NBA rumors

John Collins has criticized Atlanta Hawks’ offense during a recent film session.

Per The Athletic, John Collins, the fourth-year big man who just weeks before bet on himself in a big way during his failed extension talks with the Hawks, shared his unfiltered and unhappy views about the way franchise centerpiece Trae Young was running the offense,” Kirschner and Amick wrote. “According to three sources who were either in the session or had knowledge of what was said, Collins raised several issues about the way these Hawks were functioning with Young at the helm.

“Collins talked about the need to get into offensive sets more quickly and to limit all those early shot-clock attempts that leave his teammates on the outside looking in. He shared his desire to be more involved and expressed a desire for more ball involvement and flow on offense.

“There was no back-and-forth between the two, but the pointed criticism caught the attention of the room. And Young, sources say, made it clear to others later that he strongly disagreed with Collins’ assessment.

“‘Trae is my brother regardless,’ Collins, who chose not to elaborate further, told The Athletic via text message when he was asked about the situation.”

The New York Knicks are expected to sign veteran big man Taj Gibson, according to Shams Charania. Gibson will reunite once again with head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached him in Chicago and Minnesota.

The Knicks are expected to waive Omari Spellman to clear roster space for Gibson, per SNY’s Ian Begley.

Officials within the league office have floated a price tag of $2.5 billion each for two expansion teams to join the NBA in the near future, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Unlike other major revenue streams, owners would not have to share that money with players and could result in $160 million per team, which would effectively eliminate the debt currently piling up. There could be multiple offers from cities like Seattle or Las Vegas.

The Memphis Grizzlies are signing free agent guard Tim Frazier, according to Shams Charania.

The Grizzlies will add Frazier after being granted a hardship exception.

Marvin Bagley III’s father is not happy with his son’s role and publicly requested a trade out of Sacramento for his son, with the Kings’ handle mentioned in his tweet.

“@SacramentoKings PLEASE trade Marvin Bagley III ASAP!,” Marvin Bagley II tweeted.

The tweet was deleted later, but screenshots are still on social media. Bagley II even retweeted one of those screenshots.

Donnie Walsh is retiring at 79 after 22 years spent with the Indiana Pacers as GM and president.

Per Indianapolis Star, In Walsh’s 22 years as general manager or president, the Pacers reached the playoffs 19 times.

“I’m getting older and don’t have the energy,” said Walsh, 79. “It’s a young man’s sport. This job has always occupied a great deal of my time. The Pacers were always in my head. This gives me an opportunity to pay attention to my children, my grandchildren and my wife (Judy) of 58 years.”

“Over my thirty-year relationship with Donnie, I have been amazed to watch him help lead this organization to what it has become,” Pacers owner Herb Simon said in a statement. “He was certainly the right leader at the right time, and the invaluable wisdom and counsel he has provided over the decades extend well beyond the lines of the basketball court. For that, I owe him an incredible debt of gratitude. While he may be stepping away, Donnie will always be part of the Pacers family and I am personally excited for him as he transitions to his next chapter.”

Walsh also ran the New York Knicks from 2008 until 2011.

According to former Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough, the Boston Celtics decided to exercise the 2021/2022 options on Robert Williams, Grant Williams and Romeo Langford.
Robert Williams was selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, while Grant Williams and Josh Langford were first round picks in the 2019.

The Boston Celtics will exercise the team options for Robert Williams, Grant Williams and Romeo Langford, per NBA sources.

— Ryan McDonough (@McDNBA) December 29, 2020

The Brooklyn Nets are still in talks with veteran guard Jamal Crawford, as reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Crawford was signed by the Nets to play in the NBA bubble, but he suffered an hamstring injury after just 6 minutes of play in the first game. Brooklyn has to deal with the season ending injury occurred to Spencer Dinwiddie.