Blazers’ Lillard Dilemma, Non-Wembanyama Rookies Assessment, Mavericks’ Retooling
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Blazers’ Lillard Dilemma, Non-Wembanyama Rookies Assessment, Mavericks’ Retooling




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There is this giant sphere in Vegas that sometimes looks like a basketball, but it also resembles an eye that freaks you out.

Waiting Game

Delaying Dame’s departure

Now that Damian Lillard has requested a trade from the Blazers and we’ve seen reports of the team he wants to go to (*cough, cough* Miami), this saga enters another holding pattern. The Blazers aren’t in love with the best trade package the Heat are offering. We have reports going left and right about the Blazers being mad about the situation as Dame’s side tries to get him to Miami.

It’s caused the internet to take sides. Lillard’s Q Rating was always pretty Teflon because of his commitment to the Blazers. Then, I’m sure that loyalty subsides when you see a team bail on competing for two straight years in order to set up better draft picks for itself, leaving you to prioritize your professional wellbeing. That’s when people start calling you out for past comments about not running from the grind, and maybe even deem you selfish or whatever else might come your way.

Blazers general manager Joe Cronin spoke to the media yesterday and gave us this quote:

“We’re going to be patient; we’re going to do what’s best for our team. We’re going to see how this lands. And, if it takes months, it takes months.”

Cronin also stated that having multiple potential destinations to work with makes it easier to get a deal done. That got everybody’s attention, and you can’t blame him for the approach.

Personally, I think the front office panicked in retooling the roster over the last year and a half — as I’ve laid out here — by making horrendous deals for subpar assets. So, patience is good for the Blazers to enact.

Portland doesn’t want to settle for whatever Miami is offering, and accommodating Dame means trading him there. So, how do you maximize that return? It gets complicated because you must find multiple teams to start moving some parts around. It’s not easy to do.

Being patient with a Ben Simmons deal yielded James Harden for Philadelphia. Not being patient with a Bradley Beal trade got a lot of second-guessing thrown Washington’s way after its return. It’s not simple to trade a star or high-level player and get back good value. We’ll see how uncomfortable Cronin is willing to be, and whether Dame and his agent try to make that awkward to force a deal to Miami.

READ: Why Dame finally demanded out of Portland.

Prospect Watch

Highlighting non-Wemby rookies

With Victor Wembanyama now shut down for the rest of summer league and other prominent rookies nursing injuries (Scoot Henderson’s shoulder, Amen Thompson’s ankle), let’s dive a little deeper into other first-year players making noise in Las Vegas:

  • Dereck Lively II, Dallas (12th pick): I’ve loved his defense so far, as he’s been a definite interior presence. I’d like to see him get the ball on the move more and gauge his decision-making with making plays for teammates or just trying to rip the rim down.
  • Cason Wallace, OKC (10th pick): We know he can score and shoot. Wallace has shown that already, especially knocking down six 3-pointers in his Vegas debut. We must see more playmaking from him, though, because he and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have an incredible future together.
  • Hunter Tyson, Denver (37th pick): At 23 years old, he has an age advantage over some of these guys, but we’re seeing a ridiculous shooting stroke right away. I would love to see him do a little more off the dribble and create from there. He can play right away for Denver, though.
  • Cam Whitmore, Houston (20th pick): He’s definitely not afraid to get some shots up, but he hasn’t done much to differentiate himself from his draft evaluation flaws and what we see on the court. He might be destined to be the guy people clamor to get more playing time, even a decade from now.
  • Leonard Miller, Minnesota (33rd pick): For a big man, Miller is super nimble while flashing a big-time jumper and scoring with ease. He needs to play at a higher defensive level.

There is still plenty of Vegas action left, so these guys will have a chance to shine further.

Mavs’ Redemption

Have they done enough to bounce back?

The Mavericks bailed at the end of last season with the 10-spot in the Play-In Tournament within reach. Granted, it would have taken some help from the Thunder losing, but Dallas’ brief tank secured the 10th pick in this year’s draft. Otherwise? That selection would’ve headed to New York had it been 11th or lower.

It was not how the Mavericks’ envisioned their season after a Western Conference finals appearance in 2022. And it wasn’t an ideal finish after trading for Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline. Dallas needed to find a deeper, more versatile roster with size to complement Irving and Luka Dončić, all under the potential threat of an unhappy Dončić someday wanting out.

This week, I saw long-time Mavs blogger Kirk Henderson write about how well the Mavs had done in the offseason. You might be saying, “Well, aren’t blogs usually favorable to the teams they like?” Yes, they typically are. However, Kirk isn’t often positive about this team, which is what caught my eye and made me outline Dallas’ offseason moves:

Departures:

Acquisitions (including re-signings): 

  • Kyrie Irving: re-signed for $126 million over three seasons
  • Seth Curry: signed for $9.2 million over two seasons (third DAL stint)
  • Richaun Holmes: acquired from Sacramento
  • Dereck Lively II: drafted 12th overall (trade with OKC)
  • Grant Williams: signed for $54 million over four seasons
  • Olivier-Maxence Prosper: drafted 24th overall (trade with SAC)
  • Dwight Powell: re-signed for $12 million over three seasons
  • Dante Exum: signed one-year minimum

These seem like very healthy upgrades for the Mavericks, though much is contingent on Irving’s output, which will also always be a question entering any season. I’m a big fan of Bullock and Holiday, who can both be valuable wings. I’m also hesitant to give rookies any value when it comes to immediately impacting wins.

However, I still agree with Kirk. This was a great offseason for the Mavs, so long as Kyrie brings it. Holmes got buried on the bench in Sacramento but has been a valuable big before. Curry’s deal might be the best non-rookie contract in basketball. Williams will contribute right away, and Exum has a chance to be a good defensive wing for them. At this point of his career, Wood is an “empty stats on a bad team” guy.

With Lively and Prosper, they have two potential contributors by Year 2. That means this front office helped Dallas’ immediate window for winning and gave the Mavs pieces for the future as well. Hopefully for them, they’ll resemble their 2022 postseason form soon enough.

READ: Williams discusses joining Dallas and why he left Boston behind.

Bounce Passes

The Lakers have done what they wanted in the offseason but still want to add more size.

Mo Dakhil’s “One Mo Thing” focuses on Wembanyama’s bounce-back performance in his second summer league game.

Andrew Schlecht plays the great game of whether or not these French team names are real.

David Aldridge on the Wizards’ plan meaning their winning product comes much later.

Kelly Dwyer writes about the NBA adding the mid-season tournament next season.

Read Caitlin Cooper breaking down a lot of the fun action from the Summer Pacers.

Listen to Sam Vecenie examine how this year’s lottery picks have done in Summer League

Screen Game (All times Eastern)

  • Main Screen: Rockets-Thunder (6:30 p.m. NBA TV). Even if we don’t get Jabari Smith Jr. versus Chet Holmgren, there’s plenty of talent between these teams to enjoy.
  • Second Screen: Nets–Bucks (6 p.m. ESPNU). Want to nerd out? Jalen Wilson versus MarJon Beauchamp could be a great battle.
  • Show of the Night: “Bar Rescue” (Paramount+). It is the most absurd execution of a business plan on an episode-by-episode basis.

(Photo of Damian Lillard:  Sam Forencich / Getty Images)





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