Shaedon Sharpe Resumes Shooting After Shoulder Injury
Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe, who injured his shoulder last month during his first Summer League game, has resumed shooting, tweets Casey Holdahl of TrailBlazers.com. Holdahl doesn’t know exactly when team doctors gave their approval for Sharpe to begin shooting again.
The seventh pick in this year’s draft, Sharpe suffered a “small” labral tear in his left shoulder, according to a press release from the team. The 19-year-old guard was expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp, and this is an important step along the way.
Sharpe played just six minutes before the injury occurred, disappointing fans who had hoped to see him in action after he sat out last season at Kentucky. The Canadian native was a five-star recruit out of high school and made a strong impression on scouts who watched him practice with the Wildcats.
Southeast Notes: Poole, Murray, Banchero, Bogdanovic, Echenique
The Magic will be ready with an offer sheet if Warriors guard Jordan Poole reaches free agency next summer, an unidentified Eastern Conference executive tells Sean Deveney of Heavy. Although Poole is an important contributor for Golden State, luxury tax considerations put his future with the organization in doubt. If he doesn’t reach an agreement on a rookie scale extension before the start of the upcoming season, he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2023.
“I’d watch out for the Magic to be ready to make an offer if he’s restricted, knowing there’s a good chance Golden State is not going to match,” the executive said.
The 23-year-old Poole is coming off his best season, averaging career highs with 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game and making 51 starts for a team that won the NBA title. He would provide some much-needed perimeter scoring for a young Orlando team that solidified its frontcourt with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero in the last two drafts. The Magic could have close to $60MM in cap room and may be in range to add two max free agents.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Former NBA player Jamal Crawford is downplaying a dispute between new Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Banchero in a pro-am game last week, tweets Landon Buford. “There’s no issues; they’re brothers, competitive basketball court stuff,” Crawford said. “I’ve had spats like that with my brothers. There’s nothing to read into.”
- Hawks shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic has resumed training after knee surgery in May and recently posted Instagram photos of his workout with tennis star Novak Djokovic in Serbia. Bogdanovic was able to participate in Atlanta’s first-round playoff series against Miami, but underwent the operation shortly after the Hawks were eliminated.
- Jaime Echenique received a huge welcome when he returned to Colombia last month after becoming the first player from his homeland to appear in an NBA game, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Echenique played just one game for the Wizards in December and spent most of the season with the team’s Capital City G League affiliate. He recognizes the importance of his accomplishment, but is focused on expanding his NBA opportunities. “He said you have to take this as big as it is,” Echenique said in relaying a conversation with a friend. “Out of the 75 years of the NBA, out of 50 million Colombians, you are the first one. I was like ‘Yeah, that’s a big deal.’ Whether it was a 10-day [contract] or three minutes or whatever people want to call it, I did it.”
Latest On Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant‘s standoff with the Nets over his desire to be traded is likely to continue into the start of the season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks said this week in an appearance on “NBA Today” (video link).
Marks theorizes that Durant hurt his cause with an ultimatum in his recent meeting with team owner Joe Tsai, saying he won’t return unless head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks are fired. Bobby Marks notes that the demand was bad for Durant’s image and speculates that he will eventually regret the way he handled it.
“This doesn’t force the issue,” the ESPN analyst said. “For Sean Marks or Steve Nash or Joe Tsai to say, ‘You know what, now we’ve got to trade him. Now we basically have to set an artificial timeline.’ The offers are the offers. We know what the offers are going to be and what they could potentially be, and this is why this is going to linger into the regular season.”
Also on “NBA Today,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said Durant’s stipulations will make things more awkward when the Nets gather for training camp next month. He adds that rival teams now have even less incentive to improve their offers because Durant has put Brooklyn in a difficult situation.
There’s more on Durant:
- Appearing in the same segment, Ramona Shelburne said a source told her that a lot more was addressed at last week’s meeting than Durant’s opinion of his coach and GM. The Nets viewed the discussion as “part of the process,” Shelburne adds, as Tsai wanted to better understand what’s making Durant want to leave.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today talked to three executives from rival teams who want to see the Nets stand their ground with Durant and refuse to either trade him or part with Nash and Marks. Regarding possible trade destinations, three executives and agents that Zillgitt spoke to believe the Celtics are no longer involved in the Durant sweepstakes because president of basketball operations Brad Stevens doesn’t want to subject any more players to trade rumors. The Raptors and Heat were mentioned prominently, but only if Brooklyn agrees to lower its asking price.
- A rival executive tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy that the Celtics will probably remain part of the conversation until the Durant situation is resolved because Jaylen Brown is the best player who has been mentioned as part of a potential return.
Warriors, Grizzlies To Meet On Christmas Day
More details are emerging about the NBA schedule, including a Christmas Day contest with the Warriors hosting the Grizzlies, tweets league insider Marc Stein.
It will be a rematch of their hotly contested Western Conference semifinals series that Golden State won 4-2 on its way to the championship. That intense series is remembered for an ejection and a one-game suspension for Memphis’ Dillon Brooks for a hard foul that left Gary Payton II with a fractured elbow.
It will mark the first Christmas Day appearance for the Grizzlies in their 27-year history, dating back to their days in Vancouver. The team’s popularity has increased with last season’s playoff run and the emergence of Ja Morant as one of the league’s most exciting players. The Warriors are a perennial part of the Christmas schedule and defeated the Suns in Phoenix last December 25.
Stein reported earlier today that the Lakers will travel to Dallas for another Christmas Day matchup. The NBA typically schedules five games on the holiday, which is the first major national showcase of the new season.
League sources tell Stein that the full schedule for the 2022/23 season is expected to be released this week (Twitter link).
Collin Sexton Negotiations Aren’t Contentious, But Deal Isn’t Close
The continued standoff between the Cavaliers and free agent Collin Sexton hasn’t been contentious, but it doesn’t appear the two sides are close to an agreement, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Sexton’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, continues to insist that his client deserves the salary of a starting guard, which is what he was before suffering a torn meniscus 11 games into last season. Paul wants Sexton to be paid more than $20MM per year, similar to the deals that Jalen Brunson got from the Knicks and Anfernee Simons received from the Trail Blazers.
Even though Sexton’s options are limited because he’s a restricted free agent, Fedor notes that Lonzo Ball, Malcolm Brogdon and Terry Rozier were all able to land big contracts in the same situation in recent years.
Cleveland’s offer is roughly $40MM over three years, which would pay Sexton about $13MM per season. The team believes it’s a reasonable contract for someone coming off a major injury, noting that it’s almost twice as much as Sexton’s $7.2MM qualifying offer and an increase over the $10.4MM mid-level exception. Sexton still has the option of accepting the QO and moving into unrestricted free agency next summer.
The Cavs are determined to remain under the luxury tax this season, Fedor adds, and can’t offer Sexton much more than $13MM without exceeding the threshold.
Paul talked to Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman in late July, but Fedor’s sources said neither side seems willing to move off its demands even though they understand a deal needs to be reached before the start of training camp.
Atlantic Notes: Irving, Simmons, Brunson, Harris
Kevin Durant‘s desire to see the Nets get rid of general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash is shared by teammate Kyrie Irving, a source tells Mark W. Sanchez and Josh Koshman of The New York Post. Irving picked up his $36.9MM option and reportedly doesn’t mind playing in Brooklyn next season, but the source says he shares Durant’s views on the organization’s leadership.
“Kyrie Irving hates these guys. He feels that Nash is terrible and Marks is bad,” the source said, adding that “KD came to the same conclusion.”
Irving has more obvious reasons to hold a negative view of management than Durant does. The Nets were unwilling to offer him a long-term contract if he had opted out and they refused to allow him to be a part-time player last season when he was ineligible for home games because of his vaccine stance. That decision lasted until a short-handed roster forced them to change their minds in December.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Shams Charania of The Athletic disputes a rumor that Ben Simmons pulled out of a Nets group chat when teammates asked if he was going to play in Game 4 of the playoff series against the Celtics. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show (video link), Charania said the incident “never happened” and added that Simmons is “looking good” this summer and the team has “high, high expectations” for him in the upcoming season.
- A few New York fans got to see Jalen Brunson play his first game alongside some of his new Knicks teammates Monday, per Matthew Neschis of The New York Post. Brunson received a standing ovation during introductions as he teamed up with Julius Randle and Obi Toppin in the Nike Pro City playoffs, a summer league in the Bronx. “You have a lot of kids [here] who can’t afford the opportunity to go to a Knicks game,” league director Bernard Bowen said, “so for those guys to come and play in that atmosphere where it’s free for the kids, it’s a blessing.”
- Kyle Neubeck of Philly.com looks at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for Sixers forward Tobias Harris, who moved into a different role last season following the James Harden trade.
International Notes: Gallinari, Dragic, Teodosic, Russia
Danilo Gallinari is looking forward to the next phase of his NBA career with the Celtics, but his immediate priority is the Italian national team. In an interview with Italy’s Sky Sport, Gallinari talks about the challenges that lie ahead in both the next round of EuroBasket and the 2023 World Cup qualifiers (translation by Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops).
“There are many very strong teams carrying multiple NBA players,” Gallinari said of Italy’s EuroBasket competitors. “We will have to be amazing and maybe exceed expectations. But a team like ours has been successful in the past and we can be again.”
Once his international commitment is done, Gallinari will return to the U.S. to start training camp with the Celtics. He signed a two-year, $13.3MM contract with Boston after reaching a buyout agreement with the Spurs last month, believing the Celtics offer his best chance to win an NBA title.
“The goal is the ring with Boston,” Gallinari said. “Despite being in the NBA for 14 years, I feel excited for the next chapter in my career. As long as I can feel the excitement, I don’t want to stop. At the Celtics, there are definitely many responsibilities and expectations. I have already talked with many of my new teammates and members of the coaching staff. They can’t wait to get back in action, there is great enthusiasm. Some are already there. Myself, I am focused on Italy, and after I will focus on the Celtics.”
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Goran Dragic is ready for a different role with Slovenia than he had when his country won the EuroBasket gold medal five years ago, according to a Eurohoops report. Dragic was the team leader in 2017, but now that role belongs to Luka Doncic. “I was Batman, but now I’ll be Robin,” Dragic said. “The most important thing will be to make sure we have good chemistry and be a leader on the court and lift guys up when it’s most difficult.”
- European star and former NBA player Milos Teodosic has been cut from the Serbian national team heading into EuroBasket, per Askounis, relaying a report from Mozzart Sport. The 35-year-old guard, who spent two seasons with the Clippers, is one of the top players in Serbian history and served as team captain during the 2016 Olympics.
- In a separate story, Askounis reviews the players who have left their teams in Russia since the nation was disqualified from EuroLeague play in the wake of the Ukrainian invasion. The list includes some familiar NBA names such as Kevin Pangos, Will Clyburn, Joel Bolomboy, Alex Poythress, Lorenzo Brown, Jordan Mickey and Mario Hezonja.
Latest On Kevin Durant
The trade ultimatum that Kevin Durant delivered to Nets owner Joe Tsai over the weekend only makes it more difficult for Durant to get what he wants, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Durant reportedly told Tsai that he would only consider returning to the team if head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks are both fired, and Tsai responded Monday with a Twitter statement supporting the coaching staff and front office.
Now that Durant’s ultimatum has become public, the Nets have even less leverage in trying to work out a deal in a market where they’ve already been unable to find an offer anywhere near their asking price. Durant may have hoped the meeting with Tsai would liven up the trade market, but Botte believes it might have done the opposite.
Durant’s unhappiness with Nash and Marks is ironic considering the efforts that the organization has made to accommodate him since he signed in 2019, adds Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Before coming to Brooklyn, Nash worked closely with Durant as a consultant with the Warriors, and Durant reportedly used his influence to get Nash hired when the team parted ways with Kenny Atkinson in 2020.
Schiffer points out that much of Brooklyn’s coaching staff consisted of assistants who had also had ties to Durant, including Royal Ivey, Brian Keefe, David Vanterpool and Adam Harrington. And while Durant may be unhappy with Marks for not being willing to offer a new contract to Kyrie Irving, Schiffer notes that many of the team’s significant roster moves were heavily endorsed by Durant, including the additions of James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Mike James.
There’s more on the Durant situation:
- Durant’s unhappiness with the Nets can be traced back to Marks’ statement in May that the front office needs to regain control of the franchise, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said today in an appearance on “Get Up” (video link). He adds that if Tsai had even considered getting rid of Nash and Marks, he would be letting the players run the team again.
- In another “Get Up” segment, Bontemps states that nothing about the trade market has changed in the wake of Durant’s ultimatum (Twitter link). Teams still aren’t willing to give the Nets the type of trade package that they’re seeking, so Bontemps expects Durant to remain with Brooklyn into the start of training camp and possibly into the beginning of the regular season.
- The chaos surrounding the Nets shows the danger of chasing stars instead of going through the natural rebuilding process, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, who adds that there’s little sympathy for Brooklyn around the league.
Nemanja Bjelica Signs Two-Year Deal With Fenerbahce
In a move that has been rumored for nearly six weeks, Nemanja Bjelica has signed with Fenerbahce in Turkey, the team announced (via Twitter). His contract will cover two seasons, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.
After winning a championship with the Warriors last season, the 34-year-old forward returns to Europe, joining the team he played for before deciding to join the NBA in 2015. He was named EuroLeague MVP that season and helped Fenerbahce reach the league’s Final Four for the first time in history.
Bjelica was a rotation player for Golden State during the regular season, averaging 6.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 71 games while playing 16.1 minutes per night. His role diminished somewhat in the playoffs, although he still appeared in 15 games during the Warriors’ title run.
Golden State reportedly wanted to bring him back on a minimum contract, but Bjelica opted to take the Fenerbahce offer, which gives him similar money and a larger role.
The Wizards selected Bjelica with the 35th pick in the 2010 draft and traded him to the Timberwolves on draft night. He played seven NBA seasons, also spending time with the Kings and Heat. He is currently in training camp with the Serbian national team in preparation for EuroBasket.
Sam Dekker Signs With London Team
Sam Dekker, who made a brief NBA comeback last season, has signed a one-year deal with the London Lions, the team announced (via Twitter).
The 28-year-old forward earned a roster spot with the Raptors in training camp, but was waived before his $1.79MM contract became fully guaranteed in early November. He played just one game for Toronto before being released. Dekker finished the season with Bahçeşehir Koleji of Turkey, which went on to win the FIBA Europe Cup.
Dekker was selected by the Rockets with the 18th pick in the 2015 draft and spent two seasons in Houston before being shipped to the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul trade. He also had brief stints with the Cavaliers and Wizards, and averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 201 total NBA games.
The former Wisconsin star headed overseas after the 2018/19 season, signing with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia and then Turk Telekom in Turkey.
Dekker will join former NBA center Kosta Koufos, who signed with the London team last month.