Month: June 2023

It was a weird year for the Los Angeles Lakers, one that began with a brand new head coach and a clunky roster that went 2-10 to start the year and ended with an appearance in the Western Conference Finals where they were swept by the eventual NBA champions. Los Angeles had a legitimately admirable in-season turnaround, thanks in large part to a solid trade deadline and Darvin Ham’s defense-first approach paying dividends as the year went on.

Still, the Lakers are in quite the spot heading into the summer. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still here (assuming James doesn’t do something completely out of left field and retire), but a number of the players who came up big in their playoff run are hitting free agency, with guys like Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Dennis Schröder hitting the open market. Plus it’s the Lakers we’re talking about here, and while they’ll certainly try to bring guys back, few teams are better at figuring out how to make a splash via a trade or free agency if they can make the finances work.

Of course, with James and Davis, certain archetypes of players are always going to be valuable, particularly those who can do stuff on the perimeter on both ends of the floor. Youth is also of the utmost importance, as James is going to turn 39 this year and Davis will miss games every now and then due to injury. Fortunately for them, they have a first-round pick to get a much-needed injection of youth in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Roster Needs: Three-point shooting, people who can play point guard, perimeter defense

Jalen Hood-Schifino (No. 17 overall), B: Hood-Schifino’s efficiency at Indiana left a lot to be desired this season, which is definitely worth noting. There are caveats, including the fact that Indiana’s offensive structure was not conducive to his individual success, and Hood-Schifino does have very good tools when it comes to size and pick-and-roll ability. He’s also a stout defender, and if he can figure out the offensive side within a smaller role, the Lakers can maximize him.

2023 Free Agents:
D’Angelo Russell (UFA)
Rui Hachimura (RFA)
Lonnie Walker IV (UFA)
Austin Reaves (RFA)
Troy Brown Jr. (UFA)
Tristan Thompson (UFA)
Dennis Schröder (UFA)
Wenyen Gabriel (UFA)
Scotty Pippen Jr. (Two-Way)

Roster:
LeBron James
Anthony Davis
Malik Beasley (Team Option)
Mo Bamba
Jarred Vanderbilt
Shaquille Harrison
Max Christie
Cole Swindler (Two-Way)

The Atlanta Hawks endured an up-and-down season in 2022-23. After completing a “win now” trade with the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Dejounte Murray in July, the Hawks struggled to live up to expectations, eventually moving on from president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk and head coach Nate McMillan during the regular season.

From there, the Hawks made a splashy head coaching hire with Quin Snyder and finished with a 41-41 record that left no one satisfied. Atlanta’s offense did find its footing by the end of the campaign, scoring at a top-five level after the All-Star break, and the Hawks continued that impressive offensive run in pushing the Boston Celtics to six games in the first round.

Atlanta’s roster remains centered on star point guard Trae Young, with Murray sitting in the No. 2 role and running the ship when Young is off the floor. The Hawks are also financially committed to the frontcourt trio of De’Andre Hunter, John Collins, and Clint Capela, though the youthful trio of AJ Griffin, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu could be in line for promotion in the near future. The Hawks also have decisions to make with regard to the luxury tax for a roster that is already too expensive to justify middling results.

Roster Needs: Perimeter defense, three-point shooting, consolidation

Kobe Bufkin (No. 15 overall), A-: It felt as if Atlanta might once again benefit from medical questions to nab a falling prospect like Cam Whitmore, but Bufkin is a very strong pick for the Hawks. He checks a lot of boxes on both ends of the floor with shooting guard size and point guard skills. Bufkin has strong basketball feel and he is already a quality defender that could continue to improve as he gets stronger.

2023 Free Agents:
Aaron Holiday (UFA)
Trent Forrest (Two-Way)

Roster:
Trae Young
Dejounte Murray
De’Andre Hunter
John Collins
Clint Capela
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Saddiq Bey
Onyeka Okongwu
AJ Griffin
Jalen Johnson
Bruno Fernando (non-guaranteed)
Garrison Mathews (non-guaranteed)
Vit Krejci (non-guaranteed)
Tyrese Martin (non-guaranteed)

In Harry’s House, Harry Styles makes the rules. He also makes sure all of his guests feel cozy in his home. As his Love On Tour shows have been a hit internationally, Styles has become known to interact with fans during his live performances. During a stop in Cardiff, Wales this past Tuesday (June 20), he made sure to look out for a pregnant fan in the audience.

During the show, the fan, whose name seems to be Sian, indicated that she needed to use the bathroom.

“Do you need to go for a wee? You should go for a wee,” he said. “I think we all agree it’s important Sian goes for a wee, don’t we? You know what I’m going to do this one time? You go for a wee, I’m going to stall. Sian, you won’t miss a thing. If you hurry up, you won’t miss a thing.”

Styles paused the show so the fan wouldn’t miss a beat.

Elsewhere in the show, the fan asked Styles to name her child. She presented to him four options — Stevie, Rafe, Harley and Caleb.

“That’s a lot of pressure — you don’t really want me to name it,” said Styles.

You can see a clip from the show above.

The Pelicans started the 2022-23 season as one of the West’s best teams, but as injuries piled up and the season wore on, they eventually faded to ninth in the conference, losing to the Thunder in the first round of the Play-In.

Durability remains the biggest obstacle in New Orleans’ way, particularly when it comes to Zion Williamson, who played at an All-Star level before a hamstring injury ended his season. Brandon Ingram continues to look like a star (albeit one who has had to battle his own injury issues) and there’s lots of complementary talent in New Orleans, headlined by CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones. Still, there has been a ceiling on where this team can go without Zion, and entering the Draft there were rumblings they might be ready to move on from the former No. 1 overall pick. That didn’t come to fruition (at least on Draft night) and their focus shifted to finding a contributor for next year with the 14th overall selection.

Team Needs: Health, Shooting

Jordan Hawkins (No. 14 overall), B: New Orleans doesn’t have a ton of glaring needs, but more shooting is something the Pelicans can use. Hawkins brings it as the best off-ball mover in the class and a proven, dynamic shooter. He’s not a great defender and has limited size on the wing, but the offense should play.

Free Agents:
Jaxson Hayes (RFA)
Josh Richardson (UFA)

Roster:
CJ McCollum
Brandon Ingram
Zion Williamson
Jonas Valanciunas
Larry Nance Jr.
Dyson Daniels
Kira Lewis Jr.
Garrett Temple (non-guaranteed)
Trey Murphy III
Willy Hernangomez (team option)
Herbert Jones (team option)
Naji Marshall (team option)
Jose Alvarado (non-guaranteed)

While the Toronto Raptors were far from the only underachieving team in the Eastern Conference during the 2022-23 season, they fit the bill. The Raptors scuffled to a 41-41 overall record, eventually losing to the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In and falling short of the playoffs. Following a 48-win campaign in 2021-22, Toronto’s patience was tested, and the end result of a disappointing run was a head coaching change that saw Nick Nurse exit with an NBA championship on his resume and Darko Ratakovic come in from Memphis.

Toronto now faces an intriguing summer in which two key players, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., face player option decisions. The Raptors also invested significant capital to acquire Jakob Poeltl before the trade deadline, and he hits unrestricted free agency this summer. All told, Toronto is in a state of flux, even with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes under contract.

The Raptors do have a strong foundation in a way that not every team can claim, but this summer could be a pivot point, especially if Masai Ujiri aims for a full revamp, rather than a retooling phase. Regardless, Toronto’s recent track record doesn’t match internal or external expectations, leaving a great deal of intrigue.

Roster Needs: Shooting, Roster Clarity

Gradey Dick (No. 13 overall), A-: This is a good value and a good fit. Dick is one of the best shooters in the class with good size for a wing and the ability to move off the ball and shoot on the move. Defensively, he probably won’t be a big plus, but Dick improved as the season went along, and Toronto’s roster could use the infusion of floor spacing.

2023 Free Agents:
Fred VanVleet (UFA)
Jakob Poeltl (UFA)
Dalano Banton (RFA)
Will Barton (UFA)

Roster:
Pascal Siakam
Scottie Barnes
OG Anunoby
Gary Trent Jr.
Chris Boucher
Thaddeus Young (non-guaranteed)
Otto Porter
Precious Achiuwa
Malachi Flynn
Christian Koloko
Joe Wieskamp (non-guaranteed)

There was no one who expected the Dallas Mavericks to hold the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, as they entered last season coming off of a Western Conference Finals appearance with a perennial MVP candidate in Luka Doncic leading the charge.

While Doncic continued to produce eye-popping numbers (32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists per game), they took a major step back after allowing Jalen Brunson to walk in free agency to New York and making some other questionable roster moves around Doncic both prior to and during the season. The biggest of those was trading for Kyrie Irving, sending out Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a first round pick to bring him in. That did not turn the season around as hoped and, in the end, they tanked out the last week of the season to give themselves a chance at retaining their pick (owing anything outside the top-10 to New York).

Irving is now a free agent, and while Dallas is the frontrunner to retain him, they will need to pay him handsomely and have almost no money otherwise to make improvements in free agency. As such, the 10th pick was vital to their ability to upgrade the roster, either as a trade chip to partner with a player like Tim Hardaway Jr. or to just add a young talent. This is a Mavs team that expects to be back in contention next year, but there’s a lot of roster mess to cleanup and not a lot of clear options to do so.

Ultimately, they split the difference, trading down from 10 to 12, moving Davis Bertans’ contract to OKC in the process, helping clear up a bit of their cap sheet problem while still being able to add some young talent to the roster.

Roster Needs: 3-and-D wings, rim protection, general depth

Dereck Lively (No. 12 overall), B+: Things worked out well for Dallas. The Mavericks moved down two spots and picked a guy they could’ve very reasonably taken at No. 10. Lively isn’t a finished product, but he was a defensive monster in the second half of the college season. Dallas needs that kind of defensive presence, and Lively’s offense should be unlocked as a low-usage guy next to Luka Doncic and, perhaps, Kyrie Irving.

2023 Free Agents:
Kyrie Irving (UFA)
Christian Wood (UFA)
Dwight Powell (UFA)
Justin Holiday (UFA)
Markieff Morris (UFA)
Theo Pinson (UFA)
Frank Ntilikina (UFA)

Roster:
Luka Doncic
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Davis Bertans
Maxi Kleber
Reggie Bullock
JaVale McGee
Josh Green
Jaden Hardy

Young Thug is set to release his project Business Is Business tonight, but its release is through unfortunate circumstances for the rapper. For a little over a year now, the rapper has been locked up on racketeering and conspiracy charges connected to his YSL collective, which prosecutors believe is a gang organization. As a result, Thug’s musical releases since then have been limited to features alongside names like Metro Boomin, Yeat, Rae Sremmurd, and others. Now, all of that is going to change with the release of Business Is Business.

The project was first announced with a countdown timer that Young Thug, Metro Boomin, and others posted on their social media pages. Hours before the timer finished, Thug and Metro, as well as Drake, shared the artwork for Business Is Business, and now we have the tracklist. Business Is Business arrives with 15 songs and features from Drake, Future, Travis Scott, Yak Gotti, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Bslime, Lil Got It, and Nate Ruess.

You can check out the Business Is Business tracklist below.

1. “Parade On Cleveland“ Feat. Drake
2. “Money On The Dresser“
3. “Gucci Grocery Bag“
4. “Cars Bring Me Out“ Feat. Future
5. “Wit Da Racks“ Feat. 21 Savage, Travis Scott & Yak Gotti
6. “Uncle M“
7. “Abracadabra“ Feat. Travis Scott
8. “Went Thru It“
9. “Oh U Went“ Feat. Drake
10. “Want Me Dead“ Feat. 21 Savage
11. “Hellcat Kenny“ Feat. Lil Uzi Vert
12. “Mad Dog“
13. “Jonesboro“
14.“ Hoodie“ Featt. Bslime & Lil Gotit
15. “Global Access“ Featt. Nate Ruess

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

One of the most common rumors in the lead-up to the 2023 NBA Draft involved the No. 10 pick, which belonged to the Dallas Mavericks. Reports indicated that the Mavs were working the phones in an effort to find a deal for that selection, and right before they got on the clock, they managed to find a move they liked.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Dallas agreed to a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder that led to the teams swapping pick — No. 10 went to Oklahoma City, while the No. 12 pick would go to Dallas. As an added bonus for the Mavs, they were able to use this to get off of Davis Bertans’ contract, as he was sent to the Thunder as part of the deal.

In Wallace, Oklahoma City was able to acquire one of the best defensive guards in the Draft as the team continues to surround Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey with stout defenders in the backcourt. While moving back is not huge for the Mavs, as they only went back two spots, getting off of one of their more bloated contracts should help as they look to build out their team around Luka Doncic and, if he re-signs, Kyrie Irving.

Entering the 2022-23 season, virtually no one expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to knock on the door of a playoff berth. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and head coach Mark Daigneault, the Thunder did exactly that, winning 40 regular season games and a Play-In game before falling one victory short of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s breakout as an All-NBA player headlined the progress for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder made a substantial leap in the aggregate. Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams produced at a high level at a young age, and the Thunder pieced together league-average units on both ends of the floor without any contribution from injured lottery pick Chet Holmgren.

The future projects to be bright for Oklahoma City behind Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey, Williams, Holmgren, Lu Dort, and a bevy of draft picks. It remains to be seen how the Thunder will add to their core with more established pieces, but the flexbility is there to unlock myriad doors for Sam Presti’s team. They took advantage of some of that flexibility on Draft night, trading up from No. 12 to No. 10 with Dallas by taking on Davis Bertans’ contract.

Roster Needs: Shooting, Frontcourt help (even with Holmgren back)

Cason Wallace (No. 12 overall), B: The fit could be a bit of a challenge for Wallace in OKC with a backcourt that is already quite full with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, and others. In a vacuum, Wallace is a solid pick here, though, as he might be the best perimeter defender in the draft. There are some questions about his offensive ceiling, particularly as a shooter, but the overall package is encouraging.

2023 Free Agents:
Dario Saric (UFA)

Roster:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Chet Holmgren
Josh Giddey
Jalen Williams
Luguentz Dort
Kenrich Williams
Isaiah Joe (non-guaranteed)
Jaylin Williams
Ousmane Dieng
Aleksej Pokusevski
Tre Mann
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (non-guaranteed)
Lindy Waters III (non-guaranteed)
Aaron Wiggins (non-guaranteed)

We are just hours away from new Young Thug music. At midnight (June 23), Thug will drop Business Is Business. He made the announcement earlier today (from jail) via Instagram, which was met with support from producer and longtime collaborator, Metro Boomin’.

“BUSINESS IS BUSINESS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE TONIGHT!! … FREE TWIN. I LOVE YOU,” said Metro in a post.

Since the announcement, fans have been abuzz, making predictions about what to expect from the album. But over the past few eras, Thug and some of his potential collaborators have been dropping hints.

Drake commented on Thug’s post, which has led fans to believe that there may be a Drizzy-Thugger collab on the album.

“You owe me this time…midnight,” said Drake.

Thug (or likely, someone on his social media team) responded to the comment, ensuring that Drake will receive his dues.

“U will be paid,” said Thug.

The album arrives a week after Gunna dropped his first post-prison release, The Gift & A Curse. Because of this, fans are also wondering if Thug will address Gunna’s plea deal and snitching rumors.

Business Is Business is out 6/23 via Young Stoner Life and Atlantic.

Young Thug and Gunna are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.