Atlantic Notes: DSJ, Durant, Rivers, Antetokounmpo
Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. will be headed to free agency after next season and he’s trying to make a strong impression on new head coach Tom Thibodeau. He came to New York prior to the team’s mini-camp to work with the coaching staff, Ian Begley of SNY TV reports. Smith will make $5.7MM next season and the team can make him a restricted free agent next offseason if it extends a $7.7MM qualifying offer. Smith has only appeared in 87 games over the last two seasons.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Kevin Durant can opt out after the third season of his four-year contract with the Nets. However, his current plan is to finish out his career with Brooklyn, Durant indicated in a message on The Player Tribune’s “Text Message Talk Show” (hat tip to Brian Lewis of the New York Post). “As of today, this second, yes…” Durant texted during the show.
- If Tyronn Lue doesn’t get another head coaching job soon, he could wind up on Doc Rivers’ staff again, this time with the Sixers, Derek Bodner of The Athletic speculates. Several other Clippers assistants — Sam Cassell, Armond Hill and Rex Kalamian — are also potential candidates to join Rivers in Philadelphia.
- If Giannis Antetokounmpo signs an extension with Milwaukee, the Raptors would be wise to pursue a major player on the trade market prior to next year’s free agency period, Blake Murphy of The Athletic opines. It would also make it more viable to extend OG Anunoby and increase their comfort level of paying Fred VanVleet his asking price to re-sign.
Kings Notes: Hield, Brewer, Ferrell, Vassell
Buddy Hield might be unhappy but with his four-year extension kicking in, he has no leverage if the Kings want to keep him, Jason Jones of The Athletic points out. Hield has a $24.5MM cap hit next season, so any potential trade partner would have to believe he’d be a major impact player to take on his contract.
Sacramento’s front office would probably be best off holding onto Hield and seeing how the situation plays out, Jones continues. Corey Brewer and Yogi Ferrell, who couldn’t crack the rotation, are the most likely Kings players to depart this offseason, Jones adds.
We have more on the Kings:
- Hield’s flaws and off-the-court antics make it difficult to trade him, Sean Deveney of Forbes.com opines. Deveney suggests that Hield tends to get overly emotional off the court and doesn’t handle adversity well in the locker room. He also doesn’t perform well when defenses focus on him and he’s also a subpar defender, Deveney notes.
- Florida State wing Devin Vassell should be a strong consideration if he’s available with the No. 12 overall pick, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Vassell has the versatility to play either wing spot and he adds length, athleticism and energy to his 3-and-D skill set. Vassell is currently ranked No. 16 among best available prospects by ESPN.
- The Kings officially added Alvin Gentry to their coaching staff on Wednesday. Get the details here.
Western Notes: Powell, Bazemore, Holiday, Brown, Timberwolves
Mavericks big man Dwight Powell, who is signed through the 2022/23 season, is showing good progress as he rehabs from a torn right Achilles, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News reports. Powell, who underwent surgery in January, has no movement limitations. However, the closure of the Mavericks practice facility has created an obstacle to get on-court time. It typically takes an NBA player a year or more to return to action from an Achilles tear but the delayed start of next season should work in his favor.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- The Warriors could consider adding one of their former players, the Kings’ Kent Bazemore or the Pacers’ Justin Holiday, in free agency, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Poole breaks down the pros and cons of both players and concludes Holiday would be a better fit, since he has proven more durable in recent years. However, it’s also likely he’d cost more than Bazemore, Poole adds.
- It’s unclear if former Sixers coach Brett Brown is a candidate for the Thunder’s opening but there is a strong connection to the front office, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman notes. Brown worked with GM Sam Presti in the Spurs organization from 2002-07.
- The Timberwolves mini-camp facilitated Jarrett Culver‘s development and Josh Okogie‘s playmaking skills, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. It also reinforced the value of forward Jake Layman, though he suffered a broken nose during the workouts.
Kings Hire Alvin Gentry As Associate Head Coach
OCTOBER 7: The Kings’ hiring of Gentry is now official, the team announced in a press release.
“I’m excited to add Alvin’s valuable experience and leadership to the team,” Walton said in a statement. “His veteran coaching perspective will be a great addition and I look forward to working with him again to continue developing our group.”
OCTOBER 6: The Kings have reached agreement with former Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry to make him an associate head coach on Luke Walton’s staff, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
The Sixers were interested in adding Gentry to Doc Rivers’ staff in the same role, Stein adds. Walton and Gentry worked together on Steve Kerr’s staff with the Warriors.
Sacramento’s interest in Gentry was revealed last week. He was Buddy Hield‘s first head coach. Hield’s four-year extension begins next season and he reportedly wasn’t returning Walton’s phone calls.
Gentry was fired in mid-August after the Pelicans played poorly during the restart and failed to make the playoffs. Gentry spent five seasons as the head coach in New Orleans, compiling a 175-225 (.438) record and making the playoffs just once. He’s also been a head coach with the Clippers, Pistons and Suns.
Sacramento had an opening after former Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov left Walton’s staff in July to become the head coach of EuroLeague team Fenerbahce.
And-Ones: Fans In Stands, Dotson, Barnes, Harris
The NBA has pushed back next season until January with the hope of having fans in the stands but the expectation of crowds may be optimistic, Mark Medina of USA Today reports. It’s unlikely a COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available at that point and having large crowds in an indoor facility could lead to a super spreader event, according to multiple health experts who spoke to Medina. Rapid testing could make it more feasible to allow fans into indoor arenas, the story adds.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Western Carolina’s Carlos Dotson has agreed to a deal in France with JSA Bordeaux, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. The 24-year-old big man averaged 15.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG last season while receiving SoCon First Team All-Conference honors.
- The Players Association has made committee appointments for the NBA Foundation, created in partnership with the league, as well as the new Social Justice Coalition formed when the players agreed to continue the season in late August, Shams Charania of The Athletic writes. Kings forward Harrison Barnes and 76ers forward Tobias Harris will serve as player reps on the NBA Foundation, while Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony and Bucks guard Sterling Brown will serve on the Social Justice Coalition.
- NBPA executive director Michele Roberts anticipates that free agency will begin no later than December 1st. Get the details here.
Pacific Notes: Morris, Warriors, Atkinson, McNair
Forward Markieff Morris showed his value with a 19-point, six-rebound outing in Game 3 of the Finals, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. Morris, who signed with the Lakers after reaching a buyout agreement with the Pistons in February, kept his team in the game with Anthony Davis battling foul issues. Morris, who gave up a $3.3MM player option to join a contender, will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors‘ mini-camp reinforced the belief that the current roster is undersized and lacking in athleticism, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The need a big center, whether they use their lottery pick on James Wiseman or acquire a veteran. They also need more length, physicality and rim protection on the wing, Slater adds.
- Santa Cruz GM Ryan Atkinson has become a key component of the Warriors front office chain, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. His ability to discover overlooked talent has allowed Golden State to build a strong bench, with Juan Toscano-Anderson, Mychal Mulder, Roger Moute a Bidias, Ryan Taylor and Jonathon Simmons among his finds.
- Next season will be chance to evaluate and sort out who fits into new GM Monte McNair’s vision for the Kings, Jason Jones of The Athletic opines. Some veterans with reasonable contracts could being dealt in order to acquire future assets, Jones adds.
Buddy Hield Unhappy, Won’t Take Walton Calls
Buddy Hield is causing another stir, this time by saying nothing.
Hield, whose big four-year extension kicks in next season, is refusing to answer any of coach Luke Walton‘s phone calls, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic.
Hield hinted at a trade demand before the Kings front office handed him an extension worth up to $106MM, with $86MM in guarantees plus an additional $20MM in incentives.
His statistics took a tumble in Walton’s first season at the Kings’ head coach. He averaged 19.2 PPG while shooting 42.9% overall and 39.4% from deep. He also averaged a career-high 2.3 turnovers.
In his third season prior to signing the extension, Hield posted averages of 20.7 PPG on .458/.427 shooting while committing 1.8 turnovers per game. He started all 82 games that season but came off the bench in 28 of 72 games this season.
Hield was reportedly unhappy with a sixth man role.
In order for Hield to be dealt, he’d have to be traded to a team with sufficient cap room. Alternatively, the team acquiring him would have to match salaries. He’s apparently expressed a desire to join the Sixers, as Jones notes that he liked an Instagram post linking him to a trade there. Hield also liked a news alert on Twitter about Doc Rivers being hired as the Sixers’ head coach.
The Sixers have some big contracts, most notably Al Horford and Tobias Harris, that they could look to deal.
Jones provides an interesting side note that might make Hield happier in Sacramento. Jones confirmed that the Kings are interested in hiring Hield’s former Pelicans coach, Alvin Gentry, as one of Walton’s top assistants.
In any case, the situation regarding Hield, who carries a team-high $24.9MM cap hit next year, bears watching.
Timberwolves Notes: Chemistry, Beasley, Rosas, Saunders
Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders believes the team built chemistry and relationships during their mini-camp, according to Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“Our No. 1 goal within this week was to compete,” Saunders said. “Because it’s been a really long time since they’ve been able to do that in more of a structured setting. Then we also wanted to connect with this group. While you’re connecting, you also want to be able to build relationships. We talked about it where the team that is the most connected … will get a jump start on next season whenever next season starts.”
We have more on the Timberwolves:
- Team president Gersson Rosas offered support for restricted free agent Malik Beasley, who was recently arrested for narcotics possession and possession of a stolen gun, Hine writes in a separate story. Rosas has said he wants to re-sign Beasley, who was acquired from the Nuggets in February. “He’s family. We’re going to support him,” Rosas said. “We’re going to do the best that we can. But he’s got some things he’s got to take care of. The legal process has some things that have to be processed and we’ll go from there, but we’re a family and we work through things together.”
- Rosas has formed a strong bond with Saunders because they share the same vision for the franchise, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “When you have a big-picture perspective and you understand that you’re trying to reset a program, you have to have that perspective in place. I’ve talked about it and I’m fortunate I have a head coach that values the same thing,” Rosas said. “We don’t want sacrifices for the sake of incremental wins. That does nothing for us in the long term.”
- What are the biggest questions surrounding the team this offseason? We took a closer look in our Offseason Preview.
Eastern Notes: Kennard, Maker, Patton, Avdija, Garland
Rookie scale extension candidate Luke Kennard made a strong impression on Pistons coach Dwane Casey during the team’s mini-camp, James Edwards of The Athletic tweets. Kennard missed most of the season due to knee injuries but looked completely healthy during the workouts.
“Luke Kennard came in here in great shape. He accomplished and we accomplished with what we wanted to do with him. No tendinitis,” Casey said. “I think he’s in the best shape since I’ve coached him. He played with intelligence and confidence.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Neither Thon Maker nor Justin Patton stood out during that same Detroit mini-camp, Edwards reports. Entering the workouts, it was considered a battle for a frontcourt roster spot. However, it’s unlikely the Pistons will extend Maker a $4.64MM qualifying offer. Thus, Maker would become an unrestricted free agent. Patton, who has a non-guaranteed salary of $1.76MM next season, underwent pinkie surgery two days after group activities began.
- Israeli forward Deni Avdija could be the Knicks’ target if he slides to the No. 8 pick, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks plan to interview Avdija, who is praised for his versatility and outside shooting touch. He’s currently ranked No. 4 among the best available prospects by ESPN.
- Darius Garland stood out in the Cavaliers mini-camp, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Garland had the look of a “very dynamic point guard,” according to one of the team’s assistant coaches. Garland averaged 12.3 PPG, 3.9 APG and 2.6 TPG in 59 starts as a rookie after being selected with No. 5 overall pick.
Tanenbaum Promises To Extend Ujiri’s Contract
Raptors president Masai Ujiri would get plenty of offers around the league if he became available. The chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Larry Tanenbaum, vows to not let that happen, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reports.
Tanenbaum said he’ll eventually reach an extension with Ujiri, who has a year remaining on his contract.
The Raptors extended coach Nick Nurse’s contract after Toronto was eliminated from the postseason. They’re also close to an extension agreement with GM Bobby Webster, who is also under contract through next season.
“We have time and we’re going to work through the process in the right time and the right way, I know that for sure,” Tanenbaum said.
Once a deal is reached with Webster, Tanenbaum will turn his attention toward locking up Ujiri to a multi-year extension.
“Masai is getting (extensions) done (with Nurse and Webster) and we, too, will get it done,” Tanenbaum said.
Ujiri and Webster have important roster decisions to make this offseason with Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka headed to unrestricted free agency and OG Anunoby eligible for a rookie scale extension.