Spurs Notes: Wemby, Champagnie, K. Johnson, Sochan, Bryant
Victor Wembanyama helped lead the Spurs to a victory on Saturday in Boston, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The star big man scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half and hit a couple of key jump shots late in the game to seal the victory.
“My mindset was just we have to close out that game,” Wembanyama said. “I think too often, I mean it’s easier said than done, but too often we do lots of efforts and let it go to waste one way or the other. So, I felt like not letting that happen.”
Wembanyama has come off the bench for the past three games since a knee injury caused him to miss two consecutive contests. The 22-year-old center indicated that he’s close to returning to the starting lineup, Orsborn notes.
“The goal is to start soon and to keep it that way for the rest of the season,” Wembanyama said.
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama praised Julian Champagnie following Saturday’s victory, Orsborn adds. Champagnie has been starting in place of Devin Vassell, who is out with a left adductor strain. The 24-year-old wing delivered his fifth double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) on Saturday and blocked a Derrick White three-point attempt in the closing seconds. “We trust him,” Wembanyama said of Champagnie. “The front office, the coaching staff, everybody believes in him and he’s just capitalizing on that. It’s like we can’t do without him now. He’s part of this. He’s indispensable.”
- Keldon Johnson has become one of the top bench players in the NBA, but it’s a role he was initially reluctant to accept after once being a full-time starter, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “If I was to say it’s easy, I would be lying,” Johnson said. “As a young player, you have some success early on, you score a lot of points in the NBA, it takes a lot to sit back and take your ego away from it and say, ‘OK what do I need to do to be able to contribute to this team now?’” Johnson, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday, is having the most efficient offensive season of his career. “It would be hard for him not to at least be in the (Sixth Man of the Year) conversation,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s been phenomenal and he’s been consistent. He’s been a mainstay. It’s every night with that guy.”
- Fourth-year forward Jeremy Sochan downplayed a post-game incident on Wednesday in which Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt poked him in the face, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com relays. “I must’ve said something to him during the game, and maybe it wasn’t very nice,” Sochan said. “He must have taken it in the wrong way and told me to see him after the game. So, I did. And we just had a polite exchange. I was, I think, intact and very joyful and the other person wasn’t. Yeah, he just wasn’t emotionally stable in that moment. So, it’s something he has to work on. It’s just life.”
- Late lottery pick Carter Bryant was assigned to the G League on Friday and played 28 minutes with the Austin Spurs, recording 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes, prior to being recalled on Saturday. According to Orsborn, coach Johnson said the rookie forward won’t be sent down on a regular basis. “That was the most minutes I have played since my senior year at high school, so it was a great opportunity for me to get some live reps, to see the ball go through basket a little bit,” said Bryant. “That’s the biggest thing in the game of basketball. If your confidence is lacking, it’s going to be hard for you to play no matter how good you are.”
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Jones, Sengun, Wemby, K. Johnson
Zion Williamson scored a season-high 35 points on Friday against Portland but the shorthanded Pelicans dropped their sixth straight game, writes Lee East of NOLA.com.
“He looks great,” head coach James Borrego said of Williamson, who has notched 30-plus points in three straight contests, matching a career high. “His spirit is right. His mind is right. He’s fresh, he’s aggressive. He’s really confident right now. It’s as well as I think he’s played in a while. I’ve seen this before, but in the recent history this is probably the best. Mentally and physically he looks really strong.”
The Pelicans were down four key rotation players, with Herbert Jones (right ankle sprain), Trey Murphy III (lower back soreness), Derik Queen (left quad contusion) and Saddiq Bey (right hip flexor strain) all sidelined.
Jones will miss his seventh straight game Sunday in Miami, per the league’s official injury report, while Bey will be out for the second time in a row. Both Murphy – whose injury designation has changed to low back spasms – and Queen are questionable to suit up against the Heat.
New Orleans’ losing streak directly correlates to Jones’ absence and that’s not a coincidence, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Since Borrego took over as interim head coach, the Pelicans are 5-5 with Jones in the lineup and 1-13 when their top defensive player has been unavailable, Walker notes.
“One guy left the lineup, Herb Jones,” Borrego said. “He’s incredible. But that doesn’t excuse our defense. If we’ve got to get Herb back to hold people under 130, that’s unacceptable.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun suffered a lateral right ankle sprain just over a minute into Saturday’s game at Dallas and was ruled out for the remainder of the eventual loss, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. The Turkish big man, who made his first All-Star appearance last season, recently returned from a left soleus (calf) strain. Backup center Steven Adams was also out for a second consecutive game due to his own right ankle sprain, MacMahon adds.
- While Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (hyperextended left knee) missed his second straight game Saturday vs. Portland, head coach Mitch Johnson expects the star big man to travel to Memphis for Tuesday’s matchup with the Grizzlies, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. That doesn’t necessarily mean Wembanyama will play Tuesday, but it’s certainly an encouraging sign. “[He’s] looking really good,” Johnson said, per Orsborn.
- Spurs forward Keldon Johnson is beloved for the levity he brings to the locker room and the contagious energy he provides when he’s cheering on his teammates, as Jared Weiss details for The Athletic. Johnson is the standard-bearer of San Antonio’s culture. “We got a lot of big personalities, and we got a face of the franchise,” coach Mitch Johnson said, “but that guy’s the heart and soul of the team.”
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Fox, OKC Rivalry, K. Johnson
The Spurs are looking like title contenders after posting their third win of the season over Oklahoma City, but the exuberance won’t change their plans with Victor Wembanyama‘s recovery from a left calf strain, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only story. Wembanyama has been on a minutes restriction since returning from the injury, which sidelined him for 12 games. He has come off the bench in all seven games during that stretch and put up 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes in Thursday’s victory over the defending champs.
“I don’t know when it becomes unrestricted, but his minutes will be mindful for dot, dot, dot,” coach Mitch Johnson told reporters before the game. “There’s nothing that’s going to make us flinch or change on that. If this game goes into triple overtime, he will not be in the game. There’s no circumstances that will allow us to get outside of ourselves with that regard.”
Johnson added that Wembanyama agrees that the gradual ramp-up is in his best interest. He wasn’t able to play after the All-Star break last season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, and he wants to be available this year as San Antonio looks capable of making a long playoff run.
“Again, the emotions, the excitement, the circumstances of being in a Cup game, playing on Christmas, playing a big-time team, having a couple wins in a row, none of that is going to allow us or dictate to us in terms of the big picture of what we want for that young man and for this team,” Johnson said. “And so when you look at the injury and what history tells us in terms of being mindful of bringing a guy, a player back from that, and you look at his unique anatomy and all the things we want to accomplish, not today, not this year, but years to come, there’s nothing worth sacrificing or risking his long-term health and his long-term growth.”
There’s more on the Spurs:
- De’Aaron Fox was able to get the shots he wanted against the league’s best defense and helped the Spurs get off to a strong start by scoring 21 of his 29 points in the first half, Orsborn adds. Fox was determined to make an impression in his first appearance in the NBA’s holiday showcase. “This being my first Christmas game, I just wanted to have a good game and come out with a win,” he said. “We did that, and we did it from the jump outside of the first couple of possessions. I think we were really good throughout the course of the game.”
- The Spurs and Thunder both cited a playoff atmosphere as they met for the third time in less than two weeks, per Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press. OKC fell to 26-5, and according to ESPN, it’s the first time since the 1966/67 season that three of a team’s first five losses have come against the same opponent. With so many games left to play, Wembanyama was reluctant to say that Thursday’s outcome made a statement. “Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t,” he said. “But we’re focused on the rest of the season. It’s very long. We’re not even halfway through, so I’m not really sure it’s, I don’t know the word — I’m not really sure it’s smart to think so far into the future.”
- Thursday marked Keldon Johnson‘s 400th game with the Spurs, Orsborn notes in a separate story. Johnson also rec0rded his 25th career game with 20 or more points off the bench. “That’s my job,” he said. “I take pride in doing what my team needs me to do. And for me, it’s being an energy guy, being a leader, being whatever, being adaptable to whatever role I need to be in for my team to be successful. And I put my teammates first. I put my team first.”
Southwest Notes: Queen, Poole, Rockets, Morant, K. Johnson
Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has heard the criticisms of his decision to trade an unprotected 2026 first-round pick (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s selections) in order to move up from No. 23 to No. 13 in the 2025 draft to nab Derik Queen. In fact, Dumars says he “gets it,” telling Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN that “so much of today’s NBA narrative is around (draft) picks.”
However, the Pelicans’ top basketball executive has no regrets about that deal, since it allowed the team to leave the draft with both Jeremiah Fears and Queen, two prospects the front office badly wanted, rather than having to decide between them at No. 7.
“We looked at the lottery this year and said, ‘Wow, it’d be great if we could get both of those guys, and it may cost us,'” Dumars said. “But if you truly believe they can be foundational pieces for your success long term, then we’ll do what we have to do. It simply came down to we have this guard that we really, really love and this young big that we really, really love. Let’s go for it. I know we paid a big price for it, but it’s not like we’re unhappy with what we got. We like what we have as foundational pieces for the long term here.”
As we noted earlier this week, while the 3-22 Pelicans look increasingly likely to convey a high 2026 draft pick to Atlanta as a result of that draft-night trade, Queen’s performance in recent weeks, including a 33-point double-double on Monday, has shown there’s reason to believe the deal can work out for both teams.
“I know it probably weighs on his mind and on (Queen’s) shoulders a lot,” Fears said of the reaction to the trade. “As long as he knows what he can bring to the table and proves it every single time, there’s not really much you can say. He’s going to continue to prove to Joe D, to prove to everybody else that (Dumars) made the right decision.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Jordan Poole, who has missed the Pelicans‘ past 18 games due to a left quad strain, has a chance to play on Thursday for the first time since November 4. The veteran guard has been upgraded to questionable for New Orleans’ game against Portland, per the team. Poole started four of the club’s first seven contests before going down with that quad injury.
- Even though they lost starting point guard Fred VanVleet to an ACL tear before the season, the Rockets aren’t interested in pursuing Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, league sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. Houston has the NBA’s fourth-best offense this season with Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Aaron Holiday running the point.
- He has become somewhat overlooked in San Antonio as the Spurs added top-five picks Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper to their roster in recent years, but Keldon Johnson is routinely described by people within the organization as the heart of the team, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Johnson, who had 17 points in the Spurs’ NBA Cup quarterfinal win over the Lakers on Wednesday, has scored double-digit points in 20 of 24 games this season despite coming off the bench in each one of those contests. “He puts his body in harm’s way for the betterment of the team every game,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “We got a lot of big personalities, and we got a face of the franchise, but that guy’s the heart and soul of the team, and I think you can see it when you watch this team long enough.”
Spurs Notes: Fox, Wembanyama, Kornet, Olynyk
The Spurs have won back-to-back games since Victor Wembanyama went down with a calf strain, pulling out a 10-point victory over Memphis on Tuesday despite also missing reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle due to a hip flexor strain. As Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes (subscription required), De’Aaron Fox led the way with a team-high 26 points, but San Antonio got important contributions from several less heralded players.
Veteran forward Harrison Barnes scored 23 points; Kelly Olynyk was a +15 in 19 minutes of action; Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson combined for 26 points and 13 rebounds off the bench; and Luke Kornet, despite going scoreless, played solid defense in his second start in place of Wembanyama.
“We want to play our brand of basketball and try to maintain our same identity no matter who is in,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “It was really good to see so many people help win.”
“No one thought we’d be missing this many guys or two of our top three scorers,” Fox added. “We’ve had a lot of guys that have been in and out of the lineup. You’ve got to continue to get wins. That’s what good teams do.”
Here’s the latest on the 10-4 Spurs:
- The Spurs figure to take a very cautious approach with Wembanyama’s return timeline, according to McDonald (subscription required), who notes that calf strains have become increasingly common across the NBA and have been precursors to Achilles tears in some cases. Even if that worst-case scenario is a rare outcome, rushing back from a minor calf strain can lead to an aggravation that requires a lengthier absence, McDonald writes. “As we’ve seen around this league recently, the calf tightness thing is not something you want to take lightly,” Johnson said. “We don’t want to push it there.”
- San Antonio is better positioned to navigate a Wembanyama injury this season due to the frontcourt depth the front office added in the offseason, including signing Kornet and trading for Olynyk. Writing for the Express-News (subscription required), McDonald examines the impact that duo has had so far and describes how Kornet rejuvenated his career after briefly considering retirement in 2022 during a stint in the G League. “A big perspective (shift) was just realizing if you’re not enjoying your time in the G League, you’ll not enjoy it in the NBA,” Kornet said. “… It was just recommitting to, ‘How do I serve and where do I fit in?’ And just letting that take you wherever you go.”
- After playing only five games together last season, Fox and Wembanyama shared the court for just four games this fall between the time Fox returned from his hamstring strain and Wemby sustained his calf injury. Despite their limited time playing together so far, Fox has bought into the idea of being the Robin to Wembanyama’s Batman, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “It’s very clear we have the face of our franchise and (Fox is) comfortable with that and everyone around him is,” Johnson said. “I think for De’Aaron to be one of the faces of his franchise (in Sacramento) prior to joining our group and wanting to really be here and show that desire, it helps set the tone for everybody else. Because he has been someone who’s been in similar shoes, where he’s been the max guy and the big dog with his group.”
Southwest Notes: Eason, Durant, Poole, Dumars, Johnson
After not reaching an agreement with the Rockets prior to Monday’s deadline for rookie scale extension, forward Tari Eason said on Tuesday that he still wants to be in Houston long-term, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
“Of course,” he said. “I got drafted here. This is home. The brought me in. Since kind of day one, Houston’s been like home and family to me. So of course.”
Eason seemed well positioned to sign an extension after the Rockets worked out a two-year, $90MM deal with Kevin Durant over the weekend that left them projected to be well below the second tax apron in 2026/27. Instead, he’ll look to boost his value with a strong contract year before hitting restricted free agency next summer. He indicated on Tuesday that he’s comfortable with that outcome and hopes to help the Rockets make a deep playoff run before his rookie contract expires.
“It’s business. It’s nothing personal,” Eason said. “I don’t think it really changes my goal. I’m here to try to win a championship with Houston. That’s really my main focus.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Speaking of Durant’s extension, he referred to the decision to sign that contract as a “no-brainer,” according to Lerner (subscription required). “Just talking to (general manager) Rafael (Stone) and (head coach) Ime (Udoka) and how they wanted to build the team, and how I seen myself in this organization, I just thought it was a perfect contract for it,” Durant said. “So I’m glad we can get that out the way, won’t have to worry about external noise throughout the season if I didn’t have a contract signed. So just worry about basketball, and focus on the season.”
- The Pelicans‘ trade for Jordan Poole over the summer was met with somewhat mixed reactions, but the former Warriors and Wizards guard looks like he could be an ideal fit in New Orleans, according to Les East of NOLA.com. Poole appealed to the front office due to his ability to play both on and off the ball and the fact that he’s “obsessed with basketball,” East writes. He also gained championship experience during his time in Golden State. “He won a ring,” teammate Zion Williamson said. “So he knows what it takes to get there and having that experience on this team with him is big for us.”
- In a feature story for Pelicans.com, Jim Eichenhofer looks at Joe Dumars‘ first few months on the job in New Orleans and details why the Hall of Famer was willing to leave his position at the NBA league office to come home and run the Pelicans‘ front office.
- While he has been the subject of some trade speculation in the past, Spurs forward Keldon Johnson continues to solidify his place in San Antonio with each passing year and has become one of the team’s culture bearers, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “His role has evolved numerous times, and he has never wavered in terms of his commitment and enthusiasm to be here,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “I think that speaks more than anything I can say.”
Shams: KD Has ‘No Desire’ To Be Traded To Timberwolves
Appearing on SportsCenter (YouTube link), ESPN’s Shams Charania said Suns star Kevin Durant has no interest in joining the team that is rumored to be the most aggressive in pursuit of him.
“I’m told Durant has no desire to be in Minnesota with the Timberwolves,” Charania said. “So how does that shape how the Minnesota Timberwolves and other teams that could have interest, that are outside of his preferred list, decide how to move forward with these Durant discussions?”
In an NBA Today appearance that included Charania, Brian Windhorst and Marc J. Spears (YouTube link), Charania indicated the Suns have some interest in Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert. Windhorst anticipated that the Timberwolves’ trade offer for Durant could drop if they’re unsure about their ability to sign him to an extension. According to Spears, Durant had the Knicks at the top of his wish list but the Knicks weren’t interested in pursuing him, so the Rockets, Heat and Spurs became his fallback options.
The Suns obviously don’t need Durant’s permission to trade him to the Timberwolves, but mutual respect between Phoenix’s front office and the longtime All-Star could play a role in where he winds up. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) speculates that Durant and his rep may need to strongly discourage a team such as Minnesota from trading for him in order for him to land at a preferred destination.
Windhorst also previously identified the Raptors and Clippers as teams that are “lurking” in the Durant trade saga.
As for the Spurs, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype names Jeremy Sochan, as well as Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson, as players who could be obtained on the trade market. Sochan, who averaged 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season, is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason. Throwing a 22-year-old player into the mix could sweeten the offer for Durant from San Antonio’s perspective.
Spurs, Rockets, Heat On Kevin Durant’s Wish List
The Spurs and Rockets are Kevin Durant‘s preferred trade destinations, league sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic, who provides an overview of the status of trade talks along with Athletic writers Kelly Iko and Jon Krawczynski. Amick cautions that Durant’s desire to play in San Antonio or Houston doesn’t mean he’ll wind up in one of those cities, as there are “complicating factors” with both teams that make deals difficult.
Shams Charania of ESPN shares a similar report, but says Durant is interested in joining the Heat as well as the two Texas teams. He states that “people across the NBA” have been told that those are the three teams Durant would consider signing an extension with. He has one year left on his contract at $54.7MM.
Charania notes that once the trade is complete, Durant will become eligible on July 6 for a two-year contract extension worth up to $122MM. If he waits until six months after the trade becomes official, the extension rises to a potential $124MM over two years.
Sources tell Charania that Durant is being pursued by six to eight “seriously interested teams.” The Suns have informed those teams that they plan to make the best deal for themselves, even if Durant winds up somewhere he doesn’t want to go.
Within the Athletic’s report, Iko notes that the Spurs have a base of young talent, no current cap worries and a wealth of draft assets (13 first-round picks through 2032), putting them in position for a “timeline-altering move” to speed up the building process around Victor Wembanyama. League sources tell Iko that San Antonio remains unwilling to part with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, which is expected to bring Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, but the Spurs would make the 14th pick available.
Echoing a report earlier today by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Iko states that Phoenix has been underwhelmed by offers constructed around Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes. Durant’s desire to join the Spurs will factor into the equation, but Iko sounds skeptical that a deal will happen unless their offers improve.
The Rockets are in a similar situation, Iko adds, as a young team that has to decide how badly it wants to disrupt its current timeline to add an aging and expensive player, even one as productive as Durant. He notes that Houston and Phoenix have been engaged in talks regarding Durant for more than a year, but the Suns’ decision to restructure their front office, with Brian Gregory taking over as general manager, have affected those negotiations.
Sources tell Iko that originally Phoenix was determined to regain control of its first-round picks that Houston owns in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and later switched to asking for multiple young players such as Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. Team and league sources tell Iko that Jabari Smith Jr. has recently become the focus of the Suns’ pursuit. Iko hears that Green wants to stay in Houston and atone for his poor playoff performance and that the Rockets’ front office hasn’t shown much interest in breaking up its young core in pursuit of Durant.
Krawczynski discusses the challenge of bringing Durant’s contract to Minnesota, which is currently above the second apron, just like Phoenix. Wolves sources tell him that the team won’t part with Jaden McDaniels in a Durant trade, which means Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert would have to be included to help match salaries if Minnesota can regain the ability to aggregate by dropping below the second apron. Randle has a $30.9MM player option for next season that he would have to agree to pick up before being included in a deal, while Gobert is under contract for $35MM. Krawczynski notes that either player would be a solid addition alongside Devin Booker and could help the Suns get back into the playoff race.
He adds that another salary, such as Donte DiVincenzo’s $12MM, would have to be included, and Phoenix would probably want one of Minnesota’s young players thrown in, such as Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon or Jaylen Clark.
Latest On Kevin Durant
Although the Suns cannot aggregate salaries in trades, they have been exploring ways to move below the second tax apron to ease some of the restrictions they’re currently facing. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), as part of the Kevin Durant trade talks, Phoenix’s front office has larger constructs involving Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale in an effort to reduce the team’s payroll.
Dropping below the second apron is believed to be one of Phoenix’s “primary objectives” in a Durant deal, Fischer writes. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Suns are trying to cut costs for financial reasons, they just recognize how difficult it is to operate over that threshold in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Fischer explains.
Sources tell Fischer that Phoenix hopes to acquire “starting-level talent” in exchange for Durant, with “quality draft capital” another desired part of the return package. Fischer hears the Suns have been evaluating first-round prospects “in the belief they will obtain at least one meaningful selection” in the 2025 draft.
While Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the Rockets are one of the teams most seriously engaged with the Suns for Durant, Fischer says Houston is “exceedingly reluctant” to meet Phoenix’s asking price. According to Fischer, the Suns view the Rockets as their ideal trade partner due to their combination of young talent and draft picks — Houston controls Phoenix’s first-rounders in 2025 (No. 10), 2027 and 2029.
Fischer adds that the Rockets’ front office recognizes this advantage and is “believed to be willing to go only so far” in its offer to Phoenix, indicating that the Suns might get more assets elsewhere.
League sources tell Fischer that the Timberwolves and Heat are the teams most frequently talked about as potential destinations for Durant. Fischer adds that the Spurs and Rockets have been cited by league executives as having interest in acquiring Durant, along with the Clippers and Raptors “to a lesser extent.”
Fischer also speculates that Durant would enjoy the idea of returning to Texas — where he played collegiately — either with San Antonio or Houston. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 previously stated that the Texas teams may be atop Durant’s wish list.
That could be an important consideration because Durant holds a $54.7MM expiring contract. Fischer says that front offices are considering whether it’s worth the gamble to trade for Durant with no assurances that he will re-sign after next season.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets that there have been discussions between Minnesota and Phoenix regarding Durant, but “nothing is close” right now. Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday that the Heat are interested in dealing for Durant, but “only at the right price.”
Ian Begley of SNY.tv considers it a “long shot” that the Knicks will get involved (Twitter link), echoing other reports from this week. Begley also points out that finding a starting center is among the Suns’ offseason priorities, and trading Durant may be their best opportunity to make that happen.
Fischer considers Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert the best center likely to be available in a Durant deal, but states that it’s difficult to create a workable trade scenario between the Wolves and Suns, who are both operating above the second apron for now. He points out that Minnesota will fall below the second apron if Naz Reid and Julius Randle both decline their player options, and Reid seems almost certain to do so. Otherwise, a trade between the two clubs would likely have to be agreed upon this month but not become official until after the moratorium is lifted in July.
Miami may be more realistic, according to Fischer, who notes that the city was on Durant’s list when he first asked the Nets for a trade. Fischer suggests that Andrew Wiggins and Duncan Robinson are among the players the Heat can send to Phoenix to help match salaries, and they have three first-rounders that can be moved: No. 20 this year, along with their picks in 2030 and 2032.
Sources tell Fischer that Miami was unwilling to part with Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez at the trade deadline, and he speculates that its willingness to include Ware could be a “true swing factor” in a Phoenix deal.
The Spurs and other teams have been reluctant to surrender significant draft capital for Durant, according to Fischer, who reports that the Suns have limited interest in the players San Antonio has offered so far. Fischer states that it’s believed the Spurs are keeping Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft off limits and are only offering players such as Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes.
Arthur Hill contributed to this report.
Southwest Notes: Mavs, DSJ, Brown, Spurs, Pelicans
Acquiring a point guard is one of the top priorities for the Mavericks in the 2025 offseason, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. With star Kyrie Irving recovering from ACL surgery and not expected to get back on the court until at least January, the team will need help at the position this fall.
In a mailbag for the Morning News, Curtis discusses how Chris Paul will likely be a name to watch for Dallas, citing NBA Insider Marc Stein who listed him as a potential option along with Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday. The latter two players are still under contract but their respective teams may entertain offers for them, given roster construction and salary cap considerations.
After a rocky season as a part-time starter for the Suns, Curtis doesn’t consider upcoming unrestricted free agent Tyus Jones a serious target, writing, “Jones has proven he can run an offense, but there are better options on the market this offseason.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Dennis Smith Jr. is set to work out with the Mavericks next week as part of a veteran mini-camp, notes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. The athletic, defensive-minded guard is just one of a number of free agents who will take part in the mini-camp, but he could fill a need for the Dallas team that drafted him in 2017 and help complement the team’s budding defensive identity. Smith recently participated in a similar camp for the Sixers.
- One name to watch as the Spurs continue to search for stars to put around Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox is Jaylen Brown, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix said during an NBC Sports Boston appearance (YouTube link). While Giannis Antetokounmpo has been linked to the Spurs, Mannix believes they may not be comfortable with the price they’d have to pay to acquire the Bucks star, which could lead them to look elsewhere. “I think if you’re Boston, you’re not going to… get a Stephon Castle in a potential Jaylen Brown (trade),” Mannix said. “You would get a No. 2 pick back in return, you would get some of the pieces… the Devin Vassells, the Keldon Johnsons, future first-round capital. That’s something I’d watch.” There’s no indication at this point that the Celtics will make Brown available.
- The Pelicans conducted pre-draft workouts for UNC’s RJ Davis, Arkansas’ Johnell Davis, Wisconsin’s Steven Crowl, and Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, reports The Athletic’s Will Guillory (via Twitter). Of the four players, UNC’s Davis ranks the highest on ESPN’s top-100 board, coming in at 93rd.
- New Pelicans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars views the two teams in the NBA Finals as reasons to believe New Orleans can follow a similar small-market path, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. The first step in that process is building the proper culture and making the team feel like a first-class organization. “Taking care of the players. Taking care of their families. The way you do business. The way you travel. Everything. People have to feel good about coming into the building,” Dumars said.