Raptors Notes: Trent, Quickley, Porter, Draft Pick, More
Last June, after Gary Trent Jr. picked up his player option for 2023/24, there were reports suggesting that he and the Raptors were nearing an agreement on a multiyear extension. That deal never come to fruition, so Trent played out the year on an expiring contract and is on track to reach unrestricted free agency this summer.
As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes, it’s unclear whether or not Trent will continue his career in Toronto or head elsewhere once he becomes a free agent. According to Grange, it appears both sides are open to extending the relationship, but they’ll have to agree on a salary and a role, with the latter perhaps representing the more difficult discussion.
“To be honest, it’s really not my choice,” Trent said when asked about potentially staying with the Raptors. “They gotta want me, so I could say I want to come here, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t want me here. So again, at the end of the day, I would love to be anywhere I’m wanted, anywhere I can help contribute towards winning, anywhere that can see me as part of their future or sees me as part of something they got going on that would be great to be a part of.”
No player has appeared in more games (70) for Toronto this season than Trent, who averaged 13.7 points per game with a .393 3PT%. He’s wrapping up a three-year, $52MM deal that paid him approximately $18.6MM in 2023/24, and the Raptors will hold his Bird rights in the offseason, giving them the ability to go over the cap to re-sign him or to sign-and-trade him to a new team.
Here’s more from out of Toronto:
- Immanuel Quickley has solidified his place in the Raptors’ future and positioned himself for a nice payday as a restricted free agent this summer, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who suggests a salary in the range of $25MM annually seems likely for the 24-year-old.
- In addition to being investigated by the NBA, Raptors big man Jontay Porter is also the subject of an inquiry by the Colorado Division of Gaming, who have asked sportsbooks in the state to look into whether they have any accounts connected to Porter and whether those accounts wagered on any “NBA affiliated games.” David Purdum of ESPN has the story.
- As a result of Friday’s loss to Miami, the Raptors are locked into sixth place in the draft lottery standings, meaning they’ll have a 45.8% chance of keeping their first-round pick, which will be sent to San Antonio if it’s not in the top six. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, the front office has privately insisted it doesn’t have a strong preference either way — a top-six pick would put Toronto in position to add another building block to its young core, but the 2024 draft class is considered weak, and losing the pick now rather than rolling it over to 2025 would free up all the team’s future first-rounders to trade.
- From a lawsuit implicating him in stealing data from a division rival to a betting scandal involving one of his players, Darko Rajakovic has had to deal with an unprecedented amount of chaos in his first season as a head coach. As Lewenberg details for TSN.ca, Rajakovic’s players praised him for the way he has handled that drama and the job he has done amidst a major roster upheaval.
- Once known for their strong player development program, the Raptors have had fewer under-the-radar success stories in recent years, but Javon Freeman-Liberty‘s progress as a rookie two-way player this season is a step in the right direction, says Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Freeman-Liberty received a lightly guaranteed minimum salary for 2024/25 when he was promoted to the 15-man roster last month.
Community Shootaround: Playoff Seeding Battles
With all 30 NBA teams enjoying a day off on Saturday, we have just one day of regular season games remaining in 2023/24, with 15 games on Sunday’s slate.
Amazingly, through 81 games, only three playoff seeds have been determined — the Celtics own the No. 1 seed in the East, the Clippers control No. 4 in the West, and the Mavericks are No. 5 in the West.
We also know that the Bulls are locked into the No. 9 spot in the East and will host the No. 10 Hawks in one of next week’s play-in games.
Besides that though, 15 of the 20 total top-10 seeds in the two conferences remain up for grabs, with much to be determined based on Sunday’s results.
Here’s a look at the matchups to watch and the scenarios in play on Sunday:
Western Conference
Battle for the No. 1 seed:
The Nuggets were in the driver’s seat for the top spot in the West, but as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, they fell victim to another monster night from Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama on Friday, blowing a 23-point lead and falling all the way to third place in the conference standings as a result of a disappointing loss in San Antonio.
The Thunder and Timberwolves are now tied with Denver in the standings. All three teams have 56-25 records, but Oklahoma City holds the three-way tiebreaker, with Minnesota taking the second spot over the Nuggets for now. Their Sunday matchups are as follows:
- Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves
- Denver Nuggets at Memphis Grizzlies
- Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
If all three teams win or all three lose on Sunday, the current order in the standings (OKC at No. 1, Minnesota at No. 2, and Denver at No. 3) will remain as is. Here are the other scenarios in play on Sunday:
- A Timberwolves win paired with either a Nuggets loss or a Thunder loss would give Minnesota the No. 1 seed, since the Wolves hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over both teams.
- The only scenario in which the Timberwolves would fall to No. 3 would be if they lose and the Thunder and Nuggets both win. That’s not inconceivable, given that Minnesota has the toughest matchup of the three — the Suns still have something to play for, whereas the Mavs’ playoff seed is assured and the Grizzlies are lottery-bound.
- A Thunder win will ensure they claim the No. 1 seed unless the Nuggets lose and the Timberwolves win. The Thunder can fall to No. 3 only if they lose and the Nuggets win, regardless of what happens with Minnesota.
- The Nuggets can only claim the No. 1 seed it they win and the Timberwolves and Thunder both lose. They could move up to No. 2 with a win as long as one of OKC or Minnesota loses. Otherwise they’ll place third.
The final top-six spot:
It’s down to the Pelicans and the Suns for the No. 6 spot in the West. Whichever team misses out on the final guaranteed playoff spot will finish seventh and will host the No. 7 vs. 8 play-in matchup.
New Orleans (49-32) has a one-game lead over Phoenix (48-33), but the Suns hold the tiebreaker edge. The Suns’ only path to No. 6 is to pick up a win in Minnesota while the Pelicans lose at home to the Lakers. Either a Pelicans win or a Suns loss would lock New Orleans into No. 6 and Phoenix into No. 7.
Given that both the Wolves and Lakers still have something to play for on Sunday, this outcome is far from certain.
The Nos. 8 through 10 seeds:
The Lakers (46-35), Kings (45-36), and Warriors (45-36) could each end up anywhere from No. 8 to 10 in the West depending on how the final day’s games play out.
The drop-off from each spot to the next is significant — the eighth-place team will only have to win one of two play-in games to earn a playoff berth and would get the second game at home if it loses the first one on the road. The ninth-place team would have to win two play-in games – one at home and one on the road – just to earn the No. 8 playoff seed, while the 10th-place team would need to win a pair of play-in contests on the road to claim that No. 8 seed.
The Lakers control their own destiny due to their one-game lead on Sacramento and Golden State, but they also have the most difficult matchup of the three teams on Sunday. Those games are as follows:
- Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans
- Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings
- Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors
New Orleans pulled out a big win over Golden State on Friday in a game that Klay Thompson said “stings a lot,” per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The Pelicans won’t be letting their foot of the gas on Sunday as they look to secure a top-six seed, so a Lakers loss is in play.
If the Lakers do lose and both the Kings and Warriors win, Sacramento would move up to No. 8 and Golden State would move up to No. 9, sending L.A. to No. 10. That’s the only scenario in which the Lakers could slip to tenth place. A win would earn them the No. 8 spot, as would all three teams losing. They’d drop to No. 9 if they lose and just one of the Kings or Warriors wins.
The Kings are in relatively good shape. A win over the lottery-bound Blazers, which seems like a relatively safe bet, will assure them of at least the No. 9 spot. They’d fall to No. 10 only if they lose and Golden State wins.
The Warriors’ only path to No. 8 would involve a Golden State win combined with Lakers and Kings losses. That might be a long shot, so it’s perhaps not surprising that head coach Steve Kerr left the door open to possibly resting some key veterans on Sunday to make sure those banged-up players are ready for the first play-in game next week (Twitter link via Slater).
Eastern Conference
Battle for the No. 2 seed:
The reeling Bucks (49-32) have lost seven of their last 10 games, opening the door for either the Knicks (49-32) or Cavaliers (48-33) to steal away the No. 2 seed.
Still, Milwaukee remains at the front of this race. The Bucks own the tiebreaker over the Knicks, so they just need a win – or for all three teams to lose – in order to clinch No. 2. Unfortunately, they’re missing superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and have the most challenging matchup of any of the three contenders for No. 2. Sunday’s games are as follows:
- Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic
- Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks
- Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
The Magic continue to battle for a top-six seed in the East, whereas the Bulls are locked into No. 9 and the Hornets are a non-playoff team.
If the Knicks and Cavaliers win and the Bucks don’t, New York would move up to No. 2, Cleveland would take No. 3, and Milwaukee would slide all the way to No. 4. The Bucks could salvage the No. 3 seed even if they lose, as long as at least one of the Knicks or Cavs also lose.
A worst-case scenario for the Knicks would be a three-team tie, which would occur if they and the Bucks lose and the Cavs win. In that case, Cleveland would be No. 2 and New York would slip to No. 4.
Mayhem in the No. 5-8 range:
No section of the standings is more up in the air entering Sunday’s action than the fifth through eight seeds in the East, where four teams – the Magic (46-35), Pacers (46-35), Sixers (46-35), and Heat (45-36) – could all still finish anywhere from No. 5 to 8.
Before we try to untangle this convoluted knot, let’s take a look at the relevant Sunday games:
- Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic
- Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers
- Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
- Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat
All four clubs are at home, but some of these matchups are more favorable than others. The Nets and Raptors are lottery teams who don’t have anything to play for, so it’s hard to imagine them upsetting the Sixers or Heat, respectively. That will put pressure on the Magic and Pacers, who would hang onto the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds if they both win on Sunday.
As detailed above, Milwaukee is trying to clinch the No. 2 seed and will be motivated to beat Orlando. Atlanta is locked into No. 10, but knocking off Indiana could benefit the Hawks, who will need to beat one of these teams to make the playoffs, assuming they make it past Chicago. Atlanta might prefer seeing the Pacers instead of the Sixers or Heat in a play-in battle next week — beating Indiana on Sunday would increase the odds of that.
There are too many scenarios in play here to run through them all, but here are a few worth mentioning:
- The Sixers would move up to No. 5 if they beat Brooklyn and the Hawks beat Indiana.
- The Pacers would move up to No. 5 if they beat Atlanta and the Bucks beat Orlando.
- The Heat can only get to No. 5 if they win and the Magic, Pacers, and Sixers all lose, resulting in a four-way tie. They could move up to No. 6 if they win, the Magic lose, and one of the Pacers or Sixers lose.
- The Magic would fall to No. 8 if they lose and the Heat and Pacers win, regardless of what happens in the Sixers game. Orlando could also end up at No. 8 if Miami is the only one of these teams to win and they end up in a four-way tie.
- The only scenario in which the Pacers could fall to No. 8 is if they lose and the Magic, Sixers, and Heat all win. Like the Magic, they’ll clinch a top-six playoff berth with a win.
The full table of Eastern Conference scenarios can be found right here, per the NBA, while all the Western outcomes are here.
We want to know what you think. How do you expect Sunday’s games to play out? Which teams will take the No. 1 seed in the West and the No. 2 seed in the East? Which clubs will claim the final playoff spots in each conference? And which team of the Lakers, Kings, and Warriors will end up in the 7-8 game instead of 9-10?
Head to the comment section below to make your predictions!
Budenholzer, Fernandez, Young Finalists For Nets’ Coaching Job
Mike Budenholzer, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, and Suns assistant Kevin Young are finalists for the Nets‘ head coaching job, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Nets, who parted ways with Jacque Vaughn in February and replaced him with interim head coach Kevin Ollie, opted not to wait for the end of the season to begin their head coaching search. NetsDaily reported earlier today (Twitter link) that Brooklyn’s search process has been ongoing for more than a month and is believed to have been “extensive,” which Charania confirms.
According to Charania, Ollie received consideration for the permanent job, as did several other outside candidates, including Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Pelicans assistant James Borrego.
However, the franchise appears to have zeroed in on Budenholzer, Fernandez, and Young as its finalists. Sources tell The Athletic that team owner Joe Tsai will hold in-person meetings with all three candidates, with a final decision to be made sometime in the not-too-distant future.
A two-time Coach of the Year, Budenholzer compiled a 484-317 (.604) regular season record across 10 seasons as an NBA head coach from 2013-23 — five in Atlanta and five in Milwaukee. He also owns a 56-48 (.538) overall postseason record and won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. Budenholzer was an assistant in San Antonio when Nets general manager Sean Marks joined the Spurs’ front office in 2012.
Fernandez, who technically holds the title of associate head coach on Mike Brown‘s staff in Sacramento, served as an assistant in Denver from 2016-22 before making the move to the Kings. He has long been considered a future NBA head coach and led the Canadian national team to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’ll coach the Canadians at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
Young is another veteran assistant who has been promoted to associate head coach and has received NBA head coaching consideration in recent years. He reportedly interviewed with the Rockets, Bucks, Raptors, and Suns a year ago. Young was an assistant with the Sixers from 2016-20 before spending the last four seasons in Phoenix.
The Nets are one of three teams in the market for a permanent head coach, along with the Hornets and Wizards.
Southwest Notes: Cuban, Doncic, Sengun, Pelicans, Spurs
Confirming prior reporting from Forbes, Marc Stein (Substack link) cites sources who say that Mark Cuban‘s sale agreement with Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont stipulates that the Mavericks‘ new majority owners have the option to buy an additional 20% of the franchise in four years.
For the time being, Cuban has retained control of 27% of the team and reportedly still maintains a voice in the personnel decisions, though he’s no longer the final decision-maker. However, if Adelson and Dumont exercise that option a few years from now, the extra shares would come out of Cuban’s stake in the team, reducing his holdings to below 10%.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Luka Doncic likely won’t finish higher than second in MVP voting this season, but the fact that he’s legitimately in the conversation is more important to the Mavericks than him actually winning the award, opines Tim Cato of The Athletic. As Cato explains, this version of Doncic raises Dallas’ ceiling and makes the team a bona fide contender.
- Alperen Sengun (ankle/knee) won’t return for either of the Rockets‘ final two games of the season, Kelly Iko of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter). Sengun is a candidate for this year’s Most Improved Player award, but because he only appeared in 63 games, an independent doctor would need to rule that his injury is likely to sideline him through at least May 31 in order for him to be eligible for award consideration.
- Although New Orleans has yet to clinch its playoff spot, the team looks better than it has in years and is on track to win the most games it has in a season since being rebranded as the Pelicans in 2013. James Herbert of CBS Sports checks in on the Pelicans to get a sense of why this year’s team is more dangerous than the one we’ve seen in recent seasons, as well as what the next steps are for the franchise.
- Victor Wembanyama has been everything the Spurs hoped he’d be in his first year in the NBA and figures to only get better going forward, but will San Antonio be able to build a contender around the young star? Isaac Levy-Rubinett of The Ringer explores that question, considering the players the Spurs already have on their roster, their draft assets, and a potential trade target.
Alexandre Sarr Declares For 2024 NBA Draft
Joining Donovan Clingan and Matas Buzelis, French big man Alexandre Sarr has become the third top-10 prospect to declare for the 2024 NBA draft within the last few hours, announcing his decision on NBA Today with Malika Andrews (Twitter video link).
Sarr, who will turn 19 later this month, has spent the 2023/24 season with the Perth Wildcats in Australia’s National Basketball League, where he averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 17.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .520/.298/.714.
Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but Sarr – who was competing in the NBL as an 18-year-old against seasoned professionals – is considered to have significant upside, particularly on the defensive end.
The 7’1″ center is currently the No. 2 prospect on ESPN’s big board and occupied the top spot on that board a few months ago. With no consensus first overall pick in this year’s draft, Sarr is expected to be in that conversation.
According to ESPN’s scouting report, Sarr is a versatile, athletic defender and a strong finisher offensively, though there are questions about his rebounding, awareness, and toughness.
UConn’s Donovan Clingan Entering 2024 NBA Draft
Sophomore center Donovan Clingan, a two-time national champion at UConn and one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class, has confirmed that he’s entering his name in the 2024 draft pool, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As Wojnarowski writes, Clingan is currently the top college prospect on ESPN’s big board, ranking third overall, behind only international standouts Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr. The 7’2″ center is expected to receive consideration for the No. 1 overall pick, Woj adds.
After coming off the bench as a freshman, Clingan emerged as a full-time starter for the Huskies in 2023/24, averaging 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and an impressive 2.5 blocks in just 22.5 minutes per game.
In addition to using his 7’2″ frame and 7’7″ wingspan to serve as a deterrent around the rim on defense, Clingan exhibited some promising offensive tools, per ESPN draft expect Jonathan Givony. Givony describes the 20-year-old as an effective screen setter who finishes well with both hands and “displays polished footwork” near the basket.
Clingan joins our growing list of players who have declared for the 2024 draft as early entrants.
Nets Notes: Schröder, Simmons, Clowney, Walker, Tsai
The Nets will have a decision to make a point guard this offseason, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Ben Simmons and Dennis Schröder, both of whom have been starters this season when healthy, will be entering the final year of their respective contracts. And while Simmons’ $40MM cap hit may ensure he remains in Brooklyn, it has been Schröder who has taken on a leadership role since being acquired at the trade deadline.
“He was a leader right when he got in,” interim head coach Kevin Ollie said. “He brings a championship mentality. … He just has a natural ability to lead, ability to win. You know winners when you see them. They hold everybody accountable, but they make themselves full of accountability, too. That’s what he did first and foremost.”
Schröder has been the healthier of the two players, making more appearances since being dealt to the Nets in February (29) than Simmons made all season (15) before undergoing back surgery last month. That track record of good health, along with his $13MM expiring contract, would make him easier to trade this summer than Simmons, who is still on a max deal. But Schröder has expressed a desire to stick with the Nets, as Lewis relays.
“I always want to be stationed somewhere where people show me appreciation,” he said on Wednesday. “And I felt that from the first day — people reaching out to my family, to my wife, to my mom. That shows, OK, they really [want me]. And the playing style, as well, I like. They trust me, in what I am capable of. … I know the business side of it as well. So, I’m not taking anything emotional or personal. I know how it is. But at the end of the day, of course I want to stay here.”
Here’s more out of Brooklyn:
- Nets center Noah Clowney continues to make a positive impression in his late-season audition for a larger role next season, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Making his second career start on Wednesday, the rookie big man racked up a career-high seven blocks to go with 10 points and seven rebounds in a win over Toronto. Ollie lauded the Nets’ G League coaching staff in Long Island for preparing Clowney to contribute at the NBA level. “I think they just did a great job coaching him, putting him in situations down there so when we got him he was already set,” Ollie said. “He knew exactly what we wanted to do, how he can perform, and he came in ready.”
- Even with the Nets battling a series of injuries, Lonnie Walker has been a DNP-CD in two of the team’s past four games, according to Collin Helwig of NetsDaily, who believes Walker’s inconsistent role throughout the season signals that the two sides will go their separate ways when the veteran swingman becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- NetsDaily passes along some notable quotes from a recent Joe Tsai podcast appearance in which the Nets’ owner discussed how he got involved in the NBA, his impressions of the league’s economics, and why it’s “absolutely fun” to control an NBA franchise.
Draft Notes: Mintz, Parrish, Riley, Aidoo, Burton, More
Syracuse sophomore guard Judah Mintz is declaring for the 2024 NBA draft, he announced in an Instagram post. Mintz stated in a video that he’s “transitioning to the next phase” of his career, so it sounds as if he’s prepared to go pro rather than retaining his college eligibility and possibly returning to school.
Mintz was the leading scorer for the Orange in 2023/24, filling up the box score with 18.8 points, 4.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. However, he has yet to develop into a reliable threat from outside, making just 24-of-85 three-point attempts (28.2%) for the season.
Mintz is currently at No. 76 on ESPN’s list of the top 100 prospects of 2024.
We have more updates on early entrants declaring for the 2024 draft:
- San Diego State senior wing Micah Parrish is entering the transfer portal and testing the NBA draft waters this spring, he tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Parrish, who has spent the last two years at San Diego State after two seasons at Oakland, is leaving the door open to returning to the Aztecs for his super-senior season, Rothstein notes.
- Temple junior guard Jordan Riley is testing the NBA draft waters while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, a source tells Hoops Rumors. Bobby Bancroft of Casual Hoya (Twitter link) first reported the news. Riley averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game for the Owls in 2023/24 after transferring from Georgetown.
- Tennessee junior big man Jonas Aidoo is going through the draft process while maintaining his college eligibility, reports Joe Tipton of On3 Sports (Twitter link). Aidoo earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Defensive team this season after averaging 11.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.8 BPG in 36 starts (24.8 MPG).
- Notre Dame freshman guard Markus Burton is entering the draft, though his Instagram announcement strongly suggests he’s leaning toward withdrawing and returning to school. Burton stated that he hopes the feedback he receives during the pre-draft process helps him improve his game for his sophomore season.
- Northern Illinois junior guard David Coit (Instagram link), Eastern Washington junior wing Cedric Coward (Instagram link), and Providence freshman guard Garwey Dual (Twitter link) are among the other players who recently declared for the draft as early entrants (hat tip to Jon Chepkevich of RookieScale.com)
Matas Buzelis, Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain Enter 2024 Draft
A trio of projected 2024 first-round picks have announced their intent to enter this year’s NBA draft. The highest-rated of those three prospects, G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis, informed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski of his decision.
In past years, players who joined the Ignite became automatically draft-eligible after their first season or during the calendar year in which they turned 19, but the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement tweaked that rule so that those prospects now won’t become draft-eligible until they enter of their own accord or until the calendar year when they turn 22. That’s why Buzelis has to declare for the draft.
The No. 6 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Buzelis had an up-and-down year in the G League for an Ignite team that posted a dismal 2-32 regular season record. Buzelis, who dealt with some ankle issues earlier in the season, appeared in 26 of those games, averaging 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 32.0 minutes per contest.
According to Wojnarowski’s report, the 6’10” forward showed “dramatic” improvement on the defensive end in the second half, impressing NBA evaluators who were already high on his shooting and play-making abilities. He also participated in the Rising Stars event in Indianapolis at All-Star weekend.
A pair of Duke prospects have also confirmed that they’re entering the 2024 draft. Sophomore forward/center Kyle Filipowski made his announcement in an Instagram post, while freshman guard Jared McCain did so in an Instagram video.
Neither Blue Devil indicated that he’ll retain his college eligibility and test the waters, so it sounds like they’ll both go pro. That doesn’t come as a surprise — Filipowski ranks 16th overall on ESPN’s board, while McCain is at No. 19.
Filipowski increased his scoring average to 16.4 points per game in his second college season while also improving his shooting efficiency (.505 FG%, .348 3PT%). That more reliable outside shot makes the seven-footer a valued prospect even though he doesn’t have ideal length of athleticism for an NBA center, notes Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
As for McCain, he averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 31.6 minutes per game as a full-time starter for Duke in his first and only college season. He also knocked down an impressive 41.4% of 5.8 three-pointers per game while making 77-of-87 free throws (88.5%).
What To Watch For In Final Weekend Of NBA’s Regular Season
The NBA’s 2023/24 regular season will wrap up on Sunday , which means we now have just three days left in the season. Here are a few things worth keeping an eye on during those three days:
Playoff berths and seeding
Eastern Conference:
The Celtics locked up the No. 1 seed in the East long ago, but no other Eastern Conference club between No. 2 and No. 8 has clinched a specific seed, and the Bucks and Knicks are the only other teams that have secured playoff berths. Here are the standings in that section of the East entering Friday:
- Milwaukee Bucks (49-31)
- New York Knicks (48-32)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (47-33)
- Orlando Magic (46-34)
- Indiana Pacers (46-34)
- Philadelphia 76ers (45-35)
- Miami Heat (44-36)
The NBA’s schedule-makers did well with Friday’s slate — the Magic will face the Sixers in Philadelphia, while the Cavaliers host the Pacers in Cleveland.
Road wins by Orlando and Indiana would lock in the East’s six playoff teams, leaving the 76ers and Heat to compete in the 7-8 play-in game. Victories by the Cavs and Sixers, on the other hand, would clinch Cleveland’s playoff spot and put Orlando, Indiana, and Philadelphia in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots, with Miami – which hosts the Raptors on Friday – potentially just a single game back.
The Cavaliers (vs. Hornets), Pacers (vs. Hawks), Sixers (vs. Nets), and Heat (vs. Raptors again) all have favorable home matchups on Sunday. The Magic may be the one exception, as they’ll be hosting the Bucks, who will likely need at least one win this weekend to clinch the No. 2 seed. Milwaukee visits the Thunder on Friday in a challenging matchup, while the Knicks’ schedule wraps up with very winnable home games against the Nets and Bulls.
Western Conference:
Five teams have clinched playoff spots in the West, but the No. 1 seed remains up for grabs, with the Nuggets (56-24) holding a slight edge over the division-rival Timberwolves (55-25) and Thunder (55-25).
Denver is on the road for its final two games, but faces a pair of lottery teams in San Antonio and Memphis. Winning both of those contests would lock up the No. 1 seed for the Nuggets, but they can’t afford a misstep, since both the Wolves and Thunder hold the tiebreaker edge over them. Still, Minnesota (vs. Atlanta, vs. Phoenix) and Oklahoma City (vs. Milwaukee, vs. Dallas) have tougher weekend matchups.
The Clippers (51-29) and Mavericks (50-30) are locked into the 4-5 matchup in the West, but home-court advantage remains up for grabs. Since L.A. has the tiebreaker advantage, the Clippers need just one more win or one Mavs loss this weekend to secure the No. 4 seed. Since the Clips are at home vs. Utah and Houston, that’s a pretty safe bet.
The rest of the West’s playoff picture looks like this:
- New Orleans Pelicans (48-32)
- Phoenix Suns (47-33)
- Sacramento Kings (45-35)
- Golden State Warriors (45-35)
- Los Angeles Lakers (45-35)
Either the Pelicans or the Suns will claim the sixth guaranteed playoff spot in the West, while the other will have to win a play-in game to secure their playoff berth.
Phoenix has the tiebreaker edge over New Orleans, but as long as the Pelicans win out, they remain in the driver’s seat. That’ll be easier said than done though. The Pels have a showdown with the Warriors in Golden State on tap for Friday night, then host the Lakers on Sunday. The Suns also have a difficult path to two wins though, with road games against the Kings on Friday and Timberwolves on Sunday.
If the Pelicans beat out the Suns for the No. 6 seed, it’ll be four Pacific teams in the play-in tournament, with the Kings, Warriors, and Lakers all battling to avoid ending up in the 9-10 matchup — the winner of that game would have to win a second play-in game (on the road) to earn the No. 8 playoff seed, so getting into the 7-8 play-in contest would be big.
Sacramento has been the coldest of those three teams as of late, but holds the tiebreaker advantage and finishes its season by hosting the lottery-bound Trail Blazers on Sunday. A win over Phoenix on Friday would be huge for the Kings, almost certainly assuring them of a spot in the 7-8 play-in game.
The Warriors also close the season on Sunday with a favorable matchup (vs. Utah), so if they can pull out a home victory over the Pelicans on Friday, they’ll be in good position to get either the No. 8 or 9 seed.
The Lakers have the friendliest matchup on Friday (at Memphis), but would place last in a three-team tie with the Kings and Warriors, so they’ll be under pressure to win in New Orleans on Sunday.
Here are the details from the NBA on the clinching scenarios in both conferences for Friday’s games.
Traded draft picks and lottery odds
The Kings‘ 2024 first-round pick will be sent to the Hawks if it lands outside the top 14. Given that Sacramento is now in play-in territory and is at risk of missing the playoffs, that’s a first-rounder worth watching closely. That obligation to Atlanta would be rolled over to 2025 if the Kings are a lottery team this year.
There are several more traded first-round picks that have a wide range of possibilities depending on where teams finish in the standings and how the play-in tournament plays out. For example, the Pacers owe the Raptors their (top-three protected) first-round pick. If Indiana clinches a top-six spot in the East, that pick figures to be around 18 or 19. On the other hand, if the Pacers fall into play-in territory and then get eliminated, it’ll be a lottery selection.
The Warriors‘ (top-four protected) pick to the Trail Blazers and the Lakers‘ (unprotected) pick to the Pelicans also fall into this category. It’s worth noting that New Orleans has the option to defer Los Angeles’ first-rounder to 2025. There has been an expectation that the Pels might go that route due to this year’s weak draft class, but it’ll be hard to pass on that ’24 pick if it’s in the lottery.
Speaking of the lottery, there are still some odds to be finalized there. The Pistons and Wizards will be among the teams with a league-best 14% chance at this year’s No. 1 pick, but who will join them as the third team in that group? The Spurs (20-60), Hornets (20-60), and Trail Blazers (21-59) all still have a chance.
For what it’s worth, in the event that two or more of those teams finish with identical records, the odds for their lottery slots will be averaged out, as we explain in our glossary entry on the draft lottery.
For instance, let’s say San Antonio, Charlotte, and Portland each lose their final two games and the Spurs and Hornets are tied for the NBA’s third-worst record. In that scenario, instead of the third-worst team having a 14% shot at the top pick and the fourth-worst team having a 12.5% chance, a coin flip would determine which team’s odds are 13.3% and which team gets a 13.2% chance at No. 1.
Notably, the Raptors also need one more loss – or one more Grizzlies win – to secure the No. 6 spot in the lottery standings, which would significantly increase their odds of hanging onto the top-six protected first-rounder they owe the Spurs. In that scenario, Toronto would have a 45.8% chance to keep the pick and a 54.2% chance that it slides to No. 7 or lower and is sent to San Antonio.
Award races
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic appears to have locked up his third Most Valuable Player in the past four seasons, but it’s possible that voters for other end-of-season awards could be swayed by what happens in the final weekend of the season.
For instance, if Tyrese Maxey has huge games on Friday and Sunday to help the Sixers secure a top-six seed in the East, it would put an emphatic stamp on his case for Most Improved Player. If Naz Reid has a big weekend for a Timberwolves team that reclaims the No. 1 seed, it would only make him a stronger Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
I wouldn’t expect any awards to be decided by what happens in the next few days, but certain scenarios could help clarify a difficult choice for a voter who’s on the fence.
Teams with open roster spots
As we outlined on Tuesday, there are still a handful of teams with open spots on their standard 15-man rosters. Those teams are as follows:
- Golden State Warriors
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Toronto Raptors
- Note: The Raptors technically have a full 15-man roster on Friday, but will open up a spot on Saturday following the expiration of Malik Williams‘ 10-day contract.
It’s not unprecedented for a team to leave a roster spot open at the end of the season, but it’s somewhat rare — all 30 teams finished the season with full 15-man squads in each of the past two years.
Most of all of these teams are good bets to make a roster move before their final games tip off on Sunday, even if it’s as simple as promoting a two-way player to a standard contract to make him postseason-eligible.