Cavaliers
LeBron James has yet to reach a deal with the Lakers in free agency. So naturally, people are still going to bring up the Cavaliers.
More specifically, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said the Lakers would have immediate interest in a sign-and-trade involving James if it meant acquiring Cavs center Jarrett Allen.
“I think if the Cavs were willing to do that, they could have LeBron,” Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland radio. “The Lakers would kill for Jarrett Allen. Kill for him. They would do that deal in 17 tenths of a second.”
Windhorst stressed that James would first have to decide he wants to continue playing and that he’d want to return to Cleveland.
From the Cavs’ perspective, however, there has been no indication they’re interested in moving Allen.
Cleveland is coming off a run to the Eastern Conference finals and is expected to bring back its core of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Allen.
While James returning to Ohio will always generate headlines, there have been no known discussions between the Cavaliers and Lakers regarding such a scenario.
So yes, it remains just that — speculation. But until James lands somewhere, well, this is just the way it’s gonna go.
Trail Blazers
The contract given to new Trail Blazers coach Micah Nori isn’t sitting well with fellow NBA coaches.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Nori received one guaranteed season with team options on the following two years, along with a below-market salary supplemented by incentives.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who also serves as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, didn’t hide his disappointment.
“I feel like he was put in a situation that he shouldn’t be put in,” Bickerstaff said. “Someone’s taking advantage of your dream and devaluing what we feel like coaches have earned over the years.”
Bickerstaff added that the structure could undermine a coach’s authority.
“It changes the math on where a coach stands,” he said. “It’s almost … a mindset of the substitute teacher being there with no guarantee or support regarding what it looks like long term.”
According to MacMahon, several other NBA coaches privately expressed similar concerns.
ESPN
Veteran NBA reporter Tim Bontemps could be headed from covering the league to working in it.
According to Front Office Sports, Bontemps is in advanced talks to leave ESPN and join the Hawks’ front office under president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh.
Bontemps has been with ESPN since 2018 and is a regular contributor to the network’s NBA coverage, including appearances alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.
If completed, the move would continue a suddenly familiar trend of prominent NBA reporters making the jump into front-office roles.
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