The Dallas Mavericks will be on the clock with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

For a team that already has Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg leading the way, the Mavericks aren’t exactly looking for the next superstar for the franchise. Instead, they are looking for players that can complement the core and become long-term options for the future.

“You’ve got Cooper Flagg who can hoop, period,” NBA Draft Lottery representative Rolando Blackman said via team reporter Dwain Price. “The important factor is (the players around Flagg) have to be overall strong players and have the overall opportunity to pass the basketball and to be able to now shoot the basketball.

“Any time you have a player that can go downhill and take it to the basket – just like Kyrie can, just like Flagg can – the important factor is to remember when you pass that basketball, you’ve got to be able to have somebody that can put that ball in the hole and take advantage of all the advantages that they’ve just given you with their talents.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean the Mavericks will target a guard, especially since passing is such an important part of how frontcourt players go from good to great. Most centers coming into the league have to pass like guards in order to make it in the NBA, and the Mavs hope to have that with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.

For a team that won just 26 games last season, the Mavs can’t be too picky about the position of their next rookie. Instead, they need to focus on who is the best player available.

In a draft that is very deep, the Mavericks should be able to add to their core with someone like Arizona’s Brayden Burries or Labaron Philon Jr. from Alabama.

Mavs Moneyball community, should the team go with the best player available or is there a specific player they should target with the No. 9 pick? Keep the conversation flowing in the comments below.

A lot of terrible things have happened to the Philadelphia 76ers in the last decade.

But how many of them actually happened under Daryl Morey’s watch?

Daryl Morey was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers on November 2, 2020. By my calculations, most of the bad luck, incompetence, witchcraft, inexplicable disasters and tragicomedy that has resulted in the royally screwed 2026 76ers happened before November 2, 2020. Trading the Jayson Tatum pick for the Markelle Fultz pick? Before Morey. Jimmy Butler trade? Before Morey. Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons contracts? Before Morey. Trading Mikal Bridges for Zhaire Smith? Before Morey. 

Morey was recently fired by the 76ers, ending his long and high-profile tenure as one of the league’s most philosophically convinced executives: 3-pointers and layups, no long twos. In service of that philosophy, he made mistakes, as does every GM. But most of the damage had already been done, and I honestly believe he positioned the 76ers as well as he possibly could have in his six-year tenure. His firing signalled that it was time for a new philosophy, but Morey gave the team a pretty good shot given the hand he was dealt.

Upon his hiring in November 2020, Morey was immediately presented with two non-negotiables. First, Doc Rivers was his head coach, having been hired just a month earlier. Second, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were his franchise players. Every move the 76ers had made for three full years was in service of that plan. Morey was handed the keys, sure, but they were for a company car with engine issues. So he quickly drafted Tyrese Maxey 16 days into his job, and got to work with what he was given.

There’s a scene in Rush (2013) when F1 driver Niki Lauda is test-driving a Ferrari and says “it’s terrible. Drives like a pig,” to which his mechanic replies “Oh, you can’t say that… it’s a Ferrari!”

That, in essence, is what Morey was presented with.

He never got to test drive anything, never really got to buy his own car. And he had to stick with Embiid, the man who a tortured city’s hopes were all pinned on after years of intentional failure. Once Embiid finished second, second and first in MVP voting between 2020 and 2023, that was it. Morey would be paying Embiid whatever he wanted for the rest of his career, no matter what. 

Then there’s Ben Simmons, a basketball/personal/financial/metaphysical disaster that will go down in mysterious legend. Morey famously executed a year-long standoff with Simmons before trading him for James Harden, but I may need to write a book titled “The Four Years that Made and Broke Ben Simmons” to explain to future generations that, prior to his on-court collapse in Game 7 of the 2021 Hawks series, Simmons was an All-NBA-level player. He was incredible, and then he was gone. We may never know exactly what happened, but the fact that Morey managed to acquire Harden — a great player, for all that comes with him — for a deflated asset like Simmons was remarkable. 

Harden was perhaps Morey’s kryptonite, a player with the tantalizing offensive tools that served his philosophy far better than Embiid or Simmons, with the former enjoying the mid-range jumper (Morey’s arch nemesis) and the latter incapable of shooting 3-pointers. He was convinced Harden was one of the most impactful players of his generation, and had built team after team around him in Houston. Had he instead committed to Maxey sooner, a player he drafted, perhaps Morey could have avoided the eventual blow up that ended he and Harden’s relationship. 

The 76ers’ current problems are mostly due to two contracts for Embiid and Paul George that are slated to pay out nearly $300 million in the next three years. In the era of the apron luxury tax, that is not a feasible way to build a basketball team. And while I won’t say Morey had no choice in handing them out (you always have a choice), Embiid was a non-negotiable. I also think clearing cap space for George and then actually signing him into it was an impressive maneuver at the time. Nobody ever sings a real, big free agent anymore, and 76ers didn’t have to give up anything to get him. That fourth year player option really hurts, I get it, but any GM in his position would have done it to get it done.

Those contracts were peak “if they don’t work, I’m going to get fired anyway so what do I care?” deals. They were big swings, and Morey hung his job on two expensive deals for injury prone players who just didn’t play enough to justify them. But what else was he supposed to do? Use the cap space to fund a lemonade stand? Would 76ers fans have preferred Morey not pay Embiid after he dropped 50 in a playoff game and have him demand a trade instead? 

It is interesting that the 76ers, the team most synonymous with rebuilding because of “The Process” has almost gone a full decade without tearing anything down — a period that spans Morey’s entire tenure. He was hired not to save the 76ers but to push a clearly talented roster out of the second round. Instead, he basically just became a crisis manager, always seemingly one step behind the next avalanche ready to bury the 76ers between every rock and every hard place.

But imagine if Morey had not drafted Tyrese Maxey at No. 21, and instead taken Zeke Nnaji or Leandro Bolmaro or R.J. Hampton, the three players pick after him? Imagine if Morey had salary-dumped Ben Simmons instead of acquiring Harden, or had filled the Paul George cap space with Buddy Hield, Royce O’Neale and DeMar DeRozan? What if he had filled it with another Tobias Harris extension? 

Would Philadelphia actually be better off?

Or are the 76ers’ present issues arguably the best possible situation for a team built around one of the least available superstars in the history of the league? Perhaps his philosophy has expired, and a new voice in the room should be welcomed or elevated. But I don’t think Morey should be blamed for the check engine light, the brakes seizing up and for the eventual crash — it wasn’t his car.

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The San Antonio Spurs can land the knockout punch on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6. 

San Antonio has a potent one-two combo, pairing Victor Wembanyama with feisty guard De’Aaron Fox. And while Fox may stand in Wemby’s lanky shadow, he’s the haymaker that puts Minnesota on the mat Friday night.

Our Spurs vs. Timberwolves predictions like the plucky point guard to push San Antonio to the conference finals, with my NBA picks taking Fox to top his scoring prop on May 15.

Spurs vs Timberwolves Game 6 prediction

Spurs vs Timberwolves best bet: De’Aaron Fox Over 16.5 points (-115)

Despite playing with sore ankles in Game 5, De’Aaron Fox topped his points prop for the third straight outing. 

Fox scored 18 points with the bulk of those buckets in and around the key. 

Fox is second on the team in points in the paint (9.0) and sees a clearer path to the rim if the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to tinker with their rotation.

Minnesota played rim protector Rudy Gobert a playoff-low 23 minutes in Game 5, opting to go small. With Victor Wembanyama in high screen action, Fox finds easier looks inside with Gobert gone and an extra day to rest his wheels.

Projections sit at 17+ with a ceiling of 20 points.

COVERS INTEL: Fox has done well vs. Minnesota guards Ayo Dosunmu (injured) and Mike Conley (old) in this series. Jaden McDanielsis a rare T-Wolves player having success against Fox (34.5 FG%), and he’s expected to match up on Wembanyama more in Game 6.

Spurs vs Timberwolves Game 6 same-game parlay

The San Antonio Spurs had six players score at least 12 points in the Game 5 win, and that depth is wearing down Minnesota while exhausting all defensive counters.

The T-Wolves just don’t have the horses to keep up with that offense, especially with Anthony Edwards not at 100%, and the T-Wolves’ poor outside shooting unable to close the gap.

Wembanyama keeps topping his rebounding props, snatching at least 15 boards in four of the first five games. The only game he didn’t top that prop is when he was tossed 12 minutes into Game 4.

San Antonio’s paint protection is forcing Minnesota into low-percentage looks, and that’s creating ample rebounding opportunities for the 7-footer.

Spurs vs Timberwolves SGP

• Spurs moneyline
• De’Aaron Fox Over 16.5 points
• Victor Wembanyama Over 13.5 rebounds

Spurs vs Timberwolves odds for Game 6

• Spread: Spurs -4.5 | Timberwolves +4.5
• Moneyline: Spurs -190 | Timberwolves +160
• Over/Under: Over 218.5 | Under 218.5

Spurs vs Timberwolves betting trend to know

The San Antonio Spurs have hit the Moneyline in 30 of their last 40 away games (+26.65 Units/20% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Timberwolves.

How to watch Spurs vs Timberwolves Game 6

Spurs vs Timberwolves latest injuries

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How Steve Kerr conducted secret Taylor Swift stunt during recent Warriors season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is in his Taylor Swift era.

Or, he was a few years ago, at least.

In a lengthy ESPN feature about the 60-year-old published Thursday, writer Wright Thompson shared how Kerr subtly referenced the pop singer throughout the course of the 2022-23 NBA season. The result? An end-of-year compilation of clips featuring the coach narrating her song, “All Too Well.”

“Three years ago, to entertain himself in his press conferences, Steve worked phrases from Swift’s song ‘All Too Well’ into his interview answers, smoothly enough that nobody noticed,” Thompson wrote. “For instance, to get the first line of the song, he took the podium after beating the Rockets in March of 2023 and said, ‘I walked through the door of the locker room at halftime.’

“Over a long season he got most of the lyrics done, crossing them off as he went. His son Matthew later edited them into a video for their family group chat, so that Kerr appeared to have recited the whole song.”

While the video never has been made public, Thompson shared that Swift eventually saw it through a mutual friend and found it “creative and funny.”

“Can I put it on social media?” she asked, according to Thompson.

But Kerr asked that it remain private, but it only should be a matter of time before Warriors and Taylor Swift fans alike comb through the postgame footage to make a video of their own.

We’re just wondering how the Warriors coach was able to weave, “But you keep my old scarf, from that very first week” into a press conference.

Your move, Swifties.

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Fresh off another drama-filled lottery, the league has turned its attention to the NBA Draft Combine, with the 2026 class shaping up to feature some of the best depth in years. Prospects are getting their measurements updated and putting themselves through agility tests, workouts and scrimmages.

With mock drafts popping up from reputable sources and the draft just over a month away, let’s look at what the early indications say the Philadelphia 76ers can do with the 22nd pick.

ESPN (Jeremy Woo): Allen Graves, SF, Santa Clara

ESPN provides some of the better draft coverage out there, with Jeremy Woo spearheading their latest mock. At 22, Woo slots in Santa Clara’s Allen Graves over names like Koa Peat, Isaiah Evans, Dailyn Swain and Amari Allen.

This feels like a strong pick given the available talent. Graves has a smooth offensive game and a legitimate frame to match, measuring 6’7.75 barefoot with a 7’0 wingspan and 8’10.25 standing reach. He had a late growth spurt and brings a lot to the table offensively, with advanced ball skills, a serviceable jumper and consistent playmaking reads. His game personally reminds me of former Sixer Nic Batum, with Naz Reid being another player he shows shades of.

Graves would be a compelling pick at 22. He is relatively unproven in terms of competition level, but there is plenty to like in a vacuum and even more so as a theoretical fit with the Sixers. He could slot in alongside Paul George and Joel Embiid, providing connective play and floor spacing without sacrificing size or mobility.

Yahoo Sports (Kevin O’Connor): Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor brings a lot more variation in his latest mock, with names like Swain, Graves and Allen all coming off the board well before pick 22. O’Connor has the Sixers selecting Henri Veesaar, an experienced third-year big out of North Carolina. Notable names still on the board in this mock include Jayden Quaintance, Bennett Stirtz, Tounde Yessoufou and Evans.

This sits toward the ceiling of Veesaar’s range, barring any last-minute rise. Most mocks have him going in the late first round or even into the second.

So what would justify the reach? Veesaar is quite different from most of the bigs Philadelphia has been accustomed to. He features a legitimate perimeter game and a real shooting touch, knocking down over 40 percent from three on solid volume, with enough offensive versatility to do damage in other ways as well. On paper, he has enough of an offensive arsenal to either back up Embiid or play alongside him in supersized lineups.

That said, I would be pretty surprised if Veesaar is the name the Sixers land on at 22. In many eyes he would not be the best available prospect, and it is hard to imagine the team using their highest pick on a big that many draft boards have sliding. However, if Embiid’s availability is that serious of a concern, spending draft capital on a center when the position figures to be overhauled this summer is not without logic.

The Ringer (J. Kyle Mann & Danny Chau): Cameron Carr, SG, Baylor

The Ringer is no stranger to controversial rankings and mock drafts. J. Kyle Mann and Danny Chau are manning their draft board this cycle, and they currently have the Sixers selecting Cameron Carr at 22. Notable names still on the board include Chris Cenac, Karim Lopez, Allen and Evans.

Carr is a fascinating pick for several reasons. He boasts a real frame to grow into, measuring 6’4.5 barefoot with a 7’7.5 wingspan and 8’8 standing reach. He is one of the better off-ball shooters in this class, with a proven jumper to go along with his wiry frame. Similar to VJ Edgecombe, Carr is also an unusually good rim protector for his size and position, offering serious two-way upside in the long view.

So what makes this pick complicated? Carr will need time and development, particularly when it comes to adding weight to his frame. The defensive flashes are real, but he will need to show stronger and more consistent effort on that end, and self-creation on offense is limited at best. Still, factoring in what he brings right now, with a standout frame and a smooth jumper, it is easy to see why the Sixers might be willing to roll with Carr even if he needs some seasoning. He would provide the largest wingspan-to-height ratio among perimeter players in this class, with real vertical ability and the upside to get even better.

If the Sixers are looking for a connective wing who can provide length behind the backcourt without sacrificing perimeter shooting, there are not many names that fit the bill better than Carr.

It’s worth noting that Carr crushed the scrimmage portion of the combine Wednesday, which might put him out of the Sixers’ range.

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): Amari Allen, SF, Alabama

Last up is The Athletic, led by renowned draft expert Sam Vecenie. In his mock, Vecenie has the Sixers selecting Amari Allen at 22, over names such as Graves, Joshua Jefferson and Yessoufou.

Vecenie describes Allen well in his write-up as a swiss army knife type of player with a wide range of skills. Allen has excellent size at 6’5.25 without shoes, weighing in at nearly 205 pounds, with a 6’8 wingspan and 8’3 standing reach. As a wing, he is one of the better playmakers in this class, capable of making smart reads and playing well within his strengths. Unlike many prospects, he avoids forcing risky passes and rarely turns the ball over or telegraphs his intentions. Allen also features a serviceable jumper, shooting 34 percent from three and 74 percent from the foul line. The percentages are not eye-popping, but his shot passes the eye test. It is smooth and repeatable, and with some minor tweaks, could become a real strength in the years ahead. The closest comp for Allen’s overall game is the Knicks’ Josh Hart, minus the elite rebounding.

Allen’s range varies drastically depending on who you ask. Some analytics have him as high as the late lottery, while others, as seen here, slide him deeper into the first round. Teams are always hunting for wings who can handle, pass and shoot without being a liability on defense, and Allen checks those boxes. If the Sixers want a ball handler outside of their backcourt with plenty of upside to grow into at just 20 years old, they could do a lot worse than Allen at 22.

Crazy fact I found out today: It’s been six years since COVID-19 began.

Now for the shocking news, it turns out it’s actually been eight years since the last time the Knicks played basketball. Would you believe that!?

Here’s the latest from Tarrytown.

Mike Brown

On OG Anunoby’s limited participation in practice on Wednesday:

“(The medical staff) told me what he can do today, and then they’ll tell me what he can do [on Friday], so I don’t know what he’ll be able to do for Game 1. He practiced today, some aspects of it. Some parts of practice. When we went live, he did not go live. Anytime anyone is able to do stuff, you get encouraged.”

On how Anunoby looked during his on-court work:

“The stuff that he went through, he looked fine.”

On balancing preparation, rest and scouting during the layoff:

“You try to get the input of everybody in the different departments, try to do the best you can to keep it competitive while keeping guys sharp while giving them a break as well. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to mix it up with some live stuff, some shooting stuff while watching some film. Not trying to do the same thing every day. Touching base on both opponents to a certain degree, but making sure it doesn’t get overwhelming. It’s a fine balance.”

On limiting live work this time of year:

“You don’t want to have too many days of live [work]. The last thing you want this time of year is an injury so we mixed in some live today. Not sure if we’ll do it again. Maybe we’ll do it one more day. That would be on feel and based off of whether we play sooner or later.”

On the value of versatility in the postseason:

“You need versatility especially come playoff time. Every step you go the teams are better. They are better on both sides of the ball so it becomes more challenging. But it can be challenging in different ways. To have guys you can move around to help you out is definitely huge.”

On empowering Karl-Anthony Towns and leveraging playmaking bigs:

“It’s my job as a head coach, as well as [our] assistants, to try to put guys in position to help them out. Being able to do stuff off-ball is another way to attack a defense. When you have guys that pass the ball like Draymond Green, like Sabonis, like KAT, you try to utilize their strengths to help others out and make others better. Putting KAT in that position knowing we have great screeners and great cutters, and like I said a great facilitator, it was easier to say, ‘Let’s try it and do it more.’”

On offering condolences following Jason Collins’ passing:

“[Jason] was a great man. I knew him personally through Jarron, and it’s gotta be tough times to go through what they’re going through when you’re dealing with the passing of somebody so young. So my best condolences go out to him, his family and all their friends.”

Jalen Brunson

On embracing a reduced on-ball role for the team’s benefit:

“Was there any concern (about playing more through KAT)? No. What was the dialogue? The dialogue was, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ It was that simple. There’s not really much you can talk about at that point when you’re down 2-1.”

On rejecting the ‘star’ label and prioritizing winning:

“One, I’m not a star. Two, I want to win. I’m not self-centered. That’s why.”

On maintaining rhythm during the extended layoff:

“I think we have our plan. Obviously, utilize rest, but then when we’re in the gym, no, we’re doing everything we have to do to stay in rhythm, stay having the edge that we need to have.”

On focusing inward while awaiting an opponent:

“Obviously, we have to prepare for one of these two teams. And then we’ve talked about the differences between the two and all that, but just focusing on what makes us the best thing we can be as well.”

On staying focused despite the success to date:

“I think the most important thing is our mentality and making sure that we’re not comfortable.”

On chasing a breakthrough in the conference finals:

“[I’m driven to clear that hurdle] a lot. But it’s something that you can’t just continue to dream about. You’ve got to continue to prepare the way you’ve been preparing and obviously find a way to push through.”

On Mike Brown’s open communication style:

“He’s always one to have open dialogue since Day 1. Obviously, he’s the coach and makes decisions and everything. Whether they’re good or bad opinions, they’re talked about and they’re decided on later. I’m pretty comfortable with it. I think a lot of us are comfortable with it.”

Josh Hart

On the extended downtime compared to earlier in the playoffs:

“The first series, we had, what, four days break, I think it was? That was good enough, yeah. This right now, I think, what, at least a week… nine days? It’s a long time. Obviously, it’s good for recovery. But mentally, I’m watching the games, I’m just like, just waiting… It’s a little long.”

On keeping the focus internal during the layoff:

“Every day we’re focused on ourselves. Obviously we don’t know who we’re going to play. If we continue to just focus on ourselves and take care of the things that we can take care of we’ll be in a good position. So that’s all today was. The next couple of days until we figure out who we’re going to play. You’re not just a guy that goes out there, plays basketball, sleeps, and goes back out there for a game, so it’s a ton of [free] time, but I think the guys that we have, we talk consistently, whether it’s here, group chat or our own separate conversations.”

On praying through his hand injury scare:

“When I had the hand, I obviously walked back and got X-rays of that. I’m sitting there praying about it. That’s my first go-to. I’m just sitting there praying that I’m healed, praying that I’m good, and I was blessed with it not being a fracture. For what it is, I can play with [it], and I was happy with that.”

On facing pressure after the title-or-bust comments made by James Dolan:

“I don’t think we look at it as a pressure situation. Obviously, we’re in New York and everything that we do is amplified. Whether it’s winning three games in a row [and] people crowned us champions. Lose three games in a row and people crowned us a team that’s tanking. You know what I mean? Our job right now is to stay even, to focus on that task at hand. If or when guys’ minds wander, we have a good enough team, a good enough camaraderie to hold everyone accountable and bring everyone back into the fold. So it’s not really pressure in terms of that. With that character of guys that we have in the locker room you’ll never see anyone that’s more judgmental or criticizes themselves more than ourselves individually. And when you’re your hardest critic there’s no other pressure. Because at the end of the day I’m going to look at myself in the mirror and wonder what I could do better and no one that’s not in my shoes can tell me what I could do better.”

On casually arriving with a puppy at Wednesday’s presser:

“Just hanging. Just vibing. We’re a dog friendly establishment. It’s good vibes around here. Whatever makes good vibes, we’re good.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On finally being able to showcase his full skill set with Brown’s Knicks:

“I feel like I’ve always had this my whole career. It’s just I never had the opportunity to utilize that skill set.”

On being outbid for a prized collectible card:

“This has us SICK. Thought it was ours for the taking, until a last-minute NUCLEAR bid snuck in! Who has this card now!? We have to know!”

Steve Kerr

On the Knicks’ Game 4 offensive performance in Philadelphia:

“That first half was one of the greatest offensive displays I’ve seen in a playoff game. They are playing so fast. So aggressively. Every single guy is playing with incredible confidence. There is an energy and juice about them that jumps off the screen. It is hugely impressive watching them play. It’s beautiful to watch, but it’s not an accident. I believe Mike was the perfect guy for that job.”

On Mike Brown steadying the team during tense stretches:

“There was a vibe there at the Garden where you could tell everyone was on edge. That’s probably life in New York, but it’s also life as a contender when you are starting out the season with great expectations from fans, ownership and management. The beauty of Mike is he’s very comfortable in his own skin. When you go through these difficult nights like the one they had in March against us, Mike is exactly the right guy. When people are freaking out, Mike is the guy you want to steady the ship. He did that all year. Now, they are playing their best basketball. They are confident. fast, loose and aggressive. It’s beautiful to watch.”

On how far the Knicks can go this season:

“They’re already in the conference finals. They are really, really damn good. I think they will be a heavy favorite in the conference finals. Regardless, they are one of the very best teams in the league. I think Mike recognized that when he got there. He knew the great work Tom had done and he knew the foundation was there and he wanted to take it and see if he could build on that. It seems like he has.”

Rick Pitino

On the Knicks’ depth compared to other contenders:

“I think they have the best nine or 10 players. They may not have the best three, they have the best nine or 10. Their bench is excellent, [coach Mike Brown] uses them great. The improvement offensively and defensively in OG, the improvement in Karl-Anthony Towns away from the basket with his passing, Brunson is the most unique player I’ve ever watched in my lifetime. I love it. I root for the Knicks like they’re my team. I do think they are championship driven.”

On the Knicks’ ball movement compared to earlier in the year:

“They look for each other much better than before. If you watch Cleveland and Detroit, you know the ball is going to Cunningham or Harden is going to create or the ball is going to be in Donovan’s hands. Although Brunson is a great scorer, they are sharing the basketball so well that keying on Brunson is not enough to stop this team. Before the Atlanta series, keying on Brunson was the way to stop the Knicks. That’s no longer working because of their ball movement. They went from a one-on-one team to a ball movement, player movement team. They do a lot of different offensive things that are much more pleasing to the eye.”

On Brunson’s skill set and shot-making ability:

“How a player that size with that vertical can get off any shot around the basket, he’s got Tiny Archibald in him around the basketball. He has the best midrange game. He gets off any shot midrange and he’s become a great 3-point shooter. He’s just an amazing, amazing 6-foot, 2-inch basketball player. Pound for pound, inch for inch, maybe one of the best players I’ve ever seen.”

On home-court concerns and overall outlook:

“The only negative is the home court. Outside of that, I think the Knicks have the best team. Now OKC obviously is great, they’re the defending champions. But the Knicks are deep, talented, and the way they are playing offensively — I don’t mean 3-point shooting, I’m talking about the ball movement, player movement — it’s so much better than what I watched in January.”

The Utah Jazz are looking to trade up to the No. 1 draft position up from No. 2 in the 2026 NBA Draft. And former Brigham Young star AJ Dybantsa is also open to staying in Utah, according to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports. Here is the “money quote.”

CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein reported this week from the NBA Combine in Chicago that Dybantsa was hoping to remain in Utah. When asked about possibly trading up from No. 2 to No. 1, Smith told The Deseret News that “everything should be on the table.” The Washington Wizards hold the top pick, and team president Michael Winger told Jake Fischeron lottery day that Washington was at least open to moving down. 

Now, again, are the Wizards likel trading their No. 1 pick to the Jazz and move down? Based on how most teams are, they will ultimately keep their No. 1 selection. However, the Wizards should listen just to get a full read on what is out there for the No. 1 pick in a hypothetical trade situation, whether with the Jazz or anyone else.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Jason Collins was an icon, not simply because of his ability on the court, but for his profound bravery off it. Collins became the first active player in a major four sport to come out of the closet, announcing that he was gay in 2013. It may have been the twilight of his career, but he became a north star for other athletes simply by continuing to play team basketball while being out in the open.

Collins’ family announced on Tuesday that he had died at home at the age of 47, taken far too soon by stage-4 glioblastoma, a relatively common, but aggressive form of brain cancer. Inside the NBA gave a tribute to Collins on Wednesday night in the wake of his death, and while Kenny Smith spoke kindly of Collins’ contributions to the NBA, the most poignant statement came from Charles Barkley who both lauded Collins for his bravery, while also acknowledging that we still live in a prejudiced, homophobic world.

“Kenny, in fairness now, if another guy did it, it would still be a big deal, because we live in a homophobic society. That’s unfortunate. First off, anybody who thinks we don’t have a bunch of gay players in all sports, they’re just stupid. There is so much animosity towards the gay community, and that’s what’s really unfortunate. If anybody thinks him, and I know a couple of soccer players that came out — if you don’t think there’s more gay players in the NFL, Major League Baseball, and the NBA — you’re just stupid.”

Collins didn’t put up huge traditional numbers, but carved out a 13-year NBA career on the back of his basketball IQ and defensive ability. The No. 18 pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, he played for six teams, putting up his best seasons with the New Jersey Nets as the starting center on a phenomenal team that boasted Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson as its nucleus. Predominantly a piece of the puzzle who understood his role, every team, every locker room was made better due to the contributions of Jason Collins.

Barkley also discussed homophobia he’s witnessed in the black community, and implored people struggling with their sexuality to find peace with who they are. “Do you,” Barkley said, “gay people have the right to do what they want to do. Its nobody else’s business at all. For him to come out, it was great. […] I was proud of him for coming out, and when I got that news yesterday it just sucked.”

There’s nothing else to say, because what Chuck added to this conversation was already perfect.

The Dallas Mavericks hold the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft this year, but they need more than another flashy rookie to get their team back on track.

Something the Mavs didn’t have much of during the 2025-26 season was good health. Those fortunes will need to reverse themselves in order for Dallas to attempt to get back into contention in the Western Conference.

Rolando Blackman, the Mavericks’ representative at the NBA Draft Lottery, spoke about the team’s need to stay healthy.

“The first thing they need,” Blackman said via team reporter Dwain Price, “is to be able to have the luck of staying healthy.”

According to Spotrac, the Mavericks had 18 players miss a game on the injury report at some point during the season. Over the course of the season, that adds up to over $72.6 million, which is ranked second in the league behind the Indiana Pacers, who did not have All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season due to injury.

Kyrie Irving’s absence makes up for a good chunk of that, but if the Mavericks hadn’t traded Anthony Davis in February to the Washington Wizards, it’s possible that the Mavs could have leapfrogged the Pacers on this list.

Another top-10 pick, a full offseason for Cooper Flagg and a healthy Irving should help make the Mavs more competitive in the 2026-27 season, but they will need their whole roster to be healthy in order to make it work.

Mavs Moneyball community, what do you make of Blackman’s comments? Chime off in the comments section below.

There are a number of things happening in the NBA Draft Combine that is worth UNC fans keeping an eye on, but the most important when it comes to what next season could look like is the Matt Able situation. The former NC State guard is going through the draft process to get feedback, but the door was always left open that he could stay in the draft. That has made Carolina fans nervous, and of course, it has made NC State fans troll harder than usual.

Following an excellent showing in yesterday’s scrimmage, someone asked Able whether or not he might stay in the NBA Draft. Here is what he had to say:

“It’s definitely a tough decision. I love UNC, I’m excited to get over there at some point … I’m still back and forth on it. I gotta think about it some more, get with my camp and figure it out.”

Able goes on to say that where he is projected to go will determine if he will play for UNC in the 2o26-27 season. It’s not terribly surprising to hear him say that, but what is giving fans deja vu is that Henri Veesaar essentially said the same thing before deciding to completely commit to the NBA. Does that mean that Able will decide to do the same thing? Not necessarily, but it cannot be ruled out that he may take second-round money over whatever UNC is paying him.

It’s worth noting that Able’s former teammate, Kevin Thomas, just committed to UNC, and Able took to Instagram to respond to the news:

There is an existential paradox that goes: everything is nothing, nothing is something, and something is what you make of it. One could argue that it applies to this situation — does his Instagram post mean anything? What about him wearing a Tar Heels shirt during his interview? Also, can we really take what he said about how he’s making his decision at face value? It all means nothing until it means something, but hopefully it will mean something soon so Michael Malone will know what next steps to take in building his roster.

NBA prospect AJ Dybantsa puts Steph Curry in odd spot in his ideal starting five originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

AJ Dybantsa has turned heads as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

But the former BYU standout also turned heads when he was asked to build an ideal NBA starting five with current players.

“I’m about to get canceled from some of this,” Dybantsa said Wednesday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. “I’ll put LeBron [James] at the one, I’ll put [Nikola] Jokić at the five. I’ll play the three. I’ll put [Kevin Durant] at the four, and I’ll have [Steph] Curry at the two, but he’s strictly there to shoot.”

Even though Curry changed the game of basketball with his shooting as it is currently played, he’s a point guard.

But it would make sense for Dybantsa to move the Warriors superstar to the two-guard position to make room for James, a four-time NBA MVP.

This hypothetical squad could run into some defensive issues, too.

And with 41-year-old James, 38-year-old Curry, and 37-year-old Durant, Dybantsa would have to be the youthful lifeline to even out the group’s energy.

Nonetheless, it’s fun to use our imagination sometimes.

The NBA world will begin to use theirs with Dybantsa set to soon sport an NBA team’s jersey in just a few months.

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Daryl Morey’s tenure as Sixers’ president of basketball operations has come to an end. He will be remembered in Philadelphia as another key figure who couldn’t get over the hump that is the second round of the playoffs. 

He leaves the Sixers in a very similar situation to how he found them. The Joel Embiid and Paul George contracts are team-building anchors just like those of Tobias Harris and Al Horford. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are the enticing prospects in spite of that, like Embiid and Ben Simmons were at the time. 

Throughout the hits and misses of his tenure — of which there were many — one thing became clearer as Morey had more time in the big seat for Philly. This was not the innovative, forward-thinker the fanbase thought the team had hired in the fall of 2020. 

Back when he was running the Houston Rockets, the term coined for adopting the most optimized shot diet was literally called “Moreyball.” Fast forward to his final years running the Sixers, he is complaining about teams taking too many threes as his team finished 21st in three-point attempts and fielded multiple starting lineups where the starting forwards wouldn’t attempt one. 

Morey’s track record at drafting in Philadelphia was surprisingly better than many expected, but the lack of creativity showed in many of his free-agent acquisitions and trades. The latter ended up being far more important for a team looking for the final pieces to push them over the top into true title contention. 

The best trades he made for the Sixers also resembled his best move for the Rockets: trading James Harden. Both acquiring and shipping off Harden were net positives for the Sixers, but Morey’s process came with a cost. 

Sitting on Simmons as long as he did until Harden became available got them an All-Star while giving the Nets what was becoming one of the worst contracts in the league. Waiting as long as they did sunk their chances of competing in a fairly open Eastern Conference that season. As they were trying to figure out the Embiid-Harden pairing on the fly, the 2021-2022 Sixers’ season ended in six games to the No. 1 seeded Miami Heat. 

He did the same thing when Harden didn’t want to play for the Sixers anymore, letting the trade request linger into the season. Again, the return he got was seen as favorable, but it again left the roster incomplete for Embiid to carry as he was improving on an MVP-caliber season. 

This time, Embiid’s knee broke down as he carried a flawed roster through the regular season. Entering Golden State already hobbled, he suffered a meniscus tear in January 2024 that he is still trying to fully get back on track from. 

If the Harden saga wasn’t enough, Morey continuing to go back to his Houston Rocket pool continued to the verge of parody. In his first offseason after adding Harden to the Sixers, Morey got the Sixers hit with tampering charges in the process of acquiring P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, two guys from Harden’s heyday in Houston. 

Morey ended up bringing so many ex-Rockets of his, that a Sixers beat writer at the time thought it was worth making a sporcle quiz to see if fans could guess all of them. 

The pivot Morey made out of the Harden situation was another sign that the league had passed him by. With another season of Embiid’s prime punted to load up on cap space, Morey threw a max contract at Paul George, solidifying the roster with three max guys under a new CBA that is very harsh to big spenders. 

The constraints to fill out a roster immediately became a problem. The team was unable to withstand consistent injuries to the max guys and the team won 24 games as a result. They got better injury luck and lottery luck the following year and were able to win a playoff series, but the top-end nature of the roster helped to sink them against a true title contender in the New York Knicks. 

Morey’s tenure wasn’t all bad for sure. He leaves reasons of hope that whoever his replacement is can turn the Sixers into a serious basketball team again. If there’s one thing he wasn’t during his tenure here, it was the guy in Houston who was always one step ahead of the rest of the league.

Game 5 is always huge in a tied series in the NBA Playoffs, and the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers both knew the stakes entering their pivotal Wednesday night showdown. A high-pressure atmosphere in Detroit produced arguably the best game of the series so far, with Cleveland outlasting Detroit, 117-113, in overtime to put the Cavs one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Should the game have even gone into overtime? The final sequence of regulation was the main talking point after the buzzer. Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell held the ball for the last shot, but he stripped on his drive in a spectacular defensive play by Pistons wing Ausar Thompson. As Thompson ran to recover the loose ball, he was knocked over by Jarrett Allen. Detroit was in the bonus, and Thompson would have been going to the line for the game-winning free throws if the refs blew the whistle. Instead, there was no call, and the Cavs won in OT.

Should this have been a foul? Watch the play yourself:

Here’s another look at the play:

Pistons fans were losing it on social media over the no call. The team also partially blamed the no call for the loss after the game.

Detroit head coach JB Bickerstaff ripped the refs after the game. “He fouled Ausar. It was clear. He tripped him going for a loose ball.”

Cade Cunningham agreed with his coach after the game that Thompson was fouled:

Even unbiased media members like ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said it was a foul. I’m sorry, but I can’t agree.

Should a playoff series really swing on a foul 70-feet away from the basket? I don’t think so. This was an example of two guys going for a loose ball. Just because one of them fell over doesn’t mean it’s a foul. It also easily could have been a flop by Thompson. He wouldn’t have had enough time to get off a game-winning shot either way. There was less than a second left on the clock. The only chance he had of winning the game in that situation was falling to the ground and praying for a foul call. It’s good for the game that he didn’t get it.

The Pistons still had a chance to win in overtime, and they blew it. If we’re being honest, the Pistons are extremely lucky to even be here. They were down 3-1 to the Orlando Magic in the first round when Franz Wagner got hurt. If Wagner stays healthy, the Pistons likely would have lost in the first round as the No. 1 seed.

Of course, there were also some bad calls that went against the Pistons throughout the game. How the heck is this a defensive foul?

It doesn’t change the fact that the refs made the right call by not letting a Game 5 be decided because someone fell over going for a loose ball 70-feet from the hoop. The players should decide the game, not the refs. It happened in Game 5, and Cleveland won in OT.

Detroit has to win a road game now to keep its season alive and force a Game 7. Here’s hoping we get it.

When the Philadelphia 76ers prevailed over the Boston Celtics in impressive fashion, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit, the consensus in the NBA universe was that this series was going to be much more competitive than what you would expect from a 3-vs-7 matchup. While the overall consensus had the Knicks prevailing, there was a loud minority who fully believed that this was finally the year for Philadelphia:

And why shouldn’t they believe that? After all, the Sixers were finally healthy and conquered their longstanding demons in the last round. A big sticking point for many Sixers fans and some national reporters was that the last time these two teams faced off in 2024, it was an instant classic of a series.

And they’re right about that. A six-game series full of hyper-competitive games, thrilling finishes, and heated moments between two regional rivals was fresh in everyone’s minds when this matchup was revealed, and they seemed to be fairly evenly matched on paper

But the thing about sports is that said paper can easily be ripped to shreds, similar to how the Sixers were in a devastating, historic four-game sweep that led to the axing of President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey on Tuesday.

Whatever way you thought that these two teams were evenly matched, the Knicks showed that there were levels to this.

In 2024, Tyrese Maxey enjoyed his true breakout moment against the Knicks in the playoffs. In six games, he averaged 29.8 points and 6.8 assists on 48/40/89 shooting splits, headlined by a 46-point masterpiece to save Philly’s season in an improbable Game 5 comeback. After he had continued to improve in the two years since, there was no reason to believe that things would change, right?

Oh. Turns out the acquisition of Mikal Bridges, one of the league’s premier guard defenders, who has the speed to keep up with the dizzyingly fast Maxey around screens, made an impact.

That’s not all of how the Knicks boxed up one of the league’s best guards. They blitzed him 30 feet from the basket to speed up his decision-making, they showed everything, they refused to let him go over a screen and abuse drop coverage. There were fewer pull-up 3s attempted (4.6/game) than he did in 2024 (5.5/game) and he had less of his shot attempts register as “wide open” compared to just “open” and “covered”.

Joel Embiid averaged 30 a night in 2024, including a 50-piece in Game 3, on one knee and with Bell’s palsy. He’s healthier now and he grilled Mitchell Robinson during the season. How will the Knicks be able to stop him?

Well, the problem with ever predicting Embiid’s performance is that his health is never truly known. Sure, while he wasn’t playing on a torn meniscus or had anything truly major going on, he was very clearly hampered by knee, ankle, and hip soreness while recovering from an appendectomy. What you got in the end was an extremely immobile Embiid who was BBQ chicken on the defensive end and extremely reliant on pull-up jumpers on offense.

Was the Sixers supporting cast this year better than 2024? On paper, sure. Edgecombe and George are better than Tobias Harris and Kyle Lowry, but they suffer from inconsistency. As good as VJ is, he struggled at times, looking all the part of a rookie thrown into the spotlight. George shooting like prime Klay Thompson was never sustainable for that long anyway, either.

And thinking that the two biggest Sixers’ issues, the depth and the rebounding, wouldn’t rear their ugly head against a much deeper team that’s elite on the boards was always just foolish.

The Sixers were coached like Tom Thibodeau was on the sideline, going legitimately 6.5-deep on some nights with sixth-man Quentin Grimes struggling. It led to guys like Maxey looking gassed by the time crunch time comes around. In the games that they went down early and wound up being blown out, they didn’t have the second wind to go on a run.

Andre Drummond is the team’s only above-average rebounder, so it was no surprise when Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, and even OG Anunoby were bullying them on that end.

In the end, the Sixers were better than they were in 2024, but their level of improvement was microscopic compared to the overhaul in what the Knicks did, and the fact that people pretend like the Knicks didn’t have Donte DiVincenzo as their second option in that series was always incredibly disingenuous.

What the Knicks have figured out as of late is something truly different, something that makes them just as formidable as the vaunted OKC Thunder or even the upstart Spurs. As they wait to find their next opponents, Mike Brown knows that the formula he has used in this dominant, seven-game stretch has upgraded the Knicks from a regular No. 3 seed to a Terminator.