During his end-of-the-season press conference, Chicago Bulls guard Garrett Temple has said he hopes to stay with the team next season: “I can only say what I would like to happen. I really enjoyed Chicago. Even with the snow, even with the pandemic, the organization from what I’ve been hearing took a turn for the better. It was great while I was here”.
Temple, who signed a 1-year deal with the Bulls last offseason, averaged 7.5 ppg and 2.2 apg in 56 games this season.
The Charlotte Hornets plan to pick up the team option on the contract of James Borrego for the 21-22 season, reports The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Borrego just spent his third season coaching Charlotte, leading the franchise to the Play-In tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Croatian prospect Roko Prkacin has officially declared for the 2021 NBA draft, Sportando learns. The potential first round pick has averaged 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the ABA league while shooting 40% from behind the 3-point line.
A versatile forward became the youngest captain in the Cibona’s history this season, and will also be one of the youngest players at this year’s draft, turning 18 last November.
Bob Myers on Klay Thompson’s return by opening night next season: «I don’t know if that will be realistic or not».
Bob Myers also says the club is “pretty confident” on a cotract extension with Steph Curry.
Bob Myers sounds skeptical that Klay Thompson will return by opening night next season: “I don’t know if that will be realistic or not.” Mentioned that it won’t even be a full calendar year since Achilles tear. Plan is to ease him into action.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 24, 2021
Warriors president Bob Myers also says the club is “pretty confident” that it will reach terms on a contract extension this summer with star guard Stephen Curry.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 24, 2021
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard wouldn’t commit to Nate Bjorkgren’s future as Indiana head coach.
«No decisions have been made» he said.
Il presidente Kevin Pritchard, nella conferenza stampa di chiusura della stagione, non ha commentato chiaramente il futuro del suo head coach: «Nessuna decisione è stata presa. Ha fatto buone cose, altre si potevano fare meglio».
In his season-ending news conference, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard wouldn’t commit to Nate Bjorkgren’s return as head coach next season. That decision won’t be made immediately.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 24, 2021
Indiana’s Kevin Pritchard says “no decisions have been made” on the future of Coach Nate Bjorkgren, adding that, while Bjorkgren did “some good things” in Year 1, there are “things he needs to do better.”
Interesting views enclosed from @McDNBA, who has been in Pritchard’s seat: https://t.co/YOCwoEONkS
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 24, 2021
Victor Oladipo could be cleared to play full contact basketball by November, as his orthopedic surgeon told ESPN.
“I repaired the quad tendon and did it a little differently than (he had) it done before. The quad wasn’t really hooked up. It was torn, and I re-attached it. I was amazed he was playing with what he had. I’m very optimistic that I could clear him in six months, by November. I think he’s going to play really well again,” said Dr. Glashow. Oladipo will be a free agent this summer after playing just 4 games with Miami since his arrival.
Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said that the team will try to improve the frontcourt in the next Free Agency.
According to Rick Bonnell, Daniel Theis is a potential option on the Hornets list.
The German big man this year averaged 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 65 games between the Celtics and the Bulls.
Mitch Kupchak said yesterday that he could see adding multiple centers this off-season. A name I've heard might be on that list of options: Free agent-to-be Daniel Theis.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) May 21, 2021
Karl-Anthomny Towns hopes to play his entire career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Per NBA.com, “I hope to have a career like Kobe…with one team,” said Towns. “Like Tim [Duncan] and Kobe, where it’s one team and try to bring as many championships as possible.”
“I just really am happy that I’m able to still be here playing for this amazing city and state and be able to stay here and affect change in the community,” shared Towns. “I’m just so happy that I’ve been given a chance to play here in Minnesota all these years.”
Speaking about his upcoming free agency, Raptors star Kyle Lowry told The Athletic’s Eric Koreen: “We’ll see what happens. No one knows what the future holds. No one knows what comes with the next day. We all just have to live it every day and every moment. And that’s important, to just take it day by day and minute by minute, hour by hour, and live our lives like that. But it’s a cool story to write for people. I just hope they make me look really cool”.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri said that any free agency decision will depend on how Toronto will move forward for the forseeable future.
The NBA’s Summer League will return to Las Vegas from August 8 to 17, a source confirmed to The Athletic.
Tournament wasn’t played in 2020 because of COVID-19.
In a long Twitter post, former NBA guard Jeremy Lin went over his last season and his unsuccessful attempt at a NBA return. Lin took part in the G League bubble earlier this year but wasn’t able to obtain a NBA contract
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) May 18, 2021
According to a report from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cleveland Cavaliers will sign young center Jarrett Allen to a $100M+ contract extension during the upcoming offseason.
Cleveland might look to trade Collin Sexton in the summer to build around Allen, Garland and Okoro for the forseeable future.
In a 45-minutes conference call with media, Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri has said that the franchise still has not received any guarantees from Canada Government about being able to return regularly to Toronto for the start of the 2021-22 season.
“I think the government knows what it needs to do. We have no interest in playing anywhere else. Tampa was great to us, but Tampa is not Toronto. I’m going to call Trudeau and tell him we need to return to Toronto next season”, Ujiri said, adding also he has no news on his future with the franchise as his contract is expiring next month.
According to a source close to MLSE, Masai Ujiri is likely to remain with the Toronto Raptors.
Per Sportsnet (via RealGM), MLSE will do everything possible to keep Ujiri.
“They love him, and they believe in him,” said a source close to the MLSE board. “He’s won them a championship and they believe he’s going to win them some more.”
Ujiri first joined the Raptors in 2013.
“Masai doesn’t share a lot; he’s very private and strategic in his own way,” said the source close to MLSE. “But if you were asking ‘Are they going to sign Masai?’ I would put it at 95 percent yes.”
Ujiri has remained private with his intentions.
“They’re going to try to sign him for as long as they reasonably can, [but] if they have to sign him for less [years] they’ll sign him for less,” said the source close to MLSE. “They don’t have a lot of leverage. They want him. If he wants [a shorter deal], what are they going to say, no?”
Lonzo Ball will be restricted free agency this summer and he told about his future: «That’s a conversation between me and my agent moving forward. But obviously I would love to be back. I built a bond here with the coaches and the teammates who are here. I definitely wouldn’t mind coming back at all».
Fonte: espn.com.
The Sacramento Kings will keep Luke Walton as head coach for next season.
Per NBC Sports, According to a league source, Walton will return as coach of the Kings for a third season after finishing the 2020-21 campaign strong with a 9-7 record over the final 16 games, despite illness and injuries to most of his rotation.
The source confirmed that Walton’s relationship with general manager Monte McNair and his front office was a big reason for Walton getting another season to turn things around for a franchise that has now missed the NBA playoffs for 15 consecutive years.
The Washington Wizards announced the agreement reached with Caleb Homesley.
The guard signed a multi-year deal. He will not join the team immediately, but is expected to be a part of the team offseason developmental program.
Homesley averaged 9.2 points, 2.4 assist and 1.2 steals in G League for the Erie Bayhawks.
OFFICIAL: We’ve signed G/F Caleb Homesley to a multi-year contract. pic.twitter.com/CHHZEecH81
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) May 16, 2021
The San Antonio Spurs claimed DaQuan Jeffries off waivers, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Jeffries has played in 31 games for the Kings and Rockets this season.
Bradley Beal has been upgraded to questionable for the Washington Wizards game on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets.
Wizards will get the 8th seed if they win on Sunday, and that would mean having at least two shots at a Playoff seed in the Play-In Tournament. Beal is averaging 31.4 ppg on the season, trailing only Steph Curry at 31.8 ppg.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is making progress in his on-court work, according to New York coach Tom Thibodeau.
The center has not played since breaking his foot on March 27 and has not been ruled out for the playoffs. Thibodeau added that there are still hurdles for Robinson to make his return, including playing in 5-on-5 scrimmages.
Veteran broadcaster Marv Albert will retire following the 2021 NBA playoffs, reported Andrew Marchand and Phil Mushnick of the New York Post.
Albert and TNT, who has reportedly began contacting NBA personnel to pay tribute to Albert during the playoffs, are expected to make a formal announcement soon.
The NBA has had approximately 75 percent of their players receive a COVID-19 vaccine, sources tell ESPN. The vaccination rate is significantly higher than of the general population.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is continuing to appeal to front office executives to encourage further player participation.
Fonte: ESPN.
Former Pistons center Ben Wallace will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2021, sources told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. The entire 2021 class will be announced on Sunday.
Wallace, whose No. 3 jersey is retired by the Pistons, began his career going undrafted in 1996. Wallace won a NBA title in 2004 and was a four-time All-Star.
The Houston Rockets announced that they have signed Khyri Thomas to a multi-year contract.
The former Crieghton guard averaged 16.4 points, 5 assist and 1.8 steals in 5 games.
Official: The #Rockets today announced they have signed guard Khyri Thomas to a multi-year contract in addition to signing forward Cam Reynolds to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception.
Details: https://t.co/cUMxVrI8QG pic.twitter.com/BG6gKi7FXn
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) May 14, 2021
According to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the NBA and the NBPA are discussing modifications to the health and safety protocols after CDC guidance that fully-vaccinated indivuduals are no longer required to wear a facemask or physically distance except in certain settings.
Meanwhile, current protocols remain in place.
Chris Webber and TNT parted ways before the NBA playoffs, reported Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Marchand reported last week that there was a feeling that TNT did not want Webber to return next season.
Grant Hill and Jim Jackson have been mentioned as potential replacements for Webber.
Julius Randle is undoubtedly one of the stories of the NBA season, and has a team option for next season at approx. $20M, so speculation are growing about his future.
“I love playing in New York. I want to retire as a New York Knick,” Randle said on The Victory podcast about his prospects of signing a new deal with the Knicks. Former Lakers is averaging 24.0 ppg and 10.2 rpg in a breakout season.
The Golden State Warriors plan on signing Gary Payton II to a contract for the remainder of the season, reports Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic
Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have reached agreement to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves from Glen Taylor for $1.5 billion, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The investment group recently had their 30-day exclusive negotiation window expire, which led to speculation that the team could begin to receive bids from rival bidders. Tech entrepreneur Lore and former MLB star Rodriguez are reportedly equal 50-50 partners in the purchase.
The NBA has internally discussed the possibility of delaying playoff games in the instance of positive COVID-19 tests, sources tell Yahoo! Sports.
Since the January surge of positive tests in the NBA, they have had a weekly average of two. More than 70% of players had received at least one shot of a vaccine by the end of April, which is higher than the general US population (46%).
