Category: NBA

What’s up y’all? Last weekend, the NBA Summer League concluded, so I thought I’d take a look at how some former Ducks ended up playing.

Now, I know these results aren’t very surprising. But I was legitimately impressed watching Bittle go out and do work. He looked healthy, and played the same style of ball we got to watch him play the last few seasons. Honestly, with how well he performed in Summer League, I have even more confidence he’ll be able to carve out a legitimate career as an NBA role player. Especially considering that you NEED to be able to shoot to survive more than 2-3 years these days. I don’t know if he’ll stay on the Raptors, but I think someone will give him a shot. And when they do, I’m confident he’ll make the most of it.

As always, ‘Sco Ducks

I’m coming home.

That was the framing behind LeBron James’s second decision in 2014. After winning two titles in Miami with the Heat, he was ready to come home. Northeast Ohio always had a special place in LeBron’s heart. Something bigger than basketball, a calling, an obligation. However, as LeBron began pondering where his “final stop” in his basketball career would be, it was only natural that home would be one of the landing spots.

When it was announced via LeBron’s socials (Instagram and X) that he would be joining the Philadelphia 76ers, it sent shockwaves throughout the league. Since this seismic announcement, teams in the mix (Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers) and their fans are left reading the post-decision nuggets to find out where their pitches fell short.

The Cavaliers and their fans were probably the most heartbroken. Did LeBron owe them or the fans a return? No. LeBron delivered the crowning achievement of the franchise, a title in 2016. That cements a love shared between the fans, the King, and the Cavaliers.

However, there is something unsettling about the decision to join the 76ers. Nothing about the franchise, its players, or fans evokes this feeling of ire. It’s more so LeBron’s summer and the information that is trickling out about this decision that draw questions about LeBron’s intentions not only for 2026, but one cannot help but wonder what 2014 really was about.

2014 was always framed as being about the love LeBron had for Northeast Ohio. A wrong (The Decision) in his life that needed to be corrected. Something that he carried with him during his four years in Miami. This was a decision made out of searching for happiness, fulfillment, and a calling to achieve something higher than basketball.

Even reading through the letter published in Sports Illustrated, it is hard not to remember how incredible it felt that LeBron loved the same area of Ohio as much as its fans and wanted to repair a relationship that was fragmented in 2010.

When you zoom out on LeBron’s past decisions, Miami in 2010, Los Angeles in 2018, and now Philadelphia in 2026. There is a thread that makes his 2014 decision a little less heartwarming if you look deeper.

The allure of talent is what James has been seeking. It’s something that drew LeBron to Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Los Angeles with Anthony Davis in the works, and now Philly with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown. It can’t be ignored that Cleveland in 2014 offered a similar template: a team with appealing talent (Kyrie Irving and soon-to-be Kevin Love), moveable assets to tinker with the roster (Andrew Wiggins, Dion Waiters, and Anthony Bennett), and a roadmap to a title.

Now, nothing can be said definitively about LeBron’s reasoning; I certainly cannot. I will say to put my tin foil hat on, that the thought that maybe 2014 for LeBron was less about coming home and more about setting up his next chapter at chasing a title. While LeBron achieved this goal, and I’m grateful for everything he’s done for the franchise and the city, the Philadelphia decision and approach to free agency raise questions about the sentimentality of 2014.

While the Philadelphia choice appears jarring, given the context of it being his final chapter, it follows the throughline of 2010-2026 that LeBron wants to be surrounded by the best talent available. The final chapter is about what all other chapters have offered in his career: a chance to win a title.

LeBron spending so much time in Northeast Ohio over the last month or so certainly added fuel to the fire. Stretching it out for so long with Cleveland being in the discussion made it seem like there was more of a chance than not that this final chapter was going to end in wine and gold. Instead, as new articles continue to trickle out, it was clear Cleveland was never really in a position, never mind pole position, to land the franchise icon.

If there was such a connection to the Cavaliers, it would be hard pressed to not end the career at home. The difference in talent between Philadelphia and Cleveland is close enough that going home one last time would be hard to refute. LeBron appears to have moved past this option rather easily and instead is choosing what he perceives as his best chance to win a title.

Whether or not LeBron wins a championship with Philadelphia is yet to be seen. However, LeBron has made Cleveland seem like they were more of a chapter in the story of his career than the place he romanticized in 2014.

In 2014 LeBron wrote, “I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there.” In 2026, this sentence seems slightly disingenuous.

Another summer is flying by, and with that, so is another NBA offseason. Just over a week removed from the Summer League’s conclusion, we still have a roughly two months before we’ll see the Nets in action again. This week, however, we did learn who they’ll be up against once they return.

Monday morning, the team announced its 2026 preseason schedule. It includes the following four matchups:

• October 6th at the Charlotte Hornets (7:00 p.m. EST)
• October 8th vs the Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. EST)
• October 12th at the Washington Wizards (7:00 p.m. EST)
• October 14th at the Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. EST)

That’s only one preseason game at the Barclays Center. The Nets had only one at home last year as well, although two of their four were played overseas.

With these being preseason bouts, there’s no telling who’ll suit up for any of them. That being said, most of Brooklyn’s opponents present compelling cases to watch from a roster standpoint. After the Hornets, its three first-looks at new-look squads: LeBron James and Jaylen Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers, Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa with the Washington Wizards, and Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Miami Heat.

One notable Summer League absentee this year was Nolan Traoré, who sat out after having a scope on his right knee. However, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News reported that the guard should be healthy by the start of training camp, which begins just prior to the preseason. Traoré was also seen getting shots up in Vegas a few weeks ago, even if refraining from any actual game action.

The YES Network will cover and televise each preseason contest this year. The NBA and the Nets released the full regular season schedule on August 14th last year, so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks as well.

LeBron James finally made the NBA's most intriguing offseason decision when he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, but free agency isn't over.

Nearly three months before the 2026-27 NBA season tips off, a surprisingly large batch of intriguing players still remain available. The wait for James also meant teams waited to know how best to allocate the last remaining spots on their roster within the league's salary cap constraints.

So there are emerging stars dealing with complicated and increasingly contentious contract standoffs like Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets wing Peyton Watson. There are former superstars trying to extend their career like Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and Kevin Love on the market. There are familiar faces and proven role players who can help a team over the course of the 2026-27 regular season. There are more moves to be made.

James may have been the biggest domino to fall in NBA free agency, but there are more pieces on the board. Here are the 20 best NBA free agents still on the market:

The Minnesota Timberwolves are making a push towards the top of the Western Conference after falling short of the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2023.

The Wolves were eliminated in six games at the hands of the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs, so they opted to try and raise their ceiling by acquiring LaMelo Ball in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets.

“Edwards and Ball have the potential to be the NBA’s most electric guard tandem, but Ball’s lack of playoff experience, injury history and sometimes careless style of play combine to make this a huge gamble,” ESPN contributor Ben Golliver wrote. “How many executives would be willing to bet multiple years of Edwards’ prime on a player with as many questions as Ball? And how many would do so after the longest stretch of sustained success in their franchise’s history?

“[Tim] Connelly’s willingness to buck conventional wisdom has been one of his biggest strengths. Will it come back to bite him this time?“

If Ball emerges as a top point guard in the NBA, it could give the Wolves the best backcourt tandem in the league. That could be the winning formula to get the Wolves to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

It could all come crashing down, but the Wolves should be commended for making an attempt to try and improve their roster even at the risk of falling behind.

Canis Hoopus community, what do you make of Connelly’s decision to trade for Ball? Let us know in the comments section below.

It hasn’t been the earth-shattering offseason that some Houston Rockets fans wanted. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been consequential.

Marcus Smart is a significant addition. There’s some hope (isn’t there? Some?) that Bogdan Bogdanovic has a bounce-back year. Bruce Thornton looks like he could crack the rotation.

There’s also a returning Fred VanVleet (optimism levels may vary) and Steven Adams, plus the potential for internal development from young players. So, the Rockets have plenty of opportunity to improve on their 2025-26 win total.

According to the results of the latest SB Nation Reacts poll, you mostly agreed.

Rockets expected to improve by fans

So, there it is.

A sturdy 55% of you think the Rockets will get better. A solid 27% think they’ll stagnate, and 18% of you are not invited to my birthday party.

If there’s any valid reason why this team could worsen, it would be the competition rising. The Utah Jazz will be ready to compete. The Minnesota Timberwolves added LaMelo Ball. Even the Los Angeles Lakers might look more cohesive after dropping LeBron James and signing Walker Kessler:

Although they’ll miss Smart very badly.

Likely, the Rockets’ front office isn’t even thinking about regular season wins. They’ve been there and done that at this point. The more meaningful bar for success in 2026-27 will be playoff performance. The Rockets need to win a series, or there will likely be major consequences.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The subject is the upcoming season. You expect the Rockets to get better, and it’s a reasonable expectation. They ought to have better health luck by virtue of sheer probability, and they’ve made some sneaky additions:

Even if they didn’t rock your world.

Want to put your money where your mouth is? Find your way to FanDuel, who are kind enough to sponsor these polls. You can bet on the Rockets’ regular season win total, and lots of other stuff if you’re so inclined.

NBA star Kyle Kuzma accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “cosplaying” as president and releasing statements for "content" after the leader called for the arrest of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“This is 2026," the Milwaukee Bucks forward said in a July 26 post on X. "People cosplaying as things they don’t have the authority, the talent, or the track record to actually be. Just for content.”

Kuzma, 31, added that he believes many people are "auditioning," and not "building," implying they are putting on an act in public.

“A mayor playing president. A founder playing operator. A content creator playing one-on-one thinking he’s a pro. A 25yr old with a ring light playing economist. Everyone auditioning. Nobody building,” his post said. "Were raising a generation that learning the reward isn’t in doing the thing it’s in looking like you did the thing. The clip is the career. The pose is the product. The soundbite is the substitute for a life’s work."

He added: "Don't fall for distractions."

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for a comment on Kuzma's remarks.

NYC mayor calls on federal government to arrest Netanyahu

Mamdani earlier this month told the The New York Times the city's legal department was looking at options for Netanyahu's arrest in NYC ahead of his expected attendance at the United Nations in September.

However, with no clear legal path to force an arrest, Mamdani called on the federal government to take action. "As I've said, I agree with the [International Criminal Court] that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC," Mamdani said last week.

The Golden State Warriors are in flux for the first time in over a decade after their failed attempt to land LeBron James. It effectively means the team is running back the same trio of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green — while hoping that rookie Yaxel Landeborg, and the return of Moses Moody can be enough of an addition to do something for them. Butler is currently out with a torn ACL, but he should be ready to go before the playoffs. Now the team that seemingly always has the answers is left without one, left simply hoping that their biggest competition around the back-end of the playoff cut managed to get worse this offseason.

As a result, the Warriors are little more than a middling team in a Western Conference that boasts the Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, and Timberwolves. That’s before we even talk about the juggernauts the East is building in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Miami. Golden State ranked No. 23 out of 30 teams in our way-too-early NBA power rankings following LeBron to the Sixers. As a result, there’s speculation on whether Golden State could actually look to part ways with Steph Curry, accepting that they might not be in the position to assemble a real contender around Curry — while also understanding that if they want to rebuild into a contender, it will take assets they currently don’t possess.

Enter the Charlotte Hornets, who are in a bizarre, unique circumstance to make the sentimental value play for Curry, a Charlotte native who has pounded the drum at Panthers games, was in attendance for his dad’s jersey retirement, and fondly remembers hanging out with Muggsy Bogues in the Hornets locker room at their peak. The refrain of “Bring Steph Home” has been a yearly meme for Hornets fans, more or less ever since Charlotte missed out on drafting Curry in 2009 as the Bobcats — always said tongue-in-cheek, as if Steph would ever want to leave the Warriors to come back to North Carolina.

Maybe now that is becoming a real possibility. Not only is there talk about the Warriors potentially facing a Steph reckoning, but the Hornets represent one of the few teams that have the assets, and might be foolish enough to give them to add a 38-year-old star to a young, building roster. Couple all this with the fact that Steph has mentioned Charlotte off-hand as a potential landing spot for him other than Golden State over the years, and it’s stoked the flames of the rumor mill.

The question now is how much sense this really makes for anyone involved.

Why it makes sense for the Warriors to trade Steph

It never, ever works to be the team left holding the bag. Ideally you’d want to keep Curry, form another championship run, and have him sail off into the sunset as a winner, but that doesn’t feel like it’s in the cards right now. They made their play for LeBron, it didn’t work, so they’re left on a bit of an island right now.

The Warriors could still be really good if Jimmy Butler can get healthy in time for the playoffs this year, but they’re still a significant step behind the competition in the West. As painful as it might be, this could be a really great opportunity to bid Curry farewell, get some draft picks back, and not take on any bad salary with Charlotte still holding a mammoth trade exception they can use to absorb Curry’s contract.

Why it doesn’t make sense for the Warriors to trade Steph

At what point is it all worth it? Trading Curry and blowing up the roster is a PR nightmare, and fans don’t often want to hear about the draft capital they’d get in the future. Would two firsts and several second-round picks get it done? Would the Warriors need three firsts to entice them enough? The return would need to warrant the marketing hit the team would take, and at some point future capital just isn’t worth it, especially if you’re concerned that Charlotte is on the upswing and those picks won’t be lottery protected.

Truthfully, Charlotte won’t trade either Brandon Miller or Kon Knueppel to get this deal done. There is no planet in which the franchise parts ways with either of its two remaining star players, even to get Steph Curry. They will be playing the draft pick game, and that’s a hard sell when it means losing a Hall of Fame player like Steph.

Why it makes sense for the Hornets to trade for Steph

Curry is an ideal schematic fit for what Charles Lee and the Hornets are trying to do. This team wants to shoot threes, grab rebounds, and basically do nothing else. The potential lineup the Hornets could bring with Steph is simply comical when it comes to their potential from beyond the arc.

Steph Curry / Kon Knueppel/ Brandon Miller/ Naz Reid/ Hannes Steinbach

That’s FOUR starters who can all shoot, with Reid being a glue guy in the paint. Then you factor in the bench with Coby White and Christian Anderson Jr. being three-point specialists, with Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate as the requisite rebounders.

The addition of Steph basically just heightens what the Hornets do, but takes it to an entirely new level. Perhaps more importantly, it also solves the biggest problem Charlotte has right now: Public perception. The team took a mammoth hit by trading away LaMelo Ball, appearing to some fans like they don’t care to compete. I’m on the record saying I think it was ultimately a smart move that will be addition by subtraction, but that doesn’t make it inherently easier to swallow the loss of a star like Ball.

Bringing Steph Curry to Charlotte changes all that. You bring such a beloved player to Charlotte, who literally grew up in the Hornets locker room of the early-90s with his dad Dell, the same Dell Curry who now calls games for the Hornets on TV — the narrative writes itself.

Why it doesn’t make sense for the Hornets to trade for Steph

What precisely is this team trying to achieve? Moreover, what can it achieve in the Eastern Conference right now? Sure, adding Curry might be enough to get them over the hump from play-in team to playoff team — but is that really worth mortgaging a future they went through considerable pain to attain?

The biggest arrow in Charlotte’s quiver is the amount of draft capital they have in upcoming years. The 2025 NBA Draft was a home run that landed the Hornets a future cornerstone in Knueppel, but valuable role players in Kalkbrenner and Sion James. If that’s indicative of the team’s scouting potential, then giving up future assets to acquire Curry right now is a mistimed move, rather than waiting for some of these aging stars to wear out in the East, then strike in a few years when teams are rebuilding.

It also raises questions about the leadership structure of this team. One of the main reasons Coby White re-signed with Charlotte was getting a bigger role at the point, and the assumption is that removing Ball’s presence on the roster would allow for Miller and Knueppel to assume leadership roles. That all goes out the window if you bring in Steph, who would immediately make the Hornets his team.

While it might be a great basketball fit, it’s a bad organizational fit at this juncture.

What happens when the dust settles?

It would take something mammoth for the Warriors to actually part ways with Steph Curry. There have been too many years of shared emotions, too much bonding between Curry and Steve Kerr to let all this get washed out because Golden State couldn’t land LeBron James.

The smartest move would be the wait, play out the first part of the season, then see who comes available at the trade deadline who could potentially take the Warriors from a fringe playoff team and push them even further. Someone is going to blow things up once more, and the best position would be to ride Curry/Butler/Green until the wheels really fall off.

There’s always a little wiggle room though, and if there’s one team desperate enough to swing for the fences it’s the Charlotte Hornets. Never say never.

Sizing up the Eastern Conference after Sixers' LeBron James signing  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LeBron James has switched coasts and conferences with his move from the Lakers to the Sixers.

What kind of competition will James and the Sixers have in the East? Below is a summer rundown on the 10 teams that made the playoffs or play-in tournament last season. And an honorable mention should go to the Indiana Pacers, who may very well improve dramatically from last year’s 19-win season with Tyrese Haliburton back on the floor.

Pistons 

Detroit racked up 60 wins in the 2025-26 season, four more than the No. 2 seed Celtics. They fell to the Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs.

The Pistons have added John Collins,Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince, Gary Harris and rookie guard Ebuka Okorie. Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser have gone elsewhere. All-Star center Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency remains unresolved.

It’s tough to properly assess the Pistons until the Duren saga ends. They’ll hope the net result of their moves is an upgraded supporting cast around Cade Cunningham and deeper playoff progress. 

Celtics 

Joe Mazzulla won 56 games last year … his lowest number in four seasons as Boston’s head coach.

Of course, the Celtics’ main summer transaction was trading Jaylen Brown to the Sixers in exchange for Paul George and draft picks. They’ve also signed Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley Jr.

It wouldn’t be shocking at all if the Celtics stayed near the top of the East standings, but we imagine they’ll need good health for Jayson Tatum and the 36-year-old George. Boston would also benefit plenty from continued growth by young players like Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez. 

Knicks 

The Knicks will enter next season with close to the same roster as their championship-winning team. The backup center picture has changed with Robinson out and Andre Drummond shifting from Philadelphia to New York. Third-string big man Ariel Hukporti left the Knicks and joined the Sixers.

The team’s thorough dominance of the East playoffs last year should not be overlooked.

After falling behind 2-1 in Round 1 against the Hawks, the Knicks won their next 13 games. They polished off a second-round sweep of the Sixers with a 30-point victory in Philadelphia. The East Finals concluded with the Knicks’ 37-point demolition of the Cavs in Cleveland. 

At least for the time being, the Knicks have a leg up on the Sixers in terms of knowing the exact recipe for playoff success with their current roster. They may be more reliant on one star, but Jalen Brunson is fresh off a Finals MVP performance and the Knicks certainly don’t lack talent around him with players like OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. 

Cavaliers 

The Cavs missed out on another James homecoming and haven’t yet done much of note this summer. They picked up Croatian forward Mario Hezonja on a one-year deal. Dean Wade left Cleveland to sign with the Sixers.

As has been the case the past few years, it would be great for the Cavs if Evan Mobley took a step or two forward offensively. Mobley’s three-point percentage dipped to 29.7 last season. The Cavs again appear likely to lean heavily on the Donovan Mitchell-James Harden backcourt.

Raptors 

The Raptors’ trade to bring back Kawhi Leonard is pending because of the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers’ reported salary cap circumvention.

In the event the deal goes through, Leonard is the kind of player who would considerably raise Toronto’s ceiling when healthy. The Raptors were excellent on defense last year, finishing fifth in the league in defensive rating. Toronto drafted forward Allen Graves with the 19th overall pick and signed Kyle Anderson in free agency. 

Hawks 

Atlanta’s had an intriguing offseason after returning to the playoffs last year. The Hawks might wind up ahead of some teams with flashier names in the standings. 

Their moves include drafting Kingston Flemings (No. 8) and Zuby Ejiofor (No. 23) and acquiring Luguentz Dort,Aaron Wiggins and Devin Carter. Can Jalen Johnson keep improving following his first All-Star nod? 

Sixers 

No other team in the East matches the Sixers’ pure star power. Between James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers have an absurd 36 All-Star selections (James is responsible for 22 of them, but the other three are all multi-time All-Stars). 

The Sixers aren’t flawless. The sheer volume of offensive talent doesn’t guarantee everything will flow smoothly from the jump. Embiid’s health is still highly important and he’s struggled to avoid injuries for a sustained stretch since his 2022-23 MVP season. 

However, it’s quite realistic for the Sixers to aspire to win the East. They’ll plan to start by earning home-court advantage for the first time in Nick Nurse’s tenure as head coach and giving themselves an easier path in the playoffs. The Knicks were unquestionably the superior team, but fatigue was a factor for the Sixers in last postseason’s second round after their Round 1 battle with Boston.

Magic 

The Magic blew a 3-1 lead in their first-round series against Detroit and then replaced head coach Jamahl Mosley with Sean Sweeney.

Again, it’s very valid to wonder whether Orlando can be an adequate three-point shooting team. The Magic made 34.3 percent of their three-point attempts in the regular season (27th in the NBA) and 32.8 percent in the playoffs. 

Hornets 

After starting 11-23 last season, the Hornets went 33-15. They had the NBA’s best offensive rating and fourth-best defensive rating over that period.

Charlotte has made major roster changes this summer, shipping out LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and rookies Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson are among the new Hornets. 

Heat 

Before all the Sixers’ action, the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade was the talk of the NBA offseason. Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr. are also on board in Miami.

The Sixers and several other East squads seem to be more well-rounded than the Heat, but Antetokounmpo is a bona fide superstar, Bam Adebayo is a three-time All-Star with six All-Defensive Team selections, and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra habitually extracts the most he possibly can from his team. 

Last week we ran a poll asking a kind of complicated question that had two possible answers: which big Dallas Mavericks trade did you think was better? The big, eventual multi-team trade for Santi Aldama and the rights to Tarik Biberovic or the Mavericks trading for former Atlanta Hawk and number one overall pick Zaccharie Risacher?

Fans ended up in a somewhat divided place, with 62% of fans voting for Aldama and the rights to Biberovic and the other 38% siding with the Risacher deal. First, it should be noted that both of these trades on their own are excellent business for the Mavericks. On the Aldama deal, they get a good look at a player that’s improved every season as well as the rights for a top-tier European shooter (who they then signed to an amazing deal). With Risacher, they traded a former UDFA for the former number one overall pick.

I also asked this question because at the time, I was considering it as well. After a few days and reading the comments to the poll, I’ve settled on the Aldama trade. The deciding factor for me ended up being the team option in next year’s deal for Aldama. He’s a player about to enter his athletic prime, so being able to have him in house for up to two seasons to consider what’s next is a big deal. This is a very underrated player.

Risacher’s challenge lies with where he was drafted above all else. If he were the 17th pick this STILL would be good business due to what Dallas sent out, but they also have to decide on his player option for the 2027-28 season very soon and that’s annoying given that he won’t have played in a Dallas uniform yet. But he’s not yet shown anything in the NBA, so perhaps Dallas opts in a gives him a two-season look while having him as a potentially large expiring contract NEXT season. And hey, he’s sitting at +10000 over at FanDuel for Most Improved Player next year, so that’s something to look forward to if you’re the very hopeful type.

Former Wisconsin Badgers star John Tonje has had an eventful start to his NBA career through just one season.

Selected with the No. 53 pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2025 NBA Draft, Tonje was sent to Utah’s G-League team, where he played alongside fellow former Badgers Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl. The guard earned a big role from the jump as a starter, playing in 31.3 minutes per game for the Salt Lake City Stars.

In that action, Tonje averaged 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from deep. However, his stint in Utah was short-lived as he was dealt at the trade deadline to the Boston Celtics in a deal that sent veteran forward Chris Boucher and a second-round pick back to the Jazz.

Tonje then saw his first NBA action, being converted from a two-way contract to an NBA contract, and he played in six games for the Celtics over the rest of the regular season. In 7.0 minutes of action per game, Tonje averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds, while shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 30 percent from three.

The wing moved back and forth between the NBA team and Boston’s G-League team, the Maine Celtics. In 11 games with Maine, Tonje averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across 31.5 minutes per contest, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three.

This offseason, Tonje got the chance to play for Boston’s summer league team and turned out a strong performance there. In five games, he averaged 14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists. That got him his next NBA opportunity: a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, which ESPN reported over the weekend.

The deal is a two-year contract, according to HoopsHype, and fills the last two-way slot for the Trail Blazers on their roster, joining Chris Youngblood and forward Jayson Kent.

The largest and fairest criticism levied against sports video games is a lack of imagination and innovation. It’s perceived by a majority of gamers that each year developers make some small tweaks, update rosters, and trot out the same game — knowing full well that FOMO will carry them over the finish line, as players become desperate to have the newest title. Subverting those expectations is a large part of what makes NBA The Run special. Sure, it has its roots based in the NBA Street franchise, which was a modernization of NBA Jam’s DNA, but developer Play by Play Studios has created an exciting, unique foundation unlike anything else in sports gaming, which could blossom into something truly special, provided they can garner the support.

It’s been over a month since NBA The Run was released, and the choice to hold off before reviewing the game was part circumstance and part intentionality to see how it would settle in for the long run. This game is inherently an online-only experience, with the only available offline mode (for now) being practice. That is the design of this game. It’s supposed to be competitive, 3v3 street basketball, which might look purely arcade-focused from afar, but it has serious chops when it comes to being an online game, complete with a burgeoning metagame that makes the experience unlike anything else in sports video games right now.

The fundamental format of the game is baked into its title. Players embark on “runs,” a series of tournaments that end after four wins by taking home the championship against other teams of real players. Lose early and you’ll be bounced back to the menu to start another run, with the reward for winning it all being more XP to level up your account and more in-game currency used to unlock players, jerseys, dunks, taunts, and more. The major wrinkle to this format is that every game in a tournament is subject to a roulette spin that determines the ruleset for the game. You might roll up a standard “first-to-15” game, but there’s also a chance to hit something like “Dunk City,” where all dunks are worth three points, with every other bucket being worth one — and the same exists for three-pointers and alley-oops. These rule differentiations are critical because it ensures there’s no singular strategy that results in an easy win. Field a team of Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant and yeah, you’re going to have the edge in those three point game modes, but hit one that rewards points for dunks, or deducts the opponent’s points for blocked shots and you’ll be in trouble.

Every major NBA star you could ask for is in the game. There are currently 40 NBA players in the game, with almost every team having at least one star player. In addition, there are throwback versions of LeBron James (Cavs rookie), Kevin Durant (Sonic rookie), Steph Curry (rookie), Luka Doncic (Mavs rookie), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Clippers rookie) with unique stats that better reflect where they began their NBA journey, compared to right now. Each of these players is defined not only by their stats, but unique animations that wildly change the makeup of a game. Sure, everyone has the same animation for a running three — but only Dame has a fadeaway from beyond the arc that’s very difficult to block.

These nuances are what make the game special. Composing a team is random unless you run with friends, but a solid team composition is everything to having success. Initially, I tried almost every player in the game to find someone who represented my style, finally settling on Amen Thompson as my go-to player. Thompson operates like a supporting piece, using his lockdown defense and solid passing to be a glue guy on a team with established scorers. I’m not looking to stuff the box score with scoring, but my success is measured through how I can effect the game with steals, blocks, and assists.

Spend more time with the game and the player nuance really lifts the experience to another level. It hurts when you’re up against a good Victor Wembanyama player who knows their block timing, and a good SGA player can be a nightmare on both ends of the floor — breaking ankles with his handling before driving to the bucket, then swiping the inbound pass for another easy bucket.

For all this praise there are unquestionably some pain points to the experience along the way. The decision not to have goaltending is fine, because it keeps games moving quickly — but this has been an area players have learned to exploit with Wemby, parking themselves under the hoops to snatch any three-point attempts that come their way. Last week the game released its first major roster update, adding AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer to the game — with all three being extremely problematic. Developers were so generous with their stats that they are immediately three of the best players in the game, with Dybantsa especially being so overpowered that he towers over every forward in the game.

Developers have been quick to listen to the community and patch the game where needed, and right now these three rookies all need to be toned way, way back. It’s understandable to want to make them good enough to entice people to play as them, but there’s no excuse to make Dybantsa better than Durant and LeBron out of the gate, make Peterson functionally better than Steph Curry in every way, or Boozer to be the best offensive big man next to Nikola Jokic.

Regardless, it’s fun to see these discussions unfolding on Reddit and inside the community. This is the first time I can recall a sports game being discussed in the same vein as League of Legends or Rainbow Six Siege — deep, hardcore esports titles. Not that the input requirements are as taxing, or it’s quite to that level, but this is a competitive game with a chance to really mave waves long term, which is also the achilles heel here.

It’s impossible to discuss the future of NBA The Run without addressing the 10,000-pound elephant in the room: NBA 2K27 is coming. It’s the yearly sports title that no matter how much it can frustrate people, still absolutely dominates the space when it comes to breadth of modes. Ideally there would be a competitive niche that NBA The Run can dominate alongside 2K — but the roadmap for updates feels a little too slow and ponderous when a juggernaut is baring down on the already small community The Run has built. Players are clamoring for NBA legends, opportunities to add the greats from the past into this new format — but it might be another month or two before any meaningful changes are made. Compound this with growing frustration at a slower-than-average progression system and the imbalance of the rookies (which can only be unlocked at rank 25) and it makes for a questionable impression picking the game up late.

If you look at NBA The Run as a game right now then it’s just okay. It’s a fun experience that feels good with its fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay. When looking at the game as a foundation for something in the future, that’s where this gets really special. Developers have built a game which really is unlike anything else we’ve seen in sports games for some time — opening the opportunity to blend real-world athletes with online metagames to make a fascinating tournament game that has real esports potential.

The question is whether this game has the gas to bring in enough players to establish itself by the time that reality is fully realized. I truly hope it does, because the game is a blast — but that is the unknown part of this equation.

While Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was celebrating his 59th birthday on Friday, the rest of the NBA universe went into a frenzy following the news that LeBron James will be signing with Philadelphia.

With The King comes a new batch of lofty expectations.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James said in a post on X.

As we are all aware, the Sixers have not made even the conference finals since 2001. Outside of the pressure to stay healthy throughout the playoffs, most of the pressure will land on Nurse throughout the season to ensure a championship run.

Nurse and the Sixers have avoided true contender expectations over the past two seasons, whether by design or necessity.

Entering the 2024-25 season, the Sixers had objectively the best offseason with the Paul George signing, yielding sky-high expectations. But they got hit by the injury plague the moment the season began, ushering in their worst record (24-58) since 2015-16.

Last season saw the Sixers enter with very reasonable expectations, likely a play-in team but possibly a 4-6 seed in the conference, early exit. They finished the season being swept by the Knicks in the second round, but completed a thrilling 3-1 comeback against the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Thus, the upcoming campaign will be only the second season Nurse has had to realistically deal with championship expectations. The first was his first season with the team in 2023-24, where they lost to the Knicks in the first round after making the playoffs as a play-in team. But even that season featured a James Harden holdout and another Joel Embiid meniscus tear.

This season, the Sixers field one of, if not the best roster in the NBA on paper, and are receiving the national pressure to perform. As long as the players are healthy, lots of the pressure will be directed at Nurse.

The problem to solve will be how to effectively utilize the Sixers’ four playmakers on offense. We saw at the end of the season various moments where Tyrese Maxey was struggling to be as impactful with Embiid being the centerpiece of the offense. It threw Maxey off the rhythm he established through the first 3/4 of the season which earned him All-Star starter honors.

Bringing in Jaylen Brown, who put up career-best figures in scoring (28.7 ppg), assists (5.1) and usage rate (32.5%) will not only force Nurse to stabilize Embiid and Maxey in his game plan, but add another layer in the shape of an All-NBA player.

James will absolutely help ease the pressure off Nurse at times thanks to his infinite basketball IQ and playmaking. There may also be times where James’ gravitas increases the pressure on coach. We have seen multiple iterations of “LeCoach” from a far throughout his career, so it will be of great curiosity to see whether Nurse meets the Philly version over the next two seasons.

Even with the monstrous acquisitions of Brown and James, Mike Gansey has delivered Nurse a pool of role players he will have to weave into the mix. Led by second-year guard VJ Edgecombe as the fifth starter, Nurse leaning into a transition-heavy gameplan could reap benefits during the regular season from the bench mob as well.

Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Labaron Philon Jr., Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, Ariel Hukporti and even new addition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all have something to bring, especially in a fast-paced environment. And as long as James’ legs remain under him, we know what he can do with a full head of steam.

The pressure for Nurse will be how he marries that clear shift of priority from a team-building standpoint with the slow-paced nature of Embiid and James’ halfcourt game.

Can Nurse effectively convince Embiid to trade post ups for more threes to help space the floor? Can the coaching staff shift Embiid’s focus from majority offense to majority defense and avenge the dismal season we saw from him as a rim protector and rebounder last go-around? Will Nurse, and the organization at large, keep Jaylen Brown fulfilled in the wake of the ugly Celtics split and looming contract extension? Will Nurse establish that working relationship with James to avoid any “LeCoach” drama? Who will rebound the basketball?

Safe to say it will be exhilarating pondering these questions throughout August and as we approach training camp. What about Nurse or the strategy this season are you excited to have answered? Leave it in the comments below.

Entering his fifth year as the Sixers coach, it would be hard to argue more pressure has been on the Iowa native than there will be this upcoming season. The good news is, he will not be wearing as heavy of a load as the sole Finals-experienced main character for the Sixers. Five seasons of championship winning experience has just landed in Philadelphia.