Cousins hopes to join Lakers for playoff run

The Houston Rockets are “widely expected by league officials” to part ways with Stephen Silas this offseason.

Silas was hired by the Rockets in 2020 when all candidates were required to meet with James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards before the season started and Harden was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in January.

Silas was then asked to navigate a clear rebuild.

Nick Nurse, Scott Brooks and Rex Kalamian are three potential candidates to replace Silas.

The NBA and NBPA are making progress on negotations on a new collective bargaining agreement.

There has been significant progress in recent weeks on key issues and there is hope a deal can be finalized in the coming weeks. The two sides recently extended their opt-out deadline to March 31st.

The NBPA has informed the league office that it is their intention and goal to complete a deal in March.

“We want to finish this deal soon and certainly want this wrapped up before the (March 31) deadline,” one high-ranking source involved in the players’ negotiations, who was granted anonymity so they could speak freely, told The Athletic. “It’s close – we need to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.”

Among the most critical issues, the NBA and NBPA are negotiating new luxury-tax tiers and rates to increase the lower tier and make it more viable for teams to spend money into the tax. The NBA and NBPA are attempting to identify where the tax bracket tiers should be set.