With his potential final foray as a free agent on the horizon, DeMar DeRozan would be happy to remain with the Chicago Bulls next season. “It’s definitely somewhere I’d like to return to,” DeRozan told former teammate Lou Williams on the “Run It Back” show. “I think more so than anybody. When the job ain’t done with me, Lou, no matter how tough the situation may look, I’m one of those guys that tries to stick it through and try to make something out of nothing.”
June 1, 2024 | 5:42 pm EDT Update
Speaking of the Wizards, Avdija is a player a lot of scouts and executives like because of his smarts and toughness. But, if other people like him, that certainly means the Wizards like him too. That means he’ll be pricey.
Okoro would be pricier — a restricted free agent who showed real offensive growth while always possessing the defensive tools teams value. Would Cleveland just match an offer at the tax-payer midlevel? The general sense is that there would at least be conversations, so there’d possibly be a window for a team to land the 23-year-old wing.
Assuming Brooklyn re-signs Nic Claxton, Sharpe could be a target for teams hunting for a young backup big at a reasonable trade cost. He’s primed for more production should he find increased opportunity.
Omari Sanfoka II: Pistons announce Troy Weaver’s departure, described as “mutual.” Gores: “We will look back and see Troy as an important person in the remaking of the Pistons. He took the pain of rebuilding head on and he did the hard work to get us the flexibility we have today.” pic.twitter.com/QbgbTDeQBe
Jalen Bridges, speaking Thursday after working out with the Golden State Warriors, said that experience helped prepare him this time around. I feel like last year really, really, really helped me. It was the first time I really got to be around professionals because, in West Virginia, there are not a lot of guys who have done what I’m trying to do. Being around guys in the league, seeing how they carry themselves on and off the court, seeing their habits and just taking that and making them my habits and taking them back to school with me helped me be ready for this moment and perform in these workouts.
June 1, 2024 | 3:27 pm EDT Update
Nic Claxton likely to re-sign with Nets
More and more the perception around the NBA is that Nic Claxton is likely to re-sign with the Nets. That conceivably could happen before anybody else gets a chance to officially bid, with Brooklyn having an exclusive negotiating window with their center that starts the day after the NBA Finals ends. Other teams can’t negotiate with Claxton until 6 p.m. on June 30. It remains to be seen if the Nets will sign him before then, or at all. But there’s a perception among league executives who spoke with The Post that he’s likely to re-sign.
The Post spoke with multiple league executives about how much Claxton could command, with one suggesting he will get $20 million annually and another pointing toward a Jakob Poetl contract (four years, $78 million) as an absolute minimum. Both suggested that deal likely will end up coming from Brooklyn.
Manu Ginobili: First set of 100 shots in ~5 years! Better % than expected but my shoulder struggled afterwards! 👴🏀🏀
June 1, 2024 | 2:14 pm EDT Update
Giannis Antetokounmpo to play for Greece this summer
Getting ready to focus on his job with the senior national team of Greece, nearing the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign at the club level with Peristeri bwin, Vassilis Spanoulis confirmed Giannis Antetokounmpo for the upcoming FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus. “Giannis will be present with the national team in the Olympic Games Qualifiers,” noted Spanoulis during the postgame press conference following the ending of a best-of-three series versus Olympiacos on Saturday.
Hosting Greece takes on the Dominican Republic on July 3 and Egypt on July 4 in the Peace and Friendship Stadium, SEF. Ranking first or second in Group B of the preliminary stage would advance the team guided by Spanoulis to a single-elimination game against Croatia, Slovenia, or New Zealand in the Semifinals. Reaching the Final earns an opportunity to clinch one Olympic Games berth available across the six countries.
Bobby Manning: Jayson Tatum: “It does seem like Dallas, obviously, has been a great fit (for Kyrie Irving) … the staff and the team, they gel together … it’s great seeing Ky out there playing at a high level … and have fun doing it.” Said he talked to Irving after the DAL games and at All-Star.