Scotto’s Latest: Irving, Leonard, Acuff, Hawks Draft, Front Office Hires
Masai Ujiri‘s comments since arriving as the Mavericks new president and alternate governor have been consistent and future-facing, leading some executives around the league to wonder about the long-term fit of Kyrie Irving alongside franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg, Michael Scotto reports for HoopsHype. Ujiri has expressed enthusiasm about seeing the two stars plays together, as has newly hired assistant general manager Mike Schmitz.
“That’s something you dream of,” Schmitz said. “Having a magician with the ball like that who can pass, dribble, shoot, and someone with the connective qualities of Cooper. It’s a match made in heaven.”
However, given the difference in timelines — Irving is 34 years old and coming off a torn ACL, while Flagg will enter next season at just 19 — there are questions about how long it makes sense to keep the duo together. The Mavs have a top-10 pick in this year’s draft as well as 21-year-old Dereck Lively II, so they’re well-positioned to undergo a youth movement to build a future contender around Flagg, especially if they can continue adding to that young core in a deal for Irving. On the other hand, Kyrie could provide veteran stability and help Flagg continue to develop into a superstar while making the team more competitive.
The Mavericks struggled to find an answer at point guard this season, ranking 22nd in assists and 18th in turnovers with Irving rehabbing. Brandon Williams started 15 games while Ryan Nembhard started 27. Both showed themselves to be useful NBA role players, but not necessarily starting point guards to build around should Irving be moved.
The 2026 draft lottery is loaded with intriguing point guards, though, at least one of whom will likely be available when the Mavericks are on the clock with the ninth pick.
We have more news and notes from Scotto:
- In addition to monitoring Dallas’ plans for Irving, rival executives will be keeping a close eye on what the Clippers do with Kawhi Leonard and the fifth overall pick, Scotto writes. If the Clippers make Leonard available, many execs would have him and Giannis Antetokounmpo “neck-and-neck” as the top player on the trade market, Scotto adds. On the other hand, if L.A. retains – and possibly extends – Leonard, rivals are curious about whether the team would consider moving the No. 5 pick. Assuming the Clippers keep that selection, Illinois guard Keaton Wagler is widely viewed as their most likely target, according to Scotto.
- Echoing prior reporting from Kevin O’Connor, Scotto cites league sources who say the Kings are “enamored” with Darius Acuff, the point guard out of Arkansas. The question is whether the electric scorer will still be available when the Kings are on the clock. Acuff averaged 23.5 points and 6.5 assists while making 44.0% of 5.8 three-point attempts per game this season.
- Rival executives who have spoken to Scotto believe the Hawks will use the No. 8 pick to either select a point guard from the group of Wagler, Acuff, Mikel Brown, and Kingston Flemings, or to take 7’3″ Michigan center Aday Mara. Mara’s stock has been rising and he’s considered a lottery lock due to his size, passing ability, and potential as a defender and rim protector. According to Scotto, Atlanta would also like to bring back CJ McCollum, a veteran leader who had a red-hot start to the Hawks’ first-round series against the Knicks.
- The Mavericks are looking to fill out their front office under Masai Ujiri, and two potential targets they’re eyeing are Prosper Karangwa, the Sixers‘ assistant general manager, and Patrick Engelbrecht, the Raptors‘ director of global scouting, with whom Ujiri worked for over a decade.
- The Mavs are not alone in their interest in Kawanga, Scotto writes, as the Lakers are also eyeing him, Heat vice president of player personnel Eric Amsler, and Jazz vice president of player personnel Bart Taylor, among others, as they look to build out their front office. Timberwolves assistant general manager Steve Senior reportedly passed on an offer from the Lakers, opting to stay in Minnesota.
- The Jazz are tapping Shane Fenske as general manager of their G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, per Scotto. Fenske, who is the Jazz’s assistant general manager, was preceded by Katie Benzan, who is not leaving the team but rather changing roles within the franchise, notes Ben Anderson of KSL Sports (Twitter link).
2026 NBA Offseason Preview: Indiana Pacers
When Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon during the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, it didn't just scuttle the Pacers' chances of winning a championship that night. It essentially cost them their entire 2025/26 season as well.
Just two weeks after that Game 7 loss, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard ruled out Haliburton for all of '25/26, recognizing that the injury occurred too late in the postseason to make a second-half return prudent, even if the star point guard were able to beat the usual recovery timeline for an Achilles tear.
The Pacers, who advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in 2024 before making the NBA Finals a year later, weren't a one-man show, so there was reason to believe they could remain competitive without their star point guard. But Haliburton's injury was just the tip of the iceberg in what turned into a nightmarish, injury-plagued year in Indiana.
Less than one month into the season, the Pacers sat at the very bottom of the NBA's standings with a 1-13 record as injury issues forced them to turn to journeymen reserves like Tony Bradley and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to fill out their starting lineup. The roster eventually got a little healthier, but it was a lost year by that point, with the team dropping 30 of its first 36 games and eventually prioritizing draft position over competing for a play-in spot.
Amid a forgettable campaign, the Pacers made a fascinating trade-deadline deal, sending Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a pair of first-round picks, and a second-round selection to the Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac. The move addressed a hole that was created during the 2025 offseason when starting center Myles Turner left for Milwaukee in free agency and was clearly made with 2026/27 (and beyond) in mind. After all, once Haliburton returned and the Pacers got healthier, they'd need a quality big man like Zubac if they hoped to make another deep playoff run.
Besides the fact that the trade featured a 13-38 team acting as a buyer, it was an unusual deal for another reason. The 2026 first-rounder the Pacers included in their package was top-four protected and would turn into a 2031 pick if it landed within its protected range. With Indiana headed for a bottom-three record, there would be what was essentially a coin flip to determine whether the pick landed in the top four and stayed with the Pacers (52.1%) or fell to fifth or sixth and was conveyed to L.A. (47.9%). That coin flip favored the Clippers, who got lucky on lottery night and received the No. 5 overall pick in a loaded draft.
This raises an obvious question: Given that they were willing to give up that pick for a player they didn't need until next season, couldn't the Pacers have waited until this summer and extracted more value on the trade market for that selection? If the Clippers hung onto Zubac through the deadline and then were offered the No. 5 overall pick for him in the coming weeks, would they really have had the leverage to demand the second first-rounder (an unprotected 2029 pick) that Indiana gave up as part of its mid-season package? I'm skeptical.
Bucks To Retain Darvin Ham, Hire Joe Boylan
Head coach Taylor Jenkins‘ coaching staff for the Bucks is taking shape. In addition to the recently reported addition of Patrick St. Andrews as an assistant, Milwaukee is bringing on Joe Boylan and retaining Darvin Ham, Eric Nehm and Sam Amick report for The Athletic.
Ham spent six of the last eight seasons with the Bucks, working first under Mike Budenholzer and more recently under Doc Rivers. In between those two stints, he was the Lakers’ head coach for two seasons, taking them to the Western Conference finals in 2023. He was considered a candidate for the Pelicans’ head coach vacancy this summer before Jamahl Mosley was eventually hired.
St. Andrews has a close relationship with Jenkins, stemming from their time working as assistant coaches together with the Hawks and extending to their time in Memphis during Jenkins’ tenure as head coach.
Like St. Andrews, Boylan worked with Jenkins in Memphis, spending one season with the Grizzlies after working with the Timberwolves from 2021-24. Boylan held a variety of player development roles before he was hired by Minnesota, spending time with the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Warriors, and Celtics.
Bucks To Hire Patrick St. Andrews As Assistant Coach
The Bucks are hiring former Trail Blazers assistant coach Patrick St. Andrews as an assistant under new head coach Taylor Jenkins, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). St. Andrews previously worked with Jenkins when they were both with the Grizzlies.
St. Andrews was in charge of managing Portland’s minutes distribution and restrictions due to injuries last season, according to Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (via Twitter), who notes that St. Andrews was one of the team’s top assistants.
Prior to stints in Memphis and Portland, St. Andrews spent five seasons as an assistant with the Bucks, making this move something of a homecoming. It also gives Jenkins a familiar face as he continues to build out Milwaukee’s coaching staff.
Coaching Rumors: Kidd, Bryant, Klei, Bailey, Cook
Could Jason Kidd resurface with the Trail Blazers? It’s not out of the question, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
It’s natural that Kidd, who parted ways with the Mavericks this week, would be a potential candidate for any head coach opening.
Kidd has quietly been connected to Portland within league circles, according to Scotto, though it’s uncertain whether the Blazers will make a serious run at him or if he’ll want to pursue the job.
New majority owner Tom Dundon‘s cost-cutting measures make it unlikely that the Blazers would meet Kidd’s market value. Kidd is still owed $40MM+ from the Mavericks, who are eating the final four years of his contract. Kidd has also expressed interest in making personnel decisions and Portland’s GM Joe Cronin signed a multi-year extension last year. The Blazers are already in the process of conducting coaching interviews with at least a handful of candidates coming in for in-person interviews.
However, Scotto also notes that Damian Lillard, who will be back in action next season after recovering from an Achilles tear, has previously expressed interest in having Kidd as his head coach. Back in 2021, the last time Portland had a coaching search, Lillard told Yahoo Sports, “Jason Kidd is the guy I want.”
Portland ultimately chose Chauncey Billups, who was arrested and placed on leave amid a federal probe into illegal gambling at the start of this past season.
Here’s more coaching intel from Scotto:
- Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant is a potential candidate for the Bulls’ head coaching vacancy, Scotto reports. Bryant was a finalist for the Suns’ head coaching job last summer before Jordan Ott was chosen.
- The Hawks could be making an in-house hire. The coach of the G League’s College Park Skyhawks, Steven Klei, is a candidate to be promoted to Quin Snyder‘s NBA staff, per Scotto. There are a couple of openings on the staff after Butler hired Ronald Nored to be their head coach and Conner Varney as an assistant.
- Hawks assistant Bryan Bailey was among the candidates who interviewed for the Trail Blazers‘ head coaching job, according to Scotto. Bailey joined Snyder in Atlanta after serving as an assistant on Snyder’s Utah staff.
- The Trail Blazers contacted the Cavaliers for permission to speak with assistant coach Omar Cook regarding a possible assistant coaching position, Scotto writes. Cook played for Portland during the 2003/04 season.
Pelicans Hiring God Shammgod As Assistant Coach
The Pelicans are hiring veteran coach God Shammgod to be an assistant under new head coach Jamahl Mosley, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
A former guard who played professionally in the NBA and several other leagues around the world from 1997-2009, Shammgod got into coaching after retiring as a player and spent nearly a decade as a player development assistant in Dallas from 2016-25.
Shammgod worked alongside Mosley, a former Mavs assistant, until 2021 and then joined him in Orlando for the 2025/26 season. Now he’ll be leaving the Magic to rejoin Mosley’s in New Orleans as a front-of-the-bench assistant, per Scotto.
League sources tell Scotto that Mosley is expected to carry over a handful of assistants who were already working for the Pelicans, including Greg Monroe, Jodie Meeks, Mike Hopkins, and Will Bynum. However, he’ll also be making some of his own additions to the staff besides Shammgod.
Two of those potential newcomers are Dale Osbourne and Bret Brielmaier, who worked with Mosley in Orlando and are considered “strong candidates” to make the move to New Orleans, Scotto reports. Osbourne was in charge of the Magic’s defense, while Brielmaier holds some previous experience as a G League head coach, having led the Long Island Nets during the 2020/21 season.
Knicks Notes: Series Lead, Anunoby, Brunson, Pre-Draft Workouts
The Cavaliers advanced to the conference finals after trailing the Pistons 2-0 in their previous series. So the Knicks aren’t taking anything for granted with a 2-0 series lead. The series shifts to Cleveland for the next two games, beginning with Game 3 on Saturday night.
“We don’t feel any closer than we did last game or any game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “In our minds, it’s back to 0-0. We gotta win the next game, it’s the most important game of the year. That’s how we treat it. We’re hungry to go out there and play basketball at the highest level. But we also understand that you can never be satisfied in these positions in the playoffs. The mindset is gonna continue to be 0-0 every single time we step on that court.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby was named to the All-Defensive Second Team on Friday. He’s been selected to the Second Team twice during his career and just missed out in 2025, when he finished 11th in overall voting. “His versatility is just off the charts and you can do a lot of things with your defense because of him,” coach Mike Brown said of Anunoby, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
- In the battle of star point guards, Jalen Brunson has already led the Knicks past Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs in two previous playoff series. He’s two games away from eliminating Mitchell’s team again, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. Brunson is averaging 28.5 points and 10.0 assists through the first two games.
- The Knicks evaluated a couple of draft prospects on Friday. Michigan’s Morez Johnson and Florida’s Xaivian Lee visited the team’s training facility, SNY’s Ian Begley tweets. The Knicks have the 24th, 31st, and 55th overall picks in next month’s draft. The Athletic’s latest mock has Johnson getting selected at No. 17 by Oklahoma City.
Thunder Notes: SGA, Bench, Turnovers, McCain, Caruso
The Spurs scored the first 15 points. Then the Thunder came roaring back in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, led by two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA had 26 points and 12 assists in the 123-108 victory, which gave Oklahoma City a 2-1 series lead.
“We just went out there and competed,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press. “They obviously jumped on us early. First game in their building, their crowd behind them, they were excited to play. We just wanted to make sure we competed from that point on. We obviously didn’t give our best effort to start that game, but can’t do nothing about it. It’s behind us. All we can do is focus on the next possession, and we did that.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- Head coach Mark Daigneault pointed to his team’s low turnover total, 10, as a key to the comeback. “Other than the first 15 points, our defense was really tight,” Daigneault said. “We got back, settled down into the halfcourt. Our offense had something to do with that. We ran good offense tonight, despite the fact that they were amped up and ready to go, the Spurs were. It’s a discipline series. We did that. We couldn’t be reckless against them, they are too good with the ball, too well coached, too talented. So you’ve got to be able to do it with discipline. I thought we really were disciplined tonight.”
- Despite Jalen Williams (hamstring) being sidelined, the Thunder have so much depth that their reserves outscored the Spurs’ bench, 76-23. In-season acquisition Jared McCain led the way with 24 points. “He just oozes confidence,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “He knows exactly who he is, he knows exactly what he does, and he goes out there and does it no matter what. Whether the ball goes in or out he makes the next play, he makes the best play for himself and for the guys out there. He’s always aggressive, always in attack mode and we needed it tonight.”
- Who is the series MVP thus far? Not SGA or Victor Wembanyama, according to Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, whose pick is Alex Caruso. The veteran guard has not been simply a defensive dynamo but has made all-around contributions, scoring 15 points in 24 minutes in Game 3, Carlson notes. He is averaging 21.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in the series and is a plus-46 during his minutes. “I think the most impressive thing is, he makes the plays that have nothing to do with physical ability,” Chet Holmgren said.
Pistons Notes: Thompson, Langdon, Contention Window, Offseason Needs
The Pistons are facing a critical offseason as they continue to try to build their roster into a title contender. One decision they will face is whether or not to extend Ausar Thompson, who was recently named First Team All-Defense.
While the playoffs exposed some of the limitations of the current roster, it also illustrated the importance of Thompson to what Detroit wants to do, writes Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News.
“(Thompson) was big-time,” president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said. “He took a huge step last year, and as the season went on, you saw how much he impacted the game on both ends of the floor. … He competes at a high level. He is team-first. He is going to put in the work. We are excited about our future with him.”
While a majority of Thompson’s impact comes on the defensive end, Langdon believes Thompson can continue to grow his offensive skill set.
“Remember, last year, he did not play a full season,” Langdon said. “He worked through the summer, but it wasn’t like he was going to this year. We won’t have as many restrictions on him this summer as he had last year. He will be able to go out and do some serious work, and I know he is excited about it. You will not have to worry about Thompson putting in the work and competing.”
We have more Pistons notes and news:
- Langdon didn’t make a major move at the trade deadline, opting to send out Jaden Ivey to bring in Kevin Huerter and a pick swap that ended up moving the team from No. 28 to No. 21 in this year’s draft. The lack of added firepower may or may not have hurt the team in the playoffs, but it helped show where the roster really is, Omari Sankofa II writes for the Detroit Free Press. Now the question becomes whether Langdon will make a bigger offseason swing to bring in a true second scoring option next to star Cade Cunningham. “We’re always going to feel like we can get better and that’s the goal, is to be a championship contender,” he said. “We didn’t think it would come this fast, these questions about being a championship contender after Year 2. We have to factor that into the equation as well. Two years ago when I took the job, nobody in here thought I’d be getting championship contender questions two years later. But here we are.”
- While Detroit’s regular season success raised its playoff expectations considerably, losing in the second round was not the end of the team’s window of contention, but rather the start of it, Sankofa writes. The Pistons have all their future first-round picks, including five tradable firsts, as well as 15 future second-rounders, while also maintaining considerable financial flexibility moving forward, especially relative to some of their peers in the Eastern Conference. “We’re still super young,” Langdon said. “All of our guys are going to iterate and get better. They’re going to all be better players next year than they were this year, just like we saw from last year to this season. We’ll take a deep dive, we’ll figure out what we need to add and we’ll step out, we’ll look at it at 35 thousand feet. We won’t look at us as a one seed. We look at us as, ‘How do we get better?'” While the Eastern Conference is expected to get tougher next season as the Pacers and Celtics get back to full strength, the Pistons expect to improve as well, both internally and externally.
- One key area the team will need to address this offseason is adding more ball-handling, Shawn Windsor writes for the Free Press. This is not only to take some of the burden off Cunningham, but also to add more variability to the attack. “The more ball-handling you can have on the floor, the better,” Langdon said. “I think you see these teams that are successful have a lot of people that can … whether it’s initiate [offense], bringing the ball up, or actually execute in the halfcourt in terms of getting paint touches and making decisions. I think the more guys like that you have, the more difficult it is to guard.” Thompson’s improvement as a ball-handler will be crucial, but the Pistons may also need to turn to outside help to maximize their offensive potential.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers Free Agents, Nets Rookies, Brunsons
The Sixers‘ core four of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, and Joel Embiid are all under contract for next season, but three of their rotation players are unrestricted free agents: Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Andre Drummond.
Grimes had an up-and-down season, with career-low three-point efficiency despite some strong stretches of play, particularly in March, when Maxey was injured, Gina Mizell writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer. After signing a qualifying offer last summer, it’s unclear where his relationship stands with the organization, which is currently searching for its next head of basketball ops. His potential departure could leave the once-stocked guard rotation very thin.
Meanwhile, Oubre was able to find a home in Philadelphia and it’s unclear what kind of market he’ll see this summer.
“The game of basketball has reinvented itself to me through different lenses and different eyes throughout my tenure here, and I’m forever appreciative for the opportunity to play for this city,” he said.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Entering the 2025 draft with five first-round picks, the Nets had hopes that they could jump-start their rebuild. After somewhat surprisingly using all five selections, Brooklyn was shut out of the 2026 All-Rookie awards, with only Egor Demin receiving votes. The Nets didn’t bring in these five players in order to make All-Rookie teams, C.J. Holmes writes for the New York Daily News, but the voting exemplifies how far away the franchise still is from turning things around, especially given that they fell to No. 6 in the 2026 draft lottery. While they don’t need all five of the 2025 rookies to hit, they do need to see proof moving forward that at least a couple of them can become real rotation players.
- A public confrontation between Jalen Brunson and his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, during Game 4 of the first round immediately became social media fodder. The heated, yet respectful, exchange was nothing dramatic, however, but rather a natural part of the competitive father-son duo’s dynamic, going back to when Rick began coaching at the University of Virginia in 2007, Ian Begley writes for SNY. The elder Brunson would give his son no quarter as he put him through training, looking to see how he would respond. “I wanted to see if he would fold or if he would keep coming back,” Rick said. “Are you going to give in? Are you going to talk back? Or are you just going to work and keep showing that you can do it? I would always tell him, ‘This is what a college coach is going to do — the difference is I love you, he doesn’t.'” To the surprise of no one who has watched the Villanova champion’s career trajectory, he kept coming back.
- In case you missed it, we relayed several Knicks notes this morning in the wake of their Game 2 win over Cleveland.