The Scoop: McLaughlin's future in Minnesota is unclear as he will head into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. The 28-year-old has seen a decline in production every year since he got into the league after five seasons with the Timberwolves. McLaughlin averaged 3.5 points, 2.0 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 steals across a career-low 11.2 minutes in 56 regular-season games this season.

 The Scoop: The Sixth Man of the Year award winner did not fully live up to his regular-season standards in the playoffs. However, he did have a few great games against Denver and Dallas in the postseason as the Timberwolves put together an impressive run. The 24-year-old averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals across 24.2 minutes while appearing in 81 regular-season games. Reid will likely be a key part of the rotation next season as the Timberwolves aim for another strong playoff push in a stacked Western Conference.

 The Scoop: Antetokounmpo missed the final three games of the Bucks' regular season, followed by their six playoff games prior to being eliminated by the Pacers. The superstar forward revealed following Game 6 that he was "not close" to returning to the Bucks lineup due to his calf strain. There will be roughly a two-month gap between Milwaukee's final contest and Greece's first qualifying game, and it appears the 29-year-old will be back to full health. Barring any setbacks, he should be at full strength for the start of the 2024-25 season. The two-time MVP averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and a career-high 6.5 assists to go along with 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks and 0.5 triples across 35.2 minutes in 73 regular-season games last season.

 The Scoop: Gobert's 26 minutes were his lowest of the series despite recording just one foul. The 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year was often forced to play away from the rim and come out to meet Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the perimeter in the pick-and-roll. Gobert averaged 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 34.0 minutes across the five games against Dallas.

 The Scoop: Lively returned to action Thursday after missing Game 4 due to a neck injury. The rookie big man returned to his role of coming off the bench but splitting minutes at the center position with Daniel Gafford as a platoon. Lively averaged 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in 22.0 minutes across his four appearances in the Western Conference Finals.

 The Scoop: Irving's 36 points tied Luka Doncic for a game-high mark and was his second-highest scoring tally of the playoffs so far. Irving's masterful performance helped clinch the series over Minnesota in which he averaged 27.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds on 49.0/37.5/80.8 shooting splits across the five games. The 31-year-old guard will now face the Celtics in his fourth career NBA Finals appearance.

 The Scoop: For the seventh game in a row, Conley will play through his right soleus strain. With Minnesota facing elimination with a loss, it's not a surprise to see Conley power through his injury again.

 The Scoop: Lively participated in the Mavericks' morning shootaround and underwent his routine in pre-game warmups, so it's unsurprising to see him available, as he looked active and had no apparent limitations in his movements. He'll likely see regular minutes off the bench, as he's logged 21.0 minutes per game in the current series while averaging 9.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.

 The Scoop: After sitting out the Mavericks' Game 4 loss, Lively is viewed as a game-time decision ahead of Thursday's 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff, but it was encouraging to see him on the court for the team's morning shootaround. The Mavericks will likely monitor how his neck sprain feels leading up to the opening tip, while starting center Daniel Gafford should continue to see increased playing time if Lively is unavailable.

 The Scoop: Lively officially remains questionable, and he plans to test his neck in the hours leading up to tipoff before the Mavericks determine his status. He'd provide a boost for Dallas as the team attempts to close out the series, as he averaged 11.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game over the first two games of the Western Conference Finals.