Atlantic Notes: Mazzulla, McBride, Barnes, Quickley, Nets
The Celtics reached the 50-win mark on Sunday and control the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference in what was widely viewed – as star forward Jaylen Brown recently pointed out in a tongue-in-cheek tweet – as a “gap year.” Based on how Boston has exceeded outside expectations, Joe Mazzulla is considered a frontrunner for the Coach of the Year award. How does Mazzulla feel about potentially earning that sort of recognition?
“I don’t need it. I think it’s a stupid award,” the Celtics’ coach said on Monday, per Jay King of The Athletic. “They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple. I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”
While the Coach of the Year award is certainly held in higher regard by NBA observers than the Player of the Week award, which is handed out dozens of times each season, Mazzulla was more willing to assign meaning to the latter honor after Jayson Tatum claimed it on Monday. As the Celtics’ coach observes, it’s a sign of the progress Tatum has made in just a matter of weeks after returning from a torn Achilles.
“It’s a good, small affirmation that he’s continuing to chip away at just getting better and better,” Mazzulla said, according to King. “So, it’s a credit to the work that he’s put in, his team, that everybody that’s helped him get back to where he is now and what he’s doing. And so, good, small affirmation and we can keep getting better.”
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- Knicks guard Miles McBride appeared to reinjure himself on Sunday in his return from sports hernia surgery, but it doesn’t sound like he did any serious damage. He has been listed as questionable for Tuesday’s matchup with Houston, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter links), and did some work during this morning’s shootaround, tweets James L. Edwards of The Athletic.
- Although Scottie Barnes isn’t an elite scorer (18.6 PPG), his all-around impact as a rebounder, play-maker, and defender should merit an All-NBA spot for the Raptors forward, argues Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Only MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama (248) has more “stocks” (combined steals and blocks) this season than Barnes (211).
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, who has missed the past four games due to right foot plantar fasciitis, accompanied the team on its brief trip to Detroit but remains out and is wearing a walking boot, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link), a boot is standard treatment for plantar fasciitis and Quickley has been wearing it off and on for more than two weeks. While it’s unlikely that Quickley will fully recover in time for the postseason, he and the Raptors hope to manage the issue and have him return at some point in the coming days or weeks, Lewenberg adds, acknowledging that the guard will likely be at less than 100% until next season.
- The Nets have been out of postseason contention for a while, but they continue to see positive signs from some of their players as the season winds down. C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required) takes a look at Ziaire Williams‘ recent strong play – including five straight games of 16-plus points – ahead of the team’s decision on his $6.25MM option this summer, while Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) observes that Drake Powell has been having some solid outings lately as his up-and-down rookie year nears its end.
Jaylen Wells Undergoes Toe Surgery, Out For Rest Of Season
March 31: Wells has undergone a successful procedure to stabilize his right big toe and will miss the rest of the 2025/26 season, the Grizzlies confirmed today in a press release (Twitter link).
March 29: Second-year wing Jaylen Wells will undergo surgery to address a tendon avulsion fracture in his right big toe, the Grizzlies announced today (via Twitter). The team didn’t provide a timeline for Wells’ recovery, but he’s expected to miss the rest of the season.
Wells played 69 games this season, all starts, and averaged 12.5 points in 26.4 minutes per night on .431/.353/.784 shooting splits. He contributed 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest, putting up similar numbers across the board to the ones he posted in 2024/25, when he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Wells missed the previous three games for the Grizzlies while dealing with this injury. The club indicated in its announcement that he’s expected to make a full recovery.
Memphis was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday, and Wells now joins an extensive list of Grizzlies who have been ruled out for the rest of the season as the team looks to maximize its draft positioning. Michael Wallace of Grind City Media notes (Twitter link) that he is the fifth Grizzlies player this season to undergo season-ending surgery, joining Zach Edey (elbow), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe), and Santi Aldama (knee).
Latest On Jaden Ivey
Jaden Ivey will receive the full remaining portion of his $10.1MM salary for 2025/26 after being waived by the Bulls on Monday, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Ivey’s salary has been fully guaranteed since Detroit exercised his fourth-year rookie scale team option back in the fall of 2024, but in instances where a player is accused of “conduct detrimental to the team,” a team can attempt to recoup some of the money it owes him. That won’t happen in this case, Vorkunov explains.
Asked on Monday about the Bulls’ decision to waive Ivey, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan spoke in more general terms rather than getting into specifics, as Vorkunov relays.
“I think there’s a certain level of standards and expectations that are here,” Donovan said. “I mean, we have people from all different walks of life working in the building and players from all different walks of life, right? So, the first thing is, everybody comes with their own personal experiences. But one is, we’ve got to all be professional. I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.”
The decision to waive Ivey was reportedly connected in large part due to several appearances on Instagram Live, where he has made inflammatory remarks about religion and the LGBTQ community, among other things. According to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, Ivey was once again streaming on social media just hours after being cut by the Bulls on Monday.
“They’re liars, bro. This is lying,” Ivey said on Instagram Live. “They’re lying saying my conduct is detrimental to the team. That’s a lie. Ask any one of them coaches in there, ‘Was I a good teammate?’ All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ and they waived me. They say I’m crazy, right? I’m psycho.”
Here’s more on the Ivey situation:
- Describing the decision to trade for Ivey last month as another poor one by Arturas Karnisovas and the Bulls’ front office, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says there were rumblings prior to the deal that the former No. 5 overall pick was a “preacher.” Those rumblings undersold it, Cowley writes, adding that Ivey’s interviews with the media “became sermons” and that he asked team reporters if they’ve been “saved” and whether they’ve “fornicated before marriage.” According to Cowley, “Not one Bulls player was shedding a tear for Ivey’s removal from the roster.”
- Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune also published a column critical of Karnisovas and the front office, describing the trade to acquire Ivey as an “unnecessary risk on a clearly troubled player.” According to Poe, religion isn’t considered a taboo subject in NBA locker rooms, where players “read the Bible before games and praise Jesus after them.” However, Ivey became increasingly insistent on preaching his beliefs in professional settings and “lost the ability to provide basic answers to the media without redirecting the topic to religion,” Poe writes.
- Ivey took to Instagram Live again on Tuesday to describe the reaction to his comments, per Lorenzi. “Those who are around me, those who are my family members betraying (me) because of what I spoke,” Ivey said. “The truth. Betraying me. Saying that I’m losing my mind. Saying that I’m crazy. Saying that I don’t know the truth. These are my own family members who love me. My blood. Those who raised me saying that I don’t know the truth. ‘Man, he’s psycho.’ He’s this, he’s that. Those are my own household. All because of the gospel. All because I said the truth.”
Amar’e Stoudemire Among 2026 Hall Of Fame Class
Confirming a Monday report that indicated Doc Rivers will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link) adds a few more names to the class of 2026, reporting that Amar’e Stoudemire, Candace Parker, and Elena Delle Donne are also headed to the Hall of Fame.
Stoudemire, who was in his second year of Hall of Fame eligibility, played in the NBA for 14 seasons from 2002-16. He appeared in 846 regular season games for the Suns, Knicks, Mavericks, and Heat, averaging 18.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 31.0 minutes per contest.
A dynamic, athletic power forward, Stoudemire was the Rookie of the Year in 2003 and enjoyed his best years in Phoenix, making five All-Star games as a Sun and earning MVP votes in four separate seasons. Led by Stoudemire, Steve Nash, and Shawn Marion and coached by Mike D’Antoni, those Suns teams of the 2000s featured an explosive, fast-paced offense that was a precursor in many ways to the modern game, though the club never advanced past the Western Conference finals.
Stoudemire moved onto the Knicks in 2010 and had one more All-Star season in New York before health issues began to slow him down and his production tailed off. He finished his playing career with six All-Star berths and five All-NBA nods (one first team and four second team). His No. 32 jersey was later retired by the Suns.
Parker, who will turn 40 in April, was a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player who won three titles. Although the former No. 1 overall pick spent most of her 16 years in the league with the Los Angeles Sparks, she had brief stints the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces near the end of her career and won championships with all three teams.
Parker was a seven-time All-Star who made 10 All-WNBA teams and ranks 10th on the league’s all-time scoring list, as well as third in total career rebounds and fifth in blocked shots. She currently works as a broadcaster for Amazon Prime Video.
Delle Donne is another two-time WNBA MVP and seven-time All-Star. The former wing was the second overall pick in the 2013 draft and spent a total of 10 seasons with the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics, winning a championship with the Mystics in 2019.
That ’19 season was one of Delle Donne’s two MVP campaigns. She became the first WNBA player to achieve a 50/40/90 shooting season that year, posting an incredible shooting line of .515/.430/.974. Her 93.7% career free throw percentage ranks first all-time among WNBA players.
The full 2026 Hall of Fame class, featuring Stoudemire, Parker, Delle Donne, and Rivers, will be formally announced this Saturday, April 4.
Tom Dundon Officially Buys Blazers After NBA Approves Deal
March 31: Dundon’s group has formally closed on its purchase of majority control of the Blazers, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“Today is the beginning of a new chapter for the Portland Trail Blazers, as we build on the legacy of this storied franchise,” Dundon said in a statement. “On behalf of our ownership group, my commitment to this tremendous fan base is that we are going to be relentless towards building a team that can compete at the highest level, every single season.”
In addition to confirming that Zahr, Tyle, Middleman, and Andrew Cherng are part of the new ownership group and will be alternative governors, the Blazers announced that Richard Chaifetz, Marc Grandisson, Nayel Nassar and Jennifer Gates, Taavet Hinrikus, and Dan Zilberman are also among the investors in the team. Jennifer Gates is the daughter of Bill Gates (Nassar is her husband).
March 30: The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the sale of the Trail Blazers to a group spearheaded by Tom Dundon, who also owns the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, reports Jason Quick of The Athletic.
The vote was unanimous, a league source told Quick.
The NBA put out a brief statement confirming the news (Twitter link).
Sportico reported back in August that Dundon’s group had reached a tentative agreement to purchase the Trail Blazers in two separate payments at a blended valuation of about $4.25 billion.
As Quick details, Dundon’s group will buy 80.1 percent of the team at a $4 billion valuation on Tuesday, March 31. The remaining 19.9 percent will be purchased at a $4.5 billion valuation and must close by Sept. 1, 2028.
After the first payment is made – but before the second – current Blazers vice chairman Bert Kolde will be able to passively observe board meetings, though he won’t have any input on decisions, per Quick.
The Trail Blazers announced their plans to sell the franchise back in May. Paul Allen, the longtime Blazers owner who purchased the franchise for $70MM in 1988, passed away on October 15, 2018, resulting in control of the team being transferred to his sister Jody Allen, the trustee and executor of his estate.
All estate proceeds as a result of the Blazers sale will be directed toward philanthropy, per Paul Allen’s wishes.
In addition to owning the NHL’s Hurricanes, Dundon has invested heavily in pickleball — he’s the majority owner of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. Dundon, who is also the chairman and managing partner of the Dallas-based investment firm Dundon Capital Partners, will serve as the Blazers’ new governor.
According to Quick, other investors in the new ownership group include Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr, Collective Global co-CEO Sheel Tyle, the Cherng family (owners of Panda Express), and Freedom Mortgage CEO Stanley Middleman, who owns part of the MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies.
NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2025/26 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominates 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 who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
Bam Adebayo (Heat)- Harrison Barnes (Spurs)
- Al Horford (Warriors)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Derrick White (Celtics)
Gilgeous-Alexander is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who was also nominated last season. Whoever earns the honor for 2025/26 will be a first-time winner. Jrue Holiday took home the Joe Dumars Trophy a year ago.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2025/26. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, having earned the honor in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He’s the only past recipient who is among this season’s group of finalists.
Those Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Desmond Bane (Magic)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Pat Connaughton (Hornets)
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
- Jeff Green (Rockets)
- Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Pelicans)
- Duncan Robinson (Pistons)
- Marcus Smart (Lakers)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Garrett Temple (Raptors)
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
Injury Notes: Giannis, Wagner, Smart, Melton
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said on Sunday that there’s still a chance star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee hyperextension; bone bruise) will be cleared to return before the end of the regular season on April 12, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
However, teammate Bobby Portis is skeptical that will happen. The veteran Bucks forward/center stated during a recent appearance on FanDuel TV (Facebook video link) that he doesn’t think it makes sense for the two-time MVP to come back at this point, with the team having been eliminated from postseason contention.
“I don’t think he’ll play another game this year, for sure,” Portis said (hat tip to Nehm). “Obviously, he’ll stay in the gym and keep his body tight and keep his game tight. But playing a game on court, I don’t think that’s in the picture at all.”
Reports earlier this month indicated that the Bucks wanted to shut Antetokounmpo down for the season and that he was resisting that plan and pushing to return to action. However, Portis made it clear that he understands why the club would be motivated to keep his superstar teammate off the floor during the final couple weeks of 2025/26, even if he recovers from his knee injury.
“If y’all talking about trading him, you don’t want any injury to knock value off or whatever,” Portis said. “That’s just business-wise, and then player-wise, obviously, you gotta look at just the total picture of what’s going on. We’re (9.5) games behind for the 10th seed and (with eight) games left, we can’t even make up ground.”
We have more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Magic forward Franz Wagner is “progressing well” as he looks to make it back from a high ankle sprain for the final stretch of the season, head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Wagner has done some 5-on-5 work, according to Mosley, who said the team will see how the 24-year-old responds to today’s treatment before determining next steps. It sounds like Wagner’s return may not be far off. He has played just four times since December 7, having experienced multiple setbacks related to his ankle.
- Lakers guard Marcus Smart missed a fourth consecutive game on Monday due to a right ankle contusion, but there’s no expectation the injury should result in a long-term absence. Head coach JJ Redick said Smart remains “day-to-day” in his recovery process and potential return, per NBA reporter Mark Medina (Twitter link).
- Although De’Anthony Melton has appeared in – and started – seven of the Warriors‘ past eight games, the veteran guard isn’t at 100%, as head coach Steve Kerr explained to reporters after Melton went scoreless in 25 minutes of action in a loss to Denver on Sunday. “He’s banged up,” Kerr said, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “His thumb is really bothering him, and I think he’s pressing a little bit. … De’Anthony will bounce back. He’s had a great season. His last couple games have been tough, but he’s banged up. We’ll help him get right. I have total faith in his ability to bounce back.”
Virginia Hires Malcolm Brogdon As Strategic Advisor
Former NBA guard Malcolm Brogdon has accepted a position at his alma mater, the University of Virginia. The school announced today in a press release that Brogdon will serve as a strategic advisor for Virginia’s men’s basketball program.
Head coach Ryan Odom made the announcement, stating that the team is “thrilled” to welcome back the former All-American and ACC Player of the Year in the newly created role.
“I am honored to be a part of this new era of UVA basketball,” Brogdon said. “I know this is a new role, but I see myself jumping right in and being a resource for the players, coaches, and the entire basketball program. I’m excited to return to a place I consider home in what I’m sure will be a meaningful experience for myself and the program.”
It has become increasingly common in the past year or two for NBA players to accept jobs with their former colleges. For instance, Stephen Curry was named the assistant GM at Davidson, Trae Young became the assistant GM at Oklahoma, Terance Mann joined Florida State as the Seminoles’ assistant GM, and Patty Mills was hired by the University of Hawai’i as their GM.
In most of those cases, the players’ new roles represented part-time positions, since they continue competing in the NBA or in Europe. However, that’s not the case for Brogdon, who announced his retirement as a player last October after spending training camp and the preseason with the Knicks. While it remains to be seen just how hands-on and full-time his new job will be, he should have plenty of time to dedicate to it.
A four-year standout at Virginia, Brogdon was a consensus second-team All-American in 2015 and a consensus first-teamer in 2016. He was named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons and earned the conference’s Player of the Year award in 2016. His jersey (No. 15) was later retired by the Cavaliers.
Brogdon fell to the second round of the 2016 draft (No. 36 overall) due to medical red flags, but was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2017 with the Bucks and won a Sixth Man of the Year award with the Celtics in 2023. The veteran guard, who turned 33 in December, spent three seasons in Milwaukee and three in Indiana before playing one year apiece in Boston, Portland, and Washington.
A reliable contributor on both ends of the court who battled injuries over the course of a nine-year NBA career, Brogdon had averages of 15.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game across 463 total regular season outings, with a shooting line of .463/.388/.874. He also served as a vice president on the NBPA’s executive committee from 2019-25.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Northwest Division
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 in the Northwest Division, starting with the defending champions.
Southwest Notes: Marshall, Mavs, Middleton, Coward, Eason
Although the Mavericks have been eliminated from postseason contention, the final stretch of the season remains important for several players looking to secure their next contracts. As Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal details, forward Naji Marshall falls into that group — he has earned praise recently from head coach Jason Kidd as he looks to put the finishing touches on a career year before he becomes extension-eligible this offseason.
Marshall’s scoring average of 15.5 points per game would be a new career high, as would his field goal percentage of 51.6%. The 28-year-old wing has also contributed 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per night through 71 appearances and has played 2,108 total minutes, second on the roster only to Cooper Flagg (2,132).
As of July 6, Marshall will become eligible for a contract extension that could cover up to four years and could be worth up to 140% of the league’s estimated average salary. That figure won’t be officially set until the start of the new league year, but based on early projections, Marshall would be eligible for a maximum of roughly $92MM on a four-year extension.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- The Mavericks haven’t hired a search firm to assist or guide them in their search for a new permanent head of basketball operations, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). The expectation is that Dallas will name Nico Harrison‘s full-time replacement sometime between the end of the regular season and June’s draft, with current co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi among the candidates. According to Stein, regardless of who ultimately gets the job, there appears to be growing interest throughout the organization in retaining veteran forward Khris Middleton beyond this season.
- It has been a pretty forgettable year in Memphis, where the 25-50 Grizzlies have been decimated by injuries and traded away former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. at February’s deadline. But the development of 2025 lottery pick Cedric Coward has been a silver lining, according to Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who notes that the rookie forward has taken on more of a primary offensive role due to the club’s health issues. “Right now, when you look at our roster, he’s a featured guy and teams may put a lot more emphasis on stopping him,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after Coward scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting in a Saturday win over Chicago. “And I think he’s done a great job letting the game come to him.”
- After struggling mightily for several weeks, Rockets forward Tari Eason scored 16 points on Friday and 15 on Sunday, marking his two highest-scoring performances since the All-Star break. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Eason credited his breakthrough to a Thursday meeting in which his teammates made a point to emphasize his importance to the team’s identity. “It felt like it was pretty centered around me,” Eason said of that meeting. “It wasn’t directly pointing at me negatively. It was more so positive. It was more so affirmations. It was more so everybody kind of trying to lift me up. … Everybody just being there for me and embracing me was important.” Eason will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.