Atlantic Notes: Gansey, Grimes, Raptors, Nets
The Sixers recently introduced their new president of basketball operations, Mike Gansey. Now it’s time for him to start answering some of the difficult questions Philadelphia’s roster situation presents, Tony Jones writes for The Athletic.
The two factors that will complicate Gansey’s ability to put his stamp on the roster are the futures of Paul George and Joel Embiid. Both veterans had moments of high-level play this season, but they also have extremely expensive contracts and lengthy injury histories. Since it’s unlikely the Sixers will be able to find palatable avenues to trade them, it’s imperative that they try to find ways to keep both veteran stars on the floor as much as possible.
The non-taxpayer mid-level exception could be an important tool in Philadelphia’s search for an impact player to help take the team from good to very good, Jones notes. The 76ers also have the 22nd pick in the draft, which Gansey is in a good position to be able to maximize the value of, given his time running the draft in Cleveland, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“At 22, you want to get a combination of best player available and fit with our roster,” Gansey said about his approach to the draft.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers will also have to figure out what to do with unrestricted free agent Quentin Grimes, who is coming off an unspectacular second season in Philadelphia. Even after trading away Jared McCain, there’s an argument to be made that Kelly Oubre Jr. should be the incumbent player the team looks to retain, Adam Aaronson writes for the Philly Voice, especially because Grimes could have a wider range of teams interested in him given his age and shooting. Aaronson speculates that the Bulls, Clippers, and Bucks could be suitors for the 26-year-old’s services.
- The Raptors have had to watch two players they traded away come through the East to reach the NBA Finals in consecutive years in OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. The team probably mishandled the Siakam trade in particular, but it seems unlikely that keeping him in Toronto would have worked in the long run anyway, Eric Koreen writes for The Athletic. When it comes to next steps, Koreen says it would behoove the Raptors not to sign any more long-term contracts as the team try to figure out how to improve the roster, which is surprisingly expensive given the lucrative deals that Brandon Ingram, Jakob Poeltl, and Immanuel Quickley received. Toronto shouldn’t be desperate to move Ingram or Quickley, but the front office does need to be careful with how it gives out money moving forward.
- The Nets are only three-and-a-half years removed from the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving experience, but their rebuild in recent years hasn’t quite gone according to plan, due in part to a lack of lottery luck. They will have to figure out how to start building a competitive roster this offseason, since the Rockets own their pick next summer, Yossi Gozlan writes in his offseason preview for The Third Apron (Substack link). They could look to renegotiate and extend Michael Porter Jr., who had a strong first season in Brooklyn. They could also use their stockpile of draft picks and young players to try to move up in the draft from No. 6. Additionally, they’re on the clock when it comes to reserve center Day’Ron Sharpe, who has been productive off the bench for several years.
Sixers Notes: Gansey, Embiid, Nelson, More
After taking over as the club’s new president of basketball operations, Mike Gansey acknowledged at his introductory press conference on Monday that the Sixers aren’t a “championship caliber team” at the moment, writes Dan Gelston of The Associated Press.
Gansey didn’t offer many hints at the roster moves he envisions this offseason, telling reporters that he “just got here,” and he was evasive when asked about his plans for oft-injured star Joel Embiid, who still has three years and $188MM left on his maximum-salary contract.
“With him and the roster we have, that’s who we have,” Gansey said. “We’ve got to get those guys on the floor. We’ve got to create an identity. Just get them to play basketball.”
While Philadelphia has been hampered in recent years by the inconsistent availability of Embiid and his fellow maximum-salary star Paul George, Sixers executive Bob Myers pointed out that there’s no reason at this point to believe either player will get a late start to the 2026/27 season.
“The good news is this,” said Myers, who holds the title “president of sports” for the Sixers’ ownership group. “There’s no scheduled surgeries this summer. There’s no injury going into the offseason. In the past, there has been that. This is an opportunity to get better, not to play catch-up for Joel, but to actually get better and build on last year. And with that, the hope’s that he can be on the floor a lot more.”
We have more on the Sixers:
- Gansey referred to having Myers in the organization as a “cheat code” as he prepares to run a front office for the first time, per Gelston. The former Cavaliers executive also said that he was in favor of keeping head coach Nick Nurse on the job and added that keeping Jameer Nelson in the front office as his executive VP of basketball operations was a “bit of a sticking point.”
- Nelson also spoke at Monday’s presser about his new role, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. The former NBA point guard said he has received interest in recent years from other teams looking to hire him away from Philadelphia, but he wants to be “part of the solution here” and feels “responsibility to help this organization move forward.” Nelson, a native of nearby Chester, Pennsylvania, expressed gratitude for having gotten this opportunity with his hometown team. “Six years ago, when I started (with the Sixers), I had no idea where this journey would take me,” he said. “Credit to the organization for believing in me … To do it for the home team gives me goosebumps, to be honest with you. I think it’s one of the things that people take for granted: when you can actually help out an organization but, more importantly, do it at home.”
- In a pair of stories for PhillyVoice.com, Adam Aaronson puts together a couple hypothetical trade scenarios that he thinks might work for the Sixers this offseason and considers whether the sacrifices necessary to free up the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception this summer would be worth it.
- In case you missed, the 76ers are the most recent team we looked at in our Offseason Preview series.
Eastern Notes: Rajakovic, Webster, Wizards, Toppin, Sixers
After the Raptors promoted and extended general manager Bobby Webster, an extension for Darko Rajakovic is “in the works,” multiple sources told Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, though a timeline for the head coach’s new deal has not yet been established. Rajakovic is entering the final season of his current contract.
Grange reported about a month ago that Webster and Rajakovic were expected to receive extensions after Toronto made the playoffs for the first time in four years. Webster said the team was prioritizing continuity and off-court chemistry after he and a few other front office members signed new deals.
“We don’t make it through the past few years if there’s not a ton of stability, and I think the best part, and everyone can appreciate this, is if you like the people you work with from a professional standpoint, great,” Webster said. “But if you also like them from a personal standpoint, and you want to come in every day, and travel around the world, and take red eye (flights), and be up late, and get up early in the morning, it matters who you work with on a professional level, but on a personal level it’s just great to have to same crew here.”
Webster’s new contract covers five seasons, beginning with 2026/27, league sources told Grange.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) previews the Wizards‘ offseason, noting that rather than operating with cap room this summer, the team instead decided to use its financial flexibility to make two major in-season additions by trading for Trae Young and Anthony Davis in separate deals. After landing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery, Washington currently projects to be about $11MM below the luxury tax line, though that figure is tentative, since it accounts for Young’s $49MM player option, which he could decline in favor of a longer-term deal, Gozlan writes.
- Obi Toppin‘s season was marred by a serious foot injury, but the Pacers forward was healthy and productive over the final few months of 2025/26, writes Tony East of Circle City Spin. Toppin’s play late in the season should be encouraging for Indiana, which is looking to be in the contention mix again next season after an injury-plagued ’25/26.
- Which prospect will the Sixers select with the 22nd overall pick? Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice rounds up mock drafts from Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report and CBS Sports. All three outlets have Philadelphia adding a frontcourt player. For what it’s worth, both CBS Sports and the latest mock from The Athletic have the 76ers taking Arizona forward Koa Peat.
2026 NBA Offseason Preview: Philadelphia 76ers
After Denver and Phoenix broke up their respective maximum-salary trios during the 2025 offseason, the Sixers entered the 2025/26 season as just one of two teams carrying three players on max deals.
The other one of those two clubs, the Cavaliers, had the NBA's highest payroll and entered the fall with championship expectations after winning 64 games in '24/25. But the expectations for the 76ers, who were coming off a miserable 24-58 campaign, were far more modest.
Two of Philadelphia's veteran stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George, combined to make 60 total appearances in 2024/25 and then underwent knee surgeries last April and July, respectively. With that duo projected to earn well over half of the Sixers' payroll in '25/26 ($107MM of roughly $195MM) and no guarantee they'd be 100% healthy - or available at all - for a significant chunk of the season, there was a predictable lack of enthusiasm for the Sixers, who were widely forecast to be no better than a .500 team.
With that context in mind, it's fair to call the 2025/26 season a success for Philadelphia. Although those two vets were frequently inactive again, Embiid doubled his games played total from 19 to 38 and was far more effective when he suited up than he was in '24/25. George, meanwhile, appeared in just 37 games, but his longest absence (25 games) was due to a suspension, not an injury. And upon returning from that suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy, he looked as healthy and productive as he had at any time since arriving in Philadelphia.
Even more encouraging was the play of the Sixers' backcourt, led by Tyrese Maxey. Philadelphia's third star emerged as easily the most valuable player of the trio, setting new career highs in several statistical categories, including points per game (28.3), while leading the NBA in minutes per game (38.0). He earned his second All-Star berth and first All-NBA nod, establishing himself as the 76ers' clear franchise centerpiece going forward.
Joining Maxey as a long-term building block was his new backcourt partner VJ Edgecombe, the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. Philadelphia was fortunate to get the opportunity to draft Edgecombe at all, as the team entered last year's lottery with only a 64% chance of keeping its top-six protected pick. The Sixers ended up not just retaining their first-rounder, but moving up into the top three.
The club made the most of its good fortune by nailing that pick. Edgecombe was overlooked to some extent while former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel battled for Rookie of the Year, but he would have had a strong case for the award in many other seasons after averaging 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG over the course of 75 starts.
With Maxey and Edgecombe leading the way and Embiid and George providing stop-and-start contributions, the Sixers won 45 regular season games, claimed the No. 7 seed with a play-in win, and upset the No. 2 Celtics in the first round of the playoffs before running into a buzzsaw of a Knicks team in round two.
While it was a pretty positive outcome given the preseason expectations, it wasn't enough to save Daryl Morey's president of basketball operations job. The long-term contracts he gave Embiid and George during the 2024 offseason haven't aged well, and he seemingly made another misstep at this year's deadline by trading Jared McCain to Oklahoma City for this year's No. 22 pick and a handful of future second-rounders.
McCain had battled health issues during his first year-and-a-half in the league, and his path to a starting role in Philadelphia was blocked by Maxey and Edgecombe. Still, it wasn't a great look for the Sixers when the 2024 first-rounder immediately began to thrive for the defending champion Thunder. The trade on its own could still be justified, particularly if ownership wanted to get out of luxury tax territory, but Morey exacerbated the issue by speaking after the trade deadline about "selling high" on McCain. That's the kind of quote that could be thrown back in his face for the next 10 years, depending on how the guard's career plays out.
After scouring the market for Morey's replacement, the Sixers landed on veteran Cavaliers executive Mike Gansey, hiring him as their new president of basketball operations. Gansey is well-respected around the league and had long been viewed as a candidate to run his own front office. He'll get a helping hand from former Warriors general manager Bob Myers, who works for the Sixers' ownership group as its "president of sports" and is expected to be involved in major personnel decisions.
The 76ers have a pair of valuable foundational pieces and believe they have the right basketball operations team in place to build a winner around Maxey and Edgecombe. Still, it remains to be seen just how much the new decision-makers will be able to do with the roster in the short term.
The Sixers' Offseason Plans
Under the NBA's current tax apron system, it has become increasingly untenable for teams to carry three players on maximum-salary contracts, which is one reason why the aforementioned Nuggets and Suns broke up their "big threes" last offseason. The Sixers probably wouldn't mind following suit this summer, but Maxey certainly isn't going anywhere and Embiid and George didn't do enough in 2025/26 to fully restore their diminished appeal on the trade market.
Sixers Promoting Jameer Nelson To EVP Of Basketball Ops
Sixers assistant general manager Jameer Nelson is being promoted, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that Nelson’s new title will be executive vice president of basketball operations. He will be second in command in the front office, behind new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey.
The news was expected, as Marc Stein and a few other reporters had indicated that Nelson was essentially a lock to be promoted from his current position regardless of who was hired to replace former president Daryl Morey. Gansey ended up getting that job, which Nelson also interviewed for.
Nelson, who is from Chester, Pennsylvania (southwest of Philadelphia but in the metropolitan area) and played his college basketball at Saint Joseph’s, spent 14 years in the NBA as a player, making one All-Star team as a member of the Magic. The former first-round pick has worked his way up the 76ers’ front office over the last six years, initially starting as a scout.
Sixers executive Prosper Karangwa has also agreed to a contract extension, sources tell ESPN, after Stein reported he received interest from the Lakers and Mavericks. Stein was the first to report Karangwa was expected to remain in Philadelphia.
Charania also confirms longtime GM Elton Brand will not return in that role, as Stein has reported. However, Brand is in talks to stay with the 76ers’ parent company in a new position. Charania hears the former NBA star opted not to interview for the president of basketball operations job and remains well-respected within the organization.
Sixers Officially Name Mike Gansey President Of Basketball Operations
The Sixers have officially announced the hiring of Mike Gansey, confirming today in a press release that the former Cavaliers executive will hold the title of president of basketball operations in Philadelphia.
Word broke last week that Gansey was the 76ers’ choice to run their front office in the wake of Daryl Morey‘s dismissal earlier this spring.
“Today’s announcement of the hiring of Mike Gansey is an important step in our desire to take the Philadelphia 76ers to the next level,” Sixers managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement. “Mike has built a reputation as a tremendous leader and relentless worker who has a sharp eye for basketball talent. We are excited to welcome he and his family to Philadelphia. I look forward to the work he, (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports) Bob Myers, and (head coach) Nick Nurse will do to build a contender for this city and our fans.”
Myers also put out a statement in which he said Gansey “really stood out” during the Sixers’ search for a new head of basketball operations and possesses the qualities the team was looking for in its next front office leader.
“He commands respect, has an impressive basketball IQ, and is well respected across players, coaches, and fellow executives,” Myers said. “He has all the attributes necessary to shine in this role.”
Gansey had been working for the Cavaliers for the past decade and a half. He was promoted in 2022 to a general manager role under president of basketball operations Koby Altman after previously spending five years as an assistant GM. We shared several more details on Gansey’s résumé and background in our initial story on his hiring, which you can read here.
In his own statement, Gansey thanked the Cavaliers, including Altman and team owner Dan Gilbert, and expressed enthusiasm about his new opportunity in Philadelphia.
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Josh Harris, (Sixers managing partner) David Blitzer, and Bob Myers for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity with such an iconic franchise,” he said. “This organization, much like the City of Philadelphia, is deeply rooted in its history and passion, and I am extremely excited to get started.
“To the fans, this is not a responsibility I take lightly. The energy and dedication you pour into the 76ers will fuel us, and the work begins immediately as we position ourselves for the draft, free agency, next season, and beyond.”
According to the Sixers, they’ll hold an introductory press conference for Gansey on Monday at 10:00 am Eastern time.
Fischer’s Latest: Brown, Pelicans, Murphy, Kyrie, Sixers
The Pelicans have been “mentioned by various league executives” as one of the teams with interest in Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, NBA insider Jake Fischer said in his latest live stream for Bleacher Report (video link).
Fischer’s colleague Marc Stein previously named Atlanta, Houston, and Portland as teams to watch for Brown, though as Fischer points out, there have been no real indications yet that the Celtics will seriously consider the idea of trading the All-NBA second-teamer this offseason.
With Brown’s salary set to rise to $57MM in 2026/27, any Pelicans package for Brown would have to start with at least one of Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole, Dejounte Murray, or Trey Murphy III for matching purposes. Of those players, the versatile sharpshooter Murphy would almost certainly draw the most interest from the Celtics or other potential trade partners (in multi-team scenarios).
According to Fischer, San Antonio had been one of the teams most interested in Murphy over the past year or two, but the Spurs‘ run to the NBA Finals this spring makes them less likely to do anything drastic with their roster this summer.
Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s live stream:
- While the Mavericks‘ new front office executives have expressed enthusiasm about seeing Cooper Flagg play alongside a healthy Kyrie Irving, Fischer doesn’t “necessarily believe” that Irving will still be on Dallas’ roster by the start of the 2026/27 season, noting that plenty of teams will inquire on the star point guard in the coming weeks. Irving missed all of ’25/26 while recovering from a torn ACL but should be ready to go for opening night in the fall.
- Although Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe look like the Sixers‘ top long-term building blocks, there’s no reason to believe Joel Embiid or Paul George will be going anywhere at this point, according to Fischer, who suggests that Philadelphia is “almost certain” to bring both players back. Embiid and George would be difficult to move for any real value due to their multiyear, maximum-salary contracts.
- Based on his conversations with sources around the NBA, Fischer wouldn’t be surprised if “most favorable” terms become more common on traded first-round picks, since that’s a way for teams stockpiling draft assets to hedge against the randomness of the new draft lottery format.
Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Celtics, Stevens, Oubre
The legendary status that would come with leading the Knicks to their first championship since 1973 has been a potential selling point for New York’s trade or free agent targets over the years, and Jalen Brunson has a chance to put a bow on a historic run by doing just that.
However, when it comes to Greatest Knick of All Time conversations, Brunson still has more work to do, in the view of franchise legend Walt Frazier.
“I always say it’s Willis (Reed), and Willis said it’s Patrick (Ewing), and Patrick says it’s Patrick,” says Frazier, who is in the conversation for Greatest Knick himself, per Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. “So he would definitely be on Mount Rushmore. We’ll put him up there if he can bring this title.”
Frazier spoke on what it’s like to be one of the few Knicks legends to win a ring and the treatment he gets in New York, where he still works as a broadcaster for MSG.
“I can’t walk the street, it’s like I’m in a parade. Anywhere I go people are like, ‘Oh, there he is, there’s Clyde! There’s Clyde!‘” Frazier said. “So if these guys win another title — man, I can’t spend money now in New York. I’ll never have to spend money again in this city. And that’s what I want to show the players. Hey man, I’ve been doing this for 50 years. Fifty years just for winning two titles! So you guys can have it if you just win one title.”
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics overachieved this season, winning 56 games even though they were missing Jayson Tatum for much of the year. Despite their sustained high-quality play, their overreliance on three-pointers has increasingly become an issue over the last two years, according to Jay King of The Athletic. It’s a problem that Brad Stevens is aware of and would like to rectify. “I will say that I look at more each shot individually, and my general feeling watching us play in really each of the last two playoffs — the second round against New York, even against Orlando in the first round — was we had a hard time generating really good looks on that first shot,” Stevens said earlier this spring during his end-of-season presser. “So, we’ve got to figure out a way to do better in that, and I think that one of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim. And I think we do need to add to our team to do that.”
- Like the offensive approach, the Celtics‘ roster doesn’t need an overhaul, but it could use some tweaks around the margins, Chris Forsberg writes for NBC Sports Boston. One key will be identifying the young players who need more developmental reps. Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. all had stretches of strong play this season and could be due for a bump in playing time. Forsberg also looks at Robert Williams III as a potential free agent option and Wendell Carter Jr. (Magic) and Isaiah Stewart (Pistons) as possible trade targets.
- Kelly Oubre Jr. has had a productive three seasons in Philadelphia, having proven to be a durable and energetic wing. His shooting has been inconsistent though, and the Sixers will need the 2025/26 version of Oubre, who shot 36.0% from three, if they bring him back next season, Adam Aaronson writes for the Philly Voice. There’s also the question of whether the veteran forward is looking for a long-term deal or a high annual average deal. The Sixers’ roster is already expensive, so there could be a sweet spot in which Oubre earns a lesser average annual salart over a longer period, Aaronson notes. Still, it’s unclear if Philadelphia’s new leadership would want to add more long-term money for another 30-plus-year-old player.
Stein’s Latest: Giannis, Magic, Braun, C. Johnson, Sixers
The Magic‘s decision to hire Sean Sweeney as their next head coach has led to increased speculation about Orlando potentially pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says some people around the league already viewed the Magic as a possible suitor for the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo has a known affinity for Sweeney, a former Bucks assistant who spent four seasons with the Greek forward in Milwaukee. Stein writes that the two “worked closely” together.
As Stein observes, Sweeney isn’t Antetokounmpo’s only connection to the Magic, as senior advisor John Hammond selected the 31-year-old with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman still regularly contacts Hammond for advice, Stein reports.
League sources tell Stein that the Heat and Trail Blazers are “already in pursuit” of Antetokounmpo, with Miami considered a top trade contender for the nine-time All-NBA member.
There’s a growing belief around the league that Antetokounmpo’s future will be resolved in the next few weeks after owner Jimmy Haslam set a soft deadline of the NBA draft, Stein adds.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest rumor round-up:
- Rival teams are expecting the Nuggets to make Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson available in trade talks this summer, according to Stein. Denver has said re-signing restricted free agent Peyton Watson will be a priority this offseason and there’s technically nothing preventing the team from doing so while keeping its other higher-priced players, assuming ownership is willing to pay the luxury tax bill. However, the Nuggets project to be well over the second apron if they bring back the same group, with Braun and Johnson among their trade candidates. Johnson’s expiring $23.1MM contract is considered far more appealing than Braun’s five-year, $125MM rookie scale extension, which begins next season, Stein notes.
- One of the reasons the Nuggets prioritized a long-term deal with Braun last offseason is he’s “routinely described” as one of Nikola Jokic‘s favorite teammates, league sources tell Stein. Jokic has finished either first or second in MVP voting each of the past six seasons.
- Vice president of player personnel Prosper Karangwa is expected to remain with the Sixers after the team hired Mike Gansey as its new head of basketball operations, according to Stein, who previously linked Karangwa to the Lakers and Mavericks. Stein reiterates that 76ers assistant GM Jameer Nelson is expected to be promoted to GM and that current GM Elton Brand is considered likely to be offered a new role in Philadelphia.
And-Ones: Eurocamp Mentors, Doncic, Osman, Condon, Cotton
This year’s Adidas Eurocamp, which serves as a platform for international basketball prospects to gain prominence among decision-makers around the globe, will be well-represented by NBA players who will serve as special guests and mentors in Franz Wagner (Magic), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), and VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Johnny Askounis writes for Eurohoops.
Those are not the only NBA representatives who will be present. Bucks assistants Dave Joerger and Rex Kalamian will help run things, as will Sixers coaches Rico Hines and Bryan Gates and Phil Handy from the Mavericks, among others.
As far as participants in the camp go, the biggest names are Oscar Wembanyama, the 6’8″, 19-year-old brother of Victor Wembanyama, along with Australian guard/wing Dash Daniels, French forward Meissa Faye, Italian guard David Torresani, and Swann Penda, brother of Magic draft pick Noah Penda.
The games, which take place from June 5 to 7, will be streamed on Adidas’ YouTube channel.
We have more from around the world of international hoops:
- Lakers star Luka Doncic was approached by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson this season and asked if he wanted to help try to move a professional basketball team to Rome, Tani Ganguli writes for The New York Times. It was an easy decision for Doncic to say yes. The pair is now heading up an investment group that is attempting to bring Vanoli Cremona from northern Italy to the capital city as part of the NBA’s continued efforts to get its NBA Europe league off the ground. “Since I came to the N.B.A., my dream was always to own a team in Europe, especially because Europe gave me so much,” Doncic said. “… I am the player I am because of Euroleague.”
- Panathinaikos is headed to the Greek League Finals due in large part to the contributions of ex-NBA player Cedi Osman, who had 29 points with five made threes in the final game of the semi-finals sweep over PAOK BC. Former Knicks point guard Jerian Grant had 15 points, while Nigel Hayes-Davis, who played 27 games for the Suns this season, added 14. On the other side of the box score, Patrick Beverley had 14 points and 11 assists for PAOK. Osman scored 14 points in the third quarter, turning the momentum of the game, per the Eurohoops team. Panathinaikos will face Olympiacos in the Finals.
- The Australian national team selection for the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers is taking shape, with Alex Condon, who recently withdrew from the NBA draft to return to Florida, Cavaliers rookie Tyrese Proctor, and former NBA guard Bryce Cotton among the bigger names, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Cotton, who played two years in the NBA between 2014 and 2016, has been an NBL staple for nearly a decade. He has led the league in scoring nine times, has won six MVPs, and three championships, for which he received two NBL Grand Final MVP awards.