Thunder’s Williams, Holmgren Among Players Joining USA Select Team
Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren of the Thunder and Jalen Green of the Rockets are among the young players joining the USA Select Team ahead of the upcoming FIBA World Cup, league sources tell Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Those three players will be eligible to travel with Team USA to the Philippines and could potentially be added to the 12-man national team roster in the event of an injury, per The Athletic.
Williams, Holmgren and Green will be joined by Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Kings forward Keegan Murray for Team USA’s training camp in a couple of weeks, where they will practice and scrimmage against the main roster, according to Charania and Vardon. As many as 12 players could end up being named to the Select Team.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported (via Twitter) that Cunningham would attend the training camp. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick was actually offered a spot on the senior team’s roster, according to Wojnarowski, but decided to forgo the opportunity in order to focus on the 2023/24 season. Cunningham was limited to 12 games last season due to a shin injury which required surgery.
Williams, the runner-up for the ’22/23 Rookie of the Year award, is coming off a stellar first season with OKC, averaging 14.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.4 SPG on .521/.356/.812 shooting in 75 games (30.3 MPG). Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick last year, missed the entire season due to foot surgery, but he’s healthy again and recently played during Las Vegas Summer League.
Green, the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, averaged 22.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.7 APG on .416/.338/.786 shooting in 76 games (34.2 MPG) for Houston last season. Murray was the fourth pick of last year’s draft. The former Iowa product averaged 12.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG while shooting 41.1% from three-point range during his All-Rookie First Team campaign.
The Americans will start training camp for the World Cup on August 3 in Las Vegas, with their first game scheduled later that month in the Philippines.
Davon Reed Signs With Ukrainian Team
Free agent wing Davon Reed has signed with Prometey BC, the team announced on Instagram (hat tip to Dario Skerletic of Sportando). Former Hornets forward Arnoldas Kulboka will also be joining the Ukrainian club, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link).
The 32nd pick of the 2017 draft out of Miami, Reed spend his rookie season with the Suns, who released him prior to the 2018/19 season. He caught on with the Pacers on a two-way deal before spending the next couple seasons in the G League and playing international ball in Taiwan.
Reed returned to the NBA in ’21/22 on a two-way deal with the Nuggets, having a solid season as a 3-and-D bench member, averaging 4.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .503/.430/.667 shooting in 48 games (13.9 MPG). Last summer, he signed a two-year contract for the veteran’s minimum to return to Denver, but only the first year was guaranteed.
The 28-year-old saw his minutes reduced in ’22/23 with the additions of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Christian Braun, as Reed averaged just 9.0 MPG in 35 games for the Nuggets. He was sent to the Lakers at the February trade deadline, and was subsequently waived on the last day of the regular season.
According to Prometey BC, Nuggets players insisted that Reed be given a championship ring after Denver won its first title last month. The Ukrainian side also said Reed drew EuroLeague interest this summer, but no deals came to fruition due to his lack of experience in Europe.
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Prometey BC, also known as Prometey Slobozhanske, spent last season playing in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, which will continue in ’23/24. The team finished first in its group during the ’22/23 EuroCup competition, ultimately losing in the semifinal.
Kulboka, another former second-round pick who has spent most of his career in Europe, appeared in two games with Charlotte in ’21/22 on a two-way deal. The Hornets didn’t give him a qualifying offer last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent, and he signed a one-year deal with Greece’s Promitheas Patras.
The Lithuanian guard/forward averaged 14.9 PPG and 6.0 RPG on .453/.426/.800 shooting in 18 EuroCup games last season.
Heat Promote GM Elisburg To Executive VP Of Basketball Operations
The Heat have promoted senior vice president of basketball operations and general manager Andy Elisburg to executive vice president of basketball operations, the team announced in a press release. In addition to his new title, he will retain his dual title of GM.
Elisburg has been with Miami since the team’s inception in 1988. He has served as senior VP of basketball ops and GM for the past 10 years.
“Andy is so deserving of this promotion,” said president Pat Riley. “Working together for 28 years has brought so many great transactions that have improved the franchise multiple times over the years, both on and off the court. More importantly, Andy’s knowledge and work ethic are second to none, he’s been involved with everything we do at the HEAT and we look forward to continued success.”
While Riley is frequently (and justifiably) credited for the Heat’s success over the past two decades, Elisburg has been an instrumental behind-the-scenes figure who is said to be a shrewd negotiator and a CBA expert. Miami has won three championships and made seven NBA Finals appearances since 2006, when the team won its first title.
Ben Simmons Receives Service Credit For 2021/22 Season
Swingman Ben Simmons has been granted a year of service for 2021/22 despite missing the entire season, league sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN.
According to Lowe, Simmons’ service-time update came in the form of a side letter when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement was released in late June. The issue was a contentious one, with executives from several NBA teams arguing Simmons should not have received credit for ’21/22 due to his holdout.
Years of service impact how much money players can make, whether it’s the veteran’s minimum or a maximum-salary contract, among other benefits. Simmons now officially has seven years of service under his belt. He has technically only played in five of those seven seasons, with Simmons missing the entire ’16/17 season — which would have been his rookie campagin — due to a foot injury.
Simmons’ service situation for ’21/22 is intended to be viewed in isolation and is not meant to be a precedent for future cases, sources tell ESPN.
As Lowe writes, Simmons requested a trade in the 2021 offseason and refused to play for the Sixers in ’21/22. The three-time All-Star cited mental health issues for not fully engaging with the team.
Simmons was traded to the Nets at the 2022 deadline in the deal that sent James Harden to Philadelphia. He didn’t play for Brooklyn in ’21/22 either due to knee and back problems, undergoing a microdiscectomy surgery in April 2022 to repair a herniated disc.
The Sixers withheld Simmons’ salary in ’21/22, Lowe notes, citing a breach of contract. Simmons and the NBPA filed a grievance to recoup the withheld money, reaching a settlement with the Sixers last summer that paid Simmons a portion of the $20MM that was withheld.
Harden recently requested his own trade out of Philadelphia, but his situation is different because he’s in the final year of his contract. A clause in the CBA says if Harden were to refuse to report to training camp or play in games for more than 30 days, the Sixers could potentially block him from entering free agency and signing with any other team, including international clubs, sources confirmed to Lowe.
That said, a report earlier today indicated that Harden intended to show up to training camp if he was still on the roster at that time, so that could be a moot point. Still, it illustrates that there are potentially severe penalties to holding out in certain scenarios.
Simmons was limited to 42 games with the Nets last season, as knee and back issues continued to hamper the Australian. Brooklyn is hopeful he’ll be healthy by September before training camp begins.
Trevor Keels Returning To Knicks On Two-Way Deal
Guard Trevor Keels has re-signed with the Knicks on a two-way deal, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter). According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, it’s a one-year contract (Twitter link).
The 42nd pick of the 2022 draft after one college season at Duke, Keels spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Knicks, who gave him a qualifying offer last month in order to make him a restricted free agent. Based on the reported terms, it seems likely that Keels simply accepted his one-year QO in order to return to New York.
Still just 19 years old (he turns 20 in late August), Keels only appeared in three games for the Knicks in 2022/23 for a total of eight minutes. He was a starter for their G League affiliate in Westchester, however, averaging 13.9 points, 3.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal with a .425/.355/.710 shooting line in 25 regular season games (30.2 minutes per contest).
Once their two-way deal with Nathan Knight is official, the Knicks will have all three two-way slots filled, as former Overtime Elite guard Jaylen Martin occupies the third. That means Duane Washington might be the odd man out — he was given a qualifying offer last month, but the Knicks won’t have any spots available.
Trade Rumors: Harden, Clippers, Lillard, Embiid
While the Sixers may be holding out hope that James Harden will rescind his trade request and return to Philadelphia next season, the former league MVP remains steadfast in his desire to be dealt to the Clippers, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
According to Fischer, Harden and his camp are confident he’ll end up playing for Los Angeles in 2023/24. Sources tell Fischer that the Sixers have discussed Harden trades with teams other than the Clippers, but none of those talks were serious, as rivals are aware of Harden’s “unwavering focus” on joining L.A.
The Sixers haven’t shown any interest in a potential Clippers deal though, and the Clippers aren’t interested in parting with Terance Mann, Fischer writes. Daryl Morey‘s recent comments suggest that the two sides aren’t natural trade partners.
If Harden is still on the roster by media day in early October, the 10-time All-Star is expected to join the Sixers in training camp. That might not be ideal for Philadelphia, however, as Fischer notes that Harden successfully forced his way out of Houston and Brooklyn in recent seasons when he was unhappy without needing to hold out.
Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- In his analysis of Fischer’s story, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com wonders if Morey will eventually cave on his high asking price and accept an offer from the Clippers, as having Harden cause problems — in training camp or during the season — could hurt the Sixers‘ on-court results. The fact that Harden is on an expiring contract and Philadelphia is firmly in win-now mode makes it a complicated situation, because the team can’t afford to punt on a year of Joel Embiid‘s prime, Neubeck adds. That much was clear even before Embiid’s recent comments about wanting to win a championship no matter what team he’s on.
- Talks between the Trail Blazers and Heat on a Damian Lillard trade are “stagnant,” according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. While the two sides have spoken, Charania hears the conversations weren’t serious. Portland has told Miami to make its best offer, Charania writes, but the Heat don’t appear to be in any rush to do so.
- As Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote a couple days ago, there’s no indication that Embiid has any desire to leave the Sixers at this point, and Philadelphia certainly doesn’t want to trade him, to the Knicks or any other team. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that when Embiid and Morey met after the comments went viral, both sides envisioned a “Derek Jeter-type trajectory” for Embiid, with the reigning MVP remaining the face of the organization until he retires. In short, don’t expect an Embiid trade anytime soon, says Begley.
Pacers First-Rounder Jarace Walker Had “Minor” Elbow Surgery
Jarace Walker underwent “minor” surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Pacers forward is expected to be completely healed when training camp opens in the fall, per Wojnarowski.
Walker spent his lone college season with the Houston Cougars, averaging 11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG on .465/.347/.663 shooting in 36 games (27.6 MPG) in 2022/23. Known as a strong defensive player, Walker was the eighth pick of last month’s draft.
The 19-year-old appeared in four Summer League games for Indiana in Las Vegas, averaging 14.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 30.1 MPG. While those all-around stats are quite solid, he struggled mightily with scoring efficiency, posting a .343/.179/.444 shooting line. It’s safe to assume his elbow was affecting him, considering he reportedly underwent surgery to correct the ailment.
Assuming no other major roster moves are made, Walker will likely be vying with Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith for the starting power forward job entering ’23/24. Nesmith spent much of last season as the small-ball starting four, but he’s only 6’5″ and the Pacers were obviously focused on adding talent at the position this summer.
Spurs Re-Sign Tre Jones To Two-Year Deal
JULY 18: Nearly three weeks after initially agreeing to terms with the Spurs, Jones has officially signed his new contract, the club announced today in a press release. The deal will eat up the remainder of San Antonio’s cap room, putting the team’s salary over the cap.
JUNE 30: Tre Jones is re-signing with the Spurs, having agreed to a two-year, $20MM contract, agent Kevin Bradbury tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Jones was a restricted free agent after San Antonio issued him a $5,216,324 qualifying offer. He didn’t need to sign an offer sheet from a rival team to nearly double that figure.
The 41st overall pick of the 2020 draft, the former Duke point guard has spent his entire pro career with the Spurs. He played sparingly as a rookie, had a regular bench role in 2021/22, and emerged as a full-time starter in ’22/23 after the club traded Dejounte Murray to Atlanta last summer.
In 68 games last season (29.2 MPG), Jones averaged 12.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 3.6 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .459/.285/.860 shooting. I’m sure he’d like to boost that three-point percentage, but Jones provides value in other areas, including solid play-making while taking excellent care of the ball — he posted a 4.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in ’22/23.
Still just 23 years old, Jones will hit unrestricted free agency in a couple years when he’s 25.
Thunder Sign Vasilije Micic To Three-Year Deal
JULY 17: The Thunder have officially signed Micic, according to a team press release.
JULY 1: European star Vasilije Micic has agreed to a three-year, $23.5MM contract with the Thunder, agent Jason Ranne tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Micic traveled to Oklahoma City a few weeks ago to discuss a potential contract with the Thunder. A report last week from Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr stated that Micic was “determined” to play in the NBA in 2023/24, and now he’ll be coming stateside on a lucrative multiyear deal.
Micic, 29, was selected by Philadelphia with the 52nd overall pick in the 2014 draft. The Sixers traded his draft rights in 2020 to the Thunder, who have held them for the last three years.
The 6’5″ guard has been playing in Europe since 2010 and has been a member of Anadolu Efes since 2018. He won back-to-back EuroLeague championships with the club in 2021 and 2022 and was named the EuroLeague’s Most Valuable Player in 2021. He and Anadolu Efes have also claimed Turkish League titles in 2019, 2021, and 2023, with Micic earning Finals MVP honors this year.
The Thunder already have several young guards on their roster, but they seem quite high on the Serbian veteran. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), several teams trade to acquire Micic’s rights during last month’s NBA draft, including the Jazz, but OKC decided to retain him.
Micic averaged 16.0 points, 5.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 31 EuroLeague contests last season, posting a .435/.357/.870 shooting line in 31 games (31.3 minutes).
The Thunder may have their room exception, which can now be used on signings of up to three years, earmarked for Micic.
Jahlil Okafor Officially Signs With Spanish Club
Free agent center Jahlil Okafor, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2015 draft, has officially signed with Casademont Zaragoza of Spain’s Liga ACB, the team announced (via Twitter). According to Eurohoops.net, Okafor inked a one-year contract.
Olga Lorent of Onda Regional was the first to report that Zaragoza was trying to close a deal with Okafor.
A college star at Duke who helped lead the Blue Devils to the NCAA Championship in 2014/15, Okafor was drafted by the 76ers, spending his first two-plus seasons with the club. The 27-year-old bounced around the NBA for the next handful of seasons, playing for the Nets, Pelicans and Pistons from 2017-21.
Known as a strong post scorer who is limited defensively, Okafor’s last season in the league came back in 2020/21 with Detroit. In six NBA seasons, he holds career averages of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 247 regular season games (116 starts, 19.5 minutes).
Okafor signed a training camp deal with Atlanta ahead of ’21/22, but was released before the season started. He wound up playing for the Zhejiang Lions in China. Last season, the veteran big man played for the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League, averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 16 games (27.0 minutes).
This will be the first European stint for Okafor, who suited up for Team Nigeria during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Zaragoza finished 12-22 during the ’22/23 regular season, 13th out of 18 Liga ACB teams.