Southeast Notes: Diabate, Magic, Snyder, AD, Wizards
The Hornets could be missing their starting center when they play at Orlando on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up for the elimination game due to left hip soreness, Charlotte announced (via Twitter).
A French big man, Diabate recorded eight points, 14 rebounds and a block in 36 minutes during Tuesday’s play-in victory over Miami. The 24-year-old averaged 7.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.0 BPG in 73 appearances this season (26.0 MPG).
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Magic are looking to bounce back on Friday after dropping Wednesday’s play-in game at Philadelphia, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando won its October 30 matchup with the Hornets by 16 points, but lost its final three regular season contests against Charlotte by 15, 27, and 19 points. “They’ve kicked our ass this year,” Paolo Banchero said about the Hornets. “So we’ve got to be ready. I’ve got to be ready. And we’ve got to be locked in from the jump. I thought we played hard (Wednesday), but it wasn’t enough. And so it’s going to take even more of an effort, and it’s going to take me playing better, as well, for us to get the win.”
- Head coach Quin Snyder deserves kudos for helping the Hawks turn their season around, according to Ken Segiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). The Hawks made multiple big trades that reshaped their roster after injuries foiled their offseason plans, but they closed out the regular season by going 20-6 after the All-Star break, the third-best mark in the NBA over that span. “He’s done a great job just adjusting to the personnel,” guard CJ McCollum said of Snyder. “We’ve changed and really looked at our team, how we play, how certain guys’ games have evolved over the course of the season, which also happens. We’ve added stuff, we’ve taken stuff out, we’ve kind of evaluated what works, what doesn’t work and what’s going to work for this group.”
- Trae Young and Alex Sarr are among the Wizards who have expressed excitement about playing with Anthony Davis in 2026/27, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “I’ve never played with a player as talented or as special as A.D. is. We haven’t gotten to play on the court yet, but we’ve talked about a lot of things,” Young said. “We talked about what it would look like when we do get on the court together.”
Southeast Notes: Jakucionis, Fontecchio, Young, Davis, Magic
Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis wound up playing in 53 games, including 12 starts, during his rookie season. The Miami brass was pleased with his development, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“I’m very encouraged by the progress that he’s made,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s willed himself through his work and consistent actions to be pretty consistent in our rotation the last several weeks. That was hard-earned. “He’s a lot better now than where he was coming into training camp, and certainly where he was in summer league. But he’s relentless, and he wants to get better. You have to respect his competitive spirit. He’s a competitor out there, even as a young player, so he’ll continue to get better.”
Jakucionis scored in double figures in three of his last seven games and also had a nine-assist performance against Washington earlier this month.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Despite an erratic season, Simone Fontecchio would like to re-sign with the Heat, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. He’ll be a free agent this summer. “I’d love to stay here,” Fontecchio told Italy’s Sky Sports. “I wouldn’t want to move my family again because we’re great in Miami. Just as importantly, I feel really comfortable with everyone here, from the owners to the coaching staff, and especially in this locker room, which is special because of the group it’s created.” Fontecchio appeared in 70 regular season games but his playing time and production weren’t consistent. He has averaged 8.5 points in 16.7 minutes per game.
- In his offseason guide, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says the top priorities this summer for the Wizards are Trae Young‘s and Anthony Davis‘ contract situations. Young has a June 23 deadline to either exercise his $49MM player option or become an unrestricted free agent and could sign a longer-term deal with Washington either way. Davis cannot become a free agent but is eligible to sign a four-year extension as of Aug. 6. The first year of such an extension would replace his $62.8MM option for 2027/28.
- While the Magic‘s season won’t end if they lose a play-in game at Philadelphia 0n Wednesday, it will call into question the direction of the franchise, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Bianchi believes it stands as a referendum as to the progress they’ve made in recent years.
Anthony Davis Discusses Wizards In First D.C. Media Session
Monday marked the first time Anthony Davis was made available to speak to the media since the Wizards traded for him ahead of the February deadline, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. As Robbins observes, the Wizards held a press conference after they traded for Trae Young in early January, but didn’t do the same for Davis a month later.
According to Robbins, the 33-year-old big man raised doubts on Monday about the Wizards’ ability to quickly transition from the NBA’s worst team to a contender. Davis made it clear he wants to have lengthy talks with president Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins this offseason about how Washington intends to become a championship-caliber team in 2026/27 or ’27/28.
“I’ve been in this league a long time, and I’ve been with losing teams, been on losing teams,” Davis said. “It’s very hard to be a losing team and then a championship contender, right? I think one team has only done it: Boston in ’08. The only team, right? Even when I was in New Orleans and we had two losing seasons, then we made the playoffs our third year — that, within itself, is a huge jump: showing that you want to be on a path to winning.
“And that’s what it takes. So, if something comes out of the conversation where that’s the path — and, obviously, you won’t know until the season starts — that’s what I would like to see. What is our plan for winning going into next season? And how? Not like this is a plan, but how do we execute that? And based on that, we’ll kind of see what happens.”
As Robbins notes, the “see what happens” comment raised some eyebrows and led to a follow-up question asking whether Davis expected to be on the roster to open next season. The 10-time All-Star will earn a guaranteed $58.5MM in ’26/27, followed by a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m under contract,” Davis replied. ” … Whether we figure something out in the summer (that’s) good or bad, whatever … if it doesn’t get figured out, then come October, mid-October, late October, I will have a Washington Wizards uniform on, and I will go out there, and I will do everything I can to win a basketball game. That’s never going to change.
“ … In the summer, right now, I’m going to compete, train and have the mindset that I will be here next year. Not only because I’m under contract, but also, I like these young guys. I ain’t going to lie. I feel like they’re all my children.”
Davis was complimentary of the Wizards’ young players as well as the franchise as a whole, saying his previous (negative) perception of the franchise wasn’t accurate, Robbins adds.
“The organization is a very good organization. Ted [Leonsis] is a great owner, the coaching staff and the players, their development. Obviously, the city is phenomenal,” Davis said, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.
Because the Wizards had the worst record in the league, they can finish no worse than fifth in the draft lottery, with a 52.1% chance at a top-four pick, including 14.0% odds at selecting No. 1 overall. They also have young players like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George who are considered part of the team’s core, Robbins writes.
Still, Davis made it clear he’s on the fence about Washington’s short-term direction, per Robbins. The 10-time All-Star appeared in a career-low 20 games this season due to a variety of injuries, including ligament damage in his left hand that prevented him from making his Wizards debut in ’25/26.
Pelicans Notes: Fears, Jordan, Peavy, Davis
When he takes the court Sunday against Minnesota, Jeremiah Fears will become the first rookie in Pelicans history to appear in all 82 games, writes Rod Walker of NOLA (subscription required). The seventh pick in last year’s draft prides himself on durability and said he hasn’t missed a game since he broke his thumb as a high school freshman.
“Being able to play all 82 games is big time,” Fears said. “Not everybody gets the opportunity to play all 82 games. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity. I feel like I’ve made the most of the minutes I get when I go out there.”
Fears has been one of the bright spots in a lost season for New Orleans. He’s averaging 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 25.6 minutes per game and set a franchise rookie record by scoring 40 points in Tuesday’s win over Utah. With increased playing time, his scoring average has risen to 28.8 PPG over the past five games.
Fears credits his recovery process with helping him stay on the court.
“That helps in being able to play all 82 games,” he said. “Focus on your recovery and just continue to stay focused. I’m dedicated to the recovery and the work on and off the court. The hot and the cold tub have been huge for me. I just rely on those things to help me get my body for each and every day.”
There’s more from New Orleans:
- DeAndre Jordan‘s impact on the team has been far greater than his on-court statistics, Walker states in a separate story. The 38-year-old center only appeared in 12 games, but he had plenty of advice to share with his much younger teammates from his 18 NBA seasons. “To see the growth of our young team, DeAndre had a massive impact on that,” interim head coach James Borrego said. “He brought professionalism every day. A voice every day. A respect for every drill, every practice and every moment together.” Jordan said he’s not sure how much longer he’ll play and is taking his career one year at a time.
- Like most teams, the Pelicans are resting their stars as the season winds down, which creates opportunities for young players like Micah Peavy, Walker adds in another piece. The rookie shooting guard delivered 20 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals on Tuesday as he made his second start of the season. “It’s just the experience,” he said. “Take these games super serious, because during the summer, we’re only going to be able to play pick-up games. It’s not the same. Take it seriously and get everything out of it.”
- Appearing this week on Draymond Green‘s podcast, Anthony Davis reflects on the circumstances that led him to demand a trade out of New Orleans in 2019, relays Rashad Milligan of NOLA. He was motivated to move to another franchise where he could compete for championships and is still upset about the $50K fine he received for making a public trade request. “When a team is tired of a player, they can trade him with no consequence,” Davis said. “Right? But once a player is like, ‘I want to do what’s best for me, because I want to compete for championships and win.’ It’s not even about the money. New Orleans offered me a crazy deal at the time. It’s not even about the money; I genuinely want to win. So now, because I want to win, I’m considered a villain to this team and to this fanbase. To this day, I still go back, and they still boo me.”
Injury Notes: Wolves, Wizards, Spurs, Cavs, Quickley
After clinching a playoff spot on Tuesday in Indiana, the Timberwolves will hold some regulars out on the second night of a back-to-back set on Wednesday in Orlando. According to the team (Twitter link), Julius Randle (right hand soreness), Ayo Dosunmu (right calf injury maintenance), and Mike Conley (rest) are all out, while Rudy Gobert (rest) is considered questionable to play.
Star guard Anthony Edwards, who has missed nine of Minnesota’s past 11 games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) and an illness, will also sit out again as the team prioritizes getting him as healthy as possible for the playoffs. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic suggested earlier this week that the Wolves may want Edwards to play a game or two at the end of the regular season before he gets another week off ahead of Game 1 of the first round.
The most notable Timberwolves injury update affects forward Jaden McDaniels, who has been on the shelf since March 25 due to left knee patella tendinopathy. According to a press release, McDaniels has been cleared for full-contact, 5-on-5 work and has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando. Even if the 25-year-old isn’t upgraded to available tonight, it sounds like he’ll make his return before the regular season ends.
Here are more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Unsurprisingly, Wizards big man Anthony Davis and point guard Trae Young aren’t expected to play again this season, head coach Brian Keefe said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network). Davis, who has yet to make his Wizards debut, has been ramping up his work in recent weeks as he recovers from a hand injury, but will run out of time to return this spring. As for Young (low back pain; right quad contusion), he’s not as far along is his recovery process as Davis.
- The Spurs have ruled out Victor Wembanyama (left rib contusion) and Stephon Castle (right knee soreness) for Wednesday’s matchup with Portland, but they’re optimistic about both players’ chances of playing on Friday vs. Dallas, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Wembanyama will need to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s final two games of the season in order to qualify for end-of-season awards, including MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
- Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson, out since March 19 with a left great toe bone bruise, went through Wednesday’s shootaround and then conducted an individual workout with coaches and trainers, but his toe was still bothering him and he has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday’s contest against Atlanta, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cavs forward Dean Wade, who has been sidelined since March 24 due to a right ankle sprain, has a better chance of making his return tonight — he’s listed as questionable.
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley played nearly 18 minutes in Tuesday’s win over Miami after missing the previous eight games due to plantar fasciitis. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link), Quickley said he has been battling an issue “a little bit deeper than just plantar fasciitis” that flared up in February, and while the time off helped, he recognizes that he’s still not 100%.
Wizards’ Anthony Davis Cleared For Light Contact
Wizards big man Anthony Davis, who has been sidelined with ligament damage in his left hand, has been cleared for light contact as he progresses toward his full return, the team announced (via Twitter). He was reevaluated Monday and his recovery continues to progress as expected, as the hand is healing on schedule.
After Washington acquired Davis at February’s trade deadline, there were conflicting accounts on whether he’d make his Wizards debut in 2025/26. Multiple reporters suggested that the 32-year-old’s season was likely over, but general manager Will Dawkins stated in a media session that he expected Davis to return before the team’s regular season finale on April 12.
While Davis still hasn’t officially been ruled out for the rest of the season, it seems doubtful at this point that he’ll suit up before next fall. There are less than two weeks remaining in the regular season and the club, which has seven games remaining, is currently tied with Indiana for the league’s worst record at 17-58. Washington is well-positioned to land a future franchise player with a little luck in the lottery.
Davis has been part of a blockbuster deal for the second straight season but both of those campaigns have been marred by injuries. Davis has been limited to just 20 outings so far this season, all with Dallas. He averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 31.3 minutes per night.
Davis has two years and approximately $121.2MM remaining on his contract, which includes a player option in the final year.
Wizards To Reevaluate Anthony Davis At End Of Month
Anthony Davis had the ligament damage in his left hand reevaluated on Thursday in Los Angeles, according to the Wizards, who announced today in a press release that the big man’s recovery “continues to progress positively” (Twitter link). However, the volar plate tissue in Davis’ left hand has yet to fully heal, per the team.
The plan, the Wizards say, is for Davis to continue with “conservative” treatment and to ramp up his basketball activity “as tolerated.” He’ll be evaluated again at the end of March.
After Washington acquired Davis at February’s trade deadline, there were conflicting accounts on whether he’d make his Wizards debut in 2025/26. Multiple reporters suggested that the 32-year-old’s season was likely over, but general manager Will Dawkins stated in a media session that he expected Davis to return before the team’s regular season finale on April 12.
The Wizards have the NBA’s second-worst record at 16-53 and aren’t particularly motivated to win games down the stretch. Besides wanting to ensure they hang onto their top-eight protected first-round pick – rather than sending it to New York – they’ll want to maximize their odds of landing a top-four selection in the draft lottery.
Still, the Wizards showed by bringing back guard Trae Young earlier this month following his own lengthy injury absence that they like the idea of having their new veteran additions establish some chemistry with the team’s young core before the end of the season.
It’s entirely possible Davis won’t play again in 2025/26, but it also wouldn’t be a total surprise if he’s active for a few games at the end of the season, assuming his hand has fully recovered by then and the Wizards are in little danger of compromising their favorable lottery position.
Davis has been limited to just 20 outings so far this season, all with Dallas. He averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 31.3 minutes per night.
Anthony Davis Begins Individual On-Court Work, Out At Least Two More Weeks
Wizards big man Anthony Davis, out since January 8 due to ligament damage in his left hand, was reevaluated on Wednesday in Los Angeles and continues to make progress in his recovery, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
According to the Wizards, Davis has been cleared to begin limited individual on-court basketball activities. The plan is to reevaluate him again in two weeks, with another update provided at that time.
Washington made mid-season deals to acquire veteran stars Davis and Trae Young while both were dealing with injuries. The team is out of contention and wants to hang onto its top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick, so those acquisitions were made with an eye toward 2026/27.
Still, Young is prepared to return from quad and knee injuries to make his Wizards debut on Thursday and the team has yet to rule out Davis for the season. In fact, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said after the trade deadline that he expected the 32-year-old to play at some point before the ’25/26 campaign is over.
Whether that actually happens remains to be seen.
Prior to Dawkins’ post-deadline media session on February 8, multiple reporters had suggested that Davis was unlikely to make his Wizards debut until the fall. There are less than six weeks left in the season, and the 16-45 squad has no reason to rush the 10-time All-Star back. Additionally, based on today’s update, it sounds like he’s still a little ways off from scrimmaging or being cleared for full contact.
The team’s next progress update on Davis in a couple weeks should give us a clearer sense of whether or not we’ll see him on the court this spring.
Wizards Notes: Young, Davis, T. Johnson, Reese
The Wizards‘ rebuilding effort took an unexpected turn with trades for Trae Young in January and Anthony Davis in February. Injuries have kept both players on the sidelines so far, but the presence of two multi-time All-Stars has raised expectations for next season, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
“We’re already talking about the playoffs, how different it will be,” Bilal Coulibaly said. “We were talking about it with Trae and AD this morning. They’re just talking to us a lot about all that stuff. We’ve never been there, so we don’t know what it looks like. But we can’t wait.”
However, the four NBA scouts that Robbins consulted are less confident about Young and Davis being able to turn the franchise around. Both players drew limited interest on the trade market before Washington was able to acquire them at a discount price, and the questions surrounding them – Young’s defensive deficiencies and Davis’ susceptibility to injuries – aren’t going to go away.
“Trae’s defense is of paramount concern,” one scout told Robbins. “He’s coming to a team that’s horrific defensively by the numbers. I don’t care if you’re developing players or trying to win games — you can’t be that bad defensively and think, ‘Oh, we’re just going to get these guys and be better.’ We know Trae’s terrible (on defense), and I get the theory of bringing in AD. But AD’s not the AD he was three, five or seven years ago.”
There’s more from Washington:
- In a pregame session with reporters, coach Brian Keefe said Kyshawn George, Tristan Vukcevic and Tre Johnson were all on minutes restrictions Saturday against Toronto, Robbins tweets. George sat out Thursday’s game with a knee contusion, Vukcevic was listed on the injury report with a left hip impingement and Johnson’s playing time has been limited since returning from a sprained ankle.
- Johnson proved himself as a scorer in college, and now the Wizards want to develop his skills as a play-maker, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). “We’re going to continue to put him in situations to grow. I think he can do that really well,” Keefe said. “We’ve seen his play-making this year, attacking the basket and when they put two on the ball he can hit (teammates) with either hand. I think he’s going to be a really good creator off the dribble.”
- Washington appears to have immediate plans for forward Julian Reese, who signed a two-way contract earlier today, Hughes adds (Twitter link). “He’s going to give us some physicality inside with his rebounding,” Keefe said. “He’s a great rebounder so we added some insurance underneath on the boards. We’re excited to have him.”
Southeast Notes: Bane, Davis, Gardner, Heat, Giannis
It continues to be an up-and-down season for the Magic, who hold a 30-26 record and the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. However, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) writes, they’ve gotten all they could’ve hoped for out of veteran wing Desmond Bane after surrendering a package that included four first-round picks to acquire him last summer.
Bane is one of just two Magic players to appear in all 56 games so far. And after scoring 34 and 36 points in the team’s back-to-back set in Phoenix and L.A. over the weekend, his scoring average is up to 20.1 points per game on .483/.388/.913 shooting. The 27-year-old is also chipping in 4.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per night.
“He reminds me of a lot of older guys in this league,” teammate Wendell Carter Jr. said of Bane, per Beede. “Guys who have established themselves and have a mindset of, he’s going to play his game no matter what. His process is going to remain the same.
“Early on (in the season), he was struggling a little bit but one thing about it, he stuck to what he knows he’s good at. And now we’re seeing the benefits of what trading for a guy like that does. His continued elevation just shows he’s one of the best in this league in terms of his position, shooting the 3-ball, getting downhill, facilitating, play-making … He’s exactly what we need.”
The Magic have Bane under team control through the 2028/29 season. He’s owed $126.5MM on the final three years of his contract.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Wizards big man Anthony Davis has yet to debut for his new team as he recovers from a hand injury, but he expressed excitement about his fit on the roster in a conversation with Wes Hall of Monumental Sports Network (YouTube link). Davis said he believes he and Trae Young can be a “dynamic duo” on offense and that he’s looking forward to teaming up with former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr on the other side of the ball. “On the defensive end, it’s going to be insane,” Davis said, lauding the young Frenchman for his versatility and ability to protect the rim.
- Less than a week after signing his first standard NBA contract, Heat swingman Myron Gardner was forced to give up a chunk of his salary, having been fined $35K by the league for his role in an altercation with Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Gardner insists he didn’t mean to bump Pippen from behind, while head coach Erik Spoelstra said he thinks the NBA is “making a point” with the fine, since the altercation spilled into the crowd. “We disagree with (Gardner’s fine),” Spoelstra said. “Pippen is the one that pushed it into the stands, and Myron didn’t really retaliate. Once he was on the ground, he was laughing. So if it was somebody else, I don’t think it would have been (a) $35,000 fine. But we’ll move on.”
- With the Heat set to visit Milwaukee on Tuesday, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald checks in on where things stand with Miami’s pursuit of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, which was put on hold after the trade deadline passed without a deal. The Heat will be able to offer up to four first-round picks for Antetokounmpo this summer, Jackson notes, though it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll get the opportunity to seriously reengage the Bucks in trade talks, since Giannis could decide to stay in Milwaukee or the Bucks could get another offer they like more.