Knicks Notes: Kidd, Finch, Thibodeau, Brunson
After Marc Stein reported earlier today that the Knicks are expected to seek the Mavericks‘ permission to talk to head coach Jason Kidd about their head coaching job, Ian Begley of SNY.tv and ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon have confirmed as much. New York is “conducting active due diligence” on Kidd, according to Charania and MacMahon.
The question remains whether or not the Mavericks will grant that permission. Sources tell ESPN’s duo that Mavs general manager Nico Harrison and team owner Patrick Dumont haven’t yet discussed whether to allow Kidd and the Knicks to speak to one another. It’s also unclear whether Kidd would have interest in leaving Dallas for New York — he did interview for the Knicks’ job in 2020 before Tom Thibodeau was hired, as Charania and MacMahon note.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is also part of a small group of head coaches already under contract whom the Knicks have interest in, according to Begley. It’s unclear if the Knicks plan to ask the Wolves about talking to Finch, but I can’t imagine Minnesota being very enthusiastic about the possibility.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Following up on ESPN’s reporting about the Knicks dismissing Thibodeau after getting input from players, Begley notes that while that player input was a factor in the team’s decision, Knicks players were respectful of Thibodeau during their end-of-season exit meetings and have a “great deal of admiration” for him. They did point out during those meetings, however, that there were things Thibodeau did during his tenure that could be improved, Begley adds.
- There will be plenty of Jalen Brunson-related subplots to monitor during the Knicks’ head coaching search, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscription required). As Braziller observes, Brunson has blossomed into a star under Thibodeau and spoke highly of the veteran coach. It remains to be seen how much input the point guard might have in the team’s hiring decision and what the coaching change will mean for his father, assistant coach Rick Brunson.
- The Knicks aren’t expected to make an immediate head coaching hire, a league source tells Steve Popper of Newsday, who details the pressure and expectations that Thibodeau’s replacement will face.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who is the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, admitted this week that he was shocked by the Knicks’ decision to fire Thibodeau. “Thibs went in there and changed so much,” Carlisle said (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). “You look at all that and what happened yesterday. When I first saw it I thought it was one of those fake AI things, like, no way. No way possible.”
2025 NBA Free Agent Preview: Power Forwards
After previewing the free agent point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards who will be eligible for free agency this offseason, we're turning our attention today to power forwards, a group has become increasingly harder to define. Many of the players we highlight in the space below spent a good deal of time playing at the three or the five in 2024/25 and will likely continue to do so going forward.
In addition to not being heavy on traditional fours, this year's group lacks high-level unrestricted free agents. Most of the top power forwards who could reach free agency this offseason will either be restricted FAs or hold player options, meaning they may not hit the open market at all.
Let's take a closer look at this summer's free agent power forwards, as we continue our breakdown of the 2025 free agent class by position.
Suns Officially Announce Jordan Ott As Head Coach
As expected, the Suns have hired Jordan Ott as their new head coach.
Word broke on Wednesday that Phoenix had chosen Ott over fellow Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant to replace Mike Budenholzer. Now, the Suns have officially confirmed the news in a press release.
“Jordan embodies the culture of excellence and accountability we’re going to prioritize,” Suns owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement. “He is young, hungry and is ready to be an NBA head coach. His track record of developing players, fostering team chemistry, and his understanding of the game at the highest level are essential skills to how we are building for our future.”
Ott, who shares Michigan State ties with Ishbia and general manager Brian Gregory, spent the past season in Cleveland under Kenny Atkinson after previously spending time as an assistant with the Lakers and Nets. In today’s press release , the Suns highlight the fact that Ott “worked closely” with big man Evan Mobley, who was named the Defensive Player of the Year and made an All-NBA team for the first time this season.
Ott issued a statement of his own in which he thanked the Suns for the opportunity and vowed to build a hard-working, winning culture in Phoenix. Gregory, meanwhile, stated that the Suns chose Ott after conducting an “extensive” search for Budenholzer’s replacement.
“Jordan’s leadership and basketball intellect consistently stood out, combining a brilliant mind as an offensive strategist with the blueprint to employ an aggressive defensive system,” Gregory said. “A strong communicator with a relentless work ethic, he shares our vision of establishing a team identity rooted in toughness, accountability and a systematic approach to the game. Jordan attacks every day with the grit and competitiveness we need in a leader of our culture, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to Phoenix.”
Ott, who will be the Suns’ fourth head coach in the past four seasons, reportedly agreed to a four-year contract with the organization.
The Knicks are now the only NBA team without a head coach in place.
Pelicans’ Joe Dumars Talks Injuries, Goals, Roster
When Joe Dumars was introduced as the Pelicans‘ new executive vice president of basketball operations in April, he spoke about wanting to “find out what’s happening” with the team’s injury situation, given the series of health issues that have plagued the team in recent years.
In an interview this week with Rod Walker of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Dumars was asked what he has learned on that subject since joining the franchise. According to the new head of New Orleans’ front office, some of those injuries were “flukes,” but he’s hopeful that in some instances there are things the team can improve in order to reduce a player’s injury risk.
“We’ve went back over every one of the injuries that happened to every player here and tried to decipher and find out which ones were flukes and which one of these could have been internal that we could have done better,” Dumars said. “We’ve assessed every single injury to every single player. What could we have done better? Is there something we could have done better?
“We are continuing to have those conversations because these guys are in rehab now. So we’re meeting every week on the rehab that’s going on. Are we on top of this? When are we sending somebody to see this guy? It’s real comprehensive what we’re doing as far as medicals because what’s been shown is if this team is healthy, it’s a team that can compete. So that becomes critical to make sure we are doing everything we can to put the healthiest team out there on the floor.”
Dumars’ remarks about players being “in rehab” are presumably a reference to guys like Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy. Murray is coming off a torn Achilles, while Jones and Murphy are recovering from shoulder surgeries. Dumars said there was “nothing to report” on the trio, per Walker, adding that all three are on schedule in their recovery timelines.
Kelly Olynyk and Brandon Boston are among the other Pelicans players who have undergone surgical procedures in recent months.
As we relayed earlier this week, Dumars expressed to Walker that Zion Williamson remains in the Pelicans’ plans going forward and also spoke about head coach Willie Green. Here are a few more highlights from the veteran executive’s conversation with the Times-Picayune:
On Dumars’ goals for the Pelicans:
“We want to win. We want to be a team that’s viewed around the NBA not only as a winning team, but we want to also be viewed as a first-class organization. … That’s about how you come in every day and do things and how you go about your work every day. How you treat people. How we do things here in this building. All of that is important.
“… I’m really here to bring a certain style of play. We’re not really looking at it as trying to compare it to what has gone on here prior to us. We’re coming in expecting to win. We are here to raise the bar. We’re not here to be happy with mediocrity.”
On how he views the current roster:
“We have some good talent on the roster. When this team has been healthy, it’s been a formidable team. Unfortunately, last year it was just decimated with injuries and I acknowledge that. But that doesn’t stop you from setting the bar higher and pushing harder to be better. I don’t think we can be satisfied with what happened two years ago when the team had success. I don’t think you can look at that and say, ‘OK, we can see what we can be.’ You have to push past that. You can’t just aspire to be that. You have to set the goal higher than that and that’s what we intend to do. We intend to push for this team to try to max out because there is some good talent on this roster.”
On his belief that the “best teams reflect their city”:
“I think the Bulls reflected Chicago. The Showtime Lakers reflected L.A. The Bad Boys reflected Detroit. The Indiana Pacers reflect Indianapolis and OKC reflect Oklahoma City. With your best teams, there is a connection between the city and the style of play. The fans look at it and say, ‘Yeah, that represents us.’
“That is what I hope people see when we play. I want them to see that we represent New Orleans. I’m from Louisiana, so I have a feel for the resilience and I know people aren’t quitting here. That’s just not the personality of the city. So I think it’s important that your team reflects that. Fans should be able to look at the team and say, ‘They absolutely are playing and representing what we stand for.'”
Southeast Notes: Young, Hornets, Magic, K. Johnson
A native of Norman, Oklahoma who played his college ball for the Sooners, Trae Young has some affinity for the local NBA team. However, while the Hawks guard will be rooting for the Thunder in the NBA Finals, he tells Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that seeing Oklahoma City make a serious run at a title really just makes him more determined to take his own team to those same heights.
“It’s even more motivating for me,” Young said on Wednesday at a sponsor event. “I want to win a championship bad. But the fact that it’s in my city and I’m just watching it now, if you thought I wanted it bad before, it’s even worse now. … Hopefully we’re here playing the Thunder next year, and I’m not having this (event) here in OKC. So, we have this party there in Atlanta. I love Atlanta.”
The Hawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and haven’t won more than 43 games in a season since Young was drafted in 2018, but the star guard remains optimistic about the franchise’s direction.
“We had the No. 1 pick (Zaccharie Risacher) last year that made strides and almost won Rookie of the Year, got second,” Young said. “We have a lot of young, young, really good players. We have a great coach. We have a lot of stuff, and we have a big summer ahead, for sure.”
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Dylan Cardwell (Auburn), Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), Chucky Hepburn (Louisville), and Jalon Moore (Oklahoma) visited the Hornets for a pre-draft workout earlier this week, while Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall), Eric Dixon (Villanova), Kobe Johnson (UCLA), and Julian Reese (Maryland) auditioned for the team on Thursday, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). Charlotte controls the fourth, 33rd, and 34th overall picks in this year’s draft. Among those prospects, Dixon is the highest-rated on ESPN’s big board at No. 45.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac and Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) both previewed the Magic‘s offseason this week, discussing Paolo Banchero‘s upcoming rookie scale extension, looking at Orlando’s rising payroll, and considering how the team might use its multiple first-round picks (No. 16 and No. 25) in this year’s draft.
- Although he played limited minutes in just 16 NBA games as a rookie in 2024/25, Heat forward Keshad Johnson feels he has “grown mentally” since entering the league, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I’ve learned a lot about basketball, Xs and Os,” said Johnson, who played well for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League. “Just being in the NBA, at first it started off fast. But it started to slow down as time got going. Just getting comfortable. Skill-wise, I feel like the mental aspect of learning cheat codes and things like that.” The Heat hold a minimum-salary team option on Johnson for the 2025/26 season and must exercise or decline that option by June 29.
Knicks Expected To Request Permission To Talk To Mavs’ Kidd
The Knicks, who have a newly created head coaching vacancy after parting ways with Tom Thibodeau earlier this week, are expected to ask the Mavericks for permission to speak to Dallas head coach Jason Kidd, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Stein, who identified Kidd on Wednesday as a potential target for the Knicks, says sources have described New York’s interest in the Mavs coach as “serious,” adding that some people in coaching circles believe he’s the Knicks’ top target to replace Thibodeau.
The Knicks were also said to be interested in Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, but multiple reporters – including Stein – have stated that Houston has no interest in granting New York permission to speak to Udoka. Stein hasn’t been able to confirm if the Mavs would take a similar position with Kidd.
Kidd was initially hired by former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in 2021, a little before Nico Harrison came aboard as the team’s head of basketball operations. Given that Cuban is no longer running the show in Dallas and Harrison didn’t hire Kidd himself, it’s possible the Mavs wouldn’t be as attached to him as the Rockets are to Udoka.
Kidd signed a contract extension with the Mavericks in May of 2024. According to Stein, that deal tacked on two years to Kidd’s previous contract, which would’ve expired at the end of 2024/25.
In the past, there have been instances where a team gave up draft compensation in order to hire a head coach away from another franchise — in fact, as Stein notes, that has happened before with Kidd, as the Bucks sent a pair of second-rounders to hire him away from the Nets in 2014. It remains to be seen whether the Knicks would be willing to take a similar route to hire Kidd.
Although Kidd has spoken about how he wasn’t involved in the unpopular decision to trade Luka Doncic in February, he’s believed to still be happy in Dallas and is excited about the opportunity to coach Cooper Flagg, according to Stein. Kidd also has strong relationships with current Mavs stars Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
Even if Kidd ends up staying put, the Mavs’ coaching staff seems likely to undergo some changes this offseason. Assistants Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley both received consideration in Phoenix’s coaching search, according to Stein, who reports that the Spurs have expressed interest in trying to hire Sweeney as an assistant, while the Grizzlies recently spoke to Dudley about a role on their staff. Both San Antonio (Mitch Johnson) and Memphis (Tuomas Iisalo) have first-time head coaches who were promoted during the 2024/25 season and will be entering their first full seasons as head coaches in ’25/26.
The Mavs already lost one key assistant – Alex Jensen – earlier this year, when he agreed to become the new head coach at the University of Utah. Stein hears that Dallas has targeted former NBA head coach Jay Triano to replace Jensen, though Triano is believed to be receiving interest from other NBA teams as well.
NBA Finals Notes: Game 1, Haliburton, Carlisle, Nembhard, Presentation
The Pacers continue to defy the odds in these NBA playoffs, pulling off an improbable fourth-quarter comeback for a fourth consecutive series and a second straight Game 1. Indiana didn’t hold a lead on Thursday in Oklahoma City until Tyrese Haliburton made a jumper that put the team up 111-110 with 0.3 seconds left on the game clock. It was the fourth time during the 2025 postseason that Haliburton has converted a game-winning or game-tying shot with less than five seconds remaining, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“I don’t know what you say about it, but I know that this group is a resilient group,” Haliburton said. “And we don’t give up until it’s 0.0 on the clock.”
The Pacers turned the ball over 24 times and attempted just 82 field goals and 21 free throws on the night, compared to six turnovers, 98 field goal attempts, and 24 free throws for the Thunder. But a strong shooting performance that included a 46.2% mark from beyond the arc (18-of-39) kept Indiana within striking distance.
Haliburton didn’t play a major part in the Pacers’ three-point success, scoring just 14 points and knocking down 2-of-7 shots from long range. However, his teammates had full trust in their point guard when he raced up the court with the ball in his hands during that final possession.
“I swear as soon as he jumped up to shoot, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s good,'” Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith said, according to Collier. “Every time it’s in his hands in those situations, I just think it’s good.”
“(He has) ultimate, ultimate confidence in himself,” center Myles Turner added, per Grant Afseth of Hardwood Heroics. “Some players will say they have it but there’s other players that show it, and he’s going to let you know about it, too. That’s one of the things I respect about him. He’s a baller and a hooper and really just a gamer. When it comes to the moments, he wants the ball. He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from the moment, and it is very important this time of the year to have a go-to guy. He just keeps finding a way, and we keep putting the ball in the right positions, and the rest is history.”
Here’s more on the NBA Finals in the wake of a thrilling first game:
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who has spent 23 seasons as an NBA coach and won a title in 2011 in Dallas, said on Thursday that he has a special appreciation for this Pacers team, as Afseth relays. “It’s a group I love,” Carlisle said. “It’s a group that we’ve invested a lot in — in how we were going to draft, who we were going to draft, and development. From a coaching perspective, I’m proud of this year because not only did we win enough games to get into the top four, but we are still developing players.”
- The Game 1 loss was similar to the Thunder’s other home loss during these playoffs, when they let a 13-point fourth quarter lead slip away in Game 3 of the conference semifinals vs. Denver, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The Thunder came back in that series after falling behind 2-1 as a result of that home loss, so while they were disappointed by Thursday’s outcome, they’re confident in their ability to bounce back. “It sucks, but we have been here before,” Jalen Williams said, while head coach Mark Daigneault added, “We would’ve liked to win tonight, but tonight was a starting point, not an end point.” As MacMahon writes, Oklahoma City is 4-0 after losses during these playoffs, with an average margin of victory of 20.5 points per game.
- With Isaiah Hartenstein removed from the starting lineup and limited to just 17 minutes of action, the Thunder were out-rebounded 56-39 by one of the league’s worst rebounding teams. “Some of it is the cost of doing business,” Daigneault said of sticking with a smaller lineup, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “To be able to get perimeter speed on the court, get more switching in the game. It’s obviously something that is a tradeoff. I thought the small lineup at the end of the first half looked pretty good. That’s why I went back to it down the stretch. When we’re small, we have to be pressure-oriented and contain the ball. I thought they got some cracks against us that hurt us a little bit more than the post-ups did.”
- While Haliburton was the Game 1 hero, Andrew Nembhard deserves a lot of credit for helping the Pacers stay in the game and complete their comeback, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic. In addition to hitting a big three-pointer in the game’s final minutes, Nembhard served as the primary defender on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 38 points but needed 30 shots to do it. “If there wasn’t the 65-game rule, he’s an All-Defensive guy, plain and simple,” Haliburton said of Nembhard. “We have the most trust in him. Shai is the hardest guard in the NBA. He’s the hardest guy to cover one-on-one in the NBA. So there’s no one look we can give him that is going to work every time. We trust Drew in those situations.”
- Amid myriad complaints on social media that Game 1 of the NBA Finals felt like just another regular season contest, Dan Shanoff of The Athletic offers three suggestions that the NBA and ABC could make for the rest of the series to improve the presentation, including putting the Finals logo on the court and showing the in-arena starting lineup introductions on the TV broadcast.
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Memphis Grizzlies
After winning 56 games in 2021/22 and 51 in '22/23, the Grizzlies were decimated by injuries in '23/24, with nearly all of their starters and top reserves affected by a health issue at some point over the course of the season. Most notably, point guard Ja Morant, who served a 25-game suspension to open the season, was able to suit up for just nine contests before sidelined by a season-ending shoulder injury.
Entering '24/25, the Grizzlies had reason to believe that a bounce-back year was on tap. They weren't bringing back all the key elements of those 50-win teams -- forward Dillon Brooks had departed in 2023 free agency, point guard Tyus Jones had been replaced by Marcus Smart, and center Steven Adams was traded at the 2024 deadline. But their core of Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane was intact, and they'd developed some intriguing young talent - including Scotty Pippen Jr., Vince Williams, and GG Jackson - to help fill those openings in the rotation.
Through February 5, the day before the trade deadline, it looked like the Grizzlies had picked up right where they left off. The team went 35-16 to open the season and held the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Jackson was playing at an All-NBA level; Bane was having a strong year; the team had found a couple more quality youngsters in rookies Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey; Santi Aldama was having his best season; and while Morant hadn't quite regained his All-Star form or returned to full health, he was playing more often than not and was Memphis' second-leading scorer behind Jackson.
At that point, the Grizzlies made an interesting trade-deadline move, completing a three-team transaction that sent out Smart and Jake LaRavia and created more future spending flexibility for the team. In return, the club acquired Marvin Bagley and Johnny Davis, two players who wouldn't see regular minutes for a playoff team (Davis, in fact, never played for Memphis and was waived two weeks later).
While Smart's availability was inconsistent during his time in Memphis and LaRavia wasn't playing a major role, it was still unusual that the only trade-deadline move made by a No. 2 seed was motivated by future financial concerns and wouldn't help the team at all on the court. I don't think that's why things went south for the Grizzlies over the next couple months, but it wasn't exactly a vote of confidence from the front office in the team's short-term potential.
Memphis went 13-18 after the trade deadline, as a defense that ranked seventh until that point was just the league's 19th-best unit the rest of the way. The offensive drop-off was almost identical, with Memphis registering the fifth-best offensive rating prior to the trade deadline and the 16th-best mark after the deadline.
That second-half tailspin cost head coach Taylor Jenkins his job and nearly cost the Grizzlies a playoff spot -- a win in their second play-in game earned them the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the Thunder, who promptly swept them out of the postseason.
The Grizzlies have since retained former assistant Tuomas Iisalo, Jenkins' interim late-season replacement, as their permanent head coach and will at least enter the offseason with that newfound financial flexibility created by moving off Smart's multiyear deal in February. But for a team that won 21 more games in 2024/25 than it did a year earlier, it certainly feels like there are a lot of questions to answer this summer.
The Grizzlies' Offseason Plan
The top priority for Memphis this offseason will likely be working out an extension with Jackson, who has developed into one of the NBA's best rim protectors while coming into his own as an offensive weapon. But the team-friendly rookie scale extension that Jackson signed back in 2021, which expires in 2026, will complicate extension negotiations.
Latest On Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal
Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Suns have made multiple calls to the Rockets about Kevin Durant since the end of the season and have “gradually lowered” their asking price for the star forward during those discussions. However, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links) strongly disputes those claims, referring to them as “beyond untrue.”
According to Gambadoro, the Suns haven’t spoken to the Rockets since February and had put a potential Durant trade on the back-burner while they hired a new general manager and head coach. Now that those tasks have been crossed off their offseason to-do list, they’ll begin having conversations with potential trade partners about Durant, Gambadoro adds.
During a TV appearance on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated – as he reported during the season – that there was some mutual interest between Durant and the Knicks prior to February’s trade deadline. According to Charania, New York made an offer for Durant at that time.
A deal involving Devin Booker‘s former Kentucky teammate Karl-Anthony Towns would probably be the simplest way for the Knicks to acquire Durant, since Towns and KD will have very similar cap figures next season. But Gambadoro said during Thursday’s Burns & Gambo show (Twitter video link) that he has heard the Suns don’t have interest in Towns and would prefer a return centered around OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges if they were to make a trade with the Knicks.
Charania cited sources this week who said that Durant is expected to draw serious interest from approximately four to six teams this summer.
Charania has previously identified New York, Golden State, Minnesota, Houston, San Antonio, and Miami as clubs who expressed some level of interest prior to the trade deadline, though it’s not clear whether all of those teams would renew their interest during the offseason. During the Burns & Gambo clip linked above, Gambadoro also pointed to the Clippers as a team to watch for Durant.
Of course, Durant won’t be the Suns’ only big-name trade candidate to monitor in the coming weeks. Bradley Beal is also expected to be on the trade block, but will be far more difficult to move due to his salary (nearly $111MM over the next two years) relative to his production, as well as the fact that his contract contains a no-trade clause.
According to Gambadoro (Twitter links), the Suns don’t want to bring back Beal, but he may be prove to be unmovable this summer, as he was prior to the trade deadline. If that’s the case, the club is expected to explore the possibility of a buyout, but there’s no guarantee that the veteran guard would go for that idea.
If Beal can’t be traded or bought out, the Suns would have to keep him and try to rebuild his value, per Gambadoro (Twitter link), who notes that head coaching candidates during Phoenix’s interview process were asked how they’d use the three-time All-Star.
Chris Paul To Put Family First In Career Decisions
Appearing Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link), Chris Paul stated that family concerns will shape the remainder of his NBA career. They will factor into how much longer the 40-year-old guard wants to continue playing as well as where he might sign this offseason.
“It’s with my family more than anything,” Paul said. “My son just turned 16. My daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State — they were in Houston with me — Oklahoma City… I’ve been around a few teams, but I’ve been away from them the last six years. It’s a little different. That’s the conversation.”
Paul will be back on the free agent market after signing a one-year deal with the Spurs last summer. Brought in to help mentor Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio’s other young players, Paul proved he can still be productive on the court. He appeared in all 82 games, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 28 minutes per night with .427/.377/.924 shooting numbers.
A return to the Spurs might be unlikely considering they traded for De’Aaron Fox in February and appear ready to select Dylan Harper with the No. 2 pick in the draft. If Paul moves on, he figures to get plenty of interest from playoff contenders who are looking for a strong floor leader.
Paul’s family lives in Los Angeles, so a return to the Clippers could be in the cards. He spent six years with the organization, earning All-NBA honors five times and making it one of the NBA’s most exciting teams. Paul could also ponder teaming up with long-time friend LeBron James on the Lakers.
Paul didn’t sound ready for retirement in the interview with McAfee, as he said his body still feels good. Most likely, it will be a year-by-year decision to see how much longer he wants to keep playing.
“Well, I don’t think I want to play for a while,” Paul said. “I’m being honest with you — I want to be Dad. I still love to play. I was up in the gym at 6 am this morning. Yesterday, I was in the gym. Day before, I was in the gym. It’s crazy. You know, my daughter actually hoops now, so before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. With kids, sometimes you gotta do short sessions, so I was in 20 minutes doing ball handling with her, and it was priceless. You don’t get that time back.”
Paul also talked about projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, whom he’s worked out with in advance of the June 25 draft, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). Paul was on a group chat with other San Antonio players during the lottery, and there was a lot of excitement as the Mavericks and Spurs had the final two envelopes.
“I’m in L.A. right now, and Cooper Flagg has been out there,” Paul said. “I’ve been in the gym with him a couple times and whatnot. He’s as real as advertised.”
Marc Stein previously identified Dallas as a possible landing spot for Paul, since the Mavs will be looking for backcourt help while Kyrie Irving recovers from his ACL tear.