Basketball News
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Back when Tim Duncan was in college at Wake Forest, people would watch him and think, what’s all the fuss about? Then they’d look at the boxscore and see 26 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 5 assists.
In person, he was sort of boring because he never did anything flashy. He was just incredibly sound.
Cameron Boozer is much the same way.
Zach Lowe watched him casually and wasn’t impressed. Then he watched more closely and got it.
He says “Boozer is so smart, so crafty, and has this super high IQ, where his vision and his IQ make him faster and more athletic than he actually is, because he’s outthinking everybody on the court. And he has such a smart sense of anticipation and angles. Combine that with a workable three-point shot, at least in college, a nasty streak, an ability to handle the ball in the pick-and-roll…I fu**ing love that guy…I think he’s gonna walk in and be a really good NBA player right away.”
That’s what Duke fans were lucky enough to see last season. Like others before him – Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and just last week, Jalen Brunson, Boozer is smart enough to force the game to be played on his terms.
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Veteran guard D’Angelo Russell has opted in to his $6 million player option for the 2026-27 season, Jake Fischer reported Friday.
Russell, 30, was acquired by the Wizards on Feb. 5 as part of a trade that sent Anthony Davis, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy to Washington. He averaged 10.2 points and 4.0 assists across 26 games with Dallas last season.
Despite the trade, Russell never reported to the Wizards as the sides navigated a buyout agreement that never materialized. Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said the team and Russell spoke following the trade and agreed he wouldn’t report.
“With D’Angelo, we’ve talked to him, talked to his representatives. At the time, he’s not going to report as we try to figure out what’s best for him and us in our future,“ Dawkins said.
It’s possible Russell quickly becomes a trade piece for Washington, as it appears neither side is interested in the former All-Star playing significant, if any, minutes in a Wizards uniform this season.
If the Wizards re-sign Trae Young, which is considered very likely, the roster sits at 12 guaranteed contracts. If you include Jamir Watkins, who has a $2.15M team option that likely gets picked up, and the No. 1 pick, Washington is at 14 standard deals.
The Wizards also hold the No. 51 and No. 60 selections in the 2026 draft.
The Golden State Warriors wrapped up another set of pre-draft workouts ahead of next Tuesday’s NBA Draft. Thursday’s crop was one of their most intriguing workouts yet, featuring Arizona guard Brayden Burries, Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr., and Washington big man Hannes Steinbach.
Burries is one of the top guard prospects in the draft and has been a popular name linked to the Warriors throughout the pre-draft process. He is a versatile guard who would add size to Golden State’s backcourt alongside Stephen Curry, measuring 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine. He also provides value as a perimeter shooter, knocking down 39.1% of his three-point attempts during his freshman season at Arizona.
Philon, meanwhile, offers a different type of fit in the Warriors’ backcourt. The Alabama guard is a more dynamic creator off the dribble, with the ball-handling and scoring ability that helped him average 22 points per game during his sophomore season. However, Philon is considerably smaller than Burries, measuring 6-foot-2 and 176 pounds at the combine.
Lastly, Steinbach is widely regarded as the top rebounding prospects in this year’s draft class. The 6-foot-10 freshman big averaged 11.8 rebounds per game last season, the most of any player in the country. He also possesses excellent hands and a high basketball IQ, giving him intriguing upside as a passer despite averaging just 1.6 assists per game.
With the draft now less than a week away, the Warriors will continue to evaluate a wide range of prospects as they weigh their options with the No. 11 overall pick. While Burries, Philon, and Steinbach bring very different skill sets to the table, each fills a potential area of need for a Golden State team set on adding young talent around its veteran core.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, June 19th:
Most teams want to make sure their top pick has at least one elite trait, and Steinbach clearly does. His strong and massive hands help him be the best rebounder in the draft. Steinbach positions his body well and he just has a knack for the ball. He led the country in rebounds per game (11.8) and he also ranked second in the Big Ten with 126 offensive rebounds.
Golden State’s Kristaps Porziņģis is one of those players and league sources say that the sides are indeed progressing in talks on a new deal after the Warriors acquired Porziņģis and his expiring salary of nearly $31 million on Trade Deadline Day in February.
The Celtics have gone to great lengths to avoid the elephant in the room here, but Jaylen Brown would need to be part of any deal for Antetokounmpo. And if Boston had its way, the conversation would start and end there with a one-for-one swap of fellow All-Stars who are still in their respective primes (Antetokounmpo is 31; Brown is 29). Lest anyone forget, Brown is coming off his best season yet, finishing sixth in MVP voting.
Given Golden State’s limited avenues to improve the roster, the depth of guards in this year’s draft class, and a quietly deep free agent crop of guards that could be in the non-taxpayer mid-level exception price range (Quentin Grimes, Ayo Dosunmo, Coby White, Benedict Mathurin, Landry Shamet, Keon Ellis, Norm Powell, Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, CJ McCollum, and De’Anthony Melton), the Warriors could be in position to improve their depth by trading Podziemski for another first-round pick, giving Will Richard an expanded role, and adding a proven guard in free agency.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are counting on one of their younger prospects to take another step forward this summer. Whether it’s Jaylon Tyson, Tyrese Proctor, or their upcoming first-round pick, it’s important that one of them turns into a hit.
Earlier this week, asked you, the fans, who is the most important prospect out of that bunch. Here are the results.
An overwhelming majority chose Tyson. That might not be much of a surprise.
Tyson became a fan favorite last season through his hustle on the court. Bringing heart and toughness to this Cavalier team is the quickest way to win over the city.
But Tyson was more than just a junkyard dog. He took a huge leap forward as a three-point shooter and showed some skills in the pick-and-roll that make him an intriguing offensive prospect. The Cavs would love to see him continue to improve as a shooter while fleshing out the rest of his offensive game. His playmaking in the short roll, for example, leaves endless opportunities.
On paper, Tyson can be a highly valuable complementary piece moving forward. The fans seem to have taken notice.
Proctor is a distant second. But make no mistake, he’s someone whom I’d feel just as excited about. Proctor has good size and defensive instincts for his position. I trust his jumper is legit, and the more he can do on-ball, the more helpful he can be. I think there’s a chance Proctor can earn backup point guard minutes in his sophomore season.
Finally, the 29th pick in this year’s draft comes in last place. That’s because there’s simply no telling what to expect from a late first-round pick. None of us assumes that this pick will translate to anything tangible in the immediate future. Though it’s still important that whoever they select can develop into someone useful down the line.
Cleveland currently holds the 11th highest odds to win the title next season. They won’t get any higher if they strike out on all three of these prospects.
Thomas Haugh‘s decision to return to Florida after a breakout sophomore season sent shockwaves that reverberated throughout not only college basketball but the NBA as well. The consensus All-American forward announced his return to Gainesville in mid-April despite most projections listing the 6-foot-9 Haugh as a potential lottery pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft.
And it turns out the NBA has one of its own to thank for that decision. Golden State Warriors veteran big man Draymond Green confirmed he advised Haugh to go back to Florida after learning what he could make in NIL. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Haugh could exceed $10 million in NIL during the 2026-27 season, with roughly $8 million coming courtesy of the team’s NIL collective, Florida Victorious.
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Haugh first revealed his conversation with Green last week after the Gators started summer workouts. It was an in-depth consultation with the four-time NBA champion, courtesy of their mutual friend, Warriors rookie Will Richard, who won the 2025 national title with the Gators.
“I was just like really up in the air about it,” Haugh told reporters, per GatorsOnline‘s Zach Abolverdi. “I kind of wanted to get like a perspective from like a player. And so, I called Will (for advice) … and then he’s like, ‘I’m actually going to add Draymond right now.’ And then we talked for like 45 minutes. It was pretty sick.”
Green revealed his side of the conversation with Haugh earlier this week on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, citing the multitude of reasons a return to Gainesville was ultimately the right decision. And while the NIL money was an important factor, Green pointed to the potential legacy Haugh could establish by going back and potentially winning a second national championship at Florida.
“We start talking about the number (Haugh) could possibly get if he went back, and when (Richard) told me the number in the millions that he’d make if he stayed at Florida, I was like, ‘Oh, no question he should go back,’” Green recalled this week. “When we got on the phone with Thomas, the number was actually higher then (what) Will had thought or had told me it was. But No. 1, Thomas grew up a Florida Gator fan, family are big time Gators fans, so Florida is his dream school. He’s won a national championship there, gonna come back next year and have an opportunity to win a second national championship possibly, and compete for national player of the year, and (then enter) a much weaker draft (in 2028).
“And he’s going to make really good money; that’s 1099 income as opposed to W2 income that NBA players make,” Green added. “And he’s going to solidify himself as one of the greatest Gators ever. I just don’t know how it gets much better than that.”
Of course, Green’s advice for Haugh didn’t stop there.
“One thing I told him, ‘Alright, but you’ve got to go do the work. You have to come back (to the NBA) next year better than you are right now. So you gotta go do the work, but I think it’s the right decision to go back to school,'” Green added. “I hope he has a great year, I’m praying for his health, and build that draft stock up even higher. Because I think he’s more than capable of doing that.”
Haugh’s return coincided with similar draft decisions from fellow juniors Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. That has Florida among the leading favorites to win the 2027 national championship.
A big shift that has occurred in the six years that Leon Rose has been in charge of basketball operations is one that naturally occurs when a team begins to compete. The priority shifts from development to winning now.
The year that Rose and company fully shifted from the youth movement to a veteran-ladened roster was 2023-24. Obi Toppin was traded to Indiana, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley went to Toronto, Quentin Grimes went to Detroit. Four guys that seemed like key parts of the team’s future two years prior were out the door to supplement a core around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (later, Karl-Anthony Towns).
With draft assets being tossed around in these trades and others (particularly to get Mikal Bridges), the youth pipeline was completely shut off. All that was left was the occasional late first and a few seconds every so often.
You see them filling out the back end of these rosters with lottery tickets in these spots. The Tyler Kolek’s and Ariel Hukporti’s of the world. But with their most recent pick, No. 51 in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Knicks made their biggest upside play, and hope that they might’ve found a diamond in the rough for the future.
Mohamed Diawara was born on April 29, 2005, in Paris, France. Basketball wasn’t his first love; soccer was, but a growth spurt, coupled with watching his sister play as a little kid, instilled a love for the game in him, resulting in him joining La Domremy Basket at the age of 13 and later joining the Saint-Charles Charenton youth team alongside Pacǒme Dadiet in 2020.
He made his senior debut with Paris Basketball in 2021 at the age of 16, but his minutes were sporadic over the next few years across both continental and LNB Pro A. As he continued to mature as a man and a basketball player, he had a hard time finding a role, eventually being loaned down to second-division Poitiers Basket 86 in December.
That summer, he left Paris to play full-time in LNB Élite, signing with Cholet Basket for the 2024-25 season to get a bigger role ahead of his draft eligibility year. NBA scouts had long noticed his talent, naming him the best player at a 2022 Basketball Without Borders event in Milan, but he needed to find out how to best put his skills on display. That summer, he won a gold medal with France’s U20 team at FIBA EuroBasket in Poland.
At Cholet Basket, he played 20 minutes a game, by far a career high, but he was limited to just 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds a game on mediocre efficiency. He looked the part of a raw prospect, but he still decided to enter the 2025 NBA Draft, banking on his elite measureables to convince an NBA team to take a flier on him with their ever-growing addiction to drafting for traits over production.
The Knicks were scheduled to make their only draft selection at No. 50, but traded back one pick to allow the Clippers to come up and take Kobe Sanders. With the 51st pick, Diawara heard his name called, joining his old French teammate Dadiet in New York.
It was a relative surprise to see that this late-second round selection wasn’t a Eurostash and planned to compete for a roster spot. He showed some flashes on both ends in an overall forgettable Summer League for the Knicks and benefited from Brock Aller needing to dance around the second apron, which allowed him to get into training camp with an inside track at a guaranteed contract.
There, he impressed the coaching staff right away and earned his way onto the Opening Night roster after initially only signing an Exhibit 10 deal. He was very far down the depth chart, as you might expect, but with Mike Brown now in charge, maybe he’d get a chance other recent rookies didn’t?
It took until late November for him to get meaningful minutes, where he struggled against Orlando in a very sad game overall. A month later, in the NBA Cup hangover game in Indiana, he got his first career start with five regular rotation players ruled out.
Slowly, he was gaining more reps, even if the impact wasn’t there yet. Something seemed to click for him when he got a quick 3:40 stint on Christmas Day against Cleveland, which turned into his most impactful week of the season. He earned starts against Atlanta and New Orleans on the upcoming road trip with Josh Hart injured, with his 18-point performance against the Pelicans serving as the best game of his rookie year.
There were things holding him back, though. Despite tantalizing sequences with his defensive abilities, the team was struggling to defend anything during this time, killing his lineups. In the New Year’s Eve clash with the Spurs, Diawara earned the start but was limited to just six minutes. Why? Teams had enough film on him to start dissecting his weaknesses.
While he was a 40% shooter and a deadeye corner sniper in limited reps, there was some hesitancy with his shot. He also hadn’t shown an ability to attack driving lanes and make plays the way Hart does, so teams started utilizing ghost coverage, which played him off the court.
As a result, January was a month that saw him sink back into a deep reserve role as the team got healthier. He’d occasionally re-emerge when guys were banged up, but he seemed unprepared to attack the new way he was being defended.
He started getting more comfortable when he was called upon in early February. He played 15 critical minutes in a double-overtime win against the Nuggets, he started for a shorthanded Knicks squad in Detroit against the Pistons, and he looked great in a season-high 27 minutes against the Celtics just after the trade deadline.
His most memorable game might’ve been his March 1 game against the same Spurs team that revealed the book on how to play him off the court. When called upon against Mitch Johnson’s ghost coverage, he attempted a staggering 13 three-pointers in 15 minutes and was a plus-18 in a blowout win.
By late March, the team had gotten fully healthy and, despite showing some real flashes, he was outside the 9 or 10-man circle of trust that Brown had heading into the playoffs. He didn’t play a single meaningful minute in the playoffs, even when OG Anunoby missed two games with injury.
The overall numbers don’t say anything special, but for a player who barely managed to sneak into the end of the second round, he had an impressive rookie season. Maybe he could’ve contributed to this championship run. Maybe the Knicks didn’t want to simultaneously risk rookie mistakes or buffing up the complicated contract situation that will result in him being a restricted free agent at the end of the month.
Regardless, Diawara is a champion. He joined an exclusive group of Muslim NBA players who would win a championship, and even managed to be featured alongside Mayor Mamdani in an article during Ramadan. If cap mechanisms can manage to keep him in New York going forward, he’s an exciting piece for when we’ll have to start thinking beyond this core of players.
Congrats, Mo!
–
(P&T will be doing player-by-player article tributes over the next few weeks to commemorate the special team that ended our long, half-century nightmare)
Another NBA Draft means another No. 1 overall pick, and the focus will be on which player NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces first on Tuesday, June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Per the Big Board of NBC Sports’ Raphielle Johnson, AJ Dybantsa of BYU is the leading candidate to be the first selection in the 2026 NBA Draft with Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) and Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas) also high on the list.
The Washington Wizards have the first pick in this year’s draft.
Here's a look at the top selections in the NBA Draft dating back to 1947:
| Year | Player | College/HS/Club | NBA team |
| 2025 | Cooper Flagg | Duke | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2024 | Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg (France) | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2023 | Victor Wembanyama | Metropolitans 92 (France) | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2022 | Paolo Banchero | Duke | Orlando Magic |
| 2021 | Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State | Detroit Pistons |
| 2020 | Anthony Edwards | Georgia | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson | Duke | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2018 | Deandre Ayton | Arizona | Phoenix Suns |
| 2017 | Markelle Fultz | Washington | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2016 | Ben Simmons | LSU | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2015 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Kentucky | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2014 | Andrew Wiggins | Kansas | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2013 | Anthony Bennett | UNLV | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2011 | Kyrie Irving | Duke | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2010 | John Wall | Kentucky | Washington Wizards |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | Oklahoma | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2008 | Derrick Rose | Memphis | Chicago Bulls |
| 2007 | Greg Oden | OhioState | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2006 | Andrea Bargnani | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | Toronto Raptors |
| 2005 | Andrew Bogut | Utah | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2004 | Dwight Howard | SACA Atlanta | Orlando Magic |
| 2003 | LeBron James | St.Vincent-St.Mary | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2002 | Yao Ming | Shanghai Sharks | Houston Rockets |
| 2001 | Kwame Brown | Glynn Academy (Georgia) | Washington Wizards |
| 2000 | Kenyon Martin | Cincinnati | New Jersey Nets |
| 1999 | Elton Brand | Duke | Chicago Bulls |
| 1998 | Michael Olowokandi | Pacific | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1996 | Allen Iverson | Georgetown | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1995 | Joe Smith | Maryland | Golden State Warriors |
| 1994 | Glenn Robinson | Purdue | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1993 | Chris Webber | Michigan | Orlando Magic |
| 1992 | Shaquille O’ Neal | LSU | Orlando Magic |
| 1991 | Larry Johnson | UNLV | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1990 | Derrick Coleman | Syracuse | New Jersey Nets |
| 1989 | Pervis Ellison | Louisville | Sacramento Kings |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Kansas | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1987 | David Robinson | Navy | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986 | Brad Daugherty | North Carolina | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1985 | Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | New York Knicks |
| 1984 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | Houston Rockets |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia | Houston Rockets |
| 1982 | James Worthy | North Carolina | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1981 | Mark Aguirre | DePaul | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1980 | Joe Barry Carroll | Purdue | Golden State Warriors |
| 1979 | Magic Johnson | Michigan State | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1978 | Mychal Thompson | Minnesota | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1977 | Kent Benson | Indiana | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1976 | John Lucas | Maryland | Houston Rockets |
| 1975 | David Thompson | North Carolina State | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1974 | Bill Walton | UCLA | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1973 | Doug Collins | Illinois State | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1972 | LaRue Martin | Loyola | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Notre Dame | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1970 | Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure | Detroit Pistons |
| 1969 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | UCLA | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes | Houston | San Diego Rockets |
| 1967 | Jimmy Walker | Providence | Detroit Pistons |
| 1966 | Cazzie Russell | Michigan | New York Knicks |
| 1965 | Fred Hetzel | Davidson | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1964 | Jim Barnes | Texas Western | New York Knicks |
| 1963 | Art Heyman | Duke | New York Knicks |
| 1962 | Bill McGill | Utah | Chicago Zephyrs |
| 1961 | Walt Bellamy | Indiana | Chicago Zephyrs |
| 1960 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1959 | Bob Boozer | Kansas State | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1958 | Elgin Baylor | Seattle | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1957 | Hot Rod Hundley | WestVirginia | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1956 | Si Green | Duquesne | Rochester Royals |
| 1955 | Dick Ricketts | Duquesne | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1954 | Frank Selvy | Furman | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1953 | Ray Felix | Manchester (ABL) | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952 | Mark Workman | West Virginia | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1951 | Gene Melchiorre | Bradley | Baltimore Hawks |
| 1950 | Chuck Share | Bowling Green | Boston Celtics |
| 1949 | Howie Shannon | Kansas State | Providence Steam Rollers |
| 1948 | Andy Tonkovich | Marshall | Providence Steam Rollers |
| 1947 | Clifton McNeeley | Texas Wesleyan | Pittsburgh Ironmen |
There have been 11 No. 1 overall selections in the NBA Draft who eventually won the MVP (which never has been won by a rookie):
Using the criteria of MVP awards and NBA championships, you take your pick between:
The general consenus is probably Anthony Bennett, who started only four games with four teams over four seasons after being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 NBA Draft.
The power forward from UNLV, who averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds over 151 games, was chosen 14 picks ahead of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Other No. 1 overall flops were Greg Oden in 2007, Kwame Brown in 2001, Michael Olowokandi in 1998 and LaRue Martin in 1972.
No, Jordan was drafted third by the Chicago Bulls in 1984 behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers).
We are four days out from the NBA Draft, when a lot of trades are expected to go down — including the biggest one on the board — and just 11 days out from the start of free agency. The NBA Rumor Mill could not be spinning faster. Here are just some of the latest headlines.
It has long been assumed that Portland will end up being the third team in a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to the Miami Heat — and that trade remains the clear frontrunner if the Bucks are going to meet co-owner Jimmy Haslam's self-imposed deadline of having the Antetokounmpo situation wrapped up by the NBA Draft (June 23). Portland makes sense because they have some of Milwaukee's future first-round picks that the Bucks would like back.
However, we should "monitor" the Pistons in those talks as a third team, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
Detroit is on the hunt for a secondary shot creator and shooter to put next to Cade Cunningham and Tyler Herro would be a perfect fit. Herro has long been projected to head to Milwaukee in an Antetokounmpo trade. In this scenario, the Bucks would flip Herro to Detroit, and Detroit would likely send back picks and potentially players such as Ron Holland, Marcus Sasser or Caris LeVert.
Other players the Pistons might chase if they miss out on Herro (or the Lakers' Austin Reaves, another target) are the Hornets' Coby White, Oklahoma City's Isaiah Joe, and Sacramento's Zach LaVine, according to Stein.
To be clear: Miami remains the frontrunner to land Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks stick to their plan to have this saga wrapped up by the draft.
However, if the Heat strike out on the Greek Freak, keep an eye on them going after Kawhi Leonard or Ja Morant, something first reported by Jake Fischer at The Stein Line and now backed up by Sam Amick at The Athletic.
The problem here is that Kawhi Leonard isn't available. At least not right now. Reports out of Southern California suggest team owner Steve Ballmer is opposed to trading Leonard, and owners generally get their way. Ballmer wants to work out a contract extension that keeps Leonard home in LA. That said, two things could change the dynamic. First, the findings of the Aspiration investigation might alter a lot of things around the Clippers, but we don't yet know what they are.
Then there are contract talks. Leonard has one year at $50.3 million left on his deal, but if he wants to stay with the Clippers, he's going to have to take a serious cut in that salary. ESPN's Tim MacMahon laid it out in the latest The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip Bleacher Report).
"My understanding is if there's going to be an extension, there's going to be some legitimate negotiations. This isn't just, 'Can you take a little haircut?' He's going to have to take a pay cut, I believe, to extend with the Clippers. So, we'll see. I think it's extend him with a pay cut or explore the trade market. I think those are the two real options. And obviously with this youth movement, they've positioned themselves to where hey, if it's explore the trade market, they've already kind of started the post-Kawhi transition despite the fact that they still have some picks that they owe."
If Leonard became available, there would be suitors from Golden State to Miami.
Morant is available. The primary concern with him is health and availability.
Boston still comes up in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talk, although league sources speaking to NBC Sports continue to question how serious the Celtics really are in that pursuit. Boston might be down if this were a straight-up Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo swap, noted by Sam Amick at The Athletic, but the Bucks need more than that in a deal.
If Boston doesn't win the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, they may turn their attention to pairing Trey Murphy with Jayson Tatum and Brown, Amick reports.
To that end, league sources say the Celtics are among the many teams with interest in the New Orleans Pelicans' Trey Murphy III (if they don't land Antetokounmpo).
One other Celtics-related note from Amick: If Boston is open to trading Derrick White, coming off a season where he struggled with his shot (but helped the Celtics in a lot of other ways), the Timberwolves are interested.
Also, league sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves — whose pursuit of Antetokounmpo also appears to have cooled — have strong interest in the Celtics' Derrick White.
White has two fully guaranteed seasons at $63 million total on his contract, plus a player-option year after that.
The Detroit Pistons are making physical, elite defensive center Isaiah Stewart available this summer, reports Amick at The Athletic.
Stewart is a little undersized (6'8"), but he is incredibly physical, blocked 1.6 shots per game, held players to a league best 43.8% shooting at the rim when he was the primary defender, and scored 10 points a game on 55% shooting. He could help a lot of teams looking for rim protection and physicality in the paint.
Detroit has to pay Jalen Duren this summer and is going to trust Paul Reed as his backup and see what the market is for Stewart. What Detroit will want back in a trade is shooting and playmaking.
• Rui Hachimura to Spurs? With the Lakers focused on retaining Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura may be the odd man out (despite him stepping up in the playoffs and averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting 56.9% from 3-point range). The Spurs may be a team trying to swoop in and pick Hachimura up as a free agent, reports Michael C. Wright at ESPN.
San Antonio could use a backup stretch big as it reloads for next season, and a combo stretch big man who can start and possibly play alongside Wembanyama in bigger lineups such as Rui Hachimura.
• Fox is still Spurs' starting point guard. One of the talking points during the NBA Finals was how long before Dylan Harper has to start and De'Aaron Fox gets moved to the side in San Antonio. Not so fast, my friend, reports ESPN's Wright. He says that Fox had an All-Star season, that he settled the young team down, and that he is not losing his job, at least to start the season. If you're thinking the Spurs should trade Fox, remember that his four-year, $229 million contract extension kicks in this season and not a lot of teams are looking to take that on.
• Portland interested in Jaylen Brown. This is a long shot (at best), but Amick mentioned it, and we'll throw it in here: If Boston decides to make Brown available via trade, Portland is interested. New owner Tom Dundon wants to make a bold move and announce his presence with authority, so expect the Trail Blazers to come up in a lot of rumors.
Just when we thought everything was rosy and the Knicks were on their way to never dealing with a loss for the remainder of eternity, things went south, or at least a bit southwest.
First, it was James Dolan who dropped the bomb right before a historic ticker-tape parade took place in the Canyon of Heroes, making it very clear—albeit we’re still debating whether or not he knows what he’s talking about—he’s not interested in pushing his franchise into the second apron for the 2026-27 season.
That, of course, comes with the consequence of, inevitably, losing one—if not both—of unrestricted free agents Mitchell Robinson and Jose Alvarado.
And hey, the Boricua is reasonably and completely understandably saying what we would all say as he approaches free agency, having a player option in his deal worth $4.5 million, but likely having suitors with more dough waiting on the wings.
Alvarado appeared on The Breakfast Club and revealed his early-offseason plans, as well as discussing many other interesting stuff. This is what he said when asked if, after winning the championship, he still has the chip on his shoulder and how he’s getting ready to get his first big contract.
“Hell yeah, I got it. First of all, I got to go get paid. Hopefully, God willing (I’ll get the big deal). I want to be in this for a long time. I love this life, I love the NBA life. It feeds my family and it puts me in rooms where I can never be at. I’m here with y’all, you know what I’m saying? So, I got to work.
“I always made my way. So, it was always like, ‘Yo, every time I got to come here, I got to prove to myself.’ And that’s what my life is about, and that’s fine with me, though.”
Did Alvarado say he’s leaving? Nope. Did Dolan hint at not paying him, not at least as much as he might deserve and want? You bet.
So, there’s that. What do you think about the free-agency situation? Will Dolan relent and let Leon Rose cook his way? Will he put the clamps on the FO and limit their operation, bringing a sudden-and-sad end to the Knicks’ winning team? Let us know in the comments section below!
LeBron James should go to the Warriors.
Hear me out.
Yes, his family is rooted in Los Angeles. He’d be able to earn more money with the Lakers than with Golden State or Cleveland. And if he remained with the purple and gold, he’d finish his career with the franchise for which he played the most consecutive seasons and carried to its first championship in 10 years in 2020.
But if you listen to James’ words, he has made it clear he’s only going to keep playing if he remains excited to show up to arenas five hours before games. If he’s still committed to putting in the type of work that has allowed him to remain a superstar into his 40s.
What would excite him more than joining forces with Steph Curry and Draymond Green?
James going to the Warriors feels so wrong that it feels right.
He faced them in four straight Finals when he was with the Cavaliers. They were the mountain he had to climb to overcome a 3-1 series deficit before leading the Cavaliers to their first championship in 2016. Curry and Green commanded his respect more than anyone in the modern NBA. They were his nemeses.
They’ve since become something else to him.
In an episode of “The Shop” in 2022, James said if he could play alongside anyone in the league it would be Curry.
As for Green, James recently told the California Post that he’s his “brother.” When Green was asked if he ever dreamed of joining forces with James, he told this publication, “I’ve always wanted to.”
The thought of James playing alongside Curry and Green would be thrilling. It would be the revenge of the old men who refuse to age.
Curry can still shoot the lights out. James can still single-handedly carry a team in a playoff series, as we witnessed in the first round against Houston in April. Green would give Victor Wembanyama a run for his money as the best defender in the league if he truly believed he had another shot at winning a championship. (Just look at what Green did against Kawhi Leonard in the Warriors’ play-in game against the Clippers in April.)
That trio would be exciting. It would be fascinating. It would infuse all of their careers with a newfound sense of purpose.
There’s something that feels stale about James returning to the Lakers.
He watched the purple and gold become Luka Doncic’s team after they acquired him in a blockbuster trade in Feb. 2025. He slipped to being the third offensive option this season, behind Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Did he make it work? Of course. The Lakers went 16-2 last spring.
But there’s something unnatural about watching someone who has been a circle all his life jam himself into a square peg, even if he’s good enough to shape shift.
While Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss have both said they’d love for James to finish his career in Los Angeles, it’s obvious they’re looking forward. It’s equally obvious that James has felt disrespected at times.
Things would be different in Golden State.
Instead of placing their hopes on a young hotshot, they’re still looking at the rearview mirror. They’re trying to make that view relevant again. They’re celebrating it.
They’re trying to extend Curry’s championship window. They’ve made it clear they still believe in Green. If James joined the Warriors, he’d still get the respect of being arguably the greatest player of all-time, instead of being reduced to taking a supporting role.
He’d still be him. He’d be playing alongside the greatest shooter of all-time. Neither of them would have an ego when it comes to one another. Just look at the 2024 Olympic team, when James won MVP but Curry played hero. It just worked. They genuinely celebrated each other. They won gold together.
If James remains in LA, things are going to get muddy.
There’s no way the Lakers are going to offer James (who made $52.6 million last season) a maximum contract extension. The problem is he’s still playing like a maximum contract player.
The Lakers would likely offer James something in the $20 to $30 million range, while trying to retain Austin Reaves and building out their roster around Doncic. That would be a tough pill to swallow for a player who resuscitated the franchise after it missed the playoffs six straight seasons.
The Warriors currently have even less money to offer James: The $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception. But somehow that feels like less of a slight. There’s no history there. James would be choosing a massive salary cut instead of begrudgingly accepting one from a team he poured himself into over the last decade.
Sure, James would be leaving a lot of money on the table, an anathema for a guy who has been famously opposed to doing that sort of thing in the past.
But it would also mean a fresh start. A new challenge. A new purpose.
The four-time champion would join forces with players who have won four championships. James, Curry and Green have some of the sharpest basketball minds in the league. They’d form a supercharged think tank together with unknown capabilities.
It would be the geriatrics against the young bucks. It would be must-watch television. The three of them would deeply have something to prove.
There would hardly be an adjustment period.
James has studied Curry’s and Green’s games over four championship rounds. They’ve earned their PhDs on him. They probably know each other better than any of their current teammates.
James has earned the right to do whatever the heck he wants. He has shattered nearly every record in the books. He has arguably had the greatest career of any athlete ever. His longevity is unprecedented.
On paper, returning to the Lakers makes the most sense.
But now’s not the time to play it safe. If he doesn’t retire, this will be his final hurrah. Why not put everything on the line? Why not do something that will light a fire under him? Why not go after what could be most fun?
James’ goal was to become the first player in NBA history to play alongside his son, Bronny. He accomplished that. It’s time for Bronny to spread his wings. And it’s time for James to try and soar one last time.
James going to the Warriors would be the ultimate candy for a fanbase that wants to see the faces of the league thrive before the league moves on. It would be a defibrillator for James’ mind.
It would be a new final chapter.
Instead of the same tired story, it would be a must read.
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After three straight years, it’s becoming a norm for a UConn player to be picked in the first round of the NBA Draft. The only other schools with that distinction in the last three years? Duke and Baylor, a couple of five-star daycares with questionable methods.
I still remember the delight of hearing James Bouknight’s name called.
But for the streak to continue, they’ll need teams to fall in love with Tarris Reed Jr or Alex Karaban. Both have been projected as fringe first-rounders, but as we saw with Liam McNeeley last year, draft night comes with a lot of uncertainty.
Since NBA front offices are obviously reading The UConn Blog Dot Com, here is my sales pitch for Reed. You can read Karaban’s here. Maybe this can push them solidly into the first round.
It Pays to Be Big
I found five comparisons based on combine measurements and play style, three from the current generation and two slightly older ones. Combined, they all reflect a sort of best-case, best-floor comparison.
Pace and space is still a thing in the NBA, but some are bucking the trend. Jumbo lineups — like what Michigan did to UConn in the title game — are starting to enter the picture. If you’re trying to stay ahead of the jumbo curve, may I interest you in a 6 ’10 (barefoot), 260 lb. center with ballerina feet, a 7′ 5 ” wingspan, and feathery touch around the rim?
What if he has above-average passing skills, exceptional switchability, and shot mechanics that indicate potential shooting range later in his career?
With the first comparison, let’s aim high.
The Detroit Pistons were the no. 1 seed in the East in part due to Jalen Duren’s emergence as a space-eating low-post anchor with two-way athleticism.
That’s the almost unrealistic, peak comparison for Reed Jr. out there right now; he comes into the league and picks up right where he left off in April. His rebounding translates, his defense continues to tighten up, the motor is revving, and he shows he can score over NBA size consistently. That’s a lot of “ifs” but that’s also Jalen Duren-lite.
Duren was a one-and-done at Memphis, and came in with more of a pedigree after reclassing into the 2022 recruiting class as the no. 1 player overall. He was 18 years old when drafted, a mammoth project with unlimited tools.
Reed’s path was a little longer, featuring a change of scenery and a little senioritis needed to unlock the full potential. After an inconsistent run as a Husky, something clicked for him this past March. All that enticing potential was realized and the staff’s vision was fulfilled.
It doesn’t matter when the light comes on, as long as they turn on.
Here are the combine measurements for comparison:
Tarris Reed Jr
Height (Barefoot): 6’9.75”
Weight: 263.6 lbs
Wingspan: 7’4.25”
Standing Reach: 9’2”
Standing Vertical: 29.5”
Jalen Duren
Height (without shoes): 6’9.5″
Weight: 250 lbs
Wingspan: 7’5″
Standing Reach: 9’1″
Standing Vertical: 37”
Duren’s age and explosiveness make him even more of a freak than Reed Jr, but that’s why he was the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He was a baby then, and is Tarris’ age now. Duren improved his statistical profile in his first four years, averaging 19.7 ppg and 10.5 rpg last year, earning his first All-Star berth, third-team All-NBA, and defensive player of the year votes.
A team taking Reed isn’t automatically getting the next Jalen Duren. But maybe they’re getting a more NBA-ready, albeit less athletic Jalen Duren. Less ceiling, more polish. Backup big men don’t just fall out of the sky.
Duren is the pie in the sky. Back on earth, can I interest you in a Day’Ron Sharpe comparison?
Sharpe opted out of the combine measurements back in 2021, but the Nets list him at 6 ’10 265, pretty close to Tarris’ measurements. Sharpe was a one-and-done out of North Carolina that fell to Phoenix at pick 29, and promptly traded to the Brooklyn Nets on draft day. He’s been there as a reserve big man, averaging 7 ppg and 6 rpg in 15.5 mpg.
The way Sharpe seals and uses his body is very reminiscent of Reed, except the latter’s post moves are more polished because he’s older. This is probably what scouts see, with Reed’s upside coming from his bullish trajectory and potential to expand his game.
Former Georgetown Hoya Thomas Sorber is another match.
Thomas Sorber
Height: 6’9.25″
Weight: 262.8 lbs
Wingspan: 7’6.00″
Standing Reach: 9’1.00″
Vertical: 42 inches
Reed is taller, but Sorber is younger and more explosive. He put up nine points and 10 rebounds against UConn in 2025, a game in which Reed played 12 minutes and scored three points.
Sorber tore his ACL in September and never saw the court for Oklahoma City, but if you watched the Spurs take down the Thunder last month, you know his skillset is sorely needed.
Now for the throwbacks. Walk with me down memory lane, fellow millennials.
Al Jefferson
Height (without shoes): 6’8.25”
Weight: 289 lbs
Wingspan: 7’2.5”
Standing Reach: 9’2”
Big Al came into the league smaller but heavier than Reed. Before the one-and-done era, he was a highly-ranked prospect in high school (noticing the trend?). Big Al and Tarris have the below-the-rim post game with an array of moves in their bag.
Pace-and-space left Big Al behind, but look at some of this footwork.
Awfully reminiscent of Reed this past March, except Reed has flashed the mobility to adapt to today’s game. Big Al played 14 years in the league and finished with career averages of 15.7 ppg and 8.4 rpg. He averaged 23 and 11 in 2008-2009 for the Timberwolves, and was third-team All-NBA in 2013-2014.
I also saw some Derrick Favors comparisons floating around out there on the internet.
Here are his measurements from the 2010 combine:
Derrick Favors
Height: 6’8.75”
Weight: 245.2 lbs
Wingspan: 7’4”
Standing Reach: 9’2”
Standing Vertical: 31.5 inches
Similar to Duren, Sharpe, Sorber, and Jefferson, Favors was a blue-chip, one-and-done freakazoid prospect. Except he never really ascended to Duren’s heights, or Jefferson’s. Favors played 12 seasons in the NBA, finishing with career averages of 10 ppg and 7 rpg. He was a solid rim-runner who protected the rim well with Rudy Gobert.
Reed is taller by an inch, but Favors was more explosive and younger coming out (the youngest player drafted by the Nets ever).
Breaking it Down
Five players with very different ceilings. Duren is a franchise cornerstone. Big Al was on his way to being one, until his knees gave out. Favors never ascended, but career earnings of $130 million (Jefferson made $137 mil) is far from a bust. Sharpe looks like he’ll carve out a reserve role for the next decade. The jury’s out on Sorber due to injury.
It sounds silly to rattle off these highly successful comparisons for a player like Reed that’s barely projected to go in the first round. As I said before, there are a lot of Ifs, and that’s why he’s a fringe first-rounder. But it’s hard to ignore the success of these players with similar physical measurements, combined with the switch that Reed flipped in March.
That’s not to say big men of his stature are automatic. In the last decade, James Wiseman Jr and Marvin Bagley had roughly similar measurements and didn’t pan out. However, when you really broke them down, the comparisons didn’t entirely add up; Reed is heavier than both and a different type of player.
Age is Just a Number
There are a lot of factors working against Tarris. His age, the potentially historic draft class, career inconsistency, and overall game trends can all be docked against him. After all these optimistic comparisons, the downsides need to be addressed.
College players at 6 ’10, 260 lbs. are usually one-and-done material. Even if they’re projects, most of the time they’ve been developed in an NBA organization, not the program. All of the comparisons above were five stars, making Reed’s Top 40 four-star ranking out of high school look pedestrian.
Reed represents a different path because he’s three years older. But let’s investigate that a little further.
First, the Juwan Howard factor. How would any of the above players have succeeded under a Howard regime? Second, the NIL landscape informs a lot of ‘stay or go ’ decisions now.
With no NIL around, maybe 15 years ago, Tarris heads to the NBA a year or two earlier with that coveted ‘raw potential’ label. Would Al Jefferson stay another year in college if a school offered more money than he’d make in the late lottery, which was where he fell? And if he somehow didn’t perform, every year in college would tank the sense of his potential, even though he eventually became a force inside.
What would Da’Ron Sharpe’s numbers look like if he stayed three more years? Would he average 19.5 ppg, 13.2 rpg, and 1.5 blocks per game in the NCAA tournament?
For a variety of reasons, Tarris took a little more time to cook. That’s okay! He’s not a senior citizen though; he’ll only be 23 next season. I understand the financial advantages a GM gets from a 19-year-old’s contract vs. a 23-year-old’s. But there are still risks.
A savvy GM should look at the March emergence and see an NBA-ready guy. Given how suddenly he flipped the switch, maybe there’s still more left to unlock.
His measurements have a pretty good track record at the next level. There are more success stories for guys with Tarris’ combination of size and skill out there than cautionary tales. The college game is more like the G-League than ever before, so age shouldn’t be as big a knock on a player’s draft stock. This applies to Karaban as well, who surely would have gone to the NBA earlier without the benefits of NIL.
Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens threw Boston’s hat in the ring amid this offseason’s Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes. But Stevens could already be cooking up a backup plan in case his pursuit of the Greek Freak topples over.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported Friday morning that Boston could shift its interest from Antetokounmpo to Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III following the 26-year-old’s breakout season with New Orleans.
Murphy averaged 21.5 points through 66 games logged with the Pelicans last season, while setting career-highs with 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and a 47 percent shooting clip from the field. Still, while Murphy stands out as an intriguing fit for the Celtics, the interest he’s generating from Stevens and company remains predicated solely on how Giannis’ market plays out.
For the past week, Boston has led the race alongside the Heat as the primary frontrunners, according to the league’s rumor mill, while the Bucks desperately seek a way to sever ties with Antetokounmpo once and for all. So far, it’s been a lot of hearsay more than anything else, with the expectation that Giannis becomes the first major domino to fall this offseason.
Stevens, during his end-of-the-season press conference less than a week after Boston’s first-round playoff elimination, insinuated changes were on the horizon. He highlighted rim protection, prioritized easy looks at the rim, and acknowledged the increased difficulty of winning a championship with teams rapidly improving and fewer organizations tanking with intention, unlike this past year.
Murphy, as a target, checks a lot of boxes for the Celtics and their scheme to remain contenders in the Eastern Conference.
For starters, landing Murphy — unlike Giannis — could help Boston keep the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo intact. Murphy is under a four-year, $112 million contract signed with New Orleans, with three years left. He’s earning roughly $28 million in annual salary, posing a much easier avenue for Stevens to work with, compared to Antetokounmpo’s pending forced exit from Milwaukee, giving the Bucks zero leverage.
Murphy shot a career-best 37.9 percent from three last season and is among the league’s elite rising two-way wings. At 6-foot-8, Murphy has shown an ability to score off-ball, defend with versatility, and attack the rim with explosive athleticism. Plus, unlike Giannis, Stevens could strike a simple, easy one-for-one swap with New Orleans without having to search for a third team to facilitate a Murphy-to-Boston trade.
The Celtics have a trade exception large enough ($27.7 million) to make Murphy’s contract work, plus a price tag that isn’t nearly as high as Giannis’ presumed asking price either.
Boston also has a handful of future first-round picks — including the 27th overall selection in next Tuesday’s 2026 NBA Draft — to work with in assembling a trade package for Murphy if Stevens and the front office pursue that course of action.
Speaking of Plan Bs, Amick also reported that there’s interest in Derrick White. After consecutive Western Conference Finals exits and a second-round ousting this season, the Minnesota Timberwolves could again reshape their roster and have shown interest in trading for White. Salary-wise, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle make sense as straight-up trade candidates and do make some sense for a Boston team needing frontcourt help, but dealing the All-Defensive First Teamer might be a bridge too far for Stevens.
There’s no doubt the 2025-2026 Michigan Wolverines had a successful season. For some, what feels like the bow on top of the story is watching the former players realize their dreams and get drafted into the NBA.
Michigan has three players who are likely do be drafted in the lottery of next week’s NBA Draft. What team would you like to see draft Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr.?
Your author is a Detroit Pistons fan who would gladly take any of the three. However, with Detroit picking at No. 21, it’s unlikely any of them will become available barring a trade. Most mock drafts have all three players in the top half of the first round, but the Pistons could certainly use any of them.
Lendeborg would provide a scoring punch to complement Cade Cunningham while not needing to be ball dominant. Johnson could replace Tobias Harris in time and grow into the starting 4 for the team. Even Mara would provide excellent insurance should Detroit not retain Jalen Duren or trade away Isaiah Stewart.
If we take the home team out of the equation, there are still several excellent spots the former Wolverines could end up in.
Mara is one of the best passing center prospects the NBA has seen in years. It would be fun to watch him in Steve Kerr’s offense in Golden State. Similarly, Mara would be an excellent bench option for the Denver Nuggets. While he’s certainly no Jokic, Denver’s entire scheme revolves around its big men being able to pass the ball. Even a team such as the Memphis Grizzlies would be an intriguing fit for Mara since they have slashers up and down their roster.
For Johnson, the San Antonio Spurs would be the dream scenario in my eyes. He could be the bruising, rebound-first big man who could help keep Victor Wembanyama clean. Johnson also screams “Miami Heat culture” to me when it comes to the intangibles.
Lendeborg has become a bit of a lightning rod in NBA Draft circles. His stock has slipped slightly thanks to a nagging injury, as well as his age. He is one of the most “plug-and-play” prospects in this draft, but the NBA loves upside. Lendeborg is likely closer to his ceiling already than many of the other projected lottery picks. However, I would love to see him be taken by a team like the Spurs as well.
The most common location for Lendeborg in NBA mocks drafts, by far, is the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a team in win-now mode, taking an experienced, high-floor player like Lendeborg makes a ton of sense. However, as a fan, I don’t want to see him be corrupted by the Thunder players and their flopping factory.
Where do you want to see Mara, Johnson and Lendeborg get drafted? Which do you think will go off the board first? Is there a chance any slip to Detroit at No. 21? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Raphielle Johnson