Southwest Notes: Irving, Harden, Spurs, Popovich, Sengun
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving showed his support for former Nets teammate James Harden after Harden called Sixers executive Daryl Morey a liar, The Dallas Morning News relays.
When ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski labeled Harden “disgruntled” in a social media post, Irving stood by Harden on his official Twitter (X) page.
“Is he Disgruntled Adrian?? Or is he holding Morey accountable for his dishonesty and lack of transparency throughout the contract negotiation process this summer?” Irving wrote.
Harden reportedly was unhappy with Irving prior to be traded to Philadelphia, but Irving’s post suggests the two star guards may be on better terms now.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Victor Wembanyama has created so much buzz that the Spurs have released more season ticket packages to their fans. According to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, the Spurs have opened an additional 1,500 season ticket membership opportunities. The multi-game options include a full season with 42 home games, a half season with 20 games and a 10-home game plan.
- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rarely speaks about his family but he opened up about his late wife Erin and his children during his acceptance speech at the Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday, Orsborn notes in a separate story. “I have a family,” Popovich said. “People think I just do basketball. I don’t really like it that much. Basketball doesn’t love us back, does it? We use it like a bar of soap, right? It pays our bills. It gives us a wonderful life. But I don’t remember it saying, ‘I love you, Pop.’ It’s different. It’s the family.”
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun has set lofty goals for himself, according to Semih Tuna of Eurohoops.net. “Of course, like everyone else, my goal is to become an All-Star,” Sengun said. “I hope I can do that.” Sengun averaged 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his second NBA season.
Sixers Unfazed By Harden’s Criticism, Expect Him At Camp
The Sixers weren’t surprised that James Harden publicly called out top executive Daryl Morey and the team still expects him to report to training camp, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
A league source told Pompey that Morey wasn’t caught off guard by Harden’s attempt to make things personal, given his agent’s reaction to the news that the Sixers weren’t able to find a suitable trade. Harden made his frustration public when he called Morey a “liar” during an event in China.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported over the weekend that the Sixers had suspended trade talks regarding Harden, who requested a deal this offseason — preferably to the Clippers.
Subsequently, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that Harden was firm in his stance about not wanting to play in Philadelphia. Harden reportedly doesn’t plan to report to training camp if he’s still on the roster, though that could jeopardize his free agent status for next offseason under the terms of the new CBA.
Harden opted out of his $47.4MM contract last summer and accepted a two-year deal worth $68.64MM, which helped Philadelphia make offseason moves to upgrade the roster. Harden picked up his $35.6MM option for the upcoming season with the desire to be traded, since the Sixers were unwilling to negotiate a contract with him prior to the free agency period, according to Pompey.
And-Ones: Cunningham, Jones, Flagg, Macura, Wade
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham tops the list of potential breakout candidates for the upcoming season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Cunningham, who missed most of last season with a shin injury, dazzled while playing this month for the USA Select Team.
Wizards guard Tyus Jones, who has a chance to start after serving as a backup with the Timberwolves and Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers second-year wing Shaedon Sharpe, who put up big numbers late last season, are among the other players who make Cowley’s list.
We have more news from around the basketball world:
- Cooper Flagg’s decision to reclassify makes a significant impact on the 2025 draft, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 2025 draft wasn’t considered particularly strong, so with Flagg eligible to be taken that season, that group now has more star power. Despite his unorthodox game built around defense and passing, rather than scoring prowess, Flagg is the early favorite to be the top pick of that draft.
- J.P. Macura is signing with Happy Casa Brindisi of Italy, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link). Macura made three cameo appearances in the NBA — two games with the Hornets in 2018/19 and one with the Cavaliers the following season. Macura has played the last two seasons in Italy after a one-year stop in Turkey.
- Dwyane Wade, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame on Saturday, wasn’t a slam dunk to be selected by the Heat in the lottery in 2003, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes. Team president Pat Riley said the club was in need of a big but when Toronto took Chris Bosh, Wade slipped to Miami’s pick at No. 5 overall.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: Bulls’ Offseason
There was quite a bit of speculation what the Bulls would do this summer, given their lack of progress the last couple of seasons despite making major trades and free agent signings.
Following four straight losing seasons, the Bulls got knocked out of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2022. Last season, they had a losing record but qualified for the play-in tournament. After knocking out the Raptors, Chicago got bounced by eventual conference champion Miami.
Fans who were hoping for major changes or a full rebuild were disappointed. Chicago trudged along this summer by re-signing a number of its own free agents and adding a couple of role players.
Center Nikola Vucevic was re-signed on a three-year contract. Ditto for guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. Backup center Andre Drummond opted in to the final year of his contract.
They made a couple of under-the-radar free signings in Jevon Carter, who will compete for the starting point guard job with Lonzo Ball out for the season, and backup forward Torrey Craig.
Barring an unexpected blockbuster move, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams will return to their respective starting spots.
Perhaps familiarity and continuity will help Chicago take the next step. Perhaps Carter, a backup in Milwaukee, will form a solid point guard duo with Alex Caruso. Perhaps this will be the season Williams lives up to his draft status.
That brings us to today’s topic: How do you feel about the Bulls’ offseason approach? Did they do the right thing by essentially staying the course and tweaking the roster or should they have made significant changes?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Central Notes: Simpson, Turner, Bucks’ Christmas Game, Cavs’ Arena
Guard Zavier Simpson gained a spot on the Pistons’ training camp roster and the former Wolverines star is thrilled to wear a Detroit uniform, he told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
“It’s tremendous,” Simpson said of joining the Pistons. “Being able to be back here, it’s almost like home. Being able to play for the University of Michigan and have a tremendous career, and being able also to come here in Detroit and also play. It’s phenomenal. I’m excited, I love it and obviously the new coaching staff is coming in, which is phenomenal. Blessed to be a part of it, and it’s home so just want to keep working and do the most I can with the opportunity, and leave the results to the results.”
The Pistons’ NBA G League affiliate, Motor City Cruise, recently announced it has acquired Simpson’s returning player rights through a trade with the Magic’s affiliate team.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pacers big man Myles Turner is pleased with the team’s offseason moves, particularly the free agent acquisition of Bruce Brown. “I think we definitely got better,” Turner told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “We got that championship mindset with Bruce Brown. He’s fresh off a ‘chip. He could have gone anywhere this summer and he chose to come here and build with this group. I was with (GM Chad Buchanan) last night at the Nike Skills Academy in Portland and we just talked about the opportunity we have this year and a lot of that comes to being better on defense.”
- The Bucks’ streak of playing on Christmas Day will continue this upcoming season, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays via The Athletic. Milwaukee’s sixth consecutive appearance during the league’s showcase day will come against the Knicks at New York. Milwaukee is 3-2 in Christmas Day games since the streak began.
- The Cavaliers’ arena, now called the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, will be getting $24.4MM in publicly funded repairs, according to Lucas Daprile of the Cleveland Plain Dealer in a subscriber-only story. However, the exact source of those funds remains a mystery.
Heat Sign Former Celtic Justin Champagnie
The Heat have signed Justin Champagnie, the team tweets.
While terms were not disclosed, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports that it’s an Exhibit 10 deal (Twitter link). The addition of Champagnie gives Miami a full 21-man camp roster.
The Celtics waived him at the beginning of the month.
Champagnie, 22, appeared in two regular season and four postseason games for Boston last season. He signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract in April but it was non-guaranteed for the upcoming season. He was due a $50K guarantee if he had remained on Boston’s roster.
Champagnie could earn a little more money via the maximum Exhibit 10 bonus. If he’s waived by the Heat and then spends at least 60 days with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their G League affiliate, he could earn a $75K bonus.
After going undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2021, the 6’6″ swingman inked a two-way deal with the Raptors for the 2021/22 season. The team brought him back aboard for 2022/23, but after he had appeared in just three games for Toronto, he was cut in December.
In a procedural move, the Heat also signed and then waived center Brandon McCoy, who played for the Skyforce last season.
Jamal Cain Accepts Qualifying Offer, Takes Two-Way Deal With Heat
2:49pm: The signing is official, the team tweets.
2:04pm: Jamal Cain is signing his qualifying offer and returning to the Heat on a two-way contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Cain was searching for a standard deal, which Miami had been reluctant to offer. Cain didn’t have a lot of leverage as a restricted free agent, as Miami had the right to match any offer.
The deadline to rescind the two-way offer passed in July, so Cain had the opportunity to accept the qualifying offer at any time.
The 24-year-old power forward appeared in 18 NBA games as a two-way player last season. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes in those appearances. He started 15 games for Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, averaging 22.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.
The Oakland (Mich.) University product, who also played for Marquette, fills the last of the Heat’s two-way slots. Guards Dru Smith and Jamaree Bouyea hold the other two-way slots.
If the Heat finally pull off a trade for Damian Lillard, spots on the 15-man roster could open up for Cain and the other two-way players.
Heat Sign Alondes Williams To Camp Contract
2:51pm: The signing is official, the team tweets.
1:51pm: The Heat have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with guard Alondes Williams, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Williams went undrafted last year and spent most of the season with the NBA G League Long Island Nets. He appeared in 24 games at that level, including 12 starts, and averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals in 27.6 minutes per game. He also played one game for the Brooklyn Nets in December.
In late July, the Long Island Nets dealt the returning player rights for Williams to the Heat’s NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, in exchange for the returning player rights of shooting guard D.J. Stewart.
The Heat have agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with a handful of players this summer, but have yet to begin finalizing those contracts.
Williams could earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce. He could also be a candidate for a two-way contract, as the Heat have an open slot.
Pacific Notes: Payne, Durant, Queta
Cameron Payne isn’t hiding his feelings about the Suns dealing him to the rebuilding Spurs. Payne admits he’d rather be in Phoenix, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic relays via an Instagram Live post from the point guard.
“Man, I love Phoenix, bro, I miss Phoenix already,” Payne said. “I wish I was in Phoenix still but hey, it is where it is, man. They’re trying to win a chip and I respect it. I feel like they could’ve won a chip with me though ’cause like, I’m tough.”
Payne was dealt, along with the Pelicans’ 2025 second-rounder acquired in a previous deal, to the Spurs for a protected 2024 second-rounder. Phoenix reduced its luxury tax bill by trading Payne’s $6.5MM salary and also acquired a trade exception of the same value.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Due to injury and other factors, Kevin Durant hasn’t played in Golden State since he left the Warriors and signed with the Nets in 2019. As long as he’s not injured coming out of training camp, Durant will finally make his return to the Warriors’ home floor when the Suns open their regular season there on Oct. 24, according to Rankin.
- The Kings signed Neemias Queta to a two-year, $4.2MM contract, according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype (Twitter link). The first year is partially guaranteed and the second season salary is non-guaranteed. Queta, who played with Sacramento on a two-way contract last season, signed a standard contract earlier this week. According to Ricardo Brito Reis (Twitter link), Queta’s $2,019,706 salary for next season includes a $250K guarantee. It’s guaranteed for $500K if he’s on the Opening Day roster and becomes fully guaranteed on Jan. 10. His 2024/25 salary of $2,196,970 becomes guaranteed for $1,098,485 on July 10 and fully guaranteed on Jan. 10, 2025.
- In case you missed it, the Clippers have guaranteed the final year of Tyronn Lue’s contract. Get the details here.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: Nets’ Rotation
For the last few seasons, all the attention on the Nets was focused on their star players.
Now that James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been dealt away, the spotlight on the franchise has dimmed. However, Brooklyn did make the playoffs last year after the blockbuster trades of Durant and Irving. The Nets got swept by the Sixers in the opening round but they have enough quality players to claim another postseason spot next season.
Coach Jacque Vaughn will have a major challenge trying to fit all the pieces together. Mikal Bridges, acquired in the Durant trade, is the closest thing the team has to an All-Star talent.
Cameron Johnson received a huge contract after entering the summer as a restricted free agent. Nic Claxton stands out at the center spot.
From there, it gets cloudy. Spencer Dinwiddie will likely reclaim the starting point guard spot but if Ben Simmons comes back strong, that could change. Royce O’Neale was a starter most of his career until the trades brought an influx of wings and forwards.
Dorian Finney-Smith started regularly after being acquired Dallas, but it’s no lock he’ll remain a part of the first unit. Simmons could be the starting power forward if he doesn’t displace Dinwiddie.
First-round picks Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead could also be part of the mix, though Whitehead is recovering from foot surgery.
The Nets added Lonnie Walker on a one-year deal in free agency and Cam Thomas, a 2021 first-rounder who’s had some big offensive nights, will also be pushing for a rotation spot. Brooklyn also signed Dennis Smith Jr., who could back up Dinwiddie if Simmons plays another position.
Day’Ron Sharpe could serve as Claxton’s backup if Vaughn opts against smaller lineups.
That brings us to our topic of the day: How do you think the Nets’ rotation will shake out this season? Which players will start? Who do you feel will be left out of the rotation?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.