If Kentavious Caldwell-Pope picks up his $15.4MM player option or declines it and signs a new, more lucrative deal with Denver, the Nuggets will be over the second tax apron in 2024/25. That means they would be limited to offering free agents minimum-salary contracts. With that in mind, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports lists 10 ring-chasing veterans who might be able to help the Nuggets next season (the players have to be at least 30 years old in ’24/25 and potentially available for the minimum). Some players on Wind’s list include shooting guard Gary Harris (a former Nugget), Gordon Hayward and J ..read more

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly reportedly has an opt-out in his contract. Amid an ownership dispute, there has been speculation that the veteran executive may exercise that opt-out clause. However, he told reporters on Friday that he’s “super excited’ about the team’s future and doesn’t plan to leave Minnesota, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune (subscription required). “I mean, moving [from Denver] wasn’t fun,” Connelly said. “I’ve had a blast here. Feels like we have roots here. It’s pretty special. That’s the goal. It has been a great couple years, and hope ..read more

As the Timberwolves deal with the disappointment of a Game 5 blowout that ended their playoff run, the focus now turns to the future and whether the franchise can afford to keep the core of its current team together. Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been the focus of some trade speculation because of his pricey contract, told reporters after Thursday’s game that he wants to stay in Minnesota, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I’m confident I’ll be able to be here with my brothers and continue what I love to do here at home,” said Towns who has spent his entire nine-year NBA career with the team. “So ..read more

Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic has been named the Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference Finals, winning this year’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy. Doncic earned all nine media votes for the honor, the league revealed (Twitter link). The 6’7″ guard just put the finishing touches on a five-game defeat of the higher-seeded Timberwolves, scoring 36 points — including 20 in the first quarter — on 14-of-27 shooting from the floor in Thursday’s 124-103 Game 5 blowout victory. For good measure, Doncic logged 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a +22 plus-minus. All-Star backcourt m ..read more

Mavericks reserve rookie center Dereck Lively II has seen his status upgraded from questionable to available just in time for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The 2023 lottery pick left Game 3 of the series, an eventual Dallas victory over the Timberwolves, with what was ruled as a neck sprain. He sat out Game 4, the Mavericks’ lone loss thus far. The club currently leads Minnesota 3-1. Lively has been a key contributor for the club thus far in these playoffs. Across 15 healthy contests, he’s averaging 8.5 ..read more

Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving suggested that his lackluster performance in Game 4 was a key reason why Dallas failed to sweep the Timberwolves in their Western Conference Finals series, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The nine-time All-Star shot just 6-of-18 from the floor and coughed up the ball four times. “If I’m setting the example like that, other guys are going to follow suit unfortunately at times,” Irving said. “It just leads to that lackadaisical play. That’s on me. I’m taking the accountability. I gotta start off the game a lot better and just get a shot up at the ..read more

Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively is listed as questionable to play tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Lively missed Game 4 on Tuesday, when the Timberwolves staved off elimination. He suffered a neck sprain in Game 3 on Sunday. Lively was injured during the second quarter when he fell backward in the lane and was inadvertently kneed in the head by Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns. On the “Run It Back” program (video link), The Athletic’s Shams Charania said Lively will be a game-time decision, adding ..read more

17-year NBA veteran and Timberwolves guard Mike Conley is the closest he’s ever been to the NBA Finals after winning Game4 of the Western Conference Finals with Minnesota, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears writes. The Wolves went down 3-0 to Dallas but held off elimination on Tuesday night with a 105-100 win. “This is the biggest game I’ve had in my career,” Conley said after Game 4. “The next game is the biggest game I’ve had in my career. It’s the biggest win. Honestly, it is. If you look at the board and see the 7 up there, that is how many games we have left to win. That is how many we are away fr ..read more

After shooting a combined 13-of-39 (33.3%) from the floor on Tuesday, Mavericks stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both accepted the blame for the Game 4 loss, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes. While Doncic cited his lack of energy and Irving mentioned his early-game sloppiness, their teammates weren’t willing to let the backcourt duo shoulder the full responsibility for the defeat. “It’s not on them, it’s on us as a team,” Derrick Jones Jr. said. “We are a unit. We go out there, and we play together, we win together, we lose together. It’s not on one person. I know that they’re the leaders of t ..read more

No Timberwolves player had more points (29), rebounds (10), or assists (9) in Game 4 on Tuesday than Anthony Edwards, but the fourth-year shooting guard told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN, that teammate Karl-Anthony Towns deserved credit for the victory that saved the club’s season. Towns, who struggled immensely during the first three games of the series, scored 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting (4-of-5 threes) and was a game-high +15. “Everything came together for him; he was super confident,” Edwards said. “He played exceptionally well, and he came through big-time. He was the rea ..read more