Category: Sports News

It’s the first round of the NBA Playoffs without the Phoenix Suns, yet one of the most important players in the franchise’s history helped transform some of the best teams in the association into what they are today, including the team that defeated the Suns in the first round, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In his three years in Phoenix, Chris Paul helped the Suns reach new heights, leading them to the Finals for the first time in 28 years, getting them to at least the Western Conference Semifinals in three straight seasons, along with running the show for the most successful regular season team in franchise history. Paul was a main reason the team became an attractive spot for Kevin Durant when he requested a trade from the Nets. Before his arrival, the Suns missed the playoffs 11 straight seasons.

His perfect shooting playoff game, 32-point Finals game, 41-point closeout game to get the team back to the Finals, and many other performances in his three years as a Sun will not be forgotten.

However, Paul didn’t just leave his mark in Phoenix in his final seasons of his career.

Before joining the Suns, the Point God helped in developing reigning Finals MVP Shai-Gilgeous Alexander into the lead wrecker he is today. Playing a season with Gilgeous-Alexander back in the 2019-2020 campaign, the scoring champion developed playing next to Paul, something he remains grateful for, even years later.

After he retired in February, Gilgeous-Alexander said that Paul was “special” for his career, setting the standard for how point guards should play. Alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder All-Defensive Forward Lu Dort gives heavy praise to Paul for how he’s learned to guard NBA Superstars like James Harden.

In Paul’s last full season in the league, he joined the San Antonio Spurs to pair up with Victor Wembanyama. Amid a tumultuous and unfortunate year for the team, where NBA Legend Greg Popovich was able to coach just a handful of games before his coaching career was cut short due to a stroke, and Wembanyama’s season was ended early because of a blood clot, Paul was a stable force for the organization, playing in all 82 games for the team and leading them on and off the court.

During his time in San Antonio, Paul mentored Wembanyama, setting him up for lobs and open threes and paving the way for young guard Stephon Castle to become a two-way player for the Spurs. A year later, San Antonio is back in the playoffs, winning 60 games for the first time in nearly a decade, and is a heavy favorite to make the Western Conference Finals.

It’s very likely that either the Spurs or Thunder are hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy when the 2025-2026 season comes to a close. According to FanDuel, they’re the two favorites, and if the Thunder become the first back-to-back champs since the 2017-2018 Warriors, or the Spurs win their first ring in 12 years, a Suns legend will have helped them get there along the way.

The injuries to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves seemed like they’d end the Lakers’ season prematurely.

Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard had other ideas.

While LeBron James has temporarily returned as the head of the Lakers snake, he needed a few members of his supporting cast to step up in a big way. Smart and Kennard have answered the bell.

In the Lakers’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets, Smart averaged 14.7 points, 5.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals while shooting 46.4% overall and 44.8% from deep. Kennard got off to a hot start in the series with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting in Game 1 and 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting in Game 2, although he came crashing back to earth after that.

The emergence of Smart and Kennard is great news for a short-handed Lakers team that capped off an impressive series with a Game 6 win. Although Reaves returned ahead of Game 5, Dončić still remains without a timetable to return. Smart, in particular, should continue to play a critical role for the Lakers.

The timing couldn’t be better for Kennard or Smart, both of whom could become free agents this offseason. Kennard is finishing up a one-year, $11 million contract, while Smart has a $5.4 million player option for the 2026-27 season that he may be increasingly likely to decline with each passing game.

The question is whether the Lakers can retain either or both.

The path to re-signing Smart and Kennard

The Lakers are still in line to be one of only a few teams with significant salary-cap space this offseason, so they could just use some of that money to re-sign Kennard and Smart, provided the latter opts out. On Thursday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that “it is increasingly anticipated leaguewide” that the Lakers will want to re-sign Kennard.

Kennard will be a non-Bird free agent, but there are multiple pathways that the Lakers could explore to keep him in the fold in a nod to the role he has earned in purple and gold under fellow Duke alumnus JJ Redick.

Fischer didn’t expound upon what those multiple pathways might be. Allow us to hazard a guess.

The most straightforward way would be to just use some of their roughly $50 million of cap space to re-sign Kennard. The Lakers could offer him anything up to a max deal, although he isn’t likely to sniff anything close to that. Something around the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception seems like a reasonable starting point in negotiations.

The Lakers could also sign Kennard with their MLE, although if/when they go the cap-space route this offseason, they’re only going to have the $9.4 million room mid-level exception at their disposal. If Kennard were willing to take that, they could renounce their rights to him to wipe his $13.2 million cap hold off their books, then re-sign him after they spent the rest of their cap room.

The Lakers are likely to do some cap-hold chicanery with Austin Reaves this summer, but that’s not in play for Kennard or Smart since they’d both be non-Bird free agents. If the Lakers want to re-sign either of them via non-Bird rights, they can offer no more than 120 percent of what they were previously earning as the starting salary of their new contract. Their cap hold is also 120 percent of their previous salary.

If the Lakers want to re-sign Kennard or Smart via non-Bird rights, they’ll have to keep their cap holds on their books heading into the offseason. (It’s $13.2 million for Kennard and roughly $6.2 million for Smart.) They can’t offer a starting salary higher than those cap holds without dipping into their cap space or MLE, though.

So, while the Lakers could have more than $50 million in cap space this offseason, Kennard and Smart already may have some of that money set aside for them. That could hurt the Lakers’ chances of landing another marquee free agent unless they’re able to salary-dump the two years and $25.7 million left on Jarred Vanderbilt’s contract.

The good news is that the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls are the only other two teams guaranteed to have cap space this summer. They might not face much competition for Kennard or Smart, particularly north of $15 million per year.

The bad news is that the NBA’s new anti-tanking proposal reduces the incentive for rebuilding teams to throw away a season before it even begins. Even though the Bulls are heading directly into a rebuild and the Nets are firmly in one, both still figure to pursue veterans in free agency who can help keep them out of the bottom three of the standings.

If the Lakers are somehow able to lure Jalen Duren or Walker Kessler in restricted free agency, they might not be able to squeeze either of them in while keeping Kennard’s cap hold on their books. Otherwise, they have clear paths to re-sign both Kennard and Smart whether via cap space, non-Bird rights or their MLE.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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They say if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Well, the Philadelphia 76ers have checked “beat the best” off the list after winning a first-round series in seven games over the Boston Celtics, who were the odds-on favorite to reach the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference. So are they now the best the East has to offer?

The New York Knicks will certainly have something to say about that idea, as the two teams get set to square off in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series tonight. Per FanDuel, the Knicks have the best odds to reach the Finals out of the East at plus-145, followed by the Pistons (plus-240), Cavaliers (plus-310), and then the Sixers (plus-600).

Objectively, it makes sense to pick the Knicks to advance over Philadelphia. They won eight more games during the regular season and have home-court advantage in the series. Plus, as usual, Joel Embiid’s health looms as a factor. He’s currently listed as probable for Game 1 with a right hip contusion, but is also known due to be dealing with a knee issue, an oblique strain and had his appendix removed just a few weeks ago. I love Joel for continuing to battle and do everything to show up for his team, but the reality is every game played is like removing another block from the jenga tower that is his body and hoping it all doesn’t come crashing down.

Yet, all of those points could have been made for the Boston series to an even higher degree, and it was still the Sixers who emerged victorious. They certainly have to be considered the vibes favorite with everything clicking into place for the roster at the right time. During the last couple Boston games, Embiid looked as poised as he ever has in the postseason. Tyrese Maxey became the lights-out closer the franchise has always needed and never had with the exception of a few months of Jimmy Butler. Paul George and VJ Edgecombe both hit big shots and defended like madmen, incredibly impressive for one guy who just turned 36 years old and another who is a 20-year-old rookie seeing his first playoff action. Every talking head segment from this season of, “The Sixers could be the potential dark horse no one wants to face” finally became a reality.

Looking at the Knicks series specifically, you can see the blueprint for a Sixers victory. VJ Edgecombe defended Jalen Brunson incredibly well during the regular season, and Philadelphia has a handful of other viable options to throw at him in Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George and Quentin Grimes. They’ve also been able to exploit Brunson as a defensive liability in the past, something that doesn’t really exist on the other side of the court, credit to Maxey for improving so much as a defender. Embiid has had success against Karl-Anthony Towns in past matchups. The biggest potential advantage for New York will be on the offensive glass; it’s only too easy conjure visions of Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart grabbing every possible second-chance opportunity. However, the Sixers did look to figure some things out in that department as the Boston series progressed. These two teams played a highly competitive playoff series two years ago, and that was a better Knicks squad, and the Sixers now have George and Edgecombe and Embiid not playing on one leg (hopefully). It’s not hard to project a Philadelphia win.

And if that should happen, who is scared of Detroit or Cleveland? Both teams also just had to win Game 7s to be here. Respect to Cade Cunningham, but the Pistons would be home if Orlando hadn’t missed 23 straight shots in the second half of Game 6. I mean, they’re treating Tobias Harris like some sort of folk hero there. He scored zero points (!) in his last playoff game as a Sixer. Cleveland would present its own set of challenges, but would anyone go into that series thinking, “Philadelphia couldn’t possibly overcome James Harden in the postseason?” I don’t think so.

This isn’t to say things will be easy for the Sixers. We can’t let the last two-and-a-half games completely erase all the general Sixers-ness we’ve witnessed over the years, as recently as Games 1 and 4 against Boston. But they have a real shot. Philadelphia hasn’t had this sort of opportunity since Ben Simmons declined to shoot an open layup against Atlanta. The path is there. Now the Sixers just have to march down it with all the competitive fire we witnessed last week and seize this moment.

The Orlando Magic front office made the move many in the NBA suspected they would to begin their offseason, and the franchise acted quickly.

Less than 24 hours after the Magic were eliminated from the playoffs when they blew a 3-1 series lead in Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons, the team announced it had fired coach Jamahl Mosley after five seasons. Mosley had been rumored to be on the hot seat heading into the postseason, as the Magic were relegated to the play-in tournament after being mentioned as Eastern Conference contenders heading into the 2025-26 NBA campaign.

Team president Jeff Weltman said in a statement that the Magic is seeking "a new voice and fresh perspective," and the job remains an intriguing one despite Orlando's collapse against the Eastern Conference's top seed. The Magic still have 2022 No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and former lottery picks Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter, Jr. under contract, and could potentially make the jump many anticipated this season a year later with the right hire.

Here's a breakdown of six potential candidates to replace Mosley as the Orlando Magic's next coach:

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The San Antonio Spurs see their first action in a week when they open their Round 2 series with the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight.

While San Antonio is well rested and ready, Minnesota is licking multiple wounds — none deeper than missing superstar Anthony Edwards heading into Game 1 tonight.

My Timberwolves vs. Spurs props try to read the tea leaves for this Western Conference clash. Here are my best NBA picks and prop predictions for T-Wolves vs. Spurs on May 4.

Best Timberwolves vs Spurs props for Game 1

Player	Pick
Rudy Gobert	Over 8.5 points	+102
Jaden McDaniels	Over 2.5 assists	-105
Devin Vassell	Over 12.5 points	-112

Game 1 Prop #1: Rudy Gobert Over 8.5 points 

+102 at bet365

It’s May 4th. You didn’t think you could get out of here without reading at least one “Star Wars” reference, did you?

Veteran Rudy Gobert goes up against his padawan and fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, giving us “Obi-Wan vs. Anakin” vibes. And while I don’t think Gobert is going to leave Wemby sliced, diced and smoldering on the edge of a lava river, the Minnesota Timberwolves center can strike in the scoring column.

Gobert scored in double figures in three of the six matchups with Denver in Round 1, with his points prop bouncing between 9.5 and 10.5 O/U in that series. 

His Game 1 total is 8.5 O/U with the Over priced at plus-money, anchored in his regular season results versus the San Antonio Spurs. Gobert played the Spurs only twice, putting up two and eight points — the latter coming without Wembanyama in San Antonio’s lineup.

The T-Wolves are without Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, and potentially Ayo Dosunmu for the series opener, leaving touches up for grabs and a need for the frontcourt to pick up the scoring slack.

Projections are positive for Gobert, ranging from 10.7 to as high as 11.7. That's more than enough to get past this modest ask for Minnesota’s big man.

Game 1 Prop #2: Jaden McDaniels Over 2.5 assists 

-105 at bet365

T-Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels picked up the scoring slack with Edwards out versus Denver but won’t find the same success in the paint against Wembanyama and the Spurs.

Daniels becomes more of an inside-out passer versus San Antonio, drawing in the defense and finding open hands on the perimeter. Minnesota was able to attack the rim with the Nuggets missing Aaron Gordon, sending Daniels’ touches through the roof, but now he becomes more of a drive-and-kick facilitator.

He posted assist totals of five, three, and one in three regular season matchups with the Spurs and finished with three assists in all but one of the six games versus Denver in Round 1. He'll dominate the ball, considering the missing pieces for Minnesota, but will be forced to give it up more in Game 1.

His assists forecasts for tonight aren’t bullshit on Daniels' distributing, ranging from 1.7 to a couple projections at 2.9. However, with the adjustments the T-Wolves must make on offense and an empty backcourt, I’m on the high side of Daniels’ dimes tonight.

Game 1 Prop #3: Devin Vassell Over 12.5 points

-112 at bet365

The Spurs roll out a smaller lineup and with the injuries to the Minnesota backcourt, San Antonio will try to push pace and put the lumbering Timberwolves on their heels.
 
That means fastbreaks and transition off turnovers and long rebounds. Devin Vassell thrives in the open floor and is one of the Spurs’ best fastbreak attackers. 

He started Round 1 strong, scoring 15 and 16 points in the opening two games on a collective 11-for-29 shooting as well as picking up points at the foul line. His usage slimmed in the final three outings versus Portland, closing out the series with outputs of 11, 11, and 10 points.

Minnesota’s defensive scheme will see it send top perimeter defender Jaden McDaniels after De’Aaron Fox, which leaves Vassell guarded by Terrence Shannon Jr. or Mike Conley (or a hobbled Dosunmu) — neither are great defenders.

Player models for Vassell all sit north of his scoring total of 12.5 O/U, ranging from 13.0 to a ceiling of 15.0 points. My number boils down to 14.3 points tonight.

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.