R.J. Hampton Heading Overseas

RJ Hampton is a Texas high school basketball player who was recruited by premier programs in the United States. However, it looks like Hampton has decided to spurn those offers and make money right now. That means he's heading overseas and get paid while waiting for the 2020 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-5 point guard signed a two-year contract with the New Zealand Breakers, a team in the NBL. As a result of his signing with the Breakers, the team will be eligible to receive an $800,000 buyout from any team that selects Hampton in the first round of the draft.

Breakers part-owner and managing director Matt Walsh said about this move and the impact of college programs, "It will be kind of a wake-up moment for college programs...People are going to think, 'How on earth did they lose him to New Zealand?'"

Hampton got offers from Kansas, Memphis, Duke and Kentucky but because of NCAA rules regarding pay, Hampton has spurned those offers to get paid now.

He will join the Breakers as part of the local NBL's Next Stars Program, meaning he'll be paid by the league and not the team. The standard contracts in these programs are around $100,000, but it's expected to be far more than that for Hampton because of his skills and abilities.

There has been a 13-year-rule in place that bars players from entering the draft directly out of high school. Hampton, however, isn't the first player to opt for professional basketball over college. Emmanuel Mudiay played in China and became the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft. Brandon Jennings spent a season in Italy and was then selected 10th in the 2009 draft.

The NBA and the union are discussing getting rid of the one-and-done rule so that high schoolers can join the league directly. Among those who left high school straight for the NBA are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. All of those guys will be in the Hall of Fame.

I honestly can't applaud the move fully because I would like to see this guy on a college program where he can have an impact on one of those teams as they get to the NCAA Tournament next year. However, it's clear that money does speak more than college, and the fact that college's latest scandal are starting to turn away some high-profile athletes. Hampton isn't the first one, as I mentioned.

I know about the New Zealand Breakers, having followed the Sydney Kings, who also play in the NBL, and I know they do get some decent players from time to time. But this will be a big step for them, even if it is one year. I believe Hampton can be a big star in that league and carry the Breakers. His numbers and his impact on the high school level can translate if they stick to those numbers.

This kid wants to get paid right away, and he'll have the opportunity to do that in New Zealand. He will also be able to grow and improve his skills, in order to be ready for the 2020 draft. Mudiay and Jennings have already made big impacts in the NBA, and if Hampton can do that and play well in New Zealand for one year, he'll be a top-5 pick.

Did Phil Kessel's Trade Rejection Save The Wild?

Going into the offseason, there's going to be plenty of attention given to what the Pittsburgh Penguins are planning on doing with Phil Kessel. The Penguins are obviously trying to move on from Kessel and his salary in an attempt to put less expensive players at his position. As a result, we have an attempted trade a few days ago that Kessel himself blocked.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report that Kessel has vetoed a trade that would have sent him to the Minnesota Wild in exchange of Jason Zucker. Part of this deal also included Jack Johnson going to Minnesota and Victor Rask going to Pittsburgh.

At first point, it would seem that Kessel wouldn't be against this deal. It would put him possibly in a place where he can be a leader and help a Wild team get back to the playoffs. He has local connections and played for the Gophers during his college tenure and is close friends with Ryan Suter. So why the veto? Well, if you look at the state of the Wild, that may be the reason.

The state of the Wild is that they are nowhere near the playoffs and according to my friend Spencer Chute, he doesn't expect them to be competitive in the playoffs until five to seven years down the road. If you are Phil Kessel and you're 31 years old that is used to winning Stanley Cups, going to Minnesota is probably not the best option. This reported veto also doesn't look good for the Wild, because it almost makes them look like a clown show. Almost.

As for Zucker, this is now the second time the team has tried to trade him. They tried it at last year's deadline to Calgary and now this time with Pittsburgh.

The Wild are trying to move on from Zucker before his no-trade list takes effect in July. If the Wild are able to deal Zucker before then, they could get something in return and they would better off for the future. Now, it looks like they're either going to have to hold on for him or find another trade partner with a great star player who wants to play in Minnesota.

The fact that Minnesota would even consider this trade is beyond my comprehension. First off, Zucker is 27, four years younger than Kessel. Secondly, the Rask-Johnson swap would only prove that getting Rask last year was a mistake. What's worse is that they would only get Johnson's onerous contract for nothing, and then possibly lose him.

Kessel may have done the right thing, not just for himself, but for the state of the Wild as well. The Wild are terrible. They have traded off nearly their entire core group just a couple of months ago and now they think about bringing in Phil Kessel? This was not going to sell.

If the Wild want to deal Zucker, they need to get some good, young players in return, even if they are not ready for the NHL level yet. Just look at the trade that sent Charlie Coyle to the Bruins for Ryan Donato. Donato was a young and cheap piece they could pick up for the future while getting rid of Coyle's contract and getting him on a team that is in the Finals right now. If the Wild can do that with Jason Zucker, they could be better off going forward.

Kessel saved the Wild. In fact, Wild fans should thank him for vetoing this trade. Maybe now GM Paul Fenton will think twice before trading for a player that needs to be on a good team with a chance to win right now. Minnesota is not in that position and may not be for years.

What Should The Wizards Do Now?

Just this past weekend, the Washington Wizards seemed poised to hire Nuggets executive Tim Connelly to become the President of Basketball Operatons for the Wizards. It made sense, since Connelly grew up in nearby Baltimore and worked for the Wizards when he first worked in the league. His wife's family was also from the area and you would expect that he would want to come home to work for a team that would've paid him better than the Kroenke family ever would.

Then came the crushing blow. Tim Connelly rejected them.

Connelly turned down the gig on Monday to remain with the Nuggets, meaning that he will continue to build the franchise that he watched over. And as for the Wizards, that means they're back to square one in their coaching search.

The remaining three candidates on their radar are Danny Ferry, Tommy Sheppard, and Troy Weaver. Right now, there are no plans for the Wizards to offer any of them an contract. I personally believe they're not the right fits for this organization, even though Sheppard has run the team since Ernie Grunfeld was fired.

What is interesting about this is that Connelly did not want to meet formally with the Wizards. He didn't visit Capital One Arena or the Wizards' practice facility in Southeastern Washington. He instead met at Leonsis's residence to discuss the opening. Initially, Leonsis did not reach out with a contract offer but eventually gave one after being convinced at the meetings that Connelly would be the right fit for them.

Connelly did not want to leave Denver, multiple sources have said. Although he hails from the Washington area, many have said that he did not want to leave and found himself in love with Denver. Although I get that, I still believe you have to go where the money is.

Now, look, I understand why Connelly turned the job down, but family and money do speak more power in this case than staying with an organization that doesn't reward front office people that often. In this case, he was offered a new contract and signed it, but will still make significantly less money than what the Wizards offered him. It's a shame he probably didn't see the realization in that but I understand it.

As for the Wizards, it's back to the drawing board and it's back to starting over again. I'm not sure which candidates out there they're going to look for now, but they'll have to go back to the same search group to see if they can come up with a new candidate who could be the ideal fit that they saw in Connelly. However, whoever takes this job will be tasked with reshaping a culture that won't have John Wall for most of next year due to repairing an Achilles tendon, as well as the difficult task of trading Bradley Beal. The one other thing that Connelly had that the Wizards would like, is somebody who has a connection with the city and the team. They like people who hold that particular trait in them because those people understand the team better than anyone else.

It's going to be a tough search going forward, since Connelly fit the bill of what the Wizards were looking for. Now, you have to go out and find somebody who does fit the bill about the same or even better.

The Lakers Are In A Crisis

We all know that the Los Angeles Lakers were a dismal franchise going into today. Their President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson, resigned just before the season ended. Their head coach Luke Walton decided to leave and take the Kings job. Now, we have a new chapter added to this dysfunction and it comes from Johnson himself.

Hours before the Lakers introduced their new head coach Frank Vogel, Johnson was on ESPN's First Take to discuss his situation and why he left the Lakers office, and he didn't hold back in his interview. However, the interview also may have harmed his own reputation and those of people he loved and the franchise he loved so dear.

Johnson described the situation with the Lakers as both one of a circus and one of a snakepit. He accused GM Rob Pelinka of being a backstabber and said business executive Tim Harris was butting into situations where he didn't belong. He also portrayed the youngest Buss brothers of being entitled and clueless about being executives on the Lakers.

He also said of Jeanie Buss that she is incapable of hearing multiple opinions and making the right decision. Based on what Johnson said, though, it's suggesting that Buss is incapable of making any decision, right or wrong.

So this is where we are at the crossroads. Magic Johnson is accusing the Lakers of basically being unable to run a basketball team, and he seemingly pointed the finger to the Buss family, and particularly Jeanie Buss, who runs this whole unit.

I won't even worry about what went on at the news conference to introduce Vogel today, because Pelinka just defended himself, saying that Johnson's comments were wrong and he was hoping to clear the air with Johnson in the future. Looks like that future won't come anytime soon.

Then there's the situation with LeBron James. The reason why LeBron came to LA and wanted to be a part of the Lakers was because of Magic Johnson. He thought Magic Johnson and himself were going to be able to turn this around together. He didn't even expect that Magic would just walk out the door at the end of their first season together. It's why I felt Magic should've talked to LeBron because this all went down. But that's that.

One of the reasons LeBron got away from Cleveland was that he was tired of the dysfunction that was surrounding that franchise. He felt Magic Johnson gave him a sense of security, a sense of belonging, and that this was a stable franchise that knew what it was going. Clearly, things have changed since he got there and now he’s probably wondering what the hell has he gotten himself into?

What the Lakers have become is just astonishing to me. They were once a model franchise because Jerry Buss saw them as more than basketball. He saw them as an icon of Hollywood and of sports. It was the most stable franchise in the NBA when Buss ran it. Now that he’s gone and his kids are nowhere near their father’s level. They’ve made this team a clown show and an embarrassment to the NBA and to sports in general. They were too close to the past and it hurt them. Magic Johnson was part of that past that is clearly failing.

My opinion of Magic Johnson may have changed slightly, but only on his front office role. He clearly was not ready to be a President of Basketball Operations for his franchise. He hasn’t had the experience to do this job and he spent too much time doing other things. He felt that this job could be done part-time. It can’t. Please don’t take about backstabbing when it comes to Pelinka. Pelinka is no angel either, but you had no right to tell him he was a backstabber. You didn’t have the experience to do it. I’m sorry.

This Lakers team is garbage, mostly at the top. I can’t even imagine what LeBron is feeling right now, because it seems dysfunction will follow him wherever he goes, from Cleveland to Miami to LA. At least he won twice in Miami and once in Cleveland. Now, it looks like he won’t win one in LA, and that’s sad. He’s too good to still be stuck on three rings.

Now, there needs to be leadership in this organization. Somebody needs to come in and lead this team and possibly get rid of all the friction that exists right now. If that means getting rid of some of the Busses and maybe even Pelinka, it has to be done. It also can’t be in the family. Has to be someone from outside the organization. Right now, what is clearly happening is a franchise, once proud, turned into a mockery because solid leadership no longer exists.

Can they turn it around? I don’t know. Doesn’t look like it right now. But it starts at the top and someone who can show real leadership and make sure LeBron is in on everything. He’s your business partner and he deserves to know everything that he can. It’s about transparency with your players and making sure they stay in the loop and that means you take his advice, you give him leadership, and you make sure this franchise hires the right people so that it can become a pillar and a stable franchise in the NBA once again.

An Update Regarding Gianluca Pascucci

We have an update regarding Nets executive Gianluca Pascucci.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter, the Minnesota Timberwolves have reached an agreement with Pascucci for him to become their next assistant GM. Pascucci will serve under new head of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. This move comes on the heels of the Wolves deciding to retain interim head coach Ryan Saunders.

Pascucci held the job of director of global scouting for the Brooklyn Nets and had been viewed as a candidate for multiple positions around the league, including being an option for promotion for the Nets after assistant GM Trajan Langdon left for the Pelicans. But instead of staying with the Nets, Pascucci will reunite with Rosas, whom he worked for in the Rockets front office before joining the Nets in 2016.

While a terrific hire for the Timberwolves, it's another blow for the Nets front office. Aside from Langdon leaving, the Nets have also lost assistant coaches Chris Fleming and Will Weaver. So it is clear that the Nets will have to fill those voids, whether from within or from outside the organization.

Pascucci has also received consideration for a position with a EuroLeague club Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano before ultimately joining the Timberwolves.