Category: Basketball

The NBA Offseason isn’t over but this week we decided to grade what the Dallas Mavericks have done so far.

Michael: I’m giving the team an A-. That may be hard for some to fathom when a team like the 76ers landed Jaylen Brown and LeBron James (what could their grade possibly be if ours is an A-?) – but I think a grade like this has to be measured on an appropriate scale and realistic expectations.

This offseason, the Mavericks have hired President Masai Ujiri, a front office professional calling the shots, the likes of which Dallas has not had in many, many years. They hired a proper GM in Mike Schmitz to pair with Ujiri to properly rebuild around Cooper Flagg. They hired a head coach that virtually everyone thought was untouchable and who ought to be perfect for a young, budding core. Then they constructed that young core, getting a player like Santi Aldama through clever use of a trade exception which they kept intact by clever use of signing-and-trading Khris Middleton. They moved up in the draft to get a promising guard in Sergio De Larrea, after using their higher pick to land Morez Johnson. They made a couple other slick moves in the second round for even more youth, and traded for a former #1 overall pick. All of this was done with a dearth of draft capital and an inherited pile of bad will. It was also done while keeping all of the obvious tradable player assets.

Will every one of these moves pan out to greatness? Probably not. But rebuilding a youthful, athletic, affordable roster while maintaining what precious few assets they had was nothing short of a masterclass of how to make something out of virtually nothing. For where the Mavs were three months ago, this was an excellent outcome.

David: I would say they have operated around a B. As of writing, their roster makes no sense, but they have made moves for good players. Morez Johnson was certainly a surprising draft pick, but maybe he is far past what any one of us mortals saw. He has the body to work perfectly next to Cooper Flagg. Masai Ujiri’s lust for big wings has been evident, but I am not too concerned about their success on the court this season. As of now, they have made mostly the “right” moves and have set themselves up for more to come. It hasn’t been a home run, but they’re definitely on base and in scoring position.

Ben: I give them a B+. The new front office is having to clean up one of the worst messes in NBA history due to one of the worst trades in NBA history. This was always going to be a long-haul project and they’re operating that way so far. They’ve added a bunch of interesting players who could work out, who might not, but they’re taking some chances. If they’re able to move some of the vets before the season starts, I’d even get close to an A-.

Matt: A very solid B+. The new regime has done the impossible and made Dallas an interesting team to watch again. There are several storylines going into this season with the potential to develop into something genuinely beneficial to the team’s longterm outlook. They’ve gotten creative in how to put new talent around Cooper Flagg with guys who are on his timeline, and are taking many, many bites at the apples in hopes that one of their developmental players pans out. It’s a roster-building exercise in the law of large numbers. The only thing they haven’t done is re-stock the barren shelves with some draft picks, but there’s still time and guys like Gafford, Washington and Marshall should be of interest to SOME team with an aim to contend this season – even if it’s not a huge haul.

Jack: I would give the Mavericks a B- for the offseason they have had so far. I honestly like all the additions they have made, starting with drafting Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea, to acquiring high-upside young talent for relatively cheap value. They have also done an amazing job of adding shooting to the roster, which will certainly help Cooper Flagg’s development. The way they have attacked the margins is very exciting, as with a lack of draft assets they will have to find unique ways to acquire talent. What holds back my grade is the dramatic roster imbalance that still plagues the team. They have too many forwards and not enough ball-handlers, simply not having the minutes to give. This holds back the opportunity for a player like Zaccharie Risacher, who needs time on the court to hopefully develop his skills. The lack of creation also lessens the impact of the new shooting, as most of these new players need their shots created for them. If the Mavericks can trade P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford for good value, then my grade would jump into the A’s, but since no trade is seemingly on the horizon, I’m settling on a B- for now.

Tyler: I’m going to give them an old school, college-level incomplete grade for the offseason. I can’t grade the work they’ve done through today because, well, this can’t be all the work they’re doing. The moves themselves are fine: I was indifferent at best on the Morez Johnson pick, but I do like Sergio De Larrea. I also think they’ve done decent work with the Sasser and Aldama acquisitions. I have questions about the Risacher addition, but it’s a fine “shot in the dark” as long as they don’t commit long-term money there until they see proof of the vision they surely imagine. But the roster is still incredibly unbalanced, and they don’t have much in the way of future assets they’ve gotten. Until the dust settles, it’s probably best to settle with an incomplete. I can’t imagine this is the roster they roll into the season with.

Bryan: Easy A- with potential for an A+ pending a frontcourt trade or two for reasonable value. The top 8 of the draft lottery fell exactly as we hoped that it wouldn’t, but M&M still left the draft with a great coaching hire, two players that figure to factor in the rotation battle this season, and two big upside swings in the 2nd round. On top of that, we’ve acquired a ton of shooting, length, and athleticism that lends itself to insulating Kyrie, Flagg, Sasser, Sergio, and another shot creator to be named later defensively. We did all this at the paltry cost of portions of our exceptions (trade exception and Mid-level) and three 2nd rounders. We’ve barely touched the few assets we have and remade the team completely from last season. This offseason has been a measured rundown of the checklist for a proper rebuild and a welcome, if foreign, sight for Mavs fans’ eyes. 

Joe: The Dallas Mavericks deserve a C+ for their offseason so far. Given the difficult roster and asset situation Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz inherited, Dallas did a respectable job adding useful players on manageable contracts without sacrificing anything essential to Cooper Flagg’s future.Moves for Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, Morez Johnson Jr. and Zaccharie Risacher were all defensible individually. Dallas added shooting, size, youth and upside while preserving several movable contracts. Even the Risacher gamble came at a relatively low price. The Mavericks did not panic, overpay for a short-term solution or surrender another major first-round asset.
That is what keeps the grade from falling lower.

The problem is that Dallas chose to work around the margins instead of truly reforming the roster. The Mavericks still have too many overlapping forwards, not enough reliable ball-handling and several veterans who do not clearly fit Flagg’s timeline. Other young teams have been more aggressive in defining their direction, whether by collecting draft assets, clearing veterans or building a cleaner developmental roster. The individual moves mostly make sense, but they do not yet form a coherent plan. The “plus” comes from hiring Dusty May, one of basketball’s biggest rising coaching names. Pairing him with Ujiri and Schmitz gives the Mavericks a leadership structure worth believing in. Dallas improved its flexibility and talent base. It still has not made the larger, uncomfortable decisions required to properly build around Flagg. For now, that makes this a C+.

Isaac: i’m willing to give Masai and crew an A for this offseason. While not all needs were met, it’s a good step in the right direction and the offseason’s not over yet. They’ve made serviceable trades and taken shots on young guys that could help the team without committing long-term money to them.

It’s hard for fans, myself included, to handle the whiplash of being in the Finals just two years to being where we are now, but it’s the reality we live in. Offseasons for teams like the Mavericks aren’t about contending this season or next; they’re about taking chances to build a core around their young star. I think they’ve done a great job at that this offseason, and I’m fascinated by what they can get for the players on our team that have value (PJ, Gafford, Klay).

Matt M.: B-. This roster configuration may not make a ton of sense, but it doesn’t have to this season. It’s maddening that some of the vets who are still here are still here. But I have at least some level of middling trust in the long-term plan of Masai & Co. The guards on this roster don’t please me greatly but there is at least a glimmer of hope for this team putting an interesting product on the floor in 2026-27. Progress, I guess?

Kirk: A- for me. Look, I am broadly a pessimist when it comes to team sports. There’s only one champ every year, you know? So when I think about where Dallas was last February and see where they are 18 months later, this is about the best possible outcome I could have hoped for. Nico Harrison leveraged the future then traded away the centerpiece, so that Dallas has Cooper, everything else is more straightforward. Dallas made mistakes in tanking (or not tanking, really) but Morez Johnson is a nice pick. Sergio De Larrea has something! They’ve made two fun trades that could pan out well. They still have a lot of roster imbalance, but there’s hope for the future.

We are officially into the doldrums of the offseason – Summer League is behind us, free agency is all but over, and we still have months until we first see our new team take the floor. It is in these doldrums that one begins to ponder the real questions of the soul: am I leading my life correctly? should I be spending all this time on basketball? is Mario Hezonja worth all the hype given to his free agency decision? And, most importantly, who will be the Jazz’s backup shooting guard?

It seems to me that there are four options for the two backup wing positions: Brice Sensabaugh, Svi Mykhailiuk, John Konchar, and the titular Josh Okogie. All four deserve to play minutes somewhere – each have started legitimate amounts of games in their careers, and two may be out of the rotation next year.

Choosing which of these four worthy candidates have my vote to earn playing time is already difficult, and is made even more difficult due to the fact that I am no expert on the newest Jazzman of the group, Josh Okogie. Sure, I have a passing knowledge of the guy – I follow the NBA, he’s made his way around the block a few times, so I generally understand his game. He defends, he’s kinda stocky, he got that one block on James Harden’s step back in his rookie year…he’s Josh Okogie! But that cursory, surface-level understanding won’t cut it if I am to make the hugely important decision of who should be Darryn Peterson’s backup (and then complain when the Jazz coaching staff makes a different choice than me). I need to become a Josh Okogie scholar.

I took this self-assigned responsibility seriously – I would not go halfway for one of the newest Jazzmen. So, to shore up the holes in my Okogie expertise, I took to NBA.com’s video database to watch every Josh Okogie field goal, assist, steal, and block from the 2025-2026 season. If Josh Okogie did just about anything with the ball last year, I watched it. I won’t pretend this was the most interesting exercise I’ve ever (for reasons that will be explained later), so instead of everyone else having to go through the same study process, I will report on what I learned, his strengths and weaknesses, and his fit on the Jazz. Hopefully, no one will have any remaining Josh Okogie questions after this article.

The Basics

Name: Josh Okogie

Height: 6’4

Weight: 213 pounds

Wingspan: 7’0

2025-2026 Team: Houston Rockets

Stats: 78 GP, 32 GS, 17.4 MPG, 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 43/38/60

Offense

Josh Okogie is a very simple offensive player, for better and for worse (at the very least, it made for a dull viewing experience). While you can rest assured that he will not hijack the offense with complicated, on-ball hijinks, sometimes the simple, barebones nature of his offensive game leaves a bit to be desired. He has figured out his role perfectly during his 8 years in the NBA, and will not dare stray from it.

The majority of Okogie’s shot attempts this past season came from behind the arc (54.8% of his attempts, to be exact), and nearly all of them looked exactly the same. He never shot from off the dribble (100% of his three pointers this past season were assisted), he rarely shot off of movement, and he mainly shot from the corners. His three point percentages have steadily ticked up over his career, peaking this season at 38.5%, but I don’t think he’s gotten more versatile with his shot; he needs to be set, and he needs to be facing minimal pressure. After having watched 161 of his three point attempts in very quick succession, I think I uncovered the reason for this – Okogie’s form simply isn’t built for anything beyond a catch-and-shoot attempt. He doesn’t get much elevation on his shot, and it isn’t particularly quick, which when combined with the fact that he’s only 6’4, creates a player who needs a separation from a defender to get his shot off cleanly. Additionally, his footwork behind the arc isn’t always the cleanest, making movement off-ball and around screens disadvantageous to his style of jump shot. He can make these shots while open (see the video below for some examples), but his 38% from three isn’t providing the same spacing that Anfernee Simon’s 38% is.

Josh Okogie made 3 of his 4 threes and finished with his 2nd highest scoring night as a Rocket yesterday:

14 PTS
7 REB
2 STL
5/7 FG
3/4 3PT
(+/-) +30

He’s shooting 39.4% from deep this season… Keep him in the rotation. pic.twitter.com/HtVr81n4jR

— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) February 26, 2026

An interesting statistical tidbit – while Okogie attempted most of three pointers from the corners (67% of his attempts came from both corners combined), they were far from his most efficient spot on the court – he drained around 30% from those zones, and 52% from the two wings. Now, I understand that, all things considered, this is a pretty small sample size to determine Okogie’s strengths and weaknesses as a shooter, but similar general trends occur throughout his past few seasons; consistently, his strongest area as a shooter is either the right or left wing, with his percentages from the corners being more pedestrian. The Jazz attempted some of the fewest corner threes per game in the NBA this past season – hopefully this can lead to Okogie’s shooting leap to continue into 2026-2027.

Inside of the three point line, Okogie, once again, is nothing to really write home about. Even though Okogie is a good athlete, he isn’t too impressive as a vertical high-flyer; this can lead to ugly misses at the rim. He missed more dunks than I would’ve expected, and I’m sure the Rockets never felt great about Okogie driving headfirst into a set rim protector. Luckily, he tended to know his role in this regard as well – he never attempted to do too much to achieve rim attempts (which is good, considering his stiff, uncreative handle), and mostly found himself shooting in that range off of quick cuts or in transition. He isn’t the most active cutter in the world, sometimes being a bit too sedimentary behind the arc, but is proficient enough when he does decide to streak to open space near the rim.

To continue the tradition of unspectacular but serviceable offensive skills, his passing is just enough to keep the offense flowing but not much more than that. There were a few really impressive interior passes sprinkled throughout the clips of his assists, but for the most part his passes were simple, connective throws to teammates finding open space around the perimeter. I only recall a few pick-and-roll passes, which were unremarkable – while I’m sure he’s capable of hitting a roll-man, I don’t think he’s capable enough for it to be an aspect of his offense a coach can reliably call upon.

However, even with all of these middle-of-the-road offensive skills, the Rockets were still better offensively with Okogie on the court. How can this be? I believe this is explained by two factors. First, Okogie demands very little on the offensive end. Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant were two Rockets players from this past season who were best operating with the ball in their hands, and Okogie’s completely unselfish offensive game could, if his shot was falling, act as an amplifier for a ball-dominant star. There’s a limit on how much good he could do offensively without a more dynamic offensive game, but a player who is perfectly content with hitting open threes and nothing else is still valuable.

The second factor, though, is a bit more interesting to me. One of Josh Okogie’s hidden superpowers is his activity on the offensive glass. In a down year, Okogie still grabbed 2.2 offensive rebounds per game per 36 minutes, and that impact was felt by his team – when he was on the court, the Rockets were nearly 2 percentage points better at snagging offensive rebounds. While watching, it almost felt like Okogie was conserving energy while stationed in the corner, with the expectation that he would exert it all the moment the ball left the shooters hands. With his linebacker frame, Okogie torpedoed towards the ball, and had a real nose for it – his anticipation for where the ball would bounce was really impressive. So, even without providing much value with the ball in his hands or even as a shooter, Okogie boosted his team’s offense by helping them win the possession battle – while he was out there, Durant and Sengun could count on more attempts because they could count on Okogie.

Synopsis: A simple offensive player who likes to station himself in the corners. Can shoot off the catch and not much else. Not strong with the ball in his hands. Great offensive rebounder for his position.

Defense

While this side of the court is his calling card, I do feel like there is less to be said regarding Okogie’s defense compared to his offense – whatever you think you know about his defense, you’re probably right.

All of his physical tools are best used on the defensive end of the court. His +8 wingspan is put to good use both on and off the ball. It allows him to guard up and down the lineup (his long arms make up for a small deficit in speed against point guards and a deficit in height against wings), and allows him to take up more space and muck things up even when he’s not guarding the point-of-attack. Additionally, Okogie offers a pretty unique combination of length and strength from the guard spot – it helps him to be able to take space AND keep it.

He’s quite adept when he gets switched down to a bigger player in the post. He’s really stocky, with a low center of gravity, and has constant energy when he’s working to deny the entry pass to his assignment down low. Combine that with killer hand-eye coordination, and you have a player who consistently got steals off errant passes to the post.

I think his best defensive skill is beating offensive players to passes. He has some great burst to quickly attack the floating ball, using his long arms and quick hands to get there first, and then uses his strength to muscle his opponent off of the path towards the loose ball so he can grab it and finish the transition opportunity. His consistently revving motor and active hands allowed him to be one of the more disruptive players in the league, deflecting more balls than any Jazzman in 2025-2026 not named John Konchar. Below is an example of this type of play against Victor Wembanyama, and there were quite a few more similar plays throughout the season.

Josh Okogie steal.
Josh Okogie hustle.
Josh Okogie slam.

🏆 HOU-SAS • West Group C
📺 @emirates NBA Cup on Prime: https://t.co/oVMFjA6yYbpic.twitter.com/Es58nIzlQc

— NBA (@NBA) November 8, 2025

As a defender, Okogie isn’t perfect. He isn’t the best defender against the quickest, shiftiest opposing guards – his strength and stocky frame does come at the expense of elite foot speed. Additionally, this past year was a downturn in regards to his shot-blocking. That doesn’t seem like the biggest deal when talking about a 6’4 guard, but one of his most impressive skills to me in the past was how he mirrored perimeter offensive players to such an extent that he was consistently blocking their jump-shots (the play below is my personal favorite) – hopefully he’s able to return to form as both a perimeter shot-blocker and rim presence this next season, especially considering he may be sharing substantial minutes with Kyle Filipowski at center, noted non-elite rim protector.

JOSH OKOGIE WHAT THE HELL pic.twitter.com/69Wi4n0s3U

— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) December 14, 2022

However, even if Okogie has his flaws as a defender, this is the side of the ball that has kept him in the league for over a decade, even during the years where he wasn’t shooting the 38.5% from behind the arc that he did in Houston. Even when his shot isn’t dropping, he provides a solid base level of value because his defense is just so high level. While he’s best guarding more traditional shooting guards, he can defend up the lineup with his stocky frame and long arms. Additionally, his motor is a skill itself – Okogie is a LOUD defender who shifts the tone of the game the moment he subs in. This is the type of stuff fan-favorites are made of, and I expect Okogie to get loud cheers in the Delta Center for these very skills.

Synopsis: This is where Okogie makes his money. Great activity, quick hands, and a special combination of length and strength. Can guard up or down the lineup, although quick point guards can best him. Hopefully his shot-blocking makes a return.

Conclusion/How It All Fits

The Utah Jazz need someone like Josh Okogie, but I’m not sure if they can fit in someone like Josh Okogie. It has been no secret that the Jazz defense has been awful ever since they’ve traded away Rudy Gobert, and while the fix won’t be made in a day, picking up Okogie could spark a very necessary culture shift on the defensive end. Perhaps Ace Bailey or Darryn Peterson one day take a big defensive leap (both have the potential to do so), but until then, the team needs someone to clap their hands and slap the floor and take the most difficult matchup night after night. After my deep dive, I’m confident in saying Josh Okogie has the defensive capabilities to be that stopgap as the young guys mature.

However, while Okogie could be an answer to the Jazz’s defensive issues, he may compound some of the struggles the team projects to have on offense. I worry that the Jazz built a roster with too many strong off-ball players – Lauri Markkanen, Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are all best being set up by a creator – so adding another player without strong ball handling or passing worries me. While he’s clearly the best defender out of the four options for the backup wing positions, he is just as clearly the most limited as an offensive player. Additionally, if the shot improvements aren’t maintained, he would be a third player on a hypothetical bench lineup with limited-to-no shooting gravity (him, Collier, and Filipowski or Hayes) – that may be an offensive situation that even Will Hardy can’t scheme his way out of.

At the end of the day, I doubt that Okogie intentionally signed in Utah to simply not play, so I bet he takes one of the two available slots. I also think that, even if Okogie hurts the offense, the total tonal shift he can provide on defense is probably worth it. This signing was a low-stakes swing on a player who, if the shot improvements are legitimate, may end up playing real minutes in the most important games of the year. For that alone, I think giving Okogie minutes in the regular season to build shooting flow and comprehension of Hardy’s system is the smart move. My deep dive taught me that he isn’t the best shooter, and he isn’t the best passer, and he isn’t the best dribbler, but it also taught me that Josh Okogie changes games. So, after this perhaps unnecessary exercise, I cam away with two things. First, a desire to no longer watch a compilation of wide-open threes, and second…an excitement for games to be changed in the Delta Center in 2027.

The NBA is no closer to wrapping up its investigation of whether the Los Angeles Clippers used salary cap circumvention to pay forward Kawhi Leonard.

According to ESPN.com, the probe could last well into 2027 if there is no agreement on what the investigation ultimately finds and whether any punishment could be forthcoming as a result.

That could be an issue for the Clippers and Leonard, as a proposed trade to the Toronto Raptors is on hold. The deal would have sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and draft pick swaps to Los Angeles for Leonard, who won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.

“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said in a statement. “In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”

The investigation originally centered on reporting by journalist Pablo Torre, who looked into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC broke NBA rules.

Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg pleaded guilty in October 2025 to two counts of wire fraud for what the Department of Justice said was a "multi-year scheme involving fake clients, sham payments, and deceptive loan collateral that caused at least $248 million in losses to numerous victims."

Sanberg was sentenced in June to 14 years in prison, and Torre's podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out" won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting.

New investigation of Leonard

Leonard is possibly involved in a new scandal after a new investigation conducted by Torre, WPRI-TV Target 12, a television station based in Providence, Rhode Island, and investigative news outlet Hunterbrook.

According to the report, Leonard, his uncle Dennis Robertson, and his former agent Mitch Frankel were minority investors in Rhode Island FC and its stadium project. 

The project, located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, became Centreville Bank Stadium, a 10,500-seat facility on the Seekonk River, which received $110 million in public funds to help with construction costs. That plan included the development of new affordable housing, shops and restaurants around the stadium.

Not a single housing unit has been built so far since ground was broken in 2022 for the stadium and the other projects, although city officials said last month that they secured $30 million in investments through loans. Construction on the project is slated to start later this year and is expected to last three to four years.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA probe on Kawhi Leonard could drag into 2027. New incident pops up

Two years ago, Joel Embiid found himself envious of Jayson Tatum.

At the time, Tatum and the Boston Celtics were fresh off winning the 2023-24 NBA championship. The Celtics took advantage of a few CBA loopholes to build an unsustainably deep team (as the past two offseasons have coldly demonstrated), and Embiid took notice.

That summer, Embiid’s trainer, Drew Hanlen, said the big fella gave him “trouble” about Tatum.

“Well, yeah, he’s got a superteam,” Hanlen said while impersonating Embiid. “If I had a superteam too, I would win too, you know?”

Embiid, who was sitting right next to him, chimed in: “I mean, I tell him the same thing. Like, if I go 5-for-20, we get blown out.”

Joel Embiid speaks on Jayson Tatum’s super team. 👀

🔗 Link in bio to watch the full episode! pic.twitter.com/1o2HCDebPH

— Check Ball Show (@TheCheckBall) July 24, 2024

Two years later, the tables have turned.

Tatum’s former teammate, 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, is now in Philadelphia. He wasn’t the Sixers’ only blockbuster acquisition this offseason, either. The Brown trade helped convince LeBron James to finish his career in the City of Brotherly Love on a two-year, veteran-minimum contract. (It’s been nearly a week and that last sentence is still hard to comprehend.)

Between LeBron, Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers arguably have the most star-studded starting five in the NBA. However, championships aren’t won on paper. The Sixers have plenty of work to do over the next year (or two) to figure out their new hierarchy.

Embiid will be key in that.

Embiid’s role on the new-look Sixers

Due to Embiid’s lengthy injury history, the Sixers already spent the past season pivoting away from revolving around him. The arrivals of Brown and LeBron should only accelerate that.

The Sixers no longer need Embiid to average 30-plus points per game for them to have a chance most nights. If anything, they need Embiid to take a hard turn in the opposite direction. They need him to focus on more of the traditional big-man responsibilities.

Last season, Embiid averaged a career-low 7.7 rebounds per game, and the Sixers were 17th in rebounds per game and 14th in rebounding percentage. This offseason, they effectively swapped Andre Drummond, one of the generation’s best rebounders, for Ariel Hukporti, who served as the New York Knicks’ third-string center last season. They also lost Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr., who were fourth and fifth on the team in rebounds per game last year, respectively.

Adding Brown and LeBron should help make up for the departures of George and Oubre in the rebounding department, but Hukporti and Adem Bona aren’t likely to gobble up rebounds like Drummond did. The Sixers need Embiid to hone his box-out techniques and limit opposing teams’ chances of grabbing offensive rebounds.

Embiid also needs to focus more on screen-setting offensively instead of standing at the elbow and demanding the ball. During the regular season last year, Embiid was tied with Lakers center Deandre Ayton for sixth leaguewide in screen assists per game (3.7), and he was tied with Celtics center Neemias Queta for fourth in screen assists points per game (8.8). In last year’s playoffs, he was third in both screen assists (4.6) and screen assist points (10.7) per game, trailing only Oso Ighodaro and Rudy Gobert.

Given the amount of offensive talent on this Sixers roster, Embiid should make it a goal to lead the league in both categories this year. The co-stars in his supporting cast could help make that a reality, too.

Since Embiid no longer has to average 30-plus points per game every night, he can reserve more of his energy for defense, rebounding and screen-setting. He doesn’t need to command the ball on most offensive possessions anymore. LeBron and Maxey figure to be the primary conductors, while Edgecombe and Brown will chip in as well.

That isn’t to say that the Sixers should pivot away from Embiid entirely and turn him into a glorified DeAndre Jordan. It would be a waste of his talent not to take advantage of his 1-on-1 post scoring and his improved passing vision. But neither Embiid nor the rest of the team should ever feel compelled to play hero ball. They have enough talent in their starting five to routinely generate great shot attempts.

The “there’s only one ball!” concern-trolling isn’t going away, at least not until we see these new-look Sixers in action. If Embiid were younger, healthier and in the midst of his MVP prime, perhaps it would be more of a legitimate worry. But Embiid should be at a stage of his career where his individual production no longer matters to him. He’s earned generational wealth and a host of individual accolades. The one thing he still hasn’t done in the NBA is go on a deep playoff run, much less win a title.

The additions of LeBron and Brown this offseason will give Embiid his best-ever chance of doing that. There’s no guarantee of how long that lasts, though. LeBron signed a two-year deal, but he’s turning 42 in December. The Sixers are suddenly smack-dab in a win-now window that appeared all but closed a month ago.

Taking advantage of that will require major sacrifice from everyone, not just Embiid. But for Embiid—the crown jewel and last remnant of the Process—buying into a reduced role and a sharper focus on the little things could make all the difference for the new-look Sixers.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Follow Bryan on Bluesky.

With all the moves the Atlanta Hawks have made this season, some would think that they would done trying to add players. I mean, they have over the standard amount of players on the team, which means somebody is either going to be traded or waived at some point before the start of the season. Nonetheless, the Hawks are still being mentioned in rumors as they try to acquire another player on the team.

The latest rumor came from Shams Charania, as he named the Hawks as one of three teams looking to pursue restricted free agent Peyton Watson. The Denver Nuggets have been trying to find a way to retain him, but his price tag might be too high for them, and they’re currently the only team in the second apron.

The Nuggets can still find a way to keep him and not be too deep in a financial hole, but it would either require them trading other players or him playing on his qualified offer. If neither one of those options works out, there’s a good chance that he’s on a new team next season.

That’s where the Hawks could potentially come into play.

How Peyton Watson fits with the Hawks

It makes sense why the Hawks might be interested in Watson, and he fits everything they want to do on both sides of the ball.

On offense, Watson’s 6’8 frame makes him hard to guard, especially when he’s driving to the paint, which is something he did a lot with the Nuggets. He’s pretty athletic as well, and can get shifty when he’s going up for a layup. The Nuggets didn’t need Watson to create his own shot all the time, but when he did have the ball in his hands, he knew what to do with it.

As far as off-the-ball goes, when you have a player like Nikola Jokic on the team, cutting is essential, and Watson was good at creating shots by doing so. Whether he’s on or off the ball, Watson’s strengths would fit in perfectly with what the Hawks want to do on offense, strictly because he’d thrive with the constant ball movement. Not to forget to mention, Watson shot 41.1% from the 3-point line this past season, and the Hawks are consistently getting those shots up.

On defense, Watson’s length comes into play once again, and he’s good for meeting people at the rim if he has the right angle. He’s good for using his wingspan to get steals, and once he’s in transition, it’s hard to stop him.

The Hawks already have several wings on their team, but he’d be one of the tallest next to Jalen Johnson, who is also 6’8. That would be a plus for the team, and his skill set would go well with the Hawks.

How could the Hawks acquire Peyton Watson?

The Hawks would have to acquire Watson through a sign-and-trade, and the Nuggets are rumored to want a really good high-level player and a first-round pick. The Hawks have some assets that they could offer the Nuggets, but it may get complicated when looking at both of their current situations.

The Nuggets are in the second apron, and their goal shouldn’t be to get themselves deeper in a hole. That means they may have to trade more players, or they might just have to ask for more picks.

With the Hawks having 17 players currently on the roster, they could trade players such as Buddy Hield and Corey Kispert, but those aren’t the level of players they’re looking for in return. Other than that, it’s hard to see the Hawks giving up any of their core players, especially since acquiring Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort in a trade.

In that case, the Hawks and Nuggets may have to find a third team to get into the deal, but it may be even harder to pull that off unless that team is getting something valuable in return.

Out of the current teams who have interest in Watson, the Hawks might have the hardest path, but with them actually being interested shows that they know a path in getting him without making things complicated.

Part I explored the rationale to start Myles Turner. Part II argued for his demotion to the bench. In each of those scenarios, Turner plays a pivotal role in Milwaukee. Of course, it may just be best to cut (ties and trade) him before the season even begins.

Cut (okay, trade): Committing to the reset

Look, this one goes against the cardinal rule I outlined in Part I. But sometimes even the most steadfast of rules needs to be broken. And in the Bucks’ case, breaking this rule would signal a whole-hearted commitment to the reset, clearing away the last real remnants of desperation that came with going “all in” with Giannis (well, besides Gary Trent Jr.).

Turner’s arrival in Milwaukee was met with skepticism from the moment news broke of his signing. Yes, there was buzz—no one foresaw Jon Horst even thinking about waiving and stretching Damian Lillard, let alone following through with it to sign the best free agent available, from the team’s biggest rival no less—but after the shockwave passed, few thought it could really help the Bucks contend. As we know, they were right. And now that Giannis has gone, moving on from Turner would give the new young Bucks a chance to start with a truly clean slate.

But would trading Turner now really be selling him for ten cents on the dollar? If you haven’t seen our numerous articles about it, recent scuttlebutt has linked the Bucks to Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson. And while this is without a doubt intriguing, the Nuggets’ alleged asking price of a Walker Kessler-like deal has all but ruled that out (especially with Ryan Rollins off the table).

As a reminder, the Los Angeles Lakers gave up two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps to acquire Kessler in a sign-and-trade from the Utah Jazz. Yet Kessler, a rim protecting centre who doesn’t have Turner’s floor-spacing, commanded that trade despite playing just five games this past season. And he’s never averaged more than 11.1 PPG, a number Turner has only failed to surpass once in his 11-year career—and that came as a rookie.

Slate-cleaning and underrated trade value aside, moving on from Turner might also be a wise thing to do as part of Milwaukee’s bid to build its culture. Yes, Turner may be one of the team’s elder statesmen and, yes, it’s true that the 2025-26 Bucks were a complete mess of a team. But Turner airing the team’s dirty laundry on his podcast after the season isn’t what you want from a leader either. For a reminder, here’s what Yahoo Sports’ Andy Backstrom reported about it:

Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner revealed on his podcast with New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart that former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers “didn’t fine anybody ever” this past season, and that superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was the teammate who was most likely to be late for team events.

“Guys were late all the time,” Turner told Stewart on a new episode of “Game Recognize Game” that was released Thursday. “Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I personally ever experienced.”

As Backstrom reported, Turner didn’t stop there:

“If the plane took off at 2 o’clock, we weren’t leaving till 4:30,” said Turner, who left the Pacers last offseason to sign a four-year deal worth more than $100 million with Milwaukee after it waived Damian Lillard.

Turner continued: “I’m being so serious, bro. It was crazy, dawg. Guys were an hour late to the plane. It got to the point where I knew not to show up until an hour after they said the plane was taking off. It was crazy.”

When Stewart asked Turner which teammate was most likely to be late, he didn’t have to do much thinking.

“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “Giannis. Giannis is going to show up whenever he wants, really. I think that this kind of just came with the territory that — and once I saw it was going down, I was like, ‘Hey man, s***, more power to you. They ain’t going to fine you. S***, do what you do.’”

In reality, these are not the worst collections of comments a player could say about his team, but they’re certainly not a good look either. Especially if Turner didn’t actively try to do anything about it when it was happening. So, with the Bucks loaded with impressionable young talent, a move that ships off Turner for draft capital—and potentially a wiser presence—may be preferable.

The most obvious partner is the Toronto Raptors, who are in a position to be competitive, have a need at centre—especially one who can space the floor—and would likely give up draft picks to move Jakob Poeltl and the $104m he’s owed through the 2029-30 season. Another team that might be interested is the Los Angeles Clippers, who currently project to start 38-year-old Brook Lopez (no offense, Splash, we’ll always love ya). Heck, there are even scenarios where the Phoenix Suns, who are rightly or wrongly trying to win, and Brooklyn Nets, whose only legitimate centre is Day’Ron Sharpe, are suitors. For this thought exercise, though, it’s the notion that’s important; the team doesn’t really matter.

All options considered—start, bench, or trade—I’d like to see Turner stick around in Milwaukee, with the caveat that Kel’el Ware starts from day one. Myles, it’s time to embrace the bench and become the voice that unites and guides the Bucks back to relevancy.

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There you have it, Brew Hoop community, the complete range of Myles Turner scenarios—unless this writer has missed something. If so, let me know in the comments and share your thoughts on what you think Taylor Jenkins—and/or Jon Horst—should do with last year’s prized free agency addition.

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: Four players (Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Amir Coffey, Isaiah Livers) who finished the 2025-26 season with the Suns will not be back in 2026-27. Which one do you think the Suns might most regret losing?

zenzino: As far as continuity goes, only losing 4 players is pretty good. I’m rarely brief, so I’ll go through them all in reverse order.

While Coffey had a couple of good games against the Suns, we only saw a few flashes of that here. He seems like a player who needs consistent minutes to be effective, and he wasn’t going to get that on this team.

I liked Livers. There were a number of times when he provided a much-needed spark off the bench. I hope he lands with another team and gets an opportunity to develop. That being said, I don’t think we’re going to look at this like a Toumani Camara, one that got away, situation.

I’m not sure regret is the right word, but we are definitely going to miss some of the things Royce brought to the Suns. He was a cultural and chemistry fit. Lots of people like to describe him as a ‘turnstile’ on defense. While he wasn’t the best on-ball defender, he was great at funneling his player to the help (which can look like a blow-by) and was a really good help defender, coming up with a significant number of timely steals. Royce’s average from three was 40%, and he was particularly good in the 4th quarter. He is also an underrated passer. That’s why he was the inbound passer in critical times. I think we’re going to miss having him to inbound the ball in clutch time.

GA edges out Royce with a caveat: health. If he can play 65-75 games this season, we are absolutely going to regret losing him. Let’s not forget that GA and Royce were the main reason the Suns got off to the shockingly good start last season. Almost a third of the way through the season, they were 1 and 2 in percentage and three-pointers made. Furthermore, for most of last season, GA was the only player not named Booker who could create shots for others. The Suns have more of that now, but you can never have too many playmakers setting up their teammates. And let’s not forget the game-winning hustle plays.

My wife is usually around when I’m watching games, occasionally watching, but mostly listening while building Lego or something. Last season she would note every time GA’s name was exclaimed during the game. She hates Duke and says white boys from Duke have a ‘type’ (she’s not wrong). I digress. The point being she would say, “OMG! Grayson Allen again?” And I’d say, “Yeah, they call out when he does something good.” She won’t have that to complain about anymore. And I’ll miss everything about that.

Ashton: This is easily answered as Grayson Allen. I would have listed the first round pick that the Suns gave up, but it was not an option.

As soon as GA was traded, the questions began as to where the Suns’ perimeter shooting would come from, and that is a legitimate question. Okay, Luke Kennard was brought in to fill that hole, but it is still to be determined. And yes, GA suffered injuries that may have been related to his bulking up routine and maybe sleepless nights with the new kid. But he liked it in Phoenix, and I think the Suns may have done him dirty.

OldAz: While I was an advocate for moving a Royce and Grayson, the obvious answer here is Grayson Allen.  They have added youth, length, and athleticism overall (albeit only small improvements with some of the moves), but unless Kennard completely replaces GA’s shooting or Green and Booker have better shooting years, that appears to be the one area of concern on the roster. While I like the roster better overall, I do think there will be a lot of times we miss GA.  I don’t foresee that at any point with the other three.

Rod: I have to say it would be Grayson Allen, as he actually did much more on the court than shoot threes. He always played hard, was a solid ball handler and passer, and actually wasn’t too bad at getting to the basket when he took a mind to.

Royce comes in a closer second than I think many might like to admit, though, and I believe he might get more credit if he hadn’t been pushed into playing the role of the Suns’ starting PF. I hope some of the younger guys learned some of his tricks to fake out defenders at the three-point line and get an almost uncontested shot off. He was also a pretty damn good inbounds passer that I hope the Suns don’t miss too much.

Q2: Of the four players added to the Suns’ roster, Miles Bridges is obviously expected to be the most impactful addition. Between the other three — Luke Kennard, Koa Peat and Pat Spencer — which will have the 2nd biggest impact on the court for the Suns in 2026-27?

zenzino: It damn-well better be Luke Kennard.

If Koa Peat makes a bigger impact, that would probably mean that Bridges and Sheer aren’t making as much of an impact as they should. The same goes for Pat Spencer regarding CG and Goodie. They’re both 3rd or lower on the depth chart, so that would probably mean someone in front of them took a step back.

As discussed in the first question, the Suns traded 2 of their 3 best three-point shooters by percentage and number of threes made. That second part is the most important. Yes, Kennard makes almost half of his three-point shots. Impressive. But he has only averaged 4 attempts per game in his career. That’s not going to cut it. Last season, he averaged only 3.2 despite J.J. Redick giving him the green light to shoot ‘whenever he wants’. Meanwhile, Grayson averaged 9.3, and Royce averaged 6.8.

That’s a big gap the Suns are trying to fill. Do we want our 33-35% three-point shooters (Book, Green, Brooks, Bridges) trying to fill that gap? I don’t.

While I don’t think he’s strictly a one-dimensional player, his 3-point shooting is the only reason the Suns signed him. Obviously, giving Kennard the ‘green light’ isn’t enough. He’s going to have to be pushed out of his comfort zone. That will most likely bring his average down from ‘the best ever’ to merely ‘superhuman,’ and he has to be okay with that.

If he can’t/won’t get his attempts up to around 6-8 per game, we are going to really, really miss GA and Royce.

Ashton: If this question had been phrased with “in the future”, my easy answer would be Koa Peat. But it is not, and we are looking at just next season.

Luke Kennard must be the most impactful shooting guard for next season. The Suns’ playoff hopes depend on it. Yes, there are Spencer advocates out there, but Kennard will make the biggest splash.

Also, some fun facts from Wiki: Kennard beat MSU in the ACC-Big 10 challenge in 2016 with a very strong stat line. I am not sure how that sneaked by the FO or if they still feel the sting of it. And as a good segue from Q1, Kennard was frequently matched up against GA at Duke. So, one former Dukie out and another former Dukie in.

OldAz: Suns fans have a bad (but consistent) habit of expecting the players signed to fill out the roster to be the perfect fit and become the exact missing piece to elevate the team.  Remember Yuta Watanabe?  Or Nigel Hayes-Davis?  Too often these players come in and contribute almost nothing and simply take up a roster spot.  I expect Peat to get buried on the bench like last season’s rookies until he proves he can contribute more, but Kennard and Spencer both contributed last season on teams that were in the mix in the Western Conference.

On paper, they gave their teams about the same production that Jordan Goodwin gave the Suns. Each averaged a little over 20 minutes a game and contributed just under 10 ppg.  I love the scrappiness Spencer brings and think he will become a fan favorite, but I expect Kennard to have the greatest actual impact because he fills that need for shooting better than the others. As a result, I expect he will get more opportunities and playing time…unless he ends up shooting like those previous offseason acquisitions that fell off a proverbial cliff once they arrived in Phoenix.

Rod: As a two-way player, I have to count Spencer out as an impactful player. Kennard’s three-pt shooting makes him the most likely candidate, but at this point in time, I’m not at all certain whether he’ll play a lot of minutes on such a deep roster (see my answer to Q3 for an explanation of this). The same can be said for rookie Koa Peat. Injuries will likely be the deciding factor on which will get the most playing time and the best opportunity to make an impact. Plus, how well each does during training camp and the preseason games could change everything.

At the moment, I’m going with Kennard on this one, though I’m pretty certain that his three-point shooting will get him minutes at times when the Suns really need those points, even if he’s not in the main player rotation.

Q3: With Booker, Green, Brooks, Bridges, and Williams as the likely starters for the Suns this season, which players would you choose for the Suns’ second unit?

zenzino: This is easy. CG, Goodie, Kennard, Sheer, Peat, Oso, and Man Man.

Wait… this is not easy. ‘second unit’ seems a little bit of a misnomer because it’s not like the whole starting lineup sits and then the second unit comes in. I’m going to reject the premise of a second unit.

CG, Sheer, Oso, and probably Goodie are going to be the first off the bench and in regular rotation no matter the matchups and situation. They will have consistent minutes (yes, I put Rasheer Fleming on this list).

How quickly the others are put in the game and how many minutes they get will be based on situations.

Obviously, in games MW sits out, Man Man will be the primary backup to start and maybe take over the 2nd starting position at some point in the season. He’ll also be out there when matchups require his 7’2” length. If SL is any indication, he could earn more and more minutes as the season (and his playing) progresses.

Kennard should be in regular rotation, especially when they need to spread the floor and score some quick threes.

Everyone else is going to be fighting for scrap minutes. Don’t sleep on Highsmith, though. He is a consummate 3 and D guy, forged in Heat Culture, and he should be fully healthy when the season starts.

If I can’t reject the premise: CG, Goodie, Kennard, Sheer, and Oso. For games Oso starts, Man Man slots in his backup role.

Ashton: There are some comments that suggest Green would be better utilized as a sixth man in place of Collin Gillespie as the starter. Sorry, that is not going to happen, but it is an interesting thought. I agree that this will be the starting lineup, but the forward position is a mess for the second unit. The guards were easily the ones to call out. I vacillated between Dunn and Sheer, but thanks to an excellent article from Tom Mildenberger on Ryan Dunn, I decided on my second rotation. I also want to give a shout-out to the commentators with the posts that resonated with me. Why not play Dunn and Sheer both forward spots?

• CG (PG)
• Kennard (SG)
• Ryan Dunn (SF)
• Rasheer Fleming (PF)
• Oso Ighodaro (C)

We don’t know what type of offense or defense Coach Ott is going to roll out on a game-by-game basis, but my guess is that the center position soaks up the most minutes off the bench. For the sixth man or hustle award? I will take Collin Gillespie. I have no idea where to slot Goodie.

OldAz: It’s the offseason so let’s get crazy!

Since we have not seen any of these players together yet, I would love to see a lot of youth served in the second unit, with KM and Fleming in the frontcourt and Colin Gillespie running the show. The wings on this second unit are the most flexible, as Kennard and Goodwin could provide energy and offense, while Dunn and Oso would make for a really long defensive group.  Let’s settle on a bit of balance here by giving Kennard the first shot with this second unit and either of Dunn or Oso finishing up the frontcourt. I am intrigued by playing Oso with KM and Fleming since both can shoot, and Oso seems to connect all the parts well, especially with CG on the court.

I guess this leaves me with CG, Kennard, Oso, KM, and Fleming.  I love giving the young guys a chance here, but in reality this lineup might prove that I am the worst possible GM/Coach in the world.

Rod: This team is so deep now that I’d say that Gillespie is the only lock to be on the 2nd unit. I’d also say that Goodie is close to being a lock, but the addition of Kennard adds a little uncertainty to that…but I could also see them on the court together with Luke at the 2 and Goodie at the 3. Ott really likes Oso (I do too BTW), but I really want Khaman to be Williams’ backup this season because as the 1st and 2nd unit players get mixed on the court, Williams’ and Khaman’s games are more similar and would require less adjustment from the other players than it would with Oso being the first sub at center.

I think that Fleming will get a solid amount of rotation minutes this season and that they will be shared between the 3 and 4 positions. I’d love to see some minutes with him at the 3 with Khaman and Oso playing the 4 and 5 slots. Add Collin and Goodie to those three… must-see TV IMO. I don’t think Ott will play that lineup as his standard 2nd unit, though.

Until I see some preseason action from this team, I’m going with Gillespie, Goodwin, Highsmith, Fleming, and Maluach though. That’s a good mix of vets, youth, and talent.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

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Suns Trivia/History

On July 29, 2020, the Phoenix Suns officially announced the sale of their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, to the Detroit Pistons. The team was supposed to relocate from Prescott Valley to Phoenix to play one more season as the NAZ Suns, but the team withdrew entirely from the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the G League held an abbreviated season in a ‘bubble’ in Orlando, Florida.

On July 31, 2020, the Suns won the first of eight games in the Orlando Bubble, 125-122, against the Washington Wizards, after the 2019-20 regular season had been suspended for 4.5 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With only a 26-39 record before the season resumed (in what were called the “seeding” games) in the bubble, the Suns had an extreme uphill battle to get to the playoffs but won all 8 of their bubble games and missed out on the new Play-In game due only to a tiebreaker between them and Memphis. Despite this, they had the best record of all 22 of the teams that qualified for the bubble; Monty Williams was named Coach of the Seeding Games and Devin Booker was named to the All-Seeding Games First Team.

On August 1, 1994. the Suns traded center Mark West to the Detroit Pistons for a 1996 second-round draft pick and a 1999 2nd round draft pick. West was acquired from Cleveland in 1988 as part of the same trade in which the Suns acquired Kevin Johnson and Tyrone Corbin for Larry Nance and Mike Sanders. He played 8 seasons for the Suns, starting in 349 games, with career averages of 6.9 pts, 6.0 rebs, and 1.7 blocks per game. He is 2nd on the Suns’ All-Time Blocks Leaders list with 897.

On August 1, 1999, the Suns signed Oliver Miller, who was formerly their first-round draft pick (22nd) in 1992, as a free agent to a 1-year deal. Miller, who was notorious for his weight problems, left the Suns after signing a 4-year, 10 million offer sheet from Detroit in 1994. By the time he returned to Phoenix, Miller’s weight was rumored to be near 400 pounds.

On August 1, 2000, the Suns signed Tony Delk as a free agent. Although drafted in the first round with the 16th pick in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets, Delk would spend his 10-year NBA career as a journeyman, never spending more than a season and a half with a single NBA team. For one night though, he was virtually unstoppable as he scored 53 points (at the time the 3rd best scoring performance by a Suns player in team history) in a losing effort against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 2, 2001.

Today his 53-point night still ranks as the 7th best in team history.

On August 3, 2005, following the Quentin Richardson trade to the NYK and while in the extended process of shipping Joe Johnson to Atlanta, the Phoenix Suns signed shooting guard Raja Bell to a five-year, $23.75 million contract. A hard-nosed defender, one of Bell’s most memorable moments as a Sun was during Game 5 of the Suns’ 2006 first-round series vs the Lakers.

The Suns were down 3-1 going into that game but wound up winning the remaining 3 games to take the series and progress to the 2nd round. After defeating the LA Clippers 4-3 in the 2nd round, they went on to the Western Conference Finals where they lost out to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2.

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Important Future Dates

Late September (dates TBD) – NBA Training Camps open
Oct. 5 – Suns @ Pistons (preseason) 4:00 PM
Oct. 7 – Suns @ Bulls (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 10 – Suns vs. Spurs (preseason) 7:00 PM
Oct. 14 – Suns @ Spurs (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 16 – Suns vs. Jazz (preseason) 7:00 PM
Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded
Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027

With the fire sale trade of Ja Morant to Portland, Memphis is fully committed to rebuilding around Cameron Boozer. They got a pretty good idea of his talents in Las Vegas during Summer League play, but like all players outside of Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, Boozer has limitations.

Memphis is building intelligently, though, and has addressed one of his weaknesses: rim protection.

The Grizzlies already had massive Zach Edey, and they picked up Isaiah Stewart, who will also be helpful around the rim. Former BC big man Quinten Post may also be a factor.

The thing about rim protection is that you can guard the rim on the floor too, as Maliq Brown demonstrated over the last two years for Duke.

Boozer may not have massive hops, but he plays good positional defense, and maybe he picked up a thing or two from Brown, who stopped quite a few shots before the shooter left the ground.

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The Houston Rockets are expected to sport a starting lineup featuring Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun for the upcoming season.

Inserting VanVleet as the starting point guard could elevate Houston’s first five and make it one of the best in the league. Bleacher Report contributor Greg Swartz ranked all 30 starting lineups and placed the Rockets at No. 9.

“The Houston Rockets’ starting five should be far more balanced in 2026-27 if VanVleet can play like his pre-ACL tear self,” Swartz wrote.

“Houston tried to go ultra-big at times with no true point guard, leading to a bogged-down offense that needed more playmaking and outside shooting. VanVleet, 32, will need to prove he’s healthy and beat out Marcus Smart for the position. Houston will also be a team to monitor in the trade market if a star point guard becomes available.”

The only teams that ranked higher on Swartz’s list include the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers, who just signed LeBron James to a two-year, $8 million deal.

Van Vliet will have to adjust and shake his rust off after spending over a year on the sidelines, but the Rockets will be a better team with him on the floor. The Rockets will have a floor general that makes the players around him better, setting themselves up for more high-percentage looks. That could make a massive difference in the Rockets’ offense next season.

TDS Community, how do you feel about the team’s starting five going into the season? Let us know in the comments section below.

Here in San Antonio, summer is in full effect. But don’t let the weather fool you, the first day of school is just around the corner. Teachers in my district return Monday with student first day the following Wednesday. If you are local and have school age children, the Spurs are hosting their fifth annual back to school event with supplies and services on August 8th.

Per a Spurs press release:

“Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) is hosting its fifth annual Back to School Bash at Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Aug. 8 from 12-3 p.m. Parents, students and teachers in grades K-12 are invited to attend this event for free school supplies and resources while supplies last. Registration is now open and required for attendance.“

Services include:

• School supplies for K-12 grade levels
• Dental screenings
• Heart screenings
• Glucose screenings
• Haircuts
• Information booths for school enrollment, extracurricular activities, mental health support and family support services.

Patricia Mejia, Chief Impact & Inclusion Officer at SS&E stated,

“Every student deserves to begin the school year with the tools and confidence they need to succeed. Back to School Bash is about removing barriers for families while bringing our community together to support students and educators. We’re grateful to our partners who make this event possible and help set thousands of young people up for a strong start to the school year.”

Parents and/or guardians are required to be present with their children. Participating educators must have their teacher ID upon entering the event. Items and services will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and only while supplies last.

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Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. In every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in college hoops.

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On episode 211 of the Bucketheads Podcast, Justin and Connor are joined by Will Guillory of The Athletic. Guillory covers the Houston Rockets, which is now the home of two former Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton and Jae’Sean Tate.

Guillory was on site in Las Vegas for all the Summer League action, so we discussed Thornton and his performance. Where does Thornton fall in the rotation? Can he expect minutes early? Was Guillory surprised by the decision to draft Thornton? And what does Guillory like about Thornton’s game?

We also talked about Jae’Sean Tate and his role with the Rockets, Kevin Durant and working with the players, and some of the stories he has written in his career.

Remember to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen, leave a comment, and review! We have episodes every Thursday morning.

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Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN

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Twitter: @lemons_connor

Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba

Connect with Will:
Twitter: @WillGuillory