NBA Notes: Sixers, Mike Gansey, Nuggets, Rockets, Bruce Thornton

Sixers

Mike Gansey didn’t spend long settling into his new job.

The Sixers’ president of basketball operations made one of the biggest moves of the offseason by acquiring Jaylen Brown from the Celtics, and he admitted he never expected things to unfold so quickly.

“I would’ve never envisioned it,” Gansey said, via Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s kind of like, ‘Let’s check in with Boston and see if there’s anything there.’ Maybe there isn’t. But you just make that call, and they don’t say no.”

According to Gansey, conversations between the teams gradually picked up steam before eventually leading to the blockbuster deal.

Philadelphia now enters next season with Brown joining Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the foundation of its roster. As several league sources have noted, the Sixers’ championship hopes may ultimately come down to Embiid’s ability to remain healthy throughout the postseason.

Nuggets

Marvin Bagley III is officially a member of the Nuggets.

Denver finalized the veteran big man’s previously reported one-year contract, adding another experienced frontcourt option behind Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon.

The former No. 2 overall pick split last season between the Wizards and Mavericks, averaging 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting better than 64 percent inside the arc.

Bagley reportedly drew interest from several teams before choosing Denver, where he’ll try to strengthen a bench that has lacked consistent frontcourt depth in recent years.

Rockets

Bruce Thornton has turned plenty of heads during Summer League.

The Rockets rookie has played so well that Summer League coach Will Dunn joked he may have left Thornton on the floor longer than planned simply because he couldn’t afford to take him out, as relayed by The Athletic’s Will Guillory.

Houston revamped its backcourt this offseason by adding Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic, creating plenty of competition for minutes.

Still, Thornton’s early play has some wondering if coach Ime Udoka eventually may face the same dilemma once the regular season begins.