Isaac Okoro

Cavs Notes: Roster, Okoro, Bates, Nance, Travers

August 10th, 2024 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are still carrying just 10 players on standard guaranteed contracts for the 2024/25 season. However, the team doesn’t appear likely to make a series of roster additions before the regular season begins.

Craig Porter, who has a partially guaranteed salary, and Sam Merrill, who has a non-guaranteed deal, are penciled in as the 11th and 12th players on the 15-man regular season roster. And, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com explains, one of the other roster openings remains earmarked for restricted free agent Isaac Okoro. There hasn’t been any movement recently in negotiations with Okoro, per Fedor, with Cleveland having made its position clear to the forward’s camp.

If Okoro returns as the 13th man, the 14th spot on the roster would likely be reserved for a “cost-effective, playable, end-of-bench veteran,” according to Fedor, who suggests that the ideal target would be a player who could provide depth and locker room leadership, like Tristan Thompson did last season.

New Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, who is serving as an assistant for the French national team, is expected to meet with members of Cleveland’s front office after the Olympics to discuss what he’s looking for with that 14th roster spot, as well as possible targets, Fedor writes.

As for the 15th spot, the plan is to leave it open to begin the regular season in order to save some money and maximize the team’s roster flexibility, Fedor concludes.

Here’s more on the Cavs:

Cleveland doesn’t yet have any players signed to two-way contracts for the coming season, but Fedor expects Emoni Bates to return in one of those slots. A two-way qualifying offer remains on the table for Bates, making him a restricted free agent. Pete Nance, who finished last season on a two-way contract and played a significant role on the Cavs’ Summer League team, is another strong candidate for a two-way deal, Fedor adds.
When draft-and-stash prospect Luke Travers left Melbourne United to pursue other professional opportunities, he made that decision in conjunction with the Cavs, sources tell Cleveland.com. However, the plan for Travers remains up in the air — having him sign a two-way contract is the most logical outcome, but it isn’t a certainty yet, says Fedor.
As Fedor observes, as long as the Cavs are carrying just 14 players on their standard roster instead of 15, their two-way players are limited to 90 total games (instead of 50 apiece), meaning Travers could spend plenty of time in the G League with the Cleveland Charge if he comes stateside on a two-way deal. That might be fine with him, but Fedor suggests that a deal in Europe – where he’d presumably have a bigger role than he would in the NBA – is another option that may still be in play for the 22-year-old Australian wing. The Cavs could also trade Travers’ NBA rights, though there’s no indication they’re pursuing that path.

Nets Notes: Fernandez, Bridges, Okoro, Training Staff

August 3rd, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordi Fernandez spent 15 years working on NBA staffs and in the G League before the Nets gave him his first head coaching opportunity in April. In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Fernandez speculates that his experience as head coach of the Canadian national team gave him an edge in Brooklyn’s hiring process.

“Everybody says that they value the G League experience, which I think was amazing,” he said. “And for me it was a big part of why I kept developing. But coaching Canada and qualifying for the Olympics, it was the last push to be a head coach in the NBA and I’ll always be thankful for the opportunity. But also thankful for these guys, how hard they play. They are the ones that qualified. They are the ones that got a medal, so I obviously benefited from it.”

The Olympic obligations have prevented Fernandez from concentrating full-time on his new job, but he tells Spears they haven’t been a major distraction. He says Nets officials have been “super supportive” about his Olympic duties, and he was able to monitor Summer League games and practices by watching film. He’ll be able to devote his full attention to the team once the medal round in Paris wraps up next weekend.

“I’ve been calling and texting the (Nets) players,” Fernandez said. “I talked to Dennis (Schröder). Talked to the young guys. I talked to (Trendon) Watford. We just we got him back on the team, which we were very happy about. It takes time to build relationships, but they’ve been responsive and they’ve been awesome.”

There’s more on the Nets:

Also in the interview, Fernandez addresses the fact that the team he expected to coach changed significantly when Brooklyn traded Mikal Bridges to the Knicks in June. Fernandez said he supports the deal, which brought back Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton and a large collection of draft assets, signifying that the Nets are fully moving into a rebuilding stage. “It was one of the avenues that we’ve had in mind and how we wanted to do things,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, he’s an amazing player and have a lot of respect for him. Every good trade has to be a win-win. And this is one avenue that we were contemplating. I’m very excited because I know that we can build something more special.”
Despite speculation earlier this week, it doesn’t look like the Nets are in position to acquire Isaac Okoro from the Cavaliers, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said on the “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast (hat tip to Sports Illustrated). Cleveland was rumored to be considering a sign-and-trade deal involving Dorian Finney-Smith. “I don’t think those talks got really, really substantial to my understanding,” Fischer said. “I just don’t think it can even happen right now after the salary stuff has all shifted out.”
Jonathan Felipe, the Nets’ head trainer, and Les Gelis, director of sports medicine (injury management) and co-head of the performance team, won’t be returning for the upcoming season, according to NetsDaily (Twitter links).

Nets, Cavs Have Discussed Okoro, Finney-Smith

July 29th, 2024 at 7:54am CST by Luke Adams

As the Cavaliers consider various scenarios involving restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro, one option they’ve explored is a sign-and-trade deal with the Nets, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Sources tell Scotto that, while no agreement is imminent, Brooklyn is considered a possible sign-and-trade destination for Okoro. Veteran Brooklyn wing Dorian Finney-Smith – who is known to be a potential Cavaliers target – has come up in discussions between the two teams involving Okoro, Scotto confirms.

With the Nets hitting the reset button to some extent, adding the 23-year-old Okoro on a longer-term deal may be a better fit for the organization than retaining the 31-year-old Finney-Smith, who can reach unrestricted free agency next summer if he declines his 2025/26 player option.

The Nets are one of several teams to have expressed some sign-and-trade interest in Okoro, Scotto writes, adding that the former Auburn standout could potentially earn an annual salary north of the mid-level exception ($12.8MM) if a sign-and-trade comes to fruition.

Recent reporting indicated that the Cavs have made Okoro a multiyear offer that would pay him less than his $11.8MM qualifying offer on an annual basis — that offer is estimated to be in the range of $8-10MM per year. However, Scotto hears that rival teams believe Cleveland would be prepared to match an offer sheet up to about the full non-taxpayer mid-level.

The Cavaliers are approximately $9.7MM below the luxury tax line, with at least two roster spots to fill, so re-signing Okoro and remaining out of the tax would require him to accept a starting salary slightly below $8MM. A higher starting salary – including his $11.8MM qualifying offer – would push team salary into tax territory.

It’s unclear if staying out of the tax is a priority for Cleveland this season, given that the team projects to above that line next season (and beyond) once Evan Mobley‘s new maximum-salary extension takes effect, Scotto writes. If the club brings back Okoro and wants to avoid the tax for one more year, trading a player like Caris LeVert or Georges Niang could be an option, Scotto speculates, though he notes that Niang is close with Donovan Mitchell, while LeVert is an important part of the second unit. Okoro himself could become a trade candidate later in the season too.

In Scotto’s view, the worst-case scenario for the Cavs would be for Okoro to accept his one-year qualifying offer, since that would give him trade veto rights for the 2024/25 season and he could potentially leave for nothing next summer. For that reason, Scotto expects the Cavs to either come to terms on a multiyear deal with the former No. 5 overall pick or to find a sign-and-trade scenario they like.

Four NBA Restricted Free Agents Still Available

July 27th, 2024 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly four weeks into the NBA’s 2024/25 league year, there are only four restricted free agents who have yet to reach agreements on new deals, including just one who is coming off a standard contract.

Here are the unsigned RFAs:

Isaac Okoro, Cavaliers ($11,828,974 qualifying offer)
Emoni Bates, Cavaliers (two-way qualifying offer)
Jacob Toppin, Knicks (two-way qualifying offer)
Oscar Tshiebwe, Pacers (two-way qualifying offer)

There are still a couple teams with cap room available, so one of those teams – the Pistons and Jazz – could make life difficult for the Cavaliers by giving Okoro an offer sheet in that $12-15MM range, but there has been no indication either club plans to do so. A sign-and-trade to an over-the-cap team is another possibility, and Fedor confirmed in a subscriber-only story for Cleveland.com that the Cavs have had talks with some possible trade partners about a deal, but it doesn’t sound like any real progress has been made on that front.

Barring a late-summer push from a new suitor, Okoro may ultimately have to decide whether he wants to earn a higher salary in 2024/25 and bet on himself again as an unrestricted free agent in 2025 or if he prefers the security of a multiyear deal that would pay him less in year one.

Okoro’s leverage is limited, but even his “worst-case” scenario would be a guaranteed $11.8MM salary for next season. Bates, Toppin, and Tshiebwe have far less leverage and a far less appealing set of choices.

Of the 15 players who received two-way qualifying offers this offseason, only one (Vit Krejci of the Hawks) has agreed to a standard contract. Two others had their QOs withdrawn, while nine have returned to their respective teams on new two-way deals. The odds are good that the final three – Bates, Toppin, and Tshiebwe – will eventually have to accept two-way contracts too.

The deadline for teams to unilaterally withdraw a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent passed on July 13, so Bates, Toppin, and Tshiebwe aren’t facing any sort of short-term deadline on whether or not to accept their two-way offers. They can afford to wait a little longer to make their decisions.

Still, even if they accept their respective qualifying offers, those one-year deals come with few assurances. A two-way player can earn a $578,577 salary over the course of the 2024/25 season, but a qualifying offer is only partially guaranteed for $77,500.

The Cavaliers currently have three open two-way slots, while the Knicks have two, so I think Bates and Toppin would be well-positioned to stick around into the regular season if they accept their QOs.

Tshiebwe’s outlook is less clear. Within the last 24 hours, the Pacers filled two of their three two-way openings by signing Quenton Jackson and Tristen Newton. Tshiebwe could take the third slot, but Indiana still has an unsigned second-round pick (Enrique Freeman) who may be the frontrunner for that final two-way, as Dustin Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star.

Tshiebwe was an All-NBA G League first-teamer and the G League Rookie of the Year this past season, so I expect he’d draw two-way interest from other teams if the Pacers determine they don’t have room for him.

Latest On Cavaliers RFA Isaac Okoro

July 26th, 2024 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly four weeks after the NBA’s free agent period opened, Isaac Okoro is the only standard restricted free agent who remains unsigned. And with little cap room still available around the league and few teams seemingly inclined to use their full mid-level exception, the Cavaliers have “a ton of leverage” in their negotiations with the RFA forward, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com stated in the latest episode of the Wine & Gold Talk podcast (YouTube link).

“The sense that I get in talking to a lot of people around the NBA, I’m not sure what the offer is specifically that the Cavs have made to Isaac, (but) they believe that it’s a fair offer. It’s a multiyear offer,” Fedor said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “It’s what they think he’s worth based on the construction of this particular roster and based on the role that he’s going to have for this roster. I don’t know exactly what the offer is that they have made, but the sense that I get in talking to people around the NBA is that it’s a multiyear offer in the annual range of $8 to $10 million.

“If it gets to a point where Isaac and his people are looking for multiple years around $12 to $15 million, right around the mid-level exception, that’s not a number that the Cavs would be comfortable with moving forward.”

After signing Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell to lucrative new long-term extensions this offseason, the Cavs will have three maximum-salary players on their roster beginning in 2025/26. With stricter spending restrictions in effect under the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the team is wary about committing an annual salary well into the eight figures for a player like Okoro who doesn’t project to be a starter, per Fedor.

As Fedor explains, Cleveland would be comfortable with Okoro accepting his qualifying offer, which would pay him $11,828,974 in 2024/25 and would put him on track for unrestricted free agency next summer. While they’d be reluctant to pay him that amount for several seasons, the Cavs are OK with that number for one year before the rest of the roster gets more expensive.

Okoro, meanwhile, will have to determine whether he likes the idea of betting on himself by taking a higher 2024/25 salary and returning to free agency in about 11 months, or if he prefers the security of a multiyear deal that will pay him a little less next season.

Of course, it would be ideal for Okoro if another suitor swooped in to put pressure on the Cavaliers, but given that no team has emerged to this point to aggressively pursue him, that suitor may not be out there. I’ve speculated a couple times that Detroit would be a fit for the former No. 5 overall pick, given the J.B. Bickerstaff connection, the Pistons’ remaining cap room (approximately $11MM), and the fact that Detroit could afford to be patient with Okoro’s development on offense. But there have been no real indications that the Pistons are interested.

Okoro is an excellent point-of-attack defender whose offensive contributions remain relatively limited. The 23-year-old knocked down a career-high 39.1% of his three-point attempts last season, but that was on low volume (1.2 makes per game), with opposing defenses often sagging off of him.

The Cavs are currently operating about $9.7MM below this season’s luxury tax line, with 12 players under contract. If they sign a minimum-salary player as their 13th man and leave their 15th roster spot open, they could sign Okoro for about $25MM over three years or $34MM over four and remain barely below the tax line. However, the fact that they’re willing to live with Okoro signing his $11.8MM qualifying offer suggests the Cavs aren’t necessarily committed to staying out of tax territory.

Cavs Notes: Wade, Hendry, Geriot, Travers, Okoro

July 10th, 2024 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Dean Wade missed the last 19 games of the Cavaliers‘ regular season and was only able to suit up for three of the team’s 12 playoff contests due to a right knee sprain. However, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), Wade is no longer experiencing any pain in that knee.

As Fedor details, the veteran forward took a few weeks off after the Cavs were eliminated from the postseason and then resumed working out in mid-June. He has been conducting full-court workouts in recent weeks with no issues, Fedor adds.

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

Trevor Hendry, who worked under Kenny Atkinson for three years in Brooklyn, is joining Atkinson’s new staff in Cleveland as an assistant coach, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Hendry was Brooklyn’s head video coordinator during Atkinson’s tenure but was later promoted to an assistant coaching role under Jacque Vaughn.
The Cavaliers are still working through various coaching staff changes, according to Fedor, who tweets that veteran assistant Dan Geriot likely won’t remain with the team. The former head coach of Cleveland’s G League team, Geriot has been a Cavs assistant for several years, but appears likely to join the Pelicans in a front-of-the-bench role, says Fedor.
Luke Travers, the 56th overall pick in the 2022 draft, will be with the Cavaliers for a third straight Summer League in Las Vegas. A 22-year-old guard/forward, Travers remains under contract with Melbourne in Australia’s National Basketball League, but has an NBA out in that deal and would be interested in making the move to Cleveland if the opportunity arises, Fedor writes for Cleveland.com. “ASAP,” Travers said of his timeline for making the move to the NBA. “You’re trying to get there as soon as possible, and you don’t want to wait around and stuff. I’ve just been trying to put in the work. … It’s all been positive talks (with the Cavaliers). They’re always trying to help me in any way they can and give me a little feedback here and there.”
Sources tell Fedor that a spot on the Cavaliers’ roster for 2024/25 is unlikely for Travers, though there’s some curiosity within the organization about how he’d look in Atkinson’s system. The Cavs continue to negotiate with restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro and are operating under the assumption that they’ll have just one roster spot left to fill if Okoro returns, Fedor explains. Cleveland currently has just 12 players on standard contracts, so that suggests the team doesn’t plan to immediately fill its 15th spot.

Trade Rumors: DeRozan, Kings, Lakers, Grant, Cavs, Finney-Smith, Okoro, More

July 5th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Kings are among the teams believed to have some interest in Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, there has been a growing sense entering the weekend that Sacramento is more focused on free agent forward DeMar DeRozan, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Earlier reporting from Adrian Wojnarowski named the Kings as a legitimate suitor for DeRozan, who would need to be acquired via sign-and-trade, with a third team likely taking on salary from Sacramento in the deal.

Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link) confirms there’s “mutual interest” between DeRozan and the Kings, while James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link) confirms Sacramento has talked to the Bulls about a sign-and-trade and suggests that a third team has been “lined up.”

However, there continues to be competition from rival suitors for the 34-year-old’s services, Ham adds. As John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, it also won’t be easy to construct a three-team trade that gets DeRozan the type of salary he wants, ensures the Bulls don’t take back much money, and has the Kings sending out enough assets to Chicago and a third team to incentivize them to make the deal.

Although there are other teams who could open up a little cap room, Detroit and Utah are the only two teams with significant space still available, and the Pistons are rumored to be keeping their room open for trade opportunities, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Chicago and Sacramento have been talking to Detroit in relation to a possible DeRozan deal.

Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

The Trail Blazers and Lakers have had conversations about Jerami Grant, but if the Blazers are going to send him to Los Angeles, they’d want both of the future first-round picks the Lakers can trade (2029 and 2031), along with matching salaries, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. The Lakers have been unwilling to meet that price and Portland isn’t in any rush to move its top forward, so the talks haven’t gotten far, Highkin writes, noting that – outside of Rui Hachimura – the Blazers wouldn’t have much interest in the players L.A. could put in a package for Grant.
After Zach Lowe reported earlier today that Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is a possible trade target to watch for the Cavaliers, Scotto confirms that Cleveland likes Finney-Smith and has monitored him since Brooklyn acquired him in 2023. Scotto adds that Cavs restricted free agent Isaac Okoro is viewed as a potential sign-and-trade candidate (in general, not specifically for Finney-Smith).
Nuggets forward/center Zeke Nnaji and Sixers free agent KJ Martin are two trade candidates to keep an eye on, according to Scotto. Nnaji is beginning a four-year, $32MM contract after not playing a regular role in Denver last season, so his value on the market would be limited. As for Martin, his small cap hold could allow the Sixers to get creative by signing-and-trading him in order to take back more salary than they would be able to accommodate with the cap room they’ll have left over once their major signings are complete.
Speaking of the Sixers, they’re on track to add Paul George as a straight free agent signing rather than in a sign-and-trade, according to Marc Stein at Substack. That comes as no surprise, since acquiring George via sign-and-trade would hard-cap Philadelphia at the first tax apron, potentially limiting the team’s flexibility for the rest of 2024/25.

FA/Trade Rumors: Okoro, Pistons, Lakers, Lopez, Grant, Knicks

June 30th, 2024 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons are a rival suitor to keep an eye on for Cavaliers free agent forward Isaac Okoro, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).

As Fedor explains, Okoro’s former coach J.B. Bickerstaff is being hired as the Pistons’ new head coach, and the rebuilding squad could afford to be more patient than Cleveland in developing the wing into more of a two-way threat. Additionally, Fedor cites Okoro’s “toughness, competitiveness, tenacity and defense-first credo” as important traits that would help Bickerstaff instill the kind of culture he wants in Detroit.

Okoro received a qualifying offer from the Cavaliers, making him a restricted free agent and giving Cleveland the ability to match any offer sheet he receives. Still, the Pistons will have a significant amount of cap room this summer and could make life hard on the capped-out Cavs with an aggressive offer sheet.

Here are a few more rumors from around the NBA:

The Lakers have been exploring potential trade scenarios involving D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Rui Hachimura, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who hears from sources that Bucks center Brook Lopez is among L.A.’s potential targets. Meanwhile, Anthony F. Irwin of LakersDaily.com has heard the Lakers have had conversations with the Trail Blazers about forward Jerami Grant.
It was no coincidence that the Knicks signed Miles McBride to a contract extension on December 30, allowing him to become trade-eligible on June 30 following a six-month waiting period, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. However, that move was more about giving them team flexibility and was made prior to McBride’ breakout. Although New York needs to add salary to its Mikal Bridges trade with Brooklyn to avoid a hard cap at the first tax apron, the club has “virtually no interest” in moving McBride as part of that deal, says Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
The Knicks have had some discussions about trades involving big man Jericho Sims, according to Begley. Sims’ minimum-salary team option was picked up before Saturday’s deadline, so he’s on an expiring deal entering 2024/25.

QO Updates: Cavaliers, Pistons, Christie, Watford

June 29th, 2024 at 11:36am CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers have issued qualifying offers to young wings Isaac Okoro and Emoni Bates, which means they’re both heading for restricted free agency, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

The fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft, Okoro’s QO — essentially just a one-year contract offer that gives the team the right of first refusal — is worth approximately $11.83MM. Bates’ QO, meanwhile, is for another two-way contract; he spent his 2023/24 rookie campaign on a two-way deal with Cleveland.

The Pistons announced in a press release (via Twitter) that they have extended a qualifying offer to forward Simone Fontecchio, making him a restricted free agent as well. Detroit is considered likely to retain the Italian sharpshooter, whose QO is worth about $5.2MM after he met the “starter criteria” in March.

However, the Pistons have decided not to tender QOs to former first-round picks James Wiseman and Malachi Flynn, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links). Both Wiseman and Flynn will be heading for unrestricted free agency.

The second pick of the 2020 draft, Wiseman did not meet the starter criteria, so his QO would have been worth $7.7MM. Flynn’s QO was valued at $5.8MM.

The moves were expected, as clearing the cap holds for Wiseman and Flynn will allow Detroit to create a significant amount of cap room heading into the new league season. Teams can officially begin negotiating with external free agents on Sunday evening.

Here are a couple more players who are heading for restricted free agency:

Lakers guard Max Christie was given a $2.3MM qualifying offer, Scotto reports (via Twitter). The 21-year-old has averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 37.8% from deep over his first two NBA seasons (108 games, 13.5 minutes per contest). Scotto hears Christie is expected to receive interest from rival suitors as a RFA.
Sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post that the Nets plan to give Trendon Watford a QO before Saturday’s deadline (Twitter link). A former undrafted free agent who played college ball at LSU, Watford’s one-year QO is worth just over $2.7MM. He averaged 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds on .527/.397/.794 shooting in 63 games last season for Brooklyn (13.6 minutes).

Eastern Notes: Cunningham, Pistons, Okoro, Hawks, Magic

June 8th, 2024 at 11:19am CST by Rory Maher

Cade Cunningham is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic expects the Pistons guard to receive a maximum-salary deal, he states in a mailbag.

“I’m 99.9 percent sure that Cunningham gets an extension this offseason,” Edwards writes. “I don’t want to say 100 percent because you never know what can happen, but I’d be stunned if the 2021 No. 1 overall pick doesn’t sign a max rookie extension.”

As Edwards outlines, Cunningham improved his averages across the board in his third season and was one of the team’s few bright spots amid another last-place finish which saw Detroit go just 14-68 and break an NBA record by losing 28 consecutive games.

Edwards also answers questions about veteran players who could be attainable for cheap due to their contracts, and Trajan Langdon‘s top priority for Detroit’s roster, among others.

Here’s more from around the East:

On the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, Ethan Sands and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com discussed the upcoming restricted free agency of Cavaliers wing Isaac Okoro. While the 23-year-old is a stout defender and made strides with his shot during the regular season (a career-high 39.1% on three-pointers), Okoro also struggled offensively in the playoffs. Sands and Fedor suggest the Cavs could be open to giving Okoro a deal up to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, but might not go beyond that due to future cap concerns.
With just 3% odds, Atlanta won the draft lottery and the rights to the No. 1 overall pick. Simply drafting a player and going about business as usual isn’t enough for the Hawks, according to Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who argues the team needs a drastic overhaul this season, particularly trading either Trae Young or Dejounte Murray.
Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the Magic‘s offseason, writing that while Orlando will have plenty of cap room this summer, the team will also have to spend that money wisely, as impending rookie scale extensions will complicate the club’s financial outlook in 2025/26 and beyond.

Load More Posts