Category: NBA

Take all the time you want, LeBron. It’s your life.

Yes, it’s annoying to have to hear about it every day, but it’s your decision when to tell us where you’re going to play your 24th season of pro ball.

So, go ahead, keep NBA schedule-makers on pins and needles. Savor having workers at my local Trader Joe’s discussing your future on a Monday in the middle of July. Enjoy your twilight limelight.

But don’t tell us, on podcasts and in public appearances, that the factors you’re prioritizing are A) whether a team is built to win now; B) the proximity to your home in L.A.; and C) not money, but overall happiness — and then signal it might be the Golden State Warriors.

The Cleveland Cavaliers? They check all the boxes. That’s “home” for real. And the Cavs are ready to win with a veteran difference-maker such as LeBron. Absolutely, it would be a happily-ever-after conclusion to the LeBron epic.

The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers? Nowhere close to home, but they check a box too: They’re both set up to win — and in the Eastern Conference, where they won’t have to go through the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder to reach an NBA Finals.

The Warriors, though?

Read more:LeBron James offers no hints about his next team during podcast recording fans attended

They check no boxes. Not a one. Not in 2026.

That would be a … choice. But let no one act like this would be LeBron leaving the Lakers for a more competitive situation. It wouldn’t be LeBron landing in a more desirable locale.

Line up Cleveland, Philadelphia, Miami and Golden State and it’s like seeing three diamonds and a square on “Sesame Street.” A 3-year-old could tell that one of those is not like the others. But that’s the third-most likely destination, as of Tuesday morning, according to the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Sure, once upon a time, a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, LeBron James, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis would have beaten almost anybody. But even those guys — besides 30-year-old Porzingis, they’re all in their late-30s or early 40s, with a ton of NBA mileage — aren’t beating Father Time.

Remember when the Lakers put together a roster awash in washed-up stars in 2021, and how disastrous that was? Turns out pairing Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan and, yes, Russell Westbrook was a recipe for a truly awful 33-win team.

And the Warriors? They couldn’t get out of the play-in tournament last season, when Curry played only 43 games and Butler played only 38. Also, remember, for the first time in LeBron’s career, the now 41-year-old wasn’t available to start the season. He missed the first 14 games with sciatica.

Maybe Golden State could conjure up some magic in a playoff series — but over an 82-game regular-season marathon? No way, LBJ.

It could be that winning isn’t everything for LeBron. The man’s legacy is locked. He’s won four NBA titles, three Olympic gold medals, 1,229 NBA games and counting. And he’s winning this summer’s engagement game too.

Perhaps it’s come to a point that he just wants to play with his friends, and after earning $53 million with the Lakers last season, he’s willing to sign a deal with Golden State for between $3.9 and $6 million — which is what the Warriors could pay him, according to ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks — to do that.

That’s lovely, but it doesn’t change the fact that LeBron wouldn’t be happy losing.

And losing when he’s the addition to Steph’s team — and make no mistake, the Warriors are Steph’s team — really wouldn’t be fun.

The superstar wars that will be fought between both players’ infamously, uh, passionate fandoms wouldn’t be fun.

The daily drumbeat of criticism from talking heads who tuned into all of those televised games — not fun.

But the commute! It’s only 380 miles or so from Brentwood to Chase Center, and that’s much closer than Cleveland or Philly or Miami.

That makes sense — if you forget there are two NBA teams in the very city where LeBron’s family lives. And on paper, they’re both better than the Warriors. And his son plays for one of them!

But one of those teams is the Clippers and the other has moved on from LeBron.

Oh, the irony.

The Lakers, if they weren’t the ex-team, would check all the boxes. They’re going to be competitive. They’re a group LeBron enjoyed playing with. They are home. And LeBron would check a pretty big box for them too, if money really isn’t a deciding factor.

But the Lakers have replaced LeBron with Walker Kessler, the 24-year-old defensive center who is the perfect complement to Luka Doncic. They’ve put in place the pillars for their future, though they do still happen to have a LeBron-sized hole at forward that isn’t going to be filled by LeBron.

And that’s OK. The next chapter will start eventually, and likely it will be set in a location where LeBron can compete and have a good time, and that he and his family can feel good about.

Or in San Francisco.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mark Pope recently did an interview with UK Sports Network and was asked numerous questions about the team’s trip to Las Vegas earlier this month. Pope provided some clarity on why the team went, what they did, and what came from the trip.

When asked what went into the decision, Pope responded, “Well, during that week, Vegas is kind of the basketball capital of the world, and it’s a perfect fusion of Kentucky Basketball, and all the guys that we’re recruiting, and all the guys that have played here that are now playing in the NBA.

“So, you bring the high school and the college and the NBA ranks together, it was perfect for us.”

With the blend of that, Kentucky men’s basketball social media pages shared pictures showing the team with some Kentucky/NBA connections as well.

Pope was asked, “What is it like for you as a coach to give the guys this opportunity?” He responded, “Well, it was awesome. The guys were so excited to take the Otega Oweh big heads, even though he couldn’t play, and go celebrate that, and it meant a lot to Otega. Malachi Moreno, before he went on the trip, he didn’t care about anything else. He just wanted to see Amari (Williams) play.

“So, the guys got to see Amari, and got to see Drew, and Jaxson, and Koby. JQ came by. It was unbelievable. We practiced really hard in the mornings, and the gym was full of NBA personnel during our practice, so it was fun for our guys to get that exposure. Our guys took it on themselves to roll through all the AAU games and cheer on recruits. Got to do some stuff off the court. It was an unbelievable trip”.

Malachi Moreno and Braydon Hawthorne were captured on video holding the big head that Pope referred to for Oweh, and a big OO for Oweh as well.

Pope was then asked about getting away from Lexington to break up some of the offseason monotony.

“Well, first, nobody ever wants to leave Lexington; it’s the greatest place in the world to be, but on occasion, where the job takes us away, it was good for our guys. It was midway through our summer session, so it gave them a quick break. They were able to bond in a different way, be stuck in hotel rooms together, did some fun events in Vegas, just to be together.

“We did a debrief. The guys loved summer league. They loved the workouts in front of NBA scouts. They loved the chance to see future Kentucky players, and every guy said they just loved the condensed time together in a different environment. It was a win all the way around.”

Pope shared later in the interview what the guys did outside of basketball on the trip. He said that he was essentially basketball the entire time, but the guys got to do a lot. Saying the guys “went to the Sphere, they did some Topgolf, I think some guys did some shopping on the strip. So, I think they had a bunch of fun together.”

It was nice to see the guys get away and enjoy some time together before things start to get ramped up and get closer to the 2026-27 season. Team bonding is always super impactful. It’s nice to see the guys continue to grow closer off the court so they become even better teammates on the court.

John Havlicek had an extraordinary career with the Boston Celtics. Drafted in 1962 with the seventh overall pick, he could have skipped basketball and played football instead, and in fact, almost became a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns before joining the Celtics.

In his first year or two, Havlicek was sort of the backup to Frank Ramsey, who, along with Red Auerbach, invented the sixth man concept. As a rookie, Havlicek was primarily a defensive player, but early in his career, he significantly improved his shot and his ball handling, and when Ramsey retired in 1964, Havlicek was ready to step up.

He ultimately won 8 championships, including in 1974 and 1976.

Havlicek was great for many reasons, but not least of all because he had tremendous endurance and could run non-stop. In fact, his former teammate and coach Tom Heinsohn said that Mass General Hospital once studied him to understand why he was so much stronger later in games than anyone else.

In his later years, he became a tremendous offensive player, yet he never let up as a defender, as Julius Erving learned in the 1977 Eastern Conference Finals. As you’ll see here, Erving really struggled with Havlicek’s stifling D.

Keep in mind that in 1977, Havlicek was 37, but Dr. J was just 27, and entering into his prime.

Havlicek retired after the 1978 season, but later said that if he had known Larry Bird was coming along, he would have waited.

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The Los Angeles Lakers might no longer have LeBron James Sr. on their roster, but they still have junior and seem to want to keep him.

There have been questions on what will happen with Bronny James since his dad decided to ditch Los Angeles and the Lakers for free agency.

Well, the Lakers, to the surprise of some, have gone all in on Bronny and keeping him in LA.

His contract with the Lakers became fully guaranteed for $2.3 million on June 30. The 21-year-old has a contract that will pay him that figure this year, while a team option to keep him for 2027-28 remains on his deal.

Bronny wouldn't be a free agent until 2028. There is belief that the Lakers value Bronny and would not move on from him unless a real offer came to surface.

During a radio appearance on the Brock and Alex Show on 97.1 The Fan LA, California Post reporter Khobi Price, who covers the Lakers, said during a discussion of who is the most likely Laker to be traded that "it would take something real" for the Lakers to want to trade Bronny.

"If LeBron chooses X team, what if X team is willing to send the Lakers, I don't know, a second round pick for Bronny James? That automatically puts Bronny James as the most likely player," Price said. "Now, what I want to make clear is that the Lakers are more than happy to keep Bronny James."

"They've drafted him in the second round two years ago. They developed him. They're a fan of him. He has a lot of people who like him within the building. So it's not going to be one of the situations where, oh yeah, they're just going to send Bronny to wherever LeBron goes. Like it would take something real for the Lakers to want to trade him," Price added.

In the 2025-26 campaign, his second NBA season, Bronny James averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals in 8.9 minutes per game. He shot 40.9% from the field, 38.6% on 3-point field goals and 85.7% from the free throw line.

He saw playoff minutes in the first round against the Houston Rockets. In a Game 3 win, Bronny scored his first career playoff points, putting up 5 points, in a back-to-back sequence netting a pull-up 3-pointer off of an on-ball screen by his dad, the team getting a defensive stop that led to a fastbreak where elder James threw a lob to junior who keyed in a reverse layup finish.

Bronny was the 55th overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, taken by the Lakers out of USC.

He made history becoming the first father-son duo to share an NBA court playing alongside LeBron.

And once his pops makes his anticipated decision, the two will make history again next season, this time becoming the first father-son duo to share an NBA court as opponents.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Lakers won't trade Bronny, 'more than happy' to keep James | Report

The Utah Jazz have mostly solidified their roster for the upcoming season post the Walker Kessler trade. They signed Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba to solidify the center position on the roster.

That doesn’t mean they couldn’t do more. It’s possible for the Jazz to make a trade to improve that position if they wanted to. For example, we know that Daniel Gafford is available if a team out there is interested.

From what I’ve seen in the community, it seems like there’s a mix of opinion on what the Jazz should do. So that makes for a good question for this week. What should the Jazz do at center? Should they stay put, or make a move?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Jazz fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The countdown can officially start for the first look at the newly assembled Lakers.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Lakers announced their preseason schedule. The team will play five games with only two of those at home.

For those without Twitter/X, here’s a look at the schedule:

• Lakers at Kings, Oct. 5, Golden 1 Center
• Lakers at Warriors, Oct. 6, Chase Center
• Lakers vs. Kings, Oct. 8, Crypto.com Arena
• Lakers vs. Warriors, Oct. 13, T-Mobile Arena
• Lakers vs. Nuggets, Oct. 16, Crypto.com Arena

The particularly astute amongst us will notice that not only do the Lakers play a back-to-back, but also a stretch of three games in four nights. I guess that’s one way to get the team ready for the regular season.

The Lakers will also have their regular trip to Las Vegas during Summer League when they take on the Warriors. Sacramento is also a common foe in their exhibition slate. The new team in the mix this year is Denver. The team will also remain in the immediate vicinity of LA throughout the preseason, as is the case for most teams.

Given how his free agency has played out, it doesn’t seem like this will be when LeBron James makes his return to Los Angeles. At one point, it seemed like the Warriors were one of the favorites, but now it seems like Golden State got leveraged.

Join the club.

Anyway, we can begin the countdown of a little over two months until the Lakers take the court again. It can’t come soon enough.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Is LeBron James taking his talents back to South Beach?

What appears to be a mistake by one team might have spoiled the fun — or maybe not.

The Heat’s YouTube page published and then quickly deleted a video titled “LeBron James Introductory press conference” along with the date of July 27, 2026.

However, the Miami Herald reported that the team’s social media department accidentally published the video, which was being prepared in case he did sign with the Heat, not that the team had notice of James’ actual decision.

James, as of the early hours on Wednesday morning, has not yet officially made his highly anticipated choice in free agency.

The 41-year-old’s next move has been speculated on for weeks since it became clear he was not returning to the Lakers, and this inadvertent posting of a video to the web has only added fuel to the fire.

In the summer of 2010, James famously took part in “The Decision” that aired on ESPN, where he announced he would be leaving his hometown Cavaliers for the Heat.

James played four seasons with the Heat, winning two NBA Finals crowns and taking home his third and fourth league MVP awards.

A return to Miami would make a lot of sense, particularly if he wants to win his fifth championship ring. The Heat made the blockbuster move of the offseason when they struck a deal with the Bucks to landed Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, said on his “Game Over” podcast that the 22-time All-Star won’t be rushing into any choice, however.

“He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make,” Paul said. “We’re not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision, or choice. It’s a business choice he’s making.”

The Heat, Cavaliers, Warriors and 76ers are among the teams rumored to be in the running for James’ services.

Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation thinks maybe it’s time for an Egor Demin apology form. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic doesn’t go that far … just says Demin was the best second year player in Las Vegas. So does Ben Golliver of ESPN. Demin’s got Zach Lowe “excited” about the Brooklyn Nets!

Time to forget, to excuse all that bad analysis from just after the 2025 NBA Draft when the Brooklyn Nets reached for the 6’9.5” Russian, taking him at No. 8 when most draftniks thought he was late lottery at best. One mock even had him as a second rounder. Those who put that mock together will remain anonymous to protect them.

The analysis wasn’t limited to the media. Jeremy Woo of ESPN polled NBA executives back then and found Demin received the most votes for the biggest reach of the Draft. Demin got seven votes while the Trail Blazers received four votes for taking a Chinese 7-footer who spoke no English, Hansen Yang, at No. 16. Who can forget the laughter among the ESPN crowd on Draft Night?

So, it’s a good day to compile the apologies and analyses considering that Demin was named second team All-Summer League after putting up at least 20 points in each game he played in Las Vegas, just as he did in the California Classic in Sacramento earlier in the month.

First, O’Donnell in his list of Way too good for Las Vegas Summer League 2026.

It’s time I fill out an apology form on Egor Demin. Ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, I named Demin one of the most overrated prospects in the class, and gave the Nets a D for his selection at No. 8 overall in my instant grades. My main arguments against Demin were that I didn’t think he could score efficiently inside or outside the arc, and I didn’t think he had the frame to play through contact on either end. 

He looks improved attacking the basket off the bounce, and he’s showing he can hit the defensive glass, too. The Nets have done a really good job developing Demin’s frame, and it’s paying off on both ends. Demin deserves a lot of credit himself for putting in the work to improve his jumper. I’m happy to be wrong about this one because Demin is a cool player with a fun skill set who should be a nice piece in Brooklyn’s rebuild for a long time.

Golliver in his list of best and worst of the Summer League called Demin the best sophomore. He struck the same tone as O’Donnell, a modified, “who knew?”

Boy, has the switch flipped for Demin, who was a timid and largely ineffective rookie for the rebuilding Nets. The Russian guard failed to make the most of his 6-foot-8 size last season, hanging out behind the 3-point line and rarely scoring at the rim.

Demin, 20, looked like a completely different and much more complete player this summer: He attacked off the dribble with greater regularity, finished in traffic and made good, assertive decisions as a playmaker. The Nets desperately need some of their recent draft picks to emerge as difference-makers, and Demin took a nice step in that direction by averaging 21.0 points and 4.3 assists in three Las Vegas exhibitions.

Also, in the didn’t-see-it-coming category were Vecenie and Bryce Simons, also of the Athletic, on Vecenie’s Game Theory podcast recapping how second year players did in Las Vegas.

“Egor was probably the guy who impressed me the most in Summer League among the returners,” Vecenie starts off. “Going from where he was at the end of last year before his injury to where he seemingly his now. Immediately from the first game, he looked way too good for the Summer League.

“The patience, the poise, the confidence displayed on the court was exactly what the Brooklyn Nets probably hoped to envision when they drafted him.”

Simons agreed, noting Demin did what he did without shooting well from three which last season was his calling card.

“To me, he was the most impressive non-rookie or the player that stood out to me the most,” Simons said. “To me, he just looked like an NBA player, the way he moved around the court smoothly and confidently. I had the exact same thought in a couple of games I watched. I thought he was trying to play with more physicality. I thought he did a lot of the things he needs to do to be successful.”

Lowe said simply, “I’m excited for the Nets,” when asked about Demin on The Zach Lowe Show Tuesday. He spoke glowingly about the fit between Demin and rookie Mikel Brown Jr. in the two Summer Leagues.

“The Nets best case scenario is the young guys looking good enough that someone (a free agent) looking around at them. I think they have a chance for the back court of the future – Egor and MBJ. That’s enough excitement for me.” he explained.

Rob Mahoney, also of the Ringer, joined Lowe. He said there’s anticipation about Demin and Brown Jr.

“Egor felt like one of the guys about to do something,” Lowe said. “Him and MBJ was one of my favorite combinations there. Egor may never get to the basket as much as others may like, I don’t know but as long as you put him with a dynamic slasher, I think it can really work – those two guys working together.”

Demin was of course one of the highest rookies from 2025 in Las Vegas. Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and V.J. Edgecombe, among others, were not on hand, but that said, what we saw from the No. 8 pick more than justified the Nets confidence in him early … and now pundits as well.

LeBron James is going back to the Miami Heat ― at least that's what many are speculating after the organization's latest slip up.

The Miami Heat's official YouTube page briefly leaked a live video stream titled "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference" that was set for July 27, 2026.

It has since been unlisted and made private. It seems that the video has been momentarily taken down, but not fast enough for internet scourers to collect their screenshots, screen-records and begin running with the narrative that James is headed back to the 305.

If it's true, then at least we know that there will be an announcement within the next six days.

However, it seems that it was a mistake on the Heat's social media department, according to Miami Herald reporter Anthony Chiang, who covers the Heat.

"It was a mistake by the Heat's social media department while preparing for the possibility of LeBron picking the Heat. But there is no validity to it right now," Chiang wrote on social media.

James made his first announcement that he would not be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers and exploring free agency on June 30.

He has since took NBA media, fans and the overall basketball world on a circus trip trying to be the first to guess where he'll go play his record-setting 24th NBA season.

James, 41, had narrowed down his team search to a handful of teams. Leading the way are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and of course, the Heat. The Golden State Warriors were among teams in consideration for James, as well as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

However, the latter have not been spoke of lately. To add to that, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is already out on making a pitch because he knows that Minnesota wasn't in James' top three picks.

Hope still remains for Cleveland, Philadelphia and Bay Area fan bases, but if there's any truth to this leak, get ready for fans to bring out those No. 6 jerseys in South Beach again.

James would be returning to a city and franchise that he first joined 16 years ago at age 25. He helped lead the Heat to back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, being named Finals MVP each year. He won two league MVPs in Miami, the same years he won titles.

In four seasons with the Heat, James averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists on 54.3% field goal shooting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: LeBron James to Miami Heat? YouTube page leaks future press conference

It's a no-brainer that whenever Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry decides to hang it up for good, he'll be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

In case his career statistics and accolades didn't signal that, the Basketball Hall of Fame practically ensured it when they announced that the four-time NBA champion will have his own exhibit, marking the first time an active player was honored with a dedicated experience.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will introduce its newest exhibit on Friday, July 24, which will be dedicated to the 12-time NBA All-Star, two-time MVP, Olympic gold medalist, four-time NBA champion and the undisputed greatest shooter of all time.

This development is a part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame acclaimed gallery called "The Vault."

The exhibit is called "Stephen Curry: Beyond the Arc" and it showcases Curry's prowess on and off the court. In a creative partnership with Curry's Thirty Ink business team, the exhibit will showcase Curry's legacy as a basketball icon, entrepreneur, philanthropist and family man.

"Being part of the Basketball Hall of Fame in this way is hard to put into words," Curry in a statement. "When I think about my journey, I think about the people who believed in me, the work that happened when nobody was watching and the moments that shaped me on and off the court.

"To have that story told while I’m still playing is something I don’t take lightly. My hope is that fans walk through this experience and feel the joy, the purpose and the gratitude that basketball has given me, and maybe see a little bit of their own journey in it too."

Nope, the Brooklyn Nets don’t have interest in restricted free agent Peyton Watson. Ask any self-respecting pundit. They’ll tell you the 6’9” 23-year-old two-way player is headed either back to the Denver Nuggets or maybe the Los Angeles Clippers or the Atlanta Hawks … although the Hawks acquisition of Lu Dort seems to have quelled that rumor a bit.

Also, Sean Marks has said he’s happy with his team, although if opportunity knocks, he’ll be ready, he told the media in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

“When you’re rebuilding a team like we have been the last couple of years, that’s important,” he said of optionality. You just never know what’s going to come your way. So for us to have that optionality will be really important. But at the same time, I like the roster we have.“:

So, all that said, what to make of Watson and his old friend and teammate, Michael Porter Jr. spending the last several weeks together, with MPJ noting, perhaps with a laugh that he’s recruiting the kid, their fun reaching a crescendo Tuesday with the publication of this image … by Watson.

Consider that Watson is shirtless, this seems more than just a tour. Fair to say the Denver forward worked out on the Nets equipment at the HSS Training Center in Sunset Park. That, of course, is interesting on a number of levels. While the two have been seen in various places doing various things over the past month, the training facility is an organization’s inner sanctum. Nets players have 24/7 access to the facility and can invite friends inside. (The third man is not a Nets employee.)

Then, there’s this: when MPJ was traded to Brooklyn a year ago, he was wowed by HSS and compared it favorably to the Nuggets facility, which despite its championship history and aspirations is notably not top-notch. And yes, the Kroenke family which owns the Nuggets is notoriously tight-fisted. Not so, the Tsais.

Is it just the latest (telltale?) sign of the friendship between the two: They were at the World Cup Final on Sunday too … with legendary boxer Terrence Crawford… in the Tequila Don Suite…

Porter apparently introduced PWat to his teammates too…

As we reported two weeks ago, the two were also at the Fanactic FanFest Friday where a fan caught the two sitting together and MPJ talking free agency…

His key line from an impromtu conversation involving him, Watson and a fan went something like this:

“He boutta sign for $130 million. I’m tryna get him in Brooklyn, though.” (Watson adds, “230.”)

Back in June, the two were seen on a leased yacht off the French Riviera, celebrating MPJ’s 28th in style…

So what’s going on here?

Beats us but there are some intriguing possibilities starting with the most obvious: that Porter Jr. IS trying to recruit Watson who along with the Pistons Jalen Duren are the best restricted free agents still out there. He averaged 14.6 points on 49/41/73 shooting splits and is a first-rate defender.

Although the Nets have some wiggle room under the salary cap, not enough to tender an offer sheet.

Also, any sign-and-trade with Denver would be highly complicated starting with the lack of a big contract on the Nets side of things. MPJ with his $40.8 million deal would be an ideal piece but Porter Jr. presumably wants to play with PWat not be traded for him. Not to mention Denver dumped Porter Jr. a year ago for Cam Johnson and a future Nugget first. Julius Randle’s $33.3 million deal might fit too but he can’t be traded till December. And no, it would be unimaginable for the Nets to trade either Egor Demin or Mikel Brown Jr. (Brown Jr. can’t be traded.) So, how would that work?

However, the one thing that we always keep in mind when tempted to try our hand at someone’s trade machine: Fans always underestimate the dark magic GMs and their capologists can conjure up from the pages of the CBA: Multi-team deals, multiple sign-and-trades, workarounds, previously unearthed language in the CBA’s nooks and crannies, etc., etc. And the Nets have more draft assets than any NBA team, the Nuggets unprotected 2032 first, acquired ironically enough in the MPJ deal, being among their most valuable.

Then, there’s the ultimate issue: Where would Watson fit? He and MPJ play the same position. Watson was Porter’s back-up when they played together in Denver. How do you make this work? What’s Demin’s role in a new order?

Of course, it may just be that Porter is trying to get his friend more bucks from the Kroenkes. They’ve successfully scared off other suitors to give them more leverage when the two sides ultimately sit down. At this point, the Clippers may be their only competition but who knows how appealing they will be once Adam Silver brings the hammer down on them. Just hinting at a possible Nets offer might be helpful to PWat. That’s what friends are for, right?

Meanwhile, Mark Bartelstein, MPJ’s own agent, spoke Tuesday about his own free agency. Porter Jr. has been eligible for a four-year, $234 million extension since June 19, but as both Marks and Bartelstein have noted in the past week, the two sides have not spoken yet. Porter seems more likely to be destined for a smaller but bigger upfront package, say four years and $170 million with an immediate raise, if the two sides can reach a deal. If not, he suggested, MPJ might have to “chart his course,” suggesting a trade.

Bartelstein, appearing on Sirius XM Sports, hinted at both both possibilities but spoke as well about how much Porter likes his role in Brooklyn, specifically how Jordi Fernandez used his client “creatively” and said that he believes MPJ could’ve been an All-Star if the Nets hadn’t been tanking.

There’s not much of a deadline for a deal, essentially it can get done anytime between now and the beginning of free agency in July of 2027.

Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has had himself quite the summer, going back to training camp with a Summer League championship and accolades to accompany it.

Lendeborg was named the best player throughout the NBA summer showcase, selected as the 2026 Summer League MVP.

He was also named the Summer League championship game MVP after posting a 21-point, 10-rebound performance in a 94-90 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on July 19.

Lendeborg is the second Warrior to win the Summer League championship game MVP, joining Ian Clark, who did it 2013. However, he is the first player in Golden State Warriors history to win the Summer League MVP. The award was first introduced in 2006.

"It means a lot. You know, it comes from all the sacrifices, all the struggle to get to this point," Lendeborg said after the Summer League championship on July 19. "Every game I play, I have something to prove to myself and to all of those that doubted me and those who don't believe in me. So I mean, I'm just very proud of this moment. I'm glad that we got to win this."

In addition to MVP, Lendeborg was also named to the Summer League First Team after he averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and four assists in six games as Golden State won the championship.

This year has been good to the 24-year-old Lendeborg.

He was selected out of Michigan with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Warriors, finally seeing his NBA dreams come true. Months prior to draft night, Lendeborg helped the Michigan Wolverines capture their first NCAA championship since 1989, ending a 37-year title drought.

Lendeborg became just the second player to win an NCAA championship and Summer League title in the same calendar year, joining Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell, who did the same in 2021 coming out of Baylor then playing for the Sacramento Kings. 

His confidence is sky-high after an NCAA title, realizing his NBA dreams, taking over immediately and being crowned first-team and Summer League champion. Now, he's really looking forward to bringing this experience with him to training camp and the regular season for Golden State.

"Well, I'm going to bring a lot of energy. I'm (going to) be the most energetic-playing guy on the floor every night. I'm going to try to bring as many positive vibes as possible," Lendeborg said.

Bay Area basketball fans may have been disappointed that Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry sat out the three-point contest this year, but they didn’t have to wait long to get some representation. On Tuesday it was announced that a different Golden State sharpshooter, Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, is headed for the shooting exhibition, as she was selected to the six-player WNBA three-point contest that will take place on Friday in Chicago.

Salaün, a 24-year old from France who signed with the Valkyries as an undrafted free agent last year, has been one of the league’s most prolific shooters from deep this year, so her inclusion in the three-point contest is very much deserved. She’s averaging 2.5 made threes per game, which is seventh in the WNBA, and her 39.4% clip is better than all but one of the players with more made threes than her. She’s made five threes in four of Golden State’s 27 games this year.

If Salaün wants to win the contest, she’ll have to beat some very talented shooters: Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo, Natisha Hiedeman of the Seattle Storm, Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream, Bridget Carleton of the Portland Fire, and rookie Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings.

The State Farm Three-Point Contest and the Kia Shooting Stars challenge both take place on Friday night, while the All-Star game is on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PT on ESPN and Disney+. The Valkyries will also be represented in the Saturday fun, as Gabby Williams was named an All-Star starter.

Yaxel Lendeborg was clearly the impactful player when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies to win a Summer League title, and deservedly won Championship Game MVP. Tuesday, he was awarded MVP for Summer League as a whole.

He’s the first player ever to take home both MVP trophies, making him the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Summer League, but without the flopping. Look, Steph Curry had to wait until his fourth title to get that honor, so Lendeborg should have a big weight off his shoulders. For the record, Draymond Green was the best player on the 2013 Summer League champs, but he wasn’t going to take home the trophy after Ian Clark made seven threes in the title game. Yaxel, please do not lord this over your new teammate!

Lendeborg beat out a talented field of Summer Leaguers that included No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer and No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson, both of whom made the All-Summer League first team. Boozer averaged 18.5 points, eight rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals, while finishing second in points and third in rebounds. He’d likely have been Summer League MVP had the Grizzlies managed to close out the Warriors, but the Dubs’ Yaxel-driven rally — he scored seven straight points to take the lead — relegated the Duke forward to the lesser honor. Boozer was quite good, but the elite defense from Lendeborg and his team’s success seemed to be the tiebreaker.

Wilson was awesome, scoring 35 points in his debut and averaging 24 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals in his four games. Even though his Chicago Bulls went 1-3, it was an impressive performance from the athletic forward who didn’t turn 20 until two days ago. Wilson made 13 three-pointers in Summer League, which is six more than he made during his entire freshman season at North Carolina.

The other first-teamers were Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Burries (23.5 PPG, 50% shooting), taken one pick ahead of Lendeborg at No. 10, and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Meleek Thomas, who was the No. 34 pick this year out of Arkansas. Thomas was the Summer League scoring leader, putting up 27.3 points per game along with 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and two steals.

In an interesting twist, the first team was all rookies and the second team was all second- and third-year players, who are normally the better Summer Leaguers — though also more likely to get shut down early.

Khaman Maluach of the Phoenix Suns averaged 19.5 points and league-leading 12.8 rebounds. Coward was first-team All Rookie last season, which makes the Summer League second team a slight disappointment, but he did average 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while making 41.7% of his threes. Third-year Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zyon Pullin had 39 assists, most in Summer League, while Liam McNeeley of the Charlotte Hornets averaged 21.7 points and shot 52.6% from three-point range, which should fit in nicely with his three-happy team. Egor Demin took the last spot almost by default after averaging 21 points in three games, a beneficiary of Bruce Thornton’s brutal final game for the Houston Rockets in the playoffs.

Other Summer standouts were Arthur Kaluma, whose reward was a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chaz Lanier and his league-leading 23 threes (51.1% shooting), Golden State’s own LJ Cryer, and Will Riley of the Washington Wizards, who was shut down after scoring 50 points and shooting 7-for-10 from distance in his first two games.

But the king of Summer League was Yaxel Lendeberg, right from his very first game. Now he has plenty of hardware to prove it.