Western Notes: Kerr, Warriors, Schmitz, Mavs, Riccardi
The Warriors and Steve Kerr have continued to discuss the longtime head coach’s future this week, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Kerr’s lucrative contract expired at the end of the season. He expressed uncertainty about his future in Golden State after the season ended and reportedly met with the front office and ownership on April 27, but his situation remains unresolved.
According to Stein, it’s hard to get a read on when Kerr and/or the Warriors decide if he’ll return for a 13th season. Team owner Joe Lacob essentially confirmed as much on Wednesday, stating at a Sportico conference that an outcome on Kerr’s situation could be reached “today, tomorrow or in three weeks,” Stein adds (via Twitter).
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- If the Warriors decide to keep their 2026 lottery pick, it’s vital that they nail the selection, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Assistant general manager Larry Harris acknowledged the strength of the draft class on Friday and said the team is confident in the players available whether the pick moves into the top four or stays at No. 11 (or falls to No. 12) — but the Warriors are hoping for the former. “With the prep work we’ve done and leading into the (draft) combine that’s starting next week,” Harris said, “we feel very, very, very good about this draft and getting someone that we can add to our roster that will be young, exciting, and our fans can get behind.”
- The Trail Blazers‘ first major personnel change under new owner Tom Dundon wasn’t hiring a new head coach or making a trade, but rather assistant general manager Mike Schmitz leaving his position for a GM job with the Mavericks, notes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). Highkin refers to Schmitz, widely respected for his scouting acumen and international networking, as a key member of Portland’s front office. Schmitz pushed to draft Shaedon Sharpe No. 7 overall in 2023 and lobbied for the Blazers to trade for Deni Avdija in 2024, according to Highkin, who says the former ESPN analyst was also tasked with building out the infrastructure for the Rip City Remix when the team’s G League affiliate launched a few years ago. Highkin views Schmitz’ departure as a “major loss” for the Blazers and a positive step forward for the Mavs.
- Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin gave a brief statement to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian regarding Schmitz’s new job. “Today is a celebration,” Cronin told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “We’re very happy for Mike to get this great opportunity. It’s well deserved and we’re incredibly thankful for his contributions to the Trail Blazers organization.”
- Schmitz’s arrival could lead to further changes to the Mavericks‘ front office. However, Matt Riccardi — who had been acting as co-interim GM alongside Michael Finley since November — will continue to be Dallas’ drawing room representative at Sunday’s draft lottery, Stein confirms (via Twitter). That seems to suggest Riccardi has a good chance of staying with the Mavs, though what his exact role might be has yet to be reported.
Mavericks Hire Mike Schmitz As General Manager
Trail Blazers assistant general manager Mike Schmitz has left Portland for Dallas, according to the Mavericks, who announced today in a press release that they’ve hired Schmitz as their general manager under new president Masai Ujiri.
After working for ESPN as one of the network’s top draft analysts for five years beginning in 2017, Schmitz was hired by the Trail Blazers in 2022 to work under GM Joe Cronin. According to the Mavs, he was involved in player evaluation, scouting, roster strategy, and organizational planning during his time in Portland.
In Dallas, Schmitz will report to Ujiri and will “oversee the day-to-day management and strategic alignment” of the team’s basketball operations department.
“Mike is one of the most respected evaluators and basketball minds in the NBA,” Ujiri said in a statement. “He brings intelligence, discipline, humility and a relentless work ethic to everything he does. Just as importantly, he understands how to build an aligned, collaborative culture across every part of a basketball organization. We are building something special in Dallas, and Mike will be a major part of that vision.”
Schmitz has also been an assistant coach for the Ugandan national team since 2018 and was a video coordinator for the Bakersfield Jam in the G League in 2012/13 before he began doing scouting work for DraftExpress.
The Trail Blazers drafted Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Yang Hansen, among others, during Schmitz’s tenure with the team. Schmitz and fellow assistant GM Sergi Oliva were suspended for two weeks without pay last month after the NBA determined that the Blazers had illegally contacted Yang in 2023, well before he was draft-eligible.
Trail Blazers Fined $100K For Illegal Contact With Yang Hansen; Two Execs Suspended
The NBA has imposed a $100K fine against the Trail Blazers for illegally contacting Yang Hansen in December 2023 before he was eligible for the draft, the league announced (via Twitter). In addition, assistant general managers Sergi Oliva and Mike Schmitz have been suspended for two weeks without pay.
The Blazers issued a response to the penalty, stating, “When this was brought to our attention the Portland Trail Blazers self reported to the NBA. The team cooperated fully with the investigation and accept the league’s determination,” relays Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link).
It was somewhat surprising when Hansen was selected with the 16th pick in last year’s draft, but Blazers officials said they had been watching him closely for some time and were convinced he has star potential. The 20-year-old center was a standout with the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association and had drawn comparisons to Yao Ming and Nikola Jokic.
Hansen has seen limited action during his rookie season, appearing in 41 games with the Blazers and averaging 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per night. He’s been much more productive with Portland’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, where he averaged 17.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in 14 regular season contests.
Hansen was selected to participate in the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend.
Northwest Notes: S. Johnson, Jazz, Murray, Blazers, Thunder
The Jazz are currently carrying 18 players on guaranteed contracts, with non-guaranteed camp invitee Cody Zeller also vying for a spot on the regular season roster, so Stanley Johnson – acquired from the Lakers in August’s Patrick Beverley trade – isn’t a lock to make the 15-man squad. However, head coach Will Hardy liked what Johnson provided to the team during its second preseason game on Tuesday, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.
“Stanley really brought a lot of energy and toughness in particular on the defensive end tonight,” Hardy said after the game. “That’s his identity as a player, that’s how he can help our team, is by being somebody who has a massive impact on the defensive end… He’s really handled himself well, all throughout camp, not only with how he’s played, but how he’s interacted with his teammates, and I was really happy for him tonight.”
Assuming they don’t make any more trades before opening night, the Jazz will have to cut four players currently on standard contracts. Besides Johnson and Zeller, Saben Lee, Udoka Azubuike, and Leandro Bolmaro are among the other players whose roster spots may not be assured.
Here are a few more notes from around the Northwest:
- Given that even the NBA’s worst team only has a 14% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, Tony Jones of The Athletic argues that the Jazz shouldn’t deliberately tank for Victor Wembanyama and suggests that establishing “winning habits” will be a priority in Utah. Given the lack of elite talent on the roster, the Jazz should still finish in the lottery and will be in position to draft a solid prospect even if they don’t land Wembanyama.
- Speaking to Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report (video link), Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said he and the team had hoped he could return from his torn ACL in time for last season’s playoff series vs. Golden State, but he realized as he was ramping up to return that he still wasn’t mentally ready to play. “Six months later, I’m in a completely different space than I was before,” said Murray, who added that he’s glad he didn’t attempt to return last season.
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a closer look at Mike Schmitz‘s decision to leave his job as an ESPN draft analyst for an assistant GM role with the Trail Blazers. According to Vorkunov, Schmitz’s responsibilities in Portland cover more than just the draft, as he’s also getting involved in work related to the salary cap, analytics, and more.
- The Trail Blazers and Thunder both finished in the lottery last season, and John Hollinger of The Athletic expects that to happen again in 2022/23, despite the moves Portland made to upgrade its roster. Hollinger projects the Blazers to finish at 36-46 and 11th in the Western Conference, while picking the Thunder to be the West’s worst team at 20-62.
Trail Blazers Hire Schmitz, Oliva As Assistant GMs
The Trail Blazers have officially hired Mike Schmitz and Sergi Oliva as assistant general managers, the team announced in a press release. Both hires were previously reported late last month, but hadn’t been confirmed until today.
“We are ecstatic to welcome both Mike and Sergi to the front office,” said GM Joe Cronin. “Mike’s extensive knowledge of evaluating talent both here in America and internationally along with Sergi’s extensive background integrating strategy and analytics in the game of basketball are welcomed additions to the organization.”
Schmitz has worked as a draft analyst for ESPN since 2017. He’s also a contributor to DraftExpress.com, a comprehensive scouting service utilized by NBA, NCAA and international teams, and is an assistant coach for the Ugandan national team which he joined in 2018. Schmitz will join Portland in early July after he concludes his coverage of the draft for ESPN.
Oliva was part of the Sixers’ front office from 2014-20, beginning as a basketball operations analyst and eventually being promoted to vice president of strategy. He joined the Jazz in 2020 as an assistant coach and spent the last two years in Utah. Prior to arriving in the NBA, Oliva spent 12 years coaching at the youth and senior amateur levels in Catalonia and earned a PhD in Computational Complexity.
Schmitz and Oliva are the second and third assistant general managers hired by Cronin. The first, Andrae Patterson, was hired from Cleveland in January.
Portland has also hired Kevin Kinghorn to serve as chief marketing officer and executive vice president, a non-basketball role.
Blazers Close To Hiring ESPN’s Schmitz As Assistant GM
ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz is jumping from the media to an NBA front office position.
Schmitz is finalizing a contract to join the Trail Blazers as an assistant general manager, his ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Schmitz will play a significant role under new GM Joe Cronin in leading the Blazers’ domestic and international scouting departments.
Schmitz has also been a contributor to DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and international teams. Schmitz, who was a video coordinator for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA G League in 2012/13, is expected to formally join the Blazers in July, so he’ll spend one last draft with ESPN.
Cronin signed a four-year contract this month to become Portland’s permanent GM after being the interim at the position following the December firing of Neil Olshey. Portland also hired Andrae Patterson as an assistant GM earlier this year and is parting ways with assistant GM Bill Branch, who had been with the team since 2010.