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Magic Viewed As Possible Suitor For Nickeil Alexander-Walker

May 31st, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

There are “rumbles in circulation” that the Magic are a team to watch as a suitor for free agent guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker this offseason, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Alexander-Walker, who was traded from Utah to Minnesota at the 2023 deadline as part of a bigger three-team deal, has emerged as a reliable rotation player for the Timberwolves over the past two seasons.

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the 26-year-old has averaged 8.7 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game, with a .438/.386/.787 shooting line. He has also served as one of Minnesota’s top point-of-attack defenders and has been extremely durable, having not missed a game in over two years.

While the Timberwolves would certainly like to have Alexander-Walker back on the roster next season, they may face a financial squeeze after operating above the second tax apron this year, which could open the door for rival suitors to make a run at him.

The six-year veteran is coming off a $4.3MM salary and has never earned more than $5MM in a season, but appears to be in line for a significant raise. Several teams with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM) figure to have interest, and Jake Fischer reported in February that some executives believe Alexander-Walker could earn up to $20MM per year on his next contract.

Whether the Magic will be in position to make an aggressive offer to Alexander-Walker remains to be seen. They have roughly $175MM in guaranteed money committed to 11 players for next season and the luxury tax line projects to come in just under $188MM, so if they want to make a play for the Wolves guard while staying out of the tax, they’d probably have to shed some salary.

Orlando has long been viewed as a team likely to seek backcourt help this summer, though much of that speculation has centered around the Magic targeting more of an offensive-minded player to complement defensive ace Jalen Suggs. While Alexander-Walker doesn’t really fit that bill, he has been a more reliable three-point shooter than Suggs in recent years.

Pistons Have Interest In Naz Reid, Myles Turner

May 31st, 2025 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons are “known to covet” a big man who can space the floor, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who reports in his latest Substack article (subscription required) that the team is said to have interest in both Naz Reid and Myles Turner.

Reid followed up his Sixth Man of the Year campaign in 2023/24 with another strong season for the Timberwolves in ’24/25, averaging 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game across 80 outings (17 starts). He has made 39.5% of 5.4 three-point attempts per game over the past two seasons.

Turner, who was drafted 11th overall by the Pacers in 2015 and has been the team’s starting center for the last decade, averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 30.2 minutes per contest across 72 games this season. The 29-year-old knocked down a career-high 39.6% of 5.5 three-pointers per night and has played a key role in getting the Pacers within one game of an NBA Finals appearance.

It remains to be seen whether the Pistons have a viable chance to land either player, Stein acknowledges.

Reid holds a $15MM player option for next season and the Timberwolves have made it known they’d have strong interest in working out a new deal with him if he declines that option, Stein writes.

As for Turner, multiple reports have indicated that Indiana is well positioned to re-sign the longtime Pacer in unrestricted free agency this summer, and Stein confirms that the team has conveyed a willingness to go into the tax next season to keep its roster together.

As we detailed earlier this week, the Pistons could potentially create nearly $17MM in cap room without making any cost-cutting moves, but it would mean renouncing their rights to key free agents like Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dennis Schröder. If the club operates over the cap, it could offer the full mid-level exception, worth a projected $14.1MM, to a free agent, but wouldn’t be able to exceed that figure without a sign-and-trade.

Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Paul Reed handled big-man duties for Detroit in 2024/25. While that trio was effective, none of the three is a threat from beyond the arc — they made a combined 25 three-pointers on the season, with Duren not attempting a single one.

Zion Williamson Denies Allegations Of Rape, Abuse

May 30th, 2025 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

1:34 pm: Williamson’s legal representatives have issued a statement “unequivocally” denying the allegations made in the lawsuit, according to Front Office Sports (Twitter link).

“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them,” the statement reads. “The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiff’s third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.

“Mr. Williamson and the plaintiff never dated, but did maintain a consensual, casual relationship that began more than six years ago, when he was 18 years old. That relationship ended years ago. At no point during or immediately after that relationship did the plaintiff raise any concerns. Only after the friendship ended did she begin demanding millions of dollars.

“Mr. Williamson reported the plaintiff’s extortion attempts to law enforcement. We understand that an arrest warrant was issued in connection with that report, and we are prepared to provide the court with documentation that supports these facts. Mr. Williamson also intends to file counterclaims and seek significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit.

“While these allegations are false, we recognize the seriousness of the claims and welcome the opportunity to prove the truth in court. We are confident that the legal process will expose the truth and fully vindicate Mr. Williamson.”

12:41 pm: A woman who says she dated Zion Williamson between 2018 and 2023 has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing the Pelicans forward of rape and “physical, emotional, and financial” abuse, according to reports from TMZ and Margaret Fleming of Front Office Sports, who obtained copies of the suit.

As TMZ details, the lawsuit alleges that Williamson raped and assaulted the woman – identified only as Jane Doe from Seattle – in September 23, 2020 in Southern California and again on October 10, 2020.

“These two incidents were not isolated,” according to the lawsuit, which states that Williamson “continued to abuse, rape, assault, and batter Plaintiff in California and other states, including Louisiana and Texas, until the relationship ended in 2023.”

Williamson’s accuser alleges that he strangled her multiple times and pointed a loaded gun at her, causing her to “reasonably fear for her life,” per TMZ. She also claims that Williamson threatened to have his security guard shoot her in the head and kill her parents, and that he entered her apartment unannounced to steal her belongings and abuse her.

The lawsuit, which includes several other allegations, states that Williamson was “either drunk or on cocaine” when many of the incidents occurred.

There are nine causes of action laid out in the suit, according to Fleming: assault, battery, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, domestic violence, stalking, burglary, false imprisonment, and conversion. Williamson’s accuser is seeking unspecified damages.

“We don’t want to litigate this case in the media,” Doe’s attorney Sam E. Taylor told TMZ. “But I will say this is a very serious case as reflected in the pleadings that have been filed and our client looks forward to her day in court to seek justice in this matter.”

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Williamson has battled injuries during his six seasons in the NBA, but has consistently performed at an All-Star level when healthy, averaging 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 31.4 minutes per contest across 214 career regular season games.

Williamson is owed approximately $126.5MM across the next three seasons, though that money isn’t currently fully guaranteed. A recent report indicated that an offseason trade involving the 24-year-old was considered “very unlikely.”

NBA Announces 50 Withdrawals From 2025 Draft Pool

May 30th, 2025 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

A total of 50 players have notified the NBA that they wish to be removed from the list of early entrants eligible for the 2025 NBA draft, the league announced today (via Twitter).

The NCAA’s early entry withdrawal deadline passed on Wednesday night at 10:59 pm CT, meaning that players wishing to retain their college eligibility had to remove their names from the draft pool by that point. The NBA’s own withdrawal deadline is 4:00 pm CT on June 15, so more players will be taking their names out of consideration in the coming weeks.

The players who pull out of the draft between now and that June 15 deadline will primarily be international prospects and domestic players who didn’t compete in college.

Players from NCAA programs can still withdraw between now and June 15, but they wouldn’t be eligible to return to college, so they’d likely only take that route if they planned to play professionally in a non-NBA league in 2025/26.

Currently, by our count, 59 early entrants remain in the draft pool after 106 initially declared. You can check out our updated early entrant list right here.

While most of the 50 withdrawal decisions confirmed today by the NBA were reported or announced leading up to Wednesday’s NCAA deadline, we’d been waiting for formal confirmation on a small handful of college players, whose names we have now moved to the withdrawals section of our early entrants tracker. Those players are as follows:

Chad Baker-Mazara, G/F, Auburn (senior)
Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (junior)
Money Williams, G, Montana (sophomore)

The following non-college players have also withdrawn from the draft, per the NBA:

Thierry Darlan, G, Delaware Blue Coats (born 2004)
Paul Mbiya, F/C, ASVEL — France (born 2005)
- Note: Mbiya is joining N.C. State.

Finally, in case you’re wondering why we still have 59 early entrants in the draft pool when 106 declared and 50 have withdrawn, here’s what’s going on there: Three of the names on today’s list of withdrawals weren’t on the NBA’s initial list of early entrants. So it sounds like at least 109 prospects actually declared as early entrants, rather than just the 106 originally announced by the league.

Here are the three players who weren’t on the NBA’s initial list of early entrants and have now opted to return to school after testing the draft waters:

Ven-Allen Lubin, F, North Carolina (junior)
- Note: Lubin is the transfer portal.
Malik Thomas, G, San Francisco (senior)
- Note: Thomas is transferring to Virginia.
Lamar Wilkerson, G, Sam Houston State (junior)
- Note: Wilkerson is transferring to Indiana.

Karl-Anthony Towns Active For Game 5

May 29th, 2025 at 6:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

May 29: Towns will start on Thursday after previously being referred to as a game-time decision by head coach Tom Thibodeau, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

May 28: The Knicks need a win Thursday night to extend their season, but they aren’t assured of having star big man Karl-Anthony Towns available. Towns has been listed as questionable on the official injury report for Game 5 with a left knee contusion.

Towns fell to the court in pain while grabbing his left knee after a collision with Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith with 2:11 left to play in Game 4 (YouTube link). He was able to stay in the game, but Peter Botte of The New York Post notes that he seemed to be favoring the same knee earlier in the night.

“I’m only thinking about this loss, I’m not thinking about that right now,” Towns told reporters when asked about his chances to play on Thursday. “It’s disappointing when you don’t get a win. Just didn’t do enough to get the job done tonight.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau was optimistic about Towns’ condition, saying “it’s a good sign” that he was able to continue playing. Thibodeau added that “we’ll see where he is after he gets evaluated” by the team’s medical staff.

Towns was the hero of Game 3 with a 20-point fourth quarter that sparked New York to its only victory so far in the series. He posted 24 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes in Game 4, but only attempted two three-pointers. He was pulled from the game four minutes into the first quarter after picking up two early fouls.

If Towns is unavailable on Thursday, Josh Hart will presumably return to the starting lineup. He started all 77 games he played during the regular season, but Thibodeau moved him to the bench in Games 3 and 4 while using a double-big approach with Mitchell Robinson alongside Towns.

David Fizdale Reportedly Advancing In Suns’ Coaching Search

May 29th, 2025 at 3:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns‘ search for a new head coach has reportedly advanced to a third round of interviews, which will be conducted in person after the first two rounds were primarily done via Zoom.

While initial reports indicated that Phoenix had trimmed the list of candidates down from nine to three or four, at least five finalists have been confirmed to have in-person meetings with the team’s brass. And now a sixth name has been added to that group.

According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link), David Fizdale is expected to have a third interview for the head coaching vacancy after spending the past two seasons as the Suns’ associate head coach.

Fizdale, who turns 51 years old next month, is a longtime NBA assistant who previously served as head coach of the Grizzlies and Knicks. Some “key Suns players” are in favor of Phoenix hiring Fizdale, sources tell Spears.

It has been six-plus weeks since Mike Budenholzer was fired as head coach after a disappointing season in which Phoenix went 36-46 and failed to make the play-in tournament. He had just wrapped up his first season with the Suns after signing a five-year deal in 2024.

The Suns have been taking their time to find a replacement for Budenholzer, in part because they are the only team actively searching for a new head coach. Owner Mat Ishbia said in a press conference shortly after the season ended that he wants to find a coach who will bring increased toughness to the organization.

Latest On Jonathan Kuminga

May 29th, 2025 at 2:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is set to hit restricted free agency this summer after an up-and-down fourth season in Golden State. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic details, Kuminga’s future with the Warriors is uncertain due a number of factors.

League sources tell Slater that Kuminga still views himself as a future All-Star and is trying to find a home where he can have an expansive offensive role to showcase his abilities. The 22 year-old forward had a rocky playoff run, having been outside of the rotation for most of the first-round series against Houston, only to have a featured role in the second-round series vs. Minnesota after Stephen Curry sustained a hamstring strain.

Kuminga was an effective and efficient scorer (24.3 PPG on .554/.389/.720 shooting) in those four games against a strong defense, Slater notes, giving some credence to the notion that the former lottery pick could put up big individual numbers under the right conditions. And despite some differences of opinion in how Kuminga sees — and values — himself and the way the team has wanted him to play, none of the differences between the involved parties are “irreconcilable,” according to Slater’s sources.

However, Kuminga may not be able to achieve his individual goals playing for the Warriors, who are trying to build out a championship roster around Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. The “cleanest path” forward might be finding a sign-and-trade that could work for both the Warriors and Kuminga, Slater writes.

As Slater observes, head coach Steve Kerr has long hoped Kuminga would become a Shawn Marion-type player — someone who can excel without the ball, defend multiple positions, and rebound at a high level. But Kuminga is more of a ball-dominant scorer who is inconsistent in other areas, making his on-court fit in Kerr’s system an awkward one at times.

While the Nets are not currently expected to give Kuminga an offer sheet, Brooklyn may be open to the idea of multi-team sign-and-trade scenarios this offseason as a means to maximize its cap space, league sources tell Slater. That could give the Warriors, Kuminga, Nets and interested suitors a mutually beneficial way of finding something they’re all seeking.

The problem with a potential sign-and-trade, Slater explains, is that Kuminga will be subject to base year compensation rules, and the Warriors would be hard-capped at the first apron if they take back more than 50% of Kuminga’s starting salary. While everyone involved is “expected to explore all options,” due to the aforementioned restrictions, Warriors sources have been dropping hints to Slater that the “most obvious and prudent path” might be simply re-signing Kuminga.

Going that route would give Golden State more time to assess Kuminga’s fit, and the base-year restrictions would be removed in that scenario in January, when Kuminga would theoretically become trade-eligible.

Owner Joe Lacob is known to be a big fan of Kuminga’s and told the young forward to stay open-minded about a potential return, according to Slater, who hears Kuminga “hasn’t slammed the door shut” on that possibility. The Warriors have final say due to Kuminga being a RFA, but Slater suggests Kuminga might not be thrilled with a reunion unless certain circumstances change.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Named Western Conference Finals MVP

May 29th, 2025 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unanimously named the Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference Finals following Wednesday’s series win over Minnesota, earning all nine votes from a panel of media members (Twitter link).

Gilgeous-Alexander, who was also the NBA’s regular season MVP for 2024/25, averaged 31.4 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 36.4 minutes per game across five games vs. the Timberwolves.

While his 45.7% field goal percentage and 31.8% mark on three-pointers were both well below his usual rates, the 26-year-old was the engine of Oklahoma City’s offense and was a +43 during his 182 minutes of action in the third-round series.

Jalen Williams (22.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, .494/.462/.833 shooting) and Chet Holmgren (18.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 BPG, .567/.368/.714 shooting) also had big series for the Thunder, fueling a dominant all-around performance that sends the franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance since 2012.

The conference final MVP is a relatively new award, having been introduced by the league in 2022. Stephen Curry won the inaugural award in 2022, followed by Nikola Jokic in 2023 and Luka Doncic in 2024.

The player who is named the Western Finals MVP receives the Magic Johnson trophy.

Cavs More Willing To Discuss Garland, Allen Trades Than In Past?

May 29th, 2025 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

After the Cavaliers squeaked past Orlando in the first round of the 2024 playoffs and were defeated soundly by Boston in round two, there was a good deal of offseason speculation about the idea of breaking up their “core four” of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. However, Cleveland’s front office stuck with that group and was rewarded for its faith with a 15-game winning streak to open the season and a 64-18 overall record.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the major step forward they took during the regular season didn’t carry over to the playoffs. After sweeping Miami in round one, the Cavs were eliminated in five games by the Pacers in the conference semifinals earlier this month. Now, with Cleveland’s payroll set to soar past the second tax apron in 2025/26, the team is once again facing difficult roster decisions.

In the latest episode of the Wine and Gold podcast (YouTube link), Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said he believes the Cavs are still “committed to the core four” and would like to find a way to surround those four players with the “right pieces to compete for a championship.” But Fedor acknowledged that the Cavs’ cap situation and early playoff exit mean they’ll have to keep an open mind this offseason.

“They prefer to keep the core four together and see if they can build around them and find the right pieces around them, and see if there’s a viable way to do that, given the limitations that come with being a luxury-tax team and a second-apron team,” Fedor said. “In saying that, I think the two untouchables are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.

“I have been getting the sense that the Cavs would be more willing to entertain and at least consider possibilities for Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland than they have in the past.

“Now, that all comes down to it’s got to be the right deal. It’s got to be the right pieces coming back that the Cavs believe would be a step forward, as opposed to just a lateral move or a step back. I don’t think they’re in a situation where they’re saying to themselves, ‘We’ve got to shed this salary. We need to find a dumping ground for Darius Garland’s contract or Jarrett Allen’s contract.'”

As Fedor points out, the conference rival Celtics decided to build around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and adjusted their core around those players in order to eventually win a title. In Cleveland, it sounds like Mitchell and Mobley are the two cornerstones, and while Garland and Allen could stick around too, their long-term future with the franchise is less certain.

Fedor added that he has been kicking around the idea of hypothetical trades involving Garland rather than Allen in his own work because he believes the market would be hotter for Garland and the Cavs could get more in a deal for him than they could for Allen.

“I’m not saying that the Cavs are going to go down this road,” Fedor continued. “But they’re going to get to a point where they’re going to have to balance out the roster a little bit more than what it is, and they’re going to have to balance the checkbook a little bit more than what it is.

“Nobody that you’re going to get back is going to be Darius in terms of pedigree, in terms of talent. He’s a two-time All-Star for a reason. He’s a max-contract player for a reason. He’s one of the best young point guards in the Eastern Conference for a reason. So are you going to get that back? No. But can you reconfigure your roster? Can you restructure your salary cap by using Darius and find multiple players?”

If the Cavaliers were to trade Garland, Fedor notes, it could mean a bigger ball-handling role for Mitchell and possibly running the offense through Mobley more often. If a deal sheds some salary and creates more spending flexibility to bring back Ty Jerome, he’s another player who could see his ball-handling responsibilities increase.

Fedor repeatedly acknowledges that a trade involving Garland or Allen this offseason is far from a given, but points out that the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t make it viable to operate over the second apron for long unless you’re winning titles.

“When you’re at a point that the Cavs are at with their roster, with the way the season ended earlier than anybody expected, and with their salary cap situation, you have to start considering some of these alternatives,” Fedor said. “And you have to start having very difficult conversations, conversations that are going to be painful. Maybe even subtractions for the roster that are going to be painful.”

Labaron Philon Withdraws From Draft, Returning To Alabama

May 29th, 2025 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

Labaron Philon was among the prospects to withdraw from the NBA draft ahead of Wednesday’s deadline for early entrants to remove their names and retain their NCAA eligibility. The Alabama guard, who will return to the Crimson Tide for the 2025/26 season, announced the news on Instagram.

The 11th-hour reversal comes as a surprise, since Philon stated two weeks ago that he was “all-in on the draft,” with reporting at the time indicating that he had informed Alabama head coach Nate Oats that he wouldn’t be returning to the program.

It’s great news for the Crimson Tide, allowing the program to retain a player who emerged as a starter in his first college season and earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman team. Philon averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 24.7 minutes per game across 37 outings (29 starts) in 2024/25, with a shooting line of .452/.315/.767.

Philon was projected to be the No. 33 overall pick in ESPN’s most recent mock draft and was viewed as a borderline first-round pick. Rather than take his chances this spring, he’ll look to boost his draft stock at Alabama in ’25/26 and could declare as an early entrant again next year if his odds of becoming a first-rounder have improved.

Notre Dame big man Kebba Njie was also among the other prospects who withdrew from the draft ahead of Wednesday’s deadline, notes Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Njie will rejoin the Fighting Irish for his senior year after averaging 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game as a junior.

We’ve updated our early entrant tracker with all of the latest updates on college players’ draft decisions.

There are a few cases where a player’s intent has not yet been fully confirmed — for example, Montana guard Money Williams announced in late March that he would be returning to the Grizzlies for the 2025/26 season, but he still went through the draft process and there have been no updates since then confirming that he has removed his name from the pool. So until we get official word one way or the other, we’re keeping him in the “testing the waters” section of our tracker rather than assuming he has withdrawn.

The NBA typically provides an update shortly after the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline passes on which players have pulled out of the draft, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for that in the coming days.

The next major draft-related deadline to watch is on June 15, which is the NBA’s own withdrawal deadline. It applies primarily to international prospects who didn’t have to worry about Wednesday’s NCAA cutoff.

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