Blazers Notes: Lillard, Potential Trades, Nurkic, Little
After saying earlier this week that he wants the Trail Blazers to pursue veteran additions during the offseason, Damian Lillard doubled down on those comments on Wednesday in an appearance on “Stephen A’s World” (Twitter video link). Following two straight years of losing marked by late-season tanking, Lillard said the organization understands how important it is for him to part of a contending team.
Lillard clarified that his statement shouldn’t be interpreted as a threat and indicated that he won’t demand a trade if personnel moves don’t turn out the way he hopes. However, he wants Portland’s management to make a firm decision on whether it plans to compete right away or try to rebuild.
“I ain’t gonna say I’m putting them on the clock,” Lillard told Stephen A. Smith.” I’m just saying if those things can’t be done — if we can’t do something significant like that — then we won’t have a chance to compete on that level. And then, not only will I have a decision to make, but I think the organization will, too. Because at that point, it’s like, ‘Are you gonna go young, or are we gonna get something done?’ I think we just kinda been on the fence with fully committing to either one. I just think we at that point now where everybody wants to win. They believe I deserve that opportunity.”
There’s more on the Trail Blazers:
- The Knicks, Nets, Heat, Warriors and Clippers are the teams most likely to pursue Lillard if he becomes available, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy. General managers throughout the league don’t expect the Blazers to consider trading Lillard unless he requests it, but he could throw the league into a frenzy if that happens. “They’re not just going to ship him out to get rid of him,” an NBA executive told Deveney. “He has shown them loyalty and they’re going to do the same. But more and more, there is a bigger chance he will ask out. He could very well be the focal point of all talk in the next couple months.”
- Jusuf Nurkic prefers to stay in Portland, but his contract could be a useful piece for salary matching in the type of trade that Lillard wants, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. The veteran center still has three seasons remaining on the four-year, $70MM deal he signed last summer. “As long as I’m wanted, if people want me here, I’m going to be here,” Nurkic said. “I’m not going to ask for a trade to try to go somewhere else.”
- Nassir Little underwent surgery on Thursday for a right-side core muscle injury, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release. Little was limited to 54 games this season and has been sidelined since March 31.
Central Notes: Vucevic, Cunningham, Pistons, Bickerstaff
Nikola Vucevic said the Bulls didn’t try to move him at this year’s trade deadline even though he has an expiring contract, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Whether or not that means Vucevic’s long-term future is in Chicago will be determined in free agency this summer.
Vucevic, who has stated several times that he hopes to remain with the Bulls, acknowledges that the organization paid a hefty price to acquire him from the Magic in 2021. He has gotten past the feeling that he needs to prove himself, allowing him to take a calmer approach this season and find a comfortable fit with his current team.
“Last year, I was just trying to make everything happen so quickly,’’ Vucevic said. “I wanted to be able to be the best version of myself right away, and when that didn’t happen, I started forcing things, overthinking things. I wasn’t letting my natural instincts come into play, and it took me some time to figure it out. It took me time to find my place with my new teammates, new system.
“Not everyone realizes that as a big man, it takes more time. You don’t have the ball in your hand. I feel like late last season and into the playoffs, I found my place and how I can be my best. I came into this year feeling much more comfortable with my teammates. Plus, the new offense helped me, as well. I’m not overthinking, not second-guessing myself. I feel like I’m a better version of myself than I was.’’
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is expecting a huge comeback from Cade Cunningham, per James L. Edwards of The Athletic. After a promising rookie year, Cunningham was only able to play 12 games this season before opting for shin surgery. “I think (next) year he’ll probably really turn his career,” Weaver said. “He’s learned process. He is such a great competitor and mental giant, but the young players that learn process, that’s how you step into your greatness. He understands process now after having to go through this injury.”
- The Pistons‘ 17-55 record was disappointing, but the team added two long-term foundation pieces in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, Edwards adds in a separate story. Given a chance to play regular minutes, both lottery picks showed they could contribute right away. “Jaden and Jalen … I’ve seen a huge improvement in them as far as their comfort level and poise,” Cunningham said. “They continued to get better throughout the year. I’m definitely excited about them.”
- After an NBA odyssey that dates back to his childhood, J.B. Bickerstaff arrived in Cleveland, where he has turned out to be the perfect coach for a young Cavaliers team, states Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 4/13/2023
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 10:00 am Central time (11 am Eastern).
Click here to read the transcript and join us on Tuesday afternoon for our next live chat, hosted by Dana Gauruder!
Raptors Notes: Free Agents, Nurse, Porter, Poeltl
After seeing their season end with Wednesday’s play-in loss to Chicago, the Raptors are about to enter a very expensive era if they hope to keep the team’s current core together, writes Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. New contracts will have to be negotiated for five veteran players during the next two years, along with a rookie scale extension for Scottie Barnes.
The first priority is this summer when Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl and Gary Trent Jr. are all likely to be free agents. VanVleet, who’s expected to decline a $22.8MM player option, is eligible for an extension through June 30, but he’s in position to land a bigger contract through free agency. Gozlan expects VanVleet’s next deal to be on par with Jrue Holiday, Kyle Lowry and Jalen Brunson.
Poeltl, who was acquired at the trade deadline, is also eligible for an extension, but like VanVleet it will be more profitable for him to become a free agent. Gozlan foresees a new contract that will put him in the neighborhood of Jarrett Allen, Nikola Vucevic and Clint Capela.
Trent could also choose free agency if he turns down an $18.6MM player option. Trent, who no longer starts but remains one of Toronto’s only dependable shooters off the bench, is likely to stay in his same salary range but on a long-term deal, according to Gozlan.
There’s more from Toronto:
- There has been a lot of speculation about coach Nick Nurse’s future, but there’s still “a pathway forward” for him to remain with the Raptors, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on “NBA Countdown” before Wednesday’s game (video link). Nurse has been communicating with team president Masai Ujiri, according to Wojnarowski, who expects those conversations to continue. If Nurse and the team part ways, Woj mentions the Rockets as a potential next destination, saying he’s “very high on their list.”
- Wednesday’s loss capped a frustrating season that began with an injury in training camp to free agent addition Otto Porter Jr., notes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Porter, who signed a two-year, $12.3MM deal, played just eight games before being lost for the season with a dislocated toe, leaving the Raptors with depth problems that were never solved.
- The addition of Poeltl helped to turn Toronto’s season around to some extent, Grange states in another Sportsnet.ca article. He provided a presence in the middle that the team had been lacking and helped the Raptors post a 15-10 record once he entered the starting lineup.
Eastern Notes: Dinwiddie, Kuzma, Giannis, J. Brown, Hawks
Former Wizards teammates Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma traded a couple barbs back in January after Washington defeated Dinwiddie’s Mavericks, with each casting doubt on the other’s commitment to playing “winning basketball.” Now a member of the Nets, Dinwiddie was asked during an appearance on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) about that exchange and didn’t hesitate to reignite his beef with Kuzma, questioning whether the Wizards forward has his priorities straight.
“There’s a lot of guys in the NBA that really pour their heart and soul into basketball, are willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Dinwiddie said. “There are a lot of guys that have different things that drive or motivate them. I think if we look at him and the way he approaches life, fame, all that stuff, we can see that his priorities tend to vary. That’s why he dresses the way he does, he approaches basketball the way he does, the comments he makes.
“Like I said with the Draymond (Green) quote, ‘Insecurity is loud.’ You know that you’re there shooting shots to try to get a contract. You’re probably not even a third star really on a good team, because if you were, the Lakers would’ve kept you.”
Several hours later, Kuzma fired back in a Twitter thread, writing that he and the Wizards have “so much real estate on Dinsh–tie island.” Kuzma criticized Dinwiddie for being traded just months after he signed a three-year, $54MM contract in D.C. and suggested that his Nets are only in the postseason because of the pre-Dinwiddie success the team had with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Dinwiddie and Kuzma won’t face each other until sometime next season, but the latest grenades lobbed in their back-and-forth war of words should make things all the more interesting when that happens.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo tells Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he legitimately considered the possibility of walking away from the NBA due to the mental health toll he was dealing with in 2020. “I had that conversation – yes – with the front office,” Antetokounmpo said. “And, you know, very normally, everybody is looking at me like I was crazy. ‘You just signed the largest contract in NBA history and you want to walk away from the game and all that money?’ … But I don’t care about that. I care about joy. I’m a joyful person.”
- Jaylen Brown would become eligible for a super-max extension if he makes an All-NBA team this spring, and Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is hoping that happens, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “I think both Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen should be on the All-NBA team,” Stevens said. “I think what they’ve done throughout the course of this year — and you asked about Jaylen so I’ll talk about Jaylen in particular — he’s also really played his best basketball, I think, in the last couple of months, and he was an obvious All-Star right out of the gate.”
- Former Octagon agent Chris Emens has joined the Hawks‘ front office in an advisory role, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link). Emens represented Hawks general manager Landry Fields during Fields’ playing days, Vorkunov notes.
Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Tax Concerns, Green, Curry
The Warriors haven’t determined when Andrew Wiggins will resume playing, but there’s optimism that he’ll be ready when their playoff series with the Kings begins Saturday, writes C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle.
Wiggins has participated in two scrimmages since returning to the team last week, and coach Steve Kerr said he was impressive both times. Kerr added that Wiggins will be watched closely for the rest of the week as team officials try to determine whether he can play in Game 1, if he will start, and what type of minutes restriction he might be under.
“A lot of good, positive signs have come out of this past week, and we’ll just play it by ear as we get ready for Saturday,” Kerr said.
General manager Bob Myers expressed similar sentiments in a radio appearance Wednesday, according to Holmes, and Wiggins’ teammates are getting excited about the prospect of bringing back one of the key pieces of last year’s title team.
“He looked good,” Stephen Curry said of Wiggins’ scrimmage performances. “He, for the most part, played most of the action we had. He really hasn’t lost a step. I know it’s just scrimmaging and getting back into the pace of live basketball, but he looked pretty spry, fresh legs. And hopefully that bodes well for his return this weekend.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Even though they’re the defending champs, the Warriors may need a long playoff run to keep the core of the team together, states Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Draymond Green has a $27.6MM player option this summer on the final year of his contract, and Klay Thompson will be eligible for a new extension. Contract extensions for Wiggins and Jordan Poole will kick in next season, and a new CBA contains harsher restrictions for teams that far exceed the luxury tax threshold. Marcus Thompson notes that the team has a projected salary and tax bill for next year that could approach $500MM, which owner Joe Lacob has called untenable.
- Green said on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast that he would like to play four more seasons and retire as a Warrior, relays Shayna Rubin of The East Bay Times. “I would love to finish my career here,” he said. “That’s been my goal since signing this current contract that I’m on. It’s looking like a more realistic thing to be finishing here. And I also don’t want to play 20 years in the NBA, I want to play 15 years in the NBA. In four more years, it’s likely I’ll be contributing at a high level and living up to the contract I’ll be on. As far as the probability, I can’t give you that because it isn’t up to me. If it was up to me, I can tell you 100 percent I would finish my career here.”
- Curry’s new deal with Under Armour includes shares of the company worth $75MM, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Heat Notes: Play-In Tournament, Lowry, Zeller, Love
The Heat can’t afford a repeat of Tuesday’s performance when they face the Bulls on Friday with their season on the line, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami got off to a lethargic start and trailed by 24 points in the first half against the Hawks before staging a late rally that fell short.
That also means doing a better job on the backboards after the Heat got pushed around by Atlanta. The Hawks held a 22-6 advantage in offensive rebounds, which resulted in a 26-6 edge in second-chance points. Seventeen of those offensive boards came on three-point shots as Miami posted its sixth-worst statistical rebounding night of the season.
“It was at one point like a comedy of errors,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Deflections, missed balls through our hands. Even when we had block outs with two guys there, they ended up with the ball.”
There’s more from Miami:
- A bright spot for the Heat was the performance of Kyle Lowry, who has played well since returning last month from a bout with soreness in his left knee, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 37-year-old point guard seemed to benefit from being sidelined for five weeks while he rested the knee. “We did a good job of kind of managing the minutes over the last month,” he said. “We understood what time of the year (it is). I wanted to be ready and going and firing.” Lowry came off the bench Tuesday to score 33 points, his highest total since joining the Heat, along with five assists and no turnovers.
- Miami’s top two late-season signings were both ineffective in limited playing time Tuesday, observes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Cody Zeller and Kevin Love combined for less than seven total minutes as their lack of athleticism made them a bad matchup for the Hawks.
- At age 34, Love isn’t thinking about the end of his NBA career, per Wes Goldberg of The Ringer. Love’s main reason for negotiating a buyout with Cleveland was that he wasn’t playing and he believed he could still contribute to a successful team. “I don’t know if I’ll make it to 20 (seasons), but I’ve always had my eyes on that,” said Love, who is in his 15th year.
Larry Nance Jr. To Miss Play-In Game
Pelicans big man Larry Nance Jr. won’t be available for Wednesday’s play-in game against the Thunder due to left ankle soreness, the team announced (via Twitter).
Coach Willie Green told reporters prior to the game that Nance was going to test his ankle in warmups to see how it responded, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
Nance was added to the injury report on Tuesday, with New Orleans listing him as questionable. He was able to play 17 minutes in Sunday’s regular season finale.
Nance was one of the Pelicans’ most reliable bench players this season, averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 65 games. His absence could lead to more minutes for fourth-year center Jaxson Hayes.
If New Orleans wins tonight, Nance will have two more days to recover before the next play-in contest Friday at Minnesota. Another victory would put the team in a playoff series against the Nuggets that would begin Sunday night.
The Pelicans are already short-handed without Jose Alvarado, who is out with a right tibial stress reaction, and Zion Williamson, who hasn’t played since early January due to a strained right hamstring.
Earlier on Wednesday, Nance responded to rumors that the organization is upset with Williamson over his prolonged absence.
“No one in our locker room is looking at Z any type of way,” Nance tweeted. “We’re with him every step of his rehab, and support his process, physically AND mentally! Don’t listen to people saying things just to get views!!”
Draft Notes: Mitchell, Shannon, Early Entrants, Mock Draft
Texas freshman Dillon Mitchell will test the NBA draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility. The 19-year-old small forward made the announcement this evening on his Twitter page.
Mitchell is ranked 34th on ESPN’s list of the best available players, but he was considered the No. 4 recruit in the nation coming into college, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Mitchell played just 17 minutes per game in his first season with the Longhorns, averaging 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds. Although he shot 64% from the field, Givony notes that Mitchell’s usage rate would be the lowest of any player drafted over the last 30 years.
Mitchell will have to rely on next month’s draft combine and workouts with individual teams to show that he’s ready for the NBA. Givony points out that his unique combination of physical skills could still make him attractive as a draft prospect.
There’s more on this year’s draft:
- Shooting guard Terrence Shannon Jr. of Illinois, ranked 39th on ESPN’s big board, also announced that he’s declaring for the draft. The senior guard didn’t specify whether he plans to forgo his remaining year of college eligibility. Shannon averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 31 games this season.
- Marquette junior wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Twitter link), San Jose State senior small forward Omari Moore (Instagram link), Kentucky freshman small forward Chris Livingston (Instagram link) and Gonzaga senior shooting guard Malachi Smith (Instagram link) have all declared that they’re entering the draft. Prosper is 65th in the ESPN rankings, Moore is 81st, Livingston is 84th and Smith isn’t listed.
- Alabama forward Brandon Miller gets the edge over G League guard Scoot Henderson for the No. 2 pick in the latest mock draft compiled by Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link). Givony calls Miller an easy fit for just about any NBA team, while Woo notes that Henderson has slipped a little in the eyes of scouts, but still offers a combination of strength, quickness and scoring instincts that make him appealing. Victor Wembanyama occupies the top spot in the mock draft, and Amen Thompson and Jarace Walker round out the top five.
Bulls Notes: Caruso, DeRozan, Offseason, Donovan
Alex Caruso has been recognized as one of the best defenders in the NBA for several years, but he’s never been voted to a spot on the All-Defensive Team, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Caruso has a good chance to change that this season, Johnson adds, noting that the veteran guard played a career-high 67 games for the Bulls while leading the league with 5.2 deflections per 36 minutes and finishing 10th in drawing charges.
“Coming from a spot where I was undrafted and teams didn’t think I was good enough to be in the league to being, in my eyes, one of the best defenders in the league, we’ll see what other people think,” Caruso said. “But I’m really proud of how much work I’ve put in and the growth I’ve had to get to this point. There are a lot of good defenders in the league. It’s a tough list to make, especially being a guard and only four spots. But I think I am (worthy).”
Caruso started just 36 games this season, but he’s in the starting lineup tonight for Chicago’s must-win play-in game against the Raptors. He’ll be matched up with Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, who’s four inches taller, but Caruso likes the challenge of defending bigger players.
“That’s where I think some of the intangibles I have—being tough, being able to compete—really carry me. Because obviously physically with some of those bigger matchups, I’m a little overwhelmed statistically speaking,” Caruso said. “I try to be smart and use the court to my advantage, know where I have help.”
There’s more on the Bulls:
- After years as a fan favorite in Toronto, DeMar DeRozan is ready for his first postseason game in an enemy uniform, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. DeRozan expects to be the focus of Nick Nurse‘s defensive scheme, just as he was during their regular season meetings. “Playing against Nick and those guys, they try to do everything in their power to make sure I don’t beat them,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘… I’m aware of it, for sure. For my sake, I definitely have my own theory of how I’m going to deal with it.’’
- The Bulls are paying the price for not being more aggressive as sellers at the trade deadline, Darnell Mayberry of the Athletic states in a conversation with fellow Athletic writer Eric Koreen about the play-in matchup. Mayberry notes that limited draft assets and cap space this summer leave Chicago with little hope of improving on this year’s 10th-place finish.
- In a video posted by NBC Sports Chicago, coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls can’t afford to get distracted by the fact that their season is on the line tonight.