Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 6/13/2023
The transcript of our weekly Tuesday chat can be accessed here.
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Nuggets Win First Title, Jokic Named MVP
The Nuggets secured their first championship on Monday night, completing a 4-1 series victory over the Heat with a 94-89 victory. The Nuggets joined the NBA in 1976 after the league’s merger with the ABA.
Nikola Jokic, the league’s two-time Most Valuable Player in the regular season, was named the MVP of the Finals, NBA Communications tweets. He had 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the clinching victory. For the series, Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per night.
Jokic and the team’s other star, Jamal Murray, carried the Nuggets throughout the playoffs. However, the team’s role players made some of the biggest plays in Game 5.
Bruce Brown had the go-ahead put-back in the late going and hit clinching free throws. In between, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a key steal and made two clutch free throws.
Denver is well-positioned to make a run at back-to-back titles and beyond. Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are all signed through at least the 2024/25 season. Caldwell-Pope has two more years left on his contract, though he can opt out next summer.
There’s a good chance Brown will go elsewhere. He will almost certainly decline his $6.8MM option and the team doesn’t own his Bird rights, limiting its ability to offer much of a raise.
Jeff Green and a handful of other veteran reserves will be unrestricted free agents, though the Nuggets have some quality young players on rookie contracts poised to take on bigger roles, including Christian Braun and Peyton Watson.
The Heat have some key players entering free agency, most notably Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Kevin Love.
With the Finals decided, the 2023 NBA offseason is officially underway. The draft will be held in 10 days with free agency beginning the following week.
And-Ones: Irving, VanVleet, Lakers’ Arena, Jackson, Crawford, Gelfand
Kyrie Irving and Fred VanVleet — who is declining his player option — are the top free agent point guards, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. According to Hollinger, they’re the only max or near-max point guards on the market. Hollinger rates D’Angelo Russell and Tre Jones as the only other free agent floor leaders worth more than the mid-level exception, with Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder warranting a mid-level investment.
We have more from the around the basketball world:
- Crypto.com is closing part of its business but it won’t impact its naming rights deal for Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports. AEG, which owns and operates the home arena for the Lakers and Clippers, entered into a 20-year, $700MM naming rights agreement with Singapore-based Crypto.com in November 2021.
- ABC and ESPN analyst Mark Jackson deserves another shot at coaching, an unnamed general manager told Marc Berman in a Casino.org story. Jackson, the Warriors’ head coach before going into broadcasting, interviewed for the Bucks’ head coaching job that went to Adrian Griffin. He has also been passed over for a number of other head coaching jobs in recent years. “He needs to be open to be an associate head coach,” the GM said. “If he was on the bench in Memphis or New Orleans, he’d be perfect for Ja Morant or Zion Williamson.’’
- The Suns are looking to hire Mavericks assistant Quinton Crawford as an assistant on Frank Vogel‘s staff, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets. In another coaching note, the Wizards are close to hiring Pelicans analytics expert Sammy Gelfand.
Southeast Draft Notes: Miller, Hornets, Council, Smith
The Hornets hold the No. 2 pick and Alabama forward Brandon Miller will work out for them on Tuesday, Ashley Stroehlein of WCNC tweets. Miller and G League guard Scoot Henderson are the top contenders to be chosen at the No. 2 spot. It was previously reported that Miller was scheduled to work out for Charlotte on Tuesday and the plans obviously didn’t change. In fact, he has already arrived in Charlotte.
We have more draft-related news from the Southeast Division:
- Prior to Miller’s visit, the Hornets were busy looking at other prospects on Monday. According to a team press release, Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton, Arizona State guard Desmond Cambridge Jr., San Jose State guard Omari Moore, South Alabama center Kevin Samuel, Illinois guard Matthew Mayer and Baylor forward Flo Thamba worked out for Charlotte. A majority of those players will be looking to get picked up as free agents after the draft.
- Arkansas guard Ricky Council IV, a potential second-round pick, was among the players who visited the Hawks on Monday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Council is ranked No. 52 on ESPN’s Best Available list. Four other guards — Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis, Notre Dame’s Dane Goodwin, Iowa State’s Gabe Kalscheur and Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell — joined him along with Ohio State wing Justice Sueing.
- North Carolina State guard Terquavion Smith (No. 41 on ESPN’s list) headlined the group of six prospects that visited the Wizards on Monday. Utah State forward Daniel Akin, Oklahoma big man Tanner Groves, Southern Utah wing Tevian Jones, Rutgers guard Caleb McConnell and Wichita State guard Craig Porter Jr. joined Smith in the pre-draft workout, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets.
Draft Notes: Ivisic, Djurisic, Traore, Klintman, Burton
Zvonimir Ivisic is withdrawing from the draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. The 7’2” big man from Croatia was a potential second-round selection. He’s ranked No. 59 on ESPN’s Best Available list. The 19-year-old will look to improve his draft stock for 2024.
We have draft-related news:
- Another potential second-rounder, Serbian wing Nikola Djurisic, is also pulling out of the draft, Givony reports in another tweet. The 6’8” Djurisic was ranked No. 53 on ESPN’s board.
- Ousmane N’Diaye (No. 60 on ESPN’s list), Michael Caicedo (No. 75), Musa Sagnia (No. 85) and Quinn Ellis (NR) are among the other international players who pulled out of the draft prior to Monday’s deadline, Givony tweets.
- Forward Armel Traore, who plays for French club Metropolitans, is withdrawing from the draft, Global Scouting tweets.
- Wake Forest’s Bobi Klintman is withdrawing his name, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Ranked No. 48 on ESPN’s board, Klintman has forfeited his remaining college eligibility by missing the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline and has signed with the Cairns Taipans as part of Australia’s NBL Next Stars program as he looks to improve his draft stock for next season, Givony reports (Twitter link).
- Pittsburgh guard Jamarius Burton will work out for the Lakers this week, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. An All-ACC First Team selection, Burton has already worked out for the Bucks and Grizzlies. The five-year college player averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 rebounds last season.
Pelicans Looking To Move Up Draft, Eye Scoot Henderson
The Pelicans are looking to trade up to the No. 2 or No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft with their sights set on G League guard Scoot Henderson, Shams Charania of The Stadium and The Athletic reports (Twitter video link).
New Orleans is among several teams seriously pursuing that No. 2 overall pick, according to Charania. The Hornets hold the No. 2 selection and worked out Henderson on Sunday. The 6’2″ guard averaged 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals for the Ignite in 19 games this season. Henderson’s spotty 3-point shooting (27.5%) didn’t hurt his draft stock. He was shut down in mid-March by the Ignite.
New Orleans already has CJ McCollum at the point, though he could swing to the shooting guard spot as he did in Portland. The Pelicans drafted Dyson Daniels with the No. 8 pick last June, but Daniels posted modest stats in 59 games during his first NBA season. They also have Kira Lewis Jr., a 2020 lottery pick who returned from a major knee injury to appear in 25 games this season.
The Pelicans hold the No. 14 pick and have a bevy of future first-rounders owed to them, which they could dangle to Charlotte or the Trail Blazers, who hold the No. 3 selection. The Lakers owe New Orleans their unprotected 2024 first-rounder, which can be deferred until 2025. The Bucks owe the Pelicans their unprotected 2027 first-round pick. New Orleans also has the right to swap 2024 and 2026 first-rounders with Milwaukee.
Beyond those draft assets and McCollum, the Pelicans could offer either of their other stars (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram) or some other young talents (Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones). It remains to be seen what type of package the Hornets (or Blazers) would pursue in order to part with their high lottery pick.
Nuggets Notes: Malone, Brown, Trade, Path To Success
Michael Malone‘s message to his Nuggets heading into Game 5 on Monday is a study in reverse psychology. He wants them to feel like they’re down 3-1 in the Finals instead of the other way around, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes.
“My biggest concern going into any close-out game is human nature and fighting against that,” the Nuggets coach said. “Most teams, when you’re up 3-1, they come up for air. They relax and they just kind of take it for granted that, oh, we’re going to win this. We know anything is possible. That’s why my message to our team was our approach has to be we are down 3-1. They are desperate. We have to be more desperate. They are hungry. We have to be hungrier.”
Malone believes the Nuggets are ready to claim their first title.
“This team has been through a lot,” Malone said. “The last two years, no Jamal Murray; last season, no Michael Porter. To get back healthy and add some key pieces, this is a team that has been tested before and I think is really built for this moment.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Bruce Brown, who is expected to decline his player option so that he can enter free agency again, has become a solid 3-point shooter. He came into the NBA with the Pistons as a player who could be ignored on the offensive end, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes, but now he’s making defenses pay. “Remember, when I first came in the league, I couldn’t shoot. I wasn’t confident shooting the ball at all. I was a mutt guy,” he said. “They left me wide open and let me shoot. So that took a toll on my confidence, but it put a chip on my shoulder. So I just got in the gym and worked, and now it’s showing on the biggest stage.” Brown is averaging 11.8 points in the Finals and has made half of his 3-point attempts.
- The Nuggets made a wise move by agreeing to a draft-pick trade with the Thunder, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman opines. Denver needs to fill out its bench with young, promising players on inexpensive contracts for salary-cap reasons. Denver will receive three draft picks in the reported deal — this year’s No. 37 selection, the least favorable of the Thunder’s 2024 first-round picks, and a 2024 second-rounder. Oklahoma City will get Denver’s 2029 first-round pick.
- Malone believes more teams will try to emulate the Nuggets’ blueprint for success, NBA on ESPN relays (video link). Denver’s ownership and front office didn’t panic despite falling short in the playoffs the past four seasons. “Every team collectively has to pick a path and stay true to it,” Malone said. “I feel really fortunate our journey has been one of patience, one of drafting really well and developing those players and then adding the right pieces around them.”
Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Brazdeikis, Rose, Rajakovic
Bobby Jackson is leaving the Kings to join Nick Nurse‘s staff with the Sixers, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post. Jackson has been the head coach of the Kings’ G League affiliate in Stockton. Raptors developmental coach Rico Hines is another candidate to join Nurse’s staff in Philadelphia.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- After winning a championship in Lithuania with Zalgiris Kaunas, forward Ignas Brazdeikis will attend the Raptors’ mini-camp this week, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports. The four-day mini-camp begins on Monday. Brazdeikis’ contract with Zalgiris includes a player option and an NBA exit clause, according to Urbonas. Brazdeikis averaged 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in his rookie EuroLeague season. Brazdeikis has appeared in 64 NBA games, most recently with Orlando during the 2021/22 season.
- The Knicks have more incentive under the upcoming CBA rules to exercise their option on Derrick Rose, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. Since more taxpaying teams may be looking to dump salary ahead of the 2024/25 season, the Knicks could use Rose’s $15.6MM expiring deal, plus Evan Fournier‘s $18.86MM salary (the team holds a ’24/25 option) to help acquire a high-level impact player with more than one year remaining on his deal.
- Connecting with Scottie Barnes and getting more out of Precious Achiuwa are among the major challenges for new Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes.
Heat Notes: Comeback, Love, Role Players, Herro
The Heat are facing a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. Only one team has ever won in the Finals after trailing by that margin but Miami’s coaches and players are unfazed by the odds, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“Everybody is counting us out. We’re used to that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But ultimately it has to be decided between those four lines. The crowd is not going to decide it. The narratives are not going to decide it. Whatever the analytics are about 3-1, that ain’t going to decide it. It’s going to be decided between those four lines, whose game can get to whose game and ultimately win at the end. That’s what our guys love. So we’re looking forward to it.”
Game 5 will be played in Denver on Monday night. If the Heat force a Game 6, it will be played on Thursday.
We have more on the Eastern Conference champs:
- Speaking of that one time a team rallied from a 3-1 Finals deficit, Kevin Love is well aware of how such a comeback could take place. He was a member of the 2016 Cavaliers that rallied to beat the Warriors in the last three games of the series, Chiang notes in the same story. Love sees similarities between those Cavs and these Heat. “I think there’s a lot to be taken from that situation,” Love said. “Naturally, when your back is up against the wall, you start to look for answers, solutions. But we’re a team that has been super resilient.”
- Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus haven’t been able to impact the Finals the way they did the first three playoff series, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel points out. The Heat know they’ll need more from their role players and perimeter shooters to beat Denver three straight times. “(The Nuggets) definitely made an adjustment to try to stay at home on three-point shooters,” Spoelstra said. “It’s not the first time we have faced that. I think that’s a great compliment to them and how important they are to our offense. We just have to do it better.”
- Tyler Herro is listed as out for Game 5, Winderman tweets. The 23-year-old sharpshooter still hasn’t received medical clearance to play in the remaining games, though he did undergo another contact workout on Sunday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Herro hasn’t played since breaking his hand in the opening round of the playoffs.
Rockets Could Pursue Irving If They Strike Out With Harden
If the Rockets fail in their pursuit of James Harden, could they pivot to Kyrie Irving? According to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post, it’s a possibility.
Stein hears that Irving could be a fallback option for Houston, which enters the summer with the most projected available cap space of any NBA team. Harden is expected to choose between staying with the Sixers and returning to the Rockets for a second stint. There have been conflicting reports on whether the Suns might also join the Harden sweepstakes.
The Mavericks remain the only known team with definitive interest in signing the polarizing Irving, Stein notes. His sources indicate that the Rockets could explore a run at Irving, Harden’s former teammate in Brooklyn, if Harden re-signs with Philadelphia.
It’s unknown whether Irving would consider the Rockets. Houston could sign Irving simply with cap space or work out a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks. The Rockets have a bevy of future first- and second-rounders, plus some young talent, that could entice Dallas in that scenario, but as long as they maintain enough cap room to sign Irving outright, there would be no incentive to give up assets for him.
Houston, with new coach Ime Udoka, seems intent on bringing in some proven, high-level talent to supplement its young core. Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Cameron Johnson (restricted) are some of the other free agents — or potential free agents if they decide to opt out of the final year of their contracts — that the Rockets reportedly may pursue.