Victor Wembanyama, Ausar Thompson Win Defensive Awards For March
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a third straight time. After winning the award for January and February, Wembanyama has also claimed it for March, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The overwhelming favorite to be this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama continued to anchor one of the league’s best defenses across 15 outings in March, racking up a league-high 56 blocks (3.7 per game) and 20 steals (1.3 per game) for the month. According to the league, the star big man also ranked second in the league by contesting 11.6 per game in March as he led San Antonio to a 14-1 record (the Spurs lost a second game in which he didn’t play).
While Wembanyama is the only player to win three Defensive Player of the Month awards this season, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson joins him as the league’s only other multi-time winner, having earned the Eastern Conference honor for March. Thompson was also the East’s Defensive Player of the Month in January.
Thompson now leads the NBA in steals per game after racking up 32 in 13 March appearances (2.5 per game). In addition to ranking first in steals per game for the month, he also led the league in deflections per game, with 4.8, and contributed 1.1 blocks per night as well.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other Western Conference nominees included four usual suspects – Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Clippers guard Kris Dunn, and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren – along with one surprise: Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
In the East, Thompson beat out fellow nominees Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers, OG Anunoby of the Knicks, and Hawks teammates Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels.
Sixers’ Edgecombe, Kings’ Raynaud Named Rookies Of The Month
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe has been named the Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month for March, while Kings big man Maxime Raynaud has won the award for the Western Conference, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
Edgecombe’s win prevents Hornets wing Kon Knueppel from achieving a clean sweep of Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards this season. Knueppel earned the honor for October/November, December, January, and February. He was among this month’s nominees in the East, along with Wizards forward Will Riley, per the league (Twitter link).
But it’s Edgecombe that claimed the honor after an impressive March in which he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 32.7 minutes per game across 13 outings. He posted a solid .454/.361/.895 shooting line for the month, strengthening his case for a spot on this season’s All-Rookie first team.
Over in the West, Raynaud is the third player to receive Rookie of the Month recognition this season, joining Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (Oct./Nov., Dec., and Jan.) and Spurs guard Dylan Harper (Feb.), both of whom were nominated for the March award along with Jazz forward Ace Bailey.
Injuries to Kings centers Domantas Sabonis and Drew Eubanks have cleared the way for Raynaud to play a significant role in Sacramento’s frontcourt since the All-Star break. In 15 March appearances (all starts), he put up 17.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .595/.444/.784 shooting. His most impressive individual stretch came when he had back-to-back 30-point games on March 17 vs. San Antonio and March 19 vs. Philadelphia.
Joe Ingles Has Interest In Returning To Australia’s NBL
Veteran forward Joe Ingles is interested in the idea of returning to his home country to play in Australia’s National Basketball League, Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports within his NBL free agency primer.
Ingles, 38, was a member of the South Dragons in Melbourne from 2006-09 before going undrafted in ’09. He spent the next several years competing in Spain and Israel, then eventually made the move to the NBA in 2014.
The 6’8″ forward has been stateside for the past 12 seasons, but after playing big minutes in Utah earlier in his career, he has essentially just been a locker room leader for the last couple years in Minnesota. Since joining the Timberwolves in the summer of 2024, Ingles has made 44 regular season appearances and played 216 total minutes (4.9 per game), primarily in garbage time.
The South Dragons no longer exist, but if Ingles were to return to Australia, he could end up playing in Melbourne once again, according to Uluc, who says the Timberwolves forward has already spoken with both Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Adelaide 36ers also reportedly have interest in Ingles and appear to be his most “proactive” suitor so far, Uluc adds.
Ingles is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract in Minnesota, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Pistons To Reevaluate Cade Cunningham In One Week
The Pistons provided a brief update on Cade Cunningham‘s recovery from a collapsed lung today, announcing (via Twitter) that the star guard “continues to progress in his return to play process” under the supervision of medical experts, including those on the team’s staff. He’ll be reevaluated in one week, according to the club.
There are no real specifics within the Pistons’ announcement about where Cunningham is in his recovery, but they said when initially revealing his diagnosis that he’d be reevaluated in two weeks, so an update was due today.
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Vince Goodwill previously reported that the Pistons were optimistic about Cunningham’s lung in about two weeks. The hope, Goodwill explained at the time, was that the 24-year-old would then be able to do non-contact work for a week, followed by a week (or more) of contact work ahead of the playoffs. It’s unclear based on today’s announcement if that timeline is still realistic — next week’s update could provide more clarity.
With Cunningham set to miss at least one more week, he’ll officially fall short of the 65-game threshold required to be considered for end-of-season awards. That means he won’t be eligible to be included on MVP ballots and won’t make an All-NBA team this season, despite an impressive 61-game showing that saw him lead the Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the East by averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 34.4 minutes per game.
While the Pistons will need a healthy Cunningham to make a deep postseason run, they’ve more than held their own during his absence, going 6-2 over the past two weeks. Their only two losses during that stretch came in overtime to the Hawks and Thunder, two of the NBA’s hottest teams.
Wizards Confirm Kyshawn George Won’t Return This Season
As expected, Wizards forward Kyshawn George has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025/26 season due to a Grade 2 ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his left elbow, the team announced today (Twitter link).
When the Wizards first revealed George’s diagnosis on March 4, they indicated he’d miss at least three weeks. Last week, they ruled him out at least one more week and stated that his injury was being treated “conservatively,” strongly suggesting he wouldn’t be brought back this spring.
According to today’s announcement, George’s elbow requires additional healing and will be reevaluated in another two weeks. The expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery well ahead of the 2026/27 season, with additional updates to come, per the club.
The injury will officially close the book on George’s second NBA season after 48 appearances (all starts). The 22-year-old, who was drafted 24th overall in 2024, took a significant step forward in 2025/26, increasing his numbers across the board to 14.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 29.0 minutes per game, with a .438/.381/.802 shooting line.
George’s modest breakout year should solidify his place among the Wizards’ young core as the team – which acquired veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis prior to this season’s trade deadline – looks to become more competitive in 2026/27.
George, who made $2.97MM this season, has a guaranteed $3.11MM salary for next year, while the Wizards have until October 31 to make a decision on his $5.44MM team option for 2027/28. It’s safe to assume that option will be exercised, which will put the 6’8″ forward on track to become extension-eligible during the 2027 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension at that time, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in 2028.
Jazz To Sign Bez Mbeng To Two-Year Deal
11:31 am: Mbeng will be signing a two-year contract, agent Jason Tranos tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). While Charania doesn’t provide any additional details, that second year is unlikely to be guaranteed.
7:43 am: Bez Mbeng‘s second 10-day contract with the Jazz expired on Wednesday night, but he won’t be going anywhere, reports Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. According to Todd, Utah will be signing Mbeng for the rest of the season.
Mbeng, 22, made 11 appearances during his first 20 days with the Jazz after first joining the team on March 13. The 6’4″ shooting guard played regular rotation minutes during that time for a banged-up Utah squad, averaging 5.0 points, 3.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 29.9 minutes per night.
While Mbeng’s shooting numbers (.429/.167/.667) have been modest, the Jazz have apparently liked what they’ve seen from the former Yale star, especially on defense. The 22-year-old, who earned three Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2023-25 before going undrafted last June, spent most of his rookie year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, until he signed with Utah.
The Jazz would have the ability to sign Mbeng to a multiyear deal, though Todd doesn’t confirm that’s the plan. We’ll have to wait for the full details of the agreement to confirm the terms, but if it’s just a rest-of-season contract, the guard would be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
Mbeng earned $73,153 on each of his two 10-day deals. If he officially re-signs on Thursday, a rest-of-season minimum-salary contract would pay him slightly more than that ($80,469), for a total of $226,775 on top of the salary he earned in the G League.
Once Mbeng is signed, the Jazz will have have 14 players on full-season or multiyear standard contracts, with Kennedy Chandler filling the 15th roster spot on a 10-day deal.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/2/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Sixers' chances of beating the Knicks in a playoff series, potential draft outcomes for the Bulls, Will Riley's future with the Wizards, successful tanking by the Pacers and Bucks and more!
Southwest Notes: Wemby, Harper, Zion, Rockets
In recent days, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lakers guard Luka Doncic have each declined when given the opportunity to campaign for Most Valuable Players honors. However, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama doesn’t regret arguing his own case for MVP last week. In fact, he doubled down on Wednesday night after a monster game in Golden State in which he had 41 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks on 16-of-22 shooting in just 29 minutes.
“I do care deeply about (the MVP award),” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt (story via Anthony Slater of ESPN.com). “I think that of the greats that are in the Hall of Fame — or the best of all time — they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career. If I want to make my spot among the greats, I got to try to not miss any occasion to put my name up there.”
The Spurs have gone 26-2 since the start of February and Wembanyama has played some of his best basketball as of late, including averaging 30.0 points and 15.8 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game in his past five outings. However, the Thunder – winners of 15 of their last 16 games – and Gilgeous-Alexander (three 40-point games in his last eight contests) have been just as hot, so the OKC guard remains the betting favorite for MVP.
Still, as Slater writes, even if he isn’t named MVP, Wembanyama is a lock to claim the Defensive Player of the Year award. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr referred to the Spurs star on Wednesday as “obviously the best defensive player in the league.”
“He’s got unbelievable confidence now,” Kerr said. “He looks like he knows exactly what to do on both ends. His first couple years, he looked young at times. He doesn’t look young anymore. He just looks like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Dominated the glass. There’s plays you can’t do anything. Several lobs where it looked like a Nerf hoop. He’s brilliant.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Last year’s No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper is averaging just 22.3 minutes per game this season, far below what fellow top-five picks like Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, and Kon Knueppel are playing. However, the Spurs guard tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that playing rotation minutes for a team with the potential to make a deep playoff run makes the trade-off well worth it. “That’s every kid’s dream, to play on the big stages,” Harper said. “I might come off the bench, but in a month or so, I will be playing in the playoffs. Not many rookies can say that they can do that at a high level and play meaningful minutes.”
- While Zion Williamson‘s camp hasn’t been given any indication that the Pelicans will look to trade him this summer, many outside observers are expecting it to happen, given the forward’s injury history and his awkward fit alongside new cornerstone Derik Queen, writes Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports. For his part, Williamson recognizes his long-term future in New Orleans is far from assured. “New Orleans is home for me. It’s where I want to be,” he told Weitzman. “But at the end of the day, if we’re going to be realistic about it, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before (next season’s) trade deadline. Not that I want that to happen, but that’s just the realism of it.”
- Rockets head coach Ime Udoka inserted Tari Eason into his starting five on Tuesday vs. New York for matchup purposes before Reed Sheppard reclaimed his starting role on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, as Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle details in a pair of subscriber-only stories. The moves paid dividends — the starting lineup with Eason outscored the Knicks 43-25 in 14 minutes in Tuesday’s win, while the same group with Sheppard outscored the Bucks 39-21 in just under 13 minutes in Wednesday’s victory. “(We) want to formulate what we want to go to this late in the season and getting into the playoffs,” Udoka said of his lineup tweaks. “Got five, six more games to figure that out.”
Checking In On Playoff Picture, Expired 10-Day Contracts
Although we already know which 20 teams will be taking part in the NBA’s postseason, only seven of those clubs have officially clinched playoff spots, assuring themselves of a top-six finish in their respective conference. The Pistons, Celtics, and Knicks have booked their tickets in the East, while the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, and Nuggets have done so in the West.
Two more teams could secure top-six playoff spots on Thursday. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the Cavaliers will clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight in Golden State, while the Rockets will be assured of a playoff appearance if the Suns lose in Charlotte.
Although the Timberwolves can’t clinch their own playoff spot with a win tonight, they hold a 4.5-game lead over Phoenix for the No. 6 spot in the West, where we’re getting pretty close to the playoff and play-in fields being set. Barring a late-season collapse, Minnesota and Houston will almost certainly join Oklahoma City, San Antonio, the Lakers, and Denver as top-six seeds, leaving the Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors to battle it out in the play-in tournament. Those last three teams are already locked into the play-in, though seeding remains up for grabs.
The most compelling remaining playoff race figures to be for the final guaranteed playoff spot(s) in the East. The Cavs, who could’ve clinched with a win on Tuesday or a Philadelphia loss on Wednesday, will undoubtedly secure their spot sooner or later, but the fifth and sixth seeds in the conference are far from settled. The No. 5 Hawks (44-33) are separated from the No. 10 Heat (40-37) by just four games, with the Sixers (42-34), Raptors (42-34), Hornets (40-36), and Magic (40-36) also battling to finish in the top six — or at least to take part in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game, which would guarantee them two chances to make the playoffs.
While none of those Eastern teams is locked into the play-in yet, blowout home losses on Wednesday have made it increasingly difficult for Orlando and Miami to claw their way into the top six. Conversely, Atlanta strengthened its hold on the No. 5 seed with an impressive win over the Magic. The Hawks have now won 17 of their last 19 games.
In other housekeeping news, a total of four 10-day contracts expired overnight on Wednesday: Bez Mbeng (Jazz), DeJon Jarreau (Grizzlies), Tyler Burton (Grizzlies), and Markelle Fultz (Raptors).
Reporting has already indicated that the Jazz intend to re-sign Mbeng for the rest of the season, but that’s not an option for the Grizzlies with Jarreau or Burton unless they waive someone from their 15-man roster, since they were on hardship deals and aren’t eligible to sign another 10-day contract with Memphis. The Grizzlies remain eligible to re-add two players in those hardship slots, but barring more significant roster changes, they’ll likely have to bring in a pair of newcomers to replace Jarreau and Burton.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have the ability to re-sign Fultz, since they now have an open 15-man roster spot and the former No. 1 overall pick has only received a single 10-day deal with the team. He did appear in five games during his first 10 days with the club, but played very limited minutes and wasn’t all that effective (four total points on 2-of-11 shooting in 36 minutes).
The expectation is that the Raptors will sign someone else to replace Fultz, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who identifies Raptors 905 sharpshooter Tyreke Key as a potential candidate for a 10-day deal. If Toronto signs Key or someone else to a 10-day contract on Thursday, it would expire next Saturday night, allowing the team to promote one of its two-way players to the standard roster ahead of the postseason next Sunday.
Since there are only 11 days left in the season, time is quickly running out for teams to sign players to standard 10-day contracts. Starting on Friday, a team with an open roster spot would simply be signing a player to a rest-of-season deal. However, hardship “10-day” signings are still permitted through the end of the season. They would expire after the regular season finale, making those players free agents immediately.
Several more 10-day contracts, including Omer Yurtseven‘s with the Warriors, Malachi Smith‘s with the Nets, and Charles Bassey‘s with the Celtics, will end this weekend. Boston will have to either re-sign Bassey or bring in a new 14th man on Sunday after the center’s second 10-day deal expires on Saturday night, since the Celtics aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for a full day for the rest of the season.
Our 10-day tracker shows the full list of active deals.
Nets Sign Tre Scott To 10-Day Contract
The Nets have signed forward Tre Scott to a 10-day deal, according to NBA.com’s official log of transactions. Confirming the deal with agent Darrell Comer, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) notes that it’s a hardship contract, allowing Brooklyn to complete the signing without cutting anyone from its 15-man roster.
A team qualifies for a hardship exception when it has four players who have missed three consecutive games due to an injury and are expected to remain out for at least two more weeks. It seems Day’Ron Sharpe (thumb), Egor Dëmin (foot), Michael Porter Jr. (hamstring), and Danny Wolf (ankle) all fit that bill for Brooklyn. Porter and Wolf haven’t been formally ruled out for the season, but Porter’s return has been considered doubtful and Scotto notes Wolf is wearing a walking boot and isn’t expected to play again this spring.
Scott, 29, has competed in Puerto Rico, France, and Canada since going undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020, though he has spent most of his time in the G League, suiting up for the Salt Lake City Stars, Cleveland Charge, Ontario Clippers, Greensboro Swarm, Osceola Magic, and – most recently – the Long Island Nets.
In 47 total outings this season for Long Island, Scott averaged 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 27.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .453/.358/.609.
The 6’8″ forward has made two regular season appearances, but those came way back in 2021 when he was on a 10-day deal with the Cavaliers. If he sees action for Brooklyn, Scott will be playing in an NBA game for the first time in nearly four-and-a-half years.
Scott’s 10-day contract will pay him $117,730, with the Nets taking on an identical cap hit. The deal will run through April 11, covering five of the club’s six remaining games.