Central Notes: Bucks, Reinsdorf, Bulls, Holland
After shaking up their roster with the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade last fall and making two head coaching changes in less than a year, the Bucks are confident that a 2024 offseason defined by continuity will put them in a better position to contend for a championship in 2024/25, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Zach Lowe of ESPN is unconvinced, however, stating on Thursday’s episode of NBA Today (YouTube link) that “the questions outweigh the answers” in Milwaukee.
As Lowe outlines, Lillard turned 34 this summer and “rarely looked comfortable” last season, Khris Middleton has dealt with injuries the last couple seasons and underwent multiple ankle surgeries over the offseason, and defensive anchor Brook Lopez will turn 37 in the spring.
“This team is getting older and less athletic around Giannis (Antetokounmpo),” Lowe said. “They don’t have a lot of young guys in the pipeline. This is a right-now team that went 17-19 under Doc Rivers before the Giannis injury took them out of the playoffs. They just never found their footing, and they’ve got to find it fast in an Eastern Conference that has gotten better top to bottom in the playoff race.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic answers a series of Bucks-related questions in a mailbag, discussing the Antetokounmpo/Lillard pick-and-roll, expectations for the 2024/25 season, and the development (or lack thereof) of some of the team’s young players.
- A feature on Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf from MLB writers Brittany Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic focuses primarily on the disastrous season that Reinsdorf’s other team – the Chicago White Sox – has endured in 2024. However, the story includes a couple notes on the Bulls, including the claim that Reinsdorf has told employees the White Sox winning is more important to him than the Bulls winning. According to Ghiroli and Rosenthal, the 88-year-old Reinsdorf has also said he’d advise his family to sell the White Sox but hang onto the Bulls after his death.
- Can No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland earn a regular rotation spot for the Pistons as a rookie? Keith Langlois of Pistons.com explores that question, observing that it would help the 19-year-old’s case for minutes if he can develop a more reliable outside shot. As Langlois writes, Holland figures to work closely with new assistant coach Fred Vinson, who is considered one of the league’s best shooting instructors.
Magic Waive Tre Scott, Myron Gardner
The Magic have placed a pair of players on waivers, cutting forwards Tre Scott and Myron Gardner, according to the NBA’s official transaction log.
Scott, who has played professionally since 2020, has spent time in Puerto Rico, France, and Canada but has primarily competed in the G League in recent years. He split last season between the Greensboro Swarm and the Osceola Magic (Orlando’s affiliate), averaging 8.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 22.6 minutes per game across 41 total appearances.
Gardner also played for Osecola in 2023/24, appearing in 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the team. He posted averages of 5.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .425/.317/.600.
Both Scott and Gardner also played for Orlando’s Summer League team in Las Vegas this July. Because the Magic hold both players’ G League returning rights, Scott and Gardner will be in line for Exhibit 10 bonuses if they reported back to Osceola and spend at least 60 days with the NBAGL club this season.
Orlando now has 18 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed deals, Trevelin Queen on a two-way pact, and Jarrett Culver and Jalen Slawson on Exhibit 10 contracts. The team figures to fill out its 21-man roster before training camp begins.
2024/25 NBA Over/Unders: Recap
Over the past couple weeks, we’ve been examining projections for all 30 NBA teams for the 2024/25 season, publishing polls asking how many games each club will win. With the help of lines from professional oddsmakers, we’ve had you vote on whether each team will go over or under a given win total, from the Celtics (58.5) all the way through to the Nets (19.5).
Here are the full results of those votes:
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics (58.5 wins): Over (69.7%)- New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (58.8%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (52.5 wins): Under (51.7%)
- Toronto Raptors (30.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
- Brooklyn Nets (19.5 wins): Over (54.3%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (50.5 wins): Over (63.2%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (48.5 wins): Under (51.6%)
- Indiana Pacers (47.5 wins): Over (57.2%)
- Chicago Bulls (28.5 wins): Under (61.9%)
- Detroit Pistons (24.5 wins): Over (60.2%)
- Orlando Magic (47.5 wins): Over (57.1%)
- Miami Heat (44.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
- Atlanta Hawks (35.5 wins): Under (66.4%)
- Charlotte Hornets (29.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
- Washington Wizards (20.5 wins): Under (56.6%)
Western Conference
- Oklahoma City Thunder (56.5 wins): Over (68.1%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (52.5 wins): Over (65.2%)
- Denver Nuggets (51.5 wins): Over (54.3%)
- Utah Jazz (29.5 wins): Under (60.1%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (22.5 wins): Under (54.7%)
- Phoenix Suns (50.5 wins): Over (57.6%)
- Sacramento Kings (47.5 wins): Over (62.5%)
- Golden State Warriors (44.5 wins): Under (54.4%)
- Los Angeles Lakers (43.5 wins): Under (51.9%)
- Los Angeles Clippers (39.5 wins): Under (50.8%)
- Dallas Mavericks (49.5 wins): Over (78.0%)
- Memphis Grizzlies (47.5 wins): Under (65.6%)
- New Orleans Pelicans (46.5 wins): Under (60.6%)
- Houston Rockets (43.5 wins): Under (51.4%)
- San Antonio Spurs (36.5 wins): Under (52.9%)
In total, our poll respondents favored 13 overs and 17 unders, which is an interesting divide. In past years, there have been more “over” votes than “under” votes, but it appears our readers are less willing to buy into preseason optimism for certain clubs this time around. The Southeast and Southwest fared particularly poorly in this regard, with eight of the 10 votes in those divisions favoring the under.
These were the five “over” bets that received the largest vote shares:
Dallas Mavericks (49.5 wins): 78.0%- Boston Celtics (58.5 wins): 69.7%
- Oklahoma City Thunder (56.5 wins): 68.1%
- Minnesota Timberwolves (52.5 wins): 65.2%
- Milwaukee Bucks (50.5 wins): 63.2%
The top four teams here all have something in common: Dallas (50 wins in 2023/24), Boston (64), Oklahoma City (57), and Minnesota (56) would all go “over” if they simply replicate their records from last season. And in most cases, that looks like a realistic goal — the Mavericks and Thunder arguably improved as a result of their offseason moves, while Boston’s roster looks pretty similar and Minnesota’s losses (including Kyle Anderson and Monte Morris) may not be enough to warrant a four-game drop.
Still, winning 57 games in the competitive West will be no easy feat for Oklahoma City, and winning 59 is a grind even for the best team in a weak conference — the ’23/24 Celtics were the first Eastern Conference club to win 59+ since Milwaukee racked up 60 victories in ’18/19.
Speaking of the Bucks, our voters appear confident in their ability to bounce back after a disappointing season that saw them experience some growing pains following last September’s Damian Lillard blockbuster and make an in-season coaching change. A full offseason and training camp with Lillard and head coach Doc Rivers is a reason for optimism in Milwaukee.
Here are the five “under” bets that received the largest vote shares:
- Atlanta Hawks (35.5 wins): 66.4%
- Memphis Grizzlies (47.5 wins): 65.6%
- Charlotte Hornets (29.5 wins): 63.1%
- Miami Heat (44.5 wins): 63.1%
- Chicago Bulls (28.5 wins): 61.9%
The Hawks only won 36 games last season, so it’s perhaps no surprise that our voters aren’t enthusiastic about their odds of matching that total again in 2024/25 after trading away Dejounte Murray. I do think the offense could fit together better without Trae Young having to share ball-handling duties with Murray, but for the Hawks to match or exceed last year’s win total, they’ll likely need young players like Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels to take significant steps forward.
The Grizzlies are a fascinating case. They went just 27-55 last season, but were the NBA’s most injury-plagued team and will have several key players – led by Ja Morant – back this fall. This year’s roster isn’t quite the same as the one that won 56 games in 2021/22 and 51 in ’22/23, but it’s close enough that I was a little surprised not to see more votes for the “over.”
The Hornets are a poor man’s version of Memphis, with oddsmakers projecting a nice bump on last year’s 21-61 record with starters like LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams once again healthy. Our voters aren’t so sure.
The Heat went 46-36 last year, but lost Caleb Martin and didn’t add any major pieces. Jimmy Butler‘s contract situation is also a question mark — it’s not out of the question that he could be a trade candidate at February’s deadline if the first half doesn’t go well in Miami.
The Bulls won 39 games last season but lost DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso over the offseason and are expected to seek takers for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic too. If they turn into second-half tankers, their under looks like a pretty safe bet.
Here are the five picks that were closest to 50/50:
Los Angeles Clippers (39.5 wins): Under (50.8%)- Houston Rockets (43.5 wins): Under (51.4%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (48.5 wins): Under (51.6%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (52.5 wins): Under (51.7%)
- Los Angeles Lakers (43.5 wins): Under (51.9%)
The fact that all five of the closest votes favored the “under” helps explain why we ended up with 17 unders overall.
The Clippers and Sixers are the most interesting cases here, since subtracting Paul George in Los Angeles and adding him in Philadelphia will make both teams look a whole lot different. It’s hard to get a feel of what both clubs might look like until we see them in action.
The Rockets, Cavaliers, and Lakers, on the other hand, are all pretty similar to last year’s versions. Oddsmakers are projecting a small step forward for the young Rockets (who went 41-41 last year), a step back for the veteran Lakers (who went 47-35), and essentially the same season for Cleveland (48-34).
What do you think of our picks in general? Are there any results above that you strongly disagree with? Did you make any over or under votes within the last couple weeks that you’re second-guessing now? Jump into our comment section below and weigh in with your thoughts!
Javon Freeman-Liberty Signs With Manisa Basket
Former Raptors guard Javon Freeman-Liberty will continue his career overseas. Turkish club Manisa Basket announced on Wednesday (via Instagram) that Freeman-Liberty has joined the team (hat tip to Sportando).
Freeman-Liberty, who went undrafted in 2022 out of DePaul, spent his rookie season with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.
The 6’4″ guard was on a two-way contract with the Raptors for most of the 2023/24 campaign before being promoted to the standard roster on March 1. Although his contract with Toronto covered two years, his salary for ’24/25 was partially guaranteed for just $100K, so he was waived in July before that partial guarantee increased.
Freeman-Liberty appeared in 22 games at the NBA level with Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes per night. He put up much bigger numbers with the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL, including 24.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, and a shooting line of .470/.360/.825 in 26 Showcase Cup and regular season outings.
Freeman-Liberty is the second player who spent the 2023/24 season in the NBA to join Manisa Basket this offseason. Saben Lee also signed with the club in August.
In addition to competing in the Basketball Super League in Turkey, Manisa will be part of Europe’s Basketball Champions League for the first time next season. Manisa Basket posted a 16-14 mark in domestic play last season, finishing sixth out of 16 Turkish teams. The club was eliminated in the first round of the postseason by Besiktas.
NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Toronto Raptors
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Toronto Raptors.
Free agent signings
Immanuel Quickley: Five years, $162,500,000. Includes an additional $12.5MM in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.- Garrett Temple: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
- Bruno Fernando: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Jamison Battle: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Jared Rhoden: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead (No. 45 pick), and the Trail Blazers’ 2025 second-round pick from the Kings in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.
- Note: Vezenkov was subsequently bought out.
- Acquired the draft rights to Ulrich Chomche (No. 57 pick) from the Grizzlies in a four-team trade in exchange for cash ($1MM; to Timberwolves).
Draft picks
- 1-19: Ja’Kobe Walter
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $16,785,132).
- 2-31: Jonathan Mogbo
- Signed to three-year, $6,113,913 contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
- 2-45: Jamal Shead
- Signed to three-year, $6,113,913 contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
- 2-57: Ulrich Chomche
- Signed to two-year, two-year contract.
Two-way signings
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Jordan Nwora (Anadolu Efes)
- Gary Trent Jr. (Bucks)
- Malik Williams (Heat)
Other moves
- Signed Scottie Barnes to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension that begins in 2025/26. Projected value of $224,238,150 (starting at 25% of the cap). Projected value can increase to $269,085,780 (30% of the cap) if Barnes meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
- Exercised Bruce Brown‘s 2024/25 team option ($23,000,000).
- Bought out Sasha Vezenkov.
- Waived Javon Freeman-Liberty.
- Waived Mouhamadou Gueye (two-way).
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
- Carrying approximately $161.5MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
- Full mid-level exception ($12.8MM) available.
- Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $5,107,652).
The offseason so far
Having lost Fred VanVleet in free agency last summer, the Raptors traded OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam during the 2023/24 season, signaling that they’d decided to build around Scottie Barnes going forward and envisioned newly acquired point guard Immanuel Quickley as his running mate. It was appropriate then that the team’s two biggest moves of the 2024 offseason were locking up those cornerstone pieces to long-term contracts.
Barnes’ five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension is essentially the same deal that his fellow 2021 lottery picks Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner all signed this summer. And while there’s no guarantee that Barnes will be the best player in that group across the next five or six years, you can make a strong case that, of the four, he was the most deserving of a big-money investment. After all, Barnes beat out the other three for Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 and is the only player from the ’21 draft class who has made an All-Star team so far.
Barnes, 23, will need to keep making strides as a scorer and shooter in order to provide a positive return on that $224MM+ deal, but the Raptors couldn’t reasonably have expected to lock him up for anything less.
It’s not as easy to make the same claim about Quickley, whose new five-year contract includes $162.5MM in guaranteed money and an additional $12.5MM in incentives. That’s a huge price to pay for a player who had never averaged more than 15 points per game and hadn’t emerged as a full-time starter before arriving in Toronto midway through the 2023/24 season.
Quickley finished the year strong, averaging 18.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per game across 38 games (all starts) for Toronto. Still, his career résumé to date isn’t any stronger than that of players like Jordan Poole or Tyler Herro, who each signed long-term contracts in 2022 that were one year shorter and slightly less lucrative than Quickley’s new deal — and those contracts don’t exactly look especially team-friendly two years later.
As with Barnes’ deal, the Raptors’ investment in Quickley is more about what he can become than what he is right now. If he doesn’t improve upon his .421 career FG% or further increase his scoring and assist totals, that $32.5MM annual salary will feel like an overpay. On the plus side, it features a flat structure, meaning it’ll be worth a smaller percentage of the cap in each subsequent season.
Besides splurging on Barnes and Quickley, the Raptors didn’t make a ton of major roster moves this offseason. Garrett Temple was the only other free agent to receive guaranteed money, and he re-signed for the veteran’s minimum. Bruno Fernando also got a minimum-salary deal, and while his contract isn’t guaranteed, he has a shot to make the roster as the 15th man. Toronto opted not to bring back Gary Trent Jr., whose asking price reportedly exceeded what the club was comfortable paying.
The Raptors took on some salary in a trade with Sacramento, acquiring Sasha Vezenkov, Davion Mitchell, and a pair of second-round picks in exchange for Jalen McDaniels. It was a savvy move for a team with some breathing room below the luxury tax line and looked even better when Vezenkov agreed to give up his entire $6.66MM guaranteed salary in a buyout agreement.
As a result, the Raptors essentially took on an extra $1.7MM in salary to swap out a dud of a 2023 free agent signing (McDaniels) for a former lottery pick with some defensive upside (Mitchell) while adding a pair of second-round picks in the process. One of those second-rounders was No. 45 selection Jamal Shead, who became one of three rookies to join Toronto’s 15-man roster, along with No. 19 pick Ja’Kobe Walter and No. 31 pick Jonathan Mogbo.
Once a highly regarded program capable of turning late first-rounders (Siakam) and undrafted free agents (VanVleet) into All-Stars, the Raptors’ player development staff hasn’t had as many wins in recent years. Between this year’s rookie class and last year’s No. 13 overall pick Gradey Dick, they’ll have no shortage of developmental opportunities in 2024/25, even after having traded away their own 2024 lottery selection.
Up next
With 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals, the Raptors’ roster is essentially set for the regular season. Barring a preseason trade or a two-way change, the only real decision will be whether or not to carry a 15th man.
Fernando is the favorite for that opening, but his salary would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through opening night. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Raptors attempt to push back that guarantee date, allowing him to remain on the roster and essentially be paid by that day for the first few weeks of the regular season. Before he was waived by the Hawks in July, Fernando agreed to push back his guarantee date multiple times, so he’s no stranger to that type of arrangement.
After picking up Bruce Brown‘s $23MM option in June, Toronto was expected to try to find a taker for the veteran swingman and his expiring contract, but no deal materialized. Brown, who played a key role off the bench for the 2023 champion Nuggets, is the sort of jack-of-all-trades contributor who would fit in on just about any playoff team, so he’ll remain a prime trade candidate as long as he’s on the roster. While the Raptors could revisit the market this fall, an in-season move is probably more likely.
The Raptors have two players eligible for extensions, but I don’t think either Mitchell (rookie scale) or Chris Boucher (veteran) is a great candidate to sign a new contract before opening night. Mitchell has yet to play a game with Toronto and Boucher had an inconsistent role last season, averaging just 14.1 minutes per game.
I expect the Raptors to take their chances with Mitchell in restricted free agency next summer, if he’s even still on the roster by then. As for Boucher, he’ll remain extension-eligible for the entire league year, so if he enjoys a nice bounce-back season, the front office could open negotiations at any time.
And-Ones: Expansion, EuroLeague, G League Trades, Hawes
What would it look like if the NBA awarded expansion teams to a pair of new cities? In an entertaining story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks broke down the rules governing expansion drafts, then submitted lists of protected players for each team to Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton, who conducted a mock expansion draft on behalf of the two hypothetical new franchises.
As Marks details, the rules for expansion drafts aren’t specifically laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but in the past, each existing NBA team has been permitted to protect up to eight players in the spring, including pending restricted free agents and/or players holding options. In those instances, expansion teams weren’t allowed to select more than one player from any of the NBA’s existing clubs.
Marks also lays out how expansion teams would be incorporated into the annual rookie draft (they’re typically not given the opportunity to land the No. 1 overall pick during their first couple seasons) and how the salary cap would work for them (their cap would be two-thirds of the league-wide cap in year one, 80% in year two, and the full cap in year three).
While expansion is likely still at least two or three years away, ESPN’s exercise is an informative one that helps illustrate with practical examples how new teams would fill out their rosters.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (subscription required) takes a look at 10 notable players in the EuroLeague who are on expiring contracts and will reach free agency in 2025. Mathias Lessort, Kevin Punter, and Chima Moneke are among the headliners on Urbonas’ list who figure to be monitored by NBA teams in 2024/25.
- The Westchester Knicks – New York’s G League affiliate – completed a pair of trades on Tuesday. Westchester sent Dmytro Skapintsev‘s returning rights to the Maine Celtics in exchange for the rights to Brandon Slater and Joe Wieskamp; in a separate deal, the Knicks’ NBAGL team acquired Brandon Williams‘ returning rights and a 2025 G League international draft pick from the Osceola Magic in exchange for the rights to Charlie Brown Jr. (Twitter links). The NBA’s Celtics signed Skapintsev to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday.
- Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype spoke to former NBA big man Spencer Hawes about the ups and downs of his playing career, which saw him appear in 684 regular season games for six teams from 2007-17. A 7’1″ center who made 35.0% of his career-three pointers, Hawes was asked if he felt like he arrived in the league a few years too early. “I kind of joke about my buddies. I missed the max (contract) by a couple of years,” Hawes said. “Well, I think the game just wasn’t in such a good place and my game as well. I came in kind of as a more traditional old-school post-up player and I realized that pretty quickly that wasn’t working. So, I kind of had to figure out a different way to try and get on the floor and help the team win.”
Pistons Sign Three Players To Camp Contracts
The Pistons have signed free agents Devon Higgs, Sam Peek, and Tolu Smith to training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Higgs, who went undrafted in 2023, spent his first professional season in the G League, appearing in a total of 26 games for the College Park Skyhawks and Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s NBAGL affiliate. The 6’5″ guard averaged 6.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.2 minutes per game in the G League, with a shooting line of .451/.340/.517, then was on the Pistons’ Las Vegas Summer League roster in 2024.
Peek, a 6’7″ forward, also finished last season with the Cruise and then was part of the Pistons’ Summer League team. He averaged 6.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 14 games (19.9 MPG) for Motor City in 2023/24 after starting the season with the Wisconsin Herd.
Smith, meanwhile, went undrafted this June after wrapping up his college career at Mississippi State. The 6’10” forward averaged 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game across 108 games in four years with the Bulldogs. Before that, he spent his freshman season with Western Kentucky.
Like Higgs and Peek, Smith played for the Pistons in Las Vegas in July. He had a significant Summer League role, putting up 11.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG in five starts (22.1 MPG).
In all likelihood, the three newest Pistons received Exhibit 10 contracts and will be waived well before the regular season begins, lining them up to join the Cruise this fall. They’d be eligible to earn bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Detroit’s G League team.
The Pistons now have 19 players under contract and have also reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with Dereon Seabron and Aaron Estrada.
Adrian Wojnarowski Leaving ESPN To Become St. Bonaventure GM
Adrian Wojnarowski, the longtime NBA reporter who has worked at ESPN since 2017, announced today (via Twitter) that he’s retiring from ESPN and from the news industry as a whole.
“I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN’s campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter,” Wojnarowski wrote. “Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped chasing the thrill of it all.
“This craft transformed my life, but I’ve decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment that I’m no longer driven to make. Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.”
While Wojnarowski’s statement didn’t include any details on the next phase of his career, his fellow news-breakers at ESPN – Adam Schefter (NFL), Jeff Passan (MLB), and Pete Thamel (NCAAF) – reported that Woj has agreed to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his alma mater.
The school confirmed the news in a press release, indicating that Wojnarowski’s responsibilities in his new role will include “name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and a liaison with collectives; transfer portal management; recruit, family and alumni player relationships; professional player programs; and program fundraising.”
While Wojnarowski has been a regular presence on ESPN’s NBA broadcasts and studio programming over the past seven years, he’s best known for having been the league’s most prominent news-breaker for well over a decade. The term “Woj bomb” was coined to describe Wojnarowski’s scoops on Twitter, where he and former protégé Shams Charania have battled over the years to be the first to report the NBA’s biggest trades, signings, and other news.
I’d wager that no reporter’s name has shown up more on Hoops Rumors since our inception in 2012 than Wojnarowski’s. His career change will be a significant loss for the NBA news industry, but we wish him well as he prepares to begin work with the Bonnies.
Southwest Notes: Eason, Jackson, Pelicans, Extension Candidates
The leg injury that sidelined Tari Eason for most of the 2023/24 season has made him the most overlooked of the Rockets‘ young core players, but he remains highly regarded by the team’s decision-makers, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
Eason’s role for the Rockets in 2024/25 may ultimately be impacted by how some of his teammates perform and what sort of needs are created as a result. However, Feigen points out that Houston outscored opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions with Eason on the court last season and that the forward also had the best net rating among rotation players in 2022/23. In other words, the club will find minutes for him.
Eason is unlikely to crack the starting lineup, but assuming he’s fully healthy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him deployed as the primary backup at both forward sports, says Feigen.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. just celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday, but as Memphis’ longest-tenured player who is entering his seventh NBA season, he’s embracing his role as a veteran leader for the team, as Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details. “I definitely feel like a veteran somewhat,” Jackson said. “Especially being here in one place for so long and seeing everybody roll in here in and out. You see a lot of different things with staff, players. It’s crazy when you think about it.”
- The Pelicans have formally announced their new media rights deal with Gray Media, which will allow them to locally televise games over-the-air for free. Christian Clark of NOLA.com provides some more details on the agreement, including outlining which markets it will reach and explaining why the Pelicans decided to part with Bally Sports and go this route.
- In a story for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus takes a closer look at what “fair market” deals would look like for several of the top remaining rookie scale extension candidates, including several notable players from out of the Southwest. Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Jalen Green (Rockets), and Trey Murphy (Pelicans) are some of the fourth-year players who will reach restricted free agency in 2025 if they don’t sign new deals by October 21.
Rogers Buys Out Bell’s Stake In Raptors’ Parent Company
8:18am: Rogers has put out a press release officially confirming the sale agreement.
Notably, for Raptors fans in Canada, the announcement clarifies that TSN, the sports network controlled by Bell Media, will get the opportunity to renew its broadcast rights for Raptors games at “fair market value.” In recent years, TSN and Rogers’ sports network (Sportsnet) have split those Raptors broadcasts 50/50, with each network airing 41 regular season games.
BCE announced in a press release of its own that it has reached a deal with Rogers to retain TSN’s share of the broadcast rights for the Raptors (and other MLSE teams) for the next 20 years, subject to league approval.
8:00am: Rogers Communications has acquired BCE (Bell)’s stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the Raptors, according to a report from Scott Soshnick and Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico.
The two Canadian communications/media giants had each previously held 37.5% of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Rogers purchased Bell’s 37.5% stake in the company for $4.7 billion in Canadian dollars, per Sportico, which works out to approximately $3.48 billion USD based on the current exchange rate. That puts the overall valuation of MLSE at around $9.3 billion.
In addition to the Raptors, MLSE controls the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, MLS club Toronto FC, and a handful of smaller sports teams, such as the Toronto Argonauts (Canadian Football League) and Raptors 905 (G League). The company also owns and operates Scotiabank Centre and OVO Athletic Centre, the Raptors’ home arena and practice facility, respectively.
Raptors governor and NBA Board of Governors chairman Larry Tanenbaum controls 20% of MLSE via his holding company Kilmer Sports Inc. He previously held the full remaining 25% but sold a 5% stake to OMERS, a Canadian pension fund, in 2023, per Michael Grange and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca.
As Grange and Friedman note, the MLSE ownership agreement gave Rogers and Bell the right to buy out Tanenbaum by July 2026 and there had been an expectation that they’d do so. If Rogers still intends to move forward with that plan after purchasing Bell’s stake, the company could control nearly all of MLSE within two years. Rogers also owns MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays.
It’s unclear what sort of short- and long-term impact the sale might have on how the Raptors run their business, but the $9.3 billion overall valuation for MLSE is worth noting.
Sportico’s latest round of NBA franchise valuations in December 2023 pegged the Raptors’ value at $4.11 billion, making it the most valuable asset in MLSE’s portfolio. Sportico estimated the value of the Maple Leafs at $2.65 billion in November 2023 and Toronto FC at $725MM in January 2024.