Lakers Notes: Doncic, LeBron, Hayes, Kleber
Luka Doncic wasn’t happy with his first experience in the Lakers-Warriors rivalry, taking the blame for Thursday’s loss to Golden State following a poor shooting night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Doncic went 6-of-17 from the field and missed all six of his three-point attempts, ending a 114-game streak of making at least one three-pointer, which McMenamin notes was the fifth longest in NBA history.
The loss knocked L.A. back into fourth place at 46-30, a half-game behind Denver in the tight race for Western Conference seeding. The fifth-place Warriors moved to within a game of the Lakers at 45-31.
“That performance from me was unacceptable,” Doncic said. “When I play like that, that makes [it] harder [for the team] to win, so just got to figure that out.”
After the game, Doncic had ice on his left elbow, which was heavily wrapped in kinesiology tape, McMenamin states. However, Doncic refused to blame the injury for his shooting woes.
“It’s fine,” he said. “That’s my left [arm], so it’s fine. I was shooting with the right. It [just] looked like [the] left.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- LeBron James isn’t showing any effects from the groin strain that sidelined him for two weeks in March, McMenamin adds. In his seventh game since returning, James played 40 minutes and finished with 33 points, five rebounds and nine assists. “That was the best I’ve felt since before the injury, for sure,” he said. “I just tried to press, get downhill. My rhythm, as far as my jump shot, felt pretty good today. I have been shooting it from the free throw line extremely well as of late. But that was probably the best physically I’ve felt so hopefully I can build off of that.”
- Jaxson Hayes saw his scoring numbers rise after the Doncic trade in early February, but opponents have adjusted to take away the lob threat, notes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Hayes averaged 9.6 PPG and shot 78.4% from the field in his first 19 games with Doncic, but defenses are now focusing on keeping their low man close to the basket. “When teams do that, man, it’s either Luka’s gonna get a bucket or one of the shooters gonna get a bucket,” Hayes said. “They’re pulled in trying to help on my rolls and tackle on my rolls, that means the corner man’s open. So it’s just all about making the right reads. I just gotta continue to force overs and continue to roll hard so people come pull into the paint and can try to bring more of their defense in to get other guys open.”
- Maxi Kleber, who was acquired from Dallas in the Doncic deal, has been cleared for on-court activities, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kleber is recovering from surgery on his right foot in late January.
Thunder Notes: Records, Wiggins, Caruso, SGA, Hartenstein, Presti
The Thunder won’t be able to match the 73-win record set by the 2015/16 Warriors, but they’re putting the finishing touches on one of the best regular seasons in NBA history, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
As Slater details, the Thunder’s point differential of +13.4 points per game would be an NBA record. They still have a shot at setting a new single-season record for net rating as well — their +13.2 mark is just shy of the +13.4 record set by the 1995/96 Bulls. Oklahoma City also established a new high-water mark for the best cross-conference record in league history by going 29-1 against Eastern Conference opponents and has tied the NBA record for most double-digit wins in a season (50).
Even though they’ve long since clinched the top seed in the Western Conference and have started to get their key players some rest, the Thunder continue to roll — they haven’t lost since March 10 and a 70-win season remains in play with six games left on their schedule. Still, as Slater details, Oklahoma City’s players appear unimpressed by their regular season accomplishments, stressing that a title is the only thing that matters to them.
“We don’t care not one bit about any of those records,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said this week. “They mean something, but in the grand scheme, they don’t. We’re after one thing and one thing only. That’s what’s on our mind. Everything else we don’t care about.”
“It’s cool,” Jalen Williams added. “That stat stuff is more for y’all than it is for us. That’s my only answer. Sorry.”
Here’s more out of OKC:
- Aaron Wiggins, who has missed the past five games with left Achilles tendinitis, isn’t on the injury report for Friday’s game in Houston and should be available to make his return, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Alex Caruso also isn’t on the injury report after sitting out Wednesday’s win over Detroit due to left ankle soreness.
- In addition to being knocked out of last year’s NBA playoffs in the second round, Gilgeous-Alexander suffered an early exit at the Paris Olympics with Team Canada. Sam Amick of The Athletic takes a closer look at how those two tough losses are driving the MVP frontrunner — and how they remind him not to take any opportunities for granted. “Like (Thunder head) coach (Mark Daigneault) said a couple weeks ago, this group that we have today could be the best group of players I ever play with,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You think, ‘Oh, we’re all 25 or under, so we have a whole runway in front of us.’ But you never know what happens.”
- In a wide-ranging interview with Rylan Stiles of SI.com, big man Isaiah Hartenstein explained why the Thunder’s culture helped convince him to sign with Oklahoma City last year, expressed respect for general manager Sam Presti, and shared his impressions of playing alongside fellow big man Chet Holmgren.
- Presti is clearly the NBA’s Executive of the Year and deserves to be honored with that award this spring, Stiles argues in a separate SI.com story. In Stiles’ view, Presti has built the deepest roster in the NBA, with last offseason’s signing of Hartenstein and trade for Caruso making this season’s version of the Thunder even more formidable than last year’s team.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: Non-Bird Rights
Players and teams have to meet certain criteria to earn Bird rights and Early Bird rights, but Non-Bird rights are practically a given.
They apply to a player who has spent a single season or less with his team, as long as he finishes the season on an NBA roster and is on a standard contract (rather than a hardship or 10-day deal). Even a player who signs a rest-of-season contract right before the regular season finale and spends just a single day with his club would have Non-Bird rights in the offseason.
Teams can also claim Non-Bird rights on Early Bird free agents if they renounce them. The primary motivator to do so would be to allow the team to sign the free agent to a one-year contract, a move that’s not permitted via Early Bird rights.
Teams are eligible to sign their own free agents using the Non-Bird exception for a salary starting at 120% of the player’s previous salary, 120% of the minimum salary, or the amount of a qualifying offer (if the player is a restricted free agent), whichever is greatest. Contracts can be for up to four years, with 5% annual raises.
The cap hold for a Non-Bird player is 120% of his previous salary, unless his previous salary was the minimum. In that case, the cap hold is equivalent to the two-year veteran’s minimum salary. If a Non-Bird free agent only has one year of NBA experience, his cap hold is equivalent to the one-year veteran’s minimum salary.
The salary limitations that apply to Non-Bird rights are more severe than those pertaining to Bird rights or Early Bird rights, so in many cases, the Non-Bird exception may not be enough to retain a well-regarded free agent. For instance, the Bucks held Malik Beasley‘s Non-Bird rights last summer, but couldn’t have used them to match or exceed the offer the veteran wing received from the Pistons.
Because Beasley was on a minimum-salary contract in 2023/24, Milwaukee’s ability to offer a raise using the Non-Bird exception was extremely limited — the Bucks would have only been able to offer 120% of Beasley’s minimum salary using his Non-Bird rights, which worked out to $3,586,260. Detroit used its cap room to give Beasley a one-year, $6MM contract, easily topping Milwaukee’s maximum offer.
The Sixers may end up in a similar situation this offseason with Guerschon Yabusele, who will only have Non-Bird rights after playing out a one-year, minimum-salary contract. Philadelphia will only be able to offer him up to 120% of his 2025/26 minimum salary using the Non-Bird exception. That would work out to a projected $2.85MM.
Given how well Yabusele has performed this season, that likely won’t be enough to retain them, meaning the cap-strapped Sixers could have trouble making a competitive offer for the big man unless they can free up some mid-level exception money.
Holding Non-Bird rights on a free agent didn’t help the Bucks with Beasley and might not be enough for the Sixers with Yabusele, but there are cases in which the exception proves useful.
The Celtics, for instance, only had Non-Bird rights on Neemias Queta last offseason, but that gave them the ability to offer him a three-year contract, exceeding the one- or two-year minimum-salary offer they could have made if he were an outside free agent. Non-Bird rights also came in handy for a series of players involved in sign-and-trades, including Cody Zeller (Pelicans to Hawks), Charlie Brown Jr. (Knicks to Hornets), and Shake Milton (Knicks to Nets).
The higher a player’s previous salary is, the less restrictive his Non-Bird rights are. For example, after signing with the Spurs last summer, Chris Paul will only have Non-Bird rights this summer, but San Antonio would have significantly more flexibility than Denver will with Westbrook, since Paul is earning a $10.46MM base salary this season. The Spurs could offer Paul a starting salary of up to $12.55MM (120% of $10.46MM) using the Non-Bird exception.
Finally, it’s worth noting that a player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year deal (or a two-year deal that includes a second-year option) and will have Early Bird or Bird rights at the end of that contract would surrender those rights if he consents to a trade. In that scenario, he’d only finish the season with Non-Bird rights. No players in that position this year consented to a trade.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Earlier versions of this post were published in previous years by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron.
Nets Notes: Williams, Giannis, Fernandez, Timme
After spending three years in Memphis, Ziaire Williams was traded to Brooklyn last summer in part because he hadn’t improved as a shooter, having converted just 30.1% of his three-point attempts through his first 150 regular season games, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required).
But the Nets wing has made some progress in that department this season — since returning from a month-long injury absence at the start of January, Williams has knocked down 35.7% of 227 total attempts from beyond the arc (5.8 per game).
“When you see the fruits of your labor paying off, it always does help and feels a little good. So, just trying to trust my work,” Williams said. “Really just rhythm. Rhythm and just staying on track, shooting straight line drive every time. But the main thing is shooting the same shot, not really focus on the result and not worrying about feet and legs and arms, just focusing … and shooting the same. That’s really about it.”
Defense has never been an issue for Williams, whose length and versatility make him an asset on that end of the court. So if teams view his increased three-point shooting percentage as sustainable, it would bode well for him when he reaches the free agent market this summer, Lewis observes.
“I mean, I’d be lying if I told you the thought wasn’t there,” Williams acknowledged. “But it’s not something I really trip over. I try not to just (focus on it). I try just to play winning basketball, man: shoot when I’m open, pass when it needs to be passed. I just play my hardest, man. I know my agent and my representatives — and more importantly God — they’ll take care of all of that. So, I’m just enjoying the (game), just being in the moment, being where my feet are. And then, when that time comes, then I’ll get a little bit more happy about it.”
We have more on the Nets:
- Within a preview of Brooklyn’s potential offseason roster decision, Lewis reiterates in another subscriber-only New York Post article that acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be “Plan A” for the Nets. This is hardly the first time Lewis has reported the Nets’ interest in the Bucks star, which has been confirmed by other outlets, but the idea of Brooklyn acquiring Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee doesn’t appear any more viable now than it did then — perhaps that will change if the Bucks are once again eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
- After reacquiring control of their 2025 first-round pick last offseason and then trading away Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith early in the season, the Nets appeared primed to tank hard. However, the year hasn’t exactly played out that way. Lewis of the New York Post and Net Income of Nets Daily take a look at how Nets players and head coach Jordi Fernandez have resisted tanking all season long and appear likely to end up in the middle of the pack in the draft lottery standings.
- Fernandez recently spoke to Brandon Robinson of ScoopB.com about how his PhD in sports psychology influences his approach to coaching and the role that mental health plays in a team’s success.
- It took Drew Timme until near the end of his second professional season to get a look at the NBA level, but he’s making the most of his opportunity, averaging 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his first three outings as a Net and impressing his veteran teammates in the process, according to Lewis (subscription required). “A young guy who knows how to play, I think you stick in this league, as simple as that,” Nets guard D’Angelo Russell said of Timme. “He knows how to play basketball.”
- In case you missed it, the Nets issued a series of injury updates on Wednesday, including announcing that Noah Clowney‘s season is over due to a right ankle sprain.
Injury Notes: Heat, Lillard, VanVleet, Coulibaly, Yabusele
Heat forward Andrew Wiggins will miss his fourth consecutive game on Thursday due to right hamstring tendinopathy, but another Miami forward, Duncan Robinson, will make his return vs. Memphis, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Robinson hasn’t played since March 23, having been sidelined for the club’s past five contests due to a back problem. However, he feels “a lot better,” according to head coach Erik Spoelstra, who reiterated that the injury is different than the one the veteran sharpshooter dealt with at the end of last season (Twitter link via Chiang).
In addition to being without Wiggins, the Heat will still be missing Kevin Love (personal reasons), as well as Terry Rozier, who is listed as out due to an illness, but neither player has been a regular rotation contributor since the All-Star break anyway.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- The Bucks decided against bringing Damian Lillard on their three-game road trip that begins Thursday in Philadelphia, but head coach Doc Rivers is increasingly optimistic about the guard’s ability to return before the end of the season, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Lillard was diagnosed last month with a blood clot in his calf. “He had a great report the other day…the numbers are phenomenal,” Rivers said. “‘Why mess with it?’ was our thing. Why fly him or anything? It could affect (his progress). … We have much more hope today than we did three days ago, I can tell you that. And so, we’re going to take everything that we can do to see if there is a way we can get him back.”
- Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet didn’t suit up on Wednesday for the victory that clinched Houston its first playoff spot since 2020, having sat out due to knee and ankle soreness. VanVleet had played in the Rockets’ previous 11 games and should be back in the lineup in short order, but that ankle issue, which forced him to miss 16 games in February and March, likely won’t clear up anytime soon. “It’s going to take some time,” head coach Ime Udoka said, per ESPN. “We will have to deal with it the rest of the season, coming off the injury.”
- The Wizards didn’t formally rule out Bilal Coulibaly for the rest of the season when they announced on March 13 that he’d miss about four-to-six weeks due to a right hamstring strain. However, head coach Brian Keefe acknowledged on Thursday that the second-year forward will “probably not” be back before the team wraps up its regular season schedule, as Varun Shankar of The Washington Post tweets.
- After missing a pair of games with a right knee sprain, Sixers forward/center Guerschon Yabusele will be activated for Thursday’s matchup with Milwaukee, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pacific Notes: Payton, Beal, Hayes, Carter, Kings
Golden State should have one of its top defensive players back in the near future. While veteran swingman Gary Payton II has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, he is making “good progress” from the partially torn ligament in his left thumb is now considered day-to-day, according to an announcement from the Warriors (Twitter link).
Initial reports on Payton’s thumb injury indicated he would be sidelined indefinitely, but the Warriors announced last Thursday that he’d be reevaluated in one week and it sounds as if that exam went well. While the defensive specialist won’t suit up on Thursday, he has yet to be ruled out for the second end of the team’s back-to-back set, so it’s possible he could return as soon as Friday vs. Denver.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Bradley Beal isn’t listed on the Suns‘ injury report for Friday’s game in Boston and is on track to make his return after missing eight games with a left hamstring strain. He shares fans’ frustrations about his inconsistent availability this season and is hopeful he won’t have to miss any more games this spring, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s not ideal, obviously, it’s not fun,” Beal said. “You don’t enjoy it. You control what you can control. That’s all I can do. I always preach about being available and that’s something I’m definitely kicking myself about, but that’s sometimes how the cookie crumbles. All I can do is keep my head up and keep getting better. The staff has been great, my body is in a better place and I feel really good right now. Hopefully it continues to stay that way.”
- Jaxson Hayes averaged a career-low 12.5 minutes per game in his first season with the Lakers in 2023/24, but has taken on a significantly more important role in the second year of his minimum-salary deal following the trade sending Anthony Davis to Dallas. Hayes, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is looking to make the most of the chance to start at center alongside an elite pick-and-roll play-maker like Luka Doncic. “I just view it as opportunity to make a name for myself, an opportunity to go win some games and win a ring,” Hayes said on Wednesday, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “And I just look at it as I gotta come in locked in every day and just try to make the most out of every day, be the best version of myself.”
- The Kings got good news on Devin Carter after the rookie guard exited Saturday’s game early due to a right shoulder injury. Carter is considered day-to-day due to a shoulder contusion and is being listed as questionable to play on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). Carter has a history of shoulder issues, so the team can breathe a sigh of relief now that the injury appears to be relatively minor.
- While the Carter update was a positive one, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate in Sacramento as of late. As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, the Kings‘ loss in Washington on Wednesday represents a new low for a team struggling to separate itself in the play-in race from a Phoenix squad that has lost four games in a row. The 36-40 Kings have a one-game lead on the Suns for the No. 10 seed in the West.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Hornets Sign Jaylen Sims To 10-Day Contract
The Hornets have officially signed Jaylen Sims to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer first reported that the team would be signing Sims (Twitter link).
As our tracker shows, the Hornets currently have a full 15-man standard roster. However, they were able to sign Sims using a hardship exception, as the team has multiple players dealing with significant injuries.
A Charlotte native who went undrafted out of UNC Wilmington in 2022, Sims has spent each of the past three seasons with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate. The 6’6″ guard has made 49 combined appearances for the Swarm in 2024/25, averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .442/.375/.837.
Sims will earn $66,503 over the course of his 10-day contract, with the Hornets carrying an identical cap hit on their books. The 26-year-old will be eligible to play in five games for his hometown team.
Kylor Kelley Signs 10-Day Contract With Pelicans
3:50pm: Kelley’s 10-day contract is official, per the Pelicans. He will earn $66,503 over the next 10 days and New Orleans will carry an identical cap hit.
1:18pm: Free agent center Kylor Kelley will be signing a 10-day contract with the Pelicans, league sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms the news (via Twitter).
As Stein notes, Kelley made his NBA debut earlier this season while on a two-way deal with the Mavericks. The 27-year-old big man was waived at the beginning of March to make roster space for Kai Jones.
Kelley appeared in eight games for Dallas, averaging 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per contest. He has spent most of 2024/25 in the NBA G League with the South Bay Lakers after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Los Angeles for training camp last fall (he was released by L.A. before the season began).
Kelley, who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020, has played in the G League and a handful of other non-NBA leagues – including in England and Denmark – since going pro.
The 7’0″ center spent the ’23/24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s affiliate, and earned NBAGL All-Defensive honors after averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game in 29 regular season appearances (22.0 MPG). In 32 games with South Bay in ’24/25, he has averaged 11.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 26.6 minutes per contest.
After signing Elfrid Payton to a second 10-day contract, the Pelicans currently have a full 15-man standard roster. New Orleans will add Kelley via the hardship exception, as the team has lost several players for the remainder of an injury-plagued season.
Hawks’ Terance Mann Named Assistant GM At Florida State
Hawks wing Terance Mann has been named an assistant GM of Florida State’s men’s basketball program, the school confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). NBA insider Chris Haynes was first to report the news (via Twitter).
Haynes’ report suggested that Mann was recruited by Luke Loucks, the former Kings assistant and new Noles head coach. The 34-year-old replaced Leonard Hamilton, FSU’s all-time leader in wins.
Mann was a second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2019 draft after playing four years at Florida State from 2015-19. He’ll be returning to his alma mater in a new role.
It’s unclear at this time what Mann’s specific job duties will entail. Warriors superstar Stephen Curry (Davidson) and Mann’s backcourt mate Trae Young (Oklahoma) are among the other NBA players who have accepted assistant GM jobs at their former schools.
Mann, 28, was traded to Atlanta ahead of the February deadline. He’s under contract through 2028 after signing a three-year extension before the 2024/25 season began.
Dillon Brooks Receives 16th Technical, Suspended One Game
April 3: The NBA put out a press release (Twitter link) confirming that Brooks will be suspended for one game without pay. He will serve the suspension tomorrow against the Thunder, as noted below.
April 2: Rockets forward Dillon Brooks has been hit with his 16th technical foul of the 2024/25 season after kicking Jazz guard Collin Sexton during Wednesday’s game between Houston and Utah, per Bleacher Report (Twitter video link).
By league rule, Brooks’ 16th technical will result in a one-game suspension for the veteran swingman, Bleacher Report notes, unless the NBA rescinds the call.
Sexton was defending Brooks as the Rockets wing pivoted into the post. Brooks leapt up and dropped the ball in what looked like an effort to sell a foul call against Sexton, but in so doing appeared to kick Sexton in a sensitive area.
Houston can ill afford to lose Brooks at all, as the club strives to hold on to its No. 2 overall seed in a very crowded Western Conference playoff picture.
At 49-27, the Rockets are currently just two games ahead of the No. 3 Nuggets, and 2.5 games in front of the No. 4 Lakers. The 44-31 Warriors and 44-32 Grizzlies aren’t far behind, either. With six games left in the Rockets’ season, the young team still has to work to do to secure its playoff seed.
When he isn’t caught fouling the opposition, the 29-year-old Brooks is a highly valuable piece on both sides of the ball. Through 72 games this year, the 2023 All-Defensive Teamer is averaging 13.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals per night, with a .422/.395/.824 shooting line.
Assuming Brooks’ 16th technical isn’t rescinded, he’d serve his suspension on Friday vs. Oklahoma City. If he accumulates two more techs before the end of the regular season, that would result in another one-game ban.