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Raptors Reportedly Unwilling To Include Poeltl In Offer For Durant

June 20th, 2025 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have interest in Kevin Durant and continue to monitor the market for the Suns star, but they would be unwilling to include starting center Jakob Poeltl in an offer for Durant, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

Multiple sources confirmed to Grange that Poeltl wouldn’t be part of any trade the Raptors make for Durant. According to Grange, when Phoenix and Toronto spoke about Durant prior to February’s trade deadline, the Suns asked for Poeltl and received a “firm” no from the Raptors. That stance hasn’t changed in the months since then.

While there have been rumors this month about the Raptors being open to putting Poeltl in the table, Grange suggests those leaks are likely designed to increase bids from other suitors for Durant as the Suns look to maximize their return.

As Grange points out, since reacquiring Poeltl in 2023, the Raptors have struggled to compete when he’s not available. In 2024/25, for example, the club had a net rating of -0.7 during Poeltl’s 1,686 minutes of action, compared to a -6.2 mark in the 2,275 minutes he didn’t play. The gap between Toronto’s net rating with Poeltl on and off the court was even more extreme in ’23/24.

Poeltl, 29, posted new career highs of 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game across 57 outings this past season, making 62.7% of his shots from the field and contributing 2.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals per night as well.

Since the Raptors are looking to build a roster capable of winning in 2025/26, trading Poeltl would run counter to that goal, leaving them with a significant hole to fill in the middle. The more likely scenario, Grange writes, is that Toronto works out a contract extension with the big man at some point before next season tips off.

Poeltl is owed $19.5MM in 2025/26, with a $19.5MM player option for ’26/27. His maximum extension would be worth up to about $122MM over four years if he declines that option as part of an agreement, or up to roughly $88MM over three years if he picks up the option and has the new deal begin in 2027.

The Raptors still have a handful of sizable contracts belonging to Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett that could be used for salary-matching purposes in a Durant deal. However, any combination of those two players would have a higher combined cap hit next season than Durant, which would complicate negotiations, since the Suns are operating above the second tax apron. They can’t take back more salary than they send out or aggregate multiple player salaries as long as they remain in second-apron territory.

Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Will Play In Game 6

June 19th, 2025 at 7:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

7:40 pm: Doctors informed Haliburton that his calf ailment would normally take multiple weeks to recover, per Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter). Given the stakes, the Pacers guard pushed to play.

5:52 pm: All-NBA Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton will suit up for Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder on Thursday night, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters (Twitter link via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press). Carlisle added that Haliburton won’t face any sort of minutes limit (Twitter link via Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports).

It had previously been reported that the 25-year-old Olympian intended to give it a go, but his availability had not been confirmed. Haliburton had been considered a game-time decision to play through a right calf strain incurred in the first half of Monday’s Game 5, a 120-109 loss.

The defeat marked the first time Indiana had lost two consecutive games during its postseason run to the Finals this spring.

Across 21 contests in his second-ever playoffs, Haliburton has averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. Those numbers dipped a little in Game 5 when the former Iowa State star attempted to play through the calf injury.

Haliburton failed to connect on a single field goal attempt on Monday, finishing with four points on 0-of-6 shooting. He did chip in seven rebounds and six assists.

Indiana, playing in its first Finals since 2000, now returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the brink of elimination. The Pacers trail the Thunder 3-2 in the series.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault, in his own pregame presser, anticipated that Haliburton would give it his all, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (via Twitter).

“We’re expecting his best punch,” Daigneault said. “Indiana’s a great team, we’re expecting their best punch.”

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 19th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Evidently Phoenix isn’t thrilled with the trade offers the team has received for Kevin Durant to this point.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania said that while several teams have expressed interest in the 36-year-old forward, none have been willing to give the Suns the type of return package they’re looking for.

“The Suns know if they’re going to trade Kevin Durant, they clearly have a price threshold they want met,” Charania said. “I had one team tell me today that it’s kind of a game of chicken at this point. From the Rockets, to the Heat, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s literally one or two pieces away (from getting a deal done).

“But at the end of the day, one of these teams has to meet that threshold to get something done. The NBA draft is about a week away. So could this go into the NBA draft? For sure. But I don’t think the Suns want it to, I don’t think the other teams want it to. … My understanding is they’re in active conversations with those three teams, specifically, on trying to get a deal done for Kevin Durant. … I would also not be surprised if this (involves three or four teams).”

Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald confirms (via Twitter) that the Heat are currently unwilling to meet Phoenix’s asking price for Durant, but it’s possible that could change.

According to Charania (Twitter video link), the Suns are very much willing to make a trade that does not involve the Spurs, Rockets or Heat, who are reportedly at the top of Durant’s list of preferred destinations. But Durant also has a degree of leverage, since he could be a free agent in 2026 — he’s on an expiring contract, which will pay him $54.7MM next season.

Charania also touched on the Spurs’ interest in Durant, which sounds somewhat tepid (Twitter video link).

“(The No. 2 pick) I don’t see going anywhere,” Charania reported. “I think the Spurs feel really good about No. 2. Dylan Harper, he’s already been to the Spurs’ facilities, met them in San Antonio earlier this month. But you know, you never know with the draft. But that’s what it looks like right now.

“… My feel right now is that the Spurs, they have interest in Kevin Durant. They have talked to the Suns — to my understanding — about Kevin Durant. But there is a certain price threshold they’ll go to for a guy like Kevin Durant, and if that price doesn’t align with Phoenix’s, then clearly, there’s just not going to be a deal.”

Charania went on to suggest that the Spurs are likely waiting to use their stockpile of assets on a player who would better fit their timeline, assuming such a player becomes available in the future.

Sam Amick of The Athletic also discussed the Durant situation on FanDuel’s Run It Back show (Twitter video link). According to Amick, the Spurs appear to be the top team on Durant’s wish list.

“(The Suns) clearly don’t like what they’re hearing from San Antonio, Houston and Miami,” Amick said. “And I keep making the distinction, those three teams are not created equal on the list. Kevin has made it clear in different conversations — at times, anyway — that he was really focused on the Spurs. They’re not showing a ton of incentive to get a deal done. It’s one of those things where, if you want to give him to us on our terms, where we don’t really give up a lot, then that would be great.

“Phase two, to me, of these talks is that the Suns clearly like what they could get out of Minnesota. But the Wolves are not gonna play that game at all unless they are confident that Kevin wants to come. And you can tell that Phoenix is kind of trying to nudge him in that direction and compel him to add a fourth team to his list.

“So that, to me, is the interesting dynamic: Does he change his stance on Minnesota?” Amick continued. “If not, when do (the Suns) come off of that and maybe look harder at Miami or one of these other situations. So I still feel like we’re a little ways away.”

Five More Prospects Receive Green Room Invitations

June 19th, 2025 at 1:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Prior to Thursday, a total of 19 prospects had received green room invitations from the NBA to attend the first round of the 2025 draft.

Today, reports from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link) and Jonathan Givony of ESPN indicated that five more players have been invited, bringing the tally up to 24 — that’s expected to be the final number.

Here are the five prospects, sorted by their current rank on ESPN’s big board:

Joan Beringer, C, Cedevita Olimpija (No. 15)
Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (No. 19)
Nique Clifford, G/F, Colorado State (No. 22)
Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (No. 27)
Cedric Coward, G/F, Washington State (No. 29)

According to Fischer, Wolf is a potential late lottery pick, having impressed teams in that range with his shooting during workouts.

The players invited to the green room can usually feel pretty confident about their chances to be first-round picks, since the league only decides who to invite after asking teams to vote on the 25 prospects they expect to come off the board first.

Still, there are occasionally instances in which players in the green room slip further than expected. In 2024, Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy received green room invites but weren’t selected until the second round, which was held a day later for the first time.

Rockets To Sign Coach Ime Udoka To Contract Extension

June 19th, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Rory Maher

Head coach Ime Udoka has agreed to a long-term extension with the Rockets, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

According to Charania, Udoka’s new extension will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. Kelly Iko of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that Udoka has agreed to a multiyear deal.

A former NBA wing, Udoka has led Houston to a dramatic turnaround over the past two seasons. The team won just 17, 20 and 22 games in the three years prior to Udoka’s arrival in 2023, but in 2023/24 — his first season at the helm — he guided the club to a .500 record (41-41).

That upward trajectory continued this season, as the Rockets went 52-30 and earned the No. 2 seed in a highly competitive Western Conference. The young team was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, losing to Golden State in seven games.

After retiring as a player, Udoka spent seven years an assistant with San Antonio before one-year stints in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. He was hired as Boston’s head coach in 2021 and had an impressive first season in ’21/22, with the Celtics going 51-31 and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, eventually losing to the Warriors in six games.

While he was technically still under contract with the Celtics in ’22/23, Udoka didn’t coach at all, having been suspended for the entire season for violating team policies — he reportedly had an affair with a member of the team’s staff.

The 47-year-old’s time with the Celtics ended in February 2023, when the team promoted Joe Mazzulla to be the permanent head coach. Udoka was hired by the Rockets a couple months later, signing a four-year contract at that time.

The Knicks reportedly asked the Rockets for permission to interview Udoka for their head coaching vacancy last week, but that request was was denied. Now, Udoka has agreed to a long-term extension to remain with Houston.

Ace Bailey Cancels Pre-Draft Workout With Sixers

June 18th, 2025 at 10:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former Rutgers star Ace Bailey has opted to cancel his lone scheduled pre-draft workout, with the Sixers, sources inform Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Bailey, projected as a top prospect in this month’s draft, had rejected workout invitations from lottery teams prior to this slated Philadelphia audition. The Sixers possess the No. 3 overall pick.

A 6’10” wing, Bailey averaged an impressive 17.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 1.3 APG across 30 healthy contests for Rutgers this past season. He earned 2025 All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman honors for his play.

The young star is considered a high-upside scorer and shot creator, but his strategy to avoid team workouts has puzzled clubs and could compel a draft slide. This Philadelphia situation certainly won’t help that. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports tweets that flights, hotel accommodations, and dinner plans had all been scheduled for Bailey’s visit.

Still, the 76ers haven’t ruled out the possibility of drafting Bailey, having scouted him “extensively” during the season, according to Givony, who points out that the team previously selected Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain without having brought them in for private workouts.

Duke forward Cooper Flagg and Bailey’s former Scarlet Knights teammate Dylan Harper are widely anticipated to be the top two selections this year, with Bailey, Baylor forward V.J. Edgecombe, Texas guard Tre Johnson, Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Frears, Duke center Khaman Maluach, and Duke wing Kon Knueppel among the next tier of young NBA hopefuls.

The Blue Devils and Rutgers could have a virtual stranglehold on the 2025 draft’s top eight spots, with five players anticipated to be selected between the two programs. Unlike Rutgers, however, Duke actually made the NCAA Tournament this past March.

Givony previously reported that Bailey’s camp views him as a top-three prospect in this year’s draft class, but wants him in a situation where there’s a path to stardom, including regular minutes and usage as a rookie.

Buss Family To Sell Lakers To Mark Walter For Record-Setting Price

June 18th, 2025 at 4:11pm CST by Rory Maher

4:11 pm: Walter has agreed to buy the Lakers at a valuation of approximately $10 billion, the largest sum ever for a professional sports team, Charania reports (via Twitter).

3:52 pm: The Buss family has reached an agreement to sell its majority stake in the Lakers to Mark Walter, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Walter, 65, is the CEO and chairman of TWG Global, a diversified holding company.

Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), among sports investments, is currently a minority owner of the Lakers, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.

According to Charania, current governor Jeanie Buss will continue to serve in that role after the sale is finalized.

As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets, Walter earned the right of first refusal to purchase majority control of the Lakers in 2021 when he bought his minority stake. The Buss family owns about 66% of the team, per Shelburne.

Longtime owner Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers for $67.5MM back in 1979, according to Charania, who notes (via Twitter) that his children inherited majority control when Buss passed away in 2013.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps believes the Lakers’ sale price will exceed the Celtics’ record-breaking valuation of $6.1 billion (Twitter link). Boston’s new ownership group is expected to be approved sometime in June or July.

Grizzlies Reportedly Not Pursuing Kevin Durant

June 18th, 2025 at 3:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Forbes contributor Evan Sidery reported this afternoon (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies had reemerged as a suitor for Suns star Kevin Durant after the team made a run at the 36-year-old forward prior to February’s deadline.

However, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal — a Grizzlies beat reporter — has heard differently (Twitter link). Citing league sources, Cole writes that while the Grizzlies contemplated making an offer for Durant during the season, they are not currently interested in the 15-time All-Star and do not intend to pursue him this offseason.

Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) reported something similar to Cole a couple days ago, saying he didn’t expect the Grizzlies to get involved in the Durant chase, even though they have a fresh collection of draft assets from Sunday’s Desmond Bane trade. Memphis was reluctant to pursue Jimmy Butler before the deadline because of fears that he wouldn’t sign an extension, Fischer noted, and Durant is probably viewed the same way.

While the team may not pursue Durant, rival teams are curious about which players general manager Zach Kleiman will target with the first-round picks Memphis acquired in the Bane deal, according to Fischer, who says creating the cap room necessary to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr. is still a “priority” for the Grizzlies.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that signing Jackson to a new deal remains important to the Grizzlies. Wing John Konchar, who will make $12.33MM over the next two seasons, is viewed as a candidate to be traded in a salary-dump move to create more cap flexibility, league sources tell Scotto.

One of the selections Memphis acquired for Bane was No. 16 overall in next week’s draft. Cole lists five “defensive-minded wings” the Grizzlies might target if they keep that pick, including Noa Essengue (Ratiopharm Ulm), Cedric Coward (Washington State), and Nique Clifford (Colorado State).

Hawks Hire Executives Bryson Graham, Peter Dinwiddie

June 18th, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks have officially made two additions to their front office, the team confirmed today in a press release.

Former Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham has been hired as senior vice president of basketball operations, while former Pacers and 76ers executive Peter Dinwiddie will be the new senior VP of strategy and analytics. The news was first reported on June 9 by ESPN.

Both Graham and Dinwiddie will reportedly work under Onsi Saleh, who was promoted to GM in April after Landry Fields was fired.

“We are fortunate to be able to add Bryson and Peter to our leadership team,” Saleh said. “Bryson is widely regarded as one of the league’s top young talent evaluators and Peter is one of the most strategic minds in the NBA. Ownership has empowered me to build a robust and dynamic front office, and adding two extremely talented, experienced and respected executives in Bryson and Peter is a home run for our group.”

Graham, a former intern who steadily worked his way up the Pelicans’ front office over the past 15 years, has been credited with identifying talented young players such as Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, Yves Missi, Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall and Jordan Hawkins.

He also was on the staff that drafted Dyson Daniels, who captured Most Improved Player honors with Atlanta this season after being traded from New Orleans last summer. The Hawks control the 13th and 22nd picks in next week’s draft.

As for Dinwiddie, he spent 14 seasons with his hometown Pacers, most recently as senior VP of basketball operations, prior to joining Philadelphia’s front office in 2020. For the past five years, he has been the Sixers’ executive VP of basketball operations.

Carlisle: Haliburton Likely ‘Game-Time Decision’ For Game 6

June 18th, 2025 at 11:44am CST by Dana Gauruder

11:44am: Haliburton confirmed after Wednesday’s light practice that he has a calf strain but he’s hopeful he can play in Game 6, Spears tweets.

“I’m a competitor. I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play,” Haliburton said.

11:01 am: With his team’s season on the brink, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle anticipates that Tyrese Haliburton will be a “game-time decision” for Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star relays.

Carlisle commented on Haliburton’s status during a Wednesday morning radio interview on 107.5 The Fan.

“He is going to be carefully evaluated over the next 36 hours and will likely be listed as questionable on the injury report and probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6,” Carlisle said. “Everything is on the table.”

Haliburton did not make a field goal in Indiana’s Game 5 loss to Oklahoma City as the Thunder grabbed a 3-2 lead in the series. Game 6 will be played in Indianapolis. The star guard reportedly underwent an MRI on Tuesday due to an injury believed to be a right calf strain.

“We have to prepare for two scenarios: one where he plays and one where he does not,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle said rotation changes could be coming, regardless of Haliburton’s status. Indiana has lost the last two games of the series.

“Everything is on the table,” Carlisle said. “… It’s pretty simple. Tomorrow night our task is to take care of home court – which is what they did in Game 5 – and get to an ultimate game, which is Game 7. That’s the task in front of us. We have to figure out exactly what tools are in front of us as a team and we have to consider everything. Minute count, throwing that out the window is easy to say, but if you have guys out there that are more fatigued than they should be, that’s not good and against this team, that’s very difficult.”

Center Myles Turner remains defiant that the Pacers can win the next two games, as he told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. Turner declared, “It’s not over” shortly after the Game 5 loss.

“Our fans have been anticipating this for such a long time,” Turner said. “They’ve been antsy. The biggest thing is to show up for Game 6. They’ll be behind us and be as loud as they were here [in Oklahoma City]. For someone in my position, you never know when you can get this opportunity again. This is the youngest, healthiest and most spry I will ever be. For me, I just got to give it all that I’ve got. Back against the wall. Empty the tank.”