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Dwane Casey To Transition To Pistons’ Front Office

April 9th, 2023 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Dwane Casey will still be part of the Pistons‘ organization next season, but the team will be in the market for a new head coach this spring.

Following Detroit’s regular season finale on Sunday, Casey told reporters – including Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) – that he’s transitioning from the Pistons’ bench to a front office role.

“(Team owner) Tom (Gores) is giving me an opportunity to move into the front office,” Casey said, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’m excited to go to the next phase of my life. Time to spend more time with my family. This team is on the right track. They probably need to hear a new voice. This is my decision.”

Casey joined the Pistons in 2018, fresh off earning Coach of the Year honors in Toronto. He was let go by the Raptors due to the club’s disappointing postseason results. In Detroit, Casey led the team to a playoff berth in his first season, but was swept out of the first round and didn’t make it back in any of his four subsequent seasons as the Pistons embarked on a rebuild.

In total, Casey led the Pistons to 121-263 (.315) record across five seasons. Speaking to reporters today, he said that – while he’s not running away from his win-loss record – he hopes his legacy in Detroit is more about the growth of the team’s current young core than the underwhelming results on the court (Twitter link via Edwards).

Bucks assistant Charles Lee and former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka are expected to be among the candidates to replace Casey on the sidelines in Detroit, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) confirms those names and adds a couple more, identifying Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin and Heat assistant Chris Quinn as possibilities.

Edwards and Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) suggest that former Pistons star Jerry Stackhouse, who is now the head coach at Vanderbilt, could also be an intriguing target, though it’s unclear if that’s just speculation or if he’s actually on Detroit’s wish list.

The Pistons will join the Rockets as the first two teams launching head coaching searches this spring.

Lakers Sign Tristan Thompson, Shaquille Harrison

April 9th, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

12:45pm: The Lakers have officially signed Thompson and Harrison while waiving Reed, the team confirmed in a press release.

10:43am: The Lakers are making a pair of roster additions to fortify their depth ahead of the postseason, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who reports (via Twitter) that center Tristan Thompson and guard Shaquille Harrison are joining the team.

Los Angeles had an open spot on its 15-man standard roster, so only one cut will be necessary to make room for the two incoming veterans. Davon Reed will be the odd man out and will be placed on waivers today, per McMenamin.

Thompson, 32, has been out of the NBA for the entire 2022/23 season but worked out for the Lakers last month and played alongside Lakers star LeBron James for several years in Cleveland.

The big man averaged 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 57 games (15.7 MPG) for the Kings, Pacers, and Bulls last season and has career averages of 9.0 PPG and 8.4 RPG in 730 games. Thompson also has no shortage of postseason experience, having appeared in 88 career playoff contests for the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Bulls.

Harrison has made 180 regular season appearances for six NBA teams since making his debut in 2018. Like Thompson, the 29-year-old guard hasn’t been in the league for most of this season, though he did play five games while on a 10-day contract with the Trail Blazers. That deal expired overnight on Saturday, freeing him up to join a new team.

Harrison was actually in training camp with the Lakers last fall, but was cut at the end of the preseason and ended up playing for the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate. Known as a stout perimeter defender, he finished third in NBAGL Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Reed, who will turn 28 in June, joined the Lakers along with Mohamed Bamba as part of the four-team February trade that sent Thomas Bryant to Denver. He never cracked L.A.’s regular rotation though, logging just 27 total minutes across eight games with his new team. His minimum salary for 2023/24 is fully non-guaranteed, so the Lakers won’t be on the hook for any money for him beyond this season.

Both Thompson and Harrison will be eligible to play in the postseason for the Lakers because neither one has been waived since March 1.

Rockets Sign Willie Cauley-Stein

April 9th, 2023 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have officially signed free agent center Willie Cauley-Stein, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Houston’s announcement doesn’t include any details on Cauley-Stein’s contract, so it’s unclear if it extends beyond this season at all or if it’s essentially just a one-day deal.

Cauley-Stein and the Rockets agreed to a one-year contract last offseason, but the big man’s salary was non-guaranteed and he was waived at the end of the preseason. He later rejoined the team on a 10-day deal near the end of February but has been an NBA free agent since that contract expired.

Cauley-Stein spent much of the season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate. In 13 NBAGL regular season games, he averaged 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 27.0 minutes per night. He also contributed 6.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.0 BPG in 16 Showcase Cup contests (24.2 MPG).

The sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft, Cauley-Stein has appeared in 422 total regular season games for the Kings, Mavericks, Warriors, and Sixers, but is a borderline NBA player at this point, as his game isn’t an ideal fit for the league’s current style.

The Rockets were one of three NBA teams that entered Sunday with an open 15-man roster spot, so no one needed to be waived in order to make room for Cauley-Stein.

Knicks Sign Isaiah Roby To Multiyear Deal

April 9th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

11:05am: The Knicks have officially signed Roby, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link).

9:32am: Roby is getting $400K for the last day of the 2022/23 season, reports Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). If he had received a minimum-salary deal, Roby would have been paid just $10,932 for the day, but New York was able to give him significantly more than that using a leftover portion of the team’s room exception.

Roby’s minimum salary for next season will be non-guaranteed, Katz adds.

8:40am: The Knicks have agreed to sign forward/center Isaiah Roby to a contract that covers the rest of the season and runs through 2023/24, agents Zach Kurtin and Mark Bartelstein tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski reports that the deal includes “significant” guaranteed money. It’s unclear whether that money will apply to this season’s cap hit (using the remainder of New York’s room exception) or if a portion of Roby’s ’23/24 salary will be guaranteed.

Roby, 25, spent most of the season with the Spurs after being claimed off waivers from the Thunder last summer. He was released just over a month ago when San Antonio needed a roster spot to accommodate its addition of Sandro Mamukelashvili.

In 42 games (11.3 MPG) this season as a Spur, Roby averaged 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per night, with a shooting line of .432/.300/.488. He was more effective in 2021/22 in Oklahoma City, averaging 10.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG on .514/.444/.672 shooting in 45 appearances (21.1 MPG) for the Thunder.

As we noted earlier today, the Knicks entered Sunday as one of three teams with a 15-man roster spot open, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Roby. The Lakers and Rockets are the other two teams that still have openings on their standard rosters.

Because Roby was waived on March 3, he won’t be eligible to participate in the playoffs this spring.

What To Watch For On Final Day Of Regular Season

April 9th, 2023 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

Sunday represents the 174th and final day of the NBA’s 2022/23 regular season, with all 30 teams in action at either 12:00 pm Central time (1:00 pm ET) or 2:30 CT (3:30 ET).

Not all of today’s games are must-see matchups, but there’s plenty at stake on Sunday, including several of the postseason seeds in the Western Conference.

Here’s what to watch for on the final day of the ’22/23 regular season:

Western Conference playoff seeding

The Nuggets (No. 1), Grizzlies (No. 2), Kings (No. 3), Suns (No. 4), and Thunder (No. 10) have locked in their seeds in the West, but none of those teams know which opponent they’ll be facing in the first round of the playoffs — or in the first round of the play-in tournament, in OKC’s case.

The results of four games today will determine which clubs end up holding the Nos. 5-9 seeds in the West. Those games are as follows:

New Orleans Pelicans at Minnesota Timberwolves
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers
Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns

There are 16 different combinations of potential winners in those four contests, so we won’t run through every single scenario, but they can all be found right here. Here are a few details, in simplified terms:

The Clippers, Warriors, and Lakers currently rank fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, and would hold those spots if all three teams win today. The Clippers can’t fall further than No. 7, while Golden State and the Lakers could end up as low as No. 8.
The loser of the Pelicans/Timberwolves game will be the No. 9 seed. New Orleans could move as high as No. 5 with a win in that game, while Minnesota would slide up to No. 7 or No. 8 with a victory.
The Lakers will be the No. 8 seed if they lose to Utah. If they win, they’ll mostly likely end up at No. 6 or No. 7, though there’s one scenario where they could defeat the Jazz and still drop to No. 8 (if the Pelicans, Warriors, and Suns all win).

The Suns will be resting most of their key players, including Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton, on Sunday, so it would be a surprise if the Clippers lose that one, even though the game is in Phoenix. A Clippers win would lock the team into a first-round matchup against the Suns, which isn’t the most desirable outcome, but the Clips would risk slipping into play-in range with a loss, so they can’t get too clever.

Similarly, with the Blazers in all-out tank mode, it’s hard to imagine the Warriors losing that game in Portland, since doing so could result in a slide to No. 7 or No. 8.

It’s worth noting that all four of these games tip off at 2:30 pm CT, so no teams will take the floor knowing any outcomes of the other three games.

Draft and lottery positioning

There are several draft-related storylines worth monitoring today. Here are a few of the most important ones:

The Mavericks’ top-10 protected pick

With a loss on Sunday, the Mavericks would secure, at worst, the NBA’s 10th-worst record, giving them nearly an 80% chance to keep the top-10 protected first-round pick they owe the Knicks.

If the Jazz win and the Mavericks lose, the two teams would finish in a tie for the ninth-worst record and Dallas’ odds of keeping its first-rounder could increase significantly. If the Mavs were to win a coin-flip tiebreaker in that scenario, they’d have nearly a 97% chance to keep their pick.

On the other hand, a win today might put Dallas in a tie with the Thunder or Bulls for the league’s 10th-worst record and could significantly reduce the Mavs’ odds of hanging onto that first-rounder, depending on the results of the tiebreaker.

The fifth lottery spot

A loss today would assure the Trail Blazers of having the fifth-best odds in the lottery. That would give them a 10.5% shot at the No. 1 overall pick and a 42.1% chance to move into the top four.

A win could move Portland into a tie with the Magic and/or Pacers, potentially reducing those odds to 9.0% and 37.2%, respectively.

The Rockets’ second-round pick

The Pacers and Celtics will be keeping a close on the Rockets and Spurs today. As we previously outlined, Indiana will get Houston’s second-round pick if it’s at No. 32, while Boston will get it if it’s No. 33.

A Houston win and a San Antonio loss today would ensure that pick moves to No. 33; a Houston loss and a San Antonio win would lock it in at No. 32.

If both teams win or lose, that pick would be TBD. Where it lands would hinge on the results of a coin-flip tiebreaker and May’s draft lottery (if the two teams are tied, whichever one gets the lower pick in round one gets the higher pick in round two).

The Pelicans’ swap rights

The Pelicans have the right to swap first-round picks with the Lakers. Heading into today’s games, the two teams have identical 42-39 records.

However, even if the Pelicans win and the Lakers lose, New Orleans won’t necessarily end up using its swap rights — if the Lakers were to make the playoffs via the play-in tournament and the Pelicans lose in the play-in, New Orleans’ pick would be the higher one, regardless of regular season record.

Teams with open roster spots

The Jazz and Nets filled their open roster spots on Saturday, while the Grizzlies also made a series of roster moves in preparation for the playoffs. That leaves just five teams with open roster spots heading into Sunday. Those clubs are as follows:

Open 15-man roster spot:

Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
New York Knicks

Open two-way slot:

New Orleans Pelicans
Phoenix Suns

It would be a surprise if the Rockets, Lakers, and Knicks don’t fill their roster openings today. There’s essentially no downside to signing a player to a multiyear contract that only includes one day’s worth of guaranteed money, with a team option or non-guaranteed salary for 2023/24.

The Pelicans and Suns could also make two-way signings today, though that’s a little less likely, since it’s harder to convince free agents to sign two-year two-way contracts, and those players won’t be eligible for the postseason.

It’s also worth noting that two of the Trail Blazers‘ hardship 10-day contracts (for Skylar Mays and Shaquille Harrison) expired overnight on Saturday, so if they want to bring those players back for their regular season finale, they’ll need to re-sign them on Sunday.

Jazz Sign Vernon Carey Jr. To Multiyear Deal

April 8th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

9:07pm: The signing is official, the Jazz announced in a press release.

1:01pm: Free agent center Vernon Carey Jr. has agreed to a new deal with the Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that the agreement will run through the 2023/24 season.

It’s unclear at this time how much – if any – of next season’s money is guaranteed. Woj notes that Carey will also get in reps with Utah’s Summer League team this July.

The 6’9″ big man most recently played for the Wizards, though he failed to crack the club’s rotation before being waived last month. He appeared in just 11 games this season for the Wizards and 14 overall after joining the team at the 2022 trade deadline in the Montrezl Harrell deal with Charlotte.

The former Duke standout, who was drafted 32nd overall by the Hornets in 2020, played in 37 total games for Charlotte and Washington, with career averages of 1.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.1 MPG.

Carey enjoyed a far more expansive role with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. He averaged 20.7 PPG on 61.9% field goal shooting, along with 8.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG. Utah will be hoping that some of that promise translates to the NBA level.

The Jazz had an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Carey.

New Details Emerge On NBA’s In-Season Tournament Plans

April 8th, 2023 at 4:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA’s newly announced Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NBPA included several fascinating new developments for the next six or seven years of league action.

Most bold among these various changes is the addition of an in-season tournament, tentatively set to begin in 2023/24. Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports unpacks some new revelations about the impending tournament.

Rohrbach writes that there will be six intra-conference pools, containing five teams each, and while he doesn’t clarify exactly how they will determined, he notes that teams won’t necessarily be separated by division.

During the season’s first six weeks, teams will play against each of the other four clubs in their respective intra-conference pools as part of the regular season schedule. Each club will play two home games and two road games in these designated group matchups.

Following these first four games, two wild-card clubs will join the six pool play victors in a single-game elimination tournament. This is all so new that the NBA is still determining how to figure out tiebreakers, Rohrbach writes. A neutral site will host the tournament’s last two rounds.

The round robin, quarterfinal, and semifinal tournament games would count toward the regular season’s results, but the final (which would represent an 83rd game for the two teams involved) wouldn’t count toward the regular season, per Rohrbach.

Every player on the tournament-winning champion is set to earn a $500K bonus for their victory. Given the rate of high-end annual salaries at present, it’s not certain that such coin would incentivize the top players on a hypothetical winner, but it would be a boon for younger players whose salaries are in the low seven figures.

NBA Investigating Mavericks’ Decision To Rest Key Players

April 8th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After the Mavericks opted to rest five players during their penultimate game of the season last night, the NBA has announced today that it will be looking into Dallas’ conduct, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.

“The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night’s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions,” league spokesman Mike Bass said.

On Friday against the Bulls, Dallas sat All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and key role players Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood. The Mavericks entered that game tied with Chicago for the league’s 10th-worst record. All-Star guard Luka Doncic, meanwhile, played in just the game’s first quarter before exiting a minute into the second quarter.

By benefit of losing the contest 115-112, Dallas has been eliminated from a potential play-in berth.

Head coach Jason Kidd revealed after the game that he would sit Doncic and Irving again for Sunday’s season finale, and added that other key role players would probably also be shelved. Dallas would possess sole ownership of the 10th-worst record in the NBA if the team loses its last game.

The Mavericks owe a top-10 protected draft pick to the Knicks, and sitting these key players gives them a better chance of retaining their own first rounder this year.

It is fascinating that the NBA is going after Dallas specifically. The Bulls in the same game sat healthy starters DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Patrick Beverley, having locked up the East’s tenth seed and a play-in berth, and a handful of other play-in contenders haven’t exactly been going all-out to secure playoff appearances in recent weeks.

Grizzlies Promote Lofton, Waive Chandler, Sign Gilyard

April 8th, 2023 at 1:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

1:48pm: The Grizzlies have officially announced their series of roster moves, including a two-way deal for guard Jacob Gilyard, which was first reported by Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

An undrafted rookie in 2022, Gilyard spent the season with the Memphis Hustle in the G League and led the NBAGL in assists per game (9.7). He’ll occupy the two-way slot previously held by Lofton, while Lofton moves into the 15-man roster spot that had been held by Chandler.

12:39pm: The Grizzlies are promoting rookie two-way forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. to their standard roster, and will sign him to a four-year, $7MM contract, Lofton’s agent Mike George informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Lofton was recently named the 2022/23 G League Rookie of the Year. With the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, he averaged 20.2 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.2 SPG and 0.6 BPG across 17 games, including 15 starts.

The 6’7″ power forward has appeared in 23 games for the Grizzlies proper, posting modest averages of 3.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 0.9 SPG in 5.9 MPG.

Woj notes that Lofton is being inked to Memphis’ standard 15-man roster in part to address the absence of center Steven Adams, who is reportedly likely to miss the entire 2023 postseason due to the lingering effects of his right knee injury. Adams is one of two key big men unavailable for the Grizzlies — reserve power forward Brandon Clarke tore his Achilles in early March.

Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian tweets that Lofton, who would have entered restricted agency this summer if not for his new deal, has impressed the Grizzlies with his development thus far this season.

To carve out roster space for Lofton, Memphis is releasing rookie guard Kennedy Chandler, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Chandler, 20, was selected with the No. 38 pick in the 2022 draft out of Tennessee. As Charania notes, Chandler had been on a long-term agreement with the club, and should now garner significant attention on the waiver wire or as a free agent if he manages to clear waivers.

Herrington adds (via Twitter) that Chandler flashed promise with his ball-handling and defense this season, and may be a better fit on a team that will have more patience as he develops. The 51-30 Grizzlies are clearly prioritizing win-now pieces.

Memphis will be on the hook for Chandler’s guaranteed cap hits in 2023/24 ($1.72MM) and ’24/25 ($2.02MM) if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Grizzlies’ Steven Adams Likely Out For Postseason

April 8th, 2023 at 12:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Starting Grizzlies center Steven Adams will likely miss Memphis’ entire postseason run, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Adams has been sidelined for Memphis since suffering a PCL sprain in his right knee in late January. Last month, he received a stem cell injection to treat the ailment and was ruled out for another four weeks.

As Tim MacMahon of ESPN notes, the Grizzlies initially expected Adams to miss three-to-five weeks with the injury.

Memphis had high expectations for the 29-year-old coming into the season, and accordingly had signed him to a two-year, $25.2MM extension during training camp. The 6’11” Adams had been an integral part of the Grizzlies’ defensive identity when healthy this season, averaging 8.6 PPG on 59.7% shooting from the field, 11.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 BPG and 0.9 SPG.

The Grizzlies will miss not only his rebounding acumen, impossible screens and defense around the rim, but also his solid play-making from out of the high post.

Memphis, the No. 2 seed in the West at 51-30, will need to lean more heavily on Adams’ backup, Xavier Tillman, who has performed ably in his stead. Across his 29 starts sans Adams, Tillman is averaging 9.7 PPG and 6.7 RPG.

Rookie two-way forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. is being elevated onto Memphis’ standard roster to help address the loss. The Grizzlies are also without key reserve big man Brandon Clarke for the 2023 postseason due to a torn left Achilles tendon.

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