Category: Basketball

Been putting together this post for a few days because otherwise I’d be feeding you 200-word posts. Would you rather have short, daily notes, or bigger, every-few-days posts? Links below!

• Want to get excited about the 2027 NBA season? Read SNY scribe David Vertsberger’s column. In a few words, the Knicks may not merely defend their title next season but actually turn into a regular-season juggernaut—and what would come next. Imagine breaking parity!
• Back to offseason business, the Knicks’ championship roster earned a B-minus grade from ESPN’s Zach Kram. For those straight out of a coma, New York retained most of the team and only really lost Mitchell Robinson, with Andre Drummond brought to town as his replacement. Remember when this felt like the end of the world?
• Speaking of Mitch, look how the Celtics introduced him. LOL.

• Anyway, the real threat to the Knicks’ chances at building a dynasty may be the NBA’s financial structure more than any other team across the League. Nine of the top 10 members of the playoff rotation are returning, but New York lost Robinson while trying to avoid the second apron, and the starting five is entirely between 29 and 31 years old.
• Most worrying is the fact that Towns is eligible for a four-year extension worth as much as $272 million, while Hart will follow with his own potential $131-million deal, and Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby will also become eligible for new deals shortly after. ESPN’s Bobby Marks discussed the situation and called KAT’s future a “fascinating” saga to follow, as his decision will shape the future of the Knicks depending on how much of a pay cut (if any) he takes to give New York some financial room.
• The Knicks still need a third-string center behind Towns and Drummond after Dallas matched its offer sheet for Moussa Cisse. I agree with the NYP’s Jared Schawartz and his belief that New York will simply get to training camp with a roster spot open, hand out a bunch of unguaranteed deals, and see who fits best then and there (pretty much a la Shamet/Brogdon last fall). For those not tracking names, Nick Richards, Tony Bradley and Drew Eubanks remain available in free agency.

• One-off Knick P.J. Tucker is rolling with Jalen Brunson over other players. NBA 2K Sports is not, for some reason…
• …and Andre Drummond let them know.
• I love Hibachi as much as anyone does, but Gilbert Arenas had the worst-ever Brunson take.

“You got the Jalen Brunson shoes? He don’t have ’em, right? (Steph Curry) sold $50 million in jerseys the days they released it. That is a superstar.”

• Tyler Kolek is already working on the next upgrade to his offensive game, with yet another classical workout clip leaking and showing the third-year guard excelling at it.
• Dennis Rodman had plenty to say about the Knicks finally winning after 53 years, joking and trolling and reminiscing about his good old days…
• For some reason, while claiming LeBron James may be slow-playing the decision to see whether one of his preferred destinations can trade for Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving, KOC brought the Knicks back to the conversation. I got it back in June. I think it’s plain dumb to do it now. Do better, Kevin.

“Maybe LeBron shocks the world and joins the defending champion Knicks, despite how much he’d get called a ring-chaser.“

• Brunson, meanwhile, is letting LeBron know what’s good.
• The Cavs, fearing they might not land their homeboy, are targeting… OAKAAK Mario Hezonja. No, for real.
• It’s increasingly likely Bronny James will have to learn how to live by himself. Also, Bronny doesn’t know a thing.
• A recent NBA rule change surely made an impact for those preserving shooting efficiency, smart people just proved.
• Former NBA guard Ty Lawson was arrested after stealing a $34 bottle of vodka from a liquor store in Castle Rock. Busted!

During Mark Pope’s first two seasons in Lexington, we have yet to see him develop a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

That may be changing next year, as Malachi Moreno is already generating buzz as a potential lottery selection in the 2027 NBA Draft.

Over at Sports Illustrated, Derek Parker has Moreno ranked as the third-best returning college player who was a 2026 NBA prospect.

Kentucky big Malachi Moreno fell victim to the depth of the ’26 class, putting up enough production to be an intriguing late-first bet in most classes.

In his freshman season with the Wildcats, he averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks in just 22.6 minutes per game, showing off versatility on the interior. With similar or better production, he could massively boost his stock.

While Moreno did test the waters this year and even garnered first-round buzz, he ultimately chose to stay with the Wildcats and continue his development. If that goes well, then it’s easy to see the Georgetown native become a lottery pick in what is widely projected to be a weaker draft class in 2027.

Elsewhere, in ESPN’s 2027 NBA Mock Draft by Jeremy Woo, the Wildcats had two players among the top 60 prospects.

Woo has Malachi Moreno ranked 31st overall in the 2027 draft, so he’s not quite as high on the sophomore big man.

The second Wildcat in Woo’s big board was Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, who was 39th overall. The 6-foot-8 Wisconsin native shot 50.6% from the field and 48.7% from 3-point range last season with the Cyclones.

Finally, CBS Sports’ 2027 mock draft from Cameron Salerno has Moreno just missing out on the lottery, going 18th overall to the Memphis Grizzlies. Momcilovic actually cracks the first round, going 27th overall to the New York Knicks.

It’s early, but Moreno and Momcilovic are clearly Kentucky’s top NBA prospects entering the 2026-27 college basketball season. Hopefully, they’ll see other Wildcats join them in garnering first-round buzz next year, as that would likely mean Kentucky had a special season that shows Mark Pope has what it takes to bring Kentucky back to title contention.

The wait continues for LeBron James’ latest decision.

This is the fourth time James has positioned himself to make a team decision. His last three free agency periods lasted a combined 18 days. The NBA has reached Day 25 of its free agency period without an announcement from the four-time MVP.

Members of the league and the basketball community have reportedly grown frustrated with the duration of James’ decision-making process.

"We are taking this thing very seriously, but at the same time, we are having fun. I think it's good for the fans," James' agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN during an interview on July 10. "... I just tell him, take your time, (and) whenever you’re ready, just let me know.”

LeBron James has had success on a lot of different teams, lineup configurations, and eras over the last 23 years. Looking at what worked for a LeBron team a decade or so ago — in a vastly different NBA and style of play — isn’t all that constructive. James isn’t the player he was then, and neither is what he needs around him.

That said, there are commonalities among all four of his title teams that transcend eras. And among the finalists that James seems to be choosing from, those qualities are best seen in the Cleveland Cavaliers.

What has worked in the past?

Let’s start by taking a look at the different types of teams James won with.

First, we have the 2012 and 2013 Miami Heat. Those teams were juggernauts on both ends of the court. They were one of the best defenses in the league during those two years due to their ability to generate turnovers. And the offense was lethal once they got into the open court.

The 2016 championship team in Cleveland didn’t have that same defensive prowess. They, instead, were an offensive powerhouse with their four-out offense featuring dynamic off-the-dribble playmakers in James and Kyrie Irving.

The Los Angeles Lakers bubble title team found success with their overwhelming size. A frontcourt rotation of Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee dominated the glass on both sides of the ball, which led to a well-balanced attack.

Trying to find a stylistic throughline is difficult. Yes, these teams were good three-point shooting teams, but you could say that about almost all champions in the last 15 years. They were all in the top 10 for offensive and defensive ratings, but again, that’s a shared trend among champions as well.

Still, there are two conclusions to draw from these teams.

First, there isn’t a necessary skill set or archetype needed for costars and the supporting cast. LeBron has just needed talent around him.

And second, all four of these teams were able to successfully play vastly different styles depending on the matchup. If they needed to play small-ball, they could. If they needed to go big, all four could do so as well.

Why talent matters

Talent is the most important thing a LeBron team needs.

If you go back and look at every one of his playoff losses (except for the 2011 Finals), James was on the less talented team. Or at the very least, his opponent was more talented in that series.

Having a well-fitting team with a cohesive philosophy certainly helps. The 2008-09 Cavs won 66 games because they were an extraordinary match from a skill-set perspective around a young LeBron. The talent just wasn’t what it needed to be for that team to come out of the Eastern Conference.

Contrast that with the 2011 Heat.

That initial Miami team did not fit together well. They didn’t have the supporting pieces or archetypes needed to make that team work as effectively as later iterations. The 2011 Heat ran into two cohesive teams in the East with the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. Both of those opponents fit together much better, but they didn’t have the talent to keep up with LeBron, Wade, and Chris Bosh. Talent over fit won the day in somewhat lopsided series.

Yes, the 2011 team fell apart in the Finals, but that was because LeBron played the worst basketball of his career. That particular series had nothing to do with his teammates.

The current top teams pursuing James are all talented enough.

LeBron would be teaming up with another former MVP if he joined the Cavs, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, or Heat. How you would want to rank the talent on each of these teams is up to you. I believe the Cavs and Sixers are clearly at the top in this discussion due to having three or more former All-Stars for James to slot in beside, but I don’t believe it’s worth getting too hung up on that. All of these teams would have talent.

Why versatility matters

Versatility is one of the things that separated the teams LeBron won a championship on from those that didn’t. All four of his title teams could play vastly different styles depending on the matchup. James’s incredibly well-rounded skill set helped them do so.

We’ll go through these in chronological order.

The back-to-back champion Heat teams were Swiss army knives on both ends. Defensively, they had the versatility to play big with Udonis Haslem and Chris Anderson at center alongside a James and Bosh frontcourt. If they were playing a more wing-heavy team, Bosh could shift over to center while James and Shane Battier could handle the wings.

Offensively, those groups could spread the floor out well in smaller lineups. Bosh at the five alongside some configuration that included Mike Miller, Battier, or Ray Allen allowed for four-out spacing lineups in an era that was rare. They were able to do this without sacrificing defense due to Bosh and James’s size and strength in the frontcourt.

The 2016 Cavs overcame the 73-win Warriors because they were one of the only teams in the league that could punish Golden State’s small “Death Lineup.” Tristan Thompson’s ability to stay with guards on the perimeter, combined with his rebounding, neutralized a lot of the advantages Golden State had over their other opponents.

That Cavs team could also play against bigger teams if needed. Timofey Mozgov was serviceable against larger centers. Channing Frye and Kevin Love’s shooting also allowed them to have perfect, five-out spacing if the situation called for that as well.

The bubble Lakers could shift between playing big with Davis at the four, paired with either Howard or McGee, or play small ball with Davis moving over to the five. Switchable wings like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green fit great in this configuration as they could shift up or down as needed. Throw in Alex Caruso, and you had the perfect defensive personnel for any opponent.

How these four teams’ versatility showed through was different. Some teams could provide better options defensively. Others had more offensive counters. But all were able to pull multiple levers depending on the situation.

This is where the current Cavs team stands out most from the competition.

Versatility would be the Cavs’ best asset

Evan Mobley is the perfect archetype for a big to play alongside James. Being able to easily defend the four and the five allows you to opt for more spaced-out lineups without Jarrett Allen, and imposing jumbo lineups with all three of James, Mobley, and Allen in the game.

Redundant skill sets have been an issue for the Cavs throughout the core-four era. Having guards and bigs that functionally have the same strengths and weaknesses has been an issue in certain playoff series.

The lack of a do-it-all connector has left something to be desired whenever they tried to play too small or too big. A small frontcourt with Dean Wade on instead of Allen was a clear talent downgrade. Additionally, Wade’s limited offensive skill set allowed defenders to cheat off him even though he was out there to provide additional shooting.

Conversely, going big with a Wade-Mobley-Allen frontcourt was too clunky offensively. Having three players who weren’t great on-ball creators placed too much of that burden onto the guards, leaving them susceptible to double teams.

Replacing Wade with LeBron is a difficult calculation entirely. Small-ball lineups would have much better spacing with three A+ creators on the court, with more offensive threats. Concerns about a jumbo lineup not working offensively would be significantly minimized with an additional playmaker in James on the court.

Optionality is important in a more parity-driven league. If you want to win a championship, you need to be able to match up with the San Antonio Spurs’ imposing frontcourt while also being able to hang offensively against spaced-out opponents like the Celtics and New York Knicks.

Having good three-point shooting helps in this conversation as well. Five of Cleveland’s current top-eight rotation players shot 35% or better from three. This includes Sam Merrill (42.1%), Jaylon Tyson (44.6%), and Max Strus (40.2%), all shooting above 40% from three last regular season.

Let’s Cleveland’s ability to play different styles if they had LeBron compared with other teams.

The Sixers don’t have a five-out small-ball option with either Adem Bona or Dominick Barlow. Playing Wade at center would be the only way they could get there, but we know the downsides of that. While Philadelphia would have an impressive starting unit when healthy, they wouldn’t have Cleveland’s optionality.

The same is true for the Heat. The two best players alongside LeBron are non-shooting bigs. Taking one of them off the floor would be a significant talent downgrade. Would they have the offensive firepower to hang with teams like the Celtics, Knicks, and Sixers? Would they be able to execute well enough offensively in a cramped half-court?

The current Warriors don’t have the multiple counters they did in the past. Draymond Green isn’t the same impactful, do-it-all center he was in his prime. He can still play the five, but there aren’t the supporting pieces elsewhere to give them the optionality you would like. This would be a different conversation if you could guarantee perfect health for Kristaps Porziņģis and Jimmy Butler.

There’s this idea that James would only come back to Cleveland for sentimental reasons. After all, there’s an undeniable poetry to finishing a career where it started — especially when that place also happens to be right next to your hometown.

Yet, there’s plenty of basketball reasons to return as well. The Cavs have built a team in dire need of the connective tissue James would bring. His game would slot in perfectly into a group that has needed his particular skill set for the last half-decade. In many ways, it seems like the Cavs have been trying to build the perfect team for James without him.

We don’t know what LeBron is going to do. There are plenty of reasons for him to sign elsewhere. But to act like the Cavs don’t offer a compelling on-court reason to return is nonsensical. Cleveland has assembled a team that fits the exact mold of what has worked during each of his championship runs. If he were to sign with the Cavs, they’d put him in an excellent position to grab his fourth ring.

From the moment the Hawks declined their team option for Jonathan Kuminga, he was linked to the Lakers.

LA lacks forwards with LeBron James and Rui Hachimura gone, making Kuminga a great option at the wing position.

There were rumors the Hawks were open to a sign-and-trade and reports the Lakers offered Kuminga a two-year, $20 million contract, but nothing got done.

Kuminga remains an unrestricted free agent, and the Lakers continue to search for their future wing. With reports that talks regarding Kuminga stalled, the Lakers added other players.

They reportedly signed Matisse Thybulle and officially brought in Ziaire Williams.

However, just because they’ve added other players and have a full roster doesn’t mean Kuminga is no longer a possibility for the Lakers.

On a segment during Thursday’s episode of “NBA Today,” reporter Anthony Slater stated that the Lakers keep calling about Kuminga.

“I can tell you that they keep calling Jonathan Kuminga. And again, obviously they have not made a lucrative enough offer for Kuminga to jump. But part of their pitch has been, ‘Hey, you can come start here potentially.’

“And that says two things to me. Number one, it says the Lakers still don’t want to be done making moves.
And they believe they’re a little weak on the wing position. Which, I think [Matisse] Thybulle will help. I think Ziaire Williams will help, but they could use some more juice on the wing, and maybe they get Kuminga done. Maybe they don’t. I think the LeBron domino affects Kuminga and what he may or may not be able to get. But, again, all I can tell you is Rob Pelinka keeps calling about Jonathan Kuminga”

This late into free agency, there is no reason for Kuminga to rush. A few teams are waiting for LeBron’s decision, and likely, once that is finalized, he can see how much money other teams have and sign where he thinks works best for him.

The Lakers’ offer of a potential starting spot and the attention LA always gets provide an alluring option for Kuminga. But clearly, that alone hasn’t been enough for him to sign.

Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka is doing the right thing here. Kuminga would be a great wing for the Lakers, and until he signs with a team, it doesn’t hurt to keep reaching out and trying to get a deal done.

If Kuminga signs elsewhere, the Lakers won’t be stuck with nothing.

They have wing options like Thybulle, Williams and even Adou Thiero they can rely on. And if he does join the purple and gold, this will be a notch on Pelinka’s belt. It’ll be an example of how a franchise can keep communication open with one of the best unrestricted free agents on the market and ultimately come to an agreement.

So, until Kuminga is officially off the table, the Lakers appear to remain interested and willing to keep hitting up his agent’s line.

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

The rumors that Anthony Edwards could officially be off the market were true.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star will begin his seventh NBA season in 2026 as a married man after tying the knot with his longtime girlfriend earlier this month, according to a Minnesota records search instigated initially by the curiosity of fans. The Minnesota Official Marriage System's website confirmed multiple reports that Edwards and Shannon Jackson were issued a marriage certificate on July 16.

Edwards' relationship status became a talking point again when he was spotted at Fanatics Fest in New York last week wearing a black band on his ring finger. He did not, however, bring it up during appearances in which Edwards gave his thoughts on the Timberwolves' pursuit of LeBron James and the team's new addition of LaMelo Ball, among other topics.

Even as most of the NBA has been in a holding pattern awaiting LeBron James’ free agency decision, the Lakers have marched on with their roster reconstruction.

The same week after James revealed he wasn’t returning to the Lakers for an unprecedented 24th NBA season, the team agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Jazz for Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), made free agency deals for Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million) and Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million) and executed a trade that brought Jaden Hardy to LA and sent Deandre Ayton to the Wizards

And over the last two weeks, the Lakers have made multiple veteran’s minimum signings: Kevon Looney (one year, $3.9 million), Ziaire Williams (one year, $2.8 million) and Matisse Thybulle (one year, $3.3 million).

And the Lakers aren’t done yet. 

By league rules, they’ll need to trim their roster from 16 players agreed/signed to standard NBA deals to 15 before the regular season starts in late October. 

But they’re still looking to make additions to fortify their roster around franchise cornerstones Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler. 

Potentially another backup big man.

And possibly a bigger, starting-caliber wing.

At the center of the Lakers’ roster improvement pursuits is unrestricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

The Lakers and Kuminga have mutual interest; Lakers president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick met with Kuminga after free agency started in late June.  

As The California Post detailed two weeks ago, a deal hasn’t been agreed to because the Lakers and Kuminga’s camp haven’t come to terms on a mutually satisfactory salary.

That’s before detailing how a sign-and-trade with the Hawks for Kuminga would look — the most realistic way for the Lakers to acquire the 23-year-old forward who has spent time with the Hawks (2026) and Warriors (2021-26) after being the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft. 

Kuminga has been in a holding pattern because of James’ decision. No tangible progress toward a deal between the Lakers and Kuminga has been made over the last couple of weeks, a source told The Post. 

The Cavaliers also have significant interest in Kuminga, sources said. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson coached Kuminga while Atkinson was an assistant coach with the Warriors from 2021-24. If James doesn’t go back to Cleveland for a third stint, it increases the likelihood of Kuminga joining the Cavaliers, who would likely make other moves to bring in Kuminga in addition to a sign-and-trade. 

There’s no guarantee Kuminga will join the Lakers even though the sides have been linked for nearly a month. 

That is why the Lakers must have backup options. 

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Ochai Agbaji and Trendon Watford are realistic small/power forward options available on the free agency market: NBA-caliber players but not starting-level forwards who would fit well alongside Doncic, Reaves, Walker and potentially Grimes. 

Which means their best option to acquire a starting-level forward would need to come via a trade. 

The Lakers have long been tied to trade rumors involving Mavericks forward P.J. Washington, a former teammate of Doncic’s in Dallas, but as The Post previously reported, the fully guaranteed $88.8 million Washington is owed over the next four years isn’t appealing to the Lakers. 

As HoopsHype reported, the Nuggets have “rebuffed” trade inquiries for sharpshooting forward Cam Johnson throughout the offseason. 

From there, trade options for a forward who can step in as a starter without jeopardizing the Lakers’ potential access to the mid-level exception next offseason become limited.

Kings forward De’Andre Hunter and Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma, who was with the Lakers from 2017-21 and won the 2020 championship with the franchise, stand out as the best trade options. 

Hunter ($24.9 million) and Kuzma ($20.5 million) are entering the final season of their four-year, $90 million deals. Trading for either would likely require the Lakers to send a combination of Jarred Vanderbilt, Hardy or Dalton Knecht in addition to second-round picks. 

The Lakers previously had interest in trading for Hunter ahead of the deadline in February before the Cavaliers sent him to the Kings as part of a three-team deal with the Bulls.

There isn’t any known current interest in Hunter or Kuzma from the Lakers’ side as they continue to be focused on acquiring Kuminga. 

But if they aren’t able to acquire Kuminga, Hunter or Kuzma will likely be their best external backup options this summer.

I woke the other day to a text from Collin Loring, a friend and one of my favorite Knicks writers, asking, “How does the championship still not feel real?” Good question. Here are three theories.

IT’S SOMETHING YOU ATE

In August of 1951, doctors in and around Pont-Saint-Esprit, France, were confronted with a tsunami of locals becoming violently ill all at once. Their initial symptoms — nausea, chills, diarrhea — progressed to convulsions and hallucinations. One man decided he was an airplane, jumped out a second-story window and died. A mother’s 11-year-old son tried to strangle her. Turned out an unscrupulous baker bought some shady flour infested with a fungus whose effects resemble those of LSD.

We know our planet grows increasingly hostile to most of the life it supports (you know why). We know there’s been a steep drop in food regulation the past few years. While you’re reading this, half the country is on the toilet care of corruption and cyclosporiasis. Maybe seven weeks ago there was a hallucinogenic fungus in your Cheerios. Or you ate a three-egg omelette and only two of ‘em were good eggs. Someone might’ve spiked the raw milk and infected us all with Mad Wow disease, deluding ourselves into thinking the Knicks won the title. Moo.

Think about it. The most dominant run of play in THE LITERAL ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE NBA? And the greatest and arguably second-greatest comebacks in playoff history?! And Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby morphing into Michael Jordan, Nikola-Jokić-meets-Kevin-Durant and Kawhi Leonard?!? Evel Knievel thinks that’s over the top.

YOU’RE NOT BUILT TO COMPREHEND IT

On Wednesday I woke and opened the curtains to a dusty orange sky. I closed them. Hard to breathe on the orange days. Harder on Thursday, when skies were mostly blue but the air reeked of burning. On Saturday we got our second “100-year storm” in 10 days. Spent eight hours baling water and sewage out of a flooded basement. Thankfully didn’t lose the hot water heater like last time. Lost the furnace then, too. Mighta lost it again.

Climate change, at least for me, now, is all at once grounded and surreal. While the new normal feels increasingly normal, it’s hard to shake the old one. When I was a kid in western New York, we could go a whole summer not hitting 90 degrees and it’d snow anytime from October to May. Now the heat index tops 100 for days and there’s rarely if ever a white Christmas.

The Knicks are champions of the world. Their Finals MVP conducted a closeout game that sits at the same table with the best of Clyde, Magic, Michael and Giannis. They did it while out-dominating the ’90s Bulls, the Shaq/Kobe Lakers, the Hamptons Five Warriors and the ‘90s Bulls. Yes, I listed them twice; if you lived through that time you understand why I’ll never get tired of writing it.

I watched it happen! I know that it’s real. Still, I have no frame of reference for such a dramatic shift. What once grounded me no longer exists; what grounds me now is something alien. Linsanity made more sense. Doctor said to take two Wemby fails and see how I feel in the morning.

NOTHING IS REAL AND NOTHING TO GET HUNG ABOUT

The last possibility is surely the darkest, and comes from a story I read once and could never forget, though I have never been able to remember who wrote it or find it since. Read on at your peril.

A man closes his eyes and dies. When he opens them, he is back in his house, with his loved ones. He doesn’t remember dying. Everything inside the house is so familiar, so mundane and perfect, down to the smallest detail, that he simply slips back into everyday life, as it were, as if nothing has changed. That evening, he opens a drawer in search of a key and realizes something is missing from inside the drawer. But he can’t remember what.

The next day, it happens again, this time a book from a shelf. The next it’s a bottle of wine, saved for a special occasion, though he can’t say what it was. Every day, something new disappears, and he can never remember what.

Then one day, one of his children is gone. He suspects it, knows deep inside something is terribly wrong, but he has no memory of them; just the brutal, unspeakable awareness that he can’t properly mourn whomever he’s lost. The next day it’s another child. The next it’s his wife.

The revelation at the end is that the man is in Hell, suffering through this pattern over and over, forever. Maybe Swedenborg wrote the story. Maybe no one did; maybe it’s mine. I can’t remember.

Remember this?

What if Hart missed that bunny, and the Knicks went on to lose Game 4 by one? And then the series? What if we’re is Hell? And we’ve all forgotten that he missed, and reality seems to carry on as normal, only little things keep on disappearing. Mitchell Robinson. Brunson’s healthy left wrist. Maybe Jeremy Sochan. Maybe Chris Jent.

So, in summation: maybe we’re hallucinating. Maybe the world stopped adding up long before we learned math. Maybe we’re damned. Either way, the Knicks are NBA champions. Whatever this is, don’t wake me.

Multiple reports have indicated that LeBron James is prioritizing happiness when choosing his next NBA team.

While being happy is a great trait to pursue, happiness is a broad term that can manifest in infinite different ways. Therefore, it was hard to gauge what happiness meant to the 41-year-old as the basketball world awaits his free agency decision.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania shed some light on this during an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday.

After explaining that the Warriors’ unwillingness to do what it takes to trade for Anthony Davis means they’re unlikely to land LeBron, Charania said, “Sources tell me LeBron James… [is] not waiting for another domino right now. They’re not waiting for Anthony Davis to get traded anywhere.”

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“The teams—Cleveland, Miami, Golden State, Philadelphia, and Minnesota, they’re set,” Charania added.

“LeBron James was very clear from the very beginning: This is going to be based on happiness—in terms of chances to contend for a championship, a chance to compete at a high level, [and] join a culture,” he continued.

Therefore, James’ “happiness” comes down to three things: being a championship contender, competing at a high level, and joining a positive team culture.

Unfortunately, these three things offer much insight into where James might sign, as all five of the teams in contention will be championship contenders if they add James to their roster, if they aren’t already.

Plus, all of them seem to have solid cultures, or else James probably wouldn’t be considering them at a potential home.

The hope is that LeBron will announce his decision soon, so that speculation about where he’ll go can end.

Alex Karaban sat down with NBC Sports California’s Deuce Mason following being drafted 29th overall to Sacramento in this year’s draft.

He revealed that the number-one ingredient in winning that most people overlook is accountability.

“If we’re hard on each other and we’re holding each other accountable, it’s going to make us closer… I think now people could be afraid to say what’s on their mind, and if someone is messing up, people just don’t want to critique people anymore.”

He continued the interview, talking about how Dan Hurley “completely changed my life” and how he would not be the person he is today without Hurley.

“He’s the best college basketball coach. He’s going to make you a better player,” Karaban said. “I wouldn’t talk to people; I was super quiet. I wasn’t confident, and he really changed me to be more outgoing.”

In terms of changing the winning culture in Sacramento, Karaban said that his time with UConn will help make a difference with the Kings.

“Coach was the same person on a daily basis, no matter how we felt, win or loss; he was the same. He expected the same standards every single day, not just on the court, but who we are off the court, being on time or carrying yourself the right way.”

Karaban is bringing that same mindset to Sacramento: the intensity, the passion, and the foundation for the organization to have for the future.

The Kings traded up to draft Karaban at 29th overall. When asked about how that feels, he said, “It means everything to me. I was super excited. The energy that Scott [Perry] Head Coach Doug Christie had and how excited they were… For them to have the belief in me gives me all the confidence to come in here and be myself and make an impact.”

Karaban suffered an ankle injury just before heading to Las Vegas and started off the Summer League a bit slow, going against the Clippers on 0-for-6 shooting and a 4-point outing against Brooklyn. He followed those games up with a great performance, putting up a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds in an 82-76 loss to Boston on Wednesday night. Karaban shot a great 5-for-7 from downtown in the loss. Karaban’s three-point numbers towards the end of his final season were lower than usual, so it is great to see the former Husky back on track from three-point land.

In the following game against Charlotte, Karaban contributed 14 points, making a pair of triples in the 92-90 win.

Karaban finished the Summer League averaging 10 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in an average of 27.5 minutes per game. While the early games presented a learning curve, Karaban’s response down the stretch showed the composure of a seasoned performer. By regaining his stroke from beyond the arc and contributing across multiple categories, he proved he can adapt quickly when given the opportunity. As he moves forward, this Summer League stint serves as a promising stepping stone toward carving out a reliable role in Sac Town.

The dog days of summer, and those of the NBA offseason, are officially upon us. While the World Cup gave general sports fans a longer lease on that golden spring-to-early-summer stretch where playoff basketball and hockey run wild, baseball returns, and dew points are manageable, we’re now well past that.

The Brooklyn Nets also concluded their Summer League run last week. From this point and until training camp in late September, most access to the team’s players will come via the various social platforms they’re active on.

But First, a Farewell

Before we get into the current Nets, a former one had some goodbyes to say this week. Nic Claxton’s fiancé, Mariah Castro, posted a farewell message to the Nets and Brooklyn on Instagram not long after Clax’s trade news broke. However, the big man posted his own on X earlier this week.

“Through the ups an downs this city watched me grow into a man,” he wrote. “I will always cherish my time spent there. I created so many beautiful memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. I will forever be grateful I was able to call Brooklyn home. With all of that being said, it was time to move on. Thanks again for rocking with me. I will see y’all again.”

We wish Nic and his family all the best going forward.

Workout Time

Workout videos are a common find on NBA social feeds this time of year. Development coach Tyreek Dupree recently tagged Day’Ron Sharpe in one. Footwork, ball-handling and post-move drills were largely on display.

Terance Mann and Noah Clowney recently got some work in as well with NBA and WNBA development coaches Cory Smith and Chris Johnson. They’ve trained with LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Johnson, and countless other pros before.

To no surprise, Egor Dëmin has also been in the lab with long-time trainer Zack Gonzalez. When he’s not with Dëmin or fellow BYU product AJ Dybantsa, Gonzalez works as a trainer/coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Summer Camps

The Nets still haven’t announced the Moe Wagner signing yet. They’re likely trying maintain flexibility as they look leverage their remaining $11 million in cap space. However, Wagner hasn’t been sitting around, waiting for the checks to hit. He, his brother Franz, and Adidas hosted a youth basketball academy in Berlin this week.

Other Adventures

Michael Porter Jr. spent a large part of his summer’s first half with his current teammates, but now looks to be off hanging with some old friends, and maybe, just maybe, recruiting. We wrote extensively about Porter Jr. and all the posts featuring him and Peyton Watson earlier this week. The two were seen enjoying a beach, some wine and at the World Cup across a variety of social accounts last week.

Dëmin seems to have followed MPJ into the vlogging sphere as well. He dropped two videos last year, one during the team’s preseason trip to Macao, and another during All-Star weekend. He’s kicked up posting cadence recently, however, dropping a “Summer Side Quests” episode last month and one from the Summer League yesterday.

On the topic of Dëmin and the SL, Terance Mann also gave him a shoutout on X earlier this month, to which Egor responded to by calling TMann his “big brother.”

Julius Randle also came home yesterday. He got his first look at his new threads and the home locker room in Brooklyn this week.

“Great opportunity ahead. Great organization. Made me really comfortable to start,“ Randle said earlier this month. “So, you know, got a lot of young talent. Got some good vets. Excited to see what we can put together.”

Miles Bridges thinks Booker deserves a ring, and he’s ready to go to war to get one. We can all agree on that. The Phoenix Suns fans deserve a Booker ring, too. The entire Valley, from the transplant Bulls fans to the born Phoenicians with closets full of Lakers gear, deserves a Booker ring, but did the Suns front office put enough around Booker to truly contend for one?

Brian Gregory couldn’t be more excited about adding Miles Bridges. There was a defiant sparkle in his eye as he sat next to Bridges at the introductory press conference. To me, he clearly thinks he got away with something when he finally managed to pry Bridges away from the Hornets. Gregory confidently took every question that was asked regarding Miles Bridges’ history with domestic violence, acknowledged it, and explained what the Suns liked about Miles from a basketball fit. He has a long history with Miles Bridges going back to MSU.

Miles Bridges answered every question thrown his way as well. He spoke on his off-court issues but also talked about how he can help the Suns as a basketball player and that he might surprise fans who aren’t familiar with his game. He mentioned that he’s an underrated playmaker, he emphasized defense and rebounding, and acknowledged that part of his role is to get Booker his points. He saw the Suns’ playoff series against the Thunder and clearly came away with some of the same takeaways the rest of us did, as to where the Suns need to improve moving forward.

Everything Miles Bridges said about his game is everything I wanted for this team as a Suns fan. A physical four who can body someone up on the boards, and get his offensive game off without stopping the ball. That’s not the Miles Bridges that Charlotte got, but the second-chance theme is a big part of the Miles Bridges trade, whether talking about the off-court issues or the basketball fit. I believe Miles Bridges when he says he’s ready to go to war to win a championship with this Suns team. 

Is Booker?

Whether or not you think Booker is a superstar on the court, he’s unquestionably a superstar off the court. He’s involved with the Kardashians, gets his name dropped in Drake lyrics, has his own signature shoe, and is respected by every player around the league. He’s been to the doorstep of greatness and was turned away. It’s not an easy road to get back. It’s a battle, or as Bridges said, a war. Does Booker, who has already achieved so much in basketball and in life, have the edge to claw his way back?

I understand roles change with age and I think Book’s game is evolving in a way that could be beneficial for the Phoenix Suns, but watching Booker make right play after right play in the playoffs as the Thunder funneled the ball to Brooks and Green to the tune of forty plus shots, makes me wonder if the Booker who was so comfortable deferring on the playoff stage, still has that desire to lead a contender in a league that continues to add more young talent every year.

Miles Bridges, as described in the press conference, is going to improve the Suns but the question of contending, of getting Book that ring everyone thinks he deserves, still comes down to the Phoenix Suns being able to optimize the production of Devin Booker. It’s my personal opinion that, in order for the Suns to do that, there needs to be a second All-Star next to him. It’s the only way he’s going to get the space he needs to get his shot off.

Is Miles Bridges a capable third or fourth option on a potential championship team? I could be talked into that. I just don’t think the Suns’ biggest hurdle to securing a championship is their third- or fourth-option players. The Suns’ problem is at the top of the roster. Is Jalen Green the number two that the Suns need to pull defenders off of Booker? He wasn’t in the Thunder series. Does Devin Booker still have an appetite for the work it will take to add a championship to his already impressive resume? He didn’t play the Thunder series like a superstar desperate to survive.

I don’t think the Suns have a championship team as currently constructed, but I don’t think that has anything to do with whether they have Miles Bridges on the team. The Suns’ ceiling will be set by the performance of the players at the top of the roster.

So welcome to the Valley, Miles Bridges. We think that Booker deserves a ring, too. I just don’t know if the Suns have the team to do it. Yet.

Considering that LeBron James doesn’t seem likely to choose the Warriors in free agency, it feels like Golden State still is one key roster move from contending in the Western Conference.

That roster move will not include a trade for Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. if Warriors coach Steve Kerr has anything to do with it.

This sentiment stems from a report that Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor made Wednesday regarding what moves the Warriors could make if and when James signs elsewhere.

“Sources say that Steve Kerr didn’t want MPJ in February, and there is little reason to believe he would want him now,” O’Connor wrote.

O’Connor didn’t add why Kerr didn’t want Porter back then. But the fact that Porter is a versatile, athletic wing who averaged 24.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Nets last season indicates that it likely isn’t because of what Porter can do on the court.

Instead, perhaps it is because Porter is known for saying outlandish things and has become one of basketball’s most polarizing players because of it. His ex-girlfriend Madison Pettis called him a “psychopath” earlier this year, and he called out teammate Cam Thomas for not talking to anybody in the Nets’ locker room.

Kerr has done a great job managing the big personalities in the Warriors’ locker room since he became their head coach in 2014, which is a huge reason they’ve been so successful. Perhaps he views Porter as a liability in that regard.

Regardless of Kerr’s reasoning, it doesn’t sound like Porter will be the Warriors’ back-up plan once the James sweepstakes ends.

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Former NBA star Ty Lawson was none too pleased about getting arrested last week.

His mugshot, obtained by The California Post on Thursday, shows he had a stoic look on his face as he was being booked in a Douglas County, Colo. jail on a shoplifting charge.

The ex-Nuggets point guard, wearing what appeared to be a jail-issued top, blankly stared at the camera while gray was visible in his beard.

The 38-year-old was taken into custody by the Castle Rock Police Dept. at around 8 p.m. on July 16 after a liquor store worker accused him of drunkenly stealing a $34 bottle of vodka.

Lawson, who allegedly took the bottle to a nearby restaurant, was confronted by police and thrown in handcuffs after he smelled “of an unknown alcoholic substance,” according to the arrest affidavit.

While in police control, Lawson was accused of being a nightmare to his arresting officer.

Lawson screamed and called the cop “bitch” repeatedly and a “white bitch” during the pre-booking process, the arrest affidavit stated.

He “at times” kicked his cell’s glass wall and yelled “stop” repeatedly, according to the arrest affidavit.

He did ultimately calm down and apologize for his behavior, the report stated.

Lawson addressed the incident on his X page on Thursday morning, writing, “Being black in America is tough…. Being lied by a pasty face white woman wild… stay outta castle rock Colorado!!!!”

He later added, “This the wildest and more racist s—t I been thru.”

Lawson is facing one charge of theft of less than $300 shoplifting and is due in court for a pretrial conference on Aug. 13.

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