Central Notes: Cavs, Mitchell, Suder, Pacers, Pistons
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman doesn’t think the roster needs major changes after his team got swept by New York in the conference finals, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“Everybody is aligned in where we want to get to,“ Altman said. ”We all know we need to dig deep to take that next step. I always say two things can be true. We hated the way it ended. We were disappointed with the way it ended. I think the reason for that is we have higher expectations. … We believe in the players that we have in house. It’s been a long road to get here. It’s been five years of sustained success, and we’re still doing this [gradually improving], but we have to figure out how we break through it one more time, and that’s going to be the most difficult step.”
How they make that step is up for discussion among the front office.
“Over the last five years, we’ve retooled this roster, added to this roster. We’ve looked internally. We’ve grown internally. We’re operating at a position of real strength in terms of our foundation,” he said. “And I think those discussions happen now. Do we have enough? Do we add around the edges? This is certainly not a place where we’re like, ‘We need to blow this up and start again.’ That’s certainly not where we’re at. But those discussions will happen. But certainly, internally right now, there’s more that we have that we can get to.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- In the last installment of his Andscape diary via Marc J. Spears, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell admits that getting swept was a difficult way to go out this season. “It was a very painful ending. To go out like that, you try to put on a smile and try to move past it,” he said. “It’ll take a little bit. The worst part about it is just the sweep. We had an opportunity, right? It was right there. I’m saying we go ahead and win the series. Whatever happens, happens. But when you have an opportunity, man, and you watch it go past, that’s killer. And at the end with the 35-, whatever it was, point loss. That s‑‑t, I don’t really know how else to describe it. But that’s one of the things. It don’t matter all the success we’ve had. Yeah, it’s great. But when you lose like that, it’s tough.”
- Peter Suder, who hails from Carmel, Ind., visited the Pacers‘ practice facility for a draft workout on Thursday. Suder averaged 14.8 points and 4.0 assists for Miami (Ohio) last season. “It’s definitely surreal,” Suder said to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “(Growing up) 30 minutes away from this facility, it’s just crazy. It’s always been a dream growing up, especially being an Indiana fan, a Pacers fan. All my friends, family back at home, they’re all rooting for me to go to the Pacers, so it’s just a surreal feeling.” Indiana currently doesn’t have a pick in the draft, but is doing its due diligence on the 2026 class.
- Kevin Huerter is the only significant Pistons free agent who is likely to leave, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press predicts. He believes the team will reach agreements with restricted free agent Jalen Duren, as well as unrestricted free agents Tobias Harris and Javonte Green, and will exercise its option on Daniss Jenkins‘ contract.
Free Agent Rumors: Duren, Kessler, Reaves, Dosunmu, More
Jalen Duren of the Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Jazz will be two of the top centers on the free agent market this offseason, but both will be restricted and the expectation is that they’ll remain with their current clubs, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Duren looked headed for a potential maximum-salary contract after a regular season breakout that saw him earn a spot on the All-NBA third team and rank second in Most Improved Player voting. An underwhelming postseason showing may have hurt his earning potential a little, according to Bontemps, but scouts and executives consider him likely to get a new deal that approaches $40MM per year.
“If he wants to get a max, they’ll tell him to go get one,” one Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps. “But he’s Cade (Cunningham)‘s guy, so they’ll have to play it the right way.”
Meanwhile, the Jazz added Jaren Jackson Jr. to their frontcourt during the season, but neither he nor Lauri Markkanen is expected to play the majority of his minutes at center, so Kessler remains an important part of the future in Utah. The belief around the league is that he’ll be able to negotiate a contract worth in the neighborhood of $25-30MM annually, Bontemps says.
“It appears Utah is gearing up to keep him,” an East scout told ESPN. “I don’t see an obvious fit in free agency for someone to try to get him. They’re going to be in an interesting spot next season, and I’m excited to see how they navigate all of it.”
Here are a few more notes and rumors on some of this summer’s top free agents:
- Scouts and executives who spoke to ESPN don’t expect Austin Reaves to get his full max (roughly $239MM over five years) from the Lakers, but they wouldn’t be surprised if he receives $40MM per year. “I’d be pretty surprised if the first year (salary) starts with a three instead of a four,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “but the Lakers need to keep him, and by all accounts he wants to be there, so I think they make it work.” The Nets, one of the few teams with the cap room necessary to make a run at a player like Reaves, is considered a rival suitor to monitor, sources tell Bontemps.
- Sources around the NBA believe guard Ayo Dosunmu will re-sign with the Timberwolves on a deal worth a little more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM), though that may require the team to part with injured guard Donte DiVincenzo to avoid going too deep into tax/apron territory, Bontemps notes.
- Rival scouts and executives would be surprised if the Knicks let unrestricted free agents Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet get away, especially if they win a title. “You have to bring (Robinson) back,” an East executive said. “If they win the Finals, they’re not losing anybody. And, even if they don’t, I don’t see how they let him walk.” Both players are candidates for two-year deals, since New York projects to operate above the second tax apron for the next couple years anyway, Bontemps observes.
- Trail Blazers center Robert Williams is expected to generate significant interest after his healthiest season in years, given how much teams are valuing size, Bontemps writes, adding that the range for his starting salary may be in the vicinity of $10-15MM. “The injury history will scare a lot of teams off,” a Western Conference executive said. “But when he plays, he’s good. You just can’t expect him to start for you because he won’t be on the court if you play him that many minutes. He’ll be good value if — a huge if — he can stay on the floor.”
- While Peyton Watson‘s recurring hamstring issues this past season are a concern, the expectation is that the Nuggets will find a way to give him a new contract in the $20-25MM range in restricted free agency, per Bontemps. “They could easily just pay him and pay the tax, but we know how the Kroenkes operate,” a West scout said. “That means sending out either (Cameron) Johnson or (Christian) Braun, and I don’t know where that lands. The injury stuff is a concern, but so is how they struggled without him.”
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-NBA Teams
The league has officially announced its three All-NBA teams, recognizing the top performers for the 2025/26 season (all Twitter links).
A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.
This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows (each player’s point total is noted in parentheses):
First Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (500 points)- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (500)
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (498)
- Luka Doncic, Lakers (482)
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons (414)
Second Team
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (384)
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (277)
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (276)
- Kevin Durant, Rockets (241)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (197)
Third Team
- Tyrese Maxey, Sixers (168)
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets (149)
- Jalen Johnson, Hawks (125)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons (121)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (87)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, this season’s Most Valuable Player and runner-up, respectively, were the only unanimous first-teamers, with Wembanyama coming a single vote away — he had one Second Team vote to go along with 99 First Team votes.
Doncic and Cunningham each technically fell short of meeting the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for All-NBA and other major awards, but they appealed that ruling and were deemed award-eligible by the league. Doncic would have met the criteria if he hadn’t missed time due to the birth of a child, while Cunningham fell short after suffering a collapsed lung, so both players were granted “extraordinary circumstances” exceptions.
Notably, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played 61 games, also applied for an extraordinary circumstances exception. However, his request was denied, so his name didn’t show up on award ballots even though he likely would’ve been voted onto an All-NBA team if voters could’ve selected him. Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James – who had made 21 consecutive All-NBA teams – were among the other superstars who didn’t meet the 65-game criteria.
Outside of the 15 players who made All-NBA teams, another dozen players showed up on at least one ballot, starting with Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who had 26 voting points (Twitter link).
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points), Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (9), Cavaliers guard James Harden (6), Rockets center Alperen Sengun (6), Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (5), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5), Heat big man Bam Adebayo (4), and Celtics guard Derrick White (3) all earned multiple votes, while Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley earned one Third Team vote apiece.
As usual, there are also financial implications worth noting related to the All-NBA teams. First and foremost, Duren will now be eligible to sign a contract with the Pistons that starts at up to 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap as a restricted free agent this summer. That means he could earn up to a projected $287.1MM over five years.
If he hadn’t made All-NBA, Duren’s maximum five-year contract with Detroit would’ve been worth a projected $239.3MM. Either way, the most a rival team can offer him is four years and $177.4MM.
Maxey and Cunningham are on their way to meeting the super-max (ie. Designated Veteran) criteria but would need to earn All-NBA honors again in 2027 to become eligible for maximum-salary extensions worth up to 35% of the cap instead of 30%.
Wembanyama is in a similar boat — despite making the All-NBA First Team and being named Defensive Player of the Year, he would need to achieve one of those feats again in 2027 in order to increase the maximum value of his next contract from 25% to the cap to 30% via the Rose rule. Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this offseason and is a lock to do so.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams had Rose rule language in their maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, which were signed last offseason and will go into effect this July. They could’ve increased their respective starting salaries beyond 25% of the cap if they’d made an All-NBA team, but neither player did.
Interestingly, the maximum-salary rookie scale extension that the Thunder negotiated with Holmgren in 2025 did not include a Rose rule escalator, so the projected value of the big man’s contract (five years, $239.3MM) remains unchanged even though he earned a spot on the Third Team. It’ll go into effect this year and will be identical to Williams’ deal.
Finally, Edwards would have become eligible to sign a super-max extension with the Timberwolves during the 2027 offseason if he had been named to an All-NBA team this season. Because he didn’t qualify, he’ll need to make All-NBA next season in order to meet the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.
And-Ones: Wemby’s Impact, FAs, World Cup Qualifiers, Okobo
Rival teams are watching what Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are doing in this postseason with interest and trepidation, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick details, front offices around the NBA – recognizing that Wembanyama will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come – are thinking hard about ways to combat him.
“Teams will definitely have to start figuring out, ‘How do we get through this guy?'” an Eastern Conference executive said. “So you look at it, and it’s like, ‘What do we need? How do we build our team to get better to compete against (Wembanyama and the Spurs)?’ Trust me, it’s on everybody’s mind. Teams will try to find ways that they can build a roster out to beat the Spurs, just like they are to beat OKC.”
That executive pointed to Utah’s mid-season acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. as a move that may have been made with Wembanyama in mind, since the Jazz now have three athletic frontcourt players – Jackson, Walker Kessler, and Lauri Markkanen – to throw at the Spurs star. That same exec also suggested that a prospect like 7’3″ Michigan center Aday Mara could see his draft stock rise as teams seek players capable of slowing down Wembanyama.
Wembanyama’s impact could even have a ripple effect on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s trade value this offseason, as one Western Conference executive told Amick: “Giannis is a matchup solution for Wemby, so I could definitely see teams factoring that in when they’re discussing trading for him.”
Still, there’s no obvious answer for stopping this sort of unique player who looks capable of becoming one of the league’s all-time greats.
“He’s a problem from inside the half court, and there’s just no one like that,” an exec said to Amick with a laugh. “At least Shaq was human in the sense that you needed three centers to bang with him. You’ve got 18 fouls (to work with). Maybe one was skilled, and the other two could hold him up while the other guys get rest. But there’s no archetype like (Wembanyama) — no player ever. It’s a problem, and it’s going to be a problem for 15 years.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks takes a closer look at 20 of this summer’s top free agents, breaking down what sort of contract he’d offer each player. Marks’ hypothetical offers include five years and $180MM for Pistons center Jalen Duren, four years and $155MM for Lakers guard Austin Reaves, three years and $130MM for Wizards guard Trae Young, and two years and $40MM for Warriors forward Draymond Green.
- Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Wizards big man Alex Sarr, and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher are among the players included on France’s preliminary roster for this July’s FIBA World Cup qualifying games (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Serbian head coach Dusan Alimpijevic told Mozzart Sport that Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is expected to suit up for the Serbian national team during both World Cup qualifying windows this offseason, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays.
- Former NBA guard Elie Okobo has been named the Most Valuable Player of France’s top basketball league (LNB Elite), Askounis writes for Eurohoops. Okobo, who appeared in 108 regular season games for Phoenix from 2018-20, averaged 16.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game with an outstanding .621/.506/.883 shooting line in 24 domestic league games for AS Monaco in 2025/26.
- Kevin Sweeney of SI.com explores how new eligibility requirement guidance distributed by the NCAA could impact international players looking to play college basketball going forward.
Pistons’ Langdon Hopeful Of Re-Signing Duren, Extending Thompson
Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said on Tuesday he’s hopeful of signing both Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson to long-term deals this offseason, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Duren will be a restricted free agent, while Thompson will be eligible for a rookie scale extension.
Duren gained All-Star status for the East’s No. 1 seed but struggled during the postseason and at times was benched in the second half in favor of Paul Reed. Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game during the regular season. He averaged 10.2 PPG and 8.5 RPG in 30.1 MPG during 14 postseason contests.
“First of all, J.D. had a fantastic season,” Langdon said. “All-Star, one of the biggest contributors to us being a No. 1 seed. Darn near 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. An incredible year and an incredible leap from last year to this year because of the work that he put in last summer and his focus. I have no doubt that we’ll put a plan together and he’ll attack it this summer, just like he did last summer, and he’ll come back a better player from his experience, not only during the regular season but also in the postseason just like all of our guys will. We look forward to coming together with his representative and getting a deal done, and for him to continue to be a Piston.”
The Pistons can give Duren a five-year, maximum-salary deal, though it seems likely that their offer will come in lower than that unless a rival suitor forces their hand. If the big man signs a offer sheet from another team, Detroit would be forced to decide whether to match it.
Reaching agreements with Duren and Thompson and still finding ways to upgrade the team’s offense will be tricky for Langdon. Both of those starters have offensive shortcomings.
“JD and AT will be expensive and once that happens, the optionality decreases,” Langdon said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “But right now, we have some things we can look at and we’ll look at everything and determine what things we can execute on to make us better. What things are the best path to go down now, not only for next year but building forward. This isn’t a one-year thing. The thing I’ve always said is sustainability in terms of being competitive. We have to keep that in mind, as well.”
Langdon chose not to make any major changes at the trade deadline. He’s also hesitant to read too much into the team’s Game 7 flop against Cleveland in the conference semifinals on Sunday.
“We’ll do a deep dive into what we feel made us successful and where we feel we came up a little short,” Langdon said. “A lot of people are looking at one game. If we would’ve won one game, you can’t say we’re going to play into one game of success, either. One game winning or losing can’t define how you’re going to move forward. We’ll take a holistic view of the roster. We’re still super young.”
Langdon wouldn’t commit to making a bold trade to improve the club. It’s no secret that the team could use a reliable secondary scorer and play-maker to ease the pressure off franchise player Cade Cunningham.
“I wish I was clairvoyant. I think so. You’re always going to iterate your team a little bit every year to get better. That’s the goal – to be a championship contender,” Langdon said. “We didn’t think it would come this fast. These questions about being a championship contender after year two. Two years ago when I took the job, nobody in here thought I’d be getting questions about championship contender two years after. Skipping steps, we don’t want to do that. And I don’t think we have.”
Retaining Tobias Harris, who will be 34 next season, is a possibility, but the veteran forward would likely have to take a pay cut from the $26.6MM he earned this season.
“Tobias has been great,” Langdon said. “We appreciate everything he’s brought. We hope we can bring him back. He’s somebody we’d love to put in a Pistons uniform.”
Pistons Notes: Game 6 Win, Bench, Duren, Cunningham
The Pistons shook off their Game 5 collapse with a convincing road victory in Cleveland on Friday night, forcing a decisive Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday night. It’s the fourth time this postseason the Pistons have delivered in an elimination game.
“They just don’t quit,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his team, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “The resolve that they have, the belief that they have in one another. They just have the ability to bounce back mentally where they don’t hang on to things.”
The Pistons pulled away by holding the Cavaliers to 29% shooting in the second half and 39% overall.
“I just think you got to look at the backgrounds of this group,” guard Daniss Jenkins said. “I’m not supposed to be in this position according to everybody in the league. I just think we’re special. We just want to defy all the odds. We not taking [anything] from [anybody]. We know it’s us against the world.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Reserves Marcus Sasser, Paul Reed and Caris LeVert delivered in dynamite fashion in Game 6, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes. They combined for 34 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Sasser, who had been out of the rotation, played 18 minutes and Detroit outscored Cleveland by 27 points during his court time. “That was the plan,” Bickerstaff said. “We have so much depth. Obviously, foul trouble changed a couple of things for us, but we just trust these guys and trust the depth that we have and that they can go out and make an impact. Guys like Sass, in the two years we’ve been here, has proven that when his number’s called, he’s prepared and he goes out and can give us buckets, defend at a high level. I thought he was great tonight. Up and down the roster, I thought we had great production, great intensity.”
- All-Star center Jalen Duren, the subject of heavy criticism during this postseason, posted a double-double in Game 6 with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He added three blocks, equaling his total from the first five games of the series. “My confidence never wavered in myself. I know what I can do. I know what I can be and try to keep it rolling,” Duren said, per Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. “I’m playing my best basketball when I’m being assertive and picking my spots. I think early on I was just getting a groove.”
- The Pistons are looking forward to having a raucous atmosphere for Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena, Cade Cunningham told Bob Wojnarowski of the Detroit News. “It’s gonna be a madhouse in there, the crowd’s gonna come to play as well,” Cunningham said. “They want to insert themselves in the game, so it’s gonna be a fun environment.”
Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Pistons, Giannis, Kawhi, More
After averaging 22.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game on 67.8% shooting following the All-Star break, Pistons center Jalen Duren has struggled to make an impact during the postseason. Duren is putting up just 10.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG through 12 playoff games and was benched in the fourth quarter and overtime of Detroit’s Game 5 loss on Wednesday in favor of Paul Reed.
Duren’s poor postseason play has the potential to complicate his contract negotiations with the Pistons when he reaches restricted free agency this summer, notes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“He’s not a max player, but they’re probably going to have to give him the max,” one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “Because now teams (with cap room) like Chicago or Brooklyn might see him as someone they could get with a max offer sheet and Detroit will have to match. With the new apron rules, it might come back to bite (the Pistons), and it’s just another example of how the CBA crushes team building.”
The Pistons will also face a tricky negotiation this offseason with wing Ausar Thompson, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension ahead of his fourth NBA season. Thompson is a defensive dynamo but remains a very limited offensive player who made six three-pointers all season and converted just 57.1% of his free throws. Like Duren, he has been benched in some clutch-time situations during the postseason.
Still, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, some league insiders he spoke to about Thompson predicted the Defensive Player of the Year finalist could command an extension in the range of $25MM per year, the same average annual salary that Dyson Daniels (four years, $100MM) and Christian Braun (five years, $125MM) got on their rookie scale extensions last fall.
Here’s more league-wide chatter from Windhorst and Bontemps:
- While there have been a few false alarms on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, there’s a growing belief around the NBA that the Bucks will actually trade their two-time MVP this offseason, Bontemps reports. “It just feels like they’re done with the circus, more than anything,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “They seem to want a clean break and to move on.”
- Most sources who spoke to Bontemps at this week’s draft combine in Chicago about the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard believe the team should retain its star forward as he enters the final year of his current contract. However, not everyone agreed on whether or not to extend him — one scout pointed out that Leonard “clearly” wants to be in L.A. and argued the club should be no rush to lock him up, while another expressed that an extension is the right move as long as the terms “make sense for the team.” One Eastern Conference executive also suggested to Windhorst that Leonard could have significant trade value if the Clippers are willing to make him available: “Every day you hear about what’s going to happen with Giannis, but everyone ignores that Kawhi has been better and healthier over the last two seasons. If you had a chance to acquire one or the other, I might go Kawhi.”
- Despite the fact that the Sixers have a pair of pricey multiyear contracts on their books for injury-prone veterans Joel Embiid and Paul George, their head of basketball operations job is viewed as “enticing” due to the Tyrese Maxey/VJ Edgecombe backcourt duo, several executives told Windhorst at the combine.
- The general consensus at the combine was that returning to the Lakers is the most likely outcome for LeBron James this summer, since it’s “hard to fit him anywhere” else, as one Western Conference scout told Bontemps. An East executive who spoke to Windhorst indicated he’d be willing to pay James whatever he wanted on a one-year deal if he were running the Lakers. “Give him the no-trade clause,” the exec said. “Everything (Lakers owner Mark) Walter has done so far has been about good business. LeBron sells tickets. He keeps the (local) TV partner happy. Re-signing LeBron is good business.”
Central Notes: Mitchell, Mobley, Duren, Edens
Star guard Donovan Mitchell made just 1-of-8 shots for four points in the first half of Game 4 on Monday as the Cavaliers faced a four-point deficit at halftime. However, Mitchell turned things around in a major way after the intermission, scoring 21 third-quarter points and leading Cleveland on a 22-0 run to open the second half, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
Mitchell added 18 more points in the fourth quarter for a total of 39 in the second half, tying Sleepy Floyd‘s playoff record for a single half. After the game, the Cavs veteran attributed his success in the last two quarters to “everybody having my back” after he struggled earlier in the night.
“They continued to understand that, hey, this is what you do,” Mitchell said. “They’re not really tripping on the fact that I started out one-of-whatever, so I think that helps.”
Mitchell had an opportunity to break Floyd’s record at the free throw line in the game’s final minute, but he made just one of two attempts and finished tied with the former Warriors guard. After the victory, Mitchell made it clear he wasn’t bothered by not being able to claim the record for himself.
“We won the game and we’re 2-2 going to Detroit,” Mitchell said. “Everybody let me know that I missed the free throw to break the record though. I will say that. But we’re 2-2 headed to Detroit. That was what we came home to do and that’s all that matters.”
We have more from out of the Central:
- While Mitchell was the star on offense for the Cavaliers in Game 4, head coach Kenny Atkinson was eager to heap praise on former Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley after the victory, as Fedor writes in another Cleveland.com story (subscription required). Mobley has faced some criticism in the postseason, especially after grabbing just one rebound in Cleveland’s Game 2 loss, but Atkinson has insisted that the big man’s impact goes well beyond the box score. “Evan Mobley was phenomenal,” the Cavs’ coach said on Monday. “That was the Defensive Player of the Year right there. I don’t know what the stats say, the traditional stats say, but we know within our locker room how great he’s playing. He affects winning on both ends. We should give a lot of flowers to Evan Mobley for tonight’s performance. Maybe the best I’ve seen him defensively.”
- While Mobley and Jarrett Allen thrived for Cleveland, Pistons center Jalen Duren struggled again in Game 4, registering just eight points and two rebounds. The big man, a restricted free agent this summer, is now averaging 9.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG in the series, and Detroit has been outscored when he’s on the court. “I’ve just gotta be better, man,” Duren said after the loss, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). “I have no excuses. I’m my biggest critic. I know what I’ve gotta do to be able to contribute to our team and our success, and I’m staying on myself about doing that no matter what the case may be. I’ve got great teammates, a great coaching staff. I know that as a group we’re going to come back stronger, I have no doubt about it.”
- Bucks co-owner Wes Edens is the victim of an alleged $1 billion extortion scheme, according to reports from James Fanelli and Corinne Ramey of The Wall Street Journal and Steven Martinez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Changli “Sophia” Luo faces federal blackmail and extortion charges after threatening to publicize explicit videos and photos of her and Edens after a brief affair. A spokesperson for Edens said the Bucks governor “expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”
Pistons Notes: Bickerstaff, Duren, Jenkins, Game 1
The Pistons were the worst team in the league when J.B. Bickerstaff was hired as the head coach. In just two seasons, they have become a formidable force in the East, winning 60 regular season games and finishing as the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Much of the credit for that success goes to the players, especially Cade Cunningham, who catapulted himself into MVP conversations this season, but Bickerstaff’s approach and emphasis on playing with maximum effort and tenacity have been a massive part of setting the team’s identity, Hunter Patterson writes for The Athletic.
Beyond his grit-and-grind mentality, what makes Bickerstaff special is how he approaches his relationship with the team, as Patterson relays.
“Everybody feels like they can call him to talk about if they have problems with their girlfriend or if they need something for their kids,” Cunningham said. “He’s just a very selfless and supportive person. Having somebody like that who cares about you on the court and wants you to be great on the court, but then also actually cares about your life and your well-being off the court is huge.”
Bickerstaff was previously the coach of the Cavaliers, but he’s not bringing any baggage from his dismissal to this series, Chris Fedor writes for Cleveland.com (subscriber link). However, that doesn’t mean that his added familiarity with many of the players isn’t helpful when it comes to game planning.
“I just … I spent a lot of time with those guys,” he said, smiling.
We have more Pistons notes:
- After a rough first round against the Magic, in Game 1 against the Cavaliers, Jalen Duren once again looked like the star big man he has been all season, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Whether crashing the offensive boards, making momentum-building defensive plays, or hitting timely dunks, Duren made it hard for Cleveland’s big men to get comfortable on Tuesday. He said that one thing he learned in the series against Orlando was how much he can impact a game when the offense isn’t clicking, writes Larry Lage of the Associated Press. “My value is on the defensive end,” he said. “My value is crashing the glass. It doesn’t always have to be scoring for me.”
- Daniss Jenkins‘ breakout season has carried over into the playoffs, when he’s been asked to play major minutes in high-leverage situations, including 29 minutes in Game 1 against Cleveland. He repaid that confidence by scoring six points and adding three rebounds and a steal in the final three-and-a-half minutes of the game, Lage writes. It’s the latest accomplishment in a season full of them for the former undrafted free agent, who was on a two-way contract until February. “He’s been building for it all year,” teammate Duncan Robinson said. “His journey is unique, and it takes somebody with a special will and character to have that story. He has unshakeable confidence for someone who’s been overlooked his whole career, and he just wears it as a chip.”
- Bickerstaff believes that having to win three games in a row to advance past the first round helped the Pistons learn what it takes to survive in the playoffs, ESPN’s Jamal Collier writes. “You understand how to close and how to finish. How to get to your spots,” he said. “Then you grow belief that you can. That series did a lot of that for us.”
Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Celtics, Harden, Towns, Duren
Celtics big man Neemias Queta enjoyed a breakout year in an increased role in 2025/26, making 75 starts in the middle and averaging new career highs in points (10.2), rebounds (8.4), assists (1.7), and blocks (1.3) per game while finishing fourth in Most Improved Player voting. Still, center is considered a position Boston will look to upgrade this summer, sources tell Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“Can Queta get you through 82 (games)?” one Western Conference scout said to ESPN. “Yes, but can he patchwork it through the playoffs? I think he keeps getting better, but there’s a ceiling. They have to get a higher-level center if they want to be considered serious contenders.”
The question is how the Celtics might be able to acquire a starting-caliber center after having moved so many of their larger, most tradable contracts last offseason. While the team should have some form of mid-level exception available, it’s not easy to add an impact free agent with that exception, especially since there’s no guarantee Boston will have access to the full non-taxpayer version of the MLE.
Here are a few more items of interest from Bontemps and Windhorst:
- Given their cap/apron situation, the Cavaliers will be incentivized to negotiate a new multiyear deal with James Harden that lowers his cap hit for 2026/27 rather than simply having him pick up his $42.3MM player option, Bontemps and Windhorst observe. “(That is the) best path to get under the apron without materially salary dumping,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “The Cavs will pay him more than he could get in free agency. They’ll probably work something out.” Sources tell ESPN that Harden and Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson have established a strong working relationship.
- Karl-Anthony Towns technically has two years left on his contract after this season, but 2027/28 is a player option, so the Knicks big man looks like a prime offseason extension candidate. A deal could hinge on how the rest of New York’s playoff run goes, but Towns had another All-Star season in 2025/26 and has been excellent so far in the postseason. “They’re probably in a spot with KAT that they should either extend him or look to trade him,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “If this playoff run convinces everyone this is a good fit, maybe they can get him to take a little discount off his max like (Jalen) Brunson did and help them keep the core together.”
- Earning an All-NBA spot this spring would make Jalen Duren eligible for a Rose Rule contract worth up to 30% of the salary cap (instead of 25%), but Bontemps and Windhorst suggest the Pistons will probably be reluctant to go that high for the All-Star center. One Western Conference executive who spoke to ESPN speculated that Duren might not even get a standard (25%) max deal, pointing to an average annual salary around $35MM as a figure that might work. “What’s a number that could leave both sides uncomfortable?” that exec said. “That might be what it takes to ultimately get a deal done.”