NBA rumors: The possibility of a DeMar DeRozan trade
DeRozan turned 34 this August and is entering the final season of his contract with the Chicago Bulls. DeRozan originally joined the team on a three-year, $85 million sign-and-trade deal with the San Antonio Spurs. However, depending on how this season and extension negotiations go, ESPN's Brian Windhorst believes DeRozan could be a trade target as the season progresses.
"One guy to keep an eye on, for everybody, the whole league, this year is DeMar DeRozan," said Brian Windhorst on First Take." Windhorst specifically mentioned the Los Angeles Clippers as a possible destination.
One of the questions from the Bulls' preseason was if DeMar's isolated scoring style still fits the Bulls' offense. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told NBC Sports Chicago, "I think there has to be a balance," Donovan said. "DeMar, I love working with him because he's always about the team. And I think if we become so iso-heavy, I think he even knows, that's only going to take us so far. In play-calling situations, I think we can go to him. But we have to get the ball downhill and spray the ball out."
The Bulls finished the preseason 1-4. The players know what's at stake this year. Missing the playoffs again could lead to the collapse of the whole team and the DeRozan-Lavine era.
NBA rumors: why Terry Stotts quit
For Milwaukee, it made sense to bring in Terry Stotts. Not only did he have 13 years of head coaching experience, he spent nine seasons working with Damian Lillard as head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. Seeing as Damian Lillard is now on the Bucks, it made sense to pair Stotts alongside first year head coach Adrian Griffin. After all, Stotts is more offensive-minded while Griffin is more defensive-oriented. However, after being hired this past June, Stott has resigned from the Milwakee Bucks. Here's why:
Supposedly, there was a brief incident during Tuesday's shootaround in Oklahoma City. Sources say Coach Griffin wanted a separate huddle with the coaches after the shootaround. However, Stotts walked toward the players to discuss the offense. Griffin yelled for Stotts to join the coaches' huddle. The whole team witnessed this. After over a decade of head coaching, Stotts might have had trouble adapting to a more supportive role. Especially when it came to taking the backseat to a first-year head coach.
"He was a terrific guy." Griffin said about Terry Stotts. "I learned a lot from him in a very short time. He was really good at what he does. He made a decision – a personal decision – and we just have to respect that." When asked for Stott's reason behind leaving, Griffin told reporters, "You're going to have to ask Terry, he's a great coach. I really enjoyed getting to know him. Terrific person. It was his decision. I just wish him the best."
Damian Lillard was surprised by this but praised Coach Stotts. Lillard said, "playing for him for nine years and him also making this transition for me easier just having a familiar face be such a huge part of it – was a good thing. I think now that I'm settled in, to see him go is unfortunate. It's sad to see him go, but like I said, everything is still moving forward."
Now, the Bucks must simultaneously fill Stotts' spot as they prepare for the upcoming NBA season.
NBA rumors: Bam Adebayo extension update
Adebayo is eligible to sign two-year, $97 million extension with the Miami Heat up until Monday. However, he might want to hold off on that. The reason being, if Adebayo meets the supermax criteria, he will be eligible to sign a four-year, $245 million extension in the 2024 offseason.
To qualify for the extension, Bam must be entering his eighth NBA season and have been named an All-NBA team member, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, or MVP at least once in the previous three seasons. In other words, Bam could either sign for less now, or bet on himself this season, which would result in a much bigger payday in the future.
When asked whether he would avoid signing an extension or if the Heat had spoken to him about it, Adebayo replied, "We're going to discuss it. Right now, we've been working on the preseason. Everybody getting in, getting a flow, getting a feel for the team and it's been mainly about basketball. I haven't even thought about that actually."
Adebayo is aware of what he stands to gain, however. When asked if it makes sense to wait on an extension, Adebayo said, "I mean, yeah. The money difference does play a part. But we'll have that conversation at some point." This could be an indication that Adebayo plans to bet on himself.
Adebayo has already proven he's got a chip on his shoulder after calling out the 'stat-watchers'. Last season, Bam averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He finished fifth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year. With all the incentives to perform, it'll be exciting to see how Bam responds this season.
