The All-NBA teams were announced today, and while Nikola Jokic did not make any of the three squads he did get one first-team vote (which might be the first of those given to a Denver Nugget since Melo and Iverson played in the Mile High City) and finished with 12 points overall. The third-team center, DeAndre Jordan, finished with just 54, but Karl-Anthony Towns, Marc Gasol, Hassan Whiteside and (if you want him for center) DeMarcus Cousins all received more votes than Jokic, so that competition for big-man spots is fierce.
In news that could have repercussion not just for Denver’s team-building but around the league, neither Gordon Hayward nor Paul George made any of the All-NBA teams, meaning they cannot reach the designated player extension qualifications under the new CBA. As a result, Utah and Indiana can give their stars an extra year but not nearly as much extra money as they could have if they’d netted those team awards.
With Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals and Hayward’s old college coach Brad Stevens at the helm, that lure could prove to be too much to keep him in Utah. The Jazz have to hope that their 50-win success this year and decent performance in the playoffs help him stay with the team that drafted him.
Indiana, on the other hand, is in the middle of a front office renovation and has a star in George who has been rumored to be interested in a homecoming to Los Angeles and the Lakers when his contract is up after next season. Being able to buy him out of those desires is now not an option for the Pacers, and George seems pretty set on the idea.
The rumor at the trade deadline was that the Nuggets reached out to Indiana about a George trade, and he flat-out told Denver he would not re-sign with them and not to bother trading for him. That’s certainly more than Andre Iguodala did for the Nuggets, but whether it means he has narrowed his options to just a few or not it presents difficulties for the Pacers when it comes to either re-signing or trading him.
This summer’s draft and free agent period got more interesting today. The full breakdown of the All-NBA teams is below. Enjoy!
This content is no longer available.
