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On Friday, it was announced that Jordan Stahl and Jacob Slavin were both recognized for their efforts by the Carolina Chapter of the PHWA, as Stahl was awarded the Steve Chiasson Award, and Slavin was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

This news comes on the heels of Wednesday’s announcement, as Brandon Bussey was named team MVP, and Taylor Hall was awarded the Joseph Vasicek Award, as well as nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Jakob Slavin nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy

The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and makes a notable humanitarian contribution to his or her community.

It has been a difficult season for Slavin, who missed 41 games due to injury. However, when he returned, he did so without missing a single opportunity, averaging 21:10 of ice time a night and even earning a spot on Team USA’s Olympic roster, where they won the gold medal.

In recent years, Slavin, along with his wife, Kylie, have used their platform to help those in need, and glorify God in doing so.

During the 2023–24 season, they launched a “Fight for Freedom” campaign with International Justice Mission, where they raised $1,008,535 – surpassing the initial $1M goal. Their campaign raised awareness in the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery and IJM used the funds to combat online sexual exploitation of children.

In the 2024–25 season, they launched another campaign with “The Fight for First”, partnering with Compassion International to help poor mothers and babies, supporting survival centres.

Additionally, Slavins continues to work with local initiatives such as the Raleigh Dream Center and Raleigh Rescue Mission, as well as the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation.

Last season, Florida Panthers captain Alexander Barkov was awarded the King Clancy Trophy for his longtime campaign with Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

Jordan Staal wins Steve Chiasson Award

The Steve Chiasson Award is presented annually to the Hurricanes player who best exemplifies determination and dedication while proving to be an inspiration to his teammates through his performance and approach to the game.

Currently in his 20th season, the Hurricanes captain has scored 19 goals (his best since 2017–18). Four of those goals have come on the power play, which he was involved in in early December, playing a key role in reviving Carolina’s man advantage after a poor start to the season.

He has continued his exemplary performance at the face-off dot, where he trails only New Jersey Devils captain, Nico Hischier, in face-off wins this season, and has his second best season on record in face-off wins.

This season, he became the longest-tenured Hurricanes player after transferring, surpassing his older brother Eric Staal who played in most games played in a Hurricanes sweater.

Last season, the award was given to then-Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

Ask anyone in and around the New Jersey Devils who their favorite person to chat with is, and most people will say Brendan Dillon.

He is a commanding presence off the ice and that is why so many people look to him as a leader.

As of Wednesday morning, the New Jersey chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association nominates a Devils defenseman for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is an annual award under the trusteeship of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is given “to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

According to the United Views of the New Jersey chapter:

“After suffering a catastrophic neck injury in Game 1 of the 2025 playoffs that required artificial disc replacement surgery, Brendan Dillon relied on the advice of NHL and UFC athletes during a rigorous offseason recovery. He bounced back strong in 2025-26, and presented the Devils’ blue line with significantly improved defensive play while continuing to sacrifice his body for the well-being of his team. A true warrior, the 35-year-old The veteran reached his 1,000th NHL game on December 1, 2025. Dillon suffered a scary injury in that milestone, however, he came back for a shift in an unimaginable effort, and earned widespread respect from coaches and teammates for his tenacity – despite missing the third period as a precaution, Dillon is a vocal leader who holds teammates accountable, encouraging them. Stands up, and mentors younger players, inspiring the entire Devils locker room with his selfless commitment and dedication to the game.

On the ice, Dillon has been a mainstay partner for young Simon Nemec, who is completing his first year as an established NHLer, and where he has reached new heights.

Part of that success can be attributed to Dillon, who has been a steady presence next to Nemec on the ice, but also off the ice and in the locker room.

And he’s finally recovered from the summer, bouncing back from a season scare, and has been a consistent presence on the Devils blueline.

Voting on the 32 nominees for the Masterton Prize is now officially underway.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

On Thursday, it was reported by ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania that Detroit Pistons star point guard Cade Cunningham will miss an extended period of time due to a damaged lung. The scary situation comes as the Pistons prepare for a playoff run, in which they will likely be the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

Depending on how much time Cunningham misses, it is possible he could miss eligibility for end-of-season NBA awards, including First Team All-NBA and others that require a player to appear in a minimum of 65 games.

If Cunningham does indeed miss the cut, it would spark further backlash over award eligibility rules. The league first implemented the 65-game minimum in an effort to reduce load management, which, in fairness, was a very real concern at the time, and still is to some extent. It’s also true that the best ability is availability, and there’s certainly a limit to how much value a player can provide to his team if he’s consistently out of the lineup for any reason.

However, if Cunningham does indeed miss out on eligibility, All-NBA teams could feature some faces that many fans may not have seen play at that level on the court. Players like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are already teetering on the edge of eligibility due to previous injury absences, as is San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.

Cunningham not getting recognition at the end of the season could potentially be the last nail in the coffin that forces the NBA to make changes this offseason.

For now, Cunningham is being considered a possible candidate for First Team All-NBA and the league MVP award.

Over the years, some big names have won the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award. With the exception of Dyson Daniels, who won the award due to an incredible jump in production from 2023 to 2024, the likes of Ja Morant, Lauri Markkanen and Tyrese Maxey all won the award after landing the first All-Star callups of their respective careers.

In that sense, players who were logically taking the next step in their development won the award, rather than players who, almost unsurprisingly, would have improved significantly compared to the previous season. That’s what ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel said during a recent segment with Tomer Ezerli.

“It’s really hard for me to look at this award and look at it with a straight face because I think it’s ridiculous. I think this award is just a joke and I think we need to split it into the most improved first team and the most improved second team. And whether it results in there being some type of incentive in their contract, maybe some type of stipulation where maybe they can sign over the mid-level exception to qualify for it,” he said in a post on X Buy According to said. Clutchpoint.

The logic is simple. Instead of the MIP Award being given to a first-time All-Star almost every year, a First Team and Second Team would at least ensure that other stars who have substantially improved get recognition for the award.

Siegel mentioned stars like Ryan Rollins, Colin Gillespie and Anthony Black, who all deserve recognition due to the degree of their improvement. For example, Rollins averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Milwaukee Bucks, increasing his numbers by 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds and assists per game each.

Gillespie averaged 5.9 points and 2.4 assists and rebounds per game last season, but he is averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Phoenix Suns this campaign.
Ultimately, Black produced 15.7 points and 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, going up from 9.4 points and 3.1 assists per game. All three of those players may be substantially improved compared to Jalen Duren, who is the bookies’ favorite to win the award this year.

However, they’re unlikely to actually win it from Duren, who effectively sealed it with the first All-Star appearance of his career.

SAN FRANCISCO – While the Golden State Warriors were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, there were still plenty of reasons to celebrate for Gui Santos and the Dubs.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Santos and the Warriors agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $15 million with a player option in 2028-29. The deal prevents Santos from hitting restricted free agency and adds a player who has become an integral part of coach Steve Kerr’s rotation.

“Happy for Gui and happy for us,” Kerr said Saturday. “He’s been such an important player for us, but also an incredible development story. Selected in the second round, and he spent his entire first year in Santa Cruz, and I think he was two-way at some point. But he’s become one of our most important players, and we’re all very excited for him.”

Santos’ contract extension is cause for celebration as it seals one of the Warriors’ most successful development stories. Drafted by the Dubs out of Brazil with the 55th pick in 2022, Santos’ progression from G League player to key rotational piece is a feather in the organization’s cap from both a scouting angle and an internal ecosystem and development angle.

After Golden State’s 129-101 blowout loss on Saturday, Santos reflected on all the work he’s done to get to this moment.

“A lot of things go through my mind when you see your work being rewarded,” Santos said. “Since I’ve been here, through the G League and even before playing in Brazil, it was a lot of work. Whatever resources we have there, it’s not a lot, and just making the league is a big, big deal. But even being able to get an extension with the best organization in the world, there aren’t words that can describe this feeling.”

Reaction of the Santos family and their comrades

When Santos called his parents to tell them the good news, they thought he was calling for a completely different reason.

“When I told them on the call, I was a little serious. ‘Dad, Mom, I need to talk to you guys about something serious.’ And they thought I got my fiancée pregnant,” Santos said, laughing with a big smile on his face.

“I was doing it on purpose [leading them on by saying I had] Something really serious to talk about. They know I had a good life. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. This was the only thing that could happen. That was just a joke. They would say, okay, yes, but if it was news to them, they would have liked it too.

Gui Santos’ family thought he was calling them for a different reason after today:

“I was like, Dad, Mom, I had to talk about something serious and they thought I got my fiancée pregnant.”

Once they got the real news they were still very excited. ??? pic.twitter.com/6BAwYWlCuy

– Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) 1 March 2026

When someone joked that Santos could have kids with his new contract, he added another joke: “Now I can get some more Gui here!”

But once Santos was able to tell his parents the real news, they became very excited and emotional for him because they understood how hard he had to work to get there. It’s a work ethic that Moses Moody got to see firsthand. After the game, Moody talked about watching Santos work his way into the rotation, noting that his path was not always clear.

“Seeing him come in, working for it — it didn’t seem like there was a clear path to success,” Moody said. “Seizing the opportunity, staying down. But not being overly ambitious, but still working every day, keeping my composure when he wasn’t feeling good. Then it started feeling good. And it’s good to see him be the same person. That’s the conversation I had with him this morning.”

cap implications

It’s safe to say that Santos’ three-year, $15 million extension is a home run for Golden State’s cap books. The Warriors have acquired a versatile forward who can shoot, defend and rebound at a cap hit of $5 million per year, which is something any team in the league would want. And that’s exactly the kind of salary level that’s needed when their two best players, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, are making $55 million next year.

As far as their cap situation is concerned, Santos’ deal gives the Warriors approximately $182 million in committed salary to nine players next season, including contracts with player options, i.e. Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford. The luxury tax threshold next season is projected to be approximately $201.7 million, with the Warriors hoping to stay under that number to maintain their ability to use the non-taxpayer mid-tier exception. Being able to utilize the MLE will be key in their hopes of retaining Melton, who will likely command a number of contenders this season after recovering from his ACL injury.

Therefore, it was necessary to retain Santos at this number. This keeps them flexible, gives them space on their books, and provides a strong backup if Melton leaves.

Santos hopes to set example for Brazil

Santos understands the importance of his contract extension beyond just himself. When he was arriving, Santos talked about nine Brazilian basketball players in the NBA who he could look to as examples of what he hoped to become.

But as the only current NBA player born and raised in Brazil, Santos is the only example the next generation of Brazilian basketball players can look to when they turn on their TVs. It’s a responsibility he takes seriously because he knows all eyes are on him.

Santos said, “I’m the only one here, so I’m the biggest example when you look at basketball and the NBA is the biggest level you can get to. Everyone is looking at me as an example.” “For me, it’s just trying to be a great person and show that work ethic is the most important thing. That’s what got me into this position. …

“Overall, be a good example for our kids in Brazil and show that if you work, you get what you deserve.”

Gui Santos was asked how his story could help the next generation of Brazilian basketball players make it into the league:

“For me it’s just trying to be a great person and show that work ethic is the most important thing because that’s what got me here.”

Full soundbite here: pic.twitter.com/ANuhcQT1AB

– Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) 1 March 2026

Gui Santos will look to continue this hard work in a Warriors uniform this season and beyond, and look to make a splash in the postseason.