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Hawks, Bulls Deny Knicks’ Requests To Talk With Coaches

June 11th, 2025 at 7:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:50pm: The Bulls also denied a request from the Knicks to talk to head coach Billy Donovan, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter video link).

6:01pm: The Knicks are now 0-for-4 in their attempts to interview head coaches currently under contract with other teams, as Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the Hawks “firmly denied” their request to speak with Quin Snyder (Twitter link).

Atlanta’s refusal comes after New York was shot down in its overtures to the Rockets’ Ime Udoka, the Timberwolves’ Chris Finch and the Mavericks’ Jason Kidd. Like the Hawks, those teams all refused to grant permission.

Snyder just completed his second full season in Atlanta, guiding the team to a 40-42 record and a loss in the play-in tournament. He’s 86-99 with the Hawks since taking over late in the 2022/23 season.

Snyder built a reputation as an elite coach during his eight seasons in Utah, compiling a 372-264 regular season mark and leading the team to the playoffs in six straight seasons. He coached in the All-Star Game in 2021.

Snyder received a five-year contract when Atlanta hired him in February of 2023. There’s no indication of how the Hawks’ recent front office shakeup will affect his job security, but former general manager Landry Fields offered a strong endorsement before he was fired in April. The decision to turn down the Knicks’ request suggests the Hawks’ stance hasn’t changed.

League sources tell Ian Begley of SNY that the Knicks’ efforts to speak with already-employed head coaches are simply “due diligence” to determine who might be available as the team casts a “wide net” to identify possible candidates. He states that the front office in no hurry to name a replacement for Tom Thibodeau and plans to target numerous former head coaches and current assistants.

Begley adds that the timing of the decision to fire Thibodeau had nothing to do with Johnnie Bryant — a former Knicks assistant and current Cavaliers assistant — being a finalist for the Suns’ head coaching vacancy. Bryant could still be a candidate in New York after Phoenix opted to hire Jordan Ott.

Kings Reportedly Have Interest In Darius Garland

June 10th, 2025 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings, who are in the market for a point guard after trading De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio in February, have interest in Darius Garland and consider the Cavaliers guard a possible trade target, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org.

Following the deadline deal that sent Fox to the Spurs, the Kings leaned more heavily on shooting guards and forwards like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk for ball-handling responsibilities, with reserve point guards like Devin Carter and Markelle Fultz playing limited roles.

Bolstering the point guard spot will be a priority for Sacramento this offseason, as new head of basketball operations Scott Perry acknowledged earlier this spring. Tyus Jones is among the free agents believed to be on the Kings’ radar, but the trade market would give the front office more avenues to acquire an impact player at the position.

Multiple reports since the Cavs’ season ended have indicated that Cleveland appears to be more willing than in the past to entertain the idea of trading Garland this offseason. However, the 25-year-old underwent toe surgery on Monday and is expected to miss some time at the start of next season.

For the Cavs, finding a Garland trade that improves their roster – or at least doesn’t hurt it – while creating a more favorable cap situation going forward was always going to be difficult. His recovery from surgery will make that task even more challenging, since potential trade partners are unlikely to value him quite as highly until he’s back to 100%.

League sources tell RG.org that the Kings and Hawks have also had a conversation about what a Trae Young trade might look like, but those talks didn’t advance. Afseth describes the discussions as “due diligence” from Atlanta’s side and suggests that Perry wasn’t especially enthusiastic about the construct of the deal.

While Young has some fans in Sacramento’s front office, Afseth writes, the team is thought to prefer Garland over the Hawks star, at least prior to Garland’s surgery.

Eastern Notes: Yabusele, Sixers Arena, Hawks, Mazzulla

June 9th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guerschon Yabusele is “excited” to see how his free agency plays out and plans to remain in the NBA, he told Cyro Asseo de Choch of Hoops Hype. The Sixers big man was one of the few bright spots for the franchise this season after playing in Europe from 2020-24. He posted averages of 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.1 minutes per game while appearing in 70 contests.

He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after playing for the veteran’s minimum.

“We will see those options also with the upcoming summer when we’re going to know a little bit what’s going on,” he said. “I know the Sixers are going to look change some pieces in the roster, so you have to wait also to see what’s gonna happen but the draft’s gonna set everything pretty much for every team to know where they’re going with the trades and stuff like that.

“I guess we’ll see soon, but I’m pretty excited. It’s going to be my first time really enjoying free agency, especially in the NBA. I’m pretty excited just to hear the offers, to see what’s going on, to see the movement. This summer is going to have a lot of movement on every team, so to be able to be part of that is just amazing.”

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

The Sixers and Comcast Spectacor have selected an architecture firm to design their new arena, according to Jake Blumgart of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Populous, a global arena design firm, will craft the plans for the new South Philadelphia structure. It’s scheduled to open in 2031, replacing the Wells Fargo Center.
Asa Newell (Georgia), Clifford Omoruyi (Alabama), Will Richard (Florida) and Jase Richardson (Michigan State) were among the players who worked out for the Hawks on Monday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Richardson and Newell are considered first-round talents. They are currently ranked No. 20 and 21, respectively, on ESPN’s Best Available list. The Hawks hold the No. 13 and 22 picks in the first round.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been spotted in Turkey on an apparent scouting mission, Chema de Lucas tweets. Mazzulla could be there to take a look at Euroleague star Nigel Hayes-Davis, who plays for Fenerbahçe and has drawn interest from Boston in the past. Hayes-Davis had a brief stay in the NBA in 2017/18, playing nine games for three teams.

Hawks Among Teams Eyeing Myles Turner

June 9th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to the Pistons, the Hawks are among the teams who have interest in center Myles Turner, reports Grant Afseth of RG.org. Turner, currently vying for a championship with the Pacers, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Reports in recent weeks have repeatedly indicated that the Pacers and Turner have interest in working out a new deal and that Indiana is willing to become a taxpayer for the first time since 2006 in order to make it happen. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) wrote on Sunday that there’s “strong sentiment” among league executives that Turner will remain in Indiana, with cap strategists projecting a deal in the range of $30MM per year.

However, Afseth says the Hawks are “monitoring Turner’s situation closely,” with their own veteran centers Clint Capela and Larry Nance Jr. headed for unrestricted free agency this offseason.

Even with Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Dyson Daniels wreaking havoc on the perimeter, Atlanta ranked just 18th in defensive rating in 2024/25. The team also came in at No. 18 in three-point percentage. Turner, a big man who can space the floor (.396 3PT% in 2024/25) and protect the rim (2.0 BPG), would be a major asset on both ends of the court.

Still, if the Pacers are committed to retaining Turner and he doesn’t want to go anywhere, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which he ends up in Atlanta. The Hawks don’t project to have cap room this summer, so barring some significant cost-cutting moves, the club would need Indiana’s cooperation to acquire Turner via sign-and-trade, which seems unlikely.

Since the Pacers hold Turner’s Bird rights, they’ll have the ability to offer any amount up to his maximum salary if they’re comfortable paying the associated luxury tax penalties.

Bryson Graham, Peter Dinwiddie Joining Hawks’ Front Office

June 9th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks are making two significant additions to their front office, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. Atlanta is finalizing deals with Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham to become senior vice president of basketball operations and Sixers executive Peter Dinwiddie as senior vice president of strategy and analytics.

Graham, who began his career as an intern with New Orleans in 2010, was promoted to general manager last summer when Trajan Langdon left for Detroit. He was kept in place when new executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars revamped the Pelicans’ management team after taking over in April.

Charania notes that Graham is credited with identifying underrated talents in the draft such as Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, Yves Missi, Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall and Jordan Hawkins. He also was on the staff that drafted Dyson Daniels, who captured Most Improved Player honors after being traded from New Orleans to Atlanta last summer.

Dinwiddie came to Philadelphia in 2020 after spending 14 seasons with the Pacers, where he served as senior VP of basketball operations.

The hirings continue an offseason makeover after the Hawks were eliminated in the play-in tournament. General manager Landry Fields was fired in April, with assistant general manager Onsi Saleh being promoted to take his place. According to Charania, Graham and Dinwiddie will both report to Saleh.

The organization is in the midst of a search for a new president of basketball operations, and sources tell Charania that whoever is hired will complement Saleh and the rest of the staff. There have also been rumors that the Hawks may abandon the idea of finding a new president and bring in a senior advisor to work with Saleh.

Southeast Notes: Young, Hornets, Magic, K. Johnson

June 6th, 2025 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

A native of Norman, Oklahoma who played his college ball for the Sooners, Trae Young has some affinity for the local NBA team. However, while the Hawks guard will be rooting for the Thunder in the NBA Finals, he tells Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that seeing Oklahoma City make a serious run at a title really just makes him more determined to take his own team to those same heights.

“It’s even more motivating for me,” Young said on Wednesday at a sponsor event. “I want to win a championship bad. But the fact that it’s in my city and I’m just watching it now, if you thought I wanted it bad before, it’s even worse now. … Hopefully we’re here playing the Thunder next year, and I’m not having this (event) here in OKC. So, we have this party there in Atlanta. I love Atlanta.”

The Hawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and haven’t won more than 43 games in a season since Young was drafted in 2018, but the star guard remains optimistic about the franchise’s direction.

“We had the No. 1 pick (Zaccharie Risacher) last year that made strides and almost won Rookie of the Year, got second,” Young said. “We have a lot of young, young, really good players. We have a great coach. We have a lot of stuff, and we have a big summer ahead, for sure.”

We have more from around the Southeast:

Dylan Cardwell (Auburn), Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), Chucky Hepburn (Louisville), and Jalon Moore (Oklahoma) visited the Hornets for a pre-draft workout earlier this week, while Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall), Eric Dixon (Villanova), Kobe Johnson (UCLA), and Julian Reese (Maryland) auditioned for the team on Thursday, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). Charlotte controls the fourth, 33rd, and 34th overall picks in this year’s draft. Among those prospects, Dixon is the highest-rated on ESPN’s big board at No. 45.
Keith Smith of Spotrac and Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) both previewed the Magic‘s offseason this week, discussing Paolo Banchero‘s upcoming rookie scale extension, looking at Orlando’s rising payroll, and considering how the team might use its multiple first-round picks (No. 16 and No. 25) in this year’s draft.
Although he played limited minutes in just 16 NBA games as a rookie in 2024/25, Heat forward Keshad Johnson feels he has “grown mentally” since entering the league, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I’ve learned a lot about basketball, Xs and Os,” said Johnson, who played well for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League. “Just being in the NBA, at first it started off fast. But it started to slow down as time got going. Just getting comfortable. Skill-wise, I feel like the mental aspect of learning cheat codes and things like that.” The Heat hold a minimum-salary team option on Johnson for the 2025/26 season and must exercise or decline that option by June 29.

Southeast Notes: Sarr, Wizards, LeVert, Hornets

June 4th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In a new interview with Grant Afseth of RG.org, All-Rookie Wizards big man Alex Sarr indicated that his growth during his debut NBA season extended beyond his stat line.

“I feel like kind of everything,” Sarr said. “Defensively, I think physicality. Offensively, trying to get to the rim more, more drives. So I think that’s how I developed the most, for sure.”

Across 67 contests, the 6’10” forward/center logged averages of 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game for Washington. He had a fairly inefficient start as a shooter, Afseth notes, as he connected on just 39.4% of his field goal attempts and 30.8% of his three-point tries.

“They’re holding everybody accountable,” Sarr told Afseth regarding the approach of head coach Brian Keefe and his staff. “Trying to build something here and everybody’s bought into building our identity.”

After an encouraging debut 2024/25 season, Sarr is now gearing up to represent his native France in this summer’s EuroBasket competition.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In a new Wizards offseason preview, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) breaks down routes for Washington to add to its $18.4MM in cap space; takes stock of the trade markets for veterans like Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, and Jordan Poole; and proposes methods for the team to move up in this year’s draft.
Bringing back free agent Hawks guard Caris LeVert is expected to be a primary goal for Atlanta this summer, reports Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). LeVert proved critical as a bench scorer, and helped stabilize Atlanta’s minutes when All-Star guard Trae Young sat. After being acquired in a February trade, LeVert posted averages of 14.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 2.9 APG while Atlanta finished the season after the deadline on a 17-14 run. The 30-year-old is wrapping up a two-year, $32MM deal. Williams notes that Atlanta possesses LeVert’s Bird rights, meaning the team could re-sign him to a big deal without requiring cap room.
With the Hornets currently in the midst of the longest active playoff drought in the NBA, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscriber link) examines Charlotte’s roster and considers which players will and will not return. Despite a couple play-in tournament appearances, the Hornets have not played a postseason series since 2016.

2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Atlanta Hawks

June 4th, 2025 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2024 offseason was an eventful one for the Hawks, with its share of ups and downs. The team was forced to admit defeat on its backcourt pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, but got a pretty strong return when it shipped Murray to New Orleans. Atlanta also improbably won the draft lottery with the 10th-best odds, which is typically a huge boon for a franchise, but that lottery win occurred during a year without a consensus No. 1 prospect.

By the end of the summer, the Hawks were entering the 2024/25 season as a borderline playoff contender (oddsmakers projected them to be the ninth-best team in the Eastern Conference) and without control of their own 2025 first-round pick, which they'd sent to San Antonio years earlier in their original deal for Murray.

Being a non-contender that doesn't possess its own draft pick is, in many ways, a worst-case scenario for an NBA franchise. But while the Hawks ultimately did fall short of the playoffs, the path they took to get to that outcome - and the situation they find themselves in entering the 2025 offseason - provides more reasons for optimism than the franchise had a year ago.

Dyson Daniels, acquired from the Pelicans as part of the package for Murray, emerged as one of the NBA's very best perimeter defenders and took a significant step forward offensively at the same time, with new career highs in points (14.1) and assists (4.4) per game, as well as shooting percentage (49.3%) and three-point percentage (34.0%). Daniels nearly won two major end-of-season awards, taking home Most Improved Player honors while finishing as the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.

Zaccharie Risacher, the prospect the Hawks settled on as their first overall pick last June, played rotation minutes from day one and finished the season strong, averaging 14.9 points per game on .518/.421/.716 shooting after returning from an adductor injury in late January. He was the second-place finisher in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the All-Rookie First Team.

Onyeka Okongwu, the backup center behind veteran Clint Capela for the last few seasons, finally got the opportunity to take over the starting job in January and made the most of it, averaging a double-double (15.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG) with a .581/.362/.762 shooting line in his final 40 outings.

And while Jalen Johnson's season ended early due to a shoulder injury, the 23-year-old forward showed in the first half why the Hawks were willing to commit $150MM to him on a five-year rookie scale extension that will begin in 2025/26, averaging 18.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG on 50.0% shooting.

It's a promising young core, and Atlanta will have another opportunity to add to it later this month. Although they didn't have their own first-round pick at No. 14, the Hawks received Sacramento's first-rounder one spot higher at No. 13 to close the book on the Kevin Huerter trade the two teams made back in 2022. Atlanta will also control a second first-rounder this summer, having received the Lakers' 2025 pick from New Orleans in last year's Murray deal. That selection landed at No. 22.

Given all that went right during what could have been a demoralizing year in Atlanta, it was a little surprising that the Hawks dismissed general manager Landry Fields shortly after their season ended. The search for a new head of basketball operations is ongoing, though there have been rumors that the team may simply bring in a senior advisor to work with newly promoted GM Onsi Saleh, rather than hiring a president of basketball operations who would be above him in the front office hierarchy.

The Hawks' Offseason Plan

Whether it's Saleh or a new hire who ultimately has the final say on roster decisions, the Hawks will have a fair share of them to make this offseason, including what the future holds for Young.

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Latest On Hawks’ Front Office Search

May 31st, 2025 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Danny Ferry appears to be a legitimate candidate to join the Hawks‘ revamped front office, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Stein, who first mentioned Ferry as a potential target three weeks ago, states that he could be hired as a senior adviser to new general manager Onsi Saleh.

Atlanta has been conducting interviews for a new president of basketball operations, but with numerous executives already involved in the decision-making process, the team could opt for a senior advisor instead.

Ferry, who currently serves as a consultant with the Spurs, ran Atlanta’s front office from 2012 until 2014, when he was involved in a controversy that involved making racially insensitive remarks while reading a scouting report on Luol Deng during an organizational conference call. After stepping down from his position with the Hawks, Ferry became a special advisor with the Pelicans in 2016 and briefly served as the organization’s interim GM in 2019.

Stein reports that the 58-year-old Ferry was involved in Atlanta’s interview process after former GM Landry Fields was fired in April. Vice president of pro personnel Grant Liffmann and executive advisor Chris Emens are also reportedly leaving the organization.

The Hawks have spoken to several prominent candidates to become president of basketball operations, including Sixers GM Elton Brand, former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, former Kings GM Monte McNair, Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and Alex Saratsis, agent for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Mitchell, Burks, Hawks

May 30th, 2025 at 8:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Hornets have the ignominious honor of holding the league’s longest active playoff drought, leaving them with many questions to answer heading into the offseason, according to The Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone.

In a mailbag column, Boone writes that he expects the team to add more veteran presence to its young core, along the lines of last year’s Taj Gibson signing. The goal would be to help build a winning locker room culture and assist in the development of head coach Charles Lee, who himself is still learning the ropes of being an NBA veteran coach.

Boone also advises fans not to overreact if 2024 lottery pick Tidjane Salaün spends more time in the G League next year, writing that rushing his development would be a mistake and would hurt him in the long run. The sixth pick in last year’s draft averaged 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per night for Charlotte, while shooting just 33.0% from the field and 28.3% from three, though he was always known to be a project who would take multiple years to be ready for major contributions.

As for roster moves, Boone says the team could use another center or power forward, especially one who can shoot. Meanwhile, Tre Mann appears to be on the road to recovery from a back injury that cut his season short and is entering restricted free agency. If he’s healthy, Boone believes that he might be more likely to sign a qualifying offer and hit the open market next year than to sign a long-term deal.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

6’4″ shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe is rumored to be a favorite for the Hornets‘ fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft if he’s still available, writes Boone. Boone points to his strong defensive pedigree as a great fit between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in Lee’s system, but warns that he’ll need to improve his ball-handling to become a more well-rounded offensive threat.
After a strong second half of the season following a mid-year trade to the Heat, Davion Mitchell is expected to receive an $8.7MM qualifying offer making him a restricted free agent, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. However, Chiang writes that the most likely outcome is that the Heat allow another team to pursue an offer sheet with the 26-year-old defensive-minded guard before deciding how he fits into their future plans. Chiang writes that Mitchell could garner offers that approach the full mid-level exception ($14.1MM), and the Heat are only around $4MM from the luxury tax without much hope of putting together a top-tier team for next year. They are also expected to pursue as much cap space in 2026 as possible, making multiyear deals complicated.
After a career shooting year, Alec Burks is hoping to be back with the Heat next season, writes Chiang. “It was a good year. I learned a lot. Even though I’m in my 14th year, I still learned something. So I’m glad I was here,” Burks said. The soon-to-be 34-year-old started both play-in games for Miami but only appeared in Game 1 of the team’s first-round matchup with the Cavaliers. Coach Erik Spoelstra praised his ability to stay ready for whatever was asked of him, saying, “There aren’t a lot of vets that really want to accept these kinds of roles. That’s just the reality. And he is not only able to accept it, but he thrives in that role.”
The Hawks are desperately trying to move out of the middle of the pack to become a legitimate contender, writes Keith Smith of Spotrac. The front office has decisions to make regarding the free agency of longtime center Clint Capela, who was supplanted this year by Onyeka Okongwu in the starting five, as well as new acquisitions Caris LeVert and Larry Nanc e Jr., which could decide how the team’s depth looks next season. Smith writes that it would make sense for LeVert and Atlanta to come to terms on a deal in the ballpark of $12MM annually over two or three years, while the team’s ability to retain Nance may rest on what kind of outside offers he gets. Dyson Daniels and Trae Young are both extension-eligible this summer, though Smith believes it would make more sense to extend Daniels than Young, given that Young’s role in the team’s long-term plans remains uncertain. And, of course, none of this is likely to happen before the team replaces recently fired general manager Landry Fields.