Latest Details, Notes On Kyrie Irving’s FA Plans
After announcing on Thursday night that he plans to re-sign with the Celtics once he’s eligible for free agency next summer, Kyrie Irving reiterated that stance today, telling reporters that he has “every intent” to reach a new deal with the Celtics on July 1 (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe).
As Irving explained, his decision to stick with the Celtics was influenced by the club’s young core of players, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, as well as an appreciation that the franchise was willing to take a chance on him and get him “out of Cleveland” (Twitter links via Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald).
The five-time All-Star added that not wanting to move again after getting comfortable in Boston was also a factor in his decision, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). “Honestly, thinking about starting over was just a sh**ty thought,” Irving said today.
According to Himmelsbach, Irving initially told the Celtics that he would publicly declare his intent to re-sign during a group interview prior to Thursday’s fan event. But that interview came and went without Irving addressing his future — he decided to make his announcement in front of fans later in the evening instead.
Here’s more on Irving and the C’s:
- Irving told a small group of teammates on Wednesday afternoon about his plans to re-sign, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston details. The news was a “nice surprise,” according to Al Horford, one of the teammates in attendance. “Just his commitment to the organization, and a sense that we can put all the speculation behind us and focus on the season,” Horford said. “That was very big of him to do something like that.”
- Marcus Smart was also excited about Irving’s decision, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston relays. “It means a lot when you have a guy that has won at the highest level, has been where you want to go, wants to do it again with you,” Smart said. “It’s great for him, the organization and this city that he wants to come back.”
- A league source tells Jay King of The Athletic that Irving and Pelicans star Anthony Davis have spoken about what it would be like to play together in Boston. Irving and Davis are both on designated rookie extensions though, and teams aren’t permitted to trade for two players on those contracts. So if the Celtics want to make a play for Davis, it would have to happen in July 2019 at the absolute earliest, after Irving signs a new contract.
- Speaking to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge asserted that Irving is capable of being “the best player in the world” on a given day against a given team.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston examines several players who will be affected by Irving’s free agency decision, including Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, and Terry Rozier. We opened up a discussion earlier today about Rozier’s future.
Okafor's Injury Won't Affect Chances Of Making Roster
- Jahlil Okafor‘s ankle injury won’t prevent him from making the Pelicans‘ roster, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Okafor is expected to miss a week or two after spraining his right ankle late in Sunday’s game, but coach Alvin Gentry said that won’t affect his decision on Okafor’s status.
NBA GMs Weigh In On 2018/19 Season
NBA.com has completed its annual survey of NBA general managers, with John Schuhmann of NBA.com asking each of the league’s 30 GMs to answer an array of questions about the league’s top teams, players, and coaches. Unsurprisingly, the Warriors are once again viewed by the NBA’s general managers as the overwhelming favorites to be the last team standing, with 26 of 30 GMs (87%) picking Golden State to win the NBA championship for the fourth time in five years.
While there are many responses in the GM survey worth checking out, we’ll focus on rounding up some of the more noteworthy ones related to rosters and player movement. Let’s dive in…
- LeBron James (30%) and Kevin Durant (27%) are viewed as the frontrunners for the 2018/19 MVP award, but two younger players led the voting for the player GMs would most want to build a franchise around starting today. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (30%) and Pelicans big man Anthony Davis (23%) led the way in that category. Interestingly, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t receive a single vote this year after leading the way with 29% of the vote in 2017.
- The Lakers‘ signing of James helped them earn 70% of the vote for the team that made the best overall moves this offseason. The Raptors, buoyed by their acquisition of Kawhi Leonard, finished second at 20%.
- A ton of different signings and trade acquisitions received votes for the most underrated addition of the summer, with the Pacers‘ signing of Tyreke Evans barely leading the way with four votes. The Spurs‘ trade for DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls‘ signing of Jabari Parker, the Pelicans‘ addition of Julius Randle, and the Thunder‘s acquisition of Dennis Schroder received three votes apiece.
- DeMarcus Cousins‘ decision to join the Warriors (35%) was considered the most surprising move of the offseason, followed by the Spurs/Raptors blockbuster trade (29%) and Paul George remaining with the Thunder (19%).
- While Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is the strong frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, GMs expect Suns center Deandre Ayton and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. to be the best players five years from now. Meanwhile, the Clippers‘ selection of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 11 was viewed by the most GMs as the steal of the draft.
- The Sixers (47%) and Celtics (33%) dominated voting for the teams with the most promising young cores.
Jahlil Okafor To Miss 1-2 Weeks
Jahlil Okafor sprained his right ankle toward the end of the Pelicans‘ first preseason game on Sunday and he’s expected to miss 1-2 weeks because of the ailment, according to the team’s website.
Okafor signed with New Orleans and was expected to compete for a spot in the rotation. After seeing limited playing him with the Sixers and Nets last season, he was hoping to carve out a role for himself on the Pelicans by working on his weaknesses.
“The knock on me has always been my defense and my rebounding,” Okafor said last month. “I let the coaches know that I’m aware of that, and obviously they’re aware of that. They know that I’m 150% bought into doing whatever it takes to win. I think I’ve taken the necessary steps this summer just to become a better defender, a better rebounder — just because I’m moving better and I’m doing all of the right stuff. I’m really excited about it.”
Okafor scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in his 17 preseason minutes. The Pelicans conclude the preseason on October 11, so Okafor won’t likely make it back on the court to get additional reps before the team starts the regular season on October 17.
Davis Can Qualify For Super-Max With All-NBA Nod In 2018/19
- Marks also notes that several players will have a chance to become eligible for super-max contracts with their current clubs if they make All-NBA teams this season. That list includes Anthony Davis (Pelicans), Draymond Green (Warriors), Klay Thompson (Warriors), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), and Kemba Walker (Hornets). Additionally, Devin Booker‘s new extension with the Suns would start at 27.5% of the cap if he’s named to the All-NBA Third Team, 28.5% if he’s named to the Second Team, and 30% for First Team.
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Southwest Notes: Anthony, Okafor, Randle, Grizzlies
Carmelo Anthony is looking to make the game fun again in his first season with the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Anthony is set to enter his 16th professional season, with the 34-year-old having his vision set on winning an NBA championship.
“Just enjoy the game and play basketball … I’ve been doing it for a long time,” Anthony said. “I still know how to do it. I’ve just got to make it fun. The game just has to be fun.”
The Rockets are expected to be a championship contender this season, with the team featuring a deep bench, star center and All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and James Harden. The level of production Anthony gives will help determine how far the team gets in its journey.
“He’s a great basketball player, so we just try to make it optimal for him and us,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It’s always a little bit of a challenge, but if you had asked me the same question (last year) about James and Chris I would have said the same thing: ‘Well, it looks good. I’m excited.’ So same thing with him.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor will undergo an MRI on Monday after suffering an ankle injury during Sunday’s preseason game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Okafor left the arena on crutches with his ankle taped.
- Over 25 teams expressed a level of interest in Julius Randle during his brief time as a free agent, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Randle eventually chose to sign a two-year deal with the Pelicans.
- Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff hopes Garrett Temple‘s impact on the team doesn’t go unnoticed, Drew Hill of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. “I’m used to (going unnoticed). It’s normal to me,” Temple said. “But, I’m glad that (Bickerstaff) sees my value. The people in the locker room and the people in this organization, at this point, those are the only ones that matter.”
Pelicans Sign Brandon McCoy
The Pelicans have signed free agent center Brandon McCoy, the team announced on Twitter.
McCoy was waived by the Bucks last week after signing with the team at the end of July. After going undrafted out of Nevada-Las Vegas, McCoy earned a training camp contract with his performance for Milwaukee’s summer league team.
Today’s signing brings the Pelicans up to the 20-player limit for training camp.
Pelicans Notes: Davis, Jack, Payton, Randle
In a piece by Brett Martel of the Associated Press, Pelicans star power forward Anthony Davis dismissed the idea that his decision to hire Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul as new representation meant he was setting the stage for a departure from the Big Easy.
That being said, Davis can reach the free agent market in two years and has increasing leverage to control where he plays, so it’s understandable that Pelicans’ fans seemed to become a little paranoid when Davis made a change, especially after Chris Paul left New Orleans in his prime shortly after he changed agents.
“It was just for where I am right now in my career — what I’m trying to do — I thought the change was necessary,” Davis said Monday during media day. “That’s all it was… I’m (in New Orleans). I want to focus on winning this year with the squad that we have. We have a good squad.”
There’s more out of New Orleans:
- In some interesting but not so pressing news, Will Guillory of The Athletic relays that newly-acquired veteran point guard Jarrett Jack has interest in becoming a coach after he retires.
- In a full article for The Athletic, Guillory asks whether free agent acquisition, point guard Elfrid Payton, can overtake Rajon Rondo‘s role with the team and excel in head coach Alvin Gentry‘s guard-friendly, up-tempo system.
- Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com writes that Davis and fellow Kentucky alum Julius Randle are very excited to share the court together this season after mostly competing against each other in pick-up games all summer.
Julius Randle Wants To Remain With Pelicans Long-Term
Julius Randle joined the Pelicans this offseason on a two-year deal, one that includes a player option on the second season. Although he can go elsewhere next summer, Randle reiterated that he doesn’t plan on leaving. He wants his move to New Orleans to be a “long-term thing,” Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link) relays.
The power forward will get a chance to play alongside Anthony Davis, a player whose skill set complements Randle nicely. Davis and Nikola Mirotic can both spread the floor, meaning that in most rotations, Randle should find space in the paint. Randle added that he’s in the “perfect situation for a basketball player.”
The Kentucky product played in 238 games for the Lakers after the team took him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Los Angeles renounced his rights, creating the cap space necessary to sign LeBron James and several other players this past summer.
Randle had arguably his finest season in California during the 2017/18 campaign. He scored a career-high 16.1 points per contest and had a true shooting percentage of 60.6. His player efficiency rating was 19.9.
Jahlil Okafor: Joining Pelicans A 'No-Brainer'
- As Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com details, Jahlil Okafor said there were a “multitude of reasons” for him to sign with the Pelicans, calling the decision a “no-brainer.” Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link) hears that New Orleans was comfortable with waiving Emeka Okafor in part due to how good Jahlil has looked. “He’s in amazing shape, and he’s going hard on both ends too,” Smith’s source said. “Seems like he really gets it now.”