Jaylen Martin Signs Two-Way Deal With Knicks
JULY 3: Martin’s two-way contract with the Knicks is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
JUNE 23: Undrafted former Overtime Elite guard Jaylen Martin has agreed to a two-way contact with the Knicks, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 19-year-old averaged 14 points, 5.9 dimes, 1.6 steals, 1.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks a night across 23.3 minutes per during his lone season with the Atlanta-based developmental league, per Overtime Elite’s official website.
As a two-way signing, the 6’6″ prospect is expected to split his time between New York and the club’s NBAGL affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.
With New York having already agreed to sign former Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin, younger brother of Knicks power forward Obi Toppin, to a two-way contract earlier tonight, two of the team’s three available two-way slots are now accounted for.
It remains to be seen whether or not New York will decide to bring back either of last year’s two-way players, shooting guard Trevor Keels and combo guard Duane Washington, to occupy that third and final two-way contract.
Bulls Notes: Ball, Free Agency, White, Dosunmu, Jordan
It doesn’t appear that the Bulls will be getting their starting point guard Lonzo Ball back anytime soon. In remarks made to reporters after Thursday’s draft, team president Arturas Karnisovas poured cold water on the idea that he could return to the hardwood in 2023/24 at all.
“Going into the offseason, our [expectation] is that he’s not coming back next season,” Karnisovas said, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Since agreeing to a four-year, $80MM sign-and-trade deal with Chicago in the summer of 2021, Ball has appeared in a grand total of 35 contests for his new team.
If he so chooses, Karnisovas could opt to file for a disabled player exception. The exception would be worth half of Ball’s salary and would give the Bulls another tool to sign or trade for a replacement. It would only be granted if Ball is deemed more likely than not to remain sidelined through June 15, 2024.
There’s more out of the Windy City:
- Speaking of free agency, Karnisovas indicated that he hopes to add more long range shooting to the Bulls’ spacing-challenged roster this summer, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “We’re trying to change our shooting profile,” Karnisovas said. “Being last in the league in rate from 3 and 3-point makes, we’re going to try to address that in the offseason.”
- According to Johnson, Karnisovas also indicated that Bulls ownership is amenable to entering the luxury tax in pursuit of improvement, something the team has only ever done once. The Bulls’ president of basketball operations also suggested that Chicago would extend qualifying offers to guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, making them restricted free agents. White showed significant strides at the end of the 2022/23 season, and makes sense to retain. Dosunmu, meanwhile, regressed considerably during his second season, to the point where he became virtually unplayable in Chicago’s two play-in contests this spring, suiting up for an average of 5.5 MPG.
- With former Hornets majority owner Michael Jordan in the midst of selling the franchise, it’s high time he bought a stake in the team where he became a Hall of Famer, opines Jon Greenberg of The Athletic. Jordan intends to continue to hold a minority stake in Charlotte for now, but Greenberg argues that the former Chicago shooting guard could divest from the Hornets to buy a solid share of his old team. As Greenberg notes, nowhere is Jordan more beloved than in the city where he cemented his legend, winning six titles in eight seasons while being widely heralded as the greatest player ever.
Bucks Add Omari Moore On Two-Way Contact
JULY 5: Moore’s two-way deal with the Bucks is official, the team announced (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).
JUNE 23: The Bucks will ink a two-way deal with San Jose State combo guard Omari Moore, Moore’s agent Derek Malloy informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
Across 35 games in 2022/23, the 6’6″ four-year Spartan averaged 17.4 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.7 RPG, 0.7 SPG and 0.7 BPG. The scoring and passing numbers represent his most-ever in college. He was named both to the All-Mountain West First Team and the Mountain West Player of the Year for his efforts.
With Moore, Milwaukee adds a big lead guard that it will be able to develop with its NBA G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA last season, 58-24, before being booted during the first round of the playoffs by the eighth-seeded Heat. In response, Milwaukee management fired head coach Mike Budenholzer and brought in former Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin. The team’s offseason now turns to tackling the free agencies of starters Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, as well as some less-essential veteran role players.
Cam Whitmore Slips To Rockets At No. 20
The Rockets have selected Villanova small forward Cam Whitmore with the No. 20 pick, an epic slide for a player who had long been considered a potential top-five pick, even as recently as a few days ago.
According to Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Twitter link) and Jonathan Wasserman of NBADraft.net (Twitter link), it sounds like ominous medical results were the main reason for Whitmore’s descent down most teams’ draft boards. Both draft analysts note that Whitmore still has a high ceiling, should he stay healthy.
It was also reported earlier this week that subpar pre-draft workouts may have dissuaded some lottery clubs from selecting the strong wing.
A thumb surgery limited Whitmore’s availability at the start of his lone collegiate season. Across his 26 contests with the Wildcats, the 2022/23 Big East Rookie of the Year averaged 12.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 0.7 APG. A 6’7″ wing, he was also named to the Big East All-Freshman Team.
Though Whitmore, a big swingman with a 6’8″ wingspan, is a middling jump shooter, his abilities as a solid isolation scorer, a creator off the dribble and a finisher in the paint had endeared him to scouts prior to his discouraging medical results. Still just 18, Whitmore was an underwhelming distributor for his position in college, but he does boast intriguingly versatile defensive upside, especially in transition.
Whitmore makes plenty of sense as a flyer pick on a rebuilding Houston team. Earlier tonight, the Rockets selected Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson with the No. 4 overall pick.
Armed with tough new head coach Ime Udoka, plenty of lottery-grade talent, and the most available cap space in the league, Houston seems primed for an active summer well beyond the draft.
Wizards Trading Up To No. 7, Drafting Bilal Coulibaly
The Wizards have agreed to a trade with the Pacers, moving up in the draft one spot from No. 8 to No. 7 in order to select French forward Bilal Coulibaly, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Charania (via Twitter), Washington is sending two second-round draft picks to Indiana in the deal. Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), those two picks are 2028 second-rounders: the Wizards’ own and an incoming pick from the Suns acquired in their Bradley Beal trade.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN tweets that the Wizards opted to move up to ensure they were able to draft Coulibaly before another club could select him, noting that the Jazz had grown intrigued by the swingman recently.
The 6’8″ small forward was a teammate of this year’s top pick, now-Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, on Metropolitans 92 this past season. A raw, athletic swingman, Coulibaly averaged 10.0 PPG on a .532/.452/.595 slash line, in addition to 6.1 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.5 SPG.
Per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, Coulibaly’s solid playoff performance alongside Wembanyama helped him move up teams’ internal pre-draft rankings. Hughes adds that he is considered a multifaceted defender, and his 7’3″ wingspan allows him to be effective on and off the ball.
Washington has been incredibly active this week, agreeing to trade away Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Chris Paul for younger pieces and future draft picks.
The Pacers are using the No. 8 pick to select Houston forward Jarace Walker.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Trail Blazers Draft Scoot Henderson Third Overall
The Trail Blazers have selected G League Ignite star point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Blazers were long rumored to be exploring a trade involving the No. 3 pick as they sought impact veterans to complement Damian Lillard, but it appears they ultimately didn’t find a deal they liked and opted to hang onto the selection.
It will be interesting to see now whether the Henderson pick signifies the beginning of the end of Lillard’s Portland tenure.
Henderson is considered by draft experts to have All-NBA upside, and it’s unclear whether or not Lillard will be content playing alongside a rookie point guard in a now-crowded backcourt that also features undersized shooting guard Anfernee Simons. It’s possible the selection of Henderson will be the first in a series of moves involving the Blazers’ backcourt this summer.
An athletic 6’4″ lead guard, Henderson averaged 16.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 0.5 BPG across 19 regular season contests for the Ignite in 2022/23. He represents the rare high-level prospect who spends two seasons with the Ignite, having graduated high school a year early for the opportunity to get extra pro seasoning.
An explosive athlete with a quick first step, Henderson is a dangerous threat to score both in transition and the half-court. His long-range shooting continues to need work, as he has not converted more than 30% of his triple tries during either of his two G League seasons. He is a good rebounder for his size and is considered an instinctive passer.
Hornets Select Brandon Miller With No. 2 Pick
The Hornets have selected Alabama small forward Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Charlotte reportedly decided between Miller and G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson, who were widely considered the top two prospects in the draft behind Victor Wembanyama.
From a fit perspective, Miller – a 6’9″ wing – makes more sense for the Hornets than another ball-handling guard like Henderson. Incumbent Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball battled injuries this past season but made the 2022 All-Star team, so Miller was viewed for most of the process as the favorite to land in Charlotte.
Miller had a stellar freshman season on the court for the Crimson Tide. The 6’9″ prospect averaged 18.8 PPG on .430/.384/.859 shooting splits. He also notched 8.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG across his 37 regular season contests.
For his efforts, the 20-year-old was named the SEC Player of the Year and an All-SEC First Teamer. He was also selected to the 2023 All-American Second Team.
Miller was widely considered to be the best freshman in the NCAA for 2022/23. Accordingly, he was named the SEC Rookie of the Year, the NABC Freshman of the Year, and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year.
Miller has faced scrutiny for his connection to a fatal January shooting in Tuscaloosa. He brought former Alabama teammate Darius Miles the gun that was used in the killing of young mother Jamea Jonae Harris, but has insisted that he didn’t know the weapon was in the car. He cooperated in the investigation and didn’t face any criminal charges.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Wizards Notes: Draft, Dawkins, Ownership, Trades
The Wizards possess the eighth pick in the first round of this year’s draft, along with the Nos. 35, 42, and 57 selections in the second round.
In previewing Washington’s draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic notes that newly installed Washington VP Travis Schlenk had a history of prioritizing players with a good court sense and solid shooting ability, as well as swingmen with high upsides, while with the Hawks.
Vecenie believes that the Wizards, who are clearly in position to prioritize talent over fit after trading stars Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in recent days, should look to select the player on the board with the highest ceiling in the first round.
There’s more out of D.C.:
- Wizards general manager Will Dawkins is looking forward to the scrutiny and pressure that will come along with his new gig, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. After 15 years spent in the Thunder’s front office office, Dawkins will get an opportunity to take on a larger role in D.C. As Wallace notes, while new team president Michael Winger will oversee the rosters of the Wizards, their G League affiliate the Capital City Go-Go, and WNBA squad the Washington Mystics, Dawkins will get to focus exclusively on the Wizards. “I’ll be more around on the day-to-day, having more conversations with the players and staff, allowing [Winger] to kind of free up and manage Monumental Basketball,” Dawkins said. “We’ll both be at games, talking to representation of our players, things of that nature. But [my role is] more so the scouting portion, managing that, making sure the building is humming and up to the standards we’re looking for.”
- A Qatari wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, is purchasing a passive minority stake in Wizards ownership group Monumental Sports & Entertainment, worth approximately 5%, according to Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. This marks the first time a sovereign wealth fund will be buying into U.S. team sports. “The NBA Board is currently reviewing a potential investment by QIA in Monumental Sports & Entertainment,” NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass said in a statement (Twitter link via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today). “In accordance with the policy, if approved, QIA would have a passive, minority investment in the team, with no involvement in its operations or decision-making.”
- Kristaps Porzingis, who will be traded to the Celtics, issued a parting statement to the Wizards team and fans (Twitter link). “Wiz Fans!!” Porzingis wrote, in part. “Thank you for showing me so much support, I truly appreciate it and [enjoyed] every night playing in front of you. Wishing you all success as I embark on the next chapter of my career.”
- The three-team trade that will send Porzingis to Boston is a rare win for all three clubs involved, opines John Hollinger of The Athletic. In a separate piece, Hollinger writes that future salary cap considerations played a major part in the Warriors’ rationale behind the newly reported deal that will send out Chris Paul, acquired in the Beal trade, to Golden State in exchange for Jordan Poole and draft equity.
And-Ones: Terry, Doncic, Tatum, Wembanyama, Selden
Former Mavericks point guard Tyrell Terry, who retired from basketball after just two seasons due to mental health reasons, explained his decision more thoroughly during an interview with Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune.
The 22-year-old, selected with the No. 31 pick out of Stanford, is back in school following his brief pro stint, now majoring in Science, Technology and Society. Terry’s issues trying to gain weight at the next level prevented him from having the kind of on-court success he had enjoyed at the NCAA level.
“On a daily basis I was trying to convince myself that I loved basketball,” Terry said. “Trying to convince myself that people’s opinions didn’t matter. It became a game of trying to convince myself of something that I didn’t believe in. I realized that’s not how I want to live my life. It was like I was damaging myself.”
Terry took a two-month personal leave from the team during his rookie season in an effort to deal with persistent anxiety attacks. He also consulted with Dallas’ team therapist. The following year, he and his team eventually coordinated his release from the roster in training camp.
There’s more from around the basketball universe:
- Young All-NBA stars Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum have both experienced significant team success during their early years in the league, but have yet to win the ultimate prize. Jared Weiss and Tim Cato of The Athletic examine the very divergent approaches their respective clubs, the Mavericks and Celtics, have taken to their offseasons in years past, and project what it could mean for the two players’ present and future.
- Expected No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama has officially concluded his run with Metropolitans 92, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN details. Wembanyama and his French team fell 92-85 in the third game of their league’s title series to Monaco, a club loaded with ex-NBA players like Mike James, Elie Okobo, Jordan Loyd and Donatas Motiejunas. Wembanyama, the French League MVP, recorded 22 points, seven boards and four blocks in the loss.
- Former NBA shooting guard Wayne Selden is joining Puerto Rican club Gigantes de Carolina, reports Dario Skerletic of Sportando. After going undrafted out of Kansas in 2016, the 6’4″ swingman enjoyed stints with the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Bulls, and Knicks, as well as several NBAGL clubs. After first dipping a toe into the international game with Israeli club Ironi Ness Ziona in 2020, Selden ditched the league for good in 2022. He has since played in Turkey, Italy, and Philippines.
Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Knicks, Podziemski, Celtics
All-NBA Raptors power forward Pascal Siakam enjoyed what in many ways was a career year in 2022/23, averaging highs in points (24.2 PPG) and assists (5.8 APG), plus 7.8 RPG and 0.9 SPG across 71 contests. All of which might precisely be why it’s time to trade him, opines Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
If Siakam, 29, makes an All-NBA Team in 2023/24, he would be eligible for a new super-max deal as a free agent that would pay him 35% of the new salary cap. As Koreen notes, Siakam has already proven that he can function well as one of the key contributors on a title team.
While Siakam has emerged as a solid play-maker and defender, Koreen writes that he may be miscast Toronto’s highest-usage player. Given that both the clubs with the second and third pick in this year’s draft could be open to trading those selections, Koreen sees now as being an optimal time to move Siakam, before he becomes significantly pricier.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks have a variety of trade assets, between their intriguing young players and draft equity. Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News takes stock of several possible stars whom New York could target, including Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid, Trail Blazers All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, and more.
- The Nets have already auditioned an abundance of NBA hopefuls ahead of Thursday’s draft, but Santa Clara’s Brandin Podziemski is the highest-ranked of the bunch, and could fit in well with what the new-look Nets are striving to build, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link).
- The impending new CBA, which has yet to be officially ratified, could force a bit of a roster crunch for the Celtics, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. As Forsberg writes, Boston projects to be well over the new second tax apron next season, especially if Grant Williams is retained, which is why he believes the team could look to move on from one of its three pricier point guards this summer. In a follow-up article, Forsberg unpacks how just retaining the same personnel as last season could get prohibitively costly in a hurry.