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Knicks Notes: Brunson, Anunoby, Rotation, Durant

April 7th, 2025 at 9:55am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson was rusty in his return Sunday after missing 15 games with a badly sprained ankle, but he did enough to help the Knicks close out a win against Phoenix, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Brunson scored 15 points on the night, with seven of them coming in the final two minutes to shut down a late Suns rally.

“I could be better, could be worse,” Brunson said. “A lot of room for improvement on my end, obviously. I’m surprised about the conditioning part. I thought that would be a lot worse, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Mentally … just making sure I can trust myself in the things that I do. Everyone always talks about the physical part (of coming back from injury), but mentally, it’s about trusting your movements, the way you play and not second-guessing yourself. That was a huge adjustment, but I’m feeling a lot better.”

The Knicks now have a fully healthy rotation for the first time as they head into the final week of the season. At 50-28 and with the No. 3 seed virtually locked up, coach Tom Thibodeau wants to use that time as early preparation for the playoffs.

“As you head down the stretch, you want to check boxes,” Thibodeau said. “You want a winning record at home, winning record on the road. Fifty wins is good, and you want the highest seed possible. And then you want to be playing well. We’re going step by step. We’re not skipping over anything. This is the approach that we’ve taken all season long, so we’re not going to change now. We feel like this will help prepare us for what’s down the road.”

There’s more from New York:

  • Brunson’s return didn’t slow down the scoring tear that OG Anunoby has been on, Edwards adds. Anunoby shredded the Phoenix defense for 32 points while shooting 13-of-17 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range and is averaging 24.9 PPG over the last three weeks.
  • Miles McBride also returned Sunday after missing eight games with a groin injury. With Brunson back and Cameron Payne recently returning from a sprained ankle, Edwards notes that the Knicks suddenly have an abundance of guards and Thibodeau faces some difficult decisions regarding playing time. He used a nine-man rotation on Sunday, with Landry Shamet filling the final spot. Delon Wright, who filled in as a starter while Brunson and Payne were sidelined, didn’t play, nor did Precious Achiuwa, who has seen regular minutes as a backup big man for most of the season.
  • The Knicks should resist any temptation to trade for Suns star Kevin Durant, who is expected to be shopped this summer, advises Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscription required). Durant remains an elite scorer at age 36, but Vaccaro notes that he spurned the Knicks in free agency in 2019 and likely wouldn’t be worth the price it would take to acquire him.
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Injury Notes: Giannis, Avdija, K. Murray, Celtics, Knicks

April 6th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went from questionable to doubtful to out for Sunday’s game against New Orleans, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (All Twitter links). The two-time MVP is dealing with left shoulder tendinopathy.

It’s worth noting that Milwaukee was on the second end of a back-to-back and officially clinched a playoff spot in the East on Saturday. That’s not to suggest that Antetokounmpo’s injury isn’t legitimate, but there’s also no reason to rush him back when the team has already secured a playoff berth.

Antetokounmpo, who has made the All-NBA First Team each of the past six seasons, will need to play in one of the Bucks’ final four games to qualify for major postseason awards. He has been playing some of his basketball of the season recently, averaging 36.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 13.7 assists and 1.7 steals on .638/.500/.838 shooting over the past three games, all victories (39.3 minutes per contest).

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

  • Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is another player who’s been on a tear to close out 2024/25, averaging 26.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals on .520/.457/.817 shooting over his past 13 games (36.6 MPG). However, he recently sustained a sprained right thumb and was ruled out of Sunday’s victory over San Antonio, the team announced (Twitter links). Sacramento’s win over Cleveland on Sunday has officially eliminated Portland from play-in contention, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. That means the Blazers will have a lottery pick for the fourth straight year.
  • Keegan Murray has been quite durable over his first three NBA seasons, playing 80 games as a rookie in ’22/23 and 77 in ’23/24. He missed his fourth game of ’24/25 on Sunday due to back soreness, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). Trey Lyles started at forward in Murray’s place during the Kings‘ victory, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The fourth overall pick of the 2022 draft, Murray will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
  • The Celtics played without Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) on Sunday, but they still made quick work of the 17-win Wizards, Brian Robb writes in a pair of stories for MassLive.com. Tatum was initially listed as questionable before being ruled out, while Porzingis was a late scratch.
  • As expected, the Knicks had Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride back in action for Sunday’s contest vs. Phoenix, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (Twitter links). Brunson had missed the past 15 games with a right ankle sprain, whereas McBride had missed the past eight with a left groin injury.
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Knicks Notes: Brunson, McBride, Hart, Thibodeau, Anthony

April 6th, 2025 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks‘ backcourt is about to get much healthier for the final week of the regular season, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Star guard Jalen Brunson is expected to be in the lineup tonight against Phoenix after missing 15 games with a sprained right ankle. Miles McBride is also due back soon from a groin injury that has sidelined him since March 20.

“I know any team would be very much improved with Deuce McBride and Jalen Brunson,” Karl-Anthony Towns said after Saturday’s win over Atlanta. “We’re going to do everything we can because the goal was that we’re farther along when we’re back to integrating them back — that we give him a better team than where they left it.”

Cameron Payne returned to action Saturday after missing four games with an ankle sprain, as rookie guard Tyler Kolek slipped out of the rotation. Delon Wright, who made his fifth consecutive start at point guard, also figures to have a reduced role with Brunson and McBride back, but coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t want to answer questions about the rotation.

“The notion of all that stuff, it’s white noise,” Thibodeau said. “The game tells you what to do. Whose shot is it in transition? The open man. And if there’s two on somebody, whose shot is it? You have the responsibility as a primary scorer to make the right play.

“The notion that it has to be this way, that way, there has to be a willingness to sacrifice by everybody. The team has to come first. What’s best for our team? What gives the team the best chance to win? And that’s all anyone should be thinking about. They shouldn’t be thinking about who’s doing this, who’s doing that. That’s not the way this game works. If you care about winning, that stuff shouldn’t matter.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

  • Josh Hart, who finished one rebound short of a triple-double on Saturday, admitted that he didn’t react well when he stormed off the court after being pulled from the game with 90 seconds remaining, Bondy states in a separate story. “I wanted to stay in to get the last one, but I wasn’t playing the game the right way,” Hart said. “I was trying to play for that. I didn’t really deserve it, and that’s probably why I didn’t get it. I was playing the game the wrong way at that point, so it is what it is.”
  • Saturday’s win was Thibodeau’s 224th with the Knicks, moving him past Pat Riley on the franchise victories list, Bondy adds. Thibodeau trails only Red Holtzman, Joe Lapchick and Jeff Van Gundy.
  • Carmelo Anthony, who was announced Saturday as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, would like to see the Knicks retire his number, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Anthony spent six and a half years with the organization and is one of just seven Knicks players to reach 10,000 points. “A lot of surprises are happening right now around me, so I’m trying to stay in the moment,” Anthony said, “and if that’s one of the surprises, then I would be ecstatic about that. I would love to see that jersey hung up.” 
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New York Notes: Thibodeau, Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Wright, Clowney, Etienne

April 5th, 2025 at 1:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is once again relying on his starters. Entering Saturday’s game at Atlanta, Josh Hart was averaging 37.6 minutes in 73 starts and Mikal Bridges was averaging 37.6 minutes in 76 games.

Thibodeau says he’s just doing what he feels is proper, according to ESPN’s Chris Herring. “There’s no right or wrong,” Thibodeau said. “There’s what you feel is best for your team.”

We have more from the New York teams:

  • Jalen Brunson will return from his ankle ailment on Sunday, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. The Knicks are playing in Atlanta on Saturday, with a home game against Phoenix on tap for Sunday. Brunson has missed the last 15 games. His anticipated return was reported heading into the weekend.
  • With Brunson’s imminent return, Knicks guard Delon Wright‘s days as a starter are numbered. Wright, a free agent after the season, has gained trust from Thibodeau, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. “[Wright has] shown everyone he’s more than capable,” the coach said. “We like the job that he’s done.”
  • Noah Clowney‘s second NBA season was an overall disappointment, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. The 2023 first-round pick saw his production decline as ankle injuries piled up. He has numerous areas to work on, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “His physicality [is an area of improvement], especially on the defensive end,” he said. “And then lately, his drive decisions, alright? If he’s not going to shoot it and he’s going to put the ball on the floor, how can he get to the rim with one-two dribbles and be efficient? Whether it’s an easy drive-and-kick or finish at the rim.”
  • Two-way Nets player Tyson Etienne made his NBA debut on March 28 against the Clippers, then played 25 minutes against Minnesota on Thursday. “A lot of gratitude. This journey that I’ve been on has come with a lot of ups and downs. I’ve been putting a lot of work in for a long time,” Etienne told RG.org’s Grant Afseth. “Just to get that call — and for it to be where I’m from, New York — I’m just really grateful and excited to be a part of the team.”
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Knicks’ Anunoby: ‘I Should Win Defensive Player Of The Year’

April 4th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In a wide-open Defensive Player of the Year race with no clear frontrunner, Knicks forward OG Anunoby became the latest player to make a case for himself.

“I think I should be on First Team All-Defense,” Anunoby said on Friday, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “I think I should win Defensive Player of the Year. I’ve always felt that way.”

Long viewed as one of the NBA’s top perimeter defenders, Anunoby has only been formally recognized for his performance on that end of the court once, when he was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2023.

That’s due in part to his injury history — 2022/23 was the only season in his last four before this one in which he has played more than 50 games. He believes it’s also a result of the way his defensive impact manifests beyond the box score.

“There’s no stats for (the offensive player calling a screen to avoid you),” Anunoby said. “There’s no stat for picking up a dribble to pass. Or shot attempts — like holding the other player to no shot attempts, there’s no stat for that. So (award voters) can’t really tell. They just always give it to the big men.”

Anunoby has appeared in 70 games this season and ranks sixth in the NBA in minutes per night. He’ll set a career high in games played if he sees action in five of the Knicks’ remaining six contests, so availability isn’t a concern this time around. And while his case for All-Defense and DPOY is predicated on more than just statistics, he’s one of just three NBA players who has registered at least 100 steals and 60 blocks this season.

Anunoby is still a long shot for Defensive Player of the Year due to the Knicks’ relatively average defense (their 113.4 defensive rating is 13th in the NBA) and the fact that voters typically favor big men, as he pointed out. But he’s a solid candidate for an All-Defense spot. The 27-year-old admitted on Friday that being rewarded for his defense with either honor would be “pretty important to me,” as Bondy relays.

Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was considered the heavy favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award this season before he was ruled out for the season in February after being diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Since then, the betting odds have shifted frequently, with multiple players considered the new frontrunner for days or weeks at a time.

Warriors forward Draymond Green has been the candidate making his own case most vociferously in recent weeks. Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels haven’t advocated for themselves as aggressively, but others have done so on their behalf.

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Knicks Notes: Brunson, McBride, Payne, Anunoby, Hart, More

April 3rd, 2025 at 7:30am CST by Luke Adams

Jalen Brunson, who has been out since March 6 with a sprained ankle, is with the Knicks on their current two-game road trip and is expected to participate in the team’s next practice, which could happen on Friday, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

Given where Brunson is in his rehab process, it’s logical to assume he could return to action for one of the Knicks’ two games this weekend, either on Saturday in Atlanta or on Sunday back home vs. Phoenix, Bondy writes. Ian Begley of SNY.tv made a similar prediction, suggesting that he anticipates seeing Brunson play in one of those two games based on his current recovery trajectory.

The Knicks have six games left on their regular season schedule, so if Brunson is back in action for one of the next two contests, he’d have a week to get his feet back under him before the playoffs get underway. A weekend return would also put him in position to play the four games he needs to meet the 65-game minimum and qualify for end-of-season award consideration.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Brunson isn’t the only Knicks guard nearing a return from an injury. Miles McBride, who has missed seven games with a groin issue, and Cameron Payne, sidelined for the last four with a sprained ankle, are both close, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters on Wednesday. “Deuce and Cam should be any day,” Thibodeau said, per Bondy.
  • OG Anunoby is playing some of the best basketball of his career as of late, averaging 23.3 points per game on .476/.394/.843 shooting with his usual lock-down defense over the past 17 games. The key for the Knicks will be to see if they can keep getting this version of Anunoby after Brunson returns, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, noting that the forward is driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line more effectively than ever. “He’s got a great mix going right now with attacking the rim, getting to the line and high-volume threes … he’s not hesitating,” Thibodeau said. “It’s really, really good basketball. And his defense is elite.”
  • The construction of the Knicks’ roster “fits me like a glove,” forward Josh Hart tells Bondy (subscription required), explaining that the healthy version of the starting lineup allows him to be the best version of himself. “We have three guys who can be No. 1 options (Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges). And you got OG, who can be a 2-3 option. So for me, it’s a benefit. Because I always got the worst defender,” Hart said. “And then if it’s a small guy on me, he got to worry about me crashing the boards. If it’s a big, we’re not hiding him. He’s going to be put into the action, and that allows me to kind of get into space and play my game.”
  • Begley checks in on where things stand with Mitchell Robinson‘s conditioning and talks to veteran wing Landry Shamet about the role he’s playing for the Knicks.
  • It would behoove the Knicks to lock up the No. 3 seed in the East sooner rather than later, according to Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscriber link), who notes that the team would benefit from getting its regulars some rest (or at least reduced minutes) in the final games of the season. New York’s magic number to clinch the No. 3 spot is down to three.
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Spurs Notes: Paul, Vassell, McLaughlin, King, Ingram

April 3rd, 2025 at 6:48am CST by Luke Adams

When a player signs a contract that includes unlikely incentives, those incentives can be worth up to 15% of the player’s base salary. The Spurs took full advantage of that rule last summer when they signed Chris Paul, making the most of their cap room by agreeing to a one-year deal with a base salary of $10.46MM and another $1.569MM in achievable unlikely incentives that wouldn’t count against the cap.

Paul began cashing in on those incentives on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), when the Spurs registered their 32nd win of the season, beating the Nuggets in Denver. The veteran point guard earned a $262K bonus as a result of the team reaching that win total, Marks reports.

Paul is on track to earn another $523K before the end of the season by meeting two more individual performance benchmarks, Marks tweets. As Marks previously wrote for ESPN.com, those bonuses are related to Paul’s net rating and true shooting percentage.

Here’s more on the Spurs:

  • Spurs wing Devin Vassell was held out of Wednesday’s win for left ankle injury management, missing a game for the first time since December 6. Acting head coach Mitch Johnson explained that the team decided to rest Vassell because he was “getting a little bit too much in the danger zone” after having been playing through an ankle injury, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “It’s being mindful of the big picture, keeping him healthy, and so we made the call,” Johnson said.
  • A throw-in piece in the De’Aaron Fox blockbuster in February, guard Jordan McLaughlin has barely played for the Spurs since being dealt from Sacramento to San Antonio. But he was a +8 in 17 minutes of action in Denver on Wednesday and made a crucial three-point shot in the fourth quarter. With just nine Spurs players active for the game, McLaughlin said the reserves’ attitude was to “go out there and have fun,” as Orsborn relays. “We all work really hard behind the scenes even when we’re not playing, so it was just a great opportunity for us to go out there and play basketball,” the veteran guard said.
  • Scott King, the head coach of the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, has been named the NBAGL’s Coach of the Year, the league announced on Wednesday (Twitter link). A former Knicks player development coach, King led Austin to a 22-12 record and the No. 2 seed in the G League’s Western Conference in his first year at the helm, finishing ahead of runners-up DeSagana Diop (Westchester Knicks) and Quinton Crawford (Stockton Kings) in a vote conducted by the league’s 31 head coaches and GMs. At the time of his hiring, one report indicated that King was viewed as a future NBA head coach — he likely bolstered his case with his performance this season.
  • Speaking to Grant Afseth of RG.org, Spurs two-way forward Harrison Ingram said his goal is to earn a standard contract. The 48th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Ingram has appeared in just three games for San Antonio this season, having spent most of the year in Austin, an experience he discussed with Afseth. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
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Pacific Notes: Durant, Hield, Morant, Curry, Kawhi

April 2nd, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Wednesday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link) about possible offseason trade destinations for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Shams Charania said there was mutual interest between the Suns‘ star and a handful of potential suitors ahead of February’s trade deadline. According to Charania, that list of teams included the Timberwolves, Knicks, Rockets, Spurs, and Heat.

“Those are the types of teams, from my understanding, that had interest then,” Charania said. “And I expect them all to be in the mix this offseason.”

Charania didn’t explicitly mention the Warriors, but that’s likely due to the fact that Durant was known to be resistant to a Golden State reunion in February. If his stance changes this summer, it’s possible the Warriors could once again emerge as a suitor.

One report this week suggested that Durant is open to the idea of returning to Phoenix next season, but a trade still appears to be the most likely outcome. Unlike in February when the Suns unilaterally gauged the market for the veteran forward without consulting him, the team and Durant’s camp would likely work together on any deal this offseason, Charania notes.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • The NBA is looking into an incident from Tuesday’s Warriors/Grizzlies game when Golden State sharpshooter Buddy Hield and Memphis guard Ja Morant aimed finger-gun gestures at one another, according to Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN. A video of that brief interaction can be found here (via Twitter). The NBA has fined players for that gesture in the past and is likely especially sensitive to this case since Morant has been suspended twice in the past for waving around an actual gun in social media videos.
  • Stephen Curry racked up 52 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and five steals in the Warriors‘ win over Memphis on Tuesday and told reporters after the game that he feels rejuvenated after taking a week off to recover from a pelvic injury in March, per ESPN. “I feel in a good rhythm,” Curry said. “The week off helped. The tank is pretty full.” Steve Kerr said a couple weeks ago that he wanted to get Curry some rest, but the Warriors coach no longer seems as concerned about his star guard’s condition. “I think (the week off) helped and I think two rounds of golf on this road trip helped,” Kerr said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
  • After missing the first two-plus months of the season while recovering from a knee procedure and then playing on a minutes limit for several more weeks after that, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has recaptured his All-NBA form, having averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with a .521/.397/.825 shooting line in 13 March outings. Law Murray of The Athletic takes a look at Leonard’s resurgence and the 33-year-old’s desire to enter the offseason healthy.
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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, 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 nominated 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):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. 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, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark

April 2nd, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:

In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.

Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.

Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.

Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.

Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.

Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.

Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.

That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.

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