- The Blazers are planning to improve from within rather than making aggressive moves for high-priced veterans that could cost them major resources, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian reports. “We’re heavily invested in a lot of our young guys, so development will continue to be a focus,” GM Joe Cronin said. “We’re not going to win at an extremely high level until some of those guys are ready. But at the same time, it’s our job to give them the best environment to thrive in. And often that’s with additional help. I think this year there were some flaws in the roster, especially in some missing skill sets and just in general imbalance, where it made it complicated for those guys to reach their highest potential.”
- Jontay Porter‘s ban from the NBA for gambling-related violations has taken a toll on his brother, Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., Bennett Durando of the Denver Post tweets. “It has not been easy for him,” coach Michael Malone said. “That’s why I give him credit, because he’s carrying so much in his heart and in his mind.”
- Thunder big man and two-way player Olivier Sarr suffered a left Achilles tendon rupture during the G League Finals on Monday night, according to a team press release. In 15 games this season with the Thunder, Sarr averaged 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 6.5 minutes. Sarr also saw action in 18 games with the Blue and averaged 14.0 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 28.2 minutes.
- Bismack Biyombo fainted during a game in early March. The Thunder center revealed to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman that he was dehydrated due to fasting. Biyombo has fasted at various times throughout his career for religious reasons.
The pool of bonus money for NBA playoff teams this season will be worth approximately $33.7MM, according to Kurt Badenhausen and Lev Akabas of Sportico, who say the figure represents a 25% increase over last year’s total playoff bonuses.
The top six teams in each conference earn bonuses based on their regular season records, while the 16 playoff teams will also receive a chunk of money from the playoff pool, increasing the value of their payout with each series win. That bonus money will be divvied up among the players on each club’s roster.
Teams eliminated in the play-in tournament won’t be able to claim any of the playoff bonus money.
The breakdown for 2024’s playoff pool money is as follows:
Regular season achievements:
- Best record in NBA (Celtics): $844K
- No. 1 seeds in each conference (Celtics, Thunder): $739K each
- No. 2 seeds (Knicks, Nuggets): $591K each
- No. 3 seeds (Bucks, Timberwolves): $443K each
- No. 4 seeds (Cavaliers, Clippers): $361K each
- No. 5 seeds (Magic, Mavericks): $280K each
- No. 6 seeds (Pacers, Suns): $198K each
Postseason achievements:
- Teams participating in first round (all 16 playoff teams): $453K each
- Teams participating in conference semifinals (eight teams): $552K each
- Teams participating in conference finals (four teams): $923K each
- Losing team in NBA Finals: $3,692,000
- Winning team in NBA Finals: $8,549,000
A team that makes a deep playoff run would be entitled to more than one of the bonuses listed above.
For example, if the Celtics were to win the championship, their payout from the playoff pool would be worth a total of nearly $12.1MM — that amount would include their bonuses for posting the NBA’s best record, claiming the East’s No. 1 seed, making the first round, making the conference semifinals, making the conference finals, and winning the NBA Finals.