Month: August 2021

The Atlanta Hawks were one of the NBA’s biggest surprises in 2020-21, not because they made the leap to a playoff team in the East but for what they did once they made the postseason, going on a sensational run to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the eventual champs in six games.

Leading the way for Atlanta was Trae Young, as the third year star cemented his status as one of the league’s best offensive weapons in the playoffs, averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists per game across his first playoff run. Young is the franchise cornerstone of the Hawks and when the clock flipped over to August 3 and extensions were allowed to be discussed, Atlanta paid him as such, inking him to the expected 5-year rookie max extension.

For now, that means $172 million is for sure coming Young’s way, but an All-NBA campaign next season would vault him to $207 million for the life of that contract. That is certainly within reach for Young, particularly coming off a season where he was considered an All-Star snub and carries a lot of positive momentum and narrative into next season off of his sensational playoff performance. For the Hawks, they lock up the best young star the franchise has seen in a long time and tie their wagon to Young with high hopes of another long run of playoff appearances, hopefully seeing greater heights than ever before.

Richaun Holmes once was a darling of Sixers Process Twitter who has gone on to carve out not just a nice career, but an impressive one that has led him to being one of the most coveted big men on the free agent market this summer.

Holmes averaged 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game last season (on 63.7 percent shooting) for the Kings and figured to cash in with a strong payday, either in Sacramento or elsewhere because of it. The Kings were motivated to bring him back, but had a cap on what they could offer him and had to hope that was enough to keep him in town. On Monday night, word broke they had indeed succeeded in retaining Holmes, as they land their biggest free agent of the summer.

The deal is for 4 years and worth up to $55 million — the max the Kings could give him with non-Bird rights — and will lock him up as their center for the present and near future.

Having already signed Alex Len and traded for Tristan Thompson, the Sacramento center rotation is fairly crowded at this point, but Holmes is the clear leading man for the Kings at that position. This adds some further question to Marvin Bagley III’s future with the Kings, as their activity on the trade market prior to the Draft in shopping Buddy Hield in a near-deal to L.A. likely indicates Sacramento isn’t done trying to make moves.

Still, at worst they’ve secured their best player who could’ve left for another team, and for the Kings, that’s a win.

When Kent Bazemore signed with the Golden State Warriors prior to the 2020-21 season, it was billed as a homecoming of sorts. Bazemore broke into the NBA with the Warriors during the 2012-13 season and, after making a bigger name for himself and securing a $70 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks, the veteran wing returned to the Warriors with an eye toward helping the team making a deep playoff run. Bazemore appeared in 67 games, averaging 19.9 minutes per contest, and he contributed at a reasonably solid level. As a result, it was at least a mild surprise when word broke on Monday that Bazemore would be signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency on a minimum deal.

It should be noted that Bazemore is also a former member of the Lakers, spending part of the 2013-14 season in Los Angeles before heading to Atlanta. However, the story becomes more interesting with additional reporting from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Mark Medina of USA Today that Bazemore actually turned down more money and an additional year to stay with the Warriors before choosing the Lakers.

There are several angles to this decision, but Bazemore has earned more than $75 million in his career, potentially allowing him to choose situation over finances. Still, the Warriors are also trying to win at a high level this season, and Bazmore almost certainly would’ve been a rotation player for Golden State, particularly if they were offering two years and more than the veteran minimum to keep him.

In Los Angeles, Bazemore joins a team that is trying to fill out its roster with minimum contracts after investing much of its trade capital in a deal for Russell Westbrook. Bazemore can help any team with his two-way ability on the wing, but he is merely an average three-point shooter historically, converting 35.6 percent of his career three-point attempts. Bazemore did knock down more than 40 percent from beyond the arc last season, though, and the Lakers will be hoping that can repeat as they search for floor-spacers around Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Bazemore does have a clear path to playing time in Los Angeles, at least as the roster stands now. With that said, this is an interesting decision and one that could flummox the Warriors as they try to position themselves in the race for title contention.

One thing that was evident during The Last Dance is that Michael Jordan’s memory for strange things that happened during his time as a member of the Chicago Bulls has no limits. Every now and then, Jordan would bust out a story that had burrowed itself deep into his brain, usually involving some random game or practice that stuck with him because, like, Scott Burrell would not break no matter how mean Jordan tried to be.

Our latest example of this comes from the following video, it is very good.

Jordan recalled a game between the Bulls and the Utah Jazz in which big man Luc Longley had a very good first quarter, going for 12 points, four blocks, and four rebounds. As Jordan tells it, he decided to give Longley some words of encouragement.

“And I go to Luc and I say, ‘That’s how you f’in play, man! You do that, we dominate!’” Jordan said. “We up by 16.”

Then, Jordan fast forwards to the very end of the game, where things were decidedly worse.

“Luc had 12 points, four rebounds, and four blocks,” Jordan said. “We were winning by 16, we lose by 15. And I looked at Luc and I said, ‘That is the last time I’ll give you a compliment in the middle of a game.’”

Just what someone needed: Another reason for Michael Jordan to not be nice to them.

Blake Griffin had a fascinating 2020-21 season, starting slowly in Detroit before working out a buyout to head to the Brooklyn Nets on a minimum deal where he became an important role player in the team’s run to the conference semifinals.

Griffin averaged 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on just over 21 minutes per night with the Nets, while posting a robust 49.2/38.3/78.2 shooting split that was more reminiscent of Lob City era Blake than what he was in Detroit. Griffin’s season was a testament to the importance of fit and role in how valuable a player is seen, and entering free agency, he was likely to have a fascinating choice between a minimum deal back in Brooklyn to chase a title or possibly more money in a bigger role again elsewhere.

In the end, Griffin chose to stay put with the Nets, reportedly agreeing on a one-year deal.

The rest of Brooklyn’s offseason will perhaps play a part in what Griffin’s ultimate role with the team will be. Jeff Green is, for sure, gone, but they’ll be players on the veteran minimum market, competing with the other top teams for the best role players at bargain prices. At the same time, it is safe to assume that he will be entrenched in the rotation somewhere, particularly after he found his stride in a supporting role last season. Griffin isn’t going to recapture his superstar upside, but he’s a quality ball mover that played hard defensively and did the little things for the 2020-21 Nets. Keeping that player for a modest cost is kind of a no-brainer for Brooklyn as they pursue a potentially deep playoff run.

The Portland Trail Blazers entered this offseason without any real cap space but with the strong suggestion by Damian Lillard that they should get to work upgrading the roster around him if they wanted him to stay longterm.

The NBA Draft and the start of NBA free agency came and went without any trades or significant moves, as the Blazers stood pat with what seemed to be a plan of running it back and making moves on the margins. The first of those was to bring in Cody Zeller on a one-year deal to provide some center depth and hope that he can finally stay healthy for a season.

From there, they locked up their biggest free agent in Norman Powell, giving him a hefty five-year, $190 million contract.

Powell himself confirmed the deal shortly after on Twitter.

Powell was very good for the Blazers after they acquired him at the deadline for Gary Trent Jr., and all reports indicated they would make re-signing him their top priority this offseason. They stayed true to that, paying him handsomely – but now the question lingers as to whether Zeller, Powell, and whatever they do with their mid-level exception will be enough to make Lillard happy. Trade rumors will continue to swirl as the rest of free agency takes shape and teams know what they still need to address, but for now, it’s been a rather uneventful day in Portland, for better or worse.

Two years ago, Devonte’ Graham was one of the league’s young breakout stars, averaging 18.2 points and 7.5 assists per game for the Charlotte Hornets, but after drafting LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier’s continued emergence in Charlotte, Graham’s place with the Hornets became a question mark.

The Hornets extended the qualifying offer to Graham on Sunday, as expected, but it was reported that a hefty offer sheet for Graham (coming off averaging 14.8 points and 5.4 assists in 2020-21) might be enough to make Charlotte balk at bringing him back. Graham is a terrific three-point shooter (north of 37 percent the last two seasons) and a quality distributor, but his finishing inside the arc leaves plenty to be desired (he shot 38 percent on twos last season). Any team signing him will have to be bullish on his ability to continue improving as an all-levels scorer, but just three seasons into his career, there’s plenty of time for him to build on his skillset.

The team that will take a swing on Graham’s potential is the New Orleans Pelicans, who saw Lonzo Ball go to Chicago in a sign-and-trade and were unable to get into the Kyle Lowry sweepstakes. As such, they turned their attention to Charlotte’s RFA point guard, and inked him to a 4-year, $47 million deal that seems like solid value. In return, they will send a 2022 lottery protected first round pick to Charlotte, who recoups an asset as they let their guard walk to greener pastures.

To give up a first round pick is a bit surprising for the Pelicans, but they have plenty after the Jrue Holiday trade and if the expectation is to make a leap into playoff contention, then making it lottery protected at least saves you from losing the pick if they were to fall short of that goal.

Graham gives them some serious shooting on the perimeter, but as mentioned he is not a downhill creator. That issue is mitigated by having Zion Williamson, who can handle the downhill attacking better than most anyone in the league, and spacing the floor further around him is paramount to his continued development and improvement.

The between-seasons buzz about Saturday Night Live has been more about who may be leaving than who will certainly be staying, but if a report is to be believed the show’s creator is interested in keeping its biggest free agents around for a long time.

Variety reported on Monday that Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels wants most of the show’s cast to return this fall and beyond: at least until the show’s 50th season.

The process usually starts in August, but has commenced earlier this year, according to two people familiar with the matter, as Michaels works to convince cast members whose contracts may have lapsed not only to stay, but to stay for a while.

“SNL” is about to enter its 47th season, but Michaels hopes to get some cast members to agree to stay through the show’s 50th, according to these people, a landmark occasion that is slated to start in the fall of 2024.

There are some vague speculations and reading of the proverbial tea leaves in the story, but it does offer some context to the behind-the-scenes shuffling taking place this summer for the most-watched show on network TV for NBC’s most valued demographic. For starters, the off-season hoopla about some long-running cast members who have hinted about leaving the show like Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant, all who have hesitated to commit to returning for Season 48.

One interesting factor here is the future of the show itself, with Variety noting that Michaels only has a deal with NBC for the show until 2025. Keeping strong ratings and a familiar, cohesive cast around until then is likely to increase its chances of staying on the air. Which, as the report notes, may explain why members of the cast have been able to pursue other projects while missing some time on the show in the process and not drawing Michaels’ ire. That may help stars itching to do movies and other projects while still holding down the sketch comedy show as a cast member for what would be several more years.

Such a commitment would be a long one for cast members who have already worked on the program for several years, but these people say Michaels is willing to grant some flexibility, giving cast who have other opportunities the chance to work on those projects as well as on the show. “SNL” demonstrated some of this elasticity last season, when both Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant were able to commit to outside projects like Apple’s “Schmigadoon” and Hulu’s “Shrill” while missing multiple episodes of “SNL.” Michaels has also worked to find ways for Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd to take part in the NBC sitcom “Kenan” without missing much of “Saturday Night Live.” It helps that all of these series are produced under the auspices of Michaels’ own Broadway Video.

Meanwhile, Kenan Thompson has said he’s going nowhere, so that’s at least one cast veteran Michaels won’t have to worry about this summer. But it certainly makes for an intriguing offer, especially if there’s added flexibility to work on other projects along the way.

PJ Tucker spent years as the defensive soul of the Houston Rockets, but it wasn’t until he got to Milwaukee, a team where he could simply be a cog in a great defense rather than the heart of it, that he won a championship. Tucker was eased into his role with the Bucks, playing just 20 minutes per night in the regular season, but as the playoffs wore on, Tucker became a bigger and bigger part of the Bucks rotation, averaging 30 minutes in the postseason.

His three-point shooting wasn’t what it was in Houston (just 32.2 percent in these playoffs), but his value was as a defensive pest who, along with Jrue Holiday, allowed Milwaukee to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo as a roving off ball defender without sacrificing on-ball pressure. That partnership worked great and he and Giannis seemed to form a quick bond en route to a title. As Tucker entered free agency, he was sure to hear overtures from most every contender as his defense is something every team wants to have on their bench.

Ultimately, Tucker chose to sign with the revamped Miami Heat, who had executed a sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry earlier in the day as well as new deals for Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler. Per Shams Charania, the deal is for two years, $15 million with a player option on the second year as the Heat look to vault into the contender strata in the East.

That dollar figure explains why Tucker won’t be back in Milwaukee, as the best they could do was the $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level.

Tucker certainly fills a need for the Heat as a defender at the four, but that shooting dropoff from last year has to be a tad concerning for Miami fans given how they otherwise only have Robinson and Tyler Herro as plus shooters at the moment. Still, Tucker’s versatility defensively gives the Heat a lot of great lineups they can throw out there on that end and what he did for the Bucks in the playoffs speaks for itself.

JaVale McGee is currently participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a member of Team USA. However, NBA free agency waits for no one, and the veteran center hit the market after appearing in 46 games during the 2020-21 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets. Ultimately, his wait on the market wasn’t very long, though, as McGee reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns within three hours after the moratorium began.

During Phoenix’s incredible run to the 2021 NBA Finals, the Suns had a hole at the backup center spot. That became even more apparent after the season-ending injury to Dario Saric, but Phoenix was already lacking a center-sized backup to Deandre Ayton, and McGee certainly checks that box.

The 33-year-old veteran brings dynamism as a lob threat and finisher at the rim, and he gives the Suns an element that they didn’t have last season. With Saric out and 2020 first-round pick Jalen Smith still unproven, there is also a clear path to playing time for McGee, and the Suns are built to contend again in 2022 after bringing back Chris Paul and Cam Payne in the opening moments of free agency. It isn’t often that one-year deals at a modest cost swing the title picture, but McGee does help the Suns and this agreement makes sense for both player and team, even at this early stage.