NBA Atlantic

The Boston Celtics and Grant Williams are at an "impasse" in contract extension discussions with Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline on the horizon, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Williams would "likely" accept an extension worth between $14-15 million per year, sources told Scotto, but the Celtics are "unlikely" to offer the 23-year-old such a deal.

“For an extension now, he’s probably in the $12-14 million territory,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype of Williams. “I think $15 million is not out of the question, but definitely on the high end, and it means they’d think he’s going to be a starter.”

Scotto's report comes after Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that "there does not seem to be an extension coming" for Williams.

If Williams and the Celtics are unable to agree on an extension, Boston will likely extend a $6.2 million qualifying offer to the forward, making him a restricted free agent following the 2022-23 campaign.

Extending Williams a qualifying offer would allow the Celtics to match any deal opposing teams may offer him. If they don't match an offer, Williams will be moving on from Boston.

Williams emerged as a key contributor off the bench for Boston during the 2021-22 campaign, averaging 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and one assist in 77 games while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from deep.

The Celtics selected Williams in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft out of Tennessee. In 209 games across three seasons, he's averaging 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and one assist while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Williams will be a sought-after free agent over the summer if he and the Celtics don't agree to terms, especially if he takes another step forward in his development during the 2022-23 season.

The entire city of Philadelphia will be waiting with boo birds—and probably some other birds—ready to fly at Ben Simmons when the Brooklyn Nets visit the Sixers next month.

Simmons says he's ready.

"F--k, I can't wait to go there, yeah," Simmons told Nick Friedell of ESPN. "But for me, everything's an experience and a learning situation. So for me, I'm able to learn something that I've never been through before. I've never been traded and played against a team that I got traded from. Kev has, Ky has, a lot of guys have, but I've never been in that situation so...you have to go through it. Ky went back to Boston, and he didn't play well, but it's a lot. We're people, too. We want to go out there and prove everyone wrong."

Simmons exited Philadelphia in February as one of the most reviled athletes in the city's history. After years of defending the three-time All-Star amid his lack of development as a shooter, Sixers fans turned on him—and hard—as he melted down during the 2021 NBA playoffs.

The situation reached a fever pitch when a chorus of boos rained down on Simmons after he passed up a wide-open dunk, seemingly in fear of getting fouled, during the Sixers' Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Sixers spent the 2021 offseason attempting to find a trade partner for Simmons, who then refused to play after the front office didn't find a deal to its liking. Citing mental health concerns, Simmons held out for more than five months before the Sixers sent him to Brooklyn as part of a deadline-day deal that brought James Harden to Philadelphia.

When the Nets visited Philadelphia a month after the deadline, fans lined up in droves to express their dislike of Simmons despite the fact he wasn't even playing because of a back injury. Still, Simmons says he hopes for a potential reconciliation down the line.

"Who knows? I can't predict the future," Simmons said. "I would have never told myself this would have gone this way at the start of my career. Who knows if in four or five years I end up going back? I don't know. It could be a whole different situation, but for now, I don't want to make my mind up and say it's not possible for anything to change."

It's clear there are still some hard feelings on a personal level from Simmons as well. While he expressed admiration for Joel Embiid as a player, he made it clear the two never shared a personal relationship while they were teammates.

The dynamic when the two share the floor for the first time as opponents will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the NBA's first month.

Despite being teammates for five-plus seasons, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid never had much of a relationship off the court.

Speaking to ESPN's Nick Friedell, Simmons said he and Embiid "never really spoke" during their time together with the Philadelphia 76ers:

"I don't think there was really a relationship there. Like in terms of a friendship? You can try as hard as you want to try to be close to somebody, be their friend, whatever it is, but everyone is different as people, so for me, it's never personal. I don't have any anger or hate towards him. He is who he is and I am who I am. And we've got our personal lives. And work is basketball, so in that moment, my goal is to win and I got to win with Jo. He's a great player, we just didn't get it done."

There have been indications from both players that they didn't have a close relationship outside of being teammates.

In a March interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, soon after Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid said he didn't hold any resentment toward the three-time All-Star.

"I wouldn’t mind being friends," Embiid said. "That’s just me. I don’t care. Honestly. I respect the decision he made. I think it’s unfortunate what happened, but to me it’s whatever."

The end of the Philadelphia 76ers' era with Simmons and Embiid as the top two players came on June 20, 2021. The Sixers lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks.

After the game, Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers were critical of Simmons for his performance in the game. The entire saga spilled over to the start of the 2021-22 season, eventually leading to Philadelphia trading Simmons to Brooklyn in February.

Simmons ultimately sat out all of last season to focus on his mental health and a back injury that required surgery in May. The 26-year-old has been playing for the Nets throughout the preseason.

Brooklyn's first preseason game was against the Sixers on Oct. 3. Simmons scored six points with five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes. He had his best showing of the preseason on Wednesday, dropping seven points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a 107-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Simmons will make his regular-season debut for the Nets on Oct. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans at Barclays Center.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is a wanted man leading up to the 2024 Olympics.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein in his Substack Newsletter, Embiid has "firm interest" from Team USA for the Paris Games.

Stein noted Embiid, who gained French citizenship in July, is also being pursued by the host country to play for the French national team.

Embiid told reporters on Sept. 29 he was also sworn in as a U.S. citizen earlier in the month.

"I've been here for a long time," the five-time All-Star said. "My son is American. I felt like, I'm living here and it's a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?"

French national team coach Vincent Collet told reporters Thursday he's hopeful Embiid will play for him in two years.

"I know he met some of our players to discuss," Collet said. "I think he should play with us. But we will see. We will respect his decision whatever it is."

Even though the Olympic teams would probably like a swift decision, Embiid made it clear he's not focused on 2024 right now.

"I just want to be healthy and win a championship and go from there," he said last month.

Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, has yet to participate in the Olympics. He was mentored by fellow Cameroon basketball player Luc Mbah a Moute before heading to Kansas in 2013.

Steve Kerr will be the head coach for Team USA during this Olympic cycle. He will take over for Gregg Popovich, who led the squad to a gold medal at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

The U.S. team defeated France 87-82 in the men's final to win its fourth consecutive Olympic title. Despite the loss, the French squad tied its best finish at the Olympics and medaled for the first time since 2000.

Team USA is the top squad in the FIBA world rankings. Spain, Australia, Argentina and France round out the top five.

While Embiid decides about his Olympic future, he is also preparing for his ninth season with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged an NBA-best 30.6 points per game and finished second in MVP voting.

The Sixers will open the regular season on Oct. 18 against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

Jayson Tatum is determined to not make his first NBA Finals experience his last.

“It was just a learning experience, learning a lesson,” Tatum told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Maybe do some things differently next time if you get to that point. Obviously, it's tough to learn a lesson that way, but it is what it is …

"It just fuels you. Motivates you to get back to that point."

Tatum was limited to just 21.5 points per game over the six-game series, shooting 36.7 percent from the floor as the Golden State Warriors defense thwarted nearly all of his efforts inside of the arc. While Tatum was able to stay involved offensively by averaging 7.0 assists per game, he spent most of the Finals being outperformed by teammate Jaylen Brown.

The three-time All-Star played through a shoulder injury and pain in his right wrist throughout the Finals but never made the issues public until the offseason.

"It affected me, but that's why I never talked about it," Tatum said. “I didn’t show people I was wearing a brace [off the court] because if I'm out there, if you playing, then you playing. So, if you can't play, then you can't play. It was June, so everybody was dealing with something. I wasn't the only guy out there that was banged up."

Tatum will likely have to take on an outsized leadership role on and off the court this season. Ime Udoka's suspension for multiple team policy violations leaves the Boston Celtics entering a season with a new head coach for the second straight year, which will force Tatum and Brown to step up as the true pillars of the locker room.

Tatum has largely been a lead-by-example player over the course of his career, with Marcus Smart being highlighted as the franchise's emotional leader. But the Finals showed emotional leadership can only go so far.

Tatum is the best player on the roster and has a chance to establish himself as the latest all-time great to wear a Celtics uniform. His next step will be embracing the role his play has earned him.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said that he wants guard James Harden to be a "scoring Magic Johnson" for his team this year.

Rivers made the remarks in a conversation on NBA Today (45-second mark).

"I think we've talked so much about him being a facilitator ... but I need him to be James Harden too," Rivers said. "If I had to combine, I would say a scoring Magic Johnson, I don't know ... but that's what I want him to be.

"I want him to be a James Harden, but in that, I want him to also be the facilitator of this basketball team too. So in a lot of ways, his role is growing bigger for our team, and I just want him to keep thinking, 'Do both.'"

Harden was a dominant scorer in his heyday, notably leading the NBA in points per game from 2017-18 to 2019-20 with the Houston Rocket. But the past two years with the Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and 76ers have seen him defer more on the scoring end and become more of a facilitator.

He's averaged 10.5 assists per game over the last two years. His 21.0 points per game last year was his lowest mark since 2011-12, when he was the third option on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that featured Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

As for the Johnson comparison, Magic was best known for his remarkable facilitating abilities on the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, who won five NBA titles under his leadership. He led the NBA in assists four times and averaged 11.2 per game for his career.

A "scoring Magic Johnson" would be an incredible asset (and a likely MVP candidate) for the 76ers, who already sport one of the game's brightest stars in Joel Embiid alongside a solid supporting cast that includes Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey.

We'll soon find out how Harden and the 76ers fare this year as they start the season on Oct. 18 at the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar called Kyrie Irving a "comical buffoon" after the Brooklyn Nets guard reposted a video of right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his Instagram feed last month.

"Alex Jones is one of the most despicable human beings alive and to associate with him means you share his stench," Abdul-Jabbar wrote on his Substack page.

Jones, owner of the far-right website InfoWars, is best known for his self-titled radio show, which features the host promoting debunked conspiracy theories, espousing lies about the 2020 U.S. presidential election and giving platforms to white nationalists.

In August, a judge ordered Jones to pay $45.2 million in damages to the parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting after Jones perpetuated lies that the tragedy was a false-flag government conspiracy aimed at taking away guns from citizens. Investigators have also sought Jones' phone records in connection with the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol building.

Jones is one of the most dangerous and powerful sources of misinformation that exists on the internet.

In the clip posted by Irving, Jones lies about a "tyrannical organization calling itself the New World Order" that is "releasing diseases and viruses and plagues upon us." While Jones originally made the remark in 2002, the updated video is captioned "Never Forget Alex Jones Tried to Warn Us."

Irving has refused to undergo COVID-19 vaccination and has railed against vaccine mandates. The Nets guard mocked the overwhelmingly negative reaction to his decision to repost Jones' conspiracy theory:

Full:https://t.co/L3M4J561WB

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 16, 2022

For a person of Irving's stature to repost Jones' rhetoric is, at best, irresponsible. As Abdul-Jabbar notes, Irving's rhetoric has been "destructive, insensitive and just plain silly" and reflects poorly on the NBA and its players.

The six-time NBA champion called on fans to pressure sponsors into dropping Irving as a spokesperson.

"Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes," Abdul-Jabbar wrote. "When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society—Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more—it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks.

"Irving does not seem to have the capacity to change, but we have the capacity to keep fighting against his brand of destructive behavior. One way to do that, beyond shaking our heads and nasty tweets, is to write to his sponsors and tell them to drop Irving—or you will drop them."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported Nike is unlikely to continue its sponsorship agreement with Irving after the 2022-23 season. The Nets also refused a long-term commitment to Irving this offseason, leading to him having to return on a deal that expires next summer.

The Boston Celtics won't stand in Ime Udoka's path if the suspended head coach gets a chance to seek employment elsewhere.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news Friday:

"At a news conference last week, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said the suspension—which extends through June 30, 2023—was a product of multiple violations of team policies, and sources told ESPN the Celtics won't stand in Udoka's way should he have the chance to become a coaching candidate elsewhere. There are teams that have tried to gather a preliminary understanding of the full explanation for Udoka's suspension in preparation for possibly evaluating him for future coaching employment, sources told ESPN."

Wojnarowski reported on Sept. 21 that the suspension resulted from his role in an "intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise's staff."

Udoka joined the Celtics last year after nine seasons as an NBA assistant. He led Boston to an Eastern Conference title, its first since 2010.

Wojnarowski previously reported on other teams' potential interest in Udoka (h/t ClutchPoints).

"In talking to some other organizations today, he may become a candidate or a coach of interest for other jobs that might open or might become open during the season or certainly next season," Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter on Sept. 22.

Udoka does not plan to resign from the Celtics amid the suspension, per NBA insider Chris B. Haynes. He has since apologized for "putting the team in this difficult situation" and has accepted the suspension.

There's speculation and insight that Udoka has coached his last game with the Celtics. Of note, Brian Robb of MassLive reported on that front in a recent mailbag.

"At this point, I’d be pretty shocked if he did," Robb said in response to a question regarding whether he thought Udoka would coach the Celtics again. "Time will ultimately tell the tale on this front but wouldn’t surprise me to see the two sides eventually reach some sort of buyout of Udoka’s contract. Leaving a suspension open-ended after one season speaks volumes in my mind that there is far from a guarantee that he would ever be welcomed back."

In the meantime, assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will step in as the team's interim head coach. The 34-year-old, who starred for West Virginia as a guard en route to a 2010 Final Four berth, has worked as an assistant with Boston since 2019.

The C's open the season on Oct. 18 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin has reportedly joined the Boston Celtics for the 2022-23 NBA season.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that Griffin signed a one-year, fully guaranteed contract. The deal is for the veteran's minimum, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.

The Celtics are the 2009 No. 1 pick's fourth stop after his stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.

Here are some initial thoughts following the free-agent signing:

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Griffin Ticketed for Key Role amid Frontcourt Injuries

The Celtics frontcourt looked complete a month ago with Al Horford, Robert Williams III, Danilo Gallinari and Grant Williams leading the way, but injuries are already mounting.

Gallinari suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Italy national team, which could cause him to miss the entire season, and Robert Williams is expected to miss at least two months after undergoing knee surgery last week.

As a result, Boston is likely to feature more small-ball lineups with Jayson Tatum at the 4 and Horford at the 5, but Griffin gives it the option to play more traditional looks.

The 33-year-old University of Oklahoma product can fill a multitude of frontcourt roles, including as a stretch 4 or a defender of opposing 5s, and he also brings plenty of experience, including 67 postseason appearances, to the table.

That should allow him to play a fair amount of minutes, probably in the 20-25 range, as a multifaceted reserve until Williams returns.

Griffin, who averaged just 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 56 games for the Nets last season, is no longer the All-NBA performer he was in his prime and is more of a complementary contributor.

That said, he's still a solid pickup for the Celtics at this late stage of the offseason, especially given their glaring need up front.

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Celtics Taking No Chances with Championship Window Open

Boston could have tried to fill the hole left by Williams with a variety of internal options, including Luke Kornet, Noah Vonleh and Luka Šamanić.

But none of them have the proven track record of Griffin, and the Celtics are one of the NBA's top title contenders after they reached the NBA Finals last season. Playing it safe by bringing another veteran into the mix was the way to go.

That's not to say the other frontcourt reserves won't get minutes. The Celtics won't want to overextend Tatum or Horford since the franchise could have another year in which it plays more than 100 games.

Griffin's role may diminish as the frontcourt gets closer to full strength, and, barring a resurgent season, he may not crack the playoff rotation. Even if that's the case, he still makes a lot of sense as an insurance policy.

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Carmelo Anthony's Search for a New Team Continues

While the Celtics signed Griffin, they were linked to another marquee name after Williams' injury: Carmelo Anthony, who enjoyed success in a reserve role for the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

Melo averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 threes while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc in 69 games. It was a sign that he completed the transition to role player after so many years as a go-to scorer.

Like Griffin, the 38-year-old forward cannot provide the impact he once did, but there's little doubt he can still be valuable during the latter stages of his Hall of Fame career.

Anthony should find a team at some point, even if he has to wait until another injury arises, but time is running out for him to land on a roster before opening night Oct. 18.

The Boston Celtics are reportedly looking at two former head coaches to serve as assistants on Joe Mazzulla's staff for the 2022-23 season.

Per NBA reporter Marc Stein in his Substack Newsletter, the Celtics have shown interest in Frank Vogel and Terry Stotts as top assistants to help their interim head coach.

Stein did note Boston is "pessimistic" about the chances of hiring either one.

In addition to Vogel and Stotts, the Celtics pursued Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga to work on Mazzulla's staff.

Per Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, Larranaga is going to remain with the Clippers. He spent nine seasons with Boston as an assistant coach from 2012-21.

Mazzulla took over as interim head coach for the Celtics after Ime Udoka was suspended for the 2022-23 season on Sept. 22 for violations of team policies.

The 34-year-old Mazzulla is tied with Will Hardy of the Utah Jazz as the youngest head coaches in the NBA for the upcoming season. His only previous experience as a head coach was in college at Fairmont State from 2017-19.

Per ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Mazzulla is the youngest head coach to start a season with a team that reached the NBA Finals in the previous year since Bill Russell was hired as player-coach in Boston at the age of 32 for the 1966-67 campaign.

Brad Stevens hired Mazzulla as an assistant on his coaching staff in June 2019. After Stevens was promoted to president of basketball operations after the 2020-21 season, Udoka retained Mazzulla as an assistant.

Stotts sat out last season after parting ways with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 64-year-old has a 517-486 career record in 13 seasons as a head coach between the Blazers, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.

In May, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported Stotts wasn't interested in being an assistant when he was connected to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Vogel was fired as head coach of the Lakers in April after the team missed the playoffs with a 37-45 record. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the Celtics from 2001-04. The 49-year-old has 11 years of experience as a head coach between the Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.