Trade Rumors: Lakers, Pacers, Vanderbilt, Durant, Knicks
Talks between the Lakers and Pacers about a trade that would include Russell Westbrook, Buddy Hield, Myles Turner, and other assets are currently dead, a source tells Bob Kravitz of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kravitz adds that those discussions could reignite if the Lakers add another first-round pick to their offer, but he says they’re currently at a standstill.
Kravitz’s wording suggests L.A. is only willing to attach one of its two tradable first-rounders (2027 and 2029) to Westbrook in exchange for Hield and Turner, so it’s not surprising that the Pacers aren’t interested.
As we noted earlier this week, if the Lakers want to try to acquire just one of Hield or Turner, there are ways to construct a deal using Talen Horton-Tucker ($10.26MM) and Kendrick Nunn ($5.25MM) instead of Westbrook’s $47MM expiring deal for outgoing salary purposes. But acquiring both Pacers veterans would mean including Westbrook and would require a substantial package of draft assets.
Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who suggested last week that Jarred Vanderbilt is drawing trade interest, said on the latest episode of his podcast that “a lot of teams” have called the Jazz about the 23-year-old forward. “I don’t know the number. I don’t really have any specific teams that I’ve heard of,” Fischer said, per HoopsHype. “But last I (heard), he was the guy who’s getting the most calls, the most incoming calls of all the (Jazz) players.”
- Given that no team is willing to meet the Nets‘ sky-high asking price for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today on Thursday (video link) that he’s waiting for one of two things to happen: Brooklyn to lower that asking price, or Durant to be pulled off the trade market. There has been no indication that either one of those moves is imminent, Windhorst adds.
- As the Knicks pursue a possible Donovan Mitchell deal, it’s important that they consider what pieces would be left over, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Besides not wanting to sacrifice too many players who could play alongside Mitchell, the Knicks will also want to retain enough assets to potentially be able to trade for another star within a couple years, since Mitchell alone wouldn’t make them a title contender, Katz says.
Western Notes: Warriors, Blazers, Bledsoe, Kings, Dulkys
Speaking to Mark Medina of NBA.com on Wednesday, Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers suggested he doesn’t expect to make any significant changes to the current roster before the 2022/23 season begins.
“I like our team and where it’s at,” Myers said of the defending champions. “I want to give the guys a chance to do it again.”
While Medina interprets Myers’ comments as a strong signal that the Warriors won’t seriously pursue a Kevin Durant trade, such a move was already considered a long shot. Golden State hasn’t shown much interest in sacrificing its depth or young prospects in order to make a run at another marquee player, Medina notes.
For his part, Myers is curious to see what the Warriors look like defending their title after coming off a couple non-playoff seasons in 2020 and 2021.
“It’s a good group. We’re lucky. It’ll be fun to see,” he told Medina. “We were really hunting last year. Now I guess we’re back to being the hunted, which I didn’t think we’d be. We’ll see. I think we can handle it.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report attempts to make sense of recent reports about Phil Knight‘s interest in buying the Trail Blazers and Jody Allen‘s statement insisting the franchise isn’t currently for sale. Observing that Knight is an ideal buyer from the NBA’s perspective, Highkin suggests more reports like the New York Post’s dubiously sourced hit piece on Allen could surface in the coming weeks and months in an effort to pressure her to sell.
- It slipped through the cracks when Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com (Twitter link) first reported it earlier this month, but the Trail Blazers have stretched Eric Bledsoe‘s $3.9MM in dead money across three seasons rather than applying the full amount to their 2022/23 cap. The decision, which results in annual $1.3MM cap hits through ’24/25, moves Portland’s team salary for this season slightly under the luxury tax line.
- Deividas Dulkys, who served as a player development coach for Memphis’ G League team in 2021/22, will take a player development role with the Kings, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The former Florida State wing, who played professionally from 2012-21, was a member of the Lithuanian national team during 2012 Olympic qualifiers.
Eastern Notes: Bridges, Oladipo, Pistons, Harden
Hornets forward Miles Bridges entered a plea of not guilty to three felony domestic violence charges during his arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
Bridges’ next court appointment is on August 19, according to Holmes, who says a date for a preliminary hearing is set to be scheduled at that time. The L.A. District Attorney’s office has indicated that Bridges could face a maximum sentence of 11 years and eight months in prison if he’s convicted of the three domestic abuse charges he faces, tweets Steve Reed of The Associated Press.
The NBA will wait for the legal process to play out before determining whether to levy any penalties of its own against Bridges. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the league wouldn’t have the ability to suspend Bridges if he’s found not guilty. However, a suspension is possible if he’s found guilty, he reaches a plea deal, or the charges are dropped.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Heat haven’t made any major outside additions to their roster this offseason, but if Victor Oladipo rounds back into form, that could represent a significant upgrade for the team in lieu of a trade acquisition or free agent signing, says Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Oladipo has played just 12 games for Miami since arriving at the 2021 deadline, but should be healthier in 2022/23 than he has been at any point since originally injuring his quad tendon in early 2020.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com takes a look at the Pistons‘ projected starting five, suggesting that Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey are locks to be part of that group and will likely be joined by Isaiah Stewart and Jaden Ivey. Several players could be in the mix for the fifth starting spot, according to Langlois, who views Isaiah Livers as the slight favorite over Marvin Bagley III, Alec Burks, and others.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores the new agreement between James Harden and the Sixers, wondering if the two sides have a wink-wink agreement to complete a lucrative long-term deal next summer or if Philadelphia is hedging its bets by not making a long-term commitment to Harden at this point.
Kyle Guy Signs With Joventut Badalona
Free agent guard Kyle Guy has finalized a one-year deal with Spanish team Joventut Badalona, the club announced in a press release. An earlier report indicated that the two sides were closing in on an agreement.
The No. 55 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Guy spent his first three professional seasons in the NBA and the G League, appearing in a total of 53 NBA regular season games for the Kings and Heat while also spending time with the Stockton Kings, Cleveland Charge, and Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The former Virginia standout caught on with Miami last season during the NBA’s COVID-19 outbreak, signing a pair of 10-day hardship deals and then a two-way contract. He appeared in 19 games for the Heat, averaging 3.9 PPG and 0.9 RPG on .400/.350/.667 shooting in 9.8 MPG before being waived.
Guy’s new team, Joventut Badalona, plays in Spain’s top league (Liga ACB) and also competes in the EuroCup. Guy is the second noteworthy NBA veteran to sign with the club this offseason — 2016 first-round pick Henry Ellenson joined Joventut earlier in July.
Nuggets Notes: Murray, Hyland, Jokic, Connelly, Cousins
When Jamal Murray was practicing with the Nuggets in April and weighing the possibility of returning from his ACL tear, he was more apprehensive on the defensive side of the ball than on offense, Mike Singer of The Denver Post said on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto.
“He was concerned about fighting around screens, getting dinged, diving for loose balls, and that half-second hesitancy that might still be there as a result of that ACL tear he had,” Singer said.
However, that hesitancy was no longer evident when Murray practiced with Denver’s Summer League team a few weeks ago, according to Singer, who suggests that Denver’s decision to trade Monte Morris signals the club is confident in Murray’s ability to return strong in 2022/23.
The Morris trade was also a sign that Bones Hyland will have a bigger role going forward, according to Scotto, who has heard that the 2021 first-rounder has put on six pounds of muscle this offseason and is working out twice a day as he prepares for a minutes bump in the fall.
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- Singer suggests that if Morris had reached free agency this summer, he likely would’ve earned a deal in the range of $14-15MM annually, as opposed to the $9MM he’ll make on his current deal. The Nuggets’ reluctance to pay that much to retain the point guard once his contract expires in 2024 was one reason why the team was willing to move him. As for Will Barton, his age (32 in January), injury history, and defensive limitations were factors in Denver’s decision to trade him, per Singer.
- People around the Nuggets were “pinching themselves” when Nikola Jokic signed a five-year extension to remain with the team and appreciated that those negotiations were drama-free, according to Singer. As Singer points out, Denver is typically viewed as “a place where (star) free agents don’t want to come,” so Jokic’s decision to commit long-term was a testament to the relationship he has built with the franchise. Of course, the fact that he’ll be in line for a projected $270MM (an NBA record) on the five-year deal probably didn’t hurt either.
- Singer believes that if the Nuggets had offered president of basketball operations Tim Connelly an extension worth about $5-6MM per year before the Timberwolves began pursuing him in earnest, he likely would’ve been “eager to stay” in Denver. However, the Nuggets were unwilling to match the five-year, $40MM offer Minnesota eventually made.
- Singer got the impression there was some “friction” behind the scenes with DeMarcus Cousins last season, which is one reason why the Nuggets signed DeAndre Jordan this summer to fill that backup center role.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Celtics, Moser, Nets, Thomas
After Raptors 905 head coach Patrick Mutombo was hired away by Phoenix, Eric Khoury will take the reins coaching Toronto’s G League team in 2022/23. As Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes, Khoury’s background in academia and analytics is a little out of the ordinary for an NBA coach, but the 33-year-old has been in the Raptors’ organization for nearly a decade and has proven his basketball bona fides.
“I think that shows that you can come from any sort of background, any diverse background and if you show interest in the game, passion for the game, some hard work … you don’t necessarily need to come from the most traditional, ‘Well, I’ve coached at this level, now at this level’ and slowly bring your way up the ranks,” Khoury said.
“If you show that you have a passion for the game and you bring a cool perspective or a different perspective and you’re willing to work hard at it that it’s possible to make it at the next level.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Mike Moser, who spent the 2021/22 season as an assistant for the Oregon women’s basketball team, has accepted a job on the Celtics‘ coaching staff, writes Jarrid Denney of On3.com. Oregon women’s basketball head coach Kelly Graves announced the news on Twitter.
- Jared Weiss of The Athletic takes a look at which Celtics Summer League players made the strongest cases for a shot at a regular season roster spot, evaluating Brodric Thomas, Matt Ryan, and Justin Jackson, among others.
- Brian Lewis of The New York Post shares his takeaways from the Nets‘ Summer League performance, including his impressions on Cam Thomas, David Duke, and Alondes Williams. While Thomas had another big Summer League showing as a scorer, he’ll have to continue improving as a play-maker and defender to earn an increased role in Brooklyn’s regular season rotation, Lewis says.
- In addition to carrying a pair of Australians (Ben Simmons and Patty Mills) on their roster, the Nets now have one on their coaching staff. Alex Schiffer of The Athletic profiles Adam Caporn, the newly-promoted Nets assistant who coached Brooklyn’s Summer League team after spending last season in the G League coaching the Long Island Nets.
Sixers Notes: New Arena Plan, Joe, Reed, Bassey
The Sixers announced on Thursday morning that they’ve created a new development company, named 76 Devcorp, to spearhead a $1.3 billion project to build a privately funded downtown arena, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN details. The 76ers’ lease at Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia expires in 2031 and the team is aiming to move into a new arena for the 2031/32 season.
“We know the best thing, we believe, for the city, for our fans and for our organization, is to be downtown in a state-of-the-art facility that’s going to be privately funded by our ownership team,” team president Tad Brown told ESPN. “And that’s going to create a brand-new environment, a whole new environment, that’s going to also really give a great economic boost in a development boost to a part of town that really needs it.”
According to Brown and Philadelphia business leader David Adelman, who will head up 76 Devcorp, there are currently no plans to accelerate the project to move into the new arena prior to 2031.
As Bontemps writes, it’s unclear whether the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers – who currently share the Wells Fargo Center – would accompany the Sixers in their downtown move. Brown said the 76ers would like to have the Flyers join them, but intend to move forward with the project regardless of the NHL team’s plan.
Here’s more on the Sixers
- Sixers youngsters Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed outperformed Charles Bassey at the Las Vegas Summer League, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. As we outlined on Wednesday, there won’t be room for all of Joe, Reed, and Bassey – none of whom have fully guaranteed 2022/23 salaries – on the opening night roster if Philadelphia hangs onto Trevelin Queen and the 12 players who have guaranteed deals.
- In a mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey discussed Tobias Harris‘ value, the Sixers’ starting lineup, and whether the team should trade Matisse Thybulle, among other topics. Pompey added that he thinks Philadelphia will make one more big roster move either later in the offseason or before February’s trade deadline.
- In case you missed it, Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that James Harden and the Sixers are in formal agreement on a new two-year, $68.6MM deal that includes a second-year player option.
Gabriel Lundberg Joins Virtus Bologna
JULY 21: Virtus Bologna has formally announced its deal with Lundberg.
JULY 20: Free agent shooting guard Gabriel Lundberg, who finished the 2021/22 season with the Suns, is set to join Italian team Virtus Bologna, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link). According to Carchia, Lundberg’s new deal will be the most lucrative ever for a Danish player.
Lundberg, who has played professionally in international leagues since 2014, left CSKA Moscow earlier this year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and signed a two-way contract with the Suns in March. He appeared in four NBA games for Phoenix, averaging 3.3 PPG and 2.8 APG in 11.0 minutes per contest.
The Suns didn’t issue a qualifying offer to Lundberg last month, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Phoenix reportedly offered him a Summer League roster spot, but the 27-year-old said he didn’t want to accept that offer without getting any further guarantees, and instead opted to return to Denmark.
Home of Glory, which first reported that Virtus Bologna was pushing to sign Lundberg, stated that the veteran guard also received interest from several other European teams, including Fenerbahce in Turkey (Twitter link).
J.J. Barea Announces Retirement
Following the elimination of his Puerto Rican team – Cangrejeros de Santurce – from the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) playoffs this week, veteran guard J.J. Barea said in a Spanish-language interview that he intends to retire as a basketball player, according to Jorge Figueroa Loza of El Nuevo Día (hat tip to Eurohoops).
“I’m ready,” Barea said, according to a translation provided to Hoops Rumors. “Last year was tough mentally, and I wasn’t ready. This year I am, and I’m at peace with retiring.”
Barea last appeared in the NBA when he played 29 games in 2019/20 for the Mavericks. He subsequently spent a few months with Estudiantes in Spain at the start of 2021, then joined Cangrejeros de Santurce in his native Puerto Rico last May, re-signing with the team in February 2022.
Barea, who previously played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in 2006, expressed satisfaction that he got to finish his career with the Puerto Rican squad, even though the club was eliminated in the postseason quarterfinals in back-to-back years and a left leg injury prevented the 38-year-old from playing in the last game of the season.
From 2006-20, Barea appeared in a total of 831 regular season NBA games and 50 more playoff contests for Dallas and Minnesota, averaging 8.9 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.1 RPG on .424/.352/.794 shooting in 19.6 MPG. He was a key member of the Mavericks team that won a title in 2011, appearing in all 21 playoff games during the championship run.
Now that he has retired as a player, Barea said he plans to “take a break from basketball” to mentally recharge. However, he seems likely to end up sooner or later in a coaching role for one of his former teams.
He told El Nuevo Día that he’d liked to remain involved with Cangrejeros de Santurce, and also spoke last summer after working with Dallas’ Summer League team about his interest in a position with the Mavs.
Thunder Sign Kenrich Williams To Four-Year Extension
JULY 20: The Thunder have officially finalized Williams’ extension, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 18: The Thunder have reached an agreement with forward Kenrich Williams on a four-year contract extension worth $27.2MM, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Williams, who will earn $2MM this season, is in the final year of his current contract, so his new deal will begin a year from now and will run through the 2026/27 campaign. His $2MM salary for ’22/23 had been non-guaranteed, but it’ll become protected as part of the extension agreement, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), the first three years of the extension will be guaranteed, while the fourth will be a team option.
Williams, 27, is an unlikely extension recipient. The veteran swingman, who began his college career at New Mexico Junior College and went undrafted in 2018, spent his first two professional seasons with the Pelicans before being signed-and-traded to Oklahoma City in the Steven Adams deal during the 2020 offseason as a throw-in piece for salary-matching purposes.
After shooting just .371/.304/.489 in 85 games with New Orleans, Williams developed a more reliable three-point shot in Oklahoma City, boosting his shooting percentages to .501/.391/.559 in 115 games over the last two seasons. He’s also a solid, versatile defender who has now averaged 21-plus minutes per game for four straight years.
Williams is the eight player to agree to a veteran contract extension so far during the 2022/23 league year, as our tracker shows.
Because his extension exceeds three total years (including the one left on his current deal), Williams will be ineligible to be traded for six months once he officially signs his deal.