DANNY AINGE

Executives, agents and power brokers of all stripes, sprinting to find the best deals they can on sparsely stocked shelves. I'm not even going to try to do that," Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters on Monday. As long as he’s still committed to Brooklyn, the Nets have a chance to figure in the title picture. It doesn’t sound like he’s going anywhere: Fischer reports that “league personnel continue to downplay the likelihood” that the 28-year-old will be on the move. The Raptors aren’t the only play-in-adjacent team that could determine the direction of deadline day.

Joel Embiid scored a career-high 59 points, had 11 rebounds and eight assists to carry the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-98 win over Utah Jazz.

In an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, the now-Cleveland Cavaliers guard downplayed reports of discord with Rudy Gobert and blamed Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge for breaking up the team. He also disputed Ainge's account from Monday that Jazz players "really didn’t believe in each other." "I don't think we didn't believe," Mitchell told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Reports of discord between Gobert and Mitchell swirled around the Jazz last season. "What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn't believe in each other," Ainge said.

As ESPN's Zach Lowe recently detailed, the six trades sending three or more future first-round picks to one team since 2019 equal the number of similar deals in 43 years prior. The first of them came in 2004, when the Denver Nuggets paid three first-round picks in a sign-and-trade for Kenyon Martin. Brooklyn still has Simmons, Seth Curry and two future first-round picks to show for Harden, which is more than Houston can say to date. He won Rookie of the Year honors, before they dealt him and a future first-round pick for Drew Gooden inside of two years. They have Brandon Ingram, all their own first-round picks and six more left from dealing Davis and Jrue Holiday.

LAS VEGAS — (AP) — As NBA summer league winds down in Las Vegas and teams begin making plans to finish up and leave this coming weekend, some players might have done better than most in showing their potential. But Eason was clearly one of the top performers in Las Vegas, averaging 16.7 points and 11.7 rebounds entering Thursday. The Rockets came to Las Vegas with all eyes on No. Grimes was getting 3-pointers airborne by the truckload in Las Vegas, but wasn't exactly forcing many of them. He might have taken another step forward in Las Vegas.

As NBA summer league winds down in Las Vegas, it’s time to look at some of the players who might have done better than most in showing their potential.

Former UCF Basketball big man Tacko Fall has joined the Utah Jazz for their Summer league. ESPN Reporter Marc J. Spears says with Rudy Gobert being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves; the Jazz might be keen on keeping the former UCF center. With Rudy Gobert gone, Jazz checking out another giant in 7-6 free agent center Tacko Fall. Fall is playing on Utah’s summer league team and is connected to Danny Ainge dating back to his time with the Celtics. — Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 2, 2022“With Rudy Gobert gone, Jazz checking out another giant in 7-6 free agent center Tacko Fall.

As the Utah Jazz spent time talking to candidates to become their next coach, Will Hardy quickly rose to the top of their list.

Jazz Snyder Leaves Basketball FILE - Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder looks on in the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, against the Dallas Mavericks, April 23, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) (Rick Bowmer)SALT LAKE CITY — (AP) — The Utah Jazz face an unexpected search for a new coach. Utah was prepared to enter next season with Quin Snyder at the helm until the head coach unexpectedly stepped down after eight seasons. And I think it’s pretty clear, we desperately wanted him to stay,” team CEO Danny Ainge said during a news conference Monday, a day after Snyder announced he is leaving. “Got to get it right.”Whoever succeeds Snyder will be Utah’s fourth head coach in 34 seasons.

The Utah Jazz face an unexpected search for a new coach.

The post-retirement accolades have rained down on Kevin Garnett over the past handful of years.

A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that the Boston Celtics have hired Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka to be their new coach.

Celtics Nets Basketball Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens directs his team against the Brooklyn Nets in the first half of Game 5 during an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, June 1, 2021, in New York. Celtics staff were informed Wednesday morning of the moves, which were first reported by ESPN and The Athletic. Ainge has spent the bulk of his NBA career with the Celtics, serving as the team’s president since 2003 and being part of the 1984 and 1986 NBA championship teams in Boston as a player. Stevens spent eight years as Boston’s coach, taking the Celtics to the playoffs the last seven seasons. He is the fourth-winningest coach in team history, behind Red Auerbach, Tom Heinsohn and Doc Rivers.

Celtics Nets Basketball Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens directs his team against the Brooklyn Nets in the first half of Game 5 during an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, June 1, 2021, in New York. ESPN and The Athletic first reported the Ainge and Stevens moves. Stevens spent eight years as Boston’s coach, taking the Celtics to the playoffs the last seven seasons and twice to the Eastern Conference finals. This team that beat us is a very good team. There are very good teams across the East and we have to get better.

The Boston Celtics are beginning their offseason with a shakeup of the front office and coaching staff.

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Miami. Meanwhile, the Indiana at Phoenix game scheduled for Saturday has been called off — the ninth such postponement since the week began. The Suns will not have enough players eligible to play, largely because of contact tracing issues, the NBA said. The Suns and Wizards were both scheduled to play Friday; those games were postponed because of contact-tracing issues. We appreciate the opportunity to play the game we love and when it's taken away for a week or four months that's hard.