Rumors

Shams Charania: Free agent forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper has agreed on a two-way NBA contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta of Life Sports Agency told ESPN. Prosper sifted through multiple offers, and now chooses the Grizzlies to enter his third NBA season.

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Restricted free agent Cam Thomas is signing a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer to return to the Brooklyn Nets, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The Nets were unable to reach a long-term deal with Thomas, so the 23-year-old high-scoring guard opted for the qualifying offer that gives him a full no-trade clause and sets him for unrestricted free agency next summer with at least 10 teams set to have cap space. Thomas is the first among the final restricted free agents in the NBA to land on a decision (including the Chicago Bulls' Josh Giddey, Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga, Philadelphia 76ers' Quentin Grimes). Thomas is only the fifth former first-round pick to sign a qualifying offer since 2017.

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What if Carmelo Anthony had never suffered a second stress fracture in his left foot in November of 2019, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to waive him? Without that injury, which ended his NBA career, would Anthony have ever been given a chance to extend his? At the time, Anthony had been out of the league for more than a year after being unceremoniously dropped by the Houston Rockets just 10 games into the 2017-18 season. The Blazers filled Pau Gasol's roster spot with Anthony, who went from unemployed to averaging 15.4 points for Portland that season. "So my injury gave him the opportunity to play again, prove himself," Gasol said. Anthony added 2,738 points to his career total in his final flourish -- two years with Portland and a final season in L.A., teaming up with James after all those years -- a coda that allowed Anthony to crack the top 10 on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

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Shams Charania: NBA spokesman Mike Bass tells ESPN: “We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.”

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Shams Charania: Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington has agreed to a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the franchise, agent Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management told ESPN. Washington secures a new deal that keeps him in Dallas through 2029-30.

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Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington has agreed to a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the franchise, agent Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management told ESPN.

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Washington, 27, had one season left on his deal for $14.1 million and now secures an extension that keeps him in Dallas through 2029-30. Washington's four-year extension means the Mavericks have reached agreements with all key members of their roster eligible for new deals this offseason, including All-Star Kyrie Irving and center Daniel Gafford (three-year extensions).

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Several big names have already been linked to the Perth Wildcats as they continue shaping their roster in search of an import point guard. It’s a process that has drawn plenty of attention, according to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc. “Last month, the Wildcats were offered 12-year NBA veteran Patrick Beverley, sources told ESPN, but chose not to meaningfully engage,” Uluc said.  Beverley has played over 650 NBA games and most recently suited up in Israel before deciding his next move. The 2017 All-Defensive First Team selection and two-time Second Team member had fans raising eyebrows, as reports of his potential link surfaced this week. “Former NBL guard Travis Trice was also offered to the Wildcats, sources said, but he was another option they weren't interested in,” Uluc continued.

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“We don’t know,” Barkley responded. “This has been one of the worst, TNT just sucks to be honest with you, Bill. They made this deal. They haven’t told us when we’re going to work. They haven’t told us how it’s going to work. Because, we’ve been talking behind the scenes, like … after the game are we going to get anytime or are they gonna say, ‘Hey, you guys got to go to SportsCenter.’ “That’s the best part of our show, after the game [where] we can, like, have conversation and have fun,” Barkley continued. “Are they gonna say, ‘You guys got three minutes, five minutes, 15, 20, 30, 45?’ Or are we going to go straight to SportsCenter? They haven’t given us an answer whatsoever. And TNT, I think they sold the show and they haven’t been noncommunicable [sic] at all.”

Awful Announcing

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain said his plan "for sure" was to return to play in training camp after his promising rookie season was cut short because of a torn meniscus. "Right now, I'm on pace," McCain said Tuesday.

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Getting healthy and certainly antsy, McCain just wants to join the 76ers as soon as he's fully medically cleared. "I still haven't talked to them if I'm free for everything," McCain said, "but I'm definitely getting there."

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In the same mold as other dominant centers such as Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal, he was a terrible free throw shooter (career 57%). He committed twice as many turnovers as assists. He was an inefficient scorer in the post, despite often demanding the ball down low: We don't have good tracking data from Howard's prime, but since 2013-14, he ranks 62nd out of 65 players with at least 1,000 post-ups in points per play, according to GeniusIQ. But Howard's historical underrating seems more a reflection of how his career played out. Contrast Howard with Robert Parish, a paragon of longevity. The two Hall of Fame centers have similar counting stats and a similar career wins above replacement total, per Basketball-Reference. But they reached those ultimate outcomes via different paths: Howard peaked and fell quickly, while Parish took the slow-and-steady approach.

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Howard is one of 19 players in NBA history with five consecutive first-team All-NBA nods. The only other centers on that list are Shaq and George Mikan. The only other 21st-century players are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, O'Neal, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant -- who, with the exception of the young Doncic, are acknowledged as top-25 players in NBA history. Critics would contend that Howard so thoroughly dominated the All-NBA voting because of a lesser caliber of competition in that era. This idea has some merit: Though the center landscape wasn't quite as barren during Howard's reign as it would be half a decade later -- the All-NBA centers in 2015-16 were DeAndre Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond -- the second- and third-team All-NBA centers behind Howard were Amar'e Stoudemire (three times), Yao Ming (twice), Suns-era Shaq, Andrew Bogut, Al Horford, Andrew Bynum and Tyson Chandler. There are good players on that list, but few Hall of Famers.

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Shaquille O’Neal: I was eating Frosted Flakes, watching ESPN, listening to what people were saying. And then they said Mitch Kupchak said he will take offers on Shaq. So, I told my agent to call him, and they said, "Hey, you going to want to trade?" So, I got in my police car and I went there, but they wouldn't let me in cuz I was going to f*** Mitch Kupchak up. I’m a cop. I went down there, and actually, the cops were waiting for me like ‘Shaq, we can't let you in’. I was like, I'm just going to go get my stuff. I was going to f*** Kupchak up. I promise you. I promise you. Cuz my thing is I understand the business, but show me a little more respect. Call me and say, "Hey man, we had a good run." Like, "But you do that." I'm sitting there eating Frost Flakes to Little Shareef, and he's looking at me. I'm looking at him like, "Damn, we're getting traded?" I was going to kill that dude.

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