Tony Ressler: Hawks Hoping For “Fair Agreement” With John Collins
Following a surprise trip to the Eastern Conference finals, the Hawks face a few financial decisions that will shape the future of the franchise. Team owner Tony Ressler provided some insight into Atlanta’s mindset during an end-of-season news conference, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
Trae Young appears to be a lock for a full max extension that will pay him at least $168MM over five years, beginning with the 2022/23 season. Kirschner notes that Young’s contract will likely include language that would increase the value if he earns All-NBA or MVP honors.
The more difficult decision involves John Collins, a restricted free agent who turned down a $90MM extension last offseason. Kirschner identifies the Spurs as a “perfect fit” for Collins and points to the Heat and Mavericks as other potential suitors, which could result in a contract that will be difficult for Atlanta to match.
“Our job is to come to a fair agreement with John. That’s our objective. There should be no question,” Ressler said. “He’s a really good player and maybe more importantly, a really good person. So the idea of having both is important to this franchise. That’s my view. The idea of being smart for both of us, to come to a reasonable place, that’s the objective, and there should be no confusion. I think as (general manager) Travis (Schlenk) said, which I think is amazing, a lot of players that don’t agree to a contract going into this season, play in a certain way. John played as an amazing teammate trying to win games and doing whatever he could do to win games. John’s a really good guy and a really good teammate. I hope he is an Atlanta Hawk.”
Ressler touched on a few other subjects during the session with the media:
On whether the Hawks should now be considered title contenders:
“I personally think if we were completely healthy, I think we could have done more. I’m just going to say that. Come on, (Bogdan Bogdanovic) for a good chunk of the series was on one leg. Trae could not walk. … These are young men in their early 20s that could barely walk and were asked to play on one of the most difficult stages in the NBA. That’s pretty remarkable. Some of them had terrible injuries and they still tried to play, and some still played. … I think we have enough. I think we have some extraordinary talent that could be even better with each season. I absolutely believe we have enough to win a championship is the simple answer. But, hey, our job is to always try to be better.”
On his willingness to pay the luxury tax:
“What we are trying to achieve is literally keeping our best players, as you could imagine, trying to make clear that we’re going to have to spend a lot more than we have this season. We fully expect that. I’m not sure we’re going to be able to keep every single player that we want to keep. Pretty good bet, pretty good assumption we will not. But I do think we have several years that we should be able to build some real stability. If the question is are we scared of the tax, are we scared of going into the tax? I’m scared of paying the tax and not being a good team, yes, that I’m scared of, but if we have to go into the tax to be a great team for a period of time, so be it.”
On Atlanta’s fans embracing the team:
“I don’t want to make jokes about this, but four or five years ago, you could come to a playoff game and you could see more jerseys of a visiting player. Those days are over. When you see our fan base, when you see the jerseys they’re wearing, when you see the cheering going on, it’s very clear it’s for this team, this city and this franchise. We couldn’t be more proud of that.”
Draft Notes: Bagley, Preston, Aimaq, Baker
Marcus Bagley is the latest high-profile player to take his name out of the NBA draft. Bagley announced his decision this afternoon (Twitter link), saying he will explore his college options after playing for Arizona State last season.
“After talking to my family, I’ve decided to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to college, while remaining in the transfer portal,” Bagley wrote. “I want to continue working on different parts of my game and improve my draft stock for next year’s draft. I’m looking forward to returning to college and having a big season.”
Bagley, the younger brother of Marvin Bagley III of the Kings, averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a freshman with the Sun Devils. He was limited to 12 games because of injuries to his calf and ankle.
Bagley would probably have been selected in the mid-to-late part of the second round, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium, citing conversations with multiple NBA executives. Goodman believes Bagley made the right choice and can improve his chances next year by improving his body and becoming a more versatile scoring threat.
Bagley “more or less cratered” his draft stock with his performance at the combine, according to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Teams questioned his decision to not participate in five-on-five games, and Woo states that he “didn’t leave a great impression” at his pro day.
There’s more on the draft as the NCAA deadline for decisions draws near:
- Ohio guard Jason Preston has elected to stay in the draft and will sign with Drew Gross of Roc Nation Sports, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Preston ranks 43rd on ESPN’s list of the top 100 prospects and is moving up draft boards after a strong showing at the combine, Woj adds. Considered one of the top playmakers in the draft, Preston averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists for the Bobcats last season.
- Fardaws Aimaq of Utah Valley will withdraw from the draft and return to school, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. The 6’11” center was named Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the WAC.
- Senior guard Geo Baker announced in a video posted to Twitter that he will return to Rutgers for the extra season of eligibility being offered by the NCAA. “Although last year was historic, the way it ended still doesn’t sit well with me,” he said. “We still have some unfinished business to take care of and I’m excited to get to it with Rutgers nation by my side. I’m back.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo To Play In Game 1
7:33pm: Antetokounmpo will play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Giannis went through a full work-out prior to the game and will suit up as the Bucks take on the Suns.
1:37pm: Antetokounmpo has been undergoing around-the-clock treatment in the hopes of being cleared for Game 1, according to Andrews and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Giannis is expected to be a game-time decision tonight.
12:48pm: Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s condition has been upgraded to questionable for tonight’s opener of the NBA Finals, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. He had been listed as doubtful on the Bucks‘ injury report Monday night.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since hyperextending his left knee a week ago in Game 4 against the Hawks, but Bucks owner Marc Lasry is confident that he will return some time during the series, writes Adam Zagoria of Forbes. Lasry commented on the status of his star during an appearance this morning on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”
“I mean hopefully we’ll find out what happens with Giannis,” he said. “But, you know, it’s up to the medical staff and him as to how he’s gonna feel but they’ll figure it out. I’m pretty sure he’ll play in the series. The question is when.”
Head coach Mike Budenholzer said Monday that the two-time MVP was able to do more on-court work and is “making progress.” Lasry added the decision on Antetokounmpo’s return will depend entirely on how the knee heals.
“It’s really gonna be up to the medical staff and they’ll figure it out and their focus is really on just making sure he stays healthy and that we don’t do anything,” he said.
Antetokounmpo was dominant in two games against the Suns this season, averaging 40 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Central Notes: Tucker, Bucks, Pacers, Workouts, Pistons
P.J. Tucker is used to being a part of contending teams, but this season took a detour before he landed in Milwaukee, notes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Tucker had to endure a lot of losing in Houston after the Rockets dealt James Harden in mid-January. He was stuck in a rebuilding situation until the Bucks traded for him in March.
“I thought about the stuff I was doing with Houston this year, this season has just been a long year for me,” Tucker said. “To go from being a top team in the West to falling apart instantly and being the last one left (in Houston) and everything I went through with that, the transition, it was just a lot this season.”
Tucker has enjoyed his time with the Bucks and is looking forward to competing for his first NBA championship, but isn’t sure whether his time in Milwaukee will extend beyond this season, as Nehm writes.
“I’m really excited to be able to pick where I want to go,” Tucker said. “The (contract) extension thing was for a different period of time. We didn’t even talk about that when I came to Milwaukee. There was no extension. I just wanted to come play and get a chance to do what I do and that was it. I just wanted to have a chance.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Florida guard Scottie Lewis worked out for the Bucks on Monday, Adam Zagoria of Forbes tweets. Milwaukee owns the top pick in the second round after a swap with Houston.
- The Pacers hosted Kai Jones and Moses Moody for pre-draft workouts on Tuesday, according to a press release. The club also announced that it will have Derrick Alston Jr., Ayo Dosunmu, Isaiah Jackson, Kyle Mangas, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Terry Taylor in for auditions on Wednesday.
- In addition to the No. 1 pick, the Pistons hold three second-rounders in this year’s draft (Nos. 37, 42, and 52). James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who believes Detroit will look to consolidate some of those assets and acquire a second first-round pick, examines a few prospects the team could target late in the first round or early in the second, including VCU guard Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Durant, Udoka, Sixers, Nurse
Kevin Durant proved he’s still an elite player after his long absence following Achilles surgery, but he won’t hold fond memories of this season because of the way it ended, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The Nets went through an epic second-round battle with the Bucks before falling in overtime of Game 7, and Durant said on his “Boardroom: Out of Office” podcast that the disappointment overshadows everything else.
“I’m getting so many congratulations now: I didn’t do anything. We lost,” he said. “I knew I could play, I knew I was nice. I’ve scored 48 before. I had big games before, I made big shots before. So it didn’t feel like anything special to me, because we lost.”
Durant deserves credit for changing the culture around the franchise, Lewis adds. His decision to join the team as a free agent in 2019, along with Kyrie Irving, instantly made Brooklyn one of the glamor spots in the NBA. The addition of James Harden in a January trade turned the Nets into title favorites, maybe for several years.
“Just the camaraderie we built with the fans. The culture we kind of built around Barclays and just Nets culture in general,” Durant said. “People kind of look at the Nets now and like, ‘All right, they can be contenders next year.’ I like that part of it. I was excited about that going forward. I was excited about that even in the regular season. It felt pretty solid to start to build a culture. I feel like a lot Nets fans feel like, ‘Yo, we got a chance.’ To make some noise next year.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Ime Udoka‘s duties with Team USA in the Olympics may prevent him from coaching the Celtics‘ Summer League squad, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. New head coaches often handle Summer League teams, but the gold medal game in Tokyo is set for August 7, a day before the start of play in Las Vegas. Himmelsbach expects Romeo Langford, Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith to all be part of Boston’s contingent, along with Moses Brown, who was acquired from the Thunder in a trade last month.
- The quick turnarounds by the Suns and Hawks, who both missed the playoffs last season, shows that teams don’t need to go through years of losing like the Sixers did with “The Process,” argues Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Raptors coach Nick Nurse isn’t sure of his future as head coach of the Canadian national team, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Canada will miss the Olympics after falling to the Czech Republic in a qualifying tournament Saturday. “I love coaching and I love coaching this team, and Toronto, and I’m just trying to help basketball grow,” Nurse said. “… I just want this team to be as good as it can possibly be.”
Hawks Notes: Young, McMillan, Reddish, Bogdanovic
Hawks guard Trae Young returned Saturday, but he was clearly limited by injuries that forced him to miss the previous two games, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Young played 40 minutes, but didn’t have his usual explosiveness as he shot 4 of 17 from the field and scored 14 points.
He was still feeling the effects of a bone bruise in his right foot and a sprained right ankle that happened during Game 3. Saturday marked the first time he had stepped onto a court since the injury, other than testing it before Games 4 and 5. Young told reporters the bruise was in his heel and it affected him when he tried to get to the rim for a floater or a layup.
“Not being able to be out there for my team for two games, and then tonight just wanting to battle and try to fight through it as much as I could and try to be out there for my team, it’s definitely frustrating not being healthy and not being able to give my full 100 percent,” Young said.
There’s more from Atlanta:
- One of the first orders of business for the offseason will be to negotiate a long-term deal with coach Nate McMillan, Bontemps adds. McMillan took over the Hawks in March when they were stuck in 11th place in the East and led them to the brink of the NBA Finals. “I don’t see interim on his label here soon,” Young said. “In my mind, I don’t think that will be a case that much longer.”
- Cam Reddish had a star-making performance in Saturday’s loss, observes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Playing in just his third game since returning from Achilles soreness that had sidelined him since February, Reddish scored 21 points and hit six of his seven three-point attempts. Kirschner notes that Reddish didn’t have a good relationship with former coach Lloyd Pierce, and many in the organization think he has the potential to be the team’s best player. “I really took to Cam when I first got here,” McMillan said. “He was a kid that I talked to early and was really wanting to coach him. I see a lot of Paul George in Cam — his length, his ability to defend.”
- Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was a restricted free agent last offseason, said the Kings told him they would match any offer and they saw his value as $15MM to $17MM a year, according to Kirschner. He wound up getting $18MM from Atlanta and said he had no desire to return to Sacramento, calling it disrespectful that the Kings worked out a sign-and-trade with the Bucks without telling him. “I remember talking with (coach) Luke (Walton) and (general manager) Monte (McNair), and they both told me how they wanted me,” Bogdanovic said. “I said, ‘OK, fine.’ They said they were going to wait for my offer because they couldn’t make a deal before going to the market. I’m talking with my guys from (Sacramento) and I wasn’t even looking at free agency. … I was in Serbia and no one reached out to me. No one talked with me. No one asked me anything. I woke up, I saw it and then I didn’t know what to do. I called my agent and he told me to calm down because there was nothing they could do because I was a restricted free agent and they couldn’t do anything like that.”
Bucks Notes: Antetokounmpo, NBA Finals, Holiday, Budenholzer
After years of frustration as he tried to reach the NBA Finals, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was stuck on the sidelines Saturday as his teammates took him there, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Many feared Milwaukee’s chances were over when Antetokounmpo suffered a hyperextended knee in Game 4, but the supporting cast stepped up and dispatched Atlanta without him.
Although Antetokounmpo was injured, he was standing through virtually all of Saturday’s game, cheering on his team and offering advice and encouragement.
“He’s halfway on the court talking to Bobby (Portis), talking to Brook (Lopez), talking to different players, to see that kind of connection, commitment, from a player who would be dying to be out there and playing,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think he appreciates, you know, what his teammates can do.”
There’s more on the Bucks:
- Antetokoumpo’s status remains uncertain heading into the Finals, which will start Tuesday in Phoenix. There was reportedly optimism that he would try to play Monday if the Hawks series had gone to a seventh game. He did on-court work yesterday for the first time since suffering the injury, but little was revealed about that session. Budenholzer told reporters that he will evaluate Antetokounmpo on a day-to-day basis with help from general manager Jon Horst and the sports performance team, tweets Ben Golliver of The Washington Post.
- Milwaukee paid a huge price for Jrue Holiday over the offseason, sending three first-round picks and two potential swaps to the Pelicans, but he’s showing he was worth it, observes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. With Antetokounmpo injured, Holiday averaged 26 points, 7.5 rebounds and 11 assists in Games 5 and 6. “Within the team, we just love playing with him,” Pat Connaughton said. “We love having him on board. We love the type of guy he is as a person. As a player, he always makes the right play. When he’s in attack mode he’s really hard to stop not just from a scoring standpoint but from getting other guys involved, getting guys easy shots, getting open shots, whatever it might be.”
- Budenholzer has been maligned for playoff disappointments in Milwaukee and Atlanta, but he made an important decision after Game 4 that helped swing the series in the Bucks’ favor, Nehm adds. Budenholzer abandoned the team’s traditional drop coverage on the pick-and-roll and asked his big men to switch on ball screens. “He’s done more adjusting this year than he’s ever done before, schemes and some of the things that we’re doing, he’s getting a little more adventurous,” said P.J. Tucker. “And I think the personnel, that gives him a freedom to do that a lot more and that’s one of the reasons we’ve been so successful.”
Suns Notes: Paul, Johnson, Booker, NBA Finals
The NBA’s over-38 rule will give the Suns an advantage over the Knicks if they get into a bidding war for Chris Paul, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman cites a report from ESPN’s Bobby Marks that says Phoenix will be able to offer the 36-year-old a four-year contract if he opts out this summer, while other teams are limited to three years because of the age provision.
Marks expects the Suns to make a three-year, $100MM offer to the veteran point guard, who has them headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993. If the Knicks try to match it, Phoenix would be able to add a fourth season.
Paul is a former CAA client of Knicks president Leon Rose, who has been wanting to acquire him since taking over the team in March of 2020. Paul preferred to be closer to his son in Los Angeles, according to Berman, so the Thunder sent him to Phoenix in a sign-and-trade.
There’s more on the Suns:
- Paul’s right hand is feeling better after a few days of rest, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. After Phoenix closed out the Clippers in the Western Conference finals, Paul revealed that he had been playing with partially torn ligaments in the hand. The Suns haven’t played since Wednesday while waiting to see if they will face the Bucks or the Hawks next. “Each day that we’ve had off has been really good, and we all get a chance to rest up a little bit before we get it going again,” Paul said.
- Cameron Johnson wasn’t available for Game 6 against L.A. because of a non-COVID illness, but he should be ready for the start of the NBA Finals, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “He’s fine. He was ready to go and we found out that same day,” coach Monty Williams said. “It wasn’t anything earth shattering about the whole deal. He was just sick.”
- Paul and Devin Booker are the betting favorites to be named Finals MVP, according to Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com (Twitter link).
Central Notes: Sexton, Cavaliers, Antetokounmpo, Brogdon
The Heat are the best trading partner if the Cavaliers are looking to move guard Collin Sexton, contends Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com. Sexton is only 22 and is coming off his best season, averaging 24.3 points per game, but he will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer. Cleveland is focused on re-signing restricted free agent center Jarrett Allen and may not want to hand out a second large contract.
Duncan likes the fit for Sexton in Miami because the Heat need another scorer who can attack the rim. Sexton’s limitations as a play-maker wouldn’t matter as much with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo handling the ball, Duncan adds, while coach Eric Spoelstra could find ways to overcome Sexton’s defensive issues.
Duncan suggests it would be easy to include Kevin Love in the potential trade and get his contract off Cleveland’s books. Miami could match salary by picking up its options on Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala and possibly including Tyler Herro and KZ Okpala in the deal.
Duncan mentions the Raptors, Celtics and Lakers as other possible destinations for Sexton.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers have gotten calls from teams interested in their No. 3 pick, but nothing has moved beyond “cursory conversations,” according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Magic, who own the fifth and eighth selections, and the Warriors, who have No. 7 and 14, could be teams to watch if talks get more serious.
- Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to do on-court work today for the first time since hyperextending his left knee Tuesday night, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. Coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed the workout in a pre-game session with reporters, adds Eric Nehm of The Athletic (via Twitter), but said he wasn’t able to watch it.
- A source tells J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star that the Pacers haven’t had any trade talks with the Sixers involving the 13th pick (Twitter link). A report Friday said Philadelphia declined an offer of Malcolm Brogdon and the pick for Ben Simmons. The Pacers tend to avoid large contracts like Simmons has, Michael adds, noting that owner Herb Simon vetoed a trade for Mike Conley two years ago. Indiana is open to moving the pick, according to Michael, but he says there have been no talks with the Sixers, who are hoping to land Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers.
Trae Young To Play In Game 6
The Hawks will have Trae Young available for tonight’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, tweets Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The star guard missed the last two games with a bone bruise in his right foot.
Young has been outstanding in the series when he has been on the court, averaging 32.7 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 47.9% from the field. He suffered the injury in Game 3 when he accidentally stepped on an official’s foot.
Atlanta’s season will be on the line after dropping a 123-112 decision Thursday night in Milwaukee. The Bucks will be still without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been ruled out with a hyperextended left knee.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has been plagued by soreness in his right knee throughout the series, will also be available, Spencer adds (via Twitter).