Eastern Notes: Scariolo, Heat, Celtics, Ainge, Fontecchio
According to a Eurohoops.net report, the Heat have expressed interest in adding Sergio Scariolo to their coaching staff. Scariolo is currently the head coach of Spain’s national team and served as an assistant coach with the Raptors for three seasons from 2018-21. However, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang hears from a source close to the organization that Scariolo is not a candidate for a Heat coaching position.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Heat might have to take a step back to move forward, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Their cap sheet for next season is messy but they could reach the summer of 2026 with ample cap space, perhaps $30-40MM or even more, unless they make a major trade for a star player this summer. If they don’t make that sort of deal, it might be another down year for the franchise but the Heat will own their own first-round pick without restrictions in next year’s draft along with having salary flexibility.
- The departure of Celtics assistant GM Austin Ainge transpired quickly in recent days, and the hiring of a replacement for him is not imminent, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reports. Ainge has joined the Jazz‘s front office as their president of basketball operations. “Ownership is awesome and it’s just kind of the next progression of my career,” Ainge said. “Kind of done a lot in Boston and we’ve had a lot of success over the years, and the chance to run my own team is a big part of it. And the Jazz have a lot of potential, man. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of potential.”
- Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio didn’t shoot as well from beyond the arc as he had the previous season but he maintained a rotation spot due to other factors, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes. Fontecchio drew praise from coach J.B. Bickerstaff due to his defensive tenacity, versatility, energy, selflessness and basketball IQ. If Fontecchio can regain his three-point form, he’ll be a very valuable rotation piece heading into his walk year, Langlois adds — he has $8.3MM remaining on his contract.
Jazz Hire Celtics’ Austin Ainge As President Of Basketball Ops
The Jazz have hired veteran Celtics executive Austin Ainge as their president of basketball operations, the team announced today in a press release. Tim Bontemps and Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) first reported the news.
Ainge has spent 17 years with the Celtics, including the last 14 in the front office. He was initially hired as a scout, then spent a couple seasons coaching Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine from 2009-11 before transitioning to a front office position. He served as the club’s director of player personnel and scouting until 2019 and has been an assistant general manager for the past six years.
Ainge has played a significant role in the Celtics’ scouting and pre-draft process over the past decade-plus. The Jazz’s announcement today notes that he “helped to identify” the draft selections of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new president of basketball operations,” Jazz owner and governor Ryan Smith said in a statement. “Austin is one of the brightest minds in the NBA—his 17 years with the Celtics have given him incredible insight into every part of an organization. I’ve known Austin for 15 years, and I’ve watched him grow into an accomplished, innovative, and strategic basketball executive who’s ready to lead this organization.”
Obviously, beyond his relationship with Smith, Ainge has a strong connection to the front office in Utah, where his father Danny Ainge has been the franchise’s CEO and alternate governor since 2021. The elder Ainge and general manager Justin Zanik have collaborated on roster decisions in recent years, with Zanik focused on day-to-day operations in his GM role.
A president of basketball operations title suggests that Austin will be above Zanik and below his father in Utah’s front office hierarchy. The Jazz’s press release implies they’re simply adding the newest hire to the current group rather than the move being part of a larger restructuring of the front office.
“Austin is experienced, forward-thinking, and laser-focused on building a championship-caliber program,” Smith said. “He has been instrumental in every aspect of building great teams – from scouting the best players to constructing a winning roster.
“In this new role leading the Jazz front office, Austin’s ability to identify great talent, scout, and partner with Danny, Justin, and (head coach) Will (Hardy) and the rest of the front office team will be key. Hiring Austin couldn’t be coming at a better time as we build up as an organization towards our ultimate goal of championship-level basketball.”
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Utah Jazz
Following a first-round postseason exit in 2022, the Jazz traded away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, kick-starting the tear-down of a roster that had made six consecutive playoff appearances at that time. Three years later, Utah has stockpiled a ton of future draft picks and opened up far more cap flexibility going forward, but the current roster looks even less equipped to get back to the playoffs than that post-Gobert/Mitchell squad did entering the 2022/23 season.
The Jazz’s lack of forward progress is understandable to a certain extent. Although Gobert and Mitchell were traded during the 2022 offseason along with Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neale, it took a couple more years for Utah to sell off most of its remaining productive veteran rotation players, including Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Kelly Olynyk, and Simone Fontecchio.
With several of those vets still on the roster and the Jazz having done well to acquire players like Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton in the Gobert and Mitchell deals, the team outperformed expectations during the first half of the ’22/23 and ’23/24 seasons, necessitating more trades as the front office looked to improve its position in the lottery and snag a high draft pick.
However, after winning 37 and 31 games in those two years, the Jazz picked just ninth overall in 2023 and 10th in 2024. Utah still loaded up on rookies in both drafts, having also selected 16th and 28th in ’23 and 29th and 32nd in ’24, but without a pick in the top half of the lottery, the team came out of those drafts with plenty of question marks instead of an obvious franchise cornerstone.
While Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski displayed some promise as rookies this past season, No. 10 overall pick Cody Williams was one of the NBA’s least effective rotation players, and 2023 first-rounders Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh were major defensive liabilities for a team that ranked dead last in the league with a 119.4 defensive rating. 2023 lottery pick Taylor Hendricks, meanwhile, had an up-and-down rookie season, then suffered a season-ending leg injury during his third game of his sophomore year.
With so many veterans having been traded away and so many of the Jazz’s young players not giving the team positive minutes, the front office finally got the bottom-out year it was looking for this past season — Utah’s 17-65 record was the worst of any NBA team in ’24/25, as well as the worst mark in team history.
Unfortunately, after not getting any luck from the back half of the lottery in 2023 and 2024, the Jazz didn’t fare any better in 2025, falling from No. 1 in the pre-lottery standings to No. 5 in the draft, a worst-case outcome (albeit one that had a 48% chance of happening).
A report in March indicated that the Jazz view the last three years as their “tear-down” period and that, in their eyes, the rebuild is just now getting started. With no reason to want to take a significant step forward in 2025/26 (Utah’s 2026 first-round pick will be sent to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight), the Jazz will likely approach this offseason with the expectation that they’ll be spending at least one more year near the bottom of the NBA standings.
The Jazz’s Offseason Plan
Having slipped to No. 5 on lottery night, the Jazz likely don’t have a path to landing a potential franchise player like Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper. Still, it’s worth giving the Spurs a call about No. 2 to see what it would take, since a San Antonio team that already employs De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle may be willing to listen to pitches for Harper. In all likelihood though, the Jazz will end up staying put at No. 5, so which target makes the most sense in that spot?
ESPN’s most recent mock draft sent Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears to Utah. As Jonathan Givony acknowledged in that piece, it’s not an ideal fit, given that the Jazz spent first-round picks in both 2023 (George) and 2024 (Collier) on point guards, but this rebuild isn’t far enough along – and neither George nor Collier is established enough – for the front office to prioritize fit over the best player available. If Fears is the player atop the Jazz’s board when they’re on the clock, they should take him.
There will be other candidates in play. While Ace Bailey and V.J. Edgecombe are widely considered the next-best prospects after Flagg and Harper, Utah could pounce if one of them slips to No. 5. If not, Texas shooting guard Tre Johnson is worth a long look. He and Fears both probably have more offensive upside than any of the youngsters Utah drafted in 2023 or 2024.
Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, Noa Essengue, and Derik Queen are among the other prospects who could be on Utah’s radar, but I suspect the Jazz may ultimately end up choosing between whichever two players from that Bailey/Edgecombe/Fears/Johnson group are still on the board at No. 5.
In addition to picking at No. 5, the Jazz hold the No. 21 overall selection, giving them multiple first-rounders for a third straight season. While it’s possible they won’t be eager to incorporate two more first-year players into a roster that’s starting to tilt pretty heavily toward guys on rookie scale contracts, I think that would be more problematic if several of their 2023 and 2024 picks had already established themselves as reliable rotation pieces. But since many of those young players will still have to fight to earn regular minutes, it doesn’t hurt to add another one to that competition.
The Jazz’s pick at No. 21 will depend on how the first two-thirds of the first round play out, but there are several interesting names who might be available in that range, including big men Asa Newell and Maxime Raynaud.
As Utah continues to build out its base of young talent, the front office will also have major decisions to make on several of its veterans, starting with a pair of young vets: Markkanen, who just turned 28, and Kessler, who will turn 24 in July.
Markkanen signed a long-term extension with the organization last summer and is under contract through 2028/29. Kessler only has one year left on his rookie deal, but could end up being locked up for even longer than Markkanen if he and the Jazz are able to work out a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason.
The question is whether Markkanen and Kessler, both of whom have been the subject of trade rumors in the past year, are viewed as long-term keepers or whether Utah will consider moving either of them this summer.
I’d bet on Markkanen sticking around for now. He’s coming off an injury-plagued season in which his shooting averages plummeted to 42.3% from the floor and 34.6% on three-pointers, well below his career rates and even further below the numbers he put up during his first two years in Utah.
Markkanen is owed $196MM over the next four years and his trade value is the lowest it’s been since his breakout All-Star season in 2022/23. Now isn’t the time to move him, even if his presence raises the Jazz’s floor and might compromise the club’s ability to vie for a top-four pick again in 2026 — as this year’s 17-win performance shows, he only raises that floor so much in a competitive Western Conference.
Kessler is arguably a more interesting case. If they want to keep him beyond the 2025/26 season, the Jazz will likely have to pay big money to do it. The young center has impressed as a rebounder and rim protector and has made some strides on the offensive end over the course of his three NBA seasons.
He has a stronger résumé than Onyeka Okongwu did when he got a four-year, $62MM extension from Atlanta two years ago. Recent deals for Wendell Carter (three years, $58.7MM), Jakob Poeltl (four years, $78MM), and Nic Claxton (four years, $97MM) could be used as comparables during the Kessler negotiations. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he gets a bigger deal than all of them.
If the Jazz aren’t convinced that Kessler is their center of the future, this offseason is probably the time to make a move. Would the Lakers be willing to part with the same package (Dalton Knecht, an unprotected first-round pick, and a pick swap) that they agreed to send the Hornets for Mark Williams before health concerns scuttled that deal? It seems very possible, and they wouldn’t be the only team with legitimate interest.
The idea of trading a 24-year-old center who has been the most impressive of any Jazz players on rookie scale contracts doesn’t sit especially well with me. After all, Kessler is clearly young enough to be part of Utah’s next playoff team. But that next playoff team might still be years away from materializing, and under this Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs have to be careful about which players they invest heavily in. That decision is looming on Kessler, so we should find out soon whether or not Utah is comfortable signing him to a lucrative four- or five-year deal.
The Jazz’s other three veterans – Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson – will all be on expiring contracts in 2025/26, assuming Collins exercises his $26.6MM player option, which seems like a relatively safe bet. I’d view all three as trade candidates, though it will be difficult to extract a ton of value for Sexton or Clarkson, both of whom are undersized, offense-first shooting guards who can be attacked on defense and are earning more than the mid-level. Utah could maximize its return on either player by taking back unwanted multiyear salary from a team seeking more flexibility going forward.
Collins is the most intriguing player of this trio to me. He had a couple disappointing seasons after signing a five-year, $125MM contract with Atlanta in 2021, but he has arguably become undervalued in Utah. Although he was limited to 40 appearances in 2024/25, Collins played some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game with an impressive .527/.399/.848 shooting line.
And Collins wasn’t just putting up empty stats on a bad team. Utah had a -0.9 net rating during his 1,220 minutes on the floor, including a 113.3 defensive rating. By comparison, during the 2,741 minutes he wasn’t on the floor, those numbers nosedived to -12.9 and 121.1, respectively.
I’m not sure whether the Jazz view Collins as a player who has a long-term future in Utah, especially since he’s at his best playing power forward, which is Markkanen’s natural spot. But if they can’t find an appealing trade offer for him and he’s willing to take a pay cut on his next contract, signing him to an extension wouldn’t be the worst outcome for the franchise.
Salary Cap Situation
Guaranteed Salary
Lauri Markkanen ($46,394,100)- Collin Sexton ($18,975,000)
- Jordan Clarkson ($14,285,714)
- Taylor Hendricks ($6,127,080)
- Cody Williams ($5,742,480)
- Walker Kessler ($4,878,938)
- Keyonte George ($4,278,960)
- Kyle Filipowski ($3,000,000)
- Brice Sensabaugh ($2,693,760)
- Isaiah Collier ($2,638,200)
- Total: $109,014,232
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- KJ Martin ($8,025,000)
- Svi Mykhailiuk ($3,675,000)
- Mykhailiuk’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30.
- Johnny Juzang ($2,840,518)
- Juzang’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30.
- Jaden Springer ($2,349,578)
- Springer’s salary will become partially guaranteed for $400,000 if he remains under contract through July 25.
- Elijah Harkless (two-way)
- Total: $16,890,096
Dead/Retained Salary
- None
Player Options
- John Collins ($26,580,000): Bird rights
- Total: $26,580,000
Team Options
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Two-Way Free Agents
Because he’s no longer eligible to sign a two-way contract, Potter’s qualifying offer would be worth his minimum salary (projected to be $2,461,463). It would include a small partial guarantee.
Draft Picks
- No. 5 overall pick ($9,069,840 cap hold)
- No. 21 overall pick ($3,512,520 cap hold)
- No. 43 overall pick (no cap hold)
- No. 53 overall pick (no cap hold)
- Total (cap holds): $12,582,360
Extension-Eligible Players
- John Collins (veteran)
- Extension-eligible until June 30 if player option declined or in July if player option exercised.
- Walker Kessler (rookie scale)
- Collin Sexton (veteran)
Unless otherwise indicated, these players will become eligible for extensions at some point in July.
Unrestricted Free Agents
- None
Cap Exceptions Available
The Jazz project to operate over the cap but below the first tax apron.
- Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $14,104,000
- Bi-annual exception: $5,134,000
- Trade exception: $3,564,000
Unless otherwise indicated, trade exceptions won’t expire before the regular season begins.
Northwest Notes: Edwards, Randle, Jazz Draft, Trail Blazers Workouts
Anthony Edwards scored just 16 points in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday. However, the Timberwolves superstar believes he played the game the way it’s supposed to be played.
“I don’t look at it like I struggled, or (Julius Randle) struggled,” Edwards said. “They just, they had a good game plan, making us get off the ball. Especially for me, man. They were super in the gaps, I made the right play all night.”
Edwards only attempted 13 shots and made just one three-pointer.
“It’s an urge that I want to get the ball in the rim, put it up there,” Edwards said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But you don’t want to take bad shots and get your team out of rhythm. So I was just playing the game the right way, man.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Randle took just seven shots and made only one. He was disappointed in himself that he wasn’t more assertive, he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I’ve got to figure out a way to get myself in position to be more aggressive, rather than just standing, spectating or trying to crash the glass,” he said. “Or I can just find other little things to do.”
- The Jazz possess the No. 5 and 21 picks in the first round and pair of second-rounders in next month’s draft. Multiple league sources indicated to the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd that the front office is willing to hear offers and make deals on any of those draft picks. However, considering it’s been over a decade since Utah had a top-five selection, Todd believes it’s likely that the Jazz will retain the No. 5 pick.
- Zach Hicks (Penn State), Chris Manon (Vanderbilt), Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M), Caleb Love (Arizona), Zack Austin (Pittsburgh) and Money Williams (Montana) worked out for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report tweets. That group is comprised of players trying to earn second-round consideration.
NBA Announces 2024/25 All-Rookie Teams
The NBA has officially revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2024/25 season (Twitter links). The First Team is made up the top two picks in the 2024 draft, a pair of Grizzlies, and this season’s Rookie of the Year, while the Second Team is heavy on centers.
A panel of 100 media members selected the All-Rookie teams, with players earning two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team nod. The 10 players who made the cut, along with their corresponding point totals (Twitter link), are as follows:
First Team
Stephon Castle, Spurs (200 points)- Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks (199)
- Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies (195)
- Zach Edey, Grizzlies (173)
- Alex Sarr, Wizards (150)
Second Team
- Kel’el Ware, Heat (138)
- Matas Buzelis, Bulls (97)
- Yves Missi, Pelicans (90)
- Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers (73)
- Bub Carrington, Wizards (53)
There are no real surprises on the First Team. Castle was the recipient of this season’s Rookie of the Year and was also the only player to be unanimously selected to the First Team, but fellow Rookie of the Year finalists Risacher and Wells weren’t far behind him. Edey and Sarr played significant roles for their respective teams and also finished in the top five in Rookie of the Year voting.
Among the members of the Second Team, Ware and Buzelis finished sixth and seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, while Missi, Clingan, and Carrington became starters for their respective teams in their first NBA seasons.
Carrington just narrowly edged out Jazz guard Isaiah Collier, who received one First Team vote and 50 Second Team votes for a total of 52 points. Carrington technically showed up on fewer overall ballots, but gained the slight edge because he was selected to the First Team by three voters (he was named to the Second Team by 47).
A total of 23 players showed up on at least one voter’s ballot, with Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski, Pistons forward Ron Holland, Lakers forward Dalton Knecht, and Suns wing Ryan Dunn rounding out the top 15 vote-getters — they, along with Collier, would’ve made up a hypothetical All-Rookie Third Team if the league recognized 15 players like it does for All-NBA.
All-Rookie is one of the few awards that doesn’t require players to meet the 65-game minimum and certain minutes-played thresholds. Risacher, Edey, Ware, Buzelis, and Clingan each would have been ineligible for consideration if that rule applied to All-Rookie voting.
Jazz Announce Dates For Salt Lake City Summer League
The 10th edition of the Salt Lake City Summer League will take place at the University of Utah’s Jon M. Huntsman Center on July 5, 6 and 8, the Jazz announced today in a press release. The Grizzlies, Thunder and Sixers will also participate in the six-game, round-robin event.
“Salt Lake City Summer League has become an annual summer staple in our community since its launch 10 years ago,” said Jonathan Rinehart, president of the Salt Lake City Stars and Salt Lake City Summer League. “While Delta Center undergoes renovations, we’re committed to preserving the tradition of the event and look forward to giving fans a first look at the highly anticipated 2025 draft class.”
The 2025 draft will occur over two days, June 25 and 26. Salt Lake City Summer League could feature several first- and second-round picks, with Philadelphia (Nos. 3 and 35) and Utah (Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53) currently controlling the earliest selections. Oklahoma City owns Nos. 15, 24 and 44, while Memphis has Nos. 48 and 56.
SLC summer league is a prelude to the primary Las Vegas Summer League, which features all 30 teams and will take place from July 10-20.
2025 NBA Draft Picks By Team
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
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Dort, Blazers, Jazz, Uzan
After being eliminated in the Western Conference Finals in the spring of 2024, Anthony Edwards vowed the Timberwolves would be “back next year,” writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
That looked like a long shot for much of the season as Minnesota spent most of 2024/25 hovering around the seventh or eighth spot in the West. But the Wolves moved up to sixth on the last day of the regular season, dispatched the Lakers in round one, and – with Wednesday’s win over Golden State – made good on Edwards’ declaration, as well as responding to a challenge issued by head coach Chris Finch.
“The challenge we laid down to our guys from day one was quite simple,” Finch said after the Wolves’ Game 5 victory, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It was one question: ‘Were you a Western Conference Finals team, or were you a team that just happened to make the Western Conference Finals?’ And there’s only one way to prove that: Go out and do it again. And that was our mission all year.”
While the Wolves have achieved one of their goals, they’re still two series wins away from their ultimate objective, which is why Edwards told reporters on Wednesday that there’s “no satisfaction” in the locker room yet, according to McMenamin. Minnesota would enter the 2025 Western Finals as a significant underdog if the 68-win Thunder get past Denver in the other conference semifinal, but the Wolves players say they’re not fazed by that.
“Our mentality going in was nobody expected us to beat the Lakers, no one expected us to beat the Warriors,” Donte DiVincenzo said. “So our expectation going in was just stick together and we know that no one is going to pick us, and we’re fine with that.”
We have more from around the Northwest:
- After not playing in the fourth quarter of the Thunder‘s Game 4 win and scoring just three points in the first three quarters of Game 5, veteran wing Luguentz Dort keyed Oklahoma City’s Tuesday comeback with a trio of consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Head coach Mark Daigneault had reaffirmed his faith in Dort after Game 4, referring to him as “the last guy I’m worried about,” and wasn’t surprised by his Game 5 heroics. “I don’t bet against Lu,” Daigneault said. “It’s that simple.”
- It’s business as usual for the Trail Blazers‘ front office with the franchise up for sale, reports Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. A source tells Fentress that general manager Joe Cronin is operating with no additional restrictions during the sale process. As Fentress writes, while it’s not uncommon for a new ownership group to make managerial and coaching changes, both Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups recently signed contract extensions, so they at least have some financial security going forward.
- Milos Uzan worked out for the Jazz last week and said he got some “pretty good feedback” from the team, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who notes that Carlos Boozer – rumored to be joining Utah as a scout – referred to Uzan as “one of the better players in the workout.” The Houston guard is the 41st overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, while the Jazz control three picks (Nos. 21, 43, and 53) in addition to their lottery selection.
Scotto’s Latest: Gafford, Huerter, Jazz, Boozer, Giddey, More
Looking ahead to the 2025 offseason trade market, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype identifies Daniel Gafford as a possible trade candidate to watch if the Mavericks and the veteran big man are unable to come to terms on a contract extension.
While Gafford has been a key rotation player over the last season-and-a-half in Dallas, he doesn’t project to be a starter as long as Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively are healthy, and his expiring $14.4MM contract could be a useful salary-matching piece as the Mavericks shop for backcourt help this summer.
Scotto also notes that Bulls wing Kevin Huerter drew some interest from the Jazz after being acquired by Chicago at this year’s trade deadline. The Kings were known to have explored the possibility of a John Collins trade before making their De’Aaron Fox deal, so Huerter likely came up in those talks with Utah. However, Scotto’s wording suggests the Jazz still had interest in Huerter after Sacramento agreed to send him to the Bulls.
It’s unclear if the Jazz will circle back to Huerter this summer or if their interest was solely about acquiring another asset that would’ve been attached to the veteran’s unwanted contract.
Here are several more highlights from Scotto’s latest rumor round-up:
- Carlos Boozer, who earned two All-Star berths with the Jazz during his playing career, has been around the team at the draft combine in Chicago this week and is expected to be hired by Utah as a scout, league sources tell HoopsHype.
- According to Scotto, there’s still a belief around the NBA that Bulls restricted free agent Josh Giddey will be seeking a five-year, $150MM contract this summer, similar to the one Jalen Suggs signed with Orlando last fall. That was Giddey’s reported asking price last October as well.
- While David Griffin wanted to hang onto Kelly Olynyk and re-sign Bruce Brown, it’s unclear how new Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars feels about that veteran duo, Scotto writes. There’s a similar situation at work in Atlanta, where there was an expectation prior to Landry Fields‘ dismissal that the Hawks would try to re-sign Larry Nance Jr. and Caris LeVert while letting go of Clint Capela. It’s not yet known if that will still be the plan for the new-look front office, Scotto notes.
- Sixers assistant Coby Karl isn’t expected to return to Nick Nurse‘s coaching staff next season, Scotto reports.
Northwest Notes: Edwards, Westbrook, Jazz, Blazers
With the Timberwolves trailing Golden State at halftime in Game 4 on Monday, a locker-room speech from Anthony Edwards helped spark a huge third-quarter turnaround, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“I told them, ‘We only got two wins,'” Edwards told reporters after Minnesota’s Game 4 win. “I’ve never seen a series end 2-1. I told them we have to get two more wins and right now we’re playing like we already got four wins. … We had to figure it out because if we would have kept playing like that, we would have lost tonight.”
Edwards made good on his halftime speech by coming out and scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the third quarter. The Timberwolves as a whole outscored the Warriors 39-17, making it the largest positive margin in a single quarter in Wolves playoff history, per McMenamin.
As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes, the Timberwolves will need to remain cognizant of Edwards’ message and avoid getting complacent going forward in order to finish off the series. After building a big lead in the third quarter on Monday, they saw that lead whittled down to seven points in the fourth before putting the game way. As they head home for Game 5, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker spoke about a need to “understand the moment.”
“Have to be present and understand that these are situations that are pivotal,” he said. “You have a chance to close out on your home court as opposed to having to go elsewhere and try to win and then do it again and come back on the road and travel.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- The Nuggets had been interested in Russell Westbrook for years before signing him last summer, believing that his energy and competitiveness would be a welcome addition to the roster, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. However, the veteran guard remains a volatile personality who reportedly pouted after being taken out near the end of a first-round loss and got into a heated discussion with Aaron Gordon in the locker room after being challenged over his attitude, sources tell ESPN. According to Shelburne, the Nuggets’ chances of advancing in the playoffs and having a shot at another title could come down to which version of Westbrook they get going forward.
- Even though there was nearly a 50/50 chance that the Jazz would end up at No. 5 in the draft, that outcome was still a gut-punch for fans in Utah on the heels of a 17-win season. Tony Jones of The Athletic weighs what’s next for the Jazz after a disappointing lottery night, suggesting that the team should still land a promising young building block at No. 5. But since that player likely won’t make an immediate impact on winning as a rookie, Utah could be back in this position in 2026, hoping for better lottery luck.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the coming offseason in Portland, evaluating the Trail Blazers‘ top trade candidates and considering what a rookie scale extension might look like for Shaedon Sharpe (Smith projects $112MM over four years).