The Sixers had their third straight slow start in Las Vegas and fell behind 9-0. They began 1 for 16 from the floor as a team.
Edgecombe was displeased by a couple of dubious no-calls in the first quarter. Independent of the officiating, he clearly had some rust. The 19-year-old air balled an open three-pointer late in the first period and missed an uncontested layup in the second.
Though he was scoreless in the first half and came up empty on his first seven field goal attempts, Edgecombe did flash talents outside of shotmaking. He elevated high for a defensive rebound early in the second quarter, pushed the ball forward and dropped off an assist to Keve Aluma. He was generally solid as a passer in the half court, too.
Edgecombe recorded his first points when he tried for a monstrous dunk early in the third quarter, finally received a foul call and made both of his free throws. He eventually got a dunk to go down and later teamed up with Edwards on an alley-oop.
Aluma was a standout in the second quarter. The 26-year-old power forward scored 12 points in the period on 4-for-5 shooting.
Johni Broome also provided substantial frontcourt scoring. He gave the Sixers their first lead with a second-quarter slam and then drilled a top-of-the-key triple.
Broome is now 6 for 11 from long range in Las Vegas. The Sixers’ second-round pick had a nice night overall with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Edgecombe, Edwards help Sixers pull away
Adem Bona remained among the top shot blockers so far in Vegas, adding six rejections to his tally. He’s at 11 blocks through three games.
Bona was on the floor as the Sixers thoroughly outplayed the Wizards in the final minutes. Edgecombe and Edwards featured.
After running a pick-and-roll with Bona, Edgecombe dished to Edwards for a wing three. Edgecombe then swished a catch-and-shoot jumper of his own on the Sixers’ next possession.
While neither Edwards nor Edgecombe had especially efficient games, both were glad to fire away down the stretch and cemented the Sixers’ first Vegas victory.
Kyrie Irving is undergoing rehab for his ACL tear and will miss much, if not all, of the coming season. Anthony Davis is undergoing rehab following retina surgery on his eye, but he is expected to be ready to go for the start of training camp.
Now add Dereck Lively II to the recovery list — he has undergone surgery to remove bone spurs in his right foot, a story broken by Marc Stein. His foot was placed in a walking boot after the procedure, but he is expected to be ready to play when Dallas opens training camp in September, according to subsequent reports.
Lively played in just 36 games last season due to a small fracture in his foot (or ankle, depending on the report. (How to best treat Lively and pushing him to play reportedly was a flash point in a disagreement between members of the Mavericks' medical and training teams, with athletic performance director Keith Belton now gone from the franchise.) Due to the injury, Lively averaged 8.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, playing 23 minutes a night when he was on the court.
Lively is part of a very talented and deep front-court rotation for the Mavericks next season. Lively and Daniel Gafford are the more traditional rim-running centers, with Anthony Davis then playing the four (his preferred spot). However, that pushes No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg to the three, when watching him in Summer League he seems more like a point-forward four — expect Jason Kidd to have Davis at the five and Flagg at the four at key points this season. Also, P.J. Washington is coming off the bench in that mix.
That's a lot of talent up front, and it appears Lively will now be healthy enough to play a larger role this season.
Every NBA rookie has his own path, and it isn’t always a soft landing.
Quinten Post was thrown into the fire by the Warriors last season once he graduated from dominating the G League in Santa Cruz. The former No. 52 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft spent all of 2024 developing his game, but once he earned his promotion, Post was up for good.
Post played so well in his first five games of real minutes at the end of January, averaging 10.4 points on 39.3-percent shooting from three, coach Steve Kerr decided to give Post his first start in a Golden State jersey — against the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The box score wasn’t pretty for Post in the Warriors’ seven-point win, yet he survived and started the next five games, too. Post started 14 regular-season games as a rookie, and another two in the NBA playoffs. He talked trash with Luka Dončić and LeBron James in LA.
None of those experiences can be compared to who Post sat across from Saturday night in Las Vegas, staring at their chess pieces.
“It’s a completely different experience,” Post says, speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area exclusively over the phone. “As in, like, there’s no expectations obviously when I play chess against Magnus. There are expectations when I play on an NBA court against LeBron or whoever we face.”
While the initial plan was for Post to play NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas, freestyle chess is what he dominated instead. Post over the weekend was part of Chesstival at the Wynn Las Vegas, an innovative pro-am tournament hosted by former NBA MVP Derrick Rose and chess grandmaster and current world champion Magnus Carlsen. Post came out a big winner, too.
First, NBA players were paired with chess grandmasters for two-person teams in a head and hand tournament. The grandmaster called out a piece, and the NBA player had to make the move. Post and his partner Tania Sachdev of India made it all the way to the semifinals, losing to Tony Snell and Fabiano Caruana of Italy. Later in the night, Post got his revenge on Snell.
The head and hand tournament was followed by a best of the best battle, NBA players going head-to-head in singles. Post met Snell in the third round and this time was victorious. The floor-stretching Warriors center checkmated Harrison Ingram in the finals, becoming the first ever Chesstival blitz tournament champion.
From buckets to bishops, he does it all♟️
Quinten Post showed off his chess skills at Chesstival during Summer League, taking the W in the Blitz tournament—and donating the prize money to a charity of his choice. pic.twitter.com/MBRqyGv7GN
More than bragging rights were secured. Post won $25,000 to charity, which he’s giving to Reading Partners, a national nonprofit he previously partnered with earlier this year.
“It’s an organization that helps kids who either struggle with reading or who are in a situation at home or at school where it’s hard for them to learn how to read,” Post said. “Just want to help these kids have a good foundation to set them up for the rest of their lives.”
He and his chess grandmaster partner weren’t pitted against Carlsen and Rose in the tournament. Rather than let a lifetime opportunity pass him by, Post took his chance the night before at the event’s welcome dinner.
It wasn’t confidence that oozed out of Post, it was living in the moment. He was in a place those who taught him the game couldn’t imagine. So, Post challenged Carlsen to a 1-on-1 game at dinner.
“My grandpa — both of them, actually — are into chess, so that’s kind of how I picked it up at a younger age,” Post revealed. “I was like, this is an opportunity for me to be able to tell my kids that I played a game against the world champion. He’s the best to ever do it, so I just took my chance to challenge him.
“Yeah, I didn’t end up winning. It was a lot of fun.”
Each player was given five minutes. Post took about four and a half minutes. Carlsen needed maybe 30 seconds to beat him, per Post’s estimation.
Like young basketball sensations, there have been numerous chess prodigies throughout the years. Carlsen is one of them. He’s a genius. He just might be the G.O.A.T.
He also has been called eccentric, cocky and even arrogant for his unusual antics and tactics that don’t always align with chess and its culture. There’s an intimidation factor Carlsen brings to the sport. Post could have felt it, maybe he did. But he also had an easy in.
“Magnus is actually a huge Warriors fan,” Post says. “He watches every single game, he told me. So that was an easy point of the conversation, and he seemed pretty well-versed in basketball. He’s a huge Steph [Curry] fan, too.
“Super cool guy. We talked about chess, the lifestyle, basketball, and I told him if he’s ever in San Francisco he should come to a game.”
The game of chess always has been a part of Post, and it always will be. His father, Arjen, plays but it’s his two grandfathers that he gives credit to.
Post remembers learning chess around 6, 7 or 8 years old. His mother’s father Kess Toorenaar taught chess at a local elementary school and instilled the basics in Post. His grandpa on his father’s side, Harry Post, played chess at the local club.
Now, it’s something he picks up recreationally in phases. Post has played against Warriors teammate Moses Moody and a handful of members on the coaching staff, and he hopes to play Draymond Green this season. Recently, Post really has delved back into it.
Aside from Chesstival, Post this offseason went to the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco to play. Founded in 1854, the Mechanics’ Institute is the oldest chess club in the United States.
“Really nice people. They hosted me very well,” Post said. “It’s cool to see. It’s actually a very famous club where a lot of people have come. It was cool to do that.”
Shooting easily is Post’s biggest strength on a basketball court right now. It’s easy to describe him in a scouting report. The exercise was impossible to do for Post when it comes to chess.
He couldn’t define himself quite yet, but did admit he’s an offensive type of player who likes to attack. Comparing and describing Carlsen’s game was much easier for Post.
“Probably the greatest to ever do it,” he said. “Modern era, he’s like a Curry or like a LeBron of the chess world.”
And Post is the Carlsen of the NBA world, at least for one weekend in terms of chess.
“I would say so,” Post said when I asked if he’s the best chess player in the NBA. “I think I got a good shot at it. Maybe not everybody was there that plays. We’ll see. It’ll probably grow next year, and we’ll see.”
His road to winning the blitz tournament began by beating former, and possibly future, Warriors teammate De’Anthony Melton. Wins then were secured against Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, Snell, Grant Williams and Ingram.
A precaution to an ankle issue kept Post from playing summer league this year. He’s still the Warriors’ biggest winner of Las Vegas, proudly wearing a new target on his back from the hoopers trying to get the privilege of boasting on a chessboard.
John Collins? Traded. Collin Sexton? Traded. Jordan Clarkson? Bought out.
Lauri Markkanen? It looks like the veteran forward is staying in Utah and will not be traded, Tim MacMahon reports at ESPN.
[Trading Markkanen] is not Utah's intention, sources told ESPN. It would be too much to describe Markkanen as untouchable, but the Jazz still project the All-Star forward as a key player in their future core.
While this is what a front office says when trying to gain leverage and drive up the price tag on a potential trade, in this case, there are reasons to believe Utah means it.
For one thing, even if Markkanen bounces back to the form of his first season in Utah — when he was an All-Star and won the Most Improved Player award — it's not going to disrupt the clear plan for next season, which is to, how should we put this, end up with excellent lottery odds. Secondly, his massive salary — his four-year, $195.9 million contract extension kicks in this season, starting at $46.4 million — makes finding a workable trade difficult. Finally, and tied to that contract, Markkanen struggled through an injury-plagued last season, averaging 19 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but his shooting efficiency was down across the board, including 34.6% from 3-point range. Teams are going to want to see the 28-year-old regain his form.
Which is to say, the Jazz are going to wait, play Markannen with their young stars like the just-drafted Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski (who has looked fantastic at Summer League) and Walker Kessler, and see how things shake out. At the deadline, maybe the Jazz and another team out there will feel differently, maybe not, but for now expect Markkanen to stay in Utah. Where he has wanted to be.
To be fair, Essengue scored 21 points, while Matas Buzelis showed why he is too good to still be playing in Summer League, scoring 28 points. It wasn't just those buckets; it was that the Bulls were getting theirs with flair in an up-and-down, fast-paced game. —Kurt Helin
The matchup between the Spurs and Jazz ended up being one of the best games of Summer League so far.
Kyle Filipowski dominated early and often, knocking down three triples in the first four minutes of the game and finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds and five three-pointers. He had a layup to give Utah a late lead before Dylan Harper tied it up to force overtime, and Filipowski also had a dunk with two seconds left in overtime to tie the game before Riley Minix nailed the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Filipowski has been fantastic through Summer League in both Utah and Las Vegas, and it wouldn't be shocking if they opted to shut him down for the remainder of the summer. With John Collins now in Los Angeles, Filipowski should be a key contributor for the Jazz this season.
John Tonje made his Summer League debut for Utah and finished with 16 points and four three-pointers. The 24-year-old rookie shined at Wisconsin last season and could be an NBA-ready scoring option for the Jazz this year, though the amount of depth Utah has will make it difficult for him to earn minutes.
Carter Bryant continued to play high-level defense, and Dylan Harper was solid despite not being quite as good as he was against Dallas, but David Jones-Garcia was the star once again. He dropped 28 points in the win, which was his fifth-straight game scoring at least 20 points this summer. The only time he didn't reach 20, he finished with 18 points. Jones-Garcia has certainly played his way into at least a two-way contract, especially if he keeps this up. —Noah Rubin
• Kel'el Ware responds after Spoelstra's criticism. In his first game at the Las Vegas Summer League, Miami's promising young big man Kel'el Ware was uninspiring, scoring 10 points with six boards and kind of coasting through the game (it's a concerning sign when a guy who got so much run as a rookie does not dominate in Summer League). The next day, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra showed up at Summer League practice and had some pointed words for Ware:
"A big part of this is he has to really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day. He has to get better with that. It's learning how to become a pro. I understand it. He was 20 last year, and he's 21. We have bigger expectations...
"The professionalism and consistency has to improve, and it is. Our standards are not going to change, and our expectations and how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change. But he has to get better at it, he has to take ownership of it, and the other stuff will come along with that."
Ware got the message. He was much more intense and focused against the Cavaliers on Sunday, scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shots, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. On Sunday, Ware had another strong game with 21 points and 15 boards against Boston. —Helin
Blocks, dunks, triples, lobs, intensity, you name it… Kel’el was showing it all tonight pic.twitter.com/MjeiaJS0zp
• Kon Knueppel looks better. Kon Knueppel struggled in his Summer League debut on Friday and then sat out on Saturday. However, he was finally able to get things going against the Mavericks. He made an impact in a variety of ways, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three three-pointers. He was solid on defense, created shots for his teammates and had a double-double after not recording one during his lone season at Duke. Oh yeah, and he can shoot too. —Rubin
• Așa Newell's 3-point shot. Asa Newell hit four three-pointers on Sunday, which was an encouraging sign for his development. Deep-range shooting will be a huge swing skill for his future in the NBA.
On Monday, he only hit one, but it was clear the defense respected his shot. Early in the first quarter, he got his defender to jump on a pump fake, which set up a strong drive to the basket and a pair of free throws. Newell doesn't need to be an elite stretch big for the Hawks; they have Kristaps Porzingis for that. However, if he can at least space the floor enough for the defense to respect his shot, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson won't have any issues getting to the rim when Newell is in the game.
Newell's lone shot from deep came late in the game to tie things up at 99, and he followed that up with a Euro step layup in transition to give Atlanta the lead. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds in the overtime victory. —Rubin
• The highs and lows of Kobe Bufkin. Sure, there were plenty of mistakes, especially early, but Kobe Bufkin still had some positive aspects to his performance. He scored a game-high 25 points, including five of Atlanta's seven in overtime. However, he turned it over nine times and committed seven fouls. Yikes. Not what you want to see out of a first-round pick entering his third season. Bufkin would probably benefit from some extra games this summer. —Rubin
• Kennedy Chandler looking good. Kennedy Chandler continued to shine for the Rockets. He finished with 22 points, seven assists, and three steals and is now averaging 19 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game this summer. He had the ball in his hands a little extra with Reed Sheppard shut down for the rest of Summer League. Whether or not it's with Houston, Chandler has made a case to earn a two-way contract next season. —Rubin
Aggressive drive from Kennedy Chandler for the and-1
“I guess,” Looney said when Thompson II asked him if Post was the final straw for him. “I wouldn’t say it like that, but it was anybody but me it seemed like at this point. It wasn’t no one moment. Even this year, probably the playoffs. We going up against Steven Adams. This is what I do. They’re not really giving me the chance to really let me do what I do.
“It’s like, ‘All right, y’all don’t trust me? I thought y’all trusted me.’ They put me at the end in Game 7, it’s like why’d we have to wait for that point?”
Looney played just 9.3 minutes per game in the seven-game series against the Houston Rockets in the opening round of the playoffs. In a Game 6 loss, Looney played just two minutes as Houston forced a do-or-die Game 7.
Meanwhile, Post played 17 minutes per game during that series.
While Looney has been the reliable force the Warriors could depend on whenever, he reached a point where it was too much.
“Nah, you get sick of that at some point,” Looney told Thompson II. “When you prove yourself the first four, five years, all right, cool. But after 10 years of it, it’s like, all right. You either trust me or you don’t.”
“I just know it’s never personal with Steve,” Looney said. “He’s going to do whatever is best to try to win. It ain’t just me. He’s done this to everybody. I might’ve been the one it was happening to the most because I was here the longest. I know it’s not personal. He just wants to win.
“You can’t be mad because the results showed that. It usually worked. You talk about sacrifice and win, he’s going to really test that sacrifice part.”
As a 10-year NBA vet, Looney understands the business side of the league. And in the end, regardless of the jersey he’s wearing, he’ll always be a Warriors legend in Dub Nation’s eyes.
Jordan Walsh’s ejection in Las Vegas on Monday night was ill-advised — unless you ask his conflict-loving head coach.
The Celtics forward was tossed from Boston’s NBA Summer League matchup with the Heat in the first half after he shoved Miami guard Pelle Larsson following a foul call. It was Walsh’s second technical foul of the game, which meant an immediate ejection for the 21-year-old wing.
Considering the stakes for Walsh at Summer League as he aims for a larger role in Boston’s rotation this season, getting thrown out in the first half isn’t ideal. But when he hit the showers Monday night, he encountered some words of encouragement from Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
“He told me he loved it,” Walsh said of Mazzulla, via SB Nation’s Noa Dalzell. “As soon as I got ejected, I got to the locker room and checked my phone and he was texting me like, ‘I love this out of you.’
“So, take that for what it is. But Joe was hyped.”
That message is coming from the same person who said he wants to “bring back fighting” in the NBA, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that Mazzulla enjoyed Walsh’s chippiness. And that chippiness appears to be a point of emphasis for the 21-year-old as he enters his third NBA season.
“I feel like I’m trying to get under people’s skin,” Walsh added. “… I’m trying to get them confused and throw them off their rhythm. [It] ended up happening to me, but I want to disrupt everybody. I want to take out your rhythm. I want to take you out of your plays, your sets. I want to speed you up.”
While there’s value in being a disruptor, Walsh also needs to avoid crossing the line and hurting his team. He had a team-high 13 points at the time of his ejection, and Boston’s offense struggled in his absence en route to a 100-96 loss.
Walsh has a golden opportunity to expand his role this season with Jayson Tatum sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and he’s proven he can make an impact with his defense and hustle. He shot just 36.1 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from 3-point range last season, however, and if he can’t contribute more offensively, he may find himself behind second-year wing Baylor Scheierman on the depth chart.
Walsh and the Summer Celtics will be back in action Thursday night against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
“Elite duo right there,” Poole, who was acquired by the Pelicans from the Washington Wizards earlier in the offseason, said when reacting to the news.
The former Warrior duo played four seasons together before Poole was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2023, and then to the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this month.
During their time together, they were key contributors to the Warriors’ 2022 NBA championship. Poole averaged 13.2 points in the finals, while Looney averaged five points along with seven and a half rebounds.
“I’m so happy bro … that’s some of the best news I’ve heard yet,” Poole continued.
Shortly after the signing was announced, Looney Facetimed his former teammate. Poole had a wholesome response when answering the call.
“Welcome bro … it’s been a long time comin’ bro,” Poole said.
These two were beloved in the Bay, and now they’ll be competing against Golden State in a stacked Western Conference.
Warriors basketball soon is approaching, Dub Nation.
Golden State released its preseason schedule for the 2025-26 NBA campaign, with three of its five games at Chase Center.
Here is the full five-game schedule:
Oct. 5: Warriors vs. Lakers at Chase Center
Oct. 8 Warriors vs. Trail Blazers at Chase Center
Oct. 12: Warriors vs. Lakers at Crypto.com Arena
Oct. 14 Warriors vs. Trail Blazers at Moda Center
Oct. 17 Warriors vs. Clippers at Chase Center
Oct 5: Warriors-Lakers at Chase Center Oct 8: Warriors-Blazers at Chase Center Oct 12: Warriors-Lakers at Crypto Oct 14: Warriors-Blazers at Moda Center Oct 17: Warriors-Clippers at Chase Center
Warriors have three home preseason games and two on the road
Following a gutwrenching end to the 2024-25 NBA season, Golden State will look to bounce back in 2025-26 around its core of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Another member of the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics has left the team in free agency.
Forward Drew Peterson, who entered this offseason as a restricted free agent, has agreed to a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets, his agents confirmed to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Peterson spent the last two seasons on a two-way deal with the Celtics, appearing in just three games during the 2023-24 campaign while spending most of the season in the G League with the Maine Celtics. He saw more opportunity last season, however, playing in 25 games for Boston’s parent club and averaging 2.2 points over 7.4 minutes per game in those appearances.
The 25-year-old Peterson is an excellent 3-point shooter who has shot 42.1 percent from distance over 28 NBA games. He’ll reunite in Charlotte with former Celtics assistant Charles Lee, who took over as Hornets head coach last season.
While Peterson showed some promise in Boston, his departure seemed likely after the Celtics reportedly signed both of their second-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft — big man Amari Williams and guard Max Shulga — to two-way deals. Forward Miles Norris also is on a two-way deal with Boston, meaning the team has no more open two-way slots.
Peterson joins Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet among the players leaving the Celtics this offseason, while veteran Al Horford is expected to depart in free agency as well. If Horford signs elsewhere, forward Torrey Craig would be Boston’s final unsigned free agent.
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Lakers guard Bronny James, right, shoots in front of Clippers rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser during the first half of the Clippers' 67-58 NBA Summer League win in Las Vegas on Monday night. (Garrett Ellwood / NBAE via Getty Images)
Even with all the sports dignitaries in attendance and even though they were watching a rivalry game of sorts between the Lakers and Clippers, the fans inside the Thomas & Mack Center still were mostly enamored with Bronny James.
James had one of his better NBA Summer League games, but it was the Clippers who came out on top in a 67-58 win Monday night at Nevada Las Vegas.
James had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes and 17 seconds.
He was six for 10 from the field and three for five from three-point range.
And, yes, he was happy to have the support of his family and teammates.
“It definitely gave me a little boost, seeing them cheer for me and my teammates,” James said. “It’s great to get in the gym with them.”
The star of the night was Clippers forward Jordan Miller, his 19 points and seven rebounds a big reason why the Clippers are 3-0 in the summer league.
His three-pointer late in the fourth quarter gave the Clippers a lead they never lost. He scored nine of the Clippers’ last 11 points.
“We got it done,” said Clippers assistant coach Jeremy Castleberry, who is the team’s summer league coach. “We got it done. We did what we needed to do, the second night of a back-to-back. For a lot of those guys, it was the first back-to-back they played in a long time. So, happy we got it done.”
James started strong, shooting a three-pointer to open the scoring. He added a step-back three in the second quarter, those two shots being part of his 12 first-half points on four-for-four shooting.
He made a three-pointer in the fourth quarter that tied the score 51-51.
“Yeah, I can see growth, for sure,” James said. “Honestly, I just feel like my confidence is growing over the last year and a half or so. So, I’m just going to grow on that and keep my mind right.”
The Lakers shot 34.4% just from the field, 30% from three-point range and 38.5% from the free-throw line (five for 13). They also turned the ball over 19 times.
Lakers assistant coach Lindsey Harding said the team showed signs of “fatigue,” which she expected considering it was their sixth summer game (they played three games at the California Classic in San Francisco).
“It just seemed like we didn’t have much pop,” said Harding, the Lakers' summer league coach.
But not James. He seemed energized the entire game.
"Bronny came ready. He came ready. He had the spark," Harding said. "You want these guys, especially him in that position and who he’ll be with us with the Lakers, when you get your minutes, go hard. Play until exhaustion, we’ll take you out and then we’ll put you back in. I thought that he did that today.
"He did a great job, even on the offensive end in finding players, making reads on pick-and-rolls. I think they struggled guarding him and he did a great job on the defensive end.”
But James wasn’t the only one who got the fans excited.
Victor Wembanyama did not set foot on an NBA court after the All-Star Game, when he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. He missed enough games that he did not qualify for Defensive Player of the Year or other postseason honors that might have come his way.
"I'm officially cleared to return. It just happened — I got the green light from the Spurs' medical staff just a few hours ago [this was reported on July 11]. Phew, I'll finally be able to play a bit of basketball again!"
Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game when healthy last season (although he missed 36 games, he still led the league in total blocks). At age 21, he was named to his first All-Star team.
Considering the timing of this announcement, it's no surprise that Wembanyama is still ruled out of playing for France at EuroBasket 2025, which starts next month.
Talk to scouts and front office people around the league about who can challenge Oklahoma City's dominance in the West, for next year they usually say Denver and Houston, but talk about two or three years down the line and they fear San Antonio and what they will become with Wembanyama and a good core around him. He just needs to stay healthy.
At the top of the list of things the 76ers need to turn next season around is key players staying healthy. This is a bad start.
Paul George underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee "to treat an injury sustained during a recent workout," the 76ers announced on Monday. That's a rather vague description of what was done, and the only timeline the 76ers gave was that George will be re-evaluated before training camp starts in September. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports had a few more details.
A source familiar with George’s injury told me this was essentially an arthroscopic clean up and did not involve the major ligaments
If that report is accurate, George should be good to go by the start of next season. However, nothing feels certain with George and his health.
George, who was attending games at the Las Vegas Summer League, played in just half of the 76ers' games last season due to knee and groin injuries. That followed the pattern in Philly, where Joel Embiid played in 19 games, Jared McCain played 23 games, and Tyrese Maxey played in 52 due to an assortment of injuries. When George did play, he averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game, while shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc.
Philly enters next season as the biggest question mark in the Eastern Conference (if not the NBA). On paper, the Embiid/George/Maxey core should lead one of the — if not THE — most talented team in the East, but can they be trusted to stay healthy and mesh under coach Nick Nurse? In a down Eastern Conference, this team has the potential to win the conference, but numerous questions lie in its way.
Health is at the top of that list of questions. George's surgery may be nothing and something forgotten about by the time next season tips, but it feels like a bad omen. At least.
Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez controls the ball in front of Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin during a playoff game in April. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
The Clippers team Brook Lopez grew up watching as a young kid in Southern California is not that same franchise anymore.
These Clippers are about putting a winning product on the court and about putting together the right talent to win games — and that is what sold Lopez on signing with them.
“It’s crazy to see, but it’s very cool — seeing the climb, the ascent,” Lopez said Monday afternoon at a news conference hours before the Clippers and Lakers played each other in an NBA Summer League game at Nevada Las Vegas. “I’m a Cali boy. I grew up in the Valley, in North Hollywood. Obviously things were very different back then and to see where the Clippers have come now, it’s just astonishing, it’s beautiful. I’m glad to be a part of it and hopefully I can help take them even further up.”
Lopez decided not to return to the Bucks after seven seasons in Milwaukee and opted not to sign with the Lakers, joining the Clippers on a two-year, $18-million deal.
He liked the idea of playing with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, a former teammate when they played on the Lakers in 2017-18, and for Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. Lopez also had a connection with Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations. Frank was the coach of the New Jersey Nets when Lopez was there.
“Looking at my options, I was just thrilled the Clippers reached out and were one of them,” Lopez said. “They’ve been a great team for quite a while now. They have a ton of great players, obviously Hall of Famers, All-Stars, great young players. My guy Zubi! And there is a great chance to win a championship here.”
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, right, blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on April 26. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Over the course of his career, Lopez has been a starting center. He played in 80 games last season with the Bucks, averaging 31.8 minutes per game. And he was still productive at 37, averaging 13 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 blocks, while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 37.3% from three-point range.
But Zubac has emerged as one of the top centers in the NBA, even making the NBA’s All-Defensive second team.
Out of the 1,105 regular-season games Lopez has played, he has started in 1,064. With the Clippers, however, he'll likely come off the bench.
“I’m just trying to come in and help the team win,” Lopez said. “Whatever that may look like, that’s what I’m here to do. Wherever my minutes may come from when I’m on the court, the beginning of the game, middle of the game, end of the game, I’m trying to be out there trying to help my team win and beat the other team on the court.”
Because he can stretch the floor with his outside shooting, the 7-foot-1 Lopez can see a world in which he and 7-0 Zubac are on the court playing together.
“I think we complement each other extremely well,” Lopez said. “Obviously, we’ll be very big. I think we’ll be great defensively, just dominating the paint, sealing the paint off. And then offensively, we complement each other there as well. I’ll spread the floor for him, give him all the room in the paint to go wild.”
When the Bucks visited the Clippers last season, Lopez got to see the Intuit Dome.
He was impressed by the arena that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer built and that also played a role in his decision.
“He texted me right away, (saying) how excited he was to have me on the team,” Lopez said. “I told him the same thing back. I’m excited to win and I think that’s what we’re all here for and it’s going to be so much fun.”
LAS VEGAS — Brook Lopez has never played for the Clippers.
Yet his free agent signing with them this summer is a sort of homecoming, with multiple ties between the Southern California native and the Clippers. That starts with team president Lawrence Frank.
"He was my coach way back when in 2008 with the New Jersey Nets," Lopez said. "So it's definitely a full circle moment."
Lopez was a hot name early in free agency, linked to the Lakers (a team he did play for in the past), the Rockets, and others, but he signed a two-year, $17.9 million contract to back up Ivica Zubac with the Clippers.
"Everything happened pretty fast, but looking at my options, I was just thrilled the Clippers reached out and were one of them," Lopez said. "You know, they've been a great team for quite a while now. They have a ton of great players, obviously Hall of Famers, all sorts of great young players. I got Zuby [Ivica Zubac]. And there's just a great chance to win a championship here."
Among Lopez's connections with the Clippers is Zubac — they were teammates on the Lakers a decade ago. Look for Tyronn Lue, who likes big lineups, to experiment with playing Lopez and Zuback together.
"I think we complement each other extremely well," Lopez said. "Obviously, we'll be very big. I think we'd be great defensively, just dominating the paint, sealing the paint off. Then offensively, we complement each other there as well, spread the floor for him, give him all the room in the paint for them to go wild."
Lopez's primary role with the Clippers will be as a backup big behind Zubac, but because of his floor spacing shooting — 37.3% from beyond the arc on 4.7 attempts a game last season — he's going to find himself in a lot of different lineups and roles.
"We'll see. I'm capable of a lot of stuff," Lopez said. "Obviously, I'm comfortable spreading the floor. I'm comfortable being in the post. I love defending, I love being anchor on defense. Bottom line, I just want to help the team win. Whatever they need me to do, whatever they see fit for my role, I'm going to be working as hard as possible to be great at that."
One teammate Lopez thinks there will be fast chemistry with is James Harden — Lopez knows where his points will come from.
"I'm going to get as many pick-and-rolls with him as possible," Lopez said with a laugh. "Just get in that pocket. I know he's going to make something good out there." The other role Lopez will play with the Clippers is that of a mentor.
The Clippers have a few young players, most notably No. 30 pick Yanic Konan Niederhauser, a center from Switzerland via Penn State, a 6'10 "center who has moved well and shown flashes at Summer League.
Lopez is excited about being a veteran mentor.
"I was fortunate to play with a lot of great players throughout my career: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Vince Carter. I can keep going down the line, but particularly KG was someone I was fortunate to play with when I was a younger player in this league and he helped mold me to the player I am today.
"So I think it's only right to pass on the things he taught me. Help the younger guys the same way he helped me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."
Ultimately, Lopez is back home in Southern California — closer to Disneyland than he has been at any stop in his professional career — and about to play for a franchise that was not on his radar growing up.
"I'm a Cali boy. I grew up in the valley, North Hollywood. Obviously, things were very different back then," Lopez said. "To see where the Clippers have come now, it's just astonishing. It's beautiful."
The Clippers think it's beautiful to have him in their lineup, too. It's a sort of homecoming.
