Mike Conley

Northwest Notes: Conley, Thunder, Nuggets, Jackson

December 24th, 2023 at 1:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley is feeling revitalized at age 36 as a leader for the team with the West’s best record, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“You see it, not only with his approach but his ability to make huge plays, whether it be a steal in transition, obviously the threes, get the ball to the right people at the right time, close the game, quarterback the defense,” head coach Chris Finch said. “On and on it goes.”

“This is probably the best shape I’ve been in, in a long, long time,” Conley said. “I’m prepared to play however long I need to play. I tell [Finch] if I get tired, but I never do that. I want to be on the court as much as I can and help the guys, so we just keep communicating, and hopefully I can just keep going.”

The six-footer is averaging 11.5 PPG on .464/.445/.952 shooting, along with 6.3 APG and 2.9 RPG. Conley is in the final season of a three-year, $68MM million deal he signed when still with the Jazz. He’ll reach unrestricted free agency this summer, and if he can keep playing like this, he may still have more solid salaries waiting for him.

“I’ve still got it,” Conley said. “My age doesn’t matter, man. I’m still moving good, so I’m happy.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

A trio of former Thunder stars offered high praise for Oklahoma City’s upstart young club and fanbase, following an up-close-and-personal encounter this week, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Clippers stars Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Paul George, who all had multiple successful seasons with the Thunder, fell 134-115 in Oklahoma City on Thursday. “This reminded me of when I was here in the beginning of the Thunder Up days,” Harden said. “And it’s beautiful. It’s been a long time as far as the rebuilding process, but I think it’s exciting. These fans deserve some good basketball.” Harden was drafted by the Thunder in 2009, and was flipped in 2012 to the Rockets. George spent 2017-19 with Oklahoma City, alongside Westbrook. And while he only spent two seasons with the Thunder, he developed a strong connection with the community. He had high praise for Thunder center Chet Holmgren. “He’s a talent,” George said. “We didn’t quite figure it out because he’s not necessarily a big. He can play and move like a guard and a wing, so he gave us some problems.” Westbrook was drafted by the Thunder in 2008, and played there until 2019, winning an MVP in 2017. “It’s like home for me,” Westbrook said. “I grew up here… I’m grateful and gracious for their appreciation of the way I play basketball and the way I compete.”
The Nuggets, much vaunted for their offense, have seen their efforts on the other end of the ball come to the fore of late, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post details. In the second half of an eventual 102-95 win over the Hornets, Denver outscored Charlotte 17-0 to start the third frame, while the Hornets went 0-for-20 from the field at the opening of the quarter. “We wanted to win tonight because of our defense, not our offense,” defense-first power forward Aaron Gordon said.
Nuggets sixth man Reggie Jackson, who was a high school legend at nearby Palmer High School, is reveling in his pro time with Denver, Durando writes in another piece. A big element of his time in town now has been his ability to reconnect with old friends and teammates. “That’s the best part of being back,” Jackson said. “If I have the urge to go see somebody, I can just go drive down there. Getting to see my childhood friends, their families grow, and getting to experience that and actually be around. Being gone so long in the NBA, it’s fun to finally have these moments and be close to them. I’m happy to be back home.”

Wolves Notes: Connelly, Gobert, Conley, Edwards, Towns

December 7th, 2023 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Hired by the Timberwolves in the spring of 2022, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly received plenty of criticism during his first year with the franchise for the price he paid to acquire Rudy Gobert and the limited return the team got in its investment last season. With his club off to a 16-4 start this season, Connelly isn’t ready to take a victory lap quite yet, but acknowledges he likes his roster a lot, per Michael Rand of The Star Tribune.

“We’re only 19 games in, we haven’t won a playoff series in two decades, so we haven’t accomplished much,” Connelly said on The Star Tribune’s Daily Delivery podcast prior to Wednesday’s win over San Antonio. “But … I think there’s something special about this group.”

Following last season’s underwhelming 42-40 record and first-round playoff exit, there were some calls for the Timberwolves to shake up their roster during the 2023 offseason. But Connelly decided to stick with the current core, with only a few minor tweaks around the edges, confident that more time together would put the group in position to jell.

“I’m a pretty patient person. Sometimes I think that patience can bite me, so I don’t want to overly patient and asleep at the wheel,” Connelly said. “But if you have the ability to be patient, I think oftentimes it’s rewarded in this sports landscape.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

While the acquisition of Gobert is Connelly’s most significant move since taking control of the Timberwolves’ front office, he also made a major trade at last season’s trade deadline, moving D’Angelo Russell in a three-team deal that sent Mike Conley (and Nickeil Alexander-Walker) to Minnesota. Conley’s impact can’t be overstated, according to the Wolves’ president. “He has been fantastic,” Connelly said, per Rand. “Everything has been as advertised or better. … I can’t imagine our team without him.”
In a separate story for The Star Tribune, Chris Hine explores how Conley has transformed the Timberwolves’ late-game offense. “I try to make it easier on everybody else, so they don’t have to think as much,” Conley said. “I can do all the thinking and just put you in the right spot. It’s about us repping those certain plays that we’ve done a million times and trusting each other in those moments.”
Anthony Edwards appeared to be favoring his right hip in his return on Wednesday after missing two games due to a hip pointer, notes Hine of The Star Tribune. Edwards, who went 4-of-17 from the floor, said after the game that he was “scared” to go all-out in the first half but got more comfortable as the game went on. “Took him a while to find the rhythm of the game. I’m not sure he really ever did,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I’d like to see him attack a little bit more. Seemed a little hesitant to go at times. But I’m sure he’s working through a little bit of discomfort, so it’s to be expected.”
Discussing his relationship on and off the court with Karl-Anthony Towns, Gobert said that “wanting to see each other shine” has been the key to building their bond, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. “When you create that bond, it’s unstoppable,” Gobert said. “Adversity comes and it doesn’t matter. You know that you trust each other. You know when one is down, the other is going to lift him up and push him. We’re talking about me and KAT, but I think as a team, that’s what I’m feeling right now. And I think that’s a championship mentality.”

Timberwolves Notes: Conley, Future, Milton

November 24th, 2023 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

Mike Conley and his family were prepared for the possibility of a trade out of Utah last season, but they began to become convinced as the trade deadline neared that they would stay put, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. After moving Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Bojan Bogdanovic prior to the season, the Jazz remained in the postseason hunt for much of 2022/23, with Conley playing a key role for the club.

However, just before the deadline arrived, Utah agreed to a three-team deal with the Lakers and Timberwolves that sent Conley to Minnesota. It came as a shock to the Conley family, as Krawczynski details — Mike and his wife Mary weren’t together when the news broke and had to deal with the impact the move would have on their three children, who were seven, five, and three years old. Conley knows that trades are part of the business for highly compensated NBA players, but admitted it was a difficult time.

“You can make a lot of money, but if you get punched in the face, you’re still like, ‘Oh my God, that hurt,'” he said. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. But at this moment, it’s hurting me. So let me feel this for a second here and then move on.”

Nearly a year later, Conley and his family are enjoying life in Minnesota, according to Krawczynski, who notes that the kids have made new friends, while the veteran guard has taken to the area’s “lake life” off the court and embraced the opportunity he has with the Timberwolves on the court.

“It’s probably the best situation for me at this stage of my career,” Conley said. “Not only do we have a team that can be competitive to a contending team in no time, but I also get to be a part of that, like I’m not being thrown to the side where they say, ‘Hey, you know, you’re done playing. You’re not going to play much. It’s a leadership role.'”

Here’s more on Conley and the Wolves:

Conley is on an expiring contract and it may be a challenge for the Timberwolves to bring him back on a market-value deal, given their other financial commitments. However, Minnesota has no in-house point guard to replace him and Conley sounds open to the idea of trying to find a way to make it work with the Wolves beyond this season. “Why not chase it here and hope that my family adjusts and gets settled here right now and not have to run around for three or four more times before I retire,” he said, per Krawczynski. “And just because I’m chasing something I want, you’re not guaranteed to get it anywhere else you go anyway. So why not do it with people that love, respect you and treat you the way you want to be treated? This organization is all about heading in that direction.”
If the Timberwolves had fallen flat this season, it would’ve helped simplify some major roster decisions in 2024 and beyond, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. However, as long as this group continues to prove it’s capable of playing at a high level, the franchise’s future will become much more “nuanced,” according to Rand, who points out that Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Gobert, and Jaden McDaniels will earn approximately $155MM combined next season. Keeping that core together will result in a very expensive roster.
Facing his former team for the first time on Wednesday, Timberwolves guard Shake Milton expressed appreciation to the Sixers for the years he spent there, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Milton added that he has been loving his time with the Wolves so far. “I just felt like this would be a good opportunity, and so far, it has been,” he said. “I love it out here, being in Minnesota, the people, the staff members. Just coming to work every day is really enjoyable. And we’re winning, too. You’ve got to love all three of those things.”

Wolves Notes: Edwards, Finch, Reid, Ownership

November 23rd, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Edwards is already one of the NBA’s top players, but he suggested this week that he might want to see how he could fare in the NFL, according to an ESPN report. Appearing with comedian Marco Summers on his “Open Thoughts” talk show, Edwards said “I might be the first one” to succeed in both leagues.

It’s unlikely the Timberwolves would agree to let Edwards risk his future by playing football after signing him to an extension that could be worth more than $205MM over five years. However, it would be intriguing in theory to watch Edwards give the NFL a try after being one of the nation’s best Pop Warner running backs as a youth. While speculating about a football career, Edwards emphasized to Summers that his priority is to “handle his business in the NBA.”

“As a team, [the] Minnesota [Timberwolves] organization, we want to win a championship,” he said. “After that, we’ll figure that out.”

There’s more from Minnesota:

The Wolves will eventually face salary decisions and second-apron concerns, but fans should enjoy a team that has become one of the NBA’s best rather than worrying about what might happen in 2024 or 2025, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Holding the top spot in the West at 11-3, Minnesota is off to its best start ever and may be a legitimate contender for the first time in the franchise’s 35-year history. There’s a stronger focus, Krawczynski notes, as players who may have overlooked some opponents last season are now locked in every night. “I think it’s very much a serious tone,” coach Chris Finch said. “There’s a conversation about what needs to be done, what they hadn’t done.”
Part of the increased focus comes from resolving financial situations during the offseason, Krawczynski adds. Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson are the only rotation members with expiring contracts, and Krawczyski believes they’re mature enough that it won’t affect their performance. “Everybody’s here to win. Everybody has one goal. Everybody’s got their money situation out of the way,” said Naz Reid, who signed a three-year, $42MM contract extension this summer. “Now we’re here to play basketball and win the game. We’re not really too much worried about anything other than that.”
New owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are negotiating with the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, to invest in the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, sources tell Dan Primack of Axios. Primack believes the move will help to quell rumors that Rodriguez and Lore might not have the funding to complete the remainder of the sale from Glen Taylor.

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Conley, Wolves, K. George

November 10th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The final chapter of Damian Lillard‘s fruitful 11-year relationship with the Trail Blazers was a somewhat acrimonious one, with both sides taking criticism for how they handled Lillard’s trade request this offseason. When the star guard asked out of Portland, he demanded to be sent to a specific team (Miami), and the Blazers responded by taking months to make a deal and ultimately sending him somewhere else (Milwaukee).

Still, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is confident that time will heal any wounds that this summer’s saga created, as he tells Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.

“Sooner or later, talks will be had,” Billups said. “Emotion will be down and that will heal itself. I really believe that. At the end of the day, what Dame did for the organization has never been done before. He’s gonna go down as the greatest. And also what this organization did for Dame was incredible. They had an incredible two-way relationship for the entire time.”

While there may be some fences in need of mending between Lillard and Portland’s front office – including general manager Joe Cronin – Billups says he stayed out of the team’s trade talks and has remained close with Lillard, who was a friend even before Billups was hired by the Blazers.

“We’ve had several [conversations], even when [the trade discussions] first started,” Billups told Goodwill. “I already knew, even however this goes, it’s not gonna change our relationship, our friendship. We talk about very personal things, we talk about hoop at times. And we’ve talked several times since it’s been over. I’m happy for him.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Even if Rudy Gobert‘s strong early-season play continues, it’s hard to imagine the trade that sent him from Utah to Minnesota ever looking like a big win for the Timberwolves, given what they gave up to get him. But Wolves fans should feel good about the other trade the team made with Utah last season, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune, who says point guard Mike Conley has been an ideal fit in Minnesota. “If you heard the reports about Mike Conley before he came here, you’d have thought he was broken down and had to be wrapped in bubble plastic everyday,” head coach Chris Finch said. “That has certainly not been the case. I think he’s exceeded our expectations by a long mile — on and off the floor.”
Multiple scouts who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype are confident that the Timberwolves‘ hot start this season is sustainable. “Anthony Edwards is a top-10 player in the NBA right now,” one scout said. “He’s the real deal and plays both sides of the ball. Minnesota has two top-10 NBA defenders: Rudy Gobert, with his rim protection, and Jaden McDaniels, one of the best defenders on the perimeter. People forget they played Denver tough the last few games of their series. I think they can be a real threat in the West.”
Keyonte George‘s first career start – which came Wednesday on the day he turned 20 – was “the best birthday present you could ever ask for,” he said this week. It also felt like the start of a new era for Utah’s backcourt, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who points out that a notable former Jazz point guard, Deron Williams, also made his first start in his ninth career game 18 years ago. Expecting George to emulate Williams’ ascent to stardom is probably unfair, but his teammates were impressed by how the rookie responded to the promotion. “(It) was a really good showing in terms of Keyonte at the point, running the show, playing his role,” Jordan Clarkson said. “He’ll have big games scoring points, big games getting assists, it was our first time having him out there, and it was really big time for him.”

Wolves Notes: Conley, Milton, Edwards, Offense

October 5th, 2023 at 4:16pm CST by Rory Maher

When veteran point guard Mike Conley was traded to Minnesota last season, he thought he would have a fairly limited offensive role for the Timberwolves. Instead, they wanted him to help guide the offense by not only managing the game, but being an aggressive scorer as well, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“That kind of stuff is like alright, they need me,” Conley said after a recent training camp practice. “To win I have to do this. It just gave me a little bit more extra motivation to go out there and be myself, kind of get back to what I’m good at.”

As Krawczynski notes, the Timberwolves don’t have a long-term answer at point guard, with Conley turning 36 next week and in the final year of his contract. Still, the team hopes to keep the former All-Star for the rest of his career.

“When we got Mike, our goal was for this to be the last spot,” president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. “You never know how things are going to develop. And certainly, we didn’t get Mike for just to be a short-term thing. When you get a person as special as Mike is, you want to be sure that he doesn’t leave here.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Minnesota has “high hopes” for free agent addition Shake Milton, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who tweets that the Wolves want to see Milton attempt more three-pointers in 2023/24. After the combo guard finished with 12 points (on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep) and four rebounds in 20 minutes on Thursday during Minnesota’s preseason win over Dallas, head coach Chris Finch said the team has been pleasantly surprised with Milton thus far. “We’ve talked a lot about him internally, being so happy and surprised, even better than we thought he could be,” he said, per Krawczynski (Twitter link).
Star guard Anthony Edwards sustained a minor ankle sprain in Wednesday’s practice which kept him out of action Thursday, but the team hopes it’ll just be a one-game absence, tweets Krawczynski. “Just being super cautionary right now with that,” Finch said. “We hope to have him back and playing on Saturday.”
After finishing last season ranked just 23rd in the league in offense, the Wolves plan to switch up some of their schemes in ’23/24, Hine writes for The Star Tribune. Finch prefers a free-flowing, read-and-react style, but the team sometimes struggled without structure and defined play calls in ’22/23, Hine notes. “We got to be able to give them the blueprint,” Finch said. “And that is, ‘These basic structures are going to help us.’ And maybe through muscle memory they will just gravitate to the right spots.”

Northwest Notes: Yurtseven, Edwards, Thunder, Simons

August 13th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Omer Yurtseven tells Semih Tuna of Eurohoops that he received interest from two Turkish teams before deciding to sign with the Jazz last month. The 25-year-old center, who spent his first two seasons with Miami, said he wants to try to establish himself in the NBA before giving consideration to playing in his native country.

“Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes were interested,” Yurtseven said. “Fenerbahce is my home, and I also love Erdem Can, my former coach, but even if I wanted to come here towards the end of my career, now is not the time.”

Yurtseven, who is spending this summer with the Turkish national team, became an unrestricted free agent when the Heat opted not to give him a qualifying offer. He had a promising rookie year, but was limited to nine games last season after undergoing ankle surgery. He’s happy to get a chance to start over in Utah.

“Having coach Will Hardy at Utah Jazz, playing with Europeans in significant positions, and being a young team, I couldn’t see any negatives, so it was an easy choice among my top three preferences,” Yurtseven said.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Anthony Edwards believes the Timberwolves would been much better if not for a calf injury that forced Karl-Anthony Towns to miss most of the season, per Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “I think if we get KAT for a whole season, we’ll be all right,” Edwards said. He added that the trade for Mike Conley in February brought a much-needed veteran presence to the team and expressed delight that Minnesota was able to reach an extension with Naz Reid.
In a mailbag column, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman projects the Thunder‘s 15-man roster for opening night. Mussatto expects Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Jack White, TyTy Washington and Victor Oladipo to all be waived at some point.
Anfernee Simons expressed support for Trail Blazers teammate Damian Lillard to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Asked what it would be like to lose his mentor in a potential trade, Simons responded, “A lot of people ask me that question all the time, obviously, like what’s going on with Dame. I say, ‘They say he asked for a trade, he asked for a trade.’ That was it. Obviously, me and Dame have a close relationship. I’m always going to support him no matter what.”

Wolves Notes: Finch, Towns, Gobert, Edwards, Conley, Minott

July 9th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Outside reviews of the Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert pairing were mostly negative, but the Timberwolves saw enough potential that they haven’t tried to break up the experiment this summer. In an interview with Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, head coach Chris Finch talks about how he will approach the upcoming season with the two big men in his starting lineup.

“I think we have to be way more definitive with our spacing around Rudy in pick and roll and KAT in the post,” Finch said. “That gives you two anchor points. Maybe in general, just a little more structured two-big spacing. Both bigs having a purpose at the same time. Then, I think we got away from KAT being in the trail spot. I think we’ve got to get him back where he’s really destructive, which is playing at the top of the floor early in the offense. That’s just off the top of my head of the things that pop out, which I feel pretty confident about being able to firm that up.”

Finch also said Anthony Edwards needs to re-establish his pick-and-roll game with Towns, who missed a major portion of last season with a calf injury. Finch believes Edwards and Gobert developed good chemistry together, and he wants to see that same decisiveness when Edwards is running the pick and roll with Towns.

There’s more on the Timberwolves:

In the same interview, Finch said Mike Conley was able to upgrade the offense after being acquired in February, and he hopes to see even more progress this season. “I think the single biggest thing he can do for us that we weren’t able to maximize or figure out is to be that connective bridge between Ant, Rudy and KAT,” Finch said. “Make all the right plays and all the little plays that you don’t see, and help talk everybody through all these situations. He’s not wired to want to score all the time.”
Edwards will face a new level of pressure in the wake of his max extension, including the expectation of bringing an NBA title to Minnesota, observes La Velle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune. The deal also signifies that Edwards has replaced Towns as the face of the franchise, Neal adds.
After appearing in just 15 games as a rookie, Josh Minott is approaching Summer League in hopes of showing the Wolves he can handle a larger role, Hine adds in another Star Tribune story.“It’s just another opportunity to show the jump I’ve made, to show the work that I’ve been putting in over the summer,” Minott said. “Anybody can watch a workout, but I feel like it’s environments like this, environments like Summer League, where you see how much the work has translated and just how much you’ve gotten better.”

Wolves’ Mike Conley Wins 2022/23 Sportsmanship Award

July 7th, 2023 at 5:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley has won the Sportsmanship Award for the 2022/23 season, the NBA announced in a press release.

According to the NBA, each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award. It was then narrowed down to six finalists — one from each division — by a panel of league executives. Finally, current players voted for the winner.

As the full voting results show, Conley narrowly edged Boban Marjanovic for his fourth award, which is the most in league history — he had previously been tied with Grant Hill at three apiece. The annual award is “designed to honor a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA.

The other four finalists, listed in order of the voting results, were Darius Garland, Bam Adebayo, Harrison Barnes and Jalen Brunson.

Conley, 35, appeared in 67 games for Utah and Minnesota in ’22/23, having been traded in February. The steady veteran averaged a combined 11.9 PPG, 6.7 APG, 2.7 RPG and 1.1 SPG on .428/.385/.834 shooting in 30.3 MPG.

The Sportsmanship Award trophy is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96.

Rockets Rumors: No. 4 Pick, FA Targets, Coaching Staff, More

May 23rd, 2023 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple teams have already expressed some level of interest in acquiring the Rockets‘ No. 4 overall pick, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

It remains to be seen just how much value that pick will have and whether it would be enough to be the centerpiece of a deal for an impact player, Iko writes. Because the draft is perceived to have a drop-off after No. 3, Houston is also considering whether it would be possible to move up into the top three with a package centered around the Nos. 4 and 20 overall picks, league sources tell Iko.

If the Rockets keep their lottery pick and there are no surprises in the top three, Overtime Elite wing Amen Thompson could be the player atop Houston’s board, according to Iko, who says that several people within the organization are high on Thompson. Iko hears that both Amen and his twin brother Ausar Thompson had positive interviews with the team at last week’s combine.

No matter what happens with the No. 4 pick, the Rockets intend to be aggressive in their pursuit of veterans this offseason, with a desire to improve their play-making, shooting, and defense, Iko adds. League sources tell The Athletic that James Harden is Houston’s top free agent target, with Brook Lopez, Dillon Brooks, Donte DiVincenzo, Jordan Clarkson, Cameron Johnson, and Austin Reaves among the other players the team may pursue.

Acquiring an established point guard will be a primary objective for Houston this summer, per Iko, so if they miss out on Harden, the Rockets could explore a trade for a veteran like Mike Conley or Chris Paul.

Here’s more out of Houston:

New Rockets head coach Ime Udoka recently traveled to Los Angeles to visit with Jalen Green, says Iko. That time spent with Green – which included workouts and a dinner – is part of Udoka’s efforts to get to know his new team before the fall. “I’ve gotten the chance to spend a lot of time with the players. Got some lunches, dinner, gym time with guys,” Udoka told Iko. “Also been busy putting together a staff, getting to know everybody, but the most important thing is to spend time with the guys, build a relationship with them, and I’ve done quite a bit of that.”
Speaking of Udoka’s staff, Iko reports that assistant coaches Lionel Hollins and Rick Higgins aren’t expected to be back with the Rockets next season. However, it’s unclear whether or not Mahmoud Abdelfattah – another assistant under Stephen Silas – will return. Abdelfattah was part of the Rockets’ contingent at last week’s combine and has frequently been at the club’s facility since the end of the season, sources tell The Athletic.
The Rockets could be the long-term winners of the blockbuster trade that sent Harden to Philadelphia and Ben Simmons to Brooklyn, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Houston controls the Nets’ first-round picks from 2024-27 (either outright or via swaps) and may be in position to steal Harden away from the Sixers this offseason.

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