Pacific Notes: Ayton, Williams, Nunn, Lakers’ Staff, Vezenkov
The Suns matched the Pacers’ four-year, $133MM offer sheet for Deandre Ayton but there’s still some lingering tensions between the center and coach Monty Williams. Ayton said on Tuesday he still hasn’t spoken with Williams since he was benched during the Game 7 conference semifinals loss to the Mavericks in the spring.
“I haven’t spoken to him at all, ever since the game,” Ayton told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and other media members. Asked what he plans to say to Williams when they do speak, Ayton replied, “I can show him better than I can tell him. It’s life. Nobody cares about the uncomfortable nature of it, it’s how you perform and what you bring to the table. What’s said is already said.”
Williams believes he’ll be able to mend fences with Ayton.
“I think 1-on-1s are always needed between guys I’ve been around for awhile,” Williams said. “Some guys need it and some guys don’t. I’ll identify that as the season progresses. I’ll talk to everybody as I always do during camp and it won’t be an issue at all.”
If things can’t be worked out, Phoenix will have to wait before finding a new home for Ayton. He’s not eligible to be dealt until January 15.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- After missing all of last season due to a knee injury, Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn was a full participant in the team’s first practice on Tuesday, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets. “Getting the rhythm back and feeling good on the floor with no injuries, feeling pain-free and able to play is everything for me,” he said. “So today was a good day for me.”
- The Lakers officially announced Darvin Ham‘s coaching staff in a press release. Chris Jent, Jordan Ott, J.D. DuBois, Schuyler Rimmer and Zach Peterson are the newcomers, joining Phil Handy, Dru Anthrop and Jon Pastorek.
- The Kings expressed some interest in European star Sasha Vezenkov this offseason but he decided to stay at least for one more season with Greece’s Olympiacos. Vezenkov, a 2017 second-round pick, believes he made the right move, according to Achilleas Mavrodontis of Eurohoops.net. “It was the first summer in a long time that there was some solid talk, and the Kings showed interest,” he said. “Based on the information, what I heard, and what I had on the table, I decided that the best option for me was Olynpiacos. I don’t look back. I always stand by my decisions. I’m trying to prove that it was the best choice.”
Central Notes: Turner, Pacers, Hayes, Bogdanovic, Cavs
Pacers center Myles Turner addressed the trade rumors surrounding him, saying he’s “numb” to the chatter, Wilson Moore of the Indianapolis Star writes.
“This is the only time I will be addressing it this year; I want to make sure everyone knows that,” Turner said. “Yeah, elephant in the room. For me, this is my eighth season. I’ve been in trade rumors the past four or five years. It’s something that I know that I’m numb to. It’s something that it’s just whatever comes with this business. There are no hard feelings in this business. You have to take the emotions out of everything, and I’ve learned that at a young age, and I still hold true to that. My job is to come in here and help these young guys now, man.”
Turner’s expiring contract carries a cap hit of $18MM.
We have more info regarding the Central Division:
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle plans to use his bench extensively this season, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. He’s pondering a rotation of 10 or more players. “We’re going to use our depth as an advantage, we’re going to use it as something to drive our development internally every day,” he said.
- Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said next offseason will be pivotal during the franchise’s rebuild, he told Evan Sidery of Basketball News. “Look, we have three first-round picks it looks like next year,” he said. “We have close to $30 million in cap space. And we’ll be active to use that cap space to acquire more assets. That’s just natural, but I think it gives us the ability to pivot in a lot of different ways.”
- Killian Hayes needs to improve his shooting to be in the Pistons’ long-term plans. He spent the offseason altering his shooting motion, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. “I’m confident in my shot,” Hayes said. “I worked with different shooting coaches. We tweaked some things. I’m excited.” The former lottery pick has shot 37.4% from the field and 26.8% from long range during his first two NBA seasons.
- Bojan Bogdanovic is officially a member of the Pistons and the veteran forward is thrilled with the direction of his new team, Mike Curtis of the Detroit News writes. “I kind of knew that I was going to be traded. I was just waiting to see where I’m going to end up,” Bogdanovic said. “Super excited to be here with this young group of guys and a coach that is really experienced. Everything is great so far.”
- Cedi Osman, Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, Lamar Stevens and Dylan Windler are all vying for the small forward starting job with the Cavaliers, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. “We’ve gone back and forth on that, I’ll be honest with you guys,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “But we’re gonna give it an opportunity and see exactly what works best and what is the most troublesome for defenses.”
Thunder Trade Vit Krejci To Hawks For Maurice Harkless, Pick
9:02pm: The trade is official, according to a Hawks press release. While also confirming the trade in their own press release, the Thunder provided more details regarding the picks involved.
The second-rounder headed to Oklahoma City is Atlanta’s 2029 pick. The Thunder will also receive amendments on the conditions of a previously traded 2025 second-round pick from the Hawks. The amended 2025 second-round pick will now be top-40 protected. Previously that pick was top-55 protected.
4:31pm: The Thunder are trading Vit Krejci to the Hawks in exchange for Maurice Harkless and a second-round pick, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
After signing a multiyear contract ahead of the 2021/22 NBA season, Krejci appeared in 30 games in his first NBA season, averaging 6.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.9 APG. He posted shooting splits of .407/.327/.864.
An early 2020 second-round pick, Krejci underwent an arthroscopic knee procedure in April. His $1,563,518 salary for the coming season is only 50% guaranteed for now.
The 6’8” Krejci, who turned 22 in June, could work his way into a rotation spot with Atlanta. However, the deal is primarily a cost-cutting move for the Hawks. The team drops from $1.7MM over the luxury tax line to $1.3MM below it by swapping Harkless for Krejci, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets.
The Hawks will also create a trade exception worth $4,564,980, the amount of Harkless’ outgoing salary.
Harkless, 29, has been in the league since the 2012/13 season. He spent last season with the Kings, appearing in 47 games (24 starts) while averaging 4.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG. He has also played for Orlando, Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers, New York and Miami. Overall, Harkless has appeared in 621 NBA games and averaged 6.9 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 22.6 MPG.
Harkless, who has an expiring contract, was traded from Sacramento to Atlanta in the Kevin Huerter deal earlier this offseason. It’s uncertain whether the Thunder plan to keep him or waive him.
Oklahoma City applied for a disabled player exception in late August worth $4.95MM in the wake of Chet Holmgren‘s season-ending injury. Harkless’ contract will slot into that exception, which was granted last week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. That allows the Thunder to complete the deal without matching salaries, since Krejci’s $1.56MM cap charge isn’t big enough to match Harkless’ $4.56MM salary.
Southeast Notes: Clifford, Yurtseven, Wright, Hurricane
In his second stint as the Hornets‘ head coach, Steve Clifford says that individual agendas have to be put aside if they want to be more than just a play-in team, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes.
“We have to be more selfless,” Hornets forward Kelly Oubre said. “We noticed that last year, that when we tried to go out and do things on our own it doesn’t work out as well as it would if we all did it together. So, coach talked about sacrificing some parts of our game to win and winning is the only option. Winning is what we practice and work hard for and we need to consistently do that to show that we are a serious team.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Omer Yurtseven has been putting up hundreds of 3-point shots during the offseason and he hopes that will convince Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to play him alongside Bam Adebayo at times, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “We haven’t had the discussion, but I feel like it is in the plans,” Yurtseven said. “In pickup [games], we’ve started that rhythm that we have with each other. Training camp is going to be the real proving grounds.”
- Delon Wright joined the Wizards on a two-year, $16MM contract in free agency. Part of their recruiting pitch was the desire to improve their backcourt defense, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “When (coach Wes Unseld Jr.) and (GM Tommy Sheppard) called me in free agency, they told me about the need for defense. The team struggled last year defensively and I feel like I’m going to help the team get better at that,” Wright said.
- The Magic have to alter their practice plans this week due to Hurricane Ian, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel reports. The players are concerned about the deteriorating weather conditions. “We just talked about it,” big man Franz Wagner said. “Obviously, I’m nervous because I’ve never experienced anything like this. Just trying to listen to everybody here, what they’re telling us and making sure we have everything at home. Trying to be safe.” Wednesday’s practice has already been called off, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.
Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, Montero, Staff, Brunson
While Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau could end up on the hot seat if the team has another disappointing season, he says pressure is essentially not in his vocabulary as the franchise enters a pivotal year, Steve Popper of Newsday writes.
“I’ve never felt pressure, ever,” Thibodeau said. “See, when you put everything you have into your job, that’s all you can do. So I’ve never felt pressure. Others can say this, that. That ain’t happening here. Just get ready. I’ve been at this a long time. I approach it the same way. I put everything I have into each and every day. I’m willing to live with that result. There’s no one — no one — who studies this team harder than I do.”
Thibodeau has some financial security, having signed a five-year contract in 2020.
We have more on the Knicks:
- While most teams entered training camp with a full 20-man roster, the Knicks are one player shy of the maximum. According to Ian Begley of SNY TV (Twitter link), the possible reason is that they are hoping to reduce guard Jean Montero’s buyout with overseas club Gran Canaria. Montero impressed the Knicks, among others, during Summer League games. The Knicks reportedly agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Montero in June.
- The team officially announced its coaching staff for this season, Begley tweets, including the additions of Rick Brunson and Othella Harrington. Johnnie Bryant is the associate head coach.
- Regarding Rick Brunson, father of free agent signee Jalen Brunson, the team has declined to comment on whether there was an internal investigation regarding allegations of misconduct that led to his resignation from the Timberwolves staff in 2018. Thibodeau was somewhat vague when asked about the elder Brunson, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Fred Katz. “I’m not sure exactly of everything that was done, but I know whenever they hire anyone, they’re going to vet them,” he said, adding “I feel strongly about him.”
Central Notes: Crowder, Drummond, Sirvydis, Bitadze, Cavs, Garland
The Bucks are a potential suitor for Jae Crowder, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on his podcast (hat tip to RealGM). Milwaukee is interested in forwards like Crowder who can guard multiple positions. They had some interest in a former Pistons forward, according to Lowe.
“The Bucks were sneakily kind of sniffing around Jerami Grant in Detroit before Portland swooped in,” he said. “I think they like the idea of the switchable, switchable, switchable guys.”
Crowder won’t participate in the Suns training camp as they look to move him.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Bulls center Andre Drummond will back up Nikola Vucevic, but Drummond still views himself as a starter, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. The former All-Star signed a two-year, $6.6MM contract with Chicago early in free agency.
- A trio of Pacers big men are nursing ankle injuries, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets. Deividas Sirvydis will miss some time after injuring his ankle in a pick-up game last week. Center Goga Bitadze is close, but not 100%, due his gimpy ankle, while Jalen Smith is close to full strength. Sirvydis’ ailment could cost him a shot at a roster spot — he signed a non-guaranteed, one-year contract that included Exhibit 10 language.
- With the addition of Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers realize that they’re not going to surprise anyone this season, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. “I think people know what we’re capable of now,” forward Kevin Love said. “If we put it together, we aren’t a team that’s really going to surprise anybody anymore. We’ve got some young stars that I think are going to make a lot of noise this year.”
- Fresh off signing a five-year extension, Darius Garland is looked upon as the leader of the Cavaliers, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic writes. “He’s a guy that people want to follow, they want to see him be successful, so it’s his opportunity and his responsibility to lead those guys in that way,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Southwest Notes: Wood, Mavs, Vogel, Spurs, McCollum
After Jason Kidd told reporters on Monday that the plan is for Christian Wood to come off the bench in his first season for the Mavericks, the big man said in his own media session that he was hearing about it for the first time. Following up on that topic on Tuesday, Kidd admitted he hadn’t spoken directly to Wood about his role, but he also suggested the big man wasn’t totally in the dark about it.
“I haven’t really talked to him about that. I know my assistants have,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). “When you use the term, ‘When you check in with six minutes…’ that means you didn’t start.
“So we’ll get to talking about his role as we go forward. I’ve never coached him, so I want to first see what he’s capable of doing with different lineups and different combinations here in preseason, and then we’ll make a decision on where he’s going to play, if he’s coming off the bench or starting. But right now, he will not start.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Frank Vogel will be with the Mavericks in training camp for “a couple of days,” according to Kidd, who said the former Lakers head coach took him up right away on an open invitation to visit (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News). Vogel, who worked with Kidd in Los Angeles, doesn’t have a formal NBA job this season after being let go by L.A. in the spring.
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t have any delusions about his team’s ability to seriously contend this season, telling reporters on Monday, “Nobody here should go to Vegas and bet on this team to win the championship,” as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News relays. While his young players are hoping to defy the odds and win more games than expected, Popovich said the focus will be on player development and growth. “At this point, the job is really to start them out the right way,” Popovich said. “Just like a new baby, and giving that baby all the nutrients it needs to develop properly and in the best environment. That’s our goal. Whatever success we have will come from that.”
- CJ McCollum‘s new two-year contract extension with the Pelicans has a declining structure, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). McCollum will earn $33.3MM in 2024/25 and $30.7MM in ’25/26.
Decisions On 2023/24 Rookie Scale Team Options
While decisions on player and team options for veteran NBA contracts are typically due in June, the deadline to exercise third- and fourth-year team options for players on rookie scale contracts arrives each fall. This year’s deadline for teams to pick up rookie scale options is October 31, 2022.
All the players whose options will be exercised or declined by October 31 are already under contract for the 2022/23 season. Their teams will have to make a decision on whether they want to lock in those players’ contracts beyond the coming season, picking up or turning down team options for the 2023/24 campaign.
For players who signed their rookie scale contracts in 2020 and have already been in the NBA for two years, teams must decide on fourth-year options for 2023/24. For players who just signed their rookie deals last year and only have one season of NBA experience under their belts, teams will already be faced with a decision on third-year options for ’23/24.
In many cases, these decisions aren’t difficult ones. Rookie scale salaries are affordable enough that it usually makes sense to exercise most of these team options, even if a player isn’t a key cog on the roster. And for those players who do have a significant role on a team’s roster, the decision is even easier — it’s not as if the Rockets will consider turning down their option on Jalen Green, for instance.
Still, we’ll wait for a trusted reporter, the NBA, a player (or his agent), or a team itself to confirm that an option is indeed being exercised or declined, and we’ll track that news in this space.
Listed below are all the rookie scale decisions for 2023/24 team options that clubs must make by October 31. This list will be updated through the deadline as teams’ decisions are reported and announced. The salary figures listed here reflect the cap hits for each team.
Here are the NBA’s rookie scale team option decisions for 2023/24 salaries:
Atlanta Hawks
- Onyeka Okongwu (fourth year, $8,109,063): Exercised
- Jalen Johnson (third year, $2,925,360): Exercised
Boston Celtics
Payton Pritchard (fourth year, $4,037,278): Exercised
Brooklyn Nets
- Cam Thomas (third year, $2,240,160): Exercised
- Day’Ron Sharpe (third year, $2,210,040): Exercised
Charlotte Hornets
- LaMelo Ball (fourth year, $10,900,635): Exercised
- James Bouknight (third year, $4,570,080): Exercised
- Kai Jones (third year, $3,047,880): Exercised
Chicago Bulls
- Patrick Williams (fourth year, $9,835,881): Exercised
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Isaac Okoro (fourth year, $8,920,795): Exercised
- Evan Mobley (third year, $8,882,640): Exercised
Dallas Mavericks
- Josh Green (fourth year, $4,765,339): Exercised
Denver Nuggets
- Zeke Nnaji (fourth year, $4,306,281): Exercised
- Bones Hyland (third year, $2,306,400): Exercised
Detroit Pistons
- Cade Cunningham (third year, $11,055,360): Exercised
- Killian Hayes (fourth year, $7,413,955): Exercised
- Isaiah Stewart (fourth year, $5,266,713): Exercised
- Saddiq Bey (fourth year, $4,556,983): Exercised
Golden State Warriors
- James Wiseman (fourth year, $12,119,440): Exercised
- Jonathan Kuminga (third year, $6,012,840): Exercised
- Moses Moody (third year, $3,918,480): Exercised
Houston Rockets
- Jalen Green (third year, $9,891,480): Exercised
- Alperen Sengun (third year, $3,536,280): Exercised
- Usman Garuba (third year, $2,588,400): Exercised
- Josh Christopher (third year, $2,485,200): Exercised
Indiana Pacers
- Tyrese Haliburton (fourth year, $5,808,435): Exercised
- Aaron Nesmith (fourth year, $5,634,257): Exercised
- Chris Duarte (third year, $4,124,400): Exercised
- Isaiah Jackson (third year, $2,696,280): Exercised
Los Angeles Clippers
- None
Los Angeles Lakers
- None
Memphis Grizzlies
- Ziaire Williams (third year, $4,810,200): Exercised
- Desmond Bane (fourth year, $3,845,083): Exercised
- Santi Aldama (third year, $2,194,200): Exercised
Miami Heat
- None
Milwaukee Bucks
- None
Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards (fourth year, $13,534,817): Exercised- Jaden McDaniels (fourth year, $3,901,399): Exercised
New Orleans Pelicans
- Kira Lewis (fourth year, $5,722,116): Exercised
- Trey Murphy (third year, $3,359,280): Exercised
New York Knicks
- Obi Toppin (fourth year, $6,803,012): Exercised
- Immanuel Quickley (fourth year, $4,171,548): Exercised
- Quentin Grimes (third year, $2,385,720): Exercised
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Josh Giddey (third year, $6,587,040): Exercised
- Aleksej Pokusevski (fourth year, $5,009,633): Exercised
- Tre Mann (third year, $3,191,400): Exercised
Orlando Magic
- Jalen Suggs (third year, $7,252,080): Exercised
- Cole Anthony (fourth year, $5,539,771): Exercised
- Franz Wagner (third year, $5,508,720): Exercised
- Chuma Okeke (fourth year, $5,266,713): Exercised
- R.J. Hampton (fourth year, $4,220,057): Declined
Philadelphia 76ers
- Tyrese Maxey (fourth year, $4,343,920): Exercised
- Jaden Springer (third year, $2,226,240): Exercised
Phoenix Suns
- None
Portland Trail Blazers
- Keon Johnson (third year, $2,808,720): Exercised
Sacramento Kings
- Davion Mitchell (third year, $5,063,640): Exercised
San Antonio Spurs
- Devin Vassell (fourth year, $5,887,899): Exercised
- Joshua Primo (third year, $4,341,600): Exercised
Toronto Raptors
- Scottie Barnes (third year, $8,008,680): Exercised
- Precious Achiuwa (fourth year, $4,379,527): Exercised
- Malachi Flynn (fourth year, $3,873,025): Exercised
Utah Jazz
- Udoka Azubuike (fourth year, $3,923,484): Declined
- Leandro Bolmaro (third year, $2,588,400): Declined
Washington Wizards
- Deni Avdija (fourth year, $6,263,188): Exercised
- Corey Kispert (third year, $3,722,040): Exercised
Central Notes: Ball, LaVine, Nwora, Pistons
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is scheduled to undergo another procedure on his troublesome left knee on Wednesday after spending the entire offseason trying to recover from the injury without surgery. Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, Ball discussed the decision to go back under the knife, explaining that the knee continues to bother him even when he’s doing day-to-day activities like walking up the stairs.
“Literally, I really can’t run. I can’t run or jump. There’s a range from, like, 30 to 60 degrees when my knee is bent that I have no force and I can’t catch myself. Until I can do those things I can’t play,” Ball said, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. “I did rehab, it was getting better, but it was not to a point where I could get out there and run full speed or jump. So surgery is the next step.”
The injury has bothered Ball for far longer than he or the Bulls expected, with the point guard suggesting on Tuesday that his condition and his symptoms have left his doctors “a little surprised.” Ball is hopeful that Wednesday’s procedure will shed more light on the issue.
“From my understanding they’re going in there to see what it is because it’s not necessarily showing up on the MRI,” Ball said. “But it’s clear that there’s something there that’s not right. So they’re going to go in, look at it, and whatever needs to be done is going to be done.”
As Schaefer writes in a separate NBC Sports Chicago story, Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said on Monday that a recovery timeline for Ball remains unknown, and that the four-to-six week timeline the team announced last week is just for a reevaluation — the 24-year-old is not expected to be ready to return at that point.
Ominously, when asked on Tuesday if he needs to view Ball’s absence as a potential season-long issue, head coach Billy Donovan replied, “I think you have to” (Twitter link via Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic). That could just be a matter of Donovan preparing for a worse-case scenario, but it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- While Ball’s knee injury continues to be a problem, fellow Bulls guard Zach LaVine said that his own knee – which he underwent arthroscopic surgery on in the spring – feels “really good.” Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times has the story and the quotes from LaVine.
- Playing strong defense will be crucial for Jordan Nwora as he looks to earn a regular spot in the Bucks‘ rotation this season, head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday (link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). “He’s maturing and he understands it’s a big priority for us for him to get on the court, for him to help us,” Budenholzer said. “Everybody’s gotta be able to defend at a high level. He’s gotta prove it now, every day in camp, and he’s off to a good start.”
- Nwora, who just re-signed with the Bucks on a two-year deal, will have guaranteed base salaries of $2.8MM and $3MM on his new deal, with additional bonuses of $200K per year if the team gets to the second round of the playoffs, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links). As Nehm relays, Nwora referred to restricted free agency as “kind of a blessing and curse” and praised the job his agent and the front office did to make a deal.
- The Pistons made a series of intriguing roster additions this summer, drafting Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren and trading for Bojan Bogdanovic. But in their comments to the media on Monday, general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Dwane Casey both stressed the importance of “internal growth,” writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “We’re hoping that our players in-house can continue to grow and develop at a pace that allows us to push and grow and compete, and then contend the way we want to,” Weaver said.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Randle, D. Rose, Fournier
Jalen Brunson landed a four-year, $104MM contract with the Knicks this summer, but he didn’t enjoy the free agency experience, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Brunson was among the top free agents in this year’s market and the rumors that he was headed to New York started before last season was over, but all the attention made him uncomfortable.
“Free agency was kind of awful, how public it got,” Brunson said at Media Day. “Not going to lie to you. For me, I’m a very simple person. I loved the opportunity to come back east, in a familiar area where I grew up, somewhat close. I’m just really excited for this opportunity with these guys. I think we can do something special.”
Reports that Brunson was joining the Knicks emerged before free agency officially opened on June 30, resulting in an NBA investigation of the team for possible tampering. Brunson said he hasn’t been contacted by the league, but he contends that “a lot of things” about his situation were misreported.
“My reaction to the league investigating? I didn’t really have one,” he said. “Nothing really to investigate.”
There’s more from New York:
- Coming off a difficult season, Julius Randle spent some time away from the game this summer to recalibrate, Bondy adds in the same piece. He lost weight during the offseason and reported to camp with a fresh outlook. “When it’s good, it’s easy to be a leader,” Randle said. “When things aren’t as good and you’re going through adversity, I think it’s even more important. So, I learned a lot.”
- Also noticeably lighter was Derrick Rose, who dropped about 20 pounds in response to a challenge from head coach Tom Thibodeau, Bondy states in a separate story. Rose also explained the complications that prevented him from returning after undergoing ankle surgery in mid-December and responded to a statement from team president Leon Rose, who called him the “heart and soul” of the group that reached the playoffs in 2020/21. “I wouldn’t say I was the heart and soul, but I wanted to win. I can say that,” Derrick Rose said. “I think what this year’s all about is accountability. Like being able to not get in your feelings or taking it personal when somebody comes over and gives you constructive criticism. As a man and as a professional, you’re supposed to understand that.”
- Thibodeau named Evan Fournier as the frontrunner to start at shooting guard heading into camp, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “With Jalen, with RJ (Barrett), with Julius we need shooting (at the two),” Thibodeau explained.