NBA rumors

Phoenix Suns are hiring David Fizdale as an assistant coach.

Fizdale, who had joined the Jazz’s front office as an associate general manager last year, is a former HC with Knicks and Grizzlies.

Fizdale had taken to the front office turn in his career, but the lure of reuniting with Vogel — whom he had worked under with Lakers — and coaching a Suns franchise with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant turned out to be too much to pass up.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2023

The Phoenix Suns are finalizing a deal to hire Frank Vogel as coach, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Agreement is a five-year, $31 million contract to make the 2020 championship coach the new head man in Phoenix, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic

Larry Bird returns to the Indiana Pacers as a consultant. This was the announcement on Twitter by the franchise following the visit on May 12, when Bird was pictured with coach Rick Carlisle and Assistant GM Kelly Krauskopf.

Monty Williams will be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons. They have reached a six-year, $72 million agreement with the former Suns coach. The official announcement is expected to be made in the coming days.

Monty Williams, who coached the Phoenix Suns from 2019 to 2023, was named Coach of the Year in 2022. After a brief period of being unemployed, he has now secured a new coaching position with the Detroit Pistons. The deal is still in the process of being finalized.

Breaking: Monty Williams and the Detroit Pistons have agreed in principle on a six-year, $72 million deal for Williams to become the franchise’s new head coach, sources tell me and @JLEdwardsIII. The deal is expected to be finalized in the coming days.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 1, 2023

According to Shams Charania, the Chicago Bulls and Nikola Vucevic are in talks for a contract extension.

Without an agreement by June 30, the big man will become an unrestricted free agent.

Vucevic has produced 17.6 points and 11 rebounds per game this year.

La Gazzetta dello Sport headlines: “Scariolo and the NBA, final interview to lead Toronto”.

According to Andrea Tosi, the Virtus Bologna coach is among the three finalists to take over after Nick Nurse for the franchise where he won the NBA title as an assistant in 2019.

La Gazzetta dello Sport also cites the NBA partner agency, FanDuel, which has Sergio Scariolo at 6-1 odds and as a big favorite, given that Steve Nash is at 6.50 and Monty Williams at 7.50.

A new meeting is therefore expected before June 22, the day of the NBA Draft.

Nick Nurse has reached an agreement to become the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Nurse — who won an NBA championship and a coach of year award with Toronto — now gets to coach the 2023 MVP Joel Embiid.

According to Marc Stein, Golden State Warriors GM, Bob Myers, could leave his role this week anticipating the expiration of his contract set for the end of June. Myers is reportedly looking to take a break from the NBA. He’s run the Warriors front office for the last nine seasons and could be looking to step back from the NBA for a while. Should that happen, Golden State is expected to promote Mike Dunleavy Jr. to run the team’s basketball operations.

Recent guests on The Ryen Russillo Show included C.J. McCollum. Zion Williamson was one of the subjects McCollum and the presenter in question addressed. Williamson’s career is now in his hands, according to McCollum and other players who have told him as much.

“I’ve had serious conversations with him on multiple occasions,” McCollum said. “Not just me, Larry (Nance Jr.). I’ve told him, ‘You can be as good as you wanna be, and that’s not for everybody’. The level of the best version of him is a level that everybody can’t get to.”

Only Williamson, according to McCollum, can aspire to be the dominant force he has occasionally been throughout his career.

“Your ceiling is unlike anything the NBA has ever seen,” McCollum said he’s told Williamson. “But it’s up to you to take full advantage of whatever that is. I can’t want it for you. Mom can’t want it for you. Dad can’t want it for you. Staff can’t want it for you. So, it’s up to you to decide what that looks like. You’ve got to figure out what you want to do with this game, because this game will go where you take it.”

Jordi Fernandez is a serious candidate for the Toronto Raptors’ coaching position. Currently, Fernandez is an associate coach for the Sacramento Kings under Mike Brown, and he has also been linked with Cleveland.

Previously, Fernandez spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets under Michael Malone.

The Dallas Mavericks’ intention remains to re-sign Kyrie Irving in free agency this summer. This would close the door on the Los Angeles Lakers, who would need support from Dallas to find cap space and bring Irving back alongside LeBron James.

Los Angeles is unlikely to create the necessary cap space to sign Irving. This would mean a sign-and-trade deal would have to be in place to bring Irving to the Lakers.

Marc Stein reports that the Mavericks have no interest in acquiring D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade deal.

The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly chosen their coach for the next season. Mike Budenholzer’s replacement will be Adrian Griffin, an assistant from the Toronto Raptors.

ESPN Sources: The Milwaukee Bucks are planning to hire Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin as the franchise’s next head coach. Sides are progressing on terms of an agreement. pic.twitter.com/Kz1iydRKsF

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 27, 2023

Despite Phoenix Suns’ interest in him, expectation in the NBA is that Tyronn Lue will continue in being the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, reports Marc Stein. Sources with knowledge of coaching searches says that Lue is not a viable option for any current openings.

Igor Kokoskov has signed a deal to become Quin Snyder’s top assistant with the Atlanta Hawks, sources tell ESPN. Kokoskov, who spent a year as the Suns’ head coach, previously worked for Snyder on his Utah Jazz and Missouri staffs.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 26, 2023

Sources have informed Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports that contract extension discussions between Josh Hart and the New York Knicks are expected to reach approximately $18 million per season.

Hart was acquired by the Knicks from the Blazers in February.

Sources have informed Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports that D’Angelo Russell was said to be pursuing a four-year contract extension worth approximately $100 million while playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Following his acquisition by the Lakers in February, Russell faced difficulties in the playoffs, managing only a total of 25 points throughout the Lakers’ series against the Nuggets.

Despite his struggles on the court, sources emphasized that Russell was regarded as a valuable asset within the team, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere.

The Detroit Pistons held a meeting with Kevin Ollie on Thursday and are scheduled to meet with Charles Lee on Friday, as reported by Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.

Jarron Collins is no longer considered a candidate for the next Pistons coach.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Monty Williams declined an opportunity to coach the team.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Houston Rockets’ expectation is to bring James Harden back to Texas during the offseason.

The reporter adds that the consensus among NBA insiders is that the guard will eventually return to Houston.
Harden will not exercise his 35 million-plus player option to sign a new multi-year deal with his next team.

Houston in free agency will have around 60 million in salary cap space, so they can offer Harden a max-contract.

The 33-year old guard ended last year with 21 points and an NBA-leading 10.7 assists per game.

Los Angeles Clippers’ General Manager, Michael Winger, interviewed for the role of Head of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards. He’s the second known candidate to meet with Washington, along with New Orleans’ GM, Trajan Langdon.

Before joining the Clippers as GM in 2017, Winger spent seven years in OKC’s front office. He has previously spurned overtures to stay with the Clippers, where he works with the President of Basketball Operations, Lawrence Frank.

ESPN story on Los Angeles Clippers GM Michael Winger emerging as a candidate to oversee the Washington Wizards’ basketball operations: https://t.co/9uESAlp7vH

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 18, 2023

According to Shams Charania, the Warriors and President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers have had no substantial contract extension talks in months.

Both parties are bracing for the likelihood that Myers could depart from the franchise.

Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel is slated to interview for the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching vacancy this week, according to league sources.

The Bucks have also interviewed Washington Wizards assistant Joseph Blair for the coaching position, ESPN reports.

Blair, who clinched a G League title in 2019 with Rio Grande Valley, has since progressed as an NBA assistant with the Wizards, Timberwolves, and 76ers.

Milwaukee Bucks also interviewed University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson.

Philadelphia 76ers star, James Harden, intends to decline his $35.6 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent in order to secure a long-term deal, reports Bleacher Report.

Harden, 33, accepted a significant pay cut last season to help the Sixers build their team. Now, the guard is seeking a four-year contract.

The Houston Rockets have long been rumored as a potential destination, but sources say Harden will only consider contenders that present a competitive roster.

Intriguingly, James Harden appears to be choosing this offseason between re-signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he can continue to compete for an Eastern Conference championship, and returning to the Houston Rockets in a rebuilding situation, which may be more comfortable for him personally.

According to Zach Lowe on his show, “I don’t know what Harden is going to do.” “Only God knows. James Harden’s future plans are unknown to me.

Tim MacMahon retorted, “The Rockets think he’s coming, but go on.”

“I know the Rockets think he’s coming,” Lowe said.

Harden requested a trade from the Rockets in 2020 and was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021 before requesting a second trade in 2022 to the Sixers.

Harden re-signed with the Sixers this past offseason on a two-year, $68.6 million deal.

The Milwaukee Bucks are on the hunt for a replacement for Mike Budenholzer, and it appears their search has led them to the Phoenix Suns franchise. According to sources close to ESPN, the Bucks have received permission to interview Kevin Young, the current associate head coach of the Suns, for the head coaching position.

However, the Bucks are not the only team showing interest in Young. The same sources confirm that the coach is also a candidate for the Toronto Raptors, and is expected to soon interview with the Suns for a new opening within their organization.

Born in 1981 in Salt Lake City, Kevin Young made his NBA debut in 2016 with the 76ers and has been with Phoenix since 2020.

The Milwaukee Bucks have received permission to interview Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young for the franchise’s coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Young is also a candidate with Toronto and expected to interview with the Suns for the new opening there.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 15, 2023

Fifteen-year NBA veteran and ESPN analyst JJ Redick has interviewed for the Toronto Raptors’ coaching job, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Redick was part of a first-round of candidates to meet with franchise leadership.

Following their first-round playoff exit, the Atlanta Hawks are set to make significant changes to their coaching staff under head coach Quinn Snyder. Among the potential candidates to join Snyder’s staff is former Slovenia National Team head coach, Igor Kokoskov.

The duo has previously worked together, sharing a strong relationship. If Kokoskov joins the Hawks, he will have the opportunity to work with his fellow countryman, Bogdan Bogdanovic, who recently extended his contract with the team.

Source: Zach Klein, WSB TV Atlanta