NBA Rumors: Lakers head coach uncertainty, Luka's hard truths, Spurs trade for No. 1 pick?

The NBA Finals are almost finished. It feels that way, at least. The Boston Celtics are up 3-0 and in complete control. It has been a sobering week for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks — an unambiguous reminder of how much growth this team still needs. Odds are that Luka and company get back to this stage eventually, but this is undeniably a teaching moment, rather than the breakthrough some fans expected before the series.

With the NBA Draft less than two weeks out and free agency coming right behind it, the offseason is about to kick into full gear. As such, we have plenty of juicy NBA rumors to fill your Friday and get you ready for a weekend full of basketball talk.

Let's dive in.

NBA Rumors: Spurs work out Zaccharie Risacher, fuel No. 1 pick trade rumors

The San Antonio Spurs are expected to host French wing Zaccharie Risacher for an NBA Draft workout, per Jeff Garcia of KENS 5. This comes as a mild shock, of course, since Risacher is widely expected to come off the board at either No. 1 or No. 2. The Spurs don't pick until No. 4. The result is speculation about a potential blockbuster trade on draft night, with ESPN's Jonathan Givony hinting at the Spurs' interest in moving up to No. 1 overall.

It's not difficult to hammer out the framework of a potential deal. The Spurs are equipped with the Nos. 4 and 8 picks, which should be plenty if the Atlanta Hawks are interested in trading back. A lot of the scuttlebutt in Atlanta lately has been directed toward UConn 7-footer Donovan Clingan, who should be conveniently available with the No. 4 pick.

If the Hawks are enamored with Clingan and the Spurs view Risacher as the best prospect available, a trade seems like the natural conclusion. San Antonio went to France for a No. 1 pick last season and it paid dividends. Risacher doesn't come close to offering the same ceiling as Victor Wembanyama, but he addresses the Spurs' need for size, perimeter defense, and 3-point shooting on the wing.

The Spurs have never been afraid to dip their toes in the international waters on draft night. Risacher was red-hot during the French playoffs, and there's something to be said for producing at a high level against professional competition. In such a weak draft, Risacher ought to be viewed as a relatively safe investment.

Clingan, meanwhile, fits the profile of what Atlanta needs — especially if Trae Young sticks around. The UConn sophomore is a monster rim protector, listed 7-foot-3 with a 9-foot-7 standing reach. He may not offer traditional upside, but he's going to effectively anchor a defense, set bone-rattling screens, and finish lobs at the rim. He would benefit from the Trae partnership, and vice versa. Not to mention getting the No. 8 pick. Two lotto picks in exchange for No. 1 overall is great value in this draft. The Hawks should jump all over this opportunity if it's available to them.

NBA Rumors: Jason Kidd offers honest criticism to Luka Doncic

The Mavs' Game 3 loss to the Celtics was difficult to swallow. Luka Doncic fouled out in the final minutes of the game, hanging his teammates out to dry as Boston dominated crunch time. After excessive in-game criticism of the officials, Doncic blamed the refs for ejecting him in such a pivotal moment. Rather than take accountability for his own mistakes — sorry Luka, those six fouls were all valid calls — Doncic shifted blame elsewhere and complained.

It's a worrying trend with Doncic, who berates the officials more than just about every NBA star (and that's saying something). He plays a very physical brand of offense, always inviting contact and throwing his weight around. But, that doesn't excuse Luka's mindset, and it especially doesn't absolve him of blame for his god-awful defense and emotional meltdown in Game 3.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd has been honest with Luka about his shortcomings as a leader. If Dallas wants to get back to the NBA Finals and reach the mountaintop, Doncic needs to be more than a statistical monster. He also needs to keep his head up and fight through adversity.

"In the three seasons he has coached Doncic, Kidd has told him several truths: that he needed to stop making enemies of officials with persistent whining; that he needed to give a more consistent effort on defense; and that he needed to get in better shape to be at his best when his team needed him. Kidd has said these things publicly and privately. So have Doncic's teammates in Dallas and on the Slovenian national team."

It's more than Kidd, too. Doncic's teammates have evidently been vocal about his shortcomings. None of this reads as vitriol or negativity either. The Mavs are simply pushing Doncic to be the best version of himself. Perhaps getting swept or gentleman swept out of the NBA Finals will provide the necessary motivation for Doncic to alter his approach and maximize his immense talents.

NBA Rumors: Lakers could expand coaching search beyond J.J. Redick, James Borrego

The Los Angeles Lakers' brief but unsuccessful pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley is comfortably in the rearview mirror. Now, all signs point to the original contenders — J.J. Redick and James Borrego — as the candidates who will duke it out in the coming days and weeks. Borrego is also a finalist in Cleveland, which is arguably a better job. So, perhaps the runway is already clear for Redick.

That said, we cannot pencil Redick into the Lakers' payroll just yet. According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, folks within the organization believe it's too soon to rule out alternate candidates.

"Still, people with knowledge inside the building maintain that the Lakers’ search isn’t limited to just Redick and Borrego and, if necessary, more interviews could be forthcoming."

This is the first optimistic update Los Angeles fans have received about the coaching search since Hurley made his fateful decision. Prior to the unexpected and oddly publicly pursuit of Hurley, the Lakers appeared to zero in on two candidates in record time. It was always Redick or Borrego, with little thought or reporting equity afforded to other candidates.

We still need to see the Lakers actually entertain and engage with other candidates, but that would be the ideal approach. Los Angeles has dragged out this process for longer than expected, but it's important to find the right coach. A thorough search that leaves no stone unturned is far more desirable than leaping haphazardly into a five-year partnership with an unproven coach whose primary resumé-builder was a podcast with LeBron James.

That's not to say Borrego isn't a great coach, or that Redick can't become a great coach. Just that Los Angeles probably should have been looking at other options well before this point. Redick comes with more than his share of concerns and Borrego isn't even guaranteed to be available in a few days.

Only time will tell if LA has handled this search correctly, but it sure hasn't felt thorough enough from the outside. Maybe there's still time for that to change.