Category: Worldwide

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.

After trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert last offseason, everyone expected Utah to be in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Instead, they were in the playoff hunt throughout the season before shutting things down in the final weeks on their way to a 37-45 record. Lauri Markkanen evolved into an All-Star (25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds per game) along the way, Walker Kessler appeared to be a steal as part of the Gobert trade, Collin Sexton looked good in limited action, and Will Hardy has the look of a very good NBA coach.

This summer, Utah could find itself with the second-most cap space in the league, pending player option decisions from four players — although, one would expect them to try and re-sign Jordan Clarkson quickly — and a trio of non-guaranteed deals they (likely) will waive. That makes them a major player for top free agents, as well as a team that, should the right player end up on the trade market, can make some very intriguing offers to bolster their roster quickly given the draft pick haul they brought in last summer.

With so many potential open roster spots, this is a team that could really shuffle the deck if Danny Ainge wants to. We’ll see exactly how patient he is with spending that money on long-term deals, but in the immediate, Utah is riding high after turning over their roster while taking a much more minimal step back than anyone anticipated.

Roster Needs: Wing depth, Point guard

Taylor Hendricks (No. 9 overall), A-: Utah is in an interesting phase with a ton of picks, both this year and in the future, to complement a young roster that is still rebuilding. Scouts are split on Hendricks’ overall upside, but he brings definite intrigue as a defender and floor spacer with size. He projects as a potentially devastating role player that can fit just about anywhere.

2023 Free Agents:
Udoka Azubuike (UFA)
Juan Toscano-Anderson (UFA)
Johnny Juzang (Two-Way)

Roster:
Collin Sexton
Lauri Markkanen
Jordan Clarkson (player option)
Kelly Olynyk
Talen Horton-Tucker (player option)
Rudy Gay (player option)
Ochai Agbaji
Simone Fontecchio
Walker Kessler
Damian Jones (player option)
Kris Dunn (non-guaranteed)
Luka Samanic (non-guaranteed)
Vernon Carey Jr. (non-guaranteed)

Finally, after weeks, months and years of assumptions, Victor Wembaynama went first overall in Thursday’s 2023 NBA Draft, selected by the San Antonio Spurs. Wembanyama has been the presumptive top pick for years and his first NBA home had assuredly been determined since San Antonio won the lottery in mid-May. After he was selected first overall, Wembanyama, donning a black and grey Spurs hat, spoke with ESPN’s Monica McNutt and was moved to tears before he even said a word.

“Accomplishing something of I’ve dreamed of my whole life. Hearing that sentence from Adam Silver, I’ve dreamed of it so much,” Wembanyama said. “I gotta cry, man.”

Wembanyama was not the lone member of his family to cry during his interview, as his brother joined in the emotional waterworks before he, his brother and his sister embraced with a heartwarming hug.

Wembanyama seems like an imminent superstar and his candid emotions throughout interviews in recent weeks have been a joy to witness. The Spurs will absolutely revel in his game and personality in the coming years as he hopefully becomes San Antonio’s next great big man, following behind David Robinson and Tim Duncan, both of whom were also No. 1 picks. It should be a treat to watch him dominate the league and further share who he is with the public down the line. The Draft is a night where so many dreams come true and it started with Wembanyama at No. 1 in 2023.

The Indiana Pacers were a team some considered a tank threat entering the 2022-23 campaign, but instead they mostly stayed the course and put together a 35-47 year.

The Pacers leaned heavily on their first-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton (20.7 points, 10.4 assists per game) and veteran center Myles Turner (18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks per game), and surrounded them with some intriguing young talent, with a pair of All-Rookie Team nods going to Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. As this offseason arrives, Indiana still has a clear need for more two-way talent, as they were among the worst defensive teams in the NBA despite having one of the league’s best rim protectors on the back line. Striking a better balance between their offense which could, at times, pile up points, and a defense that gave them up just as quickly is paramount.

That starts with finding an upgrade both at the point of attack and on the wing, while adding some depth in the frontcourt behind Turner. They’ll have some significant cap room to chase some of those upgrades on the free agent market, with the ability to get to $27 million in room, and hold the seventh pick in the draft to try and further infuse the roster with young talent. Haliburton is a budding star and gives Indiana a bit of a runway to work out who is a core piece around him, but they’ll want to continue building the talent pool around him to take advantage of his considerable gifts.

Roster Needs: Frontcourt depth, Perimeter defense, 3-and-D wings

Jarace Walker (No. 8 overall), B+: Indiana was able to extract extra capital from Washington and still got the player they likely would have taken at No. 7. Walker isn’t a terribly sexy prospect offensively, but he is a very strong passer for his size with an emerging skill level that brings on intrigue. His primary appeal is defense, with an NBA-ready physical strength and feel to defend multiple positions, which fits Indiana’s considerable need on that end of the floor.

2023 Free Agents:
George Hill (UFA)
James Johnson (UFA)
Oshae Brissett (UFA)

Roster:
Myles Turner
Buddy Hield
Daniel Theis
TJ McConnell
Bennedict Mathurin
Tyrese Haliburton
Aaron Nesmith
Jalen Smith
Chris Duarte
Jordan Nwora
Isaiah Jackson
Andrew Nembhard