Nuggets Notes: Murray, Irving, Smith, Williams, Braun, Watson, Anunoby
The Nuggets’ path to the championship was a testament to perseverance and patience. They didn’t panic when they fell short in previous postseasons, nor did they feel the need to replace coach Michael Malone. They were rewarded this season but there was some measure of luck involved. ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link) offers some sourced nuggets on the Nuggets, sharing details about the steps along the way to the first title in franchise history. Here are some of the highlights from Lowe’s story:
- The Nuggets never seriously considered trading Jamal Murray as he rehabbed from his ACL injury but former executive Tim Connelly approached Malone five or six years ago to say that Murray could be moved for a high-profile veteran player or two. Kyrie Irving, who requested a trade from the Cavaliers during the 2017 offseason, was one of the players Denver considered acquiring in a Murray deal, but the team ultimately decided against pursuing Irving.
- The Nuggets had an opportunity to move journeyman point guard Ish Smith prior to this season’s trade deadline, but coaches and players lobbied the front office to keep him. Smith didn’t play much but he proved to be a powerful influence behind the scenes, including mimicking the Heat’s playbook as part of Denver’s scout team at Finals practices.
- General manager Calvin Booth considered trading up to the No. 10 spot — held by the Wizards — in last year’s draft with the idea of selecting Jalen Williams. The Nuggets also considered moving up later in the lottery to nab Christian Braun, even though he was projected as a late first-rounder. They got him anyway at No. 21. They were also concerned that the Warriors would take Peyton Watson with the No. 28 pick. Golden State passed on Watson and Denver grabbed him at No. 30.
- In one of the few mistakes they made, the Nuggets traded down from No. 13 to No. 24 in the 2017 draft — the 13th pick turned out to be Donovan Mitchell. Denver had considered taking OG Anunoby at that spot but felt he was a reach at that point in the draft. Anunoby came off the board at No. 23 and the Nuggets wound up with long-forgotten Tyler Lydon with the next pick.
Raptors Notes: Rajakovic, VanVleet, Draft Pick, Green
Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri felt the organization needed a change, and surprise coaching choice Darko Rajakovic is just what he was looking for, according to Ian Harrison of The Associated Press.
“I know it’s change and sometimes change is hard, but we believe change is good, and change is good for our ball club and our organization now,” Ujiri said during the coach’s introductory press conference.
GM Bobby Webster said Rajakovic wasn’t the favorite going into the process but won over everyone in the organization, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets.
“We were really open minded with the approach to who we wanted to look at and every step of the way he really exceeded expectations and impressed us,” Webster said.
We have more on the Raptors:
- Now that Fred VanVleet has declined his player option, where might he wind up? Cap space teams like the the Rockets, Magic and Lakers could be viable options for the combo guard, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. The number of other suitors could pursue a sign-and-trade for VanVleet, including the Bulls, though that could be contingent on whether the Raptors value former lottery pick Patrick Williams.
- The Raptors hold the No. 13 pick in the draft and Doug Smith of the Toronto Star takes a closer look at which players they might consider at that spot. With Gary Trent Jr. expected to become a free agent, a wing like Cason Wallace, Kobe Bufkin, Keyonte George, Gradey Dick and Bilal Coulibaly could serve as his replacement.
- Former Raptors guard Danny Green saw head coaching potential from Rajakovic while rehabbing with the Grizzlies from a knee injury, Lewenberg writes. “He operated like a head coach. He’s very good at breaking things down and talking to the group in that manner,” Green said. “Certain people you can look at and say ‘I could never see them as a head coach’, or ‘He doesn’t seem sure of himself’, or not yet anyway. But I could see him being in that role.”
- The hiring of Rajakovic points to the Raptors building around a younger roster with Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and Jakob Poeltl at the core, Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur opines.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Paul, Pritchard, Harris, Sixers’ Draft
Acquiring Chris Paul doesn’t make sense for the Knicks, Steve Popper of Newsday argues. Paul, who has a partially guaranteed contract, is expected to be traded or waived within the next couple weeks.
While the Knicks are in the market for another star player, a backcourt of Paul and Jalen Brunson would be undersized and create other issues, Popper writes. Ideally, Paul could be a sixth man, but the much younger Immanuel Quickley holds that distinction and just finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Payton Pritchard will be a restricted free agent next summer and rival teams are keeping tabs on the Celtics point guard, who is seeking more playing time, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, who spoke to multiple executives about Pritchard’s value. The 25-year-old’s $4MM salary for next season could be included as part of a bigger trade. He was disappointed when he wasn’t dealt prior to the February trade deadline.
- Beyond James Harden‘s free agency, the second most pressing question for the Sixers is what to do with Tobias Harris, Rich Hofmann wrote for The Athletic. Harris’ $39.3MM expiring contract could provide cap relief next summer and help Philadelphia avoid the punitive penalties for tax teams in the new CBA. However, it could also be used in a trade to acquire a young talent with a multi-year contract or several players to fortify their depth.
- The Sixers don’t have a draft pick next week and Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com points out just how unusual that is. The franchise has made at least one selection every year for 73 straight years. The Jazz currently own the Sixers’ first-round pick and Philadelphia had to forfeit its second-rounder due to tampering charges last summer, stemming from the additions of P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.
Official Early Entrants List For 2023 NBA Draft
The NBA has officially announced that 44 additional early entrant prospects withdrew from the draft before Monday’s deadline, leaving a total of 92 eligible to be selected in this year’s draft.
Of those draft-eligible early entrants, 84 are players from colleges (40 seniors and 44 underclassmen), while the remaining eight are international prospects.
This year’s 92 early entrants falls well short of the record set in 2021 (217), as well as the 2022 total (149). Of course, there are still more early entrants than there are slots available in next Thursday’s draft. With two teams’ second-round picks forfeited due to past free agency violations, there will be just 58 players drafted on June 22.
[RELATED: Full 2023 NBA Draft Order]
A total of 242 prospects initially declared as early entrants, with more than 100 of those players removing their names from consideration prior to the NCAA’s May 31 withdrawal deadline to retain their college eligibility.
Here’s the complete list of early entrant prospects eligible for the 2023 NBA draft:
College seniors:
- Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, F, Memphis
- Damezi Anderson, F, Detroit
- Chase Audige, G, Northwestern
- Grant Basile, F, Virginia Tech
- Manny Bates, F, Butler
- Damion Baugh, G, TCU
- Kobe Brown, F, Missouri
- Toumani Camara, F, Dayton
- Tyger Campbell, G, UCLA
- Yuri Collins, G, Saint Louis
- Alou Dillon, F, Purdue-Northwest
- Tosan Evbuomwan, F, Princeton
- Adam Flagler, G, Baylor
- Armaan Franklin, G, Virginia
- Myron Gardner, G/F, Little Rock
- De’Vion Harmon, G, Texas Tech
- Joey Hauser, F, Michigan State
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, F, Indiana
- Jaime Jaquez, G, UCLA
- Keyontae Johnson, F, Kansas State
- Jackson Kenyon, F, Miami (OH)
- Seth Lundy, F, Penn State
- Demetrius Mims, G, Gannon (PA)
- Omari Moore, F, San Jose State
- Landers Nolley, G/F, Cincinnati
- Jack Nunge, F/C, Xavier
- Nick Ongenda, C, DePaul
- Uros Plavsic, C, Tennessee
- Terry Roberts, G, Georgia
- Marcus Sasser, G, Houston
- Ben Sheppard, G, Belmont
- Grant Sherfield, G, Oklahoma
- Dontrell Shuler, G, Cal State San Bernardino
- Malachi Smith, G, Gonzaga
- Justice Sueing, F, Ohio State
- Drew Timme, F/C, Gonzaga
- Jacob Toppin, F, Kentucky
- Oscar Tshiebwe, F/C, Kentucky
- Tyler Willoughby, G, Voorhees (SC)
- Isaiah Wong, G, Miami
College underclassmen:
- Marcus Bagley, F, Arizona State (sophomore)
- Amari Bailey, G, UCLA (freshman)
- Emoni Bates, G/F, Eastern Michigan (sophomore)
- Charles Bediako, C, Alabama (sophomore)
- Anthony Black, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Kobe Bufkin, G, Michigan (sophomore)
- Jaylen Clark, G, UCLA (junior)
- Noah Clowney, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Ricky Council IV, G, Arkansas (junior)
- Gradey Dick, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Alex Fudge, F, Florida (sophomore)
- Keyonte George, G, Baylor (freshman)
- Wendell Green, G, Auburn (junior)
- Mouhamed Gueye, F/C, Washington State (sophomore)
- Jordan Hawkins, G, Connecticut (sophomore)
- Taylor Hendricks, F, UCF (freshman)
- Jalen Hood-Schifino, G, Indiana (freshman)
- Jett Howard, G, Michigan (freshman)
- Andre Jackson, G, UConn (junior)
- G.G. Jackson, F, South Carolina (freshman)
- Colby Jones, G, Xavier (junior)
- Maxwell Lewis, F, Pepperdine (sophomore)
- Dereck Lively II, C, Duke (freshman)
- Chris Livingston, F, Kentucky (freshman)
- Mike Miles, G, TCU (junior)
- Brandon Miller, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Kris Murray, F, Iowa (junior)
- Julian Phillips, F, Tennessee (freshman)
- Brandin Podziemski, G, Santa Clara (sophomore)
- Justin Powell, G, Washington State (junior)
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper, F, Marquette (junior)
- Adama Sanogo, F/C, UConn (junior)
- Brice Sensabaugh, F, Ohio State (freshman)
- Nick Smith Jr., G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Terquavion Smith, G, NC State (sophomore)
- Julian Strawther, G/F, Gonzaga (junior)
- Azuolas Tubelis, F, Arizona (junior)
- Jarace Walker, F, Houston (freshman)
- Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky (freshman)
- Jordan Walsh, F, Arkansas (freshman)
- Dariq Whitehead, G/F, Duke (freshman)
- Cam Whitmore, F, Villanova (freshman)
- Jalen Wilson, F, Kansas (junior)
- Tyrese Wineglass, G, Southwestern Adventist (TX) (junior)
International players:
Note: The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.
- Bilal Coulibaly, F, France (born 2004)
- Nadir Hifi, G/F, France (born 2002)
- James Nnaji, C, Spain (born 2004)
- Rayan Rupert, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
- Marcio Santos, F/C, Brazil (born 2002)
- Enzo Shahrvin, F, France (born 2003)
- Tristan Vukcevic, F/C, Serbia (born 2003)
- Victor Wembanyama, C, France (born 2004)
There are also a handful of prospects whom the NBA doesn’t technically consider early entrants, but who became automatically eligible for the draft before what would have been their senior season at college. Here are a few of the most notable players in that group:
- Scoot Henderson, G, G League Ignite (born 2004)
- Leonard Miller, F, G League Ignite (born 2003)
- Amen Thompson, G, Overtime Elite (born 2003)
- Ausar Thompson, G/F, Overtime Elite (born 2003)
For the full list of the players who declared for the draft and then withdrew, click here.
Draft Notes: Rockets, Thompsons, Black, Green Room Invites, Osunniyi, Burton
The Rockets hold the No. 4 pick and they were visited this week by three candidates who could potentially be selected at that spot. The Overtime Elite brother duo of Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson and Arkansas’ Anthony Black met with Houston’s brass. Amen and Ausar are currently ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, on ESPN’s Best Available list with Black slotted at No. 8. The Thompsons reportedly met recently with the Pistons, who hold the No. 5 pick. They’ve also visited the Hornets (No. 2) and Trail Blazers (No. 3). There has been much less intel on Black’s pre-draft visits.
We have more draft-related info:
- Green Room invites have been sent out and the first batch includes Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson, the Thompson twins, Cam Whitmore, Jarace Walker, Black, Taylor Hendricks and Gradey Dick. The second group to receive invites include Bilal Coulibaly, Cason Wallace, Nick Smith, Dereck Lively, Kobe Bufkin, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jett Howard, Jordan Hawkins and Keyonte George, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links).
- Iowa State big man Osun Osunniyi will work out for the Hawks on Wednesday, according to Adam Zagoria (Twitter link). He has also visited the Bulls, Spurs and Celtics, among others. He averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds last season.
- The Hawks are also working out Pittsburgh guard Jamarius Burton on Wednesday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. The All-ACC First Team selection will soon visit the Celtics.
Pacific Notes: Ayton, VanVleet, Paul, Lakers’ Workouts
Deandre Ayton is believed to be a prime trade candidate but new Suns coach Frank Vogel feels he can get more out of the enigmatic center, he told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
“I have history with having great success with the elite rim protectors and with bigs in general. And I feel like I can take a lot of those lessons and use them to help restore Deandre to a place of prominence in this organization and in this league,” Vogel said. “He obviously has an immense amount of talent, and the talent fits the way I have played throughout my career. So I think he can be in an elite, dominant, defensive center in my system.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Fred VanVleet‘s decision to decline his player option could influence how the Suns handle the Chris Paul situation, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. The Suns could have a dynamic backcourt for years to come if they could land VanVleet in a sign-and-trade with the Raptors, but they first have to figure whether they’ll waive, retain, or trade Paul, who has a partially guaranteed contract.
- Speaking of Paul, Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com explores 10 hypothetical trades the Suns could make involving their aging future Hall of Famer. Bourguet ultimately concludes it’s more likely that teams would rather wait to see if Paul is waived and then bid for his services.
- Big man Adama Sanogo of national champion UConn was among the draft prospects who worked out for the Lakers on Tuesday, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Taevion Kinsey (Marshall), Taylor Funk (Utah St), Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton) and Nathan Mensah (San Diego State) were among the other visitors.
Rockets Rumors: Harden, FA Targets, Thompson, Martin, Splitter
Although there have been several reports in recent weeks and months linking free agent guard James Harden to Houston, there have also been rumblings that the Rockets aren’t interested in giving the former MVP a maximum-salary contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said on the HoopsHype podcast.
Scotto’s guest on the podcast, Kelly Iko of The Athletic, agrees with that statement, noting that Houston would like to add three or four veterans this offseason and doesn’t want to be using $45MM of its $60MM in cap room on a single player.
According to Iko, people within the Rockets’ organization – including players – and people close to Harden are fairly split on whether or not the 10-time All-Star will return to Houston, with some confident about the odds of a reunion and others skeptical. Skepticism is the dominant view among rival executives who have spoken to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com — many of those execs expressed confusion about the fit, though some did suggest that a short-term deal might make some sense.
If the Rockets don’t land Harden and look elsewhere on the free agent market for a point guard, Iko views Fred VanVleet as a more likely target than Kyrie Irving. Both Iko and Scotto have also heard that Austin Reaves is a player Houston likes, though Reaves will be a restricted free agent and the Lakers are considered likely to match any offer sheets he signs.
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- Iko views Brook Lopez as a bit of a “pipe dream” for Houston, since the veteran center seems likely to remain with the Bucks. Iko names Clint Capela, Kristaps Porzingis, Myles Turner, Josh Hart, Dillon Brooks, as Kelly Oubre as possible targets for the Rockets in free agency or via trades, though he again acknowledges that some of those options are more viable than others. Hart, for instance, is considered a strong bet to remain with the Knicks, as Scotto points out.
- New head coach Ime Udoka will have “a huge say in who he coaches,” according to Iko, which could be an important factor as the Rockets consider which players to pursue most aggressively this offseason.
- Iko believes Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson will be the top prospect on Houston’s board if there are no surprises in the top three picks in the draft. Iko has heard the Rockets believe the gap between Thompson and Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson isn’t as big as the consensus suggests.
- Coming off a strong season, Kenyon Martin Jr. would “prefer to get paid now,” either as a restricted free agent or on an extension, says Iko. However, it remains to be seen whether Martin is in the Rockets’ long-term plans or if he might end up back on the trade block in the coming weeks. It’s possible Houston could postpone its decision on Martin, simply exercising his minimum-salary team option and determining during the season whether to try to extend or trade him.
- According to Iko, Tiago Splitter, who worked with Udoka in Brooklyn and played with him in San Antonio, may be a candidate to join the Rockets’ coaching staff — especially if the team’s pursuit of Aaron Miles doesn’t pan out.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 6/13/2023
The transcript of our weekly Tuesday chat can be accessed here.
Please join Luke Adams for our next live chat on Thursday.
Heat Notes: Herro, Butler, Vincent, Strus, Yurtseven, Haslem
Heat guard Tyler Herro declined to speak to reporters after Monday’s loss, but his body language suggested that he was disappointed not to get into Game 5 after receiving medical clearance following a two-month recovery process for a broken hand, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra explained after the loss that the physicality and intensity of the game made him hesitant to call on a player who hadn’t suited up since mid-April. However, he also didn’t sound certain that he made the right decision by not using one of Miami’s best scorers in a game in which the team finished with just 89 points.
“It’s just a really tough call and I’ll probably have to wrestle with that all summer,” Spoelstra said, adding that the intensity in the Finals was “totally different” from the first round of the playoffs, let alone the regular season. “… That’s the hardest-played, most physical competition you can have. And that would be a tough thing for a guy that’s been out for two months that hasn’t had any kind of ramp-up. But that won’t save me from thinking about that for the next few weeks.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Jimmy Butler, who sprained his ankle earlier in the postseason, wasn’t willing to use that injury as an excuse after Monday’s loss, telling reporters that his ankle was “fine” and had “zero” to do with his 5-of-18 shooting night, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Butler also didn’t necessarily agree with the idea that the Heat need to make offseason moves to improve their offense. “No. We just missed shots,” he said. “That’s what this league is about. We make two, three more shots. … We did enough to win.”
- In his preview of the Heat’s offseason, Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (Insider link) says that re-signing Gabe Vincent should be a top priority for the front office, which will have to decide whether bringing back Max Strus is a necessity or a luxury.
- One under-the-radar decision the Heat will have to make before the end of June is whether or not to extend a $2.3MM qualifying offer to center Omer Yurtseven, Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel. That QO would make Yurtseven a restricted free agent. He has shown some promise but was limited to just nine games this season due to ankle surgery, so it’s hardly a lock.
- While winning a championship would’ve been a storybook ending for his 20-year NBA career, Udonis Haslem isn’t unhappy about how his final season ended, according to Winderman. “I tell the guys, I have no complaints, I have no regrets. I’m thankful,” Haslem said. “They gave me a final season that I will never, ever forget. That’s all I can ask for.”
- Assistant general manager Adam Simon and the rest of the Heat’s draft staff had been trying to “stay out of the team’s way” while bringing in prospects to the Kaseya Center for workouts since last week, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. With the Heat’s season now over, the draft preparation can take center stage — the club owns the No. 18 pick in next Thursday’s event.
Ekpe Udoh Retiring As Player, Joining Hawks’ Coaching Staff
Former NBA big man Ekpe Udoh is transitioning into the next phase of his career, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Udoh is joining the Hawks as a member of Quin Snyder‘s coaching staff.
Udoh hasn’t been on an NBA roster since 2019, but he continued to play internationally in recent years, suiting up for teams in China, Italy, and Japan. As Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets, the 36-year-old played for the Japanese club Kyoto Hannaryz earlier this year, but has opted to retire as a player and will pivot to coaching.
The sixth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Udoh began his career in Golden State and made stops in Milwaukee, Los Angeles (with the Clippers), and Utah from 2010-19. The 6’10” center also played in Israel and Turkey during that period, winning a EuroLeague title in 2017 with Fenerbahce. He made the All-EuroLeague First Team that year after leading the league in rebounds and blocked shots.
In 384 career NBA regular season games, Udoh averaged a modest 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 14.8 minutes per night. He also made 16 appearances in the postseason, but never played a major role, averaging just 5.8 MPG in those contests. Of his 400 total NBA games, 122 came for the Jazz under Snyder, who was the team’s head coach at the time.
The Hawks are also adding Bryan George to their coaching staff as a video coordinator with a focus on player development, tweets Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. George had been an assistant coach for ASVEL in France.