NBA News and Rumor Roundup 6/4/2025
The Finals stage is set, two superstar trade rumors, and some shifting in the draft waters
Aaaaaaand we’re back!
Not only are we back, but we are finally here; it’s time for the end of the NBA season. That’s right, we’re in NBA Finals territory, y’all!
While one side, OKC, was widely predicted to make it this far, the other, the Pacers, are this year’s beautiful Cinderella story, looking to be just the second 4-seed ever to win the title (the previous being the 1969 Celtics).
While most of this week’s chatter may be based on the crazy playoff action we’ve seen over the past week, we do have some other rumors and news to cover. A new team appears to have thrown its hat in the ring in the (still unconfirmed) Giannis Antetokoumpo sweepstakes, while the NBA Draft seems to be shifting due to both smokescreens and late stock risers/fallers. Oh, and we’ve got an out-of-left-field rebrand that I am 100% getting behind!
Oh, and Tom Thibodeau is out of New York, no biggie, right?
We’ll cover all of that in a moment, but first, let’s get into our primary recurring segment of the week: It’s time for your Kings of The Court!
This Week’s Kings of The Court
If you’re new around here (welcome!), this is a segment where I get to talk about three players and/or teams who I deem worthy of the King of The Court moniker. Crucially, the moniker does not necessarily mean that the player/team was the absolute best over the past week but instead is one of the ones that impressed me the most — and there’s quite a difference between the two, even if both overlap on occasion.
👑Chet Holmgren, Hosting a Block Party👑
Key Stats From the Past Week
22 PTS
50% from three-point range
3 BLK
Bonus Stat: Chet Holmgren put up the 27th game of 20 PTS, 5 REB, 3 BLK, and 2+ 3P on 60% shooting in NBA playoff history. He’s the second-youngest player to record such a game, with the only younger one being…himself, two days earlier.
Because OKC finished off the Timberwolves in such a brisk manner, we only have one game to work with from the past week’s play when talking about them. Regardless, Chet Holmgren looked so good against Minnesota in Game 5.
Chet, quite literally, could not be slotted into a better situation. After going #2 overall in 2022 and breaking his foot, OKC feels like the only team that had both the patience to wait his rehab out and still compete, and now, with the team at full strength, he’s been their X-Factor the whole way.
His sheer mobility gives him the chance to be one of the best from-everywhere blockers in the entire game — even if “blockers” is a weird term to use, but the fact that Holmgren can get defensive looks at or away from the rim is incredible for OKC. When a teammate makes a contest, Chet is able to come in with the help and seal the deal, like in the clip below:
The lanky big man has been equally as effective as a tertiary (and sometimes secondary) scorer, too, regardless of where he is on the court. Whether it’s an alley-oop, baseline cut, or a beautiful catch-and-shoot look, the ability to have your big man play all three levels is, once again, such a privilege, one that feels virtually unfair when you already have SGA and Jalen Williams on board:
The Chet vs. Pascal Siakam/Myles Turner matchup is going to be very intriguing, but the fact that the former doesn’t have to do it all for OKC is what makes him extremely dangerous.
👑Pascal Siakam, Doing It All👑
Key Stats From the Past Week
23 PPG
5.5 REB
4.0 AST
2 STL
Bonus Stat: Only 7 players have ever recorded 30 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 3 BLK, and 60% 3P (with at least 3 made) in a playoff game. Siakam is now one of them, and the others are: Damian Lillard, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Joel Embiid, Dirk Nowitzki, and Al-Farouq Aminu (???)
I have to be honest; I would’ve given the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award to Tyrese Haliburton, but I’m also biased, so I’ll let it slide. That opinion doesn’t at all take away just how phenomenal Pascal Siakam was during the Pacers series vs. New York. He did just about everything you could ever want in a team’s second option: He scored, rebounded, dished it out, was defensively staunch, and picked up the slack when Tyrese Haliburton didn’t have a flamethrower of a game.
For his size, Siakam is so good at making shots while contorting his body in weird ways, which is a skill normally reserved for guards of a smaller stature. He can be in a weird position and still finish the shot with his acrobatics, which has served well in Indiana’s transition/chaos-heavy offense:
What’s been equally pleasing for the Pacers is that Siakam can actually dish the ball out as well, which forces defenses to not only close off Haliburton’s passing lanes but the Cameroonian’s too. It’s a pick-your-poison strategy, and while Siakam isn’t as good of a distributor as Haliburton — very few are — he’s more than good enough to keep the defense on their toes:
Siakam is the second option that opposing fans just can’t hate. He’s got good energy, plays hard, doesn’t foul-bait (though he did get quite a few free throws in the last game of the series), and just knows how to play basketball. OKC can put Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, or Jalen Williams against OKC, so it’ll be interesting to see how he deals with the team’s innate physicality (though OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges likely gave him a good taste of that philosophy).
👑Rob Dillingham, Whom I Need to See More Of👑
Key Stats From the Past Week
7.0 PTS (in just 6.6 MIN)
60% FG
2 AST
1 REB
Bonus Stat: Dillingham recorded just the 12th game in NBA playoff history of 7 PTS, 2 AST, 1 REB in under 7 minutes of play. A guy named Happy Hairston did it once for the Lakers in 1970, which I thought was significant simply because of the name alone.
Look, the Timberwolves lost, and they did so quite poorly in many respects, but they were outmatched. Because of that, I want to focus on a guy whom I need to see more of next season, Rob Dillingham. I was thrilled with Dillingham’s potential early in the draft process, mainly because of his energy, talent, and still untapped distribution game. Though he didn’t get much runway this season as a rookie, I was impressed by the little time he got in the last game of the OKC series. Also, as you can tell, this is where the “most impressed by” portion of the King of The Court title comes into play, as opposed to the “best” players.
These are the kind of Kyrie Irving-esque handles that I thought could be a real difference-maker at the next level, with Dillingham able to create space much easier than possibly any other rookie in this season’s class:
Any time the defense misses a rotation, all Dillingham sees is barbecue chicken. It’s juicy, tasty, and it’s right there for the taking — and, boy, does he take it:
How significant are his garbage time minutes? It’s possible that they aren’t. Irrespective, it should be a reminder that, as Mike Conley continues to age, Dillingham should be the next man up, simply because we haven’t seen enough of him.
AnteToronto(?) and Kevin Durant in The News
Over the past few weeks, one of the subplots of what is now the offseason for all but two teams has been what Giannis Antetokoumpo will do with the Milwaukee Bucks. After Damian Lillard tore his Achilles, the second-best option on this team is, uh, Kyle Kuzma, and they have no flexibility with draft picks or cap space. In other words, it feels increasingly likely that the Giannis era is over in Milwaukee, barring a Nico Harrison-esque lifeline for Kyle Kuzma, which isn’t happening. As a result, there are many suitors for Giannis should he decide to leave, and there’s a new one that just threw their hat in the ring.
According to the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith — maybe take it with a grain of salt given the geolocation of the sources — there is “mutual interest” between Giannis Antetokoumpo and the Toronto Raptors. It would be an interesting sight to see Giannis in Toronto, given the team’s assets, but it also depends on how the Bucks value the available players on hand. For example, one of the easiest ways to facilitate a Giannis trade is by dealing RJ Barrett (salary-wise), who may or may not be a prized piece for Milwaukee.
The biggest part of any trade, though, would be the swath of draft picks Toronto has. They own all of their own, have the #9 pick this year, and have various other assets to deal in the young players department as well. I’m skeptical that trading for Giannis is the right move for a team whose best player, Scottie Barnes, is still just 23, but time will tell if Giannis even wants to go there.
A separate rumor that is floating around — and it’s one that has far more teeth to it — is that the Suns are looking to deal Kevin Durant before the NBA Draft, and have lowered their price accordingly (a report of which comes from The Athletic’s Kelly Iko). The most intriguing part about this report is not necessarily the news itself, but who is reporting it. Iko has deep connections to the Rockets’ franchise as an insider, and he specifically notes that the Suns are looking to regain control of all of their draft capital, which is currently owned by Houston.
The question, of course, is whether or not Houston is interested in KD, with previous reports saying that they aren’t super enamored. As Iko himself reports, “There is a price where the Rockets would be interested, but with a fear of breaking up their roster for a 36-year-old coming off injury, doubt remains over a deal materializing.”
While I’m not an insider, an interesting route here is to get another team involved that would want Durant’s services. The Heat, Timberwolves, Spurs, and Knicks (unlikely, I think, unless they’re willing to trade KAT) have all been reported as suitors for Durant. The Heat have the draft capital and salaries (Andrew Wiggins and Duncan Robinson) to deal; the Timberwolves have a smorgasbord of assets; the Spurs have picks and Devin Vassell; and the Knicks have, well, a situation that would be difficult to work with. Most of the teams above could be looped in as a third team, sending a player to Houston that could contribute without carrying the risk of an aged Kevin Durant. I don’t expect it to happen, but Houston has a history of being involved in convoluted trade structures.
Separately, I’m now seeing that Sam Amico of HoopsWire is reporting that the Hawks have internally discussed a Kevin Durant trade, though they will likely have to hire a president of basketball operations first before anything significant happens (I would think).
The Draft Stock Market
This late into the draft cycle, you’re bound to see a variety of smokescreens, so it makes it hard to determine whose stock is actually falling or rising. This week, there’s been a bit of chatter around a few different prospects, and I’ll let you judge which are smoky and which are legit (though I have some opinions about certain ones, as you’ll notice quite quickly).
Quick note: there are a lot of rumors that are coming out via
, and I really don’t like aggregating paywalled pieces from other Substack writers, so I won’t be mentioning those here. He mentions a few lottery selections who may be in play for a top-3 team that previously (one specifically) was not considered by wider consensus, a team potentially looking to jump into the lottery despite not having a current pick there, and more, so you can go over to his publication to learn more about that.One thing I will mention that multiple outlets are reporting, though not explicitly, is the stock of Ace Bailey. Bailey didn’t perform all that well at the Combine, and it seems that scouts are finally catching up to the fact that, while the ceiling seems high, his overall play can cause concern in the basketball IQ department. The Ringer has dropped him to #6 (which I believe to be too far), CBS has VJ Edgecombe starting to creep on him, while Jonathan Wasserman (Bleacher Report) has reported that the Sixers may take a look at Edgecombe as well. I don’t necessarily expect Bailey to fall past #3, though I see #4 as a possibility.
Separately, per Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor, the Rockets are expected to do something, which feels like a nothingburger of a report but does imply that they’re actively on the trade market right now. They could move up (I see that as unlikely), down (likelier), or out entirely (likely if they’re going for a star), but the rumors seem to show that they aren’t staying put.
There are still a few wildcards here. Kon Knueppel has been mocked as high as #4 in some cases, but more and more mocks seem to be putting him in the #6-8 range than they used to. Asa Newell, a Brandon Clarke-esque tweener prospect, has continued to drop, now being mocked commonly in the #15-20 range, though some mocks have him in the #10-12 zone.
The biggest riser of the past week, without a doubt, has been Noa Essengue. The German league’s playoffs are going on right now, and Essengue has been absolutely tearing it up. To put up 22 and 14 in a playoff environment, at age 18, at the pro level is wildly impressive, which has scouts’ ears perking up accordingly:
Essengue’s draft ceiling feels much higher now than it did just a month ago. Top-10 feels likely, and I could see him going as high as #7, dependent on what happens with the Pelicans’ horrific situation.
Other News, Rumors, and Fun Facts
As I noted briefly in the beginning, the Knicks have fired Tom Thibodeau, which comes after the Knicks lost to the Pacers — I suppose the front office had enough of watching Tyrese Haliburton and crew cook Jalen Brunson and KAT. Not much else to say here, but the Knicks’ job immediately becomes the top coaching gig in the league.
As I’m sure nearly all of you have heard, Pelicans’ star Zion Williamson has been accused of rape and abuse by one of his ex-girlfriends. There have been rumors in past years of Zion’s personal life problems, but this is the first time a proper lawsuit has been filed. I’ll wait to voice my full opinions until more info is out, but I will say that it doesn’t look great.
Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Tyler Herro is expected to sign a three-year, $149.7 million extension with the Heat this offseason. Herro is coming off the best season of his career, one in which he was named an All-Star and somehow willed the Heat to the playoffs despite a down season from Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler forcing his way out.
Per The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, teams are starting to have interest in Rockets wing Cam Whitmore, who has been used very little compared to his potential due to a loaded Rockets rotation. I’m willing to be put on the record for this: If Whitmore gets traded and gets a large role, you’re immediately looking at one of the highest potential players under the age of 21. I raved about him in his rookie year despite not playing much, with his individual offensive output matching some of the league’s stars when extrapolated (which, of course, can be dangerous to project but is worth noting), and he has all the potential in the world to be a great player in this league. Of course, the caveat is that he has to clean up his shot selection, but he needs to actually get some shots up in real games to do that.
In what feels like a really surprising move (but not an unwelcome one), the Orlando Magic have announced a franchise visual rebrand, with a new logo, set of jerseys, and more. The logo and jerseys are as follows:
Personally, I’m a massive fan of the rebrand. While the old Magic logo was recognizable, it did need a refresh, and I think the new logo (and its alternates, which you’ll find in the press release) do a good job of being both recognizable and simplistic enough. I’m not necessarily a fan of the font on the logo (I would’ve preferred the same one that they used on the jerseys), but I think it’s a good step forward. The blue and white jerseys, individually, are awesome, but I’m not feeling the one Paolo Banchero has on — black and cobalt blue feel weird together. Regardless, I like what I see!
In a separate report about the Raptors, Milwaukee insider Jake Weinbach says that if the Raptors don’t go after Giannis, they may be on the market for Domantas Sabonis, should the Kings decide to go in a different direction. I haven’t done enough research on Weinbach’s track record, but it’s worth noting since the Kings are in such a weird situation right now.
This feels kind of wild given the situation, but the Mavericks and Lakers have personally scheduled a preseason exhibition game in Las Vegas for this upcoming season. No, the league did not schedule this. Yes, Nico Harrison and Rob Pelinka probably are making tons of money off this. What a wild NBA world we live in right now. (It’s worth noting that it is not unusual for preseason games to be scheduled by the individual teams — it just feels weird given the history).
According to multiple reports, Russell Westbrook has been named the creative director of a sports-driven entertainment district in Oklahoma City, which will be in Southeast downtown and spans 50 acres. Westbrook is still committed to OKC, despite having bounced around the league since his departure — awesome to see players reinvesting in the cities that put them on the map.
On this day in NBA history (in 1976!), Boston’s Jo Jo White scored 33 points as the Celtics outlasted Phoenix, 128-126, in triple-overtime in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, at the time the longest Finals game ever. Phoenix forward Gar Heard, who set a then-Finals record by playing 61 minutes, hit a buzzer-beater to force the third overtime. Phoenix and Chicago went to triple-overtime in Game 3 of the 1993 Finals, a game won by the Suns, 129-121. Kevin Johnson of Phoenix broke Heard’s previous Finals record for minutes played with 62. This game is sometimes referred to as “the greatest game in NBA history.”
My Favorite Reads This Week
Really great piece from
this week on the merits of Ace Bailey at #3, the concerns about his overall game, and how to realistically project him (or not). You can go read that analysis right here.- did a phenomenal deep dive of Danny Wolf — a big man out of Michigan who is wildly weird and an absolute draft wildcard — and what he might be able to do at the next level. I’m not 100% sold on Wolf as a top-15 selection, but I’d like to see him for teams in the #16-22 range for sure. You can go read that piece right here.
- put together a really interesting proposal that will likely ruffle a few feathers: Abolish the Stepien Rule. Some may call it a cop-out for teams; others may say it’s necessary for league image, etc., but I’ll let you come to your own conclusions. You can go read that piece here.
This past week,
wrote about the Timberwolves’ present and future, along with what it means for next season based on their routing by OKC. That includes a Julius Randle decision, Ant’s further development, and many more data points, all of which you can read about right here.
That’s it for this week’s roundup! As always, more writing is on the way for this weekend, but until then, go and give the fine folks above a read!