NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
Via ESPN.com:
The Washington Wizards are completing a three-way deal with the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies that will send Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics and Tyus Jones to the Wizards, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Grizzlies are sending the No. 25 pick on Thursday night and a 2024 first-round pick to the Celtics, sources told Wojnarowski.
The Celtics are sending the 35th pick on Thursday to the Wizards in the deal, sources told Wojnarowski.
The Los Angeles Lakers announced today the team’s 2023-24 preseason schedule, presented by Delta Air Lines. The slate is highlighted by two home games at Crypto.com Arena, as well as contests in Las Vegas and Greater Palm Springs.
Los Angeles will open the preseason on the road at Golden State on Oct. 7 at Chase Center, before heading to Las Vegas for a matchup versus Brooklyn on Oct. 9 inside T-Mobile Arena. The purple and gold will then host two consecutive home games at Crypto.com Arena against Golden State on Oct. 13 and Milwaukee on Oct. 15. The Lakers will finish out the preseason by hosting Phoenix in Greater Palm Springs on Oct. 19 at Acrisure Arena.
Spectrum SportsNet will broadcast all five preseason games as it begins its 12th consecutive season as the exclusive regional broadcast home for Lakers basketball. Additionally, all preseason games can be heard on the team’s flagship radio station, 710 AM ESPNLA, and in Spanish on KWKW 1330 AM.
Via the LA Times:
The Clippers are deep in negotiations to make their first roster alterations ahead of the next NBA season.
By Wednesday afternoon, the team remained in discussions toward a three-team trade that, if completed, would send the expiring contract of forward Marcus Morris Sr., the former starter who had lost his rotation spot late last season, promising but little-used forward Amir Coffey and the 30th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft to Washington, and take back guard Malcolm Brogdon from Boston, according to a person briefed on the trade talks but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
FROM THE NBA PLAYERS UNION:
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Foundation is delighted to announce the addition of Ricky Rubio, Grant Williams, and Jalen Rose to its Board of Directors.
Ricky, Grant, and Jalen join a dedicated team, including CJ McCollum (President), Andre Iguodala (Director), Chrysa Chin (Director), Serge Ibaka (Director), and Tamika L. Tremaglio (NBPA Executive Director). The Board of Directors provides strategic oversight to the NBPA Foundation to expand both current and former NBA players’ philanthropic footprint globally.
“Ricky, Grant, and Jalen each bring unique experiences and perspectives, both on and off the court, which will undoubtedly enrich our Board,” said NBPA Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “Their contributions to their communities demonstrate a commitment to positive change, aligning with our core mission. We are thrilled to have them join us in our pursuit of creating meaningful change worldwide.”
Ricky Rubio, currently playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has had a distinguished career in both European and American basketball. Born in El Masnou, Catalonia, Spain, Ricky made his EuroLeague debut at 16 and was a first round NBA draft pick in 2009. In 2018, Ricky started the Ricky Rubio Foundation, which supports individuals and families impacted by cancer both across the United States and Spain. His foundation’s work also includes supporting underprivileged youth and research toward understanding and curing lung cancer.
Grant Williams, a Forward with the Boston Celtics, joins the board bringing in fresh insights from his current NBA experience. Williams also currently serves as the First Vice President on the NBPA’s Executive Committee. In 2022, Grant started the Grant Williams Family Foundation, which focuses on financial literacy, mentorship, and education access in Charlotte, North Carolina. He will serve the NBPA Foundation’s Board as Vice President.
Jalen Rose, a studio analyst appearing on various ABC/ESPN shows brings with him a rich background in sports commentary and analysis. Rose, who played in the NBA for 13 years and was a member of the University of Michigan’s legendary “Fab Five”, brings his extensive knowledge of the game and entertainment industry into his new NBPA Foundation Board role. A philanthropist who truly gives from the heart, Rose established a foundation in 2000 to give back to the communities where he lived and played basketball. His most substantial outreach initiative to date is the establishment of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. Founded in 2011, the Academy is an open enrollment, tuition-free public charter high school in his hometown of Detroit.
“We are thrilled to be part of the NBPA Foundation and its mission of driving positive change through the power of partnership,” said Rubio, Williams, and Rose in a joint statement. “We are committed to leveraging our collective influence and the platform of professional basketball to make a lasting impact on our communities.”
Forward Ron Holland, a consensus five-star high school prospect who is ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 player in the Class of 2023, has signed with NBA G League Ignite, General Manager Anthony McClish announced today.
“First of all, I want to thank God for blessing me with the abilities to play the game that I love,” Holland said. “I want to thank everyone that has believed in me throughout the whole process, it hasn’t been easy. I am super excited to join G League Ignite. I feel Ignite has the tools needed to prepare me for the life I want on and off the court. Let’s get to work!”
A Duncanville, Texas, native, Holland was selected as a 2023 McDonald’s High School All-American and earned a spot on the U.S. Team for the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit. He was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Texas Boys Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals while leading Duncanville High School to a 29-1 record this past season. As a sophomore in 2020-21, Holland helped Duncanville finish 28-1 and win a state championship.
Holland has won two gold medals with USA Basketball, at the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in 2021 and the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in 2022. In the Under-16 competition, he averaged 19.0 points and 10.2 rebounds and earned All-Tournament Team honors. In the Under-17 event, he averaged 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Holland joins fellow 2023 McDonald’s All-American and Gatorade Illinois Player of Year Matas Buzelis, NBA Academy graduates Thierry Darlan and Babacar Sane, second-year Ignite player London Johnson and Texas high school standout Dink Pate on Ignite’s roster as the latest group of top national and international prospects preparing for the NBA Draft presented by State Farm.
Ignite has produced three top 10 NBA Draft picks in the previous two years – the most by any program in that span – in Jalen Green (2021, No. 2, Houston Rockets), Jonathan Kuminga (2021, No. 7, Golden State Warriors) and Dyson Daniels (2022, No. 8, New Orleans Pelicans). Ignite has had a total of six NBA Draft picks in the last two years, which matches the highest total for a program in that period.
The Portland G League team, the official NBA G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers, has announced Hannah Grauert as the franchise’s President.
Grauert comes to the role with a ten-year history of working with the Portland Trail Blazers and the NBA, and most recently from roles in event planning and innovation at Nike and Microsoft.
“We are thrilled at Hannah’s return to our organization and are excited to see her lead our G League team in her new role as President,” said Dewayne Hankins, Portland Trail Blazers President of Business Operations. “Hannah’s innovative nature and dedication to our community combined with an expansive knowledge in project and event management are vital as we head into a new chapter of Rip City basketball.”
Grauert joined the Trail Blazers in 2007 as a Ticket Operations Coordinator and in her 10 seasons with the Trail Blazers, she touched almost every aspect of the business, from fan development and community programming to leading the youth basketball program. Grauert managed elaborate consumer-focused events as well as the creation of communication and brand plans to launch the innovative Community Player Ticket Program.
“From the start, Rip City has always held a special place in my heart as I grew up around the Trail Blazers and developed my early career here,” said Hannah Grauert, Portland G League President. “Returning to the excitement of fans and stepping into the role of President is an absolute honor and I look forward to leading this team to success as we enter a new era of development and expand basketball in our Portland community.”
The Brooklyn Nets have named Kevin Ollie, Will Weaver, Jay Hernandez and Ronnie Burrell as assistant coaches and Corey Vinson as assistant coach/player development. They join assistant coach/director of player development Adam Caporn and assistant coaches Trevor Hendry and Ryan Forehan-Kelly on Head Coach Jacque Vaughn’s staff.
Ollie joins Brooklyn’s staff from Overtime Elite, where he served as head of coaching and basketball development for two seasons (2021-23). Prior to his stint with Overtime Elite, Ollie spent six years (2012-18) as the head coach of the men’s basketball program at the University of Connecticut. After leading UConn to a 20-10 record in his first season at the helm in 2012-13 when the program was ineligible to participate in postseason competition, Ollie directed the Huskies to a 32-8 record in his second season in 2013-14. UConn earned a seven seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament and became the second-lowest seed to win a national championship when he directed the Huskies to their fourth of five titles in program history. Before he became the head coach at UConn, the Los Angeles native was an assistant coach with the Huskies for two years (2010-12), helping lead the team to a national championship in 2011.
Weaver rejoins the Nets organization after spending two seasons (2016-18) as special assistant to the head coach and one season (2018-19) as the head coach of Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Weaver led Long Island to a 33-17 regular season record, tied for the best record in the NBA G League, and guided the LI Nets to an Eastern Conference Championship before the team fell short against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League Finals. Weaver became the first head coach in franchise history to earn NBA G League Coach of the Year honors.
Hernandez joins the Nets after spending the past five seasons (2018-23) with the Charlotte Hornets as assistant coach/director of player development. In addition to his responsibilities with Charlotte, Hernandez led the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, in the NBA G League bubble in 2021. Hernandez landed in Charlotte after working four seasons (2014-18) as assistant coach/player development with the Orlando Magic.
Burrell joins Brooklyn’s staff after spending the 2022-23 season as head coach of the Nets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Burrell led Long Island to a 23-9 overall record in the regular season, tied for the second-best record in the NBA G League. The team finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and clinched its third playoff berth in franchise history, with Burrell joining Weaver as the only coaches in franchise history to earn NBA G League Coach of the Year honors. He had previously spent two seasons in the Nets organization, first as a player development and video assistant with Brooklyn in 2018-19 and then as an assistant coach with Long Island in 2019-20.
Vinson arrives in Brooklyn after working in the Phoenix Suns organization for three seasons (2020-23). He started with the Suns as assistant video coordinator with player development responsibilities before being promoted to player development coach/video coordinator. He spent his final season in Phoenix as a player development coach.
Via SF Gate:
The first domino has fallen in the Golden State Warriors’ murky offseason: Draymond Green will decline his $27.5 million player option and officially become a free agent, according to a report from NBA insider Shams Charania.
The move does not mean Green’s days as a Warrior are over. The two sides can still work out a new deal that could keep the four-time all-star with Golden State. Green has indicated that he wants to stay with the only professional team he’s ever known, telling reporters in May that he “wants to be a Warrior for the rest of my life.”
Via the Sacramento Bee:
All eyes in Sacramento will be on the forward positions as the Kings hurtle closer to the 2023 NBA draft and the start of free agency.
Harrison Barnes is an unrestricted free agent this summer. So is Trey Lyles. Keegan Murray will return after a stellar rookie season, but there’s no telling who will man the other forward spot as Sacramento seeks even greater heights after reaching the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
The Kings hold the draft rights to EuroLeague MVP and Olympiacos star Sasha Vezenkov, but they can’t sign him until after Thursday’s draft. The Kings have signaled their intention to bring Vezenkov to Sacramento if they can agree to a contract, but barring a major trade Sacramento will need more reinforcements in the event that Barnes or Lyles are not retained.
Murray and Kessler Edwards are the only forwards the Kings have under contract next season.
Via the San Jose Mercury News:
Dunleavy and his team will have to take a hard look at the roster and make a plan for where to go from here. Their first major test will be the NBA Draft, where they hold the No. 19 pick.
Other questions facing the Warriors are whether they can retain Draymond Green and find ways to capitalize on Stephen Curry’s prime by bolstering their roster, despite having little flexibility.
The Warriors are handicapped in their current financial situation.
If Green exercises his $27.6 million player option for next season — a decision he has to make by June 29 — the Warriors will be projected to dish out more than $205 million in salaries alone. That’s well above the tax line, and with a repeater penalty also in play, Golden State could be paying a whopping $250 million in luxury tax, according to The Athletic.