Category: NBA

A former Sacramento Kings employee is suing the organization, alleging pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Crystal Lee, a former assistant athletic trainer with the Kings from 2022 to 2025, filed the complaint with the Superior Court of California in Sacramento County on Aug. 11, alleging she was treated unfairly and demoted twice after becoming pregnant and giving birth to her son.

Lee's representative, Robert King of King & Siegel LLP, told USA TODAY in a statement that they intend to prove their allegations.

"Crystal Lee broke a barrier that had stood for the entire history of the NBA. The Kings' answer was to tell her she was '(expletive)' for having a baby, demote her twice, hand her job to a man, and fire her the moment she spoke up. A team that sells itself on empowering women owes an explanation," King said. "You don't get to brand yourself as a champion for women and then push out the first athletic trainer in league history to give birth on the job. We intend to prove exactly what happened here."

The Kings denied Lee's allegations and said they intend to defend the organization.

"The Sacramento Kings categorically deny these allegations and reject the characterization of the organization and its workplace reflected in these claims made by a disgruntled former employee," Kings attorney Alexis Gabrielson, a partner at Cook Brown, LLP, said in a statement to USA TODAY.

"The Kings take allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously and are committed to maintaining a workplace where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. The organization intends to vigorously defend against these claims through the legal process and will not comment further on the pending proceedings," Gabrielson added.

The NBA did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY message for comment.

'Your life is ruined after you have kids': Court docs detail claims

Lee made multiple accusations regarding her treatment over three years of employment with the Kings.

According to the lawsuit, Lee informed her supervisor, Senior Director of Athletic Health Jaspreet Randhawa, during the 2022-23 season that she was pregnant to which he allegedly responded by laughing and saying "you're (expletive)."

Court documents allege Randhawa shared his opinion of Lee's pregnancy, telling her "your life is ruined after you have kids." Randhawa allegedly made additional comments, disparaging caretaking obligations more generally and the inconvenience he believed they posed, the lawsuit said.

Lee alleged that Randhawa cultivated a work environment that prioritized an "around the clock" schedule without days off and anyone who couldn't uphold that standard was not worthy of being on the team, the lawsuit stated.

According to the court document, Lee went on maternity leave on May 17, 2023, the day her son was born. She returned from leave a couple of months later in July.

New mother allegedly demoted twice, prevented from traveling

The lawsuit states that one month before Lee began her maternity leave, the Kings decided that she would no longer be able to travel post-pregnancy.

She was "benched" from any Kings road games, leaving travel options to the discretion of the team staff, court documents said. The lawsuit says Lee was prevented from traveling with the team in February 2023. She tended to players during home games only through the end of the season on April 30, 2023.

Lee was not given the opportunity to return to her position as assistant athletic trainer and the team hired a third assistant trainer to replace her, according to the lawsuit.

She was demoted twice, according to court documents. In April 2023, she received her first demotion, the lawsuit states, when Lee was moved to a remote position as an "administrator, health & performance / assistant athletic trainer."

The lawsuit says Lee was told the demotion would only be temporary. When she requested to resume her duties, including travel, Randhawa and head athletic trainer Joel Noland told her they did not need her, and instead she was replaced by the latest hire, the court document states.

The second demotion occurred in September 2024 when her "athletic trainer" title and Lee's duties were removed, according to court documents.

Kings basketball operations personnel mentioned in lawsuit

Lee's allegations went beyond the team's athletic health department. According to the lawsuit, members of the Kings basketball operations were also included in her claims alleging retaliation, sexual harassment and discrimination.

The lawsuit mentions the following but doesn't name them as defendants: Kings former assistant general manager Wes Wilcox, current general manager Scott Perry, Vice President of Player Personnel Phil Jabour, head coach Doug Christie and former intern Cameron Brown, the son of former Kings coach Mike Brown.

Wilcox is mentioned after another athletic trainer voiced concerns of Randhawa's managing style, to which he responded, "whatever (he) says is what we do," the lawsuit alleges.

Jabour was named in the lawsuit after Lee said she met with him and Randhawa on April 18, 2025, to discuss career development opportunities upcoming in the offseason. Lee voiced concerns to both during the meeting that she was being "excluded and stripped of her athletic training responsibilities because she had a child," the lawsuit stated.

Court documents allege that Jabour did not respond to Lee's complaints or her concerns of discrimination, but instead told her there was "no space" to have a hands-on role with the Kings, as an athletic trainer. Jabour offered to transfer Lee to another team, according to the lawsuit, which said Lee was offered opportunities to work for several teams including the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns.

According to the lawsuit, Lee allegedly voiced her concerns to Perry and the court document claims that he responded saying "complainers will not be tolerated" and that he would "fire everybody" if complaints persisted.

The lawsuit alleged sexual harassment claims involving Christie and Brown. Lee claimed in the lawsuit that Christie made sexual glances at her. Court documents allege that Christie would conclude the encounter by saying "don't report me to HR."

The lawsuit alleges that Brown repeatedly harassed Lee with invitations to hang out outside of work, to which Lee declined or at times, ignored.

Lawsuit: Lee went to HR before being fired

Lee took her complaints to Kings Senior Vice President of Human Resources Stacy Wegzyn to share her fear of retaliation, according to the lawsuit, and Wegzyn took Lee's concerns to Perry, the Kings GM.

Lee met with Perry and Wegzyn on June 12, 2025 when she was subsequently fired. According to Wegzyn, the reason for Lee's termination was failure to meet performance expectations, the lawsuit states. Lee claims none of her pregnancy discrimination concerns were addressed or investigated.

Lee alleges that the entire incident has prevented her from other opportunities. According to the lawsuit, she interviewed with a National Women's Soccer League club but did not receive a call back when she explained her tenure with the Kings.

Lee requested a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Former Sacramento Kings trainer alleges pregnancy discrimination

The Kawhi Leonard trade saga has left the Toronto Raptors in limbo, with the proposed deal currently on hold as the NBA investigates the Los Angeles Clippers. Toronto and Los Angeles agreed to a deal that would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a pick swap to the Clippers in exchange for Leonard, but the Raptors are waiting for the league to finish its investigation before moving forward.

That is a massive price to pay for any player, and especially for a 35-year-old Leonard. But if the investigation is resolved and this trade eventually goes through, the Raptors can’t afford to treat it as anything less than a championship-or-bust move. I believe that if you’re willing to give up that much to bring Leonard back to Toronto, you better be ready to go all in

The Raptors are NOT getting 2019 Kawhi back .

The biggest thing the Raptors need to understand is that this isn’t the same Kawhi Leonard who led them to a championship in 2019. That version of Leonard was 27 years old and in his prime, coming off a season in which he averaged 26.6 points per game before turning it up another level in the playoffs. Seven years later, Leonard is 35 and has considerably more mileage on his body. That doesn’t mean he isn’t still an elite player, he averaged 27.9 points per game last season and showed that he can still take over games, but you can not expect him to recreate what he did in 2019, that would be foolish. Toronto isn’t getting a time machine. It’s getting an older, still-great version of Kawhi, and that distinction matters when you’re giving up this much to acquire him. I think that despite his age, he can still make a massive impact on this team and compliments some of the younger talent. If Leonard is the player Toronto is betting on, the timeline suddenly becomes much more important. The Raptors can’t make this trade and then spend the next two or three seasons patiently waiting for their young players to develop. By then, Kawhi will be pushing 40. If the goal is another championship, the time to chase it is now.

The trade package means Toronto can’t settle for mediocrity

If you look at what Toronto is reportedly giving up for Leonard: Ingram, Dick, multiple future draft picks and a pick swap. That’s a significant chunk of the Raptors’ present and future, all for a player who could have a relatively short window left at the top of his game. If Toronto gives up that kind of package and ends up as nothing more than a solid team, what exactly was the point? The Raptors aren’t making this trade to raise their floor. They’re making it to raise their ceiling, and that ceiling has to be a championship or else I feel that they would be destroying their future. There is a huge difference between being a team that can compete and being a team that can win it all. After making this trade, Toronto can’t be satisfied with simply being competitive. If you’re willing to sacrifice this much of your future for Leonard, you better be willing to sacrifice even more to make sure the roster around him is good enough to win four playoff series.

If you’re going to make this trade, you have to continue building the roster 

If the Raptors are going to make this trade, they can’t expect Kawhi Leonard to suddenly turn the existing roster into a championship team by himself. Toronto needs to look at the roster and be honest about what it still needs to compete with the best teams in the NBA. More shooting, reliable depth and players who can contribute in the playoffs should all be on the table. The Raptors have already shown they’re willing to sacrifice a significant part of their future to bring Leonard back. Now, they need to make sure the roster around him is good enough to justify that gamble.

This is where going “all-in” actually matters. If there is another move that can make this team better, Toronto shouldn’t be afraid to make it. If there’s a veteran who can help in the playoffs, go get him. If the roster needs more shooting, find it. The goal shouldn’t be to protect every remaining asset just because the Raptors have already given up so much. The whole point of making this trade is to win now, so build a team capable of doing exactly that.

As a Raptors fan, I’ll be honest: I’m pumped. I’ll always be grateful for what Kawhi Leonard did for this franchise in 2019, and the idea of seeing him back in Toronto is exciting. As a realist, though, the trade package concerns me. That’s a lot to give up for a 35-year-old, but at the same time, there aren’t many 35-year-olds in the league like Kawhi Leonard. That’s what makes this such a fascinating gamble. This isn’t the same Kawhi who brought the Raptors their first championship, but he’s still capable of being one of the best players on the floor when he’s healthy. That’s why, if the investigation clears the way and Kawhi officially becomes a Raptor again, Toronto can’t stop there. The trade package is too significant, and the window is too short. Build the roster, make the necessary moves and see just how far this team can go. For now, though, all Raptors fans can do is hope the investigation gets cleared up, Kawhi makes his way back to Toronto, and then see what happens.

After two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, Klay Thompson was ultimately reduced to a status ill-fitting with his Hall of Fame career. At the end, Thompson became an asset that the Mavericks couldn’t get anything for.

Sure, he’ll start his age-37 season in a couple months, now with the Miami Heat, after the Mavs bought out the final year of his three-year, $50-million contract on Friday. And sure, he can no longer defend like he once did or get up and down the court like he once did.

But the primary reason the Mavericks found it so difficult to find a trade partner in a deal for Thompson, which would have reportedly been the team’s preference, is, you guessed it. The NBA salary cap. To those familiar with cap-related intricacies, that’s obvious, but let’s go over the confluence of salary cap factors that contributed to the Mavs finally throwing their hands in the air and letting Thompson get away and go to Miami in return for a big wad of nothing.

Why would the Mavericks buy Thompson out?

On an expiring deal and with still with at least a little something still in the tank, you’d think Thompson would still hold at least some minute shard of value on the trade market. But going into his 14th season, he was never going to be a piece of any team’s long-term build. He was only ever going to attract attention from teams who felt like they were one player away from contending or competing for something meaningful.

The final year of his deal with the Mavericks was worth $17.5 million. Just two months before the start of the season, the number of teams that fit that bill is relatively small. The number of teams that fit that bill and also have enough cap space to absorb $17.5 million in exchange for what they view as Thompson’s worth is even smaller. The kinds of teams that would have an interest in Thompson would also, by definition, already be approaching the cap or the first apron hard cap.

Enter the Miami Heat. Murmurs centered on the idea of forward Nikola Jovic being packaged in a creative way and coming back to Dallas were just that. Even though the youngster makes similar money to Thompson, the Heat would never have done a deal sending Jovic to Dallas, especially after emptying the cupboard of most of their young talent in trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.

But wishcasting creative trade scenarios misses the most obvious point here. With Thompson on the roster, the Mavericks were at 16 players with guaranteed contracts. You can’t ride into the season with 16 on the roster. Sending Thompson out and getting one player back was never really an option for Dallas.

An NBA team usually only buys a player out if it’s the last available option. We had reached that point here.

You mean they couldn’t get anything for him?

Not in terms of players coming back, no. So, ok. What about the ever-popular four-team Stretch Armstrong trade machine idea you just cooked up in your NBA Galaxy Brain? That would require finding that many teams interested in participating, each with something to gain and each with the cap room to make the Galaxy Brain deal work.

We’ve already established that the number of teams with wiggle room in late August under the highly restrictive cap system the NBA employs is a very small one.

Not even like a second-round draft pick?

Count me among the many who would have taken even one solitary future second-round draft pick to get off of Thompson’s contract, but doing one player for one draft pick is just as impossible, as it would require the team taking Thompson to have $17.5 million to work with under whatever rung of salary cap hell it was willing to exist in.

Again, a team looking to contend in 2026-27 by definition probably does not have $17.5 million of loose change to spare in late August. They have spent it all to field a team that the front office thinks is a winner. And, again, bringing more teams into the equation makes it less possible, not more, at this point.

Mavericks’ salary cap implications for 2026-27

Before buying Thompson out of the last year of his deal, the Mavericks sat roughly $2.2 million under the luxury tax line, which is set at $200 million and change. If Thompson signs the two-year, $13-million deal reported by multiple outlets, Dallas’ salary on the books for the 2026-27 season would decrease further between $3.9 million and $6.5 million. Thompson cannot be officially signed until Sunday, 48 hours after the buyout is completed.

They would still be operating over the soft cap of $164.961 million, but under both aprons and under the luxury tax, just as they were before the buyout. It’s a convoluted way of saying that the move really doesn’t do a whole lot other than put at least $3.9 million back into the pockets of the Adelson-Dumont Regime. Which, when you think about it, isn’t that what basketball is all about? It couldn’t have happened to a better bunch of folks, am I right?

The Mavericks put themselves in this position by assembling all sorts of questionable assets during Nico Harrison’s tenure as general manager and by being unable to dump all of what needed to be dumped. Getting nothing of value and liking it in exchange for a player like Thompson is one of the remnants of that calculus.

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: Dillon Brooks recently said that he’s working on his passing this summer (at the request of Brian Gregory). What are your thoughts on this?

zenzino: Hallelujah!

I’ve been pretty upfront about criticizing Brooks’ passing (or lack thereof) during game threads last season and other discussions. During the press conference, Brooks chuckled when he said that BG wanted him to work on his passing (as well as getting back to spot-up threes). He knows. That’s definitely a part of his game he needs to get better at.

On a side note (aka, ‘I told you!’), this came from Brian Gregory, not Jordan Ott (though I’m sure he agrees). During the playoffs, I maintained that JO’s decision not to play the rookies was not just a JO decision. If it was happening, that means BG and MI were on board with it, too. BG is super involved in all these aspects, and BG telling Brooks what he wants him to work on is proof of that, in my mind.

Ashton: I read this question and immediately reached for the rolling eye emoji. How was BG involved in this discussion outside of nice-to-have skills when discussing his contract extension? This is a coach’s strategy that usually involves free-flowing basketball movement. I am down with that! I like that offensive style.

But Brooks has never shown the propensity to pass the ball. His style is typically downhill, and I seriously doubt that he can improve in that area over the summer, when it was never his area to begin with. I doubt “Dillion the Villon” is going to become “Dillion the Saint” that passes the ball out to his open playmakers (Book and Green) at the expense of passing lip to the opposing defender. Nah, I will believe it when I see it, but for me, this is exactly that – lip service.

OldAz: There was a story a couple years ago about a player, let’s call him “Schmadley Schmeal”, that was approached by the coach and asked to take a more defensive minded approach to the game as it might benefit the team. Schmadley did not like this, and things spiraled downward from there. This story is the exact opposite of that.

I love that the player is not only acknowledging the constructive feedback they received from the general manager, but acknowledging they are working on that area of their game, presumably for the betterment of the team.  That being said, working on being a better passer and being willing or actually doing it during game situations are entirely different things. Hopefully, we see growth from Brooks in this area as the Suns are always better when the team on the floor plays unselfishly and passes around for the best shot.

Rod: I’m all for Brooks improving in this area and, especially, admitting that he needs to improve there. His assist numbers last season ranked him at 8th on the team per game and 14th per 36 and per 100 possessions (behind Isaiah Livers!). There were times that he needed to concentrate on scoring first, but I think it’s best for the team if that’s not his mindset and he focuses more on moving the ball around this season. For the Suns’ offense to work at its best, ball movement is a necessity, and he must be a part of that.

Q: As Khaman Maluach has proven that he can hit three-point shots at a reasonable percentage in Summer League (40% on 5 3PAs per game), should Jordan Ott experiment with him playing at PF with Williams or Ighodaro at center this year?

zenzino: Hells yeah!

Why not? Try everything. Experiment like crazy. Be a mad scientist.

It’s a small sample size, but very encouraging. Unlike most of SL play, I don’t think 3-point shooting is as affected by the level of competition. Meaning, that’s one thing from SL that can more easily translate.

I also don’t think Man Man needs to be at the 4 to put them up. If the opposing team has a rim protector (Wemby, Holmgren) and our 7-footer starts raining 3s, he’ll have to come out and guard Man Man and open up the lane.

Even without the 3s, I’d love to see some lineups with Oso & MW and Oso & Man Man. I’m not sure MW & Man Man would be the right duo.

Ashton: I would never say no to anyone who can shoot 40 percent of their 3-point shots against inferior defenses. Heck, try KM at SF or SG off the bench to give him some minutes. It will have opposing defenses scratching their heads.

My only concern is that I see KM as a center, and I would rather not take him out of the flow of that role. Also, keep in mind that KM shoots 25% at Duke from downtown. Yes, players can improve year over year, but he was never recognized as a three-point shooter in his early career. If Coach Ott wants to employ a two-headed monster on offense specifically designed for rebounding and paint points, then no problem pairing him as a PF with Williams or Oso. On the defensive end, more rim protection is always good, but can he switch or defend the three?

His three-point shooting percentages or attempts are probably the last thing I am concerned with.

OldAz: I absolutely think this would be a great idea, especially when paired with Oso. KM’s shooting and developing rim protection make him a great candidate to play cross-positionally, allowing Oso to facilitate on offense from the center position while not having to guard the center on defense.  Well, I don’t know if it would truly work. It is an intriguing combination to play with and see how it forces the other team to match up.  KMs shooting from outside certainly seems to make his overall game very complementary to what Oso can bring.  If this works, it also opens up minutes for Oso that would not otherwise be available given his limited shooting ability.

Rod: I’d love to see it tried, at least for small stretches. And Khaman’s ability to make threes isn’t really the reason why; that just gives him more credibility playing PF. The defensive end of the court is where I’d be most interested in seeing how it works. Mostly, it might just be an answer to improving the Suns’ defensive rebounding (which was a pitiful 29th last season).

As Khaman is still learning, I would be a little concerned that playing him at PF this early might be a little confusing for him at times, as he has to remember how to execute plays for two different positions rather than just one. Even a split second of indecision can make the difference between a great play and a blown possession.

Q3: The Suns’ preseason games begin on October 5, just a little over 6 weeks from now. Which players are you most interested in watching during those games?

zenzino: Six weeks?! How can the off-season seem so short and so long at the same time?

What I really want to see this preseason is the Suns playing the ‘regular’ lineups for most of the games. Even more than last season, every game counts, and I’d like to see them hit the ground running when the season starts.

Even though the team is mostly the same, Bridges in place of Royce and GA is a huge difference in the style of play. There are definitely things that will need to be worked out and adjustments made.

But alas, preseason is usually a step up from Summer League, with starters getting a few reps but mostly kept in reserve. However, full NBA at 50% is definitely a step up from SL, so getting the young guys out there to see what they can do against other veteran role players will be interesting.

We know what most of these guys can do. I guess I’m most interested in seeing how the starters can gel and whether Man Man, Sheer, and Koa can continue what they started in SL.

Ashton: Um…all of them? I am really more of a scheme guy and want to see what Ott cooks up. How do the starters mesh with Miles Bridges would be at the top of my list. Which players are first off the bench? Which players show the most understanding in a defensive line-up? And this whole line-up depth thing I keep reading about? Seems to me a lot of players will be getting some run. But Rod is usually oddly specific about these questions, and I will have to list some players. Let’s give it to the new guys, recent transactions, two-ways, and rookies.

Miles Bridges
Luke Kennard
Pat Spencer
Koa Peat
I guess Haywood Highsmith fits in this category

I think this question will receive many different answers, but I am always looking for the next diamond in the rough.

OldAz: I am still most interested in watching Fleming and KM. The second-year players appear ready to make a jump and contribute significantly, and bring the length and athleticism I have been looking for for many years as a Suns fan. Beyond that, it’s just preseason, so it will be good to see basketball again, but it will quickly fade into impatience, waiting for the real season to start.

Rod: The number one thing for me is seeing how well Miles Bridges fits into the starting lineup. Secondary to that is seeing how well Luke Kennard fits into things. I think he’s a great addition to the team, but I’m curious to see just how Ott will fit him into the Suns’ rotation. And Ott’s player rotation is what I’m actually more interested in seeing than individual players. This team is deep enough that a 12-man rotation wouldn’t be out of the question, although coaches generally stick to 9/10 man rotations while the game is still in question.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

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Suns Trivia/History

On August 25, 1976, the Suns acquired Tom Van Arsdale, the twin brother of “The Original Sun” Dick Van Arsdale, from the Buffalo Braves for a 1977 second-round pick and cash. It was the first time an NBA team had a set of twins on the same roster.

On August 25, 2005, on the same day the Suns extended head coach Mike D’Antoni through 2009 following a trip to the Western Conference Finals, they acquired small forward (and future Suns GM) James Jones in a sign-and-trade with the Indiana Pacers. Jones signed a four-year, $11.1 million deal, with the fourth year a player option.

On August 26, 1976, after playing only 39 minutes in 1975-76, 31-year-old guard John Wetzel retired from the NBA and returned to school at Virginia Tech. He was the first player in franchise history to retire as a member of the Suns. Wetzel would eventually return to Phoenix as an assistant coach in 1979 and become the team’s 7th head coach in 1987. His time as HC with the Suns would be limited to just one season as the team went 28-54 under him and missed the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year. At the time, the team’s 28-54 (.341) record was the second-worst in team history and would retain that dubious distinction until the 2012-13 season, when the Suns went 25-57 (.305).

On August 27, 1968, in the franchise’s first-ever trade, the Suns acquired a 1969 2nd-round draft pick from the Boston Celtics for expansion-draft pick Emmette Bryant. “Em” had previously been with the Knicks, desired to stay in the East and refused to play for the expansion Suns.

On August 28, 1984, the Suns played their first-ever overseas exhibition game (part of a tournament that included Maccabi Tel Aviv and the New Jersey Nets) and defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 111-91 in game one at Yad Eliyahu Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. The following day, they would lose to Macabi Tel Aviv 113-98. The Suns would also later play in a tournament in Italy (in early September) and wind up playing a total of 5 overseas exhibition games in 1984, going 4-1 overall.

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Important Future Dates

Sept. 28 – Media Day
Sept. 29 – Training Camp opens
Oct. 5 – Suns @ Pistons (preseason) 4:00 PM
Oct. 7 – Suns @ Bulls (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 10 – Suns vs. Spurs (preseason) 7:00 PM
Oct. 14 – Suns @ Spurs (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 16 – Suns vs. Jazz (preseason) 7:00 PM
Oct. 20 – 2026-27 NBA Season Begins
Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded
Feb. 11 – Trade Deadline
Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027

Hello Brew Hoopers. Today we have a fan post from Rick Berry. Rick sent us this really interesting article, and we wanted to spotlight it on the site because he clearly put a lot of effort into it. Fan posts are somewhat a thing of the past on BH due to logistical issues—The Feed is really the only spot to present any takes you may have—but due to this article’s size and the fact that it includes tables, it could really only be published in an “official post” (along with the fact that, as I alluded to, it’s a great read). And again, not to be a negative Nancy, but we do need to reiterate that—purely for logistical reasons—this can’t become a trend.

Take it away, Rick!

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In response to Jack Trehearne’s post in The Feed that MarJon Beauchamp would be playing overseas, R984 wrote “Horst must have a record for high picks to out-of-the-nba pipeline… it’s like every player is bad, but I would be shocked if many other long-tenured GMs have so many guys who are so bad they’re out of the league in 6 years as top-35 type picks.” To quote Bucks insider Eric Nehm, “I found this question fascinating”: who are the biggest losers when it comes to first-round drafting? So fascinating that I literally got out of bed and fired up my computer. Humans are weird.

Thankfully for us, Mitchell Maurer (who I thought was long retired) provided a comprehensive response detailing the Bucks’ recent first-round pick history, which I will rip off here.

• 2014 – Jabari Parker (8 NBA seasons)
• 2015 – Rashad Vaughn (3 NBA seasons before going overseas)
• 2016 – Thon Maker (5 NBA seasons before going overseas)
• 2017 – DJ Wilson (5 NBA seasons before going overseas, then he came back for two games so technically he’s got six logged)
• 2018 – Donte DiVincenzo (8 NBA seasons, obviously not a bust at all)
• 2019 – n/a (technically Kevin Porter Jr., but he was traded)
• 2020 – n/a (technically RJ Hampton, but he was traded)
• 2021 – n/a (no first round pick)
• 2022 – MarJon Beauchamp (4 NBA seasons, clearly an overseas guy now)
• 2023 – n/a (no first round pick)
• 2024 – AJ Johnson (obviously still young but he’s barely hanging on in the league… after getting drafted as an overseas player!)
• 2025 – n/a (no first round pick)
• 2026 – Brayden Burries is obviously a future All-Star so I think we’re good.

To assess which teams and GMs have been the worst first-round drafters, I created a population of players who have played ≤ 4 years in the league since their draft, spanning the draft years from 2014 to 2022. For lottery picks, I extended the years played to 6 years with the assumption that they may get a second deal based primarily on draft position (or perceived potential).

Team	Player	NBA years	Pick	Draft	Notes
ATL	Adreian Payne	4	15	2014	Murdered in 2022
BOS	James Young	4	17	2014	Herd alum, last played for the Ipswich Force of the NBL1 North
LAC	CJ Wilcox	3	28	2014	Retired in 2020, from what I can tell.
MEM	Jordan Adams	2	22	2014	Last played with Dewa United Banten of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL)
CHA	PJ Hairston	2	26	2014	May have played in Spain
OKC	Mitch McGary	2	21	2014	Retired after two years to try being a pro bowler
OKC	Josh Huestis	3	29	2014	Retired?
PHO	Tyler Ennis	4	18	2014	Playing with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague
SAC	Nik Stauskas	5	8	2014	Came back for a year with MIA
BOS	RJ Hunter	4	28	2015	Coaching at Tulane, only 45 GP in NBA
BRK	Chris McCullough	3	29	2015	Playing with Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN)
DEN	Emmanuel Mudiay	6	7	2015	Playing with Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN)
HOU	Sam Dekker	5	18	2015	Coaching at South Carolina
MEM	Jarell Martin	4	25	2015	Playing with Koshigaya Alphas of the Japanese B.League
MIL	Rashad Vaughn	3	17	2015	Playing with Kesatria Bengawan Solo of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL)
ORL	Mario Hezonja	5	5	2015	Back with the Cavs
SAS	Nikola Milutinov	0	26	2015	Playing with Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL)
NYK	Jerian Grant	5	19	2015	Playing with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL)
BOS	Guerschon Yabusele	4	16	2016	Back with Panathinaikos
BOS	Ante Zizic	3	23	2016	Playing for Beşiktaş of the Basketbol Süper Ligi
CHA	Malachi Richardson	3	22	2016	Last played for the Astros de Jalisco of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP)
LAC	Brice Johnson	2	25	2016	Last played with the Nelson Giants of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL)
MEM	Wade Baldwin	3	17	2016	Playing with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague
MIL	Thon Maker	5	10	2016	Playing with Al-Ula of the Saudi Basketball League
PHO	Dragan Bender	4	4	2016	Retired
SAC	Georgios Papagiannis	2	13	2016	Playing with Anadolu Efes of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL)
PHO	Marquese Chriss	6	8	2016	Playing with Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)
MIN	Justin Patton	4	16	2017	Last played for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)
IND	TJ Leaf	4	18	2017	Playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague
OKC	Terrance Ferguson	4	21	2017	Last played for Bashkimi Prizren
PHI	Anzejs Pasecniks	2	25	2017	Playing with Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL)
PHO	Josh Jackson	5	4	2017	Retired?
SAC	Harry Giles	4	20	2017	Playing with Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)
POR	Caleb Swanigan	3	26	2017	Editor’s note: Swanigan passed away in 2022.
DEN	Tyler Lyson	2	24	2017	Retired?
ATL	Omari Spellman	2	30	2018	Last played for Beijing Ducks
BRK	Dzanan Musa	2	29	2018	Playing with Dubai Basketball of the ABA League and the EuroLeague.
CHI	Chandler Hutchison	4	22	2018	Retired in ’22, then unretired to be in G League.
GSW	Jacob Evans	2	28	2018	Last played for Pardubice of the Slovak Basketball League
LAC	Jerome Robinson	4	13	2018	Playing with Galatasaray of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL)
PHI	Zhaire Smith	2	16	2018	Allergic to sesame, in G League
BOS	Romeo Langford	4	14	2019	Last played for BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque of the French LNB Élite
LAC	Mfiondu Kabengele	3	27	2019	Playing with Dubai Basketball of the ABA League and EuroLeague
CLE	Dylan Windler	4	26	2019	Playing with Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL)
DET	Sekou Doumbouya	3	15	2019	Playing with Koshigaya Alphas of the B.League
MIN	Jarrett Culver	4	6	2019	Last played with Sendai 89ers of the B.League
SAS	Luka Samanic	4	19	2019	Playing with UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League
GSW	James Wiseman	5	2	2020	Close enough
DEN	RJ Hampton	4	24	2020	Playing with Changsha Yongsheng of the National Basketball League in China
NOP	Kira Lewis Jr.	4	13	2020	With Herd (same thing)
MIN	Leandro Bolmaro	2	23	2020	Playing with Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA)
OKC	Aleksej Pokusevski	4	17	2020	Playing with Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League
UTA	Udoka Azubuike	4	27	2020	Playing with  Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Ligat HaAl
CHA	James Bouknight	3	11	2021	Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League; day drinker
HOU	Usman Garuba	3	23	2021	Playing with Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague
HOU	Josh Christopher	3	24	2021	Playing with Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)
IND	Chris Duarte	4	13	2021	Playing with Saski Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague
CHA	Kai Jones	3	19	2021	Playing with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL)
LAC	Keon Johnson	4	21	2021	G Leaguer for life
PHI	Jaden Springer	4	28	2021	G Leaguer for life
SAS	Josh Primo	3	12	2021	Still trying to get more exposure
ATL	AJ Griffin	2	16	2022	Playing for Jesus now
GSW	Patrick Baldwin Jr.	4	28	2022	Playing with Crvena zvezda of the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), the ABA League, and the EuroLeague
MEM	TyTy Washington	4	29	2022	G Leaguer for life, probably headed to France
MIL	MarJon Beauchamp	4	24	2022	Playing with Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL)
WAS	Johnny Davis	3	10	2022	Playing with Körfez Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL)

There are 66 total players meeting this criteria. The teams that appear most on this list have five players (BOS, LAC). Unfortunately, with something like draft pick ‘bustiness’ it’s hard to assess something like “which pick is worse.” To aid in this analysis, I’ve developed what I call the D.O.P.E. (Doesn’t Offer Pick Excellence) Index.

The index is constructed of a mathematically balanced, statistically significant, calorie-neutral scoring system consisting of the following:

• Draft Placement: 10 pts (picks 1-5), 5 pts (6-13), 3 pts (14-20), 1 pt (20-30)
• Games Played: 5 pts (≤ 50 GP), 4 pts (51-100 GP), 2 pts (101-200), 1 pt (> 200 GP)
• Years in NBA before leaving: 5 pts (≤ 1 yr), 3 pts (2-3 yrs), 2 pts (4 yrs), 1 pt (> 4yrs)
• Narrative Adjustment: Zhaire Smith: -8 pts for sesame allergy, and James Wiseman: +3 for screwing up GSW’s “2 timelines”

After hours of computation, the DOPE Index shows that Jon Horst and the Bucks are at least 13^th best at launching first-round picks into the sun. This is underestimating Horst since it doesn’t include AJ Johnson, who I consider his worst first-round pick, and projects to be a ~12 DOPE.

Rank	Team	DOPE
1	PHO	40
2	LAC	37
3	BOS	35
4	SAS	31
5	CHA	31
6	MEM	30
7	MIN	28
8	SAC	27
9	OKC	26
10	GSW	26
11	ATL	25
12	DEN	21
13	MIL	19

This result is a bit surprising. Phoenix’s draft record from 2014-2017 is powerfully bad, despite getting Devin Booker in 2015. Here’s a dog’s breakfast of early first-round misses:

• Tyler Ennis (2014; 18^th overall)
• Dragan Bender (2016; 4^th)
• Marquese Chriss (2016; 8^th)
• Josh Jackson (2017; 4^th)

But what about Devin Booker? The DOPE Index is more a measure of a GM’s lowlight reel and isn’t sufficient to gauge overall draft prowess. Acknowledging the hits is a necessary part of this exercise. Enter SPLORT (Superior Picking by Luck OR Talent). SPLORT is another point-based index with 15 pts for a future HoFer/franchise cornerstone, 8 pts for an All-Star/award winner, 4 pts for a starter, and 2 pts for a rotational guy.

I pulled the SPLORT for each of the 13 teams listed above.

Team	SPLORT
BOS	58
MIN	46
PHO	39
SAS	36
ATL	34
OKC	34
SAC	29
MEM	26
DEN	24
CHA	24
LAC	15
GSW	14
MIL	8

Unfortunately, this is where the Bucks distinguish themselves, getting SPLORT contributions from only Jabari and Donte in the Giannis era. Other notables from the SPLORT review include

• Boston dominates with their picks of the Jays and Smart, but also gets a bunch of rotational pieces: Pritchard, Time Lord, Grant Williams, Nesmith, and Rozier.
• The run of late first success that SAS is truly inspiring: Kyle Anderson (2014; 30^th), Dejounte Murray (2016; 29^th), Derrick White (2017; 29^th), and Keldon Johnson (2019; 29^th).

To get a more complete picture of draft performance, I combined the DOPE Index with SPLORT to create the Effective DOPE Index (eDOPE). This is where a more familiar narrative appears.

Team	eDOPE
LAC	22
GSW	12
MIL	11
CHA	7
MEM	4
PHO	1
SAC	-2
DEN	-3
SAS	-5
OKC	-8
ATL	-9
MIN	-18
BOS	-23

Personally, I expected MIL to rank higher, but some of that is due to the time range (2014-2022) and excluding AJ Johnson. Additionally, GSW may be unfairly punished by the Narrative Adjustment I made for their Wiseman pick. While Wiseman did fold the “two Timelines,” that draft was rough on top-end talent. In hindsight, the best non-Ant picks were at 12 (Haliburton) and 21 (Maxey), though just having LaMelo would’ve probably produced a far better outcome than Wiseman.

In conclusion, R984 is likely correct that Jon Horst is the longest-tenured first-round draft disaster, with hopes that Brayden Burries will drag his moribund track record out of the bottom five. Some teams have been comparable, but they’ve also either let their GM go or succeeded in other ways. Outside of Horst, nobody has been this bad in the first round and lived to tell the tale.

It has been an eventful summer for the Lakers, who lost LeBron James in free agency, underwent their second ownership change in 10 months and are embroiled in drama over whether the Buss family will sell its 17.8% stake in the team and Jeanie Buss will remain governor. 

Here are the four biggest questions for the Lakers moving forward: 

1. What is Bob Iger’s and Josh Kushner’s plan? 

The $12.5 billion sale of the Lakers from Mark Walter to former Disney CEO Iger and venture capitalist Kushner raises a lot of questions. Mainly, what’s the new owners’ plan? Under Walter, we knew the Lakers were going to be built in the likeness of the Dodgers, who have won three World Series championships since Walter bought the team in 2012. The Lakers had already begun bolstering their front office and building out their data and analytics departments. 

While the Lakers may have gotten out of the Walter business at a great time considering the federal law enforcement probe into his financial affairs, we also know the team’s new owners don’t have the blueprint for how to win. It remains to be seen how Iger and Kushner will approach their new roles, assuming the NBA Board of Governors approves the sale. 

2. Will Jeanie Buss remain governor? 

Iger and Kushner are going to need trusted advisers, and Jeanie Buss seemed perfect for that role, considering the Lakers won 11 championships under the Buss family’s reign. 

After the Buss family sold the Lakers to Walter in October 2025, there was an agreement that Jeanie would remain governor at least through 2030. Iger and Kushner intended to honor that arrangement. But things have since gotten complicated. 

The Buss family voted Monday to sell its 17.8% share in the Lakers, but Jeanie is contesting the sale. If they don’t reach a settlement, they could be headed for a lengthy court battle. 

That all makes things very tricky for the Lakers and their new owners, who will need guidance right away. 

3. What moves are left for the Lakers to make to bolster their roster?

It’s no secret that the Lakers are interested in Jonathan Kuminga, a 23-year-old athletic wing. But momentum sputtered earlier this summer, with Kuminga’s camp rejecting the Lakers’ offer of an average of $10 million annually.

With the Cavaliers trading for Peyton Watson, perhaps the Lakers and Kuminga will be motivated to move forward. Right now, Kuminga is seemingly the biggest domino left on the market that could help the Lakers. 

4. Will the Lakers be contenders next season?

As currently constructed, it’s hard to imagine the Lakers competing with the elite teams in the West, such as the Thunder and Spurs, who are both much deeper than the Purple-and-Gold. 

If Luka Doncic plays MVP-caliber basketball, Austin Reaves lives up to his lofty four-year, $180 million contract extension and Walker Kessler blossoms into an All-Star, the Lakers could be very good.

But there are a lot of “ifs” in that sentence. 

And still, the Lakers would need to shore up a lot of holes to become real contenders, such as adding perimeter shooting and bolstering their defense. 

Right now there’s a lot of distance between the Lakers and the teams that are expected to compete in June.

---

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There’s a rather perplexing phenomenon when it comes to the way Celtics fans perceive Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Of course there are exceptions, but the majority of people I talk ball with believe the following are all true:

1) Jaylen Brown is an excellent basketball player, but Jayson Tatum is an even better all-around basketball player.

2) Jaylen Brown had a terrific season last year and took his game to the next level as the clear-cut No. 1 option.

3) Jayson Tatum looked sharp in his return and is poised to have a monster season as the clear-cut No. 1 option.

4) While Paul George has his limitations, a healthy Jayson Tatum and a healthy Paul George pairing is more dangerous than just Jaylen Brown by himself.

5) The Celtics will be worse this year than they were last year.

Now wait a minute. If Tatum is better than Brown, and you add George to the mix, wouldn’t that make this year’s Celtics better than last year’s? Forget the playoffs, when things got wonky against a hot 76ers team. If the rest of the team is very similar, and they also added Mitchell Robinson, wouldn’t this regular-season version theoretically be better than last year’s?

Jayson Tatum shares a motivational message on being a leader:

“Being around somebody that feels like they know it all, I don’t wanna be around that person. I don’t wanna be the smartest person in the room, I want to learn from somebody else.”

(h/t @lockedupjb) pic.twitter.com/VIqMq85tJw

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 25, 2026

You would think so, but most people don’t view it that way. That’s where it gets interesting. Jaylen Brown is like the ex-girlfriend you complain about when you’re dating but miss when she’s gone. Celtics fans have always waffled on Brown from the start, and it took him leaving to realize just how truly valuable he was on and off the court.

Even with the Finals MVP, even with the monster year and even with the parade of goodbyes, he’s still not as beloved as his fellow Jay. Why is that? Part of it stems from the fact that Tatum is more reserved and doesn’t say anything controversial. Brown speaks his mind, for better or worse, and gains some additional fans and additional critics in the process.

Brown is a polished, versatile and dynamic scorer and determined defender, but his playmaking skills and ability to shape the entire game aren’t quite as robust as Tatum’s. But wait a minute again. They won 56 games last year, and when Tatum came back, they lost in the playoffs.

That’s true. That is what happened. But part of it was because Brown no longer felt like “the guy.” Brown was still the No. 1 scorer on the team, but having Tatum back in the mix took away some of the bravado that made him sparkle in the regular season.

Once Brown got a taste of the limelight, he didn’t want to surrender it. He’s always wanted to be the alpha, and the irony now is that he’s one of four proven, ball-dominant playmakers on a star-studded roster.

Tatum, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to prove that he, too, can orchestrate a dominant regular season as the clear-cut, undisputed, No. 1 option. He’ll have plenty of help, with George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and more, but for the first time in his career, it’s undeniably his team.

He’s a genuinely unselfish person, and I’m sure he was authentically rooting for the Celtics last year from the sideline. At the same time, there’s no doubt in my mind he yearned for a chance to operate in Brown’s position. That’s just human nature. Now, he has the opportunity.

Jayson Tatum & Joe Mazzulla putting in work in the offseason 👀

via @celticspic.twitter.com/BwwJSbEokp

— NBARetweet (@RTNBA) August 16, 2026

It will be fascinating to watch how Tatum’s season in this role compares to Brown’s. Does he become even more aggressive as a scorer, or does he read those double teams better than Brown and post a career-high in assists? Does he flirt with triple-doubles some nights, take over in the clutch even more and surpass 2025-26 Brown’s sixth-place finish in the Most Valuable Player race?

Comparing them and pitting them against each other as teammates was silly, and the reality is that it yielded way more friction and tension than was ever necessary. Calling it a toxic work environment would be a stretch, but the reason it never quite felt like a warm and fuzzy relationship is because it wasn’t. 

Now, it becomes a fascinating exercise. Is Tatum truly as equipped for that role as we all think he is? Will they miss Brown’s ability to get you a bucket when you really need one? Will Tatum’s game evolve to mirror Brown’s? Will Brown’s game with the 76ers evolve to mirror Tatum’s?

The questions extend from there. Will Derrick White’s shooting percentages increase with Tatum by his side to get him the rock? Will Neemias Queta become even more lethal in the pick and roll with Tatum there to initiate? Will Baylor Scheierman, Hugo González and Sam Hauser space the floor even better with Tatum playing the role of puppeteer? 

LEBRON JAMES, TYRESE MAXEY, JAYLEN BROWN PUTTING IN WORK. 🔥🔥🔥

(via @ChrisJHoops, h/t @jacob_moreno_)

pic.twitter.com/e8OLi3kes5

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) August 20, 2026

Brown is an outstanding player, but Tatum has a chance to leave his imprint in his own way. Something tells me he won’t squander it.

The regular-season matchups will be entertaining and probably carry more spice than they need to. But if they do end up meeting in the playoffs, trading buckets in a captivating rematch, that could be some seriously gripping television.

Nothing will replicate the good old days. No season will feel quite like 2024. But this season, like last year, will add an intriguing new subplot. We’ve unsuccessfully tried to resist comparing them for so long. Now, we can finally, earnestly, do so.

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Bronny James has finally broken his silence on his father, LeBron James’ departure from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bronny James was spotted giving autographs, taking photos, and talking with young basketball fans, and was asked about LeBron’s move to the Philadelphia 76ers, to which Bronny had a hilarious response.

“It’s whatever, it’s my Dad.” Bronny James told the young kids.

Bronny’s broken silence about his father’s departure has spread all across the internet as multiple accounts have reposted the video.

In the comments section for the video, basketball fans have been poking fun at Bronny James over his comments, as the X account @Invaderbader1 posted a photo of what appeared to be Bronny staring off to the ocean, where LeBron is seen giving him a thumbs-up as the sun sets.

The account @NvictusManeo posted a photo of former United States President George W. Bush saluting a crowd while the sign behind him reads “Child left behind.”

Another fan joked about LeBron’s departure and asked if Bronny called another player from another team his “Daddy?”

With LeBron no longer in Los Angeles, Bronny is set to embark on his first season in the NBA not playing beside his father.

Through his two seasons in the NBA, Bronny has appeared in 69 games and has averaged 2.7 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.

As Bronny is embracing this new chapter in his career, it’s already off to a bang, as he is currently with the rest of his Lakers teammates in Luka Dončić’s home country of Slovenia, where he reportedly spent half a million dollars to fly his teammates in a luxurious Bombardier Global 8000 jet.

So far, it’s appeared that the trip to Slovenia has been as great as Dončić advertised to his teammates, as videos have emerged of the Lakers players enjoying their time by going out for dinner, hanging out on boats, and taking in the scenery of the country.

Former Compton native and USC Trojans basketball star DeMar DeRozan is set to start his next journey. A member of the Denver Nuggets.

According to reports from NBA insider Chris Haynes, DeRozan plans on signing a deal with the Nuggets.

ESPN NBA Insider Sham Charania added that the deal will be for one year and is valued at $3.9 million.

Haynes noted that DeRozan “has been in conversations with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and is anxious for the opportunity to play for a contending team.”

Before being waived by the Sacramento Kings last month, he spent the last two seasons with the team, where he averaged 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Growing up, DeRozan attended Compton High School from 2004-2008 and was heavily recruited by USC.

After graduating high school, he enrolled at USC and played basketball for them for one season before he was selected with the No.9 overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.

DeRozan had an iconic season with the Trojans that is still talked about to this day, as he led them to a Pac-10 tournament finale and the second round of the March Madness tournament.

During the PAC-10 tournament, he put on a clinic, as he was crowned the tournament’s MVP, notable because he scored 25 points on 10 of 16 shots against Arizona State in the finale.

He spent the first nine years of his career with Toronto until he was traded by the team so that they could acquire Kawhi Leonard for the 2019 season.

DeRozan’s No.10 was retired by USC in February, 2020, while his No.23 was retired by Compton High School in 2015.

DeRozan remains active to this day with his former schools, as he is still making contributions to improving the conditions for the Compton basketball team, which recently went through an entire makeover, as the school was completely reconstructed in 2025.

A lot has been made — particularly by Knicks fans — about how Joe Tsai told NetsDaily about the “embarrassment” he faces watching the Knicks revel in their championship while his Nets are deep in their rebuild. But little attention was given to what else the Nets principal owner said. Here, ICYMI, is the full quote:

”Every year, some team is going to win a championship,” Tsai told us. “So it happens that this year that team is in the same city. It doesn’t make us feel very good. It irritates our fan base and it is embarrassing but in business or in competition, in sports, or in anything, you shouldn’t let the embarrassment factor affect how you perform…. [We] had a plan and we’re rebuilding and I think right now we are on a positive trajectory. So it doesn’t change my thinking at all.” (Emphasis added.)

At the moment, two months before the Nets meet the Hornets on Opening Night, how are things going with said “trajectory?” We’ll know more starting that night. However, in two analysis of where Tsai’s team stands going forward, both published Friday, pundits Sam Quinn of CBS Sports and Stephen Noh of Sporting News —generally — like where the organization is headed but wonder what’s next as the Nets hurdle through the NBA firmament.

Quinn even suggests, in his ranking of the NBA’s front offices that the Nets may be the victim of a faulty narrative. He puts Sean Marks & co. at No. 16 on his list of NBA front offices, one below his last rankings at the February trade deadline.

Brooklyn’s front office probably faces the biggest disparity between perception and reality of any in basketball. The prevailing narrative surrounding the Nets is that they’ve been poorly run and their outlook is bleak. True, they haven’t yet found any truly foundational players, but they have a clean cap sheet and a six-pick first-round draft surplus (not including swaps, though in fairness they owe their 2027 swap to the Houston Rockets). The reality is that this is a pretty promising blank slate if you’re willing to take the long view.

No front office has been unluckier than Brooklyn’s. The Nets built a championship favorite that was ruined by a pandemic. They spent two years tanking and wound up with the No. 6 and 8 picks. How differently do we feel about the Nets if they had wound up with, say, Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey out of that tank? Or AJ Dybantsa and Tre Johnson? We’re not in the business of blaming teams for poor lottery results.

When the Nets sell veterans, they almost always do so at the peak of their value. They got four first-round picks and one first-round swap for Kevin Durant. Then they took Mikal Bridges, the primary player value from the Durant trade, and turned him into five picks and a swap. The other main player from that trade, Cam Johnson, was flipped for a better player, Michael Porter Jr., and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick. The Nets are as good at leveraging contenders into overpaying for their players as any team in the NBA.

Now, they’re still in the bottom half of these rankings. The Nets are way better than they get credit for, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect. They banked so much of their future on landing a cornerstone in either the 2025 or 2026 drafts. They didn’t get a top-five pick, and it just isn’t clear what their new plan is. That’s a bit of a problem in light of how baffling components on their last two offseasons have been.

The degree of disaster represented by their five first-round picks last season is certainly overstated. Egor Dëmin would go behind Collin Murray-Boyles and Cedric Coward in a redraft, but he looks like a starter. The other first-round picks were between No. 19 and No. 27, all of which come with relatively low hit rates, and it’s too soon to call any of them busts after just a single season. Still, spending that many picks in the same draft on on-ball players was puzzling. The Nets didn’t exactly put them in a position to succeed.

He doesn’t think everything the Nets did this off-season makes sense for the future, particularly the trade of Nic Claxton for Julius Randle plus an exchange of picks.

The Julius Randle addition makes no sense. He’s an expensive floor-raiser in his 30s. The Nets don’t need their floor raised. They don’t control their own pick this year, so the relegation zone isn’t a concern. He overlaps positionally with Porter Jr. (whom they have neither traded nor extended, strangely). He’ll take the ball out of the hands of their many young players who need it.

There was no reason for them to give mutual options to Mo Wagner and Keon Ellis. They had more than enough cap space to just pay them more and get team options. Why didn’t they use their surplus cap space to try to steal a restricted free agent? This offseason made little sense. The strategy here is unclear. The Nets have gotten far more right than they’re credited for, but they’ll have to chart a clearer course moving forward if they want to make it into the top half of these rankings.

Quinn puts the Nets between the Pistons and Clippers in his rankings. He has the OKC Thunder at No. 1 and the NBA champions Knicks at No. 2.

Noh takes a bit of a different tack, looking out at the 2029 season specifically. He notes that three years can make a big difference in the NBA, that back in 2023, the Pistons, Thunder and Spurs were bottom dwellers. Not anymore.

[T]he Pistons were the worst team in basketball, losing an NBA-record 28 straight games. Victor Wembanyama won Rookie of the Year honors, but the Spurs still looked far away from competing with a 22-60 record.

He also points out that the Celtics, Mavericks and Suns looked like dynasties in the making. Not happening either.

Noh starts by giving Brooklyn an A+ for assets, then provides an analysis then suggests that the organization ranks No. 21, depending on how aggressively they want to move in the intervening years.

The Nets have one of the best asset situations in the league. They have five surplus first-round picks to work with, some of which have immense value. That gives them the means to accelerate their rebuild if they want to.

They will probably still be a few years away from pulling that lever. They still won’t be in contention by 2029, but they should be on their way up as a playoff hopeful and have at least one point guard in the future between Brown, Demin and Traore.

Although Noh doesn’t mention it, the Nets draft assets, following their various trades for picks, will peak in 2028 and 2029, barring trades. In 2028, they have two firsts — their own and the 76ers, protected 1-8 — as well as two first round swaps from the Knicks and Suns plus three second rounders from the Grizzlies and Hawks as well as their own. Then, the next year they could wind with a big haul — three firsts: their own, the Knicks unprotected and the least favorable of the Mavericks, Phoenix and Rockets plus four seconds: their own plus the Mavericks, Warriors and the Grizzlies.

The question, of course, with both Quinn and Noh’s analysis, is what they can and will do starting with this year’s trade deadline come February. There are hints that things will be interesting starting then.

Like Quinn, Noh projects the Thunder and Spurs as the two of the best organizations going forward. And why not?

Any positives at this point have to be noted and spotlighted, considering that the organization is not just “embarrassed” by the recent turn of events but become the butt of an endless series of jokes, the most recent coming from Knicks superfan and Oscar-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet, who appearing on FanDuel Thursday got personal…

Timothée Chalamet says there's something wrong with you if you're a Nets fan in New York

But he means no disrespect

"My grandma was a huge Knicks fan, so that's what turned me on to them."

"She had a New York Giants teddy bear and a New York Jets teddy bear, but she only had a… pic.twitter.com/tGzPkLMXOD

— Bavi (@vazbavi) August 20, 2026

Maybe Egor Demin who recently put up shots with Chalamet at his private gym, can talk some sense to him. Aura respects aura, you know.

Per Chris Haynes, former Bucks assistant Vin Baker is joining Erik Spoelstra’s staff in Miami, where he will reunite with Giannis. Baker spent eight seasons with the Bucks and had an extremely close relationship with the two-time MVP, so it makes sense that the Heat would want to bring in a familiar face.

This is especially true since—if ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne is to be believed—the Heat will not be handing out contracts to various Antetokounmpo family members like the Bucks did.

“There won’t be any more Antetokounmpo brothers in Miami,” Shelburne said. “That whole ‘we have Kostas and Thanasis on the team,’ I don’t think that’s going to continue, from what I understand.”

In any event, Baker and Antetokounmpo grew extremely close not just on the court, but off it. For example, Baker confided in Giannis about his journey overcoming alcohol addiction, which began with him taking a job at Starbucks after his playing career was over to reclaim a sense of routine and discipline.

“He (Antetokounmpo) was in awe that I had made it back from what I had gone through,” Baker told Basketball Network in April. “I didn’t even realise he knew the extent of it.”

As Deolu wrote about earlier this month, the Bucks’ coaching staff is now finalised.

Klay Thompson, who had been tied to the Lakers this summer, reached a buyout agreement with the Mavericks on Friday and plans to sign a two-year, $13 million deal with the Heat. 

What does that mean for the Purple-and-Gold? 

Thompson was far from the perfect fit for the Lakers, even though the team very much needs to bolster its perimeter shooting and Thompson ranks fourth on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list.

The Lakers need a young and athletic wing, such as Jonathan Kuminga, to pair with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. The Western Conference is young, fast and deep — with the Thunder and Spurs seemingly having an endless army of fresh legs at their disposal. 

The 36-year-old Thompson no longer fits that bill, even though he helped the Warriors win four championships in eight years with his legendary sharpshooting. Last season, Thompson averaged 11.7 points on 39.3% shooting from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc for the Mavericks, who failed to make the playoffs in Thompson’s two seasons with the team amid health issues.

The Lakers pursued Thompson in free agency in 2024 before he ultimately decided to join the Mavericks. Thompson and Luka Doncic played 21 games together in Dallas before the Mavericks stunningly traded the superstar to the Lakers in February 2025, a deal that was a great blow for Thompson’s title-winning hopes.  

Thompson has deep ties to Los Angeles. His father, Mychal, won two championships with the Showtime Lakers in 1987 and 1988 and currently serves as the team’s radio color analyst. And Thompson attended Rancho Margarita High and was a huge Kobe Bryant fan as a child. 

But Thompson will now compete for his fifth ring in Miami alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. 

As for the Lakers, they’ll continue their search for an athletic wing who could help them win their first title since 2020.