Knicks Notes: Bridges, Brunson, Shamet, Coach’s Challenge
Mikal Bridges knows from experience that a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals doesn’t guarantee a championship, writes Brendan Mau of SI.com. Bridges was part of the Phoenix team that won the first two games of the 2021 Finals, then lost four in a row to Milwaukee, so he’s in position to deliver a warning to his teammates.
“0-0 man, f—— keep playing, sorry … Desperate. That’s it, man,” Bridges said Friday in a postgame appearance on ESPN’s Inside the NBA. “Take this rest. We got two days, take a break, do whatever you gotta do to get ready for this next game, but keep going out there and don’t stop. We got nothing but the offseason, man. Keep pushing. Leave everything on that court.”
Bridges’ defense played a major role in helping the Knicks get two wins in San Antonio, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News notes in a subscriber-only story. So far in the series, he’s holding De’Aaron Fox to 0-of-4 from the field and Stephon Castle to 1-of-7 when serving as their primary defender.
“Just gut. Just fight,” Bridges said during an intense interview with MSG (Twitter video link). “A lot of integrity, poise, staying together. We’re gonna fight to the end. They made a run. They’re a really good team, but we’re gonna fight to the end. I wish we had a better fourth quarter. They’re a really good team. They pushed it, but we’ve gotta be better.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- The team is proving that it can win without great shooting nights from Jalen Brunson, states Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). Brunson is 19-of-56 overall and 4-of-17 from three-point range in the first two games, but he has made clutch shots in the final minutes of both contests to swing the outcome. “He’s a hell of a player,” Fox said. “Even when you make it difficult on good players, they’re talented, so they’re going to end up making shots. He’s done that, especially at the end of the games.”
- Coach Mike Brown singled out the contributions from Landry Shamet, who scored 13 points in 30 minutes off the bench Friday night (Twitter video link from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “I’m talking about his whole career because he’s been a journeyman,” Brown said, “but he probably deserved more of an opportunity because what he does out on the floor on both ends is very hard to find in this league, especially at his size, with is mental and physical toughness. We gave him an opportunity and showed him we loved him. He embraced it and he ran with it.”
- The Knicks might have let Friday’s game slip away if not for assistant coach Jordan Brink, reveals Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The team’s director of video services convinced Brown to challenge a call with 2:37 remaining in the game. Officials determined that OG Anunoby was fouled on the play and was sent to the line for three shots.
Central Notes: Kessler, Bulls’ Draft Options, Beasley, Boswell
The Bulls should keep a close watch on Walker Kessler‘s negotiations with the Jazz as they consider their options for a new starting center, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes in a subscriber-only piece. The 24-year-old big man is widely expected to re-sign with Utah, and because he’s a restricted free agent the Jazz will have the option to match any offer. If Kessler doesn’t reach an agreement with the team before free agency begins on June 30, Cowley suggests that Chicago should offer around $20MM per year and see if that leads to anything.
Free agent center Zach Collins told reporters in April that he would like to stay in Chicago, but Cowley is skeptical now that coach Billy Donovan is gone and the team has moved into a rebuilding phase. Cowley also expects Nick Richards, who was acquired from Phoenix at the trade deadline, to depart in free agency, calling him “a strange presence in the locker room.”
While the Bulls could address their need for a center in the draft, Cowley predicts that they’ll select North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Baylor guard Cameron Carr at No. 15, leaving new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham to explore free agency to find help in the middle.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Wilson may be a perfect addition for the Bulls‘ new timeline, contends Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required). He brings an explosive athleticism that should transfer well to the NBA, averaging 2.8 dunks per game during his time with the Tar Heels. Poe believes Chicago may target a center with the 15th pick, and while Michigan’s Aday Mara figures to be off the board by then, Italian Luigi Suigo, Washington’s Hannes Steinbach or Houston’s Chris Cenac could be an appealing alternative.
- Malik Beasley, who missed all of this season, remains under investigation in the NBA’s gambling probe and won’t return to the league until that’s resolved, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press states in a mailbag column. The Pistons still hold Beasley’s non-Bird rights and can offer a contract starting at $7.2MM. Sankofa also touches on a potential new deal for restricted free agent Jalen Duren and predicts that Isaiah Stewart is likely to remain with the team.
- After working out for the Pacers this week, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell talked to the media about what he’s learned by studying T.J. McConnell (Twitter video link from Tony East of Circle City Spin).
Finals Notes: Champagnie, Alvarado, Castle, Brunson, Robinson, MSG Ticket Prices
The Spurs‘ Julian Champagnie and the Knicks‘ Jose Alvarado have a rivalry that began long before their meeting in the NBA Finals, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. They’re both New York City natives who squared off several times during high school in the Catholic League.
“I won’t lie, they definitely got the better of us quite a bit when he was at Christ the King and I was at Loughlin,” Champagnie said. “But always good memories. He was a great guard, quick, crafty, feisty.”
Braziller notes that those old memories sparked again in the first game of the Finals as Alvarado made a shot over Champagnie and punctuated it with some trash talk. Champagnie scored against Alvarado later on and responded in kind.
“I think it’s just friendly banter, honestly and truly. Obviously, I’ve known Jose for a while,” Champagnie said. “Yeah, he makes one, he talks. I make one, I talk. That’s just how New York is. That’s how it goes.”
There’s more from the NBA Finals:
- Spurs guard Stephon Castle has drawn a series of challenging defensive assignments in the playoffs, including two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the conference finals and Knicks star Jalen Brunson in this round. Castle talked to Peter Sblendorio of The New York Daily News (subscription required) about how he approaches players of that caliber. “They’re very similar in ways,” Castle said. “I think Shai is more of a threat to get all the way downhill, all the way to the basket. I think Jalen likes to use angles a lot more, uses probably a little bit more pump fakes than Shai. Mostly it’s angles, trying to get to his spots, not really trying to draw fouls as much, but trying to get to his mid-range and get to spots to where he likes.”
- A fan who was verbally harassing Brunson during Game 1 has been barred from sitting at courtside for the rest of the Finals, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Brunson had to be restrained from charging the fan by Alvarado and referee Scott Foster after the game ended.
- A technical foul (Twitter video link) that Knicks center Mitchell Robinson received midway through the second quarter of Friday’s game has been rescinded, the league announced (Twitter link).
- Ticket prices for the upcoming games at Madison Square Garden are already setting records, according to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. As of Friday, the cheapest available ticket for Monday’s Game 3 on Gametime was $9,130. For Wednesday’s Game 4, when the Knicks could potentially wrap up their first NBA title since 1973, nearly all prices on StubHub top $20K, with courtside seats in the range of $70K to $140K.
Anthony Edwards Wants Timberwolves To Upgrade Roster
Anthony Edwards isn’t satisfied with the current makeup of the Timberwolves‘ roster and is hoping for a significant upgrade this summer, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter video link from Heat Central). Windhorst, who made the comments during the network’s coverage of the NBA Finals, suggested that Edwards may be influenced by watching former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns compete for a title after being traded to the Knicks.
“Going forward after this series, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ future is in question somewhat because of what Ant feels about the roster, and I wonder if KAT was still there, if he did,” Windhorst said.
Towns, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, was the centerpiece in Minnesota for nine years before being traded to New York shortly before the start of the 2024/25 season. He has been an All-Star in both his years with the Knicks, leading the team to the Eastern Conference finals last season and now the NBA Finals.
Minnesota also made out well in the deal as Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo have both turned in two productive seasons. They helped the Wolves reach the conference finals in 2025, but the team was ousted in the second round by San Antonio this year as DiVincenzo was unavailable due to a ruptured Achilles.
Windhorst doesn’t provide any specifics in the brief clip about the kind of improvements that Edwards wants to see. Minnesota’s front office made one of the best deals at the trade deadline by acquiring guard Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago, and re-signing him in free agency figures to be one of the priorities for the summer.
Any hint of unhappiness involving Edwards is cause for concern among the Timberwolves, who are building their future around the four-time All-Star. Edwards has three more seasons left on his contract at $48.9MM, $52.3MM and $55.7MM, so he doesn’t have much leverage to force his way out of town if he doesn’t get the roster upgrades he wants.
Edwards will be extension eligible this summer, but it’s unlikely to happen because he fell short of the 65-game threshold this season to qualify for All-NBA honors and major postseason awards. He’s only eligible for a two-year extension worth about $122MM, but he could put himself back in position for a four-year, $300MM supermax offer by making an All-NBA team next year.
Along with Edwards, Minnesota already has heavy salary commitments for next season with $36.5MM owed to Rudy Gobert, $33.3MM to Randle, $26.2MM to Jaden McDaniels and $23.3MM to Naz Reid. The type of addition that Edwards envisions would almost certainly require the team to move back into second apron territory.
In a recent interview with KFAN (YouTube link), head coach Chris Finch said he expects the Wolves to explore opportunities in the trade market and expressed confidence in president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to keep the team competitive, relays Jordan Samar of Yahoo Sports.
“I do expect us to be (active),” Finch said. “I don’t know what the end result will be, if there will be a lot of change. I mean, we love our core, and we know we need to keep adding to it a little bit. I have the utmost faith in Tim and his crew and (owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez) to be able to do it.”
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Game 2, Castle, Barnes
As Victor Wembanyama released a 20-foot shot that would have given San Antonio the lead in the closing seconds Friday night, his teammates had complete confidence that it was going in, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only story.
“He’s made that shot a thousand times,” Stephon Castle said. “That’s a shot he makes in his sleep,” Dylan Harper added. “He makes that shot nine times out of 10,” De’Aaron Fox echoed.
But when it mattered most, the ball clanged off the back of the rim, and the final buzzer sounded before the Spurs could get off another good shot, leaving them with a 2-0 deficit as the NBA Finals heads to New York. It capped a rough ending to the game for Wembanyama, who committed a devastating turnover a few seconds earlier when his outlet pass bounced off the back of Castle, who wasn’t expecting the ball.
“Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course,” Wembanyama said. “Am I going to use that to fuel me and fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Coach Mitch Johnson called it “not acceptable” that Wembanyama only took four shots in the first half and acknowledged that players, the coaching staff and the French star himself have to make a better effort to keep him involved in the offense, McDonald adds. Wembanyama returned to his usual dominance after intermission, finishing with 29 points, nine rebounds and four blocks and helping the Spurs erase a late 12-point deficit. “We came in (at halftime) and we were like, ‘We need you to be aggressive,’” Fox said. “That is what it is. He came out in the second and was much better for us.”
- Turnover problems reemerged for Castle in the Game 2 loss as he gave the ball up four times in 28 minutes, notes Tom Orsborn of The Express-News (subscription required). Johnson said the second-year guard is getting caught in the air too often while deciding what to do with the ball, and Castle agrees. “I think just trying to overthink some reads sometimes,” Castle said. “I got caught in traffic, especially deep in the paint. It’s something I can go back and look at and see how I can fix.”
- Thirty-four-year-old Harrison Barnes has been telling his younger teammates to make the most of this trip to the NBA Finals and not assume they’ll be back every year, Orsborn relays in a separate story. Barnes reached the Finals with Golden State during his first two seasons, but had to wait another decade to return. “Every single year you have to begin at the start of the journey, the start of the mountain and climb, and health is a major part of it,” Barnes said. “So, I don’t think it’s necessarily a mentality where we say, ‘This is their only shot,’ (or) ‘Just because we’re young, we have a lot of different opportunities.’ This may be the last time both teams are in the Finals for a while. We have no idea.”
Community Shootaround: Hornets’ First-Round Picks
The Hornets are one of six NBA teams with two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA draft. The team controls the final lottery pick (No. 14 overall) and has another selection a few spots later (No. 18).
Since he was named head of basketball operations two years ago, Jeff Peterson drafted Tidjane Salaun (No. 6 overall) and KJ Simpson (No. 42) in 2024 and Kon Knueppel (No. 4), Sion James (No. 33) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (No. 34) in 2025.
Peterson also acquired a fourth selection — Liam McNeeley (29th overall) — from Phoenix last year as part of the Mark Williams trade. The Suns still owe the Hornets a 2029 first-rounder as part of that deal, though it includes least favorable language (Charlotte also send Phoenix a 2029 second-round pick).
The Hornets have 12 players on guaranteed contracts for next season, with Coby White being their main free agent. Peterson has said the team wants to retain the high-scoring combo guard. If Charlotte re-signs White and keeps both first-rounders, it would be at the regular season limit of 15 players on standard deals.
Whether the Hornets actually keep both picks is an open question. Teams with multiple selections — particularly two first-round picks — are often cited as clubs that might be interested in moving up or trading for a future first-round pick. Packaging them in an aggressive win-now move is another possibility.
Peterson spoke glowingly about the 2026 class at his end-of-season press conference in April.
“I’m very excited about this draft,” Peterson said. “It’s if not the deepest, one of the deepest that I’ve ever been a part of. A lot of good players all over the draft, of course. But again, where we are from an asset standpoint, it’s going to allow us to be flexible. So whether that means we bring two players in, consolidate, we’ll have different options that we’ll continue to explore and look at.
“But I’m excited for whoever we bring in because I know that it’s going to be someone who is a Hornet, and about what we’re about and at some point will contribute to what we are building here.”
While Charlotte had a poor start to last season and extended the longest active drought in the NBA by missing the playoffs for the 10th straight year, there are reasons for optimism going forward. The Hornets ended 2025/26 on a 33-15 run and have a promising young core. They have a chance to add two more young players to that mix in a few weeks.
Some talent evaluators have several guards and forwards ranked in the middle of the first round. For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo had Charlotte selecting Mexican forward Karim Lopez with the 14th pick and German big man Hannes Steinbach at No. 18 in his latest mock draft, though that was in mid-May. Jake Fischer reported on Friday that the Hornets are looking for a center upgrade, with Mitchell Robinson a potential target.
We want to know what you think. Will the Hornets stand pat and keep both of their first-round picks? If so, which prospects do you think they should target? If not, do you think they’ll try to package the picks to move up or perhaps make a more aggressive win-now trade? Head to the comment section to weigh in.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Have Worked Out For Thunder
Michigan big men Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. are among the prospects who have had individual pre-draft workouts with the Thunder, according to Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required).
Lendeborg ranks 12th on ESPN’s big board, while Johnson comes two spots behind at 14th. The Thunder currently control two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 17) and one second-rounder (No. 37) in this month’s draft, which will take place on June 23 and June 24.
Projected lottery pick Nate Ament, who previously confirmed he worked out for Oklahoma City, is also on Martinez’s list, as are Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance. Graves and Quaintance are considered likely first-round picks, ranking 17th and 22nd on ESPN’s board, respectively.
The Thunder have also hosted several other players during the pre-draft process, per Martinez, including Alex Karaban (No. 30 on ESPN’s board), Emanuel Sharp (No. 45), Izaiyah Nelson (No. 47), Tamin Lipsey (No. 69) and Rafael Castro (No. 73).
Fischer’s Latest: Sabonis, Hawks, Porzingis, Wade, Ellis
Rival teams are expecting the Kings to make Domantas Sabonis available in trade talks again this summer after he stayed with Sacramento through the February deadline, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Fischer writes, the Kings are facing a significant cap crunch this offseason and are “known to be looking” to reduce their payroll if they can. Sabonis may more draw more interest than some of the team’s other pricey veterans, Fischer notes. That group also includes Zach LaVine (if he picks up his $49MM player option as expected), DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:
- In addition to the Bulls, Lakers, Hornets and Raptors, whom Fischer linked to Mitchell Robinson, the Hawks are another team eyeing frontcourt reinforcements this offseason. Fischer suggests the team may be in the market for a backup to Onyeka Okongwu rather than a starting five.
- The Warriors are optimistic about their chances of re-signing Kristaps Porzingis to a more team-friendly contract after he made $30.7MM last season while appearing in just 32 regular season games, per Fischer. However, if a deal falls through, Golden State would likely be in the mix for center help too.
- Cleveland essentially had to pick between re-signing Sam Merrill or Ty Jerome last offseason due to the team’s high payroll — even after significant cost-cutting moves ahead of the deadline, the Cavaliers were the only team to finish over the second tax apron in 2025/26. A similar situation could play out this summer, according to Fischer, with the Cavs expected to prioritize retaining Dean Wade over deadline addition Keon Ellis. Fischer hears Wade could command a “healthy portion” of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which starts at $15MM next season and projects to be worth up to $64.7MM over four years. Ellis’ stock may be trending in the opposite direction after he didn’t play much for Cleveland in the postseason, Fischer adds.
Mitchell Robinson Increasing Value Ahead Of Free Agency?
Mitchell Robinson appears to be increasing his value ahead of unrestricted free agency, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who reports that the Knicks‘ backup center is expected to receive “significant” external interest this offseason.
Fischer compares Robinson’s situation to that of his former teammate Isaiah Hartenstein in 2024. Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87MM contract with the Thunder that summer, though only the first two seasons were guaranteed (2026/27 is a team option).
It remains to be seen whether Robinson will command that significant of a payday, but sources tell Fischer the Bulls, Hornets, Lakers and Raptors are all considered potential suitors for the 28-year-old big man, who’s a strong, versatile defender and an elite rebounder, particularly on the offensive glass.
Chicago could have up to $56MM in cap room this offseason and Los Angeles could choose to operate under the cap as well. The Hornets and Raptors appear likely to have the full mid-level exception (projected to be worth $64.7MM over four years) available. All four teams are “known to be looking for center upgrades,” according to Fischer.
Robinson’s playing time has been reduced somewhat in the playoffs in part because of his struggles at the charity stripe: he’s only converting 32.0% of his 3.3 free throws per game through 15 postseason appearances (14.1 minutes per contest).
Still, Robinson has been impactful when he’s not being intentionally fouled. He drew praise from head coach Mike Brown and Karl-Anthony Towns for his late-game defense on Victor Wembanyama following New York’s Game 2 victory over San Antonio, Fischer notes, and he stayed pretty healthy throughout 2025/26 (60 regular season games) after missing extended time in recent years due to injuries.
A former second-round pick, Robinson has spent all eight of his NBA seasons to this point with the Knicks, who selected him 36th overall in the 2018 draft. New York holds a 2-0 lead on San Antonio in the NBA Finals, with both victories coming on the road.
The Knicks have Robinson’s Bird rights and there’s technically nothing preventing them from re-signing him, though the team projects to be over the second tax apron next season if it chooses to go that route. Given Robinson’s importance to the Knicks’ success, it would certainly be difficult to replace him.
And-Ones: Goodwin, Ibaka, Pachulia, NBA Free Agents
Barcelona has shown interest in former NBA guard Brandon Goodwin, who starred in China this past season, Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relays.
According to an Encestando report, the European club has been in contact with Goodwin, who led the Shanghai Sharks to a Chinese league title. Goodwin, 30, averaged 17.6 points and 7.0 assists during the season and was named CBA Finals MVP after posting 29 points and 9.0 assists per game in the series. Goodwin played in 133 NBA games, most recently with Cleveland in 2021/22 when he made 36 appearances.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- If it were up to Serge Ibaka, Montreal would have an NBA team. With NBA expansion a hot topic, the former big man declared that Montreal “deserves” a franchise, according to Eurohoops.net. “The way things are here, it’s a beautiful city. I feel people love sport in general here,” he said during a promotional event.
- Another former NBA big man, Zaza Pachulia, is investing in a different sport. He and his wife, Tika, recently joined the ownership group of Major League Volleyball’s newest team that will be based out of Northern California, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. The team will begin play in 2027.
- The Pistons re-sign Jalen Duren for $200MM over five years, starting at $34.5 million. The Hawks re-sign CJ McCollum at $40MM over two years with a team option, starting at $20MM. And how about this? The Warriors sign LeBron James at $30.8MM over two years with a player option, starting at the $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Those are just some of the predictions made by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus regarding prominent free agents entering this summer’s market.