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Hawkins was a two-year starter for the Illini. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks as a senior.

Hawkins projects to be a late second-round pick or a possible post-draft two-way signee.

The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Ignite this season. Almansa shot 55% from the field in his lone G League season.

The 18-year-old big man is considered an early second-round pick by most draft experts. At one point, Almansa was considered as a lottery pick. However, a poor season on an underwhelming Ignite team saw the Spanish forward's draft stock drop.

Reid finished with 352 points, ahead of Malik Monk with 342 points. Reid received 45 first place votes, while Monk had 43. Reid and Monk each had 39 second place votes and 10 third place votes.

Bobby Portis Jr., Norman Powell and Bogdan Bogdanovic round out the top-5.

In his fifth NBA season, Reid established himself as the top reserve man in the league, appearing in a career-high 81 games, averaging career-highs across the board, including 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He finished the 2023-24 campaign shooting 47.7% (406-of-851) from the field, including a career-high 41.4% (169-of-408) from three.

The NBA currently gets nearly $2.7 billion annually from its nine-year $24 billion deals with ESPN and TNT expiring at the end of next season and a doubling of that annual average is possible.

The NBA has been tied to WBD in various ways since 1984, while ESPN has been a partner for more than 20 years. ESPN also provides significant programming beyond live sports that help promote the league.

Wade recently underwent an MRI to diagnose the extent of the injury.

In 54 games this season, Wade is averaging 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds on 39.1 percent shooting on three-pointers.

Brooks was Scott Drew's top assistant at Baylor.

Brooks has played a key role in recruiting, helping Baylor land two top-five recruiting classes during his time at Baylor.

Brooks will join Cody Fueger, Jason Hart, and Mark Fox on Mark Pope's staff.

With the Ignite, Darlan averaged 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game off the bench. The 6-foot-8 wing has shown better in BAL qualifiers. Darlan has averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks for Bangui Sporting Club.

Most draft experts have Darlan as being picked late in the second round or going undrafted.

Morant was previously represented by Jim Tanner.

Morant signed a five-year, $193 million extension with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2022 offseason and cannot become a free agent until 2028.

In 48 games for Cholet Basket this season, the 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game. Salaun has shot 40.4% from the field, including 33% on three-pointers. The expectation is that Salaun's offensive game will round to complement his already good defense.

Salaun is projected to be lottery pick by most draft experts.

The award, which was introduced last season, honors the NBA player who best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.

In the 2023-24 regular season, Curry scored an NBA-high 189 points in clutch situations, which are defined as possessions in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. He also led the league in clutch field goals made (59) and clutch three-pointers made (32).

Curry shot 49.6% from the field, 45.7% from three-point range and 95.1% from the free throw line in clutch time.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remained out of full participation as he continues to deal with a calf injury.

Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo "did a lot of floor stuff today, probably the most I've seen."

Antetokounmpo did no live practicing, but advanced beyond just walking through drills by "shooting and moving."

"He's getting close," Rivers said. "But, I don't know what that even means. I'm being honest. I saw him moving around and in my mind I said he's getting close. Does that mean a day, four days? I'm not sure."

Fland, who originally decommitted from Kentucky, rejoined John Calipari at Arkansas.

Fland, ranked No. 15 in the ESPN 100, is the third player to follow Calipari to Arkansas.

The condition began during the Philadelphia 76ers' Play-In win last week against the Miami Heat. Embiid has been spotted wearing sunglasses inside, which is related to the condition. Embiid had wanted to keep the situation private to avoid distractions for the Sixers.

Embiid had 50 points in Philadelphia's Game 3 win over the New York Knicks.

George is a projected first-round pick.

"I decided to follow my basketball dream and make it a reality. I did not expect anything from this season besides working on my game and getting better every day," said George.

George averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists this season.

"It's another holding-our-breath situation. Honestly, I don't know," said Doc Rivers about Middleton's status.

Middleton, who did not practice on Thursday, suffered the injury in Game 2.

The series is tied 1-1.

Rivers added that Giannis Antetokounmpo is "getting close" to returning to the Bucks lineup.

"Does that mean a day, four days? I'm not sure," added Rivers.

Goals from Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram helped the Nerazzurri pick up a 2-1 win over Milan, who pulled one back through Fikayo Tomori but were down to nine men towards the end of the game. The Nerazzurri had a 14-point lead before they went into the game and their lead is now at 17 points.

This is Inzaghi’s first Serie A win and it comes after he had won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana last season. He had also won the Coppa Italia at Lazio as well.

There have been doubts about Inzaghi’s future at Inter this season, but it seems as if he would stay at the club. Club CEO Beppe Marotta spoke to Sky Italia (via TMW) about the manager’s future, also stating that even striker Lautaro Martinez is likely to sign a deal.

“There will be no problems, they want to continue with us and we will reach the definition of the contract. From tomorrow we can think about the future. My future? I’m happy here.”

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

La Gazzetta dello Sport (via TMW) have reported about Pioli’s future at the club, stating that things about his future seem more certain than ever now. After having come through difficult times earlier in the season, the loss to Inter has only assured the club that Pioli can’t take Milan forward anymore. Major doubts had emerged after the Europa League elimination but now, it seems all but confirmed that Pioli will leave at the end of the season.

Names about potential replacements are already being thrown about. Two likely names are Paulo Fonseca and Julen Lopetegui. Alternatives include former Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier and ex-River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo, but both of them have rich contracts with clubs in the Middle East and that will make things difficult.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

Pioli seems destined to leave the Rossoneri at the end of the season and the side have been knocked out of the Europa League and have seen Inter win the Scudetto after having been beaten by them in the Serie A yesterday. Pioli has been linked with a move to Napoli in recent weeks and the links seem to be fairly concrete.

Il Mattino (via CN24) report that as of now, Pioli is in pole position to become the next Napoli manager. Club CEO Aurelio de Laurentiis is keen on him and has been in touch with the Milan boss for many months now and he is waiting for his Milan deal to be terminated before making an offer.

De Laurentiis will offer Pioli a two-year deal worth €3 million a season and that is an offer which is very much within Napoli’s current budget. The Milan boss has put Napoli on hold as he wants to finish the season with Milan as well as they can, but he has no intentions of taking a break and he wants to stay in Italy. Napoli’s interest in him is the most concrete, as of now.

Having said that, Napoli will only move once his deal with Milan has been terminated.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

Inzaghi won the Serie A for the first time in his managerial career yesterday and for the second time in his life combined, as he won the title with Lazio as a player as well. But for Inter, it was his sixth piece of silverware, having previously won the Supercoppa Italiana three times and the Coppa Italia two times in a row.

Winning six trophies at Inter has now placed Inzaghi at the third spot for the most successful managers for the Nerazurri in the club’s history, behind Roberto Mancini and Helenio Herrera. In the process, Inzaghi has now gone past Mourinho, who won five trophies during his time at the Nerazzurri.

Mourinho had won the Champions League at Inter and that is perhaps one thing that will always set him apart and he won five titles in a space of two seasons, with Inzaghi having taken three seasons now. 

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

Luca Bianchin has reported that while Lopetegui is a key managerial target for Milan and so is Paulo Fonseca, other names such as Marcelo Gallardo and Christophe Galtier can’t be ruled out.

The key is to understand which candidate will convince Gerry Cardinale, Giorgio Furlani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Geoffrey Moncada the most. Cardinale, in particular, has already met Lopetegui – a positive meeting – and may have also spoken with Fonseca. 

West Ham have, in the meantime, already made an offer for Lopetegui. They want to decide who their next manager will be by early May, but Lopetegui is currently quite interested in a potential move to Milan and he has been waiting for an approach from the Serie A giants so far.

Even Milan consider him to be the best candidate out of the managers who are free in the market and salaries for both Lopetegui and Fonseca would be rather affordable for the club.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

Zirkzee has been linked with a host of clubs in England and Italy, with Bayern Munich also having a buyback clause for the Dutchman. But Milan seem set to lose Olivier Giroud in the summer and the chosen one to replace the Frenchman is Zirkzee himself.

Antonio Vitiello has reported that Giroud has found a total agreement with MLS side LAFC, where he will join at the end of the season. Zirkzee’s name is currently in the pole position to replace Giroud, who was a key part of the Scudetto winning Milan side in 2022.

Milan are pressing to land Zirkzee in the summer and are attempting to potentially find some sort of a financial agreement with Bologna in the next few days. Competition from English clubs does exist but Milan are trying to close a deal as soon as they can.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

The Rossoneri had sold Sandro Tonali last summer and had signed a host of players that have been important to them this season. La Gazzetta dello Sport (via TMW) state that more sales could potentially be on the way, if Milan’s price tag for players is met.

Contract talks for both the players haven’t quite taken off yet and if they do not sign new deals or if talks do not progress, they could be sold for a high price in the summer. 

Maignan has a contract that is valid until 30 June 2026. He earns €3.2 million euros and the club is considering offer him a salary that is double the current one. Milan consider these rather important figures and if that is not enough for the player, it will lead to his sale for an astronomical sum and that could be around €100 million euros. The same goes for Theo Hernandez, who contract also expires in two years of contract and he is still far from an agreement for the renewal of his contract.

Both players are liked by Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also like Hernandez. But there is also a possibility that if they get sold, Premier League clubs come calling for them.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

The Dutchman has been linked with a move to Juventus in recent months, as he has already confirmed that he would leave Atalanta in the summer transfer window and he has already asked for a move.

Il Mattino (via CN24) have reported that Napoli are already looking for the future and while they are considering options as to who to appoint as their new manager, their interest in Koopmeiners has never waned. They did make an offer in the past for the Dutchman but a move never came to fruition.

But they are now ready to make another attempt to land him and the Partenopei have prepared a move worth €50 million for the ex-AZ Alkmaar man. 

It has previously been reported that Juve could plan to insert players in their move for the midfielder and Matias Soule is a name that interests La Dea.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

The Italian was vital to the Nerazzurri’s Serie A, as Inter beat Milan 2-1 in the Serie A on Monday to seal the Scudetto for the 20th time in their history. Bastoni started in the game and he was vital for Inter throughout the season, showing how far he has come from his first Scudetto win under Antonio Conte.

Bastoni has been linked with moves away from Inter in the past but he has stayed loyal. In an interview with Il Giornale (via Sky Italia), the 25-year-old once again committed his future to the new Serie A champions, referring to the team as his ‘second family.

“Winning with Inter is the best thing , it represents a lot. We have made many sacrifices in recent years and suffered many disappointments. But now I look at the team, the staff and I feel that it is my second family. And I would throw myself into the fire for this family, I would throw myself into the fire.”

Bastoni also looked back on last summer when he Inter lost multiple players but had to rebuild and they have now won the Serie A again.

“12 teammates had left and we were afraid of having weakened ourselves because we didn’t know who would arrive. Instead the new ones, in addition to being strong, had a great desire to do. We were sure of the talent, but you don’t know about the human aspect. Now I can say that they are truly fantastic guys both on and off the pitch , an incredible harmony has been created between old and new.”

Beppe Marotta’s excellent recruitment and ability to spot the right players has been vital to Inter’s title win and recent success and it can never be understated.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

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Maxey had 33 points in 44 minutes in Philadelphia's Game 1 loss.

Maxey was the only player missing from shootaround.

Joel Embiid is also questionable due to left knee injury recovery.

Brown signed a four-year contract with the Kings in 2022, but Year 4 is a mutual option, which makes the 24-25 season his last guaranteed season.

In the time since Brown signed his contract, the coaching market has been reset by deals signed by Steve Kerr ($17.5 million annually), Gregg Popovich ($16 million), Erik Spoeltra ($15 million) and Monty Williams ($13 million). Brown won't command a salary in that range, but it could approach $10 million per season.

Sources tell The Athletic there's been a wait-and-see approach from ownership on Brown. Vivek Ranadive has not yet approached Brown with an extension offer.

Brown will definitely return for next season, sources add, but the extension conversation could complicate the partnership.

Williams is a projected lottery pick as one of college basketball's best defenders. Williams is the younger brother of Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Williams averaged 11.9 points, three rebounds and 1.9 assists on 55.2 percent shooting in 24 game for the Buffaloes.

Williams ranks No. 19 on ESPN's list of Top 100 prospects.

"Miami is always in great position because, especially if it's players with not a lot left on their contract," said Adrian Wojnarowski before Miami's loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 1. "One year or two years. And they tell their team, 'I want a trade to the Heat, and if you don't send me to the Heat, I'm going to become a free agent and go somewhere else. Don't trade me to that team or that team.'

"Teams can still decide to send you where they want to send you, but it's always an advantage for Miami. Players want to be part of that organization. So I think Miami will be in a position again to use the assets they have to get another All-Star level player that maybe connects more on the timeline of Bam Adebayo and his age."

While Wojnarowski didn't specifically mention any names, one player who appears to fit the description is Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell can become a free agent in 2025 and there has been speculation he could seek a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason given his potential reluctance to sign long-term. Mitchell has also been linked with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

Last offseason, the Heat had interest in acquiring Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, but no deal ever materialized before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Glen Taylor voided a deal to sell a majority stake in the Wolves to a group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez after he asserted they failed to meet contractual deadlines.

Lore and Rodriguez are disputing Taylor's position as they attempt to finalize their purchase of the Wolves.

Lore and Rodriguez agreed to purchase the Wolves in 2021 at a valuation of $1.5 billion. The deal allowed them to purchase 20 percent of the team in July 2021, 20 percent more in 2022 and 40 percent more in 2023.

Redick previously interviewed with the Toronto Raptors last offseason for their head coach position.

Redick is currently one of ESPN's lead color analysts along with Doris Burke. Redick also has multiple podcasts.

The Sixers trail New York 0-2 after the first two games.

New York was trailing Philadelphia by five points with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game when Jalen Brunson bounced in a three-pointer. Josh Hart then stole the ball from Tyrese Maxey with ball eventually finding its way to Donte DiVincenzo who missed a three-pointer, but Isaiah Hartenstein collected the offensive rebound, passed it to OG Anuonby who then found DiVincenzo for a three-pointer to go up by one.

Nick Nurse claimed he was trying to call timeout before Maxey had the ball stolen to begin the sequence.

Joel Embiid described the officiating at the end of the game as "[expletive] unacceptable."

The drawings were conducted by NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell at the NBA office in Secaucus, New Jersey. The tiebreaker process was overseen by Marc Dieli, a partner from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

The results of the drawings:

• The Charlotte Hornets (21-61) won a tiebreaker with the Portland Trail Blazers.

• The Sacramento Kings (46-36) won a tiebreaker with the Golden State Warriors.

• The Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) won a tiebreaker with the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Orlando Magic. Second, third, and fourth place in the tiebreaker drawings went to the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando, and Indiana, respectively.

• The Milwaukee Bucks (49-33) won a tiebreaker with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns. Second and third place in the tiebreaker drawings went to Phoenix and New Orleans, respectively.

• The Dallas Mavericks (50-32) won a tiebreaker with the New York Knicks.

• The Denver Nuggets (57-25) won a tiebreaker with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That number is a 2% increase from last year.

The lead-in game between the Bulls and Heat averaged 2.25 million viewers on ESPN.

Overall, this year's Play-In Tournament games averaged more than double the viewership of regular season games.

"He's going to go through practice today and we'll see," said head coach Ty Lue on Monday.

Leonard has missed the last nine games with inflammation in his right knee.

The Clippers are up 1-0 in the series.

Vanderbilt, who is out due to a right foot sprain, has been increasing his workout intensity over the last two weeks.

Vanderbilt and Christian Wood have not been cleared for Game 3, though the Lakers are hopeful that both will be back for Thursday.

The Lakers are down 2-0 in the series.

Sacramento is limited to re-signing Monk using his Early Bird rights, as they are expected to be an over-the-cap team this summer. That means the Kings can offer Monk a contract that caps out at nearly $78 million over four seasons.

Given his skills as a shooter, scorer and playmaker, and Monk's ability to perform at a high level off the bench, the veteran guard is one of the better free agents this summer. Teams that project to have cap space could give Monk an offer that beats what Sacramento can offer.

But Monk said in a perfect world that he'd "definitely" return to the Kings. Monk emphasized that he knows he can always make more money, but he'll be prioritizing fit this summer. Monk added, "I think it's going to play out the right way."

Helin adds that the Spurs could be interested in Dejounte Murray instead.

The Hawks are likely to trade one of either Young or Murray this summer, according to reports.

The Spurs could also pursue Chris Paul in free agency.

"I felt like it was time," Edey said. "I showed that I'm a physical presence on offense this season," Edey said. "I also showed I can play defense. I can guard in space, even defend guards."

Edey is one of the most decorated players in college basketball history, the first to win unanimous National Player of the Year honors since Bill Walton in 1973. He led the nation in scoring at 24.9 points per game, and finished third in rebounding at 12.2.

ESPN ranks Edey as the 14th best prospect in the draft class.

"We're good," Embiid said. "We're going to win this series.

"We are going to win this. We know what we got to fix. We did a better job today, so we are going to fix it.

"We are the better team. We are going to keep fighting."

Embiid had 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the game.

Williamson suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of the New Orleans Pelicans loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Play-In last Tuesday.

Williamson said the extent of the injury isn't as bad as the one he suffered last year.

In videos shared by TMZ and other outlets, the man is seen climbing over seats to confront another person at Ball Arena, who he then punches in the face.

The Denver police media relations unit said in an email sent to The Associated Press that it is investigating the incident, but said it was not reported to the Denver police at the arena or after the game.

"At this time, no one has come forward as a victim of this incident," the email said. "The Department is looking into this incident, is actively working to identify the person in the video who was struck, and encourages anyone who was involved or witnessed this firsthand to contact the Denver Police Department."

Maxey's scoring rose for the third consecutive year, and he finished the regular season averaging 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

"It feels great," Maxey said on the TNT broadcast where the award was announced. "Somebody like myself, who prides myself on putting in a lot of work and outworking people and finding ways to get 1% better every single time I step in the gym, it feels good for that to come to light, honestly."

Maxey received just over half of the first-place votes.

Coby White finished second while Alperen Sengun was voted third.

The rest of the voting: Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams was fourth, Jalen Brunson was fifth, Washington's Deni Avdija sixth, Brooklyn's Cam Thomas seventh, Orlando's Jalen Suggs eighth, Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton ninth, Phoenix's Grayson Allen and Miami's Duncan Robinson tied for 10th, San Antonio's Devin Vassell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied for 12th, and Indiana's Aaron Nesmith was 14th.

X-rays on the ankle returned negative, with Frank Vogel adding that Allen was day-to-day.

Allen initially injured the ankle in Game 1.

The Suns are down 2-0 in the series.

The number is down 2% from last year's Warriors-Kings matchup.

The lead-in game between the Sixers and Knicks averaged 3.47 million viewers.

This year's NBA playoffs is averaging 3.45 million viewers.

The point guard is currently ranked as the No. 30 recruit in the 2024 class.

Philon initially chose Kansas over Alabama, Ole Miss and Cincinnati.

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Watanabe said there are many factors in his decision, including it being best for his mental health. There were no indications of what team he intends to play for. Watanabe is also expected to play for Japan at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The 6-foot-9 forward has a $2.6 million player option with the Grizzlies for next season, which it appears that he'll decline. Watanabe was acquired by Memphis from the Phoenix Suns in a trade deadline deal. In total, Watanabe has appeared in 213 regular season NBA games over six seasons with the Grizzlies, Suns, Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets.

In each of the last two seasons, the Bulls have been eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament. That's not something DeRozan wants to repeat. And it seems likely to factor into the veteran forward's upcoming free agency.

"My stance on wanting to be here is still the same but I just want to win," DeRozan said.

DeRozan also seems to know he doesn't have a lot of years left to accomplish his goal of competing for a title.

"Next time I play a game will be my 16th season," DeRozan said. "You realize the window closes for you personally. I ain't trying to play 25 years."

Ty Lue said his star forward has been doing shooting drills and will shoot more today. However, Leonard has yet to go through a contact practice since the knee issue flared up.

The Clippers open the first round on Sunday afternoon. LA will host Dallas in a highly anticipated matchup. Both teams are considered potential contenders to make it to the Western Conference Finals, if not the NBA Finals.

While a serious injury, the veteran guard's career isn't assumed to be in danger from the neck issue. However, there is no timetable for when Rozier might be able to play.

The Heat acquired Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets in late-January in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a future first-round pick. Rozier averaged 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 31 games with Miami.

After beating the Chicago Bulls on Friday, the Heat advanced to the playoffs as the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami opens their series at the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon.

"Any season that doesn't end deep in playoffs requires total examination. We're not here for play-in. We have to make changes," Karnisovas said. "While I can be happy with individual growth, I won't be happy until we bring championship to city of Chicago."

Putting it even more bluntly, Karnisovas said "We can't roll with the same team and expect different results."

The Bulls front office leader said it's up to him to give head coach Billy Donovan a better team. Karnisovas would like to re-sign DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams, but avoided answering how the team will handle Lonzo Ball.

Ball hasn't played since January 14, 2022 due to multiple knee surgeries. The veteran point guard is heading into the final season of his contract, assuming he picks up his $21.4 million player option for next season.

Embiid returned to play in the second half. He didn't have any more major issues with the knee, but the moments where Embiid does look hurt are enough to question if he should be playing.

Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse said the team isn't considering shutting Embiid down for the season. Nurse said, "I don't think so" when asked if there is any thought to making Embiid sit due to the repeated injury scares. Nurse said Embiid wants to play and to play through any issues he has with his left knee.

Nike's original deal with Clark was signed in 2022 and was set to expire at the end of the 23-24 college basketball season.

Even back in February, Clark's agents at Excel Sports Management told interested shoe companies that it would take a deal of at least $3 million per year to sign her.

Puma dropped out once they were informed of the floor Clark was looking for.

The bid from Adidas ended up being worth $6 million over four years. Under Armour came closer to Nike's offer with one worth $16 million over four years with a signature shoe.

Nike's initial offer of $3.5 million per year didn't include a signature shoe. There was the possibility that Clark would become the female face of Kobe Bryant's line, which was relaunched in August 2023. Nike eventually upped its offer to include a signature shoe.

DeRozan is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He's eligible to sign a three-year contract, either as an extension or in free agency. As DeRozan will be 35 years old next season, signing a deal longer than three seasons would run into the NBA's Over-38 rule.

Bulls VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas recently said he knows his team can't simply run back the same roster. But Karnisovas made it clear that Chicago want to keep DeRozan in the fold. For his part, DeRozan said he'd like to return to the Bulls, but that he also wants to win.

DeRozan averaged 24 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He shot 48% from the field and 85% from the free throw line.

Wood hasn't played since before the All-Star break. He had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee in mid-March.

Prior to getting hurt, Wood had appeared in 50 games. He averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game off the Lakers bench.

Los Angeles lost Game 1 at Denver on Saturday. Game 2 will be played on Monday, then Game 3 will be in LA on Thursday, April 25.

Leonard has been out with inflammation in his right knee.

According to Marc Stein, "there is a growing belief in many corners of the league that Atlanta's preference would actually be shopping Young."

Young is coming off Year 2 of a five-year, $215 million contract.

Young and Murray are both represented by Klutch Sports.

Hetzel has spent the past three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers under Chauncey Billups. Hetzel previously worked under Steve Clifford.

Jokic is a two-time MVP, having been honored for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Jokic was the MVP runner-up to Joel Embiid for the 2022-23 season.

This is the first time Doncic or Gilgeous-Alexander have been finalists for MVP.

Paul's $30 million salary for the 24-25 season with the Golden State Warriors is non-guaranteed.

The Spurs struggled at point guard for most of Victor Wembanyama's rookie season, initially deploying Jeremy Sochan at the position in the starting lineup. San Antonio was far more effective with Tre Jones at the position.

Gobert is a three-time winner of the Defensive Player of the Year. He took home the award in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21 while playing for the Utah Jazz.

Adebayo is a first-time finalist. Wembanyama is also a finalist for 2023-24 Rookie of the Year.

Holmgren was drafted at the 2022 NBA Draft, but missed the entire 2022-23 due to a foot injury. Under NBA rules, any player who hasn't appeared in an NBA game is considered a rookie. Holmgren was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in November and December.

Wembanyama was selected first overall by the Spurs at the 2023 NBA Draft. Wembanyama won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award in January, February and March.

Miller was drafted second overall by the Hornets at the 2023 NBA Draft. Miller won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in January, February and March.

Daigneault led the Thunder to the best regular season record in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City improved from 40 wins and losing in the Play-In Tournament to 57 wins and the top seed in the playoffs.

Finch guided the Timberwolves from 42 wins and the eighth seed to 56 wins and the third seed in the Western Conference.

Mosley led the Magic to the first playoff appearance since 2020. Orlando improved from 22 wins in 2021-22 to 34 wins last season to 47 wins this season. The Magic also won the Southeast Division for the first time since 2018-19.

All three players are first-time finalists for Sixth Man of the Year.

De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings won the inaugural Cluth Player of the Year award for the 2022-23 season.

Maxey improved from 20.3 points and 3.5 assists per game to 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game. Maxey also made his first All-Star team. In addition, the fourth-year guard took on an increased role for the Sixers following the James Harden trade and with Joel Embiid missing time due to injuries.

Sengun helped the Rockets improve from 22 wins last season to 41 wins this season. Sengun improved from 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his second season to 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a third-year player.

Coby White reclaimed his starting spot for the Bulls. After dipping to 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season, White improved to 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season.

Vanderbilt, who wore a walking boot on Friday, has been out since February 1 with the injury.

Ham said last week that Vanderbilt's recovery was "going according to plan."

The team also announced that Christian Wood will be available in Game 3.

Ingram averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season.

UNC have lost two other starters from this season in Armando Bacot and Cormac Ryan.

The NBA will have at least three separate packages of games available, but could create a fourth package. There is also a chance that a streaming service could host playoff games, including conference finals, and potentially even NBA Finals games.

Risacher is playing for JL Bourg in France, on a loan from fellow French club ASVEL. In 53 total games, the 6-foot-8 inch forward has averaged 10.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Risacher has shot 45.7% overall, including 38.6% on 3.5 three-point attempts per game.

Risacher turned 18 in early April, which made him eligible to enter this year's draft. He was named to the French senior national team for EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers this past February. Risacher saw limited action in France's victory over Croatia and did not play in France's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The league is also going to consider ways to redirect fans from social media highlights to streaming full games. There could be direct-purchase links for a game that are made available to fans who click on a highlight from a game in progress.

The WNBA is also a factor in the new media rights deals the NBA is negotiating. Interest in women's basketball is at an all-time high. The league is seeking to capitalize by upgrading the return for the WNBA portion of their television rights. The NBA sees the WNBA as part of their year-long basketball product that is made available to viewers.

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Is there a reason to think this year's Denver/Lakers series will go better for LA than last year's?

What strengths and weaknesses do the playoff newcomers from Orlando bring to challenge the Cavs?

The Suns are favored in this series, should they be? What specific matchup problems do they cause for the Wolves?

Luka vs Kawhi is perhaps the best matchup of the first round.

Plus, the news that Jontay Porter is banned from the NBA and Zion Williamson will be out weeks with his hamstring issue.

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Butler was able to complete the game, but was visibly hampered. He limped off at the end of the game and was spotted with a visible limp as he left the arena.

The Heat will host the Chicago Bulls in the final Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament game on Friday. The winner advances to play the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, beginning on Sunday afternoon.

Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to be a top-3 finisher in MVP voting this season after guiding the Oklahoma City Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Gilgeous-Alexander first signed with Converse in 2020.

The Warriors signed Wiggins to a four-year, $109 million extension in 2022, but he hasn't regained the form that arguably made him their second most important player when they won the title that year.

Wiggins missed time tending to a personal matter in each of the past two seasons.

Wiggins has also been made somewhat redundant due to the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga.

This includes players like Ja Morant, Ben Simmons and LaMelo Ball, who missed the vast majority of their seasons.

On average, stars played in 65 games this season compared to 60 last season.

Zion Williamson set a new personal record for games played with 70. Kawhi Leonard played in 68 after coming off a meniscus injury.

But as the playoffs begin, Giannis Antetokounmpo's status is uncertain after suffering a non-contact calf injury. Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid have also returned from injury. Williamson is out with a hamstring injury and Jimmy Butler is out with an MCL injury.

Lawrence Frank said Leonard has yet to go through contact before Thursday's practice. Frank said Leonard's right knee, which has undergone surgeries to repair a torn ACL and meniscus, is structurally "solid and intact" but that he is experiencing "some very, very stubborn inflammation."

"He's doing everything," Frank said of Leonard treating his knee. "Our medical staff is doing everything to get the inflammation down so he can play. Progress has been made, but more progress needs -- the inflammation needs to continue to reduce so he can do functional basketball movements."

Leonard underwent surgery on his torn ACL in July 2021 and a cleanup procedure to repair a torn meniscus in June 2023.

Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 28.9 minutes in his freshman season at Kentucky.

Caruso suffered a left ankle sprain on Wednesday against the Hawks.

With swelling reducing around the ankle, there is optimism that Caruso could play against the Heat.

Both Disney and WBD are in active talks with the NBA to keep games on ESPN and TNT.

The NBA would like to bring in at least one new partner to serve as a flagship streamer.

Beginning on Monday, the NBA can open negotiations with Amazon, Apple, YouTubeTV, Peacock and Netflix, who have all had preliminary conversations about potential interest.

"We continue to have productive discussions with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery on a renewal of our media deals," a league spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.

TNT has shown NBA games since 1988, while ESPN's deal with the league began in 2002.

The NBA is looking to double the $24 billion it generated from its previous media rights deal with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery by adding new partners and charging more for rights.

Last year's NBA playoffs was the most watched in 11 years across TNT, ABC, ESPN and NBA TV, according to Nielsen.

The number is a 25% increase from last year.

The Sixers' win over the Heat averaged 3.4 million viewers, with the Hawks-Bulls nightcap averaged 3.07 million viewers.

Tuesday night's Warriors-Kings game averaged 4.05 million viewers.

Karaban averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds on the season.

Karaban, who is projected as a late first-round or second-round pick, will maintain his college eligibility.

The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in his lone collegiate season. Castle is regarded as a strong defender, who can cover both guard positions, as well as smaller wings.

Castle is widely expected to be a lottery pick. Mock drafts generally have him being selected somewhere from the fifth to eighth pick in the first round.

They break down which series they are most excited for, which are the toughest to call, key match-ups and much more.

Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed.

The Wizards are beginning a formal search for their next head coach, but Keefe remains a candidate for the job.

Michael Winger inherited Wes Unseld Jr. as head coach when he assumed control of the front office during the 2023 offseason.

Harris is coming off a five-year, $180 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Pompey also writes that "Harris may be as good as gone" from the Sixers this offseason.

Harris was traded by the Orlando Magic to the Pistons in 2016 shortly after signing a four-year, $64 million deal. Harris was subsequently part of a 2018 trade to the Los Angeles Clippers for Blake Griffin. Harris was traded in 2019 to the Sixers.

Saleh had been VP of Basketball Strategy and Team Counsel with the Golden State Warriors. Before joining the Warriors in 2021, Saleh spent five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.

Landry Fields runs the front office of the Hawks.

Caruso sustained a left ankle injury on Wednesday night when Andre Drummond stepped on his right foot.

Caruso said the swelling around his ankle had not been an issue and he was expecting to be ready to go for Friday's elimination game.

The team payouts will range from $452,708, approximately $30,000 per player based on a 15-player roster, to potentially $12.1 million ($804,000 per player) for the NBA champion.

With the Boston Celtics finishing the regular season with the best record in the NBA, they get a team share of $844,000 at the very start of the playoffs. Each team in the first round receives a team share of $453,000, which increases to $552,000 for the second round and $923,000 for the Conference Finals. The losing team in the Finals will receive $3,692,000, while the winning team in the Finals will receive another $8,549,000

The Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs are the four teams who currently retain their second round pick.

While there are various pick protections in place that could come into play, there are currently only seven teams who still control their second round pick for 2025.

For the first time in league history, the second round will be broadcast on its own day separate from the first round.

The Clippers failed to accurately disclose the status of Paul George, Norm Powell and Russell Westbrook ahead of last Sunday's game against the Rockets.

The three players, who did not play, were not listed on the team's injury report before the game.

Pippen is a four-star prospect and will likely be ranked in the final ESPN 100 for his class.

Pippen chose the Wolverines over Cal, Florida, Stanford, and Texas A&M.

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The 7-foot-4 rookie said he "maybe" surpassed expectations as a rookie. Wembanyama said a goal is to be more consistent next season, as he cited Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo as players who "respond to every game".

When asked about his improvement throughout his rookie season, the Spurs big man said he thinks he has lots of room to improve.

"I think in terms of the evolution between my first match and my prime, I'm at 15% of my ability today," Wembanyama said.

In the near term, Wembanyama said he's excited to get back to his home country of France, including "food I miss". He's also excited for this summer's Olympics in Paris.

"It's going to be huge," Wembanyama said about being a part of French national team. "When I'm on the pitch, I'll give 200%, as I do every time I wear this shirt. It's going to be amazing, and I'm going to be there, like a kid, enjoying the moment."

"Anything can happen," Jones said, "but [my family and I] love D.C., we want to be here, and I want to help this team continue to build and move in the right direction."

Jones was a fulltime starter for the first time this season, by opening all 66 games he played. That's important to Jones moving forward.

"The plan is to be a starter," Jones said when asked about his preferred role next season."

Jones averaged a career-high in points and assists last season at 12 points and 7.3 assists per game. He also shot 48.9% from the field, including 41.4% on three-pointers.

Griffin was a six-time All-Star and made five All-NBA teams. Griffin finished third in MVP voting in 2014, but was a Second Team selection behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James at the forward positions.

Griffin signed a five-year, $173 million contract with the Clippers during the 2017 offseason, but was traded in January 2018 to the Detroit Pistons.

The Bucks are hopeful that Antetokounmpo will be able to return during the series based on his ongoing treatment.

Antetokounmpo was also limited during the Bucks' first round series last season against the Miami Heat due to a back issue.

"No players flopped into my legs this year," Durant said. "Last two years, I had my teammate flop into me and an opponent flop into me two straight years that caused me to get MCL injuries. If it wasn't for that, I probably would've been out there the same amount of games, but I'm glad nobody flopped into me. Had a couple of nagging injuries, but it was day-to-day type of stuff. I'm grateful for that."

When asked how he avoided players flopping into him, Durant was brutally honest in his response.

"Just stay away from the crash dummies, you know. The dudes who try to sell calls and don't mind hurting people by diving on the floor trying to sell a call. I know who those guys are, and I try to stay away from them," Durant said.

Young is the highest paid assistant coach in the NBA and was a candidate for multiple jobs during the past hiring cycles. Young interviewed for the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets already this offseason.

Young will replace Mark Pope, who left BYU to become head coach of Kentucky.

Young will continue working with the Suns in the playoffs, but will begin assembling a coaching staff that'll immediately start recruiting for BYU.

Young is a native of Salt Lake City.

USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill met with most of the 12 invitees on the 2024 Olympic team over the past few days. Leonard's commitment came on Tuesday.

The rest of the roster was confirmed on Monday featuring LeBron James (Lakers), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kevin Durant (Suns), Joel Embiid (76ers), Anthony Davis (Lakers), Devin Booker (Suns), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Jrue Holiday (Celtics), Bam Adebayo (Heat) and Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers).

The Rockets had a jump from 22 wins in 22-23 to 41 wins in 23-24 after hiring Ime Udoka and adding Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks in the offseason.

Houston also has an encouraging young core headlined by Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green.

The Rockets promoted Stone to general manager in 2020 following the departure of Daryl Morey.

Rozier has not played since April 7 due to the injury.

Duncan Robinson, who has been dealing with back issues, will be available to play on Wednesday.

Williamson will undergo further tests on Wednesday.

Williamson had 40 points and 11 rebounds before leaving the game in the fourth quarter.

The Pelicans will play the Kings on Friday night.

That number is up 1% from last year's average of 1.08 million viewers.

Viewership on NBA TV was up 15% from last year, averaging 330,000 viewers for the season.

Viewership across ABC, ESPN, and TNT was down 1% from last year at 1.59 million viewers.

This season also recorded a 30% decrease in Christmas Day viewership.

The number represents the largest WNBA audience of any event since 2000.

No other WNBA telecast has averaged over a million viewers since 2008.

Last year's WNBA draft averaged 572,000 viewers on ESPN.

There are different options that will be considered. One option is to make it the primary tiebreaker, over head-to-head results, when two teams are tied. Another option is to have NBA Cup advancement as the second tiebreaker, behind head-to-head results.

The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals over 29 games. Holland's season was cut short due to a right thumb injury. He's expected to be fully healed and able to participate in pre-draft activities.

Holland is projected as a lottery pick in most mock drafts.

The Warriors have immediate decisions to make for Klay Thompson in free agency, and Chris Paul, who has a $30 million non-guaranteed contract. Jonathan Kuminga is eligible to sign a rookie scale extension, the Warriors are expected to at least check into trades involving Andrew Wiggins, and possibly Draymond Green.

Thompson would like to say with the only team he's known, but he and Golden State haven't gotten close on a contract extension. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he'd love to have Chris Paul back for next season, but that's unlikely to happen at such an inflated salary.

"We need Klay back," Steve Kerr said after the game. "He's still got good years left. And I know I speak for everybody in the organization: We want him back. ... What Klay has meant to this franchise and as good as he still is, we desperately want him back."

Thompson didn't speak with reporters after the Warriors were eliminated in the Play-In.

"That's life," Thompson said of free agency at Tuesday's shootaround. "Had so much success here, I'm not going to let whatever future happens make me salty about what I've been able to accomplish in a Warriors uniform. I don't let that seep in at all."

Conversations on an extension between Thompson and the Warriors stalled before the season and were never picked up. Sources tell ESPN that Thompson was bothered by the fact that there was much reassurance from the Warriors that a deal would eventually get done.

"[Klay is] going to make the best decision for him, the team's got a decision to make and they'll make the best decision for the team. ... I don't think there's any scenario where Klay leaves and that's the best decision for this team and organization," Green said. "[The organization] has shown nothing but respect, loyalty, love and trust. I've got no reason to think, oh man, they're not going to do right by Klay.

"I have no reason to think that our ownership group isn't going to take care of us the way we have taken care of this organization."

Sources tell ESPN that Thompson would like a new deal that aligns with Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr and Green. Curry and Kerr are signed through 25-26.

"I could never see myself not with those two guys," Curry said. "I understand this league changes and there are so many things that go into it and we're not going to play forever, but we've experienced so much together and at the end of the day I know they want to win, I know I want to win, and that's all I'm worried about."

"I'll talk to my wife and my kids, my family, my support system, see what it looks like," Paul told The Athletic. "But this isn't (the end of my career). I know it for sure."

Steve Kerr talked about wanting Paul back with the Warriors next season.

"I haven't thought about it," Paul said. "I'm too in it. I was in the gym at 8 a.m. this morning, lifting and getting ready for this game. When it's time for that, Mike (Dunleavy) and Steve (Kerr), we'll have a conversation and see what it looks like. But I loved it. It's honestly - this is my fifth year living without my family - I probably saw them more than any other year."

An MRI taken this morning confirmed the injury. Williamson will be re-examined in approximately two weeks.

The Pelicans will play the Sacramento Kings on Friday for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The league's investigation found that prior to the Raptors' March 20 game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor. Another individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports book, to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform in the March 20 game.

The league's investigation also found that Porter limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game. In the March 20 game, Porter played only three minutes, claiming that he felt ill. Due to the unusual betting activity and actions of the player, the $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and was not paid out.

In addition, from January through March 2024, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the Raptors' NBA G League affiliate, Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate's online betting account. These bets ranged in size from $15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094. The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965. None of the bets involved any game in which Porter played. Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet that the Raptors would lose. All three bets lost.

The suspicious bets involving Porter's performance in the Raptors' March 20 game were brought to the NBA's attention by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets.

These findings are based on the information available to league investigators at this time. The league's investigation remains open and may result in further findings. The NBA has shared and will continue to share information with federal prosecutors about this matter.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: "There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter's blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment. While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game."

Thompson has received the support from several key stakeholders within the Golden State Warriors including Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr and Draymond Green.

Grayson Allen recently signed a four-year, $70 million extension with the Phoenix Suns, which could be a benchmark for the type of deal Thompson commands.

Thompson was drafted by the Warriors in 2011 out of Washington State.

A timeline for Sarr's return to play will be updated in the coming months.

In 15 games this season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sarr averaged 2.3 points on 56.0% shooting to go along with 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 (2nd in G League) and 2.3 blocks in 28.2 minutes.

Butler will undergo an MRI and could miss an indefinite period of time.

If the Heat win their Play-In game on Friday, they would play the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Under Armour and Adidas also made significant offers to Clark.

Clark's previous deal with Nike ended after the conclusion of the recently finished college basketball season.

Clark was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.

"We just take it day by day. He's progressing. He's getting better. We don't have a timetable," said Lue.

Leonard did not participate in any 5-on-5 drills on Tuesday.

Leonard missed the last eight games of the regular season due to inflammation in his right knee.

Lue added that he was preparing his game plan to include Leonard.

"I'm preparing for him, to have him on the court," added Lue.

Caruso is doubtful for the Bulls' play-in tournament game against the Heat on Friday.

Caruso suffered the injury when Andre Drummond stepped on his foot during Wednesday night's win over the Hawks.

It is the second most-watched game in the history of the Play-In Tournament.

The Lakers' win over the Pelicans earlier in the night averaged 3.91 million viewers.

The two games are the fourth and sixth most-watched of this season.

Lillard missed last Friday's regular season game with the injury.

Doc Rivers said he expected Lillard to continue to practice on Friday.

"I'm assuming. I would be surprised [if he doesn't practice]. I'll put it that way," said Rivers.

The Bucks will already be without Giannis Antetokounmpo at the start of their series against the Pacers.

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A fascinating final day of action unfolds, with huge games between Orlando and Milwaukee, Phoenix and Minnesota, and LA and New Orleans overshadowed by....Cleveland and Charlotte? Why JB Bickerstaff's closing lineup will go down in tanking lore.

Plus, the Knicks' fascinating decision (which they may not even have considered) of whether to win against Chicago, the Bulls' curious decision to go for it against New York, and whether the Lakers should actually consider losing the 7 vs 8 game to avoid the Nuggets.

Stackhouse coached Vanderbilt for five seasons from 2019 through 2024. He compiled a 70-92 record during that time. He was also an assistant with both the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies, as well as the head coach of Raptors 905 in the G League.

Ott has spent the last two seasons on Darvin Ham's staff with the Lakers. Previously, Ott was an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets for four seasons.

The Hornets are also reportedly going to interview Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey. It was previously reported that Charlotte will meet with Boston assistant Charles Lee, Denver assistant David Adelman, Sacramento assistant Jordi Fernandez, LA Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga, Phoenix assistant Kevin Young, as well as G League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding of the Stockton Kings.

"No doubt that I'm going to play," Davis said about his availability for Tuesday's postseason game.

Davis finished the regular season with 75 games played and exactly 2700 minutes played. That's the first time Davis has hit those marks since the 2017-18 season, when he starred for the Pelicans.

Final 23-24 NBA Regular Season Net Rating
1. Boston Celtics: 11.6
2. Oklahoma City Thunder: 7.4
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: 6.6
4. Denver Nuggets: 5.4
5. New York Knicks: 4.8
6. New Orleans Pelicans: 4.5
7. Los Angeles Clippers: 3.4
8. Philadelphia 76ers: 3.1
9. Phoenix Suns: 3.1
10. Indiana Pacers: 3.0
11. Golden State Warriors: 2.6
12. Milwaukee Bucks: 2.6
13. Cleveland Cavaliers: 2.5
14. Dallas Mavericks: 2.2
15. Orlando Magic: 2.1
16. Miami Heat: 1.8
17. Sacramento Kings: 1.7
18. Houston Rockets: 1.1
19. Los Angeles Lakers: 0.6
20. Chicago Bulls: -1.5
21. Atlanta Hawks: -2.2
22. Brooklyn Nets: -3.0
23. Utah Jazz: -4.9
24. San Antonio Spurs: -6.4
25. Toronto Raptors: -6.4
26. Memphis Grizzlies: -7.1
27. Washington Wizards: -9.0
28. Detroit Pistons: -9.1
29. Portland Trail Blazers: -9.2
30. Charlotte Hornets: -10.5

Walter is a possible lottery pick after averaging 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 32.3 minutes. Walter shot 34.1 percent on 6.3 three-point attempts per game.

Allen led the NBA in three-point percentage at a career-high 46.1% on 5.9 three-point attempts per game. He also averaged 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Overall, Allen shot 49.9% from the field and 87.8% from the free throw line, falling just shy of a 50/40/90 shooting season.

Phoenix acquired Allen in the three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers that sent Deandre Ayton from Phoenix to Portland and Damian Lillard to Milwaukee. The Suns also acquired Jusuf Nurkic and Nassir Little in that deal.

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Troy Weaver has run the Pistons' front office since June 2020.

Detroit hired Monty Williams as head coach last offseason and he's expected to be retained in the job.

Brunson averaged 38.5 points and 7.5 assists as the New York Knicks went 4-0.

Jokic averaged 26.5 points and 11.5 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets went 3-1.

Weaver was hired by the Pistons in 2020 after a lengthy tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pistons have not won more than 23 games during his tenure, winning 20 in 20-21, 23 in 21-22, 17 in 22-23 and 14 in 23-24.

First Round
1. Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark, Iowa
2. Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink, Stanford
3. Chicago Sky: Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
4. Los Angeles Sparks: Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
5. Dallas Wings: Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State
6. Washington Mystics: Aaliyah Edwards, UConn
7. Chicago Sky: Angel Reese, LSU
8. Minnesota Lynx: Alissa Pili, Utah
9. Dallas Wings: Carla Leite, France
10. Connecticut Sun: Leila Lacan, France
11. New York Liberty: Marquesa Davis, Ole Miss
12. Atlanta Dream: Nyadiew Puoch, Australia

• LeBron James
• Stephen Curry
• Kevin Durant
• Joel Embiid
• Anthony Davis
• Anthony Edwards
• Jayson Tatum
• Jrue Holiday
• Tyrese Haliburton
• Bam Adebayo
• Devin Booker

James is playing in his fourth Olympics, a career that includes a bronze medal in 2004 and gold medals in 2008 and 2012.

Curry will be playing in his first Olympics.

Fernandez is currently the top assistant coach of the Sacramento Kings under Mike Brown. Before joining the Kings, Fernandez spent several seasons under Michael Malone with the Denver Nuggets. Fernandez was also a head coach in the G League with the Canton Charge and also currently serves as head coach of Canada.

The Nets parted ways with Jacque Vaughn as head coach in February and had Kevin Ollie as interim for the remainder of the season.

Horst won Executive of the Year in 2021 when the Milwaukee Bucks won the championship following their trade for Jrue Holiday.

Horst is a Michigan native and his first NBA job was with the Pistons.

The five-star prospect plans on reopening his recruitment.

Fland is now the fourth recruit to decommit from the Wildcats after John Calipari left the program.

Fland originally picked Kentucky over Indiana and Alabama.

Sources around the league believe that the Hawks will deal Young this summer, according to Pincus.

The Lakers would have to wait until July to make a deal due to a hard cap at the first apron that expires at the end of June.

With the Spurs also registering interest, the Pistons are seen as a "wild card" to trade for Young.

Clark was the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft.

The Athletic adds that Warner Bros. Discovery is interested in acquiring WNBA broadcasting rights.

The WNBA hopes to at least double the league's current fees, around $60 million annually, for its next contract negotiation.

The Blue won the best-of-three series 2-1.

Ousmane Dieng was named the MVP after finishing with 25 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

JD Davison lead Maine with 22 points and 10 assists.

The roster includes: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton.

Kawhi Leonard is reportedly the leading candidate for the twelfth and final roster spot. Paul George, Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson are also in contention.

There has yet to be any official announcement from Team USA.

Milanese journal La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, via MilanNews, that the Italian tactician is expected to deploy Noah Okafor and Luka Jovic up-top against the Nerroverdi in order to permit the Portuguese international and the French veteran to recuperate ahead of their mid-week fixture against Roma in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, in which they currently find themselves trailing 1-0 on aggregate.

Despite a sluggish and underwhelming start since joining the Milanese club on loan from Fiorentina until the end of the season, Jovic has managed to find his stride under Pioli at the helm of the club, amassing five goals and a single assist in 20-games played in the Serie A, demonstrating growth within his movements in the attacking phase and his link-up play with his teammates.

In addition, the fixture against Sassuolo provides the 23-year-old Swiss international with a major chance in gaining on the pitch confidence after having suffered several interruptions within his playing time due to injuries, as well as his grave struggle in maintaining consistency.

Whilst Inter are on the verge of sealing their 20th scudetto within the next couple of weeks, it seems that Pioli is prepared to prioritize the Europa League in hoping that allowing his clinical goal-scorers to recuperate against coach Davide Ballardini’s side could permit a turnaround within their European cup-tie at the Stadio Olimpico.

Julian Faustini Ι GIFN

Despite Lazio navigating on the right path since the arrival of Igor Tudor on the touch-line, as the Roman club seized six points out of nine available in the first three matches within the club’s era under the appointment of the Croatian, Lazio find themselves out of balance behind the scenes.

The 31 year-old’s post-match interview with DAZN sent shock-waves across the capital , revealing that the creative-midfielder has no intentions of playing at Lazio anymore, despite having signed a four-year renewal with the club only six months ago.

Whilst the futures of numerous star players such as Felipe Anderson, Pedro, Ciro Immobile, and Mattia Zaccagni are currently in limbo, Lazio are faced with extremely nerve-wrecking circumstances after having been notified that their star-midfielder, whom as attained four goals and six assists in 29 games-played in the 2023/24 Serie A campaign, has no desire to remain with the club.

While speaking to the media earlier today, Fabian gave his perspective on the tough situation regarding the former Liverpool and Sevilla central-playmaker, as relayed by LazioSiamoNoi:

“These things have been happening since football has existed, perhaps it was the least suitable evening. I can’t stay in the brain of a player. Some time ago, with the advent of Tudor, he told me that at the end of the year he would probably prefer to change his shirt for a series of reasons that I won’t say here.

 “I told him ‘look, we have a duty to finish the season in the best possible way. After that we will evaluate all the positions’. Nobody promised or signed any resolutions.

 “In the summer, his contract was renewed for four years. There was a moment of decline, reaching the point that he didn’t even want to go to training camp with the team. There was my mediation with president Lotito, and we reached the conclusion of signing this contract under the conditions of the entourage. After six months, ‘I leave all the money to Lazio’. Contracts are made to be respected, on one side and the other. It is a situation that must be explored calmly and serenely.”

Julian Faustini Ι GIFN

With Italy currently on top of the UEFA league coefficient standings, finishing 5th this season would be enough for Roma to qualify for the new format of the Champions League next season. However, Daniele De Rossi will be pushing his side to usurp 4th place from Bologna by the end of the campaign as they are only four points short. The Giallorossi need to be on their top form at the season’s business end as Atalanta are closely following them. Gianluca Mancini’s goal against Milan at the San Siro in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals proves to be huge for Roma as they now have a lead to defend in the return leg at home. 

Meanwhile, Udinese stand threatened with relegation as the difference between them and 18th-placed Frosinone is only two points. Losing all three points tonight might be disastrous for the Udine-based outfits as the survival race battlers will pounce on every opportunity they get from the mistakes of their counterparts. Udinese’s last win came over a month back against Lazio. Lorenzo Lucca and Oier Zarraga were on the scoresheet to cancel out Lautaro Giannetti’s own goal to grab a famous victory. 

Here are the predicted line-ups for the match according to La Repubblica:

Udinese (3-5-1-1): Okoye; N. Pérez, Bijol, Kristensen; Ebosele, Samardzic, Walace, Zarraga, H. Kamara; Pereyra; Lucca.

Roma (4-3-3): Svilar; Karsdorp, Mancini, N’Dicka, Angeliño; Bove, Paredes, Aouar; Baldanzi, Lukaku, El Shaarawy.

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN

La Gazzetta dello Sport today state that in recent weeks, club president Steven Zhang had started negotations with funds to seek another loan and talks have now accelerated. The new partner has been described as an England-based fund and the move is well advanced to a point where it can close soon.

The fund would be willing to guarantee Inter a loan of €400 million with an interest of 12 percent, which is similar to the one received from Oaktree. It would be a three-year loan and it would be used to return the loan from Oaktree so that he can cancel the pledge on the club’s shares, thus guaranteeing a longer stay at the club for himself.

This would have to be done before the 20th of May, with Zhang very keen on keeping the club with himself. The club is currently valued at €1.2 billion right now and despite Zhang’s insistence on keeping it, a significant offer can change his mind.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

Leaving the match without a point this afternoon could prove costly for Sassuolo as they would be plunged deeper into the relegation battle. While they are two points away from safety, the Neroverdi might run out of matches to stage an escape from the dropzone if they do not start acquiring the points now. Davide Ballardini’s side are yet to win a game in over a month as they lost to Roma and sealed draws against Udinese and Salernitana. Winning today will help them climb out of the relegation zone even if Verona and Frosinone get three points from their respective matches. 

Meanwhile, Milan suffered a dent in their Europa League campaign in their previous outing versus Roma. The Rossoneri could not make good value of the home crowd as they conceded once and now have to stage a comeback in front of a hostile audience at the Stadio Olimpico in the second leg of the quarter-finals. Stefano Pioli is expected to shuffle his squad today as Milan have a tough run of fixtures coming up, including crucial clashes against Roma, Inter and Juventus. The Rossoneri are five points clear of Juventus in second place in the league standings as Pioli will hope to finish this season as runners-up behind the Nerazzurri.

Here are the predicted line-ups for the match according to Sky Italia:

Sassuolo (4-2-3-1): Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Doig; Boloca, Thorsvedt; Defrel, Matheus Enrique, Laurienté; Pinamonti.

Milan (4-2-3-1): Sportiello; Florenzi, Kjaer, Thiaw, Theo Hernandez; Musah, Adli; Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Jovic.

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN

According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport via Calcio Napoli 24, Juventus sporting director Giovanni Manna was not present in the stands for the Turin derby and that could indicate a potential departure from the club soon. ‘

Giovanni Manna is looking to consider terminating his contract with the Bianconeri early as he is set to join Napoli in a much more advanced role.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is expected to have verbally agreed on a deal with Manna earlier this month as his club will kick off a new era.

The Partenopei are probing the likes of Vincenzo Italiano, Antonio Conte and Raffaele Palladino for the head coach role to lead the team next season. Signing Giovanni Manna is a sign of laying the foundations for a rebuild after a horrendous start to a post-Scudetto season. 

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN

Speaking in the Frosinone-Napoli post-match press conference to Sky Italia via Calcio Napoli 24, Walid Cheddira was jubilant after netting a brace against his parent club Napoli. He is pushing to be a squad player for the Partenopei next season as he is currently on loan at Frosinone. The 26-year-old said: “Scoring goals in this stadium [Stadio Diego Armando Maradona] is nice, I hope to do it also with the Napoli shirt”

The hosts took the lead twice during the match but were pegged back both times. Matteo Politano and Victor Osimhen were on the scoresheet for the Neapolitans but they will leave this match frustrated as their dreams of playing in Europe next season are fading away. As for Frosinone, this draw keeps them just afloat in the race for survival but they do not have their destiny in their own hands. 

Walid Cheddira reflected on the draw and how it will affect Frosinone’s goals. He said: “We know we have to fight for every ball, these matches weigh a lot. We will give our all to achieve salvation.”

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN

Matteo Politano seized the opener for last season’s champions with a stunning curler from a long-way out, leaving the young goal-keeper Stefano Turati with no chance whatsoever in preventing the ball from entering in the back of the net.

However, the Gialloblu responded swiftly as Italian custodian David Meret made a grave error as he was stripped of the ball within his box following a high-press from Walid Cheddira, resulting in the Moroccan international obtaining the equalizer with plenty of ease. 

Although Victor Osimhen helped his side regain the lead, The Partenopei back-line was far too brittle as the Napoli loanee struck once again with a thundering header to obtain a brace, as he was found without any marker in his sight by a well-weighted center by Nadir Zortea.

As a result, the underwhelming result finds Napoli in eighth place with a total of 49 points, six points below fifth-placed Roma whom have a game in-hand as they face Udinese later on this evening.

While speaking to the press, as relayed by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Calzona gave his input on the match, emphasizing on the Partenopei’s struggle to hang onto both leads throughout the fixture and to close-off the match:

“Even today we were lucky enough to take the lead twice and we created a lot, but I never had the perception that we were truly in control of the match. There is never the ability to smell danger and there is a lack of management of the moment. We don’t have the characteristics to run backwards and we always get stuck.

 “The crowd must be an advantage for us and we just have to thank them, people at this level cannot feel the pressure rather they should bring people to their side.

  “As mentioned, this is not acceptable also because they had worked hard during the week to address this point of view. I asked for ball management against a young team with more fuel than us. Unfortunately, we didn’t succeed in what I intended, the way we suffered, for example the penalty, is unacceptable.

 “We still have to believe in Europe, mathematics does not condemn us and it would be unforgivable to stop fighting. Of course, this is a major setback. Now the objective we pursue must be the push that must move us also because we can do significantly better than today by finding solidity through a different compactness.”

Julian Faustini Ι GIFN

Milan started the first half brightly. forcing consecutive corners and attacking the Sassuolo defence with vigour. However, the hosts managed to fend off the pressure which they expected before the start of the match. 

It took just four minutes for Sassuolo to strike first through Andrea Pinamonti, who received a clever flick from Kristian Thorsvedt before the former Inter striker smashed it home from under 10 yards giving Marco Sportiello no chance to repel. 

The Neroverdi doubled their lead six minutes after scoring the initial goal. Milan failed to set up their defence in motion as they crumbled with each Sassuolo counterattack. Marco Sportiello stops Armand Lauriente’s first effort on goal from the left but he bundles it into the path of the Frenchman, who nets it with his second attempt. Samuel Chukwueze thought he equalised the scores in the 17th minute when he headed past Andrea Consigli but VAR ruled it out as offside. 

Milan pulled one back in the 20th minute due to the efforts of Rafael Leao. The Portuguese did all the work himself, swerving past two defenders inside the box before slotting the ball home past the goalkeeper. 

The Rossoneri aimed to start the second half with renewed energy after they shifted the momentum towards them. However, Sassuolo once again broke the visitors’ defence as they restored their two-goal lead when Armand Lauriente positioned himself inside the box without pressure before he picked up Gregoire Defrel’s pass and slotted the ball past Sportiello. The goalkeeper got a minute touch on it but it deflected into the net. 

Stefano Pioli’s side remained calm with their attacks and just six minutes later conceding the third, they reduced the deficit to one goal. Luka Jovic repaid the manager’s faith in him when he netted home Consigli’s rebound after he saved Leao’s effort from the left. 

Chukwueze was again left baffled as his second effort ending up inside the net during the match was ruled out for offside. It was a good structured attack from Milan as the Nigerian cut in from the right before slotting the ball past Consigli. However, he was left dismayed due to the VAR’s ruling. 

Milan levelled the scores in the 84th minute. Olivier Giroud nodded down an outswinger from the corner before Matteo Gabbia chested the ball down for Noah Okafor, who slammed the ball into the net to equalise. 

Player Ratings

Sassuolo (4-2-3-1): Consigli (5); Toljan (5), Erlic (5,5), Ferrari (6), Viti (6); Boloca (5,5), Obiang (6); Volpato (5,5), Thorsvedt (6,5), Lauriente (8,5); Pinamonti (7).

Substitutes: Tressoldi (6,5), Defrel (7), Henrique (6,5), Racic (6), Ceide (5,5).

Milan (4-2-3-1): Sportiello (4); Florenzi, Kjaer (5), Thiaw (6), Hernandez (7); Adli (6), Musah (6); Chukwueze (5,5), Loftus-Cheek (7), Leao (8); Jovic (7,5).

Substitutes: Gabbia (7), Reijnders (6,5), Giroud (5), Pulisic (6), Okafor (7).

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN

The clash against the Friulian outfit stopped around the 78th minute when Ndicka held his chest twice and collapsed on the pitch. The game was suspended and Roma boss Daniele de Rossi told the officials that the Giallorossi can’t play on and they accompanied the player to the hospital.

La Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that Ndicka is currently safe and it remains to be seen what exactly the issue was, even though it is certain that it was a heart problem. A defib isn’t said to have been required as the problem wasn’t hugely serious and he was admitted to the hospital under code yellow.

In the next few hours, it will be decided as to when the game would be played and whether it would be restarted altogether or if it would restarted from the point it was suspended. 

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

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One of those changes Gores is considering is hiring a president of basketball operations. That person would have final say in all basketball matters. The idea is to have complete organizational synergy from the top down.

For now, it appears that head coach Monty Williams will return next season. He's completing the first year of an eight-year contract worth up to $100 million. It's unclear what general manager Troy Weaver's role could be in a new front office structure.

Golden State can still finish as high as the 8-seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors can also finish at either the 9-seed or 10-seed. No matter what happens on the final day of the regular season, Golden State will be in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.

The 76ers expect to have Embiid available to play in either the 7-8 game in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament on either Tuesday or Wednesday, or in next weekend's Game 1, if Philadelphia is able to advance to the No. 6 seed.

First Round Matchups

• No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 (Sixers, Heat, Bulls or Hawks)

• No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 (Sixers or Heat)

• No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers

• No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic

Play-In

• No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat

• No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks

Moore was previously with Portland on a 10-day contract in late January. He appeared in three NBA games.

The 6-foot-5 wing spent most of the season with the Rip City Remix of the G League, after starting the season with the Texas Legends. In 41 total G League games, Moore averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.4 steals.

First Round Matchups

• No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 (Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Warriors)

• No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 (Pelicans or Lakers)

• No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns

• No. 4 LA Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

Play-In

• No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers

• No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors

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