The opening tip  A busy NBA Summer League wrapped up Sunday in Las Vegas. | Eleven takeaways from 11 days at Las Vegas Summer League LAS VEGAS — For those deranged enough to stay the entire time, Las Vegas Summer League becomes a blur of celebrity faces and choppy play after the opening weekend and devolves into day-to-day survival mode from there. This year's edition was a success, even though 2022 lottery picks Jaden Ivey, Shaedon Sharpe, Dyson Daniels and Johnny Davis all suffered minor injuries that limited their stints. The top three selections — Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. — each gave their new fan bases something to get excited about, and several bottom-dwellers now appear reinvigorated by influxes of young talent. Meanwhile, Commissioner Adam Silver struck an "upbeat" tone in announcing a record $10 billion in annual revenue while setting the table for upcoming labor negotiations with the players. Now that the Portland Trail Blazers have been crowned champs of the desert, here are 11 takeaways from the NBA's 11-day summer carnival. 1. Summer League has grown, but there's more untapped potential. Silver quipped Monday that he felt like the "Belle of the ball" at a recent news conference given the widespread interest in the NBA's live programming. During his Board of Governors address the next day, the commissioner sounded keenly focused on optimizing the league's television product when he repeatedly stressed the importance of player availability. After permanently adding the play-in tournament to its postseason format, the NBA also remains interested in the idea of a midseason tournament. Before the league conceives a new event that could overhaul its regular season schedule, it should consider further elevating Summer League. Over the past decade, the event has expanded to 30 teams, added a tournament format and garnered more national television coverage. A-list stars like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Ja Morant are now courtside fixtures. Unfortunately, most teams tend to shut down their top players early, turning the second half of the event into a bit of a drag. The rise of independent events like the Drew League, The Big3 and The Basketball Tournament has proved that there is a real demand for summer hoops. Silver mentioned the possibility of adding incentives to player contracts in the next collective bargaining agreement to discourage load management, and he should consider a similar approach in Vegas. An improved Summer League would include a significant monetary prize to convince teams to play their lottery picks and a move from UNLV to an NBA-caliber arena for the most important games to set a grander tone and accommodate larger crowds. What better way to further the NBA's goals of being a 12-month sport than hosting an under-23 tournament with lottery picks going head-to-head with millions of dollars at stake? 2. Kevin Durant is starting to look like a man without a home. When Durant issued his trade request to the Brooklyn Nets two weeks ago, it seemed like the 2014 MVP would be at the center of the NBA's universe until the situation was resolved. Instead, the Vegas rumor mill didn't produce any serious new bidders for his services. To make matters worse for Durant, the Phoenix Suns were forced to match the Indiana Pacers' offer sheet to Deandre Ayton, a prime trade chip in a Durant package who now can't be moved until Jan. 15. The Suns were reportedly one of Durant's desired destinations, and now it's hard to see how they put together a good enough package to land him. Durant's conundrum has drawn comparisons to Kobe Bryant's unfulfilled 2007 trade request, as the Hall of Fame guard returned to the Los Angeles Lakers and went on to win two more titles. The situations are different: Bryant was 28 years old and had just won back-to-back scoring titles, while Durant is 33 and has played just 90 games over the past three seasons combined. Returning to Brooklyn would be a disastrous result for Durant given the departures of Bruce Brown, Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond. Even if Durant and Irving both return, the Nets could easily wind up back in the play-in tournament given that Milwaukee, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Toronto and Cleveland all have better rosters on paper. 3. The Knicks should go all in for Donovan Mitchell. New York's go-for-broke pursuit of Jalen Brunson would make a lot more sense if coupled with a blockbuster trade for Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. While a Brunson-Mitchell backcourt would be lacking in size and defensive chops, the pairing would give the Knicks a potent and marketable offensive duo capable of delivering consistent playoff appearances. This might be the clearest win-win-win proposal in some time: Utah needs to sell high on Mitchell and play for the future after its Rudy Gobert trade; New York has a surplus of draft assets and a need for a true headlining star; and Mitchell has Big Apple ties and a desire to raise his profile. Get it done. 4. Keegan Murray was the MVP in Vegas. There were some groans when the Sacramento Kings selected Murray with the fourth overall pick instead of Ivey, a dynamic scoring guard with star potential. Murray isn't an explosive athlete, and it's fair to ask whether he can be a No. 1 scoring option given his limited off-the-dribble game. Still, the 21-year-old forward from Iowa was the most productive member of the 2022 lottery class in Vegas, averaging 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2 assists per game while displaying a calm and consistent demeanor. Sacramento will be counting on his deft outside shooting touch and opportunistic scoring as it chases its first playoff berth since 2006. 5. Paolo Banchero should be the Rookie of the Year favorite. Banchero only played twice in Vegas, but the 2022 top overall pick showed enough size, strength on the ball and creation skills to get Orlando Magic fans excited. Unlike Murray, who will need to fit in around veterans like De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Banchero slots in as the Magic's lead option next season. Given that clear runway, Banchero should target Carmelo Anthony's rookie production: 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. If he puts up Anthony-like numbers as a scorer, Banchero should be able to win enough Rookie of the Year votes, even if the rebuilding Magic endures another tough year in the standings. 6. Josh Giddey is ready to take the next step. Giddey was already a favorite among League Pass die-hards as a rookie, and he turned even more heads with a nice run at the abbreviated Salt Lake City summer league last week. By the time he got to Vegas, Oklahoma City's point guard looked bigger, stronger and more purposeful, and he had a strong case as the event's best player even though he only played two games. Blessed with top-shelf vision and a fearless streak, Giddey led the way for Oklahoma City on the fast break and worked a nice two-man game with Holmgren, 2022's No. 2 pick. Still just 19, the Australian floor general has a much higher long-term ceiling than most realize. 7. Oklahoma City and Detroit have observers buzzing. On that note, Oklahoma City's embarrassment of riches — Giddey plus rookies Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams — spawned plenty of conversations among observers about their next steps forward. Do they have enough talent to push for the play-in tournament, or should they tank to make a play for Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 draft? Would a Giddey breakthrough enable General Manager Sam Presti to sell high on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander like the San Antonio Spurs did with Dejounte Murray? If Holmgren proves to be a franchise player in the next two years, could the Thunder turn into buyers for a star-level player with all their extra draft capital? A similar excitement started humming around the Pistons, who got even younger this summer by drafting Ivey and trading Jerami Grant. The trio of Cade Cunningham, Ivey and Saddiq Bey looks great on paper, and Detroit was experimenting with using beefy center Isaiah Stewart as a floor-spacing shooter in Vegas. For the first time in a long time, the Pistons seem like they might be on to something. 8. The Jabari Smith Jr. experience will require some patience. Smith, the No. 3 pick by the Houston Rockets, impressed with his defensive mobility, length and motor in matchups with Banchero and Holmgren. The 6-foot-10 Smith played center for long stretches, moved fluidly around the perimeter like a guard and seemed to relish the less glamorous aspects of being a two-way player. Unfortunately, in a repeat of his Auburn experience, Smith's limited ballhandling ability and complementary game as a shooting specialist left him at the mercy of his point guards. Until Houston finds an upgrade for the ball-dominant Kevin Porter Jr., Smith will probably struggle to reach his potential as a scorer. 9. Jonathan Kuminga was disappointing. Second-year players often dominate rookies in Summer League, and Kuminga arrived fresh off a title run with the Golden State Warriors that saw him play real minutes in the playoffs. Aside from high-scoring performances against the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics, the 19-year-old forward's Vegas play left a lot to be desired. Kuminga was guilty of pressing, as he forced shots, struggled to find the range on his jumper and often lost control going to the basket. Whether his erratic showing matters remains to be seen, as he will be cast in a much narrower role supporting Golden State's stars once the games actually count. 10. James Wiseman is still getting back into the swing of things. Wiseman, Golden State's 21-year-old center, entered Las Vegas with a lot to prove. Anthony Edwards, the only player selected ahead of him in the 2020 draft, averaged 21.3 points per game as a sophomore and landed a starring role in an Adam Sandler film. LaMelo Ball, the player selected directly after him, earned 2022 all-star honors while Wiseman missed the entire season due to injury. The rust was evident: Wiseman played in short bursts, occasionally found himself in foul trouble and wasn't always in rhythm on offense. He flashed a nice shooting touch from the elbow and the three-point line, but he wasn't especially quick or mobile on defense. Golden State has frontcourt minutes available next season if he can find a way to make a bigger impact in the paint on both ends. 11. Portland's other draft pick drew rave reviews. Sharpe, the 2022 No. 7 pick, suffered a shoulder injury just six minutes into his Vegas debut. That would be a bummer under any circumstances, but it was especially frustrating for scouts and fans who weren't able to watch him play because he chose to sit out his freshman season at Kentucky. In a welcome development for the Blazers, fellow rookie Jabari Walker stepped into the void, averaging 12.4 points and 9 rebounds in five appearances and impressing as a versatile and physical forward. By the time Portland finished its title run, many had asked: "How did Walker last until the 57th pick?" | 
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