Southeast Notes: Black, Heat, KD, George, Swirsky
The Magic will get a key rotation player back on Monday against Detroit, as Anthony Black has been upgraded to available, the team announced (via Twitter).
As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel tweets, Black was initially listed as questionable, then was upgraded to probable and available. The third-year guard, who was having a breakout season prior to suffering a left lateral abdominal strain on March 7, has missed Orlando’s last 16 games due to the injury.
Black, 22, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Heat should consider adding a “disruptor” to their front office to challenge the current regime’s ways of thinking, contends Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Miami is likely headed to the play-in tournament fourth the fourth straight season, and while the team has had many developmental success stories over the years, the Heat are still the lacking top-end talent necessary to break out of their current cycle of mediocrity, Winderman explains. A drastic overhaul would be an overreaction and unlikely anyway given the lengthy tenures of the majority of the front office, but it’s clear the current roster isn’t good enough, Winderman adds.
- Rockets star Kevin Durant made a “lasting mark” on Kyshawn George in what turned out to be the Wizards wing’s final game of 2025/26, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic. George, who suffered a partial UCL tear in his left elbow in the third quarter of the game, grew up watching Durant. “I’m working on particular parts of my game that he’s pretty much mastered over his career,” George told The Athletic. “There’s no better way than to learn from the best. So I just went and asked him a couple questions and he was cool enough to answer.” Durant, 37, said he’s happy to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of players. “If somebody has a question, needs some advice, and seeks it out, then I’m gonna give it to him as honest as I can,” Durant said. “I want players to reach their full potential. And I want them to get everything on and off the court cause there’s a lot that comes with this lifestyle if you do it right.”
- Capital City Go-Go assistant coach TC Swirsky has agreed to join the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury as an assistant under Nate Tibbetts, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). Before joining the Wizards‘ G League affiliate, Swirsky was previously the head coach of the Memphis Hustle, Scotto notes.
Cade Cunningham Ruled Out For Monday’s Game
4:45 pm: Cunningham and Stewart have been downgraded to out, tweets Patterson, but head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is hopeful both players will return before the regular season ends (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press).
“There’s no way to replicate what a game is other than playing the game … specially ramping up to the intensity of playoff basketball it would be beneficial for the guys, and the group,” Bickerstaff said.
12:46 pm: The latest Pistons injury report suggests that franchise player Cade Cunningham will return before the end of the regular season.
Cunningham has been upgraded to doubtful for tonight’s game at Orlando, according to The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson (Twitter link). The team had issued an update on Thursday stating that Cunningham would be reevaluated in one week but it appears that timeline has accelerated.
Cunningham has been sidelined since March 17, when he suffered a collapsed lung while diving for the ball against Washington. Officially diagnosed as a left lung pneumothorax, the injury prevented Cunningham from receiving consideration for postseason awards. He has appeared in 61 games but only played five minutes against the Wizards. He would need to play in five more games for eligibility and the Pistons, who have already sewn up the top seed in the East, only have four games left.
However, getting Cunningham some playing time before the regular season ends should prove beneficial when the Pistons begin their postseason run. While it’s unlikely he’ll play today, it appears that he should be back in action by the Pistons’ final regular-season game on Sunday.
Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds. Detroit has shown its depth and resilience with Cunningham on the mend. The Pistons won that March 17 contest and have gone 8-2 in his absence.
In another Pistons development, key frontcourt reserve Isaiah Stewart has also been upgraded to doubtful. Stewart has been sidelined since March 13 due to a left calf strain.
Southwest Notes: Wemby, Champagnie, Pels, Rockets, Davison
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama missed last Thursday’s win at the Clippers with a right ankle injury that has been bothering him for multiple weeks, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.
“That ankle is still angry at him,” head coach Mitch Johnson said.
Despite the discomfort, the two-time All-Star big man has been putting up spectacular statistics lately, McDonald notes, and Johnson suggested Wembanyama was held out Thursday for precautionary reasons — it was the second night of a back-to-back.
Wembanyama, 22, needs to play in two of San Antonio’s final four regular season games to qualify for major postseason awards. He’s only at 62 appearances right now, but the NBA Cup final counts toward the 65-game minimum requirement even though the statistics from that game aren’t officially recorded.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Julian Champagnie set the Spurs‘ single-season record for three-pointers made in Saturday’s overtime loss in Denver, per McDonald. The fourth-year small forward converted six threes during the game, moving him up to 192 on the season, one past Danny Green, who set the previous record in 2014/15. “Obviously I put the work in and I’m confident in my own abilities,” the 24-year-old Champagnie said, “but any record you get to break in this league is a blessing.”
- The Pelicans aren’t trying to lose games because they don’t control their first-round pick, but they haven’t had any success trying to win games lately either, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans blew a 17-point lead during Friday’s loss at Sacramento, then followed that up with a four-point home loss to Orlando. The Pelicans are riding an eight-game losing streak with three games left on their schedule.
- Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has been rotating between Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard as the fifth starter the past couple weeks. William Guillory of The Athletic examines which player makes sense to stick in the starting unit, writing that Eason gives the team a higher floor, but Sheppard provides a higher ceiling. “Me and Tari have talked to each other, and neither one of us care who starts,” Sheppard said. “It doesn’t matter to us. We just want to win.” Who finishes the game is ultimately more important than who starts, Guillory observes, but this could also be an important “crossroads” for both Houston and Sheppard, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
- Fourth-year guard JD Davison has reached the 50-game active limit and won’t be able to suit up for the Rockets‘ final four regular season games unless he’s promoted to a standard contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Davison, last season’s G League MVP as a member of the Celtics, is currently on a two-way contract. The Rockets have also reached their under-15 limit, Smith adds, so unless they add a 15th player, their other two-way players can’t be active for the rest of the season either.
SGA, Jaylen Brown Named Players Of Week
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league (Twitter links). This includes games played from March 30-April 5.
The reigning Most Valuable Player averaged 31.7 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in three Thunder victories. Brown earned Player of the Week honors for the third time this season and the seventh time of his career by averaging an East-leading 31.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals as Boston went 3-1.
Kevin Durant (Rockets), Cooper Flagg (Mavericks), Jrue Holiday (Blazers), Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray (Nuggets), and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other West nominees. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks), OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), LaMelo Ball (Hornets), Desmond Bane (Magic), Jalen Duren (Pistons), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) and Jayson Tatum (Celtics) were the other East nominees.
Bulls Fire Top Execs Arturas Karnisovas, Marc Eversley
The Bulls have fired Artūras Karnišovas, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations, and Marc Eversley, their general manager, according to a press release.
Bulls CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf issued a statement, which read: “Artūras and Marc have led with a deep commitment to the Chicago Bulls. These decisions are never easy, especially when they involve people we respect both personally and professionally. We are grateful for their dedication and the work they’ve put in over the past six years. At the same time, we have not had the success our fans deserve, and it’s my responsibility to go in a new direction. This move is about positioning our team for sustained success moving ahead. I want our fans to know that I hear you and understand the frustration. I feel it as well. I know this will take time, and I am fully committed to getting this right. At the Chicago Bulls, our focus remains on building a team that can compete at the highest level and ultimately contend for championships. We are committed to taking the necessary steps to move the Bulls forward in a way that makes our fans proud.”
The Bulls have gone through several roster upheavals during their tenure, yet have been stuck in an endless cycle of mediocrity. Both men were hired in 2020 to revive a franchise that dominated the NBA landscape in the 1990s. Chicago improved its record from 31-41 in 2020/21 to 46-36 the following season but the franchise has been spinning its wheels since that point.
The Bulls have posted losing records ever since with win totals of 40. 39 and 39 over the past three seasons. Chicago is 29-49 after the front office made several moves during the trade deadline that once again put the franchise in rebuild mode. The Bulls haven’t won a playoff series in 11 consecutive seasons, counting this lottery-bound campaign.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (Twitter link), the replacements for Karnisovas and Eversley will have plenty of work to do this offseason. Chicago can be aggressive with $65MM of cap space along with the lottery pick.
This also increases the uncertainty regarding the status of head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan was reportedly a candidate for the North Carolina head coaching job but the Tar Heels on Monday chose former Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
Reinsdorf is expected to address the media at some point on Tuesday. Reinsdorf, along with senior advisor John Paxson, Brian Hagen, Pat Connelly and JJ Polk will work collectively at basketball operations during the executive search, according to Chicago Sports Network’s K.C. Johnson (Twitter link).
Former Nuggets Coach Michael Malone Headed To North Carolina
Former Nuggets coach Michael Malone is the surprising choice as North Carolina’s new head coach, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports.
North Carolina had been looking for a high-profile coach to take over the program after firing Hubert Davis. Final Four coaches Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May were reportedly high on the wish list but both opted to stay put at their respective universities. Bulls coach Billy Donovan was next on the wish list, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Marks, so the hiring of Malone came seemingly out of nowhere.
Malone, 54, is the all-time winningest coach in Denver history with a 471-327 career record and led the Nuggets to their only NBA championship in 2023. He has since spent time as an analyst and commentator for ESPN. Malone certainly would have been high on the list of many NBA teams looking for new coaches this offseason and beyond but instead Malone chose to take over an elite college program.
In his Sunday column, Marc Stein reported that the Bulls would like to retain Donovan, who received a multi-year extension after the Knicks were denied permission to talk to him about their head coaching vacancy last summer. Donovan reportedly wanted to wait until after the season concluded on Sunday to meet with the Tar Heels but North Carolina decided to pivot to Malone.
With the UNC off the table, Donovan could be more inclined to remain in his current job.
Dillon Brooks Has Tech Rescinded, Can Play Tuesday
Suns wing Dillon Brooks has received a reprieve from the league office.
His technical foul that was issued with 7:24 remaining in the fourth quarter of Phoenix’s game against the Bulls on Sunday has been rescinded, NBA Official tweets. Brooks had faced a suspension for picking up his 18th technical, which would have triggered an automatic one-game league ban. He’ll now be able to suit up against his former team, the Rockets, on Tuesday.
Brooks and Bulls guard Mac McClung both received technicals for a verbal dustup during the contest. McClung’s technical was also rescinded by the league.
Brooks was previously suspended for the Suns’ game against the Spurs on Feb. 19 after receiving his 16th technical the previous week. Brooks then broke his left hand against Orlando on Feb. 21 and missed more than five weeks of action. He returned last Tuesday and was assessed his 17th tech that night. He has averaged 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the last three games.
Phoenix, which has the seventh-best record in the West, is still clinging to small hopes of moving past Minnesota and avoiding the play-in tournament.
Raptors Sign Tyreke Key
The Raptors have announced the signing of Tyreke Key.
The 27-year-old guard has spent the past two years with the team’s G League affiliate, Raptors 905. He received an Exhibit 10 contract last September, but was waived the same day. Key emerged as a reliable scorer this season, averaging 16.6 points in 33 regular season games (14 starts) while shooting 52.1% from the field and 42.1% from three-point range.
Key went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2023 after spending his first four collegiate seasons at Indiana State. He played in Belgium before getting the G League opportunity.
The Raptors have been carrying a roster opening since Markelle Fultz‘s 10-day contract expired last week, so another move won’t be necessary to add Key. Toronto passed on the option to sign Fultz to a second 10-day deal.
Blake Murphy of SportsNet (Twitter link) notes that the organization likes to reward players who’ve done well at the G League level. He also suggests that one of the team’s two-way players, either Alijah Martin or A.J. Lawson, could replace Key by the end of the season to make them playoff eligible.
Hawks Waive Caleb Houstan, Sign Tony Bradley
APRIL 6: Bradley’s signing is official, the Hawks announced (via Twitter).
APRIL 4: The Hawks have placed Caleb Houstan on waivers, the team announced, and sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania they will sign center Tony Bradley for the rest of the season to take his place (Twitter link).
Bradley has been out of the league since January 28 when his second 10-day contract with the Pacers expired, so he’ll be eligible for the playoffs. Atlanta needs another reliable backup big man after Jock Landale suffered a high right ankle sprain that will sideline him for at least the next two weeks.
Bradley, 28, began the season on a standard contract with Indiana, but was waived on January 5 before his $2,940,876 salary became fully guaranteed. He was re-signed to a 10-day deal three days later, then received another 10-day contract on January 19.
The Hawks will be the sixth team for Bradley, who’s in his eighth NBA season. He started his career in Utah under Hawks coach Quin Snyder and spent part of last season with Atlanta’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, notes Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link).
Houstan, a 23-year-old small forward. spent three years in Orlando before signing a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with Atlanta in August. He earned a two-way deal during the preseason, was promoted to a standard contract on February 19 and was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. That deal was fully guaranteed, so he’ll receive his salary for the final nine days of the season.
Houstan saw just 4.2 minutes per game in 18 appearances with the Hawks. He spent most of the season in the G League with College Park, where he averaged 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25 regular season games with .391/.422/.902 shooting numbers.
Houstan was selected by Orlando with the 32nd pick in the 2022 draft and appeared in 168 games over three seasons with the Magic.
JJ Redick Defends Decision To Play Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves In Blowout
The Lakers‘ season took a sharp negative turn last Thursday as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were injured during a 134-96 loss to Oklahoma City. Speaking with reporters before Sunday’s game at Dallas, coach JJ Redick explained his decision to use both players in the second half with the team trailing by a wide margin, per Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Doncic was diagnosed on Friday with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that could sideline him for a month or more. He plans to seek treatment in Europe in hopes of making a faster recovery. On Saturday, the Lakers learned that Reaves will miss four-to-six weeks with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury.
Redick said internal medical data didn’t show any signs that Doncic was being overused heading into Thursday. He grabbed at his left hamstring at one point in the first half, but received medical clearance to go back into the game. He suffered the injury early in the third quarter after planting his left leg and again reached for his hamstring.
Reaves experienced a tweak in his left side during the first half of Thursday’s game and went to the locker room to have it checked. He returned in the third quarter and appeared to aggravate the initial injury.
“As a coach, you go on the information you have,” Redick said. “He was medically cleared. When Austin came back, I asked directly. I thought he was hurt. (I was told), ‘No, he’s medically cleared.’ The group wanted to go for it in the second half. Talked about it at halftime. And I think, for both those guys, the nature of playing heavy minutes, that’s certainly a part of, like any equation when you’re trying to manage workloads. We also rely on the tracking data, and we’re looking at that after every game. You know, acceleration, jumps, workload, all of those things.
“And there have been a few times this year where it’s gone, away from the standard deviation of whatever their baseline is, and we make the proper adjustments. There was nothing leading into that game that would suggest either those guys were ‘running hot,’ as we call it.”
Redick also talked about the need to “extend the season” so Doncic and Reaves can return at some point in the playoffs. L.A. is currently tied with Denver at 50-28 and holds the tie-breaker for the No. 3 seed in the West, but a challenging schedule lies ahead with games this week against Oklahoma City, Golden State, Phoenix and Utah.
The Lakers got their first look at what life is going to be like in the meantime in Sunday’s loss to the Mavericks, per Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN. L.A. gave up 41 points in the first quarter and trailed by 22 at one point before rallying to make the game close.
They used a starting lineup of LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura and Jake LaRavia that had never played together before Sunday. McMenamin and Charania note that the group that started the second quarter – James, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and Kobe Bufkin – was also playing together for the first time.
James talked about the shock of finding out about Reaves’ absence in the wake of Doncic’s injury.
“I took my nap after practice, and I woke up with that news, it was like another shot to the [head],” James said. “It was a shot to the heart, obviously, and to the chest and to the mainframe with Luka. … But we kind of got that news kind of quick, and AR … we knew he was going to get an MRI, but I woke up from my nap yesterday and then saw that news, and I was like, ‘S—.’ That was literally my tone.”
James took on a larger role with the other two stars sidelined, but the Lakers are going to be careful not to overuse him for the rest of the regular season, according to Khobi Price of The California Post. He finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists in 39 minutes – marking just his sixth 30-point game of the season, along with his highest assist total.
“We did enough intentionally to get him sort of out of actions and not have him involved in every single play when he was out there,” Redick said. “And then there were times when he would get an outlet pass or get the ball and just kind of manipulated the half-court set for us and we got some good stuff.”