2024 NBA Draft Lottery Primer
The 2024 NBA draft lottery will take place on Sunday afternoon prior to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Knicks and Pacers. The half-hour event will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 2:00 pm Central time.
While the 2023 draft class featured surefire No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama – widely considered to be the best prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James – 2024’s class has no clear-cut frontrunner to be the first player off the board, with Alexandre Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, and a handful of other prospects expected to be in that mix.
That lack of clarity at the top of the draft will make the results of the 2024 lottery a little less meaningful than in past years, but it’s safe to assume that the teams with a shot at the No. 1 overall pick will still be hoping their logo is the one on the final card revealed by the NBA on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s what you need to know heading into Sunday’s lottery:
Pre-Lottery Draft Order:
The top 14 picks in the 2024 NBA draft would look like this if tonight’s lottery results don’t change the order:
- Detroit Pistons
- Washington Wizards
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Toronto Raptors
- Note: The Spurs will receive this pick if it falls out of the top six (54.2%).
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Utah Jazz
- Note: The Thunder will receive this pick if it falls out of the top 10 (0.5%).
- Houston Rockets
- Atlanta Hawks
- Chicago Bulls
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Note: The Rockets will receive this pick if it moves into the top four (7.2%).
- Note: The Rockets will receive this pick if it moves into the top four (7.2%).
- Sacramento Kings
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Note: The Warriors will receive this pick if it moves into the top four (3.4%).
For the full pre-lottery draft order, click here.
Draft Lottery Odds:
The Pistons and Wizards have the best odds to land the No. 1 pick. Each of those two teams has a 14.0% chance to pick first overall.
From there, the Hornets (13.3%), Trail Blazers (13.2%), Spurs (10.5%), Raptors (9.0%), Grizzlies (7.5%), Jazz (6%), and Rockets (6% across two picks) have the next-best odds to receive the first overall selection.
When the NBA introduced its new lottery format in 2019, the selling point was that the new system flattened the odds, making it less likely that the league’s very worst teams would claim a top pick.
Before the NBA tweaked the lottery rules, there was a 60.5% chance that one of the league’s bottom three teams would secure the No. 1 pick and only a 27.6% chance that a team in the 5-14 range of the lottery standings would do so. Now, those odds are 42.0% and 45.5%, respectively.
Still, there haven’t been many major surprises in the years since the new format was implemented.
The Pelicans moved up from No. 7 in the lottery standings in 2019 to claim the first overall pick, which they used on Zion Williamson. Since then though, every team to win the draft lottery has been in the top three in the lottery standings.
Perhaps we’re due for a more significant shake-up in 2024. There’s a 18.5% chance that a team in the back half of the lottery (Nos. 8-14) wins the No. 1 pick. That works out to better than 1-in-6 odds, and this will be the sixth time the NBA has employed its revamped lottery format.
For this year’s full draft lottery odds for all 14 spots, click here.
For full details on the current lottery format, click here.
Trades Affecting The Draft Lottery:
The Raptors traded their 2023 first-round pick to the Spurs, but would keep that selection if it lands within the top six. There’s a 45.8% chance that will happen and a 54.2% chance it will slip to No. 7 or below and be sent to San Antonio. If Toronto retains its first-rounder this year, the club would instead owe its 2025 first-round pick (top-six protected) to the Spurs.
The Jazz would owe the Thunder their first-round pick if it lands outside of the top 10, but since Utah will enter Sunday at No. 8 in the lottery standings, there’s only a 0.5% chance of that happening. In all likelihood, the Jazz will instead owe their top-10 protected 2025 first-rounder to Oklahoma City.
The Rockets acquired the Nets‘ unprotected first-round pick, which will likely land at either No. 9 (50.7%) or No. 10 (25.9%). However, Houston’s own first-rounder has a 92.8% chance of being sent to the Thunder. It will probably be the No. 12 pick, but if it moves into the top four (7.2%), the Rockets would keep it.
Finally, the Warriors‘ first-round pick, which projects to be No. 14, will almost certainly be sent to the Trail Blazers. There’s a 96.6% chance it will be the 14th overall pick and be sent to Portland and just a 3.4% chance it will move into the top four and be retained by Golden State.
Draft Lottery Representatives:
The representatives for each of this year’s lottery teams are as follows, according to a pair of announcements from the NBA:
- Detroit Pistons
On stage: Ausar Thompson
- Lottery room: Jon Phelps (senior director of basketball strategy)
- Washington Wizards
- On stage: Bilal Coulibaly
- Lottery room: Will Dawkins (general manager)
- Charlotte Hornets
- On stage: Brandon Miller
- Lottery room: Rick Schnall (team co-owner)
- Portland Trail Blazers
- On stage: Scoot Henderson
- Lottery room: Sergi Oliva (assistant GM)
- San Antonio Spurs
- On stage: Brian Wright (general manager)
- Lottery room: Brandon Leibsohn (senior manager of basketball strategy and legal affairs)
- Toronto Raptors
- On stage: Scottie Barnes
- Lottery room: Dan Tolzman (assistant GM / VP of player personnel)
- Memphis Grizzlies
- On stage: Tayshaun Prince (VP of basketball affairs)
- Lottery room: Zach Kleiman (president of basketball operations)
- On stage: Tayshaun Prince (VP of basketball affairs)
- Utah Jazz
- On stage: Thurl Bailey (former Jazz player / current Jazz broadcaster)
- Lottery room: Danny Ainge (CEO)
- Houston Rockets
- On stage: Ime Udoka (head coach)
- Lottery room: Sam Strantz (associate legal counsel)
- Atlanta Hawks
- On stage: Landry Fields (general manager)
- Lottery room: Daniel Starkman (VP of player personnel)
- On stage: Landry Fields (general manager)
- Chicago Bulls
- On stage: Julian Phillips
- Lottery room: Pat Connelly (assistant GM)
- On stage: Julian Phillips
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- On stage: None
- Lottery room: None
- Note: The Thunder won’t have any representatives on hand because they don’t have a path to a top-four pick.
- Sacramento Kings
- On stage: Keegan Murray
- Lottery room: John Kehriotis (minority owner / executive board member)
- Golden State Warriors
- On stage: Brandin Podziemski
- Lottery room: Raymond Ridder (senior VP of communications)
Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Irving, Hardaway, Green
Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who has been bothered by a right knee sprain since midway through the team’s first-round series against the Clippers, was listed as questionable for Game 3 on Saturday not only due to that ailment but as a result of left ankle soreness as well, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Doncic hurt his ankle on Thursday when he got tangled up with Thunder guard Cason Wallace early in the fourth quarter.
“He just stepped on my foot, but nothing serious,” Doncic told reporters after Dallas’ win. “I know he didn’t do it on purpose, so nothing serious. We just thought it was a foul. Other people would get a foul call on that one.”
As banged up as he is, Doncic will be available on Saturday as the series shifts to Dallas tied at 1-1, tweets Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder. The question, MacMahon tweets, is how much the knee and ankle issues will affect the Mavericks’ star. Doncic looked to be struggling with knee soreness in a subpar Game 1 showing (6-of-19 shooting), but bounced back in Game 2 with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- After finishing third in the NBA’s 2023/24 Most Valuable Player vote, Doncic admitted that he knew this probably wasn’t his year, but said he hopes to win the award someday, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Teammate Kyrie Irving believes it’ll happen. “If it’s not this year, then Luka’s on his way to winning MVP sometime in the future, very soon,” Irving said. “If you look at his numbers across the board and you look at how he was carrying our team, that’s nothing short of an MVP. He was coming off the World Cup, playing a lot of basketball for the last year and a half. I just look at all of those contributing factors, showcasing that he was the MVP of this league.”
- The Mavericks’ greatest strength is their resilience, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic, who suggests that quality may give Dallas an edge on Oklahoma City over the course of their seven-game series.
- As both Cato and Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) detail, the Mavericks’ role players were crucial factors in the club’s Game 2 win, upping their aggressiveness as the Thunder focused their defensive attention on Doncic and Irving. Tim Hardaway Jr. (17 points in 19 minutes) and Josh Green (11 points in 16 minutes), in particular, came up big with their best games of the postseason so far. “I want to bring as much energy as I can,” Green said, per Townsend. “Do the little things. Make the hustle plays. Shoot when I’m open. I’m confident in my shot. Just doing the little things can help out a lot.” Green signed a three-year rookie scale extension with the Mavs last fall.
Heat Notes: D. Robinson, Butler, Draft, CBA
After a down year in 2022/23, Duncan Robinson enjoyed perhaps his best season as a pro in ’23/24. The Heat forward boosted his scoring average from 6.4 to 12.9 points per game, made 39.5% of his three-pointers, and handed out a career-high 2.8 assists per contest.
As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) writes, Robinson’s five-year, $90MM contract once looked like an albatross that the Heat would have trouble moving. But with just two years left on the deal (at $19.4MM and a partially guaranteed $19.9MM), Winderman suggests that Robinson looks like a reasonable investment — especially since he believes, after turning 30 last month, that he still has room to improve.
“I just turned 30, which is crazy,” Robinson said. “But what might even be crazier is I still think I’m far from a finished product. And maybe people say 28 to whatever is your prime, but I feel like prime is still ahead of me, so we’ll see.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Jimmy Butler remains committed to the idea of finishing his NBA career with the Heat, he recently told Rohan Nadkarni of GQ. “I feel at home, man. I really care about the city, I really care about the people in this city,” Butler said. “Miami has embraced me. They’ve wanted me to bring them something they haven’t done since LeBron, D-Wade and C-Bosh. And I want to do that. So as soon as I get this knee back right, I’m right back on they ass and everybody know it.” For what it’s worth, Butler made those comments to Nadkarni a couple days before Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference, though there has been no indication that any of Riley’s comments about his star forward will change Butler’s thinking.
- While Riley has spoken in the past about not being “a draft-pick guy,” this will be the third straight year that the Heat own a first-rounder, according to Winderman, who notes that the team has used those picks well in recent drafts, selecting Nikola Jovic at No. 27 in 2022 and Jaime Jaquez at No. 18 in 2023. Following the team’s first-round playoff exit, Miami’s front office will have the better part of two months to focus on how to use this year’s 15th and 43rd overall selections, which head coach Erik Spoelstra joked might be too much time. “I figure I had three days to get up to the draft last year,” Spoelstra said. “The eight weeks leading up to (this year), I think I’ll be just probably over-confused from over-analysis. I’ll stay out of the way. Like now that I have more time, I’m probably dangerous. I’ll stay out of the way of our scouting department. They do an exceptional job, (general manager) Adam Simon and his staff, preparing for that draft.”
- In a pair of stories for The Miami Herald, Anthony Chiang presents a player-by-player breakdown of what’s next for everyone on the Heat’s roster, while Chiang and Barry Jackson take a closer look at how the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will affect Miami’s roster flexibility this summer.
Rockets Interested In Trading 2024 Pick For Future Draft Assets
After having selected nine players in the first rounds of the past three drafts, the Rockets aren’t eager to add another young prospect to their roster for the 2024/25 season, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
As Feigen explains, the Rockets are more interested in adding to their stockpile of future draft assets by trading their 2024 lottery pick to a team willing to give up picks in 2025 and beyond. A person with knowledge of the team’s thinking tells The Chronicle that those efforts have been “ongoing” for several months and are expected to continue leading up to draft day on June 26.
Barring an unexpected development in Sunday’s draft lottery, the Rockets’ project to have this year’s No. 9 overall pick, which initially belonged to Brooklyn. Houston’s own first-rounder, which projects to be No. 12, will be sent to Oklahoma City unless it moves into the top four. In that scenario, the Rockets would hang onto it and would hold two lottery picks, but the odds of that happening are just 7.1%.
Reports earlier this year indicated that the Rockets inquired about Nets forward Mikal Bridges prior to February’s trade deadline and were willing to give up a combination of Jalen Green and some of Brooklyn’s first-round picks that Houston controls. However, according to Feigen, the Rockets’ primary goal in those talks with the Nets was to push back their collection of draft picks.
Two sources familiar with the teams’ discussions tell Feigen that Houston general manager Rafael Stone sought the Suns’ draft assets controlled by Brooklyn in exchange for Nets assets held by the Rockets. It’s unclear based on Feigen’s wording whether Stone was willing to return control of all of Brooklyn’s picks in exchange for all of the Nets’ Phoenix assets or if just some picks on either side were involved in those talks.
Either way, Brooklyn “quickly dismissed” the idea, per The Chronicle, since the Nets wanted to focus on its efforts to be a playoff team rather than pivoting to a rebuild and bottoming out in order to fully take advantage of having their own draft picks back.
In addition to controlling the Nets’ lottery pick this year, the Rockets own Brooklyn’s unprotected 2026 first-rounder and have swap rights in 2025 and 2027. The Nets, in turn, hold the Suns’ first-rounders in 2025, 2027, and 2029 (all unprotected), with swap rights in 2028.
Assuming the Nets don’t want to revisit that concept, Feigen suggests Houston could reach out to another team that has accumulated several extra future first-round selections, such as Utah or Oklahoma City. However, the Jazz made three first-round picks last year and have two more first-rounders this year, including one that’s projected to be No. 8, ahead of Houston’s top pick.
The Thunder, meanwhile, may not be looking to add a rookie to a deep roster that appears increasingly close to title contention. However, it’s worth noting – especially if Oklahoma City ends up picking three spots behind Houston – that OKC has shown a willingness to trade up in the first round in recent years to ensure it lands its top targets. The Thunder moved up from No. 12 to No. 10 last year to nab Cason Wallace.
The Rockets’ efforts will be complicated by the fact that the top of the 2024 draft class is widely considered to be weaker than usual, so the No. 9 pick this year wouldn’t necessarily be equivalent in value to No. 9 in a typical draft. But for the sake of comparison, the last time a selection in that range was traded exclusively for future draft assets, the Knicks received three protected first-rounders from the Thunder in exchange for the No. 11 pick in 2022.
Draft Notes: Lottery, Williams, Sarr, Holland, Sheppard, Shannon
This year’s draft lottery isn’t nearly as highly anticipated as the 2023 event that determined which team would get the opportunity to select generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. Still, each team involved in the 2024 lottery would love to come away Sunday with the No. 1 overall pick, as Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo write for ESPN.com (Insider link).
In a team-by-team look at the lottery teams, Givony and Woo explore what’s at stake for each franchise on Sunday and which prospects they’ll be eyeing if they claim a top spot in the draft or if they end up where they are.
Although ESPN’s draft experts have French forward Zaccharie Risacher ranked as the No. 1 prospect in this year’s class, they suggest that both the Wizards and Hornets may prefer another Frenchman (Alexandre Sarr) if they land the top pick, while the Spurs could be an ideal fit for guard Rob Dillingham, whose perimeter shooting and ball-handling would complement Wembanyama’s skill set.
UConn center Donovan Clingan, meanwhile, could be a perfect match for the Grizzlies, who traded away big men Steven Adams and Xavier Tillman earlier this year. Woo also points out that – if he’s still on the board at No. 12 – Colorado prospect Cody Williams would have an opportunity to potentially team up with older brother Jalen Williams on the Thunder.
Here are a few more draft-related items:
- Cody Williams isn’t the only lottery prospect with an older brother under contract in Oklahoma City — Alexandre Sarr’s older brother Olivier Sarr finished the season on a two-way contract with the Thunder. Marc J. Spears of Andscape spoke to Jalen Williams and Olivier Sarr about the prospect of their younger brothers entering the NBA as high draft picks later this year.
- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report have updated their big boards for the 2024 draft, with several notable differences between them. The top two prospects on Wasserman’s board – Ron Holland and Reed Sheppard – don’t crack O’Connor’s top five. O’Connor also published a new mock draft, which has UConn’s Clingan coming off the board at No. 2.
- Wasserman (via Twitter) shares the rosters for the four teams that will scrimmage at the G League Elite Camp this weekend. The standouts from the event will be invited to participate in the NBA’s draft combine next week.
- A June 10 trial date set for former Illinois guard Terrence Shannon, the No. 33 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list, who faces felony charges of first-degree rape and sexual aggravated battery, reports Myron Medcalf of ESPN. Shannon’s attorneys say the trial is expected to conclude before the NBA draft, which takes place on June 26 and 27. He has pleaded not guilty.
Bucks Notes: Coaching Staff Changes, Giannis, Lillard, Beverley
The Bucks have parted ways with assistant coaches DJ Bakker, Sidney Dobner, and Josh Oppenheimer, sources confirmed to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report first broke the news.
All three coaches were assistants under Adrian Griffin who finished the season with the Bucks after Griffin was dismissed in January and replaced by Doc Rivers. As Nehm notes, Rivers brought in a few new assistants after his arrival in Milwaukee, resulting in a super-sized coaching staff, so it seemed likely that changes would be coming this offseason.
Following the changes, the Bucks now have seven assistants on their staff, per Nehm: Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Joe Prunty, Patrick Mutombo, Vin Baker, Trevor Gleeson, and Pete Dominguez. With new head coaches filling their staffs around the NBA it’s possible Rivers’ staff will undergo more tweaks before the 2024/25 season tips off in the fall.
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Rivers said that he usually takes a bit of a break at the end of his team’s season, but that’s not the plan for his first offseason with the Bucks. The veteran head coach “can’t wait to get started” on preparations for 2024/25, as Ben Steele of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. “This summer is a very important summer for us. I have a lot of work to do,” Rivers said. “I’m going to take a break at some point, but not right away. Right now, I have some work to do that I have to get things right to make sure we’re ready for next year.”
- Last offseason, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez entered the summer as free agents and Damian Lillard wasn’t acquired by the Bucks until late September. This year, with all the team’s core players under contract, Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking forward to a greater level of stability, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’re not questioning and trying to figure out how it’s going to look moving forward. You know and now that you know, you just gotta work, strategize to the best of your abilities,” Antetokounmpo said. “Dame’s going to be here. Khris is going to be here. Brook (is) going to be here. Bobby (Portis is) going to be here. I hope I’m here. And then we go and try to find out what we have.”
- Within the same Owczarski story, Antetokounmpo said he plans to visit Portland this offseason to spend some time with Lillard. “Go work out together, talk, sit down, just spend time,” Giannis said. “It doesn’t have to be basketball. Just spend time together. I’ve done it with Khris in 11 years. I’ve done it with Brook. It’s just what you gotta do.”
- On the latest episode of his Pat Bev podcast, veteran guard Patrick Beverley said that before he repeatedly fired a basketball at Pacers fans in the last game of the Bucks’ season, he was called a word that he’d never been called before, per The Associated Press. However, Beverley acknowledged that his actions were “still inexcusable.” He was suspended for four games by the NBA. “That should have never happened,” he said of the incident. “Regardless of what was said, that should have never happened. Simple as that.”
Eastern Notes: Carlisle, Knicks, Anunoby, Claxton, Stewart, Wizards
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle‘s comments about the officiating following Wednesday’s Game 2, which earned him a $35K fine from the NBA, were “disrespectful” to the Knicks, according to New York forward Josh Hart. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Hart said Carlisle’s insinuation that the Knicks are winning because of the officiating “discredit(s) how we’re playing,” according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Hart also laughed off Carlisle’s claim that the referees are favoring the big-market team in the series.
“That’s so stupid, bro,” Hart said. “I mean, we’re going to say the big market always wins? The Knicks ain’t won a [championship] in 51 years. So obviously that don’t hold much weight. I don’t fully understand that. Sorry, New York, for the reminder [about the 51-year drought]. But I think that’s just idiotic. At the end of the day it’s who’s playing the best. I’ve never seen a ref shoot a free throw or make a three or miss a rotation.”
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), the Knicks have their own complaints about the referees through the first two games of the series, with members of the organization upset by how Jalen Brunson is being officiated. Those Knicks officials believe Brunson is being grabbed and hit “up and down the floor” and it’s going unnoticed by the refs.
Meanwhile, Carlisle was asked on Friday about his response to the $35K fine and suggested he didn’t have any regrets, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).
“I’m gonna support my players and our fan base, and our ownership, 100%, and I’m done talking about it,” the Pacers’ coach said.
Here’s more from around the East:
- Knicks forward OG Anunoby, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain, traveled to Indianapolis with the team for Games 3 and 4. While that means he could theoretically play on Sunday if he makes a quick recovery, that seems unlikely. The main reason he’s traveling with the club is because the medical staff is in Indiana, according to Begley, who tweets that Anunoby is getting treatment three times per day.
- It looks like the Nets are going to do whatever it takes to re-sign free agent center Nic Claxton, and that’s the right call, according to Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily, who argues that even if it costs $25MM per year, that’s a fair price based on the growth of the NBA’s salary cap. For what it’s worth, $25MM will be approximately the same percentage of the cap in 2024/25 that $20MM was three seasons ago.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com recaps Isaiah Stewart‘s season and looks ahead to what’s next for the Pistons big man, who will begin a four-year, $60MM extension this July. Despite being the longest-tenured Pistons player, Stewart will still be just 23 years old next season, Langlois points out, arguing that his transition from center to forward this past season increases his versatility and value.
- The Wizards will own a top-six pick in this year’s draft, and while the general consensus is that the 2024 class lacks star-level talent at the top, general manager Will Dawkins says he doesn’t necessarily subscribe to that line of thinking, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I think people hold their cards tight to their vests strategically, so I definitely don’t agree with the narrative,” Dawkins told Robbins. “I think people realize how good this draft is, and in any draft, I’d rather have the power of choice to make the decision than be left with other players on the board that I might not feel as good about. So for me and the Wizards, we’re ones that would always want the highest pick possible if you have an option to choose a player.”
Wolves Notes: Conley, Edwards, Towns, McDaniels, Defense
As Sam Amick of The Athletic details, adding veteran guard Mike Conley at the 2023 trade deadline was one of the best moves the Timberwolves have made in recent years. In addition to being a perfect on-court fit for Minnesota’s playing style, Conley has served as something of a “connector” between Rudy Gobert and his teammates and has been a veteran mentor to rising star Anthony Edwards, writes Amick.
Conley, who had been on an expiring contract this season, is no longer averaging 20-plus points per game like he did earlier in his career, but he continues to play at a high level in his role, averaging 5.9 assists per game and making 44.2% of his three-pointers this season. His ability to remain productive was a factor in his decision to sign a two-year extension with the Wolves earlier this year, he tells Amick.
“Before I signed the extension, it was like, ‘Man, it could be this year, it could be next year, it could be any year,'” Conley said, referring to possible retirement. “But then as I played this year out, I was like, ‘Man, I haven’t slowed down yet, and I just can’t imagine myself leaving when I haven’t hit that bottom yet.’ So I’m just gonna burn these tires off and not put a date on it and see what happens.”
The 36-year-old said he hasn’t thought much about what the next phase of his career will look like once his playing days are over, but he envisions himself being “around this game” even after his retirement. While he’s not sure coaching is in the cards, he mentioned a front office role or a media job as a couple possibilities.
Here’s more out of Minnesota:
- Chris Hine of The Star Tribune spoke to Edwards’ longtime skills trainer and coach Kierre Jordan about the work the former No. 1 overall pick has put in to become one of the NBA’s most effective postseason scorers, while Mo Dakhil and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic broke down some game film from the first two games of the Denver series to illustrate how we’re witnessing Edwards’ development in real time.
- Minnesota has received trade inquiries on Karl-Anthony Towns in the past year or two and could have decided to move him last offseason, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link), who hears from sources that some of the offers the Wolves got were “decent.” However, the team stuck with its star big man and he has rewarded that trust. Lowe likens Towns’ transformation in Minnesota to the way Aaron Gordon found an ideal role in Denver after being miscast as a ball-handling star in Orlando, noting that Edwards’ ascent has helped put Towns in a better position to succeed.
- Asked by Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter video link) where he ranks himself as an NBA defender, Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels placed himself second, behind only his four-time Defensive Player of the Year teammate. “I think I’m the best defender in the NBA besides Rudy (Gobert),” McDaniels said. “We got the DPOY, so I’ll take the step back. But I feel like I’m up there with Rudy. Just the versatility — I can guard one through four, using my length on smaller guys and even bigger guys.”
- The ferociousness of Minnesota’s defense evokes some championship teams of the past, per David Aldridge of The Athletic, who compares the Wolves’ suffocating D on Nuggets guard Jamal Murray to the way the “Bad Boy” era Pistons would guard Michael Jordan.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Anunoby, Achiuwa, McBride
Jalen Brunson‘s streak of four consecutive 40-point games came to an end on Wednesday, but it was another incredible performance for the Knicks guard, who scored a team-high 29 points and returned to the game to lead New York to a double-digit comeback after exiting in the first half due to a right foot injury. No Knick had a better plus/minus in Game 2 than Brunson’s +26 mark, and his teammates suggested it was no coincidence that his return spurred their comeback.
“When he’s out there, there’s a level of calmness,” Donte DiVincenzo said, per Fred Katz of The Athletic. “We’ll get the right shot every single time. There’s a level of confidence from everybody that we have him on the court with us. Everybody can settle down and play their own game.”
Brunson set a new Knicks single-game playoff record by scoring 47 points in Game 4 of the Philadelphia series and is currently averaging 35.6 PPG in this postseason, which would also be a franchise record. The Knicks’ previous single-game playoff record belonged to Bernard King (46 points), who also holds the club record for points per game in a postseason (34.8). King said he has no problem with Brunson taking his place in the record books.
“Records are made to be broken,” King said during an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “But to have somebody like Brunson break those type of records and providing the leadership that he provides, and understanding the game and looking at how much he loves the game. And the crowd responds to him, it’s just wonderful. I love watching him play. So I’m delighted that he’s the one that actually broke those records.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Already ruled out for Game 3 on Friday due to his left hamstring strain, Knicks forward OG Anunoby is also unlikely to be available for Game 4 on Sunday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said during an appearance on NBA Countdown on Thursday (Twitter video link).
- With Anunoby joining Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Mitchell Robinson on the injured list, the Knicks’ “next man up” mentality will be put to the ultimate test as they attempt to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). “There’s a lot of guys on this team that can start with other guys in this league, so when we say (next man up), it’s not cliche,” forward Josh Hart said. “It’s not just we’re saying it just because it sounds good. We’re actually saying it because we believe it. I’ve got faith in every one of our guys.”
- Peter Botte of The New York Post looks at some of the Knicks’ lineup options with Anunoby out, suggesting that Precious Achiuwa could enter the starting lineup, with Miles McBride earning more minutes. Alec Burks and Jericho Sims will be candidates for rotation roles, though Botte suggests it’s not entirely out of the question that head coach Tom Thibodeau tries a six-man rotation.
- This Knicks season is starting to feel like a fever dream, according to Howard Beck of The Ringer, who argues that it’s getting harder and harder not to fall in love with this year’s team.
Mid-Level, Room, Bi-Annual Exceptions Will Have New Uses This Offseason
Prior to the 2024 offseason, NBA teams had only been permitted to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, room exception, and bi-annual exception to sign free agents or to promote two-way players to standard contracts. Those exceptions could be split among multiple players, but they couldn’t be used for any other purpose besides giving a free agent – or a player being promoted from a two-way deal – a contract.
That will change this summer, as we previously detailed in our glossary entries on the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions. Beginning in July, teams with access to one or more of those exceptions will be permitted to use them to acquire players via trade or waiver claim. Simply using them to sign free agents will still be allowed, but the exceptions will expand to offer clubs more flexibility going forward.
A team using one of these exceptions to trade for a player won’t have to send out any matching salary, but will have to ensure that the incoming player’s contract fits into the exception, both in terms of his current salary and the number of years remaining on his contract.
For instance, the bi-annual exception projects to be worth $4,681,000 in 2024/25, with a maximum length of two years. That means it could be used to trade for a player like Heat forward Nikola Jovic, who will earn $2.46MM next season and $4.45MM in ’25/26. But it couldn’t be used to acquire Trayce Jackson-Davis — the Warriors big man won’t have a cap hit higher than $2.4MM on his current deal, but he’s under contract for three more seasons, exceeding the two-year BAE limit.
Because only the player’s current-year salary must fit within the exception’s limits, a player like Bulls wing Dalen Terry – who will earn $3.51MM in ’24/25 – could be acquired using the bi-annual exception this July, even though his $5.4MM salary for ’25/26 exceeds what a team using the BAE could pay a free agent signee in his second season.
Based on the NBA’s projection of a $141MM salary cap for 2024/25, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which can run for up to four years, will be worth $12,859,000. The three-year room exception projects to start at $8,006,000.
Crucially, these new rules will not apply to the taxpayer mid-level exception. That two-year form of the mid-level, which projects to start at $5,183,000 in ’24/25, will still only be usable for free agent signings.
Finally, it’s worth noting that a team that uses either the non-taxpayer mid-level exception or bi-annual exception to accommodate a trade or waiver claim will be hard-capped for that season at the first tax apron, so it won’t be an option for teams that plan to surpass that apron.