Butler Hires Hawks Assistant Ronald Nored As Head Coach
Hawks assistant Ronald Nored is leaving his NBA job to become the head coach at Butler University. The move was first reported by Matt Norlander of CBS Sports and has been officially confirmed by the school.
“The term ‘dream job’ doesn’t do justice to how I feel about the opportunity to lead the Butler program,” Nored said in a statement. “Butler is an incredibly special place. As a player, I poured blood, sweat and tears into this program. No one appreciates both the responsibility and the potential that comes with this position more than me. Passionate fans, Hinkle Fieldhouse, the BIG EAST, storied tradition, a world-class education, a thriving city… there is incredible momentum at Butler right now and I can’t wait to hit the ground running as we elevate Butler to new heights.”
A longtime NBA assistant, Nored has spent the past three seasons under Quin Snyder in Atlanta. He was also a member of Rick Carlisle‘s Pacers staff from 2021-23, worked with the Hornets under James Borrego from 2018-21, and had a player development role in Boston in 2014/15 under his former Butler coach Brad Stevens.
Additionally, Nored has a little previous head coaching experience. From 2016-18, he served as the head coach of the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate.
A player for the Bulldogs from 2008-12, Nored was the starting point guard on the Butler squads that appeared in consecutive national championship games in 2010 and 2011. He’ll be replacing Thad Matta, who announced his retirement last week. Nored and Akron coach John Groce were the two finalists for the position, sources tell Norlander.
While neither Norlander’s report nor Butler’s press release confirmed that Nored will be leaving the Hawks immediately, before the end of the NBA season, the school indicated that he’ll be introduced to the media on Friday afternoon.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 3/25/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Lakers' plans for Austin Reaves, Draymond Green's future with the Warriors, the Sixers' playoff prospects with a healthy roster, Ja Morant's trade market and more!
Warriors, Omer Yurtseven Agree To Second 10-Day Deal
The Warriors will re-sign center Omer Yurtseven for another 10 days after his first 10-day contract with the team expired overnight on Tuesday, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link).
Yurtseven, who initially signed with Golden State on March 15, made five appearances during his first deal, averaging 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game. Big man Kristaps Porzingis has been in and out of the Warriors’ lineup while Al Horford has been on the shelf with a calf strain, opening the door for Yurtseven to play a little, though he received his first DNP-CD on Monday vs. Dallas.
Yurtseven averaged 5.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 11.8 MPG in 113 NBA regular season appearances with the Heat and Jazz from 2021-24 before spending most of the past two years overseas playing for Panathinaikos. He recently parted ways with the Greek EuroLeague team and signed a G League contract, appearing in three games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before being promoted to the NBA by Golden State.
As we relayed over the weekend, Yurtseven made a positive first impression on Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
“I’m a fan of Omer — he’s a very good player, very talented,” Kerr said. “He’s a good passer, he can shoot, and he’s had success in the NBA. We’ve only had him for a few days, but I enjoy watching him every day and seeing how he fits with the other guys.”
Assuming Yurtseven officially re-signs with the Warriors on Wednesday, his contract will run through April 3, covering the club’s next five games. Once it expires, Golden State would have to either let him walk or sign him to a rest-of-season or multiyear deal.
Yurtseven’s second 10-day contract will pay him $141,463, while the Warriors will carry a $131,970 cap hit.
NBA To Formally Explore Adding Expansion Teams In Seattle, Vegas
As expected, the NBA’s Board of Governors has voted in favor of formally exploring adding expansion franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Charania first reported last week that the Board of Governors would be conducting a vote during their March 24-25 meetings on whether to explore potential bids and applicants for teams in those two specific cities. The plan required the approval of at least 23 of the NBA’s 30 team governors and the expectation was that the vote would have no trouble passing.
As Charania notes (via Twitter), momentum has been building toward the NBA expanding to 32 teams, with multiple high-ranking officials around the league referring to it as a matter for “when, not if.”
While some team owners have been wary in the past of reducing their portion of league revenue, expansion fees for new franchises are expected to be in the range of $7-10 billion, per Charania, which would result in massive one-time payments for each current NBA ownership group.
The next step, Charania explains, is for the NBA to spend the next several months vetting the Seattle and Vegas markets and potential bidders in order to determine whether to move forward on expansion at this time or in a few years. If the league opts to move forward with expansion sooner rather than later, the two new teams would likely begin playing in 2028/29, with necessary steps like conference/division realignment and an expansion draft taking place ahead of that season.
Confirming Charania’s reporting, the NBA put out a statement (via Twitter) announcing that the league has hired investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic adviser to “evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion.”
“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” commissioner Adam Silver said. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
Seattle has been viewed as a possible expansion market ever since the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder in 2008. Seattle was part of the NBA for more than four decades and has a large group of loyal fans who still identify with the team.
The city already has a facility in place in Climate Pledge Arena, which was formerly known as Key Arena and serves as home to the NHL’s Kraken. It recently underwent a $1.15 billion renovation and can hold 18,300 fans for basketball. If an expansion team is approved for Seattle, the expectation is that it would reclaim the SuperSonics nickname, branding, and franchise history.
Las Vegas has never had an NBA franchise, but it has formed a strong partnership with the league by hosting Summer League games every July, as well as the semifinals and finals of the NBA Cup. T-Mobile Arena is the home of the NHL’s Golden Knights and hosts basketball games as well, with a capacity of 18,000 people.
While other cities – including Mexico City, Vancouver, Montreal, and Louisville, among others – have been occasionally cited as possible candidates for NBA expansion, Seattle and Vegas have long been considered the frontrunners in a scenario in which the league moves to a 32-team format.
The NBA last expanded in 2004, when Charlotte reentered the league as the Bobcats.
Celtics To Re-Sign Charles Bassey
The Celtics intend to re-sign big man Charles Bassey to a second 10-day contract on Wednesday, reports Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
Bassey’s first 10-day deal expired overnight, dropping Boston’s roster count to 13 players on standard contracts. The team has already reached the 28-day limit this season for operating below 14 players, so a roster move was necessary to get back to that NBA-mandated minimum before Thursday, as we outlined earlier today.
The 53rd overall pick in the 2021 draft, Bassey spent his first four NBA seasons with the 76ers and Spurs, appearing in 113 games and averaging 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per contest from 2021-25. However, despite a strong Summer League showing last July in Las Vegas, he was unable to secure a regular roster spot at the NBA level this season and has bounced around among several teams in between G League stints.
Bassey signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Grizzlies in October, inked a pair of 10-day deals with Philadelphia in January and February, and will now complete a second 10-day pact with the Celtics, providing the club with some frontcourt depth while center Nikola Vucevic recovers from a finger injury.
Bassey has appeared in just five total NBA games this season, including two during his first 10 days with the Celtics. The 25-year-old logged a total of four minutes of garbage time in games against Golden State last Wednesday and vs. Minnesota on Sunday. In 20 total regular season outings at the G League level with the Santa Cruz Warriors and Delaware Blue Coats, he has averaged 20.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game, with a .606/.426/.654 shooting line.
Bassey’s new 10-day contract will run through April 3 and will carry a cap hit of $131,970, moving the Celtics to within $161,084 of the luxury tax line.
As of April 4, a rest-of-season minimum contract for a 14th man – whether that’s Bassey or someone else – will count for $118,773 against the cap, leaving Boston a little breathing room to sign a 15th man at the end of the season without becoming a taxpayer.
Nets Signing Malachi Smith To Second 10-Day Deal
The Nets have agreed to re-sign guard Malachi Smith to a second 10-day contract following the expiration of his initial 10-day deal on Monday night, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Smith, who had been playing for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, appeared in six games during his first 10 days with the NBA team, averaging 6.2 points, 2.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 19.5 minutes per contest. The 26-year-old made 15-of-30 shots from the floor (50%), including 5-of-10 three-pointers.
A G League veteran who has also spent time with the Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd and Memphis Hustle since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023, Smith hadn’t appeared in an NBA regular season game until he suited up for the Nets on March 14 in Philadelphia.
The Nets haven’t made a roster move since Smith’s first 10-day contract expired on Monday night, so he’ll simply slot back into the open spot on the 15-man roster that he previously occupied. If Brooklyn wants to hang onto him beyond this second 10-day deal, it will require a rest-of-season or multiyear commitment, since a player can’t sign three 10-days with the same team.
Assuming Smith’s 10-day deal is officially finalized on Wednesday, it will cover the Nets’ next five games, running through next Friday (April 3). He’ll earn another $73,153 over the course of those 10 days, bringing his total NBA earnings for the season to $188,956 — that figure includes his two 10-day contracts ($73,153 apiece) and the $42,650 partial guarantee he received when he signed a camp contract with Brooklyn last fall.
Roster Move Required For Celtics
The Celtics will need to make an addition to their 15-man roster on Wednesday following the expiration of Charles Bassey‘s 10-day contract overnight.
With Bassey no longer under contract, the Celtics are carrying just 13 players on standard deals. Teams aren’t permitted to have fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than 28 days during the season, and Boston has already reached that 28-day limit for 2025/26. The team had just 12 players on its 15-man roster from February 5-18 and again from March 1-14.
The Celtics have plotted out their post-trade-deadline roster moves carefully in order to ensure they keep their team salary below the luxury tax line. They currently have enough breathing room below that tax threshold to sign a 14th man to a rest-of-season, minimum-salary contract and then to add a 15th man (likely two-way player Ron Harper Jr.) on a minimum deal at the end of the regular season.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Celtics will complete a rest-of-season signing today. Doing another 10-day deal would give them the flexibility to reassess their roster needs on April 4 and make a decision on a rest-of-season commitment at that time.
Boston’s roster move today could be as simple as bringing back Bassey on a second 10-day contract, though the big man – signed to provide frontcourt depth with Nikola Vucevic sidelined – didn’t see much action during his first 10 days with the club. He logged a total of four minutes of garbage time in games against Golden State last Wednesday and vs. Minnesota on Sunday.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Losing Streak, Playoffs, Free Agency
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes that Monday’s game against the Spurs featured the top two candidates for Defensive Player of the Year in Bam Adebayo and Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Chiang writes for the Miami Herald.
“If we can really defend the way we’ve been defending the last month, then I think it’s a two-man race for the Defensive Player of the Year,” Spoelstra said prior to the game. “I think it’s just whatever flavor you like. They’ve won at an extremely high level, San Antonio. And their defense has been consistently a notch above ours. But we’re starting to catch them in that.“
Sportsbooks have Adebayo closer to fifth than second, Chiang notes, with Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Rudy Gobert (Wolves), and Scottie Barnes (Raptors) ahead of him.
Spoelstra also believes that Adebayo is deserving of an All-NBA spot this season.
We have more out of Miami:
- On the heels of a seven-game winning streak, the Heat matched their longest losing streak of the season when they fell to the Spurs on Monday for their fifth loss in a row. They have a 16-26 record this season against teams that entered Monday with a winning record, Chiang writes. “When the going gets tough, we let go of the rope,” guard Norman Powell said. “I think that’s what happens when we have losses like this. We get hit, get some adversity, miss some shots, and then just everybody starts worrying about what happened on offense and teams take advantage of it and keep punishing us. But yeah, when we get hit, we continue to fold.” While the Heat have hung their hat on defense this year, Chiang points out that this marks the first time in franchise history that the team has given up at least 120 points in five straight games. Adebayo and Spoelstra were seen having an animated exchange after the Heat coach subbed out his star big in the second quarter. “I don’t want to be in the play-in. So some of that is, yeah, he’s got to protect me from myself,” Adebayo said after. “But also I don’t want to be in the f—–g play-in. So every game, I’m going to try to go out there and do the best I can to carry this team and force our way out of that.”
- As counterintuitive as it might run to the Heat’s DNA, it could be beneficial for them to miss the playoffs this season, Barry Jackson writes for the Herald. Jackson notes that Miami’s refusal to tank has impacted their ability to bring in another star-level player, while even vaunted teams like the Spurs have endured years of pain to form their talented cores.
- The Heat are entering year seven of being unable to reel in a “whale” of a talent, according to Jackson. By that, he’s referring to their ability to sign or trade for a star player, though Powell did make the All-Star game this season with Miami. Jackson goes through some of the top stars the Heat were in the running for in recent years – including Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant – and considers how falling short in each of those pursuits looks in hindsight.
Grizzlies’ Morant, Clarke, Edey Ruled Out For Rest Of Season
The Grizzlies released medical updates for Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, and Zach Edey today (via Twitter), announcing that all three players have officially been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
Morant has been dealing with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow and hasn’t played since January 21. In early March, the team announced he would be reevaluated in two weeks. According to today’s update, it was recommended that the point guard receive a platelet-rich plasma injection to aid the healing process. He is expected to make a full recovery before next season.
Clarke, who missed the start of the season while recovering from a procedure on his right knee, has only played two games in 2025/26 and is currently working his way back from a right calf strain. Following recent imaging, the Grizzlies determined that he requires more time before he can resume “high-intensity court work.”
Edey hasn’t played since the first week of December and there was already an expectation that he’d miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery. While he continues to recovery from that surgery, he also underwent a procedure to alleviate lingering discomfort in his left elbow, the Grizzlies announced.
Like Morant, Clarke and Edey are both expected to make full recoveries for the 2026/27 season, per the team.
Morant, a trade candidate at last month’s deadline who will likely be back on the block this offseason, will have two years and $87MM left on his maximum-salary contract. Clarke will be on an expiring $12.5MM contract in ’26/27, while Edey is entering the third year of his rookie scale deal and will earn $6.33MM.
Draft Notes: Peterson, Dybantsa, Mullins, Graves
With March Madness in full swing, NBA teams are starting to round out their evaluations of how prospects play in high-leverage situations. There have been plenty of talking points regarding the 2026 draft class, with few players commanding as much attention as Kansas’ Darryn Peterson.
Peterson came into this season as the presumed top player in the draft, but an inconsistent year and questions around his health and approach makes what was thought to be an iron-clad grip on a top-three pick a bit more of an open question, writes Kevin O’Connor for Yahoo Sports.
In addition to getting little offensive help from his teammates, especially from the perimeter, the 6’5″ shooting guard was limited by the hamstring injury that plagued him throughout the season, says O’Connor.
“I was hurt for the majority of the year,” Peterson said. “I went through some really bad stuff. I wasn’t really myself for real until like the end of the year.”
Besides his lethal shooting ability, Peterson brings a good defensive play-making skillset and is adept at drawing fouls, O’Connor adds.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie echoes O’Connor’s concerns about Peterson, writing that the Jayhawks guard could end up anywhere from one to five on his board. However, he adds that he has questions about the way the 19-year-old was used by Kansas coach Bill Self, which was mostly in an off-ball capacity.
We have more notes from the top of the 2026 draft:
- BYU forward AJ Dybantsa appears to have the most solid claim to the No. 1 spot at this time, writes ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. While the talented forward has faced some questions about his ball-handling and defense, his aggression and decision-making as a passer improved greatly throughout the season, Woo notes, as he established himself as a well-rounded 6’9″ scorer with major upside.
- UConn’s Braylon Mullins is looking more like someone who could be a top returner to school this season, according to Woo. The sweet-shooting guard’s season got off to a delayed start as he dealt with an ankle injury, and Woo says he never quite displayed the offensive consistency NBA teams might have been looking for. Vecenie adds that scouts are wondering if Mullins is more a good shooter than an elite shooter. He still has a chance to solidify his 2026 draft stock, but with NIL money and the allure of weaker competition around him in the 2027 draft class, returning to school could end up being a beneficial move long-term, Woo says.
- Allen Graves, from Santa Clara, was not expected to be a significant player in the 2026 draft, but he has impressed with his defense and passing, according to Woo. Graves may still be best served by spending another year in college and working on his jumper, but the 6’9″ forward has fans in the NBA and a strong pre-draft process could put him in position to be drafted this season, Woo notes.