Anthony Davis Discusses Wizards In First D.C. Media Session
Monday marked the first time Anthony Davis was made available to speak to the media since the Wizards traded for him ahead of the February deadline, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. As Robbins observes, the Wizards held a press conference after they traded for Trae Young in early January, but didn’t do the same for Davis a month later.
According to Robbins, the 33-year-old big man raised doubts on Monday about the Wizards’ ability to quickly transition from the NBA’s worst team to a contender. Davis made it clear he wants to have lengthy talks with president Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins this offseason about how Washington intends to become a championship-caliber team in 2026/27 or 2027/28.
“I’ve been in this league a long time, and I’ve been with losing teams, been on losing teams,” Davis said. “It’s very hard to be a losing team and then a championship contender, right? I think one team has only done it: Boston in ’08. The only team, right? Even when I was in New Orleans and we had two losing seasons, then we made the playoffs our third year — that, within itself, is a huge jump: showing that you want to be on a path to winning.
“And that’s what it takes. So, if something comes out of the conversation where that’s the path — and, obviously, you won’t know until the season starts — that’s what I would like to see. What is our plan for winning going into next season? And how? Not like this is a plan, but how do we execute that? And based on that, we’ll kind of see what happens.”
As Robbins notes, the “see what happens” comment raised some eyebrows and led to a follow-up question asking whether Davis expected to be on the roster to open next season. The 10-time All-Star will earn a guaranteed $58.5MM in ’26/27, followed by a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m under contract,” Davis replied. ” … Whether we figure something out in the summer (that’s) good or bad, whatever … if it doesn’t get figured out, then come October, mid-October, late October, I will have a Washington Wizards uniform on, and I will go out there, and I will do everything I can to win a basketball game. That’s never going to change.
“ … In the summer, right now, I’m going to compete, train and have the mindset that I will be here next year. Not only because I’m under contract, but also, I like these young guys. I ain’t going to lie. I feel like they’re all my children.”
Davis was complimentary of the Wizards’ young players as well as the franchise as a whole, saying his previous (negative) perception of the franchise wasn’t accurate, Robbins adds.
“The organization is a very good organization. Ted [Leonsis] is a great owner, the coaching staff and the players, their development. Obviously, the city is phenomenal,” Davis said, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.
Because the Wizards had the worst record in the league, they can finish no worse than fifth in the draft lottery, with a 52.1% chance at a top-four pick, including 14.0% odds at selecting No. 1 overall. They also have young players like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George who are considered part of the team’s core, Robbins writes.
Still, Davis made it clear he’s on the fence about Washington’s short-term direction, per Robbins. The 10-time All-Star appeared in a career-low 20 games this season due to a variety of injuries, including ligament damage in his left hand that prevented him from making his Wizards debut in ’25/26.
Pelicans Opening Coaching Search, Borrego Among Candidates
The Pelicans are searching for a new permanent head coach and the process will include James Borrego, who spent most of 2025/26 as the team’s interim head coach, report Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
The news doesn’t come as a major surprise, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported that the Pelicans had several other candidates in mind aside from Borrego, including Darvin Ham and former Nets coach Kevin Ollie. Scotto added that current Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley has “several admirers” in New Orleans and could be a top candidate for the job if he’s let go by Orlando.
Fischer also reported last week that the Pelicans were mulling opening up a coaching search, citing Mosley, Borrego and Ham as possible candidates.
The Pelicans had a disappointing first season under the new front office regime, which is led by head of basketball operations Joe Dumars and general manager Troy Weaver. New Orleans fired former head coach Willie Green after the team got off to a 2-10 start, then went 24-46 under Borrego to finish out the season.
New Orleans’ 26-56 record was the third-worst win-loss percentage (.317) in franchise history, slightly ahead of 2024/25’s mark of 21-61. Former top executive David Griffin was fired after that campaign.
After dealing with a series of prolonged injury absences in ’24/25, the Pelicans had better luck on that front this season, with Zion Williamson (62 games), Trey Murphy III (66) and Herbert Jones (56) all playing far more often than they did a year ago (30, 53, and 20 appearances, respectively). The team also received solid contributions from lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, who only missed one combined game, and trade acquisition Saddiq Bey.
However, Jordan Poole — who was acquired from Washington along with Bey — struggled mightily in his first season with the Pelicans, ’24/25 All-Rookie selection Yves Missi saw his minutes reduced in year two (he was drafted by Griffin), and Dejounte Murray was limited to just 14 appearances after tearing his Achilles tendon in January 2025.
Borrego, 48, was previously the Hornets’ head coach for four seasons (from 2018-22). He was New Orleans’ associate head coach for a little over a year prior to taking over for Green. Borrego has compiled a 172-222 (.429) win-loss record as an NBA head coach and is also believed to be on the Bucks’ radar.
LeBron James, Brandon Ingram Named Players Of Week
Lakers forward LeBron James and Raptors forward Brandon Ingram have been named Players of the Week for the week of April 6-12, according to the league (Twitter links).
The Western Conference winner, James averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest as the Lakers won three straight contests to close the season and clinch home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs despite playing without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. LeBron had back-to-back double-doubles on Thursday and Friday, putting up 26 points and 11 assists in Golden State and then 28 points and 12 assists vs. Phoenix.
Ingram averaged 25.5 points per game on 57.8 percent shooting from the field across four games as the Raptors went 3-1 to wrap up their season and clinched the No. 5 seed in the East. The veteran forward poured in a season-high 38 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists in Thursday’s victory over Miami.
It’s the first Player of the Week award of the season for either James or Ingram, though it’s the 70th time LeBron has won it over the course of his 23-year NBA career. Ingram has now earned the honor five times.
Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers), Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson (Rockets), and Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves) were the other nominees from the Western Conference, while Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) and Jalen Duren (Pistons) were also nominated in the East.
Doc Rivers Will Not Return As Bucks’ Coach
APRIL 13: The move is official, the Bucks announced Monday morning (Twitter link).
“I have truly loved my time in Milwaukee,” Rivers said in a statement. “Coming back to where I got my start, to a city that has always embraced me, has been a privilege. I am disappointed that things did not turn out the way any of us hoped, but I am deeply grateful for this experience, the relationships built and unwavering support from our fans and the community. Milwaukee will always mean a lot to me, and this chapter will hold a special place in my heart.”
APRIL 12: Doc Rivers will not be the Bucks‘ head coach next season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), who reports that Rivers is departing his role.
Echoing prior reporting, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says the expectation around the league is that Rivers could join the Bucks’ front office in a role that has yet to be determined.
Following a three-year stint in Philadelphia from 2020-23, Rivers was hired by the Bucks during the 2023/24 season to replace Adrian Griffin. He compiled a 97-103 record (.487) across two-and-a-half seasons in Milwaukee, leading the team to two playoff appearances. The club went 3-8 in the postseason under Rivers and didn’t get out of the first round.
While ill-timed injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard played a role in the Bucks’ lack of playoff success in 2024 and 2025, the team was never close to making the postseason this year. Milwaukee finished the season with a 32-50 record, its worst mark since the 2013/14 season.
A longtime coach who won a title in Boston and had a winning record on the sidelines for the Magic, Clippers, and Sixers, Rivers compiled a 2,059-1,195 regular season mark (.580) over the course of 27 seasons as an NBA head coach. He will be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year as a member of the class of 2026.
As Charania notes (via Twitter), Rivers had one more year remaining on his contract, so Milwaukee will be on the hook for his 2026/27 salary. The Bucks will now embark upon a search for his replacement, with former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins expected to be a prominent target.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Doesn’t Rule Out Extension With Bucks
With the Bucks‘ season officially over, the focus can fully turn toward Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Big changes appear to be on the horizon in Milwaukee, starting with Doc Rivers’ revelation Sunday night that he won’t be returning as head coach. An Antetokounmpo trade is also expected at some point during the offseason, but nothing is set in stone.
Antetokounmpo will become eligible on October 1 to sign a four-year, maximum-salary extension, which provides a powerful financial incentive to extend his time with the Bucks. He will earn $58.5MM next season and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28, enabling him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, so the odds of a trade will increase dramatically if he informs the organization that he won’t accept an extension.
Antetokounmpo didn’t provide much clarity about his future in a session with reporters Sunday night.
“That’s a very good question,” he replied when asked if he has already played his last game in a Milwaukee uniform. “I don’t know. It’s not up to me. We’ll see.”
Antetokounmpo has been open about his desire to win another championship and didn’t hide his frustration with the Bucks’ 32-50 campaign, Bontemps adds. He stated that the team is as far away from title contention as it’s been at any point in his 13-year career and addressed communication issues that have clouded the season.
“I feel like sometimes people just don’t listen,” he said. “They listen to the sources. The main source is me. It is what it is. So again, do not disturb on my phone, go about my day, improve, and come back better.”
Antetokounmpo has been in a public dispute with the team over whether he was healthy enough to return from a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise that he suffered on March 15. The NBA launched an investigation into the disagreement, as Antetokounmpo insisted that he wanted to play again, while the Bucks contend he never fully healed and wasn’t being totally sincere in his public statements.
Antetokounmpo told reporters on Sunday that he had “zero control” over the situation, but emphasized that he did everything the team asked him to, including participating in three-on-three scrimmages “multiple times.”
“I don’t know who said that, who came up with that, but that’s disrespectful towards what I’ve done for this team and the way I carry myself my whole career, pretty much,” he said. “But I did what I was supposed to do. I wasn’t able to come on the court now. Who has that say? It probably comes from my boss, probably comes from the members of the front office or the owners. So, I thought I had control, kind of like, ‘OK, if I’m healthy, I’m going to play.’ But this shows me that not just me, just players in general, don’t have no control. We got to do what we’ve been told. So, to answer your question, no. I didn’t feel like I had control.”
In an interview last month, team co-owner Wes Edens indicated that Antetokounmpo will either be extended or traded during the offseason. On Sunday, Antetokounmpo didn’t dismiss the idea of accepting the extension, pointing out that the decision is months away and saying he’ll “try to make the best decision for me and my family.” But he also stressed that the team is very far away from where he expected it to be.
“I didn’t think we’re going to be in this position last year, so I don’t know what position we’re going to be next year,” he added. “So, if everything goes well, hopefully, the Bucks want me here, why not? But if they don’t? OK.”
NBA’s Play-In Field, Top-Six Playoff Seeds Set
The NBA wrapped up its 2025/26 regular season on Sunday, locking in the top six teams in each conference and lining up the teams and seeds for this year’s play-in tournament.
While most of the top seeds had already been secured ahead of Sunday’s regular season finale, there were still some meaningful outcomes in today’s games. Most notably, the Raptors’ win over Brooklyn secured their first playoff berth in four years and moved them up to No. 5 in the Eastern Conference standings while ensuring that the Sixers and Magic will have to book their playoff tickets via the play-in tournament.
Over in the West, the Trail Blazers’ victory over Sacramento locked up the No. 8 seed for Portland. That means the Blazers will get two opportunities to win a play-in game and make the playoffs, while the Clippers, bumped down to No. 9, will have to win a pair of play-in contests to advance to the first round.
Here are the play-in matchups:
Eastern Conference
Tuesday, April 14
- Game 1: Miami Heat (10) at Charlotte Hornets (9), 7:30 pm ET
- Winner plays on Friday; loser is eliminated.
Wednesday, April 15
- Game 2: Orlando Magic (8) at Philadelphia 76ers (7), 7:30 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 7 seed; loser plays on Friday.
Friday, April 17
- Winner of Game 1 at Loser of Game 2, 7:30 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 8 seed; loser is eliminated.
Western Conference
Tuesday, April 14
- Game 1: Portland Trail Blazers (8) at Phoenix Suns (7), 10:00 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 7 seed; loser plays on Friday.
Wednesday, April 15
- Game 2: Golden State Warriors (10) at Los Angeles Clippers (9), 10:00 pm ET
- Winner plays on Friday; loser is eliminated.
Friday, April 17
- Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1, 10:00 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 8 seed; loser is eliminated.
Once the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in each conference are set later this week, the eight first-round matchups will be finalized. Those first-round series will tip off on April 18 and 19.
Here are the top six seeds in each conference, along with the matchups that are set so far (and Game 1 info, per the NBA):
Eastern Conference
- Detroit Pistons (1) vs. No. 8 seed (play-in) ^
- Boston Celtics (2) vs. No. 7 seed (play-in) ^
- New York Knicks (3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6) *
- Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Toronto Raptors (5) *
* Series begins on April 18.
^ Series begins on April 19.
Western Conference
- Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. No. 8 seed (play-in) ^
- San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. No. 7 seed (play-in) ^
- Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6) *
- Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5) *
* Series begins on April 18.
^ Series begins on April 19.
Raptors Clinch Final Guaranteed Playoff Spot In East
The Raptors have clinched a playoff spot in the East after beating the Nets 136-101. This will be Toronto’s first playoff appearance in four years.
Scottie Barnes closed out his season with an 18-point triple-double, while RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram contributed 26 and 25 points, respectively.
“It’s a big relief,” Barnes said about reaching the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link).
It wasn’t all good news for Toronto though. Immanuel Quickley left the game after just 17 minutes with right hamstring tightness, according to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg (Twitter link). Quickley has been battling plantar fasciitis in recent weeks, but avoiding the play-in will allow the point guard more time to get healthy before the Raptors’ first-round matchup.
Because they won on Sunday and the Hawks dropped their regular season finale to Miami, the Raptors will enter the postseason as the East’s No. 5 seed, with Atlanta slipping to No. 6.
The Sixers and Magic were also in the hunt for a top-six spot in the East entering Sunday, and while Toronto’s victory kept both teams in play-in territory, the 76ers finished their season with a win over Milwaukee to claim the No. 7 seed. Despite facing a Celtics team sitting their entire starting lineup, Orlando lost on Sunday to slip to No. 8 and will visit Philadelphia in the play-in tournament, with the No. 9 Hornets hosting the No. 10 Heat.
Lakers Convert Nick Smith Jr. To Two-Year Standard Deal
1:05 pm: Smith’s promotion is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
The Lakers will have a team option on Smith for next season and his 2026/27 salary is non-guaranteed, confirms Khobi Price of The California Post (Twitter link).
10:49 am: The Lakers are converting Nick Smith Jr.‘s two-way contract into a two-year standard deal, agent Lucas Newton tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Smith signed a two-way deal with the Lakers in late September, a few days after he was waived by the Hornets, who selected him 27th overall in the 2023 draft. Charlotte was facing a roster crunch at the time and Smith hadn’t taken meaningful steps forward in his first two NBA seasons.
Smith, who turns 22 years old next week, has averaged 6.0 points and 1.0 assist in 12.3 minutes per contest through 29 games in 2025/26. His shooting slash line is .433/.400/.733.
In addition to his NBA experience with the Lakers this season, Smith also played 18 G League games (29.2 MPG) with the team’s affiliate in South Bay, averaging 19.7 PPG, 5.0 APG and 3.6 RPG on .498/.370/.683 shooting splits.
Promoting Smith will make him eligible for the playoffs. The Lakers will have home court advantage in the first round, but their final seed — they can finish either third or fourth — will depend on the outcome of Sunday’s games.
Los Angeles created an opening on its standard roster on Friday, when the team waived Kobe Bufkin, another 2023 first-round pick. Smith will fill that 15th and final standard roster spot.
Smith’s salary for 2026/27 is unlikely to be guaranteed, though that hasn’t been confirmed. It also wouldn’t be surprising if his new contract features a team option for next season.
Ten Postseason Seeds Up For Grabs On Final Day Of Regular Season
While we’ve known which 20 NBA teams will be competing in the 2025/26 postseason for some time, 10 seeds are still in flux entering April 12, the final day of the 2025/26 regular season. Most importantly, three Eastern Conference teams are still vying for the final guaranteed playoff spot ahead of Sunday’s slate of games, which will see all 30 teams take the floor.
Here are the current playoff and play-in standings in both conferences, as well as where each team could finish, per the league (Twitter links).
Eastern Conference:
- Detroit Pistons (59-22)
- Boston Celtics (55-26)
- New York Knicks (53-28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)
- Atlanta Hawks (46-35) — fifth or sixth
- Toronto Raptors (45-36) — fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth
- Orlando Magic (45-36) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Philadelphia 76ers (44-37) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Charlotte Hornets (43-38) — ninth or 10th
- Miami Heat (42-39) — ninth or 10th
Western Conference:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (64-17)
- San Antonio Spurs (62-19)
- Denver Nuggets (53-28) — third or fourth
- Los Angeles Lakers (52-29) — third or fourth
- Houston Rockets (51-30)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33)
- Phoenix Suns (44-37)
- Portland Trail Blazers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Los Angeles Clippers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Golden State Warriors (37-44)
Notes: Teams in bold are locked in to their current seeds. A top-six seed ensures a guaranteed playoff spot, while the Nos. 7-10 teams will compete in the play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference.
The most critical matchup Sunday is Brooklyn at Toronto. If the Raptors win, they can finish no worse than sixth place, securing the final guaranteed playoff berth.
The Hawks have ruled out most of their top players ahead of Sunday’s game at the Heat after securing a guaranteed playoff spot on Friday, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. That matters for Miami, because if they beat Atlanta and the Hornets lose at New York, the Heat would move ahead of Charlotte due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. That said, the Knicks will be playing without four of their five starters tonight, and if the Hornets win, they stay at No. 9.
It would be shocking if the Raptors don’t win Sunday, since the tanking Nets have already ruled out nine players (a 10th is doubtful) and have an incentive to lose the game. We’ll get more into that shortly.
Still, if the Raptors do lose Sunday’s game, it opens the door for the Magic or Sixers to move up to No. 6. A Raptors loss combined with a Magic win at Boston — the Celtics are likely to be without their top-seven rotation members — would see Orlando earn the guaranteed playoff berth. The 76ers, who face Milwaukee, need to win and need Toronto and Orlando to lose to move up two spots.
If the Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Sixers all win, they will finish where they currently are in the standings.
In the West, the scenarios are more straightforward. If the Nuggets win at San Antonio, they stay at No. 3. If they lose and the Lakers beat the Jazz, Denver and Los Angeles will switch places in the standings.
The Trail Blazers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Clippers, so if they beat Sacramento tonight they will finish No. 8. The Clippers could move up if they beat Golden State and Portland loses to the Kings.
Lottery odds and traded draft picks
At the other end of the standings, the Wizards (17-64) have clinched the worst record in the league and thus have the top draft-lottery floor, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington has a 52.1% chance at landing a top-four pick in the 2026 draft lottery and 47.9% odds at No. 5, which is the worst selection the team can end up with.
The Pacers (19-62) and Nets (20-61) are also guaranteed to finish with bottom-three records and will have identical 52.1% odds at moving into the top four, including a 14.0% chance at No. 1 overall. If the Nets lose this evening and the Pacers beat Detroit, the two teams would tie and a coin flip would determine which team has the second-best lottery floor. The winner of the coin flip can finish no worse than sixth in the draft lottery, while the loser can finish no worse than seventh.
The Clippers will be hoping the Pacers lose tonight, since Indiana will send its 2026 first-round pick to L.A. if it lands outside the top four. The Pacers will retain the pick if it stays in its protected range (top four).
Several other lottery situations are still in flux entering Sunday. The Jazz and Kings are currently tied for the fourth-worst record (22-59), the Grizzlies and Mavericks are tied for the sixth-worst record (25-56), and the Pelicans (26-55) have a chance at making the latter situation a three-way tie. The Hawks will be hoping the Pelicans lose and Grizzlies and Mavericks win, since they control the better of New Orleans’ or Milwaukee’s first-rounders.
Utah will send its first-round pick to the Thunder if it’s not in the top eight. But even if the Jazz finish with the NBA’s fifth-worst record (or finish tied for the fourth-worst record and lose a coin flip), the odds of their pick landing at No. 9 would be minuscule (0.6%).
There’s a chance the Bulls (31-50) and Bucks (32-49) could have a coin flip for the ninth and tenth spots. It would require Chicago to win at Dallas and Milwaukee to lose at Philadelphia.
The four other lottery teams will be the four clubs that are eliminated in the play-in tournament.
Doug Christie Expected To Remain Kings’ Head Coach
It has been a disappointing season for the Kings, who take a 22-59 record – tied for the fourth-worst mark in the league – into the final day of the regular season. However, despite some speculation about his job status, Sacramento plans to keep head coach Doug Christie through the offseason, team sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.
As Amick writes, Christie took over as interim coach of the Kings in December 2024, when the team fired Mike Brown. Christie, a former NBA guard, was promoted to the full-time position last summer, signing a three-year deal which features two guaranteed seasons.
The Kings feel like they didn’t have a great way to evaluate Christie’s performance in his first full season as head coach, according to Amick, since the roster had issues entering 2025/26 and several key players sustained significant injuries throughout the season.
Anthony Slater of ESPN confirms the news (via Twitter), adding that the team liked how some of its young players developed under Christie this season.
The Kings are expected to resume trade talks involving veterans like Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan this summer, Amick reports. Sacramento had “extensive” discussions with the Raptors about Sabonis ahead of the February deadline, but the Kings were unwilling to take on the salary of Jakob Poeltl at the time, per Amick.
The Kings haven’t decided what they’re going to do with DeRozan entering the offseason, team sources tell Amick. Only $10MM of the veteran wing’s $25.74MM salary for next season is guaranteed.