’s stint, so clearly the two are familiar with each other. The 34-year-old recently joined the Nuggets‘ front office.
Following up on Singer’s news, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that a couple other executives have been floated as possibilities to join Connelly’s front office: Magic vice president of basketball operations Matt Lloyd, and Heat VP of basketball operations/assistant GM Adam Simon.
Lloyd was with Chicago for 13 seasons prior to joining Orlando 10 years ago. He was just promoted to VP last October. Simon has reportedly been in the mix for top executive positions in the past, but has always stuck with Miami, having spent 27 seasons with the Heat.
Cavaliers Rumors: Sexton, LeVert, Trade Targets, More
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com recently spoke to Michael Scotto about a number of Cavaliers-related topics for the latest edition of the HoopsHype podcast.
Guard Collin Sexton, whose season ended prematurely after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee just 11 games into the season, will be an interesting player to watch this summer. Sexton will be a restricted free agent once Cleveland tenders him a $7,228,449 qualifying offer. As a restricted free agent, the Cavs will have the ability to match any offer sheet for the 23-year-old, and since he’s coming off an injury and not many teams will have cap space to spend on free agents, a reunion seems likely.
When the Cavs were discussing a rookie scale extension with Sexton’s representatives last summer, the two sides floated a contract similar to the one Bogdan Bogdanovic received from Atlanta, which was four years and $72MM (with a player option in the final season), sources tell Fedor. However, he hears that the Cavs value Sexton in the $15-18MM per year range, while Sexton is seeking something closer to $18-22MM annually.
Although Sexton has undoubtedly been productive on the offense end, averaging 24.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 4.4 APG on .475/.371/.815 shooting in 2020/21, Fedor notes that there were questions about Sexton’s fit entering ’21/22, and his injury and the team’s success without him didn’t help his case. Given that he’s a 6’1″ shooting guard and a subpar defender, some teams view the former No. 8 pick as more of a sixth man than a starter, which could hurt his leverage in contract negotiations.
Scotto wonders if the Knicks or Wizards might be interested in Sexton, noting that both teams are looking for guards, but neither team has cap space. As Fedor previously reported, he hears that Cleveland has been curious if the Pistons might pursue Sexton, but sources tell Fedor that the Cavaliers don’t believe any team will end up offering him $20MM+ per season.
Here’s more from Scotto and Fedor:
- Both the Cavs and Caris LeVert have expressed interest in reaching an extension this summer, and league executives tell Scotto that a shorter deal in the $19-21MM range might make sense for both sides. However, as Fedor observes, LeVert will be on an expiring $18.8MM contract in ’22/23, so if the Cavs don’t like the types of numbers Levert’s agents are throwing out, they could just wait it out and perhaps use him as trade bait next season.
- Kevin Love improved his trade stock after a bounce-back, healthy season, and both Scotto and Fedor believe that his $28.9MM contract could be used as a trade chip if the team opts to pursue higher-paid veterans.
- Noting Cleveland needs two-way wing scorers and a solid backup point guard for Darius Garland, Fedor hears the Cavs are interested in a number of veterans as potential trade targets: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Bojan Bogdanovic, Gordon Hayward, Tobias Harris, Harrison Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., Jerami Grant, Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins, and Mike Conley.
- Although there’s mutual interest in a reunion with Ricky Rubio, Fedor says money could become an obstacle to a deal being completed. Rubio is likely to miss at least a portion of next season after suffering a second torn ACL in his left knee in December, and using the mid-level exception to sign him would reduce the club’s flexibility while still leaving a hole on the roster until he returns.
- Sources tell Fedor that if a deal with Rubio doesn’t come to fruition, the Cavs would be very open to using their full mid-level to sign Grizzlies backup point guard Tyus Jones, assuming Memphis lets him walk in free agency and he’s unable to get more money elsewhere. Other guards Cleveland might look into in free agency are Delon Wright, Goran Dragic, and Raul Neto. If the Cavs pivot to a wing/forward, Kyle Anderson, Jeremy Lamb, and T.J. Warren are possibilities, according to Fedor.
- For potential draft candidates with the No. 14 pick, Fedor hears the Cavs are fans of Malaki Branham, Johnny Davis, Bennedict Mathurin, Tari Eason, TyTy Washington, and Jeremy Sochan. Those players range from Nos. 9-18 on ESPN’s big board, so some might not be available at 14.