Basketball Wiretap

The Chicago Bulls have hired Tiago Splitter as their next head coach. Splitter spent last season as interim head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers following the arrest of Chauncey Billups after the first game of the season.

Splitter will replace Billy Donovan, who decided to move on from the Bulls at the end of the season.

Splitter led the Blazers to a 42-40 record and the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. were the other three finalists for the job.

Splitter is the first head coaching hire of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham.

With Splitter moving on to become head coach of the Bulls, the Blazers are expected to decide between Micah Nori and Tyler Lashbrook for their head coaching vacancy. 

Walker Kessler has grown unhappy with the front office of the Utah Jazz over the handling of his restricted free agency, league sources told Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Kessler, 24, was already frustrated after the Jazz declined to offer him an extension last summer. Sources say his discontent has deepened as Utah uses the restricted free agency process to limit his market, leaving him strongly considering a future elsewhere.

His options starting July 1 include signing an offer sheet with another team that Utah could match, pursuing a sign-and-trade, or accepting the qualifying offer of $14.6 million for one season as a path to unrestricted free agency next summer.

Kessler remains one of the most sought-after rim-protecting big men in the league despite a torn left labrum that limited him to five games last season. The Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks have all made significant pushes to acquire him in the past.

The Pacers pursued Kessler at the February trade deadline before pivoting to a deal for Ivica Zubac, which netted the Los Angeles Clippers two first-round picks, one second-rounder, Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson.

The Jazz already carry a combined $95 million commitment to big men Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. for next season, which sources say is driving their caution around Kessler's contract.

The tension arrives at an awkward moment for Utah, which holds the No. 2 pick in next week's draft but has been unable to secure a workout with top prospect Darryn Peterson. The situation echoes last year, when Ace Bailey also declined a pre-draft visit before the Jazz selected him fifth overall.

Sources say Kessler had long expected to be a long-term piece of Utah's rebuild under owner Ryan Smith. One rival executive identified the Jazz, along with the champion New York Knicks, as among the few teams with enough frontcourt depth to counter San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. Whether Kessler remains part of that equation is now uncertain.

Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young has emerged as a backup trade target for the Miami Heat in the event they are unable to land Giannis Antetokounmpo via trade from the Milwaukee Bucks, sources Jake Fischer.

Young joins Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on Miami's list of fallback options. Sources with knowledge of the situation say Young remains most likely to reach a long-term extension with Washington, but outside interest is beginning to develop.

Several teams have started weighing the possibility of pursuing the four-time All-Star via trade. Any deal would require Young, 27, to activate his $49 million player option for 2026-27 rather than declining it ahead of his June 23 deadline.

Young was originally projected to land an extension in the $40 million annual range with the Wizards. However, sources say external interest from teams seeking a playmaking boost could intensify his market depending on how draft-related trade activity unfolds.

One factor driving renewed interest is the NBA's revised lottery odds taking effect next season through 2028-29. Sources say the flattened odds, which give the three worst teams just a 5.4 percent chance at the No. 1 pick, are already pushing potential bottom-dwellers to pursue win-now talent rather than risk bottoming out.

The Atlanta Hawks struggled to find trade suitors for Young last winter when it decided to move on from its franchise cornerstone. Sources indicate the market landscape may now be shifting in his favor.

Young has embraced his fresh start with Washington and the reception he received from the Wizards and their fanbase.

With the NBA Finals now over and the draft one week away, trade talks involving Giannis Antetokounmpo are expected to intensify. The Miami Heat have long been the favorites to acquire Antetokounmpo as there is strong mutual interest between he and the franchise, but the Milwaukee Bucks have signaled that they want to continue exploring alternative trade packages.

"The league believes this is finally going to happen," said Brian Windhorst on Monday's edition of Get Up on ESPN. "I would be remiss if I didn't point out that he can still commit to re-signing with the Bucks, but talks have intensified over the last seven to 10 days.

"Look, he has focused on wanting to be a member of the Miami Heat. And because he only has one year on his contract, he has some control over that.

"But the Heat and the Bucks have been talking for months and not agreed to a deal, because the Bucks don't love the Heat's offer. There are third teams involved. There are fourth teams involved.

"In recent days, we have seen that the Boston Celtics have shown some interest there. But a Celtics' offer has a stumbling block: Number one, you would be breaking up, potentially, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Number two, it would mean changing the entire structure of how the Celtics play basketball.

"Stay tuned. There will be more on that as the week unfolds."

Miami's offer is believed to be built around Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jacquez Jr. and the No. 13 overall pick in this month's draft.

The Celtics reportedly made an offer for Antetokounmpo last week, which presumably involved Jaylen Brown. 

De'Aaron Fox struggled in the 2026 NBA Finals and the emergence Dylan Harper has called into question the future of the veteran point guard's future with the San Antonio Spurs. But the Spurs are expected to keep Fox and continue to move forward with their guard trio of Fox, Harper and Stephon Castle.

"I know there's a lot of interesting in whether they might do something with De'Aaron Fox, but they are committed to him right now as their franchise point guard," said Brian Windhorst on Monday's Sports Center. "And I think they will remain that way."

The Spurs acquired Fox ahead of the 2025 trade deadline before they surprisingly moved up to No. 2 in the May lottery where they were able to draft Harper. The Spurs signed Fox to a four-year, $229 million extension during the 2025 offseason.

Fox is represented by Rich Paul and is signed through 2030.

Because the Spurs have Harper, Castle and Victor Wembanyama on rookie contracts until the 2027-28 season, there isn't a financial issue with retaining Fox through at least the 2026-27 season.

It remains to be seen whether Harper will continue in a bench role in his second NBA season despite his obvious star potential.

Fox suffered a high ankle sprain in the second round of the playoffs, but was able to return for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. 

The New York Knicks plan on making an offer to re-sign Mitchell Robinson in unrestricted free agency. Robinson will receive interest from rival teams, but he hasn't historically played in enough games or minutes to be considered a reliable starter at center.

Robinson is one of the NBA's best rebounders and gives the Knicks depth at center behind Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Knicks plan on going over the luxury tax line for the 2026-27 season.

Robinson was the 36th overall pick in the 2018 draft and the only player on the Knicks' roster that predates the Leon Rose and William Wesley front office.

Robinson is represented by Thaddeus Foucher and Joe Smith. 

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has visited both the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, who hold the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in next week's NBA draft, according to sources cited by ESPN's Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo.

Dybantsa has been the presumed favorite to go No. 1 overall since February. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 25.5 points per game as a freshman, leading the nation in scoring and becoming just the third freshman ever to do so. He is the first to accomplish the feat since Trae Young at Oklahoma in 2018.

Dybantsa has strong ties to Utah, having played his senior year of high school at Utah Prep before spending last season at BYU. Both he and fellow top prospect Darryn Peterson believe they will be selected first overall, according to sources. Peterson has only met with the Wizards and has so far chosen not to meet with the Jazz.

The first round of the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on June 23.

Top NBA draft prospect Darryn Peterson has visited the Washington Wizards, who hold the No. 1 pick in next week's draft, and does not plan to meet with any other team, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo.

Lottery teams have taken note of Peterson's decision to grant access only to Washington. The Utah Jazz own the No. 2 pick and will not be dissuaded by Peterson's decision if they identify him as their preferred selection. The move comes as Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, the presumed top prospect, both believe they will be selected first overall, according to sources.

Peterson, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kansas, averaged 20.2 points per game as a freshman, the most in program history. He missed 11 games due to injury, the most for a projected No. 1 pick since Kyrie Irving played just 11 games at Duke before being selected in 2011.

Peterson told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in May that severe cramping caused his injury issues. He said doctors determined after the season that high doses of creatine contributed to the condition.

Washington finished last season 17-65 and won the draft lottery in May after holding the best odds for the top pick. The Wizards have not won a playoff series since the 2017-18 season.

Peterson wants to play point guard in the NBA, but does not view potentially joining Trae Young with the Wizards as an issue.

The first round of the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on June 23.

Alex Sarr underwent surgery to repair a foot fractured on Monday. Sarr is expected to be ready for the start of the season.

Sarr sustained the injury on a contact play during an offseason workout last week.

Sarr averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocks in 27.2 minutes over 48 games last season. Sarr elevated his PER from 12.8 as a rookie to 19.0 in his second season.

The Washington Wizards used the second overall pick on Sarr in the 2024 NBA draft. Sarr figures to have a critical third season as he plays beside Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have received calls from rival teams with trade interest in Chet Holmgren. The Thunder have let those teams know that Holmgren is not available.

Holmgren is starting a five-year, $239 million rookie scale extension this coming season. His first-year salary projects to be $41.25 million. This extension mirrors that of Jalen Williams, who deal looks exactly the same as Holmgren's in terms of annual salary.

With Holmgren's poor performance in the Western Conference Finals, and the Thunder's looming second apron issues, there was some thought that Oklahoma City could make the big man available. Instead, Sam Presti is likely to retool the roster around his big three of Holmgren, Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.