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Report: Jahlil Okafor, still trying to land contract, works out for four teams in Vegas

By Kurt HelinJul 17, 2018, 6:00 PM EDT

Jahlil Okafor was never going to find a new home early in free agency. Once the big names — and second tier, and third tier— names shook out, then some team was expected to step forward with a minimum contract and see if the former No. 3 pick could find a role on their team. Something he could not do with the Nets last year.

He’s still waiting.

Okafor did work out for teams in Las Vegas, to show that he is healthy and can contribute, reports Sean Deveny of The Sporting News.

According to sources, Okafor, the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, worked out for four teams last Wednesday in Las Vegas, and remains hopeful of signing with a team ahead of training camp next fall.

Okafor averaged 17.5 points per game as a rookie in Philadelphia in 2015-16. He has spent the last few months working out in Miami with trainers David Alexander and Idan Ravin, fueling speculation that he could land with the Heat, especially if Miami finds a trading partner for Hassan Whiteside.

First things first, it’s unlikely the Heat will find someone to take on Whiteside right now, and any team that does is going to want a treasure chest of sweeteners the Heat may not want to surrender.

In addition to the Heat, the Bulls and Pacers have been rumored to have some interest, although both of those should be taken with a serious grain of salt.

How much is any team interested? Enough to even offer a fully guaranteed contract for next season?

Maybe not. Okafor — with his old-school, below the rim, back-to-the-basket offensive game, not to mention a serious lack of defense — does not fit the direction the NBA is trending with bigs. He may need to accept a non-guaranteed invite to training camp somewhere and prove he deserves a roster spot. Humbling, to be sure, but reality.

At some point, some team will give him a shot. Probably. But Okafor has a lot of work to do to find a role in the modern NBA.

Magic Johnson: Lakers will consult with LeBron on big moves

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By Kurt HelinJul 13, 2018, 5:29 PM EDT

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This is what should happen with the NBA’s elite players. When the Warriors were thinking about adding DeMarcus Cousins to the roster this summer, they reached out to Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant for their opinion, then pulled the trigger after listening to feedback. It’s going to be that way with James Harden in Houston or Anthony Davis in New Orleans or…

LeBron James with the Lakers.

Magic Johnson confirmed as much, speaking to the media, as reported by Bill Oram of the Athletic.

Magic: "We're gonna go to LeBron and say hey if there's a deal to be made or a guy's available,'What do you think about this guy?'" That's how it was when he played w/ Jerry West and Dr. Buss. "The ultimate decision-maker … is me."

— Bill Oram (@billoram) July 13, 2018

This gets blown up by some fans into “LeBron is the GM” but he’s never wanted to be the final decision maker. Teams defer to his wishes at times, but that happened with Magic (just as Norm Nixon) and virtually every other superstar in the modern NBA. It’s part of the game.

The art is knowing where the boundaries are and when to overrule. Pat Riley did that well (for the most part) when LeBron was in Miami. In Cleveland, there were more misses than hits, although David Griffin (and to a degree Koby Altman) did well within the limitations.

Consulting LeBron is a must. It’s expected. Will Magic and Rob Pelinka be able to tell him “no” at the appropriate times? That remains to be seen. So far they have not impressed with the veterans brought in to go with LeBron (if you want to see executives from other teams laugh/roll their eyes, just bring up the Lance Stephenson/JaVale McGee signings).

Magic won the summer by getting LeBron, but that’s not even half the battle.

Lakers insist they’re trying to compete with Warriors

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By Dan FeldmanJul 12, 2018, 4:24 PM EDT

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The Warriors were already historically great, and then they signed DeMarcus Cousins. If all goes well, they could be the greatest team of all-time. Their floor is championship favorite.

Plenty of teams seem content to wait out Golden State.

Does that include the Lakers?

They have LeBron James locked up three more years, and he doesn’t seem to be demanding urgency. Their other signings – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee – are for one-year deals designed to maximize long-term flexibility. Los Angeles hasn’t flipped any of its top young players – Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart – or future first-round picks for immediate upgrades.

But the Lakers say they’ve designed this roster specifically to compete with the Warriors.

Lakers general manager Pelinka, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:

“If your goal is to win a championship, you’ve got to look at the way the champs are assembled and how you can give yourself the best chance to take them down,” Pelinka said of one of the many reasons for the construction of the Lakers’ current roster. “It is certainly part of the equation. … [President of basketball operations] Earvin [Johnson] and I had a conversation, and LeBron echoed this sentiment: I think to try to play the Warriors at their own game is a trap. No one is going to beat them at their own game, so that is why we wanted to add these elements of defense and toughness and depth and try to look at areas where we will have an advantage.”

“We did not want to go out and just sign specialists, ‘Oh, this guy can just shoot,'” Pelinka said. “We wanted tough two-way players that can defend with a level of toughness and also make shots. Listen, the road to the NBA championship has to go through the team that won last year, and we all know the guys up north have a special group. But one of the ways to attack what they have is with defensive toughness. I think we saw that in the Houston series with some of the players that Houston has.

This is intentionally different than the approach the Cavaliers took with LeBron. They prioritized offense and surrounded him with shooters. That left Cleveland short against Golden State the last couple years, and the Lakers are trying something different.

But the Lakers will run into the same problem the Cavs did: Their players just aren’t good enough. Rondo’s best defensive days are long behind him. Stephenson and McGee are good in moments, spacy in others. Caldwell-Pope is a good perimeter defender but struggles when switching inside or against bigger wings.

It’s not as much style as ability. The Rockets had way better players, which is why they came closer than anyone to beating the Kevin Durant Warriors in the playoffs.

The Lakers shouldn’t completely give up on this season. They have LeBron, and he alone gives them a chance. More importantly now, he provides the them a chance to build a more serious contender in future years.

But it’s tough to buy the Lakers’ stated plan for this season.

Hawk’s Trae Young makes plays in clutch for Hawks win

By Kurt HelinJul 12, 2018, 8:20 AM EDT

Kyle O’Quinn takes dig at Knicks on way out

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By Kurt HelinJul 9, 2018, 10:59 PM EDT

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Kyle O'Quinn was a great signing by the Indiana Pacers (who have quietly had a really good summer, no superstar moves but landing Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott was smart). O’Quinn is a distinct upgrade over Al Jefferson (who will play next season in China) and he comes at a $4.4 million deal that will not break the bank.

O’Quinn spent last season in New York and couldn’t resist a shot at the Knicks on the way out the door.

Kyle O'Quinn joins the #Pacers bench mob. Passed on an offer to return to hometown #Knicks "I wanted to play for something more than next year's draft." @WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/usqbometm8

— Charlie Clifford (@cliffWISH8) July 9, 2018

Ouch.

That’s also pretty accurate. While rookie Kevin Knox has had a nice start in Summer League, with Kristaps Porzingis out for most if not all of the season, New York is going to struggle. The Knicks won 29 games last season and with KP out it’s hard to imagine the 14-game jump (give or take) it would require to get invited to the postseason dance.

On the other hand, the Pacers won 48 games last season, got better this offseason, and will be a second-tier team in the East this season. They are playoffs bound.

Quinn got what he wanted.