AAU Wiretap

The Dallas Mavericks are focusing their head coaching search on NBA assistants, with several prominent candidates drawing official interest. Former head coach Terry Stotts is also expected to receive an interview, per sources.

Dallas has registered or plans to register formal interest in Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, Boston Celtics assistant Tony Dobbins and Miami Heat consultant Noah LaRoche.

Stotts, who previously coached the Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks and once served as a Dallas assistant, is guaranteed a meeting with the club. Former majority owner Mark Cuban had previously recommended Stotts strongly for Jason Kidd's staff. Stotts recently departed his assistant role under Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors and is only pursuing head coaching positions at this time.

While the Mavericks have expressed interest in collegiate options Jon Scheyer and Dusty May, sources indicate an NBA hire remains the more probable outcome.

The search is being conducted by new general manager Mike Schmitz alongside Masai Ujiri. Sources within league coaching circles expect Ujiri to cast a wide net, potentially exploring candidates from European leagues and the women's game. Ujiri followed a similar broad approach after the 2022-23 season when he replaced Nick Nurse with Darko Rajkovic with the Toronto Raptors.

The Dallas Mavericks have had exploratory conversations with Jon Scheyer of Duke and Dusty May of Michigan for their head coaching vacancy. Scheyer recruited and coached Cooper Flagg at Duke.

Both Scheyer and May are entrenched in the college game at their respective schools, but there has still been outreach to determine whether there is any mutual interest.

Scheyer has maintained Duke's position as the preeminent collegiate program following the retirement of Mike Krzyzewski and the transitions into the NIL era.

May led the Wolverines to the national championship this past season in just his second year with the school after being hired from Florida Atlantic. 

Masai Ujiri is searching for a new head coach after parting ways with Jason Kidd.

The Chicago Bulls worked out Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings, Nate Ament, and Morez Johnson on Tuesday, league sources told Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo! Sports.

The Bulls currently hold the No. 4 and No. 15 pick in the draft. With Caleb Wilson considered to be a top-four pick, O'Connor adds that it is unlikely that Wagler, Flemings, and Ament would still be available at No. 15.

Ament also worked out with the Thunder. 

The Bulls hired a new president in Bryson Graham last month. The team is still in the process of hiring a new head coach. 

BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Kansas' Darryn Peterson are the favorites to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, sources told Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo! Sports.

O'Connor adds that Duke's Cam Boozer still remains in the running for the top pick. 

It was reported last month that Dybantsa, who has strong links to the Jazz, was not considered a lock to be the top pick. 

Wizards' president Michael Winger also previously said that the team would consider trading down to accumulate assets.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that the league's investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and potential salary cap violations is approaching a resolution, though he stopped short of setting a specific timeline for its completion.

Silver spoke before Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals in San Antonio. The probe is being conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which began its work in September.

"I don't have a specific timeline on when they will be completed," Silver said. "I think it's clear they are far along. I think those reports are -- reading all the time from people who are being interviewed by them, and I think they understand that you could keep going on and on, but I think we are close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up, because you also need finality. The team has to understand what situation they are going to be operating under, and so do the other 29 teams. So that's where things currently stand."

The inquiry centers on whether the Clippers funneled money to star Kawhi Leonard through his $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration, a green banking company that also held a $300 million, 23-year sponsorship deal with the franchise. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who invested $60 million in Aspiration, has denied prior knowledge of Leonard's arrangement.

Aspiration has since declared bankruptcy. Co-founder Joe Sanberg was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

Silver addressed whether Sanberg's sentencing would influence his decision on potential discipline.

"My job is to follow the facts," Silver said. "Findings will be made by this independent firm. That's presented to me. It's then ultimately my role to determine what the appropriate discipline, if any, should be meted out based on their findings."

Silver emphasized that the independent firm's conclusions and his disciplinary determination represent two distinct processes.

Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and the New York Knicks overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night in San Antonio at Frost Bank Center.

Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds, while OG Anunoby added 17 points. The Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run to secure the road victory.

The win extended New York's postseason winning streak to 12 consecutive games, matching the second-longest single-postseason run in NBA history. The 1999 Spurs and 2017 Warriors each hit that mark before claiming championships.

Brunson delivered 13 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, including a spinning jumper while falling to the floor with 38 seconds remaining that effectively closed out San Antonio.

"He's a gamer, man," said Knicks coach Mike Brown. "In the biggest moments, he shows up. That's what MVPs are supposed to do."

Victor Wembanyama posted 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs but shot just 6-for-21 from the field in his Finals debut. Stephon Castle contributed 17 points, with Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each adding 16. Champagnie and Harper scored most of their points in the first half. 

"I was bad tonight," Wembanyama said. "It's not more complicated than that."

The Knicks also made history Wednesday, becoming the first team to defeat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs had gone 6-0 in such games previously. New York has now won seven straight road playoff games by double digits, the longest such stretch in league history.

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in San Antonio with the Spurs favored by 5.5 points.

"We have a long way to go," Brunson said.

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The New York Knicks entered the NBA Finals as underdogs at 36 percent and left Game 1 as slight championship favorites, rallying from a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 Wednesday night and flipping the title odds dramatically in their favor.

San Antonio entered Game 1 at 64 percent on Polymarket to win the championship and surged as high as 73 percent during the second half before New York took control. The Knicks now sit at 52 to 53 percent to claim their first title since 1973, needing three wins from the remaining six games.

San Antonio remains a 5.5-point favorite for Game 2 on Friday and would reclaim series favoritism with a victory to level things at 1-1.

Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 18 points and 12 rebounds, matching Victor Wembanyama's physicality throughout. Josh Hart contributed just three points but delivered a commanding supporting effort with 15 rebounds, six assists, and four steals, giving Jalen Brunson room to take over offensively down the stretch.

Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks but shot 6-of-21 from the floor and committed six turnovers. De'Aaron Fox struggled alongside him, finishing with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting and missing all four three-point attempts.

The Knicks have not lost in more than 40 days entering the series, having dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs by an average of 23 points per game.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league is moving forward with plans to launch NBA Europe, revealing a 16-team structure that will include 12 permanent franchises and four open slots available to any European club through a modified promotion and relegation format.

"The structure is in place," Silver said. "So what we are planning to launch is, essentially, a 16-team league, 12 permanent franchises, and then the ability for, frankly, any club in Europe to play in in those remaining slots. So a modified open league or modified closed league, depending on how you want to look at it."

Silver said prospective franchise groups include both existing European clubs and newly formed organizations looking to establish teams in cities without top-level basketball currently.

"Some are existing franchises that play in Europe, and then there's groups that are coming together and want to launch teams in cities that don't have top-level basketball right now," he said.

The league's relationship with the Euroleague, European club basketball's premier existing competition, remains a work in progress. Silver indicated the NBA prefers to find a path toward integration but is prepared to proceed independently if necessary.

"In terms of the Euroleague, discussions are ongoing with them. It's our hope that we can find a way to integrate these operations with the Euroleague, but we will move forward either way," Silver said.