Nets Notes: Future Trades, Schröder, Staff Changes
After the Mikal Bridges trade, it was widely speculated that the Nets would begin offloading a lot of their movable veteran contracts sooner rather than later. Now, as NetsDaily’s Net Income notes, the consensus among NBA observers is that players like Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith will open the season in Brooklyn.
The Nets accrued a massive haul for Bridges, whose only individual accolade during his NBA career is one All-Defensive Team honor. Brooklyn has five new first-round picks plus a swap from New York, in addition to a second-round selection and a massive trade exception.
As Net Income points out, the deals Brooklyn made this summer sending out Bridges and regaining control of the team’s 2025 and 2026 first-round picks arguably turned out better than those rumored at the trade deadline, so the front office figures to take a similar patient approach in its discussions involving players like Johnson and Finney-Smith.
The article dives into a variety of intriguing offseason plot lines:
- Point guard Dennis Schröder, who is on an expiring $13MM contract, is another intriguing Nets trade candidate. The 31-year-old was the offensive fulcrum of a deep German national team this summer, although that program came up short of a medal. As Net Income observes, there has yet to be much chatter about a Schröder trade, but given how well he plays alongside Team Germany comrades Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, and the Magic‘s need for a point guard upgrade, Orlando feels like a potential trade partner.
- Head video coordinator Travis Bader has taken an assistant coaching gig with the Nets, while former assistant video coordinator Jim McDonnell has taken Bader’s old job, per NetsDaily. Capologist Makar Gevorkian has been promoted to vice president of basketball operations for alignment and strategic planning. Brooklyn still needs a new assistant general manager and a new co-head of the performance team.
- In a separate two-part story at NetsDaily, Net Income takes an in-depth look at how the franchise has grown a significant global fan base under current team owner Joe Tsai.
Udoka Azubuike Signs With Montenegrin Team
Free agent center Udoka Azubuike has signed on with Montenegrin club KK Buducnost Voli, the team has announced in a press statement.
The 6’10” big man was initially drafted by the Jazz in 2020, following an All-American career at Kansas. Utah selected him with the No. 27 overall pick.
Azubuike never made a consistent, long-term impact in either of his two NBA stops, in part due to health issues. He has yet to play more than 36 games in a single season. Across 84 contests (10 starts) in four years, he has averaged a scant 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 8.6 minutes per night.
Following three years split between the Jazz and their NBAGL affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, Azubuike inked a two-way deal with a starry Suns club for 2023/24. Last year, he appeared in just 16 games for Phoenix, averaging 7.1 minutes per contest.
Clearly, the NBA market for his services has proven somewhat finite this summer. Given that he’s still all of 24, an impressive international showing could help bolster his value stateside once again, and he might eventually be able to earn his next opportunity here that way.
Stein’s Latest: Curry, James, Embiid, Yurtseven, Micic
Warriors All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry is eligible for a one-season, $62.6MM contract extension prior to October 21. He could also wait until the 2025 offseason to seek a two-year deal worth a projected $130MM, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.
Stein notes that, having missed out on Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen and Sixers All-Star Paul George, Golden State continues looking for opportunities to upgrade the roster via trade. The Warriors believe they have the current and future assets necessary to do just that.
Last year’s Warriors went 46-36, finishing with just the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. Golden State failed to make the playoffs after falling to the Kings in the play-in tournament.
Curry, 36, had yet another excellent individual year. The 10-time All-Star averaged 26.4 points on .450/.408/.923 shooting splits, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in 74 games.
Here are some other key notes from Stein’s newest Substack article:
- According to Stein, there’s a belief that the Lakers would have “reluctantly” engaged in trade discussions to send All-NBA combo forward LeBron James to the Warriors, so he could join then-future Team USA colleague Curry and friend Draymond Green, if that’s what James had wanted. However, Stein’s sources say that Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent, urged both L.A. and Golden State to scrap the idea — in part because Paul didn’t want James to be faced with criticism for jumping teams for a fourth time.
- Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid, fresh off winning his first Olympic gold medal for Team USA this summer, hinted that he might be interested in playing for his native Cameroon during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. However, as Stein writes, a player over the age of 17 can only change his country affiliation if he receives clearance from FIBA and his previous country (in this case, USA Basketball). Stein is skeptical that Embiid will be permitted to do so.
- According to Stein, free agent center Omer Yurtseven was one of several players to recently work out for the Knicks, who opted not to sign him at that time. Greek club Panathinaikos reportedly remains intrigued by the 7-footer. New York lost its 2023/24 starting center, Isaiah Hartenstein, to the Thunder in free agency, and no doubt needs to get creative filling out its frontcourt depth, so Yurtseven would have made sense as a fringe rotation option. Across three NBA seasons with the Heat and Jazz, the big man has appeared in 113 contests (24 starts), averaging 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.7 steals per night.
- Hornets point guard Vasilije Micic is considered a potential down-the-road trade target for the Nuggets, given his close relationship with Nikola Jokic, Stein writes. Micic may not be a practical option for Denver at this point though, given his $7.7MM salary and the team’s proximity to the tax aprons. Acquired midway through his 2023/24 rookie season, the 6’5″ guard averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 assists across 30 games for Charlotte down the stretch.
And-Ones: Wong, NBA Cup, 2028 Olympics
Free agent combo guard Isaiah Wong is joining the G League United roster for September’s G League Invitational exhibition tournament, the league has announced (Twitter link).
Wong, 23, was selected by the Pacers with the No. 55 pick in last year’s draft, following an All-American run at Miami. The 6’4″ guard agreed to a two-way deal with Indiana, and ultimately appeared in just one game with the Pacers proper, scoring two points in just four minutes of action.
Across 30 regular season games with the Pacers’ NBAGL affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, Wong averaged 14.8 points per game on .437/.283/.814 shooting. He also notched 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 0.8 steals per contest.
The Invitational, which will feature the G League United playing Serbian club KK Mega Basket, will take place on September 4 and 6.
Here’s more from around the NBA world:
- With the schedule officially set for this year’s Emirates NBA Cup, formerly the in-season tournament, Zach Harper of The Athletic supplies an early preview of this year’s six groups, predicting the eight clubs that will advance to the quarterfinal round. In perhaps the biggest surprise projection, Harper thinks the Pelicans will survive West Group C to move on. Group C comprises a murderer’s row of squads, including the 2023 champion Nuggets, the 2024 West champion Mavericks, the revamped Warriors, and the healing Grizzlies.
- Assuming 39-year-old LeBron James, 36-year-old Stephen Curry, and perhaps 35-year-old Kevin Durant do not join Team USA for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic speculates as to what the roster will look like — and what its chances will be against a rapidly improving field. Rankin expects at least five 2024 players to be replaced: James, Durant, Curry, and All-Defensive Second Team Celtics guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
- In case you missed it, several NBA superstars past and present will partake in a tribute game to one-time All-NBA point guard Goran Dragic, who announced his retirement last December.
Team USA Notes: Booker, Curry, Legacies, Durant
Though Devin Booker generally wasn’t one of Team USA’s primary offensive options in the club’s run to gold at the Paris Olympics, ranking just fifth on the team in points per game, head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that the Suns’ All-Star guard provided an essential, steady two-way presence, David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“He was incredible this entire round,” Kerr said of Booker’s play during the knockout games. “Just what he does, play to play to play. Rock solid. Completely changed his role from the NBA to now. He was kind of our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
There’s more out of Team USA:
- During the 98-87 gold medal game win against Team France on Saturday, 10-time Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry saved the day by shooting 4-of-4 from long range in the game’s final three minutes, making his final three-pointer over a double team. Even by Curry’s lofty standards, he had a night to remember, writes Aldridge in an article for The Athletic. “Coach (Kerr) reminded me, at a certain point, early, the game will come to you if you allow it,” Curry said. “And even if I was missing shots, just stay engaged. And that kind of fed into being locked in for these last two games, because the game called for me to get shots up, and knock them down. … you just stay confident, stay present, and don’t get rattled by the moment.”
- Nabbing a gold medal in Paris helped seal the historic legacies of several Team USA personal, opines Sam Amick of The Athletic. Thirty-nine-year-old LeBron James, 36-year-old Curry, and 35-year-old Kevin Durant may have put the finishing touches on their international careers with this summer’s victory. It was Curry’s first Olympic medal, James’ third gold and fourth medal overall (he won bronze on that infamous 2004 team), and Durant’s record-breaking fourth gold. Curry had won gold at two FIBA World Cup events, but had never participated in an Olympics. “It’s everything I imagined, and more,” Curry said. “The guys in that locker room, we all signed up for the mission to continue USA Basketball dominance. Obviously, I understand it’s gonna be a really tough task, with some great teams that we’re gonna have to face, and there’s a sense of relief at the end, but it’s more a sense of accomplishment, obviously, knowing what we were able to do.”
- Durant explained how the team that James has nicknamed the ‘Paris Avengers’ got together, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “[Team USA managing director Grant Hill and Kerr] came to Brooklyn and they tried to get me to play in the World Cup,” Durant said. “So I knew how important it was for us to be here for 2024 and kind of committed there. And I think last summer, Bron had started texting everybody, giving his input on who should be on the team and if everybody was playing. And so when you start sending those texts out, I kind of knew we were all gonna get together.” Having Curry onboard for the first time in the Olympics made it all click, according to Durant: “This was a special time. I knew Steph was gonna play, as he had never been on an Olympic team before. He had a couple of world championships but never won an Olympic medal. So it was a no-brainer, especially when them two committed. And once the team was built, I kind of knew it was gonna be special.”
Brad Stevens Talks Celtics, Second Apron, Open Roster Spot, Horford
After winning the franchise’s first title in 16 years, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made it a priority to secure all of his core rotation players over the summer, as he explained in an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
After Boston beat the Mavericks in the 2024 Finals, the club signed Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser to contract extensions and re-signed frontcourt free agents Xavier Tillman and Luke Kornet.
“Any time you get a group that fits together, that accentuates each other, that kind of know who they are and what they bring to the table, I think you want to try to keep that,” Stevens said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to be blind to improving. We have to keep our eyes on — especially early in the year, because even the same group can be a totally new thing in a new season — so we have to keep an eye on, where are we, really? And do we need to improve? Do we need to make subtle changes? Do we need to make big changes? We’ll just always keep our eye on that.”
The whole interview is well worth reading in full. Here are some additional highlights:
- While the Celtics are already well above the NBA’s second tax apron, the roster will get significantly more costly in 2025/26 when Tatum’s super-max extension and White’s and Hauser’s new deals take effect. Stevens seemed to suggest he’ll be open to exploring ways to reduce Boston’s payroll, if necessary. “What we want to do is try to get our guys locked in on fair and good extensions that they feel really good about and hopefully continue this thing as long as we can continue this thing,” Stevens said. “We’ll cross every bridge when we get there, and the different basketball penalties that will be associated with being above the second apron, those are real, and we’ll just have to weigh those against where we are as a basketball team, and we’ll also have to weigh the financial part of that. And I’m sure part of that will be a discussion amongst whoever the new investors are.”
- The Celtics still have one open spot on their 15-man standard roster for 2024/25, but Stevens likes the optionality of keeping the spot available heading into training camp, in case of an injury. “We’re just going to monitor the health of our team and see how everybody’s doing, and if there’s any issues that arise between now and September that we need to really address, then we might use it,” he said. “But right now I’d say it’s unlikely. We’re still looking to sign a couple of Exhibit 10s that their most likely path will be to play in Maine. But we’ll see.”
- Five-time All-Star Al Horford, now the Celtics’ sixth man at age 38, won his first title with Boston, after years of deep playoff runs with the Hawks, Celtics, and Sixers. “[For] a guy like Al, he deserves that accolade, because he’s been knocking on the door,” Stevens said. “And the margins are so small that I’m glad people that view it as championship or bust can include Al in the win one category.”
Christmas Day Games Include Sixers-Celtics, Lakers-Warriors
The NBA’s leaked slate of Christmas Day games will feature several heavy hitters.
Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that, as usual, five games will be broadcast, highlighted by a marquee matchup between two longtime Eastern Conference foes, the revamped Sixers and the Celtics. Boston, the reigning league champion, will host.
The schedule will be rounded out by several clashes between starry clubs, from veteran-laden squads to young up-and-comers. The Spurs will travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks. A Western Conference Finals rematch is also on the docket, as the Mavericks will host the Timberwolves.
The newly Klay Thompson-less Warriors will host the Lakers, and the Nuggets will travel to Phoenix to face the retooled Suns.
Philadelphia almost completely overhauled its roster around incumbent All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The new additions are headlined by nine-time All-Star combo forward Paul George, who departed the Clippers to sign a four-year, maximum-salary deal with the Sixers. Philadelphia also signed seasoned free agents like forward Caleb Martin, center Andre Drummond, and shooting guard Eric Gordon while bringing back wing Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Celtics retained all of their own key players after going 64-18 in the regular season and 16-3 in the playoffs. A pair of new extensions for All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White highlighted the team’s transactions, though longer-term uncertainty looms as owner Wyc Grousbeck is looking to sell the franchise.
Led by Defensive Player of the Year and impending Olympic medalist Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs figure to improve on their paltry 21-61 record in 2023/24. The team signed 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a one-year deal this summer, and traded for veteran combo forward Harrison Barnes. San Antonio also used its No. 4 pick in the lottery on NCAA championship-winning UConn guard Stephon Castle, the 2023/24 Big East Freshman of the Year.
The Knicks, meanwhile traded for former All-Defensive small forward Mikal Bridges this summer to maximize their ability to switch on the wing. The team also re-signed free agent forward OG Anunoby to a long-term contract and free agent center/power forward Precious Achiuwa to a shorter-term deal, inked All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson to a contract extension, and brought aboard veteran point guard Cameron Payne for extra depth.
Fresh off its first NBA Finals appearance with star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas added future Hall of Famer Thompson away from the Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade, while also acquiring young guard Quentin Grimes from the Pistons. Dallas also signed free agent wing Naji Marshall to a three-year deal.
After winning their first (two) playoff series in 20 years this spring, the Timberwolves traded for the draft rights to No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham and retained several of their own free agents.
While Golden State did lose out on Thompson, the Warriors quickly pivoted on the perimeter, signing free agent guard De’Anthony Melton and signing-and-trading for free agent wings Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. The team is hoping to rebound from a finish as the West’s No. 10 seed and a quick play-in tournament exit.
Denver let free agent starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency and brought in reserve guard Russell Westbrook.
The Suns hired title-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer and signed Tyus Jones to a steal of a veteran’s minimum contract. Phoenix also brought back several of its own free agents, including wings Josh Okogie and Royce O’Neale and Damion Lee. The team also inked free agents Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris to minimum-salary contracts.
The most questionable omission from all this Christmas scheduling is clearly the Thunder, who claimed the West’s No. 1 overall seed last season and added ex-Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein via a lucrative three-year, $87MM deal. Oklahoma City also dealt guard Josh Giddey – who fell out of the starting lineup in the playoffs – to Chicago for All-Defensive wing Alex Caruso.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having finished as the MVP runner-up last year and young pieces Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams set to develop, the Thunder look poised to contend for the West’s top seed once again.
Hornets, Raequan Battle Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
Free agent former West Virginia swingman Raequan Battle has agreed to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract with the Hornets, sources tell Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
A 6’5″ swingman, Battle averaged 16.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per contest across 22 games with the Mountaineers as a fifth-year senior in 2023/24, posting a shooting line of .408/.339/.835. He played on Charlotte’s Summer League squad in July.
As Boone notes, Battle’s training camp deal may signify the Hornets’ interest in making him an affiliate player with their G League squad, the Greensboro Swarm.
Battle could also see his training camp contract converted to a two-way deal with the Hornets up until the day before the regular season begins. Charlotte currently has one open two-way slot available, with the other two committed to point guard KJ Simpson and center Moussa Diabate.
It’s more probable that Battle will be cut prior to the start of the year and will then become an affiliate player with the Swarm. Should a player be waived from an Exhibit 10 deal and then spend at least 60 days with that team’s NBAGL affiliate, he’d stand to earn a bonus worth as much as $77.5K.
Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Robinson, Abbott, Kuminga
With six-time All-Star swingman DeMar DeRozan joining the Kings this offseason (and veteran forward Harrison Barnes no longer on the roster), Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee speculates as to what the club’s new starting lineup will look like.
Anderson expects 2023 All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to be joined by Keegan Murray at a forward slot, with DeRozan also in the first five. Anderson notes that Sacramento head coach Mike Brown has some flexibility in terms of which player he wants to be his fifth starter, depending on whether DeRozan lines up at shooting guard or small forward.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Newly-signed Kings reserve big man Orlando Robinson‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the team features a partial guarantee of $500K, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Robinson will earn his full $2.09MM salary if he remains under contract through January 7.
- First-year Lakers head coach J.J. Redick is adding more depth to his coaching staff. According to the agency CSE (Twitter link), Los Angeles has brought on Ty Abbott as its lead player development coach. Abbott previously served as the Bulls’ player development coach/coordinator from 2020-24.
- Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga is hoping to earn a maximum-salary deal in his rookie scale extension with the team, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reveals in a new episode of the “No Cap Room” podcast. “Jonathan Kuminga is entering the final year of his rookie deal where — according to… various sources — Kuminga and his representatives are looking for a full max extension,” Fischer said. A projected five-year max deal for Kuminga would be worth approximately $224MM.
Team USA Notes: Puerto Rico Game, Brazil, Durant, LeBron
The star-studded Team USA men’s basketball program bested Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado and the rest of Team Puerto Rico 104-83 in their final game of Olympic pool play, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“I never thought I would come to a city like this,” Suns All-Star Kevin Durant said after the win. “But Lille was incredible to us. I love being here.”
Durant has emerged as a critical bench scorer for the program. He is hoping to earn his fourth gold medal, which would be a new men’s basketball record.
When asked about the prospect of retirement, Durant’s 39-year-old returning teammate LeBron James seemed noncommittal. The 6’9″ Lakers All-Star is averaging 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists for Team USA thus far.
“I don’t get asked that much, to be honest,” James said. “Everyone expects me to play 10 more years for some odd reason.”
There’s more from Team USA:
- With the quarterfinal round of the Olympics set, the U.S. is not taking its Tuesday opponent, Brazil, for granted, Windhorst writes in another ESPN story. “They’re very physical,” Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. “They’ve got a lot of really good shooters, and they just play hard. They compete play after play, so we’ll have to be ready for their physicality and their shooting, and we need to be on edge and ready for them because they’re not going to back down.” Windhorst notes that Warriors forward Gui Santos is the only current NBA player on Brazil’s roster, but the team boasts six others who previously played in the league: Marcelinho Huertas, Didi Louzada, Raul Neto, Bruno Caboclo, Maozinha Pereira, and Cristiano Felicio.
- Kerr does not plan to change Durant’s current bench role despite his productivity, he stated in an ESPN interview (YouTube video link). “If Kevin had been here from day one, chances are he would be starting,” Kerr said. “That was the plan coming in. But given that he missed all our friendlies and came in late, we had kind of established a lineup that we liked… There’s no plans on changing [his current role].”
- Kerr once again went out of his way to praise James, writes Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “It’s just amazing to watch him,” Kerr said. “He loves the game so much. He loves the work. He loves his teammates. There’s an energy and a joy to LeBron that just sort of spreads through the locker room and so he’s obviously one of the very best all-time players but it’s it goes so far beyond one thing. It’s just everything, the whole package, he’s just brilliant.” James has emerged as the de facto leader for Team USA, as he plays for his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.