Category: Basketball

DAZN, the British streaming platform primarily focused on live sports, has entered into an agreement that will make it the exclusive digital home for the MSG Networks and YES Network during the 2026-27 NBA, NHL and MLB seasons.

The partnership announced on Wednesday, July 29 gives DAZN the direct-to-consumer streaming rights to regional broadcasts of games involving the New York Knicks, New York Yankees, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.

"It is a defining moment for us and underscores our commitment to expanding our footprint in the United States," DAZN CEO Shay Segev said in a statement.

NBA: Breaking down the best offseason move by all 30 teams in 2026

Segev confirmed to Sports Business Journal that DAZN is close to acquiring the rights to more NBA teams' games for the 2026-27 regular season. The report cited sources stating DAZN is in talks to get the exclusive local broadcasting rights next season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. It is also negotiating for direct-to-consumer streaming-only arrangements with the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic.

The deal with MSG Networks and YES Network comes as professional sports leagues confront the decline of regional sports networks and look for new distribution models and revenue streams. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month in Las Vegas he expects to have a centralized solution for teams that are currently scrambling to find local carriers for their 2026-27 regular-season games.

DAZN, by virtue of Wednesday's announcement, is now positioned as a potential candidate to helpthe NBA with its local broadcasting issues moving forward.

“We’ll cobble together a series of solutions for this season, but I feel good that we’ll have something on a national basis for the following year,” Silver told reporters.

What is DAZN?

DAZN, pronounced 'da-zone,' was founded in 2016 and has previously carried combat sports events and international soccer programming in the U.S. It has also served as a streaming platform for audiences outside the U.S. to watch American sports, with international rights to NFL, NBA, NHL and college football and basketball games throughout the year.

DAZN will also have 24/7 feeds of MSG, MSG Sportsnet and YES Network, in addition to on-demand access to highlights and original programming. Those who currently watch MSG Networks and YES Network through The Gotham Sports App will eventually be migrated onto DAZN's platform, but the exact timing has been not disclosed yet.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DAZN lands MSG and YES streaming rights, eyes more NBA deals

It’s one thing to talk about Tottenham Hotspur player injuries. It’s another thing when Spurs’ primary attacking target picks up a long-term injury. David Ornstein, among others, is now reporting that Bournemouth attacker Eli Junior Kroupi has sustained a metatarsal injury to his foot during preseason training and will miss the next 3-4 months, putting a significant crimp into Spurs’ summer transfer window plans (as well as everyone else’s who were pursuing a move for Kroupi this summer).

🚨 Junior Kroupi expected to be out for 3/4 months with foot injury suffered in pre-season training. 20yo Bournemouth forward flew back from Austria tour & underwent successful surgery today. Departure this summer never countenanced by #AFCB@TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/UWi4BtYQjE

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 29, 2026

OK here’s the point where you can make lots of #jokes about Tottenham’s injury history, including swipes at Spurs’ medical team extending their remit to injuring Spurs targets, resigned quips about how will fit right in on Tottenham’s recovery table, and sensible chuckles about how Ange Postecoglou is at it again — when will he stop getting away with this?

Ready? GO.

…

…

…

Okay, now that we’ve gotten it all out of our system, this is a real shame. Kroupi looked to be the ideal young attacker that could really level up Spurs’ attack. I’d say it’s almost a certainty that Spurs will now move onto other targets (Cody Gakpo is the name coming up most frequently, more on him later). It probably means that all the teams that are after him now will shift their attentions to signing him NEXT summer, or possibly in January if he returns before then.

But it’s a real bummer. There was no guarantee that Spurs would’ve signed Kroupi this summer (even though they were ostensibly in the lead according to several sources), but I like him a lot and was really hoping we’d end up buying him. And let’s also not forget that this is also a serious blow to Bournemouth, who were hoping to keep him and capitalize on his play to improve on their sixth place finish from last season.

Crap.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are searching high and low (and overseas) for help on the wing after missing out on LeBron James, though there are limited options available. However, those options are at least intriguing.

Cleveland’s interest in Jonathan Kuminga is well-documented, but Chris Fedor of cleveland.comsaid on the Wind and Gold Talk podcast that the Cavs have expressed interest in Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson and forward DeMar DeRozan. “I’m told the Cavs have expressed interest in all three of those guys,” Fedor said. DeRozan presents the easiest option given he is an unrestricted free agent and has been seen widely as the backup to teams that missed out on James.

But Watson presents a similar issue to that of Kuminga, in that the Cavs would need to pony up some assets in a trade to make that happen. The pathway to acquiring Watson would have to be a sign-and-trade that could cost them someone like Jarrett Allen. That will likely prove to be a dealbreaker for the Cavs, who have been very reluctant to part with Allen unless, of course, it brings back a difference-maker player. Watson is a good player and is coming off a good season, but he is likely not the kind of player the Cavs would seek in return for Allen.

Denver has reportedly offered Watson an extension in the $16-$18 million range per year, according to Marc Stein via his Substack, which is well below his desired amount. Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension with Cleveland in 2024 and will make $28 million this upcoming season, escalating to just over $30 million and $32 million over the next two years.

The Atlanta Hawks have also shown interest in Allen, but the Cavs would need more in return than just Kuminga. Trade scenarios involving sending Allen to Denver or Atlanta seem unlikely, unless the Cavs can get demonstrably better while tying up future money to either Watson or Kuminga in the process.

Basketball never stops.

The offseason is a time to rest, reset, but also prepare and train for the year ahead. Luka Dončić is already on that grind and posting his workouts on Instagram.

This is a big year for Dončić. LeBron James is gone, making Luka, without question, the Lakers’ leader. This team will be a representation of him.

While the start of the year is still months away, Luka wants to get to work as soon as possible.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on Wednesday that Dončić will bring the entire roster to Slovenia for a four-day mini-camp in August.

Luka Doncic is hosting the entire Los Angeles Lakers roster in Slovenia for a four-day minicamp in August, a source close to the Lakers told ESPN. The itinerary will include workouts, golf and some Ljubljana tourism and bonding ahead of training camp.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 29, 2026

The Lakers clearly want to build their chemistry quickly.

They already held a mini-camp during the Las Vegas Summer League. That was smaller than what this will be in Slovenia, since the entire team will be in attendance.

Dončić running this should be music to Lakers fans’ ears.

It shows that Luka wants these guys around him and welcomes them to his birthplace, Ljubljana, Slovenia. None of this is required for Dončić to do. His taking this initiative is exactly what you want from your team’s top player. LeBron would often have a mini-camp in Vegas right before training camp, and now Luka is doing something similar, but in his own way.

With so many new faces on the Lakers, the more time they can get together, the better. Hopefully, this mini-camp and then the official one sometime in September will create a scenario where the team can hit the ground running in October.

This will likely be a fun and friendly team event. Luka seems to have caught the golf bug, just like his buddy Austin Reaves, and has it as part of this four-day event. With that, along with some tourism mixed in, it sounds like a fun work trip.

If, at the end of this, the team knows each other better and has built some rapport, then it’ll be a success. Hopefully, this can become a new tradition and a way for Luka to cultivate the Lakers’ culture under his leadership.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

The season will start in fewer than three months, and the San Antonio Spurs will no longer have the benefit of being a surprise team. They’ve made up for that by bringing in a veteran assistant coach in Billy Donovan who won twice at the University of Florida, and signed Tobias Harris, adding another seasoned player capable of relief scoring in big games who will also be expected to have a critical role in the non-Victor Wembanyama minutes.

The stretch in which the team‘s best player rests is one of the most important in the game since opponents try to hit the accelerator. When Jimmy Butler was on the Miami Heat, too many games were up in the air during his four to six minute break at the start of the fourth quarter, and the non-Nikola Jokić minutes in Denver are part of the reason the Nuggets haven’t returned to the Finals during the prime of an all-time great because he has to do too much. 

The Spurs’ primary scorers in the non-Wemby minutes were usually De’Aaron Fox or Devin Vassell, and their scoring threat in the front court was Harrison Barnes. Adding another mobile option to the frontline with a superior ability at getting into the body of defenders will ensure Fox, Vassell or whichever guard is in this rotation in 2026-27 doesn’t get worn out, and it will make it easier to cover for Luke Kornet’s limitations. 

Harris’ versatility could even allow for some experimenting with him as the small-ball five against certain matchups to preserve speed, which he hasn’t tried in his career for any significant stretch. With respect to Luke Kornet, whose epic chase down block on Isaiah Hartenstein was one of the highlights of the playoffs, he doesn’t move his feet fast enough and is in danger against competent outside shooters. 

The edge Harris brings in this scenario is guarding at the level of the screen. Not to imply he’s some renowned defender, but Harris will be more of a help versus bigger ball handlers because he has enough foot speed and strength to make it difficult for them on the move. On top of that, using him here could be more effective than playing Carter Bryant as the backup big since the youngster’s exuberance hasn’t been harnessed, and it causes him to pick up too many fouls.  

Imagine a bombs-away lineup of Harris next to Fox, Barnes, Julian Champagnie and Vassell. A nice wrinkle would be making him the first passer to the post in a split action set. Harris would then turn instantly into a screener, and if a big is guarding him, it will likely ensure the shooter has even more space due to many bigs not being comfortable hovering the outside, especially if their man doesn’t have the ball.

The video below is from Dustin Aubert (The Basketball Academy) and it’s about two minutes, but please examine the first possession from a New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors game from a few seasons ago. The Warriors commonly run split action, and the man to focus on here is Kevon Looney. This is a perfect example of how making the big man the initiator of the set puts the defense on ice.

MUST ADD ACTION

Bilbao, Split Action, Away Twirl.

Here are some cool things the Warriors do with their off ball movement. Personal favorite is the away twirl. pic.twitter.com/qNN3pIV7Yn

— Dustin Aubert (@dustinaubert) January 13, 2023

Last season, the Spurs would lose the option of their big man being the trailing shooter when Kornet came in for Wemby. Relying on Harris in this role keeps that option in play and he’s a decent shooter on the catch, making 38.1 percent of attempts, yet this plummeted to 31.6 percent in the postseason. 

Additionally, bigs wouldn’t keep up with Harris on catch-and-go moves, and they might try to compensate by force-feeding mismatches on the other side. A good scheme can offset that, and his post skills would also unlock the perimeter.  The first test to see if this could be a real option should be against the lower-level bigs and progress as it goes on. 

Keep in mind that Harris had one of his best playoff runs with the Detroit Pistons in 2025-26 and it notably came next to a high-level playmaker in Cade Cunningham. Still, it wasn’t the prefered role for him because he ended up having to do too much as the second option. 

In San Antonio, Fox and especially Dylan Harper can ensure that he gets the ball in ideal situations, since one of them will probably be on the floor at all times. One of the playmakers working with Harris on screen rolls would be effective, and so would putting him in motion. He knows how to play without the ball, so it’s easy to envision him taking open 10-foot jumpers after curling around stagger and cross screens.

Some may not view Harris as a home run addition since he’s not the flashiest and has only been better than a league-average 3-point shooter in four postseasons, but he is in the ideal role as a fourth option. Don’t be surprised if he plays his most meaningful, impactful ball with the Spurs. 

 

Josh Hart is encouraging Draymond Green to worry about his own financial spreadsheet.

In a recent episode of the “Club 520 Podcast” the Warriors forward commented on what he believed was a poor decision by Jalen Brunson for taking less to sign an extension with the Knicks in 2024, saying the team “can afford it” — and also referenced Hart’s bottom line.

“It’s the New York Knicks, bro. They can afford it. You ain’t gotta take no discount,” Green said.

We got to normalize grown men not counting other peoples pockets https://t.co/o5pr8MWiz6

— Josh Hart (@joshhart) July 29, 2026

“My situation is different because Steph (Curry) making 270 (million), Klay (Thompson) making 180. Alright, something gotta give,” Green said. “Cool, I could take less. But he the top guy! By the way, let Josh Hart or somebody else take less. They in my role, let one of them take less, but guess what? Steph Curry ain’t taking a penny less and neither did Klay Thompson. If this gonna work, somebody do. Well guess what I ain’t really expecting them to take less. I don’t know what he doing, but I’m happy for him.”

The questioning of Brunson’s sacrifice and mentioning that Hart should have been the one to take less didn’t sit right with the Knicks’ wing.

“We got to normalize grown men not counting other peoples pockets,” he wrote on X in a quote tweet of a video of Green’s comments.

Brunson’s pay cut — in which he did not sign a max extension but can recoup most of the money he left on the table in a future extension — allowed the Knicks to build up a competitive group and depth around him, which eventually led to the’s franchise first title since 1973 this past season.

Yet, Green, who recently signed a $27.7 million deal with the Warriors, argued that could have happened regardless.

He pointed to Warriors star Curry and ex-Golden State sharpshooter Thompson playing under max contracts while still winning four NBA titles between 2015-22.

From a financial perspective, Brunson’s decision was surprising at the time.

If Brunson had waited until the following summer for free agency, he could have signed a five-year deal worth about $270 million.

Yet, he agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension.

The money left on the table enabled the Knicks to make deals for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges that fit within the salary cap, and those two helped the Knicks beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

A hypothetical: Joel Embiid plucks the board off the glass. What happens next?

He quickly turns and flings a pass ahead to LeBron James, who has already started bolting down the right flank on the break.

James may be 41, but he remains strong and powerful, so he glides past the first line of defense. But when help crashes in on him, James skips the ball across the floor to Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey pump fakes, but the defense closes in on him, too, so he waits for Embiid to catch up and settle at the top of the key. Maxey tosses Embiid the ball before slashing immediately to the paint on a give-and-go.

Embiid returns to Maxey, who is met at the basket by a rim protector, so Maxey contorts in mid-air, zipping a pass to Jaylen Brown near the right baseline for a corner 3.

For these new Philadelphia 76ers, now with Brown and James in the fold, their offensive portfolio has just expanded significantly. After Philadelphia was swept in the conference semifinals by the eventual NBA champion Knicks, it became clear the roster needed aggressive reshaping to contend with the NBA’s best.

Now, with Embiid, Maxey, James, Brown and second-year guard VJ Edgecombe, the 76ers suddenly have a starting five that rises to the top tier of the Eastern Conference.

All that said, what will their offense actually look like? And who will handle the ball?

Realistically, the 76ers won’t need to have one primary ball-handler, given that each of Maxey, James, Brown and (to a lesser extent) Edgecombe can initiate offense. The reality is the Sixers should have a much more fluid offense with multiple ball-handlers, because when teams boast different players with the ability to create, it leads to tremendous offensive versatility.

Primary ball-handling duties, however, should fall to James and Maxey.

At this point in his career, soon to begin his record 24th season in the NBA, the thing James does best is distribute. In fact, some of the more awkward moments on the floor last season with the Lakers were when Los Angeles opted to have Luka Dončić dominate the ball.

James wields exceptional court vision and anticipation and has an encyclopedic archive of sets and offensive actions. It may take some time for him to assimilate, but his ball-handling should unlock easier offense for everyone. It’s the best natural fit for him.

Over the past couple of seasons, out of necessity, Maxey had been miscast somewhat as a shoot-first point guard. Philadelphia contended with several injuries, and substandard roster management left the team devoid of a true play-making distributor at point guard. Maxey filled in, and starred in the role, leading the team in assists the past three seasons.

Yet, while Maxey can handle and create, he’s most naturally a three-level scoring guard who excels off the ball, particularly on backdoor cuts and give-and-gos.

Now with James and Brown (though mostly James), there won’t be as much of a burden on Maxey to be the sole initiator on offense.

Tyrese Maxey — Backdoor reel pic.twitter.com/Ph2wDIo9Hk

— .Slip (@SlipReaper) July 25, 2026

The other thing that’s safe to expect from these new-look Sixers: they’ll destabilize defenses in transition and will turn defense into offense.

Last season, the top three players in the NBA in converted transition field goals were Maxey (171), Brown (167) and James (164).  

The league leaders in total fastbreak points were Maxey (382) and James (343); with 253, Brown ranked 10th.

Pairing all three together suddenly gives Philadelphia immense adaptability with how it attacks teams in transition.

And while flexibility and fluid shot creation should rule the day in coach Nick Nurse’s offense, players will still have to buy in and adapt their roles to make it work.

The player who’ll need to tweak his game most is Brown. Last season, Brown’s best in his career, he ranked third in the NBA in usage (35.1), which measures the rate of a team’s plays that a specific player completes when on the court.

Much of that was because Jayson Tatum was sidelined most of the year with his Achilles tendon recovery, though Brown has plenty of experience playing with another high-usage star.

Still, Embiid (33.6; sixth) and Maxey (28.6; 22nd) also were high-usage players last season. Brown will have to keep finding ways to move without the ball, cut to the basket and find soft gaps in defenses for perimeter shots. Where Brown struggled somewhat was turnovers (3.6 per game) and bouts of inefficiency. Playing alongside James and Maxey, however, Brown won’t need to create for himself anymore; he can let the ball find him.

This, to be sure, is a good problem to have. Teams can never have too many playmakers on the court, and Philadelphia now boasts a starting lineup that averaged a combined 27 assists per game.

Expect the ball to move around freely. Expect a dramatic improvement from last year’s offensive rating (114.3; 16th). Philadelphia’s defense, however, might need some work.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The 76ers got LeBron James. What will their offense actually look like?

Minnesota Timberwolves fans spent most of July waiting for somebody to walk through the door and fix things.

We refreshed the timeline. We ran forensic analysis on Instagram emoji choices We talked ourselves into believing that a 41-year-old, four-time MVP would chose to spend the last act of his career in Minneapolis. For a few weeks there, it felt real. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball were making recruiting calls. Hope, that dangerous little houseguest, put its feet up on the coffee table.

Then one Shams Charania tweet ended the Minnesota dream. LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. And just like that, the whole elaborate fantasy was over.

It stung. Then it stopped stinging. And somewhere in the quiet afterward, a thing clicked that should have been obvious from the jump: the answer was never going to be a signing.

The answer already plays here.

The Reflex

You have to understand where the instinct comes from, because it isn’t stupidity. It’s scar tissue.

Minnesota’s entire emotional operating system was built around departure. Kevin Garnett had to leave for Boston to get his ring. He was the best player this franchise ever had, and his banner went up in a different building. Kevin Love wanted out and got out. Karl-Anthony Towns, the guy we watched grow up, ended up winning his title somewhere else too. For thirty-seven years, the lesson Wolves fans absorbed was that greatness is something that departs via moving truck. So of course we chased LeBron. Chasing LeBron was the reflex, the deep, conditioned belief that the last piece of the puzzle has to come from outside.

Which is exactly why we almost missed the actual story sitting in plain sight.

Look Who Was Working the Phones

Here’s the detail that reframes the entire summer: the recruitment wasn’t the front office cold-calling a legend and hoping. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Anthony Edwards was directly involved, on the phone with LeBron himself, doing the pitch.

And the way he did it tells you everything. As the story went, Ant told James, joking (but only barely), that if he didn’t make a decision soon, he’d tear his head off. When LeBron laughed and asked what happened if he signed somewhere else, Edwards said he’d tear his head off on the court instead. Read that back slowly. That is not a young player nervously auditioning for a savior. That is an alpha dog casually informing a top-two-ever talent that he’d be welcome as help. Help on a team that already has an owner, and the owner is number five. It’s Rocky calling out Apollo, except this Rocky is convinced he already owns the belt.

That’s the leap nobody circled on the calendar. Not a stat line. A posture. Edwards spent this offseason recruiting instead of being recruited, and the tone was less “please come save us” and more “come get on, or get run over.” The kid who used to eat Popeyes and giggle his way through media availability is now the guy telling future Hall of Famers where the bar is.

The Numbers Behind the Swagger

The swagger would be insufferable if it weren’t earned. It’s earned.

Edwards put up 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a night while shooting 39.9 percent from three. He’s entering his seventh season. Seven years is the window where the truly special ones stop being “a star with a ceiling” and simply become the ceiling. The new practice photos have people dusting off the Jordan comparisons again, and sure, that’s the offseason content machine doing its thing, but you don’t get compared to that guy for being ordinary in July. You get compared to him because there’s something in the film that keeps daring you to say it out loud.

The point isn’t that Edwards is already the best player alive. The point is that the Timberwolves’ path forward was never a free-agent addition sitting on top of him. It was him.

Let’s Not Pretend

Now, let’s not pretend the doubt is unreasonable, because it isn’t.

One man does not win a title alone. The graveyard of great scorers who never got a ring could fill a mid-size arena. The Wolves fell to the eventual Western Conference champion Spurs in six games this spring. It was the first time since 2023 that Minnesota didn’t reach the conference finals, which is its own gut-punch after two straight trips. The LaMelo Ball trade is a genuine gamble, a bet that could go sideways. Shipping out Naz Reid and Julius Randle left a power forward hole you could park a Zamboni in. And the money is terrifying: $215.8 million already committed for next season, with Edwards ($48.9M), Ball ($40.8M), and Rudy Gobert ($36.5M) eating most of it. There is no cavalry coming, because the credit card is maxed and the statement’s already past due.

All of that is true. Every word.

And every word of it is why the answer has to be Ant.

The Case

When you can’t buy the last piece, you have to grow it. That’s not cope. That’s the blueprint the teams that actually broke through all used. Dallas didn’t sign its way to a title; it waited on Dirk Nowitzki to turn into the most unguardable version of himself and then handed him the keys. Milwaukee didn’t import a finisher on top of Giannis; it let Giannis become the finisher. The franchises that finally cashed in weren’t the ones who found a savior on the open market. They were the ones whose homegrown superstar decided, in year six or seven, that “good enough to contend” was an insult.

The LaMelo trade fits that theory, it doesn’t contradict it. You don’t deal for a high-usage, ball-dominant guard to replace your best player. You do it to weaponize his gravity, to give Edwards a co-star whose job is to make the defense pick a poison. The gamble only pays off if Ant is exactly what we think he is. Everything Minnesota did this summer, the trade included, is a wager placed on number five. Which means the whole offseason quietly answered its own question. The Wolves already told you who they think the answer is. They just did it with a transaction sheet instead of a press release.

LeBron in Philadelphia doesn’t shrink Minnesota’s ceiling. It just removes the last excuse. There’s no veteran messiah to defer to now, no “once we add one more guy” asterisk to hide behind. It’s Ant’s team, Ant’s number, Ant’s leap or Ant’s disappointment.

He got married this summer, got the fresh cut, showed up to camp dressed like he had a board meeting to run. Take the hint. This is a man arranging his life around the idea that this is the year the leap becomes the point.

So Here We Are

The savior isn’t driving up I-94. He never was. He’s already in the building. He’s the one who was working the phones, the one telling four-time MVPs where the line is. The Timberwolves spent a summer looking outside for the thing they’ve had all along, and the search ending is the best thing that could’ve happened, because now there’s nowhere left to look but at him.

The answer isn’t coming. It’s already here.

Now he just has to go be it.

The Dallas Mavericks are going into the season with a projected starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II.

While this should be the starting five for the first game of the season (barring injury), it might not be how the Mavs finish the year.

“This starting five could look very different by the 2027 trade deadline, or even the start of the 2026-27 season.

A 34-year-old Irving coming off a torn ACL doesn’t fit a franchise now built around the 19-year-old Flagg. Washington, 27, is on the borderline as well and could be shopped to a contender to create more opportunities for No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr,“ Bleacher Report contributor Greg Swartz wrote.

“For now, this is the Mavs’ most likely outcome as they hope the 22-year-old Lively can return from foot surgery after playing just seven games last season.”

The Mavs will start Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg as long as they are on the roster, but other players can be swapped in and out.

Christy is expected to be the starting shooting guard, but there are opportunities for former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and Naji Marshall to take his spot if they feel that it is a better group for Dallas.

While Washington has a strong grasp on the starting power forward spot, Risacher, Santi Aldama or rookie Morez Johnson Jr. could get some looks in the first unit. Aldama could also slide in at center to take over for Lively, as well as Daniel Gafford.

Ultimately, the Mavs have several different configurations Dusty May can work with, which makes things exciting for the upcoming season.

Mavs Moneyball community, how do you think the team should start in the upcoming season? Drop your potential lineups in the comments section below.

Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2025-26 player reviews! The series will look at the players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts and who played consequential minutes and/or a vital role (so no two-way players because we hardly saw them this year, no players who were traded away, and none of the deep bench centers, since they were both irrelevant and are now all gone).

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Carter Bryant

2025-26 stats: 71 games played, 11.5 MPG, 4.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 33.5 3FG%

Contract Status: 3-year, rookie contract (team option for 2027-28 and 2028-29)

Age: 20

It wasn’t a guarantee that Carter Bryant would be a contributor for the San Antonio Spurs in his rookie season. The fourteenth-overall-pick in the 2025 NBA Draft entered a talented wing room with veterans like Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson taking up a large share of the minutes. Bryant had to earn his way into the rotation. His usage was sporadic early in the season as Mitch Johnson tried to get a feel for his roster. But slowly, as the season went on, Bryant got more opportunities and a longer leash, becoming a legitimate contributor late in the season and a factor in the playoffs.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Bryant. He missed so many dunks early in the year that his veteran teammates threatened to shave his head. He looked lost at times off the ball defensively, and made some silly rookie mistakes with the ball in his hands. But something clicked after Bryant played a single game for the Austin Spurs on January 9th (he had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a win). When he returned to the NBA team, he looked confident and more deliberate with his decision-making. He used his strength and athleticism to make impact plays on defense and stopped forcing so much on offense. His playing time increased as a result.

Over the course of the season, Bryant showed glimpses of what he could be: a two-way wing who wins defensively with his superior size, athleticism and strength, and an offense cutter who can hit the occasional three-pointer. He plays with an extremely high motor and a level of aggression that’s pretty rare for a player of his age. His eagerness comes with its downsides as well, as Bryant would sometimes find himself out of position or foul while trying to stop an opposing player.

That weakness was put on display in the NBA playoffs, where players like Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson exposed Bryant defensively. Without adding much on the offensive end, Bryant was left with a sparkplug energy role off the bench that sometimes hurt the Spurs more than it helped them in the postseason.

Playoff woes aside, it’s hard not to see Bryant’s rookie season as a success. He carved out a role for himself on an NBA Finals team, and showed promise of being a long-term piece of San Antonio’s core. His numbers won’t blow you away, but he looked worthy of a lottery pick in a stacked 2025 class. He developed so much over the course of just one season. It would be foolish to doubt he can’t get better from here.

Looking ahead

Bryant should continue to factor into San Antonio’s rotation next season, if not earn more minutes. Even with the addition of Tobias Harris, Bryant still has a role as a rangy defensive wing who can potentially play some small-ball five. With Harris joining, Julian Champagnie can probably go back to playing more of an off-ball wing role rather than a stretch four alongside Victor Wembanyama in the starting lineup, leaving some minutes to be had for Bryant as the backup forward. He’ll be fighting Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes for that spot.

Bryant will likely come into the season next year as the Spurs’ second-best perimeter defender behind Stephon Castle. That fact alone should earn him minutes. San Antonio will need to see him improve on the offensive end. Bryant needs to knock down open threes and learn how to attack a closeout. He showed signs of doing both in the NBA Summer League this year. He doesn’t need to be able to “cook” defenders off the bounce, just score on straight-line drives when the defense overcommits. But first, he has to shoot better than 33.5% from three to make defenses respect him outside of the paint.

I am particularly excited about Bryant’s future. Guys with his size, motor, and athleticism don’t grow on trees. His shot looks sound, and we’ve seen it go in when he’s on a roll. He could develop into the key three-and-D wing that San Antonio needs next to Wembanyama and its star guards. We’ll need to see him make steps toward becoming that player in his sophomore season.

Top performance

17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 5-6 from deep, providing an offensive spark in a game without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.

Final grade: C+

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Next up: Luke Kornet

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• Jordan McLaughlin

Moving on: Four reasons for optimism about what comes next for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s been a rough couple of months to be a Celtics fan.

Boston fumbled away a 3-1 lead in Round 1 against Philadelphia, spoiling what had otherwise been a highly enjoyable 2025-26 season. The Knicks won a championship and haven’t stopped parading around in the aftermath. The Celtics traded former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to a division rival, and those Sixers signed LeBron James in the aftermath to create a potential super team. The East as a whole looks as good on paper as it has in decades. 

The duck boats that flowed through downtown Boston just two years ago now feels like two lifetimes ago.

You’ve got two choices, though. You can sit here and wallow in self-pity. Or you can accept that what’s done is done, and move on. We all ran the emotional gamut and navigated the stages of grief that are inevitable when trading a franchise pillar. Some got through it quicker than others. Now it’s time to shift the focus from what happened to what comes next.

This is us channeling our inner Veronica Vaughn. We’re dragging any Billy Madison-looking Celtics fans into the pool and trying to roust you from July’s pity party. I believe in you, Billy (Chisholm). And Brad, too. 

Here are four reasons to be optimistic about what comes next for the Celtics:

MVP season loading?

Roster construction and money allocation in the apron era played a major role in Boston’s decision to pivot away from Brown, but we thought it was telling that when Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens discussed the trade, he almost immediately pointed to having such a high percentage of usage tied up in two superstars.

Brown finished 36.1 percent of Boston’s possessions during his floor time last season. That wasn’t just a career high, it was the 18th-highest single-season mark in NBA history since usage tracking began in 1978, per Basketball Reference. It was the highest mark in Celtics history and well north of the previous top usage rate set by Isaiah Thomas (33.8 percent) during his magical 2016-17 season.

Maybe Brown would have happily downshifted his usage with a healthier Jayson Tatum on the court this season. Maybe the advanced metrics that showed Boston performed better with Brown off the court in each of the last four seasons would have stabilized. But the Celtics evidently weren’t waiting to find out.

What’s clear now, while the team plots the next iteration of its roster, is that Tatum is going to shoulder the offensive load for the 2026-27 season and probably beyond. If the Celtics were to outkick the downsized expectations amid the departure of Brown, then Tatum is going to thrust himself directly into the same MVP conversation that Brown lingered in last season.

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

This will be the first time that Tatum has been the sole focal point of the Celtics’ offense. There will be instances where he needs to use that attention to create opportunities for teammates. But Tatum is going to finish a lot of possessions. And his stat line could soar because of it.

Tatum already owns the Celtics’ record for single-season scoring average from the 2022-23 season, when he averaged 30.1 points to go along with 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists over 36.9 minutes per game. He finished fourth in MVP voting that year. 

Tatum’s rebounding was off the charts after his return last season (10 rebounds per game in 16 regular-season appearances). He’s averaged a career-best 8.2 assists per 100 possessions in each of his last two seasons. It’s not hard to imagine a particularly glitzy stat line next season. 

In much the same way that Brown thrived as the focal point last year and earned heavy MVP chatter when Boston bested outsider expectations, it feels like Tatum will have the chance to do the same this year. Maybe Victor Wembanyama will simply have a stranglehold on the award moving forward — with Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unlikely to cede their spots at the top of balloting as well. But Tatum will be in the conversation with plenty of possessions available to state his case.

In a big country

Overshadowed by all the Brown drama, the Celtics shored up maybe their biggest area of need last season by signing center Mitchell Robinson. It also created a void for a primary rival by signing away the Knicks’ longest-tenured player and a key piece of their championship bench.

Robinson is a glass-cleaning, country music-loving machine who will turn a whole bunch of Boston’s missed 3-pointers into the second-chance opportunities that Joe Mazzulla so dearly covets. Robinson corralled 21.2 percent of his team’s missed shots last season. That wasn’t just the highest mark in the NBA, it was nearly six percent higher than the next closest player with 1,000+ minutes played (Donovan Clingan, 15.3 percent).

The Celtics know full well how valuable Robinson can be. Mazzulla routinely deployed a Hack-a-Mitch strategy in hopes that New York would take Robinson off the court due to his free-throw woes. Opposing teams will do the same against Boston this year, but Robinson’s impact is undeniable if he stays on the court.

The Knicks’ offensive rebound rate spiked by 9.8 percent per 100 possessions during Mitchell’s floor time last season.  He corralled 31.9 percent of his own misses. His kickouts created some of the most efficient looks that New York got last season.

Can Robinson stay on the floor — both in terms of health and teams targeting his free-throw shooting weakness? That’s a major question for a player who averaged just 19.6 minutes per game over 60 appearances last season, and missed 116 games over the previous two campaigns. 

But his ability to impact winning when he’s on the court is undeniable. He’ll add much-needed depth to a spot that got exposed as Boston fumbled away that 3-1 series lead against the Sixers. His impact could greatly outkick the 9.1 percent of the cap he signed for while inking a 3-year, $47 million deal with Boston.

Kick the player development team into overdrive

Maybe the biggest storyline from last season was the way many of Boston’s youngest players thrived in elevated roles. From Neemias Queta and Payton Pritchard shuffling into starter spots, to recent draftees like Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh all thriving in elevated minutes at various points throughout the 2025-26 campaign, to Luka Garza carving out a role after barely playing at two previous stops, it’s clear the Celtics can maximize their young talent.

Now all those players need to make another leap — or at least find the sort of consistency that the best players in the league bring on a night-to-night basis.

Sure, it would help if Derrick White finds his shot after a rough offensive season. But Pritchard will get every opportunity to be the No. 2 scoring option on the team. Can he eliminate some of the variance in his output, especially when the 3-point shot defies him? His numbers when sharing the floor with Tatum are particularly intriguing.

Can Neemias Queta avoid the sort of foul trouble that forced him off the court too often in the postseason? How many of Boston’s wings will make the sort of leap that makes it easy for Mazzulla to pencil them in for heightened minutes each night?

One thing that could help: The addition of veteran point guard Mike Conley. While Conley’s on-court role might be limited in his age-39 season, he brings 37,588 minutes of regular-season experience. He’s played in 120 playoff games.

To put it another way: Celtics rookie Chris Cenac Jr. was four months old when Conley Jr. was drafted in June 2007. His ability to guide young players could certainly aid Boston’s young nucleus.

The Celtics need to continue to nurture and develop from within.

In Brad We Trust: Optionality and clean books

Look, no one is going to hang a banner for resetting repeater penalties. Or creating optionality. But navigating the second apron and creating windows for increased spending certainly matters in this new apron era. The Celtics are putting themselves in a position to be opportunistic while much of the league is steamrolling towards a reckoning that Boston has already started navigating.

Stevens talked a lot about that optionality in the aftermath of the Brown trade. It’s not fun having to wait for the next shoe to drop, but all the pain points the Celtics have endured the past two summers — from the departures of core championship pieces like Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet last year; to the shocking Brown trade — have positioned the team to be aggressive with roster construction moving forward.

The next disgruntled NBA star is only a news cycle away. Maybe Denver implodes under the weight of the second apron. Is Anthony Edwards going to stay happy in Minnesota with LaMelo Ball added to the mix? Stars get moved every season, and yet we never stop being surprised when it happens.

The Celtics have the parts to at least get in on the conversation for any players that become available. The team can be judicious in hunting the next star it yearns to pair with Tatum. Maybe the team prioritizes depth and tries to find high-value players on mid-tier salaries to put around Tatum.

Stevens has quietly been locking up depth pieces on team-friendly deals. Queta (four years, $60 million) got a big extension, and Pritchard could soon sign a three-year, $67 million extension. The Celtics inked both Ron Harper Jr. and Jordan Walsh to long-term deals. Neither that duo, nor recent draftees Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez will earn more than 3 percent of the cap through their current pacts. 

The Celtics need to maximize their optionality. They need to be willing to spend when free of the repeater shackles next summer. But they’ve created more pathways than previously existed through their often painful maneuvering over the past two summers.

Stevens has thrust himself into a harsh spotlight by trading Brown. There’s going to be pressure to hit a home run on whatever big move comes next. Patience is in short supply in these parts. But Stevens has to show that the Brown trade, painful as it was, was a necessary step in getting the Celtics back to a spot where they can truly compete for a title.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are going into the upcoming season with a new starting lineup to boast after making a pair of offseason trades.

Ayo Dosunmu, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert are projected to start for the Wolves, which Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz places at No. 12 in his starting lineup rankings.

“There’s perhaps no greater positional need from any team than the Minnesota Timberwolves have for a starting power forward right now,” Swartz wrote.

“After trading away both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Wolves are looking at a small lineup with the 185-pound McDaniels playing the four unless further roster moves are made. Ball takes over the starting point guard duties in Minnesota and Dosunmu, though undersized, has played his share of small forward in the past for a guard-heavy Chicago Bulls team. The Wolves still need a real power forward who won’t be blown over by a stiff breeze before the season begins.“

In this perspective lineup, the Wolves are essentially running with three guards: Ball, Edwards, and Dosunmu. Ball stands 6-7, which will give him the opportunity to defend more wings, but he won’t be a wing on the offensive end of the floor.

The Wolves could swap out Dosunmu and have him come off the bench, but there isn’t necessarily a strong option off the bench that would give Minnesota the size they need.

Until they make a trade for another forward, the Wolves are better off sticking with this quintet.

Canis Hoopus community, do you think the Wolves are too small in the starting lineup? Let us know in the comments section below.

With Stephen Curry reportedly taking a ’don’t-get-too-excited-so-you-don’t-get-hurt’ approach to the final chapters of his Golden State Warriors’ tenure, it makes sense to think about alternative options that are on the table for the 12-time All-Star.

One destination that has surprisingly circulated in online discussions is the Toronto Raptors.

But is it a good fit for both parties? We think so and here are three reasons why:

The Raptors have the assets

Even with the reported Kawhi Leonard trade package – which includes a 2031 and 2033 first-rounder – Toronto still owns a first-round pick for the next four years. Other popular options, like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Denver Nuggets, can’t say the same thing. The San Antonio Spurs do own a first-rounder through the next four seasons, but they can’t offer a better package without sacrificing their young (and special) talent on controllable contracts.

Is that something the Spurs want to do for a 38-year-old on an expiring contract?

At the moment, a realistic offer could include De’Aaron Fox, another piece to bring the salaries within reach, and draft picks. The issue with Fox’s contract is that he has four years remaining on his deal, with the last year paying the guard over $61 million.

Meanwhile, the most popular Raptors offer (at least through online discourse), consists of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and draft picks. Quickley is owed $32.5 million each season for the next three years, while Barrett’s value is attached to a nearly $30 million expiring contract.

The Raptors are the best fit

There isn’t another team that is best suited to absorb a version of Curry that is in the back end of his career. Last year, Toronto ranked fifth in defensive rating (112.1) and has seemingly added Leonard to its defensive attack. Surrounded by Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead and Allen Graves, Curry can focus on doing what he does best, and that’s being an otherworldly shooting threat. On defence, expect an endless amount of pre-switching from multiple positions, forcing opposing ball-handlers to have to deal with what they can get, while on a short clock.

Other than Leonard, there isn’t another player on the roster who truly demands the ball in their hands. While Barnes graduated to superstar status in the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he’s always been at his best as a jumbo-wing-bully-hub.

Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic’s offensive system is predicated on ball-movement and quick processing. Even with the offensive build-up that Brandon Ingram required to deploy his mid-range brilliance, Toronto still ranked third in assists (29.5) and potential assists (52.6) last season. A potential assist is defined by the NBA as ‘any pass to a teammate who shoots within one dribble of receiving the ball’. For comparison, the Warriors ranked sixth in assists (28.9) and first in potential assists (56.5). Theoretically, Curry would be walking into a system that emphasizes his elite skillset.

The Raptors offer the best narrative

While donning a Charlotte Hornets or Cavaliers jersey would most accurately tell a homecoming story, Curry ending up in Toronto would also lean into a ‘prodigal son’ narrative. The greatest-shooter-of-all-time spent several of his formative years in Canada, where his father Dell Curry, played for the Raptors.

In addition to experiencing the NBA world against the backdrop of the formerly known Air Canada Centre, Curry also played school ball in the Greater Toronto Area. His wife, Ayesha Curry, is famously noted for being born and growing up in a suburb of Toronto.