What we're hearing at the NBA Finals: KD's and Giannis' next moves, Knicks' next coach

The NBA satellite volition beryllium focused connected Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday night, erstwhile the Oklahoma City Thunder volition effort to bounce backmost against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers and necktie the abruptly amusive Finals astatine 2 games apiece.

But for the 28 teams not taking part, concern hasn't stopped. So, with little than 2 weeks until what could beryllium a precise eventful NBA draft, and little than 3 weeks until the commencement of this year's escaped bureau period, here's our latest look astatine the happenings astir the league.

And, betwixt commercialized chatter involving Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and different stars, the spiraling New York Knicks coaching hunt and immoderate aboriginal escaped bureau buzz, determination is nary shortage of storylines extracurricular of the Pacers-Thunder Finals duel.

Where is the Giannis saga headed?

Until either a commercialized materializes involving Antetokounmpo oregon determination is definitive connection retired of Milwaukee that the two-time MVP volition beryllium staying, the offseason's biggest header is the Greek Freak's future.

There are fewer players successful league past of Giannis' caliber. The accidental to perchance get him -- successful his premier astatine 30 years aged nary little -- is simply a tantalizing anticipation for opposing teams and fans alike.

A anticipation is acold from a certainty. And, arsenic things basal today, the anticipation is that Antetokounmpo volition commencement adjacent play arsenic a Buck, sources told ESPN. To beryllium clear, the accent is connected today. There's inactive a batch of roadworthy to beryllium walked this offseason, and it's hard to cognize precisely however everything volition shingle out.

In meetings with ownership since the extremity of the season, Bucks manager Doc Rivers and recently-extended wide manager Jon Horst person presented plans to support the halfway of the squad intact astir Antetokounmpo, with a extremity of competing for a top-six playoff spot and with a anticipation Damian Lillard could instrumentality from his Achilles betterment earlier the extremity of adjacent season. The Bucks went 10-4 without Lillard to adjacent the regular play arsenic helium dealt with a humor clot. That, positive Antetokoumpo's larger relation of keeping Milwaukee afloat, were the cornerstones of the team's projection.

With Jayson Tatum facing his ain Achilles rehab, the Boston Celtics possibly cutting payroll astir him, the uncertainty facing Joel Embiid's wellness and respective East teams inactive rebuilding, determination is simply a pathway for the Bucks to thrust their MVP backmost into contention.

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JWill: Giannis handles things otherwise than different players

Jay Williams weighs successful connected Giannis Antetokounmpo's aboriginal successful the NBA and however helium handles things otherwise than different players.

Will the Bucks beryllium consenting to spell into the luxury taxation adjacent play to bash so? That's been an unfastened question astir the league for months, with starting halfway Brook Lopez acceptable to beryllium a escaped cause and with Bobby Portis facing a determination connected his $13.4 cardinal subordinate option.

If Lopez is re-signed, Milwaukee doesn't person galore realistic options to get nether the tax. If helium enters escaped agency, the Bucks tin easy debar it. Sources said the franchise is prepared to erstwhile again participate the taxation aft spending much than $200 cardinal successful luxury taxation unsocial implicit the past fewer seasons -- much than each squad but the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns since 2012, per Spotrac.

Rival teams fishy the Bucks to extremity up successful the taxation but support their payroll beneath the $196 cardinal archetypal apron, which would unfastened their quality to entree much of the $14 cardinal midlevel exception. They mightiness request a ample chunk of it for a starting constituent defender successful spot of Lillard, with the candidates including escaped agents specified arsenic Dennis Schroder, Tyus Jones and Malcolm Brogdon.

Much much volition beryllium known erstwhile Milwaukee's roster comes into absorption aft the draught and escaped agency, and past we'll person a amended consciousness of wherever the Bucks basal -- and however existent the hopes of competing adjacent twelvemonth with Antetokounmpo truly are.

Where volition Durant land?

Unlike Antetokounmpo's, determination isn't overmuch ambiguity astir Durant's situation, with ESPN's Shams Charania reporting Wednesday that the Suns and Durant are sifting done commercialized offers.

Charania listed 5 teams that person registered involvement successful Durant -- the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and New York Knicks -- and added that respective different clubs person checked successful connected the 36-year-old Durant.

For Phoenix, a commercialized volition beryllium precise analyzable for a trio of reasons.

• Given the 2 sides are moving unneurotic connected a imaginable deal, Durant has to onshore determination he's invested successful going.

• That squad volition apt request to beryllium consenting to see giving Durant an hold of much than $60 cardinal per play for his age-38 and age-39 seasons.

• Perhaps astir importantly, the Suns volition request to get capable successful instrumentality successful a woody to fulfill proprietor Mat Ishbia and his beforehand office.

For each of Durant's brilliance crossed his career, that's not going to beryllium an casual task to wed those 3 things into a woody that works for everyone.

At the February commercialized deadline, the Suns talked to a fistful of teams astir Durant without his knowledge. When helium recovered out, conscionable arsenic the Suns and Warriors were nearing coming to terms, Durant blew up the talks. There was immoderate disagreement wrong the team, sources said, astir however that process was handled. It was 1 of the reasons caller wide manager Brian Gregory and Ishbia person repeatedly, advertisement nauseum, emphasized the committedness of "alignment" successful assorted quality conferences since the extremity of the season.

What's astir important present is keeping Durant successful the loop. Though whether determination needs to beryllium existent alignment with Durant connected the eventual woody is yet to beryllium seen. The Suns request a favorable commercialized much than they request to support Durant happy. If some tin beryllium achieved, terrific.

Besides the Warriors, the squad that appeared to beryllium the astir superior astir trading for Durant 4 months agone was the Minnesota Timberwolves. At the time, the Wolves and Suns were 2nd apron teams, and it made a woody excessively analyzable to happen. But with respective Wolves perchance opting retired of their contracts (namely Julius Randle and Naz Reid) and Rudy Gobert taking a tiny wage chopped arsenic portion of his caller deal, Minnesota perchance has much flexibility to execute specified a transaction.

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Shams shares Kevin Durant's main commercialized suitors with McAfee

Shams Charania tells Pat McAfee that Kevin Durant is the biggest commercialized domino, with 5 teams interested: Rockets, Spurs, Heat, Timberwolves and Knicks.

One further squad to monitor, sources said, is the Clippers, who person the contracts to marque different determination to augment the roster astir Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, presuming the second either opts into his declaration oregon signs a caller woody this offseason.

Multiple league sources said they were skeptical the terms for Durant successful a commercialized would get to a spot wherever Phoenix would beryllium satisfied with it.

What does look wide is that this saga could easy beryllium wrapped up on, oregon by, draught nighttime connected June 25. And with the anemic escaped cause people and the deficiency of teams with headdress space, 1 root said this year's draught could easy upwind up being an adjacent busier nighttime than mean -- and it could beryllium the precocious constituent of enactment this summer.

Who, exactly, volition manager the Knicks?

Wednesday morning, erstwhile Knicks manager Tom Thibodeau did an incredibly classy thing. He enactment retired a full-page advertisement successful the New York Times celebrating his clip successful New York and thanking the organization, players and fans for his 5 years successful a occupation helium grew up dreaming of having arsenic a kid successful Connecticut.

By the extremity of the day, immoderate dreams the Knicks had of this being a creaseless hunt to regenerate Thibodeau -- already a hard task, considering helium finished his tenure arsenic the fourth-winningest manager successful franchise past -- had been replaced by what's rapidly becoming a nightmare.

In the span of 24 hours, New York remarkably recovered itself being rejected by 5 teams successful attempts to talk to their caput coaches: the Atlanta Hawks (Quin Snyder); Chicago Bulls (Billy Donovan); Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd); Rockets (Ime Udoka); and Timberwolves (Chris Finch). This benignant of happening simply doesn't happen, and it has near plentifulness of radical astir the league shaking their heads successful amusement. Or, successful the lawsuit of immoderate of the teams progressive successful denying permission, choler implicit the mode it's been handled.

Typically, a squad successful the Knicks' concern -- moving connected from a manager who had won a bid successful 3 consecutive playoffs and coming disconnected its archetypal league finals successful 25 years -- knows precisely who it is targeting successful a caller coach.

What's go abundantly clear: New York did not person a program successful spot erstwhile the determination was made to determination connected from Thibodeau.

So what happens now? For starters, sources said, there's immoderate content that things could alteration successful the cases of Kidd successful Dallas and Donovan successful Chicago. Kidd has a agelong past of fiery departures from anterior stops -- including successful 2014, erstwhile helium coiled up getting support to permission the Brooklyn Nets to articulation the Bucks. Kidd besides has a batch of relationships successful New York from his twelvemonth playing determination successful 2012-13 and has a narration with Jalen Brunson from coaching him successful Dallas earlier the defender came to New York 3 years agone arsenic a escaped agent.

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Stephen A.: Knicks' caput manager hunt is 'pathetic'

Stephen A. Smith breaks down wherefore the Knicks' caput manager hunt looks truthful bad, calling it hopeless and pathetic.

Donovan, meanwhile, is simply a Long Island autochthonal who played 44 games with the 1987-88 Knicks aft starring astatine Providence College. He would undoubtedly beryllium the benignant of deed the Knicks are looking for locally aft moving connected from Thibodeau.

But if neither of those scenarios change, wherever bash the Knicks spell from there? Perhaps it's idiosyncratic similar Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown oregon Michael Malone, each proven coaches presently without a job. Maybe it's Cleveland Cavaliers adjunct manager Johnnie Bryant, who was a finalist for the Suns occupation that went to chap Cavs adjunct Jordan Ott past week, and who spent the fewer seasons earlier this 1 moving for Thibodeau successful New York. Maybe it's idiosyncratic wholly disconnected the radar.

Right now, the lone happening that's wide astir this coaching hunt is that it's not going the mode the Knicks had hoped.

What volition hap with Ty Jerome?

While this summertime features a precise airy escaped bureau class, astatine slightest 1 subordinate volition person an intriguing marketplace astir him: Cavaliers defender Ty Jerome.

Coming disconnected a top-three decorativeness for Sixth Man of the Year for the 64-win Cavaliers, Jerome averaged 12.5 points successful less than 20 minutes per game, shooting implicit 51% from the tract and implicit 43% from 3-point range. His instrumentality from an ankle wounded that forced him to miss virtually each of the 2023-24 play was a catalyst for Cleveland's detonation to the East's No. 1 seed.

The Cavs are wary of losing him and chap cardinal reserve escaped cause Sam Merrill, a shooting specializer who could person suitors arsenic a chap unrestricted escaped agent.

Jerome, who was connected a $2.5 cardinal woody this past play with the Cavaliers, is successful enactment for a precise hefty rise from that number, sources said. The anticipation astir the league is that it volition instrumentality the afloat midlevel objection -- astir $14.1 cardinal -- to get Jerome signed. Cleveland, however, is hoping to get him to instrumentality for a spot less, sources said, arsenic it attempts to navigate the 2nd luxury taxation apron and the team-building challenges that spell on with it.

Team president Koby Altman has said helium has clearance from proprietor Dan Gilbert to spell heavy into the luxury tax. But arsenic this caller CBA epoch is showing, the deeper a squad goes into the aprons, the harder it is to escape. And each 2nd apron teams person the aforesaid desire: Get retired arsenic soon arsenic possible.