Southeast Notes: Young, Murray, Wizards, Bridges, Love
The Hawks still face long odds in their first-round series with the Celtics, but they have to be encouraged by the way Trae Young and Dejounte Murray played together Friday night, writes Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. Atlanta avoided a 3-0 deficit as the backcourt combination turned in one of its best games since Murray was acquired last summer. They combined for 57 points in the Game 3 victory, with 38 of those coming in the second half.
“At one point, I was just like, I should just keep quiet and let them do it,” coach Quin Snyder said. “They had some isolation situations where they created for themselves and for other guys, and a lot of that was them just figuring it out. People feed off that.”
Schultz notes that there have been questions about whether they can be effective together ever since the Hawks sent three first-round picks and other assets to the Spurs in exchange for Murray. Former general manager and team president Travis Schlenk reportedly didn’t support the deal, and the results hadn’t been positive during a 41-41 season.
A recent report indicated Atlanta will consider trading Young this summer, but Schultz states that Friday’s performance may show that he and Murray can find a way to make things work.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards may dream about landing a big name like Raptors president Masai Ujiri or Warriors general manager Bob Myers to replace fired GM Tommy Sheppard, but they’re better off pursuing someone who has succeeded in building a team in a mid-level market, contends Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. She names Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon, Knicks GM Scott Perry, Bucks assistant GM Milt Newton and Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly as potential targets.
- The NBA was too lenient with former Hornets forward Miles Bridges when it agreed to reduce his 30-game suspension to 10 games for next season, argues David Aldridge of The Athletic. Aldridge disagrees with the league’s reasoning that Bridges would have served 20 games of that suspension if he had signed with a team this year and notes that the CBA gives commissioner Adam Silver the power to invoke a harsher penalty under its “misconduct” section.
- Kevin Love is back in the Heat‘s starting lineup for tonight’s Game 3 against the Bucks, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Chiang observes that the new starting five of Love, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo has only played together for two minutes in the series and 13 minutes during the regular season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Won’t Play In Game 3
Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss at least one more game with a lower back contusion, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Bucks have decided to keep their superstar on the sidelines for tonight’s Game 3 in Miami.
Antetokounmpo suffered the injury in Sunday’s Game 1 when he crashed to the court on a drive to the basket. He was ruled out for Wednesday’s Game 2 shortly before tipoff, and the Bucks have decided to use the same caution for tonight’s contest.
In a pre-game meeting with the media, coach Mike Budenholzer said Antetokounmpo has made progress in his recovery, but added, “These things just aren’t always a linear thing,” tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Budenholzer declined to point to a specific problem that’s preventing Antetokounmpo from playing, telling reporters, “He’s just not ready to go.” (Twitter link)
Milwaukee responded without its team leader to even up the series with a 16-point win on Wednesday. Game 4 will take place Monday night, so Antetokounmpo will have just one off day to try to heal.
Joel Embiid May Not Be Ready For Start Of Second Round
The Sixers aren’t sure if Joel Embiid will be available when their second-round playoff series begins, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
After Philadelphia wrapped up a sweep of the Nets on Saturday afternoon, coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Embiid is “probably 50 percent, at best” to be ready for the team’s next game, which will likely be played next weekend.
Embiid sat out Saturday’s contest with a right knee sprain that he suffered in Thursday’s Game 3 when he landed awkwardly while trying to block a shot. He was experiencing pain and swelling in the knee and underwent an MRI after the game.
“From my understanding, they checked his knee out right after the game because he was complaining about some soreness behind the knee,” Rivers said, “which is always a scary thing to hear about with players. There was swelling already, which is way too early, so we did the MRI. … It just feels like whenever they tell a coach we’re going to get an MRI, it doesn’t turn out well most of the time and this one did not.”
The Sixers won today without Embiid, but he’s obviously indispensable to their title hopes. He captured the league’s scoring title this season, averaging 33.1 PPG in 66 games, and is a finalist for MVP honors.
The knee sprain continues a troubling run of playoff injuries for Embiid. A year ago, he suffered a right orbital fracture and concussion that sidelined him for the first two games of the conference semifinals. He had a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee during the 2021 postseason and played with an ankle injury in the 2020 playoffs, although he didn’t miss any games. He also dealt with knee soreness in the 2019 playoffs and another orbital fracture in 2018.
“Obviously, clearly that’s on your mind,” Rivers responded when asked about his message for Embiid. “But as I said, this is another obstacle in the story that we’re going to write this year, and you’re going to be OK. It may take a minute, but this is just part of it. To me, I’m sure … he’s human, and goodness, this happens again. Let’s win, let’s get him back on the floor and let’s keep on our own journey.”
If Reed isn’t available for the start of round two, he will likely be replaced again in the starting lineup by Paul Reed, who delivered 10 points and 15 rebounds in today’s close-out game.
Knicks Notes: Randle, Brunson, Quickley, Grimes
After sitting out the Knicks‘ final five regular season contests with a left ankle sprain, All-Star power forward Julius Randle has seemed downright giddy in discussing New York’s ongoing playoff series with the Cavaliers, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
“I’m just having fun, man, this is a lot of fun,” Randle said earlier this week. “This is what you work so hard for. For me it goes back to our team, all the work that we’ve put in, in the summer, individuals. That’s what this is about. So I’m excited.”
Randle enjoyed a fairly modest Game 3 against Cleveland, scoring 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting from the floor, pulling down eight rebounds, and dishing out three assists. He has not quite been up to his regular All-Star production while playing through the injury. For the series thus far, he’s averaging 16.5 PPG on 31.4% shooting, plus 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.0 SPG.
New York leads Cleveland 2-1 thus far in the best-of-seven series and will hope to improve that advantage when the action resumes tomorrow at Madison Square Garden.
There’s more out of New York:
- The relationship between star Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson‘s father Rick Brunson, now an assistant coach on the team, and head coach Tom Thibodeau played a big role in selling Brunson on New York in free agency, as Nick Friedell of ESPN details. Thibodeau was an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy when Rick joined the team as a player in 1998. They developed a friendship, and Thibodeau brought the elder Brunson aboard his bench when he booked his first head coaching gig with the Bulls in 2010. “I think being around him for a long time, knowing the trust that my dad has in him, I’ve been around it,” Jalen told Friedell. “I’ve been around his philosophies for a long time, so I guess I’m used to it. I’ve seen it from afar — he’s going to push me no matter if I have 48 [points] or four. “
- Though backup New York guard Immanuel Quickley was the runner-up behind Celtics reserve Malcolm Brogdon for this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award, Quickley isn’t dwelling on missing out on that award, writes Petter Botte of The New York Post. “There’s been a lot of, there’s been more players that have started a lot more games than me,” Quickley said. “So it’s something that I wanted to win, but at the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world. Still got a long career hopefully, God willing, ahead of me.”
- Second-year Knicks shooting guard Quentin Grimes left the first half of last night’s 99-79 New York win with what the team described as a shoulder contusion and did not return in the second, Botte writes in a separate piece. Across the Knicks’ first three games of the series, Grimes has been erratic on offense, scoring just 11 points on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor.
Lakers Notes: Russell, Thompson, James, Brooks
Lakers starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, reacquired by Los Angeles at the trade deadline, has had an underwhelming first postseason with L.A. to this point, but the team is hopeful he can turn that around posthaste, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.
Broderick notes that Russell is connecting on an abysmal 32.1% of his field goals and 28.6% of his triples so far, while averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.5 APG, 5.5 RPG, and 0.5 SPG.
“It’s a make-or-miss league,” head coach Darvin Ham noted. “Sometimes you’re on. Sometimes you’re not. We’re just hopeful he’ll be on Saturday.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Reserve big man Tristan Thompson appreciates that he was added on the last day of the regular season to essentially be another locker room voice and positive influence on his new teammates, as he told Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “If I help them become one percent better, it helps our team be better,” Thompson noted. “And that’s part of my role being here, is how can I help this team get one percent better?”
- All-Star forward LeBron James has been dismissive of Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks‘ recent postgame smack-talking, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I’m not here for the bulls—,” James said following a team practice yesterday. “I’m ready to play and that’s it.” Following Memphis’ 103-93 Wednesday victory over L.A. to even their series at 1-1, Brooks held little back in his comments to gathered media, calling James “old” while opining that the 38-year-old was no longer his peak self.
- In case you missed it, Grizzlies All-Star point guard Ja Morant was sidelined for the second game of Memphis’ series against L.A., and remains questionable ahead of Game 3 tonight.
Clippers Notes: Powell, Leonard, Current Era
Clippers guard Norman Powell is not backing down from the challenge of replacing injured star’s Kawhi Leonard‘s output in L.A.’s series with the Suns, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.
Powell started with Leonard out on Thursday, and poured in 42 points in a narrow defeat to Phoenix. Though he couldn’t hope to replicate Leonard’s defensive contributions, he played his role as a scorer admirably. Head coach Tyronn Lue noted that Powell’s work ethic has prepared him for moments like this.
“When you put that kind of work in, every single day, just grinding every single day, you’re going to play well,” Lue said.
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
- Leonard’s impact on both sides of the hardwood is hard to replace, Greif notes in a separate piece. Leonard scored or assisted on 45% of L.A.’s offense across the series’ first two games, and had guarded Suns All-Star forward Kevin Durant a team-most 53 possessions through those two bouts.
- Although he has already been ruled out for today’s matinee against Phoenix, Leonard has merely been considered day-to-day for Los Angeles. However, it now sounds like his knee sprain injury could keep him out longer than initially anticipated, per Chris Haynes of NBA TV (Twitter video link). “The Clippers are still ruling him day-to-day with a right knee sprain, and what we know is that this injury is not connected to the ACL tear that he suffered two years ago, but it is the same knee,” Haynes said. “So that is worrisome right there. But there is no timetable as of right now, we don’t know when Kawhi is going to return, they’re still putting… hope out there that he could at some point, but it’s not looking good.”
- This mid-series Leonard injury represents just the newest impediment to what has been an incredibly disappointing Clippers era, opines Law Murray of The Athletic. Leonard and All-Star Clippers forward Paul George have been beset by injuries at inopportune times for years, and the team has never lived up to the championship expectations it had when the two stars joined forces in the 2019 offseason.
Raptors Notes: P. Mutombo, Stackhouse, Nurse, Offseason
Reporting in the wake of Nick Nurse‘s dismissal on Friday indicated that Ime Udoka would be one of the candidates the Raptors seriously consider to become their next head coach. Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms Toronto’s interest in Udoka and adds a couple more names to the team’s possible list of targets, writing that Patrick Mutombo and Jerry Stackhouse may receive consideration.
Mutombo, currently an assistant on Monty Williams‘ staff in Phoenix, was on the Raptors’ coaching staff from 2016-20 and coached the team’s G League affiliate (Raptors 905) from 2020-22 before joining the Suns last offseason.
Stackhouse also has an existing relationship with the Raptors, having been an assistant with the team in 2015/16 and the Raptors 905 head coach from 2016-18. He spent a season as an assistant coach with the Grizzlies in 2018/19 and has been the head coach at Vanderbilt since 2019. Stackhouse has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Pistons’ head coaching vacancy, though there has been no indication that he’ll interview for that position.
Here’s more on the Raptors and their newly opened head coaching job:
- Some people in the Raptors organization were surprised by Friday’s news on Nurse, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says Nurse and team president Masai Ujiri met four teams in the nine days after Toronto’s season ended. That level of communication is unusual for a team about to let go of a head coach, but Ujiri felt the Raptors needed a new voice and Nurse “welcomed the change,” says Lewenberg.
- Raptors management had some questions about Nurse’s style of communication, Lewenberg writes, noting that the head coach had a habit of calling out players publicly without talking to them privately first. Following a bad loss in December, Nurse held closed-door meetings with some players and staffers that Lewenberg hears were “intense” and “confrontational.” Nurse also had a “tense” relationship with one assistant coach after telling him not to accompany the team on a road trip in January, Lewenberg adds.
- Observing that several Raptors players improved individually, but not collectively, Ujiri said on Friday that he expects to make changes in Toronto this offseason beyond hiring a new coach, per Lewenberg. “I think changes are going to be made on all fronts,” Ujiri said. “We’re going to address that with the team. We saw how different players on our team would rise, would do well, but we never did it collectively. Maybe that could be fit. Maybe that could be system, sometimes role orientation, sometimes accountability – all the things we are going to really look at it how our roster is built. We believe in the players we have. Whether it’s tweaks or major changes, we’re definitely going to look at everything.”
Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions In 2023
When the NBA’s 2023/24 league year begins this summer, players eligible for free agency will be able to begin negotiating and reaching contract agreements with suitors. In addition to those free agents, another group of players will also become eligible to sign new deals.
For players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts, the first day of the new league year (July 1) is the first day they can agree to rookie scale extensions. Those players, who were almost all 2020 first-round selections, will have until the day before the 2023/24 regular season starts to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.
Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in 2024/25. If they don’t sign extensions during the coming offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.
Eleven players who were eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2022 offseason signed new deals. That number tied a record set a year earlier, and continued a recent trend — we’ve seen an uptick in rookie extensions during the last few offseasons as more teams look to lock up their promising young players in advance of free agency.
We should expect several more rookie scale extensions to be signed between July and October of this year.
Here are the players who will be eligible to sign rookie scale extensions during the 2023 offseason:
- Precious Achiuwa (Raptors)
- Cole Anthony (Magic): Signed
- Deni Avdija (Wizards): Signed
LaMelo Ball (Hornets): Signed- Desmond Bane (Grizzlies): Signed
- Saddiq Bey (Hawks)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves): Signed
- Malachi Flynn (Raptors)
- Josh Green (Mavericks): Signed
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers): Signed
- Killian Hayes (Pistons)
- Kira Lewis (Pelicans)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves): Signed
- Aaron Nesmith (Pacers): Signed
- Zeke Nnaji (Nuggets): Signed
- Chuma Okeke (Magic)
- Note: Okeke was a 2019 first-round pick but didn’t sign his rookie scale contract until 2020.
- Onyeka Okongwu (Hawks): Signed
- Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers)
- Aleksej Pokusevski (Thunder)
- Payton Pritchard (Celtics): Signed
- Immanuel Quickley (Knicks)
- Isaiah Stewart (Pistons): Signed
- Obi Toppin (Pacers)
- Devin Vassell (Spurs): Signed
- Patrick Williams (Bulls)
- James Wiseman (Pistons)
The following players were selected in the first round of the 2020 draft along with the players listed above. However, they aren’t eligible for rookie scale extensions this year for the reasons noted:
- Udoka Azubuike: Fourth-year option declined by Jazz in 2022.
- Leandro Bolmaro: Signed rookie scale contract in 2021; waived by Jazz in 2023.
- R.J. Hampton: Fourth-year option declined by Magic in 2022.
- Jalen Smith: Third-year option declined by Suns in 2021.
Pacific Notes: Barnes, Booker, Craig, D. Green, Myers
Kings forward Harrison Barnes will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and head coach Mike Brown is among those hoping the 30-year-old doesn’t go anywhere, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Brown made it clear that he’ll leave the roster decisions to general manager Monte McNair and assistant GM Wes Wilcox, but made it clear he’d love for the Kings to re-sign Barnes, referring to him as “irreplaceable” and praising his “championship pedigree” and veteran leadership.
“I’m not trying to be funny, but that’s what irreplaceable means. He’s irreplaceable,” Brown said. “Having said that, that’s Monte and Wes’ area. … There’s nobody, at the end of the day, who’s going to be forever and ever in this league and this organization, but HB definitely is a guy who has been a big, big part of what we’ve got going here, and I hope he’s a big, big, big part of what our future looks like.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Devin Booker was an All-Star before the Suns acquired Kevin Durant, but Durant’s arrival has helped Booker take his game to another level, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. “You can’t leave (Durant), obviously. He draws a lot of attention,” Booker said after scoring 45 points in a Game 3 victory on Thursday. “A lot of the buckets I scored, I went right to him right after and said, ‘You opened that up.'”
- Reinserted into the Suns‘ starting lineup when the playoffs began in order to match up defensively against Kawhi Leonard, Torrey Craig has had a monster series so far, averaging 18.0 PPG and making 10-of-16 three-pointers (62.5%) through three games. As Doug Haller of The Athletic details, Craig’s performance is all the more impressive given the path he took to get here — he went undrafted in 2014 and spent the first three years of his professional career playing in Australia and New Zealand.
- Tim Kawakami of The Athletic explores the bond between Warriors forward Draymond Green and president of basketball operations Bob Myers and muses about what it would mean for the franchise to lose one or both of them as free agents this offseason. Elsewhere at The Athletic, Anthony Slater explores how a big game from veteran center Kevon Looney helped nullify Green’s absence in Game 3.
Bucks Notes: Haslam, Lopez, Depth, Giannis, Matthews
Before buying a stake in the franchise, Jimmy Haslam first spoke to Bucks co-owner Wes Edens when he was mulling the possibility of bidding for the Timberwolves, according to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“We actually took a look at the Minnesota Timberwolves and a friend of mine said, ‘You should call Wes Edens, he operates a team in the upper Midwest, they’ve had great success,'” Haslam said. “‘Cause you’re concerned, can you attract players, can you win in a small market? So we had about an hour-and-a-half conversation and Wes was hugely helpful.”
While Haslam didn’t end up investing in the Timberwolves, his conversation with Edens made him more comfortable jumping at the chance to purchase a stake in the Bucks when the opportunity arose. Asked for his thoughts about the future of the team in Milwaukee, Haslam expressed confidence in the Bucks’ long-term outlook.
“The first time Wes and I ever talked was (asking) could an NBA team not just reside here, but could it be successful? And they’ve obviously proved they can,” Haslam said. “They’ve punched way over their weight in almost everything in the NBA, starting first of all on the court, which is what counts. I anticipate the team being here for a long time. Listen, this isn’t a turnaround situation. These guys have done a hell of a job, so we’re gonna be quiet and listen and learn, and if we can help down the road, that’s great.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Brook Lopez made an All-Star team back in 2013 but has never played in the Olympics and fell just short of earning his first Defensive Player of the Year award this spring. Although he’d like to earn more accolades before he calls it a career, Lopez says he’s motivated by missing out, per Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I use all that stuff,” he said. “I’d like to be a part of an Olympic team. I still feel like I have a long career left. Hopefully playing the way I play, maybe a couple of all-stars? I have my personal goals, but the way things roll out, it’s definitely motivation for me.”
- Without Giannis Antetokounmpo available in Game 2 due to his lower back contusion, the Bucks showed off their depth and proved that they’re capable of holding down the fort until the MVP finalist returns, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.com. Pat Connaughton was one of the role players who provided a critical spark for the team, Owczarski writes for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Will Antetokounmpo be able to return for Game 3 in Miami? That’s still to be determined, as the star forward has been listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest. Giannis did some individual work on Friday, but didn’t take part in practice with his teammates, per Owczarski.
- Wesley Matthews, who played nearly 18 minutes in Game 1 of the series and then missed Game 2 with a right calf strain, has been ruled out for Game 3 as well. A source with knowledge of the situation tells Owczarski that the Bucks are hopeful Matthews’ strain isn’t as severe as the one that sidelined him for nine games in February and March.