Knicks interview Tom Thibodeau for head coaching job
Adrian Wojnarowski: Tom Thibodeau — the leading candidate for the New York Knicks coaching job — had his formal interview with the organization today, sources tell ESPN.
Top Rumors
Mike D'Antoni flying to Orlando
Tim MacMahon: Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, 69, is on the team flight en route to Orlando, a source told ESPN. He has said recently that his medical screenings didn’t raise any red flags and that he planned to coach as usual, other than wearing a mask.
Donta Hall to Nets
Marc Stein: The Nets are signing Donta Hall to a rest-of-the-season, league sources say
Michael Beasley nearing deal with Nets
Shams Charania: Michael Beasley is moving toward a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
Nets to sign Jamal Crawford
Shams Charania: Jamal Crawford has agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
Leonard was given permission by the organization to tend to a family matter and the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time NBA Finals MVP is expected to join the team on campus in a few days, sources said. The Clippers are scheduled to arrive in Orlando on Wednesday night.
Alvin Gentry cleared to travel to Orlando
Adrian Wojnarowski: New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry has been cleared to travel with the Pelicans to the Orlando bubble, sources tell ESPN.
Pau Gasol returning to Barcelona?
Varlas Nikos: Pau Gasol and Barcelona are near an agreement in principle for the return of the Spanish icon to his native country. He’ll sign a one-year deal in order to be ready to finish his Hall-of-Fame worthy career in the Tokyo Olympics. Deal expected to be finalized later in the summer
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs with Converse
The shoes hung over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s shoulders by their laces, blurred out before the big reveal. The Thunder’s future star stood with a serious expression on his face. This was an announcement of a new venture for Gilgeous-Alexander, one the 21-year-old has been able to get comfortable with during the NBA’s long layoff. Gilgeous-Alexander was unveiled as the next Converse Hoops athlete Wednesday morning. He adds his name to Golden State’s Draymond Green, Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud and Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. as athletes representing the iconic shoe brand.
Finally, there is one other outside-the-box option — going much bigger and making a play for Toronto’s Fred VanVleet. He is the best free-agent point guard by a mile. The Hawks would have to be comfortable starting VanVleet next to Young and then sliding him over to the point when Young checks out. VanVleet is generously listed at 6-1, so that leaves the Hawks very small in the backcourt. But he is built like a bowling ball and handles bigger players well. This would be expensive. VanVleet will have multiple suitors, likely including Detroit, New York and his own Toronto Raptors, and his price tag is going to be in the $20 million-per-year range for three or four years. But he definitely would solve the problem.
Orazio Cauchi: One of the most interesting situations to follow on the market in the coming week is gonna be Real Madrid and his PG situation. There’s still uncertainty around Campazzo, who might leave for the NBA, and if he actually leaves, Real will need a top recruitment to replace him.
Nets interested in Lance Thomas
Ian Begley: Lance Thomas is among the free agents on the Nets’ radar as the club looks to replace those unavailable to play in Orlando due to coronavirus, per league sources.
Done deal between Valencia and Derrick Williams. After Bayern and Fenerbahce, former Nba will play in Spain.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic retested negative for the coronavirus in Serbia, but travel issues and the timing of the requisite testing made it difficult for the All-Star to join the team for its flight to Orlando, Florida, a source confirmed to ESPN. The Nuggets departed Denver for Orlando on Tuesday, but the team would not confirm who was on the team flight.
A source said Jokic is healthy. However, the center had to produce two negative coronavirus tests in Serbia before traveling to the United States. And then he was required to produce two more negative tests before flying to Orlando with the team. A source said the timing of everything made it difficult and too tight of a fit for Jokic before the team departed on Tuesday.
Gregg Popovich to travel to Orlando
Mike Finger: This is not exactly breaking news, but because the question has been asked of some of the league’s other, ahem, venerable coaches: Can confirm Gregg Popovich is officially scheduled to travel with the rest of the Spurs to Florida on Thursday.
Jonathan Isaac not expected to play in Disney World
Roy Parry: Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, who is recovering from a knee injury sustained Jan. 1 in Washington, entered the NBA bubble with the team but is not expected to play. He will continue his rehab work while supporting his teammates when the season resumes.
Taurean Prince to miss NBA restart after testing positive for COVID-19
Adrian Wojnarowski: Brooklyn Nets forward Taurean Prince has tested positive for the coronavirus and will sit out the NBA’s restart in Orlando, sources tell ESPN.
Pau Gasol, Barcelona in advanced talks?
For many years Pau Gasol has said that he might return to Europe to end his playing days with Barcelona. Today the president of the club, one day after similar quotes by newly appointed coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, repeated that he “would love” to have Gasol back. And according to the Spanish Radio Station “Cadena Ser”, the two sides are in advanced talks.
As reported in the show “Carrusel Deportivo” the club has advanced talks with the Spanish legend for a two-year deal. While there’s no agreement yet, the surprise is that Gasol does not intend to retire after the Tokyo Olympics, as many assumed, according to the report.
Shams Charania: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has signed his Rockets contract ahead of NBA restart, sources said.
Nets targeting Amir Johnson
Marc Stein: Veteran center Amir Johnson has emerged as a prime target for the Nets, league sources say, in their search for roster reinforcements Brooklyn has been on the hunt for a big man since losing DeAndre Jordan and Nicolas Claxton
Brian Robb: Jayson Tatum on reports regarding him sitting out due to max extension: “I saw there were reports out there saying I wasn’t going to play because of my contract. I never talked to anyone about that…that would be insensitive for me to be worrying about that during this time.”
Chris Forsberg: Jayson Tatum said the league’s insurance policy “didn’t really affect — in a good or bad way — my decision [to go to Orlando].” Said injury risk didn’t really factor into his decision, it was mostly family concerns that left him leery.
Spencer Dinwiddie: After another positive test yesterday and considering the symptoms, @Brooklyn Nets, team doctors and I have decided that it would be in the best interest for me and the team that I do not play in Orlando. I will be supporting the guys every step of the way! #AudienceOfOne
Spencer Dinwiddie to sit out Orlando restart
Shams Charania: The Nets’ team doctors decided to have guard Spencer Dinwiddie sit the NBA restart out of an abundance of caution, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
Malika Andrews: Spencer Dinwiddie will not join the Nets in Orlando, sources confirm to ESPN.
Bradley Beal to sit out NBA restart due to injury
Shams Charania: Wizards star Bradley Beal will not play in restarted NBA season due to shoulder injury.
“Bradley did everything possible to be ready to play, but after closely monitoring his individual workouts we came to the conclusion that it was best for him to sit out the upcoming games in Orlando and avoid the risk of further injury,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “Although he was able to play through the majority of the season with the injury, the layoff from March until now did not leave any of us feeling comfortable that he would have enough time to be ready to perform at the extremely high level we are all accustomed to seeing and agreed that not participating in the games in Orlando was the right decision.”
Beal experienced discomfort with his shoulder early in the season and worked with the team’s medical and performance staff to manage the injury. The symptoms worsened over the course of the hiatus and he began to rehabilitate the injury with the intent of returning to play. He will not travel with the team to Orlando and will continue his rehabilitation process over the summer. “This was a difficult decision and one that I did not take lightly as the leader of this team,” said Beal. “I wanted to help my teammates compete for a playoff spot in Orlando, but also understand that this will be best for all of us in the long term. I appreciate the support of my teammates, the fans and the entire organization and look forward to returning next season to continue the progress we have made.”
Vesely, De Colo staying in Europe
Nando De Colo and Jan Vesely will stay with Fenerbahce Beko for the 2020-2021 season according to Eurohoops sources, despite rumors pointing to the opposite. De Colo signed a 2+1 contract with the Turkish powerhouse in 2019 while Vesely is under a contract through 2022.
Darius Miller out for the rest of the season
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that forward Darius Miller, who is recovering from right Achilles surgery, will not accompany the team to Orlando for the 2019-20 NBA restart. Miller will remain in New Orleans to continue his rehabilitation process.
Gerald Green not playing in Orlando
Marc Stein: One free agent who drew interest from multiple teams before the NBA’s transaction window shut June 30, league sources say, was veteran swingman Gerald Green Sources say Green elected not to play in the Fla. restart for family reasons, among them an expected childbirth in August
CJ McCollum initially voted not to restart the season
At first, Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum voted not to play as the NBA pushed for a season restart in Orlando, Florida. McCollum had concerns about how the players would be kept safe from the coronavirus pandemic. “At the time, based on what I had been given, I didn’t feel comfortable playing,” McCollum said Monday during a conference call with reporters.
Spencer Dinwiddie hoping to fly with the Nets to Orlando
The Nets head to Orlando on Tuesday and enter quarantine in Disney. Dinwiddie would be required by the NBA to have two negative tests before he could even travel. His hope is to be able to fly with the team to Florida, because traveling separately will complicate matters. “Protocol only calls for 7 days and negative tests not the 14 day standard,” Dinwiddie tweeted of the shorter one-week quarantine. “Yep, the plan would be to fly to Orlando after workout. For players that show up late, it might make it difficult to resume season at all due to more rigorous testing requirements.”
Kelly Oubre back in Orlando?
Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones isn’t ruling out starting wing Kelly Oubre Jr. returning to action in Orlando. Oubre had knee surgery March 3 and reportedly looked to opt out of playing in the 2019-20 NBA season resumption, but Jones, during a media call Monday, sounded hopeful the team’s third-leading scorer will play at some point.
“Kelly’s been here, he’s been rehabbing and so my expectations for him are the same as every other player, come in every day, practice with the team, work and compete and get yourself in a position to play and hopefully that’s before Orlando ends,” Jones said about Oubre, who is averaging a career-high 18.7 points a game this season.
Pelicans sign Sindarius Thornwell
The New Orleans Pelicans today announced that the team has signed free agent guard Sindarius Thornwell as a substitute player for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Thornwell, 6-4, 215, most recently played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, appearing in 40 games (26 starts) while averaging 9.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 29.0 minutes per contest.
Tim MacMahon: Daryl Morey on uncertainty about salary cap projections: “Our main conclusion is it’s probably not going to impact us too much.” He says Rockets are comfortable with “locked-in” roster moving forward and will have midlevel/minimums regardless of cap numbers.
Bradley Beal to travel with team but no decision on playing
Bradley Beal has yet to make a final decision on whether he will play, but the Washington Wizards guard is expected to join the team on its flight to Orlando, Florida, according to head coach Scott Brooks. Last week, Beal said he was “not swayed one way or another” on whether he would play in Orlando, where the NBA will resume the season at the end of the month at Walt Disney World Resort.
Brooks, though, said Beal is slated to travel with the team for its scheduled flight on Tuesday pending his coronavirus test result. “No final decision,” Brooks said when asked if Beal had decided on whether to play. “We are all still day by day. “He’s looking great. His physical condition has been pretty good and continues to improve every day, along with our other guys. We are all getting tested every day and as of right now, he’s a go, and we are all going down there ready to compete and get better and play to get in a playoff position. He looks great.”
Chris Haynes: Yahoo Sources: NBA international players will have a choice to translate selected “social justice message” on their jerseys into a non-English language by still choosing from the 28 statement options. Would need to be done using English alphabet with no more than 16 characters.
