Central Notes: Pistons’ Depth, Trade Options, Mitchell
The depth of this season’s playoff rosters serves as a reminder that the Pistons are severely lacking in that department, suggests Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
Sankofa points to the five rotation players on the West’s top-seeded Thunder who went undrafted or were second-round picks as something of an indictment on Detroit’s inability to find much value at that stage of the draft (or after the draft) in recent years. Sankofa also takes current lead front office architect Troy Weaver to task for whiffing on several deeper picks and fringe roster free agency signings during his tenure.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- The Pistons seem poised to try to make significant personnel changes this summer, opines James Edwards III of The Athletic. Edwards and a few other staffers on The Athletic break down potential trade targets and packages for the rebuilding club, including former All-Stars like Brandon Ingram and Lauri Markkanen.
- Even with rumors swirling around Donovan Mitchell‘s long-term future with the Cavaliers, the star guard managed to pull off a winning performance in the team’s Game 7 comeback victory against the Magic on Sunday, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. After pouring in 50 points in a losing Game 6 effort against Orlando, Mitchell scored 39 points in Sunday’s 106-94 elimination contest win. Thus far in these playoffs, he’s averaging 28.7 PPG on .459/.250/.824 shooting, with 5.0 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.4 SPG.
- In case you missed it, long-injured Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball picked up his $21.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season, as had long been expected.
Heat Notes: Martin, Second Apron, Spoelstra, Butler
Caleb Martin said at Friday’s exit interviews that his preference is to remain with the Heat, but Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald explains that the team’s financial situation may not make that realistic. Martin has a $7.1MM player option for next season, which he’s expected to turn down to seek a longer and more lucrative contract in free agency.
“Everybody knows I want to be here. I make that known,” Martin told reporters. “That’s my goal is to be able to stay here, make it work. I want to be here as long as possible and for them to want me to come back. That’s my main goal.”
As we noted recently, it will be difficult for Miami to re-sign Martin and free agent Haywood Highsmith without crossing the second tax apron for next season. Chiang points out that the Heat have seven players under contract for 2024/25, and assuming Kevin Love, Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant all pick up their options, the team salary would be around $173MM with five slots left to fill.
Adding $4.2MM for the 15th pick in the draft, another $2.1MM for Orlando Robinson‘s contract, which is non-guaranteed for next season, and $2.5MM in unlikely bonuses for Tyler Herro, which have to be included for apron calculations, brings that total to $181.8MM for 12 players. That’s already above the projected first apron of $179MM and only $8.2MM away from the severe restrictions that are part of the second apron.
There’s more from Miami:
- Coach Erik Spoelstra rejects the idea that the Heat didn’t place enough emphasis on the regular season and didn’t make a strong attempt to avoid the play-in tournament, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. After advancing from the play-in to the NBA Finals last year, there was a perception that Miami was content to try to do it again, which led to a bad first-round matchup with Boston. “To say that we did not philosophically take the regular season seriously, that’s totally off base,” Spoelstra said. “I could see why people would point to that because of missed games. We’re not a load-management team. There were things that happened and sometimes you can’t control that.”
- With Jimmy Butler expected to seek a two-year extension worth about $113MM, ESPN’s Zach Lowe speculated on his latest podcast that Butler could be on the trade market this summer (hat tip to Bleacher Report). “There are scenarios, let’s just say, where the Heat trade Jimmy Butler for some future assets and some other stuff,” Lowe said, “… and that gives them the ammo to go out and call the Cavs, and say, ‘Hey, what about Donovan Mitchell?'” Butler is under contract through next season and has a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26.
- Butler made some pointed comments about two Eastern Conference rivals and one of his former coaches (Twitter link from Rock the Bells). “If I was playing, Boston would be at home,” said Butler, who missed the first-round series with an MCL sprain. “New York damn sure would be f—ing at home.” Butler also rejected the idea that Josh Hart could guard him and said he has “love” for Tom Thibodeau but wouldn’t be interested in playing for him again. “I love Thibs but I don’t want Thibs,” Butler continued. “I love you baby, but I want to beat you to a pulp. You want me. I don’t want you. It’s like a one-sided relationship. You in love with me and I love you but I’m not in love with you.”
Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Trade Assets, Bam
All-NBA Heat forward Jimmy Butler is expected to seek a two-year, maximum-salary contract extension with Miami, worth approximately $113MM, before the start of the 2024/25 season, a source tells Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
The theoretical deal would kick in for 2025/26. Butler has a $52.4MM player option for that year, which the extension would replace.
If Miami opts to not extend Butler, Chiang argues, the team could be faced with an unhappy star. The 34-year-old swingman led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances – and an additional appearance in the Eastern Finals – during his first four seasons with the club, though he has dealt with a series of injuries, including an MCL sprain that knocked him entirely out of the playoffs this year.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald speculates about the potential trade haul Miami could receive in exchange for its best player should the team opt not to extend Butler.
There’s more out of Miami:
- Following a first-round playoff elimination marred by injuries, the Heat face a variety of questions about their future this offseason. The biggest, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel contends, surrounds what Miami brass wants to do with shooting guard Tyler Herro. Winderman wonders if Miami will look to trade the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year this summer, or if it will consider demoting him back to a bench role going forward. Herro is owed $93MM across the remaining three years of his deal.
- With the Heat set to explore the trade market this summer, Jackson takes stock of the club’s movable assets, consulting with a rival scout on the value of those pieces. The scout criticized Herro’s inconsistency both as a player and as an injury risk. As far as young players still on rookie scale deals go, the scout is high on the ceilings of forwards Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic. The scout also addressed the contracts of guards Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier, Miami being a potential trade destination for Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, and more.
- One fascinating potential internal change the Heat could consider, according to one alum who still works for the franchise, is shifting All-Star center Bam Adebayo from center to power forward, writes Jackson in another piece. While on the ESPN program “First Take” this week, 20-year Miami vet Udonis Haslem explained why he thinks the 6’9″ big man could benefit from a positional move. “He can guard all five positions but he would have even more of a matchup at the 4 position where we can post him up and do different things with him,” Haslem said. “Go for a center and possibly another scoring guard.” Haslem is currently the Heat’s vice president of basketball development, and also hosts a podcast with fellow ex-Heat champion Mike Miller.
Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Bickerstaff, Mobley, Garland
Donovan Mitchell accepted responsibility for the Cavaliers‘ woeful offense in Saturday’s loss at Orlando, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Mitchell was held scoreless in the second half — and Cleveland only managed 29 points after intermission — in a lopsided loss that evened the series at 2-2.
“You can’t have a drought like that,” he said. “It starts with me. I didn’t score in the second half. I’ve been starting second halves like that all series. Ten points (for Cleveland in the third quarter) is outrageous. We have to be better. I have to be better. I’m disappointed in myself and I’ll be better.”
Mitchell has been much better in the first half than the second throughout the series, and the Magic were able to completely shut him down today, mostly through the work of Jalen Suggs, who limited Mitchell to 1-of-6 shooting with three turnovers as his primary defender. The Cavs will have to find a way to unleash Mitchell when the series resumes Tuesday to avoid a second straight first-round exit.
“It’s 2-2. You give credit where credit is due. They handled their business at home. That’s it,” Mitchell said. “It’s upsetting we didn’t respond, but we’ll find a way to do it at the crib like we did the first two games. Or else we will be home early. But they did for two games. We did it for two games. It’s best of three now.”
There’s more on the Cavaliers:
- For all the speculation about Mitchell’s extension, Cleveland may have to trade him this summer because he’s a bad fit with the rest of the team, contends Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Vardon notes that Mitchell has only produced two good playoff games since the Cavs traded for him last year, and the team is just 3-6 in the postseason with Mitchell. He has 15 turnovers and seven made threes in the current series while shooting just 25% from beyond the arc.
- J.B. Bickerstaff is being out-coached in a series where his job is probably on the line, Vardon states in the same story. Vardon believes Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley is making better adjustments to the extent that Cavs center Jarrett Allen seemed to question Bickerstaff’s defensive approach after the loss in Game 3.
- The long-term value of Evan Mobley and Darius Garland may also be reexamined if the Cavaliers can’t win the series, Vardon adds. Although Mobley has been a difference maker on defense since he entered the league, his offensive game hasn’t developed and the Magic are dominating him physically in the playoffs, just as New York did last year. Mobley will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. Garland is in the first season of a five-year extension worth nearly $200MM, and Vardon wonders if the Cavs will be eager to keep both guards if they’re able to reach an extension with Mitchell.
Central Notes: Allen, Lillard, Rivers, Giannis, Pacers
Jarrett Allen has been a dominant force in the Cavaliers’ first two playoff games against the Magic. He’s averaging 16 points in the first-round series, while his 38 total rebounds are just 11 fewer than the 49 Orlando’s entire starting lineup has grabbed, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes. Magic defensive star Jonathan Isaac only played 19 minutes in Game 2 due to Allen’s superiority.
The Cavaliers’ center has drawn extra motivation from his postseason clunker against the Knicks last season.
“He’s a prideful individual,” Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell said. “And I think that the way it happened last year, you could see it’s a motivating thing. I think it goes without saying. I think he’s shown it himself to us all season. I had no doubt that this is who he would be.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Damian Lillard erupted for 35 points in Game 1 of the Bucks’ first-round series against the Pacers. The longtime All-Star guard was itching to get back into the postseason after a two-year absence with Portland, Jamal Collier of ESPN writes. “The last two years not being in the playoffs, it (stunk),” Lillard said. “Early vacations. Last year, I went to Coachella. I ain’t never been able to go to Coachella. Just having that long summer, I was over that. Being able to be in a playoff series on a championship team, championship organization, knowing that we got an opportunity for it, that was the thing I was looking forward to most.”
- Lillard and coach Doc Rivers had dinner together last Wednesday, where the main topic of conversation was boxing, not basketball. There’s a strong bond between coach and player, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “We’ve connected,” Lillard said. “I’ve always respected how he goes about being a coach. He says what’s unpopular. He’s not afraid to address s–t and I’m a fan of that. I like addressing the elephant in the room, the uncomfortable situations. My family, that’s how it’s always been. That’s how you move past stuff and grow. So I like that that has always been his style. He challenges the best players, in front of everybody. I think that’s how you get the most out of the team.”
- Not surprisingly, Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t play in Game 2 this evening, the team tweets. The Bucks superstar had been listed as doubtful due to a calf injury suffered late in the regular season.
- The Pacers got a big-time wake-up call in Game 1, scoring a season-low in points against a perennial playoff contender, Kelly Iko of The Athletic notes. “The first half was embarrassing,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “No excuses. We simply have got to come out better. It was ugly, and we all own it. … They looked like the experienced team. We looked inexperienced. That led to a lot of problems early. You can talk about how different (the playoffs) are, but actually experiencing it is another thing. We were very poor and have to be way better.”
Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Extension, Thompson, Allen
Donovan Mitchell backed up his claim that his troublesome left knee is now “100 percent” as he led the Cavaliers past Orlando in their series opener this afternoon, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Mitchell didn’t seem slowed by the knee at all as he carved up the Magic’s defense for 30 points while shooting 11-of-21 from the field and 3-of-8 from three-point range.
“It’s all about setting a tone,” Mitchell said. “This is exciting and I love it and it’s great but in the same token, this game is only one game. This is trying to set that tone, but now we have to do it again and again.”
Although his teams have enjoyed limited playoff success, Mitchell has established himself as one of the premier postseason scorers of the era, Andrews notes. Today marked his fifth straight Game 1 with at least 30 points, which is the longest current streak and is tied for sixth-best all-time. He’s reached at least 30 points 21 times in his first 45 postseason games.
“He’s ready for the moment,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “And it’s the Game 1s. It’s the bigger games during the regular season. Like, he has the ability and the understanding of how important the start is. … Some people may have that idea or thought and understanding of it. But he’s got the ability to time and time [again] go to that space.”
There’s more from Cleveland:
- Mitchell began the playoffs amid speculation regarding how much longer he’ll be in Cleveland, notes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Lloyd contends that Mitchell’s best move would be to sign an extension, which could be worth more than $200MM over four years, pointing out that he has played his best basketball since joining the Cavaliers and it would give the core of the team more time to grow together. Mitchell could always request a trade in another year or two if things don’t work out, Lloyd adds. An unidentified executive tells Josh Robbins and Sam Amick of The Athletic that several teams are prepared to pursue Mitchell if the Cavs suffer an early playoff exit and decide to make him available.
- The Cavaliers learned how tough the playoffs can be in last year’s first-round ouster against New York, and they hope to build on that experience against a young Orlando team, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “For the veterans … we’ve been in playoff series, been in a handful up or down,” Tristan Thompson said. “We know what it takes, so I think it’s a good combination. We have guys who’ve had success, but also guys who have had failure and are hungry for (another opportunity).”
- After the Cavs were dominated on the boards by the Knicks last year, Bickerstaff challenged his team to win the rebounding battle against the Magic, and they responded with a 54-40 advantage in Game 1, notes Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal. “Just go get the ball at any cost,” Jarrett Allen said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve got to push your man to go get the ball or jump over somebody’s back, just come up with a rebound.”
Nets Notes: Claxton, Budenholzer, Borrego, DSJ, Marks
Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto, Brian Lewis of The New York Post said he believes there’s better than a 50/50 chance that Nic Claxton will remain with the Nets, suggesting the team has been preparing for having to give the unrestricted free agent center a significant raise.
“I’d go as far as saying they’ve been fretting over it because they’ve had to carve out the money for this,” Lewis said. “They want him back. … I think they’re reasonably confident that they can, as of today, come to some sort of an agreement.”
As for the Nets’ broader plans going forward, Lewis thinks the team will likely wait until 2025 – when Ben Simmons‘ maximum-salary contract comes off the books – to go “big-game hunting,” though that prediction came with a caveat.
“There are a few players who could accelerate that process,” Lewis said. “Donovan Mitchell is one of those few. … If another superstar becomes disgruntled – like Giannis (Antetokounmpo), if he decides he’s given a lot of great years to Milwaukee and wants to leave – there are a few players who’d make the Nets pivot off of waiting until 2025. The baseline right now is the summer of 2025.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Discussing the search that led to Brooklyn identifying Jordi Fernandez as its next head coach, Lewis said he has heard that Mike Budenholzer‘s contract demands were “rather high” in terms of both years and dollars, while Scotto says James Borrego was another candidate who received legitimate consideration from the Nets alongside their three reported finalists.
- Dennis Smith Jr. hopes to secure a multiyear contract in free agency this summer, according to Scotto. Asked if he sees himself returning to the Nets, Smith didn’t rule it out. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind it,” he said. “I’ve got a great relationship with these guys, and the medical and training staff is one of the best I’ve ever seen in the league – and I’ve got a real perspective on that because I’ve been around. I would welcome that.” For what it’s worth, Lewis believes Smith is more likely to land elsewhere than to remain in Brooklyn, particularly if he’s seeking multiple years.
- NetsDaily passes along some of the highlights from a Sean Marks Q-and-A session with fans at the HSS Training Center this week. The Nets’ president of basketball operations discussed the team’s roster-building approach in fairly general terms and left the door open to the possibility that the club could trade into this year’s draft.
Central Notes: Mitchell, Lillard, Dosunmu, Drummond, Fontecchio
After missing 16 of the Cavaliers‘ final 26 games due to pain in his left knee, Donovan Mitchell said Wednesday that he’s “100 percent,” writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Mitchell had a platelet-rich plasma injection in the knee and was given plenty of rest as the team’s medical staff monitored his condition to prepare him for the postseason.
Withers notes that the injury affected Mitchell’s movement, as his usual explosiveness and quick change of direction were missing for weeks. A recent 33-point game against Indiana seemed to be a sign that he’s getting back to normal, and Mitchell said he’s ready to carry the playoff scoring load.
“That is just expected of me,” he said. “That’s who I am to myself, who everybody’s expecting me to be. But at the end of the day, I set my own personal goals and this is one of them. It just happens to align with everybody else’s expectations, too. I mean, I put that on me, and I’m not worried about that. I prepped for these moments. My teammates believe in me, and I believe in myself. Now I can sit here and say about this is all I want, but I got to go out there and do it.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Bucks guard Damian Lillard returned to practice today after sitting out Tuesday due to left adductor pain that started over the weekend, according to an Associated Press story. Lillard did some shooting and “all of the walk-through stuff,” according to coach Doc Rivers, who hopes to have him more active when practice resumes Friday. Milwaukee was 1-8 without Lillard this season.
- Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, who has been dealing with a bruised quad, was cleared to play and is in the starting lineup for tonight’s game with Atlanta, tweets KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Reserve center Andre Drummond, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, is also active (Twitter link).
- Simone Fontecchio expects to return to the Pistons next season and said he’s become more familiar with coach Monty Williams’ approach to the game, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit News (Twitter link). “I’m a restricted free agent, so most likely I’m going to be here,” Fontecchio said. “That’s good because being here the last two months, I understand Monty’s system and what his philosophy is and how we play. I’m definitely going to work this offseason knowing what my role is going to be.”
Central Notes: Cavaliers, DeRozan, Dosunmu, Drummond, Rivers, Giannis
The boos that the Cavaliers heard as they left the court after Sunday’s loss to Charlotte weren’t directed at the players, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. There was an organizational decision to rest several rotation members rather than prioritize a win that would have earned the team the No. 2 seed and avoided a potential second-round matchup with the league-leading Celtics. The result was embarrassing, as Cleveland was outscored 18-2 to end the game and will face Orlando in the first round after falling to fourth place.
Vardon notes that the loss of Craig Porter Jr. to a sprained ankle in the first quarter left the Cavs short on ball-handlers. With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Caris LeVert all sitting out, there was no one to run the offense as the lead slipped away.
“It was difficult (to watch), but we had our plan in place with what we were gonna do with our guys,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “(Our starters) were gonna play those three quarters, and then Craig not being out there made it a little difficult to organize and score in the fourth quarter, but we wanted to stick to our plan, and no matter what was going to happen, we were going to give our guys an opportunity to play.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Thirty-four-year-old DeMar DeRozan finished the season as the NBA’s leader in minutes, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. The Bulls swingman was on the court for 2,988 minutes, his highest total in a decade, as he became the first player over age 30 to league the league in that category since LeBron James did it six years ago. “And he doesn’t miss practice. He doesn’t miss shootaround,” Coby White said of DeRozan. “He’s early to everything. Those are the things I notice. He’s always on time. He’s always one of the first ones there. You know how some guys can be. And for him, it’s just his professionalism day in and day out never changes.”
- The Bulls have some injury concerns heading into Wednesday’s play-in game, notes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Ayo Dosunmu has a bruised quad and Andre Drummond is dealing with a sprained left ankle, and neither is certain to play against Atlanta. ‘‘Ayo is having issues with the running and the starting and the sprinting and the stopping,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘There’s been some discomfort there for him. He has to get over that hurdle. I think there is hope he can clear those hurdles.’’
- Bucks coach Doc Rivers is looking forward to a playoff matchup against Indiana, which was 4-1 against Milwaukee this season, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. They haven’t faced each other since January 3, which was before Rivers took over the team. “Indiana has had our number all year, so perfect opponent,” Rivers said. “They’ve played great against us. They have great confidence against us. We’ll have great focus because we’re going to have to.”
- Giannis Antetokounmpo may not be available for the start of that series, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Bucks star hasn’t played since Tuesday when he suffered a soleus strain in his left calf, and Rivers confirmed over the weekend that there are doubts about his status for the opener.
Injury Notes: Embiid, Sixers, Cavs, Hornets, Rozier
After previously being listed as questionable, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was subsequently ruled out by the Sixers ahead of Sunday’s season finale against Brooklyn, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Embiid’s official injury designation was left knee injury recovery, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
When asked if he expected Embiid to play as long as he didn’t have any issues pregame, head coach Nick Nurse shifted around a bit while saying, “Yeah, same on the (other) questionable guys” (Twitter video link via PHLY Sixers).
De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery) and KJ Martin (left great toe contusion), the other two players with questionable tags, were later ruled out as well.
In his fifth game back following a torn left meniscus in January, which required surgery, Embiid appeared to tweak the same knee in Friday’s win over Orlando, calling to be subbed out a couple minutes before the first half ended. He returned for the second half and finished the game, but was noticeably grimacing at times.
Sunday’s game has major playoff implications for the 76ers, who currently have the same record as Orlando and Indiana at 46-35 but are the No. 7 seed due to tiebreakers. Still, Embiid’s health outlook is much more critical for the postseason and the future — Philadelphia went just 15-27 without the 30-year-old this season.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- The Cavaliers, who have secured at least the No. 4 seed in the East and could move as high as No. 2, will be without some of their top players on Sunday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Donovan Mitchell (knee), Darius Garland (lower back contusion), Caris LeVert (knee soreness), Sam Merrill (neck strain) and Dean Wade (knee sprain) are all out. “It’s not rest,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to tipoff. “Those guys have things they are dealing with that we are trying to protect over the long term. Not guys who are just taking today off. That was the thinking going into it — if we can get them yesterday and today and get out throughout this week, hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, whenever we play, that’s an advantage for us. We will go out and compete our tails off to make sure whatever may happen. So much is out of our control. It’s not a situation where we are going in and saying, ‘We need to do this or do that.’ We don’t control the outcome. So many other teams that have their own plans and own minds that they are trying to make up. We’re going out and trying to compete our tails off and see what happens.”
- The Cavs are facing the Hornets on Sunday, and Charlotte will also be very undermanned, the team announced (via Twitter). Miles Bridges (right wrist), Brandon Miller (right wrist), Davis Bertans (left Achilles), Nick Richards (right plantar fascia) and Grant Williams (right ankle) were all downgraded from questionable to out, joining four other players who are dealing with long-term injuries.
- Heat guard Terry Rozier underwent additional testing on his neck injury in recent days, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). Head coach Erik Spoelstra continues to refer to Rozier as day-to-day, but he’ll miss his fourth straight game on Sunday, leaving his postseason status up in the air. Rozier has been taking anti-inflammatories to deal with the issue, Winderman adds.