And-Ones: ESPN Broadcasters, Inside The NBA, Small Forward Market, Key Dates
The current top ABC/ESPN broadcasting trio of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson might not work together beyond the NBA Finals, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports.
That grouping hasn’t meshed like the vaunted trio of Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy — the latter two were let go by ESPN during a series of cost-cutting moves in 2023. The network will reevaluate its current roster of broadcasters after the Finals, Marchand says, adding that ESPN intends on re-signing Jefferson, though the analyst has also drawn interest from Amazon Prime Video.
Burke’s spot is not guaranteed for next season, according to Marchand, but Breen is locked in as the top play-by-play man. Tim Legler has supporters among the network’s top executives and could become a option to join the No. 1 broadcasting group.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- TNT’s celebrated “Inside the NBA” show will move to ESPN next season but Charles Barkley doesn’t intend to finish out his 10-year contract, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports relays. Barkley has seven years left on the $210MM contract he signed with TNT and said on the Dan Patrick Show he only wants to work two more years. “Inside the NBA” will continue to have an extended post-game show and will also lead ESPN’s pregame and halftime programming.
- The free agent small forward pool doesn’t have an All-Star level talent, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. The “starter tier” is headed by Khris Middleton and Kelly Oubre, who hold options on their contracts. Restricted free agent Justin Edwards and unrestricted FA Taurean Prince round out that group.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks lists all the key offseason dates, beginning with the draft’s early entry entrant withdrawal deadline for non-college players on June 15. The other important date this month prior to the draft is the start of negotiations between teams and their own free agents, which occurs the day after the Finals conclude.
Dumars: Zion To Remain Pelicans’ Franchise Cornerstone
Zion Williamson will remain the Pelicans‘ franchise cornerstone, new executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Dumars cleared up any speculation regarding the possibility of Williamson being traded this offseason.
“I’ve had really good conversations with Zion,” Dumars said. “We’ve had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We’ve done it all. I’ve had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations. We’re going to go forward with Zion. He’s going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward.”
Naturally, Williamson has to hold up his end of the bargain. His career has been marred by numerous injuries. He missed the entire 2021/22 season due to foot ailments and appeared in no more than 30 games in three of his other five seasons, including this past year.
When he’s been on the court, Williamson has been a stat-stuffer, averaging 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game over the course of his career. The conversations between Dumars and Williamson have included expectations that the former No. 1 overall pick will get in top shape and do everything possible to stay on the court. He has three years remaining on his maximum-salary contract, which isn’t fully guaranteed.
“We’ve had some real direct conversations with him about that,” Dumars said. “Expectations. Accountability. That’s our plan going forward with Zion.”
Williamson has been in the news recently, as a woman who says she dated him for several years has filed a lawsuit against the Pelicans forward, alleging rape and abuse. Williamson’s legal reps have called the allegations “categorically false and reckless.”
While Dumars declined to comment on Williamson’s legal issues, Pelicans owner Gayle Benson did briefly address them earlier this week, saying “You know, lawsuits are lawsuits. You really can’t … You don’t know. I mean people can sue you for anything. There’s no reason. You can be innocent or not. It’s just something that people do, unfortunately.”
Dumars did confirm that Williamson represented the team at the draft lottery last month to make a statement about the 24-year-old’s status within the organization.
“I sent him to the lottery for a reason,” Dumars said. “I want him to start focusing on the responsibilities of being the best player here and the focal point. There are some responsibilities that come with that. Go represent your organization.”
Dumars also discussed with Walker his thoughts on retaining Willie Green as head coach.
“It’s hard for me to come in here and say, ‘Here’s how I assessed Willie last year,” Dumars said. “I wasn’t here. All I can do is move forward and guide and create and lead and put expectations on what we need to do here to be successful. And only then can I judge Willie or anyone else. I was pleased with what I heard. I’m looking forward to going forward and working with Willie and to push us to success. You’ve got to set the bar. And that’s what we’re going to do.”
Suns To Hire Cavs Assistant Jordan Ott As Head Coach
The Suns are hiring Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their new head coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. Ott has been an NBA assistant since 2013.
Ott becomes the team’s fourth head coach in four seasons. Suns owner Mat Ishbia fired Monty Williams after the 2022/23 season, shortly after taking control of the franchise. NBA veteran head coaches Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer only lasted one season apiece before they were dismissed.
Phoenix will now turn to a veteran assistant receiving his first crack as a head coach.
Ott emerged from a group of at least 15 candidates, according to Charania. He has agreed to a four-year contract, 98.7 FM Phoenix talk show host John Gambadoro tweets.
Ott has long-time ties to Ishbia, Jeff Goodman notes (Twitter link). Ott is a former Tom Izzo staffer at Michigan State, where Ishbia played as a walk-on.
He began his NBA coaching career as a video coordinator with the Hawks. He served as a Nets assistant from 2016-22, then moved on to the Lakers until this past season. He followed former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson to Cleveland after Atkinson got the top job with the Cavs.
Another Cavs assistant, Johnnie Bryant, was the other finalist for the Suns job. Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Dallas assistant Sean Sweeney were also confirmed to be under consideration during the final round of interviews, with Thunder assistant Dave Bliss and Suns assistant David Fizdale reported to be in the mix too.
Ott will be taking over a franchise in a state of flux. Ishbia’s plans to win a championship by building a super-team around Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker failed miserably, with the Suns not even qualifying for the postseason in Budenholzer’s only season at the helm.
The Suns are expected to pursue trades involving Durant and Beal, though Beal would have to waive his no-trade clause. Booker was heavily involved in the search process during the final stages and gave Ott a stamp of approval as his top choice as well, Charania tweets.
As for Bryant, he’s rumored to be a candidate for the Knicks’ opening. Bryant was an assistant under Tom Thibodeau with the Knicks until this season.
Nets Notes: Draft Trades, Johnson, Fears, Bridges Deal
The Nets possess four first-round picks in this month’s draft, including the No. 8 overall selection. They are reportedly pursuing another top-10 pick, NetsDaily tweets.
According to NetsDaily, Brooklyn may try to move its second-highest pick at No. 19 and Cameron Johnson to the Raptors for the No. 9 pick or the Rockets at No. 10, taking back a “bad contract” in the process. However, both of those teams might be a little reluctant to move their picks before learning whether Milwaukee makes Giannis Antetokounmpo available, as Toronto and Houston are both regarded as potential landing spots for the Bucks’ superstar.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- The Nets are positioned to follow the blueprint that led the Pacers and Thunder to the Finals, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Both of those organizations chose to find young, defensive-minded players with rotations that go 10-deep, rather than stacking three superstars and fitting low-cost pieces around them.
- Oklahoma freshman guard Jeremiah Fears is ranked No. 7 on ESPN’s big board and NetsDaily’s Lucas Kaplan takes a long look at whether Fears could be the Nets’ long-term solution at the point. Kaplan notes that Fears, 18, had a high usage rate for an Southeastern Conference team and many defenders couldn’t stay in front of him, often resorting to fouling him.
- In this year’s draft alone, the Nets acquired the Nos. 19, 26 and 36 picks from the Mikal Bridges trade. How they use those picks will help determine whether the Nets or Knicks wind up as the ultimate winner in the deal, according to another NetsDaily.com story.
Latest On Knicks’ Coaching Job
While numerous rival NBA executives believed that the Knicks had a replacement lined up before firing Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, that’s not the case, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.
The Knicks have fostered the notion that this decision was made by team president Leon Rose but many of the same executives are skeptical of that story, Stein says, considering Rose’s close ties to Thibodeau and the fact that Rose insisted on hiring him.
Meanwhile, numerous league observers acquainted with the inner workings of the Knicks organization believe owner James Dolan has been a “non-fan” of Thibodeau for a long time. Dolan reportedly sat in on post-season meetings with key players.
Two head coaches who are not currently available but said to interest the Knicks are the Mavericks‘ Jason Kidd and Rockets‘ Ime Udoka. However, Stein hears that Houston would deny any attempts by the Knicks to interview Udoka and the Mavs would likely do the same regarding Kidd, though he could not immediately confirm that.
Kidd, who played for the Knicks and interviewed for their head coaching job in 2020, has two seasons left on a contract extension he received during last season’s playoffs. He has also has close ties to Giannis Antetokounmpo, whom the Knicks are expected to pursue in trade talks if Milwaukee makes him available.
Among available coaches, former Villanova coach Jay Wright and Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant — a finalist for Phoenix’s head coaching job — are presumed to be likely candidates. Wright has repeatedly said in the past he’s not interested in coaching in the NBA, though several of his former players are key players for the Knicks.
Here’s more on the Knicks coaching situation:
- Numerous sources told Adam Zagoria (Twitter link) that it’s doubtful Wright would come out of retirement to coach the Knicks. Seth Davis, who has worked closely with Wright at CBS in recent years, is also extremely skeptical about the idea that Wright would want the job (Twitter link).
- Their search will include college coaches and won’t be limited to current assistants or former NBA head coaches, Kris Pursiainen of Clutch Points tweets.
- The Knicks better find their “Joe Torre,” who won multiple championship with the Yankees, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines, arguing that the decision to dump Thibodeau makes no sense otherwise.
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reiterates that he’s hearing former Nuggets coach Michael Malone is not a candidate.
Northwest Notes: Wiggins, Blazers, Garland, Wolves
Aaron Wiggins had to wait until the 55th pick to be selected in the 2021 draft. The Thunder offered him a two-way deal and he wasn’t necessarily thrilled at the prospect at the time, he told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
“We’re sitting there watching the draft and there was a lot of mixed emotions,” Wiggins said. “The second round started. There were a couple [draft] spots with teams that I thought I had good workouts with and I’m expecting to possibly be drafted and don’t get drafted. Then late in the second round, I get a call from my agent saying the Thunder are drafting me and want to sign a two-way [contract]. I wasn’t necessarily upset. I was happy and grateful to be blessed, but I wasn’t happy either. So, I was just glad to have heard my name and know that I was being given an opportunity.”
Wiggins has done the most with that opportunity. He eventually had the two-way converted to a standard deal and last summer he signed a five-year, $45MM contract. He appeared in 76 regular season games, though his playing time has dropped in the postseason.
“I’m just doing the same thing I’ve done for the last couple of years,” Wiggins said. “Trust in our coaching staff. Buying into the team first and understand that success will come. I trust in that and want to win first, celebrate my teammates and everything will work its way out.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- In their latest pre-draft workout on Tuesday, the Trail Blazers looked at Cameron Hildreth (Wake Forest), Ben Gregg (Gonzaga), Jamiya Neal (Arizona State), Mohamed Diawara (Cholet), Caleb Grill (Missouri) and Damari Monsanto (UTSA), Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report tweets. Grill, ranked No. 74 on ESPN’s Best Available list, heads that group of potential second-round selections.
- How can the Trail Blazers upgrade their roster? Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (subscription required) believes there are several approaches they could take. The Blazers could add another frontcourt player to give them additional size and seek an upgrade at guard if they don’t think Scoot Henderson will ever live up to his draft status. They could also target a young player with high upside on a low-cost contract, similar to what they did last season when they acquired Deni Avdija from Washington.
- Darius Garland might be an ideal backcourt partner for Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, Michael Rand of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines. Garland would be the type of combo guard who could unlock more of Edwards’ two-way potential while taking pressure off him offensively, according to Rand. Garland has three years and approximately $126.5MM remaining on his contract. The Cavaliers aren’t looking to move their starting point guard, but are said to be more open to the idea than in the past.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Giannis, Porzingis, Sixers, Murry
According to a Toronto Star story, there’s mutual interest between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Raptors. So what would it take to acquire the Bucks superstar?
Josh Lewenberg of TSN tackles that subject with the biggest unknown being whether Toronto would be willing to part with its biggest star, Scottie Barnes. Thus far, the Raptors’ front office has been unwilling to discuss Barnes in any trade scenario.
Lewenberg speculates that any preliminary offer from the Raptors wouldn’t include Barnes. Instead, they would offer a package of picks, prospects, and salary filler, similar to what they offered Portland for Damian Lillard two years ago. Could a package of RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, either Gradey Dick or Ja’Kobe Walter, and a handful of future first-round picks get it done? Lewenberg doubts that, believing other teams could top that offer unless Toronto is willing to part with Barnes.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Kristaps Porzingis will be on an expiring $30.7MM contract in 2025/26 and the Celtics are expected to shed salary this offseason. Brian Robb of MassLive.com makes some hypothetical trade proposals, speculating what Boston might receive back from Detroit, both Los Angeles teams, Utah, Portland and Brooklyn for Porzingis.
- The Sixers‘ blueprint to a championship appears to be obsolete, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. Philadelphia tried the old formula of stacking superstars by signing Paul George last summer to a max deal to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. However, the Thunder and Pacers took very different routes to this year’s NBA Finals, relying on young, versatile, athletic players without breaking the bank, while emphasizing depth.
- The Sixers will retain Toure Murry as a player development coach, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto tweets. Murry, who played 51 games with the Knicks in 2013/14, joined the Sixers staff prior to the 2023/24 season.
Latest On Thibodeau Firing, Knicks’ Coaching Search
The obvious question for the Knicks now is ‘Who is Tom Thibodeau‘s replacement?”
In the aftermath of Thibodeau’s shocking firing on Tuesday, speculation is already running rampant about who the Knicks will choose in the hopes of finally getting to the Finals in future seasons.
The Athletic staff compiled a list of names, in alphabetic order, that included Dave Bliss, James Borrego, Johnnie Bryant, Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins, Darvin Ham, Michael Malone, Micah Nori, Chris Quinn, Sean Sweeney and even former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Brown (Kings), Jenkins (Grizzlies) and Malone (Nuggets) were all dismissed from their head coaching jobs this season. Bryant, a former Knicks assistant to Thibodeau, is reportedly a finalist for the Suns’ head coaching position.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tossed in some names from the college ranks, including two-time national champion Dan Hurley, who declined the Lakers offer last summer to stay at UConn. Bondy also mentioned Alabama’s Nate Oats and Arkansas’ John Calipari into the mix.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright, along with NBA head coaching veterans Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel, were among the candidates that ESPN’s Zach Kram offered.
Here’s more on the Thibodeau firing and its implications:
- In the statement released by the team after Thibodeau’s dismissal, the stated goal was “our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans.” According to ESPN Tim Bontemps’ sources, that is indeed why the move was made. The Knicks decided a new voice was needed to lift this franchise to the next level. Bontemps pointed out that the team’s high-priced starting five was outscored from Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season and also struggled in the postseason until Mitchell Robinson was inserted into the lineup.
- The way the front office handled exit interviews after the season was different, Ian Begley of SNY TV reports (Twitter video link). The team’s top players were called in to meetings that included owner James Dolan, though the team’s president was the one who made the ultimate decision. Leon Rose had previously been a staunch supporter of Thibodeau but his feelings waned through this season. “Leon Rose obviously saw something different over the past year-plus that led him to believe that this is the right move for the franchise with James Dolan backing Leon Rose there,” Begley said.
- A source told NJ Advance Media contributor Adam Zagoria that New York would be a “good landing spot” for Malone, who has ties to the area. Malone was born in Queens, N.Y. and played point guard at Seton Hall Prep. His late father, Brendan Malone, was a Knicks assistant under Hubie Brown. However, Bondy tweets that Malone replacing Thibodeau is “not going to happen.”
- Thibodeau deserved another season, James Edwards of The Athletic opined, considering he was pivotal in bringing the franchise back to prominence. Edwards noted that the core group had just been pieced together this season. Now, there’s pressure to make sure the next head coach is the perfect hire or else the franchise could suffer major setbacks, Edwards concludes.
Pacers Notes: Finals Odds, Siakam, Turnaround, Turner
The oddsmakers and bettors don’t believe the Pacers have much of a chance in the Finals against the Thunder. At BetMGM, the Pacers have +500 odds to win the championship, making them the biggest underdogs in the NBA Finals since the Cavaliers in 2018, Prince J. Grimes of the Indianapolis Star notes. The Warriors won those Finals in a sweep.
In fact, the oddsmakers believe it will be a quick series. The betting favorite for the length of the series is a 4-1 Thunder victory. Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the huge favorite to win Finals MVP at -625 odds with Tyrese Haliburton a distant second at +700.
We have more on the Pacers:
- Pascal Siakam has developed into the ideal second star for the Pacers, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. Koreen outlines how Siakam has expanded his game over the years, both before and since the trade that sent him from Toronto to Indiana. Siakam, named the Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Conference Finals, is averaging 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting a blistering 46.3 percent from long range in 16 postseason games.
- Siakam was instrumental in the team’s turnaround from a 10-15 start, particularly by offering words of encouragement to Haliburton, who was struggling with his shooting at the time, as Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star details. Ramping up their pressure defense and inserting Aaron Nesmith into the starting lineup were some of the other keys to the Pacers’ dramatic rise to the top of the Eastern Conference.
- Myles Turner believes the era of the “super team,” with established All-Stars banding together to win the championship, has ended. “I think it’s a new blueprint for the league,” Turner said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I think the years of the super teams and stacking, it’s just not as effective as it once was, you know what I mean? Since I’ve been in the league, the NBA has been very trendy; it just shifts. But the new trend now is just kind of what we’re doing. OKC does the same thing — young guys get out and run, defend and use the power of friendship.”
And-Ones: Cook, Sirvydis, 2022 Redraft, Gasol
Former NBA forward Tyler Cook is signing with a Japanese team, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports. He’ll be joining the Ibaraki Robots.
Cook averaged 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 63.6% shooting in the Turkish league with Merkezefendi this past season. He played 65 games in the NBA, most recently with Chicago in 2021/22.
Here’s more from the international basketball world:
- Another former NBA forward, Deividas Sirvydis, is re-signing with Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas on a contract that runs through the 2027/28 season, according to a team press release. In his debut EuroLeague season, Sirvydis averaged 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, shooting 51.5% from two-point range and 38.8% from three-point range. Sirvydis, a 2019 second-round pick, made 23 appearances with Detroit.
- If they had to do it all over again, Paolo Banchero would still be the No. 1 pick of the 2022 draft. HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina conducted a 2022 re-draft and there was one big move up the draft ladder — Urbina suggests Jalen Williams would be the No. 2 pick instead of the No. 12 selection, while Dyson Daniels would also move into the top five.
- Speaking to Eurohoops, former NBA All-Star Pau Gasol wouldn’t go as far as saying the current group of European stars are better than his era’s top imports. Rather, he looks at it as each generation grows the legacy of European players before them.