Wizards Plan To Retain Brian Keefe For 2026/27
The Wizards intend to bring back head coach Brian Keefe for the 2026/27 season, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. General manager Will Dawkins confirmed as much during his end-of-season media session on Thursday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype relays (Twitter video link).
“Yeah, I anticipate Brian Keefe to be here,” Dawkins said when asked to clarify whether the Wizards plan to retain their coach.
Keefe has compiled an ugly 43-160 (.212) record since replacing Wes Unseld Jr. on Washington’s bench midway through the 2023/24 season. However, the franchise has been deep in rebuilding mode during that time and hasn’t necessarily wanted to be competitive, with a greater emphasis placed on draft position and player development.
As Robbins explains, the front office has appreciated the work Keefe has done over the last couple years with big man Alex Sarr, forward Kyshawn George, and liked the progress that rookies Tre Johnson, Will Riley, and Jamir Watkins made over the course of this season. Even after acquiring veteran stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young in mid-season trades, the team wants to continue prioritizing player development in the coming years, Robbins writes, and therefore views Keefe as good fit going forward.
Keefe also endeared himself to team officials based on his “willingness to collaborate with the front office,” according to Robbins, who adds that the head coach is well-liked by Wizards players.
Team president Michael Winger said in January that he believes Keefe has helped to establish a culture of competitiveness in D.C.
Southeast Notes: Ball, Heat, Knueppel, Magic, Wizards
The NBA is reviewing LaMelo Ball‘s trip of Bam Adebayo, which resulted in the Heat big man suffering a lower back injury and exiting Tuesday’s play-in game early, reports Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime (Twitter link). A ruling is expected before Friday, Haynes adds.
As we detailed on Tuesday night, after having his shot blocked by Heat wing Simone Fontecchio, Ball fell to the court and grabbed Adebayo’s foot, bringing him to the floor as he grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Fontecchio (video link via NBA.com). Ball wasn’t called for any sort of foul by the game officials, who missed the trip in real time, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra expressed his discontent after the game, referring to it as a “dangerous play” by the Hornets guard.
Crew chief Zach Zarba confirmed to a pool reporter after the game that the league has the ability to review the play after the fact, which is exactly what the NBA will do. ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an NBA Today appearance (Twitter video link) that league officials have already reached out both teams and intend to interview Ball. For his part, the Hornets star apologized after the game, explaining, “I got hit in the head (on the play) and didn’t really know where I was,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
It seems likely that the NBA will ultimately decide to assess Ball with a flagrant foul 1 or flagrant foul 2, but there’s doubt that he’ll be suspended for Friday’s do-or-die play-in game against the loser of Wednesday’s Sixers/Magic matchup, according to Charania.
Here are a few more items of interest from across the Southeast:
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks and The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson preview the Heat‘s upcoming offseason, noting that the team’s decision on unrestricted free agent Norman Powell will be a major factor in what direction the summer goes. Jackson believes it’s a “toss-up” whether Powell returns, pointing out that the veteran guard was less durable and less productive in the second half, reducing the odds of Miami offering him a lucrative long-term contract.
- In a separate story for The Miami Herald, Jackson says he hopes Tuesday’s play-in loss is a wake-up call for Heat management and that team president Pat Riley is prepared to admit that – regardless of injury luck – this roster isn’t good enough to contend. Riley and the front office need to consider new ideas, Jackson writes, including perhaps being more open to selling high on Miami’s own players or buying low on stars whose value has declined.
- Media members who vote on end-of-season awards have yet to receive their ballots as the NBA weighs “extraordinary circumstances” applications, prompting Chris Mannix of SI.com to wonder if Kon Knueppel‘s 2-of-12 night on Tuesday might hurt the Hornets sharpshooter’s Rookie of the Year chances, even though voters are only supposed to consider regular season performances.
- Magic forward Jett Howard, out since April 3 with a left ankle sprain, has been upgraded to available for Wednesday’s play-in game vs. Philadelphia, while Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) is still considered questionable, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Isaac last suited up on March 12 and seems unlikely to see much – if any – action even if he’s active.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac examines several of the decisions facing the Wizards this offseason, including how to handle Trae Young‘s contract situation and whether to extend Anthony Davis.
Southeast Notes: Jakucionis, Fontecchio, Young, Davis, Magic
Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis wound up playing in 53 games, including 12 starts, during his rookie season. The Miami brass was pleased with his development, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“I’m very encouraged by the progress that he’s made,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s willed himself through his work and consistent actions to be pretty consistent in our rotation the last several weeks. That was hard-earned. “He’s a lot better now than where he was coming into training camp, and certainly where he was in summer league. But he’s relentless, and he wants to get better. You have to respect his competitive spirit. He’s a competitor out there, even as a young player, so he’ll continue to get better.”
Jakucionis scored in double figures in three of his last seven games and also had a nine-assist performance against Washington earlier this month.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Despite an erratic season, Simone Fontecchio would like to re-sign with the Heat, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. He’ll be a free agent this summer. “I’d love to stay here,” Fontecchio told Italy’s Sky Sports. “I wouldn’t want to move my family again because we’re great in Miami. Just as importantly, I feel really comfortable with everyone here, from the owners to the coaching staff, and especially in this locker room, which is special because of the group it’s created.” Fontecchio appeared in 70 regular season games but his playing time and production weren’t consistent. He has averaged 8.5 points in 16.7 minutes per game.
- In his offseason guide, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says the top priorities this summer for the Wizards are Trae Young‘s and Anthony Davis‘ contract situations. Young has a June 23 deadline to either exercise his $49MM player option or become an unrestricted free agent and could sign a longer-term deal with Washington either way. Davis cannot become a free agent but is eligible to sign a four-year extension as of Aug. 6. The first year of such an extension would replace his $62.8MM option for 2027/28.
- While the Magic‘s season won’t end if they lose a play-in game at Philadelphia 0n Wednesday, it will call into question the direction of the franchise, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Bianchi believes it stands as a referendum as to the progress they’ve made in recent years.
Eastern Notes: Donovan, Okoro, Hornets, Whitmore, Sixers
As of Sunday night, Billy Donovan and the Bulls hadn’t scheduled their end-of-season meeting that will help determine whether he remains in his role as head coach, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required).
However, the expectation is that it will happen at some point this week and that Donovan won’t take long after the meeting to make a decision on his future, Poe adds. Bulls leaders, including CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf, have expressed strong interest in retaining Donovan after parting ways with top basketball operations executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, and multiple players have also said they hope the veteran coach returns.
“We’re at this pivot point right now,” Donovan said on Sunday. “Everything has changed. So for me to have to sit down and have a conversation — that’s really what I want to do, just to find out where we’re all at on this and how we’re going to move forward.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Bulls forward Isaac Okoro has another year left on his contract, but after being traded last summer, he knows there are no guarantees he’ll still be in Chicago for the start of the 2026/27 season, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Okoro said on Monday that he’ll “just control what I can control” and focus on improving as a player this offseason. “It’s the NBA, it’s the business, and I can be traded again somewhere,” he said. “I love being here and I love the culture we’re trying to build, so I just have to try and control what I can control. But I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve only been traded one time, but in Cleveland come every offseason I felt like I could have been traded.”
- In a pair of in-depth stories, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic take a closer look at the turnaround in Charlotte, where the Hornets have gone from being a perennial punching bag to an exciting young team on the rise. As Vorkunov details, besides bringing in new leaders – general manager Jeff Peterson and head coach Charles Lee – and compiling a promising young core of players, the Hornets have dramatically upgraded their organizational infrastructure under co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, hiring more than 60 new people, renovating their arena, and beginning construction on a new practice facility and team headquarters.
- Discussing the deep vein thrombosis that cut his third NBA season short, Wizards forward Cam Whitmore suggested on Monday that not being able to play basketball during the second half of 2025/26 was a secondary concern, given the serious nature of the issue. “That was a life-threatening (situation),” Whitmore said, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). “… I’m grateful just to be alive, to be honest. I’m grateful to talk to my family.”
- Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice and Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) consider what the Sixers‘ rotation will look like during the play-in tournament this week, with Aaronson suggesting it won’t be a surprise if guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe both get to 40-plus minutes on Wednesday vs. Orlando.
Anthony Davis Discusses Wizards In First D.C. Media Session
Monday marked the first time Anthony Davis was made available to speak to the media since the Wizards traded for him ahead of the February deadline, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. As Robbins observes, the Wizards held a press conference after they traded for Trae Young in early January, but didn’t do the same for Davis a month later.
According to Robbins, the 33-year-old big man raised doubts on Monday about the Wizards’ ability to quickly transition from the NBA’s worst team to a contender. Davis made it clear he wants to have lengthy talks with president Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins this offseason about how Washington intends to become a championship-caliber team in 2026/27 or ’27/28.
“I’ve been in this league a long time, and I’ve been with losing teams, been on losing teams,” Davis said. “It’s very hard to be a losing team and then a championship contender, right? I think one team has only done it: Boston in ’08. The only team, right? Even when I was in New Orleans and we had two losing seasons, then we made the playoffs our third year — that, within itself, is a huge jump: showing that you want to be on a path to winning.
“And that’s what it takes. So, if something comes out of the conversation where that’s the path — and, obviously, you won’t know until the season starts — that’s what I would like to see. What is our plan for winning going into next season? And how? Not like this is a plan, but how do we execute that? And based on that, we’ll kind of see what happens.”
As Robbins notes, the “see what happens” comment raised some eyebrows and led to a follow-up question asking whether Davis expected to be on the roster to open next season. The 10-time All-Star will earn a guaranteed $58.5MM in ’26/27, followed by a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m under contract,” Davis replied. ” … Whether we figure something out in the summer (that’s) good or bad, whatever … if it doesn’t get figured out, then come October, mid-October, late October, I will have a Washington Wizards uniform on, and I will go out there, and I will do everything I can to win a basketball game. That’s never going to change.
“ … In the summer, right now, I’m going to compete, train and have the mindset that I will be here next year. Not only because I’m under contract, but also, I like these young guys. I ain’t going to lie. I feel like they’re all my children.”
Davis was complimentary of the Wizards’ young players as well as the franchise as a whole, saying his previous (negative) perception of the franchise wasn’t accurate, Robbins adds.
“The organization is a very good organization. Ted [Leonsis] is a great owner, the coaching staff and the players, their development. Obviously, the city is phenomenal,” Davis said, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.
Because the Wizards had the worst record in the league, they can finish no worse than fifth in the draft lottery, with a 52.1% chance at a top-four pick, including 14.0% odds at selecting No. 1 overall. They also have young players like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George who are considered part of the team’s core, Robbins writes.
Still, Davis made it clear he’s on the fence about Washington’s short-term direction, per Robbins. The 10-time All-Star appeared in a career-low 20 games this season due to a variety of injuries, including ligament damage in his left hand that prevented him from making his Wizards debut in ’25/26.
Numerous Teams Considering Coaching Changes
The NBA’s coaching carousel has already started spinning with Doc Rivers‘ decision to step down from the Bucks, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype suggests it could be an active offseason throughout the league on that front.
Milwaukee has a potential replacement on hand in lead assistant Darvin Ham, but sources tell Scotto the Pelicans could also have interest in Ham if they decide not to retain interim head coach James Borrego, echoing recent reporting from Jake Fischer.
Former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins may be the top name on the market and is expected to draw interest from the Bucks, Scotto confirms. Jenkins previously served as an assistant under Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee.
Scotto states that Borrego could also emerge as a candidate for the Bucks if New Orleans decides to move on, noting that he interviewed with the organization before it hired Adrian Griffin in 2023.
Scotto shares more coaching and front office rumors from around the NBA:
- The Bulls are hoping to hold onto coach Billy Donovan after upending their front office last week. Scotto believes Donovan may have some interest in taking over the Magic if they decide to fire Jamahl Mosley, pointing out that Orlando hired Donovan in 2007 before he changed his mind a few days later and decided to remain at Florida. Scotto cites Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd as a potential front office addition in Chicago, noting that Lloyd began his career with the Bulls. He also points to CAA’s Austin Brown as a possibility if the organization wants to make a run at one of the top agents in the business.
- Jenkins and Tom Thibodeau could also be options for the Magic if they make a coaching move, according to Scotto. Borrego, a former assistant in Orlando, may emerge as another possibility. Sources tell Scotto that Michael Malone had been considered throughout the league as a potential candidate for the Magic before he accepted a job with North Carolina.
- The Pelicans will consider keeping Borrego, but sources tell Scotto that Ham and Kevin Ollie will also be in the mix, while Mosley has “several admirers” in New Orleans and could be among the leading candidates for the position if he becomes available. Scotto also points out that Ham worked with Pelicans executive vice president of basketball 0perations Joe Dumars for two years in Detroit, while Ollie interviewed for the head coaching job when New Orleans general manager Troy Weaver was running the Pistons.
- Steve Kerr and the Warriors will discuss their future this summer, Scotto hears. Stephen Curry remains a huge advocate for Kerr and wants them to finish their careers together, but Kerr is the league’s highest-paid coach and there are concerns about burn-out after a difficult season.
- Interim head coach Tiago Splitter will be a candidate to remain with the Trail Blazers after leading the team to the eighth seed in the West, but several top assistant coaches throughout the league and some college coaches will also be considered, sources tell Scotto.
- Wizards coach Brian Keefe still has strong support from his front office, but Scotto’s sources say his future is “undecided” as the organization hopes to transform into a playoff contender next season.
- The Hawks‘ late-season surge could result in an extension for coach Quin Snyder, according to Scotto.
Southeast Notes: Jaquez, Herro, Carrington, Cain
The Heat entered the season hoping for a bounce-back performance following last season’s 10th-place finish in the East, but it has been a disappointing year in Miami, where the Heat once again find themselves entering the postseason as the No. 10 seed in the East.
While the team might not have achieved its regular season goals, it was a successful season from an individual perspective for third-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is one of the frontrunners for the Sixth Man of the Year award, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
After averaging career-highs in points (15.2), rebounds (5.1), and assists (4.7) per game, Jaquez has the second-best odds to win the award according to BetOnline, Chiang notes, behind only Keldon Johnson of the Spurs.
“I think, obviously, I didn’t want to have the year I had last year. But life happens,” Jaquez said. “The only thing you can do is get back up. I heard a great quote, ‘Failure isn’t falling down, failure is staying down.’ And I think just being able to come back and improve on my game, it would just be a great recognition of the hard work.”
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- Tyler Herro isn’t shying away from the disappointment of the Heat‘s 2025/26 regular season, but he’s ready to put it behind him and move forward, Chiang writes. “It’s been a long, weird, awkward season,” he said. “Different injuries, in and out. I started the season out, obviously, for kind of like an indefinite time, not really knowing when I was coming back. So it’s just like taking it one step at a time, one day at a time and one game at a time.” One goal is clear for the shooting guard. “I need to get out of the play-in,” he said.
- By suiting up in the Wizards‘ loss to the Cavaliers today, Bub Carrington became the first player since Karl-Anthony Towns to play in 164 straight games over his first two NBA seasons. Towns achieved the feat of not missing a game through the first two years from 2015-2017, and added a third straight year in 2017/18. Carrington played 38 minutes in the last game of the season, scoring 20 points and adding nine assists for Washington on Sunday.
- While the Magic‘s regular season ended in disappointment following a loss to the Celtics’ reserves, fourth-year player Jamal Cain has plenty to be happy about with his performance this year, Jason Beede writes for the Orlando Sentinel. Cain carved out a role for himself and earned his place in the rotation, as Beede details. “All the work that me and my trainer put in is actually coming to fruition,” Cain said. “Also, my teammates believe in me and give me confidence.” Cain’s deal includes a team option for the 2026/27 season.
Ten Postseason Seeds Up For Grabs On Final Day Of Regular Season
While we’ve known which 20 NBA teams will be competing in the 2025/26 postseason for some time, 10 seeds are still in flux entering April 12, the final day of the 2025/26 regular season. Most importantly, three Eastern Conference teams are still vying for the final guaranteed playoff spot ahead of Sunday’s slate of games, which will see all 30 teams take the floor.
Here are the current playoff and play-in standings in both conferences, as well as where each team could finish, per the league (Twitter links).
Eastern Conference:
- Detroit Pistons (59-22)
- Boston Celtics (55-26)
- New York Knicks (53-28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)
- Atlanta Hawks (46-35) — fifth or sixth
- Toronto Raptors (45-36) — fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth
- Orlando Magic (45-36) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Philadelphia 76ers (44-37) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Charlotte Hornets (43-38) — ninth or 10th
- Miami Heat (42-39) — ninth or 10th
Western Conference:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (64-17)
- San Antonio Spurs (62-19)
- Denver Nuggets (53-28) — third or fourth
- Los Angeles Lakers (52-29) — third or fourth
- Houston Rockets (51-30)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33)
- Phoenix Suns (44-37)
- Portland Trail Blazers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Los Angeles Clippers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Golden State Warriors (37-44)
Notes: Teams in bold are locked in to their current seeds. A top-six seed ensures a guaranteed playoff spot, while the Nos. 7-10 teams will compete in the play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference.
The most critical matchup Sunday is Brooklyn at Toronto. If the Raptors win, they can finish no worse than sixth place, securing the final guaranteed playoff berth.
The Hawks have ruled out most of their top players ahead of Sunday’s game at the Heat after securing a guaranteed playoff spot on Friday, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. That matters for Miami, because if they beat Atlanta and the Hornets lose at New York, the Heat would move ahead of Charlotte due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. That said, the Knicks will be playing without four of their five starters tonight, and if the Hornets win, they stay at No. 9.
It would be shocking if the Raptors don’t win Sunday, since the tanking Nets have already ruled out nine players (a 10th is doubtful) and have an incentive to lose the game. We’ll get more into that shortly.
Still, if the Raptors do lose Sunday’s game, it opens the door for the Magic or Sixers to move up to No. 6. A Raptors loss combined with a Magic win at Boston — the Celtics are likely to be without their top-seven rotation members — would see Orlando earn the guaranteed playoff berth. The 76ers, who face Milwaukee, need to win and need Toronto and Orlando to lose to move up two spots.
If the Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Sixers all win, they will finish where they currently are in the standings.
In the West, the scenarios are more straightforward. If the Nuggets win at San Antonio, they stay at No. 3. If they lose and the Lakers beat the Jazz, Denver and Los Angeles will switch places in the standings.
The Trail Blazers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Clippers, so if they beat Sacramento tonight they will finish No. 8. The Clippers could move up if they beat Golden State and Portland loses to the Kings.
Lottery odds and traded draft picks
At the other end of the standings, the Wizards (17-64) have clinched the worst record in the league and thus have the top draft-lottery floor, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington has a 52.1% chance at landing a top-four pick in the 2026 draft lottery and 47.9% odds at No. 5, which is the worst selection the team can end up with.
The Pacers (19-62) and Nets (20-61) are also guaranteed to finish with bottom-three records and will have identical 52.1% odds at moving into the top four, including a 14.0% chance at No. 1 overall. If the Nets lose this evening and the Pacers beat Detroit, the two teams would tie and a coin flip would determine which team has the second-best lottery floor. The winner of the coin flip can finish no worse than sixth in the draft lottery, while the loser can finish no worse than seventh.
The Clippers will be hoping the Pacers lose tonight, since Indiana will send its 2026 first-round pick to L.A. if it lands outside the top four. The Pacers will retain the pick if it stays in its protected range (top four).
Several other lottery situations are still in flux entering Sunday. The Jazz and Kings are currently tied for the fourth-worst record (22-59), the Grizzlies and Mavericks are tied for the sixth-worst record (25-56), and the Pelicans (26-55) have a chance at making the latter situation a three-way tie. The Hawks will be hoping the Pelicans lose and Grizzlies and Mavericks win, since they control the better of New Orleans’ or Milwaukee’s first-rounders.
Utah will send its first-round pick to the Thunder if it’s not in the top eight. But even if the Jazz finish with the NBA’s fifth-worst record (or finish tied for the fourth-worst record and lose a coin flip), the odds of their pick landing at No. 9 would be minuscule (0.6%).
There’s a chance the Bulls (31-50) and Bucks (32-49) could have a coin flip for the ninth and tenth spots. It would require Chicago to win at Dallas and Milwaukee to lose at Philadelphia.
The four other lottery teams will be the four clubs that are eliminated in the play-in tournament.
Southeast Notes: Knueppel, W. Carter, Keefe, Sarr
Several members of the Hornets — including head coach Charles Lee, executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson, and Brandon Miller — recently explained why they think Kon Knueppel deserves to be named Rookie of the Year, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“I understand why the race is tight,” Lee said. “The rookie class this year has been pretty impressive. [Cooper] Flagg is one of the guys that’s up there, and I think that he’s shown some good moments. But I said it about a month ago, to me it’s not even close. I still feel that way.
“I think that this period of time has shown it even more, when you have a guy that’s been as productive as Kon has been, when he’s been as consistent as he is, and as efficient as he’s been on a playoff-caliber team. I think that’s pretty impressive.
“There’s things that show historically what he’s been able to do as a rookie,” Lee continued. “but then there’s even some stats if you dive even deeper into the advanced stats and stuff, he’s just one of the best players in the NBA — not even just as a rookie.
“So, I can go on and on, but I think that he has definitely made his case just from a production, consistency and efficiency perspective, and also impacting winning games.”
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. broke his nose in Monday’s loss to Detroit and is wearing a protective mask, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Entering Friday, Carter had already appeared in 76 games this season, eclipsing last year’s career high of 68. “It was something that’s been a goal of mine for the past two or three years,” he said. “So for it to actually come to life and me to able to be available for these games, it means a lot. But now it’s about being a little bit more consistent. I’ve had stretches throughout this year where I haven’t been playing my best basketball whether that’s from tiredness, injury or whatever. It’s just about being better while I’m out there.”
- Determining the future of head coach Brian Keefe will be the first order of business for the Wizards this offseason, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. While Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger spoke highly of the job Keefe has done the past two seasons, there has been a sense around the league that it might be difficult for Keefe to transition from coaching a tanking team to a group trying to be more competitive in 2026/27, Robbins notes.
- Wizards big man Alex Sarr is “unlikely” to play in Washington’s season finale on Sunday, Keefe said earlier this week (story via The Associated Press). The French center, who was selected second overall in the 2024 draft, will end up missing the final nine games of his season season due to a left toe injury.
Injury Notes: Wolves, Wizards, Spurs, Cavs, Quickley
After clinching a playoff spot on Tuesday in Indiana, the Timberwolves will hold some regulars out on the second night of a back-to-back set on Wednesday in Orlando. According to the team (Twitter link), Julius Randle (right hand soreness), Ayo Dosunmu (right calf injury maintenance), and Mike Conley (rest) are all out, while Rudy Gobert (rest) is considered questionable to play.
Star guard Anthony Edwards, who has missed nine of Minnesota’s past 11 games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) and an illness, will also sit out again as the team prioritizes getting him as healthy as possible for the playoffs. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic suggested earlier this week that the Wolves may want Edwards to play a game or two at the end of the regular season before he gets another week off ahead of Game 1 of the first round.
The most notable Timberwolves injury update affects forward Jaden McDaniels, who has been on the shelf since March 25 due to left knee patella tendinopathy. According to a press release, McDaniels has been cleared for full-contact, 5-on-5 work and has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando. Even if the 25-year-old isn’t upgraded to available tonight, it sounds like he’ll make his return before the regular season ends.
Here are more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Unsurprisingly, Wizards big man Anthony Davis and point guard Trae Young aren’t expected to play again this season, head coach Brian Keefe said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network). Davis, who has yet to make his Wizards debut, has been ramping up his work in recent weeks as he recovers from a hand injury, but will run out of time to return this spring. As for Young (low back pain; right quad contusion), he’s not as far along is his recovery process as Davis.
- The Spurs have ruled out Victor Wembanyama (left rib contusion) and Stephon Castle (right knee soreness) for Wednesday’s matchup with Portland, but they’re optimistic about both players’ chances of playing on Friday vs. Dallas, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Wembanyama will need to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s final two games of the season in order to qualify for end-of-season awards, including MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
- Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson, out since March 19 with a left great toe bone bruise, went through Wednesday’s shootaround and then conducted an individual workout with coaches and trainers, but his toe was still bothering him and he has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday’s contest against Atlanta, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cavs forward Dean Wade, who has been sidelined since March 24 due to a right ankle sprain, has a better chance of making his return tonight — he’s listed as questionable.
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley played nearly 18 minutes in Tuesday’s win over Miami after missing the previous eight games due to plantar fasciitis. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link), Quickley said he has been battling an issue “a little bit deeper than just plantar fasciitis” that flared up in February, and while the time off helped, he recognizes that he’s still not 100%.