Knicks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, Shamet, Long Layoff
Mitchell Robinson‘s broken pinky finger came at a bad time, but the Knicks won’t use his injury as an excuse if they lose in the NBA Finals, writes Ian O’Connor of The Athletic. Robinson underwent surgery and hopes to be able to play with a brace on his finger when the series begins Wednesday night.
In a discussion with reporters on Friday, coach Mike Brown refused to speculate on Robinson’s availability, saying “it varies” from one player to another when asked how long it takes to recover from a fractured finger. Brown added that he learned years ago that it’s crucial for the head coach to remain calm no matter what affects the team.
“I feel like I’m pretty good at that,” he said. “We all have had curveballs come at you that are bigger than (Robinson’s injury) in life, and trying to even do it when you have those curveballs helps you prepare for something that is really a kid’s game. So that’s what I try to do, no matter what it is.”
League sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Robinson’s injury is a fracture of the fifth metacarpal, which connects the wrist to the pinky finger. Robinson wasn’t a participant in Friday’s practice and it’s not clear if he’s expected to take part in Sunday’s session.
“For me, I’m always going with whoever is available today,” Brown added. “And [Robinson] didn’t practice today. So we’re getting whoever we need ready to go. … I don’t want to know, just let me know if he can play and when he can play. Just like we normally would, we’re getting everyone else ready to go.”
There’s more from New York:
- OG Anunoby won a ring with Toronto in 2019, but he didn’t get to fully enjoy the experience because an emergency appendectomy forced him to miss the entire playoffs, notes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. There were concerns that he might be sidelined for a long time this year after aggravating a hamstring injury in Game 2 against Philadelphia, but he returned to have a huge impact in the conference finals. “He’s locked in and doing all of things we know he’s capable of,” Jalen Brunson said. “He’s doing what he does. He’s playing great.”
- Landry Shamet overcame a lot of adversity before earning a spot as an important part of Knicks’ second unit, Peter Sblendorio of The New York Daily News notes in a subscriber-only story. After joining the team on an Exhibit 9 contract in September of 2024, Shamet suffered a dislocated shoulder during preseason and wound up being waived. He was re-signed in December, but former coach Tom Thibodeau barely used him in the playoffs. Shamet had to earn his way onto the roster again last fall, beating out several players for the last spot. His role has been more consistent under Brown, and now he’s preparing for his first trip to the NBA Finals. “It means everything to be going to the Finals, and we’ve got a lot more to do,” Shamet said. “Really proud of this group and happy to be a part of this group, and we all know what it’s going to require from us moving forward. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
- The Knicks will have been through their second nine-day break by the time the Finals opener tips off, and they’re vowing that it won’t affect their level of play, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The long break seemed to bother the team heading into the conference finals as it fell into a 22-point hole against Cleveland before rallying to win Game 1. “Obviously, rust will be a thing, just having not shot in an NBA game in a while. But we’ll do a better job this time around of preparing for that kind of situation to happen,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Obviously, the coaching staff did an amazing job getting us ready for Game 1, but we just didn’t go out there and shoot well.”
Draft Notes: Brown, Mara, Johnson, Graves, Miller, More
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has updated his top-100 big board following this week’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility. The top 25 prospects on Woo’s board are the same players who made the cut for his last update, but there has been a good deal of movement amongst that group.
The top six of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Keaton Wagler and Darius Acuff remains unchanged. However, Louisville guard Mikel Brown has moved up from No. 9 to No. 7 and has a chance to be selected earlier than that next month if he continues to perform well in the pre-draft process, Woo writes.
Michigan center Aday Mara and his former frontcourt teammate Morez Johnson are two other prospects on the rise, with Mara moving up from No. 13 to No. 10 and Johnson making a huge leap from No. 24 to No. 14. As Woo notes, both big men were winners at the draft combine after excelling during the Wolverines’ run to the NCAA championship.
According to Woo, rival NBA clubs view the Nets (No. 6) as Mara’s ceiling, with the Hawks (No. 8), Warriors (No. 11) and Thunder (No. 12) also considered possible lottery suitors. As for Johnson, Woo suggests the 20-year-old’s draft range starts in the late lottery and ends in the teens.
While Santa Clara forward Allen Graves is a somewhat polarizing prospect, he has moved up to No. 17 (from No. 25) on ESPN’s board and seems to be “trending toward a top-20 selection,” Woo writes.
Here’s more from Woo’s updated big board:
- A handful of players projected first-round picks have seen their stock slip in recent weeks, according to Woo. That group includes Houston’s Chris Cenac (No. 21), Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance (No. 22), Duke’s Isaiah Evans (No. 24) and Arizona’s Koa Peat (No. 25). Each of those players moved down either four or five spots from Woo’s last update.
- Cincinnati forward Baba Miller (No. 45 to No. 36), Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (No. 46 to No. 39) and Arkansas big man Trevon Brazile (No. 48 to No. 40) are among the potential second-round picks who have moved up several spots in the wake of the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline.
Spurs Notes: Game 7, Castle, Harper, Vassell
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson expects the defending champion Thunder to come out swinging in tonight’s Game 7 in Oklahoma City, writes Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Johnson said after Thursday’s Game 6 win. “… We’ll be prepared, take the next 40 hours or whatever it may be to try to get ready, get organized, and get ready to go into a hostile environment against the defending champs in the Western Conference finals.
“For a team that’s done it multiple times and knows exactly what it takes, I would expect to get their best punch. We’re gonna go out with our eyes wide open and expect nothing less.”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Second-year guard Stephon Castle has done an admirable job keeping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check during the Western Conference finals with smothering on-ball defense. Castle said the Spurs think they’re the better team heading into Saturday’s contest, according to Davis. “As a group, we all want this,” Castle said. “It’s right there in front of us. We feel like collectively that we’re better than this team and we didn’t want to let our fans down on our home court either. So coming out here with a chance to go back to OKC and play a Game 7 I feel like is all the motivation we need.”
- After struggling in Games 3-5, in part due to a hamstring injury, Dylan Harper played a key role in the Spurs’ Game 6 victory, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes (subscription required). The rookie guard, who was selected second overall in last year’s draft, finished with 18 points (on 6-of-9 shooting), six rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes. “People pulled me aside, just kept instilling confidence in me, trying to tell me to just go out there and be me, be in attack mode at all times,” Harper said. “I think I went out there and did that today.”
- Starting wing Devin Vassell said sleep wasn’t easy to come by on Friday night, Orsborn notes in another subscriber-only story. Still, the 25-year-old appeared energetic and jovial during Saturday’s shootaround. “You dream of this as a kid,” Vassell said of playing in his first Game 7. “Just more excited than anything. We have a chance to do something special.”
Thunder Notes: SGA, Caruso, Game 7, Ament
Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had an underwhelming Western Conference finals to this point, largely struggling against San Antonio’s smothering defense, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
The reigning back-to-back MVP also hasn’t converted the looks he normally makes, Martinez notes. During the regular season, the Canadian guard shot 55% when he was open (defined as 4-6 feet of space), but he’s only converting 37% of his open looks against the Spurs.
“I’m not too sure, to be honest,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked why his shots aren’t falling at their usual rate. “A lot of the shots that I’m shooting, I’ve shot plenty of times before, and they feel good. They’re just not going in.”
Gilgeous-Alexander was visibly tired after Thursday’s Game 6 loss in San Antonio, according to Martinez, but the 27-year-old is confident he and the team will bounce back in Saturday’s do-or-die Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
“It’s too late to abandon my work, my game and who I am this late in the season,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’ve got to trust it and live or die by it.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- While Gilgeous-Alexander has struggled with his shot, the opposite has been true for veteran Alex Caruso, who’s averaging 15.3 points per game while knocking down 55.6% of his three-pointers through six games against the Spurs. For context, the 32-year-old averaged 6.2 PPG and shot a career-low 29.3% on threes in 56 regular season games, well below his career rate of 36.5%. Caruso never questions the competitiveness of his teammates, per Martinez (Twitter video link). “It puts you at ease knowing you’re going to get the best from each guy. They’re going to go out there and put their best foot forward and do what they need to do to sacrifice for the team and try to win the game, which is all you can do,” Caruso said. “All you can ask for is to go out there and play your best and let the results fall where they may. Looking around the locker room, there’s no doubt in my mind that the guys are ready to go to war for each other.”
- Aside from the double-overtime classic in Game 1, the other five games of the Western Conference finals have been pretty lopsided, with an average margin of victory of 17 points, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes in his preview of Game 7. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports also previews the Game 7 matchup between the Spurs and Thunder, noting that OKC doesn’t believe being at home will be a major advantage. “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s win or go home. It being in your building is nice, but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to go out there and be the better basketball team or else your season’s done and that’s what it comes down to.”
- Projected lottery pick Nate Ament confirmed to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports that he had a 1-on-0 workout with the Thunder earlier this week (Twitter video link). The Tennessee forward said the workout was “super tough endurance wise.” Oklahoma City currently controls the 12th, 17th and 37th picks in June’s draft, though there have been rumors that the team might try to move up.
Free Agent Jusuf Nurkic Wants To Remain In NBA
Jusuf Nurkic has no intention of leaving the NBA despite speculation that he might be interested in going to Europe to continue his career. Nurkic, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, made an appearance on the X and O’s Podcast and spoke about the Serbian club Partizan, as relayed by Eurohoops.net.
“I didn’t have an offer from the black-and-whites (Partizan). I didn’t, at least I don’t know that I did, but I wish that I had,” the Bosnian big man said.
Nurkic clarified on social media that he was speaking about the early days of his career, not his current status.
“My statement was taken out of context. I was referring to the very beginning of my basketball career,” he wrote. “Of course I didn’t have an offer from Partizan back then. I’m a fan and I have great respect for (Partizan), but I have no intention of leaving the NBA.”
Nurkic spent this year with the Jazz, averaging 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 26.4 minutes per game. He only played 41 games (36 starts), as his season was cut short after the All-Star break by nasal surgery.
Earlier in 2025/26, he missed time due to a toe injury and also had several DNP-CDs. He was a prime candidate to be dealt before the Feb. 5 trade deadline due his expiring $19.3MM contract.
Nurkic reportedly would like to re-sign with Utah, though it’s uncertain whether the team will make him an offseason priority. In any case, Nurkic will likely have to take a pay cut to stay in the league. The 31-year-old has been a fixture in the NBA since the 2014/15 season.
Central Notes: Cavs, Mitchell, Suder, Pacers, Pistons
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman doesn’t think the roster needs major changes after his team got swept by New York in the conference finals, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“Everybody is aligned in where we want to get to,“ Altman said. ”We all know we need to dig deep to take that next step. I always say two things can be true. We hated the way it ended. We were disappointed with the way it ended. I think the reason for that is we have higher expectations. … We believe in the players that we have in house. It’s been a long road to get here. It’s been five years of sustained success, and we’re still doing this [gradually improving], but we have to figure out how we break through it one more time, and that’s going to be the most difficult step.”
How they make that step is up for discussion among the front office.
“Over the last five years, we’ve retooled this roster, added to this roster. We’ve looked internally. We’ve grown internally. We’re operating at a position of real strength in terms of our foundation,” he said. “And I think those discussions happen now. Do we have enough? Do we add around the edges? This is certainly not a place where we’re like, ‘We need to blow this up and start again.’ That’s certainly not where we’re at. But those discussions will happen. But certainly, internally right now, there’s more that we have that we can get to.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- In the last installment of his Andscape diary via Marc J. Spears, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell admits that getting swept was a difficult way to go out this season. “It was a very painful ending. To go out like that, you try to put on a smile and try to move past it,” he said. “It’ll take a little bit. The worst part about it is just the sweep. We had an opportunity, right? It was right there. I’m saying we go ahead and win the series. Whatever happens, happens. But when you have an opportunity, man, and you watch it go past, that’s killer. And at the end with the 35-, whatever it was, point loss. That s‑‑t, I don’t really know how else to describe it. But that’s one of the things. It don’t matter all the success we’ve had. Yeah, it’s great. But when you lose like that, it’s tough.”
- Peter Suder, who hails from Carmel, Ind., visited the Pacers‘ practice facility for a draft workout on Thursday. Suder averaged 14.8 points and 4.0 assists for Miami (Ohio) last season. “It’s definitely surreal,” Suder said to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “(Growing up) 30 minutes away from this facility, it’s just crazy. It’s always been a dream growing up, especially being an Indiana fan, a Pacers fan. All my friends, family back at home, they’re all rooting for me to go to the Pacers, so it’s just a surreal feeling.” Indiana currently doesn’t have a pick in the draft, but is doing its due diligence on the 2026 class.
- Kevin Huerter is the only significant Pistons free agent who is likely to leave, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press predicts. He believes the team will reach agreements with restricted free agent Jalen Duren, as well as unrestricted free agents Tobias Harris and Javonte Green, and will exercise its option on Daniss Jenkins‘ contract.
Mavs Notes: Irving, Schmitz, Coaching Search, Lottery Pick
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving took to Twitch to declare that he’s nearly 100 percent, 14 months after undergoing ACL surgery.
“I am definitely close to being over at 100% in terms of my ACL recovery,” Irving said, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “It’s been a while now … I’m so grateful that I’ve had the time to heal and just experiment with my body more on the court and off the court in the weight room and just pushing myself to the limit.”
Irving said the long layoff gave his body plenty of time to recover from the rigors of playing NBA ball constantly since 2011.
“At this age, I feel like the game is slowing down, but also I’m able to do more out there just more efficiently,” Irving said.
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- New general manager Mike Schmitz has no doubt Irving will mesh his talents with franchise player Cooper Flagg, according to Afseth. “I think it’s the body of work. I think it’s his approach to the game. Seeing him almost daily around the facility, completely locked in to everything we’re doing, it’s been really impressive to see,” Schmitz said. “Being around that every day, combined with everything he’s done to get to this point, gives us a ton of optimism alongside his fit with Cooper.” Schmitz has also been impressed by Irving’s dedication during his rehab. “I can say he’s been doing everything humanly possible to maximize his talent and to do that,” the new GM said. “Just to see his approach and how he’s attacking things every day has been incredibly impressive. To see his leadership, to see the way he carries himself, to see the way he pours into Cooper and pours into the rest of the guys. It’s May 29, and there’s a level of buy-in that is really impressive.”
- While there’s an expectation that the Mavs will hire an experienced head coach to replace Jason Kidd, Schmitz said the front office is “looking at everything” during its search. “We’re being very thorough in our approach and just continuing to kind of stick to our process there and evaluating everything. So no official update on that,” Schmitz said, per Afseth. “We don’t have an exact timeline for it, and our goal is to focus on a handful of the traits that we’re looking for, evaluate the market and make the best decision possible for the franchise. Obviously, we understand that this is a huge decision and one we’re going to do everything we can to get right.”
- Getting an impact player is more important than targeting a specific need or position with the Mavs’ lottery pick at No. 9, Schmitz told Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s about just finding a difference-maker at nine,” Schmitz said. “It’s not about a big or a guard or a wing. Year after year, you see prospects who don’t go one, two, three or four who end up as high-level contributors. That’s the exciting part of the draft and that’s our challenge, is to find a difference maker at nine, and we love that range. We’re really, really excited about the level of player that we can get there. And just the optionality of having (picks) nine, 30, (and) 48 is super exciting for us.”
And-Ones: Yessoufou, Free Agents, Blakeney, Automatic Calls
Viewed as a potential first-round pick after one season at Baylor, Tounde Yessoufou withdrew from the draft earlier this week and will transfer to St. John’s for his sophomore campaign. The 20-year-old wing secured a lucrative NIL payday from the Red Storm, according to basketball insider Adam Zagoria, who reports (via Twitter) that Yessoufou’s deal was worth “close to” $6MM.
A native of Benin, Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.6 assists per game in 34 appearances for the Bears in 2025/26. His shooting slash line was .465/.293/.746.
For what it’s worth, $6MM would be roughly the same first-year salary as the 11th overall pick in the 2026 draft, but rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options in years three and four.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has updated his ranked list of potential free agents, with Heat wing Norman Powell (No. 10), Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (No. 20) and Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (No. 30) among the 70 players listed.
- Marves Fairley, who claims he paid Terry Rozier as part of an illegal gambling scheme, also said he paid a Chinese Basketball Association player so he could win bets on a pair of CBA games in March 2023, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Fairley made the admission in a Brooklyn federal court on Thursday when he pleaded guilty to seven felony charges stemming from two separate cases. While Fairley didn’t name that player, prosecutors said Fairley paid Antonio Blakeney, a former NBA guard who was charged with wire fraud in January.
- Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link via ESPN), commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA plans to implement an automated AI system to quickly review out-of-bounds calls in the future, rather than leaving it up to the officials. Silver suggested all “so-called objective calls” would eventually fall under that review system.
Pacific Notes: Brooks, LeBron, Suns, Acuff, Kings, Clippers
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has spoken publicly about his fondness for Dillon Brooks, who will be eligible this summer for an extension worth up to a projected $125.4MM over four years, writes Gerald Bourguet of Sports360AZ. While Bourguet doesn’t expect Brooks to command that much money, he does think it’ll be a priority for Phoenix to sign the Canadian forward to a long-term deal.
Bourguet weighs the pros and cons of Brooks’ first season with the Suns, observing that the 30-year-old was a consistently valuable tone-setter and leader in the locker room even though his on-court contributions were a little uneven. Brooks has never been an efficient offensive player even though he’s certainly not shy about getting shots up, but he also brought toughness and an excellent work ethic to Phoenix.
Ultimately, Bourguet thinks Brooks could land a three-year extension in the range of $70-75MM or a four-year deal worth $90-100MM. As Bourguet observes, that potential contract might not look great on the back end as Brooks moves into his mid-30s, but the team values the ninth-year wing beyond what he brings on the court.
“Leadership and toughness doesn’t age,” one source told Bourguet.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- He acknowledges the odds of it happening are probably “very slim to none,” but Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link) lists five reasons the Suns would be an intriguing landing spot for LeBron James. The 41-year-old could be a primary play-maker in Phoenix rather than the secondary or tertiary ball-handler he was asked to be with the Lakers this season, Rankin writes, and James is familiar with Devin Booker (teammates at the 2024 Olympics), head coach Jordan Ott, a former Lakers assistant, and Jordan Goodwin, who finished 2024/25 with the Lakers. It only takes an hour to fly from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Rankin notes, and Tuscon — where James’ younger son Bryce attends the University of Arizona — is about a two-hour drive from Phoenix.
- The Kings are said to be “enamored” with Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, but should they actually draft the standout freshman if he’s still on the board at No. 7? Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee considers that question, writing that while Acuff showed star potential on offense, his college tape on the other end left a lot to be desired. Still, Anderson hears there are “high-ranking” executives in Sacramento who aren’t worried about Acuff’s defense. If the Kings are confident Acuff can hold up defensively, they should select him if he’s available, Anderson concludes.
- The Aspiration investigation continues to cast a cloud over the Clippers‘ offseason, according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link), who previews what moves the Clips might make this summer. L.A. could operate with room or over the cap, Gozlan writes, with the latter scenario seeming more likely. Either way, the Clippers will have a good deal of financial flexibility to pursue roster upgrades. In case you missed it, our Luke Adams also previewed the Clippers’ offseason in a Front Office article.
Bulls Have Spoken To Kevin Young About Coaching Vacancy
The Bulls have expressed interested in and spoken to Kevin Young as they continue to look for a new head coach, reports Jamal Collier of ESPN (via Twitter).
Young, who interviewed for several previous NBA head coaching vacancies, is currently the men’s basketball head coach at Brigham Young University. He reportedly signed a seven-year, $30MM contract with the Cougars in 2024 offseason.
A former Division II college basketball player, Young quickly transitioned to coaching, spending several years as both an assistant and head coach in the G League (then known as the D-League). He became an assistant coach with the Sixers in 2016 and landed the top assistant job with the Suns in 2020.
Young, a native of Salt Lake City, spent four years as the associate head coach in Phoenix prior to joining BYU two years ago.
As our tracker shows, the Bulls are casting a wide net in their search, having been linked to several candidates. Collier specifically mentions Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter as one of those candidates (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of The Stein previously reported that Chicago was interested in speaking to Splitter, but it was unclear if Portland would permit those talks.
Chicago’s search is being led by new head of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who was hired away from Atlanta earlier this month.