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Pacific Notes: Holiday, Clips, Hayes, Knecht, Bronny, Kings

May 29th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Rory Maher

A recent report indicated that the Clippers are expected to show interest in Celtics guard Jrue Holiday this summer. In an appearance on The Garden Report podcast with Bobby Manning of CLNS (Twitter video link), Law Murray of The Athletic said he thinks L.A.’s interest in Holiday was overstated, pointing to his contract and James Harden‘s likely return as reasons why it might be unrealistic for the Clippers to pursue a Holiday trade.

“For what Jrue does well, you already have a player like that in Kris Dunn, who is going to make like $25 million less than Jrue (next season), who is younger than Jrue, who arguably is at least as athletic, right around around the same size,” Murray said. “And the key thing for me is the role. This doesn’t sound like something that would come from the Clippers’ side of things.”

As Murray noted, there’s a sizeable gap between Holiday’s ($32.4MM) and Dunn’s ($5.43MM) salaries for 2025/26 (and beyond). And while Holiday certainly has a more accomplished résumé than Dunn, he’s also nearly four years older (Holiday turns 35 in June, whereas Dunn turned 31 in March) and is coming off a down year in ’24/25.

Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:

  • Jaxson Hayes‘ second season with the Lakers was more successful than his first, but it’s uncertain if he’ll return in ’25/26 following a disappointing playoff showing against Minnesota, writes Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. The 25-year-old center will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Lakers are known to be looking for upgrades in the middle.
  • Lakers rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James each experienced “roller coaster” debut seasons in different ways, according to Price. Knecht, who had some big scoring outbursts early on in ’24/25, was sent to Charlotte in the Mark Williams deal, only to have the trade rescinded by Los Angeles due concerns over Williams’ medicals. “Anything can happen,” Knecht said during his end-of-season media availability. “Crazy year.”
  • As for James, he had a slow start to his rookie campaign, most of which was spent in the G League. But the late second-round pick played some his best basketball of the season toward the end of ’24/25, Price notes. “It’s a huge difference in my confidence,” the Lakers guard said. “The start of the year, I was under a lot of pressure. And it was getting to me a little bit. So just having those games like the Bucks game, just having those games in the G League, just built my confidence every day and proved to me I know what I can do and I’m ready to keep growing as a player.”
  • The Kings hosted a pre-draft workout with six prospects on Thursday, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat. Brooks Barnhizer (Northwestern), Saint Thomas (USC), Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Providence), Stefan Todorovic (Pepperdine), Matt Cross (SMU) and Tyson Degenhart (Boise State) were the six participants. Abdur-Rahim, whose father Shareef Abdur-Rahim played in Sacramento, said Thursday’s workout was his first with an NBA team, but he has more scheduled in the coming weeks (Twitter video link via Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento). The Kings control the 42nd pick in next month’s draft.
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Celtics Notes: Holiday, Luxury Tax, Draft, White, Trades

May 28th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

With the Celtics looking to find ways to shave their luxury tax bill, the Clippers are expected to be among the teams to show interest in veteran point guard Jrue Holiday, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports.

Holiday will likely have multiple suitors, but the Clippers’ front office has previously pursued Holiday, Robb notes — L.A. was outbid by Boston on the 2023 trade market. The Celtics shipped Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams and two future first- round picks to Portland for Holiday.

Holiday has three years and $104MM remaining on his contract. Robb notes that Bogdan Bogdanovic ($16MM) could be a crucial matching salary piece if the two sides pursue a deal.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

  • Taking their cue from the Pacers and Thunder, the Celtics need to get younger and cheaper talent, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe opines. In order for the Celtics to stay under the second apron, they need to have players on rookie contracts and — when the time comes — give them less-than-max rookie extensions. They need to hit on their two draft picks at No. 28 and 32 to help achieve that goal, Washburn notes.
  • Regarding their trade assets, Robb details how many future picks the Celtics hold. Boston has one first-rounder and two second-rounders next year but doesn’t have a second-rounder in 2027. Robb also notes the Celtics currently have no picks in 2029.
  • Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com (Substack link) doesn’t see the club trading Jaylen Brown but believes the next 12 months could be the optimal window to move Derrick White, who is set to begin a four-year, $128MM extension. If White is retained, the club should be able to achieve its financial goals by trading Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser, Gozlan writes.
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Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Chris Paul Possibilities For Mavericks

May 26th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks will explore a potential trade with the Celtics for Jrue Holiday as they look for someone to take over ball-handling duties while Kyrie Irving is injured, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

Stein admits that a deal for Holiday would be tricky given Dallas’ financial position and the fact that he has three years and $104MM left on his contract. Holiday is among the players Boston is reportedly considering moving to reduce next season’s payroll, so the Celtics won’t be looking to take back big contracts in return. A third or fourth team may have to get involved to make a trade feasible.

Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on March 3. A report last month suggested that he might be able to return by January, but Dallas will need someone to serve as the lead guard until he fully recovers from surgery.

Stein cites Bulls guard Lonzo Ball as “a more reasonable trade target” for the Mavs. Ball signed a two-year, $20MM extension in February that includes a team option for the second season. It would be much easier for Dallas to fit Ball’s contract into its current salary structure, and he’s coming off a relatively healthy season after missing two and a half years with severe knee issues. At 27, Ball is seven years younger than Holiday and could turn into a better long-term investment.

League sources tell Stein that Chris Paul is another player to watch for the Mavericks. Even though he turned 40 earlier this month, Paul was able to appear in all 82 games with the Spurs and produced another productive season, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 28 minutes per night with .427/.377/.924 shooting splits.

Stein states that the year Paul spent tutoring Victor Wembanyama and his other young teammates was considered successful, but there’s “anticipation” that he might be changing teams again this summer. San Antonio traded for De’Aaron Fox in February and is expected to add Dylan Harper with the second pick in next month’s draft. With Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle also in the backcourt mix, there may not be enough minutes for Paul.

Stein expects plenty of interest around the league in Paul if he decides to move on.

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Jaylen Brown Still Contemplating Surgery For Meniscus Injury

May 25th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics star Jaylen Brown hasn’t made a final decision on whether to have surgery for the partial meniscus tear that has been bothering him since March, writes Noa Dalzell of Celtics Blog.

Brown discussed the injury during an appearance Saturday in Boston to promote his latest sneaker line. Dalzell notes that it was his first public appearance since the Celtics were upset by the Knicks in their second-round playoff series.

“l got a lot of doctors I gotta get evaluated with — see the potential for surgery versus no surgery, wait to speak to the [Celtics] organization,” Brown said. “For now, it’s just rest and recovery. I’m taking a step back from a long season. Mentally, it was a lot of stuff going on.”

Brown had another outstanding individual season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 63 games and earning an All-Star berth for the fourth time in the past five years. However, the team missed an opportunity to defend its NBA title, and Brown admitted that he was “expecting to be playing right now” instead of doing the shoe launch.

Brown’s sneaker line is unique because he established his own brand, called 741 Performance, in September rather than signing with an established company. It offers a wide apparel line in addition to the shoes, and Brown hopes it will inspire other athletes to pursue similar ventures.

“Just to really get it out there is an accomplishment in itself,” he said. “Just to take the route of independence and starting your own brand … for a high-profile athlete, you don’t really see that too often, especially at this stage in my career. It’s a lot of risk in that, but I wanted the next generation to know it’s possible.”

The Celtics are entering a summer of uncertainty, with numerous reports suggesting that a few high-salaried players will be traded to ease the team’s luxury tax bill. There’s been some speculation that Brown might be among them because of his super-max contract, but he’s hoping to stay put and lead the team back to title contention once Jayson Tatum returns from his Achilles surgery.

Brown talked with fans on Saturday about the team’s prospects for next season and said he’s motivated by their support for his company. Dalzell states that Brown plans to spend most of the summer in Boston for the first time in his career.

“I’m in the community a lot, but I’m leaning toward being even more in the community,” Brown said. “I’m just really trying to touch this community and be around, be available for the city of Boston.”

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Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Ivey, Duren, Celtics Trade Targets

May 24th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cade Cunningham earned a significant raise by landing a spot on the All-NBA team, but the extra money will limit the Pistons‘ options in building around him, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham’s salary for next season will now be worth 30% of the cap rather than 25%, pushing the value of his five-year extension to $269MM instead of $224MM.

As Patterson notes, Detroit is left with about $17MM in cap room to work with this offseason. Considering the non-taxpayer mid-level exception is projected at $14.1MM, it’s less likely that any cap space will be used to add or re-sign players, as the Pistons may simply operate as an over-the-cap team.

Patterson states that the Pistons are still in position to bring back free agents Malik Beasley, Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Paul Reed without exceeding the second apron. However, with Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren both eligible for rookie-scale extensions, the organization will have to consider its long-term financial obligations when deciding how to handle its free agents.

Cunningham finished seventh in the Most Valuable Player voting, Patterson adds, and owner Tom Gores believes he might be able to capture that award as the Pistons continue to improve.

“I am focused on MVP for him,” Gores said. “He has that. Everyone saw it this year that he is a superstar in the making. His ability. His poise. I’ve talked to Cade throughout the season to remind him that so much of the character of this team revolves around his ability to stay strong.”

There’s more from Detroit:

  • Ivey’s return from a broken fibula might be the equivalent of a major free agent signing for next season’s team, observes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). The last medical update from the Pistons, issued April 26, said Ivey was engaged in shooting and skill work, along with strength and conditioning, in preparation for a return to five-on-five competition.
  • It may be advantageous for Ivey and Duren to wait for restricted free agency in 2026 rather than negotiate extensions this summer, Sankofa states in a mailbag column. Ivey can improve his bargaining position by bouncing back strong from the injury, while Duren excelled during the playoffs and can become more valuable by playing an entire season at that level.
  • The Celtics are expected to make several players available in trade as they try to reduce salary, but it’s too much of a risk for the Pistons to take on the contract of Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis, Sankofa adds in the same piece. He views Sam Hauser, who’s about to start a four-year, $45MM extension, as a more reasonable target.
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Celtics Notes: Tatum, Stevens, Porzingis, Holiday

May 24th, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell is optimistic that Jayson Tatum will reclaim his place as one of the NBA’s best players whenever he fully recovers from Achilles surgery, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Appearing on Patrick Beverley‘s podcast, Cassell said he plans to help Tatum learn how to view the game from a coach’s perspective while he’s rehabbing the injury.

“It’s good, man,” Cassell said. “When he comes back, he can be even better. He can observe the game of basketball and work on everything he needs to work on. I’m looking forward to the journey with him. Top-five first-team All-(NBA) this year. When he comes back, he’ll be first-team All-(NBA) again. He’s that good.”

Tatum was one of four players to be unanimously selected for first-team All-NBA honors this week, earning the designation for the fourth straight season. No timetable has been set for him to resume playing, but Terada states that the Celtics are confident about his prognosis because he had surgery the morning after tearing his Achilles in Game 4 of their second-round series and he was fortunate to be in New York, which offered greater access to world-class surgeons.

Tatum’s injury derailed any hopes that Boston had of rallying to win the series and it may cause the team to take a step back from contending next season. However, Cassell is confident in the long-term future.

“When you got a great group of guys who understood the situation we were in,” he said, “It’s like, ‘Guys, we’re down 3-1, OK. We’re going to get another lead, so let’s just take advantage of the lead.’ Because we had leads every game. Basketball gods are just not happy sometimes. We’ll grow from this. As a staff, we’ll grow from this as a team. We’re the Boston Celtics, baby.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • The press conference held Monday by president of basketball operations Brad Stevens showed that he has a plan to remake the roster and trim salary this summer, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Stevens indicated that he’s willing to use the team’s draft picks at No. 28 and 32 to help get rid of at least the roughly $20MM that will be necessary to get the Celtics below the second apron. Washburn doesn’t expect Stevens to part with Jaylen Brown or Derrick White, but he states that Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday will likely be made available, while Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh and JD Davison may also be deemed expendable.
  • In a mailbag column, Brian Robb of MassLive questions how easy it will be to find teams willing to take on Porzingis and Holiday. Robb points out that Holiday is already 35 and will making $37.2MM in 2027/28, while Porzingis’ recent health issues will likely limit his market.
  • Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe continues his offseason series rating the team’s various units, this time focusing on the starting lineup. He notes that injuries to Tatum and Brown, along with Porzingis’ illness and Holiday’s signs of aging leave the group in much worse shape than it appeared to be when the season began.
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2024/25 All-NBA Teams Announced

May 23rd, 2025 at 6:09pm CST by Eli Cohen

The 2024/25 All-NBA teams have been officially announced by the league (Twitter link).

A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.

This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

The top four vote-getters, Antetounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, and Tatum, were all unanimous selections to the First Team. James led the Second Team with 17 First Team votes, compared to Mitchell’s 61. Cunningham was the only member of the Third Team to receive First Team votes (six) — he also earned 10 more Second Team votes than the next closest vote-getter, as Towns had 40.

This announcement marks the first All-NBA selections for Cunningham, Mobley, and Williams, and – on the other side of the coin – the 21st consecutive selection for James. No other player in NBA history has been named to more than 15 All-NBA teams.

Curry set a franchise record with his 11th All-NBA selection. Edwards became just the fourth Timberwolves player to be named to multiple All-NBA teams, joining Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, and Towns.

Other players who received votes, along with their respective point totals, were the Rockets‘ Alperen Sengun (58), the Grizzlies‘ Jaren Jackson Jr. (55), the Clippers‘ Ivica Zubac (15), the Cavaliers‘ Darius Garland (6), the Kings‘ Domantas Sabonis (4), the Pacers‘ Pascal Siakam (4), the Heat‘s Bam Adebayo (3), the Hawks‘ Trae Young (3), and the Suns‘ Devin Booker (2).

The Cavs, Knicks, and Thunder were the only teams to feature multiple All-NBA players. Both the Thunder and Knicks are currently playing in the conference finals for a shot at advancing to the NBA finals.

This is the second year that All-NBA teams have been positionless and have required players to meet a 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

Several players, starting with Cunningham, gained or lost eligibility for salary increases due to the All-NBA results. We have more details here.

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Details On NBA’s Playoff Bonus Money For 2024/25

May 23rd, 2025 at 9:14am CST by Luke Adams

The pool of bonus money for NBA playoff teams this season is worth approximately $34.7MM, according to Kurt Badenhausen and Lev Akabas of Sportico.

The top six teams in each conference earn bonuses based on their regular season records, while the 16 playoff teams also receive a chunk of money from the playoff pool, increasing the value of their payout with each series win. That bonus money is divvied up among the players on each club’s 15-man roster.

Teams eliminated in the play-in tournament aren’t entitled to any of the playoff bonus money, even if they had the seventh- or eighth-best regular season record in their conference.

The breakdown for 2025’s playoff pool money is as follows (rounded to the nearest thousand), per Sportico:

Regular season achievements:

  • Best record in NBA (Thunder): $869K
  • No. 1 seeds in each conference (Cavaliers, Thunder): $761K per team
  • No. 2 seeds (Celtics, Rockets): $609K per team
  • No. 3 seeds (Knicks, Lakers): $456K per team
  • No. 4 seeds (Pacers, Nuggets): $372K per team
  • No. 5 seeds (Bucks, Clippers): $288K per team
  • No. 6 seeds (Pistons, Timberwolves): $204K per team

Postseason achievements:

  • Teams participating in first round (all 16 playoff teams — the 12 listed above, plus the Magic, Heat, Warriors, and Grizzlies): $466K per team
  • Teams participating in conference semifinals (eight teams): $568K per team
  • Teams participating in conference finals (four teams): $951K per team
  • Losing team in NBA Finals: $3,803,000
  • Winning team in NBA Finals: $8,805,000

A team that makes a deep playoff run will cash in on more than one of the bonuses listed above.

For example, if the Thunder win the championship, their payout from the playoff pool would be worth more than $12.4MM in total — that amount would include their bonuses for posting the NBA’s best record, claiming the West’s No. 1 seed, making the first round, making the conference semifinals, making the conference finals, and winning the NBA Finals.

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Eastern Notes: Banchero, Magic, Pistons, Bulls, J. Holiday

May 22nd, 2025 at 11:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Paolo Banchero, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, is optimistic the Magic can capitalize on the NBA’s parity, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. After Boston was eliminated in the second round, the league will crown its seventh champion in as many years, the first time that has ever occurred.

“You don’t know how excited I am just seeing all of these new teams in the conference finals,” Banchero said. “Definitely going to have a new champion this year and so, it just excites you because that could be us.

“Obviously it’s not going to be easy and it takes a lot of things to go right, but seeing all of these teams get there, all these young players lead their teams … It definitely gets me excited.”

Here’s more from the East:

  • Orlando isn’t the only Eastern Conference team optimistic about its future. The Pistons also believe they can become a contender sooner rather than later after a remarkable turnaround in 2024/25, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Detroit won a league-worst 14 games in ’23/24, but made the playoffs outright as the No. 6 seed after winning 44 games this season. The Pistons also had a highly competitive first-round series with New York, which is now in the conference final.
  • Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the Bulls‘ offseason. While Josh Giddey‘s restricted free agency is perhaps the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed, Chicago also has several players eligible for veteran extensions. Smith views Ayo Dosunmu as the most likely to ink a new deal of the extension-eligible players.
  • Celtics guard Jrue Holiday has come up multiple times in recent trade rumors, though one report stated Boston might have a difficult time moving him due to the $104MM he’s owed over the next three years. With that in mind, Brian Robb of MassLive explores seven hypothetical Holiday trades. According to Robb, the Mavericks could be a good fit if they like Holiday. His fake proposal has Holiday and unspecified draft capital heading to Dallas for Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin, Jaden Hardy and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
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NBA Announces 2024/25 All-Defensive Teams

May 22nd, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2024/25 season (Twitter links).

The teams are determined by a panel of 100 media members, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.

There were no unanimous First Team selections this year, but Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley came close, having been named to the First Team on 99 ballots (Twitter link). He was selected to the Second Team on the 100th ballot, for a total of 199 points.

The honorees are as follows, along with their point totals:

First Team

Second Team

The NBA adjusted the voting rules in 2023 to allow All-Defensive ballots to be positionless. Up until that point, each team consisted of two guards, two forwards, and a center.

Despite the lack of positional requirements, this year’s teams are reasonably well balanced — while Mobley, Green, Zubac, Jackson, and Gobert all serve as defensive anchors for their respective clubs, Mobley, Green, and Jackson spend much of their time on the court playing forward rather than center.

It’s the ninth time that Green has made an All-Defensive team and the eighth time that Gobert has earned the honor. Jackson and Mobley have each been recognized multiple times too — it’s the third time Jackson has made the cut and the second time for Mobley. However, Daniels, Dort, Thompson, Zubac, Williams, and Camara have never been named All-Defensive players before this season.

Among the other players who received votes, Knicks forward OG Anunoby came closest to cracking the top 10, having been named to the First Team on two ballots and the Second Team on 45 ballots for a total of 49 points. An additional 13 players received at least one vote, but none of them had more than 18 total points.

That group of players who missed the cut includes Heat big man Bam Adebayo, whose streak of five straight All-Defensive seasons has come to an end.

Players were required to meet the criteria of the 65-game rule in order to qualify for All-Defensive consideration. The full voting results can be viewed here (Twitter link).

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Dort has earned a $500K bonus for making the First Team this season. In addition to increasing his earnings for this season, that will bump Dort’s cap hit for 2025/26 from $17,722,222 to $18,222,222, since the bonus will now be considered likely to be earned next season.

Conversely, after missing out on All-Defensive spots this season, Derrick White and Jaden McDaniels will see their cap hits for next season reduced by $250K and $431K, respectively, Marks adds (Twitter link). Those bonuses, which had been considered likely after the duo earned All-Defensive nods in 2024, won’t be earned this season, which means the Celtics and Timberwolves will each receive a tax variance credit and both bonuses will be considered unlikely for 2025/26.

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