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Warriors Announce Details For 2025 California Classic Summer League

May 28th, 2025 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The seventh annual California Classic Summer League will take place this summer on July 5, 6, and 8 at Chase Center, the Warriors announced today in a press release.

According to today’s announcement, the Warriors will be joined at this year’s event by the Heat, Lakers, and Spurs. Each team will face every other club once over the course of the three-day event.

San Antonio owns the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, so it’s possible Dylan Harper – who is considered the overwhelming favorite to be selected at that spot – will make his Summer League debut at this year’s California Classic.

The California Classic, which is held days before the league-wide Las Vegas Summer League, was launched by the Kings in 2018, and has been held in either Sacramento or San Francisco in recent years, with the Kings and Warriors trading hosting duties back and forth.

The event expanded from four teams to six in 2023 and then to eight in 2024, with China sending its national team to participate. However, it seems it will revert to just four squads again in 2025. The Warriors, Lakers, and Heat typically participate every year, while the Spurs have competed since 2023. This will be the first time the Kings aren’t involved in the event.

The California Classic will take place at the same time as the Jazz are hosting the Salt Lake City Summer League in Utah. The Vegas Summer League, which features all 30 NBA teams, will be played from July 10-20.

Pelicans Hire Troy Weaver As Senior VP Of Basketball Operations

May 28th, 2025 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

May 28: The Pelicans have formally confirmed the addition of Weaver to their front office, announcing that he’s the team’s new senior VP of basketball operations.

New Orleans also announced Jason Hervey as the team’s director of player personnel and Davis Smith as basketball operations manager. The club’s deal with Hervey was previously reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

April 23: The Pelicans are hiring former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, who reports (via Twitter) that Weaver will be named the senior vice president in New Orleans’ basketball operations department under new executive VP Joe Dumars.

In a full story on ESPN.com, Spears says Weaver will also hold the title of Pelicans general manager.

Weaver spent more than a decade in the Thunder’s front office before being hired by the Pistons as their general manager in 2020. He oversaw the rebuilding project in Detroit for four years, but was removed from his position last spring after the team posted a franchise-worst 14-68 record in 2023/24.

As poor as the Pistons’ record was during Weaver’s tenure, he perhaps deserves partial credit for the team’s renaissance this season, which was led by a handful of his draft picks, including star point guard Cade Cunningham, center Jalen Duren, and swingman Ausar Thompson.

Following his exit from Detroit, Weaver joined the Wizards last summer as a senior advisor. He’ll be leaving that role to join the Pelicans’ front office, says Spears.

Although both Dumars and Weaver are former heads of basketball operations in Detroit, their stints with the club didn’t overlap at all. Dumars led the Pistons’ front office from 2010-14, departing the organization while Weaver was still in Oklahoma City.

Withdrawal Deadline Looms For NCAA Early Entrants

May 28th, 2025 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for players who declared for the 2025 NBA draft as early entrants to withdraw their names from the pool is June 15 at 4:00 pm Central time.

A player who withdraws from the 2025 draft by that deadline would be eligible to be drafted in a future season — that could happen as early as 2026 if the player declares again as an early entrant or is automatically draft-eligible next year, or he could become draft-eligible in 2027 or beyond.

However, the NCAA sets its own withdrawal deadline each year. While the NBA’s deadline comes 10 days before the start of the draft, the NCAA’s deadline occurs just 10 days after the combine ends. This year, the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline is May 28 (today) at 10:59 pm CT.

A college player who is testing the draft waters could technically put off his decision for another two-and-a-half weeks, but if he withdraws from the draft pool on June 15, he would lose the ability to return to an NCAA program for the 2025/26 season. That route would only make sense for a player who had lined up a non-college opportunity, such as playing in a professional league overseas.

In other words, nearly all of the college players who declared for this year’s draft as early entrants will finalize their decisions on whether to return to school or go pro by the end of the day on Wednesday. As our tracker shows, there are still a number of prospects whose intentions haven’t been confirmed, so we’ll be keeping tabs on any updates that come in over the next 11 hours or so.

Here are a few of the latest updates:

Forward Toibu Lawal is removing his name from the 2025 NBA draft pool and will return to Virginia Tech for his senior year, a source tells Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 (Twitter link). After transferring from VCU to Virginia Tech for the 2024/25 season, Lawal was a full-time starter, averaging 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game with a .559/.371/.641 shooting line in 30 contests.
Brandon Walker is pulling out of the draft, he tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Walker, who has spent the past two seasons playing for Montana State, is still in the transfer portal and plans to announce a commitment to a “high-major program” soon, Chepkevich notes. The 6’7″ forward put up 14.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG with a .528/.386/.545 shooting line as a junior last season.
After withdrawing from the transfer portal earlier this spring, wing Raysean Seamster has now withdrawn from the draft as well and will return to UT Arlington for his senior season, Chepkevich reports (via Twitter). Seamster was a starter for the Mavericks in 2024/25, averaging 11.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 30 games (25.7 MPG).

Celtics Notes: Holiday, Luxury Tax, Draft, White, Trades

May 28th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

With the Celtics looking to find ways to shave their luxury tax bill, the Clippers are expected to be among the teams to show interest in veteran point guard Jrue Holiday, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports.

Holiday will likely have multiple suitors, but the Clippers’ front office has previously pursued Holiday, Robb notes — L.A. was outbid by Boston on the 2023 trade market. The Celtics shipped Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams and two future first- round picks to Portland for Holiday.

Holiday has three years and $104MM remaining on his contract. Robb notes that Bogdan Bogdanovic ($16MM) could be a crucial matching salary piece if the two sides pursue a deal.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Taking their cue from the Pacers and Thunder, the Celtics need to get younger and cheaper talent, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe opines. In order for the Celtics to stay under the second apron, they need to have players on rookie contracts and — when the time comes — give them less-than-max rookie extensions. They need to hit on their two draft picks at No. 28 and 32 to help achieve that goal, Washburn notes.
Regarding their trade assets, Robb details how many future picks the Celtics hold. Boston has one first-rounder and two second-rounders next year but doesn’t have a second-rounder in 2027. Robb also notes the Celtics currently have no picks in 2029.
Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com (Substack link) doesn’t see the club trading Jaylen Brown but believes the next 12 months could be the optimal window to move Derrick White, who is set to begin a four-year, $128MM extension. If White is retained, the club should be able to achieve its financial goals by trading Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser, Gozlan writes.

Montrezl Harrell To Remain In Australia On One-Year Deal

May 28th, 2025 at 10:02am CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell will remain in Australia next season. He has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Adelaide 36ers, Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports.

Harrell averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game during the 2024/25 season in Australia’s National Basketball League, helping to guide Adelaide to a sixth-place finish and a spot in the play-in. Harrell had offers across Europe and Asia, according to Uluc’s sources, but opted to return to the 36ers after being named to the All-NBL Second Team.

Harrell initially joined Adelaide as a short-term injury replacement but wound up signing a rest-of-the-season deal.

Harrell, 31, played eight seasons in the NBA with career averages of 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per contest. He earned Sixth Man of the Year votes for four straight years from 2019-22 with the Clippers, Lakers, Wizards, and Hornets, winning the award as a Clipper in 2020 when he averaged 18.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 63 games.

The 6’7″ forward/center spent the 2022/23 season with the Sixers and re-signed with Philadelphia during the 2023 offseason, but suffered a torn ACL and medial meniscus tear shortly after finalizing that contract. That injury, which required surgery, cost him the entire ’23/24 campaign and prompted the 76ers to waive him in October 2023.

Knicks Notes: Deficit, Defense, Lineup Change, Towns, Brunson, Bridges, Hart

May 28th, 2025 at 8:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks erased a 20-point deficit in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They couldn’t complete a comeback against the Pacers in Game 4 on Tuesday, leaving them on the brink of elimination.

“In true fashion to our whole playoff run, we put ourselves in a deficit, got ourselves out of the deficit, and then usually we feel good about us going into a close game in the fourth quarter and showing our resilience. But you get burned if you put yourself in that position too many times,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “We think coming into the fourth quarter that we’re going to find that one trick again. We just didn’t have that magic tonight.”

The Knicks’ defense faltered, as Indiana shot 51.1% from the floor and committed just 11 turnovers, six fewer than New York. Pacers stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam combined for 62 points.

“They played with more intensity,” center Mitchell Robinson told Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “We should’ve matched it.”

We have more on the Knicks:

The lineup change that coach Tom Thibodeau made in Game 3 — Robinson replacing Josh Hart — flopped in Game 4, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes. The Knicks trailed 16-11 before Towns subbed out with 7:48 left in the first quarter after picking up his second foul. When the unit was back together to start the third quarter, the club gave up seven unanswered points to fall behind by 12. “There’s obviously some good, but also things we have to do a lot better,” Thibodeau said. “I don’t think we had a good grouping. … We start the third without great energy, and you can’t do that.”
Towns was able to stay in the game after colliding with Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith with 2:11 remaining. However, the left knee pain he suffered is some cause for concern heading into Game 5 on Thursday. “I’m only thinking about this loss, I’m not thinking about that right now,” Towns said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “It’s disappointing when you don’t get a win. Just didn’t do enough to get the job done tonight.”
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points but a vast majority came prior to the fourth quarter. The Knicks were outscored by 14 points when he was in the game, Braziller notes. “I’m not doing enough,” Brunson said. “I could sit here and be very detail-oriented about certain things, but obviously not good enough. There has to be a difference on my part when it comes to that.”
Mikal Bridges‘ shortcomings were apparent in Game 4. He couldn’t stop Haliburton as the Pacers guard posted a triple-double without a turnover. The veteran forward was also passive on the offensive end, repeatedly passing up driving opportunities. “I didn’t play my best game,” Bridges told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “On both ends, let my team down a little bit.”
Hart also had a rough night as he committed five turnovers, Schwartz points out. “It’s tough to win against a team like that who turns those turnovers into points,” Hart said. “I had like four or five. Just stupid turnovers that you can’t have. That leads to easy baskets, that leads to momentum. We gotta be more careful with the ball, starting with myself.”

Suns Pare Down List Of Coaching Candidates To Five

May 28th, 2025 at 7:00am CST by Dana Gauruder

May 28: In addition to confirming Quinn, Bryant, Ott, and Sweeney as finalists, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) reports that Bliss is moving to the next round of interviews as well.

Gambadoro confirms that the Suns are advancing five candidates to the final round of the search process, with Bliss still in the mix (Twitter links).

May 27: The Suns have whittled their list of candidates for their head coaching job.

According to Phoenix radio reporter John Gambadoro (Twitter link), there are four finalists for the position, with Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott among that group.

The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin, citing multiple league sources, also hears that Quinn and Ott are among the likely finalists along with Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, with Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori also a possibility.

Sweeney is headed to Phoenix for an in-person interview on Wednesday, Gambadoro confirms (via Twitter).

The Suns are looking to replace Mike Budenholzer, who only lasted one disappointing season on the job. Budenholzer was hired after Frank Vogel, another coach with a championship on his resume, was let go after one season.

The Suns are the only team in search of a head coach. Gambadoro reported on Sunday that Phoenix’s brass had already conducted second interviews with nine candidates for the position, mainly via Zoom. Suns assistant David Fizdale, Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Nets assistant Steve Hetzel and Thunder assistant Dave Bliss were the other reported candidates.

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Randle, Jazz Draft, Trail Blazers Workouts

May 27th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Edwards scored just 16 points in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday. However, the Timberwolves superstar believes he played the game the way it’s supposed to be played.

“I don’t look at it like I struggled, or (Julius Randle) struggled,” Edwards said. “They just, they had a good game plan, making us get off the ball. Especially for me, man. They were super in the gaps, I made the right play all night.”

Edwards only attempted 13 shots and made just one three-pointer.

“It’s an urge that I want to get the ball in the rim, put it up there,” Edwards said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But you don’t want to take bad shots and get your team out of rhythm. So I was just playing the game the right way, man.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Randle took just seven shots and made only one. He was disappointed in himself that he wasn’t more assertive, he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I’ve got to figure out a way to get myself in position to be more aggressive, rather than just standing, spectating or trying to crash the glass,” he said. “Or I can just find other little things to do.”
The Jazz possess the No. 5 and 21 picks in the first round and pair of second-rounders in next month’s draft. Multiple league sources indicated to the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd that the front office is willing to hear offers and make deals on any of those draft picks. However, considering it’s been over a decade since Utah had a top-five selection, Todd believes it’s likely that the Jazz will retain the No. 5 pick.
Zach Hicks (Penn State), Chris Manon (Vanderbilt), Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M), Caleb Love (Arizona), Zack Austin (Pittsburgh) and Money Williams (Montana) worked out for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report tweets. That group is comprised of players trying to earn second-round consideration.

Thunder Notes: Williams, Postseason Experience, Sanders, SGA

May 27th, 2025 at 8:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Named to the All-NBA Third Team last week, Thunder forward Jalen Williams delivered an offensive gem in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday. He posted a postseason career-high 34 points in the 128-126 victory over the Timberwolves, giving OKC a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Williams went 13-of-24 from the field, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range. He had 13 points and four turnovers when his team got blown out in Game 3.

“I feel like if you’re not really good, you’re probably not going to have any [scrutiny], so just play with it, just keep going,” Williams said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “A lot of people that are talking about me can’t do what I do, and I know that, and I think that gives me a lot of confidence to just go out there and do whatever the team needs.”

We have more on the Thunder:

Oklahoma City has found different ways to get it done in this postseason, Tony Jones of The Athletic notes. The Thunder have been a great regular-season team for two years but this is the first time they’ve also become a great playoff team, according to Jones. In Game 4, they held off numerous Timberwolves runs. “I thought we did a good job of continuously moving the scoreboard,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “We especially did that late in the game, when there were situations down the stretch where it was a possession game. I thought the guys did a great job, taking it a possession at a time.”
While they’re five wins away from a championship, the Thunder are also busy preparing for the future. They have scheduled a pre-draft workout with Kobe Sanders, a 6’7” guard, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated tweets. Sanders averaged 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals last season for Nevada. Sanders is ranked No. 69 on ESPN’s big board.
MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Timberwolves’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker are cousins and best friends. They’re now competing against each other for a trip to the Finals. “For both of us to be where we are is special, and to compete against each other is even more special,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears within an in-depth feature on their relationship. “But I am trying to take his head off for sure, completely.”

Russell Westbrook Undergoes Hand Surgery

May 27th, 2025 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

5:45 pm: Westbrook’s right hand surgery was to repair multiple ligament tears, according to the Nuggets, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post tweets. He underwent the procedure today, as expected.

11:37 am: Veteran guard Russell Westbrook is undergoing surgery on his right hand on Tuesday morning, he announced today in the latest installment of his personal newsletter (hat tip to Law Murray of The Athletic).

According to Westbrook, the procedure will repair two breaks in the hand that occurred during the season. The 36-year-old doesn’t provide information on any sort of formal recovery timeline, but says he’s optimistic about being back to 100% “soon.”

Hand injuries are nothing new for Westbrook, who had surgery to repair a fracture in his right hand in 2014 and underwent procedures on his left hand in 2019 and 2024 to address ligament damage and a fracture, respectively.

Westbrook played a major role in 2024/25 for the Nuggets after signing a two-year, minimum-salary contract that features a second-year player option. He averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes per game across 75 appearances (36 starts), with a shooting line of .449/.323/.661.

The Nuggets had a better net rating with Westbrook off the court (+8.6) than on it (-0.6), but he received positive reviews in Denver due to the energy and leadership he provided off the bench, as well as his performance filling in for injured starters (including Aaron Gordon) over the course of the season.

Westbrook will have to make a decision in the coming weeks on his $3.47MM player option in the coming weeks. His projected minimum for 2025/26 as a free agent is $3.63MM, so even if he wants to return to Denver and is willing to settle for another minimum-salary deal, it might make sense for him to opt out in order to sign a new contract.