Heat
The Heat won the Las Vegas Summer League championship in thrilling fashion, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies. And SL championship MVP Josh Christopher may have played his way into a two-way contract, wrote Will Salinas of Fansided.
“The 24th pick in the 2021 draft came through in the clutch repeatedly during this July showcase. There was the 20-point, fourth-quarter explosion vs the Oklahoma City Thunder, the clutch and-1 against the Golden State Warriors to send them to the Summer League Championship, and then his 24-point (six three-pointers) performance that included a step-back three-pointer from the logo,” Salinas wrote.
It could indeed get tricky for Christopher and the Heat, as noted by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“(Christopher) now awaits decision from Heat on a 2-way deal,” Jackson wrote. “Heat has Keshad Johnson (who’s safe), Zyon Pullin and Dru Smith on 2-way deals. Players on 2-way deals can be replaced at any time.”
In other words, it’s very much up in the air on Christopher. But the Heat are surely gauging whether to sign him before someone else does.
- The summer title does indeed create some tough roster decisions for the Heat, wrote Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
- First-round pick Kel’el Ware certainly deserves an A-plus for his performance in Vegas, wrote Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Hawks
GM Landry Fields suggested that guard Dyson Daniels could be an underrated addition after being acquired in the Dejounte Murray trade with the Pelicans.
“His defensive versatility is something that really stands out,” Fields said of Daniels, via Jackson Caudell of SI.com. “His shooting has gotten better, it is something that we think can get an uptick in him as time goes on with his development. So, we are able to help him stay the course defensively and then give him some offensive adjustments there.”
Daniels is currently playing for Team Australia in the Paris Olympics.
“Acquiring Daniels has gone under the radar around the league, but it could end up making a huge difference for the Atlanta Hawks,” Caudell wrote.
- Rookie forward No. 1 overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher is a probable starter for the Hawks, wrote Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. “Improving his handle and self-creation will be longer-term goals,” Wasserman wrote. “In the meantime, Risacher will make the biggest impact as a rookie with his athleticism on the open floor, capitalizing on space, shooting and perimeter shot contesting.”
Bulls
Rookie wing Matas Buzelis showed why the Bulls made him a lottery pick, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
“So while Buzelis certainly needs to improve on his 33.7 percent shooting, including 21.4 percent from 3-point range, the first-round pick drew widespread raves for his competitive edge and not-afraid-of-the-moment play,” Johnson wrote.
“He threw down monster dunks, some in traffic, including two on Saturday. He stared down opponents. He talked trash. He sought out contact, getting to the line 27 times. He also played all five games, a rarity for a first-round pick these days.”
- In case you missed it, the Bulls officially signed summer standout DJ Steward to a two-way deal.
- Chicago is still aiming to trade guard Zach LaVine, to no avail. We have the latest on the LaVine rumors on our Bulls page.
