Grizzlies Grant Lakers Permission To Meet With Dwight Howard
The Grizzlies are granting the Lakers permission to meet with eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Both Howard and the Lakers have mutual interest on a deal, as Charania reported earlier on Sunday, with the team scanning the free-agent market for veteran centers in the wake of DeMarcus Cousins‘ ACL tear. Howard is currently under contract with Memphis, who traded for his services in a deal with the Wizards back in July for swingman C.J. Miles.
“I want to be whatever a team needs me to be,” Howard told Charania in an interview last month. “I’ve played in every situation so far. I used to really hate how Draymond (Green) plays, but what I noticed watching him during these playoffs was that he does everything for the team.
“He’s everywhere. He’ll get a tech, he’ll take a charge, he’ll be everywhere on defense. He’s talking. He does everything. It doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, but it shows up in the mind of everyone watching. I want to be that person.”
The Lakers requesting a meeting with Howard is only being described as “due diligence”, a team source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Howard, 33, appeared in 75 games during a tumultuous season with the team back in 2012/13, averaging 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest. He only saw action in nine games with Washington last season, missing most of the campaign with various back, glute and hamstring injuries.
Nets Notes: Irving, Prokhorov, Tsai, Levy
Kyrie Irving is already making his presence felt as the leader of the Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Irving has helped lead informal team workouts that includes the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, Caris LeVert, Theo Pinson, David Nwaba and free agent Carmelo Anthony in Los Angeles over the past few weeks, with training camp set to start in less than two months.
“It was basically player-driven,” Pinson said of the workouts, as relayed by Lewis. “Kyrie was out there, and we wanted to get with him, so we just all went out there and just worked out together.”
Brooklyn revamped its roster this offseason, bringing in several new players and moving on from star guard D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Warriors for Kevin Durant. The team’s sudden roster overhaul makes it imperative that players get acclimated to each other before camp begins, with Irving helping lead the way for the franchise this month.
“It’s good. It gives us a little head start going into camp. Just getting not just on the court and [basketball-wise], but off the court also: playing ‘[NBA] 2K’, going to dinner and stuff like that. It’s been fun,” Pinson said.
There’s more out of Brooklyn today:
- Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated examines the complicated legacy left behind by Mikhail Prokhorov, who’s set to officially offload the rest of his ownership in the team to Joe Tsai at the end of August. Prokhorov acquired the Nets for $223 million in 2009, selling the team for $2.35 billion this summer.
- Like Prokhorov, Tsai is confident his purchase in the Nets will prove to be a profitable decision down the road, Josh Kosman and Brian Lewis write for the New York Post. Tsai is banking on the NBA’s international growth — particularly in China — along with the superstar additions of Irving and Durant to help lead the way.
- Former Turner Sports executive David Levy is a serious candidate to replace Brett Yormark as CEO of the franchise, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Yormark recently announced his departure after spending 14 years with the team, leaving alongside Prokhorov.
Knicks To Sign Lamar Peters
The Knicks have agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with undrafted guard Lamar Peters, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Peters, 21, averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 assists and two rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game during his junior season at Mississippi State last year, earning a spot with New York’s summer league team after going undrafted.
Peters is now set to compete in training camp with the franchise to start his professional career. The Knicks are coming off a busy offseason, signing players such Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Morris, and others on new deals during the free agency period.
The Knicks have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, plus one on a two-way contract. Peters joins Amir Hinton, V.J. King, Kenny Wooten, and Kris Wilkes (two-way) as players who have reportedly reached deals with New York that have not yet been finalized.
And-Ones: Team USA, Beasley, Draft Picks, NCAA
While some NBA players have considered the matter, Paul George‘s gruesome leg injury suffered during a Team USA scrimmage in the summer of 2014 hasn’t necessarily impacted every player’s decision on playing in the FIBA World Cup next month, Marc Stein of the New York Times writes.
George, who was stretchered off the court after fracturing his tibia and fibula, was coming off a career season with averages of 21.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest at the time. Many wondered if George would ever be the same due to the injury, but he worked vigorously to get his body back to shape and eventually became an even better all-around player.
“I appreciate the guys who still come out here and do this, because a lot of people would say, ‘If something like that could happen, why would you come out here and risk it?’ But I was talking with Coach Malone and he said, ‘You guys are in the gym playing anyway.’ If you’re playing basketball, you’re playing basketball,” Nuggets center Mason Plumlee said, as relayed by Stein.
While Plumlee has opted to keep his name in team consideration for next month, several stars such as Damian Lillard, DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Kevin Love and others have already withdrawn from competition to focus on the upcoming NBA season.
The 2019 FIBA World Cup begins on Saturday, Aug. 31, with Team USA scheduled to play its first game against the Czech Republic on Sunday, Sept. 1.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world tonight:
- Michael Beasley‘s five-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy stems from a failed drug test last fall, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Beasley failed the test around the same time his mom was dying of cancer, Charania notes.
- Seth Partnow of The Athletic examines why NBA teams aren’t hoarding first-round draft picks as frequently as they have in the past. Of the 30 first-round picks in June’s NBA draft, 11 of them changed teams either around or on the night of the event.
- Michael McCann of Sports Illustated explored how NBA power agent Rich Paul could build a case against the NCAA for changing its criteria for agents who wish to represent collegiate players. The NCAA is expected to enforce that certified agents have a bachelor’s degree, be certified by the NBPA for at least three years and pass an in-person exam at the organization’s headquarters, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Eastern Notes: Brooks, Poirier, Beasley, Magic
The Wizards are set to face a number of challenges entering the 2019/20 season, which could ultimately reinvigorate head coach Scott Brooks as the team works through its struggles, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports writes.
Brooks, who was hired by Washington in 2016 after eight years with Oklahoma City, is set to coach one of the league’s most underwhelming rosters on paper this season. The matter intensifies when you remember All-Star guard John Wall will likely sit the entire season due to a torn Achilles’ tendon.
“One thing I also want to really pipe in on is the support we have from Coach Brooks and his staff and the ability they have to pivot,” general manager Tommy Sheppard said. “When Coach Brooks got here, we won 49 games and we were one game away from going to the conference finals. That was kind of the team he got coming through the door. Now, this takes him back to his OKC days.”
The Wizards wound up missing the playoffs last season due to an assortment of injuries, and a new roster will certainly test the patience of Brooks this year as the franchise seeks to find a new identity under Sheppard.
Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference tonight:
- New Celtics center Vincent Poirier was seen working out with Rudy Gobert recently, as relayed by Michael DePrisco of NBC Sports Boston. Poirier, who’s also a native of France, is a talented 25-year-old big man who signed a free-agent deal with the Celtics back in July.
- Veteran forward Michael Beasley turned down a guaranteed $2.5MM contract in China to sign a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Pistons, according to James Edwards and Shams Charania of The Athletic. Beasley is set to enter his 12th NBA season, with the 30-year-old appearing in 26 games on the Lakers last year.
- Ben Nadeau of Basketball Insiders grades the Magic‘s offseason, detailing the team’s draft night, free agency period and more. In addition to re-signing Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross, Michael Carter-Williams and Khem Birch, Orlando was able to sign defensive specialist Al-Farouq Aminu during the first week of free agency. The team also chose to draft Auburn product Chuma Okeke with the No. 16 overall pick in June.
Marvin Bagley III Withdraws From Team USA
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III has withdrawn from Team USA’s training camp to focus on the upcoming NBA season, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).
Bagley, who earned a promotion to the Team USA senior roster by playing well in training camp last week, had impressed coaches and officials enough to earn consideration for the final 12-man roster that has yet to be finalized, Stein notes in a separate tweet.
Bagley is coming off a rookie season that saw him average 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and one block in 25.3 minutes per contest, playing off the bench in 62 of his 65 games. He beat out fellow bigs Thaddeus Young and Bam Adebayo to make the senior roster on Team USA.
The Kings still have third-year guard De’Aaron Fox and veteran forward Harrison Barnes vying to make the final group out of 16 remaining players. The FIBA World Cup is scheduled to begin play on Aug. 31, with Team USA set to have its first game on Sept. 1.
Western Notes: Kuzma, Carmelo, Daniels, Rockets, Rosas
With Carmelo Anthony still unsigned nearly six weeks after the start of free agency, Anthony has received strong support from a rather surprising source this week: Kyle Kuzma.
Kuzma, who is entering his third season with the Lakers, a team that’s been linked to Anthony for several months, firmly believes that Anthony belongs on an NBA roster and is better than many players who currently hold roster spots.
“Melo is easily better than half the league right now,” Kuzma said, according to Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times. “There’s no question about it. He should be on a team right now. He’s still one of the best players. The slander people throw at him is something I don’t really understand. Maybe that’s just the way today’s society is right now.
“It would be great to see him in L.A., but I don’t make those decisions. That’s up to [Lakers GM] Rob [Pelinka] to make those decisions as far as what he thinks is best for the Lakers. He’s done a great job so far putting this team together.”
The Lakers expressed exploratory interest in Anthony last season, but ultimately decided against signing the 35-year-old to a contract. Anthony last played in an NBA game during November of 2018.
“I love the game too much to be away from it,” he said on ESPN’s First Take last week. “I just love the game. I train the young guys, I’m training myself, I’m in it. I got a new life to me.”
There’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:
- New Lakers guard Troy Daniels discussed his decision to sign with the team in an interview with Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. “I think we have the correct balance of veterans and young guys,” Daniels said of his team. “We have the guys who have been in the league a while and won championships, but we also have the young guys who are still developing like Kyle Kuzma, who is coming along really well and has tremendous upside. We have go-to stars in Anthony Davis and LeBron James. I think we have the right combination of guys on this team and I think we can go really far. Our goal is to win a championship, but first and foremost, we must make the playoffs. And once we make the playoffs, we’ll go from there. But this team could go really far and I’m really looking forward to working with all of these guys.”
- The Rockets renounced their draft rights to Marko Todorovic, making the 27-year-old center an unrestricted free agent, according to RealGM’s transactions page. Todorovic was the 45th overall pick in the 2013 draft.
- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski recently praised Wolves president Gersson Rosas, who accepted his new job with the organization back in May. “He’s a completely trustworthy guy,” Krzyzewski said of Rosas, according to Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. “When you’re building a winning culture, one of the main things you need is trust,” Krzyzewski said recently. “You have to believe a person. You can believe him in an instant. If he says it, it is going to happen.” Rosas was the international player personnel scout on Team USA in 2016, with Krzyzewski serving as head coach at the time.
Southeast Notes: Parker, Carmelo, Heat, Hornets
Former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker expressed confidence in his decision to sign with the Hawks last month, explaining to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune why Atlanta appeared to be the best situation for him in free agency.
“It’s never promised that things are going to go well, but just from the energy that I’m feeling, it’s a good situation for me,” Parker said. “Trae Young is someone who can not only score but distribute. John Collins is a very, very good player.
“I know the expectations. I can fulfill my role accordingly. I’m young, but they’re younger. One thing I take pride in is I’ve now been every player — from the first to last guy on the team. And I’m grateful for those experiences.”
Parker, who held per-game averages of 14.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 26.9 minutes last season with Chicago and Washington, has had a rocky start to his professional career. He’s played with four different teams since being drafted in 2014, unable to find a consistent role with a franchise.
In addition to adding Parker, the Hawks will enter the 2019/20 season with new players Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe, Damian Jones and Chandler Parsons, along with first-round picks Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter.
There’s more from the Southeast Division today:
- Carmelo Anthony could be a logical option for the Heat depending on what role he’d receive, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Miami is loaded at the power forward position, though the team could use its final roster spot on a player who can provide depth at small forward if Justise Winslow keeps his starting point guard job. The Heat’s decision could also come down to whether Udonis Haslem chooses to return next season.
- In a separate piece for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman examines how outside free agency signings impacted the Heat and their competition during the offseason. Superstars such as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Paul George and others all changed teams this past summer.
- Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter) provides cap details on the contracts inked by Cody Martin and Caleb Martin, who both signed with the Hornets. Cody’s contract ($1.17MM in the first season) is guaranteed in the second season and non-guaranteed in the third, while Caleb signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the team.
Central Notes: Holiday, Billups, Pistons, LaVine
New Pacers guard Justin Holiday was drawn to Indiana as a free agent due to the team’s winning culture and mentality, according to David Woods of the Indianapolis Star.
Holiday, whose brother Aaron Holiday currently plays for the Pacers, agreed to a one-year, $4.8MM deal with Indiana after evaluating interest on the open market. He has mostly played for non-playoff teams in recent seasons, making stops with Philadelphia, Golden State, Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Memphis across his six-year career.
“It had nothing to do with finances at all,” Holiday said, as relayed by Woods. “I literally came here because of the culture of the team, coaching staff, the people in the front office. And my brother – that helps as well.
“This team wins every year. That’s something I want to do, is to be able to win. And also help the team get to the next level because I believe can do that.”
Holiday is expected to provide depth in the backcourt for the Pacers, a franchise that finished with a solid record (48-34) last year despite losing All-Star guard Victor Oladipo to injury. Indiana will be seeking its fifth straight playoff appearance and ninth in the last 10 years this upcoming season.
There’s more from the Central Division tonight:
- Former Pistons star Chauncey Billups hopes to see the team reach the playoffs again next spring, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. “Continuity can be a good thing, just add some pieces here and there,” Billups said. “I need to see how it all works together, but we’ll see because teams got a lot better. I can’t tell you the Pistons are one of those teams that got a lot better — maybe a little better. Obviously, I’m hoping that the Pistons will jump out there and kick a lot of butt because I’m tired of people talking stuff to me about my Pistons.”
- New players could allow the Pistons to mix up rotations and try different lineups this season, Rod Beard writes for The Detroit News. The Pistons signed Derrick Rose, Markieff Morris and Tim Frazier to contracts in free agency, also acquiring forward Tony Snell from Milwaukee, claiming Christian Wood off waivers and selecting Sekou Doumbouya at No. 15 in June’s NBA Draft.
- Former Bulls forward Bobby Portis tweeted his support on Saturday to get Zach LaVine on Team USA for the FIBA World Cup. Portis and LaVine were teammates in Chicago for part of last season and during the 2017/18 season.
Community Shootaround: NBA’s Best Duo
A hectic offseason has shifted some major balance in the NBA across both conferences, with stars such as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Paul George and others switching teams to create a surprising new-look league this summer.
There appears to be no clear front-runner for the first time in recent memory, though a common theme rapidly spread across teams as the offseason progressed: multiple franchises loaded up in pursuit of a championship, each led by two major star players.
In no particular order, some of the NBA’s top duos now include Leonard/George (Clippers), Durant/Irving (Nets), Davis/LeBron James (Lakers) and James Harden/Russell Westbrook (Rockets).
Among the returning top duos are Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson (Warriors), Giannis Antetokounmpo/Khris Middleton (Bucks), Ben Simmons/Joel Embiid (Sixers), Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum (Blazers) and Jamal Murray/Nikola Jokic (Nuggets).
With several competitive teams now sporting star-studded duos, which team do you believe has the best faction entering the 2019/20 season? Is it one of the pairs listed above, or perhaps another pair that hasn’t been discussed yet? Take to the comments section below to voice your opinion!