Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Summer, Health
Jayson Tatum will become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason and – as one report recently indicated – it’s a safe bet that the Celtics will put a long-term, maximum-salary contract offer on the table at that point.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype examined the issue, speaking to current and former NBA team executives about Tatum’s contract situation, and got similar feedback. Current ESPN analyst and former Nets executive Bobby Marks told Kennedy that a max deal for Tatum is a “no-brainer,” though he did present one scenario in which the young forward might decide to pass on such an offer later this year.
“The only reason that Tatum wouldn’t sign an extension is because there’s uncertainty as far as what that 2021 salary cap is going to be at, and his salary would be based on a percentage of the cap,” Marks said. “That’d be the only reason why you’d want to play it out. You’d do a one-year deal in 2021 and then, hopefully, the cap goes back up in 2022. That would really be the only reason why.”
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Jaylen Brown, who signed a long-term extension in 2019 that will go into effect for the 2020/21 season, received high praise from Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck this week. Speaking to WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche, Grousbeck praised Brown for his character and social awareness. “Since day one when I met Jaylen, back in (2015), it was so obvious that he’s just special – a special person with special character,” Grousbeck said, per Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston. “He has educated me, to be perfectly honest. … He is a very, very good person with a very good conscience.”
- Using players’ home/road splits as a guide, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston speculates about which Celtics will be best suited for playing games at a neutral site in the Orlando “bubble” this summer.
- After dealing with a series of injuries throughout the 2019/20 season, the Celtics should benefit from being fully healthy when play resumes this summer, though they won’t have a ton of time to reestablish cohesion and chemistry, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald.
Kerr, Nurse, Others Unsure About 2021 Olympic Plans
As the NBA works toward finalizing its rest-of-season schedule for 2019/20 and establishing a new calendar for the 2020/21 league year, one key issue to consider will be whether next season’s schedule overlaps with the Tokyo Olympics. The Tokyo games have been postponed to 2021 and are now set to begin on July 23, which could coincide with the late stages of the NBA’s ’21 postseason.
Avoiding that overlap will likely be a priority for the NBA. Besides the fact that the league won’t want its Finals competing with the Olympics for viewers, there are many NBA players and coaches who expect to participate in the Tokyo Olympics — or in the qualifying tournaments tentatively scheduled to begin on June 29, 2021.
One of those coaches is Steve Kerr of the Warriors, who is still on track to be an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s Team USA staff. However, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes, Kerr remains in the dark on how next summer’s schedule will work and whether or not certain NBA personnel will still be involved in the Tokyo games.
“Believe it or not, I haven’t had a single conversation with Pop about that,” Kerr said. “And the reason is because we don’t know. We’ve been talking almost daily now for the last couple of weeks and before that we were speaking once every few weeks. So, we haven’t even had a single conversation because there’s nothing to report.”
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who is set to coach a Canadian team vying for an Olympic spot in a qualifying tournament next June, was equally uncertain about how things will play out, Reynolds notes.
“It’s complicated, is my best thought,” Nurse said. “I just don’t know enough to tell you what next season is going to look like. I don’t know. When’s it going to start? I think they’re talking about pushing it back, but I don’t know if they’re going to play games closer together. I don’t think so, that’s kind of a thing that everybody’s been happy that they continue to spread them out and lessen the back-to-backs and all those things.
“But if they do that, then it’s probably going to run into the Olympics, or really close to it, right? Lots of things that I don’t have a crystal ball on.”
[RELATED: Condensed Schedule Possible For 2020/21 Season]
If the NBA can finish its 2020/21 regular season sometime in May, that would give teams and coaches on non-playoff teams time to convene for camps, qualifying tournaments, and the Olympics themselves. But there’s no guarantee that those options will be available to NBA playoff teams, even if the Finals are scheduled to end before July 23.
For instance, if the Raptors and Nuggets make deep playoff runs, Team Canada may not have Nurse or Jamal Murray available for that qualifying tournament in late June. Nikola Jokic also might not get a chance to play for Serbia if Denver is still alive when those qualifying tournaments begin.
For now, the NBA is focused on how to safely complete its 2019/20 season, but the Olympics represent just one of many obstacles that the league will have to sort out once it shifts its attention to future plans.
Hawks Notes: Offseason, Depth, Capela, Draft, Cap
The Hawks are among the teams pushing the NBA to come up with a plan to ensure that the eight clubs not invited to Orlando this summer get some sort of offseason alternative to keep their players active and at their facility. Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, including Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, general manager Travis Schlenk stressed that having those players around for practices, scrimmages, and possibly exhibition games is especially important for a young team like Atlanta.
“One of the most important things for our guys is to continue to play,” Schlenk said. “Just think about last year. De’Andre Hunter, in Summer League, only played about a game-and-a-half before he got hurt. Now he was able to get a ton of minutes, which was great, but Cam (Reddish) was on a minutes restriction for the first half of the season and didn’t play in Summer League. We all saw the growth he had when he was able to play.
“Now if we go another summer where those guys aren’t on the court and able to play — same with Bruno (Fernando) — he didn’t get the minutes those other guys had. Summer League obviously isn’t going to happen this year. All of those things are important to our young guys as they continue to get better.”
As Kirschner observes, even after the NBA determines what to do with its eight non-Orlando teams, the Hawks may not get the opportunity to take a closer look at certain players they’d like to evaluate. Skal Labissiere, for instance, was acquired at the trade deadline but didn’t suit up for Atlanta due to a knee injury. According to Kirschner, Schlenk said on Tuesday that Labissiere has ramped up his workouts and and probably would have been able to play if the Hawks had been part of a resumed season.
However, with the former first-round pick facing potential restricted free agency this offseason, it probably wouldn’t make sense for him – and other FAs-to-be – to risk injury by participating in offseason scrimmages before signing a new contract.
Here’s more on the Hawks:
- As relayed by Kirschner and Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), Schlenk said the club’s top priority this offseason will be adding depth. Schlenk specifically cited the wing and power forward as positions the Hawks will look to fortify. Securing a reliable backup point guard will also be important, per Schlenk, who noted that Jeff Teague is one option for that spot.
- Schlenk provided a positive update on Clint Capela‘s health, according to Spencer (Twitter link): “His foot’s feeling fine. He’s got his strength back. If we’re able to have some sort of competition this summer, whether it’s official or unofficial scrimmages, it would be great to get him on the court with our guys and just start that process.” Capela was acquired in a four-team deadline deal, but has yet to make his debut as a Hawk.
- According to Schlenk (via Kirschner), the Hawks have yet to interview any potential top-10 picks in this year’s draft class, but have talked to some prospects projected to be late first-round selections or second-rounders.
- The Hawks will likely have the most cap room of any NBA team this offseason, and Schlenk has the green light to spend, but he wants to make sure the club does so responsibly. “I honestly believe the worst thing that teams can do is when they have the money and owners or people in my position feel the pressure to go out and spend it,” Schlenk said, per Kirschner. “You give out a long, big contract, and you guys have probably heard me say this, but those mistakes can really hamper your franchise. When you give out those long, big contracts, you need to make sure they’re the right guys.”
Raptors Still Figuring Out Border Logistics For Summer Camp
The tentative schedule the NBA has proposed for its return to play this summer would see players report to their teams’ respective markets within the next couple weeks, with training camps reportedly getting underway around the end of June and then resuming after teams travel to Orlando around July 7-9.
For the Raptors, however, that timeline is complicated by the international travel it requires amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While players shouldn’t have trouble getting approval to fly from the United States to Canada and vice versa, it’s not clear what sort of quarantine periods might be required following those flights and whether that would impact the team’s plans.
Addressing the subject today on a call with reporters, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said that the franchise is still working through a number of scenarios in the hopes of having practices before heading to Orlando in July. There’s an expectation that the NBA will approve group workouts in the coming weeks, but Nurse isn’t sure whether the Raps would hold a pre-Orlando camp in Canada or the United States.
“We haven’t really made a final decision on it on a date to reconvene, or where we’re going, or any of that kind of stuff yet,” Nurse said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “We’ve made plans on both sides of the border, just for doing it as safe as possible. It’s kind of our first and foremost priority — then maybe as quickly as possible, too.”
As Reynolds notes, some Raptors players are currently in Toronto, but others are still in their home cities in the U.S. Currently, Canadian government regulations call for a 14-day quarantine period for anyone traveling into the country. Assuming players are subject to those same regulations, it might not make sense for them to travel to Toronto, quarantine for two weeks, then work out for a week or two before heading back across the border.
On the other hand, convening in a U.S. city for a week or two before Orlando would mean the Raptors – who hope to make a deep playoff run into at least September – would be away from home for an even longer stretch and could be the only team not resuming practices in their own facility.
The NBA hasn’t officially finalized its summer calendar yet, so we’ll probably have to wait for confirmation on those tentative camp dates before the Raptors set their own plans.
Brian Shaw To Coach G League Select Team
JUNE 9: Shaw’s hiring was officially confirmed today in a press release issued by the G League.
“Brian’s extensive experience and success as an NBA player and coach make him a natural choice to lead the new NBA G League team,” NBAGL president Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. “We look forward to watching these terrific young players develop their skills and grow as professionals under Brian’s leadership.”
JUNE 1: Veteran NBA coach Brian Shaw has agreed to become the head coach of the NBA G League’s new “Select Team,” sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
That G League squad will be made up of a handful of top prospects who opted not to play college ball, as well as several veteran players who will be tasked with mentoring the youngsters. The 2020/21 NBAGL Select Team – which will play exhibition games against other G League teams but won’t be part of the league’s official schedule – will include guards Jalen Green and Daishen Nix, forward Isaiah Todd, and center Kai Sotto.
Shaw, who was the head coach in Denver from 2013-15, has also served as an assistant coach for the Lakers and Pacers. He had two separate stints with the Lakers, most recently holding the title of associate head coach from 2016-19 under Luke Walton.
We heard back in April that Shaw was receiving consideration to coach the G League Select Team, along with David Fizdale and Sam Mitchell. At the time, it sounded as if Mitchell was on track to becoming the club’s head coach, with the other two men potentially being involved in some capacity. Now that Shaw has been tabbed for the head coaching position, we’ll see if Fizdale and Mitchell have any sort of roles with the Select Team.
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Knicks Notes: Offseason Activities, Calipari, More
As one of the eight teams not invited to Orlando to complete the 2019/20 season, the Knicks are anxious to have some form of offseason activities for their players this summer and/or fall, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
With the NBA prioritizing the restart of the season for now, the Knicks are waiting on the league to review a handful of the options on the table for its bottom eight teams. If the league moves forward with a specific plan, it will need to be approved by the NBPA.
According to Berman, the Knicks are hoping to at least get approval to hold a mandatory two-week camp between the October 15 draft and the proposed November 10 start of training camp. That would give the team a head-start on the 2020 preseason after seven-plus months of inaction.
As Berman details, the Knicks are also in favor of the proposed target date of December 1 for opening night of the 2020/21 campaign. There’s an expectation that the players’ union will want to push back that date a little, but New York and the other seven teams whose seasons are over will be eager to get next season started as soon as possible.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Within the New York Post article linked above, Berman suggests that John Calipari would challenge Tom Thibodeau‘s frontrunner status if he were to “throw his hat into the ring” for the Knicks’ head coaching job. However, Ian Begley of SNY.tv says interviews are expected to begin this week and notes that Calipari continues to reiterate he has no interest in leaving Kentucky. In other words, it seems pretty safe to cross Calipari off New York’s list of potential candidates.
- The Knicks’ decision-makers were still finishing up their exit interviews with players as of Monday, a source tells Berman (Twitter link). Those conversations took place via video conference calls.
- After some internal back-and-forth last week about the Knicks’ silence following the death of George Floyd, the team put out a statement today saying it stands with “all who act for a positive change.” Team owner James Dolan had initially told MSG employees in a pair of memos that he didn’t believe a public statement was necessary, even as the rest of the NBA’s teams issued statements of their own. ESPN’s Malika Andrews has more details.
Poll: Will Grizzlies Hang Onto No. 8 Seed In West?
When the NBA season was suspended in March, the Grizzlies held a 3.5-game lead over the top challengers for the No. 8 seed, but were entering one of the toughest stretches of their 2019/20 schedule. At 32-33, Memphis had 17 games left. Of those 17 games, 11 were against playoff teams and five were against immediate threats to the Grizzlies’ playoff spot (Portland, New Orleans, and San Antonio).
Now that the league has settled on playing just eight more games this summer, the Grizzlies’ path to a postseason spot is simpler in some ways, but more complicated in others. Any team hoping to pass the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed will have to make up four games in an eight-game stretch, which will be a tall order.
Even if the Grizzlies play sub-.500 ball and go 3-5 when play resumes, the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Kings, or Spurs will have to go 7-1 to surpass or match them. The Suns, who are six games back, wouldn’t even be able to catch Memphis if the Grizz win more than two games.
However, the NBA’s new rules for Orlando also ensure that the Grizzlies will be subject to a play-in tournament if at least one team finishes within four games of them. In other words, unless Memphis increases or maintains its lead over all five teams behind them in the Western Conference standings during those eight seeding games, a play-in tournament is happening.
The Grizzlies would still have a leg up in that play-in tournament, which would pit them against the No. 9 team. Memphis would only have to win one game, while the challenger would have to win twice. But the club wouldn’t have much room for error — losing the first game in the play-in tournament would result in a winner-take-all second game.
Assuming the summer schedule is made up primarily of the next games on the team’s initial schedule, as expected, the Grizzlies will still have a challenging path, but it won’t be too grueling. Memphis wouldn’t be a major underdog against Portland, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, or New Orleans (twice). And while the Grizzlies would likely have to face the Bucks and possibly the Celtics, none of the West’s top three teams would be on their upcoming slate.
What do you think? When play resumes this summer, will the Grizzlies hang onto the No. 8 seed, clinching it outright or in a play-in tournament? Or will another team make a run and claim the conference’s final postseason berth?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Which team will earn the final playoff spot in the West?
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Memphis Grizzlies 41% (443)
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Portland Trail Blazers 23% (243)
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New Orleans Pelicans 16% (175)
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Sacramento Kings 8% (90)
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Phoenix Suns 8% (81)
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San Antonio Spurs 4% (45)
Total votes: 1,077
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
And-Ones: Daye, J. Johnson, Coaches
Despite reportedly receiving some interest from NBA teams, forward Austin Daye has decided to remain in Italy and will sign a two-year contract extension with Reyer Venezia, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
A former Gonzaga standout and a first-round pick in 2009, Daye averaged 5.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG with a .402/.351/.778 shooting line in 293 NBA regular season games (14.1 MPG), but has played overseas since 2015, winning an LBA (Italian League) Finals MVP award in 2019 and earning Italian Cup MVP honors in 2020.
A report last month indicated that Daye had talked to an NBA team and was considering exercising the out clause in his contract before a June 30 deadline. However, perhaps in part because of the uncertainty surrounding the NBA’s calendar, Daye has opted to remain with Reyer Venezia, where he’ll continue to play a major role.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA swingman Joe Johnson will play for Overseas Elite in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) this summer, our JD Shaw reports (via Twitter). As we detailed last month, the annual event still intends to move forward in July with frequent COVID-19 testing for participants.
- As some teams around the NBA prepare to search for a new head coach, or weigh whether or not to do so, ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz takes a deep dive into the hottest names on the coaching market, exploring which assistants and former head coaches are good bets to receive consideration for jobs this summer.
- It won’t happen, but several of The Athletic’s NBA writers consider what it would look like if the 22 teams headed to Orlando this summer were permitted to “draft” players from the league’s bottom eight teams. The results of the experiment, including Stephen Curry to Washington and Trae Young to Phoenix, are pretty entertaining.
Restart Notes: Deadlines, Roster Moves, Nets, Mavs, More
Decisions on player options for 2020/21 would typically be due later this month, but those deadlines will have to be pushed back, along with certain salary guarantee dates, trade exception expiry dates, and a handful of other key deadlines tied to the NBA’ offseason calendar.
As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer details, a straightforward solution is being negotiated for adjusting those dates. The expectation is that they’ll be postponed in direct correlation with the new date for the start of the 2020/21 league year. For now, the new league year is tentatively scheduled to begin on October 18 instead of July 1.
In other words, if a player option decision had previously been due by June 29, it would now need to be made by October 16. If a trade exception had been scheduled to expire on July 7, its new expiry date would be October 24.
For certain dates, more negotiation may be required. For instance, if a player had a September 1 salary guarantee date written into his contract, that deadline would’ve fallen two months after the start of the league year, but well before the start of training camp. Under the NBA’s proposed calendar for 2020/21, two months after the start of the league year would be December 18, well beyond the target tip-off date of December 1. Still, for the most part, the solution O’Connor describes sounds like the most logical way forward.
Here’s more on the NBA’s restart plans and its new-look schedule:
- With a transaction window expected to open around June 22, Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) examines all 22 teams headed to Orlando this summer and speculates about what sort of roster tweaks they might make during that last week in June. As Marks notes, teams like the Nets (Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving) and Mavericks (Dwight Powell, Jalen Brunson) are candidates to sign multiple injury replacements at that time.
- Scott Gleeson of USA Today ranks the six non-playoff teams invited to Orlando in terms of their upset potential, suggesting that the Pelicans and Trail Blazers are the top two threats to steal a playoff spot.
- Although the Thunder and other small-market clubs will be part of the resumed season this summer, the coronavirus pandemic may have a long-term impact on how they operate, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.