Among the painful punishments for the Clippers — such as suspending owner Steve Ballmer for a year and not letting him be around the team — nothing is as devastating as losing five first-round draft picks. Those are the lifeblood of team building in the modern NBA.
How do the Clippers not just get through this but find a path forward? What happened to the Minnesota Timberwolves when they were stripped of five first-round picks a quarter century ago? Is there a more recent roadmap for the Clippers? Let's break it all down.
What happened to Minnesota?
The only other team hit with this kind of punishment — losing five first-round picks — was the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000, when they were caught circumventing the salary cap for Joe Smith. That precedent is what Adam Silver used to take five Clippers picks away.
So what happened to Minnesota? It's not apples-to-apples, but it also foreshadows concern for Clippers fans.
Those Timberwolves had Kevin Garnett in his prime — including during his MVP season — so for the first three years after the ruling came down, they won at least 50 games and even reached the Western Conference Finals in 2004. With all due respect to Darius Garland, the Clippers don't have anyone of that caliber on their team.
Then things got ugly for Minnesota. It missed the playoffs for the next 13 consecutive seasons and 16 of 17. Garnett was traded in the middle of that. Minnesota made just two first-round picks between 2001-2005, but only one of them, Rashad McCants, really produced for them. To be fair, a lot of the years the Timberwolves continued to miss the playoffs were after they got their picks back — the NBA restored two of them for essentially good behavior — but the Timberwolves' issues went well beyond just losing picks. They were their own worst enemy for a while.
That's where things are a little better for the Clippers — they have a couple more picks in this mix, and they have been smart about picks and player development in recent years.
What do Clippers do?
Talking to league sources in the past few days, when you talk about the Clippers' path forward, one example comes up:
The Brooklyn Nets.
Back in 2013, Brooklyn traded three first-round picks and a couple of swaps to the Boston Celtics to land Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Needless to say, the Garnett/Pierce era in Brooklyn was a mess. Just as the Nets were coming out of that around 2016, all their picks were gone for years.
What did the Nets do under GM Sean Marks? They found players deep in the second round or that other teams had given up on and developed them into quality players, such as Spencer Dinwiddie. They opened up a lot of cap space and took on bad contracts to get good players along with them (for example, they took on the Lakers' Timofey Mozgov as long as the Lakers threw in D'Angelo Russell). The Nets nailed the picks they had, such as big man Jarrett Allen.
That's the Clippers' path — and they have more talent on the roster now than the 2016 Nets did. Darius Garland is a quality point guard at age 26. They just drafted Keaton Wagler, and we'll see how he develops, but he has potential as the two guard next to Garland. In the short term, they have a floor-raising two-time All-Star in Brandon Ingram that they could look to trade in the coming couple of years. They have solid veterans on the roster right now in Derrick Jones Jr., Brook Lopez and the just-signed Rui Hachimura, all players who make them respectable in the short term but could be traded for picks or players to develop into the future as well.
Plus, the Clippers have a couple of first-round picks and a swap coming via the Kawhi Leonard trade. Those are unprotected Raptors picks. The swap can help too: Next year the Thunder have the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers and almost certainly will, but the Clippers then have the rights to swap with Toronto (which could very well be a better team than many fans realize, but is not going to rack up regular-season wins like OKC).
Brooklyn under Marks built up a core of good young players who made it to the playoffs, but they always kept their books open knowing a big free agent was the way they wanted to go. They eventually convinced Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to play for them instead of the Knicks, and that Brooklyn super-team had its moments but never reached the Finals. Still, it was an impressive turnaround.
That is a path forward for the Clippers: Find and develop players, draft well when you have the chance, be smart and patient, build a culture, and wait for your opportunities. They will come.
Just know the next seven or eight years (at least) are going to be rough. That's the point of the punishment.
Ben Simmons needed a team, any NBA team, willing to give him one more chance.
The Sacramento Kings needed a player, any player, to fill out a 2026-27 roster that, until Sept. 4, had not added a free agent from outside the organization this offseason.
In that way, the Kings always made sense as the landing spot for Simmons' NBA comeback attempt. Only a team searching for answers would think the 2016 No. 1 pick can still provide value after sitting out last season and dabbling in professional fishing. Only a desperate veteran would volunteer to join the current salary cap woes and lack of direction the Kings are enduring under current owner Vivek Ranadivé.
Simmons signed with the Kings on Friday, Sept. 4, according to multiple reports. This will be his 10th NBA season, but only his eighth playing in games as injuries and contract issues cost him two full seasons.
Here's why Simmons could revive his NBA career in Sacramento and why it still might not work:
Simmons is signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings, according to ESPN.
How Ben Simmons fits with the Kings
The Kings were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season because of their awkward roster. Sacramento has an odd mix of expensive veterans and overlapping young players with not enough salary cap space or positive assets to maneuver much from their current situation. But the version of Simmons that played in Brooklyn could help the Kings because of his defensive versatility.
The Kings have front court players like Domantas Sabonis and Maxime Raynaud with defensive limitations who could, in theory, benefit from being paired with Simmons for stretches on the court. They also have personnel suited for the up tempo style that suits Simmons' point-forward tendencies. He can leverage his strengths as a ball-handler and transition playmaker in relief of 2026 first-round pick Darius Acuff Jr. because the Kings don't need Simmons to be a primary offensive option.
If Simmons returns as something resembling the player who was twice named to the NBA's all-defensive team, the 6-foot-10 forward would become a useful role player even if his lack of outside shooting is a liability.
Simmons' health has been an issue since he entered the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and sat out his first season with a foot injury. He also sat out the entire 2021-22 NBA campaign due to a back injury and contract dispute. The 2024-25 season was the only campaign since then in which Simmons appeared in more than 50 games, as back and knee injuries repeatedly limited his availability.
Why Ben Simmons' shooting remains a concern
Though Simmons twice averaged more than 16 points per game early in his career with the 76ers, he is a notoriously poor (and hesitant) shooter from outside the paint. He's just 5 for 36 over seven seasons from 3-point range and his reluctance to shoot the ball when teams back off him defensively became a problem during Philadelphia's postseason runs. He shot a career-worst 52% from the floor on a career-low 4.4 attempts per game during his most recent NBA season with the Nets and Los Angeles Clippers in 2024-25.
Ben Simmons stats
Simmons has career averages of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game over seven seasons. When he last played in the NBA over 51 combined games for the Nets and Los Angeles Clippers during the 2024-25 season, Simmons set career lows by averaging 5 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
Simmons is a three-time NBA All-Star who won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018 and earned third team all-NBA honors for the 2019-20 season.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Cameron Carr #43 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to the media after the game against the LA Clippers on July 14, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we look at Cameron Carr.
If you rule out Dalton Knecht’s hot start in his rookie campaign before petering out pretty rapidly, the last time the Lakers got notable production from their first round draft pick was…Lonzo Ball in 2017.
In fairness, they’ve traded a number of those picks, either for Anthony Davis or Dennis Schröder or Luka Dončić or when acquiring or dealing away Russell Westbrook. But going nearly a decade without any real impact from a first round pick is putting the team behind the eight ball, especially in comparison with the likes of the Spurs and Thunder built on the back of lots of first round picks.
Fans have been yearning for a young player to get excited about, so when Cameron Carr showed out this summer, it built up a lot of excitement and anticipation. He showed an ability to score at multiple levels and is a high-flyer, qualities that would get any fanbase excited.
With the Lakers shifting to a younger, more athletic version of the team this offseason, Carr feels like a natural fit. But how quickly can he make an impact?
What is his best-case scenario?
In Summer League, Carr’s off-ball scoring stood out as one of the skills that could translate most quickly to the NBA. He was able to knock down threes coming around screens on the perimeter, connect on mid-range jumpers on pindown screens or get to the rim on curls to the basket.
With one of Luka or Austin Reaves basically a lock to be on the floor, Carr is unlikely to be on the ball much. If he can continue to be a high-level scorer off the ball, though, then he’s going to find minutes. While the Lakers have many guards on the roster, none have the skill set as a scorer that Carr does, which should very well lead to him getting time on the floor.
If he can knock down shots consistently and provide a threat all over the floor that opponents have to be aware of, then he’s going to be in the rotation. The more he’s able to be impactful offensively, the more leeway he’ll get defensively, too.
He has the length to be a chaos creator on that end. If he can do enough of that while learning how to be a consistent defender on that end as well, then it’ll also help keep him on the floor.
What is his worst-case scenario?
What if he’s just Dalton Knecht 2.0? It feels harsh to say about Knecht, but considering how far he’s fallen, it’s hard to deny it.
Knecht has always struggled defensively, but made up for it by being a flamethrower on offense. When those shots stopped falling, his minutes dropped and, now, he’s reduced to garbage time cameos.
As with basically any rookie, he’s going to be a bad defender from the jump. But if he can’t improve on that end, similar to Knecht’s struggles, then it might be déjà vu all over again.
For him to go down that track, though, it would also require his offense to disappear. Given the variety of ways he can score, it feels less likely for that to happen, or at least not in the same way it did for Knecht. Instead, it might come in the way of his indecision or hesitation about when to shoot, drive, or pass.
In short, he looks like a rookie overwhelmed by bigger, faster and stronger players in the NBA.
What is his most likely role on the team?
Carr impressed enough in Summer League that it’s hard not to envision him getting a shot. That being said, the team is full of guards and Carr is going to have to distinguish himself from the pack.
As mentioned, he has the skill set to do that, but he still has to produce. Whether by way of a bigger rotation this season or stepping up when players miss time, Carr is going to get chances. He’ll likely be on the edge of the rotation to start the season.
Whether he bucks the trend of a decade of Lakers first round picks will be up to him.
INGLEWOOD, CA - APRIL 26: Ben Simmons #25 of the LA Clippers looks on during Round One, Game Four of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets on April 26, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Earlier this offseason, Ben Simmons hinted that he was eyeing a return to the NBA after taking the 2025-26 season off. He told Clay Skipper of Men’s Health that he didn’t “have a plan on where” he would sign, before adding, “Maybe I’ll go back to Philly.”
He is not going back to Philly. Instead, he agreed to a one-year, veteran-minimum contract with the Sacramento Kings on Friday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
So, why did the Sixers let the Kings beat them to the punch? Aside from, well, you know…
Ben Simmons on passing up a dunk vs. the Hawks in Game 7 of the 2021 East Semis:
"I wasn't hitting my sh*t, so motherf*cker, you knock it down! I just gave it to somebody [Matisse Thybulle] who was shooting a higher percentage free throw at the time."
For one, they didn’t have the money to sign Simmons—or almost anyone else, for that matter.
The Sixers hard-capped themselves at the $209.0 million first apron in basically every possible way this offseason. After their flood of offseason moves, they’re roughly $1.8 million below that line at the moment.
Since Simmons is signing a one-year, veteran-minimum deal, he’ll have a cap hit of only $2.4 million—the same as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope—despite earning $3.5 million in actual salary. Still, signing him would have pushed the Sixers roughly $600,000 above the first apron, so they would have needed to clear some salary first.
Even if the Sixers did have the financial wiggle room to sign Simmons, though, it’s hard to imagine that’s how they would have spent their last open roster spot.
Since his infamous blunder against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Simmons has played a total of 108 games over the past half-decade. The Sixers already have one gigantic injury question mark in Joel Embiid. The last thing they need is to fill their last open roster spot with an even bigger one.
While the Sixers could use another rangy defensive forward, it’s unclear whether Simmons is still the type of defender who earned a pair of All-Defense first-team nods earlier in his career. We haven’t seen that version of him in a half-decade.
The Sixers used Simmons as an oversized point guard back in his heyday, but in case you weren’t aware, they landed another jumbo playmaker this offseason. Some guy named LeBron James? He’s apparently pretty good. Still need to watch the tape to confirm.
Between James, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and even rookie Labaron Philon Jr., the Sixers suddenly have more ball-handling and playmaking than they’ve had in years. Heading into the season, backup center looks like their biggest question mark. That may be the best use of their remaining open roster spot once we get into the season.
We also still have no idea what this year’s Sixers will look like—and more importantly, what their strengths and weaknesses will be. They should be a dynamo in transition, and they have the talent on paper to boast one of the league’s best offenses, but that’s all theoretical right now. As Jaylen Brown would say, they need to roll the ball out to figure out what their biggest needs are.
Once they’ve had a few months to suss that out, they can look to address those holes either at the trade deadline or on the buyout market. As weird as this is to say, they could be one of the premier destinations for ring-chasers later this year. They might have their pick of the litter on the in-season free-agent market. Would it be worth giving that up in the hopes that Simmons isn’t broken anymore?
If Simmons stays healthy and looks like his former self, perhaps the Sixers revisit acquiring him at the trade deadline. Jabari Walker and/or Justin Edwards are easy salary matches, if so. But for now, they’ll just have to watch from afar to see how Simmons’ comeback tour goes in Sacramento.
Godspeed, Kings fans. You’re always welcome to take refuge here.
Sacramento was looking for a veteran point guard to back up and mentor rookie Darius Acuff. They have their guy, and it's an eyebrow-raising choice:
Ben Simmons.
Simmons agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings, which is the veteran minimum, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. It's not yet clear whether this contract is fully guaranteed.
Simmons, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and a three-time All-Star, did not play in the NBA last season — he was focused more on deep sea fishing, even buying a controlling stake in the South Florida Sails of the Sport Fishing Championship. He went through a mini-camp with the Austrailian national team this summer, and while he looked good in social media workouts that is almost an annual tradition with him that has had little bearing on the regular season.
Simmons last played in the NBA in the 2024-25 season, splitting time between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. In 18 games with the Clippers, he played solid defense and showed he could run the offense for a stretch, even if he didn't put up counting stats of note (2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 16.4 minutes per game) or score much from outside the paint. He was not part of Tyronn Lue's playoff rotation, but he looked like he might be a decent veteran backup point guard.
Which is what the Kings were looking for. Sacramento also is betting on Simmons staying healthy. Simmons has dealt with back issues since the 2021-22 season, missed considerable time because of it, and has undergone a couple of surgeries to help relieve the issue. He was largely healthy with the Nets and Clippers a couple of seasons ago.
Sacramento had talked to Russell Westbrook about returning in a backup role, but he chose to retire instead. The Kings also had conversations with Victor Oladipo, and there are veteran point guards available, such as Gabe Vincent and Cameron Payne.
The Kings have decided to go with Simmons. It's an interesting choice, and not necessarily a bad one.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 18: Miles McBride speaks onstage during "Knicks Film School" podcast the Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics) | Getty Images for Fanatics
Miles “Deuce” McBride arrived in New York as the 36th pick in the 2021 draft, a short-ish, square-jawed defender with a shaky jump shot. The inconsistent three-ball never worried Tom Thibodeau. The grizzled skipper loved watching a 6’2” guard stalk ballhandlers the length of the court, the basketball equivalent of a German shepherd harassing a cockapoo.
Eventually, the offense came around. Deuce put in plenty of reps with Westchester, waited behind veteran guards on the MSG depth chart and spent marathon hours in the gym rebuilding his jumper. His three-point shooting went from his greatest liability to one of his greatest strengths, rising from 25% on 1.7 attempts per game as a rookie to 41% on 6.6 attempts during the championship season. His playing time increased accordingly. Although still primarily a reserve, he went from nine minutes per game to 26.
When RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were traded to the Raptors, Leon Rose’s next order of business was locking down the promising McBride, who had so far been buried on the bench. On the day of the trade, December 30, 2023, the former West Virginia Mountaineer, then 23, agreed to a three-year, $13 million fully guaranteed contract extension. The front-loaded deal began the following season and runs through 2026–27, with his salary decreasing each year.
Deuce significantly outperformed it. He stepped into a larger rotation role, improved his efficiency, contributed as a two-way guard and posted career highs in points, minutes and assists. He became a reliable sparkplug off the bench and an occasional starter (43 so far). Better still, his contract provided the Knicks with roster flexibility under the league’s salary-cap and apron restrictions. Recent estimates have placed his market value at $10 million to $12 million per year, if not higher, while his actual cap hits remained remarkably low: approximately $4.7 million in 2024–25, $4.3 million in 2025–26 and less than $4 million in 2026–27.
McBride further proved his value during the championship run, playing through lingering pain after February hernia surgery sidelined him for roughly two months. He described the sensation as “like someone stabbing your groin, hip and ab at the same time,” yet still played anyway.
Now all that wonderful success may carry Deuce out of New York. Stefan Bondy reports in the New York Post that McBride, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart are eligible for extensions and remain unsigned. McBride’s situation is the most eyebrow-raising of the three. He did not sign before the August 11 soft deadline, after which an extension would prevent the Knicks from trading him during the season. Bondy considers a new deal unlikely and highlights McBride as perhaps the Knicks’ best expendable trade asset.
McBride has a favorable expiring contract, and the Knicks have more guards than available minutes. They also have needs that may become more urgent as the season unfolds. New York acquired Andre Drummond to back up Towns, but Drummond is on the other side of 30, with considerable mileage after a career spent wrestling NBA bigs. If Rose & Co. decide they need another center or a different kind of rotation player, they have limited ways to make a meaningful midseason move. Trading Deuce may provide the cleanest path.
With Mitchell Robinson gone, McBride is the longest-tenured Knick. He is also among the few remaining players whom the organization drafted and developed. When done well, player development creates value, and the best proof of that value is when another team craves what you produced. Which teams might be interested? Off the top of the dome: the Hornets, Grizzlies, Clippers, Nets, and Suns. If none of them has a big man the Knicks want, we already know Leon is capable of roping in a third team that does.
Nobody in the P&T bullpen wants to see Deuce go. He fits the exact profile of a player we love: gritty, team-first, defensively minded, willing to play through pain, and committed to improving year after year. Ideally, that kind of player remains a Knick for life, followed by a chair at MSG Network or a front-office position. But who knows what the Knicks’ situation at center will be around the midseason trade deadline? If this is Deuce’s last ride, let’s appreciate it.
26 August 2026, North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne: A bumblebee flies into the flower of a dahlia at Flora. Photo: Oliver Berg/dpa (Photo by Oliver Berg/picture alliance via Getty Images)
I thought I had a ton of content to include in the notes, then realized there were just a handful of bullet points to it, so I needed to wait a few days to pad it further. Maybe we’re not so close to the new season as I initially thought.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has his own answer to the “King of New York” debate.
Jalen Brunson, however, wants absolutely no part of that.
“Imagine I get on this call with you, right? I’m like, ‘Yo, no king of New York’s here,’ whatever, whatever. You guys are going to look like, ‘What the f**k, this dude is so self-centered.’”
NYP’s Stefan Bondy believes Josh Hart and the Knicks remain on track to stay together long term, even if an extension does not happen immediately. He thinks, however, Karl-Anthony Towns’ next contract could become one of the Knicks’ biggest financial decisions. Meanwhile, Bondy sees Deuce McBride as an increasingly likely trade asset.
Jalen Brunson already has an eye on life after basketball.
“I would coach high school or the pros. I would not want to coach college.”
Julius Randle says he has no bitterness about watching the Knicks win a championship after his departure. Never stop liking Jules, fellas.
Josh Hart surely knows who won the Mikal Bridges trade.
Miles McBride brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to his old high school community. Deuuuuuuuuce!!!
Jose Alvarado is aiming significantly higher than simply remaining a useful Knicks reserve, hunting for that 6MOY award next season.
“I still haven’t done what I wanted to do with my career. I got a lot of goals that I want to push for and this is probably going to be the most hard-working summer I probably put in. I want to be in the conversation of Sixth Man of the Year one day. Obviously I got to work, obviously situations where the minutes, consistency and stuff like that is always going to be a problem because I know I’m never going to pass the eye test. If you look at me, I’m not the most tallest, most athletic to the NBA world. So I just know going into a room, I got to be the most out-working person, hardest-working person and the rest will take care of itself.”
The Knicks are still looking for a third center, and SI’s Joseph Randazzo floated Chris Boucher as a possible veteran option.
Believe it or not, OG Anunoby is headed to network television.
Jordan Clarkson has apparently been officially friend-zoned by Bebe Rexha. In a busy week for JC, he also crossed paths with rising tennis star Alex Eala at the U.S. Open, with the two bonding over their Filipino heritage.
Philadelphia keeps signing superstars, the latest being 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall.
Kevin Durant has a clear post-playing-career ambition already in mind: running Team USA.
Barring a catastrophe, the Houston Rockets will make the playoffs in 2026-27.
Making the playoffs is no longer enough.
If they don’t win a series this year, they’ll need major systemic changes. It isn’t even up for debate. It might start with firing Ime Udoka, but that’s actually my next article.
(In the industry, that’s called a plug).
For now, let’s drink a half-full glass of optimism juice. The Rockets certainly have the talent to advance to (at least) the second round. After the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, they should be able to beat anybody in a playoff series (although the newly formed Timberwolves would like a word, and Jokic is still a Nugget…anyway, optimism).
Here are three keys to a successful 2026-27 season
1. Improved Shooting
As was the parlance in the 1990s, no duh.
It’s less about accuracy and more about volume. The Rockets were 10th in three-point percentage in 2025-26 (36.4%), but 28th in threes attempted per game (31.5). If they’d taken one three all year and hit it, they’d have shot a historic 100.0% from three-point range.
Fred VanVleet, who shot 7.7 threes per game in 2024-25, will help. More would be nice. Expanding Reed Sheppard’s role could suffice, but that’s at odds with VanVleet getting his shots up, and with Marcus Smart in the fold…well, we’ll see what happens.
Could Alperen Sengun get one more up per game, and ideally start hitting more? Amen Thompson is too far from a “credible shooter” to even wishcast.
It would be optimal if Kevin Durant would slightly adjust his shooting profile, but that’s unlikely. He’s been the perfect shot creator, in a vacuum, for his entire, illustrious career. He now finds himself on a team that needs fewer mid-range shots and more threes, but he’s a pretty old dog to expect a new trick from.
Wherever the Rockets find more threes, they need more threes.
2. Veteran Health
This one is also obvious.
They’re all obvious, OK? There’s no hidden blade. The Rockets are arguably the best rebounding team ever. They’re a top-end defensive team. They need better shooting; they need luck, and they need one more equally obvious thing that’s going to be the third key.
(In the literary world, that’s what we call poor foreshadowing because everyone knew it was coming anyway).
Last year, Durant was available for a remarkable 78 games. Then, he was largely unavailable in the playoffs when it mattered. That sure was annoying.
VanVleet infamously suited up for 0 contests. Can he play back-to-backs? Can Steven Adams?
Does any of it matter if the young guys can’t step up?
3. A Breakout Season
Sengun still has not put together a season where he maximized his impact on both ends of the floor. As I recently covered, neither has Amen Thompson.
With Thompson’s fresh extension, those two now account for roughly 40% of the team’s cap space. So, they’re the obvious breakout candidates:
But they’re not the only ones.
Some of us have long suspected that Jabari Smith Jr. could be a late bloomer. This would be a good year to bloom. A Reed Sheppard who isn’t wearing a “right this way, gentleman” T-shirt on defense could change the team.
Even Tari Eason has demonstrated more of an ability to get to his midrange jumper than some fans have given him credit for (although, if he could just return to his previous defensive impact, that would be good enough).
Generally speaking, the obvious route would be for one of Thompson or Sengun to step up from “fringe All-Star” to “fringe All-NBA”. If Smith Jr. could make a leap from “fringe starter” to “fringe All-Star”, that would also be impactful, and so forth. The Rockets need their veterans to stay healthy, but they’ll only go as far as the young guys can carry them:
As soon as we saw that Ben Simmons was returning to the NBA, one thought came to mind:
FREAKING STATS!!!
Simmons, who just turned 30 in July, has had one of the strangest careers in NBA history, with an unprecedented first four seasons followed by injuries, mediocrity and inconsistency. He’s always been either really, really good or really, really bad. The good part of his career was so good that despite the last few years, his overall numbers are still remarkable.
Which is why we’re here!
So here we go with 10 Ben Simmons stats you won’t find anywhere else!
1. Ben Simmons had 32 triple doubles in his first 300 career games, and only three players have had more in their first 300 games, and all three are legends: Oscar Robertson (109), Luka Dončić (54) and Magic Johnson (52). Charles Barkley had the next-most among 76ers in their first 300 games with six. Overall, Simmons’ 33 career triple doubles are 14th-most in NBA history.
2. With career averages of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, Simmons is one of only six players in NBA history to average 13 points, 7.0 points and 7.0 assists per game. The others: Dončić, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Robertson and Nikola Jokić.
3. Only Simmons, Jokić and James also averaged 13, 7 and 7 and more than half a block per game. Only Johnson, James and Simmons averaged 13, 7, 7 and at least 1.5 steals. So in NBA history only Simmons and James have averaged 13 points, 7.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game
4. Simmons is the 2nd-youngest player in NBA history to score 4,000 points with 2,000 rebounds and 2,000 assists. He reached the last of those milestones – assists – on March 25, 2001, in a win over the Lakers at Staples Center at the age of 24 years, 240 days. Dončić reached all three milestones before turning 23.
5. Simmons is one of only four players in NBA history to shoot over 55 percent in his career but below 14 percent from 3-point range (minimum 30 3-point attempts). Simmons is a career 55.8 percent shooter but 13.9 percent from 3. The others are former 76er Montrezl Harrell, Mason Plumlee and Bo Outlaw.
6. In 2018, Simmons became only the second rookie in NBA history to average at least 8.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds and the first since Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson with the Cincinnati Royals in 1961. Simmons averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.0 rebounds, and 57 years earlier Robertson averaged 30.5 points, 9.7 assists and 10.1 rebounds per game. But Simmons shot 55 percent from the field and Robertson just 47 percent, so Simmons to this day is the only rookie ever to average 15 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game and shoot over 50 percent from the field. The only other 76er to do that at any point in his career is Wilt Chamberlain in 1968, with 24.3 points, 23.8 rebounds (!) and 8.6 assists per game and 60 percent from the field.
7. In Simmons’ first four seasons with the 76ers, he averaged at least 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and shot at least 54 percent from the field. Every other 76er in franchise history combined has had two such seasons – Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 and in 1968. The only other NBA player with four consecutive seasons reaching those plateaus is Jokić, who has done it six straight years since 2021.
8. With career posteason averages of 12.2 points, 6.6 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game and 57 percent from the field, Simmons is the only player in history over 12, 6 and 6 and 55 percent in the playoffs. The only other player to average 12 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and shoot over 50 percent in the postseason is Jokić (27.4, 7.7, 12.4, 52 percent).
9. Since leaving the 76ers after the 2022 season, Simmons has averaged just 5.9 points in 108 games with the Celtics and Clippers but 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He’s the only player in NBA history to average over 5 ½ rebounds and assists in any 108-game span while still averaging below 6.0 points per game.
10. When Simmons plays his first game with Sacramento after playing for the 76ers, Nets and Clippers, he’ll be the first overall No. 1 pick to play for four teams since former teammate Markelle Fultz, who the 76ers selected No. 1 in 2017, a year after Simmons. Fultz has played for the 76ers, Magic, Kings and Raptors.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 4: Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Balmer before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Intuit Dome on February 4, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. | Getty Images
In case you missed it (or were sitting under a rock for the last couple of days) the Clippers got hammered by the league with penalties stemming from their circumvention dance with Kawhi Leonard and his uncle.
I’m sure that most of you also realized that the Celtics have a Clippers pick in 2028. But there are complicated provisions related to where the pick lands, swaps with other teams, and it just makes my head hurt to think through the different variations.
With all that said, the clearest explanation I saw on this comes from BRobb at MassLive.
Celtics get a 2028 first-round lottery pick via swap from PHI/LAC if:
The Clippers’ pick lands between 1 and 16 and/or Sixers’ pick lands between 1 and 8. Celtics would get the higher of these picks in this scenario via a swap with their own pick.
Celtics get a 2028 first-round pick outright from Clippers if:
The Clippers pick falls between 17 and 30 and Sixers pick falls between 9 and 30. In that scenario, Celtics get the Clippers pick outright without having to swap their own.
There are flow charts and percentage tables out there if you are interested. But I’ll find it hard to follow all the math until we at least get into next offseason and see what the Clippers end up doing.
So the bottom line is that we should be doing something that we would do normally: Rooting against the Sixers and Clippers. I guess I don’t have any specific dislike of the Clippers, more of a sad pity for their fans. But in this case the team dug the hole with their own aspirational shovels.
It will be interesting to see how the Clippers navigate the next couple of years. I’ve seen some suggest that they should lean into taking on bad contracts (for the cost of other people’s draft picks). Balmer is banned from the team for a year, but his money is still limitless, so they could just pay their way through this. But it will still be very hard without all those draft picks.
Anyway, the Celtics have an asset in that 2028 pick and it seems to have gotten a bit better because of all this. Now we wait and see what Brad Stevens intends to do with that asset.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 30: Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics speaks to the media after Game Six of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 106-93. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks now have five Europeans on their roster, and the NBA is getting increasingly more international and influenced by the European style of play.
After primarily focusing on the European perspective in part I and part II, it’s time to take a look at this topic from the other side in part III: the American perspective, and one European NBA coach.
Toni Canyameras, a reporter for the Spanish sports media Mundo Deportivo, covers the NBA from Toronto and has the unique perspective of a European reporter on the ground.
In collaboration with Toni Canyameras, who has been asking multiple current and former NBA coaches about their view on this exact topic through the last few seasons, we dive into how the coaches on the floor view this.
It seems fitting to start with the first European head coach in the NBA who led a team an entire season and who is the first European coach to lead an NBA team to the playoffs. That’s of course Toronto Raptors head coach – and Serbian – Darko Rajakovic, who took over in Toronto in 2023.
Last season, Toni Canyameras asked him why Serbia produces so many great players – like Nikola Jokic. His answer can be used to help explain European success on a bigger scale, as well. This is what he said:
“Serbia has a huge basketball tradition. It’s a country that has had a lot of success over the last decades and the last half century. Basketball is the number one sport in the country, there is a lot of pride, a lot of pressure when you play for the Serbian national team.”
“Serbia is a small country with only 6 million people. So many great players come from there, because basketball is so special, means so much to people – and all the kids grow up watching the stars back in the day: Djordjevic, Divac, Bodiroga… and now watching Nikola Jokic, Bogdanovic and all the young players in the league,” Rajakovic said.
In Serbia, they can’t afford to waste talent, he points out, making the development of every single player a focus.
“Player development there is very important because it is a small country. We don’t have talent to waste, so every kid shows up to play basketball being short or tall, being skinny or not skinny. We are trying to maximize every single kid that wants to play basketball and I think that helps coaches to maximize potential.”
🏀 🇷🇸 The #NBA season is approaching and the nice pregame quotes of Rajakovic, too
👉🏽 Like this reflection on why Serbia produces players like Jokic
“Basketball means so much. Player development is important because is a small country and there’s no talent to waste” pic.twitter.com/HtZuKFlzjz
This insight gives a great perspective into what seems to be the more effective developmental system of Europe. The smaller talent pool in general may not be a downside all the time at all, but could serve as a way to help find the unique strengths of every talented player rather than try to make everyone fit into a box.
If nothing else, the European boom, the European NBA revolution – or if you will, the increasing dominance of European players in the National Basketball Association (of America), does not stem from having the most athletic or explosive players – and focusing on developing that type and skillset.
Because in order to compete, Europeans had to stand out in other ways. Ahmet Melik Subaşı, Turkish basketball executive and author of part II of this series, touched on that in his piece.
“In tactical terms, they either had to develop superior systems that would allow them to play the game more efficiently with less effort and despite having lower physical standards, or they had to develop players whose fundamental skills were so exceptional that they could compensate for the physical gap – players capable of creating magic with the ball,” he pointed out in part II.
Former Blazers coach Chauncey Billups agrees. Back in 2024, he said that the gap between Europe and the US had closed – exactly because Europe has a better player development system, teaching players how to play modern basketball:
“I do think that the gap has closed. I can tell you the difference. In the United States, when we grow up learning the game, we grow up learning skills, dribbling moves, we love highlight reels, shooting.”
“I think that in international basketball, they learn how to play modern basketball from a very young age, when to drop back, how to get off screens, how to handle the pick and roll, how to read the game properly. We aren’t taught that, so international players have an advantage over us because they are taught the game the right way.”
The advantage the other way around, mostly focused on individual skills and athleticism, is not enough by itself anymore, according to Billups:
“We have an advantage because individually, we are very gifted. You see players like the Joker (Nikola Jokic) or Luka (Doncic). These guys can’t beat me in a one-legged race or jump higher than me, but nobody in the NBA can defend them because they play mentally, with their heads, and their skill level evens things out. It’s a dynamic combination.”
This dynamic combination of European skill and IQ has led to the international players winning the NBA MVP since 2019, and Europeans receiving all but the last two (which went to another international: Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). On top of that, the top three finalists for MVP have consistently been Europeans, as well, with players like Slovenian Luka Doncic, Serbian Nikola Jokic, and Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo being repeat offenders, with Frenchman Victor Wembanyama entering the race last year.
But how are these players, along with a long list of European NBA players able to continue this dominance in the best league in the world without some of the athletic and individual gifts – which Billups mentions?
Basketball IQ is one thing that keeps recurring in the NBA coaches’ answers. Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla tends to agree:
“You study some trends, things they do there, and it shows they have really smart players and coaches. I like the development system they have from kids to adults. They play with the same shot clock, they understand how to read the game, they do things faster at a younger age, which develops decision-making and basketball IQ,” Mazzulla said in 2024.
But things have also changed in the way Americans develop young players, longtime NBA coach Steve Clifford told Toni Canyameras. Clifford says he doesn’t think the American players’ basketball IQ is being developed in the same way as it used to be:
“My conclusion about basketball in my country is this: kids come into the league right after college games. Their shot creation, dribbling skills, and shooting accuracy are better than ever; they’re better with the ball, but their basketball IQ isn’t even close to what it used to be. Their understanding of how to work as a team offensively and defensively isn’t even close to what it used to be, because they don’t use the best coaches,” he said.
He makes the point that American players generally aren’t spending enough time playing college basketball, which is where you find some of the best US coaches.
“There aren’t high school coaches like there used to be. We have phenomenal college coaches, but the players aren’t even there for a year, just seven months. They don’t get the benefit of playing four years for Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski, longtime Duke head coach). We’re getting kids who don’t know about basketball, how to play. Their shot creation and accuracy are phenomenal, but their basketball IQ is nonexistent.”
Their basketball IQ is nonexistent. A powerful – albeit painful – sentence that may encapsulate a lot of the reasons why Europeans have taken the lead on how to develop players and dominate the game.
But Clifford isn’t done:
“Europeans, in most countries, learn when they are 13 or 14 years old. They go to these academies and are taught to play 3×3, 4×4, they are taught how to help each other, so there is a clear difference.”
He doesn’t have a lot of faith in American development catching up any time soon, however:
“Frankly, I don’t think it’s going to change. The United States is a money-making machine and there’s no way the teaching will go back.”
Doc Rivers, in 2025 when he was still the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, talked about the shortage of American centers and why European centers are playing bigger roles on NBA teams, generally:
“I just think they don’t have an AAU. And I hate to say that, I think AAU can serve a better purpose for us. But the European kids practice a lot, they practice on fundamentals. They spend hours in the gym practicing, where the US kids play games and they don’t practice on fundamentals and skills,” he told Toni Canyameras, which echoes the point multiple Europeans made in Part I of this series.
“I think right now we’re in the middle of having to change that and if we don’t change that, we’re going to continue to be outplayed,” Doc Rivers said.
It is worth noting that the narrative of Europeans being “soft” and not as physical as the Americans, which was prevalent a decade or two ago, seems to have disappeared.
It turns out that in the most physical position – the five center position – Europeans are outplaying the Americans, as Doc Rivers touches on. Almost all of the big men, who play significant roles on NBA teams at this point in time, are Europeans.
Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively could be an exception, if he can manage to stay healthy. We saw him play up against Wembanyama in his rookie season, and he has a lot of what it takes to make a real impact. In 2024, I wrote a piece touching on exactly that, where I called Lively’s skillset a great sign for the future of the American big man.
But not all NBA coaches buy into the viewpoint that the Europeans are ahead of the Americans.
Toni Canyameras asked Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder back in 2024, what he saw as the differences between the American player development system and the European system:
“I don’t think there’s a huge difference between what we have here and in Europe, but there are certainly some differences. I think here, when we think about development, we always think about 1-on-1 and 2-on-2. The fact that in Europe they’re trained in a 5-on-5 system means you could say they’re taught how to play with other people through passing. There are some things that carry over to the United States and things we can learn from,” Snyder said.
And when you ask Europeans what the difference is between the two styles, that’s exactly what they respond. Playing through passing, sharing the ball, team basketball versus individualism.
Could that mean that Europe has closed the gap by playing their own style, as other coaches have implied?
Former NBA coach Monty Williams was not so sure. Toni Canyameras asked him this question based on the results in the last World Cup tournaments.
“That question has come up a lot, and I truly believe the world has improved, but I’m not going to say the gap is closed because we’ve never seen our best talent in these particular World Cup tournaments. It’s a difficult question, and I don’t want to sound disrespectful. I’ve seen the spirit of those teams. I’ve been in the corridor with our guys, listening to their music, and other teams singing their anthems, preparing for the matches. I understand how important it is for every country we face there.”
National team success is one way to gauge dominance. Here, Germany and Spain won the last two World Cup tournaments. Another is the nationality of the players topping the MVP ladder and other awards.
Basketball is a competition where the best team wins. Not the best player, or the one with the best highlight reel. There’s no way around the fact that individualism doesn’t serve anyone in a team sport – and it doesn’t create a winning mentality or team success.
And it looks like we’re seeing the brunt of that mindset right now. If and when the American developmental system and players change the focus to become more team-oriented again, Europeans will lose some of their edge. If they manage to get back to teaching players how to develop their basketball IQ early on, Europeans will have to level up again.
And for all of us, who love the competition of team sports, this is a great race to witness. The race to greatness will sharpen both sides and result in the very best basketball possible. And that should be the aim above all else – to get to witness the very best by the very best.
Thank you to Toni Canyameras for quotes, links and collaboration.
We started this series by looking back on one of Joel Embiid’s early postseasons with the Sixers, as the big man had a dominant Game 3 in 2019 against Toronto. At that time, fans were viewing the Sixers in a very positive light. Fast forward seven years to 2026, and fans had all but tapped out on the team’s chances of making any noise in the postseason. Then, Embiid and company found a way back into a series they appeared to have no chance in.
Before the game started, it felt like a funeral. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence Boston was donning its black uniforms. The Celtics blew out the Sixers in Game 4 after smoking them in Game 1 and winning a hard-fought Game 3. Boston was returning to its home floor up 3-1 in the best-of-seven and poised to make quick work of the Sixers, like most No. 2 seeds tend to do against No. 7 seeds in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Once the game started, nothing happened in the first half that indicated otherwise. The Celtics led 57-50 at the break and conventional wisdom told everyone Boston would pull away even more in the second half and win by double digits to close out the series and eliminate the Sixers from the postseason for the fourth time since 2018. There was really no reason to believe anything would change, until it did.
I’m not sure what happened at halftime and into the second half, but the Sixers dominated the final 24 minutes of Game 5, holding Boston to just 11 points in the fourth quarter, behind a recharged Embiid. After missing the first three games of the series, Embiid returned in Game 4 at home and did not look like himself. A narrative quickly emerged that the former MVP had returned too quickly after the Sixers won Game 2 on the road and competed for the full 48 minutes in Game 3. But Embiid found a way to integrate himself come Game 5.
The eight assists are by far the most impressive piece of Embiid’s stat line as they are emblematic of how the Sixers got back into a series they didn’t appear to have a chance in. Of course, Embiid led the way and was doing practically whatever he wanted to do inside the arc and scoring with ease. But, in addition to Embiid, Philly had four other scorers in double figures in Game 5. No Sixer besides Embiid attempted more than 18 field goals in the game. Everyone was getting involved and suddenly the Sixers looked like a confident group after six straight quarters of getting thoroughly outplayed between Game 4 and the first half of Game 5.
Maybe this was the perfect storm for Embiid and the Sixers to relight a flame that had been extinguished for years. After losing a competitive seven-game series against the Celtics in the 2023 second round, Philly had produced a mediocre 2023-24 season, a disastrous 2024-25 campaign and another mediocre year in 2025-26. No one really thought Philly was anything more than a play-in tournament team for most of 2025-26 and certainly when the Sixers drew Boston in the first round, many people quickly advanced the Celtics into the second round.
Down 3-1 in the series and down seven at half on the road in Game 5, there wasn’t a lick of pressure on the Sixers but they seemed to embrace that in the second half. We all know the Sixers brought this lack of expectation on themselves with nearly a decade of playoff disappointment having piled up. But, to their credit, they could have laid down. Embiid didn’t have to play in Game 5 after an abysmal Game 4. Not only did he suit up, but Embiid got the Sixers back up off the mat with a stellar performance away from home.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: Keaton Wagler #1 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 17, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Clippers cheated, lied about it, and got banished to the NBA shadow realm for their misdeeds. Adam Silver had no choice but to give the Clippers perhaps the most significant punishment in the history of American professional sports for their cap circumvention scandal with Kawhi Leonard. Top-rated law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz simply found too much evidence that the Clippers dangled business partnerships in exchange for endorsement deals for Leonard, and now they’re out five future first-round picks, among other things.
This is essentially an NBA death sentence. First-round picks aren’t just an opportunity to add top young talent on a cost-controlled contract, they’re also the currency that drives trades. Even if the Clippers create max cap space in free agency, what star is signing up to go to a team that has limited avenues for improvement?
The Clippers are screwed, to put it plainly. It’s not a stretch to say this team has no hope of winning a championship within the next 10 years after this penalty. Still, the basketball will continue, and the Clippers must trudge on. They have a potential rookie star on the roster in No. 5 overall pick Keaton Wagler, and they’ll have some salary cap flexibility over the next couple of years. Even if a title is off the table, it’s still possible for the Clippers to build a scrappy team that can make a few playoff appearances and entertain the fanbase. Here are a few free suggestions for how the Clippers can continue to build out the team even after these devastating sanctions.
Get aggressive for restricted free agents
Teams are finally starting to realize their power in restricted free agency lately, and they’re using it to drive down salaries for some of their best young players. The Detroit Pistons’ ongoing clash with Jalen Duren is a premium example: Detroit is offering him about $35 million per year, Duren wants $40 or $41 million, but there’s not much he can do other than take a massive risk (and one-year paycut) by playing on the lowly qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent a year from now. It’s rare that a team will go after another team’s restricted free agents, in part because they don’t want their cap space on hold for a few days while they wait to hear if their offer was matched. The Clippers don’t really have a choice. Next year’s free agent class could feature the following restricted free agents if they don’t reach an early extension: Brandon Miller, Ausar Thompson, Scoot Henderson, Cason Wallace, Anthony Black, Brandin Podziemski, and more. The following year’s restricted free agent class could feature Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland, Kyshawn George, Zach Edey, and more. It would behoove the Clippers to throw a super rich deal at one of these guys in hopes of stealing a top young talent.
Churn the bottom of the roster until you find real contributors
One benefit of being a bad team is the ability to churn spots at the bottom of the roster to keep giving new players a chance in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. The Process era Sixers were known for their shameless tanking, but they also uncovered some really nice future contributors like Robert Covington, TJ McConnell, Jerami Grant, Richaun Holmes, and Christian Wood who may not have ever gotten an opportunity on a more competitive team. The key for the Sixers will be finding some good young role players like these guys, then locking them up on cheap extensions before they hit free agency.
Buy early second round picks
The conventional wisdom right now is that the NIL killed the second round of the draft. The Rockets traded up to the first pick of the second round (No. 31 overall) this year to take Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton by giving up only picks No. 39, No. 53, and a 2029 second-rounder. Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas also fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round and then had an awesome summer league. The Chicago Bulls straight up sold the No. 38 overall pick this year (the second-round swaps they got in return still result in a net loss of a draft pick). I reject the notion that the second-round of the draft is completely worthless. There’s always good players available, and you could build a pretty solid team just with the best second-round picks of the 2020s so far. The Clippers should get in the mix and be aggressive in second-round trade ups to try to land some of the best players who fall out of the first-round. Even if you hit on one or two guys, it could make a big difference in building out the overall talent of the roster around Wagler.
Take on any bad contract in return for picks
We haven’t seen teams give up first-round picks just to shed salary this offseason, but that doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen again. There are more than a few examples of teams trading conditional first round picks just to dump some bad money in trades, and the Clippers need to be all over those types of deals.
Take a chance on distressed stars
The Clippers are going to need pure upside swings going forward, and going after stars who are suddenly on the outs with their teams is a great way to do this. If the Pelicans eventually want to get rid of Zion Williamson, the Clippers are in a unique position to go after him and give him a starring role. If the Spurs eventually want to dump De’AAron Fox because he makes too much money, but the Clippers could pick him up for cheap. If Ja Morant is looking for a new home shortly after joining the Blazers, the Clippers might as well have interest. Hell, even Karl-Anthony Towns was kind of in this situation a few years ago with Minnesota, and I think the Knicks like how that one turned out. The Clippers might as well throw caution to the wind to try to find a veteran co-star next to Wagler over the next few years.
Get creative with front office hires to try to find the next team-building edge
Professional sports have become one big game of looking for the next market inefficiency. Just over 10 years ago, teams were still catching up to the idea that it’s good to take a lot of threes. These days, everyone is obsessed with the possession game, valuing low-turnover players who rebound well for their position and get to the foul line. The war on analytics is over within front offices, and analytics won, but the hunt for the next edge will still continue. There’s no salary cap for staff, so the Clippers should invest heavily in their front office by hiring people from different backgrounds. Maybe that means people who are doing cutting edge data science or mathematics. Maybe that means taking a chance on a few young scouts from Draft Twitter. Maybe it’s trying out a strategy from someone coming from another sport. The Clippers have nothing but time on their hands as they wait to get some first-round picks back, and in the meantime they can afford to make some nontraditional hires in search of their next edge.
Make the tickets, concessions, and merchandise much more affordable
Clippers fans have to feel completely defeated right now. Like, more so than their typical level of defeat. The organization needs to get the fans back on its side, and the best way to do it is to slash the prices of everything it takes to support the team. Want to pay through the nose for tickets and a t-shirt? Go to a Lakers game. The Clippers should be the team of the people with cheap seats, drinks, and merch. This is a non-negotiable.
They won’t do it, mainly because it’s how nothing in life works, but the Clippers should absolutely lower the price of tickets, concessions, merchandise, etc. for the foreseeable future. The fans, at least, deserve that from them for all of this.
MILWAUKEE, WI - JUNE 25: The Milwaukee Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins talks to the media with the 2026 draft picks Nate Ament and Brayden Burries of the Milwaukee Bucks during the Bucks Draft Press Conference on June 25, 2026 at the Pieper-Hillside Boys & Girls Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Back for the first time this season: our Questions & Antlers series! For those who might’ve forgotten, this is our version of a mailbag—you ask the questions and we do our best to answer them. This year, the series will run on a quarterly basis to give you even more opportunity to have your voice heard.
It’s been an offseason, hasn’t it? The Bucks have transformed; the lights turned off on an era none of us will ever forget. And as the dust continues to settle, the ramp-up to the season proper begins.
While the roster losses have been huge—it’s impossible to replace the franchise’s mayor and GOAT at any point, let alone at the same time—“new” is refreshing. And I know I’m not the only one around here who feels at least somewhat revitalised by the makeover. Almost overnight, the Bucks have metamorphosed from an ageing roster desperately trying to hang on to one full of youth and promise. Yes, there will be growing pains, but let’s not pretend the last few years have been all that fun either—there’s a reason I compared last season to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. So, like with the boy in The Road, the Bucks’ immediate and long-term future is unknown (unless you believe in prophecies).
Speaking of “here,” Brew Hoop too has undergone change, and we appreciate your perspective and continued support. Sincerely. We’ve analysed the Bucks’ new arrivals and we’ve gotten goosebumps thinking about the starters—and soon we’ll rank the roster too (with your help, of course). We’ll also introduce you to some terrific new writers who are joining our community (you’ve already “met” one)! Truthfully, there’s even more than that to come, but that’s fodder for another time.
In the meantime, what have we missed? What questions remain unanswered? Let your voice roam free in the comments and we’ll spin you a yarn in return.
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team USA Stripes forward Kawhi Leonard (2) of the LA Clippers and Team USA Stripes guard De'Aaron Fox of the San Antonio Spurs (4) celebrate after game two during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the wake of the NBA doling out punishment for the Aspiration salary circumvention scandal involving the Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, and his uncle Dennis Robertson, the internet has blown up with suggestions for the Clippers future. Everything from relocating the team to Las Vegas, San Diego, or another worthy city (despite the recent construction of a state of the art arena in Inglewood) to trading their current assets immediately to acquire future draft picks.
It’s the latter that has potential to involve the Spurs.
Some of the worst contracts in the league that the LA Clippers could consider taking on at the deadline for draft capital:
• Joel Embiid • Jakob Poeltl • Ja Morant • Anthony Davis • Christian Braun • Paul George • Immanuel Quickley • De’Aaron Fox • Patrick Williams pic.twitter.com/yzcRQTtK2Z
In this scenario, the Clippers could take on some of the leagues worst contracts paired with draft picks to supplement the five that were taken from them as a result of the investigation. One post even stated that the Spurs could trade Darius Garland who has roughly $87M remaining over two years for De’Aaron Fox 4-year/$222M deal.
Strangely enough, Garland and Fox were initially considered by the Spurs for the point guard position. Both are represented by Rich Paul and he was pushing Garland toward the Spurs until Fox made it clear he did not mind giving up the spotlight in Sacramento for Victor Wembanyama’s shadow in San Antonio.
What has happened since the trade has seen the emergence of both Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper into two of the best young guards in the league. Paired with the injury Fox sustained before the NBA Finals, fans were writing off the inaugural NBA Clutch Player of the Year as the Spurs headed into the offseason shaking off disappointment.
Why trading Fox for Garland makes sense for the Spurs now
As mentioned, there is a potential logjam at the guard position. With Fox, Castle, and Harper in the mix, there may not be enough minutes to go around. Fox initially brought a much needed veteran presence to the young Spurs core. Now the team is growing up right in front of everyone’s eyes.
There’s a second consideration. Fox demands a significant chunk of the Spurs available funds. With each passing year, the young core will require larger paydays. The Spurs committed a 5-year/$252M to Victor Wembanyama, a huge increase from his 4-year/$55M rookie contract. As it stands, Wemby left $50M on the table allowing for some flexibility, but Castle is eligible for a rookie extension next summer and with Harper eligible for an extension in the summer of 2028. Trading Fox’s contract for Garland’s offers flexibility in the years the Spurs need to capitalize on their Big 3.
Why the trade is not ideal
For starters, who wants to be the first team to lend a helping hand to the Los Angeles Clippers? And do we really want to do Swipa that way? Business is business, but sending a player to the non-Lakers version of Tinseltown right now could be construed as a sign of disrespect. The Los Angeles Clippers is exactly where 2018 Kawhi Leonard deserved to go. Ironically, the Spurs refused to send him there. He eventually found his way now has now left it burning in his wake as he beelines it out of the country.
No matter what happens, it will be interesting to see how the continued saga of the Clippers plays out.
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