NBA Buzz: Insider News and Reactions

Nikola Jokic and Jaylen Clark get into shoving match (1:52)

The 2025-26 NBA regular season is complete and the first round of the playoffs is underway, but buzz around June's draft and the 2026 offseason is already humming.

For the teams already eliminated from playoff contention , the focus has turned to the draft lottery on May 10 and how it will impact each franchise. The 2026 draft is widely viewed as deep and talented ; several of the top players are expected to be future stars in the league, which has resulted in some of the most overt tanking efforts in years.

Check back here for all the latest buzz, news and reactions from our ESPN NBA insiders, with the latest info at the top:

Quick links:

Schedule | Standings | Transactions

The Orlando Magic have fired coach Jamahl Mosley, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. Mosley's five-year tenure in Orlando ends with the Magic's third straight first-round playoff loss.

ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that the Denver Nuggets are expected to take calls about their entire roster except superstar Nikola Jokic , as Denver is expected to go through a roster overhaul in the offseason.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was a late addition to the team's injury report on Saturday, listed as questionable with left knee soreness. The Celtics eventually ruled Tatum out less than two hours ahead of tipoff against the Philadelphia 76ers .

Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss what's been one of the most competitive first rounds in NBA playoff history, including the Minnesota Timberwolves closing out the Denver Nuggets in six games, the Philadelphia 76ers forcing a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks ' impressive Game 6 performance. They then move on to Friday night's games and why the Los Angeles Lakers might be in serious trouble against the Houston Rockets .

Latest episodes of the 'Hoop Collective' podcast

April 30

Timberwolves Ayo Dosunmu is out for Game 6

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu is out in Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets due to a calf injury, sources tell ESPN.

It's another loss for a shorthanded Timberwolves backcourt which is already without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo .

Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss his fourth consecutive game as he recovers from a left ankle injury, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Rockets, who were down 3-0 in the series, have won the past two games without Durant, setting up Game 6 in Houston on Friday night.

Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves has been cleared to return for Game 5 against the Houston Rockets , sources tell ESPN's Shams Charania . Reaves had missed about four weeks with a Grade 2 oblique strain. The Lakers, playing in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, lead the series 3-1 over the Rockets.

Steve Kerr, who has coached the Golden State Warriors for the past 12 seasons, met with Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy and owner Joe Lacob for two hours Monday, league sources told ESPN.

Both sides described the meeting as productive, but there remains no resolution nearly two weeks after the Warriors' season ended in Phoenix. Kerr, Lacob and Dunleavy plan to reconvene next week to continue discussions, league sources said.

The Warriors have missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that there is still no timetable for Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic to return from his Grade 2 left hamstring strain . If Los Angeles beats the Houston Rockets in their first-round series, the expectation is that Doncic will be out for the second round.

It's been a slow recovery for Doncic. Though Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic is moving more in his on-court work, the superstar is not progressing in his own court workouts when it comes to one-on-ones and movement.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves , who has been out with an oblique injury for the past four weeks, is hoping to return Wednesday for Game 5 against the Houston Rockets . Reaves has been listed as questionable for Games 2-4.

The Lakers lead the Rockets 3-1.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the battle on Saturday night, with a stirring Game 4 victory over Denver that brought the team within a win of the second round.

But they might have lost the war.

On Saturday night, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Donte DiVincenzo had torn his right Achilles and would miss the rest of the postseason. And on Sunday morning, he reported that four-time All-Star Anthony Edwards would miss multiple weeks after hyperextending his left knee .

Losing a starting backcourt in one fell swoop would hurt any team in the playoffs, but it should be especially tough on Minnesota. The Timberwolves rely on a strong core, with little depth behind it; entering Saturday's games, only seven Wolves had averaged more than 10 minutes per game in the playoffs. By comparison, 10 members for both the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs played more than that, and even the injury-riddled Lakers had eight.

With Edwards and DiVincenzo out, Minnesota's entire rotation and offensive gameplan will shift. Ayo Dosunmu -- fresh off a 43-point outburst -- and Bones Hyland are the likely replacement starters, with some combination of Mike Conley , Terrence Shannon Jr . (who received his first playoff minutes in Game 4) and Kyle Anderson receiving more minutes off the bench.

That might not be a tenable arrangement on offense, unless Dosunmu can continue posting career highs in points going forward. There's very little shooting and playmaking talent left in Minnesota's lineup, and Julius Randle -- who has been only OK against Denver, averaging 17.5 points and 3.5 assists per game on subpar efficiency -- will need to step up in Edwards' stead.

But all isn't lost for the Timberwolves, at least against the Nuggets. Surprisingly, lineups without DiVincenzo and Edwards held their own in the regular season, with a plus-3.0 net rating, per Cleaning the Glass (which removes garbage time). Those groups excelled on defense. And as long as Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels remain on the floor, Minnesota will retain its top two options to guard Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray , respectively.

Minnesota is already winning because of its defense. The Timberwolves have a 112.3 offensive rating in the playoffs, which is worse than their regular-season mark (115.6). But they've held the Nuggets, who led the league with a 121.1 offensive rating in the regular season, to just 105.2 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs.

It might not be the most probable outcome, but they have a real chance to keep Denver's offense sufficiently in check to sneak out one more win in three tries.

Beyond that, Minnesota is likely in trouble. Without Edwards for multiple weeks, the Timberwolves might need to hope that the Portland Trail Blazers upset San Antonio to have a chance to reach the conference finals for the third consecutive season. -- Zach Kram

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo will miss the rest of this postseason and at least a large chunk of next season after tearing his right Achilles just over a minute into Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets . The injury was first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.

It's difficult to say whether that injury is a bigger blow to the Timberwolves or to DiVincenzo's own career path.

Due to his availability and shooting skill, DiVincenzo was a crucial contributor for Minnesota this season. He was one of just four players in the NBA to start all 82 games, and he offered a skill set otherwise missing from the players who surround Anthony Edwards in Minnesota's starting lineup. DiVincenzo shot 38% on 3-pointers this season and made 3.0 per game, which is more than Julius Randle , Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert combined .

The Timberwolves had a plus-6.0 net rating with DiVincenzo on the court in the regular season, versus a minus-2.0 mark without him. That was the largest differential on the team. And in a very small sample of three playoff games, that gap widened: Minnesota was plus-20.7 with DiVincenzo and minus-26.3 without him.

Ayo Dosunmu fit in well in Minnesota after arriving via midseason trade, and he will presumably replace DiVincenzo in the starting lineup for the remainder of Minnesota's playoff run. Dosunmu is an accurate shooter (44% on 3s this season) but on much lower volume, and defenses are less likely to worry about him on the perimeter. According to the new "average gravity" statistic at NBA.com, DiVincenzo ranked in the 77th percentile among qualified players this season, while Dosunmu was in the 56th percentile.

And although the Timberwolves' starting unit might not be compromised too severely with Dosunmu in DiVincenzo's place -- if Edwards, who also left Saturday's Game 4 early, is also out for an extended period, then the Timberwolves will be severely compromised regardless -- the ripple effects could be catastrophic for Minnesota's bench. In the first three games against the Nuggets, only seven Timberwolves averaged more than 10 minutes per game: the five starters, Dosunmu and former Sixth Man award winner Naz Reid .

Beyond that core, the Timberwolves will have to rely on the unpredictable Bones Hyland and veterans Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson to absorb playing time. They might not have the depth to withstand the loss of any member of their main group.

And for the 29-year-old DiVincenzo individually, the injury doesn't just bring his 2025-26 season to an abrupt end, but it also potentially cuts short his prime.

Several years ago, DiVincenzo missed half of the 2021-22 season due to injury, which hurt his free agency case the following summer. And now he'll miss the rest of this season and most or all of the 2026-27 campaign, when he'll make $12.5 million in the final season of his current deal. -- Zach Kram

The plan has always been for Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard to rehabilitate his ruptured Achilles tendon and return next season.

That's still the plan. But this week, when Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter was asked if there's a possibility for Lillard to return during these playoffs, he didn't completely rule it out.

"Probably not," Splitter told reporters in Portland on Thursday.

Lillard has been seen publicly working out during practices and before games, in addition to extensive training on his own.

A source close to Lillard reiterated to ESPN that the plan is still for Lillard to continue his rehabilitation and return next season, but acknowledged that could be reconsidered if the Trail Blazers advance further in the playoffs.

Lillard has been out since rupturing his Achilles tendon during the first round of the playoffs last season when he was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks . He won the NBA's 3-point contest at the All-Star Game in February. -- Ramona Shelburne

Lakers guard Austin Reaves has not played since he suffered Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury on April 2. The team announced on April 4 that he would miss at least the rest of the regular season. He was upgraded to probable on Thursday as the series shifts to Houston for Friday's Game 3 with the Lakers looking to take a 3-0 lead.

Kevin Durant , who made his Houston Rockets playoff debut in Game 2 after missing Game 1 with a right knee contusion, is now listed as questionable heading into Friday's Game 3 with a left ankle sprain. The Rockets head back to Houston down 2-0 to a Lakers team that has been without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves .

The Philadelphia 76ers upgraded star center Joel Embiid to doubtful Thursday evening ahead of Friday's Game 3 at home against the Boston Celtics .

Embiid had an emergency appendectomy two weeks ago in Houston, and has been out since, although he appeared on the bench for last week's play-in victory at home against the Orlando Magic .

Steve Kerr has made no decision yet in regard to his future coaching the Golden State Warriors , and th

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48377855/2026-nba-buzz-latest-live-updates-news-intel-nba-draft-offseason)._