CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 11: Maddy Westbeld #21 celebrates hitting a three pointer with her teammate Rachel Banham #24 of the Chicago Sky during the second half against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena on September 11, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s been an up-and-down couple of years for Maddy Westbeld, who began her WNBA career in the Chicago Sky’s rotation last year but has seen more limited opportunities this season as a developmental contract player.
Now, Westbeld has signed a rest-of-season contract with the Phoenix Mercury, meaning that a greater on-court role could be looming.
Westbeld was drafted 16th overall by the Sky in 2025 and averaged 13.6 minutes per game in her rookie season in Chicago. She averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. But this year, Westbeld was waived and later signed to a developmental contract. After appearing in 26 games in her rookie season, she played just 3 games for the Sky in 2026.
Before her pro career, Westbeld was a standout at Notre Dame, having averaged 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals across five seasons, while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc. The 6’3 forward was a three-time member of the All-ACC team.
Maddy Westbeld could see a more significant opportunity with the Phoenix Mercury
Now, Westbeld will see an increased opportunity playing on a rest-of-season contract with the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury, who are 13-23, have had a difficult season on the heels of a finals appearance.
Phoenix traded Monique Akoa Makani and future draft compensation for Kelsey Plum ahead of the midseason trade deadline, but despite the upgrade at guard, they’re unlikely to make the playoffs. The Mercury are currently 7 games behind the Dallas Wings, who currently hold onto the 8th and final playoff spot.
As such, the rest of the season will likely center around player development — of which Westbeld could be a major part — and convincing Plum to re-sign with the team in free agency.
Trading a player of the status of Jaylen Brown is an ownership decision. Most NBA owners don't have to sign off on a trade or releasing the 14th man on the roster, but when we're talking about an All-NBA player, the team's leading scorer last season and a guy who finished sixth in MVP voting, the owner is in on the process.
Celtics owner Bill Chisholm joined @TheGregHillShow for the 24th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon and discussed the Jaylen Brown trade:
"I truly believe we have the best front office in the NBA, and I think it's a source of advantage for us every day. So I definitely… pic.twitter.com/MHRC8sxCU9
"I definitely have a level of trust in Brad and his team. But man, as a fan, that was tough. I really needed to be convinced to take the fan passion out of it, because I'm a super fan, was tough. You have to be a sociopath if you don't worry a little bit about what other fans are going to think...
"We've got the best brains in basketball, and this was something they had conviction around."
Stevens was direct when addressing the trade in its wake: This was about the financial realities of the NBA and having two players, Brown and Jayson Tatum, on supermax contracts: "The path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our (salary) cap, and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players."
That the realities of the second apron and tax system forced the trade is just fine with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and 29 other NBA owners, but it doesn't sit well with fans — the people who ultimately pay the NBA's bills. Celtics fans were invested in Brown, he was drafted into the organization, grew there into one of the game's top players, and won a title there. Being forced to trade a fan-favorite player like that starts to erode fan loyalty and trust, and that is a slippery slope for the league.
Boston will still be good next season. They got back Paul George in the trade, who, at age 36, is still a good player when healthy and will fit well in a role next to Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and a Boston team that will still be near the top of the East in the regular season. The Celtics also picked up a couple of first-round draft picks in the deal, giving them future flexibility.
However, any trade where the owner needs to be convinced is one a team should think long and hard about.
Sep 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger looks on before the game at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country.
Their purchase was abrupt, followed by the equally unexpected news that the Buss family would be joining that sale…maybe. It’s also hard to speculate about what the future may look like when the owners appear to have bought the team without much of a plan for the future.
It all feels like a bit of a mess with a lot of drama, which is often the Lakers way.
Still, there’s a new future awaiting the purple and gold. Not only is it new ownership for the Lakers, but it’s also new sports owners, period. While Kushner has been a minority owner in the NBA, neither he nor Iger has been the lead decision-maker for a sports franchise.
So, that’s where we took this week’s SB Nations Reacts survey question as we asked fans what their feelings are about the new ownership.
On the plus side, the Lakers are being taken over by another owner with lots of money. Kushner’s net worth is measured in the billions, so money should not be an issue, as was the case under Walter.
In Iger, the Lakers are getting someone who revitalized a Disney brand that was once massive but had hit rough times. That feels an awful lot like the Lakers. He’s also someone very familiar with the NBA, even if he hasn’t owned a team in any capacity before.
On the negative, though, is the sort of elephant in the room that we keep noting is that neither of these guys has done this before. There’s a decent chance this doesn’t work.
These two have had success running companies outside of sports. Will that translate? It feels like anyone’s guess.
Victor Wembanyama is taking over as captain of the French men's basketball team at age 22 ahead of 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers later this month, making him the youngest to be named captain of the national team since Tony Parker in 2003.
Wembanyama, who succeeds Rudy Gobert as captain, was chosen for "his exemplary character, his work ethic and for the future," national team head coach Frédéric Fauthoux said, according to a translation of a French basketball federation press release.
Wembanyama marked the occasion by delivering a speech to his teammates, noting "the veterans I watched play for the French national team when I was little."
"Being captain is first and foremost about setting an example, being a leader, through performance on the court, knowing the systems, the opponents, and bringing calm," Wembanyama said, according to the federation. "This window (of games) is a good opportunity to experience this new chapter with the coaching staff as captain. It's probably earlier than I expected, and likely earlier than everyone else expected. But it's not rushed either."
Wembanyama may not have been captain at the Paris Olympics, but he led the French team to a runner-up finish, losing a classic final to the U.S. He scored a game-high 26 points in the final, plus made made the tournament all-star team along with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Dennis Schröder.
"I'm learning," a teary-eyed Wembanyama said after the final. "I'm worried for the opponents in a couple of years."
If France qualifies for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, Wembanyama would be in line to be the youngest French men's national team captain going into a major tournament since Parker at the 2003 EuroBasket.
It the Netflix series "Court of Gold," outgoing 2024 French Olympic captain Nicolas Batum said, "My generation, the Tony generation, we're gone now. Now the Wemby generation's coming up and now this is yours."
Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons. Submit your question in the comments section here or on Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @RobbieBettelon. If you’re on BlueSky, you can also send to @RobbieBettelon.bksy.social.
Join us live on Thursday night as Wes and Robbie go through some thought experiments together, and then draft their versions of an All-Time Pistons team. What questions would you like to add to the show?
Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.
The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.
DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 24: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots as Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends during the third quarter at American Airlines Center on January 24, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026-27 NBA schedules have been out for about a week now. It’s true, the Dallas Mavericks are something of a question mark this season, but the team’s slate is still chock-full of appointment television. The season tips off on Wednesday, October 21st in Houston and concludes at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, April 11th.
In between lay 80 juicy NBA morsels ripe for the watching. Here are five dates that we think stand out on the schedule:
Oct. 21: Irving’s presumptive return
The season opener at the Houston Rockets on Oct. 21 is interesting for a number of reasons. It’s the start of Cooper Flagg’s second season, in which he could vault himself into another tier of stardom in the NBA. It will be our first look at Dusty May and his coaching philosophy as he transitions from a meteoric rise in the college game. Not to mention, our first look at Morez Johnson Jr., who played for May last year during the Michgan Wolverines’ NCAA title run.
But, make no mistake, all eyes will be on Kyrie Irving if the season opener is indeed his first game back after missing the entire 2025-26 season while rehabbing from a torn left ACL. How good can the 34-year-old be in his 15th NBA season?
Irving has looked nice in the workouts he and others have posted to social media, but those are workouts. What will he look like in an NBA game? Will the speed and footwork be intact early in the season, or will he have to work his way back into form? Questions will be answered.
Dec. 17: The next Superteam
Name recognition will not be an issue when the Mavericks travel to Philadelphia to play the new-look 76ers for the first time this season on Dec. 17. LeBron James. Jaylen Brown. Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey. VJ Edgecombe. This one could be an ugly result for Mavs fans, but it’s an opponent you simply don’t want to miss.
You may ask, why not Feb. 15, when the 76ers travel to Dallas? Couldn’t it, after all, be James’ final appearance at American Airlines Center? Yes. Yes, it could be. But for whatever reason, I’m choosing to believe that he will exercise the player option for his second season of the two-year deal he signed with the Sixers in July.
Jan. 16: Garden party against the champs
The Mavericks get their first look against the World Champion New York Knickerbockers on Jan. 16, when they travel to Madison Square Garden for the first of two matchups during the 2026-27 season.
That’s right, former Maverick Jalen Brunson is an NBA Champion, as Dallas’ fortunes have gone in the opposite direction lately. Brunson has emerged as one of the best point guards in the game since signing with New York, one of the many sources of angst for Mavericks fans.
The Mavericks dropped both games to the Charlotte Hornets last season, including one instant classic wherein former Duke roommates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel showed glimpses of greatness. In that 123-121 Mavericks loss on Jan. 29, Flagg dropped what was then a season- and career-high scoring mark of 49 points, but Knueppel scored 34 points on 8-of-12 from 3-point range, including two free throws with four seconds left to put the Hornets over the top in their first meeting since college. Flagg nailed his third 3-ball of the game 18 seconds earlier to knot the game at 121-121.
The second Mavs-Hornets matchup of the season wasn’t nearly as dramatic, as the Hornets ran away with a 117-90 win in a game that Flagg missed with a sprained foot. Flagg would go on to narrowly beat Knueppel out for NBA Rookie of the Year honors with an incredible stretch of individual performances to close out the regular season. He would best that 49-point performance with 51 points and six rebounds against the Orlando Magic on April 3.
On Jan. 19, the Mavericks welcome Knueppel and the Hornets to American Airlines Center for a renewal of the friendly rivalry between the first overall and the fourth overall selections in the 2025 NBA Draft. Here’s hoping both of the young stars are healthy and available for that one.
Feb. 28: Luka’s birthday party
Luka Dončić returns to the scene of the crime with the Los Angeles Lakers in tow on his birthday, Feb. 28. What will the tenor of Dončić’s relationship with his team at that point? The Lakers are in the midst of a major roster shift after James left to join the 76ers in free agency and the team signed center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz.
Two things will be certain. Dončić, if healthy, will receive a warm welcome from the AAC crowd, and he will look to put on a show. There’s no way this one ends up a ho-hum, everyday regular-season date. Expect fireworks reminiscent of Dončić‘s 45-point explosion on April 9, 2025, his first game back after The Trade That Shall Not Be Spoken Of.
Oh, and Flagg should be there, too, having taken the mantle of All-Everything Man for the Mavericks in the wake of said trade.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 5: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates during the game against the New York Knicks during Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 8, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2025-26 player reviews! The series will look at the players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts and who played consequential minutes and/or a vital role (so no two-way players because we hardly saw them this year, no players who were traded away, and none of the deep bench centers, since they were both irrelevant and are now all gone).
Contract Status: 1 year, $16.9 million remaining (5-year, $252 million extension kicking in on 2026/27)
Age: 22
LeBron James will likely start the last chapter of an amazing career in Philadelphia, looking for one last ring to add to his resume. Whether Victor Wembanyama will reach the heights of one of the best players ever remains unclear, but Wemby already has one unique thing in common with LeBron: both entered the league with incredible hype and not only lived up to it but exceeded expectations.
Wemby was clearly a once-in-a-generation prospect, but some doubters compared him to Chet Holgrem and even Bol Bol. Despite playing out of position and without a point guard for part of his first year, he proved them wrong by winning Rookie of the Year and finishing second in the Defensive Player of the Year race. By his second season, the question was whether he could expand his offensive game to be more efficient, and he delivered, making his first All-Star Game before having to sit out the last few months after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, an injury that likely cost him a DPoY award and his first potential trip to the playoffs. Then, heading into this past season, after proving he could dominate individually, the challenge was to show he could stay on the floor and win at a high level.
To say Wembanyama was up to the task would be an understatement. Between the regular season and playoffs, he played 87 games, finishing third in MVP voting after leading the Spurs to a 62-win season, the midseason tournament finals, and a trip to the NBA Finals. He battled a calf strain early in the season that sidelined him for 12 games and nearly cost him his first Defensive Player of the Year award, but he reached the threshold, also getting his first All-NBA team berth. His minutes were monitored and reduced during the regular season, but he still managed to post career-highs in points and rebounds while improving his offensive efficiency in both scoring and ball security. There is no longer any doubt that he’s one of the best players in the league, at age 22.
Wembanyama is already so good that it’s possible to discuss his greatness by just listing achievements, even though he’s been in the league for just three years. Most criticisms, even the valid ones, can seem like nitpicking. Still, the fact that he clearly has room to grow after such a fantastic season is mindblowing. The struggles with heavy minutes in the playoffs might not be solvable for a player of his size, but the mental mistakes that resulted from them should be. Similarly, opponents will always try to be extra physical with him, and after showing he’s not scared to retaliate, he should learn how to do so without risking suspensions. Wemby can shoot, but his love of the fadeaway can sometimes take him away from better looks. He can handle the ball, but sometimes tries to pull off spectacular moves or tries to take over by attacking off the dribble instead of focusing on getting the ball close to the basket. Even on defense, he can get better at roaming.
It’s exciting for Spurs fans and scary for the rest of the league to think about how great Wembanyama was last season while having real but solvable flaws that still didn’t prevent him from almost being the best player on a title winner.
Looking ahead
Wembanyama signed an extension for the flat 25 percent of the cap, foregoing the escalators that could have paid him up to 30 percent if he reached what, for a player of his caliber, were very attainable goals. It’s not a discount yet, because there was also a chance he didn’t reach the 65-game threshold required for the distinctions he needed to earn the most, but his decision does give the Spurs’ front office predictability for the future, which is huge in the apron era. The gesture also shows how committed Wemby is to the franchise and sets the tone for others.
As for Wembanyama’s future, we’ll see if he has added any new weapons to his arsenal after having a mini-camp in Paris with some of his Spurs teammates when he suits up for the French national team for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in late August. Ideally, he’d have a jump hook ready, but Wemby prefers perimeter moves, which is fine. If he continues to get more comfortable operating around the free-throw line (AKA The Dirk Spot), he could develop go-to moves from there and delay the post work for later in his career. With Team France having other good big men, he might get a chance to practice sharing the floor with a center, something that didn’t always work last season. In general, it’s safe to assume Wembanyama will show up to training camp as a better player, since his competitiveness and work ethic are top tier.
Barring something unforeseen, Wembanyama will be one of the top players in the world for a long time, and the Spurs will be contenders as long as he’s around.
Top Performance
May 18 at Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals: 49 minutes, 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks,9 points in 2OT.
There are so many great Wemby performances to choose from, but the sheer impressiveness of the numbers and the fact that the Thunder were at full strength for Game 1 makes this one special.
By no means are we trying to be fatalistic as we trudge along through the middle of August and wait for Sixers training camp to open in late September. However, it’s at least worth pondering what MIGHT not work for Philly in a season that’s probably got more hype than any season we’ve seen for the franchise in over two decades. So, where do we begin?
The most obvious concern that comes with the Sixers this season is one that gets paraded out rather frequently whenever LeBron James changes teams. Will the “LeBron Show” get in the way of the team actually winning games? Could there be too much emphasis on playing through James? At 41, set to turn 42 at the end of the calendar year, James being a team’s top option is certainly not a strategy conducive to winning a championship.
The “LeBron Show” concerns extend beyond the on-court X’s and O’s. James is (reportedly, though it’s been refuted) going to have a film crew with him throughout his time in Philadelphia as his end-of-career documentary gets captured. How much of a distraction could that and James not even living in the Philadelphia area (again, reportedly) pose for the rest of the roster?
Despite the countless pictures that have been breaking social media lately, Joel Embiid’s health will always be a question mark on Philadelphia’s ceiling. Is Ariel Hukporti finally a viable backup to Embiid in order to weather the storm when the inevitable absences arise for the former MVP? This has been a problem for most of Embiid’s career. The Sixers do not win enough of the minutes he’s not on the floor and as Embiid continues to age, it’s even harder to count on him being available.
The 2026 postseason is a good example of the “Jekyll & Hyde” nature Embiid performs with in his 30s. In the first round series against Boston, Embiid did not play in the first three games. He then went on to become the first player in NBA history to score 100 total points in a playoff series without playing in the first three games and the Sixers pulled off the crowning postseason achievement of Embiid’s career, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Celtics. However, Embiid simply wasn’t able to hold up and the only game the Sixers were even competitive in during the Knicks series in the next round was Game 2, a game that Embiid did not play in.
Bear in mind that going into the 2026 playoffs, the Sixers still had to get out of the play-in tournament having finished seventh in the Eastern Conference. Knowing that Embiid is essentially guaranteed to miss at least 30 games in the regular season, will the Sixers have enough in the tank from Hukporti or someone else to finish top-four in the East? Not only does a high seed allow for an easier path in the playoffs, but an easier path would probably allow the Sixers to take it easy with Embiid’s minutes for at least one round. That’s all stuff that needs to be factored in when it comes to discussing just how high the ceiling is for the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers.
Is it possible VJ Edgecombe’s development is stunted? Not that acquiring Jaylen Brown and James was a mistake by Mike Gansey and company, but maybe Edgecombe doesn’t take the next step. Nick Nurse will likely want to find some minutes for Labaron Philon and certainly for Anfernee Simons and does playing time for the two of them compromise the rising star?
Maybe Nurse doesn’t handle the backcourt rotation well enough. As we sit here in the middle of August, with recently-drafted guards in Edgecombe and Philon in the fold and Simons having just signed, you would think there’s a path towards minimizing Tyrese Maxey’s minutes in the regular season. However, Nurse has always been one to ride his starters and maybe that’s a needle he can’t or doesn’t want to thread and Maxey gets worn out in February or March.
Stunting the growth of Edgecombe and Nurse finding the right mix with his entire rotation can be combined into one commonly-voiced concern around the NBA when it comes to the Sixers. Maxey, James, Brown and Embiid are all high-usage players. All four players have been the focal point of offensive attacks at various points in their careers. Winning press conferences by saying things like, “I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” is one thing. But can those words actually be turned into tangible actions during an 82-game regular season plus the postseason? Will the stars of the Sixers be able to set their egos aside once the ball goes up in the air in October and the games start counting for real? It’s always going to be a concern any time a “superteam” takes the court for the first time.
Lastly, how does Brown handle the pressure of playing in another highly intense sports market, after being traded to the Sixers from one of their rivals? Yes, Brown is a former NBA Finals MVP, but we all know it wasn’t the cleanest of exits for Brown from Boston. If the Sixers get out on the wrong foot, there could be some mental hurdles that Brown will have to clear.
Perhaps none of these concerns are legitimate. It would be great if none of them were and the Sixers coasted to 55+ wins and were a top three seed in next spring’s Eastern Conference playoffs. But we’ve seen examples in every sport of teams that look good on paper before the season starts that can’t put it all together during the season. Anyways, enjoy the rest of the offseason, Sixers fans.
Last week, I spoke with OG Anunoby about his new partnership with Essentia Water and an upcoming, mysterious ‘supercharged’ event that would give Knicks fans a chance to relive one of the defining moments of the team’s championship run.
On Tuesday, Anunoby and Essentia revealed their surprise. The Knicks forward appeared at the Essentia Supercharged Court, a temporary basketball court installed in Times Square between 42nd and 43rd streets. The free event brought basketball, music and interactive activities to the middle of Manhattan, but the main attraction was OG recreating his Game Four tip-in from the NBA Finals.
With the Knicks trailing the Spurs and 1.2 seconds remaining, Anunoby tipped in the winning basket to complete New York’s comeback from 29 points down. That hand-of-God moment proved the capper for one of the wildest games of NBA postseason history, and the play immediately became part of Knicks legend.
Yesterday in Times Square, Anunoby recreated the scene for large crowd of excited fans. One difference: this time OG played the role of Jalen Brunson, taking shots while players from the legendary Gersh Park Basketball program tried to tip in his misses.
And we have a winner! This side-by-side video, courtesy of Courtside Buzz, puts Tuesday’s attempt next to the real thing:
The event was part of Essentia’s “Change the Equation” campaign, which the company has built around taking risks, pushing through pressure, and pursuing ambitious goals. According to the company, Anunoby’s championship season made him a natural fit.
When I spoke with him ahead of the event, Anunoby told me that Essentia was his “favorite thing to drink” and said the partnership provided an opportunity to give something back to the community. The Times Square court allowed fans something most of us couldn’t afford in the Finals: front row seats to the action. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here’s video from the event:
UNCASVILLE, CT - AUGUST 14: Doc Rivers receives his Hall of Fame Jacket during the Tip-Off Celebration & Awards Gala as part of the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on August 14, 2025 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
August. Continues. To. Stagnate. Still, there are bits and pieces—rumours and news and everything in between—that you might have heard about (yes, it took a lot of resistance not to force a deer-related pun in there—and for the headline). Let’s catch up.
Brayden Burries keeps balling
You love basketball. I love basketball. Brayden Burries loves basketball. Playing for team Problems, Burries has proven to be a problem, carving it up in the Drew League:
19 points, seven rebounds, three assists on July 20
24 points, five rebounds, one assist on July 26
40 points, 12 rebounds, two assists on August 9
23 points, six rebounds, eight assists on August 17
He’s gone to the line 40 times over the four outings, so, as you’d expect, it seems no one can guard him. But, having made just 26 of those (65%), perhaps we are destined to have stars who struggle at the line. Eek. Regardless, his play was good enough for Week 6 Player of the Week honours.
Speaking of Burries, ESPN published its rookie-focused Summer Forecast, projecting just how well the 2026 draft class will fare next season and beyond. While he didn’t feature as prominently as the top picks, Burries was voted the rookie most likely to be the biggest draft steal:
Burries got the most votes by a big margin here after the Bucks snatched him up at No. 10. It was not surprising that he was the last of the talented freshman guards picked in the lottery: Burries (who turns 21 in September) was significantly older than his peers by draft standards and is viewed as more of a true combo guard at 6-foot-4. He should have a good opportunity to spread his wings in Milwaukee, with the Bucks entering a full rebuild post-Giannis and sorely needing the injection of backcourt talent.
Between his offseason play, stature and positional uncertainty, and physicality—and, more likely, my unbridled offseason optimism—I can’t help but see flashes of Dwy— No, I won’t go there. I just won’t. Yet.
Schedule release geeking
With both the preseason andregular season schedules released, we finally have something tangible to fawn over (okay, so maybe I couldn’t resist after all). I can’t wait for all of these, but here’s what has me most geeked:
Opening the preseason against the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves. My strategy? Feature Kyle Kuzma and convince Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly that he’s the answer to their hole at power forward following the trades that sent out Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Anything less than 20 shots will be a failure. Seriously (not seriously).
Every game against the Miami Heat. Duh! Giannis will probably go for 40+ each time, but the Bucks will split the series—if not win it.
Wednesday, January 27 at Utah. In a loaded draft class featuring a bevy of guards, Darryn Peterson was the consensus best. How does Burries stack up? In fact, while we’re at it, let’s add Thursday, November 8 vs. Mikel Brown Jr. and the Brooklyn Nets; Tuesday, December 1 vs. Kingston Flemings and the Atlanta Hawks; Friday, January 8 vs. Keaton Wagler and the Los Angeles Clippers; and Thursday, January 21 vs. Darius Acuff and the Sacramento Kings. Bring the smoke. I want all of it—and I’m sure Burries does too.
Hall of Fame enshrinement
Despite no former Milwaukee Bucks being enshrined into the Hall of Fame—how Marques Johnson continues to be snubbed is ludicrous to me—there was a certain former coach who got inducted. Yes, Doc Rivers’ time with the Bucks was uninspiring, but they did claim the 2024 NBA Cup title, which is at least something. And, in all honesty, you don’t win as many games as he did as coach—1,194, the sixth-most ever—by accident, regardless of how many good players you’ve had.
In a Q&A with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, Rivers provided insight into all things coaching, with some particularly notable remarks about Rajon Rondo, who worked with the Bucks last season:
The guy that is not a part of the tree yet, but I think Rajon Rondo is going to be one hell of a coach. He’s the smartest human being I’ve ever coached, and he works at it. He was with me all this [past season in Milwaukee]. Now he’s a savant — and that doesn’t go well at times, because he sees [the game differently].”
On another note, Rivers didn’t seem particularly concerned with any of the criticism that has come his way coaching in the social media era:
I don’t say anything to anybody. I don’t care. Social media is what it is — a lot of cowards. A lot of people make comments. I wish everybody would love me. And the ones that I don’t, I don’t care either. You know what I mean by that? I don’t care about all that stuff. It definitely changed players for sure, but it has had no effect on me.
Ultimately, Rivers reflected on his enshrinement with humility, ending by speaking to the simple truth that too often goes overlooked when it comes to professional sports:
I’m uncomfortable. I love it, but it’s just too much attention. But it is cool. But come on. If you’re anything in sports, and they tell you you’re in the Hall of Fame, there is no other higher honor that you can get to. It’s the highest of the highest honors, and I embrace that. I fully understand the magnitude of it. But it makes you very humble more than anything. And as a coach, you just know how hard coaching is, and how hard it is to win. People don’t give winning enough credit. Winning is hard.
Congratulations on all that you’ve achieved in this game, Doc.
UNCASVILLE, CT – AUGUST 14 : Doc Rivers poses for a portrait during the Tip-Off Celebration & Awards Gala as part of the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on August 14, 2025 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Oxymoronic: Restricted free agents
The Bucks are apparently still sniffing around on restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin, but the stagnation continues here too, according to Marc Stein:
Not much has changed, I’m told, on the Bennedict Mathurin front. Sources say that the restricted free agent’s representatives remain engaged with the Pelicans, Bulls and Bucks. And the door on a return to the Clippers, according to one source briefed on the process, remains open even after LA re-signed Bradley Beal earlier this week.
The same can be said for Peyton Watson. Still, The Athletic’s Sam Amick believes that there is a plot twist yet to come and continued delays might actually benefit the Bucks:
As for Watson’s leaguewide suitors, the Bucks would benefit from a longer delay here because it would open up sign-and-trade options that might be more amenable to their priorities. More specifically, Sept. 6 looms as the first date on which they can aggregate players acquired in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with Miami. If they were looking to avoid sending a first-round pick (or two) Denver’s way, as our Eric Nehm reported recently, the prospect of sending rotation players instead would be a possible solution. That route could allow them to avoid using the $25.5 million trade exception that was created in the Antetokounmpo deal (that scenario would require the Nuggets to be out of the second apron).
So, while nothing appears imminent, there are at least a few reasons to believe the quiet might not last forever.
Not so tantilising trade speculation
One last one—just for a laugh. In my perusal of all things Bucks, I kept stumbling across this trade idea from Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes:
Golden State Warriors Acquire: Tyler Herro*, Myles Turner, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kevin Porter Jr.
Milwaukee Bucks Acquire: Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Will Richard, 2027 first-round pick (top-4 protected), 2031 first-round pick
Look, I love a frivolous trade idea as much as the next person, especially in August. But seriously? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised—they did predict the Bucks to go 18-64.
That’s a wrap on Bucks-related news, folks—for now at least. Which of these has grabbed your attention? Share your thoughts in the comments and, if I’ve missed something, be sure to spread the word (perhaps even via a post in The Feed). While you’re there, don’t forget to vote in this week’s Bucks Reacts poll and stay tuned for the shooting guard installment of our “Choose Your Own Adventure” starter series, coming tomorrow.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 25: Collin Gillespie #12 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 25, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Collin Gillespie was a revelation for the Phoenix Suns last season, and it may have surprised some folks… not me.
I’ve been higher on him than most, so high that I threw him in the mix for Sixth Man of the Year last preseason and was (somewhat) ridiculed for those lofty expectations. Okay, maybe not ridiculed, but an eye roll or two for being a homer from our Bright Siders, no doubt.
But now I know what most people are thinking from the outside looking in. A 27-year-old 6’1” guard? He hit his peak during his breakout, surely, right?
Not so fast.
Gillespie’s 2025-26 season wasn’t a lightning-strike anomaly. It was a floor being set. The undrafted Villanova product who spent three consecutive years scrapping on two-way deals just logged his first full season in a legitimate rotation, and what he showed over 80 games was a player operating at maybe 75 percent of his ceiling. The stats support this. The tape supports this. The situation supports this. He is not a finished product yet.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 14: Collin Gillespie #12 of the Phoenix Suns celebrates with Devin Booker #1 after scoring against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 14, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Suns 114-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Numbers
Let’s get specific. The Suns owned a plus-3.7 net rating with Gillespie on the floor in the regular season compared to a minus-2.2 net rating with him on the bench. That’s not a coincidence. In an 82-game NBA season, that’s a direct measurement of what happens when a guy plays versus when he doesn’t. Gillespie appeared in 80 games, so uhh, yeah… that’s a quality sample size.
Most of that value came from his three-point shooting and decision-making in transition. Despite being undersized, he fights like hell on defense. He picks up opponents 94 feet. He dives for loose balls. He fights through screens. All the green flags that we’d expect from this new Suns culture.
Gillespie thrived from behind the arc, shooting 40.1 percent on three-pointers while taking 7.2 long-range shots per game, ending the year with 232 triples, tied for the seventh-most among all players. In addition to his sharp shooting, he brings a steady assist-to-turnover ratio, an ability to navigate the pick-and-roll in late-game situations, and a willingness to attack closeouts with genuine basketball IQ rather than herky-jerky athleticism.
His game has a foundation that isn’t built on flash. But don’t get it twisted… he has some flashy moments when he’s in the zone.
Career Path
Gillespie didn’t walk into a perfect situation by any means. He initially went undrafted in 2022 before signing a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. He didn’t play during the 2022-23 season due to injury and wasn’t able to carve out a consistent role in Denver’s rotation throughout his 2023-24 campaign. Phoenix took a flyer on him on a two-way contract in July of 2024 as a dartboard depth piece. He wasn’t promised anything, so he went out and earned it.
The 2025-26 campaign? He started in 58 games, establishing himself as a key piece of Phoenix’s offense after initially being outside of the Suns’ rotation to begin the season. That’s progression. That’s the byproduct of earning trust.
What’s Next?
People assume breakout seasons plateau, especially for late bloomers. I think that’s lazy thinking. Gillespie’s still figuring out how to operate with consistent starter’s minutes. He’s still adjusting to playing alongside Devin Booker in a coherent system. He’s still learning how to manage his aggression in tight games.
Gillespie averaged a career-high 12.7 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field. That’s solid. But a guy who shoots 40 percent from three at volume should be finding ways to push closer to 15-16 PPG by year four. They may not even need that type of offense in a perfect world where everyone is healthy, but we all know how an NBA season goes. When Booker or Green miss time, his offensive role shifts entirely and he needs to be more aggressive.
His assist numbers should climb to five or more per game with more usage. His playmaking, which is genuinely elite-level if you’re watching the movement, hasn’t been fully unleashed.
Following his breakout 2025-26 season, Gillespie signed a four-year contract worth $48 million with Phoenix. That’s $12 million per year. It’s the right price for a player still ascending, still proving he belongs, still hungry.
Free agent guard Collin Gillespie intends to sign a four-year, $48 million deal to return to the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN. Gillespie spent three straight seasons on two-way contracts after going undrafted out of Villanova in 2022 and now earns a lucrative long-term deal. pic.twitter.com/HIBFG0dDMU
The Suns didn’t just pay for what Gillespie was in 2025-26. They paid for that floor and whatever else he can add to his game with a full season of being a rotation staple under his belt.
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics is sits on the floor after being injured while playing the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on October 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Normally, entertaining a ‘What if?’ scenario is a fun exercise. You change one thing, start pulling on the thread and see how ridiculous you can make everything on the other end. Maybe Kevin Durant actually says yes to Tom Brady’s recruiting pitch. Maybe Danny Ainge finally cashes in the war chest on Anthony Davis without sacrificing either Jay.
Considering what if Gordon Hayward never got hurt is not a fun exercise.
If you give me the power to go back to October 17, 2017, there is no debate: I’m grabbing Hayward out of midair like an overprotective parent catching a toddler jumping off the couch. I’m moving Jae Crowder six feet to his left. I’m running onto the court and blocking Kyrie’s lob pass. I’ll pull the fire alarm at Quicken Loans Arena if I have to.
Anything to keep Hayward from landing the way he did.
The problem comes after that.
Less than three weeks after the injury, Hayward spoke to reporters at the Celtics’ practice facility about what those first few weeks had been like.
“I still have negative thoughts; it’s hard not to, especially when you watch the games,” Hayward said during that November 2017 press conference. “I think I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t have those thoughts.”
There’s no version where I’m rooting for the injury because of what it may have accidentally set in motion. But for a franchise that eventually got Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Banner 18 out of the real timeline, I’m increasingly nervous about what else I’m undoing by preventing it.
So…how good was that team supposed to be?
In short? Really, really good.
I think time has flattened the 2017-2018 Celtics into “that team Gordon Hayward got hurt on,” which undersells how absurd the setup looked before Opening Night.
Hayward was 27 years old and coming off the best season of his career in Utah. He had averaged 21.9 points, had just made his first All-Star team and looked like the exact kind of big, versatile wing Brad Stevens could build an offense around.
On top of that, Boston had just traded Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving.
All of a sudden, Stevens had Irving, Hayward and prime Al Horford, plus a 21-year-old Jaylen Brown and this 19-year-old rookie named Jayson Tatum who seemed mildly promising.
Golden State was still the championship favorite, but Boston entered the season looking like Cleveland’s biggest threat in the East, if not the favorite.
We technically saw that team for about five minutes, which is roughly enough time to decide whether I want leftovers for lunch, not enough to evaluate an NBA contender.
Boston responded to losing Hayward by winning 55 games anyway.
That’s the part that makes this thought experiment immediately dangerous. The Celtics lost the player who was supposed to be their second-best offensive option. They eventually lost Irving for the playoffs, too.
And yet, they still came within one home Game 7 of reaching the Finals. Boston lost that game by eight while Terry Rozier shot 2-of-14 from three and Tatum, who was technically still supposed to be figuring out where the team cafeteria was, became its best offensive player.
With a healthy Hayward, I think Boston reaches the Finals. Boston already had an elite defense, and he would have given them another half-court creator when possessions slowed down and Tatum was being asked to carry far too much offense for a 20-year-old. Beating the Durant-Curry Warriors is another matter. I’m not turning this into fan fiction.
Still, even getting to the Finals changes everything that comes next.
Brad Stevens said at the time that his focus was on Hayward and “trying to make sure that we maximize this group that we have right now.”
Maximizing that group meant finding out much sooner than expected what Tatum and Brown could handle.
The Jays were asked to grow up, then showed up
Hayward’s injury didn’t create Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. Suggesting two future All-NBA players needed somebody else to suffer a catastrophic injury to become great feels both ridiculous and kind of gross. What the injury changed was the timeline.
Tatum went from talented rookie joining a contender to starting 80 games. Brown jumped from 17.2 minutes per game as a rookie to more than 30 in Year 2. Suddenly, Boston wasn’t developing its future somewhere behind Irving and Hayward. The future was suddenly playing 30+ minutes a night because Boston no longer had the luxury of bringing it along slowly.
If the regular season was an audition, the playoffs proved the Jays were ready for much bigger parts.
#otd in 2018 Al Horford and Terry Rozier combined for 52 points on 23-33 shooting and rookie Jayson Tatum added 20 on his own as the Celtics won Game 7 in their first-round playoff series and sent the Bucks home ☘️ pic.twitter.com/bnBinOLOSo
Tatum averaged 18.5 points over 19 postseason games. Brown averaged 18.0. By May, neither looked particularly interested in waiting for permission to become important.
We all remember the defining image from that postseason run. Tatum gets downhill in Game 7 against Cleveland, rises over LeBron James and absolutely detonates one on his head, then has the audacity to chest-bump him on the way back down the floor.
He was 20. At 20, I was leading my co-ed intramural basketball team to a hard-earned second-place finish and cramming for a Greek mythology exam I was woefully unprepared for.
That playoff run was massively important. Not because it magically turned Tatum and Brown into stars, but because Boston learned something about their two young wings much earlier than expected.
So did they.
Years later, Hayward essentially said as much himself. During a 2024 appearance on Podcast P with Paul George (ha), he described what Tatum, Brown and Rozier brought back with them after that unexpected run.
“They’re all trying to prove, like, ‘We’ve arrived,’” Hayward said.
Of course they were. They had just spent two months proving it.
Now put Hayward back into the mix.
Tatum is still playing, obviously. Brown is still playing. But Hayward needs the ball. Kyrie needs the ball. Horford is central to everything Boston does. Marcus Morris exists and, as Celtics fans may recall, Marcus Morris did not consider shot attempts a finite natural resource.
Maybe the Jays develop exactly the same way with fewer touches, or maybe Boston delays discovering exactly how ready they already were.
Boston found out earlier than expected that they were more than ready.
Okay, but what about 2019?
This is actually the season I keep coming back to.
It might feel like ancient history at this point, or people may be choosing to forget as quickly as possible, but the 2018-19 Celtics were…weird. Bad weird.
Boston entered the year with a roster that looked awesome on paper. Irving was back. Hayward was ready to make his grand return. Tatum and Brown had just taken LeBron to Game 7. Terry Rozier had evolved into Scary Terry. Horford, the ageless wonder that he is, was still Horford.
There were approximately nine players who could make a reasonable argument that they deserved more touches going into the season.
Hayward eventually gave that season a wonderfully blunt autopsy. Speaking on that same Podcast P episode, he said, “We all had too many agendas, and the agenda to win the whole thing was not the main one.”
"We all had too many agendas, and the agenda to win the whole thing wasn't the main one."
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) January 1, 2024
Oof. Again, bad weird.
Hayward also pointed to the roster construction. Boston had, in his words, “too many of us in the exact same position.” A whole lot of very talented people needed the basketball, and the NBA had stubbornly refused to introduce a second one.
What was supposed to be a successful year turned into the Celtics winning 49 games and spending most of the season looking like a group project where everybody had completed their portion separately.
Hayward was part of that traffic jam through no real fault of his own. He was trying to become an NBA player again while reclaiming a role on a team that had learned how to win without him. Across three seasons in Boston, he appeared in only 125 regular-season games and started 71.
A healthy Hayward changes the hierarchy entirely. Instead of fighting to rediscover Utah Gordon, he enters 2018-19 with an established role beside Irving as a scorer, creator and connective piece. Tatum and Brown are still ascending, but Boston isn’t simultaneously reintegrating an All-Star and asking its young guys to surrender responsibilities they had just earned in May.
Even when Hayward finally began looking like himself again in 2019-20, he fractured his hand eight games into the season and needed surgery.
Maybe, if Hayward stays healthy, he stabilizes the whole thing. Maybe Kyrie even enjoys himself.
Okay, perhaps too far. But this is my ‘What if?’ article, let me dream!
If that 2019 season goes differently, everything afterward becomes impossible to predict. Kyrie’s departure suddenly feels less inevitable. Maybe Horford stays, too. Hayward may actually finish his contract in Boston.
And Tatum and Brown are sitting there waiting.
The Trader Danny dilemma
Any interest in playing a stress-inducing little game? No? Well, we’re going to play anyway.
It’s 2020. Hayward is healthy, Tatum looks like a star, and Brown remains a tantalizing young wing but hasn’t gotten quite the same runway.
Then, in November, James Harden asks out of Houston.
Now we’re having a real conversation.
A Woj bomb hits your brand-new iPhone SE while you’re washing bananas in the sink because it’s 2020. Woj says that Boston is monitoring the situation. Danny Ainge begins lurking, as Danny Ainge is prone to do.
Houston wants a young star and draft capital. In our altered timeline, Brown may not yet have become the no-doubt untouchable player he eventually became in Boston. A package built around Brown, Marcus Smart and first-round picks is suddenly sitting there on Ainge’s desk.
With Hayward healthy, Tatum already looking like a star and Kemba still running point, does Ainge decide Harden is the scorer who puts Boston over the top and cash Brown in for the superstar he spent years hoarding assets to chase?
We know what happened in reality. Boston kept Brown. He developed into an All-NBA player, won Finals MVP and eventually helped hang Banner 18. Does Ainge make the same decision if Brown’s early career looks different because prime Hayward has occupied one of those wing spots?
Like I said, stress-inducing.
We tend to imagine alternate history while keeping all the things we liked from the original version. Hayward stays healthy, Boston gets better, Tatum still becomes Tatum, Brown still becomes Brown, everybody remains happy, and eventually several championship banners descend from the Garden rafters while Al Horford is elected mayor of Boston.
Sorry, but that’s cheating. If Hayward doesn’t get hurt, you don’t get to keep everything else.
There’s absolutely a timeline where a healthy Hayward helps Boston win Banner 18 years earlier. Maybe Banner 19 comes after it.
There’s also one where changing 2017 costs Boston pieces of the future we now know worked.
Nine years later, we know where the road led
Eventually, Boston got back to the mountaintop.
Not cleanly. Good lord, not cleanly.
Irving left. Hayward left. Horford left, eventually came back, and then left again. Coaches changed. Kemba’s knee stopped cooperating. Somehow Joe Mazzulla inherited the whole thing under circumstances that would have plunged plenty of franchises into the deepest depths of the standings.
Through all of that churn, Tatum and Brown were the part Boston never had to replace. They kept getting better until eventually they led a dominant team to Banner 18. Now they’ve finally been separated, and both still seem capable of adding another chapter to careers that started accelerating the night Hayward went down.
That’s what makes this particular ‘What if?’ so uncomfortable for me. Hayward is the rare one where I desperately want to change the event while being terrified of changing the outcome.
A couple weeks after the injury, Hayward was shooting from a chair while he began a recovery that would consume most of the next year. At the time, I remember being ecstatic to hear even that much progress.
“Just to be out on the court and holding the basketball, that was an incredible feeling,” Hayward said during his first post-injury press conference.
That quote hits differently now. At the time, it sounded hopeful. Gordon was back in the gym. The rehab had started. Eventually he’d return, and maybe everything the Celtics envisioned in July 2017 was still sitting there waiting for him.
Knowing how his Boston career actually unfolded, it reads much sadder. The Hayward story here never really became a comeback story. He had good stretches and moments where Utah Gordon seemed ready to reappear, but another injury always seemed to arrive before the story could fully materialize.
His Celtics tenure is remembered far more for what disappeared on that first night than for anything he ultimately got to build afterward.
Despite it all, given the choice, I’m still saving Gordon Hayward. Every single time.
Beyond all the basketball calculus, Hayward always seemed like someone worth rooting for. I care about that stuff. It’s easier to invest in the people wearing Celtics jerseys when you like who they appear to be outside of them, too. If I have the power to erase something that took that kind of physical and mental toll on him, I’m doing it.
Could that delay the development of Tatum and Brown? Sure. It also might have given Boston a much better team while they developed and became superstars all the same.
So if someone hands me the keys to Doc Brown’s DeLorean, I know where I’m going first: October 17, 2017. After that, maybe I’ll punch 2046 into the dashboard and see whether Deuce Tatum and Hendrix White have finally delivered Banner 27.
San Antonio Spurs' French basket ball player Victor Wembanyama arrives for the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on June 23, 2026. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Victor Wembanyama is all about basketball…during the season. From the tip off of preseason until the fateful end of the NBA Finals, Wemby is locked in and focused on the Spurs winning as many games as possible. When he is not in the heat of competition, he seeks out ways to better himself. During off seasons, he works out with a variety of NBA legends as he broadens his understanding of the game and adds to already incredible talent.
He also shifts away from basketball in the summer in hopes of bettering himself as a human being. He has previously traveled, read, visited museums, and spent time learning new skills including a stint with Shaolin monks in China.
This summer, Victor has been working out with the French Rugby Team. He attended a fashion show. He’s hosted another Hoops Gambit, helped unveil an updated basketball court, and spent time in Paris with his fellow Spurs teammates visiting the Louvre. Wemby admits that he seeks out these respite activities as he continues to find balance both on and off the court.
Victor Wembanyama on his busy summer schedule (mini-training camp with teammates, Hoop Gambit, and training with Province Rugby):
“I tried to disconnect as much as I could this summer. It will help me – just like all my past experiences – learning from various people. Having my… pic.twitter.com/gENaMKQAWz
“I tried to disconnect as much as I could this summer. It will help me – just like all my past experiences – learning from various people. Having my Spurs teammates come to Paris was great for long-term team chemistry. I can’t give a specific example, but everything I learn in life serves me well.”
Wembanyama is now poised to play two exhibition matches against Serbia with his French national team. The games are on August 20th and 23rd, before the official 2027 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers begin.
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Just last week, former Illinois defensive back Devon Witherspoon inked a four-year, $132 million extension, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
Witherspoon has come a long way from representing the Orange and Blue at Memorial Stadium, and is obviously cashing in the big bucks at the next level.
But he’s not the only former Illini who has gotten paid in the pros.
With that being said, let’s switch lanes to the hardwood.
Here are the three highest-earning former Illinois players in the NBA:
MEYERS LEONARD – $60,150,630
One of the best big men in recent memory for Illinois, Meyers Leonard went on to build a pretty solid NBA career and make some good money.
After getting drafted 11th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, Leonard spent 11 seasons in the league with the Portland Trailblazers, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks.
His career earnings from NBA contracts came in at just over $60 million, the bulk of which came from a four-year, $41 million deal he signed after his rookie contract was up with the Blazers.
AYO DOSUNMU – $135,488,776
The man who gets a lot of the credit for helping turn Illinois basketball around comes in at No. 2 on this list, the one and only Ayo Dosunmu.
During his time as an Illini, Dosunmu averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and was a First-Team All-American.
Yet, he slipped to the second round of the NBA Draft and landed with the Chicago Bulls, where he spent the first four and a half seasons of his career before getting dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves at last year’s trade deadline.
Just this past offseason, Dosunmu signed a monster deal to stay in Minnesota, good for five years and a fully guaranteed $112 million. By the end of that deal in 2031, he’ll have made over $135 million in the NBA and still be just 31 years old.
DERON WILLIAMS – $159,486,361
One of the faces of the Illini’s national runner-up team in 2005 — and one of the best players in program history — Deron Williams comes in with the most career earnings of all former Illinois hoopers.
After a historic college career, Williams was selected 3rd overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. During his 14-year career, he also played for the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
D-Will was a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA guard, received MVP votes in several seasons and was consistently one of the premier bucket-getters in the NBA.
He made just under $160 million in his professional career, a worthy reflection of what an impressive player he was.
If the early expert predictions are accurate, the 2027 NBA Draft doesn't have an obvious No. 1 pick like Cooper Flagg in 2025 or a rare collection of players who project as future All-Stars near the top of the class like the 2026 draft. There is, however, an emerging consensus forming that Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes is the player most likely to open the season atop draft boards.
Stokes will be a featured attraction for NBA scouts this season, but he's not an overwhelming favorite to go No. 1. Not yet, at least. And there appears to be even less clarity after that, with uncertainty created by lucrative NIL opportunities that have caused the basketball ecosystem to reconsider how it arrives at draft decisions.
To sort through the chaotic early days of 2027 mock drafts, USA TODAY Sports tasked Microsoft Copilot's AI chatbot with generating a ranking of the top 30 eligible prospects for the first round of this year's draft. The chatbot was prompted to base its selections on current mock drafts from reputable websites, as well as the latest intel related to prospect analysis.
Here's a breakdown of Microsoft Copilot AI's 2027 NBA mock draft rankings, including an explanation of the chatbot's reasoning for why it ranked each player where it did:
2027 NBA mock draft: AI ranks top prospects, picks
Note:AI models still have issues with accuracy as seen in the mock draft below. Of particular note, Microsoft Copilot needed additional prompts after several players who were previously selected in the NBA Draft were inaccurately assigned rankings for the 2027 draft class.
This 6-foot-8 downhill playmaker is the early consensus pick to be the top choice in 2027 ahead of what's expected to be a one-and-done campaign at Kansas. Microsoft Copilot cites his "elite physical tools, transition playmaking, defensive upside and improving shot creation." Stokes can cement his status atop draft boards by showing an improved outside shot and decision-making with the Jayhawks this season.
Considered "the most explosive guard in the class," according to AI, Smith could vault even higher if he's able to become more of a threat as an outside shooter. Whether the Washington D.C. native can consistently play point guard at the next level also lingers his freshman campaign, but Razorbacks coach John Calipari has a proven track record molding perimeter players into top NBA draft picks. Smith's defense and downhill pressure will have an immediate impact.
This athletic two-way wing is a rising prospect because he has added more shot-making and shot creation to his arsenal over the past year. Already armed with a sturdy 6-foot-5 frame and a long wingspan, his consistency and defensive tools will make him attractive in a draft class expects have deemed devoid of a surefire superstar prospect.
This 6-foot-7 ballhandler has drawn comparisons in style to fellow countryman Luka Doncic and he's the top international prospect after winning MVP honors at the 2025 Basketball Without Borders Europe camp last August. Joksimovic will play for Saski Baskonia in Spain this season.
Branch was the No. 1 player in the 2027 recruiting class before reclassifying last year in order to be eligible for the 2027 NBA Draft. He will attempt to succeed in the slot vacated by 2026 No. 1 pick A.J. Dybantsa at BYU, though Branch is billed as more of a shooter than slasher. "Scouts love the shooting touch and offensive upside," according to Microsoft Copilot. "A huge season under Kevin Young could launch him into No. 1 pick discussions."
"The best returning player in college basketball," according to AI, Haugh turned down the chance to be a lottery pick in 2026 to return to the Gators this season. The versatile forward could step in immediately as a high-level role player in the NBA and he can boost his stock this year by continuing to improve as a 3-point shooter.
Allen was listed in some first-round mock drafts in 2026 before coming back to Alabama. "Dynamic scorer with NBA athleticism and significant upside if his playmaking continues to evolve," according to Microsoft Copilot.
Mullins returned for a sophomore season at UConn despite one-and-done hype and a first-round grade in 2026. Known as a dynamic outsider shooter coming out of high school, he shot just 33.5% from 3-point range last year. But the 6-foot-6 guard seems poised to fulfill his potential as the centerpiece of coach Dan Hurley's team after capping off last year with a buzzer beater to beat Duke and send UConn to the Final Four.
There's significant upside for the son of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas if he performs well at USC after his stock fell following serious injuries suffered in a car accident in April 2025. His scoring instincts, 7-foot wingspan and intriguing background will be enticing if his game returns to form.
The 6-foot-9 freshman is a "consensus five-star recruit whose physical profile and two-way potential fit perfectly with NBA wing archetypes," according to Microsoft Copilot.
The 7-foot-3 Italian center opted out of the 2026 NBA draft despite the potential to be a late first-round pick. Suigo has "surprising mobility and touch" and is considered "one of the highest-upside big men eligible for the draft," according to Microsoft Pilot. He played BC Mega Basket in the Adriatic League last season.
A rim-protecting center with soft touch around the basket, Krivas is another player who returned for a big NIL payday instead of being a potential late first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. His physically imposing 7-foot-2 frame is NBA-ready.
Bidunga was a first-team all-Big 12 selection and the Big 12 defensive player of the year at Kansas last season before transferring to Louisville this offseason. "NBA teams will value" his defensive capabilities, according to Microsoft Copilot, and it gives him a higher floor as a 6-foot-9 interior prospect.
Ngongba is a "physical center with growing offensive skill set and strong defensive projection," according to Microsoft Copilot. If his mobility catches up to his polished footwork and passing instincts, Ngongba's size and versatility will be intriguing for teams to consider.
This 6-foot-7 slasher is hard to contain on both ends of the floors thanks to his superior athleticism and motor. An improved jump shot this season at Arkansas might lock Richmond in as a lottery pick because his versatility is tailor-made for the NBA.
Chinyelu is "one of the safer frontcourt projections" in 2027, according to Microsoft Copilot, because his defense, rebounding and 7-foot-8 wingspan should easily translate to the next level. If he can make strides as a shooter and decision-maker with the Gators this season, he could push to be a lottery pick.
Harris was a coveted player in the transfer portal after being named the ACC's Most Improved Player at Wake Forest last season. He trailed only NBA first-round picks Ebuka Okorie and Cameron Boozer among ACC players in scoring (21.4 points)
Yessoufou withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft after a solid freshman year at Baylor and then transferred to play for Rick Pitino this season. Flashing more comfort as a ballhandler and outside shooter, to pair with the physical gifts and explosiveness he has already shown at the college level, could boost his stock further.
A skilled big man known for his mobility and touch near the basket, Moreno returned to Kentucky after testing the draft waters in 2026. Improved strength and a more versatile offensive skillset will be areas to watch for Moreno if he's to maximize his 2027 draft stock.
Able transferred from rival North Carolina State to the Tar Heels this offseason and he's an "athletic scoring wing who falls into the 'if the jumper pops' category," according to Microsoft Copilot.
This versatile 7-footer from Australia could blossom into a lottery pick with the chance to showcase his ballhandling and outside shooting during another year in college. He's already viewed as a potential first-round pick based on his mobility and rebounding prowess.
Tanner was one of the most accomplished players to return to college after becoming the only player in the nation to average more than 19 points, 5 assists and 2 steals per game as a freshman at Vanderbilt. He still must prove to NBA scouts his smaller stature (listed by Vanderbilt at 6-foot, 175 pounds) won't be a liability at the next level.
The former Iowa State star transferred to Kentucky this offseason after withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft, but his 3-point shooting ability at 6-foot-9 will ensure he's a commodity for NBA teams outside the lottery in 2027. His lack of mobility, particularly defensively, likely limits his ceiling as a prospect.
Perhaps the most intriguing prospect at Duke because of his combination of coordination and floor spacing at 6-foot-11. He's considered a raw prospect, despite being ranked No. 3 in the 2026 recruiting rankings, because of a developing feel for the game and a lack of overall strength.
Teammates have referred to Muurinen, a Finland native, as "Baby Dirk" because of his 6-foot-11 frame and offensive skillset on the perimeter. He played last season with Partizan KK of the Adriatic League and appeared on Finland's National Team at the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket Championship.
Rippey was considered the best point guard in the 2026 recruiting class with athleticism that should allow him to impact both sides of the court at Duke. An improving jump shot could elevate his stock as the college season progresses.
A breakout candidate after the Cyclones lost most of their top players from last season's Sweet 16 team, Batemon shot 37% from 3-point range as a freshman.
The 6-foot-8 forward can score at all three levels and transferred to UConn after averaging less than 20 minutes per game as a freshman at Duke last season. How he holds up as a defender and shot creator in space with a bigger role on the Huskies will determine whether he's a first-round pick in 2027
Once the No. 1 recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, Oladotun reclassified a year ago and then committed to stay near home at Maryland to begin his college career. His 6-foot-10 frame and multi-faceted offensive skillset make him the kind of high-upside wing prospect NBA teams covet, though he'll need to mature more physically before he can fulfill that potential.
This 6-foot-3 point guard can score at a high level while also showing potential as a distributor. Playing alongside Stokes in the Jayhawks' backcourt will force Kinney to improve with the ball in his hands less than his prep career. He led USA Basketball's U18 team in assists when it secured a silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup this summer.
Kurt Helin
