Tag: newsletter

The HoopsHype Daily: Clippers add arguably the best buyout player on the market

Arguably the best player to be bought out this year, Jackson is headed to the Clippers, giving them another capable ball-handler and scorer.

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CLIPS MAKE BIG ADDITION: The Clippers continue to tinker with their rotation, as yesterday, they reportedly agreed to terms with point guard Reggie Jackson, who has spent the last five-and-a-half seasons with the Pistons prior to getting bought out on Monday. Between his time in Detroit and Oklahoma City, Jackson has nearly 40 games of playoff experience to lean on as a member of the Clippers and provides Los Angeles with insurance in case Patrick Beverley and Paul George continue to be hampered by injuries over the homestretch of the season.

Another benefit of the Clippers picking up Jackson is that, according to Woj, the Lakers were also quite interested in signing him – which makes sense considering how largely ineffective Rajon Rondo has been at backup point guard this season – so not only are they making a solid addition to their bench, they’re keeping that same player away from arguably their biggest competition in the West this year.

On the season, Jackson is averaging 14.9 points and 5.1 assists per contest while shooting 37.8 percent from three-point range. He won’t be asked to be a major part of the offense as a Clipper, but as long as he can take over secondary ball-handler duties for certain stints, defend and hit open jumpers, he could give L.A. a nice boost to their backup unit.

BEILEIN OUT: Smoke continues to rise that first-year Cavs head coach John Beilein will be out of a job soon, as it was reported yesterday that he would be walking away from the final $12 million of his four-year guaranteed salary.

Taking over in Cleveland on a full-time basis will be JB Bickerstaff, who has two previous stints as a head coach under his belt, one in Houston and one in Memphis. He has an overall coaching record of 52-82.

ONE ON ONE: Jaren Jackson Jr. joined us for an interview over All-Star weekend, where he discussed a variety of topics, such as what it’s like growing up with an NBA player for a father, as well as his own personal improvements over the past season and a half.

STAR OUT AGAIN: Kyrie Irving re-aggravated his shoulder injury and will see a specialist this week. Don’t be surprised if this is the last you see of Irving until next season.

NO HELP COMING: The Nets can’t expect Kevin Durant to come to the rescue this season, either, as his mom told TODAY that the former league MVP isn’t returning in 2019-20.

KNICKS COACHING SEARCH: It’s going to take a lot for the Knicks to pry national championship head coach Jay Wright out of Villanova.

CHAMPION OPENS UP: Chris Bosh opened up about missing out on the Hall of Fame, stating that he’s disappointed he won’t be able to enter with this amazing class of players, featuring Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, that he admired when he himself was a player.

NITTY GRITTY: For the salary-cap nerds out there, The Athletic broke down just how the updated salary cap for 2020-21 of $115 million will affect this summer’s free agency. Spoiler alert: Players who want a big contract this offseason are in for some bad news.

FASHIONABLE SUPERSTARS: James Harden and Russell Westbrook sat down with GQ to talk about fashion and a whole bunch of other stuff.

NOT FOR EVERYBODY: 11-year NBA veteran Quentin Richardson, who spent five-plus seasons in New York, discusses why he thinks the Knicks are having trouble picking up marquee free agents these days. The pressure of New York isn’t for everybody, apparently.

WEEK IN THE LIFE OF: Life in the G League is not easy, even if those players are just a step away from reaching their goal of being NBA players. This article does a great job of illustrating what it’s like for G Leaguers trying to make their way to the top level of professional basketball.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

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The HoopsHype Daily: The Rockets picked up Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll in free agency

The Houston Rockets continue to go all in with super small-ball experiment, bypassing acquiring size in favor of two more traditional forwards.

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ROCKETS MAKE MOVES: The Houston Rockets continue to prove they’re quite serious with their super small-ball experiment and added two more stretch-4 types, first by reportedly signing DeMarre Carroll, who agreed to a buyout with the Spurs, and then by agreeing to terms with Jeff Green on a 10-day contract.

Carroll, 33, has a lot of playoff experience and although he has only played 135 total minutes over 15 games this year in San Antonio, he’s merely one season removed from averaging 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 34.2 percent from three for an upstart Brooklyn team that took Philadelphia to six games in the first round of the playoffs. Green likewise has a ton of postseason experience to lean on, but played a good bit more than Carroll has this season, seeing action in 30 games (including two starts) for the Jazz, and averaging 7.8 points and 2.7 boards while hitting 32.7 percent from the outside.

Neither player will likely be a game-changer for the Rockets, but both, if things work out in Houston’s system, could be solid additions to the bench, Carroll with his 3-and-D prowess and Green with his athleticism and size (6-foot-9), which should help him give Houston’s defense a boost.

Either way, kudos to the Rockets for sticking with this funky experiment and bypassing the traditional thought process that you need a 7-footer in the paint. If they’re going to go down, they’re going down their way, which is very respectable.

ONE ON ONE: We were joined by Collin Sexton for an interview, one in which he discussed a variety of topics, including the Cavs’ addition of Andre Drummond and the tight relationship he’s had with Chris Paul dating back to high school.

ELECTION SZN: In a pretty surprising bit of news, it was announced that Kyrie Irving has been elected as a vice president of the NBA’s Player Association, taking Pau Gasol’s spot on the board.

GUARD DOWN FOR THE COUNT? There’s a growing concern within the Bulls organization that a knee injury will keep Kris Dunn out for the remainder of the season.

Bad timing for the young floor general, who is actually having a solid season despite the so-so raw statistics, as he’s set to hit restricted free agency this summer. We have him ranked as the 47th-best player in the 2020 free-agent class, and the seventh-best point guard.

ON THE HOT SEAT: Nothing official yet, but whether it’s this week or by the end of the season, John Beilein reportedly won’t be back with the Cavs next year.

DUNK CHAMP: 2020 Slam Dunk champion Derrick Jones Jr. landed a sneaker deal with Puma following his awesome performance on Saturday night, which also happened to be his 23rd birthday. Solid evening for the young high-flyer.

RATINGS NEWS: This year’s All-Star festivities were a pretty huge success according to the television metrics.

BEING BAM: Go behind-the-scenes of Bam Adebayo’s first All-Star weekend, which includes the young big man being floored that Allen Iverson (who gave him a lot of solid advice) and Chris Tucker knew who he was.

DIFFERENT APPROACH: While Bam made the rounds at All-Star weekend, Devin Booker kept things super low key, avoiding any public appearances besides the three-point contest and the All-Star Game, instead choosing to spend time with his family in Chicago.

DOING HIS JOB: Josh Hart doesn’t get the love that goes to Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball, but he’s been very important to the Pelicans turning their season around. New Orleans general manager David Griffin is very high on the young two-way shooting guard.

OUR LOSS: Prior to his passing, Kobe Bryant was in talks with the creator of the Disney Channel’s “The Proud Family” and the creator of “Despicable Me” to create an animation studio, and his hopes were to create animated shows that would speak to and inspire young girls.

SUMMER BALL: Things aren’t official quite yet, but it appears that there’s still interest from Mike Malone’s side to join Igor Kokoskov’s staff and help coach, or at least advise, the Serbian national basketball team this summer.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

The HoopsHype Daily: The NBA’s All-Star Game changes ended up adding greatly to the contest

There were doubts regarding the new All-Star Game format when they were first announced, but in the end, the changes were much-needed.

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THE ALL-STAR GAME IS GOOD AGAIN: When the changes the league was making to the All-Star Game were first announced, much of the reaction was that of confusion. It wasn’t that people didn’t like the ideas, but more so the fact that the new rules were a bit difficult to understand. Well, it’s a good thing the NBA ignored the not-so-glowing early reviews, as the All-Star Game changes turned out wonderfully, and made the contest legitimately gripping for the first time in a long while.

The final score of the exhibition, a 157-155 for Team LeBron over Team Giannis, only starts to tell the story of how competitive the game was, as the uninterrupted fourth quarter, the goal of which was for a team to reach 157 points in order to be named the winners, was a back-and-forth affair featuring airtight defense, all-out effort from the best basketball players in the world (which is all we’ve wanted out of the All-Star Game for a long time) and a lot of whistles from the officials. It was tough to blame the referees, though, because both teams were playing so hard that it was legitimately difficult for anyone to score and fouls needed to be called.

The only slight complaint that could be had about the evening was that it ended on an Anthony Davis free throw, leading many – including Joel Embiid – to believe perhaps the next rule change should be that the contest can’t end at the foul stripe, but regardless, we’ll worry about that next season.

For now, here’s hoping the NBA sticks to these changes – which we can thank Chris Paul and professor Nick Elam for, by the way – next year, and that an ultra-competitive All-Star Game becomes the new norm.

BEST PLAYER OF THE NIGHT: Kawhi Leonard is your first-ever Kobe Bryant All-Star Game Most Valuable Player after finishing the contest with 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He dedicated his performance to Kobe afterward, sharing lovely words about his fallen friend and mentor.

By the way, all night long we got a glimpse of what it would have looked like had Kawhi joined LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers, and for the sake of a competitive 2020 postseason, let’s just say we should all be thankful that didn’t happen.

ALL-STAR WEEKEND PODS: Our own Alex Kennedy was in Chicago for the All-Star festivities and recorded podcasts with a bunch of awesome guests, including Greg Oden, Shawn Marion and Jason Collins. You can listen to them all here.

COACHING CHANGE INCOMING? After all the excitement of the All-Star game was over with, Woj had a bomb waiting for us, reporting that the Cavs might have a new head coach very soon.

First-year head coach John Beilein has had a pretty disastrous stint so far leading things in Cleveland, and the Cavaliers have reportedly had talks with the 67-year-old about him stepping down during the All-Star break. Beilein waited until pretty late in his career to make the transition to the NBA, and it’s pretty clear he’s struggled with the switch to coaching professionals.

FRONT OFFICE TURMOIL IN CHICAGO: Bulls fans have been itching for a change to their front office for a while now, and it’s hard to fault them with some of the personnel decisions the team has made over recent years. Well, it looks like they might get their wish, as the team is reportedly in the early stages of looking for a new general manager to replace Gar Forman.

BIG MAN RETIRES: Marcin Gortat hasn’t been in the NBA since last season, but he hadn’t officially retired until yesterday when the Polish center announced he’s finishing his basketball career. Gortat – a former Wizard, Magic, Clipper and Sun – was pretty underrated throughout his career, and his contributions to the sport will be remembered fondly.

NOT BUYING IT: Joel Embiid says the narrative that he and Ben Simmons can’t coexist is… well, we’ll go with “false”, though he used slightly rougher language than that in his actual answer. Both Embiid and Simmons expect big things from Philadelphia in the second half of the season.

GIANNIS’ FUTURE: Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo joined USA Today to discuss a variety of topics, the most noteworthy being that he expects a long future in Milwaukee ‘as long as the Bucks keep winning.’

GETTING BETTER: Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is beginning the process of returning to work eight months after he suffered a stroke, both with the aid of a wheelchair and service dog.

BENEFITS OF CANNABIS: 16-year NBA veteran Al Harrington used All-Star Weekend to tout the health benefits of marijuana and to promote his own cannabis extracts company, Viola.

MIGOS ARE ON BOARD: It’s been a tough season for the Hawks outside of Trae Young’s brilliance, but rap star Quavo of Migos fame, says he still trusts the process in Atlanta.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

The HoopsHype Daily: An extremely young crop of players are taking over NBA All-Star weekend

You can get content like this every morning in your email inbox. Click here to subscribe to the HoopsHype Daily newsletter. THEY GOT NEXT: With the announcement that Damian Lillard would be dropping out of the All-Star game this weekend, a …

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THEY GOT NEXT: With the announcement that Damian Lillard would be dropping out of the All-Star game this weekend, a replacement was needed, and the most logical candidate, Phoenix Suns 2-guard Devin Booker, wound up earning the bid. The honor was beyond well-deserved for Booker, who was considered a pretty huge snub when the All-Star rosters were originally named, as the 23-year-old is averaging 26.4 points this year, to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists nightly. Booker is one of just five players ever to post a 26/4/6 stat line at 23 or younger, joining the likes of LeBron James and Oscar Robertson on the list.

What’s interesting about Lillard being removed from this season’s All-Star roster and being replaced by Booker is that it makes this year’s crop of All-Stars the youngest in average age since 1980 – at 26.89 years old. Featuring players like Booker, Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Jayson Tatum, as well as, of course, reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2020 All-Star contest proves that the NBA is in fantastic hands as far as their next generation of superstars goes.

Unrelated but also important regarding this weekend: The NBA announced yesterday that the fourth quarter of the All-Star Game, which will be untimed and pit both teams against each other trying to reach a specific score, will also be commercial-free as a way to honor Kobe Bryant. With both teams sure to be playing hard this weekend, that should make for some fascinating viewing.

KOBE AT ALL-STAR WEEKEND: Speaking of Kobe, we made a gallery featuring some of our favorite pictures of the fallen legend at All-Star weekends throughout his illustrious career.

MISSING HARDWARE: We ranked the players with most All-Star Game appearances without winning the MVP award for the prestigious contest, including a surprising player at No. 1, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

MVP RANKINGS: We also ranked the Top 10 players in the 2019-20 MVP chase, including a streaking Damian Lillard, who has gone from the back half of the rankings weeks ago to No. 3 in this edition.

FRESH POD: Our own Alex Kennedy is joined by Spencer Breecker, who is an agent for NBA coaches and executives. Breecker discusses his career, what it’s like to represent people involved in the NBA who aren’t players and offers advice for anyone who wants to become an agent or executive.

WELL-ROUNDED GOAT: Not only is LeBron James amazing at basketball, but he’s also an incredible card player and eats nowhere near as healthy as you would think, according to current and former teammates.

BAM BAM: A complete behind-the-scenes look at Bam Adebayo’s emergence, from his college days when John Calipari refused to let him shoot or bring the ball down on offense, to his workouts with the Miami Heat that led to him getting drafted in the lottery.

One thing is for sure: Miami is extremely high on their young big man, and think he’s their next franchise cornerstone.

NOT SURPRISED: Pascal Siakam has gone from late first-round pick and being a role player to an All-Star and borderline All-NBA-level talent pretty quickly, but his teammates and coaches are not surprised by that. They’ve seen how badly he wants it all along.

WELL-DESERVED HONOR: The Celtics announced they will be retiring Kevin Garnett’s jersey next season.

NOT A JOKE: Eddy Curry opens up in this incredible first-person essay and discusses a whole lot of things that no one knew about his history. Truly some heavy reading.

SOLID FIT… SO FAR: So far, so good for Andrew Wiggins with the Warriors, as the swingman is averaging 23 points and shooting 57.5 percent from the floor since getting to Golden State. Not only is Wiggins happy in his new situation, but his head coach seems thrilled with him.

MUSICAL TRIBUTE: Lou Williams dropped a rap track honoring his fallen friend, Kobe Bryant.

IMPORTANT TOPIC: Although he wasn’t named an All-Star this season, Kevin Love will still be in Chicago as a part of a panel discussion along with Barack Obama, where one of the topics will be mental health.

SOMEONE HAS TO STEP UP: With Damian Lillard set to miss one to two pivotal weeks with a groin injury, CJ McCollum knows he needs to take the reigns and be the top guy for the Blazers. He’s confident he can do just that, and keep Portland in the Western Conference playoff race.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

The HoopsHype Daily: Damian Lillard goes down

You can get content like this every morning in your email inbox. Click here to subscribe to the HoopsHype Daily newsletter. DAME GOES DOWN: Late in Portland’s Wednesday night contest against the Grizzlies, a vital one for playoff positioning for …

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DAME GOES DOWN: Late in Portland’s Wednesday night contest against the Grizzlies, a vital one for playoff positioning for both teams, Damian Lillard injured his groin and came out of the game. It didn’t take long for us to hear what the exact injury was – either a Grade-1 or Grade-2 groin strain – and it likewise didn’t take long for Lillard to inform everyone that he’d be pulling himself out of the festivities he was supposed to partake in this weekend, the All-Star Game itself and the three-point shootout.

This injury couldn’t possibly come at a worse time for the Blazers, who are now four games out of the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed behind Memphis, and could be without Lillard for weeks. For context, Steph Curry and LeBron James both had groin injuries last season, the former missing 11 games due to his and the latter 17. Needless to say, with 26 games left on Portland’s schedule, if Lillard misses that much time, that could be a wrap on the Blazers’ playoff hopes this campaign.

The injury also opens up a spot in the All-Star Game for a replacement player, and Dame himself says he’d like to see Devin Booker take that spot. Considering both Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMar DeRozan are injured, Booker has to be the likeliest candidate to earn his first All-Star appearance this weekend. It would be well-deserved, too; his numbers this year – 26.4 points, 6.3 assists and 1.9 three-pointers per game – are awesome.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 65 points and 22 rebounds to take down the Nuggets in Denver, 120-116. It really looks like there are only two teams capable of beating the Lakers in a seven-game series at this point, as the other top teams in the West seem to lack the firepower to keep up with L.A.

Elsewhere, Luke Doncic returned and looked as if he hadn’t missed any time at all, dropping 33 points (on 18 field-goal attempts), 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 130-111 win for Dallas over Sacramento.

DECENT FLYER: The Suns made a savvy, low-risk/high-reward signing, picking up Jonah Bolden from the Sixers on a 10-day contract. Bolden made his debut for the team last night, too, dropping six points, seven boards and two blocks for Phoenix.

TRADE REQUEST COMING? If the dynamic between Luke Walton and Buddy Hield doesn’t improve, the sharpshooting 2-guard could wind up demanding a trade this offseason. Walton and Hield simply don’t get along, and the fact that Sacramento’s first-year head coach recently benched the 27-year-old hasn’t helped matters remotely.

MORE DISARRAY IN SACRAMENTO: Besides the Hield stuff, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive isn’t happy with his team’s front office, particularly on the matter of drafting Marvin Bagley over Luka Doncic, who Vlade Divac, Sacramento’s general manager, reportedly didn’t think had as much upside as Bagley. To be frank, that notion by itself should be considered a fireable offense.

STINGY DEFENSE: Robert Covington’s addition has helped the Rockets see immediate improvements defensively, even if the numbers don’t exactly bear that out yet.

NOT FEELING THE LOVE: Marcus Smart, a 2019 1st Team All-Defense member, doesn’t think he gets enough respect from the officials on a nightly basis when he’s locking opponents up. There are probably countless players who feel exactly the way you do, Marcus.

WHAT EXECS ARE SAYING: Certain league execs don’t think the Lakers can beat the Clippers in a seven-game series, though that’s probably too bold of a proclamation considering how good the Lakers have been against every other opponent.

TWO CULTURES: Giannis Antetokounmpo may be known as the Greek Freak, but he’s happy to represent his other heritage, Nigerian, as well. Antetokounmpo’s parents were born in Nigeria, and Giannis says he grew up in a typical Nigerian household, just in Greece.

HOW THE TRADE WENT DOWN: Marc Stein breaks down how multiple high-power league execs still use Blackberries, as well as the behind-the-scenes scoop on how the D’Angelo Russell trade went down.

KOBE/GIANNA MEMORIAL: The official memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant will be held at the Staples Center on Feb. 24, and friends, family and NBA officials/players are expected to attend.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

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The HoopsHype Daily: In spite of problems with China, NBA market valuations still rising

Much was made about the league’s low ratings and the fallout from Daryl Morey’s China tweet, but that hasn’t slowed down the NBA’s progress.

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EVERYTHING IS OK AFTER ALL: Much was made about the league’s disappointing ratings and the fallout from Daryl Morey’s China tweet, but that hasn’t slowed down the NBA’s progress.

From Daryl Morey causing a rift between the league and China just before 2019-20 kicked off to consistently lower ratings this season to next year’s salary cap coming out a full $1 million lower than it was originally projected to be, much of the talk surrounding the league recently has not been very positive.

Now some good news: Forbes released its annual market valuations for the NBA yesterday, and as it turns out, the league isn’t falling apart! One could even argue the Association is thriving. Per Forbes: “…our research shows the business of basketball is still red hot. NBA franchise values continue to soar, up 14% in the past year to an average of $2.12 billion. Compare that with an 11% annual increase for NFL teams and 8% in Major League Baseball, with average values of $2.86 billion and $1.78 billion, respectively. NBA values are up nearly sixfold over the past decade.”

Not only that, but according to Forbes, the league’s 30 franchises generated a record amount of revenue last season ($8.8 billion, to be exact), which was up 10 percent from the year prior, and projects to be up again this season.

Other interesting notes from the piece include: The New York Knicks remain the most valuable team in basketball at $4.6 billion, with the LA Lakers ($4.4 billion) and Golden State Warriors ($4.3 billion) trailing just behind; and television executives aren’t worried about the lower ratings since streaming of NBA games is up 30 percent this season.

So there you have it, basketball fans: The NBA isn’t going anywhere.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Joel Embiid received a smattering of boos as he was announced for the Sixers’ home game against the Clippers, but those quickly became applause as he scored early and often on his way to 26 points and nine rebounds in a 110-103 victory for Philadelphia.

In Houston, the Rockets improved to 2-2 since going to their super small lineup, pulling out an impressive win over a strong Boston team 116-105. James Harden and Russell Westbrook were out of control, combining for 78 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists.

BUYOUT MARKET NEWS: The Clippers and Lakers are reportedly eyeing Tyler Johnson as a potential addition. The two-way shooting guard has had an abysmal season but did average 10.9 points and 3.0 rebounds last year while shooting 34.6 percent from three.

NO GOAT IN TOKYO? LeBron James was pretty non-committal when asked if he was planning on joining Team USA this summer for the Olympics. Luckily for the Americans, they should still be plenty loaded even without one of the best players ever on their roster.

BEST IN BOSTON: The Celtics are a very well-rounded team, so it’s hard to pinpoint who their best player is between Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. A convincing case can be made for Tatum, however, who is averaging 22.1 points and 6.9 rebounds this season.

TRADE DEADLINE FOLLOW-UP: Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman discusses the just passed NBA trade deadline, including his thoughts on the team’s big pickup, Justise Winslow, and the supposed “issues” between Memphis and Andre Iguodala. (Spoiler alert: There were no issues, and everyone blew that out of proportion.)

FROM UNDRAFTED TO RISING STAR: Read all about Kendrick Nunn’s improbable journey from growing up in South Side Chicago to going undrafted to now being one of this season’s Rising Stars.

GREAT FIT: Jimmy Butler’s Miami teammates discuss what the mercurial All-Star is like, whether the persona is fake and why they think his stops on other teams didn’t end so well.

SO MUCH WINNING: A fantastic, in-depth oral history on one of the greatest owners in sports history, Dr. Jerry Buss, who oversaw the Lakers for 33 seasons, 16 of which ended with his L.A. team in the Finals. Includes commentary from Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ current owner, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson and Jerry West, and many other major figures.

OOPS: The Knicks recently hired businessman Steve Stoute to help rebrand the team, and yesterday he made his first public appearance since taking the job (because apparently, he needs to make public appearances… for some reason).

It didn’t go so well, as Stoute came off as brash and arrogant, and basically hinted that the team was planning to replace interim head coach Mike Miller once the season is over, despite the fact that he’s done an admirable job so far this year. That didn’t sit well with the Knicks, who had to release a statement soon after Stoute’s television appearance saying that he does not speak for the team.

Never change, Knicks.

TEAM AND FAMILY: Bucks players Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe prepped teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo for what it’s like to be a father, which goes to show just how strong that team’s culture is right now.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

The HoopsHype Daily: Recent Joel Embiid trade scuttle and social media posts raise eyebrows around the league

New trade rumors about Joel Embiid’s future came out yesterday, and his social media posts afterwards didn’t do much to quell them.

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ENDLESS SIXERS DRAMA CONTINUES: Just when we thought the drama was over following last week’s NBA trade deadline, things picked right back up again when ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated on his podcast that execs around the league are preparing for the possibility that Joel Embiid is made available for a trade this offseason. That’s extremely noteworthy for a multitude of reasons.

For one, it tells us that things in Philadelphia might be as bad as they seem from the outside. Additionally, the report hints that if the Sixers had to pick between building around Embiid and Ben Simmons, they might actually go with the latter, which is pretty revealing. Considering how well Simmons performed when Embiid missed weeks of action earlier this season, though, it may not be that surprising.

Of course, these are just rumblings from around the Association and not a report directly out of Philadelphia, so that has to be factored in. And if it had stopped there, we may have even ignored it. But Embiid decided to fan the flames and put the NBA world in a tizzy by hopping on social media soon after and posting the infamous Batman quote: “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

It got worse for Philadelphia fans after that, too, because none other than Jimmy Butler commented on the post, telling Embiid that he knows of a place where villains are welcome (insinuating Miami), to which the All-NBA center responded: “Damn right, my brother.”

This could all mean nothing, obviously, and could just be a case of Embiid having fun. But the situation in Philadelphia as a whole will have to be monitored closely over the coming months, especially if they disappoint come playoff time. Things could very well get hectic then.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: The Raptors won a franchise-record 15th game in a row, beating Minnesota and a debuting D’Angelo Russell 137-126, behind a 34-point performance by Pascal Siakam. Indiana, meanwhile, has now dropped six in a row, falling 106-105 to a Nets team without Kyrie Irving.

Oh, and the Hornets beat the Pistons 87-76. Nothing particularly noteworthy happened in that game, it was just cool to see a final score that looks like it came out of 2005 as opposed to 2020.

NEW SIGNING: The Mavericks are reportedly signing recently bought out swingman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who will help give the team a boost on the perimeter defensively. To make room for the former No. 2 overall pick, Dallas will waive fan favorite and three-point marksman Ryan Broekhoff. Cold world.

KNICKS COACHING SEARCH: Although by all accounts interim head coach Mike Miller has done a great job at the helm of the Knicks so far, incoming team president Leon Rose is reportedly hoping to make a splash hire to be New York’s next head coach.

Two of the top candidates? Tom Thibodeau and Jeff Van Gundy.

STRAIGHT TENS: We ranked the players with the most perfect scores in Slam Dunk Contest history, including Michael Jordan, Spud Webb and Vince Carter.

FRESH POD: Our own Alex Kennedy is joined by Josh Martin to discuss a variety of topics, including the Lakers-Clippers rivalry, Andrew Wiggins’ fit in Golden State and much more.

SOLID DEBUT: He may not have put up huge numbers in his first outing with L.A., but Clippers teammates were impressed with Marcus Morris’ debut with the team.

PROUD POPS: His own NBA dreams didn’t come to fruition, but Rudy Gobert’s dad is fulfilled by seeing his son have such a fruitful career.

SILENCE BROKEN: Andre Iguodala’s name was dragged through the mud a bit following him no-showing the Grizzlies, but the veteran swingman says that’s the way things were planned all along, and it was also the way Memphis wanted it.

SOLID ADDITION: Marvin Williams was a savvy low-risk pickup by the Bucks. The floor-spacing power forward is excited about the opportunity, and recently discussed what he brings to Milwaukee from a basketball sense.

MORE TRIBUTES: Tattoo parlors in L.A. have been swamped with requests recently from Kobe Bryant fans wanting to pay tribute to their fallen idol in the form of some ink.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

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The HoopsHype Daily: This year’s buyout market might actually be more interesting than previously anticipated

After the trade deadline craziness is over, the next phase of NBA front-office action is the buyout market. This year is no different.

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BUYOUT SZN BEGINS: It’s hard for NBA teams to find difference-makers once the trade deadline passes, but one method many often try and use is to peruse the buyout market for experienced veterans who can play a complementary role towards winning basketball. Even then, however, things seldom pan out, as it’s extremely rare to see bought out players contribute to championship-winning teams. In fact, you have to go back to 2010-11 to find the last instance of a bought-out player playing at least 100 playoff minutes for a team that went on to win the title, when Peja Stojakovic did just that for the Mavericks.

The closest possible comparison we can find this season to that is Marvin Williams agreeing to a buyout with Charlotte in order to sign with the Bucks. Williams, a 37.6 percent three-point shooter this year, should fit wonderfully with what Milwaukee will ask him to do, and considering the Bucks are the best team in the league as is, that’s a scary notion for opponents.

Currently, there are three other players who will reportedly either be bought out or waived outright: Dion Waiters, Tyler Johnson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Per reports, the Lakers have plans to speak with Waiters soon, and the fact that he’s repped by Rich Paul, the same agent as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, could help his case. Others who reportedly might hit the buyout market include Reggie Jackson, Evan Turner and Wayne Ellington, all vets who would undoubtedly pique the interest of contenders.

The buyout market might get steamy over the course of the upcoming week.

WHAT A TEASE: Darren Collison will spurn the two L.A. teams, opting to stay retired instead. Collison might not make an NBA return at all, either. That’s unfortunate news for the Lakers and Clippers, as the veteran point guard could have been a big-time addition to either team’s bench unit.

PORTIS FOCUSED ON NYC: One player who isn’t even thinking about a buyout, however, is Knicks big man Bobby Portis, who says he’s too young to be ring-chasing and is simply focused on making as much money as possible for his family. Can’t fault him for that.

KOBE TRIBUTES: NBA players continue to honor Kobe Bryant, many through the sneakers they wear. We’ve seen a lot of amazing Kobe sneaker tributes recently. Last night’s Oscars led off their annual ‘In Memoriam’ performance with a tribute to Kobe, too.

ALL-STAR FALLOUT: Just like certain players are more popular with fans than with other players, there are others who are more well-respected by fellow players than by fans. We ranked some of the top players who fall under the latter category.

EVALUATING TRADE PICKUPS: Anonymous scouts broke down the pickups of Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill by the Miami Heat. Iguodala and Crowder debuted last night for Miami, with the former shaking off some rust to drop two points, six rebounds and three assists while playing pretty impressive defense, and the latter dropping 18 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes.

Some other debutants with new teams yesterday include Andre Drummond, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes from Cleveland, Marcus Morris, who had 10 points and four rebounds in a 41-point win for the Clippers, and Dewayne Dedmon, who had 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in his first game back with Atlanta.

AWKWARD DECISION: In Kyrie Irving’s latest injury absence, Caris LeVert has found his own pre-injury form, putting up a 29/3/6 stat line over his last three games. That puts Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson in an awkward position once Irving is healthy. Will LeVert be sent back to the bench when Irving is ready to return?

KD WATCH: The Nets have shut down the idea of Kevin Durant returning this season multiple times, but in the latest round of Durant workout footage, the former league MVP looks mighty nimble.

HEAD COACH SAFE: Kings vice president Vlade Divac is happy with the work of Luke Walton this season, and the head coach’s job security seems to be just that… secure. For now, at least.

GOOD GUY EVAN: A legitimately heart-warming story about Evan Turner and a Boston kid named Frankie, and the friendship the two have struck up since meeting five years ago.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

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The HoopsHype Daily: The Rockets are taking the next step in the small-ball revolution and trade deadline recap

We knew the Rockets favored small-ball, but this new iteration is taking that to the extreme. And in its debut, it was extremely impressive.

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SUPER SMALL, SUPER EFFECTIVE: Last night, after the hoopla of the trade deadline had finally settled, a fascinating basketball game broke out, one featuring an elite Lakers team that has battered opponents with bruising frontcourt play and a Rockets team that has essentially said screw it, we don’t need a true big man anymore, traded away Clint Capela and didn’t bother acquiring a center to replace him. And lo and behold, this super intriguing experiment by Houston got off to a rousing start, as the Rockets beat the Lakers 121-111, in Los Angeles, no less, and despite getting a complete stinker out of James Harden, who had 14 points on 3-of-10 shooting for the evening.

Of course, the Rockets didn’t lose Capela for nothing; his replacement, Robert Covington, is the prototypical modern 3-and-D wing, and was excellent in his Rockets debut, dropping 14 points off the bench to go with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks while posting a plus-16 in 30 minutes. Covington’s production resembled an upgraded version of the production Houston used to get out of Trevor Ariza, which the team has sorely lacked since the veteran forward’s departure.

We’ll see how this grand experiment pans out for the Rockets, and there will likely be nights where they need minutes out of Tyson Chandler, Isaiah Hartenstein or the newly acquired Bruno Caboclo. Regardless, for now, Houston looks like they might turn into a must-watch team, just to see if the next extreme of small-ball basketball is actually able to take off.

MINNESOTA GETS THEIR GUY: After what felt like an eternity of rumored interest, the Timberwolves finally executed a trade for D’Angelo Russell, shipping Andrew Wiggins, a protected first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Warriors to get their man.

Karl-Anthony Towns seems happy (haven’t been able to say that much this season) to be playing with his friend now, going as far as to wait at the airport for Russell’s arrival. It’ll be fascinating to see how that partnership pans out.

A SHOCKER: Heading into the day of the trade deadline, nearly no one thought Andre Drummond would get dealt. Detroit’s asking price was too high and contenders weren’t interested. So what happened?

A non-contending Cavs team pulled off an absolutely stunning trade for the two-time All-Star, and it came insanely cheap, costing Cleveland just Brandon Knight, John Henson and a second-round pick. The Pistons were reportedly worried about Drummond opting into the final year of his deal, 2021-22, so they decided to ship him off for next to nothing. Who knows? Kevin Love and Drummond could be fun.

RICH GET RICHER: The Los Angeles Clippers came out as the winners of the Marcus Morris sweepstakes, landing the floor-spacing power forward in exchange for Moe Harkless, their 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round swap option and a second-round pick. Morris’ shooting and defensive versatility will make an already scary Clippers team even scarier.

For what it’s worth, the Lakers, who ended up not making a move yesterday, bowed out of the race after they realized it would have cost them Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green and draft capital. Solid decision.

ONE FOR TWO: The Heat came into trade deadline day hoping to land both Andre Iguodala and Danilo Gallinari, but wound up going one-for-two there, acquiring the 2015 Finals MVP but missing on the sharpshooting Italian. The issue with Gallinari wasn’t Oklahoma City’s asking price, but rather the 31-year-old swingman wanting a long-term extension from Miami, one that the Heat couldn’t offer him due to their need to keep near-max cap space available for the 2021 offseason.

Along with landing Iguodala, the Heat also got Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill from Memphis, sending away Dion Waiters and James Johnson, two of their worst contracts. Maybe not the day Miami was hoping for, but still a very productive trade deadline for the Heat.

FORMER LOTTERY PICK WANTS OUT? Reports surfaced yesterday that Lauri Markkanen might want out of Chicago. The Bulls are an absolute mess right now.

FULL RECAP: Our own Alex Kennedy is joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to analyze every move that was made at the deadline. Fun listen.

ON TO THE BUYOUTS: With the trade deadline behind us, now is the time that teams look to the buyout market to make improvements to their rosters. We broke down some of the top guys who could come available.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

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The HoopsHype Daily: The Heat are going all-in at the 2020 trade deadline by trying to add two major pieces

The Heat are trying to spice things up by going after a former Finals MVP and an elite shooter.

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HEAT MAKING MOVES: On Wednesday, the Miami Heat were by far the most active team on the trade market, first agreeing to acquire Andre Iguodala from Memphis in exchange for a package that will feature Justise Winslow, before then pivoting to try and pry Danilo Gallinari from the Thunder. Reports indicate that Miami wants to make it a three-team trade that will net them both Gallo and Iggy in one transaction. They may attempt to pull that off by removing the lottery protections on their 2023 first-round pick, which the Thunder already own. By doing that, they would be allowed to include their 2025 first-round pick in trade talks.

Clearly, the Thunder are thinking long-term here, considering Jimmy Butler, Miami’s best player, will be 35 once 2025 rolls around, so no one knows how strong of a team the Heat will field by then. Of course, Pat Riley is never lacking in confidence, so he probably isn’t worried about Miami falling off any time soon. What’s more, picking up Iguodala, even with the two-year, $30 million extension Miami handed him (completely non-guaranteed for Year-2), won’t cut into the Heat’s 2021 cap space, when they project to have near-max cap room. Neither would acquiring Gallinari, who is currently on the final year of his contract. That’s important because 2021 is the year guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo and Kawhi Leonard will hit free agency, and when Miami plans to pick up the third big piece to place alongside Butler and burgeoning star Bam Adebayo.

All in all, that means the Heat were able to vastly improve their roster in the short-term, likely shed bad salary in the form of James Johnson and Dion Waiters and without hurting their long-term goals. That’d be flat-out solid maneuvering by Riley and Co, if they’re able to pull it off.

BROOKS EXTENDED: Right after the Iggy deal was reported, the Grizzlies signed up-and-coming swingman Dillon Brooks to a contract extension. The Grizzlies’ young core is one of the most exciting in the NBA right now.

🤓 Brooks was originally drafted by Houston, then immediately traded to Memphis. It’s been one of eight deals between the Grizzlies and Rockets since 2000, making it the most common trade partnership in the NBA this century. More on that here.

KING BOGDAN: The Kings traded DeWayne Dedmon to Atlanta for Jabari Parker and Alex Len in order to make it easier for the team to re-sign soon-to-be free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic. It’s Sacramento, so the plan could still go sideways.

For the record, the Serbian guard is No. 7 in our 2020 free-agent rankings.

SIXERS GET BENCH HELP: Philly, who has been hurting for depth and outside shooting all season, acquired Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson from Golden State. The move did not sit well with Warriors players.

It’s not always sunny in Philadelphia, by the way. “There’s some stuff going on in our locker room, and we’ll keep that internal,” Al Horford told the media yesterday 😬

HAPPY PISTON: By all accounts, Pistons guard Derrick Rose is enjoying his time in Detroit and doesn’t want to be traded. Rose is averaging 18.5 ppg and 5.8 apg with his best efficiency numbers since 2012. You didn’t see that coming, admit it.

THE WORD ON DRUMMOND: Rose’s teammate Andre Drummond has been mentioned in trade rumors like pretty much no other player in recent months. We spoke with a bunch of NBA executives to find out what his trade value is right now.

L.A. BATTLE: Lakers and Clippers are vying for the services of Knicks forward Marcus Morris, who’s really a plug-and-play trade candidate.

BACK TO THE BIG APPLE? The Knicks are one of the teams making a hard push for D’Angelo Russell, who was selected to the All-Star Game last year while in Brooklyn and is arguably having an even better season with Golden State.

TRADE TALK: Our own Frank Urbina and Alex Kennedy discuss trade rumors in our latest podcast.

BEST SELLERS: Children books created by Kobe Bryan’s content company are flying off the shelves right now.

KD OPENS UP: Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson are getting all the best guests in their podcast. Durant was the last one and he talked about his relationship with his former Warrior teammates and the media among many other things.

MEANWHILE, IN DALLAS: A halftime show with cats doing stuff. That’s all.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.