Knicks Notes: Offseason Plans, Randle, Hart, Exit Interviews
Finding some shooters should be the Knicks‘ top offseason priority, writes Steve Popper of Newsday, who notes that the lack of reliable shot-makers contributed heavily to Friday’s Game 6 loss in Miami. On a night when Jalen Brunson scored 41 points and shot 14-of-22 from the field, the rest of the starters were just 5-of-32.
New York spent several weeks last summer trying to work out a trade for Donovan Mitchell, and Popper expects the front office to be aggressive again in pursuit of another star. Brunson has established himself as the cornerstone of the franchise, but Popper states that decisions have to be made on whether RJ Barrett and Julius Randle are part of the team’s core. He adds that Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley should be considered trade assets, along with the team’s deep collection of draft picks.
“Everybody is going back to zero,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after Friday’s loss. “We have to start all over. You have to work crazy all offseason to get ready for next season. Yeah, we would still like to be playing, that’s why you do it, if you’re a competitive person, that’s what you want. We fell short. There’s disappointment, but I think to look at it and say we learned a lot, let’s use this as motivation and get better. That’s what you have to do.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Management has to face some “uncomfortable realities” in its offseason evaluation of Randle, states Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. For the second time in three years, Randle has followed an outstanding regular season performance with a flameout in the playoffs. Bondy doesn’t believe Randle can be one of the two best players on a legitimate contender, adding that his moodiness and his tendency to snap at teammates, officials, and coaches can be a distraction.
- Although Josh Hart was a valuable midseason addition who’s likely to be re-signed, he and Barrett didn’t work well together in playoff lineups, observes Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated. Herring believes Thibodeau made a mistake by starting Hart against Miami because it clogged the lane as defenders dared Barrett and Hart to shoot from the outside and it eliminated the lift that Hart normally provides off the bench.
- The Knicks won’t make Thibodeau or their players available for end-of-season exit interviews with the media, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Nuggets Notes: Murray, Caldwell-Pope, Jokic, M. Jackson
Jamal Murray‘s return from an ACL tear turned the Nuggets into serious title contenders, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Coach Michael Malone points to a December 8 game against Portland when Murray sank a game-winning shot and ran off the court in celebration.
“That was the night that we were reminded of Jamal’s greatness,” Malone said. “It was also a jump-start for us as a team. We started playing really well after that night.”
Denver pulled away from the field and spent more than 100 days as the top team in the Western Conference. The Nuggets are 6-0 at home in the playoffs and have posted convincing series wins against Minnesota and Phoenix on their way to the conference finals.
Jones sees a similarity to the Spurs teams of last decade and suggests that the combination of Nikola Jokic and Murray evoke memories of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
“We understand how much talent we have on the roster, and I think this team has proven that it can beat anybody,” Malone said. “I think with the two-time MVP, this team has worked very hard to get to this point. This is not luck or happenstance. We’re healthy, which is important. But we’re a very good basketball team.”
There’s more from Denver:
- The offseason addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was acquired in a trade with the Wizards, brought some championship experience to the roster. Malone emphasized the need for poise prior to Thursday’s closeout win in Game 6, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, and Caldwell-Pope responded with 17 points in the first quarter. The veteran guard sees an atmosphere similar to the Lakers’ title team he was part of in 2020. “Just being around these guys every day — practice, shootaround — I can just see it in them,” Caldwell-Pope said. “The confidence is there.”
- Suns star Kevin Durant was impressed after watching the series-long performance from Jokic, who had three triple-doubles in the six games, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “Jokic is an all-time great,” Durant said. “He’s going to go down as one of the all-time great centers to ever touch a basketball.”
- ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson has apologized for leaving Jokic off the top five on his MVP ballot, relays Cydney Henderson of USA Today. Jokic was first, second or third on 99 of the 100 ballots, but didn’t crack Jackson’s top five. “Made an honest mistake with my MVP votes,” Jackson tweeted. “My apologies to the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. He’s not only a legitimate MVP candidate who deserved my vote, but he is truly one of the all time greats!”
Anthony Edwards: “I Don’t Do It For The Money”
Anthony Edwards is virtually guaranteed to get a full max extension from the Timberwolves this summer, but he tells Chris Hine of The Star Tribune that money isn’t what motivates him. Edwards said he’s more focused on working to improve his game and earning recognition as one of the league’s top players.
“I’m ready to play. I’m not even — that’s cool. The money cool,” he said. “But I love the game of basketball. I don’t do it for the money. I do it because I just want to be known who they say, ‘He was a great player.'”
The 21-year-old shooting guard already has the look of a franchise player. He made his first All-Star appearance this year and posted his best NBA season, averaging career highs with 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. At a press conference following Minnesota’s first-round playoff loss, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly indicated the organization will try to add players who fit well around Edwards.
The early playoff exit left Edwards disappointed, as did the feeling that the Wolves suffered too many losses during the season because of poor late-game execution. He plans to become more assertive in those situations, adding that “making the right play is me taking the shot” unless he’s double teamed.
Edwards tells Hine that he’ll prepare for that responsibility by getting in “better shape than everybody else in the league.” He plans to spend much of the offseason in Minnesota, where he’ll train with defensive standout Jaden McDaniels and other teammates such as Josh Minott and Wendell Moore Jr. as he tries to improve his shooting touch under duress.
Edwards already has a clear example of what he hopes to accomplish.
“It’s really about just keeping your composure while you’re going up through your shot,” he said. “I sometimes try to rush my shot once I see it’s heavily contested, but I still can get it off in time. I got to learn how to keep my composure. Kind of like how Luka Doncic never rushes his shot no matter how close the defense is. I started to learn that as we were longer into the season.”
Edwards also stated that he was able to “figure out” how to maximize Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns late in the season. The pairing of the two big men got off to an awkward start, and their progress was delayed due to Towns’ extended absence with a calf injury.
Edwards added that along with a possible FIBA World Cup appearance this summer, he plans to fly to France to work with Gobert on their screen-and-roll combination.
“Man, I love Rudy. Me and Rudy got a great understanding,” Edwards said. “We talk all the time, and I think he can get a lot better as far as catching the ball, jump hooking. I tell him all the time, like ‘Rudy, I’m (going to) throw you the ball every time. I want you to jump hook or money dunk on somebody,’ and he be like, ‘I got you.’ This summer we’re going to get together and work on it. … He told me to trust him, and I started trusting him and giving it to him and he’s making the right play. Shout-out to him, he kept making the right play in the pocket whether he was finishing or kicking it out.”
Jordan Poole Talks About Training Camp Punch From Draymond Green
The punch that Draymond Green threw at Jordan Poole during a training camp practice session was an early sign of a divided team, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Insider link). The Warriors‘ front office had hoped to develop a young group of players who could eventually take over for the veteran core, but sources tell Shelburne the strategy created a tension between the two groups that still persists.
Shelburne notes that neither participant has offered much public comment on the incident, but Poole told her this week that he believed it was important to handle the situation with grace.
“I don’t speak on it much,” he said. “But I will say that … you’ve got to have a different level of maturity. We had a season to play. You’re going to have to play with these people in the locker room, and that’s why I said maturity is a big thing. What I know for a fact is there aren’t many people who would be able to think logically and understand the magnitude of the situation, you know?”
The punch was preceded by a verbal exchange between the two players, which led to Green walking over to Poole and confronting him. Poole shoved Green in the chest to move him away, and Green responded by hitting Poole in the face and knocking him down, then standing over him before coaches and teammates rushed in to break them up.
Underlying the skirmish was speculation about their respective futures with the organization. Poole was eligible for a rookie scale extension, which he received a week later — it could be worth as much as $140MM over four years. Green has a $27.6MM player option for 2023/24, and although the Warriors intend to discuss a new multiyear contract, there’s no guarantee he’ll be back with the team next season.
Green and Poole kept their lockers next to each other and tried to maintain business as usual, but the atmosphere around the team was different, Shelburne adds. Poole’s play regressed and he became an easy target for fans and media over the team’s defensive problems.
Poole also became noticeably quieter, both with his teammates and reporters, but sources tell Shelburne the frustrations that he and other young players harbored were well known in the locker room. While Poole failed to deliver on the promise that led to his extension, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody weren’t able to earn consistent rotation minutes and James Wiseman was sent to the G League for a while before being shipped to Detroit at the trade deadline.
Another unresolved issue is how video footage of the incident, which was shot by team personnel, was leaked to TMZ. The Warriors launched an internal investigation to identify the culprit, but Shelburne states that no one was ever held publicly accountable.
“People changed after that,” a team source told Shelburne. “Everybody was suspicious for a while.”
Central Notes: LaVine, Bucks, Pistons, Bird
After falling short of a playoff appearance this year, the Bulls are open to reconfiguring their personnel to better fit maximum-salaried shooting guard Zach LaVine, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
Deveney notes that Chicago may be open to moving on from its two other priciest players, 32-year-old center Nikola Vucevic and 33-year-old All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan. Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent, and Deveney writes that the Bulls are not necessarily interested in keeping him around long-term.
The team could consider flipping DeRozan for young Suns center Deandre Ayton, Deveney speculates.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- After firing title-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer, Bucks GM Jon Horst is expected to conduct an expansive search in looking for his replacement. Eric Nehm of The Athletic examines a variety of possible Milwaukee head coaching candidates, including decorated longtime assistant coaches like Chris Quinn and Adrian Griffin and recent champion head coaches Frank Vogel and Nick Nurse, among others.
- This past week, as was previously reported, Pistons owner Tom Gores met with the team’s head coaching finalists: Bucks assistant Charles Lee, former Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins. The team is not expected to hire a new coach until after the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
- Former Pacers head coach and team president Larry Bird is serving as a consultant with Indiana’s front office once again, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscription required). The Hall of Famer and former Pacers coach and executive recently attended the team’s first pre-draft workout workout at their practice facility on Friday. “Larry has been a consultant to basketball operations since the beginning of this past season,” head coach Rick Carlisle revealed. “It’s always great to have him in the gym!”
2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Toronto Raptors
A playoff team for seven straight years from 2014-20, the Raptors won just 27 games in 2020/21 while playing their home games in Tampa due to COVID-related border restrictions, then got some lottery luck that spring, landing the No. 4 pick and nabbing Scottie Barnes.
When Toronto racked up 48 wins in 2021/22, it looked like that lost ’20/21 season would just be a blip on the radar, with the club poised to reclaim its place as a playoff fixture in the East. So it came as a major disappointment when the Raptors went just 41-41 in ’22/23, their worst record in a non-Tampa season since 2012/13, and were quickly eliminated from the play-in tournament.
On paper, the Raptors looked like a team that should have finished better than .500. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet have All-Star appearances on their résumés and are still in their prime. Barnes was coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign. OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. are the types of three-and-D players that every NBA team covets. And Toronto even addressed its hole in the middle by reacquiring Jakob Poeltl from San Antonio in February.
The individuals were better than the sum of the parts though, and a thin, inconsistent bench that lost Otto Porter to a foot injury early in the season didn’t help matters. Heading into the 2023 offseason, top executives Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster will have to determine which players are still considered long-term cornerstones and which might be expendable in trades to breathe new life into the roster.
The Raptors’ Offseason Plan:
Before the Raptors make any player personnel decisions, they’ll have to determine who will be coaching the team this fall. Nick Nurse, an assistant on Dwane Casey‘s staff until 2018, won a championship in 2019 in his first year as head coach, then was named Coach of the Year in 2020. But his last few years were more of a mixed bag, with Nurse leaning too heavily on his starters and perhaps not connecting with his players in the same way he once did. The club parted ways with him last month.
Toronto’s list of interviewees is longer than that of any other team conducting a head coaching search this spring, with the team casting a wide net in its search for Nurse’s replacement. In addition to former NBA head coaches and current assistants, that list includes a EuroLeague coach (Sergio Scariolo), a WNBA coach (Becky Hammon), and a player-turned-TV-analyst (JJ Redick).
It’s hard to draw any conclusions about the Raptors’ search until we see how it ends, but the team at least seems willing to get creative and think outside the box as it seeks its new leader on the sidelines. It will be interesting to see whether Toronto’s eventual choice is one of those outside-the-box candidates or if the club will ultimately play it safe with a former NBA coach or experienced assistant.
As important as the head coaching decision is, it will be quickly overshadowed by the looming free agency of three key contributors. Poeltl is headed for unrestricted free agency, while VanVleet and Trent can join him if they decline player options for 2023/24, which is expected.
On paper, there’s a strong case to bring back all three players. Of the three, Poeltl looks like the best bet to return — Toronto gave up its top-six protected 2024 first-round pick for the veteran center and he capably filled a position that had been a revolving door since the club parted with Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka in 2020. It wouldn’t make sense for the Raptors to let him walk, so I expect him to re-sign on a three- or four-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $17-20MM annually.
VanVleet and Trent are trickier cases. VanVleet is a strong defender who was a career 38.2% three-point shooter entering 2022/23, but he wasn’t quite as stout defensively this past season, and his three-point rate dipped to 34.2%.
In theory, the 29-year-old provides the sort of floor spacing and play-making that the Raptors don’t get from many other players on the roster, and he has proven his bona fides in the postseason, playing a rotation role on the championship team in 2019. But VanVleet isn’t particularly efficient from inside the arc and his price tag could approach or even surpass $30MM per year.
Trent, meanwhile, is probably in line for a multiyear contract worth in excess of $20MM annually, given his age (24), as well as his ability to knock down outside shots (.384 career 3PT%) and hold his own on defense. That’s a fair rate, and his skill set is one the Raptors could use, but it’s a substantial price to pay for a player who projects to be a sixth man.
It’s not out of the question for the Raptors to pay Poeltl, VanVleet, and Trent and still sneak below the luxury tax line in 2023/24. But it might require some cost-cutting elsewhere on the roster, with Chris Boucher ($11.75MM) and Porter ($6.3MM) among the potential trade candidates. Boucher and Porter theoretically project to be two of Toronto’s top bench players next season, so it would be a challenge to sign all three free agents, trade Boucher and/or Porter, and find a way to upgrade the second unit.
Of course, one possibility we haven’t discussed yet is the idea of trading a core player. Barnes, 21, probably isn’t going anywhere. A sign-and-trade involving VanVleet or Trent wouldn’t be impossible. But Siakam and Anunoby – who was one of the top trade candidates to stay put at February’s deadline – would be easier to move and are more likely to be the subject of trade rumors this summer.
Of those two, Anunoby is the better bet to be on the move. His cap hit ($18.6MM) is less than half of Siakam’s, which simplifies salary matching, and he’s the player who can slot more easily into any team’s lineup due to his three-and-D skill set. The 25-year-old still hasn’t fully come into his own as an offensive creator, but he has made 38.4% of his three-pointers over the last four seasons and has become one of the NBA’s best, most versatile defenders, with an ability to guard point guards, centers, and anything in between.
Siakam is a talented two-way player in his own right, with a more well-rounded offensive game and impressive versatility on defense. However, he’s more ball-dominant and is quite pricey ($37.9MM), so the list of teams that could conceivably trade for him and then seamlessly incorporate him would be shorter.
Much of the trade speculation surrounding Anunoby has been centered on how many first-round picks Toronto could get back for him, but the Raptors – who don’t control their 2024 first-rounder – have no incentive to load up on draft picks and rebuild.
If Anunoby or another key player is traded, the front office’s goal will likely be to get back multiple young players who are ready to step into rotation roles. For instance, if the Pelicans pursue Anunoby, I’d expect the Raptors to show more interest in the likes of Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, and Jose Alvarado than in New Orleans’ collection of future first-round picks.
Toronto will certainly be open to retooling the roster, but blowing it up probably isn’t on the table this offseason.
Salary Cap Situation
Guaranteed Salary
Pascal Siakam ($37,893,408)- OG Anunoby ($18,642,857)
- Chris Boucher ($11,750,000)
- Scottie Barnes ($8,008,680)
- Otto Porter Jr. ($6,300,000)
- Note: Exercised player option.
- Precious Achiuwa ($4,379,527)
- Malachi Flynn ($3,873,025)
- Christian Koloko ($1,719,864)
- Thaddeus Young ($1,000,000)
- Note: Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted below.
- Total: $93,567,361
Dead/Retained Salary
- None
Player Options
- Fred VanVleet ($22,824,074): Bird rights
- Gary Trent Jr. ($18,560,000): Bird rights
- Total: $41,384,074
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Thaddeus Young ($7,000,000)
- Note: Partial guarantee. Young’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 30.
- Joe Wieskamp ($1,927,896)
- Note: Wieskamp’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 30.
- Note: Wieskamp’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 30.
- Total: $8,927,896
Restricted Free Agents
- Dalano Banton ($2,189,698 qualifying offer / $2,189,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $2,189,698
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 13 overall ($4,469,280)
- Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
- Total: $4,469,280
Extension-Eligible Players
- OG Anunoby (veteran)
- Jakob Poeltl (veteran)
- Pascal Siakam (veteran)
- Gary Trent Jr. (veteran)
- Fred VanVleet (veteran)
- Precious Achiuwa (rookie scale)
- Malachi Flynn (rookie scale)
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Poeltl is only eligible until June 30; Trent would only become eligible if his player option is exercised.
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Jakob Poeltl ($17,856,481 cap hold): Bird rights
- Will Barton ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $19,846,179
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
- Bi-annual exception: $4,448,000
Note: The Raptors would lose access to the full mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception if their team salary surpasses the tax apron.
Evan Fournier Not Expecting To Be Back With Knicks
Veteran Knicks shooting guard Evan Fournier started the team’s first seven games last fall, but was demoted to riding pine down the season’s home stretch and through the playoffs. He was out of New York’s rotation by November.
After the Knicks were officially eliminated from the postseason on Friday night against the Heat, Fournier admitted that he doesn’t expect to be brought back next year, despite his guaranteed contract, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
“This officially is the end, but my season was over a long time ago,” Fournier said. “It took me a good month to understand that. At first, I was like, ‘Just be patient in seeing how the team developed. Obviously, there are gonna be changes and I’m gonna get traded.'”
Fournier was considered a candidate to be moved at February’s trade deadline but ultimately stayed put, since the Knicks didn’t want to give up an asset to move off his multiyear deal.
“You know I’m not gonna be back,” Fournier continued. “There’s no way they’re gonna keep me. I would be very surprised if they do. So, we’ll see. It’s obviously not in my hands though.
“I mean, wouldn’t you guys be surprised [if I came back?],” he added. “Eleven years in, big contract, they’re obviously trying to develop the young guys. I didn’t play this year, so why would you bring me back?”
Fournier is currently owed $18.9MM for 2023/24. The Knicks have a $19MM team option on the swingman for the 2024/25 season that almost certainly won’t be exercised, effectively making him an expiring contract next year. His salary, along with other assets, could be included for matching purposes as part of a trade package for a star player.
In 80 games as a starter in 2021/22, Fournier averaged averaged 14.1 PPG on .417/.389/.708 shooting splits. Across just 27 games this season, he averaged a more pedestrian 6.1 PPG while shooting .337/.307/.857 from the floor.
Poll: Which Team Will Win Western Conference Finals?
The 2023 Western Conference Finals will feature two teams that took remarkably different paths to get there.
The Nuggets claimed the No. 1 seed in the West on December 20 and never relinquished it, winning a conference-best 53 games despite essentially going on cruise control down the stretch, losing 10 of their last 17 contests. Since the playoffs began, no team has posted a better offensive rating (118.7) or net rating (+8.6) than the Nuggets, who have yet to lose at home in the postseason.
The Lakers, of course, got off to a disastrous start in 2022/23, losing 10 of the first 12 games on their regular season schedule. While things got better from there, especially once Los Angeles revamped its roster at the trade deadline, the team still occupied the No. 13 spot in the Western standings as late as February 26, which was also the day that LeBron James went down with a foot injury that cost him the next 13 games.
The Lakers persevered, finishing the regular season on a hot streak and claiming the No. 7 seed in the West before knocking off the No. 2 Grizzlies and the defending champion Warriors. Like Denver, L.A. hasn’t lost at home so far in the postseason, but the Lakers are winning games a little differently — they only rank ninth among playoff teams in offense, but their 106.5 postseason defensive rating is the NBA’s best.
The Nuggets will enter the Western Finals as slight betting favorites (-143, per BetOnline.ag), and it’s not hard to see why.
Denver is led by perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, who is coming off a series in which he averaged an outrageous 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. Jamal Murray, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, is back in peak form, putting up 25.9 PPG and 6.5 APG on .461/.395/.915 shooting so far in the playoffs. And perhaps most importantly, the Nuggets seem to have the right complementary pieces surrounding their stars, including versatile forward Aaron Gordon, three-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and jack-of-all-trades Bruce Brown.
Still, there are plenty of believers in a Lakers squad that supplemented James and Anthony Davis by swapping out Russell Westbrook in February for valuable role players like D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley. With James and Davis healthy entering the series and holding the edge on the Nuggets’ stars in terms of championship experience, L.A. is only a +123 underdog, per BetOnline.ag.
We want to know what you think. Which team do you expect to win the series and represent the West in the NBA Finals? Should we count on a six- or seven-game series or will it be over in a hurry?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Which team will win the Western Conference Finals?
-
Denver Nuggets in 6-7 games 40% (1,239)
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Los Angeles Lakers in 6-7 games 39% (1,212)
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Denver Nuggets in 4-5 games 16% (496)
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Los Angeles Lakers in 4-5 games 6% (176)
Total votes: 3,123
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Barrett, Randle, Offseason, Hart
The Knicks outperformed expectations this season, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference standings and winning a playoff series, but their impressive run came to an end on Friday with a Game 6 loss in Miami.
One player who couldn’t be blamed for the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Semifinals loss? Jalen Brunson. New York’s major 2022 free agent addition poured in 41 points in just over 45 minutes, with the Knicks winning those minutes by three points — they were outscored by seven in the 2:50 that Brunson spent on the bench in a 96-92 loss.
Brunson had no help on Friday, with the Knicks’ other four starters combining to shoot 5-of-32 from the field, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. As Vaccaro notes, Brunson blamed himself for a late turnover that helped the Heat seal the game, but if it weren’t for his efforts, New York wouldn’t have had a chance to win at all. With his Game 6 performance, the veteran guard put an exclamation point on an incredible first season as a Knick and earned effusive praise from the head coach on the opposing bench.
“How’s that dude not an All-Star or All-NBA?” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game when he spoke to reporters, including Nick Friedell of ESPN. “He should be on one of those teams. I wish he was still out West. But man, you gotta respect him as a competitor. He’s like a lot of the guys in our locker room. He’s got an iron will. There’s something about these Villanova guys. … He’s just an incredible competitor.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Knicks forward RJ Barrett and Julius Randle weren’t happy with how they played on Friday with the club’s season on the line, but they view the highs and lows of the playoff experience as good teaching moments for the future and are optimistic that better things are ahead, Friedell writes at ESPN.com.
- In a separate story for ESPN.com, Friedell examines the three biggest questions facing the Knicks this offseason, including whether they’ll revisit the trade market in search of a disgruntled star. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) also preview the biggest decisions facing New York in the coming months.
- The Knicks are in an enviable position entering the summer, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who points to the team’s playoff run and Brunson’s breakout season as reasons why it should be easier than it was a year ago to sell a star player on the situation on New York. Armed with promising young players and plenty of future draft picks, the franchise has the assets to acquire an impact player or to continue building patiently, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes.
- Asked about the future of Josh Hart, who can turn down a player option to become a free agent this offseason, head coach Tom Thibodeau replied, “I love the guy so that would be … we’d love to have him back” (Twitter link via Begley). Rival executives reportedly consider Hart extremely likely to sign a new deal with the Knicks.
Warriors Rumors: Myers, Dunleavy, Kuminga, Poole, Looney
While the Warriors have some significant decisions to make on key players this offseason, their most notable free agent might be president of basketball operations Bob Myers, whose contract with the organization expires on June 30.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob has expressed a desire to sign Myers to a new contract and keep him at the top of the team’s front office hierarchy. However, if the veteran executive departs, there’s an expectation that Golden State will replace him with an internal promotion rather than launching a full-fledged search, according to Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of The Athletic, who identify vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. as Myers’ “natural successor.”
Here’s more on the Warriors’ offseason following their season-ending loss to the Lakers on Friday:
- The Warriors are expected to have a conversation with Jonathan Kuminga‘s representatives this offseason about the young forward’s future, per Slater and Charania. Kuminga showed promise in his second NBA season, but saw his minutes fluctuate and wasn’t part of the regular rotation in the playoffs. If Kuminga isn’t assured of a full-time role in Golden State going forward, he may prefer to be somewhere he can play more, sources tell The Athletic.
- Jordan Poole‘s future with the Warriors is very much up in the air following a disappointing postseason, according to Slater and Charania, who suggest that the four-year veteran could be the odd man out if cost cutting is necessary. Poole’s four-year, $123MM extension will go into effect in 2023/24. Tim Kawakami of The Athletic explores the topic in more detail, writing that Poole isn’t necessarily part of Golden State’s core and suggesting that the team will probably explore the trade market for him this summer.
- As a result of the Warriors’ second-round playoff exit, Kevon Looney missed out on a $1MM bonus and Poole forfeited $500K in bonus money, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Those incentives will now be considered unlikely in 2023/24, slightly reducing both players’ cap charges.
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and John Hollinger of The Athletic preview the Warriors’ offseason, both noting that the team will be hard-pressed to re-sign key role player Donte DiVincenzo, who is a near lock to decline his player option. The Warriors will only have DiVincenzo’s Non-Bird rights, limiting them to offering a 20% raise on this year’s $4.5MM salary.