Western Notes: Dosunmu, Champagnie, Martin, Kawhi, Pelicans
Already missing Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles tear) and Anthony Edwards (knee bone bruise), the Timberwolves are in danger of playing without two more key members of their backcourt in Game 6 on Thursday. Having already listed Bones Hyland as questionable due to left knee soreness, Minnesota has now added Ayo Dosunmu to its injury report too. Dosunmu is questionable due to right calf soreness (Twitter link).
Hyland set new personal series highs by playing 23 minutes and scoring 15 points in Game 5, while Dosunmu played a major role in the Wolves’ two home wins in Games 3 and 4, scoring a total of 68 points on 23-of-32 shooting (71.9%) in those victories.
Missing one or both players would be a major problem for the Wolves, who would likely have to lean more heavily on Mike Conley, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Kyle Anderson as they try to win one more game to close out their series vs. Denver.
[UPDATE: Hyland has been upgraded to available.]
Here are a few more notes from around the Northwest:
- Spurs wing Julian Champagnie, who hasn’t missed a game since March 2024 and made 68 starts during the regular season, showed in Game 5 why he has become such an important role player, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). After scoring in single digits in each of the first four games of the series, Champagnie had 11 points in the first quarter – and 19 overall – in Tuesday’s series-clinching victory. “All series they made an emphasis on trying to limit his touches, not let him get any good looks,” teammate Stephon Castle said. “So when he finally got the ones he was deserving, he knocked them down. I felt like he was doing all the little things all series and I thought he deserved to start a game like that.”
- Mavericks wing Caleb Martin has new representation, having signed with CAA, the agency announced (via Twitter). Martin will become extension-eligible this offseason as he enters the third season of the four-year, $35MM+ contract he signed in 2024, but after averaging a career-low 3.9 points per game in a limited role in 2025/26, he’s an unlikely candidate for a new deal at this time.
- What could a Kawhi Leonard trade look like if the Clippers decide to move their star forward this summer? ESPN’s Zach Kram and Andre Snellings offer up four hypothetical scenarios involving Leonard, with Bobby Marks evaluating which package L.A. would be most likely to accept.
- The Pelicans are hiring Kurt Joseph away from Nebraska to serve as their new director of strength and conditioning, according to Amie Just of the Omaha World-Herald (subscription required). Previous reporting indicated that the Pelicans are making significant organizational changes this offseason, with several openings in the medical and performance department.
Warriors, Kings To Host 2026 California Classic Summer League
For the second time in three years, the Warriors and Kings will act as joint hosts of the California Classic Summer League, the two teams announced today in a pair of press releases.
The event, which serves as a smaller-scale precursor to the Las Vegas Summer League, will take place from July 3-6. While all 30 NBA teams participate in the Vegas Summer League, only a small handful will take part in the California Classic.
The Warriors’ half of the event, played at Chase Center, will feature the Spurs, Heat, and Lakers in addition to Golden State, with games played on July 3, 5, and 6. The Warriors will also have a second Summer League team taking part in the three-day Golden 1 Center event from July 4-6. The Kings, Bucks, and Nets will join Golden State for that half.
The California Classic and the Salt Lake City Summer Leagues will offer fans a first look at several rookies from the 2026 draft class before they play under a brighter spotlight in Vegas from July 9-19. Several lottery picks will likely compete in the California Classic, given that the Warriors, Kings, Nets, Bucks, and Heat all currently project to pick in the top 13 this June.
This year’s event will be the eighth annual California Classic. After the Kings hosted the first three iterations, they’ve alternated with the Warriors in recent years, with both teams taking on hosting duties in 2024 and again this year.
DeAndre Jordan Named 2025/26 Teammate Of The Year
Veteran center DeAndre Jordan appeared in just 12 games as a member of the Pelicans this season, but he has been named the 2025/26 Teammate of the Year, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
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 league.
Pelicans players and interim head coach James Borrego spoke repeatedly over the course of the year about the impact that Jordan had on a young roster despite his extremely limited role.
“To see the growth of our young team, DeAndre had a massive impact on that,” Borrego said near the end of the regular season. “He brought professionalism every day. A voice every day. A respect for every drill, every practice and every moment together.”
The Teammate of the Year 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.
Jordan just narrowly won this season’s vote ahead of Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, who has won the award three times and was the last Pelicans player to claim it back in 2020. Jordan earned 66 first-place votes to Holiday’s 39, but the Blazers veteran nearly made up the difference by accumulating more second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-place votes than the big man.
Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:
- DeAndre Jordan, Pelicans (1,445)
- Jrue Holiday, Trail Blazers (1,437)
- Jeff Green, Rockets (1,420)
- Garrett Temple, Raptors (1,223)
- Pat Connaughton, Hornets (672)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (659)
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics (651)
- De’Aaron Fox, Spurs (640)
- Duncan Robinson, Pistons (523)
- Jaylin Williams, Thunder (471)
- Desmond Bane, Magic (445)
- Marcus Smart, Lakers (424)
Jordan’s win snaps a seven-year streak of a point guard being named Teammate of the Year. From 2018-25, Holiday won it three times, Mike Conley won twice, and Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry won once apiece.
Spurs Notes: Barnes, Fox, Vassell, Johnson
The Spurs hold a 3-1 advantage in their first-round series against the Trail Blazers and can close it out on Tuesday night. Veteran forward Harrison Barnes experienced a championship with Golden State, so he knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run.
Relying on the identity the Spurs have built during the season is a key to postseason success, Barnes told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“The biggest thing is continuing to do what we’ve been doing, which is relying on our habits,” Barnes said. “We’ve had 82-plus games to build an identity and the coaching staff led by Mitch [Johnson] has us well-prepared every night. It’s just a matter of sticking to our standard. We’ve had great contributions from all of the guys in different moments, which is something I am very proud of.”
Barnes says the Spurs have all the tools to win a title.
“We have depth and variability on both ends of the floor. We’re able to score in a multitude of ways. We’re able to defend in multiple ways,” Barnes said. “And because we’ve had so many different lineups throughout the season, we’ve been able to win in different ways.”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- De’Aaron Fox delivered his best outing of the series with 28 points and seven assists in Game 4, when the Spurs pulled away to a 114-93 win. He scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter. “It might have been his best game as a Spur,” Johnson said, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
- Devin Vassell, who has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $135MM contract, came up big in the third quarter of Game 4. Vassell scored nine of his 11 points during that span, sparking the Spurs’ 73-point second-half explosion. “Just being patient, not forcing anything,” Vassell told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “We have a lot of great players and sometimes the ball just doesn’t come your way. So just being ready whenever the ball is swung my way and just being ultra aggressive after I get it.”
- Keldon Johnson earned the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season. Johnson believes that commitment to the team supersedes any individual goals, he told ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “I was averaging 22 points [as a starter], had some individual success,” Johnson said. “I’ve been [an Olympic] gold medalist. But I realized that if you want to be here, sometimes you’ve got to remove your ego. San Antonio is a place I wanted to be. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I get an opportunity to be a part of something special. They saw the bigger picture before I did. But I’m blessed and fortunate to be able to go through it, thrive in it and have fun with it.”
Celtics’ Brad Stevens Named Executive Of The Year
For the second time in three years, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Stevens, who also earned the honor in 2024, is the 12th individual to win multiple Executive of the Year awards, according to the NBA.
The 2025/26 season was widely expected to be a “gap year” for the Celtics, who were determined to shed salary after operating above the second tax apron and lost star forward Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear during the 2025 playoffs. Stevens made a series of cost-cutting moves last offseason, trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and allowing Luke Kornet and Al Horford to walk in free agency.
However, with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard leading the way and modestly paid contributors such as Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, and Jordan Walsh playing key rotation roles, the Celtics remained competitive both before and after Tatum’s eventual return in March. The team won 56 regular season games despite the fact that Stevens completed another series of financially motivated transactions at the trade deadline to get Boston’s team salary below the luxury tax line.
Unlike most of the NBA’s major end-of-season awards, Executive of the Year is voted on by the league’s general managers rather than by media members.
Stevens received 11 of 28 possible first-place votes from his fellow executives and finished with 69 total points. That was enough to beat out runner-up Onsi Saleh — the Hawks general manager actually showed up on the same number of ballots as Stevens (17), but earned primarily second-place (10) and third-place (6) votes and finished with 41 points.
Trajan Langdon of the Pistons (six first-place votes, 40 points), Jeff Peterson of the Hornets (five first-place votes, 37 points), and Sam Presti of the Thunder (three first-place votes, 25 points) rounded out the top five finishers, while Brian Wright of the Spurs earned the remaining two first-place votes.
Six other executives showed up on at least one ballot. The full voting results can be viewed right here (via Twitter).
Cooper Flagg Named NBA Rookie Of The Year
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg has been named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today (Twitter link).
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft and the youngest player in the league, Flagg led all qualified rookies with 21.0 points per game while also contributing 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 33.5 minutes per night across 70 contests (all starts). According to the NBA (Twitter link), Flagg and Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan are the only rookies since 1973 to lead their respective teams in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
Flagg is the third player in Mavericks history to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Luka Doncic (2019) and his current head coach Jason Kidd (1995), per the team (Twitter link). Flagg, Jordan, and Doncic are the only three players in the past 45 years to average at least 20 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game as rookies.
Flagg narrowly beat out his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after leading the NBA in total three-pointers (273). The Hornets swingman, drafted fourth overall last June, trailed Flagg in points (18.5), rebounds (5.3), and assists (3.4) per game, but scored his points more efficiently, shooting 47.5% from the floor, 42.5% on three-pointers, and 86.3% from the free throw line. Flagg’s shooting line was .468/.295/.827.
There was a sense that Knueppel’s historic shooting numbers and the Hornets’ relative team success might give him the edge. Charlotte finished 18 games ahead of Dallas in the NBA’s regular season standings, while Knueppel became the first rookie to ever lead the league in three-pointers.
However, Flagg was rewarded for his all-around contributions and the way he handled becoming the focal point of the Mavs’ offense with Anthony Davis traded and Kyrie Irving sidelined, gaining the upper hand with a strong finish to the season. From March 21 onward, Flagg averaged 25.5 PPG on 46.1% shooting and had separate games of 51 and 45 points, while Knueppel averaged 14.1 PPG on 39.1% shooting.
Flagg received 56 of 100 potential first-place votes and 412 total voting points, with Knueppel earning the other 44 first-place votes and 386 points (Twitter link). Since the current Rookie of the Year voting format was implemented in 2002/03, only the 15-point gap in ’21/22 – when Scottie Barnes edged out Evan Mobley – was smaller than this year’s 26-point margin.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe was nearly the unanimous third-place pick, receiving 93 third-place votes to go along with a single second-place vote. Spurs guard Dylan Harper (five third-place votes) and Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (one third-place vote) were the only other players to appear on at least one Rookie of the Year ballot.
Rondo, Hetzel, Ham Interview For Pelicans’ Coaching Job
5:44 pm: Ham also interviewed for the head coaching position last week, Rod Walker writes for NOLA.com.
12:34 pm: Hetzel has also been interviewed for the Pelicans’ head coaching job, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.
11:00 am: Rajon Rondo is among the candidates the Pelicans are considering as they look for their next head coach, with league sources telling Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that he has already interviewed for the position.
The former All-Star guard was hired in 2024 as a special assistant on Doc Rivers’ staff in Milwaukee. Fischer and Stein note that he first expressed interest in coaching when he was with Boston early in his career, and Brad Stevens brought Rondo into some staff meetings while he was recovering from a torn ACL. Rondo spent 16 seasons in the NBA before his career ended in 2022.
Fischer and Stein hear that the Pelicans have reached out to several candidates, including Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney, Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham and Nets assistant Steve Hetzel. Ham has also been mentioned as a potential replacement for the Magic if they decide to fire Jamahl Mosley.
In addition, the Pelicans have requested permission to interview Pistons assistant Jarrett Jack, according to Fischer and Stein’s sources. Jack played in New Orleans for three seasons of his career and moved on to coaching after his retirement in 2021. He spent two years on the staff in Phoenix before being hired by Detroit.
James Borrego, who took over as the Pelicans’ interim coach when Willie Green was fired in mid-November, remains “very much under consideration” to get the job on a permanent basis, sources tell Fischer and Stein. Borrego, who joined the organization as associate head coach in 2024, guided the team to a 24-46 record after replacing Green.
Victor Wembanyama Calls NBA’s Handling Of Concussion Protocol ‘Disappointing’
After a dominant performance in the Spurs‘ Game 4 victory at Portland on Sunday, Victor Wembanyama expressed disappointment about not being cleared from concussion protocol ahead of Game 3, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
The French star received clearance from San Antonio’s medical staff and sought league approval ahead of Friday’s contest, according to Weiss. When he was turned down by the director of the NBA’s concussion program, Wembanyama asked for an examination by an independent neurologist. He participated in an interview regarding his symptoms and told the neurologist that he felt fine to play, a source tells Weiss, but the league refused to grant clearance.
Wembanyama addressed the situation after Sunday’s game, saying he never received a firm reason for why he wasn’t permitted to play in Game 3.
“I’m not saying that not playing was a good or bad decision,” he told reporters. “It was a decision. I’m not saying it was good or bad. But the way the situation was handled, very disappointing.”
Wembanyama refused to go into detail about why he’s unhappy with how the league handled the situation, saying he doesn’t want it to become a distraction and he’ll address it further after the playoffs end. He added that he was satisfied with how medical personnel from both the team and the league conducted the process.
“The doctors all around, they were great. Took great care of me,” Wembanyama said. “But the way the situation was handled was very disappointing.”
Weiss notes that Wembanyama has built a reputation during his three NBA seasons for being “abundantly confident” in the way he takes care of himself and often argues that he’s able to play when the Spurs’ medical staff determines otherwise. Wembanyama said that being in concussion protocol didn’t affect his preparation for Sunday’s game.
“I’ve been feeling great,” he added. “Even conditioning-wise, I did some cardio two days ago, so I’m fine.”
Wembanyama suffered the concussion when he took a hard fall in the second quarter of Tuesday’s Game 2 and struck his chin on the court. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game, and Portland picked up its only victory so far in the series.
Wembanyama didn’t seem to be affected by any lingering symptoms on Sunday as he posted 27 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals in 34 minutes. The Spurs overcame a 19-point deficit late in the first half and wound up winning by 21 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Weiss notes that Wembanyama was knocked to the court a few times on Sunday, but coach Mitch Johnson was never worried about his condition.
“I didn’t, to be honest. I’ve learned to trust that young man,” Johnson said. “I think the challenge now is for him to continue to play the way he did in the second half for the whole game. When he does that, we’ll be tough. But if he doesn’t do that, there’s a ripple effect for our team. That’s the responsibility that comes with being the face of the franchise and the best player.”
Victor Wembanyama Cleared To Return Sunday
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol and will return to action on Sunday for Game 4 of the first-round series vs. Portland, according to Shams Charania and Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Spurs confirmed the news in their latest injury report, tweets Mark Medina.
Wembanyama has been in the protocol since Tuesday, when he suffered a concussion after hitting his head on the court during a hard fall in the second quarter of Game 2. Portland was able to even the series by winning that night, but San Antonio responded by pulling away late in Game 3 to retake home court advantage.
The French star lobbied to play in Game 3 after going through his normal workout routine ahead of Friday’s contest, league sources tell Jared Weiss of The Athletic, but he wasn’t cleared by the Spurs or the NBA until Sunday, says Charania (Twitter link).
Wembanyama became the youngest player in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday. He was also the first unanimous winner in league history.
Wembanyama recorded 35 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes in his playoff debut last Sunday. The 22-year-old big man had five points, four rebounds and a block in 12 minutes on Tuesday prior to the concussion.
With Wembanyama back in action, veteran center Luke Kornet will likely come off the bench for San Antonio after starting in Game 3.
De'Aaron Fox Angry About Technical Foul
- De’Aaron Fox is upset about a technical foul he received in the second quarter of the Spurs‘ win at Portland Friday night, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). It happened when Fox received an offensive foul for hitting Deni Avdija in the mouth with his elbow after releasing a floater. The ruling was overturned after San Antonio challenged it, but Fox still got the technical for arguing. “It was an awful call,” he said. “I mean, don’t play defense with your face. I have a vertical plane that I get to go up. I didn’t throw my elbows out or anything. It was a normal floater.”