Category: Basketball

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. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

After just nine months under Mark Walter’s ownership, the Lakers’ sudden sale has left fans uneasy about the future of the purple and gold.

In June of 2025, Mark Walter reached an agreement with the Buss family to take over the reins of the Lakers. Fans were excited for this new era of Lakers basketball, especially since Walter owns the Dodgers and the two teams have always gone hand in hand.

Fast forward to August 2026 and the basketball world was hit with another stunning Lakers ownership development. Just over a year after taking control of the franchise, Walter agreed to sell the Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner for a record-breaking $12.5 billion.

The team is heading into a new season with a mostly new roster, which FanDuel gives the sixth-best odds of winning the conference, and yet another new ownership group, which understandably makes fans uneasy. Also, Iger and Kushner didn’t instantly bring the same excitement that Walter did.

For our SB Nation Reacts survey, we asked fans how optimistic they are about the team’s new ownership. The results were very clear.

Clearly, fans are apprehensive about the new ownership, and that’s okay.

The drama surrounding Walter’s investigation, which eventually led to this sudden sale to Iger and Kushner, was a rollercoaster for Lakers fans to digest. Also, there’s the ongoing back-and-forth between the Buss siblings over selling their remaining share of the team.

Iger’s history with Disney has plenty of highs and lows. He did great things as CEO, of course, but his tenure also drew controversy. That includes the Scarlett Johansson lawsuit, in which she sued Disney, as well as his public feud with his former successor, Bob Chapek.

Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, comes with his own baggage, and not just his family’s notable political ties. Kushner’s venture capital firm, Thrive Capital, has invested billions in OpenAI. AI is a sensitive subject for most, mainly because it’s steadily replacing jobs that humans can do.

So, should Lakers fans feel uneasy? Yes. These new owners come with baggage. Most billionaires and millionaires do.

Honestly, though, the Lakers and drama go hand in hand, so embrace your fears, Lakers fans, but also embrace this new era of Lakers basketball. We can’t really do anything about it, whether we like it or not.

Let’s hold hands, breathe, and hope for the best.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

DeMar DeRozan appears to be the Denver Nuggets' solution to trading Peyton Watson earlier this week.

The 17-year veteran plans to sign with the Nuggets after receiving a contract buyout from the Sacramento Kings this offseason, NBA reporter Chris Haynes and ESPN reported on Friday, August 21. DeRozan's intentions to join Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon in Denver became public in the aftermath of the Nuggets' decision to deal Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a multi-team trade on Thursday.

The Nuggets also received a 2031 first-round pick, a second-round pick and Washington Wizards forward Julian Reese as part of a trade that came to fruition after Denver and Watson couldn't come to terms on a new contract. Watson was a restricted free agent this offseason coming off a career year on the wing for the Nuggets. He agreed to a new 4-year, $88-million contract with Cleveland in conjunction with the trade.

More: The Nuggets have no choice but to take Nikola Jokić at his word

DeMar DeRozan contract details

DeRozan will sign a 1-year, $3.9-million contract with the Nuggets, according to ESPN. The Kings waived DeRozan earlier this offseason. He had one year and $25 million remaining on that deal, but only $10 million was guaranteed at the time Sacramento cut ties with him.

DeMar DeRozan stats

DeRozan averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds on 49.7% shooting over 77 games with the Sacramento Kings during the 2025-26 season.

Denver Nuggets roster after DeRozan signing

• G Jamal Murray
• G DeMar DeRozan
• G Spencer Jones
• G Christian Braun
• G Tyus Jones
• G Julian Strawther
• G Bryce Hopkins
• G Curtis Jones**
• G KJ Simpson**
• F Aaron Gordon
• F Cameron Johnson
• F Marvin Bagley
• F Alpha Diallo
• F Trevon Brazile*
• F DaRon Holmes II
• F Julian Reese
• F David Roddy**
• F/C Zeke Nnaji
• C Nikola Jokic

*2026 NBA Draft pick**two-way player

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DeMar DeRozan plans to sign with Nuggets after Peyton Watson trade

It’s time to turn up the Will Smith track as former Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson is going to Miami.

Three weeks ago I wrote in these pages that Miami was the landing spot outside the Bay that would make the most sense. Now it’s official. Shams Charania reported that Thompson is clearing waivers after a buyout from the Mavericks and signing with the Heat.

Klay is a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer with five All-Star selections, four championship banners, a shooting stroke that turned the Splash Bros into something far beyond Steph Curry’s brilliance. As a member of Dub Nation, I can honestly say that none of that ever looked right on a Dallas jersey. In his second and final year in Dallas, Thompson posted career lows across the board and shot 38.7% percent from three on a team that finished 26-56. Watching a Splash Brother play out a lost season for a tanking roster was absolutely brutal.

Thompson and the Mavericks navigated a buyout from his $17.5 million expiring salary after the four-time NBA champion made it clear to Dallas that he wanted to play for a contender. The Heat made one of the NBA's all-time greatest shooters their top free agent priority this… https://t.co/gn8JRm2EBj

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2026

And now Klay becomes yet another Warrior legend who finds himself out there on South Beach. Tim Hardaway ran Run TMC’s fast break in Oakland before he made an All-Star team wearing a Heat jersey. Andre Iguodala left Golden State and helped Miami reach the Bubble Finals against every projection. Andrew Wiggins, a guy this fanbase watched grow up in real time, has currently planted his flag down there too.

And this is honestly the best fit I could think of for Klay besides coming back home to the Bay Area. Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo both live in the paint, and putting them out there together means Miami needs spacing around them. I believe that Klay is a still a shooter defenses respect from thirty feet without needing the ball in his hands. That’s the job Thompson spent a decade perfecting in Golden State’s motion offense back when cutting and relocating was the whole assignment.

KLAY THOMPSON AND ANDREW WIGGINS REUNITED IN MIAMI🔥

Klay: “C’mon Wigs we in the finals. Man I appreciate you so much bro, you made my job so easy.”

Wigs: “I appreciate y’all for real”

THE VIBES ARE SO BACK. https://t.co/nSxtzMyiYWpic.twitter.com/WK18qLGUv7

— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) August 21, 2026

And somewhere in the Bay, a fanbase gets to keep tabs on the younger Splash Brother chasing Ray Allen for third on the career threes list in a jersey that isn’t GSW but somehow doesn’t sting the way the others would have.

Four names deep now: Hardaway, Iguodala, Wiggins, Thompson. Miami keeps borrowing Golden State legends, and every time, they let them cook. How crazy would it be if Klay actually gets a fifth ring this season, passing up his old running mates Steph, Dray, and Iguodala?

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to miss out on the Klay Thompson sweepstakes.

Thompson is “expected to sign with the Miami Heat after he clears waivers upon a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks,” according to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.

The financial terms of Thompson’s buyout with Dallas have not been disclosed.

The Lakers previously were linked to acquiring Thompson as a way to add another shooter to play alongside Luka Doncic.

As a team, the Lakers shot 35.9% from 3-point range, and only had three players eclipse 100 made 3-pointers: Doncic, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.

The Lakers are now without Hachimura, who signed with the Clippers over the offseason.

Last year, Thompson made 202 3-pointers with a three-point percentage of 41.4.

Thompson is very familiar with the Lakers organization after he grew up around it. His father, Mychal, was a member of the team in the 1980s and won back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988.

Thompson is also a Los Angeles resident.

Two weeks ago, Klay Thompson shared a reel on his Instagram story of him suited up in a Lakers uniform from the video game “NBA 2K” where he was joined by the “Showtime Lakers.”

On his story, he wrote, “This is what my dreams look like on a consistent basis.”

Thompson’s stint with the Mavericks ends before the final year of a three-year, $50 million contract he signed with the team in 2024.

Notably, he signed with them to join Doncic when they were just removed from an NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics.

Their time as teammates was short-lived. Doncic infamously was traded to the Lakers during the middle of that first season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have changed ownership in a deal that values the NBA franchise and their WNBA counterpart the Minnesota Lynx at a reported combined total of $4.5bn (£3.3bn).

American businessman Marc Stad has gone from being a minority investor to controlling owner, buying the majority of the stake held by co-chairman Marc Lore.

He will join Lore's business partner and former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez as co-chairman.

Rodriguez confirmed the news on Friday, and said he would be increasing his investment.

ESPN, which reported the news before Rodriguez's statement, said the deal valued the franchise at $4.5bn, the fourth-largest franchise sale in NBA history.

"One of the great joys I've had in my career is spending the last few years helping build the Timberwolves and Lynx with my friend and partner Marc Lore," Rodriguez posted on social media.

"I'm very excited to announce that this incredible journey reaches a new level today.

"Marc and Elisa Stad, who have been our partners and friends since we bought the teams, will be increasing their investment and joining me as co-chairman.

"I will also be increasing my investment and spending even more time with the teams as co-chairman, Governor of the Lynx, and alternate Governor of the Timberwolves, pending league approval."

Lore and Rodriguez initially bought in to the Minnesota teams in 2021 at a $1.5bn (£1.1bn) valuation with an agreement to eventually purchase the team in full. They assumed full control of the basketball teams last year.

It becomes the second major ownership change in the NBA this month after the LA Lakers were sold in a record-breaking deal last week.

The Timberwolves reached the Western Conference last season but lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

ESPN’s Marc Spears has reported a coaching addition in Philadelphia. Phil Handy will be leaving the Dallas Mavericks and join the Sixers under Nick Nurse. Handy is familiar with a couple key members of the Sixers, he was an assistant in Nurse’s first season with the Toronto Raptors in 2018-19. He was also a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2013-2018) and Los Angeles Lakers (2019-2024) at the same time as LeBron James.

Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Phil Handy is finalizing a deal to become an assistant coach with Philadelphia Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, a source said. Handy previously worked with Nurse in Toronto and with LeBron James with the Cavs and Lakers. Great addition for Nurse. pic.twitter.com/uzD9hYu4Fn

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 21, 2026

Handy had a brief stint as the head coach of Mist Basketball Club in the Unrivaled basketball league before returning to the NBA in the summer of 2025 to be an assistant for the Mavericks under Jason Kidd. With Kidd now gone a year later and Dusty May now running the ship in Dallas, Handy heads to a new team with familiar faces. An interesting non-Sixers nugget from Marc Stein is that all of Kidd’s staff has been turned over with the recent departures of Handy and Josh Broghamer.

This is now the second personnel move the Sixers organization has made in this later stage of the offseason. The team reportedly added Tommy Balcetis to the front office coming over from Denver. Now they add another well-known assistant coach to the bench and one with familiarity with both the head coach and one of their biggest stars.

One of the greatest shooters of all time seemingly won’t be available for long.

The Dallas Mavericks and guard Klay Thompson agreed to a buyout Friday, Aug. 21 for the final year of his contract, worth $17.5 million. And though Thompson still has to go through the waivers process, he’s expected to sign with the Miami Heat, if not claimed, according to ESPN.

ESPN reported the deal would be two years for $13 million, with a player option in the second season..

A person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Miami is a very attractive option for Thompson and one of his top choices. The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly comment on Thompson’s thinking.

Thompson, 36, is a five-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion known for his precision and accuracy as a perimeter shooter. With Miami, he brings much-needed shooting to a roster that underwent an overhaul after the June acquisition of star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While the Heat are set to roll out a stout defensive team, perimeter shooting had been one of the clear weaknesses, and Thompson fills that need. Given that Antetokounmpo is a player who commands enormous defensive attention, a shooter like Thompson should presumably have ample space to operate if opposing teams send double-teams and extra pressure toward Antetokounmpo.

After Masai Ujiri took over the Mavericks, the franchise fired former coach Jason Kidd and replaced him with Dusty May, the former Michigan Wolverines coach fresh off of an NCAA championship. Dallas is undergoing a youth movement built around Rookie of the Year forward Cooper Flagg.

“Klay is one of the great players and competitors of this generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization,” Ujiri said Friday in a statement. “We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

Thompson, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, didn’t fit that timeline, so the franchise opted to move on after it could not find a trade partner.

Thank you, Klay Thompson 🫡#MFFLpic.twitter.com/audf1uA6bQ

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 21, 2026

Thompson rose to fame during his 11 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, when he was paired alongside Stephen Curry to form the “Splash Brothers,” the most prolific shooting duo in NBA history.

Thompson averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season across 69 appearances. He converted 38.3% of his 3-point attempts.

Klay Thompson buyout winners

Giannis Antetokounmpo

He’s at his best with the ball in his hands, going coast-to-coast in transition, where he can either attack the rim or kick out to open players once defenders crash in on him. If Thompson joins the Heat, Antetokounmpo suddenly has a pair of knockdown perimeter shooters, alongside fellow guard Tim Hardaway Jr.

The flip side is that opposing teams won’t be able to afford to leave Thompson and Hardaway so wide open; that should only improve spacing and clear up gaps for Antetokounmpo to attack.

Klay Thompson

He gets the best of both worlds; at 36, he’s able to depart a rebuilding team that wasn’t set to compete for championships and can join a contender. He also gets the chance — assuming he clears waivers, which is very likely given any claiming team would need to pick up his $17.5 million salary — to pick his preferred destination while recouping a portion of his salary for 2026-27.

And in Miami, which has a number of premier defenders on the roster, there’s more than enough low-post help that can mask Thompson’s weaknesses on defense.

Klay Thompson buyout losers

Los Angeles Lakers

Thompson is from Los Angeles and the other team that was seemingly in the running for his services was the Lakers. Though Los Angeles is clearly building around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, both of whom are excellent shooters in their own right, the Lakers could certainly still use another consistent knock-down threat along the perimeter.

The feud with Heat reserve Myron Gardner

Back in November, during a Mavericks game at Miami, Thompson got into a bit of a dustup with reserve Heat forward Myron Gardner, who had repeatedly chirped at Thompson throughout the game. After the game ended, Heat assistant Caron Butler made Gardner go over to Thompson to clear the air. That apparently squashed the beef, but now the two will share a locker room.

Miami Heat roster

Although the proposed Thompson addition would be a significant get for the Heat, at 36 years old, Thompson is unlikely to serve as a starter. Rather, he’s more likely to provide a shooting and scoring spark off the bench, with a possible increase in minutes late in close games. With that said, here’s a look at the Heat’s projected lineup if Thompson signs in Miami:

Miami Heat starting lineup

PG: Davion MitchellSG: Tim Hardaway Jr.SF: Andrew WigginsPF: Giannis AntetokounmpoC: Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat bench

F: Bobby PortisG: Klay ThompsonG: Pelle LarssonG: Dru SmithF: Nikola JovićG: Ryan Conwell (rookie)G: Simone FontecchioG: Tre DonaldsonF: Myron GardnerC: Vladislav Goldin

Klay Thompson age

Klay Thompson was born Feb. 8, 1990, making him 36 years old. It also means he will turn 37 just before the All-Star break, which begins Feb. 19, 2027.

Klay Thompson stats

In 69 games for the Mavericks last season, Thompson averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He converted 38.3% of his 3-point attempts.

He is a 40.9% career 3-point shooter, having made 2,899 attempts from beyond the arc, fourth-most all-time behind Stephen Curry (4,248), James Harden (3,390) and Ray Allen (2,973).

Klay Thompson contract

Buyouts are when a player and his team negotiate to terminate a player’s contract earlier than its initial expiration date. Typically the player and his agent will agree to receive a portion of his salary for the exchange of giving the team financial flexibility. This happens most often with rebuilding teams like the Mavericks and veteran players like Thompson.

Thompson’s salary for the 2026-27 season was set to be $17.5 million. He will still need to clear waivers; if a team scoops him before the 48-hour deadline, then that team will be on the hook for Thompson’s salary. Otherwise, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Per ESPN, the contract Thompson intends to sign with the Heat is a two-year deal worth $13 million, with the final year being a player option.

Dallas Mavericks roster

Here is a projection for what the Mavericks roster will look like next season

Dallas Mavericks starting lineup

PG: Kyrie IrvingSG: Max ChristieSF: Cooper FlaggPF: P.J. WashingtonC: Derek Lively II

Dallas Mavericks bench

F: Naji MarshallG: Zaccharie RisacherF: Santi AldamaG: Marcus SasserF: Morez Johnson Jr. (rookie)F: Caleb MartinC: Daniel GaffordG: Sergio de Larrea (rookie)C: Moussa Cisse

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Klay Thompson gets Mavericks buyout, expected to join Heat: report

Klay Thompson’s tenure with the Mavericks has ended — and he’s expected to join an Eastern Conference contender.

Thompson and the Mavericks agreed to a buyout agreement, the team announced Friday, and one of the greatest 3-point shooters in NBA history is expected to sign a two-year, $13 million deal with the Heat — who won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes back in June — after clearing waivers, according to ESPN.

His stint in Dallas concluded after two seasons, and Thompson had one year remaining on his three-year, $50 million deal from back in 2024.

“Klay is one of the great players and competitors of his generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization,” Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri said in a release. “We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

Thompson, a five-time All-Star four-time champion while playing alongside Stephen Curry with the Warriors, joined the Mavericks ahead of the 2024-25 campaign as part of a sign-and-trade.

He struggled while averaging just 11.7 points per game last year, shot 38.3% from behind the arc and mostly settled into a role as a Dallas reserve — only starting eight games.

It marked a stark difference — for both role and production — from when he averaged 21.9 points per game and shot 41.2% from 3 during the 2022-23 campaign with Golden State.

But once he signs with the Heat, he’ll instantly join another contender serving as one of the Knicks’ most daunting obstacles in their quest to repeat and have a chance to carve out a sizable role again.

Miami landed Antetokounmpo from the Bucks in exchange for three first-round picks, a pick swap, a second-rounder, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported in July that the Heat were interested in pairing Thompson with both Antetokounmpo and center Bam Adebayo.

And while he’s not the same star he once was with Golden State, Thompson has still made the fourth-most 3-pointers in NBA history — passing Damian Lillard during a January game and now sits just 74 behind Ray Allen for the third-most in league history.

For the second time in nine days, an NBA owner’s stake in their franchise has been flipped after a period of brief control.

Marc Lore is selling his majority stake in the Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx to businessman Marc Stad, making Stad the controlling owner of the franchise. This comes just 14 months after Lore bought the Timberwolves alongside former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez.

Lore will retain a minority stake in the franchise, and Rodriguez will also increase his minority shares in the Timberwolves with the transaction. Stad had been a minority investor in the team.

According to ESPN, the transaction was agreed to with a $4.5 billion valuation.

“We have been working together for years with a shared goal of building the Timberwolves and Lynx into the best organization in basketball on and off the floor,” Stad, Rodriguez and Lore said Friday, Aug. 21 in a joint statement. “Our priority is and always will be championships. Our new agreement, pending league approval, is an evolution of the partnership we have built together and strengthening of our commitment to our team and our culture.”

Stad is the founder of a California investment management firm, Dragoneer Investment Group.

According to ESPN, Lore opted to reduce his exposure and involvement in the Timberwolves and Lynx as his company, the Wonder Group, plans to make a push for an initial public offering.

This also follows a new trend of owners flipping their investment in a very short period to net a significant profit.

On Aug. 12, Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner and TWG Global CEO Mark Walter agreed to sell his shares of the Los Angeles Lakers to businessman Joshua Kushner and former Disney CEO Robert Iger at a record $12.5 billion valuation. This was just 10 months after Walter’s purchase of the Lakers had been approved at a valuation of $10 billion, generating a 25% return on his investment in his short tenure.

The Lore and Rodriguez purchase of the Timberwolves was unanimously approved in June 2025, at a valuation of $1.5 billion. Given that Lore sold his stake at the $4.5 billion valuation — which ranks fourth-most in NBA history — Lore stands to make a massive 200% return on his investment in just 14 months.

“One of the great joys I’ve had in my career is spending the last few years helping build the Timberwolves and Lynx with my friend and partner Marc Lore. I’m very excited to announce that this incredible journey reaches a new level today,” Rodriguez said on Friday, Aug. 21 in a statement posted on social media.

“Marc and Elisa Stad, who have been our partners and friends since we bought the teams, will be increasing their investment and joining me as Co-Chairman. I will also be increasing my investment and spending even more time with the teams as Co-Chairman, Governor of the Lynx, and alternate Governor of the Timberwolves, pending league approval.”

The NBA will hold its annual fall board of governors meeting in September in New York, when the transaction might be put up for a vote of approval.

“While Marc Lore will be reducing his role and ownership to focus on his business, he remains an investor and a key part of our partnership,” Rodriguez continued. “I could not be more energized about this evolution and what we’re all going to do together for the Twin Cities.”

The Timberwolves have been a consistent threat in the Western Conference playoffs, though they have failed to break through to the NBA Finals. The team underwent a minor overhaul this offseason after it traded away Julius Randle and Naz Reid in separate deals that returned former Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. The move is meant to provide some offensive relief for star guard Anthony Edwards, who has become one of the more dynamic scorers in the NBA.

The Lynx currently have the best record in the WNBA at 30-7, which is four games clear of the next closest team, the Golden State Valkyries. Minnesota has been one of the more consistent franchises in the WNBA, having won four championships from 2011-17.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marc Lore selling majority stake in Timberwolves, Lynx to Marc Stad

The Dallas Mavericks are buying out veteran guard Klay Thompson, the team announced Friday afternoon. Thompson will become a free agent, and reportedly sign with the Miami Heat.

This was a long-rumored scenario, especially when it became clear the Mavericks were moving in a new direction around Cooper Flagg when ownership hired Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz to run the basketball operations, fired Jason Kidd and hired college coach Dusty May.

Thompson played two seasons in Dallas, and they were far from the memorable experiences that Mavericks fans envisioned when it felt like a coup the Mavericks signed him in the first place away from the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers in 2024. Dallas was fresh off an NBA Finals loss to the Celtics that featured multiple role players failing to knock down shots or properly space the floor around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Enter Thompson: statistically the second-greatest three point shooter of all time, someone with championship experience to help Doncic and the Mavericks get over the hump. We all know what happened next, and the team Thompson signed up for was very much not that team after the trade of Doncic last February.

Despite it all, Thompson was a good soldier. We didn’t hear too many whiffs of discontent from Dallas media, and Thompson took on the role of veteran leader as the Mavericks cycled through various young players in the last two seasons due to the Doncic trade and injuries. Thompson never played a playoff game with the Mavericks, that’s a damn shame. But it was fun to see him continue to light it up regularly.

Thompson wasn’t his old self after the two major leg injuries, but he still provided the shooting and spacing the Mavericks desperately needed. Thompson shot 38.7 percent on threes in his two seasons with the Mavericks on 7.7 three point attempts per game. At times he was the entire floor gravity for a Mavericks team that was injured and cramped with inconsistent shooters.

Mavericks fans might lament Thompson being let go for nothing, but it’s the right call: Dallas is fully rebuilding around Flagg, and it’ll be hard to give younger guys more burn if all the veterans hang around the roster. Obviously there needs to be a balance, and teams need adults in the room, but the Mavericks have adults in large supply — moving on and freeing up some of the wing logjam will only help Dallas get a better picture of their roster and evaluate it as time moves on.

First we must start with the image. All the best photos of NBA Hall of Fame coach Mike D’antoni feature him with a mustache. I would call this a Mike D’Antoni Mustache Mandate. With that out of the way, we can discuss these results.

Mike D’Antoni has defeated Rick Adelman by a fairly wide margin. I wouldn’t call it a D’Antoni voter mandate, but it’s close to one. I think this is a fair result for two reasons.

One, the Houston Rockets best ever season in terms of wins, 65, came under MDA’s coaching. Adelman’s best season only saw the Rockets notch 55 wins. That’s good for a tie (with D’Antoni) for 4th highest regular season wins by the Rockets (57 is 2nd under Rudy T, 56th is 3rd, under Kevin McHale). A ten win margin is pretty significant, but you might look to post season performance as your standard. Again, MDA wins, with his teams reaching the NBA Western Conference Finals in a series most of us (and MDA in a recent interview) remember painfully. If you are going by titles, well, it’s Rudy T and no one else.

Do you want to wager on NBA win totals? Is such wagering legal where you are? Can you afford a small flutter? Well, you can bet on win totals for the upcoming season here, in that case.

Two, I’d pick MDA because he utterly changed how NBA basketball is played. Rick Adelman was an excellent coach, with a deep well of NBA stratagems in his bag. So excellent he, too, is in the NBA Hall of Fame. His motion offense could be a wonder when it was working well, and it was a good offense for getting more out of limited players.

MDA did something else. He broke the NBA paradigm of fixed positions, and inside, post dominant, play. Even if Mike D’Antoni didn’t win an NBA teams that bear his imprint (particularly the Warriors with MDA disciple Steve Kerr) have wib quite a few. The “No Jump Shooting, Small Ball, Team Can Win A Title” mantra is long dead. I’ve always thought of MDA as the basketball equivalent of Earl Weaver.

Earl Weaver was a Baltimore Orioles manager long ago when the Baltimore Orioles fairly regularly won World Series. Weaver essentially intuited almost all of the basic, original, conclusions of the baseball analytics movement. (Bunts waste outs, getting on base, with power in the lineup, is key, etc). We know he did this because he wrote a book about it

MDA did much the same. Early shot clock offense is generally more successful. Higher pace leads to more points. Three is more than two, and there’s no law that says you can’t shoot a lot of threes. The offensive advantages of a lot of smaller players on the court are quite often superior to the other advantages provided by bigger players. You don’t necessarily need the center under the basket, or need a center at all. Pulling a center away from the basket, on offense, provides more space to attack the paint. Pulling defenses away from the paint doesn’t necessarily make long range shooting harder, but it does make defending the paint harder. Scoring is best either at the rim, from three point range, or at the free throw line.

You can see all of these ideas start to bloom with his Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns (perhaps the team most beloved of all time by neutral fans, unless it’s the Showtime Lakers). The ideas bore fruit with the Houston Rockets, and James Harden, a player who could push MDA theories to what seemed at the time, extremes. (Those vaunted offenses would only count as middling at best today. That’s how much the MDA Way has taken over the NBA.)

Some of these ideas have been countered, as all innovations in competitive endeavors are countered, but that doesn’t mean they were wrong.

So to me, Adelman was excellent as a coach, but Mike D’Antoni was a visionary, and that’s a fair result.

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The Lakers and Timberwolves may share Minnesota roots, but one is a worth a heck of a lot more than the other.

Businessman Marc Stad will become the controlling owner and largest shareholder of the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx in a deal valued at $4.5 billion, according to ESPN.

The move comes shortly after last week’s bombshell that the Lakers would be sold to businessman Josh Kushner and ex-Disney executive Bob Iger for an American sports record $12.5 billion.

The $4.5 billion figure ranks fourth in NBA history among ownership pacts and is pending approval from the Board of Governors, with its next meetings set for Sept. 15-16, per ESPN.

“We have been working together for years with a shared goal of building the Timberwolves and Lynx into the best organization in basketball on and off the floor,” Stad and co-owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore said in a joint statement Friday, per ESPN. “Our priority is and always will be championships.

“Our new agreement, pending league approval, is an evolution of the partnership we have built together and strengthening of our commitment to our team and our culture. While we’re proud of the great work we’ve done, there’s so much more to do and we’re just getting started.”

Stad reportedly is buying the majority of Lore’s stake. Lore will remain a minority investor in the franchises.

He opted to sell the team to focus on his Wonder Group company with the hope of establishing the best foot forward for the franchise in the long term, per ESPN.

Rodriguez is increasing his equity percentages, and it’s uncertain what percentage he and Lore will own once the deal is finalized.

“One of the great joys I’ve had in my career is spending the last few years helping build the Timberwolves and Lynx with my friend and partner Marc Lore,” Rodriguez wrote Friday afternoon on X. “Marc and Elisa Stad, who have been our partners and friends since we bought the teams, will be increasing their investment and joining me as Co-Chairman. I will also be increasing my investment and spending even more time with the teams as Co-Chairman, Governor of the Lynx, and alternate Governor of the Timberwolves, pending league approval. While Marc Lore will be reducing his role and ownership to focus on his business, he remains an investor and a key part of our partnership. I could not be more energized about this evolution and what we’re all going to do together for the Twin Cities.”

The Timberwolves have changed hands twice in short succession.

Rodriguez and Lore previously agreed to purchase the team for a $1.5 billion valuation in 2021 before they officially assumed ownership last year.

Stad, 47, is the founder of Dragoneer Investment Group, which Forbes lists as one of the “largest growth investment firms,” and previously served as a minority investor for the two Minnesota franchises and joined the ownership group of the Kraken of the NHL, according to ESPN.

His wife, Elisa, reportedly will serve as the team’s governor once the transaction is finalized, with Rodriguez acting as the alternate governor.

Stad inherits a Timberwolves team featuring one of the sport’s best players in Anthony Edwards, but Minnesota has yet to make the NBA Finals.

Last year’s team went 49-33 and finished sixth in the Western Conference before bowing out against the second-seeded Spurs in the conference semifinals.