Rockets Rumors: Core Players, Martin, Draft Picks, Thompson
In trade talks with rival teams so far this offseason, the Rockets have held firm on their position that they don’t intend to move anyone from their young core, says Kelly Iko of The Athletic. According to Iko, that core is made up of guard Jalen Green, forwards Jabari Smith and Tari Eason, and center Alperen Sengun.
Another young Rockets player, Kenyon Martin Jr., has been “deemed attainable internally” if the team receives a strong offer, per Iko, who says that Martin has continued to draw interest from potential trade partners as of late.
Houston will soon have to decide whether to exercise Martin’s minimum-salary team option for 2023/24, which would put him on track for unrestricted free agency in 2024. Declining the option would mean paying Martin a larger salary next season, but would allow the club to negotiate with him as a restricted free agent.
Here’s more from Iko on the Rockets:
- Once viewed as a decision between Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, the Rockets’ No. 4 pick now appears likelier to come down to Amen and Ausar Thompson, sources tell The Athletic. Iko is among the reporters who has heard rumblings about Whitmore’s stock slipping as the draft nears, and says his sources are becoming “increasingly confident” that Houston will keep the No. 4 pick and draft Amen Thompson.
- Although the Rockets talked to Charlotte and Portland about moving up from No. 4, that’s unlikely to happen, Iko writes. Houston remains open to moving its lottery pick, but it would take a significant offer to get the team to seriously consider it. That sort of offer hasn’t been put on the table so far, though the Rockets have been offered good “starter-level” players, according to Iko.
- The more research the Rockets’ front office has done on this draft class, the more impressed they’ve been with the talent available, says Iko, adding that the club now seems more likely to keep its No. 20 pick than to trade it. That’s still very much up in the air though — according to Iko, Houston has talked about trading up into the 10-18 range. If a deal to move up doesn’t materialize and the Rockets’ preferred targets aren’t available at No. 20, trading the pick would still be an option.
Sixers’ Harrell To Decline Option, Become Free Agent
Sixers big man Montrezl Harrell will turn down his minimum-salary player option for the 2023/24 season and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link).
Harrell signed with Philadelphia last September on a two-year, minimum-salary contract that gave him the ability to opt out after the first season. The 29-year-old appeared in 57 games in 2022/23, averaging 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per night.
Prior to this season, Harrell had posted career averages of 12.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 21.5 MPG across 458 games, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2020. His numbers this past season were his lowest since his rookie year (2015/16).
While Harrell’s modest production in Philadelphia won’t exactly line him up for a big payday this summer, his decision to opt out suggests he’s confident he’ll at least get another minimum-salary offer from an NBA team.
Assuming he gets a guaranteed minimum deal, the former Louisville standout will come out ahead, since his player option was worth $2,760,026 and his projected minimum salary on a new contract next season is $2,848,506.
As our tracker shows, Harrell is one of three Sixers with a player option for 2023/24. Danuel House exercised his $4.3MM option, while James Harden is expected to decline his $35.6MM option
2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Denver Nuggets
After winning at least one playoff series for three consecutive years from 2019-21, the Nuggets were eliminated in the first round of the 2022 postseason in just five games. They subsequently opened the 2022 offseason by losing their longtime president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, to the division-rival Timberwolves.
While it may have looked from the outside like the Nuggets were facing an identity crisis, there was no panic within the organization. Connelly’s top lieutenant, Calvin Booth, was promoted to run the front office, and he opted not to make any drastic changes to the roster, betting that a few tweaks – along with the anticipated returns of injured starters Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. – would be enough to make Denver a legitimate title threat.
After signing Bruce Brown in free agency and trading guards Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington for a package headlined by three-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets got off to a strong start last fall and maintained their pace for months, holding the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference from December 20 until the end of the regular season.
Denver faltered just once, losing 10 of its last 17 games entering the postseason, which raised some concerns about whether the team was prepared to make a deep playoff run. But the Nuggets quickly silenced any doubts, winning 16 of their next 20 games and capping a dream season with the first championship in franchise history.
While Booth won’t be able to rest on his laurels this summer following an unimpeachable first year on the job, he’s the only NBA general manager who will be entering the offseason looking to keep a championship team intact rather than seeking ways to upgrade a roster that fell short of that goal.
The Nuggets’ Offseason Plan
The same group of players that wins a championship one year is hardly guaranteed to win another the following season, but it still has to be encouraging for Booth and the front office that nearly the entire core of the 2022/23 Nuggets remains under contract for next season.
Nikola Jokic, Murray, Porter, Aaron Gordon, and Caldwell-Pope, each of whom started all 20 playoff games for Denver and averaged at least 32 minutes apiece, have guaranteed contracts for next season, with all but Caldwell-Pope under team control for multiple years (KCP has a 2024/25 player option).
With that foundation in place – and up-and-coming role players like Christian Braun and Peyton Watson locked up for several more seasons – the Nuggets can focus this summer on their supporting cast, starting with Brown, a jack-of-all-trades who was the club’s most-used reserve in the postseason.
Because Denver got such a bargain on Brown’s contract a year ago, the team will be limited in its ability to give him a raise for 2023/24, assuming the veteran guard declines his $6.8MM player option. The Nuggets will hold his Non-Bird rights, allowing them to offer up to 120% of his $6.48MM salary from this past season.
Brown will almost certainly get offers that feature a starting salary higher than the $7.77MM Denver can give him, but that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to sign elsewhere. The 26-year-old spoke in the wake of the Nuggets’ title win about his desire to remain with the team, suggesting that “money isn’t everything.”
And as we noted at the time, there’s a precedent for a player with Non-Bird rights accepting a below-market deal from a team he won a title with, then getting a raise on a long-term deal the following year when he has Early Bird rights. Bobby Portis took this route with the Bucks after the team’s 2021 championship.
If the Nuggets bring back Brown on a Non-Bird contract, it would push the team’s guaranteed salaries close to $171MM for 10 players, which would – barring a cost-cutting move – make it nearly impossible to use the full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5MM) and stay below the projected second tax apron ($179.5MM), since they’ll need to carry at least 14 players.
If Brown departs in free agency, that taxpayer MLE would be in play. It wouldn’t necessarily need to be used on someone who will assume Brown’s exact role, since the Nuggets are reportedly confident in Braun’s and Watson’s ability to play more backcourt minutes next season. If they have the MLE available, the Nuggets could look to add depth at virtually any position, including backup center.
Among the team’s unrestricted free agents, Thomas Bryant and Reggie Jackson didn’t play major roles after being acquired in February and may not be great bets to return. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team makes an effort to bring back Jeff Green and/or Ish Smith.
Green, in particular, was part of the postseason rotation and has spoken about wanting to finish his career in Denver. And it seems safe to assume Smith would rather stick with the defending champions than join the 14th NBA team of his career if the Nuggets are willing to bring him back.
The Nuggets, having already agreed to a trade with the Thunder earlier this month, will also control a pair of second-round picks at No. 37 and No. 40, which should be used to help fill out next season’s roster in some form or another.
There have been rumblings that Denver is looking into the possibility of trading into the first round, using some combination of this year’s second-rounders and a future first-rounder. If that doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world — there will still be solid prospects available in the 37-40 range, and those players would cost less toward the Nuggets’ 2023/24 tax bill than minimum-salary veterans or a first-round rookie would.
With few changes expected to Denver’s roster this summer, the club’s most significant offseason move could be signing Murray to an extension, since he’ll be eligible for a new deal as of July 24. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the two sides decide to put that off for another year though. Murray remains under contract for two more seasons and could qualify for a super-max extension if he makes an All-NBA team in either of those two years.
Salary Cap Situation
Guaranteed Salary
Nikola Jokic ($46,900,000)
- Note: Jokic’s salary will be 35% of the 2023/24 salary cap. This is a projection based on a $134MM cap.
- Jamal Murray ($33,833,400)
- Michael Porter Jr. ($33,386,850)
- Aaron Gordon ($22,266,182)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($14,704,938)
- Zeke Nnaji ($4,306,281)
- Christian Braun ($2,949,120)
- Peyton Watson ($2,303,520)
- Vlatko Cancar ($2,234,359)
- Total: $162,884,650
Dead/Retained Salary
- None
Player Options
- Bruce Brown ($6,802,950): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $6,802,950
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 37 overall pick (no cap hold)
- No. 40 overall pick (no cap hold)
Extension-Eligible Players
- Jamal Murray (veteran)
- Zeke Nnaji (rookie scale)
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Ish Smith ($6,142,500 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Jeff Green ($5,850,000 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Thomas Bryant ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Reggie Jackson ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- DeAndre Jordan ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- DeMarcus Cousins ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Troy Daniels ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Richard Jefferson ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Markus Howard ($1,774,999 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Total: $25,705,687
Note: The cap holds for the players listed in italics remain on the Nuggets’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,000,000
- Trade exception: $9,125,000
- Note: Expires on July 6.
- Trade exception: $3,475,000
- Note: Expires on June 23.
- Trade exception: $2,201,520
- Trade exception: $1,902,133
- Trade exception: $370,297
- Note: Expires on July 6.
Note: The Nuggets would lose the taxpayer mid-level exception if their team salary is above the second tax apron; they would gain access to the full mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception if their team salary remains below both tax aprons.
Suns Notes: Ayton, Landale, Okogie, Craig, Warren, More
If they move Deandre Ayton this offseason, the Suns‘ preference would be to get multiple depth pieces in return rather than simply trading his contract to a cap-room team and acquiring a draft pick or two, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 told Michael Scotto in the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast.
As the Suns look to fill out their roster following the Bradley Beal blockbuster, they’ll also have interest in re-signing free agents like Jock Landale, Josh Okogie, and Torrey Craig, according to Gambadoro, though he says T.J. Warren is expected to be let go. Scotto confirms that Landale and the Suns have mutual interest in a new deal, with Gambadoro suggesting that the team “really” likes having the big man as its backup center.
Gambadoro and Scotto also discussed several other Suns-related topics during the podcast, including Isiah Thomas‘ unofficial role with the franchise, which Chris Paul alluded to in an interview with The New York Times.
As Gambadoro explains, Thomas isn’t going to be brought into the fold officially in a front office position, but he’s a trusted confidant for new owner Mat Ishbia, who will likely continue soliciting Thomas’ input and bouncing ideas off of him. Longtime Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is another Ishbia confidant, Gambadoro adds.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- During the HoopsHype podcast, Gambadoro also discussed the tension that existed between former Suns head coach Monty Williams and players like Jae Crowder and Ayton. “The Jae Crowder situation was all on Monty. He told people he was too difficult to handle and coach. Monty didn’t want Jae. It wasn’t the Suns organization. He didn’t want Jae around,” Gambadoro said. “As far as Deandre Ayton, Monty didn’t want him either. He wanted them to trade him to Indiana for Myles Turner. He didn’t like coaching Ayton. … Monty’s a good coach and a player’s coach, but he’s a player’s coach for the players he likes, but he wasn’t in on Jae and Deandre.”
- The Suns are counting on having a second-round pick in Thursday’s draft, tweets Gambadoro. It will either be No. 52 – Phoenix’s current selection– or No. 57, if the Suns and Wizards swap late second-rounders as part of the Beal trade.
- Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported that the Suns – before acquiring Beal – were among the teams to reach out to the Mavericks earlier this offseason to inquire about a possible Kyrie Irving sign-and-trade. However, Gambadoro shot down that report, tweeting that it “never happened.” Either way, with Beal in the fold, an Irving pursuit is definitely off the table.
- Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic takes a look at what sort of traits the Suns will be looking for as they attempt to fill out their roster on the cheap. The team could use at least one more wing shooter, a big man who can stretch the floor and rebound, and a defensive stopper, writes Rankin.
- Eugene German, a former Northern Illinois Star who spent last season playing in China, will work out for the Suns on June 28, a source tells Sean Paul of Mountain West Wire (Twitter link).
Draft Rumors: Hornets, Miller, Rockets, Whitmore, Sixers, Prosper
The prevailing thought among rival teams is that the Hornets are more likely to draft Brandon Miller than Scoot Henderson at No. 2, according to both Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (subscription required) and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Still, while Miller may be widely viewed as the favorite, it sounds like that intel is coming from outside the organization, with the Hornets not tipping their hand on their plans. According to Woo, not everyone around the league is convinced that Charlotte is zeroing in on Miller, especially since Henderson reportedly had a strong first workout with the team.
As draft day nears, it’s worth remembering that Jabari Smith – and not Paolo Banchero – was long considered by rival teams to be the pick at No. 1 in the weeks leading up to last year’s draft. We’ll see if the Hornets have a surprise in store for us this Thursday like Orlando did a year ago.
Here’s more on the 2023 NBA draft, which is just two days away:
- The Rockets‘ No. 4 pick has been the subject of trade rumors this month, but opposing teams believe Houston will likely stand pat, writes Fischer. Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson increasingly looks like the frontrunner to be selected at No. 4, according to both Fischer and Woo.
- According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, sources in recent days have begun to discuss the possibility of Cam Whitmore sliding down the lottery due to poor workouts. Both O’Connor and ESPN have Whitmore at No. 9 in their latest mock drafts, though O’Connor admits that the latest rumors might be a smoke screen.
- Sixers ownership has given president of basketball operations Daryl Morey the go-ahead to be aggressive as he attempts to trade into the 2023 draft, reports Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. The team, which currently doesn’t have a pick in 2023, would like to acquire a second-rounder. The most likely scenario is Philadelphia simply buying a pick for cash, Neubeck says.
- Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper, whose stock has been on the rise in recent weeks, received a Green Room invite for draft night, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Prosper is the 22nd prospect to be invited to the Green Room (Twitter link).
- In a pair of articles for The Athletic, David Aldridge spoke to several anonymous NBA coaches and executives to get their thoughts on this year’s top guard prospects and top forward prospects.
Damian Jones Exercises 2023/24 Option With Jazz
Veteran center Damian Jones has exercised his player option for the 2023/24 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The move guarantees Jones’ minimum salary ($2,586,665) for next season, so the Jazz will be on the hook for that full amount.
The opt-in doesn’t necessarily assure the big man of a return to Utah though, since he’ll immediately become trade-eligible once his option is officially picked up. He could be traded or released if he’s not in the team’s plans going forward.
A former first-round pick, Jones signed with the Lakers last offseason after playing for five different teams in his first six NBA seasons, then was sent to the Jazz in the three-team trade-deadline deal involving D’Angelo Russell, Russell Westbrook, and Mike Conley.
Jones saw more regular playing time in Utah than he had in Los Angeles, averaging 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest in his 19 appearances. In total, he played in 41 regular season games and averaged 3.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 11.6 MPG.
Jones, who will turn 28 later this month, is the first of four Jazz veterans to make a decision on a player option for 2023/24. Jordan Clarkson, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Rudy Gay also have player option decisions to make by June 29.
[RELATED: NBA Player Option Decisions For 2023/24]
Gay is considered a virtual lock to opt in, since he won’t exceed his $6.48MM option salary as a free agent, whereas Clarkson is a good candidate to decline his $14.26MM option and seek a multiyear deal. Horton-Tucker ($11.02MM) could go either way.
Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma Opts Out, Will Become Free Agent
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has declined his player option for the 2023/24 season and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
The move had long been expected, as Kuzma spoke way back in December about his plans to turn down his option to become a free agent. The decision is more about his market value than a desire to leave D.C. — his option would have paid him $13MM, a figure he’ll almost certainly exceed on a new deal.
According to Wojnarowski, a return to Washington on a new contract remains a possibility for Kuzma, though it will be interesting to see how the team’s new front office – and apparent new direction – affects those negotiations. The Wizards reached an agreement this week to send Bradley Beal to Phoenix and appears to be in the process of a major roster reset.
Kuzma, who will turn 28 next month, spent the last two seasons in D.C. after being included in the blockbuster deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. He averaged a career-best 21.2 points per game in 64 contests (35.0 MPG) this past season, posting a shooting line of .448/.333/.730 and contributing 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per night.
It’s unclear where Kuzma might land if he doesn’t remain in Washington, though a recent report linked him to the Pacers and Rockets, two teams with cap room. Finding a club with cap space or the ability to acquire him via sign-and-trade will be necessary if Kuzma wants to change teams and exceed his $13MM option salary, since this year’s full mid-level exception projects to come in around $12.2MM.
Kuzma joins Fred VanVleet and Draymond Green as veterans who have declined player options for 2023/24; others are expected to join them, including James Harden and Josh Hart. Our tracker can be found right here.
One player whose option decision remains up in the air is Kuzma’s teammate Kristaps Porzingis. He could assure himself of $36MM if he opts in and is reportedly still mulling that possibility.
Raptors’ Gary Trent Jr. To Pick Up 2023/24 Player Option
Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr. has decided to exercise his player option for the 2023/24 season, agents Rich Paul and Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter links).
The move will guarantee Trent’s $18.79MM salary for next season and will keep him off this year’s free agent market, lining him up instead for unrestricted free agency in 2024.
It’s a surprising decision, given that Trent had long been expected to opt out in order to sign a longer-term deal worth perhaps $18-20MM annually. The 24-year-old is coming off a solid two-and-a-half year stint in Toronto in which he averaged 17.7 points per game on .420/.374/.843 shooting while chipping in 1.6 SPG.
Trent, who is still entering his prime, projected to be one of the best three-and-D players on the market. It’s possible his agents quietly gauged his market and found it wasn’t robust as anticipated.
A desire to remain in Toronto also factored into Trent’s decision, according to Haynes, who says the two sides intend to explore a multiyear agreement. Once he officially picks up his option, the former Trail Blazer will be on track to become extension-eligible in July. The NBA’s new extension rules would allow him to receive a raise of up to 40% on a new deal.
While Trent’s decision to opt in will keep one key Raptors contributor off the free agent market, two others are still expected to become free agents on July 1. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet already declined his own ’23/24 player option, while center Jakob Poeltl will see his current contract expire on June 30.
As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, Trent’s $18MM+ cap hit will make it more challenging for the Raptors to bring back both VanVleet and Poeltl on market-value deals and avoid the luxury tax. While it’s not impossible, it may require a cost-cutting move or two.
The full list of player option decisions for 2023/24 can be found right here.
Trade Rumors: T. Jones, Hawks, Spurs, Wolves, Jazz, Sexton
The Grizzlies are exploring the possibility of trading reserve point guard Tyus Jones, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
It’s an interesting rumor, given that starting point guard Ja Morant is expected to miss at least the first 25 games of the 2023/24 season due to a suspension. Jones, one of the league’s top backups, would presumably be promoted to the starting five if he remains in Memphis through the offseason, but apparently that’s not a given.
According to Fischer, with Dillon Brooks expected to move on in free agency, the Grizzlies are making it a priority to upgrade their wing depth. Fischer notes that the Spurs talked to Jones last summer before he re-signed with Memphis, but are probably unlikely to pursue him again this offseason after his brother Tre Jones emerged as San Antonio’s starter.
The Raptors (OG Anunoby) and the Clippers (several wings) are among the other teams that could make sense as destinations for Jones, Fischer writes, though Toronto may re-sign Fred VanVleet and has set a high asking price for Anunoby. Eric Gordon, Norman Powell, and Marcus Morris are among the veterans the Clippers could offer in a deal for Jones, according to Fischer, adding that Morris has been viewed as a trade candidate by rival teams since he fell out of the rotation near the end of last season.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, league sources have linked the Hawks to several teams in trade discussions, including the Celtics, Raptors, and Mavericks. O’Connor reiterates that Pascal Siakam is a player of interest for Atlanta, which Fischer previously reported.
- There are rumblings that the Spurs are looking to acquire a second lottery selection in addition to their No. 1 pick, according to O’Connor, who wonders if the team might package its second-round picks (Nos. 33 and 44) with a “rising player” to try to move up. For what it’s worth, Spurs GM Brian Wright was asked if the team would consider moving Devin Vassell or Keldon Johnson in a deal for a first-round pick and said no, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “With this team we want to see what we have,” Wright said. “We have a group that has worked really hard. Where they were last year may not be what they are in the future. We want to see how things blend together.”
- The Timberwolves, who currently hold only the No. 53 pick in Thursday’s draft, have been making inquiries to see if they could get into the first round, but haven’t gained traction on a deal, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
- As ESPN suggested earlier today, the Jazz have contacted the Pistons about the possibility of trading up to No. 5 in the draft using the Nos. 9 and 16 picks, according to Fischer. However, while ESPN’s report indicated that Jarace Walker may be Utah’s target, Fischer suggests rival teams think the Jazz are after Anthony Black.
- The Jazz have made veteran guard Collin Sexton available in trade talks, sources tell Fischer. Sexton has three years and $54.5MM left on the contract he signed a year ago.
Blazers Rumors: No. 3 Pick, Lillard, Adebayo, George, Zion
Like his ESPN colleague Jonathan Givony, Brian Windhorst has been hearing that the Trail Blazers haven’t been enamored with the trade offers they’ve been getting for the No. 3 pick in this Thursday’s draft. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday (YouTube link), Windhorst discussed the situation in Portland and how it could affect star guard Damian Lillard.
“In discussions with teams in the last couple of days, the Blazers have started to maybe indicate that they won’t trade the No. 3 pick and that they may end up deciding to draft a player there, whether it be Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller, because they aren’t necessarily in love with the options they’re getting offer for No. 3,” Windhorst said.
As Windhorst notes, Lillard has repeatedly expressed his loyalty to the Trail Blazers, but he has also spoken in recent months about not wanting to be part of a rebuild in Portland and his hope that the team can add impact veterans.
“I checked in on the Lillard side of things about whether or not there’d been a change of heart there and I was told unequivocally, ‘No,'” Windhorst said. “Dame does not want a youth movement. He wants to play with veterans. He wants the team to upgrade fast and immediately with veteran players that can help him now.”
There are other ways besides trading the No. 3 pick for the Blazers to add veteran talent this summer, Windhorst acknowledges, so if Portland keeps and uses its lottery pick on Thursday, that doesn’t necessarily mean Lillard will immediately make a trade request.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports makes this point too, writing in his latest story that the Blazers “view this entire offseason as their canvas” to upgrade their roster around Lillard and don’t necessarily feel it has to happen entirely during the draft. For now, it still appears that Dame’s preference is to remain in Portland and that the club hasn’t shown any willingness to discuss trading Lillard, says Fischer.
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Portland is preparing what the front office considers a “compelling” offer for Heat big man Bam Adebayo, a source tells Fischer. While that may be true, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Miami would accept such a deal, given that the Heat view Adebayo as a long-term cornerstone and want to acquire Lillard themselves rather than help the Blazers keep him. For what it’s worth, Fischer suggests that any Portland offer for Adebayo would almost certainly have to include Shaedon Sharpe in addition to the No. 3 pick and Anfernee Simons to even get Miami to think about it.
- While Adebayo may not be attainable, he’s the sort of “premium” player the Trail Blazers are targeting in talks involving their lottery pick, Fischer writes, naming Clippers forward Paul George as another example of a player the team would like to land.
- League sources tell Fischer that the Blazers don’t “truly covet” either of the Raptors forwards they’ve been linked to (Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby) in a deal for the No. 3 selection. Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns also aren’t considered legitimate targets, Fischer adds.
- The Blazers and Pelicans have discussed Zion Williamson, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, but New Orleans hasn’t made a formal offer involving Williamson and may want more than just the No. 3 pick for him, per Fischer.