Nets Draft Notes: Brown, Acuff, Burries, Flemings, Wagler
After finishing with the third-worst record in the NBA in 2025/26, Brooklyn fell in the draft lottery for the second straight year, dropping from No. 3 to No. 6. Assuming they don’t trade up to select a consensus top-four prospect, the Nets will likely be left choosing between a talented group of freshman guards, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News.
Of the five-player group, which features Darius Acuff, Mikel Brown, Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries and Keaton Wagler, Holmes believes Brown could be the “cleanest all-around fit” for the Nets based on his his measurements, athletic testing, and results in shooting drills at the draft combine.
As Holmes notes, Brown had both the top standing reach (8’4.5″) and longest wingspan (6’7.5″) of the group and is an explosive athlete too. The Nets’ front office has long prioritized “size and versatility,” which Brown could provide as a guard who can play both on and off the ball.
Still, all the players bring their own strengths to the table, Holmes writes. Acuff was the most polished offensive player in college; Flemings tested like the best all-around athlete; Burries is a little bigger/stronger and was a two-way contributor at Arizona; and Wagler is the tallest of the group and led Illinois to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.
Here’s more on the Nets’ guard options at No. 6:
- In a similar story for The New York Post (subscriber link), Brian Lewis shares his combine takeaways for Acuff, Brown, Flemings and Wagler. Acuff was one of the “big winners” in the early portion of the event, according to Lewis, as he came in bigger than expected (6’2″ with a 6’7″ wingspan) while being one of the top performers in shooting drills.
- Asked at the combine what role he envisions for himself in the NBA, Acuff didn’t hesitate. “Definitely a superstar point guard for sure,” Acuff said, according to Lewis. “Bring a lot of excitement to any city I go to, and just bring a lot of excitement straight from Day 1.” When asked how he defined a “superstar point guard,” the Arkansas guard said: “A lot of accolades, just being on a winning team, it starts with the point guard. So any city I go to, I just want to win.” Lewis hears the Kings, who control the seventh pick, are fans of Acuff — general manager Scott Perry coached Acuff’s father (Darius Sr.) at Eastern Kentucky. As productive as he was offensively — and he had an incredible year statistically — there are major questions about Acuff’s “porous defense,” Lewis adds.
- As Lewis details in another article (subscription required), Brown may have the most upside of the five guards but he also might be the least polished. “It would be a great opportunity right there,” Brown said of potentially being drafted by the Nets. “Just continuing to build relationships with them as the time goes on and continue to talk to my family and my circle and my agent and the people behind me. It’s something that we’re definitely interested in, and looking forward to building a relationship with [the Nets].” Brown, who said he thinks play-making is his top skill, acknowledged some teams have questions about his shot selection and defensive effort, but he believes he “could be a really good two-way player in this league.” Both Acuff and Brown confirmed to the Post that they’ve talked to Brooklyn.
Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox Out For Game 1; Luke Kornet Available
May 18: Fox has been ruled out of Monday’s Game 1, the Spurs announced (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). Kornet has been upgraded to available.
According to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link), head coach Mitch Johnson suggested Fox will likely continue battling his right ankle injury throughout the playoffs.
“It’s not going away for as long as we’re playing, I believe,” Johnson said.
May 17: The Spurs have listed starting point guard De’Aaron Fox (right ankle soreness) and backup center Luke Kornet (left foot soreness) as questionable for the opening game of the Western Conference finals, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. The defending champion Thunder will host the Spurs for Monday’s Game 1.
As Weiss notes, Fox has been playing through the right ankle issue for a while. The 28-year-old was also listed as questionable near the end of the second-round series vs. Minnesota, but didn’t miss any time as a result of the injury.
After averaging 18.6 points, 6.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 31.0 minutes per game across 72 regular season appearances, Fox has put up very similar statistics thus far in the playoffs. Through 11 games, the two-time All-Star has averaged 18.8 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.5 RPG and 1.1 SPG in 33.2 MPG.
Kornet had six points, six rebounds and four blocks in 14 minutes during Friday’s series-clinching victory over the Wolves. The veteran big man has appeared in every 2026 postseason game for San Antonio to this point, averaging 5.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 16.5 MPG.
Joe Ingles Signs Two-Year Contract With Melbourne United
Longtime NBA forward Joe Ingles has officially signed a two-year contract with Melbourne United, the team announced in a press release.
It’s a homecoming for the Australian veteran, who was born in Adelaide and played high school ball in Canberra. The 38-year-old was a member of the now-defunct South Dragons in Melbourne from 2006-09 before going undrafted in ’09. Ingles 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 only made 46 regular season appearances and played 267 total minutes (5.8 per game), primarily in garbage time.
ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reported at the start of April that Ingles was interested in continuing his career with another Melbourne-based team, with the South East Melbourne Phoenix being the other National Basketball League club located in the city. Uluc reported at the end of last month that Ingles would be signing with the United.
“Coming home to Melbourne feels incredibly special,” Ingles said in a statement. “To return to where my professional career began almost 20 years ago is something I don’t take for granted. So much has happened since then, but Melbourne has always felt like home.
“… From a basketball perspective, this opportunity really excited me. I still love competing, I still love the game, and I believe I can genuinely help this group win.”
Ingles has represented Australia for many years on the international stage, playing in four FIBA World Cups and five Olympics. He helped the Boomers win their first ever Olympic medal (bronze) at the 2020 games in Tokyo.
In 750 regular season games (23.5 minutes per contest) with the Jazz, Bucks, Magic and Wolves, Ingles averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 40.9% from three-point range. He was a solid defender and play-maker in his prime on top of being an excellent three-point shooter.
Knicks’ OG Anunoby Probable For Tuesday’s Game 1
Knicks forward OG Anunoby (right hamstring strain) is officially considered probable to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post first reported Anunoby’s injury designation for the series opener vs. the Cavaliers (via Twitter).
The news doesn’t come as a surprise. The 28-year-old was a full practice participant on Friday and Saturday after suffering the right hamstring injury in the final minutes of New York’s Game 2 victory over Philadelphia on May 6. Anunoby was listed as questionable for Games 3 and 4 of that second-round series being eventually being downgraded to out.
Reporting at the time of Anunoby’s injury indicated that he had suffered a mild strain. He confirmed that a couple days ago, saying that his injury was less severe than prior hamstring issues he’s had with his left leg.
Anunoby has been outstanding in his eight playoff appearances in 2026, averaging 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks in 35.3 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .619/.538/.811. It will be interesting to see which member of the Cavs he’s tasked with guarding with the series set to get underway tomorrow.
Thunder Notes: SGA, MVP, Nash, Holmgren
After winning his second consecutive MVP award on Sunday, becoming just the fifth guard — and 14th overall player — in NBA history to accomplish the feat, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credited his family, friends, teammates, coaching staff, and everyone else who has helped him along the way, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
“There are so many people in my life who sacrificed for me to just play this game I love,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I would be doing them a disservice if I didn’t give it my all, and that’s really what it’s about. I’m making sure when I’m done and I hang these shoes up that I gave everything I had to the game. Whatever that looks like for me, I’ll live with. I’ll be more than pleased with what I got out of it.
“But the accolades and points and all of the stuff that’s cool on social media, none of that is what I’m after. I’m just making sure that while I’m doing this thing I’m giving it my all and I’m not wasting anybody’s time.”
The Canadian guard, who was selected 11th overall in the 2018 draft, bought all of teammates matching Burburry trench coats and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver watches, according to Martinez, who says those gifts were worth about $40K per person. All of his teammates were in attendance at the press conference.
“Thank you guys so much,” Gilgeous-Alexander said as he looked around at his teammates. “From setting screens to rebounding when I miss to passing me the ball even though I don’t pass you the ball, everything you guys do to make me a better player out there, I really appreciate you guys. Basketball is obviously a team sport. All of the numbers, all of the accolades and everything I do on the court, if we won 10 games, I wouldn’t be in this conversation. So thank you guys so much. I love you guys.”
Here’s more on the Thunder, who will host San Antonio on Monday for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals:
- Gilgeous-Alexander’s latest MVP trophy is yet another example of how fortunate Thunder fans have been over the last 18 years, says Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman (subscription required). Thunder players have now won four MVP awards over that span, while eight franchises — including the Pistons, who have been in the league for 77 years — have never had an NBA MVP. More importantly, the team has also had tremendous success during that time, with Gilgeous-Alexander helping lead the team to its first championship last June. The 27-year-old’s selflessness and team-first approach has elevated those around him, Carlson writes, and he ended his presser with a brief and serious message to his teammates. “We have a lot more work to do,” he said, rolling his index fingers around each other. “So after tonight, get back to work.”
- Steve Nash is another one of the aforementioned guards who won back-to-back MVPs. He helped present the award Sunday in his role with Prime video, with Gilgeous-Alexander later stating that Nash — another Canadian — was the first person to tell SGA was going to play in the NBA (video link via Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman).
- Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA’s MVP for the 2025/26 regular season, but Chet Holmgren has been Oklahoma City’s MVP through the first two rounds of the playoffs, contends Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). Holmgren, who was still dealing with the lingering effects of a fractured hip during the Thunder’s 2025 title run, has averaged 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals on .600/.387/.885 shooting through eight postseason games (31.4 minutes per contest). “It just seems like he’s around the basket more,” head coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s finding more cracks, we’re finding him more … His decisiveness on the perimeter over time has smoothed. His shot-drive reads. His ability to move (the ball) quickly. And then we’ve talked about this a lot, but his versatility defensively. His ability to be impactful at the five, at the rim and also on the perimeter has unlocked a lot of options for us. The list is long, but it should be for a guy that’s as impactful as he is.”
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 5/18/2026
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 3:00 pm Central time (4:00 pm Eastern).
Pistons Notes: Game 7 Loss, Bickerstaff, Thompson, Offseason
The Pistons‘ 60-22 regular season record in 2025/26 represented the third-best mark in the franchise’s storied history. However, Detroit’s playoff run ended abruptly on Sunday night with a blowout home loss to the Cavaliers. Cleveland took a 4-3 lead with 10:45 remaining in the first quarter and didn’t relinquish that lead for the rest of the night en route to a 125-94 victory.
As anticlimactic as Sunday’s Game 7 loss was, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was determined to look on the bright side during his post-game media session, as Bob Tripi of The Associated Press writes.
“It’s not a disappointment at all. And not ever will I be disappointed in these guys,” Bickerstaff said. “These guys, every single day gave us what they got. So, it is not a disappointment. It’s a loss and it’s a tough loss, but that adjective will never be used with this group.
“… “This team is awesome, and they’re a special group of guys. I couldn’t be more appreciative of how they allow us to coach them, work with them every single day. The spirit they carry, their willingness to grow, their willingness to sacrifice. It’s a special group.”
While Bickerstaff insisted that Sunday’s outcome shouldn’t – and wouldn’t – define his team, Pistons guard Ausar Thompson said he wouldn’t be quick to forget how the team played in a do-or-die game and intends to use it as motivation next season.
“No, I’m not forgetting. I’m not forgetting. I mean, that series, that felt personal,” he said, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “So, I’m not forgetting it. I remember.”
- The front office remains fully committed to Bickerstaff, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic, who hears from league sources that the Pistons view Bickerstaff as their coach of the future and hope he’ll be around for the long term. The organization likes the culture he has helped build in Detroit and the relationships he has cultivated in the locker room, Patterson adds. Detroit just announced a contract extension for Bickerstaff two weeks ago.
- Thompson will be extension-eligible this offseason and the Pistons would like to get a new deal done, since they view the defensive standout as a key part of their core, Patterson reports. While his offensive contributions remain limited, Thompson finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and averaged 3.8 “stocks” (steals and blocks) per game in the postseason.
- Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News (subscription required) shares his takeaways following the Pistons’ second-round exit, observing that the second unit struggled in the playoffs and that the front office needs to add more secondary scoring to help out Cade Cunningham.
- Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) takes a look at a few of the biggest questions facing the Pistons this summer, including what center Jalen Duren‘s next contract will look like and whether forward Tobias Harris will be re-signed. ESPN’s Bobby Marks covers similar ground in his preview of Detroit’s offseason while pointing out that Isaiah Stewart is another Piston who will be extension-eligible beginning in July.
Mike Gansey, Nick U’ren Among Sixers’ Potential Front Office Targets
Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey and Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U’ren are among the potential candidates to watch as the Sixers seek a replacement for Daryl Morey in their front office, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
A longtime Cavaliers staffer who initially joined the team as a basketball operations seasonal assistant in 2011, Gansey has worked his way through Cleveland’s front office over the last decade-and-a-half. He spent three years as the team’s director of G League operations and two as the general manager of the G League team, known at the time as the Canton Charge. Gansey was named the NBAGL’s Executive of the Year in 2017 and earned a promotion to Cavaliers assistant GM later that year.
Gansey was later elevated to a GM role in 2022 during the same offseason that Koby Altman was promoted from GM to president of basketball operations. The veteran executive has since been connected to multiple rival teams’ front office searches, most recently interviewing with the Bulls before they hired Bryson Graham.
U’ren, meanwhile, spent five years in Phoenix with the Suns and Mercury from 2009-14, working in various video room roles. He was hired by the Warriors in 2014 and won four titles with the team over the next nine years while working under Bob Myers. He held multiple positions during that time, including manager of advance scouting, special assistant to the head coach, and director of basketball operations.
U’Ren returned to Phoenix as the Mercury’s general manager after the 2023 WNBA season. After going 9-31 in ’23, the Mercury won 19 games in 2024, then went 27-17 and made the WNBA Finals in 2025.
Stein previously linked 76ers consultant Neil Olshey and Thunder executive Vince Rozman, a former Sixers employee, to Philadelphia’s front office vacancy, while noting that assistant GM Jameer Nelson could be in line for an expanded role.
Morey’s successor in Philadelphia is expected to run the front office on a day-to-day basis and will have “a lot of authority,” though Myers, who is now the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, acknowledged last week that he’ll be involved with the Sixers’ “high-level decision making.”
Eastern Notes: Wizards, Brown, Celtics, Pacers
The Wizards have won 15, 18, and 17 games in the past three seasons, but team owner Ted Leonsis has no regrets about pivoting to a full roster tear-down – or, as he calls it, a “deconstruction” – after several years mired in mediocrity, he tells Barry Svrluga of The Athletic. Leonsis indicated that he’s happy with the job team president Michael Winger has done to position the Wizards for a more promising future.
“(Winger) said to me three or four times, ‘You know, this could take four or five years,'” Leonsis said. “And I said, ‘I totally understand. I’ve been through the deconstructing stage with the (NHL’s Washington Capitals). I lived through it the first time with the Wizards. I’m prepared. … I don’t see any other path to get out of where we are than deconstruct.’ And they executed it very, very well.”
Of course, the Wizards’ future looks much more positive after the May 10 draft lottery than it did before it — armed with the No. 1 overall pick in a loaded 2026 draft, Washington is in position to add a long-term franchise cornerstone to its young core. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Wizards will become a contender overnight. Leonsis told Svrluga that he considers the rebuild to be “just starting” rather than ending.
“I think it’s an important point on this long, long journey that we’ll be on.” the Wizards’ owner said, before pausing and adding, “The deconstruction, though, is over.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- So what exactly should the Wizards do with that first overall pick? One rival front office official told Josh Robbins and David Aldridge of The Athletic that figuring that out is a “great (expletive) problem to have.” Of the 13 executives and scouts who spoke to Robbins and Aldridge, seven said they’d take AJ Dybantsa, two expressed a preference for Darryn Peterson, one said he’d want Cameron Boozer, and three didn’t commit to a specific prospect.
- While Jaylen Brown will technically be eligible for a contract extension as of July 26, Brian Robb of MassLive.com notes that the Celtics will likely feel no sense of urgency to get a new deal done at this point, given that there are still three years left on Brown’s current super-max contract. Robb doesn’t expect a Brown extension to be among Brad Stevens‘ offseason priorities.
- Observing that the Celtics want to get more athletic and add another ball-handler this summer, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required) explores whether the club might be able to address either of those needs with the No. 27 overall pick in the draft. Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Duke forward Isaiah Evans, and Texas wing Dailyn Swain are among the prospects Washburn considers as possible targets for Boston.
- After losing their first-round pick on lottery night, what’s next for the Pacers this summer? Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) attempts to answer that question, noting that the team may want to add another wing with size. Dopirak examines which trade and free agent targets might be realistic for Indiana and weighs whether it would make sense for the club to trade back into the draft, likely in the second round.
Poll: Who Will Win Western Conference Finals?
The most anticipated playoff series of the 2025/26 NBA season is set to get underway on Monday, as the defending champion Thunder take on the fast-rising Spurs to determine who will represent the Western Conference in this year’s NBA Finals.
The Thunder will enter the series as the favorites for obvious reasons. Their 64-18 record during the regular season was the best mark in the NBA, and they’re the only team not to lose a playoff game so far, having sped through the first two rounds with four-game sweeps over the Suns and Lakers.
Oklahoma City comfortably held the NBA’s top defensive rating (106.5) and net rating (+11.1) during the regular season, and they also had the league’s seventh-best offensive rating (117.6), with newly crowned back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander is the head of the snake, the Thunder have one of the NBA’s deepest rosters. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams have each earned an All-Star nod in the past two seasons; Ajay Mitchell has enjoyed a breakout postseason, averaging 18.8 points per game to emerge as a go-to secondary scorer alongside SGA; guards Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe have provided additional firepower off the bench; and Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Luguentz Dort, and Jaylin Williams have all made an impact on both ends of the court in regular rotation roles.
The Thunder were a little better than the 62-win Spurs in the regular season and have looked more dominant the playoffs so far. They also hold the experience edge over San Antonio, whose young stars are experiencing their first postseason. Still, it was hard to be any hotter than the Spurs were in the second half of the season, when they won 30 of their last 34 games. And while they’ve dropped three games in the playoffs, two of those losses came in games Victor Wembanyama left early, due either to an injury or an ejection.
Wembanyama, who finished third in MVP voting and was named Defensive Player of the Year, is the biggest reason to believe in the Spurs. He’s the NBA’s most impactful defender and rim protector by a significant margin, and San Antonio has looked unstoppable anytime he’s on the floor — the team had a +17.0 net rating during his 1,866 minutes in the regular season and has bumped that number to +21.9 in the playoffs.
But as is the case with Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, this isn’t a one-man show. Stephon Castle has averaged 19.9 points and 6.1 assists per game during the postseason, with a .490/.440/.797 shooting line. De’Aaron Fox (18.8 PPG, 5.8 APG), Dylan Harper (13.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG), Devin Vassell (12.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG), and Julian Champagnie (10.9 PPG, .452 3PT%) have also played key roles in the first two rounds. And while Keldon Johnson has been up and down in the playoffs, he’s the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year and came up big with the Minnesota series tied at two games apiece, scoring 21 points in a Game 5 victory.
Perhaps most importantly, no team played the Thunder tougher during the regular season than the Spurs did. Because they met in the NBA Cup, the two clubs ended up facing one another five times, and San Antonio won four of those matchups, including three by double digits. Oklahoma City didn’t have a losing record against any other team this season.
Ahead of Game 1, we want to know what you think. Will the Thunder hold off the Spurs and get a chance to win a second consecutive NBA Finals, or will San Antonio knock off the defending champs and make it back to the Finals for the first time since 2014?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions.