Suns’ Bradley Beal Plans To Return This Weekend
Veteran guard Bradley Beal is planning to be back in the fold for the Suns at some point during the club’s ongoing road trip, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
The Suns will face the Celtics in Boston on Friday and the Knicks in New York on Sunday before returning to Phoenix.
Beal has been on the shelf with a left hamstring strain for eight games, having last played on March 16 against the Lakers.
The 6’4″ wing has been dogged by health issues for years. He hasn’t appeared in more than 53 games since the 2020/21 season, and hasn’t been available in more than 60 since 2018/19.
This year, Beal has suited up for 48 contests so far, starting 33 of them. At most, he’ll be able to make 54 apperances for the 35-41 Suns.
In his available contests, the 31-year-old is averaging 17.3 PPG, 3.6 APG, 3.4 RPG and 1.0 SPG. He’s also posting an efficient shooting line of .505/.395/.813, but his defensive issues have resulted in him being occasionally benched by first-year head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Chemistry issues between Beal and All-Stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have made winning a tough prospect this year in Phoenix. As of this writing, the club occupies the Western Conference’s No. 11 seed and is 1.5 games behind the No. 10-seeded Sacramento for the conference’s final play-in tournament slot.
Joel Embiid To Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery On Knee
Sixers center Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee next week, a team official tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 76ers ruled out Embiid for the rest of the season on February 28 after he continued to be affected by ongoing left knee issues. He and the team have been consulting with medical specialists and weighing treatment options in the weeks since then and have decided to go the surgical route.
According to Charania (Twitter link), Embiid will be reevaluated six weeks after the procedure and is expected to make a full recovery. The knee in question is the same one the former MVP underwent surgery on in February 2024 after he sustained a lateral meniscus injury.
Embiid was able to return last April and played all six games of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series vs. New York in the spring before suiting up for Team USA at the Paris Olympics over the summer. However, he continued to deal with swelling in the knee in the fall, which delayed his season debut until November 12.
He never looked fully healthy after that, making just 19 appearances this season and averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per game. While those numbers would be impressive for most players, the scoring and rebounding rates were well below Embiid’s career averages, as were his 44.4% field goal percentage and 29.9% mark on three-pointers.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) reported in February that Embiid had met with more than 10 doctors over the course of the season in an attempt to figure out the best way to reduce – or, ideally, eliminate – the discomfort and swelling in that troublesome left knee.
Embiid told Lisa Salters of ABC/ESPN earlier in February that he may require offseason surgery, which reportedly took Sixers staffers by surprise, since the team had still been hoping at that point that non-surgical treatment and maintenance could help the big man regain his All-NBA form.
Getting Embiid fully healthy again is the Sixers’ number one priority, since the franchise has invested heavily in his long-term future. He is owed $179MM in guaranteed money over the next three seasons, with a $69MM player option for the 2028/29 season.
Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears Entering 2025 NBA Draft
Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears has decided to go pro following his freshman year, announcing today on ESPN’s The Paul Finebaum Show that he’ll enter the 2025 NBA draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN relays.
Fears, who ranks No. 7 on ESPN’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects, averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in 30.2 minutes per game in 2024/25, earning a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman team and helping the Sooners claim a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
According to Givony, Fears’ combination of “size, speed, pace, shot-creation, shot-making and scoring instincts” makes him one of the top backcourt prospects in this year’s draft. He’s also one of the youngest players in the 2025 draft class — he won’t turn 19 until October.
Givony has expressed some reservations about Fears’ defense, which needs improvement. And it’s worth noting that the 18-year-old sometimes struggled with his shot as a freshman, making just 28.4% of 3.9 three-point attempts per game.
However, Fears’ stock remains high enough that he doesn’t feel the need to test the draft waters and leave the door open for a second college season.
Warriors’ Braxton Key Named NBAGL Defensive Player Of The Year
Santa Cruz Warriors forward Braxton Key, who is on a two-way contract with Golden State, has been named the NBA G League’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024/25 season, according to an official announcement (Twitter link). The award is voted on by the league’s 31 head coaches and general managers.
Key appeared in a total of 49 G League games this year in the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season for the San Diego Clippers and Santa Cruz Warriors. He averaged a league-leading 2.6 steals per game to go along with 1.1 blocks per contest.
While both San Diego and Santa Cruz finished in the middle of the pack in defensive rating, the Clippers were significantly more effective on that end of the floor when Key was playing. San Diego had a 102.5 defensive rating during his minutes and a 113.7 mark when he wasn’t on the court. Santa Cruz, which finished the season with a 111.5 defensive rating, had a 109.2 mark during Key’s minutes.
Wisconsin Herd center Ibou Badji, who anchored the defense for the Bucks‘ G League affiliate with 3.5 blocks in just 22.4 minutes per game across 50 appearances, was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.
Rip City Remix guard Isaac Nogues finished third in the G League’s DPOY voting. He averaged 2.1 steals per contest across 40 games for the Trail Blazers‘ affiliate, which had a defensive rating of 107.8 when he was on the floor and 113.5 when he wasn’t.
Neither Badji nor Nogues is under contract with an NBA team. Key will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.
Pelicans Sign Elfrid Payton To Second 10-Day Contract
April 2: Payton has officially signed his second 10-day contract with the Pelicans, the team announced today in a press release.
March 31: Elfrid Payton will get a second 10-day deal with the Pelicans, agent Darrell Comer of CSE tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The 31-year-old point guard appeared in four games for New Orleans during his first 10-day contract, which expired on Sunday. He moved into a regular rotation role off the bench and handed out 14, 10, and six assists in his last three outings.
Payton also spent time with the Pelicans in November and December on a non-guaranteed contract, and he signed a pair of 10-day deals with Charlotte in February. In 17 total games this season, he’s averaging 3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 20.4 minutes per night with .348/.352/.333 shooting numbers.
The Pelicans will have a full 15-man roster again once the contract becomes official. Payton will earn a $171,756 salary on his new deal, just as he did on his other 10-day contracts. New Orleans will incur a cap charge of $119,972.
The Pelicans don’t play again until Wednesday, so it’s possible that Payton’s contract won’t be finalized until then. If that happens, he would be eligible to appear in six games before it expires at the end of the day on April 11. If the team wants to keep him on the roster for its April 13 finale, he’ll have to be signed to a standard deal.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Hield, Morant, Curry, Kawhi
Asked on Wednesday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link) about possible offseason trade destinations for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Shams Charania said there was mutual interest between the Suns‘ star and a handful of potential suitors ahead of February’s trade deadline. According to Charania, that list of teams included the Timberwolves, Knicks, Rockets, Spurs, and Heat.
“Those are the types of teams, from my understanding, that had interest then,” Charania said. “And I expect them all to be in the mix this offseason.”
Charania didn’t explicitly mention the Warriors, but that’s likely due to the fact that Durant was known to be resistant to a Golden State reunion in February. If his stance changes this summer, it’s possible the Warriors could once again emerge as a suitor.
One report this week suggested that Durant is open to the idea of returning to Phoenix next season, but a trade still appears to be the most likely outcome. Unlike in February when the Suns unilaterally gauged the market for the veteran forward without consulting him, the team and Durant’s camp would likely work together on any deal this offseason, Charania notes.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- The NBA is looking into an incident from Tuesday’s Warriors/Grizzlies game when Golden State sharpshooter Buddy Hield and Memphis guard Ja Morant aimed finger-gun gestures at one another, according to Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN. A video of that brief interaction can be found here (via Twitter). The NBA has fined players for that gesture in the past and is likely especially sensitive to this case since Morant has been suspended twice in the past for waving around an actual gun in social media videos.
- Stephen Curry racked up 52 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and five steals in the Warriors‘ win over Memphis on Tuesday and told reporters after the game that he feels rejuvenated after taking a week off to recover from a pelvic injury in March, per ESPN. “I feel in a good rhythm,” Curry said. “The week off helped. The tank is pretty full.” Steve Kerr said a couple weeks ago that he wanted to get Curry some rest, but the Warriors coach no longer seems as concerned about his star guard’s condition. “I think (the week off) helped and I think two rounds of golf on this road trip helped,” Kerr said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
- After missing the first two-plus months of the season while recovering from a knee procedure and then playing on a minutes limit for several more weeks after that, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has recaptured his All-NBA form, having averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with a .521/.397/.825 shooting line in 13 March outings. Law Murray of The Athletic takes a look at Leonard’s resurgence and the 33-year-old’s desire to enter the offseason healthy.
NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)- Dorian Finney-Smith (Lakers)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Jrue Holiday (Celtics)
- Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)
- Franz Wagner (Magic)
Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.
The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Steven Adams (Rockets)
- Nicolas Batum (Clippers)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Tobias Harris (Pistons)
- Al Horford (Celtics)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- James Johnson (Pacers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Nuggets)
- Brook Lopez (Bucks)
- Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
Nets Rule Out Noah Clowney For Rest Of Season
Noah Clowney‘s second NBA season has come to an early end, according to Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who said on Wednesday that the big man is in a walking boot as he recovers from a right ankle sprain and won’t play again this spring (Twitter link via C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News).
It was an injury-plagued year for Clowney, who had two extended absences earlier in the season due to left ankle sprains. He made a total of 46 appearances (20 starts) and averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 22.7 minutes per game.
Clowney showed some promise during the final few weeks of his rookie season, but struggled to carry it over on a consistent basis in his second year. The 20-year-old made just 41.4% of his two-point shots and 33.3% of his three-point tries in 2024/25 for an overall shooting percentage of 35.8%.
Clowney will be entering the third year of his rookie scale contract, which will pay him $3.4MM in 2025/26. Brooklyn will have to decide by the end of October whether or not to exercise his $5.4MM team option for the ’26/27 season.
As Holmes relays, the Nets also provided two more injury updates on Wednesday, indicating that Cameron Johnson (lower back contusion) will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday, while Day’Ron Sharpe (right knee sprain) will soon be reevaluated. Sharpe has been inactive for the club’s last four games.
Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark
There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.
A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:
Evan Mobley, Cavaliers (64 games played)- LeBron James, Lakers (64)
- Jalen Williams, Thunder (64)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (63)
- Stephen Curry, Warriors (63)
- Amen Thompson, Rockets (63)
- Kevin Durant, Suns (62)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (61)
- Domantas Sabonis, Kings (61)
- Scottie Barnes, Raptors (61)
- Draymond Green, Warriors (60)
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (59)
- Damian Lillard, Bucks (59)
- Jrue Holiday, Celtics (58)
In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.
Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.
Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.
Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.
Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.
Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.
However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.
Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.
That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.
Jazz Share Injury Updates On Williams, Collins, Markkanen
The Jazz issued a series of health updates on Wednesday, ruling out one player for the rest of the 2024/25 season and two others for at least the next week.
According to a press release from the team, rookie forward Cody Williams tested positive for mononucleosis on April 1 and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The plan is to reevaluate Williams three weeks before he begins his offseason conditioning work, the Jazz say.
Williams, 20, was the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, but has struggled to make an impact at the NBA level in his first professional season. In 50 games (21 starts), he averaged just 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per night, with a dismal shooting line of .323/.259/.725.
Meanwhile, big man John Collins, who has been on the shelf since March 12, was reevaluated for his left ankle sprain after getting through his initial stages of rehab. He’ll start ramping up his on-court basketball progression and will be reevaluated in another week, per the Jazz.
Another injured forward, Lauri Markkanen, returned to Salt Lake City on Monday to undergo an MRI on his left knee. According to the club, that MRI revealed patellofemoral chondrosis with associated subchondral edema, but no other structural damage. Markkanen, out since March 17, will complete an off-court rehab program and will be reevaluated in seven-to-10 days.
While Utah hasn’t formally ruled out Collins or Markkanen for the rest of 2024/25, it would be a surprise if either player returns to the court during the final days of the season. The 16-60 Jazz are in full-on tanking mode at this point — they’ve lost 16 of their last 17 games and are prioritizing securing the top spot in this year’s draft lottery order.
Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, and Oscar Tshiebwe are among the youngsters who figure to play increased roles for the Jazz down the stretch with Williams, Collins, and Markkanen unavailable.