Magic’s Banchero: ‘We’re Right There’ With East’s Top Clubs
Paolo Banchero believes the Magic should be in the conversation with the Eastern Conference’s top teams, he declared on ESPN’s First Take (hat tip to Dan Savage of NBA.com).
“We feel like we’re right there,” the Magic’s star forward said. “We’re right there with all those (elite teams in the East). I remember last year, we started the year off as a top-two, top-three seed and everybody thought it was a fluke. Everybody thought we were going to be a play-in team and drop out the top of the East. We finished strong and got the fifth seed and had a chance to really grab the two seed at the end of the season. We were right there last year.”
Orlando finished with a 47-35 regular-season mark and was eliminated by the Cavaliers in the opening round of the playoffs.
The best-of-seven series went the distance and Banchero showed why he’d been named an All-Star in February. He averaged 27.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game during the postseason.
Banchero viewed it as a learning experience.
“I learned how to kind of slow the game down in the playoffs,” he said. “The first two games of the series in Cleveland, I felt a little sped up. I turned the ball over a lot. From Games 1 and 2 to Game 3, I think that’s where I made that jump, that adjustment and started to really slow the game down. I started to be really intentional (and) pick my spots on the floor to score and play-make.
“I also learned that you have to be in elite shape – not only physically, but mentally (in order) to deal with a seven-game series. It’s fun to go against the same team over and over, but it’s also a huge challenge. I think that’s something I took and will definitely use for next year.”
The Magic should be a more dangerous playoff team with the addition of shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Orlando brought in the former Nuggets wing on a three-year, $66MM deal in one of the biggest free agent signings this summer.
“Getting KCP is going to help us a lot,” Banchero said. “That’s a guy that’s won two championships in the last five seasons. He’s been around some of the greatest (players) of all-time. So, he’s going to be able to come out and make a huge difference for us. (Also), we’re a really young team and getting that playoff experience (and) a top-five seed last year (gives us) a lot of momentum heading into next season.”
Banchero, who doesn’t turn 22 until November, has lived up to his billing as the top overall pick in 2022. Orlando surprised many people by picking Banchero at that spot after his one-and-done season with Duke.
He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer and it’s a lock that he’ll get a max offer from the Magic.
“Orlando took a chance on me when they drafted me, and I am forever grateful for that,” he said. “I give them my love and respect for that because nobody knew that I was going to go number one. I didn’t know I was going to go number one. So, they put the trust in me to take that chance and take me number one. After that, I felt like it was my job to help them reach heights that haven’t been reached in a long time … We’re trying to take (a huge) jump next year and keep taking it one level at a time.”
Banchero’s appearance on the ESPN show can be viewed here.
International Notes: FIBA Rankings, Jenkins, Embiid, Williams
The results of the Paris Olympics led to some movement in the FIBA rankings, according to a press release from the organization. The USA remains at the top spot, with Serbia – which narrowly lost Team USA in the semifinals – moving up from No. 4 to No. 2.
Germany, the 2023 FIBA World Cup champions, remained at No. 3, while France leaped five notches to No. 4. Canada moved up two slots to round out the top five.
We have more from around the international basketball world:
- Former NBA guard John Jenkins has signed with Tofas in Turkey, according to Sportando. Jenkins spent the last two seasons with the G League Ignite, appearing in a total of 43 games. He averaged 17.5 points in 16 regular season games last season. Jenkins hasn’t appeared in an NBA contest since the 2018/19 season, when he played a total of 26 games with the Knicks and Wizards.
- Joel Embiid has been awarded the Medal of Commander of the Order of Valor by his native Cameroon in recognition of his Olympic gold medal, according to a TMZ report (hat tip to Eurohoops.net). Embiid moved to the U.S. when he was 16. Cameroon may have had an ulterior motive for celebrating Embiid — he hinted at the possibility of representing his homeland at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, though that switch would require USA Basketball and FIBA to sign off.
- Former Clippers and Timberwolves guard C.J. Williams has signed with Poland’s Start Lublin, Sportando relays. Williams, who played in Romania last season, appeared in a total of 53 NBA games from 2017-19.
Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Randle, Achiuwa, Robinson, Brunson, Star Power
Could OG Anunoby and Julius Randle play some minutes together at the power forward and center spots for the Knicks? The Athletic’s Fred Katz explores this possibility.
While head coach Tom Thibodeau has been reluctant to use Randle in the middle due to lack of rim protection, the Knicks’ current personnel could make it more feasible, Katz notes. Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are two of the top defensive wings in the league, making rim protection less essential. The Knicks could have Anunoby guard opposing centers in those lineups, while Randle would serve as the center on the offensive end, setting screens and hunting for offensive rebounds.
We have Knicks-related tidbits:
- If Mitchell Robinson misses games, Precious Achiuwa will likely take his spot in the starting lineup, Katz opines in the same mailbag. Like Randle, Achiuwa isn’t an ideal rim protector, but he’s adept at defending switches. Once again, Anunoby could wind up guarding centers in these lineups. Katz noted that Anunoby defended Joel Embiid during a playoff game when Robinson was sidelined and Isaiah Hartenstein was in foul trouble.
- Randle’s recovery from right shoulder surgery appears to be going according to plan, per Ian Begley of SNY TV. While Randle may not be ready at the start of training camp, he’s on track to return by the season opener or shortly thereafter. Jalen Brunson‘s recovery from hand surgery also appears to be progressing well and Begley anticipates the All-NBA guard will be a full go by training camp.
- There’s less certainty about Robinson being available for camp, Begley adds. Robinson underwent ankle surgery in mid-May and he has not been given clearance for high-intensity weight-bearing activities. He’ll need to clear several hurdles before he’s allowed to participate in camp.
- In terms of star power, New York ranks fourth among Eastern Conference contenders, Zach Braziller of the New York Post opines. While they have their share of stars, the Knicks fall below Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Boston in that regard. However, Braziller rates the Knicks at the top of the conference in the coaching category and second behind Boston in intangibles.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Pagliuca, Young, Murray
The Sixers’ roster has one glaring absence — a traditional power forward. KJ Martin is the only power forward listed on Philadelphia’s roster, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, and he’s 6’6”.
The Sixers have a roster opening and there are a number of power forward options. They have some interest in reuniting with Marcus Morris Sr. and are also considering Davis Bertans, as Pompey previously reported.
However, a number of other Eastern Conference elites — including the Celtics and Knicks — thrived in the regular season and playoffs with lineups that didn’t include traditional power forwards. With that in mind, the Sixers could employ Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr or Caleb Martin at that spot, Pompey suggests.
We have more Eastern Conference news:
- Celtics manager general partner Steve Pagliuca is also co-owner of Atalanta, an Italian Serie A soccer team. Atalanta prevailed in the Europa League this season, giving Pagliuca two championships to celebrate. “I don’t know if it’ll ever happen again,” Pagliuca told James Horncastle of The Athletic. “I just have to be grateful that I was able to be a part of that with all the great people at the Celtics and all the great people at Atalanta.”
- Trae Young said it was disappointing his partnership with Dejounte Murray on the Hawks didn’t produce the desired results, he told the Sixers’ George on his latest Podcast P broadcast (Youtube link). “It’s tough cause we wanted to win. We’re not the first duo that couldn’t work and we’re not going to be the last,” Young said of his two seasons with Murray. The Hawks dealt Murray to the Pelicans for a package that included forward Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks.
- In case you missed it, there’s only one team in the NBA that currently has cap room — the Pistons. Get the details here.
Team USA Notes: Curry, LeBron, Durant, Haliburton, Banchero
Could some of the gold-medal winners from Team USA pair up in the future on an NBA team? Sam Amick of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that superstar-laden teams are sometimes born out of their bonding experiences with USA Basketball.
A LeBron James–Stephen Curry pairing seems unlikely now that LeBron’s son is on the Lakers roster and Curry would like to finish his career with the Warriors. Could Golden State eventually wind up with Durant-Curry reunion or a Devin Booker–Curry backcourt? Suns owner Mat Ishbia has squashed talk of trading his stars but Amick speculates that could change if Phoenix flops in the postseason again.
We have more USA Basketball-related news:
- If Kevin Durant wants to play for Team USA in Los Angeles, team officials would like to have him back, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (hat tip to Zach Bachar of Bleacher Report). “I would not rule out KD playing, and I talked with Team USA officials, and they would give him a provisional yes right now,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. Durant has already set the Olympic record with four gold medals in men’s basketball. Durant, who averaged 13.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in Paris off the bench, will be 39 in 2028.
- Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hopes to retain his spot on Team USA in future Olympics, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. He informed managing director Grant Hill that he’d welcome an invite to the Los Angeles Games. “I’ve told Grant — I’ve said it many times — I want to represent USA Basketball for as long as I can,” Haliburton said. He was essentially the 12th man on this year’s squad, averaging 8.8 minutes in three appearances. He was dealing with a minor leg injury during the tournament.
- Magic forward Paolo Banchero, a member of USA’s last World Cup team, was under serious consideration for the Paris Olympics, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. He’s a player Hill wants to feature in future Olympics. In the same piece, Vardon speculates which players from this year’s gold medal squad might be back for 2028.
Western Notes: Durant, Holmgren, Williams, Wolves, Grizzlies
Kevin Durant admits that retirement has crossed his mind, the Suns superstar revealed on the latest episode of TV One’s “Raising Fame” (hat tip to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic).
“As I get older in the league and the league is getting younger, I tend to think about retirement more,” the Suns forward said. “… Should I stop thinking about it? What is that? But it creeps in my mind for sure.”
Durant, 35, remains one of the league’s most productive players — he averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game last season. He has also battled his share of injuries in recent years, though he was durable enough to start 75 regular-season games for the Suns in the 2023/24 season. Durant is entering the third year of his four-year, $194.2MM contract.
Durant has been in the league since 2007, when he was the second overall pick of the draft.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- With the Olympics still fresh on everyone’s mind, will a couple of Thunder players represent Team USA in 2028? Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman explores that question in his latest mailbag. Lorenzi speculates that Chet Holmgren has a strong chance to be on that 12-man U.S. roster, noting that his skill set translates well to the international game. He’s a shot-blocker and rim protector who stretches out defenses with his range at the offensive end. Jalen Williams could also be in the mix as a combo wing if his game continues to develop as expected.
- The Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx have agreed to a multiyear corporate sponsorship deal with Sezzle Inc., which includes a jersey patch sponsorship, according to Nick Williams of the Star Tribune. Terms of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed but those sponsorship deals around the league are expected to average $10MM for the upcoming season. The Wolves, according to Williams, are expected to earn near the average via their sponsorship.
- The Grizzlies, who were overwhelmed by injuries to key players last season, didn’t do much this offseason beyond drafting two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey to fill their void in the middle and re-signing Luke Kennard on a one-year deal. They also hired six new assistant coaches. Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal gives the front office high marks for its approach to this offseason.
And-Ones: Flagg, In-Season Tourney, Escrow Payments, Broadcasting Deals
Cooper Flagg goes No. 1 overall to the Nets. Dylan Harper is selected No. 2 by the Wizards. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has released his latest 2025 mock draft in the aftermath of major AAU tournaments, NBA camps, FIBA competition and the Paris Olympics.
It will be difficult for any prospect to recreate the buzz that enveloped Victor Wembanyama in 2023. However, there’s no doubt Flagg is the target right now for all rebuilding teams, according to Wasserman.
Rounding out the top five are Ace Bailey (Trail Blazers), V.J. Edgecombe (Pistons) and Drake Powell (Jazz).
Wasserman used FanDuel’s latest projected win totals to determine a draft order.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The NBA will unveil the schedule for the second annual in-season tournament on Tuesday afternoon via NBA Today on ESPN, the network’s PR department tweets. Officially called the Emirates NBA Cup, the six groups for the early rounds of the tournament were revealed last month.
- NBA players had 5.25% of their salaries taken out of their paychecks for escrow payments for the 2023/24 season after the league finished its annual financial audit, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports. The escrow program was established in 2011 to ensure that players don’t receive more than their contractual agreement with the team. The NBA normally takes out 10% of player’s salaries throughout the season to put into escrow to allow for the possibility that aggregate salaries outpace the players’ share of BRI, Vorkunov explains. It then returns money to players if its audit shows it had withheld too much.
- NBA officially struck rights deals with ESPN, Amazon and NBC that will provide the league with $77 billion over 11 years, beginning in 2025/26. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand details how those agreements came about and how they’ll impact the league.
Western Notes: DeRozan, Rockets, Suns, D. Jones
New Kings wing DeMar DeRozan is staying sharp in California. DeRozan erupted for 54 points for the Mecca Cheaters in the Drew League championship game on Sunday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. The Drew League is a pro-am event held every year in Los Angeles. DeRozan was named the game’s MVP after his team erased a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes and pulled out a one-point victory.
A free agent last month, DeRozan was acquired from the Bulls in a blockbuster, three-team deal. His new contract with the Kings is worth approximately $74MM over three years.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- The Rockets are doing some early bonding, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jalen Green is hosting a players-only minicamp in Los Angeles this week with Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson among the teammates expected to show up.
- The Suns are hiring Oronde Taliaferro as their director of scouting, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Taliaferro, who is expected to focus on college scouting, was previously a scout for the Nets.
- The Thunder‘s Dillon Jones, the No. 26 overall pick, is one of the most interesting rookies in this class, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated opines. Oklahoma City was interested in selecting Jones, a Weber State product, in the second round last year before he opted to return to college to improve his stock. The Thunder gave up five second-round picks in a deadline-deal with the Knicks to acquire the 26th pick. Jones could play a variety of positions for a coaching staff that enjoys tinkering with rotations and lineups.
Eastern Notes: Yabusele, Cayette-Wilson, Hornets, Valanciunas
Former Celtic forward Guerschon Yabusele, one of the top players on France’s Olympic team, wants to return to the NBA. Don’t expect Boston to make a run at him, The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes.
Yabusele played two seasons with Boston after being drafted in the first round in 2016. Yabusele has a $2.5MM buyout in the final year of his contract with Real Madrid. The Celtics already have a similar player in Xavier Tillman and even minimum deals would result in a hefty luxury tax penalty for a franchise above the second tax apron.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Shelly Cayette-Weston, the Hornets’ new president of business operations, said that renovations for the team’s Spectrum Center are on schedule. “It’s a two-phase process, so that’s going to be a little interesting,” Cayette-Weston told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “We’re going to have Phase 1 that opens this October, and then we’re going to go and do a lot more work even next summer. So, I want them to also prepare that it is a multi-phase summer project. But I think when they come in, still they’re going to immediately see some new clubs, some new spaces, you think about the entrance when you walk in and that plaza area.”
- The Hornets have announced that their new health and performance staff will be led by Trent Salo, Boone tweets. Salo worked for the Pistons over the last seven seasons. Matthew Tuttle has been named director of sports medicine and Bryce Daub has the title of director of athletic performance. Quinton Sawyer has been promoted to head athletic trainer.
- Jonas Valanciunas ranks as one of the league’s all-time best rebounders, Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network notes. Valanciunas has the ninth-best career rebound percentage (20.56%) in NBA history and the eighth-best defensive rebound percentage (29.05%). He’s also an efficient scorer who likes to set up in the post, giving the Wizards a different look. Valanciunas was acquired from the Pelicans in a sign-and-trade transaction.
Jazz Sign Oscar Tshiebwe To Two-Way Contract
The Jazz have signed forward Oscar Tshiebwe to a two-way contract, according to a team press release. Utah opened up a slot by waiving Taevion Kinsey on Monday, which was confirmed in the press release.
Tshiebwe spent the 2023/24 season on a two-way deal with the Pacers after going undrafted. He appeared in eight NBA games and averaged 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game.
Tshiebwe excelled at the G League level. He was named Rookie of the Year and All-NBA G League First Team after appearing in 23 regular season games (21 starts) for the Indiana Mad Ants and averaging 16.2 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27.2 minutes per contest.
The Pacers had extended a two-way qualifying offer to Tshiebwe, which made him a restricted free agent and gave Indiana the right of first refusal. But all of the Pacers’ two-way slots are filled, so it appears they were willing to let him sign elsewhere.
Tshiebwe played for Indiana’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas last month, averaging 11.6 points and 8.6 rebounds in five games.
Tshiebwe was the unanimous National Player of the Year and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year for Kentucky as a junior in 2021/22. As a senior in 2022/23, he was a unanimous Second-Team All-America selection and led the nation in rebounding for a second straight season.