Russian court found Brittney Griner guilty of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced her to 9 years in prison. H/t CNN. Her defense team said that they will certainly appeal the decision. H/t NY Times.
Russia is ready to discuss the United States' government's prisoner swap proposal for Brittney Griner (according to The Athletic).
TRANSACTIONS:
The Pistons and free agent Rodney McGruder re-signed. It's a 1 year, fully guaranteed veteran's minimum deal (according to Michael Scotto).
The Trail Blazers and Isaiah Miller of the G-League team the Iowa Wolves agreed to a training camp deal with a chance to make the roster (according to Chris Haynes).
The Trail Blazers and undrafted free agent Jared Rhoden agreed to a 1 year training camp deal to compete for a roster spot (according to Shams).
The Trail Blazers and Norvel Pelle of the G-League team the Cleveland Charge agreed to a training camp deal and he will compete for an available two-way spot (according to Woj).
The Celtics and free agent Bruno Caboclo agreed to a training camp deal and he will compete for a roster spot (according to Shams).
The Celtics and free agent Noah Vonleh agreed to a 1 year training camp deal. He hopes to make the roster (according to Woj).
The Pacers and Deividas Sirvydis of the G-League team the Motor City Cruise agreed to a 1 year Exhibit 10 deal. He will compete for a roster spot in training camp (according to Michael Scotto).
Update: The Raptors and undrafted free agent Gabe Brown signed a deal, not the Nuggets.
The Timberwolves and free agent CJ Elleby agreed to a training camp deal and he will compete for a roster spot (according to Michael Scotto).
The Suns and free agent Ishmail Wainright re-signed. It's a two-way contract. His agents are Jim Tanner and Deirunas Visockas of Tandem. H/t Shams.
The Suns and free agent Duane Washington Jr. signed a deal. It’s a two-way contract. His agent is Shayaun Saee of One Legacy Sports. H/t Woj.
The Bucks waived Rayjon Tucker and his non-guaranteed training camp deal and he signed with Melbourne United of the Australian NBL.
Free agent Alan Williams signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the NBL.
Free agent Jamaal Franklin is re-signing with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese CBA on a 1 year multi-million dollar deal with no NBA opt-out clause. His agent is Harrison Gaines of Slash Sports. H/t Michael Scotto.
Undrafted free agent Brad Davison signed a 1 year deal with Lithuanian team Nevezis Optibet.
Free agent Justin Patton signed a 1 year deal with French team Cholet Basket.
Undrafted free agent Taze Moore signed with German team BC Gottingen.
Undrafted free agent Brison Gresham signed with Cypriot team AEK Larnaca.
Free agent Aric Holman signed with Italian team Tezenis Verona.
Free agent Andrew Harrison signed with Turkish team Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi.
The NBA is investigating the Knicks for alleged tampering regarding the signing of Jalen Brunson. They will look into whether New York made contact with him before the start of free agency (according to Chris Haynes).
The 2nd year of Kevin Knox's 2 year $6 million deal with the Pistons is a team option (according to Keith Smith).
Kevon Harris' two-way contract with the Magic is for 2 years (according to Smith).
Update: Matthew Dellavedova's 1 year deal with the Kings is non-guaranteed, becomes partially guaranteed for $250k on opening night, fully guaranteed on the league-wide guarantee date in January (according to Smith).
Steve Kerr said that Kevon Looney will come back as the starter and he is a really good mentor for James Wiseman. H/t Anthony Slater.
CONTRACT EXTENSIONS:
LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, said that LeBron, Rob Pelinka, Darvin Ham, and himself had a productive conversation last Thursday in the Lakers’ practice facility about their future together as LBJ became eligible for a contract extension. H/t Dave McMenamin.
No contract extension has been agreed upon yet between the Lakers and LeBron James (per McMenamin). Many around the league tend to believe that LeBron will not sign a long-term contract extension with the Lakers in order to keep his options open of potentially playing with Bronny James for the 2024-25 season (according to Brett Siegel).
Rich Paul said that he expects both sides to continue discussing a contract extension for LeBron James moving forward. H/t McMenamin. They have until June 30.
Both the Bulls and Nikola Vucevic want him to stay in Chicago beyond his upcoming last season of his contract and they will have initial discussions about what a contract extension might look like when training camp starts (according to Joe Cowley).
The Rockets are prioritizing cap space for next summer and would likely need a team-friendly deal to agree to a contract extension with Kevin Porter Jr. (according to Michael Scotto).
TRADE RUMORS:
In late July, multiple people familiar with the Nets' trade talks on Kevin Durant were pessimistic about the possibility of a deal getting done in the near future in part because no 3rd or 4th team wanted to help Brooklyn. Late July, the Nets were in a holding pattern regarding a KD trade (according to Ian Begley).
An anonymous GM said that he'd trade Jayson Tatum to the Nets for Kevin Durant before giving them both Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart (according to Fox Sports).
Kyrie Irving is in a good place with the Nets and comfortable entering the season (according to Begley).
The Lakers would prefer to trade for Kyrie Irving than trade for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield (according to Jovan Buha).
The Jazz are actually looking for an even bigger haul for Donovan Mitchell than what they got for Rudy Gobert, with a belief it'll take five or even six 1st round picks to land him (according to Michael Scotto).
If the Jazz trade Donovan Mitchell, rival NBA executives believe that Utah will immediately start a fire sale, with playoff-caliber teams monitoring Bojan Bogdanovic and Patrick Beverley, both entering contract seasons (per Scotto).
The Knicks had a trade offer on the table to the Jazz for Donovan Mitchell but Utah didn't consider it to be enough. Neither side was close on a deal. The #1 player Utah wanted was Quentin Grimes. New York didn't want to give him up, but was okay with giving up Obi Toppin. The Knicks also don’t want to part with Derrick Rose (according to Tony Jones).
However, the Knicks remain the presumptive front-runner for Mitchell should Utah ultimately trade him (per Scotto). The Knicks' interest in trading for Mitchell remains high (according to Brett Siegel).
The overwhelming feeling among league insiders is that Donovan Mitchell will likely leave the Jazz in free agency at his first available opportunity in 2025 (according to Andy Larsen).
Mitchell smiling at Miami chants:
The prevailing thought around the league is that any 3 team trade involving Russell Westbrook would need to include the Lakers' 2027 and 2029 1st round picks with as few protections as possible (according to Scotto).
A few weeks ago, the Lakers had talks about joining the Jazz and Knicks in a potential 3 team trade, with Russell Westbrook going to Utah and bought out. The Jazz would get significant draft compensation from Los Angeles and New York. Utah would trade Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks, Patrick Beverley and one of Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic, or Malik Beasley to the Lakers. The Lakers also have had interest in Cam Reddish and he could join a potential 3 team trade with the Jazz. New York would have had to part with veteran salary filler(s) in the deal such as Derrick Rose to make a deal work (per Scotto).
There is a sense among some that training camp is a soft deadline for the Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook (according to Jovan Buha).
An NBA executive who spoke with Sean Deveney said that the Heat will have a plan B in case free agent Udonis Haslem doesn't return, and the exec thinks a guy they will keep an eye on is Gordon Hayward. He met with them in 2017 and felt they were tough to beat.
Myles Turner has remained active in the Indiana community this summer (according to Michael Scotto).
RECRUITING/TRANSFERS:
2023 4 star PG Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn decommitted from Purdue. H/t Joe Tipton.
2022 5 star C Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso committed to Kentucky. H/t Tipton.
2023 C Cyril Martynov reclassified to 2022, where he is a 3 star, and committed to Georgia Tech. H/t Tipton.
2023 5 star PF-SF Kwame "KJ" Evans Jr., the #2 recruit in his class, the #1 PF in his class, and the #1 recruit in his class from Florida, committed to Oregon. H/t Tipton.
2023 5 star SF Mookie Cook, the #1 recruit in his class from Arizona, is heavily considering recommitting to Oregon (per Tipton).
2023 4 star PG-SG Aden Holloway committed to Auburn. H/t Tipton.
2023 4 star SG-PG Chris Johnson committed to Kansas. H/t Tipton.
2023 4 star SF-SG Gehrig Normand committed to Michigan State. H/t Brandon Jenkins.
2023 3 star PG Josiah Dotzler, the #1 recruit in his class from Nebraska, committed to Creighton. H/t Joe Tipton.
2023 3 star SF Pryce Sandfort committed to Iowa. H/t Travis Branham. His older brother, Payton, is a rising sophomore at Iowa.
2023 3 star SF-SG Rodney Brown committed to California. H/t Brandon Jenkins.
2023 3 star PF-SF JaQualon "JQ" Roberts committed to Vanderbilt. H/t Joe Tipton.
2023 3 star C Riley Allenspach committed to Western Kentucky. H/t Travis Branham.
2023 3 star SG-PG Jamyron Keller is down to 8 schools: Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Saint Louis, Stephen F. Austin, TCU, Texas, and VCU. He plans to commit on August 14th via Instagram Live. H/t Brandon Jenkins.
2023 4 star SG-SF DeShawn Harris-Smith is down to 5 schools: Penn State, Xavier, Maryland, Indiana, and Villanova. He said he'd like to decide by late August. H/t Joe Tipton. 24/7 lists UMD as the favorites and their Crystal Ball says 100% UMD (6 confidence - 2 predictions 6 & 7). Rivals Future Cast says 50% Maryland (2 predictions), 50% Villanova (2 predictions).
2023 3 star PG Jordan Ross is down to 5 schools: Boise State, DePaul, Oregon State, Saint Mary’s, and SMU. He plans on committing before the start of his senior year of high school (August 29th). H/t Dushawn London.
2023 4 star SF-SG Dailyn Swain is down to 5 schools: Ohio State, Arizona State, Xavier, Clemson, and Arkansas. Arkansas has not officially offered. He is aiming to decide by early September. H/t Joe Tipton. 24/7 lists Ohio State as the favorites.
2023 4 star SF Justin Coleman, the #1 recruit in his class from Maryland, will announce his decision on September 4th, his birthday. H/t Tipton. 24/7 Crystal Ball says 100% Mississippi State (7 confidence - 2 predictions 6 & 8). Rivals Future Cast says 100% Mississippi State (1 prediction).
2023 4 star SG-PG Jamari McDowell is down to 4 schools: Kansas, Wake Forest, Texas A&M, and Xavier. H/t Tipton. He said that he's thinking he'll commit in September or October. H/t Dushawn London.
2023 3 star SG-PG Elijah Gertrude is down to 5 schools: Seton Hall, St. John's, Kansas, Virginia, and Rutgers. H/t Tipton. He is aiming to decide towards late September/early October. H/t London.
2023 4 star SG Carl Cherenfant is down to 7 schools: LSU, South Carolina, St. John’s, Mississippi State, Memphis, UCF, and USF. H/t Tipton. Cherenfant said that he will decide before November so maybe he will decide mid-October. H/t Eric Bossi.
2023 3 star PF-C Amani Hansberry is down to 5 schools: Penn State, Auburn, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Illinois. H/t Tipton.
2023 4 star PF Justin McBride will announce his top 6 schools on August 23rd (according to Tipton).
2023 3 star SG Parker Friedrichsen said that a list cut should be expected this month and he is looking to commit before probably signing in November. H/t Brandon Jenkins.
2023 3 star SG Davin Cosby said that he plans on deciding around November but could make an immediate decision if he feels the time is right. H/t Jenkins.
2023 3 star PG BJ Davis said that a list cut or a final decision could come somewhere in the early part of the fall season. H/t Jenkins.
2024 5 star PF Donnie Freeman, the #1 recruit in his class from DC, said that Syracuse, Georgetown, and Alabama are the most active in his recruitment. H/t Jamie Shaw.
24/7 Crystal Ball for 2024 5 star SF Jason Asemota says 100% Baylor (8 confidence - 1 prediction).
Charleston Southern grad transfer Darius Bowser committed to Houston.
BUSINESS:
Russell Westbrook signed on with agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management. H/t Woj.
DeMar DeRozan and Nike are signing a new 4 year deal that will keep him as the featured face of Kobe Bryant's line (according to Shams).
ESPN is producing a 30 for 30 on Bill Walton: https://www.si.com/college/ucla/mens-basketball/espn-producing-30-for-30-documentary-on-ucla-nba-legend-bill-walton
FREE AGENCY:
Andrew Wiggins is a name to keep an eye on for the Cavaliers next summer (according to Evan Dammarrell).
The Warriors are not looking into the possibility of signing free agent Carmelo Anthony at the moment. They are reserving the 15th spot on their roster for free agent Andre Iguodala should he choose not to retire (according to Brett Siegel).
Heat president Pat Riley likes Cavaliers restricted free agent Collin Sexton (according to Jake Fischer).
An executive who spoke with Sean Deveney said that it would not be a surprise if free agent LaMarcus Aldridge, 37, decided to retire.
British team London Lions and free agent Sam Dekker are negotiating a deal (according to Emiliano Carchia).
COACHING/FRONT OFFICE:
The Bucks promoted Blaine Mueller from head video coordinator to an assistant coach.
The Bucks hired DeMarre Carroll as an assistant coach. He played for head coach Mike Budenholzer with the Hawks.
The Bucks hired Vince Legarza as an assistant coach.
The Bucks promoted Sidney Dobner from assistant video coordinator to head video coordinator.The Bulls hired Jordan Ash, a graduate assistant for Texas, as a player development coordinator.
Milwaukee hired D2 Queens NC head coach Bart Lundy as head coach.
Milwaukee is hiring Ben Walker, an assistant coach for Tennessee State, as an assistant coach (according to Jon Rothstein).Albany is hiring St. Peter’s assistant coach Bobby Jordan as an assistant coach (according to Rothstein).
Michigan State hired Jon Borovich, assistant coach for Northwestern, as director of recruiting operations.
Northwestern promoted Bryant McIntosh from assistant director of basketball operations to assistant coach.Fresno State hired Vonn Webb, head coach of Washington Union High School, as an assistant coach.
Louisville hired recent Columbia Law School graduate Justin Perez as director of men's basketball administration. He reunites with head coach Kenny Payne - he was a Knicks intern last summer. He is the son of Roc Nation Sports president Juan Perez.
The Pelicans are making a hard push to hire Pistons analytics guru Sammy Gelfand (according to Marc Stein). It would reunite him with head coach Willie Green, who he worked with on the Warriors.
CONFERENCES:
North Carolina A&T is joining the CAA next year. Also, Campbell is leaving the Big South to join the CAA in 2023. In 2023, the CAA will have 14 members (according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network).
The Big Ten had evaluated the worthiness of adding Oregon, California, Stanford, and Washington from the Pac-12, but they are no longer interested as rights-holders were balking at paying the same amount for those schools (according to Dennis Dodd).
Nike founder Phil Knight, an Oregon alum, was calling other conferences on Oregon's behalf (according to Dodd).
INJURIES:
Paige Bueckers of the UConn women’s team tore her left ACL and is out for the 2022-23 season.
Kendrick Nunn (knee) hasn't resumed 5-on-5 yet but it seems like he should be ready to go for the start of training camp (according to Jovan Buha).
Isaiah Inhen of Minnesota is having knee surgery and is out for the 2022-23 season after missing all of last season with an injury to the same knee.
AGENTS:
OTE PG Jazian Gortman signed on with Lift Sports Management (according to Guido Guida). He will be eligible for the 2023 draft.
Houston assistant coach Quannas White signed on with agent Tyler Endebrock of Endebrock Talent Management (according to Guida).
Oregon State rising sophomore SF Glenn Taylor signed on with PNW Sports Group for NIL (according to Guida).
ROTATIONS:
Darvin Ham will have more power to bench Russell Westbrook down the stretch of games (according to Jovan Buha).
Juan Toscano-Anderson has the projected edge over Stanley Johnson but that could change in Lakers' training camp (according to Buha).
The sense from those around the Lakers is that Talen Horton-Tucker will likely be toward the back end of the rotation considering his skillset and what the team needs from their wings (according to Buha).
Many league scouts and executives from other teams who spoke with The Athletic said that they regarded Monte Morris as the league's best backup PG when Jamal Murray was healthy. Many of them also stressed he is a more-than-capable starter.
People inside the Celtics' organization seem to believe that they have a great chance to start next season strong (according to Jay King).
INTERNATIONAL:
The Heat denied Nikola Jovic permission to play for Serbia in EuroBasket.
The Thunder denied Aleksej Pokusevski permission to play for Serbia in EuroBasket.USA East Coast Basketball roster for trip to Barcelona:
Follow me on Twitter @kylecohennba