Month: May 2025

Fischer’s Latest: Irving, Mavs, Harden, Clippers, Point Guards

Before suffering a torn ACL in early March, Kyrie Irving was widely expected to sign an extension or a new free agent contract with the Mavericks this offseason, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says that perception hasn’t changed since Irving’s injury. However, the veteran point guard’s ACL recovery, which figures to extend well into next season, may complicate those negotiations to some extent.

According to Fischer, there have been rumblings all season that the Mavericks would like to lock up Irving for the next three seasons for approximately $40MM per year. In other words, they’d be comfortable essentially making the same three-year, $120MM offer that Irving signed as a free agent in 2023.

Irving was coming off a tumultuous stint in Brooklyn and had only been a Maverick for a half-season when he agreed to that contract in 2023. He has since established himself as a cornerstone player for the franchise, helping to lead Dallas to an NBA Finals appearance a year ago.

As Fischer writes, if he had stayed healthy, Irving could have sought a higher annual salary based on his production and leadership over the past two seasons — especially given the leverage he would’ve had as the team’s primary backcourt play-maker following the February trade of Luka Doncic. Now that he’s recovering from a major knee injury at age 33, a massive payday that exceeds his previous deal may be less realistic for Irving.

Here’s more from Fischer, whose latest Substack article focuses on a few of this year’s top free agent point guards:

  • “The whole league knows” the Mavericks want to add ball-handling and play-making to their backcourt after trading Doncic and seeing Irving go down with an ACL tear, Fischer writes. Sources tell The Stein Line that Dallas’ goal will be to add a player who can fill in as a starter with Irving sidelined and then transition to a complementary role once Kyrie returns. While the Mavs’ cap flexibility will be very limited, there’s optimism that they might be able to convince a solid player to accept the veteran’s minimum with the promise of a starting role, like Phoenix did with Tyus Jones a year ago.
  • Multiple sources who have spoken to Fischer have suggested that Irving’s new deal with Dallas could “serve as a barometer” for what James Harden does with the Clippers this summer. Like Irving, Harden isn’t expected to leave his current team, and like Irving, he’d have the ability to exercise his player option (worth $36.3MM) and negotiate an extension or opt out to sign a new contract. Whichever direction he and the team go, there’s an expectation that the Clippers will be looking to line up Harden’s new contract with Kawhi Leonard‘s, which runs through 2026/27, Fischer notes. That would mean no more than two guaranteed years for the former MVP.
  • Fischer adds that multiple rival teams view the Clippers as a club to watch on the trade market this offseason once they get the Harden situation resolved.
  • Front offices around the league consider Fred VanVleet (Rockets) and Josh Giddey (Bulls) likely to return to their respective teams, according to Fischer. Dennis Schröder might end up being one of the top point guards available on the open market, though the Pistons are known to have interest in bringing him back, Fischer says.

NBA Reveals Full Voter Ballots For 2024/25 Awards

The NBA has formally revealed the full ballots submitted by the 100 media members who voted for each of this season’s awards, per a press release from the league.

Over the past several weeks, the NBA gradually unveiled its major award winners for the 2024/25 season, starting with Sixth Man of the Year on April 22 and wrapping up with All-NBA on Friday. While the league confirmed at the time of those announcements how many votes each player received, we now know exactly which NBA reporter or analyst submitted each vote.

So if you’ve been wondering who had Derrick White as their runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, who snuck Jared McCain onto their Rookie of the Year ballot after he played just 23 games, who awarded Reed Sheppard and his 4.4 points per game a spot on their All-Rookie Second Team, or which 29 voters made Nikola Jokic their MVP choice, now you can find out.

Here are the results of this season’s award votes, in the order they were announced, along with our stories on each winner and links to the full media voter ballots:


Sixth Man of the Year

Our story | Voter ballots

  1. Payton Pritchard (Celtics)
  2. Malik Beasley (Pistons)
  3. Ty Jerome (Cavaliers)

Clutch Player of the Year

Our story | Voter ballots

  1. Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
  2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
  3. Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)

Defensive Player of the Year

Our story | Voter ballots

  1. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
  2. Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
  3. Draymond Green (Warriors)

Rookie of the Year

Our story | Voter ballots

  1. Stephon Castle (Spurs)
  2. Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
  3. Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)

Most Improved Player

Our story | Voter ballots

  1. Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
  2. Ivica Zubac (Clippers)
  3. Cade Cunningham (Pistons)

Coach of the Year

Our story | Voter ballots

  1. Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
  2. J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
  3. Ime Udoka (Rockets)

All-Rookie Teams

Our story | Voter ballots

First Team

Second Team


Most Valuable Player

Our story | Voter ballots

  1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
  2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
  3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

All-Defensive Teams

Our story | Voter ballots

First Team

Second Team


All-NBA Teams

Our story | Voter ballots

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Pacers Notes: Siakam, Turner, Sheppard, Contending

Pacers star Pascal Siakam delivered on the biggest stage on Friday night, surging to a playoff career-high 39 points, five rebounds and three assists in a Game 2 win in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Knicks, Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic observes.

Whatever was out there, I just took it,” Siakam said. “I think what makes us special as a team is just that we have different weapons and we’re not consumed with who’s going to do what. You just go into the game, and however the game presents itself, that’s how we go and take it and do it our way. And it doesn’t matter who scores.

The Pacers acquired Siakam at last year’s trade deadline, a move that paid immediate dividends with Indiana’s back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances since his arrival.

That’s why we brought him here. It’s what he’s here to do,” Haliburton said. “He can get a bucket in so many different ways. He started the game high, and we just kept feeding him. I thought he did a great job of making big shot after big shot after big shot, killing momentum.

We have more from the Pacers:

  • Myles Turner again delivered on the biggest stage, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter and keying the Pacers’ run that pushed them over the top, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar writes. Dopirak also points out within the same story that Siakam’s Game 2 performance is even more impressive considering he was being primarily guarded by OG Anunoby.
  • Ben Sheppard has been a key reserve for the Pacers in the playoffs. Though he hasn’t played much, coach Rick Carlisle is trusting him to play in big moments and give the starters some rest, Dopirak writes. “He’s a guy that is very dependable,” Carlisle said. “He goes in and you know you’re going to get hard play, running, real effort, attention to detail. He plays with a pace and an energy that’s healthy to our team.
  • The Pacers continue to prove they belong on this stage, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes. “What’s really special about our group is we have so many different people contributing,” Haliburton said. “So many people doing special things.” Indiana is 44-16 since the calendar turned to 2025.

Cedric Coward Staying In 2025 NBA Draft

Washington State forward Cedric Coward is officially keeping his name in the 2025 NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

Reports during and after the draft combine indicated this was the expected outcome for Coward, but it’s notable for a couple of reasons. For starters, he had committed to playing next season at Duke but will no longer do so as he heads to the pros.

Secondly, it is perhaps indicative that Coward has first-round value to teams. He currently ranks 35th on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects, but after an impressive combine, this decision seems to indicate he’s expecting to be taken in the first. He was the 30th player off the board in ESPN’s most recent mock draft.

Coward played six games at Washington State in 2024/25 before suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the remainder of his senior season. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.7% from the floor and 40.0% on three-pointers during his abridged stint with the Cougars.

Before transferring to Washington State, he played two years at Eastern Washington, averaging 11.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 66 games. He spent his freshman season at Willamette University in Oregon.

Knicks Notes: Starters, Towns, Robinson, Hart

The Knicks fell into an 0-2 deficit at home against the Pacers and now face an uphill battle to make the NBA Finals. In the view of James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, the main reason for New York’s struggles is the fact the starting lineup is a minus-29 through two games and isn’t meshing well overall.

This isn’t a new issue, as the starters were outscored by 21 points in their first two playoff series combined and were a net negative between Jan. 1 and the end of the regular season. The individual talent level of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns is significant, but it isn’t working on the court, Edwards writes.

Obviously, we can finger-point and say this is wrong, that’s wrong,” Brunson said. “It’s this person’s fault, that person’s fault. But collectively, we have to get it together. That’s really it.

Given the time crunch the Knicks are facing, making a starting lineup change sooner rather than later could be in the club’s best interest. New York has played its best when three or four starters are playing alongside one or both of Miles McBride or Mitchell Robinson.

We have more from the Knicks:

  • The Knicks ended up sitting Towns for a near-seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, with Robinson taking his place during that time. Robinson finished the game as a +6 in 29 minutes while Towns was a -20 in 28 minutes. “Just, we got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance,” coach Tom Thibodeau said about the decision to sit Towns for that stretch, per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “So we were just riding [that lineup]. We’re searching for a win.
  • Hart lobbied for Robinson to play more in Game 3 and beyond, per the New York Post’s Zach Braziller. “We have to figure out ways — I think he played [29] minutes — figure out ways if he can play more,” Hart said. “We’re great with him on [the floor]. We all got to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.” Robinson has totaled 17 rebounds and four blocks in the first two games of the series.
  • Hart and Anunoby were among the Knicks’ worst performers in Game 2, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines in a subscriber-only story. Bondy said neither player had a particularly strong impact offensively or defensively, outside of a couple three-pointers from Anunoby. Hart spoke about his outing after the game. “Yeah, it was tough to find ways to [be me], ways to help the team,” he said, per the New York Post’s Peter Botte. “Obviously, that quick foul trouble kind of puts you in a position to not being as aggressive. So that was a tough one. Just one of those games. Shots will be there some games, some they won’t.

Thunder/Wolves Notes: SGA, Nuggets Series, Randle, Edwards

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made sure to let his teammates know that his 2025 Most Valuable Player award belonged to them as much as it did him, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman writes.. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged over 30 points per game for the third year in a row en route to his first career MVP as the Thunder went 68-14 this season.

You guys are really like my brothers, and I really mean that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said to his teammates. “And without you guys, none of this would be possible, and I want you guys to know this award is your award, too.

Gilgeous-Alexander lost last year’s MVP race in a landslide, but bested Denver’s Nikola Jokic this time around.

All the moments I got cut, traded, slighted, overlooked, I had nights where I thought I wasn’t good at basketball, had nights where I thought I was the best player in the world before I was,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

We have more from the Thunder/Wolves playoff series:

  • The Thunder are back to their dominant ways after a challenging second-round series against the Nuggets, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Neither of their first two games against Minnesota have been particularly close. “Our resolve in that series is what got sharpened,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We had our backs against the wall and had to respond multiple times.
  • Julius Randle has been one of the major drivers for the Timberwolves‘ Western Conference Finals push, but he had his first tough game of the postseason in Game 2 against the Thunder, scoring just six points and making only two of his 11 field goal attempts. As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes, Randle’s poor showing came at the worst time for the Wolves, who now face a 0-2 deficit. “We know what type of defense they are,” Randle said. “They’re going to swarm you. So I’ve got to get myself into actions, setting screens, on the move. I think I was just like standing and spectating a little too much today.
  • Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards refused to speak to reporters after Game 2 after he was fined $50K for dropping an f-bomb during his media session after Game 1, per Krawczynski (Twitter link).

Nuggets Notes: Offseason, Jokic, Malone

The Nuggets are facing a crucial offseason as they look to keep building a championship team around star Nikola Jokic. Choosing the right general manager will be a critical first step, as they will have important roster decisions to make, but the decisions don’t end there.

Avoiding the second tax apron will likely be a priority for the Nuggets as they weigh roster moves, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The team let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave in free agency last summer to avoid the second apron, and Durando warns not to expect a change in that mentality this summer, especially with Aaron Gordon‘s and Jamal Murray‘s extensions set to kick in and Jokic becoming extension-eligible in July.

The Nuggets can aggregate salaries in a trade and have one future first-round pick available for deals, but their depth proved problematic throughout the year, making a two-for-one deal a dicey proposition.

Christian Braun and Peyton Watson are also extension-eligible. While Watson will likely be a wait-and-see candidate, Braun established himself as a solid starter in the league this year and was a top-five finisher in Most Improved Player voting this season. His extension candidacy will be an interesting case to monitor, according to Durando.

Russell Westbrook also has a player option this summer, and while his time on the floor proved an up-and-down experience, he helped provide stability at times, especially when Gordon missed games.

Durando identifies center depth, on-ball perimeter defense, and three-point shooting as the crucial areas to address this summer, and at least one of those issues could be solved by Denver’s reported interest in Ty Jerome, though Jerome’s rising price tag and the club’s lack of financial flexibility could make that a tricky match. Durando also poses the question of whether the Nuggets involving Murray or Michael Porter Jr. that would upgrade the roster.

We have more from the Nuggets:

  • Denver running it back would be a waste of Jokic’s prime, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck argues that, while vice chairman Josh Kroenke said the right things during his press conference, relying on internal improvements won’t be enough to bring Denver back to contention. This is especially true given the injury issues that have popped up as the Nuggets’ core has aged.
  • Jokic’s season was ranked as the 10th-best year ever by a non-MVP winner by Frank Urbina of HoopsHype. He was the first non-guard to ever average a triple-double and willed an injured team lacking depth to the fourth seed in the Western Conference. He’s the only player in NBA history to put up a 29/12/10 stat line, Urbina adds. Coincidentally, Jokic’s 2022/23 season, in which he lost out on MVP to Joel Embiid, is ranked one spot behind this one, at 11th.
  • Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made a stir this week when he referred to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the MVP before the award was announced. However, he took the time out to correct the record for ESPN. “I did vote for (Jokic) again this year, if I had a vote,” he said before Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. “Want to make sure the people in Denver know that because, right now, I’m getting a lot of heat back home.” 

Breaking Down Three Suns Head Coach Candidates

It has been widely reported that the Suns are down to nine candidates in their search to find their fourth coach in four years. In a series of articles, Duane Raskin of AZ Central broke down the varying strengths of three potential first-time NBA head coaches.

Chris Quinn, the associate head coach for the Heat, has been a popular name after a turbulent season in Miami that presented the coaching staff with a wide variety of challenges.

According to Raskin, Quinn was considered an instrumental part of keeping the team together through the ups and downs of the Jimmy Butler trade drama and the transitional state that came from pivoting to a new era. That points to his ability as a developmental coach, with Tyler Herro‘s offensive growth considered a prime example.

Quinn is also considered the “right hand man” of head coach Erik Spoelstra when it comes to in-game adjustments. This is an important detail, considering the Heat are largely considered one of the better teams in the league when it comes to their game plan and execution.

Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney is another candidate. Raskin writes that he’s famous for having a limitless work ethic for himself and demanding the same of his players. A longtime confidant and collaborator with Jason Kidd, he’s described by league sources as “a winner that will hold players accountable.”

Jordan Ott is a Cavaliers assistant coach who is widely viewed as a leading candidate in the job hunt, reports Raskin. This is thanks, in part, to his ties to Suns owner Mat Ishbia via their shared alma mater of Michigan State, where Ott was a video coordinator for five years.

Raskin describes Ott as a grinder with a specialty in player development, thanks in part to his abilities as a teacher of the game through film sessions in which he imparts his understanding of offensive and defensive principles. While the current version of the Suns is a veteran team whose stars may not need much teaching, getting the fringe players on the rotation to become real contributors would help maximize the roster. The Suns have also struggled to create an identity on either side of the ball, so having a tactician running the show could help from an organizational standpoint.

Ott also has a preexisting relationship with Kevin Durant, as Ott was an assistant with the Nets when Durant played there.

Brenen Lorient Withdraws From NBA Draft

North Texas forward Brenen Lorient will return to college basketball, according to Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express (Twitter link), who reports that he’s withdrawing his name from the 2025 NBA draft.

Lorient is a 6’9″ athletic forward who averaged 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 47.8% on three-pointers (in just 23 total attempts) in his junior season. He was named the AAC Sixth Man of the Year and All-AAC First Team.

Chepkevich reports that Lorient, who spent his first two years at Florida Atlantic University, will play his senior year at West Virginia, joining four-star shot-making wing Jayden Forsythe and newly-hired coach Ross Hodge.

Lorient declared for the draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility last month. He is not on ESPN’s current big board of this year’s top 100 league prospects and he falls just outside ESPN’s top-100 transfer portal list.

College early entrants have until the end of the day on May 28 to withdraw from the NBA draft if they want to retain their NCAA eligibility.

Cade Cunningham Earns Salary Bump With All-NBA Nod

As a result of earning a spot on the All-NBA Third Team on Friday, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will see the value of the five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension he signed last summer increase by a projected total of nearly $45MM.

Cunningham’s contract included Rose Rule language. The Rose Rule allow players coming off their rookie scale contracts to receive salaries worth more than 25% of the cap in year five if they make an All-NBA team during the season (or two of the three seasons) before their extension goes into effect. Players can also qualify by being named Most Valuable Player or Defensive Player of the Year.

Cunningham’s 2025/26 salary will now be worth 30% of the cap instead of 25%. Based on the NBA’s latest cap projections, that means his five-year deal will be worth $269,085,780 instead of $224,238,150.

[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2025/26]

Cunningham was one of four players to sign a rookie scale extension that included Rose Rule language last summer. Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who was named to the All-NBA Second Team on Friday, had already earned a bump to 30% as a result of winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. His five-year deal will look identical to Cunningham’s.

The other two players who signed Rose Rule rookie scale extensions – Magic forward Franz Wagner and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes – didn’t receive any end-of-season awards, so their new contracts will begin at 25% of the cap and will be worth $224,238,150 across the next five seasons.

Meanwhile, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. would have qualified for a designated veteran extension – also known as a super-max contract – if he had earned a spot on any of this year’s three All-NBA teams. However, he finished 17th in total voting, with 55 points, falling a little short of the required threshold. Clippers guard James Harden beat him out for the final Third Team spot with 68 points (Twitter link).

As a result, Jackson won’t be super-max eligible this offseason. That means in order to extend him, Memphis will likely need to give him a raise on his 2025/26 salary of $23,413,395 via renegotiation.

Without a pay bump, Jackson’s maximum extension would be worth $146,848,813 over four years, which may not be enough to convince him to sign. If the Grizzlies renegotiate next season’s salary to give him a raise, they would be able to offer up to 140% of his new ’25/26 salary in that first year of an extension.