Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Tatum, LaVine, Langdon
Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis continues to show good progress this weekend as he rehabs a right calf strain, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reports.
Porzingis has been sidelined since Boston’s opening-round series against Miami, when he sustained the injury during Game 4. He was putting up shots and doing some drills during Friday’s practice session. It got even better on Saturday, as coach Joe Mazzulla stated that Porzingis “did everything the team did” in that day’s practice, Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press reports.
Earlier in the week, Porzingis posted a tweet on social media. Translated by a Latvian journalist and relayed by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, the tweet read, “Thank you to everyone who is supporting and cheering me on all season long. Very soon I will be back and ready to play. See you in the Finals and then in Arena (Riga) with our guys.”
The last part of the post refers to Porzingis’ participation with the Latvian national team in this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Celtics forward Jayson Tatum views a second appearance in the Finals in three years as a chance for redemption, Bontemps writes in a separate story. “It’s a lot that myself, and we, can learn from that experience being in the Finals, and this time, this go-around is a lot different,” Tatum said. “Obviously, we’ve been there before, we came up short. And a great opportunity to make it to the Finals again. You don’t always get a second chance, so really just looking at it as a second chance and trying to simplify things as much as we can. It’s another series that we’ve got to win.” Playing through a wrist injury in the 2022 Finals, Tatum averaged 21.5 points but shot 31.5% from 2-point range.
- The asking price for Bulls wing Zach LaVine has dropped significantly, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes. LaVine is coming off another injury-marred season and there’s a sense from both sides that a change of scenery may be LaVine’s best option. Previously, the Bulls were seeking All-Star level talent, first-round picks or both for LaVine, but that’s no longer the case.
- Executives from around the league have endorsed the hiring of Trajan Langdon as Pistons president of basketball operations, according to Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press. Count Nets GM Sean Marks, Langdon’s former boss, among them. “You don’t get to have the career he had on the basketball court without being very competitive and diligent, and that’s something in this organization and this business — you have to be competitive, whether you want to be a star in your analytics or your star at your scouting department or a star at player development,” Marks said. “You want to be the best there is and it should irk you when somebody else out there is showing promise or beats you to the punch. That competitive fire is instilled in Trajan and definitely separates him from the lot.”
Usman Garuba: I Haven’t Made Decision On Future
Usman Garuba, who played for the Warriors this season, refuted a report that he’s already decided to return to Europe. Garuba posted on social media (hat tip to Sportando) that he’s still mulling his future plans.
“I don’t usually write here but this time I have to do it,” Garuba stated on Twitter. “I understand every journalist/insider and their work they do but they got to have respect for the players and teams instead of providing false news without knowing anything that’s going on. My future is not decide yet so stop spreading fake news. We keep working. Thanks.”
A Eurohoops report indicated that Garuba was poised to rejoin Real Madrid on a multiyear contract.
Garuba played for the Real Madrid organization from 2017-21. He was drafted in the first round by the Rockets in 2021 but has only seen modest playing time in his NBA career.
The 22-year-old power forward was traded twice during the 2023 offseason, then was waived by the Thunder. He signed a two-way deal with the Warriors in September and spent most of the season in the G League. He was promoted to the 15-man roster just before the start of the postseason but Golden State was eliminated during the play-in tournament.
Garuba, touted as a strong defender, barely played for the Warriors. In six games and just 18 minutes, he totaled three points, seven rebounds and three blocks this year. Across his three seasons in the NBA, Garuba holds averages of 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 104 games (three starts).
This season with Santa Cruz in the G League, he averaged 12.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks in 35 regular season and Showcase Cup games.
Mavs’ Lively Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively is listed as questionable to play tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Lively missed Game 4 on Tuesday, when the Timberwolves staved off elimination. He suffered a neck sprain in Game 3 on Sunday.
Lively was injured during the second quarter when he fell backward in the lane and was inadvertently kneed in the head by Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns.
On the “Run It Back” program (video link), The Athletic’s Shams Charania said Lively will be a game-time decision, adding “it’s really trending toward a 50/50 chance that he plays.”
When healthy, Lively has been extremely effective in the postseason, knocking down all 13 of his field goal attempts in the series. He had a 14-point, nine-rebound outing in Game 2.
Coinciding with Lively’s absence, Mavs big man Maxi Kleber returned to action in Game 4. After being sidelined since May 3 due to a shoulder injury, Kleber played 13 minutes on Tuesday, contributing two points, one rebound and one assist.
Luka Doncic, as he has often been, is also listed as questionable for Game 5 due to knee and ankle ailments. However, Doncic — who posted a triple-double in 41 minutes on Tuesday — has yet to miss a game during this postseason.
Pacific Notes: Legarza, Nurkic, Clippers’ Offseason
The Suns have added Vince Legarza as an assistant coach, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports.
Legarza has a history with new head coach Mike Budenholzer. He was an assistant in Milwaukee in Budenholzer’s final season there in 2022/23 but wasn’t retained when the Bucks hired Adrian Griffin as their new head coach going into this past season.
Legarza was an assistant with the Jazz for four seasons (2018-22) and a player development coach with the Timberwolves for three seasons (2015-18).
The Suns didn’t retain any assistants from Frank Vogel’s staff and are having a tough time filling out a new coaching staff, Rankin adds.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- With severe cap limitations, Jusuf Nurkic may be the Suns’ most likely trade candidate, according to Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com. Nurkic has two years left on his four-year, $70MM contract. By attaching draft assets, Bourguet writes, the Suns might be able to find an upgrade at his position. Bourguet explores 20 potential trade ideas involving Nurkic.
- In his first mailbag since the beginning of the season, The Athletic’s Law Murray answers a number of questions involving the Clippers. Among the topics are free agency, Kawhi Leonard‘s health, James Harden‘s free agency, whether Joshua Primo could return, and the usage of the team’s younger players going forward.
- In case you missed it, J.J. Redick has some prominent assistants in mind if he gets the Lakers’ head coaching job.
Draft Notes: Carrington, Mogbo, Butler, Carr, Coward, Pryor, Burnett
Carlton Carrington played one season at Pittsburgh, then opted to go pro. The potential first-round pick said he’s capable of playing three positions in the NBA, he told Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype.
“Someone asked me what position I play, and I said point guard,” he said. “But that’s not all I’m limited to. I feel like the biggest part of my game is my versatility. I can play one, two, and three sometimes, so it doesn’t really matter to me. As long as I can be on the court, I can contribute.”
Carrington averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 33 games with the Panthers. He’s currently listed at No. 22 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
We have more draft-related news:
- After a solid showing in the combine, forward Jonathan Mogbo has decided to keep his name in the draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets. Mogbo averaged 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for San Francisco last season. He’s currently the No. 42 prospect on ESPN’s list.
Also, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein passes along some players removing their names from the draft ahead of Wednesday’s withdrawal deadline:
- Lamont Butler is transferring from San Diego State to Kentucky (Twitter link).
- Andrew Carr is also headed to Kentucky after transferring from Wake Forest (Twitter link).
- Cedric Coward, who averaged 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds last season at Eastern Washington, is in the transfer portal (Twitter link).
- Kasean Pryor is transferring from South Florida to Louisville (Twitter link).
- Nimari Burnett will return to Michigan under new head coach Dusty May (Twitter link).
Thunder GM Presti: I “Missed” On Hayward Trade
Thunder general manager Sam Presti said he made a mistake by trading for Hornets forward Gordon Hayward, according to ESPN.
Hayward was supposed to provide a veteran presence to the rotation but barely played in the postseason. Oklahoma City gave up three players and two second-round picks for Hayward.
“I missed on that,” Presti said Tuesday during his end-of-season press conference. “That’s on me. But I’m learning, I’m trying to learn this team, I’m trying to learn the pace of the team a little bit. And trying to be a great observer of the team as it’s going through its paces, knowing that it’s really going to change on its own in and of itself.”
Hayward, who is headed to free agency, expressed frustration over his role after the team was eliminated.
“Obviously disappointing with kind of how it all worked out. This is not what I thought it would be. Certainly frustrating. … We have a great team here with great young players, a great coach. So the future is bright,” Hayward said, adding, “I feel like as a player I have a lot to offer. I just wasn’t given much of an opportunity to do that.”
As Presti pointed out, the move at least created some cap flexibility going forward for the Thunder, since all three of the players they sent to Charlotte in the deal are owed guaranteed money for 2024/25, whereas Hayward’s $33MM+ salary will come off OKC’s books this summer.
Here’s more from Presti’s press conference, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman:
- Presti is happy with the team and coaching staff in place. “It’s not a matter of knowing what you need,” he said. “It’s a matter of knowing what you have. … I think one of the things that we learned is we have a really good base to work with.” As usual, Presti is armed with plenty of draft capital and approximately $35MM in cap space. And once again, he doesn’t feel the need to get a star player to complement what he already has on the roster. “I think we learned that we do have some guys in (Chet Holmgren) and (Jalen Williams) who are certainly not there yet, but I wouldn’t bet against them,” Presti said. “We didn’t mortgage our future to get that result. We didn’t do anything performative to accelerate that process. … But I’m glad we took the path that we did. Ultimately, we trusted the team.”
- Presti wouldn’t tip his hand regarding Josh Giddey, who is extension-eligible this offseason but was removed from the starting lineup in the second round of the playoffs. “He is tough, and he is clutch,” Presti said. “He has been asked to change some things and adjust to different things, and he hasn’t flinched one time. He’s trying to figure out how to best help the team. … We’ll sit down and have those conversations relative to his contract when those are appropriate. But we also don’t have to do anything right now either because he has another year. I’m super open-minded about all of our players and where I think they can get to.”
- With the No. 12 pick in the draft, Presti is wide open about the type of player he’ll pick. “We’re not looking for something specific, like an on-court need,” he said.
Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Title Contention, Siakam
If Tyrese Haliburton was given the choice of playing in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he would have suited up. However, the Pacers star isn’t upset with the team over its decision to hold him out as the Celtics completed a sweep, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.
Haliburton suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2. He could barely walk after the contest.
“There was obviously an organization-wide meeting with our front office, with agents, with everybody,” he said. “They did what their job is, to protect me from myself and wouldn’t allow me play Game 3. I understand the long-term implications of the chances of re-hurting my hamstring. I’m just very thankful for this organization from protecting me from myself.”
Haliburton said this hamstring strain was different from the one he suffered during the winter, which caused him to miss 10 games.
“It’s a whole new thing,” Haliburton said. “Same hamstring. Just a different spot. It’s definitely frustrating. Anyone who watched me play understood that I was never really 100% after the first time dealing with that. But I wanted to be on the floor. I wanted to play. The 65-game rule (to qualify for postseason awards) was obviously a thing, but I wanted to play. I wanted to play basketball.”
We have more on the Pacers:
- Haliburton says he’ll hang around Indianapolis and rehab the injury to get ready for the Paris Olympics, Dopirak adds. “I have no concern,” Haliburton said of the injury potentially affecting his Olympic status. “Basically, I have six weeks until I have to report to camp. I’ll be in Indy for the majority of my treatment and rehab. Six weeks is a pretty long time. I didn’t have that ever during the year with the previous injury, so there’s no concern. The organization will be sending medical staff with me the whole time. I don’t really have concern.”
- Despite getting swept, they are closer to being championship contenders than some experts may believe, according to Seerat Sohi of The Ringer. They will have the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to acquire another impact rotation player, plus plenty of draft capital along with a relatively young roster than will continue to develop. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm expresses a similar view, noting the Pacers were without Bennedict Mathurin during the postseason due to shoulder surgery and that seven of their top eight players in minutes played could be back next season.
- The Pacers’ biggest priority this offseason will be re-signing Pascal Siakam and coach Rick Carlisle says it’s essential that the franchise retains the veteran power forward, Dopirak relays. “The first very important step is to begin recruiting Pascal Siakam in earnest,” Carlisle said. “That will start today with exit meetings. He’s a great player. He was tremendous for us. The acquisition of him in late January really was a key enabler for us to not only make the playoffs but be able to advance in the playoffs. That’s something you simply cannot take for granted.” The Athletic’s Shams Charania stated on FanDuel’s Run It Back program (video link) that the Pacers are prepared to offer Siakam a max contract and “there’s mutual interest in getting a deal done.”
Sixers Willing To Extend Butler If Heat Star Becomes Available In Trade
Jimmy Butler may not be the Sixers’ top target this offseason but they’re apparently willing to give him more financial security than the Heat.
Paul George is widely considered the Sixers’ primary focus if the Clippers forward declines his $48.8MM option in order to enter free agency. A reunion with Butler could be a viable alternative and Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Sixers are prepared to give Butler a maximum-salary extension if he forces a trade out of Miami.
There has been speculation about Butler’s future since the Heat were eliminated from postseason contention. Butler, who will be 35 next season, has a $48.8MM salary for next season and a player option for $52.2MM for the 2025/26 season.
Butler is seeking a two-year maximum extension for $113MM in which he’d decline the $52.2MM option in order to get an extra year of guaranteed salary. Miami president Pat Riley indicated during his annual postseason press conference he’d be reluctant to make that commitment, noting that Butler has missed chunks of time in recent seasons.
“It’s a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources, unless you have someone who is going to be available every night,” Riley said.
Butler hasn’t appeared in more than 64 regular season games in any of his five years in Miami and was unavailable for the playoffs this spring due to an MCL sprain.
Butler stated in a GQ interview his preference is to finish his career with Miami.
“I feel at home, man. I really care about the city, I really care about the people in this city,” Butler said. “Miami has embraced me.”
There’s no indication that the Heat have any plans to trade Butler unless he forces the issue. Beyond that, the Sixers — seeking another star to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — would seemingly have to strike out on the George front before turning to other options.
The Sixers do feel they erred by shipping Butler to Miami in a sign-and-trade five years ago and could make amends by slotting him into one of their forward spots.
Philadelphia is in the rare position of being a playoff contender with the ability to absorb a huge salary. The Sixers could have close to $65MM in cap space this summer and they’ll also have five first-round picks and multiple pick swaps available to trade, beginning at the start of the draft, Pompey notes.
The Sixers have also been linked to the Lakers’ LeBron James and Knicks’ OG Anunoby in free agency. Bulls wing Zach LaVine and the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram could emerge as potential trade targets if they must go further down the wish list.
Eastern Notes: Atkinson, Bryant, Highsmith, Jovic, Harris
Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson is the leading candidate for the Cavaliers head coaching job but Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant has a legitimate chance, too, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic tweets.
Bryant has ties to Donovan Mitchell, Lloyd notes, since he was an assistant there before the Jazz dealt Mitchell to the Cavaliers. Owner Dan Gilbert is heavily involved in the process of selecting J.B. Bickerstaff‘s replacement., Lloyd adds.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported last week that Atkinson had emerged as the favorite to land the Cavaliers’ job.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Haywood Highsmith would like to stay with the Heat but that may not be feasible due to salary cap restrictions, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. Highsmith will undoubtedly get a significant raise from his $1.9MM salary this season but if the Heat try to meet his market value, estimated in the $8-10MM annual range, they’ll be pushed up against the punitive second tax apron. Highsmith appeared in 66 regular season games and averaged career highs in points (6.1 per game), assists (1.1), steals (0.8), blocks (0.5) and minutes (20.7) while shooting career-bests from the field (46.5%) and three-point range (39.6%).
- The Heat don’t have to worry about Nikola Jovic going anywhere. He’s still got two years left on his rookie scale contract and emerged as the starting power forward late in the season. Jovic might be the team’s most intriguing player as well as the Heat’s best bargaining chip, Chiang writes. “He’s 20. So I always do need to remind myself of that,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I hold him to an incredibly high standard because our standards are not going to change. Our expectations are always going to be championship-level expectations. Yes, I’m expecting him to rise to that.”
- Gary Harris will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel examines what the future might hold for the veteran shooting guard. Harris has been the Magic‘s top 3-point threat at times, Beede notes, but he’s also missed chunks of time with injuries and the team may look for an upgrade at that spot.
Draft Notes: George, Storr, McCollum, Huntley, Clayton, Brazile
Projected first-round pick Kyshawn George believes he’ll immediately be a two-way asset for any team that drafts him, he told Michael Scotto and Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype.
“I think I’m a very dangerous shooter from the outside who can shoot from deep and make a shot from everywhere on the court,” George said. “I’m long and a versatile player. I’m a good defender who can bother shots with my length, and I have quick hands. I think I’m a smart player, too.”
George is ranked No. 19 on ESPN’s Best Available list. The native of Switzerland played the point most of his formative years but is projected as a shooting guard. The 6’8” George averaged 7.6 points and 2.2 assists in 31 games with Miami University last season while knocking down 40.8% of his 3-point attempts.
“I try to learn from various players,” he said. “I study ball handling like Luka Doncic, shooting like Klay Thompson, and pace like Doncic. I pick up different elements from different players to improve my game.”
We have more draft-related news:
- Guard AJ Storr has withdrawn from the draft and will play for Kansas next season, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Storr is transferring from Wisconsin, where he averaged 16.8 PPG last season.
- Javian McCollum is withdrawing and will transfer to Georgia Tech, Rothstein tweets. McCollum averaged 13.3 PPG for Oklahoma last season. Appalachian State’s CJ Huntley and Florida’s Walter Clayton will also return to college, per Rothstein (Twitter links).
- Forward Trevon Brazile has changed his mind and will now withdraw from the draft, Rothstein adds in another tweet. Brazile, who played for Arkansas last season, previously stated he was “100 percent into the draft.” It’s uncertain where he’ll play next season.