Sixers Notes: Embiid, Payne, Playoff Rotation, Jessup
Joel Embiid‘s status for Wednesday’s game in Washington has been a source of some confusion over the course of the day. The Sixers added the star center to their 11:15 am injury report, ruling him out due to an illness, which was apparently news to Embiid.
“Must be APRIL FOOLS joke????” Embiid wrote on Twitter. “Played against Miami in the same conditions and I’m planning to play tonight!!! #SweatItOut”
Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) reached out to Sixers president of basketball Daryl Morey, who provided some clarity on the situation, explaining that Embiid was unable to attend Wednesday morning’s film session, prompting the team to rule him out and get his him checked out by a doctor. Embiid, who scored 26 points in 34 minutes while playing through the illness in a loss to Miami on Monday, hopped back on social media to respond to the news.
“I guess they won’t let me play basketball!!” he tweeted.
Here’s more on the 76ers:
- Veteran point guard Cameron Payne played just two minutes on Saturday in Charlotte. On Monday, he got his first DNP-CD since joining the Sixers in February. Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice examines Payne’s declining role, noting that the 76ers appear to be experimenting with using rookie VJ Edgecombe as the point guard during the rare moments when Tyrese Maxey is off the court.
- In a mailbag for PhillyVoice, Aaronson considers whether Nick Nurse is in danger of losing his job this offseason and points out that the Sixers are missing Jared McCain‘s three-point shooting, having ranked 29th in the league in 3PT% since trading him to Oklahoma City.
- Mizell also fielded questions in a mailbag for the Inquirer, including one on what Philadelphia’s playoff rotation will look like. Andre Drummond, Justin Edwards, Trendon Watford, Jabari Walker, and Payne are among the players who may not see a ton of action in the postseason, Mizell writes.
- Justinian Jessup, the 51st overall pick in the 2020 draft whose NBA rights are held by the Sixers, has signed a multiyear contract extension with Bayern Munich and is now under contract with the German team through 2028, per a press release. The former Boise State shooting guard once looked like a candidate to sign an NBA contract, but he’s now 27 years old and six years removed from being drafted, so that seems increasingly unlikely. Philadelphia acquired his rights in this year’s Eric Gordon trade with Memphis.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: Non-Bird Rights
Players and teams have to meet certain criteria to earn Bird rights and Early Bird rights, but Non-Bird rights are practically a given.
They apply to a player who has spent a single season or less with his team, as long as he finishes the season on an NBA roster and is on a standard contract (rather than a hardship or 10-day deal). Even a player who signs a rest-of-season contract right before the regular season finale and spends just a single day with his club would have Non-Bird rights in the offseason.
Teams can also claim Non-Bird rights on Early Bird free agents if they renounce them. The primary motivator to do so would be to allow the team to sign the free agent to a one-year contract or a one-year deal with a second-year option, a move that’s not permitted via Early Bird rights.
Teams are eligible to sign their own free agents using the Non-Bird exception for a salary starting at 120% of the player’s previous salary, 120% of the minimum salary, or the amount of a qualifying offer (if the player is a restricted free agent), whichever is greatest. Contracts can be for up to four years, with 5% annual raises.
The cap hold for a Non-Bird player is 120% of his previous salary, unless his previous salary was the minimum. In that case, the cap hold is equivalent to the two-year veteran’s minimum salary. If a Non-Bird free agent only has one year of NBA experience, his cap hold is equivalent to the one-year veteran’s minimum salary.
The salary limitations that apply to Non-Bird rights are more severe than those pertaining to Bird rights or Early Bird rights, so in many cases, the Non-Bird exception may not be enough to retain a well-regarded free agent. For instance, the Sixers held Guerschon Yabusele‘s Non-Bird rights last summer, but couldn’t have used them to match or exceed the offer the veteran big man received from the Knicks.
Because Yabusele was on a minimum-salary contract in 2024/25, Philadelphia’s ability to offer a raise using the Non-Bird exception was extremely limited — the Sixers would have only been able to offer 120% of Yabusele’s minimum salary using his Non-Bird rights, which worked out to $2,854,644. New York used its taxpayer mid-level exception to give him a two-year, $11.3MM contract, comfortably topping Philadelphia’s maximum Non-Bird offer.
The Warriors may end up in a similar situation this offseason with De’Anthony Melton, who will only have Non-Bird rights after playing out a one-year, minimum-salary contract. Golden State will only be able to offer him up to 120% of his 2026/27 minimum salary using the Non-Bird exception. That would work out to a projected $4.21MM.
Given how well Melton has performed when healthy this season, that likely won’t be enough to retain him, meaning the Warriors would have to be willing to use another cap exception – such as the mid-level – to make a competitive offer.
Holding Non-Bird rights on a free agent didn’t help the Sixers with Yabusele and might not be enough for the Warriors with Melton, but there are cases in which the exception proves useful.
The Sixers, for instance, only had Non-Bird rights on Justin Edwards last offseason, but that gave them the ability to offer him a three-year contract, exceeding the one- or two-year minimum-salary offer they could have made if he were an outside free agent. Non-Bird rights were also used to sign Nicolas Batum (Clippers), Jaxson Hayes (Lakers), Ajay Mitchell (Thunder), Gary Trent Jr. (Bucks), and Fred VanVleet (Rockets) — VanVleet had his Early Bird rights knocked down to Non-Bird rights so that Houston could give him a second-year player option.
The higher a player’s previous salary is, the less restrictive his Non-Bird rights are. For example, Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga will only have Non-Bird rights this summer if his team option is declined, but Atlanta would have significantly more flexibility with him than Golden State will with Melton, since Kuminga has a $22.5MM base salary this season. The Hawks could offer Kuminga a starting salary of up to $27MM (120% of $22.5MM) using the Non-Bird exception.
Finally, it’s worth noting that a player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year deal (or a two-year deal that includes a second-year option) and will have Early Bird or Bird rights at the end of that contract would surrender those rights if he consents to a trade. In that scenario, he’d only finish the season with Non-Bird rights. Kuminga and Cavaliers guard James Harden are among the players who fit that bill this season.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Earlier versions of this post were published in previous years by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron.
Magic’s Franz Wagner Returning On Wednesday
4:02 pm: Wagner will be available for Wednesday’s game vs. Atlanta, the Magic have confirmed (via Twitter).
12:32 pm: Magic forward Franz Wagner has missed 47 of the team’s last 51 games while battling a left high ankle sprain, but he could make his return to action on Wednesday vs. Atlanta. According to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), Wagner has been upgraded to questionable on the Magic’s injury report.
The expectation, tweets Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, is that Wagner will go through pregame warmups on Wednesday before the team determines whether or not he’ll be active tonight. Barring a setback, there’s a good chance he’ll suit up vs. the Hawks on a minutes restriction.
Wagner got off to a strong start this season, averaging 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 34.5 minutes per game through his first 23 outings. He posted a shooting line of .487/.354/.823 in those games and led Orlando to a 14-9 start.
However, the 24-year-old suffered a high ankle sprain in his 24th game of the season and missed the Magic’s next 16 contests before returning to the court for a game in his home country of Germany on January 15. Although he also played in London three days later, Wagner later admitted that he probably rushed his comeback due to his desire to play in front of fans in Berlin.
Wagner sat out another nine games, then played twice on Feb. 9 and 11, but he suffered another setback related to his ankle and was ruled out indefinitely to allow for it to fully heal. If he plays on Wednesday, it will be just his 29th game of the season.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley indicated on Tuesday that Wagner was “progressing well” and had done some 5-on-5 work, which suggested his return was around the corner. Mosley previously told reporters there was no minimum number of games the German forward must play during the final couple weeks of the regular season in order for him to be available for the postseason.
Wednesday’s showdown with the Hawks could have be significant for playoff seeding purposes. The No. 8 Magic are currently one game back of the No. 7 Sixers, two games behind the No. 6 Raptors, and 2.5 games back of the No. 5 Hawks. They also have only a half-game cushion on the Heat and Hornets, who are tied for ninth in the East.
If Wagner isn’t activated on Wednesday, his next opportunity to suit up would be on Friday in Dallas.
Cavs Notes: Allen, Mobley, Enaruna, Fanan, Playoffs
Jarrett Allen‘s right knee injury remains a concern for the Cavaliers as the regular season winds down. Allen missed 10 consecutive games in March due to what multiple people within the organization have referred to as “severe” tendonitis, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). Allen has been back in the starting lineup for two of the team’s past three contests, but that doesn’t mean he’s fully healthy.
“Definitely still sore out there. Definitely not 100 percent,” the Cavs’ center told Fedor after Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers. “I’m not able to put a lot of pressure on my knee sometimes. Jumping and landing on the knee still hurts. Not as much as before, when I first got hurt, but still managing it and definitely still struggling with it.”
While head coach Kenny Atkinson expressed hope that Allen will be back to full strength for the playoffs, the 27-year-old admitted he’s not sure whether or not that will be the case, as Fedor relays.
“I don’t know,” Allen said. “It’s just the truthful answer to that. Hopefully it gets better. I’ve gone through tendonitis all of my career. That’s just a big man’s thing you have to deal with. I think it is going to get better. We have been doing so much to make it get better — and it has — but I can’t answer that question.”
We have more on the Cavs:
- After not making this year’s All-Star Game, Evan Mobley was challenged by Atkinson to come out of the break with a “chip on your shoulder,” Fedor writes in another story for Cleveland.com (subscription required). Mobley has responded to that challenge admirably. Prior to a quiet game on Tuesday vs. the Lakers, he had put up 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 62.4% from the floor in his first 17 post-All-Star outings. “It was a simple conversation about using it as a chip on my shoulder and knowing the value that I bring to this team,” Mobley said of his February discussion with Atkinson. “Since then, just been working and trying to get better with the team as new guys came. Just focus on my game and trying to expand it as much as possible.”
- Rookie forward Tristan Enaruna, who is on a two-way contract with the Cavaliers and is in his second season in the G League, has been named the NBAGL’s Most Improved Player (Twitter link). After averaging 11.0 points per game on .466/.294/.588 shooting in 46 appearances for the Maine Celtics last season, Enaruna has increased those numbers to 20.3 PPG with a .548/.378/.750 shooting line in 38 outings for the Cleveland Charge in 2025/26. Bucks two-way player Cormac Ryan was the runner-up for the award, with another Charge player – guard Darius Brown II – placing third in voting.
- Enaruna wasn’t the only member of Charge to be recognized today by the G League. The team’s general manager, Liron Fanan, was named G League Basketball Executive of the Year for 2025/26, becoming the first woman to win the award (Twitter link). Fanan helped compile a Charge roster that went 23-13 during the regular season and had six players – including Enaruna and Brown – called up to the NBA.
- The Cavaliers can officially clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday, but it will require the Sixers to lose to the 17-58 Wizards, per the NBA (Twitter link). Washington has won just one of its last 20 games.
Knicks Notes: Shamet, McBride, Robinson, Diawara
Knicks guard Landry Shamet, who has missed the past five games due to a bone bruise in his right knee, is no longer on the injury report and will return to action on Wednesday when the team visits Memphis, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
However, a couple other Knicks rotation players will be unavailable, as center Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management) and guard Miles McBride (pelvic/core muscle injury management) will sit out on the second end of a back-to-back set. Star guard Jalen Brunson is also considered questionable to play, having been added to the injury report due to right ankle soreness.
Although McBride appeared to reinjure himself on Sunday in his first game back from sports hernia surgery, he was back on the court on Tuesday and is only being held out on Wednesday because he’s not ready for back-to-backs yet. McBride explained on Tuesday that he was simply experiencing some discomfort in his first game back as a result of scar tissue breaking down, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
“Scar tissue is built up because it tightens everything. And now it’s getting more elastic, stretching out,” McBride said. “I came down (defending a Thunder player), tried to switch gears, and the scar tissue is ripping and getting better. … Surgery is going to cause pain. I’m not sure when it’s going to fully subside. So whatever I can do to help the team win.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- In a separate story for the New York Post, Bondy considers what Robinson’s value might be in unrestricted free agency this summer. The big man, who turns 28 today, has averaged just 19.5 minutes per game this season, but describes his impact as “incredible,” in part due to his rebounding — he’s pulling down 8.7 boards per night, including 4.2 on the offensive end.
- After Mohamed Diawara saw just four total minutes of action in losses to Oklahoma City and Houston, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News (subscription required) questions why the rookie forward isn’t playing a more prominent role in the Knicks’ rotation, arguing that the team could use his versatility, floor spacing, and energy.
- Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports evaluates where the Knicks are at with the postseason around the corner and cites a few red flags, including the team’s inconsistent play against high-end competition, its defensive holes when Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns share the court, and the fact that Towns is still talking about “working through” his fit in Mike Brown‘s offense with just a couple weeks left in the regular season.
Jazz Sign Kennedy Chandler To Second 10-Day Contract
Following the expiration of Kennedy Chandler‘s first 10-day contract with the Jazz on Monday night, he has been re-signed to a second 10-day deal, the team announced on Wednesday in a press release.
Chandler, who joined the Jazz on March 21 after spending most of the 2025/26 season with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, saw plenty of action during his first 10 days in the NBA since 2023. The 23-year-old point guard averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game across six appearances for Utah, registering a shooting line of .431/.364/.652.
The Jazz are dealing with injuries to several regulars, including usual starting point guard Keyonte George, and have long been eliminated from postseason contention, opening the door for Chandler to play a significant rotation role in the final weeks of the regular season.
His second 10-day deal will run through April 10, covering five of Utah’s remaining six games. After it expires, the Jazz would have to sign Chandler to a rest-of-season or multiyear contract in order to retain him for the regular season finale.
Chandler will earn another $117,730 on his second 10-day deal, bringing his total earnings with the Jazz to $235,460. He’ll carry an identical cap hit.
Mavericks Targeting Big Names In Front Office Search
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has some big names on his wish list as the team seeks a new head of basketball operations, according to reports from Chris Mannix of SI.com and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Mannix and Stein both identify Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and Thunder executive VP of basketball operations Sam Presti as targets for Dallas, while Mannix also mentions Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and Stein adds Spurs CEO R.C. Buford to the list.
However, Mannix describes some of those options as “fanciful,” while Stein agrees, suggesting the Mavericks know they probably don’t have a realistic shot at executives like Stevens and Presti, who have recently won championships with their respective teams. Still, those names reflect Dumont’s “lofty ambitions,” Stein writes, explaining that the Mavs governor wants to do his due diligence on some of the NBA’s top front office executives in case one might be attainable.
Another possible target cited by both Mannix and Stein is Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, whose deal in Minnesota expires at season’s end. Some rival teams believe Connelly might leave his current position, and Dallas hired former Wolves executive Ethan Casson as their president on the business side, according to Stein, though he adds that Minnesota appears motivated to work out a new deal to retain Connelly.
The target most frequently linked to the Mavericks by Stein’s sources is former Warriors general manager Bob Myers. But Myers accepted an “extremely lucrative” job last fall with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the group that owns the Sixers, and his responsibilities in that position span multiple sports. It remains to be seen whether he’d leave that role to return to an NBA front office, so he should probably be considered a long shot for the Mavs as well, Stein says.
Here’s more on the Mavs’ front office search:
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd had some conversations about transitioning to a front office role, sources tell Mannix. But both he and Stein hear that Kidd is much more likely to remain in his current position and partner with a new general manager.
- A number of “top aides to lead decision-makers” around the NBA have expressed back-channel interest in the Mavericks’ job, Stein reports. Even though the team has begun doing its homework on potential candidates, the search isn’t expected to begin “in earnest” until the regular season wraps up, Stein continues, adding that current co-interim GMs Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley are still considered candidates for the full-time job.
- Following up on his recent note about the Mavs not hiring a firm to guide their front office search, Stein says Dumont is considered the “point person” in the process.
- Speaking on Tuesday to a group of reporters, Mavs CEO Rick Welts had the following to say about the front office search, per Stein: “There is no specific set of characteristics. I can tell you there is a variety of candidates who present a variety of different personalities … different track records. It’s the most important decision that the organization is going to make for the coming seasons. So we are going to take our time and get it right.”
Pistons Notes: LeVert, Jones, Division Title, Ivey
After signing a two-year, $28.9MM contract with the Pistons last summer, Caris LeVert has had the worst statistical season of his career. His 7.5 points and 19.5 minutes per game are career lows, as is his 41.8% shooting percentage from the floor. The 31-year-old, who has made 223 career starts, is also on track to finish a season without starting a single game for the first time since he entered the league in 2016.
“It has been up-and-down for me all season,” LeVert told Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. “Obviously, everyone wants to play well. Everyone wants to play a lot of minutes. For me, the most frustrating part has been all about my game and minutes. But, it is what it is.”
Health issues have contributed to LeVert’s struggles. He underwent surgery on his right wrist shortly before training camp, delaying his preparation for the season, then battled knee problems. He has also dealt with a more unusual health issue since then, as he informed Spencer Davies of RG.org.
“I had a weird, like, vertigo sickness for like a month-and-a-half; I just got over that a few weeks ago,” LeVert said. “So this year’s been kinda weird for me, but I feel really good right now. As far as preparation, I think just doing more as far as table work, stretching on my own, getting my sleep, diet — just to another level.”
While it’s been a somewhat disappointing year for LeVert on an individual level, he tells Davies that he has made an effort to be a positive locker-room leader as one of the elder statesmen on a younger roster. The fact that it has been a hugely successful season from a team perspective has also allowed him not to worry as much about his own struggles.
“We control our own destiny from now until the end of the season. I think it has been amazing for what we have done as a team,” LeVert told Davis. “We are building in the right direction.”
We have more out of Detroit:
- Pistons two-way player Isaac Jones has nabbed NBA G League Player of the Month honors, according to the league (Twitter link). Playing for the Motor City Cruise, Jones averaged 29.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 68.4% from the field in March. The second-year forward began the season with Sacramento and was claimed off waivers by Detroit when the Kings cut him in November. He was waived by Detroit in early February, but the team brought him back on a two-way deal a week later.
- While winning the Central division is far less important than claiming the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference would be, the Pistons were still pleased about clinching their first division title since 2008, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “You take pride in understanding how hard it is to do any of those things in this league,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You take pride in the fact that you have a group of young guys, young men who collectively have grown and achieved certain milestones. It’s a part of the process, and we expect more. But you just respect how difficult it is to do any of those things in this league. It is a big deal for our guys and this organization to get ourselves back in that position and in position to do more, because you can’t win the level you want to win at if you don’t take those steps.”
- Bickerstaff also spoke on Tuesday about Jaden Ivey, whom he coached for a season-and-a-half before the former No. 5 overall pick was traded to Chicago in February. Ivey was waived this week due to “conduct detrimental to the team,” according to the Bulls. “I know how it’s been extremely difficult for him as far as the way he was playing, the injuries, trying to make the comeback and trying to overcome that. I don’t think we can overlook the human aspect of these things and how that impacts people and their decisions,” Bickerstaff said (Twitter link via Sankofa). “Having said that, I also believe the NBA is one of the most inclusive environments in pro sports. and it’s a genuine thing that celebrates different ethnicities, heritages, sexual preferences, whatever it may be. The NBA brings people together. … This environment should be an environment that supports that and gives people the opportunity to be the best version of themselves no matter who that is or what they believe, or what choices they may make that don’t impact or infringe on other people.”
How The Grizzlies Are Carrying A 22-Man Roster
During the NBA’s regular season, teams are typically limited to carrying a maximum of 18 players — 15 on standard contracts (full-season or 10-day) and another three on two-way deals.
However, a team dealing with major injury issues can be granted a hardship exception, allowing that club to temporarily exceed the usual 18-man maximum. A team qualifies for a hardship exception when it meets all of the following criteria:
- It has at least four players unavailable due to injury or illness.
- All four of those players have missed at least three consecutive games.
- All four of those players are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.
A team becomes eligible for a single hardship exception when it has four players who meet the criteria, but it can also qualify for an additional hardship exception for each additional injured player beyond those initial four.
For instance, a team with five players who have missed at least three games due to injuries and will remain out for another two weeks would be eligible for two hardship exceptions, allowing that club to complete a pair of 10-day signings beyond its usual 18-man roster limit.
The banged-up Grizzlies have taken this rule to the extreme as of late. The team currently has seven players who meet the hardship criteria. The following seven players have all been ruled out for the season:
- Zach Edey (left ankle/elbow surgery recoveries): Out since Dec. 7
- Brandon Clarke (right calf strain): Out since Dec. 20
- Ja Morant (left elbow UCL sprain): Out since Jan. 21
- Santi Aldama (right knee surgery recovery): Out since Feb. 4
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (right fifth finger surgery recovery): Out since Feb. 11
- Scotty Pippen Jr. (right big toe surgery recovery): Out since Mar. 7
- Jaylen Wells (right big toe surgery recovery): Out since Mar. 23
As a result, the team qualifies for four hardship exceptions — one for the first four players above, then an additional one for each of the remaining three.
That means the Grizzlies are currently carrying 22 players. They have 15 players on full-season (or multiyear) deals, three on two-way contracts, and four on 10-day hardship pacts. DeJon Jarreau and Tyler Burton are under contract through Wednesday night, with Adama Bal‘s hardship deal running through next Monday and Lucas Williamson‘s expiring next Thursday night.
As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Jarreau and Burton are on their second 10-day deals with Memphis. Neither players is eligible to sign a third one, and unless the Grizzlies plan to waive one of their full-season players, there’s no room to promote them to the standard 15-man roster. That means there’s a good chance the team will be bringing in two new players on hardship deals as soon as Thursday.
Draymond Green Considered Unlikely To Test FA Market
Longtime Warriors forward Draymond Green holds a $27.7MM player option for the 2026/27 season, giving him the ability to opt out of his contract and test the unrestricted free agent market in search of a change of scenery. However, league and team sources don’t expect him to take that route, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
As Slater explains, the expectation is that Green will either exercise his option, locking in a $27.7MM salary for next season, or turn down that option in order to negotiate a multiyear deal with Golden State that features a lower first-year cap hit. Taking the latter route, Slater writes, would likely increase the odds of the 36-year-old finishing his career with the Warriors.
Slater’s update on Green’s contract situation comes within a larger profile on the former Defensive Player of the Year and his place within the organization as he nears the end of his 14th season in the NBA. Although Green didn’t discuss his next contract with ESPN, he did address a number of other topics, including the trade rumors involving him earlier this year.
The Warriors reportedly pursued Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at February’s trade deadline and almost certainly would’ve included Green in their package in order to match Antetokounmpo’s maximum-salary contract. Green was aware of the situation, and while he admits he was initially irked by the idea, he understood the team’s thinking and quickly accepted it.
“I’m a human being,” Green said. “There was a second of me that felt like, ‘Damn, they really going to do that to me?’ … (But) I understand this business probably (as) good as any player. I understand like, yo, this is Giannis Antetokounmpo. They’re not just about to trade me for a bag of peanuts. It would’ve almost been a point of pride.
“I’ll be honest though. I didn’t want to play for Milwaukee.”
League sources tell Slater that if the Warriors and Bucks had made a trade involving Giannis and Draymond, Green had the Los Angeles teams – the Lakers and Clippers – on his radar as possible landing spots he could be rerouted to. However, it doesn’t sound at this point as if being involved in those trade rumors will spur him to seek an exit from Golden State this summer.
Whether or not Green’s Warriors career continues beyond 2025/26, he remains confident that he can be an impact player, especially on defense. While he admitted that he’s “not as fast” as he was and doesn’t “jump as high” as he used to, Green still believes he’s among the NBA’s most impactful defenders, placing only Victor Wembanyama above himself, according to Slater.
“I feel better defensively than I ever have,” Green said. “The numbers won’t show with straight up steals and blocks. Stocks, which is what people look at. But I just do it a different way. I can’t get the block shot all the time anymore, but I can cover it. I may not come up with the steal, but I make sure (the action is) gridlocked.”
Green is technically already eligible for a veteran contract extension that would replace his ’26/27 player option, so there’s nothing stopping him and the Warriors from discussing his next deal sooner rather than later.