Rumor: Would Sixers be willing to trade Michael Carter-Williams and draft Dante Exum?

By Kurt HelinMay 28, 2014, 2:55 PM EDT

There are front offices around the NBA who LOVE Dante Exum.

He’s the mystery man for most fans and a few front offices — he’s a 6’6” combo guard with a 6’9.5” wingspan, he is quick, has tremendous ball handling skills and a nice Basketball IQ for a guy who will still be 18 at the time of the draft. He can get to the line with the best in this draft. He’s about what could be — a big point guard with passing skills or a two guard who can double as a playmaker. The big negative is his shot — it needs work. Plus he hasn’t been sharpened against the same level of competition as the other guys in this draft.

The Sixers, with the No. 3 pick, are one of the teams were Exum has some fans in the front office, except the Sixers already have a tall project of a point guard who needs to improve his shot in Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams.

But the Sixers could take Exum and then move Carter-Williams, an idea they have discussed internally, reports Chad Ford at ESPN ($$, and hat tip Hoopshype).

The Philadelphia 76ers are Exum fans as well, and if Wiggins is off the board, Exum will be in the mix. They think Exum and Carter-Williams could play together in the backcourt, although it would not be a very good shooting tandem. I think the more obvious fit comes if they trade Carter-Williams, an idea I’m told they have bounced around.

Teams bounce around a lot of ideas, I would say don’t bet on this one.

Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid are 1-2 on most draft boards right now, with Jabari Parker locked in at the three spot. That could shift a little but some order that is your top three, with the Sixers taking whoever is still on the board from that group.

Which makes Exum a potential pick of the Orlando Magic at No. 4, putting him as the point guard next to Victor Oladipo in a young backcourt.

PBT’s draft expert Ed Isaacson of NBADraftblog.com and Rotoworld had Exum going fifth in his first mock draft, the Utah Jazz, with them making Exum the two guard next to Trey Burke. Isaacson is not as high on Exum as some around the league.

The question is just how high up the draft board are one of those people who love Exum.

Dončić dodges suspension, NBA rescinds 16th technical

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 4:32 PM EDT

Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

This was unexpected, especially after crew chief Kevin Scott said after the game last night: “Doncic was assessed a technical foul for his use of profanity directed at the officials in protest to a no-call that was correctly judged in postgame video review.”

The NBA league office reviewed the incident (as it does with all technicals) and rescinded what would have been Luka Doncic’s 16th technical.

Luka Dončić’s (DAL) technical foul (7:51, 3rd qtr) from the game on 3/26/23 has been rescinded upon league office review.

— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) March 27, 2023

That 16th technical would have triggered an automatic one game suspension. With it rescinded, Dončić is clear to play Monday night when the Mavericks take on the Pacers.

Sunday night in Charlotte, Dončić was given a technical when he didn’t get a call on a leaning baseline jumper and said something to the nearby official.

Luka Dončić got his 16th technical foul of the season, resulting in a one-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/K3X0Np47dA

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 26, 2023

This incident comes days after Dončić was fined $35,000 for making a money gesture towards a referee in frustration after a Mavericks loss.

Through all this the Mavericks have lost four straight, 7-of-9, and have slid back to 11th in the West, outside even the play-in. Their team is disintegrating and if they don’t pick up some wins fast they have less than two weeks until they are on summer vacation.

MVP showdown off: 76ers to sit Joel Embiid due to calf tightness

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 2:32 PM EDT

Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

Recently Joel Embiid said,” ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.” Today’s news plays right into that narrative.

Embiid has been playing through calf tightness for a few games now — he only played a half against the Bulls last Wednesday — but still putting up numbers (46 points against the Warriors, 28 and 10 against the Suns). However, there had been some concern in the organization about not pushing things and making sure Embiid is healthy for the playoffs. Which is why they will rest him on Monday night, short-circuiting an MVP-race showdown against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN broke the news and John Clarke of NBC Sports Philadelphia has confirmed it.

Joel Embiid is out tonight. His calf is still bothering him. https://t.co/SqRdaoBRmg

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 27, 2023

Embiid did go through part of the 76ers’ shootaround this morning. The decision was made after that point.

Undoubtedly this will spark the load management discussion around the league again, and Embiid is going to take heat for this — but this is a situation where the team’s medical staff made the call, likely over Embiid’s objection.

From the 76ers perspective what matters is having Embiid healthy during the playoffs — they are going nowhere without him — and there is no reason to take undue risks with the team all but locked into the No. 3 seed in the East.

James Harden is still expected to make his return to action Monday from a three-game absence.

But it robs fans — including those who bought tickets in Denver — of one of the great showdowns in the league, and one of the more anticipated games of the season’s final weeks. The NBA has to find a way to balance player health with having their best players on the court for the biggest games. Keep telling fans the regular season doesn’t matter and they will start treating it like that.

Joel Embiid not stressing about MVP: ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.’

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Joel Embiid is the MVP betting favorite — -160 at our partner PointsBet — heading into Monday’s showdown with the reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokić (+180 at PointsBet).

Embiid campaigned for the MVP award the past couple of years but came up second to Jokić. This season, Embiid is not stressing about it. Or at least trying not to stress about it. Here is what Embiid told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

What matters — it’s just about winning, winning, winning. I’ve been focused on that. We’ve been doing that. Whatever happens, happens. If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.

Why hasn’t Embiid won the MVP? Outside of Jokić also being deserving and the complaints of Antetokounmpo and others that the criteria for the award are constantly changing (which suggests there are criteria for the award, but there are none officially), Embiid thinks it’s because he is not well-liked.

People always thought that I was crazy when I said this — I really believe that I’m not well-liked. And it’s cool with me, that’s fine. I’ll be the bad guy. I like being the a–hole anyway. I like being the underdog. So that’s fine with me. My thing is … when I leave the game, I want to make sure that they say: No one was stopping him offensively and defensively, and he was a monster.

There’s no doubt he will leave the game remembered as one of the great 76ers and a “monster” on both ends when healthy. However, resume matters with legacy and an MVP award helps with that. Just not as much as being the best player on a championship team, something more difficult to pull off because it requires a lot of help (it’s up for debate whether Embiid has the help he needs around him to win it all, and if they can stay healthy enough to make that run).

This season the MVP race is a tight three-way contest between Embiid, Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+450 at PointsBet). There are legitimate cases to be made for each member of this trio. However, with the Sixers surging (and the Nuggets stumbling a little), things may break his way this season.

Another dominant performance against Jokić with just a couple of weeks left in the season would stick in voters’ minds and help his cause.

Kyrie Irving has fan ejected during road loss to Hornets

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 10:35 AM EDT

Sunday was not a good day for the Mavericks and Kyrie Irving.

In addition to losing their second-straight game to the Hornets (and fourth straight overall) to fall out of even the play-in out West, Irving had a Hornets fan ejected from the game Sunday. Irving pointed the situation out to the referee, and soon arena security was involved and the man was escorted out.

Security removed a fan from the Mavericks-Hornets game after Kyrie Irving spoke with the referee. pic.twitter.com/cx4LeXevyG

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 26, 2023

A fan has been ejected for heckling Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/FdEg69flHp

— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) March 26, 2023

It is unclear what the fan said to Irving, but more players in recent years have taken this step with fans they feel had crossed the line of common decency. Irving addressed the situation in his postgame press conference.

“He called me out my name. So I just had to make sure I looked him eye to eye and see if he’d say it to my face.”

-Kyrie Irving on getting a fan ejected. pic.twitter.com/fhi7tNxUgP

— Jerry Donatien (@JerryDonatien) March 26, 2023

Irving and the Mavericks heard boos from their fans at home last Friday during a loss to these same Hornets, and Irving’s response that night was more defiant in tone.

“So what? Just the way I feel about it. I’ve been in New York City so I know what that’s like. You obviously want to play well, but there’s only five people on the court who can play for the Dallas Mavericks. If the fans wanna change places, then hey, be my guest. Got years of work ahead to be great enough to be on this level. But our focus isn’t necessarily on the boos, it should be on the performance.”

That performance has been lacking — the Mavericks have lost four in a row, 7-of-9, and if the postseason started today they would be fishing in Cabo. Irving hasn’t been the problem (the Mavericks are 4.5 per 100 possessions better when he is on the court), but he hasn’t been the solution, either. Irving is a free agent after this season and said he and Luka Dončić are still getting used to playing with one another.

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