Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Sixers, Knicks, Durant, Simmons
Five-time Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid admitted that he considered quitting basketball entirely during his rookie year, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid was drafted by the Sixers in 2014 with the third pick out of Kansas, but didn’t suit up for Philadelphia until the 2016/17 season. Surgeries for a navicular bone in his right foot delayed Embiid’s NBA debut for two years while he grieved the death of a family member off the court.
“You look back at my first year after the surgery,” Embiid said. “Obviously, I lost my brother at that time, too. Going back to Cameroon, I really wanted to stop playing basketball and really retire because at that point you just had surgery, and everybody is talking about ‘You’re not going to make it’ or ‘You’re never going to play in the league,’ and, obviously, the loss of my brother was big. I wanted to give up. I almost did. It was hard.”
The 28-year-old has since become one of the most dominant centers in the NBA, and is currently building a convincing MVP case with a terrific and mostly healthy season thus far. He is averaging 29.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG and 4.5 APG through 46 games this season. Embiid boasts shooting splits of .495/.369/.813.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- While the identities of four Sixers starters are fairly clear heading into the home stretch of the 2021/22 NBA season, the team has several options for the fifth starting role, per Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice. With James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and Embiid entrenched in the club’s starting lineup. Neubeck considers whether they’d be best complemented by the defensive attributes of Matisse Thybulle, the corner three-point shooting of Danny Green or Furkan Korkmaz, or the size advantage of Georges Niang.
- With a 25-34 record, the Knicks face an uphill battle to even make the play-in tournament this season. Fred Katz of The Athletic wonders at what point second-year New York head coach Tom Thibodeau, whose job may be in jeopardy this summer, may opt to prioritize developing the team’s youth over less-than-meaningful victories. Katz also theorizes about the potential markets awaiting 2022 unrestricted free agent center Mitchell Robinson, and forward Cam Reddish, whom the Knicks could either opt to extend this summer or allow to reach restricted free agency next year.
- Nets team president Sean Marks expects stars Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons to join the team on the hardwood fairly soon, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Depending when they go, we’ve got to see how they respond to days like [Tuesday], and we’ll go forward with this,” Marks said. “It’s probably going to be tough, to be honest, to be playing in the next three or four days. But we’ll see how it all plays out.”
Nets Sign Goran Dragic, Waive Jevon Carter
FEBRUARY 22: The Nets have officially signed Dragic and waived Carter, the team announced in a press release.
Dragic’s rest-of-season contract will pay him $728,742 and will have a cap hit of $460,463. Since Brooklyn is well over the tax line, the club’s end-of-season tax bill will further increase as a result of the signing.
FEBRUARY 21: After being bought out by the Spurs last week, point guard Goran Dragic has made a decision on his next team, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Dragic will sign with the Nets.
Dragic, who was traded from Toronto to San Antonio at this month’s deadline, had reportedly been considering a handful of suitors, including the Bucks, Warriors, Bulls, Lakers, and Clippers.
Dallas, where Dragic would’ve had the opportunity to team up with fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic, had also been considered a potential landing spot earlier in the season. However, the Mavericks weren’t said to be in the mix for him following his buyout, having acquired another point guard (Spencer Dinwiddie) at the trade deadline.
In Brooklyn, Dragic should get the opportunity to share point guard duties with Patty Mills. Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, of course, will be in the mix as well, but Irving is ineligible for home games as long as New York City’s vaccine mandate remains in place and it’s unclear when Simmons will make his Nets debut.
The move to Brooklyn will also give Dragic an opportunity to reunite with head coach Steve Nash, who played in Phoenix when Dragic first entered the NBA as a Sun. Marc Stein reported on Sunday that Nash was very involved in the process of recruiting his former teammate.
Dragic averaged 13.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 3.4 RPG on .432/.373/.828 shooting in 50 games (26.7 MPG) for the Heat in 2020/21. However, he appeared in just five games for the Raptors this season after being sent to Toronto as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade. He hasn’t played since November, having taken a personal leave of absence from the Raptors up until he was traded to San Antonio.
The Nets have a full 15-man roster and will have to waive a player in order to officially sign Dragic. That player will be guard Jevon Carter, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The team will have the option of stretching Carter’s guaranteed $3.925MM salary for 2022/23 across three seasons. His current $3.65MM salary will remain on the ’21/22 cap.
Brooklyn used its full mid-level exception to sign Mills in the offseason and doesn’t have its bi-annual exception available, so Dragic will sign a minimum-salary contract with the club. The exact value of his deal will depend on when he officially signs, but the 35-year-old will earn $15,182 per day.
Nets Notes: Drummond, Simmons, Trade Reactions
Veteran center Andre Drummond played more than 22 minutes just once in his final 31 games as a Sixer, but he has already exceeded that benchmark twice in three appearances since being traded to the Nets.
Drummond, who has averaged 21.7 minutes per game with the Nets, will likely see that number continue to increase as long as his conditioning is up to par, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The big man says he has felt “tired” since arriving in Brooklyn, but is looking forward to getting the chance to play more.
“From the moment I’ve got here, I condition in the morning and I condition after the game,” Drummond said. “So by the time the [All-Star] break is over, I should be back to normal again, just getting myself back in that speed and that mode again.”
Having averaged an impressive 12.3 rebounds per game in his part-time role so far, Drummond is helping to address an area of weakness for the Nets. Head coach Steve Nash, noting that his team had “struggled to rebound the ball,” said he’s counting on the 28-year-old to continue playing a key role.
“He fills needs that our group is looking for, and we’re excited for him to continue to get more comfortable in the way we play and also really get in great shape,” Nash said. “He’s going to play more minutes for us as far as the way we project things to go, so he’s used to [backing up Joel Embiid], but we’re asking him to play more.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- The plan is for Ben Simmons to “really ramp it up this week” to see where he’s at in terms of his conditioning, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said during an appearance on NBA Today on Monday (video link). Although Shelburne suggests Simmons is “getting close,” she cautions that his Nets debut isn’t imminent yet. “It’s going to be more like weeks rather than months,” Shelburne said (hat tip to NetsDaily).
- Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to a handful of players at All-Star Weekend to get their thoughts on the Simmons/James Harden blockbuster completed on February 10 by the Nets and Sixers. “Just 12 months ago … we were thinking Brooklyn was going to go on to win five championships in a row, and that was the narrative, ‘Who can stop this Big Three?’ It didn’t pan out that way, and now they’re shuffling the deck again,” veteran guard Fred VanVleet said, jokingly adding that, for the Raptors’ sake, he hopes the deal doesn’t work out for either team.
- At 31-28, the Nets hold the No. 8 seed in the East and wouldn’t be guaranteed a playoff spot if the season ended today. However, veteran guard Patty Mills is optimistic about what the rest of the season will look like for the club, especially once Kevin Durant returns and Simmons is available. “I think being able to add the pieces we’ve added, getting people back from injury, this is who we got,” Mills said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “I keep talking about the vibe around the locker room and everyone enjoying each other’s presence. … You can feel it in the locker room and that’s gonna carry us a long way, I believe, if we can stay tight as a group. It’s gonna take all of us to get the job done. It’s a massive push for us coming up.”
Stein’s Latest: Rivers, Dragic, Harris, R. Lopez, Dinwiddie, Bertans
The Sixers have confidence in coach Doc Rivers to lead the team to a title now that James Harden has been paired up with Joel Embiid, a source tells Marc Stein (Substack link). Philadelphia hasn’t won an NBA championship in 39 years and Rivers has a recent history of playoff disappointments, but team officials believe he can oversee the new partnership.
Shortly after the trade with the Nets was completed, Stein heard rumors that the Sixers might be considering Mike D’Antoni, who coached Harden for four years in Houston. D’Antoni is currently serving as a coaching advisor to the Pelicans after spending last season with Harden as an assistant in Brooklyn.
However, Stein’s source insists that Rivers’ job is safe, saying he gained admiration from ownership and the front office with the way he guided the team through the distractions caused by Ben Simmons‘ absence.
Stein offers more inside information from around the league:
- Goran Dragic met with the Nets on Friday as he considers his next team following a buyout with the Spurs. Coach Steve Nash served as a mentor when Dragic entered the NBA with the Suns and has been the team’s lead recruiter for the free agent guard. Along with Brooklyn, Stein cites the Bucks, Bulls, Warriors and Clippers as the top suitors for Dragic. He’s been “really open-minded” to the offers from each team, a source tells Stein.
- Magic veterans Gary Harris and Robin Lopez haven’t pushed for buyouts so far, according to Stein’s sources, who add that Harris may want to stay in Orlando in hopes of re-signing during the offseason. There was talk that Lopez might join his brother in Milwaukee after a buyout, Stein states, but the recent additions of Greg Monroe and Serge Ibaka may have quelled the Bucks‘ interest (though Monroe’s most recent 10-day contract has expired). Golden State may need another center for the playoffs, and Stein sees Lopez as a potential “home run” for the Warriors if he becomes available.
- Small guarantees for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans in the final year of their contracts motivated the Mavericks to acquire them in last week’s trade for Kristaps Porzingis. Dinwiddie has just a $10MM guarantee on his $18.9MM salary for 2023/24, while Bertans carries a $5MM guarantee on his $16MM salary for 2024/25. Dallas is hoping those limited guarantees will make both contracts easier to trade.
Adam Silver Says Sixers Aren’t Being Investigated For Tampering In Harden Trade
There were some complaints around the league regarding the circumstances that led to the Sixers’ trade for James Harden, but the team isn’t under investigation for tampering, writes Joe Varden of The Athletic.
Some executives in rival front offices considered asking for tampering charges based on suspicions that Philadelphia was talking to Harden about signing in the offseason if a trade with the Nets couldn’t be completed, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported recently. Harden has a close relationship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and chief executive officer Tad Brown from his time in Houston, and he’s a friend of co-owner Michael Rubin.
[RELATED: Sixers/Harden Chatter Raises Tampering Suspicions]
NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the situation tonight during his annual All-Star Weekend press conference and confirmed that no investigation is being conducted.
“It’s no secret that I’ve expressed my unhappiness with public trade demands,” Silver said. “I think you’re dealing with a situation where you have players with literally a unique skill on the planet, and that’s always going to give them leverage. And you have teams with leverage. … I mean there may be tools that we can think of to create stronger incentives for players to comply with those agreements, but there’s no silver bullet here, that we’re going to go in and collectively bargain and say, ‘now we fix this problem.’”
Silver touched on numerous other topics during the media session:
- He continues to express optimism about an in-season tournament, saying the play-in tourney has helped build momentum for change, Varden adds. “In some ways, the players have been more receptive to the possibility of an in-season tournament because the play-in has been a bit more successful,” Silver said.
- Silver expressed concern about the situation involving Rockets guard John Wall, saying, “Of course I think it’s a problem when players are paid not to play,” tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Wall hasn’t played at all this season under a mutual agreement with the rebuilding team.
- With COVID-19 regulations easing around the country, Silver hopes a resolution can be reached involving the New York City vaccine mandate that has prevented Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
- Silver confirmed that the investigation into the Suns organization and owner Robert Sarver is still ongoing, but didn’t offer any updates, according to Bontemps (Twitter link).
- Silver said no regular-season games will be played in Europe next year, but some teams may travel there during the preseason, Bontemps adds (via Twitter).
- The halftime ceremony for Sunday’s All-Star Game will honor the 75th anniversary team, and Silver expects about 50 of the 61 living members to be on hand, tweets Marc Stein of Substack.
Examining Kyrie Irving's Future In Brooklyn
- Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (Insider-only) examines 10 noteworthy stories around the NBA, including Kyrie Irving‘s future with the Nets. Irving has only appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 24.1 points and 5.4 assists per contest. He holds a $36MM player option for next season.
Nets Notes: New Rivalry, Curry, Drummond, Irving
The Nets/Sixers matchup has the making of the league’s next great rivalry, Brian Lewis of The New York Post opines. There could be some bad blood between the two sides after the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade, as Harden and Simmons both clearly left on poor terms.
Simmons refused to suit up for the Sixers this season and didn’t exactly get along well with Joel Embiid, while Harden appeared to stop trying towards the end of his stint in Brooklyn after becoming frustrated with the team’s performance and Kyrie Irving‘s part-time status.
The two teams clashed in the playoffs in 2019, creating some animosity, but Brooklyn’s roster is very different now. Lewis thinks a feud could be great for the league.
“Yeah, it could,” Patty Mills said. “Or not; we’ll have to see. And if it is, then, awesome, it’s great. I mean, we’re trying to get better as a team; if that brings the best out of us, great. Vice versa. Good for the fans. Good for TV. Good for basketball around the world.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Seth Curry and Andre Drummond are integrating quickly with their new team, as NetsDaily.com relays. Brooklyn has gone 2-1 since the trade was officially completed, and both players have started all three contests. “I think in our league today it’s so important to have shooters who can space the floor [and] having him to do so for Kevin [Durant], Ky [Kyrie Irving] and Ben [Simmons] is really important,” coach Steve Nash said of Curry. “It gives us depth in shooting, spacing, but I think he’s a better player than just that. He’s pretty good in pick-and-roll, pretty good at scoring out of pick-and-roll situations or playing that game taking space to create offense and he can deliver the ball pretty well in those scenarios as well.” Curry is eligible for an extension this summer. He’ll earn $8.5MM in 2022/23, the final year of his four-year deal.
- Nash expects Drummond to play a larger role with Brooklyn than he did with Philadelphia, per the same article from NetsDaily. “I think he fills needs that our group is looking for, and we’re excited for him to continue to get more comfortable in the way we play and also really get in great shape,” Nash said. “He’s going to play more minutes for us as far as the way we project things to go, so he’s used to (playing behind Embiid, but we’re going to ask him to) play more. I think part of it is adapting to the new role.” The Nets were interested in Drummond last season after he reached a buyout agreement with the Cavaliers, but he ultimately finished the season with the Lakers before signing with the Sixers on a minimum deal as a free agent last summer. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link) ponders what the future holds for Irving. He has a player option for 2022/23, but no one knows what his plans are. Only a few teams project to have money to spend on free agents this summer, and given Irving’s volatility, Lowe questions whether other teams would even offer a long-term deal. Will the Knicks make another run at Irving if he opts out? A short-term contract with the Nets could make sense if Irving opts out, Lowe posits, assuming they want him back.
Bucks “Aggressive” In Pursuit Of Goran Dragic
Appearing on NBA Today (video link), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Bucks have been “aggressive” in their pursuit of Goran Dragic, who reached a buyout agreement with the Spurs on Tuesday.
Dragic has been spending the week speaking to interested teams, and Wojnarowski calls the Bucks the “foremost” team on Dragic’s list. The defending champions find themselves with a hole in the backcourt after trading Donte DiVincenzo to the Kings and losing Pat Connaughton for approximately four weeks after surgery to repair his broken right ring finger.
Milwaukee’s brass, including GM Jon Horst and head coach Mike Budenholzer, has been pitching Dragic on the opportunity to play meaningful minutes and a “pretty significant role,” says Wojnarowski.
However, he notes that the Bulls, Clippers, Nets, and Lakers remain interested in the former All-Star guard. Woj thinks Dragic is getting closer to making a decision on his next team.
Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein tweets that the Warriors are also in the mix for Dragic, but notably did not include the Lakers on his list of teams vying for Dragic’s services.
And-Ones: Mock Draft, Ownership, Offseason Outlook, Upgrades
The Pistons could wind up with the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year. In Chad Ford’s Mock Draft 2.0, they’ll take Auburn freshman forward Jabari Smith with the first pick. According to Ford’s sources, Detroit GM Troy Weaver would love to pair up Cade Cunningham with Smith. Ford throws a curveball with the second pick, with the Magic selecting Purdue wing Jaden Ivey. That leaves Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren for the taking at No. 3, where the Rockets snap him up.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Private equity firms have increasingly become a force in NBA ownership, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic notes. Private equity firms have purchased stakes in five teams, and their influence will continue to increase as the value of franchises continues to climb.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks not only takes a look at potential buyout candidates this month, he also turns his attention to the offseason, breaking down the free agent class, teams with significant cap space and significant players eligible for extensions. Regarding cap space, he notes that the Pacers and Trail Blazers have moved onto the list due to their trades. The Pistons, Magic and Spurs were already projected to have cap space.
- The Nets, Sixers and Celtics did the most to upgrade their 2021/22 rosters before the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Seth Partnow. The Bucks, Jazz and Suns made slight alterations that could help them in the postseason, in Partnow’s evaluation.
Community Shootaround: Nets, Sixers Playoff Hopes
We’re a week removed from the biggest trade in the NBA this season and the early returns haven’t even come in.
James Harden has yet to make his Sixers debut. Ben Simmons remains a few weeks away from wearing a Nets uniform.
According to VegasInsider.com, the Nets and Bucks are currently co-favorites to win the Eastern Conference with the Sixers having the third-best odds.
It will be fascinating to see who ultimately benefited from the trade or perhaps if both teams weakened themselves.
This is an all-in move by the Sixers, given Harden’s age and penchant for quickly souring on the team he’s on. Brooklyn was backed into a corner by Harden’s desire to play in Philly but the deal may end up improving its chemistry.
Harden obviously gives the Sixers a formidable 1-2 offensive punch with Most Valuable Player candidate Joel Embiid. The latter has delivered the best season of his career, keeping Philadelphia within striking distance of the conference’s best record despite Simmons’ refusal to play.
Harden will certainly ease the scoring burden on Embiid. The Sixers had to surrender one of their best shooters, Seth Curry, in the deal but held onto defensive stalwart Matisse Thybulle and young point guard Tyrese Maxey. While Philadelphia apparently tried to dump Tobias Harris’ contract prior to the deadline, he’s still a solid, consistent, low-maintenance contributor.
If and when the Nets get all their pieces back from injuries, their roster remains stacked. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can carry the scoring load and won’t have to incorporate Harden into the equation. Given that Adam Silver criticized New York City’s vaccine mandate this week, there’s a good chance Irving will eventually be able to play home games.
Simmons’ lack of perimeter shooting could be masked by the weapons around him. He’s also one of the top defenders in the league, so if his free throw shooting isn’t a total disaster, he should be able to finish out games. That’s a best case scenario for Simmons and the Nets – it’s anyone guess whether Simmons is physically and mentally ready to perform under playoff pressure.
With Curry, Patty Mills and Joe Harris (whenever he returns from his ankle issues), there are plenty of perimeter shooters to space the floor for Brooklyn.
Both teams will have to build chemistry on the fly and it’s important to note Embiid, Harden, Durant and Irving have all dealt with significant injuries in recent seasons, often during the postseason.
That leads us to our question of the day: In the wake of the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons trade, which team will go deeper into the playoffs – the Sixers or Nets?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.