Cavs Starting Strus Over Wade For Game 4; Schröder Out
The Cavaliers are making a change to their starting lineup ahead of Monday’s do-or-die Game 4 vs. New York, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that Max Strus will replace Dean Wade at small forward.
As Fedor notes, while Wade has been in Cleveland’s starting five for most of the team’s playoff run, head coach Kenny Atkinson has turned to Strus multiple times as Wade’s replacement. This will be Strus’ fourth start of the 2026 postseason after he previously got the starting nod in Games 5 and 6 of the first-round series vs. Toronto and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Detroit. Cleveland went 2-1 in those three games.
After blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1 and eventually losing in overtime, the Cavaliers proceeded to drop Games 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks. They enter Monday’s game in a 3-0 hole and are on the brink of elimination for the third time this playoff run after each of their first two series went the full seven games.
Strus, who didn’t make his 2025/26 season debut until mid-March following offseason foot surgery, has averaged 9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.0 minutes per game in 17 playoff appearances this spring. His shooting slash line over that span is .409/.363/.917, but he has struggled thus far against New York, averaging 8.7 PPG on .280/.333/1.000 shooting splits.
Wade, who’s known for his solid defense, has averaged 4.6 PPG and 4.1 RPG on .469/.383/.333 shooting in 17 playoff games (23.2 MPG). The poor free throw percentage is a little misleading, since he has made one of his three attempts.
In other news ahead of Game 4, the Cavs have ruled out veteran point guard Dennis Schröder due to an illness, Fedor writes for Cleveland.com. The 32-year-old German was initially listed as questionable before being downgraded.
“Willing to take more risks,” Atkinson said. “Talked about playing more guys, trying some new tactics. I think your risk meter could go up because you got to try to find something to break their momentum.”
Jalen Williams Questionable For Game 5; Ajay Mitchell Out
The Thunder have listed Jalen Williams as questionable for Tuesday’s critical Game 5 against the Spurs, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
Williams’ official injury designation is left hamstring strain injury management. He has missed the past two games due to the left hamstring issue, which he first strained on April 22 in Game 2 of Oklahoma City’s first-round series vs. Phoenix. He was absent for the entire second-round sweep of the Lakers due to that injury, which he aggravated in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals vs. San Antonio.
While Williams, a 2024/25 All-Star and All-NBA wing, has a chance to play on Tuesday, the defending champions have already ruled out Ajay Mitchell, who injured his right calf in the third quarter of Game 3. The second-year guard, who also missed Game 4, is dealing with a right soleus strain.
The Thunder struggled to score in Sunday’s Game 4 loss without two of their main offensive initiators, putting extra pressure on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder will host the Spurs on Tuesday with the series tied at two games apiece.
The Spurs are banged up as well, with De’Aaron Fox playing through a right ankle sprain and Dylan Harper battling through right adductor soreness. Neither player is on Tuesday’s injury report even though they’re both less than 100%, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Hawks, Rockets, Trail Blazers Interested In Jaylen Brown?
Some people around the NBA think the Hawks, Rockets and Trail Blazers all have “legitimate trade interest” in Celtics star Jaylen Brown, Marc Stein reports at The Stein Line (Substack link).
Stein references Brown within a story largely centered on the uncertain future of Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is believed to have interest in joining Boston, though whether the Celtics feel the same way is not yet known.
The framework of a possible blockbuster trade between Milwaukee and Boston that sees Antetokounmpo land with the Celtics would likely have to involve at least three teams, according to Stein, with Brown rerouted to a third club — potentially Atlanta, Houston or Portland — and the Bucks receiving unspecified assets.
Brown, 29, is coming off a career-best regular season in which he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steal in 34.4 minutes per game across 71 appearances. He was named to his fourth straight All-Star team (fifth overall), finished a career-high sixth in MVP voting, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the second time.
Brown still has three years and $183MM remaining on the super-max extension he signed with Boston in 2023. The Georgia native was named Finals MVP when the Celtics won their 18th title in 2024.
Latest On Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Heat and Celtics are believed to be atop Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s current list of desired trade destinations, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
While Miami has long coveted the Bucks superstar and will likely have “substantive” talks with Milwaukee about a possible deal, Stein say’s it’s not certain how Boston feels about a potential franchise-altering trade that would likely have to involve Jaylen Brown and at least three teams.
Stein continues to hear Antetokounmpo prefers a trade to an Eastern Conference team capable of competing for championships rather than a move to the West. That presumably has to do with the strength of the Thunder and Spurs, whose young cores could make the two teams fixtures atop the conference for years to come.
Although Stein doesn’t expect the Mavericks to pursue Antetokounmpo this summer because they’re focused on building around Cooper Flagg (for what it’s worth, they also lack future first-round picks), league sources tell The Stein Line that the two-time MVP has long been intrigued by the possibility playing in Dallas.
As Stein explains, Antetokounmpo’s Mavs interest was first piqued by the possibility of teaming up with Luka Doncic, who was shockingly traded to the Lakers in February 2025. The 31-year-old continued to monitor the team from afar due to his close relationship with Jason Kidd, who recently parted ways with the team after five years as head coach, Stein writes.
The Mavericks did some background work leading up to the deadline to try and determine if Antetokounmpo was still interested in a possible trade to Dallas, according to Stein, who says Kidd’s exit wouldn’t necessarily preclude a deal. New Mavs president Masai Ujiri is also close to Antetokounmpo and the Raptors — Ujiri’s former team — were long linked to the Greek forward.
Still, Stein reiterates that Antetokounmpo is focused on Eastern clubs and he’s expected to have a considerable amount of say in trade talks, since he only has one guaranteed year on left on his contract. Antetokounmpo becomes extension-eligible in October.
New Blazers Owner: Franchise Needed To Be Leaner
Tom Dundon, the Trail Blazers’ new majority owner, told Bill Oram of The Oregonian that laying off 70 employees of the franchise last week was mainly due to overstaffing, rather than frugality. Dundon said the organization had twice as many employees as the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, another franchise he owns.
“My experience is that less layers gives people more accountability and they do a better job,” Dundon said. “Then you know that you’re getting a great job done and you don’t end up in the situation where many companies end up, which is everyone’s looking around for somebody else to do it, complaining about what’s fair and not fair. I’ve seen the job done really well with a lot of accountability, no drama and a lot of, honestly, happiness. People are happier when they’re busy and productive. That is the way I think things should be done. And more people just creates more problems, usually. I think Portland just had too many people.”
Dundon has also been criticized for some cost-cutting measures involving the team. They were reportedly the only team not to bring their two-way players on the road for their first-round series; they have begun requiring support staffers to check out of their hotel rooms early in order to avoid incurring late check-out fees; and they reportedly want to pay their next permanent head coach a bargain-basement rate.
However, Dundon insisted he would not pinch pennies when it came to the players.
“This was mostly on the business side,” Dundon said of his budgetary decisions. “The basketball, they’re two separate businesses. Taking care of the players is not… We don’t have a budget for that. It’s whatever it takes to put them in the best position to win. That’s what we’re going to do. The business I’m going to run like you run every other business.”
Here’s more from Oram’s interview:
- On the Portland City Council’s impasse regarding funding for Moda Center renovations (the state has already agreed to contribute $365MM): “I don’t know enough about their process. I know that we came in with an intention to do something that, that could just start moving forward immediately. Because the building is older and we do need to get to work and time never helps deals. And now they have a choice. I would have thought it would be done by now, but they are elected to do their job and they’re going to do whatever they think is right and then we’ll respond to that.”
- On the team’s trade deadline approach: “We were talking during the trade deadline and we had a choice. You could sell off some things for (future assets) or you could try to create the culture where you win. To me, that’s way more important than the stuff that’s out there. The choice we made was to add a piece (Vit Krejci) and try to create the culture of we’re here to win. And a lot of these other things, I don’t think have anything to do with that. I haven’t been in a lot of situations where people don’t think that the relentless pursuit of trying to win (is) an advantage. I’m pretty sure over time that will become obvious.”
- On duplicating the success of the Hurricanes with the Blazers: “Ultimately, you do everything you can to get the best players possible. Create a culture where they taken care of but also pushed. And creating a culture where everybody is doing what’s best for the team. It’s some of the cliche stuff. Great coaching and accountability and standards. I think we’ll be at the top of the league in creating that environment where we get the best out of players and we create a roster full of players that, that are put in the best position to win. And I think that’s replicable.”
Northwest Notes: Paul, Dundon, Ainge, Nuggets Draft
Chris Paul doesn’t play for the Thunder or Spurs. However, he had a major impact on both of the Western Conference finalists, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News writes.
Paul was a mentor to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a member of the Thunder during the 2019/20 season. He also played a leadership role for the young Spurs squad last season.
“He helped the young guys, including myself, really understand the game at a different level,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said. “He’s a winning basketball player, and I can see how he contributed to winning here as well.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Trail Blazers fans have some concerns about new majority owner Tom Dundon, who has made cost-cutting measures since taking over the franchise. There’s also fears Dundon might look to move the franchise to another state. The Oregonian’s Bill Oram spoke with numerous executives and fans of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, a franchise Dundon also owns, and their comments should generally ease fears about Dundon’s long-term plans. Dundon has committed to investing $800MM into development around the Lenovo Center, where the Hurricanes play. Any concerns about relocation were erased after a new 20-year lease was signed in 2023. “If he bought (the Hurricanes) with a plan to leave,” Hurricanes CEO Brian Fork said, “he could have tried to execute on that. But he did the opposite of that and sort of doubled down in this market.”
- The Jazz had some major lottery luck, securing the No. 2 pick. Team president of basketball operations Austin Ainge represented the team at the lottery. He’s hoping this will be their last visit to the league’s lottery drawing room for a long time, according to Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I hope I’m not back here,” he said.
- The Nuggets hold the No. 26 and 49 picks in next month’s draft. Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette takes a closer look at some of the prospects who might be available at those points in the draft.
Atlantic Notes: Nets Home, Brown, Broome, Edgecombe
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill would like to move the Nets back to her state. However, the Nets are content in their current home in New York City, the New York Post’s Brian Lewis reports.
“They’re perfectly happy in Brooklyn,” a league source told Lewis.
Sherrill hinted that at least one sports team might be coming to New Jersey. The Nets have played in Brooklyn since 2012 after 35 years in New Jersey, mostly in the Meadowlands.
“I mean, would I support it? I ask about it all the time,” Sherrill said of getting the Nets back. “I love the idea. So, I have been pressing for that. I haven’t made a lot of headway yet; you know, maybe in my second 100 days. But I do think there is some work being done for some — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say too much about it — but some people are working on some different sports coming into the Rock.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was chosen for the All-NBA Second Team, getting the most votes of any player who didn’t make the First Team. Brown said on social media, as relayed by Masslive’s Brian Robb, he was somewhat surprised he got so much support. He received 44 First Team votes, 54 Second Team votes and two Third Team votes. “I’m not the most-liked, [by] fans or media,” Brown said. “Sometimes I use my platform a little controversial, so I’m surprised I’m on any team, let alone first or second. I’m grateful for everything. I’m not surprised about nothing.”
- Daryl Morey’s last draft pick for the Sixers got very little playing time, Adam Aaronson of Phillyvoice.com notes. Johni Broome, who was selected at No. 35 last June, logged just 55 regular-season minutes, only making four of his 24 shot attempts. Of his 11 appearances, 10 came in garbage time. Broome also dealt with a knee injury. However, it’s too early to completely dismiss Broome, Aaronson adds.
- On the flip side, the Sixers hit it big with lottery selection VJ Edgecombe, who immediately jumped into the starting lineup, Aaronson writes. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey could be the league’s most promising long-term backcourt after Edgecombe averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals in his rookie campaign.
Thunder Notes: Injuries, Game 4 Loss, SGA, Holmgren
The Thunder looked overmatched Sunday night without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, and they may need at least one of them to return to have a chance to beat the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Williams was downgraded to out with left hamstring soreness shortly before tipoff in Game 4, while Mitchell was ruled out Saturday night due to a strained right calf. There’s no indication yet on whether either player will be available when the series resumes Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
As Mussatto observes, OKC struggled to get good shots or even to hold onto the ball with two of their best playmakers sidelined. They shot 33% from the floor and 18% from three-point range and weren’t able to reach 80 points until Nikola Topic hit a garbage-time layup late in the game.
“I thought we left a lot to be desired on that end of the floor tonight,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “We didn’t have the sharpness, force or precision necessary to crack them. And they were really good defensively.”
While the Thunder have experienced injuries throughout the regular season and playoffs, they’ve rarely had to survive without two of their best offensive initiators. In their absence, a huge burden fell on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was limited to 19 points by the Spurs’ smothering defense and missed nine of the 15 shots he took.
SGA didn’t get much help from his teammates as Alex Caruso was shut out, Luguentz Dort managed just two points and Jared McCain was 1-of-10 on a four-point night. The misfiring took place throughout the lineup with Cason Wallace going 2-of-8, Jaylin Williams 1-of-7 and Aaron Wiggins 2-of-11.
“I think it’s a snowball effect,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When you come out with the right energy, things like (missing two ball handlers) work out and the offense has flow. I don’t think we came out with the right energy today.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- Gilgeous-Alexander talked about how to create more opportunities for Chet Holmgren, who had 10 points on eight shots Sunday night (video link from Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman). “Chet’s an easy target to find,” he said, “so probably just like find him more in the dunker, when he’s spacing, just put him in better positions to use his strengths as an offensive talent.”
- The Thunder are normally able to overwhelm opponents with their talent level, but that may not be possible for the rest of this series, states Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. The inability to adjust to the absence of Williams and Mitchell and the poor response from so many players who were thrust into larger offensive roles took away the team’s normal cohesion throughout the game.
- Even though they got outplayed in Game 4, the Thunder have the solace of earning a split in San Antonio and returning to Oklahoma City with home-court advantage, notes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. The players understand that they’ll have to fight through adversity to get past the Spurs and return to the NBA Finals. “I think the biggest thing is we can’t rely on it being our best day to win basketball games,” Holmgren said. “We gotta figure out how to do whatever the game calls for for us to win games. We didn’t do it tonight. … We’ve done it in the past. We’ve had games where things didn’t go our way or shots weren’t falling, whatever it might be. We still figured out how to win the game, and that’s what we have to do.”
Lakers Hiring Rohan Ramadas As Assistant GM
The Lakers will hire former Pelicans vice president of strategy and operations Rohan Ramadas as assistant general manager, according to Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN. Ramadas will work directly under team president and GM Rob Pelinka.
Ramadas joined the Pelicans in September of 2024 as senior director of analytics and innovation. He was promoted to the VP position last May.
The move was confirmed by Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link), who points to Ramadas’ scientific-based background, which includes more than 12 years with The Aerospace Corporation, and states that he’s “regarded as very smart by people in the league who know him.”
“He’s a literal rocket scientist,” a Pelicans source told McMenamin and Charania, adding that Ramadas implemented AI and coded models to help the front office in New Orleans.
Pelinka said at his end-of-season press conference that the organization had plans to hire two assistant general managers – one to specialize in pro and draft scouting as well as player development, and another to focus on strategy, particularly analytics and the salary cap.
The Lakers held face-to-face meetings with many of the candidates during the draft combine in Chicago, sources tell McMenamin and Charania.
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Shamet, Anunoby, Winning Streak
The Knicks‘ decision to replace Tom Thibodeau as head coach was one of the most controversial moves of last summer, but Mike Brown has the organization on the verge of its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. It wasn’t always a smooth transition, as Karl-Anthony Towns in particular struggled to adjust to the new system, but Towns offered a strong endorsement of Brown after Saturday’s Game 3 win at Cleveland, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“With Mike, he had to learn us and adjust to us,” Towns said. “On the flip side, we had to do the same as well. Now, we are at a point where we are both working seamlessly. We understand each other’s language. He is getting the best from us and we are getting the best from him. I think that speaks to a season, especially a first season with a new coach and a new system and a new philosophy. It’s a testament to the players to do an amazing job coming together and showing that unity that made us special last year. But the coaching staff being receptive to the players and adjusting with us and finding the way to get the most out of us.”
Begley notes that while Thibodeau was notorious for giving heavy minutes to his starters, Brown has made it a priority to develop a reliable second unit. Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado have joined Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson as dependable contributors off the bench during the team’s playoff run.
“Everybody wants to see each other do well genuinely,” Shamet said. “I mean that. If you guys write that in your report, it’s not some locker room banter or BS. It’s like spiritual with this group. You know, we’ve got a lot of guys who are more than capable of being in certain situations, and we cheer each other on. Next man up. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s what we have, and this locker room. So it’s special.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby said it was “cool” to receive Second-Team All-Defensive recognition, but his teammates and coaches see it as more of a slight than an honor, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News writes in a subscriber-only piece. “The versatility he brings to this team — we’re a top-five defensive team. Top-five defensive team, OK?” Brown said. “… The versatility that that guy brings to this team is off the charts, and I hope the voters get it right the next time around. I’m happy he’s Second Team. He deserves something, but it was wrong.”
- Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has been impressed by the Knicks’ ability to avoid any kind of “letdown” in the playoffs, relays Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The team has won 10 straight games, many in convincing fashion, and is outscoring opponents by an average of 22.5 PPG during that stretch.
- While New Yorkers are ecstatic about the prospect of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, the team remains focused on the need to get one more win, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). Players plan to approach Monday’s Game 4 at Cleveland the same as any other playoff contest. “We don’t wanna get ahead of ourselves, because as soon as we start getting ahead of ourselves, that’s when disaster always occurs, it seems,” Brown said. “And so for us, starting with me, making sure everybody in the organization on down understands it’s about the next game. And really, it’s about the next possession. And I try to block out everything else as best I can and not think about ‘what ifs,’ because I know for me, it would distract me 100% at this time of the year.”