Owls

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/embiid332.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="440" />
<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

Joel Embiid is the latest superstar to commit to Team USA for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
In recent weeks, Team USA managing director Grant Hill had been recruiting Embiid, who was born in Cameroon and also has French citizenship. Ultimately, Embiid decided to represent the United States.
"After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA," Embiid <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelEmbiid/status/1710067831339884793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>. "I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they&rsquo;ve been incredible since the day I came here. But most of all, I want to honor my son, who was born in the US. I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him.
"I&rsquo;m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France and the USA home."
Embiid will join a star-studded squad that could also include Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell and Jimmy Butler &ndash; all of whom have said that they will play for Team USA if selected.
"It's exciting for USA Basketball that Joel Embiid wants to represent the United States," Hill <a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/38574625/joel-embiid-commits-team-usa-2024-olympics-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. "Joel and I have had several conversations about his goals and I'm looking forward to continuing that dialogue knowing that one of those goals is to represent USA Basketball next summer in Paris. As I've said before, I'm looking forward to the process of building the 2024 USA Basketball Men's national team roster over the next several months."
Team USA failed to medal at this summer's FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, and a major reason was their lack of size of rebounding. The only big men on the World Cup roster were Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler (who barely played), with Paolo Banchero and Josh Hart serving as small-ball 5s.
By the end of the World Cup, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr found himself turning to five-guard lineups that featured Hart at center. Hart led Team USA in rebounding with 5.1 boards per game, followed by Anthony Edwards' 4.6 rebounds per game.&nbsp;
Now, Team USA will be able to turn their biggest weakness into a legitimate strength after adding Embiid, who averaged an absurd 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 steal and 1.0 three per game last season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
It's worth noting that this is a huge blow to France, the reigning Olympic silver medalist. The French national team would have been much scarier if they entered the Paris Olympics with Embiid, Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Bilal Coulibaly and Evan Fournier among others.
To recap, Embiid's commitment means that Team USA added the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player, filled their biggest need and kept him from joining arguably their biggest competitor in the 2024 Olympics.
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Joel Embiid is the latest superstar to commit to Team USA for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Joel Embiid is latest superstar to commit to Team USA for Olympics

After yesterday's shocking 104-110 loss to Lithuania in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Team USA is facing some questions. Led by Jonas Valanciunas, Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Vaidas Kariniauskas, Lithuania bullied Team USA and took advantage of their lack of size.
Fortunately for Team USA, they have already clinched a spot in the Paris Olympics thanks to losses by Brazil, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
But entering the quarterfinals, is Team USA still favored to win the World Cup?
The United State squad is a 16.5-point favorite against Italy for Tuesday morning's matchup. And despite the loss to Lithuania, <a href="https://www.sportsbetting.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/world-cup-futures/winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SportsBetting.ag</a> and <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/world-cup-futures/winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BetOnline</a> still have Team USA favored to win the gold medal.
It helps that France (which featured NBA players Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier and Frank Ntilikina) was upset after just two games &ndash; thanks to losses against Canada and Latvia. Entering the World Cup, France had the second-best odds (8/1) to win the tournament after Team USA (even odds).
Here's a look at the updated World Cup odds:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 29.5453%; height: 176px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">USA</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">-135</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Canada</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">+450</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Germany</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">+750</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Lithuania</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">+900</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Serbia</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">+1000</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Slovenia</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">+1400</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Latvia</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">+5000</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.9537%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Italy</td>
<td style="width: 12.4044%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">+6600</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Through five games, Anthony Edwards is leading the team in scoring, with 20.8 points to go along with 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals, while shooting 48.1% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range and 75% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
Austin Reaves has been a major contributor as well, averaging 10.8 points, 3.0 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals on 52/46.2/91.7 shooting splits. Paolo Banchero (10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson (10.2 points, 3.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds) have also played well thus far.&nbsp;
Team USA's biggest weakness has been its lack of size and rebounding. The only big men on the roster are Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler (who has played just 6.2 minutes per game), with Banchero also playing as a small-ball five. Josh Hart is currently leading the US in rebounding with 6.2 boards per game, followed by Edwards (4.2) and Bobby Portis (4.0).
Through the last two games, Team USA has allowed 41 offensive rebounds, with Lithuania and Montenegro combining to outrebound the US by 34 boards.

Despite yesterday's shocking loss to Lithuania, Team USA is still favored to win the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Team USA still favored to win World Cup after loss to Lithuania

NBA free agency has died down and the 2023-24 NBA season is nearly three months away. This is why August is known as the dog days of the NBA calendar.
However, NBA fans will be able to watch some of their favorite players in action very soon, as the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow.
From Nov. 2021 through Feb. 2023, 80 countries battled for a spot in the World Cup but only 32 national teams qualified. There are a ton of NBA players participating, as Team USA has a talented young roster and they'll be facing stars such as Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen and Rudy Gobert.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
WHEN IS IT?
World Cup games will be played Aug. 25 through Sept. 10. There have been a number of warm-up games in recent weeks, but the real action tips off tomorrow.
First Round (Group Phase): Aug. 25-30 Second Round (Group Phase): Aug. 31 - Sept. 4 Quarterfinals: Sept. 5-6 Semifinals: Sept. 8 Final: Sept. 10 Third-Place Game: Sept. 10
The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full schedule of games can be found here</a>.
WHERE IS IT?&nbsp;
For the first time ever, the FIBA Basketball World Cup will feature three host countries: the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED?
These are the 32 countries that will be participating in the 2023 FIBA World Cup: Angola, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, United States and Venezuela.
These are the groups for the first round:
Group A:&nbsp;Angola, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Italy
Group B:&nbsp;&nbsp;South Sudan, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico
(Groups A and B will play their games at Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines)
Group C:&nbsp;Team USA, Jordan, Greece, New Zealand
Group D:&nbsp;Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro, Lithuania
(Groups C and D will play their games at Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines)
Group E:&nbsp;Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan
Group F:&nbsp;Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Venezuela
(Groups E and F will play their games at Okinawa Arena in Japan)
Group G:&nbsp;Iran, Spain, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Brazil
Group H:&nbsp;Canada, Latvia, Lebanon, France
(Groups G and H will play their games at Jakarta Arena in Indonesia)
WHICH NBA PLAYERS ARE COMPETING?
There are quite a few NBA players participating in this tournament. The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-world-cup-roster-tracker-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full list can be found here</a>, but below are the national teams that feature notable NBA players:
Group A
Dominican Republic: Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lester Quinones (Golden State Warriors)
Philippines: Jordan Clarkson&nbsp;(Utah Jazz)
Group B
China: Kyle Anderson&nbsp;(Minnesota Timberwolves)
Serbia: Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks), Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat)
Group C
Greece: Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gettyimages-1608113478-2.jpg" alt="" width="736" height="414" />
United States: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Josh Hart (New York Knicks), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn Nets), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers)

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Group D
Lithuania: Jonas Valanciunas (New Orleans Pelicans)
Montenegro: Nikola Vucevic (Chicago Bulls)
Group E
Australia: Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder), Patty Mills (Atlanta Hawks), Matisse Thybulle (Portland Trail Blazers) Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks), Joe Ingles (Orlando Magic), Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans), Dante Exum (Dallas Mavericks), Jock Landale (Houston Rockets), Xavier Cooks (Washington Wizards)
Finland: Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
Germany: Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Dennis Schroder (Toronto Raptors), Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Daniel Theis (Indiana Pacers),&nbsp;
Japan: Yuta Watanabe (Phoenix Suns)
Group F
Georgia: Goga Bitadze (Orlando Magic), Sandro Mamukelashvili (San Antonio Spurs)
Slovenia: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Group G
Brazil: Raul Neto (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Spain: Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies), Usman Garuba (Atlanta Hawks)
Group H
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), R.J. Barrett (New York Knicks), Dillon Brooks (Houston Rockets), Lu Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks)
France: Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), Evan Fournier (New York Knicks), Frank Ntilikina (Charlotte Hornets)
Latvia: Davis Bertans (Oklahoma City Thunder)
HOW TO WATCH
FIBA recently announced that all 92 World Cup games will be available across ESPN's platforms. Six games will air on ESPN2 (including Team USA's three first-round games), while the other 86 games will be available on ESPN+.
FIBA&rsquo;s official streaming service, <a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtside 1891</a>, will also air the games live and on-demand. If you're interested in Courtside 1891, FIBA is offering our readers 20% off their World Cup bundle. Follow the instructions below if you'd like to use the 20% discount:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li><a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/choose-a-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click this link</a> and you&rsquo;ll get a prompt to register</li>
<li>You&rsquo;ll then be redirected to the choose-a-package page</li>
<li>Select the &lsquo;Max &ndash; World Cup Bundle&rsquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Use the discount code FIBAWCAK to get 20% off</li>
</ul>
Enjoy the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and hopefully the dog days of summer will fly by quickly!

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow. Here's everything you need to know about the tournament.

Everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; With Kevin Durant drawing defenders, Devin Booker&nbsp;found his way to the basket again and again.
Booker scored 45 points, Durant added 28 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers 129-124 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference playoff series.
&ldquo;He set the tone, got to the rim, making plays for others, just controlling the whole game,&rdquo; Durant said of Booker. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to need him to do that going forward.&rdquo;
Leonard sat out because of a sprained right knee, the same injury that has sidelined fellow star Paul George since March 21. Leonard was hurt in Game 1, and played through it in Game 2, but afterward his condition didn&rsquo;t improve.
&ldquo;Those are those trick games, where you think somebody is missing one of their top players and you let off the gas a little bit,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;They played their (rear ends) off tonight. The whole team was prepared for that so we didn&rsquo;t take a step back.&rdquo;
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.nba.com/watch/video/norman-powell-with-42-points-vs-phoenix-suns?plsrc=nba&amp;game-highlights=0042200173" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Norman Powell</a>&nbsp;led the Clippers, scoring a career playoff-high 42 points on 15-of-23 shooting.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.nba.com/watch/video/russell-westbrook-posts-30-points-11-assists-vs-phoenix-suns?plsrc=nba&amp;game-highlights=0042200173" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russell Westbrook</a>&nbsp;added 30 points and 11 assists.
Game 4 is Saturday in Los Angeles.
Booker shot 18 for 29 and had seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks while playing a game-high 44 minutes. He scored 38 points in Game 2.
&ldquo;If it was up to me, I wouldn&rsquo;t have been out those 12 minutes. My body feels good,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;I dedicate my whole entire life to this sport and this game. When you have it going like that on the big stage, there&rsquo;s nothing else you can ask for.&rdquo;
With Leonard watching from the bench, the Clippers kept it close through the first half, when neither team led by more than six.
The Clippers got within three on two free throws by Westbrook with 1:44 remaining. After a 6-0 run by the Suns, Powell hit a 3-pointer, got fouled and made the free throw to pull the Clippers to 125-120.
Despite the heroics of former UCLA stars Powell and Westbrook, the Clippers sorely missed Leonard&rsquo;s offense. He had 38 points in a Game 1 win at Phoenix and 31 in a loss in Game 2.
The Suns pulled away in the third behind Booker. He scored eight points in a 17-8 run to open the period and give Phoenix its first double-digit lead of the game, 71-59.
Booker credited Durant on the court for his ability to get to the basket.
&ldquo;A lot of the buckets I scored, I went to him right after and said, &lsquo;You opened that up for me,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I expect the Clippers to make adjustments and it&rsquo;ll be his turn to play.&rdquo;
Suns coach Monty Williams said, &ldquo;I feel bad for Kev sometimes because he&rsquo;s an expensive decoy out there. He&rsquo;s standing at the 28-foot hash and the defender is right in his face and that gives Book a number of opportunities to attack the basket.&rdquo;
Westbrook scored seven in a row to cut the Clippers&rsquo; deficit to 71-66. The Suns answered with eight straight, capped by Durant&rsquo;s vicious one-handed slam, to lead 79-66. They were ahead by seven going into the fourth.
Without Leonard, the Clippers counted on Westbrook and he made his presence known from the opening tip, keying a 6-0 run to start the game.
The Suns answered with 12 straight points before the Clippers answered with a 14-2 spurt that gave them a 20-14 lead.
The Clippers led by one when Durant, Chris Paul and Booker hit consecutive 3-pointers to go up by eight in the second, Phoenix&rsquo;s largest lead of the half.
Powell ran off eight straight points to send the Clippers into halftime trailing 54-51.
TIP-INS
Suns: Booker had his fifth career 40-plus-point postseason game. ... Paul finished with 11 points and seven assists.
Clippers: Their reserves outscored the Suns&rsquo; bench, 37-18, with Bones Hyland scoring 20 points. ... Fell to 3-10 this season without Leonard and George in the lineup. ... Nicolas Batum was the only starter who didn&rsquo;t score.
TORREY CRAIG
Craig scored 15 points for the Suns, while hitting four 3-pointers. He&rsquo;s 10 of 16 from long-range in the series.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s three games in a row that he&rsquo;s doing it,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m encouraging him to do it.&rdquo;

The Suns beat the Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers 129-124 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the West playoff series.

Booker has 45 points, Suns top Leonard-less Clippers 129-124

Trust me, I know.
Following the blockbuster trade that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavericks-owner-mark-cuban-breaks-silence-on-kyrie-irving-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks</a>, much of the conversation surrounding the deal focused on risk &mdash; how Irving's presence may affect the Mavericks' locker room, and especially, Luka Doncic; how the Mavericks would (struggle to) pivot if Irving were to walk in the offseason; how Kevin Durant is feeling in Brooklyn, seeing his co-star total drop from two to zero in a calendar year.
All of those concerns are valid.
There's a reason we immediately got a report from Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes saying the Phoenix Suns &mdash; who offered a package headlined by Chris Paul for Irving &mdash; are ready to push their chips in for Durant if he becomes available again.
The Mavericks absolutely should be keeping an eye on Doncic's long-term happiness. And with Irving, he hasn't been the beacon of reliability or availability. (That's putting it conservatively, for the sake of this piece and this piece only.)
Let's put that to the side for just a moment.&nbsp;
From an on-court perspective, the Mavericks have added a really good basketball player. The entire reason they made this gamble is because of the ceiling-raising that Irving's talent signifies. Let's take a look at what things could look like.
ON-BALL USAGE
Frankly, this should be pretty seamless.
Irving is one of the best isolation scorers of the modern era. His free-verse handle allows him to get wherever he wants to, whenever he wants to get there. He's quick enough to speed past off-balanced defenders, mixes in deceleration to keep defenders off balance (and flow into pull-ups on a dime) and has the body control and dexterity to create finishing angles out of mid-air.&nbsp;
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Over the past four seasons, trips featuring an Irving isolation have generated 1.12 points per possession (PPP). That's first in the NBA among 38 players with at least 1,000 isolations during that time frame. Drop the requirements to 500 isolations, expanding the field to 81 players, and Irving barely trails Zion Williamson (724 isolations, 1.123 PPP) despite having 463 more reps.
This season alone, trips featuring an Irving isolation have produced an absurd 1.21 PPP &mdash; third in the NBA among 88 players with at least 100 clear-outs under their belt. It's worth noting that the two players ahead of Irving &mdash; Lauri Markkanen (1.22 PPP) and D'Angelo Russell (1.213 PPP) &mdash; have combined for 214 isolations, while Irving is at 328 by himself.&nbsp;
I start with pure isolations because that's what the Mavericks have leaned into this season. They lead the NBA in isolations in whatever way you'd like to measure it: Total (1,397), per game (25.8) or per 100 possessions (26.9). Naturally, Doncic paces the league in total isolations (673) on elite efficiency to boot (1.14 PPP).
Even if you project this to be the most blatant my-turn-your-turn pairing in the leauge &mdash; and I don't, but we'll get into that shortly &mdash; these two are good enough to make that offense fruitful.&nbsp;
Irving's scoring chops also help him in ball-screens. Drop coverage is untenable because of his ability to chew up space. He's also, quietly, a pretty creative interior passer. Diverting too much attention to him can lead to a nice mix of pocket passes, dump-offs and lobs.
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Irving made sweet music with Nicolas Claxton in pick-and-roll this year (1.09 PPP). There shouldn't be a steep learning curve receiving screens from Dwight Powell or Christian Wood, assuming the latter is on the roster.&nbsp;
Also, prepare yourself to watch Doncic screen for Irving sometimes. Doncic is setting nearly three on-ball picks per 100 possessions this year, a career-high for him, though pretty low overall. If I had to guess, that number should perk up.
On-ball screens from Doncic have mostly been used to manufactor favorable matchups. That was more of a given when screening for Spencer Dinwiddie since they're close to the same size. Switching was, per Second Spectrum, easily the most common coverage that two-man pairing saw.&nbsp;
With Irving, that could shift a bit. Irving's defenders tend to be smaller than Dinwiddie's; this is an imperfect measure, but per NBA.com's matchup data, Irving has been <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/202681/by-position?Matchup=Offense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended by guards</a> roughly 69% of the time, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203915/by-position?Matchup=Offense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slightly higher</a> than Dinwiddie's 61.8% clip.
At almost 6-foot-6, it would make sense that teams would feel more comfortable stashing wings and forwards on the latter. While throwing size on Irving makes sense in theory, even asking traditional wings to navigate screens or mirror Irving in space is a tall task.
(Yes, the joke was intentional.)
By the way, it's worth keeping an eye on how Irving deals with blitzes. To say he gets overwhelmed is overselling it, but there can be a bit of catch-hold-read-then-pass to those situations that may not vibe well with how slowly the Mavericks play. The short-roll playmaking on this roster continues to be a subplot worth following.
Because Irving can generate high-level offense, the Mavericks should be able to breathe easier in non-Luka lineups. Prior to the trade, the Nets were outscoring opponents by 44 points (plus-4.2 net rating) in the 676 minutes Irving played without Durant this season, <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy/nba?Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;TeamId=1610612751&amp;Type=Team&amp;0Exactly1OnFloor=202681&amp;1Exactly1OffFloor=201142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per PBP Stats</a>. The Mavericks have <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612742&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=203915,1629029" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost the Dinwiddie on/ Doncic off minutes</a>, though you can shoot some bail based on the sheer volume of talent missing in some of the games Doncic hasn't been available.&nbsp;
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OFF-BALL VALUE
This is where the on-court hand-wringing begins offensively, and honestly, I'm not sure where the major concern comes from.
It's very much true that Irving and Doncic like the ball in their hands. It's especially true for Doncic, who <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?CF=GP*GE*30&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=TIME_OF_POSS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leads the NBA</a> in average time of possession (9.6 minutes) and seconds per touch (6.39), ranks second to Trae Young in dribbles per touch (5.59) and fourth in touches per game (90.5) overall.
Irving isn't close to any of those marks. Would it shock you to learn that the Dribble Gawd himself ranks 22nd &mdash; in a tie with Dinwiddie, oddly enough &mdash; in time of possession (5.7), 41st in seconds per touch and 53rd in dribbles per touch (3.77)? You're welcome, friends.
But seriously, it feels like people are extrapolating some of Irving's iso exploits and turning him into a heliocentric nightmare that can't fit alongside Doncic. It couldn't be further from the truth.
On a basic level, Irving's ability to shoot &mdash; and opponents treating him like a top-of-the-line threat, which can't be said for Dinwiddie &mdash; should open up the floor for other Mavericks.&nbsp;
Jason Kidd isn't the NBA's Andy Reid, nor should he be confused as such; he won't be drawing up fancy screen designs to confuse defenses. It became a running joke in Dunker Spot watch parties (<a href="https://www.playback.tv/thedunkerspot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rock with us, folks</a>) that fan pleas for more off-ball movement led Kidd to essentially respond with, "Here's a stagger for Tim Hardaway Jr. &mdash; enjoy!"
As bland as the movement stuff for Dallas can be, Irving can operate within those concepts. The Mavs love "Chicago" action, a common set in the league where a player receives a pindown before flowing into a handoff.
Josh Green misses the assignment in the first clip, but you can see the Nets run it for Irving in the second.
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That basic stagger for Hardaway? They'll run it for Dinwiddie too, in order to get him a head start downhill. With Irving's downhill funk and pull-up chops, it's easy to envision him cooking more in that setup.
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What stands out about Irving is how smart of a cutter he is. That bodes well considering the amount of double-teams Doncic draws in the post. But even in off-ball actions designed for him, he's fine going off script to find a better opening.
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And speaking of Doncic: Get ready for Irving to set screens for Doncic too, particularly during clutch time.
Irving has plenty of experience screening for bigger ball-handlers. He's done so for LeBron James during their Cleveland years together. The Nets were generating good looks out of the Durant-Irving inverted ball screen this season, even if the numbers behind it (0.88 PPP) were underwhelming. Screening for Doncic should be money.
As mentioned earlier, Irving likely being defended by smaller players may make it less enticing for defenses to switch that action. If teams opt to throw two defenders at Doncic, that'll open up short-roll opportunities for Irving. That doesn't seem ideal.
Off rip, Doncic is a&nbsp;much&nbsp;better passer than Durant, meaning Irving should have earlier, more fruitful short-roll opportunities than he saw in Brooklyn. Beyond that, Irving's best traits &mdash; pull-up mid-range shooting, rim finishing, dump-off passes &mdash; are highlighted in this setup.
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Have fun dealing with that.&nbsp;
The cloud hovering over all of this is, of course, how often we'll see Irving, period. Beyond that, it's fair to wonder what the defense will look like.
Irving is a more stout on-ball defender than Dinwiddie by my eye, though that isn't the highest bar. For whatever it's worth to you, Irving grades out as a slight positive (plus-0.2) according to DunksAndThree's Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM) metric, while Dinwiddie is firmly negative (minus-1.9). The size difference may hurt, especially once teams get into mismatch-hunting mode as the postseason nears.&nbsp;
But in a Western Conference that feels up in the air, I understand why the Mavericks made the gamble. When examining the on-court fit, I'd argue it's a pretty good one.

Nekias Duncan analyzes how Kyrie Irving will mesh with Luka Doncic and the Mavericks following the trade from Brooklyn.

Examining Kyrie Irving's basketball fit with the Dallas Mavericks

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter as Minnesota extended its lead, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell added 19 points and the Timberwolves topped the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies 111-100 on Friday night.
The Grizzlies took the court minutes after v&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-video-memphis-police-e3ee8e6698faae16df3f41d09234b09f">ideo footage was released of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols being beaten by Memphis police officers</a>.
There was a moment of silence prior to the game but no demonstration by the Grizzlies or Timberwolves.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-basketball-national-players-association-1c295604b23aea893cfa58fd48eabf24">Both teams offered thoughts to Nichols&rsquo; family and friends</a>&nbsp;in messages tweeted before the video was released.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s way harder things going on in the city versus what&rsquo;s going on with our basketball right now,&rdquo; Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m proud of our guys going out there. As I said before the game, we&rsquo;re playing with heavy hearts, but we&rsquo;re also playing for our city that&rsquo;s going through a lot right now.&rdquo;
&ldquo;So, it&rsquo;s hard, but our guys went out there and competed. I told them the last two games, as we&rsquo;ve been talking about everything that&rsquo;s been going on in Memphis with the tragedy to Tyre Nichols, we&rsquo;ve been staying together.&rdquo;
Jenkins said he had not watched the video footage of the incident when speaking after the game and didn&rsquo;t think the team had a chance to watch before the game. The Memphis locker room was closed to media after the game and no players were made available.
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Kyle Anderson had 23 points for Minnesota, which has won four of five. Nathan Knight added 10 points off the bench. The Timberwolves scored 58 points in the paint
&ldquo;I thought we were pretty decisive, drawing a crowd and then making the right play,&rdquo; Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;They were pretty heavy in the gaps and do a good job of having multiple bodies at the rim. So, I thought we generated a lot of really, really good looks.&rdquo;
Ja Morant had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for Memphis. Dillon Brooks scored 17 for the Grizzlies.
Minnesota established a double-digit lead in the first quarter and made it stand. Memphis&rsquo; only lead was 7-6.
Edwards had eight points during a 12-4 run in the third to give the Timberwolves a game-high 17-point lead.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not worried, I know it&rsquo;s going to come,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to keep making the right play until they loosen up, and then when they loosen up, that&rsquo;s when I&rsquo;m going to go. And that&rsquo;s what I did tonight.&rdquo;
PRAISE FOR ANT
Edwards came in averaging 27.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game over his previous 10 games. He&rsquo;s scored at least 20 points in 10 of his last 11 games.
Anderson told the Target Center crowd after the game that Edwards could be in the MVP conversation every season.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing as an All-Star starter, like and All-Star starter right now, like one of the best 10 players in the league these last few games,&rdquo; Anderson said later in the locker room. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s shown it. And he has a higher ceiling, a lot more room to grow, it&rsquo;s scary.&rdquo;
ROUGH TRIP
Memphis finished its season-long road trip 0-5 during which it lost Steven Adams, Desmond Bane and John Konchar to injuries. Three of the losses were by a combined five points, but there was also a 33-point loss at Sacramento and Friday&rsquo;s showing at Minnesota.
&ldquo;I called it the road trip of revelations,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just learning a lot about ourselves, meat of the season. Told the guys at the end of the game, we&rsquo;ve put ourselves in a still really good spot. We&rsquo;ve got 30-plus games left and this happens during a season where you have ups and downs.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Bane, who&rsquo;s second on the team with 21.6 points per game, was held out with right knee soreness. Adams (right knee PCL sprain) missed his third straight game. Konchar (concussion protocol) was out for the second straight game. &hellip; Ziaire Williams started for Bane and had seven points.
Timberwolves: Taurean Prince missed his third straight game with a left ankle sprain. &hellip; Minnesota had 20 turnovers leading to 21 points for the Grizzlies. The Timberwolves scored 12 points on Memphis&rsquo; 21 turnovers.
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Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves topped the Memphis Grizzlies 111-100.

Timberwolves top Memphis after moment of silence for Nichols

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Paul George scored 32 points and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 14-point deficit in the final 3:34 of regulation to beat the Detroit Pistons 142-131 in overtime on Monday night.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue pulled his starters when his team fell behind 126-112, but a lineup of Luke Kennard, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, Nicolas Batum and Moses Brown finished the fourth quarter with a 16-2 run. Mann hit a tying jumper with 5 seconds left in regulation.
&ldquo;You have to give those guys credit for staying ready,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;They came out and played with some urgency. Amir and Moses hadn't played in the game, so for them to come in and produce like the way they did was huge."
Los Angeles then outscored Detroit 14-3 in the extra period.
Ivica Zubac added 12 points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles, which has beaten Detroit eight straight times. The Clippers had seven players score in double figures.
Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 23 points, including the Pistons' only field goal of the last eight minutes. Isaiah Stewart added 21 points for NBA-worst Detroit.
&ldquo;We were down 15 points in the third quarter, fought our way back, got the lead and had a comfortable lead with three minutes left,&rdquo; Pistons Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;They threw in the towel and we have to learn how to win that game. I'm proud of the way we put ourselves into position to beat one of the best teams in the West, but we didn't get it."
George scored five points in the first minute of overtime, and baskets by Kennard and Mann gave the Clippers a 138-131 lead with 2:45 left.
The Clippers led by five at the half and expanded the margin to 88-73 midway through the third quarter. However, the Pistons answered with a 21-5 run, taking a 92-91 lead on Stewart's dunk.
Stewart&rsquo;s 3-pointer made it 119-112 with 5:23 left. After a Clippers miss, Bogdanovic's short jumper put the Pistons up by nine and forced Lue to call timeout.
Stewart&rsquo;s three-point play with 3:34 left capped off a 53-24 stretch that started with 6:48 left in the third quarter. From there, the Pistons shot 1 of 12 with five turnovers and two missed free throws.
&ldquo;They took their starters out and we thought the game was over,&rdquo; Stewart said. &ldquo;We had the lead and we didn't finish the game. That's completely on us, not the coaches.&rdquo;
Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer on Detroit's first possession of overtime, but the Pistons missed their last five shots and turned the ball over three times.
&ldquo;I thought our defense is what changed the game,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;We were rebounding the ball and we had deflections and steals.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Clippers: Haven't lost to the Pistons since Jan. 12, 2019, when they fell 109-104 at Detroit. ... Kennard scored 18 points, and Marcus Morris, John Wall and Norman Powell each had 16.
Pistons: Came into the game averaging a league-high 46.7 bench points in December, but were outscored 61-39 by the Los Angeles reserves. ... Had eight players in double figures for the first time since Nov. 22 against the New York Knicks. ... Jalen Duren had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
GETTING EVERYONE INVOLVED
The Clippers used 11 players and all of them scored, with Coffey and Brown the only two who didn't reach five points.
&nbsp;

Paul George scored 32 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons 142-131 in overtime.

George, Clippers rally late, beat Pistons 142-131 in OT

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jeremy Roach scored 16 first-half points to help seventh-ranked Duke open Jon Scheyer&rsquo;s coaching tenure with a 71-44 win over Jacksonville on Monday night.
Freshman Mark Mitchell had a team-high 18 points for the Blue Devils, who used a 25-4 run spanning halftime to blow the game open.
It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Scheyer taking over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has 11 new players, including the nation&rsquo;s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and two power-conference transfers. The Blue Devils didn&rsquo;t have top freshmen Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead for this one as they recover from preseason injuries.
Mike Marsh scored 15 points to lead the Dolphins, who shot 34% and missed 18 of 19 3-pointers before making two meaningless 3s late.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 69, UNC WILMINGTON 56
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Love and RJ Davis scored 17 points apiece and North Carolina began a season of grand expectations by pulling away from UNC Wilmington.
Armando Bacot added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Tar Heels, who were perhaps most impressive at the defensive end. UNCW shot 29.8% from the field.
The Tar Heels, who were the NCAA Tournament runner-up in April, began the new season with the top ranking for the first time in seven years. It&rsquo;s a record 10th time that North Carolina has been ranked No. 1 to start a season &mdash; one more than rival Duke.
Trazarien White scored 19 points for UNCW, which faced a top-ranked team for the first time in program history.
NO. 2 GONZAGA 104, NORTH FLORIDA 63
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 points, Julian Strawther added 16 and No. 2 Gonzaga used a big first-half run to beat North Florida in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Anton Watson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals for Gonzaga, which won its 68th consecutive home game, the nation&rsquo;s longest such streak.
Carter Hendricksen scored 16 points, Jadyn Parker 13 and Jose Placer 12 for North Florida, a veteran-laden team from the Atlantic Sun Conference that returned its top four scorers from last season.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 83, NORTHERN COLORADO 36
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 21 points, J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 12 points and six rebounds, and Houston opened the season by beating Northern Colorado.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, scored 11 points in the first half. He finished 7 of 14 from the field and made 4 of 8 3-pointers. The senior guard missed the second half of last season and all of Houston&rsquo;s run to the Elite Eight with a toe injury.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson won his 700th career game and 200th with the Cougars.
Matt Johnson II, Riley Abercrombie and Caleb Shaw each scored eight points for the Bears.
NO. 4 KENTUCKY 95, HOWARD 63
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, CJ Fredrick had 20 and Kentucky beat Howard with All-American Oscar Tshiebwe and two other players sidelined.
Tshiebwe had a procedure last month on his right knee. Point guard Sahvir Wheeler (right leg) and sophomore forward Daimion Collins (personal reasons) were also out, but the Wildcats still shot 55% against the overmatched Bison.
Jacob Toppin and freshman Cason Wallace each added 15 points for Kentucky.
Kobe Dickson scored 17 points and Elijah Hawkins had 14 for Howard, which shot 34%.
NO. 5 KANSAS 89, OMAHA 64
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gradey Dick added 23 points in his debut, and Kansas began defense of its national championship without suspended coach Bill Self by routing Omaha.
Bobby Pettiford Jr. added 13 points, Dajuan Harris had 11 points and eight assists, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 10 for the Jayhawks, who broke open a close game in the second half with two big runs.
Self served the first of a four-game punishment along with assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption.
Jaeden Marshall scored 13 points and Luke Jungers had 12 for the Mavericks.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 117, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 53
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Adam Flagler scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as Baylor won the opener of its 20th season with coach Scott Drew.
Flagler, a preseason All-Big 12 pick who also was the Bears&rsquo; leading scorer last season, also had eight assists and one of his four 3-pointers started a 24-0 run midway through the first half.
LJ Cryer had 16 points and Dale Bonner, another returning guard, had 14.
Alvin Stredic scored 14 points and Terry Collins 10 for Mississippi Valley State in its first game for new coach George Ivory.
NO. 9 CREIGHTON 72, ST. THOMAS 60
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Baylor Scheierman made back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half to give Creighton the lead for good.
Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points, Trey Alexander had 12 and Scheierman added 11 as the Bluejays won their 25th opener in 26 years.
St. Thomas, a Summit League member beginning its second season in Division I, gave the Bluejays all they could handle until the last few minutes. Andrew Rohde had 15 points to lead the Tommies.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 76, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Trevon Brazile had 21 points and 12 rebounds in his debut as Arkansas won its season opener.
Brazile, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, scored six straight points during an 11-0 run early in the second half that gave Arkansas a 16-point lead with 15 minutes left.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council led the Razorbacks with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Grant Nelson and Boden Skunberg had 17 points apiece to lead North Dakota State.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 75, TENNESSEE TECH 43
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tyreke Key came off the bench to score 17 points and Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Key, an Indiana State transfer, connected on 4 of 8 3-pointers to ignite a sluggish Volunteer offense. Zakai Zeigler scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half.
Brett Thompson led the Golden Eagles with 15 points.
NO. 12 TEXAS 72, UTEP 57
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Hunter scored 18 points to lead Texas past UTEP in the debut of its new arena.
Hunter, a transfer from Iowa State, was 6-of-8 shooting and added five rebounds. Ze&rsquo;Ri Onyema led UTEP with 10 points.
Texas this season moved to the $375 million Moody Center on the edge of campus, leaving behind the old Frank Erwin Center after 45 years.
NO. 13 INDIANA 88, MOREHEAD STATE 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and freshman Malik Reneau each scored 15 points, helping Indiana beat Morehead State in the season opener for both teams.
The Hoosiers have won all six matchups in the series and are 26-0 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference foes.
Mark Freeman led the Eagles with 14 points, and Drew Thelwell had 11 for the OVC favorites.
NO. 14 TCU 73, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to finally put TCU ahead to stay against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which built an early 20-point lead in the season opener for both teams.
Miles, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, hit from deep beyond the top of the key for a 71-68 lead.
Emanuel Miller had 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Miles finished with 15 points for the Horned Frogs. They returned all five starters and five other scholarship players after winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1987.
Shaun Doss had 25 points with four of Arkansas-Pine Bluff&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers.
NO. 15 AUBURN 70, GEORGE MASON 52
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 16 points while K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each had 12 to lead Auburn to a season-opening win over George Mason.
The Tigers weren&rsquo;t really challenged much in their first game since losing NBA first-round draft picks Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Ronald Polite III led George Mason with 10 points, and Victor Bailey Jr. had nine.
NO. 16 VILLANOVA 81, LA SALLE 68
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Daniels scored 24 points to make coach Kyle Neptune a winner in his Villanova debut.
Neptune replaced Hall of Famer Jay Wright, who retired in the offseason. The Wildcats returned three starters (a fourth, Justin Moore, was injured) from the team that lost a national semifinal game to Kansas. Eric Dixon added 20 points for Villanova.
Daniels made his first five 3-pointers and the Wildcats used an early 10-0 run to put away their city rival and spoiled 74-year-old coach Fran Dunphy&rsquo;s return to the bench.
Josh Nickelberry scored 22 points to lead the Explorers.
NO. 17 ARIZONA 117, NICHOLLS STATE 75
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis scored 23 points and Arizona went on a massive opening run to begin its second season under coach Tommy Lloyd with a rout.
Ballo scored 18 points, helping Arizona set a school record with 71.7% shooting from the floor against the reigning Southland Conference regular-season champions. The Wildcats opened the game with a 30-4 run.
Micah Thomas led Nicholls State with 20 points.
NO. 18 VIRGINIA 73, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 61
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman sparked a 15-2 second-half run, and Virginia beat North Carolina Central after blowing a 16-point first-half lead.
Armaan Franklin led Virginia with 21 points in the season opener for both teams, and Francisco Caffaro had 10.
Justin Wright scored 20 and Eric Boone had 18 for the Eagles, who used a 12-0 run just after halftime to go ahead. But Clark hit a 3 and Beekman followed with a steal and a breakaway.
NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE 80, CAL STATE FULLERTON 57
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Darrion Trammell hit three 3-pointers during a 29-10 run to open the second half and finished with 18 points as San Diego State beat Cal State Fullerton.
Fellow newcomer Jaedon LeDee and Lamont Butler scored 11 points apiece and Nathan Mensah had 10 for the Aztecs, who won their 10th straight season opener and their 17th in 18 seasons.
Vincent Lee scored 11 and Jalen Harris 10 for the Titans, the defending Big West Conference champions.
NO. 20 ALABAMA 75, LONGWOOD 54
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his debut as Alabama beat Longwood.
Fellow freshman Rylan Griffen also scored 14 for the Crimson Tide, and point guard Mark Sears had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Jaden Bradley added 11 points and six boards.
Alabama held Longwood to 27% shooting and blocked nine shots. Michael Christmas led Longwood with 12 points.
NO. 21 OREGON 80, FLORIDA A&amp;M 45
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; N&rsquo;Faly Dante had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Oregon opened with an easy win over Florida A&amp;M.
Keeshawn Barthelemy added 13 points for the Ducks, ranked to start the season for the ninth straight year. Will Richardson scored 11.
Jordan Tillmon and Jordan Chatman had eight points apiece for the Rattlers, who have 11 new players. Florida A&amp;M coach Robert McCullum was on Oregon coach Dana Altman&rsquo;s staff from 2014-17.
NO. 22 MICHIGAN 75, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 56
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Dickinson had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Jett Howard added 21 points in Michigan&rsquo;s season-opening win.
After Purdue Fort Wayne opened an 8-4 lead, Michigan went on a 20-0 run to take control.
Quinton Morton-Robertson scored 15 points and Bobby Planutis added 13 for the Mastodons.
NO. 23 ILLINOIS 87, EASTERN ILLINOIS 57
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) &mdash; Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins had 23 points and 12 rebounds as Illinois cruised past Eastern Illinois.
Dain Dainja added 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Illini, who outrebounded the Panthers 53-30 in the opener for both teams.
Kinyon Hodges scored 14 points and Yaakema Rose added 10 for Eastern Illinois.
NO. 24 DAYTON 73, LINDENWOOD 46
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Mustapha Amzil scored 14 points, DaRon Holmes II and R.J. Blakney each had 13 and Dayton beat Lindenwood in a sluggish opener for both teams.
Dayton was without injured point guard Malachi Smith and didn&rsquo;t play particularly well until late, but it had a large margin for error against Lindenwood, which was playing its first game after moving up to Division I.
Chris Childs had 15 points for the Lions, who shot 33% from the field.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 73, NORTHWESTERN STATE 49
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; Daniel Batcho had 12 points and 10 rebounds as Texas Tech rolled past Northwestern State in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Texas Tech broke it open late in the first half and led 42-23 at halftime.
Isaac Haney led Northwestern State with 16 points.

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HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid has two choices: the red, white and blue of the U.S., or the blue, white and red of France.
An Olympic medal might hinge on his decision.
France is still hopeful that Embiid &mdash; the reigning NBA scoring champion &mdash; will choose to wear its colors for the 2024 Paris Olympics even though he recently became an American citizen, national team coach Vincent Collet said Thursday.
Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers star, may choose to play internationally for the U.S. or France, but not both. It was widely presumed that he would play for France at the Paris Games and possibly even next year&rsquo;s Basketball World Cup in the Philippines, until Embiid revealed last week that he now has American citizenship as well.
&ldquo;Now he has both nationalities, and he has to choose one basketball nationality, which is not the same,&rdquo; Collet told The Associated Press. &ldquo;So, that is a choice. Nobody can do anything to change it.&rdquo;
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-basketball-joel-embiid-84c7239b1fd373687d0e4efba7688623">Embiid told AP last week that it&rsquo;s too early to think about a decision.</a> By rule, he will eventually have to declare a choice to FIBA, the sport&rsquo;s international governing body, if he decides that he wants to play at the Olympics or World Cup.
France is the reigning Olympic silver medalist and is planning to have a team featuring Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Nicolas Batum &mdash; and, quite likely, top NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama &mdash; at the Paris Games. France&rsquo;s plan is to essentially take what will be its Olympic roster to the World Cup next year.
Without Embiid, that French core has been extremely formidable. On top of the 2021 silver in Tokyo, France won bronze at the 2019 World Cup and silver again at this year&rsquo;s European championships.
With Embiid, that group would figure to be even better. Collet said Boris Diaw, the general manager of the French national team, has been in contact with Embiid to discuss options.
&ldquo;I know he met some of our players to discuss,&rdquo; Collet said. &ldquo;I think he should play with us. But we will see. We will respect his decision whatever it is."
Embiid was born in Cameroon and has held French citizenship. He has a Brazilian girlfriend &mdash; their son is American &mdash; went to high school in Florida and played college basketball at Kansas.
The five-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection has spent his entire pro career with Philadelphia, averaging 26.0 points in his first six seasons and a career-best 30.6 points on his way to the scoring crown last season.

Joel Embiid told AP last week that it’s too early to think about a decision between U.S.A. and France.

France hoping Joel Embiid will join team for 2024 Paris Olympics

Dating back to when he was 9 years old, Malcolm Brogdon has made plenty of trips to Africa, a place he <a href="https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/brogdon-helps-bring-clean-water-joy-east-african-communities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">truly loves and is passionate about</a>. This past week marked yet another visit with the NBA for Basketball Without Borders, where he along with several players and coaches from around the league played a part in grooming the next generation of basketball youngsters &mdash; on and off the floor.
&ldquo;I just have a heart for it over here, a heart for the continent and developing these guys and giving them a real opportunity,&rdquo; Brogdon told Basketball News via Zoom.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think it's always an amazing opportunity when I get to come over here and work with the young talent, because there's a wealth of it in Africa. They don't have the resources and they don't have the nutrition and the development that we have, but once they do, these kids are gonna take off. So I definitely applaud the NBA for being over here and giving them an opportunity.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/0c3a0557.png" alt="" width="700" height="350" />
(Photos via NBA Africa)
Held in Cairo, Egypt, for the first time since the program expanded into Africa, Basketball Without Borders returned after a brief hiatus. (The last event occurred in Dakar, Senegal, in 2019, which Brogdon also participated in at the time.) BWB Africa 2022 brought together over 60 of the top men and women&rsquo;s prospects under the age of 18 to learn and compete.
The camp featured a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests and 5-on-5 games, plus sessions about life skills and leadership development. In addition, everybody involved was able to explore the country &mdash; most notably seeing the pyramids and going to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/_l5s4228-1-1.png" alt="" width="700" height="350" />
Finding himself coaching for the second consecutive time, Brogdon quips that such a responsibility &ldquo;is a whole different monster than playing.&rdquo; With that being said, the 29-year-old envisions he&rsquo;ll continue to be involved in developing the future talent that comes from Africa.
&ldquo;It's up to guys like myself in the NBA that have a platform and have a name that can come over [to] encourage these guys, shine some light in their life, work with them and learn from them, and allow them to learn from you,&rdquo; Brogdon said.
With BWB Africa coming to a close on Wednesday, Basketball News spoke with Brogdon about his foundation, the Boston Celtics&rsquo; upcoming season and more.
You&rsquo;ve long talked about how important your platform as an NBA player is and how it can be used to help people. Could you speak about your clean water initiative in East Africa and your <a href="https://www.brogdonfamilyfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brogdon Family Foundation</a> that started two years ago?
Brogdon: "For sure. I have a foundation, the Brogdon Family Foundation. It focuses on two things. One side is education domestically and the other side is clean water internationally. Especially on the clean water side, we've seen a lot of progress over the last couple of years. We're building clean water wells in East Africa &mdash; Tanzania and Kenya. We have over 20-to-25 wells in the ground in those two countries. We're doing a lot of really good work and really impacting people's lives."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/brogdon1.png" alt="" width="560" height="448" />
It&rsquo;s got to be cool to be able to spend time with Grant Williams out there, especially now that you&rsquo;re teammates with him. Have you gotten the chance to get to know him better and talk ball?
Brogdon: "Yeah, we've talked a lot of basketball. We've spent a lot of time together. We've talked business, we've talked life. I got to meet his mom, she's here. Grant's a great guy. He's a smart guy. He takes the game serious, takes life serious. He's an impressive guy, so I've really enjoyed my time with him."
I&rsquo;m sure you&rsquo;re stoked for camp to start in a few weeks. You seem thrilled to be playing in Boston now. What makes that organization stand out to you?
Brogdon: "Their history, right? I mean, they're the most winning organization in the league, and I think they're more hungry to win than anybody. You can see that with the move they made for me and [Danilo] Gallinari. They want to improve. They want to win a championship. It's all about Banner 18 for 'em. Now that's all it's about for me as well, and I'm excited to be a part of that."
Have you had the chance to talk to Gallo after <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/danilo-gallinari-diagnosed-with-meniscus-tear-no-ligament-damage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his injury</a>?
Brogdon: "I reached out to him. I sent him a text that just said, 'Hey man, praying for you. Get healthy, we need you this year.' He said, 'I appreciate it, brother.' It was short. When you get injured, it's frustrating. You want people to check on you, but a lot of the time, you don't want to talk a lot about it, so I just sent a text out to let him know I was thinking about him and I was praying for him."
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How do you feel you can complement Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown best?
Brogdon: "I think I can just relieve pressure. Whether that's touching the paint, getting 'em easy shots. Whether that's guarding players that they need a break on the defensive end [against] so they can focus on offense.
"But [mostly], being a steady presence on the floor that can help control the end of games, that can help control the flow of the game to make sure that they're getting the ball in their spots, [so] they're never having to overdo it to get a look or run their bodies into the ground. I want to be that guy that can create for 'em."
You're joining a guard room with Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. It feels like the lineup combinations could be very fun.
Brogdon: "Yeah. We're talented, we're deep. A year ago, people were talking about, 'The Celtics didn't have depth.' Well, that's not gonna be an issue. I think this year we'll have a wealth of talent coming off the bench, and I'm excited about it. I'm excited. I think we've got smart, more-than-capable guys coming off the bench that are versatile on both sides of the ball, and we can really be dangerous."
What do you admire most about Ime Udoka? What have your conversations with him been like?
Brogdon: "I admire his authenticity, his realness. He's a straight shooter, he's very direct. There's not a lot of gray area with him. You can have coaches that don't want to tell you the truth, that sorta beat around the bush. He's far from that, so I really appreciate that about him. It's hard to find. I've had maybe two conversations with him. I can tell he's a player's coach. He was in the league for a while, he knows how to talk to you, he knows how to relate to you, but he also knows how to coach."
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Background on Basketball Without Borders Africa
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The first Basketball Without Borders Africa camp took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2003.</li>
<li aria-level="1">In total there have been 18 BWB Africa camps, with the most recent camp taking place in Cairo, Egypt, from Aug. 28-31, 2022.</li>
<li aria-level="1">More than 1,400 men and women from more than 30 African countries have participated in BWB Africa.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Camps have been attended and supported by more than 150 NBA and WNBA coaches, players and NBA team personnel.</li>
<li aria-level="1">BWB Africa camps have been conducted in South Africa (2003-2009; 2011-2015; 2017-2018), Senegal (2010, 2019), Egypt (2022) and Angola (2016).</li>
<li aria-level="1">Twelve former BWB Africa campers have been drafted into the NBA: Khalifa Diop (BWB Africa 2018), Christian Koloko (BWB Africa 2017), Pascal Siakam (BWB Africa 2012), Joel Embiid (BWB Africa 2011), Kostas Antetokounmpo (BWB Africa 2015), Chukwudi Maduabum (BWB Africa 2010), Gorgui Dieng (BWB Africa 2009), Christian Eyenga (BWB Africa 2005), Hamady N'diaye (BWB Africa 2004), Solomon Alabi (BWB Africa 2004), Mouhamed Saer Sene (BWB Africa 2004), Luc Mbah a Moute (BWB Africa 2003)</li>
</ul>
Background on Basketball Without Borders
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">Basketball Without Borders (BWB) is the NBA and FIBA&rsquo;s global basketball development and community outreach program that was launched in 2001.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The first-ever BWB camp took place in Europe in July 2001: Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslavia national team, reunited in Treviso, Italy, to work with 50 children from the former Yugoslavia.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The NBA and FIBA have staged 65 BWB camps in 40 cities across 30 countries on six continents.&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="2">BWB has hosted more than 3,800 participants from 133 countries and territories.</li>
<li aria-level="2">More than 310 current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined more than 240 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to share their expertise and knowledge with participants.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The NBA typically hosts four regional BWB camps over the summer (Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas), and in 2015 created the BWB Global camp, which is held annually at NBA All-Star for the top prospects from the previous summer&rsquo;s camps</li>
<li aria-level="2">There have been 105 former BWB campers drafted or signed by NBA or WNBA teams, including a record 41 players on opening-night rosters last season.
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">Notable former BWB campers include Deandre Ayton, Josh Giddey, RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen, Joel Embiid, Danilo Gallinari, Marc Gasol, Rui Hachimura, Jonas Valanciunas, Jamal Murray, Nicolas Batum, Pascal Siakam and Awak Kuier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

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Compared to a grind-it-away offseason last summer that helped earn him a huge payday, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen has been traveling and spending much more time with family this go-round.
Allen's latest adventure? Canberra, Australia, where the 24-year-old is participating in the Basketball Without Borders Asia program as a coach for the first time in his career.
"I've been trying to come here to BWB for a while, but things just never lined up,&rdquo; Allen told Basketball News over the phone. &ldquo;I just liked the idea of the world-life travel, the connecting basketball globally, expanding the NBA globally. I just think it's a great opportunity to share the game.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2v6a2153-1-1.png" alt="" width="700" height="350" />
Working alongside Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, Dallas Mavericks swingman Josh Green and Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson, Allen&rsquo;s been appreciative to get to know the guys he competes against. Together, the four NBA players are providing their best knowledge and advice to the next generation of hoopers to ensure the game of basketball continues to thrive.
&ldquo;That's who's coming after us. That's literally the future of the game, both globally and in the States,&rdquo; Allen explained. &ldquo;We have to share our knowledge to the people coming after to just make things better for the future."
Part of the reason Allen feels so strongly about this is that he had the proper guidance when he was in these campers&rsquo; shoes.
&ldquo;I don't remember the names well. But just growing up, [during] my summer workouts when I was their age [at Texas], I used to practice against some college and NBA players,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;They would always take the time to help me, to show me little tips about how they played the game, how they played their position, and just helped me get my game to the next level. So that's what I'm trying to do with these kids.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/dsc03349.png" alt="" width="700" height="350" />
With BWB Asia Camp wrapping up on Aug. 10, Basketball News spoke with Allen about his involvement, his offseason, the Cavs&rsquo; upcoming year and more.
I'm sure Matthew Dellavedova told you good things about Australia. Have you been there before?
Allen: "This is my first time, but so far so good (laughs)."
Did you get any good coaching tips from J.B. Bickerstaff?
Allen: "Ah, no! Actually, I could've asked him (laughs). Honestly, I've been meeting great coaches out here, great people. It's been an amazing experience."
Have you gotten any kinds of unique questions from the campers?
Allen: "The kids didn't really ask me questions. They were kinda shy. But one of the kids just asked about leadership and how to become a better leader, which is surprising. I bet you none of us would've asked that growing up. But it goes to show the kids are trying to be the best they can."
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How&rsquo;s the offseason gone for you?
Allen: "Offseason's going pretty well. It's been kinda just a normal offseason, honestly."
Is your finger feeling alright?
Allen: "The finger's completely healed, not even like I broke it anymore."
Are you eager to start back up again at your own training camp in Cleveland?
Allen: "Aw yeah. I mean, it feels like the season's been done for eight months. Around this time of the year, I get itching to play, I get ready to get back on the court. But the good thing [is] it's about two months away."
You and Darius Garland are going into your second-and-a-half season together basically. Why do you think you guys have meshed so well as a tandem, and how would you like to build on that this coming year?
Allen: "Things really clicked for us as soon as I got to Cleveland. Obviously, we all know he's an amazing point guard. But the thing that I don't think people realize is just how willing he is to learn the game, how willing he is to work with myself to try to figure out the best position for me to catch the ball and to just finish a lob. And I see it expanding even further.
"Just every single year, especially with him and I, we've improved our games together, improved our chemistry, improved how we play the game together. And I think we still have a long way to go."
What did you think of the team bringing in Robin Lopez? 
Allen: "I'm happy with the Robin [addition]. I know him from just playing against him on the court. He's a great dude. The Lopez brothers altogether, just the things beyond social media battles, great guys. Especially defending [Robin], [he's a] great player &mdash; Captain Hook (laughs). He has the best hook shot in the league."
Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s back in the fold too. The locker room&rsquo;s gotta be thrilled about that.
Allen: "It's so good to have Ricky back. Off the court, great guy. He was a glue guy for us, to be able to keep us together. [He] came in with a positive attitude every day, willing to work. And even especially on the court, he ran the offense, he got us to where we needed to be."
Are we going to see more of that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WVdTvfC2ik" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high-low action</a> with Evan Mobley?
Allen: "Oh absolutely, that's not going anywhere (laughs). I mean hey, we've got Lauri [Markkanen] too. We've got all three levels of scoring."
Is anybody coming into the paint after what you two did last year?
Allen: "(Laughs) You know, if they do, they're gonna know what happens."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kevin Love: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 6 3PM Jarrett Allen: 19 PTS, 11 REB, 5 BLK Evan Mobley: 17 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK The <a href="https://twitter.com/cavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cavs</a> big men put in work in their win 💪 <a href="https://t.co/jSdNxx5rAl">pic.twitter.com/jSdNxx5rAl</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1466414382519398417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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You were right there in the thick of it before the injuries hit. Do you feel you guys would&rsquo;ve gotten further/made more of a run had everybody been healthy?
Allen: "You know, with that, you never can say for sure. I don't like saying if we could've made it or not because what happened, happened. But the possibility is definitely there, and the question is there, of just how far could we have made it."
Being sidelined had to sting, especially with the timing. You guys were surging before the All-Star break.
Allen: "Yeah, we were. It was the whole timing of the injury, right? When we were rolling and then, things started to not go where we wanted to go toward the end of the season. So this year, coming out, I think we're all full-steam ahead."
What&rsquo;s the vibe been with the guys?
Allen: "We have our own little group chat. We share memes, check in on each other every now and then. We're all [ready] to play again."
I'm sure the pictures from Kevin Love and Cedi Osman's weddings made it in there.
Allen: "(Laughs) I'm super excited for them."
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Here&rsquo;s something I always wanted to ask you &ndash; how did you get so invested in anime? Those likes pop up on the Twitter feed quite a bit! 
Allen: "(Laughs) I just think it's a fun thing to do. People have things that they like, have different types of hobbies, different things. That's just who I am. It's the things I like to do, things I don't mind sharing that I like."
Have you ever gotten fan art before?
Allen: "Some. Normally, me as <a href="https://www.funimation.com/shows/afro-samurai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Afro Samurai</a> (laughs). But other than that, nothing too crazy."
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Background on Basketball Without Borders
<ul>
<li>Basketball Without Borders (BWB) is the NBA and FIBA&rsquo;s global basketball development and community outreach program that has been conducted annually since 2001.</li>
<li>The first-ever BWB camp took place in Europe in July 2001: Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslavia national team, reunited in Treviso, Italy to work with 50 children from the former Yugoslavia.</li>
<li>Since then the NBA and FIBA have staged 65 BWB camps in 42 cities in 30 countries on six continents with more than 3,700 participants from 133 countries and territories.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The NBA typically hosts four regional BWB camps over the summer (Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas), and in 2015 created the BWB Global camp, which is held annually at NBA All-Star for the top prospects from the previous summer&rsquo;s camps.</li>
<li>More than 310 current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined more than 240 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to share their expertise and knowledge with participants.</li>
<li>More than 100 former BWB campers have made it to the NBA or WNBA, including Marc Gasol, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Nicolas Batum, Jonas Valanciunas, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Danilo Gallinari</li>
<li>A record 41 former BWB campers were on opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 season.</li>
<li>The highest-drafted former BWB campers are:
<ul>
<li>No. 1 overall: Deandre Ayton (Bahamas; 2018), Andrea Bargnani (Italy; 2006)</li>
<li>No. 3 overall: RJ Barrett (Canada; 2019), Joel Embiid (Cameroon; 2014), Enes Kanter Freedom (Turkey; 2011)</li>
<li>No. 4 overall: Dragan Bender (Croatia; 2016)</li>
<li>No. 5 overall: Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania; 2011)</li>
<li>No. 6 overall: Josh Giddey (Australia; 2021); Danilo Gallinari (Italy; 2008); Bennedict Mathurin (Canada; 2022)</li>
<li>No. 7 overall: Killian Hayes (France; 2020), Lauri Markkanen (Finland; 2017), Jamal Murray (Canada; 2016)</li>
<li>No. 8 overall: Frank Ntilikina (France; 2017)</li>
<li>No. 9 overall: Deni Avdija (Israel; 2020) and Rui Hachimura (Japan; 2019)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Spencer Davies chats with Jarrett Allen about his involvement with BWB Asia, his offseason, the Cavs’ upcoming year and more.

Jarrett Allen Q&A: Cavaliers' offseason, Basketball Without Borders

Bookmark this page and we'll keep you up-to-date on every NBA rumor. We'll continue updating this tracker over the next 24 hours.

NBA Rumor Tracker: Compiling the latest news and intel

The 2022 NBA Draft is one day away, and rumors are surfacing left and right.
Which teams have been the most aggressive in trade talks? Will any notable players be on the move? Which draft picks could be dealt? BasketballNews has compiled all of the biggest rumors:
Malcolm Brogdon &ldquo;significantly likely&rdquo; to be traded
All signs point to the Indiana Pacers trading Malcolm Brogdon this week. Not only has Brogdon surfaced in trade rumors more than any other player, ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported that teams like the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks are expected to pivot to Brogdon trade negotiations if they can&rsquo;t move up to No. 4 for Purdue&rsquo;s Jaden Ivey.
The Ringer&rsquo;s Kevin O&rsquo;Connor reported that the Pacers were throwing the veteran guard into every trade discussion they were having.
On <a href="https://www.espn.com/radio/play/_/id/34125407" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lowe Post,</a> ESPN&rsquo;s Jonathan Givony mentioned that the Los Angeles Lakers offered the following package for Brogdon: Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker and a future first-round pick in 2027. Givony said that the Pacers immediately declined the Lakers&rsquo; offer. Lowe also threw in that he&rsquo;s heard Brogdon and Myles Turner are &ldquo;coveted&rdquo; around the league.
During ESPN&rsquo;s NBA Mock Draft Special on Tuesday night, Wojnarowski reiterated that it&rsquo;s &ldquo;significantly likely&rdquo; that Brogdon is moved before the 2022 NBA Draft begins.
Hornets shopping Gordon Hayward
The Charlotte Hornets are prioritizing salary-cap flexibility in order to re-sign Miles Bridges, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. The Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons are also worth monitoring as potential suitors for Bridges, per <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10039350-latest-nba-intel-the-divide-between-kyrie-irving-and-brooklyn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer</a>.
With the Hornets prioritizing Bridges, Gordon Hayward&rsquo;s future in Charlotte is certainly in flux. Windhorst said that the Hornets are looking to find a team that's willing to take on the final two years of Hayward&rsquo;s contract. As an incentive, Charlotte is reportedly willing to throw in one of their first-round picks (No. 13 or No. 15). We'll see if any teams pounce at the opportunity to land Hayward and a lottery pick.
Fischer notes that Charlotte is also gauging the trade market on Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., PJ Washington and Mason Plumlee.
With the hope of shedding salary to keep Bridges alongside LaMelo Ball, the Hornets seem poised to make a big move this week.
Hawks have been aggressive
There have been a ton of Hawks-related rumors of late. On Monday night, Wojnarowski appeared on SportsCenter and said that Atlanta has been aggressive in trying to find a star to pair with Trae Young.&nbsp;
John Collins has surfaced in a number of trade rumors as well. The Hawks have had talks with the Sacramento Kings about a potential Collins deal, according to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kings-hawks-engaged-in-john-collins-trade-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic's Shams Charania</a>.
Versatile wing Bogdan Bogdanovic is also drawing interest from teams, per&nbsp;Windhorst. Atlanta has offers on the table for Collins and Bogdanovic.
Bleacher Report&rsquo;s Jake Fischer also shared an interesting Hawks nugget during his <a href="https://www.callin.com/episode/2022-nba-draft-preview-with-jeremy-woo-AojmeoFMXL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">live podcast</a> on Tuesday: Atlanta is trying to move up from No. 16 overall into the lottery, with their primary target being G League Ignite playmaker Dyson Daniels. Fischer said that the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7 could be a potential team to monitor as Atlanta continues to pursue Daniels.
It's possible we could see an explosive draft night from the Hawks. They are weighing multiple moves, and the front office views Young and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter as the only untouchable assets, per Woj.
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Tucker, Gordon reuniting with Harden on 76ers?&nbsp;
The Philadelphia 76ers could be a team to watch this offseason. Not only do they have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/signing-james-harden-to-a-max-contract-could-cripple-the-sixers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an important long-term decision to make</a> on James Harden, they also have a number of players who could be viewed as available. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-pj-tucker-nba-draft-free-agency-20220621.html?utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_campaign=edit_social_share_twitter_traffic&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=&amp;int_promo=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped multiple tidbits on the Sixers&rsquo; plans</a>.
After PJ Tucker declined his player option with the Miami Heat, Philadelphia and the veteran forward have mutual interest. In order to create cap space, the Sixers are looking to deal Matisse Thybulle and the No. 23 pick in a three-team deal.&nbsp;
Pompey <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-pj-tucker-nba-draft-free-agency-20220621.html?utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_campaign=edit_social_share_twitter_traffic&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=&amp;int_promo=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> that Philadelphia is trying their best to offload Tobias Harris&rsquo; large contract, but it's been tough to find any potential suitors.
Finally, there's another Houston Rocket who could potentially reunite with Harden in Philadelphia. The Sixers and Phoenix Suns have expressed interest in Eric Gordon, per Windhorst on NBA Today.
It sounds like Daryl Morey is trying to get the band back together, with Gordon and Tucker running it back with Harden in the Eastern Conference.
Knicks have been very active
As previously mentioned, the New York Knicks are showing interest in Brogdon. In addition to Wojnarowski's report, we've seen similar intel from The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania and SNY&rsquo;s Ian Begley. Outside of Brogdon, are there any other targets on the board?
Begley <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MxXPLPlNRM&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported on KnicksFanTV</a> that New York recently offered the Sacramento Kings multiple future first-round picks to move up to No. 4 for Jaden Ivey. The Knicks view Ivey in a high regard, and are willing to pay a steep price to move up seven spots in the draft.
The Knicks have also had talks with the Detroit Pistons about acquiring the No. 5 overall pick, and Cam Reddish was included in those discussions, per <a href="https://www.sny.tv/articles/knicks-pistons-touched-base-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Begley</a>.&nbsp;
It certainly seems like New York is trying to make a splash.
Hawks, Pistons are top suitors for Deandre Ayton
According to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/33LDGb6QNc9VQor8CJVWoL?si=55021b96146147f5&amp;nd=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O&rsquo;Connor on The Mismatch</a>, the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks are the main teams to monitor as it relates to Deandre Ayton&rsquo;s upcoming restricted free agency. Ayton could still stay with Phoenix, but Detroit and Atlanta will be among the teams pursuing the 23-year-old center.
Do the Suns actually view Ayton as a max-level player? If not, perhaps the Suns will try to get creative and explore sign-and-trade packages revolving around Ayton. Detroit and Atlanta have some intriguing assets that could make a deal worth it from the Suns&rsquo; perspective (although the Pistons could also try to sign Ayton using <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/which-nba-teams-have-the-most-cap-space-entering-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">their cap space</a>).
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Timberwolves inquired about Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela
During <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/33LDGb6QNc9VQor8CJVWoL?si=55021b96146147f5&amp;nd=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tuesday&rsquo;s episode of The Mismatch</a>, O'Connor also mentioned that the Minnesota Timberwolves have registered interest in Rudy Gobert and Clint Capela. This lines up with a previous report from Charania that Minnesota had inquired about Capela.
Where there&rsquo;s smoke, there&rsquo;s usually fire. So, are the Timberwolves really about to make Karl-Anthony Towns a full-time power forward? If the plan is to make a big move for a veteran center, moving one of the best shooting bigs of all-time further to the perimeter is an interesting thought.
According to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/townska01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basketball Reference</a>, Towns played 100% of his minutes at center last season. In fact, the only time he has played power forward throughout his NBA career was during his rookie season in 2015-16, when 2% of his minutes came at the 4.
The more you think about it, the more a Towns-Gobert frontcourt is certainly intriguing though.
John Wall expected to get bought out?
The Houston Rockets and John Wall will work toward finalizing a buyout before free agency begins, according to Fischer on his <a href="https://www.callin.com/episode/2022-nba-draft-preview-with-jeremy-woo-AojmeoFMXL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest podcast</a>.
After Wall opted in to his $47.3 million player option, there were questions about what's next for the point guard. This is the final year of Wall's contract, which could make it easier for the two sides to reach a buyout agreement.
If Wall hits the open market, could regain his form on a contender (potentially signing for the mid-level exception or less)? Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists for Houston during the 2020-21 season, but he hasn't set foot on an NBA court since April of 2021.
Cavaliers open to trading No. 14 pick
According to <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-bradley-beal-bobby-portis-nicolas-batum-lakers-nets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype&rsquo;s Michael Scotto</a>, the Cleveland Cavaliers are open to trading back from the final slot in the lottery at No. 14 overall. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams who have already called the Cavs about the pick, per Scotto.
It's interesting that the Grizzlies and Bucks &mdash; two legitimate contenders &mdash; trying to move up 10-plus spots on Thursday night. It's unclear who these teams are targeting, but our Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock currently has Ousmane Dieng projected at No. 14 overall. Rumors have been flying that Dieng has a guarantee, per Babcock, and he did receive an invite to the green room.
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Heat expressing interest in Jerami Grant
According to SNY&rsquo;s Ian Begley, the Miami Heat have checked in on the availability of Jerami Grant. The Detroit Pistons have been openly shopping Grant for a while, so perhaps a deal will finally go down this week.
Does Miami make sense as a potential trade partner for the Pistons? It's unclear what the Heat would be giving up in return for Grant, who averaged 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 threes, 1.0 block and 0.9 steals this season, while shooting 42.6% from the field, 35.8% from three-point range and 83.8% from the free-throw line.
Grizzlies attempting to move up
Reaffirming the Grizzlies&rsquo; desires of trading up on Thursday, Zach Lowe mentioned on <a href="https://www.espn.com/radio/play/_/id/34125407" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lowe Post</a> that Memphis' executives are &ldquo;calling in every direction.&rdquo;
If that&rsquo;s not a sign that the Grizzlies are expected to be very active on Thursday, I don&rsquo;t know what to tell you. Memphis has a history of being active on draft night, and it seems this year won&rsquo;t be any different.
Are the Suns willing to pay the luxury tax?
Recently, many national pundits have suggested that the Phoenix Suns are hesitant to go deep into the luxury tax. However, Suns owner Robert Sarver recently told BasketballNews that Phoenix has no qualms about paying up in order to keep this team together long-term.
&ldquo;My position for a market like us with the tax is, if you get yourself where you can compete at the highest level, then you pay it and you go for it,&rdquo; Sarver said.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we&rsquo;re in a market that can be in it 10 years in a row," Sarver added. "But when you get to a certain level where you have a chance to compete and you&rsquo;re a top-four, top-six, top-eight team, if you&rsquo;re at the level where you have a legitimate chance to compete &mdash; get to your Conference Finals and maybe win a championship &mdash; then I think you go in the tax, you pay and you do what you gotta do."
Sarver knows that the Suns&rsquo; championship window is in the here and now. Barring a change of heart, it seems that he's willing to spend to keep this core together.
&ldquo;You just can&rsquo;t take success for grant,&rdquo; Sarver said. &ldquo;It can come and go.&rdquo;
Also, keep an eye on the Suns trying to add a pick in Thursday's draft. While they have no picks at the moment, Phoenix is making calls and trying to buy a second-round selection, according to 98.7 FM&rsquo;s John Gambadoro. Gambadoro said that the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors are teams who are open to trading their second-rounders.
Dyson Daniels rising up draft boards?
Dyson Daniels has one of the biggest risers during the NBA pre-draft process. On BasketballNews' latest mock draft, Babcock has Daniels being selected No. 8 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans.
&ldquo;After being at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, Dyson Daniels had a terrific season for the G League Ignite," Babcock said of Daniels. "The 6-foot-7 positionless Swiss army knife, Daniels excels at getting downhill and attacking the basket, relying on his athleticism and body control for finishing while occasionally employing a floater. Daniels&rsquo; outside shooting is still a work in progress, but he is a disruptive defender with quick feet and instincts. Daniels&rsquo; progression as a playmaker was also notable during the G League season. He seems to have a bright future ahead of him.&rdquo;
According to <a href="https://theathletic.com/3372868/2022/06/20/indiana-pacers-nba-draft/?source=emp_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic&rsquo;s Bob Kravitz</a>, Daniels blew away the Indiana Pacers&rsquo; front office in his recent workout in Indianapolis.
&ldquo;I was told Dyson Daniels had one of the greatest workouts a lot of people in the Indiana organization have ever seen,&rdquo; Kravitz said on ESPN 107.5 FM on Tuesday.
With the Pacers selecting at No. 6 overall, their hope is that somehow one of Jaden Ivey or Keegan Murray slips. If not, Kravitz said the Pacers will be deciding between Daniels and Arizona wing Bennedict Mathurin.
Stay tuned to BasketballNews.com for all the latest NBA news and rumors during what could be a crazy offseason. Also, check out our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft page</a> for all of our in-depth draft coverage.
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On the eve of the 2022 NBA Draft, rumors are surfacing left and right. Evan Sidery compiles the latest rumblings around the NBA.

NBA Rumors Notebook: Malcolm Brogdon, John Collins, Gordon Hayward, more

Last year, the Detroit Pistons' highest-paid player was not a member of their active roster: Blake Griffin. This offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder will come close to matching the achievement.&nbsp;
OKC is slated to pay Kemba Walker just over $27 million in 2022-23, which is just a smidge less than the $29,750,000 they'll shell out to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Walker has never (and likely will never) suit up for the Thunder after they bought his contract out last summer.
Walker's deal remains on the books, though, in the form of "dead money," a terminology for one of the more uncommon scenarios in NBA roster management.&nbsp;
When an NBA franchise negotiates a buyout with a player whose contract is not up, they're still on the hook for any guaranteed money remaining. Teams have two options: Continue to honor the contract over its original duration, or use the Stretch Provision.
The Stretch Provision is what it sounds like; the released player has his salary "stretched" to be paid in smaller increments over a longer period &mdash; specifically, twice the number of years remaining on the contract, plus an additional year (here's a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency/glossary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">great explainer on the provision</a> inside of our free agency glossary). Remember the monster salaries handed out in 2016 and 2017 free agency? Some of those players were waived and stretched, meaning they're still receiving checks.
Fifteen teams held dead money entering the 2021-22 NBA offseason. This year, the number is down to nine, according to salary figures at <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotrac</a> and <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/OKC.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basketball Reference</a>. Perhaps teams are getting smarter with how they hand out contracts or how they buy out players.&nbsp;
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Here's a breakdown of the dead money deals heading into 2022-23, and some players who you might be surprised are still earning a salary:
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER ($28.4 million in total dead money)
Kemba Walker ($27.4 million) &mdash;&nbsp;Walker joined the Thunder last offseason in the trade that sent Al Horford back to Boston. OKC also received a first-round pick that it dealt to Houston and a 2025 second-round pick. The team released Walker less than two months later before he ever suited up, and decided to simply play him the two remaining years as they stand instead of stretching out his salary. He'll be off the books by next offseason.
Kyle Singler ($999,200) &mdash;&nbsp;Here's a great blast from the past. Singler played in Oklahoma City for three seasons and change as a reserve, but never stuck in the rotation. He signed a five-year deal worth $25 million in 2015; by 2018, the Thunder decided to waive and stretch him, and he has not played an NBA game since. Singler has received just under $1 million each season since 2018-19. This is also his his last year on the books.
DETROIT PISTONS ($11.8 million in total dead money)
DeAndre Jordan ($7.8 million) &mdash;&nbsp;The Pistons are actually paying Jordan for the money remaining on a four-year, $39.6 million contract he signed with the Brooklyn Nets back in 2019. Brooklyn traded Jordan to Detroit in a minor move last September, and the Pistons bromptly bought him out. Jordan then signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, so he actually earned money from two teams in 2021-22. This is his last year receiving cash from Detroit.
Dewayne Dedmon ($2.9 million) &mdash;&nbsp;This is one of my favorite crazy scenarios, and I want to break it down. Let's travel back to 2019, when Dedmon signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Sacramento Kings. Things didn't work out, so the Kings traded him that season to the Atlanta Hawks, who then moved him again to Detroit in the 2020 offseason.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13942810_690w.png" alt="" width="746" height="373" />
The Pistons then waived and stretched Dedmon four days later with two years remaining on his deal. So that meant, instead of paying him just over $13 million for two years, they're sending him a tad under $3 million for five years &mdash;&nbsp;all the way out to 2024-25. Dedmon will receive five years of money from the franchise without ever playing a game for the Pistons. It's a rare, but cool situation (for the player, at least) that we only see one other time this year.
Zhaire Smith ($1.1 million) &mdash;&nbsp;I feel for Smith, a former first-round pick who had one of the most <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/zhaire-smith-76ers-deadly-allergic-reaction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">devastating strokes of bad luck</a> absolutely derail his NBA career. He was acquired by Detroit in the 2020 offseason, but later waived and stretched. This is his last season on the payroll in Detroit.&nbsp;
CHARLOTTE HORNETS ($8.9 million in total dead money)
Nicolas Batum ($8.9 million) &mdash; Charlotte is in the final year of playing Batum the remaining money from a five-year, $120 million contract he signed in that 2016 free agency frenzy. Batum played through three seasons on that deal, but never found his footing with the Hornets. They waived and stretched his final deal in November 2020. Batum has received just under $9 million in each of the last three seasons from Charlotte while re-emerging as a stellar rotation player with the Los Angeles Clippers.
BROOKLYN NETS ($3.9 million in total dead money)
Jevon Carter ($3.925 million)&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;Carter comes off the books after next season, but it still must hurt for the Nets to see how he helped out the Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn acquired Carter, along with Day'Ron Sharpe, in the trade that sent Landry Shamet to Phoenix. Carter averaged just 12 minutes per game before being released and signing with the Bucks two days later. He then shot a scorching 55.8% from long range in Milwaukee, while boosting the bench unit with his strong defense.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS ($2.8 million in total dead money)
Andrew Nicholson ($2.8 million)&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;Nicholson is my dead money GOAT. In 2016, he signed a four-year, $26 million contract with the Washington Wizards, played 28 games with the team and was then traded to the Nets, where he appeared in 10 contests in the same 2016-17 season. Brooklyn then sent him to Portland in a swap for Allen Crabbe in the offseason; Portland released Nicholson just over a month later.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13489394_690w.png" alt="" width="746" height="373" />
Nicholson still had three seasons left on his contract, and the Trail Blazers decided to stretch it, meaning they'd pay him for the next&nbsp;seven years.&nbsp;Since 2017-18, he has received just over $2.8 million each season &mdash; and will continue to get that bag until the 2024 offseason &mdash; without ever playing for Portland. That's how it's done.&nbsp;
DALLAS MAVERICKS ($1.8 million in total dead money)
Tyrell Terry ($1.8 million) &mdash;&nbsp;Dallas releasing Terry last fall was a somewhat surprising move when it happened. Terry was the No. 31 overall pick to the Mavericks just one season prior in 2020, and he had his supporters in the NBA Draft community. For whatever reason, Terry's slow start underwhelmed the franchise to the point where they flat out released him from his rookie contract a year later. He then signed with the Girzzlies on 10-day and two-way contracts.
HOUSTON ROCKETS ($456,074 in total dead money)
DJ Augustin ($333,333) &mdash;&nbsp;We're now getting into the minutae of dead-money deals that will scarcely affect teams financially. The journeyman Augustin played 34 games with the rebuilding Rockets last season. His 2022-23 season is only partially guaranteed, hence the small payout.
Troy Williams ($122,741) &mdash;&nbsp;This salary ties all the way back to 2017, when Williams signed a three-year contract with Houston. Williams played a partial season in 2017-18 before having the last two years on his deal waived and stretched. He then joined the New York Knicks, New Orleans Pelicans, Kings and Phoenix Suns, but never latched on anywhere long-term.&nbsp;
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TORONTO RAPTORS ($125,000 in total dead money)
Ish Wainright ($125,000) &mdash;&nbsp;Wainright signed a two-year contract with Toronto last offseason and impressed at NBA Summer League, but was waived in October. Both years were partially guaranteed. Wainright bounced back on a two-way contract with Phoenix that the Suns eventually turned into a standard NBA deal.
BOSTON CELTICS ($92,857 in total dead money)
Demetrius Jackson ($92,857) &mdash;&nbsp;Jackson's contract is another bizarre situation. He signed a four-year deal worth $5.5 million with the Celtics as a second-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The first year, Boston paid him $1.45 million. The second year only had $650,000 in guaranteed salary, the third year had zero guarantees and the fourth year was a team option. Stay with me, here.&nbsp;
Boston decided to waive and stretch Jackson in 2017, the last day that his $650,000 would be guaranteed. He still technically had three years left on the contract, so the (relatively) tiny guaranteed salary of $650,000 would be stretched across seven whole seasons. Jackson has made $92,857 since the 2017-18 season and will make that salary through 2023-24.&nbsp;
NBA players make more money than ever before on five-year maximum contracts. So it's pretty unbelievable that the longest active contractual obligations in the league right now (extensions nonwithstanding) are eight years in length, heading to two players: Andrew Nicholson and Demetrius Jackson.
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Ethan Fuller looks at the nine NBA teams and 13 players with dead-money contracts entering the 2022 offseason.

Which NBA teams hold dead money contracts for the 2022-23 season?

The Brooklyn Nets' offense was mostly humming in Tuesday's 115-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers to kick of the NBA Play-In Tournament. Kyrie Irving dazzled with 34 points on 12 of 15 shooting. Kevin Durant had his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/appreciating-kevin-durants-other-skills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">long arms involved in almost every play</a>, and Bruce Brown sliced his way to a near-triple-double.
Nicolas Claxton's name didn't carry the same overall buzz, but I couldn't stop thinking about his place in the victory. The 22-year-old (Happy Birthday on Sunday, by the way!) totaled 13 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in just under 29 minutes. Other than his long two to beat the first-quarter buzzer, Claxton didn't really create any highlight moments, but then you look at the box score and see he drilled all six of his shot attempts.
And then, you &mdash; "you" being I &mdash; check NBA.com and see Claxton finished seventh this season with a 67.4% overall field goal percentage (min. 800 minutes played). He sports a sparking 80.0% clip within 4&nbsp; feet of the basket, ranking second in the NBA, per Cleaning the Glass.
So at a very base level, Claxton has established himself among the most efficient players in basketball. Of course, it's more complicated than that. How does he benefit from Brooklyn's unique assembly of creators, and how does he set up for success?&nbsp;
Let's start with his Tuesday buckets.
Claxton's aforementioned buzzer-beater ranks as an extreme outlier. It's not just about the play context; Claxton attempted all of&nbsp;nine shots further than 8 feet from the basket in the entire regular season. Four of his five other makes in the game were dunks off assists from Brown. This one stuck out to me:
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This looks pretty easy for Claxton. Brooklyn sends two defenders to Durant on the flip pass from Brown, who ghosts the screen and short-rolls to the basket. Durant finds him, Brown has tons of space and Kevin Love is forced to help, which means an open lob for Claxton is coming. This happened three separate times (with minor differences) in the game to give the center easy dunks.&nbsp;
I want to credit Claxton too though. He anticipates what's going to happen even as Brown is rolling. In fact, Claxton points for the lob before Brown even comes down with the basketball. It's super quick, but here's a mid-quality screen-grab of what I mean:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/web-capture_14-4-2022_103231_new-instatscout-com_lg.jpeg" alt="" width="575" height="340" />
Brown hasn't even landed on the court yet, and Claxton already has his finger raised as he prepares to receive the pass. These small anticipations cut down the time between offensive decisions, and keep defenders from rotating to help or recovering back. Claxton likely had tons of room for error here; there's no weak-side defender to rotate over, and Love doesn't have the length or agility to cover so much ground. In other situations, however, this awareness benefits Claxton and the Nets' passers.
Claxton appeared in just 46 games this season as he battled injuries, but he went a pristine 88 of 94 on dunks, per NBA Stats. He shot 72.4% from the field off of Durant passes, 73.9% off passes from Patty Mills and 76.9% off passes from Brown. These are relatively small sample sizes, but they do reinforce what we saw on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-11-inch center averaged 1.39 points per possession (PPP) on cuts, ranking 12th among 43 players with at least 100 cutting possessions. Nearly 31% of his total plays involved cuts, which can range from circling up to the restricted area or catching a lob from the dunker spot, to more complex actions. Claxton placed sixth among the group with a 73.6% field goal rate on cuts.
According to the BBall Index, Claxton averages 5.7 points per 75 possessions on cuts and off-screen plays, putting him in the 97th percentile of bigs.
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There's just so much good minutiae in these plays. In the first clip, Claxton hands the ball off to a full-speed Mills and turns around to cut before the Pacers even realize what's happening. In clip No. 2, Claxton flips to the other side of Evan Mobley right as Brown receives the bounce pass from Durant. It opens up a passing lane, and Mobley can't quite recover to contest the dunk.&nbsp;
Opposing bigs have to account for Claxton at all times.&nbsp;
Brooklyn faces a Boston Celtics roster in the first round that plays a very different defensive style compared to Cleveland. The Celtics typically will single-switch 1-through-4 (sometimes 1-through-5), and appear to have landed on the two-big combination of Al Horford and Daniel Theis to fill the gap left by Robert Williams' current injury. Grant Williams is also capable of battling most non-bruiser bigs.
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The last time Claxton made less than 50% of his shots? March 6 against the Celtics. He finished 1 of 4 attempts. Claxton shifted around in the paint and was an active interior presence, but as shown in the first clip, Boston was ready with its help. Drawing fouls is no good; Claxton shot a dismal 58.4% from the charity stripe this season and was 1 of 6 on Tuesday.
When Brooklyn can't create driving lanes, Claxton then can't set himself up for a lob or cut. When the team can &mdash; as Seth Curry does in the final clip &mdash; Claxton knows where he needs to be to get a head of steam and throw it down.
One game-within-the-game will be: Can Claxton outsmart a Celtics defense that has locked down just about every team this calendar year? Can Brooklyn's facilitators create advantages that open up lobs and dunks? Can the Celtics stick with some of the most dynamic playmakers in today's game and keep possessions from unraveling, leading to easy Claxton chances?
One of the most dynamic lob threats in the NBA can help sway a competitive series if he finds his quality scoring chances. This doesn't even account for Claxton's budding prowess as a defensive rim-protector. He'll be involved in the figurative and literal center of the Nets' first-round brawl.&nbsp;
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Interesting graphic here from SIS Hoops, and while I'd want more specifics based on matchups, it underscores that Toronto's defense has been sweet this season:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Most defensive stats focus on outcomes where shots occur despite much of defense being about the shots that don&rsquo;t happen. Whether through lockdown defense or schematic concessions, teams yield shots least frequently in isolation when these players are the primary defender: <a href="https://t.co/R1UfzKVjUb">pic.twitter.com/R1UfzKVjUb</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1512463227329859586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

<ul>
<li>More SIS Hoops since they're awesome: Can we talk about the Pelicans?!</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The regular season is officially behind us. Check out how teams waxed and waned over the course of the year via their rolling net ratings: <a href="https://t.co/Mt1iLfMY6F">pic.twitter.com/Mt1iLfMY6F</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1513559896876363776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

<ul>
<li>Simply a banger as usual from our Nekias Duncan, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/deandre-hunter-and-the-value-of-playing-fast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his article on De'Andre Hunter was extremely interesting to me</a> and ties in somewhat to my thoughts on Claxton's processing. Hunter averaged just 2.04 seconds per touch in last night's Play-In victory, which is down nearly three tenths of a second from his average over the first 18 games of the season. That's more significant than you might realize, so I highly recommend you read the breakdown.</li>
</ul>
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Nic Claxton has emerged as one of the league's best lob threats by thriving off of Brooklyn's playmakers.

NBA Stats Notebook: How is Nic Claxton's interior efficiency so high?

If there&rsquo;s one thing the Brooklyn Nets aren&rsquo;t short on, it&rsquo;s basketball talent. For the team, that&rsquo;s a good thing.&nbsp;
For Paul Millsap personally? Not so much.
Now in his 16th year, after just 24 games in Brooklyn, the 36-year-old veteran big man is looking for a new opportunity.&nbsp;
Since he signed on in Brooklyn last summer, the Nets have seen Nicolas Claxton and Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe become reliable role players and LaMarcus Aldridge return from retirement. Meanwhile, 32-year-old Blake Griffin has maintained his place in the rotation, effectively leaving Millsap as the odd man out.&nbsp;
Of the five, he averages the fewest minutes per game (11.3 &mdash; a career low) and is the only one who hasn&rsquo;t started a single contest. Considering his pedigree, his unhappiness should come as no surprise.&nbsp;
Millsap effectively lost his job with the Denver Nuggets after the team acquired Aaron Gordon, and he chose to sign with Brooklyn because the team was perceived to have a shallow front court.&nbsp;
Surprisingly, though, it is Millsap who has drowned in the rotation.
With the NBA&rsquo;s Feb. 10 trade deadline approaching, there are a few teams which could both afford Millsap the opportunity to play meaningful minutes and contend for a championship. Whether the Nets trade him or buy him out, Millsap will eventually find a new home this season. If he&rsquo;s fortunate, it&rsquo;ll be with one of these clubs&hellip;
Milwaukee Bucks
After starting 70 games for the NBA champion Bucks last season, incumbent starter Brook Lopez hasn&rsquo;t appeared in a game since October. Currently recovering from back surgery, the Bucks are hopeful that Lopez can return before the playoffs begin, but as of now the team is rather thin up front.
Bobby Portis has filled in admirably since Lopez has gone down, and he&rsquo;s played well enough as a starter for head coach Mike Budenholzer to wonder whether Portis should retain the starting job even after Lopez returns. On the season, Portis is shooting a remarkable 41.4% from three-point territory. Although it&rsquo;s an appreciable decrease from the 47% he shot last season, that he&rsquo;s come close to maintaining his proficiency is an accomplishment, considering he&rsquo;s taking nearly twice as many attempts per game (4.5 this season compared to 2.4 last season).
It&rsquo;s not difficult to imagine a scenario where Millsap is able to give coach Budenholzer some minutes up front, especially considering the gaping hole that&rsquo;s been left in the team&rsquo;s rotation with Lopez&rsquo;s injury.
Phoenix Suns
Over the past 15 years, one of the constants in the NBA is that Chris Paul is going to find a way to maximize the players and the talent around him. We&rsquo;ve seen it since CP3 was suiting up in New Orleans, and we&rsquo;ve seen it most recently with Bismack Biyombo.&nbsp;
Unfortunately for the big man, Biyombo&rsquo;s career story &mdash; at least before arriving in Phoenix &mdash; has mostly been one about unfulfilled expectations. He was not re-signed by the rebuilding Charlotte Hornets after his contract expired last season and went unsigned for the first-half of this season.
Because of injuries to Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee, the Suns found themselves with a need in the frontcourt and, without fail, Biyombo has experienced quite the resurgence. Through nine games in Phoenix, he is averaging what would be a career-high 10.8 points per game on 70.2% shooting from the field. He&rsquo;s benefited greatly from playing alongside Paul, as well as with units that share the ball and play relatively fast.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, approximately 67% of Biyombo&rsquo;s field goal attempts come within three feet of the basket, with another 30% coming from 3-10 feet.&nbsp;
In other words, he&rsquo;s excelled by providing the team with an inside presence that the Suns are sorely missing without Ayton, and it&rsquo;s conceivable that Millsap could provide a similar interior offensive presence.&nbsp;
Dallas Mavericks
After hovering around .500 for the early part of the season, the Mavericks are 10-3 in 2022. Both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis have missed a fair share of games this season, but recent reports suggest that the Mavericks &mdash; who want to continue to build around their duo &mdash; are open for business.&nbsp;
In recent weeks, there have been reports citing Myles Turner and Dennis Schroder as players the Mavericks have some level of interest in, but Turner recently suffered a stress reaction in his left foot that may sideline him until after the trade deadline.
To make matters worse, Tim Hardaway Jr. fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot and is expected to be out for an extended period of time. Millsap won&rsquo;t necessarily help absorb any of the available minutes in the Mavericks&rsquo; backcourt, but he would help the team by providing another serviceable body who can help replace the 14.2 points per game they&rsquo;ll lose with Hardaway out of the lineup.
Along with Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber have played most of the available big man minutes for Jason Kidd&rsquo;s team. It&rsquo;s difficult to imagine Millsap, even at 36 years old, not being able to provide value to a front line featuring those three.&nbsp;
With Turner potentially off the board and Hardaway on the shelf, Dallas will certainly have to find help elsewhere, especially with the team finally beginning to click after its season got off to a rough start.
Chicago Bulls
Patrick Williams was lost for the season back in October, and in January the Bulls have had players dropping like flies.&nbsp;
Zach LaVine only missed five games and returned to the lineup on Monday night after suffering a minor left knee injury, but neither Alex Caruso nor Lonzo Ball were as fortunate. Ball and Caruso will each miss the next 6-8 weeks, with Derrick Jones Jr. out for a similar time frame. Meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic is battling left knee soreness.
The Bulls need bodies, and it would help if they happened to be big.
Enter Millsap.
Although there probably won&rsquo;t be many shots available for Millsap, he would provide immediate help to a Bulls front line that ranks 28th in the league in rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan has spent some time at power forward for Chicago this season, which isn&rsquo;t ideal. DeRozan &mdash; who has slowed down in recent weeks after being mentioned among MVP candidates earlier this season &mdash; would be better served by having another big in the lineup.
Although Chicago will be without Ball and Caruso for the foreseeable future, the team will need another big body or two if it hopes to challenge the likes of Milwaukee and Brooklyn for the Eastern Conference. Millsap could help.
Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside have proven to be a formidable tandem patrolling the paint for the Jazz, and they&rsquo;ve also proven that a team can still find success in today&rsquo;s NBA by playing traditional big men.
Although Millsap wouldn&rsquo;t provide the same spacing as Bojan Bogdanovic or Rudy Gay, he would provide the team with some needed insurance in the event that Gobert or Whiteside went down for an extended period of time.&nbsp;
Aside from the fact that Millsap began his career in Utah, he would also facilitate some offensive balance for the team &mdash; according to NBA.com, the Jazz score 38.6% of their points from three-point territory, which ranks third in the league. With respect to points scored in the paint, they rank 16th, with just 42.4%.
Millsap still possesses a back-to-basket game and could help Utah in one of the areas they need to improve.
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Moke Hamilton examines some of the teams that should take a close look at acquiring Paul Millsap from the Nets.

Nicholas