Community Shootaround: Expansion
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has consistently asserted that the league isn’t planning on expansion in the near future.
During his annual press conference at the Finals, Silver had this to say: “At least maybe there are people talking who are not at the league office about us potentially expanding after the 2024 season. We are not discussing that at this time. As I said before, at some point, this league invariably will expand, but it’s not at this moment that we are discussing it.”
The NBA has been slow to embrace expansion. The last time a new franchise was accepted came in 2004, when the Bobcats — now Hornets — were added.
A franchise fee in excess of a $1 billion would be the main incentive for expansion among owners. It would also have natural appeal to the players, creating more NBA jobs.
When the league finally gets around to expansion, there are plenty of viable options. Seattle has been talked about virtually since it lost the SuperSonics in 2008. The city got the latest NHL expansion team, the Kraken, and there’s an arena available for an NBA franchise. There’s little doubt that Seattle, which also has NFL and MLB franchises, will support an NBA team if it gets another one.
Las Vegas, which has become the host of the Summer League, is another obvious choice. It now has NHL and NFL franchises, as well as a Triple-A baseball club.
There are plenty of other major U.S. cities that could support an NBA team. Pittsburgh has long-term franchises in all three other major pro sports. St. Louis saw the Rams come and go but it has two other highly successful pro franchises. Kansas City, like Seattle, was once an NBA city.
Louisville, a major city in basketball-mad Kentucky, would also be a logical destination. Tampa hosted the Raptors during the pandemic.
The league could also look beyond the borders to Mexico City or Montreal, or perhaps even overseas to London.
That brings us to our question of the day: When the NBA is finally ready to expand, what major city is most deserving of a franchise?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Nuggets’ Collin Gillespie Underwent Surgery For Leg Fracture
Nuggets two-way guard Collin Gillespie suffered a lower left leg fracture earlier this week and underwent surgery Friday night in Philadelphia to repair it, according to a team press release.
Gillespie was signed to a contract during the first week of this month after going undrafted.
He averaged 15.6 points per game for Villanova last season, shooting 41.5% from three-point range. Gillespie averaged 11.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.3 APG and 1.5 SPG in four Summer League contests.
With Gillespie out indefinitely, it’s possible the Nuggets will look for another two-way option. They already have 20 players on their camp roster, according to our latest count.
Central Notes: Sexton, Osman, Windler, DeRozan, Ingles
If the Cavaliers resolve their contractual differences with restricted free agent Collin Sexton, it will likely impact another player on a guaranteed contract, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes in his latest mailbag. Adding Sexton would put the team one over the 15-man roster limit.
The Cavaliers would prefer not waive Lamar Stevens and Dean Wade, who are on non-guaranteed deals. Instead, the team would likely look to move either Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler, perhaps in a trade with an asset or two attached to a team like Indiana or San Antonio, who have cap space.
We have more from the Central Division:
- DeMar DeRozan felt the Bulls weren’t “ready for adversity” last season when injuries piled up, he told Draymond Green on his podcast (hat tip to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago). “We kind of fell apart. We lost ourselves obviously through health,” he said. “Regardless, I think I told one of the young guys after All-Star break, I said this is the moment when you see what teams are serious. He didn’t know what I meant by that. For us to hit the wall that we hit showed that we wasn’t ready for adversity.”
- During the same podcast, DeRozan spoke of how criticism aimed at the Bulls for engineering a sign-and-trade with San Antonio fueled his highly productive season. He averaged a career-high 27.9 PPG. “My whole career has kind of been based off that (criticism). But I never let it bring me completely down. It knocked me down. But I got back up,” he said. “And for me, that moment of going to Chicago, I just told myself, ‘This is a new opportunity. I’m going to make the most out of it in every type of way.’”
- The Bucks had plenty of other options with their taxpayer mid-level exception. So why did they choose Joe Ingles, who is recovering from a torn ACL? According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, they felt Ingles was the most complete player available to them.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 7/28/2022
The transcript for our weekly Thursday chat can be found here.
Join Luke Adams for our next chat on Tuesday at noon CT.
Suns Sign Monty Williams To Long-Term Extension
JULY 27: The extension is official, the Suns announced (via Twitter).
JULY 23: The Suns and Monty Williams, the NBA’s reigning Coach of the Year, have agreed on a long-term contract extension, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Williams had two years left on his original five-year contract. He’ll have several more years added to that deal.
Williams was the head coach in New Orleans from 2010-15 and the Pelicans won just two playoff games during that time. Williams was chosen as Phoenix’s head coach after an assistant coaching stint with Philadelphia.
Williams has emerged as one of the league’s premier head coaches. Phoenix reached the 2021 NBA Finals and won a franchise record 64 regular-season victories last season. The Suns, who recently matched Indiana’s offer sheet for center Deandre Ayton, should continue to be a contender for years to come behind All-Star Devin Booker.
Overall, Williams has gone 149-78 (.656) in his three seasons with Phoenix.
And-Ones: Wallace, Kalaitzakis, Vaccines, Diallo, Uthoff
Former NBA guard Tyrone Wallace has signed with Paris Basketball, according to a team press release. Wallace played six games with the Pelicans last season via a pair of 10-day deals. The 60th pick of the 2016 draft appeared in 92 games for the Clippers from 2017-19 and 14 more for the Hawks during the 2019/20 season.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Greek guard Georgios Kalaitzakis, a 2021 second-round pick who began last season in Milwaukee and ended it in Oklahoma City, is headed back overseas, having signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos, the Greek club announced in a press release. Kalaitzakis saw major minutes for the Thunder in the season’s final week, averaging 17.5 PPG in four appearances (41.4 MPG) with the team.
- The NBA will not have a vaccine mandate in place next season, according to a memo obtained by Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill (Twitter link). However, the league will “strongly suggest” that all personnel be up to date with vaccinations. Periodic testing of unvaccinated players could be allowed, pending discussions with the Players’ Association, Goodwill adds.
- A number of prominent players didn’t see any action last season. What can be expected from them when they suit up next season? ESPN’s Insiders take a closer look at those players, including Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons and John Wall.
- Former NBA players Cheick Diallo and Jarrod Uthoff have agreed to join Kyoto Hannaryz in Japan next season, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Diallo has 183 NBA games under his belt, including three with the Pistons last season. Uthoff has played 16 NBA games, including a combined seven with the Wizards and Grizzlies in 2019/20.
Community Shootaround: Jaylen Brown-Kevin Durant
The Celtics don’t have Kevin Durant on their roster. They’re already the favorite to win the NBA title next season, according to the Las Vegas bookmakers.
So should Boston trade Jaylen Brown and other players and assets for KD and become the prohibitive favorite for the championship?
Brown is the best player that any potential suitor is reportedly willing to give up to the Nets to make an all-out bid for glory. Brown, who is still under contract for multiple seasons, averaged 23.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 3.5 APG last season and, at 25, is just entering his prime.
The Celtics seemingly addressed their biggest need this summer with the acquisition of Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon. Boston didn’t have to surrender any significant rotation players in the process. The team also improved its forward depth by adding veteran Danilo Gallinari.
Let’s look at the flip side. If Jayson Tatum and Brown seem like an imposing duo, just imagine what Tatum and Durant could do alongside each other once they work out chemistry issues. KD may be 34 and moody but he’s as good as ever — he averaged just a shade under 30 PPG and a career-best 6.4 APG last season.
He’s got plenty left in the tank and the four-year contract extension he signed erases any possibility of him leaving after a year or two as a free agent, though there’s always the concern that he could request another trade.
That brings us to our question of the day: Should the Celtics give up Jaylen Brown and other significant players and assets to acquire Kevin Durant? Or should they keep Brown and take their chances at a championship run with the group they already have?
Please take to the comments section to address this topic. We look forward to your input.
Western Notes: Liddell, Jordan, Knight, Hardy
Pelicans rookie forward E.J. Liddell has undergone surgery to reconstruct the torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced in a press release. The surgery was performed Monday by Dr. Scott Montgomery and Liddell remains out indefinitely.
Liddell, a second-round pick out of Ohio State, suffered the injury during a Vegas Summer League contest.
The former Ohio State forward averaged 19.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.6 BPG over 33.2 MPG last season and was projected as a first-round pick. He remains unsigned and the Pelicans don’t currently have an opening on the 15-man roster, though they have a two-way slot available.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Why did the Nuggets choose DeAndre Jordan as a backup big rather than re-signing DeMarcus Cousins? According to Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com, there were concerns about Cousins staying healthy for a full season. He battled calf and foot injuries after signing with Denver last season. The Nuggets also wanted more rim protection at backup center and a lob threat for Denver’s current group of guards.
- Nathan Knight‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Timberwolves includes a $350K partial guarantee in year one and a $380,718 partial guarantee and team option in year two, Hoops Rumors has learned. Knight, who was on a two-way deal with Minnesota last season, signed a standard contract over the weekend. The 6’10” forward appeared in 37 NBA games last season.
- New Jazz coach Will Hardy has spent a lot of his time this month getting acquainted with the players on the current roster, he told Tony Jones of The Athletic. “The conversations with the players, they have been great,” the former Celtics assistant said. “I’ve talked to all of our guys, and some in person. My expectation is to get to know each other as people before we get to know each other as co-workers. I want us to create and develop trust with each other. We want an environment of honesty with each other.”
Timberwolves Sign A.J. Lawson To Two-Way Contract
JULY 26: The Timberwolves have officially signed Lawson to his two-way deal, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
JULY 19: The Timberwolves are signing free agent wing A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Lawson excelled during the Las Vegas Summer League for the Mavericks, averaging 15.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG in five games.
Lawson, a 6’6” guard, was waived by the Hawks during training camp last fall. He then averaged 11.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 1.8 APG in 31.8 MPG for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, while appearing in 33 games.
Lawson went undrafted in 2021 despite putting up 16.6 PPG and 4.1 RPG with a .351 3PT% in 21 games (31.3 MPG) as a junior for South Carolina in 2020/21.
Both of Minnesota’s two-way slots are empty, though the team has a two-way qualifying offer out to Nathan Knight.
Latest On Kevin Durant
The Nets are finding it difficult to deal Kevin Durant in part because suitors are unwilling to “gut their roster” to acquire the perennial All-Star, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter (video link).
Those bidders want to ensure they still “have enough left” after a Durant deal to win a championship, Wojnarowski adds. However, the Nets front office isn’t in any rush to get a deal done.
“Brooklyn does want to trade Kevin Durant,” Wojnarowski said. “They’re serious about it, but they want to do it on their terms.”
We have more regarding Durant trade chatter:
- Echoing Wojnarowski’s report, executives told Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett that any team acquiring Durant has to be sure it can win the championship immediately. “KD’s going to be 34 at the start of next season, and he’s still a superstar,” one executive told Bulpett. “But depending on what you give up, if you’re a contender now, you’d have to be pretty damn sure you were going to win more in the window with KD than with the people you trade away.”
- Why did reports about the Celtics’ interest in Durant surface this week? According to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, the Nets are looking for stronger offers in order to avoid the possibility of Durant being a no-show for training camp.
- In a much different take, unnamed executives suggested to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer that the Nets’ demands are so significant because they have no real desire to move Durant.
- There has been no traction in talks between the Nets and Raptors in a potential Durant deal, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. That’s due to Toronto’s continued refusal to trade forward Scottie Barnes.