Eastern Notes: Sixers, Nelson, Giannis, Wizards, Nets
After Marc Stein reported that Sixers assistant general manager Jameer Nelson is a candidate for an “expanded role” following Daryl Morey‘s exit and Jake Fischer confirmed that Nelson has many supporters within the organization, Tony Jones of The Athletic hears from multiple league sources that the former NBA point guard is a legitimate candidate to become the next president of basketball operations in Philadelphia.
Nelson is the strongest internal candidate in the Sixers’ front office search, and even if he doesn’t take Morey’s spot atop the basketball operations department, he appears likely to receive a promotion, league sources tell Jones.
Although Nelson was technically third in the 76ers’ front office hierarchy under Morey and GM Elton Brand this past season, he had more responsibilities than a “typical” No. 3, Jones explains, adding that Nelson is viewed as a rising star and is expected to get an opportunity to run a team sooner or later, even if he doesn’t happen this offseason.
Brand also confirms several previously reported details related to the Sixers’ search for Morey’s successor, writing that Mike Gansey, Nick U’Ren, Trent Redden, and Matt Lloyd are considered candidates and noting that Atlanta denied Philadelphia’s request to speak to Hawks GM Onsi Saleh last week.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Appearing earlier this week on The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated that while he hasn’t explicitly requested a trade, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has “believed for a period of months” that a deal sending him to a new team is ultimately in both his and the Bucks’ best interests. “Giannis’s stance has not changed from what I’ve reported over the last several months,” Charania said.
- Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears and Miami (OH) guard Peter Suder were among the prospects in for a pre-draft workout with the Wizards this week, tweets Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. Washington controls two of the last 10 picks in this year’s draft, at No. 51 and No. 60, while Fears currently ranks 67th on ESPN’s big board and Suder comes in at 101st.
- The Nets took point guards with their first two picks in the 2025 draft, but Arkansas’ Darius Acuff could still make sense for Brooklyn with this year’s No. 6 overall pick, writes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). Neither Egor Demin nor Nolan Traore made an All-Rookie team, and while there are concerns about Acuff’s size and defense, he offers star potential as a scorer.
Jalen Williams, Dylan Harper To Undergo MRIs After Game 2 Exits
Thunder forward Jalen Williams and Spurs guard Dylan Harper both left Game 2 of the Western Conference finals early on Wednesday due to hamstring injuries, according to reports from Tim MacMahon of ESPN and Michael C. Wright of ESPN.
Williams was on the floor for just over seven minutes in the first quarter before checking out and receiving treatment on his left hamstring. The Thunder announced in the third quarter that Williams wouldn’t return to the game due to hamstring tightness.
The hamstring in question is the same one that Williams strained earlier in the playoffs, forcing him to miss the last two games of Oklahoma City’s first-round series vs. Phoenix and the entire second-round series vs. the Lakers. The 25-year-old, who scored 26 points in 37 minutes in his return to action on Monday, will undergo an MRI to determine whether he has strained the hamstring again, a source tells MacMahon.
“He’s going to get checked out,” head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters after the game. “I don’t deal in like hypotheticals, especially when doctors are involved. … We’ll see where he’s at. We’ll update him accordingly.”
While Ajay Mitchell made six starts in place of Williams earlier in the postseason, it was Cason Wallace who opened the second half of Game 2 alongside the rest of Oklahoma City’s usual starters. Both players could be in line for increased roles if Williams is forced to miss more time. Mitchell went down late in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury and received medical treatment on the bench, but he said after the game that he just got hit in the thigh and should be fine going forward, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Spurs, meanwhile, had already been without starting point guard De’Aaron Fox due to a high ankle sprain and are now in danger of his replacement, Harper, missing time too. The rookie standout exited in the third quarter and didn’t return due to what appeared to be a right hamstring injury. He’ll undergo an MRI on Thursday in San Antonio, sources tell Wright.
Harper was excellent in Game 1 in Fox’s place, racking up 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and seven steals in a season-high 47 minutes of action. In Game 2, he registered 12 points, three assists, and two rebounds in 25 minutes before being forced to the sidelines.
As for Fox, he took part in pregame warmups prior to each of the first two games of the Western finals and the Spurs were said to be hopeful about his chances of returning for Game 2, but he was ultimately held out of both contests in Oklahoma City.
“He’s just trying to play every day,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s a tough injury that he wouldn’t be playing with in the regular season. So, he’s trying to tough it out. He did that in Minnesota. He had an awkward landing. So, he reaggravated it. We’ve just got to make sure he’s in a place that he can be out there and compete to the level that he would need to in the game that we’re playing.”
If Fox and Harper are both unable to play on Friday, the Spurs would have to lean more heavily on Stephon Castle and veteran reserve Jordan McLaughlin. Castle has struggled to maintain control of the ball against the Thunder, turning it over 11 times in Game 1 and nine times in Game 2. Still, the Spurs remain confident in his ability to operate as the team’s primary ball-handler.
“Steph is a dog,” teammate Keldon Johnson said. “He’ll figure it out. We support him every step of the way. [He] turned the ball over. We all turn the ball over. It’s not just on Steph.”
As for McLaughlin, he averaged a career-low 6.4 minutes per game in 44 regular season appearances and hasn’t been in the playoff rotation, but his teammates aren’t concerned about the possibility of him playing an expanded role, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The veteran point guard had six points in seven minutes in Game 2.
“Every single time J-Mac comes in, he makes the right play, hits a big shot,” Spurs forward Devin Vassell said after Wednesday’s game. “As soon as he came in (tonight), he wasn’t even warm yet and he hits a three. He’s steady. If he needs to come in and play, I don’t think anybody is worried or concerned.”
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 5/21/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill will hold a live chat Thursday at 11 am Central time (noon Eastern) exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event and read the transcript afterward.
Heat Notes: Jakucionis, 13th Pick, Offseason, Playoff Implications
The Heat‘s Kasparas Jakucionis wasn’t named to the All-Rookie team, but he already has his sights set on another target. The 6’5″ point guard was called up by the Lithuanian national team for July’s European World Cup qualifying tournament, reports Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter).
The competition will overlap with the California Classic Summer League, as Lithuania will be in action on July 2 and July 5, but will not interfere with the Las Vegas Summer League. Winderman adds that the team expects Jakucionis to be a participant in the Vegas portion of Summer League.
Jakucionis played 53 games for Miami this season, including 12 starts, and averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 assists in 17.8 minutes per contest while hitting 42.3% of his threes.
We have more notes on the Heat:
- Miami has pick No. 13 in the 2026 draft, and is preparing for all possibilities, Anthony Chiang writes for the Miami Herald. The team has done well with late lottery picks in the past, with Tyler Herro selected at 13th overall and Bam Adebayo a 14th overall pick. “I think you’re just zooming in on your range,” said vice president of basketball operations Adam Simon. “I think the further back you go, the bigger the range of players. The closer you go to the top, the range gets smaller. Otherwise, it’s the same process.” The Heat are also open to using the pick in a trade, though such a deal would have to be completed on or after draft day, due to the rules prohibiting teams from trading away consecutive first-round picks.
- The Heat missed the playoffs entirely this season after losing consecutive first-round series in the two previous years. This inability to position themselves as a true threat in the East has the team at something of a crossroads this summer, Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview for Spotrac. The Heat will undoubtedly look at a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but they are also a year away from opening up substantial cap space. They also have potential free agent decisions to make on Andrew Wiggins, who holds a player option, and Norman Powell, two veterans who helped keep the ship afloat at times this season. With Adebayo approaching 30, Smith writes that while this summer isn’t a “now or never” situation, it’s getting closer.
- While the Heat are watching the playoffs from afar, the various series outcomes could still impact the team’s future, Barry Jackson writes for the Herald. The Cavaliers and Knicks have both gotten to the conference finals, which could convince team leadership that they don’t need to go all-out for an Antetokounmpo trade. On the other side of that coin, the disappointing endings for the Pistons and Celtics could push either team to make a big move. The Rockets and Timberwolves could also send a compelling offer to the Bucks after bowing out earlier than expected, Jackson writes.
Mavs’ Masai Ujiri Talks Coaching Search, Flagg, Irving, Finley
The Mavericks‘ recently hired president, Masai Ujiri, spoke to the press on Wednesday for the second time this month following the team’s split with head coach Jason Kidd. Over the course of the press conference, Ujiri laid out his initial priorities and his long-term goals for the team.
The most pressing short-term concern is finding the team’s next head coach, after it was announced on Tuesday that Kidd and the organization had mutually agreed to part ways. Ujiri said that he plans to cast a wide net in order to bring in the perfect candidate, as he did with the Raptors, when he hired two different first-time head coaches (Nick Nurse and Darko Rajakovic), Eddie Sefko writes for NBA.com.
“I think our minds are very open,” Ujiri said. “We’re going to look everywhere. Every stone will (be turned over). We will really try to look at what’s best for this organization, be it first-time, be it experienced, be it college, be it European. Everywhere. Whatever is best for this organization going forward is what we are going to look at. It’s going to be very comprehensive.”
Illustrating the different directions the Mavs’ search could take, Ujiri pointed out that the Western Conference finals features two very young coaches, while the Eastern Conference finals matches up two veterans, per Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter video link).
“The kind of person who I bring in here has that mindset of trying to win, and moving in that direction,” Ujiri said. “… We all have to have a united front and think the same way, and we’re going to continue to build this team to think like that.”
Ujiri told reporters that he has not been in touch with any candidates yet, since doing so would be disrespectful to Kidd and that isn’t the way he likes to do business. He also said that Kidd’s alleged role in the Luka Doncic trade played no role in the decision but that he viewed the move as a chance to give the franchise a “clean slate” ahead of the next era of Mavs basketball.
“I’m in no position to criticize or blame or even really investigate some of the things that happened then,” he said. “We have to figure out a way to slowly move on from this, and I have to hold myself accountable for doing this.”
We have more notes from Ujiri’s presser:
- Ujiri emphasized that everything he’s trying to do is aimed at maximizing the future of Cooper Flagg, Grant Afseth writes for the Dallas Hoops Journal. “Every decision we are going to make here is going to be future-based,” Ujiri said. “We have a 19-year-old generational player on our roster, and we have to think that way. We’re not going to make decisions based on winning today. I don’t think that would make sense for the organization.” The Mavs have the ninth overall pick this year, but don’t control their own unprotected pick after that until 2031.
- However, that statement does not seem to indicate that the new president is looking to move on from veteran point guard Kyrie Irving. Ujiri said that the organization is very interested in seeing Flagg and Irving play together, Christian Clark writes for The Athletic. The star point guard missed Flagg’s entire rookie season while recovering from a torn ACL. “Kevin Durant once told me, ‘There is only one Kyrie walking around in the world,‘” Ujiri said. “I think we have to figure out how Kyrie fits with our program. I have had those conversations with Kyrie. I think Kyrie will fit.”
- Matt Riccardi‘s reported departure from the team, it raised questions as to the future of franchise alumni and Riccardi’s fellow co-interim general manager Michael Finley, but Ujiri said that the team remains in talks with Finley to find him a potential role within the organization, writes Schuyler Dixon of AP News.
Warriors Notes: Roster, Offseason, Draft Workouts, Armstrong
The Warriors got their most pressing bit of offseason business done early when they extended head coach Steve Kerr for two more years. Now, their focus will turn to shaping a more competitive version of the roster.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. previously expressed confidence in the roster the team put out this year from a talent standpoint. That could mean that improvements will be more in the form of marginal adjustments, rather than wholesale changes.
There’s a 70% chance of Draymond Green returning next season, The Athletic’s Nick Fridell predicts within a preview of who could be on the move. He gives Al Horford a 65% chance of remaining with the Warriors and suggests there’s a 50/50 chance that Kristaps Porzingis is back. Lowest on Friedell’s list is soon-to-be third-year center Quinten Post (15%). Post has gotten a number of opportunities, but he fell out of the rotation at times and his status will likely depend on what happens with Horford and Porzingis.
While the big names at the top of the depth chart might not change much this summer, Kerr and the team know that this marks a transition point for the organization, Dalton Johnson writes for NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We can’t legitimately look at our roster, look at our injuries, look at the Spurs, at OKC and Minnesota — we can’t sit here and say we are a championship contender right now,” Kerr said. “This is going to require some personnel moves. It’s going to require rethinking how we’re operating. … There’s a lot to fix this summer, and before we can even begin to talk about playoffs and championships, we’ve got a big challenge ahead, and we’re excited about it.”
We have more on the Warriors:
- Game 1 between the Thunder and Spurs was a clear message of what the Warriors need to focus on adding this offseason: namely, dynamic athleticism, Johnson writes. Dunleavy is aware of the team’s deficiencies in that regard, especially with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody expected to miss a portion of the season while recovering from major injuries. “That’s a huge hole in generally your most athletic position,” he said. “We’ll always look to add athletically — length, size, skill, all those things. But, watching the playoffs, you learn a lot. You see the teams where they’re at, where you need to go, and it’s good to see.” Dunleavy also wants to prioritize players who take care of the ball and don’t turn it over.
- Golden State hosted a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, the team announced (via Twitter). The group included Maliq Brown (Duke), Ryan Conwell (Louisville), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), Robert McCray V (Florida State), Emanuel Sharp (Houston), and Ernest Udeh (Miami). The Warriors have the 11th and 54th in the 2026 draft. The players who worked out on Wednesday are potential second-round targets.
- Warriors two-way restricted free agent Taran Armstrong has signed a two-year deal with the Tasmania JackJumpers, per ESPN’s Olgun Uluc (Twitter link). The second year of the deal is a player option. Armstrong spent this past season with a loaded Dubai team featuring Davis Bertans, Dwayne Bacon, Matt Ryan, and other former NBA players, averaging 2.9 points in 15.9 minutes per game. Before that, he played for the Cairns Taipans in Australia’s NBL, where he averaged 17.1 points and 4.7 assists per game. The Australian guard never actually appeared in a regular season game for Golden State, but finished the 2024/25 season on a two-way deal with the Warriors and was tendered a qualifying offer last offseason, allowing the Warriors to retain his RFA rights.
Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox Out For Game 2
De’Aaron Fox will miss Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City on Wednesday as he continues to deal with a right ankle injury. While the Spurs‘ official designation for Fox on their injury report is right ankle soreness, Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) refers to the injury as a high ankle sprain.
The Spurs were without their All-Star point guard in their Game 1 victory, and they turned to 20-year-old rookie Dylan Harper to fill his shoes. Harper contributed a historic game for a player his age, with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and seven steals.
Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman notes (via Twitter) that the Spurs are starting the same group in Game 2 that they did in Game 1.
While San Antonio was said to be optimistic that Fox would back for Game 2, the team’s road win in Game 1 on the road accomplished an important goal of eliminating the Thunder’s home court advantage for the series. As a result of that win, the Spurs may have felt less urgency to get Fox back on the court for Game 2, suggests Rylan Stiles of Locked On Thunder (via Twitter).
Fox’s next chance to suit up will be Game 3, which will be played on Friday back in San Antonio.
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-Rookie Teams
The NBA has officially revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2025/26 season (Twitter links). The First Team is made up the top four picks in the 2025 draft, along with the No. 11 overall selection, while the Second Team consists of four additional lottery picks and one second-rounder.
A panel of 100 media members selected the All-Rookie teams, with players earning two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team nod. The 10 players who made the cut, along with their corresponding point totals (Twitter link), are as follows:
First Team
- Cooper Flagg, Mavericks (200 points)
- Kon Knueppel, Hornets (200)
- VJ Edgecombe, Sixers (200)
- Dylan Harper, Spurs (193)
- Cedric Coward, Grizzlies (125)
Second Team
- Derik Queen, Pelicans (110)
- Maxime Raynaud, Kings (110)
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans (109)
- Ace Bailey, Jazz (107)
- Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors (66)
Flagg, Knueppel, and Edgecombe were the three finalists for Rookie of the Year and received nearly all the votes for that award, so it comes as no surprise that they’re the three players who were unanimously selected to the All-Rookie First Team.
Harper played a key role for the 62-win Spurs, while Coward emerged as a reliable scorer for the Grizzlies, averaging 13.6 points per game on 47.1% shooting. They were the only two players besides the three finalists to show up on any Rookie of the Year ballots.
Fears and Bailey ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among rookies in scoring, while Queen and Raynaud earned starting roles for their respective teams and responded well, with Queen averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, while Raynaud put up 12.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Raynaud, the only non-lottery pick on the All-Rookie teams, was the 42nd overall pick last June.
Murray-Boyles’ counting stats were modest, but he played a rotation role and showed off impressive defensive versatility for a Raptors team that finished fifth in the East. His eight first-team votes and 50 second-team votes helped earn him the final All-Rookie spot over Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who had 43 second-team votes.
Wizards guard Tre Johnson (19 points), Celtics wing Hugo Gonzalez (5), Wizards swingman Will Riley (4), Spurs forward Carter Bryant (3), Nets guard Egor Demin (2), Hornets guard Sion James (2), Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (1), and Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (1) were the other players who showed up on at least one ballot.
Among all the players who received All-Rookie votes, only Nembhard went undrafted — he signed a two-way contract with Dallas as a free agent, then was promoted to the Mavs’ standard roster in February.
All-Rookie is one of the few awards that doesn’t require players to meet the 65-game minimum and certain minutes-played thresholds. Harper, Coward, Queen, Raynaud, Bailey, and Murray-Boyles each would have been ineligible for consideration if the 65-game rule applied to All-Rookie voting.
Blazers Notes: Henderson, Williams, Avdija, Krejci, Layoffs
The Trail Blazers are entering an offseason of upheaval, with a new owner running the show and a search for a new head coach underway. They also have decisions to make about several key players this summer, including the highest-drafted young player on the roster: Scoot Henderson.
This was supposed to be the season that Henderson, who is extension-eligible following the third year of his rookie contract, took the reins as the point guard of the future, writes Joe Freeman of Oregon Live (subscriber link). Instead, a hamstring injury sustained right before training camp proved to be a critical setback, as he wasn’t able to get on the court for four months.
Henderson ultimately played just 30 games, and while he had some highly successful outings during the Blazers’ first-round series against the Spurs, he didn’t exactly put questions about his future to rest.
“His shot improved a little bit and that’s something you can continue to work on,” an anonymous scout told Freeman. “He has intangibles that you can’t teach. But he has to learn to use them in an NBA game. He needs to finish better. He has no idea how to play explosive against bigger, stronger athletes. Will he get it? Who knows.”
We have more from the Blazers:
- Portland will also have to make a decision on 28-year-old unrestricted free agent Robert Williams III. Though he was limited by a minutes restriction, Williams played 59 games this season, which is the second-highest mark of his career, Freeman notes (subscriber link). The veteran center also stepped into a larger role in the playoffs due to the struggles of Donovan Clingan. Injuries and availability remain a question mark with the talented, defensive-minded big man, but his impact when he plays could draw the interest of other playoff teams if the Blazers don’t retain him. “I feel like I found another home in Portland,” Williams said. “I’d be happy to stay here, help the rebuild. I’m proud of the young guys. We’ve been together for a couple years … but everything is a business. It’s a negotiation. And we’ve got to get into talks.”
- One player whose status with the team is clear at this point is Deni Avdija, who blossomed into an All-Star point forward despite playing on a team that featured some of the worst spacing in the league, according to Freeman (subscriber link). Avdija clearly cemented himself as a franchise cornerstone, though some scouts still wonder if he’s more of an elite second option than the best player on a truly competitive team, Freeman writes. The 25-year-old forward is aware that he may have taken the league by surprise this season and recognizes that likely won’t be the case next year. “A lot of teams are going to prepare and they know me right now and maybe have different solutions,” he said. “I need to learn how to drive both ways, be a better defender, a better leader, be more vocal.”
- The Blazers acquired sharpshooting wing Vit Krejci before the trade deadline to upgrade their perimeter rotation, but he struggled to close the season, possibly in part due to a left calf bruise. Still, Freeman says the team remains intrigued by Krejci’s defensive tools, his shooting, and his team-friendly contract, which is partially guaranteed for next season and non-guaranteed for the following season (subscriber link).
- The mass layoffs from the Portland organization weren’t limited to the business or media side of operations. Blazers scout and WNBA legend Tina Thompson was one of the cuts, as Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report relays (Twitter link). Highkin notes (via Twitter) that Thompson was particularly close with Damian Lillard, who recently recruited her son to Weber State.
2026 NBA Offseason Preview: Memphis Grizzlies
When the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to Orlando for a package headlined by four first-round picks last summer after winning 48 games in 2024/25, it didn't necessarily suggest that Memphis was throwing the towel in on the '25/26 season.
Carrying Bane, Ja Morant, and Jaren Jackson Jr. on maximum-salary or near-max deals probably wasn't viable over the long term for Memphis, given how much of the cap those three players would take up. So it made some sense that the team would sell high on Bane, the least accomplished member of that trio, with an eye toward hanging onto and building around its pair of two-time All-Stars, Morant and Jackson.
With the benefit of hindsight though, the Bane trade looks like the first step in a full-fledged roster reset in Memphis.
The Grizzlies got off to a 4-11 start in 2025/26, with Morant and Tuomas Iisalo clashing over the head coach's offensive system and center Zach Edey's season debut delayed while he recovered from an offseason ankle procedure. And while Edey's return helped - the team went 7-4 in games he played - it didn't last long. His season ended on December 7 after just 11 games due to ongoing issues with that surgically repaired ankle, which required a second procedure in March.
Several other Grizzlies regulars besides Edey battled health issues over the course of the season, as Morant was limited to 20 games and only three players on the roster - young building blocks Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells, and Cedric Coward - made more than 55 appearances. With a shorthanded Memphis squad slumping again ahead of the trade deadline, the front office, led by executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman, decisively pivoted toward a rebuild by trading Jackson to Utah in an eight-player blockbuster that saw the Grizzlies acquire three future first-round picks.
Memphis hasn't entirely cut ties with its former "big three" of Morant, Jackson, and Bane, but that's only because the market for Morant was tepid in February. The former Rookie of the Year had battled calf and elbow issues, and even when he was available, he wasn't performing anywhere near his former All-NBA level. Throw in concerns about his contract and his past off-court behavior and it meant the Grizzlies would be selling at an absolute low if they'd made a deal this past season. Even after reportedly lowering their asking price, they couldn't find an offer worth taking.
Moving Morant at the deadline would've given the Grizzlies a relatively clean slate entering the summer, allowing them to head into the offseason armed with multiple 2026 first-round picks (including No. 3 overall) and without any pricey multiyear contracts on their books. They've still got those first-rounders and appear focused on building for the future, but Morant's uncertain outlook is a major issue looming over the team that may require resolution sooner rather than later.
The Grizzlies' Offseason Plans
The likelihood of a Morant trade this offseason will hinge in large part on what sort of offers Memphis gets, but it will also depend on how the 26-year-old feels about continuing his career with the Grizzlies. He spoke in January about being a "loyal guy" and publicly expressed a desire to remain with the only NBA team he has ever played for, but there have been rumblings suggesting that he hasn't privately conveyed those same sentiments.