Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 5/4/2023
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 10:00 am Central time (11 am Eastern).
Click here to read the transcript, and join us on Tuesday afternoon for our next live chat, hosted by Dana Gauruder.
Northwest Notes: Gordon, Malone, Gobert, Doncic
The Nuggets don’t expect Aaron Gordon to shut down Kevin Durant, but his defensive effort so far has played a large role in Denver’s 2-0 series lead, writes Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Durant has scored 29 and 24 points in the first two games of the series, but he’s had to work hard to get those points. He shot 10-for-27 from the field in Game 2 and was just 2-for-12 from beyond the arc.
Gordon’s defense is a big part of that effort, Keeler adds. In the 17 minutes that he has been Durant’s primary defender during the series, Gordon has limited the Suns‘ star to 8-of-20 from the floor and 1-of-5 on three-pointers with just two free throws and five turnovers. That follows a similar defensive performance against Karl-Anthony Towns in the first round.
“The thing that jumps out to me in these playoffs is (that) Aaron is the definition of selfless,” coach Michael Malone said. “I mean, talk about a guy that, knowing that (Michael Porter Jr.) and Jamal (Murray) were back, has checked his ego at the door the whole season and he quietly goes under the radar. But the impact he is having is so profound both on offense and defense, (especially) by taking the other team’s best player (defensively).”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Malone is warning his players not to get too comfortable after two wins at home, per Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. The Nuggets appear to have control of the series, especially with Chris Paul unlikely to play in at least the next two games, but Malone understands that things can turn around quickly. “Whether it’s Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, our game plan remains the same,” he said. “We know that they have two guys in Devin Booker and Kevin Durant that are great players and they’ll have their home crowd in front of them. Down 2-0, we’re going to get their best effort and we have to exceed that.”
- Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reexamines the Rudy Gobert trade that transformed the Timberwolves last summer. He acknowledges that Minnesota overpaid for Gobert, but adds that president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and coach Chris Finch still believe Gobert and Towns can be effective together. “I thought it was a great learning experience and I’m excited to see (with) some real time together where we can get,” Gobert said. “And we saw some glimpses of that this year and we saw that we can give teams a lot of trouble.”
- In a discussion of the Nets’ offseason, John Hollinger of the Athletic states that the Jazz are “keeping a very interested eye” on Luka Doncic‘s situation in Dallas. If Doncic were to ask the Mavericks for a trade, Utah has a huge parcel of draft assets to offer.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, C. Johnson, Rupert, Raptors
Joel Embiid called his return to the court “rusty” and coach Doc Rivers said the newly crowned MVP had “growing pains.” Even so, the Sixers were happy to have Embiid back in action Wednesday night, but they’ll need him to play much better to give them a chance to get past the Celtics, writes Rich Hofmann of The Athletic.
Returning from a sprained LCL in his right knee, Embiid played nearly 27 minutes and contributed 15 points, three rebounds and five blocks, but Boston dominated the second half of Game 2 to even up the series. It was Embiid’s first appearance since he suffered the injury on April 20, and he and the team believed it was important for him to resume playing as soon as possible to help reestablish a rhythm.
Embiid added that his injury would normally keep him sidelined for about four to six weeks, and he accepts that he’s not going to be 100 percent during the series.
“I just felt like it probably would have been the same result as far as how I’m feeling if I would have come back in Game 3. Probably rusty and not myself,” he said. “But I feel like I just got this out of the way. Disappointed by the loss, but that’s a step towards getting back to myself.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Rockets and maybe a couple more teams are likely to make a run at Nets forward Cameron Johnson in free agency, John Hollinger of The Athletic states in a discussion with fellow Athletic writer Alex Schiffer about Brooklyn’s offseason. Hollinger expects Johnson’s next contract to start in the $20MM range, which creates a challenging situation for the Nets, who are about $10MM below the luxury tax line. Re-signing Johnson without cutting salary elsewhere would subject Brooklyn to the repeater tax for a team that’s unlikely to be among the top contenders in the East. Hollinger believes Royce O’Neale‘s $9.6MM contract would be easy to move if they keep Johnson, or the front office could consider stretching the final-year salaries for Joe Harris or Patty Mills.
- The Nets may not keep both first-round picks they have at No. 21 and 22, but French shooting guard Rayan Rupert is a name to watch in that range, Hollinger adds. Schiffer notes that general manager Sean Marks has traveled to New Zealand twice to watch Rupert in action.
- Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are the most likely players to move if the Raptors are looking for an offseason roster shakeup, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Koreen creates trade tiers for Toronto’s roster and considers Scottie Barnes to be the only player who’s “practically untouchable.”
2023 NBA Offseason Preview: San Antonio Spurs
From 1998 to 2019, the Spurs made the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons, including 19 campaigns with 50-plus wins (in 1998/99, they went 37-13 due to a lockout – a 61-win pace – and went on to win the championship). From 2020-22, the Spurs went 32-39, 33-39 and 34-48, missing the postseason each time.
Trading Derrick White to Boston at the 2022 trade deadline was the first signal that San Antonio was entertaining a full-on rebuild. Dealing Dejounte Murray to Atlanta last summer further cemented that plan, and the Spurs wound up trading two more veterans on expiring deals – Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson – at February’s deadline.
The Spurs finished this season 22-60, tied for the second-worst record in the league with Houston. The last time they finished with a record that poor was in ’96/97, when they won the draft lottery and selected Tim Duncan first overall, which led to five championships and the aforementioned playoff streak.
If the plan was to do a short-term tank while (hopefully) developing young players, ’22/23 was the season to do it. San Antonio will be hoping to cash in on its 14% odds and land another potential generational talent in French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs’ Offseason Plan:
Considering they finished 29th in offense and 30th in defense with the worst net rating in the league (a brutal minus-9.9), it’s safe to say the Spurs need help wherever they can find it. A star to build around would be a great place to start, but they’ll almost certainly have to hope that will come via the draft or through internal development.
San Antonio has long been known as one of the most inscrutable organizations in the NBA. Predicting what the team will do in the offseason is a fool’s errand, but I’ll give it my best shot.
There are likely several young players the Spurs will have little to no interest in trading. Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell are in that group, with Sochan probably the closest to untouchable on the roster.
The Spurs have a history of coming to agreements on rookie scale extensions, and I think the odds are pretty high that Vassell will get a new deal after averaging 18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.1 SPG on .439/.387/.780 shooting in his third season (he was limited to 38 games due to left knee surgery).
Youngsters Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and Charles Bassey all need time to develop. I expect them all to be on the roster to start next season.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Spurs gauge the trade values of Doug McDermott and Devonte’ Graham, but I don’t expect there to be a ton of interest – they’re fine role players, but their contracts probably have neutral value at best. Khem Birch’s NBA future is up in the air due to lingering knee problems, but his contract is also expiring, so they’ll likely just live with his $7MM-ish cap hit in ‘23/24 and hope he gets healthy enough to resume his career (waiving him outright to clear a roster spot is another viable option).
Zach Collins’ $7.7MM salary is a lock to be guaranteed, as longtime head coach Gregg Popovich has already said he would be the starting center entering next season. Injuries have plagued Collins throughout his six-year career, but he’s still only 25 years old and played well in ’22/23.
I expect Tre Jones, a restricted free agent, to be back next season, though I don’t have a great feel for what type of contract he might receive – he has plenty of desirable traits, but he’s a small point guard who doesn’t shoot threes well, making his market value tricky to gauge. I’m less optimistic about Romeo Langford returning unless he takes a discount – his qualifying offer isn’t team-friendly, so he’ll probably become an unrestricted free agent.
As for the other impending free agents, I wouldn’t be surprised if both two-way players (Dominick Barlow, Julian Champagnie) are retained one way or another, but it could go either way with the remaining three (Sandro Mamukelashvili, Keita Bates-Diop, Gorgui Dieng).
Assuming they guarantee Collins’ salary, re-sign Jones at a starting salary of $11MM (just a rough estimate), select No. 3 overall like their placeholder cap hold, and renounce their other free agents, the Spurs will have approximately $29MM to spend on free agents, plus the $7.6MM room exception.
I don’t expect them to go after any of the marquee names in free agency given the state of their rebuild, but some second-tier guys like Max Strus or P.J. Washington might be worth watching (Washington will be restricted if given a qualifying offer, as expected). They could also add assets by taking on unwanted salaries from rival clubs, like they did during ’22/23.
Salary Cap Situation
Guaranteed Salary
Keldon Johnson ($20,000,000)- Doug McDermott ($13,750,000)
- Devonte’ Graham ($12,100,000)
- Khem Birch ($6,985,000)
- Devin Vassell ($5,887,889)
- Jeremy Sochan ($5,316,960)
- Malaki Branham ($3,071,880)
- Charles Bassey ($2,600,000)
- Blake Wesley ($2,504,640)
- Total: $72,216,379
Dead/Retained Salary
- Joshua Primo ($4,314,600)
- Total: $4,314,600
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Zach Collins ($7,700,000)
- Total: $7,700,000
Restricted Free Agents
- Romeo Langford ($7,744,600 qualifying offer / $16,902,771 cap hold): Bird rights
- Tre Jones ($5,216,324 qualifying offer / $5,216,324 cap hold): Bird rights
- Sandro Mamukelashvili ($2,189,698 qualifying offer / $2,189,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $24,308,793
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 3 overall ($9,625,800)
- Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
- No. 32 overall (no cap hold)
- Note: This pick could be No. 33 instead if the Spurs pick earlier than Houston in the first round.
- No. 44 overall (no cap hold)
- Total: $9,625,800
Extension-Eligible Players
- Khem Birch (veteran)
- Zach Collins (veteran)
- Devonte’ Graham (veteran)
- Doug McDermott (veteran)
- Devin Vassell (rookie scale)
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Keita Bates-Diop ($1,989,698 cap hold): Bird rights
- Gorgui Dieng ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $3,979,396
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $7,609,000
Pistons Fire Assistant GM Rob Murphy
Assistant general manager Rob Murphy was fired by the Pistons on Wednesday following an investigation of a workplace misconduct case involving a former female employee, writes Tresa Baldas of The Detroit Free Press.
The team announced the move in a statement to the newspaper, Baldas adds. Murphy had been on leave since the accusations were levied in October.
“Rob Murphy no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity,” the Pistons’ statement reads. “Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement. The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee.”
The team added that Murphy “did not return to the workplace prior to his termination” and stated that no further details will be provided.
Murphy served as president of the Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, before being promoted to assistant GM last summer. Prior to joining the Cruise in 2021, he spent 10 years as head basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University.
Heat Notes: Butler, Strus, Adebayo, Brooks
A three-day break will give a few injured Heat players some time to heal, and the team is cautiously optimistic that Jimmy Butler will be available for Saturday afternoon’s Game 3, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler suffered a sprained right ankle in the fourth quarter of the series opener and was a late scratch for Tuesday’s contest.
“His body will let you know, me know, him know, the team know,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There’s no way to predict it. But I’m glad we have a couple extra days.”
Miami is already playing without Tyler Herro, who suffered a broken right hand in the first-round series, and Victor Oladipo, who is out for the rest of the playoffs with a torn patellar tendon. Chiang states that Bam Adebayo is dealing with a strained left hamstring that has bothered him for most of the playoffs and Kyle Lowry is still experiencing pain in his left knee.
“Most of the year, we played every other day,” Gabe Vincent said. “So any time we get an extra day off, you take advantage of it. We’re looking forward to it. I know a lot of guys have kids and families and I’m happy they get some time to spend with them during this stressful time. But we’ll recuperate, get some treatment, rehab, whatever guys need and we’re looking forward to Game 3.”
There’s more from Miami:
- Max Strus had to leave Game 2 for a while with a lower back contusion, but he was able to return and doesn’t expect it to affect him for the rest of the series, Chiang adds. “I just fell on it, a little bruise,” he said. “It will be good to wait until Saturday.”
- Adebayo took the blame for Tuesday’s loss, Chiang states in another Miami Herald story. Miami’s center had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but he only scored two points and pulled down one rebound in the fourth quarter. “I just got to play better,” Adebayo told reporters. “I feel like this game was on me and I lost it for us. I got to be better.”
- The Heat might have some interest in signing Grizzlies free agent Dillon Brooks if they can get him at a “bargain basement price,” Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated speculated in an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype).
Suns Notes: Paul, Payne, Ross, Warren, Irving, Ayton
Chris Paul didn’t participate in the Suns‘ practice on Wednesday and he’s not expected to play when their series with the Nuggets resumes Friday night in Phoenix, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Although the team is listing Paul as day-to-day with a strained left groin, sources tell Rankin that he’s expected to miss at least a week, which lines up with another report from Tuesday night.
Paul suffered the injury midway through the third quarter of Game 2 while jumping for a defensive rebound. He grabbed at his groin area when he landed and was quickly replaced. Game 4 is Sunday, and it appears Paul’s next realistic chance to play will be next Tuesday in Game 5 if the Suns can extend the series without their veteran leader.
“Gratefully, he didn’t tear it or something like that where he’s done for the season,” coach Monty Williams said. “You always have to look at the bright side of a tough situation. We’re just grateful that it wasn’t worse than we thought.”
There’s more from Phoenix:
- Paul’s spot in the starting lineup is likely to go to Cameron Payne, Rankin adds. Payne, who replaced Paul after the Game 2 injury, started a career-high 15 games this season when Paul was unavailable. Payne recently returned from a lower back injury that limited him to four total minutes in the first-round series.
- With the team needing more production from its bench, Williams indicated that Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren could have larger roles in Game 3, Rankin adds in another Arizona Republic story. Both players were acquired in February to boost the Suns’ offense, but they’ve seen limited action during the playoffs. “I can do a better job of putting more scorers on the floor and living with whatever warts may come with that just to free those guys up so they don’t have to do it every single time down the floor,” Williams said. “We’ll make those adjustments accordingly.”
- Phoenix could try to land Kyrie Irving in a sign-and-trade deal this summer, speculates John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (audio link). His reasoning is that Kevin Durant enjoys having Irving as a teammate, even though things didn’t work out as planned in Brooklyn, and Irving faces a limited market in free agency. Gambadoro states that the deal could see Deandre Ayton shipped to the Mavericks, who need to find a reliable center.
Timberwolves Notes: Edwards, Reid, McDaniels, Roster Decisions
The Timberwolves have decided their path to success involves building the best possible team around Anthony Edwards, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The top pick in the 2020 draft took another step forward this year, averaging 24.6 points per game during the regular season and 31.6 PPG in the first-round loss to Denver. In a news conference last week, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said Edwards will be “paramount” in all the team’s future personnel moves.
“We’re tasked with developing, I think, the best 21-year-old in the world who’s a … great, great kid who wants it, who’s so competitive, whose work ethic is off the charts,” Connelly said. “As he grows, we want him to see winning and we want him to be around winners.”
The Wolves were criticized for giving up a large collection of assets to acquire Rudy Gobert from Utah, but Connelly said that trade and the signing of Kyle Anderson were part of a strategy to ensure that Minnesota would remain a playoff contender. The front office wants Edwards to get as much postseason experience as possible early in his career.
“I think too often in our league the development coincides with losing, and we feel pretty strongly that the best way to learn to win is to win early and to win often,” Connelly said. “But certainly it’s a challenge to ensure that we’re doing anything and everything to make sure that he’s developing, not just individually but the team’s developing at a level that we think that we can get to. That’ll be the challenge this offseason.”
There’s more from Minnesota:
- It doesn’t appear the team will undergo major changes this summer, Krawczynski adds. Connelly told reporters that the Wolves “really like” their current starting five and that Edwards has good chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the rotation. As Krawczynski points out, injuries limited the starters to seven games together after Mike Conley joined the team in February.
- The Timberwolves hold Bird rights on Naz Reid, which means they can offer him more money than anyone else in free agency, but they’re not able to give him a starting spot with Towns and Gobert on the roster, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who believes that will factor into whether Reid decides to re-sign this summer. Hine also examines potential extension offers for Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, along with the need to find a reliable backup point guard.
- In another Star Tribune article, Hine looks at which members of the current roster are likely to return next season.
Joel Embiid Cleared To Return For Game 2
6:38pm: Embiid will be in the Sixers’ starting lineup for Game 2, tweets Charania.
9:05am: Newly crowned Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid is on track to return to action in Game 2 of the Sixers‘ second round series against the Celtics, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania’s report suggests Embiid is expected to play on Wednesday night in Boston as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks today.
Embiid has been sidelined since Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first round win over Brooklyn due to a sprained LCL in his right knee. He reportedly received a PRP injection last week to promote healing in the knee. Although he was ruled out for Game 1, reports at the time indicated there was “optimism” about his chances of making it back for Game 2.
According to Charania, after Embiid was officially named MVP on Tuesday night, he turned to the team during a brief celebration and announced, “I’m back.”
If Embiid does return on Wednesday and remains healthy for the remainder of the series, the 76ers have a legitimate opportunity to upset the Celtics, who entered the second round as the favorites to come out of the East.
An Embiid-less Sixers squad pulled out a Game 1 win on the road as James Harden matched a career postseason high with 45 points. That victory ensured the team will return to Philadelphia for Game 3 with no worse than a split of the first two games.
Celtics Notes: Horford, Brown, Tatum, Smart
Joel Embiid‘s absence wasn’t supposed to work in the Sixers’ advantage, but Al Horford believes that’s what happened in Game 1, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The Celtics knew for several days that Embiid was unlikely to play because of a sprained LCL in his right knee, and Horford believes his team wasn’t as focused as it needed to be.
“We didn’t do as good a job defensively as we could,” he said. “I really believe that it happened to us last year when one of their main players was missing, and Embiid being out tonight. As much as you don’t want to say it wasn’t a factor, I think it was. We have to be better. We have to understand that we have to be able to play with whatever happens, whatever variables.”
Horford pointed out that Boston lost several times this season against teams that were missing one of their best players. He cited Game 5 of the first-round series against the Hawks when Atlanta won in Boston while Dejounte Murray was suspended, along with regular season defeats to the Thunder without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Suns without Devin Booker.
There’s more from Boston:
- The Celtics need to make sure Jaylen Brown stays involved in the offense, observes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Brown was 6-of-7 from the field in the first quarter of the series opener, but he took just three more shots during the rest of the game. He told reporters afterward that he’s not sure what led to his reduced role.
- Jay King of The Athletic examines how Brown and Jayson Tatum learned to mesh their games, which included watching film together last season. King notes that players typically study game film as a team or individually, but Tatum and Brown were able to use those sessions to figure out how to be effective together at a time when many observers were wondering if they should be split apart. “I felt like it was a breaking point,” Tatum recalled. “It was either going to make or break the season. And we got closer instead of separating.”
- Coach Joe Mazzulla expects Marcus Smart to be ready for Game 2, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Smart is listed as questionable with a chest contusion.