Magic Notes: F. Wagner, Carter, Banchero, FA Targets
Magic forward Franz Wagner, who has missed the past two games with a sprained right ankle, returned to action on Friday in Philadelphia in a matchup with major playoff implications (Twitter link via the team).
Wagner is a critical piece for Orlando, having averaged 19.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.0 SPG through 70 games (32.4 MPG). Orlando has a 43-27 record with the 22-year-old in the starting lineup, but has gone just 3-7 in games he has missed.
The No. 8 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Wagner will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Here are a few more notes on the Magic:
- While Wagner’s return was a positive development, center Wendell Carter Jr. picked up a pair of early fouls defending Joel Embiid and was wincing when he exited the court in the first quarter, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Carter is questionable to return to the game due to back spasms, according to the Magic (Twitter link).
- 2022 No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero achieved his preseason goal of becoming an All-Star, and he would be thrilled if he earns a spot on an All-NBA team, he told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “Honestly, this year was more … I was trying to be an All-Star,” Banchero said. “But if (All-NBA) was to happen, that would be awesome. It’s an exclusive club, you know what I mean?“
- As Fischer writes, Banchero has developed nicely in his second season, becoming a better screen-setter both on and off the ball as well as a more advanced play-maker. “That was something that really took on itself this year. Understanding that it starts with me, it starts with Franz,” Banchero said. “Just everyone understanding their role and how important their role is. We need everybody. There have been games where (Jonathan Isaac) has single-handedly shut down a guy, and it’s lifted us to get a win. There’s been times where I’ve had to score the last 18 points of the game just to keep us afloat. There’s been times where Franz took over. Where Jalen (Suggs) took over. We just need everybody. I think it’s translating into a lot of success.”
- In the same story, Fischer cites league sources who say rival teams expect Orlando to target shooters and scorers like Warriors wing Klay Thompson or Kings guard Malik Monk in free agency. Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, who covers Golden State, recently said it was “one of the worst-kept secrets in the league” that the Magic may offer Thompson “a ton of money” this offseason.
Jazz Notes: Zanik, Future, Markkanen, Hardy, Lofton
Speaking to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link) last week, general manager Justin Zanik said the dearth of appealing options in free agency will have the Jazz looking upgrade via the trade market this offseason.
“If you study the free agent trends — and this is not unique to the Jazz, this is every other team that’s not on a coast — that the actual depth and quality of the free agents is not great, and it’s not going to get any better,” Zanik said. “That doesn’t mean it’s completely out, but it’s just not going to be a main driver of how you build teams. The main driver of how you’re building teams is developing your players and adding by trade.
“We’re in a more unique position than some other teams that are faced with the same free agent list that we’re looking at,” he continued. “Not only just the flexibility we have but just the multiple assets we have to deal.”
The Jazz have several additional future first-round picks from Minnesota and Cleveland due to the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades, Larsen notes. Zanik made clear Utah is looking to add star players who may find themselves at odds with their current teams in the future.
“We’ve talked before about trying to predict the NBA drama that happens,” Zanik said. “You just sit there and wait for it to come, but we’re ready.”
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Star forward Lauri Markkanen turns 27 next month, meaning he’s theoretically entering his prime. 2024/25 is also the final season of his current contract — he’ll make a little over $18MM next season. While Zanik said the Jazz will be opportunistic in building around Markkanen, they’re also not in a rush just to become mediocre in the next season or two, Larsen writes in the same story. “Lauri’s a hugely important piece for us now and going forward,” Zanik said. “I don’t want to waste any years of that, but you also have to do it within the timeline. We’re not trying to say, ‘Hey, Lauri, we’ll make you happy because you’ve never made the playoffs, so we’re going to burn all our picks and get some marginal improvement from an overpaid player so that maybe we’ll be a seven seed.’ Our goal is to make the playoffs and then grow from there. … (We want to) add people that are complementary to Lauri and to Walker (Kessler). That doesn’t have to be Mr. Alpha on whatever team. I’d love them to be as good or better than Lauri, but they could be a couple of really, really good role players.”
- Next year’s draft is considered to be much stronger than the class that will be selected in June. Would the Jazz consider tanking all of next season to secure the best chance to add a prized prospect like Cooper Flagg? According to Larsen, Zanik thinks there’s too much talent on the current roster for that to be feasible, and he also thinks it’s unnecessary. “We have distinct holes on this team and roster balance stuff that has taken a couple of years to address,” he said. “We’re also betting on our own development, let alone with the rookies but the rest of our group.” Zanik also praised head coach Will Hardy and said he’s on board with the Jazz’s plans, Larsen adds.
- In another subscriber-only story for The Salt Lake Tribune, Larsen examines the strong performance Kenneth Lofton Jr. turned in during Thursday’s victory over Houston. Larsen is particularly high on Lofton’s passing ability, writing that the 21-year-old could be a legitimately good NBA player if he gets in better shape to be more mobile defensively while also developing his three-point shot. The second-year forward/center, whose salary for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed, put up 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 27 minutes yesterday, which was only his second appearance for Utah.
Draft Notes: Shead, Bona, K. Jones, Mock
Houston senior Jamal Shead is entering the 2024 NBA draft and forgoing his final year of college eligibility, he told Chancellor Johnson of KPRC 2.
The 2023/24 Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, the 6’1″ point guard was also named to the All-America First Team after leading the Cougars to a 32-5 record. Shead sustained an ankle injury in Houston’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke, which ended the team’s season.
Shead is ranked No. 61 on ESPN’s big board, making him a potential second-round pick. Jonathan Givony of ESPN describes Shead as an exceptional defender, leader and strong floor general, but there are questions about his relatively diminutive stature (by NBA standards) and jump shot.
In 37 games this season (31.1 MPG), Shead averaged 12.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.3 APG and 2.2 SPG on .409/.309/.779 shooting.
Here are a few more notes regarding June’s draft:
- UCLA sophomore big man Adem Bona is expected to declare for the draft and is “unlikely to return to college,” a source tells Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 (Twitter link). A Nigerian forward/center, Bona is another possible second-rounder, currently ranked No. 50 on ESPN’s list. He was the 2023/24 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 12.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 1.8 BPG in 33 games for the Bruins (26.5 MPG).
- Guard Kameron Jones, who is ranked No. 67 on ESPN’s board, has decided to return to Marquette for his senior season, he announced on Twitter. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic says (via Twitter) Jones should be the Big East’s preseason Player of the Year next season, writing that he had a top-50 grade for Jones this year.
- Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports recently released her latest mock draft for 2024, with some noteworthy differences compared to ESPN’s rankings. For instance, she has UConn’s Stephon Castle, who is No. 9 on ESPN’s board, going No. 3 to Charlotte. Peek is also high on Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, who goes No. 27 to Utah. Holmes is No. 53 on ESPN’s list.
DeMar DeRozan Reiterates Desire To Stay With Bulls
Forward DeMar DeRozan, who is eligible for a veteran extension until June 30 before hitting unrestricted free agency, told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that he wants to sign an extension to remain with the Bulls.
“This is where I want to be,” DeRozan said. “ … I love ownership. I love everything about the city and the franchise, top to bottom—the front office, the staff we have. It’s one of those places that gives me motivation to see everybody get what they deserve and feel what winning is like again.”
DeRozan has stated multiple times throughout the season he wants to stay with Chicago, and the interest is reportedly mutual. But an agreement on a new deal has yet to be reached, leaving his future in doubt.
As Johnson writes, DeRozan has outplayed the three-year, $81.9MM contract he signed a few years ago when the Bulls acquired him in a sign-and-trade with the Spurs. The 34-year-old has averaged 25.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.1 APG and 1.0 SPG on .496/.331/.867 over the past three seasons, earning two All-Star nods and providing clutch shot-making while being very durable — he leads the league in total minutes and minutes per game (37.8) in 2023/24.
The Bulls have not found much team success over the past few years, however, particularly since January 2022, when Lonzo Ball‘s career was derailed by a series of knee surgeries. After being eliminated in a first-round playoff series with Milwaukee in 2022, Chicago lost to Miami in the play-in tournament last year, and is locked into another play-in berth in ’24. Injuries were a factor again this season, with Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams sidelined with season-ending foot surgeries.
DeRozan told Johnson he wants to help the Bulls find the success they had in the first portion of the ’21/22 season, when they were 27-13 before Ball was injured.
“The feeling, the vibe, the energy that was around when we had that run, I want the city and all these players to experience that again — and for myself too,” DeRozan said as part of a larger quote. “It’s always easy to complain and say what’s not. But I made it clear this is where I want to be. … I don’t want to go nowhere.
“They know it. Everybody knows my stance. I lay it down from this perspective: I want to come back. Everybody else figure out what you need to figure out. And that’s just how I look at it so I don’t stress or worry about what’s what. I made it clear this is where I want to be. The powers that be just need to figure out what needs to happen. Everybody knows my mindset.”
Mavericks Notes: Luka, Kyrie, Harrison, Kidd, More
During Wednesday’s matchup in Miami, which was a blowout win for Dallas, members of the Mavericks organization wore shirts saying “Pravi MVP,” which translates from Slovenian to English as real or true MVP, referencing the excellent season by Luka Doncic, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
Doncic, who has made the All-NBA First Team each of the past four seasons, is a top contender for the MVP award. However, it’s “generally expected” that Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will claim the trophy for the third time in the past four seasons, Reynolds notes.
While he may not win his first MVP in 2023/24, Doncic’s coaches and teammates certainly think he deserves it.
“He’s the real MVP. … I think his resume is better than anybody else’s resume,” forward P.J. Washington said. “I don’t feel like there’s a complete argument that anybody had a better season this year.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving earned a $1MM bonus on Wednesday for a combination of playing 50-plus games and the Mavs winning their 50th game, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The bonus was considered unlikely since Dallas only won 38 games last season. As Marks observes, Irving’s cap hit for 2023/24 will now be $38.04MM, and his ’24/25 figure will be adjusted up to $41MM. Irving has been instrumental in the team’s success this season, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), who notes that Dallas is 39-19 when Irving plays, including 24-7 over his past 31 appearances.
- In an interview with Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), Mavs general manager Nico Harrison discussed a number of topics, including the job performance of head coach Jason Kidd and his staff. Harrison praised Kidd, who reportedly has one more year left on his contract and hopes to sign an extension with Dallas this offseason. “The coaches have done a great job,” Harrison told Townsend. “One, when you have two superstar players, first and foremost, getting those guys to play together at a high level and respect each other’s play and to play together, you always have to take a little bit off your game for the success of the team. To be able to do that is remarkable. Jason and his staff have done that at a high level. We’re not successful if that doesn’t happen.”
- Regarding the trade-deadline acquisitions of Washington and center Daniel Gafford, Harrison said that while the two players were high on Dallas’ priority list, the front office was also working on multiple other deals at the time in case talks fell apart. He said he’s been pleased with how the two veterans have fit in thus far, according to Townsend. “I think if you go back to last year, the exit interview that we did, admittedly we didn’t do what we wanted to do,” Harrison said as part of a larger quote. “But we didn’t have the right players around those two guys (Doncic and Irving). We feel like we started that during the summer, getting longer, getting more athletic, getting better defensively. And then also in the draft with (Dereck) Lively. And then we just continue. The message hasn’t changed. The goal hasn’t changed. Now you do it with P.J., now you do it with Gafford. We’ve just continued with building it the same way that we talked about.”
Celtics Sign Jrue Holiday To Four-Year Extension
April 11: Holiday’s extension is now official, the Celtics announced in a press release.
“In addition to being one of the more accomplished players in the league, Jrue is an elite teammate and competitor,” said president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. “He is simply a person who raises everyone’s level around him. He combines an unselfishness to do whatever is best for the team with an edge to take on any challenge at any time. We are grateful that Jrue is a Celtic.”
April 10: The Celtics are signing Jrue Holiday to a four-year, $135MM contract extension, agent Jason Glushon tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojanrowski.
A source tells Adam Himmselsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) that the final season (2027/28) of Holiday’s new deal is a player option.
As Wojnarowski writes, Holiday is declining his $37.3MM player option for 2024/25 in order to sign a long-term deal with Boston that will save the team “several million dollars” toward next season’s salary cap.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links), Holiday’s extension will pay him $30.1MM next season, reducing the Celtics’ projected luxury tax bill by over $35MM. There’s also a scenario in which Boston could get under the second tax apron next season if the club trims payroll this summer, Marks adds.
The old Collective Bargaining Agreement did not permit players to decline an option and replace it with a lower salary via an extension, making Holiday the first player to utilize the change in the new CBA, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (via Twitter).
Holiday, who was traded from Milwaukee to Portland in late September before being re-routed to Boston on October 1, is a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive team member. The Celtics were limited to offering Holiday a two-year extension until April 1, when the six-month post-trade restriction lifted.
Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (via Twitter) the Celtics and Holiday “have been thrilled” with their partnership, and Boston knew it would take a lucrative long-term deal in order to retain the veteran guard and have him avoid free agency.
Interestingly, Holiday’s new extension is essentially an exact replica of the four-year, $135MM extension he signed three years ago with Milwaukee, per Wojnarowski. Holiday, 33, becomes the fourth player in league history to sign a guaranteed $100MM+ contract at 33 years old or older, joining LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Al Horford.
Since he’s often a fourth or fifth option on offense for Boston, Holiday’s scoring (12.5 PPG) and assists (4.9 APG) are down this season. However, he’s averaging a career-high 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 43.1% from deep in 68 games (32.9 MPG).
The Celtics are currently 62-17, holding by far the best record in the NBA. They’re 14 games ahead of the East’s No. 2 seed, Milwaukee, and lead the top Western teams by seven games.
Hawks’ Johnson, Okongwu To Miss Multiple Weeks
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a Grade 2 lateral ankle sprain. He’ll be reevaluated in about three weeks, Atlanta announced in a press release.
Johnson, 22, has had a breakout third season for the Hawks, averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .511/.355/.728 shooting in 56 games (33.7 MPG). He sustained the injury in Tuesday’s double-overtime loss to Miami.
The former first-round pick will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason. If no deal is reached, Johnson will hit restricted free agency in 2025.
The Hawks also provided an injury update on backup big man Onyeka Okongwu, who has been limited to just two games since the All-Star break due to a left big toe sprain. Okongwu underwent a non-surgical procedure in California on Tuesday in order to address ongoing inflammation in the toe, per the team. He’ll be reevaluated in approximately four weeks.
Okongwu, 23, has averaged 10.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.1 BPG on .611/.333/.793 shooting in 55 games in 2023/24 (25.5 MPG). He signed a four-year, $62MM rookie scale extension last offseason that begins in ’24/25.
The injuries are devastating for the Hawks, who just got Trae Young back from hand surgery on Wednesday but will now be missing three of their top frontcourt players entering the play-in tournament. Forward Saddiq Bey is also out for the season after suffering a torn ACL.
Atlanta is currently 36-44, the No. 10 seed in the East, and trail the No. 9 Bulls by 1.5 games with two games remaining in the regular season.
Forward De’Andre Hunter and center Bruno Fernando will likely receive extra playing time entering the postseason. Guard/forward Vit Krejci is also a candidate to be promoted from his two-way deal, but the Hawks have a full 15-man roster, so they’d have to waive someone in order to convert the former second-round pick.
Adam Silver On Wolves Dispute, Porter Investigation, More
Speaking to the media on Wednesday following a two-day meeting of the league’s Board of Governors, commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA likely won’t get involved in the Timberwolves‘ ownership dispute between current majority shareholder Glen Taylor and minority stakeholders Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
“It’s not clear whether there will be a role for the league to get involved,” Silver said. “… They have a purchase agreement and there’s a dispute now in the purchase agreement and in their purchase agreement, they, in essence, pre-agreed to a dispute resolution mechanism that includes mediation and arbitration, and that’s where it stands.
“There is no role for the league in that process.”
At Taylor’s request, Lore and Rodriguez agreed to buy the Timberwolves in three parts over multiple years. Lore and Rodriguez made the first two payments and currently control a 36% stake in the franchise, but Taylor voided the contract when he said the duo didn’t complete their final purchase option for another 40% on March 27. Silver suggested the unique structure of the deal may not permitted in future ownership transactions.
“It’s certainly not ideal to have a stepped transaction like this,” Silver said. “I mean, it met our rules from that standpoint. And it’s what Glen Taylor wanted and it’s what they were willing to agree to at the time. But I think once the dust clears on this deal, it may cause us to reassess what sort of transactions we should allow.”
Here’s more from Silver’s press conference, which covered several other topics:
- Raptors big man Jontay Porter, who is on a two-way deal, is under league investigation following multiple instances of betting irregularities related to his on-court performance. According to Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press, Silver said Porter could be permanently barred from the NBA if what he’s accused of is discovered to be true. “I have enormous range of discipline available to me,” Silver said. “It’s cardinal sin what he’s accused of in the NBA. The ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of authority I have here because there’s nothing more serious.” Porter has been listed as out for personal reasons for the past 10 games.
- The NBA has multiple partnerships with gambling companies. Silver suggested the incident may cause the league to reevaluate those relationships going forward, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than the integrity of the competition,” Silver said. “And so, any issue raised around that is of great concern to me and to all commissioners, to all people who are safeguards, who are all people who are in a position and have a responsibility to safeguard the game. Again, this is a burgeoning industry in the United States. It’s been legal in other places in the world for decades. There’s lessons to be learned from the way that sports betting is monitored and regulated in other jurisdictions. And again, I think as these unfortunate examples come along, we may have to adjust our rules and our partner gaming companies and those companies that aren’t our partners may have to adjust their behavior as well.”
- Silver said foul calls are down about four per game since the All-Star break and that’s something the league is pleased about, Mahoney writes. “I think there was a sense earlier in the season that there was too much of an advantage for the offensive players,” Silver said as part of a larger quote. “But again, the context is two fouls per team per game, and the end result, most importantly, we think is a better game.”
- According to Mahoney, Silver once again reiterated that expansion won’t be on the table until the league finishes a new media rights deal. While Seattle and Las Vegas have long been rumored as frontrunners to land new teams, Silver said no talks have begun and “no one has an inside track to getting a deal done.”
- Silver said star players have averaged 15% more games played this season with the additions of the player participation policy and 65-game requirements, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. The NBA will set an attendance record in ’23/24 as well, Silver added.
Lore, A-Rod Reportedly Projected Reduced Payroll For Wolves
As part of their final option to purchase a majority stake, Timberwolves minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez projected a team payroll of $171MM for the 2024/25 season in documents shared with current majority stakeholder Glen Taylor, the NBA, and The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
As Wojnarowski writes, the Wolves currently project to have a payroll of about $198MM in ’24/25. $171MM is obviously a significant reduction from that figure. It’s also just shy of the projected $171.3MM luxury tax line.
Lore and Rodriguez are currently in a contractual dispute with Taylor for majority ownership of the Wolves. Both sides declined to comment for the story, which isn’t surprising, as Wojnarowski hears the NBA asked those involved not to discuss the matter publicly. All three owners gave several interviews a couple weeks ago after Taylor announced he was retaining majority ownership of the Wolves and WNBA’s Lynx.
According to Wojnarowski, the reduced payroll for next season was one factor that led Taylor to void the contract with Lore and A-Rod. Taylor was concerned that such a cut “would jeopardize the franchise’s ability to compete for a championship,” Woj adds.
Of course, there’s some irony there, since Taylor isn’t exactly known for being a big spender. Since he bought the Wolves in 1994, he has only paid a total of $25MM in luxury tax penalties, with less than $2MM coming since 2005. The Wolves project to be above the second tax apron next season, with a tax bill exceeding $25MM.
“I just think (we) built this team,” Taylor told The Athletic in explaining why he’s not putting the team back on the market. “We’ve got the players now. And it appears to me that we should have a very positive run for a number of years, and I want to be a part of that.”
While there have been rumors about Lore and Rodriguez’s ability to spend on the team going forward, since neither is a billionaire, they did approve of the contract extensions for Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley as minority owners, sources tell Wojnarowski. Those deals increased Minnesota’s projected tax bill for ’24/25.
Lore and Rodriguez were also reportedly instrumental in hiring president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who made the blockbuster trade for Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Rudy Gobert. That move was quite controversial at the time, but it has paid off thus far in ’23/24, with the Wolves currently 55-24, the No. 1 seed in the West.
Baylor’s Missi, Marquette’s Kolek Entering 2024 Draft
Baylor center Yves Missi, a projected first-round pick who is ranked No. 20 on ESPN’s latest big board, is declaring for the 2024 draft and forgoing his remaining college eligibility, he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
As Givony writes, Missi didn’t start playing organized basketball November 2021, when he moved from Cameroon to the U.S. at age 16 to play high school ball. As a freshman for the Bears in 2023/24, Missi averaged 10.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 34 games (22.9 MPG).
An explosive athlete, Missi is “one of the most physically gifted” prospects in the 2024 draft class, Givony says, with “significant potential” on the defensive end. Missi said he wants to show is game more well-rounded than he was able to show in college.
“NBA teams will be able to see in the pre-draft process how fast I’m learning, especially since I’m new to the game,” Missi said. “They will see my ability to shoot and ball-handling, which is something they didn’t necessarily see much of this year.”
Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek, another possible first-round pick who is ranked No. 29 on ESPN’s board, is also entering the draft and forgoing his final year of college eligibility, he announced on social media (Twitter link).
Kolek had an impressive senior season for the Golden Eagles, averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 7.7 APG and 1.6 SPG on .496/.388/.851 shooting in 31 games (33.0 MPG). According to Givony, Kolek has some physical limitations, but he’s an excellent ball-handler and passer who consistently brings energy and toughness — Givony compares him to Pacers guard T.J. McConnell.