Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 6/1/2026
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Click here to join the chat and submit your questions about the NBA Finals, free agency, extension candidates, trade rumors, other offseason moves, the coaching carousel, salary cap and CBA rules, draft lottery reform, or any other NBA-related topic. We’re now underway!
Southeast Notes: Heat Draft, Avdija, Sweeney
Would the Heat consider drafting a smaller guard — height and/or weight — with their lottery pick? It’s not out of the question, according to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.
“I always remind our scouts,” Heat assistant GM Adam Simon said, “we always talk about we have our principles of what we like, what we look for. There’s things that we always try to like. Who doesn’t like length? Who doesn’t like athleticism? Who doesn’t like positional size? But, as you know, there’s heart and there’s IQ and there’s ability to outplay deficiencies that you might have based on size. And if you look in the history of the game, if you basically overlook something based on one aspect of the evaluation, that player can outplay it.”
Winderman notes that Jalen Brunson has led the Knicks to the Finals this season. Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. (who weighs 176 pounds), Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson (180), Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. (180), Houston’s Kingston Flemings (183) and Baylor’s Cameron Carr (184) are some of the smaller guards who could go in the first round.
“There are players that aren’t athletic that make it,” Simon said. “There’s players that are in that size range that become Hall of Famers.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- On draft night two years ago, the Wizards agreed to trade Deni Avdija to the Trail Blazers for a 2024 first-round pick (which was used to select Bub Carrington), a 2029 first-round pick, second-round picks in 2028 and 2030 and veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon. Was it a mistake? It’s a complex question, considering how Avdija has blossomed in Portland. However, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes, trading Avdija helped position the Wizards to win high lottery picks in the 2025 and 2026 drafts.
- Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney was officially hired as the Magic’s head coach on Monday. What should Orlando fans know about him? He’s noted for his creativity, the respect that superstars have given him and that he’s been a serious candidate for numerous head coaching openings in recent years before the Magic hired him, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes.
- ICYMI, the Hawks officially confirmed that Onsi Saleh is now the team’s president of basketball operations and has signed a “long-term” contract extension.
Hornets Guarantee Moussa Diabate’s 2026/27 Salary
The Hornets have guaranteed Moussa Diabate’s contract for the 2026/27 season, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk tweets.
It’s not a surprise, given that Diabate has proved to be one of the league’s biggest bargains. He’s due to make $2,461,462 next season, a pittance for a rotation player who started 47 of 73 games for Charlotte in 2025/26.
Diabate had a non-guaranteed deal that would have become partially guaranteed for $250K if he made the opening night roster and would have been fully guaranteed if he was still on the team beyond January 10.
Diabate won the NBA Hustle Award this past season. Among qualified players, he ranked first on a per-minute basis in offensive box outs, fourth in screen assists, eighth in offensive loose balls recovered, 10th in contested two-point shots, and 11th in defensive box outs and contested three-point shots.
Diabate provided some stability at the five for a Hornets team whose center position looked like a major question mark entering the season following the offseason trades of Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic. His counting stats included averages of 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
He’s slated to be an unrestricted free agent after next season if he doesn’t reach an extension agreement with the Hornets. He vowed in a recent interview to continue to improve, especially offensively.
“Not saying that at the end of the day, I want to (have) a pull-up jumper and all this, but being a threat offensively is going to make me even better, and it’s going to help my teammates,” Diabate said. “So for me, definitely being comfortable with the ball more. Whether it’s me pushing it on the break or just on my handoffs or anything like that, me driving to the basket. Just really expand my game.”
Pacers Notes: Zubac, First-Round Picks, Sharp, Taylor
The Pacers saw a big hole in their lineup after Myles Turner signed with Milwaukee. That’s why they acquired center Ivica Zubac from the Clippers in February, even though they wound up losing a lottery pick in this year’s draft.
“You look at these teams that are still playing (in the playoffs), they all have very, very good starting fives. You’ve gotta have five good starters to go deep into the playoffs,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan told The Ride With JMV (107.5 The Fan) as relayed by Tony East of Forbes.com. “We can’t go out there with maybe a hole at one of those positions and expect to compete for a championship.”
The fact that Zubac has a cap hit under $22MM to next two seasons and the Pacers didn’t have to give up any core players in the deal made the move more attractive to Indiana’s brass, according to Buchanan.
“This was all of us on board with this (trade). Like I said, we’re still excited about this group. Nothing’s changed,” he said. “Some of the other options moving forward, if (we’d) have waited until this summer, (were) going to require (us), because of where we’re at cap wise, to sacrifice some of (our) core players. And we just didn’t want to do that. With Tyrese (Haliburton) coming back and Pascal (Siakam) still in his prime, we didn’t want to keep the status quo going into next year,” he added. “We’re big fans of Zu. Still are. That’s why we made the trade.”
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- While Indiana lost its lottery pick, the team still has five first-rounders over the next six seasons to use as bargaining chips in a trade –they own first-rounders in 2027, 2028, 2030, 2031, and 2032, East points out. The Pacers cannot trade their 2027 first-round pick right now, but will be able to do so after this month’s draft is over. Also, once the draft ends, teams will be able to move their 2033 first-round picks. “We have some flexibility. We have five of our next six years [of first-round draft picks],” president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said. “Some of those trades where it’s four and five and six picks, they’re out. They’re done. They’ve shoved their chips in and they’re done. And we’ve got a full slate, five out of six.”
- Speaking of this year’s draft, Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp visited the Pacers for a workout last weekend, East tweets. The Pacers currently don’t own a pick, but that didn’t dissuade Sharp from working out for the club. “Everywhere you go, you’re being evaluated. That’s how I approach it. It’s not whether the team has a draft pick,” he said. Sharp is ranked No. 45 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- The Pacers’ G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, announced Monday that assistant coach Bryce Taylor has been promoted to head coach, the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak reports. He succeeds Tom Hankins, who has coached the team since 2021 when it was still the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Taylor has been an assistant with the G League affiliate for the last three seasons.
International Notes: Parker, Hezonja, Bertans, Canada, Murray
Spurs legend Tony Parker is the new head coach of France’s Under-17 national team, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Parker, who played 18 NBA seasons, has already opened training camp for the upcoming FIBA U17 World Cup that will be held in Istanbul later this month.
“I’m so excited. Like the first day of school,” Parker said of his new job. “I was so happy to put on this French national team jersey again.”
This marks the start of a coaching career for the 44-year-old Parker, who will take over ASVEL Villeurbanne next season as the highest-paid coach in the French League. He’s a French basketball legend, but he never participated in the World Cup as a player.
“To put things in context, back then, the World Championship wasn’t the competition everyone wanted to play in,” Parker said. “Since there was EuroBasket every two years and the Olympic Games, it was tough to play every summer.”
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja has been named Most Valuable Player of the Spanish League, Askounis states in a separate story. Hezonja, who played five seasons with Orlando, New York and Portland, averaged 17.5 points per game with Real Madrid. There was reported to be “serious interest” in Hezonja from several NBA teams last spring, but he opted to remain in Europe.
- Davis Bertans, who played for five teams in eight NBA seasons, is taking over as sports director for the Latvian men’s national team system, Askounis adds in another piece. That will include everything from the Under-14 age group up to the senior national team. “During my playing career, I have had the great opportunity to work in world-class organizations with excellent coaches, team managers, and staff,” Bertans said. “I am confident that this experience will help me create an environment where players, coaches, and staff can achieve the highest goals. At the same time, by getting involved and developing the next generation of basketball players to ensure the sustainability of Latvian basketball.”
- Canada has unveiled its 23-man player pool for this summer’s World Cup qualifiers, which begin with a July 3 game against Puerto Rico, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link). The list features some big names, including two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but one notable omission is Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. “No, Jamal Muray is not committed to playing in the program going forward,” Canada general manager Rowan Barrett said (Twitter link from Michael Grange of SportsNet). “He’s got tremendous desire to play for the country, but sometimes there are things going on with the athletes that prevent them from doing so.” Shaedon Sharpe and Andrew Wiggins are also not on the list.
Thunder Notes: Holmgren, SGA, Wallace, Topic
Chet Holmgren‘s coaches and teammates expressed support for the embattled big man during the Thunder‘s end-of-season interviews on Sunday, according to The Associated Press. Holmgren’s rough series in the Western Conference finals ended with a two-shot, four-point performance in Game 7, but head coach Mark Daigneault said he remains an important part of the structure in Oklahoma City.
“Every minute Chet Holmgren’s been on the team, we’ve been the one seed in the Western Conference,” Daigneault told reporters. “And it wasn’t the case before Chet was healthy.”
Holmgren is coming off his best statistical season, averaging career highs with 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He made his first All-Star Game appearance, received his first All-NBA honors, and finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. However, none of that shielded him from criticism after he got badly outplayed by Spurs star Victor Wembanyama during the seven-game series.
Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was among the players speaking out Sunday on behalf of Holmgren.
“We need Chet. We need Chet Holmgren,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Before Chet was here, we weren’t who we are today. We didn’t have the success we had today. When he’s the best version of himself, we’re the best version of ourselves and it’s no secret.”
There’s more from Oklahoma City:
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports examines the case for trading Holmgren, noting that he’s had other playoff disappointments during the past two seasons and even during the NCAA Tournament at Gonzaga. O’Connor doesn’t completely advocate for a Holmgren trade, but points out that he has a history of durability issues and is about to get much more expensive when his maximum-salary rookie scale extension kicks in next season.
- General manager Sam Presti has handed out six extensions since the 2022/23 season, and Cason Wallace appears to be next in line, Bobby Marks of ESPN states in his offseason preview. The 22-year-old guard led the league in steals this season and earned All-Defensive honors for the first time. Marks notes that he held opponents to 41.6% from the field as the closest defender, which ranked fifth in the NBA, and in the playoffs he limited Austin Reaves, Devin Booker, Stephon Castle and Jalen Green to a combined 25% on three-point attempts.
- Nikola Topic is looking forward to making an impact after having his first two NBA seasons affected by a partially torn left ACL and then a diagnosis of testicular cancer. He hopes to ultimately benefit from those difficult experiences, relays Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I learned a lot about myself,” Topic said. “I didn’t know how tough I was, honestly. It wasn’t the best, but I’m grateful I went through those experiences. I grew from those experiences as well. And it made me a better person today. And I wouldn’t be here if those things didn’t happen. I’m looking forward to getting ready to play.”
Magic Hire Sean Sweeney As Head Coach
JUNE 1: Sweeney’s hiring is official, the team announced (Twitter link), confirming that he will remain with the Spurs through the NBA Finals.
“Sean brings a tremendous work ethic and a high degree of intensity that set the tone for everything he does,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “Sean’s attention to detail and his ability to communicate and teach the game clearly stands out. He’s grounded in competitiveness and accountability, while also embracing a modern, competitive approach to coaching.”
MAY 29: The Magic are finalizing a deal with top Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney and will hire him as their head coach, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll receive a four-year deal, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line had reported earlier today that Orlando was “very interested” in Sweeney, who was connected to multiple teams with head coaching vacancies this offseason. The Magic had also been considering Jeff Van Gundy and Billy Donovan, who were the club’s other finalists, per Charania (Twitter link).
Sweeney, who joined the Nets as a video coordinator in 2011, was promoted to an assistant coaching role in Brooklyn in 2013, then followed Jason Kidd to Milwaukee, working as a Bucks assistant from 2014-18. Following a three-year stint as a Pistons assistant from 2018-21, Sweeney reunited with Kidd in Dallas, serving as an assistant for the Mavericks from 2021-25.
A year ago, Sweeney left Dallas to become the lead assistant under Mitch Johnson in San Antonio. He earned the title of associate head coach with the Spurs and was responsible for running the team’s defense, which improved from 25th in defensive rating in 2024/25 to third in ’25/26.
After they parted ways with former head coach Jamahl Mosley, there was a sense that the Magic might be seeking a veteran head coach with prior experience, since they were seeking a candidate who could help the team make a deeper playoff run following three consecutive first-round exits. However, the Magic will opt for another first-time head coach, as Sweeney “blew away” the team during the interview process, as Charania writes in a full story.
According to Charania and Stein (Twitter link), Magic officials flew to San Antonio during the Western Conference finals to meet with Sweeney. The plan is for the veteran assistant to finish out the remainder of the postseason with the Spurs before joining the Magic. That could happen within the next few days if the Spurs are unable to beat the Thunder in Game 7 on Saturday.
The Bulls had interest in Sweeney, who was also said to be in the mix for the Pelicans’ head coaching job before New Orleans hired Mosley. Additionally, there was a belief that the Mavericks might seek a reunion with their former assistant, though there hasn’t been much chatter about that job, so it’s unclear if Dallas ever really pursued him.
With Sweeney headed to Orlando, three head coaching searches are now complete, as the Magic join the Pelicans (Mosley) and Bucks (Taylor Jenkins) in hiring new coaches. The Bulls, Mavericks, and Trail Blazers still have openings.
Cavaliers Notes: Mobley, Allen, Harden, Mitchell, LeBron
The Cavaliers figure to be active on the trade market this summer, whether it’s to remake a roster that got overwhelmed by New York in the Eastern Conference finals or just to escape the second apron. The problem for president of basketball operations Koby Altman is that he doesn’t have many assets to offer unless he’s willing to part with a big name, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in a subscriber-only story.
Fedor states that teams calling Altman typically express interest in Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson or Max Strus. Mobley and Allen are linchpins of a team that has become one of the best in the conference, while Tyson at 23 is one of the Cavs’ top young talents and Strus is a reliable shooter who’ll have a $16.7MM expiring contract next season. Cleveland also owns the 29th pick in this year’s draft and can offer its first-rounder in either 2031 or 2032.
Mobley would be the most valuable asset if the Cavaliers decide to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo or another huge name, but Fedor states that the front office still views the former No. 3 overall pick as a future star and appears to be committed to keeping him as part of the future.
“All I can tell you is, since Evan’s been here, we’ve had the third best record in the league,” Altman said Friday at his end-of-season press conference. “Now we don’t have a championship to show for that yet, right? Boston and Denver, the other two ahead of us, they have a championship to show for that. But all Evan has done is impacted winning. He’s been remarkable for us in terms of our ascent the last five years. He’s a huge part of what we do.”
Altman also expressed support for Allen, saying he’s a good fit alongside Mobley and they provide a “cheat code” on defense.
There’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavaliers considered a few other options before deciding to trade for James Harden at the deadline, according to Fedor. One was Celtics guard Derrick White, which became unrealistic with Jayson Tatum‘s fast return from his Achilles injury. Another was Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, a former Celtic, but they decided he doesn’t he doesn’t provide enough offense. There were also “internal discussions” about Antetokounmpo. Altman said they understood what they were getting with Harden, who holds a $42.3MM player option for next season and is expected to sign a multi-year contract this summer. “I think people need to take a step back and realize we didn’t trade for MVP James Harden,” Altman said. “We traded for James Harden at the end of his career that has transformed himself to becoming one of the best point guards in the league. He helped stabilize us. He helped re-galvanize the group. We were kind of shaky there, in terms of our belief. We’re not in the conference finals without James.”
- Altman called Donovan Mitchell “uniquely ours” during his end-of-season press conference, but the team could face a difficult decision if he doesn’t agree to an extension this summer, Fedor adds. Mitchell will become eligible in July for a four-year deal worth up to an estimated $272MM, but that will increase to five years at around $350MM if he waits until next offseason. That would mean taking him into potential free agency, which the Cavs may be hesitant to do.
- Speculation about another LeBron James homecoming will hang over the franchise until his situation is resolved, Fedor notes. James would solve the team’s most pressing positional need and would bring a wealth of playoff experience, but the Cavs can’t offer more than the $3.9MM veteran’s minimum without making major changes to the roster. Another option is a sign-and-trade, which means giving James a three-year contract with at least one fully guaranteed season. Fedor points out that the Lakers would likely ask for a significant return in that scenario, and the Cavs would need to shed salary in order to operate under the first tax apron for the rest of 2026/27.
Knicks Notes: Sochan, Brown, Anunoby, Robinson
Jeremy Sochan hasn’t played much since signing with the Knicks, but his inside knowledge of the Spurs should be valuable heading into the NBA Finals, Jared Schwartz of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only piece. Sochan was drafted by San Antonio in 2022 and remained with the team until he was waived in mid-February. New York scooped him up two days later and is now in position to take advantage of his familiarity with Victor Wembanyama and the rest of his former teammates.
“He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen, and he works on it all the time, but he gets tired,” Sochan said of Wembanyama. “It’s natural, being that tall, he gets tired. With the team we have, I think it’s important to give him different looks and, not beat him up, but be very physical with him and make him run. And he’s gonna get tired and he’s gonna have to take some plays off, in my opinion.”
Sochan was a lottery pick coming out of college and was a starter for most of his first three years in the league, but he fell out of the Spurs’ rotation this season and eventually became expendable. He saw limited action in 16 games with the Knicks during the regular season and has made five brief appearances in the playoffs. His main role in the Finals figures to be as an advisor.
“Whether I’m playing or not, it’s important to feed all the information I have,” Sochan said. “And I think I know quite a lot. I’m watching their games now, I’m seeing the old plays we [ran], when they go up to certain people and at what times, it’s pretty obvious to see. It’s gonna be interesting.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Head coach Mike Brown also has ties to San Antonio, having worked three years as an assistant to Gregg Popovich early in his career, notes Howie Kusoy of The New York Post. That connection hasn’t done anything to dull Brown’s competitiveness heading into the series. “They definitely want to beat me and I want to kick their ass,” Brown said. “You love ’em and you can always love ’em before and after … I got ties to San Antonio and you appreciate the people, you appreciate the journey and all that other stuff. But at the end of the day, just like they want to beat you, you definitely want to beat them.”
- OG Anunoby may be the Knicks’ best option to slow down Wembanyama, Kusoy adds in a separate story. Anunoby has allowed the fewest points per possession among anyone who has been the primary defender on the Spurs’ big man for at least 100 possessions, Kusoy states. “OG is an extremely versatile guard, and you know, the luxury of having a guy like that is he’s long enough, athletic enough, strong enough to guard quick, smaller guys, he’s obviously got the size and athleticism to guard big wings, and then he’s got the strength and the length and the intelligence to guard bigger guys,” Brown said. “So having a guy like that gives us a ton of versatility to be able to move him around, knowing that he can adapt, slash, adjust, or whatever you want to call it, on the fly.”
- Mitchell Robinson, whose status for Game 1 remains uncertain as he deals with a broken pinky finger, posted a message for his fans Saturday on Instagram, relays Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “I can’t thank you guys enough for the love and support most of you bring especially at a time like this in my life,” Robinson wrote. “It makes everything in fighting for 100x easier to deal with.”
Northwest Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Game 7, Wolves, Blazers
The Thunder expected to be fighting to win their second straight championship next week. Instead, they face a summer of introspection and figuring out what they need to do to reach the Finals again.
When it comes to making or suggesting personnel changes, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says that he will not be a part of the discussions, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link).
“I will give zero input,” he said. “I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job.”
As Gilgeous-Alexander won a second consecutive MVP award and led the Thunder to another deep playoff run, critics have griped about his playing style, accusing him of egregiously seeking out contact and flopping. Warriors forward Draymond Green said that the conversations have skewed too negative for his taste, according to Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We want to pinpoint the thing that we can slow down. Shai’s falling. Shai’s at the free-throw line. Everybody’s complaining about Shai getting too many foul calls. And going into Game 6, Shai had shot five more free throws in the series than Wemby. But the whole complaint is Shai’s getting too many foul calls. I don’t understand it,” Green said. “‘Ah man, he’s foul baiting.’ Shai, what I will say is, you’ve reached a new level of greatness, my man. Congratulations. Your hard work has paid off. You’ve reached a new level of greatness because you have sports media heads coming out and talking about what they don’t like about your greatness. Imagine that.”
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder‘s inability to make, let alone win, their second straight Finals is a testament to how difficult it is to be a repeat champion in the NBA, Joel Lorenzi writes for The Athletic. While fans have grown accustomed in the past to teams like the Heat and Warriors rattling off championships, this season will mark the eighth straight year without a repeat winner. “It always takes a little bit of luck,” Alex Caruso said. “We were lucky last year, our team was healthy the whole time outside of (Jalen Williams’) wrist, but he was able to play still. This year, losing those two guys, it changes the dynamic of the team. Obviously, you’re playing a good opponent. You’re playing a 62-win team.” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr empathized with the difficult task. “The whole league, by the way, is spending all their time trying to figure out how to beat you, building their teams to beat you, building new schemes to beat you. That’s a lot to face year in and year out,” he said. “And at the same time, it’s like, what an honor that is.”
- Another team trying to figure out how to beat both the Thunder and Spurs is the one that lost to San Antonio in the second round: the Timberwolves. After an earlier exit than they would have liked, they’ll have some ability to be aggressive in pursuing trades, but will also have to deal with a handful of roadblocks, Yossi Gozlan writes in his offseason preview for the Third Apron. One of the bigger questions facing the team’s new ownership is whether the Wolves will be willing to operate as a second-apron team again. The answer to that question will determine how aggressive they’ll be in shedding salary or pursuing upgrades. With Anthony Edwards becoming extension-eligible this summer, the team will also need to show him that they’re taking the right steps in making the team a true contender.
- Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon‘s hockey team, the Carolina Hurricanes, is in the midst of a massive arena renovation that came through coordinated efforts with the state mayor, the public university system, and more parties. While it’s not a perfectly analogous situation to the Blazers’ efforts to renovate the Moda Center, exploring why the former has been so successful might help provide insights for the latter, writes Bill Oram of the Oregonian. The Blazers’ arena project faces community skepticism, especially regarding using a clean energy fund for the $4.3 billion franchise, at a time when the city’s economy is losing jobs at a rate much higher than in other areas of the country.