Eastern Notes: Yabusele, Sixers Arena, Hawks, Mazzulla
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.
Western Notes: Gafford, Lakers, Kings, Jazz
Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford would be a good trade target for the Lakers but they’d probably have to overpay to get him, Jovan Buha of The Athletic stated on his Buha’s Block podcast (YouTube link; hat tip to BasketNews.com).
Buha speculated that it would require a package of Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht and a first-round pick to get Dallas’ attention. Gafford will make $14.4MM in the final year of his contract next season, making him a prime trade candidate on a team with frontcourt depth.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Camryn Carter (LSU), Tyrese Proctor (Duke). TJ Bamba (Oregon), Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee), Alex Toohey (Sydney) and Mohamed Diawara (Cholet) worked out for the Kings on Monday, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets. Toohey, a forward, is rated No. 36 overall by ESPN and Proctor is No. 43 on their Best Available list.
- The Jazz are promoting Marquis Newman to director of pro scouting and Katie Benzan to general manager of the NBA G League’s Salt Lake City Stars, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Newman has spent 11 years with the Jazz. Benzan, who was hired by Utah in 2022, will become the second current female GM in the G League.
- There’s hope for the Jazz if they take their cue from the Pacers and Thunder, Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune opines. They should study how these teams were built and developed and their style of play, Monson writes, to establish a blueprint for another small-market franchise like the Jazz.
Garland’s Injury Could Place Pressure On Cavs To Re-Sign Jerome
Darius Garland‘s toe surgery could put more pressure on the Cavaliers to re-sign backup point guard Ty Jerome despite the high penalty they’d have to pay in luxury taxes, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Garland is likely to miss the preseason and some regular season games as he rehabs from the toe surgery he underwent on Monday.
Jerome, who served as Cleveland’s backup point guard this season, is one of the more intriguing free agents on a limited market. He is coming off a career year in which he was a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
Jerome played a huge role in the Cavaliers’ regular season success that buoyed them to the top seed in Eastern Conference playoffs. Jerome averaged 12.5 points and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent on his three-point attempts in 70 regular-season appearances. His playing time diminished during the second round against Indiana due to shooting woes, defensive issues and turnovers.
He is projected to get offers with a first-year salary at or near the projected non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $14.1MM.
Jerome, who made $2.6MM this season, is eligible for a four-year contract worth up to $63MM from Cleveland, which holds his Early Bird rights. However, the $14.3MM salary he would make on such a deal would cost the Cavs $80MM of luxury taxes since they’re projected to operate above the second tax apron next season, Vardon writes, citing an ESPN analysis.
Being above the second apron severely limits teams ability to sign quality free agents and make trades, which could give more incentive for Cleveland to retain Jerome.
The Spurs, Mavericks, Nuggets and Warriors are among the teams that have been mentioned as possible suitors for the 27-year old, who had previous stints with Phoenix, Oklahoma City and Golden State.
Mavericks Notes: Nelson, Doncic, Prosper, Wei
Former Mavericks head coach Don Nelson took a shot at the current organization for trading Luka Doncic, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes. Nelson, who was named the recipient of this year’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Basketball Coaches Association on Sunday, commented on the controversial deal prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
“It was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him,” Nelson said.
Nelson, 85, was coach and GM of the Mavericks from 1997 to 2005. His son, former Mavs executive Donnie Nelson, was instrumental in the draft-day deal that brought Doncic to Dallas.
“I want everybody to know I’m wearing Luka’s shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market, and I wore them in protest for the trade from Dallas,” Nelson said.
Here’s more on the Mavericks:
- Second-year forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper underwent season-ending surgery on his right wrist in early March. Prosper offered an update to the Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis (Twitter link), saying he should be fully healthy in a few weeks. “Rehab is going great. The process is where it’s supposed to be and I’ll be back soon,” said Prosper, who posted averages of 3.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 0.8 APG in 11.2 MPG across 52 appearances this season. Prosper is under contract for $3MM next season. Dallas will have to decide by October 31, 2025 whether or not to pick up his $5.26MM option for the 2026/27 season.
- Guard Lin Wei, one on the top scorers in China, has a workout scheduled with the Mavericks, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Lin Wei, who is draft-eligible this month, is averaging 21.6 points per game this season while shooting 34.4% from distance for Nanjing MK of the Chinese Basketball Association.
- In case you missed it, projected top pick Cooper Flagg will visit with the Mavericks brass on June 17. Get the details here.
Cooper Flagg To Visit Mavericks On June 17
Next Tuesday will be Flagg day in Dallas. Cooper Flagg will meet with the Mavericks brass on June 17, eight days before Dallas is expected to make the Duke freshman forward to the No. 1 pick in the draft, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Jonathan Givony.
Marc Stein reported on Saturday that Flagg would visit Dallas prior to the draft and now there’s a firm date for his arrival.
The Mavericks held the winning combination in the lottery despite having just a 1.8 percent chance of getting the top pick. Flagg has been the projected No. 1 choice even before he donned a Blue Devils uniform and only enhanced his status with a stellar one-and-done season. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent overall and 38.5 percent on three-point attempts.
The Mavericks have no plans to work out any other prospects for the top pick. They have not wavered on their desire to select Flagg, who will be the new face of their franchise, nor have they shown any interest in trading the top pick. Flagg is not planning to conduct any additional visits.
Flagg will slot into a jumbo frontcourt that includes Anthony Davis at the four and either Dereck Lively or Daniel Gafford in the middle.
Pacers Notes: Defense, Haliburton, Carlisle, Boucek
The Thunder have been praised for their defensive prowess and depth but the Pacers have those same attributes, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm and Shakeia Taylor note. Throughout the playoffs, the Pacers have been using what they call the “wear-down effect,” in which they use their depth and speed to carry out their defensive coverages and apply full-court pressure. That leads to key stops and uncharacteristic late-game decisions by their opponents.
It helped them during their unlikely rally in Game 1.
“We want to make it hard,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Each game in the series is going to look different. A playoff series is a series of seven chapters, you know, and each one takes on a different personality.”
Here’s more on the Pacers as they head into tonight’s Game 2 with a 1-0 series lead:
- Tyrese Haliburton not only hit the game-winning shot on Thursday but scouts interviewed by Grant Afseth of RG.org noted how the Pacers star adjusted as the game progressed. He appeared to be in a feeling-out process in the first half but his mindset clearly shifted during the second half. “That’s growth,” one Eastern Conference assistant coach told Afseth. “You don’t wait until the fourth quarter to flip a switch—he came out in the third quarter and changed the tone.”
- Haliburton is carrying out the vision that Carlisle had when the head coach returned for a second stint with Indiana. Jared Weiss of The Athletic details their partnership and how the relationship between coach and star player has evolved. “I think that it got to the point for me where when you’re young, establishing yourself in the NBA, you’re kind of working your way through things and trying to figure out where you stand in the league,” Haliburton said. “Where I’m at now, I’m really comfortable in my own skin. I feel like I’ve really started to establish myself in this league.”
- Former Heat coach Ron Rothstein played an important mentoring role in Jenny Boucek‘s coaching career, as Ira Winderman of he South Florida Sun Sentinel details. Boucek was an assistant with the WNBA’s Miami Sol in the early 2000s. Boucek is now one of Carlisle’s top assistants. Carlisle says that Boucek is a “great communicator” and also brings a lot of positive energy to the staff and team.
Don Nelson Chosen For Lifetime Achievement Award By NBCA
Don Nelson has been selected for the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced via a press release (Twitter link).
Nelson is already a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as one of only two coaches in NBA history to lead three teams to at least 250 wins. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, the NBCA president, said via a statement that Nelson was also one of the league’s greatest innovators.
“History has already reflected Don Nelson’s staggering contributions as a cutting-edge innovator and visionary of the NBA game,” Carlisle stated. “Back in the ’80s and ’90s, he made teams adjust to historic pace, liberal 3-point shooting, inverted offense, and disruptive defensive schemes. All this while establishing himself as one of the most compelling personalities in all of professional sports. I’m certain that Chuck Daly would agree that our beloved ‘Nellie’ is most deserving of this prestigious recognition.”
Nelson served as an NBA head coach for 31 seasons with the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavericks. During his career, he amassed a 1,335-1063 (.557) record and currently ranks second all-time in wins and games coached (2,398).
“I’m extremely grateful and humbled to receive this incredible honor and join the exclusive list of coaches who have preceded me,” Nelson said. “Chuck Daly was a dear friend of mine and someone I respected immensely due to his class, character, and of course, his coaching ability. He may not have influenced my wardrobe, but Chuck certainly had a lasting impact on my coaching philosophy, style, and most importantly, how I managed the personalities on a roster. Chuck was an absolute genius in all facets of the game and life. I’m glad I had the opportunity to coach against him, learn from him, and benefit from his knowledge. To say that I’m deeply touched to receive an award that bears his name would be an understatement. This is special.”
During his playing career, Nelson helped the Celtics win five championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, and 1976) and was an “iron man” who appeared in 465 consecutive games. Nelson began his coaching career in 1976 and retired in 2010 after a stint with Golden State.
Nelson also served as head coach of the 1994 U.S. National Team (Dream Team II) at the FIBA World Championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012.
The NBCA award is determined annually by a selection committee. Rudy Tomjanovich was last year’s recipient.
Pacers Notes: Pierce, Haliburton, Flight, Defending SGA, Underdog Role
Lloyd Pierce had a rough two-and-a-half seasons as a head coach with the Hawks from 2018-21. Pierce, now one of Rick Carlisle‘s top assistants with the Pacers, is hoping for another shot at being an NBA head coach, he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“I took a head coaching job and I learned a lot,” Pierce said. “I want to be able to prove to myself. More than anything, I want to propel an organization to where we are right now, the NBA Finals.
“Every competitor struggles with the day they were let go. And so, everything you do moving forward is first self-awareness, and then second it’s do what you need to do to get back in that seat and prove everybody wrong, and more importantly prove it to yourself. And I’m definitely more about proving myself, and so I’m not stressing over it. But I definitely feel like I deserve an opportunity to get back in that seat again.”
We have more on the Pacers:
- Considering the team’s slow start, the Pacers made an unexpected rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton plans to savor his first taste of the NBA Finals, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star writes. “This is a really exciting time for me personally to have this opportunity,” Haliburton said. “This is something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. Last year, having playoff success in my first playoff run and being unsuccessful to start the season, for me I thought a lot about, wow, maybe I took last year for granted. I didn’t know what the playoffs were going to look like as the year was going on. I didn’t know if we’d be a play-in team or where we’d stack up in the end with how we were playing early in the year. I’m definitely not taking this for granted. Learning to appreciate every day and remember all these days as best as I can.”
- The Pacers’ flight to Oklahoma City on Tuesday took an unexpected turn. The team’s charter flight was first diverted to Tulsa due to severe weather in Oklahoma. Then, after refueling there, the plane was re-routed around another band of weather before finally landing in Oklahoma City about three-and-a-half hours behind schedule, according to The Associated Press.
- How will they defend Thunder star guard and Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated tackles that topic, speculating that Andrew Nembhard will likely serve as the point-of-attack defender. Stiles also anticipates the Pacers will attempt to clog the driving lanes as SGA works to get to his spots at the elbow, the baseline and the rim.
- The Pacers are heavy underdogs to win the championship and they’re comfortable in that role, Dopirak writes. “We’ve all been doubted at some point in time of our lives,” Carlisle said. “You look in the mirror, you gotta face the doubts and you decide, how are you going to go forward? Are you going to fight through and find a way or are you going to find an excuse. Our team is a bunch of guys who have found a way in a lot of different situations.”
And-Ones: ESPN Broadcasters, Inside The NBA, Small Forward Market, Key Dates
The current top ABC/ESPN broadcasting trio of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson might not work together beyond the NBA Finals, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports.
That grouping hasn’t meshed like the vaunted trio of Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy — the latter two were let go by ESPN during a series of cost-cutting moves in 2023. The network will reevaluate its current roster of broadcasters after the Finals, Marchand says, adding that ESPN intends on re-signing Jefferson, though the analyst has also drawn interest from Amazon Prime Video.
Burke’s spot is not guaranteed for next season, according to Marchand, but Breen is locked in as the top play-by-play man. Tim Legler has supporters among the network’s top executives and could become a option to join the No. 1 broadcasting group.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- TNT’s celebrated “Inside the NBA” show will move to ESPN next season but Charles Barkley doesn’t intend to finish out his 10-year contract, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports relays. Barkley has seven years left on the $210MM contract he signed with TNT and said on the Dan Patrick Show he only wants to work two more years. “Inside the NBA” will continue to have an extended post-game show and will also lead ESPN’s pregame and halftime programming.
- The free agent small forward pool doesn’t have an All-Star level talent, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. The “starter tier” is headed by Khris Middleton and Kelly Oubre, who hold options on their contracts. Restricted free agent Justin Edwards and unrestricted FA Taurean Prince round out that group.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks lists all the key offseason dates, beginning with the draft’s early entry entrant withdrawal deadline for non-college players on June 15. The other important date this month prior to the draft is the start of negotiations between teams and their own free agents, which occurs the day after the Finals conclude.
Dumars: Zion To Remain Pelicans’ Franchise Cornerstone
Zion Williamson will remain the Pelicans‘ franchise cornerstone, new executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Dumars cleared up any speculation regarding the possibility of Williamson being traded this offseason.
“I’ve had really good conversations with Zion,” Dumars said. “We’ve had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We’ve done it all. I’ve had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations. We’re going to go forward with Zion. He’s going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward.”
Naturally, Williamson has to hold up his end of the bargain. His career has been marred by numerous injuries. He missed the entire 2021/22 season due to foot ailments and appeared in no more than 30 games in three of his other five seasons, including this past year.
When he’s been on the court, Williamson has been a stat-stuffer, averaging 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game over the course of his career. The conversations between Dumars and Williamson have included expectations that the former No. 1 overall pick will get in top shape and do everything possible to stay on the court. He has three years remaining on his maximum-salary contract, which isn’t fully guaranteed.
“We’ve had some real direct conversations with him about that,” Dumars said. “Expectations. Accountability. That’s our plan going forward with Zion.”
Williamson has been in the news recently, as a woman who says she dated him for several years has filed a lawsuit against the Pelicans forward, alleging rape and abuse. Williamson’s legal reps have called the allegations “categorically false and reckless.”
While Dumars declined to comment on Williamson’s legal issues, Pelicans owner Gayle Benson did briefly address them earlier this week, saying “You know, lawsuits are lawsuits. You really can’t … You don’t know. I mean people can sue you for anything. There’s no reason. You can be innocent or not. It’s just something that people do, unfortunately.”
Dumars did confirm that Williamson represented the team at the draft lottery last month to make a statement about the 24-year-old’s status within the organization.
“I sent him to the lottery for a reason,” Dumars said. “I want him to start focusing on the responsibilities of being the best player here and the focal point. There are some responsibilities that come with that. Go represent your organization.”
Dumars also discussed with Walker his thoughts on retaining Willie Green as head coach.
“It’s hard for me to come in here and say, ‘Here’s how I assessed Willie last year,” Dumars said. “I wasn’t here. All I can do is move forward and guide and create and lead and put expectations on what we need to do here to be successful. And only then can I judge Willie or anyone else. I was pleased with what I heard. I’m looking forward to going forward and working with Willie and to push us to success. You’ve got to set the bar. And that’s what we’re going to do.”