Ja Morant has hired Mike Miller of Lift Sports Management as his new representation. Miller also represents Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.

Morant was previously represented by Jim Tanner.

Morant signed a five-year, $193 million extension with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2022 offseason and cannot become a free agent until 2028.

The Milwaukee Bucks held practice on Thursday before flying to play at the Indiana Pacers in Game 3. The Bucks and Pacers are tied at 1-1 in the series.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remained out of full participation as he continues to deal with a calf injury.

Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo "did a lot of floor stuff today, probably the most I've seen."

Antetokounmpo did no live practicing, but advanced beyond just walking through drills by "shooting and moving."

"He's getting close," Rivers said. "But, I don't know what that even means. I'm being honest. I saw him moving around and in my mind I said he's getting close. Does that mean a day, four days? I'm not sure."

Naz Reid has been named the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

Reid finished with 352 points, ahead of Malik Monk with 342 points. Reid received 45 first place votes, while Monk had 43. Reid and Monk each had 39 second place votes and 10 third place votes.

Bobby Portis Jr., Norman Powell and Bogdan Bogdanovic round out the top-5.

In his fifth NBA season, Reid established himself as the top reserve man in the league, appearing in a career-high 81 games, averaging career-highs across the board, including 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He finished the 2023-24 campaign shooting 47.7% (406-of-851) from the field, including a career-high 41.4% (169-of-408) from three.

While ESPN and TNT didn't extend their media rights deals with the NBA before their exclusive negotiating window closed, sources tell Front Office Sports that both networks have matching provisions that allow each an opportunity to respond to outside bids before contracts are finalized. The provision applies to both streaming and linear rights packages.

The NBA currently gets nearly $2.7 billion annually from its nine-year $24 billion deals with ESPN and TNT expiring at the end of next season and a doubling of that annual average is possible. 

The NBA has been tied to WBD in various ways since 1984, while ESPN has been a partner for more than 20 years. ESPN also provides significant programming beyond live sports that help promote the league.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have ruled out Dean Wade for the remainder of their first round series against the Orlando Magic with a right knee sprain.

Wade recently underwent an MRI to diagnose the extent of the injury.

In 54 games this season, Wade is averaging 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds on 39.1 percent shooting on three-pointers. 

What happened in two snapshots in the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

Tidjane Saluan of Cholet Basket in France has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2024 NBA Draft. Salaun won't turn 19 until mid-August, making him one of the younger prospects in this year's draft class.

In 48 games for Cholet Basket this season, the 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game. Salaun has shot 40.4% from the field, including 33% on three-pointers. The expectation is that Salaun's offensive game will round to complement his already good defense.

Salaun is projected to be lottery pick by most draft experts.

Thierry Darlan, who spent most of the season with G League Ignite, has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2024 NBA Draft. The 20-year-old wing is currently playing for Bangui Sporting Club out of the Central African Republic in Basketball Africa League qualifiers.

With the Ignite, Darlan averaged 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game off the bench. The 6-foot-8 wing has shown better in BAL qualifiers. Darlan has averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks for Bangui Sporting Club.

Most draft experts have Darlan as being picked late in the second round or going undrafted.

Kentucky announced Alvin Brooks III as an assistant coach to Mark Pope's staff on Wednesday.

Brooks was Scott Drew's top assistant at Baylor.

Brooks has played a key role in recruiting, helping Baylor land two top-five recruiting classes during his time at Baylor.

Brooks will join Cody Fueger, Jason Hart, and Mark Fox on Mark Pope's staff.

G League Ignite forward Izan Almansa has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2024 NBA Draft. Almansa is from Spain and has played for Overtime Elite, in addition to the Ignite.

The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Ignite this season. Almansa shot 55% from the field in his lone G League season.

The 18-year-old big man is considered an early second-round pick by most draft experts. At one point, Almansa was considered as a lottery pick. However, a poor season on an underwhelming Ignite team saw the Spanish forward's draft stock drop.