NBA Rumors: Nikola Jokic will participate in the 2024 Olympics
The Serbian national team finished second at the FIBA World Cup this summer despite the absence of two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who opted for rest and recovery after the Denver Nuggets' long road to the championship. It's not difficult to get excited about the prospect of Jokic joining the silver medal team in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Tuesday, Serbian Olympic president Bozidar Maljkovic announced that Jokic will, indeed, play for Serbia in next year's tournament. Jokic will also be joined by Euroleague MVP and new OKC point guard Vasilije Micic, who also missed the 2023 World Cup run.
"We didn't have NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic. Neither Vasilije Micic, the MVP of the EuroLeague. Nor Nikola Kalinic. I think we come together and get the best out of us, as in all sports. I can be proud of Novak Djokovic's season and Ivana Spanovic [Serbian long jumper], who won gold in the 2023 World Athletics Championships."
Safe to say the Serbians will have a formidable team. It's irresponsible to predict a gold medal with Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant headlining the expected Team USA roster, but Serbia is a definite favorite to medal in next summer's games. And, even with a boatload of star talent at their disposal, the United States can't get cocky. The continuity and competitive drive of European squads is generally a potent mixture.
Jokic is the undisputed best basketball player in the world (well, not undisputed, even though it pretty much should be). Serbia will have the alpha on the court in every game, and we know Jokic will elevate what is already a competent team around him.
NBA Rumors: Darvin Ham refuses to name Lakers' fifth starter
The Los Angeles Lakers made several tweaks to the roster in free agency. While the competitive core remained — Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura — there appears to be uncertainty over how Darvin Ham will structure his rotation ahead of the regular season.
Or, perhaps there is no uncertainty at all, and Ham is simply playing coy when the answer to the age-old question of "who will the fifth starter be?" is clear as day.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin made a strong case for why Taurean Prince should be the Lakers' fifth starter... then asked Ham what the argument would be for an alternative. Ham refused to budge, instead moving along to the next question. McMenamin positions the fifth starting spot as a battle between Prince and Lakers incumbent Jarred Vanderbilt, who started after his trade deadline arrival last season before Hachimura emerged in the playoffs.
One would imagine the Lakers eventually want to elevate Hachimura to the starting lineup full-time after his three-year, $51 million extension, but Rui's style is well suited to a sixth-man role. Vando is a bullish defender who makes his living on pure hustle. Prince is, to quote Ham, the quintessential 3-and-D player. He can defend a couple of positions, run the floor in transition, and hunt spot-up 3s. That spacing is useful next to LeBron and AD.
Based on preseason evidence, it does seem like Prince is the favorite. It would also be completely unsurprising for Vanderbilt or Hachimura to emerge as superior power forwards over the course of the season. The Lakers have the luxury of options here.
Final prediction: Russell, Reaves, James, Prince, Davis is the first five on opening night.
NBA Rumors: Daryl Morey wants more from Clippers in James Harden talks
The Los Angeles Clippers "remain engaged" on the James Harden front, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, but no deal has crossed the finish line. With roughly one week until the regular season starts, Harden hasn't appeared in a preseason game for the Philadelphia 76ers and he has only scrimmaged with the team in practice once.
It's clear the 34-year-old's days with the franchise are numbered, but the extent of those days is as unclear as ever. Daryl Morey's stubborn, analytical approach to these situations is well documented and Harden has barely made any noise since returning to the team. One has to imagine Morey feels very little pressure compared to the active Ben Simmons holdout, which lasted until the trade deadline.
A new report from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports illuminates the precise nature of the holdup for Morey, who is playing hardball with the Clippers despite zero active market for Harden elsewhere in the NBA.
"Morey has been adamant he wants the Clippers to send a second first-round pick, plus a future pick swap and expiring contracts in exchange for Harden, according to league sources. Los Angeles has indicated no desire to part with more than one first-rounder and has little reason to do so, knowing there aren't other bidders aggressively pursuing Harden's services. The same goes for the Clippers parting with talented forward Terance Mann, sources said."
Morey wants two first-round picks, a pick swap, and expiring contracts for Harden. The goal is clear — to maintain trade flexibility for future available stars while clearing the books for 2024 free agency, when the Sixers could have enough cap space for two max contracts and/or Tyrese Maxey's inevitable extension.
One can hardly complain about Morey taking the patient approach here. It's completely absurd for Philadelphia to go through this whole charade again, but the Sixers should not offload a top-20 player for pennies on the dollar unless there's a real time crunch. If Harden shows up and plays like he's capable of playing, his trade value will rise naturally. All it takes is another interested party to drive up the Clippers' offer or beat it entirely.
It will take a remarkable amount of patience from the Sixers' fanbase, but there isn't a more patient fanbase in the NBA. The Sixers are a perennial disappointment and a semi-annual clown show, but at least Morey has a strong track record of winning deals.