Thunder Notes: Jalen Williams, Holmgren, SGA, Presti
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the scoring load as expected for the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren both suffered through off nights, combining for 23 points while shooting 8-of-28 from the field, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Williams saw his normal workload, but Holmgren was limited to 23 minutes as OKC coach Mark Daigneault went away from his two-big lineups.
At Saturday’s practice, Daigneault noted that Williams and Holmgren, who were both drafted in 2022, are young players who are being asked to produce on the league’s biggest stage.
“They have carved out huge roles on our team — they are a huge reason why we’re here,” he said. “They are in an uncommon position for third-year players. These are guys that are in their third year. Usually, delivering in the Finals is not on the curriculum for third-year players, you know, and they have thrust themselves into that situation, which is a credit to them.
“And now that they are here, they have to continue to do what they have done all the way through the playoffs, which is go out there, fully compete, learn the lessons, and apply it forward. And they have done a great job of that. I think you’ve seen that over the course of the playoffs. They haven’t always played their best game, but they always get themselves ready to play the next one.”
There’s more from Oklahoma City:
- In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Williams talks about his quick rise from a mid-major college team to NBA stardom. Williams reveals that he didn’t receive any Power 5 scholarship offers, so he opted for Santa Clara, where he gradually developed into an NBA prospect. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to appreciate everything that happened and I look back and believe that if it didn’t happen that way, I don’t think I would be in the position I was,” Williams said. “So, in a way, honestly, it just makes me feel kind of relieved and happy that was the way it went. I remember a lot of times I would work out because something went wrong or I didn’t get picked for something I thought I should get picked for. It made me go to the gym. It made me take it way more seriously.”
- With an MVP award already in his possession, Gilgeous-Alexander has a chance to join an elite list of players by winning an NBA championship, observes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Lorenzi points out that Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players to capture a scoring title, MVP honors and Finals MVP in the same season.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic examines how general manager Sam Presti was able to build a second great team in Oklahoma City after his first one fell apart without winning a title.
Celtics Notes: Sale, Porzingis, Holiday, Hauser, White, Tatum
With the NBA’s Board of Governors set to vote on the Celtics sale later this month, there don’t appear to be any reasons that it would be rejected, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. New majority owner William Chisholm finalized the funding for the $6.1 billion purchase in May, with Robert Hale, Bruce A. Beal Jr. and Sixth Street among the other notable investors.
The group will take over a 51% stake of the team this summer, with the remainder of the purchase to be completed in 2028. Some concerns were raised about a two-stage deal after a similar arrangement in Minnesota had to be worked out in court, but commissioner Adam Silver didn’t raise any objections when asked about the purchase during his press conference Thursday before the start of the NBA Finals.
“I’d just say that the Boston Celtics deal I don’t think of as a staged deal,” Silver said. “They’re still in the process of completing it. It’s really more about a phase-out of current ownership. I think there Bill Chisholm, who is the incoming owner, he’s got to sort of straighten out some affairs in his life and his business. He’s currently located on the West Coast. I think he’s a huge admirer of (current majority owner) Wyc Grousbeck and the way he’s been running that team. Obviously their results speak for themselves.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser are all likely to be traded this summer if management is determined to get below the tax threshold, Robb states in a mailbag column. With a $10MM salary next season, Hauser should be easy to move without taking back another player in return, Robb adds. That won’t be true for Porzingis ($30.7MM) or Holiday ($32.4MM), but Robb suggests that Boston can reduce the salaries it takes on by getting other teams involved.
- As the Celtics consider how to cut payroll this summer, Derrick White should be kept off the table in any trade talks, contends Chad Finn of The Boston Globe. Finn points out that White holds the franchise record for the most made three-pointers in a season, and he’s an elite shot blocker for a guard. He’s only 30 with a relatively affordable contract, and he can be part of the foundation to rebuild around when Jayson Tatum returns from his Achilles injury.
- Tatum offered an update today on his recovery from surgery, tweeting, “Day 25… days starting to get a little easier.”
Trail Blazers Adding Splitter, St. Andrews To Coaching Staff
Tiago Splitter and Patrick St. Andrews are joining the Trail Blazers‘ coaching staff as assistants to Chauncey Billups, multiple sources tell Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland (Twitter link). Splitter’s return to the NBA was first reported by international basketball writer Chema de Lucas (Twitter link).
After retiring as a player, Splitter began his coaching career in 2019, spending four seasons as an assistant with Brooklyn and one with Houston before being named head coach of Paris Basketball last summer. He also serves as an assistant with the Brazilian national team.
St. Andrews is a former assistant in Memphis who lost his job when Taylor Jenkins was fired in late March. St. Andrews became an assistant with Atlanta in 2017, then spent five years in Milwaukee before joining the Grizzlies. He was one of just two assistants who were retained when Jenkins’ coaching staff was revamped last summer.
Splitter and St. Andrews will reportedly be joining Kings G League coach Quinton Crawford, who was rumored last week to be an upcoming addition to Billups’ staff.
Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Hanlen, Siakam, Trade Deadline
If the Kings had been more patient, maybe Tyrese Haliburton would be nailing clutch shots while leading them on an inspiring run to the NBA Finals. Instead, he was sent to the Pacers in a blockbuster six-player deal at the 2022 trade deadline. As Sam Amick of The Athletic notes, the trade originally appeared to be a good move for both teams, but Haliburton’s emergence into stardom has made it more one-sided.
Sources tell Amick that Sacramento knew it couldn’t keep both Haliburton and fellow point guard De’Aaron Fox, but Fox’s trade value was at a low point in 2022. The front office explored deals involving Fox, who had recently signed a five-year, $160MM contract, but couldn’t find a worthwhile return.
Amick’s sources say the Kings had discussions with Indiana about both guards, but believed they could make a much better deal by parting with Haliburton. Rick Carlisle was in his first season as the Pacers’ head coach and was looking for a point guard he could trust to run his up-tempo offense.
“Our team was kind of at a crossroads,” general manager Chad Buchanan recalled. “We didn’t really have a guy, like a young player, that you could really build around. … So we tried to target some young guards, play-making guards around the league that we thought maybe fit the bill. They’re very hard to acquire, obviously. We felt like Tyrese, with the way Rick wanted to play, and how we want to build a team in the modern NBA — playing faster, playing a little more random. Tyrese was one of the ideal targets to try to build that type of system around. That’s what coach Carlisle values, and has developed his philosophy (around) over the years and where we’re at today. It was just a great fit from that standpoint.”
There’s more on the Pacers:
- A meeting with trainer Drew Hanlen shortly before the trade to Indiana changed Haliburton’s approach to the game, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Hanlen challenged him to look for his own shot and stop deferring to teammates so much. “The big quote that we always say is, ‘Sometimes being too unselfish is actually being selfish,'” Hanlen said. “When he’s unselfish, it actually negatively impacts his teammates’ success and negatively impacts his team’s success. The more aggressive he is, the more his team wins.” Shelburne adds that Hanlen had been watching tape of Haliburton prior to their meeting because he was also working with Joel Embiid, and the Sixers were involved in discussions with the Kings on a deal that would have involved Haliburton and Ben Simmons.
- Pacers players are brimming with confidence after their improbable comeback in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, writes Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman. Indiana pulled out the victory despite committing 19 turnovers in the first half and trailing by double digits for much of the game. “We didn’t even play well,” Pascal Siakam said in an exchange with Haliburton as they walked to the locker room after the final buzzer (Twitter video link from ESPN).
- The Pacers chose to stand pat at the trade deadline because they believed in the roster they had assembled, per Fred Katz of The Athletic. Even though there are looming financial issues for 2025/26 and three Eastern Conference teams appeared to be clearly ahead of them, Indiana’s front office didn’t search the market for a deal to cut salary or drastically change the roster.
Stein’s Latest: Kidd, Flagg, Beal, Booker, More
The Mavericks will likely deny permission for the Knicks to talk to Jason Kidd about their head coaching vacancy if a formal request is made, Marc Stein states in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Stein cites “well-placed observers” who believe Dallas would turn down the request to interview Kidd, just as the Rockets have communicated that they would do if New York asks to speak with Ime Udoka.
Stein points out that Kidd received an extension after the first round of the playoffs in May of 2024 when rumors began circulating that the Lakers were targeting him in their search for a head coach. Kidd took the Mavs to the NBA Finals after that extension was finalized and led them to the play-in tournament this year while dealing with the fallout from the Luka Doncic trade and a late-season roster shortage.
Stein writes that many people in the league are confounded that the top targets who have emerged since Tom Thibodeau was fired are coaches who are already employed — Kidd, Udoka and Minnesota’s Chris Finch. He notes that several prominent coaches are currently free agents, citing Michael Malone, Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown, Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel as examples.
Stein provides a list of coaches who have been involved in trades, noting that it has happened five times since 1982.
Stein offers more information from around the NBA:
- Cooper Flagg will visit Dallas prior to the June 25 draft, Stein has learned. There’s no drama regarding who the Mavericks will take with the No. 1 pick, but the visit will give Flagg a chance to become familiar with the coaching staff and team executives before it becomes official.
- A buyout may not be a realistic option for the Suns if they can’t work out a trade involving Bradley Beal. According to Stein, Phoenix is limited to a buyout offer of about $80MM, which is far short of the nearly $111MM Beal has left on his contract. The fact that the interview process for coaches included questions about how they plan to incorporate Beal is a sign that the Suns understand that he’ll be hard to move, Stein observes.
- Stein expects Devin Booker to receive a two-year, $150MM extension once he becomes eligible on July 6, noting that he played a prominent role in the search for a new head coach.
- Stein hears that Bucks guard Pat Connaughton is likely to pick up his $9.4MM player option for next season. A decision is expected soon, although the deadline isn’t until June 24.
- Former Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin has interviewed with the Grizzlies for a spot on Tuomas Iisalo‘s coaching staff, sources tell Stein.
Zach Edey To Have Ankle Surgery, May Miss Start Of Next Season
Zach Edey will undergo surgery after re-spraining his left ankle during a workout this week, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter). Medical imaging on the ankle revealed “excessive ligamentous laxity,” the team stated, and the procedure will “address the laxity and re-stabilize his ankle.”
The Grizzlies said a recovery timeline won’t be set until after the surgery is complete, but Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) reports that Edey will likely miss the beginning of next season.
“After consulting with the Grizzlies and multiple specialists, we decided this is the best approach for Zach long-term as it gets him back to 100% with no limitations,” Edey’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told Charania (Twitter link). “He will make a full recovery and be back better than ever.”
Edey turned in a strong rookie season after being selected with the ninth pick in last year’s draft. He started 55 of the 66 games he played while averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.5 minutes per night and posting .580/.346/.709 shooting numbers.
Edey was a first-team All-Rookie selection and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year balloting.
Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal points out that Edey dealt with left ankle issues throughout the season. He first injured the ankle during Summer League action and later suffered another ankle injury that sidelined him for 12 games.
His injury could cause the Grizzlies to be in the market for frontcourt depth this summer. They own the 48th and 56th picks in the upcoming draft.
Jay Wright Not A Candidate For Knicks’ Coaching Job
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright is not a candidate for the Knicks‘ head coaching job, reports Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
According to Rothstein, Wright frequently talks to Knicks president Leon Rose, who is aware that Wright is happy in retirement. Wright retired in 2022 after 21 seasons with the Wildcats.
Wright, 63, has been a commentator for CBS in recent years. Although he was floated as a possible candidate after Tom Thibodeau was fired, subsequent reports indicated that Wright was highly unlikely to leave retirement to take the job.
Wright said last June he had no interest taking an NBA job, whether it was in New York or elsewhere. His ties to the Knicks are obvious, as three key players — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart — played under Wright at Villanova. Wright led the Wildcats to four Final Four appearances and won two national championships (in 2016 and 2018).
Multiple Knicks beat reporters have confirmed the news (all Twitter links).
Western Notes: Kidd, Jazz, Wojciechowski, Kings
As of Friday night, the Knicks had not yet requested permission — formally or informally — from the Mavericks to interview Jason Kidd for their head coaching vacancy, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Marc Stein reported on Friday morning that New York was expected to seek Dallas’ permission to interview Kidd, who has been the Mavs’ head coach since 2021 and is under contract for two more seasons. Multiple reporters have confirmed the news.
However, it remains unclear if the Mavericks will permit the Knicks to speak to Kidd. According to Townsend (Twitter link), the Knicks should tread carefully and “go by the book,” because the Mavericks “would love to nail” New York with a tampering charge.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- How can the Jazz‘s recent draft picks improve this offseason? In a subscriber-only story for The Salt Lake Tribune, Andy Larsen relays comments from GM Justin Zanik and head coach Will Hardy about how Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski can take the next steps in their development. Hardy said defense and shooting discipline are top priorities for George, Larsen writes. “Keyonte has got to improve his defense. His defense can be improved in a variety of ways,” the coach said. “Some of it is the mental aspect, but there also is an element of his conditioning and his physical strength” that can be improved as well.
- The Jazz have promoted Steve Wojciechowski to be an assistant on Hardy’s staff, the team announced in a press release. Wojciechowski, a longtime assistant at his alma mater Duke and the former head coach at Marquette, has been the head coach of the Jazz’s NBA G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, the past two seasons. Wojciechowski compiled a 41-17 regular season record with the Stars and led the club to consecutive playoff berths.
- The Kings have parted ways with veteran scouts Scott Layden and Greg Stratton, sources tell Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento (Twitter link). Layden, formerly the top basketball executive of Utah, New York and Minnesota, had been with the Kings since 2022, while Stratton was hired in 2018. The Kings are also bringing back Garrius Adams as a player development assistant under head coach Doug Christie, Cunningham reports (via Twitter). Adams, who worked in Sacramento from 2021-23, has been on Willie Green‘s staff in New Orleans the past two seasons.
Rival Teams Skeptical Giannis Will Request Trade?
While he cautioned that it’s too early to say what might happen, and things could change later this month, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line recently said on a Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link) that rival teams have become skeptical that Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will request a trade out of Milwaukee.
“Honestly, right now I’d say the prevailing sentiment from rival teams that I’m speaking to — around the combine two weeks ago, two and a half weeks ago — there was no shortage of optimism, of hope, of excitement from other teams that they were going to be able to potentially make an offer to get Giannis Antetokounmpo into their franchise, into their building,” Fischer said (hat tip to RealGM).
“Of late, I’d say that that confidence has been replaced with skepticism. To a man, from talking to agents, team executives, whoever, there is not a lot of belief right now at this juncture. It’s only June 5th — anything could happen — and I’ve been told all along that if there is a decision, a formal decision made to shut or open the door on trade conversations for Giannis this summer, that it would likely happen closer to the end of June and when the offseason really, really begins.
“But I’d say for now, for now, talking to people around the league, the assessment and the expectation is that they’re going to believe it when they see it — that someone who has valued being the franchise face, that the central linchpin of the Bucks franchise, is going to want to play somewhere else.”
The two-time MVP is reportedly mulling his future in Milwaukee and is expected to let the Bucks know at some point soon whether he remains committed to the team or would prefer to seek a change of scenery. While Shams Charania of ESPN reported a few weeks ago that Antetokounmpo is more “open-minded” than in the past about taking the latter route, there has been no indication to this point that he’s looking to leave the Bucks.
Fischer’s comments echo reporting from Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who wrote that NBA personnel he’s spoken to recently have been expressing less confidence about Giannis asking to be traded this summer.
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Miami Heat
Many NBA general managers and team presidents speak in platitudes during their postseason and preseason media sessions, but when Heat president Pat Riley met with the press last spring and fall, he took the opportunity to directly challenge his players to improve their availability and to become better versions of themselves.
Some players responded well to Riley's candor. After being dubbed "fragile" by the longtime Heat president last May, Tyler Herro had a career year in 2024/25, making his first All-Star team and blowing away his previous career highs by appearing in 77 regular season games and averaging 23.9 points per contest.
Riley's remarks proved less inspiring for other key Heat players, however. Jimmy Butler, who was filmed during the 2024 playoffs claiming that the Heat would've beaten the Celtics if he were healthy, reportedly chafed at Riley's recommendation that he "keep (his) mouth shut," and was irked by Miami's unwillingness to give him the maximum-salary extension he sought, due to concerns about his injury history.
While Butler dismissed the idea that his relationship with Riley or the Heat was strained ahead of the season, the situation came to a head by December, with the star forward agitating for a trade out of Miami and earning three separate team-imposed suspensions for "conduct detrimental to the team" and "intentionally withholding services."
With Butler in and out of the lineup and trade speculation swirling around the six-time All-Star for weeks, the Heat actually weathered the storm pretty well. Miami was above .500 (25-24) at the trade deadline, and after sending Butler to Golden State for a package that included Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and Davion Mitchell, the team was optimistic about finishing the season strong, having removed a major distraction from the equation.
Instead, it almost seemed as if the Heat's adrenaline wore off and they found themselves suddenly feeling the aftereffects of the drama that had engulfed the club for the better part of the season. Miami lost 17 of its next 21 games, and while the drop down the standings wasn't as precipitous as it could have been if the bottom of the Eastern Conference were a little more competitive, the Heat slid from sixth to 10th, which is where they ultimately finished the season despite reeling off a six-game winning streak in March and April.
The Heat subsequently made history twice in April, first by becoming the first No. 10 seed to make it through the play-in tournament to clinch a playoff spot, then by being on the wrong end of the most lopsided series in NBA postseason history. The playoff berth meant their first-round draft pick would be sent to the Thunder, which was perhaps a better outcome than the alternative -- if the pick had landed in the top 14 and stayed with Miami, the Heat would've owed an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City.
With their '26 pick in hand, the Heat have more potential paths they could take this offseason and beyond. But tanking has been a rarity during the Riley era, so it's likely the front office will do its best in the coming weeks to figure out a way to turn this club - just two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance - back into a contender as soon as possible.
The Heat's Offseason Plan
Bam Adebayo is viewed as a long-term cornerstone in Miami, having taken over the title of team captain following Udonis Haslem's retirement. Herro, who had long been the subject of trade speculation as the Heat pursued stars like Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell in recent years, perhaps solidified his place alongside Adebayo with his breakout 2024/25 performance. But no one else on the roster should be considered entirely safe entering this summer.
