NBA Player News

The pick is rumored to be Top-3 protected, which means the Blazers will be rooting for the Nets to win a lot of games the rest of the way. And this means the starting lineup next season in New Jersey would be Deron Williams, MarShon Brooks, Wallace, Kris Humprhies and Brook Lopez, which doesn’t look too bad. This should also clear the way for Wesley Matthews to start at SG, and for Nicolas Batum to start at SF for the Blazers, if they still have both players at the end of the day.

The expectation that Durant will be moved this offseason has been around since the trade deadline. Reports from then indicated that Durant didn’t want to be traded in the middle of the season again, but they did shop him. The draft starts on June 25, and trade negotiations should heat up around then. There are multiple teams that would be interested in parting with assets to bring Durant in to help elevate their team to contention. Regardless of where he ends up, Durant will continue to be one of the best players in the league, and he should have the ball in his hands as much as he wants it.

Windhorst said this during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, and he also said that trade discussions haven’t happened. Reports from shortly after the Bucks lost to the Pacers in the first round indicated that Giannis would be “open-minded” about playing somewhere other than Milwaukee. That has led to plenty of rumors and mock trades over the past month, but there appears to be a scenario where Giannis remains with the Bucks and runs things back. They don’t have many pieces to build a contender around him, especially after Damian Lillard tore his Achilles during the playoffs. Still, this doesn’t mean there won’t be a trade. The offseason hasn’t even started yet. A lot could change over the next few weeks between the draft and the start of free agency.

Garland picked up the injury on March 23 against the Jazz and played through it before ultimately missing time. He missed four of the Cavs’ final seven games of the regular season and Games 1 and 2 of the first-round playoff series with Indiana, re-aggravating the injury in the process. If Ty Jerome re-signs with Cleveland this offseason, he’s the guy most likely to replace Garland in the starting five. Donovan Mitchell’s usage rate spiked when Garland sat and he’d appear to be in line for some big fantasy lines early in the season while Garland is sidelined.

Caruso has been Oklahoma City’s most productive reserve in the NBA Finals, which makes some sense due to him being the lone player on the roster with a championship ring. After recording 11 points and a complete stat line in Game 1, Caruso was more lethal as a scorer in Game 2. A double-digit score in three of his last four appearances, the 20 points are the most Caruso has tallied in a game since Game 1 of the Thunder’s second-round series against Denver. Given the matchup, he should continue to hit the high-20s in minutes, which raises Caruso’s ceiling on both ends of the floor. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

After only scoring 28 points in Game 1, Oklahoma City’s reserves were more impactful in Game 2, finishing with 48. Wiggins helped lead the way, as the 18 points were the most he’s scored in a game since the Thunder’s Game 1 win over the Grizzlies in the first round. Expecting production of this caliber from Wiggins consistently would be a bit much. Still, he’ll need to be a factor, especially if Oklahoma City continues to start Cason Wallace (4/3/1/2/1 in 24 minutes). Sunday’s rout was a reminder of what Wiggins is capable of offensively.

After shooting 6-of-19 from the field in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Williams was better in Sunday’s victory. While the percentage still has room for growth, J-Dub attempted nine free throws after getting just four on Thursday. Add in the rebounds and assists, and Williams managed to bring more to the table following his disappointing Finals debut. Oklahoma City outscored Indiana by a 33-21 margin in the second quarter, and Williams was a factor, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and scoring nine points. That’s the level of offensive aggression the Thunder will need J-Dub to bring to the table consistently if they’re to win the series. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

While Holmgren’s point total wasn’t much to write home about in Game 2, it represented a marked improvement over what he brought to the table in Game 1. Having scored six points in the opening game of the NBA Finals, Holmgren exceeded that number in the first quarter of Game 2 by putting up nine points. He was held in check for the rest of the night, but other Thunder players stepped up to help Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoulder the offensive workload. If the Holmgren who showed up to begin Game 2 is the norm, Oklahoma City’s chances of winning the franchise’s first NBA title increase substantially.

While Gilgeous-Alexander did score 38 points in Oklahoma City’s Game 1 defeat, he shot below 50 percent from the field. The NBA’s Most Valuable Player was more forceful in Game 2, and the approach led to SGA attempting 12 free throws while also shooting over 50 percent from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander made some history during the victory, becoming the 12th player in league history to score at least 3,000 points in a season — that counts the regular season and playoffs. Putting up high point totals should not be an issue in this series, even with the Pacers’ ability to use multiple defenders on SGA. The key will be how he gets those points, and how often the Thunder point guard can get to the foul line. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

The Pacers finished Game 2 with seven double-digit scorers, but none scored more than Tyrese Haliburton’s 17 points. As for Siakam, his point total was salvaged by an 8-of-9 night at the foul line. Spicy P only scored 19 points in Game 1 but was far more efficient, and he also finished that game with a double-double. Oklahoma City boasts an elite defense, and they were far better across the board on Sunday. Siakam and the Pacers will look to regain the series lead when they host Game 3 on Wednesday.

Offensively, Turner has gotten off to a solid start in the NBA Finals. After scoring 15 points on 50 percent shooting in Game 1, he put up one more point on a similar percentage Sunday evening. However, Turner only grabbed four rebounds after recording nine in the series opener. Sunday’s defeat does not rest on Turner’s shoulders, but Indiana will need him to be more forceful as a rebounder and defender moving forward. The Pacers host Game 3 on Wednesday night.