NBA News
All Times EDT
Thursday, May 28
L.A. Angels at Detroit, 1:10 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, 2:10 p.m.
Atlanta at Boston, 4:10 p.m.
Toronto at Baltimore, 6:35 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh, 6:40 p.m.
Houston at Texas, 8:05 p.m.
Western Conference Final - Game 6
Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.
Las Vegas at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Indiana at Golden State, 10 p.m.
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Getting into Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals will cost most people a small fortune. Courtside seats are listed as high as $595,000. A seat in the upper deck is running thousands.
At least 500 kids are getting in free.
The Knicks and MSG Sports announced Wednesday they will donate at least 500 tickets to underprivileged youth in New York City for their home Finals games through the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit that serves children facing illness, homelessness, extreme poverty and other obstacles across the tri-state area.
The foundation will receive 205 tickets per home game for Games 3 and 4 on June 8 and 10. If the series extends to a Game 6 on June 16, the total will reach 750 tickets. They will be distributed to underserved New York families affiliated with the foundation.
The Knicks are in the Finals for the first time since 1999, chasing their first championship since 1973. Tickets for the home games have reached Super Bowl-level prices on the secondary market. It makes getting inside the Garden out of reach for most average New Yorkers, let alone those who are dealing with extreme poverty and homelessness.
For kids who could never afford the ticket prices to get through the doors at MSG normally, the Knicks just gave them a chance to see history.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York Knicks donate hundreds of NBA Finals tickets to kids
The playoffs are all about toughness, getting great performances from your stars, and standout games from your role players. In Game Five of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs only got one of those things. The result was a 127-114 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Julian Champagnie had the best game of his playoff career, but it was wasted thanks to dud performances from the majority of the team, especially Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. Now, down 3-2, the Spurs will head back home with their backs against the wall. San Antonio is a -158 favorite on FanDuel to win Game Six and force a Game Seven.
We’ll break down how each player performed in today’s player grades. As a quick reminder, player grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
38 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-15 shooting, 0-for-5 threes, -8
This was Wembanyama’s moment. Coming off a stellar Game Four performance and facing a beat-up Thunder squad, this was his chance to cement himself as the best player in the league and take a 3-2 advantage back to San Antonio. That did not happen.
Wembanyama looked tired, floating around the perimeter, getting out of position defensively, and not rising to block shots he’d usually contest. The result was by far his worst offensive night of the postseason and his least impactful defensive game.
To make matters worse, Wembanyama ducked the press after the game. Spurs fans should hope that this is the low point before Wembanyama’s rise in Games Six and Seven. If not, this will be a game that haunts Wembanyama and the Spurs for a while.
Grade: D
33 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 4-for-15 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, –10
Fox settled for bad shots for most of the night. He hit a couple of nice shots in the paint over the top of the defense, but was an inefficient 4-of-15 from the field. He picked up 3 steals, but didn’t feel all that impactful defensively. Fox deserves a lot of credit for playing through his ankle injury. San Antonio needs him to find his shot if they are going to win two straight games against the Thunder.
Grade: C-
33 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 7-for-11 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, -9
Castle was one of the few players who understood the moment and rose to it. He was a force all game on both ends, playing fast in the pick-and-roll and in transition, and playing tough defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He still committed some silly fouls on defense, but that can mostly be forgiven when he’s getting bullied on screens nearly every possession.
Grade: A-
30 minutes, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-15 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, -20
This was the Champagnie game. After struggling to hit threes for most of the series, he finally found his stroke. Champagnie came out of the gates on fire and finished the game with four three-pointers. He got to the basket and scored with touch around the rim. On defense, he played with active hands. Hopefully, this was a sign of things to come, rather than a single-game flash.
Grade: A
36 minutes, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-11 shooting, 2-for-9 threes, -2
Vassell played a strong defensive game but missed a lot of shots. The Thunder seemed to key in on him a bit on the perimeter, as he didn’t get as many open looks.
Grade: C
25 minutes, 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-for-5 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, -7
For the first time in these playoffs, Harper looks like a rookie. Since suffering an adductor injury, he hasn’t been able to get to the rim. That’s forced him to take some tough mid-range jumpers and threes. He had some silly turnovers, including one where he crossed over right in front of the defender, leading to an easy bucket on the other end.
Grade: D
20 minutes, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls, 7-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, +3
Johnson led the team with his effort. He made some awesome plays around the basket on offense and competed defensively. There has been a lot of talk about his ability to play in this series. He answered with his best game in the WCF.
Grade: B+
8 minutes, 1 rebound, 3 fouls, 0-for-1 shooting, –6
Kornet got screwed out of his only shooting attempt, a clear goaltend that the officials missed. Even without that, his minutes have been rough. OKC is pushing him around inside and getting to the basket any time he is in the game.
Grade: D
4 minutes, -6
Mitch Johnson went away from Barnes in Game Five after he played so well in Game Four. They probably could have used his hustle and offensive playmaking ability.
Grade: Incomplete
5 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, –6
Bryant made bad rookie mistakes on defense, like helping off SGA and allowing an open three. He did make a nice three-pointer and a powerful dunk in meaningful minutes. Bryant has moments of impact, but Barnes may be the safer option for Game Six.
Grade: C
2 minutes, 4 points, 1-for-1 shooting, +1
McLaughlin got to the basket and knocked down a pair of free throws to get 4 points in garbage time.
Grade: Incomplete
2 minutes, 2 points, +1
Olynyk to the free-throw line in a somewhat chippy garbage-time run.
Grade: Incomplete
2 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1 foul +1
Biyonbo got into it with the Thunder bench in the final minutes of the game. Had a hard foul on Jared McCain, hitting him in the face.
Grade: Incomplete
2 minutes, 1 rebound, 2 fouls +1
Plumlee will get a lot of flak for his hard foul on McCain. It’s hard to imagine that it was intentional.
Grade: Incomplete
The Phoenix Suns have numerous decisions ahead of them this upcoming offseason, including multiple restricted free agents, unrestricted free agents, and players with trade value. The following series will examine those decisions as our writing team presents both a point and a counterpoint for each.
Dillon Brooks was a revelation for the Suns this season. After years of watching basketball teams that had no fight in them, we got to see the NBA’s second biggest villain join the Suns. I won’t put him above Draymond, but he is top two.
Brooks not only brought attitude and leadership to this team, but he also brought volume scoring as well. This, however, is not the Dillon Brooks season in review. Brandon Duenas did a great job breaking down Brooks’ season in this article and I highly recommend you read it.
No, today we aren’t discussing Dillon Brooks’ past, but his future. Brooks has one season left on his contract. This upcoming season, he will make $20.9 million dollars, then he will be a free agent. Should the Suns pay him at 31 years old?
If you take Mat Ishbia at his word, then you can expect the Suns to extend him at some point this year.
But once again, should they? Let’s examine the best arguments against extending The Villain.
Take a look around the conference finals right now and tell me what you see. OKC, San Antonio, and Cleveland all built out their core through the draft. It is true that all teams are then augmented via trade and free agency. Obviously, neither Donovan Mitchell nor James Harden was drafted by Cleveland, and neither was Alex Caruso drafted by the Thunder. But the fact remains that if you want to reach the mountaintop, you need to flesh out your core through the draft.
Dillon Brooks is at the age where he is exiting his prime, not entering it. He isn’t going to get better from here, but probably worse. By the time the Suns have their own draft pick again, in 2033, he is likely to be retired or close to it. Unless the Suns see themselves as contenders in the next year or two, he is not the long-term fit in the Valley. Of course, given Ishbia’s quote, I would not be surprised if the Suns see themselves as contenders in the short term.
As of now, though, Dillon Brooks is coming off a career year. This could be the perfect time to sell high on Dillon Brooks to bring in a draft pick that could end up being another core piece. Keep in mind that the Suns are expected to attempt to trade into the first round of this year’s draft. He’ll be 31 years old at the end of his current contract; it may be time to move on.
The Suns have too many wings. Booker, Green, Royce, Allen, Dunn, and Fleming are all solid wing options. Meanwhile, as it seems I say in every article I write, the Suns still have no power forward on the roster that they can start. Letting Brooks walk frees up roster space to bring in a new player to fill that role. It is worth noting that letting him go does not free up cap space, as the Suns are too far over the cap for his contract to mean anything in that regard.
Dillon Brooks led the NBA in technical fouls this season and was tied with Russell Westbrook for third in flagrant fouls. Did that bother you at all during the season? It didn’t bother me. But, how will you feel about it when it is year two of a four-year extension, Brooks is 33, and his production has dropped? High performance covers a multitude of sins. But what happens when that high performance is gone?
I think Draymond Green is a good blueprint for this. When the Warriors were winning championships, Draymond Green was the glue guy. A leader in the locker room and on the court. In the past few seasons? He is now a headache that has been in trade rumors.
The Villain character can’t last forever. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become…a nuisance.
Still not convinced that the Suns should move on from Dillon Brooks? Me either.
Are there drawbacks to having Dillon Brooks on your favorite basketball team? Yes, there are. But is Dillon Brooks a breath of fresh air on a team that spent multiple years acting like basketball was their side hustle? Yes, he is. I think at this point we know enough about Devin Booker to know that he isn’t the type of leader anyone would describe as an “enforcer.” But, he doesn’t need to be. That is why the Suns have Dillon Brooks.
I could see an argument for trading Dillon Brooks, but I see no reason why the Suns should just let him walk after next season. The arguments I managed to come up with are flimsy at best.
Brooks has become the beating heart of this team, and the Suns should absolutely extend him.
The Larry O’Brien trophy is unlikely to make its way down East Jefferson Street anytime soon. We probably are going to have to wait until Phoenix has some of its own draft picks again before that happens. In the meantime, it is nice to watch a basketball team that cares. And that starts with Dillon Brooks.
The 2026 NBA Draft received fewer early entry candidates than usual as more prospects opted to return to college basketball with lucrative NIL deals.
With only 71 candidates, it marked the lowest number in more than two decades. But not all received an invitation to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. For those who did, after meeting with scouts and team executives, players used that feedback to decide whether to remain in the draft or return to college.
Several players opted to return to college before the pre-draft process even began, a trend viewed as beneficial to both the NCAA and NBA.
Thomas Haugh (Florida), Braylon Mullins (UConn) and Patrick Ngongba II (Duke) are among those who were widely considered potential first-round picks but opted not to test the waters. Others, including Pryce Sandfort (Nebraska), Alex Condon (Florida), Joseph Tugler (Houston) and David Mirković (Illinois), made the same decision.
While more than 25 early entry candidates are expected to remain in the class, others have yet to announce their decisions and several have already confirmed their return to college basketball.
Per NCAA rules, players have until 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, May 27 to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft and remain eligible to play college basketball.
Players who have completed their college eligibility are automatically eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft. Among them are Yaxel Lendeborg, Bennett Stirtz, Joshua Jefferson, Tarris Reed Jr., Zuby Ejiofor, Alex Karaban, Ryan Conwell and Braden Smith.
Two asterisks denote that the player was invited to the G League Combine and later received a call-up to the NBA Draft Combine.One asterisk denotes that a player was originally invited to the G League Combine.
This list is based on consensus draft projection, reporting, and comments made at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine.
Two asterisks denote a player who received but declined an NBA Combine invitation. One asterisk denotes a player who received but declined an invitation to the G League Combine.
Among this group, Luigi Suigo and Sergio De Larrea received combine invitations, but only Suigo attended.
The withdrawal deadline for international early entry candidates is 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 13.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA Draft early entry tracker: Full list of prospects decisions
On a night when the referees seemed to want to inject themselves into every aspect of the game, this cheap shot by Mason Plumlee was somehow not deemed a flagrant foul when it happened in the fourth quarter.
Mason Plumlee hits Jared McCain hard in the back, in garbage time (with replays).
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 27, 2026
Isaiah Hartenstein having some words with him and then with Bismack Biyombo, who stepped up for his teammate as well. https://t.co/yhwFqm28aNpic.twitter.com/SmxZYwUwSp
Fortunately, the NBA league office saw it differently and upgraded the foul to a flagrant on Thursday.
Mason Plumlee’s (SAS) foul against Jared McCain (OKC) at 1:39 of the 4th quarter in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on 5/26/26 has been upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after league review.https://t.co/hGgdPt82M2
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) May 27, 2026
The league defines a Flagrant foul 1 as "unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent." This unquestionably was that. A Fragrant foul 2 is "unnecessary and excessive" contact, and this was in the running for that, too.
McCain scored 18 points of his 20 points in the second half on Tuesday night as the Thunder pulled away and picked up a comfortable Game 5 win to go up 3-2 and put themselves one win away from a return trip to the NBA Finals. It wasn't just Plumlee, Bismack Biyombo also had a hard late-game foul on McCain, apparently trying to establish the Spurs' toughness. If that was the plan, they should have done it in the first three quarters when the game was in doubt, rather than looking frustrated in the final minutes.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks promoted general manager Onsi Saleh to president of basketball operations and signed the executive to a long-term contract extension on Wednesday.
The Hawks announced the new title and contract one year after Saleh was promoted from assistant general manager to general manager, replacing the fired Landry Fields.
Saleh was the runner-up to Boston's Brad Stevens in voting for NBA Executive of the Year last month. Saleh received one first-place vote, 10 second-place votes and six third-place votes.
The Hawks finished sixth in the Eastern Conference at 46-36 before falling to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.
“Onsi possesses a rare combination of valuable leadership qualities and a clear vision that will position our franchise to compete at a championship level," Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said in a statement.
"He is a gifted communicator and talent evaluator, widely respected by his peers within the NBA community. He has already demonstrated a level of decisiveness and acumen that has changed the trajectory of our organization, and we are delighted to have him lead our basketball operations for a very long time.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
The Lakers conducted layoffs across multiple departments Wednesday, The California Post confirmed.
The layoffs are part of a reorganization following the sale of the team from the Buss family to Mark Walter at a $10 billion valuation nearly a year ago.
The layoffs, which were described by team sources as “wild” and “crazy,” have followed a widespread restructuring over the last few months, including Lon Rosen replacing Tim Harris as president of business operations, Michael Spetner being hired as chief strategy and growth officer and Ryan Kantor being hired as vice president of global partnerships.
The Lakers also recently hired Tony Bennett as a draft consultant and adviser, as well as Rohan Ramadas as an assistant general manager of strategy and data system.
In addition, the Lakers’ G League team will relocate from the South Bay to the Coachella Valley.
Rob Pelinka, Lakers general manager and president of basketball operations, said he and Rosen are closely working with “some of the Dodgers folks” to add a biomechanics lab, new movement labs and a recovery lab in addition to “redoing aspects of the court” at their UCLA Health Training Center practice facility.
“It’s a full rebuild and retool, and it’s adding to the great things that are already here, which have led to success, but elevating it and bringing it to the next level,” Pelinka said after the Lakers were swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the Thunder earlier this month. “So, an ongoing process that we’ll be doing throughout the offseason, probably, hopefully, culminating in and around the Summer League in Vegas.”
Organizational turnover and restructuring is common under new leadership.
The Trail Blazers had layoffs that affected “just over 70 people” last week under new owner Tom Dundon, according to The Oregonian. After Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez became the controlling owners of the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx in June 2025, the organization laid off “roughly 35 employees” in late August, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Trump says he may attend Knicks' NBA Finals game in New York originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
President Donald Trump said he thinks he will attend an NBA Finals game after the New York Knicks advanced to the finals for the first time in 27 years.
“They have some great players,” Trump told reporters during the White House cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “I think I’ll be going to one of the games. Yeah, I was invited by numerous people.”
The New York Times was first to report the president’s possible attendance at his hometown team’s game.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said he had planned to attend an Eastern Conference finals game, “but they closed it out very quickly.”
“Boy, what a team,” he said of the Knicks. “They win all their games.”
Reached for further information about the president’s plans, the White House declined to provide details beyond Trump’s own comments.
The Knicks will face the winner of the Western Conference finals, where the Oklahoma City Thunder lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
The Knicks won the Eastern Conference finals on Monday, sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 for their 11th consecutive win in the playoffs. The last time the Knicks went to the Finals was in 1999, when they lost to San Antonio.
“Great to see it,” Trump said of the Knicks advancing. “The Knicks have really, they’ve really suffered for years.”
Andrew Greif contributed.
“The Alien” has been brought back to Earth.
Victor Wembanyama has been warned by the NBA for snubbing the media following the Spurs’ Game 5 Western Conference finals loss Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
Wembanyama was below his best in the 127-114 defeat to the Thunder, as he scored 20 points on just 4-of-15 shooting from the field.
And he apparently wasn’t in the mood to speak following the loss, as he left the locker room without stopping for reporters — a violation of the league’s media access rules that mandate players make themselves available after games.
A Spurs spokesman told reporters after the loss that Wembanyama was not available to speak, and the French big man walked past a scrum of media around midnight, according to The Athletic.
The Athletic added that the NBA decided to merely warn the 22-year-old — rather than fine him — because he was a “first-time offender” in terms of skipping his media duties.
In fact, the newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year was awarded the Magic Johnson Award in April by the Pro Basketball Writers Association for his cooperation with the media.
Wembanyama has averaged 28.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.0 blocks this series.
However, he and the Spurs now face a must-win Game 6 after falling behind 3-2 in the series Tuesday.
This is an odd summer for LeBron James. For the first time in his Lakers tenure, he doesn’t have a contract heading into the offseason.
So now, negotiations have to begin between the Lakers and LeBron to see if he wants to return and at what number makes sense for both sides.
Apparently, LeBron is a fan of the negotiation tactic of allowing the other side to speak first.
During Wednesday’s podcast episode of “The Hoop Collective,” Brian Windhorst of ESPN said that LeBron wants the Lakers to give him the details on their plans for him and the franchise moving forward.
“The LeBron side, from what I am told, would like the Lakers to come and say, ‘LeBron, here’s our plan for you. Here’s what we’re offering.’ And if they’re offering less than the max, here’s why: ‘Because we’re going to use this cap space to sign these players, and this is where you slot in.’”
This has always been LeBron’s mindset when it comes to taking a pay cut. He did it for Miami when he was part of that Big Three and he was reportedly willing to take a pay cut for the Lakers a couple of years back when they were pursuing players such as Klay Thompson.
In that scenario, back in 2024, the Lakers didn’t land another star player, but James still took a slight pay cut so they could avoid being a second apron team.
LeBron won’t just take a discount to help the Lakers or any other team out. It has to make basketball sense for both parties.
So, it seems the Lakers actually hold all the cards in their negotiations with LeBron. They have said they’d love to have LeBron back, and he’s waiting to hear what they have in mind.
When the time is right, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has to pick up the phone and share his master plan with James’ representation. During that conversation, he has to convince them that the best move for James is to stay with Los Angeles and try to win it all here before he calls it quits.
That’s a good place for the Lakers to be, so we’ll see if the front office can bring back LeBron and add to the roster to give it a better chance of coming out of the West next year.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is planning to get an up-close look at the hottest team in basketball.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that New York Knicks owner James Dolan has invited him to the NBA Finals, when the Eastern Conference champion Knicks host either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs next month at Madison Square Garden.
New York, which is riding an 11-game postseason winning streak after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals, is scheduled to host Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10.
Trump, a New York native, said he initially planned to attend Game 5 of the conference finals at MSG before the Knicks finished off the Cavaliers in four games. The president called Dolan a “great guy” and marveled at New York's run.
“Boy, what a team,” Trump said. “They have some really great players.”
Trump called the club's return to the finals for the first time since 1999 “great to see.”
“The Knicks have really suffered for years," Trump said to laughter. “They're doing (well) right now.”
Trump has routinely dropped in on prominent sporting events during his time in politics. He's taken in the College Football Playoff championship and caught a prime-time NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets just days before the 2024 election.
The Knicks have a history of having high-profile celebrities sit courtside at MSG, including filmmaker Spike Lee, who has clashed with Trump in the past.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
The Knicks are looking out for their fans.
They are donating hundreds of free tickets to underprivileged youth for their home games in the Finals, The Post has learned. Underserved New York families affiliated with the Garden of Dreams Foundation will receive 250 tickets per home game.
That means a guaranteed 500 tickets across Games 3 and 4. If there is a Game 6, that number will rise to 750.
“We are proud to create meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for underprivileged youth in our local communities,” said Rich Constable, the executive vice president and global head of government affairs and social impact at MSG Entertainment. “Making sure underserved youth are part of the Knicks Finals run is extremely important to the Knicks, ensuring the next generation of fans gets to be part of the story.”
The giveaway comes as ticket prices skyrocket on secondary markets for the Knicks’ first Finals appearance since 1999. But the Knicks want to make sure this historic moment can be appreciated by everyone.
The Garden of Dreams Foundation, since 2006, has impacted the lives of over 480,000 young people facing obstacles.
The Knicks are still waiting to learn their Finals opponent — the Thunder, after Tuesday’s Game 5 win, are up 3-2 over the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
After completing their overpowering sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks carry a historic 11-game winning streak into the Finals. They’ve outscored their opponents by a combined 262 points in that stretch — the best point differential across 11 games in NBA history, regardless of regular season or postseason.
Knicks fever has taken over the city in the process.
“The buzz is unbelievable,” Landry Shamet said. “You could try and explain what’s going on in New York right now for Knicks fans but good luck. It’s different. Knicks fans are different.”
From LeBron James' perspective, the ball is in the Lakers' court.
LeBron may be vacationing with family and talking about not making a decision on what is next for him until July or August, but the reality is he is no longer the player the entire market will wait for. He is not the first domino to fall (that's Giannis Antetokounmpo). Instead, he and the Lakers need to work out whatever is going on between them before the NBA Draft in less than a month (June 23), so both sides can plan and make their next moves. Free agency moves fast now and, unless LeBron wants to play for the minimum, he doesn't get to watch the market play out and then make a call.
For LeBron, that all starts with the Lakers coming to him with an offer — and he wants to start talking max deal, reports ESPN's Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective podcast.
"The Lebron side, from what I am told, is would like the Lakers to come and say, 'Lebron, here's our plan for you,' or 'here's what we were offering,' and if they're offering less than the max, here's why. Because we're going to use this cap space to sign these players, and this is where you slide in."
Max is where LeBron will start negotiations, what he feels he has earned (and in terms of the revenue he drives for a team, he's not wrong). Good luck finding anyone around the league who thinks that's his salary next season. The real question is how big a pay cut he is willing to take, because — as he showed in the playoffs — he still brings real value on the court, too. Does he demand $30 million? The non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $15 million? The taxpayer mid-level exception of $6 million? Less?
Windhorst is also very clear that this conversation between the Lakers and LeBron has to happen early in the summer, like before the draft. The Lakers have made it clear that they want to retool their roster around Luka Doncic and his skill set, which includes re-signing Austin Reaves. To do that remake, the Lakers want to use their estimated $50 million in cap space — but that cap space depends on LeBron not being on the roster. He has a $59.5 million cap hold, which is a little more than the max that is supposed to be around $58 million for him for one season.
The Lakers need to either reach a deal with LeBron to know how much cap space they have, or tell LeBron they are going to renounce his rights so they can spend all that money on other players.
If LeBron wants to play somewhere else — Cleveland, Golden State or any other team that might interest him — for more than the $3.9 million veteran minimum, he and his management need to work with the Lakers to find a sign-and-trade that works for everyone. Again, this is stuff that has to be agreed to, and the process started before the draft because by July 1, when free agency officially opens, most teams have two-thirds of their free-agent signings and trades already agreed to (if not public).
All of that starts with LeBron and the Lakers sitting down and having an honest conversation about what's next. And LeBron believes that the ball is in the Lakers' court.
Sometimes, star players are fouled intentionally to send a message.
It is rare, though, that the same treatment is given to a role player,
Toward the end of the Thunder’s 127-114 home win over the Spurs in Game 5 on Tuesday, Oklahoma City role player Jared McCain was fouled twice in quick succession — including a vicious elbow to the back from Mason Plumlee that knocked him to the floor.
Wemby ordered the CODE RED
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 27, 2026
He whispers something to Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo as they check in during garbage time.
Both players IMMEDIATELY commit hard fouls on Jared McCain. pic.twitter.com/bcwojVDxGo
Those fouls in the last two minutes have raised some eyes, especially since the two Spurs that committed the infractions — Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo — received whispered instructions from San Antonio superstar Victor Wembanyama while he exited the floor with his team trailing by 14 with 2:20 remaining.
McCain said he was surprised by the fouls and, while at the free throw line, asked for an explanation of the harsh treatment.
“That was crazy. I didn’t expect it, obviously,” McCain explained on “The Association” following his 20-point effort after being bumped into the starting lineup.
“We were at the free throw line too, and I was like, ‘Why’d you do that man,’ and he was like, ‘I got another one for you too.’ … Wasn’t aware, my team told me after, get to the corner at the end of games.”
The first foul happened with 1:39 remaining in regulation when McCain set a pick and Plumlee ran right through him, resulting in a foul that led to McCain hitting one of two free throw attempts.
Fifty-three seconds later, Biyombo committed a hard foul when McCain drove to the basket.
NBC Analyst Reggie Miller pointed out that leaving McCain on the court in a game that all but had been decided was not a good idea after seeing the two fouls.
“See, these are two shots to McCain in here in the starting lineup in the closing moments of this game. Miller said, “He doesn’t need to be on the floor here.”
While these fouls could be explained as bad luck for the Thunder guard, a viral video from Tuesday night has some wondering about the intent.
Wembanyama gave both Plumlee and Biymobo quick remarks, and then moments later they committed hard fouls on one of the Thunder’s starters.
This has led to some unfounded speculation that Wembanyama may have given some nefarious orders due to the nature of the fouls and the time left in the game.
This chippy ending of the game could add fuel to an already competitive series that could end Thursday in Game 6 with the Thunder holding the 3-2 advantage.
