Atlantic Notes: Maxey, Rivers, Raptors, Celtics
Tyrese Maxey believes the Sixers‘ offseason additions will turn them into a legitimate title contender, writes Isabella DiAmore of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Veteran forward P.J. Tucker is among the league’s toughest defenders and was part of a championship team in Milwaukee. Danuel House offers similar skills, while De’Anthony Melton brings depth and versatility to the backcourt.
“I think they’ll definitely help us with mental toughness,” Maxey said. “I think they’ll also help with just the physical toughness. The grit and the grind that we need to bring to our team and also, I think guys like P.J., he’s gonna bring the championship mentality. I think we’re really going to appreciate him for that. Training camp and an entire season together is going to be nothing but good things.”
Philadelphia’s prospects will depend heavily on Maxey, who made a huge jump during his second NBA season, averaging 17.5 points, 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 75 games. The 21-year-old guard has set his sights even higher for 2022/23.
“I think other people tell me they have confidence in myself that just builds my confidence,” Maxey said. “My confidence comes from just being in the gym, working out every single day, watching film, and then having success on the court, so for (president of basketball operations Daryl) Morey to have confidence in me, and my teammates, as well as the organization, it just makes me want to go out there and give them my all.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Appearing this week on the Vince Carter Show podcast, Sixers coach Doc Rivers said tampering allegations against the team are “not true.” (Hat tip to James Foglio of Basketball Insiders). The NBA is investigating the Sixers for “early contact” with Tucker, as rival teams believed he was certain to sign with Philadelphia before free agency officially opened. The team was able to create cap space to give Tucker a three-year, $33MM contract because James Harden was willing to opt out of his deal and re-sign for less than the max. “Honestly, when James did this and said this … first of all, we didn’t know what we were going to do with the money we were getting,” Rivers said. “And listen, James won, too, because James could’ve opted into a one-year deal. Instead, we gave him (two) years. And so both parties won in a lot of ways.”
- Sportsbet has listed the Raptors as the highest-valued sports franchise in Canada, relays Denette Wilford of The Toronto Sun. The nation’s only NBA team is reportedly worth $2.2 billion, a number that has grown by more than 400% over the past decade.
- In case you missed it, Celtics star Jayson Tatum talks about his successful partnership with Jaylen Brown, and Grant Williams speculates on how it would feel to be included in a Kevin Durant trade.
International Notes: Dorsey, Antetokounmpo, Caver, CSKA
Before joining forces with Luka Doncic this fall, Tyler Dorsey is excited about the opportunity to play alongside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Greek national team, writes Achilleas Mavrodontis of EuroHoops. Entering the 2017 NBA draft, Dorsey talked about the possibility of being taken by the Bucks and teaming up with Antetokounmpo. However, he was selected by the Hawks at No. 41, a few picks ahead of Milwaukee.
“This is a great opportunity to play alongside him,” Dorsey said of Antetokounmpo. “I am excited to get to know him. He has a wonderful story. For me, the story is amazing to where he is at today.”
After two seasons with Atlanta and Memphis, Dorsey returned to Europe, signing with Maccabi Tel Aviv and then Olympiacos. He had a chance to join Turkish power Fenerbahce this summer, but he opted to take another shot at the NBA on a two-way contract with Dallas.
“Definitely, Fenerbahce was an option,” Dorsey said. “It could have happened. But the NBA opened the door a little bit and Dallas took the opportunity to offer for me and I wasn’t going to turn that down.”
There’s more international news this morning:
- Antetokounmpo is enjoying the experience of being with all his brothers during Greece’s training camp, Mavrodontis adds in a separate story. Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Antetokounmpo are both expected to make the final roster for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers and EuroBasket, and Alex Antetokounmpo is hoping to join them. Giannis admits the Greek team may not be ready for a medal, comparing it to how long it took to turn the Bucks into contenders, but said the experience is important for his family. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “We’ve been saying that one day we’ll achieve this. It makes us proud to guard each other in the practice of the national team. Our mother can’t wait to come to the games. But when they enter the court, they are my teammates, not my brothers.”
- Ahmad Caver, who had a brief appearance with the Pacers last season, has signed a one-year contract with the BC Wolves in Lithuania, the team announced (via Twitter). The 25-year-old point guard, who spent most of the season with Memphis in the G League, got into one game after joining Indiana in late December on a 10-day contract under the hardship provision.
- CSKA Moscow is appealing the decision to bar the team from the EuroLeague for the upcoming season, per Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops. The decision to remove all Russian teams from EuroLeague competition was made following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine.
Texas Notes: Wood, Mavericks, Martin, T. Jones
Christian Wood told WFAA TV that he’s “counting my blessings” about the trade that sent him from the Rockets to the Mavericks in June. Wood, who spoke during a break at a youth basketball camp, said he’s focused on helping Dallas get even further than last season’s trip to the Western Conference Finals.
“It’s a great opportunity for me and for this organization to try and take that next step,” he said. “I just want to win games. My main objective is to try and get to the (NBA) Finals.”
Wood, who’s entering the final year of his contract, will add plenty of scoring and rebounding to the Mavs’ front line. He averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last season, but he wasn’t in the Rockets’ long-term plans, so they shipped him to the Mavericks in exchange for four players and a first-round pick.
Wood said he’s happy to be in Dallas — both on and off the court.
“I love the city — it’s a little bit calmer than Houston, thank God,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve tried a few food spots out here, and the food is great. But I’m still trying to find my way around.”
There’s more NBA news from Texas:
- The Mavericks are hiring Nets scouting director Matt Riccardi to a senior front office position, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Riccardi, who grew up in the Dallas area, has been with Brooklyn for the past 13 years.
- Several teams are monitoring Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr., who requested a trade in June, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. After the Rockets re-signed Jae’Sean Tate and drafted Jabari Smith and Tari Eason in the first round, it doesn’t appear there’s a future for Martin in Houston.
- Tre Jones‘ contract for the upcoming season became guaranteed for $500K when he remained on the Spurs‘ roster past August 1, tweets Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. Jones, who would make $1.78MM if he gets a full guarantee, could challenge for the starting point guard spot now that Dejounte Murray has been traded to Atlanta. Jones made 11 starts last season while averaging 6.0 points and 3.4 assists in 69 games.
Jazz, Knicks Still Far Apart On Donovan Mitchell Trade
Rumors continue to emerge regarding Donovan Mitchell trade talks involving the Jazz and Knicks, but little progress has been made, according to Tony Jones of the Athletic. Appearing Friday on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto, Jones was pessimistic that a deal will get done soon.
“I don’t think the two sides are close. I don’t think they have been close,” Jones said. “We’ll see what happens as the urgency of training camp looms. The Jazz want what they want, which is picks out of this deal, and they want young guys on short or rookie contracts.”
Knicks players who fit that definition include Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley, but New York has been unwilling to part with significant young talent in addition to substantial draft assets. Jones said keeping Grimes is a priority for the Knicks, along with veteran guard Derrick Rose, who is a longtime favorite of coach Tom Thibodeau.
“The sense I get right now is it’s probably not going to happen on an imminent level,” Jones added. “The two sides aren’t close. To me, I think if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen closer to training camp or the start of the season. If it doesn’t happen then, we’ll see what happens closer to the February trade deadline.”
There are more Jazz-related notes from the podcast:
- Matching Mitchell’s salary of $30.35MM for next season becomes trickier if Rose’s $14.52MM contract isn’t involved. Scotto notes that Utah doesn’t want to take on long-term money, which eliminates Julius Randle ($23.76MM) and Evan Fournier ($18MM). Jones said the Jazz don’t have any interest in adding Randle and “I’m not sure there’s much of an appetite for (Cam) Reddish ($5.95MM).” He adds that the Jazz would rather keep Mitchell and hold onto a possible $36-$40MM in cap room for next summer than accept unwanted salary.
- Looking at the rest of the roster, Jones believes Utah can easily find deals for Bojan Bogdanovic, Jarred Vanderbilt and Patrick Beverley if the team decides to move them before the start of the season. He thinks there’s less of a market for Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley.
- Udoka Azubuike may have the inside track to be the starting center if Utah trades Mitchell and commits to a youth movement, Jones adds. Sources tell Jones that Azubuike has been working with coaches in Salt Lake City all summer and has been showing improvement. First-round pick Walker Kessler would also be in the mix for the starting job. If the Jazz keep Mitchell and try to make the playoffs, Jones expects them to find a more experienced center in free agency.
NBA Schedule Not Expected For At Least Another Week
Everyone eagerly anticipating the release of the schedule for the 2022/23 season will have to wait a little longer, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). Sources tell Stein that the schedule isn’t expected to be revealed until after next week, which puts the date sometime in mid-August.
The league typically releases its schedule during the second week of August, although that has been affected over the past two years by shortened offseasons caused by the pandemic. Last year’s schedule was announced on August 20.
Possible trades involving Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell may be slowing the process this summer as the schedule makers wait to see if any of those situations get resolved before locking in prime TV dates.
A few things are known about the upcoming season, including league-wide media days on September 26, followed by the start of training camps a day later. The Pistons and Bulls will travel to France for the January 19 NBA Paris Game, according to the league’s website, and All-Star Weekend is set for February 17-19 in Salt Lake City.
The preseason schedule is virtually set and will begin with the defending champion Warriors facing the Wizards in Tokyo for a pair of games September 30 and October 2. The Raptors and Jazz will meet October 2 in Edmonton, the Bucks and Hawks will square off October 6 and 8 in Abu Dhabi, and the Raptors and Celtics will play Oct. 15 in Montreal.
Based on past schedules, the 2022/23 regular season will likely tip off on October 18.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, G. Williams, Durant
Jayson Tatum spent much of his career hearing from critics who said he and Jaylen Brown could never be an effective combination, but he tells NBC Sports Boston that he and Brown never had any doubts (video link). Responding to a question about how their legacy might look if they both spend their entire careers with the Celtics, Tatum said his focus is more immediate.
“We just try to stay in the moment,” he replied. “It’s not necessarily about our legacy will look like if we did this or that. Just trying to be the best versions of ourselves, the best players that we can be and compete at the highest level. I think we really took those next steps last season. We’ll be the first to tell you that we got more to do, more to accomplish. We’re eager to do so.”
There were frequent calls for Boston to break up its star duo last season before the team began rising up the Eastern Conference standings in January. More recently, Brown was reportedly included in the Celtics’ trade offer to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant, but Tatum would like to see their partnership continue.
“Despite all the people that said we couldn’t play together,” Tatum said, “we always believed that we could.”
There’s more from Boston:
- In an interview with Justin Quinn of Celtics Wire, Tatum confirmed the shoulder injury he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals has healed. “Yeah, it feels a lot better, it got a lot of time to rest that it needed,” Tatum said. “So, it definitely felt a lot better.”
- Grant Williams tells Mike Thomas of Sportscasting.com that he prefers to stay in Boston, but there would be a certain honor in being part of a Durant trade. Williams recalls a story from former Celtics executive Danny Ainge about breaking the news to Al Jefferson that he had been sent to the Timberwolves in the Kevin Garnett deal. “If I get involved in the KD trade — I don’t want to leave Boston, I love Boston, it’s one of the places I want to be — but he’s a top-10 player ever,” Williams said. “You can say, ‘Dang, I got traded for Kevin Durant. I was a value add in that trade.’ It’d be cool to say that, but at the same time, I don’t want to go anywhere. I’d rather stay where I’m at.”
- The Celtics remain the betting favorite to land Durant, per Jeremy Cluff of The Arizona Republic. OddsChecker lists Boston as -175 to be Durant’s next team in updated odds released on Thursday.
Andrew Wiggins Discusses Thrill Of NBA Title
Winning a championship seemed far out of reach for Andrew Wiggins in Minnesota. The Timberwolves made just one brief playoff appearance during his five and a half seasons with the team and he was widely viewed as a disappointment after being the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft.
Wiggins’ fortunes changed with a trade to Golden State in 2020, and the Canadian native was able to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy with him this weekend to show participants at youth basketball camps in his hometown, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of people had counted me out,” Wiggins said, “but to be back and … winning a championship? All the sacrifices, all the ups and downs, all the stuff was worth it. It makes the story that much better.”
Wiggins played an important role in helping the Warriors win that trophy, particularly in the NBA Finals against the Celtics. He was Golden State’s second-leading scorer in the six-game series at 18.3 PPG and was the team’s leading rebounder at 8.8 RPG.
Although he’s finally getting recognition around the league, Wiggins said he never doubted his abilities.
“When I step on the court, I’ve always been confident in what I can do,” he said. “When I was in Minnesota, I put up numbers. But people said, ‘He put up numbers on a bad team.’ So, I go to Golden State and I’m not scoring as much, but I’m doing a lot at a more efficient rate, so the whole world gets to see.”
Wiggins credits a strong support group with helping him get through the tough times, starting with his parents, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins and ex-Olympic track star Marita Payne. He also has a large fanbase in the Vaughan and Mississauga area, especially after returning home as a champion.
“It’s been a different type of summer, but the best summer of my life,” Wiggins said. “It’s been amazing coming down here and feeling all this love and positivity. It’s been great. Just being able to bring the trophy back home to where it all started for me … where all my friends and family are that helped me get to the place where I’m at now.”
Western Notes: Porter Jr., Williamson, Engelland, Spurs, Thunder
If the Rockets and Kevin Porter Jr. agree to an extension this offseason, it’ll likely have to be a team-friendly deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports. Scotto relays Houston is looking to preserve salary cap space for next summer.
Porter is coming off a season in which he averaged 15.6 points and 6.2 assists per game, shooting 41.5% from the floor and 37.5% from distance. At 22 years old, he’s shown he can be an electric scorer and ball-handler, but he’s dealt with maturity and discipline issues throughout his career.
It’s unlikely Houston would want to offer much more than Porter’s 2023 cap hold ($9.65MM) as a starting salary on an extension. If the two sides don’t work out a deal by opening night this fall, the 22-year-old would be eligible for restricted free agency next summer. Before joining the Rockets, he was the No. 30 pick in 2019 and started his career with the Cavaliers.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- William Guillory of The Athletic examines how Pelicans star Zion Williamson can fit in with the new-look team that emerged during his 2021/22 absence. Guillory explores how much we may see Williamson serve as the de facto point guard or small-ball center, and whether he can work together with co-star Brandon Ingram.
- The Spurs are turning a page with the departure of shooting coach Chip Engelland, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News writes. Engelland spent 17 years with the Spurs under Gregg Popovich, having a major impact on the team’s overall success and culture. He recently agreed to join the Thunder.
- As part of his latest mailbag for The Oklahoman, Joe Mussatto explores whether the Thunder can make a push for the play-in tournament next season. Oklahoma City has a young core of Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and others, one that’ll most likely improve as time goes on. The team finished just 24-58 last season.
And-Ones: Williams, Sabonis, Valanciunas, Greece, 2021 Draft
Former NBA player Alan Williams has decided to sign a one-year deal with the NBL’s South East Melbourne Phoenix, the team announced in a press release. This marks the fourth overseas stint of Williams’ career.
At 6’8″ and 265 pounds, Williams has carved out a role as a bruising big man. He started his career in China after going undrafted in 2015, spent time with the Suns from 2016-18, then played for the Nets in 2018/19. After that, he made a brief return to China and played three seasons in Russia.
Williams played 67 games during his time in the NBA, averaging 6.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per contest. The 29-year-old also shot an efficient 51% from the floor.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Kings big man Domantas Sabonis and Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas are now allowed to join the Lithuanian national team during practices, as relayed by EuroHoops. As the report notes, an agreement exists between the NBA and FIBA that allows players to join their team 28 days before major FIBA tournaments and 14 days ahead of the Olympics.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo discussed the Greek national team, offering an honest assessment of where the club stands. “Judging from yesterday’s practice, we are not yet ready for a medal, but we have our chances,” Antetokoummpo said, according to EuroHoops. “It doesn’t matter what the world expects, it’s what the team expects. In all the competitions I’ve been to with Greece, we didn’t even reach the quarterfinals. We’re not ready for medals or cups. We need to create chemistry and the right atmosphere. Let’s go and do our best. I have realistic goals, I need to get better. We have three weeks to bond. I will adapt to what the national team needs from me and not the opposite. Our coach [Dimitris Itoudis] is doing an amazing job and we have to do the best we can.”
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic re-drafted the 2021 NBA draft class, examining where players like Scottie Barnes should have landed. The top three selections in the real draft, of course, were Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley. Barnes was selected fourth, while Jalen Suggs was chosen fifth. In his re-draft, Vecenie swapped Barnes and Green, while moving Franz Wagner up to No. 5.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 8/6/2022
The transcript for our Saturday chat can be found here.
Our usual Tuesday live chat won’t be happening next week, but please join us again on Saturday, August 13 for our next chat.