Kings Expected To Renew Talks With EuroLeague MVP
The Kings are expected to renew contract talks with EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov in the coming weeks, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.
After ending their playoff drought this season, the Kings are in position to add another key piece to become a more serious title contender. Vezenkov is under contract with Olympiacos beyond this season, but has a buyout clause believed to be worth approximately 1.5 million Euros.
The 6-foot-9 Vezenkov averaged 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists during his MVP season while shooting 53.6% from the field, 37.8% from 3-point range and 87.9% at the free-throw line. He continued his stellar play in the postseason, scoring a championship-game record 29 points along with nine rebounds and four assists in a 79-78 loss to Real Madrid.
Sacramento acquired his rights from the Cavaliers in exchange for the 49th overall pick in last year’s draft. The Kings negotiated with Vezenkov last summer but couldn’t reach an agreement.
Prior to the EuroLeague playoffs, Sacramento coach Mike Brown said the Kings are eager to bring in Vezenkov.
“We’ll let him finish the season out and then we’ll talk to him, but we’ve obviously been highly, highly intrigued with him,” Brown said. “We made a trade to get his rights last year. … For us, the interest is at a high level, but we’ll let him finish the season and then he’ll make decisions as well as us when it’s time.”
Technically, teams must wait until after this year’s draft to begin negotiations with unsigned draft picks, including those from prior years, Anderson points out.
Those negotiations could impact whether the Kings re-sign unrestricted free agent Harrison Barnes. Last year’s lottery pick, Keegan Murray, had a solid rookie campaign and started 78 of 80 games at the other forward spot.
Malcolm Brogdon: Celtics’ Defensive Identity Has Slipped Away
Malcolm Brogdon admitted on Monday that the Celtics’ issues began well before the Eastern Conference Finals, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Boston trails in the series 3-0 and got blown out by the Heat on Miami’s home court on Sunday night. Brogdon, who was acquired last offseason to solidify a team that reached the Finals a year ago, said the team has lost its defensive identity.
“Miami, Denver, there are only a few of them — that have a really strong identity, and they play by it every single night. They’re super committed to it,” Brogdon said. “And, for us, our identity has waned all year long. We’ve been trying to figure out who we are, because I think we’re such a great, talented scoring team, but when we don’t make shots, we got to rely on our defense, and our defense isn’t consistent every night. So, playing a team that’s very consistent and disciplined, we struggle.”
The Heat are shooting 51.9% overall and 47.8% from 3-point range in the series. They have also committed just 31 turnovers, compared to Boston’s 45.
Brogdon said the Celtics’ lack of defensive cohesion has been apparent throughout the postseason. They eliminated the Hawks 4-2 in the first round despite Atlanta scoring 119 or more points in each of the last four games of the series. Boston had to scramble back from a 3-2 series deficit to eliminate the Sixers prior to their matchup with Miami.
“We haven’t been consistently great defensively all year long, and that was the team’s identity last year,” Brogdon said. “I think that’s slipped away from us. We’ve had spurts where we’ve been great defensively, but not consistently. And, honestly, we’ve struggled in every series we’ve played. So, now we’re playing a team that’s playing as if they’re the best team in the league, and they’re just incredibly disciplined, incredibly consistent.”
Brogdon is hopeful for a history-making turnaround, starting with Game 4 on Tuesday.
“We still believe we’re the better team,” he said. “We have not played like it in these three games.”
Eastern Notes: Love, Hornets’ Workouts, Pistons
Kevin Love departed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the first half due to a strained lower left leg, but he’ll likely play in Game 4 on Tuesday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. The Heat big man says he’ll be “ready to go” as Miami looks to close out the series.
“It just felt like, honestly, a muscle cramp and was kind of off and on,” said Love, who was acquired by the Heat via the buyout market. “So I just wanted to ask to come out, wanted to be smart about it, tell Coach (Erik Spoelstra) that I could go back in if needed. At halftime we’d had a conversation. We were up 15. I said I was available. But then the score just got upwards of 20, 30. And from that point on, I just figured I’d get my treatment, make sure I was all good.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Hornets held a pre-draft workout for six prospects on Monday, the team tweets. Baylor’s Jalen Bridges, Akron’s Xavier Castaneda, Pittsburgh’s Nelly Cummings, Miami’s Jordan Miller, Appalachian State’s Tamell Pearson and Kansas State’s Nae’Qwan Tomlin were the visitors.
- Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins, Bucks assistant Charles Lee and former Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie remain finalists for the Pistons’ head coaching job, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. The trio will meet with the team’s brass again this week, with Edwards adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer and former Suns coach Monty Williams take the year off.
- Speaking of the Pistons, what are their lottery options now that they’ve dropped to No. 5 in the draft? Edwards explores that topic and lists a handful of prospects who could be available at that spot, including Alabama forward Brandon Miller if he slides down the draft board. If he doesn’t, Houston’s Jarace Walker or Villanova’s Cam Whitmore could be the pick.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Malone, Gobert, Jazz Draft
The Nuggets are intent on ending the Western Conference Finals on Monday night, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Denver doesn’t want to give the Lakers a boost of confidence by failing to sweep the series. “We want to give them no hope,” swingman Bruce Brown said.
Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic believes the Lakers won’t go down quietly: “I’m not going to say that I’m scared. But I’m worried because they have (LeBron James) on the other side and he is capable of doing everything.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- A franchise that has never won the NBA championship is on the verge of reaching the Finals. Nuggets coach Michael Malone is excited by the possibility of ending the franchise’s drought. “I’ve never looked at the history of the Nuggets as a weight or a burden. I’ve looked at it as an opportunity to be the first team to win a championship,” Malone told Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post. “It’s never been about the pressure. This is an exciting chance to do something nobody in Denver Nuggets history has ever done. I want to write history. That’s what I want to do.”
- Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert went into a “dark retreat” last week, much like quarterback Aaron Rodgers did before he was dealt to the New York Jets, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Gobert wrote on a social media that he spent “64 hours in full darkness.” It’s part of Gobert’s plan to have “the best summer” of his career as he looks to bounce back from an inconsistent first season with the franchise.
- Gobert’s former team, the Jazz, had a large presence at last week’s combine, Tony Jones of The Athletic notes. The Jazz conducted more than 20 player interviews during the combine and came away convinced they’ll get a solid player at the No. 9 spot. The Jazz also hold two other first-round picks at No. 16 and No. 28. They believe the draft is deep enough that they can nab a quality player at each spot, with a lead ball-handler high on their wish list.
Community Shootaround: Celtics’ Offseason
The Celtics completely unraveled in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Miami on Sunday night. Coming into the series as the clear favorite, the Celtics would now surprise people by avoiding a sweep after getting completely outplayed and outcoached by the Heat in the series.
Barring a miraculous turnaround, the Celtics will soon face some hard offseason decision rather than making the Finals for the second straight year. Most notably, they have to figure out what to do about their coaching situation and whether to break up their All-Star duo.
Joe Mazzulla had the interim tag removed and received a contract extension in mid-February. The young coach handled himself well during the regular season after getting thrown into the fire following Ime Udoka‘s suspension. He also guided the Celtics past the first two rounds, but has looked overmatched trying to match wits with Miami’s Erik Spoelstra.
Another hot topic of discussion will be Jaylen Brown‘s future. His contract expires after next season and it may behoove the Celtics’ front office to explore trade possibilities for the star wing, who has played poorly in the series.
They’ll also have to decide what to do with Grant Williams, who will be a restricted free agent after being in and out of the rotation this postseason. What price are they willing to match for him, considering their other salary obligations?
Jayson Tatum, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Derrick White are all under contract through at least the 2024/25 season. Tatum isn’t going anywhere, but the Celtics might look to deal one of those veterans to shake up the rotation and fix the issues that have been exposed by the Heat.
That brings up to our topic of the day: What changes should the Celtics make this offseason?
Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to your input.
And-Ones: Curry, Pelicans, Fredette, Maddox, NBA Con
The Warriors‘ Stephen Curry won another NBA award, but it wasn’t for his on-court prowess. He’s the recipient of the Professional Basketball Writers Association’s 2023 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his inspiring work in the community, the PBWA tweets. Curry was selected for promoting youth literacy, fitness and nutrition, as well as fostering gender equity in sports. Lakers center Wenyen Gabriel, Clippers forward Paul George and Celtics forward Grant Williams were the other finalists.
We have more from the basketball world:
- The Pelicans’ lease at the Smoothie King Arena expires next June but they plan to renew it to remain there for several more years, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. However, after renewing the lease, they plan to commission a study on whether renovations can be made to upgrade the arena or whether a new one is needed. Commissioner Adam Silver has stated that every arena in the league needs to be state of the art. New Orleans’ arena has the fewest seats of any lower bowl in the NBA.
- Former NBA player Jimmer Fredette is among the players chosen for the USA’s Men’s 3×3 World Cup Team, the organization tweets. Timberwolves video associate Kareem Maddox is also on the squad, Minnesota’s PR department tweets. The four-member team will compete in the FIBA 3×3 World Cup from May 30 to June 4 in Vienna, Austria.
- The NBA is adding a new fan-friendly event at the Summer League in Las Vegas, according to a league press release. NBA Con, a celebration of the best of hoops culture, will debut at Mandalay Bay from July 7-9, 2023. NBA Con will bring together the fashion, music, cuisine, art and technology that make the league a cultural phenomenon, with appearances by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, top draft prospects Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson and numerous current NBA stars.
Draft Notes: Whitmore, Black, Bailey, Podziemski, Wembanyama, Morsell
Villanova forward Cam Whitmore is held in higher esteem by The Athletic’s John Hollinger than many other draft experts. Hollinger ranks Whitmore as the No. 3 prospect in the draft, one spot ahead of Alabama forward Brandon Miller.
Hollinger believes Whitmore’s level of athleticism and scoring ability as a wing makes him a top-three prospect. Arkansas point guard Anthony Black also makes Hollinger’s top five, while his top 10 includes a couple more surprises, including Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin.
We have more draft-related notes:
- UCLA’s Amari Bailey helped himself at the draft combine in Chicago and now deserves first-round consideration, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Another combo guard, Santa Clara’s Brandin Podziemski, may also have earned a first-round ticket. On the flip side, North Carolina State guard Terquavion Smith and Kansas forward Jalen Wilson were among the prospects who didn’t make favorable impressions in Chicago, per Wasserman.
- Why is Victor Wembanyama considered the best prospect since LeBron James? The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie goes into great detail on that subject, concluding that Wembanyama has the upside to be the best player in the world at some point and the ability to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame when his career is over.
- North Carolina State guard Casey Morsell is withdrawing from the draft and returning to the Wolfpack, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein tweets. Morsell has one more year of eligibility remaining.
Lakers Notes: Role Players, Russell, Bamba, KCP, James
Among the many issues the Lakers face as they try to dig themselves out of a 3-0 hole in the Western Conference Finals is the lack of production from their role players, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register writes.
Beyond their two superstars and Austin Reaves, the Lakers got modest contributions from the remaining members of the rotation in Game 3 against the Nuggets. D’Angelo Russell (three points), Dennis Schröder (five points) and Jarred Vanderbilt (two points) were non-factors offensively.
“I thought they did the best they could, all of them,” coach Darvin Ham said. “They competed. I’m disappointed but I’m not upset. Yeah, it sucks to lose, but those guys, they fought their hearts out. They tried to do it. They tried to execute what we gave them.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- Russell admitted he’s baffled by his ineffective play, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Russell, who’s headed to free agency, shot just 1-for-8 from the field on Saturday. “I really don’t. I don’t know,” he said when asked about how his approach needs to change. “I’ll try to figure it out.” He’s averaging just 7.0 points in the series after contributing 14.7 PPG in the second round against Golden State.
- The Lakers will have another frontcourt option for Game 4 on Monday. Mohamed Bamba is expected to be available, Ham told Chris Haynes of TNT (Twitter link). Bamba, who has appeared in only three postseason games due to a left ankle injury, hasn’t played since Game 6 in the first round against Memphis.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s defensive contributions and 3-point shot-making were often taken for granted during the Lakers’ 2020 title run at the Orlando bubble. His all-around contributions for the Nuggets in this series are a painful reminder of the ill-fated Russell Westbrook trade in 2021, which included Caldwell-Pope as part of the package, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN notes. KCP is averaging 15.3 points on 51.4% shooting in the series.
- LeBron James is showing his age by his inability to carry the Lakers in this series, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times opines. James played well enough in Game 3 but wasn’t great, and he needed to be great to bridge the gap that exists between the Nuggets and Lakers.
Nuggets Notes: Malone, Murray, Brown, Injury Report
The Nuggets are two wins away from the Finals and coach Michael Malone says his team is underappreciated by the national media, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Facing a storied franchise in the Lakers and their two superstars, the Nuggets believe they’re not getting enough credit for how good they’ve become.
“You win Game 1 of the (West Finals), and all everybody talked about was the Lakers,” Malone said. “Let’s be honest. That was the national narrative, was ‘Hey, the Lakers are fine. They’re down 1-0, but they figured something out.’
“No one talked about (how) Nikola (Jokic) just had a historic performance. He’s got 13 triple-doubles now — third all time (in the playoffs). What he’s doing is just incredible. But the narrative wasn’t about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn’t about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments. You put that in your pipe, you smoke it and you come back, and you know what? We’re going to go up 2-0.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and he also played along with the “lack of respect” theme afterward, Marc J. Spears of Andscape writes. Murray feels he’s often overlooked in the discussion of the league’s top guards. “I don’t think I get enough respect as I should be,” Murray said. “I’m better than a lot of players in the league. Every time I see rankings of guys I think, ‘Man, that is crazy.’ Maybe it’s because I have been out for so long. But if we win the (championship), it changes everything.”
- Bruce Brown has turned into one of the key free agent signings in the league from last summer. Brown has been a defensive agitator in the postseason and a surprising offensive spark-plug, averaging 16.5 points over the last four games. “We were surprised that he was available on the second day of free agency,” Malone told Tony Jones of The Athletic. “We didn’t hesitate to try and bring him in. He’s been a perfect fit for us.” Brown signed a tw0-year deal with a $6.8MM player option for next season and is expected to hit the free agent market once again this summer.
- The Nuggets have struggled with injuries in recent seasons but continue to have good health in this postseason. They don’t have anyone on the injury report for Game 3, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets.
Community Shootaround: Blazers’ Lottery Pick
The Trail Blazers had some lottery luck, moving up to the No. 3 spot in the draft order on Tuesday.
That presents an interesting dilemma for Portland, which still seems desperate to quickly build a contender around Damian Lillard. The Blazers could use the pick as bait to acquire an All-Star level player or they could simply hold onto it and draft the best available player.
We all know what will the Spurs will do with the top pick – select potential superstar Victor Wembanyama. The Hornets hold the second slot and there’s no clear-cut selection after the French big man. If the Hornets go by need, they’d most likely take forward Brandon Miller rather than point guard Scoot Henderson, considering their best young player is LaMelo Ball.
Miller would also seem like a better fit for the Trail Blazers, since they already have a floor leader. There are other players worthy of consideration at the third spot, including Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Jarace Walker and Anthony Black.
Miller could immediately fill a void in the frontcourt if he’s still on the board at No. 3, as the Blazers’ small forward spot was in flux this season. Power forward Jerami Grant is headed to free agency and while Portland’s front office has stated it wants to re-sign Grant, there’s no guarantee he’ll be back.
Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons are signed through the 2025/26 season, though the Blazers must determine whether they’re truly part of the long term plan. Portland also has to decide whether to extend qualifying offers to Matisse Thybulle and Cam Reddish.
All of those personnel moves must be factored into their decision whether to trade the pick to get Lillard a proven star sidekick, or draft a player ready to make an impact.
Even though the free agent market isn’t dazzling, a lot of top talents such as Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Karl-Anthony Towns and Pascal Siakam could be on the trading block.
That brings us to today’s topic: Should the Trail Blazers keep the No. 3 overall pick in the draft or trade the pick as part of a package to get a proven veteran star?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.