NBA Player News

During the regular season, the Grizzlies went with Vince Williams Jr. as the fifth starter after losing Jaylen Wells to a fractured wrist. However, Pippen was the choice on Tuesday, with his inclusion shifting Ja Morant off the ball. Pippen was solid but not spectacular; we’ll see if the Grizzlies stick with this lineup when they host Dallas or Sacramento on Friday. Williams only played three minutes, going scoreless with one rebound and one assist.

While Haliburton disclosed Saturday afternoon that he’s still dealing with soreness and stiffness in his strained right calf, he said that he’ll be good to go for Sunday’s series decider. The Pacers have officially listed the point guard as questionable, but the sporting world expects to see him on the court. With Haliburton being at less than full strength, the Pacers will likely need another standout performance from backup point guard T.J. McConnell if they’re to win their first NBA title.

Connaughton’s player option was worth approximately $9.4 million, likely a higher price tag than what he would have commanded as an unrestricted free agent. Injuries limited the Bucks wing to 41 games this season, and he averaged 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.6 three-pointers in 14.7 minutes. Outside of his 43-point explosion in Milwaukee’s regular season finale, Connaughton did not impact fantasy basketball this season, and that’s unlikely to change in 2025-26.

“Good thing I only had to play like 23 minutes,” Haliburton said. “I’ve been able to get even more treatment and do more things. Just trying to take care of it the best I can.” This will be the first Game 7 in the Finals since 2016, so there’s no way Haliburton sits out. They’ll continue to manage his injury, and if it’s bothering him to the point that he isn’t helping the team by being out there, they may choose to sit him. However, that wasn’t the case in Game 6, and if it means winning a championship, they will likely have no issues pushing him way past 23 minutes.

With Toronto being one of the teams mentioned as a potential destination for Suns forward Kevin Durant, Poeltl’s name came up as part of a possible trade package. However, SportsNet Canada’s Michael Grange reported Friday evening that the Raptors are not interested in including Poeltl in a trade for KD. NBA insider Marc Stein confirmed Grange’s report and added that the Raptors and Poeltl have “mutual interest” in working out a contract extension. While there is a feeling around the league that Toronto is open to trading down ahead of Wednesday’s draft, as they hold the ninth overall pick, there’s no desire to move on from their starting center.

Powell had until Tuesday to decide whether or not he would activate his player option for the 2025-26 season. Per Stein’s report, the veteran center had made his decision a few days early, deciding to pick up the option worth $4 million. Powell appeared in 55 games this season but only averaged 10.0 minutes, his lowest mark since the 2014-15 season. He did not impact fantasy basketball this season, and that’s highly unlikely to change in 2025-26.

Green is expected to make a full recovery, though he’s out indefinitely and without a timetable to return. A first round pick in 2020 by the Mavericks, Green moved into the Hornets starting lineup late in the year as Charlotte dealt with multiple injured starters. While Green had some good performances, he needs to become more of a consistent scorer to be a fantasy asset in the future.

This certainly wasn’t the performance OKC was hoping to get out of the MVP with a chance to close out the series. Sure, he led the team in scoring, but the eight turnovers were abysmal. Turnovers haven’t been an issue for the Thunder this year; they averaged the fewest turnovers per game in the league during the regular season and have won the turnover matchup for most of this series. They’ll certainly need to clean things up to defend their homecourt and win a championship in Game 7 on Sunday.

After a 40-point masterclass in Game 5, Williams cooled off in Game 6. It was a disappointing night after two consecutive strong performances. He also posted a team-worst minus-40 plus/minus, which isn’t solely on his shoulders, but it was indicative of how the game went during his 27 minutes. The 24-year-old will have to be better in Game 7 on Sunday.

Caruso has had some big games in this series, but Thursday was not one of them. He was held scoreless and didn’t contribute much else in the box score. Of course, his defense is always valuable, but it wasn’t enough to slow down Indiana. What was noteworthy was that Caruso started the second half in place of Isaiah Hartenstein. The Thunder were down 22 points at halftime, so this could’ve been Mark Daigneault trying to create a spark. Caruso will likely return to a reserve role on Sunday for Game 7, but the situation is worth monitoring.

McConnell has been fantastic in this series, and this was arguably his best performance. He has averaged 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals through the first six games of the Finals, and he has scored in double figures four times. He stepped up with Tyrese Haliburton (calf) not fully healthy, which allowed them to manage Haliburton’s minutes. McConnell has been invaluable for the Pacers in this series, and they’ll need him to continue to contribute on Sunday, especially if Haliburton’s calf is still bothering him.