NBA rumors

Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison talked about Kyrie Irving: «I think the things that he said along the way about how he feels here, how he feels appreciated, how he feels accepted and allowed to be himself — those are the things that he said kind of consistently. That’s what gives me the optimism that he wants to be here».

Houston has received permission to interview Golden State associate head coach Kenny Atkinson for franchise’s coaching job, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Atkinson helped rebuild Nets into a playoff team and accepted Charlotte job before changing his mind and staying in Golden State a year ago.

Cam Whitmore has decided to leave Villanova to enter the NBA draft.
Whitmore leaves the NCAA after a season in which he averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Whitmore is a projected top 10 pick.

Villanova University freshman Cam Whitmore – a projected top 10 pick – tells me he is entering the 2023 NBA Draft. Our sitdown: pic.twitter.com/mldqW0mRCi

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 11, 2023

Luka Doncic attempted to ease concerns about his long-term commitment to the Dallas Mavericks after the team’s disappointing season ended with a 138-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavs finished 38-44 and 11th in the Western Conference, their first losing season since Doncic’s rookie year in 2017-18. Doncic recently acknowledged that he was more frustrated than he had ever been during his five-year career, pointing to the Mavs’ struggles and issues in his private life. He said that such frustration is “normal” when a team is losing as often as they were, as reported by ESPN.

“I’m happy here, so there’s nothing to worry [about],” Doncic said after sitting out the Mavericks’ 138-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Mavs finished with the 10th-best lottery odds, an important development with Dallas owing the New York Knicks a top-10-protected pick. The NBA is investigating the Mavs’ “roster decisions and game conduct” against the Bulls, league spokesman Mike Bass said Saturday. Doncic played only 12 minutes and 35 seconds against the Bulls on Friday, then sat out Sunday’s season finale.

“I didn’t like that decision,” Doncic said. “That’s it.”

Mavs governor Mark Cuban said on Wednesday that while he believes Doncic wants to spend his entire career in Dallas, the franchise has “got to earn” that kind of loyalty from the superstar. ESPN reported that Doncic could consider requesting a trade as soon as summer 2024 if significant progress is not made next season.

Doncic expressed the need for the Mavs to have a productive offseason to position themselves to be competitive again. He expressed his desire to re-sign Irving in free agency, which Cuban called the team’s top summer priority.

“Something’s got to change, for sure,” Doncic said. “I mean, last year we went to Western Conference finals. We were having fun. I always talk about the chemistry we had. It was great. But something’s got to change for sure.”

Irving, who declared days after being traded to Dallas that he would not discuss his free agency until the end of the season, declined to participate in the team’s exit interviews with the media. The Mavs were only 5-11 in games Doncic and Irving played together, which is the worst winning percentage for a pair of teammates since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77.

“I think it’s a great fit,” Doncic said. “Obviously people are going to say no [and] look at the results we are having, but like I said, chemistry and relationships takes time. I wish he can still be here.”

The Houston Rockets will part ways with head coach Stephen Silas. The Rockets are declining their fourth-year option for Silas, ending his tenure as Houston’s head coach after three seasons.

Silas went 59-177 in three seasons as the Rockets head coach.

Isaiah Roby, a forward, has signed with the New York Knicks. Roby will sign a two-year contract with New York that he will play out this season and continue over into the following one.

Roby participated in 42 games earlier this season with the San Antonio Spurs. In 11.3 minutes a game with the Spurs, the fourth-year forward averaged 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds.

After being released by the Oklahoma City Thunder over the summer, Roby was picked up by San Antonio off waivers. The 6-foot-8 big had played with the Thunder for the first three years of his career.

The news was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Dallas Mavericks have some fear that Luka Doncic could request a trade as soon as the summer of 2024 if they don’t make significant progress by then. Doncic just finished Year 1 of a five-year, $215 million supermax extension and has a player option for the 2026 offseason. He participated in personnel discussions with the front office for the first time this season and pushed for a major upgrade, which led to their trade for Kyrie Irving. MacMahon wrote that Doncic “appeared relieved” after their loss to the Chicago Bulls, which officially eliminated them from play-in contention. A member of the Mavs’ staff who knows Doncic well said, “Good eyes.”

The news was reported by ESPN.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Luka Samanic will sign a new contract with the Utah Jazz through the end of next season.

The croatian forward joined the Jazz on a 10-day deal.

Samanic has put together averages of 7.4 points, 4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 5 games.

The Utah Jazz are signing F Luka Samanic through the 2023-2024 season, a deal including guaranteed money and trigger dates, his agents George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Samanic, 23, was the 19th overall pock to the Spurs in 2019.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 7, 2023

Despite the Dallas Mavericks struggling since acquiring Kyrie Irving, they still plan to re-sign the star guard, according to Bleacher Report.

Irving will let his future be decided in free agency this summer. The Mavericks, with a 9-16 record since the trade, aim to improve their defense by surrounding Luka Dončić and Irving with versatile wing defenders and rim protectors.

James Wiseman is enjoying a fresh start with the Detroit Pistons after a trade deadline deal away from the Golden State Warriors. Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, has struggled to stay on the floor during his three seasons in the league due to a variety of injuries and inconsistencies. He is averaging 13.1 points and 8.4 rebounds over 19 games for the Pistons, which is impressive given that he had only played in 21 games all season for the Warriors prior to the trade. Wiseman is frustrated that the Warriors moved him so early in his career, but is confident that he will continue to improve in the Pistons’ system and not get discouraged if he makes mistakes.

“This is apparently like my rookie year, I can say, because just the amount of games I’ve played,” Wiseman told ESPN prior to Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic. “Seriously. So, I just got to take it one day at a time. I can’t be so hard on myself about anything, about trying to be good right now, all the instant gratification stuff. Sometimes it comes into my mind, but I got to just look at it for what it is and be real with myself. It’s going to take time. It’s not going to be now. It’s going to be within time, it just takes time within the craft. I just got to keep working. That’s it.”

“It’s a business,” Wiseman said. “I kind of seen that when I got traded. It’s like an experience within itself. I just got to take it one day at a time. I only played like 78 games, me being in the league, so it’s going to take time.”

“Short term just to get better and just to develop,” Wiseman said. “Just watch as much film as possible and just don’t get so down on myself if I make mistakes or if I mess up. It’s part of the journey, it’s going to happen, because I haven’t played in such a long time. It’s going to take time with me just believing in myself and knowing that I can do it. Keep working every day, everything will come together eventually.”

The Portland Trail Blazers are releasing Ryan Arcidiacono and signing Jeenathan Williams to a two-year deal, Shams Charania reports.

Arcidiacono played nine games with Portland after his arrival from the Knicks.

Williams comes from the G League, where he averaged 12.4 points (52% FG, 43% 3P, 79% FT) in 26 minutes per game for the Salt Lake City Stars.

The Portland Trail Blazers are waiving guard Ryan Arcidiacono and signing NBA G League Salt Lake City's Jeenathan Williams on a two-year contract, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Williams has averaged 14.4 points in G League.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 1, 2023

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, pending ratification by players and team governors.

Specific details will be made available once a term sheet is finalized.

ESPN sources reports that the deal includes In-Season Tournament, 65-game minimum for postseason awards, new limitations on highest spending teams and expanded opportunities for trades and free agency for mid and smaller team payrolls.

In an interview with The Athletic, Kevin Durant, a professional basketball player currently playing for his fourth NBA team, said that he no longer cares about his legacy. According to Durant, “I don’t care about legacy… It just becomes too much of a focus on other people. What’s he done, what’s he done? Comparisons.” He added that he used to want to carve out a space in the game for himself that people would remember, but he doesn’t feel that way anymore.

Durant also mentioned that after he left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors, he realized that many people would not view his career logically. He said, “When it comes to me, people are not going to think in a logical way or simply look at what I’ve done and say that’s it. They gotta add a narrative to it, they gotta push something to discredit me.” He added that people often move the goalpost for him and expect the most out of him, and if he doesn’t reach it, he’s seen as a failure.

The Charlotte Hornets have signed Nick Richards to a three-year, $15 million extension, thus avoiding restricted free agency this offseason. Richards, who was selected as the 42nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft out of Kentucky, has been contributing 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in an average of 18 minutes this season.

The news was reported by ESPN.