NBA insider on Simmons and Kyrie as Boomers

• Grant Afseth has been an NBA reporter since 2017, covering  the Dallas Mavericks
• He spoke to Ben Simmons on his desire to finally return to the Boomers at the 2028 Olympics
• Afseth believes Kyrie Irving would be a perfect cultural fit for the Australian national team

NBA beat writer Grant Afseth is one of the busiest reporters in the NBA from Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving declaring their desire to be Boomers to Josh Green's up and down season with the Charlotte Hornets and how arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history impacting Australia's own Dante Exum.

Afseth was boots-on-the-ground during the Luka Doncic's trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers but he has also been our man on the ground in the US talking to most of our Aussie talents, including Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dyson Daniels.

Ben Simmons wants to be a Boomers in LA2028

Afseth spoke to Simmons for his latest story from the US on RG.org, where the two-time NBA All-Star declared himself a certainty to finally represent the Boomers at a major international tournament if healthy.

Simmons, who last represented Australia in 2013 at the FIBA Oceania Championship, has gone through somewhat of a resurgence since being signed by the Los Angeles Clippers after he bought out by the Brooklyn Nets. He is averaging 6.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in 24.3 minutes per game while shooting 54.5% from the field.

"That's what I've always wanted — to play in the Olympics," Simmons told RG.org.

"If I'm healthy and I'm good to go, then I'll definitely be there."

Simmons spoke about the appointment of new Boomers coach Adam Caporn, who replaces Brian Goorjian as the head coach of the national team.

"He's a great coach and a great person. I'm looking forward to talking to him and getting connected — continue to build our relationship going into the next Olympics," Simmons told RG.rg.

Caporn is an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards.

For the full story with Afseth and RG.org click here.

Kyrie Irving a perfect fit for the Boomers culture

Having covered Kyrie Irving up close and personal since the 2016 NBA Champion was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, Afseth believed he would fit into the Boomers culture seamlessly despite being a polarising figure in the league during COVID.

Irving, who was born in Melbourne, created a lot of hype around the basketball community in Australia after declaring he wanted to play for the Boomers at the 2028 LA Olympics.

The chances of the former No.1 draft pick actually donning the green and gold are small, due to the hoops he would have to jump through for FIBA and USA Basketball, but his interest created discussion around whether he would fit the renowned Boomers culture, which led to them winning a historic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Concerns were also raised on whether his addition to the Boomers would stunt the growth of Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, who look set to lead the national team for a decade to come. But Afseth believed Irving would do nothing but benefit the young Australian core if he was to play.

"Someone that used to play with him on the Mavericks and plays for the Boomers in Josh Green said he had always held the leadership and the day-to-day experience of playing with Kyrie in such high regard," Afseth told Basketball.com.au.

"He's someone that usually takes the young players under his wing. I think he's grown as a leader as well over the last, like half decade as a player. There were times in Brooklyn when the situation got frustrating, where he showed some frustration on the court, during those kind of bowling points.

"But he's been phenomenal in that regard with Dallas.

"I just think overall too, the cohesive nature of how he plays on the floor too, definitely is something that a lot of guys like to play with. Like he's unselfish in terms of being willing to be a decoy and set screens for teammates, kind of use that attention, that gravity that he pulls from the defence to create opportunities for teammates.

"On and off the floor, he's someone that a lot of players really appreciate playing with."

Afseth also believed as far as style of play goes, Irving would help take the pressure of Giddey and if anything, would help progress the Chicago Bulls star's development at the international level.

"Having that voice and presence can also provide valuable learning lessons (Giddey and Daniels) can carry with them when Kyrie is no longer part of the team."

Dyson Daniels would welcome Kyrie to the Boomers with "open arms"

Like Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels is set to be a leader of the Boomers for at least the next decade and the man who has established himself as a genuine NBA star in a breakout season with the Atlanta Hawks told Asfeth he would love to have Irving in the green and gold.

“Oh yeah, I love it. I love it,” Daniels told RG.org.

“I know he wants to do it. We want him to come play for us. There's a lot of stuff that has to get cleared for him to come play, but we welcome him with open arms.

"He's a brother. He's an Australian."

Daniels also said he knew the responsibility he and Giddey faced to step up as leaders of the Boomers.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys coming through, a lot of potential,” Daniels told RG.org.

“The world stage is so difficult now to win. It’s going to be tough every game, but I think we’ve got a good core group of guys.

Patty Mills and Joe Ingles helped build the culture of the group, and now it’s on the young guys to keep that going. I really like the group we’ve got coming through.”

For the full story with Afseth and RG.org click here.

How the Luka trade has changed Exum's role with Dallas

It was the trade which shocked everyone around the world but it's also the trade that has had a major impact on the role of Australian guard Dante Exum.

Exum is sidelined indefinitely with a broken hand, which continues a horror run of injury after he missed a large portion of this season following wrist surgery. But his role significantly increased after more opportunity for a secondary ball handler was created when Dallas traded away Doncic as well as reserve guard Quentin Grimes.

However, Afseth said the Mavericks always had confidence in Exum being a significant piece in their quest to go one step further than their NBA Finals appearance last season, even with the Victorian product missing several months with injury.

"The role that he was going to have to start the season, the team had significant confidence in him and it sustained throughout that injury period, they were very much looking forward to getting him back," he said.

"I think that definitely helped Dante, just knowing that, even though he has one of those short-term contracts in a contract year, the team is clearly confident in him that and that gives you a little more stability for the player and I think he handled it really well.

"I don't think there was ever any negative moments with Dante during his injury that we ever experienced from covering him. Even during the points where he had to get on-court work and his shot was like early in the process of being able to use that wrist. I didn't really see any moments during his workouts where he was getting down on himself or anything.

"He's had such a very levelheaded approach throughout the whole time."

Off contract at the end of this season, Afseth said there were no indications from the Mavericks on what they would do with Exum beyond this campaign.

"(Dallas) will probably have to do quite a bit of re-evaluation with their current roster after the Luka trade. Just looking at Dallas' contract situation overall, they'll have Spencer Dinwiddie coming off their books as well, but they did sign Jaden Hardy to a contract extension, who has gotten a smaller role than both Dante and Spencer.

"But he's set to make, I believe around $8 million starting next season. So, I think they'll have to weigh like the financial commitment they're willing to make for that backup guard rotation around Kyrie.

"Maybe they use Jaden as a salary filler for a larger piece since they're in such a win now contention mode. I think there'll be some potential moves prior to free agency."

Josh Green's up and down season in Charlotte

Having played a significant role at times on a championship contender with the Dallas Mavericks, there was excitement around Josh Green's opportunity to showcase what he could do with more opportunity after being traded to traditional NBA cellar dwellers, the Charlotte Hornets in the offseason.

But the former University of Arizona college star, has struggled for consistency at times with the Hornets but Asfeth believes it has a lot to do with Charlotte's inconsistencies as a whole, especially the inability for the team's stars to stay on the floor.

"I think offensively he's done a lot similar to here in Dallas. There's definitely some ups and downs but that tends to come when you're in that three and D roll where your shots not going to fall for certain stretches," he said.

"I think he's continued to provide that high energy impact, doing the dirty work that any team that has him appreciates. He's someone that's going to fly around, grab offensive rebounds that some other players might look at the ball and just kind of watch it come off the rim. He's flying around aggressively and coming up with those plays.

"I think even that first matchup that the Mavericks had against Charlotte this season, Kyrie kind of talked about those intangibles that Josh brings to the game, where it was kind of weird for him against Josh but he got to see some of those things that he appreciated when they were teammates.

"So I think he's kind of continued what he's done, but it's just a little harder when a lot of these top of the roster players are in and out of the lineup, whether it's LaMelo (Ball) or Brandon Miller out for so long. (Josh) is someone that thrives playing alongside those like star power type of presences that open up his game where he can kind of play off of them.

"When they're not around, that just makes it harder for him and everybody else to do what they do best."

Green was also identified as a candidate to be traded before the trade deadline, with his three and D skills coveted by contending teams, but Afseth doesn't expect the Hornets to look to offload the Australian anytime soon with Charlotte in the mode of stashing as many assets as possible and bringing in contracts in the process.