NBA News Roundup, Saturday, June 8th: Kevin Durant may have played his last game for the Warriors, Paul Pierce questions LeBron James and more

With the NBA Finals now upon us, the playoffs are the talk of the basketball world - although there is no shortage of other stories emerging across the league.

The 2019 draft is just weeks away and teams will be hoping to strike gold by drafting either Zion Williamson or Ja Morant. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis continues to be linked with a blockbuster trade, while a host of stars including Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Kemba Walker are about to hit free agency.

With plenty happening around the NBA, here's a look at the biggest news stories and rumours you need to know for June 8th.

Kevin Durant urged to sit out the remainder of the playoffs

Kevin Durant has missed Golden State's last nine games

Kevin Durant was once again sidelined last night as the Golden State Warriors hosted the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The 2014 MVP has now missed nine straight games, and Dr. Alan Beyer, (medical director at Hoag Orthopaedic Institute in Southern California) has urged Durant to put his health before rushing back this season:

All [Durant] can do is go through the steps and be patient, which has to be so tough for him right now. But this isn't an injury you can rush. One, there's the chance of re-injury, you know, if he comes back on a still partially torn calf and then fully tears it. That would be a major injury. He's a free agent this year. He would really regret that.

At the end of the day, this injury is a matter of performance. Durant is a guy that needs absolutely optimal performance of his gastroc muscle (calf) to jump. It's not a play-through-it type deal. He can't do the things he needs to do to play. Again, it's entirely feasible that function just won't return in time to play in this series.

Durant is expected to leave the Warriors this summer, and he has attracted interest from the likes of the LA Clippers and the New York Knicks.

Paul Pierce questions LeBron James' decision to join the Lakers

LeBron James headed to the Lakers last summer

LeBron James blew up the landscape of the NBA last summer when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Yet, the All-Star's arrival didn't have the desired effect as the Lakers missed out on the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

A number of notable personal around the NBA have been critical of James' decision to join the Lakers, and Paul Pierce told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck that the superstar's move to L.A. was a business decision:

Everybody sees where LeBron went to L.A. That was more of a business decision than a basketball decision: ‘That’s that place where I want to live, I’m gonna grow my brand and life and basketball.’ Especially for guys who have already been to the promised land.

During the 18-19 season, injuries restricted James to a career-low 55 games, although the veteran still managed to average 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists.

Jon Horst extends Bucks stay

Jon Horst has been credited with turning the Bucks into Eastern Conference contenders

After weeks of negotiations, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Hurst has signed a new long-term deal:

Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst -- an NBA Executive of the Year candidate -- has signed a three-year contract extension, league sources told ESPN. Milwaukee ownership approached Horst near the end of the Bucks' season about beginning talks on a new deal and those conversations culminated in an agreement in recent days, league sources said. Horst has evolved into a popular figure and strong leader in a Bucks organization that had struggled through fractures in recent years.

Horst was appointed as the Bucks' general manager back in 2017 and the team has subsequently made two consecutive trips to the postseason. The Bucks had the NBA's best regular season record this season but were eliminated by the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals.