The 2025-26 NBA season is winding down, and everything is about to get chaotic. In addition to the 2026 NBA Playoffs officially starting in roughly two weeks, teams around the league are already preparing for what is expected to be a loaded 2026 NBA Draft and looking ahead to a potentially explosive summer.
Although there is not much to discuss yet as far as draft intel until the lottery plays out — and don't worry because we will have plenty of draft content leading up to June 25 — we might as well touch on some quick hitters since the Final Four is taking place in Indianapolis this weekend.
AJ Dybantsa is widely viewed as the consensus No. 1 overall pick before the draft lottery, and behind him are several high-level prospects who can immediately change a franchise. This year's draft lottery will be filled with plenty of intriguing talents, including the likes of Brayden Burries, Keaton Wagler, and Yaxel Lendeborg, all of whom will be fighting in Indy for the National Championship.
Plenty of teams gave up on the season and have tried to increase their draft odds in order to have a chance at securing a top pick in what will be a historic draft class, which is why the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago on May 10 is the most anticipated event of the year.
Outside of the league gearing up for the playoffs and everything that comes before the 2026 NBA Draft, plenty of intel exists on the futures of several franchises.
And so, that brings us to our first topic of the day: the Golden State Warriors and their immediate future with Stephen Curry entering the final years of his career.
Warriors entering ‘Last Dance' season?
Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong for the Warriors has gone wrong this season.
Jimmy Butler tore his ACL, Moses Moody suffered a ruptured patellar tendon, and Stephen Curry's minor knee injury has turned into a nine-week hiatus to the day. The only good news is that Curry has gone through two full five-on-five scrimmages with no limitations and is trending toward playing on Sunday against the Houston Rockets.
Upon wrapping up his scrimmage on Thursday before the team's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources told ClutchPoints that Curry has one final hurdle to cross in terms of being evaluated by the medical staff and Rick Celebrini, the team's director of sports medicine and performance, before he is given the final green light.
In the rare case that this does not happen and Curry doesn't return on Sunday, the same sources said the star point guard would be shut down for the remainder of the season.
However, this is not expected to happen, and Steph is determined to return to the floor and play alongside both Kristaps Porzingis and Draymond Green to try and make the most of however many games they have left this year.
Speaking of Porzingis, he is one of the major questions the Warriors have entering the offseason, one that is beginning to feel like the precursor to a “Last Dance” type of season for the Curry era. And if there is anyone who knows a thing or two about this scenario, it's Steve Kerr, who played alongside Michael Jordan during the Chicago Bulls' infamous 1997-98 “Last Dance” season that ended with a championship.
So, whether they make it out of the play-in tournament or miss the playoffs entirely, what does the immediate future look like for Curry and the Warriors?
Although he is in the final year of his contract, Kerr is not going anywhere, as reported by ClutchPoints after the trade deadline in February. Joe Lacob, Mike Dunleavy Jr., and the entire organization want Kerr back, and they will give him any contract he wants this offseason, sources said, even if he wants one more year before retiring.
Should this be the case, this would sort of be like Golden State's version of “The Last Dance,” right? Well, sort of, but not really.
Whereas the Bulls completely tore their roster apart following that 1998 championship run, that won't be happening with the Dubs. Curry still has three or four high-level years left in the tank, if he wants to play that long, and the Warriors are fully committed to surrounding their future Hall of Famer with championship-level talent.
That is one of the reasons why they went out and acquired Butler last year, and it's why they added Porzingis at the deadline this year.
The Latvian big man has been everything the Warriors have been searching for in a center through the years, as his rebounding, rim-protecting skills, and ability to score from any spot on the floor are exactly what the organization was lacking around their stars. As long as he's healthy, which is admittedly a big if, he's a major weapon.
Heading into the offseason, Porzingis will be an unrestricted free agent, but sources say the Warriors are fully committed to getting a deal done with him quickly this summer. Porzingis has made it known to the franchise that he wants to stay, and Dunleavy made this trade with the Atlanta Hawks in order to keep the seven-footer around past the 2025-26 season.
Early talks surrounding Porzingis's projected contract point in the direction of a deal somewhere in the $18 million to $24 million per year range on a 1+1 type of contract involving a player option. As for Green, his $27.7 million player option holds the key to the Warriors' offseason.
If he is willing to opt out and take a pay cut to help the team, possibly signing for something in the $16 million to $18 million per year range, Draymond would allow the Warriors to have their full $15 million mid-level exception and operate well below the luxury tax entering the offseason.
Porzingis would be able to sign his favorable deal for both parties, and the possibility of bringing De'Anthony Melton back increases as well. At the same time, this is a very weak upcoming free agency period outside of LeBron James, who will be the most notable unrestricted free agent.
All-in moves for the Dubs?
James, who has been linked to the Warriors for years now, will once again hear his name in connection with Curry and Green. However, league sources have downplayed the possibility of LeBron leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to join Golden State, with the expectation around the NBA being that he will ultimately join the Cleveland Cavaliers for one final season.
If LeBron is willing to take a pay cut, there wouldn't be any reason for him to leave his current situation with the Lakers and his family in LA… unless he truly wanted to finish his career as Curry's sidekick. Once again, this is highly unlikely to happen, which has been the case each of the last three seasons.
The two other big names always coming up in conjunction with the Warriors are Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After making a strong pitch for Giannis at the trade deadline, one that included all of their future draft capital and young players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, as well as the possibility of flipping Draymond for an extra draft pick, the Milwaukee Bucks signaled that they were not ready to move the superstar big man.
At one point, there was a proposal put together by the Dubs that would have sent Green to the Lakers for a future protected draft pick, sources said.
Well, offers for Antetokounmpo from other teams around the league will likely come down in the summer, especially since the Bucks no longer hold a position of power over Giannis, and he can dictate the terms of a potential trade since he will essentially have one more year left on his contract.
Golden State will surely make another call to Milwaukee to inquire about the player they've dreamed of pairing with Steph since 2020, but it's hard to envision a scenario where the money would work for the Warriors without trading Butler. There have been very strong signals that this won't be happening.
In terms of pursuing Kawhi, much of the same could be said. After trading Kuminga, a player the LA Clippers had interest in dating back to trade talks surrounding Paul George in 2024, the Warriors have nothing outside of draft picks that would interest them.
Although the Warriors did attempt to trade for Leonard at this year's deadline after talks for Antetokounmpo fell through, the Clippers never showed strong interest in dealing the two-time Finals MVP, league sources said. Not to mention, Green was never included in any brief trade dialogue between the two teams, and the Clippers made it clear they were not trading Kawhi.
The only way the Warriors were willing to trade Green was if they had a real chance of trading for Giannis.
Even if Golden State were to offer multiple draft picks, restructure Green's deal, and be willing to trade Moody (which is also unlikely) this upcoming offseason, a trade for Kawhi would be extremely difficult to navigate financially and remain below the tax aprons.
Then again, the NBA is still investigating the contract between Leonard and Aspiration, according to ESPN, with some around the league believing this could lead to his contract with the Clippers being voided.
Should this happen, Kawhi will be pursued by almost every playoff-contending team in the league, with the Warriors at the front of the line for his services. But until this matter is resolved and there is a firm answer on his current contract with LA, Leonard's offseason status is up in the air.
The Warriors envision Butler returning at some point during the second half of the 2026-27 season and joining Curry, Green, and Porzingis on the court. What the rest of this roster will look like then is unknown, as Dunleavy and his front office will continue to go big-game hunting in search of championship-ready talent to pair with Curry for one last title push.
Will Billy Donovan kickstart NBA coaching carousel?
Billy Donovan's future is one of the many topics of conversation surrounding the Chicago Bulls right now. Amid the constant roster changes and lack of vision in Chicago, Donovan is seriously giving thought to leaving the Bulls at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, league sources told ClutchPoints.
Whether or not Donovan takes time to himself or jumps into a different coaching role is the big question, especially given strong interest from the North Carolina Men's Basketball program.
Since firing Hubert Davis, Donovan has been one of the featured names at the top of the Tar Heels' list of candidates. ClutchPoints has also learned that Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd is the program's top choice in front of Donovan, and North Carolina plans to meet with Lloyd's representation in Indianapolis during the Final Four.
Should Lloyd opt to remain in Arizona, Donovan will be the Tar Heels' clear choice to be their next head coach, but he is committed to the Bulls through the remainder of the 2025-26 season and won't make any decisions on his future until April 12.
There is a growing belief around the league that Donovan will leave the Bulls at the conclusion of the season, which would effectively kickstart the NBA's coaching carousel.
Along with a possible opening in Chicago, there will be a decision made on who the permanent head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers will be. Tiago Splitter has done an excellent job as the interim coach, taking over for Chauncey Billups following his federal arrest in October for illegal poker games, and he's had the full support of the players.
Whether or not new owner Tom Dundon wants to see a change on the sidelines is unknown at this time.
Two other teams many around the league are pointing to regarding the coaching carousel are the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic.
Nothing has gone right for the Bucks in quite some time, and while Doc Rivers is certainly not to blame for all of the organization's flaws, his 95-99 record since taking over in Milwaukee is extremely underwhelming. Not to mention, multiple sources relayed that there is a lack of confidence among several Bucks players in Rivers' style of coaching.
With all the uncertainty surrounding Giannis entering the offseason and the Bucks on the verge of drastic, franchise-altering changes, Rivers' future is certainly worth monitoring. It is a forgone conclusion among many that a Giannis trade and Rivers' departure go hand-in-hand.
As for the Magic, Jamahl Mosley's seat continues to get hotter in Orlando. Since winning seven straight games at the start of March and moving to 38-28 overall, the Magic have lost eight of their last 10 games entering Friday night's game in Dallas. This has put the Magic dangerously close to the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Although injury problems continue to persist in Orlando, pressure is mounting on Mosley, especially after the organization invested a lot to add Desmond Bane last offseason. If the Magic miss the playoffs via the play-in tournament, the expectation from rival teams is that the organization will move on from Mosley after five seasons.
Winning is the Magic's main priority, and missing the playoffs with the roster they have assembled would be viewed as a failure of a season. That is why Mosley is on the hot seat, and it's also why league sources are linking former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone to Orlando.
Malone, who was rumored to be a candidate for several teams this past offseason, has taken the year off from coaching and instead joined ESPN as a studio analyst for the 2025-26 season. He is once again expected to hear his name in connection with several head coaching openings this upcoming summer, particularly in Orlando if they move on from Mosley.
Dating back to his time with the Nuggets, Malone always spoke highly of All-Star Paolo Banchero and the talent that the Magic have. His winning demeanor and approach to holding his team accountable is exactly what the Magic have been missing. which is why there is already a sense among league personnel that he would be the perfect replacement to take this organization to the next level.
Chicago, Portland, Milwaukee, and Orlando are the four teams immediately tied to the NBA coaching carousel as the season winds down.
Mavs' front office search
Outside of all the talk surrounding possible coaching changes around the NBA, one front-office situation already gaining a lot of traction is the Dallas Mavericks and their desire to solidify their chain of command.
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont envisions his team taking a massive leap during the 2026-27 season with Kyrie Irving returning and Cooper Flagg entering his second season, which is why he is already targeting some of the best executives in the league to take over his team's front office.
Executives like Boston Celtics' Brad Stevens, Oklahoma City Thunder's Sam Presti, Cleveland Cavaliers' Koby Altman, and former Golden State Warriors' executive Bob Myers have been named by fellow NBA reporters Chris Mannix and Marc Stein as Dumont's dream-big targets.
Obviously, landing any of these candidates would be long shot, and we can already write off a few of them.
League sources say Stevens has no desire to leave the Celtics anytime soon, and he is committed to competing for and winning more championships in Boston. North Carolina was also interested in speaking with Stevens about their head coaching vacancy before he immediately shut down those rumors.
Along with Stevens staying in his current role, Presti also holds no desire to leave his current position with the Thunder, sources said.
As far as Myers being a possibility, he is certainly a dark-horse candidate worth keeping in the back of your mind regarding the Mavs. However, Myers has turned down several top executive roles in recent years and is very happy in his role as president for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, among a few other ventures.
The main reason he is being linked to the Mavs' front office is because of CEO Rick Welts, who spent multiple years working with Myers and turning the Warriors into a dynasty.
So, if none of these candidates are realistic options for the Mavericks, who else could Dumont heavily pursue this offseason?
While Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi are still possibilities to remain in the Mavs' front office, current Minnesota Timberwolves executive Tim Connelly is the name that keeps coming up in conversations around the league regarding Dallas.
Aside from Connelly's contract with the Timberwolves expiring at the end of the season, there has been some talk about new owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore wanting to make some front-office changes themselves. Could this be a clear path to Connelly taking his talents from Denver to Minnesota to Dallas, or will they extend him for the foreseeable future?
Keep a close eye on this situation, as Dumont wants to ensure the success of his organization with an established, well-known executive leading his front office.
Early free agency chatter
Free agency has already happened in a way, as the NBA trade deadline has suddenly become pre-free agency for a lot of teams to make their moves now before contracts expire. Just look at the Washington Wizards landing both Trae Young and Anthony Davis, as well as the Utah Jazz trading for Jaren Jackson Jr.
Instead of waiting until the offseason, a lot of teams make their moves in February. This is especially true in the case of the Atlanta Hawks trading Young and getting a veteran like CJ McCollum in return.
By adding McCollum now, the Hawks get a few months to utilize McCollum on his $30 million expiring salary before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. While other teams could be interested in pursuing him, McCollum has been in Atlanta, he;s contributing to winning basketball, and there appears to be a path forward between the two sides.
That is why free agency as a whole is not as groundbreaking as it once was. There are a lot of games that are played now, well before free agency begins, that sort of lay the foundation for what to expect.
This upcoming summer, we shouldn't expect a whole lot of movement regarding big contracts being signed in free agency.
Zach LaVine will be opting into his $49 million player option with the Sacramento Kings, and neither Young nor James Harden are leaving their current situations with the Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively. Andrew Wiggins will very likely be opting into his $30 million player option, and the same can be said about Fred VanVleet ($25 million) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($21.6 million).
As a result, we are left with LeBron James, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Austin Reaves, and Norman Powell as the focal points of a weak free-agent market.
A lot of noise is being made about LeBron's situation, as is the case every year, but there are realistically only three options that make sense for the 41-year-old. Option one is to retire at the conclusion of his 23rd year, which is always a possibility, but nobody really sees him leaving without a farewell tour… unless the Lakers were to win it all this year.
The second option is for James to take a pay cut and remain with the Lakers, which seems like the only way Los Angeles would welcome him back in the summer. And then the third option is everyone's favorite — a return to the Cavaliers, giving his historic career a full-circle ending to try and compete for one last championship in Cleveland.
All those other rumors that exist for James certainly are worth monitoring, like the Warriors and Mavericks and whatnot, but nobody actually believes James would go anywhere but Los Angeles or Cleveland. And while we are talking about the Cavs, it is worth mentioning that they called the Bucks to inquire about Giannis before the trade deadline.
With Harden expected to restructure his contract with the Cavs in the summer and LeBron possibly willing to take a big pay cut to join the Cavs, maybe there is still a path for them to leverage assets like Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and others to make a serious run at Giannis. Again, this is a massive maybe, but just imagine a James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo lineup.
Going down the list, Green's $27.7 million player option is pretty straightforward. As described earlier, he will either opt out to help the Warriors with their financial situation, signing a slightly smaller contract, or he will opt in. Either way, Draymond isn't leaving the Dubs in the summer.
The general consensus around the league says the same for Reaves, who will be an unrestricted free agent once he opts out of his $14.9 million player option, with several rumored suitors already lining up. Despite teams being ready to throw a massive contract at Reaves in free agency, he holds no desire to leave the Lakers, sources told ClutchPoints.
A five-year contract north of $220 million is on the horizon for Reaves in Hollywood, as the Lakers' future is centered around him and Luka Doncic. With plenty of cap space entering the offseason, the Lakers will be very aggressive in their pursuit of adding length, athleticism, and two-way play at the forward positions.
Rui Hachimura is expected to return on a contract that could be flipped as early as the 2027 trade deadline, and several key names are already being linked to Los Angeles. Players like Tobias Harris, Tari Eason, and Peyton Watson are among early free-agent targets for the Lakers.
Watson and Eason are among several restricted free agents this summer, and both players could be on the move given their respective teams' financial hardships.
Harris will have several playoff contenders interested in him, as he ranks second in the league this season among players 33 or older in total plus-minus at +298 for the year. Only Kawhi Leonard has a higher plus-minus at +319 for the LA Clippers.
But just because Harris will be an unrestricted free agent doesn't mean he will be departing the Detroit Pistons. The veteran forward has been a key part of the Pistons' success over the last couple of seasons, and mutual interest exists among both sides to find common ground on a new contract, sources said.
Along with retaining Harris, the Pistons are expected to agree to a long-term contract with first-time All-Star Jalen Duren. His deal will likely exceed $210 million, especially if he ends up making the All-NBA list.
And as for Powell, his free agency, assuming he doesn't agree to a contract extension with the Miami Heat, will be very fascinating.
Powell has played at an All-Star level each of the last two seasons, finally earning that recognition this year. The 32-year-old swingman has made it clear he wants to be a starter in the league, and his fit alongside Tyler Herro has been questioned by many around the league. Not to mention, Miami will run into immediate financial problems if they keep both Herro and Powell on new, long-term deals.
After making $20.4 million this season with the Heat, Powell is expected to gain interest from numerous teams, including those who are looking to rise from the bottom of the NBA standings, with deals that will likely exceed $20 million in annual value.
