And-Ones: All-Defense, G League Playoffs, Acuff, Fertitta
Yahoo Sports contributor Nekias Duncan lists his picks for the two All-Defensive teams (as of March 27). Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo and Derrick White comprise Duncan’s first team, while Cason Wallace, Stephon Castle, Dyson Daniels, Scottie Barnes and Marcus Smart are on the second.
Duncan also cites nine honorable mentions who didn’t quite make the cut, including Evan Mobley, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. Duncan says Ausar Thompson would replace Smart if he qualifies; the third-year forward needs to play at least 20 minutes in seven of Detroit’s last eight games to be eligible (Smart may not qualify either due to the requirements of the 65-game rule).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The 16-team field and schedule for the NBA G League playoffs has been set, the league announced in a press release. The Osceola Magic (26-10) are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while the South Bay Lakers (26-10) are the No. 1 seed in the West. The NBAGL playoffs features a single-elimination tournament until the finals, which is best-of-three. Osceola and the Stockton Kings (23-13, the third seed in the West) faced off in last year’s finals, with Stockton winning the title.
- Darius Acuff Jr. is widely projected to be a top-nine pick in the upcoming draft and one NBA general manager recently told Marc J. Spears of Andscape he thinks the Arkansas guard is the third-best prospect in the 2026 class, behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and UNC’s Caleb Wilson. Razorbacks head coach John Calipari, who has coached numerous future NBA stars in college, says teams would be foolish to pass over Acuff, a first-team All-American as a freshman. “Pass on him, you’ll regret it,” Calipari told Andscape. “I said it about Tyrese (Maxey). I’ve said it about a bunch of guys. I said it about Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander): ‘You’re going to regret passing on this kid.’ And I know there are other good players, but this kid (Acuff) is unique.”
- Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta and his family have reached an agreement to purchase the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and relocate the team to Houston, confirms Alexa Philippou of ESPN. Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine first reported the news. The plan is for the Sun to finish 2026 in Connecticut before relocating in 2027. The Fertitta family is spending $300MM to buy the team, which is expected to be called the Comets. The Houston Comets were a WNBA team from 1997-2008.
Cavaliers’ Tyson, Wade Out At Least Three More Games
Forwards Jaylon Tyson (left great toe sprain) and Dean Wade (right ankle sprain) won’t travel with the Cavaliers on their three-game road trip, the team announced (via Twitter).
Cleveland plays at Utah on Monday, at the Lakers on Tuesday, and at Golden State on Thursday before returning home ahead of next Sunday’s contest vs. Indiana. That game against the Pacers is the first of a back-to-back — the Cavs play at Memphis next Monday, April 6.
Both players will stay in Cleveland for treatment and rehabilitation, per the team.
Tyson, a 2024 first-round pick who is having a strong second season for the Cavs, suffered the toe injury in a March 19 victory in Chicago. He has missed the last four games with the injury and will be out for at least three more.
Wade, who is extension-eligible ahead of unrestricted free agency this summer, has been sidelined the past two games due to the ankle injury, which he sustained last Tuesday vs. Orlando. He’ll be at five consecutive absences once Cleveland’s road trip concludes.
The Cavs are currently 46-28, the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Western Notes: Edwards, Dosunmu, McDaniels, Matkovic, McCain
While Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards still has to go through a workout Sunday and a shootaround Monday before being cleared to play in Monday’s game in Dallas, “all signs” point to that happening, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“We can’t relax now that Ant’s coming back and say, ‘Hey, give Ant the keys and just go,’” point guard Mike Conley said. “I think we’ve got to let Ant do his thing. But at the same time, continue to push the ball, continue to involve everybody, and I think that’s when we’re our best self. When the ball’s moving, guys are being selfless.”
Edwards has missed the last six games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee. He was cleared for on-court activities on Friday.
In order to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for end-of-season awards, Edwards would have to suit up for each of Minnesota’s final eight games of the season, beginning on Monday. He has been named second-team All-NBA each of the past two seasons and is a strong candidate to make another All-NBA team in 2025/26 if he qualifies, Krawczynski notes.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- In addition to Edwards, the Timberwolves were also playing without Ayo Dosunmu (right calf soreness) and Jaden McDaniels (right knee soreness) in Saturday’s loss to Detroit. Both players are considered day-to-day, per Krawczynski, which suggests their returns shouldn’t be far off.
- Big man Karlo Matkovic has been a bright spot for the Pelicans in his second NBA season, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Interim head coach James Borrego raved about the 2022 second-round pick, who spent a couple seasons overseas after he was selected 52nd overall. “I love his spirit,” Borrego said. “His competitiveness. He’s an incredible teammate. He’s so coachable.” In addition to the intangible qualities the forward/center brings to the second unit, Borrego also praised Matkovic’s speed, athleticism, outside shooting, and ability to both finish at and protect the rim. “Those guys are hard to find in the NBA,” Borrego said, per Walker. “Guys that are that athletic and can play multiple positions and are switchable defensively and can knock down threes.” New Orleans holds a $2.3MM team option for Matkovic in 2026/27.
- Second-year guard Jared McCain recently talked about his role when the Thunder are fully healthy and the team’s battle with the Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the West, relays Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City currently has a two-game lead on San Antonio with eight games remaining for both teams.
Previewing 2026/27 Player Option Decisions
A total of 21 NBA veterans hold player options on their contracts for the 2026/27 season, as our free agent list shows.
Those 21 players range from stars like Trae Young to minimum-salary reserves like Jericho Sims. The value of their respective options reflects that wide gap -- Young would earn nearly $49MM if he opts in for next season, whereas Sims would make approximately $2.8MM.
Still, despite the huge difference between those two players' potential '26/27 salaries, Young isn't a lock to opt in and Sims isn't a lock to opt out. Each player facing an option decision will weigh several factors, including his 2025/26 performance, his role, his age, and what sort of offers might be available to him on the open market if he chooses free agency.
Most players holding options won't have to finalize a decision until the league-wide deadline of June 29, but it's certainly not unprecedented for certain options to be exercised in April, shortly after a player's season wraps up. So we're looking ahead today at all 21 of those decisions to try to get a sense of which direction they might go.
Let's dive in...
Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic To Declare For 2026 NBA Draft
Iowa State junior forward Milan Momcilovic intends to declare for the 2026 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility, he told Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert 247.
“I probably, definitely, (will) test the draft,” Momcilovic told Cyclone Alert in a conversation at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City. “Just because I think I’ve had a good year and shot the ball very well that I can.”
Momcilovic is considered a potential second-round pick after a 2025/26 season in which he averaged 16.9 and 3.1 rebounds while shooting an NCAA-best 48.7% on three-pointers (7.5 attempts) in 37 games (30.5 minutes per contest). He also shot 54.5% on twos and 87.8% on free throws.
“I don’t know what feedback we’ll get,” Momcilovic said. “We’ll see if I stay in or come back. That’s still to be determined.”
Momcilovic, who was named second-team All-Big 12, helped Iowa State go 29-8 this season. The No. 2 seed Cyclones, whose best player (Joshua Jefferson) was injured in the first game of the NCAA tournament, lost in the Sweet 16 to Tennessee.
As Busse notes, Momcilovic went No. 45 overall in the latest mock draft from Jeremy Woo of ESPN and undrafted in the most recent mocks from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The Wisconsin native is viewed as a top-tier shooter but there are question marks about how other aspects of his game will translate to the NBA.
Southeast Notes: Snyder, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, Hardy
Quin Snyder became the 41st head coach in NBA history to record 500 victories as the Hawks won Saturday for the 15th time in 17 games, writes Maura Carey of The Associated Press. Atlanta is currently 42-33, the No. 6 seed in an extremely tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
“It was special,” Snyder said after the game. “When you’ve been in this league for a while, you realize that coaches, they keep your record, but it’s really the players and the other people that allow for that to happen. I’ve been really lucky to be able to coach some not just really good players, but just really quality people.”
As Carey notes, multiple Hawks players are having career years in 2025/26 under Synder, who holds a career record of 500-396 (.558) across 12 seasons with Utah and Atlanta.
Trade deadline acquisition Jock Landale, who recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks as a fill-in starter in Saturday’s win over Sacramento, praised his new coach after the game.
“Quin’s incredible, honestly, and I don’t say that lightly. He’s been instrumental in just kind of getting me up to speed with exactly what’s going on,” Landale said. “He’s a great coach to play for, and I think that all 17 of us would say the exact same thing about him.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- The Hornets entered Saturday having won five straight games and 23 of their last 29. They led the 76ers by five points entering the fourth quarter in Saturday’s critical matchup for postseason positioning, but went 0-4 on twos and 5-of-18 on threes in the fourth quarter and their cold offensive spell trickled over to the other end, according to head coach Charles Lee. “In that fourth quarter especially, just our defensive focus started to wane a little bit as we were missing shots,” Lee said (story via Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer). “The guys did a good job the last few games of just not letting that be the case ever. Our shot-making can’t affect our defense and I thought I did a little bit. Too many guys just driving without that physicality piece. Too many back doors, too many offensive rebounds and clutch moments. Offensively, I thought that our pace started to slow down a little bit. And we were able to really put them in some compromising situations, created a lot of advantages when we played fast and played with great ball movement.”
- Hornets wing Kon Knueppel has been incredibly productive and efficient as a rookie this season. He has only missed one game in 2025/26, averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on .485/.434/.864 shooting splits in 73 appearances (31.6 minutes per game). The Sixers had the third pick in last year’s draft and used it to take VJ Edgecombe, who has also been excellent as a rookie, one pick ahead of Knuppel. Head coach Nick Nurse praised the former Duke standout on Saturday, Boone writes in the same story. “Lots of people really liked him in the draft for sure, and he’s proved those people right and the people that didn’t, he’s proved those people wrong,” Nurse said. “For me, I just think he was a hooper, man. You just knew he was a competitor, and knew how to play and had lots of pieces to the game as well. He’s again one of those guys that he’ll rebound, he’ll block out, he’ll set screens — he knows how to play all parts of the game. And then, of course, he throws on that elite shooting skill … His elite skill is the shooting, and I think that’s what makes him so good, so valuable.” Knueppel pulled down 11 rebounds on Saturday but had his third-worst shooting game of the season (3-for-14 from the field).
- Forward Bilal Coulibaly had 21 points and six rebounds in the Wizards‘ close loss to Golden State on Friday but only played 19 minutes, including zero in the fourth quarter. Guard Bub Carrington (16 points and five assists in 26 minutes) also didn’t play in the fourth quarter, while second year-big man Alex Sarr was allowed to foul out of the game in the third quarter. Head coach Brian Keefe was asked about those decisions after the game, according to Nate Duncan (Twitter link), and said all three players had hit their minutes limits. As for not playing in the fourth quarter, Keefe said the team was prioritizing its players’ health and that the Wizards didn’t want to disrupt their rotations.
- Jaden Hardy has been on fire from three-point range since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in last month’s Anthony Davis trade, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. The 23-year-old guard is averaging 13.3 PPG while shooting 43.9% from long distance in 18 games with Washington (20.4 MPG). “There’s a bunch of players out there who haven’t gotten their opportunity, but they have game. If you get the opportunity, you have to just try to take full advantage of it and that’s what I’m trying to do… I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me over here. It’s a young team, so I feel like I fit in,” Hardy said.
Pacific Notes: Green, Curry, Porzingis, Suns, Jackson
Draymond Green says longtime Warriors teammate Stephen Curry shouldn’t try to return this season if he has “an inkling of doubt” about the condition of his right knee, “but if he’s healthy and he can play” then Curry has Green’s full support as he works toward a comeback, Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle writes in a subscriber-only story.
A report on Friday stated that Curry will be reevaluated in another week to see if his knee has progressed enough to make a return realistic. Green added that every player wants to excel in the postseason — the 38-year-old Curry may not have many more opportunities at this stage of his career.
“You just know he wants to play,” Green said. “He wants to be out there. … But I think where you get a little worried and you know he wants to come back and he hasn’t. That’s when you start looking at the clock tick … not from a standpoint of like, ‘Yo, when’s he coming back?’ But just like — I know he’s working to get back, and if not now, then what’s going on? I think you more so get a little worried but not from a standpoint of, ‘He’s going to save the day.’ (But) from a standpoint of like, ‘Oh, man. Your brother down. What the hell is going on?’”
Curry’s absence, combined with season-ending injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, have left the Warriors a shell of what they were earlier in the season. They’re currently 10th in the West at 36-38 and may have to win two games to advance out of the play-in tournament, but there’s still a glimmer of hope if Curry returns. In the meantime, Green has accepted the mantle of on-court leader.
“You just can’t be the guy that quits when it gets tough,” he said. “I’ve had some incredible years here. Been a part of some incredible teams. … When that stuff is happening, you want to be at the forefront of it. You want to embrace it, enjoy it, all those things. It’s great. But when it goes a little left, you can’t jump off the train. You can’t walk around and pout. You can’t throw in the towel — or what was everything you did before?”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 28 points on Friday as the Warriors defeated Washington for their first three-game winning streak in more than two months. Porzingis was 5-of-11 from three-point range, even though he’s dealing with pain in his shooting wrist, Gordon adds in a separate story. “Honestly, it’s not feeling good,” Porzingis said after practice Thursday. “I kept shooting, except it goes in anyway. Once I get it right, right, you’re going to see — there’s a difference for sure.”
- Suns big man Oso Ighodaro credits “mental will” for helping him play every game so far this season, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Ighodaro worked to build up his body during the offseason in hopes of becoming the first Phoenix player to be active for all 82 games since Mikal Bridges. “The preparation I put into my body this summer and my preparation in the weight room,” Ighodaro said. “God willing I can continue it and continue to play every game this season.”
- Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams were both able to play five-on-five Saturday for the first time since being injured, Rankin tweets. Brooks has been sidelined since February 21 with a fracture in his left hand, and Williams has been out of action since March 3 with a third metatarsal stress reaction in his left foot. “Good start. Everything is headed in the right direction,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said.
- Clippers backup center Isaiah Jackson is questionable for Sunday’s game at Milwaukee due to a sprained right ankle, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Spurs Notes: Castle, K. Johnson, Fox, Kornet, Wembanyama
Coach Mitch Johnson made sure Stephon Castle got the chance to pick up his fourth triple-double of the season in Saturday’s win at Milwaukee, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
With the Spurs leading by 32 points midway through the fourth quarter, Johnson observed that Castle was one rebound short of reaching the mark. After being reinserted into the game, it only took Castle 24 seconds to grab the extra board, and he was quickly pulled out after also posting 22 points and 10 assists in 29 minutes.
“I knew I needed one more before I got subbed out, so coach put me back in there,” Castle said.
Orsborn notes that the coaching staff has been urging Castle to improve his rebounding to add another dimension to his skills. He’s averaging 5.1 per game, up from his 3.7 mark as a rookie.
“If I can help our bigs rebound and start our break and keep our pace up, then I feel like it’s a plus,” he said.
There’s more on the Spurs:
- Keldon Johnson scored 16 points, recording his 50th double-digit game off the bench this season, Orsborn states in the same piece. Johnson, who’s a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year honors, is the only player in franchise history to accomplish that feat, having done it last season as well. He also tied a season high with five assists on Saturday.
- De’Aaron Fox and Luke Kornet returned to action after missing Wednesday’s game at Memphis with minor injuries, Orsborn adds. Both players logged 21 minutes against Milwaukee, with Fox posting 12 points and six assists and Kornet finishing with two points, one rebound and a steal.
- Victor Wembanyama is making good on the warning he issued to the rest of the basketball world after his French team had to settle for the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. “I’m learning,” Wembanyama said at the time, “and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years.” He added that he was referring to players “everywhere,” not just in future Olympics. Wembanyama is living up to that statement in 2025/26, putting together an MVP-caliber season and stating his case for the award earlier this week.
Heat Notes: Defense, Starting Lineup, Powell, Ware, Draft Pick
After watching the Heat surrender 149 points in Friday’s loss at Cleveland, coach Erik Spoelstra is having doubts about his defense as the postseason draws near, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes in a subscriber-only piece. Two nights after posting a 17-point win in the same arena, Miami was helpless to slow down a Cavaliers team that shot 53.6% from the field and 46.3% from beyond the arc.
“What we needed to have was a great disposition to start the game versus a team that was very motivated and on top of their game,” Spoelstra said. “So maybe they get off to a good start, but your defense can weather the storm and it ends up being a six to eight-point lead instead of a 20-plus point lead.”
The exact opposite happened as Cleveland registered 40 points in the first quarter and 41 in the second, building a 35-point lead by halftime. Chiang notes that the Heat had one of the league’s elite defenses for most of the season, but have collapsed recently, ranking among the bottom four during their 1-6 stretch.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” Spoelstra added. “We’ve put in the time. The guys have put in blood, sweat and tears to develop a top-four defense two weeks ago. And when we need it the most is when we’ve let it disappear.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Spoelstra used his preferred starting five of Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo for the second straight game, but the unit didn’t function nearly as well as it did on Wednesday, Chiang adds in the same story. They trailed 21-10 when Spoelstra made his first substitution and were outscored by six points in their 14 minutes together. “We need to just keep figuring it out,” Adebayo said. “Everybody keep buying in and we’ll see where it gets us.”
- Powell is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Indiana due to back spasms, Chiang tweets.
- The Heat are virtually certain to pursue a significant move this summer, Chiang states in a mailbag column. Giannis Antetokounmpo looms as an obvious target after Miami tried to land him at the trade deadline, and Chiang notes that the team needs its potential trade chips to finish the season strong to preserve their value. He points to backup center Kel’el Ware, who is viewed as the team’s top asset but has been inconsistent during his second NBA season with Spoelstra repeatedly singling him out in public comments.
- The decision to grant the Heat a 2026 second-round pick from Charlotte as compensation in the Terry Rozier dispute no longer seems as equitable in light of the NBA’s new anti-tanking proposals, contends Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel (subscription required). Winderman points out that the 2027 or 2028 first-rounder that was sent to the Hornets in exchange for Rozier has a chance to become much more valuable if the new rules are adopted.
Celtics Notes: Pritchard, Brown, Scheierman, Tatum
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard remained in a reserve role Friday night, even though Jaylen Brown was out of the lineup with Achilles tendinitis, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes in a subscriber-only story. Pritchard, who has gotten comfortable coming off the bench since coach Joe Mazzulla restructured his starting lineup in early February, helped erase a 16-point deficit and finished with 36 points in Boston’s 109-102 victory over Atlanta.
“I don’t think my role changed from any other night,” he said. “Just come out being aggressive, looking to make plays for my teammates or for myself, and just make the right reads.”
Pritchard’s willingness to move to the bench after being a regular starter for the first time in his career is emblematic of what has enabled the Celtics to vastly exceed expectations this season. While his scoring outburst was critical on Friday, Mazzulla pointed to effort plays that helped secure the win, including an important offensive rebound with just over three minutes left in the game after the Hawks cut the lead to four points.
“It’s just those big-time plays for us,” Mazzulla said. “And he’s not defined by scoring, so that helps us a lot when he does other things.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Mazzulla told reporters that Brown should be considered day-to-day, relays Brian Robb of MassLive. Brown received medical treatment earlier in the day before the decision was made to hold him out. “He was just a little banged up after Wednesday’s game,” Mazzulla said. Brown is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest at Charlotte.
- In a season where several players have overachieved, Baylor Scheierman has been the team’s most surprising contributor, Robb states in a mailbag column. The second-year guard struggled with his shot in limited playing time as a rookie, but he’s been much more reliable this season, connecting at 45.3% from the floor and 38.5% from three-point range.
- Jayson Tatum has been putting up good numbers, but he remains frustrated that he’s not as far along in his comeback as he hoped to be, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required). Tatum discussed the process after posting 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on Friday. “I feel rusty,” he said. “Obviously, you probably can see the moments when it doesn’t look the same or I look rusty, but I think just the mindset of, on to the next play. I’m thankful that I’ve got teammates and a coaching staff that are patient with me in this moment as I’m trying to just figure it out.”