NBA News and Rumor Roundup 6/12/2024
LA's Dan Hurley dissapointment, the pre-draft rumor mill, and the Hartenstein/OKC theoretical
Aaaaand we’re back!
We’re two games deep into the NBA Finals, with the third bout going down later this evening. Dallas appears to be on its back foot against an incredibly deep Boston Celtics squad, and will likely need somebody, anybody, to step up and get somewhat in line with Luka Doncic’s phenomenal play.
While this is technically one of the slower times of year for the NBA rumor cycle due to our inherent fixation on the league’s biggest stage, there’s still quite a bit to talk about! Of course, the Lakers swung and missed on UConn head coach Dan Hurley, which is a big miss, but there’s also a nice helping of draft and free agency-related reports to go off of as well. To start us off, let’s go with the obvious: the Lakers are in a bit of a pickle.
Surely (Not) Hurley
Prior to last week, the general consensus was that the Lakers would be targeting LeBron-BFF and former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick for their vacant coaching gig. And, as rookie head coaches go, it seemed like a fine fit on paper — then the Lakers decided to go fishing for the NBA rookie-coach equivalent of a white whale: Dan Hurley.
After putting on a masterclass this season with UConn and leading the team to a championship back in April, the Lakers apparently tabbed him as the leading HC candidate, and not JJ Redick. Murmurs around the grapevine mentioned that LA was preparing a “massive” contract to bring Hurley in as their LeBron-proclaimed “best head coach for the next decade.”
Yeah…about that “massive” offer.
It turns out that the Lakers offered Hurley a six-year, $70 million contract, which would put him outside of the top 5 most lucrative head coaching contracts in the league — crucially, behind Pistons’ coach Monty Williams.
If the Lakers wished to lure Hurley to the lights, drama, and money of LA, they should have offered much more of the latter part of that equation, especially considering how valuable ($7.34 billion) the team is. In the end, Hurley chose the arguably smarter route: he stayed at UConn.
Now, the Lakers are stuck with no Hurley and have only just started the formal interview process with JJ Redick. If he ends up turning down the gig, then the Lakers are really stuck. Sam Cassell is an option as well as former Hornets HC James Borrego, but those two seem like consolation prizes at this point of the search — LA will cross that bridge when they get to it, though.
Regardless, it’s one of those metaphorical tough-to-swallow pills. Could LA have nabbed Hurley for just a few more millions each year? It’s impossible to say, but it feels like the organization missed out on a rare golden opportunity for the best coach in college basketball.
The Draft Rumors Continue
As the draft marches ever closer — it’s less than two weeks away at this point — more and more little rumors begin to trickle out. So far, that’s held true for this draft, especially considering the wide-ranging opinions on multiple prospects at the top.
One of the more intriguing rumors to come out of the mill in recent times is the notion of the Atlanta Hawks trading down from the #1 overall selection. According to ESPN, the Hawks are exploring some trade-down scenarios at the top and could be targeting any of Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, and Donovan Clingan — or someone else entirely. While Smokescreen Season is indeed in full effect, this seems to be either entirely real or some regular ol’ due diligence. Trading down could end up being the best option for the Hawks should they like one of the three prospects above but know that their trade partner does not.
In non-Hawks trade possibilities, the Bulls (#11 overall) seem to have their sights set on Matas Buzelis, but they’ll need to move up to get him. Buzelis is not only a Chicago native but also a real candidate for being taken in the #3-8 range. While Chicago has been practically allergic to trades for a few years now, Buzelis’ mix of height, playmaking, and a higher ceiling than most in this draft could urge them to swing a trade. However, Buzelis isn’t the only one that Chicago has its eyes on.
According to one recent report, both the Chicago Bulls and OKC Thunder could look to trade up in an effort to nab former UConn center Donovan Clingan. Most mock drafts have him in the top 5, sometimes as high as #2 overall. Clingan brings great mobility for a big and has whispers of a three-point shot in him, almost akin to late-career Brook Lopez. Of course, OKC has the draft capital to swing a trade for practically anyone in the league at this point, and the fit alongside Chet Holmgren could truly put this team in title contention. If Clingan isn’t in the cards, however, there’s quite the consolation prize on the table…
Hartenstein Heads South Soon?
One of the most underrated dominos to fall this summer will be Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein’s free agency, and whether or not the Knicks can afford to keep him on board. According to a recent report, the OKC Thunder are the “top threat” to the Knicks when it comes to signing the big man in an effort to shore up their frontcourt depth.
Hartenstein has long been one of the league’s most underrated bigs but finally got the chance to show it on a massive stage in this year’s playoffs. In the first round, the big man averaged 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game, a well-rounded performance that any playoff squad would love to utilize. Signing him may come at a cost, however.
It’s been rumored that Hartenstein could command over $100 million in free agency, which is money that the Knicks physically cannot give him due to them not owning his full Bird rights. It’s fancy NBA collective bargaining agreement stuff, but the main gist is that he hasn’t been with the Knicks for long enough for them to get special perks. The Thunder, however, can offer him a massive contract essentially at their own discretion.
The report from earlier states that the Thunder may look to give Hartenstein a 2-year, big-money deal in order to preserve flexibility and still get the big man paid. However, that would mean paying Hartenstein a minimum of $40 million per year for those two years, which could be a very high price despite the big man’s effectiveness.
Other News, Rumors, and Fun Facts
One of the more under-the-radar coaching vacancies in the league right now can be found in Cleveland, where Donovan Mitchell’s will-he-won’t-he extension saga has overshadowed the gaping hole at the HC slot. According to Woj, Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant and Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn are lead candidates, while Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and Pelicans assistant James Borrego are also on that same list.
Luka Doncic, regardless of whether the Mavs win or lose this series, will likely be pretty banged up by the end of it. After a sequence of knee pain, ankle soreness, and more, it’s been reported that the Slovenian received a numbing injection in his pectoral muscle after what was described as a thoracic contusion. While the injection was prior to Game 2, it’s going to be interesting to see how his body holds up for Game 3 and further.
Speaking of Game 3 injuries, Kristaps Porzingis may be facing a very tough return to play for the rest of the Finals. The Unicorn has what has been deemed a “rare” leg injury — officially a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg. In simple terms, any further play from Porzingis could further jeopardize his health, though he’s still considered day-to-day. Keep tabs on this, as it could be a crucial storyline with Boston up 2-0.
After a tumultuous year as the Lakers’ head coach, Darvin Ham is returning to his roots with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ham will now be an assistant coach under Doc Rivers, which creates the league’s most controversial 6’4+ bald coaching duo of all time.
According to multiple reports, Celtics overqualified role player Derrick White will seek out a contract extension this offseason — as he should, considering how indispensable he’s been to this team. That could be complicated considering the Celtics are projected to be above the dreaded second apron next season without White’s extension, but regardless, White will get his Brinks truck money from somewhere.
Per NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the NBA is looking to prioritize expansion, and he’s singled out three potential cities, though one seems farther off. Seattle and Las Vegas were noted as popular options by Silver, while Mexico City was categorized as a “one day” opportunity — AKA, Las Vegas and Seattle seem like locks at this point.
On this day in NBA history (in 1991!), the Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-101 at the Great Western Forum to capture the NBA Finals in five games. Michael Jordan not only won his first championship and Finals MVP, but the win marked the Bulls’ first title in their 25 years of being an NBA franchise.
My Favorite Reads This Week
Since we talked about the Bulls earlier, it feels fitting to include a broad overview of their lottery plans. Thankfully,
and teamed up to do just that, and it’s a good one. Go read it here.I’ve featured
here before, but I continue to be amazed at both the breadth and detail of his scouting reports. One of his most recent ones involves late riser Baylor Schierman, who has often been compared to Klay Thompson in play style and frame. Go check out that scouting report here.In a very important read given the Game 3 showdown today,
recently wrote about every single team that came back from 0-2 down to win the NBA Finals — there aren’t too many to choose from, however. Go read Neil’s piece here.- just wrote a great analysis piece on how pervasive and profitable sports betting has been for both leagues and states (and, uh, the USA at large). It’s not exactly encouraging, but it is the facts — you can find his piece here.
Not basketball-related, but here’s a beautiful collection of shots put into one post by
. Go check it out!