Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Hornets, Hawks
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman acknowledged earlier this week that the Magic will have limited flexibility compared to last summer, when they traded for Desmond Bane, but he said adding more shooting to the roster will be a priority again this offseason, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
“Those are our challenges,” Weltman said. “I said last time at the deadline, do we really want to break into this core? Because if we’re going to make a major move, then you’re going to break into the core. So, we have to see what major moves are in front of us. We have to see what smaller nibbles we can take. I will say this, short of acquiring a star player, I do believe that the greatest impact that you can have on a team is to bring in a new coach.
“I do think that we have a lot of different avenues and ways that we need to improve and get better. We’ll kind of tap into all of those and see if we put our guys in the best possible position to succeed, including like rounding out the roster with veteran guys that know how to come in and win and reliable and consistent, that help our main guys facilitate their ceiling.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards are guaranteed to land a top-five pick in Sunday’s draft lottery in a 2026 draft class they view as having six potential stars at the top, according to David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who examine which players the team might target with every possible lottery outcome (one through five). If the Wizards land either the first or second pick, both authors expect the team to choose between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. If the selection lands at No. 5 and Dybantsa, Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are off the board, Robbins considers Darius Acuff to be the current frontrunner.
- Co-owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall were thrilled with the progress the Hornets made in 2025/26 but say there’s still plenty of room for growth, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “We have arrived at the point where we feel great about our leadership team, and we feel great about where we are, but we have a lot of work to do,” Schnall said. “You look at the playoffs, we would have had a tough time in the playoffs. We have to continue to build the team. We also have a lot of players on our team that reflect what we’re about. We have competitive players. We have high-character players. We have players who want to win. Gabe and I are incredibly competitive, as is our ownership group and as is our leadership team. We’re not going to be satisfied just being a competitive team. And so we will do everything we can to get better.”
- Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link) hands out performance grades for the Hawks, with Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu and CJ McCollum tying for the highest mark (B+). Williams also grades the coaching staff and front office, giving both groups a B.
Fischer’s Latest: Blazers’ Backcourt, Young, Hawks, Rockets
The Trail Blazers expect Damian Lillard to be back next season, but his return raises questions about the direction of Portland’s backcourt moving forward, Jake Fischer writes for the Stein Line (subscriber link).
The Blazers have Jrue Holiday under contract for at least one more season – he holds a $37.2MM player option for 2027/28 – as well as former No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, who had a torrid start to the first-round series against the Spurs before going cold in the final two games.
The team believes that Lillard and Holiday can function well together in the backcourt, according to Fischer, but with a long-term decision still to be made on Henderson, it’s possible the Blazers could look to open up minutes for the young guard, who averaged 15.0 points per game in his first career playoff series, by moving Holiday in a trade.
The veteran guard and two-time NBA champion said he’d prefer for that not to happen.
“I don’t like being traded and moved,” Holiday said. “I like being a part of something and building.”
We have more from Fischer’s latest newsletter:
- While rumors have circulated about Anthony Davis‘ future with the Wizards, including reports of potential interest from Portland, Fischer notes that the expectation remains that Washington will come to terms on a lucrative long-term extension for star point guard Trae Young. Young played just five games for the Wizards after being traded from the Hawks, averaging 15.2 points and 6.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per game.
- After a successful season followed by a devastating Game 6 blowout at the hands of the Knicks, the Hawks are not expected to go star-hunting this summer, despite having a handful of very good trade assets. Instead, the team is expected to focus on locking in deals for CJ McCollum, Jonathan Kuminga, and head coach Quin Snyder, who has one more year on his contract, Fischer reports. He adds that Bryson Graham, the vice president of basketball operations, remains in play for the Bulls’ head of basketball operations job.
- The Rockets came to terms with not being a true championship contender when they lost Fred VanVleet to an ACL tear before the season, but a first-round loss to the Lakers and chemistry questions surrounding Kevin Durant could lead to an “all options on the table” summer outlook, Fischer writes, especially given the possibility that players like Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Donovan Mitchell hit the trade block. Houston’s front office will now take stock of the team’s current ceiling and decide from there whether the roster needs margin tweaks or more substantial changes. Fischer adds that Amen Thompson is expected to be in the mix for a max contract extension after averaging 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in his first playoff run, a year after being voted onto the All-Defensive first team.
Knicks Notes: Hart, Clarkson, Alvarado, Towns
The Knicks‘ series against Atlanta turned around after Josh Hart demanded to be given the full-time defensive assignment on CJ McCollum, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only piece. After McCollum hit a game-winning shot to give the Hawks a 2-1 series lead, Hart made sure the coaching staff understood his intentions.
“I cursed out one of our defensive [coaches] for taking me off him at the end of Game 3,” said Hart, who also walked into the coaches’ room at halftime of Game 4 to make sure it didn’t happen again. “I said, ‘I’m on him. Don’t take me off him. I’m guarding him. And that was the challenge I wanted.”
The difference was stark, Bondy notes, as McCollum averaged 27 points per game in the first three games of the series while shooting 51% from the field and 39% on three-pointers. Over the final three games, he was limited to 11.3 PPG while his shooting dropped to 39.5% from the field and 10% from beyond the arc. He averaged 3.3 turnovers in that span and only 1.3 assists.
“At a certain point, it’s just pride,” Hart said. “It’s wanting to obviously try to stop him, to limit him. Games 1 and 2, he had (about) 30 (per game). It was just a pride thing. Go out there and get stops.”
There’s more from New York:
- The additions of Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado have given the Knicks more depth than they’ve had in recent seasons, notes Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. That backcourt duo has teamed with Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride to provide a reliable second unit that takes some of the stress off the starters. Clarkson and Alvarado both fell out of coach Mike Brown’s rotation late in the season, but they’ve reemerged since the playoffs began. “[Being out of the rotation is] definitely challenging, but I’ve been in the league for 12 years. I know how it goes,” Clarkson said. “Just continue to stay ready. There’s a locker room of young guys and other people, watching me and seeing how I react to those things. Set an example for them. Continue to stay locked in. … Just wait for my opportunity to go out there and play. Everybody setting that example and having everybody ready is big for the team.”
- The first-round series featured Karl-Anthony Towns‘ best sustained performance since Brown took over as head coach, observes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. There were season-long concerns about whether Towns could adjust to Brown’s system, but he was dominant against Atlanta, posting a combined plus-62 rating over the final three games of the series. “I never doubted my ability,” Towns said. “I never doubted the work I put in. It’s just – you gotta adjust, you gotta adjust. Especially (with) a lot of new things being thrown at you, you’re being asked to do a lot more things – some things that (haven’t) consistently been asked of me in my career. It’s one thing anyone who knows me, who’s followed my career, I’m willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes for the team to win.”
- James L. Edwards of The Athletic considers whether the Knicks are now in the best position of anybody to win the East.
Hawks Notes: Future, Elimination, Snyder, Offseason
The Hawks were humbled by the Knicks on Thursday, losing the deciding Game 6 at home by 51 points. Although obviously disappointed with Thursday’s result, general manager Onsi Saleh was pleased with the progress the team made throughout 2025/26 and he told the players on Friday that they have plenty of room for growth, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required).
“The best version of ourselves is yet to come,” Saleh said. “I think everybody is really pissed off, frustrated from yesterday, and that’s a good thing. You got to take that, internalize that, understand what the summer entails.
“You feel that experience against those guys, and this is what the playoffs look like, and a lot of our guys have not done it, especially in their roles. So everybody was focused, I would say. There’s a focus for next season already for our group, and that’s going to be super exciting.”
As Williams notes, the Hawks control two first-round picks in the upcoming draft, including one in the lottery. Saleh said the team will take a best-player-available approach to those selections.
“We’re not one player away from this,” Saleh said. “The best iteration of this team is going to be through development and our players currently getting better. We’re really excited about the future and what holds there, with the draft to the flexibility moving forward, all that stuff. We’re in a good place (and) position, set up moving forward.”
Here’s more from Atlanta:
- Jake Fischer of The Stein line recently reported that the Hawks are open to extending head coach Quin Snyder, who’s entering the final year of his contract. Saleh praised Snyder during Friday’s media session, tweets Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com. “He has been an unbelievable partner in all of this, and it has been so nice, just having a partner who you’re so aligned with. It makes it easy,” Saleh said. “I understand the types of players that work for him and understand the types of guys that make sense for us as an organization, and we always have healthy dialogue. We talk every day. He’s unbelievable.”
- Maura Carey of The Associated Press relays some quotes from Snyder, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson following Thursday’s loss, which eliminated Atlanta from the playoffs. “This is a big learning experience, not only for myself, but just everybody in general. And I’m going to take a lot from this and continue to get better from it,” All-Star forward Johnson said. “We’re growing. We’re going to grow from this. We’re going to definitely be better from it.”
- John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a deep dive into the Hawks’ offseason, predicting that the team will probably look to trade either Zaccharie Risacher or Corey Kispert this summer after both played very modest roles in the first-round series vs. New York. The Hawks will have a lot of financial flexibility this offseason and could go in a number of different directions, but Hollinger expects the team to operate over the cap rather than with room. ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews Atlanta’s offseason as well, writing that figuring out what to do with CJ McCollum (unrestricted free agent) and Jonathan Kuminga ($24.3MM team option) will be top priorities for the front office.
Fischer’s Latest: Snyder, McCollum, Kennard, Bulls, Morant
After leading the Hawks on a 19-5 run to close out the season after the team traded away star point guard Trae Young, head coach Quin Snyder is believed to have “strong” front office support for a new contract, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who notes that Snyder has one more year left on his current deal. Extension talks between Snyder and the Hawks are expected to happen soon after the team’s season ends, Fischer adds.
CJ McCollum, who will be an unrestricted free agent, was identified as a possible extension candidate shortly after he was acquired by Atlanta in January. Nothing that has happened since then has changed that, with Fischer suggesting there’s mutual interest between the veteran guard and the Hawks in working out a new deal this summer.
Here are a few more rumors from around the NBA, via Fischer:
- Although the Lakers could have a significant amount of cap room this summer, that will depend in large part on what happens with their own free agents. It remains to be seen whether LeBron James will be back, but Austin Reaves will almost certainly require a lucrative new deal, and according to Fischer, sharpshooter Luke Kennard is increasingly viewed as a player Los Angeles would like to re-sign. Kennard will only have Non-Bird rights, which would allow the Lakers to offer a starting salary worth up to $13.2MM (120% of his current $11MM salary), though they could theoretically go higher than that using cap room or – if they operate as an over-the-cap team – the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Restricted free agent centers like Jalen Duren of the Pistons, Walker Kessler of the Jazz, and Mark Williams of the Suns are expected to try to generate interest from Chicago, Fischer reports. As he explains, the Bulls project to have the most cap room of any NBA team, so they have the means to make a big-money offer to an RFA center — the threat of an offer sheet could be the best way for a player like Duren, Kessler, or Williams to gain leverage and maximize his earnings, either with his current team or an outside suitor like Chicago.
- The Jazz aren’t viewed as a plausible landing spot for Ja Morant this offseason, so don’t expect him to reunite with his former Grizzlies teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., Fischer writes. However, Fischer has heard “predictive murmurs” that the trade market for Morant should be more active in the summer than it was in February, when league-wide interest in the star guard was “extremely minimal.”
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, Alvarado
A change in strategy by the Hawks set up Jalen Brunson for his best performance of the series in Tuesday’s Game 5, writes Vincent Goodwill of ESPN. Coach Quin Snyder opted to switch Dyson Daniels onto Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted a triple-double on Sunday. That gave Brunson more freedom to operate, and he responded with 39 points while shooting 15-of-23 from the field as the Knicks cruised to a 29-point win.
“It’s like a chess match,” Brunson said. “If someone makes a move, you’ve got to make another move. You’ve got to wait to see what they do. The way we play, we’ve got to be ready for anything.”
Atlanta posted a pair of one-point victories in Games 2 and 3 to take the lead in the series, but New York has been dominant since then, holding the Hawks to 42.7% from the field and 27.7% from three-point range in the last two outings. CJ McCollum, who looked like the star of the series early on, was limited to six points on Tuesday.
“It’s been a multitude of things. We picked it up as a unit,” Brunson of the Knicks’ defense. “They’ve also gotten a lot of looks. and we were lucky they were missing. I think us being on the same page, both sides of the ball, was a factor.”
There’s more from New York:
- The defensive adjustment didn’t seem to bother Towns, who finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as the Knicks ran their offense through him most of the night, observes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Towns was able to overpower Daniels in the paint and use his size advantage to get the ball to open teammates. “I feel like passing’s been my thing since I came into the league. Sometimes the scoring gets more noticed than the passing,” Towns said. “But I’m glad I have the opportunity to show what I can do, passing-wise. I’ve just got to continue to stay disciplined, continue to make the right play, regardless if it’s the scoring play or the hockey assist.”
- OG Anunoby may be New York’s best player throughout the series, Braziller adds in a separate story. Anunoby turned in another great game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a plus-19 rating, and his teammates are recognizing the contribution he’s making every night. “He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world on a big stage something that we always thought he was. When you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, weirdly enough, it’s special. I believe he’s going to be First Team All-Defense, and he deserves it.”
- After not playing in the series opener, Jose Alvarado has worked his way back into the rotation, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. He came off the bench to score 12 points in 12 minutes in Game 5 and helped the Knicks pull away early in the second quarter. Schwartz notes that Alvarado’s latest chance came after guards Landry Shamet and Miles McBride struggled earlier in the series.
Hawks Notes: McCollum, Kuminga, Midseason Trades, NAW
Hawks general manager Onsi Salah was a long-time admirer of CJ McCollum and was happy to acquire him in the January deal that sent Trae Young to Washington, but Salah admits to Howard Beck of The Ringer that he had no idea McCollum would emerge as a playoff force. The veteran guard is the main reason that Atlanta holds a 2-1 lead over New York, averaging 27 points per game in the series and hitting a game-winning jumper late in Game 3.
“I’m not surprised with his confidence and his ability to do what he’s doing,” Saleh said. “I just didn’t expect the efficiency — like, everything has been so good, and he’s just taken over the series, and in such a dramatic way. It eases the pressure on some of our guys. It helps us understand how to win playoff games, which is a skill. He understands tempo and pace and mismatches and who to go at, who not to go at, clock situations, all that stuff he’s been phenomenal with.”
Beck notes that it didn’t feel like a major trade when it happened, as the Hawks were trying to find a new home for Young so they could retool around their young core. Young’s salary and injury status limited the interest around the league, so getting McCollum and Corey Kispert in return seemed like a deal of convenience.
But McCollum sparked a second half surge as Atlanta went 27-15 after the trade and posted the seventh-best point differential in the league. The new starting lineup of McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu had the NBA’s second-highest net rating at +21.4 (minimum of 600 possessions).
“It was funny when the narratives came out at the time,” Saleh said. “Because people just thought we’re just salary dumping, which wasn’t the case at all. We wanted CJ. We wanted Corey. These are two guys that fit. … It’s worked out even better than I would have expected.”
There’s more from Atlanta:
- McCollum believes Jonathan Kuminga has benefited from the February trade that sent him from Golden State to Atlanta, per Nick Avila of NBC Sports Bay Area. Kuminga’s statistics with the two teams were similar during the regular season, but his playing time has increased to 31 minutes per night since the playoffs began. “He was in a not so great situation and now he’s found a happy home over here,” McCollum said after Game 3.
- The Hawks were expecting Young and Kristaps Porzingis to lift them out of play-in territory when they acquired the big man from Boston last summer, but the season didn’t turn around until they were both traded away, notes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Young and Porzingis only played three games and 51 total minutes together in Atlanta, but their replacements have made the Hawks a dangerous playoff opponent.
- In a session with reporters prior to Saturday’s Game 4, coach Quin Snyder said Alexander-Walker is a deserving winner of Most Improved Player honors, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. “He’s just thrown himself in consistently to the work,” Snyder said. “… We’re lucky to have him.”
Hawks Notes: McCollum, Johnson, Risacher, NAW
Jalen Johnson was the Hawks‘ lone All-Star and most valuable player during the regular season, but it was guard CJ McCollum who led the team to a Game 2 victory over the Knicks on Monday in New York, writes Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required).
While most of the Hawks’ young players had at least a little postseason experience entering this first-round series, their playoff résumés generally pale in comparison to that of McCollum, who has appeared in the playoffs 11 separate times and logged 69 total postseason outings. That veteran experience was on display on Monday.
As Cunningham details, McCollum scored 32 points, including six in the final two minutes, and assumed the role of Madison Square Garden villain that was once held by Trae Young, the player he was traded for earlier this season. Head coach Quin Snyder was appreciative of both McCollum’s steady leadership and impressive shot-making in the Game 2 victory, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required).
“I felt like we needed both,” Snyder said. “I’ve been in the West for a while. I’ve watched him do that when he was in Portland. But again, I think you can lead by how you play.”
McCollum is in the final year of his current contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in July if he and the Hawks don’t work out an extension agreement before June 30. The 34-year-old could improve his chances of securing another lucrative multiyear deal with a strong showing this spring.
We have more on the Hawks:
- Johnson made just 8-of-19 shots from the floor in Game 1 and opened Game 2 by missing all four of his shot attempts in the first half. However, he went 6-for-8 on his field goal attempts in the second half on Monday and appeared to be finding his playoff footing, Williams writes for the Journal-Constitution (subscription required). “The thing about Jalen is he can impact winning in lots of ways, and he’s doing things for other people,” Snyder said. “I think his gravity is real. We want to keep finding ways to get out in transition. Obviously, that’s something he’s elite in those situations and they’ve done a good job trying to take that away. … (But) I think he’s done a really good job, kind of adjusting throughout the games, as far as how they’re guarding him, how they’re taking away certain actions, what he can do to combat that that’s happening, and that’s the nature of a playoff series.”
- Former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher saw his minutes decline near the end of the regular season and hasn’t been part of Atlanta’s rotation during the first round of the playoffs, logging just two total minutes so far in the series. Risacher told the French outlet BeBasket after Game 1 that he’s doing his best to “stay prepared no matter what,” as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. “You can’t let yourself get down by things you can’t control,” he said. “Of course, you can imagine it’s not an easy situation to manage. But here I am, still here, even more motivated, I’d say. I have to try to turn this to my advantage. Obviously, it’s tough, but I’m trying to make it a strength.”
- In case you missed it, Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a finalist for the Most Improved Player award. The winner will be announced on Friday during Amazon Prime’s playoff broadcast at 6:30 pm Eastern time, per the NBA (Twitter link).
Southeast Notes: Diabate, Magic, Snyder, AD, Wizards
The Hornets could be missing their starting center when they play at Orlando on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up for the elimination game due to left hip soreness, Charlotte announced (via Twitter).
A French big man, Diabate recorded eight points, 14 rebounds and a block in 36 minutes during Tuesday’s play-in victory over Miami. The 24-year-old averaged 7.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.0 BPG in 73 appearances this season (26.0 MPG).
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Magic are looking to bounce back on Friday after dropping Wednesday’s play-in game at Philadelphia, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando won its October 30 matchup with the Hornets by 16 points, but lost its final three regular season contests against Charlotte by 15, 27, and 19 points. “They’ve kicked our ass this year,” Paolo Banchero said about the Hornets. “So we’ve got to be ready. I’ve got to be ready. And we’ve got to be locked in from the jump. I thought we played hard (Wednesday), but it wasn’t enough. And so it’s going to take even more of an effort, and it’s going to take me playing better, as well, for us to get the win.”
- Head coach Quin Snyder deserves kudos for helping the Hawks turn their season around, according to Ken Segiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). The Hawks made multiple big trades that reshaped their roster after injuries foiled their offseason plans, but they closed out the regular season by going 20-6 after the All-Star break, the third-best mark in the NBA over that span. “He’s done a great job just adjusting to the personnel,” guard CJ McCollum said of Snyder. “We’ve changed and really looked at our team, how we play, how certain guys’ games have evolved over the course of the season, which also happens. We’ve added stuff, we’ve taken stuff out, we’ve kind of evaluated what works, what doesn’t work and what’s going to work for this group.”
- Trae Young and Alex Sarr are among the Wizards who have expressed excitement about playing with Anthony Davis in 2026/27, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “I’ve never played with a player as talented or as special as A.D. is. We haven’t gotten to play on the court yet, but we’ve talked about a lot of things,” Young said. “We talked about what it would look like when we do get on the court together.”
Hawks Clinch Playoff Spot; Top Four East Seeds Now Locked In
The Hawks have become the fifth Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot after defeating Cleveland on Friday, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Dyson Daniels recorded his second career triple-double (13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) and CJ McCollum registered a game-high 29 points in just 24 minutes during the 22-point win, notes Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link).
Atlanta, which is currently 46-35, also secured the Southeast Division title with Friday’s victory. This is the first time the Hawks have avoided the play-in tournament since 2020/21, when they made a surprise run to the conference final as the No. 5 seed.
Detroit secured the East’s No. 1 spot following last Saturday’s win in Philadelphia, but the other seeds had been up in the air until now. Friday’s results have provided a little more clarity. The Celtics locked up the No. 2 seed by demolishing New Orleans; the Knicks are No. 3 after they beat Toronto and Cleveland lost; and the Cavaliers are No. 4.
The Hawks can clinch the No. 5 seed if they win Sunday’s game at Miami. The 45-36 Raptors, who are currently No. 6, also control their own fate — a win Sunday over the tanking Nets will secure a guaranteed playoff berth.
There’s theoretically still a pathway for the No. 7 Magic (45-36) or the No. 8 Sixers (44-37) to sneak in as the East’s sixth guaranteed playoff team on Sunday. The Magic would need a win at Boston combined with a Raptors loss, which would make Orlando the No. 6 seed (the Hawks would be No. 5 in that scenario no matter how they fare against Miami). Philadelphia needs Orlando and Toronto to lose Sunday and it has to beat Milwaukee at home to finish No. 6, with Atlanta again the No. 5 in that scenario.
If the Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Sixers all win on Sunday, they will finish where they currently are in the standings. That outcome wouldn’t be surprising.
The Hornets are now locked into the play-in tournament after losing to the Pistons on Friday. They’ll face the Heat in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game. Charlotte will be No. 9 with either a win Sunday (at New York) or a Miami loss. The Heat need to beat Atlanta and need Charlotte to lose to the Knicks to move up to No. 9.