Kenny Atkinson A Finalist For Raptors’ Coaching Job?
Kenny Atkinson, who is currently an assistant coach with the Warriors, recently traveled to Toronto for an in-person interview for the Raptors‘ head coaching job, reports Marc Stein at Substack.
A longtime NBA assistant who has spent time with the Knicks, Hawks and Clippers, Atkinson was the head coach of the Nets from 2016-20, accruing a 118-190 record (.383) over parts of four seasons. He has been with the Warriors for the past two seasons.
The Nets improved their win total in each of Atkinson’s first three seasons, making the playoffs in ’18/19. Known as a player development guru, the 55-year-old had a verbal agreement to become Charlotte’s head coach last offseason, but backed out of the arrangement before it was finalized, citing family considerations as a factor in his decision.
Atkinson was a finalist for Milwaukee’s coaching vacancy, which ultimately went to Adrian Griffin, and also interviewed or was expected to interview this spring for the previous openings in Houston and Phoenix.
The Raptors have been very secretive about their search for a new lead coach this offseason after dismissing Nick Nurse. However, they are reportedly in the final stages of interviews and are expected to hire a new coach relatively soon.
According to Stein, since Atkinson interviewed at this juncture, he’s believed to join a group of finalists that includes Virtus Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo, Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez, and Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic. Sources tell Stein that Scariolo’s second interview was set for “as early as Monday,” though it isn’t clear if he’ll be traveling to Toronto, since his Italian team is about to begin its championship series Friday.
As Stein writes, there’s no real consensus about which coach the Raptors might favor. Some view Scariolo as the frontrunner due to his ties to the organization, having served as an assistant under Nurse for three seasons, but Stein hears Fernandez is also a “name to watch.”
Clippers Promote Redden To GM, Hughes To Senior Vice President
1:10pm: The two promotions are now official, the Clippers announced (Twitter link via Greif).
12:36pm: After Michael Winger was hired away by the Wizards to be their new president, the Clippers have decided to promote Trent Redden to take his place as general manager, a league source tells Andrew Greif of The Los Angles Times.
Marc Stein reported at Substack over the weekend that Redden was a “strong candidate” to be promoted.
Redden has been an assistant GM with the Clippers since 2017. He previously worked with the Cavaliers for 11 seasons, winning a title as assistant GM with Cleveland in 2016.
Another assistant GM who joined Los Angeles at the same time, Mark Hughes, will also be receiving a promotion, with a new title of senior vice president as well as assistant GM, reports Greif.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirms the news, adding that both Redden and Hughes will continue to report to president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. Redden has been a key strategist and talent evaluator for the Clippers, while Hughes is known for his leadership and scouting abilities, according to Wojnarowski, who notes both front office members have drawn interest from rival teams in the past.
Hughes has a diverse basketball background. A former international player, Hughes also played and coached in the Continental Basketball Association before becoming an NBA assistant coach with the Magic and Kings.
He then transitioned to a scouting role with the Knicks, later receiving a promotion to director of player personnel. He spent 10 seasons with New York (2007-17).
Kyrie Irving Wants Mavericks To Pursue Trade For LeBron James
The Lakers may not have interest in a sign-and-trade deal for Kyrie Irving, but sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that Irving has reached out to LeBron James to see if they can reunite in Dallas (Twitter link).
That report meshes with a story by Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, who hears from league sources that Irving wants the Mavericks to pursue an offseason trade for James to form a new Big Three alongside Luka Doncic.
Sources tell Haynes that Dallas was preparing to make an offer for James before this year’s trade deadline. However, that would not have been possible, as James was ineligible to be traded after signing an extension last summer.
James has dropped hints about wanting to play alongside Irving again, and the Lakers were reportedly strong candidates to acquire him when he considered opting out of his contract last summer and again when he asked the Nets for a trade in February.
L.A.’s asking price for James would surely be exorbitant if the team would consider a trade at all. He has one year remaining on his contract at $46.9MM and then a player option for the 2024/25 season worth $50.65MM.
Haynes points out that penalties imposed by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement will make it extremely difficult for any team to carry three max-salary players. He states that Irving and James would both have to take significant pay cuts to make the arrangement work and suggests that the most viable path for James to get to Dallas would be to demand a buyout with the Lakers, which Haynes admits is extremely unlikely.
James has a good relationship with Doncic, so that wouldn’t be an impediment to a potential deal, Haynes adds. He’s also close with head coach Jason Kidd, who formerly served as a Lakers assistant, as well as assistant coach Jared Dudley, an ex-teammate.
Re-signing Irving remains Dallas’ top priority for the offseason, sources tell Haynes. Even though they missed the playoffs, the Mavs see a bright future for their All-Star backcourt and are determined to keep Irving after giving up two rotation players and three future draft picks to acquire the 31-year-old guard from Brooklyn.
Stephen Silas Agrees To Join Pistons As Assistant Coach
Stephen Silas will become the top assistant to Monty Williams with the Pistons, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Silas had served in the same role with the Mavericks, Hornets and Warriors before being hired as the Rockets’ head coach in 2020.
Silas compiled a 59-177 record with Houston, which switched into rebuilding mode when James Harden requested a trade early in Silas’ first season. The Rockets dismissed Silas in April, turning down a team option on the final year of his contract.
Silas had been rumored as a strong candidate to join Joe Mazzulla‘s staff with the Celtics and made an appearance at a first-round playoff game in Boston. Word leaked on Sunday that the Celtics will hire Sam Cassell as an assistant, which may have affected Silas’ decision.
In Detroit, Silas will join a young team similar to the one he left in Houston. The Pistons have been stockpiling young talent, and they hold the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft. Like the Rockets, they are hoping to move out of the rebuilding stage and contend for a play-in spot next season.
Magic Waive Jay Scrubb
The Magic opened up a two-way slot by waiving Jay Scrubb, the team announced in a press release.
Scrubb signed a two-year contract when he joined the team on March 24, but the deal didn’t include any guaranteed money for the 2023/24 season.
The 22-year-old guard spent most of the season with the Magic’s G League affiliate in Lakeland. He ranked sixth in the G League in scoring at 22.3 points per game to go along with 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Scrubb saw action in two games with Orlando late in the season. He was selected by Brooklyn with the 55th pick in the 2020 draft, and his previous NBA experience consisted of 22 games with the Clippers.
Rookie guard Kevon Harris is the Magic’s other two-way player.
Edwards, Haliburton, Reaves Commit To Team USA
Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards and Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton are among the players who have committed to Team USA this summer, Joe Vardon and Shams Charania of The Athletic report. Team USA will compete for the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines.
Lakers shooting guard and restricted free agent Austin Reaves, Nets forward Mikal Bridges and Bucks forward Bobby Portis have also made commitments.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has pledged to play for Team USA as well, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
The 12-man roster is still being assembled by USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill and no roster additions have been formally announced yet.
Edwards, who averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season, was a member of the USA Select Team for the Tokyo Olympics. Team USA has begun to prioritize bigger guards who can hold their own defensively and shoot well from the perimeter in international competitions, according to The Athletic duo. Edwards and Reaves fit that mold.
Team USA begins training camp Aug. 3 in Las Vegas, plays its first exhibition game Aug. 7 against Puerto Rico and will also make stops in Spain and the United Arab Emirates before its World Cup opener Aug. 26 against New Zealand.
Jody Allen Shuns Second Bid For Blazers From Knight, Smolinsky
Trail Blazers owner Jody Allen has been tasked with selling off most of the assets of her late brother Paul Allen and donating the money to charitable causes, but she has been reticent to offload the NBA franchise just yet.
According to Rachel Bachman of The Wall Street Journal, Nike CEO Phil Knight and Dodgers minority owner Alan Smolinsky recently made a follow-up offer to buy the franchise from Allen, a year after their initial $2 billion offer was rejected. Though Bachman does not indicate a dollar amount, she notes that Knight and Smolinsky increased their bid to keep up with the rise in sports team valuations.
“As Jody said publicly last year, the sports teams are not for sale,” Jason J. Hunke, spokesman for Paul and Jody Allen’s umbrella company Vulcan, said. Jody also inherited the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks from her brother. “That will eventually change pursuant to Paul’s wishes, but there is no preordained timeline for when that will happen. Interested parties can engage when we establish a sales process at some point in the future.”
According to Hunke, Allen’s estate team “balances an overall strategy for asset disposition with driving the best possible sales process and outcome for each individual asset and asset class. There are many different asset classes being managed to that end.”
It appears that it could take 10-to-20 years to fully resolve the estate and establish a sale for the Trail Blazers and Seahawks, with Hunke calling that “a fair and accurate time frame.” The two clubs are worth an estimated $6.6 billion, per Bachman.
Bachman consulted with several lawyers familiar with complex estate sales. Many disputed such a lengthy window as being necessary.
“You would almost have to intentionally slow-walk it,” said Allan Cutrow, a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP. “They don’t have to accept (Knight and Smolinsky’s offer), and they may not even have to negotiate it… But at the very least, you would think, barring something else in the (estate) document, that they would reach out to an investment banker and they have some duty to market this and get the best possible value.”
“[The] concept that a complex estate takes 10 to 20 years to be fully sorted out, that would be very unusual,” Andrew Mayoras, a trust and estate litigation attorney, said.
Bachman writes that the 30-year ground lease of the Trail Blazers’ current home arena, the Moda Center, will expire in 2025, and Allen could opt to leverage public funding for improvements. Bachman notes that, at least judging by language she shared in a recent email, it does not appear that Allen is looking to offload the team any time soon.
“As chair, my focus is building championship teams and managing the franchises for the long-term,” Allen wrote in an email to Bachman. “Today, I work regularly with the GMs, presidents, and coaches on significant sports, business, and organization decisions and have final say on strategic moves such as key hires, trades, and player extensions.”
Knight, worth over $40 billion, is hoping that a sale to him and Smolinsky will keep the team in Portland for the long haul.
Even while fielding oft-injured All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers have missed out on the playoffs in back-to-back years. They sport a cumulative record of 60-104 across the past two seasons. The club has the third pick in the upcoming draft, which could be used to either draft a promising young cornerstone or to acquire an impact player via trade.
Terry Stotts To Join Bucks’ Coaching Staff
Former Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts is finalizing a contract to be part of Adrian Griffin‘s new coaching staff with the Bucks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
A report on Friday indicated that Milwaukee was seeking an experienced assistant to pair with Griffin, who’s a first-time head coach. Stotts and James Borrego were both mentioned as candidates, but Borrego has since agreed to join the Pelicans as associate head coach.
Stotts, 65, has been out of the NBA since parting ways with the Trail Blazers in 2021 after running the team for nine seasons. He previously served as head coach of the Hawks and Bucks and has a career record of 402-318.
The Celtics reportedly considered hiring Stotts as an assistant when Joe Mazzulla took over the team last September following Ime Udoka’s suspension. The Mavericks were also rumored to have interest in adding him to Jason Kidd’s staff.
James Borrego To Be Pelicans’ Associate Head Coach
Former Hornets head coach James Borrego will join the Pelicans as associate head coach under Willie Green, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Borrego and Green have worked together before, notes Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). Borrego was an assistant in New Orleans when Green played there in 2010/11, and he served as an assistant in Orlando during Green’s final season as an NBA player in 2014/15.
The 45-year-old Borrego was reportedly one of the leading contenders for the Rockets’ head coaching vacancy and was among the candidates the Bucks considered to replace Mike Budenholzer. He drew a lot of interest as an assistant coach as well, with Houston, Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Dallas among the teams that reportedly wanted him to join their staffs.
The Pelicans also considered Kevin Ollie, one of the finalists for the Pistons’ head coaching job, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Ollie is reportedly taking an assistant role on the Nets’ staff.
Jarron Collins, another top candidate for the Detroit vacancy, will also return to Green’s staff for next season, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.
Borrego spent four years as head coach in Charlotte before being fired in 2022. He compiled a 138-163 record with the Hornets and took the team to two play-in appearances. He also went 10-20 as interim coach of the Magic in 2015.
Kevin Young To Remain With Suns; Will Be Highest-Paid Assistant
Associate head coach Kevin Young plans to remain with the Suns under new head coach Frank Vogel, and he will be getting a new contract that will make him the highest-paid assistant in the league, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Young will earn more than $2MM per year in the role, according to Wojnarowski, who notes that Phoenix was determined to keep the veteran assistant rather than having him join Monty Williams in Detroit.
Young had been a finalist for the head coaching job along with Vogel and Doc Rivers, with the position ultimately going to Vogel.
Young also interviewed for the vacancies in Houston, Toronto and Milwaukee this spring. The Raptors’ coaching search is still ongoing, but it seems Young is no longer a candidate.
The 41-year-old has been with Phoenix since 2020 as an assistant under Williams, who was fired after a second consecutive second-round playoff ouster. Young was also an assistant with Philadelphia from 2016-20.