NBA Player News

After five seasons in Minnesota, McLaughlin is on the move, reportedly agreeing to a one-year deal with the Kings. Injuries limited him to 56 appearances last season, with the point guard accounting for 3.5 points and 2.0 assists in 11.2 minutes per game. With De’Aaron Fox firmly entrenched as the starting point guard, don’t expect McLaughlin to be worth selecting in fantasy drafts.

Turner finished the Pacers’ win in Game 3 with nine points, two rebounds, one assist and five blocks. His most important block came late in the game on a Chet Holmgren three-point attempt. Despite dealing with an illness and potentially missing practice Thursday, Turner isn’t likely to miss Game 4 on Friday.

A few weeks removed from undergoing surgery on his left (shooting) wrist, Podziemski underwent a separate procedure on Tuesday. According to the Warriors, the procedure to repair the core muscle injury was successful. Podziemski is expected to be fully recovered in time for the start of training camp in late September. As long as there aren’t any setbacks, Podziemski will be a player worth selecting in fantasy drafts.

While Holmgren’s box score shows a solid effort with 20 points and 10 rebounds, the 23-year-old power forward certainly struggled against a physical Pacers frontline. This was encapsulated in one of the final Thunder possessions. With two minutes left and down six points, Holmgren passed up an opportunity to drive after getting the ball on a pick and roll. Later in the possession, he appeared open for a three-pointer, but was blocked by Myles Turner. After corralling the miss, Holmgren drove the lane but was denied again by Turner with help defense from Pascal Siakam and possession going to the Pacers. Holmgren will need to bounce back if the Thunder are going to get back into this series with a win in Game 4 on Friday.

To say that Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in Game 3 would be an understatement. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle joked earlier this week that the 26-year-old point guard would have 34 points as soon as he got off the bus. Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander finished Game 3 with 24 and a playoff career-high six turnovers against the Pacers’ swarming defense. A better offensive effort from SGA is paramount for the Thunder in Game 4 on Friday.

The Pacers received truly great performances in Game 3 from Bennedict Mathurin, Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam. The 31-year-old power forward has been a rock for the Pacers this postseason bringing with him previous NBA Finals experience from his time in Toronto. Siam’s excellent Game 3 included 21 points on 14 shots and locking up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defensively on a crucial possession with under two minutes remaining. The Eastern Conference finals MVP played as big of a role as anyone in the Pacers taking a 2-1 series lead.

Haliburton became the fifth player in NBA Finals history to have at least 20 points, at least 10 assists and zero free throw attempts. The 25-year-old point guard also became the first player in NBA history with nine games of at least 10 assists and two made three-pointers in a single playoff run. Haliburton had only six and three points in the first halves of the first two games of this series, but was excellent in the first half of Game 3 with 12 points and seven assists. His play is a big reason the Pacers find themselves just two wins away from winning the NBA Finals.

The Pacers’ bench outscored the Thunder’s 30-11 in the first half of Game 3, which Indiana led by four at halftime, and Mathurin was a big part of that. The 22-year-old small forward’s 27 points were the third most off the bench in NBA Finals history. Mathurin joined Jason Terry and Manu Ginobili as the only bench players to have at least 25 points in an NBA Finals game in the last 25 years. Even more impressive was that Mathurin played only 22 minutes and took just 12 shots. His +16 in his time on the court was a game-high. It was an exceptional effort from the Pacers’ No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The count of interview requests the Knicks have had denied is up to five with Donovan joining Chris Finch, Ime Udoka, Jason Kidd and Quin Snyder. On one hand, the Knicks are doing their due diligence in seeing what coaches around the league they could potentially speak with. On the other hand, New York is repeatedly getting the door slammed in its face. The Knicks are the only NBA without a head coach at the moment and should be in no rush to fill the position just a week after parting ways with Tom Thibodeau.

Another one bites the dust. On Tuesday, Charania reported that Chris Finch, Ime Udoka and Jason Kidd were all blocked from interviewing with the Knicks by their respective teams. Now Snyder joins this seemingly ever-growing list. At some point, the Knicks will have a new head coach. However, in the week after Tom Thibodeau was let go, New York only has rejection letters.

No surprises here, as rumors of a potential Durant trade have been floating around since February’s trade deadline. The teams most likely to land Durant are the Spurs, Rockets, Timberwolves, Knicks and Heat, though Charania notes several other teams have inquired. At this point, a Durant trade seems imminent, and no matter where he lands, he should be an elite fantasy option thanks to his ability to rebound, facilitate, play defense and score efficiently.