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Central Notes: Bulls, Garland, Haliburton, Pistons

May 4th, 2025 at 4:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After a third straight play-in appearance that fell short of a playoff berth, the Bulls face an interesting offseason, as NBA insider Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) previews.

Chicago guard Josh Giddey submitted an encouraging performance during his inaugural season with Chicago, just in time for him to hit restricted free agency this summer. Gozlan notes that a club with cap space, like Brooklyn, could potentially give Giddey an offer sheet, but the Bulls will have the rights to match it. Gozlan projects that Giddey’s play could fetch him a yearly salary in the range of $20-$30MM.

Standout guard Coby White, who will be eligible for a contract extension next season, could earn a significant annual raise if he forgos an extension and instead waits until he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2026.

As Gozlan writes, veterans Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu, and Zach Collins are all on expiring deals, and many of those players could be moved in offseason trades rather than extended.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland is expected to be a game-time decision for the first contest of Cleveland’s second round playoff series against Indiana, reports Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. Garland sat out the final two contests of the Cavaliers’ four-game sweep of Miami with a sprained left big toe. “We’re just in this kind of area where you just got to kind of see day-by-day and see how it feels tomorrow morning,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Saturday.
Cavaliers players are doing what they can to prepare for two-time Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “He always makes the right play and doesn’t really stat hunt,” sixth man Ty Jerome said. “He’s a winner. He takes and makes big shots. He leads that team. He’s a real definition of a point guard.” Six-time All-Star Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, respects Haliburton’s influence on his team’s offense. “He’s the head of the snake,” Mitchell said. “There’s a lot of respect for him and what he brings over there. At the end of the day, if people want to say that, they want to say that, but, you know, we don’t look at it that way. We understand how important he is to that group. He’s a threat, and we’ve got to make sure we try to find ways to neutralize him.”
The Pistons submitted an impressive bounce-back season in 2024/25 that included their first playoff berth since 2019, writes Omari Sankofa II Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Now, the club will see four veterans head to unrestricted free agency and also faces extension decisions on young former lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, who will be extension-eligible. Sankofa unpacks the potential fates of these contributors and addresses other burning offseason questions facing Detroit.

Central Notes: Giannis, Bucks, Cavs, Bulls Centers

May 3rd, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to Adam Mares on the All NBA podcast (YouTube link), veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein said the Bucks are unlikely to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason unless he specifically asks for a trade. Stein acknowledged that neither side is eager to go down that path, but pointed out that the Bucks don’t have a realistic way to build a legitimate contender around the two-time MVP, particularly in the wake of Damian Lillard‘s torn Achilles tendon.

“The rumbles that you always hear are that just having Giannis is so important to them financially,” Stein said (hat tip to RealGM). “They’re not going to trade him unless he pushes it.

“… The whole league is on edge waiting to see will Giannis’ representatives go to the Bucks and say, ‘It’s time. Move us, hold the auction, and start over.’ I don’t think the Bucks want to do that. You could make the case that they should want to do that, that they should say, ‘Let’s go out and get the largest haul we can get back for Giannis,’ but I don’t think the Bucks are there. We’re going to see where Giannis is.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Central:

If the Bucks do trade Giannis, what would a hypothetical deal look like? Bucks beat writer Eric Nehm of The Athletic evaluates fake proposals from his colleagues David Aldridge, Eric Koreen, Tony Jones and Sam Vecenie. One three-team proposal involves Houston and Portland, with the Bucks receiving Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Donovan Clingan, three first-round picks and having their 2028 and 2030 pick swaps with Portland extinguished; the Rockets acquiring Antetokounmpo and Jerami Grant; and the Trail Blazers getting back Alperen Sengun and Jock Landale.
Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is dealing with a sprained left big toe and his availability for Game 1 vs. Indiana is uncertain. If Garland can’t play Sunday, will the Cavs stick with Sam Merrill or turn to someone else? Joe Vardon of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t tip his hand one way or another. “(Merrill) can create advantages, not in the pick and roll but with off-ball screen stuff, and then he can hold his own defensively,” Atkinson said. “But you could argue, do you go with a bigger body? Do you go with a (Tyrese) Haliburton matchup? This series is different.”
The Bulls have three centers under contract for next season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if two of them get traded this summer, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “There are some good young pieces that can be built around,” Nikola Vucevic said in his exit interview last month. “A lot of questions when you are a team not fighting for the top. I have trust in them and believe they want to do what’s best and build a good team that wants to win, so we’ll see. Obviously, I am at the stage in my career where I am trying to win now, play in the playoffs and hopefully deep playoff runs. It’s a young team and it does take time. It all depends on what their timeline is and how they see this team.”

Central Notes: Schröder, Garland, Haliburton

May 1st, 2025 at 11:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Well-traveled Pistons point guard Dennis Schröder thrived in his role as a pesky reserve throughout Detroit’s playoff series against New York this spring, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.

Following the Pistons’ elimination in a hard-fought first round playoff series on Thursday, Schröder is on track to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. After inking a two-year, $25.4MM deal with Toronto in 2023, he was moved to Brooklyn, Golden State and finally Detroit during the course of the contract.

Although Schröder has expressed appreciation for his experiences with those other clubs, he has especially relished his Pistons tenure.

“I think Detroit is one of the best situations I’ve been in,” Schröder said. “I don’t have to change my style of play, I can be myself. I got a coach who is going at the refs, who is not taking no crap. I’m like that. That’s the reason I’m in the league for 12 years. I’m 6-foot-1, I’ve got to find my way somehow. I love that I don’t have to change myself and I can just be who I am. My teammates embrace me. I just try to help every game.”

Across six playoff games for Detroit, the 31-year-old averaged 12.5 points per night with a shooting line of .491/.476/.813. He also registered averages of 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 27.4 minutes per game.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

All-Star Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is considered “day-to-day” ahead of Cleveland’s second round clash against Indiana as he deals with a toe injury, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link). “I’m not going to make a judgment either way,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of Garland’s availability. “There’s some concern there. I could see it go either way. I think it’s something he’s going to have to deal with probably the rest of the playoffs.”
Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton‘s father, John Haliburton, got into an altercation with Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo following Indiana’s 119-118 Game 5 overtime contest and series victory. In the wake of that incident, Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the elder Haliburton will stay away from all Pacers games for the foreseeable future. John Haliburton, who apologized to Antetokounmpo after the fact, tried to explain to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscriber link) what happened. “Watch the real video and you’ll see that it wasn’t what they thought it was,” John Haliburton said. “Yeah, you saw me standing there looking at Giannis; yeah, you did. But I wasn’t trying to intimidate him. I don’t intimidate nobody, I’m humble. I don’t believe in that, it was just one of those moments.”
In case you missed it, Antetokounmpo faces an uncertain future following a third straight first round playoff exit and the Game 4 Achilles tear of co-star Damian Lillard.

Scotto’s Latest: Hawks, Green, D’Antoni, Suns, Nogues Gonzalez

April 29th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Hawks seek a new head of basketball operations, their top targets are believed to be Tim Connelly of the Timberwolves and former Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms.

However, as previously reported, Connelly is expected to sign a new deal to remain in Minnesota. As for Myers, people around the NBA believe it would take a “significant” salary and the perfect fit for the current ESPN analyst to return to an NBA front office, Scotto writes.

Other candidates on Atlanta’s list of potential replacements for former GM Landry Fields include Magic senior advisor John Hammond and NBA G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim, league sources tell HoopsHype. Abdur-Rahim spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Hawks as a player, earning his lone All-Star nod in Atlanta.

Confirming a report from NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Scotto says the Hawks are parting ways with VP of pro personnel Grant Liffmann. Atlanta also isn’t expected to retain executive advisor Chris Emens, Scotto adds.

Here’s more from Scotto:

The “prevailing expectation” is that Willie Green will keep his job as the Pelicans‘ head coach entering the 2025/26 season, league sources tell Scotto. However, he hears that New Orleans won’t be retaining coaching advisor Mike D’Antoni, who has been with the organization in that role since 2021.
The “strong belief” around the NBA is that the Suns will be seeking a young, first-time head coach to replace Mike Budenholzer, according to Scotto, who identifies Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott and Thunder assistant Dave Bliss as two candidates expected to receive consideration. Ott was a finalist a year ago for the head coaching opening in Charlotte, while Bliss is the coordinator of an Oklahoma City defense that was the league’s best in 2024/25.
After earning All-Defensive honors in the G League this season with the Rip City Remix, guard Isaac Nogues Gonzalez – one of 106 early entrants in the 2025 NBA draft – intends to keep his name in the draft pool, Scotto reports. He turned down a multiyear offer to play for Club Joventut Badalona in Spain, agent Michael Naiditch informs HoopsHype.

Central Notes: Hunter, Giannis, Mathurin, Nesmith, Pistons

April 29th, 2025 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ 55-point blowout victory in Miami on Monday sent them to the second round and established a new NBA record — Cleveland’s +122 margin in the four-game sweep made it the most lopsided playoff series in league history, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

There was plenty to like about the Cavaliers’ dominant first-round performance against the Heat. One major positive, Vardon writes, was the strong play of reserve forward De’Andre Hunter, who bounced back in impressive fashion after he “looked a little lost” in Game 1, when he went scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes.

Hunter scored double-digit points in each of the next three games, including 20.0 PPG on 63.2% shooting (66.7% on three-pointers) in the two road victories in Miami. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavaliers didn’t make any specific adjustments after Game 1 and that Hunter’s strong play in his next three outings was about him “gaining more confidence and being more comfortable.”

The Cavs led the NBA in offensive rating during the regular season (121.0) and are doing so again in the playoffs (136.2). As Vardon observes, having Hunter scoring and shooting that effectively off the bench is one significant reason why Cleveland’s offense is so dangerous.

Here’s more from around the Central:

In the wake of Damian Lillard‘s Achilles tear, Michael Pina of The Ringer argues that it would be in the Bucks‘ best interests to trade superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sooner rather than later. With no clear short-term path to contention and no control of their own draft picks for the next several years, the Bucks’ best path to long-term success would be to build around the massive haul they could get in return for their two-time MVP, Pina contends.
Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin, who missed Game 4 due to an abdominal contusion, had a hard time eating and sleeping after sustaining the injury in Game 3, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Mathurin has reportedly improved in recent days, but he’s not a lock to play in Game 5 on Tuesday — he’s listed as questionable.
[Update: Mathurin will be available for Game 5.]
Another Pacers wing, Aaron Nesmith, is considered probable to play on Tuesday due to a lower back bruise he suffered in Game 4 after a chase-down block on a Bobby Portis layup attempt (Twitter video link). Nesmith was lauded by his teammates for his willingness to put his body on the line, Dopirak writes for the Indianapolis Star. “That’s who Double-A is,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “What he brings doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. Some people say, like, they’re willing to die for this. Double-A is willing to die for this. He gives it his all every night and I think every team in the NBA wants a guy like Aaron Nesmith. Every team who wins big and ultimately wins it all always has a guy like Aaron Nesmith.”
It’s not uncommon for young teams making their first playoff appearance to experience growing pains as they adjust to the heightened intensity of the NBA postseason. The Pistons are going through that process during their first-round series vs. New York, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic details. “We are learning our way through every challenge that’s in front of us,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think our guys have done a great job of learning from one moment to the next.”

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Elimination, Herro, Adebayo, Anderson

April 28th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaime Jaquez Jr.‘s second NBA season hasn’t gone as smoothly as his rookie campaign. Jaquez has been out of the Heat‘s rotation in their playoff series against Cleveland after getting steady playing time last season.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating as a competitor,” Jaquez told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “As a player, you want to be in the game playing. But seasons come with ups and downs. I think more than anything, you take it as a learning experience. It will help you grow as a player and as a person to go through adversity like this. If you make it out to the other side, then you’re going to see what you become.”

Jaquez averaged 8.6 points per game this season on a lower shooting percentage than last season, when he averaged 11.9 PPG and made 48.9 percent of his attempts.

“There’s going to be struggles throughout your career,” he said. “You don’t want to shy away from those. Obviously, there have been a lot of ups and downs with some bad luck with some illnesses and then obviously getting hurt. But I think it’s given me a great opportunity to just learn, learn a lot about myself and about the game and take this time to just continue to work on my craft, work on my routine and continue to get better as a professional.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

They’re facing elimination tonight and staring at a 3-0 deficit in the series. NBA teams are 0-158 in playoff series after falling behind 3-0, Chiang notes. “This is our reality right now. But like I told the guys, it’s not time to let go of the rope,” guard Tyler Herro said. “We’re going to play until the final buzzer, whether that’s next game, Game 5, 6, 7 or another series after this. We just got to keep playing. That’s what we’re paid to do and that’s who we are as an organization. We want to compete and we’re not going out 4-0.”
Herro pumped in 33 points in Game 2 but was held to 13 points in Game 3, as the Cavaliers limited him to a series-low 46 touches, according to Chiang. “I’m coming off and they’re not allowing me to get any handoffs or coming off pindowns or anything like that,” he said. “Just pretty much face-guarding me and guiding me into the corner.” Herro and his teammates will have to find counters for that strategy if they want to extend the series.
Bam Adebayo has become more comfortable attempting three-pointers this season and that’s reflected in the volume of his long-range shots through the first three playoff games. He has taken 17 and made six. “He has good balance about it, of being rugged and aggressive at the rim and in the pant, because we need that as well … he’s a very good shooter,” coach Erik Spoelstra told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Kyle Anderson was added to the injury report for Monday’s game due to an illness, Chiang tweets. However, he is available, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Anderson has only seen the floor for six minutes during the series.

Stephen Curry Named 2024/25 Teammate Of The Year

April 28th, 2025 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry has been named the NBA’s Teammate of the Year for the 2024/25 season, the league announced today (via Twitter).

The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment to his team,” per the NBA.

The award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place.

Curry just narrowly won this season’s vote ahead of Rockets center Steven Adams.

Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:

Stephen Curry, Warriors (1,257)
Steven Adams, Rockets (1,237)
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (925)
DeAndre Jordan, Nuggets (897)
Nicolas Batum, Clippers (868)
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (850)
Al Horford, Celtics (834)
James Johnson, Pacers (751)
Jaylin Williams, Thunder (690)
Brook Lopez, Bucks (657)
Tobias Harris, Pistons (648)
Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies (552)

It’s the first Teammate of the Year award for Curry, though it’s the seventh time in a row that a point guard has earned the honor.

The award, which was introduced in ’12/13, had gone to either Mike Conley (2019 and 2024) or Jrue Holiday (2020, 2022, and 2023) in five of the past six seasons, with Damian Lillard claiming it in 2021.

Central Notes: Sheppard, Pacers, Bulls, Strus

April 27th, 2025 at 1:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After starting Pacers swingman Andrew Nembhard got into foul trouble during Indiana’s Game 3 playoff series loss to Milwaukee, reserve guard Ben Sheppard found himself playing more minutes than he had in the contests prior.

Sheppard knocked down a three-point shot during his six first-half minutes and the Pacers outscored Milwaukee by six points during those minutes. He went just 1-of-4 from the field in the second half, but was a +3 in 15:26 of action on the night.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, head coach Rick Carlisle hinted that he may want to play Sheppard more going forward.

“Time to get him involved,” Carlisle said. “He did some really good things in the first half…. He gives us another guy to chase (Damian) Lillard around a little bit. Look, we need all hands on deck. We need everybody. Guys are gonna have to be able to come in and possibly play short minutes from time to time to help us with matchups, to help us with rebounding, to help us with spacing. You name it.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

A lot went wrong in the Pacers’ 117-101 Game 3 defeat, as Dopirak details in another story. Two-time All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton believes that the team’s defense was the foundational issue. “We have to do a better job of rotating,” Haliburton said. “I gotta do a better job of staying down on shot fakes. Ground and contest, second-jumper contest. It starts with me. That was my matchup to start the game, so I gotta be better, but we were rotating and I thought we had a couple of miscommunications that led to some open ones and he got hot.” Dopirak also notes that the club leaned too heavily on isolation scoring for All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.
The first round of the playoffs are highlighting the major problems in longtime Bulls president Arturas Karnisovas’ team construction, opines Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. As Cowley explains, Chicago was among the NBA’s fastest-paced offenses and ranked in the bottom half of the league in defense, a profile that doesn’t match many serious contenders.
Cavaliers swingman Max Strus has emerged as a perfect role player for the team as it gears up to sweep Miami, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Heat Notes: Game 3 Loss, Starting Lineup, Ware, Herro

April 26th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat were hoping to make their series against the top-seeded Cavaliers competitive after a close call Wednesday at Cleveland. Instead, they suffered the worst playoff loss in franchise history on Saturday and are staring at a likely insurmountable 3-0 deficit, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Miami built an early 15-6 lead, but things fell apart quickly as the Cavs strung together a 33-5 run to put the game out of reach. The lead got up to 40 points in the second half as Miami fans expressed their displeasure with the effort.

“Once we jumped on them at the start of the game, then they just took control of it from there and it became an avalanche going the other direction,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And sometimes when you care, there’s a level of discouragement that kind of fed into that avalanche and that’s what we all feel disappointed about.”

The Cavaliers dominated the game near the basket, registering 11 dunks and outscoring Miami 60-30 in the paint. Cleveland also collected 13 offensive rebounds while building a 22-10 advantage in second-chance points and had a 21-11 edge in points off turnovers.

“I know how much everybody cares,” Spoelstra added. “We just laid an egg today. A big part of it was Cleveland.”

There’s more from Miami:

Davion Mitchell replaced Alec Burks in the starting lineup for Game 2, and Spoelstra went with the same approach on Saturday, Chiang adds. The starting five kept the game even during their 13 minutes together, but Miami was outscored by 37 points otherwise. Chiang notes that Cleveland was relentless in its attack on rookie center Kel’el Ware, who is minus-24 in 57 minutes so far in the series. “I understand he’s being fed through a fire hose,” Spoelstra said. “… We’re coaching him hard and I feel for him because there’s an expectation that he has to be there like a vet. These are important learning experiences.”
In an interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Tyler Herro speculates that Miami’s season would have turned out much better if Jimmy Butler hadn’t forced a trade. Butler, who played just 25 games with the Heat this season before being dealt to Golden State in February, provided Herro with a complementary offensive weapon. “Obviously, I know I need Jimmy to win. If we had Jimmy right now, I feel like it’d be a completely different situation,” Herro said. “We probably wouldn’t even be the eighth seed. So finding that middle balance of like, damn, we need him, but also understanding, sh–, that’s his career and what he wants is ultimately his right to want what he wants. It was just tough to be in the middle of both sides.”
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson commented on this week’s war of words between Herro and Darius Garland, Weiss tweets. “I don’t control what they say at all,” Atkinson said. “… Tyler is a great player, he’s an All-Star. Great competitor on both ends, much like Darius. It’s like the playground, you got someone you’re going at at both ends and there’s some verbal stuff that’s overblown. But once the ball goes up, none of it matters.”

Cavs’ Darius Garland Sidelined For Game 3

April 26th, 2025 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will be unavailable for Game 3 vs. Miami due to his left great toe sprain, the team announced in its last injury report prior to Saturday afternoon’s tip-off.

Garland was affected by the toe issue earlier this month, missing two of Cleveland’s final three regular season games as a result of the injury. According to Jared Weis of The Athletic (Twitter link), the 25-year-old aggravated the injury during Game 2 on Wednesday and wasn’t able to take part in a pregame warm-up on Saturday after initially being listed as questionable.

The hope, a team source tells Weiss, is that sitting out today will allow Garland to heal up and return on Monday for Game 4 in Miami.

Garland’s absence comes on the heels of an eventful media cycle involving him and Heat guard Tyler Herro. Following Wednesday’s Cavs victory, Garland told reporters that “pick on Herro” was a central facet of the team’s offensive game plan, prompting Herro to fire back two days later to criticize Garland’s defense.

Heat big man Bam Adebayo told the media that Herro’s teammates took Garland’s comments “personal,” adding that the Cavs guard “cannot hide,” but Miami won’t get the opportunity to go after him on the court for at least a couple more days.

Sharpshooter Sam Merrill will start in Garland’s place, Weiss notes.