Mitchell Trade Changed Cavaliers’ Plans For Season
The Cavaliers‘ coaching staff had to start from scratch after the team worked out a trade for Donovan Mitchell, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his assistants had just returned from a retreat where they planned out strategies for the upcoming season. Those plans had to be scrapped two days later when news of the Mitchell trade broke.
Instead of preparing for another year with a super-sized front line featuring Lauri Markkanen, Bickerstaff is excited to have two dynamic scorers in his backcourt with Mitchell joining Darius Garland.
“Most teams don’t have enough strong defenders that they can just put one guy on each of these guys,” Bickerstaff said. “We can go out and manipulate the game. We play an unselfish, up-tempo ball-movement type of game. The fourth quarter is where it’s really gonna get fun, where you get to slow the game down a little bit and then you get to play that chess match. But there’s so many threats on the floor that our guys have and how they present themselves. And a lot of times it’s just going to be take what the defense gives you because we know that guy can make you pay.”
Garland and Mitchell were friends long before the trade came together, Fedor adds. Mitchell was a strong supporter of Garland’s bid to make the All-Star team last year, and they worked out together twice during the summer. Mitchell expected to be traded to the Knicks at the time, but instead they’ll form one of the league’s most exciting backcourts.
General manager Koby Altman said one of his first moves after the trade agreement was finalized was to notify Garland.
“We were excited about the team coming back already. If we weren’t able to get this transaction done, we were excited about what we had coming back. But when the opportunity presented itself, absolutely Donovan takes us to another level,” Altman said. “It makes Caris (LeVert) more dangerous. It makes Darius more dangerous. It helps Evan (Mobley). I can’t wait to see what that looks like. It gives us an entirely different dynamic. Of course, you’re thinking about ‘What if we had Donovan in that Atlanta Hawks (play-in) game?’ Hopefully it won’t be that this year.”
It’s been widely reported that the Cavaliers and Jazz talked about Mitchell during the Las Vegas Summer League and didn’t resume conversations until late August after Utah’s negotiations with the Knicks fell apart. Fedor states that during that interval, Altman and Bickerstaff reached out to people who had worked with Mitchell to get their recommendations.
“The first thing out of everybody’s mouth was how good of a person he is,” Bickerstaff said. “I know that sounds like a small thing but in this business, being around each other so much, we impact each other’s lives in a positive or negative way. You want to be able to surround yourself with good people and people who are positive. When you don’t have to sacrifice people over talent, you give yourself an opportunity to build something special. The second thing they all talked about was his work ethic. All he wants to do is work on his game and get better. He wants to be great. That translates to games. He doesn’t take nights off.”
Eastern Notes: Quickley, Grousbeck, Bucks, Cavaliers
There’s an expectation that Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley will receive an increased role to start the 2022/23 season, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Quickley, 23, is entering his third season and was drafted No. 25 overall by the franchise in 2020. He has shown flashes of potential to start his career, but he has shot below 40% from the field in both of his seasons. Last year, Quickley averaged 11.3 points and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 39.2% from the floor and 34.6% from deep.
Quickley remains a strong athlete and leader with plenty of upside. It’s reasonable to assume he’ll be playing alongside Derrick Rose off the bench, backing up Jalen Brunson and Evan Fournier, though it’s unclear how much playing time he’ll get. His minutes increased from 19.4 to 23.1 per game last season.
Here are some other notes from the East:
- Speaking to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck discussed his expectations for the team and Brad Stevens‘ green light to spend money, among other topics. Grousbeck is determined to win a championship, allowing Stevens to push team salary well into luxury tax territory to upgrade the roster. The Celtics came within two wins of a title last season and have all of last year’s core players under contract this season.
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic examines six Bucks players who have the most to prove this season. Milwaukee won the championship in 2020/21, but the team was unable to overcome Khris Middleton‘s injury in the spring and lost to the Celtics in seven games during last year’s playoffs. The team remains a force, headlined by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and others.
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype previews the Cavaliers‘ upcoming season. Cleveland traded for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell this offseason, adding him to a core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The team also projects to have one of the deeper benches in the league.
Knicks Sign Ryan Arcidiacono
The Knicks have signed free agent guard Ryan Arcidiacono to a contract, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link). Terms of the agreement weren’t released, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deal ahead of training camp.
Arcidiacono, 28, appeared in 10 games with the Knicks last season. He averaged 1.6 points in 7.6 minutes per game, shooting 50% from the floor. The Villanova product signed with New York for the rest of the season in February after inking two 10-day deals.
Before joining the Knicks, Arcidiacono spent the first four years of his career with the Bulls. His most productive season was the 2018/19 campaign. He held per-game averages of 6.7 points, 3.3 assists and 24.2 minutes that year, starting in 32 of 81 contests.
Besides Arcidiacono, the Knicks have 13 players on standard contracts and two players on two-way deals. New York is also carrying DaQuan Jeffries on an Exhibit 10 deal and is expected to two other players (Jean Montero and Garrison Brooks) to Exhibit 10s.
Chris Paul Hopes To Join Ownership Group After Retirement
Suns star Chris Paul is entering the 18th season of his professional career, but the 37-year-old already knows what he wants to do when his playing days are over. Paul is hoping to own an NBA team one day, as Ngozi Nwanji of AfroTech relays (hat tip to Yahoo)
“I would like to be a part of an ownership group after I’m done playing,” Paul said at the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit, according to Nwanji.
Paul also stated his intentions earlier this summer. Of course, Paul plays for Phoenix, a team currently owned by Robert Sarver — who was recently fined $10MM and banned for a year after an investigation revealed he showed racial insensitivity and disrespect in the workplace.
Paul would likely want to stay involved in the NBA and improve league-wide leadership. Aside from being a strong on-court leader, Paul also served as the president of the National Basketball Players Association for eight years. He has played for New Orleans, Los Angeles (Clippers), Houston, Oklahoma City and Phoenix over the course of a storied career.
One of Paul’s friends, LeBron James, has already declared he wants to own an NBA team after he retires, while Dwyane Wade, another one of his friends, bought a stake in the Jazz last year. For now, Paul’s focus surely remains on winning a title, as the Suns fell short last season despite finishing 64-18.
Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Mitchell, Ainge, Snyder, Adelman
Lauri Markkanen reached the 30-point mark in three of Finland’s seven games at EuroBasket, leading the country’s national team to the quarterfinals. Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, who traded for Markkanen, was paying close attention, according to Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News. “He’s really coming into his own,” Ainge said. “We’re seeing things in him, grabbing rebounds and going coast-to-coast with the dribble. Those are things you haven’t really seen out of Lauri yet, and so we’re excited about his future.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Donovan Mitchell took exception to Ainge’s recent observation that the Jazz‘s former core group “really didn’t believe in each other,” pushing back on that claim during an interview with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “I don’t think we didn’t believe [in each other],” Mitchell said. “I said at the end of the season, ‘Don’t trade [Rudy Gobert]. Let’s figure this out, let’s do.’ And that didn’t happen. For him to say that after six months around the team, I disagree. But you know, at the end of the day, that’s his decision.”
- Mitchell offered high praise for former Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and expects him to get another head coaching job, he said on a podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (hat tip to McDonald). “Losing a guy like Quin as the leader, as our coach, that was big for me, just not knowing what to expect next and how to go about it into training camp and whatnot,” Mitchell said. “That was tough, but I always loved Quin. I appreciated Quin. Quin’s going to get another job wherever. He’s going to do an amazing job, but ultimately he needed a break.”
- Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman has agreed to a two-year extension, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Adelman is Michael Malone’s lead assistant and served as acting head coach when Malone had COVID last season. He has spent the past five seasons in Denver.
Pistons Waive Keifer Sykes
The Pistons have waived guard Keifer Sykes, according to RealGM.
The Pistons signed Sykes to an Exhibit 10 deal this week in a move designed to get him a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League team. Motor City traded for Sykes’ G League returning rights in July.
The 28-year-old made it to the NBA for the first time last season, appearing in 32 games for the Pacers and averaging 5.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.9 APG in 17.7 MPG. Since going undrafted out of Wisconsin Green Bay in 2015, Sykes has played for several G League teams and a long list of overseas clubs.
Sykes averaged 16.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 7.5 APG for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season.
Bucks Sign, Waive Rob Edwards
The Bucks signed and waived guard Rob Edwards, according to RealGM.
The purpose for signing Edwards to an Exhibit 10 deal and then waiving him was to ensure he’ll get a $50K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate. The Herd acquired Edwards’ returning rights in a trade with the Oklahoma City Blue earlier this month.
Edwards signed with and appeared in two NBA games for the Thunder last season under the hardship exception during the wave of COVID that struck the league in late December. In 32 G League games for the OKC Blue, Edwards averaged 13.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG. He shot 34.4% from 3-point range.
Edwards went undrafted in 2020 out of Arizona State.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Meeks, Kidd, Brunson, Wood
The Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ NBA G League affiliate, has named T.J. Saint as its head coach and Billy Campbell as GM of Basketball Operations, according to a team press release. Recently retired guard Jodie Meeks will be an assistant coach on Saint’s staff.
Saint was the associate head coach for the Pelicans’ G League team from 2020-22. Campbell was the assistant GM for the team’s inaugural year in Birmingham last season. Meeks, who had a 10-year NBA career, announced his retirement earlier this month.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Former Squadron head coach Ryan Pannone has been promoted by the Pelicans to an assistant coaching position on the NBA team, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez tweets. Former Squadron GM Marc Chasanoff will remain in a front office role with the Pelicans. The NBA team will play its preseason finale against the Hawks at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune.
- It may not make Mavericks owner Mark Cuban happy but head coach Jason Kidd is pleased that Jalen Brunson got a huge payday in free agency, Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. Kidd make that comment on the “All the Smoke” podcast. “The biggest thing is I’m happy he got paid,’’ Kidd said. “He helped us. I know Cuban doesn’t like this, but I love when I can get a player get paid.’’ Brunson signed a four-year, $104MM contract with the Knicks.
- Christian Wood will need to spend a lot of time in the low block and be a physical presence at both ends of the court, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com writes. While Wood’s 3-point shooting is a big part of his skill set, the Mavericks will also need him to be a presence in the paint. They essentially used the trade for Wood with Houston as their main free agent addition, Sefko adds.
Southeast Notes: Bridges, Gibbs, Hawks, Wizards, Magic
A preliminary hearing for Hornets forward Miles Bridges, who is facing three felony domestic violence charges, has been rescheduled for a third time, writes Michael Gordon of The Charlotte Observer.
Bridges was initially scheduled to appear in court on August 19, but it was pushed back to September 7, then to September 16. A spokesman for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office told Gordon that the new court date is set for September 29, which is after training camp begins.
The 24-year-old entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment hearing in July. Bridges could face a maximum sentence of 11 years and eight months in prison if he’s convicted of all three domestic abuse charges.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- Ashton Gibbs is joining the Hawks as an assistant coach, George Michalowski of Pittsburgh Sports Now reports. Gibbs told Michalowski that he’ll work with Atlanta and the College Park Skyhawks, the team’s G League affiliate. Gibbs played four years at Pitt from 2008-12, averaging 15.6 PPG over his final three seasons. He also made several international stops during his pro career, which ended in 2019, per Michalowski.
- With the caveat that something could happen in the next week, all the members of the Wizards‘ projected 15-man roster “appear on track” to be full participants during training camp, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Washington’s training camp starts on September 24, Robbins notes. Star guard Bradley Beal was limited to 40 games in 2021/22 due to a wrist injury that required surgery, and oft-injured big man Kristaps Porzingis also missed several games after he was acquired at the trade deadline.
- Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel lists three storylines to monitor regarding the Magic‘s guards. Price wonders whether Jalen Suggs can improve his shooting percentages after an injury-plagued rookie season saw him post a .361/.214/.773 slash line. His 21.4% three-point percentage ranked last out of 292 players who appeared in 20+ games and averaged at least two attempts per contest, Price notes. R.J. Hampton‘s role and the team’s backcourt rotation and starters are also worth keeping an eye on, Price writes.
Lakers Rumors: Westbrook, Role, Ham, Trade Talks, Schröder
Despite the recent additions of Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schröder, Russell Westbrook is increasingly likely to remain on the Lakers‘ roster, according to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
However, sources tell The Athletic that Westbrook’s role might change, with the team “strongly” considering having the former league MVP come off the bench in 2022/23. New head coach Darvin Ham has the “full backing” of the organization to determine lineups for the upcoming season, and Westbrook will have to outperform his new teammates during minicamp, training camp and the preseason to remain the Lakers’ starting point guard, Buha and Amick write.
Unless the Lakers can find a trade that they believe makes them a legitimate title contender, Westbrook is “highly likely” to stay on the roster, sources tell The Athletic.
A major part of that line of thinking is the Lakers want to keep their financial and trade options open for ’23/24, when they project to have $30MM+ in cap room for free agency, per Buha and Amick. Westbrook is on an expiring contract worth $47.1MM, and the Lakers have been reluctant to trade their 2027 and/or 2029 first-round picks to offload him.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Los Angeles is banking on Ham being able to optimize Westbrook’s talent — and get through to him in a way that Frank Vogel couldn’t — as well as a return to health for Anthony Davis in order for the ’22/23 season to be successful, sources tell Buha and Amick.
- According to Buha and Amick, the Lakers discussed a four-team trade with the Jazz, Knicks and Hornets prior to Donovan Mitchell being dealt to Cleveland, with an early framework sending Bojan Bogdanovic and Terry Rozier to L.A.
- Los Angeles continues to show interest in Bogdanovic, with The Athletic’s duo reporting that Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley have been included in recent talks with Utah for Westbrook. However, a deal is considered unlikely because of the aforementioned reasons — the Lakers don’t want to part with first-rounders and Clarkson has a $14.3MM player option for ’23/24 that would eat into the team’s potential cap room.
- Along the same lines, Buha and Amick write that dealing Westbrook to the Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, which has been rumored multiple times, is also “not expected” — Hield has a $19.3MM cap hit in ’23/24.
- Schröder made an Instagram post expressing his excitement about returning to the Lakers, saying that he wanted to “make s–t right!” Schröder’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, tells Mark Medina of NBA.com (Twitter link) that the team informed Schröder that “there will be a lot of minutes for everybody” despite a crowded backcourt.