And-Ones: Fizdale, Gambling Trial, VanVleet, Extensions
In an appearance on the Run It Back podcast (Twitter video link), David Fizdale claims that he and Knicks management worked out a plan to tank when he was their head coach during the 2018/19 season to improve their chances of drafting Zion Williamson or Ja Morant (hat tip to NJ.com). Fizdale also states that management promised him that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would be joining the team as free agents the following summer.
“The plan that we came up with, I was all in on that, and I was like this is the deal and this is the way to go about it. It just didn’t come to fruition,” Fizdale said. “… Losing all them damn games, donating my record to get Zion Williamson or Ja.”
No part of the strategy worked out, as New York landed the third pick in the draft after going 17-65 and wound up taking RJ Barrett, who was later traded to Toronto. Durant and Irving opted to team up in Brooklyn, believing they had a better shot to win a ring with the Nets instead of the Knicks. Fizdale was fired 22 games into the following season after the team got off to a 4-18 start.
“If I was doing it over again, I would have fought more to build a team early on and not cash in my record,” Fizdale added. “That’s the hard part for coaches when you agree to the … tanking. When you tank, you’re supposed to build something bigger. It’s not supposed to be a tank to whatever happens. … That’s not the formula.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- A federal judge has set a trial date of November 2 for Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones and nearly three dozen co-defendants in a federal gambling case, according to Aaron Katersky of ESPN. A status hearing was held Wednesday at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn, and federal prosecutors and defense attorneys are working out how to handle proceedings with so many defendants. Prosecutors expect to extend plea offers at least 12 defendants over the next few days, and they said nine others are having “productive conversations” about pleading guilty. It’s not clear if Billups and Jones are among that group.
- In addition to working his way back from an ACL tear in his right knee, Fred VanVleet has the responsibilities of running the NBA Players Association. Tania Ganguli of The New York Times talks to VanVleet about getting the players united again after many felt betrayed by the latest collective bargaining agreement, which introduced the apron system.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (subscription required) examines a few players who may receive extensions before reaching free agency this summer, including Trae Young, Keon Ellis and Dean Wade.
And-Ones: Yurtseven, Metu, KD, Wiseman, Dybantsa
A pair of former NBA big men have signed new contracts and are set to resume their playing careers.
Former Heat and Jazz center Omer Yurtseven, who averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 113 NBA regular season appearances from 2021-24, has signed a G League deal and will join the Rockets‘ affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). The Turkish big man has spent most of the past two years overseas playing for Panathinaikos, but recently parted ways with the Greek team.
Meanwhile, former NBA forward/center Chimezie Metu is headed to Europe, having agreed to join Gran Canaria in Spain for the rest of the 2025/26 season, according to an announcement from the team. Metu made 260 NBA appearances from 2018-24 for Sacramento, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Detroit, but signed with Barcelona for the 2024/25 season and then suffered a torn Achilles last March.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Rockets star Kevin Durant spoke recently about his desire to play for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and head coach Erik Spoelstra appears to be on board with the idea, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “Just him saying that is incredible,” Spoelstra said over the weekend. “You know, that’s the culture of USA Basketball. You just want the best American players to raise their hand and say, ‘I want to do this.'”
- Speaking of USA Basketball, Joe Vardon of The Athletic checked in this weekend with former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who was representing the U.S. in a pair of World Cup qualifying games against the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Wiseman viewed the games as “a test to see where I was at” following last season’s Achilles tear and an opportunity to show he deserves a spot on an NBA roster. Team USA head coach Stephen Silas believes he made a strong case. “He’s long, he can play pick-and-roll defense,” Silas said. “… He rebounds, he blocks shots. He’s a little rusty; scoring around the hoop was a little bit tough for him. But he belongs on the NBA roster.”
- Asked by McKay Coppins in an episode of Deseret Voices (YouTube link) if he thinks he’ll be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa suggested it’s not a sure thing that he goes pro this spring. “I might not leave college,” Dybantsa said (Twitter video link via The Deseret News). “… My mom wants me to graduate, so I might not leave.” It’s not uncommon for top prospects to make that sort of declaration during the college season – Cooper Flagg did the same thing a year ago – but it would be virtually unprecedented in recent draft history for a potential top pick like Dybantsa to actually follow through on the idea.
- Former Morgan Stanley investment advisor Darryl Cohen, who advised current Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday and other NBA players, was convicted by a Manhattan jury on Tuesday of wire fraud and investment advisor fraud, reports Michael McCann of Sportico. Cohen, who was charged for leading a scheme to defraud Holiday and former NBA players Chandler Parsons and Courtney Lee, arranged for those players to buy insurance policies at “massive markups” and moved money from their financial accounts into a fraudulent nonprofit organization under the guise that they were making charitable donations, as McCann details.
Cunningham, Wembanyama Earn Player Of The Month Honors
Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham has become the first player to be named Player of the Month twice this season, earning the Eastern Conference award for February after also having done so in October/November, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
Cunningham’s Pistons maintained their comfortable lead atop the Eastern Conference standings by going 9-2 in March. The former No. 1 overall pick led the way, averaging 25.4 points, 9.9 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks in 33.5 minutes per contest, with a .472/.373/.769 shooting line.
Cunningham’s biggest game of the month came after the All-Star break when he racked up 42 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds in a victory over the Knicks in New York. That was one of six double-doubles he recorded in February.
Cunningham beat out fellow nominees Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers), Desmond Bane (Magic), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Brandon Ingram (Raptors), Brandon Miller (Hornets), and Ryan Rollins (Bucks) to claim the monthly award in the Eastern Conference, according to the league (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama – another former first overall pick – was recognized for the second time this afternoon, earning Player of the Month recognition in the Western Conference after also having won the Defensive Player of the Month award.
In addition to anchoring the West’s best defense in February, Wembanyama put up big offensive numbers, contributing 22.5 points and 3.5 assists to go along with his 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game. It was enough to earn the 22-year-old the first Player of the Month award of his career.
San Antonio has dominated the Western Conference’s monthly awards after enjoying an 11-0 February — while Wembanyama took home Player of the Month and Defensive Player of the Month, his teammate Dylan Harper was named Rookie of the Month.
The other nominees for Player of the Month in the West were Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Lakers guard Luka Doncic, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.
Anthony Edwards, Jalen Duren Named Players Of The Week
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Week, while Pistons center Jalen Duren has claimed the award in the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Edwards, who was named to his fourth straight All-Star team this season, helped Minnesota go 3-0 in a trio of road games played from February 23 – March 1. The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 28.7 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .457/.357/.667 shooting in those three appearances (37.7 minutes per game).
Duren, a first-time All-Star in 2025/26, helped guide Detroit to a 3-1 record last week. The 22-year-old big man averaged 25.8 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 34.0 MPG. He shot 63.9% from the field and 73.5% on free throws over the four games.
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Saddiq Bey (Pelicans), Luka Doncic (Lakers), Kevin Durant (Rockets) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder).
Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Duren’s teammate Cade Cunningham, Jonathan Kuminga (Hawks), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Brandon Miller (Hornets) were nominated in the East.
And-Ones: Durant, Olympics, U.S. Roster, Parker, Brooks
Four-time gold medalist Kevin Durant tells Vincent Goodwill of ESPN he wants to represent Team USA again at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The 37-year-old Rockets forward, who is the U.S men’s team’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition, did add a caveat, however.
“Hell yeah, I want to play,” Durant said. “I would love to, but I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I’m not expecting, I want to produce on the floor and make (managing director) Grant (Hill) and whoever is making the decisions, want to put me on the team. I don’t want — not just for seniority. I want to still prove I can help the team win.
“Today, yeah I feel like I’ll put my name in that hat.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Speaking of the 2028 Olympics and USA Basketball, Zach Kram of ESPN takes an early look at potential candidates for the Americans’ roster. Kram predicts that Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Jalen Duren, Amen Thompson, Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum will be the 12 players selected (they’re listed by age). Durant could take the final wing spot on the roster, according to Kram, but only if he’s still “engaged and deserving” two-plus years from now.
- Partizan Belgrade is expected to loan former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker to Spanish club Joventut Badalona for the rest of the season, according to a report from Mozzart Sport (hat tip to Sportando). Parker been away from the Serbian club for several weeks, last playing on January 9. The veteran power forward is still under contract with Partizan through 2026/27, though his future with the team is uncertain.
- Shooting guard Armoni Brooks, who played parts of three NBA seasons from 2020-24, has been named MVP of the Italian Cup after helping lead Olimpia Milano to a title in the domestic tournament, per Fabio Cavagnera of RealOlimpiaMilano.com (hat tip to Sportando). The 27-year-old said he “100%” wants to re-sign with the Italian squad.
Southwest Notes: JJJ, Iisalo, Fears, Murray, Durant
Jaren Jackson Jr. shares his memories of nearly eight seasons with the Grizzlies and expresses his love to Memphis fans in a first-person piece for The Players’ Tribune. Jackson also relays the experience of finding out he had been traded to the Jazz, saying he knew right away that’s why he was called into general manager Zach Kleiman‘s office.
“It’s funny, though, when the conversation ended I was just awkwardly looking around all confused like John Travolta in Pulp Fiction,” Jackson wrote. “Like, Well, what now? I literally asked him, “Can I go back upstairs and say bye?” Like he was gonna press a button, and the trap door was gonna open up.”
Jackson stated that those final goodbyes were lighthearted, but they represented the end of a significant part of his NBA career. While the relationships may remain, he realized he was seeing his friends as teammates for the final time.
“But one thing I’ll never forget was a moment in the locker room before I left, when everyone was joking around again,” Jackson added. “And it was just so weird because in my head it was like, Wow, this is the last time I’m gonna see this. They were about to leave to get on a plane. It was a wrap. But I was joking around as if I was gonna see them later. I was just laughing, deep down thinking like, ‘Wow, I’m definitely gonna miss y’all boys.’ I didn’t say it in the moment. But I’m saying it now.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Prior to Saturday’s game, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo told reporters that his approach to the season hasn’t been affected by the Jackson trade or other personnel moves, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). “Well, we’re trying to accomplish a lot,” Iisalo said. “The expectations have not changed. It doesn’t have anything to do with the roster we play. We still expect everybody to give max effort, max focus.”
- It’s been a season filled with growing pains for Jeremiah Fears and the Pelicans, but the rookie guard expresses confidence that better times are ahead in an interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “Being able to lose to understand how to win, I think that’s huge,” Fears said. “We’ve been in a lot of very close games. We just got to learn how to finish. And I think once we learn how to finish, we’ll be really, really good and we’ll end up flipping the switch.”
- The Pelicans are targeting Tuesday against Golden State for Dejounte Murray‘s season debut, according to Rod Walker of NOLA (Twitter link).“I expect him to be there in the next couple games,” interim coach James Borrego said before tonight’s contest. “Hopefully it’s Tuesday night. We’d all be excited for that.”
- Rockets coach Ime Udoka would like to cut back on Kevin Durant‘s minutes, relays Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Durant is logging 36.7 minutes per game in his first season with the team, and Udoka would prefer to trim that number to 33 or 34.
Southwest Notes: Durant, Plumlee, Sochan, Jackson
In his first media session since the All-Star game, Rockets star Kevin Durant immediately faced questions about rumors that went viral on social media over the weekend. Durant, who was accused of using a burner Twitter account to disparage current and former teammates in group chats, dismissed the speculation without explicitly denying that the account belonged to him, per Sam Amick and William Guillory of The Athletic and Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
“I know you gotta ask these questions, but I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense,” Durant said. “I’m just here to focus on the season, keep it pushing. But I get you all have to (ask).”
The account speculated to be Durant’s, which used the handle @GetHigher77, took shots at Suns guard Devin Booker, former Suns head coach Frank Vogel, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr of the Warriors, and Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. of the Rockets, among others.
Asked if he’d spoken to his teammates about the rumors, Durant replied, “My teammates know what it is. We’ve been locked in the whole season. Enjoyed our break. Had a great practice today, looking forward to the road trip.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Although he officially signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs on Tuesday, it’s unclear when Mason Plumlee will be able to suit up for his new team. According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Mitch Johnson said that Plumlee – who underwent groin surgery at the end of December – won’t be active for the team’s games in Austin on Thursday or Saturday.
- Asked on Wednesday at his introductory press conference as a Knick what went wrong for him in San Antonio, former No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan suggested he got “no real opportunity” with the Spurs under Johnson, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). “It is what it is. It’s a deep team,” he said. “Maybe I didn’t see eye-to-eye with Coach. I’m just blessed to be somewhere to grow.”
- Chiding from teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. prompted Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II to adopt a more aggressive attitude on the court, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes in a subscriber-only story. In his third NBA season, Jackson has become a more efficient scorer and a reliable presence on defense, but it took a push from Pippen and other veterans to get him there. “I would see him in practice and he would be one of the most athletic guys in the gym, then he would get in the game and wouldn’t even dunk or he would only dunk on fast breaks,” Pippen said. “I’m excited every time I see him dunk and play physical because now guys are starting to get out of the way, or he’s dunking on them.”
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Southwest Notes: Flagg, Irving, Durant, Coward
Cooper Flagg appeared at Saturday’s game between Duke and Clemson with a boot on his left foot, but league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that the Mavericks believe they’re lucky that his midfoot sprain is not a more severe injury .
There’s still no specific timeline for how long Flagg will be out as a result of the injury, according to Stein, who says the more pressing concern for the team is how to keep the star rookie’s energy and enthusiasm up through what is likely the longest losing streak of his basketball life.
The Mavericks lost their last nine games prior to the All-Star break, which Stein notes is the team’s longest losing streak since the 1997/98 season. At No. 12 in the Western Conference, Dallas is currently two games up on the Jazz and 1.5 games behind the Grizzlies, who have embarked on their own rebuild after trading Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah.
With Jackson out for the rest of the season following knee surgery and Utah owing its pick to the Thunder if it falls outside of the top eight, it will be worth keeping an eye on just how quickly Dallas brings the productive Flagg.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Kyrie Irving announced on Saturday that he will soon be giving an update on whether or not he plans to return for the Mavericks this season. While it would be beneficial for Dallas’ draft outlook for Irving to sit the rest of the season, Stein’s sources tell him that the decision will ultimately be a collaborative one between Irving and the team, as he writes in his latest Substack article. The decision will depend in part on whether the star point guard feels like his body needs more time to recover or whether he wants to try to work some rust off in-season.
- In the midst of his 18th season in the league, Kevin Durant is more concerned with making sure he remembers all the moves in his arsenal than adding new ones to it, Varun Shankar writes for the Houston Chronicle. “There’s so much I’m thinking about. I don’t want to forget some stuff in my package and it goes away,” Durant said. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Shankar details the Rockets‘ star’s meticulous pregame workouts, including the balance drills designed to engage his legs. When it comes to a bad workout, assistant coach Royal Ivey puts it bluntly. “I haven’t seen one,” he said.
- Cedric Coward has gone from mystery box draft prospect to breakout player for the Grizzlies, starting 35 of the 48 games he’s played this season with averages of 13.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. He recently sat down with Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports to talk about his rookie year and what improvements come next. When asked about lessons taken away from being guarded by some of the league’s premier defenders, Coward spoke to a late-game situation against the Thunder and Alex Caruso. “Just keep it simple. The biggest moment I learned that was when we played Oklahoma City at home,” Coward said. “Last possession, Caruso put me in a box. And I was too complicated in what I was trying to do, so for me, I wish I could get that moment back, I know I’ll have that moment again — it might not be against Caruso, but I know the moment will come again.”
LeBron James Discusses Past, Lakers’ Present, Future
LeBron James spoke about a range of topics on All-Star Sunday, reflecting on his journey over the years, the Lakers‘ status this season, and his future.
The 21-time All-Star was particularly sentimental when it came to discussing his time spent playing with and competing against Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Joaquin Ruiz writes for NBC Sports.
“It’s always a pleasure and an honor to see those guys,” James said. “We’ve had so much of an unbelievable journey throughout our individual careers… When it comes to me, Steph, and KD, we’ll be interlocked for the rest of our careers, for sure. And it’s been great to be able to have some moments with those guys, versus those guys, teaming up with those guys.”
Although Curry sat out the All-Star game with a knee injury, James and Durant helped take their team to the All-Star championship game, losing to the younger American stars led by Anthony Edwards.
Discussing the Lakers’ rest-of-season outlook, James was hesitant to project how the team will play at full strength.
“It’s hard to say [what the team is capable of accomplishing] because this is a new group,” James said, per Athlon’s Mark Medina (Twitter video link). “… It’s too hard to really say what we’re really capable of. I know that when we’ve played some of our best basketball this season, we’ve looked really good. On the other side, when we’ve been terrible, we’ve looked disgusting. So I think the most important is like, if we can get healthy, how many minutes we can be on the floor, how much chemistry we can build with the sprint starting.”
He added that the regular season is meant for playoff teams to build chemistry, and he’s hopeful that the Lakers can get healthy enough to start doing that while integrating the newly acquired Luke Kennard into the mix.
As for his plans for the 2026/27 season, James remained noncommittal, Dan Woike writes for The Athletic.
“When I know, you guys will know,” he said. “I don’t know. I have no idea. Just want to, just wanna live. That’s all.”
He added that his upcoming free agency doesn’t impact his approach or thinking about what the future will bring.
“It has nothing to do with that,” James said. “Same motivation, same mind factor. Just, we’ve got past the marathon, and now the sprint is about to start.”
Northwest Notes: Holmgren, SGA, CP3, Murray, Lillard
Rockets star Kevin Durant has grown close to Thunder big man Chet Holmgren over the years because they share a similar mindset, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
“He wants to be great,” Durant told The Oklahoman. “It’s that simple. A lot of people don’t want to be great. They don’t want to leave their mark and have their name etched in stone with some of the greats in this league. He wants that. Every time he approaches his work, it’s that mentality. … His mindset is really what stood out to me.”
Holmgren, who will make his first All-Star appearance on Sunday, has always been ambitious but has learned to put individual statistics to the side in support of the team.
“I’ve played long enough and I have an understanding that when you try to force your way to things that aren’t a win, one, it usually hurts your team,” Holmgren said. “And two, a lot of times you don’t end up winning. … I still think I have to be aggressive, but it has to be within making the right play.”
We have have more from around the Northwest:
- At his media session on Saturday, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander discussed the impact Chris Paul had on his career (Twitter links courtesy of Martinez). The legendary point guard, who played one year with Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, announced his retirement on Friday after he was waived by Toronto. “Chris was special for my career,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Off the court, he was the first person that I was around to really take care of their body and show me the importance of the weight room. … He was the first point guard that I studied. … He was the standard for a point guard. And obviously, fast forward a couple of years, he’s one of my closest friends. … Honestly, it’s sad the way it’s happened. I thought he would get his flowers a little bit differently, but that’ll never change what he’s done for this game. I’m proud of him. He’s been special. Hopefully I can get to that level of mastering the game of basketball.”
- Nuggets legends Alex English and Dan Issel think Jamal Murray‘s first All-Star appearance was long overdue, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “He should have been an All-Star before now, but I think part of the explanation is that he’s playing with the greatest player on the planet,” Issel said. “And I think that usurps, sometimes, what a great player he is. But when he needs to, he also steps up. … I don’t know that they’d be a championship-caliber team — it would depend who else was with Jamal — but I think he would be very successful if he was on a team where he was the No. 1 scoring option.”
- For his part, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic hopes to play with Murray for the rest of his career, Durando adds. “I would love it,” Jokic said, “just because it’s so good when you know who you’re playing with. He cannot really surprise me. I know what he can do. So the experience of playing probably 10 years definitely helps. But I don’t want to change him, if they ask me.”
- Damian Lillard‘s victory at the three-point contest — his third title in four years — doesn’t mean he’ll attempt to come back from his torn Achilles this season, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “I think if this was five years ago, I probably would have won this competition and been like, ‘I think I can get out there and go,’” the Trail Blazers guard said. “But I think I’m also at an age and time of my life where I recognize those emotions are not in my best interest. That’s kind of where it’s at.”