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Dennis Schroeder: In my second year, I was close to going into the GM’s office and telling them they should trade me, because I wasn’t satisfied with my playing time and with the fact that they had me sitting on the bench. The year before that—or rather, the summer before that—I really wasn’t in Germany at all and had only been grinding, to show people that I really wanted to play and was ready to play. And then I got angry. Darvin Ham took me into his office. He had actually ordered soup for himself, then split the soup, put it down, and then sat down and said, ‘Hey, what’s going on with you, actually?’ And then he gave me a quote—and we’d probably have to bleep it, because I don’t want kids seeing that I’m cursing and using swear words—but he said, ‘You have to go through the shit to get to the good.’
95.7 The Game: Steve Kerr told @WillardAndDibs that Kristaps Porzingis doesn't actually suffer from POTS: "After the trade...I called Onsi Saleh, Atlanta's GM, and I asked, 'Is this POTS story real?' He said, 'It's actually not POTS.' So that was some misinformation that was out there."
Marc Stein: Now, to this point, I’m told there has not been a search firm identified. That still could happen, but they’re going to have to decide what kind of GM they want to bring in. Do you want someone with a big name and a big reputation? Like, I think Bobby Karalla has been saying—Masai Ujiri would be high on his list. Masai is obviously available. Or are you looking for a different kind of GM? That’s the thing—we don’t really know yet what exactly they’re looking for in terms of the permanent successor. But you know, it’s not going to happen overnight. A search is going to be required, and an in-season search was not the anticipation. So Riccardi and Finley are your interim GMs. But again, I think Jason Kidd is going to have a significant level of input.
Shams Charania: Luka Dončić hasn't acknowledged Jason Kidd since he's been back—since they've played against each other in those Lakers-Mavs games. My understanding is—I think there's an understanding there—that Jason Kidd also wasn't one of the ones that was thrilled with Luka Dončić's conditioning and different things near his exit. And so now you have a situation where Jason Kidd is still the coach. We'll see who the new GM is, and eventually that new GM will make decisions on everything."

And all of the above doesn't even factor in the rise of NBA superstars — Damian Lillard (Weber State), Trae Young (Oklahoma) and Stephen Curry (Davidson) — taking on official roles with their respective alma mater’s recruiting programs. "The trend will only continue to accelerate," said Wes Wilcox, who left his post as assistant GM for the Sacramento Kings late last season to become GM of the Utah Runnin’ Utes. "The number of colleges looking toward the NBA to help in this space is only going to rise."
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Desmond Bane on his trade: It was Father's Day. We were on family vacation. My GM texted me like, "You got a second?" And I was like, "Something’s about to happen." You never expect it to be yourself. But no bad blood at all—it’s a business. I'm fortunate to be in a good situation.

After Desmond Bane said yes, Kleiman surprisingly FaceTimed him to tell him he was traded to the Magic. “My GM texted me like, ‘You got a second?’ And I was like, something is about to happen,” Bane said. “And then I got a FaceTime call from him and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, something’s definitely come up.’ But no bad blood at all. It’s a business. And I’m fortunate to be in a good situation. … “At the end of the season, [Kleiman] told everybody there was a chance that the roster might look a little different. But you’d never expect it to be yourself. You know what I mean? It is what it is.”

How did you meet the moment last season with both thriving in a bigger role and navigating external issues with team injuries and the dynamic between your former coach (Malone) and GM (Booth)? Braun: “I’m always grateful for the people who put me in those spots. I understand that Calvin Booth paved my way. He drafted me and paved my way to get that opportunity. So I’m grateful for him. Coach Malone threw me in the Finals as a rookie and played me a ton of minutes my whole career. So I’m grateful for those people for putting me in those spots. I’m grateful for what Nikola has done for me, what Jamal has done for me and what Aaron has done for me up until this point.

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Joe Cowley: Arturas Karnisovas will not address the media on draft night for the first time since taking that seat. GM Marc Eversley will instead speak. Interesting. AK probably doesn't want to deal with questions about the secret extensions going on. pic.x.com/mG7XX5heZa