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Mavs’ Lively, Gafford Reportedly On Track To Return Next Week

March 29th, 2025 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Neither Dereck Lively nor Daniel Gafford is expected to play on Saturday in Chicago, but the two Mavericks big men are trending in the right direction in their injury recoveries.

Lively and Gafford were upgraded from “out” to “doubtful” for Saturday’s game, a sign that their returns aren’t far off. According to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), both players are on track to be reactivated at some point next week.

Lively, who took over as Dallas’ starting center in November, hasn’t played since January 14, having sustained a stress fracture in his right ankle. Reporting at the time indicated that he would likely be sidelined for two-to-three months, so he’ll fall right in that window if he’s able to make it back in the coming days.

Gafford, who has shared starting duties with Lively this season, sustained a Grade 3 MCL sprain in his right knee on February 10 and has been on the shelf for the Mavericks’ past 20 games. A report on Feb. 13 stated he would likely miss six weeks — it has been six weeks and two days since then.

While Lively’s injury occurred earlier in the year, Gafford’s was part of a wave of health issues that devastated the Mavericks shortly after February’s trade deadline. In addition to missing Lively and Gafford, the Mavs were without Anthony Davis for 18 games due to an adductor strain, rendering the club’s top three big men unavailable for well over a month.

Davis returned to action on Monday and with Lively and Gafford apparently not far behind, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel in Dallas as the team pushes for a play-in spot. Of course, as a result of Kyrie Irving‘s season-ending ACL tear, the championship aspirations the Mavs had at the trade deadline are likely no longer realistic, but they would be a tough out in the play-in tournament if their frontcourt is fully healthy.

After visiting Chicago on Saturday, the Mavericks will host the Nets on Monday and the Hawks on Wednesday before facing the Clippers in Los Angeles next Friday and Saturday. Entering play on Saturday, Dallas holds the No. 10 spot in the West with a 36-38 record. The team is just a half-game behind the No. 9 Kings and one game ahead of the No. 11 Suns.

Grizzlies Name Tuomas Iisalo Interim Head Coach

March 28th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Luke Adams

8:01 pm: The Grizzlies have confirmed their decision to name Iisalo their interim head coach (Twitter link).

1:27 pm: After firing head coach Taylor Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season, the Grizzlies will tab assistant Tuomas Iisalo to take Jenkins’ place, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Iisalo was one of several new assistants hired by the Grizzlies last summer when they revamped the coaching staff under Jenkins. He served as Memphis’ acting coach in November when Jenkins was away from the team due to a death in the family, a sign that he’d be the next man up following the head coach’s dismissal on Friday.

A native of Finland, Iisalo played professional basketball in his home country from 2000-14 before transitioning to coaching. He began his coaching career in Finland, then was in Germany from 2016-23, first as the head coach of the Crailsheim Merlins (2016-21) and then as the coach of Telekom Baskets Bonn (2021-23). Iisalo spent the 2023/24 season in France coaching Paris Basketball.

Iisalo has an impressive international résumé, having earned Coach of the Year honors in the German League in 2022 and 2023 and again in the French League in 2024. He led Paris Basketball to a EuroCup championship last year after winning a Basketball Champions League title with the Telekom Baskets in 2023.

While the Grizzlies seem likely to conduct a full-fledged coaching search once their season comes to an end, it’s possible a strong finish this spring would make Iisalo a legitimate candidate for the full-time job.

LaMelo Ball Undergoing Procedures On Ankle, Wrist

March 28th, 2025 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

4:26 pm: The Hornets have confirmed Charania’s reporting, officially announcing in a press release that Ball will undergo arthroscopic surgery to address a right ankle impingement and will also have a minor procedure on his right wrist. He’s expected to return to full basketball activities within four-to-six weeks, according to the club.

4:01 pm: Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will undergo a pair of minor procedures to address issues in his right ankle and right wrist, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that Ball will miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

As Charania details, Ball played through both injuries in recent weeks, but after consultation with team doctors and outside specialists, the decision was made to shut him down and address those ailments sooner rather than later. The hope is that undergoing those two procedures now will allow the 23-year-old to have a “full, productive offseason,” Charania writes.

Ball, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has been plagued by health problems since entering the NBA five years ago. The Hornets star has played more than 51 games in a season just once and has appeared in just 105 of 246 possible contests over the past three years, including 47 this season. That’s his highest total since 2021/22.

He previously underwent surgery on his right ankle in March 2023 and on his right wrist in March 2021.

When he was healthy and available this season, Ball continued to be an effective scorer and play-maker for Charlotte, averaging a career-high 25.2 points to go along with 7.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game. His shooting efficiency dropped off this season, however — his 40.5% field goal percentage and 33.9% mark on three-pointers were both career lows.

Ball will be entering the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension in 2025/26. That deal will pay him $168.7MM over the next four years.

While rival executives are monitoring Ball as a possible trade candidate, the Hornets have maintained that they have no interest in moving him.

Grizzlies Fire Taylor Jenkins

March 28th, 2025 at 11:34am CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have announced the firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins. It’s a surprising late-season move for a team that’s solidly in the playoff picture and fighting for home court in a first-round series.

“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”

Jenkins was fired in person this morning when he arrived at the team’s office, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who expects him to be among the league’s top free agent coaches when the offseason begins.

Although they’re tied for fourth in the Western Conference playoff race at 44-29, the Grizzlies have been on a downslide lately, losing five of their last seven games and 12 of their last 20. Even so, Jenkins has done an admirable job of keeping the team competitive with star guard Ja Morant limited to 43 games.

There’s no immediate word on who will replace Jenkins for the rest of the season. Memphis has a huge game set for Saturday night, hosting the Lakers, who are also 44-29.

Jenkins, 40, has put together a 250-214 record since being hired as head coach in 2019, making him the winningest coach in franchise history. However, the Grizzlies have only won a single playoff series in his tenure, advancing to the second round in 2022.

Jenkins, who won a G League title with the Austin Toros in 2012, was hired as an assistant coach by Atlanta in 2013. He spent five seasons with the Hawks and one with the Bucks before taking over the Grizzlies.

Drew Timme Signs Two-Year Deal With Nets

March 28th, 2025 at 10:36am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 28: Timme’s new contract is official, the Nets announced (via Twitter).

MARCH 27: The Nets are signing free agent forward Drew Timme to a two-year contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The second year will be a team option.

Timme went undrafted in 2023 after a highly decorated collegiate career at Gonzaga. He has spent the past two seasons in the NBA G League.

A 6’10” power forward, Timme signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Bucks in August 2023 and was waived before the 2023/24 season began. He spent his rookie campaign with Milwaukee’s NBAGL affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Timme didn’t make the same impact in his first professional season as he did during his time with the Zags, but he found another NBA opportunity last fall, inking a training camp deal with Sacramento. He opened ’24/25 with the Stockton Kings during the Tip-Off Tournament, averaging 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field in 14 appearances, though he only played 19.0 minutes per contest.

Timme switched teams for the G League’s regular season this winter, landing with Nets’ affiliate in Long Island. As Scotto notes, Timme was recently named NBA G League Player of the Week after averaging 35.7 points and 12.7 rebounds over a three-game span, including a career-best 50-point performance.

The 24-year-old has put up big numbers for Long Island, averaging 23.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists on .574/.384/.731 shooting in 29 regular season games (35.6 minutes per contest). Now he’ll be getting his first standard NBA contract with the Nets.

As our tracker shows, the Nets currently only have 14 players on their standard roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Timme.

NBA Searching For New All-Star Format For 2026

March 28th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA will scrap its mini-tournament format for the All-Star Game and go back to the drawing board in a search for new ideas, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

At a press conference Thursday in New York, commissioner Adam Silver admitted that this year’s experimental format was “a miss.” It involved a four-team tournament featuring the 24 NBA All-Stars divided up into three teams, along with another squad consisting of rookies and second-year players who won the Rising Stars event. Instead of being timed, all the games were played to a 40-point target score.

“We’re not there in terms of creating an All-Star experience that we can be proud of and our players can be proud of,” Silver admitted.

Finding a workable solution to the All-Star Game has been a problem for the league for roughly the last decade. The traditional East vs. West matchup grew stale, as there was nothing to motivate players or inspire them to put forth much effort on defense. The NBA had captains pick their teams for a few years, and the Elam ending was a brief success, but most often the quality of play has been low.

This year’s changes were instituted after the 2024 game resulted in a 211-186 final score that drew intense criticism from league insiders and media members.

One drawback to this year’s competition was a nearly 20-minute break during the championship game that was used to recognize TNT’s broadcast team, which was airing the game for the last time.

“It was well-intentioned,” Silver said. “But I think the long stoppage in play in that final game didn’t work for anyone.”

NBC will televise the game next year as part of its new broadcast deal, and Silver said the league is talking to network officials about potential changes. Reynolds notes that the game will take place during the Winter Olympics, which could lead to a U.S. vs. the World format that has been proposed for some time.

The 2026 game, which will be hosted by the Clippers at their new Inuit Dome, will have an earlier starting time, Reynolds adds. It will be played in the afternoon, leading up to Olympics coverage at night.

France Eyes Victor Wembanyama For EuroBasket

March 28th, 2025 at 7:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs shut down Victor Wembanyama last month due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, but there’s hope that he might be able to represent France at EuroBasket this summer.

In an interview with L’Equipe, French national team coach Frédéric Fauthoux said Wembanyama’s condition is being monitored to see if he can return for the international tournament, which gets underway in late August.

“We had Victor before his operation, he is motivated to be part of the team,” Fauthoux said. “We’ll see as he evolves physically, we’ll make the decision when it’s the right time, until then, we’ll be in the dark. But he feels good, everything is going well (in his rehabilitation).”

Wembanyama underwent surgery for the condition, which was discovered when he returned to San Antonio following the All-Star Game. Deep vein thrombosis is a form of a blood clot that affects the flow of blood to his shoulder. The Spurs don’t believe it’s a concern for Wembanyama’s long-term health, and he’s expected to be ready when training camp opens in late September.

Wembanyama was in the midst of an outstanding second NBA season before the medical issue arose. He averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and a league-high 3.8 blocks in 46 games and had been considered a heavy favorite for Defensive Player of the Year honors. He made his first All-Star appearance after being selected by coaches as a reserve.

Having Wembanyama, who starred at the Olympics last summer, would significantly improve the prospects for the French team, which wound up with difficult early matchups at Thursday’s draw. France will meet Luka Doncic and Slovenia in the group stage and could face Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s Greek team later on.

Fauthoux expects to have several NBA players on his EuroBasket roster, including the Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher and the Wizards’ Alex Sarr, who were the top two picks in last year’s draft.

“They are close to a pre-selection,” he said. “They are two players with a great future, with a lot of talent, and both have playing time in the NBA, it’s very important for me, for possible selections, it’s essential with the competition from EuroLeague, Eurocup, Champions League players.”

EuroBasket will take place from August 27 to September 14 with games in Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia.

Silver Confirms NBA, FIBA Taking Next Steps Toward European League

March 27th, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that the NBA and FIBA are moving forward on their exploration of a new professional basketball league in Europe, per Joe Vardon, Adam Crafton, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

“We feel now is the time to move to that next stage,” Silver said Thursday. “At our (Board of Governors) meeting today, there was enthusiastic support from our club owners about continuing to explore this opportunity.”

While Silver confirmed a few of the details about the league reported by Sportico earlier this week, some of the information he shared today was new or differed slightly from that initial report.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Silver said the plan would be for the league to have 16 teams, with 12 permanent slots and four rotating.
The league would be “integrated into the current European basketball landscape,” according to the NBA, meaning teams would also compete in their respective domestic leagues. Non-permanent members would be offered a “merit-based path to qualification,” per the NBA.
Silver would want a salary cap system in place for the league.
Current NBA owners would own equity in the league, but not in individual clubs.
The league would likely use FIBA rules, including a 40-minute game instead of the NBA’s 48 minutes.
As Marc J. Spears of Andscape tweets, Silver said the NBA is looking at existing facilities as well as the possibility of “new state-of-the-art arenas.”

The process remains in the early stages, with Silver referring to it as being in the “modeling phase.”

The NBA doesn’t yet have any formal agreements in place with existing clubs or investors who would establish new teams. However, it sounds like those conversations are ongoing. The NBA’s press release states that discussions have been taking place with “prospective investors, teams, arena developers, and commercial partners.”

Sources tell The Athletic that Real Madrid, Barcelona, ASVEL Basket, and Fenerbahce are among the EuroLeague teams worth watching as possible defectors to the new NBA league, though none of those teams have informed the EuroLeague of their intent to leave at this point. Former NBA star Tony Parker is the controlling owner of ASVEL and has been speaking to the NBA as a “conduit” between the two sides, The Athletic adds.

The NBA previously attempted to partner with the EuroLeague, which is Europe’s top existing professional basketball league, but the EuroLeague rejected those advances, per The Athletic.

The NBA’s statement indicates that additional updates from the league and FIBA will be provided at a later date.

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Warriors’ Gary Payton II Has Thumb Injury, Out Indefinitely

March 27th, 2025 at 3:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

3:41 pm: The Warriors have put out an official statement on Payton, announcing that he has a partial tear of a ligament in his left thumb and will be reevaluated in one week (Twitter link).

12:33 pm: Warriors guard Gary Payton II has a torn ligament in his left thumb and will be out indefinitely, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Anthony Slater of The Athletic was the first to report that Payton had a thumb injury (Twitter link).

The Warriors will have to make do without a key part of their rotation as the postseason approaches. They’re currently tied with the Clippers for the sixth-best record in the Western Conference with a 41-31 record. The Timberwolves are lurking right behind with a 41-32 mark.

The top six teams automatically qualify for the first round in the playoffs while the next four teams in the standings have to fight through the play-in tournament.

Payton’s workload has steadily increased down the stretch. He’s averaging 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 21 minutes per game this month. Overall, the veteran guard has appeared in 58 games — his highest total since the 2021/22 season — with averages of 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals in 14.9 minutes per game.

Payton, 32, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Without him, the Warriors will likely lean more on Gui Santos and Pat Spencer. Regardless, his overall contributions will be tough to replace.

Jazz Rule Out Jordan Clarkson For Rest Of Season

March 27th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has undergone a medical procedure to address plantar fasciitis in his left foot, the team announced today in a press release.

According to the Jazz, Clarkson will be sidelined for the remainder of the season as he continues to receive treatment on his injured foot. That means the veteran will miss Utah’s last nine games of 2024/25.

Clarkson only appeared in 37 total games for the Jazz this season, but the former Sixth Man of the Year provided his usual offensive spark off the bench when he was available, averaging 16.2 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per night.

Although Clarkson’s 40.8% field goal percentage represents a career low, that number dipped in part because the 32-year-old was taking more three-pointers and fewer two-pointers this season. He made 36.2% of his three-point tries, his best mark in that category since 2019/20.

A trade candidate at this season’s deadline, Clarkson ultimately remained in Utah through February 6, but he figures to be back on the trade block this summer as he enters the final year of his current contract. He’ll be in line to earn approximately $14.3MM on an expiring deal next season and could appeal to a team looking to add a scorer to its second unit.

With Clarkson unavailable for the rest of the season, there will likely be more rotation minutes available for young guards like Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George, Johnny Juzang, and KJ Martin down the stretch in Utah. Veteran wing Svi Mykhailiuk could also see some additional run.