The Magic wore this jersey only six times last season, the minimum they could wear it. I was told that was to emphasize their New Jersey set. Very unsurprising it would return, if this report is true.
I really like John Konchar as a connective player - with rumors that he may be waived/stretched by Minnesota.
Undrafted out of Purdue Fort Wayne in 2019, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound John Konchar has quietly carved out a seven-year NBA career as a high-IQ connector rather than a featured scorer, averaging 4.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals in 17.6 minutes across 363 games while shooting 46.9% from the field and 34.9% from three. His real value lives in the advanced margins: a rebound rate that routinely sits in the 11–14 range (elite for a guard), strong steal rates, efficient true-shooting stretches on single-digit usage, and an assist-to-usage profile that lets him facilitate without clogging possessions. In expanded Utah minutes last season he posted 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, flashing the two-way versatility and board-crashing that championship benches prize. For an Atlanta Hawks team built around moving the ball, Konchar would be the low-usage glue piece who spaces just enough, vacuums missed shots, generates extra possessions with steals, and keeps the offense humming when stars rest—exactly the kind of unselfish, switchable wing depth that turns a playoff roster into a genuine contender by tightening defense and second-chance margins without demanding the ball.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s new penthouse apartment in Philadelphia was struck by lightning and flooded just minutes after signing the lease
“Minutes after I sign the lease, you guys, I hear the loudest bang I’ve ever heard in my life. Mind you, we’re on the penthouse floor, we’re on the highest floor, okay? I hear the loudest bang, all of a sudden [expletive] starts shooting out of the ceiling and water is pouring in, dumping in. So everyone just starts screaming and we’re like we have to get out of here. When I say what’s coming in it was like there was at least 2-3 inches of water in there before we even got out. We were like we have to go.”
“So then hours later the electricians come, they’re like trying to fix everything, they turn off the sirens and all that and they say after everyone was denying that I heard what I heard why did the electrician say, ‘yeah, you got struck by lightning and there’s a 1 in 400 million chance of a unit getting struck the way this unit got struck.’”
Everyone made it out safely. 🙏
(Via @mckenzie_pope)
The NBA’s transaction log shows that the Cavaliers have waived Cam Whitmore.
Assuming this is a waive-and-stretch, he will be on the books for $1.8M over the next three years.
This takes the Cavs about $1.4M below their first apron hard cap, allowing Harden’s new contract.
Is Orlando being slept on?
went 45-37 last year despite Franz missing the majority of the season
smoked Charlotte in the 8-9 game, took top-seeded Detroit to 7 (had them 3-1 but then lost three in a row after Franz went down)
Paolo is still only 23, Franz just turned 25
their starting five (Suggs-Bane-Franz-Paolo-WCJ) posted a +11.1 net rating across 408 possessions (per Cleaning the Glass)
Paolo had his most efficient scoring season. he increased his rim frequency substantially while cutting down on the long middies, and got to the line a ton
Bane proved a fantastic addition. Anthony Black took a major leap
they brought in Vooch to stretch the floor and provide depth, but other than that, roster-wise, they're pretty much running it back, although they did lose Moe Wagner, who was limited to just 36 games last season
fresh off a Finals run as Mitch Johnson's lead assistant and defensive coordinator, Sean Sweeney steps in as head coach in Orlando after five seasons of Jamahl Mosley
the Magic had the league's #11 defense last year, but they were #2 in both '23-24 and '24-25. under Sweeney they could very well re-establish themselves in the top five, and we'll certainly see some changes to the offense, too. more variety and movement would be my hope
this team has dealt with a lot of injuries the past couple years. it feels like it's always something, and that the timing is always bad. we've rarely seen them at full strength. but as far as I know, they'll be entering training camp totally healthy
Suggs is so immensely important to their success. they were 10.1 PTS/100 better when he was on the court, but he missed 25 games. a healthy season from him would be massive. he's the heart & soul
I like their bench depth – especially Black, da Silva, Goga, Cain, Jase. Noah Penda is a young player with a really intriguing skill set. looked great at SL. and they re-signed Jevon Carter and brought back Jonathan Isaac on a one-year deal. we'll see how much Vooch has left in the tank, but that could be an interesting look
I'm confident this is going to be an excellent defensive team. and while they have plenty of offensive talent, that's of course where they need to figure things out. I'm excited to see what Sweeney and staff can cook up
the East is for sure gonna be tougher this season, but I still believe a healthy Orlando squad could make some real noise
The Timberwolves are expected to keep Cody Williams, the No. 10 pick in 2024, and waive-and-stretch John Konchar, sources said. They found a home for Josh Green on a Jazz team that wanted an additional 3-and-D wing; moving his $14.7 million deal gives Minnesota the salary space to sign Jonathan Kuminga using the taxpayer midlevel exception.
Brian Windhorst says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s chances of winning MVP this season are low:
“There’s something that happens, you can win 2 MVPs in a row but for some reason the standard for winning the third in a just gets very very high. The last guy to win 3 MVPs in a row was Larry Bird. By the way, most of the contested/hot button MVPs were when guys were trying to win their third. Michael Jordan won in ‘91 & ‘92 and Barkley won in ‘93. Which that has been debated for years. LeBron won 2 in a row twice. And the one time in between was Derrick Rose. I think Rose was amazing that year, but a lot of people think that was a flaw.”
- @WindhorstESPN
Penny Hardaway on Shaq leaving the Magic for the Lakers:
“Worst day of my life, I ain’t gonna lie. I knew the magnitude of that. But here’s the thing though that was so crazy, Shaq never told me he was leaving… All of the international media was in our interview with the entire team. We’re on a panel, and they’re asking each one of us questions. And one guy goes, ‘How does it feel not to have Shaq as a teammate?’ I’m like, ‘If that happens, then that will be devastating.’ … They was like, ‘No, he’s about to sign a multiyear deal with the Lakers.’ I was like, ‘If that’s the case, then I wish him well.’ And then Shaq came to my room either that day or the next day, knocked on my door and was like, ‘Bro, I’m sorry. I should have told you.’ I was done. It killed me”
via @DraymondShow
Lou Williams says Steve Ballmer renovated nearly 500 public basketball courts across Los Angeles to build a new generation of fans because he knew he couldn’t convert Lakers fans:
“I played for the Clippers. Steve Ballmer got f*** you money. I don’t need no partners. I don’t need no help. He did it by himself. So you know what that do? I don’t got to play politics. I don’t got to do what y’all want me to do. I’mma move how I want to move… Every single playground in Los Angeles is a Clippers playground. We used to ask him, ‘Why you do the shit that you do?’ He said, ‘I want the Los Angeles Clippers to have an imprint on this city.’ He said, ‘I realize I’m not going to flip a Lakers fan over to a Clippers fan, but I can grow Clippers fans from the bottom up’… So every kid that’s on a playground, all they know is Clippers. All they know is Clippers. The Clippers put this here. That’s all they know. He playing by a different set of rules”
via @undergrndlounge, h/t @cptdankkk
Malaki Branham (Ohio State)
196cm 82kg
Big Ten Conferenceの新人王。
カレッジ一年目ながら、非常にシュート効率が良く、シーズン後半に進むにつれて安定して2桁得点で追える試合が増えた。チームの2番手を担う選手としては最高かもしれない。
比較選手 Khris Middleton
https://t.co/HlimlXzM66
Shaquille O’Neal says he wanted $150 million to sign with the Lakers, but Jerry West offered $120 million plus movie deals that brought the package to $180 million
“Jerry West met me in a hotel. He said, ‘I got some good news and some bad news.’ I said, ‘What’s the bad news?’ He said, ‘I can’t get you to 150 million you asked for, but I can get you 120 million, and I got some movie deals signed up for you that’ll come out to about 180 million.’ And I said, ‘Shit, let me see the contract.’ He showed me the contract, and I’ve never seen so many zeros in my life”
“My first contract was 40 million. When I seen that 120 million for 7 years with the option after three to renew… And as I’m signing, he puts his hand on my shoulder. He said, ‘Let me tell you something. I just got this kid, in two or three years, you and him are going to win a lot of championships.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, okay,’ because I’m trying to sign. He was talking about Kobe”
(via @fullsendpodcast ft. @shaq)
The Orlando Magic and Malaki Branham have agreed to a deal, agent Deirunas Visockas of @gershbasketball told @hoopshype. Branham, the 20th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, has averaged 8.0 points in four combined NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards.
Jonathan Kuminga chose the Timberwolves because he felt it was the best basketball fit and gives him a chance to start at power forward for a contender. Wolves stars Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, executive Tim Connelly, and owner Alex Rodriguez all actively recruited Kuminga.