Category: Basketball

The San Antonio Spurs take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The series is tied 2-2 after the Spurs’ Game 4 victory. Oklahoma City is favored with a -192 moneyline compared to San Antonio's +159. The over/under is 216.5.

How to watch San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• Date: Tuesday, May 26

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

• TV Channels: NBC, Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -5.5

• Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder -192 (63.0%) / San Antonio Spurs +159 (37.0%)

• Over/Under: 216.5

Series schedule, results

Game 1:Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2OT)
Game 2:Thunder 122, Spurs 113
Game 3:Thunder 123, Spurs 108
Game 4: Spurs 103, Thunder 82
Game 5: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Tuesday May 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 6: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Thursday May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)*
Game 7: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Saturday May 30, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)*

* if necessary

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Western Conference Finals are tied at two games apiece because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is willing to move the ball, not despite the two-time MVP being forced to move the ball.

Yet, it's still an unexpected approach for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

These Shai Gilgeous-Alexander odds expect Oklahoma City’s role players to be the beneficiaries of his playmaking as he combats the San Antonio Spurs’ defense in Game 5 on Tuesday, May 26.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop pick for Game 5

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander best bet: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 7.5 assists (-130 at bet365)

As the Oklahoma City Thunder have lost Ajay Mitchell (out) and Jalen Williams (officially questionable, but proceed as if he is out), the ball has been in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands even more. And that is saying something for one of the highest-usage players in the NBA.

The flip side of that is the San Antonio Spurs can devote more defenders to Gilgeous-Alexander, as well. With respect to Cason Wallace and even Jared McCain, they are not the kind of creators or ballhandlers that force San Antonio to worry about them.

Combine those thoughts, and we have a scenario where the ball is both in SGA's hands more often and needs to get out of his hands more often. It is by San Antonio’s design that the two-time MVP has dished out at least seven assists in each game of this series, with seven actually being SGA’s low-water mark thus far.

Gilgeous-Alexander may have averaged only 6.6 assists this regular season and 7.1 through the first two rounds of this postseason, but the Spurs are forcing the issue out of SGA’s hands. If his teammates can hit some shots — more likely at home than on the road — then any number below 8.5 should be quickly bet to the Over.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander same-game parlay

Not many teams in the NBA have the perimeter defenders — not to mention the rim protection provided by one Victor Wembanyama — to force the ball out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands, but the Spurs do. And in doing so, they may be providing the blueprint to remember for years to come.

Gilgeous-Alexander took 23 and 24 shots in the first two games of this series, respectively. That then plummeted to 17 and 15 in Games 3 and 4, respectively. He took just one 3-pointer in Game 4.

San Antonio will not let SGA find a clear path into the lane, and he has never been a good enough 3-point shooter to thrive with volume from beyond the arc.

The Thunder need their role players to shoot better at home than they did on the road. If they do, Oklahoma City can survive with the ball away from SGA.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could make drastic changes this summer. However, those moves won’t come at the expense of either the front office or the coaching staff. According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the Cavs are expected to retain both.

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, despite how things ended on Monday night.

Koby Altman and the rest of the front office have built a sustainable winner. This team has won 50 or more games in four straight seasons and has won four playoff series during that span. They haven’t been able to reach the goal of winning a championship, but that is a major accomplishment for a small-market team that doesn’t have the built-in advantages that the coastal powerhouses do.

Altman took over for David Griffin after the 2016-17 season. During his tenure, he oversaw LeBron James’s final season with the team, a multi-year rebuild, trading for Donovan Mitchell, and the team’s recent ascent back up the Eastern Conference standings.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson will also be back next season for his third season with the team.

It’s easy to blame Atkinson for a lot of this group’s failures in the postseason. Some of the in-game adjustments came too late, and he does bear some of the blame for the team not being able to close out multiple winnable postseason games.

At the same time, Atkinson guided the Cavs through a rocky regular season, navigated the addition of James Harden, and has earned the trust of his team’s star players. This is after revolutionizing the Cavs’ offense the previous year, leading them to a 64-win season, and winning Coach of the Year.

“We’ve done something that we haven’t done since 2018,” Mitchell said after the Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks. “I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny, and ultimately that’s all that matters.”

Earlier on Wednesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Cavs’ chairman Dan Gilbert is “heavily involved” again with the team after not being as hands-on while dealing with some health issues in previous years. Presumably, both the front office and coaching staff have earned his trust.

We’ll see what moves are made this summer. At the very least, we know that there will be continuity in decision-making and coaching.

In watching this year’s conference finals, it’s apparent how woefully ill-equipped the Sixers were for a deep playoff run. Sure, I will never forget the sheer euphoria of slaying the Celtics after rebounding from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round this spring, but cold water got thrown on that fun quite quickly given how dominant the Knicks were in sweeping them in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Knicks did the same thing to Cleveland and are now back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. In the West, the Thunder and Spurs are preparing for a Game 5 slugfest on Tuesday night in a series that’s destined to go the distance. The Sixers just aren’t able to compete with these teams as currently constructed and it’s becoming more and more clear nightly.

The problems of this Sixers season, and, really, this whole era for the franchise, predate the misfires from former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, but the executive’s time running the show for the team did little to put them on the cutting edge of the sport. Morey’s time as an assistant in Boston’s front office and then as the lead exec in Houston had at the heart of the NBA’s analytical revolution, a figure who was on the lookout for what the future of basketball would be. The Sixers’ whole setup right now, in contrast, is outdated.

The Sixers and Morey’s quest for a “Big 3” is a relic that went out of vogue a couple presidential administrations ago. Looking at the three teams still standing this postseason in New York, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the pieces are so different and result in an equation that has a championship answer, unlike what the Sixers are doing.

Sure, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama are poised to be MVP candidates for at least the next half-decade and Jalen Brunson is a star in his own right, but these teams are so deep and so well rounded that their bench glue guys are way better out there on the court than some actual Sixers starters and key cogs. Alex Caruso would be, what, the fourth-best player on the Sixers? Miles McBride would have a cult devoted to him here.

The Sixers haven’t prioritized depth in favor of their top-heavy roster, but, just as importantly, they haven’t prioritized the development needed in order to have a comprehensive collection of playoff talent.

No one defines that more than Jared McCain. Now with Oklahoma City, McCain looked like a legitimate building block in his limited action as a rookie in Philadelphia. Injuries derailed him, but he also just fell out of favor in head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation, as the team opted for low-ceiling players with no potential chance to be true risers in the future over McCain.

Now with the Thunder after a deadline deal that the fan base loathed and potentially on the verge of playing in the NBA Finals in his second pro season, McCain has been more than solid off the bench for Oklahoma City. He’s shooting 37.3 percent from deep in about 15 minutes of play per night. Is he going to be a star in this league? I’m doubtful there. Would he have helped the Sixers against both Boston and New York while on a cheap rookie deal with room to grow and mature as a player? The answer to that is unequivocally yes, but the organization was not willing to put him on that type of developmental path in a season where they only ended up as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

For the more casual Sixers fan, a player in that mold who’s flown completely under the radar is the Spurs’ Julian Champagnie. The Sixers had him on a two-way contract through the middle of the 2023 season. He was waived after just playing seven total minutes as a Sixer, the Spurs scooped him up and he’s since started every playoff game for San Antonio this year. Champagnie never got a true chance to showcase himself in Philly and is now two wins away from starting in an NBA Finals game.

Under Morey, the Sixers were never good enough contenders to even make a conference finals, but tried their mightiest to do so. That’s valiant, but smart organizations across the league have illustrated that they can shoot for the Larry O’Brien Trophy with much greater accuracy than the Sixers ever could while also cultivating a base of young, cost-efficient players to counterbalance their top star. I have my doubts the next person in charge of the Sixers’ front office will rectify these issues, especially for a franchise that’s going on four-plus decades of mishaps, but here’s to hoping, I guess.

Joe Mazzulla wins Coach of the Year after guiding Celtics to No. 2 seed originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joe Mazzulla has won the award he recently declared “stupid.”

The Boston Celtics head coach was named the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year on Tuesday, beating out finalists J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons) and Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs) for the honor.

Mazzulla is just the fourth head coach in Celtics history to win Coach of the Year, joining franchise legends Bill Fitch (1980), Tommy Heinsohn (1973) and Red Auerbach (1965), for whom the trophy is now named.

That’s elite company, as those other three names are Hall of Famers. Don’t expect Mazzulla to take a victory lap, however.

“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said in late March when asked about potentially winning Coach of the Year. “I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple.

“I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”

He credited the players and staff again in his statement after winning the award:

“Thank you to the Lord for the platform he has given me, and to my wife and family who supported me on this journey,” Mazzulla said. “Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night. I am grateful for every member of the Celtics organization whose dedication impacts winning every day.

“This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named Staff of the Year.”

Mazzulla can downplay the award all he wants, but it’s still a well-deserved honor. The Celtics lost four key rotation players last offseason — Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet — and didn’t have Jayson Tatum until early March, yet still surged to a 56-26 record (well above their preseason projected win total of 41.5) and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Eight Celtics players set career highs in at least four stat categories this season under Mazzulla, including Jaylen Brown, who blossomed into an MVP candidate, and big man Neemias Queta, who finished fourth in the NBA’s Most Improved Player voting.

Of course, the timing of Mazzulla’s honor isn’t ideal, as his Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ersen route to a shocking first-round playoff exit. The fourth-year head coach took plenty of criticism in the following days for his bold starting lineup choice in the deciding Game 7, while the team’s reliance on 3-pointers has come under fire, as well.

But Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens gave Mazzulla and his staff an endorsement while vowing to improve the roster this offseason.

“I think they’re very good, and we need to continue to provide them the resources to grow and get better and continue to be the best that we can be,” Stevens said of Mazzulla’s staff.

Mazzulla has already built an impressive resume in Boston, winning 72.6 percent of his regular-season games — the highest among head coaches in NBA history — while delivering an NBA title in 2024.

Mazzulla isn’t one to rest on his laurels, however, and he’ll be firmly focused on lifting the Celtics back to contender status next season.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

If you want to go deep in the NBA Playoffs, you'd better bring some quality contributors off the pine.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship blueprint contains plenty of points from the bench, and prediction markets like Kalshi are offering markets on whether OKC’s bench will outscore the San Antonio Spurs' reserves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Here are my best NBA picks and Spurs vs. Thunder predictions for this market on May 26.

Spurs vs. Thunder head-to-head bench points

Pick: Thunder bench to outscore Spurs bench — Yes

-245 at Kalshi

San Antonio bench

Key Reserves

• Dylan Harper (13.3 ppg in postseason)
• Keldon Johnson (8.1)
• Luke Kornet (5.1)

The San Antonio Spurs are much more dependent on their starting lineup, especially so in the Western Conference Finals. 

The Spurs bench was logging more than 17 minutes per game for an average of 35.1 points in the first three rounds, but that has tightened to 13.3 minutes/23.5 points in the past four games.

De’Aaron Fox’s absence in the first two games of the series had San Antonio leaning hard into the starting five, but blowouts the past two games have left head coach Mitch Johnson to give his reserves more run. Game 4 finished with 30 points from the bench — a team-high for the series.

Game script for tonight calls for a closer contest, which means San Antonio leans on its starters.

Guard Dylan Harper is the only reserve averaging more than 20 minutes per game in the postseason (25.7). He’s logged less floor time in the past two outings with Fox back while lumbering through an adductor injury.

The Spurs’ starters have outscored the Thunder’s starting five by almost 32 points over the first four games, and we do see a decrease in minutes and a near five-point dip from the reserves when the team hits the road in the tournament.

Oklahoma City bench

Key Reserves

• Alex Caruso (10.3 ppg in postseason)
• Jared McCain (8.8)
• Jaylin Williams (4.7)

The X-factor for this prediction market could be Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams. He’s sat out the past two games after reaggravating a hamstring injury early in Game 2, and is listed as questionable for Game 5.

Should Williams sit out, an already thin bench for the Thunder gets thinner due to Ajay Mitchell’s absence (out with calf injury). Cason Wallace has moved into the starting lineup in place of Williams, leaving Alex Caruso, Jaylen Williams, and Jared McCain as the biggest contributors off the bench.

The support staff slumped last time out, shooting a collective 25.5% for a combined 34 points in Game 4. The bench took 27 of 47 shots from beyond the arc with OKC trailing big on Sunday, making only five of those long-range attempts. 

However, Oklahoma City’s reserves have been awesome overall, and topped the postseason with 42.9 average points in 20.2 minutes per game off the pine before Game 4.

I expect them to tighten up with a return home, where the reserves connect at a 44.6% clip during the playoffs. Even with Williams likely out, which depletes the bench, OKC’s “other guys” will continue to contribute.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Knicks’ road to the 2026 NBA Finals has been quite the journey.

They have won 11 straight games — completing series sweeps of the Sixers and Cavaliers, respectively — en route to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years.

They did it behind the leadership of All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, crowned the Eastern Conference finals MVP by a unanimous vote, after some doubted that he could be a No. 1 option on a championship team.

Throughout the 2026 NBA playoffs, the Knicks have outscored their opponents — Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland — by a total of 262 points, the best point differential across 11 games during any point in NBA history, regular season or playoffs, according to ESPN.

The Knicks has defeated their opponents by 23.8 points per game dating back to Game 4 of their first-round series against the Hawks.

The Knicks’ shooting prowess throughout the playoffs has been a combined effort from their starters — Brunson, wings Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby and center Karl-Anthony Towns — and the sharpshooting Landry Shamet off the bench.

All five of the Knicks’ starters scored in double digits in at least three of four games in their conference finals series against Cleveland.

Brunson averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists per game against Cleveland, while shooting 48.7 percent overall in the conference finals.

Shamet has shot 64 percent during New York’s 11-game win streak and a record 92 percent from deep in the conference finals.

The Knicks are also 6-0 on the road in this unbeaten streak.

They now have nine days off before the NBA Finals begin June 3, and will face either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Western Conference finals is tied at 2-2 heading into Tuesday’s Game 5.

New York Knicks fever has hit the Big Apple, and it might just take an arm and a leg for some fans to get inside Madison Square Garden for the team's first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.

Just as soon as the Knicks officially swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals on Monday, May 26, the demand to be in the building when they face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs pushed ticket prices to levels not seen in recent years for the NBA Finals.

Tickpick announced in the immediate aftermath of the Knicks' Game 4 win over the Cavaliers that Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden are "the most expensive NBA Finals tickets on record." The secondary ticket marketplace app said get-in prices at that point were $3,745 for Game 3 and $3,464 for Game 4.

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been in the crossfire of many commentators after this playoff run. His comments about analytics didn’t sit well with many, and the team also underperformed in several key moments — including during the Game 1 collapse against the New York Knicks. The coach is going to bear part of the blame when things go sideways like that.

Yet, his players haven’t lost faith in him. At least not publicly. So much so that their star player thinks it’s “hilarious” that Atkinson is receiving criticism for how things ended.

“We’ve done something that we haven’t done since 2018,” Mitchell said. “I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny, and ultimately that’s all that matters. I know he’s from Long Island, he don’t give a damn. … We’re in it together.”

Support us and Let ‘Em Know with Homage!

Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.

Mitchell wasn’t alone in this sentiment.

“He’s the ultimate player’s coach, he gets it, he understands his team,” James Harden said. “I think he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible.”

This was a tumultuous regular season for the Cavs. It could’ve gone sideways at many points, but it didn’t. Atkinson deserves some of the credit there. And he does deserve praise for helping the team win two playoff rounds.

At the same time, when things go as poorly as they did against the Knicks, there’s going to be criticism thrown his way. That just comes with the business. That, however, doesn’t mean he deserves the most blame.

“It’s on us,” Mitchell said. “It’s definitely on us. It’s not on Kenny.”

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The margin for error is extremely slim with the Western Conference Finals down to a best-of-three series heading into Game 5.

That pressure, however, produces a big fat-ass barrel of NBA betting fun when the San Antonio Spurs visit the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight.

My Spurs vs. Thunder same-game parlay for Game 5 adds that enjoyment, at least if you're siding with San Antonio. I’m taking the visitor to cover the spread while getting long-range love from its long and lanky center.

Here are my best NBA picks and Spurs vs. Thunder predictions for May 26.

Our best Spurs vs Thunder SGP for Game 5

SGP leg #1: Spurs +5.5

The injury report is not looking good for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’re potentially down two key guards, which has forced star scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to carry more of a facilitator role instead of playing off the ball.

The San Antonio Spurs have done a great job keeping SGA out of rhythm on offense and OKC’s role players in check. This one comes down to the wire with San Antonio covering as a road dog: a role that’s produced an 11-6 ATS record this season.

SGP leg #2: Stephon Castle Over 4.5 rebounds

Stephon Castle sits second on the Spurs with 50 rebounding chances in the WCF, which have translated into 19 total boards. He’s snatched five or more rebounds in each of the first three games and while he had just three boards in Game 4, he was in position for 12 rebounding chances.

Projections sit as high as six rebounds tonight.

SGP leg #3: Victor Wembanyama Over 1.5 threes

Victor Wembanyama was more aggressive in his shot selection in Game 4, shouldering the scoring load inside and out. He attempted seven 3-pointers — making three — and has hit two or more triples in three of the four conference finals games.

San Antonio is being protective of his energy on defense, as it tries to save his legs for the offensive end. Wemby is forecasted for at least two 3-pointers in Game 5.

Covers NBA betting tools

• NBA odds
• NBA picks
• NBA player props
• Best NBA betting sites
• Today’s NBA matchups

See our full Spurs vs Thunder Game 5 preview

Get Jason Logan's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Spurs vs. Thunder predictions for Game 5.

More Covers NBA Playoff content

NBA Championship odds

Stay up-to-date with the latest NBA Championship odds for each remaining team, as well as NBA title splits, betting trends, and the previous list of teams that have won the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

NBA Finals MVP odds

See what the current line movement and updates are in the NBA Finals MVP odds race, along with Finals MVP betting trends, favorite analysis, and recent superstars to receive this award.

Live NBA Playoff bracket

Never lose track of where each series sits with our live NBA Playoff bracket, as well as the updated prices for each team to win their respective series — round by round. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

When the offseason rolls around, the internet starts doing some wild things. People get bored. They spend a little too much time in the trade machine. The results can be nothing short of horrifying. Practical thought leaves the body like a soul departing, and what we’re left with are some truly ridiculous trades.

That’s part of the offseason’s oversaturation. Podcasts need topics, national outlets need content, and fans want something to debate. Everybody starts trying to justify bad ideas in the name of conversation.

Mission accomplished, I guess. Because I’m here to take a look at a cpuple of the absolutely absurd trade proposals floating around recently. And these aren’t coming from your local podcast. This isn’t me hopping on Suns JAM Session and tossing out a random hypothetical. No, these are from major national media outlets, and some of them are downright comical.

So let’s go ahead and take a look at a few of the more ridiculous trade ideas making the rounds.

ESPN: Suns trade for Ja Morant

This one comes to us from ESPN, who put together six trades exploring where Ja Morant could ultimately land.

This is a beautifully ridiculous trade.

The Suns would give up four players and two picks for Morant, and I’ve already expressed numerous times how I feel about him as a potential member of the Phoenix Suns. His addition goes against everything Phoenix tried to build this past season, and once you factor in the availability concerns and missed games, it becomes even harder to justify.

What might be the most absurd part of the entire thing, though, is what Bobby Marks notes:

The Suns overachieved last season, and they now are faced with the choice of relying on the same roster or making an aggressive trade for a player such as Morant. Because the Suns would be taking back more salary in the trade, it would hard cap them at the first apron. The restriction could put them in a position to lose free agents Collin Gillespie, Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin.

So by this logic, the Suns would add Ja Morant to pair in the backcourt with Devin Booker. Jalen Green would still be on the roster, too, meaning three-guard lineups become the norm. Yay!

And that’s where this thing really starts to fall apart. Phoenix would not only be hard-capping itself, but they’d also be knee-capping themselves when it comes to depth. They wouldn’t be able to go over the first apron at $209 million, so once again you’re piecing together the bench with a collection of veteran minimum players and hoping it works.

The viability of bringing back Gillespie, Goodwin, and/or Williams is practically out the window. Booker, Green, and Morant would account for $125.6 million of your cap, which is 76% of it. Oh, and you’re still giving up draft capital to make it happen, which chips away at your future flexibility too.

I’m sorry, this trade is completely unrealistic. It feels like an NBA 2K trade, where you jam assets together until it works for one side and completely ignore what it does to the other.

Vecenie: Malauch to the Hornets

A lot less inflammatory, still not rooted in reality, comes a suggestion from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, in which the Phoenix Suns would send out Grayson Allen and Khaman Maluach for Miles Bridges and Ryan Kalkbrenner, or the 18th overall pick.

My first thought when I see a trade like this is simple. Why would Phoenix want to do it?

This feels like something that benefits the Charlotte Hornets far more than the Suns. Charlotte gets more three-point shooting and, depending on how you view the prospects, arguably gets the better young center than the one they selected 34th overall a season ago.

And to be clear, I’m a fan of Kalkbrenner. I did a ton of research on him as a draft prospect last year when Phoenix owned the 29th pick. I thought he made a lot of sense at the time. He had a solid rookie season on a team that gave real opportunities to its young players.

That still doesn’t answer the bigger question. Why would you give up on Maluach this early in his career? And why bring in Bridges, another undersized power forward, on a roster that already needs to prioritize minutes for sophomore Rasheer Fleming?

Then there’s the pick. If the return is No. 18 overall, that’s not much of a trade-off. You’re essentially flipping Maluach, who was taken 10th overall a year ago, for the 18th pick. That’s hard to justify.

This one feels like creating a trade for the sake of creating a trade, then working backwards trying to make it sound reasonable.

I’m still waiting for one of the national pundits to cook up something that feels relevant, realistic, or at the very least includes Jalen Green. Because, quite honestly, he’s the biggest trade chip the Phoenix Suns possess right now. If Phoenix can somehow flip him into something that genuinely helps move the organization forward, whether that’s players, picks, or some combination of both, that’s the route I’d explore. At least from my perspective.

Until then, we watch and wait. That’s the offseason. Everybody starts throwing ideas at the wall, hoping one sticks. National outlets keep the content machine moving. Fans debate every hypothetical like it’s already on the transaction wire.

My guess? None of these mock trades happen. Phoenix has been pretty transparent about wanting to stay measured this summer, and the organization doesn’t feel like a team gearing up for a splashy offseason. Sometimes, the loudest part of the offseason is the internet. The actual moves tend to be a lot quieter.

After a dominant victory, sometimes you need a little something to wine-d down.

Josh Hart celebrated the Knicks’ sweep of the Cavaliers via a blowout 130-93 Game 4 victory by sipping on a glass of wine at his postgame press conference.

The Knicks’ do-it-all wing, donning a Knicks NBA Finals hat and an elegant outfit, took the podium to celebrate alongside his former Villanova teammates Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson, as the triumvirate prepare for the Thunder or Spurs next week.

“I don’t think a switch flipped per se,” Hart said when asked about the 11-game win streak and turnaround after going down 2-1 to the Hawks in Round 1. “This is a selfless team.”

Hart joked when talking to the reporter that the person wasn’t allowed to ask questions because he was eating wings during the press conference.

“I see it, don’t say anything,” Brunson said when they both noticed the reporter eating wings.

“I know you don’t come in sucking your fingers,” Hart added as laughter erupted in the media room. “You got chicken wings. You supposed to be asking questions and you went and got chicken wings. Hell no. You don’t get nothing. Then wings are hitting though.”

Hart was benched during the Knicks 22-point comeback in Game 1, where the Cavaliers blew a massive fourth-quarter lead and eventually lost in overtime.

Cleveland had no chance after that staggering collapse, as the Cavaliers struggled in the remaining three games and were eventually swept.

Game 2 was the Hart show, as he went 10-for-21 from the field and scored 26 points after being benched in favor of Landry Shamet the game prior.

Shamet shot an obscene 11-for-12 from 3-point range in the Conference finals, showing that this Knicks team doesn’t need any one person to carry them.

The Knicks will have to wait to learn their Finals foe, as the Thunder and Spurs have their heels dug into the sand in a 2-2 series.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Arizona guard Brayden Burries is the latest prospect linked to the Warriors in this week’s NBA mock draft roundup.
• The Athletic’s NBA player tiers for the 2025-26 regular season drops Steph Curry to Tier 2.
• Knicks sweep the Cavs to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

As the postseason draws closer to an end, the attention shifts toward the NBA Draft less than a month away. The Golden State Warriors, armed with the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft, have multiple needs to address on their roster. With that in mind, here is a roundup of projected picks for Golden State from draft experts across the web:

• ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel: Brayden Burries, Arizona, Shooting Guard
• ESPN’s Jeremy Woo: Brayden Burries, Arizona, Shooting Guard
• NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson: Cameron Carr, Baylor, Wing
• Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman: Brayden Burries, Arizona, Shooting Guard
• The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann: LaBaron Philon Jr., Alabama, Guard
• NBA’s Ben Couch: Nate Ament, Tennessee, Forward
• Tankathon: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan, Forward
• Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’ Connor: Hannes Steinbach, Washington, Power Forward
• CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein: Aday Mara, Michigan, Center
• USA Today’s Microsoft Copilot AI: Brayden Burries, Arizona, Shooting Guard
• SB Nation’s Ricko O’Donnell: Hannes Steinbach, Washington, Power Forward

One of the newer names linked to the Warriors is Arizona’s Brayden Burries. The 20-year-old guard averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game as a freshman while shooting 49.1% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. He played in 39 games during his lone college season, helping lead the Wildcats to a Final Four appearance. Here is what ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel had to say about his fit with the Warriors:

Via ClutchPoints:

If the Dubs do keep this pick, sources said the franchise will be prioritizing talents ready to play immediately during their rookie season. The Warriors do not want to run into another James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga situation with this draft pick. Brayden Burries is among several prospects the Warriors have been scouting and gathering more information on since the start of 2026, along with Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., Karim Lopez, Nate Ament, Darius Acuff Jr., Hannes Steinbach, and Cameron Carr.

Burries has taken a major step up a lot of teams’ draft boards lately due to his high IQ, versatility on defense, and ability to wear multiple hats alongside star players. Golden State will still look to make a major upgrade this offseason, but sources say the team is comfortable with the idea of keeping this pick and setting up its future. If any player fits this description, it’s Burries, and coming from Arizona would make Steve Kerr happy.

Burries would be an intriguing addition to a Warriors team searching for a guard with reliable scoring and defense alongside Stephen Curry. He would also bring solid size and athleticism to their backcourt while helping Golden State get younger around its veteran core.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, May 26th:

Warriors News:

2026 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Latest AJ Dybantsa vs. Darryn Peterson intel, all 60 picks post-combine | ClutchPoints

54. Golden State Warriors – SG Emanuel Sharp – Houston, Senior

Emanuel Sharp was one of a handful of players the Warriors recently got a look at in a pre-draft workout featuring several second-round-rated prospects. At Houston, Sharp knocked down 309 threes in his career. The Warriors have always had a lot of luck drafting experienced collegiate shooters late in the second round, and Sharp could be yet another. Aaron Nkrumah, who was a standout at the NBA Draft Combine, is another player worth keeping an eye on for the Warriors in the second round of this year’s draft.

NBA player tiers 2026: LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant slide to Tier 2 | The Athletic

There’s no more appropriate place to start than with point guards Jalen Brunson and Stephen Curry, the latter of whom has been a mainstay in Tier 1 — until now.

Curry posted one of the worst assist-to-turnover ratios among starting point guards (1.68), his team has missed the playoffs two of the last three seasons and Golden State has been a top-five seed in the Western Conference only once since Kevin Durant left in 2019. Much of that has to do with the quality of Curry’s teammates. He is still a top-tier scorer, bending defenses with his movement and shooting threat. He still gets to the free-throw line like a star, averaging 5.1 attempts per game, and he continues to hold up defensively, averaging 1.1 steals per game. But his 3.6 rebounds per game were a 14-year low. If Curry played enough games to qualify, he would have led the NBA in made 3s at 4.4 per game. But he is 38 years old and missed nearly half of this season with a knee issue after suffering a hamstring strain in the 2025 playoffs.

Knicks’ coach Mike Brown compares Jalen Brunson’s leadership to Steph Curry

NBA News:

Knicks sweep Cavs, return to NBA Finals for 1st time since 1999 | ESPN

Not even those 1972-73 Knicks can boast they were on the type of roll these Knicks are on. In the midst of an 11-game winning streak, they’ve outscored their opponents — Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland — by a total of 262 points, the best point differential across 11 games during any point in NBA history, regular season or playoffs.

That’s better than the post-Millennium gold standard, the 2017 Golden State Warriors of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers co-headlined by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Complete list of All-NBA teams for the 2025-26 regular season

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Report: Warriors eyeing Anfernee Simons or Collin Sexton in free agency

It’s easy to see how either Simons or Sexton would fit with the Warriors. Both players are excellent scorers who can also space the floor as shooters. They could lead Golden State’s offensive attack when Curry is out and seemingly fit in well alongside him as well. It’s a role that Jordan Poole excelled in with the team, especially in the 2022 championship run, and one that the team has been unable to fill since.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.

The Lakers aren’t wasting any time building out their front office.

During his exit interview, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka said the franchise would hire two assistant general managers, and they have moved quickly to do so. On Monday, the franchise announced the hiring of an assistant general manager, naming former Pelicans executive Rohan Ramadas to the position.

Now, it sounds like they’re quickly moving onto the other assistant GM spot and are targeting Philadelphia 76ers vice president of player personnel, Prosper Karangwa.

On Monday, longtime NBA beat writer Marc Stein first reported the team’s interest, revealing they had secured permission to speak with him.

League sources also say that the Sixers remain hopeful that they can retain vice president of player personnel Prosper Karangwa as part of their revamped front office even though Karangwa has also drawn interest from the Los Angeles Lakers as well as Dallas.

League sources say that the Lakers has officially secured permission to speak with Karangwa while Dallas has not yet formally lodged that request, but Ujiri’s interest in bringing both Karangwa and Raptors executive Patrick Englebrecht is certainly anticipated. The Lakers have stated that they plan to hire two assistant general managers this offseason and already secured one of them by striking a deal with New Orleans Pelicans analytics ace Rohan Ramadas.

Dan Woike of The Athletic backed up that reporting later in the day on Monday as well.

It’s no surprise that Karangwa is a popular figure with plenty of teams wanting him in their front offices. He has plenty of basketball experience. He played professional basketball in France and after his playing days were done, he rose through the ranks with the Orlando Magic. He started as a scout back in 2012 and was promoted to the Director of College Scouting in 2016.

Karangwa’s been with the Sixers since 2020, when he was hired in his current role. Since 2021, he has also been the General Manager of the Sixers G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. They won the G League championship under his leadership in 2023.

The Lakers getting permission to speak with him is a good sign that they are in the running for another quality hire from a basketball mind that’s well-regarded around the league and not already associated with LA.

This is in stark contrast to how the team was run under Jeanie Buss, where many hires had some connection to the franchise.

Lakers fans should be excited that the Lakers are overhauling their front office and infusing it with more brainpower from outside the purple and gold family tree.

If all goes well, perhaps Karangwa can join the Lakers, and they can have their two assistant general managers hired before the offseason fully kicks off with the NBA Draft and free agency.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

Jordan Clarkson’s role for the New York Knicks looks a lot different than it did with the Utah Jazz.

The now 33-year-old, 12-year NBA vet only comes in for a few minutes a game, and is not the flamethrower that he once was in Utah.

But on Monday night, in a game in which he only played nine minutes and scored three points, Jordan Clarkson clinched a ticket to the NBA Finals as the Knicks swept the Cavaliers to reach the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 1999. In his first season away from the Jazz since 2019, Clarkson has reached the place that many thought he could have reached in Salt Lake City.

However, this won’t be his first trip to the NBA Finals, as he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to Cleveland midseason in 2017-18. The last of four straight Finals appearances for LeBron James and the Cavs, that 2018 Cleveland team was a shell of its 2016 squad. By the end of the postseason, Clarkson had been taken out of the rotation entirely against the Warriors.

Two seasons later, he was traded to Utah, where he won the NBA’s sixth man of the year award with the Jazz, but failed to ever reach a conference finals.

While Clarkson likely won’t play many crucial minutes for the Knicks when they face the daunting task of playing either San Antonio or Oklahoma City, making it to this point in the playoffs should be seen as a victory for him, regardless of team impact. For three seasons prior to this Finals run, Clarkson was a starter on three different tanking Utah teams, that had no realistic shot of making it this far.

In five and a half seasons, Clarkson became one of the more beloved Jazz players in recent history and was an amazing member of the Utah community during his Jazz tenure.

Clarkson averaged 8.6 points per game in the regular season and is averaging 5.4 in the playoffs.