After spending 11 days in Las Vegas for NBA Summer League, my notebook was overflowing. I succeeded in my annual goal of talking to at least one front office executive (in addition to coaches and scouts) from all 30 teams, and often times multiple of each. In exchange for anonymity, I was able to get a lot of interesting information from these executives. In addition, several agents were willing to share thoughts as well.
When something was a quote from someone in the NBA world, it’ll be notated as such. When an item is my own opinion, it won’t be quoted. There will be more of the former than the latter.
Below are a handful of notes from each Eastern Conference Team (Western Conference is coming soon!). However, before we get there, let’s lead off with some notes on some general NBA topics that were brought up in almost every conversation around Summer League!
Second Apron
“Call it what it is: a hard cap. It’s pretty clear what the objective here was,” a long-time agent of NBA players said. “The owners wanted to set an upward boundary on spending. Mission accomplished.”
“It’s tough, but not as much about the aprons, but by how many things can cause you to have a hard cap at the first or second apron,” an Eastern Conference executive opined. “We’ve rarely gone deep into the tax like you have to for the second apron. But so many things can hard cap you at the first apron now, that you have be really cautious. Twice over the past few years, we put an extra player in a trade, just to make sure we didn’t trip a first-apron hard cap. That’s not a great place to be.”
“We’ve made it harder for fans – not even casual ones, but regular fans – to follow the league now,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “You know the old joke? ‘I was told there would be no math.’ Well, I’m hearing fans complain about having to do so much math to follow the league now. That can’t be a good thing.”
“You have to be smarter about building your team. If you want to have more than a three- or four-year run, you have to plan for several years in a row. Hitting on draft picks and your developmental system are more important than ever. I think the G League has never been more important too. So, in a way, that’s a good thing. It’s now kind of a 60-franchise league vs the G League just being an additional thing. It has real importance now,” A Western Conference executive said.
“Between the aprons and the third two-way spot, we’ve killed off chances for players to catch on as the 15th man. No one fills that spot until we’re deep into the season now,” an agent complained. “It’s pretty ridiculous. 10 Day deals are becoming something to backfill for injuries only now. I used to counsel my players against taking a two-way contract, but now they don’t really have a choice.”
“Look, the league, meaning the owners, wanted parity. They wanted all 30 teams to have a chance to win. That exists now. Eight different champs in a row? Teams moving up and down the standings, even without major injuries? Players picking small markets because they want to win? This is what they wanted. I think it’s probably good for the game vs. having a rotating group of five or six contenders,” a Western Conference executive said.
“Whenever one team is upset because the apron caused them lose Jaylen Brown or the OKC guys (Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins) or Mitchell Robinson, 29 other teams are happy because they have a chance to get those guys,” a Western Conference GM said. “The balancing of talent around the league has never been more apparent.
Lack of Rookie Scale Extensions
“This is the clearest sign yet of how cautious teams are being,” an Eastern Conference GM said. “You can’t just hand out 25% max deals based on hope and potential anymore. It used to be that by the time we got to Las Vegas, five or six guys had a 25% max deal. Now, we have Victor Wembanyama not even pushing for the 30% max. It’s a different world.”
“When Wemby said he didn’t need the 30% of the cap max escalators, it killed the rest of the class. If that guy, who is an MVP, DPOY and All-NBA guy if he’s eligible, doesn’t take 30%, why would any team offer a lesser player even 25%?” a longtime agent questioned.
“I get why Wemby did what he did. The Spurs need to sign (Stephon) Castle and (Dylan Harper) soon too,” a Western Conference executive said. “But here’s what no one is talking about: Now Wemby and the Spurs don’t need to push him to hit the game markers and all that to be eligible for 30%. If he’s hurting, they can rest him. So, the Spurs benefit on the cap sheet and on the floor, with Wemby not playing hurt or tired just to hit the games-played threshold.”
Lessened Cap Growth
“Yeah, that was a bomb dropped in there for everyone. We internally planned for 7%-to-8% growth for a few years. Dropping below that is rough.” a Western Conference GM said. “But anyone who was still planning for 10% growth was kidding themselves. We all knew it wasn’t going to hit that high.”
“I’m worried about contract growth outpacing cap growth. The vast majority of contracts still grow by 8%. If the cap is only growing by 5% or so, that’s going to make all the margins tighter. On the plus side, look for more creativity in contracts,” an Eastern Conference GM said.”
“Everything is tighter. I had a player who could have gotten straight 8% raises. Would have gotten them in any other offseason. This summer, the team wanted to do 5% or less. And, of course, they didn’t want to start higher and go flat. My guy still got paid, but we had to give a little. It is what it is,” a longtime agent said.
Atlanta Hawks
On the offseason: (Note: This was before the Lu Dort acquisition) “This summer was about adding depth, especially on the wing. We love our guards, but we had to put more wing help around Jalen Johnson. Getting Aaron Wiggins helps that, and we think Zuby Ejiofor is going to help a lot. Zuby can defend 1-5 we think, while Aaron is a proven scorer,” a Hawks front office executive said.
On adding Lu Dort: (Note: this was a follow-up with the same executive as above) “Beyond excited to have him in. His defense is going to be huge for us. We can put him on anyone. And now Dyson (Daniels) and Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) can roam a bit more. We’ll have some fun deploying those guys together in lineups too”, the same Hawks front office executive said.
On what still needs to be done: “We could use more size up front. Onyeka (Okongwu) is awesome. We view him as a long-term starter. Happy to have Jock (Landale) back too. (Henri) Veesaar is a project. He’s not years away, but he’s probably not ready this season. But we’ve still got some cards to play,” A Hawks front office executive said.
On Kingston Flemings: “He’ll be in the backup mix from Day 1. He gets to learn under C.J. (McCollum), which is awesome apprenticeship. We also added Ryan Nembhard, which will add to the competition,” a Hawks front office executive said. “That’s probably the biggest thing we have this year: competition. Our camp and preseason, then into the regular season, should be exciting. No one is going to be gifted minutes.”
Boston Celtics
On swapping Jaylen Brown for Paul George: “Brad said what needed to be said. We had to face the reality of having two guys making 70% or more of the cap for the next several years,” a Celtics front office executive said. “That said, we’re excited for PG (Paul George). He’s excited to be in Boston. We think he’s learned over the years how to play off other on-ball guys, and he’s an outstanding passer.”
On a potential extension for Payton Pritchard: “That’s probably next up. We’ve more or less done our offseason moves. Maybe something comes up that isn’t out there now, but we’re filling out the roster now vs. doing anything big,” a Celtics front office executive said. “Payton is an important player for us. On those nights when we need a little juice, he’s already there. And he’s proven he can play a big role on a title team. We have to manage the cap and tax, but keeping Payton around is something we hope to do. We’re going to try to get Jordan (Walsh) extended too. That’s a bit more pressing because he’s in the final year of his contract. But we feel good about getting that one done.” (Note: Jordan Walsh and the Celtics agreed to a three-year, $16 million extension that was reported on Thursday, July 23.)
On the Celtics from 2024 to now: “The second apron comes for everyone, right?” a rival GM said. “They were just one of the first to get dinged. But here’s the thing: Look at how many good, younger players they have. Hugo Gonzalez looks ready for a big season for them. He was really good on ball here (at Summer League) and for Spain. And he’s going to get more reps. (Baylor) Scheierman can play. He’s never going to be an All-Star, but he’s a top-eight rotation guy. (Sam) Hauser is one of the best shooters in the game. We had Chris Cenac a little higher on our board than where he went. Heck, even Dillon Mitchell is a player and he’ll probably spend the year in the G League.”
Related to the above: Hugo Gonzalez shot poorly at Summer League, but he mostly played in an on-ball role. The off-the-dribble shot clearly needs a lot of work, but those won’t feature for him with Boston. Both for the Summer Celtics and Spain, Gonzalez shined as a playmaker. And his defense and rebounding both remained good to very good too.
It’s unclear how big of a role Chris Cenac Jr. will have this season. He’s got to get past Neemias Queta, Mitchell Robinson (the plan is for him to come off the bench for now) and Luka Garza, not to mention Amari Williams (the Celtics are very excited to have him back on a two-way). One Celtics coach told me that Cenac might see a lot of work at the four in Maine, alongside Williams.
Keep an eye on John Tonje snagging a two-way spot again. He was arguably the Summer Celtics best scorer. As one Boston assistant coach said: “Tonje can shoot the cover off the ball. The best part? He did it on self-created shots too.”
Brooklyn Nets
On where the roster stands now: “What we’re excited about is the depth of legitimate NBA rotation players and potential rotation players we have now,” a Nets assistant coach said. “Not to speak ill of last year’s team, but we were down to rookies and non-NBA-level players by the end of the year. This year, we’ve got depth and the kids are improving too.”
More on the roster: “It’s a work in progress. Unless you are the Thunder or the Spurs or the Knicks, I don’t know how you feel like you roster is ‘done’,” a Nets front office executive said. “We probably still lean a little too young, to be honest. The good news is that adding guys like Julius (Randle), Keon (Ellis) and Moe (Wagner) will help these guys grow up a lot. Those are real, physical, sometimes nasty, NBA guys. I can’t wait to watch them help our young guys grow.”
On Egor Demin: “He’s a lot more comfortable going into Year 2. I think from the pre-draft process, all the way through his rookie year, we probably over-indexed on his three-point shot too much. I mean Egor, his trainers, our front office, our coaches, everyone. You saw out here (at Summer League), that he was getting downhill more. This year is about putting him in even better spots to shine as an all-around player,” a Nets front office executive said.
On Mikel Brown Jr.: “You’re probably going to hear this about every guy, including A.J. (Dybantsa) at No. 1, but we feel like Mikel is the steal of the draft,” A Nets front office executive said. “He was a little wild here (at Summer League) and in California (at California Classic Summer League), but that’ll round out with time. Having him go against Keon (Ellis) and Terance (Mann) every day in practice is going to be huge for him.”
Charlotte Hornets
On the LaMelo Ball trade: “When you trade someone as good and as popular as LaMelo, you have to get it right. We think we did,” a Hornets front office executive said. “Coby (White) is a starting point guard. Brandon (Miller) needs a new deal and he needs the ball more. Same with Kon (Knueppel) as far as needing the ball. Getting all of those picks, plus Naz Reid to help our frontcourt, it was the right move at the right time.”
On where the roster stands now: “(laughs) Well, we have a lot of guys! So, we’ll keep tinkering until camp. I think by the time camp starts, we owe it to our coaching staff to have things mostly in place. We’re excited about the depth we have now across all positions. That should make for a competitive camp,” a Hornets front office executive said.
On Liam McNeeley’s play in Las Vegas: “He showed why he was a first-round pick. Liam’s college year got messed up by a bad ankle injury. He made no excuses, but it wasn’t right for a lot of his rookie year either. This kid is a big-time shooter. There’s no shot he can’t make: off the dribble, on the move, spot-up, going to his right or left. He’s just a pure shooter and scorer. Big leap coming for Liam in Year 2,” a Hornets assistant coach said.
On the big man rotation: “Last year we went into the season knowing Moussa (Diabate) was better than anyone else knew. We hoped Ryan Kalkbrenner would give us something. We hoped Grant Williams would come back and give us a small-ball option at the five. All three happened,” a Hornets front office executive said. “Now, we add Naz Reid and Hannes Steinbach to that mix? That’s real depth and they’re all different kinds of players. That’ll give (head coach) Charles (Lee) a lot to work with this season.”
Keep an eye on Sion James. Charlotte put the ball in his hands a lot in the games he played at Summer League. He didn’t shoot well on self-created shots, but his passing looked a lot better. And his defense remains terrific. Perimeter defense remains a weak spot for the Hornets, but James playing even more will help that a lot.
Chicago Bulls
On the roster rebuild: “Well, we’re just getting started. It’s going to take a bit to get thing where we want them, but we feel like we’re already building a new identity for what we want to be,” a Bulls front office executive said.
On Caleb Wilson: “As things became more and more clear with the draft process, we knew we couldn’t go wrong with whatever guy was on the board when we picked,” a Bulls front office executive said. “That being said, Caleb is the kind of guy you dream about building your franchise around. We couldn’t be happier to have him.”
On the Caleb Wilson/Matas Buzelis pairing: “Buzelis plays like he’s trying to destroy everyone in his path. He plays so angry, but in a good way. And now you add Wilson, who has his boulder-sized chip on his shoulder about being picked fourth. Yeah, good luck. Those guys are going to be really good together for a long time,” a rival scout said.
On adding veteran talent to the roster: “We want our young guys to play meaningful games. Adding guys like Nic (Claxton) and Norman (Powell) will help us stay competitive from the start of the year. We also have a bunch of vets like Tre (Jones), Zach (Collins), Jalen (Smith) and Isaac (Okoro) to help Matas (Buzelis), Caleb (Wilson), Dailyn (Swain), Rob (Dillingham) and Noa (Essengue) throughout the long year too,” a Bulls front office executive said.
You don’t want to overreact to Summer League either way by being too positive or too negative. But Dailyn Swain looks like he has a long way to go. Everything looked like it was moving a little fast for him. On the flip side, Tobe Awaka is going to force his way on the floor eventually. His energy, hustle, rebounding and defense will endear him to the coaching staff immediately.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Note: Cavs folks were reluctant to talk much, because of the uncertainty around the roster. That’s why this section might be a bit light.
On Donovan Mitchell’s extension: “Had to get him signed. He’s a superstar and he wants to be in Cleveland. We don’t take that for granted at all. I know you think the latter years might get rough, but we know how Donovan prepares himself and his body. We think he’ll age just fine,” a Cavaliers front office executive said.
On Meleek Thomas: “Meleek was pretty unhappy that he was one of the only Early Entry guys that wasn’t picked in the first round. But we gave him a contract as good as the late first-round guys because we believe in his talent like that,” a Cavs scout said. “This kid can score from anywhere. He’s also a better passer than I think most realize, and he reads the floor well on defense too. Our guard group is deep, but Meleek clearly loves proving everyone wrong.”
On Jaylon Tyson: “If we need to move some money to make other moves, it might have the added benefit of freeing up more minutes for Jaylon. I know some people think we might not like him as much, but look at the guys in front of him. Veteran shooters. Defenders. Off-ball guys. We love Jaylon and if he keeps improving in those areas, the minutes will come,” a Cavaliers front office executive.
Detroit Pistons
On Jalen Duren: “We very clearly want Jalen back with us for next year and beyond. If we didn’t, we could have easily done several different sign-and-trade deals,” a Pistons front office executive. “But the numbers have to be right. You saw what’s happened with Boston and OKC and New York. We don’t want to have to shed talent around Cade (Cunningham) and Jalen a year or two from now.”
More on Jalen Duren: “JD is a monster. I don’t think any big man in the league has improved as much as JD has in his first four years in the league. Go look at his rookie year. He didn’t know what to do on defense, so he didn’t do much of anything. Last two years, he’s defending at a high level. He reads the floor well on offense. He’s super athletic. I hope everyone can be reasonable and we have him forever in Detroit,” a Pistons assistant coach said.
On the offseason moves so far: “We had to add more shooting and playmaking around Cade (Cunningham) and Jalen (Duren). John (Collins), Isaiah (Joe), Taurean (Prince) and our rookie, Ebuka Okorie, all fill those needs,” a Pistons front office executive said. “John has been one of the best shooting big men in the league for a few years now, and he rebounds. Isaiah is someone we’ve looked at for a few years, but were never in a position to land him. He’s going to have a big year. Taurean has become one of the better shooters in the league too, and he’s got terrific size. Ebuka immediately helps with the extra ballhandling and passing we needed.”
Chaz Lanier and Isaac Jones showed what veterans should at Summer League by putting up good runs. Lanier shot great, while Jones worked well on the glass and on defense. Maybe neither becomes a rotation guy, but Detroit hasn’t been afraid to go deep into their bench for minutes. Don’t be surprised if either player emerges at some point.
Indiana Pacers
On their offseason: “We knew we’d be mostly running it back. We have all the pieces in place. We needed another wing and are thrilled Kelly Oubre Jr. passed up a lot of other offers to join us. We think he’ll be awesome in the up-tempo offense we run with Tyrese (Haliburton) back,” a Pacers front office executive said.
On what’s next: “Training camp? (laughs). Look, it was a long year. We thought we had enough to stay competitive, even with Tyrese (Haliburton) out,” a Pacers assistant coach said. “But then you have like 10 other guys go down and it’s clear that it’s not year. But all of our guys are ready to get back to it. I’ve never seen this many guys around the facility in June and July before, especially when our season ended in April.”
On extensions for Jarace Walker or Ben Sheppard: “We’ll see. We have a lot of money committed to a lot of players already. You can’t keep everyone, unfortunately. Both Jarace and Ben have had moments, but neither have done it consistently. Last year was a big opportunity but, being completely honest, neither guy really seized it. With the depth we have with a healthy team, they both have their work cut out for them,” a Pacers front office executive.
On the team’s two-way players: “Jalen Slawson is better than a two-way player. I’m hopeful we’ll have him back next season. (Note: Slawson re-signed with Indiana on a two-way deal after Summer League.) Braden (Smith) is tough. He’s the best young passer I’ve ever seen. Every time, the ball is exactly where it needs to be. He rebounds and competes on defense despite being small too. He’ll really help keep our G League team organized, but he could be the next rotation guard we develop too,” a Pacers assistant coach said.
Miami Heat
On the offseason: “Well, the works not done. We still have a lot of roster spots to fill! (laughs),” a Heat front office executive said. “But, yeah, landing Giannis (Antetokounmpo) was massive. Yes, we gave up a lot to get him, but if anyone was ever worth it, it’s him.”
On what the team still needs: “More ballhandling, passing and shooting. The big man group is good, minus a little depth. But rotation-wise, we could use more ballhandler and passing, and you can never have enough shooting,” a Heat front office executive said.”
On Nikola Jovic having another big summer for Serbia: “Eventually, that production is going to translate in the NBA. We have to get him healthy and keep him healthy. The talent is obviously there,” a Heat assistant coach said.
Milwaukee Bucks
On life after Giannis Antetokounmpo: “It’s different. We’re in a different mindset for the first time in a long time. It’s scary, but also exciting. We think the young players we’ve added to the roster are going to be core players for us moving forward,” a Bucks front office executive said.
On extending Tyler Herro and/or Jaime Jaquez Jr.: “That’s something we’ll talk about with his reps. We’d love to get something done, provided it makes sense for both Tyler and us,” a Bucks front office executive said. “For Jaime, it’s the same thing. He’s in a different spot because of restricted free agency. But, in an ideal world, you get those things taken care of now. That way everyone can just play the season without the future weighing on them.”
On Brayden Burries: “This was really fun, because we got to the put the ball his hands a lot. He showed scoring and playmaking that you didn’t always get to see in college,” a Bucks assistant coach said. “Not sure how much that’ll happen in the season, because we’ve got a lot of other ballhandlers and creators. But seeing that he can do it is really, really exciting.”
On Nate Ament: “Nate was really good. We didn’t ask him to change his style really at all. We wanted him to take the shots he’s comfortable with. It was nice to see him get on the glass some. He’s a guy we think will improve a lot throughout his first couple of years in the league,” a Bucks front office executive said.
On the roster mix: “We’ve got a lot of vets who are going to play. But behind them are kids who are going to push them. We should have a really competitive camp this year. From talking to the guys, everyone feels energized and ready to go. We’re excited to get back to work already in the fall,” a Bucks front office executive.
New York Knicks
Note: It’s difficult to get Knicks front office personnel to talk, even off the record! This section will be lighter than the others.
On life as the champs: “I still wake up every morning with a smile on my face. It’s incredible the amount of love that came pouring out of the city. I know our entire organization is still reveling in it!” a Knicks front office executive said.
On losing Mitchell Robinson: “Yeah, it’s tough. You want to keep everyone, especially after you accomplish what we did together. But you just can’t. We’re excited to have Andre (Drummond) in the mix now. He’s as good of a backup center as there is in the league. We’ll miss Mitch for sure, but all you can do is keep moving forward,” a Knicks front office executive.
Orlando Magic
On the offseason: “It was pretty quiet, but that’s exactly what we expected. We did hire Sean (Sweeney), who we’re really excited about. But roster-wise, it was mostly about adding and retaining depth,” a Magic front office executive.
On bringing back Nikola Vucevic: “Vooch is beloved in Orlando and he loves Orlando too. He’s talked a lot about how Orlando was going to be home for him after his career, but we think he’s got a lot of basketball left in him,” a Magic front office executive said. “One thing we didn’t have at the center spot was someone who can consistently space the floor, but without hurting our rebounding. Vooch gives us that. Plus, he’s a smart ball-mover and he can duck inside for buckets too. We’re happy he wanted to come back home.”
On why the offseason was so quiet: “We truly believe we have everything in place on the roster. Sean (Sweeney) is going to help drive things forward. For the players, they needed a new voice. They also need to stay healthy,” an Orlando front office executive said. “I’m not sure if this is good or not, but a lot of our injuries to our guys are weird stuff vs. being chronic things. So, we feel good that we’ll figure that out. All the numbers show that when our five starters are together, that they are one of the best lineups in the league. We just need to see it happen a lot more often.”
On an extension for Anthony Black: “Anthony is really important for us. We believe he’s already shown that he can be a starter. It’s just tough because we have two great starting guards already in Jalen (Suggs) and Desmond (Bane). But we believe that drafting and developing good players is the pathway towards winning,” a Magic front office executive said. “Are there long-term concerns with the tax and aprons and all that? Sure. We have to be mindful of all of that, as does every team. But that mindfulness shouldn’t come at the expense of losing talented young players, if you can avoid it.”
Noah Penda got a lot of quality run at Summer League. He had the ball a lot and showed off some really nice passing, as well as knocked down his shots. The Magic frontcourt is stuffed, but Penda might work his way into rotation minutes this season.
Philadelphia 76ers
On adding Jaylen Brown: “When the opportunity was there to add a player hitting his prime who has done nothing but win, while performing at a high level, we had to jump on it,” a Sixers front office executive said. “Jaylen is someone who has such a long, impressive body of work, that you trust it. Yeah, there might be some stats that don’t favor him, but there are a whole lot that do. And when you match that with the eye test, you can easily see how good this guy is.”
On potential fit issues: “You’re always thinking about that when you build your roster. It’s the old saying about ‘There’s only one ball.’ And that’s true. But when your on-ball guys are also good off-ball players, you worry about it less. And when they all want to win, more than they want to score or shoot, you don’t worry about it as much at all,” a Sixers front office executive said.
On Labaron Philon Jr.: “As we built out our plans for the roster, it was clear we needed another ballhandler behind Tyrese Maxey. Labaron will give us that, plus more. He’s so competitive. I think the fans are going to love him. It’s still new for some of us, but Philadelphia has a history of loving guys who work, compete and do anything to win. Labaron fits that mold perfectly,” a Sixers assistant coach said.
On adding depth through free agency: “Everyone is focused on the Jaylen (Brown)-PG (Paul George) trade, but we feel like we got better in free agency too. It’s not something that always happens, because getting quality free agents to change teams is hard,” a 76ers front office executive said. “But getting Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons, then doubling-down with the BAE (Bi-Annual Exception) to get Ariel Hukporti is adding three rotation guys when those tools often deliver one or none. Dean will fit in perfectly, because he does all the non-glamorous stuff and he’s one heck of a defender. Anfernee Simons is a killer scorer to have off the bench. He won Boston a lot of games last year in that role. And Ariel Hukporti gives us another big man, along with Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow and Johni Broome to play behind Joel (Embiid). Look, I’m not saying trading for Jaylen Brown isn’t the biggest move we made, but adding these guys deserves a lot of love too.
Toronto Raptors
Note: No one was willing to delve into the on-hold trade for Kawhi Leonard beyond expressing frustration that things are completed yet.
On drafting Allen Graves: “Clearly, we have an archetype we believe in. We want all-around good players, but they have to defend too,” a Raptors front office executive said. “We think Allen fits that mold perfectly. There are going to be nights where we’ll lean on him and CMB (Collin Murray-Boyles) a lot.”
On the identity the team is trying to build: “We want to be known as a group that is a pain to play against. Even if we aren’t hitting shots, nothing will come easy for you. We’ll play hard and physical. You’re going to feel us. Our goal is for opposing players to see Toronto next on the schedule and to know they are in for a long, tiring night,” a Raptors assistant coach said.”
Don’t be surprised if Nate Bittle eventually lands a two-way spot. He brings a different dimension as a stretch big. Jakob Poeltl has struggled to stay healthy, so the Raptors may want to have one more center option in the fold.
Washington Wizards
On drafting A.J. Dybantsa: “It was a deep draft at the top. We internally said all along that we’d have been happy with any one of the top four guys, but that A.J. was going to be our guy at No. 1,” a Wizards front office executive said. “His competitiveness, his skill, his desire to win, his physical profile. It all adds up to a special player. We’re happy to have A.J. to grow with for years to come.”
On extending Trae Young and not trading Anthony Davis: “When we added Trae and AD, it was never to immediately flip them. You all got that wrong! (laughs),” a Wizards front office executive said. “The idea was to keep both Trae and AD and to start moving things forward. We already have more young talent than one team can really build with. We needed a couple of veterans to push things along. Bringing back Khris (Middleton) is a big part of that too. Our young guys loved having Khris around last year. We’re excited to see where those vets can help this young roster reach.”
On Alex Sarr: “It was disappointing that he got hurt. I don’t know if he would have done anything more than a cameo our here (Summer League) or not. But Alex is ready for a big year. He’s excited to play with and learn from AD (Anthony Davis) and to have Trae (Young) setting him up,” a Wizards assistant coach said. “I don’t know if any player improved more than Alex did last season. There’s a future All-Star in there.”
On the team’s young talent: “We’re lucky to have as many good players as we do. It’s a credit to our scouting and coaching staff to identify and develop those players. Kyshawn (George) is a guy we saw flashes of playmaking from, but our scouts and coaches believed there was more. Kind of the same with Will Riley too. Those guys can do a lot with the ball in their hands beyond just shooting it,” a Wizards front office executive said. “We also believe in Tre Johnson, who should be even more efficient with veteran help to get him good looks. Bilal Coulibaly has already proven he can be a two-way player in our league. A.J. (Dybantsa) is obviously going to get a lot of run too. We have AD (Anthony Davis), Trae (Young) and Khris (Middleton), but the foundation is our young players. The idea is to add players to enhance, guide and help them grow, not to replace them.”
Will Riley really came on strong as his rookie season went along. Riley then was so dominant in Summer League that he made only a cameo appearance. On a team that is suddenly deep in big wings, Riley is going to force his way into regular minutes.