Category: Basketball

The Los Angeles Lakers have moved forward with the Luka Doncic era, spending the summer reconstructing the roster around the point guard.

The Lakers’ options opened up after veteran LeBron James told the franchise he wasn’t going to return to the team and test free agency.

The Lakers knew acquiring a talented center to complement Doncic on the roster would’ve needed to be a priority this summer.

Doncic had reportedly requested an "A-List" center, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Deandre Ayton spent the past season as the primary player at the position and decided to pick up his player option for the upcoming season. After the Lakers made some of their offseason moves, Ayton was traded to the Washington Wizards.

The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 12.5 points and eight rebounds in 72 games for Los Angeles this past season.While most of the Lakers’ roster was reshuffled, the team did manage to re-sign Austin Reaves, who has continued to come into his own for Los Angeles after originally going undrafted.

Here’s how the Lakers did during free agency:

Austin Reaves, guard

There was always a level of certainty that both sides would try and make things work to stay together.

Reaves did deal with some injuries this past season that limited him to just 51 total games played (45 starts), but he did show when healthy that he can be a solid No. 2 option alongside Doncic in Los Angeles. 

He managed to get off to a fast start, scoring 51 points in his third game of the season (vs. Sacramento Kings) before following up with a 41-point game (vs. Portland Trail Blazers) the following night.

It will be up to Reaves and the Lakers to try and make sure he can improve on the defensive side of the ball as well, but he does have some physical limitations by NBA standards.

He signed a four-year deal worth $184.7 million.

Grade: A-

Walker Kessler, center

Walker Kessler signed a four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers, but it’s what else the Lakers needed to give up that prevents the move from having a higher grade.

In order to secure the big man, the team acquired the rights to Kessler from the Utah Jazz for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030. Kessler will sign a massive four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers.

Grade: B-

Collin Sexton, guard

Sexton provides depth at guard and a potential scoring threat off the bench.

It's likely that he will have the opportunity to make multiple starts for the team during the upcoming season, considering Doncic and Reaves both missed time throughout parts of last season.

He signed a two-year deal worth $19.2 million.

Grade: B

Quentin Grimes, guard

Grimes agreed to a four-year deal worth $60 million. That will place high expectations on the guard, which some pundits already think the Lakers overpaid for.

Grimes started 19 of the 75 games he played in last season, averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 29.4 minutes per game.

Grade: C

Sandro Mamukelashvili, forward

Mamukelashvili has the ability to play both forward and center in the NBA. He started 13 of the 80 games he played in, averaging 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 21.9 minutes per game for the Toronto Raptors last season. He finished 10th in the Sixth Man of the Year award voting.

Mamukelashvili is being viewed by some pundits as Rui Hachimura’s replacement. While there might be some size and statistical comparisons, Hachimura started 41 games for the Lakers last season.

Mamukelashvili agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal.

Grade: B

Kevon Looney, forward/center

Looney agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million minimum contract with the Lakers after spending the past year in New Orleans.

Looney adds depth to the bench as a player who can serve as a forward or a center. He averaged 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season.

He will add championship experience to the roster, having spent the first decade of his career with the Golden State Warriors. He played in all 82 games in back-to-back seasons from 2021-2023.

Grade: C+

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Lakers lose or win free agency? Grading massive roster overhaul.

Former Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel is expected to join Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors this season.

Vogel will serve as an associate head coach on Kerr's staff, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, and will fill the vacancy left by Terry Stotts.

Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse were two of Kerr's top assistants this past season before departing. Another longtime assistant, Chris DeMarco, had also left Kerr's staff in January to become the New York Liberty's head coach.

Vogel is expected to serve as the Warriors’ primary defensive game-planner as part of his new role. DeMarco and Stackhouse were in charge of those responsibilities in recent years.

Vogel was most recently with the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant under Jason Kidd. He was head coach of the Lakers from 2019 to 2022, leading the franchise to its 17th NBA title in 2020 after beating the Miami Heat in six games while in the NBA bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He had also led the Indiana Pacers, as head coach, to two Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frank Vogel expected to join Golden State Warriors' coaching staff

LAS VEGAS — Derrick White walked into the Cox Pavilion in the same pink polo shirt that the Celtics coaching staff donned.

Two nights earlier, he had sat courtside on the Celtics sidelines for the Summer League opener, chatting with teammates Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh.

But, that was Friday, and his afternoon spent hanging out on the sidelines seemed like a distant memory.

On Sunday, he was not a spectator: he showed up to Summer League to help coach the squad.

And, head coach Amile Jefferson was thrilled to welcome him.

“He’s such a good guy, man,” Jefferson said. “Me and him have gotten really close. Love that dude. Obviously, he’s incredible off the court, and you know, more incredible on the court. And me and him have a great relationship. We talked about it. He was like, ‘I’m going to come coach a game.’ I was like, ‘Come on, let’s do it.’”

Several people in the Celtics organization have maintained that White is poised to eventually become a great coach. In the Celtics’ 87-75 win over the Hornets, White took a backseat role, but still made his impact felt.

At multiple points in the first half, he pulled Hugo Gonzalez and pointed out some things to him on the floor.

Derrick White is coaching up Hugo Gonzalez at the timeout break pic.twitter.com/SHHneaqJeS

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) July 12, 2026

In the second half, he pleaded his case with the officiating staff regarding a no-call against the Charlotte Hornets.

Jordan Walsh, who was sitting courtside, didn’t know White was planning on coaching the Summer League game, but that once he saw him with the coaches, it made all the sense in the world.

“He fits the profile perfectly,” Walsh said. “I was looking around for him, and I saw him on the jumbotron, and I was like, ‘What?’ or on the screen. I was like, “Huh? Yeah, he blends in perfectly.”

Rookie Dillon Mitchell, who had a career-best showing with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 steals, said that throughout the game, White was in his ear with a simple message: “You’re not allowed to get tired.”

And, after the game, Jefferson affirmed he could see him becoming a coach.

“He’s a natural,” he said. “If he wanted to be, he’d be a head coach. I truly believe that. If he ever wants to do it, he’d be amazing. He just has great feel for people. Obviously, we all know how cerebral he is and his basketball mind, and so he’s a natural. He’d be amazing at it.”

On his way out, White held up his hands in the shape of a “W” to celebrate the win, and followed that up by signalling 1-0 to celebrate his undefeated coaching record. He shook Jefferson’s hand to thank him for giving him the opportunity.

Jefferson isn’t sure if White will be back for the Celtics’ upcoming games, but it sounds like he’d be welcome.

“We’ll see,” he said. “And if it is [his last game], he’ll probably go down as the only coach in history to be undefeated. So that’ll be a cool stat to add to his resume.”

More than anything, the Summer League head coach was grateful White took the time.

“Really good for our guys to see him doing that — to be around them, to share his knowledge with them, and then to just motivate them,” Jefferson said. “That breeds Celtics culture. That’s what it’s about.”

The Golden State Warriors are shoring up their bench for the upcoming season, agreeing to hire longtime NBA coach Frank Vogel as their new associate head coach under Steve Kerr. The high-profile addition fills a critical void on the coaching staff left by the recent departures of lead assistants Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse.

Longtime NBA coach Frank Vogel has agreed to become the associate head coach for the Golden State Warriors under head coach Steve Kerr, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 12, 2026

Vogel brings 12 seasons of head coaching experience and a proven championship pedigree to the Bay Area. Best known for his elite defensive schemes, he famously guided the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title in 2020. He most recently served as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks following a head-coaching stint with the Phoenix Suns.

For Kerr, adding a veteran tactician of Vogel’s caliber provides a trusted sounding board and a defensive specialist to help anchor Golden State’s schemes. The move also signals the front office’s commitment to maximizing the current roster’s competitive window. By pairing Kerr’s offensive fluidity with Vogel’s structured defensive identity, the Warriors aim to re-establish themselves as legitimate title contenders in an increasingly fierce and competitive Western Conference.

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site that visit other fan sites.

The Spurs are no longer winless for the Summer, having blown out the Summer Knicks 70-49 yesterday afternoon. Not too many people watched that game, played at at the same time as one of the World Cup semifinals, but it was a nice defensive performance from the Summer Spurs, as Carter Bryant dominated the game on both ends and only Taylor Nickel did much for the Knicks, who only had one assist for the game, which means that I can’t call him Nickel and Dimes just yet.

Tonight, they face the Bucks, who could be seriously considering some of the Summer League players for roster spots after trading away their best player in the offseason. They’ve only played one game so far in Las Vegas, an 86-119 blowout loss to the Miami Heat. This looks like another winnable game for the struggling Summer Silver and Black, and they could gain some confidence with a win over Brayden Burries, Pete Nance and a bunch of guys you’ve never heard of. Hey, if you watch Summer League, you’re a hard core fan. As usual, the scores don’t mean much, but you’d like to see the Summer Spurs have some good performances, like they did against the Knicks. Hopefully, Carter Bryant will have another dominant performance before he gets sent home. The Spurs will play the Jazz on Wednesday night at 8:30 PM, and one more game this weekend. Let’s all watch some summer ball, and see what the young guys can do.

Game Prediction:

The game is interrupted at the first quarter break when Corliss Williamson runs into the stands and punches Jacob Tobey. For some reason, Bam Adebayo shows up and joins in unexpectedly.

San Antonio Spurs vs Milwaukee Bucks (Las Vegas Summer League)
July 12, 2026 | 8:00 PM CT
Streaming: ESPN
TV: ESPN
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Here we thought that the departure of LeBron James meant the Lakers’ offseason wouldn’t be put on hold.

With the full-court press on for Jonathan Kuminga, LA is left waiting on his decision before making any final roster moves. The problem is that Kuminga, notably, is not someone who makes quick decisions in free agency.

Last season, Kuminga and the Warriors had a lengthy stand-off, though largely a result of restricted free agency, that eventually came to an unsatisfying conclusion. This summer, Kuminga and his agent are still searching for that money.

After having his option for $24 million turned down by the Hawks, Kuminga and his agent seem unsatisfied with the offers on the table. Clearly, the Lakers’ contract hasn’t moved him enough to sign and with multiple other teams waiting for LeBron James’ decision, it appears Kuminga’s own free agency will be put on hold.

Over the weekend, Jake Fischer and Marc Stein hosted a live show at Summer League with the former providing the latest update on Kuminga.

“His dynamic is a bit on pause, on hold, while LeBron’s future is determined. But it’s also a thing where he probably could have signed with the Lakers if he was more amenable to what Los Angeles was envisioning. I think Kuminga and his representation are kind of navigating what their market looks like and what they want at this point in time.”

The Lakers aren’t really in a position where they need to move quickly anymore. At this point, the team will have to do a sign-and-trade for Kuminga or any other player they acquire, so there isn’t necessarily a rush.

The Cavs have been heavily linked to Kuminga throughout free agency as well, so there is some rationale as to why he would wait.

The question that could start arising is whether Kuminga is worth all this. There probably should be, but considering President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka once chased after Christian Wood into early September, there almost certainly won’t be.

Kuminga might be the most convenient option because he’s a free agent, but there are other players around the league the team could trade for. Perhaps the Lakers feel no one will be in a rush to acquire them and have some time. Whatever the decision from the Lakers or Kuminga may be, though, don’t expect it to happen in the near future.

Thanks, LeBron.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Keon Ellis, the newest member in the Nets guard corps, is different the others. He’s not 20 or 21 years old, not here to run the offense so much as to run the defense. And he can shoot. At 26, he’s near the top of the list of 3-and-D operators. If you don’t know, take a look at what he did two years ago; he was the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 10 in both steals (1.5) and 3-point percentage (43.3%). If those two numbers are not what defines a 3-and-D, what does?

There were comments from some in the fan base about the two-year, $18 million contract. They argued that the Nets don’t need yet another guard, defensive qualifications or not and if Sean Marks & co. wanted to improve the team’s defense, why not find a replacement for or an enhancement of Nic Claxton, now of the Chicago Bulls.

But Ellis has that resume’ all head coaches want, consistent, reliable D. Brian Lewis listed them:

Per 100 possessions last season — split between the Kings and Cavaliers — Ellis ranked in the 93rd percentile in steals (2.7), in the 95th percentile in blocks (1.5) and the 96th percentile in both turnovers forced (1.6) and deflections (6.4). His stop percentile of 4.4 ranked in the 98th percentile.

And according to Ellis comments to the media Saturday, one head coach in particular liked his resume’.

“From what I heard, he was pulling for me really hard,” said Ellis of Jordi Fernandez. “And I know the way he coaches. He’s very passionate. He’s about the right things. He wants to win. So, the familiarity right there was definitely good.”

There is a connection. Ellis played two seasons in Sacramento when Fernández was associate head coach there and defensive guru. The native of Florida said the Nets head coach who’s about to enter his third year on the Brooklyn bench has a good reputation around the league.

”That familiarity was definitely good. Dennis [Schroder] was saying he loved Jordi as a coach, too,“ said Ellis of the Nets lead guard two years ago and was a teammate of Ellis last year for the Kings. ”So for other guys to be saying the same things, you just know he’s about the right things.”

He also hinted the Nets offer was the most generous. Ellis just finished a three-year, $5.1 million contract that he signed with the Kings. In essence, he’s quadrupling his previous annual paycheck.

“With how much they were offering, that just speaks to how much the team wants you as well. So, that. And then obviously, you’ve got some guys on the staff that you’ve been with before, so you know the ropes a little,” Ellis told reporters. “And then the opportunity here as well. When you combine all those things, they just lined up.”

It all suggests that even with so many guards, Ellis will get minutes. None of his backcourt colleagues is a point-of-attack defender. The young guys may ultimately become that (and maybe with mentoring from Ellis), but expect him to lead the Nets defense when he’s on the court.

He also explained that his slight dropoff in numbers last season, particularly after he was sent from Sacramento to Cleveland, should not be seen as who he is. He compared what he was looking forward to seeing to in Brooklyn with his tenure with the Cavaliers.

“Just the consistency and an established role,” said Ellis. He said that wasn’t necessarily case with the Cavs. “A lot of things were up and down and moving parts, and you just never really knew what was going on.”

• Nets looking for Keon Ellis to bring strong 3-and-D profile – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets’ Keon Ellis explains why he signed with Brooklyn in free-agency – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

LAS VEGAS — It’ll be another three months before Sandro Mamukelashvili takes his first real shot for the Los Angeles Lakers — his main quest after signing with the franchise shortly after free agency started last week.

But on Saturday night, while the Lakers’ Summer League team was taking on the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center, Mamukelashvili took other kinds of shots for his new team. 

Mamukelashvili became the latest NBA player to trade in his jersey for a photographer’s camera, shooting the first half of Saturday’s game from the first row of the courtside media section inside of the arena. 

“I love doing extra stuff,” Mamukelashvili told The California Post. “They call me Side Quest King. So I definitely love it. I’m enjoying it. I’m learning a lot.”

Harboring an interest in photography, Mamukelashvili (“Sometimes I try to take artsy pictures that don’t make [any] sense,” he said. “But I’ve got to explain to people why they’re good.”) quickly found out the challenges of the craft.

He exclaimed “Ahh, I missed it!” after Arthur Kaluma’s pump-and-drive layup four-and-a-half minutes into the game. 

He talked about how much he liked to zoom in, but realized he had to find the balance of how far to zoom in and how much space to give his subject. 

By the second quarter, he started stretching out his wrists as the weight of the camera started to set in.

“Oh my god, it’s crazy how hard is it to hold the camera steady at the same time, make sure you zoom in correctly, zoom out,” Mamukelashvili told The Post. “Definitely need some strength on your wrist, it’s tough.”

During a Lakers fastbreak in the first quarter, he said out loud to himself: “Run run run … give me action.” Later, he added, “I’m ready … I’m ready.”

Mamukelashvili got so into the side quest that he found himself cheering for a Mavericks player to dunk. And when jokingly asked by The Post who he was cheering for, he quipped, “I need a statement!” 

“The challenging part is, I would say, making sure you are catching the right moment,” Mamukelashvili said.

At one point in the first quarter, Mamukelashvili gave his photography skills a grade of B+.  

“Still got a little bit of action to go,” he said. “So, let’s see what I can cook up here.”

And then, Mamukelashvili met the moment, capturing William Kyle III’s two-handed dunk late in the opening quarter, which bumped Mamukelashvili’s self-assessed grade up to an A-.

By the time the second quarter rolled around, Mamukelashvili found his flow.

“I’m creating art right now, man,” he said as a Laker social media employee gave him Meta Glasses to capture more content. 

What was his best shot of the game?

“It’s too many of them,” he responded. 

Soon, Mamukelashvili will find himself back in a familiar position on the other side of the camera.

But it’ll be in the Lakers’ Purple and Gold after playing for the Toronto Raptors (2025-26), San Antonio Spurs (2023-25) and Milwaukee Bucks (2021-23) since being the No. 54 pick in the 2021 draft. 

“Just the name itself — all of the legends play for the Lakers,” Mamukelashvili told The Post of why he signed with the famed team. “The organization is a very high-level organization. They’re starting a new page, and it’s just unbelievable to be part of it.” 

Mamukelashvili, who got a “Mamba Mentality” tattoo while he was in college at Seton Hall, grew up a fan of late Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. 

“I could only imagine this really in 2K, that I would be playing for this team,” Mamukelashvili said. “I’m so excited, so happy. The coaching staff is amazing, and I can’t wait to just put the jersey on, go out there and just play my heart out every night. You gotta have a chip on your shoulder when you play for the Lakers.”

Mamukelashvili is a significant part of the Lakers’ roster reconstruction around superstar guard Luka Dončić.

The Lakers’ moves have included re-signing Austin Reaves (four years, $185 million), sign-and-trading for Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), signing Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Collin Sexton (two years, $19.2 million) and Kevon Looney (one year, $3.9 million) and acquiring Jaden Hardy from the Wizards in a trade that sent Deandre Ayton to Washington. 

Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), along with Reaves, Kessler and Grimes, were among the players who signed long-term deals with a player option for the 2029-30 season. 

This deal signified the belief president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick have in Mamukelashvili and in the team’s long-term vision.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Mamukelashvili is coming off of a career-year with the Raptors, receiving three third-place votes for Sixth Man of the Year. His scoring average (11.2 points), field goal percentage (52.3%), rebounds average (4.9), assists average (1.9), steals average (.8) and blocks average (.5) with Toronto in 2025-26 were all career-best marks. 

“They just see me as a basketball player who can go out there, play multiple positions, bring the rhythm,” Mamukelashvili told The Post. “They know I’m gonna play hard; I won’t take possessions off and they understand that I really want to win. That’s where I fit. 

“Having players like Luka, Austin Reaves — all those guys who are such amazing creators — that’s gonna help me so much offensively, just flow in it and hopefully get a lot of open corner 3s and then just knock them down.”

---

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The Boston Celtics returned to the court in game 2 of Las Vegas summer league to take on the Charlotte Hornets. The Summer C’s played a great game with plenty of good performances spearheaded by 2nd round rookie Dillon Mitchell who led the team with 24 points, 6 steals and 8 rebounds. They now move to 2-0 in Las Vegas with a 87-75 victory.

Charlotte came into the game with a win and a loss and a stacked squad with 3 picks from last year’s draft: Liam McNeely, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Sion James; their 2024 6th overall pick, Tidjane Salaun; and Christain Anderson. Boston started the same five as game one: Hugo Gonzalez, Amari Williams, Dillon Mitchell, John Tonje, and Curtis Jones. The Hornets came out of the gates strong with a quick 2-9 lead as they looked extremely poised early. 

My goodness look at this sequence from Cenac pic.twitter.com/5ML2lcZmsF

— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) July 12, 2026

Chris Cenac Jr. and Milos Uzan were first off the bench for Boston, and Cenac Jr. jumped straight into the fray, matching Ryan Kalkbrenner at the summit and blocking his dunk attempt. Hugo Gonzalez made up for his poor shooting in game one and connected from the corner with a three-pointer off a neat Cenac Jr. skip pass. Milos Uzan nailed a triple on his first shot attempt of the game, putting Boston back in it with scores tied at eight.

Hugo Gonzalez drove and dished to Dillon Mitchell for the easy layup as Derrick White looked on from the coaching bench wearing the pink Boston Summer League polo shirt. Rookie Dillon Mitchell followed that up with a steal and uncontested fast break dunk that rattled the Vegas rim, scores tied at 12. Charlotte went on a 7-0 run at the end of the first quarter before Tucker DeVries’s first triple of the game broke the C’s scoring drought, Hornets up 17-21 after one.

Milos Uzan hit a step-back three-pointer to start the second quarter, the Las Vegas native and former Houston Cougar impressing in his first few Summer League games. John Tonje continued to fill up the summer scoreboards, hitting a quick catch-and-shoot triple and then converting a layup. Boston was down by 1 point, 25-26.

Dillon Mitchell converted his second three-pointer attempt after airballing an earlier attempt. Amari Wilaims swished home a hook shot from the low block, the game remaining tight with the Hornets still up by one point, 30-31. Boston went scoreless for 3 minutes, missing 5 straight three-point attempts; Chris Cenac Jr. drove past Hannes Steinbach at the top of the key and threw down a one-handed jam for his first bucket to make it 32-38.

Milos Uzan drove and dished to John Tonje, who swished home his eighth point of the game. Tonje was feeling it hitting on another three-pointer with the shot clock expiring. Boston got back into the game behind the great play of Tonje, the 2025-26 second-round pick proving his worth with Brad Stevens in attendance. Boston is up by 2 points at the half in a far more polished team performance, 42-40.

Milos Uzan hit a layup to open the second half scoring for Boston. John Tonje stole the ball at mid court to take the ball to the rack with a dunk. It was all one way traffic for Boston as the Summer C’s went on a 14-2 run. Amari Williams was not having a great game for the Celtics, he had 4 turnovers in just 15 minute of action to start the game.

Dillon Mitchell was impressive on the defensive end for Boston, he was touted highly before the draft, but his long arms and positioning were a standout. Mitchell was doing it on both ends, as he was the team’s leading scorer through three quarters with 16 points as Boston opened up a ten point lead, 59-49.

Charlotte managed just nine points in 6 minutes of play in the third. They picked up their play late as Boston held on 63-56 after three quarters. Hugo Gonzalez laced home a rainbow triple to start the fourth quarter. Dillon Mitchell tried to dunk it over Kalkbrenner, but was fouled on the play. The broadcast crew noting Mitchell’s 38-inch vertical on the telecast.

Mitchell chased down a long rebound skipping it to DeVries in the corner who drained the triple, Boston up by 11 points, 71-59. Uzan hit his second three of the game with a crafty behind the back move and a step back jumper. The Summer Celtics in control, and on track to win a second straight game. Mitchell and Gonzalez made a ton of defensive plays on the night, the pair combining for 9 steals.

Boston hold on to win the game 87-75 and register two wins from 2 games. The Summer C’s back in action tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks at 6pm.

The Washington Wizards play the Sacramento Kings in NBA Summer League action tonight at about 8 p.m. ET. Watch it on Monumental Sports Network or Prime Video.

After beating the Utah Jazz in their first showing, I’d like to see the Wizards make a run at the Summer League playoffs and possibly a championship game. Wouldn’t that be a nice way to kick off the AJ Dybantsa Era?

Charlotte Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson said the franchise’s decision to trade LaMelo Ball was made with a long-term mentality.

The goal, short-sighted and shocking as it may appear to some in Charlotte, is to compete for titles, Peterson said.

“These decisions are challenging at times, but when you look at the totality of the season and everything of where we were, it’s important to take an honest look in the mirror of where you guys are as a team,” Peterson told reporters at the Las Vegas summer league on Saturday.

The comments come three months removed from a 44-38 season and a play-In appearance in the Hornets’ best season in a decade.

“And it just felt like the goal is never to compete for a play-in spot. The goal isn’t to get to the play-in or even the playoffs for one year,” Peterson said. “I’ve said it plenty of times since I’ve been here in Charlotte: The goal is to get to the playoffs and stay there for a long time. And eventually contend to compete for championships. Getting Naz Reid when you can get a player of his caliber. And of course, the draft capital and the flexibility just felt like it was something that was able to achieve multiple goals in one transaction.”

Peterson was hired as president of basketball operations for the Hornets in March 2024 after a five-year stint as the assistant GM of the Nets, which followed a six-year front office run with the Hawks, where he held roles as assistant GM and director of scouting, among others.

Peterson executed two sizeable deals for Charlotte this season, which notably had the No. 1 net rating in the NBA for about the last four months of the regular season and ended their 2025-26 run with a 28-10 record.

The blockbuster deal sent Ball and Josh Green to the Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps and three second-round selections.

It ended Ball’s six-year run in Charlotte after he was selected No. 3 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft and developed into the franchise’s centerpiece.

Peterson acknowledged the move was not easy.

“It’s my job to not just look at half of last season or two-thirds of last season,” Peterson said when asked what he saw in the second-half surge that led him to consider trading Ball. “I’ve been here for a little bit over two years now. So, looking at the totality of the picture and also looking at trends along the league. Just making an objective decision in terms of just the timing and being honest with myself of where we really are as it compares to the rest of the league.”

Ball, who turns 25 in August, has yet to play a playoff game in his career, but was acquired by the contending T-Wolves in an effort to shake up their roster around Anthony Edwards.

“I’ll say it every day: LaMelo was tremendous in our run last year,” Peterson acknowledged. “He was extremely impactful and I know he’s going to do great in Minnesota. But for the Charlotte Hornets, just felt like it was the right time to execute a trade of that magnitude. We’re in a great position because of the talent, the depth of our roster and our flexibility.”

Even though Ball never made the postseason with Charlotte, and didn’t play well overall in their three play-In appearances during his six seasons, he rose to become one of the most popular stars in the NBA with younger fans, even despite a career marred by injuries.

Ball’s 72 games played last season — where he averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, while earning some consideration for All-Star and All-NBA — were the second most in his career, and only his second time playing over 51 games.

Leading up to the 2025-26 campaign, Ball had played 105 out of a possible 246 games across three seasons.

“I do empathize with the fans and I understand just where they’re coming from,” Peterson said when asked for a message to Hornets fans. “If I’m honest, I love LaMelo. He’s a tremendous human being. Of course, he’s an enormous talent. He and I have a great relationship.

“But I would hope that they understand that I have the best interest of the Hornets organization. I truly do. And it’s not about one year or two years. It’s about sustained success and just being objective of where we truly are in our life cycle. I have no doubt that this team we roll out next year and the years to come is going to continue to compete and eventually we’ll get there.”

The Hornets have since doubled down on that direction by also trading Miles Bridges to Phoenix for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a future first, signaling the organization is officially moving on from the Ball-Bridges era that defined much of the past six seasons.

Charlotte now appears committed to building around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, while adding Naz Reid, re-signing Coby White for three years and $74 million, and adding a growing collection of future draft assets.

Charlotte has the second-most first-round picks in the NBA moving forward.

The Phoenix Suns lost their second Summer League game to the New Orleans Pelicans 81-75 despite an impressive performance from their second-year big man Khaman Maluach.

Darius Brown II led Phoenix with 18 points while Malik Dia scored 18 points and Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 16 points to lead New Orleans to the win. But the story of this game was Khaman Maluach.

Maluach scored 15 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked two shots, and recorded one steal on 5-for-9 shooting and 2-of-4 from the three-point line. Maluach was the most talented player on the floor from start to finish and did not get enough help from his running mates to pull out a win.

Khaman Maluach's second straight double-double in Vegas

☄️ 15 PTS
☄️ 15 REB
☄️ 2 BLK
☄️ 2 3PM
☄️ 1 STL pic.twitter.com/gGCFw8fZFS

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 12, 2026

After committing seven turnovers in his previous outing against Portland on Friday night, Maluach was much more poised with the ball and did not produce a single turnover. Through two Summer League games, Maluach has been dominant, showcasing a stronger body, better hands, and improved rebounding. What has been most surprising is that he has also been the Suns’ best three-point shooter on the Summer League roster through two games, shooting 5-for-11 from long distance.

The other young players from the Suns trio have not been nearly as impressive. Koa Peat and Rasheer Fleming only grabbed four rebounds each in the losing effort, while each showed flashes but were not consistently impacting the game like Maluach.

Peat’s performance on Sunday did not match his debut performance against the Blazers. He scored 12 points on 4-of-10 from the field and was 1-for-3 from the free throw line. He committed seven fouls and turned the ball over four times, but was one of the Suns’ main initiators on offense and continued to show an impressive fluidity as a ball handler for a young player his size. What was most disappointing about watching Peat against the Pelicans was that he did not play with the same motor as he did in his debut. There were many times he lacked urgency getting back on defense, leading to Pelicans mismatches and easy baskets.

As for Fleming, he was impactful defensively, recording two blocks and a steal and being a disruptive force creating deflections as usual. However, he continued to be a net negative on the offensive end outside of his offensive rebounding and has yet to provide much optimism about him becoming a good NBA three-point shooter.

To be fair to this Summer League roster, it does not have an efficient score-first player and offensive creator, which is why it has been difficult to watch this team on offense at times. And also why Peat and Fleming have looked underqualified for what this team needs from them. The lack of spacing from Peat and Fleming really bottles up the lane, and it makes it hard for the Suns’ guards driving to the basket when Peat and Fleming both crash in from the corners because they do not want to shoot an open corner three. But this may be the same story in January for the NBA squad, where not a single forward on the roster has proven to be a respectable three-point shooter.

Game Flow

First Half

The Pelicans started fast; Pierre Jr. hit his first two three-point hoists of the game to give the Pelicans an early 6-2 lead. The Suns struggled to find any sort of spacing or rhythm on offense for the second game in a row. Fleming tried to get going early, but after two missed pull-up jump shots in a row and a wide-open missed three from Fleming, he stopped being aggressive in the half-court offense for the rest of the game. The Suns did tie it up at 6-6 after Maluach grabbed the missed Fleming three and powered up for a two-handed slam.

The Pelicans closed the quarter strong after Maluach subbed out, and the Pelicans led 16-12 after the first quarter.

The beginning of the second quarter was a continuation of the first quarter in that both offenses did not perform well, but they did get going eventually. Maluach started the scoring with a two-hand dunk off of a pick-and-roll dime from Javonte Cook. Then Peat started driving downhill, hitting two difficult layups to tie the game up at 18-18. The Pelicans immediately hit back-to-back three-point jumpers, and two layups pushed New Orleans out to a 28-20 lead. The Suns countered with another Maluach dunk, a Fleming corner three, and a Brown corner three to get back within three, down 32-29.

The two biggest highlight-worthy plays from this game came on a back-to-back sequence of defensive plays where Maluach broke up an alley-oop dunk attempt, and Fleming deflected a pass on a lob pass the next play. It’s in these small moments of brilliance that show just how athletic and gifted the Suns starting front court could be one day if they continue to develop.

The Khaman Maluach experience in 23 seconds ‼️ pic.twitter.com/anA3Fz5NDa

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 12, 2026

But that moment was brief, because the Pelicans went on a three-point shooting tear to finish out the quarter, knocking down three three-pointers to go up 41-31 at halftime. The Suns were 2-for-15 from three while the Pelicans finished the first half 9-of-20 to give them the lead.

Second Half

The start of the second half was the most impressive stretch from the Suns’ young core during the entire game. Maluach, Fleming, and Peat all found a synergy playing together as they turned up the defense pressure, opening the half on a 15-6 run.

The half started with multiple Maluach blocks and deflections to create transition opportunities for Peat in transition where he created contact and was fouled multiple times. Then Fleming took over; he grabbed an offensive rebound and finished, then on defense picked the pocket of Pierre and was fouled on a breakaway dunk on the other end, leading to a kerfuffle from Maluach and some Pelicans players that resulted in double technical fouls. Fleming knocked down the free throw, and then Brown hit back-to-back baskets, and then Peat finished off the run with a beautiful old-school-style midrange jumper to cut the deficit to one, down 47-46 halfway through the third quarter.

Unfortunately for the Suns, once Maluach checked out, neither Fleming nor Peat could stop the Pelicans, especially Malik Dia, who attacked the Suns in the paint and knocked down a flat-footed three to give the Pelicans a 62-50 lead. The Suns bench scored a quick four points to close the quarter down 62-54.

The beginning of the fourth quarter was back and forth, with the Pelicans holding onto a high single-digit lead for most of the quarter. The Suns guards Brown and Jameer Nelson Jr. both started to get downhill and attack the basket early in the quarter to keep Phoenix within shouting distance. Dia continued to carry the Pelicans in the second half and kept the Suns from taking the lead.

Down 75-67, with 2:06 seconds left, the Suns went on one final run to try and steal the game in the end. Peat hit another midrange jump shot, followed by a Maluach pick-and-pop three in transition to cut the deficit to three. The Suns got a stop on defense, and Koby Brea decided to pull up from the parking lot to tie the game and missed his sixth three of the day to finish 0-for-6 from three and score just 2 points. The Suns got the offensive rebound, and Maluach rushed another three that airballed out of bounds.

Kobe Bufkin sealed the game for the Pelicans with a driving layup to put the Pelicans up five points, 77-72, and they made enough free throws to seal the game and win 81-75.

Up Next

The Suns’ next Summer League matchup is Monday night, 7:00 pm Arizona time against the Milwaukee Bucks, where the two Arizona Wildcats’ freshman phenoms Koa Peat and Brayden Burries will match up against each other in the NBA.

They may have moved on to the next level, but they remain beloved Dukies. The latest edition of the DBR podcast takes a look at how Cam Boozer and others are faring in NBA Summer League action. There are plenty of interesting stories about Isaiah Evans, Maliq Brown, and guys still hoping for a big NBA shot like Trevor Keels and DJ Steward. 

After the break, Jason and Donald dive into a new trend in recruiting, the kids showing up on campus a year earlier than expected. From Jojo Boumtje-Boumtje at Duke to new recruits at UCLa and Texas, this is becoming a trend. Are they making Two-and-done into a new thing?

Make sure you’re following us! Head to our Linktree to get all our available social media and links to follow and subscribe to the show. That includes our affiliate partnerships, from Homefield Apparel (use the code DBRPODCAST to save 15% off your first order) and Fanatics to the NBA Store, NFL Shop, and even Fubo TV. And…we have some more coming! Save some cash on the latest gear or follow the Blue Devils on the go by hitting those affiliate links and it helps support the show as well. We are now on YouTube! Subscribe there, rate, and review our episodes on there and everywhere you get your podcasts. Also, follow us on Bluesky ⁠@DukeRoundup⁠!

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have dropped their first two games in Las Vegas. They fall to 0-2 in Summer League, this time suffering a 103-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Cleveland trailed by double digits early. Detroit’s Chaz Lanier scored 17 points in the opening seven minutes to cause that. The Cavs would eventually get things under control and rally back in the second half. That comeback fell short, just like it did on Friday when the Cavs had a similar loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The loss wasn’t the only thing that carried forward, however. Meleek Thomas’s strong showing also translated to Sunday.

Thomas, the 34th pick in the most recent draft, looked impressive as the lead ball-handler today. Cleveland has put him in a position to orchestrate the offense in a way he never could with Arkansas. This increased opportunity is leading to instant results, with Thomas’s playmaking being the biggest takeaway from this game.

Thomas dished 7 assists in the first three quarters. He kept his head up, manipulating the floor and creating advantages at every turn. This one-handed skip pass to the opposite corner was straight up ridiculous. It takes serious creativity to think of this in real-time.

Meleek Thomas is doing absurd things pic.twitter.com/WR1bT4dUl3

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) July 12, 2026

The Cavs are confident they found a first-round talent with the 34th pick. Thomas is proving them right by showing he can do more than catch-and-shoot away from the ball. His patience and composure at point guard were extremely encouraging.

Thomas finished with 30 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and only 2 turnovers. Impressive stuff from the rookie.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin was Cleveland’s second-leading scorer with 17 points. Tomlin shot 7-for-10 from the floor and had 4 blocks.

Tomlin and Thomas have been the two standouts for the Cavs. So far, they’re waiting for someone else to step up and provide support. It was a relatively lackluster game from everyone else, with Malakai Branham being the only other Cav to score in double figures.

Detroit was led by Lanier, who scored 25 points on 7-for-12 three-point shooting. Brice Williams joined in on the splash party by nailing 6-of-9 three-point attempts for 21 points. Those two finished with more three-pointers than the entire Cavalier roster.

Polls! America is obsessed with polls. Not Polish people, or metal or wooden tubes that sometimes people writhe upon, but surveys, votes, the heart of the Sports Blog Nation’s Electoral Process. If SBN had one. After a pretty boring, and chalk draft, where few indefensible decisions were made, thus generated little drama, NBA trades and to some extent, free agent signings have come through for us. The ongoing soap opera* that is the NBA has lots of emotive signings, and plots that would seem utterly contrived, if they didn’t, in fact, actually happen.

Let’s start with this one, that asks the SBN reader “Do You Want Your Team To Sign LeBron James”. As you know, LeBron is still the NBA’s leading soap opera* star. LeBron has created little scandal in his 24 year NBA career, and we all know he doesn’t want any drama. LeBron instead demands, requires and utterly insists upon drama. Usually about what he’ll do next. Even at 41 LeBron can keep the soapy audience of the NBA entertained. But what are the results?

Wow. So fans like the drama, but have a clear mandate for NOT signing LeBron James. Where will he go? Maybe Philadelphia? I have no idea, but rumors have been that the Rockets are not interested in bringing James to the Bayou City.

What’s next? How about “Which of the most prominent traded or signed players will have the biggest impact on their team?”. As far as contrived plots go, the Jaylen Brown trade is right up there. As far as something predictable happening goes, Bam Adebayo punching, slapping or “striking” Tyler Herro is the least surprising.

I personally disagree with the results here. I think Giannis will have a bigger impact in Miami. Even if he doesn’t play a lot. It’s difficult to overstate how much better Giannis is than the players in Miami he’s replacing.

I’m sure the 76ers will have far better forward play than they had from Paul George (minus the last few weeks of the season) but there’s a kind car wreck of usage coming for the 76ers. too. Brown, whether he’s a good or bad player analytically speaking, is a high usage player. So to a lesser extent, is Tyrese Maxey, so is Joel Embiid if he plays. The 76ers will also want to feature VJ Edgecombe more as well, I would think. It’s not that there’s “only one ball” so much as “there are only so many shot attempts”. So while I think the 76ers will improve, I’m just not sure how big the delta on offense between Paul George playing well and Brown will be, given likely lower usage. That said, Brown typically always plays, unlike PGOut13Weeks. That’s subject to the usual caveats, but 76 games of Brown WILL improve the 76ers, especially on defense. How much is the question.

Next up? Who wins the Finals? Can you guess what people said? Probably.

I’m not a New Yorker, or a Knicks fan, but that’s downright disrespectful. Seven percent picked the Knicks? Seven? The Knicks will return pretty much everyone except their one key player they actually drafted, Mitchell Robinson. Robinson played great minutes for them, but doesn’t strike me as someone who couldn’t be replaced. The Knicks came within a whisker of sweeping the last three rounds of the NBA playoffs, including the Finals against the favorite (by 4x over the Knicks) Spurs. That seems like it should garner more than 7% of votes.

Guess what? You can put your money where your mouth is, on this proposition, with Fanduel, if you live in a place that allows such things. By “putting your money where your mouth is” I mean, maybe don’t spend more than a fancy sandwich and drink, perhaps? Show that you, too, heart NYC or something, if that is something you choose to do, with Fanduel following this here link.

Finally we reach the Rockets.

I think The Great People Of Rocketsas are being too generous here. That’s us all over, though, generous.

Smart has never been a great player, questionable DPOY aside, but he IS an Ime guy, so hooray for that. If there’s one thing this team needs, it’s an avatar of Ime on the court.

Bogdan Son of Bogdan, or as I like to call him BogBog, looked, ah, washed, last season, and also didn’t shoot well. If a shooter who moves only slightly faster than continental drift can’t shoot, it’s hard to see what he’s good for, no matter how tall he is.

I’d give this signing a “Pandering To Ime For Inexplicable Reasons – C- ”. It’s not an “F”, but you just know that Smart is going to play over better players, often. He wasn’t good last year, a couple of playoff games notwithstanding. I don’t think he’s a misunderstood rebel like Dillon Brooks, I think he’s a 32 year old fake point guard who hasn’t been good in years, and was overrated when he was good, roughly four years ago. Silver lining? Smart spends a lot of time being hurt.

So that’s your check in with the 250 year old project that is SBN NBA internet democracy. Stay cool, Shakers.

*What IS a “soap opera” anyway? Settle down, you, younger readers may not know. How would they? Anyhow, back when people rode dinosaurs to work and women were all “trad” (they weren’t), and there were only three channels of television, there were daily dramas that aired every weekday afternoon. These usually involved the turgid, overblown, schemes, machinations and especially loves and passions of several families. People got married, had torrid affairs, got divorced, and remarried all the time. Since the shows aired in the afternoon, the primary audience at the time was “housewives” (plus the elderly, incarcerated, insane and children) they were sponsored, and often produced, by soap companies, for example Proctor and Gamble (the Cincinnati Soap Monster). These corporations wanted to sell things to women, in large part, soap. Soap was something pretty much everyone watching bought, to clean the dishes, themselves, their kitchen, etc. If the same sort of thing is shown at night, but features truly awful men, expensive settings, and few jokes, it’s not a soap opera, it’s “Prestige TV”.