Bulls Notes: Graham, Infrastructure, Sweeney, Lewin
Likening the Bulls‘ hiring of Bryson Graham as their new head of basketball operations to Charlotte bringing in Jeff Peterson or Detroit adding Trajan Langdon, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter video link) cautions that there’s no guarantee Graham will be as successful as those execs have been so far, but says it’s a “swing on upside” by Chicago.
According to Johnson (Twitter link) and Shams Charania and Jamal Collier of ESPN, the Bulls are expected to give Graham full autonomy – and the resources necessary – to fill out the rest of the front office as he sees fit. As Johnson points out, Graham has ties to current Bulls executives Brian Hagen and J.J. Polk dating back to his time in New Orleans and worked with Pat Connelly‘s brother (Tim Connelly) in New Orleans as well, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll all remain in their current roles.
Jon Greenberg and Nick Friedell of The Athletic say that league observers are curious about whether the Reinsdorfs will be willing to spend as necessary to upgrade the team’s front office structure, suggesting that ownership has been hesitant to do so in the past and that the team’s scouting and analytics departments have lagged as a result.
However, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times refers to that as a “false narrative,” writing that team ownership never said no when former executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas wanted to add to his front office and that money was never an issue. The problem, according to Cowley, is that the pre-Karnisovas regime of John Paxson and Gar Forman worked mostly as a “two-man operation,” so even though Karnisovas built up the front office during his tenure, it still didn’t catch up to the rest of the league.
That’s expected to change under Graham, with one source telling Cowley, “We’ve been playing checkers and now it’s time to play chess.”
Here’s more on the Bulls and their new lead front office executive:
- Having solicited sources inside and outside the organization for their thoughts on Graham, Johnson (Twitter link) says those sources described him as a “great listener” and “straight shooter” who “brings people together.” One source added that Graham “knows he doesn’t have all answers and is comfortable using depth to help.”
- Graham’s ability to collaborate appealed to the Bulls, per Charania and Collier. Team sources told ESPN that they like the fact that Graham has held so many roles up and down a front office throughout his career, since the club is hopeful he’ll be able to bring together a basketball operations department that became “disjointed” under the previous regime.
- Sources in league coaching circles expect Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney to emerge as one of the Bulls’ head coaching candidates, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Sweeney is also reportedly in the running for New Orleans’ job.
- Cowley reported over the weekend that the Bulls would still love to hire Celtics assistant GM Dave Lewin, who was a finalist for the head of basketball operations job. He reiterates that point today, writing for the Sun-Times that if the Bulls aren’t able to bring Lewin aboard under Graham, they’ll want to find someone like him, since they were very impressed from his presentation “from an analytics and strategy standpoint.”
Amick’s Latest: Lottery Reform, Jenkins, Pelicans, Thibodeau, Blazers
Although the “3-2-1” proposal is the runaway leader as the NBA looks to implement lottery reform, there are still a few more weeks before the league’s Board of Governors will vote on the plan. In the meantime, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, there will be more discussions about the concept and some tweaks could be made.
As Amick explains, general managers have sought clarity on how some aspects of the proposal will work, asking the league about specific scenarios that may arise as a result of the changes to the lottery. One crucial question, which I also wondered about when I wrote about the proposed changes on Monday, is whether the rule restricting teams from winning the No. 1 overall pick in back-to-back years or landing top-five picks in three consecutive years would apply to traded first-rounders.
For instance, if a team wins the No. 1 pick with its own first-rounder in 2027 and then lands it via a traded pick in 2028, would that be permitted? According to Amick, for now, the NBA’s stance is that that would be allowed.
Here are a few more items of interest from Amick’s latest rumor round-up:
- While the precise years and dollars that Taylor Jenkins received on his new contract with the Bucks aren’t known, Amick says Milwaukee’s new head coach got a “long-term” deal with an annual salary “well north” of $10MM. Based on what we know about head coaching salaries, that should put Jenkins in the top third of the league.
- Confirming several of the top candidates previously reported by Rod Walker of NOLA.com, Amick also identifies Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney as another finalist the Pelicans are considering for their head coaching vacancy. It’s unclear whether New Orleans will pursue Jamahl Mosley now that he has been let go by Orlando, Amick adds.
- Tom Thibodeau has been out of the NBA for a year and turned 68 in January, but he remains “very” interested in returning to the head coaching ranks, league sources tell The Athletic. According to Amick, Thibodeau is seeking out the right fit to return to coaching and wouldn’t be opposed to a reunion with the Bulls.
- Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon and general manager Joe Cronin, who are leading the team’s head coaching search, have put together a list of candidates that features nearly 20 names, Amick writes, noting that league sources say Portland hasn’t been specific about its timeline for finalizing a hire. It remains unclear how accurate the rumors about Dundon wanting to cap his coach’s salary at $1.5MM are. As Amick observes, the Blazers have pushed back on those reports, and the league’s current lowest salary for a head coach is believed to be $2MM for Doug Christie of the Kings.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Bryant, Johnson, Team Chemistry
Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert have a long history together, with Gobert serving as something of a mentor for the Spurs‘ superstar as he was growing up, Tim Reynolds writes for The Associated Press.
“He’s meant a lot as a role model,” Wembanyama said. “There’s lots of (ways) that he inspired me and I think he should inspire more people in terms of taking care of your body. He should be a model for all big men. So, I would say that’s the main thing.”
Gobert was similarly complimentary of his fellow Frenchman, both on and off the court.
“I’m very excited to watch him grow every day, to see his work paying off,” Gobert said. “Outside of the talent, he’s someone that has a very unique soul, a very unique mind and nothing is an accident. It’s not an accident that he’s having the success that he’s having.”
Now the two Defensive Player of the Year winners are set to face off in Round 2 of the NBA playoffs, with Game 1 on Monday, and Wembanyama is excited to go up against a player he has long looked up to.
“It’s even more fun if I’m meant to play against Rudy,” he said, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.
We have more Spurs news:
- Rookie forward Carter Bryant is being listed as questionable for Game 1 on Monday with a right foot sprain after the team had previously stated that everyone was healthy heading into the second round, Tom Orsborn writes for the San Antonio Express-News. Bryant played 9.2 minutes per game in the first round, hitting four of his nine three-point tries.
- Head coach Mitch Johnson wants his team, and himself, to “embrace the mundane” and not get caught up in the ups and downs of a playoff series, Orsborn writes. “I think the one thing that stuck with me at times is as much as you want to do (more) and as far as your mind wanders, you just keep doing the same thing (you did in the regular season) and do it better,” Johnson said. This is the message that Johnson has preached since the season started, and it becomes even more important in the playoffs. Stephon Castle had a simpler way of putting it. “Don’t get lackadaisical, don’t get satisfied, just stick to what is working,” Castle said. “Don’t get bored of doing things the right way.”
- While it’s unclear where the 2025/26 Spurs will rank in team history in terms of greatness, it’s increasingly clear they’re one of the franchise’s most close-knit teams ever, Orsborn writes in a separate piece. “Guys like being around each other,” De’Aaron Fox said. “Guys like hanging out.” The Spurs look to be well-rested heading into the series.
NBA Announces Schedule For Second Round Of Playoffs
The NBA has announced the schedule for the second round of the playoffs, which will feature a total of eight teams (four from each conference). Each series’ schedule is subject to change, per the league.
While we know the Western Conference semifinal matchups, the Eastern Conference matchups are still up in the air, with three first-round series going the full seven games. Boston and Philadelphia are playing on Saturday to determine New York’s second-round opponent. The other side of the Eastern bracket features Detroit/Orlando and Cleveland/Toronto, with both deciding games to be played on Sunday.
Below are the tentative schedules for all four series (all Twitter links here). All of the times listed are for the Eastern time zone. Games marked with an asterisk (*) are if necessary, and the times and TV broadcasts for those potential contests are to be determined.
Western Conference
No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 6 Timberwolves:
- Game 1: 5/4 at 9:30 pm on Peacock/NBCSN
- Game 2: 5/6 at 9:30 pm on ESPN
- Game 3: 5/8 at 9:30 pm on Prime
- Game 4: 5/10 at 7:30 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 5: 5/12*
- Game 6: 5/15*
- Game 7: 5/17*
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 4 Lakers:
- Game 1: 5/5 at 8:30 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 2: 5/7 at 9:30 pm on Prime
- Game 3: 5/9 at 8:30 pm on ABC
- Game 4: 5/11 at 10:30 pm on Prime
- Game 5: 5/13*
- Game 6: 5/16*
- Game 7: 5/18*
Eastern Conference
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 2 Celtics OR No. 7 Sixers
- Game 1: 5/4 at 8:00 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 2: 5/6 at 7:00 pm on ESPN
- Game 3: 5/8 at 7:00 pm on Prime
- Game 4: 5/10 at 3:30 pm on ABC
- Game 5: 5/12*
- Game 6: 5/14*
- Game 7: 5/17*
No. 1 Pistons OR No. 8 Magic vs. No. 4 Cavaliers OR No. 5 Raptors
- Game 1: 5/5 at 7:00 pm on Peacock/NBCSN
- Game 2: 5/7 at 7:00 pm on Prime
- Game 3: 5/9 at 3:00 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 4: 5/11 at 8:00 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 5: 5/13*
- Game 6: 5/15*
- Game 7: 5/17*
Western Notes: Dosunmu, Champagnie, Martin, Kawhi, Pelicans
Already missing Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles tear) and Anthony Edwards (knee bone bruise), the Timberwolves are in danger of playing without two more key members of their backcourt in Game 6 on Thursday. Having already listed Bones Hyland as questionable due to left knee soreness, Minnesota has now added Ayo Dosunmu to its injury report too. Dosunmu is questionable due to right calf soreness (Twitter link).
Hyland set new personal series highs by playing 23 minutes and scoring 15 points in Game 5, while Dosunmu played a major role in the Wolves’ two home wins in Games 3 and 4, scoring a total of 68 points on 23-of-32 shooting (71.9%) in those victories.
Missing one or both players would be a major problem for the Wolves, who would likely have to lean more heavily on Mike Conley, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Kyle Anderson as they try to win one more game to close out their series vs. Denver.
[UPDATE: Hyland has been upgraded to available.]
Here are a few more notes from around the Northwest:
- Spurs wing Julian Champagnie, who hasn’t missed a game since March 2024 and made 68 starts during the regular season, showed in Game 5 why he has become such an important role player, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). After scoring in single digits in each of the first four games of the series, Champagnie had 11 points in the first quarter – and 19 overall – in Tuesday’s series-clinching victory. “All series they made an emphasis on trying to limit his touches, not let him get any good looks,” teammate Stephon Castle said. “So when he finally got the ones he was deserving, he knocked them down. I felt like he was doing all the little things all series and I thought he deserved to start a game like that.”
- Mavericks wing Caleb Martin has new representation, having signed with CAA, the agency announced (via Twitter). Martin will become extension-eligible this offseason as he enters the third season of the four-year, $35MM+ contract he signed in 2024, but after averaging a career-low 3.9 points per game in a limited role in 2025/26, he’s an unlikely candidate for a new deal at this time.
- What could a Kawhi Leonard trade look like if the Clippers decide to move their star forward this summer? ESPN’s Zach Kram and Andre Snellings offer up four hypothetical scenarios involving Leonard, with Bobby Marks evaluating which package L.A. would be most likely to accept.
- The Pelicans are hiring Kurt Joseph away from Nebraska to serve as their new director of strength and conditioning, according to Amie Just of the Omaha World-Herald (subscription required). Previous reporting indicated that the Pelicans are making significant organizational changes this offseason, with several openings in the medical and performance department.
Warriors, Kings To Host 2026 California Classic Summer League
For the second time in three years, the Warriors and Kings will act as joint hosts of the California Classic Summer League, the two teams announced today in a pair of press releases.
The event, which serves as a smaller-scale precursor to the Las Vegas Summer League, will take place from July 3-6. While all 30 NBA teams participate in the Vegas Summer League, only a small handful will take part in the California Classic.
The Warriors’ half of the event, played at Chase Center, will feature the Spurs, Heat, and Lakers in addition to Golden State, with games played on July 3, 5, and 6. The Warriors will also have a second Summer League team taking part in the three-day Golden 1 Center event from July 4-6. The Kings, Bucks, and Nets will join Golden State for that half.
The California Classic and the Salt Lake City Summer Leagues will offer fans a first look at several rookies from the 2026 draft class before they play under a brighter spotlight in Vegas from July 9-19. Several lottery picks will likely compete in the California Classic, given that the Warriors, Kings, Nets, Bucks, and Heat all currently project to pick in the top 13 this June.
This year’s event will be the eighth annual California Classic. After the Kings hosted the first three iterations, they’ve alternated with the Warriors in recent years, with both teams taking on hosting duties in 2024 and again this year.
DeAndre Jordan Named 2025/26 Teammate Of The Year
Veteran center DeAndre Jordan appeared in just 12 games as a member of the Pelicans this season, but he has been named the 2025/26 Teammate of the Year, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award recognizes “the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment to his team,” per the league.
Pelicans players and interim head coach James Borrego spoke repeatedly over the course of the year about the impact that Jordan had on a young roster despite his extremely limited role.
“To see the growth of our young team, DeAndre had a massive impact on that,” Borrego said near the end of the regular season. “He brought professionalism every day. A voice every day. A respect for every drill, every practice and every moment together.”
The Teammate of the Year award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place.
Jordan just narrowly won this season’s vote ahead of Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, who has won the award three times and was the last Pelicans player to claim it back in 2020. Jordan earned 66 first-place votes to Holiday’s 39, but the Blazers veteran nearly made up the difference by accumulating more second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-place votes than the big man.
Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:
- DeAndre Jordan, Pelicans (1,445)
- Jrue Holiday, Trail Blazers (1,437)
- Jeff Green, Rockets (1,420)
- Garrett Temple, Raptors (1,223)
- Pat Connaughton, Hornets (672)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (659)
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics (651)
- De’Aaron Fox, Spurs (640)
- Duncan Robinson, Pistons (523)
- Jaylin Williams, Thunder (471)
- Desmond Bane, Magic (445)
- Marcus Smart, Lakers (424)
Jordan’s win snaps a seven-year streak of a point guard being named Teammate of the Year. From 2018-25, Holiday won it three times, Mike Conley won twice, and Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry won once apiece.
Spurs Notes: Barnes, Fox, Vassell, Johnson
The Spurs hold a 3-1 advantage in their first-round series against the Trail Blazers and can close it out on Tuesday night. Veteran forward Harrison Barnes experienced a championship with Golden State, so he knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run.
Relying on the identity the Spurs have built during the season is a key to postseason success, Barnes told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“The biggest thing is continuing to do what we’ve been doing, which is relying on our habits,” Barnes said. “We’ve had 82-plus games to build an identity and the coaching staff led by Mitch [Johnson] has us well-prepared every night. It’s just a matter of sticking to our standard. We’ve had great contributions from all of the guys in different moments, which is something I am very proud of.”
Barnes says the Spurs have all the tools to win a title.
“We have depth and variability on both ends of the floor. We’re able to score in a multitude of ways. We’re able to defend in multiple ways,” Barnes said. “And because we’ve had so many different lineups throughout the season, we’ve been able to win in different ways.”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- De’Aaron Fox delivered his best outing of the series with 28 points and seven assists in Game 4, when the Spurs pulled away to a 114-93 win. He scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter. “It might have been his best game as a Spur,” Johnson said, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
- Devin Vassell, who has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $135MM contract, came up big in the third quarter of Game 4. Vassell scored nine of his 11 points during that span, sparking the Spurs’ 73-point second-half explosion. “Just being patient, not forcing anything,” Vassell told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “We have a lot of great players and sometimes the ball just doesn’t come your way. So just being ready whenever the ball is swung my way and just being ultra aggressive after I get it.”
- Keldon Johnson earned the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season. Johnson believes that commitment to the team supersedes any individual goals, he told ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “I was averaging 22 points [as a starter], had some individual success,” Johnson said. “I’ve been [an Olympic] gold medalist. But I realized that if you want to be here, sometimes you’ve got to remove your ego. San Antonio is a place I wanted to be. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I get an opportunity to be a part of something special. They saw the bigger picture before I did. But I’m blessed and fortunate to be able to go through it, thrive in it and have fun with it.”
Celtics’ Brad Stevens Named Executive Of The Year
For the second time in three years, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Stevens, who also earned the honor in 2024, is the 12th individual to win multiple Executive of the Year awards, according to the NBA.
The 2025/26 season was widely expected to be a “gap year” for the Celtics, who were determined to shed salary after operating above the second tax apron and lost star forward Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear during the 2025 playoffs. Stevens made a series of cost-cutting moves last offseason, trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and allowing Luke Kornet and Al Horford to walk in free agency.
However, with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard leading the way and modestly paid contributors such as Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, and Jordan Walsh playing key rotation roles, the Celtics remained competitive both before and after Tatum’s eventual return in March. The team won 56 regular season games despite the fact that Stevens completed another series of financially motivated transactions at the trade deadline to get Boston’s team salary below the luxury tax line.
Unlike most of the NBA’s major end-of-season awards, Executive of the Year is voted on by the league’s general managers rather than by media members.
Stevens received 11 of 28 possible first-place votes from his fellow executives and finished with 69 total points. That was enough to beat out runner-up Onsi Saleh — the Hawks general manager actually showed up on the same number of ballots as Stevens (17), but earned primarily second-place (10) and third-place (6) votes and finished with 41 points.
Trajan Langdon of the Pistons (six first-place votes, 40 points), Jeff Peterson of the Hornets (five first-place votes, 37 points), and Sam Presti of the Thunder (three first-place votes, 25 points) rounded out the top five finishers, while Brian Wright of the Spurs earned the remaining two first-place votes.
Six other executives showed up on at least one ballot. The full voting results can be viewed right here (via Twitter).
Cooper Flagg Named NBA Rookie Of The Year
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg has been named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today (Twitter link).
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft and the youngest player in the league, Flagg led all qualified rookies with 21.0 points per game while also contributing 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 33.5 minutes per night across 70 contests (all starts). According to the NBA (Twitter link), Flagg and Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan are the only rookies since 1973 to lead their respective teams in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
Flagg is the third player in Mavericks history to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Luka Doncic (2019) and his current head coach Jason Kidd (1995), per the team (Twitter link). Flagg, Jordan, and Doncic are the only three players in the past 45 years to average at least 20 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game as rookies.
Flagg narrowly beat out his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after leading the NBA in total three-pointers (273). The Hornets swingman, drafted fourth overall last June, trailed Flagg in points (18.5), rebounds (5.3), and assists (3.4) per game, but scored his points more efficiently, shooting 47.5% from the floor, 42.5% on three-pointers, and 86.3% from the free throw line. Flagg’s shooting line was .468/.295/.827.
There was a sense that Knueppel’s historic shooting numbers and the Hornets’ relative team success might give him the edge. Charlotte finished 18 games ahead of Dallas in the NBA’s regular season standings, while Knueppel became the first rookie to ever lead the league in three-pointers.
However, Flagg was rewarded for his all-around contributions and the way he handled becoming the focal point of the Mavs’ offense with Anthony Davis traded and Kyrie Irving sidelined, gaining the upper hand with a strong finish to the season. From March 21 onward, Flagg averaged 25.5 PPG on 46.1% shooting and had separate games of 51 and 45 points, while Knueppel averaged 14.1 PPG on 39.1% shooting.
Flagg received 56 of 100 potential first-place votes and 412 total voting points, with Knueppel earning the other 44 first-place votes and 386 points (Twitter link). Since the current Rookie of the Year voting format was implemented in 2002/03, only the 15-point gap in ’21/22 – when Scottie Barnes edged out Evan Mobley – was smaller than this year’s 26-point margin.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe was nearly the unanimous third-place pick, receiving 93 third-place votes to go along with a single second-place vote. Spurs guard Dylan Harper (five third-place votes) and Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (one third-place vote) were the only other players to appear on at least one Rookie of the Year ballot.