Kings Reportedly Have Interest In Darius Garland
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.
Latest On Jason Kidd, Knicks’ Coaching Search
There’s “mutual intrigue” between Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and the Knicks, who reportedly have interest in hiring him away from Dallas, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Monday during a SportsCenter appearance (Twitter video link).
Peter Botte of The New York Post confirms that the interest between Kidd and the Knicks is mutual, while Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) provides more details on why the former NBA star appeals to New York. As Stein explains, Kidd has existing relationships with Knicks owner James Dolan and star point guard Jalen Brunson, who is thought to be a “strong Kidd advocate.”
Kidd also has experience handling the New York City spotlight as both a player and a coach, which is considered an important part of the job, given how often the Knicks’ head coach is expected to speak on behalf of the franchise, Stein notes. Members of the front office, including president of basketball operations Leon Rose, essentially never talk to the media.
Whether that mutual interest between Kidd and New York leads anywhere remains to be seen, however. The Knicks haven’t yet asked the Mavericks for permission to speak to their head coach and likely won’t do so unless they’re confident they have a real chance to hire him, as Windhorst observes. Stein, who stated over the weekend that Dallas may simply turn down New York’s request for permission if it comes, agrees that the Knicks ultimately may not even submit that request, if that’s the outcome they’re expecting.
Still, until the Mavericks make it clear on or off the record – like the Rockets did with Ime Udoka – that they’re not entertaining the idea of letting their head coach go, or until the Knicks begin focusing on a new target, the chatter surrounding Kidd will likely continue, Stein writes.
Here’s more on Kidd and the Knicks’ head coaching vacancy:
- Kidd wasn’t a big fan of having to act as the Mavericks’ de facto spokesman in the wake of the team’s Luka Doncic trade in February, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Still, Stein doesn’t believe Kidd is unhappy in Dallas or angling for the Knicks’ job, noting that the veteran head coach is close with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. Kidd and his family are also settled in Dallas, and he has also spoken enthusiastically in multiple media appearances in recent weeks about the prospect of adding Cooper Flagg.
- Speaking of Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick is scheduled to visit Dallas next Tuesday. Stein suggests that the Mavericks likely won’t want Kidd’s future with the Mavs to still be an open question at that point, so resolution one way or the other should come within the next week.
- Although it seems as if Kidd is the Knicks’ Plan A, the organization is expected to conduct an “exhaustive search that includes coaches at every level,” league sources tell Edwards.
- While Tom Thibodeau had a reputation for being reluctant to play his youngsters, Jared Schwartz of The New York Post notes that second-round picks like Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride blossomed under the Knicks’ former head coach. Player development could be an important consideration in this coaching search, Schwartz adds, since the team will want to get the most out of 2024 draftees Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, and Ariel Hukporti.
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Los Angeles Clippers
The summer of 2024 represented the end of an era for the Clippers. Nearly five years after Kawhi Leonard committed to the Clippers as a free agent at the same time the team was finalizing a blockbuster trade for Paul George, the latter departed in free agency, accepting a four-year, maximum-salary contract offer from the Sixers that L.A. had been unwilling to match.
The version of the Clippers built around Leonard and George was a perennial championship threat when those two were on the court. However, that happened far less frequently than the organization had hoped, with one star or the other often sidelined due to an injury by the time the club was facing postseason elimination. During the five years the two L.A. natives spent together as Clippers, the team won just three playoff series -- and all of those victories came in 2020 and 2021.
So while the Clippers certainly weren't happy to see George walk for nothing in free agency last offseason, it did generate some new opportunities for a team that had spent the last four years operating in luxury tax territory and didn't have an NBA Finals appearance to show for it.
Getting George's contract off the books and getting out of tax apron territory opened up more roster-building avenues for the Clippers and allowed them to spread out some of the money they'd earmarked for George among several rotation players. The club brought in Derrick Jones using the mid-level exception, Nicolas Batum on the bi-annual exception, and Kris Dunn via sign-and-trade, creating the depth necessary to remain competitive during the first half of the season as Leonard recovered from a knee ailment.
Career years for Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell and an All-NBA performance by James Harden as the team's primary offensive engine fueled a strong season for the Clippers, who - even with Leonard limited to just 37 appearances - won more games in 2024/25 (50) than they did in four of their five years with George on the roster.
Unfortunately, L.A. drew a brutal first-round matchup against the Nuggets, who beat the Clips in seven games before going on to push the eventual Western champion Thunder to seven games in the next round. If the seeding had worked out a little differently and the Clippers had ended up on the opposite side of the bracket from the Nuggets and Thunder, would they have won a series or two? We'll never know for sure, but it's certainly possible. This was a good team without many obvious holes.
That's the good news for the Clippers entering the 2025 offseason. The bad news? Even with Harden and Leonard healthy for the postseason, it wasn't good enough to beat the best of the West, so the front office will have to find a way to make additional improvements this summer.
The Clippers' Offseason Plan
While Harden could decline his $36.4MM player option, become an unrestricted free agent, and sign with a new team, there has been absolutely no indication that's the direction he'll go this summer.
Hawks Among Teams Eyeing Myles Turner
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.
And-Ones: 2021 Re-Draft, FA Centers, Teams To Watch, More
If teams were to redo the 2021 NBA draft knowing what they know now, All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham would still be the first overall pick, according to HoopsHype. However, the site’s 2021 re-draft suggests there would be deviations from what actually happened in many other places, starting at No. 2, where Evan Mobley moves up a spot.
Alperen Sengun (No. 16 to No. 3), Austin Reaves (undrafted to No. 6), and Jalen Johnson (No. 20 to No. 8) are among the other notable risers into HoopsHype’s new-look top 10, while Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs, Josh Giddey, and Jonathan Kuminga are among the top picks who dropped at least a few spots in this exercise.
Herbert Jones (No. 35 to No. 14), Aaron Wiggins (No. 55 to No. 16), and Ayo Dosunmu (No. 38 to No. 20) are a few of the second-round selections who, with the benefit of hindsight, should’ve been drafted in the first round, per HoopsHype.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Although there are no All-Star level centers set to reach free agency this offseason, there are several solid starter-level big men to watch, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac, who has Myles Turner, Naz Reid, and Brook Lopez atop his rankings.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks identifies 10 of the most important NBA teams to watch this offseason, including the one with significant cap room (Brooklyn), some who will be looking to shed salary (Boston and Phoenix), and several who figure to be seeking the piece(s) that could push them over the top next season (Denver, Golden State, and the Lakers, among others).
- Will NBA franchise valuations continue to rise after the Celtics were sold for a record $6.1 billion? Daniel Roberts of Front Office Sports explores that subject, soliciting thoughts from a handful of current and former team owners, including Ted Leonsis of the Wizards and former Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry.
- A federal judge approved a settlement on Friday that will pave the way for colleges and universities to begin paying athletes directly. Dan Murphy of ESPN takes a closer look at what exactly it means.
Patty Mills Named University Of Hawai’i GM
Longtime NBA guard Patty Mills has been hired by the University of Hawai’i as the general manager of the men’s basketball program, according to a press release from the school.
It’s a newly created role, according to the press release, in which Mills will “support student-athlete mentorship and development, while contributing to key areas including recruiting, fundraising, and community engagement.”
A native of Australia, Mills didn’t play his college ball for the Rainbow Warriors, having instead attended Saint Mary’s from 2007-09. However, he has lived in Hawai’i during the offseason for the past decade and sponsored the 2022 North Shore Classic, a local four-team tournament that was won by the University of Hawai’i.
“I’m deeply honored to join the University of Hawai’i basketball program as the new general manager.” Mills said in a statement. “This role is not only a professional milestone, but a personal one as well. Despite being from different parts of the Pacific region, as someone from the Torres Strait Islands, I feel a strong cultural connection to Hawai’i—our communities share deep respect and spiritual connection to the land, sea and sky and the strength of family and tradition.”
Mills’ new job doesn’t necessarily mean he’s retiring as an NBA player. Today’s press release refers to him as a “current member” of the Clippers, and we’ve seen several other active NBA players take on roles with colleges in recent months, including Stephen Curry becoming the assistant GM at Davidson, Trae Young being named the assistant GM at Oklahoma, and Terance Mann joining Florida State as their assistant GM.
It’s unclear whether Mills’ new GM position will be more intensive than those AGM roles, but until he formally announces his retirement, it would be premature to assume he’s calling it a career, even if his on-court role has declined significantly in recent years. After averaging just 13.0 minutes per game in 32 appearances for Atlanta and Miami in 2023/24, the 16-year veteran saw action in 29 contests for the Jazz and Clippers this past season, averaging 3.8 points and 0.9 assists in 11.1 minutes per night.
Mills will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and will turn 37 in August.
Cavs’ Darius Garland Undergoes Toe Surgery
12:54 pm: Garland will likely miss some time at the start of the 2025/26 season, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
12:32 pm: Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland underwent surgery on Monday to repair the great toe injury that hampered him in the postseason, according to a press release from the team. The procedure was performed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
According to the Cavaliers, Garland’s status will be “updated as appropriate” in approximately four or five months, following a progression of treatment and rehabilitation. While that statement suggests Garland’s availability for the start of the season is in doubt, the team’s announcement also says he’s expected to make a full recovery and resume basketball activities before training camp begins.
Given that those two timelines contradict one another, Garland’s recovery process will be worth monitoring in the coming months. Either way, it sounds like he’ll spend the entire offseason recovering from the procedure and doing rehab work on his toe.
Garland’s injury, which the Cavs referred to as a left great toe sprain, sidelined him for the final two games of the team’s first-round series vs. Miami and the first two games of the second-round series vs. Indiana.
Although he was able to return for Game 3 and played in the final three games of Cleveland’s season, the 25-year-old didn’t look like his usual self, making just 13-of-38 shots from the floor (34.2%), including 3-of-18 three-pointers (16.7%), and racking up as many turnovers as assists (12 apiece).
During the regular season, Garland was a key reason why the Cavs won a conference-high 64 games. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per night with a career-high 47.2% mark on shots from the floor. His 75 games played also represented a career high.
Multiple reports since the Cavs were eliminated have indicated that the club might be more willing than in the past to entertain the idea of trading Garland this offseason. However, Cleveland is unlikely to move him unless the front office can find a deal that improves the roster – or at least doesn’t hurt it – while creating a more favorable cap situation going forward. Extracting that sort of value figures to be more difficult now that Garland is recovering from a surgical procedure.
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Miami Heat
Many NBA general managers and team presidents speak in platitudes during their postseason and preseason media sessions, but when Heat president Pat Riley met with the press last spring and fall, he took the opportunity to directly challenge his players to improve their availability and to become better versions of themselves.
Some players responded well to Riley's candor. After being dubbed "fragile" by the longtime Heat president last May, Tyler Herro had a career year in 2024/25, making his first All-Star team and blowing away his previous career highs by appearing in 77 regular season games and averaging 23.9 points per contest.
Riley's remarks proved less inspiring for other key Heat players, however. Jimmy Butler, who was filmed during the 2024 playoffs claiming that the Heat would've beaten the Celtics if he were healthy, reportedly chafed at Riley's recommendation that he "keep (his) mouth shut," and was irked by Miami's unwillingness to give him the maximum-salary extension he sought, due to concerns about his injury history.
While Butler dismissed the idea that his relationship with Riley or the Heat was strained ahead of the season, the situation came to a head by December, with the star forward agitating for a trade out of Miami and earning three separate team-imposed suspensions for "conduct detrimental to the team" and "intentionally withholding services."
With Butler in and out of the lineup and trade speculation swirling around the six-time All-Star for weeks, the Heat actually weathered the storm pretty well. Miami was above .500 (25-24) at the trade deadline, and after sending Butler to Golden State for a package that included Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and Davion Mitchell, the team was optimistic about finishing the season strong, having removed a major distraction from the equation.
Instead, it almost seemed as if the Heat's adrenaline wore off and they found themselves suddenly feeling the aftereffects of the drama that had engulfed the club for the better part of the season. Miami lost 17 of its next 21 games, and while the drop down the standings wasn't as precipitous as it could have been if the bottom of the Eastern Conference were a little more competitive, the Heat slid from sixth to 10th, which is where they ultimately finished the season despite reeling off a six-game winning streak in March and April.
The Heat subsequently made history twice in April, first by becoming the first No. 10 seed to make it through the play-in tournament to clinch a playoff spot, then by being on the wrong end of the most lopsided series in NBA postseason history. The playoff berth meant their first-round draft pick would be sent to the Thunder, which was perhaps a better outcome than the alternative -- if the pick had landed in the top 14 and stayed with Miami, the Heat would've owed an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City.
With their '26 pick in hand, the Heat have more potential paths they could take this offseason and beyond. But tanking has been a rarity during the Riley era, so it's likely the front office will do its best in the coming weeks to figure out a way to turn this club - just two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance - back into a contender as soon as possible.
The Heat's Offseason Plan
Bam Adebayo is viewed as a long-term cornerstone in Miami, having taken over the title of team captain following Udonis Haslem's retirement. Herro, who had long been the subject of trade speculation as the Heat pursued stars like Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell in recent years, perhaps solidified his place alongside Adebayo with his breakout 2024/25 performance. But no one else on the roster should be considered entirely safe entering this summer.
Knicks Notes: Kidd, Finch, Thibodeau, Brunson
After Marc Stein reported earlier today that the Knicks are expected to seek the Mavericks‘ permission to talk to head coach Jason Kidd about their head coaching job, Ian Begley of SNY.tv and ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon have confirmed as much. New York is “conducting active due diligence” on Kidd, according to Charania and MacMahon.
The question remains whether or not the Mavericks will grant that permission. Sources tell ESPN’s duo that Mavs general manager Nico Harrison and team owner Patrick Dumont haven’t yet discussed whether to allow Kidd and the Knicks to speak to one another. It’s also unclear whether Kidd would have interest in leaving Dallas for New York — he did interview for the Knicks’ job in 2020 before Tom Thibodeau was hired, as Charania and MacMahon note.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is also part of a small group of head coaches already under contract whom the Knicks have interest in, according to Begley. It’s unclear if the Knicks plan to ask the Wolves about talking to Finch, but I can’t imagine Minnesota being very enthusiastic about the possibility.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Following up on ESPN’s reporting about the Knicks dismissing Thibodeau after getting input from players, Begley notes that while that player input was a factor in the team’s decision, Knicks players were respectful of Thibodeau during their end-of-season exit meetings and have a “great deal of admiration” for him. They did point out during those meetings, however, that there were things Thibodeau did during his tenure that could be improved, Begley adds.
- There will be plenty of Jalen Brunson-related subplots to monitor during the Knicks’ head coaching search, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscription required). As Braziller observes, Brunson has blossomed into a star under Thibodeau and spoke highly of the veteran coach. It remains to be seen how much input the point guard might have in the team’s hiring decision and what the coaching change will mean for his father, assistant coach Rick Brunson.
- The Knicks aren’t expected to make an immediate head coaching hire, a league source tells Steve Popper of Newsday, who details the pressure and expectations that Thibodeau’s replacement will face.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who is the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, admitted this week that he was shocked by the Knicks’ decision to fire Thibodeau. “Thibs went in there and changed so much,” Carlisle said (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). “You look at all that and what happened yesterday. When I first saw it I thought it was one of those fake AI things, like, no way. No way possible.”
2025 NBA Free Agent Preview: Power Forwards
After previewing the free agent point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards who will be eligible for free agency this offseason, we're turning our attention today to power forwards, a group has become increasingly harder to define. Many of the players we highlight in the space below spent a good deal of time playing at the three or the five in 2024/25 and will likely continue to do so going forward.
In addition to not being heavy on traditional fours, this year's group lacks high-level unrestricted free agents. Most of the top power forwards who could reach free agency this offseason will either be restricted FAs or hold player options, meaning they may not hit the open market at all.
Let's take a closer look at this summer's free agent power forwards, as we continue our breakdown of the 2025 free agent class by position.