Team USA expected to add Daigneault, Bickerstaff and Few to Spoelstra’s staff
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Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and longtime Gonzaga coach Mark Few are poised to become assistant coaches for the U.S. men’s national team under head coach Erik Spoelstra, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Spoelstra was named successor to Steve Kerr last October and will guide Team USA at the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The make-up of his staff had not been disclosed until now.
Daigneault, at the helm in Oklahoma City since 2020, owns an NBA championship and a Coach of the Year award. Bickerstaff just oversaw a 60-win season in Detroit and serves as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. Few has taken Gonzaga to two NCAA title games and was an assistant on Kerr’s 2024 Olympic staff in Paris, working alongside Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue.
NBPA leader criticizes second tax apron
David Kelly, who became executive director of the National Basketball Players Association in February, called for the NBA’s second tax apron rules to be eliminated or eased. Speaking to ESPN’s Ben Golliver, Kelly said the restrictions are “decimating teams and forcing decisions that are not basketball decisions.” He added that the union intends to mount a stronger push against the provision in future bargaining.
Kelly also questioned the length of the league’s investigation into the Clippers’ and Kawhi Leonard’s ties to the bankrupt green-banking firm Aspiration, telling reporters the NBPA does not believe “there’s a there there.”
Vegas expansion field grows to four groups
The league continues to eye Seattle and Las Vegas for its next round of expansion. While Seattle still has a single ownership group in pursuit, four separate groups are now bidding for a Las Vegas franchise, reports Tim Booth of The Seattle Times.
Among the contenders is Bill Foley, owner of the NHL’s Golden Knights, who told The Athletic he believes his experience launching the hockey club gives him an edge. “We’ve already brought a major-league franchise to Las Vegas,” Foley said. “We’ve jumped through all the hoops. I believe we’re in a really good spot to compete.”
Jaylen Brown questions agent model
New 76ers forward Jaylen Brown said on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast that the NBA’s traditional agency system is “broken.” Brown, who once negotiated with league assistance instead of an agent, explained that working directly with the NBPA helped him understand his own market value.
Source: Hoops Rumors
