Victor Wembanyama Won’t Play In World Cup
Victor Wembanyama has changed his mind about representing France in the FIBA World Cup this summer, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft made the announcement in an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe, saying he plans to focus on getting ready for his rookie season with the Spurs.
“It would not be realistic in terms of development and not prudent in terms of health,” Wembanyama said. “I hope people will understand. It’s frustrating for me, too. The France team is still central for me. I want to win as many titles as possible with the team. But I think it’s a necessary sacrifice.”
Wembanyama indicated that the World Cup would have been too much to add to his schedule after leading his Metropolitans 92 team to the French League finals, a series that didn’t end until June 15. He traveled to New York for last week’s draft, then boarded a plane to San Antonio, where he was introduced at a press conference Saturday afternoon.
Wembanyama intends to play for France in the 2024 Olympics, which means a full summer of basketball after his rookie season concludes. After 62 games with Metropolitans and possibly 82 in the NBA – or more if the Spurs reach the postseason – the 7’4″ power forward determined that he might be subjecting himself to approximately 170 games within 24 months if he participates in the World Cup as well.
Wembanyama still plans to be active for at least some of San Antonio’s Summer League games. The Spurs will take part in the California Classic beginning next Monday before moving on to the Las Vegas league. He said the team would have supported his decision whether he played in the World Cup or not, adding that he chose to sit out after talking to his personal medical staff.
France won the silver medal in the most recent Olympics and was considered among the favorites in the World Cup. The tournament will take place from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
Community Shootaround: Porzingis To Celtics
For many teams, the biggest offseason move has yet to be made. Free agency is approaching and some big-name players could still be dealt.
In the Celtics’ case, the major acquisition this offseason has seemingly already taken place. The three-team deal for Kristaps Porzingis was a bold and risky move by a storied franchise seeking its first championship since 2008.
Porzingis changes the dynamic of the Celtics’ frontcourt. The oft-injured 7’3’’ big man played 65 games for the Wizards – his most since the 2016/17 season – and regained his All-Star form. He averaged a career-high 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks. He also drained 38.5% of his 3-point attempts.
Porzingis could play either power forward or center, depending upon how Joe Mazzulla wants to match up with the opposition. He might play alongside Robert Williams or Al Horford, assuming another trade isn’t made, with Jayson Tatum at small forward and Jaylen Brown at shooting guard in bigger lineups.
Alternatively, he could man the middle with Tatum and Brown playing the forward spots.
Of course, there was a price to pay for Porzingis. He opted into his $36MM contract and the Celtics are reportedly looking to sign him to extension.
That would give them three giants salary commitments with Porzingis, Tatum and Brown eating up significant cap space.
It’s unlikely Porzingis will match his offensive numbers from last season with Tatum and Brown in the lineup. However, he’ll give the Celtics a much more potent option compared to the aging Horford and defensive-minded Williams. He’ll also give the Celtics a lot more size defensively to combat Eastern Conference rivals Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giving up Marcus Smart was a calculated risk just one season removed from being the Defensive Player of the Year. Smart’s toughness and leadership will be missed and the perimeter defense could suffer without him.
Derrick White figures to take a bigger role and they’ll have to hope Malcolm Brogdon’s elbow injury won’t require surgery. Payton Pritchard should also get the playing time he craves.
That brings us to our topic of the day: What do you think of the Celtics’ acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis? Will it make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference or will they regret trading Marcus Smart for the oft-injured big man?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
And-Ones: Mannion, Qualifying Offers, 2024 Draft, D-Lo, Hayward
Former Warriors guard Nico Mannion is signing with Baskonia in Spain, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets, calling it a done deal. Mannion played the last two seasons in his home country of Italy with Virtus Segafredo Bologna. He played 30 games with Golden State during the 2020/21 season after being drafted in the second round.
Because the Warriors issued a two-way qualifying offer to Mannion in 2021 and again in 2022, they still control his RFA rights in the event that he decides to return to the NBA. That would change if they decide not to extend that QO this year or in a future season.
We have more news from around the basketball world:
- Good news for restricted free agents in future seasons — there’s a 10% increase in qualifying offers that teams must make to those players or else they become unrestricted. However, according to Mike Vornukov of The Athletic (Twitter link), it doesn’t apply to restricted free agents this summer — instead, the stipulation in the new CBA begins with this year’s rookie class. In another tweak, offer sheets for future restricted free agents will have a new deadline. If a team that has to make a decision on whether to match an offer sheet receives it before noon ET, that team has until 11:59 p.m. ET the next day to match. If it’s received after 12 p.m. ET, that team has until 11:59 pm ET two days later.
- Now that the 2023 draft is behind us, what might the 2024 draft look like? ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo provide an early glimpse of next year’s draft class, doing a mock draft that includes both rounds. They predict G League Ignite guards Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis will be the first players off the board.
- With the Lakers drafting Jalen Hood-Schifino, it may decrease the possibility they will try to re-sign free agent D’Angelo Russell, Cydney Henderson of USA Today writes. Gordon Hayward‘s future with the Hornets is very much in doubt with the addition of forward and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller, Henderson also notes.
Stein’s Latest: Green, Kings, Grizzlies, Brooks, Harden
While there’s speculation the Kings might make a run at Draymond Green in free agency, it would be shocking if Green didn’t re-sign with the Warriors, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst floated the idea that Sacramento could pursue Green with the additional cap space it opened up by shedding Richaun Holmes‘ contract on draft night. Sacramento could have $33MM or more in cap room to play with and Sacramento’s coach Mike Brown was Steve Kerr‘s top assistant with the Warriors. Owner Vivek Ranadivé has always had a deep admiration for the Warriors and acquiring Green would be a proverbial feather in his cap.
However, Green remains intent on retiring as a Warrior, despite declining his $27.6MM option, with a three-year deal considered the most likely outcome, according to Stein.
Stein provides some additional tidbits:
- Despite limited resources, the Grizzlies were planning to make a run at Green until they traded for Marcus Smart in a draft-night blockbuster. Memphis could only dangle its $12.4MM mid-level exception — which seems like a non-starter, given the money Green is leaving on the table — yet the team had serious interest in him until acquiring another defensive stalwart, says Stein.
- The addition of Smart makes it more obvious the Grizzlies won’t bring back Dillon Brooks, Stein writes. Despite some poor playoff performances that included an ejection during the Grizzlies-Lakers series, Brooks is still expected to seek a contract with a starting salary above the non-taxpayer mid-level.
- It’s increasingly likely that James Harden will remain with the Sixers rather than bolt in free agency and return to Houston. Harden apparently had a positive introductory meeting with new coach Nick Nurse and was intrigued by Nurse’s vision for making the Sixers a championship team, per Stein.
Northwest Notes: Reid, Timberwolves, Johnson, Jazz Rookies
Naz Reid will have a player option in the final year of the three-year extension he agreed to sign with the Timberwolves, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. The cap hits on his new deal will be $12.95MM next season, $13.98MM for the 2024/25 season and $15.02MM in 2025/26, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- While many Timberwolves fans may be frustrated by the way this past season unfolded and some of the moves the team made, Joe Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune lists 10 reasons why the franchise is better off than it was a year ago. The addition of Mike Conley and subtraction of D’Angelo Russell are two of the positive developments that made Souhan’s list.
- The Thunder were comfortable drafting Keyontae Johnson with the No. 50 pick in the second round on Thursday despite a prior sexual assault allegation, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman reports. A woman accused Johnson of sexual assault at an off-campus party in 2022 when he played for Florida. Four months later, charges against Johnson were dismissed. “We reviewed the dismissal of the charges from 2022 as part of our normal due diligence process applied to all prospects,” a Thunder spokesperson said.
- The Jazz’s first-round selections — Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh — were also connected in some way prior to the draft, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News notes. Florida natives Hendricks and Sensabaugh played AAU ball together. As seniors in high school, they faced each other in the state semifinals with Hendricks’ school winning by two points. Sensabaugh and George have been working out together for the past month and chose to be represented by the same agency, Wasserman.
Blazers Notes: Scoot, Fit, Contention, Lillard
New Trail Blazers rookie point guard Scoot Henderson, selected with the third pick out of the G League Ignite on Thursday, raved about his fit in Portland and aspires to play alongside incumbent Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
“I feel like Portland was the best situation for me,” Henderson said. “[Former Ignite teammate] Pooh Jeter is there right now with the G League and stuff like that, and then me texting Dame two years ago. It all came full circle.”
“I think it would be great just to learn from him, just to sit back and really observe a great player,” Henderson said of Lillard. “Especially just being that close to him and going there. Especially just the guard he was coming into the league and how he was fearless. Fearless of anybody. And how he kind of came in and impacted the game at a high level. Yeah, just to learn from that, it would be great.”
There’s more out of Portland:
- Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin defended the club’s decision to draft Henderson in lieu of trading the selection for more experienced help, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic. “I would say we made the biggest move possible by drafting Scoot Henderson,” Cronin said. “He’s going to be better than any player that would maybe be perceived as that big move. And then you start to factor in other things that matter in this league — the salary cap, (Henderson) on a rookie scale — that allows us to build a lot more depth than we would have been able to otherwise.”
- No trade exists to transform Portland into a true title contender this season, Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN suggested during a TV appearance (Twitter video link). If he truly wants to win a title with the team that drafted him, Lillard will need to wait a bit longer, in Wojnarowski’s view. “There’s no magic trade out there for them [to carve out a championship path in 2023/24],” Woj said. “I think Portland did what was right by their organization, and their front office trading out of No. 3 for whatever the best available veteran would’ve been [instead of drafting Henderson], it would’ve been malpractice.”
- After Lillard was seen on his Instagram Live blasting Will Smith’s “Miami” on Friday, his agent Aaron Goodwin told Sam Amick of The Athletic that the song was in no way Lillard’s choice, and wasn’t an indication that he wants the Trail Blazers to move him to the Heat this summer. The seven-time All-Star was enjoying his offseason in a Parisian club when a local DJ decided to poke fun at his situation by playing the song, Goodwin explained. “The music was just a coincidence,” Goodwin told Amick. “Damian’s not disrespectful… That’s why he laughed (in the video). It’s a funny coincidence that a DJ would put that on.”
Wizards Notes: Coulibaly, First Impression, Fans, Future
In trading for the draft rights of raw Metropolitans 92 small forward Bilal Coulibaly with the No. 7 pick, the Wizards were gambling on his ceiling, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The 6’8″ swingman has tantalizing length and athleticism, but will probably require significant NBA run to fully marinate at the next level.
“It could take some time, but from where he went in a short amount of time to where we think he can go, that’s the exciting part,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “And we’ll embrace that. We’ll put resources around him, try to help him maximize himself. At the end of the day, he has the physical tools, but he’s also a very skilled player. So once that comes together, I think you’ll have the player we’re looking for and the reason why we drafted him so high.”
There’s more out of Washington:
- During an introductory news conference held by Wizards team officials, Coulibaly seemed impressively relaxed and confident, writes Robbins in a separate story. During a subsequent chat with Robbins, Coulibaly expounded on what he intends to accomplish in his NBA career. “I want to be a good two-way player,” Coulibaly said. “But, yeah, I want to be a franchise player by the next four years. I want to stay in D.C., give it all for the fans, for the city.”
- With the Wizards now seemingly fully pivoting to a youth movement after trading their two starriest veterans (Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis), fans will have to embrace the long view rather than expecting big things in the short-term future, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic.
- Under its previous management group, the Wizards had been reticent to fully rebuild. In doing so now, the team should at least able to truly move on from a half decade of fringe mediocrity, opines Kevin B. Blackistone of The Washington Post. The Wizards have made the playoffs in just one of the past five seasons, but haven’t truly bottomed out and landed a top-five pick during that time.
Vasilije Micic Reportedly Seeking Move To NBA
EuroLeague star Vasilije Micic appears to be getting serious about finally making the move stateside.
Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr (Google Translate of Greek report) reports that Micic is “determined” to play in the NBA next season, while Anadolu Efes general manager Alper Yilmaz said that Micic – the star of the Turkish team – “really wants to go to the NBA” (story via Eurohoops).
Micic, 29, was selected by Philadelphia with the 52nd overall pick in the 2014 draft. The Sixers traded his draft rights in 2020 to the Thunder, who have held them for the last three years.
The 6’5″ guard has been playing in Europe since 2010 and has been a member of Anadolu Efes since 2018. He won a pair of EuroLeague championships with the club in 2021 and 2022 and was named the EuroLeague’s Most Valuable Player in 2021. He and Anadolu Efes have also claimed Turkish League titles in 2019, 2021, and 2023, with Micic earning Finals MVP honors this year.
Although Micic has reportedly mulled the idea of making the move to the NBA in the past, he seems more serious this time around, having recently traveled to Oklahoma City to meet with the Thunder.
According to Tsaltas, Micic also seems to have softened on some of his past demands — a year ago, a report suggested he was seeking a salary in the neighborhood of the full mid-level exception and wanted to join a legitimate contender and play a regular rotation role. Tsaltas suggests the Serbian is more flexible on all three of those points now, though he still isn’t expected to settle for a two-way deal or minimum-salary contract.
It remains to be seen whether there will be a spot for Micic on a Thunder roster that is already loaded with young, up-and-coming players and will be adding another lottery pick (Cason Wallace) to that group this summer.
Asked about Micic’s visit to OKC, head of basketball operations Sam Presti said it was good to touch base with the 29-year-old, but was noncommittal about the club’s plans for him (Twitter video link via Clemente Almanza of The Thunder Wire).
The Thunder could trade Micic’s rights in order to get him to an NBA team willing to sign him this offseason, but would presumably be looking to extract an asset or two in any deal.
Suns Want To See Ayton Play Alongside Star Trio
The Suns are moving forward with their plan to hang onto center Deandre Ayton, league sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
According to Haynes, Phoenix believes Ayton’s value – to the franchise, if not on the trade market – is at an “all-time high” following the additions of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal this year. The Suns want to see the former No. 1 overall pick play alongside those stars, and Devin Booker, Haynes adds.
The rumor mill has been all over the place on Ayton so far this offseason. His name popped up in trade rumblings after the team agreed to acquire Beal, but a subsequent report said the Suns found a “lean” market when they gauged the big man’s value.
After plugged-in local reporter John Gambadoro said on Friday that he didn’t expect Phoenix to move Ayton, the 24-year-old was mentioned in another trade rumor on Saturday, but Gambadoro emphatically shot down that report and reiterated that Ayton is likely to remain with the Suns. Haynes’ new report echoes what Gambadoro has been saying.
Assuming they do hang onto Ayton, the Suns will be extremely limited as they attempt to fill out their roster around their stars. Cameron Payne, whose $6.5MM salary is currently partially guaranteed, may end up being the only player on the roster who isn’t earning the maximum or the minimum.
Among the Suns’ players with guaranteed salaries for 2023/24, Durant, Beal, Booker, and Ayton are on max deals, while Jordan Goodwin and Isaiah Todd have minimum-salary contracts. The club won’t have access to the mid-level or bi-annual exception this summer, but does have a $5MM trade exception and will have some form of Bird rights on its own free agents, including Darius Bazley (Bird), Jock Landale (Early Bird), Torrey Craig (Early Bird), and Josh Okogie (Non-Bird).
Pacific Notes: Suns, Ayton, Camara, Lakers, Warriors
Responding to a Saturday report that suggested the Suns are interested in using Deandre Ayton as a trade chip to acquire Tobias Harris from the Sixers, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 calls the rumor “just total BS,” tweeting that Phoenix has “no interest” in such a deal.
Gambadoro, who reported earlier in the week that Ayton appears unlikely to be traded, reiterated that point in his tweet on Sunday. While that doesn’t mean that the former No. 1 overall pick is a lock to begin next season in Phoenix, Gambadoro is pretty plugged in on Suns issues, so it sounds – for now at least – like Ayton is a good bet to stay put.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- The Suns didn’t have a first-round pick on Thursday night, but they were able to add a young player using a second-rounder, the last one they’ll own until 2031. Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com takes a look at what the team should expect from No. 52 pick Toumani Camara.
- The Lakers‘ No. 17 pick was mentioned in a series of trade rumors leading up to the draft, but the team hung onto it and nabbed Jalen Hood-Schifino, whom Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka referred to as a “lottery-level talent,” adding he “fits well with the young core that we’re building here.” As Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes, by drafting Hood-Schifino – and Maxwell Lewis at No. 40 – rather than trading for a veteran, the team was prioritizing its future over its present, at least on draft night.
- Although the Warriors‘ leaders can’t formally address the Chris Paul acquisition until it becomes official, head coach Steve Kerr told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic that the team “sensed we needed a shift” entering the offseason. “Didn’t mean we needed an overhaul, but we needed a shift of some sort. I think everybody in the organization sensed that,” Kerr explained. “And it feels like we’ve made a pretty significant shift without giving up our identity and our sense of who we are as a team. I think, all in all, it’s a very positive shift.”
- In case you missed, we rounded up a few Clippers-related items earlier this morning.