The NBA revealed the finalists for seven postseason awards on Sunday. The league will begin announcing the winners on Tuesday, the league’s communications department tweets. The Most Improved Player award will be announced on Tuesday. Tyrese Maxey, Alperen Sengun and Coby White are the finalists. The Sixth Man award winner will be revealed on Wednesday, followed by the Clutch Player (Thursday) and Coach of the Year (Sunday). We have more from around the basketball world: The Nets’ hiring of Jordi Fernandez as their head coach won’t affect his status with Team Canada. Fernandez will ..read more

The Grizzlies have a $14.8MM option on Luke Kennard‘s contract for next season and Keith Smith of Spotrac believes they’ll pick it up, even though it would push them closer to the second tax apron. Smith, previewing the Grizzlies’ offseason, notes that Kennard is a solid backup wing due to his shooting ability and play-making ..read more

Brandon Ingram‘s outing against the Lakers in Tuesday’s play-in loss was just his second since returning from a bone bruise that forced him to miss 12 games. Ingram was pulled from that loss with 7:38 to go in the fourth quarter and didn’t return, finishing with 25 minutes of game time. “I just liked the group that was on the floor at the time,” head coach Willie Green said. “B.I. is still getting back. Still getting his rhythm. So I didn’t want to force the issue. I liked the group that was going.” However, as NOLA.com’s Christian Clark observes, the Pelicans are going to need to rely on Ingr ..read more

Although the Grizzlies dealt with a ton of injuries this season, particularly down the stretch, there aren’t many long-term concerns among that group of injured players, according to head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman, who told reporters today that Ja Morant (right shoulder surgery) is the only one expected to have more than a month of recovery time, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I would say he is expected to be fully cleared for basketball activities maybe halfway through the offseason,” Kleiman said of Morant, who is expected to be in Memphis rehabbing for mos ..read more

There are countless ways the Western Conference standings could end up, but the Lakers‘ mission is clear heading into Sunday’s game, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Regardless of what else happens, L.A. can secure the No. 8 seed with a victory at New Orleans. That would avoid a potential meeting with the Warriors in the 9-10 matchup with both teams’ seasons on the line. “Every game matters,” LeBron James said. “Every seed matters.” The Lakers know that from experience after rising from the seventh seed to reach the Western Conference Finals last season. Woike notes that the wor ..read more

The Grizzlies will be without 13 of their 15 standard contract players when they take on the Lakers on Friday (Twitter link via Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole) and it’s the latest development from an injury-mired and disappointing season. Memphis dealt with long-term injuries to almost everyone on the roster and continues to cycle through 10-day contract hardship players to see what sticks. Two-way players have started over 50 combined games for the team that has seen an NBA record 33 individual players suit up this year. That leaves Memphis, a team that is widely expected to be a ..read more

The Australian national team has revealed its preliminary roster for the 2024 Olympics, announcing a list of 22 players that are in the mix to play in Paris. That group will have to be cut down to 12 players ahead of this summer’s tournament. Australia’s preliminary roster includes several NBAers, including Thunder guard Josh Giddey, Mavericks guard Dante Exum, Trail Blazers forward Matisse Thybulle and big man Duop Reath, Mavericks wing Josh Green, Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels, Magic forward Joe Ingles, Heat guard Patty Mills, Rockets center Jock Landale, and Grizzlies forward Jack White ..read more

A Tennessee judge ruled Monday that Grizzlies star Ja Morant properly raised self-defense in a lawsuit filed by a teenager he punched in July 2022, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reports. The judge ruled the Grizzlies’ guard “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity” under Tennessee’s self-defense immunity statute and that the burden of proof shifts to his accuser, Joshua Holloway, and his legal team to prove that Morant didn’t act in self-defense. The altercation occured during a pickup game. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said there’s a “good chance” Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane won’t play a ..read more

The Grizzlies have re-signed guard Zavier Simpson following the expiration of his initial 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). Simpson, 27, appeared in three games during his first 10 days with Memphis, averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 24.0 minutes per night. He made just 22.7% of his field goal attempts, though he did knock down 3-of-8 three-pointers (37.5%). The Grizzlies have also signed forward Jack White, according to today’s announcement. It will be White’s first time back on an NBA roster since he was waived by Ok ..read more

Kevin Porter Jr. made his European debut on Saturday, scoring 14 points in his first game with PAOK in Greece. Porter had just one point before halftime, according to a Eurohoops report, but he began driving to the basket more frequently in the second half. “It was good, honestly,” Porter said. “I didn’t play up to my level, of course. I had a slow start, but playing with this group of guys, they made sure that I stayed positive. The chemistry on this team is beautiful. It wasn’t down. It was always joyful out there. I haven’t been on the court like that and played regulation in a long time. S ..read more