Basketball Wiretap

The Milwaukee Bucks have exhibited a heightened urgency to reach a trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of the NBA draft on Tuesday, June 23rd, sources tell ESPN. Co-owner Jimmy Haslam went on the record indicating that the Bucks planned to trade Antetokounmpo by the draft if he didn't firmly commit his future to the Bucks. Because of Antetokounmpo's still to be determined trade status, other teams are in a holding pattern on their own offseason plans.

"It seems like everyone else's business is on hold until we see what happens with Giannis," said an East scout.

The Bucks trading Antetokounmpo is still not guaranteed. Moving a superstar on a large contract is difficult under the NBA's current apron rules, and Milwaukee carries dead money on its books through the end of the decade while holding minimal future draft capital.

Those factors could make a player-focused return package more appealing to the Bucks. Recent changes to draft lottery rules add further complexity to any potential negotiation.

What Milwaukee requires in a deal, and whether Antetokounmpo will publicly declare a preferred destination and signal he would only sign an extension with that team remain unanswered questions. Sources say the Miami Heat retain strong interest and would be the primary beneficiary of that scenario.

Antetokounmpo has consistently declined to publicly request a trade or name preferred destinations in recent years, and that posture is not expected to shift.

Miami can offer a package built around All-Star guard Tyler Herro, a Wisconsin native, alongside younger players including Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis. Should the Cleveland Cavaliers or Orlando Magic enter the bidding, both could potentially surpass Miami's offer if players such as Evan Mobley or Paolo Banchero are made available.

The Boston Celtics have resurfaced in trade rumors involving Antetokounmpo this week.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking for a second star-level player to pair with Anthony Edwards. That's led to the Wolves looking into the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation, as well as looking at point guards to team with Edwards in the backcourt. To that end, Minnesota has shown interest in Kyrie Irving and Ja Morant.

The Memphis Grizzlies are expected to find a new home for Morant this offseason. The Grizzlies are leaning into a rebuild they kicked off when they traded Jaren Jackson Jr. at February's trade deadline. Memphis looked into trades involving Morant, but were unable to finalize a deal ahead of the deadline. That's now expected to take place this summer.

Irving's availability from the Dallas Mavericks is unknown at this point. With Masai Ujiri now leading the Mavs front office, it's not clear what direction he intends to take the team. With Cooper Flagg in the fold as the face of the franchise, Dallas could choose to move vets and build around youth with Flagg. There's also a chance the Mavericks make a playoff push by keeping Irving to team with Flagg next season.

Timberwolves front office leader Tim Connelly has been aggressive in pursuing stars to put next to Edwards. The expectations are that will continue, even as the Wolves work around the luxury tax and potential apron issues.

After blowing a Finals-record 29-point lead in Game 4, the San Antonio Spurs face a must-win Game 5 at home. League insiders closely watching the series are calling for a larger role for rookie guard Dylan Harper against the New York Knicks.

Multiple observers from opposing teams told ESPN that Harper should be a bigger part of San Antonio's game plan going forward, with one Western Conference executive advocating for Harper to enter the starting lineup for just the seventh time in his professional career.

"He's their second-best player," said the executive. "It's incredible how good he's become so quickly."

Harper has come off the bench throughout the Finals, posting averages of 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in the series. He scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting across 32 minutes in Game 4 but was largely kept out of late-game situations as De'Aaron Fox controlled the ball down the stretch.

"This is going to be a real test of the Spurs' resolve," said a Western Conference scout. "They've shown they've got resilience, and they have a lot of emotional maturity ... they've shown they can get off the mat. But was that game the final straw?"

Several sources expect San Antonio to win Game 5 and push the series back to Madison Square Garden. Victor Wembanyama's stamina will also be closely watched after he logged 44 minutes in Game 4 and showed visible fatigue late. The two-day rest before Game 5 may prove critical to his recovery.

The Sacramento Kings are interested in drafting Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 7 pick in the upcoming draft, according to Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

The Kings are reportedly looking to trade up to select Acuff, though Fischer adds that they are comfortable staying where they are.

Kings general manager Scott Perry coached Acuff's father at Eastern Kentucky in the 1990s.

Acuff has also worked out with the Bucks, who own the No. 10 pick. 

Austin Reaves is expected to receive interest from the Brooklyn Nets in his first unrestricted free agency with a four-year, $178.5 million contract offer, according to league sources. The Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks are among other teams with the cap flexibility and potential interest to make competitive runs to sign him away from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 51 games this season before a calf injury cut his campaign short. Rival executives project his annual salary to exceed $40 million.

The Los Angeles Lakers hold an exclusive negotiating window before free agency opens June 30 and remain the frontrunner to retain Reaves. Brooklyn and other suitors, however, have the flexibility to pressure Los Angeles into matching substantial offers.

Only 11 other players this season matched Reaves' combined averages of at least 23 points, four rebounds and five assists, a group that includes Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.

"You can't let a talent like that walk," said one Western Conference executive. "That would be a disaster."

Reaves declined a four-year, $89.2 million extension offer from the Lakers before last season and went on to post the finest numbers of his career. He enters free agency as one of the top unrestricted targets on the market alongside LeBron James.

Davion Thompson committed to Arkansas for the class of 2027 on Wednesday.

Thompson, who is the No. 27 recruit in the ESPN 100, selected Arkansas over Baylor, Michigan, and Vanderbilt.

Thompson said that his relationship with John Calipari made the difference.

"Coach Cal has done it at the highest level and for a long time. He has helped a lot of guards reach their goals," Thompson said. "Coach Cal is real. He's a great coach, he is honest, and he cares about his players on and off the court."

Thompson is Calipari's first recruit of the 2027 class. 

The Atlanta Hawks are open to trading the No. 23 pick in the upcoming draft, sources told Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

The team have the No. 8 pick and are only looking to make one first-round selection.

The Hawks, who recently signed Quin Snyder to a multi-year selection, are also rumored to have interest in Jaylen Brown.

The Dallas Mavericks are open to trading the No. 9 pick in the upcoming draft, sources told Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

Fischer adds that the Mavs are willing to move in either direction in the draft.

The team is currently searching for a new head coach, with Terry Stotts, Micah Nori, and Royal Ivey, among others, in consideration. 

New team president Masai Ujiri previously stated that he wants to see how Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg fit together on the court. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors were both prominent suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo in February ahead of the trade deadline when the Milwaukee Bucks briefly opened trade discussions, but neither team has factored into recent talks, sources tell Jake Fischer.

The Orlando Magic have also not engaged in meaningful recent dialogue with the Bucks, despite notable ties to Antetokounmpo. Magic senior advisor John Hammond and president of basketball Jeff Weltman originally drafted Antetokounmpo during their time with Milwaukee.

Incoming Magic head coach Sean Sweeney, hired away from the San Antonio Spurs, also worked closely with Antetokounmpo as a Bucks assistant for four seasons early in his career.

The Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers have emerged as the two most active teams in trade discussions to this point. The Heat are the team with the strongest mutual interest as there is skepticism that Antetokounmpo would commit to the Blazers long-term. The Boston Celtics remain on the periphery as a potential entrant into the conversation.

Antetokounmpo is expected to be traded by draft night on Tuesday, June 23rd.

Jalen Duren is expected to sign a contract in restricted free agency with an annual average value of more than $30 million per season, sources tell ESPN's Tim Bontemps. Two weeks ago Bontemps reported that while Duren was likely to sign for the 30 percent Rose rule that he qualified for, he could still command a contract that approaches $40 million per season.

Duren and the Detroit Pistons were never close to a contract extension last year and his decision to bet on himself appeared to be a wise one after he became an All-NBA center. But Duren's poor play in the playoffs have tempered the expectations for his contract.

In 70 regular season games, Duren averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 28.2 minutes with a PER of 25.8. But in 14 playoff games, Duren averaged just 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists with a PER of 14.3.

Duren will only be playing in his age 22 season on his next contract and will certainly have more opportunities to make more of an impact in the playoffs.

Duren was the 13th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Memphis.