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Magic Could Target Anfernee Simons In Trade

May 4th, 2025 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Could Anfernee Simons solve the Magic‘s offensive issues? According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Trail Blazers guard has been increasingly projected around the league as a potential target for Orlando.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman indicated in a postseason press conference that upgrades this offseason would likely come via trades.

“Most of our roster upgrades are going to have to come more through swapping than just adding,” Weltman said. “The reason we’ve been a good team the last couple of years — and I do believe we are a good team — is because we’ve got an elite defensive backbone. And as as we look to improve our offense, we have to be very cognizant of not unraveling the DNA of our team. That’s what we have to balance this summer.”

Orlando had the league’s worst three-point percentage and Weltman vowed to address that problem, as well as others.

“What we need is proven shot-making, proven offensive play, someone that’s going to come in and help augment our weakness,” Weltman said. “Clearly, we need to get better offensively. Clearly, we need to shoot the ball better. Those are the goals and that’s the lens we need to look at as we enter the offseason. I don’t think anything’s off the table. Veteran help, proven offensive help is what we’re going to be looking for.”

Simons made 70 starts for the Trail Blazers this season, averaging 19.3 points and 4.8 assists per game. He shot 42.6% overall and 36.3% from beyond the three-point arc. Simons is entering his walk year and will make $27.7MM next season.

Simons was believed to be one of the players the Blazers were willing to move prior to this season’s trade deadline. However, general manager Joe Cronin didn’t find a suitable offer.

Orlando seemingly made a major upgrade on the wing last offseason by signing free agent guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The former Nugget had a disappointing season with the Magic, averaging 8.7 points in 29.6 minutes per game while making 77 starts. His three-point percentage was a subpar 34.2%, his worst since the 2015/16 season. KCP made over 40% of his long-range attempts in his previous two seasons with Denver.

Losing Jalen Suggs after he played just 35 games was a major blow. Suggs averaged 16.2 points per game before he underwent season-ending surgery but Weltman’s comments indicated that Suggs’ return alone won’t put Orlando over the hump.

Daryl Morey Doesn’t Regret Trade That Might Cost Sixers Their First-Round Pick

May 4th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are at risk of losing their first-round pick in this year’s draft, but president of basketball operations Daryl Morey doesn’t regret including it in a 2020 trade with Oklahoma City, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In the six-player draft-day deal, Morey agreed to send the pick — with top-six protection — to the Thunder as an incentive for taking Al Horford‘s contract. The package he got in return included shooting guard Danny Green, who had two productive years in Philadelphia.

“First off, I feel very good about that trade because it put us in a great spot,” Morey told Pompey. “It was before coach [Nick Nurse] was here, but we were the one-seed going into the playoffs. Usually, that gives you a 40-50% chance to make the finals. So I feel good that we got good value out of that trade. Danny Green was great for us. Seth Curry was [acquired in] a different trade. But anyway, I feel good about that.”

Morey never imagined at the time that the pick would be so valuable five years later. But with the Sixers coming off an injury-filled 24-win season, they desperately need to keep it to add some young talent to their roster.

Philadelphia will have the fifth-best odds heading into the May 12 lottery, creating a 10.5% chance at landing the No. 1 pick and a 42.1% chance of moving into the top four. However, if two or more teams pass them in the lottery, the Sixers will be left empty-handed and OKC will get the pick to add another prospect to its loaded roster. There’s a 36% chance of that happening.

[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Odds]

If the pick doesn’t convey this year, Philadelphia will owe its 2026 first-rounder to the Thunder with top-four protection. It will be top-four protected again in 2027, and Oklahoma City will receive a second-rounder instead if it still doesn’t convey that year.

Pompey points out that the Sixers have few options to improve their roster this summer outside of the draft because of massive contracts for Joel Embiid and Paul George that would be difficult to move because they’re both coming off injury-plagued seasons.

Pompey adds that the Horford deal was understandable at the time because he had just completed a disappointing first season after signing a four-year, $97MM contract in free agency. He proved to be an awkward fit at power forward alongside Embiid and eventually became a very expensive backup center.

Morey also notes that teams are becoming less willing to trade away future first-rounders, but he believes it made sense to send the team’s 2026 pick to Washington in a February deal that brought back Jared Butler and four second-rounders. In a separate trade, he reacquired the Sixers’ second-round pick for this year from Dallas, along with Quentin Grimes, who turned into a late-season surprise.

“That’s going to be a tool for us,” Morey said of the 35th overall pick. “We have 64% odds to have a top pick in this draft. That’ll be another tool. If you look at teams that make aggressive moves like us and then have a rough season, most of the time those teams have, like, no draft picks. We have above-average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season. We have a whole set of younger players … a lot of tools in our arsenal to upgrade the team, whereas most teams that go into the season with the third-best title odds like we did and have a rough year, [they] don’t have much maneuverability. We feel like we have a lot of maneuverability with our assets going forward and the young players Coach (Nurse) developed.”

Celtics Sale Expected To Close Soon

May 3rd, 2025 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The group headed by William Chisholm has attained enough money to cover the cost of buying the Celtics, and the sale is expected to be finalized in the next week or so, sources tell Ben Horney of Front Office Sports.

Two sources describe the group’s status as “oversubscribed,” according to Horney, with more than enough capital on hand to complete the deal. Horney states that the buyers will acquire slightly more than 51% of the franchise in the first part of the transaction, but the exact stake for Chisholm hasn’t been clarified.

Front Office Sports reported last week last that Chisholm was still seeking investors, so progress has apparently been made in the past few days.

Horney notes that Chisholm’s group has also resolved an issue involving Sixth Street Partners, a private equity firm. Reports emerged after the sale was announced in March that Sixth Street Partners was contributing more money to the sale than Chisholm, which isn’t permitted. NBA regulations state that private equity firms cannot be the largest stakeholder in a team and that at least 15% of the purchase price must come from the controlling owner.

That issue was raised by current minority owner Steve Pagliuca, who also sought to buy the team. Horney states that Pagliuca wrote a public letter to Celtics fans last month promising that his proposal was “fully guaranteed and financed” and contained “no debt or private equity money that would potentially hamstring our ability to compete in the future.”

Pagliuca added that he and his partners were “ready to check back into the game” if Chisholm’s group couldn’t comply with NBA bylaws.

According to Horney, a plan remains in place to have current owner Wyc Grousbeck continue as CEO and governor through the 2027/28 season. A source tells Horney that there will be two parts to the sale, and current minority owners can also keep their positions in the organization until 2028.

The minority owners can sell their stakes for up to 20% more than the original price of the deal, Horney adds, under a revenue-based formula established by the league. He estimates that it will bring the actual value of the deal to almost $7.3 billion.

Several new minority owners will be identified in the coming weeks, and they could include a few familiar names to Boston sports fans, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. A source tells Himmelsbach that Chisholm has made it a priority to establish ties with the local business community.

Himmelsbach also points out that no matter when the sale is finalized, it won’t become official until it’s approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors, probably in June or July.

Celtics Widely Expected To Make Offseason Roster Changes

May 3rd, 2025 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning a title in 2024, the Celtics brought back essentially the same team this season, parting ways with only a couple reserves. No NBA team retained more players from the end of the 2023/24 season to the start of ’24/25 than Boston (15).

However, even if the Celtics repeat as champions this spring, they’re unlikely to maintain that sort of continuity going forward, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this week (YouTube link), Charania said Boston is widely expected to make cost-cutting moves that will impact its roster this offseason.

“The rest of the league is bracing for some level of change to come to the Celtics roster this offseason,” Charania said (hat tip to RealGM). “Sources have been telling me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason.

“This iteration just is not going to be sustainable for this team and no one around the organization – from players to staffers – would be surprised if there are changes coming to this roster. Because when you think about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there’s restrictions that come with trades, there’s restrictions that come with freezing of draft picks. That’s all stuff that they’re dealing with right now.”

As Charania observes, star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will both be on super-max contracts in 2025/26 and beyond, with Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday also set to earn between $28.1MM and $32.4MM apiece next season. Those five players on their own will earn a combined $198.5MM, which exceeds the projected first tax apron ($195.9MM).

In total, Boston has about $221MM in guaranteed money committed to nine players and will still need to add at least five more players to that count. Even if those last five players are earning minimum-salary deals, the Celtics’ team salary would soar past the second apron ($207.8MM), setting the club up to pay a massive tax bill as the more punitive repeater penalties go into effect. It would also place serious limitations on what the front office can do in free agency and on the trade market.

What form Boston’s roster changes take remains an open question, one that figures to be decided at least in part by how the team performs during the remainder of its postseason run. While it’s possible a starter like Porzingis or Holiday ends up on the trade block this summer, the team also may look to make tweaks around the edges, perhaps including a role player like Sam Hauser.

If the Celtics’ new ownership group is comfortable paying substantial tax penalties, there won’t necessarily be urgency to get below the second apron right away, but the longer the team continues to operate above that threshold, the more limited its roster-building options become — a team that remains above the second apron for several years at a time would have a handful of future first-round picks “frozen” (ineligible to be traded) and moved to the back of the first round.

For now, Boston’s focus is on winning a second consecutive title, but teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on the defending champions and are curious to see what’s in store for them this offseason, according to Charania.

“None of these changes are at the top of mind for the Celtics now, they can’t be,” Charania said. “This is obviously the most talented team in the league. I think a lot of people would agree with that. So these are good problems to have, but the league is bracing for some level of change to come to this Celtics roster in the offseason.”

Pelinka Confirms Upgrading Frontcourt Will Be High Priority For Lakers

May 2nd, 2025 at 6:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Following their trade of Anthony Davis and their decision to void a deadline deal for Mark Williams, the Lakers knew for months that a lack of frontcourt depth was a problem. That issue came to the forefront in Game 5 of their first-round series vs. Minnesota, as Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves dominated Los Angeles on the boards and in the paint en route to the victory that ended the Lakers’ season.

On Thursday, in his end-of-season press conference, Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka acknowledged that the team has work to do up front this offseason, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Khobi Price of The Orange County Register.

“I think when you make a huge trade at the deadline where you trade your starting center for a point guard, of course that’s going to create significant issues with the roster, and we saw some of those play out,” Pelinka said. “We know this offseason, one of our primary goals is going to be to add size in our frontcourt at the center position. That’s going to be part of the equation. We know we have a lot of work to do on the roster, and it will look different next year, for sure.”

The Lakers thought they had acquired their center of the future on February 6 when they struck a deal to send Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a future first-round pick, and a pick swap to Charlotte in exchange for Williams. Two days later, however, word broke that the Lakers were voiding the deal to concerns about Williams’ physical. Sources tell Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times that Los Angeles’ front office made that decision due to “knee and lower leg concerns.”

While NBA rules prevent Pelinka from discussing Williams specifically, he admitted that the 11th-hour nature of that deal left the Lakers in a tough spot — once the trade deadline had passed, the team only had the ability to void or move forward with the trade, as opposed to potentially renegotiating it or making a move for another center.

“It’s very clear and it was clear then … this roster needs more size and needs a center,” Pelinka said. “That’s a very clear and obvious byproduct of trading potentially the best big in the league to Dallas to get a point guard. Of course, that’s going to open up a huge hole. The trade deadline and the moments up to it don’t allow you the requisite time to explore every single unturned stone to add a big to our roster. We just didn’t have the time after the Luka trade. But now we do.”

New Lakers franchise player Luka Doncic thrived in Dallas playing alongside a pair of rim-running lob threats in Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford. Pelinka confirmed that’s the sort of center L.A. will likely be seeking this summer, though he added that the club is willing to be flexible in the options it considers.

“I think in terms of center traits, it would be great to have a center that was a vertical threat, lob threat, and someone that could protect the interior defensively. I think those would be keys,” he said, according to Woike. “But there’s multiple different types of centers that can be very effective in the league. There’s also spread centers that can protect the rim. We’ll look at those as well. So I wouldn’t want to limit the archetype, but we know we need a big man.”

Given their salary cap situation, the Lakers may have a hard time finding a starting center in free agency, as Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic observe. Barring significant roster changes, the team will likely be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception, which would almost certainly make it impossible to land a player like Myles Turner. That means L.A. is more likely to return to the trade market in search of an answer in the middle.

Nic Claxton of the Nets will likely be one name linked to the Lakers in the coming weeks and months, Woike writes. As Buha and Amick write, Jazz center Walker Kessler and Trail Blazers center Robert Williams are among the other possible trade targets who have been connected to the Lakers in the past year, while Clint Capela, Steven Adams, and Brook Lopez are among the veteran options headed for free agency who are unlikely to be as expensive as Turner.

During his final media session of the season, Pelinka made it clear that there are at least three players on the roster whom he has no interest in parting with in any deal for a center.

“The level of confidence in Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Luka Doncic is at an all-time high still,” he said, per McMenamin. “I think those three guys have incredible promise playing together. And we will collectively do a better job to make sure they’re surrounded with the right pieces to have ultimate success.”

James expressed some uncertainty about his future in the wake of Wednesday’s Game 5 loss, but the expectation at this point is that he’ll likely return to the Lakers for at least one more season. Pelinka told reporters on Thursday that he’s well aware LeBron will be monitoring the team’s roster moves as he weighs his own options.

“I think LeBron’s going to have high expectations for the roster,” Pelinka said. “And we’re going to do everything we can to meet those. But I also know that whatever it is, he’s still going to give his 110 percent every night, whether that’s scoring, assisting, defending, rebounding, leading. We know that’s always going to be 100 percent, and that never wavers.”

NBA Announces 75 Invitees For 2025 Draft Combine

May 2nd, 2025 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 75 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 11-18.

In addition to those 75 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.

Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2025 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.

College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 28 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 15. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.

Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2025 draft combine:

(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)

Izan Almansa, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
Neoklis Avdalas, G/F, Greece (born 2006)
Ace Bailey, G/F, Rutgers (freshman)
Joan Beringer, C, Slovenia (born 2006)
Koby Brea, G, Kentucky (senior)
Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn (senior)
Carter Bryant, F, Arizona (freshman)
Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State (sophomore)
Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (senior)
Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
Alex Condon, F/C, Florida (sophomore)
Cedric Coward, F, Washington State (senior)
Egor Demin, G, BYU (freshman)
Eric Dixon, F, Villanova (senior)
V.J. Edgecombe, G, Baylor (freshman)
Noa Essengue, F, Germany (born 2006)
Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (freshman)
Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma (freshman)
Cooper Flagg, F, Duke (freshman)
Boogie Fland, G, Arkansas (freshman)
Rasheer Fleming, F/C, St. Joseph’s (junior)
Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan (senior)
Hugo Gonzalez, F, Spain (born 2006)
PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis (sophomore)
Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers (freshman)
Ben Henshall, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois (freshman)
Sion James, G, Duke (senior)
Tre Johnson, G, Texas (freshman)
Kameron Jones, G, Marquette (senior)
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
Karter Knox, F, Arkansas (freshman)
Kon Knueppel, G/F, Duke (freshman)
Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee (senior)
Yaxel Lendeborg, F, UAB (senior)
RJ Luis, F, St. John’s (junior)
Khaman Maluach, C, Duke (freshman)
Bogoljub Markovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2005)
Alijah Martin, G, Florida (senior)
Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (freshman)
Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma (senior)
Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina (sophomore)
Grant Nelson, F, Alabama (senior)
Asa Newell, F, Georgia (freshman)
Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (junior)
Dink Pate, G/F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2006)
Micah Peavy, G/F, Georgetown (senior)
Noah Penda, F, France (born 2005)
Tahaad Pettiford, G, Auburn (freshman)
Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (freshman)
Drake Powell, G/F, UNC (freshman)
Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke (junior)
Derik Queen, C, Maryland (freshman)
Maxime Raynaud, F/C, Stanford (senior)
Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State (freshman)
Will Riley, F, Illinois (freshman)
Michael Ruzic, F, Spain (born 2006)
Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (senior)
Kobe Sanders, G, Nevada (senior)
Ben Saraf, G, Germany (born 2006)
Mark Sears, G, Albama (senior)
Max Shulga, G, VCU (senior)
Javon Small, G, West Virginia (senior)
Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown (freshman)
Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas (junior)
John Tonje, G, Wisconsin (senior)
Alex Toohey, F, Australia (born 2004)
Nolan Traore, G, France (born 2006)
Milos Uzan, G, Houston (junior)
Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (senior)
Brice Williams, G/F, Nebraska (senior)
Darrion Williams, F, Texas Tech (junior)
Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (junior)
Hansen Yang, C, China (born 2005)
Rocco Zikarsky, C, Australia (born 2006)

It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:

A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.

Grizzlies Retain Tuomas Iisalo As Head Coach

May 2nd, 2025 at 2:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tuomas Iisalo, who took over as interim head coach of the Grizzlies when Taylor Jenkins was fired in late March, will keep the job on a permanent basis, the team announced in a press release.

“I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,” team president and general manager of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “Tuomas’ teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.”

Iisalo compiled a 4-5 regular season record followed Jenkins’ surprising dismissal. After finishing as the eighth seed, the Grizzlies lost to Golden State in the first round of the play-in tournament, but advanced to the playoffs with a win over Dallas. They were swept by Oklahoma City in the first round.

Iisalo was in his first season with Memphis after a successful coaching career in Europe and was one of four new assistants hired last summer in a shakeup of Jenkins’ staff.

He led Paris Basketball to the 2023/24 EuroCup championship and was named EuroCup Coach of the year. He also earned 2024 LNB Pro A Coach of the Year honors after taking Paris to the French Leaders Cup title and the French LNB Pro A Finals, and was the 2023 Champions League Coach of the Year with Baskets Bonn in Germany.

Iisalo is the first-ever Finnish-born coach in the NBA. He spent 14 years as a player in Finland and appeared in 57 games for the Finnish national team.

Iisalo is the third interim coach to be hired to a permanent job in the past two days, joining Doug Christie in Sacramento and Mitch Johnson earlier today in San Antonio. Phoenix is currently the only team without a head coach, while David Adelman is on interim status while leading Denver in the playoffs.

LeBron James Suffered MCL Sprain In Game 5 Loss

May 2nd, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee during the Lakers‘ series-ending loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, a league source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James underwent an MRI on Thursday that revealed the extent of the damage.

The injury occurred in a collision with Donte DiVincenzo midway through the fourth quarter of Game 5 (Twitter video link from Wolves Lead). James collapsed to the court in pain and briefly checked out to have the knee examined by the team’s trainer before returning to the game. DiVincenzo was whistled for a foul on the play for a moving screen.

The injury typically involves a recovery timeline of three to five weeks, the source told McMenamin, so James likely wouldn’t have been able to return until the Western Conference Finals or the NBA Finals if L.A. hadn’t been eliminated. It would have ended his NBA record streak of appearing in 292 straight playoff games, McMenamin adds.

James continued to produce at a remarkable level in his 22nd NBA season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 70 games and putting himself in position to earn an All-NBA spot for a 21st consecutive season.

The four-time MVP holds a $52.6MM player option for 2025/26, but wasn’t ready to discuss his future when speaking to reporters following Wednesday’s game. The expectation is that he’ll play at least one more season.

Spurs Name Mitch Johnson As Head Coach

May 2nd, 2025 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

12:20pm: The move is official, the Spurs announced in a press release. “We are thrilled for Mitch Johnson to be our next head coach,” managing partner Peter J. Holt said. “Throughout his decade in the organization we have seen that Mitch has the right values, poise and potential to lead us into the future.”

11:41am: Mitch Johnson, who served as the Spurs‘ interim head coach after Gregg Popovich was sidelined by an early-season stroke, will be given the job on a permanent basis, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The move comes after Popovich stepped down from the position earlier today to become the team’s full-time president of basketball operations.

Johnson, 38, has been with the organization since 2016 when he was hired as an assistant coach for San Antonio’s G League affiliate in Austin. He became an assistant with the NBA club three years later.

He was pushed into the spotlight after Popovich’s medical issue emerged six games into the season. Johnson took over the reins and led the Spurs to a 31-45 record, keeping them in the race for a spot in the play-in tournament until the final week of the regular season despite injuries to Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox.

The is the Spurs’ first official coaching change since 1996, when Popovich replaced Bob Hill on the sidelines. Johnson becomes the third-youngest active coach in the league, behind only Boston’s Joe Mazzulla and Utah’s Will Hardy.

Before starting his coaching career, Johnson was a star player at Stanford, ranking second on the school’s career assist list when he graduated in 2009. He spent three years playing in the G League and in Europe before retiring to pursue coaching.

In a full story, Charania states that Johnson had “tremendous support from the franchise’s top officials and players” to become Popovich’s successor. Charania cites the move with Johnson as part of “the continuity and through-line” created by Popovich, CEO RC Buford and general manager Brian Wright to maintain stability in the organization.

The Spurs are showing tremendous faith in Johnson by giving him the job without conducting a widespread search. Some of the other names currently on the market include Michael Malone, who was recently fired after a long stint with Denver that included an NBA title, and ex-Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, who also began his career as an assistant with the Spurs’ G League team.

Gregg Popovich Ends Coaching Career

May 2nd, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Gregg Popovich has stepped down as head coach of the Spurs and will become president of basketball operations on a full-time basis, the team announced in a press release.

Popovich is the winningest head coach in NBA history with 1,422 regular season victories, and he captured five championships during nearly three decades on San Antonio’s bench. He was named Coach of the Year three times and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023.

“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said. “I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.”

Popovich suffered a stroke in early November and never returned to the bench, with the team announcing in February that he was done for the season. He made progress in his recovery and was able to meet with his players, but he had to be briefly hospitalized again last month after a medical incident at a restaurant.

Popovich joined the organization in 1988 as an assistant coach and has been part of the Spurs’ front office since May of 1994. Sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN that Popovich has remained active in that role throughout his medical issues and “will continue to be a vital member of the franchise’s day-to-day operations.”

Charania’s sources add that Popovich had been in the team’s facility recently and still had a desire to return to coaching. Ultimately, he decided that the day-to-day grind of being a head coach would be too difficult.

“Coach Pop’s extraordinary impact on our family, San Antonio, the Spurs and the game of basketball is profound,” managing partner Peter J. Holt said in the Spurs’ press release. “His accolades and awards don’t do justice to the impact he has had on so many people. He is truly one-of-one as a person, leader and coach. Our entire family, alongside fans from across the globe, are grateful for his remarkable 29-year run as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”

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