Jazz Notes: Olynyk, Conley, Veterans, Fontecchio
New Jazz center Kelly Olynyk admitted that the trade sending him from Detroit to Utah caught him off guard, telling reporters this week that it felt as if it “came out of nowhere,” according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. However, Olynyk expressed excitement about his new NBA home and suggested the deal reminded him of the last time Danny Ainge traded for him, on draft night in 2013.
“It’s crazy because when I got drafted by Boston, we were almost in the exact same situation with Danny that they’re in here right now,” Olynyk said. “You have some older guys with experience, you have some young guys, you got a bunch of draft picks coming in for the next few years, and you’re just trying to get better every single day, whatever that is.
“And in Boston, we had a young first-year coach in Brad (Stevens), and now we have a first-time, young head coach in Will (Hardy). And I think it’s going to be great for us — everybody’s going to be pulling the rope in the same direction. And that’s how you move things.”
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Mike Conley and the other veterans who are still on the Jazz roster are preparing as if they’re going to be in Utah to open the season, but Conley pointed to the Donovan Mitchell trade in particular as a sign that no one is safe. “When Rudy (Gobert) got traded and Royce (O’Neale), you thought maybe that would be it,” Conley said, per Sarah Todd The Deseret News. “And then once Don got traded, the floodgates kind of opened up and now all of us are up in the air and didn’t really know what was going on.”
- The Jazz will face a tricky balancing act this season as they attempt to find regular minutes for both their young players and their veterans, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Jones observes, developing the young core is the top priority in Utah, but the team also wants its veterans to boost their trade value and to show the youngsters the ropes.
- Simone Fontecchio, who will be playing in the NBA for the first time after a decade in Europe, said during a media session this week that it felt like a “dream come true” to sign his first NBA contract with the Jazz. “It has been a long journey,” Fontecchio said, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. “Now I am 26, almost 27. Sometimes, this dream felt a little bit far, but right now I am so happy and excited to be here.” Fontecchio added that he believes he can bring shooting, defense, and athleticism to the Jazz.
Jamal Crawford Joining TNT As NBA Analyst
Longtime NBA guard Jamal Crawford has reached an agreement to join TNT as an NBA analyst, reports Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. According to Marchand, Crawford will replace Dwyane Wade on TNT’s Tuesday night studio show, working alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Candace Parker, and Adam Lefkoe.
Wade, who holds a minority stake in the Jazz, decided not to return to TNT for the 2022/23 season after spending three years in an analyst role with the network.
Selected out of Michigan with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, Crawford played in 1,327 regular season games and another 74 playoff contests across 20 seasons for the Bulls, Knicks, Warriors, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Nets. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2019/20 season, but didn’t announce his retirement as a player until this March.
As Marchand notes in his story, TNT NBA studio jobs are among the most sought-after roles among basketball analysts, so Crawford has a great opportunity to establish himself in the media world on this season’s Tuesday broadcasts as he transitions into the next stage of his career.
Nets Notes: Nash, Durant, Morris, Watanabe
Asked on Monday about Kevin Durant‘s reported offseason ultimatum to the Nets to either trade him or fire GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash, Nash downplayed the issue, likening it to a family squabble. The two-time NBA MVP offered a more in-depth answer on Tuesday when asked again about his relationship with Durant, as Nick Friedell of ESPN details.
“We’re good,” Nash said. “Ever since we talked, it’s been like nothing’s changed. I have a long history with Kevin. I love the guy. Families have issues. We had a moment and it’s behind us. That’s what happens. It’s a common situation in the league.”
Nash, who said he wasn’t “overly surprised” or “overly concerned” about the way the Durant saga played out, also pushed back on the idea that the star forward really wanted him fired.
“I never thought that was 100 percent,” Nash said, per Friedell. “There was a lot of things. It’s not black and white like that, so there was a lot of factors. A lot of things behind the scenes. A lot of things reported are not accurate. A lot of things that are reported are not 100 percent accurate. So you get fragmented bits of truth. You get things that are flat out not true. It happens. … So I never really get caught up in all that stuff.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- New Nets forward Markieff Morris said the perception around the NBA is that last year’s Brooklyn team was “soft,” per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Morris is hoping to bring grit and toughness to this year’s roster, and Nash believes the veteran will have an important voice in the locker room. “Markieff is a need for us, his presence, his personality,” Nash said. “He has a voice, he has an experience, he has an understanding of the game. That’s a need. We need guys that can speak to the group.”
- Camp invitee Yuta Watanabe told Japanese reporters this week that he hopes to be able to play a three-and-D role for the Nets this season, as Jordan Greene of NetsDaily writes. Watanabe, who is on non-guaranteed contract, isn’t a lock to make Brooklyn’s regular season roster — assuming the team retains its 12 players on guaranteed salaries and Morris, Watanabe would have to either beat out Edmond Sumner for the 14th spot or hope the club carries a 15th man despite the additional luxury tax penalty.
- In case you missed it, we passed along several of the most notable quotes from the Nets’ Media Day earlier this week.
Oldest, Youngest Players On NBA Rosters For 2022/23
For a third consecutive year, veteran center Udonis Haslem is set to enter the NBA season as the oldest player on any of the league’s 30 rosters. Haslem, who turned 42 in June, was born three-and-a-half years before any other active NBA player and is the only active player in his 40s.
Haslem’s teammate Kyle Lowry is also one of the top 10 oldest players currently on an NBA roster, making the Heat the only team with two players in the top 10.
Lowry is one of several new additions to this list this year due to the fact that many of last year’s oldest players – including Carmelo Anthony, Paul Millsap, Trevor Ariza, and LaMarcus Aldridge – remain unsigned.
It’s possible that one or more of those free agents could sign before opening night or that one or more of the players on the list below could be waived when regular season rosters are set in mid-October, but here’s the current list of the oldest players in the NBA heading into the ’22/23 season:
- Udonis Haslem, Heat (born 6/9/1980)
- Andre Iguodala, Warriors (born 1/28/1984)
- LeBron James, Lakers (born 12/30/1984)
- P.J. Tucker, Sixers (born 5/5/1985)
- Chris Paul, Suns (born 5/6/1985)
- Taj Gibson, Wizards (born 6/24/1985)
- Kyle Lowry, Heat (born 3/25/1986)
- George Hill, Bucks (born 5/4/1986)
- Goran Dragic, Bulls (born 5/6/1986)
- Garrett Temple, Pelicans (born 5/8/1986)
Al Horford (Celtics), Rudy Gay (Jazz), and Jeff Green (Nuggets) are among the other NBA veterans who turned 36 years old this year but just missed the cut.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, all of this year’s youngest NBA players were either members of the 2022 draft class or signed as rookie free agents after going undrafted.
The only team with multiple players on the list of the NBA’s 10 youngest players is San Antonio — the Spurs actually have three players on the list and just missed a fourth, as rookie Blake Wesley is about two months too old to qualify for the top 10.
Here are the 10 youngest players currently on NBA rosters:
- Jalen Duren, Pistons (born 11/18/2003)
- Trevor Keels, Knicks (born 8/26/2003) *
- AJ Griffin, Hawks (born 8/25/2003)
- Nikola Jovic, Heat (born 6/9/2003)
- Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers (born 5/30/2003)
- Dominick Barlow, Spurs (born 5/26/2003) *
- Ousmane Dieng, Thunder (born 5/21/2003)
- Jeremy Sochan, Spurs (born 5/20/2003)
- Jabari Smith, Rockets (born 5/13/2003)
- Malaki Branham, Spurs (born 5/12/2003)
Note: Players marked with an asterisk (*) are on two-way contracts.
Wolves Notes: Gobert, Russell, Edwards, Anderson, McDaniels
With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined for the start of the Timberwolves‘ training camp due to a non-COVID illness, center Rudy Gobert didn’t get a chance to work with his new frontcourt partner in his first formal practice with the team on Tuesday. But Gobert said he felt “great” energy on Tuesday and spoke specifically about developing chemistry with new pick-and-roll partner D’Angelo Russell.
“He can see it all,” Gobert said of Russell, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “There’s a few times when I didn’t know that he saw me, and he still saw me. It’s really impressive and it’s really exciting.”
As for his partnership with Towns, Gobert said the two big men have been in contact since he was traded to Minnesota in July and have talked about how they’ll be able to maximize each other’s talent.
“On both ends on the floor and even off the floor, just be a great friend, be a great support for him and then on the court, just let that relationship carry over,” Gobert said. “Help him be the best Karl he can be and I know, just by being himself, he’s going to help me be the best Rudy I can be.”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Gobert’s friend and fellow Frenchman Nicolas Batum said he was glad to see the longtime Jazz center dealt to Minnesota and thinks Gobert will be better off for it, as Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times tweets. “I don’t think I will say I like it because (the Wolves) beat us in the play-in last year,” Batum said. “… But just for my friend, I am happy to see him with a good team, new spot, new everything, new life for him. He needed that.”
- Anthony Edwards added 11 pounds of muscle this offseason without increasing his body fat, multiples sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I feel like I’m in better shape, more than anything,” Edwards said. “That’s going to take everything to the next level.”
- Within the same story, Krawczynski examines a few takeaways from the Wolves’ Media Day, including why veteran forward Kyle Anderson signed with Minnesota as a free agent and what he’ll bring to the team. “Those guys in Minnesota really competed, one through 11, 12, those guys all played really hard,” Anderson said. “You could see the cohesiveness, they played hard for one another. So when it came down to this summer and which team I wanted to sign with, I think this was an easy call.”
- After working hard to keep Jaden McDaniels out of the trade package for Gobert this summer, the Timberwolves are working just as hard to unlock the young forward’s full potential, Krawczynski writes in a separate article for The Athletic. Among the interesting details in Krawczynski’s story: Minnesota determined that McDaniels’ optimal shooting arc is 47 degrees and used an app during summer workouts to ensure that he was consistently releasing it at that angle.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, SGA, Porter, Sixers, Hartenstein
The Raptors were repeatedly tied to big-name trade candidates this offseason, rumored to be possible suitors for Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Kevin Durant. Toronto ended up having a relatively quiet summer, making only minor tweaks to its roster, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says the club is counting on internal growth from its own players, including Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.
Still, while the Raptors didn’t take a big swing in the last few months, that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to make a major trade at some point to move closer to title contention. A league source tells Lewenberg that one situation the Raptors are “closely monitoring” is in Oklahoma City, in case Thunder star and Toronto native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander eventually seeks a change of scenery.
The Thunder have only won a total of 46 games in the last two seasons and appear headed for another lottery finish in 2022/23, but there’s no indication Gilgeous-Alexander is seeking an exit ramp out of town. He said this week that he knew what he was getting into when he signed a five-year extension with OKC a year ago and that he doesn’t think the team will keep losing for much longer.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- When he became a free agent and was weighing his options this summer, Otto Porter Jr. got in touch with forward Thaddeus Young to seek his opinion on Toronto, tweets Lewenberg. Young helped convince his former Bulls teammate to sign with the Raptors. “He’s one of my better friends in the league,” Young said. “He asked me questions and I said, ‘Come on through, sign the deal and let’s go.'”
- Head coach Doc Rivers is pleased with the moves the Sixers‘ front office made this offseason, telling reporters this week that the team addressed the holes it was hoping to fill. “We had a targeted summer, and we hit pretty much what we’re looking for,” Rivers said, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “… We have to learn how to become a team first, and if we do that, I love who we are.”
- Center Isaiah Hartenstein explained on Tuesday that he signed with the Knicks as a free agent this summer because they made him feel “wanted” and because he believes his ability to shoot and make plays from the center position will add a new dimension to the team. “I felt like I can bring something that they didn’t have, to help them win,” Hartenstein said, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
Southwest Notes: Wood, Mavs, Vogel, Spurs, McCollum
After Jason Kidd told reporters on Monday that the plan is for Christian Wood to come off the bench in his first season for the Mavericks, the big man said in his own media session that he was hearing about it for the first time. Following up on that topic on Tuesday, Kidd admitted he hadn’t spoken directly to Wood about his role, but he also suggested the big man wasn’t totally in the dark about it.
“I haven’t really talked to him about that. I know my assistants have,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). “When you use the term, ‘When you check in with six minutes…’ that means you didn’t start.
“So we’ll get to talking about his role as we go forward. I’ve never coached him, so I want to first see what he’s capable of doing with different lineups and different combinations here in preseason, and then we’ll make a decision on where he’s going to play, if he’s coming off the bench or starting. But right now, he will not start.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Frank Vogel will be with the Mavericks in training camp for “a couple of days,” according to Kidd, who said the former Lakers head coach took him up right away on an open invitation to visit (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News). Vogel, who worked with Kidd in Los Angeles, doesn’t have a formal NBA job this season after being let go by L.A. in the spring.
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t have any delusions about his team’s ability to seriously contend this season, telling reporters on Monday, “Nobody here should go to Vegas and bet on this team to win the championship,” as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News relays. While his young players are hoping to defy the odds and win more games than expected, Popovich said the focus will be on player development and growth. “At this point, the job is really to start them out the right way,” Popovich said. “Just like a new baby, and giving that baby all the nutrients it needs to develop properly and in the best environment. That’s our goal. Whatever success we have will come from that.”
- CJ McCollum‘s new two-year contract extension with the Pelicans has a declining structure, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). McCollum will earn $33.3MM in 2024/25 and $30.7MM in ’25/26.
Decisions On 2023/24 Rookie Scale Team Options
While decisions on player and team options for veteran NBA contracts are typically due in June, the deadline to exercise third- and fourth-year team options for players on rookie scale contracts arrives each fall. This year’s deadline for teams to pick up rookie scale options is October 31, 2022.
All the players whose options will be exercised or declined by October 31 are already under contract for the 2022/23 season. Their teams will have to make a decision on whether they want to lock in those players’ contracts beyond the coming season, picking up or turning down team options for the 2023/24 campaign.
For players who signed their rookie scale contracts in 2020 and have already been in the NBA for two years, teams must decide on fourth-year options for 2023/24. For players who just signed their rookie deals last year and only have one season of NBA experience under their belts, teams will already be faced with a decision on third-year options for ’23/24.
In many cases, these decisions aren’t difficult ones. Rookie scale salaries are affordable enough that it usually makes sense to exercise most of these team options, even if a player isn’t a key cog on the roster. And for those players who do have a significant role on a team’s roster, the decision is even easier — it’s not as if the Rockets will consider turning down their option on Jalen Green, for instance.
Still, we’ll wait for a trusted reporter, the NBA, a player (or his agent), or a team itself to confirm that an option is indeed being exercised or declined, and we’ll track that news in this space.
Listed below are all the rookie scale decisions for 2023/24 team options that clubs must make by October 31. This list will be updated through the deadline as teams’ decisions are reported and announced. The salary figures listed here reflect the cap hits for each team.
Here are the NBA’s rookie scale team option decisions for 2023/24 salaries:
Atlanta Hawks
- Onyeka Okongwu (fourth year, $8,109,063): Exercised
- Jalen Johnson (third year, $2,925,360): Exercised
Boston Celtics
Payton Pritchard (fourth year, $4,037,278): Exercised
Brooklyn Nets
- Cam Thomas (third year, $2,240,160): Exercised
- Day’Ron Sharpe (third year, $2,210,040): Exercised
Charlotte Hornets
- LaMelo Ball (fourth year, $10,900,635): Exercised
- James Bouknight (third year, $4,570,080): Exercised
- Kai Jones (third year, $3,047,880): Exercised
Chicago Bulls
- Patrick Williams (fourth year, $9,835,881): Exercised
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Isaac Okoro (fourth year, $8,920,795): Exercised
- Evan Mobley (third year, $8,882,640): Exercised
Dallas Mavericks
- Josh Green (fourth year, $4,765,339): Exercised
Denver Nuggets
- Zeke Nnaji (fourth year, $4,306,281): Exercised
- Bones Hyland (third year, $2,306,400): Exercised
Detroit Pistons
- Cade Cunningham (third year, $11,055,360): Exercised
- Killian Hayes (fourth year, $7,413,955): Exercised
- Isaiah Stewart (fourth year, $5,266,713): Exercised
- Saddiq Bey (fourth year, $4,556,983): Exercised
Golden State Warriors
- James Wiseman (fourth year, $12,119,440): Exercised
- Jonathan Kuminga (third year, $6,012,840): Exercised
- Moses Moody (third year, $3,918,480): Exercised
Houston Rockets
- Jalen Green (third year, $9,891,480): Exercised
- Alperen Sengun (third year, $3,536,280): Exercised
- Usman Garuba (third year, $2,588,400): Exercised
- Josh Christopher (third year, $2,485,200): Exercised
Indiana Pacers
- Tyrese Haliburton (fourth year, $5,808,435): Exercised
- Aaron Nesmith (fourth year, $5,634,257): Exercised
- Chris Duarte (third year, $4,124,400): Exercised
- Isaiah Jackson (third year, $2,696,280): Exercised
Los Angeles Clippers
- None
Los Angeles Lakers
- None
Memphis Grizzlies
- Ziaire Williams (third year, $4,810,200): Exercised
- Desmond Bane (fourth year, $3,845,083): Exercised
- Santi Aldama (third year, $2,194,200): Exercised
Miami Heat
- None
Milwaukee Bucks
- None
Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards (fourth year, $13,534,817): Exercised- Jaden McDaniels (fourth year, $3,901,399): Exercised
New Orleans Pelicans
- Kira Lewis (fourth year, $5,722,116): Exercised
- Trey Murphy (third year, $3,359,280): Exercised
New York Knicks
- Obi Toppin (fourth year, $6,803,012): Exercised
- Immanuel Quickley (fourth year, $4,171,548): Exercised
- Quentin Grimes (third year, $2,385,720): Exercised
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Josh Giddey (third year, $6,587,040): Exercised
- Aleksej Pokusevski (fourth year, $5,009,633): Exercised
- Tre Mann (third year, $3,191,400): Exercised
Orlando Magic
- Jalen Suggs (third year, $7,252,080): Exercised
- Cole Anthony (fourth year, $5,539,771): Exercised
- Franz Wagner (third year, $5,508,720): Exercised
- Chuma Okeke (fourth year, $5,266,713): Exercised
- R.J. Hampton (fourth year, $4,220,057): Declined
Philadelphia 76ers
- Tyrese Maxey (fourth year, $4,343,920): Exercised
- Jaden Springer (third year, $2,226,240): Exercised
Phoenix Suns
- None
Portland Trail Blazers
- Keon Johnson (third year, $2,808,720): Exercised
Sacramento Kings
- Davion Mitchell (third year, $5,063,640): Exercised
San Antonio Spurs
- Devin Vassell (fourth year, $5,887,899): Exercised
- Joshua Primo (third year, $4,341,600): Exercised
Toronto Raptors
- Scottie Barnes (third year, $8,008,680): Exercised
- Precious Achiuwa (fourth year, $4,379,527): Exercised
- Malachi Flynn (fourth year, $3,873,025): Exercised
Utah Jazz
- Udoka Azubuike (fourth year, $3,923,484): Declined
- Leandro Bolmaro (third year, $2,588,400): Declined
Washington Wizards
- Deni Avdija (fourth year, $6,263,188): Exercised
- Corey Kispert (third year, $3,722,040): Exercised
Central Notes: Ball, LaVine, Nwora, Pistons
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is scheduled to undergo another procedure on his troublesome left knee on Wednesday after spending the entire offseason trying to recover from the injury without surgery. Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, Ball discussed the decision to go back under the knife, explaining that the knee continues to bother him even when he’s doing day-to-day activities like walking up the stairs.
“Literally, I really can’t run. I can’t run or jump. There’s a range from, like, 30 to 60 degrees when my knee is bent that I have no force and I can’t catch myself. Until I can do those things I can’t play,” Ball said, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. “I did rehab, it was getting better, but it was not to a point where I could get out there and run full speed or jump. So surgery is the next step.”
The injury has bothered Ball for far longer than he or the Bulls expected, with the point guard suggesting on Tuesday that his condition and his symptoms have left his doctors “a little surprised.” Ball is hopeful that Wednesday’s procedure will shed more light on the issue.
“From my understanding they’re going in there to see what it is because it’s not necessarily showing up on the MRI,” Ball said. “But it’s clear that there’s something there that’s not right. So they’re going to go in, look at it, and whatever needs to be done is going to be done.”
As Schaefer writes in a separate NBC Sports Chicago story, Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said on Monday that a recovery timeline for Ball remains unknown, and that the four-to-six week timeline the team announced last week is just for a reevaluation — the 24-year-old is not expected to be ready to return at that point.
Ominously, when asked on Tuesday if he needs to view Ball’s absence as a potential season-long issue, head coach Billy Donovan replied, “I think you have to” (Twitter link via Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic). That could just be a matter of Donovan preparing for a worse-case scenario, but it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- While Ball’s knee injury continues to be a problem, fellow Bulls guard Zach LaVine said that his own knee – which he underwent arthroscopic surgery on in the spring – feels “really good.” Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times has the story and the quotes from LaVine.
- Playing strong defense will be crucial for Jordan Nwora as he looks to earn a regular spot in the Bucks‘ rotation this season, head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday (link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). “He’s maturing and he understands it’s a big priority for us for him to get on the court, for him to help us,” Budenholzer said. “Everybody’s gotta be able to defend at a high level. He’s gotta prove it now, every day in camp, and he’s off to a good start.”
- Nwora, who just re-signed with the Bucks on a two-year deal, will have guaranteed base salaries of $2.8MM and $3MM on his new deal, with additional bonuses of $200K per year if the team gets to the second round of the playoffs, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links). As Nehm relays, Nwora referred to restricted free agency as “kind of a blessing and curse” and praised the job his agent and the front office did to make a deal.
- The Pistons made a series of intriguing roster additions this summer, drafting Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren and trading for Bojan Bogdanovic. But in their comments to the media on Monday, general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Dwane Casey both stressed the importance of “internal growth,” writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “We’re hoping that our players in-house can continue to grow and develop at a pace that allows us to push and grow and compete, and then contend the way we want to,” Weaver said.
And-Ones: Pinson Rule, Deadline Sellers, M. Gasol, Sampson, Faried
The NBA has instituted a rule change this season that will penalize teams whose bench players and coaches are crowding the sidelines and standing for long periods of time, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (all Twitter links). Teams will initially be warned, then get a delay-of-game warning, then be assessed a technical foul.
Winderman clarifies that the rule won’t apply at the end of games, when everyone is often standing, and won’t affect head coaches as long as they’re not interfering with play. The goal is to reduce instances of players and coaches on the bench attempting to blatantly distract players on the court.
The new rule will likely become informally known as the Theo Pinson Rule — Pinson was viewed as the unofficial ring leader of the Mavericks’ bench mob that earned the team $175K in fines during the playoffs due to its “bench decorum” violations. However, Pinson is unfazed by the change, joking to reporters on Monday that he intends to “find a loophole,” as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News writes.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst of ESPN wondered if the surplus of competitive teams in 2022/23 might result in a few unexpected sellers at February’s trade deadline. “What I suspect will happen this year: there are too many good teams,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “Too many teams are invested in winning. The lottery is very good. My suspicion is that some team, one to three teams, are going to get into January and realize, ‘It ain’t happening for us and we have to retrofit.'”
- A rule change in Liga ACB, Spain’s top basketball league, will allow veteran center Marc Gasol to suit up for Girona this season despite also owning the team, according to a Eurohoops report. Girona earned a promotion to the ACB after Gasol helped lead the club to a top-two finish in Liga LEB Oro, Spain’s second division, last season.
- In other international basketball news, veteran forward JaKarr Sampson has signed with China’s Liaoning Flying Leopards, per his agency Prostep Sports (Twitter link), while big man Kenneth Faried has joined Mexican club Soles de Mexicali, according to HoopsHype.
- The Athletic’s team of NBA writers pose the biggest question facing each NBA club entering training camp, while ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider-only link) provides an in-depth, team-by-team training camp guide.