Tyrese Maxey

Sixers Notes: Undefeated Start, Maxey, Grimes, McCain

The Sixers wilted last season under an avalanche of injuries, but there’s reason to believe that may not happen again, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). Philadelphia was shorthanded on Monday night as Joel Embiid was rested for left knee injury management and Dominick Barlow missed the game after having a procedure for a laceration on his left elbow. They joined Paul George, Jared McCain and Trendon Watford, who haven’t played yet this season, but the Sixers managed to defeat Orlando to remain one of the league’s four unbeaten teams.

“Last year, I think lineups changed a lot. Guys in and out,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said of 24-58 season. “But this year, I think Tyrese (Maxey) has been hitting it on the head. It’s like no matter who’s out there, we have this constant that we won’t waver from. That goes into our culture and the things that we do on a daily basis. It’s still early. But at the end of the day, man, if we can have the next man step up, or anybody come in there and be an impact to winning, I think that we’ll be better off than we were last year.”

Head coach Nick Nurse was forced to use a makeshift rotation to pull out the win against the Magic. Jabari Walker made his first start of the season and delivered four points, five rebounds and a block in 14 minutes. Veteran guard Eric Gordon and rookie guard Hunter Sallis both saw action for the first time this season.

There’s more from Philadelphia:

  • The Sixers are getting a historic performance from their young guards, Pompey notes in the same piece. Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have combined for 186 points, which is the highest total for a starting backcourt through three games since the league began tracking starters in 1970/71. Maxey, who had 43 points on Monday and is leading the NBA in scoring at 37 PPG, received MVP chants from the crowd. “I’m just trying to close games out,” he said. “Joel has been on me recently about that, probably since my fourth year, about how I can help close games out and have the ball in my hand and make decisions whether I’m shooting or whether I’m passing.”
  • Quentin Grimes, who signed his qualifying offer following a summer-long standoff over a new contract, is finding success in a bench role after being the team’s leading scorer late last season, Pompey adds. He contributed 14 points on Monday after scoring 24 against Charlotte on Saturday. “I know I’m going to get starters minutes and everything (despite coming off the bench),” Grimes said. “I’m going to do my thing. I just get the opportunity to go out there and play my game … go out there and help the team win. We got a lot of good guys on the team, a lot of versatility. So it’s all going to play itself out. It’s going to work out for sure.”
  • McCain is making progress in his recovery from thumb surgery and could be back on the court soon, Pompey states in a separate story. The second-year guard, who’s no longer wearing a splint, put on an impressive shooting display after Monday’s shootaround, according to Pompey. Nurse urged caution, saying McCain still has to go through “a series of days of contact” before being activated. “Inserting him in with the VJ, Tyrese and (Quentin Grimes guard) group is the plan,” Nurse added. “That was sort of the plan going into the season. Again, I think they all can do a variety of things, and give us a chance to have some more depth. Gives us a chance to, again, play some shorter stints so the energy can stay high and all those things. We need him back. We look forward to having him back.”

Sixers Notes: Edgecombe, Maxey, Embiid, Barlow

VJ Edgecombe had a historic debut for the Sixers on Wednesday, scoring the most points in a rookie debut since Wilt Chamberlain, writes Kurt Helin for NBC Sports.

After starting the game with 14 first-quarter points, Edgecombe finished with 34 for the game, the third-highest mark ever for a rookie in his first NBA outing. He also added seven rebounds, three assists, and five three-pointers.

We certainly needed the offense, and he certainly just looked pretty comfortable out there,” head coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “Again, I think that’s probably one thing I’ve noticed the most about him, is he seems to really know what’s going on out there for a young player. You just don’t see him making silly mistakes, or many mistakes. He is just playing the right way. He’s got a very good feel for the game.”

It wasn’t all perfect for the third overall pick. Edgecombe went to the line with a one-point lead and 7.3 seconds on the clock and missed both free throws, but the Celtics were unable to take advantage, allowing the Sixers to escape with the win.

We have more Sixers notes:

  • Prior to Wednesday’s opener, Tyrese Maxey reflected on his path to becoming a leader with this Philadelphia team. “I used to always smile, but I know that I can’t be that guy anymore,” Maxey said told Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I kind of leave it up to Jared (McCain) and VJ. I want them to be extremely happy and have fun and just focus on playing basketball. That’s what they deserve to do.” One thing Maxey is focused on is letting go of a disaster 2024/25 season. On Wednesday, he took a good first step in that direction, leading the team to a win over Boston with 40 points on 24 shots and six assists to just one turnover.
  • One of the hardest things for a superstar to do is accept their limitations, but that’s exactly what Joel Embiid has been forced to do, writes Keith Pompey for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid knows he’s perceived differently after the injuries that have caused him to lose so much time. “We got a bunch of athletes,” Embiid said. “We’ve got to release them… They’ve got to run. My job is to find them and, in a way, that also kind of saves me, because if we get early baskets and easy baskets, I won’t have to run up and down. I can just let those guys push the pace, attack. And if we don’t have anything, I’ve always trailed anyway in my career. Then I can come in and get into the offense.” In the season opener, Embiid was limited to four points on 1-of-9 shooting while playing just 20 minutes. Nurse confirmed ahead of the game that Embiid would be on a minutes restriction, Pompey reported (via Twitter).
  • Two-way big man Dominick Barlow got the start for the Sixers and ended the night with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and one block in 34 minutes. After a strong preseason, he continued to impress, causing Jones to predict (via Twitter) that Barlow will have his contract converted to a standard NBA deal at some point this season.

Sixers Notes: Edgecombe, George, Embiid, Watford, Bona

The Sixers had high expectations for VJ Edgecombe when they made him the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, and he was even better than they expected during the preseason, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). Edgecombe’s athleticism, defensive prowess and scoring were obvious at Baylor, but he has displayed an ability to serve as the primary ball-handler and run the offense even though scouts had concerns about his dribbling.

Pompey notes that coach Nick Nurse used Edgecombe as his lead guard in Friday’s preseason finale and he responded with 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals in 34 minutes. He also created scoring opportunities for Tyrese Maxey, who Pompey points out hasn’t been paired with an accomplished play-maker since James Harden left.

“I think we thought, ‘OK, maybe he could play on the ball some,’ and we were talking about, ‘Let’s do it at Summer League,’” Nurse said. “But where we’re at, I think he’s way ahead of where we thought he might be, being able to do that.”

Edgecombe is part of a talented group of young guards in Philadelphia, alongside Maxey, Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain, but that doesn’t mean he’ll face a battle for playing time. Pompey expects him to be in the starting lineup when the Sixers open the season Wednesday at Boston.

“I know I worked hard to be in this position,” Edgecombe said. “If I wasn’t ready for it, I wouldn’t have been here. I feel as though I just have a lot of confidence. My teammates instill confidence in me also. So, I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s basketball at the end of the day. I’m trying not to overthink it. I love this game so much. … It just flows naturally, man. I’m just out there having fun.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

  • Paul George was a full participant at Sunday’s practice for the first time since undergoing offseason knee surgery, Pompey states in a separate story. George sat out the entire preseason, but there’s optimism that he’ll be ready to play soon. “He looked good,” Nurse said. “He’s moving good. He needs to have some more conditioning and things. But he looked good. He’s really pushing himself to get in shape. Defensively, he looked really good. He was really moving.”
  • Joel Embiid also practiced without restrictions after making his first preseason appearance on Friday, Pompey adds. Trendon Watford, who’s dealing with a right hamstring issue, was limited to drills and five-on-zero work.
  • Adem Bona‘s contract becomes fully guaranteed today at $1,955,377, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Bona, who may be the team’s primary backup center, has a non-guaranteed $2.3MM salary for next season, along with a $2.5MM team option for 2027/28.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Edgecombe, Ingram, Demin

Star center Joel Embiid suited up for the Sixers for the first time in nearly eight months in Friday’s preseason finale against Minnesota, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While the Timberwolves were resting most of their rotation regulars, Philadelphia — and Embiid — came away encouraged by how he looked during the 126-110 win.

I don’t want to really think about the past,” Embiid said. “I’m just in a good space mentally, physically. … I’m just happy to touch the basketball and be able to play basketball and do what I love.

When you don’t get [to do] that, it’s tough, but that’s what I’m most happy about. So today, tonight, that’s all I kept thinking about. I’m on the court playing basketball, doing some good things, helping us win, and yeah, that’s really what I was focused on.”

As Bontemps notes, Embiid has been plagued by left knee issues the past couple years, limiting him to 58 games over that span, including just 19 last season. In approximately 19 minutes on Friday, the 2023 MVP put up 14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

I mean, I won’t say I feel like I was 18 years old again,” Embiid said with a smile when asked if he felt like the past few weeks have gone as well as could be expected in his ramp-up to the season. “That’s never going to happen. But I’m just taking it day by day. Like I said, just learning. Some days are going to be good, some days I’m going to be a little bit tight, so learn from it and adjust and keep doing the right things.”

Here are a few more notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Embiid wasn’t the only member of the Sixers who played well in Friday’s tune-up, with Tyrese Maxey (27 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals in 30 minutes), VJ Edgecombe (26 points, six rebounds, three assists, five steals in 34 minutes) and Quentin Grimes (22 points, five assists, three steals in 26 minutes in his preseason debut) all turning in strong showings. Head coach Nick Nurse complimented No. 3 overall pick Edgecombe in particular, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. “It’s almost every single day you see something from his athleticism that you say ‘wow.’ … He’s way ahead of where we thought he might be being able to do that [running the offense]. …He’s got a good feel for the game.”
  • In an exclusive interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, forward Brandon Ingram talks about joining the Raptors and leaving the Pelicans. While the former All-Star has “a lot of love for New Orleans,” he’s ready for a fresh start in Toronto. “This team can be whatever we want it to be,” Ingram said of the Raptors. “We have everything on the defensive end. We play hard. The next thing is execution over and over again on the offensive end. … The East is wide open this [upcoming season]. We have a chance to be better, but we’ve got to expedite it.”
  • Nets guard/forward Egor Demin, this year’s No. 8 overall pick, missed most of training camp and preseason with a plantar fascia tear in his foot, an injury he tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post he actually sustained prior to June’s draft — not during Summer League — that gradually got worse over time. While the Russian teenager admitted the injury will likely have to be monitored throughout his rookie season, he doesn’t think he’ll need surgery to address it down the line.
  • Demin made his Nets preseason debut on Thursday, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench in a five-point loss to Toronto. “He was excellent,” head coach Jordi Fernández said of Demin, per Lewis. “There’s going to be things he’s going to keep working on. We’ve got to keep building him up physically to be able to sustain more minutes. … But I’m very happy with his presence, how composed he was, how he talked to his teammates, all those things. And made it look easy. He shot the ball every time he was open or halfway open, got to the free-throw line and rebounded. He got five rebounds, made nice plays at the rim. It was good.”

Sixers Notes: Embiid, George, Watford, Bona, Layden

There’s a chance that Joel Embiid could play in the Sixers‘ preseason finale on Friday, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters today, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter links). Embiid, who is coming off knee surgery, was only a partial participant in Tuesday’s practice, but that was by design, not due to any sort of setback.

Nurse cautioned that Embiid’s status on Friday could still go either way depending on how the next few days ago, noting that the star center has a few hurdles to clear in order to get the green light for that contest vs. Minnesota.

In other Sixers injury news, Paul George (knee) and Trendon Watford (hamstring) went through portions of Tuesday’s practice after having previously been limited to individual work, per Bodner.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

  • Embiid was healthy enough to take part in Sunday’s Blue x White scrimmage at Chase Fieldhouse, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team showcased an intriguing two-big lineup in that scrimmage, with Embiid playing alongside second-year big man Adem Bona. As Pompey notes in a separate story, Bona has emerged this month as the team’s likely backup center behind Embiid, having started at the five in all three preseason games so far. According to Pompey, Bona needs to work on his rebounding and avoid fouling, but lineups featuring him, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe look capable of giving opponents problems with their speed.
  • Within that second Inquirer story, Pompey says George appears likely to miss time at the start of the season, but there’s a chance Embiid will be ready to go on opening night.
  • The 76ers are making some tweaks to their offense ahead of the 2025/26 season in an effort to avoid being so dependent on Maxey and Embiid, according to Pompey. “A little more ball movement, a little less of maybe zero- or one-pass offense,” Nurse said. “And then worry about the spacing because I know there’s going to be enough of that probably in there.” Nurse went on to say that the team won’t be moving entirely away from actions involving Maxey and Embiid, but wants to include more “variety” in its attack. He added that Embiid is doing well with the adjustment. “There’s probably a little bit more movement and cutting and all that kind of stuff, but he has (adapted),” Nurse said.
  • The Sixers have hired former Timberwolves and Knicks general manager Scott Layden as a scout, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Layden, who also worked in high-level front office roles in San Antonio and Utah, had been a scout for the Kings for the past three seasons before he and the team parted ways in the spring.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, George, Watford, Starters, Grimes

Joel Embiid, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the spring, continues to trend in the right direction with the regular season around the corner. The Sixers center has increased his participation in practice and done some 5-on-5 work, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

Embiid still has to check a number of boxes before he’s given the go-ahead to suit up for a game, Bodner writes, adding that the former MVP is being evaluated daily by the team.

Embiid was limited to just 19 appearances last season due to knee issues. The seven-time All-Star didn’t play at his usual level even when he was available, averaging 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in those 19 outings, well below his career averages entering 2024/25 (27.9 PPG, 11.2 RPG).

Here’s more on the 76ers:

  • Having undergone an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee more recently than Embiid, forward Paul George isn’t quite as far along as his teammate. According to Bodner (Twitter link), George is still just doing individual workouts, though those the intensity of those sessions has increased and he’s expected to begin taking part in team activities in the coming days.
  • Sixers forward Trendon Watford remains sidelined with a right hamstring issue and won’t play in Philadelphia’s next preseason game on Friday, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Watford, an offseason addition, is expected to do more on-court work within the next week, per Neubeck, who notes that imaging on the hamstring didn’t show any structural damage.
  • The idea of a three-guard starting lineup is “on the table” for the Sixers, head coach Nick Nurse said today (Twitter link via Neubeck). Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes would all be part of the starting five in that scenario, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, with Jared McCain also factoring into the equation once he’s healthy.
  • Grimes said on Wednesday that he has no hard feelings about his contract negotiations played out this offseason. The restricted free agent was on the market for three months and ultimately accepted his qualifying offer rather than working out a multiyear deal with the Sixers, so he’ll become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to be back here longer,” Grimes said (Twitter link via Pompey). “I wanted to be back here on a longer-term deal, but I’m happy to be here right now and do everything I can to help this team win.”

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Edgecombe, Maxey, Backup Centers

As always, the Sixers‘ prospects will hinge on the availability of star center Joel Embiid, and coach Nick Nurse sees reasons to be encouraged through the first few days of training camp. Before his team opens the preseason Thursday in Abu Dhabi, Nurse discussed Embiid’s progress and other topics with PHLY Sports (YouTube link, hat tip to ClutchPoints).

“I think the encouraging things are some of the stuff that he’s said that he looks good, right? He’s feeling pretty good,” Nurse said. “He’s got some boxes to tick to get, you know, keep it going, but it looks more encouraging. You know, I think he said he feels a lot better this year at this time of year than he did a year ago. So, that’s got to be a positive step in the right direction. We’re looking forward to getting him back with the group.”

Recurring issues with his surgically repaired left knee limited Embiid to 19 games last season before he was shut down in February. He talked recently about the need to be on the court much more frequently to avoid a repeat of last season’s disaster (Twitter video link).

“Last year, I kind of felt the pressure from the start that we had,” Embiid said. “I was not close to where I wanted to be but I felt like I had to something because I care so much about these guys. I think that’s what it comes down to. Seeing us succeed, the wins adding up.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

  • After loading up on veterans last season, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made an effort to build a younger and more athletic roster over the summer, per Yaron Weitzman of The Ringer. That plan included holding onto the No. 3 pick in the draft, which was used to select VJ Edgecombe, instead of trading it for more immediate help. “We have really good young guys, and they have this open happiness and this spirit that’s just a pureness,” Kyle Lowry said. “They love basketball, they want to work, they get into the gym early, they listen to the coaches.” 
  • Edgecombe changed his conditioning habits to prepare for his first NBA season and added 10 pounds of muscle during the summer, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Fans who watched Edgecombe at Baylor will notice a difference in his three-point shot. “I had a flat shot in college,” he said. “So now my arc was way better than a month ago, or maybe three weeks ago. My arc is way better, and it’s more consistent. It’s crazy now. It’s rare for me to shoot flat. I know when any shot is flat now.”
  • Tyrese Maxey is focused on becoming a team leader in his sixth NBA season, Pompey adds in a separate story. He was often the number one scoring option last season due to injuries to Embiid and Paul George, and he’s ready to embrace the responsibilities that go along with that role. “I remember the end of my fourth year, maybe, I remember Joel kind of pulling me to the side, telling me my voice is going to be needed,” Maxey said. “You know, people just see how hard I work, see how much I care about winning, how much I care about the franchise. And, you know, Joel is a more reserved guy. Of course he is talented on the court. That’s what he does. But he was just telling me that’s a way for me to step up and lead and be vocal.”
  • In another piece, Pompey profiles the battle for the backup center spot, with newcomers Johni Broome, Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow joining holdovers Andre Drummond and Adem Bona.

Atlantic Notes: Quickley, Clarkson, Pagliuca, Maxey

A signing completed by the Raptors in July 2024 is looming over large over the current offseason, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link), who points to the five-year deal Immanuel Quickley signed as a restricted free agent last offseason as a major outlier. That contract had a base value of $162.5MM, with an additional $12.5MM in bonuses. It’s worth $32.5MM per year, with a maximum value of $35MM per year.

“The Immanuel Quickley contract has totally screwed up restricted free agency,” Marks said. “Because that’s where agents are looking at like the benchmark. Certainly, (Bulls guard) Josh Giddey‘s like, ‘I want that contract.’ That number has screwed up a lot of things.”

As Marks goes on to explain, while the agents for extension candidates or current restricted free agents like Giddey will be eager to use the Quickley deal as a point of comparison for their clients, teams around the NBA haven’t been willing to go that high for players with somewhat similar résumés.

“… I don’t think Toronto got enough heat for that number,” Marks continued. “Because Immanuel Quickley is not a $32, $33 million guy.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • It has been so long since Jordan Clarkson played meaningful basketball that it’s difficult to predict exactly what he’ll bring to the Knicks in 2025/26, one Western Conference scout tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). Clarkson remains a talented scorer and one team source believes he’s “exactly what we needed” off the bench, Bondy writes, though a veteran NBA coach notes that the veteran guard comes with some downside too. “High-level shooter. Good going right,” the coach said. “Wild-card-type player. Throw him out there and see if he can get hot. But there’s not much else from a production standpoint. And it’s ugly on defense.”
  • Jennifer Rizzotti, the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, said on Sunday that a deal to sell the franchise to Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca is “not quite at the finish line yet” and that the Sun will remain in Connecticut for the 2026 season, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. While both Rizzotti and Pagliuca (Twitter link) offered statements about the potential transaction, neither one disputed the fact that the plan is to move the team to Boston by 2027. Pagliuca spoke repeatedly in his statement about keeping the franchise “in New England.”
  • Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a look at the off-court work Tyrese Maxey is doing in the Philadelphia community, noting that Maxey’s foundation donated $60K this weekend while the Sixers guard hosted a free basketball camp for kids on Saturday.

Atlantic Notes: Ingram, Tatum, Lillard, Sixers

Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has yet to suit up for his new team, but he’s confident that Toronto can mount a postseason run in 2025/26, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter video link).

“I think we’re making the playoffs for sure,” Ingram said. “I think we try to build championship habits. I think what I saw in the second half of the season is, they play hard, they play really really hard on the offensive and defensive end.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • Six-time Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has been actively recruiting Damian Lillard in the hopes that the nine-time All-Star guard will sign a multiyear deal with the team, reports Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). Both players suffered Achilles tendon tears during this spring’s playoffs. Lillard was stretched and waived by Milwaukee, and while he could miss most or all of 2025/26, the 6’2″ vet has drawn widespread interest for what he could provide beyond the coming season.
  • Beyond losing forward Guerschon Yabusele in free agency and selecting guard VJ Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick in this summer’s draft, the Sixers‘ roster has barely changed from the 2024/25 season, when the team went just 24-58, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia has also brought in young players Trendon Watford and two-way signings Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow, though none of them appear to be starting-caliber just yet. “We needed to get players in Jabari and Barlow — I’m just going through our later positions — and then Trendon are all sort of part of this, sort of push to get younger and more versatile,” general manager Daryl Morey said. “Trendon can guard multiple positions and he’s fairly unique in his ability to handle the pass, which I do think across the roster that’s a skill that we felt like we needed.”
  • Morey has a youth movement in his backcourt, led by Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, and second-year guard Jared McCain, writes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (subscriber link). Restricted free agent Quentin Grimes will presumably be back, too. Who will start next to pricey All-Star Maxey next season? “It’s competition, man,” McCain told Neubeck. “That’s how we got to our position. So whatever it is, we’re all going to play. We’re all going to have fun playing, and I’m just excited to get out there with these guys, anybody who’s on our team.” Edgecombe noted that, whatever happens, the guards will support each other. “We’re all teammates at the end of the day, and we want what’s best for each other,” Edgecombe said. “So whoever coach does put in the game, we’re gonna rock with it.”

And-Ones: Expansion, Greenwood, Anigbata, 2020 Draft

While NBA commissioner Adam Silver believes the league will “likely” expand beyond its current 30 teams sooner or later, he said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show this week that it’s not obvious to him that it absolutely needs to happen in the short term (Twitter video link).

“The reason I say it’s not obvious is because as a global business where something like two billion people will connect with us on social media, over a billion people over the course of the year will watch some portion of the game, adding another U.S. city, it’s unclear how much growth we’ll get as a result of that,” Silver explained, noting that expanding from 30 teams to 32 would dilute the NBA’s talent pool and result in two new partners splitting up the league’s revenue.

“… Having said that,” Silver continued, “I do believe certain markets can potentially be additive to the NBA, and that’s what we’re going to look at. I think part of it is geographic. It’s a big country. Making sure we’re represented all around the country, and then over time, maybe there’s more we can do in Canada, and Mexico City is a city we’ve talked about before.”

Silver went on to say that the NBA hasn’t met with any groups from specific cities yet, but confirmed that expansion will be a real topic of discussion at the league’s Board of Governors meetings in July.

“I don’t mean to tease people with this,” Silver said. “This is the summer we’re going to look at it seriously.”

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • David Greenwood, a former UCLA star who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1979 draft behind Magic Johnson, has passed away at age 68 after battling cancer, according to Beth Harris of The Associated Press. Greenwood appeared in over 800 regular season games across 12 NBA seasons with the Bulls, Spurs, Pistons, and Nuggets, earning a spot on the All-Rookie first team in 1980 and winning a title with Detroit in 1990. He held career averages of 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.
  • Ahead of Sunday’s draft withdrawal deadline for early entrants, German forward Alec Anigbata has removed his name from consideration, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The 20-year-old has played a minor role for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany this season and will become automatically draft-eligible in 2026, Chepkevich notes.
  • If the 2020 NBA draft were held again knowing what we know now, Anthony Edwards would still be the No. 1 pick, but a pair of Tyreses – Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey – would move into the top three after initially being drafted at No. 12 and No. 21, respectively, according to HoopsHype. In HoopsHype’s 2020 re-draft, a series of late first-rounders move into the top 10, with Desmond Bane jumping from No. 30 to No. 5 while Jaden McDaniels (No. 28 to No. 6), Immanuel Quickley (No. 25 to No. 9), and Payton Pritchard (No. 26 to No. 10) also make big leaps.