Young gets his wings
Trae Young was officially introduced by the Atlanta Hawks on Monday and clearly the former Oklahoma star is seen as the muchneeded new face of the franchise.
The Atlanta Hawks expect to enter NBA free agency next week with about $20 million in salary cap space and three open spots on their roster.
General manager Travis Schlenk says the team will be in no rush to spend that money.
"We will not be quickly out of the gate looking to sign guys," Schlenk said Monday, when the Hawks introduced their three firstround draft picks, guards Trae Young and Kevin Huerter and forward Omari Spellman.
"We'll kind of sit back and see what the market dictates . ... We'll kind of play a waiting game and see how the market plays out."
The rebuilding Hawks' focus is on their youth. The team traded No. 3 pick Luka Doncic to Dallas for Young, the No. 5 pick. Atlanta also acquired a 2019 first-round pick from Dallas in Thursday night's deal.
Only one day later, Young already was featured on billboards around Atlanta. Clearly, Young is seen as the much-needed new face of the franchise as well as the future floor leader of the team.
Young wore long pants — but no socks — to Monday's news conference after making a fashion statement by wearing shorts to the draft. He said he had not yet seen himself on the new billboards.
Asked if he's ready to handle the expectations that come with being a topfive pick, Young said "I'm just a piece of the puzzle. I'm not the whole thing.
... I'm looking forward to working with everybody."
Schlenk and new coach Lloyd Pierce said they expect starting point guard Dennis Schroder to remain with the team and share time with Young.
Pacers won't pick up option on Stephenson
The Indiana Pacers are parting ways with guard Lance Stephenson, the gritty veteran who brought energy off the bench in last season's surprising run to the playoffs.
The team will not pick up the team option next season, Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said Monday.
"This was a very difficult decision, but as free agency begins on July 1, we want to have flexibility so that we can prepare for all of our available options," he said.
A year ago, Pritchard decided to trade star
Paul George before almost surely losing him in free agency and got Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from Oklahoma City in a deal that turned out remarkably well for Indiana. Oladipo emerged as a leader, earned his first All-Star trip and won the league's steals title. Sabonis, a lottery pick in 2016, became a key contributor off the bench.
Clippers unsure if DeAndre Jordan resigns
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson were introduced in Los Angeles on Monday as the newest Clippers guards. The duo, selected in the NBA draft last week, won't be under the bright spotlight just yet.
That's reserved for center DeAndre Jordan.
This is the final week before the NBA's free agency period begins Sunday, and the biggest question mark for the Clippers is whether center Jordan will opt in or out of his contract.
"I talk to him," coach Doc Rivers said.
"We pretty much stay away from the subject for the most part. But I talk to him. We stay in touch."
Lawrence Frank, executive vice president of basketball operations, wasn't sure what Jordan would decide about his $24.1 million player option.