Southwest Notes: Pelicans Arena, Rockets, Mavs, Johnson, Paul
The Pelicans’ arena, Smoothie King Center, is in need of major renovations, per Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Most systems and equipment have reached or exceeded their usable life, according to an assessment report from an architecture firm and consulting company. The building’s sound and public address system are among the items that need to be replaced. The report’s findings shift the spotlight onto Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and Louisiana state officials to either fund a renovation of the nearly 25-year-old building or build a new arena, Clark adds.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- While some teams are holding training camp at faraway places, the Rockets are happy they’ll stay at home. They will hold training camp, beginning Oct. 1, at their new practice facility, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. In recent years, they’ve held camp in a variety of locations out of town. The $70MM basketball headquarters is about a 10-minute drive from the Rockets’ home arena, the Toyota Center.
- How will Jason Kidd manage the minutes of Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford at the Mavericks’ center position? That’s one of the big questions for Dallas heading into training camp, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. The need for Jaden Hardy to have a breakout season after Josh Green was traded is another intriguing element of this year’s camp.
- Keldon Johnson wore No. 3 for the Spurs the last few seasons. He’s giving up that uniform number to Chris Paul, according to ESPN. Johnson will instead take No. 0. Paul, who signed a one-year contract with San Antonio, has worn No. 3 since entering the league in 2005.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Hield, Melton, Podziemski, Trades
Stephen Curry — NBA owner? That’s one of the goals for the Warriors superstar guard after he retires. Curry discussed his desire to own a piece of an NBA team on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” as Jessica Golden of CNBC relays.
“For me, that’s definitely on the table,” said Curry. “I think I could do a pretty good job of helping sustain how great the the NBA is right now and what it takes to run a championship organization.”
He’s in no rush to make it happens. Curry just signed a one-year, $62.6MM extension that will take him through the 2026/27 season.
“I know I have a lot more to accomplish on the court before I move into other roles in the league,” he said.
We have more on the Warriors:
- Who will be Curry’s backcourt partner in the starting lineup this season — Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton or Brandin Podziemski? That’s just one of the five big questions hanging over the Warriors as training camp approaches, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Lack of frontcourt size is another issue that may have to be addressed.
- The front office is still plugging away, looking for upgrades to maximize Curry’s remaining playing career, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. A league source told Bulpett he thinks the Warriors are still hoping to make a “big” move. “From the talks they’ve had — or tried to have — it sounds like they want to do something big,” the source said. “But they also don’t want to break things up too much. Moving Klay (Thompson) was big for them, but it wasn’t as big a trade as they probably wanted it to be. They want to add around Steph and Draymond (Green), but they’re finding that’s hard to do.”
- The Warriors are hard-capped at the first tax apron of $178,132,000 and are less than $1MM away from that hard cap. That means they can’t sign another player for even a veteran’s minimum standard contract until later in the season unless they shed some salary. Get the details here.
Eastern Notes: Larsson, Johnson, McConnell, Ivey, Sasser, Long Island Nets
Heat second-round pick Pelle Larsson and two-way rookie Keshad Johnson were teammates at Arizona. The Wildcats head coach believes they’ll fit right in with the Heat culture, he told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
“I think one of the things that makes them impressive prospects is they’re both wired and willing to be great role players,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “You know, 100 percent of their focus is going to be contributing to the team’s overall success. These aren’t like shoot first, ask questions later type of guys. So they’re going to give you a well-rounded effort on both ends of the floor. On offense, they’re going to play their role and stay in their lane. Then defensively and in all the effort areas, they’re going to max that stuff out.”
Larsson looked like he could quickly contribute. During Summer League competition, he averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He signed a three-year contract starting at the rookie minimum.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- T.J. McConnell‘s four-year extension with the Pacers includes a partial guarantee in the third year of the contract and a team option in the final season, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The four-year, $44.8MM extension breaks down like this — $10.2MM in 2025/26; $11MM in 2026/27; $11.8MM ($5MM partial guarantee) in 2027/28; and a $11.8MM team option in 2028/29.
- Though Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser are not natural point guards, The Athletic’s James Edwards believes one of them will back up Cade Cunningham rather than the Pistons making another roster move. Adding a free agent point guard would take away some of their playing time and the Pistons already brought in Tim Hardaway Jr. via trade and Malik Beasley via free agency. That duo will likely soak up a lot of minutes at shooting guard.
- The NBA G League’s Long Island Nets will play six home games at in Montreal, two each in January, February and March, NetsDaily.com relays. Most of the team’s games are held at Nassau Coliseum. It’s speculated that the club is looking to extend its brand internationally.
Los Angeles Notes: George, Valanciunas, James
Paul George‘s father, Paul George Sr., didn’t hold back his feelings about how his son’s contract negotiations with the Clippers played out. Appearing on his son’s podcast, ‘Podcast P with Paul George,’ George Sr. said he felt betrayed by his son’s former club.
“I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team, as far as the fanbase, the fans was there. He was there,” he said, per Tomer Azerly of Clutch Points. “I think he gave them 110% and what he was asking, it wasn’t a whole lot. But they saw something different.”
The younger George detailed earlier that he felt the Clippers’ initial offer was “disrespectful.” That offer was for two years and $60MM.
“I didn’t want him just to take anything,” George Sr. said. “So his whole thing is, he does stand up for what he believes in. And so he felt that that was a bunch of bull that they came at him with. And I wasn’t gonna sugarcoat it either. Yeah, I’m behind you 100%. If you’ve got to leave, we’re gonna leave.”
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Jonas Valanciunas, who was signed by the Wizards, was one of the free agents reportedly on LeBron James‘ wish list this offseason. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha believes the Lakers could pursue an in-season trade for the veteran big man but would prefer other centers if they’re on the market, he said on a podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype). “There was some interest obviously and he was on LeBron’s list so I think the Lakers will probably revisit that, but I don’t think there’s as much interest as a guy like a Wendell Carter or some of these other guys that have popped up,” Buha said. “So I view it more as like a mid-to-low tier trade target for the Lakers.”
- Speaking of James, he’s not expected to be on Team USA’s roster for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He claims he could compete for an Olympic medal in other sports, if given enough time to train, he said on ‘The Shop’ podcast (hat tip to BasketNews.com). “If you give me some time, about six months, eight months, or whatever, I think I could do the long jump, maybe, or the high jump,” James said.
- In case you missed it, the Lakers agreed to a training camp deal with Jordan Goodwin. Get the details here.
Clippers’ Ivica Zubac Signs Three-Year Extension
SEPTEMBER 3: The Clippers have officially signed Zubac to an extension, per a team press release.
“We don’t take for granted that we can pencil in our starting center and defensive anchor every night, every year,” team president Lawrence Frank said. “Zu is a rock for our organization and will remain so.”
AUGUST 30: The Clippers and starting center Ivica Zubac have reached an agreement on a three-year, $58.6MM extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Zubac was entering his walk year and will make $11,743,210 in 2024/25. His new deal will run through the 2027/28 season. The big man is the 14th player to sign a veteran extension since the end of last season, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
The contract represents the maximum three-year extension available under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for Zubac, who was eligible to receive up to 140% of this season’s estimated average salary, with 8% annual raises.
The breakdown of Zubac’s extension is as follows:
- 2025/26: $18,102,000
- 2026/27: $19,550,160
- 2027/28: $20,998,320
Zubac, who entered the league in 2016 with the Lakers, posted career highs of 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game last season. A traditional center who doesn’t venture out to the 3-point line, the 27-year-old shot 64.9% from the field and also averaged 1.4 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest.
Zubac is solidly entrenched as the Clippers’ starting center. Kawhi Leonard signed a three-year extension in January and the team brought back guard James Harden on a two-year deal but lost their other star forward, Paul George, to Philadelphia in free agency. The Clippers are replacing him in the lineup with Derrick Jones, who was signed to a three-year deal in free agency.
And-Ones: Rondo, Free Agency, Centers, USA 3×3 U23 Men
Former NBA guard Rajon Rondo avoided jail time with a plea deal related to an unlawful possession of a gun charge in Indiana, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays via a report from Indiana’s WDRB. Rondo was arrested in Indiana in January for unlawful possession of a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana.
Rondo pled guilty to misdemeanor unlawful possession of a firearm and was given probation as part of the deal. The charges of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were dismissed. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, which was suspended. Rondo was also credited for two days of time served, and put on probation for 180 days.
Rondo, who had a 16-year NBA career, confirmed his retirement in April.
We have more from the basketball world:
- The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement has essentially killed free agency for top-level players, Zach Harper of The Athletic opines. He notes that superstars don’t have enough incentive to let things play out in free agency any more. Rather, they’re signing extensions, then pushing for trades if things go sour.
- No surprise —Nikola Jokic stands atop Frank Urbina’s center rankings for HoopsHype. Jokic has been named Most Valuable Player in three of the last four seasons. Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama and Domantas Sabonis round out Urbina’s top five.
- John Butler Jr., Alex Fudge, David Johnson and Jameer Nelson Jr. have been named to the USA’s 3×3 U23 Men’s National Team, according to a USA Basketball press release. They will compete at the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup Sept. 11-15 in Mongolia. USA is the defending champion in the event. Butler, Fudge and Johnson are currently NBA G League players.
Former Grizzlies Forward McDermott Signs With Turkish Team
Former Grizzlies forward Sean McDermott has signed with Pinar Karsiyaka in the Turkish league, Sportando relays.
McDermott played last season for Openjobmetis Varese in Italy. He averaged 13.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 42 games with the Italian club.
McDermott saw action in 18 games with the Grizzlies during the 2020/21 season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.8 minutes.
McDermott, who went undrafted out of Butler in 2020, was on a two-way contract during his rookie season. He was then an affiliate player with the Memphis Hustle after getting waived during training camp by the Grizzlies in October 2022. McDermott, 27, appeared in 42 regular season games with the Hustle from 2021-23.
Davis Bertans To Work Out For Warriors
Free agent forward Davis Bertans has been invited to work out for the Warriors, Marc Stein tweets. Bertans is looking to receive a training camp invite.
Bertans became a free agent when the Hornets waived him in early July. He had a $16MM salary for 2024/25, but only $5.25MM of that total was guaranteed before Charlotte cut him loose.
Bertans, 31, was dealt to the Hornets from the Thunder midway through the 2023/24 season in the Gordon Hayward trade. He saw his role expand on a lottery-bound Charlotte squad, averaging 8.8 points on a .394/.375/.889 shooting line in 28 appearances.
Once one of the more sought-after stretch fours in the league, Bertans signed a five-year, $80MM contract in 2020.
He spent one full and one partial season with Washington after it re-signed him, then was dealt to Dallas. He came off the bench for one-and-a-half seasons with the Mavericks, then was moved to the Thunder in an offseason trade. He saw limited action in 15 games with OKC before he was dealt to the Hornets.
Bertans is a career 39.6% three-point shooter. He’s averaged 7.7 points in 18.0 minutes in 475 career games.
The Warriors have 15 players on their standard roster but three of them have non-guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show.
Olympiacos Agrees To Loan Out Filip Petrusev
Filip Petrusev is expected to have his contract with Olympiacos extended but he’ll be loaned out to another team for the upcoming season, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net reports.
Olympiacos is signing longtime NBA wing Evan Fournier, necessitating roster adjustments. Petrusev will likely wind up with Crvena Zvezda. He expressed a desire to return to Belgrade.
In 2022/23, Petrusev helped Zvezda win the AdmiralBet Basketball League of Serbia and the Radivoj Korac Cup.
Petrusev, who suited up for Serbia in the Paris Olympics, played one game with the Sixers and two games with the Kings last season.
The 50th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Petrusev signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the 76ers during the 2023 offseason. He received a partial guarantee (approximately $560K) and survived a preseason roster crunch, but was sent to the Clippers in the James Harden blockbuster just eight days into the regular season. The former Gonzaga big man was then flipped to the Kings in a separate deal.
Petrusev signed with Olympiacos after he was waived by Sacramento in November.
Armoni Brooks Discusses Signing With Olimpia Milano
Armoni Brooks, who played for the Nets last season, is looking to improve his game at both ends of the floor during his first season in Europe, Eurohoops.net relays. Brooks signed a two-year contract with Italy’s Olimpia Milano in June.
“I think offensively, I need to learn to read and react to situations a little faster. I’m already good at playing off the ball but maybe I can play the pick-and-roll a little more often,” he told the Italian team’s website. “Defensively, I have to improve my awareness of situations away from the ball, not allow cuts from behind, pressing the ball when I defend a person who is dribbling, stay in front of him, don’t allow (him) to get to certain angles.”
Brooks appeared in 10 games for the Nets on a two-way contract before being waived in January. He averaged 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.4 minutes for Brooklyn but made just 32.6% of his shot attempts from the field.
The 26-year-old, who has also suited up for the Rockets and Raptors since making his NBA debut in 2021, spent the rest of the 2023/24 season with the Clippers’ G League affiliate. He appeared in 28 games for the Ontario Clippers.
Former Milan guard Keith Langford, who also had a short stint with the Spurs, endorsed Brooks’ decision.
“I texted him in the summer to tell him I signed here. He was super excited. He told me that I would love it here, and he gave me some advice on adjusting. He says it’s a great opportunity for me,” Brooks said.
Brooks joined an Olimpia Milano team that has won three straight Italian League titles but struggled in EuroLeague competition last season, finishing just 15-19 and missing the playoffs.
“I’m not sure what to expect because I’ve never played here; so, now I’m mostly trying to read the situations. But I think this is a good group and if we can come together well, we can do great things,” he said.