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New York Knicks acquire Brooklyn Nets’ Mikal Bridges in blockbuster trade ahead of NBA Draft, free agency new,york,knicks,acquire,brooklyn,nets,mikal,bridges,in,blockbuster,trade,ahead,of,nba,draft,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis,nba-rumors-news

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Boom. In the quiet, with less than 24 hours before the start of Wednesday’s 2024 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks have pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Knicks are shipping out four future unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks, an unprotected swap, a second-rounder and Bojan Bogdanovic for Mikal Bridges.

In a follow up tweet, Woj added: “The Knicks pay a steep price to land one of the league’s most coveted trade assets and the Nets get a massive haul to replenish assets and embark on a rebuild with mass cap space and future draft picks.”

With Jalen Brunson, fresh off his first All-Star bid, the All-NBA Second team, and having finished fourth in MVP voting, along with Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, Bridges will now round out the Villanova Knicks.

The Nets once depleted their draft warchest for James Harden, who they then traded for Ben Simmons back in 2022. So this allows Brooklyn, who has reportedly turned down numerous other offers for the quintessential 3-and-D stud in the past, to restock and then some.

The next major question for the Knicks is what this could mean, if anything, for OG Anunoby’s future?

The former Raptor recently opted out of his one-year player option. And all insiders seem to agree that he’s all but certain to re-sign in New York. Would adding Bridges, someone who essentially plays the same small forward position as OG, change the equation? Could this be a form of “insurance” should Anunoby somehow walk? There have at least been rumors that OG’s camp was not satisfied with the extension offers he received from Knicks’ President Leon Rose — fueling rumors out of Philadelphia, a team named by numerous sources as having interest.

But there is still plenty of room to keep him around in New York if they trim in other places.

According to Yossi Gozlan, previously with Hoops Hype, the Knicks are now hard-capped yet could still theoretically retain both Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein.

Where would they cut costs then? We’ve already seen rumors that Mitchell Robinson could be on the move, with the Wizards being one team named.

Another former All-NBA Second Teamer, Julius Randle, also has a hefty salary, and should offer back some value if the Knicks looked to move the former Lakers and Pelicans power forward too. If they truly want to avoid the hard cap, then it makes sense why SNY’s Ian Begley had this to add:

As far as the Sixers are concerned, well, you can figure out the bad news rather quickly. Not only does Bridges’ name go off the trade market, he lands with the very team that just knocked Joel Embiid and the squad out of the playoffs back in May.

In many ways, Mikal would have made a perfect fit playing alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — and it doesn’t make things any easier to swallow remembering the Sixers once drafted the rangy wing before quickly trading him on Draft Day 2018.

As for Paul George? Well, the Knicks were one team that had been rumored to potentially have interest in PG should the nine-time All-Star opt in to his one-year player option. Brian Windhorst, Marc Stein and other reporters had previously named the Knicks as a team to watch should the Clippers’ former All-NBA forward pass up the chance to hit free agency — where Daryl Morey and the Sixers would almost certainly have a $212M max four-year deal waiting for the Palmdale native… assuming they don’t surprise us between now and July 1 like the Knicks just did.

With this move, George may lose one option he may have had in an opt-in and trade scenario. That is likely the one part of this move that Morey will — at least momentarily — enjoy. But the Golden State Warriors have already been named as another team to keep close watch on if PG doesn’t wind up hitting free agency but rather seeking trade from his native L.A.

The Athletic’s Fred Katz has been reminding fans that Anunoby is likely re-signing with the Knicks. And with this news bomb, Katz doesn’t appear to be changing his tune much:

Same goes for SNY’s Ian Begley:

If the Knicks really started to feel a cap crunch, in the instance they do keep Anunoby on a deal somewhere in the (rumored) $35M annual-range, perhaps Hartenstein would ultimately become New York’s casualty of this Bridges blockbuster.

The Nets were not done either.

More fro Woj on X:

“Another massive deal: Brooklyn has a deal with Houston to return the Nets’ 2026 first-round pick for a 2027 Phoenix Suns first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Rockets also acquire 2025 right to swap Houston/OKC first for 2025 Suns first-round pick. More details coming on picks deal.”

So not only do the Nets “make up” for some of the picks they lost in that Harden deal by moving Bridges to the Knicks, they recouped some of their own picks they once moved in 2020-2021.

That means… wait for it… you guessed it… the Nets can finally tank and “improve” their own picks — something they couldn’t do back when the Boston Celtics possessed Brooklyn’s lottery picks — helping Danny Ainge and subsequent execs like Brad Stevens begin building the current 2024 champs back in 2016.

On the Rockets side of things, Woj had this to add:

So now Morey and co. can keep watching the clock hoping that there isn’t a news bomb that PG has opted in; unless of course the Sixers have one of these shockers brewing themselves.

And oh right, maybe Kevin Durant could be available too, I guess? Add Durant to your wish list along with PG, Jimmy Butler, Anunoby and Brandon Ingram.

Must be nice….

2024 NBA Draft: Will the Sixers make a pick? Check out our full list of prospect profiles nba,draft,will,the,sixers,make,a,pick,check,out,our,full,list,of,prospect,profiles,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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The Sixers’ vibes are a little different this season ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

At this time last year, we didn’t know what would happen with James Harden. The Sixers also had zero draft picks. Well, Harden is a Clipper (for now) and thanks to the trade that sent The Beard to L.A., the Sixers now have a decent chunk of draft capital.

Going into Wednesday night, the Sixers own a first-round pick (No. 16) and a second-round pick (No. 41). They also have one player on a guaranteed contract (Joel Embiid) and another that is about to receive a max contract (Tyrese Maxey). That means Morey could potentially have 13 roster spots to fill before the start of the 2024-25 season.

But what will the Sixers do? Take a player at 16? Trade back to acquire more future picks and provide more cap flexibility? Trade it in a package for a player? This is likely the type of optionality Morey envisioned when he enacted his cap space plan. Wednesday night’s draft will reveal the first phase of that plan.

Below are all the draft profiles we published at Liberty Ballers over the last month.

2024 NBA Draft: Baylor Scheierman is one of the oldest players in the draft, but he can really play nba,draft,baylor,scheierman,is,one,of,the,oldest,players,in,the,draft,but,he,can,really,play,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman.

Baylor Scheierman destroyed the Summit League during his time at South Dakota State, becoming the conference’s Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season. That led to a transfer to Creighton, where he changed from being a jumbo-sized point guard to more of a playmaking — and high-volume shooting — wing.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 35 games, 36.8 minutes, 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.1 blocks, 44.8% FG, 38.1% 3P, 87.6% FT

Team: Creighton

Year: Fifth-year senior

Position: Wing

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’6.25” | 201.6 lbs

Born: September 26, 2000 (23 years old)

Hometown: Hastings, Nebraska

High School: Aurora

Strengths

Scheierman fit right into Creighton’s offense as a high-volume three-point shooter. He hit a preposterous 45.6% from deep in his sophomore and junior seasons at South Dakota State. His efficiency went down in a tougher league on a higher volume, but he still hit 38.1% on over eight attempts per game last season. He’s not just a shooter though. His experience as a point guard showed as a secondary playmaker for the Bluejays. He has a methodical style with the ball in his hands, but he often makes good decisions and delivers crisp passes.

He’s not the greatest athlete, but he fights on defense. He often took on difficult defensive assignments for Creighton and acquitted himself well against stiff competition in the NCAA Tournament. He’s also an excellent rebounder, pulling down over nine a game last season.

Weaknesses

Scheierman is one of the oldest players in this draft. He’ll turn 24 before the 2024-25 season begins. He was excellent for the Bluejays, but was also playing at 23 years old. The other concern is going to be a lack of elite athleticism. He actually tested decently at the combine, but there could be concerns when it’s time to go against NBA athletes.

Positional Fit

Scheierman’s experience as a point guard at 6-foot-6 makes him intriguing. The player I see the most is Joe Ingles — a big lefty that can handle, pass and shoot the hell out of the ball. Ingles has never been an explosive athlete, but he fights on defense and uses his savvy to make up for those limitations. It’s easy to see a similar NBA path for Scheierman.

Draft Projection

Late first, early second round

Bottom line, Scheierman can really play. He can shoot, has high-level feel and plays his butt off on defense. He doesn’t have any type of star ceiling, but he projects as a really intriguing role player. If he’s still there at pick 41, he should absolutely be in play for the Sixers.

Sixers free agency rumor roundup: An absolute gallon of fuel dumped on the PG-to-the-Sixers’ fire sixers,free,agency,rumor,roundup,an,absolute,gallon,of,fuel,dumped,on,the,pg,to,the,sixers,fire,liberty,ballers,front-page

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New day, new deluge of Sixers rumors to get to. The 2024 NBA Draft is now less than a week away. Unlike last season, when Daryl Morey was going radio silent on James Harden hoping he’d opt into his one-year player option, teams are now legally allowed to negotiate with their own free agents.

But the Clippers haven’t appeared to gain any traction on keeping their nine-time All-Star, Paul George. (Emoji eyes).

Let’s do a Sixers rumor roundup focused solely on the SoCal native’s potential relocation to Philly.

Photo by Jim Cowsert/NBAE via Getty Images

Okay, so you already know Embiid stole NBA Finals headlines by recruiting PG with a dashing and mischievous smile on national TV days before Boston put the finishing touches on the Mavs.

That marked somewhat of a key change in Embiid’s offseason demeanor. He was no longer staying silent or looking for mere #dawgs like P.J. Tucker. Now he has his sights set on a much bigger fish.

Recent local L.A. reporting

According to Tomer Azarly for ClutchPoints, June 19:

“…there is no indication the Clippers are prepared to drop a max … that offer has not been on the table in recent months and there’s nothing to indicate that line of thinking has changed….George feels that he’s still worth a max contract and, as one league source told ClutchPoints, that Leonard’s three-year, $150 million shouldn’t affect his own.”

Mirjam Swanson, from the SoCal Nes Group, believes the Clippers and George are heading toward a divorce: “that’s why it’s starting to feel, after staring at the tea leaves trying to stitch together a predictive pattern for the past few months, like they’re headed for a divorce.”

The columnist working the Clips beat added, as recently as June 20:

“The 76ers, who are among the collection of teams in contention mode, could – and pretty clearly would – offer George a max deal of four years and $212.2 million. So could the Magic, with whom George could flourish, playing relatively pressure-free basketball – and, in either scenario, paying significantly less state income tax than he would in California.

The Clippers know this. And they’re letting it be known that they’re fine with it.

Perhaps they’re assuming the Palmdale product will find it in his heart to take a hometown discount? I don’t know, though. It’s not been the warmest homecoming; the guy gets booed every time he appears on a Jumbotron outside of Crypto.com Arena….”

Another local voice, Justin Russo, via Substack, sang a similar tune as Azarly and Swanson.

Per Russo, some sourced intel, from Juneteenth:

“[Kawhi Leonard’s January extension] left George out in the cold, awaiting his own fresh deal. It has yet to come, and sources tell Russo Writes at the time of this writing that the two sides…. have grown no closer to agreeing on a new contract for the 34-year-old.”

“…as was first reported by yours truly at Russo Writes in April, George told a rival player late in the season that money is what matters the most to him during these negotiations, not playing close to home.”

George has until June 29 to decide on his player option. At the moment of this writing, George is likely to decline it, a source not authorized to speak publicly on the matter tells Russo Writes.

“..it feels like the marriage is ready to dissolve….”

Did you catch that line? PG told a rival player late in the year that money talks, not playing close to home. (Double emoji eyes).

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently speculated that the Clips think PG is “bluffing” about wanting the money and being willing to leave. Russo’s report suggests otherwise.

National voices weigh in

On a June 19 pod where Marc Stein hosted Chris Haynes, Haynes reminded us that with a new arena opening this coming season the Clippers “…. want all their horses in the fold. They want to have a championship-caliber team going into that arena for next season…” but Haynes adds that PG leaving would be a game changer. In that scenario, Haynes could even see the team pivoting to a name like DeMar DeRozan, another L.A. native.

Stein adds ice water: “I can’t see George leaving…but… they clearly want Paul George to come in under the max, …they clearly want George at their price….” and Stein reminds listeners that hasn’t happened yet.

From PG himself

And of course, amid all of this speculation, George, perhaps in negotiation mode, is doing little to make either side feel extra comfortable.

One nugget now going viral was delivered from PG two weeks ago on the “Podcast P with Paul George.”

Former Blazers’ star Zach Randolph references the Daryl Morey-James Harden divorce as an example of an organization not being straight up with a player.

Minutes after Z-Bo’s point, after discussing his own experiences with perceived front office betrayals, George adds, on the general subject of F.O. chicanery:

“Believe it or not like, players talk, you know what I mean. And then reputations go around, like, ‘hey man, I don’t know about going to this place, because they shit, watch yo’ back, you know what I mean?’ That’s the conversations you have.”

So no, he wasn’t directly responding to the Morey-Harden thing. But you don’t have to use mental telepathy to piece together what Harden has expressed to PG about his own recent divorce with the Sixers’ current President of B-Ball Ops. The question is, would PG care enough to take less? And if so, how much less?

Money talks

According to Spotrac, PG has about $305,332,086M in career earnings. Celebrity Net Worth has ventured he’s worth an estimated $90M.

So if C.N.W is even remotely on the scent here, it makes sense why an extra $30-$40M would sway PG. (If you had $90K in the bank, your last great chance to add an additional $30K, regardless of your career-to-date earnings, might be very important to you.)

If Morey dropped a $212M offer at the first second of free agency making clear PG is his top priority, while the Clippers came in with a significantly lower figure, adhering to some invisible pecking order where PG is beneath Leonard, maybe PG could find a way to trust Daryl. Too bad the Sixers couldn’t offer PG an expiring two-year no-trade-clause.

***OR*** maybe PG is already sick of Harden, lol, get this…

The Athletic’s Law Murray appeared on The Athletic NBA show. Murray thinks he loves L.A. and that his body performs better in warm weather but wants the team to get younger. “But I think Paul wants his money,” Murray concludes.

So is PG sick of Harden already?

PG on play style

PG was asked about what he’s prioritizing with FA on the horizon:

“For sure contributing to winning basketball. I mean at this point… It’s not even about… Like people are saying, ‘chasing a championship.’ Like, it’s not that. But it’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing.”

The quintessential 3-and-D wing added more context that all seems a bit “anti-Beard:”

“We started the year off rolling, we started year off hot….

“And then we traded to get James [Harden] and it’s not James’ fault of why I think we struggled, but the lost part of that was we lost [Robert Covington] we lost Nico [Batum]. Those were our glue guys….So again, it had nothing to do with grabbing James, it was more so losing those guys. KJ Martin as well…. RoCo was huge for us. Nico was huge for us. So you plug those guys around myself, Kawhi, and [Russell Westbrook] they did a lot of the dirty work. And now you grab James, who is super talented offensively, now myself, Kawhi, we become the dirty guys. Now we have to score too. I think it was just a lot that we were trying to balance and manage at that point.

“But again, it had nothing to do with James. James I thought was awesome for us.”

Lol, Not that there’s anything wrong with James! He’s a fine player!

We’ve come a long way

In early May, Shams Charania reported that “this Clippers team fully intends to keep this group together, they want to bring back Paul George as a free agent or give him an extension, but they have not been able to reach an agreement….”

A week later, Shams shared that people around the NBA “have the belief” George wants to remain a Clipper.

PG himself even noted he’d love to have his jersey retired in both Indy and L.A.

Adrian Wojnarowski also reported on May 29 that the Boats are “determined to keep” the 14-year vet.

Jake Fischer, for Yahoo, on May 24 reported:

“The Clippers, sources said, remain hopeful through continuous dialogue that George and his representatives will agree to terms with his incumbent franchise.” But Fischer added that if there is no max, PG might walk. He also reported: “Rival teams and agents are conducting business, sources said, under the impression the Clippers aren’t keen on committing to guaranteed money beyond the three-year window of Leonard’s deal that runs through 2026-27.”

Now this….

Conclusion

If the Clippers are hoping or assuming PG will give them a hometown discount, it’s one very dangerous game they’re playing.

In the three-plus weeks since top dogs Woj, Shams and Fischer made clear L.A. wants to keep this group together, it feel as if everything has shifted. Or nothing has shifted, and that’s a really big deal.

Are the Clippers reluctant but secretly willing to pay full price, in mere hopes of getting him on a lower all-in number? A “Tobias Harris special” maybe? Remember, (or better yet forget) Harris in 2019 was eligible to sign a $197M five-year deal but he ultimately signed for $180M. Is that something the Clippers might have in mind? $180M for four years? What if they offered $195? Would that get it done? In similar situations with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, the Clippers benefitted from the star player opting in then being traded — allowing L.A. to at least recoup assets and flexibility. That’s how they got Kawhi and PG in the first place. Perhaps that’s what they’d like most.

Has PG been communicating to them that there is a number below a max but he doesn’t want to play with Harden anymore? Would letting James walk and keeping PG be the cleanest way to alleviate these second-apron hell concerns?

Every day that passes (with no bomb that they’re going to make him a truly competitive offer) must ring like a silent symphony to Morey and Embiid’s star-hunting ears.

There is so much smoke to this fire that I almost feel compelled to wrap it up with a dead fish prediction: the Sixers are still highly unlikely to land PG, and if they do they’ll be highly unlikely to win a title. That’s the safest bet, sadly. If PG wants to stay, and they want him, chances are they will settle upon some large figure that satisfies all parties. And there’s always other teams lurking.

But holy shit, the Sixers might really get Paul George, and still keep some of their five draft picks. What do you think, maybe 30 percent?

2024 NBA Draft: Jalen Bridges has the makings of a 3-and-D player with upside at the next level. nba,draft,jalen,bridges,has,the,makings,of,a,and,d,player,with,upside,at,the,next,level,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Baylor’s Jalen Bridges.

After starting his collegiate career near home at West Virginia, Jalen Bridges transferred to Baylor for his final two seasons. As a redshirt senior in 2023-24, Bridges was a huge part of the Bears’ success, showing off the type of skillset that makes him an ideal 3-and-D wing prospect — and possibly more.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 35 games, 31.7 minutes, 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, 46.6% FG, 41.2% 3P, 82.3% FT

Team: Baylor

Year: Redshirt senior

Position: SF/PF

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’6.75” | 213.4 lbs

Born: May 14, 2001 (23 years old)

Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia

High School: Fairmont Senior High School

Strengths

Jalen Bridges has developed into a dynamic shooter with clean mechanics, capable of shooting off of screens or off the dribble. He displayed some level of shot creation in some of his pull-up jumpers, showcasing in-out dribbles on drives and spin moves. He likely won’t ever be a full-time ball hander, but he can at least attack closeouts or take the ball up the court on fast breaks. Bridges is a smart player and moves well off the ball often relocating on the perimeter for threes or cutting at the right time for opportunities at the rim. Defensively, Bridges uses his 6-10 wingspan well and is able to switch onto a variety on positions. He slides his feet well, along with disrupting passing lanes. Baylor liked to use zone defense, with Bridges being effective within it.

Weaknesses

Bridges is one of the more refined prospects slated to go in the second round, meaning there aren’t too many holes in his game. Prior to this year, he was an inconsistent three-point shooter — shooting 34.4 percent from three throughout his first three collegiate seasons. Compared to other multi-year prospects, he was a low-usage player which suggests he’ll never be able to be a full-time creator.

Positional Fit

Bridges has the size and quickness to guard anywhere from 1-3; even capable of guarding smaller fours. On the court, he’ll be best optimized as a true wing next to a traditional point guard. He has a lot of Royce O’Neale to his game — a wing who can guard most players, hit threes at a high clip and provide secondary playmaking.

Draft Projection

Second round

The Sixers currently are slated to pick at 41st overall, which falls right into the range most expect Jalen Bridges to go. Bridges’ age makes his ceiling lower, but most label him as a surefire second-round pick that should be able to help teams fast compared to other prospects.

Report: Paul George, Clippers ‘not on the same page’ with extension talks ahead of free agency report,paul,george,clippers,not,on,the,same,page,with,extension,talks,ahead,of,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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As we all watch in disgust as the Celtics look set to win the NBA Finals, a sliver of offseason slop might provide a small boost to Sixers fans’ spirits.

ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst shared a nugget that could leave the door open to nine-time All-Star Paul George coming to Philly in free agency. As a guest on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, Windhorst said that George and the Clippers “have swapped numbers, and they’re not on the same page.”

As Windy notes in the clip above, the two sides could’ve reached an agreement at any time and failed to do so. Kawhi Leonard signed an extension with L.A. way back in January for three years and a shade below $150 million. Notably, that was not a max contract extension for Leonard. Perhaps the Clippers are hoping to get George to agree to a similar deal while the six-time All-NBA selection knows that there will be max offers waiting for him in free agency.

In any case, it does leave the door cracked open for the Sixers, the first team Windhorst mentions as a George suitor. Windy also spoke about the potential of a sign-and-trade between the Clippers and Sixers, which could lead to a few intriguing scenarios for Daryl Morey and company.

While all indications are that PG-13 is the Sixers’ Plan A, their Plan B might not involve free agents at all. If they fail to sign George, a trade is the next possible outcome, per Windhorst.

“If they don’t get [George], where’s the Sixers’ money going? What are they going to do with it? Not necessarily sign players, I think the actual big transactions this summer will be trades — teams taking on salary in trades. Philly, potentially, if they don’t get Paul George, [could] try to trade for guys into their cap space.”

The two biggest names potentially on the trade market are old friend Jimmy Butler and the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram. If you’ll recall, Windhorst linked the Sixers to all three of George, Butler and Ingram literally the day after the team was eliminated by the Knicks in Game 6.

Remember, in the new CBA, teams are allowed to speak with their free agents the day after the NBA Finals — unlike last season when the whole “Daryl Morey is a liar” James Harden fiasco went down. So, we should get a decent idea where George and the Clippers stand once Boston finishes off Dallas (maybe the only reason to look forward to that series ending).

The NBA Draft is also less than two weeks away. As Windy notes, things could get spicy when the first round starts on Wednesday, June 26.

“We might actually see the biggest action around the draft. … That’s the beginning of trade season and who knows? You might see action with Paul George — whether it’s him getting traded somewhere or him just deciding to stay with the Clippers.”

Hold on to your butts.

2024 NBA Draft: Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II could be the exact type of combo big the Sixers need nba,draft,dayton,s,daron,holmes,ii,could,be,the,exact,type,of,combo,big,the,sixers,need,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II.

In his sophomore year, DaRon Holmes II built upon an excellent freshman season by becoming the focal point of Dayton’s offense. In his junior year, he dominated for the Flyers and was named the Atlantic 10’s Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and a Consensus All-American.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 33 games, 32.5 minutes, 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 2.1 blocks, 54.4% FG, 38.6% 3P, 71.3% FT

Team: Dayton

Year: Junior

Position: C/PF

Height & Weight: 6’8.75” | 236.2 lbs

Born: August 15, 2002 (21 years old)

Hometown: Goodyear, Arizona

Strengths

Standing over 6-foot-9 with shoes and boasting an impressive 7-1 wingspan, Holmes has ideal NBA size. He’s built solidly at over 236 pounds and his strength shows on the court. When you couple that with Holmes’ improving skill, you have an intriguing prospect.

The two biggest improvements in Holmes’ offensive game were his shooting and court vision. After attempting just 26 shots from deep in his first two seasons, Holmes hoisted up 83 threes in 2023-24 with impressive results (38.6%). His post-up game was once again strong, but he showed better feel as his usage rate went up and he saw constant double teams. He was outstanding in the pick-and-roll, both rolling to the rim and popping for threes.

Holmes also features a face-up game and ability as a straight line driver. He was able to line up opposing post players and either hit midrange jumpers or short fadeaways over them. He uses long strides, a nasty spin move and his strength to get downhill and finish at the rim. It’s this type of versatility that makes you see why NBA folks believe he can play the four.

Holmes was the anchor of Dayton’s defense, taking home the A-10’s Defensive Player of the year last season. He’s an outstanding rim protector, reads the pick-and-roll well and flashes a little switchability.

Weaknesses

It’s easy to see why Holmes is rising up draft boards. There really aren’t many holes in his game and there’s intriguing upside.

But his age will be a factor — he’ll turn 22 before next season begins. While there is belief he can succeed as a four at the next level, he’ll need to prove his shooting uptick wasn’t a fluke and improve his handle a bit.

Respectfully, it’s also worth noting that the A-10 isn’t exactly a powerhouse, but Holmes did play well against Nevada and Arizona in the NCAA Tournament.

Positional Fit

Holmes is definitely an NBA five. He has the size and proper skillset to succeed at that position. What’s more intriguing is envisioning him playing minutes at the four. A player like the Timberwolves’ Naz Reid is an interesting comp. Holmes is a different player from the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year, but both players provide legit combo big versatility.

Draft Projection

SB Nation mock draft: No. 16, Sixers

I can hear the collective groans at the idea of the Sixers selecting a center at 16, but Holmes feels like a unique player. If you look at the way Chris Finch — a close coaching friend of Nick Nurse — utilized Reid, there could be a similar path for Holmes with a team like the Sixers. With Joel Embiid on the floor, Holmes could space the floor in the corner or hang in the dunker spot where he can catch lobs and crash the offensive glass. When Embiid is off the floor, Holmes — who excelled as both a roller and popper last season — provides an intriguing pick-and-roll partner for Tyrese Maxey while also providing strong rim protection on the other end.