Eastern Notes: Bulls, Lloyd, Mazzulla, Tatum, More
Among the known candidates for the Bulls‘ open head of basketball operations job, Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd is the “obvious frontrunner,” reports Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required).
Lloyd has been a “top target” for the Bulls since they began their front office search, according to Poe, who writes that the veteran executive “cares deeply about the process of evaluating, acquiring and developing talent.” That should make him an obvious fit for a Chicago team that seems to be embarking on a rebuild, Poe adds.
Outside of his strengths as a front office executive, Lloyd – who grew up in the Chicago suburbs – is a match for the Bulls due to his existing connection to the franchise and the city. He worked for the organization beginning in 1994 as a game-day and special projects employee in the team’s video room and was later hired to work in the media relations department. Eventually, he made the move to the Bulls’ front office, where he was eventually promoted to the role of director of college scouting before leaving for a job in Orlando in 2012.
While the Reinsdorfs have vowed to cast a wider net in their search for a top basketball executive this time around, they have a history of not straying too far from what they know, Poe observes.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- A Coach of the Year finalist, Joe Mazzulla has made it clear he believes it’s a “stupid award,” but the Celtics‘ head coach wouldn’t oppose an alternative that honors more than one person on a team’s staff. “I would like to see that changed to staff or organization, for sure. I think those things are important,” Mazzulla said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “If it was Staff of the Year, it’s different, (or) if it’s Organization of the Year. But at the end of the day, I haven’t made one basket all year. Our staff hasn’t made a basket. We haven’t got a block. We haven’t ran back on defense. We didn’t play a back-to-back. We didn’t have to play hurt. We haven’t really done s–t. So if you don’t have the guys you know to be able to put you in position, it doesn’t really matter.”
- Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored 25 points in the team’s Game 1 blowout of Philadelphia on Sunday, but he admitted after that win that he’s “still rehabbing” from the Achilles tear that sidelined him until March 6. Tuesday’s Game 2 loss provided a reminder of that, writes Steve Buckley of The Athletic. Although Tatum nearly had a triple-double (19 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists), he made just 8-of-19 shots from the field and has now hit only 3-of-15 three-pointers in the series.
- Signing head coach Jordi Fernandez to a contract extension increasing the pressure on general manager Sean Marks in Brooklyn, according to C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). As Holmes outlines, the extension suggests that Marks believes the Nets have the right coaching staff in place, which means he now needs to get Fernandez the right players to lead the team back to the playoffs.
- With Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes squaring off in the first round of the playoffs, Eric Koreen of The Athletic takes a look at how both players have progressed since being drafted back-to-back in 2021, noting that Mobley and Barnes have shown they’re capable of being foundational players on good teams, though it remains to be seen whether either one is headed for superstardom.
Victor Wembanyama To Travel With Spurs To Portland
Less than 48 hours after being diagnosed with a concussion as the result of a hard fall in Game 2 vs. Portland, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama appears to be trending in the right direction.
Appearing on Inside The NBA late on Wednesday night (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of ESPN said that Wembanyama’s symptoms hadn’t worsened and that he was able to do some cardio work yesterday. The third-year star was back at the Spurs’ facility on Thursday, and while he isn’t permitted to fully ramp up his activity quite yet, head coach Mitch Johnson said he “looks good.”
“The update is that he is following the league’s protocol and he’s progressing and he’ll travel with the team,” Johnson said (Twitter video link via Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News).
Although Wembanyama is able to travel with the Spurs to Portland, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be able to suit up for Game 3 on Friday or Game 4 on Sunday. Johnson didn’t rule out that possibility, but cautioned it will depend on Wembanyama’s ability to meet certain benchmarks in the return-to-play process and showing that he’s symptom-free.
As the Spurs’ coach noted, there are strict guidelines defined by the NBA for players coming off concussions, so it won’t just be a matter of the team’s medical staff making a decision on the Defensive Player of the Year’s availability. An independent neurologist designated by the league must also sign off on Wembanyama’s return.
“Obviously, we hope he’ll be back at some point, but we’ll allow the protocol to play out, and there’s nothing more important than his health,” Johnson said.
While Wembanyama’s status remains up in the air, Johnson did share some good news on guard Dylan Harper (thumb) and forward Harrison Barnes (shoulder) on Thursday, telling Orsborn and other reporters that both players will be “available and good to go” for Game 3 on Friday (Twitter link).
Celtics’ Derrick White Wins 2025/26 Sportsmanship Award
Celtics guard Derrick White has won the Sportsmanship Award for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today (Twitter link). It marks the second straight year in which a Boston guard has claimed the award, with Jrue Holiday taking it home a year ago prior to being traded to Portland.
The NBA’s Sportsmanship Award has been presented annually since 1995/96 and “honors a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.”
Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner. The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard – and current Pelicans head of basketball operations – who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96.
In addition to White, this year’s other finalists were Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, Warriors big man Al Horford, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Pacers guard T.J. McConnell.
McConnell finished as the runner-up and actually earned the most first-place votes, receiving 83 to White’s 77. However, the Celtics guard had the significant edge in second-place votes (113) over McConnell (72) and finished with 2,827 total points, comfortably beating out McConnell’s 2,566.
The full voting results can be found here.
While White has never been an NBA All-Star, the 31-year-old has built a strong career résumé that includes an NBA championship in 2024, a pair of All-Defensive second team nods (2023 and 2024), an Olympic gold medal (Paris 2024), and now a Sportsmanship Award.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/23/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included which Rockets need to improve to salvage their series with L.A., Kawhi Leonard's offseason fate, the Bulls' front office candidates, the Magic's options if they lose in the first round and more!
AJ Dybantsa Entering 2026 NBA Draft
Potential No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa has formally announced that he’ll be entering the 2026 NBA draft pool (YouTube link).
A 6’9″ forward who spent his freshman year at BYU, Dybantsa led the nation with 25.5 points per game and scored those points relatively efficiently, making 51.0% of his shots from the floor (including 33.1% of his three-pointers) and 77.4% from the free throw line.
Dybantsa also contributed 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in 34.8 minutes per game across his 35 outings for the Cougars. He was named a consensus first-team All-American, earned a spot on the All-Big 12 first team, and won the Julius Erving award, which is handed out to college basketball’s top small forward.
Dybantsa is the No. 1 pick in the latest mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, and while Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com had the BYU star at No. 2 in his most recent mock, he has since moved him to the top of his big board of 2026 prospects. According to Woo, Dybantsa has emerged as the player that NBA executives most frequently project to be the first overall pick in this year’s draft.
While Dybantsa still has some work to do in some areas – such as ball-handling, outside shooting, and defense, per Woo – he’s an elite offensive prospect who has excellent positional size and superstar upside. Wasserman notes that teams also like his intangibles, including his intensity, professionalism, and “alpha mindset.”
Early entrants who won’t be automatically eligible have until the end of the day on Friday to declare for the 2026 NBA draft.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Los Angeles Lakers
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players on the Lakers, who have 11 potential free agents this summer, the most in the NBA.
Hawks Notes: McCollum, Johnson, Risacher, NAW
Jalen Johnson was the Hawks‘ lone All-Star and most valuable player during the regular season, but it was guard CJ McCollum who led the team to a Game 2 victory over the Knicks on Monday in New York, writes Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required).
While most of the Hawks’ young players had at least a little postseason experience entering this first-round series, their playoff résumés generally pale in comparison to that of McCollum, who has appeared in the playoffs 11 separate times and logged 69 total postseason outings. That veteran experience was on display on Monday.
As Cunningham details, McCollum scored 32 points, including six in the final two minutes, and assumed the role of Madison Square Garden villain that was once held by Trae Young, the player he was traded for earlier this season. Head coach Quin Snyder was appreciative of both McCollum’s steady leadership and impressive shot-making in the Game 2 victory, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required).
“I felt like we needed both,” Snyder said. “I’ve been in the West for a while. I’ve watched him do that when he was in Portland. But again, I think you can lead by how you play.”
McCollum is in the final year of his current contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in July if he and the Hawks don’t work out an extension agreement before June 30. The 34-year-old could improve his chances of securing another lucrative multiyear deal with a strong showing this spring.
We have more on the Hawks:
- Johnson made just 8-of-19 shots from the floor in Game 1 and opened Game 2 by missing all four of his shot attempts in the first half. However, he went 6-for-8 on his field goal attempts in the second half on Monday and appeared to be finding his playoff footing, Williams writes for the Journal-Constitution (subscription required). “The thing about Jalen is he can impact winning in lots of ways, and he’s doing things for other people,” Snyder said. “I think his gravity is real. We want to keep finding ways to get out in transition. Obviously, that’s something he’s elite in those situations and they’ve done a good job trying to take that away. … (But) I think he’s done a really good job, kind of adjusting throughout the games, as far as how they’re guarding him, how they’re taking away certain actions, what he can do to combat that that’s happening, and that’s the nature of a playoff series.”
- Former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher saw his minutes decline near the end of the regular season and hasn’t been part of Atlanta’s rotation during the first round of the playoffs, logging just two total minutes so far in the series. Risacher told the French outlet BeBasket after Game 1 that he’s doing his best to “stay prepared no matter what,” as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. “You can’t let yourself get down by things you can’t control,” he said. “Of course, you can imagine it’s not an easy situation to manage. But here I am, still here, even more motivated, I’d say. I have to try to turn this to my advantage. Obviously, it’s tough, but I’m trying to make it a strength.”
- In case you missed it, Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a finalist for the Most Improved Player award. The winner will be announced on Friday during Amazon Prime’s playoff broadcast at 6:30 pm Eastern time, per the NBA (Twitter link).
Suns’ Booker, Brooks Rip Officiating After Game 2 Loss
After losing a second consecutive game in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Suns guard Devin Booker and forward Dillon Brooks aired their displeasure with the game’s officials during their respective post-game media sessions, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Doug Haller of The Athletic.
Asked about a technical foul he received during the third quarter, Booker said he never received an explanation for the call. The Suns guard was bumped by Thunder big man Jaylin Williams and threw the ball behind him as he was falling out of bounds, attempting to save it and throwing it off Williams in the process (Twitter video link). Although Williams was called for a personal foul on the play, Booker was also hit with a tech after some lobbying from Thunder guard Alex Caruso.
“It’s definitely something that has to be looked into,” Booker said. “I heard Caruso tell him to call the tech and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James (Williams) was terrible tonight, through and through. It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as a WWE if they’re not held responsible.”
Booker was also called for a pair of offensive fouls while being defending by Caruso, including one where the two guards got tangled up running down the court (video link) and another where Caruso was defending him in the post (video link). Addressing the latter call, Booker said he was told he made an “unnatural shooting motion,” a ruling he strongly disagreed with.
“It just feels disrespectful,” Booker said of the officiating. “I know I haven’t won a championship in this league, but I have been in it for 11 years now. So to get to this point to be treated like that, for me to even be saying something out loud, it’s bad. … This is my first time (criticizing the officiating) in 11 years, but it’s needed. Whatever I get fined for it, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration is from.”
Brooks, meanwhile, was asked during his post-game presser about a fourth quarter play where he was called for his fifth foul while defending Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (video link).
“You all should be interviewing the officials,” Brooks said, according to Haller. “That should be a new thing in the NBA. Officials got to explain themselves. It’s getting ridiculous, and you can see it starts getting fiery. And there’s no control out there. And now they’re just whistling on one side.”
Brooks also referred to Gilgeous-Alexander as a “little frail,” adding that he needs to “be smarter” when he’s guarding his Team Canada teammate, based on what the referees are willing to call.
” I used to watch this back when Michael Jordan was playing or whoever else, when LeBron (James) was younger,” Brooks said, per MacMahon. “This is physical basketball. I don’t get why all the dropping and the falling and the flopping and the flailing and all this stuff is allowed when we get to the playoffs. Leave that for the (regular) season for the fans. This is about who’s the better team, who’s a more with-it team. Don’t decide the games on no free throws.”
The defending champion Thunder have outscored the Suns by a total of 48 points through the first two games of the series, though star forward Jalen Williams‘ availability is uncertain as the series heads to Phoenix for Game 3.
Jalen Williams Exits Game 2 With Apparent Hamstring Injury
The Thunder beat the Suns on Wednesday by a score of 120-107 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series, but a third quarter injury put a damper on the victory. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, star forward Jalen Williams left the game and didn’t return after suffering an apparent left hamstring injury.
Williams seemingly tweaked the hamstring when he landed after attempting a layup on a fast break (Twitter video link via ClutchPoints). According to MacMahon, it appeared that the 25-year-old mouthed the words, “Left hammy” before taking an intentional foul moments later so he could check out of the game. He didn’t return and didn’t speak to reporters after the win, but head coach Mark Daigneault provided a brief update during his post-game media session.
“We think he aggravated his left hamstring,” Daigneault said. “We’ll take a look at it in the next couple of days, and we’ll update you guys appropriately.”
After earning All-NBA and All-Defensive honors in 2024/25, Williams has been plagued by health issues in ’25/26. His season debut was delayed as he recovered from wrist surgery and he had a pair of lengthy absences later in the season due to right hamstring issues. Overall, he was limited to 33 regular season appearances.
The defending champion Thunder are one of the league’s deepest teams and did just fine in Williams’ absence, going 39-10 in the games he missed (they were 25-8 when he played). Still, he was off to a great start in the postseason prior to the injury, scoring 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting on Sunday and then pouring in 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting on Wednesday before going down in the third quarter.
Oklahoma City’s chances of defending its title could take a hit if Williams requires an extended recovery period, but it’s not clear yet how serious the injury is.
“Any assumption about time (missed) is just hypothetical at this point, so I’m not going to comment on that,” Daigneault said, per McMahon. “But I thought he was playing great obviously. He was on the gas. He had great force. He was hitting shots. Got really good shots for his teammates, especially early. So yeah, he was playing an outstanding game.”
Northwest Notes: Henderson, Watson, Gobert, Edwards
It hasn’t been an easy season for Scoot Henderson, who didn’t play until February due to a torn hamstring. In fact, it’s been an up-and-down first three years in the league for the guard selected third overall by the Trail Blazers in the 2023 draft.
However, Henderson enjoyed a career night on Tuesday, scoring 31 points in a 106-103 victory that tied the series with the Spurs at one game apiece. His head coach, Tiago Splitter, was blown away by the performance, Ramona Shelburne writes for ESPN.
“I don’t know if I have words for it,” Splitter said. “That was the best game of the season for him, maybe his career. To have a game like that in playoffs against a great team like the Spurs, it’s something else. Not just offensively, but defensively. He carried us, scored when we needed, got stops and really won a game for us.”
Henderson, at one point, was considered the 1B draft prospect to Victor Wembanyama‘s 1A, which led to the two players facing off in an exhibition game when the point guard was with the G League Ignite and Wembanyama was still a member of the Metropolitans 92. Both players showed the best of what they could do in that exhibition, but since then, Henderson has dealt with injuries and has struggled to find his rhythm.
“I’m so blessed to even play in a situation like this,” Henderson said. “Playoffs, third year, younger team, with great vets. The picture couldn’t have painted itself better.”
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Peyton Watson is still working his way back from a hamstring strain as he seeks to get back on the court for the Nuggets. He has been ruled out for Game 3 of the series against the Wolves, but was able to get some work in on the side of Denver’s practice today, Anthony Slater writes for ESPN. Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette adds (via Twitter) that Watson was mostly working out with and against the coaching staff on Wednesday.
- The Timberwolves believe that Rudy Gobert‘s performance against Nikola Jokic through two games is emblematic of why voters made a grave mistake this season, Tyler King writes for The Denver Gazette. “It’s a joke that he wasn’t a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year,” head coach Chris Finch said after the Wolves won Game 2. King notes that Jokic went 1-for-8 in Game 2 when guarded by Gobert, and seven of those shots came in the fourth quarter. “I know who I am,” Gobert said. “It’s not the first time I get disrespected, probably not the last. If they want to disrespect greatness, take it for granted or whatever, sooner or later, they’ll realize the impact.”
- Anthony Edwards‘ stats for the Timberwolves in Game 2 were impressive, but it was his “superstar energy” as he fought through pain in his knee that really fueled his team, writes Dave Campbell of The Associated Press. “It definitely uplifts me,” Julius Randle said. “I feel like I can’t let him down. If he’s out there battling, then there’s no excuse why I can’t give my best and make the extra effort plays and just go out there and compete at the highest level.” Edwards finished the game with 30 points and 10 rebounds despite clearly being bothered by the knee ailment that kept him out for 11 of the team’s last 13 regular season games.