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.”
Atlantic Notes: Mazzulla, McBride, Barnes, Quickley, Nets
The Celtics reached the 50-win mark on Sunday and control the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference in what was widely viewed – as star forward Jaylen Brown recently pointed out in a tongue-in-cheek tweet – as a “gap year.” Based on how Boston has exceeded outside expectations, Joe Mazzulla is considered a frontrunner for the Coach of the Year award. How does Mazzulla feel about potentially earning that sort of recognition?
“I don’t need it. I think it’s a stupid award,” the Celtics’ coach said on Monday, per Jay King of The Athletic. “They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple. I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”
While the Coach of the Year award is certainly held in higher regard by NBA observers than the Player of the Week award, which is handed out dozens of times each season, Mazzulla was more willing to assign meaning to the latter honor after Jayson Tatum claimed it on Monday. As the Celtics’ coach observes, it’s a sign of the progress Tatum has made in just a matter of weeks after returning from a torn Achilles.
“It’s a good, small affirmation that he’s continuing to chip away at just getting better and better,” Mazzulla said, according to King. “So, it’s a credit to the work that he’s put in, his team, that everybody that’s helped him get back to where he is now and what he’s doing. And so, good, small affirmation and we can keep getting better.”
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- Knicks guard Miles McBride appeared to reinjure himself on Sunday in his return from sports hernia surgery, but it doesn’t sound like he did any serious damage. He has been listed as questionable for Tuesday’s matchup with Houston, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter links), and did some work during this morning’s shootaround, tweets James L. Edwards of The Athletic.
- Although Scottie Barnes isn’t an elite scorer (18.6 PPG), his all-around impact as a rebounder, play-maker, and defender should merit an All-NBA spot for the Raptors forward, argues Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Only MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama (248) has more “stocks” (combined steals and blocks) this season than Barnes (211).
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, who has missed the past four games due to right foot plantar fasciitis, accompanied the team on its brief trip to Detroit but remains out and is wearing a walking boot, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link), a boot is standard treatment for plantar fasciitis and Quickley has been wearing it off and on for more than two weeks. While it’s unlikely that Quickley will fully recover in time for the postseason, he and the Raptors hope to manage the issue and have him return at some point in the coming days or weeks, Lewenberg adds, acknowledging that the guard will likely be at less than 100% until next season.
- The Nets have been out of postseason contention for a while, but they continue to see positive signs from some of their players as the season winds down. C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required) takes a look at Ziaire Williams‘ recent strong play – including five straight games of 16-plus points – ahead of the team’s decision on his $6.25MM option this summer, while Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) observes that Drake Powell has been having some solid outings lately as his up-and-down rookie year nears its end.
NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2025/26 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominates one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
Bam Adebayo (Heat)- Harrison Barnes (Spurs)
- Al Horford (Warriors)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Derrick White (Celtics)
Gilgeous-Alexander is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who was also nominated last season. Whoever earns the honor for 2025/26 will be a first-time winner. Jrue Holiday took home the Joe Dumars Trophy a year ago.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2025/26. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, having earned the honor in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He’s the only past recipient who is among this season’s group of finalists.
Those Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Desmond Bane (Magic)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Pat Connaughton (Hornets)
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
- Jeff Green (Rockets)
- Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Pelicans)
- Duncan Robinson (Pistons)
- Marcus Smart (Lakers)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Garrett Temple (Raptors)
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
Doc Rivers To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers will be among the Hall of Fame inductees for the class of 2026, a person familiar with the matter told Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. The full class will be revealed this Saturday, April 4.
Rivers, who was named a North American committee finalist last month, has compiled the sixth-most wins in NBA history across his 27 seasons as a head coach. The 64-year-old holds a career regular season record of 1191-861, for a .580 win-loss percentage.
Rivers’ teams have made the playoffs in 21 of his 27 seasons, including the longtime coach’s lone championship with Boston in 2008. He also led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2010, when they lost to the Lakers in seven games.
Aside from those two deep postseason runs, Rivers’ playoff results have been pretty mixed. Despite having a ton of regular season success with the Clippers and Sixers from 2013-23, none of those clubs advanced past the second round.
The only other team Rivers coached that reached a conference final was Boston in 2012. He holds a career playoff record of 104-102 (.504 win percentage).
Milwaukee was eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday for the first time since 2016.
A native of Illinois, Rivers also played 13 years in the league (from 1983-96). He was named an All-Star with Atlanta, with whom he spent his first eight seasons, in 1988.
Townsend’s story is largely centered on former Mavericks head coach Dick Motta, whose family was told on Monday that he won’t be inducted this year. It was the third time the 94-year-old has been a finalist but the first time since 2012, Townsend notes.
Motta, who had two different stints with Dallas, also coached the Bulls, Bullets (now Wizards), Kings and Nuggets. He holds a career regular season mark of 935-1017 (.479) and a playoff record of 57-70 (.444).
As Townsend writes, Motta is 14th on NBA’s all-time win list, and of the coaches in the top 15, only Rivers, Motta and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle aren’t in the Hall of Fame. Obviously that will change for Rivers later this year.
Motto also coached junior high, high school, junior college and major college basketball, according to Townsend, who points out that the Utah native led the Washington Bullets to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1978 and ’79. The Bullets won the championship in ’78.
Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic Collect Player Of Week Honors
Jayson Tatum added another accomplishment to his impressive comeback from an Achilles tear. The Celtics forward has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, according to the league (Twitter links).
Boston’s star forward averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists in three victories during the week of March 23-29. Sunday’s performance in Charlotte was his best game yet this season — he racked up 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting, contributing eight assists and five rebounds without committing a turnover.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic collected the Western Conference Player of the Week award. He had three triple-doubles in four Denver wins last week, registering impressive overall averages of 26.0 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 14.0 assists per contest, with a .563/.438/.773 shooting line.
It’s the third time this season that Jokic has been named the West’s Player of the Week. He also claimed the honor in back-to-back weeks in November.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves (Lakers), Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Alperen Sengun (Rockets) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other Western Conference nominees.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Jalen Duren (Pistons), James Harden (Cavaliers) and Payton Pritchard (Celtics) rounded out the nominees from the East.
Celtics Clinch Playoff Spot; Warriors, Blazers Locked Into Play-In
The Celtics clinched a playoff spot with their win over the Hornets on Sunday, per the NBA (Twitter link). They became the second Eastern Conference team to do so, behind the Pistons, who officially nabbed a berth over a week ago.
Jayson Tatum had a vintage performance for the short-handed Celtics, scoring 32 points and adding eight assists in 31 minutes.
In the Western Conference, the Warriors and Trail Blazers are officially locked into a play-in spot thanks to the Rockets winning their matchup against the Pelicans on Sunday. This marks the third-straight play-in entry for Golden State, and the fourth in six years, Angelina Martin writes for NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I’m sick of the play-in,” Draymond Green said recently. “It seems like we’re a play-in magnet. It sucks, but it’s great when you want an opportunity to get into the playoffs. And that is the reality for us.”
The Warriors rank 10th in the Western Conference standings but could still move up a spot or two before the regular season wraps up. Entering Sunday’s contest vs. Denver, they were one game behind the No. 9 Blazers and 2.5 games back of the No. 8 Clippers.
The Blazers are 1.5 games behind the Clippers after beating the Wizards on Sunday. If they manage to make it through the play-in, it would be their first playoff appearance since 2021.
The Knicks could have locked in their own playoff spot with a win over the Thunder tonight, but they lost 111-100 and are now just 1.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers as they try to maintain their hold on the No. 3 seed in the East.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Maxey, Celtics, Bassey
When the Sixers put together a big three of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, they had a vision that looked something like the team’s Saturday win over the Hornets, Tony Jones writes for The Athletic.
Embiid, George, and Maxey combined for 81 points, 26 rebounds, and nine three-pointers in the victory, with George submitting possibly his best game as a Sixer. Beyond the counting stats, Jones writes, it was evident how the skill sets of the three stars complement each other.
Most importantly, Jones notes, this was a rare example of the trio shining together in a high-stakes game. Philadelphia is battling for playoff positioning and this win gave the team the season tiebreaker over Charlotte, in addition to the tiebreakers it already held over Toronto and Orlando.
With the Sixers just a half-game behind the Hawks and Raptors for a top-six playoff spot, those edges could turn out to be massively important at season’s end.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Maxey was able to return to the Sixers quicker than anticipated from the tendon injury in his finger that was supposed to sideline him for at least three weeks, thanks in large part to his diligence in the rehab process, Gina Mizell writes for the Inquirer. “I’ve been working my tail off,” Maxey said. “And I want to be there for my team, so I was there.” As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN adds, the team knew the importance of the game in terms of standings, which prompted Maxey to push himself to play his best ball despite the lengthy absence. “I let the game come to me at the beginning,” said Maxey. “Everybody was like, ‘Dude, all right. We know you just got back. Come on, let’s play.’ And I was like, ‘I got you.‘”
- Jaylen Brown is out for Sunday’s game against the Hornets on Sunday with left Achilles tendinitis, per the Celtics (via Twitter). Derrick White, who was listed as questionable with a right knee contusion, has also been downgraded to out (Twitter link). In their place, Jordan Walsh and Payton Pritchard will start alongside Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes (via Twitter).
- Charles Bassey, on his second 10-day contract, has only made two brief appearances for the Celtics entering Sunday’s game, but he already feels comfortable with the organization, Noa Dalzell writes for CelticsBlog. “When the coach says, ‘Okay, there’s optional stuff, but you don’t [have to] come in’, everybody still shows up,” Bassey said. “That just helps the team grow, and helps build connection with the team. Guys are just coming in ready to work every day, regardless if it’s optional — you got to show up. They’re always in the gym, they’re always in the practice facility, so they put in the work. Me coming in and seeing that, it’s fun.” Bassey observed that playing for Boston’s Summer League last July helped familiarize him with the teammates and coaching staff, which has allowed for a smoother transition than might otherwise have occurred.
Celtics Notes: Pritchard, Brown, Scheierman, Tatum
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard remained in a reserve role Friday night, even though Jaylen Brown was out of the lineup with Achilles tendinitis, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes in a subscriber-only story. Pritchard, who has gotten comfortable coming off the bench since coach Joe Mazzulla restructured his starting lineup in early February, helped erase a 16-point deficit and finished with 36 points in Boston’s 109-102 victory over Atlanta.
“I don’t think my role changed from any other night,” he said. “Just come out being aggressive, looking to make plays for my teammates or for myself, and just make the right reads.”
Pritchard’s willingness to move to the bench after being a regular starter for the first time in his career is emblematic of what has enabled the Celtics to vastly exceed expectations this season. While his scoring outburst was critical on Friday, Mazzulla pointed to effort plays that helped secure the win, including an important offensive rebound with just over three minutes left in the game after the Hawks cut the lead to four points.
“It’s just those big-time plays for us,” Mazzulla said. “And he’s not defined by scoring, so that helps us a lot when he does other things.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Mazzulla told reporters that Brown should be considered day-to-day, relays Brian Robb of MassLive. Brown received medical treatment earlier in the day before the decision was made to hold him out. “He was just a little banged up after Wednesday’s game,” Mazzulla said. Brown is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest at Charlotte.
- In a season where several players have overachieved, Baylor Scheierman has been the team’s most surprising contributor, Robb states in a mailbag column. The second-year guard struggled with his shot in limited playing time as a rookie, but he’s been much more reliable this season, connecting at 45.3% from the floor and 38.5% from three-point range.
- Jayson Tatum has been putting up good numbers, but he remains frustrated that he’s not as far along in his comeback as he hoped to be, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required). Tatum discussed the process after posting 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on Friday. “I feel rusty,” he said. “Obviously, you probably can see the moments when it doesn’t look the same or I look rusty, but I think just the mindset of, on to the next play. I’m thankful that I’ve got teammates and a coaching staff that are patient with me in this moment as I’m trying to just figure it out.”
Injury Notes: Oubre, Maxey, Edwards, Brown, Lakers, Jazz, Suns
After missing the Sixers‘ last eight games due to a left elbow sprain, forward Kelly Oubre Jr. said today that he’ll be back in action on Saturday in Charlotte, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports.
With Paul George and Joel Embiid both having returned earlier this week, Philadelphia is close to being back to full strength — only star guard Tyrese Maxey, out since March 7 due to a finger injury, remains sidelined, and he’s due to be reevaluated in the coming days.
Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Friday that Maxey has been “a lot more involved” in activities during the past 48 hours, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Nurse added that Maxey has been diligent about keeping up his conditioning during his recovery process, which suggests he shouldn’t require much of a ramp-up period.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome) will miss a sixth straight game on Saturday vs. Detroit, per the team (Twitter link). However, Edwards has been cleared for on-court practice activities, according to the Wolves, which suggests his return may not be far off. In order to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for end-of-season awards, Edwards would have to suit up for each of Minnesota’s final eight games of the season, beginning on Monday.
- Celtics star Jaylen Brown has been ruled out for Friday’s game vs. Atlanta due to left Achilles tendinitis, the team announced (via Twitter). Brown, an All-NBA lock, needs to appear in one more game to reach the 65-game threshold and become eligible for end-of-season awards.
- Lakers teammates Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Rui Hachimura (calf) have both been upgraded to available after initially being listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup with the Nets, tweets NBA reporter Mark Medina.
- Although Jaren Jackson Jr. is still expected to miss the rest of the season, he’s making good progress in his recovery from a procedure to remove a non-cancerous growth in his left knee. He has resumed individual on-court work and will be reevaluated in two weeks, writes Kevin Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune. Reynolds also checks in on a few other injured Jazz players, suggesting that forward Lauri Markkanen (hip) and Keyonte George (hamstring) could still return before the end of the season.
- Injured Suns Dillon Brooks (hand) and Mark Williams (foot) are making progress in their respective injury recoveries, but they’ve yet to participate in any 5-on-5 work, head coach Jordan Ott said today (Twitter link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).
Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Quickley, Walter, Clarkson
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum played a season-high 35 minutes — including the entire fourth quarter — in Wednesday’s victory over Oklahoma City, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. Tatum, who finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists (five turnovers), three steals, was making his ninth appearance in 2025/26 after missing most of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon.
“It definitely feels different,” Tatum said. “Just from the standpoint, it’s been a while since I’ve been in certain moments. And sometimes the best moments when I don’t have a chance to think, when I’ve just got to react and I got to move, whether it’s coming off a ball screen or on a close out or you get a rebound and you’ve just got to take off with the ball. And it will be moments like that and afterwards I’d be like, ‘All right, that felt good. That felt normal.’
“So these are things you can’t simulate in workouts or scrimmages or things like that. Just got to be in the moment. So just from the standpoint, it just feels like it’s been a while and each game I kind of surprise myself with encouraging things, certain plays that I just tally up in my head.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Starting point guard Immanuel Quickley will miss his third consecutive contest on Friday when the Raptors face New Orleans, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Quickley, 26, is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Second-year guard Jamal Shead has started the past two games with Quickley out.
- In 17 games since the All-Star break, Ja’Kobe Walter is shooting 48.6% from long distance while playing strong defense, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who says the second-year wing seems primed to deliver a breakout performance in the playoffs — assuming the Raptors can make it in. “He’s shooting at an insane rate. He’s not gonna shoot like that forever,” RJ Barrett said. “But defensively, the things he’s doing every single night with steals and deflections (are important). And then on offense, he’s making the shots, but he’s just making the right plays. He’s taking the right shots. He plays like a player way above his years already.”
- Veteran guard Jordan Clarkson was out of the Knicks‘ rotation for a prolonged stretch earlier this season, but he wasn’t discouraged by the lack of minutes and kept working until his next opportunity arose, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). Clarkson has not only provided his typical scoring off the bench over the past couple weeks, he’s also been a play-maker and has improved defensively as well, Popper notes. “Yeah, for sure,” Clarkson said. “I mean, being able to get comfortable. I know everybody wanted it to click like immediately when I got here. But, you know, I’ve got to feel out a new coach, new system and everything, so, I’m getting a chance to watch the D-N-P’s and learn. It was pretty big for me and you know I continue to stay ready and just kept playing and figuring stuff out.”