Matthew Dellavedova Agrees To Two-Year Deal With Melbourne United
Free agent guard Matthew Dellavedova, who played for the Kings in 2022/23 but was unavailable in the playoffs after undergoing finger surgery, has agreed to a two-year contract with Melbourne United, Australia’s National Basketball League announced in a press release.
A nine-year NBA veteran, Dellavedova spent most of his career with Cleveland, winning a championship with the Cavs in ’15/16. He also played for the Bucks from 2016-18.
The 32-year-old played for Melbourne United in his native Australia during the ’21/22 season, so it’s a reunion between the two sides.
“I’m really excited to be coming back to Melbourne United,” Dellavedova said. “I want to come back and win a championship here. It’s a great club that has a really strong culture and I’m happy to be back a part of it.
“I had a lot of fun the year I was here. There’s excitement about getting to play with a lot of those same guys we had success with a year ago. It was a great group of guys, some I knew and some I grew close with.”
Dellavedova was on a minimum-salary contract this season for Sacramento and was mostly used for emergency depth, appearing in 32 games for an average of just 6.7 minutes per contest. He has a shared history with Mike Brown, having played for the Kings’ head coach with the Cavs when he was a rookie.
Long known for his hustle, competitiveness and determination, Dellavedova holds career averages of 5.2 points and 3.5 assists in 479 regular season games (93 starts, 19.4 minutes).
Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane Undergoes Toe Surgery
Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane underwent surgery on Tuesday to address a fracture of the medial sesamoid bone in his right big toe, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link). The expectation is that Bane will be fully recovered before the 2023/24 season begins.
Bane sustained the injury, which was initially diagnosed as a sprain rather than a break, on November 11. He missed Memphis’ next 17 games before returning to action on December 23.
Although Bane played through the injury for most of the year, he acknowledged in January during a podcast appearance that he’d probably have to get it “taken care of” during the offseason. “You never know how much you need to use your big toe until you can’t use it,” the 24-year-old said at the time.
Bane averaged a career-high 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game in 58 appearances (31.7 MPG) during his third NBA season in 2022/23, making over 40% of his three-pointers for a third consecutive year. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason and appears to be in line for a significant payday.
With Ja Morant possibly facing a lengthy suspension to begin the 2023/24 season, Bane will be in position to take on a larger role on the court for the Grizzlies this fall as long as he’s back to full health. He’ll also likely be counted on to assume more leadership responsibilities in the locker room, given that Morant – Memphis’ ostensible franchise player – continues to make negative headlines off the court.
Sixers Dismiss Head Coach Doc Rivers
10:51am: The Sixers have issued a press release confirming the dismissal of Rivers.
“Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely,” Morey said in a statement. “We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise. After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship.””
10:16am: The Sixers are parting ways with head coach Doc Rivers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Rivers’ hold on his job was considered shaky after Philadelphia lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Boston on Sunday. A tight game at halftime turned into a blowout Celtics victory after Boston outscored the 76ers by a 33-10 margin in the third quarter.
The loss resulted in the Sixers’ third consecutive second-round playoff exit since Rivers was hired in 2020. During that time, the veteran coach led the club to a 154-82 (.653) regular season record but failed to make a deep playoff run. Philadelphia was eliminated by Atlanta in 2021 and Miami in 2022, losing the final game of the series at home in both instances.
Rivers is one of several accomplished head coaches to be let go this spring, joining recent champions and/or Coaches of the Year like Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, and Nick Nurse.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia lead the NBA in regular season victories since the start of the 2020/21 season, but all three clubs are making head coaching changes this offseason following disappointing postseason showings.
Previous reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype indicated that Williams, Nurse, and Mike D’Antoni would likely be candidates to replace Rivers if the Sixers were to make a change. Wojnarowski confirms those names and adds a few more to Philadelphia’s list of potential candidates, tweeting that Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, and Frank Vogel are also expected to factor into the team’s search.
Of those six candidates, only Cassell – who is an assistant on Philadelphia’s staff – lacks head coaching experience. D’Antoni, Williams, Vogel are all former Sixers assistants, while D’Antoni has a long-standing relationship with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, having coached the Rockets during Morey’s time in Houston.
The decision to dismiss Rivers is the first one in a big offseason for the Sixers. While MVP center Joel Embiid is on a long-term contract, his co-star James Harden will reach free agency if he turns down his 2023/24 player option and has been repeatedly linked to the Rockets. Harden offered Rivers a very lukewarm endorsement following Sunday’s loss, so it’s possible the 10-time All-Star will be more inclined to remain in Philadelphia under a new head coach.
As for Rivers, it’s unclear at this point whether he’ll immediately emerge as a candidate to take over as the head coach for another NBA team. There are four clubs besides the Sixers with head coaching vacancies: Milwaukee, Phoenix, Toronto, and Detroit.
2023 NBA Draft Lottery Primer
The 2023 NBA draft lottery will take place on Tuesday night prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and Lakers. The half-hour event will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 7:00 pm Central time.
This year’s draft pool features potential superstar Victor Wembanyama, who is widely considered to be the best prospect to enter the NBA draft since LeBron James in 2003.
Other prospects, including Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller, would make terrific consolation prizes, but every team with a lottery pick will enter Tuesday night dreaming on the possibility of landing the No. 1 selection and drafting the French phenom Wembanyama.
Here’s what you need to know heading into tonight’s lottery:
Pre-Lottery Draft Order:
The top 14 picks in the 2023 NBA draft would look like this if tonight’s lottery results don’t change the order:
- Detroit Pistons
- Houston Rockets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers
- Washington Wizards
- Utah Jazz
- Dallas Mavericks
- Note: The Knicks will receive this pick if it falls out of the top 10.
- Orlando Magic (from Bulls)
- Note: The Bulls will retain this pick if it moves into the top four.
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Toronto Raptors
- New Orleans Pelicans
For the full pre-lottery draft order, click here.
Draft Lottery Odds:
The Pistons, Rockets, and Spurs have the best odds to land the No. 1 pick. Each of those four teams has a 14.0% chance to pick first overall.
From there, the Hornets (12.5%), Trail Blazers (10.5%), Magic (9.0%), Pacers (6.8%), and Wizards (6.7%) have the next-best odds to receive the first overall pick.
When the NBA introduced its new lottery format in 2019, the selling point was that the new system flattened the odds, making it less likely that the league’s very worst teams would claim a top pick.
Before the NBA tweaked the lottery rules, there was a 60.5% chance that one of the league’s bottom three teams would secure the No. 1 pick and only a 27.6% chance that a team in the 5-14 range of the lottery standings would do so. Now, those odds are 42.0% and 45.5%, respectively.
Still, there haven’t been many huge surprises in the years since the new format was implemented.
The Pelicans moved up from No. 7 in the lottery standings in 2019 to claim the first overall pick, which they used on Zion Williamson. Since then though, every team to win the draft lottery has been in the top three in the lottery standings.
Perhaps we’re due for a more significant shake-up in 2023. There’s a 19.2% chance that a team in the back half of the lottery (Nos. 8-14) wins the No. 1 pick. That works out to about 1-in-5 odds, and this will be the fifth time the NBA has employed its revamped lottery format.
For this year’s full draft lottery odds for all 14 spots, click here.
For full details on the revamped lottery format, click here.
Trades Affecting The Draft Lottery:
Dallas and Chicago finished as lottery teams in 2022/23, but each may have to convey its first-round pick to another team, depending on Tuesday’s results.
The Mavericks traded their 2023 first-round pick to the Knicks, but would keep that selection if it lands within the top 10. There’s a 79.8% chance that will happen and a 20.2% chance it will slip to No. 11 or below and be sent to New York.
If Dallas retains its first-rounder this year, the club would instead owe its 2024 first-round pick (top-10 protected) to the Knicks.
The Bulls, meanwhile, owe the Magic their top-four protected first-round pick. There’s just an 8.5% chance Chicago will hang onto that selection and a 91.5% chance it will fall between Nos. 11-14 and be sent to Orlando.
If the Bulls get lucky and move into the top four, they’d owe Orlando their 2024 first-round pick with top-three protection.
Draft Lottery Representatives:
The representatives for each of this year’s lottery teams are as follows, according to a pair of announcements from the NBA:
- Detroit Pistons
- On stage: Ben Wallace (basketball operations and team engagement advisor)
- Lottery room: Jon Phelps (senior director of basketball strategy)
- On stage: Ben Wallace (basketball operations and team engagement advisor)
Houston Rockets
- On stage: Ime Udoka (head coach)
- Lottery room: Clay Allen (general counsel)
- San Antonio Spurs
- On stage: Peter J. Holt (team owner)
- Lottery room: Brian Wright (general manager)
- On stage: Peter J. Holt (team owner)
- Charlotte Hornets
- On stage: Mark Williams
- Lottery room: Buzz Peterson (general manager / senior VP of basketball operations)
- Portland Trail Blazers
- On stage: Brandon Roy (former Trail Blazers player)
- Lottery room: Sergi Oliva (assistant GM)
- Orlando Magic
- On stage: Jamahl Mosley (head coach)
- Lottery room: Joel Glass (chief communications officer)
- Indiana Pacers
- On stage: Tyrese Haliburton
- Lottery room: Kevin Pritchard (president of basketball operations)
- On stage: Tyrese Haliburton
- Washington Wizards
- On stage: Wes Unseld Jr. (head coach)
- Lottery room: Brett Greenberg (assistant GM / strategy and analytics)
- Utah Jazz
- On stage: Collin Sexton
- Lottery room: Ryan Smith (team owner)
- Dallas Mavericks
- On stage: Nico Harrison (president of basketball operations / general manager)
- Lottery room: Michael Finley (assistant GM / VP of player personnel)
- On stage: Nico Harrison (president of basketball operations / general manager)
- Chicago Bulls
- On stage: Dalen Terry
- Lottery room: Pat Connelly (assistant GM)
- On stage: Dalen Terry
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- On stage: Nick Collison (former Thunder player / amateur evaluation scout)
- Lottery room: Sam Presti (executive VP / general manager)
- Toronto Raptors
- On stage: Bobby Webster (general manager)
- Lottery room: Teresa Resch (VP of basketball operations)
- New Orleans Pelicans
- On stage: David Griffin (executive VP of basketball operations)
- Lottery room: Bryson Graham (assistant GM)
Bob Myers’ Future With Warriors Remains Uncertain
Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers, whose contract expires at the end of next month, “plans to take a couple of weeks” to determine what he wants to do in the future, telling ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that he’s “torn” on returning largely due to his close relationships with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr (Twitter video link).
That aligns with a recent report from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who heard from sources that Myers was going to take some time before coming to a decision.
One interesting part of Shelburne’s report that got lost in the shuffle was that owner Joe Lacob pitched lucrative contract offers to Myers that would have given him the flexibility to take time off if he so desired. Reading between the lines, it’s clear that the team is well aware of Myers’ career uncertainty.
Myers is the most likely of that longtime core group to depart the Warriors, sources tell Marc Stein in his latest article at Substack. There’s a “strong expectation” within the organization that if Myers doesn’t re-sign, he’s more likely to take “at least” the 2023/24 season off to spend time with family rather than join a rival front office, according to Stein.
A two-time Executive of the Year, Myers is a former college basketball player (UCLA) and sports agent who has been an executive with the Warriors since 2011, winning four championships. A recent report from The Athletic indicated that VP of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. may take over for Myers if he decides not to return.
Bucks, Pistons, Raptors Interested In Monty Williams
After being fired by the Suns Saturday night, Monty Williams is attracting interest from the other three NBA teams with head coaching vacancies, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that the Bucks, Pistons and Raptors all plan to pursue Williams in their coaching searches.
Charania hears that Williams will “take time to himself” after his surprising ouster in Phoenix, but opportunities will be available if he decides he wants to coach next season. Even though Detroit scheduled interviews with its three finalists last week, it appears the team will delay a decision until it finds out if Williams is interested. The Raptors, who fired Nick Nurse on April 21, and the Bucks, who dismissed Mike Budenholzer on May 4, are both in the early stages of their coaching searches.
[RELATED: 2023 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Despite an early report that new Suns owner Mat Ishbia was responsible for firing Williams, sources tell Charania that it was an organizational decision that involved “all segments of team leadership.” Charania adds that Phoenix will look for “a respected program builder” who will demand accountability from players and bring a creative approach to an offense built around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. The Suns may interview six or seven candidates before making a decision, Charania adds.
Charania also confirms a rumor that emerged Saturday night that Phoenix considers current Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to be its “ideal No. 1 target.” However, Lue is still under contract and there hasn’t been any indication that L.A. is considering a coaching change.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM points out that if Lue does want to come to the Suns, he would have to be the one who asks the Clippers for permission to interview (Twitter link) and Phoenix would likely be required to send some form of compensation if Lue is hired.
Charania’s sources identify Nurse as another desirable target for the Suns.
The Bucks are continuing to expand their list of coaching candidates, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweets that the team has received permission to interview Heat assistant Chris Quinn. The Pistons reportedly interviewed Quinn early in their search, and he’s considered to be a candidate for the Raptors’ job as well.
Woj: Lottery Win Wouldn’t Affect Rockets’ Plans For James Harden
The Rockets are expected to pursue a reunion with James Harden even if they win the draft lottery Tuesday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Monday morning on “Get Up” (video link).
The chance to add French big man Victor Wembanyama would be franchise-changing in Houston, but Wojnarowski implied that it won’t be enough to convince the Rockets to continue with their youth movement. After three years of losing — prompted by Harden’s forced trade early in the 2020/21 season — the organization is determined to turn things around quickly.
Houston could have more than $60MM to spend in free agency and may be willing to unload some of its young talent to field a more veteran-oriented squad next season. The hiring of Ime Udoka as head coach after Stephen Silas was dismissed in April is one step in that direction.
Harden’s return could be another part of that plan, and rumors of a potential reunion have been swirling since Wojnarowski first raised the possibility on Christmas Day. The former MVP still has strong ties to the Houston area, where he remains a popular figure, and he might enjoy the idea of being the No. 1 option again after playing a supporting role to Kevin Durant in Brooklyn and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.
Wojnarowski admits that the Harden rumors could be part of a strategy to help him get the contract he wants from the Sixers, but his interest in the Rockets shouldn’t be dismissed.
“Houston may be his way to get him the kind of guaranteed money, long-term money he wants from Philly,” Wojnarowski said. “But I wouldn’t underestimate it as just a leverage play. I think he’s very serious about returning. And Philadelphia now, they have strong relationships in that organization from Daryl Morey, starting with him in their front office. It’s going to be a really interesting couple of months.”
The contract that Harden signed with Philadelphia last summer includes a $35.64MM player option for next season. He has until June 29 to make a decision, but he’s expected to decline the option and seek a long-term deal.
Doc Rivers Plans To Remain Sixers’ Coach
Doc Rivers plans to coach the Sixers again next season, he told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and other media members after the team’s Game 7 flameout in Boston on Sunday.
“I think I have two years left (on my contract),” Rivers said.
Given that such coaching luminaries as Monty Williams and Mike Budenholzer have lost their jobs after early playoff exits, Rivers knows he may not get the chance.
“No one’s safe in our business, I get that,” Rivers said (Twitter video link via NBA Central).
As Bontemps points out, the Sixers have seen their regular season record improve during Rivers’ three seasons. They won 49 games in his first season with Philadelphia, 51 last season and 54 this year while claiming the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed. However, the Sixers have stalled in the conference semifinals for three consecutive seasons.
Most Valuable Player award winner Joel Embiid praised his coach after the loss. That could bode well for Rivers, considering the extent to which franchises cater to their superstars’ whims.
“Coach has been fantastic and he’s done a great job, in my opinion,” Embiid said.
James Harden, who can opt out of his contract, was much more subdued when asked about Rivers. “Our relationship is OK,” Harden said.
Rivers admits that the lopsided defeat on Sunday after the Sixers led 3-2 in the series will be the lasting memory of the season.
“We played great all year,” Rivers said, “and this loss absolutely diminishes that, what we did this year, in some ways.”
Bucks To Interview Mark Jackson For Coaching Job
Current ABC/ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson will interview with the Bucks for a chance to take over as the team’s new head coach, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Jackson, a longtime NBA point guard, served as the Warriors’ head coach from 2011-14. He improved Golden State from its lottery malaise into a solid playoff club.
Jackson owns a 121-109 (.526) regular season head coaching record. He led the Warriors to consecutive playoff appearances in 2012/13 and ’13/14. As a sixth seed after finishing 47-35 in 2013, Golden State upset the third-seeded Nuggets to advance to the second round, where the team fell in six games to the Spurs. The next year, the Warriors were eliminated in a hard-fought, seven-game first round series by the Clippers.
Given that the team struggled to break through in the postseason for two straight runs, Jackson was let go by the Warriors. Steve Kerr replaced him, leading the Warriors to their first of four NBA championships during the 2014/15 season.
As Charania notes, Jackson was one of the finalists for the Kings’ head coaching gig last summer before Mike Brown ultimately secured the role. Brown would go on to be named the 2023 Coach of the Year after he improved Sacramento’s record to 48-34 and help the club return to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
Milwaukee let go five-year head coach Mike Budenholzer earlier this offseason after his top-seeded Bucks were eliminated in five games by the No. 8 Heat. Budenholzer led Milwaukee to the 2021 title just two seasons ago.
Grizzlies Suspend Ja Morant As NBA Investigates Social Media Video
A familiar scene is unfolding in Memphis, as the Grizzlies announced today that they’ve suspended Ja Morant from all team activities while the NBA investigates a social media video involving the star guard.
As Wynston Wilcox of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, Morant appeared to brandish a gun in a new Instagram Live video that went viral on Sunday morning (video link).
The incident comes less than two-and-a-half months after Morant flashed a gun at a Denver-area strip club while streaming on Instagram Live. That video, which immediately prompted an investigation from the NBA, eventually led to an eight-game suspension.
League spokesperson Mike Bass issued a statement today nearly identical the one he put out on March 4 when Morant’s video from Colorado surfaced: “We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information.”
Morant’s live stream in March was part of a series of troubling off-court incidents allegedly involving the 23-year-old, who punched a 17-year-old during a pickup game last summer, was accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game.
Morant didn’t face any criminal charges for the March incident and almost certainly won’t face any for this video either, but the NBA has significant latitude to fine or suspend its players for conduct it deems detrimental to the league.
During Morant’s hiatus from the Grizzlies in March, he attended a counseling program in Florida and met with commissioner Adam Silver. When Silver eventually announced an eight-game suspension for the Memphis guard, he referred to Morant’s behavior as “irresponsible, reckless, and potentially very dangerous,” but said that Ja “expressed sincere contrition and remorse” and made it clear that he had learned from the incident.
It seems likely that Morant will face a harsher penalty from the league this time around, not only for repeating the behavior that earned him his previous suspension, but for making the league office look foolish for any lenience it may have shown last time.
On the court, Morant was his usual productive self for the Grizzlies in 2022/23, averaging 26.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game in 61 regular season contests (31.9 MPG).
Morant’s five-year, maximum-salary extension with Memphis, projected to be worth about $194MM, will go into effect beginning in ’23/24. That contract would have been worth a projected $233MM if the two-time All-Star had made an All-NBA team, but he missed out, finishing seventh in voting among guards. His All-NBA case was hurt by the time he missed due to that eight-game suspension.
The Grizzlies won 51 games and finished second in the Western Conference, but saw their season come to an abrupt, disappointing end with a first-round loss to the No. 7 Lakers. Following Memphis’ elimination, Morant spoke about a need to “be better with my decision-making” and to avoid “off-the-court issues.”