LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Darryn Peterson #22 of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait during the 2026 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on July 14, 2026 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If you’re wondering why this season feels different, it’s because it is.
Jazz fans are entering territory they haven’t been in ever before. What territory am I talking about? I’m talking about the potential we have with Darryn Peterson. I’ve been spending the last few months since the draft and summer league trying to grasp what this season will look like. It’s been difficult because it’s got some incredible potential. The worst case for this team, outside of injury, is that they’re a play-in team. To me, that’s the floor for this team, and I don’t think that’s very debatable. The amount of talent alone on the Jazz is enough to compete night after night. If they’re well coached, which I think they will be, they should have a .500 record.
It’s the best-case scenario that’s hard for me to grasp. Darryn Peterson has a chance to take this team to incredible levels. Now, it’s important to remember that even the best rookies have an adjustment period and struggle in their rookie seasons. Even LeBron James had some struggles to start his career. Although James averaged 39 minutes per game in his rookie year, which is pretty wild considering how many minutes players play in today’s game.
But speaking of LeBron James, there was no question whether James should start in his debut with the Cavaliers. In his first regular-season game, he had a stat line of 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Oh, and that was in 42:50. That season, the Cavs went 33-46, but the Cavaliers knew they had a special player on their hands right away.
In Utah, it seems like there are fans who wonder whether Darryn Peterson should start. Maybe that’s because of the Jazz’s history of deciding that arbitrary, unspoken rules mattered more than building toward contention. Deron Williams, a player the Jazz traded up to #3 in the lottery for, was forced to come off the bench for Keith McLeod. No offense to Keith McLeod, but he averaged 5.5 points in his career while shooting 35.7% from the field. Starting McLeod over Deron Williams was a ridiculous decision and contributed to future divisiveness between Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan. What makes that even more idiotic was how good Deron Williams became, and that coming off the bench proved to only keep him from flourishing sooner.
I personally don’t think that will happen with the Jazz, at least I hope not. The reason? Utah’s new Darryn has the chance to be incredibly special. And even though the Jazz have a team filled with talent ready to go, some of them former all-stars, Peterson could already be the Jazz’s best player. Yes, he might be the best player right now. What’s crazy about Peterson is how complete a player he already is. You name it, he’s doing it, and doing it well. Shooting? He was the primary option on a Kansas team without a lot of shooting around him. His usage rate was high, and he managed to shoot 38% from three for the season, and that was while battling injuries, cramping, and a coach who let him take the blame for everything from the media. That shooting is even more impressive when you consider that it was the biggest question for him going into Kansas. In High School, he was a playmaking guard who electrified with his ability to literally do it all. And that’s the new question for Peterson. Even though he showed it in High School, the question has been why was his assists/turnover ratio in college not good? Well, he may have already answered that with a 12-assist game in summer league when he was on the floor with NBA-caliber talent in Ace Bailey and Cody Williams. What happens when he is surrounded by Ace Bailey AND Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr.? Something tells me that playmaking is going to look better. It’s also not just offense where Peterson shines, he’s also a plus defender who averaged 2 SPG at Kansas. The only weakness you can really point to is a lack of experience, which will be fixed as soon as he gets on the floor.
What I’m trying to say is that Peterson has a chance to take this team to new heights. It may not happen this year, although I won’t be surprised if it does, but this season will show us just how far this Jazz team can go. If Darryn Peterson reaches his apex potential, Utah may not just be in new territory with a top pick in the draft, but do something it hasn’t done before, win a title.
A league-backed investigation that spanned 11 months concluded the Clippers circumvented the salary cap with its alleged facilitation of "no-show" endorsement deals for Kawhi Leonard, their former star forward.
In his statement, Ballmer said the Clippers will not pursue any legal action against the league.
"This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets," Ballmer's statement read. "I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.
"We are committing to put this chapter behind us. We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine, and are moving forward."
Following the conclusion of its investigation, the NBA announced that the Clippers would lose five future first-round draft picks and a $30 million fine. Ballmer, along with team executives, also received a suspension.
Ballmer and Lawrence Frank, the team's president of basketball operations, had continuously expressed their innocence publicly during this past season.
Leonard's status with the Clippers remains unclear for the upcoming season. He's expected to be traded by Los Angeles to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that was put on hold pending the results of the NBA investigation.
When Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA brought the hammer down on the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer, his first inclination was to fight. The Clippers quickly issued a defiant statement, then sent a two-page letter to the league saying they would look at their options for challenging the league's decision.
Upon reflection and looking at those options, Ballmer released a statement Sunday night saying he and the Clippers would comply with the NBA's punishments. He also apologized to Clippers' fans. Here is the statement in full:
"This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets. I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.
"We are committing to put this chapter behind us. We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine, and are moving forward. While there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report, this is not where I want to focus. Team owners should support, not distract.
"The challenges ahead of us are significant, but so is our resolve. We will continue to build our team and invest in our community. The confidence of our fans is our priority. With our talented roster, outstanding staff and clear vision, I am certain that we will compete at the highest level and be an organization our fans can be proud of."
The punishments handed down by Silver and the league came following a year-long investigation that uncovered four instances of the Clippers using their leverage to get team sponsors or business partners to give "no-show" endorsement contracts to star Kawhi Leonard, circumventing the salary cap. Those punishments were the stiffest handed down in league history and include:
• The Clippers surrender five first-round draft picks (2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033). • The Clippers are fined $30 million (which Ballmer said he has now paid). • Ballmer is suspended from anything to do with the team or the league for one year. • Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended for one year, while President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended for six months. • Kawhi Leonard must pay a $700,000 fine. • Leonard's already-fired business manager, Dennis Robertson (better known as "Uncle Dennis"), is banned from conducting NBA business for five years.
This does not mean the drama is over for the Clippers. The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the Clippers' dealings in this case, and that investigation is just beginning (but it would have to show the Clippers broke an actual law, not just NBA bylaws). Also, the Securities and Exchange Commission has opened its own investigation into Daktronics, one of the companies that gave Leonard a questionable endorsement deal. Daktronics is a publicly traded company, and part of the SEC's mission is protecting shareholders.
Ballmer's announcement means the Clippers will soon appoint an interim governor and head of basketball operations. With that, the trade of Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, agreed to at the start of free agency (months before the punishments were handed down), should go through and become official soon.
It's also worth noting that the only other team that got five first-round draft picks taken away for circumventing the salary cap — the Timberwolves in the Joe Smith case 26 years ago — eventually got two picks back because they complied with the penalties. It was essentially time off for good behavior, and likely factors into Ballmer's thinking.
Ultimately, Ballmer didn't have a good avenue to challenge the league's decision, for a couple of reasons.
First, Leonard gets off with a slap on the wrist for his role in this, but that was the price of getting him and the players' union on board with the punishment. Through the union, Leonard could have forced this to arbitration, which would have opened the entire case to a neutral third party and given Ballmer and the Clippers someone to argue their case before. However, under the CBA, only the player and the union can take the case to arbitration. With them on board and agreeing, that avenue for the Clippers to fight was off the table.
That ties into the second reason: Ballmer's only other option was to file a lawsuit and take this to state or federal courts, but that was a massive uphill battle. As attorney, sports law professor and journalist Michael McCann put it on the Zach Lowe Show, when Ballmer bought the Clippers, he was essentially joining a country club. That club (the NBA) has the right to enforce whatever its internal rules are in its bylaws (as long as those don't violate actual law). The punishments to Ballmer and the Clippers are within that jurisdiction. Getting a court to come in over the top of the league and inject itself into this case would have been nearly impossible.
Ballmer ultimately played the hand he was dealt, as distasteful as this might be to him.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer apologized to fans and announced the team would accept NBA sanctions following an investigation into salary cap violations. (Richard Shotwell / Invision via Associated Press)
“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets,” Ballmer said in the statement released 11 days after the NBA first sanctioned the owner and his team. “I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.”
The investigation found Leonard received $66 million in cash and equity from four companies facilitated by Ballmer and Clippers executives at the behest of Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle and then-agent. Ballmer invested $60 million in Aspiration Partners, while Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance received $22 million from the Clippers in consulting fees.
The Clippers initially protested and vowed to use all means available to contest sanctions that included banning Ballmer from all league activities for a year, fining the team $30 million and taking away five first-round draft picks in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 drafts.
Leonard previously agreed to pay a $700,000 fine and did not contest the sanctions, removing the possibility of the case going to arbitration because the mechanism only exists for players and not teams.
“We are committing to put this chapter behind us,” Ballmer’s statement read. “We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine and are moving forward. While there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report, this is not where I want to focus. Team owners should support, not distract.”
Two of Ballmer’s top executives were also sanctioned, altering the way the team will have to operate moving forward.
Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for one year for “being primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators.”
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months for “his involvement with the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Mr. Leonard and his family.”
Ballmer, however, has assembled a deep front office staff, giving the Clippers a number of options to offset the loss of those who are suspended.
“The challenges ahead of us are significant, but so is our resolve,” Ballmer wrote. “We will continue to build our team and invest in our community. The confidence of our fans is our priority. With our talented roster, outstanding staff and clear vision, I am certain that we will compete at the highest level and be an organization our fans can be proud of.”
The decision to comply with the sanctions rather than attempting to contest them in the court could help resolve one of the biggest outstanding offseason items the Clippers face.
Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, a pick swap and two second-round picks was put on hold while both teams awaited investigation results.
With the NBA stripping the Clippers of five future first-round picks, the package they are expected to receive when the Leonard trade is completed would have a substantial impact on their future roster-building options.
“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets. I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.”
The NBA’s independent investigation, which was conducted by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found a “pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules,” per the league’s statement on Sept. 2
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard received different punishments for the Clippers’ circumventing the league’s salary cap. Getty Images
The league dropped staggering punishments on the Clippers, fining the franchise $30 million, suspending Ballmer for one year and stripping the franchise of five first-round draft picks.
It appeared the Clippers were not going down easy after the NBA dropped the hammer on them.
In the immediate aftermath, the franchise issued a statement saying it “vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.”
But Ballmer was singing a different tune.
Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
“We are committing to put this chapter behind us,” Ballmer’s statement continued. “We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine, and are moving forward. While there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report, this is not where I want to focus.
“Team owners should support, not distract. The challenges ahead of us are significant, but so is our resolve. We will continue to build our team and invest in our community. The confidence of our fans is our priority. With our talented roster, outstanding staff and clear vision, I am certain that we will compete at the highest level and be an organization our fans can be proud of.”
Leonard was forced to pay the NBA $700,000 for restitution for improper benefits provided by the Clippers, while his uncle and former business manager, Dennis Robertson, has been banned by the NBA from all business dealings for five years.
In a statement he issued after the league’s punishments were announced, Leonard stated he accepted “full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.”
His statement continued: “I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”
Leonard also alluded to returning to Toronto as part of the trade between the Clippers and Raptors that was agreed upon in late June but was halted in light of the investigation.
It wasn’t clear what possible crimes federal prosecutors are investigating, or which people are the target of the federal inquiry. It also wasn’t clear whether criminal charges would come from the investigation.
Spokespeople for the Clippers and the NBA didn’t respond to messages from The California Post on asking about the investigation.
The Department of Justice is the second government entity to investigate the Clippers-Leonard scandal.
Daktronics, along with Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless and Lockton Insurance, was one of the four companies with endorsement deals with Leonard that were at the center of the NBA’s investigation.
In an appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Charles Barkley said the Lakers are “probably better” than the 2024 Dallas Mavericks, whom Luka Doncic carried to the NBA Finals.
Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic will be key to the Lakers’ success this year. Getty Images
On the other end of the spectrum lies Norman Powell, an 11-season NBA veteran who was named an All-Star for the first time in his career last February while playing for the Miami Heat. When Powell was asked who’s the most overrated team in the league during a conversation with streamer N3on, he named the Lakers.
That’s the fun of this. When it comes to the Lakers, no one knows what their ceiling will be.
LeBron James left in free agency after spending eight seasons with the team, including carrying them to their first championship in eight years in 2020. They revamped their roster, adding 10 new players. They went all in on Walker Kessler, hoping he’ll transform into a star.
So, who’s more right about the purple and gold: Barkley or Powell?
Walker Kessler signed with the Lakers this offseason. Getty Images
Sorry, Chuck, while it’s great that you’re a Laker fan now that LeBron has left, Powell is right here. The Lakers won’t be able to compete with the most elite teams in the West next season.
The West is just too deep.
Lakers Overrated
Even if the Lakers had no holes, they’d be fighting an uphill battle against the Thunder and Spurs, each of whom have a seemingly endless cadre of young legs and talent.
But as things stand, the Lakers are shaky in several key areas, most notably with their porous perimeter defense. They need time to build chemistry. It remains to be seen whether Kessler and Austin Reaves are going to live up to their lofty contracts.
The Lakers might be good. But it’s hard to imagine they’ll be great next season. They’re still a few tweaks away from that. They need reinforcements. They need time to jell.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick will attempt to bring all the pieces together for a successful season. AP
There’s no margin for error in the West.
We saw how the Lakers performed against the 2025 champion Thunder last season, you know, when they lost their four regular season games by an average of 29.3 points before getting swept by Oklahoma City in the second round of the playoffs. Then the Spurs beat the Thunder to reach the Finals. Those teams are good good.
Are the Lakers really that much better than they were last year? Are they better at all considering they lost James, who pretty much single-handedly led the Lakers past the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs?
Quite frankly, the answer is no.
Make no mistake about it: The Lakers are on the right track.
They got younger. They got faster. They added a skilled center. They’re on their way. But they haven’t arrived. Far from it.
The Lakers are having bobblehead giveaways of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves during the 2026-27 season. Getty Images
Sure, as long as Doncic is on the Lakers, they’ll be in the mix. He’s hellbent on winning his first championship after the Mavericks stunningly traded him to the Lakers in February 2025.
Last season, he led the league in scoring (33.5 points), was third in assists (8.3) and finished fourth in MVP voting. Before suffering a hamstring strain that sidelined him for the playoffs, he averaged 37.5 points, 8 rebounds and 7.4 assists in March, leading the Lakers to a 15-2 record over that stretch.
Expect him to be even better next season.
But he still doesn’t have enough around him to get past the Thunder or Spurs.
Reaves, whom the Lakers signed to a four-year, $180 million deal (the richest contract in NBA history for a player who went undrafted) is a borderline All-Star.
Kessler whom the Lakers mortgaged their future to acquire, giving up two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two first-round pick swaps (2028 and 2030), while signing him to a four-year, $130 million deal, is one of the top rebounders and rim patrollers in the league.
But the Lakers need to be virtually bulletproof to reach the championship round. And it’s obvious that at this point they’re not.
Could the Lakers finish top-four in the West? Sure.
Are they Finals bound? No.
Are they the most overrated team in the league? Arguably.
The Lakers are on their way to trying to compete for their first championship since 2020. But being on the freeway is a far cry from approaching the coveted two-car driveway of basketball nirvana.
And right now, it’s impossible to see the Lakers parked there come June.
Norman Powell signed with the Bulls in the offseason. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Powell was formerly a cross-town rival of the Lakers, having some of the best years of his career with the Clippers from 2021 through 2025.
Powell’s remarks come at an interesting time for the Lakers franchise. The offseason featured a slew of dramatic events including the departure of LeBron James and owner Mark Walter selling the team amid a federal investigation.
As for the Lakers’ roster, general manager Rob Pelinka orchestrated a massive overhaul headlined by center Walker Kessler’s four-year, $130 million deal. LA’s new trio features Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler.
Many experts are predicting the Lakers to finish the 2026-27 season as a fringe playoff team, rather than a legitimate contender. Thus, Powell’s comments seem unwarranted.
But the guard formerly played for the Clippers from 2022-25, so his remarks may be coming from the crosstown rivalry.
Doncic will have to show he can do just that this season.
The new look Lakers will be led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. NBAE via Getty ImagesLuka Doncic faces immense pressure to play at a high level this season and lead the Lakers to a playoff push. Andrej Tarfila/SOPA Images
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 18: The sneakers worn by Nate Santos #56 of the Orlando Magic basket during the game against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 18, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Tom O'Connor/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Duke basketball blessed Celtics fans with some electric offseason content. At this point of the offseason, any morsel of Celtics content can help satiate us for another moment as we inch closer to the start of the season. This time, it comes courtesy of a 59-second highlight video featuring plenty of Jayson Tatum in what appears to be a scrimmage between current Duke players and program alumni.
When Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles injury last season, every time he suited up felt like we were being treated to something special. The novelty has not worn off. Seeing JT moving as explosively and fluidly, even in a highly curated social media clip, has me dreaming of big things for Jayson Tatum in this upcoming season.
In the 22 games across the regular season and playoffs, Tatum put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists on 56% true shooting. And when you zoom in on the last 10 games of his campaign, those numbers jump up to 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists on 60% true shooting. The star forward was dropped into the middle of a ramp up for the playoffs, coming off a catastrophic injury, and was able to regain a lot of his All-NBA superpowers relatively effortlessly. When you factor in how good Tatum was in the sample we already saw, and then give him a full offseason to get his legs under him, it’s easy to envision the Celtics star regaining his status as a perennial All-NBA 1st Team member.
This also gave us another opportunity to update our #CalfWatch files. The further Tatum gets from his achille injury, the more normal his calf appears. After asking the computer to enhance multiple times, we have some 4K quality comparisons of Tatum’s current left and right calf.
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 24: Khaman Maluach #10 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets on March 24, 2026 at PHX Arena 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If you’re a Suns fan who isn’t living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that newly re-signed center Mark Williams will be out until at least the All-Star Break with a torn labrum, if not longer. This leaves Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach as the only centers left on the team, and Ighodaro is more of a PF/C size-wise.
Williams had been the presumptive starter for the team, and Oso the back-up, with Maluach getting spot minutes here and there. This was despite Maluach’s dominant summer league performances where he resembled nothing so much as Will Ferrell in Elf. There was significant debate as to where Maluach would find playing time, but Williams’ injury just opened things up.
The presumptive starter on opening day is Ighodaro, but I believe that would be a mistake. Ighodaro has absolutely no shooting range, no three-point shot to speak of; he’s undersized and doesn’t rebound. His strengths are based around his mobility, high basketball IQ, and willingness to play the team game. The problem is that his weaknesses exacerbate the problems with the (presumptive) rest of the starting unit of Green, Booker, Brooks, and Bridges.
As many others have written about these four, they’re not great three-point shooters, undersized, not good rebounders, and lack the size to protect the rim. Ighodaro takes all of those issues and either makes them worse or does nothing to address them. Maluach, on the other hand, seems like a better fit.
First and foremost, he looked like a legitimate three-point threat in summer league (8 of 20 for 40%), and given his work ethic, age, and rapid development so far, I suspect that won’t be a mirage. Adding a legit 40%, three-point shooting center to the starting lineup will help create space for the supposed offensive goal of getting more penetration drives for shots at the rim. Playing Oso allows the opposing center to camp in the paint, mooting the entire point of trading for guys who are supposedly better at getting shots at the rim.
It’s hard to overstate the value of centers who provide space: back in the day when Steve Nash and Channing Frye were on the team, they were always neck-and-neck for who would lead the team in box plus/minus and net plus-minus per 48. Which is a fancy way of saying that statistically, Channing Frye was as important to the team’s winning as Nash was, and all he really brought to the table was being a switchable 4/5 that could hit threes and provide spacing.
Conversely, Oso seems like a better fit with the second unit of Gillespie, Goodwin, Kennard, and Fleming. All four of them are somewhere between good at three-point shooting (Fleming), to God-tier (Kennard, Gillespie). Fleming is long, tall, and heavy enough to play a little small-ball center, meaning that this unit doesn’t suffer some of the size issues as the starters. Oso’s lack of shooting range doesn’t matter nearly as much, but his ability to facilitate offensive flow will work well with a bunch of players who aren’t stars who can create their own shot but can absolutely hit open threes at a deadly rate.
Maluach doesn’t have to close out games either: he’s very young and still going to be pretty raw. That’s a problem for a competitive team going into crunch time in the fourth quarter. I suspect as the season wears on, and some of the issues with the Suns rotation become more apparent (I wrote about issues with how Green and Bridges fit here), we could see Gillespie, Kennard, Goodwin, and Fleming getting minutes late in the fourth quarter when the team needs stops on defense and spacing for Booker to operate on offense.
Oso makes more sense in these sorts of situations where they need a more polished, reliable, high basketball IQ player to close out games if there are better three-point shooters on the floor with him. It wouldn’t be the first time the Suns have started games with one center and finished with another: Jarron Collins and Robin Lopez usually got the starting nod over Channing Frye from 2009-2011, but it was almost always Frye on the court to finish the game.
Of course, the Suns are going to experiment with lineups a little in pre-season, and we will see how the dynamics of the starting unit will play out in the first month of the season. But if things aren’t gelling (and I’m skeptical that they will), Jordan Ott might be wise to shake things up and see if Maluach is indeed a better fit with the rest of the starting unit.
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 29 : Fans outside Brooklyn Basketball Training Center during an introductory Press Conference for the 2026 Brooklyn Nets Draftees on June 29, 2026 in Brooklyn, 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 David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Albert Ghim writes for No Ceilings, one of the more sophisticated NBA sites, and last week, he got a rare chance to check up on veteran players working out on the West Coast, particularly those charges of personal trainer Zach Gonzalez. Among those who he’s been focusing on in Gonzalez workouts and the runs at the NBPL’s new training facility in Playa Vista, an L.A. suburb. has been Egor Demin. To say Ghim is enthusiastic about the Nets second year guard would be an understatement. He just raves about him!
Ghim described how the 20-year-old has been working out in L.A.
“He is absolutely locked in, laser-focused, a man on a mission,” Ghim began. “He is so hard and ferocious on himself. I asked him what is your day-to-day look like right now. He’s working out with Zach in the morning, he playing the pro-runs at the new NBPA facility, getting in a lift. He’s doing extra workouts at night when possible.
“He’s going so hard. He is truly a man on a mission. This is a guy who knows where he needs to grow, spending a ton of time on his ball-handling, a ton of time on physicality, his jumpers, different types of jumpers — jumpers off movement, jumpers off the dribble. jumpers from the mid-range, from the outside, playing through physicality, embracing physicality. Initiating physicality is a big one to watch as well.
Ghim also spoke about how Demin has bulked up.
“For Brooklyn Nets fans who are watching this right now, I want you to know that Yegor’s body is absolutely destroyed. It is beaten. He is so hard on himself. He does not care if he’s hurt or if he’s slightly hurt or not feeling well, he is looking himself in that gym and to watch him work.”
“He said, ‘look we get it. We’re not idiots. We hear what people are saying on TV, saying we don’t want to win, we don’t care. We care,” Ghim quoted Demin.
Ghim also relayed what may have been the most interesting point of his 12 and a half minute commentary, how veterans are respecting Demin in the pro runs.
“Initially, early on, some of the veterans didn’t want him to play. They were like ‘he’s too young. we want to keep the younger guys off, keep it to veterans.‘ Then, he got in and he absolutely started torching guys. Guys like Norman Powell and Kyrie Irving have had a lot of praise for Egor. And in one of the games, he was playing with Norman Powell and he went off for like 30 plus and they won. And as he walked off the floor and they were all saying, ‘this kid is going to be an absolute problem’ and they are very, very impressed with him…
“He looks like a guy who absolutely wants to turn the narrative of the Brooklyn Nets. He’s already spent time in Texas with Julius Randle, working out with him, building that rapport, that relationship and he is a man on a mission that wants to bring Brooklyn back to winning basketball.” Ghim added. “He wants to be a leader. He wants to be a leader by example.
Finally, Ghim offered a little intel on the relationship between Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. who’s only a month younger than Demin.
“He’s telling me about Mikel and he’s saying, ‘Mikel is a freak.’ And the stuff Mikel cares about — his intel, his knowledge, his IQ of the game is extremely, extremely high. He feels like the fit between him and Mikel is going to be like a glove.
“It’s going to be a perfect pairing between the two and he’s talking about how Mikel has so much ability, on and off ball, which makes their pairing so interesting as Egor continues to grow as a ball-handler, as a creator himself. If I was a Brooklyn Nets fan, I’d be absolutely through the moon with the young core they’re building over there … Egor looks like a man on a mission and he’s coming for blood.”
Ghim’s No Ceilings colleague, Corey Tulaba, added that there’s other aspects of what’s going on with Brooklyn that need to be understood like the addition of Julius Randle who, despite Michael Porter Jr.‘s jump last year, is something the Nets — and Demin — didn’t have last year: an established NBA star.
“This is an all-NBA player who can make an impact on winning and has done that at multiple stops,” Tulaba argued. “So now, you’ve got a chance to go other there not just with a bunch of guys who are maybe learning how to play together or guys who are playing for themselves. You’re going to play with veterans who know what to do. They’re really building something cool in Brooklyn and it feels organic.”
To that point, Ghim noted that Demin shouted out other members of the Flatbush5, specifically Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf moving forward.
The two writers agreed that there’s not much likelihood that things in Brooklyn will take a big leap this year but as Ghim concluded, continuity should be a big help as they move along their NBA careers.
“The team feels they are building out a team of guys that can do stuff,” he noted. “Bring different layers, different styles as a team and them being so young as they are and building together and them really believing in themselves and the group that they have, obviously it won’t be this year, but in the next couple of years this may be a real team to watch in the East.”
But, wait, there was more!!
David Thorpe of True Hoop this week did a list of Ten guys who might make a big difference and he raved about the possibility that the Nets eighth youngest player, barely 22-year-old Noah Clowney, could have a breakout season. (We’ve written about Clowney several times this summer, most recently in these pages just a week ago but Thorpe’s analysis is new.)
The take has one fun fact we were unaware of which we highlighted as well as a possibility we hadn’t thought much about. Thorpe starts off by noting that he thought Clowney may have made a mistake declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft where the Nets took him with the 21st pick, making him the fourth youngest player in the NBA. He was also their first return on the Kevin Durant trade with Phoenix. But as he also notes, that’s what over the dam:
I thought it odd that Clowney left a terrific program at Alabama, fresh off a Final Four appearance, after one season. He was probably too young to succeed in the NBA, and could have made a ton in NIL money!
So last season he entered this tier of players from whom I had no idea what to expect. And out of those players … he impressed me more than anyone when I got to see him play in games. Only three players 21 or younger averaged at least 12 points and took at least 3.4 or more free throws per game: Clowney, Cooper Flagg, and Stephon Castle And he did that in only 27 minutes per game.
He is not a good shooter. But at 33 percent from 3, where he’s been for his two seasons, he’s not bad and there’s every reason to think he is due for a big improvement. He has a lot of game cutting, driving, slashing, and drawing fouls off those attacks. If his shot improves, I doubt it’ll be too long before he gets a chance to start ahead of Julius Randle. His defense will have to keep improving, but to me Clowney has the look of a starting level power forward who might even play some small ball five.
For the record, Clowney averaged 12.3 points on 40/33/80 shooting to go along with 4.3 boards, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks. As every Nets fan knows, there have been games or series of games where he’s gotten us all excited, like the final week of the 2023-24 season when he had games of seven and four blocks and the 14 games last season where had four or more 3-pointers go in, including games of seven and six in a 10-day, five-game stretch.
He does that consistently and his restricted free agency will be interesting come July. The Nets can match any offer he might get (and there were rumblings last season that the San Antonio Spurs might have interest.) Still, it was good to see the Thorpe analysis. He did not include rookies or second year players, it should be noted.
That’s your weekly dose of optimism. Now you can read what Channing Frye has to say about the Nets being “straight garbage.” We won’t. We’ve been inundated with the negative. We trying for balance.
Hair style updates
Combing the Internet this week, we found video of both Mikel Brown Jr. and Grant Nelson in barber chairs. No, nothing escapes the ND Dragnet…
We found the first on HoopChina…
And the second onFargo, N.D. barber Landon Lopez’s Instagram account…
Grant Nelson returns home to North Dakota and his local barber asks where you been? https://t.co/6dX4zslWMu
You won’t see Pooch’s byline on ND for a while. He and his new wife, Gabrielle Galluzzi, are on a honeymoon in the Caribbean! Anthony and Gabrielle were married Saturday afternoon at St. Francis de Chantal R.C. Church in Wantagh, N.Y.
Steve Kerr hoped the Warriors could add some “younger legs” this offseason, but the Warriors coach knows addressing the need was easier said than done.
As Golden State approaches the 2026-27 NBA season with a roster closely resembling the aging group that competed last campaign, Kerr explained why on Friday’s episode of the “Tom Tolbert Show.”
“Having been a GM, I know how hard it is to just magically say, ‘All right, we’re going to get younger,’ ” Kerr told Tolbert. “We obviously tried to get younger, but stuff has to materialize. You have to have the assets or the cap room to be able to do certain things.
“The stuff that came our way, I mean, it’s [Mike Dunleavy’s] job and [Joe Lacob’s] job, but they obviously run everything by me. I mean, there was nothing that made sense to me to make this huge move. So, look, we did the best we could to put together the roster.”
In addition to bringing back veterans like Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Kristaps Porziņģis, the Warriors added Georges Niang and Brandon Williams in free agency after drafting Yaxel Lendeborg No. 11 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.
It’s Kerr’s hope that the current roster, anchored by Steph Curry and Draymond Green, has enough depth to overcome its age as the team waits for Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to return from their respective injuries.
“I think Yaxel’s going to help quite a bit,” Kerr continued. “He’s a really good player. He’s older, he’s mature. Watching him work out with our guys, he’s going to help us. Gui Santos, Brandon Podziemski, these guys are going to help us. George Niang, Brandon Williams, new signees. Nothing earth shattering, but really good players who can play a lot of minutes.
“And so I think our depth is the answer to the question you asked. We’re going to have to rely on our whole roster, including our two-way players at times. And fortunately, I do feel really good about the guys we have who have kind of filled out the back end of the roster. And I think they can help us hold down the fort until Jimmy [Butler] and Moses [Moody] get back the second half of the year.”
For the first time since the 2021-22 season, the Warriors are fielding a full 15-man roster to start the campaign in an attempt to make up for Moody and Butler’s absences.
Despite the odds — and Father Time — seemingly stacked against them, Kerr and the Warriors certainly hope they can recreate some of the magic from that championship year.
The previous projection had been $174 million. While a $2 million increase may not seem like much, it's good news for teams.
The $176 million figure is a 6.7% increase over the $164.96 million cap for this coming season. After the massive new national television deal was signed a couple of years ago, the expectation was that the league would see 10% salary cap increases for at least half a decade and likely longer. Instead, because of the collapse of the local television market for many teams, that percentage has dropped.
The concern for teams with star players on max contracts is that those come with 8% annual raises, but now the salary cap does not keep pace. Suddenly, a player projected to earn 35% of the salary cap can earn a slightly higher percentage, making it more difficult to build a team around him.
The increased cap also means that players who signed max contracts that kick in next season, such as Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, will earn slightly more.
In Friday’s episode of the “Tom Tolbert Show,” Kerr joined his former college teammate at Arizona to discuss the Warriors’ recruitment of James and the rather awkward dilemma it created for many in Dub Nation.
“I don’t think it’s exactly earth-shattering news, or I don’t think I’ll get fined for saying, like, it never really felt like he was coming here,” Kerr told Tolbert. “To me, it was more speculation than anything. I think we would have had a much better sense that, you know, something was going to happen.
“It’s been really interesting, though, hearing fans around the Bay — like, you know, people will randomly come up to me and say, ‘I’m glad we didn’t get LeBron.’ And I’m like, ‘Really?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, it’s like he’s not supposed to be on our team. He’s a rival.’ And I get that as a sports fan. It’d be like, you know, should Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird have played on the same team?
“So, I mean, just as a coach and having coached him in the Olympics — sign me up. … But it’s been interesting hearing our fans. I think fans, you know, because of the emotional connection you have to your team and rivalries and all that stuff, I think it was just a weird thought. That’s the reaction I’m getting from a lot of people.”
On one hand, the thought of James playing with Steph Curry is mouth-watering to most basketball fans, especially after they teamed up to win gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics with Kerr as the coach.
But at the same time, as Kerr acknowledged, it likely would have been weird for Warriors fans, who have seen James has a primary rival for over a decade.
Maybe that latter factor played into James’ decision not to join Golden State in the end — and possibly his lack of perceived interest in the first place.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 09: Ziaire Williams #1 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center on March 09, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets won 126-115. 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 Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the NBA season fast approaching, the Lakers have numerous lineup decisions to iron out. None is more immediate than the starting lineup.
This can shift during the season, but four out of five are likely locked in with Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, and Walker Kessler.
The fifth can go in a multitude of directions, whether it’s an offensive-leaning spacing four with Sandro Mamukelashvili, the high defensive pedigree vet in Matisse Thybulle or an uber-athletic defender looking for a fresh start.
For the latter, enter Ziaire Williams, who has the highest-upside wing profile on the team and a skill set that matches what the Lakers desperately need.
Williams enters his sixth season in the league, bouncing around from being the No. 10 pick with the Grizzlies to trying to find a home with the Nets. Listed at 6’9” with a 6’10” wingspan, he has intriguing tools as a potential disruptor.
Tools mean nothing without the desire to use them, though. As is the case with most young players, the defensive concentration comes in flashes. The tanking Nets won 46 total games in the two years Williams was on the roster, which isn’t exactly the environment where high energy and defensive focus are cultivated.
When locked in, Williams showed a level of versatility left for the best defenders in the league. Displaying good technique and quickness navigating screens on the perimeter, Brooklyn tagged him on top playmakers where he held his own.
In the clip below, he’s matched with Jalen Brunson at the top of the key. Defending a ball screen, the reach-in gives up the first step. He quickly recovers, avoids the foul while chasing behind and cleanly blocks the shot to ignite the break the other way.
While composure and solid fundamentals are critical, Williams brings athletic defensive playmaking to a team lacking it elsewhere. His length allowed him to play back on ball handlers and still recover in time to block 3-point attempts.
He collected just 0.4 blocks per game but was always alert and opportunistic, including coming over for weakside denials with his quick-twitch jump.
Great hands and excellent timing cause havoc for opposing offenses. In the clip below, he waits for Kevin Durant to turn his head before quickly swiping the ball free and heading the other way.
Williams gets a ton of unexpected steals in the backcourt, patiently waiting for the offense to relax and bring their guard down. The chaos creator led the Nets with 3.2 deflections per game, a number that would have led the Lakers as well.
With a cluster of wings vying for minutes, defense will get Williams on the floor, while offense will determine whether he stays.
It’s no secret how the Lakers offense will run. Luka and Reaves will eat a majority of the offensive possessions and shoulder the bulk of playmaking. Whatever is left will go to Grimes and Kessler for finishing or short roll touches.
The presumed fifth starter will need to be productive without any offense running through them. Years removed from his original draft-night potential, this role as a contributor to high-level winning fits his archetype.
As is typical for any supporting player in the modern NBA, it starts and ends with the ability to make an open 3-point shot. Although the soon-to-be 25-year-old has never shot above 34% from 3-point range, as he did last season, there is hope he can eventually find the range.
Williams has taken over four attempts from behind the arc per game over the last two seasons, revealing little apprehension. Last year, he hit 41% on wide-open attempts, tracked with a defender six plus feet away.
Attaining a dependable jumper, even slightly, not only raises the impact he makes on the other end but opens up the room to reveal his timely cutting, attacking the basket or lobs his new guards love to throw.
One place athletic wings with questionable jumpers end up around the league is the dunker spot. It’s a tougher place to rotate help to and it opens the door for quick slips behind the defense.
Watch below as he’s stationed in the corner and slides toward the rim as the action unfolds. The short roll pass opens the three-on-two advantage, leading to the lob at the basket.
In the clip below, he sets an off-ball screen. He quickly notices the defense pre-switching the action and correctly counters by slipping to the basket. Williams gets on his trampoline for the athletic finish over contesting Aaron Gordon.
Paired with young, unproven ball handlers, Williams was still in the efficient 81st percentile on low volume as a cutter and finished 66% of his attempts at the basket last year.
He’s a prototypical 3-and-D player if the shot comes around, with a game in hopes of mirroring successful players such as Derick Jones Jr.
While he’s recently said all the right things, questions remain about a shaky jumper and defensive engagement. If Williams can put the offense together and maintain his defensive focus, he can find himself in line for many of the available minutes left on the team.
