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Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Nets Draft

June 1st, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

After acquiring Brandon Ingram at the February trade deadline, the Raptors are viewed by teams around the league as a candidate to make another major move this offseason, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (hat tip to RealGM).

“Toronto is one of those teams that is sitting there on the balls of its feet, which is interesting,” Windhorst said on the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

Eric Koreen of The Athletic added that the state of the Eastern Conference should push the Raptors to be slightly more aggressive, as the bottom of the conference is likely to be weak, especially if Giannis Antetokounmpo departs for the Western Conference.

However, Koreen adds that his instinct is that the core five Raptors, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, and Brandon Ingram, will likely remain with the team heading into next season.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

After a season that went much worse than expected, the Sixers are faced with a multitude of questions, writes Keith Pompey of The Inquirer. The first domino is the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. If they do use the No. 3 pick, don’t expect standout trade addition Quentin Grimes‘ impending free agency to impact the selection, says Pompey, who emphasizes the need to select the best player available. Pompey writes within the same story that another lackluster year from Philadelphia could spell the end of team president Daryl Morey‘s tenure as the lead decision-maker.
Speaking of the third pick in the 2025 draft, count Sixers star Paul George as a firm believer in Ace Bailey, Pompey writes in a separate story. Pompey reports that George has hyped up the 6’9″ wing three different times leading into the offseason. Recently, George said, “If there was no Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey would have been an even bigger name that people would have been talking about in this draft. … I think he’s going to come into the league and make noise right away.” Carmelo Anthony and DeMarcus Cousins are two other former players who have raved about the shot-making wing, but others believe that the three-to-six or -seven range in the draft is basically interchangeable from a talent perspective.
The Nets missed out on the Flagg sweepstakes, but they still have five picks in the top 36 of the 2025 draft. Collin Helwig of NetsDaily rounded up a list of players who have been confirmed to have worked out for the franchise, a list that doesn’t yet include Jeremiah Fears or Kon Knueppel. Colorado State’s Nique Clifford is the highest-ranked name known to have worked out for the team so far, along with Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier. Helwig notes that St. John’s Aaron Scott and Temple’s Steve Settle both worked out in Brooklyn, as did Wake Forest guard Hunter Sallis and West Virginia’s Javon Small. Finally, Helwig writes that international players Noa Essengue, Ben Saraf, and Hugo Gonzalez will not be working out for the team, as they finish their seasons overseas.

Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Edgecombe, Hornets, Raptors

May 31st, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Rory Maher

After taking a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers‘ high-octane offense only managed 94 points in a Game 5 loss in New York. As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, that total was a playoff-low for the Pacers, who also turned the ball over 20 times, the most turnovers they’ve committed in a game this postseason.

“We’re a resilient group,” star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. “We always want to respond when things don’t go well after a game like that. We understand what the stakes are. … We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything.”

Despite the wire-to-wire defeat, All-Star forward Pascal Siakam is confident Indiana will rebound with a strong home showing tonight in Game 6, according to Collier.

“You’re going to have bad games,” Siakam said. “This is the NBA, and there’s going to be times where a team is going to play hard. In fact, they’re going to beat you.

“It is just all about us, man. It’s always been us against the world, and I don’t expect it to change. … We are 3-2 in a series, and we have an opportunity to go back home and show what we’re made of.”

Here are a few more notes from around the East:

ESPN insiders Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Zach Kram and Chris Herring list some keys to watch ahead of Game 6. Kram views the health and play of Aaron Nesmith as the Pacers‘ biggest X factor, while how well Jalen Brunson holds up on defense will be critical for the Knicks.
Rival executives believe the Hornets will target V.J. Edgecombe if he’s still available at No. 4 in next month’s draft, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, who hears the Baylor guard had an “excellent” interview with Charlotte. Unsurprisingly, O’Connor has the Hornets selecting Edgecombe — who’s also the fourth-rated prospected on ESPN’s big board — at No. 4 in his latest mock draft.
According to O’Connor, several rival teams think the Raptors are leaning toward selecting a prospect who can contribute right away rather than a long-term project with their lottery pick. Toronto holds the No. 9 pick in June’s draft. For what it’s worth, O’Connor has the team picking Washington State wing Cedric Coward.

Atlantic Notes: Walker, Pettiford, Nets, Raptors

May 26th, 2025 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers hold a $2.94MM club option on Lonnie Walker‘s contract for next season. Will they exercise it? Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes they will, contingent on where the team stands financially after the draft and which players they’ll target in free agency.

After signing with the Sixers, Walker appeared in 20 games and averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the depleted club in the second half of the season. Pompey anticipates Walker can serve as a backup guard and take on a bigger role when injuries strike.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets hosted Tahaad Pettiford for a workout last week, NJ.com contributor Adam Zagoria tweets. Pettiford appeared in 38 games for Auburn as a freshman last season, all but one off the bench, and posted averages of 11.6 points and 3.0 assists in 22.9 minutes per game. Pettiford is currently ranked No. 38 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list.
The Nets will have more cap space than any other team this offseason. How should they spend their money? Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com (subscription required) breaks down their cap space projection, how they could utilize it, and how their restricted free agents factor into the economic equation.
How can the Raptors become a contender again? Along with offensive improvement from Scottie Barnes, the most likely path to contention is via a trade, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes in his latest mailbag. They will have movable contracts for salary-matching purposes, Koreen notes. They also need at least two of their young players to establish themselves as rotation-quality performers or better.

Cade Cunningham Earns Salary Bump With All-NBA Nod

May 23rd, 2025 at 6:20pm CST by Luke Adams

As a result of earning a spot on the All-NBA Third Team on Friday, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will see the value of the five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension he signed last summer increase by a projected total of nearly $45MM.

Cunningham’s contract included Rose Rule language. The Rose Rule allow players coming off their rookie scale contracts to receive salaries worth more than 25% of the cap in year five if they make an All-NBA team during the season (or two of the three seasons) before their extension goes into effect. Players can also qualify by being named Most Valuable Player or Defensive Player of the Year.

Cunningham’s 2025/26 salary will now be worth 30% of the cap instead of 25%. Based on the NBA’s latest cap projections, that means his five-year deal will be worth $269,085,780 instead of $224,238,150.

Cunningham was one of four players to sign a rookie scale extension that included Rose Rule language last summer. Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who was named to the All-NBA Second Team on Friday, had already earned a bump to 30% as a result of winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. His five-year deal will look identical to Cunningham’s.

The other two players who signed Rose Rule rookie scale extensions – Magic forward Franz Wagner and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes – didn’t receive any end-of-season awards, so their new contracts will begin at 25% of the cap and will be worth $224,238,150 across the next five seasons.

Meanwhile, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. would have qualified for a designated veteran extension – also known as a super-max contract – if he had earned a spot on any of this year’s three All-NBA teams. However, he finished 17th in total voting, with 55 points, falling a little short of the required threshold. Clippers guard James Harden beat him out for the final Third Team spot with 68 points (Twitter link).

As a result, Jackson won’t be super-max eligible this offseason. That means in order to extend him, Memphis will likely need to give him a raise on his 2025/26 salary of $23,413,395 via renegotiation.

Without a pay bump, Jackson’s maximum extension would be worth $146,848,813 over four years, which may not be enough to convince him to sign. If the Grizzlies renegotiate next season’s salary to give him a raise, they would be able to offer up to 140% of his new ’25/26 salary in that first year of an extension.

Lakers Notes: Okongwu, Center Targets, Finney-Smith

May 23rd, 2025 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during an appearance on the Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre podcast whether he has heard any buzz linking the Lakers to Onyeka Okongwu, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said Los Angeles inquired with the Hawks about the big man earlier this year. McMenamin believes Okongwu was one of the centers Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka asked Luka Doncic about before the team reached an agreement to acquire Mark Williams.

“I do know that the Lakers made a call to the Hawks around the trade deadline about Okongwu,” McMenamin said (52:38 mark; hat tip to Ron Gutterman of Lakers Nation). “I think lob threat, athleticism, absolutely. In terms of being a perfect fit, maybe not. They might not get a perfect fit though. Clint Capela of ’17/18 probably was a perfect fit, but we’re in ’25/26 now. So that is kind of the spot they’re gonna be in.”

After voiding their deal with Charlotte for Williams in February due to concerns about his physical, the Lakers figure to make it a priority this summer to add a center in free agency or via trade. While there has been speculation about more ambitious trade targets like Nets big man Nic Claxton, McMenamin wonders if it would be in L.A.’s best interest to take a more conservative approach this offseason.

“I am of the opinion to not go all-in on someone like a Claxton, etc. making $20-30 million (per year),” he told McIntyre. “… They’re going to have the taxpayer mid-level available to them, so I’d try to go and get a guy at that level and if he doesn’t prove to be the best fit, make sure you’re holding on to one of your picks and then you can try to pursue something come February.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a closer look at how the Lakers might address their hole in the middle this season. Pincus suggests that Daniel Gafford would be an ideal trade target, though he wonders if the Mavericks would be reluctant to make another deal with L.A. so soon after the Doncic blockbuster. Pincus also mentions the Raptors‘ Jakob Poeltl and the Magic‘s Goga Bitadze as possibilities, but acknowledges that Toronto will likely be reluctant to part with Poeltl and that Bitadze is more of a backup than a starter.
Dorian Finney-Smith‘s contract situation is up in the air heading into the summer, since it’s unclear whether he plans to pick up the $15.4MM player option on his current contract or opt out in search of a new deal. However, as Khobi Price of The Orange County Register writes in a subscriber-only story, it sounds like the veteran forward wants to stick with the Lakers — during his exit interview, he referred to his half-season with the team as “amazing.”
Assuming Finney-Smith remains with the Lakers, McMenamin expects him to be a valuable part of next season’s roster, as he said on his aforementioned podcast appearance with McIntyre. “I think Dorian Finney-Smith will be a major contributor on this year’s Lakers team,” McMenamin said. “He did not come in healthy and it took him some time to get some rhythm. With him having the comfort factor, the health factor on his side, I think he’ll be right there with being considered the (Lakers’) third-best player along with Austin Reaves.”

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Knueppel, Raptors, Sixers, Porzingis

May 22nd, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets control a league-high five picks (all in the top 36) in the 2025 NBA draft, and general manager Sean Marks has an extensive history of making trades during or right around the draft. Those factors point toward Brooklyn being a team to watch on the trade market next month, says Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link).

According to Lewis, Marks has made a trade within two days of the draft in eight of the last nine years, and the “feeling in league circles” is that he’ll do so again this spring.

Assuming the Nets stay at No. 8, could Kon Knueppel be the choice in that spot? As Lewis writes in another subscriber-only story, Brooklyn is being connected to the Duke sharpshooter by many mock drafters, and some scouts view him as a strong value pick at that spot if he’s still available.

“Is he a really good player, and are you excited to have him on your squad? Yeah,” former Sixers scout Mike VandeGarde told Lewis. “But is he Luke Kennard? Is he Kyle Korver? Is he Gradey Dick? … Knueppel to me isn’t the best player on a playoff team, but I really like his game. And if I’m at eight, I’m looking at him.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

With Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell playing important roles for Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals and OG Anunoby logging big minutes for New York, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca revisits the Raptors‘ decision to trade away Siakam and Anunoby during the 2023/24 season, while Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer considers whether the Sixers should regret letting McConnell get away in 2019.
Exploring potential options for the Sixers‘ No. 3 overall pick, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice enlists a series of fellow NBA reporters to help him evaluate hypothetical trades. Aaronson offers up proposals involving the Rockets, Hawks, Nets, Bulls, and Wizards and goes back and forth with writers who cover those teams to figure out if there’s a viable deal to be made.
After Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in his end-of-season media session that big man Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with post-viral syndrome, Tess DeMeyer of The Athletic takes a closer look at what exactly that means. As DeMeyer explains, post-viral syndrome can make person feel drained and weak for days or months after experiencing a viral illness, and even someone in peak health can have a hard time moving past the symptoms. Stevens expressed optimism on Monday that Porzingis will be back to 100% by the start of next season.

2025 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 16th, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets and Jazz were among the teams who left Monday’s draft lottery disappointed, as Brooklyn slipped two spots to No. 8 while Utah, the NBA’s worst team during the 2024/25 season, ended up at No. 6.

Still, while they won’t be picking as high in the lottery as they might like, the Nets and Jazz will enter this year’s draft armed with plenty of ammunition. Brooklyn controls a league-high five 2025 draft picks, including four first-rounders and an early second-rounder. Utah, meanwhile, is one of just two teams (along with the Magic) controlling four picks in this year’s draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

Four other clubs – the Spurs, Hornets, Wizards, and Thunder – own three picks apiece, so those seven teams combine to control 25 of the 59 selections in the 2025 draft.

In addition to those teams with three or more picks, 12 more clubs own a pair of 2025 draft selections, while another 10 control one apiece. That latter group includes the Mavericks, whose No. 1 overall pick is their only selection in this year’s draft.

That leaves just a single NBA team without a draft pick this year: the Nuggets. Denver traded its 2025 first-rounder to Orlando back in 2021 as part of a package for Aaron Gordon in a deal that has worked out exceedingly well for the 2023 champions and sent out its 2025 second-rounder last offseason in a Reggie Jackson salary-dump. The Nuggets could still trade into this draft, but for now they’re the only team on track to sit it out.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2025 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 59 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Brooklyn Nets (5): 8, 19, 26, 27, 36
Utah Jazz (4): 5, 21, 43, 53
Orlando Magic (4): 16, 25, 46, 57
San Antonio Spurs (3): 2, 14, 38
Charlotte Hornets (3): 4, 33, 34
Washington Wizards (3): 6, 18, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 15, 24, 44

Teams with two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers: 3, 35
Toronto Raptors: 9, 39
Houston Rockets: 10, 59
Chicago Bulls: 12, 45
Atlanta Hawks: 13, 22
Minnesota Timberwolves: 17, 31
Indiana Pacers: 23, 54
Boston Celtics: 28, 32
Phoenix Suns: 29, 52
Los Angeles Clippers: 30, 51
Memphis Grizzlies: 48, 56
Cleveland Cavaliers: 49, 58

Teams with one pick:

Dallas Mavericks: 1
New Orleans Pelicans: 7
Portland Trail Blazers: 11
Miami Heat: 20
Detroit Pistons: 37
Golden State Warriors: 41
Sacramento Kings: 42
Milwaukee Bucks: 47
New York Knicks: 50
Los Angeles Lakers: 55

Teams with no picks:

Denver Nuggets

2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Toronto Raptors

May 15th, 2025 at 7:44pm CST by Luke Adams

It was an injury-plagued season in 2024/25 for the Raptors, who only had one player - rookie Jamal Shead - appear in more than 65 games. Regulars like RJ Barrett (58 games), Jakob Poeltl (57), Gradey Dick (54), and Immanuel Quickley (33) all missed significant time, while Brandon Ingram didn't play at all after a trade-deadline deal in February sent him from New Orleans to Toronto.

The Raptors seemed to be playing it safe with Ingram and a few other veterans down the stretch after falling out of playoff contention. But injuries were a legitimate issue during the first half of the season, preventing the front office and coaching staff from getting a consistent look at their core players - led by forward Scottie Barnes (65 games) - on the court together for any extended period.

Toronto's presumed opening-night starting lineup of Barnes, Quickley, Barrett, Poeltl, and Dick appeared in just eight games together over the course of the season, logging 107 total minutes.

Those injuries, along with a challenging early schedule, resulted in an extremely poor first half for the Raptors, who lost 31 of their first 39 games and had the third-worst record in the NBA in mid-January. Recognizing at that point that it made more sense to pursue a high lottery pick than an outside chance at a play-in spot, Toronto went into tank mode in the second half of the season and began resting regulars while leaning more heavily on two-way and 10-day players.

Paradoxically though, with the help of one of the league's softest second-half schedules and the ongoing development of a few young prospects, the Raptors played their best basketball of the season in March (10-5). After spending the first half of the year losing games they were trying to win, the Raptors finished out the season by winning games management would've preferred to lose, going 22-21 after their 8-31 start and ending up with the No. 9 overall pick after dropping a couple spots on lottery night.

While it was a disappointing lottery outcome for fans in Toronto hoping to add one more blue-chip prospect to the team's core after a lost season, there are already several foundational pieces in place here, and the strides made down the stretch by second-year head coach Darko Rajakovic and youngsters like Shead, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle, and Jonathan Mogbo made for an encouraging trade-off.

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Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Maluach, Sixers, Bailey, Nets, Fears

May 15th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

While they didn’t fall as far as teams like Utah or Washington, the Raptors were among the clubs to slide multiple spots in Monday’s draft lottery. They entered the night with the seventh-best odds, but will be picking ninth overall in this year’s draft.

As Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes, that lack of lottery luck diminishes the odds of Toronto adding a difference-maker in this year’s draft after the team spent much of the season angling for a better draft position. While that will raise the level of difficulty as Masai Ujiri looks to build another title-contending team, the Raptors president indicated on lottery night that he wasn’t fazed by the results, pointing to the organization’s positive history with the No. 9 overall pick.

“Tracy McGrady. DeMar DeRozan. Jakob Poeltl,” Ujiri said. “We’ll be fine. I guarantee you we’ll be fine. … We have all our picks going forward. I think we continue this rebuild and grow as a team. And honestly, I’m as optimistic as I was (before the lottery).

“I believe that the NBA has become (about) movement, movement, movement. You just wait for your turn (for a big transaction that makes sense). It will come: patience and (we will) see if that’s the way. But I think for this team, we’re just going to keep growing. And (we have) young players. We’ll be fine adding another one.”

As for which prospects the Raptors might target at No. 9, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca points to Duke big man Khaman Maluach as one possible fit, noting that the club will be seeking center depth behind Poeltl. According to Grange, some league sources have told him Maluach is high on Toronto’s radar, while other sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking have pushed back on that notion.

The Raptors, who also hold 39th overall pick in this year’s draft, have a workout scheduled with Australian forward Alex Toohey, tweets Grange. Toohey is the No. 39 prospect on ESPN’s big board.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Confirming a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that assistant coach Coby Karl has been let go by the Sixers. Karl is one of several staffers the team is parting ways with, according to Pompey, who identifies associate player development coach Terrel Harris, senior physical therapist and assistant athletic trainer John Tooher, and director of coaching operations Michelle Bell as a few of the others exiting the organization.
In a column for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey makes the case that the Sixers should use the No. 3 overall pick on Rutgers’ Ace Bailey, assuming Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are off the board. However, if they do select Bailey, the 76ers will need to make sure they “focus on making him a real contributor from day one,” Pompey contends, rather than possibly stunting his growth by making him a fourth option or role player.
Could Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears be the right fit for the Nets at No. 8 in this year’s draft? Noting that Fears shows up at that spot in multiple mock drafts, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes that the lottery prospect has worked out for Brooklyn and the Wizards so far and received some positive feedback from the Nets. “Yes, I met with Brooklyn. I worked out for Brooklyn as well,” Fears said. “The conversations were great. They were just telling me how they think I could fit within their system and be an overall good piece for them.”

Hawks Interested In Masai Ujiri To Run Front Office

May 14th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors executive Masai Ujiri has emerged as a target for the Hawks as they search for a new president of basketball operations, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article (subscription required).

Sources tell Stein that it’s unclear if Atlanta has a legitimate chance to lure Ujiri, who has been with Toronto for the past 12 years. Ujiri’s contract status hasn’t been made public, but Stein hears that he’s believed to be entering the final season of his current deal.

After starting his career as a scout, Ujiri worked his way up to assistant general manager with the Raptors in 2008 before leaving to become the GM in Denver in 2010. He was named Executive of the Year with the Nuggets in 2013, then returned to Toronto as executive vice president.

Ujiri bolstered his reputation as one of the NBA’s top executives when he built the Raptors team that captured the franchise’s first-ever NBA title in 2019. The final piece of the puzzle was a bold move to trade for San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, who was entering the final year of his contract and only spent one season with the team.

Ujiri, who has since been promoted to president and vice chairman, is still recognized as a master team builder, even though Toronto has fallen on hard times in recent years, missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. Stein notes that after finishing 30-52 this year, Ujiri promised at an April press conference to bring another championship to Toronto.

The Hawks shook up their front office after being eliminated in the play-in tournament, firing general manager Landry Fields on April 21. Assistant GM Onsi Saleh was promoted to interim GM and is currently handling the day-to-day operations, but the new hire is expected to run the organization.

A Stein Line report last week indicated that owner Tony Ressler was exploring the idea of having a player agent take over the job, with Trae Young‘s agent, Austin Brown of CAA, among the top candidates. League sources confirm to Stein that Octagon’s Alex Saratsis, who represents Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, has also moved into the picture, as previously reported by Grant Afseth.