Day: June 26, 2023

Dillon Brooks is looking to command a deal more than the $12.4 million non-taxpayers’ midlevel exception in free agency, according to Marc Stein of Substack.

The Grizzlies decided to move on from Brooks this offseason.

Brooks is drawing interest from the Rockets and Pistons.

Damian Lillard is expected to meet with officials from the Portland Trail Blazers after he returns from his trip to Paris, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic.

According to a source, Lillard will discuss the next steps of the roster-building process with the Blazers.

A source also says that Lillard’s strong preference to play with the types of players that could make the Blazers contenders hasn’t changed despite the team drafting Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray and Rayan Rupert on draft night.

One scenario to appease Lillard that he would be fond of is if the Blazers were to re-sign Jerami Grant while also adding Draymond Green in free agency. The Golden State Warriors are confident of their chances of re-signing Green, while the Blazers also currently lack the necessary cap space to sign him.

Because Joe Cronin and his staff are expected to be afforded time to do business during the free agency period, Lillard likely won’t make a final decision on his next steps until those initial days in July play out.

Victor Wembanyama’s busy summer just got a bit less busy. Wembanyama has chosen to opt out of playing for France at the 2023 FIBA World Cup later this summer. The generational prospect is going to use the time to prepare for his rookie season in the NBA and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

After selecting Wembanyama with the first overall pick at the 2023 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs spoke about his packed summer and the need to manage it appropriately. The 7-foot-4 big man plans to play in some Summer League games for the Spurs, and then he’ll focus on getting ready for his NBA season.

Wembanyama understands there is likely disappointment in his decision to skip the World Cup, but he hopes people will understand his side of things.

“It would not be realistic in terms of development and not prudent in terms of health,” Wembanyama said in announcing his decision to French newspaper L’Equipe. “I hope people will understand. It’s frustrating for me, too. The France team is still central for me. I want to win as many titles as possible with the team. But I think it’s a necessary sacrifice.”