The Phoenix Suns will hire Mike Budenholzer on a contract worth approximately $10 million per season.

Budenholzer will return to coaching one season after he was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks. Budenholzer's Bucks defeated the Suns during the 2021 Finals.

The Suns parted ways with Frank Vogel as head coach this week after one season in the job.

After a disappointing first round exit, the Suns intend to keep their core of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in place. 

Rick Carlisle has received a $35,000 fine by the NBA for his comments after the Indiana Pacers' Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks. Carlisle criticized the officiating in the game and also questioned the integrity of the NBA and its officials.

"I'm always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials," said Carlisle after the game. "But we deserve a fair shot. And there's not a consistent balance. And that's disappointing."

Carlisle also talked about the possibility of the size of the two teams markets making a difference in how the game is officiated. 

"Small-market teams deserve an equal shot,” Carlisle added. “They deserve a fair shot no matter where they are playing."

The Phoenix Suns have fired Frank Vogel as head coach after one season. Vogel, who went 49-33 in Phoenix, was signed to a five-year, $31 million deal in June 2023. 

The Suns were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

Mike Budenholzer is expected to be a prominent candidate to replace Vogel.

After a disappointing Game 2 loss for the second consecutive series, Jayson Tatum spoke about the expectations outsiders have placed on the Boston Celtics following their dominant regular season.

“We get it,” Tatum said after the Celtics were blown out in the second half by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2. “The world thinks we’re never supposed to lose. We’re supposed to win every game by 25. It’s not gonna be like that all the time. We don’t expect it to be easy. This is a good team we’re playing. It’s the second round of the playoffs. It’s going to be fun the rest of the series, especially come Saturday.”

Tatum also talked about the superteam narrative placed on the Celtics.

“That’s the narrative you might see on TV,” Tatum said. “The idea that we have a superteam. It’s two-fold, right? We didn’t have the Coach of the Year. We didn’t have the MVP. We only had two All-Stars. They say we’re a superteam, but we didn’t get rewarded like we are. We know we’ve got a good team. We’re not perfect. We play the right way more often than not. We know we gotta be better.”

Toronto has been awarded a WNBA franchise beginning in the 2026 season. The franchise will be owned by Kilmer Sports Inc., which is run by Larry Tanenbaum.

Tanenbaum is a minority owner and chairman of sporting giant Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment which owns the Maple Leafs, Raptors, TFC, Argos and Marlies.

Tanenbaum reportedly attempted to purchase the team through MLSE, but other members of the board turned down the opportunity. 

The WNBA recently expanded to 13 teams with San Francisco beginning play in 2025.

The Washington Wizards are expected to begin interviews for their next head coach later this week or early next week. Rival teams believe that interim head coach Brian Keefe is the frontrunner for the job.

Keefe took over at midseason, after Wes Unseld Jr. was fired by Washington. Keefe went 8-31 in 39 games in his first head coaching opportunity. Keefe had been an NBA assistant for 14 years with the Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.

Other candidates for the Wizards opening could include Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey and Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney. 

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley is aware he's one of the final players from his draft class still playing in the NBA. Conley also knows the end is approaching, but he's not really thinking about that.

When asked about his future, Conley said, "Before I signed the extension, it was like, ‘Man, it could be this year, it could be next year, it could be any year.’ But then as I played this year out, I was like, ‘Man, I haven’t slowed down yet, and I just can’t imagine myself leaving when I haven’t hit that bottom yet.’ So I’m just gonna burn these tires off and not put a date on it and see what happens."

Conley is one of five players from the 2007 draft class still playing (Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Al Horford and Thaddeus Young are the others), and that's something Conley said he and the others take pride in.

"Oh, yeah. I think about that when I get out on the court every day, bro, I promise you. When I pray before the games, it’s just all gratitude. It’s just like, ‘Bro, I’m out here in front of all these people again, like I get to do this again?’ It’s not a given. I’m 36," Conley said. "Like you said, there aren’t too many of us that are still playing and trying to do it at a high level. And I take pride in that. I know all the guys. You know, I see Thaddeus Young, guys who were in my draft class, Jeff Green, you see all the guys, and you give them a head nod. ‘Keep going, bro. Don’t let them stop you.’ … It’s a sense of pride."

The Mavs even up in OKC behind a rejuvenated Luka Doncic and a killer night from downtown.

Was Cleveland’s victory simply the result of outshooting Boston from 3, or does Boston have more to be concerned about?

We also take listener questions on the games and discuss the apparently impending hire of Mike Budenholzer in Phoenix.

OG Anunoby has been ruled out of Game 3 by the New York Knicks with a strained left hamstring. Anunoby is also considered unlikely to play in Game 4 on Sunday.

Anunoby suffered the injury late in the third quarter of the Knicks' Game 2 victory over the Indiana Pacers, when he was planting his leg in an effort to convert a transition layup.

While NBC is reportedly close to moving forward with the NBA on a $2.5 billion per season media rights deal, TNT continues to be in talks with the league.

“We’ve enjoyed a strong partnership with the NBA for almost four decades. We’re in continuing conversations with them now, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to reach an agreement that makes sense for both sides,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav said on Thursday's earnings call.

“We’ve had a lot of time to prepare for this negotiation, and we have strategies in place for the various potential outcomes. However, now is not the time to discuss any of this. Since we are in active negotiations with the league and under our current deal with the NBA, we have matching rights that allow us to match third-party offers before the NBA enters into an agreement with them.”

The NBA also has a deal on the table with Amazon worth $1.8 billion per season, which TNT could also potentially match. 

ESPN and the NBA have agreed to a $2.6 billion per season deal.