Jamal Murray Cleared To Return For Nuggets
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who has been out since March 26 with a right hamstring injury, is available to play in Friday’s game vs. Memphis, the team announced (via Twitter).
Murray is expected to be on a minutes restriction in his first game back, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
Having Murray back in the lineup should be a big boost for a Nuggets team that lost four of the six games he has missed in the past two weeks. A win over the Grizzlies on Friday, combined with a loss by either the Clippers, Warriors, or Timberwolves, would clinch a playoff spot for Denver, as we detailed earlier today.
Before he was let go from his position as the Nuggets’ head coach, Michael Malone expressed uncertainty about Murray’s return timeline, telling reporters that “hopefully” Denver would have its second-leading scorer back by the playoffs. It’s unclear if Murray will suit up on Sunday – that may depend on tonight’s outcome – but it appears he should be available for the start of the postseason, barring some sort of setback.
Murray got off to a slow start this season, averaging just 17.8 points per game with a .420/.333/.803 shooting line in his first 17 games, but he has turned things around since then. In his past 48 contests, he has averaged 23.0 PPG on .493/.417/.919 shooting.
Magic’s Jonathan Isaac Earns $2.6MM Bonus
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac appeared in his 70th game of the 2024/25 season, earning a $2.6MM bonus that will be tacked onto his $25MM base salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The bonus had been considered unlikely to be earned and hadn’t counted against the cap because Isaac didn’t appear in at least 70 games last season. In fact, this is the first time since 2018/19 that he has achieved the feat. The 6’10” forward, who tore his ACL during the ’19/20 season, saw the floor in just 103 total contests in the five seasons preceding this one.
Isaac has played a far more modest role this season than he did earlier in his career, averaging 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 15.2 minutes per game entering Friday’s contest. He continues to be an impactful defender in his part-time role — Orlando has allowed just 106.5 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor, a slightly better mark than Oklahoma City’s league-best 106.7 defensive rating.
The Magic have one of the NBA’s lowest payrolls this season and will remain far below the tax line even after accounting for Isaac’s bonus, which will bump his ’24/25 earnings from $25MM up to $27.6MM.
Typically, when a bonus is earned in one season, it’s considered “likely” for the following season and is added to the player’s cap hit. However, that bonus for 70 games played wasn’t included in the contract extension Isaac signed last summer, which goes into effect in 2025/26, so his $15MM cap hit for next season will remain unchanged.
Suns Notes: Gillespie, Offseason, Durant
Signed last July to a two-way contract, guard Collin Gillespie emerged as a reliable rotation player for the Suns within the last month, averaging 8.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per night with a .421 3PT% across his past 13 games. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this summer when his deal expires and said on Friday that he’d be interested in sticking with the Suns going forward, as Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter video link) relays.
“I have not had any conversations,” Gillespie said when asked if he and the Suns have talked about his future. “It’ll probably be something I (discuss) with my agents toward the end of the year after these last two games, but I love Phoenix. They gave me an opportunity, coming from Denver. I would love to be here if they’ll have me back. But we’ll see. I really don’t know right now, but I would like to be here.”
This was Gillespie’s first season with the Suns and he remains eligible for a two-way contract, which means his qualifying offer would be the equivalent of another two-way deal. Assuming he receives that QO, Gillespie would have the option of accepting it or attempting to negotiate a new contract with Phoenix or another team. The Suns would have the ability to match any offer sheet he signs with a rival suitor as long as they have the cap flexibility to do so.
Here’s more out of Phoenix:
- Discussing the decisions facing the Suns this summer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks refers to it as “the most important offseason in franchise history” (Twitter video link). Marks runs through the issues facing the team, including whether to retain head coach Mike Budenholzer, what will happen with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, and whether ownership is willing to entertain the idea of a rebuild.
- If Durant’s time in Phoenix comes to an end this summer, how will his Suns stint be remembered? Doug Haller of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that Durant “doesn’t have a true NBA home.” As Haller explains, the future Hall of Famer still hears boos in Oklahoma City for the way he left the Thunder and was viewed by many as a hired gun in Golden State before falling short of expectations in Brooklyn and Phoenix.
- Durant’s ongoing absence due to a sprained ankle means he’ll fall short of the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season award consideration, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Despite Phoenix’s sub-.500 record, the star forward would have been an All-NBA candidate due to his impressive individual stats (26.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.2 APG, .527/.430/.839 shooting).
Joel Embiid Undergoes Knee Surgery, Will Be Reevaluated In Six Weeks
As expected, Sixers center Joel Embiid has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
According to a press release from the team, the procedure occurred on Wednesday and was performed by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow at at NYU Langone Sports Medicine Center. Embiid will be reevaluated in approximately six weeks, per the Sixers.
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 spent several weeks consulting with medical specialists and weighing treatment options before deciding to go the surgical route.
The knee in question is the same one Embiid underwent surgery on in February 2024 after he sustained a lateral meniscus injury. The former MVP 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.
The Sixers had reportedly been hoping that Embiid’s knee would improve over the course of the season with more reps, but when he continued to experience soreness and swelling, he began to believe he needed another surgery. The disagreement over his treatment resulted in some tension between the franchise and its star center, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Philadelphia’s season will come to an end this Sunday, since the team has fallen well out of the playoff race, so we won’t see Embiid back in action until the fall at the earliest. However, his recovery process will be fascinating to monitor over the course of the offseason. As head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged this week, getting a healthy Embiid back next season will be crucial for the 76ers to have a chance to contend in the East.
The Sixers are invested heavily in Embiid for the next several years. He is owed $179MM in guaranteed money over the next three seasons, with a $69MM player option for 2028/29.
Postseason Scenarios To Watch Friday
With only two regular season games remaining on each team’s schedule, 15 of the 20 seeds entering the 2025 postseason are still up for grabs, the NBA noted today (Twitter link).
All 30 teams will be playing on Friday and again on Sunday. Friday’s slate has several matchups with important postseason implications.
Here’s a quick rundown of the the most important scenarios in play tonight, per the league (Twitter link):
- The Nuggets will clinch a top-six seed and thus a guaranteed playoff spot with a win AND a loss by either the Clippers, Warriors or Timberwolves.
- The Clippers will clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a loss by either Denver, Golden State or Minnesota.
- The Warriors will secure a playoff berth with a win AND losses by both Memphis and Minnesota.
- The Grizzlies will be locked into the play-in tournament with a loss AND a Warriors win.
- The Timberwolves will be locked into the play-in tournament with a loss AND wins by Denver, Golden State and the Clippers.
- The Lakers will clinch the Pacific Division with a win OR a Clippers loss.
Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
The Grizzlies have issued a medical update on Jaylen Wells, announcing (via Twitter) that the 21-year-old is “likely” to miss the rest of the 2024/25 season after sustaining a fractured right wrist on Tuesday in Charlotte.
According to the Grizzlies, Wells also suffered a concussion and facial laceration after being fouled on a fast-break dunk in the second quarter (YouTube link). He landed with all of his weight on his head and wrist and was carried off the court on a stretcher.
The good news is that Wells is expected to make a full recovery, per the team. He was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday and attended Thursday’s shootaround.
Wells was one of the season’s top rookies after being selected 39th overall in last year’s draft. The 6’7″ wing appeared in 79 games for Memphis, including 74 starts, averaging 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists on .425/.352/.822 shooting in 25.9 minutes per contest. He was also frequently tasked with defending the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer.
With Wells out, Vince Williams Jr. got the starting nod during Thursday’s loss to Minnesota. Scotty Pippen Jr. also had an uptick in playing time.
Memphis currently 47-33, the No. 7 seed in the West.
Pelicans Re-Sign Elfrid Payton To Two-Year Deal
2:50pm: Payton signed a two-year deal with the Pelicans, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). We’ll have to wait for more details on Payton’s new contract, but it seems unlikely to feature guaranteed money for 2025/26.
2:06pm: The Pelicans have re-signed veteran point guard Elfrid Payton to a standard contract, per a team press release.
Payton’s second 10-day contract with New Orleans was set to expire overnight on Friday. Instead of waiting for that to happen, it seems like the Pelicans decided to terminate the deal a day early to bring him back on a new contract, which will enable Payton to play in Sunday’s season finale vs. Oklahoma City.
A nine-year veteran, Payton had been playing in the G League for the past two seasons until the Pelicans gave him NBA another opportunity in the fall. He was released after a couple of weeks, later signing a pair of 10-day hardship contracts with Charlotte in February.
New Orleans initially brought Payton back in March on a 10-day, with his second 10-day deal officially being signed on April 2. Teams are not permitted to sign players to three 10-day contracts, hence Payton’s latest agreement with New Orleans.
Payton, who is from Louisiana and played college ball for the Ragin’ Cajuns, has really struggled to score in 2024/25, averaging 3.5 points and shooting just 33.9% from the field in his 22 games this season with the Hornets and Pelicans. He has missed all five of his three-point attempts and converted four of his seven free throw tries (57.1%).
However, the 31-year-old has been productive in other areas, including four straight games with 10-plus assists. Overall, he’s averaging 6.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21.1 minutes per contest.
The Pelicans had been carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts, so they didn’t have to waive anyone to add Payton. Kylor Kelley is also on the roster for now on a 10-day deal because New Orleans qualifies for a hardship exception.
Knicks Notes: Tucker, Achiuwa, Bridges, Playoffs
Veteran forward P.J. Tucker had only made one brief appearance for the Knicks this season heading into Thursday’s game in Detroit. However, with OG Anunoby and Josh Hart held for rest, he was surprisingly the first player off the bench last night, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
Tucker received a heads-up that he’d be in the rotation on Thursday, but he wasn’t sure how much he’d play. He wound up logging 27 minutes, the most playing time he’s received in a regular season game in two years.
“Once I got through my first wind, it was really good,” said Tucker, who finished with three points and six rebounds. “I started to open up a little bit. I started to feel good, started talking, getting involved with the game and it’s like riding a bike.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- While Tucker was happy to be playing again, he was not pleased with the loss to the Pistons, who could be New York’s opponent in the first round of the playoffs. “They just out-toughed us. They did. The whole fourth quarter,” Tucker said (story via Bondy). “We kept it close but they just out-toughed us. That’s something we got to address. Obviously, not having OG [Anunoby], not having Josh [Hart], getting those guys back will help a lot. I just feel like down in the trenches like that in the playoffs this year, they’re not calling nothing. They’re letting a lot of stuff go right now and I like it. The refs are letting a lot of stuff go both ways. With that happening, guys got to play differently. We got to play different. We got to toughen up. It’s more physical. We got to toughen up.”
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III answers questions about the Knicks’ playoff chances, the results of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, and more. One question is focused on the future of Precious Achiuwa, who will be an unrestricted free agent again this summer after re-signing with New York on a one-year deal. Edwards believes another reunion between the two sides is unlikely.
- Iron man Mikal Bridges has yet to miss a game in his NBA career. In fact, he hasn’t sat out a game since he was in high school, Bondy writes for The New York Post. The 28-year-old is on the verge of playing all 82 regular season games in 2024/25.
- In a subscriber-only story, Bondy lists which members of the Knicks have the most at stake entering the playoffs. Bridges and head coach Tom Thibodeau are likely feeling the most heat, according to Bondy. Bridges will be eligible for an extension this offseason.
Rasheer Fleming To Declare For 2025 NBA Draft
Saint Joseph’s forward/center Rasheer Fleming is declaring for the 2025 NBA draft, agents Rich Paul and Lucas Newton tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Fleming is coming off an impressive junior season in which he averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 35 appearances (31.1 minutes). He posted a shooting slash line of .531/.390/.743 for the Hawks.
According to Givony, Fleming wasn’t a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, but he has improved across the board over the past three years for St. Joe’s, particularly in 2024/25, when he was named to All-Atlantic Ten First Team. He’s ranked No. 30 in ESPN’s latest draft projections, making him a potential first-round pick.
Givony’s report doesn’t say anything about Fleming maintaining his college eligibility, so it sounds like he intends to stay in the draft.
Central Notes: Pacers, Jerome, Holland, Bucks
Led by star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, the Pacers secured a top-four seed — and home-court advantage in the first round — in the Eastern Conference playoffs by defeating Cleveland on Thursday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
After starting the season with a 10-15 record, the Pacers have gone 39-16 since December 8, the fourth-best mark in the league over that span, only trailing Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Boston. They’re currently on a six-game winning streak.
“It’s special for us knowing what we’ve been through to get here and how this started,” Haliburton said. “We’re a game away from having a 50-win season. That could be something because time is moving so fast that you just let happen and you move forward, but it’s a special year especially with how this started. … Early in the year it was just really a struggle. I’d be lying to you if I told you it was easy for me personally and all the things I was dealing with. For us to get here, honestly, I love the guys in our locker room, the coaching staff, how much those guys mean to me and all my loved ones because it was a tough time.”
As Dopirak notes, Indiana was fortunate in the sense that Cleveland was resting four starters after clinching the top seed in the East. But it was nonetheless an important victory for the Pacers, who still have a shot at the No. 3 seed — they’re one game behind the Knicks with two games remaining for both teams, though New York holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Forwards Aaron Nesmith (22 points, six rebounds) and Jarace Walker (15 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 15 minutes, including 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the final period) were among the other key contributors for Indiana, Dopirak adds.
Here are a few more notes from around the Central:
- Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, bolstered his candidacy for the Sixth Man of the Year award with a big night on Thursday, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link). Jerome was highly efficient, recording 24 points (on 9-of-16 shooting) and six assists, and the Cavs outscored Indiana by 13 points in his 26 minutes. He was rested for the entire fourth quarter.
- No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland played 11 of his 22 minutes in the fourth quarter during Thursday’s victory over New York, recording 10 points (on 5-of-6 shooting), three rebounds and a block in the final frame. After the game, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff discussed why he turned to the 19-year-old down the stretch (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). “He’s earned it, that’s what it says … we fell back on believing in Ron because that’s what we do,” Bickerstaff said. “Ron fell back to the time and hours he’s put in … that’s allowed him to be successful.”
- Milwaukee pulled most of its rotation mainstays early during Thursday’s blowout win vs. New Orleans, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The Bucks can clinch the East’s No. 5 seed if they defeat Detroit on Friday — it’s the second end of a back-to-back for both clubs.