Nuggets Rumors: Adelman, Gordon, Watson, Johnson, Murray, Braun
The Nuggets were left stunned by their first-round loss to the Wolves, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Against a stout Minnesota defense, almost the entire rotation — including stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray — underperformed relative to the regular season, when Denver won 54 games and entered the playoffs having won 12 straight contests.
Although there’s been some speculation about head coach David Adelman potentially being on the hot seat after the early exit, Durando hears the “immediate sense” within the Nuggets is he’ll be back at the helm in 2026/27. Both Jokic and Murray offered support for Adelman after the team was eliminated on Thursday, Durando notes.
“It’s not his fault we couldn’t rebound,” Jokic said. “It’s not his fault we couldn’t catch the ball very well. There is nothing to blame David Adelman. It’s all us.”
Here are a few more notes and rumors related to the Nuggets, whose expensive payroll could lead to roster changes this summer:
- The Nuggets value Aaron Gordon and recognize how vital he has been to the team’s success over the years, but a series of hamstring and calf strains have limited his availability over the past two seasons, and those injuries have people wondering if he’ll be able to make it through another deep playoff run going forward, according to Durando. While Gordon has been off-limits in trade talks during previous transaction windows, league sources tell Durando that won’t be the case this summer.
- As Durando writes, the future of the core in Denver (outside of Jokic) seems very much up in the air following another early playoff ouster. Durando confirms the Nuggets want to re-sign restricted free agent Peyton Watson, who missed the series due to a hamstring strain. But that would push the team over the second tax apron, and ownership was considered unlikely to foot that bill even before the disappointing postseason run.
- In part because he’s entering the final year of his contract, which pays him $23MM in 2026/27, Cameron Johnson has long been viewed as the most likely starter to be traded this summer to clear out money for Watson, league sources tell Durando. Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette has heard similarly, pointing out that Christian Braun‘s five-year, $125MM rookie scale extension and the $106.4MM Gordon is owed over the next three years may make them more difficult to move.
- Both Durando and Benedetto wonder if Murray could be a trade candidate this offseason. He’s coming off the best regular season of his career and will likely make his first All-NBA team, but he has struggled against elite defenders the past two postseasons. Jokic expressed confidence in the duo’s ability on Thursday, Durando notes. “I mean, I think we are still good,” Jokic said. “I think we created the looks. Sometimes you need to make it. I think a miss doesn’t make you a bad player, and misses don’t make you a bad decision-maker. It’s a miss-or-make league. So we couldn’t make any shots. … I’m confident in my and Jamal’s two-man game.”
- Braun refused to use injuries as an excuse for the first-round loss, Durando adds. “Obviously I have confidence in us getting back and (winning a title) because we have done it. … This team is so good that every time you lose early is a disappointment,” Braun said. “So we’ve gotta be better. I know we can do it with this group. Whatever happens (this offseason), happens. We’ve gotta find a way to get better. You can’t blame anything. You can’t blame injuries. You can’t blame health. They had injuries, too, and they kicked our (butt).”
Nikola Jokic Expected To Sign Offseason Extension
Nikola Jokic is expected to sign an extension with the Nuggets this summer, ESPN’s Shams Charania stated Friday in an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show (YouTube link, hat tip to RealGM).
The three-time MVP was clear about his intentions after his team was eliminated by Minnesota, twice telling reporters, “I still want to be a Nugget forever.” While other changes may take place in Denver during the offseason, Charania expects the organization to solidify Jokic as its long-term centerpiece.
“I will tell you, the Denver Nuggets, from their top brass on down to that organization, they believe Nicole Jokic at his word. He wants to be there,” Charania said. “This is not a situation where he’s talking about potentially leaving or looking elsewhere. Or saying ‘Hey, I need you guys to do this. I need you guys to do that.’ He’s very, very internally and externally ‘I’m here, no matter what, I’m re-signing.'”
Jokic has two years left on his current deal, which includes a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28. He would have the equivalent of an expiring contract if an extension agreement isn’t reached by October, so there’s a sense of urgency to work out a new deal. A maximum extension would begin at 35% of the ’27/28 salary cap and would tentatively be worth about $285MM over four years, based on a projected $165MM cap in ’26/27 and a 10% increase the following year.
Jokic turned down a three-year, maximum-salary extension offer last summer in expectation of landing a longer and more lucrative contract.
The 31-year-old big man is coming off another MVP-level season, averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists in 65 games and leading the league in both rebounding and assists. Although he averaged nearly a triple double in the playoff series against Minnesota, he shot just 44.6% from the field and 19.4% from three-point range, and the Nuggets were outscored during his time on the court.
The first-round loss and an expensive roster will probably alter the supporting cast around Jokic by the time training camp opens. Peyton Watson will be one of the top restricted free agents on the market this summer, and the team will have to clear out other salary to be able to re-sign him without going into second-apron territory. Cameron Johnson, who is entering the final year of his contract at $23MM, has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate.
“But there are going to be changes in Denver,” Charania said. “I don’t know how much, but there’s going to be some level of change. Whether that’s tinkering a couple players around … But they are so strapped financially moving forward in whether it’s the tax, whether it’s approaching the aprons, that there’s going to be a lot of conversations about players on this roster.”
Nuggets Notes: Offseason, Watson, Johnson, Valanciunas
With $203MM+ committed to eight players for the 2026/27 season and multiple key contributors, including Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Spencer Jones, and Bruce Brown facing free agency, the Nuggets will have a hard time keeping their current roster intact let alone upgrading it, as Jason Quick and Sam Amick write for The Athletic.
Examining some of the difficult roster decisions facing Denver this offseason, Quick and Amick wonder if players like Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and/or Julian Strawther could end up on the trade block. While Christian Braun and Zeke Nnaji are also potential trade candidates, Nnaji has been a negative trade asset essentially since signing a four-year rookie scale extension back in the fall of 2023, and Braun’s own five-year, $125MM rookie scale extension, which will go into effect later this year, will limit his appeal on the trade market, according to The Athletic’s duo.
If the Nuggets stick with their current core, they’ll be leaning heavily on two players entering their age-31 seasons (Nikola Jokic and Gordon) and one who will turn 30 during the ’26/27 season (Jamal Murray). However, EVP of player personnel Jon Wallace tells The Athletic that Denver doesn’t have any concerns about the ages of its top players.
[RELATED: Nikola Jokic: ‘I Still Want To Be A Nugget Forever’]
“We’re mature, but we are not old,” Wallace said. “You look at OKC and the San Antonios and yes, they are here, they have arrived, and they have a lot of good, young talent. But I think we have a good mixture of both maturity and some youth.”
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- While there are a few teams with cap room expected to be among Watson’s suitors this summer, re-signing the restricted free agent wing is considered the Nuggets’ top offseason priority, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
- Johnson, who has been traded from Phoenix to Brooklyn to Denver in recent years, acknowledged after Thursday’s season-ending loss that he understands the “business side” of basketball, but added that he hopes to get another chance to make a run with this team next season, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. “For me personally, there’s a lot left to be done with this group, but it’s not always in my hands,” Johnson said.
- Nuggets reserve center Jonas Valanciunas is technically under contract for next season, but his $10MM salary is only partially guaranteed for $2MM, so he’s a strong candidate to be waived. If so, it sounds like a return overseas is very much in play after it didn’t happen a year ago. According to Jonas Lekšas of Krepsinis.net (Twitter link), Zalgiris Kaunas – the EuroLeague’s only current team based in Valanciunas’ home country of Lithuania – is prepared to offer a guaranteed two-year deal that would start at two million Euros (hat tip to Stefan Acevski of Eurohoops). The big man reportedly sought a move to the Greek club Panathinaikos last summer, but the Nuggets were unwilling to negotiate a buyout at that time.
- Within his preview of the Nuggets’ offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks suggests the team needs to add a reserve point guard and a reserve big man who can protect the rim. Replacements for Hardaway and Brown will also be necessary if they don’t want to return on team-friendly contracts, Marks notes.
Northwest Notes: Jones, McDaniels, Blazers, Jazz
After he made just 15-of-48 shots (31.3%) during the Nuggets‘ two losses in Minnesota, Nikola Jokic submitted a more characteristic performance in Game 5 on Monday, racking up a triple-double (27 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds) while knocking down 9-of-15 field goal attempts.
Perhaps even more importantly, Denver’s supporting cast stepped up in a major way. Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Cameron Johnson had 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and – in his second career playoff start – Spencer Jones added 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with three blocks and three steals.
As Jason Quick of The Athletic and Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) detail, Jones began the season on a two-way contract but showed as early as the preseason that he deserved a longer look after playing sparingly as a rookie in 2024/25. Jones ended up starting 37 games and averaging 22.1 minutes per night, and he has emerged as a crucial part of Denver’s lineup in these playoffs with Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson sidelined.
As good as Jones was offensively on Monday, head coach David Adelman wanted to talk after the game about the forward’s defense. Adelman first considered a rotation role for Jones last fall based on the way he guarded Brandon Ingram in a preseason game, and his defensive effort was on display again in Game 5 as he took on the Julius Randle assignment.
“He just competes, man,” Adelman said of Jones, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason. “Randle’s an All-Star. Randle’s a load. And nobody in this room would want to be near Randle in their lives. And (Jones) just stands there and takes the hits.
“I thought he was really good outside of one time (at) not fouling him, either, where he made him take tough contested shots. A couple times, (Randle) got to his right shoulder and he laid the ball in with his left hand. But that’s why he gets paid a ton of money, because he’s a really special player. But the stuff early, he pushed him out. That’s the thing with Randle. If you concede space, just go home. I think Spence did a good job of competing for the spot.”
Here are a few more items of interest from around the Northwest:
- Since calling out Denver’s defense after the Timberwolves‘ Game 2 win, Jaden McDaniels has embraced the villain role and was willing to add more fuel to the fire following Minnesota’s loss on Monday, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I love this environment, everyone hating me, all the hate’s coming toward me,” McDaniels said of being booed by the Denver faithful. “I love it. I don’t care. I feed into it. It just brings the best out of me. We just ended up losing today, but we’re going to win the next one.”
- As Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report notes (via Twitter), the Trail Blazers‘ two-way players have made the trip to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday. Players on two-way contracts aren’t eligible to play in the postseason, but Portland was the only team not to bring its two-way players on the road during the first two games of a first-round series, with new owner Tom Dundon looking to reduce spending.
- After finishing either 29th or 30th in defensive rating in each of the past three seasons, the Jazz expect former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. to help on that end of the court in 2025/26. Still, they know they’ll need to do more this offseason to fix one of the league’s worst defenses, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “Defense is going to be a team-wide goal for us this summer,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said. “Every guy’s been told that we’re making a big leap next year defensively. No discussion. It’s going to happen.” Head coach Will Hardy singled out Ace Bailey and Keyonte George as two players he wants to see more from on defense.
Northwest Notes: Dundon, Gordon, Nuggets, Wolves, Jazz
The contrast between the on-court and off-court vibes surrounding the Trail Blazers is stark, according to Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who notes that the timing of new ownership’s cost-cutting efforts couldn’t be worse. Competing in the playoffs for the first time in five years, Portland will be looking to take a 2-1 series lead over San Antonio on Friday, but reports about the cutbacks that new team owner Tom Dundon is instituting throughout the organization continue to make headlines.
Appearing on the Pardon My Take podcast this week (Twitter video link), NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended Dundon, pointing out that he just bought the Blazers at a $4.25 billion valuation, one of the largest sale prices in league history, and contending that it’s not fair to call him “cheap.”
“He knows what he’s doing,” Silver said. “And I think his mindset — and I’m just getting to know him — but I don’t think it has as much to do with the cost of the T-shirts or wherever he’s saving money. It’s a mindset on how to run a business. It’s a scrappy approach to, I think, focusing on details, making people feel everything matters. The idea this guy paid one of the highest prices for a professional sports team in history is being called cheap makes absolutely no sense to me. This guy’s a winner. He’s won in everything he’s ever been involved in, so let’s give him an opportunity.”
Here’s more from out of the Northwest:
- The Nuggets have downgraded forward Aaron Gordon from probable to questionable for Thursday’s Game 3 in Minnesota, tweets Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports. Gordon is experiencing left calf tightness, an issue he also dealt with during the regular season.
- The Nuggets weren’t bothered by Jaden McDaniels‘ post-game remarks after Minnesota’s Game 2 win, per Bennett Durando and Luca Evans of The Denver Post (subscription required). The Timberwolves wing called out several Nuggets players by name and referred to the entire team as “bad defenders,” prompting Denver coach David Adelman to joke that he “can’t wait” for McDaniels’ podcast. “They’ve just been saying a lot. All season. All series,” said Cameron Johnson, one of the players McDaniels named. “So let them talk. Let them get everything they want off their chest. We’re cool with it.”
- Rival teams across the NBA are very curious about the ripple effect the Nuggets/Timberwolves series will have, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). A first-round exit would be a major disappointment for the Nuggets, who have an expensive roster already and will have to resolve Peyton Watson‘s restricted free agency, or the Timberwolves, who were among the teams pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo prior to the deadline and may consider significant roster changes if they’re eliminated early.
- Previewing the Jazz‘s offseason, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes that re-signing restricted free agent Walker Kessler will be the top priority in Utah and suggests that a four-year, $112MM deal might make sense for both sense. Smith also considers what a rookie scale extension for Keyonte George would look like and explains why he doesn’t anticipate an extension for another 2023 draftee, Brice Sensabaugh.
Wolves/Nuggets Notes: McDaniels, Gobert, Edwards, THJ
The Nuggets and Timberwolves are meeting in the playoffs for the third time in the past four years and the two Northwest clubs have developed one of the NBA’s best rivalries during that time. After Minnesota evened up their first-round series on Monday by stealing Game 2 in Denver, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels added more fuel to that fire when he was asked about his team’s offensive game plan.
“Go at (Nikola) Jokic, Jamal (Murray), all the bad defenders,” McDaniels said (Twitter video link via Chris Hine of The Star Tribune). “Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, their whole team.”
Asked to clarify whether he was referring to all of those players as bad defenders, McDaniels doubled down.
“Yeah, they’re all bad defenders,” he responded.
The Nuggets had the league’s best offensive rating during the regular season but ranked just 21st in defensive rating, behind sub-.500 teams like Dallas and Golden State. After holding the Wolves to 105 points in Game 1, Denver surrendered 119 in Monday’s loss. We’ll see if McDaniels’ bulletin-board material provides the Nuggets with a spark for Game 3 back in Minnesota.
Here’s more on the two division rivals and their best-of-seven series:
- Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, wasn’t thrilled about not being a finalist for the award this year. Gobert, who finished fourth in DPOY voting, used the perceived snub as motivation in Game 2, holding Jokic to 1-of-8 shooting while he was guarding him, per Anthony Slater of ESPN. After the game, Gobert suggested with his tongue in cheek that he got “lucky” since only a “top-three defender” could’ve slowed down the Nuggets star like that. “Not the first time I’ve gotten disrespected,” Gobert added. “Probably not the last. If you want to disrespect greatness, take it for granted, whatever, soon they’ll realize the impact.”
- The 40 minutes that Anthony Edwards played in Game 2 represented his highest single-game total in over three months, but he grimaced and grabbed at his sore right knee a few times in the second half of the game, Slater notes. Still, Edwards downplayed the issue after the win and suggested he didn’t score his 30 points very efficiently. “I missed 15 shots tonight, two free throws,” he said after going 10-of-25 from the floor. “I’ll be better.”
- Jason Quick of The Athletic profiles Hardaway, who signed with the Nuggets on a one-year, minimum-salary contract and has been an invaluable jack-of-all-trades as the team dealt with a series of injuries to starters and other rotation players throughout the season. Nuggets executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace referred to the veteran swingman as having “immense value for us,” and head coach David Adelman agreed. “Beyond what I expected,” Adelman said of Hardaway. “He is one of the main, main reasons why we survived this season. The guy won us games. Flat out. Just really, really impactful.”
And-Ones: Rivers, Awards, Playoff X-Factors, Wemby, Morant
In a podcast appearance with Bill Simmons of The Ringer (Twitter video link), Doc Rivers suggested his coaching career might be finished. The 64-year-old stepped down as head coach of the Bucks earlier this week.
“We met about seven weeks ago, me and (Bucks) ownership,” Rivers said (hat tip to Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports). “We had a great meeting. They asked me what I wanted to do. One of the owners says one plan is, ‘If we do this, you can hang in there for a year or two.’ I literally said, ‘Oh, no, no, no.’
“I told my coaches, I’m done. I loved coaching. Loved it. I had a lot of success at it, had way more ups than downs. But at the end of the day, I’ve given 47 years or whatever, I don’t even know how old I am … with no off time. I just wanted a break. I want to get away. The grandkids and just life in general, man. Right now, I can tell you, Bill, I think it was time, so I’d be surprised if I coached another game, I’ll put it that way.”
Rivers, who will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, compiled a 1194-866 regular season mark (.580) over the course of 27 seasons as an NBA head coach.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports and Tim Bontemps of ESPN have released their full 2026 NBA awards ballots. While both media members have the same top-five finishers for Most Valuable Player, with Luka Doncic fourth and Cade Cunningham fifth, the order of the three finalists are different. O’Connor has Victor Wembanyama as his MVP, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, whereas Bontemps had SGA winning his second straight MVP award, with Jokic the runner-up and Wembanyama in third.
- In another story for Yahoo Sports, O’Connor lists his playoff X-factors for every team competing in the postseason. Celtics center Neemias Queta, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson and Spurs guard Dylan Harper are a few of the players mentioned.
- The Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA) has named Spurs center Wembanyama the winner of the Magic Johnson award for the 2025/26 season, per a press release. The award “honors the NBA player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and grace in dealing with the media and fans.” Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) was the runner-up for the second straight season, while Stephen Curry (Warriors), Jaylen Brown (Celtics) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) were the other finalists.
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has purchased a stake in the Metropolitans 92, Wembanyama’s former team in France, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “I’m excited about how this first season with the Metros is going,” Morant told ClutchPoints. “They represent the culture, just like we do. I like what we are building and hopefully we get to take it into NBA Europe.” Morant made the investment alongside his media and business venture company, Catch12.
Nuggets Control Playoff Seeding Heading Into Sunday
At this point in the season, tanking isn’t reserved just for the NBA’s worst teams, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The Nuggets hosted the Thunder on Friday in a matchup of Western Conference powers, but most of the stars were in street clothes. Oklahoma City, which has already clinched the league’s best record, rested nine rotation players in an effort to boost Denver’s chances at holding onto the No. 3 spot and avoiding a playoff matchup until the conference finals.
Nuggets coach David Adelman responded by giving the night off to his entire starting lineup: Nikola Jokic (right wrist injury management). Jamal Murray (right shoulder impingement), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring injury management), Cameron Johnson (right ankle injury management) and Christian Braun (left ankle injury management and a right hip flexor strain). Adelman defended the move in a pregame session with the media.
“What’s on the injury report is what they’re out with,” he said. “They’re dealing with a lot more than that physically, not to mention some of the soft tissue stuff. Scary kinds of injuries. … ‘Hey, we’re the three seed, but we don’t have three starters — it doesn’t sound like a great solution.”
The shorthanded Nuggets wound up with a 20-point victory that clinched home court advantage in the first round and will face a similar situation on Sunday at San Antonio. Denver is a game ahead of the Lakers for the No. 3 seed, but Los Angeles holds the tiebreaker and is playing a Utah team that could use another loss to maximize its lottery odds.
The Nuggets can clinch third place and a first-round matchup with the No. 6 Timberwolves by beating the Spurs. If they’d rather face the No. 5 Rockets, they’ll need to lose tomorrow and hope for a Lakers win.
Murray, Gordon, Johnson and Braun have been declared out, along with Tim Hardaway Jr.. Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson. Jokic, who needs to play at least 15 minutes to qualify for postseason awards, is listed as questionable.
Durando adds that the Nuggets have engaged in internal discussions about the best playoff path, looking beyond the first round to a potential second-round meeting with the Thunder or Spurs. With no obvious answer, Adelman decided to prioritize making sure his players are as healthy as possible when the playoffs start next weekend.
“Us and Minnesota, it’s been a crazy back-and-forth over the years,” he said on Friday. “They swept us last year, but then we beat them three out of four this year. We always know it’s competitive with them. They’ve given us issues. We’ve given them issues. And then obviously Houston, I mean, they’re playing so well right now. … So there’s no good opponent in my opinion. I think you just have to play it out with decisions that are best for your team, and we feel like tonight, this is the best decision.”
Injury Notes: Wemby, Castle, Nuggets, Bulls, Tyson, Barrett
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has been upgraded from questionable to available for Friday’s game vs. Dallas, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
Orsborn’s colleague Jeff McDonald wrote on Thursday that San Antonio was privately optimistic that Wembanyama would be active Friday. The third-year center needs to play at least 20 minutes against the Mavs to qualify for major postseason awards. He left Monday’s game early due to a left rib contusion, an injury which sidelined him for Wednesday’s win over Portland.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, who also missed Wednesday’s game, will be out again Friday, Orsborn adds. Head coach Mitch Johnson said Castle is dealing with multiple nagging injuries; he was listed as having right knee soreness two days ago, while Friday’s designation is left foot soreness.
“Eighty games and the way he plays. It’s real. We’re not just sitting him just to sit him,” Johnson said.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Nuggets will be playing without all five of their normal starters on Friday against Oklahoma City, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post tweets. All five players (Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson) had previously been listed as questionable. Jokic sitting out means he’ll need to play at least 15 minutes in Sunday’s finale at San Antonio to be eligible for year-end awards.
- After missing three games with an illness, Bulls forward Matas Buzelis will return to action for Friday’s penultimate game vs. Orlando, according to Will Gottlieb of CHGO Bulls (Twitter link). Isaac Okoro (left quad contusion) will be out Friday but there’s a chance he could return for Sunday’s finale vs. Dallas, while Josh Giddey (left hamstring strain injury management), Guerschon Yabusele (left shoulder and left elbow sprains), Nick Richards (right elbow sprain) and Anfernee Simons (left wrist fracture) will miss the final two games of Chicago’s season.
- Jaylon Tyson is in the Cavaliers‘ starting lineup on Friday, tweets Danny Cunningham of Locked on Cavs. The second-year wing has missed Cleveland’s past 10 games due to a left great toe bone bruise. Tyson is starting in place of Donovan Mitchell, who is out with what the team calls right ankle injury management.
- Raptors wing RJ Barrett was a late scratch ahead of Friday’s contest vs. New York, as Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca relays (via Twitter). Barrett is dealing with right knee soreness. It’s the second night of a back-to-back for Toronto, which will also be without Immanuel Quickley and Collin Murray-Boyles. The Raptors can clinch a playoff spot if they beat the Knicks.
Northwest Notes: SGA, Hartenstein, Pullin, Gordon, Johnson
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a chance to win Most Valuable Player honors for the second straight season. He’s battling the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Lakers’ Luka Doncic — the league’s top scorer — for that distinction.
However, SGA declined to argue his case following an overtime win over Detroit on Monday, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The Thunder star is the league’s second-leading scorer at 31.6 points per game while averaging a career-high 6.5 assists as well.
“No, I’m good. Thanks for asking, though,” he said. “Yeah, I’m good. I let my game do the talking.”
[RELATED: Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Argues MVP Case]
Gilgeous-Alexander does believe the MVP talk is a benefit to the NBA.
“I think it’s good for the league. I think it’s good chatter,” he said. “It gives people something to talk about. There’s a lot of good players in this league and a lot of guys in the conversation because of that.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Isaiah Hartenstein‘s decision to bolt the Knicks in free agency during the summer of 2024 has proven to be a wise one, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. Hartenstein collected a three-year, $87MM payday and he’s become the Thunder‘s defensive anchor while also getting more offensive opportunities. “I think [the play-making] has always been there,” Hartenstein said. “I think before I got to the Knicks, it was one of the main things I was doing with the Clippers. But I think as an NBA player you just have to put your ego aside and kind of do what’s best for the team. I think when I was with the Knicks, I kind of had to change the role I was playing. And so, again, I’m just here to help the team whatever way I can, and I think with the Knicks it was more doing stuff differently.” He’s averaging 9.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 24.8 minutes per game this season.
- Timberwolves two-way player Zyon Pullin has been named the NBA G League Player of the Week, the league announced (via Twitter). The award covers games played from March 23-28. In two games, Pullin averaged 37.5 points and 5.5 assists while making 75 percent of his three-point attempts. The undrafted 25-year-old has appeared in just two games for Minnesota this season.
- The Nuggets got some good news on the injury front, Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette reports. After missing Sunday’s win over the Warriors due to a calf issue, starting power forward Aaron Gordon returned to practice Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s game in Utah. “’AG’ looked good today. His comfort level seemed like it was in a good place with the calf. I’m hoping he’ll play (Wednesday),” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. Cameron Johnson, who left Sunday’s game with back spasms, also practiced. “They just kind of popped up on me, maybe after a little bit of contact or something,” Johnson said. “I’m fine now, though. It goes away.”