- The Pacers are hiring Kaleb Canales as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The newest member of Nate Bjorkgren‘s staff has served an assistant for the Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and – most recently – the Knicks, and was briefly Portland’s interim head coach in 2012.
The Pistons hired general manager Troy Weaver because of his reputation for evaluating young talent, so Omar Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press looked into Weaver’s track record with the Thunder to get clues for this year’s draft. Detroit holds the No. 7 pick in a draft that appears unpredictable after the first two or three choices.
Weaver has a history of taking athletic players with long wingspans, Sankofa notes. His standout selection was Russell Westbrook with the fourth pick in 2008, and the pattern extends with first-rounders such as Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, Josh Huestis, Terrance Ferguson and Darius Bazley. Weaver also signed Luguentz Dort, a similar player, after he went undrafted last year.
Sankofa believes former Memphis center James Wiseman and Georgia guard Anthony Edwards are the best fits for Weaver’s philosophy, but both are expected to be taken well before the Pistons’ turn. Auburn’s Isaac Okoro, possibly the draft’s best wing defender, could be an alternative, along with guard RJ Hampton and Florida State forward Patrick Williams.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- With the Bulls holding the No. 4 pick, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times looks at four potential selections and their possible impact on the organization. LaMelo Ball would challenge Coby White for the starting point guard job right away and could open the door for a Zach LaVine trade that would create cap room to add a free agent next summer. Edwards could be the future shooting guard, which would also make LaVine expendable, while Wiseman would give the team a true center and leave Wendell Carter and Lauri Markkanen battling to become the starting power forward. Deni Avdija fills the greatest need for Chicago and would eventually take over for Otto Porter Jr.
- At least one draft expert believes Avdija would be a perfect fit for the Bulls, relays Rob Schaffer of NBC Sports Chicago. Appearing on the Bulls Talk podcast, Spencer Pearlman, a former draft consultant with the Suns, says Avdija is versatile enough to handle either forward slot and plays bigger than his 6’9″ size.
- Although the Knicks have interest in free agent guard Justin Holiday, returning to the Pacers is his first option, tweets J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. Michael also states that assistant coach Bill Bayno will remain with Indiana under new coach Nate Bjorkgren (Twitter link) and the organization has hired Ted Wu as a capologist (Twitter link).
The Pacers plan to keep T.J. McConnell on the roster for another season at $3.5MM rather than buying out his contract for $1MM, a source tells J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. The team hasn’t made an announcement, but Michael reports that McConnell is “a lock to return.”
The 28-year-old point guard signed with Indiana last summer after spending the first four years of his career in Philadelphia. His contract includes a trigger date for year two that the Pacers have to decide on before the draft, which has since been moved to November 18.
McConnell isn’t a three-point threat, shooting just 29.4% from beyond the arc, but Indiana’s management values his professionalism, hustle and attitude, Michael adds. He appeared in 71 games last season, averaging 6.5 points and 5.0 assists in about 19 minutes per night.
Former coach Nate McMillan regularly used McConnell ahead of Aaron Holiday in the rotation. Their roles going forward will be determined by new coach Nate Bjorkgren.
- Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press assesses five bargain free agents the Pistons could target using their room exception, including Kings center Harry Giles, Pacers shooting guard Justin Holiday, and veteran Magic point guard D.J. Augustin.
- Pacers backup point guard T.J. McConnell is on a $3.5MM non-guaranteed contract for the 2020/21 season. J Michael of the Indy Star posits that McConnell could remain a useful, cost-effective role player on what could be a feisty Indiana team. Alternately, the Pacers could buy McConnell out for $1MM to open up his spot on the roster.
The Kings are bringing back Rex Kalamian as an assistant coach under Luke Walton, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Sacramento confirmed the hiring in a press release. As James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets, Kalamian was on Reggie Theus’ staff from 2007-09. Kalamian was on Doc Rivers’ staff with the Clippers the last two years and also had stints with the Raptors and Thunder.
We have more coaching news:
- Greg Foster is joining the Pacers‘ staff under new head coach Nate Bjorkgren, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Foster spent the last two seasons with the Hawks. He also served coaching stint with the 76ers and Bucks.
- The Pelicans are retaining Fred Vinson despite their head coaching change, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez tweets. Vinson has been in the organization since 2010. He began his coaching career with the Clippers.
- John Lucas decided to remain with the Rockets. Get the details here.
Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported last week that the Knicks are open to accommodating salary-dump deals with their cap room this fall, and in his preview of the NBA offseason, ESPN’s Zach Lowe confirms that the team has conveyed that it’s willing to be patient and gather assets using its cap space.
However, Lowe suggests it’s not clear what exactly the Knicks’ definition of “unwanted salaries” is, adding that they may want to take on players who can help the 2020/21 club without compromising future cap room. In other words, a deal that resembles the Clippers’ acquisition of Maurice Harkless last summer might be of interest to the Knicks — that was ostensibly a salary dump, with Los Angeles receiving a first-round pick for taking on Harkless, but the veteran forward also became a regular rotation player in L.A.
As for whether the Knicks are looking to spend big on any free agents, Lowe speculates that the Knicks may be willing to go that route only for a handful of players who are “under some age threshold and available at the right price.” It’s possible that young free agents like Fred VanVleet and Christian Wood – both of whom have been linked to New York – could fit that bill if bidding doesn’t go too high.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- The Knicks have had interest in Victor Oladipo in the past, but may have shifted into “wait and watch” mode on the Pacers guard, according to Lowe. In other words, New York probably isn’t willing to give up significant assets for Oladipo without some on-court proof that he’s fully recovered from the quad tendon injury that sidelined him for a year.
- New York has been reluctant to discuss RJ Barrett or Mitchell Robinson in any trade talks, sources tell Lowe. If the Knicks look to move up in the draft, I imagine teams would ask about one or both of those two players. However, they’re New York’s most obvious long-term cornerstones, so it’s no surprise that the team isn’t eager to make them available.
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic profiles new Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose in an in-depth story. A report earlier this week indicated that Rose is earning $8MM on his new deal with the Knicks.
- The Bucks are keeping an eye on Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, but no substantive talks have taken place yet between Milwaukee and Indiana, sources tell ESPN. Many of the teams monitoring Oladipo would like to see him in action again before engaging with the Pacers, Lowe adds.
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Count veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon among those who are enthusiastic about the Pacers‘ decision to hire former Raptors assistant Nate Bjorkgren as their new head coach. Appearing on ESPN’s The Jump on Thursday, Brogdon said he’d had lunch with Bjorkgren earlier in the day and is looking forward to getting to work with the first-time head coach.
“He’s going to be terrific,” Brogdon said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Toronto has a great culture, as we all know, and a lot of bright young minds, and he’s one of them, so I’m super excited to have him on board.”
Brogdon also told The Jump’s panel that he’s working this offseason on expanding his game by improving his shot off the dribble. And after missing at least 18 games in each of the past three seasons due to injuries, he’s hoping he can stay healthier in 2020/21.
“My only fully healthy season has been my rookie year, and then the past three years I’ve sat out 15 to 20 games,” Brogdon said. “So that’s really hurt me, and I think it’s really hurt my team.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- After months of consideration, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com offers up what he thinks are the Cavaliers‘ top five options with the No. 5 selection, starting with trading down. Fedor – who assumes that LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and James Wiseman won’t be available at No. 5 – contends that Isaac Okoro and Onyeka Okongwu should be the Cavs’ top targets if they keep the pick.
- Within a mailbag, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic considers whether the probability of fans not being in arenas for 2020/21 should influence the Pistons‘ roster decisions at all this offseason — not having to worry about selling tickets to 41 home games means the team could be more willing to bottom out.
- While the Bulls may explore trading up or down in the lottery, Sam Smith of Bulls.com expects the team to ultimately stand pat at No. 4.
Danny Manning may join the bench of new Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren, sources have informed Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link). Manning, a former two-time All-Star power forward, most recently served as the head coach for the Wake Forest men’s team from 2014-2020. Bjorkgren, meanwhile, graduated from his role as an assistant on Nick Nurse‘s title-winning Raptors staff to his first head coaching position earlier this offseason.
- The Pistons have added former Pacers scout Jason Buckner as their director of scouting, per J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star. The Detroit front office has been drastically reorganized since Troy Weaver was hired as the team’s general manager earlier during the offseason.
The Pacers have talked to the Bucks about a trade involving Victor Oladipo, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. However, O’Connor cautions that at this point a deal seems unlikely.
Oladipo, who is entering a contract year, has become a frequent subject of trade speculation in recent months, since it’s unclear whether he’ll remain in Indiana beyond his current contract. A report earlier this week suggested the two-time All-Star likes playing with the Pacers and would be happy to sign a big new deal with the team, but an earlier story had indicated he may be “looking to move on” from Indiana.
The Bucks, meanwhile, will be seeking out roster upgrades this offseason as they attempt to boost their title chances following a disappointing second-round playoff exit and convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a long-term contract with the franchise. Chris Paul has been mentioned as one possible target for Milwaukee, though a September report stated that the club is “highly unlikely” to aggressively pursue the veteran point guard.
While Oladipo would be an intriguing addition to an already formidable Bucks defense, his offsensive game didn’t look quite right in 2019/20 as he returned from the quad tendon injury that sidelined him for a full year. If he could recapture his form from the previous two seasons – when he averaged 21.7 PPG and 4.6 APG on .461/.362/.780 shooting – he may be just the sort of play-maker, scorer, and shooter that Milwaukee needs in its backcourt.
Any Bucks offer for Oladipo would probably have to start with point guard Eric Bledsoe for salary-matching purposes and would likely see the Pacers’ 2020 first-round pick returned to Indiana. I imagine the Pacers would seek another future first-round pick or other additional assets for Oladipo, while the Bucks may be reluctant to go all-in on a player who didn’t look fully healthy in ’19/20.
The Pacers and Bucks, two Central rivals, did come together last year to complete a sign-and-trade involving Malcolm Brogdon, so respective heads of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard and Jon Horst have worked with one another before.