Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Player Development, Lacob
James Wiseman‘s inability to participate fully in training camp will hurt the Warriors more than any games he might miss at the start of the season, Anthony Slater of The Athletic opines. Wiseman’s development is crucial to making the team relevant again, due to his physical gifts that can add an explosive dimension it currently lacks on the interior. Wiseman is expected to participate in individual shooting and other individual on-court activities during camp. His return to full practices will be determined after October 15, when he’s expected to begin full jumping on the surgically repaired knee.
We have more on the Warriors:
- The team has invested heavily this offseason in player development, as Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area details. The additions of former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson along with Dejan Milojević and Jama Mahlalela were made due their reputations for developing young talent. All three have been on the job since June, Poole adds.
- Owner Joe Lacob has been fined $50K for comments regarding Ben Simmons, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). The league deemed the comments as a violation of its anti-tampering rules. Lacob said it’s unlikely the team will trade for disgruntled Sixers star.
- Lacob believes the franchise is on track for another championship, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Hopefully, this year, we’ll compete for a championship,” he said. “I think we should. Over the next 4-5 years, I think we should continue that and have a second great decade in a row.”
Cavaliers Sign Denzel Valentine To Two-Year Deal
SEPTEMBER 22: The Cavaliers have officially signed Valentine, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. As previously relayed, the contract is reportedly partially guaranteed in year one and non-guaranteed in year two.
SEPTEMBER 10: The Cavaliers are signing swingman Denzel Valentine to a two-year contract, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.
Valentine’s interest in Cleveland had previously been reported.
Valentine, 27, spent the first five years of his NBA career in Chicago. He had a promising 2017/18 season (10.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, .386 3PT%), but missed all of the ’18/19 campaign due to an ankle injury and has provided inconsistent production since that point.
The news that Cleveland is bringing in Valentine coincides with the team deciding to waive Damyean Dotson. Valentine will compete for minutes at the shooting guard and small forward spots.
And-Ones: Young, Scola, Breakout Candidates, Salary Cap
Guard Joe Young is taking a proactive approach to getting back in the league. He’ll work out for NBA teams in Houston this week, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets. Young, who appeared in 127 games for the Pacers from 2015-18, has been playing in China since the Pacers parted ways with him.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Longtime NBA forward Luis Scola has been named CEO of Italy’s Pallacanestro Varese, Sportando relays. Scola retired after playing for Varese last season and Argentina’s national team in the Tokyo Olympics.
- Darius Garland, Keldon Johnson and Jaren Jackson Jr. are some of the top breakout candidates for the upcoming season, according to a poll of 15 NBA executives conducted by Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto.
- The salary cap could increase significantly when new TV deals are signed, Morten Jensen of Forbes Sports notes. Citing a league source, Jensen writes that a $171MM salary cap is possible, assuming no cap smoothing, by 2025. Even with cap smoothing, the cap will likely increase by $15MM annually. However, it should be pointed out that it’s unknown how much the NBA’s next TV deal will be worth, so these figures are speculative.
Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Hayes, Coaching Staff
Figuring out how to maximize the backcourt of lottery picks Killian Hayes and Cade Cunningham may be most important element of Cunningham’s integration into the league, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. That process will start in training camp and Pistons head coach Dwane Casey is known for preferring multiple ballhandlers on the court. Cunningham’s versatility makes it both easier and more challenging to find the right balance between the two young backcourt partners, Langlois adds.
We have more on the Pistons:
- The team has officially named Rex Kalamian, Jerome Allen, Jim Moran and Bill Bayno as assistant coaches, and Andrew Jones as a player development coach in a press release. The news that the club was hiring Kalamian, Allen and Bayno was reported in June. Allen was on Brad Stevens’ Celtics staff, while Bayno had been on Indiana’s staff. Kalamian worked the Kings last season. A report surfaced in July that Moran, a former Portland assistant, would be joining Casey’s staff. Jordan Brink and Austin Dufault have been promoted to player development coaches, the release adds.
- Hayes may not be a legitimate building block, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic opines in a Q&A session with colleague James Edwards III. His struggles to gain separation make it very difficult for him to create anything as a lead guard and he’s always been turnover-prone, according to Vecenie, though it would unfair to give up on him too quickly. Vecenie does believe the club is being built the right way, though it needs a couple more elite players to be a true contender.
- In case you missed it, there’s been speculation that second-round rookie Luka Garza, who has signed a two-way deal, could be promoted to a standard contract. Get the details here.
Klay Thompson, James Wiseman Making “Good Progress”
Injured Warriors Klay Thompson and James Wiseman have made “good progress” and are “on pace to return for the 2021/22 season,” the team’s PR department tweets.
Thompson, who underwent surgery on his torn right Achilles on November 25, is expected to participate in various controlled drills during training camp. His return to full practices will be determined at a later date.
There has been speculation that Thompson will return to action around Christmas if all goes well.
Wiseman, who underwent surgery for a right meniscal tear in mid-April, is expected to participate in individual shooting and other individual on-court activities during camp. His return to full practices will be determined after October 15, when he’s expected to begin full jumping on the surgically repaired knee.
Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, has seen his name thrown into trade rumors this offseason, particularly involving disgruntled Sixers star Ben Simmons.
Sixers Still Hope To Get Ben Simmons In Camp
The Sixers remain determined to convince Ben Simmons to report to training camp, Marc Stein of Substack tweets. It’s still expected that Simmons will not show up, Stein adds.
The Simmons saga has been one of the bigger storylines during the offseason. Reports surfaced three weeks ago that Simmons informed the team he wanted to be dealt and wouldn’t report to camp. He made his feelings known to team owner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand, and head coach Doc Rivers in a meeting in Los Angeles.
Simmons has four years and nearly $147MM remaining on his contract. Philadelphia has reportedly engaged in talks with several potential suitors, including the Timberwolves, Raptors, Cavaliers, Pacers, Kings, Spurs, and Warriors. However, the Sixers have a high asking price and Simmons’ value has been diminished by his shooting woes, particularly on the perimeter and at the foul line.
Simmons, the top pick in the 2016 draft, posted career lows in scoring (14.3), rebounding (7.2), assists (6.9) and shot attempts (10.1) last season. Philadelphia is willing to work with Simmons to improve his offensive game but Simmons seems intent on a fresh start.
Timberwolves Sign Bowen, Silva, Lewis, Miller
The Timberwolves have signed forwards Brian Bowen II and Chris Silva and guards Matt Lewis and Isaiah Miller, according to a team press release.
The signings give Minnesota a full 20-man camp roster. Terms were not disclosed, but they’re all training camp deals.
Bowen started all five games for the Timberwolves in the Las Vegas summer league, averaging 8.4 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 24.5 MPG. He has played 12 games for the Pacers.
Silva saw action in 15 total games last season for the Heat and Kings, where he averaged 2.1 PPG and 1.8 RPG. Silva was dealt to the Kings at the trade deadline and waived in late April.
Lewis went undrafted out of James Madison University. He was named the CAA Player of the Year last season.
A report that the club was signing Miller to an Exhibit 10 contract came to light in late July. He also played in all five games of the summer league games, averaging 7.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.0 APG in 16.2 MPG.
And-Ones: USA Basketball, Mayo, Mejri
Grant Hill has taken over as USA Basketball’s managing director and one of his first tasks is to find a replacement for coach Gregg Popovich. Hill told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears that he plans to hire a new coach before the NBA season begins on October 19.
Candidates that have previous experience with USA Basketball will have the upper hand, according to Spears. That group would include Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pierce, Jay Wright, Doc Rivers, Nate McMillan, Monty Williams, Tom Thibodeau, Erik Spoelstra and Jeff Van Gundy.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard O.J. Mayo has reached an agreement with Russia’s Unics Kazan, Sportando relays. Sport-Business.ru was first to report the news. Mayo was banned by the NBA in 2016 for violating the league’s drug program. Mayo has recently played in China.
- Former Mavericks big man Salah Mejri has reached an agreement with Al Jahra in Kuwait, according to Sportando. Mejri appeared in 204 games with Dallas from 2015-19.
- In case you missed it, Jarrell Brantley is expected to sign with a Russian team after being waived by the Jazz. Get the details here.
Eastern Notes: Goodwin, Bulls, Wizards, Knicks
Former Hawks guard Brandon Goodwin worked out for the Celtics this week, Chris Grenham of Forbes Sports tweets. There’s mutual interest in a training camp invite, though no contract has been signed. Goodwin saw action in 47 games with Atlanta last year, averaging 4.9 PPG and 2.0 APG.
He played on a $1.7MM contract last season and became a free agent when the team failed to extend a qualifying offer. He didn’t play in the postseason, partially due to a respiratory condition.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- While most of the rotation spots are a given, the Bulls will have a number of intriguing training camp battles, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. Marko Simonovic could work his way into the mix at both power forward and center, while Troy Brown Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr. will compete for second-unit minutes at the wing. Free agent signee Alex Caruso and Coby White will fight for backcourt minutes once White fully heals from shoulder surgery.
- Oddsmakers don’t think much of the Wizards, but they may be underestimating what the front office did this offseason, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. PointsBet has a 34.5-win over/under line for the Wizards, 12th among Eastern Conference teams, and ESPN’s experts peg them as the 11th-best team in the conference. However, Washington improved its depth this summer and project to be an improved defensive unit, Hughes notes.
- The Knicks get a B-minus from The Athletic’s Zach Harper as their offseason grade. While the backcourt was upgraded with the addition of Kemba Walker, Harper believes the small forward spot didn’t improve all that much by replacing Reggie Bullock with Evan Fournier. They also didn’t improve in the frontcourt spots, in Harper’s estimation.
Rockets Sign Dante Exum, Waive Tyler Bey
The Rockets have officially re-signed guard Dante Exum and waived Tyler Bey to create a roster space for him, according to the NBA’s transactions log. Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw was the first to report the Bey transaction (Twitter link).
The deal is expected to be for three years and could be worth up to $15MM, but it will be non-guaranteed and will be heavy on incentives, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). We’ll have to wait for more details on the agreement to get a sense of how much Exum will realistically earn if he makes the regular season roster.
With John Wall not expected to play for the team this season as it seeks to trade him, the Rockets were in the market for another point guard. The Rockets’ interest in Exum surfaced on Tuesday.
Exum’s career has been marred by major injuries since he was selected with the No. 5 overall pick by the Jazz in 2014. He was dealt to Cleveland in December 2019.
Exum ended up with the Rockets this past winter as part of the four-team James Harden trade, though injuries kept him on the bench for the entirety of his 2020/21 Houston tenure. He appeared in just six games for Cleveland last season.
Exum played a prominent role on Australia’s bronze medal-winning squad at the Tokyo Olympics, averaging 9.0 PPG and 2.8 APG.
Bey, a 6’7” forward, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Houston on Aug. 25.
He was a high second-round selection in 2020 out of Colorado, taken with the 36th pick by the Sixers. He was included in the deal that sent Josh Richardson to the Mavericks for Seth Curry. Bey only played 18 games with the Mavs, and averaged just 3.9 minutes a game in those 18 contests, though he recorded 15.1 PPG and 9.2 RPG in the G League.