NBA Buzz: Durant, Simmons, Lakers, Doncic, Pacers, Allen

The Nets’ season has gone further than expected, as their only path into the playoffs this season will be via the play-in tournament.

Despite missing Kyrie Irving for most of the season and James Harden ultimately forcing his way out, Kevin Durant still feels a lot of the burden for how the Nets’ season has gone.

“To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury,” Durant said (via ESPN’s Nick Friedell) “So, I’m not looking at it like we’re just not a good basketball team. It’s like there wasn’t a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie out of the lineup, that’s just what it is. When we’re all on the floor together, I like what we got.”

If you still believe in the Nets, oddsmakers at PointsBet are still giving you great odds, as they’re currently sitting with the third-best odds at +650.

More NBA Rumors, News & Notes

Ben Simmons will be shut down for the rest of the regular season and through the play-in tournament, as he’s dealing with a back injury, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (h/t NetsDaily). If Simmons can come back and give the Nets some playmaking and defense, that’ll go a long way in helping them win a championship as a lower-seeded team.
Anthony Davis opened up about how the Lakers’ season has gone, citing injuries to LeBron James and Kendrick Nunn as significant roadblocks, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I think the biggest thing that I think about personally is what we could have been, had we stayed healthy all year,” Davis said.
Magic Johnson criticized the Lakers for not signing DeMar DeRozan on ESPN’s Get Up. Johnson said the Lakers could’ve also had Buddy Hield and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but LeBron wanted Russell Westbrook.
Luka Doncic recently said he has a long way to go before he can be the face of the NBA once LeBron James retires, per Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports. Doncic also said no one can block his former teammate Kristaps Porzingis‘s shot.
The Pacers are “more likely than not” to keep Myles Turner than trade him, but the Mavericks could be a team to look out for if Turner becomes available given that he’s from the area, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files said on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto. He also believes that the Pacers could get a protected first-round pick for Turner.
Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield could also be shopped around this summer, Agness relays. With the Pacers in rebuilding mode, Brogdon and Hield are better served as role players on contending teams at this point of their careers.
Jarrett Allen may not return before the end of the regular season, with it looking more like an “if” than “when,” according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Allen’s finger was still seen in a splint this past weekend.