Worldwide Sports News

The Golden State Warriors have secured center Kristaps Porzingis on a two-year, $40 million contract extension, keeping “The Unicorn” in the Bay Area through the 2027–28 season. The deal includes a player option for the second year.

​While the $20 million annual average value reflects Porzingis’s elite floor-spacing ability, the underlying structure highlights a masterclass in front-office flexibility. Only $3 million of his 2027–28 salary is guaranteed before late June 2027. Crucially, because this deal was executed as an extension rather than a free-agent re-signing, the 7-foot-2 big man remains immediately eligible to be traded.

As such, SB Nation conducted a poll among Warriors fans, asking them to grade the Porzingis extension. Here are the results:

​Porzingis only appeared in 15 games for Golden State last season due to injury, averaging 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. Whether he serves as a critical pick-and-pop anchor for Steph Curry or functions as a highly movable salary bridge for an offseason blockbuster, this extension gives the Warriors immense strategic optionality.

Will this extension help the Warriors compete next season? Or will they continue to be a mediocre team built around an aging star and pieces that won’t move the needle? Head on over to https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba to test your luck.

Every year, Summer League teaches us the same lessons. Without high-level NBA talent on the floor, defense typically has the advantage. The more physical and aggressive team can completely stifle an opposing offense that hasn’t played much together and doesn’t have the offensive weapons to counter the defensive force. The San Antonio Spurs Summer League squad learned that the hard way on Sunday in a 69-98 loss to the Golden State Warriors Gold squad.

From tip-off, it was clear that the summer Spurs were outmatched by Golden State. The Warriors were pressuring the ball on the perimeter, not allowing San Antonio to get into an easy offensive flow. When the Spurs did manage to get to the paint, the Warriors had the rim protectors to stop them from scoring. Overall, Golden State looked like the more physical and mature team. That played out on the stat sheet as well, as the Spurs had 19 turnovers, shot just 38% from the field, and were outrebounded 47-30.

Without Tarris Reed Jr. and Carter Bryant, the summer Spurs were missing two key contributors who could have brought some offensive firepower. Through two games, it’s clear that San Antonio’s summer team was designed for Bryant to be a key offensive force, as there aren’t many offensive creators on the roster. When he comes back in San Antonio’s first Las Vegas Summer League game, we should see more of what this team was designed to do.

Takeaways:

• The standout performer on Sunday was Emmanuel Miller, who has one of the Spurs’ two-way roster spots. He had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals, and knocked down two three-pointers. Miller is an awesome athlete who can get downhill quickly in transition. Defensively, he’s disruptive in the passing lanes and has enough size and strength on the wings to make things tough on his opponents. He can often get out of control in half-court settings, driving into a collapsing defense with nowhere to go. But his combination of size, athleticism, and shooting is intriguing. He’s a player to watch for the rest of the summer.
• I’ve loved Maliq Brown’s defense. With Reed Jr. missing the game for a non-injury reason, Brown slotted in as the team’s starting center. He has shone as a help defender both on the wing and at center in his two Summer League games. He always seems to be in the right spot and has great hands, allowing him to disrupt passes or block shots at the rim. He needs to find an offensive niche if he wants to develop into an NBA rotation player, but his defense is already one of the top skills of any player on San Antonio’s summer roster.
• Ja’Kobi Gillespie continued to miss shots in his second game, but he is doing a great job getting open. Gillespie had 9 points on 4-12 shooting from the field on Sunday. He’s running a lot of the offense and getting a whole lot of usage, but isn’t seeing the ball go through the hoop. He’s looked really good getting downhill on ball screens and getting into a mid-range pull-up, but the shots just aren’t falling right now. We’ll see if he can find his rhythm as the summer goes on.
• Hyunjung Lee can shoot. He went 4-7 from the field on the way to 11 points off the bench, including a pair of impressive triples. His defense has not been great despite his size, and he isn’t really a threat to create his own shot. San Antonio’s Summer League coach, Corliss Williamson, has been encouraging Lee to shoot more. Expect to see Lee continue to let it fly as the Spurs head to Vegas.

DeMar DeRozan has been waived by the Sacramento Kings after spending two seasons with the franchise after joining in 2024.

DeRozan, a 17-year NBA veteran, was drafted in 2009 with the ninth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors. In his career, he's also played for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star was released from the Kings on Monday, July 6, the team announced.

Both, DeRozan and the Kings front office reportedly worked together, collaboratively to waive DeRozan after searching for possible trade destinations, according to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.

DeRozan was a consummate professional during his time with the Kings. During the 2025-26 season, he led the team in games started and played with 77. He led Sacramento in scoring among players on the team with at least 50 appearances, averaging 18.4 points per contest.

More: Sacramento Kings reshape rebuild with Darius Acuff Jr. and key draft moves

"My whole goal since I been in the league is to try and find ways to come back and be better," DeRozan told USA TODAY Sports during his end-of-season exit interview with the Kings in April.

DeRozan now becomes an unrestricted free agent and one of the remaining highly regarded players available throughout the free agency pool. There are plenty of teams, especially contenders, who can utilize his skillset, veteran leadership and professionalism inside their locker room.

Here are possible free agency landing spots for DeRozan after being waived by the Kings.

If there were ever any questions about Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and his loyalty to the team, he has answered them.

Time and time again, he's expressed his desire to remain with Denver for the remainder of his career. Jokic has two seasons remaining on his contract, which includes a player option to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028 when he will turn 33.

The three-time MVP made clear he will not wait until then to ease the minds of Nuggets fans.

"My idea is to sign next summer and stay with Denver for the rest of my career," Jokic told reporters in Serbian after a FIBA World Cup qualifying game Monday.

"My idea and desire is to stay in Denver. I'll probably sign next year ... My desire is to play the rest of my life in Denver."

The Cleveland Cavaliers have home-court advantage in luring LeBron James to them in free agency. That leverage has reportedly left rival teams across the league feeling hopeless in their pursuit.

“Everybody I’ve talked to is like ‘we’re afraid it’s Cleveland,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “Nobody seems like they have optimism.“

Most of the league is going after the King. Even at 41 years old, James brings value that few others can replicate. He’s seen as the missing piece for numerous teams that are desperate to reach the next level. Only one of the greatest of all time can control the offseason like this.

Notable teams that are interested in James include the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers. Windhorst says the Sixers fear they’ve already lost the war.

“I’ve talked to people in Philly, and I’m like, what do you think? ‘We’re afraid it’s Cleveland,’” said Windhorst.

Cleveland seems to be gaining serious momentum. It makes all too much sense for James to return home for the grand finale of his career. This is a location that can offer him everything, from a chance to win one more title to a final standing ovation in front of the crowd that has loved him most. The appeal of ending it in Cleveland is strong enough narratively to put doubt in everyone else’s minds.

Why wouldn’t it?

James has been all over Akron this week, posting to social media as he parties with hometown friends and Cavs front office members alike. James has returned to Akron frequently over the years — something that should only add fuel to the fire for his return. Clearly, he loves being home.

Other teams can offer him competitive environments. The 76ers have re-upped with Jaylen Brown next to their core of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The Heat, similarly, made a splash by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Golden State has some long-time rivals who James could unite with for one more shot at a title.

None of those places offer James the safety that Cleveland does.

Failure in Golden State or Philly would feel as anticlimactic as it gets. Can you imagine the halfhearted cheers that James would receive from Warriors fans who have spent the last decade hating him if the Dubs had an early exit next season? It would pale in comparison to even the worst-case scenario in Cleveland. Frankly, the Cavs could miss the postseason altogether, and James would still get an authentic, roaring ovation from the Cleveland crowd in his final game.

I’d imagine all of this is weighing into James’ decision. And as we await the final verdict, reports such as this suggest that Cleveland might be in the lead.

BOSTON — Brad Stevens has taken countless press conferences, for many years on an almost-nightly basis as a head coach, and more recently, as the Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations.

Still, sitting at the Auerbach Center podium late Monday afternoon, he was faced with perhaps his most difficult press conference yet.

The stunning trade that made Jaylen Brown a Philadelphia 76er was not even official for three hours when Stevens took the podium alongside team owner Bill Chisholm, in order to answer 45 minutes of grueling questions from the local Boston press corps.

Was this a cost-cutting move?
Did swapping in Paul George for Jaylen Brown actually make this team better?
How do you explain this to the angry fans?
What do you say to a disrespected Jaylen?

From the get-go, Stevens looked and sounded like a man who, understandably, was balancing several competing and sensitive objectives.

He had an obvious desire — perhaps even a mandate — to be complimentary to Brown, a franchise legend, an all-time great who helped deliver Banner 18 to the Celtics a mere two summers ago.

“When Jaylen came here as a 19-year-old, we knew that he had a lot of talent and a lot of ability to impact people in a lot of different ways,” Stevens said in his opening statement. “And he certainly did that by inspiring people with his play, but I think maybe more so — and the thing that certainly always impressed me even more — was taking on the responsibility of being a great Boston athlete in the community. He talked all the time about his admiration for Bill Russell, and all that he meant in the community, and Jaylen has done an amazing job.”

He had a responsibility to empathize with the outraged Celtics fans who have been trying to make sense of a shocking deal that sent a beloved, homegrown star to a division rival for a far less impressive return than most expected.

“I’ve lost sleep over the ‘fan’ part of this,” Stevens said. “I get it. Like, there’s a bunch of 7 jerseys around. I’m pretty sure I bought a couple, so I get it.”

And, he tried his very best to be truthful and shine light on just some of the factors that played into the wildly unpopular decision, be it Brown’s unfavorable advanced analytics, the challenges of balancing two supermax contracts, Brown’s high usage; the list goes on.

Stevens admitted that advanced analytics played a role in his decision-making, albeit a limited one: “I would say that was a small piece of information.”

And, he acknowledged that it’s just not viable to have two supermax players long-term: “We may not be sitting here if there was a rule in the CBA that said, ‘The guys that you drafted that you signed for 35% supermaxes count as 25% of the cap, because then that would allow you to build out towards the aprons with a lot less flexibility, or with a lot more flexibility.”

Stevens answered each and every question thoroughly, looking reporters in the eye, calling them by their first name, never getting even a tad bit defensive.

Chisholm, who is far less experienced, occasionally chimed in to fortify the message, nervously fidgeting at times, but nonetheless picking his words carefully.

The duo undoutebdly handled what could have been a disastrous presser well. How much that actually matters to Celtics fans remains to be seen.

In my view, there were four notable moments.

1. Bill Chisholm made clear that the idea to trade Jaylen Brown did not stem from him.

“Brad and his team came with a recommendation, this is the way we’re gonna win,” Chisholm said. “And I looked at it, and I had the same reaction, I was like, ‘Wow.‘ This is the fan in me — like, really tough.”

He also made clear this was not a cost-cutting move.

“I know there’s people who feel like, ‘Oh, there must be a smoking gun somewhere on the money,’ but that’s just not what this is about,” Chisholm said. “And I can say it, and I’ll keep saying it, but I’ll also prove it to you when the time comes. When we have the opportunity, we’re going to do that. And we’ve given ourselves the flexibility to do it now. So, it’s fine to keep asking the question, because I know we have to prove it, and we will.”

Though Chisholm came into his role at a difficult time, there’s no reason to think he’s been cheaping out — I genuinely believe all of this would have happened if the previous ownership group remained. But, as he acknowledged, only time will tell.

2. Brad Stevens shot down some of the off-court rumors that have surrounded Jaylen Brown’s trade

In the days since Jaylen Brown was traded, rumors have swirled that off-court issues may played a factor. But, Stevens vehemently shot down the notion that Brown was disgruntled with the team, or vice versa, prior to trade talks.

“We all appreciate Jaylen,” Stevens said. “We’ve all enjoyed having Jaylen as a teammate. I think he’s got great relationships from here.”

Did Jayson Tatum want Jaylen Brown gone?

That question has been posited in radio and TV stations across the country, and Stevens laid that one to rest, too.

He reiterated that Tatum, Brown’s teammate of 9 seasons, had no input in the decision to make the trade.

“I have a real hard-and-fast rule,” Stevens said. “I don’t ask other guys about other guys… I won’t put them in that position.”

3. The Celtics wanted to move away from being such a top-heavy team

As part of his opening statement, Brad Stevens shared (unprompted) that he felt like having Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take up such a large percentage of the salary cap and usage wasn’t putting the Celtics on the best pathway forward.

“The path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players,” Stevens said. “And the reality in this era and in this day and age at the NBA, you could see it obviously, with the last couple of champions and some of the teams that were at the very top of the league, when it was all said and done at the end of this year, is that you have to do a great job and you have to have the optionality to do a great job of building out depth that can hopefully replace the irreplaceable individual. And that’s not an easy thing to do, right? And we get that. And that’s absolutely nothing against Jaylen. If you have Jaylen Brown on your team, you should feature him. You should use all those possessions, and you should approach things that way. But I think the importance of depth, and then obviously we have to continue to work on ways to diversify our attack overall.”

My analysis: There was a time in which having two or three stars was all you needed to be a championship contender in the NBA. Recent history shows that that era has passed, and this trade is, in part, an acknowledgement of that.

4. The Celtics actually think Paul George will be a difference-maker

It’s hard to get fans excited about a soon-to-be 37-year-old player who on one of the NBA’s most unpopular contracts. But, though his availability remains a question mark, the team is excited about what Paul George could bring.

“We like Paul,” Stevens said. “Paul’s a really good player. We’re not very far removed from all sitting in our series against Philadelphia and watching Paul be a guy that could carry you for portions of a quarter or a half, but also play a complementary role on both ends of the floor at the highest of levels. He’s excited to come to Boston. He actually already came in this weekend. And we’re excited to get a chance to work with him.”

My analysis: The word ‘complementary’ here is key. The Celtics believe that Paul George could fit well next season, and fit in well to what the Celtics are doing. George was awesome in the postseason against Boston — he averaged 17.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 48.9% from the field and 55% from three across seven games. He’s also historically been an elite defender. There’s a world where he really thrives in this role.

Still, the reality is that nothing Brad Stevens said will fully satisfy Celtics fans

Though Stevens handled the press conference as best as he could — perhaps as best as any NBA general manager in the aftermath of such an unpopular trade — no words could provide complete clarity on why this all played out, why it had to happen now, and why the Celtics wouldn’t want to keep Brown coming off of his best season yet.

Perhaps the truth is hurtful to Brown. It was clear from the jump that Stevens did not want to denigrate his character or on-court play, to the point where he even avoided saying he thinks next year’s team will be better than this year’s.

Or, maybe the logic behind the decision to trade Brown is faulty. And, maybe, the decision to trade Brown will age poorly.

Stevens acknowledged that reality, too.

“I might be wrong,” Stevens said. “I’m not going to stand up here and be defensive about that.”

Either way, though Stevens gets a 10 out of 10 on his transparency and willingness to field all the questions, and give fans the answers they deserved, even if it doesn’t actually move the needle on things.

The big question: What did you guys think?