Magic Notes: Injury-Filled Season, Banchero, Finances, Houstan
The Magic didn’t advance any further than last year — losing in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season — but coach Jamahl Mosley believes they deserve credit for overcoming adversity, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The team survived a season-long string of injuries that resulted in just six games together for Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, but still managed to win 41 games and advance through the play-in tournament.
The injury bug started when Banchero suffered a torn right oblique muscle five games into the season. The same injury hit Wagner about five weeks later, and Suggs underwent season-ending knee surgery in early March. Backup big man Moritz Wagner was lost for the season with a torn ACL in December.
“I’m extremely proud of the way that they competed and represented the Orlando Magic all year,” Mosley said after his team was eliminated Tuesday night in Boston. “You can go down the list for the things that have happened to this group and every reason to understand that we could have felt sorry for ourselves, and we never did. Everybody found a way and that’s who this group has continued to be and will continue to be moving forward no matter the circumstances, no matter the adversity [and] no matter what you’re hit with in a season. You find ways to step up and into the moment that you’re called upon.”
Beede notes that roster changes will likely be coming in an effort to produce a more efficient offense. The Magic hold team options on Moritz Wagner, Cory Joseph, Gary Harris and Caleb Houstan, and they have eight first-round picks and 12 second-rounders over the next seven years that can be used as trade chips.
There’s more from Orlando:
- There were some positives for the Magic despite the loss, Beede adds in a separate story. The defense caused problems for the Celtics throughout the series, and Banchero proved that he’s capable of carrying the scoring load in the playoffs. He averaged 29.4 PPG while playing nearly 40 minutes per night. “When I train in the offseason and when I’m getting ready for the season, I have this time of the year in my mind,” Banchero said. “Playoff basketball is the best part of the season, so just having that time of the year in the back of your mind while you’re training, realizing that [the] season doesn’t end in April. You’ve got to plan for it ending in June.”
- The front office will have to be aggressive this offseason because the current roster is about to get a lot more expensive, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Rookie scale extensions for Franz Wagner and Suggs will take effect next season, while Banchero will almost certainly get a max extension this summer that will start in 2026/27.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks looks ahead to the Magic’s offseason in an Insider-only story. He notes that Houstan played nearly 17 minutes per game after the All-Star break and may have a future in Orlando. The team could make him a restricted free agent this offseason by declining his option and issuing him a qualifying offer instead. If he’s option is exercised, he’d be on track for unrestricted free agency in 2026, though he’d be extension-eligible.
Lakers’ Maxi Kleber Available For Game 5
Maxi Kleber, who underwent surgery after breaking his right foot in late January, has been medically cleared to make his Lakers debut, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). Coach J.J. Redick confirmed Kleber’s status while meeting with reporters before Game 5 against Minnesota.
Kleber was acquired from Dallas in February as part of the massive Luka Doncic trade. He appeared in 34 games with the Mavs before the injury, making four starts and averaging 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.7 minutes per night with .385/.265/.762 shooting numbers.
Kleber was a standout in Europe before signing with Dallas as a free agent in 2017. He spent seven and a half seasons with the Mavericks, playing in 440 total games before being shipped to L.A.
The 33-year-old big man hasn’t seen any game action since suffering the injury in a January 25 contest against Boston. He has been making steady progress toward a return and was cleared for on-court activities early this month.
Kleber is making $11MM this season and has one year left on his contract at the same amount before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. He could help provide an answer to the Lakers’ ongoing problem with frontcourt depth if he’s fully healthy for the start of next season.
Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Adebayo, Love, Jovic, Larsson
Head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted Wednesday that the months-long drama involving Jimmy Butler brought “turbulent waters” to the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler was a distraction during the first half of the season, becoming unhappy when the team was unwilling to give him a contract extension and team president Pat Riley challenged him to be available for more regular season games. Butler publicly feuded with management and was suspended three times before being sent to Golden State shortly before the trade deadline.
Speaking at today’s exit interviews, Tyler Herro said the Butler situation was a distraction in the locker room.
“I think it was just the overall wondering when is it going to end,” Herro said. “That was kind of the main thing of when can we just focus on basketball? That’s what this profession is, it’s basketball. That’s what we’re here to do and that’s what we all get paid to do is play basketball. At the end of the day, that’s what we wanted to worry about.”
The Heat’s season didn’t get better after Butler was gone, as they posted a 12-21 record following the trade and suffered through a 10-game losing streak in March. They were able to win eight of their last 12 regular season games and made history by becoming the first 10th seed to advance through the play-in tournament, but the season crashed to an end with a first-round sweep by Cleveland and 37- and 53-point losses in their two home playoff games.
“When I say it’s a memorable season, the memories will be like the last four weeks,” Spoelstra said. “The rest of the season was a grind. But we finally started to turn the corner even during the losing streak and you felt momentum, you felt progress, you felt like everybody was coming together and it led to two play-in games. … All the other adversities, it made me better. I’ve never been in a situation like that, to try to keep a locker room together and to try to handle it during those weeks. But then also to fully change course stylistically in how to play and what to emphasize at the All-Star break. That was an invigorating challenge.”
There’s more from Miami:
- Bam Adebayo talked about the need for changes after Game 4, but he declined to get into specifics while speaking with reporters today, Chiang and Barry Jackson add in a separate story. “That’s more of a Pat Riley question,” Adebayo said. “I hope you can ask that question to him and he doesn’t blow you off. He knows how much I want to win. We want to be in the best way possible to do that. After he talks to you, he will probably talk to me and we will figure out what happens.”
- Kevin Love confirms that he intends to continue playing next season, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). The 36-year-old big man, who has one year left on his contract at $4.15MM, missed 22 games this year while caring for his ailing father, former NBA player Stan Love, who passed away over the weekend.
- Nikola Jovic will represent Serbia and Pelle Larsson will play for Sweden at this summer’s EuroBasket (Twitter links from Reynolds).
Dyson Daniels Named Most Improved Player
Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is this year’s Most Improved Player, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Daniels blossomed after coming to Atlanta in an offseason trade. He became a full-time starter for the first time in his third NBA season and posted career highs with 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 76 games with .493/.340/.593 shooting splits.
With 229 steals, Daniels led the league by a wide margin and was named as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as Most Improved.
Daniels captured 44 first-place votes, 36 for second place and four for third to easily win the award with 332 total points.
The other finalists were Clippers center Ivica Zubac (23-18-17-186) and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (15-11-14-122).
Nuggets guard Christian Braun (9-15-30-120) and Lakers guard Austin Reaves (8-4-12-39) rounded out the top five.
Also receiving first-place votes were Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Rockets swingman Amen Thompson, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Heat guard Tyler Herro and Bulls guard Josh Giddey.
In total, 14 players showed up on at least one ballot. The full voting results can be viewed here.
The Pelicans selected Daniels with the eighth pick in the 2022 draft, but he wasn’t able to fully develop his game in two seasons with New Orleans. That changed after he was sent to Atlanta last July in a trade for Dejounte Murray. As a 6’8″ defensive specialist, Daniels was a perfect fit alongside Trae Young in the Hawks’ backcourt, and playing alongside Young helped him significantly improve his shooting numbers.
Daniels, 22, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Bucks Notes: Giannis, Rivers, LaVine, Horst
Now that the Bucks‘ season is over, Giannis Antetokounmpo will meet with management to discuss plans for his future and the team’s, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN, citing sources who spoke with the network’s Shams Charania. It’s a meeting that takes place every year, but the upcoming version will be anything but routine. As Collier notes, if Antetokounmpo decides he needs to leave Milwaukee to be part of a title contender, it will have enormous ramifications for the franchise and the league.
It’s easy to see how he could reach that conclusion after Damian Lillard suffered a torn left Achilles in Game 4 of their playoff series. The recovery process usually takes a year or more, so Lillard is unlikely to play next season, but his $54.1MM salary will remain on the team’s books, along with a $58.5MM player option for 2026/27. That and a shortage of draft capital will limit the Bucks’ ability to improve the roster this summer.
Antetokounmpo, who won a title with Milwaukee in 2021, is determined to capture at least one more before he retires. Collier notes that he discussed that topic earlier this month on a podcast hosted by his brother, Thanasis.
“Me not having a second championship — I look back at my career and everybody can say, ‘Oh, incredible career, active Hall of Famer, first ballot, whatever, but me, my personal goal, if I am not able to help my team win a second ring, I’m letting down myself,” Giannis said.
After Tuesday’s Game 5 loss, in which the Bucks squandered late leads in regulation and overtime, Antetokounmpo took on much of the blame, saying he needs to play better. But he was easily the best player in the series, averaging 33.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 62% shooting, as he was healthy for the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Collier points out that Antetokounmpo has shown loyalty to Milwaukee whenever he’s had a chance to leave, signing a super-max extension in 2020 and another deal in 2023 that runs through the 2027/28 season. However, the team enters this offseason in a much different position, and Antetokounmpo may determine that his best chance to win is to go elsewhere.
There’s more from Milwaukee:
- Antetokounmpo expressed support for coach Doc Rivers after Tuesday’s loss, Collier adds. Rivers has compiled a 65-53 record since taking over in the middle of last season, but he has two first-round playoff ousters. Rivers said he believes in the talent the Bucks have on hand and wishes the season could have played out differently. “I would love this team full,” Rivers said. “I really do. I would love this team where Dame was healthy and all that, but that wasn’t in the cards this year. What was in the cards was we found a lot of players through the year because of all the adversity that we had. A.J. Green came out of nowhere, and he’s a sensational player. Gary Trent Jr. has proven that he’s not only just a solid NBA player, but better than that. Bobby (Portis) playing heavy minutes at the five. Jericho (Sims) — another guy that we picked up and he turned out to be a force. (Kevin Porter Jr.) is going to be solid for us. He’s proven that he’s an NBA player, and (Kyle Kuzma), who didn’t have a great series, will help us. We never got him into the position where he could have been more successful. We will do that and he will be a successful player for us moving forward.”
- The Bucks don’t control any of their first-round picks until 2031, and sources told Collier that they were unwilling to discuss that selection at the trade deadline. Collier hears that the team inquired about several high-profile players, including Zach LaVine while he was still in Chicago, but the reluctance to include the draft pick in any deal limited the front office’s options.
- The franchise was determined to keep general manager Jon Horst after preventing him from meeting with the Pistons last offseason to discuss a position in their front office, sources tell Collier. Horst received a multiyear extension last week.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/29/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Heat's future after their playoff collapse, a summer of change for the Bucks, another roadblock for expansion, a new All-Star Game format and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Porzingis, Horford, Sale
There are few signs of the right wrist injury that Jayson Tatum suffered in Game 1, except for a new celebration he has started using after clutch shots, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Tatum credits rookie Baylor Scheierman for coming up with the move, in which he raises his arms and clasps his right wrist with his left hand. It was on display frequently during the two games in Orlando as Tatum scored 36 and 37 points to help the Celtics return home with a 3-1 series lead.
“I know what I’m dealing with,” Tatum said about his wrist. “My team knows how serious it is, but it’s that time of year. We’re all sacrificing our bodies and going through things. It’s the playoffs.”
Holmes notes that Tatum has been a consistent weapon for the Celtics against an aggressive Magic defense that limited them to 31 three-point attempts on Sunday, well below their season average of 48.4 per game. Sunday’s contest was tied at 91-91 with 4:16 left before Tatum delivered nine late points to pull out the victory.
“I thought in my head, like, ‘This guy is special,'” Kristaps Porzingis said. “He just has, I think also, from when I got here to now, he’s developed more of a killer instinct, and he’s been getting us big buckets in this series and last year’s playoffs. Thanks to him, we were right there, and today again he was phenomenal.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- Porzingis knew he needed to try something different after being held to 28% shooting from the field in the first three games of the series, per Brian Robb of MassLive. He found the answer in Game 4, rolling to the basket for three easy dunks in the first quarter on his way to 19 points. “Just being a bit more towards the rim because they weren’t really – even though I haven’t shot the ball good in this series, they don’t really give up anything from the three,” Porzingis said. “They’re closing out really hard, so, gotta make an adjustment.”
- Al Horford swatted away five shots on Sunday, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players 38 or older with that many blocks in a playoff game, according to Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe. “There should be a separate stat sheet for guys like him because of the type of stuff that he does,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Just an unbelievable competitor. Made all the plays necessary to help us win.”
- Even though William Chisholm has been announced as the Celtics’ next owner, there are still things about the sale that remain “murky,” according to Ben Horney of Front Office Sports, including Wyc Grousbeck‘s role in the power structure once the purchase is finalized and the new ownership team’s plans to deal with an escalating payroll.
Lakers Notes: Game 4 Loss, Hayes, Finney-Smith, Doncic, LeBron
Coach J.J. Redick made two bold strategic moves that nearly led the Lakers to a Game 4 victory in Minnesota, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Redick decided to replace center Jaxson Hayes with Dorian Finney-Smith for the start of the third quarter, and he used the same five players for the entire second half. Buha notes that Gabe Vincent nearly checked in at one point, but Redick changed his mind and stayed with the same unit for the full 24 minutes.
“I think once you’ve kind of made that decision, and (the players) all are in, you just gotta trust them,” Redick said.
The move seemed inevitable with Hayes, who has been limited to seven points and eight rebounds in the series and didn’t reach double digits in minutes in any of the first four games. Finney-Smith enables L.A. to spread the floor on offense and switch more easily on defense.
The group started the second half on an 11-0 run and won the third quarter by a 36-23 margin, giving the Lakers their highest-scoring quarter of the series. They led by seven points with 5:06 remaining and seemed to be in a good position to tie the series, but couldn’t close out the game. A series of late mistakes proved costly, but players refused to blame the loss on their iron man performance in the second half.
“I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with that,” LeBron James said. “Just missing some point-blank shots, you know? We were getting into what we wanted to get into. We just weren’t able to convert.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Sunday’s game displayed how little trust Redick has in his bench, Buha adds. Along with Hayes, his other rotation members, Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan Goodwin, tend to be one-way players. Buha believes Redick might use a center-less approach for the rest of the series, even though the Wolves have a lot of size on their front line.
- After battling through a stomach virus in Game 3, Luka Doncic seemed to be back to normal on Sunday, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Doncic finished with 38 points while logging a series-high 46 minutes. “This is the playoffs – fatigue shouldn’t play any role in this,” Doncic said. “I played a lot of minutes, but that shouldn’t play a role. I think they just executed better on the offensive end during the last minutes.”
- James also played 46 minutes and appears to be fully recovered from a left hip flexor strain he suffered two weeks ago, Buha states in a separate story. “He’s moving better,” Redick said after Game 3. “He seems like he’s getting healthier by the day. It’s typically a one-to-two-week injury. Believe it’s been two weeks tonight, if I’m mistaken, from the Houston game. Clearly he’s moving better.”
Knicks Notes: Hart, Towns, Bridges, Payne, Thibodeau
Josh Hart has maximized his value to the Knicks by putting aside any personal dreams of stardom, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Throughout his career, which included stops with four teams in six years before he found a home in New York, Hart always believed he could be more than just a scrappy player who tends to make the right play at the right time.
He told Edwards that he adopted a new mindset this season and is now focused on finding ways to make his high-profile teammates better. That led to setting a franchise record with nine triple-doubles during the season and averaging career highs of 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists along with 13.6 points per game.
“I think it’s realizing … for me, I feel like I’ve grown in my faith more,” Hart said. “I’ve been trying to take on that servant mentality. I want to make sure I can cater to these guys and make sure that they’re successful and put in the right positions to blossom.”
Edwards states that Hart often points to Celtics guard Jrue Holiday as an example of sacrificing individual glory for the greater good. Holiday was a two-time All-Star who accepted a reduced role in Boston’s offense to help produce a championship, and he’s in a unique position to understand Hart’s value to the Knicks.
“Even though people might say, like, he doesn’t shoot the ball well enough or do whatever, he makes plays, and he makes the game easier for everybody else based off his play,” Holiday said. “And it’s not just his effort. He’s really smart. He gets to the basket. He offensive rebounds. Things that guys don’t really want to do, he’s excellent at it. Guys who really take that to heart and can really play that type of game, I feel like you can be in the league as long as you want to if you play that way.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Karl-Anthony Towns scored eight of the team’s final 10 points in Sunday’s win at Detroit, and one of the clutch shots was a fadeaway he developed while working with Kyrie Irving last summer, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns said Irving taught him the finer points of the shot, including where to hold the ball and how to launch it above the defender “It’s something that I never really had,” Towns said. “And it didn’t look as good. And I was able to iron my game out watching a great like him. One of the most talented players the NBA has ever seen and just did it as best I could to add my little flavor to it. It may not look as good as his — I ain’t going to lie, I think it’s pretty damn ugly — but it’s effective when I need it to be.”
- Mikal Bridges hit two late three-pointers Sunday after shooting just 1-of-10 from the field in the first three quarters, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges said he drew inspiration from his teammates, particularly Cameron Payne, who has seen limited playing time since scoring 14 points in the series opener. “I think the biggest is Cam Payne,” Bridges said. “He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps as well. It just feeds off that.”
- Coach Tom Thibodeau deserves more credit for the adjustments he has made throughout the series, including getting more shots for Towns after he was shut down in Game 2, contends Ian Begley of SNY. Begley notes that Thibodeau’s job might have been in jeopardy with a first-round loss, but he has responded with a high-level coaching performance.
Kevin Love Announces Death Of His Father, Ex-NBA Player Stan Love
Kevin Love, who has been away from the Heat for personal reasons, announced Sunday on Instagram that his father, former NBA player Stan Love, has died, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“The best last lesson one generation can teach the next: how to die with peace about how you’ve lived,” Kevin Love wrote. “This may be my Dad’s greatest gift. Teaching me that healing happens in your soul and that healing is there for the taking, even in the face of imminent death. Dad loved his family unconditionally and left his children with one of life’s great lessons.”
The elder Love, who was 76, was selected by the Baltimore Bullets with the ninth pick in the 1971 draft. He was traded to the Lakers in 1973 and played one year with San Antonio in the ABA before his career ended in 1975. He finished with career averages of 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 239 games. Stan Love is also famous for being the younger brother of Beach Boys singer Mike Love.
Chiang notes that Kevin Love missed Miami’s final 10 regular season games and 22 overall while caring for his father. He returned for the first play-in tournament contest on April 16 against Chicago, but then had to leave again. He has been ruled out for tonight’s home game against Cleveland as the Heat try to avoid a sweep in their first-round series.
“We could use his voice,” Bam Adebayo said following Saturday’s loss. “But K-Love is going through a lot right now. We text him here and there. But understanding we still got to play the game, still got to figure it out, still got to figure out how to get one win. And that’s what we’ll worry about on Monday.”
Love, 36, has moved into a veteran leadership role for the Heat in his 17th NBA season. He appeared in just 23 games, making nine starts and averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per night.
He has one year remaining on his contract at $4.15MM, and he’s expected to continue playing next season.
“We feel for him and what he’s going through right now,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “So the thoughts are more about that, being there for him. We all know how much he means to us in our locker room, but this transcends that.”