Injury Notes: Butler, Garland, Heat, Bucks
Warriors swingman Jimmy Butler has been listed as questionable to play on Saturday vs. Houston and was referred to by head coach Steve Kerr on Friday as “day-to-day,” according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Kerr isn’t ruling out the possibility of Butler suiting up for Game 3.
“I’m relatively optimistic,” Kerr said. “I mean, Jimmy is Jimmy. We know he’s willing to play through anything, so we’ll see. I mean, this is a day-to-day thing for sure, and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow, but I think there’s a chance he plays.”
Kerr noted Butler’s injury is “very similar” to the one Stephen Curry suffered in March, which cost the Warriors star two games.
“It’s a pain tolerance thing, that’s why he’s day-to-day,” Kerr added.
Butler isn’t the only Warrior whose status for Saturday’s contest is up in the air. Veteran guard Gary Payton II has been listed as questionable due to a right shoulder strain after averaging just under 14 minutes per night in the first two games of the series, Youngmisuk notes.
The good news for Golden State is that guard Brandin Podziemski isn’t listed on the injury report after being limited to 14 minutes in Game 2 due to an illness. Podziemski said he’s ready to go for Game 3.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is listed as questionable to play in Game 3 vs. Miami on Saturday due to a big toe sprain on his left foot, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Garland has averaged 24.0 points and 7.0 assists per night in the first two games of the series, both Cleveland wins.
- Heat big man Kevin Love (personal reasons) and guard Terry Rozier (left ankle sprain) will remain out for Game 3 on Saturday, but the rest of the roster is available, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Rozier was unable to practice on Friday due to his ankle injury, Winderman adds.
- While neither player would have been in the rotation, the Bucks have ruled out Tyler Smith (left ankle sprain) and Chris Livingston (personal reasons) for Friday’s Game 3 vs. Indiana, the team announced (Twitter links).
- In case you missed it, while Shams Charania reported that Grizzlies star Ja Morant would miss Game 4 on Saturday vs. Oklahoma City due to his hip injury, Memphis isn’t entirely closing the door on the possibility of Morant suiting up, having listed him as doubtful. His injury designation is a hip contusion.
Celtics’ Brown, Tatum Available For Game 3; Holiday Out
5:20 pm: After being upgraded from doubtful to questionable about an hour ago, Tatum will make his return on Friday for Game 3, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown will also be available, but Holiday has been ruled out.
2:24 pm: The Celtics could be shorthanded for Friday’s Game 3 in Orlando. In their initial injury report on Thursday, the team listed Jrue Holiday as questionable with a right hamstring strain and Jayson Tatum as doubtful with a right distal radius bone bruise, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
On Friday, reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown was also added to the injury report, having been listed as questionable due to a right knee posterior impingement (Twitter link via Weiss). Brown has been managing the knee injury for several weeks.
Tatum was sidelined for Boston’s Game 2 victory after injuring his right wrist in Game 1. It seems likely that he will miss Friday’s contest as well.
It remains to be seen if Holiday and Brown will be forced to miss tonight’s game, but it’s certainly not ideal for the Celtics that both players are battling injuries.
Brown is coming off an excellent Game 2 performance, finishing with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Boston currently holds a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
A fourth Celtics starter, Kristaps Porzingis, sustained a cut which required five stitches Wednesday after being inadvertently elbowed by Goga Bitadze, per Baxton Holmes of ESPN. However, Porzingis was able to return to the game and downplayed the gash after the victory.
“Honestly, how can I not come [back] out?” Porzingis said. “Like, ‘Oh, I have five stitches, I can’t play anymore.’ My legs work, everything works, so of course I’m going to be out there. And you know me. I like these moments. Coming back out again, getting a little love from the crowd. It just happens within the game and this is not going to stop me. So I’m going to keep going.”
Key 2025 NBA Offseason Dates, Deadlines
With the 2024/25 NBA regular season in the books, nearly half of the league’s teams have shifted their focus to the offseason and others will soon follow suit.
That means it’s time to retire our list of the NBA’s key in-season dates and deadlines for the ’24/25 campaign in favor of an updated offseason calendar of the most important dates facing teams and players in the coming months.
In the space below, you’ll find a breakdown of many of the NBA’s important dates and deadlines for the next few months, right up until training camps open for the 2025/26 season.
April 26
- Deadline for early entrants to declare for the NBA draft (10:59 pm CT).
- Note: For more information on draft-related dates and deadlines, check out our full breakdown.
May 9-11
- NBA G League combine.
May 12
- NBA draft lottery.
May 11-18
- NBA draft combine.
May 28
- Last day for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain their NCAA eligibility (10:59 pm CT).
June 5
- NBA Finals begin.
June 15
- Deadline for all early entrants (including international players) to withdraw from the NBA draft (4:00 pm CT).
June 22
- Latest possible end date for NBA Finals.
TBD (first day after NBA Finals)
- Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents.
June 25
- Day one of NBA draft (first round).
June 26
- Day two of NBA draft (second round).
June 29
- Last day for decisions on player, team, and early termination options
- Note: Certain contracts will require earlier decisions.
- Last day for teams to make qualifying offers to players eligible for restricted free agency.
June 30
- Last official day of the 2024/25 NBA league year.
- Last day for players eligible for veteran extensions in 2024/25 to sign them.
- Teams can begin negotiating with free agents from other clubs (5:00 pm CT).
July 1
- Official start of the 2025/26 NBA league year.
- Moratorium period begins.
- Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet.
- Teams can begin signing players to one- or two-year minimum-salary contracts.
- Teams can begin signing players to two-way contracts.
- Teams can begin signing first-round picks to rookie scale contracts.
- Teams can begin signing second-round picks using the second-round pick exception.
- Teams can begin exercising the third- or fourth-year team options for 2026/27 on rookie scale contracts.
July 5-8
- Salt Lake City Summer League
July 6
- Moratorium period ends (11:01 am CT).
- Teams can begin officially signing players, extending players, and completing trades (11:01 am CT).
- The 24-hour period for matching an RFA offer sheet signed during the moratorium begins (11:01 am CT).
July 6-9
- California Classic Summer League.
July 10-20
- Las Vegas Summer League.
July 13
- Last day for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers to restricted free agents.
July 31
- Players signed using the second-round pick exception begin to count against a team’s cap.
August 5
- Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned second-round picks.
August 29
- Last day for teams to waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2025/26 salaries.
Late September (specific dates TBA)
- Training camps open.
Information from NBA.com was used in the creation of this post.
Thunder Notes: Historic Comeback, Caruso, Holmgren, SGA
After two lopsided victories in their first-round series against Memphis, the Thunder found themselves in a major hole in the first half of Game 3. Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 29 points and entered halftime down 26.
“In the moment, it sucks,” All-Star Jalen Williams said, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “It’s not something that you want to make a habit of. But we also have extreme confidence in how we can play to kind of turn the tide.”
Aided in part by Ja Morant‘s hip injury, the Thunder were relentless on defense in the second half, forcing the Grizzlies into more turnovers (13) than made field goals (nine). Alex Caruso was at his best during that stretch, recording four steals in the final 14 minutes, Lorenzi adds.
“Our defense is our superpower,” Caruso said. “When we’re locked in on that side of the ball, we’re an unstoppable force.”
The Thunder ultimately pulled off the second-largest comeback in NBA playoff history, notes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. It was also the first time in playoff history that a team overcame a 26-point halftime deficit, according to Lorenzi.
Here’s more on the Thunder, who now hold a 3-0 lead on Memphis ahead of Saturday’s Game 4:
- While much of the post-game focus was on Caruso’s excellent defensive work, head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t view his performance as out of the ordinary (Twitter video link via HoopsHype). “He changes every game he’s in,” Daigneault said of Caruso. “He’s like that every night, he’s like that in a preseason game, he’s constantly engaged in the competition and the size of the stage or the pressure of the game doesn’t impact him at all.”
- In a column that was publishd prior to Game 3 and looks prescient in retrospect, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman explained why he believed Caruso was the “perfect playoff player” for Oklahoma City. “I feel like I’m one of the great competitors in this league,” Caruso said Tuesday. “I might not be in the top half, quarter, wherever you want to put it talent-wise… but as far as competing and putting it all out there and trying to win, I’m in the elite group of that.”
- Big man Chet Holmgren finished the first half with one point and missed all four of his field goal attempts, but he caught fire in the second half, scoring 23 points, including 16 in the third quarter, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. “Mark changed the trajectory of the game,” Holmgren said. “Trusted me in calling a play for me to bomb one at the half after the s— storm I put up in the first half. Credit to him for that. Once I saw one go in, I felt good.”
- While the Thunder are in good shape heading into Saturday’s contest, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has surprisingly struggled with efficiency thus far in the playoffs. In a detailed film breakdown, Rylan Stiles of SI.com says Gilgeous-Alexander has simply been missing shots he normally makes and isn’t worried about how he’ll fare for the rest of the postseason.
Warriors’ Jimmy Butler Questionable For Game 3 After Game 2 Exit
April 25: The Warriors confirmed (via Twitter) that Butler has a pelvis and deep gluteal muscle contusion. He’s questionable for Game 3 on Saturday, per the team.
April 24: Butler avoided a serious injury and has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). According to Charania, this is a best-case scenario for Butler, as his MRI revealed no structural damage.
Still, Butler’s status for Game 3 against the Rockets on Saturday is in “serious jeopardy.” The Warriors defeated the Rockets on the road in Game 1 behind strong contributions from Curry and Butler, but lost in Game 2 after Butler exited.
April 23: Warriors forward Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for the rest of Golden State’s ongoing Game 2 against the Rockets after a hard fall in the first quarter, Golden State’s PR team announced (via Twitter). He has been diagnosed with a pelvis contusion.
The 6’7″ swingman landed hard on his tailbone after Houston forward Amen Thompson was knocked off balance while battling for a defensive rebound and undercut him beneath the basket (Twitter video link via Dr. David J. Chao).
Butler finishes the game with three points on 1-of-2 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from the free throw line, plus two rebounds, in just eight minutes.
Since Golden State acquired the six-time All-Star from Miami in a multi-team blockbuster trade in February, the team has rallied to emerge as a legitimate title contender. Butler has shored up the Warriors’ defense — and given them another major creator — alongside incumbent stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. An extended Butler absence could kill the Warriors’ title aspirations.
Another Golden State starter also departed in the first half — guard Brandin Podziemski is questionable to return after exiting the game with a stomach bug, per the Warriors (Twitter link).
Reserve forward Jonathan Kuminga, who had been removed from head coach Steve Kerr‘s rotation since the Warriors’ final regular season game, is now getting his first playoff run of the postseason. Guard Pat Spencer is also seeing some action in the rotation as a result of Podziemski’s absence.
Houston currently leads Golden State by double digits, 47-31, late into the second quarter. The Warriors beat the Rockets at home in Game 1 on Sunday.
A source informs Anthony Slater of The Athletic (via Twitter) that Butler will undergo imaging on Thursday. Slater observes that both Curry and Kuminga were recently diagnosed with pelvic contusions after their own hard falls, and each missed minimal time. Both had to manage the pain upon their returns but were able to play again fairly quickly.
Warriors’ Draymond Green Wins 2024/25 Hustle Award
Warriors forward/center Draymond Green has won the NBA’s Hustle Award for the 2024/25 season, the league announced today (story via Brian Martin of NBA.com).
The Hustle Award has been around since the ’16/17 campaign. Unlike other postseason awards, it is not voted on by the media.
Instead, the award goes to the player who has the top composite ranking in nine “hustle stats” — charges drawn, deflections, screen assists, contested two-point shots, contested three-point shots, offensive loose balls recovered, defensive loose balls recovered, offensive box outs, and defensive box outs.
As Martin writes, Green didn’t lead the NBA in any of those nine categories, but he was in the top 15 in five and became the first winner in the award’s history to rank in the top 40 in all nine.
The Hustle Award is meant to honor players “who make the effort plays that don’t often appear in the traditional box score but impact winning on a nightly basis,” per Martin.
Green, who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting this season, was runner-up for the Hustle Award on two other occasions, Martin notes. Thunder guard Cason Wallace finished second behind Green, with Sixers forward Guerschon Yabusele, Thunder wing Luguentz Dort, and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels rounding out the top five.
Thunder swingman Alex Caruso won the Hustle Award in ’23/24 while playing for the Bulls. Wizards guard Marcus Smart has won the award three times.
Projected First-Rounder Joan Beringer Entering Draft
French big man Joan Beringer is entering the 2025 NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 18-year-old is ranked No. 17 on ESPN’s latest big board, making him a projected first-round pick.
“It’s been my dream to play in the NBA,” Beringer said. “It’s a good moment to go. I want to say thank you to my teammates. They made everything a lot easier for me.”
Beringer has spent the 2024/25 campaign with Slovenian club Cedevita Olimpija, which competes in the Adriatic League and EuroCup. He has averaged 4.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 17 EuroCup appearances (17.5 minutes per game).
As Givony details, Beringer is an intriguing prospect for multiple reasons. He’s the third-youngest player in the draft class, as he won’t turn 19 until November. He also wasn’t on NBA radars entering the season, as Beringer says he had never touched a basketball until the summer of 2021.
“I first started playing basketball in the street with my friends,” Beringer said. “Just for fun. I played football before, and there was a basketball court nearby the field. My feet got too big, so I couldn’t find soccer cleats anymore. I was 6-8 then. I’m 6-11 without shoes now. I joined a small club, Saint-Joseph Strasbourg, two weeks later. My work and willingness to go after things are the reason I was able to be where I am now.”
With a 7’5″ wingspan, impressive timing, and exceptional mobility, Beringer is viewed as having considerable defensive upside, according to Givony, who notes that the teenage center led the ABA in block percentage.
Alijah Arenas Making ‘Significant Progress’ After Car Crash
Five-star prospect Alijah Arenas was involved in a serious car accident early Thursday morning and had to be placed in a medically-induced coma.
According to Arenas’ family (Twitter link via Shams Charania of ESPN), the 18-year-old is no longer in a coma and “has shown significant signs of progress within the last 24 hours.” While Arenas remains intubated, the fact that he was able to come out of the coma was a “critical step forward in his recovery.”
Arenas was reportedly the driver and lone person involved in the crash. After hitting a fire hydrant and tree, the vehicle he was driving caught on fire, and nearby bystanders helped rescue him from the accident, per the statement.
A 6’6″ shooting guard who has committed to playing his freshman season at USC, Arenas was No. 13 on ESPN’s recruiting rankings for the 2025 class, making him a possible first-round pick in 2026. He is the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.
Our best wishes go out to Arenas as well his family and friends as he continues to recover.
Thomas Haugh Returning To Florida For Junior Season
Florida forward Thomas Haugh has decided not to declare for the 2025 NBA draft and will instead return to the Gators for his junior season, he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).
Haugh helped the Gators win an NCAA championship in 2024/25, averaging 9.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 40 appearances (24.4 minutes per game). He posted a .485/.340/.794 shooting line as Florida’s top reserve.
While the 21-year-old was considered a potential second-round pick in 2025, ranking 62nd on ESPN’s latest big board (subscriber link), Givony says Haugh will enter ’25/26 as a projected first-rounder in 2026.
Nets Notes: Thomas, Fernandez, Draft, Offseason
High-scoring guard Cam Thomas will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer after spending his first four NBA seasons in Brooklyn. C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News explains why he believes the Nets should retain Thomas, writing that while the 23-year-old is challenging to evaluate, he has flashed plenty of upside and has remained loyal to the franchise despite significant roster changes during his time with the team.
For his part, Thomas says he isn’t nervous at all about becoming a free agent.
“I know my value,” said Thomas, who was limited to 25 games in 2024/25 due to a series of hamstring injuries. “I know what I’m worth around the league. It’s not really nothing for me to be intimidated or excited about because I know my value that I bring to a team… I definitely know I know my value and all my work. I think that’s all that matters to me.”
Re-signing Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe, another impending restricted free agent, is reportedly a priority for the Nets.
Here are a few more notes from Brooklyn:
- As Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes, the Nets have the sixth-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick ahead of the 2025 draft lottery, which takes place May 12. They also control three additional first-round picks (Nos. 19, 26, and 27) and their own second-rounder (No. 36). Would Brooklyn consider trading one of those selections? “Yeah, it’s a good question, probably a question more for [general manager] Sean [Marks] than it is for me,” head coach Jordi Fernandez demurred. “I’ll be ready to coach whatever group we put together. And the coaches, as we always try to do, [will] help them get better and show them the way and the habits … and be connected and do all those things we’ve been preaching and build the identity we want to build.”
- Marks has said Fernandez will play a key role in the prospects the Nets target, but the coach didn’t offer many insights about what attributes he’s looking for in players ahead of the draft, Lewis adds. “Yeah, obviously this is my first time as a head coach going through this process, so it’s going to be nothing like I’ve done before,” Fernandez said. “Sean always talks about collaboration, and that’s what I’m ready for; I’m ready to help, and do whatever I can, to give my opinion. But at the end of the day, Sean and his group, what they do is they watch these kids live [and] on tape. They’ve been watching them for a while, so they’re the experts. Me and the coaches will be there to support and help. So it’s an exciting summer.”
- The Nets are projected to have the most cap room of any team this offseason and have a surplus of future first-round picks at their disposal. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll use those assets in 2025, according to Lewis (subscription required), who writes that the team might try to maintain roster and financial flexibility ahead of the 2026 offseason.