Latest From Stein, Fischer: Kuminga, Suns Coaching Search, Jones, Dumars, Williamson, Nowitzki

Jonathan Kuminga‘s role in the playoffs will be closely watched around the league as he heads into restricted free agency, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report.

Kuminga never entered the game in Golden State’s play-in victory over Memphis. It’s expected that Kuminga will have at least a limited role in the first-round series against the Rockets as the Warriors try to combat Houston’s athleticism.

Coach Steve Kerr has stated publicly that the combination of Kuminga and Jimmy Butler at the forward spots hasn’t worked well due to spacing issues — both are subpar 3-point shooters. The coaching staff had hoped that Kuminga might be further along in developing his playmaking skills.

The front office and Kuminga couldn’t meet his asking price during rookie scale extension talks. He was seeking more than $30MM annually. The Nets are a potential suitor with enough cap space to give Kuminga a pricey contract but a sign-and-trade with another team could be a potential option this summer.

Here’s more from the latest Stein Line notes post:

  • The Suns are unlikely to pursue another veteran coach after Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer lasted just one season apiece. However, Pelicans coach Willie Green is a potential candidate if new New Orleans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars doesn’t retain Green. Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, Rockets assistant coach Royal Ivey and Mavericks assistants Jared Dudley and Sean Sweeney could also be in the mix.
  • It’s not a certainty Suns top executive James Jones will hold onto his job. Owner Mat Ishbia could make a change in the front office before a new head coach is hired.
  • Dumars will take his time before deciding whether he’ll look to shop oft-injured franchise player Zion Williamson. There’s some skepticism around the league that the Pelicans will continue to ride with Williamson as their cornerstone piece.
  • There’s some grumbling around the league regarding the swiftness of the Pelicans decision to hire Dumars a day after David Griffin was let go and the Kings’ same-day hiring of Scott Perry to replace Monte McNair. Dumars was also high on Sacramento’s list.
  • Dirk Nowitzki has an office at the Mavericks practice facility but he’s rarely there, which speaks to his distance from the Mavericks current ownership group and GM Nico Harrison. Nowitzki was named a special advisor to former majority owner Mark Cuban, who no longer has much say in personnel decisions, including the blockbuster Luka Doncic deal.

Southeast Notes: Rozier, Mitchell, Anderson, Wiggins, Johnson

Heat guard Terry Rozier admits it’s been a rough season but he doesn’t want to be a distraction, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Rozier didn’t get off the bench in the play-in tournament, except to cheer for his teammates, including his de facto replacement, midseason trade acquisition Davion Mitchell.

“I don’t carry bad energy with me,” said Rozier, who has one year and $26.6MM remaining on his contract. “I’m not a hater. How he’s playing, Davion, I think we’re all excited to see that. So I don’t carry bad energy with me and I love to see it.

“Even if I’m not playing, we still got to get in the playoffs and give ourselves another chance to be able to enjoy that dance at the end,” Rozier added. “I’m just happy to be a part of the process, even if I’m not playing. You never know, I could play in Game 2, 3 or 4. I know how that stuff works. Just making sure I’m staying ready. And definitely me being positive, me being a good teammate, I’m never going to change.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Speaking of Mitchell, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is happy with the way the guard and two other major acquisitions, Kyle Anderson and Andrew Wiggins, have meshed with their new teammates. “They’ve fit in very well because they want to make it work,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “They’re winning players, winning personalities. They each bring something a little bit different, which are things that we needed. “Davion has that defensive presence and his toughness and his passion. We love the passion that he brings to the game. Wiggs is just a very good basketball player. The things that he does lead to winning because he plays both sides of the floor. He takes pride in doing that and doing it at a high level. And then Kyle, it just takes awhile to get accustomed to how he plays.”
  • Jalen Johnson couldn’t help the Hawks during the second half of the season after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He hopes to be at full strength by next season’s opener. “That’s probably the worst feeling in the world, just not being able to be out there and go out to war with my guys,” Johnson told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It sucks, but sometimes you can’t control those things, and all I can do now is just do everything in my power for next year and play the whole season. That’s my goal, and I’m gonna do everything I can so I can be out there in those type of games with my teammates.”
  • Paolo Banchero racked up 36 points on Sunday but it wasn’t enough in a 103-86 loss to Boston in Game 1 of the Magic’s first-round series. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were held to a combined 33 points but Derrick White poured in 30 and Payton Pritchard tossed in 19. “That’s something that we as a team harped on coming in that they do have two main guys but it’s really the other guys that kill you,” Banchero said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). “I just think we have to do a better job getting those guys off the line because they really kill you from 3.”

Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart Undergoes Imaging On Leg

7:25pm: Stewart is listed as questionable for Game 2 on Monday with right knee inflammation, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.


2:59pm: After exiting in the fourth quarter of an eventual Game 1 defeat to New York, Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart had imaging conducted on his right leg, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

As Begley notes, Stewart had been struggling through the injury for much of the matinee contest.

The 6’8″ big man, one of Detroit’s toughest frontcourt bench options, adjusted to a reduced role under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff this season.

Stewart had been a consistent starter throughout each of his last three seasons with lottery-bound Detroit squads. This year, en route to the team’s first playoff appearance since 2019, the Washington alum averaged 6.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.4 BPG a night.

In his first playoff game ever, the aforementioned 123-112 New York win in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Stewart registered two points, five rebounds, two blocks, and one assist across 19 minutes of action. While those numbers don’t jump off the page, he was the only Piston who had a positive plus/minus rating (+8).

The second matchup, slated for Monday, will be another road tilt for Stewart and the Pistons.

Potential Top-Five Pick Edgecombe Declares For Draft

Baylor freshman V.J. Edgecombe, a potential top-five selection, has declared his intentions to enter the draft, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

Edgecombe is ranked as the No. 4 prospect on ESPN’s Best Available list, behind only Duke’s Cooper Flagg and the Rutgers duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Edgecombe going off the board with the No. 3 pick ahead of Bailey in his latest mock draft.

Edgecombe plays with a high motor and defends, which makes the 6’5” wing a safe pick despite his roller-coaster offensive season, Vecenie writes. NBA executives are mixed on his on-ball upside, Vecenie adds, with some comparing him to Victor Oladipo, whereas others see him more as a standout 3-and-D player with tremendous athleticism.

Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his lone season with the Bears. A native of the Bahamas, Edgecombe shot 43.6% from the field and 34% from distance. He averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two NCAA Tournament games and had a season-high 30 points against Kansas State in January.

NBA Announces Finalists For 2024/25 Awards

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic are the three finalists for the league’s Most Valuable Player award this season, the league announced on Sunday (Twitter link).

While all three players put up monster numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is generally considered the favorite to win the award due in large part to the Thunder’s team success this season. Oklahoma City won a league-high 68 regular season games, compared to 50 for Jokic’s Nuggets and 48 for Antetokounmpo’s Bucks.

The finalists for each award represent the top three vote-getters. The winners will be announced at a later date.

Here’s a rundown of the finalists for the major NBA awards voted on by media members:

Coach of the Year

  • Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
  • J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
  • Ime Udoka (Rockets)

Rookie of the Year

Sixth Man of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

Most Improved Player

Clutch Player of the Year

Central Notes: Mitchell, Kuzma, Harris, White

The Eastern Conference’s top seed begins its first-round series tonight, and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell knows that in order to be looked upon as a one of the game’s biggest stars, he has to deliver in the playoffs, he tells Marc Spears of Andscape.

“It’s right there. The biggest thing that holds me back is winning. Talent-wise, I don’t think it’s even a discussion,” he said. “It’s more like, ‘Can I win at the highest level?’ That’s been the question for most of my career. So, for me, that’s why you can’t squander these opportunities because that’s what puts you there.

“I said it [last] summer on the Melo [Carmelo Anthony] podcast, ‘I can use it as fuel, but I can’t get mad.’ I’ve been to the conference finals. I can use it as fuel, but then you got to go out there and produce a win. To shut them [critics] up, you got to go out there and win. So that’s the main goal, and I will do it by any means necessary. It doesn’t mean I have to go out and score 40 points every night. I’ve got to make the guys around me better.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma was a no-show in Game 1 of the team’s series against the Pacers. He had no points, rebounds or assists in 22 minutes. Kuzma banged his thumb in the first quarter but wouldn’t make excuses. “Just understanding what I need to do, can’t wait for the ball, can’t wait for things to happen, kind of just gotta go get it, just find myself and get into actions on my own,” he said, per the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak. “Rebound — definitely a stinker for sure. It’s a long series, it’s seven games and I’m excited to play because I understand a little bit of what I need to do to attack the next game.”
  • The Pistons gave up 21 unanswered points in the second half of their Game 1 loss to the Knicks. Forward Tobias Harris said the team needs to move on from that disappointment with Game 2 approaching on Monday night, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. “It’s a series,” Harris said. “You can’t get too high, can’t get too low. Each team will make an adjustment, but overall it’s about mentally just staying locked into the moment and being ready for the next game, no matter what. I think for us, obviously for this group, guys having first time playoff experience it’s just understanding it stinks to lose but it’s about how you come back the next night.”
  • Bulls guard Coby White is entering the last year of his deal and will make $12.9MM next season. He’s eligible for an extension but would be foolish to sign one, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley. If he pursued an extension, White would be limited to a 40% raise on his current contract. He could potentially make a lot more by waiting until free agency next summer.

Sixers Notes: Oubre, Nurse, Yabusele

Following an underwhelming 2024/25 season for the Sixers, forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is looking to recapture the attitude that made him a beloved figure in Philadelphia, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

After a solid 2023/24 run, Oubre inked a two-year, $16.4MM deal in free agency last summer to stay with the Sixers. Despite re-signing Oubre and adding nine-time All-Star Paul George, Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond, among others, the Sixers struggled with health and chemistry issues, and ultimately went 24-58.

In his 60 healthy games this past season, Oubre averaged 15.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 1.8 APG. Although the 6’8″ pro had endeared himself to the Philadelphia faithful during his first year in town, Oubre felt like he wasn’t himself this season amidst all the team’s losing.

“I’m bringing the swag back, and all I know is that I’ll come back better than I was this year,”Oubre said of his approach to 2025/26. “I’m going to year 11 in my career. So it’s a blessing. I’m blessed to still be here… But at the end of the day, man, I’m not satisfied with the way I’m perceived by you guys, fans, for what I do bring to the NBA. So tsunami’s back.”

There’s more out of the City of Brotherly Love:

  • Sixers head coach Nick Nurse may not have been the problem during last year’s lost season, but he’ll need more injury luck out of his roster next season to prove it, opines Pompey in another piece. Philadelphia GM Daryl Morey asserted that both he and Nurse would return for at least next year. While All-Stars Joel Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey missed a cumulative 134 games, Pompey notes that detractors have pointed to Nurse’s occasionally puzzling lineup decisions, team leadership, and relationship with referees as potential areas of long-term concern.
  • One of the Sixers’ few free agent signings who surpassed offseason expectations, forward Guerschon Yabusele could now be in line for a big raise this summer, writes Pompey in an a separate Inquirer story. After spending several years out of the league, the 6’7″ vet posted averages of 11 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.2 APG. He also connected on a career-high 38% of his triple tries. An unrestricted free agent this summer, Yabusele is only eligible for a 20% raise on his $2.1MM minimum salary, since he only has Non-Bird rights. He could also be signed into the team’s mid-level exception — the 76ers could have either the taxpayer or non-taxpayer version available, depending on their financial commitments to other players. According to Pompey, Yabusele’s play this year guarantees he’ll be worth more than that 20% raise on his minimum deal. With $149.1MM in guaranteed money already committed to just four Sixers players and a $154.6MM projected salary cap, Philadelphia will have to tread carefully if it hopes to retain Yabusele.
  • In case you missed it, George is hoping that he, Embiid and Maxey can spend more time together this summer in an effort to improve the trio’s chemistry.

Magic Notes: Joseph, Banchero, Black

Veteran Magic guard Cory Joseph has enjoyed a major uptick in production with Orlando and has been a salve during the club’s playoff push, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. As Beede notes, the 33-year-old had been a key young contributor for the title-bound Spurs over a decade ago in 2014. Now, he’s a locker room leader on a young Magic club.

“It’s amazing,” Joseph said. “I’m blessed. The organization has been amazing to me… I’m just trying to get out there and play as hard as I can to repay them for what they did for me.”

Joseph wasn’t even on a team heading into last year’s playoffs. He was sent to Indiana from Golden State at the 2024 trade deadline, but was promptly waived. This year, he seems to have found a happy home in Orlando.

With All-Defensive guard Jalen Suggs out for the season, Joseph was pressed into service as a starter for 15 of the team’s last 16 games. In those bouts, Orlando posted an 11-4 record. Joseph logged averages of 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists across 22.2 minutes per night.

There’s more out of Orlando:

  • All-Star Magic forward Paolo Banchero reflected on the challenge of facing off against fellow former Duke Blue Devil Jayson Tatum‘s Celtics in the latest chapter of his season-long diary, as told to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “They’re in the Eastern Conference finals damn near every year,” Banchero told Spears. “We’ve had success against them in the regular season and throughout my time here, but playoffs is a different ballgame. They’re going to be ready. They are part of a championship team so they are not going to lay down. You have to match their level of intensity. You know the challenge they present. They got talent all over the floor. So, it’s going to take a special effort from us to beat them.”
  • Second-year Magic wing Anthony Black has been trending in the right direction ahead of Orlando’s playoff run, writes Beede in another Orlando Sentinel story. Across Orlando’s last 12 contests of the regular season, including nine victories, Black posted averages of 12.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.4 SPG while shooting 35.9% shooting from distance. “I feel like back half of the season I’ve been shooting the ball better, playing better overall,” Black said. “That game was a must-win so it’s good to have a little bit of success in those games, but the playoffs are different.”
  • In case you missed it, Magic guard Cole Anthony seems to be stabilizing following an up-and-down regular season just in time for the playoffs. He notched 26 points and dished out six dimes while helping the Magic defeat the Hawks during their play-in tournament encounter on Tuesday.

Heat Notes: Herro, Mitchell, Highsmith, Jaquez, Larsson, Jovic

Tyler Herro had to adjust to more attention from opposing defenses after the Heat suspended and ultimately traded Jimmy Butler, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Herro estimated that Butler was creating three to five open three-point opportunities for him every game. With those gone, Herro responded by attacking the basket more often and taking more mid-range shots. The results have been positive as he averaged 27.4 points and 4.9 assists over the final 12 regular season games and 34 points and 5.5 assists in the two play-in contests.

“So just finding different ways to be aggressive,” Herro said. “I’m not going to get the same shots every game with just the way guys are guarding me. But I got to find different ways to be efficient. Also, context of games, knowing when to shoot the pull-up two, which I think I’m doing pretty well.”

After years of being included in trade rumors, Herro now seems like part of the foundation in Miami, which will lead to an important decision this offseason. Chiang notes that beginning October 1, he’ll be eligible for a three-year, $149.7MM extension. If there’s no agreement by October 20, he can wait for a four-year, $206.9MM extension next summer, which could become a super-max estimated at $380MM over five years if he earns All-NBA honors next season.

“It’s something I haven’t paid much attention to, obviously,” Herro said. “I’m going to let my agent and the organization figure that out. But everyone knows I want to be here long term and I’m definitely excited to see what they have to say for the extension, and see if they want me here as much as I want to be here.”

There’s more on the Heat:

  • Reserves Davion Mitchell and Haywood Highsmith played key roles in closing out Friday’s win at Atlanta, Chiang adds in a separate story. They were on the court together for 36 minutes, including all but 19 seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime. “They’re being stars in their role and that’s what we need them to do,” Bam Adebayo said. “Obviously, you see Davion’s offense, making shots, and H’s offense. But the little things that they do throughout the game, that’s what really gets us going, that’s what really gets the group together and getting in a rhythm.”
  • A week ago, Jaime Jaquez p0ured in a career-high 41 points in Miami’s regular season finale, but he was back on the bench for the two play-in games, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. It’s been a frustrating season for the second-year forward, who had a regular rotation role as a rookie, but he’s trying to stay ready in case he’s needed in the playoffs while working on his shot with shooting coach Rob Fodor. “We get up a lot of shots,” Jaquez said. “I think one of the things with me is technique, my hand placement, getting my elbow where it needs to be, and my release, just get it out early. Those are the kinds of the things we talk about frequently.”
  • Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic have both fully recovered from their injuries and are available today without restrictions, Winderman tweets.

Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Porter, Murray, Jokic

Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook haunted his former team on Saturday, hitting a clutch three-pointer late in regulation and making several game-changing defensive plays to close out an overtime win over the Clippers, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Westbrook, who was traded and waived last summer after spending the past season and a half in L.A., delivered 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the series opener while playing nearly 35 minutes off the bench.

“Russ is Russ,” interim coach David Adelman said. “Defensively he was absolutely incredible. He was playing free safety out there. I thought a lot of the reasons why the (Clippers’ 20) turnovers happened, even if it wasn’t him forcing it, just the way he was roaming around and impacting the game, it was great for us. Then offensively, a couple of times I thought he attacked, maybe we could have pulled it out and executed, but that’s what Russ does. He’s going to play in attack mode. I don’t think he’s going to change after 17 years. If he sees somebody in front of him one-on-one, he’s going to attack, and he made an enormous three in the fourth.”

The Clippers employed a common strategy against Westbrook, giving him plenty of room to shoot from the outside and shutting down his drives to the basket. He was only 5-of-17 for the game, but 10 of his points came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Westbrook didn’t want to comment on the Clippers’ approach to defending him, Shelburne adds, saying, “We can talk about that more when we take care of business.”

There’s more from Denver:

  • Westbrook’s expanded role came at the expense of Michael Porter Jr., who scored three points in a little more than 26 minutes and left the game for good early in the fourth quarter, per Luca Evans of The Denver Post. Adelman explained after the game that his closing lineup will always consist of the five “playing the best at that time,” which leads to questions about Porter’s role for the rest of the series. “I’m going to say it again, like I’ve said last week — if Mike comes out, and he plays, and he’s engaged defensively, he’s knocking down shots — Michael will be out there,” Adelman told reporters, “just like everybody else in that locker room.”
  • Jamal Murray was able to remain in Saturday’s game after a second quarter injury scare, Evans adds in a separate story. Murray landed awkwardly on his left leg while trying to defend a fast break and was unable to put much weight on it as he walked back to the bench. Although it seemed to affect him for the rest the game, the veteran guard still finished with 21 points and hit several key shots down the stretch.
  • Game 1 featured a slight controversy as Nikola Jokic tried to wrestle the ball away from Clippers lead assistant Jeff Van Gundy and trainer Jasen Powell during a late stoppage in play (Twitter video link), relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. L.A.’s coaching staff was considering a challenge, which wound up being unsuccessful. Durando recalls that Jokic had a similar incident involving Suns owner Mat Ishbia in the 2023 playoffs. “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it. … (Jokic) did what he needed to do to try to get the ball in fast,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “But that’s smart. If a team has a chance to challenge, you want to get the ball in quickly. Tell our guys to do the same thing. But he is the best at it.”