Thunder’s Daigneault, Hawks’ Snyder Named Coaches Of The Month
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder has been named March’s Coach of the Month for the Western Conference, while Quin Snyder of the Hawks has earned the honor in the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
There were no shortage of strong candidates for Coach of the Month recognition in the Western Conference. Daigneault’s OKC squad maintained its spot atop the NBA’s standings by posting a 14-1 record in March, but JJ Redick of the Lakers (15-2) and Mitch Johnson of the Spurs (14-2) also had excellent months. They were nominated for the award too, along with Tyronn Lue of the Clippers (12-6), according to the league (Twitter link).
Snyder, meanwhile, guided the Hawks to a 13-2 record in March, which moved them from play-in territory into the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. That made him the top choice among a group of nominees that also included Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers, J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons, Mike Brown of the Knicks, Charles Lee of the Hornets, and Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics.
Daigneault and Johnson are the only coaches to win multiple Coach of the Month awards this season, claiming two apiece, while Suns coach Jordan Ott also earned the Western Conference honor in January. In the East, five separate coaches were named Coach of the Month, with Snyder joining Bickerstaff (October/November), Mazzulla (December), Lee (January), and Atkinson (February).
Pacific Rumors: Warriors, Kawhi, Kerr, LeBron, Williams
Multiple reports since February’s trade deadline have indicated that the Warriors talked to the Clippers earlier this season about a possible Kawhi Leonard deal. According to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, multiple league sources he spoke to this week suggested that Golden State actually came “reasonably close” to acquiring the star forward. The two sides had “generally agreed” on what a deal would look like before the Clippers decided to withdraw from those talks, Kawakami says.
Those same sources believe the Warriors will once again go big-game hunting this offseason, with Leonard among their targets, Kawakami writes. The two-time Finals MVP will be entering 2026/27 on an expiring $50.3MM contract, assuming it’s not voided as part of the NBA’s investigation into Leonard and the Clippers.
Kawakami also notes within the same story that he believes head coach Steve Kerr will be back on the sidelines for the Warriors next season, though he admits that’s just speculation and that he’s not sure Kerr himself has even made a decision at this point. Team owner Joe Lacob, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., and star guard Stephen Curry “absolutely want Kerr back,” per Kawakami.
We have more from around the Pacific:
- Checking in on where things stand with the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers and Leonard’s relationship with the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration, Baxter Holmes of ESPN says interviews are still ongoing and there’s no set timeline for the probe to wrap up. Holmes also digs further into Leonard’s promotional deal with Aspiration, examining the factors that investigators will consider as they weigh how unusual the agreement may have been.
- Responding to the latest round of speculation about LeBron James‘ future beyond 2025/26, agent Rich Paul said on the Game Over podcast that there’s “no truth to any of it” and insisted that even the Lakers forward himself isn’t sure what next season might hold. “I don’t know what’s happening. … He don’t know either,” Paul said (Twitter video link). “We don’t even talk about it… Just enjoy the moment. The man is playing minutes with his son. Meaningful minutes. … The Lakers are 12-1, they’re playing well, why are you talking about some stuff about next year? I get it, you have to talk about it. … (But) nobody knows. I don’t care what article is written. I don’t care what tweet is out there. Nobody knows anything.”
- Suns center Mark Williams, who has been sidelined since March 3 due to a left foot stress reaction, has been upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game in Charlotte, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Williams missed the first of Phoenix’s two games against his former team in March, so it’s safe to assume he’ll try to do all he can to make it back for Thursday’s matchup with the Hornets, whom he hasn’t faced since they traded him to the Suns last June. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) expects the fourth-year big man to return tonight.
Luka Doncic, Jalen Johnson Named Players Of The Month
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for March in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter link).
It was a monster scoring month for Doncic, who became one of just 10 players in league history to pour in 600 points in any calendar month. He did so across 16 contests, for an average of 37.5 points per night. That run included a 60-point game, a 51-point game, and five additional outings of at least 40 points.
The star guard also contributed 8.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game while posting a shooting line of .492/.392/.794. The Lakers went 15-2 in March (14-2 when Doncic played), and the 27-year-old was even recognized for his defensive contributions — he was a Defensive Player of the Month nominee after averaging 2.3 steals per night.
The Hawks have been another one of the NBA’s hottest teams as of late, with Johnson playing a crucial role in their recent success. Atlanta went 13-2 in March (11-2 when Johnson played) and he averaged 22.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 8.5 APG while shooting 48.9% from the floor, 39.2% from beyond the arc, and 80.7% from the free throw line.
Johnson’s best games of the month came against conference rivals, including a 35-point, 10-rebound performance vs. Philadelphia on March 7 and a 24-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist triple-double against Orlando on March 16.
It’s the second time this season and the seventh time in his career that Doncic has been named a Player of the Month. He beat out fellow nominees Kevin Durant of the Rockets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers, Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs, and Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray of the Nuggets, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Johnson, meanwhile, is a first-time Player of the Month winner. The other nominees in the Eastern Conference were his Hawks teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Cavaliers guard James Harden, Magic teammates Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, and the Knicks duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Victor Wembanyama, Ausar Thompson Win Defensive Awards For March
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a third straight time. After winning the award for January and February, Wembanyama has also claimed it for March, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The overwhelming favorite to be this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama continued to anchor one of the league’s best defenses across 15 outings in March, racking up a league-high 56 blocks (3.7 per game) and 20 steals (1.3 per game) for the month. According to the league, the star big man also ranked second in the league by contesting 11.6 per game in March as he led San Antonio to a 14-1 record (the Spurs lost a second game in which he didn’t play).
While Wembanyama is the only player to win three Defensive Player of the Month awards this season, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson joins him as the league’s only other multi-time winner, having earned the Eastern Conference honor for March. Thompson was also the East’s Defensive Player of the Month in January.
Thompson now leads the NBA in steals per game after racking up 32 in 13 March appearances (2.5 per game). In addition to ranking first in steals per game for the month, he also led the league in deflections per game, with 4.8, and contributed 1.1 blocks per night as well.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other Western Conference nominees included four usual suspects – Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Clippers guard Kris Dunn, and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren – along with one surprise: Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
In the East, Thompson beat out fellow nominees Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers, OG Anunoby of the Knicks, and Hawks teammates Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels.
Sixers’ Edgecombe, Kings’ Raynaud Named Rookies Of The Month
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe has been named the Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month for March, while Kings big man Maxime Raynaud has won the award for the Western Conference, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
Edgecombe’s win prevents Hornets wing Kon Knueppel from achieving a clean sweep of Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards this season. Knueppel earned the honor for October/November, December, January, and February. He was among this month’s nominees in the East, along with Wizards forward Will Riley, per the league (Twitter link).
But it’s Edgecombe that claimed the honor after an impressive March in which he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 32.7 minutes per game across 13 outings. He posted a solid .454/.361/.895 shooting line for the month, strengthening his case for a spot on this season’s All-Rookie first team.
Over in the West, Raynaud is the third player to receive Rookie of the Month recognition this season, joining Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (Oct./Nov., Dec., and Jan.) and Spurs guard Dylan Harper (Feb.), both of whom were nominated for the March award along with Jazz forward Ace Bailey.
Injuries to Kings centers Domantas Sabonis and Drew Eubanks have cleared the way for Raynaud to play a significant role in Sacramento’s frontcourt since the All-Star break. In 15 March appearances (all starts), he put up 17.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .595/.444/.784 shooting. His most impressive individual stretch came when he had back-to-back 30-point games on March 17 vs. San Antonio and March 19 vs. Philadelphia.
Joe Ingles Has Interest In Returning To Australia’s NBL
Veteran forward Joe Ingles is interested in the idea of returning to his home country to play in Australia’s National Basketball League, Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports within his NBL free agency primer.
Ingles, 38, was a member of the South Dragons in Melbourne from 2006-09 before going undrafted in ’09. He 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 has made 44 regular season appearances and played 216 total minutes (4.9 per game), primarily in garbage time.
The South Dragons no longer exist, but if Ingles were to return to Australia, he could end up playing in Melbourne once again, according to Uluc, who says the Timberwolves forward has already spoken with both Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Adelaide 36ers also reportedly have interest in Ingles and appear to be his most “proactive” suitor so far, Uluc adds.
Ingles is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract in Minnesota, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Pistons To Reevaluate Cade Cunningham In One Week
The Pistons provided a brief update on Cade Cunningham‘s recovery from a collapsed lung today, announcing (via Twitter) that the star guard “continues to progress in his return to play process” under the supervision of medical experts, including those on the team’s staff. He’ll be reevaluated in one week, according to the club.
There are no real specifics within the Pistons’ announcement about where Cunningham is in his recovery, but they said when initially revealing his diagnosis that he’d be reevaluated in two weeks, so an update was due today.
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Vince Goodwill previously reported that the Pistons were optimistic about Cunningham’s lung in about two weeks. The hope, Goodwill explained at the time, was that the 24-year-old would then be able to do non-contact work for a week, followed by a week (or more) of contact work ahead of the playoffs. It’s unclear based on today’s announcement if that timeline is still realistic — next week’s update could provide more clarity.
With Cunningham set to miss at least one more week, he’ll officially fall short of the 65-game threshold required to be considered for end-of-season awards. That means he won’t be eligible to be included on MVP ballots and won’t make an All-NBA team this season, despite an impressive 61-game showing that saw him lead the Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the East by averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 34.4 minutes per game.
While the Pistons will need a healthy Cunningham to make a deep postseason run, they’ve more than held their own during his absence, going 6-2 over the past two weeks. Their only two losses during that stretch came in overtime to the Hawks and Thunder, two of the NBA’s hottest teams.
Wizards Confirm Kyshawn George Won’t Return This Season
As expected, Wizards forward Kyshawn George has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025/26 season due to a Grade 2 ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his left elbow, the team announced today (Twitter link).
When the Wizards first revealed George’s diagnosis on March 4, they indicated he’d miss at least three weeks. Last week, they ruled him out at least one more week and stated that his injury was being treated “conservatively,” strongly suggesting he wouldn’t be brought back this spring.
According to today’s announcement, George’s elbow requires additional healing and will be reevaluated in another two weeks. The expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery well ahead of the 2026/27 season, with additional updates to come, per the club.
The injury will officially close the book on George’s second NBA season after 48 appearances (all starts). The 22-year-old, who was drafted 24th overall in 2024, took a significant step forward in 2025/26, increasing his numbers across the board to 14.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 29.0 minutes per game, with a .438/.381/.802 shooting line.
George’s modest breakout year should solidify his place among the Wizards’ young core as the team – which acquired veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis prior to this season’s trade deadline – looks to become more competitive in 2026/27.
George, who made $2.97MM this season, has a guaranteed $3.11MM salary for next year, while the Wizards have until October 31 to make a decision on his $5.44MM team option for 2027/28. It’s safe to assume that option will be exercised, which will put the 6’8″ forward on track to become extension-eligible during the 2027 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension at that time, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in 2028.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/2/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Sixers' chances of beating the Knicks in a playoff series, potential draft outcomes for the Bulls, Will Riley's future with the Wizards, successful tanking by the Pacers and Bucks and more!
Southwest Notes: Wemby, Harper, Zion, Rockets
In recent days, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lakers guard Luka Doncic have each declined when given the opportunity to campaign for Most Valuable Players honors. However, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama doesn’t regret arguing his own case for MVP last week. In fact, he doubled down on Wednesday night after a monster game in Golden State in which he had 41 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks on 16-of-22 shooting in just 29 minutes.
“I do care deeply about (the MVP award),” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt (story via Anthony Slater of ESPN.com). “I think that of the greats that are in the Hall of Fame — or the best of all time — they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career. If I want to make my spot among the greats, I got to try to not miss any occasion to put my name up there.”
The Spurs have gone 26-2 since the start of February and Wembanyama has played some of his best basketball as of late, including averaging 30.0 points and 15.8 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game in his past five outings. However, the Thunder – winners of 15 of their last 16 games – and Gilgeous-Alexander (three 40-point games in his last eight contests) have been just as hot, so the OKC guard remains the betting favorite for MVP.
Still, as Slater writes, even if he isn’t named MVP, Wembanyama is a lock to claim the Defensive Player of the Year award. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr referred to the Spurs star on Wednesday as “obviously the best defensive player in the league.”
“He’s got unbelievable confidence now,” Kerr said. “He looks like he knows exactly what to do on both ends. His first couple years, he looked young at times. He doesn’t look young anymore. He just looks like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Dominated the glass. There’s plays you can’t do anything. Several lobs where it looked like a Nerf hoop. He’s brilliant.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Last year’s No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper is averaging just 22.3 minutes per game this season, far below what fellow top-five picks like Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, and Kon Knueppel are playing. However, the Spurs guard tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that playing rotation minutes for a team with the potential to make a deep playoff run makes the trade-off well worth it. “That’s every kid’s dream, to play on the big stages,” Harper said. “I might come off the bench, but in a month or so, I will be playing in the playoffs. Not many rookies can say that they can do that at a high level and play meaningful minutes.”
- While Zion Williamson‘s camp hasn’t been given any indication that the Pelicans will look to trade him this summer, many outside observers are expecting it to happen, given the forward’s injury history and his awkward fit alongside new cornerstone Derik Queen, writes Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports. For his part, Williamson recognizes his long-term future in New Orleans is far from assured. “New Orleans is home for me. It’s where I want to be,” he told Weitzman. “But at the end of the day, if we’re going to be realistic about it, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before (next season’s) trade deadline. Not that I want that to happen, but that’s just the realism of it.”
- Rockets head coach Ime Udoka inserted Tari Eason into his starting five on Tuesday vs. New York for matchup purposes before Reed Sheppard reclaimed his starting role on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, as Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle details in a pair of subscriber-only stories. The moves paid dividends — the starting lineup with Eason outscored the Knicks 43-25 in 14 minutes in Tuesday’s win, while the same group with Sheppard outscored the Bucks 39-21 in just under 13 minutes in Wednesday’s victory. “(We) want to formulate what we want to go to this late in the season and getting into the playoffs,” Udoka said of his lineup tweaks. “Got five, six more games to figure that out.”