Wolves Notes: Edwards, Beverley, Simmons, Harding
Anthony Edwards has grown two inches in the past year and it may affect the way the Timberwolves use him, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Edwards, who finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting, was 6’4″ when Minnesota selected him with the top pick in the 2020 draft. He’s now 6’6″ and may be even more versatile than he was last season.
Edwards averaged 4.7 rebounds per game as a rookie, but Hine notes that figure increased to 5.4 over the final 20 games as the Wolves asked him to put more emphasis on attacking the backboards. Coach Chris Finch is now considering using Edwards as a power forward in smaller lineups.
“He’s an extremely unique player and has all this raw ability, but he’s very literal when you coach him. Like I say to him, ‘I need you to go out and do X,’ he’ll do it,” Finch said. “We discovered in the last part of the season (when I’d tell him), ‘I need you to get seven rebounds tonight.’ We gave him goals almost every game or every period of time, so you give him stuff to focus on and he went out and did that.”
There’s more from Minnesota:
- Finch is looking forward to reuniting with Patrick Beverley, whom he coached several years ago as an assistant with the Rockets, Hine adds. Finch expects Beverley, who was acquired in a trade with the Grizzlies, to serve as a leader on defense. “He’s going to bring a lot of toughness, tenacious defense,” Finch said. “It gives our defense a bit of a personality. Defenses are always best when they start on the ball with the type of approach and aggressiveness he brings. I think one of the most encouraging things about bringing Patrick here is not how excited we are he’s coming, but he’s really excited. He knows he’s exactly the type of piece we need.”
- Beverley appears to be on board with the Wolves’ pursuit of Ben Simmons. Responding to a tweet from NBA writer Ben Stinar suggesting that Simmons, Edwards, D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns would be a contender in the West, Beverley wrote “Facts” (Twitter link). Of course, as Stan Van Gundy noted in a reply to Stinar’s tweet, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Minnesota could land Simmons without giving up any of those three players.
- Before hiring Elston Turner as an assistant on Finch’s staff, Minnesota considered Kings player development coach Lindsey Harding, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Harding began her WNBA career with the Minnesota Lynx.
Central Notes: J. Jackson, George, White, Markkanen
Josh Jackson may be the most expendable player in the Pistons‘ training camp battle for roster spots, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. When Hamidou Diallo re-signed last month, it gave Detroit 16 guaranteed contracts. Sources tell Edwards it took longer than expected to reach a new deal with Diallo, but he was always in the team’s plans.
Jackson is set to make $5MM in the final year of a deal he signed last offseason. The former No. 4 overall pick was productive in his first season with the Pistons, averaging 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 62 games, but Edwards notes that he’s just an average defender and an unreliable three-point shooter (30% last season). There may also not be enough minutes for Jackson, Diallo and Frank Jackson, who all play similar roles.
Edwards names Jahlil Okafor, Rodney McGruder and Sekou Doumbouya as other candidates to be traded or waived to reach the regular season roster limit of 15. Okafor will make $2.13MM in the final year of his contract, while McGruder has a $1.67MM expiring deal and isn’t expected to play much. Doumbouya is still on his rookie contract, but Edwards points out that he remains a raw prospect and is left over from the previous front office.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons have officially announced the return of George David as assistant general manager. He held the same position from 2012-14 before leaving for the Wasserman Media Group. “I’m excited to return to the Detroit Pistons and help Tom Gores, Arn Tellem and Troy Weaver in the restoring effort of the franchise,” David said. “Detroit has always been home for me and I know how passionate the city and region is about their sports teams. Troy’s vision for building the roster aligns with the core values of Detroit Basketball and I look forward to playing a role in the continued rise of the organization.”
- Even though the Bulls stocked up on guards this summer, there should be playing time available for Coby White once he returns from surgery on his left shoulder, states Jamal Collier of The Chicago Tribune. Collier sees White as a back-up to Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, and he may be on the court with Alex Caruso in three-guard lineups.
- The Cavaliers will pay Lauri Markkanen $15,690,909 for the upcoming season with slight raises throughout his new four-year deal, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Markkanen will make $16,475,454 in 2022/23, $17,259,999 in 2023/24 and $18,044,544 in 2024/25, giving the contract a total value of more than $67MM, although only $6MM of the final season is guaranteed.
Kings Aren’t Active In Ben Simmons Trade Talks
The Kings haven’t talked to the Sixers about a possible deal for Ben Simmons for several weeks, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
During their initial conversation, Sacramento made it clear that De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton wouldn’t be made available, which has also been reported by other outlets. A source tells Amick that the Kings will stick to that position and consider their roster virtually set heading into training camp.
There are no ongoing trade talks involving the two teams, Amick adds, and Sacramento shouldn’t be considered a realistic possibility for Simmons unless Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey lowers his asking price.
If a deal is eventually reached with the Kings, it’s more likely to involve Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley, according to Amick.
Trade rumors involving Simmons have heated up again after a report on Tuesday that he plans to hold out of training camp if the Sixers don’t ship him elsewhere. The Kings, Timberwolves, Clippers and Warriors have been the most frequently-mentioned possibilities.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk Signs With Raptors
SEPTEMBER 1: The Raptors finalized the signing of Mykhailiuk on Tuesday, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets, the two-year deal is worth the minimum salary.
AUGUST 28: The Raptors have reached a two-year agreement with free agent Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal was confirmed by his agency, Sports International Group.
The contract will include a player option for the second season, according to Charania (Twitter link), who states that several contenders were interested in signing the 24-year-old swingman.
Mykhailiuk finished last season with the Thunder after being acquired from the Pistons in March. He averaged career-best numbers with 10.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 30 games with Oklahoma City while shooting 43.8% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range. He was originally a restricted free agent, but became unrestricted when OKC pulled his qualifying offer.
Mykhailiuk was selected by the Lakers with the 47th pick in the 2018 draft and was traded to Detroit midway through his rookie season.
Once the signing becomes official, Toronto will be up to 19 players, one short of the roster limit heading into camp. The Raptors now have 12 players with guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots filled.
Sixers Sign Grant Riller To Two-Way Contract
AUGUST 30: The Sixers have made it official, announcing in a press release that Riller has signed a two-way deal with the team.
AUGUST 18: After opening a two-way slot by waiving Rayjon Tucker, the Sixers have reached an agreement on a two-way deal with Grant Riller, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Riller, 24, was a two-way player for the Hornets last season. He got into just seven games and averaged 2.6 PPG in 3.9 minutes per night. He played 11 games during the abbreviated G League season, posting 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Greensboro Swarm.
Charlotte took Riller with the 56th pick in the 2020 draft, but didn’t make a qualifying offer before this year’s deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Philadelphia’s other two-way contract is held by rookie wing Aaron Henry.
Wizards Notes: Gafford, Bryant, Beal, Dinwiddie
Daniel Gafford had the best stretch of his brief career after being traded to the Wizards in March and he’s spending the summer trying to upgrade his low-post moves, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. With a compressed schedule caused by an early-season outbreak of COVID-19, Washington went weeks without practicing, so Gafford had to save the tweaks to his game for the offseason.
Used as a backup center after being acquired from the Bulls, Gafford averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 23 games. He may take over the starting role this season and wants to become more of a scoring threat.
“I’m really just focusing on if I get the ball down in the post, working on my face-up game,” Gafford said. “Shooting the ball more, just trying to be more of a threat on the floor when I’m out there, during the times that I get on the floor.”
There’s more from Washington:
- Injured center Thomas Bryant may be ready to return early in the upcoming season, relays Bijan Todd of NBC Sports Washington. Bryant is working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in January, and his agent, Todd Ramasar, provided an encouraging update this week on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He’s doing great. He’s right on track in terms of his recovery,” Ramasar said. “If I’m guestimating in talking to his trainers, he’s probably going to make a return towards the end of this (calendar 2021) year, or let’s say, the beginning of the regular season.”
- Bradley Beal is already a nightmare for opposing defenses and he’s working to expand his game even further, Hughes adds in a separate story. Beal hopes to become more effective on longer three-point shots to put pressure on the defense as soon as he crosses half court. “Deeper threes. I’m not trying to compete with (Damian Lillard), I’m not Logo Lillard. But I want to shoot deeper threes and shoot more threes,” Beal said. “You know I need to shoot more threes. You probably say it all the time. And, obviously, make them. I have to make them.”
- Beal has been teaming with new backcourt partner Spencer Dinwiddie in pickup games hosted by skills trainer Drew Hanlen, according to Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports.
Southwest Notes: Tate, Hernangomez, Hayes, Pelicans
Jae’Sean Tate wants to reward the Rockets‘ faith in him after they decided to guarantee his contract for the upcoming season, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. Tate, who played two years overseas before coming to the NBA, will make about $1.52MM.
Tate was an All-Rookie First Team selection, averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 70 games. He quickly established himself as a starter and was one of the few bright spots in a difficult season for Houston. The Rockets will have a $1.78MM team option on Tate for 2022/23.
“I’ve been working really hard this summer and my whole goal is just to prove (general manager) Rafael (Stone), (executive) Patrick and (owner) Tillman (Fertitta) right,” Tate said. “That they did the right thing guaranteeing those contracts. I think that’ll show this year.” (Twitter link)
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- It doesn’t appear that Juan Hernangomez, who was acquired from the Timberwolves this week, will have a future with the Grizzlies. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweeted on Saturday that Hernangomez wasn’t asked to report to the team or take a physical, just like Rajon Rondo, who is now a free agent after reaching a buyout agreement with Memphis. Hernangomez has two years and $14.3MM left on his contract, although the final year doesn’t become guaranteed until June 20, 2022, notes Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Body camera footage has been released from the arrest of Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes in Los Angeles last month, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Hayes had an altercation with police after the incident, which he said stemmed from a fight with a girlfriend. He was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and charged with resisting arrest.
- The Pelicans received $1.2MM in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Lonzo Ball to the Bulls, tweets Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Lakers Notes: Rondo, Thomas, Jordan, Handy
Rajon Rondo appears likely to join the Lakers after he clears waivers on Monday, even though the team can only offer a veteran’s minimum contract, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Rondo reached a buyout agreement on Saturday with the Grizzlies, who apparently never had any intention of keeping the veteran guard after acquiring him from the Clippers two weeks ago. Details on the buyout haven’t been made available, but he was set to make a base salary of $7.5MM in the final season of a two-year contract.
Rondo is reportedly eager to return to L.A. and rejoin the franchise where he won an NBA title in 2019/20. The Lakers are over the salary cap and already used their taxpayer mid-level exception to add former Heat guard Kendrick Nunn.
Rondo would be the fifth former Laker to return to the team this offseason, McMenamin notes, joining Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore.
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- The Lakers were “strongly considering” adding Isaiah Thomas to their roster, but Rondo’s buyout has “clearly changed things,” tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Thomas worked out for the team earlier this month, along with Darren Collison and Mike James, and is hoping to find a way back to the NBA after playing just three games for the Pelicans last season.
- Center DeAndre Jordan could be a candidate for the Lakers if he agrees to a buyout with the Nets, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne suggested on a recent appearance on the “Mason & Ireland” show (hat tip to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports). Shelburne speculates that any move won’t happen until midseason, although a report this week stated that Jordan may not be with Brooklyn when training camps open September 28. The veteran center, who played the first 10 seasons of his career with the cross-town Clippers, is owed nearly $20MM over the next two years.
- Appearing on Sirius XM NBA Radio, assistant coach Phil Handy cautioned that there’s still a lot of work to do after the offseason talent upgrade (hat tip to Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation). “Paper doesn’t win championships for us,” Handy said. “Those names that are on that paper, are some phenomenal names. … We gotta do our work and make sure we gel. Do we fit? These guys, they gotta figure out ways to play with each other and sacrifice, and let their names take over.”
Knicks Notes: Gibson, Redick, Randle, Rookies
Taj Gibson talked to several teams in free agency and some offered more money than the Knicks, but he preferred to stay in New York with coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Owen O’Brien of Newsday. Gibson re-signed for $10.1MM over two years with a team option on the second season.
“It was real frustrating, but it was a good frustrating,” Gibson said of the free agency experience. “But at the same time, I knew I made the right decision. Money doesn’t move me, I just wanted to be a Knick.”
Keeping Gibson was part of a busy offseason for New York, which added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier in addition to re-signing several key parts of last season’s 41-31 team. Gibson said the Knicks look “really stacked” and he’s looking forward to resuming his role as one of their veteran leaders.
“They know I’m always willing and ready to play, but right now I’m just happy to be the vet on the team,” he said. “The guy that comes in and works out hard every day — but always capable — and I’m having a good time being with these young guys every day and just trying to build a culture.”
There’s more from New York:
- Free agent guard J.J. Redick, who is rumored to have interest in joining the Knicks or Nets, doesn’t expect to be with a team when training camps open next month, relays Jenna Lemoncelli of The New York Post. Redick, who prefers to play close to his family in Brooklyn, talked about the situation on his “Old Man and the Three” podcast. “We’ll make a decision on next season — what team, what city, etc. — probably sometime in the next two or three months,” Redick said. “… But, you know, I would say, pretty much definitively, like, I won’t be in a training camp to start the season. That’s not gonna happen.”
- Now that Julius Randle has a four-year extension in place, he wants to do everything he can to build a championship team, including serving as a recruiter in free agency, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Knicks had more than $50MM in cap space this summer, but didn’t land any top-tier free agents, spending most of that money to keep their own players. “I told them if they need me to help, I’ll definitely get involved,” Randle said. “At the end of the day, winning is all that matters. My biggest goal is to win a championship here in New York. Whatever I can help to make that happen, to bring a championship to the city, they need me to help and get a player, I’m confident we’re doing that for sure.”
- Randle paid close attention to the Summer League team and said Thibodeau loves the work ethic displayed by rookies Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims, Berman adds. “When I saw those guys, man, they’re competitive and they’re skilled,” Randle said. “Those guys sound like they’re going to get in and add to our core guys.”
Lauri Markkanen Happy To Get “Fresh Start” In Cleveland
Lauri Markkanen had been hoping free agency would bring a new opportunity and now he has it in Cleveland, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Markkanen got the contract he was looking for — $67MM over four seasons — from the Cavaliers, who officially completed a three-team trade earlier today.
“I don’t think I’ve hit close to my ceiling yet,” Markkanen said after the deal was announced. “… The last couple years have been mentally pretty tough. I’ve grown as a person because of that, so I wouldn’t change it. I’ve learned a lot. But I just felt like I need to get back to the old me and how I know I can play the game. I think this is a good opportunity for me to do that.
“I’m happy. I’m really excited and looking forward. We kind of felt like I needed a fresh start. And I appreciate all the people who were involved to help facilitate it and make it happen.”
Markkanen once appeared to part of the foundation for a rebuilding Bulls team. He was included in the return when Chicago traded Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, and he earned first-team All-Rookie honors in 2018 after averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. However, his next three seasons were filled with injuries that limited him to 52, 50 and 51 games.
Markkanen, who turned down an extension offer before the season began, ended his stay in Chicago coming off the bench regularly for the first time in his career. After the Bulls acquired centers Nikola Vučević and Daniel Theis at the trade deadline, coach Billy Donovan opted for a bigger, more rugged starting lineup.
“I think obviously I’m most disappointed we didn’t make the postseason one time when I was there. We tried our best obviously. That’s what we’re paid to do. It didn’t work out,” Markkanen said. “I think I had good moments as a player, and I had some inconsistencies. But I’m looking ahead.”
Markkanen is entering another rebuilding situation with the Cavaliers, who went 22-50 last season and landed the third overall pick in the draft. At age 24, he will be one of the more experienced players in an organization filled with young talent. Markkanen will likely move back into a starting role in Cleveland, and he believes he’s joining the franchise at a good time.
“I think I fit in well — young core, exciting point guards. I’m looking forward to playing with those big guys in the frontcourt. They’re all young, talented guys. I think we can grow together,” Markkanen said. “And I can’t wait to learn from a player like Kevin Love. Just learn aspects of the game from him and the mentality of the game, how he approaches it. I’m looking forward to that as well.”