Spurs Optimistic De’Aaron Fox Will Be Available For Game 2
The Spurs were playing without All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox in Monday’s thrilling Game 1 victory at Oklahoma City, but the team is optimistic he’ll be available for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link).
San Antonio pulled off a double-overtime against the defending champion Thunder on Monday. Dylan Harper, last year’s second overall pick, started in place of Fox and had a stellar game, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals in 47 minutes.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), Harper became just the second rookie to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a playoff game since 1973/74, when steals became an official statistic. He joined three-time MVP and five-time champion Magic Johnson, who accomplished the feat in 1980.
As impressive as Harper was, his performance was overshadowed by a spectacular showing from Victor Wembanyama, who had 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 49 minutes. The 22-year-old center joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in league history to have 40-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in their conference finals debuts (Twitter link via the NBA).
Wembanyama, who was a game-high plus-16 in the seven-point win, admitted afterward that he was motivated by the pregame ceremony awarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander his second straight MVP trophy.
“I want to get that trophy,” said Wembanyama, who finished third in MVP voting (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic).
The French star said he was understandably tired after setting a new career high in minutes, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. However, a few minutes before that he said the Spurs would have time to recuperate in the offseason if they reach their ultimate goal.
“We’ll rest in July,” Wembanyama said, per Orsborn (Twitter link).
Mike Schmitz Discusses Being Hired As Mavs GM
Mike Schmitz, a former DraftExpress scout and ESPN draft analyst who was most recently an assistant general manager with the Trail Blazers, was hired by the Mavericks on May 8 to be their new GM. He will be the top lieutenant in Dallas under new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri.
As Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com writes, Schmitz spoke to the media at the draft lottery on May 10, just two days after he accepted the job.
“It’s been chaotic in a beautiful way. It’s not lost on me what an amazing opportunity this is,” Schmitz said. “I’m 35 years old, and to be able to be a general manager for such a prestigious organization, working in unison with Masai, obviously (governor) Patrick Dumont, and the rest of the ownership group believing in me, it’s a really, really important time.”
Ujiri previously offered high praise for Schmitz, calling him an “incredible scout” and “incredible leader” who will bring a “whole package” of skills to the Mavs’ basketball operations department. Ujiri added that he’s known Schmitz for “many, many years,” which Schmitz confirmed.
“I’ve done a lot of scouting internationally, and when I first got into the scouting space and was out on the road, we were in the same gyms for years and years — whether that’s in Africa or Europe or in the States,” Schmitz said. “So I’m really thankful for that relationship and him bringing me on board.”
“… Obviously, we’ve had a long-standing relationship, and I think him being able to trust in me and me being able to lean on him in a variety of different areas — I think it’s going to work great,” Schmitz added.
Like many other executives around the league, Schmitz praised the depth of the 2026 draft class and is “very confident” in the Mavs’ ability to find a quality player with the ninth overall pick, per Afseth. Dallas also controls the 30th and 48th selections in June’s draft.
“We want someone who can bring a variety of different skills and bring kind of a mentality that we’re looking for,” Schmitz said. “But we’re really confident we can get a rotation-level player, and we’re going to do everything we can.”
According to Afseth, Schmitz credited his previous experience with helping him learn how to run a basketball operations department, and he hopes to bring a collaborative approach to Dallas. He also discussed Cooper Flagg and how the Rookie of the Year’s versatility will give the organization multiple ways to build out the roster around him.
Jazz Considered ‘Unlikely’ To Trade Up From No. 2 To No. 1
The Jazz, who hold the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft, have reportedly reached out to the Wizards about the possibility of acquiring the No. 1 overall selection. However, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News hears a deal involving those two picks is improbable.
“Countless people” broached the topic to Todd after the draft lottery, but she was unable to nail down where the speculation was coming from beyond the team’s connections to BYU, where AJ Dybantsa played his freshman college season. Owner Ryan Smith, CEO Danny Ainge, and president of basketball operations Austin Ainge are all BYU alums.
Either way, Utah is “highly unlikely” to trade the second pick, according to Todd, citing conversations with league executives and members of the Jazz.
That doesn’t mean the Jazz won’t — or haven’t already — talk to Washington about potentially moving up, Todd writes. Utah will also listen to calls regarding the possibility of moving down. But Todd suggests those conversations are just the Jazz performing their due diligence, rather than a sign of a trade being imminent.
As Todd observes, there’s no consensus No. 1 pick in this draft, and whomever is available at No. 2 is widely considered to be a franchise-changing type of talent. Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson are regarded as the top two prospects, though some teams are very high on Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson as well.
Boozer’s father — former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer — is currently a scout with the Jazz, but that won’t have any impact on their draft process, Todd adds. Just like many other teams around the league, Utah is focused on taking the best player available, with college or family ties essentially irrelevant compared to the “talent and belief” in the prospects.
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, writes 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 one.” When asked how he defined a “superstar point guard,” the Arkansas guard replied, “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.