Knicks Notes: Brunson, Towns, Brown, NBA Finals
It was family connections that brought Jalen Brunson to the Knicks in 2022, more than the money or the chance to play in the NBA’s biggest city, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN writes in a lengthy profile of the All-Star guard. Brunson had deep connections to team president Leon Rose, who had served as an agent for both him and his father, Rick, and worked hard to get the elder Brunson a job in the NBA after his playing career ended. When the Knicks hired Rick as an assistant coach shortly before Brunson hit free agency, the deal was virtually sealed.
“I think Jalen had a loyalty to the Mavs because they’d drafted him, but the Knicks were his actual family,” a Mavericks source told Shelburne. “I don’t think we fully grasped that.”
Former Dallas general manager Donnie Nelson was thrilled to land Brunson in the second round in 2018 and team him with the Mavs’ other draft prize, Slovenian guard Luka Doncic. Both became rotation players right away, but Doncic showed immediate signs of stardom and their defensive liabilities raised questions about whether they could play together.
With the chance to offer Brunson an extension in the summer of 2021, the Mavs told him that they wanted to further evaluate the fit of the roster, according to Shelburne, who adds that they were also determining whether they could afford to keep Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith. Brunson reportedly told Dallas officials the following January that he would agree to an extension if it was offered then, but the Mavericks preferred to keep their options open if they had the chance to trade for a star, and an extension would have taken Brunson off the market. They made identical offers to Brunson and Finney-Smith after the deadline passed, but Brunson turned his down.
With free agency looming, the Knicks began clearing cap space on draft day with Brunson as their obvious target. The four-year, $104MM deal they ultimately gave Brunson was ridiculed by some as an overpay, but it turned out to be a huge bargain. Brunson became a star in New York and is on the verge of giving the city its first NBA title in 53 years.
“He’s comfortable there,” former Knick Jamal Crawford said. “They empowered him. They believed in him. He’s got guys on the team from Villanova that he knows and who fit his play style. He’s got his dad on the bench who knows exactly what buttons to push to get him going. He knows Leon. So with that comfortability, I think you’re going to get the best of him.”
There’s more from New York City:
- Karl-Anthony Towns‘ ability to alter his game in the midst of the playoffs has made the Knicks a more dangerous team, Steve Popper of Newsday notes in a subscriber-only story. After months of clashing with first-year head coach Mike Brown over his role in the offense, Towns accepted Brown’s vision when the team faced a 2-1 deficit against Atlanta in the first round. “It’s about impacting winning,” Towns said. “Especially this year throughout the year, I’ve always had to change my role for the betterment of the team. I’ve always had to change the way I play so it could be most beneficial for the team.”
- The Knicks began their coaching search last summer by calling several teams to ask about the status of their incumbent coaches, recalls James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. When Chicago, Houston, Dallas and others refused to grant permission for an interview, New York turned to Brown, who wound up being the perfect candidate and wasn’t bothered that he wasn’t the team’s first choice.
- Five Athletic writers discuss whether Towns is headed for Finals MVP honors and several other topics in a roundtable about the championship series.
Scout Discusses Building Around Cooper Flagg
The Mavericks are entering an important offseason as they look to build their team around star rookie Cooper Flagg. They have the ninth, 30th, and 48th overall picks in the 2026 draft, along with a new front office headlined by new president Masai Ujiri and first-time general manager Mike Schmitz.
NBA draft scout James Barlowe spoke recently about the options facing Dallas this summer as they look to add another cornerstone alongside Flagg, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.
Barlowe points to more consistent outside shooting as a need for the team moving forward. He highlights Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Brayden Burries (Arizona), and Nate Ament (Tennessee) as likely top options when the Mavs are on the board, and calls Brown the top long-term guard prospect, given his ceiling as a shooter and play-maker. Brown is seventh on ESPN’s big board by Jeremy Woo, with Flemings ranked one spot lower at No. 8.
As teams like the Knicks, Spurs, and Thunder have shown, having as many players as possible with positional size who can dribble, pass, and shoot can make a huge difference in terms of injecting versatility and unpredictability in a team’s offense, which is why Barlowe says the team shouldn’t hesitate if Brown is available when they’re at the podium.
While Ujiri has a reputation for valuing positional size above all things, due largely to the team he built in Toronto, Barlowe calls that an oversimplification, saying, “He’s a rule changer instead of a rule follower.”
The Mavs also face a decision on Kyrie Irving, who is expected to be healthy after missing this season with an ACL tear. They could value Irving as a scorer and play-maker alongside Flagg, in which case it would behoove them to draft a guard who could play alongside Irving until it’s time to inherit more responsibility. However, Barlowe also believes that a smart front office would at least explore what Irving could return in trade if it helps continue to build a young foundation around Flagg.
Another option for Dallas would be to look into moving down in the draft, either with pick No. 9 or 30, to continue compiling future assets — the Mavs have very limited access to future draft picks after this summer.
Western Notes: Gafford, Queen, A. Green, Clippers
After battling a nagging right ankle sprain throughout the 2025/26 season, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford said on Friday that he’s taking his time to fully recover before resuming on-court work, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter video link).
“I’m getting there. The rehab is good. I’m staying consistent. I’m holding myself accountable to just take care of my body … I don’t want to rush anything,” Gafford said. “Whenever I get back on the court and do all the workouts, I want to be 100% healthy.”
Gafford was limited to 55 regular season appearances this season due to the injury, which he sustained on the first day of training camp last fall. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game.
The 27-year-old big man was also asked for his early impressions of new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and the changes he’s made to the organization so far (Twitter video link via Curtis).
“It is a business. I’m not necessarily surprised when it comes to some of the things that he’s done with the organization because I’m pretty sure he already had that in his back pocket when he got hired,” Gafford said. “I’m just sitting back and watching from afar. … I’ve yet to get the chance to sit down and talk with him, but he made sure he called me and we had a good conversation on the phone.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Pelicans center Derik Queen reconnected with former teammate Jose Alvarado and asked Karl-Anthony Towns for advice in his role as a player correspondent at the NBA Finals on Wednesday, as Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com relays. “I mean, you already are superbly talented,” Towns said. “I’ve seen it firsthand. I think, for me, it’d be more about locking into the film consistently. Never leave the gym, be infatuated with the work. I know it’s weird, but JB [Jalen Brunson] has it on his shirt, but the magic really is in the work. The real gift about experience is that you’ll find ways to accomplish the same goal and get the stats with using way less energy. And with that, that’s where experience really kicks in, and it’s a beauty.”
- The Pelicans have made another addition to their front office, hiring Amanda Green as executive strategy and analytics, the team announced (via Twitter). Green is a longtime former Thunder executive who got her start in San Antonio and previously held a role in the league office, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans hired Thomas Scott on Thursday to be the general manager of the team’s G League affiliate.
- Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd, Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso, Miami (OH) guard Peter Suder, Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and BYU center Keba Keita are among the players who have worked out for the Clippers this week, league sources tell Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thorton is the top-ranked prospect in that group on ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 52. Los Angeles currently controls the fifth, 36th and 52nd picks in this month’s draft.
Mavericks Notes: Finley, Nori, Pre-Draft Workouts
After the Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri as their new president and Mike Schmitz to be their general manager, word broke that Matt Riccardi, who served as the team’s co-interim GM during the 2025/26 season, would be leaving the organization. There have been no such updates on Michael Finley, who was the Mavs’ other co-interim GM following Nico Harrison‘s dismissal in the fall.
Finley spent nearly nine years in Dallas as a player and has been part of the club’s front office since 2017. Minority stakeholder Mark Cuban, the majority owner of the team when Finley was originally hired, hopes the former guard’s stint in the basketball operations department continues — and has said as much to Ujiri.
“(Finley) is our legacy guy,” Cuban said during a special episode of the House of Haymaker show with Ben Rogers and Jeff “Skin” Wade. “You need somebody there that’s a connection to the past and knows everybody, that has been there a while. … My strong recommendation (to Ujiri) is that you keep Michael Finley.”
According to Cuban, Ujiri didn’t commit one way or the other to his plans for Finley and the rest of the front office.
“(He) just said, ‘Thank you,’ and that was it,” Cuban said.
Cuban also spoke during his House of Haymaker appearance about the Luka Doncic trade – which he said Finley called “the wrong thing to do” – and the fact that Dirk Nowitzki “didn’t agree with” the 2021 hiring of Harrison, among other topics.
We have more on the Mavericks:
- Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Tuesday, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori said he hadn’t “heard anything really” from the Mavericks about their head coaching opening so far, but had engaged in “a few conversations here and there” with the Trail Blazers and Bulls, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays. Although Nori added that his discussions with those teams hadn’t gotten “too serious” at that point, one report today suggested he’s a finalist for Portland’s head coaching job and that Dallas also has interest in interviewing him.
- Obi Agbim (Baylor), Michael Ajayi (Butler), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech), Tucker DeVries (Indiana), and Wyatt Fricks (Marshall) were in town on Wednesday to work out for the Mavericks, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Of those five players, Anderson is the most noteworthy — he’s a projected first-round pick who ranks 18th overall on ESPN’s big board.
- The Mavericks are currently armed with the ninth, 30th, and 48th overall picks in this month’s draft. In an effort to get a better sense for which players the team might be eyeing at those spots, Curtis (subscription required) takes a closer look at Ujiri’s draft history during his time in Denver and Toronto. Based on those past draft results, Curtis writes that Ujiri has shown a willingness to take a shot on versatile wings who can score and defend, as well as international prospects and score-first guards.
Latest On Mavericks’ Head Coaching Search
We haven’t heard much about the Mavericks‘ head coaching search in the two-plus weeks since the team parted ways with Jason Kidd, but league sources tell Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that Dallas has begun seeking permission to speak to candidates for the job.
The expectation, according to Fischer and Stein, is that the Mavs will interview a dozen or so candidates before making a decision.
Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, Celtics assistant Tony Dobbins, and Heat consultant Noah LaRoche are among the coaches the Mavericks have either already registered interest in or plan to reach out to soon, sources tell The Stein Line.
Veteran coach Terry Stotts, who isn’t remaining in his position on Steve Kerr‘s staff in Golden State, is also expected to interview for the position, Fischer and Stein add, noting that Stotts – who has previous head coaching experience with Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Portland – currently only has interest in head coaching jobs.
Former Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney was among the potential targets on Dallas’ radar, but he was already far down the road on a deal with the Magic by the time the Mavs reached out and has since been officially hired by Orlando, per The Stein Line.
While the most likely outcome is that the Mavericks hire a coach from the NBA ranks, there have been some exploratory conversations to see whether college coaches like Duke’s Jon Scheyer, who previously coached Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, or Michigan’s Dusty May would have any interest in the Dallas job, Fischer and Stein report. For what it’s worth, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints previously reported that Scheyer is “fully locked in” with the Blue Devils and isn’t interested in leaving Duke at this time, so he’s unlikely to emerge as a legitimate candidate for the Mavs.
According to Fischer and Stein, there’s an expectation that new Mavs president Masai Ujiri, who hired Darko Rajakovic in Toronto, will keep an eye on European options and perhaps explore potential options in the women’s game as well.
Ujiri, who was hired by the Mavs earlier this spring, said in May that he expects the coaching search to be “very comprehesive” and to turn over “every stone.”
“I think our minds are very open,” Ujiri said at the time. “We’re going to look everywhere. …We will really try to look at what’s best for this organization, be it first-time, be it experienced, be it college, be it European. Everywhere. Whatever is best for this organization going forward is what we are going to look at.”
Western Notes: Suns, Mavs, Burries, Giannis, Westbrook
The Suns have numerous decisions to make regarding their own free agents, Spotrac’s Keith Smith notes in his offseason preview.
Mark Williams will be a restricted free agent and Phoenix should tread cautiously, according to Smith, who writes that Williams is a solid but not overly impactful center and has a lengthy injury history. The big man could wind up signing his $9.6MM qualifying offer.
The fact that Phoenix holds Early Bird rights on guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin should allow the front office to give them competitive offers and retain the duo. Smith anticipates something in the range of $40MM over four years as a solid baseline for Gillespie and views a three-year, $18MM offer as fair value for Goodwin.
As for a potential extension for Dillon Brooks, Smith notes he turned 30 in January and thus the franchise shouldn’t get carried away. A four-year, $100MM contract should be considered a fair offer.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Mavericks should seriously consider Arizona freshman guard Brayden Burries with their lottery pick at No. 9, James Piercey of Dallas Hoops Journal writes. Burries made 39.1% of his three-point tries during his one-and-done season with the Wildcats, in which he averaged 16.1 points per game. With Cooper Flagg serving as a point forward, Burries could be an ideal complement to the team’s franchise player. Burries is also a stout point-of-attack defender, Piercey adds.
- The Trail Blazers should make an aggressive trade proposal to the Bucks to win the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, Bill Oram of The Oregonian opines in a subscriber-only column. While Portland showed some growth this season, the Blazers need a star talent to make them true contenders. Oram believes that if a smaller market club has a chance to add a proven superstar, it must go all-in on that opportunity. Oram also notes the Trail Blazers have a built-in advantage — they control Milwaukee’s first-round picks from 2028 to 2030.
- Russell Westbrook, who played his first 11 seasons with the Thunder organization, is giving back to the Oklahoma City community. He returned to the city on Monday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the multi-purpose stadium that’s set to open in 2028, according to The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto. Westbrook teamed up with Christian Kanady, the founder and CEO of Echo Investment Capital, to develop the surrounding stadium district. The 10,000-seat outdoor venue will be the home of Oklahoma City’s pro soccer and football teams, which will compete in the United Soccer League and United Football League, respectively. Westbrook is headed to unrestricted free agency this summer.
Fischer’s Latest: Brown, Pelicans, Murphy, Kyrie, Sixers
The Pelicans have been “mentioned by various league executives” as one of the teams with interest in Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, NBA insider Jake Fischer said in his latest live stream for Bleacher Report (video link).
Fischer’s colleague Marc Stein previously named Atlanta, Houston, and Portland as teams to watch for Brown, though as Fischer points out, there have been no real indications yet that the Celtics will seriously consider the idea of trading the All-NBA second-teamer this offseason.
With Brown’s salary set to rise to $57MM in 2026/27, any Pelicans package for Brown would have to start with at least one of Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole, Dejounte Murray, or Trey Murphy III for matching purposes. Of those players, the versatile sharpshooter Murphy would almost certainly draw the most interest from the Celtics or other potential trade partners (in multi-team scenarios).
According to Fischer, San Antonio had been one of the teams most interested in Murphy over the past year or two, but the Spurs‘ run to the NBA Finals this spring makes them less likely to do anything drastic with their roster this summer.
Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s live stream:
- While the Mavericks‘ new front office executives have expressed enthusiasm about seeing Cooper Flagg play alongside a healthy Kyrie Irving, Fischer doesn’t “necessarily believe” that Irving will still be on Dallas’ roster by the start of the 2026/27 season, noting that plenty of teams will inquire on the star point guard in the coming weeks. Irving missed all of ’25/26 while recovering from a torn ACL but should be ready to go for opening night in the fall.
- Although Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe look like the Sixers‘ top long-term building blocks, there’s no reason to believe Joel Embiid or Paul George will be going anywhere at this point, according to Fischer, who suggests that Philadelphia is “almost certain” to bring both players back. Embiid and George would be difficult to move for any real value due to their multiyear, maximum-salary contracts.
- Based on his conversations with sources around the NBA, Fischer wouldn’t be surprised if “most favorable” terms become more common on traded first-round picks, since that’s a way for teams stockpiling draft assets to hedge against the randomness of the new draft lottery format.
Mavericks Reach Agreement On Arena Site Outside Of Downtown
The Mavericks have reached a preliminary agreement on a site for a new arena and entertainment district that would move the team outside of downtown Dallas for the first time in franchise history.
The team said in a statement that the agreement covers 104 acres at the former site of the Valley View mall, which was demolished three years ago. The site is about 13 miles north of downtown, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
“We have appreciated the enthusiasm from the Dallas City Manager, elected officials and the broader community to keep the team in Dallas,” the statement reads in part. “We look forward to continuing the collaboration toward that goal.
“The Valley View site meets most of the criteria established at the outset of our evaluation process. It is our goal to stay in the City of Dallas, and we believe this site provides the strongest opportunity to achieve that goal.
The tentative plan is for the new arena to be built by July 28, 2031, when the team’s lease at the American Airlines Center expires. Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, who was hired to lead the arena project, informed city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert of the team’s decision on Monday, according to Townsend.
The city had pitched the team about staying in downtown, but the Mavericks had several concerns about that proposal, including meeting the July 2031 timeline, people familiar with the matter told Townsend.
“We have the opportunity to create a vibrant mixed-use destination anchored by a state-of-the-art arena, along with restaurants, entertainment options, public green spaces and family-friendly experiences,” the statement reads. “Done thoughtfully and with community engagement, a project of this scale will serve as a meaningful economic catalyst for Dallas and its residents. We believe in Dallas, and our priority has been clear from the beginning: keeping the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.”
As Townsend writes, Valley View isn’t the only possibility for the new arena. Team governor Patrick Dumont is the chairman of Las Vegas Sands, which owns 259 acres in Irving. Irving is actually a little closer to downtown than Valley View even though it’s technically not in Dallas, Townsend notes.
The Mavs have been in downtown Dallas for the past 46 years.
Draft Rumors: Clippers, Boozer, Acuff, Flemings, Carr, Burries
There’s an expectation that the Clippers will listen to trade-down offers for the fifth overall pick in the 2026 draft, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports.
Noting that reports have linked the Thunder to Cameron Boozer, who’s projected to be a top-three pick, O’Connor wonders if Oklahoma City might be able to use the 12th and 17th picks and an unspecified player to move up to fifth, and from that point potentially packaging the fifth selection to try to move into the top three with an “overwhelming offer,” perhaps including Chet Holmgren.
Obviously that’s just O’Connor brainstorming/speculating, but the Thunder have a trove of future first-round picks, plus their payroll is about to become very expensive, with roster-building restrictions in place if they’re over the second apron.
Oklahoma City also has a history of avoiding massive payrolls, O’Connor notes, having traded James Harden to Houston in the 2012 offseason when he was eligible for a rookie scale extension. Holmgren’s Game 7 performance vs. San Antonio and past history of struggling offensively in big moments could make the team more willing to part ways with him before his maximum-salary rookie scale extension kicks in next season, O’Connor writes.
Here are a few more rumors and notes related to the upcoming draft:
- Speaking of Boozer, one NBA general manager gave the following assessment of the former Duke star, who won several college Player of the Year awards as a freshman: “I don’t think he’s a franchise player, but I also know exactly what I’m getting with him,” the GM told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 (Twitter link). “Both (AJ) Dybantsa and (Darryn) Peterson have a chance to be franchise players in the league. Boozer can be a great second option.”
- The Mavericks are believed to have interest in trading up for Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Dallas controls the ninth, 30th and 48th picks in the upcoming draft, while Acuff is widely projected to go in the top seven. Previous reports have said the Kings, who control the seventh pick, are high on Acuff and are considered his floor. Sacramento has also been impressed by Houston guard Kingston Flemings, a projected top-10 pick, in the lead-up to the draft, sources tell Siegel.
- The Bulls and Mavericks have “known interest” in Baylor guard Cameron Carr, arguably the biggest winner at the draft combine, per Siegel. Chicago has four picks in this month’s draft: fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th. For what it’s worth, Jeremy Woo of ESPN had Carr going 15th overall in his latest mock draft.
- While Brayden Burries is considered a lock to be drafted in the lottery, his range seems pretty wide, Siegel writes. One scout from a lottery team sounded impressed by the Arizona guard before the combine, according to Siegel. “He’s simply a sound player,” the scout said of Burries. “Good vision, great instincts, good vibes around him. His teammates love playing with him. Nobody ever says, ‘Well, he can still work on this and that.’ This guy is the complete package when it comes to being cool and collected.”
Stein’s Latest: Giannis, Magic, Braun, C. Johnson, Sixers
The Magic‘s decision to hire Sean Sweeney as their next head coach has led to increased speculation about Orlando potentially pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says some people around the league already viewed the Magic as a possible suitor for the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo has a known affinity for Sweeney, a former Bucks assistant who spent four seasons with the Greek forward in Milwaukee. Stein writes that the two “worked closely” together.
As Stein observes, Sweeney isn’t Antetokounmpo’s only connection to the Magic, as senior advisor John Hammond selected the 31-year-old with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman still regularly contacts Hammond for advice, Stein reports.
League sources tell Stein that the Heat and Trail Blazers are “already in pursuit” of Antetokounmpo, with Miami considered a top trade contender for the nine-time All-NBA member.
There’s a growing belief around the league that Antetokounmpo’s future will be resolved in the next few weeks after owner Jimmy Haslam set a soft deadline of the NBA draft, Stein adds.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest rumor round-up:
- Rival teams are expecting the Nuggets to make Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson available in trade talks this summer, according to Stein. Denver has said re-signing restricted free agent Peyton Watson will be a priority this offseason and there’s technically nothing preventing the team from doing so while keeping its other higher-priced players, assuming ownership is willing to pay the luxury tax bill. However, the Nuggets project to be well over the second apron if they bring back the same group, with Braun and Johnson among their trade candidates. Johnson’s expiring $23.1MM contract is considered far more appealing than Braun’s five-year, $125MM rookie scale extension, which begins next season, Stein notes.
- One of the reasons the Nuggets prioritized a long-term deal with Braun last offseason is he’s “routinely described” as one of Nikola Jokic‘s favorite teammates, league sources tell Stein. Jokic has finished either first or second in MVP voting each of the past six seasons.
- Vice president of player personnel Prosper Karangwa is expected to remain with the Sixers after the team hired Mike Gansey as its new head of basketball operations, according to Stein, who previously linked Karangwa to the Lakers and Mavericks. Stein reiterates that 76ers assistant GM Jameer Nelson is expected to be promoted to GM and that current GM Elton Brand is considered likely to be offered a new role in Philadelphia.