The Wizards are promoting Amber Nichols from her current role of director of amateur evaluation to be the team’s new vice president of basketball operations and personnel, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link), the Mavericks made an unsuccessful attempt to hire Nichols this summer before she received the promotion from the Wizards. Nichols was previously the general manager of Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Hawks will be traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, for this year’s training camp, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), who hears Atlanta’s camp will be held at Vanderbilt University’s practice facility. The training camp will be held from September 29 – Oct. 2. Last year’s camp was held at the University of Georgia in Athens, Williams notes.
- Several NBA insiders from ESPN recap the Pistons’ offseason moves and preview what could be on tap ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. Detroit’s offseason feels incomplete, since the team remains in a protracted contract standoff with restricted free agent center Jalen Duren, notes Vincent Goodwill. Zach Kram wasn’t a fan of the moves the Pistons have made thus far, giving the front office a “C-” grade for trading Isaiah Stewart and essentially swapping out Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert with John Collins and Isaiah Joe. Collins is Detroit’s biggest X factor this season, in Kram’s view.
- The Bulls had an eventful offseason, overhauling their front office and coaching staff and making several changes to the roster, most notably drafting Caleb Wilson fourth overall in June, a handful of insiders write for ESPN.com. Kram questions whether Chicago made the best use of its cap room this summer, and thinks veteran center Nic Claxton — a trade addition acquired via cap room — is the team’s primary X factor. As Kram observes, Claxton was one of the top rim protectors in the NBA in 2022/23 but his defense has regressed in recent seasons.