The new deal keeps Vucevic from hitting the open market when the NBA free agency period begins Friday. The 32-year-old would have been among the top available big men after averaging 17.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 assists while playing in all 82 games in 2022-23, the final season of a four-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2019.
“I’m excited to continue my journey as a Chicago Bull,” Vucevic said in a team release. "Since I have arrived in Chicago, everyone in the organisation has been incredibly welcoming to my family and me. I am motivated more than ever to achieve our mutual goals as a team."
Vucevic will be entering his third full season with Chicago after the Bulls acquired him from the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline in March 2021. He put together his best season that year by averaging a career-high 23.4 points along with 11.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 70 games.
The 12-year veteran, along with star scorers Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, helped the Bulls end a four-year playoff drought the following season. Though Chicago missed the playoffs this past season, Vucevic put up identical numbers to his 2021-22 per-game averages in points, rebounds and assists while shooting 52 per cent from the field, his highest rate since 2014-15.
Vucevic has averaged a points-rebounds double-double in five consecutive seasons and owns a solid 34.8 per cent career average on 3-point attempts. The 2011 first-round pick has averaged 17 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 823 career regular-season games.
“During his time in Chicago, Nikola has proven that he is a special player both on and off the court,” Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnsiovas said. “He has produced at an elite level since we acquired him and will remain an integral part of our foundation moving forward.
"Nikola’s willingness to do whatever is asked of him to help us win, while also being an established veteran leader for our group, makes him a valuable component of the culture of our organisation. He is a consummate professional and tremendous teammate, which plays a big role in making us an attractive destination for other players. We are excited to have him continue to be part of our journey."
Retaining Vucevic was considered a top offseason priority for Karnisovas, who paid a high price to acquire the Montenegro native two years ago. Chicago sent talented young centre Wendell Carter Jr. to Orlando in the trade along with two first-round picks, one of which was used on rising star Franz Wagner.
While bringing back Vucevic solidifies Chicago's frontcourt, Karnisovas still has big decisions to make regarding the backcourt with point guard Lonzo Ball expected to miss a second straight season with a career-threatening knee injury. Fellow guard Coby White, the Bulls' top bench scorer last season, will be a restricted free agent.
After working for the team as an associate head coach, Boylen was appointed to the top job in Chicago in December 2018, though he was not able to turn around the franchise's fortunes.
The Bulls posted a 39-84 record during his tenure, failing to make the playoffs. They were 22-43 when the current campaign was suspended, meaning they missed out on being involved in Orlando when play eventually resumed in late July.
Arturas Karnisovas, executive vice president of basketball operations, confirmed Boylen had been relieved of his duties on Friday, with the search to find his replacement beginning immediately.
"After doing a comprehensive evaluation and giving the process the time it deserved, I ultimately decided that a fresh approach and evolution in leadership was necessary," Karnisovas said in a statement.
"This was a very difficult decision, but it is time for our franchise to take that next step as we move in a new direction and era of Chicago Bulls basketball.
"Jim is a great human being that cares deeply about this organisation and the game of basketball. I want to thank him for his professionalism and commitment to the franchise."
As well as serving as head coach at the University of Utah between 2007 and 2011, Boylen has also worked as an assistant at several NBA teams, including being part of the Houston Rockets when they won successive NBA titles in 1994 and 1995.
The 55-year-old was also part of the championship-winning staff at the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
Donovan signed a four-year deal when he took charge of the Bulls in September 2020, and led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season.
The Bulls posted a 46-36 record in 2021-22, making it their first winning season since 2015-16, while they have won three of their last four games to improve to 9-11 following an inconsistent start to the new campaign.
Donovan's original contact with the six-time NBA champions was set to expire in 2024, but reports suggest the 57-year-old's new deal will run for several more seasons.
The Bulls led the Eastern Conference for much of last campaign and made the postseason despite guard Lonzo Ball suffering a serious knee injury – which has kept him out since January.
Donovan coached the Oklahoma City Thunder for five years before making the move to Chicago, leading the team to the Western Conference playoffs in each of his five seasons at the helm.
Finch was a highly-respected assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors when he was hired in February 2021, having earned his way onto NBA staffs after winning 2010 D-League Coach of the Year with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
In his first full season in charge, Finch turned the Timberwolves into the seventh-best offense in the NBA, built largely around the talent of All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and the top overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, Anthony Edwards.
Impressively, the Timberwolves also finished the regular season in the top half of the league in defensive efficiency as well, addressing concerns some had that it may be impossible to build a solid defense while Towns is playing center, which is the most important defensive position by far.
As well as Towns – Edwards and third 'star' D'Angelo Russell also have poor defensive reputations, so to counteract that, Finch made the move to start defensive specialists Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt to balance things out.
Speaking to media after news of his extension, Finch said it was a move initiated by the franchise.
"They came to me," he said. "I think that shows the type of energy and commitment in the building.
"Everything's going in the right direction here. It's a fun time to be a part of the Timberwolves."
It was all positive from executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta, too.
"They're not always easy decisions in this business, but this one was a very easy one," he said.
"Coach has been a terrific partner for me, and the results on the floor are clear."
After finishing seventh in the Western Conference with a 46-36 record, the Timberwolves will host the Los Angeles Clippers in the Play-In Tournament, with the winner earning the seventh seed and a series against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the Playoffs.
If Minnesota lose against the Clippers, they will get another chance to earn the eighth seed, hosting the winner of the nine-versus-10 matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs.
The 36-year-old has already enjoyed a busy start to the new season, having been named among the NBA's 75 greatest players and become the first player to amass 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.
He had another reason to celebrate in the Suns' 112-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, his 18 assists on the day – a season best – helping him surpass Hall of Famer Steve Nash (10,335) and Mark Jackson (10,334) for the third-most in NBA history.
Paul now has 10,346 across his entire career, a haul bettered by only Jason Kidd (12,091) and record-holder John Stockton (15,806).
But, given his age, Paul acknowledged Stockton's record is beyond him.
"I looked at that list when I first came into the league and seeing that John Stockton and I was like, 'I'm going to get it.' But that ship sailed. That ship sailed. It sailed a while ago when I started missing all them games," he said with a laugh.
"But to be third and still be playing, I'm grateful for it and I still got a ways to go.
"I'm grateful and I thank God for this opportunity. I say it all the time, not only to be on a team and still be in the league but to still be playing. You don't take that for granted."
Paul's achievements are not lost on his team-mates, either, even if they have subconsciously started to accept his feats as anything but unusual.
Suns guard Devin Booker said: "We keep acting like this is normal. We go in the locker room like, 'Oh you passed Steve Nash, Mark Jackson. Game ball.'
"It's bigger than that, man. It really is. Obviously, I know he was going to be close [to Nash's total] coming into today and he passed it by a lot. I'm just happy to be a part of it.
"I'm just inspired by it, honestly. Been a fan for a really long time. It's really fun to see, it's really fun to be a part of it. A long time from now, I'll be able to say I got to play with Chris Paul."
Paul has averaged 9.4 assists each game across his NBA career, a record only Magic Johnson (11.2), Stockton (10.5) and Oscar Robertson (9.5) can better.
"It's pretty cool to watch greatness," Suns coach Monty Williams added.
Golden State have hit their stride in February to move back into playoff contention in the West, despite missing veteran point guard Paul.
The 38-year-old was traded to the Warriors by the Washington Wizards at the start of the season, having previously been moved on by the Phoenix Suns, but had been restricted to 32 games and 11 starts prior to returning against the Wizards.
Paul made his comeback from the bench following his recovery from surgery on a left hand fracture, and he was joined in the second unit by Klay Thompson.
Those options in reserve were especially useful to Kerr in this 123-112 win as superstar starter Stephen Curry was held scoreless through the first half.
Curry finished with 18 points, but he was outshone by Thompson, who had 25, while Paul played a key role in the decisive third quarter in which the Warriors outscored the Wizards 38-17.
"What a luxury to come off the bench with Chris Paul and Klay Thompson," coach Kerr said. "That's crazy."
"You've got two Hall of Famers in the backcourt coming off the bench," Thompson added. "That's such a rare feat, so we take pride in that.
"[Paul] makes my life much easier, much easier. Just his ability to read the game, hit me in stride, on time, on target, he's probably one of the best in history at doing that."
Kerr continued: "We've been playing pretty well over the last month or so, but we've really been looking forward to getting Chris back.
"You could see why tonight. He's a plus-17 in 21 minutes, always in control of the game. The way we closed the third quarter was really important, and he was at the helm."
Paul is not getting carried away just yet but acknowledged that strength in depth and affirmed his commitment to taking on whatever role Kerr asks of him.
"It's one game, one game," Paul said. "We've still got a lot of work to do as a team, as a unit.
"We have so much depth, so many different ways that we can play, that it's going to take us a little while to figure it out. But obviously, you want to figure it out and win at the same time.
"We've got a really good group of guys on this team, and [Kerr is] going to need different things every night.
"You know one thing about me though: I know who I am and what I'm capable of. You know what I mean? There ain't any question about that. I'll always be ready, and I think he knows that."
The 36-year-old, who turns 37 next month, became the oldest player in NBA history to put up 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game, including 19 points in a brilliant fourth quarter.
After the Pelicans rallied back from a 23-point deficit to make it a two-possession game, Paul took advantage of multiple instances where they went under on-ball screens against him.
Following the game, the 12-time All-Star said he wanted to make former team-mate and now Pelicans coach Willie Green pay for his strategy.
"That's like inviting me to shoot," Paul said. "I know Willie, that's my man. It's all a part of the game."
Paul, who only attempted 3.3 three-pointers per game in the playoffs last season and 3.1 this regular season, went four-of-six from beyond the arc, including three-of-four in the fourth quarter.
Team-mate Devin Booker said of Paul: "That man is a true competitor and a true winner.
"When he wants it that bad, you can see it in his demeanour and see it in his walk, so it shouldn't surprise anyone. He's built for these moments."
Meanwhile, on defense, the Suns kept C.J. McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas to a combined 22-of-63 from the floor.
"We were just connected," Paul said. "We were making it tough on C.J., same thing with BI [Ingram] and closing out to their shooters. We were just on a string.
"I think a lot of times people think about our offense and how we move the ball and stuff, but our defense is what we really sort of hang our hats on."
Devin Booker's return from injury gave Chris Paul more room to attack, and Paul obliged with the best shooting night in NBA playoff history.
He went a perfect 14-of-14 from the floor on the way to a game-high 33 points, making the most field goals without a miss in a single playoff game.
The Suns did not have it easy though, with Booker's three-pointer putting the Suns ahead at 106-104 with 1:42 remaining. A CJ McCollum turnover on the next possession effectively secured the Suns the series.
The Pels were up 10 at the half, but foul trouble for McCollum, Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado made lineups and finding consequent balance complicated for first-year head coach Willie Green.
Sixers snap up Raptors
The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Miami Heat in the second round after they defeated the Toronto Raptors 132-97 in Game 6 of their series.
Joel Embiid and James Harden ultimately stepped up when required, combining for 55 points off 19-of-30 shooting. Embiid added 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals while Harden masterfully distributed the ball with 15 assists and committed just three turnovers.
The Raptors had a brutal third quarter with their season on the line, going five-of-19 from the floor for 17 points, before Pascal Siakam eventually fouled out with 24 points.
Jazz miss chance to extend season
The Utah Jazz were eliminated from the playoffs, with the Dallas Mavericks winning Game 6 98-96 and progressing to the second round.
With 4.3 seconds remaining on the clock, Bojan Bogdanovic got the ideal look to win the game from a drawn-up play off an inbound. Spencer Dinwiddie scrambled and bought the initial pump-fake, but Bogdanovic could not convert the open look, ending the Jazz's season.
Luka Doncic was everywhere for the Mavs however, coming up with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, as well as two steals and blocks.
The Suns are among the favourites to reach the Conference Finals from the West given a stacked roster that now includes Kevin Durant alongside Paul and Devin Booker.
Paul (19 points), Durant (31 points) and Booker (30 points) all contributed in Saturday's 112-100 victory, which leaves the Suns one win away from progressing.
At 37, Paul – who spent seven years at the Clippers – has been around the block but this crop of Phoenix stars is among the best he has seen assembled.
"I've never played with this much talent," said Paul, who drained 12 of his points in the fourth quarter.
"Where people are doubling off of me. I've never seen so many open shots.
"It's something that I'm getting used to. Trying to figure out when to pick your spots, when to be aggressive. We're figuring this thing out on the fly. I'm just happy that a few of them fell tonight."
The Suns were sloppy at the start of the second half, giving up seven straight points in the opening minute, leading to Paul aiming a few choice words at the team from the bench.
"I think the way the third quarter started, I was p*****. We all was," Paul added.
"We were on the bench sort of going at each other. But it's healthy. Just trying to get us going. I tried to get myself going defensively. The shots, they're going to come."
One potential concern is a lack of depth, with Durant (45), Booker (42) and Paul (38) racking up big minutes – indeed the former two players are clocking an average of 43 minutes in the playoffs.
But Durant gave short shrift to the idea of being overworked.
"How'd I look tonight?" Durant said. "I felt great. I missed a lot of time this season.
"I want to be out there every minute. I wish I could play 48 every game."
Durant also had high praise for Clippers star Russell Westbrook, who had a game-high 37 points.
Westbrook endured a tough spell at the Clippers' rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, but Durant said he is among the best in the business.
"People going to always criticise when you're successful and doing your thing for this long. Russ has been resilient his whole life. He comes to work, doesn't say much. Just come hoop," Durant added.
"When he retires, people are going to really tell the truth about his game. Right now, the fun thing to do is to make a joke out of Russ. But the way he's been playing since he got with the Clippers is showing everybody who he really is."
With Devin Booker out for the game with a hamstring injury, Chris Paul assumed a greater offensive load on Friday and took it in stride.
He posted a gaudy playoff stat line of 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting, with 14 assists, while Deandre Ayton was superb, riding a hot start to a 28-point (13-of-20 shooting), 17-rebound showing.
Paul, who was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets back in 2005, dismissed a question in the post-game press conference about whether he heard fans in the arena chanting their displeasure for their former favourite son, and wrapped his arms around the city he once called home.
"These are my people, man. I grew up here," he said. "Six of the best years of my life I played for New Orleans.
"I know how I am with this city, that will never change. I have my parents here, my family here.
"There's nothing like it, it will always be so much love between me and the city here."
Touching on the game, Paul was full of praise for both Suns centers who played key roles in Game 3.
"[Ayton's start] was huge, it was big-time," he said. "You can't replace everything that Devin [Booker] does for us, so it's going to be different spurts, where guys get going.
"[Ayton] kept us in this game in order to bring it home down the stretch… he kept telling me he was going to get me loose, and to stop passing and just shoot the ball.
"JaVale [McGee] was amazing. We talked about it – this was the third game where Larry Nance came in and they started to switch everything – so we wanted to try and punish them on the inside.
"JaVale's energy is contagious – him rebounding and getting those put-backs kept us in the game, too."
The Suns were a top-10 team in three-point percentage during the regular season, but shot just four-of-26 from downtown on Friday.
Paul went into detail about why he feels that stat bodes well for his side going forward in this series, and why he thinks they are built to handle adversity and win tough games.
"We got a lot of good looks," he said. "I was one-for-six, and I didn't realise we were four-of-26 [from three-point range] – but the thing about it is we got great looks.
"All season long we've been a really good shooting team, so to win this game without shooting well, that's a plus for us, because if we can get the same shots next game, hopefully we can knock them down.
"We've got a good group who have been together – we're sort of battle-tested when it comes to things. We went on an incredible run last year, and we're still building.
"I don't know the amount of playoff games our team has under our belts, so everything is still new to a certain extent, but guys know what to expect, and we know what we want to get to [offensively] down the stretch."
The veteran point guard, a 10-time All-Star, was dealt from the Houston Rockets to the Thunder last offseason but is now on the move again to a Suns team with an intriguing young core.
Paul and forward Abdel Nader will head to Phoenix in exchange in exchange for Kelly Oubre Jr, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque as well as a 2022 first-round pick.
The acquisition of Paul gives the Suns a veteran facilitator for shooting guard Devin Booker and center DeAndre Ayton.
Phoenix went 34-39 last season, their best record since the 2014-15 season, going 8-0 in the NBA bubble after the campaign resumed following the coronavirus-enforced suspension.
They missed out on a return to the playoffs, finishing 10th in the Western Conference, but Paul's arrival will fuel hopes they can take the next step in 2020-21 as Booker and Ayton continue to develop.
Booker averaged 26.6 points per game for the second successive season, leading the team in that category. Ayton had 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
For the Thunder, who lost in seven games in the first round of the playoffs to the Rockets, Oubre gives them another frontcourt scorer to go with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the team leader with 19 points a game in 2019-20.
Rubio can help fill the void at point guard with Dennis Schroder seemingly set to join Paul in leaving for pastures new, the German expected to link up with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Suns hold the 10th overall selection in Wednesday's draft, while the Thunder will have to wait until pick number 25 to add a rookie to their roster.
A year ago, the Suns blew a 2-0 lead to lose the NBA Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks but responded by recording the best regular-season record in the league this campaign.
Once again the Suns were heavily fancied and even more so after taking a 2-0 lead against the Mavs.
But on Sunday it was a feeling of deja vu as the Suns were blown out of the water in a 123-90 defeat to crash out of contention.
At one stage the Mavs led by 46 points, while the Suns had just 27 in a disappointing first half – veteran Paul not registering his first field goal until the third quarter.
With Paul now 37 years of age, and reportedly playing with a quad issue, naturally there was talk of retirement, but the 12-time All Star plans to continue as he chases that elusive first NBA championship.
"You play long enough and you don't win, every time you lose, they're going to say it was your best chance," Paul told reporters.
"But I think for me, us, it's we'll be right back next year. I'll tell you that much.
"I'm not retiring tomorrow, thank God. Hopefully, I'm healthy coming back. But I'm [going to] keep playing."
Paul's series mirrored the Suns' fortunes. He averaged 23.5 points and had just two turnovers in the Suns' opening two victories but in the following five that slipped to just 9.4 points and an average 3.6.
Paul said now the Suns simply have to "get back to work".
"It was just a tough game. All season long, we tried to lean on our defence and tonight our defence wasn't there and our offence wasn't there either," Paul said.
"I think coach [Monty Williams] said a lot of it. You play all season to be in this situation and it didn't work out for us.
"There's probably no greater message than get back to work. At the end of the day you at least had a shot at it, one of 16 teams in the playoffs and a great regular season, but we didn't reach our goal.
"I don't think anything matters except everybody just trying to get a little bit better for next season.
"It's tough. Obviously we got further last year, but we didn't reach the goal. We've got a lot of young guys on our team and I think, even just this experience of this playoffs is better than not. It's unfortunate in the fashion that we lost, but we've got to try to figure out ways to get better.
"At the end of the day, they just executed better than we did. Defensively, we just never caught up with the ball.
"They were making tough shots, they were getting threes, lay-ups, a little bit of everything and we never made the game competitive."
The Houston Rockets sent Paul, first-round picks for 2024 and 2026 and pick swaps in 2021 and 2025 to the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire Russell Westbrook in the offseason.
It was expected the Thunder, who gained more draft capital and the promising Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by letting Paul George team up with Kawhi Leonard at the Los Angeles Clippers, would quickly look to move the nine-time All-Star on.
However, Paul has remained in Oklahoma City and led them to a 25-19 record – their latest match a 112-107 triumph over the Rockets at Toyota Center – making them surprise playoff contenders in the Western Conference.
Paul's $44.2million player option for the 2021-22 season is seen as a major obstacle in potential trade talks, but the 15-year point guard has no plan to give it up in pursuit of a ring.
"No chance. That's not happening. Nope," Paul told Sports Illustrated.
He continued: "People always try to tell your story. I'm just in the moment. If something happens and I get moved, I'll make adjustments. For now, I get to hoop. I get to play. My body feels good. I'm excited.
"I am without my wife and my kids, and when I get to practice, I'm excited to be there. I know we're going to compete. We have a fun team. That's all you want. A chance and an opportunity to compete.
"I guess I'm just different. Analytics may say this, the odds may say this. When the ball goes up that night, I think we have a chance to win."
Paul was surprised by the speed of his trade from the Rockets and the Thunder intend to do all they can to ensure he is happy with his next location if it comes to him being moved on.
"Outside of the immediate aftermath of when we initially traded for Chris, we haven't talked at all about the future or felt we needed to," said OKC general manager Sam Presti.
"Given that the trade happened so quickly for him and took him off guard, we thought it was important to build some trust, some rapport, and approach things collaboratively with his representation to see where his head was with respect to the situation with us. He never flinched, and that gave us confidence.
"His professionalism, his outlook, and his maturity have been on another level. We are going through a transition ourselves, so it's somewhat poetic, how he has returned at this point in the organisational timeline, and how he's elevated our team.
"All I can say is that Chris has been all we could have hoped for and more."
The agreement ends McCollum's long and successful stay with Portland, who acquired him with the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft.
The 30-year-old shooting guard is averaging 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in an average 35.2 minutes per game this season. His field-goal record (.436) and three-point shot success rate (.384) are both slightly down on his career averages (.453 and .396).
The Pelicans announced his signing in a statement that read: "The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has acquired CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr and Tony Snell in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.
"In exchange, New Orleans has conveyed Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, Didi Louzada, Tomas Satoransky, a protected 2022 first round draft pick, and two future second round draft picks."
Including the ongoing campaign, McCollum has averaged at least 20 points per season for each of the last seven years with Portland.
In early December, the Trail Blazers revealed McCollum had suffered a collapsed right lung. He missed 18 games, returning for a January 17 win over the Orlando Magic.
Portland interim general manager Joe Cronin said: "On behalf of the Trail Blazers organisation, I want to thank CJ McCollum for the integral role he has played in the success of the franchise over the last nine seasons and for his countless acts of service to the Portland community.
"CJ has cemented himself in Trail Blazers history with his elite skill level and memorable moments on the court as well as with the work ethic, professionalism and generosity he displays behind the scenes."
Portland's form in the 'bubble' saw them leapfrog the Grizzlies into the eighth seed, meaning they needed just a single win on Saturday to advance, where Memphis would have needed back-to-back victories.
At various stages throughout the game, the Grizzlies looked capable of teeing up a rematch, recovering from a tough first quarter and then seizing the lead by scoring 42 points in the third.
But the Blazers' key names stood up to the task, as Damian Lillard - the NBA's form star - contributed 31 points and 10 assists, while Jusuf Nurkic had 22 points and 21 rebounds.
And it was CJ McCollum who closed the game out in dominant fashion, making two vital late shots against Ja Morant, including a three-pointer straight over the rookie to secure a four-point lead inside the last two minutes.
"He can't guard me," yelled McCollum, who finished on 29 points. Morant had been Memphis' top performer on 35 points and eight assists.
In the season-ending loss to the Sun, Clark scored 25 points, adding nine assists and six rebounds, becoming the first rookie to have pulled off a 25-5-5 game in the postseason.
However, she was powerless to stop the Sun from clinching the best-of-three contest 2-0, despite the Fever leading the contest in the final quarter.
But led by 19 points and 13 assists from Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut retook the lead late on to seal their progression to the semi-finals.
Clark set regular-season records throughout the year for assists (337), points by a rookie (769) and three-pointers by a rookie (122) in her debut campaign.
Despite the season ending in disappointment, Clark has vowed to return even stronger next season.
"The fun part is I feel like I'm just scratching the surface, and I'm one that's nit-picking every single thing I do," said Clark.
"I know I want to help this franchise get even better, help my team-mates get even better, and I know there's a lot of room for me to continue to improve.
"I feel like I could continue to get a lot better, and before we know it, I'm sure we'll all be back here and ready for the next year."
The Sun will face the Minnesota Lynx in the play-off semi-finals while Clark will begin her off-season.
Clark scored all 18 of her points in the second half and finished with nine assists and eight rebounds. The rookie broke the mark of 316 set last season by Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.
Clark was scoreless on 0 for 5 shooting in the first half and picked up her third foul when she was called for a charge late in the second quarter as the Aces took a 43-35 lead into the break. She scored 14 points in the third quarter to help the Fever trim a 13-point deficit to 60-57 heading into the fourth quarter.
Clark has continued to make history throughout her first year in the WNBA, surpassing the single-season three-point record among rookies on Aug. 28. She also dished out 19 assists in a loss to the Dallas Wings in July, setting a single-game record.
Mitchell, 25, was one of the most desirable stars on the market after it became clear the Jazz were entering a rebuild following their trade of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
In return, the Jazz will receive three unprotected first-round picks. They include two future first-round pick swaps in guard Collin Sexton and stretch forward Lauri Markkanen, as well as Ochai Agbaji, who was the 14th selection from this year's NBA Draft.
It is a sizeable haul for the Jazz, who also received four future first-round picks, plus three rotation-level players from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Gobert, putting them in one of the most favourable rebuilding situations in the NBA.
For the Cavaliers, the move affirms their position as a true contender in the Eastern Conference for years to come, after emerging from this past season with a long-term core of Darius Garland, Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley and All-Star centre Jarrett Allen.
Cleveland will have one of the league's strongest six-man rotations when factoring in fifth pick from the 2020 draft Isaac Okoro – who will likely start at small forward – and potential Sixth Man of the Year Caris Levert.
Cleveland rolled to its 14th victory in 15 games by going 23 of 41 (56.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Mitchell finished 5 of 11 on 3-point tries and Max Strus was 6 for 10 while adding 22 points.
The Kings got 12 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists from Domantas Sabonis - his 15th triple-double of the season - but couldn't match the Cavaliers' prolific perimeter shooting as Cleveland began pulling away early in the second quarter.
Cleveland scored five straight points to stretch its lead to 46-36 less than two minutes into the second quarter and went into the half owning a comfortable 74-59 advantage behind Mitchell's 19 points.
The Cavaliers remained up by double digits the rest of the way, with their lead expanding to as many as 29 points late.
Harrison Barnes led Sacramento with 22 points while finishing 6 of 10 from 3-point range. The Kings closed out a seven-game road trip in which they had won five of their first six outings and six of seven overall coming into Monday's clash.
Irving, Doncic lead Mavericks past ailing 76ers
Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić combined for 42 points in the duo's first appearance together in two weeks to propel the Dallas Mavericks to a 118-102 win over the staggering Philadelphia 76ers.
Irving racked up 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with eight assists in his return from a six-game absence caused by a sprained right thumb. Doncic had 19 points and eight assists to help Dallas end a two-game skid and deal the ailing 76ers their sixth loss in seven games.
It was just the 23rd time in the Mavericks' 50 games this season they had a healthy Irving and Doncic together in the lineup.
Playing their third straight game without reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who will undergo left knee surgery and is out indefinitely, the Sixers received 19 points from Kelly Oubre Jr. and 17 from Tobias Harris.
All-Star Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia's second-leading scorer behind Embiid, had 15 points but was just 6 of 16 from the field.
The 76ers did manage to lead 33-26 after one quarter and 57-53 at the half, but Doncic hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:57 left in the third quarter to spark an 8-2 run that gave the Mavericks a 77-72 edge near the end of the period.
Dallas then dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the 76ers by a 41-28 margin with its bench providing most of the offence, as reserves Jaden Hardy and Grant Williams each recorded 10 points in the final 12 minutes.
Leonard's 36 points help Clippers cap trip with win over Hawks
Kawhi Leonard scored 13 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Clippers outlasted the Atlanta Hawks and completed a successful road trip with a 149-144 victory.
James Harden added 30 points and 10 assists as he and Leonard powered Los Angeles to a ninth win in 10 games. The Clippers went 6-1 on an 11-day trek away from Crypto.com Arena while the venue hosted the Grammy Awards.
In a fast-paced fourth quarter that saw both teams combine for 90 points, the Clippers outscored Atlanta by a 21-10 margin over a late stretch to move ahead for good.
Leonard began the run with a putback of his own miss that gave Los Angeles a 124-123 lead with 4:52 left, and Harden capped it when he was fouled after hitting a 26-foot jumper with 1:06 to go. He made the free throw to complete the 4-point play and extend the margin to 143-133.
The Hawks put forth a late rally and got to within 147-144 on Bogdan Bogdanović's 3-pointer with 26.7 seconds remaining, but Harden sunk two free throws on the ensuing possession to keep Atlanta at bay.
De'Andre Hunter had 27 points and seven rebounds off the bench to lead Atlanta, which had a four-game winning streak snapped. Trae Young finished with 25 points and 12 assists in the loss.
The Houston Rockets will allow center Capela, 25, to move to the Hawks, with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets also involved in a complex series of swaps ahead of the trade deadline.
Robert Covington is another big name involved as he moves from the Timberwolves to the Rockets along with Jordan Bell as part of the NBA's most expansive trade for two decades, per ESPN.
The young Hawks side led by All-Star Trae Young is boosted by the additions of Capela and another center, the veteran Nene, who also moves from the Rockets.
Capela signed a five-year, $90million deal with the Rockets after the 2017-18 season, but the team have been eager to move his contract and appear keen to surround James Harden and Russell Westbrook with three-point threats as part of smaller line-ups.
That seems to be the motivation behind landing Covington, with experienced forward PJ Tucker now set to be the regular at center as Bell, formerly of the Golden State Warriors, provides some backup.
Malik Beasley has joined the Timberwolves along with Jarred Vanderbilt, Evan Turner and Juan Hernangomez, with the team also collecting the Brooklyn Nets' 2020 first-round draft pick via Atlanta.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, end up with Houston's 2020 first-round draft pick along with quartet Gerald Green, Noah Vonleh, Keita Bates-Diop and Shabazz Napier.
Capela is averaging 13.9 points and 13.8 rebounds in 39 matches this season, while Covington is shooting at 43.5 per cent from the field, a career-high, as he averages 12.8 points from 29.4 minutes per game.
Further moves are expected before the trade deadline, which is on Thursday at 3pm ET.
