Around February, Zaidi started placing calls to agents representing front office and medical personnel to inquire about their clients. Around three months later, the Lakers offered Steve Senior, an assistant general manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the job of executive vice president of basketball operations. Senior, who declined to comment, decided to remain with the Timberwolves, according to multiple league sources. 

Whether they’re still looking to fill that role is unclear. Pelinka recently told reporters the team will be hiring a pair of assistant general managers; one focused on personnel, the other on strategy and analytics. “We have started a wide search and begun interviews,” he said. That process is being led by Pelinka and longtime Lakers executive Kurt Rambis. But, according to league sources, Friedman and Zaidi have been involved in the process as well, with at least one of them typically sitting in on interviews. 

The presence of Friedman and Zaidi has led to some speculation around the NBA that Walter could eventually look to replace Pelinka, who signed a multiyear contract extension and received a title bump last April, before the sale of the team. Thus far, however, that does not appear to be the case. Pelinka has told people around the NBA that he, Friedman and Zaidi are working “in collaboration,” and that he’s excited to be backed by a free-spending ownership group. He’s also been the one running point on contract discussions with player agents. 

Bolstering the performance staff appears to be Friedman’s and Zaidi’s other priority. “We’re working in collaboration with some of the Dodgers folks to bring in a biomechanics lab,” Pelinka told reporters. Until then, players may have to get used to working with the baseball group at Dodger Stadium. That, according to two league sources, is what the Lakers told Austin Reaves to do while he was rehabbing from an oblique injury during the playoffs. 

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/what-will-the-lakers-look-like-with-top-dodgers-execs-helping-lead-the-way-thats-the-big-question-in-la-184532926.html

Mike Brown exposes James Harden’s weakness from his Houston Rockets days

In the Game 1 postgame conference, Mike Brown explained how the Warriors once tried to drain James Harden’s legs during those playoff battles with Houston.

“When I was in Golden State and we played Houston, we counted James Harden’s dribbles. We told our guys he’s dribbling close to 1000 times a game,” Brown said.

He added, “Keep picking him up full court and making him dribble. At the end of the game, it would wear him down.”

The point was not only about Harden’s old Rockets usage. Brown was explaining why fatigue matters when a high-volume creator has to carry possessions, defend repeated actions and survive late-game pressure.

Golden State’s plan against Houston was built on attrition. Harden could still score, but every possession forced him to spend more energy before he got to his preferred spots. Brown saw the same idea become useful again in Game 1.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mike-brown-admits-exposing-james-100000615.html

Jason Kidd is out as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks after five seasons in what the team described as a mutual decision Tuesday evening.

Kidd has four years and more than $40 million remaining on his contract, sources told ESPN. But Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, who extended Kidd's contract during Dallas' NBA Finals run in 2024 and again before last season after they declined the New York Knicks' request to interview him, gave new president Masai Ujiri full authorization to determine the coach's future with the franchise.

"As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team," Ujiri said in a statement. "We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention.

"We will conduct a thorough, disciplined search for our next head coach and continue to evaluate our entire basketball operations staff to ensure we compete at the standard Mavs fans expect and deserve."

Sources said Kidd had expressed a desire to be promoted to president of basketball operations after general manager Nico Harrison was fired in November, but Dumont informed Kidd months ago that he wouldn't be considered for the front office.

Kidd was kept out of the loop in the process that resulted in Ujiri's hiring, sources said.

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48820152/jason-kidd-mavericks-coach-five-seasons

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is rarely one to let a perceived slight slide, and the recent comments directed his way by Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown are no exception.

During Monday's episode of First Take, Smith addressed a recent live stream by the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.

"Jaylen Brown, be careful what you wish for. You really want me to start reporting on that level? You understand? Locker room, how the organization might think about you, how the city may feel about you, how Jayson Tatum may or may not feel about you, sneaker deals, endorsement deals, the list goes on and on. The season is over bro. You're on Twitch trying to do what I do and talking about me needing to step away. It makes no sense."

Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25429075-stephen-reacts-jaylen-browns-trending-video-warns-celtics-star-about-potential-reporting

There will be no relitigating the NBA MVP award.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second straight trophy on Sunday, deservedly, with Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama finishing as runners-up. Regardless of what happens in the Western Conference finals between Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs, that was the correct result.

Here’s the thing, though: At age 27, Gilgeous-Alexander is in the prime of his career. With the league’s best record, a championship ring in 2025 and another MVP trophy, you’d think it was indisputable that he’s far and away the NBA’s best player.

And yet … will his next series mark a changing of the guard?

Gilgeous-Alexander was the league’s best player over the course of the 82-game regular season, but is he the best player right now? That part seems in serious question after Wembanyama came on like gangbusters in the second part of the campaign and has thus far dominated the playoffs.

I’m not sure this aspect of the storyline has received quite the attention it deserves: Wembanyama was a really good player for the first three months … and then completely went nuclear during the stretch run.

From Feb. 1 to the end of the season, the Spurs went 28-2 when Wembanyama played and posted a plus-23.4 net rating, the best mark in the league by a wide margin (the next three players on the list all played for the Thunder, including Gilgeous-Alexander). In that same stretch, the Spurs were just plus-0.7 with Wemby off the court, a 22.7-points-per-100-possessions difference that would make even longtime Denver Nuggets fans raise a surprised eyebrow.

That’s carried over into the playoffs, as the Spurs are 7-1 when Wembanyama plays at least 15 minutes and 1-2 when he doesn’t; San Antonio has a plus-21.9 net rating in his minutes but just plus-7.1 when he sits.

Individually in that post-February stretch, Wembanyama raised his rates of points, rebounds, assists and true shooting sharply from the first half of the year, despite a slump from the 3-point line that prevented his numbers from really going ballistic. Of his 13 games with a game score above 30, 10 came after Feb. 1, including the top four. Wembanyama’s back-to-back 41-point masterpieces on March 30 and April 1 were his two highest-rated, despite only playing 29 and 30 minutes in the two games.

I’ll note that this wasn’t just a hot shooting stretch; those numbers came with a big jump in his already fearsome block rate and were emphatically backed up by the eye test.

The league’s scariest talent is still getting better. Rapidly.

To make sure I wasn’t alone in this assessment, one of my missions at the NBA Draft Combine was to ask execs from the other 29 teams if they thought Wemby had supplanted Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić as the league’s best player. Mostly, I was met with chortles and nods.

“I don’t know what the hell you do with him,” said one personnel expert. “Offense. Defense. Any of it.”

So … is Wemby the best player in the league?

“No,” another veteran exec said. “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”

During Game 6 of the Spurs’ series against Minnesota, Prime Video analyst and longtime NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy mentioned to a national audience that, “Victor Wembanyama is the most impactful defensive player I have ever seen in this league.” After the game, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels, no defensive slouch himself, echoed Van Gundy.

“Wemby is probably the greatest defender I ever played against,” McDaniels said. “Him being so tall and so long, it was hard to get to the rim. … I was able to get to my spots, but playing Wemby, he’s huge. He’s so tall. He’s the greatest defender I ever played against.”

That’s to say nothing of the offensive highlights he almost nonchalantly generates between his endless length, his guard-like skill level and his advancing feel for the game.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7286884/2026/05/18/sga-nba-mvp-wemby-best-player/

Veteran Tobias Harris was Detroit’s second scoring option. The 33-year-old, whom Bickerstaff has routinely referred to as his “safety blanket,” averaged 18.1 points per game, good for the second most in his playoff career. But Harris scored a combined 11 points on 2-of-13 shooting in the final two games of the second round. Harris will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

As valuable as Harris was to start the postseason, he couldn’t sustain his level of offensive production as the playoffs pushed on. Harris will likely have multiple suitors around the league, in addition to the Pistons, this summer.

Although Detroit collapsed in the second round, the front office’s confidence in Bickerstaff, who signed a contract extension the day after the Pistons ousted the Magic in the first round, hasn’t wavered. The Pistons view him as the coach of the future, and the expectation, per league sources, is for Bickerstaff to be around long term. He’s established meaningful relationships throughout the locker room and has cultivated a culture that the organization believes is sustainable, given the team’s youth.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7242131/2026/05/18/detroit-pistsons-nba-playoffs-2026-offseason-future/

Hype for the NBA's Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs has come from across the league.

"This is the Finals," a West assistant coach told ESPN.

"This has a chance to go down as one of the best series of the past decade," an Eastern Conference executive said.

"This is the start of [another] Magic vs. Bird," a West scout said.

Yes, Spurs-Thunder, a collision course of the league's two best teams that's felt months in the making, is here.

These two teams have stood atop the league for most of the season. They have two of the top three candidates for Most Valuable Player -- Thunder guard and back-to-back winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who seems ready to assume his place as the sport's dominant force as soon as next week.

Both stars have dynamic talents surrounding them -- Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren for the Thunder; De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle for the Spurs -- not to mention other players emerging into starring roles in these playoffs, such as Ajay Mitchell for OKC and Dylan Harper for San Antonio.

It's a series that should have it all. And, to properly prepare, we talked to 10 league insiders -- a sampling of coaches, scouts and executives -- to take you inside the matchups to watch in Monday's Game 1 (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) and beyond. (Of those 10, eight picked Oklahoma City to win the series.)

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48801714/nba-playoffs-2026-intel-western-conference-finals-thunder-spurs-sga-wemby-chet

What’s the first team on your no-trade list?

So … it turns out LeBron James’ opinion wasn’t an outlier after all.

Right around the time our group of reporters was wrapping up its interviews, the Lakers star made headlines when he shared his not-so-flattering view of Memphis on a podcast. And while he had unflattering things to say about Milwaukee and Cleveland (which is near his hometown of Akron, Ohio, of course) as well, it was James’ choice to suggest that the Grizzlies move to Nashville, Tenn. that really riled up the Memphians. And understandably so.

The proof is in the polling, though.

When players were asked which team would be at the top of their “no-trade” list, Memphis received more than three times as many votes as the second-place Washington Wizards.

"I'll play anywhere, honestly,” one player explained. “But I would have to say Memphis is a place I don't want to live. So that would be the reason why I wouldn't want to play there.”

Said another player: “It has nothing to do with the team. It's the location of the team."

This feedback would seem to run counter to the perspective shared by commissioner Adam Silver in a late April podcast appearance, when he indicated that he had “never heard that issue of players not wanting to be in Memphis” while also saying “there’s no reason why the Memphis Grizzlies can’t be successful.” Silver also said that he would like it if the Grizzlies played “a few games a year in Nashville and sort of be Tennessee’s team to the extent that they can.”

So long as the Grizzlies don’t have a new arena lease agreement at FedEx Forum, where their current deal expires after the 2028-29 season, there will be questions about whether a move might be on the horizon. Those negotiations between the organization and the city have lasted far longer than was expected and remain unresolved.

The Wizards finishing second here is not a surprise. The team has not won 50 games in a season or reached the Eastern Conference finals since 1978-79. Its 17-65 record as it tanked this season likely perpetuated the losing-franchise narrative.

Washington’s current front office has attempted to change perceptions over the last three years, investing heavily in basketball-operations staffing and franchise infrastructure and overseeing a long-overdue renovation of Capital One Arena, beginning with the home and visitors' locker rooms.

Anthony Davis, who was traded to the Wizards in February, said during a news conference last month that outside views of the franchise are inaccurate.

“I can personally say now it’s not what people think or what people make it seem,” Davis said. “Yes, the losing is part of it, so people kind of tie that with the organization. But the organization within itself is totally different from what people think they’re seeing.”

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7270363/2026/05/18/giannis-anonymous-player-poll-2026/

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet addressed the rumors surrounding his teammate Kevin Durant's alleged social media burner accounts on Friday.

"The lie is always more appealing than the truth," VanVleet said when asked about the rumors around the 34:45 mark of Friday's episode of his Unguarded podcast. "That s--t is about entertainment at the end of the day."

VanVleet was referring to rumors that an X account supposedly connected to Durant had been criticizing Rockets players including Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün.

Those reports are an example of what VanVleet described as a difference in media treatment of Durant versus his former superstar teammate Kawhi Leonard.

"We had some weird things this year. And this is one thing that I didn't deal with Kawhi... the media didn't bother Kawhi, and I think it's because his personality," VanVleet said. "You know he don't give a f--k about that s--t.

"And I think that the gift and the curse with K is that he's so open, and he's so authentic, and he's so approachable, and he's so him, that it leaves room for the f--king clowns to jump in and add their own twist on this s--t. And then if he don't come out and directly say no, or go against that— which is what they want— there's just so much room for clickbait farming and s--t when it comes to him."

VanVleet also pushed back against a report that Durant had been disconnected from the Rockets while rehabbing from the injuries that limited throughout his team's first-round series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, which he described as a "flat-out lie."

VanVleet missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season while rehabbing from his own injury, a torn right ACL suffered in September. The Rockets will hope bringing him back as the team's lead ball-handler can help them find more playoff success during Durant's second season in Houston.

Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25428614-kevin-durant-burner-drama-addressed-fred-vanvleet-lie-always-more-appealing-truth

Mitchell doesn't have to do anything this summer, and that could make the Cavs uneasy. After his $50 million salary for 2026-27, Mitchell has a player option for $54 million for '27-28.

The Cavs will likely want to replace Mitchell's option season with a new contract in July, when they can add four years and up to $272 million.

But Mitchell can, and probably should, wait until 2027 to sign a new contract.

Then, with 10 years of service time, he can sign for five years and about $350 million, plus get some perks, such as a no-trade clause.

That is a massive difference in guaranteed money for a player who would be in his mid-30s by the time the extra season kicked in.

But that path would lead to Mitchell becoming an unrestricted free agent, a cloud that would hang over the Cavs next season.

Mitchell has been a consummate franchise player since arriving in 2022, and he has never publicly hinted that he wanted to leave. He extended his contract in 2024, and the Cavs were well aware then that this pinch point would come, regardless of how the team performed.

Nonetheless, it's uncomfortable, especially if the team still hasn't reached the heights many expected at this point in the union.

Then, there is the topic no one wants to discuss.

After subpar showings in Games 5 and 6 with Ausar Thompson and Cunningham hounding him, if Mitchell can't carry the Cavs in Game 7, where does that leave the franchise when it considers paying him $80 million when he's 35?

Would a disappointing end to this season and contract uncertainty nudge the Cavs to evaluate their centerpiece?

Mitchell, who is about to make his second consecutive All-NBA team, is arguably the second-best player in franchise history after LeBron James, and Mitchell is in his prime. For these reasons, the answer is probably a firm "no."

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48791313/why-fallout-cleveland-cavaliers-detroit-pistons-game-7-massive-nba-offseason

The Cavs are a second-apron team, the only one in the NBA, with a league-high payroll of $226 million (including the luxury tax, the number is north of $280 million).

A loss Sunday would mark three consecutive years of failing to get out of the second round. The Cavs came closer this season after losing in five games the previous two seasons to the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, who both went on to win the East. But this year's team was NOT constructed to end up in the same spot.

Cleveland traded franchise point guard Darius Garland for Harden with multiple seasons in mind.

The Cavs were hoping for a lead guard who would be healthier at the end of the season than Garland, and they won that bet.

At the conclusion of the Clippers' season, Garland admitted he had been "playing with nine toes" after his second consecutive campaign was derailed by foot problems.

Harden wanted contract certainty after this season, and the Clippers made it clear at midseason that they hadn't decided whether to pick up his $42 million team option -- $13 million guaranteed -- for next season.

When both sides showed their cards, Harden's representation got permission to find a team willing to commit to him.

The Cavs were willing.

Though a formal agreement is not allowed to be completed before the offseason, there is an understanding that the Cavs plan to work out a new deal to retain Harden, sources said.

Before the move, they must have had an understanding because Harden could have vetoed any trade.

No matter how this playoff run unfolds, Harden, who has been inconsistent in the postseason again, will likely be coming back to Cleveland this summer on a multiyear deal.

Before the trade with LA was even finalized, the Cavs had taken steps to establish a strong bond with Harden, including coach Kenny Atkinson, who has worked to make him a partner from their first conversation.

When the Cavs posted Atkinson's victory speech after the team's Game 5 win in Detroit last week, Harden was seen addressing the team from his locker.

That's a dynamic Atkinson has intentionally cultivated, knowing that when Harden has had good relationships with his coaches, it has led to some of his best play. It was that way with Mike D'Antoni when both were with the Houston Rockets.

But there's another reason the Cavs looked at Harden as a multiyear move, and it's not just because a reduction in his salary for next season, in exchange for a longer deal with more guaranteed money, could help relieve some second-apron issues.

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48791313/why-fallout-cleveland-cavaliers-detroit-pistons-game-7-massive-nba-offseason

Re-signing him at a much lower number is believed to appeal to the Lakers ... but selling one of the game's all-time greats on the sort of steep discount he's never taken is thorny. To put it mildly.

Is James really going to be amenable to playing at a drastically reduced rate?

The only comfort for the Lakers there, before any such discount talks get serious, is that pretty much any other team that would conceivably interest James as a potential destination faces their own financial challenges.

The Golden State Warriors, who league sources say have maintained a longstanding interest in bringing James to Northern California, will be severely limited in what they can offer. James' hometown Cleveland Cavaliers have even less financial flexibility than the Warriors and are so far away from all the Tinseltown ties that LeBron and his family have established during this run as a Laker ... but no one wants to totally rule that one out because of the storybook ending factor. (Also: The Cavs were once resistant to the idea of another reunion, but they might be more open to a third marriage given that they're facing the prospect of a third successive humbling postseason after failing to close out Detroit at home on Friday night and now need to win a Game 7 on the road Sunday to keep their season alive.)

Beyond that?

James' deep fondness for Madison Square Garden has been known for years, but the Knicks — suddenly favorites to win the East and go to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 — could certainly opt to stay on their current path. The only other team you could credibly add to the shortlist is the Clippers, who employ James' former Cavaliers coach (Tyronn Lue) and do play in Los Angeles.

Source: https://marcstein.substack.com/p/whats-next-for-lebron-james-4f7

• My heart wants James to end his career in Cleveland. The story writes itself: The game’s greatest player, arguably, keeps returning to his Midwest home. James and Ohio are synonymous with each other. That’s where he lived up to the expectations as an all-time great. That’s where it started. I’d love for that to be where it ends.

My head tells me that James will stay in California but go to the Golden State Warriors. It just feels like James and Stephen Curry have always wanted to play together. But it’s not my preference. — James Edwards III

• Whenever the Lakers have come to town the past couple years, I’ve tried to remind myself: You’re watching one of the great athletes of all time. Enjoy this. Don’t take it for granted. But I admit: Watching LeBron ride it out for another season on a team that has no chance of winning a title (as long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama stay healthy) does not excite me.

Cleveland is the better option. Sports are great with opening chapters (promise!) and middle chapters (rings!), but they stink at closing chapters (retire!). Superstars can reach unimagined heights, but they never know when to hop off the escalator before it breaks down. Or in this case, where. Cleveland is the obvious move. No one would appreciate a LeBron farewell tour more than those who were there when it started. A perfect ending to a brilliant career. — Doug Haller

• While there are many places where James’ career could end, there is only one place where it should end: Cleveland. As fun as it might be to imagine, say, him and Curry taking one more shot at glory together by teaming up in Golden State, or him trying to drag the Grizzlies to the playoffs while renting a penthouse in the Memphis Hyatt Centric, or him joining up with a power team like the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics to snag another ring, the narrative is the same: LeBron would merely be a mercenary in that setup, in a city where he has no connection. He can stay in Los Angeles for that.

James finishing things off in Cleveland, however? That would have meaning. Playing for a real contender, in the city where it all started and in the region where he was born and raised, would be the perfect finishing touch, the cherry on the sundae that is among sports’ all-time great careers. Virtually any other landing spot would feel hollow, if not downright weird, in comparison. — John Hollinger

• I highly, highly doubt LeBron would want to finish out his playing days in Minnesota, but let me assure him that we have better hotels here than they have in Memphis.

Other than the weather, the basketball situation makes a ton of sense. He could play with a young star in Anthony Edwards, whom he really enjoys, and would be surrounded by great defenders who could take the pressure off him on that end. Meanwhile, he would immediately address one of the biggest weaknesses the Timberwolves have by installing one of the smartest players to ever play with a group that often struggles with decision-making. Plus, the traffic is so much lighter in the Twin Cities than in L.A. or the Bay Area!

So c’mon, Bron; pull a couple of those Cleveland coats out of storage and give yourself one more real chance in Minnesota. — Jon Krawczynski

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7279342/2026/05/15/lebron-james-final-season-retirement-steph-curry-nba/

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is already preparing for next season after his team's playoff run ended with a second-round exit against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

According to The Athletic, Doncic has already started the same strict offseason diet that helped him get into shape last summer.

"He's already begun the same strict offseason diet he undertook to transform his body last summer and is currently pain-free in the hamstring, positive signs for his long-term health," The Athletic reports.

"The expectation is that he won't be limited in his offseason preparation for next year, the Lakers' top priority in a good position to lead whatever roster the Lakers put alongside him."

Last offseason, Luka Doncic went viral after his impressive transformation following a strict diet.

Source: https://basketnews.com/news-247272-luka-doncic-begins-strict-offseason-diet-after-lakers-playoff-exit.html