Fischer’s Latest: Brunson, LaVine, Beal, Anunoby, Ayton, Collins
Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, Bulls wing Zach LaVine, and Wizards guard Bradley Beal are all considered likely to remain with their respective teams in free agency this offseason, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said during an appearance on the Dunc’d On podcast this week.
Brunson has been linked to teams like the Knicks, Pistons, and Pacers over the last few months, but the Mavs have consistently stated both publicly and privately that they want to hang onto the point guard. According to Fischer, people around the league are writing in Brunson’s return to Dallas “in Sharpie” at this point. “Literally, everyone in the league is saying that,” Fischer said.
Fischer has been among the reporters to suggest that LaVine’s return to Chicago is no longer viewed as a sure thing, but he doesn’t believe the All-Star swingman will actually leave the Bulls.
“Even people around him have been saying all along, ‘Yeah, the door’s open, but we don’t think he’s going to leave,'” Fischer said.
Asked if there’s any smoke around the idea of Beal exiting Washington, Fischer said he hasn’t heard anything he’s “giving much weight to.” As Fischer observes, the Wizards guard could accept a lucrative contract offer to remain in D.C. this offseason, knowing that he could request a trade down the road if he eventually decides he wants out.
“The Zach LaVine thing, like I said, I don’t expect him to leave, but people there are at least saying, ‘Yeah, the door’s open for him to go,'” Fischer said. “No one’s even coming close to that type of verbiage when it comes to Brad.”
Here are a few more of the highlights from Fischer’s Dunc’d On appearance:
- Following up on his reporting on OG Anunoby, Fischer reiterated that he believes the Raptors wing wants a greater role on offense. “I do definitely think there’s definitive truth that he wants more opportunity,” Fischer said. “That’s the one thing that’s been repeated across the board from everyone I’ve talked to — from people within his representation, to coaches who’ve worked with him in the past, to general people in the league who would know, let’s say. And that’s the one word that everyone consistently agrees on, that he wants more opportunity, and it doesn’t seem like a clear path to having that in Toronto.”
- The Raptors aren’t going to “sell off” Anunoby, but appear open to the idea of including him in a trade for an impact player, according to Fischer, who once again identifies the Trail Blazers and Jazz as teams with interest. “Portland is definitely targeting OG. He’s definitely said to be someone that (Damian) Lillard wants to pair with,” Fischer said. “Utah has had conversations – I think they’ve even had conversations with Toronto, (though) I don’t want to say there’s been offers made. Right now most of these teams are in super-early conversations and the only team I hear about that’s ready to talk trade right now is (the Hawks).”
- Fischer believes Suns center Deandre Ayton could be the biggest name to change teams in free agency this summer, perhaps in a sign-and-trade. “He wants the max, he doesn’t want to come down from that,” Fischer said of Ayton. “… Detroit gets mentioned a lot. Portland, it seems like he’s another guy that Dame has interest in playing with. Toronto gets mentioned. San Antonio’s been mentioned.”
- Hawks big man John Collins is another player Fischer believes is drawing interest from the Trail Blazers. Fischer adds that the Spurs had serious interest in Collins a year or two ago, but admits he’s not sure whether that’s still the case. “There was someone I talked to today who had just spoken to Atlanta in recent days who said that John Collins is clearly the guy that they are most interested in moving,” Fischer said.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Raptors, Knicks, Nets
As great as Jayson Tatum is, he hasn’t been dominant in these playoffs and isn’t considered as a top-three NBA player like the stars on most recent champions have been, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. If these Celtics win two more games, they would resemble champs like the 2014 Spurs or various Pistons squads (1989, 1990, 2004), according to Hollinger, who notes that those teams were extremely well-balanced but lacked a true mega-star in his prime.
Pointing to the recent success of teams like these Celtics and the 2021 Suns (who were two wins away from a championship), Hollinger wonders if we’re beginning to see a trend of teams whose postseason fortunes are determined “more by the strength of their weakest link and less by the greatness of their best player.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Holding only the No. 33 pick in this year’s draft, the Raptors are preparing for a wide number of scenarios on draft night, team executive Dan Tolzman told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re working really hard trying to narrow down the group of guys that we think we’re going to be looking at, and then trying to fine-tune who we like in that group,” Tolzman said, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “But then you also have to kind of prepare for, you know, five to 10 guys that might drop to you just in case, and then how do they compare against the guys that we were preparing for that we expect to be there?” Tolzman added that the team expects the player it selects to be on next season’s roster, meaning a draft-and-stash selection is unlikely.
- Fred Katz and Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic spoke to a high-ranking scout and an Eastern Conference assistant general manager to get their thoughts on 11 players the Knicks may be considering with the No. 11 pick, including Ochai Agbaji (“I don’t think it’s a guarantee that he’s an elite shooter,” the assistant GM said), Dyson Daniels (“He’s probably not the full-time offensive engine”), and Tari Eason (“His game is as an energy big with a little bit of shooting”).
- The Nets announced this week that they’ve hired Sam Zussman to be the CEO of BSE Global, the team’s parent company. Zussman is expected to become the Nets’ alternative governor, according to the team.
Jazz To Interview Jason Terry For Head Coaching Job
The Jazz have received permission to interview former NBA guard Jason Terry for their head coaching job, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Terry, a champion and Sixth Man of the Year winner as a player, last suited up for an NBA team in 2018 after appearing in over 1,500 total regular season and playoff games across 19 seasons. He joined the Texas Legends – Dallas’ G League affiliate – as an assistant general manager in 2019, then left the team to become an assistant coach at his alma mater of Arizona for the 2020/21 season. In ’21/22, he coached the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets‘ NBAGL squad.
The Jazz are casting a wide net in their head coaching search — Terry is the 13th candidate the team is expected to interview. Given the amount of competition he’ll face, he’s probably a long shot to fill Utah’s vacancy, but getting a meeting is a step toward realizing his goal of becoming an NBA head coach.
Terry is also receiving consideration from several NBA teams as a potential assistant coach, according to Charania.
Shane Larkin Re-Signs With Anadolu Efes
Veteran point guard Shane Larkin has re-signed with Anadolu Efes, the Turkish team officially announced on Friday (Twitter link). Larkin received a two-year deal that includes an NBA opt-out clause.
Larkin has spent the last several seasons in Turkey following a pair of NBA stints earlier in his professional career. A first-round pick out of Miami in 2013, he averaged a modest 5.5 PPG and 2.9 APG on .422/.336/.777 shooting in 256 career NBA games for the Mavericks, Knicks, Nets, and Celtics, but has since emerged as a star in Europe.
Larkin has won back-to-back EuroLeague titles, making the All-EuroLeague Second Team in 2021 and the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2022. He ranked in the league’s top five this season in points (14.7), assists (5.3), and three-pointers (2.4) per game.
A report last week indicated that Larkin was drawing interest from the Wizards, who will be in the market for point guard help this summer. However, it sounds like the 29-year-old plans to spend at least one more year in Europe before considering an NBA return — Anadolu Efes’ announcement today didn’t provide any specific details on his out clause, but generally those opt-out windows open up between seasons.
It’s unclear what Larkin’s new contract is worth, but last week’s report suggested that Anadolu Efes was offering a salary similar to what he was earning on his previous deal, which was approximately €3.2MM.
Larkin said in 2020 that he wouldn’t return to the NBA to be a team’s third point guard, and spoke more recently about being happy to remain overseas and play a starring role in front of passionate European fans, so the fact that he’s signed a new contract to remain in Turkey doesn’t come as a major surprise.
Stephen Curry Expects To Play In Game 4 After Injuring Foot
1:43pm: “We expect (Curry) to play tomorrow,” Kerr told reporters, including Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kerr added that the team won’t practice Thursday and will instead use it as a rest and treatment day, tweets ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
“I’m going to play. That is all I know right now,” Curry said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link).
11:51am: The Warriors are optimistic about Curry’s status for Game 4, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Curry apparently has avoided a major injury, won’t need an MRI, and plans to attend practice Thursday afternoon, says Charania.
7:36am: The Warriors fell behind 2-1 in the NBA Finals after losing to the Celtics in Game 3 on Wednesday, but they may have a more significant concern going forward than that one-game deficit. Star guard Stephen Curry sustained a left foot injury late in the game and likened it to the one he suffered vs. Boston in March, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
Battling for a loose ball with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Curry dove to the floor and got tangled up with Celtics big man Al Horford, who rolled onto Curry’s leg (video link). Curry came up limping, though he was able to stay on the court for nearly two more minutes before being subbed out once the Celtics put the game out of reach.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Curry said the injury felt similar to the left foot strain he suffered when Marcus Smart fell on his leg on March 16. That foot strain sidelined him for the final 12 games of the regular season, but the two-time MVP said it’s “not as bad” this time around and he’s hopeful the injury responds well to treatment over the next couple days.
“Obviously, in some pain, but I’ll be alright,” Curry said, according to Andrews. “We’ll see how it responds. Not much other to say. I don’t feel like I’ll miss a game. Take advantage of these next 48 hours to get ready.”
Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that the team would know more about Curry’s status on Thursday.
Although Boston’s defense has made Curry work hard for his points in the first three games of the Finals, he’s still the series’ leading scorer by a comfortable margin, having put up 31.3 PPG on .485/.486/.833 shooting.
“We need him if we want to win this thing,” Klay Thompson said after Wednesday’s loss, per Andrews. “I know Steph is going to do everything he can in his power to play. I am really hoping he’s OK because he’s our identity, and without him, it will be very difficult.”
Smart, who was involved in the play that caused Curry’s initial left foot injury in March, defended his teammate Horford after the game, dismissing the idea that Horford’s play was a reckless or dirty one.
“It’s the Finals. You’ve got guys diving all over the place. Their guys are diving into us. We don’t say nothing,” Smart told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “We’re getting hurt as well, but we continue to play. Nothing is intentional. It’s the Finals. We’re trying to win just like them. First one to the ball, as we all know, wins. They can complain all they want. It is what it is. There’s nothing dirty about it. It’s fair game. It’s fair basketball. It’s Finals basketball. … Nobody is out here trying to hurt anybody.”
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Blazers, Wolves, Jazz
In addition to featuring Colorado State forward David Roddy, the Nuggets‘ group workout on Tuesday included Wendell Moore (Duke), Jake LaRavia (Wake Forest), Josh Minott (Memphis), Jermaine Samuels (Villanova), and Lucas Williamson (Loyola), according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
LaRavia (No. 31), Moore (36), and Minott (47) all rank as top-50 prospects on ESPN’s big board, as does Roddy (46). Denver only holds the No. 21 pick in this year’s draft, but may like one or more of those prospects more than ESPN’s experts do. The Nuggets could also just be doing their homework in case they trade back in the draft, pick up a extra second-round selection, or have an opportunity to sign any of these players as undrafted free agents.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- In a mailbag for The Denver Post, Singer discusses possible offseason targets for the Nuggets, identifying Dillon Brooks, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cam Reddish, Josh Hart, and Kenrich Williams as possibilities on the trade market and Bruce Brown, Caleb Martin, and Cody Martin as free agents worth considering. While Singer doesn’t necessarily have any inside info saying Denver will pursue those players, he notes that he ran his list past a couple NBA executives and “they didn’t outright laugh at me.”
- Memphis center Jalen Duren worked out for the Trail Blazers earlier this week, tweets Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian. It remains to be seen whether or not the Blazers will hang onto the No. 7 pick in this month’s draft, but if they do, Duren could be a player they consider — he’s ranked 10th on ESPN’s big board.
- French big man Ismael Kamagate and Duke’s Wendell Moore were among the prospects working out for the Timberwolves this week, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter links). Both are top-40 prospects on ESPN’s board.
- Jazz CEO Danny Ainge believes getting player input on the team’s head coaching search is important, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that candidates who have existing relationships with star guard Donovan Mitchell (or other Utah players) will have a leg up, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “You have to sell (players) on what you’re doing, whatever it is — if you’re making a trade that they might not like you have to be able to sell why you’re doing it,” Ainge said. “That’s just to get them in the right frame of mind so they can give that change an opportunity to succeed. But, I believe players are partners in this thing, too.”
Jazz Request Interview With Mavs’ Sean Sweeney
The Jazz have requested permission to meet with Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney to discuss their open head coaching job, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski’s report doesn’t indicate that Utah’s request has been granted, but there’s no reason to believe it won’t be. Sweeney also interviewed this spring for the Hornets’ head coaching position, as our tracker shows.
A veteran assistant known for his defensive acumen, Sweeney was named an assistant on Jason Kidd‘s staff in Brooklyn in 2013. He followed Kidd to Milwaukee, then served as an assistant coach in Detroit for multiple seasons before reuniting with Kidd when he was hired by the Mavs in 2021.
The Jazz are casting a wide net as they seek a replacement for Quin Snyder, who coached the team for the last eight seasons and stepped down from the role on Sunday. With Sweeney now in the mix, the list of coaches expected to interview with Utah is up to a dozen.
Terry Stotts, Frank Vogel, Johnnie Bryant, Will Hardy, and Adrian Griffin are some of the notable candidates the Jazz are reportedly considering. The full list can be found here.
Celtics Notes: Williams, Tatum, Brown, Horford
Celtics big man Robert Williams is battling a knee injury that has sidelined him for several playoff games and limited his effectiveness in others, but head coach Ime Udoka has maintained a desire to use Williams whenever possible, writes Jay King of The Athletic. As King outlines, the Celtics view Williams as a foundational piece and want him to be “adaptable” to a variety of matchups — the Warriors’ offense presents some unique challenges for him to figure out.
“It’s the NBA Finals and we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to win,” Udoka said. “But this is the core group going forward, and to have the confidence to be able to figure it out with him is going to be big going forward.”
In Wednesday’s Game 3, Williams was a difference-maker on defense in the second half, registering three steals and a block during one impressive two-minute stretch and helping the Celtics limit Golden State to just 11 fourth-quarter points. The big man said his knee injury is one that would normally require more time off, but the extra days off after Games 1 and 2 have helped him, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
“I’m just trying to be accountable for my team,” Williams said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link). “We made it this far. I had a discussion with myself about pushing through this, but I’m happy with how it’s going. We’ll worry about the injury at the end of the season. But for now, I’m still fighting.”
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- As they did repeatedly during the season’s second half and in the first three rounds of the playoffs, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown showed once again on Wednesday why the idea of breaking them up with a trade – a popular topic of speculation in the first half of 2021/22 – is one that shouldn’t come up again, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
- Tatum said earlier this week that he’s not sure why the debate over whether or not he’s a true superstar has been such a common one over the last couple years, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays. “I’ve seen there’s a huge debate: Is he a superstar or is he not? I want to know where that came from,” Tatum said. “… It’s been a big deal this last year and a half or two years. I see it all the time. There’s always been a question in the back of my head, I wonder who spoke on my behalf or said that or why that was such a big deal.” The Celtics forward added that he’s more concerned about winning a title than determining his individual standing in the NBA: “If you win a championship, they can debate a lot of things. They can’t debate whether or not you’re a champion.”
- In a separate story for ESPN, Bontemps takes an in-depth look at Al Horford‘s 15-year journey to his first NBA Finals and what the veteran big man means to the Celtics.
2022 NBA Offseason Preview: Toronto Raptors
After winning their first title in franchise history three years ago, the Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in 2019, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol in 2020, and Kyle Lowry in 2021. Somehow though, with the exception of an unusual 2020/21 season spent in Tampa, more than 1,000 miles from their home city, the Raptors just keep on winning, defying expectations in ’21/22 by becoming a top-five seed in the East.
The rapid emergence of eventual Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes (Toronto’s reward for that dismal ’20/21 season spent in Florida) played a large part in the Raps’ resurgence this past year. The front office was questioned for selecting Barnes at No. 4 in last year’s draft over Jalen Suggs, who was widely considered one of the top four players in the class. But Barnes’ first-year performance as a two-way weapon vindicated the controversial decision made by president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster.
The remaining holdovers from the 2019 title team – Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Chris Boucher – played significant roles in Toronto’s success too. VanVleet made an All-Star team, Siakam earned an All-NBA spot, and Anunoby established a new career high with 17.4 points per game.
The Raptors had a hard time slowing down Joel Embiid and the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs and ultimately fell in six games. But given that Toronto was only viewed as a borderline play-in team entering training camp, the year qualified as a major success even without a playoff series win.
The Raptors’ Offseason Plan:
With VanVleet, Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., and emerging big man Precious Achiuwa all under contract for next season, it’s possible the Raptors won’t make any major changes to their roster. It seems safe to assume that a number of those players – particularly Anunoby, Barnes, and Achiuwa – have yet to reach their ceilings, so Toronto can bet on internal improvement and continue assessing the long-term fit of its core.
Of course, the fact that all those players are on reasonable contracts would make any of them valuable trade chips. And it’s possible the Raptors would have interest in moving one of their three starting forwards to acquire an impact center, though I think that possibility has perhaps been overstated.
Toronto had success in 2021/22 with a versatile group of rangy defenders who showed the ability to switch onto almost any offensive player and hold their own. Adding a more traditional center – such as Rudy Gobert – to that mix would change the way the Raptors play defense and negate one of the team’s strengths — and it would come at a significant trade cost.
The Raptors will also have to be wary of bringing in a center who doesn’t have the ability to stretch the floor. Siakam and Barnes will launch at least a couple three-pointers per game to keep defenses honest, but they’re hardly elite outside shooters. Using Anunoby – whose name has popped up in trade rumors – as the centerpiece of a trade for a non-shooting center would create some serious spacing issues.
Ujiri has shown in the past that he’s not hesitant to pull the trigger on the right trade opportunity, having completed major deals for players like Gasol, Ibaka, and – of course – Leonard. But the Raptors are ahead of schedule in their retooling process and won’t feel any desperation to shake up this roster for the sake of it. If they make a significant trade, it’ll be because it’s too good to pass up.
If the Raptors keep their core intact, the team’s offseason decisions will revolve around free agent signings and possible contract extensions.
Two members of the Raptors’ playoff rotation – Boucher and Thaddeus Young – will be unrestricted free agents this summer, and I’d expect the club to have interest in re-signing both players, assuming the price is right. Team salary isn’t yet approaching luxury tax territory, so as long as Boucher and Young aren’t getting offers that exceed the full mid-level exception (about $10MM), Toronto could comfortably retain both.
The question will be how many years the Raptors are willing to offer, since the roster could get more expensive in the near future when guys like VanVleet and Trent, among others, are up for new deals. I wouldn’t expect Toronto to offer more than two guaranteed years to Boucher, Young, or any outside free agent targets.
The Raptors will be under more pressure to use their full mid-level exception if they only re-sign one of Boucher and Young, but they should have the flexibility to use it even if both players return. It will be interesting to see which direction the team goes with that MLE.
Last year, most of it went to a center (Khem Birch), who had an up-and-down, injury-plagued 2021/22 season — would the Raptors attempt to address that position again with a mid-level free agent, or do they expect more from Birch going forward? Would they instead pursue a shooter, or a backup point guard?
Sharpshooter Malik Monk would be a fascinating target, though it’s unclear whether he could meet the sky-high expectations Nick Nurse has for his players on the defensive end. Veterans like Kyle Anderson and Delon Wright can handle the ball and would be nice fits defensively — they’ve also improved their three-point numbers in recent years. Toronto should have some options.
It’s worth noting that while the Raptors don’t have their first-round pick this year, they did acquire Detroit’s second-rounder, at No. 33 overall. High second-round picks often get three- or four-year commitments, so Toronto could use a small portion of its mid-level exception to sign that player.
VanVleet and Siakam are both eligible for extensions this offseason, and I’d expect the Raptors to prioritize VanVleet, who only has one guaranteed year left on his current deal before facing a player option decision in 2023.
While VanVleet’s struggles to make an impact in the first round of the playoffs against Philadelphia were a little concerning, he was battling multiple injuries and has proved his postseason bona fides in past series. Toronto should feel fine about offering him a deal that gives him at least a modest raise on his current $21MM-per-year rate. Siakam still has two guaranteed seasons left, so there’s no rush to lock him up quite yet.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap figures are based on the league’s latest projection ($122MM) for 2022/23.
Guaranteed Salary
Pascal Siakam ($35,448,672)- Fred VanVleet ($21,250,000)
- Gary Trent Jr. ($17,505,000)
- OG Anunoby ($17,357,143)
- Scottie Barnes ($7,644,600)
- Khem Birch ($6,667,500)
- Precious Achiuwa ($2,840,160)
- Malachi Flynn ($2,145,720)
- Dalano Banton ($150,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 1
- Ishmail Wainwright ($125,000) — Waived.
- Armoni Brooks ($50,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 2
- Total: $111,183,795
Player Options
- Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk ($1,878,720): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $1,878,720
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Armoni Brooks ($1,702,638) 2
- Dalano Banton ($1,413,518) 1
- Total: $3,116,156
Restricted Free Agents
- Nando De Colo ($2,011,516 qualifying offer / $2,011,516 cap hold): Early Bird rights 3
- Total (cap holds): $2,011,516
Two-Way Free Agents
- Justin Champagnie ($1,616,044 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- David Johnson ($1,616,044 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $3,232,088
Draft Picks
- No. 33 overall pick (no cap hold)
Extension-Eligible Players
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2022/23 season begins.
- Pascal Siakam (veteran)
- Fred VanVleet (veteran)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Thaddeus Young ($21,285,000 cap hold): Bird rights
- Chris Boucher ($13,338,000 cap hold): Bird rights
- Lucas Nogueira ($8,841,915 cap hold): Bird rights 3
- Isaac Bonga ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Jeremy Lin ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights 3
- Jodie Meeks ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights 3
- Jason Thompson ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights 3
- Yuta Watanabe ($1,811,516 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Total: $52,522,495
Offseason Cap Outlook
If we assume the Raptors retain Banton, they’d have about $112.5MM in guaranteed money committed to nine players. That puts them in position to operate over the projected cap ($122MM), especially if they intend to bring back at least one of Boucher or Young. And unless one of those players is a lot more expensive than we expect, Toronto should also have plenty of breathing room below the projected $149MM tax line, opening the door to use some or all of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $10,349,000 4
- Bi-annual exception: $4,050,000 4
- Trade exception: $5,250,000
- Trade exception: $3,070,052
Footnotes
- Banton’s partial guarantee will increase to $300K after July 4 and his full salary will become guaranteed after the first day of the regular season.
- Brooks’ partial guarantee will increase to $250K after August 1 and his full salary will become guaranteed after the first day of the regular season.
- The cap holds for De Colo, Nogueira, Lin, Meeks, and Thompson remain on the Raptors’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- These are projected values.
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
Heat Notes: Robinson, Adebayo, Herro, Oladipo, Haslem
Less than a year after signing a five-year, $90MM contract with the Heat, Duncan Robinson was replaced in the starting lineup by minimum-salary wing Max Strus and then fell out of the rotation completely in the second round of the postseason. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays, Robinson admitted this week that it wasn’t easy to take that role reduction in stride.
“It does not matter if you’re playing JV basketball, if you’re playing middle school basketball, if you’re playing college basketball, if you’re playing in the NBA at the highest level. Not playing, it sucks in a lot of ways,” Robinson said in the latest episode of his podcast. “Especially when you feel that you’re capable and you feel that you can help win. It’s a really, really challenging feeling to combat, especially when you’re on the cusp and in the midst of a run where your team is playing really well.”
Robinson is the Heat’s most prolific three-point shooter, making 232 threes and converting them at a 37.2% rate during the 2021/22 season. However, he’s not an especially strong defender, so if his shot isn’t falling, he sometimes struggles to have an impact on the game. Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley believes there’s room for Robinson to raise his level on the defensive end of the court.
“Defensively as a young player, even though he’s not as young as some of the other guys, he’s got to get better,” Riley said on Monday, per Chiang. “Look, we hang our hat on that. … To me, yes Duncan can improve. That message has been delivered to him many times.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- While the Heat will make an effort to upgrade their roster in free agency and on the trade market this summer, they’ll also be counting on internal improvement from players like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, Chiang writes in another story for The Miami Herald. Riley suggested this week that he feels both Adebayo and Herro, who are just 24 and 22 respectively, still have room to grow.
- After missing much of the 2021/22 season while recovering from quad surgery and then being incorporated slowly into the rotation, Victor Oladipo was starting to look a little more like his old self by the end of the Heat’s season. With Oladipo’s contract set to expire, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders what sort of role – and how much money – Miami will feel comfortable offering the two-time All-Star in free agency.
- In another Sun Sentinel article, Winderman looks at the decision facing Udonis Haslem, who has no interest in becoming a coach and is weighing whether or not to play a 20th NBA season.