Kevin Kelly secures the Rays' 5-1 win
Who should the Knicks be targeting as its next head coach? | The Kevin O'Connor Show
Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor and fantasy analyst Dan Titus discuss New York's series of rejections for head coach interview opportunities and throw out some names of coaches who are available and should be considered for the role. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
Rutgers' Ace Bailey addresses NBA draft rumors: 'I'm focused on basketball'
Former Rutgers forward Ace Bailey side-stepped questions on Tuesday after reportedly turning down several workout requests ahead of the 2025 NBA draft. Bailey canceled a workout last week with Philadelphia (No. 3 pick) and has declined other invitations from Charlotte (No. 4) and Utah (No. 5). The prevailing thought is that Bailey and his representation want to land with a specific team to maximize his development. The 6-foot-8 standout, who was long thought to be selected with the third pick, is now projected to be drafted outside of the top five. He and his group likely feel as though Washington (No. 6), New Orleans (No. 7) or Brooklyn (No. 8) represent his best chance at long-term success. "I'm just blessed to be in this position I am right now," Bailey said after he was asked why he reportedly canceled his workout with the Sixers. "That's all. I'm taking it day by day." Bailey was a third-team All-Big Ten selection, averaging 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and one steal on 34.6% shooting from 3-point range last season with the Scarlet Knights. He ranked ninth among all freshmen in points (527) and 10th in rebounds (215). The 18-year-old measured slightly smaller than expected at the draft combine last month, after Rutgers listed him at 6 feet, 10 inches. That development, along with his precarious handling of workouts and interviews, has contributed to his name falling down draft boards. "I feel like I can only control what I can control," Bailey said. "I mean, you can think how you think, but I can control what I can control." Bailey is the only U.S.-based prospect who hasn't worked out with any team ahead of the draft on Wednesday (8 p.m. EDT; ABC, ESPN). The prospects ranked ahead of him -- Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel -- have all visited at least one team. Declining workout requests isn't a new development. But, prospects working out with no teams is rare, though it is reportedly a decision Bailey and his team are comfortable with, likely meaning they have received a promise from a team outside the top five. But Bailey isn't letting the swirling conversation affect him. He is focused on becoming the best version of himself throughout the predraft process and is eager to find his new home on Wednesday, wherever that might be. "I'm focused on basketball," Bailey said. "That's my decision. Just basketball."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NBA free agency 2025: Latest news, rumors, trades ahead of NBA Draft as Kyrie Irving reaches new deal with Mavs, Celtics deal Kristaps Porzingis
The Oklahoma City Thunder just won the NBA championship, but the other 29 teams don't have time to celebrate. The NBA offseason is already in full swing, with two significant trades already taking place ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft. NBA free agency officially begins at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, June 30, when teams are allowed to start negotiating with free agents. Players can sign contracts beginning on July 6. Advertisement Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday may find themselves with new teams, but they won't be the only players wearing new jerseys next season. Here are the latest moves, rumors and trades ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft. June 24: Kyrie Irving reaches new deal with Mavs Kyrie Irving declined his player option on Tuesday night and agreed to a new three-year, $119 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. That will end up paying Irving about $40 million per season. Though he had the chance to leave, Irving was never expected to make a move away from the Mavericks this summer. The nine-time All Star is currently recovering from a torn ACL he sustained in March, though the team hopes he'll be back in action by January. Advertisement The deal is the second one the Mavericks have made this week, following Daniel Gafford's new deal on Monday. The team also has the No. 1 pick in Wednesday's draft, where they're expected to take Cooper Flagg. June 24: Celtics reportedly finalizing deal to send Kristaps Porzingis to Hawks in 3-team trade involving Nets The Boston Celtics are finalizing a three-team deal with the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets that sends Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. Per the report, the Celtics are sending Porzingis and a second-round draft pick to Atlanta. The Hawks are sending Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick in Wednesday's NBA draft to the Nets. Atlanta will also send Georges Niang and a second-round selection to the Celtics. The move is the second trade in two days for the Celtics after they dealt Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a package that features Anfernee Simons and future second-round draft picks. Advertisement The trades by the Celtics are part of an effort to move salaries below the NBA's punitive second tax apron of $207,825,000. Boston is parting with core members of its 2024 championship team to do so. Like Holiday, Porzingis was a key contributor on that championship team that secured the franchise's first NBA title since 2008. June 24: Pelicans reportedly trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk to Wizards for package including Jordan Poole The New Orleans Pelicans are trading CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to Washington Wizards for a package that includes Jordan Poole, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. Per the report, the Pelicans are also sending a future second-round pick to Washington. In addition to Poole, the Wizards are sending the Pelicans Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft. The deal signals a further roster overhaul of the Pelicans core after New Orleans traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors during the season. Advertisement McCollum, 33, was a three-plus-year starter for the Pelicans after arriving via trade from the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season. McCollum was previously Damian Lillard's backcourt running mate in Portland. June 24: Matisse Thybulle picks up option, returns to Trailblazers Matisse Thybulle is staying in Portland as he picked up his $11.5 million player option for the 2025-26 season, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Tuesday. The 28-year-old was traded to Portland from the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2022-2023 season as part of a four-team trade that also involved the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets. Thybulle signed a $33 million deal for three years the following offseason. Advertisement Thybulle's option comes after he played 15 games this past season and averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals as the Blazers finished with a 36-46 record. June 24: Knicks reportedly interviewing Timberwolves coach Micah Nori The New York Knicks found another candidate for their head-coaching position. Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori will reportedly interview for the role. Nori is a long-time assistant around the league, and has served in that role with the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons before joining the Timberwolves. Nori is the third person the Knicks have interviewed for the role. Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins each had formal interviews with the team. Of that trio, Nori is the only one without head-coaching experience. Advertisement June 23: Celtics reportedly trading Jrue Holiday to Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons, draft picks The Trail Blazers struck a deal with the Boston Celtics on Monday night to acquire Holiday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. In exchange, Portland is sending guard Anfernee Simons and a pair of future second-round draft picks to Boston. The deal, according to Charania, is only the beginning for the Celtics this offseason. The team is still engaged in trade talks 'surrounding multiple key players on the roster,' though further specifics are not yet known. Boston has significant work to do to avoid the luxury tax altogether, and it's likely that Holiday is simply the first player to go. June 23: Khris Middleton reportedly picks up $33.3 million option to remain with Wizards next season Advertisement Middleton picked up his $33.3 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign on Monday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. That is part of the initial three-year, $93 million deal he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023. The Bucks dealt Middleton to the Wizards ahead of the deadline last season in a move that sent Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee. Middleton ended up playing in just 14 games for the Wizards, who went 18-64 and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, while dealing with a knee injury. In total, Middleton averaged 11.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season, his lowest numbers since his rookie campaign. June 22: Suns trade Kevin Durant to Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, draft picks Advertisement The Phoenix Suns traded Durant to the Houston Rockets, in exchange for Green and Brooks. Phoenix also received the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks as part of the trade. The deal will not officially go through until July 6, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, due to a restriction in Green's rookie extension, which he signed last October. The second-round picks in the trade will stretch to 2032, per NBA insider Jake Fischer. Durant will join an emerging Rockets team that is anchored by rising stars Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün, as starters Green and Brooks are sent to Phoenix. The Rockets made the playoffs this season for the first time since 2020 as the No. 2 seed in the West. They lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors. June 21: Pat Connaughton picks up option, returns to Bucks Pat Connaughton is comfortable in Milwaukee. The veteran guard reportedly picked up his player option to return to the team, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday. Advertisement Connaughton had until Tuesday to make a decision on his $9.4 million option. The 32-year-old averaged 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds with the team last season. After starting his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Connaughton has spent the past seven seasons in Milwaukee. He's mostly served in a backup role with the team, though is occasionally pushing into a starting spot. After averaging 22.3 minutes per game in his first six seasons with the Bucks, Connaughton saw that number drop to 14.7 minutes per game last season. With Connaughton on board, the Bucks project to sit below the first apron. The team should still be "able to sign a player to the $14.1 million midlevel exception," per ESPN.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Celtics forward likely to sign with new team after career year
Guerschon Yabusele was one of the few bright spots for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. The former Celtics draft pick made his return to the NBA in the fall on a veteran's minimum deal after a successful stint in Europe that included a title with Real Madrid. Yabusele turned some heads during the Paris Olympics by helping lead France to the silver medal and the performance eventually earned him a shot in Philadelphia on a one-year deal. Yabusele far outperformed his contract in his one year in Philadelphia, averaging 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Sixers while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. However, his play in Philadelphia is expected to earn him a rich new deal in free agency this summer except that it likely won't come from the 76ers. Advertisement NBA insider Jake Fischer points out in his latest piece on Substack that it is become 'increasingly challenging' for the Sixers to retain Yabusele this offseason due to their salary situation. Yabusele is clearly going to get a raise from his veteran's minimum contract but the Sixers only have non-Bird rights on the big man, meaning they can offer him just 120 percent of his previous deal (about $2.3 million) unless they use a mid-level exception to keep him. However, it's a real possibility that the Sixers won't have access to that spending power with their current roster. The team already has $145 million tied up in Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Several other role players (Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon) are all expected to opt into their deals for next season. Restricted free agent Quentin Grimes is also due a new contract that should start around anywhere from $10-15 million annually. Throw in the No. 3 overall pick's cap hit and the Sixers will be flirting close to the second apron. Using a taxpayer mid-level exception would hard cap the Sixers at the second apron ($207 million) and there may not be enough room for the Sixers to stay under that number while retaining Grimes on his new deal as well. That reality makes Yabusele a potential prize for others on the free agent market. The Celtics won't have the ability to sign him with their own mid-level exception without making some serious roster cuts but several teams should be in the market for a stretch big like Yabusele. Yabusele should fetch at least the taxpayer mid-level ($5.7 million) annually but his next contract could be even higher for a portion of the non-taxpayer midlevel ($14 million). Advertisement Either way, Yabusele likely won't be seeing as much of the Celtics in his new destination but should get a well-earned NBA payday after proving he belongs in the league following a five-year hiatus. More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.
