*** NBA News, The Athletic, ESPN+ Insiders Thread ***

[UnFadeable21]

I and others will post miscellaneous NBA news, awards, The Athletic articles or ESPN+ info or anything requested by other rubes in this thread.

[UnFadeable21]

The NBA has announced its all-NBA Defensive First Team:

Giannis Antetokounmpo,
Anthony Davis,
Rudy Gobert,
Marcus Smart,
Ben Simmons.


The NBA has announced its all-NBA Defensive Second Team:

Bam Adebayo,
Patrick Beverley,
Eric Bledsoe,
Kawhi Leonard,
Brook Lopez.

[UnFadeable21]

ESPN+
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Next moves for the Philadelphia 76ers: Is the Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons era over?

By Bobby Marks

Saying the 2019-20 season didn't go according to plan for the Philadelphia 76ers would be a major understatement.

When the Sixers brass put a core four together -- their homegrown duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons plus Tobias Harris and Al Horford -- many predicted Philly would represent the East in the 2020 NBA Finals.

Instead, the best they could muster was a first-round flameout at the hands of the Boston Celtics. A day later, the Sixers fired head coach Brett Brown.

So how will Sixers general manager Elton Brand regroup and respond to a tumultuous season? Should they keep Embiid and Simmons together?

Let's hit the most important goals for Philly's offseason and break down its trade assets, draft options and cap space.

Note: The financials in here are based on the salary cap and luxury tax holding at the 2019-20 levels, as expected.

The search for a new head coach

The 76ers will now enter unfamiliar waters, searching for a head coach for the first time since the 2013 offseason. Unlike seven years ago when the roster was torn down and a complete rebuild started at the same time Brett Brown was hired, a new head coach will inherit one of the NBA's most expensive rosters.

The new coach will also get two All-Stars in Simmons and Embiid as part of a roster where there are legitimate concerns that the pieces do not fit.

In the search for a new head coach, Philadelphia can go in two different directions.

They can steal a page from the Toronto Raptors' playbook when Nick Nurse was hired and look at someone that might lack head coaching experience but already has a familiarity and relationship with the current roster. That would lead them to current assistant Ime Udoka.

If the 76ers are looking for a championship pedigree and someone with more experience, that might lead them to former Cavaliers head coach Ty Lue.

I would expect the first question to be how the prospective coach will use Horford and Harris with Embiid. That would likely be followed by questions on how to use Simmons best and how a coaching staff would be built.

Don't expect the interview process to be one-sided, though. The front office won't be asking all the questions.

Any prospective head coach will want to know if the 76ers are married to this roster. Additionally, candidates might ask about whether the Sixers will be using the $5.7 million tax midlevel to improve the roster, the other options in free agency, the plan for the draft with five picks and the job security of GM Elton Brand.

The finances of the roster: now and the future

Whoever is in charge on the sideline will coach the roster that projects to be the second-most expensive (behind Golden State) in the NBA next year. Philadelphia is likely married to the roster it put together last summer and there is no magic formula to fix the Sixers' finances.

With Ben Simmons' rookie max extension now set to begin, the 76ers will enter the offseason with a payroll of $148 million -- $16 million over the luxury tax threshold, meaning a $30 million penalty before free agency begins.

Simmons, Embiid, Harris and Horford will combine to earn $119 million of the $148 million in committed salary.


Some adjustments to those salaries might be necessary: Only $14.5 million is guaranteed to Horford in 2022-23, and Simmons' contract could increase if he were to earn All-NBA this season. It could also decrease if the salary cap is below $109 million.

Because the 76ers have four second-round picks (unlikely that all will be kept), there is a possibility that a portion of their midlevel will be used to sign a player (or players) selected.

Signing a player to the $5.7 million tax midlevel would cost an additional $20 million and increase their tax bill to $54 million, fourth-highest in league history (behind only previous Brooklyn and Oklahoma City rosters and likely next season's Warriors). This would be the first time for the Sixers to pay the luxury tax since the 2003-04 season, when their penalty was $5 million.

The $81 million left on Horford's contract right now is considered close to unmovable. The 34-year-old still has value -- with the 76ers in the right circumstance (at center) or with another team -- but there is less appetite for his contract.

Likewise, the few teams that do have cap space would likely pass on the $147 million left on Harris' contract if the 76ers wanted to shed what he is owed. Philadelphia could identify a team like Sacramento which might have buyer[s remorse on its recent contracts -- of Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield, in this case. A swap of those two for Harris and Josh Richardson would work but add an additional $15 million to Philly's tax bill.

Then there are the 76ers' two franchise players: Simmons and Embiid. Simmons is under contract through the 2024-25 season and Embiid 2022-23. Both players have plenty of trade value.

But is moving one of them really the route to making this roster work? While the chemistry has been questioned, the Sixers are better off with them, clearly -- getting swept on the heels of Simmons' injury demonstrates that. So unless there is a blockbuster opportunity to improve and rebalance the team, I would expect the Sixers to keep both All-Stars.

[UnFadeable21]

[Hoop Dreams]

Something to keep an eye on. We don't want to lose Gupta. He's #2 to Rosas and is our cap expert/trade guru.

The Sacramento Kings have requested permission to interview a number of candidates for their next head of basketball operations.

On Sacramento's list are Timberwolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta, Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon, Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon, Rockets assistant GM Monte McNair and former Hawks GM Wes Wilcox.

Interviews are expected to begin next week.

Vlade Divac stepped down on August 14th.

[RubeTube]

Boom!

Wiseman+Winston= TRUE basketball nirvana.

[LordNu]

Boom!

Wiseman+Winston= TRUE basketball nirvana.

Saw that and thought immediately of you.

[Hoop Dreams]

Too bad the Wolves aren't looking for a head coach.

[shoteh]

Boom!

Wiseman+Winston= TRUE basketball nirvana.

In RT's la la land where reality doesn't exist.

[shoteh]

Too bad the Wolves aren't looking for a head coach.

We better hope we are.

[UnFadeable21]

I’d take him over Ryan Saunders.

Saunders has to be the worst coach in the NBA.

[Hoop Dreams]

Sounds like Donovan didn't want to go through a rebuild with OKC. Philly would probably be a good fit. Established talent and give Donovan a chance to make the Simmons/Embiid pairing work.

[UnFadeable21]

Bucks forward Marvin Williams told reporters after the Bucks lost, he is retiring from playing in the NBA after 15 seasons. “I’ve been very blessed. God has been very, very good to me,” Williams said.

[RubeTube]

I’d take him over Ryan Saunders.

Saunders has to be the worst coach in the NBA.

This.

[Hornets]

Bucks forward Marvin Williams told reporters after the Bucks lost, he is retiring from playing in the NBA after 15 seasons. “I’ve been very blessed. God has been very, very good to me,” Williams said.

Sounds like something Chico Escuela used to say...remember him?!

[UnFadeable21]

[Style]

Billy Donovan is overrated.

[UnFadeable21]

Billy Donovan is overrated.

He’s solid. Won a championship in college and has been legit in the pros. Everyone thought OkC would take a step back this year losing Russ and PG and they played their asses off every night.

He’s light years better than Saunders boy.

[Style]

Being light years better than Saunders should not be the hiring barometer.

Honestly, there are probably 250+ candidates better than Lil Flip.

Unfortunately we’ll be looking for a HC in 1.5 years despite common sense showing right now that Ryan ain’t it.

[Hoop Dreams]

[Corre Ricky Corre]

That would be interesting... I'd imagine they would need to get a 3rd team involved.

[UnFadeable21]

That’s a good trade for the bucks but they don’t have any you g assets for okc.

[UnFadeable21]

Breaking news:

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo says he won’t request a trade this offseason:

“That’s not happening. Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it.”

[jodaman01]

Breaking news:

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo says he won’t request a trade this offseason:

“That’s not happening. Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it.”

Nice words out of the young fella, I hope it’s true.

[Thrillkill]

Being light years better than Saunders should not be the hiring barometer.

Honestly, there are probably 250+ candidates better than Lil Flip.

Unfortunately we’ll be looking for a HC in 1.5 years despite common sense showing right now that Ryan ain’t it.

Don't think that's true at all. The rent boy has forgotten more basketball than half the current coaches know. He did an excellent job when he first took over.

There are certainly 250 coaches that are 10 times the man he is. His absolute bowing to the idiot and his ridiculous mandate and then trying to explain it in every post game was the most fucking embarrassing and frankly heart breaking thing to watch. A true Minnesota boy and Flip's kid straight up pretending he never learned one meaningful thing and the idiot invented a new game for him to coach. You have to also be 10 kinds of stupid to do something so shortsighted. So he sucks up and keeps his job for a year.....................and destroys his career. And that's what he's doing. Love how he thinks he's tied himself to the idiot. He will be the idiot's scapegoat before next season ends.

[Hoop Dreams]

David Vanterpool is on this list.

[HeHateMe]

Interesting to see Brett Brown, Nate McMillan and Billy Donovan all hit the market....

[HeHateMe]

Makes a ton of sense... Milwaukee desperate now for anything while being capped out... OKC viewed as a place that will unload Paul to get off that monster contract.

[somuchyummy]

Breaking news:

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo says he won’t request a trade this offseason:

“That’s not happening. Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it.”

Nice words out of the young fella, I hope it’s true.

actually, the metaphor he chose was unfortunate. his trying repeatedly to plow thru the miami defensive wall was their undoing.

[somuchyummy]

the bucks would kick ass with paul. he's old but still can play better than most PGs - plus he'd get the ball out of giannis' hands and back to a real PG who would make that offense flow so much better. bledsoe, lopez and ilyasova just about gets them there.