The Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the strongest pursuers of Jonathan Kuminga, and apparently, the Warriors forward wouldn’t mind moving 80 miles northeast.
Kuminga met with Sacramento’s brass this week, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Friday on ESPN 1320 Sacramento, and the 22-year-old had a good discussion with general manager Scott Perry, assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie.
“Kuminga had contact with the Kings in the last couple of days,” Slater said. “It was the first time he met Scott Perry, and this wasn’t in person, but it’s the first time he’s communicated with Scott Perry, Doug Christie and B.J. Armstrong. And from what I’ve gathered, he liked the pitch that Scott Perry gave. He’s open-minded to the idea of Sacramento.
“I think part of that — I know part of that pitch — is you’re talking starting role, you’re talking bigger opportunity than the Warriors are necessarily offering right now. And I think that’s the part that shouldn’t get lost in this situation. Jonathan Kuminga isn’t just looking for the exact contract he wants in free agency. He’s looking for the opportunity he wants on the court.”
Sacramento made an offer to Golden State earlier this month, which sources told NBC Sports California’s Tristi Rodriguez included the Kings sending second-year NBA guard Devin Carter, big man Dario Šarić and two second-round draft picks to the Warriors in exchange for Kuminga.
Golden State selected Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and while the 22-year-old showed flashes of potential, he has never been a perfect fit alongside Steph Curry, and that only intensified with the integration of Jimmy Butler at the end of last season.
In four seasons with Golden State, Kuminga has averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
As Slater attested to, he is seeking a larger role than Warriors coach Steve Kerr has given him, and he could be the perfect addition for the team up the road that has longed for a young, athletic wing to complement Keegan Murray.
That doesn't mean the action is over, there are still a few things worth keeping an eye on. There are still four restricted free agents — Jonathan Kuminga (still seeking a sign-and-trade that nets him around $30 million per season), Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas, and Quentin Grimes. Additionally, a handful of veterans can receive contract extensions, including Luka Doncic (who is expected to re-sign with the Lakers, with minimal drama), Kevin Durant, Trae Young, and De'Aaron Fox.
And, there are still some open roster spots to fill. Here are the 10 best free agents still available, although at this point expect each of them to sign for the veteran minimum or some small exception a team still has available
Horford is the kind of high-IQ two-way player that should thrive with the Warriors and Steve Kerr's system. He can score inside, knock down corner 3-pointers, and is still a quality defender at age 37. Because of that age his minutes have to be monitored during the season, but that's a small price for the quality minutes he gives when on the court (and he can be trusted to play in the postseason).
2) Russell Westbrook
So far, no teams have signed up for the Russell Westbrook roller coaster for next season. Last season, he averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Nuggets, and had good chemistry with Nikola Jokić. However, those solid numbers belie the ups and downs of the season. When he is on his game, his energy is infectious and he still comes up with dynamic, athletic plays that can be game-changing. Unfortunately, those can be followed by head-scratchingly bad decisions that could cost a team a game.
Denver could have re-signed Westbrook after he opted out of a $3.5 million player option, but chose to pivot and go another direction. That may be telling for other contending teams. Westbrook has been strongly linked to the Sacramento Kings.
3) Chris Boucher
Boucher is the kind of player in demand around the league (which makes it a bit of a surprise he's available). He is a solid, rotation-level stretch four who averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds a game last season for Toronto, and shot 36.3% on nearly four 3-pointers a game. He's the kind of player who could plug into a lot of lineups and help, and he's going to surprise fans of wherever he signs who didn't watch him in Toronto.
4) Amir Coffey
A key rotation player on a 50-win Clippers team last season, the 28-year-old wing averaged 9.7 points a game and shot 40.9% from beyond the arc, plus he is particularly strong on catch-and-shoot 3s. When it came time for the playoffs, Coffee was the odd man out of Tyronn Lue's rotation, but for a team looking for wing depth, Coffee can help.
5) Gary Payton II
It's a little surprising he's still available, with teams everywhere looking for defenders who can pressure on ball and knock down 3-pointers (although not known as a great shooter, he is a career 34% from beyond the arc). Payton averaged 6.5 points a game for the Warriors last season. A return to the Bay Area is not out of the question, but the Lakers, Heat, Bucks, and Suns have also been linked to Payton.
6) Malcolm Brogdon
Two years ago he was the Sixth Man of the Year, but injuries limited him to just 63 combined over the last two seasons (in Portland and Washington), dropping his stock around the league. If healthy, he is more than worth the risk for a team because he can be a solid part of a guard rotation. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists a game last season when healthy.
7) Seth Curry
Every team needs more shooting. Seth Curry shot 45.6% from beyond the arc last season in Charlotte. Plugged into a reserve role on the right team, he could be a boost to the guard rotation, and he has been linked to signing with his brother's team in the Warriors (however, like with Al Horford, everything in Golden State seems hung up waiting for the Kuminga saga to end).
8) Trey Lyles
Lyles' case is similar to Boucher's above: A lot of teams could use a stretch four/small ball five, and Lyles can fill that role off the bench. He averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds a game last season in Sacramento (playing part of this season and the previous one for Mike Brown, if you're looking for a team where he could have a connection). Some team will snap him up before the season starts.
9) Ben Simmons
There will be eye rolls from the fan base of whatever team signs Simmons. However, if you watched him when healthy with the Clippers last season, you saw a guy who can have a regular season bench rotation role in the NBA.
Last season with the Clippers, he averaged 2.9 points and 3.8 assists a game in 16 minutes a night, serving as a point forward running the offense for the second unit, and he is still a plus defender (he had a larger role in rebuilding Brooklyn). He isn't going to take 3s (or even jumpers outside the paint), he's not going to help in the postseason. However, in a limited role, he could help the right team for the first 82 games.
10) Monte Morris
A veteran rotation guard who is a career 38.9% from beyond the arc (36% last season). He showed flashes last season, but nothing fit together in Phoenix, and Morris was part of that. He is not the scorer at age 30 (his age when camp opens) that he was five years ago, but he could still help a team in need of guard depth.
In an offseason full of painful departures for the Boston Celtics, there’s one change that actually might make the 2025-26 season more enjoyable than most currently anticipate: the absence of expectations.
After multiple seasons weighed down by championship-or-bust outlooks, a new-look Celtics squad is set to enter a season where it will be virtually impossible not to exceed most prognostications. The pendulum has swung so viciously that the team can endure the obvious bumps ahead in the road but embrace the little victories along the way.
You have to go back to the 2016-17 season to find the last time the Celtics were this devoid of expectations. That year, the Celtics jumped on the back of Isaiah Thomas, got a boost from the veteran addition of Al Horford, and watched a ragtag collection of role players pile up an Eastern Conference-best 53 wins before advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It remains one of our favorite seasons, jockeying with the 2024 title team in terms of sheer enjoyment. Thomas blossoming from a Sixth Man into a top-five MVP candidate certainly injected joy, but so did watching how the likes of Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk thrived in their roles, all while Brad Stevens pushed the right buttons to get the most from a team that trekked to the East Finals against a peak-of-his-powers LeBron James.
Could the 2025-26 Celtics have a similar glow up?
OK, maybe a deep playoff trek is ambitious. But we’d submit that this year’s team with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard at the helm might have more top-end talent than that 2016-17 group. You can fret over the potential depth of this squad, but 1) We don’t suspect this is a finished roster, and 2) Gerald Green was starting key playoff games for the 2016-17 group, so it wasn’t like that team was swimming in depth, either. James Young and Jordan Mickey combined to play 54 games that year.
Sure, the 2025-26 Celtics have a rather obvious void at the big-man position after the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and, presumably soon, Horford. But the 2016-17 Celtics squeezed 77 starts and 1,600-plus minutes out of Amir Johnson.
The margin for error for the 2025-26 Celtics is razor-thin. If Brown tweaks a hamstring or White turns an ankle, then winning games could be a real challenge. Regardless of how competitive they are out of the gates, the Celtics will lean heavier into development than they have in recent seasons with hopes that some pain points this season will aid the team when Jayson Tatum is back at full health.
Vegas prognosticators currently project the 2025-26 Celtics at 43.5 wins. That slots them seventh in the East behind the Cavaliers (55.5), Knicks (52.5), Magic (51.5), Hawks 46.5), Pistons (45.5), and Bucks (44.5).
No one yearns to be a play-in team. And there’s absolutely a case to be made that, if Boston is trending in that direction before the trade deadline, leaning even further into a youth movement and other priorities (like getting below the luxury tax) ought to be a priority.
But it is going to be refreshing to watch games and just embrace the small victories. Maybe Brown blossoms in the 1A role and returns to All-NBA form. Maybe White lands that elusive All-Star nod. Maybe Pritchard morphs from Sixth Man of the Year into a legitimate starting-level guard.
More important might be the development of role players who will comprise the future core of this team.
Can recent first-round draft picks Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman use the 2025-26 season to prove they can eventually hold rotation roles on a title-contending team? Can Neemias Queta and Luka Garza evolve their games given the void in Boston’s frontcourt? Is Josh Minott capable of thriving in an expanded opportunity with the Celtics?
A quick aside here, too: Maybe it’s time Celtics fans embrace Georges Niang. The consternation with his addition, especially given his roots here, has been a little bizarre.
Yes, he put himself in the crosshairs a couple seasons ago by grabbing at Jaylen Brown’s knee during a game. Brown and Niang crossed paths at a WNBA game at the Garden last week and there didn’t look like there was any lingering animosity.
We also love how Niang acknowledged the fan angst, noting on a podcast last week: “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not. They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.’”
Is Niang a long-term piece for this team? Probably not. But if this team is going to outkick expectations, he could be a big part of what’s ahead. If nothing else, he has an expiring — and very tradable — salary that could help future roster constructions. His self awareness, combined with his play style, ought to win over fans quickly.
All of which is our long-winded way of saying: Enjoy the ride. Expectations are going to spike the very second Tatum is back on a basketball court. We’ve been spoiled by the success of this team over the past decade — especially in recent seasons — but there’s nothing wrong with embracing a potential gap year.
We think there’s a very real chance this team performs well beyond expectations at the start of the season. Things might go sideways due to injuries or letting younger players take their lumps, but there are long-term benefits if that happens, too.
The Celtics have created flexibility with their roster. After waiving JD Davison on Thursday, the team is back below the second apron and carries an open roster spot. The team can lean into various pathways during the season, if potential roster moves don’t materialize sooner.
It’s easy to be discouraged by the talent drain. The Celtics needed to get their finances in order, and Tatum’s injury only made that a slightly easier to embrace. The absence of expectations is going to change the way we view games. It’s less about wins and losses and more about the process.
The Warriors superstar rocked cornrows for the first three games of the campaign, but, as he explained in a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman — never again.
“What a time that was. Coming out of COVID, I had the struggle braids where I had just enough to close it up,” Curry told Morman. “And then I started the year, I don’t know what my percentage was, like high 20s, low 30s maybe. Everyone who knows how superstitious I am, I remember where I was. I was in Chicago, in our hotel after we lost to Brooklyn and we lost to Milwaukee the first two games of that season. I’m in the hotel taking out my own braids. I didn’t have my barber with me, I didn’t have anything. I just let it hang.
“And then I got hot in Chicago, and that crept. I kept that haircut — the nasiest haircut I’ve ever had — it was like a mushroom top, half-fro, half I don’t know, whatever. And when I had 62 [point], I still had that cut. That was like two weeks later. So braids to not, I won’t ever have them again — just off of that. It was a [two]-game stretch. Horrible.”
Curry, the greatest shooter to grace the game of basketball, opened that season shooting just 13-of-38 (34.2 percent) from the field and 4-of-20 (20 percent) from 3-point range.
Against the Bulls, Curry dropped 36 points on 11-of-25 shooting (44 percent) from the field and 5 of 15 (33.3 percent) from distance.
Three games later, as he mentioned, he scored his career-high 62 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, shooting an incredible 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) from the field and 8 of 16 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.
Steph Curry isn’t one to chase records, but he’d be lying if he said one in particular wasn’t in the back of his mind as he approaches Year 17 in the NBA.
Curry continues to creep up the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West in April for the 24th spot. Of the 23 players in front of him, only four — LeBron James (No. 1), Kevin Durant (No. 8), James Harden (No. 11) and Russell Westbrook (No. 20) — currently are active.
The Warriors superstar admitted reaching the top-10 is something he has his eye on — and something not far out of reach.
“I wouldn’t say I don’t care. I do the math every once in a while,” Curry told Complex’s Speedy Mormon in a recent interview. “Every time you catch somebody and they do the thing in the arenas like, ‘Oh, congratulations, you passed Jerry West,’ which was a special one for me, that’s when you’re like, oh, how far can I go? So I do the math. If I average 20-something [points], two and a half seasons, I’m playing 70 games, I do that math all the time just to get in your head how long do you have to play and to what level to catch the top of that list?
“But after I do that, I don’t think about it again until the next time it happens. So it’s just a fun way to keep yourself in the moment and give yourself, for a hot second, something to look forward to. But that’s not why I’ll keep going. It’s more that I want to get to a level where we’re competing and playing for championships.”
Curry currently boasts 25,386 points to his name, which is 2,903 points away from the No. 10 spot, currently occupied by Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony (28,289).
He is 819 points away from the No. 20 spot and 1,324 points away from the No. 15 spot.
Andre Iguodala is now the full-time executive director of the NBPA, having quietly shed his interim tag last year without any formal announcement from the union.
Iguodala became “acting executive director” in late 2023, replacing Tamika Tremaglio following her dismissal from the NBPA. At the time, it appeared Iguodala would hold the role until a permanent successor took over—Sportico’s story on his appointment called it “temporary”—but that changed over the course of his first three months on the job.
In February 2024, according to someone familiar with the matter, the NBPA’s executive committee and board of player reps, which includes members of all 30 teams, voted to make Iguodala’s position more permanent with a new multiyear contract. There was no formal process that included any outside candidates, said the person, who was granted anonymity because the process was not public.
The union did not publicize Iguodala’s new status or his contract. The word “acting” was removed from Iguodala’s bio on the union website at some point in between Feb. 19 and March 1 of 2024, according to a review of cached pages. The NBPA used the new, shorter title—without the word “acting”—in a press release in August.
Iguodala’s salary is set by the union’s player reps. He was paid $2.8 million in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, 2024, according to the NBPA’s LM-2 filing, with $2.09 million of that in gross salary.
A union rep declined to comment on the specifics of the process or his contract. Iguodala, currently in Spain for a week-long offseason performance retreat for players, also declined to comment.
Iguodala made $185.2 million in salary across his 19-year NBA career, according to Spotrac. He was a four-time NBA champion, and was MVP of the Finals in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors. As a player he served for more than a decade on the NBPA’s executive committee, including a four-year term as first vice president from 2019-2023.
He has been an active investor as well, both as a player and after retiring, including venture and early-stage investments in Coinbase, Allbirds, Zoom, DataDog and Dapper Labs, which has partnered with both the union and the league on its Top Shot NFT product. He is co-founder and managing partner of Mosaic, a $200 million venture capital firm; Mosaic’s portfolio includes Athletes First, an agency primarily representing NFL players.
Iguodala is a minority owner in NWSL franchise Bay FC, English soccer club Leeds United and the TGL franchise in San Francisco. He invested in the latter two teams alongside other active NBA players, including Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Larry Nance Jr. and T.J. McConnell. Iguodala disclosed all of his necessary investments as part of his transition to becoming executive director, the source said.
Iguodala has kept a low profile since assuming the acting position in 2023—a contrast to Tremaglio. He doesn’t do many formal interviews or speaking events in his capacity with the union, nor does he show up often in union press releases. His official status at the union has continued to create confusion in news reports for more than a year after the “acting” label was removed.
He has, however, reshaped the union’s leadership over the past year. In February the NBPA hired David Kelly, then the chief legal officer of the Golden State Warriors, to be the union’s managing director. It’s common for sports unions to be led by executives with legal experience, and Kelly, who also serves as the union’s general counsel, now heads the union’s legal efforts as a supplement to Iguodala’s leadership.
Kelly is one of a handful of union leaders to have joined under Iguodala’s tenure. Others include chief people officer Michelle Crenshaw, chief financial officer Cameron Jones, EVP for player operations Morgan Cato, and VP of brand communications Jacinda Ortiz.
The NBA’s current CBA, which took effect in 2023, runs through the 2029-30 season.
Parting ways with Davison puts the Celtics back under the second apron of the luxury tax. Boston now has an open roster spot, though any addition would put the organization back over the second apron.
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The Celtics initially selected Davison in the second round (53rd) of the 2022 NBA Draft. The Alabama product appeared in only 16 games for Boston last season, averaging 2.1 points over 5.8 minutes per game. However, he thrived with the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League, averaging 25.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game to earn G League MVP honors.
Davison earned a championship ring with the Celtics in 2024. After appearing in only 36 games over three years with Boston, he should have a chance to earn more playing time with a new team for next season and beyond.
A call came from Luka Doncic a couple of times, at first making Marcus Smart think it wasn’t true and then eventually making him believe that Doncic was a Lakers salesman and that he wanted Smart to be a part of what they were building here in Los Angeles.
It wasn’t like they had a strong “relationship,” but Smart said he and Doncic have “a mutual understanding and respect for each other” from meeting on the court in past seasons.
So, when the calls came while Smart was training while trying to figure out his next move after he had agreed to a contract buyout from the Washington Wizards, he was swayed by Doncic to join the Lakers after clearing waivers.
Smart, who signed a two-year deal for $11 million with the Lakers, with a player option for the second season, smiled as he told the stories during his introductory news conference Tuesday about talking to Doncic and being persuaded to join him and LeBron James.
“It first came, my agent, I’m working out, and I get a call from my agent saying, you know, ‘Hey Luka reached out.’ And I’m like ‘yeah whatever’ you know?’ Like all right,” Smart said at the Lakers’ practice facility. “And then another day, same thing — Luka reached out again and now it’s real. It’s no longer what-ifs. It’s real and it’s something we need to talk about. And that was a great feeling, like I said, and that’s kind of what kind of got things going for me to be here and I’m excited to be here.”
The Lakers were in need of a point-of-attack perimeter defender such as Smart, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith going to Houston.
Smart was the NBA’s defensive player of the year in 2022 when he played for the Boston Celtics and has been on the NBA’s All-Defensive first team three times.
Knowing that Doncic and James are “two greats with [the] greatest basketball IQs that I’ve ever seen in this era” made it easy for Smart to become their teammates.
“And when you get a guy like Luka, calling, referencing, checking on you, trying to see where you at to see if you want to come and join something special that he’s trying to cook up over here,” Smart said. “And for him to say that he can really use my help, that meant a lot. Played against Luka a lot. Been on a lot of opposing ends of Luka magic. And to be able to come out and be on his side at this time, it means a lot.”
Doncic has a decision to make with the Lakers.
On Aug. 2, Doncic and the Lakers can talk about a contract extension.
He can sign a four-year deal for $224 million or a three-year deal for $161 million with a player option in 2028, which would then allow Doncic to sign a max deal in 2028 that would give him 35% of the salary cap for that season.
Meanwhile, Smart was asked what kind of recruiter is Doncic.
“It’s the same. He’s a competitor. He’s just the same way. He has that competitive nature when he’s talking,” Smart said. “He’s intrigued and that’s it. He didn’t really have to say much. Luka, his name, his ability, what he has done, [speaks] for himself. And for me, like I said, I’ve been on the other end of Luka magic. So to be able to come and join and see it and witness it on the other side is something that I was like, ‘why not give it a shot?’”
Wizards guard Marcus Smart (36) drives against Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio during a game last season. (Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
Smart, 31, played in only 54 games the last two seasons, injuries costing him time that he spent both with the Memphis Grizzlies and Wizards. In the 34 games he played between both teams, Smart averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shot 34.8% from three-point range.
“Yeah, I’m very motivated. You know, the last two years, for me, was in my eyes, a disappointment,” Smart said. “Injuries kind of stopped me and held me back. But like I told my wife and my family, you know, everything happens for a reason. And it’s funny that 12 years ago, I could have been here [with the Lakers] and now it’s full circle and I’m here. And like I said, everything happens for a reason. And I just look at those reasons was for me to be here, to not play for people to look at me and say, ‘you know what, maybe he isn’t the same?’ And now that allows me to be in a place where I’m supposed to be.”
Smart was at his best with the Celtics, where he spent nine years and reached the playoffs every year, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2022.
Over the course of his 11 seasons in the NBA, Smart averaged 10.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
The Lakers were 50-32 last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs.
But he knows the Lakers are about winning championships and the chance to play with Doncic and James in high-stakes basketball games played a part in his decision as well.
“It’s at the top,” Smart said. “I mean, the main goal, the reason you go out and you compete the way you compete is to try to win championships and what better place to be able to do that than here, where the show starts and where the show ends. So, that was definitely a big part of it, being able to get back on that stage, being able to get to a team that definitely could use me and I know I can make an impact and I can help as well and that was a perfect fit here.”
LeBron James' future was the hottest topic at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but the conversations often followed the same pattern: A discussion of the tone of agent Rich Paul's statement when LeBron picked up his $52.6 million player option, a discussion of how the Lakers are now focused on a Luka Doncic based future, then things quickly turned to shrugs as soon as trying to figure out a LeBron trade that works for everyone became the topic. There wasn't a good one. And nobody thinks he's giving a bunch of money back in a buyout to become a free agent.
With that, LeBron trade chatter has died down, something Zach Lowe discussed on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
"I've heard it's kind of gotten quiet now after it was the talk of Summer League. There doesn't seem to be like a clean solution either way. Everyone's saying we should expect them to be on the Lakers. That's my expectation.
Then Lowe discusses Simmons' idea of a Miami reunion for LeBron.
"Like on paper there's a Heat trade that is not crazy for either team. Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell for unhappy LeBron in January and maybe some sort of pick swap and maybe that's all it is as crazy as that sounds. I think for the Lakers Kel'el Ware has got to be in it."
Everything may look different by the February trade deadline, but does this trade work for LeBron? He has a no-trade clause and wants to compete for a title in the years he has left in the league. Is Miami one of those teams? Even in a down season in the East, it's hard to see Miami being a championship-caliber team that could beat Cleveland, New York, Orlando, and others, with or without LeBron. Currently, he is on a Lakers team that is not a top-three favorite to emerge from the deep West, but with Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, and the rest of the roster, this should be a strong team. The Lakers are closer to LeBron's goals than the Miami Heat.
All the other fake trades also run into real-world logistical problems. Cleveland can't trade for him because they are over the second apron of the luxury tax and can't aggregate salaries in a trade (it would have to be one-for-one and the Cavs don't have anyone making LeBron-level money). New York would have to gut its roster of depth to make this trade, which would not improve their team.
The most likely scenario remains that LeBron stays with the Lakers this season, then becomes a free agent next summer, and things get very interesting.
With Tyrese Haliburton out for next season and the luxury tax staring them in the face, Pacers ownership and management reportedly low-balled free agent Myles Turner. The Milwaukee Bucks stunned everyone by waiving Damian Lillard to create enough cap space to swoop in and sign Turner to a four-year, $108.9 million contract much more in line with his comparable value around the league.
"Since I've gotten here and for the last 10 years Myles' name has been synonymous with our organization... At the end of the day it is a business, he's gotta do what's best for him. I wish him the best moving forward. My focus is on the guys here and getting better here, but I wish him the best moving forward."
Professional athletes understand they are in a business and that they have a relatively short window to make money. With that, they rarely criticize another player for grabbing the biggest bag they can — make your money, set up your family. Players' friendships and respect don't change because of those business decisions.
In other Haliburton-related news:
• In that same ESPN interview, Haliburton said it may be more bad luck than anything else that has led to the rise in Achilles injuries in the NBA.
"Everybody thinks we play too many games, we play too many minutes -- all those things could be true, but I don't think that is what's causing these injuries... So I don't think that anybody has necessarily the answer. I think injuries are just bad luck sometimes and that's just what happened. I think that's just what happens in sports sometimes."
• Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said the team has applied for and been granted a disabled injury exception for Haliburton for next season. In this case, that gives the Pacers a $14.1 million exception to sign a player (but does not free up a roster spot). The Pacers currently have 13 players under guaranteed contracts for next season, and Buchanan said on the Setting The Pace podcast that point guard depth is something they are considering.
When Kendrick Lamar’s award-winning “They Not Like Us” song broke out after Team USA’s win over Serbia in the Olympic semifinals last summer, nearly the entire arena sang along to the catchy diss track.
Some speculated it had something to do with Curry’s close relationship with hip-hop icon Drake, whom Lamar dissed during a heated music feud last year, or if it was simply just Curry being agitated by how often and overplayed the song had become.
Almost exactly one year later, Curry explained his viral reaction to the song in that moment during a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman.
“It was both,” Curry admitted. “Everywhere we went, that’s all I heard. And the fact that they knew who I was with. You can’t do anything about what the DJ’s playing. But I got sick of it at a certain point.
“It was funny that the cameras caught me because that was from the soul.”
The loyalty goes both ways, too, as Drake has Curry’s No. 30 tattooed on his arm with a halo.
Curry and Drake go way back, supporting each other’s professional careers but also having a real family-type bond as the rapper and Curry’s wife, Ayesha, both are from Toronto.
Well, now the Warriors’ Chase Center in-arena crew knows which song not to play during home games.
New reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicates that might not happen anytime soon.
“The Warriors’ entire offseason has been essentially on pause for one player, and that’s restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga,” Charania said Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “They have wanted to figure out his situation before making their other offseason moves. I saw Jonathan Kuminga this morning at a workout in Miami. He’s in good spirits. He had a good workout.
“He did tell me, though, that he is in absolutely no rush on doing a deal with the Warriors right now, and he is not accepting their current offers. He added that he wanted to continue to explore options with his agent, Aaron Turner, whether that’s continuing conversations with the Warriors, but also sign-and-trade options that are available to him in the marketplace.”
Reporting for NBA Today — the latest on restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors as August nears: pic.twitter.com/hKZMA5rBGb
Kuminga, who was selected No. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, is seeking a situation where he can be a consistent contributor and the future of a franchise that backs and believes in him. That hasn’t been the case for Kuminga in Golden State over the last four years.
The Warriors aren’t moved by the offers they have received thus far, as the Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the strongest pursuers to land the athletic young wing.
“I’m told the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings are two teams that have made concrete offers with the Warriors over the last week or so,” Charania added. “They’re two of the more aggressive teams with Kuminga. They’re also offering him an opportunity for significant minutes and a starting-caliber role in their lineup — and those are two things he wants more than anything.
“The Warriors do not want anything that is being offered to them in sign-and-trades, and on the other hand, with Jonathan Kuminga, he is not ready to move forward with taking any of the Warriors’ current offers. He’s not in a hurry to do a deal there yet.”
The veteran forward was part of a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Niang to the Boston Celtics in early July. The deal was primarily a cost-cutting move for the Celtics, who saved more than $22 million in cap space by replacing Porzingis’ $30.7 million salary with Niang’s $8.2 million expiring contract.
That’s a positive development in Boston’s quest to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax. But with all due respect to Niang, the trade doesn’t exactly get the Celtics closer to Banner 19. And as a Massachusetts native who grew up in Methuen as a Celtics fan, he’s well aware of how his addition is being received.
“I’m a Boston kid — I then get traded for Porzingis,” Niang told co-hosts Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on The OGs podcast. “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not.
“They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.'”
There’s a reason why Porzingis is nicknamed “The Unicorn” and Niang goes by “The Minivan.” The former is a highly-skilled, 7-foot-2 big man who’s an elite 3-point shooter and rim protector, while the latter is a wider-bodied, 6-foot-7 forward who’s more of a “glue guy” role player than game-changer.
To Niang’s credit, he understands that talent discrepancy and is determined to make an impact however he can on a Celtics team that’s in “reset” mode after losing Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles.
“Now I’m kind of in the mode of like, OK, obviously JT is out, but Boston has done a really good job, if you’ve looked at it when guys miss games, (they still win),” Niang continued. “It’s their culture, it’s who they are.
“So it’s like, ‘OK Georges, now what can you do to maximize what you have to help them win games?’ Because you don’t wanna be in Boston losing, that’s for sure.
“That’s kind of how I’ve transitioned my mindset. It’s like, ‘OK, what can I do this summer? Can I come in in the best shape that I’m in, and also mentor and kind of teach (the younger players), and also learn, because they’ve won championships, and kind of dial that all into one and focus every day on like, ‘How can I win the day, and then win games?'”
Whether Niang actually gets that opportunity is unclear. The Celtics are currently just barely over the second apron and could further cut costs by dealing Niang or Anfernee Simons to another team, either before the 2025-26 season or ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February.
If Niang is on the Opening Day roster, however, he’ll be fully prepared for whatever reception C’s fans give him at TD Garden.
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Carter was thinking of getting into team ownership, but was thinking more along the lines of the NBA, when Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula let it be known they were looking to add minority stakeholders. Carter jumped at the opportunity and, at Bill's camp, he talked with Chris Vinel of the Daytona Beach News-Journal about it.
"I've sat with the GM, president, owner, the big boss," Carter said. "I've sat with everybody, and we've had conversations, and I just listen and learn. I don't just want to have a name on it. I want to be involved."
"I'm thrilled to be a part of it," he said. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams of being a part of an ownership group in football. Luckily, I played it (until after my freshman year at Mainland High School), so I feel comfortable being in it. But I didn't think this opportunity would come about, and it did."
Carter is not the only minority investor, among the group who bought in is Carter's cousin and fellow basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady (it was McGrady who turned Carter on to the opportunity). They bought into a Buffalo team that is among the Super Bowl favorites — in a tough East with Kansas City and Baltimore — led by MVP quarterback Josh Allen.
"I like what we're doing," he said. "... Feeling good, feeling confident. Nice pieces that we've drafted and got in free agency." It's fitting to have Carter owning part of a Buffalo team not far from where he made his name as a player in Toronto — expect to see him at a lot of Bills games this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will play for Greece in FIBA EuroBasket. This is not a surprise — he had said that if he were healthy, he would play — but is now confirmed by the Greek national team.
Antetokounmpo is the reason Greece is a threat in the tournament, which begins on Aug. 27 and runs almost up to the start of NBA training camps. Antetokounmpo was the leading scorer at the Paris Olympics last summer, averaging 25.8 points along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists across four games (Greece made it out of group play in the tournament but was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Germany). Antetokounmpo also was the leading scorer at the 2022 EuroBasket averaging 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game.
While Antetokounmpo's name was frequently mentioned in trade speculation all summer, he has said he would "probably" return to the Bucks next season, and most around the league expect that outcome.
Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic of Slovenia headline the NBA players participating in the European championships. Among the other NBA players expected to suit up are Alperen Sengun of Turkiye, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr for France, Franz Wagner for Germany, Kristaps Porzingis for Latvia and Nikola Vukcevic for Montenegro.
Nikola Jokic's status for Serbia remains unknown. While he is on the preliminary 19-man roster the nation had to submit, his plans for the tournament itself are undecided (at least publicly).
Victor Wembanyama is out for France, recovering from a blood clot issue in his shoulder, and Rudy Gobert will also not suit up for a French team that won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics a year ago.
