Injury Notes: Wolves, Wizards, Spurs, Cavs, Quickley
After clinching a playoff spot on Tuesday in Indiana, the Timberwolves will hold some regulars out on the second night of a back-to-back set on Wednesday in Orlando. According to the team (Twitter link), Julius Randle (right hand soreness), Ayo Dosunmu (right calf injury maintenance), and Mike Conley (rest) are all out, while Rudy Gobert (rest) is considered questionable to play.
Star guard Anthony Edwards, who has missed nine of Minnesota’s past 11 games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) and an illness, will also sit out again as the team prioritizes getting him as healthy as possible for the playoffs. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic suggested earlier this week that the Wolves may want Edwards to play a game or two at the end of the regular season before he gets another week off ahead of Game 1 of the first round.
The most notable Timberwolves injury update affects forward Jaden McDaniels, who has been on the shelf since March 25 due to left knee patella tendinopathy. According to a press release, McDaniels has been cleared for full-contact, 5-on-5 work and has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando. Even if the 25-year-old isn’t upgraded to available tonight, it sounds like he’ll make his return before the regular season ends.
Here are more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Unsurprisingly, Wizards big man Anthony Davis and point guard Trae Young aren’t expected to play again this season, head coach Brian Keefe said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network). Davis, who has yet to make his Wizards debut, has been ramping up his work in recent weeks as he recovers from a hand injury, but will run out of time to return this spring. As for Young (low back pain; right quad contusion), he’s not as far along is his recovery process as Davis.
- The Spurs have ruled out Victor Wembanyama (left rib contusion) and Stephon Castle (right knee soreness) for Wednesday’s matchup with Portland, but they’re optimistic about both players’ chances of playing on Friday vs. Dallas, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Wembanyama will need to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s final two games of the season in order to qualify for end-of-season awards, including MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
- Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson, out since March 19 with a left great toe bone bruise, went through Wednesday’s shootaround and then conducted an individual workout with coaches and trainers, but his toe was still bothering him and he has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday’s contest against Atlanta, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cavs forward Dean Wade, who has been sidelined since March 24 due to a right ankle sprain, has a better chance of making his return tonight — he’s listed as questionable.
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley played nearly 18 minutes in Tuesday’s win over Miami after missing the previous eight games due to plantar fasciitis. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link), Quickley said he has been battling an issue “a little bit deeper than just plantar fasciitis” that flared up in February, and while the time off helped, he recognizes that he’s still not 100%.
Coaching Rumors: Jenkins, Wizards, Mosley, Pelicans, Kerr, More
There wasn’t a whole lot of NBA head coaching turnover last spring, when several teams retained coaches who had previously had interim tags and only the Suns and Knicks made new hires. There haven’t been many changes since then either, with only New Orleans having made an in-season change, though Portland was also forced to elevate assistant Tiago Splitter after Chauncey Billups was arrested in October.
The expectation is that a relatively quiet 12 months on the coaching market could result in an eventful few weeks once the regular season ends, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
“There’s going to be eight to 12 (coaching changes),” one source predicted to Fischer.
With several head coaching jobs expected to open up this spring, Fischer identifies a few candidates to monitor for those openings, naming current assistants Sean Sweeney (Spurs), Micah Nori (Timberwolves), Jared Dudley (Nuggets), Dave Bliss (Thunder), Chris Quinn (Heat), Royal Ivey (Rockets), and Luke Walton (Pistons).
Here are several more coaching-related rumors from Fischer:
- Confirming that Taylor Jenkins is a potential target to watch for the Bucks if they part ways with Doc Rivers, Fischer says there have been “whispers for months” that the Wizards would also have interest in Jenkins if they decide to move on from Brian Keefe. It’s unclear at this point if Washington intends to bring back Keefe for another season as the team aims to take a step toward contention in 2026/27. “It’s very difficult for any young coach to survive a years-long rebuild and (then) oversee a dramatic cultural shift of losing to competing,” one general manager told The Stein Line.
- If the Magic let go of Jamahl Mosley, he’s expected to draw interest from New Orleans, according to Fischer, who says Pelicans general manager Joe Dumars is a fan. James Borrego is also expected to receive consideration for the permanent job in New Orleans, Fischer notes, adding that Bucks assistant Darvin Ham is another candidate to watch if the team conducts a full-fledged search.
- While it’s too early to say what will happen with Steve Kerr, Fischer has heard that the Warriors would ideally like to sign the veteran coach for more than a single season if he decides to return, since team officials would prefer to avoid a “Last Dance scenario,” if possible. Stephen Curry‘s current contract expires in 2027, as does Jimmy Butler‘s. Draymond Green‘s would too if he exercises his 2026/27 player option.
- The Kings are still evaluating Doug Christie‘s performance and are taking into account that injuries decimated his roster this season, Fischer writes. Christie has one more guaranteed year left on his contract (with a 2027/28 team option) and it’s not impossible that he’ll return for next season, Fischer adds.
- Although the Trail Blazers discussed a potential extension for Splitter at one point, per Fischer, the acting head coach’s future is up in the air with new owner Tom Dundon taking over the franchise. Dundon has talked about evaluating every aspect of the organization. That includes its head coach and its front office, according to Fischer, who suggests that changes in the basketball operations department are possible. For what it’s worth, Dundon said recently that general manager Joe Cronin’s job status is “solid.”
Timberwolves Clinch Playoff Spot
The Timberwolves secured a guaranteed playoff berth on Tuesday night as a result of their 124-104 win in Indiana and the Suns‘ 119-105 home loss to Houston, per the NBA (Twitter link).
The top six teams in the Western Conference have now been determined. While seeding remains up for grabs, the Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, and Wolves are each assured of at least a first-round series, while the Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors will take part in the play-in tournament, vying for the last two playoff spots in the conference.
Minnesota has made the Western Conference finals in each of the past two seasons but will face a difficult path to make it back there for a third straight year. Trailing the No. 4 Lakers and No. 5 Rockets by three games, the Wolves will likely enter the postseason as the West’s No. 6 seed, which could mean a first-round series against Denver and a potential second-round matchup with San Antonio.
As for the Suns, while they’re now guaranteed to be a play-in team after letting a 21-point lead slip away against the Rockets on Tuesday, they still have a two-game cushion on the No. 8 Clippers and will face the 25-54 Mavericks at home on Wednesday while L.A. hosts the 63-16 Thunder. A Phoenix win and a Clippers loss would assure the Suns of finishing the regular season in seventh, which would mean they’d potentially have two chances at the Mortgage Matchup Center to earn a playoff berth in the play-in tournament.
Over in the East, the congestion in the back end of the playoff race began to clear a little on Tuesday, with Miami becoming the first team to be locked into a play-in berth. The Heat‘s loss in Toronto last night means that they can’t finish the regular season higher than seventh in the conference standings.
The Hawks, Raptors, Sixers, Magic, and Hornets continue to battle for the fifth and sixth seeds in the East, with Atlanta and Toronto currently holding those spots.
Bucks Rumors: Giannis, Rollins, Porter, Kuzma, Rivers, Horst
With the Bucks lottery-bound for the first time since 2016 and increasingly at odds with their longtime superstar forward, one source close to the team tells Shams Charania of ESPN that the state of affairs in Milwaukee is “as toxic of a team situation as any in the league.”
It’s one of many troubling quotes from team sources within Charania’s in-depth look at a nightmarish season for the Bucks, who have posted a losing record both with and without Giannis Antetokounmpo available in 2025/26.
“When your best player is one foot in, one foot out,” one team source told ESPN, “you’re not going to win.”
“The crux of the issue is feeling Giannis doesn’t want to be here on any given day,” another said.
One team source added that the Bucks have “no identity,” while multiple club sources suggested to Charania that Giannis’ uncertain future has created a tense locker-room environment over the course of the season.
Although Antetokounmpo hasn’t explicitly requested a trade out of Milwaukee, he and agent Alex Saratsis conveyed to the Bucks early in the season that it was probably time for the two sides to part ways, according to Charania, who says Giannis’ camp pursued an “amicable split” during the season, meeting with co-owners Jimmy Haslam and Wes Edens two weeks before the trade deadline to discuss how the team could “do right” by Antetokounmpo. Charania explains that both Giannis and Saratsis recalled making a handshake agreement after the star forward signed extensions in 2020 and 2023 that the two sides would work collaboratively on a trade when the time came.
“Giannis has wanted to handle this professionally by being very up front with the team,” one source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN. “This could have been a happy resolution but instead might end up being a nasty breakup.”
Shortly after that January meeting with ownership, Antetokounmpo was informed by general manager Jon Horst that he was engaged in trade negotiations and that the 31-year-old may not be on the Bucks’ roster by the start of the 2026/27 season.
However, not every team that spoke to the Bucks about Giannis leading up to February’s trade deadline believed they were serious about making an in-season deal. Milwaukee’s front office took days to respond to certain suitors’ messages and calls, according to Charania, though he notes that the Heat, Warriors, and Timberwolves believed Horst was operating in good faith.
While Golden State and Minnesota sensed as the deadline approached that the Bucks weren’t going to accept their offers, team sources tell ESPN that Milwaukee seriously considered Miami’s proposal, which included Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, and several draft assets. Ultimately, the Bucks let the Heat know on the morning of deadline day (Feb. 5) that they wouldn’t be trading Giannis, since they believe they’ll receive stronger offers this summer, per Charania.
The Bucks’ top decision-makers have come to terms with the likelihood of an Antetokounmpo trade happening this offseason, Charania adds.
Here are a few more highlights from Charania’s in-depth story:
- While the Bucks’ disagreement with Antetokounmpo about his late-season availability following a mid-March knee injury has been well-documented, Charania provides a couple new details, writing that Giannis is still hoping to return later this week – perhaps for Friday’s home finale – and wants to share the court with his brothers Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Alex Antetokounmpo before the end of the season. Most interestingly, Charania notes that Giannis – who has been limited to 36 games this season – will miss out on a “significant” bonus in his contract with Nike that would’ve been triggered if he played in at least 41 contests.
- Guards Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. were called out by Bucks coaches after shooting a combined 9-of-27 in a blowout loss to Chicago on March 1, according to Charania, who says Rollins and Porter were directed to focus more on getting the rest of the team involved and avoiding selfish play. While the coaching staff’s message was meant to “empower” the young backcourt duo, it left the team feeling “splintered,” leading to a players-only meeting in which veteran forward Kyle Kuzma told Rollins and Porter not to worry about what their coaches had said. After the staff learned about Kuzma’s comments, he received his first DNP-CD of the season in Milwaukee’s following game, then had a conversation with head coach Doc Rivers to talk through the situation, per Charania.
- Referring to a “season-long disconnect” between Rivers and several Bucks players, Charania details how the veteran coach began one team meeting by telling his team to look up his résumé. “I took teams to the playoffs and to the championship that weren’t supposed to. I thought this was one of them,” Rivers reportedly told players during that meeting.
- Ownership is expected to make a decision on Rivers’ job status within the next week, sources tell ESPN. He has just one season left on his contract. As for Horst, the general manager was extended a year ago and still has multiple years left on his deal, but there has been “friction” between him and Antetokounmpo since the trade deadline, Charania writes.
And-Ones: Coaches, Lottery Teams, 65-Game Rule, HoF, More
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports recently listed five head coaches who could be on the hot seat as the 2025/26 regular season enters its final week.
Doc Rivers was part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, but there’s an expectation around the league that he won’t be brought back as head coach of the Bucks in 2026/27, Helin writes. Marc Stein reported similarly on Sunday, though Stein suggested Rivers might stay in the organization in some capacity.
Jamahl Mosley of the Magic and Brian Keefe of the Wizards are two of the other names on Helin’s list.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Should Brooklyn extend or trade Michael Porter Jr. this summer? That’s the big question ESPN’s Bobby Marks poses for the Nets ahead of next month’s draft lottery. Marks lists one big question facing each of the 10 teams who have been eliminated from postseason contention. It’s worth noting the article was written last week, before the Bulls dismissed top front office executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley.
- Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic are among the star players who won’t meet the 65-game requirement this season to be eligible for major postseason awards (Doncic may still qualify, depending on what an “independent expert” rules). Several people around the league recently weighed in on the 65-game rule, which was collectively bargained by both the NBA and the NBPA in 2023, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch pointed out that there could be unintended consequences of lesser players making All-NBA teams, and suggested those who are clearly All-NBA caliber should still be eligible for the three teams, but without receiving the salary bump that sometimes goes along with it. “That’s one of the things that’s not talked about [with] it,” Finch said. “Some of these awards are going to go to players [who], not to say they’re not necessarily deserving. But they’re going to get these rewards and they’re going to get the financial bonus that comes with these rewards, and maybe they’re not quite of the standard that would normally demand that. … To me, the money piece seems to be the obvious trigger.”
- Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press passes along some quotes from the members of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, which was officially announced over the weekend. “It means everything from a basketball point of view,” Amar’e Stoudemire told the AP. “When you look back at my career not only as a pro, but even high school and, and nationally, and since I was a kid playing the game of basketball. I love the game. You play the game because you love it, and then you work to become the best you can possibly be, despite circumstances, and to get into the Hall of Fame, it shows that the voters appreciate it. And now we’re enshrined forever.”
- Several ESPN insiders list the biggest questions and what to watch in the final week of the regular season.
Korver, Dunleavy, Fields Reportedly Among Bulls’ GM Targets
In addition to confirming the Bulls have been connected to Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports adds a few other names to watch as Chicago begins its front office search.
Hawks assistant general manager Kyle Korver, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., former Hawks GM Landry Fields, and CAA’s Austin Brown are among the other potential targets for the Bulls in the wake of the firings of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, league sources tell NBC Sports.
As Helin writes, Dunleavy is unlikely to leave his job with the Warriors, so his inclusion could be more of a “wish list play” for Chicago. The 45-year-old spent three seasons with the Bulls near the end of his playing career, which spanned 15 years (from 2002-17).
Korver, a longtime NBA sharpshooter whose playing career ended in 2020, joined the Hawks in the summer of 2022 as the team’s director of player affairs and development and was promoted to assistant GM in January 2023. He’s another ex-Bull, having played two seasons in Chicago.
Fields, 37, played five NBA seasons before eventually transitioning to a front office role. He was Atlanta’s GM for three seasons prior to being let go in last April. The team won 41, 36, and 40 games in his three years at the helm, making a single playoff appearance during that time and not advancing past the first round.
Fields was hired in January to be the new president of league operations for Overtime Elite. OTE is transitioning to become a national prep league, a source tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link), rather than running its own teams and housing players year-round.
Brown, the co-head of CAA’s basketball division, is one of the most powerful agents in the NBA. He was linked to the Hawks’ front office search last May, and his client list includes Donovan Mitchell, Cooper Flagg, Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr., OG Anunoby, and many other noteworthy current and former players, per RealGM.
Bulls Rumors: Donovan, Front Office, Ownership, Ivey, More
The Bulls fired executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on Monday, but Marc Stein reported on Sunday that the team hopes to retain head coach Billy Donovan and Shams Charania of ESPN has heard the same (Twitter video link).
“My understanding is the Bulls want to keep [Donovan] as long as he wants to be there, in Chicago,” Charania said on NBA Today.
Donovan, who signed a multiyear extension with the Bulls last summer, is expected to draw interest from rival NBA teams with head coaching vacancies this offseason, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), who confirms Chicago would like to keep the 60-year-old.
As for potential front office replacements, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic suggests Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd could be a name to watch (Twitter link). Lloyd is well regarded around the league and began his NBA career in Chicago, Krawczynski notes.
Here are some more rumors and notes on the Bulls:
- Team sources tell Jamal Collier of ESPN that ownership had been considering a front office overhaul “for weeks,” and the urgency to do so increased after the team traded for — and then waived — Jaden Ivey. While the front office defended the homework it did prior to acquiring Ivey, ownership had questions about the process involved and Karnisovas and Eversley had a “credibility problem” around the league and with the team’s fans, according to Collier.
- Collier hears there was a “growing disconnect” between the front office and several areas of the organization, not just ownership. Bulls employees were reportedly unsure of the team’s direction after it traded away several veterans ahead of the February deadline to add seven second-round picks. “People didn’t know the plan,” one team source told ESPN on Monday. “They didn’t know the process. We needed to move on — with a clean slate and start this thing over.”
- According to Collier’s sources, Karnisovas and Eversley long maintained they were “working under the constraints of ownership,” which was reluctant to embark on a rebuild. Donovan also isn’t a fan of rebuilds, Collier writes, even though the team was stuck in mediocrity for years.
- Collier suggests the front office’s relatively underwhelming trade returns also factored into the decision to let Karnisovas and Eversley go, pointing out that the team waited too long to break up the previous core roster of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso, Coby White and Lonzo Ball. “We took too long to pick a lane,” the team source told ESPN. “The Lonzo thing just really messed them up. We saw that success early on, and didn’t have the foresight to pivot early.” Ball missed two-plus years due to a knee injury which required multiple surgeries.
- While the Bulls want to retain Donovan, Collier hears it may not be as head coach, depending on what Donovan wants to do in the future. As Collier writes, Donovan’s father and mother-in-law both passed away within eight days of each other in February, and there has been previous speculation that the veteran coach might take a year off to reevaluate his options moving forward.
Injury Notes: Quickley, Edwards, Highsmith, Pels, Mavs
Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley was out for the eighth consecutive game on Sunday vs. Boston, but it sounds like he’s getting closer to returning from plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The 26-year-old went through on-court workouts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and hasn’t experienced any setbacks as he ramps up his activity, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
Quickley has made 67 appearances (32.4 minutes per game) for Toronto in 2025/26, averaging 16.9 points, 6.0 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .445/.374/.821 shooting. The Raptors have missed Quickley’s ability to stretch the floor over the past few weeks — they’ve gone 5-5 without him this season, compared to a 38-29 record when he’s active.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards continues to deal with patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee and was ruled out of Sunday’s contest vs. Charlotte after previously being listed as questionable (Twitter link via the Wolves). It’s a big game for Minnesota, which would secure a playoff berth if it wins and Phoenix loses to Chicago.
- The Suns are hopeful forward Haywood Highsmith will return to action before the regular season ends, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link), but time is running out for that to happen. Head coach Jordan Ott said Highsmith hasn’t experienced any setbacks since he aggravated a right knee injury on March 17. “He is trending in the right direction,” Ott said. “Just not as much on the floor right now. He’s getting there. Just no play yet.” The 29-year-old was out for the ninth consecutive game Sunday.
- Karlo Matkovic (low back spasms), Trey Murphy III (right ankle sprain) and Dejounte Murray will all be sidelined on Sunday when the Pelicans face Orlando, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s the third straight absence for Matkovic and second for Murray. New Orleans is mired in a seven-game losing streak.
- The Mavericks are expected to get a couple of frontcourt players back on Sunday against the Lakers, Grant Afseth writes in a pair of stories for Dallas Hoops Journal. P.J. Washington has been cleared to return after missing three games due to an illness, while Marvin Bagley III (left shoulder impingement) is probable to suit up. Bagley has also missed the team’s last three games.
NBA Tells 13 Teams To Look For New Regional TV Deals
The NBA has informed the 13 teams affiliated with Main Street Sports Group that they’re free to seek new in-market media rights deals ahead of the 2026/27 season, reports Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal.
Main Street, previously known as Diamond Sports Group, runs FanDuel Sports Network, which broadcasts local and regional TV games for the Thunder, Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Bucks. However, the company is headed for insolvency and will discontinue broadcasting for those teams when the regular season concludes on April 12.
“FanDuel Sports Network has reached agreements with the NBA and NHL to broadcast games and other programming through the end of the 2026 NBA regular season and the end of the first round of the NHL playoffs,” a Main Street Sports Group spokesperson said in a statement to Sports Business Journal.
“We are preparing to wind down our operations upon seasons’ end unless we reach a strategic transaction. We’re pleased to finish out the NBA and NHL seasons, and we appreciate the collaborative relationships we have enjoyed with our team and league partners as well as the connections we have fostered with local fans.”
While this has been an expected outcome for months, it leaves nearly half of the teams in the league without in-market broadcasting contracts for next season. According to Friend, the 13 teams could opt for over-the-air channels or streaming options (or both), but whichever route they take, the league has been urging those clubs to sign one-year agreements or to at least have an opt-out after one season, so they can join the streaming hub for local broadcasts the NBA plans to launch down the line.
While previous reporting indicated the NBA might try to launch that streaming RSN hub for 2026/27, it didn’t come up at last month’s Board of Governors meetings, Friend writes, and teams are operating as though it won’t be ready until ’27/28 at the earliest. DAZN has been aggressively reaching out to those 13 clubs to try and secure media rights with an eye on possibly running the streaming RSN platform.
As Friend details, DAZN could have competition for that national streaming project, with Amazon, YouTube TV and the ESPN app all potentially in the mix. DAZN also has competition for local rights, as multiple teams are considering streaming-only options instead of having over-the-air broadcasts. Victory+ (streaming only), ViewLift (Altitude for Denver and Monumental for Washington) and Kiswe (Jazz) are the other companies vying for regional streaming projects.
None of the 13 teams have received rights fee payments from Main Street in 2026, but multiple sources tell friend each club could receive up to 60% of its lost TV money once dissolution agreements are finalized with the NBA and Main Street.
Those lost payments impacted the latest salary cap projection for 2026/27, decreasing it by $1MM. It’s unclear whether the projection might bounce back slightly if part of that lost money is recouped or if that was already factored into the most recent estimate.
Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines confirmed to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star that Indiana is seeking a new broadcast partner for next season.
“We’re throwing a very wide net and looking to both potential over-the-air partners and direct-to-consumer partners and looking at every possible option to reach as many of our fans as we can next season over local television,” Raines said.
The Pistons Improved Their Draft Outlook By Beating Minnesota Again
- The Pistons moved closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the East with Thursday’s win over Minnesota and helped their draft positioning as well, notes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit, which received an option to swap first-round picks with the Timberwolves as part of a three-team deal to acquire Kevin Huerter in February, has defeated the Wolves twice in the past week. Currently that means the Pistons would pick 21st instead of 28th.