Tiebreakers among teams with identical regular-season records were broken on Monday through random drawings to determine the order for this year’s draft prior to the lottery. The results are as follows, according to a press release from the league: Charlotte Hornets (No. 3) over Portland Trail Blazers (No. 4). Note: The Hornets will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Trail Blazers. Sacramento Kings (No. 13) over Golden State Warriors (No. 14) Note: The Kings will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Warriors. Note: The Warriors will send ..read more

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has decided on his fifth starter if Kawhi Leonard isn’t available for Sunday’s series opener against Dallas, according to Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Lue didn’t reveal the name, but Carr speculates it will be Amir Coffey, who started 13 games this season, often as Leonard’s replacement. Leonard is still officially listed as questionable with inflammation in his right knee that has sidelined him since March 31. He was expected to take part in shooting drills at today’s practice with more movement than he did on Friday, but he still hasn’t participated in ..read more

Chauncey Billups is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract with the Trail Blazers, who hold a team option on the 2025/26 season. Billups realizes that the team needs to show significant improvement in order for him to get an extension, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. “In this business, I always feel like you’re trying to prove what you can do and what kind of coach you can be,” he said. “I’ve always felt that way and I feel no different going into next year. I’m looking forward to that opportunity to be able to prove how good I can be. In this league and any league ..read more

Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscriber link) looks ahead at some of the difficult decisions facing the Trail Blazers this offseason, including whether the front office wants to push for a play-in spot in 2024/25 or rebuild slowly and seek another high draft pick. If Portland takes the latter route, the club may need to look into moving some veterans, including perhaps Anfernee Simons, Oram suggests. Blazers management will also have to make sure it’s on the same page as head coach Chauncey Billups, Oram adds, given that he has talked about wanting to get the club back to the playoffs next sea ..read more

Speaking today to reporters, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin confirmed that the team is committed to Chauncey Billups as its head coach and indicated that the plan is to have Billups return for the 2024/25 season (Twitter links via Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report and Bill Oram of The Oregonian). Cronin referred to Billups as “an incredible leader in this organization,” per Oram. There had been some speculation that Billups was on the hot seat in Portland after a third consecutive disappointing season for the Blazers. Since he took over for Terry Stotts in 2021, Billups has led the ..read more

Free agent guard Taze Moore has inked a rest-of-season deal on the final day of the 2023/24 regular season in order to play for the Trail Blazers in their season finale, the team has announced (Twitter link). The Blazers previously announced (via Twitter) that they will be missing 10 players today as they wrap up their year at the Golden 1 Center against the Kings. Portland currently occupies the bottom seed in the Western Conference at 21-60, while the 45-36 Kings are fighting for play-in tournament seeding. Portland has all 15 of its standard roster spots filled, meaning that this Moore cont ..read more

The 56-25 Timberwolves, battling for the No. 1 seed in the West, have emerged as one of the best teams in the league this season. But Minnesota’s fraught ownership situation has suddenly taken center stage in the club’s best season over the last 20 years, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. As the Wolves look to advance beyond the first round of the postseason for just the second time ever, the grievance between majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore has uncomfortably remained persistent. The two sides seem destined for mediation or arbitration, and Kra ..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 Northwest division showdown in Denver on Wednesday night will go a long way toward determining which team controls the No. 1 seed in this year’s Western Conference playoffs. The Nuggets and Timberwolves will enter the evening with matching 55-24 records and only three games left to play. Both teams will be on the second end of a back-to-back set. On Tuesday, the Nuggets picked up a 16-point win in Utah, with Jamal Murray scoring 28 points in just 27 minutes of action in his second game back following a seven-game injury absence. Murray is still on a minutes restriction, but looked fresh in t ..read more

Shaedon Sharpe won’t play in the last four Trail Blazers games, the team announced on Twitter. The 20-year guard and 2022 lottery pick hasn’t played since Jan. 11 due to a lower abdominal strain. He was only expected to miss a couple of weeks at that time but he eventually required core muscle surgery in February due to continued discomfort. Sharpe was expected to return before the end of the season and engaged in full contact workouts over the last week. However, the team decided not to take any chances. Instead, they’ll let him to return to full strength via continued rehab. Sharpe appeared ..read more