Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 4/9/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill will hold a live chat Thursday at 11 am Central time (noon Eastern) exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event and read the transcript afterward.
And-Ones: Perimeter Defenders, Malone, Cooper, Vezenkov
The NBA’s All-Defense teams tend to be loaded with big men, so Fred Katz of The Athletic put together a list of the All-Perimeter Defense team.
Featured on the list is the Knicks‘ OG Anunoby. Katz points to a game against the Nuggets, when Anunoby guarded Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and Bruce Brown, and managed all of the matchups effectively. Anunoby is a key part of why the Knicks are a top-10 defense this season despite being built around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Also on the list are Derrick White (Celtics), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Ausar Thompson (Pistons), and Cason Wallace (Thunder). Thompson’s brother, Amen Thompson (Rockets), highlights Katz’s All-Perimeter Defense second team list (subscriber link).
We have more notes from around the world of basketball:
- Michael Malone made the news recently when he was named head coach for the University of North Carolina. The former Nuggets head coach had been in the NBA from 2003-2025 in various capacities, but will now embrace the challenge of college basketball. Details of his contract have now been reported, as Brian Murphy of WRAL News in North Carolina writes that he is set to make $50MM over six years (Twitter link).
- Lakers legend Michael Cooper will be the next head coach at Cal State LA, according to the City News Service at the Los Angeles Daily News. The 70-year-old Hall of Famer spent three seasons as a Lakers assistant coach from 1994-1996 before moving to the WNBA, where he was first an assistant and then a head coach, leading them to two championships and being named Coach of the Year in 2000. He was the interim head coach of the Nuggets for 14 games in the 2004/25 season. “I’ve always said it takes five Ds to win a championship: determination, dedication, desire, discipline and decision-making,” Cooper said. “I’ve incorporated those principles into my coaching philosophy, and they will be pillars of what we do here at Cal State LA.”
- Former Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov struggled during the 2023/24 season, his lone year in the NBA. Vezenkov’s agent, Nikos Lotsos, says part of that is because the 6’9″ shooter was doing it because of external pressure, not internal drive. However, Lotsos also says that Vezenkov never felt that he had the support of then-head coach Mike Brown. “Everyone else wanted him except for Brown,” Lotsos said, according to Stavros Barbarousis and George Adamopoulos of Eurohoops. The agent believes that the lack of faith from the coaching staff is part of why Vezenkov was unable to carve out a consistent role with the team.
Injury Notes: Wembanyama, Cunningham, Curry, Tatum
Victor Wembanyama‘s status for the Spurs‘ penultimate game of the season remains in the air as he works his way back from a rib injury, Tom Orsborn writes for the San Antonio-Express News.
The MVP candidate was ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Blazers, but the team is confident that Wembanyama will play at least 20 minutes in one of their two remaining games so that he will be eligible for end-of-season awards. He is considered the strong favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
“He’s improved quite a bit, so I don’t think it’s a long-term concern, but we’ll obviously be very cautious in the situation and circumstances we’re under,” coach Mitch Johnson said.
With the star big man’s health the priority heading into the playoffs, it’s unclear if Johnson will play him the minimum required minutes to hit his eligibility or if he will play a full game.
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Cade Cunningham returned from the punctured lung that kept him out for 11 games on Wednesday, contributing 13 points and 10 assists in just over 25.5 minutes as the Pistons beat the Bucks. After the game, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that Cunningham’s minutes load for the rest of the season will depend on how he feels, according to The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson (via Twitter). It’s unclear if he will play in their game against the Hornets on Thursday. Cunningham said that this was a new experience for him that he’s still figuring out how to deal with, per Patterson (Twitter video link). “It was different than any injury I’ve ever had as far as how it progressed initially,” Cunningham said. “From whenever I got hit to how I felt immediately to how I started to feel as time went on. Thanks to all the staff and medical that was around and helped.”
- While Stephen Curry was supposed to be on a minutes restriction in his Monday night return from a prolonged absence due to a knee injury, he exceeded the expected playing time, scoring 29 points in 26 minutes. With the Warriors having four games over the last week of play, he’s expected to miss at least one of the team’s games on Friday or Saturday, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reports (Twitter video link). Slater speculates that he will sit out the Friday matchup against the Kings as he looks to get healthy before the Warriors have to win two play-in games to advance to the playoffs.
- Jayson Tatum will return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since rupturing his Achilles there in last year’s playoffs, and once again it will be in a crucial game for the Knicks, Jared Schwartz writes for the New York Post. A Celtics win will seal their hold on the second seed, with the Knicks also fighting off the Cavaliers, who are looking to seize the third seed. Tatum said that the experience will likely bring up some complicated feelings. “I’m not, like, thrilled to go back and play there,” Tatum said. “Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me. Obviously, I knew at some point I would have to get over that hurdle and play there again. So, it’s going to have to be this Thursday. But it’s not like I’m thrilled about it. But it’s part of it.”
Atlantic Notes: Rajakovic, Smith, McBride, Lidell
This season will mark the first time Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic has a chance to compete for a playoff spot, and he deserves credit for helping the team get to this point, Michael Grange writes for Sportsnet.
Toronto won 30 games last season and ranked 25th defensively, Grange notes, while they’ve won 44 games and rank sixth defensively this season, with three games still to go. The team currently sits in 6th place in the Eastern Conference, and was one game ahead of both the Sixers and Magic, and 1.5 games ahead of the Hornets coming into Wednesday’s slate of games.
“This is what you sign up for,” Rajakovic said. “It’s very, very exciting … the path that we had the past two years and this in my third year of coaching here to be in a position to plan, to fight for something, to fight for the playoffs, to fight for seeding, it’s all very, very meaningful.”
While the on-court numbers have been a move in the right direction, backup big Sandro Mamukelashvili also vouched for his head coach’s ability to connect with the team on a personal level.
“You go through things mentally, physically … (and) his office is always open, so it’s easy to step in there,” Mamukelashvili said. “A lot of head coaches are a little bit unapproachable, so just having the freedom to step in there and tell him what I feel and what I think I can do, where do I see myself, where does he see me? … I think that helps you through the long run.”
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Malachi Smith‘s work for the Nets recently paid off as he was rewarded with a two-year deal. Now, after a start-and-stop beginning of his NBA career, partially as a result of injuries, he’s ready to take the next step, CJ Holmes writes for the New York Daily News. “I just always was like, I know I can do this,” Smith said. “I just have to be healthy to play.“
- Miles McBride had a scary return from his lengthy absence due to core muscle surgery when he tweaked the injury in his first game back for the Knicks, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. However, he said he had been warned this kind of reaggrevation could happen. “It’s really just a part of the recovery process,” he said. “Basically everything was tightened, and now I’m back to moving around, so it’s just part of it.” New York’s key reserve guard is taking a patient approach to his ramp-up, knowing that the process of making sure he’s at his best for the playoffs will be slower than he’d like.
- E.J. Liddell had a career night on Tuesday, scoring 21 points in his second start of the season to power the Nets past the Bucks. While that marked a milestone for the 25-year-old forward, it was also a slight blow to Brooklyn’s tanking standings, as it moved the Jazz and Kings both a half-game away from seizing the third-worst record, and with it, the last available 14% chance at landing the top pick, Holmes writes. The Nets have three games left in the season, including against the 18-61 Pacers, while the Kings have just two games left against teams looking to improve their postseason standing in the Blazers and Warriors.
Central Notes: Haliburton, Cunningham, Stewart, Harden
Tyrese Haliburton played five-on-five basketball on Wednesday for the first time since tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals series, the Pacers guard tweeted today. Haliburton recently spoke about his recovery and his choice not to set concrete goals for next season outside of playing as the best version of himself.
As Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter), this is week 41 of Haliburton’s recovery. For reference, Jayson Tatum returned to play for the Celtics roughly 43 weeks after his own surgery from an Achilles rupture.
Haliburton also recently opened up about dealing with a bout of shingles while continuing his Achilles rehab.
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Cade Cunningham returned from injury today in the Pistons‘ matchup against the Bucks, as expected. Cunningham missed 11 games with a left lung pneumothorax, which is his longest absence since the 2022/23 season, Hunter Patterson writes for The Athletic. Patterson spoke with Dr. Daniel H. Sterman, the director of NYU Langone Medical Center’s pulmonary division, who speculated that there shouldn’t be major risk of Cunningham’s ailment reoccurring due to the fact that it was sustained as part of a collision, rather than spontaneously with no outside interference.
- Isaiah Stewart, who also returned for the Pistons on Wednesday, tried to play through his left calf strain for a time, but the pain made it ultimately impossible for him to do so, writes Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. “That time (off) allowed me to settle down and allowed me to feel better and feel like myself,” Stewart said. “Obviously, it was tough. But at the end of the day, I want to be there for my teammates come the playoffs. I’ll be able to play and be available, which is the most important thing.” While Stewart came to terms with his absence, he is frustrated by one thing: his ineligibility for end-of-season awards. The big man likely received All-Defensive votes if he had qualified. However, Stewart prioritized being healthy for the playoffs, as he missed last year’s postseason run and was determined not to do so again this season.
- When James Harden came to the Cavaliers in the Darius Garland trade, he brought a pregame habit with him: going through walk-throughs in hotel ballrooms during road games without shootarounds. “It’s just preparation, detail, you get ready for the game,” Harden said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Physically you get out and move around, and mentally you have to be prepared. It’s just preparation man, especially going into this run that we are about to go into. I think the focus is making sure we know who we’re playing against and individual guys and what they like to do with their tendencies.” Head coach Kenny Atkinson was initially skeptical of the ask, but he has grown to appreciate it — as well as how quickly the star guard has acclimated to his new team. “He’s completely adapted to our style of play, which is pretty, I would assume, rare,” Atkinson said.
NBA, EuroLeague To Meet This Week To Talk Partnership
Chus Bueno, the EuroLeague CEO, is set to meet with NBA executive George Aivazoglou this week as they enter into conversation to determine if the two leagues will be able to collaborate on a joint venture in Europe, Mike Vorkunov writes for The Athletic.
Previous iterations of the NBA’s plans to expand into Europe had not included the EuroLeague, which had rejected the NBA’s previous partnership offers, but Vorkunov notes that those negotiations took place under former EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas. The change in leadership has put a possible partnership back on the table. Bueno, a former NBA executive, says that he’s open to the possibilities that the negotiations could allow for.
“We think that everything is on the table,” he said. “And I know what the NBA brings to the table, and I know that the NBA would like to operate (a league). And let’s have a discussion. If it makes sense for the teams, why not? You’re going to hear this from me. If it makes sense, why not? And this makes sense. Everything is on the table. But it has to make sense — business reasons, basketball reasons, and I think it’s (too early) to define because I want to hear from the NBA first. But we are open to any scenario.”
The NBA is seeking expansion fees between $500MM and $1 billion, as has previously been reported. While the NBA’s European league would almost certainly result in the creation of new clubs, the league is interested in bringing existing teams into the fold as well, Vorkunov writes. That means the 13 core EuroLeague teams have had to weigh whether to commit to their current league or explore jumping ship to NBA Europe.
“If they come, our recommendation to all the clubs is: sit down all together and have a conversation with the NBA and investors and everything that they have to the table,” Bueno said. “Sit down, trying to see how we can merge, partner, you name it, put the name and create the best basketball ecosystem and the best league possible. Because what I believe is that if we have two colleagues appearing on fragmentation, one team here, one thing there is not going to be good for anyone.”
Bueno says that his ideal outcome would be a merging of the NBA and EuroLeague into one larger enterprise, but he didn’t rule out the idea of the NBA outright buying the EuroLeague. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has previously expressed that the joining of the two leagues would be his preference as well.
“I think that I could be a little bit of glue, because I know both organizations,” Bueno told Vorkunov. “And I know there is trust among us. So, if I say something, I mean it. We will both negotiate, and we both are trying to do what’s the best deal for our partners. We have to win (for) everyone. If there is someone that is winning the negotiation, but isn’t balancing the execution, the execution is not going to work. … I think that both organizations can help each other a lot.”
Kings Notes: Curry Foul, Lottery Odds, DeRozan, Offseason
The NBA is taking a closer look at the Kings for a play that took place during the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to Golden State on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Leading by one point with 3:15 left in the game, head coach Doug Christie instructed his team to intentionally fouled sharpshooter Seth Curry off the ball, despite the fact that Sacramento was already in the bonus. The play gave Curry, an 86.4% career free throw shooter, two attempts at the line.
Warriors forward Draymond Green suggested in his post-game remarks that it was the behavior of a blatantly tanking team, but Kings sources insist to Slater that it was a strategic mistake by Christie, who didn’t realize his team was already in the penalty. According to those sources, Christie wanted the chance to call a timeout that he would have automatically lost once the clock ticked below the three-minute mark.
For what it’s worth, Curry made just one of his two foul shots and the Kings retook the lead on a Doug McDermott three-pointer on the ensuing possession, so the play wasn’t the reason why Sacramento lost. Additionally, Christie has spoken out against tanking and had backed up those words by leading the Kings to seven wins in their past 15 games entering Tuesday’s contest in Golden State.
We have more on the Kings:
- Sacramento’s recent near-.500 stretch has had lottery ramifications. The Kings had the NBA’s worst record a month ago but are now tied with Utah for the fourth-worst mark in the league, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. While Sacramento’s odds at a top-four pick won’t be substantially lower if that’s how the season ends, the club would be at risk of falling as far as No. 8 or No. 9 in the draft in an unfavorable lottery outcome, whereas the NBA’s worst team won’t pick lower than fifth.
- Before sitting out Tuesday’s game due to hamstring soreness, DeMar DeRozan surpassed another NBA legend on the league’s all-time scoring list on Sunday. The veteran wing scored the 26,711th point of his 17-year career, moving past Oscar Robertson for 16th place in NBA history, notes James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). Next up for DeRozan? Hakeem Olajuwon at 26,946 career points, though catching the former Rockets star will have to wait for next season.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the Kings’ upcoming offseason, suggesting that reducing payroll and committing to a full-fledged rebuild should be atop the club’s to-do list. DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, and De’Andre Hunter should all be trade candidates, Smith suggests. Zach LaVine is also on that list but will be difficult to move, assuming he exercises his $49MM player option, which seems like a pretty safe bet.
Bucks GM Jon Horst Talks Offseason, Rivers, More
Speaking to local reporters Eric Nehm of The Athletic and Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required), Bucks general manager Jon Horst said he hasn’t yet committed to taking any specific path with the roster or with superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.
Although Bucks co-owner Wes Edens suggested last month that Antetokounmpo would be either extended or traded within the next year, Horst told Nehm and Owczarski that those are “not actually the only two doors” available and that he’s keeping an open mind as he approaches the offseason.
“The truth is I don’t know. We don’t know what we’re going to do today, and we don’t have to,” Horst said. “What I do think we have to do is be very honest, very direct, make a big assessment. We learned a lot this year. It’s a pretty great opportunity. Of course, I’d rather be in the playoffs and be planning for whoever we’re going to play, but we’re not. So, what can we learn from it and figure out how do we get to where we want to get as quick as we can.”
Horst pointed out that the Bucks will have three tradable first-round picks (2026, 2031, and 2033) this summer, including a potential top-10 selection in June’s draft, and will have some cap flexibility, with movable contracts on their books. According to the Bucks’ GM, while trading Antetokounmpo and embarking in a new direction is one route the team could take, he believes hanging onto Giannis and using those draft assets in trades to improve the roster is also a path he’s empowered to go down.
“I do, yeah. Absolutely,” Horst said. “And not only just from my perspective, but I also believe from Giannis’ mindset and his perspective. Whether we need ‘couples therapy’ or whatever, the assets will still be there. I do feel empowered that, yeah, those things are both viable things for us to look at and consider.”
Here are a few more notes from Horst’s interview with local media:
- Asked about Antetokounmpo’s injury recovery, Horst reiterated that the two-time MVP has yet to be medically cleared, despite Giannis’ belief that he’s healthy enough to play. “He’s not cleared to play yet in a game and we’re going to continue to evaluate it,” the GM said, per Nehm. “I don’t know what the outcome in that world will be, but the only lens has been to make our best professional judgment for him and for us. And it has nothing to do with draft picks. It has nothing to do with tanking. It has everything to do with the health of the player.”
- Horst believes the Bucks would have been far more competitive this season if not for the injury issues that plagued Antetokounmpo and starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. “I’m not making excuses. I’m not saying this was a perfectly built team,” Horst said. “We might have overcalculated or miscalculated on whatever, but I do know that — and you’re probably like, ‘OK, Jon, we’ve heard it before,’ but it’s true — we have two of the top 20 lineups in the NBA in net rating and the best offensive lineup in the NBA with a real sample size.”
- Horst insists that Doc Rivers did an “incredible” job this season amid difficult circumstances, adding that the the veteran head coach has been an “unbelievable partner” since arriving in Milwaukee. However, he declined to comment on whether Rivers will be the Bucks’ head coach in 2026/27. “I don’t know the outcome; we’re gonna figure it all out,” Horst said. “I think we’ll figure it all out pretty quickly and what that looks like going forward.”
- According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Rivers isn’t likely to walk away from the guaranteed money left on his contract, but transitioning to a different role within the organization is a possibility. League sources tell Amick that Rivers is expected to meet with Horst and team ownership soon to discuss the future.
Board Of Governors To Vote May 28 On Anti-Tanking Measures
The NBA’s Board of Governors has a meeting scheduled on May 28 to vote on draft lottery reform and new anti-tanking measures, ESPN’s Shams Charania said today during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
The league’s tanking problem, which commissioner Adam Silver has vowed to address this offseason, was one of the topics of discussion during March’s Board of Governors meeting. Conversations about potential solutions are ongoing — according to Charania, there was a general manager call on Tuesday night to continue talking through the issue.
The NBA presented three separate lottery reform concepts to its governors at March’s meeting, though reporting earlier today suggested that the league-wide response to those idea has been lukewarm. Each of the three proposals involves expanding the lottery to at least 18 teams and reducing the odds of the league’s very worst teams landing the No. 1 overall pick.
During his NBA Today segment, Charania said that the concept that has gained the most momentum in recent weeks is the one that would expand the lottery to 18 teams and give the bottom 10 teams equal odds at the top pick (8% each). The remaining 20% would be split among the eight play-in teams, with each of the top 18 spots in the draft drawn via lottery.
According to Charania, the expectation is that if the NBA moves forward on that concept, it would undergo some modifications before it’s officially implemented and wouldn’t look exactly like initial reporting suggested. Any changes the league makes to the lottery won’t go into effect earlier than 2027.
The NBA has also sought the ability to assess more punitive penalties for teams engaging in lineup manipulation or other tanking tactics, while the players’ union has suggested implementing a “merit payment” system like the one in soccer’s Premier League, which would give winning teams larger shares of the league’s national television revenue. However, there’s no indication that the latter idea has gained traction with the league or team owners.
Southwest Notes: Edey, Prosper, Kyrie, Fears, Rockets
Speaking to reporters earlier this week for the first time since December, Grizzlies center Zach Edey said he was pleased with how he performed in his 11 games this season, suggesting he “showed who I can be,” per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Edey was excellent in his limited appearances, averaging 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in just 25.8 minutes per contest and leading the team to a 7-4 record, though he acknowledged that his health issues made it feel like a “wasted” season.
“Every game it kind of got a little worse,” he said of the left ankle injury that eventually required a second surgery following the initial repair last June. “My first few games, I didn’t feel it at all. Then I may have pushed it too much — played too many minutes or whatever it was. Toward the end of that stretch, it started giving me problems.”
In addition to getting a second surgery on his left ankle, Edey also underwent a procedure on his left elbow in March. However, the big man downplayed the elbow issue, confirming that it wasn’t a new injury.
“Just a little clean-up,” Edey said. “I’ve had some problems with my elbow since middle school. I played through it for a while. I figured I might as well just get it cleaned up while I have this boot on my foot.”
Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama (right knee surgery), guard Jaylen Wells (right big toe surgery), and Scotty Pippen Jr. (right big toe surgery) also spoke this week about their respective injury recoveries, as Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal relays.
Aldama indicated he expects to be fully recovered by mid-summer; Wells said he should be good to go by late June; and Pippen projected a three-month recovery timeline following his mid-March surgery. In other words, all three players expect to be ready for training camp in the fall.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Waived after two seasons in Dallas, former first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper has had a breakout year with the Grizzlies (10.0 PPG on .549/.405/.754 shooting). Speaking to Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Prosper says it was important for him to find his “niche” and make sure he excels in that area. “For me, it was focusing on my ability to guard multiple positions and be versatile on both sides of the ball,” the former Marquette forward said. “Offensively, you can put me as a three, four, five. And defensively, I can guard one through five. So that’s been my calling card. Now you can add to your game after that. Add to your shooting, add to your bag, but first you have to do what your calling card and do that and be consistent and stay poised the whole way through the season.”
- Kyrie Irving hasn’t played at all in the past year while recovering from a torn ACL, but the Mavericks have appreciated how his calm, level-headed presence and locker-room leadership have helped the team navigate a turbulent season, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). “He sees when guys are in their heads,” big man Daniel Gafford said. “He’s taking all of his experience, all of his game knowledge and he’s giving it to the younger generation.” Irving has a guaranteed $39.5MM contract for 2026/27 with a $42.4MM player option for ’27/28.
- While it hasn’t been a successful season overall for the Pelicans, the development of their rookies has been a silver lining. Jeremiah Fears provided a reminder of that in the team’s home finale on Tuesday, setting a new career high and a new franchise rookie record by scoring 40 points in a victory over Utah, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). “I’m really just proud of his growth,” interim head coach James Borrego said. “From training camp to where he’s at today, he’s taken a massive step. This franchise is in a really good place because of players like him. Fantastic.”
- The Rockets have a $180MM renovation plan for Toyota Center in the works, according to Houston mayor John Whitmire, who said on Wednesday that the state is expected to contribute $95MM to the project, with Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta funding the rest. Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) has the details.