Latest news with #DejounteMurray
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Draft Lottery Odds for All 13 Teams Revealed: Where Will San Antonio Spurs Likely Pick?
The NBA Draft is still over a month away, but the order will be finalized on Monday night. The NBA Draft Lottery will take place in Chicago at 7:00PM EST, with coverage being broadcast on ESPN. Only the San Antonio Spurs will have two picks in this season's lottery, although their odds of landing the top pick are rather distant. With a selection owed to them from the Atlanta Hawks, the first of three from the Dejounte Murray trade, the Spurs are expected to add plenty of talent around Victor Wembanyama this offseason. Advertisement Here are the full odds for every team in the lottery. Team Most Likely Selection Odds for #1 Pick Last #1 Pick Utah Jazz 5 14% Never Washington Wizards 5 14% John Wall (2010) Charlotte Hornets 6 14% Larry Johnson (1991) New Orleans Pelicans 6 12.5% Zion Williamson (2019) Philadelphia 76ers (Will convey to OKC if 7 or later) 7 10.5% Markelle Fultz (2017) Brooklyn Nets 7 9% Kenyon Martin (2000) Toronto Raptors 8 7.5% Andrea Bargnani (2006) San Antonio Spurs 8 6% Victor Wembanyama (2023) Houston Rockets (via PHO) 9 3.8% Yao Ming (2007) Portland Trail Blazers 10 3.7% Greg Oden (2007) Dallas Mavericks 11 1.8% Never Chicago Bulls 12 1.7% Derrick Rose (2008) Atlanta Hawks (via SAC) 13 0.8% Zaccharie Risacher (2024) San Antonio Spurs (via ATL) 14 0.7% Victor Wembanyama (2023) Each team gets two representatives at the lottery. One will await behind closed doors, where the lottery actually takes place, to make sure there is no funny business. For the Spurs, that will be general manager Brian Wright. He will not have his phone, and neither will the journalists in the room. On the stage, finding out the order in front of the rest of the world, will be Mitch Johnson. Johnson took over for Gregg Popovich as the new head coach of the Spurs and is being thrust into the spotlight. The lottery will be broadcast on ESPN right before tipoff between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Advertisement Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: San Antonio Spurs Predicted to Bring Back Fan-Favorite This Offseason Related: San Antonio Spurs Predicted to Pick Two Prospects from One School in 2025 NBA Draft
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Resurfaced Cooper Flagg Quotes Suggest He Wants to Be Drafted By San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs can boast two picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, provided they don't trade either selection. As things currently stand, the Spurs will likely select eighth and 14th overall, with the Atlanta Hawks owing them a first-round selection as a part of the Dejounte Murray trade. The Spurs, between their two picks, have only a 6.7 percent chance of landing Cooper Flagg and pairing him with Victor Wembanyama. Advertisement Flagg, in his lone college season, led the Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four, won AP Player of the Year, the Wooden Award, was an All-American, took home the Naismith Award, and was the ACC Player of the Year. He is a highly touted two-way force and will be the top pick, regardless of who lands him. Flagg, who is from Maine, grew up as a Boston Celtics fan, although Boston will not have a chance to draft him. Before his college season, he did a "rapid fire" interview and revealed some respect for the Spurs. Flagg not only considers Kawhi Leonard the greatest defender of all time, but he also thinks that Gregg Popovich is the greatest coach of all time. That's remarkably telling, especially since his Northeast roots could have easily pushed him in the direction of Tom Heinsohn or Red Auerbach for the best coach and Bill Russell or Kevin Garnett for the best defender. Advertisement Of course, longtime Duke skipper Mike Krzyzewski could have been considered as well, but Flagg may have revealed his hand. A duo of Flagg and Wembayama in the frontcourt with De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in the backcourt would be a nightmare on both sides of the ball for opponents. The NBA Draft order will be revealed on Monday at 7:00 PM live on ESPN. Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: 3 Potential Chris Paul Replacements For the San Antonio Spurs Related: NBA Draft Lottery Odds for All 13 Teams Revealed: Where Will San Antonio Spurs Likely Pick?
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson ready to put ‘sweat equity' into his team
SAN ANTONIO — As odd as it sounds, Dejounte Murray — a 6-foot-4 guard with a freakish 6-10 wingspan — tried his best to blend in with the crowd, even as he sat behind Victor Wembanyama, the most noticeable man in the NBA. Nothing could have made Murray miss this day. Not the cold rain that had suddenly surrounded the Victory Capital Performance Center. Not the wind, which was picking up in speed. Not today. Not for Mitch. Murray, who played for the Spurs from 2016-22 and currently plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, had flown in to watch his lifelong friend Mitchell Johnson be presented as the 19th head coach in Spurs history, taking over the role from Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich, who had held the title since 1996. The bond between Murray and Johnson stretches back almost two decades. Murray, 28, is reserved, but if anyone can get the veteran to open up, it's Johnson. There was a time, back in Seattle, when Murray, then just 15, needed guidance, on and off the court. Johnson not only assisted in building Murray an AAU team to aid the progression of his basketball career, but also became a mentor. 'It's special,' Murray told The Athletic following Johnson's introductory news conference. 'It's a testament to hard work, dedication but most importantly, his character. The loving, caring man he is, I'm thankful for him. I'm grateful for him and I'm proud for him. This is rare. This is bigger than just him and he understands that. I'm not surprised because he's smart. He's patient. Accountability is a big word that he stands on.' ̶p̶r̶e̶s̶i̶d̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶b̶a̶s̶k̶e̶t̶b̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶p̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ El Jefe 🫡 — San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 5, 2025 Monday morning was a milestone for the storied Spurs franchise, not because Johnson's hire ushered in a new era. It didn't. Once news that Popovich would be stepping away from his head coaching duties broke, the Spurs, flush with draft capital, cap flexibility and young talent, could have embarked on an expansive search for their next hire — an attractive position in itself, not to mention the prospect of developing Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. But the Spurs are an organization that is not run like a traditional basketball team. Popovich chose to put Johnson in his stead while he was away from the team dealing with his health issues. So when it came time to move on from coaching, there was no question as to who should take the reins. As cold as the city was on the outside, the mutual love from family, friends and past and present members of the organization was enough warmth for everyone. ' These positions are hard,' Spurs general manager Brian Wright said. 'In the seat I sit in, you want a leader that's authentic and genuine to themselves. You want a teacher that can help bring a group forward and you want a partner. We started the exact same summer, we've been a part of each other's growth. It was an easy decision and felt super confident in the human being that he is.' Now, Johnson can turn his attention to improving a team that went 32-45 under him as interim head coach, finishing with a record of 34-48, a 12-win improvement from the previous season. There's an obvious caveat to a campaign that saw the Spurs miss the Play-In Tournament by five games — Wembanyama missed the final 30 games of the regular season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder during the All-Star break. Next season, with a healthy Wembanyama, Castle in his second season and a full offseason with star guard De'Aaron Fox, there's little reason to think why San Antonio can't compete for a playoff spot, even in a loaded Western Conference. Given how important Wembanyama is to the franchise's present and future, it's safe to assume the Frenchman, who was smiling ear to ear on Monday, was on board with Johnson's hire. Last season, Johnson was able to make his presence felt, even amid traditional Spurs schemes. Johnson's dedication to player development, particularly empowering Castle — even among veteran guards in Fox and Chris Paul — has been one of his leading qualities. On the court, Johnson is a huge proponent of spacing and 3-point shooting. The Spurs have some work to do as San Antonio finished the regular season 20th and 25th in offensive and defensive efficiency, according to Cleaning the Glass. But under Johnson, their affinity for pace and space is clear. Per tracking data, the Spurs were seventh in 3-point attempts (39.6) and ninth in makes per game (14.1). Johnson's system benefited veteran floor spacers like Harrison Barnes, who shot a career-best 43.3 percent from deep, along with Paul, who shot his best mark from 3 in four seasons and Wembanyama, who also improved as a shooter. 'There's principles and values that have been here and were laid upon decades ago,' Johnson said. 'So the blueprint has been around for a while, but to be able to do it in my own skin and be authentic for the players most of all, is the biggest thing that I leaned on.' Castle's progression, finishing his rookie season averaging an impressive 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds — numbers that helped earn him the Rookie of the Year award — will be a personal project for Johnson. Last season, Johnson took Castle under his wing, propelling him to a more prominent role and allowing him to play through mistakes, learning on the fly. In conjunction with the veteran presence of Paul (and Fox after his midseason arrival), Castle has all the tools to succeed at this level. The Spurs are high on his two-way ability and trust that Johnson will be able to turn Castle into more of a spacing threat, after shooting just 27.8 percent from 3. 'He's a point guard,' Murray added of Johnson's developmental ability. 'So if anybody knows (basketball), you know how important the point guard is to the coaches and teammates. For Mitch, he was a leader. He wants to go through the ups and downs. He's not a guy who's too high or too low. He's right in between and takes accountability. At the end of the day, I hope he does great.' Elsewhere, there's reason for optimism in the months ahead. The Spurs enter the offseason armed with enough flexibility from a personnel and financial standpoint to take another leap in their rebuild. With two additional first-round picks ahead of this month's draft lottery, San Antonio could add even more firepower in what's considered one of the deepest classes in recent years. Paul, Charles Bassey, Bismack Biyombo, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jordan McLaughlin will all be unrestricted free agents this summer, but Johnson will take the patient approach, working as a collective with Wright, Popovich and the Spurs brass. Just like they've always done. 'I think the thing that I'll be focusing on the most this offseason will be this current group of guys and the current players on our roster,' Johnson said. 'Get them as much better as we can in that time allowed. And then Brian and the group will do due diligence they do, we'll partner and discuss things and be aligned as we always are. 'But my sweat equity and time will be devoted to these guys right here.' (Photo: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
The Hawks made the wrong decision to fire Landy Fields as their general manager
The Hawks made the wrong decision to fire Landy Fields as their general manager The Atlanta Hawks announced on Monday afternoon that they have fired Landry Fields as general manager of the franchise. It wasn't the right choice. Fields, who played five years in the NBA, took over as assistant GM of the Hawks in 2020 and was promoted to general manager in 2022. The Hawks did not have tremendous success during his tenure with the organization, but one could argue that their shortcomings were hardly his fault. In fact, this past season may have actually shown the most examples of his savviness as a front office executive. Fields made one of the most interesting moves of the offseason, trading away Dejounte Murray for NBA Defensive Player of the Year finalist Dyson Daniels. Daniels looked like one of the most promising young defenders in the league this season and a great asset for Atlanta. More: Dejounte Murray got hurt during his Pelicans debut and it was an awful start to the Dyson Daniels trade While the Hawks failed to make the playoffs, they showed competitiveness en route to the play-in tournament despite coming off a season in which they were a lottery team last year. One of the main reasons why Atlanta fell short this season, too, is because 23-year-old forward Jalen Johnson missed a significant amount of the season due to a shoulder injury in January 2025. Atlanta also added a solid young player in NBA Rookie of the Year finalist Zaccharie Risacher, signed 24-year-old big man Onyeka Okongwu to one of the best contracts in the league, and signed Johnson to a reasonable deal as well. The organization additionally found an above-average second-round pick in Mouhamed Gueye during the 2023 NBA Draft. Even finding a valuable role player like Georges Niang was both smart and effective maneuvering. Some of the first-round picks (e.g. AJ Griffin leaving basketball two years after he was selected at No. 16 overall) have looked less outstanding. But the Hawks seemed like they were at least heading in the right direction of both competitiveness and youthful energy guided by an apparent interest from ownership to make difficult cost-cutting decisions. It is a shame Fields will never get a chance to finalize the roster that he was only just now gaining some momentum with in Atlanta.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Basketball: Lessons learned from the 2024-2025 NBA season
Fantasy basketball isn't just a numbers game; it's a survival game. Navigating injuries, lineup changes and tanking antics felt like an even bigger challenge this past season, but there were plenty of lessons for those who managed to stay afloat. Whether you crushed your league or fell victim to chaos, here are the major takeaways from the 2024-2025 fantasy hoops season. Buying Into Bad Teams Was a Bad Decision If you invested in players from tanking teams, your patience was probably tested to its limits. Bad teams meant unreliability, as injuries and "tanking for Flagg" wreaked havoc. The New Orleans Pelicans were a glaring example. While you can't predict who will go down, Dejounte Murray and Herb Jones suffered season-ending injuries, while Zion Williamson played in 30 games. Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum, while great, didn't eclipse 60 games played. Advertisement The Raptors were solid until the second half of the season, when everyone was rested except for Scottie Barnes. Barnes was the only key contributor to suit up for 65 games, which makes him eligible for postseason awards. The Utah Jazz added to the frustration by resting young talents like Walker Kessler. Kessler's total games played have declined each season. He played in 74 games as a rookie, 64 in his second season and 58 in 2024-25. Even the production from veterans was undesirable, as Lauri Markkanen had a down season, playing under 50 games. John Collins lasted 40 games. Although they showcased potential, trusting them for a full season was risky at best. On top of that, the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards were brutal for fantasy managers. Each team managed to have only one player crack the top 100 in 9-category formats this season, further illustrating the inconsistency of bad teams when it came to fantasy production. Advertisement The lesson: If you do end up picking players projected to be at the bottom tier of the league, get your money's worth early and trade those players before they become more of a problem than an asset. Depth Was More Important Than Ever Between the war of attrition and front offices doing everything to skirt the player availability guidelines to improve their lottery odds, it felt like this was the most challenging season for managing lineups. Whether it was tanking, extended injuries, or questionable player designations that magically turned into DNPs, managers in daily leagues had their hands full. If you didn't prioritize roster depth, you likely spent half the season scrolling through waiver wires in a panic. The lesson: Pay attention to late risers coming out of the preseason to snag some sleepers who are poised to outperform their ADP. Players like Malik Beasley, Payton Pritchard and Christian Braun went undrafted in over 80% of leagues. Advertisement If your team is down bad, utilize savvy tools like the Missing Teammate Impact Report to weigh replacement options and keep notifications from reliable sources like @underdog_nba turned on to remain ahead of announcements. Having a reliable bench of viable replacement-level guys was critical to lasting through the end of the season. Don't Draft Players Who Are Disgruntled Or Hurt The cost and value relative to ADP may be enticing, but oftentimes, it's not worth it. Joel Embiid had a late-first, early-second-round ADP even with an offseason littered with evidence that his knee was going to be a lingering issue throughout the regular season. Kawhi Leonard, while phenomenal during the fantasy playoffs, didn't play a game until January. As Jimmy Butler stood 10 toes down in his fallout with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, he was only available for 25 of their 49 games until he was traded to Golden State. Remember Khris Middleton? He was drafted in 99% of leagues with an 11th-round ADP. That was a miss, and no need to belabor my dismay for Zion Williamson. We've all been there. You take a chance on a star player, convincing yourself their upside is worth the risk, only to regret it by Week 5. Advertisement The lesson: Be risk-averse and avoid frustration early in the season by spending draft capital on players who are trending towards missing a handful of games before the season actually starts. Commissioners Need to Plan for Chaos If you're a fantasy league commissioner, this season emphasized the importance of proactive rules. If your league didn't have IL+ spots, chances are your managers were less than happy with you as they struggled to keep rosters functional. The lesson: Two IL+ slots should be a minimum requirement moving forward, providing participants with a better way to manage the player availability crisis. Additionally, it's time to rethink playoff schedules. With teams mailing it in earlier than ever, starting playoffs around Week 18 or 19 helps avoid late-season nonsense. These changes won't solve every problem, but they'll make leagues far more manageable for everyone involved.
