Wolves’ Ayo Dosunmu Out For Monday’s Game 1
Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu has been downgraded from questionable to out for Monday’s Game 1 matchup in San Antonio, the team announced (via Twitter).
Dosunmu, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension before then, is dealing with right calf soreness. It’s the same injury which caused Dosunmu to miss Game 6 of Minnesota’s first-round series against Denver.
The 26-year-old had a huge series against the Nuggets, leading the Wolves in scoring at 21.8 points per game, with a scorching hot shooting line of .609/.545/.950. He also contributed 4.0 APG and 2.8 RPG in 32.4 MPG across five appearances.
A former second-round pick (38th overall in 2021), Dosunmu spent his first four-and-a-half seasons in Chicago, his hometown team. The Wolves traded for the former Illinois star ahead of the February deadline.
Minnesota will be shorthanded in the backcourt tonight, as Donte DiVincenzo tore his right Achilles tendon in the first round and will be sidelined indefinitely. On a brighter note, star guard Anthony Edwards will reportedly be available after hyperextending his left knee on April 25.
Pistons Sign J.B. Bickerstaff To Contract Extension
The Pistons have signed head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to a contract extension, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Bickerstaff has led Detroit to a remarkable turnaround over the past two seasons. After finishing with the worst record (14-68) in the NBA in 2023/24, the Pistons improved by 30 wins in Bickerstaff’s first year at the helm, going 44-38 and making the playoffs.
The Pistons continued their upward trajectory in ’25/26, finishing with a 60-22 record, the top mark in the Eastern Conference. Detroit survived a first-round scare against No. 8 Orlando, falling in a 3-1 hole before winning the final three games to advance to the second round for the first time since 2008.
Bickerstaff, 47, reportedly signed a five-year contract when he was hired in July 2024, with the first four seasons being guaranteed. It’s unclear how many extra years his extension will cover.
It’s interesting timing that the Pistons decided to extend Bickerstaff on the same day that the Magic dismissed Jamahl Mosley. Bickerstaff defended his friend and said he disagreed with the Magic’s decision in an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show, as Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire relays (via Twitter).
Bickerstaff, who took over as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association earlier this season, is a finalist for the Coach of the Year award. The other finalists are Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) and Mitch Johnson (Spurs).
After starting his NBA coaching career as an assistant, Bickerstaff has had previous head coaching stops in Memphis, Houston and Cleveland prior to joining Detroit.
The Pistons will face the Cavaliers, Bickerstaff’s former club, in the Eastern semifinals.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 5/4/2026
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 3:00 pm Central time (4:00 pm Eastern).
Cavs Notes: Allen, Harden, Mitchell, Flaws, Bickerstaff
Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen muffled some of his critics with his performance in Game 7 on Sunday. Allen erupted for 22 points and 19 rebounds as the Cavs closed out the Raptors.
“I always feel like in this league when you get a certain label, it always sticks with you no matter what,” Allen told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “No matter how hard you try to change it, it’s always going to follow you around. I think that if I play on my mind with wanting to change a narrative that was placed on me about prior performances, that’s going to weaken my strengths going forward and always try to weigh me back. I’ve always been the guy that just moved forward. Things happened in the past that go my way, that don’t go my way and that’s just part of playing basketball, being at the professional level. Just be my best going forward.”
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said it was Allen’s best performance that he’s witnessed.
“Really took us over the top,” Atkinson said. “Best I’ve seen him. Coached him a long time. Known him for lots — that’s the best I’ve seen him.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Allen’s outing allowed Cleveland to survive despite relatively modest outings from James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, ESPN’s Jamal Collier notes. Mitchell finished with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting, and Harden had 18 points on 3-of-9 shooting. “[Harden] and I individually have had big nights,” Mitchell said. “We’ve had 50-balls, we’ve had bad nights, but at the end of the day, we haven’t won. We’re going to continue to be ourselves, right? But in the same focus, it isn’t just about me and him. It’s [Allen], it’s [Evan Mobley] … It’s everybody in that locker room.”
- Joe Vardon of The Athletic opines that the first-round series showed the Cavs’ flaws, which could lead to their elimination in the next round against the top-seeded Pistons. “(It showed) that they are vulnerable,” Vardon writes in an Athletic roundtable discussion. “Extremely vulnerable to ball pressure, to length on the wings, to teams that are willing to grab and claw and get into their chests. I think any playoff team that challenges Cleveland physically has a chance to advance. This is simply not an organization built to bang. But if you give the Cavs space, you see the offensive juggernaut they can be. Oh, we also saw when the Cavs bother to look inside, to Allen and to Evan Mobley, it opens up the rest of the offense.”
- The Cavs will be going up against their former coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, which will make for a juice storyline, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic notes. Bickerstaff will know how to guard Mitchell as well as any coach in the league, Lloyd adds, and the Cavs need the best version of Mitchell and Harden to advance.
Pistons Notes: Harris, Playoff Experience, Duren, Cunningham
A free agent after the season, Tobias Harris has shown the NBA world he still has plenty left in the tank. The Pistons forward averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game during the first-round series against Orlando, including 30 points in the decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
“Nobody can say (bleep) to me about Tobias Harris,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I mean, he is dependable, reliable (and) prepared for the moment. He’s a leader, he’s a great teammate, (and) he’s a great human being. He’s a high-level competitor. To show up tonight and do what he did when it was on the line the most, it’s just exceptional. I can come up with more adjectives if you want, but I think you get my drift.”
Teammates have enormous respect for the 33-year-old Harris, who has been instrumental in the franchise’s resurgence over the last two seasons.
“He’s the ultimate vet,” center Jalen Duren said. “He’s been in these types of games. He’s got a lot of playoff experience. You know, I think J.B. calls him his safety blanket or whatever, but I think he’s the safety blanket for the team. He’s a guy we can go to when we need a bucket. He’s just the ultimate vet, man. He’s just been that for us all season, so it’s nothing new.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Harris said the team will benefit from the hard-fought first-round series heading into the conference semifinals against the Cavaliers. “One hundred percent [there are positives]. I said after the game that every series we learn,” Harris said. “We learn about ourselves as a group. It’s the playoffs. In my playoff experience, playoffs will put your team in a bunch of things you’re good at, and things that you have to get better at. We did a great job at just adjusting, figuring out ways to win games. Some of the [problems] were self-inflicted, but at the same time, we stayed composed and were able to understand the performances that we needed to win these games.”
- Duren had his best game of the series on Sunday. The fourth-year center, headed to restricted free agency this summer, racked up 15 points and 15 rebounds while anchoring the defense. “I know who I am, I know who the team is,” he said. “Outside noise is whatever it is. In our locker room we know who we are – as a team, as a group, as an organization. We don’t take this ‘dawg’ s–t lightly. We really feel like we’re dawgs. We feel like when our back is against the wall, the whole world counts us out, that now it’s time to go. Now it’s time to keep swinging. I never doubted anything. I never doubted the guys that I was going to war with. I never doubted the coaches. Never. Let’s keep going, let’s keep proving the world wrong.”
- Cade Cunningham posted averages of 32.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists during the series. Cunningham, who suffered a collapsed lung late in the regular season, complimented the Magic for forcing his team to overcome adversity. “Playoff basketball is a lot of fun,” he said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “So intense, so much on the line. They pushed us, really made us take a look in the mirror. I think we got a lot better from this series. Learned a lot about myself, a lot about the team. This series really is going to set us up for our next series. We’ll be a lot better for it.”
Mavericks Name Masai Ujiri President, Alternate Governor
The Mavericks have named former Raptors executive Masai Ujiri their president and alternate governor, the team announced today.
Ujiri will oversee all aspects of the Mavericks’ basketball operations, including roster construction, player personnel, and scouting, while working with team leadership to shape the organization’s basketball philosophy and long-term direction, according to a press release.
Dallas fired GM Nico Harrison in November. The Mavs had been searching for a lead executive since that point and finally made their choice on Monday.
“The Dallas Mavericks are committed to being a world-class organization with a strong culture and focused on winning championships. Masai Ujiri is one of the great basketball leaders of this generation and his addition to our franchise is a critical step in meeting our goals,” Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont said in a statement. “We are honored to have him join the Mavs family. We welcome his energy and determination along with his leadership, experience and many accomplishments as a basketball executive. We are very excited about the future of our team.”
Co-interim general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi handled basketball operations following Harrison’s dismissal. Timberwolves executive Tim Connelly and former Warriors executive Bob Myers were reportedly among the big names that the Mavericks targeted as they sought a respected, established head of basketball operations after opting for a first-timer in Harrison last time around.
Ujiri joined the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, a WNBA expansion team, earlier this spring.
He was hired to run the Raptors’ front office in the spring of 2013 and remained in that role until last summer, when the team abruptly parted ways with him in late June. Changes within the Raptors’ ownership group were cited as one key reason for the split; the club had also missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons at the time of Ujiri’s exit.
Ujiri had spent the past year spending more time with his family and focusing on non-NBA pursuits. However, he remained open to the idea of returning to the NBA if the right opportunity arose.
“I’m honored to join the Dallas Mavericks and step into this role at such an important time for the organization,” Ujiri said in a statement. “This is a franchise with a proud history, passionate fans, and a commitment to winning. I look forward to working with our players, coaches, and leadership team to build something that reflects that standard and competes at the highest level. We will win in Dallas.”
Rockets Notes: Durant, Offseason Plans, Sheppard, Harden
Injuries to Fred VanVleet in September and Steven Adams in the midst of the season affected the Rockets far beyond their on-court contributions, according to Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon of ESPN. With their two veteran leaders not in the lineup, there were fewer buffers against Kevin Durant‘s “moodiness,” which had an effect on the team’s younger players as the season wore on, sources tell the authors.
Durant provided the elite-level scorer that Houston was lacking during last year’s playoff appearance and was the team’s top player throughout the season, averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 78 games. However, the fit behind the scenes became “increasingly complex,” according to Shelburne and MacMahon, highlighted by a burner scandal that emerged during the All-Star break.
A Twitter profile allegedly belonging to Durant posted several messages criticizing current teammates Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. along with former teammates Devin Booker and Stephen Curry, as well as Steve Kerr, Durant’s coach during his time with Golden State. Durant called the situation “Twitter nonsense,” but sources tell the authors that the team took the posts seriously and believed Durant was associated with them at the very least. Durant addressed the controversy after the break in “more of a team discussion than a meeting” before moving onto other topics, and a Rockets source told Shelburne and MacMahon that the team moved past it.
“I’ve heard that there were a couple people who were bothered by what he said on the burner account but none of them were in our locker room,” the source said. “I think Kevin might’ve been worried about it being a distraction to the team. But literally no one cared about it. The guys [he] mentioned are not sensitive about stuff said about them online.”
There’s more from Houston:
- The Rockets traded for Durant last summer because his price became low enough that they considered it affordable, not because they’re looking to move on from the young core they assembled over the previous four drafts, Shelburne and MacMahon add. After this year’s first-round exit, there has been speculation that Houston might try to deal for another star such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard or Donovan Mitchell, but a high-ranking team source downplayed that possibility, saying the organization will be “opportunistic” this summer but hopes to follow Oklahoma City’s example and build a long-term contender around its young talent without making a blockbuster trade. “We aren’t thinking, ‘We’ve got to win now because we’re in KD’s window,'” the source said. “We are hyper-focused on our young core. Our five guys have a chance to win a lot of games together for a long time. We don’t want to make the mistake other teams have of giving up on guys too soon. We want a 10-year run.”
- The Rockets remain high on Reed Sheppard‘s long-term potential despite an up-and-down performance in this year’s playoffs, according to the authors. The team believes he could develop into an all-time great point guard in the mold of Steve Nash, which is why he was selected ahead of Stephon Castle in the 2024 draft. There’s less confidence around the league, with one scout comparing Sheppard more to Kerr than Nash.
- There has been mutual interest in a reunion with James Harden several times since he forced his way out of Houston in 2021, and sources tell Shelburne and MacMahon that Harden and his representatives explored a return this season after his Clippers team got off to a 6-21 start. There’s still affection for Harden in the organization, but Rockets officials were concerned that his presence might limit the development of Sengun, Sheppard and Amen Thompson. “We’re not really looking for a heliocentric player, as great as James still is,” a team source said. “We want to develop Reed, we want to develop Amen and we want the ball in Alpy’s hands.”
Jaylen Brown Claims Officials Had ‘An Agenda’ In Series With Sixers
Speaking Sunday on his Twitch stream, Celtics star Jaylen Brown accused officials of having “an agenda” against him during the first-round loss to Philadelphia, ESPN relays. He also called out Sixers center Joel Embiid for flopping, saying it has “ruined our game.”
“Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the best bigs in basketball history. [But he] flops. He know it,” Brown said. “This ain’t breaking news. It is what it is.”
At one point during his comments, Brown showed a video of Philadelphia forward Paul George seeming to push off slightly before making a move. Brown, who was whistled for 10 offensive fouls during the series – twice as many as any other player in the first round – claims he isn’t officiated the same as everyone else.
“If you’re going to call push-offs, call that,” Brown said. “Same move. Same refs. Oh, it’s nothing? It’s play on, right? But you gonna call me? Everybody does it … but if it would have been me, it’d have been an offensive foul.”
ESPN’s story notes that Brown was called for 40 offensive fouls during the regular season, second only to Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns. However, foul calls were roughly even during the seven-game series, with 136 on the Celtics and 132 on the Sixers.
Brown averaged 25.7 points per game during the series, the best postseason scoring numbers of his career, while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 40.5% from beyond the arc. He was whistled for 3.0 fouls per game.
“Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda,” Brown added in reference to George’s alleged push-off. “If Jaylen does this move, call the offensive foul and follow him every time. I don’t know if it’s because I pissed the refs off. I’ve been critical about them, and I called them out a bunch of times. So, they were like, ‘You know what, I got you in the playoffs. Watch this.’ [Because] that’s exactly what they did. It’s clearly an agenda. Look at the same move. Some referees that if I had to choose, if I had to, like, say there’s some referees that need to be investigated. We had three of them in the last three games.”
Brown battled with referees several times throughout the season, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. He stated in November that he was unhappy with their calls in general, then specifically called out Curtis Blair after a January 11 loss to San Antonio, saying the crew was “terrible.” Brown also blasted the officiating after being ejected from a March 10 rematch with the Spurs for complaining about a no-call. He was fined $35K for his comments about Blair.
Magic Fire Jamahl Mosley
9:39 am: The Magic have issued a press release formally announcing the move.
“We’re grateful to Jamahl for all he’s done for the Orlando Magic,” Weltman said. “We appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it’s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.”
8:55 am: The Magic are making a coaching change following their first-round playoff loss to Detroit, having dismissed Jamahl Mosley after five seasons, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Rumors that Mosley’s job was in jeopardy followed him all season as the team seemed to underachieve despite a talented roster. The Magic wound up as the eighth seed in the East at 45-37 and were eliminated in the first round for the third straight year. Orlando has been hampered by injuries to its star players over the past two seasons, but that consideration wasn’t enough to save Mosley.
Mosley, 47, took over as head coach in 2021 after spending 15 years as an assistant with Denver, Cleveland and Dallas. The Magic were in the midst of a rebuilding project during his first two seasons, which ended with 22 and 34 wins, but he turned them into a playoff team in 2023/24. However, he was never able to guide Orlando past the first round, losing in seven games to Cleveland in 2024, five games to Boston in 2025 and seven games to Detroit this season after squandering a 3-1 series lead.
There was speculation that Mosley would be dismissed at several points during the regular season, as expectations were high following an offseason trade for Desmond Bane. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman chose to stick with Mosley, but rumors of an eventual change grew after the team slipped to the eighth seed by dropping its season finale to a Boston team that was playing with reserves and G Leaguers.
Those rumors intensified after a play-in loss to Philadelphia that forced the Magic to have to beat Charlotte just to reach the playoffs. They appeared poised for a major surprise after outplaying Detroit early in their series, but couldn’t hold on to a 24-point lead on Friday in a potential closeout game and lost by 22 points in Game 7. It’s not clear if beating the Pistons and reaching the second round would have been enough to save Mosley’s job.
Mosley finishes with a 189-221 regular season record in Orlando and a 7-12 mark in the playoffs.
Charania confirms a report from earlier this morning that Weltman received a contract extension during the season and will remain in place to lead the coaching search. Former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been identified as a prominent candidate, with Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham and former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau being mentioned as well. Michigan head coach Dusty May has also been raised as a possibility, but he’s expected to stay at the school after winning the national championship.
An immediate opportunity could be awaiting Mosley in the wake of his dismissal, with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reporting last month that he has “several admirers” in New Orleans. The Pelicans have begun the interview process, with four frontrunners already identified.
In addition to Orlando and New Orleans, coaching searches are currently ongoing in Chicago and Portland. Milwaukee made the first hiring of the offseason last week, taking Taylor Jenkins off the market.
Magic Won’t Replace Jeff Weltman After First-Round Loss
The Magic are expected to make changes to their roster and coaching staff after losing Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday, but president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman‘s job is safe, two sources tell Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Weltman reportedly signed an extension early in the season around the time that the team advanced to the semifinals of the NBA Cup.
Everything else appears to be on the table after another disappointing playoff run that saw Orlando lose in the first round for the third straight year. The Magic seemed to be on the way to upsetting the top-seeded Pistons after winning Game 1 in Detroit and taking a 3-1 series advantage, but they let a 24-point lead slip away in Game 6 and never recovered.
The first expected move is the dismissal of head coach Jamahl Mosley, who has been the target of rumors about his job security since the season began in October. Weltman opted to stick with Mosley even after some puzzling losses that led to a 45-37 record and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but the fifth-year coach may not survive this latest playoff ouster.
The Magic were hoping to become one of the East’s top teams after trading for Desmond Bane last summer, and management was very confident that they were headed in that direction with a healthy starting lineup, according to Robbins. The season took an unfortunate turn when Franz Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain on December 7 that sidelined him for most of the campaign.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs also missed time with injuries, meaning that the team’s preferred starting lineup was only available for 19 games. Robbins notes that Orlando outscored opponents by 11.6 points per 100 possessions when they were all on the court together and posted an elite defensive rating of 105.2 points per 100 possessions.
They were putting up similar numbers in the first round before Wagner suffered a right calf strain in Game 4 that knocked him out for the rest of the series. Robbins states that Wagner is the Magic’s best all-around player, and his absence created a huge hole for the team as it tried to close out Detroit. Mosley was using him as the primary defender on Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who shot just 42.4% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range while averaging 6.8 turnovers in the first four games of the series.
“When one of your best players goes down, it definitely changes a lot, especially a guy like Franz,” Wendell Carter Jr. said. “Franz’s IQ for the game, his will, his determination — he’s the ultimate competitor and one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. So, when he went down, it was tough, for sure. But we still gave ourself a chance even with him being out. I think we just drank the Kool-Aid. We were just right there.”
Robbins observes that Orlando’s defensive identity has come at the expense of outside shooting. Suggs, Banchero, Wagner and Anthony Black are all below-average three-point shooters for their positions, while Jett Howard, who was drafted in the first round in 2023 to help with shooting issues, never progressed enough defensively to earn the trust of the coaching staff.
Finding a traditional point guard to run the offense could be a priority for the summer, Robbins suggests. Wagner and Banchero handle most of the play-making duties, while Suggs is more of a defensive specialist who has struggled with turnovers and his outside shot. Tyus Jones was signed in free agency last summer, but he was disappointing on both ends of the court and the Magic traded him at the deadline to avoid the tax in a deal that cost them two second-round picks.
Banchero’s maximum extension will kick in next season, making the core of the roster even more expensive. Robbins points to Suggs, who has four years left on his contract, as a potential trade candidate, but notes that his injury history might limit his value.
While a roster shakeup could be necessary along with a coaching change, Robbins cautions that Orlando’s cap situation and reduced stock of draft picks after the Bane trade will limit its ability to make moves this offseason.