Lakers Extend, Promote Rob Pelinka
The Lakers have announced an extension and promotion for Rob Pelinka, who is now the team’s president of basketball operations as well as general manager, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“For eight seasons, I have relied on Rob’s vision and leadership to do what’s best for the Lakers organization,” team governor Jeanie Buss said. “I value his partnership and professionalism and believe in his ability to deliver championship-caliber basketball for Los Angeles and Lakers fans everywhere.”
The Lakers hired Pelinka as general manager in 2017 and gave him the title of vice president of basketball operations in 2020.
He has delivered one championship during his tenure and may have the team in position to win more after acquiring Luka Doncic from Dallas in the season’s biggest deal. The addition of Doncic sparked L.A. to a 50-32 record and the third seed in the Western Conference.
Pelinka was also responsible for bringing LeBron James to Los Angeles during the summer of 2018. That gave the Lakers a star to build around after Kobe Bryant‘s retirement two years earlier and has made them a perennial playoff team.
In addition, Pelinka engineered a blockbuster deal in 2019 that brought Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Although Davis was later sent to Dallas in exchange for Doncic, the move showed that Pelinka wasn’t afraid to gamble to add star power to his team.
Pelinka, 55, won an NCAA title as a player with Michigan in 1989. He served as an agent, representing several prominent NBA stars, before getting hired by the Lakers.
Mavericks Notes: Williams, Davis, Gafford, New Arena, Silver
Mavericks guard Brandon Williams suffered a left oblique strain on Sunday, but he wasn’t going to let that stand in the way of his first postseason opportunity, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). After sending a text to head coach Jason Kidd promising that he was fine to play, Williams delivered 17 points and five assists in 18 minutes off the bench Wednesday as Dallas extended its season with a win at Sacramento.
“Ultimately, I was ready,” Williams said. “The medical staff, training staff and everybody that played a good part. And then my teammates lifted me up, hooking me up. So, it was just up to me to come out here and just play my all.”
Williams, who spent most of the season on a two-way contract, helped Dallas survive a manpower shortage caused by injuries and hard-cap spending restrictions. He averaged 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists during the regular season and was rewarded with a two-year standard contract on April 10. He has some security for the first time in his NBA career and looks ready to be a valuable contributor if Dallas can reach the playoffs by winning at Memphis tonight.
“Oh, my goodness! B-Will? I can’t say enough good things about him,” Klay Thompson said. “To go from being a two-way player to making an impact in the play-in — it’s a testament to his hard work and his character. He’s got a really bright future in this league.”
There’s more on the Mavericks:
- Players are expecting a tough matchup with the Grizzlies, whether or not Memphis has Ja Morant, who suffered an ankle injury on Tuesday, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs lost to the Grizzlies by 35 points in the regular season finale as both teams rested their best players. “I’ve been in a playoff series with them before,” Anthony Davis said. “Not sure about the update on Ja, but they still play well without Ja as well. Nothing changes. (Desmond) Bane got in a good rhythm (Tuesday). Big (Zach) Edey. He’s a big body. Jaren Jackson. All-Star. Defensive Player of the Year candidate, so it’s going to be a battle. We gotta come in locked in and prepared.”
- It has been a tumultuous season in Dallas coming off last year’s run to the NBA Finals, but Daniel Gafford sidestepped a question on whether it would be considered a failure if the Mavericks don’t win at Memphis, Curtis tweets. “We’re gonna save that question for whenever it ends,” Gafford said, “because we don’t plan on losing tonight.”
- The Mavericks appear to be nearing the end of their long-time relationship with the NHL’s Dallas Stars as tenants of American Airlines Center and Reunion Arena, according to Lia Assimakopolous of The Dallas Morning News. At a press conference with week with selected media members, CEO Rick Welts talked about moving into a new arena when the current lease expires in 2031. “At least for this point, we think the best option for the Mavericks right now and for the experience of going to Mavericks games would be to build a basketball-first facility,” Welts said.
- Appearing Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link), commissioner Adam Silver tried to quash a persistent rumor that the Mavericks’ owners are conspiring to move the team to Las Vegas.
Noa Essengue To Declare For NBA Draft
French star Noa Essengue will enter the NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 18-year-old power forward is a potential lottery pick, coming in 17th in ESPN’s latest draft rankings.
“Since I was a kid, it’s been my dream to get drafted by an NBA team,” Essengue said. “My goal now is to be a top-10 pick. I’m focused on the end of my season, hoping to win a championship, but after the playoffs, I will need to get myself ready, because there’s a big gap between Europe and the NBA.”
Givony notes that Essengue is 6’10”, but he’s often assigned to defend point guards because of his quick feet and long arms. He’s a fast jumper who draws fouls frequently and has proven to be an efficient finisher at the rim despite his thin build. Givony also cites Essengue’s basketball IQ, which includes “a good feel for cutting, leaking out in transition and finding teammates with intelligent passes.”
“My biggest strength is my defense,” Essengue said. “I have the versatility to guard one to five. If an NBA coach wanted to put me on the court right now, it would be because I can stay in front of point guards and also put a body on centers. I need to keep improving every aspect of my game, though. I’m playing tougher every game, trying to match the intensity and physicality of my opponents.”
Essengue is currently playing for Germany’s Ratiopharm Ulm in the BBL League as well as EuroCup competition. Through 43 games, he’s averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 24 minutes per night.
Givony notes that Essengue will be the second-youngest player in this year’s draft, only three days older than projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. Givony adds that if Essengue had been born two weeks later, he would have been required to wait for the 2026 draft.
“I want to be a guy who can do everything on the court,” Essengue said. “I watch a lot of Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, and Kawhi Leonard, players that can dribble, pass, shoot and defend.”
Suns’ Mat Ishbia: ‘We Should’ve Won A Lot More Games’
Owner Mat Ishbia directed blame toward former head coach Mike Budenholzer for the Suns‘ disastrous season during a meeting with reporters on Thursday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Budenholzer, who received a five-year deal worth more than $50MM last May, was fired Monday morning after leading the team to a 36-46 record and missing the play-in tournament.
“There’s a lot of reasons why Coach Bud is not here. I’m not going to get into all those reasons, but definitely believe we should’ve won a lot more games and been a lot more competitive during those games as well,” Ishbia said. “Wish him the best, but it was the wrong coach for our organization and for that team and at the end of the day, you can blame me for it because I’m the owner.”
Ishbia has shown a quick trigger with coaches, dismissing Frank Vogel last offseason after Phoenix was swept in the first round of the playoffs. That came after reaching a buyout with Monty Williams in 2023 shortly after Ishbia purchased the team.
Ishbia spoke Thursday about the importance of getting the next head coaching decision “right.” He credited general manager James Jones and CEO Josh Bartelstein with building a competitive team and stated that the organization is “much better than a 36-win roster.” Ishbia also emphasized the need to find a head coach who works in unison with ownership and the front office.
“Our coach has to believe that stuff as well,” Ishbia said. “It can’t be, I believe this, and front office believes this, and the coach is like, ‘Yeah, but I don’t care that the guys are cheering guys on’ and ‘I don’t care if the guys are paying attention in the huddle.’ That’s not going to do with us. We’ve got to set it first up front with the leadership, it starts with me, and we will do that. And then we will get the right front office structure with scouts and what to look for in the draft and we’re going to find the right coach.”
Ishbia added that he hopes to hire his next coach in the “next week or two.” Rankin points out that the Suns were in the playoffs 2023 and 2024, which gave them a late start on their coaching searches.
Jones admits the current situation offers advantages, even though it’s not where the Suns expected to be.
“I think it was evident given the time crunch and given where we were that it wasn’t as thorough or as deep of a search as we would like,” he said. “Fortunately for us, the season has ended early so it gives us more time to get this right. Unfortunately, the season ended too early, which means that we’re in this position, but we’re going to be diligent.”
The Suns came out of the gate fast under Budenholzer, winning eight of their first nine games and looking like one of the top teams in the West. Rankin notes that things began to unravel in February as they lost 11 times in a 14-game stretch to fall five games under .500. Any lingering hopes for a spot in the play-in tournament disappeared as Phoenix stumbled to a 1-9 record in its final 10 games.
Defense was an issue for the Suns all season as they finished 27th in the league in defensive rating. That seemed to especially bother Ishbia, who told reporters, “That’s just not what we’re going to be about.” Budenholzer’s team was also criticized for a lack of toughness, and Ishbia indicated that will be a consideration in hiring the next coach.
“We’re going to look for someone that fits the vision of Phoenix Suns basketball organization,” he said. “Someone who is going to live out exactly what I’m talking about. Someone who is a little bit grimy, a little bit grinder, a little bit tough. Have a little bit of that in them. I joke, but it’s true, I’m no talent, all heart. That’s my life. I will just outwork everyone. I’m going to have a coach, a front office, players, that the Phoenix community will love because it’s going to be that.”
Heat Notes: Mitchell, Play-In Tournament, Jovic, Larsson, Love
Re-signing Davion Mitchell figures to be an offseason priority for the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 26-year-old guard, who was acquired from the Raptors as part of the Jimmy Butler trade, has become a valuable component of Miami’s defense during his two months with the team.
“I’ve shown it this whole year,” he said. “With Toronto I was able to showcase some of the things I can do. I think that’s the reason why Miami traded for me. They can see what I can do. They can see what I do for this culture and I fit right in.”
The Heat can make Mitchell a restricted free agent — giving them the option to match any offer he receives — by tendering an $8.7MM qualifying offer. A former NBA executive told Winderman that Mitchell’s next contract is likely to start in that range, projecting something in the neighborhood of $30MM over three years. Mitchell recently locked in the value of his QO by topping 2,000 minutes for the season, which meant meeting the starter criteria.
Mitchell was expected to be part of the future in Sacramento when he was selected with the ninth pick in the 2021 draft, but he fell out of the Kings’ rotation after a promising rookie year. After being traded twice over the past 10 months, Mitchell hopes he’s found a more stable situation with the Heat.
“To play basketball in Miami, it’s a blessing,” he said. “I love being here. It’s a spot I come to during the summer, so I’m familiar with it and I got a lot of people out here that I know.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Miami is trying to make history by becoming the first 10th seed ever to advance through the play-in tournament and earn a playoff spot, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat are brimming with confidence after Wednesday’s convincing win at Chicago, and they’re ready to take the same approach to tonight’s game against the Hawks. “We locked in defensively,” Andrew Wiggins said. “This has to carry over to Atlanta. We got one more game to do the same thing. Lock in defensively and the offense will follow.”
- Coach Erik Spoelstra expects Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson to be in uniform tonight, Chiang tweets. Jovic, who hasn’t played since February 23 due to a broken right hand, isn’t likely to see any action, although Spoelstra joked that he might be used as an inbounder. Larsson, who sprained his ankle last week, hasn’t appeared in a game since April 7.
- Kevin Love is away from the team again due to personal reasons, Chiang adds (Twitter link). Love has only played 23 times this season and hasn’t gotten into a game since logging six minutes on March 21.
Lauri Markkanen Hopes To Remain In Utah
Lauri Markkanen was one of the top names on the trade market last summer before he decided to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Jazz. Because he waited until August 7 to finalize the agreement, Markkanen was ineligible to be dealt for the entire season, giving him a brief break from trade speculation.
Those rumors are likely are start back up, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News, as Utah just turned in the league’s worst record at 17-65. But Markkanen said this week that he wants to remain with the Jazz, even if it means being part of a prolonged rebuilding process.
“I feel like what I did last summer with signing here, that kind of tells you the confidence I have in the organization and the guys we have,” Markkanen told reporters. “I love being in Utah. We’ll see what happens in summer, there’s things that you can’t control, but I love being here and working out with the guys that we have and building this thing.”
Injuries limited Markkanen to 47 games this season, the lowest total of his NBA career, but Todd points out that the number needs to be taken in context. The Jazz were clearly trying to maximize their lottery odds to land a prime spot in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, and they were fined $100K in March for violating the league’s player participation policy.
Markkanen was still productive when he played, averaging 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per night, although his shooting numbers fell to .423/.346/.876. He hasn’t been on the court since March 17 due to a condition in his left knee, but he expects to be fully recovered in time to represent Finland in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament.
“We have a big summer with the national team, and I’m excited for that,” Markkanen said. “In previous years (playing for the national team) those are the years I’ve always felt the best, physically and mentally, to be honest. Because you’re getting game reps right before the NBA season starts. So that kind of gets me excited for the summer, for being able to play for your country, and then how that’s going to lead up into the NBA season.”
It’s not guaranteed that Markkanen will stay in Utah for his entire contract, which runs through the 2028/29 season, Todd adds. He’ll turn 28 this summer, which puts him slightly off the timeline for a rebuilding franchise, and there are sure to be interested suitors now that he’s able to be traded again. General manager Justin Zanik indicated that he might listen to offers, but he doesn’t plan to shop Markkanen around the league.
“We’ll see when opportunities come up to add to the roster, but I see Lauri as a central part of what we’re doing, that’s why we signed him,” Zanik said. “We think he can be a huge piece for us as we join the competitive rings.”
DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis Uncertain About Future With Kings
After being embarrassed at home by Dallas in the play-in tournament on Wednesday, the Kings may have to worry about holding on to two of their best players, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis both discussed the direction the franchise plans to take in the wake of a disappointing season that ended with a 40-42 record and the ninth seed in the West.
DeRozan, who was in his first season with Sacramento after being traded there last July, was clearly upset about the loss, Anderson adds. He cited “just the structure and a foundation of a compete level” when asked what he’ll be considering when he ponders his future this summer.
“I think all year we had such an uncertainty of everything,” he added. “You can’t really operate in any successful environment if you have so much uncertainty, so I think for me, just the uncertainty of what it’s going to be going forward.”
That uncertainty manifested itself when general manager Monte McNair officially parted ways with the organization Wednesday night just minutes after the final buzzer. Former Kings executive Scott Perry is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to replace McNair.
Sacramento also fired head coach Mike Brown in December, replacing him with Doug Christie on an interim basis. Christie is in a good position to keep his job, sources tell Anderson, but Perry will have input on that decision.
Another layer was added to the “uncertainty” that DeRozan referenced when franchise cornerstone De’Aaron Fox was traded to San Antonio in February. Fox turned down a three-year, maximum-salary extension offer last summer and later expressed reluctance to make a long-term commitment to the Kings unless he was sure the team could “compete at a high level.”
Similar concerns were expressed by Sabonis, who indicated that he wants to meet with the new management team before making a decision about his future.
“First of all, I want to say I love it here,” Sabonis said. “I want to stay here. I want to win here. I also do want to know what’s going to happen. All these things are happening so quick. I want to get together with the new people, whoever comes in, and really try to get this right and get it back to where it was before.”
Anderson points out that DeRozan and Sabonis are both on long-term deals, but they could ask for trades if they don’t believe the Kings can become contenders. DeRozan has two years and a little more than $50MM left on the contract he signed when he was traded, and Sabonis has three seasons remaining on his four-year, $186MM deal.
DeRozan will turn 36 this summer and feels an urgency to be with a winning organization as he nears the end of his career.
“It’s difficult. It’s frustrating. It’s emotional. It’s everything,” he said after Wednesday’s loss. “I can only speak for myself. I put so much time, effort, preparation, sacrifice into the game of basketball. As much as I care for it, as much as I live it, it’s hurtful when you just don’t give yourself an opportunity to play for what matters, to make it to the playoffs and give yourselves a chance. It’s a scary thing when you realize this is a summer for me to get ready for my 17th season. Some of my favorite players I grew up watching, you don’t even get close to that number. Going into that, the window closing, it ain’t like this job is like being a teacher or being a reporter where y’all can do this as long as you can.”
Bulls Notes: Play-In Loss, White, Karnisovas, Huerter
The Bulls‘ season ended in familiar fashion on Wednesday night with another loss to Miami in the play-in tournament, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. This is the third straight year that it’s happened, and Wednesday’s game wasn’t close, with the Heat pulling away early while sinking a barrage of outside shots.
Poe notes that Miami scored 39 points in the first quarter and 32 more in the second quarter, neutralizing the Bulls’ game plan of pushing the pace in transition because they constantly had to inbound the ball after made shots. The Heat connected on 10 three-pointers in the first half and held a 24-point lead at intermission.
The home crowd found a little bit to cheer about as the Bulls briefly cut the lead to 13 points in the fourth quarter, but Miami quickly responded to put the game away. With a 39-43 record and an early postseason exit, Poe points out that it’s Chicago’s worst season in four years. The loss ensures the Bulls’ first-round pick will be in the lottery, but they’ll have minuscule odds of moving up to one of the top four selections.
There’s more from Chicago:
- Coby White believes the Heat’s experience in big games made the difference, per Andrew Seligman of The Associated Press. White, who had been on a scoring tear to close out the regular season, finished with 17 points but shot just 5-of-20 from the field. “We didn’t really have game-plan discipline,” he said. “We beat them in the regular season. We thought if we just do what we normally do, then we’ll be good. But obviously, they’ve got guys that have been to the finals. They’ve got guys that know what it takes. They got a head coach who’s one of the best head coaches in the league. They came in and they were the better team tonight.”
- Executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas should be embarrassed that he wasted another season on player development instead of finding a way to get elite talent on the roster, contends Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley states that every mistake the front office has made over the past five years was on display Wednesday night, but the ultimate difference was dominant shooting by Miami’s Tyler Herro, who finished with 38 points. “You look at any great team, they have ‘a guy’ that’s really, really elite,” coach Billy Donovan said. “And a lot of times it’s in the backcourt. I think Coby made a really good jump, and wherever he gets to, I don’t know. Josh (Giddey) made a nice jump. I’m sure those will be all things the front office will take a look at as they go into the draft and free agency. I don’t disagree with you because that’s kind of been the case. I think what’s changed is the number of guys you needed.”
- Kevin Huerter, who was acquired from Sacramento in February, is hoping for a long-term future in Chicago, Cowley adds in a separate story. Huerter still has one season left on his contract, and he wants to find some stability after being dealt twice in the past three years.
Trail Blazers Notes: Henderson, Clingan, Billups, Offseason
Scoot Henderson looked more like a high lottery pick in his second NBA season than he did as a rookie, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. The No. 3 selection in the 2023 draft improved his shooting numbers to 41.9% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range and got to play in some significant games as the Trail Blazers remained in play-in contention late in the season.
“I’d say this year, I guess the game kind of slowed down,” Henderson said. “Things like that only come from playing and experiencing the NBA in general … I think I had more fun.”
Fentress adds that Henderson plans to spend the offseason working on his technique in all parts of the game, with an emphasis on learning how to be a better shot creator for himself and his teammates and finishing near the basket with his left hand. His confidence is buoyed by Portland’s success, as the team went 23-18 over the second half of the season and won 10 of 11 games at one point.
“I kind of liked seeing a little bit of who we are,” he added. “We kind of got our swag there, and when we get our swag like that, it’s tough to stop.”
There’s more from Portland:
- Rookie Donovan Clingan began to blossom when starting center Deandre Ayton suffered a season-ending calf injury in early February, Fentress states in a separate story. Clingan started getting consistent playing time and responded by averaging 8.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for the rest of the season. “It was great to see DC out there get some good bump,” Ayton said. “Knowing that he’s a two-time national championship guy, I know he wasn’t used to coming off the bench. So, just having the half of the season, starting, you could definitely see the confidence build up. And you saw his body change a little bit, him getting into better shape.”
- In another piece, Fentress shares the details of the contract extension head coach Chauncey Billups received last week. League sources tell Fentress that the Blazers picked up the fifth-year option on Billups’ current deal and added two more seasons, extending it through 2027/28. The new contract is fully guaranteed, Fentress adds, and Billups received a raise, although the amount wasn’t disclosed. Sources tell Fentress that Billups earned about $4.7MM this season.
- The Blazers should stick to their long-term plan and not get caught up in this season’s success, contends Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscription required). He compares the situation to the 2016 offseason when Portland invested heavily in free agents after Damian Lillard led the team to an unexpected fifth seed and a first-round playoff victory.
Mavericks Hope Kyrie Irving Can Return By January, Eye Three-Year Contract
The Mavericks are optimistic that Kyrie Irving could be playing again by January, Shams Charania of ESPN said on Wednesday during an appearance on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).
Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on March 3 and underwent surgery about three weeks later. The team didn’t provide a recovery timetable following the procedure, but players can often take a year or more to come back from ACL tears. If Charania’s timeline is accurate, Irving is on track to fully recover within about 10 months.
The 33-year-old guard was playing at an All-NBA level before the untimely injury, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists through 50 games with .473/.401/.916 shooting numbers. In February, he was selected as an All-Star for the ninth time in his career.
The loss of Irving sent the Mavs into a spiral that resulted in a 39-43 record, a 10th-place finish in the West and a spot in tonight’s play-in game. They were often short on personnel as their two-way players used up their eligibility, and they were unable to fill an open roster spot until April 10 due to a first-apron hard cap.
The more immediate issue with Irving is a nearly $44MM player option that he holds for next season. His decision is due by June 25, and Charania hears that the Mavericks would prefer to sign him to a new three-year contract. That would align him with Anthony Davis as well as general manager Nico Harrison.