The Knicks already brought in Andre Drummond to help make up for the loss of two of their big men this offseason, and it appears they could be targeting another veteran.
Valanciunas, of course, was waived by the Nuggets on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old big man will become available in free agency once he clears waivers.
As per Begley, New York previously showed interest in Valanciunas when he hit the open market in 2024.
He ended up joining the Wizards as part of a sign-and-trade, then was dealt to Sacramento, where he spent one season before being moved again to Denver last summer.
Valanciunas produced 8.7 points and 5.1 boards as their backup center during the regular season, but ended up falling out of the rotation during the playoffs.
Bringing him in along with Drummond to backup All-Star starter Karl-Anthony Towns could give the Knicks strong depth at the center position.
Valanciunas was previously a client of team president Leon Rose.
Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has filed a dispute in Dallas County, Texas, court, alleging that Dallas Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont engaged in “adversarial business practices” and is seeking a judge to compel the team's executives to disclose details of the franchise's new arena plans.
The Mavericks had planned to develop a site in North Dallas that housed a shopping mall. The 104-acre site, called Valley View, would include a new arena with a practice facility, along with entertainment plans around it.
Cuban said in the filing that he wants information on "the financing of a new Dallas Mavericks arena at Valley View and the exploration and identification of locations for the new arena, among other things." He also said that he was “contractually entitled to participate” in the Valley View deal.
Cuban, despite selling a majority stake in the Mavericks, still owns 27% of the team, and he claims that he would still be in charge of the basketball operations. The billionaire sold his stake in the team in 2023 to Miriam Adelson and Dumont, who is Adelson's son-in-law. Adelson's husband, Sheldon, who was the founder, former chairman, and CEO of the casino company Las Vegas Sands, died in 2021.
That agreement, according to the petition, was made via a handshake deal. Instead, Cuban claims that Dumont gave Nico Harrison that job. Harrison was fired as general manager in November partly because of bungling of the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The team has played in the American Airlines Center, located in the Victory Park neighborhood of downtown Dallas, since 2001. The lease of the arena, which also hosts the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars, expires in 2031
The second-round pick Jack Kayil has officially been added to the team’s roster ahead of their exhibition opener Friday night against the Nets.
Kayil was originally left off the roster due to an issue with his current club.
The youngster’s agent indicated to reporters last week, though, that they expected it to be quickly resolved.
Now the Knicks will officially be able to get a good look at the 39th overall pick before deciding if he’ll return to Germany or receive a two-way contract this year.
Though it may not be up to him with the Knicks trying to stay under the second apron this year, Kayil said following the selection that he did not plan on returning overseas.
"My plan is to stay here," he said. "And to get into the organization and keep growing with them."
Kayil averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds across 21 minutes in the Alba Berlin league last season.
He also earned FIBA Champions League Best Young Player honors and was named All-FIBA Champions Second-Team after helping Germany take home the silver medal at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup.
Less than a month after winning the NBA championship, the Knicks will be back on a basketball court -- well, at least a few players on the actual team.
New York’s Summer League roster, which features roster players Mohamed Diawara, Dillon Jones and Pacome Dadiet will give the club a chance to evaluate their younger talent and potential training camp and G-League invites.
The Knicks begin Summer League on Friday night with a matchup against the Nets -- let’s look at four players to track during the July exhibition games.
Mohamed Diawara
One of the pleasant surprises of last season was the emergence of Diawara. A late second-round pick, the 6-foot-9 forward was in New York’s rotation for parts of the season and showed flashes on both ends of the floor.
With a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Diawara can defend multiple positions and cover a lot of ground in help coverages.
Offensively, he has potential as a ball-handler and good vision as a passer. Diawara’s also been a better shooter than expected, converting 36.9 percent of his 130 three-point attempts last season. He was open on the lion's share of the attempts, so there’s still work to do to garner respect from opposing defenses.
Still, the signs of a legitimate contributor were there for the 21-year-old, and that impressive play led to the Knicks locking him up on a multi-year deal this offseason. Summer League should be an opportunity for Diawara to show that he can handle a larger role and do more as a scorer and secondary playmaker.
Pacome Dadiet
In what will be his third Summer League, Dadiet’s continued development will be something to keep an eye on.
A 2024 first-round pick, the soon-to-be 21-year-old wing has barely played in two seasons. Dadiet saw just 136 minutes of action in his second season. He did show promise in the G-League, averaging 23.2 points on 46.6 percent shooting in 15 Westchester games, but he still has work to do to improve as a perimeter shooter, ball-handler and passer.
The Knicks already have three wings in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart who play a considerable amount of minutes. Diawara also passed Dadiet on the depth chart.
New York will have to decide whether to exercise the fourth year team option of Dadiet’s rookie scale deal around training camp, so this might be the last real shot for him to impress ahead of that future fork in the road.
Tyler Nickel
Picked 47th overall in this year’s draft, Nickel already has one sure fire skill -- he was one of the best shooters in college basketball, and has a lightning-quick release. In his last two seasons at Vanderbilt, Nickel shot 191-for-475 (40.2 percent) from the three-point line. Standing 6-foot-6, he’s also showcased an ability to move well off the ball.
There are a few weaknesses in Nickel’s game to evaluate during Summer League, though.
He competes on defense, but lacks premium foot speed -- it will be important to see if Nickel can contain defenders on the perimeter and not allow easy drives into the paint. On offense, the focus will be on if he can attack closeouts, put the ball on the floor, and either create his own shot, or make plays for his teammates.
There’s a chance Nickel could earn one of three available two-way contracts or possibly compete for a standard NBA contract with the Knicks, it just depends on how the front office decides to fill out the roster.
After signing Andre Drummond, the Knicks have 12 roster spots filled. There’s a chance the team adds two more veterans to get to the minimum of 14 standard contracts, rather than going young.
Dillon Jones
There’s a couple of compelling invites to the Knicks’ Summer squad, including St. John’s guard Oziyah Sellers, but let’s focus on Dillon Jones. The former first-round pick could be a two-way candidate for the Knicks next year, and has a fringe chance to earn a full-time spot.
Signed to a two-way deal last season, Jones only played in seven games with the Knicks. The wing showed the ability to fill the stat sheet with Westchester, though, averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 18 games.
At 6-foot-5, Jones isn’t tall, but he is strong and uses his sturdy 235-pound frame to finish on drives despite middling athleticism. He’s arguably the best shot creator on this Summer League team.
A two-time NBA champion in his first two NBA seasons, Jones is still trying to find where he fits as a role player.
Can he knock down enough three-pointers at a high clip off the catch? Who does he guard on defense? Can he become more efficient as a shot-maker? Those are some of the questions in the way of the 24-year-old finding a cemented spot on an NBA roster.
You are what you eat, or in this case, you are who you trade with and after a steady diet of trade activity with the Charlotte Hornets the Phoenix Suns, as currently constructed, are projected to run out a teal tinted lineup to start the upcoming season.
If you pull up Charlotte’s season averages from last year and sort by field goal attempts, it’d be easy to go down the list, crossing out Hornets and filling in Suns, and see exactly where everybody fits. Lamelo Booker 17.3. Miller Green 16.1. Bridges Bridges 13.5. Kon Brooks 13.4. White Gillespie 11.0. Sexton Kenard 9.9.
These seem like reasonable shot totals if the Suns want to get all of their shot makers involved but as you scroll past KJ Simpson Goodie 6.4, Tre Mann Dunn 5.7, Grant Williams Fleming 5.1 and you finally get to a center, you have to stop and think, Diabate Mark Williams 5.0? Does that work? How much impact will Mark Williams have on the offensive end, shooting five shots a game? If he’s not engaged on offense, how engaged will he be on defense? Or on the glass?
The Suns’ offense could certainly feature Mark Williams at center more than the Hornets featured Diabate in their offense, but every shot the center takes is one less shot for the four scorers sharing the floor with him. Maybe they’ll try to make Mark into a Clint Capella, a role-change that sent Deandre Ayton spiraling down to the Wizards. Mark might be okay with a role consisting of rim running and crashing the glass, and he remains a 7-foot presence around the hoop; there’s always value in that. But you have to wonder, could there be a better way? Does Diabate Mark Williams Oso 5.0 make more sense in the Suns’ projected starting lineup?
On any other team, this thought wouldn’t have come to my mind. On last year’s Suns team, this thought wouldn’t have come to my mind. The biggest knock I had on Mark Williams’ game was that he didn’t start enough of them, but the world keeps turning, and this is a different Suns team.
This season, the Suns will have three capable but volatile scorers floating in Book’s orbit. They have the potential to be a really good offense. The Charlotte Hornets put out a really good one last year, but how can Jordan Ott take them from four talented scorers connected because they are shooting at the same basket to four talented players playing above the level that talent alone can take them, because they are connected to their teammates and empowered by the system? It’s a lineup that needs a connector; a player to keep the ball moving, to free up space and shots for his teammates, a player who can impact the offense without ever having to touch the ball. For the Charlotte Hornets of Phoenix, Oso is uniquely suited to start at center.
What Oso brings to the table that sets him apart from Mark Williams or other traditional big men is his ability to screen for assists, put the ball on the floor, and create opportunities for his teammates. As a secondary playmaker acting as the hub of the wheel, Oso can help an offense that, on paper, projects to trend ISO heavy, generate more open looks. Three-point shooting is going to be a big deal for this starting five, and the less contested step-back threes, or walk-up threes, the Suns have to take the better. Last season Oso was featured in 9/10 of the top five-man combinations for 3Ps.
There won’t be many people that need to be convinced that Oso is a better playmaker than Mark Williams, but when you look at 5-man combinations from last year’s team, 9 out of 10 of the combinations with the highest plus/minus for assists had Oso starting at center.
There’s also the playoffs, where Oso was thrust into a starting role against the best defense in the league, and he responded with 4.0 assists per game, which was second on the team behind Booker at 4.8.
Last season, Oso led the entire league in screen assists per game, finishing in front of prominent names such as Gobert, Embiid, Jokic, and Ayton. These are buckets that he’s helping to generate without taking shots.
He’s developed a strong chemistry with our leading scoring guards: Booker, Green, and Gillespie. In two-man combinations with Oso, Booker was a +5.7 with +10.4 3PAs, Green was a +3.1 with +12 3PAs, and Collin was a +6.4 with a plus +13.7 3PAs. Playing next to Oso makes scorers better. He opens up opportunities on the perimeter, and we have a fat chunk of money and minutes invested in perimeter scorers.
In a vacuum, Mark Williams is a better starting center than Oso. I’m not advocating that Mark Williams significantly reduce his 23 minutes a game unless it’s medically advantageous.
All I’m saying is that when Booker, Green, Brooks, and Bridges share the floor, Oso needs to be on the court, too. Since they are projected to be the starting four, Oso should join them. When one or two of those four players sit, bring in Mark to be that third option on offense and anchor the defense. Coming off the bench could preserve Mark’s health and give him some minutes against backup bigs, which could give his game a boost. In matchups where the size and strength of the opposing center are just too much for Oso, and the Suns need a legit seven-footer, Mark could spot-start, but if Ott and his staff want to get the game-in-game-out chemistry of this starting five bubbling, Oso is the catalyst they’ll need to spark the reaction.
The biggest resistance to the idea of starting Oso over Mark will be Oso’s lack of size.
Oso Ighodaro
“We’ll get killed on the boards!” is what I’ll hear as they run me out of town on a rail. To an extent, they’ll be correct.
Unsurprisingly, Mark Williams was the best rebounder on the team last year. In the regular season, Mark Williams pulled in 8.0 total rebounds per game, with 3.1 of them being offensive rebounds. Oso was the second leading rebounder on the team with 5.1 total rebounds per game, with 1.7 of them being offensive rebounds. Yet in the playoffs, as the starting center, Oso’s numbers jumped up to 7.0 total rebounds a game with 3.0 offensive rebounds, significantly closing the gap between him and Williams.
If the Suns want to get out and run in transition, locking up defensive rebounds will need to be a focus. Mark does this significantly better than Oso. Even though no one would mistake Miles Bridges for Charles Barkley (except maybe Mat Ishbia), the Suns did get bigger at forward, which could help support Oso on the boards. Still, defensive rebounding is a question mark on Oso’s ceiling in the NBA and is a deficiency that, if it doesn’t improve, could sink the entire Start Oso movement.
Another common concern about Oso starting is rim protection. While it’s true Oso averages a forgettable 0.7 blocks a game during the regular season, Mark Williams was only marginally better, collecting 0.9 blocks a game over his 60 regular-season games. Unless Khaman Malauch takes a long stride this offseason and steps in to provide a true rim protection advantage for the Suns’ defense, it may be an area in which the Suns continue to produce mediocre results, regardless of whether Mark or Oso starts at center. Despite their lackluster block numbers, both Oso and Mark were at the top of the Suns’ defensive ratings last season.
The Suns will need to take a step forward on offense if they want to get out of the first round in the West. Some fans might still be fine with making the top six, but when the Suns decided to spend their trade assets, my expectations for this team increased. Booker’s contract window is closing, and every player they commit to for the next three years is a player they are saying will be a part of the championship contender they are building around Booker.
Ott will surely be looking for ways to balance shot attempts and make adjustments to ensure the Suns are getting shots from the players they choose to take them, not from the players the defense forces to take them. Oso Ighodaro can be the glue guy, bringing the offense together to get the most out of the pieces the front office has assembled.
The Suns would be better with Oso starting at center.
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 12: Moussa Cisse #30 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Chicago Bulls on April 12, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks have two ways to sign Moussa Cisse to a standard NBA contract.
The first is the Minimum Salary Exception. Teams always have access to the minimum exception unless a hard cap restricts them. Using it, the Mavericks could sign Cisse for up to two years.
The second is to use a portion of the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (NT-MLE). Even if they’re only using the minimum salary amount of the exception, they can sign him for up to four years.
Here’s where things get interesting.
If the Mavericks want Cisse to become a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of his contract, he’ll need to reach free agency with fewer than four years of NBA experience. His season on a two-way contract already counts as one year of NBA experience for minimum salary purposes and RFA eligibility.
That means there are really two clean paths if Dallas wants to preserve the possibility of restricted free agency:
1. Sign him to a two-year contract using the Minimum Salary Exception.
2. Sign him to a three-year contract using a small portion of the NT-MLE with a team option on the third year. If Dallas later wanted to make him an RFA, they would simply decline the team option and issue a qualifying offer.
A couple of related notes:
Dallas can’t structure a contract with multiple option years. So they couldn’t do a 4-year contract with options in year 3 & 4. Only 1st Round Rookie Scale Contracts have that feature.
The Mavericks also can’t replace the option year with a non-guaranteed year and expect the same result. To remove a non-guaranteed season, the team would have to waive the player, and waiving him relinquishes Bird rights and makes him an unrestricted free agent rather than a restricted one. This was the issue with Jalen Brunson’s contract that made him an unrestricted free agent.
I’m not arguing that the Mavericks should choose one path over another. I’m simply laying out what the CBA allows and how each option affects Cisse’s future free agency.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 6: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies boxes out Jonas Aidoo #50 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of a 2026 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League game at the Jon M Huntsman Center on July 6, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. ( Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images) | Getty Images
Brian Scalabrine has an interesting history with Duke Basketball. When he was at USC, the Trojans lost to Duke in the 2001 Elite Eight, 79-69. That Duke team went on to win the national championship.
He was never a great NBA player, but Scalabrine played 11 years and was respected. He spent five seasons with the Boston Celtics, then rejoined the Celtics organization as a broadcaster after his retirement.
He was the first notable person to recognize Cooper Flagg’s talent, telling him that the only question about his potential was how hard he was willing to work to be great.
“He’s going to help the team win. He’s not just a glue guy; he’s actually going to be a player you can go to in certain situations. He’s an excellent passer; he’s not Jokić, but he has the ball in his hands, and you cut, it’s a good chance you’re going to get the ball.”
That’s certainly true. He’s not going to be Tim Duncan revisited, but he has a lot in common, most notably superb fundamentals. He’s the kid in camp who listened to every detail, then went home and perfected it all.
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 18: Sean Sweeney talks to the media during a press conference to introduce Sweeney as the new head coach of the Orlando Magic on June 18, 2026 at AdventHealth Training Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Before the 2025-2026 NBA season came to a close, the San Antonio Spurs knew they were losing Sean Sweeney. The associate head coach spent one season with the Silver & Black after leaving the Dallas Mavericks to support Mitch Johnson in his first official season at the helm.
Throughout the tectonic shifts that transpire in the interim of NBA seasons which include the draft, free agency, and Summer League some staff changes get lost in the mix. Sweeney is gone and he took some pieces of the Spurs coaching staff.
Assistant video coordinator Jon Harris is on the move to Orlando, he recently shared his excitement online.
Couldn’t have asked for a better experience these past 4 years in San Antonio with an amazing organization with unbelievable people. I am appreciative of everyone on the staff who helped me along the way. Excited for this next chapter with the Orlando Magic! pic.twitter.com/ILi4Y9K5DJ
Nicholas Russo has also exited San Antonio for Orlando. He will serve as Manager of Basketball Strategy for the Orlando Magic.
Sean Sweeney also quietly added a quasi-front office type guy in Nick Russo as "Manager of Basketball Strategy", who went through Spurs boot camp and has salary cap experience/training: https://t.co/96fe1K5msHpic.twitter.com/7O0D2L74NB
In the wake of the Sweeney hired, the Spurs brought in Billy Donovan, fresh off this sixth season with the Chicago Bulls. Donovan’s son previously coached alongside Johnson in 2017 with the Austin Spurs.
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CAMDEN, NJ - JUNE 25: Labaron Philon Jr. #00 of the Philadelphia 76ers talks to the media during the Philadelphia 76ers press conference introducing Labaron Philon Jr. on June 25, 2026 at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, NJ NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After an excruciatingly long two months, Philadelphia 76ers basketball is (kind of) back in our lives. The Summer Sixers open play in Las Vegas against the Detroit Pistons. As a refresher, here’s the roster T.J. Dileo will be running out there for the Sixers.
It’s an extremely young group, with everyone a rookie in terms of NBA experience aside from 2025 35th overall pick Johni Broome. Broome had a disappointing rookie year cut short due to a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered in February. Summer League will be the start of his chance to show he’s worthy of spending time with the big club this season more often than Delaware.
Of course, the headliner and the main source of excitement for this roster from Sixers fans is 22nd overall pick Labaron Philon. The 20-year-old guard out of Alabama will enter a crowded Sixers backcourt featuring Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and free agent acquisition Anfernee Simons. We’ll begin to see how far along Philon is in his development against NBA-level competition and whether he’ll project for a solidified spot in Nick Nurse’s rotation.
On the opposing sideline, here’s the Pistons’ Summer League roster.
Pistons fans will be keeping a close eye on 17th overall pick Ebuka Okorie out of Stanford. Big man Ugonna Onyenso was selected with the 53rd overall pick and was signed to a two-way contract. Chaz Lanier was a second-round pick for the Pistons last season; he appeared in 34 games for Detroit in his rookie campaign.
Can the Summer Sixers string together some wins and be one of the top four teams to advance to the Vegas Summer League semifinals? We’ll begin to find out in the late afternoon/early evening.
Game Details
When: July 9, 5:30 p.m. ET Where: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, Prime Video Follow:@LibertyBallers
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 6: Kevin Durant smiles during the game between the Seattle Storm against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 6, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Houston Rockets star forward Kevin Durant is no stranger to a trade request.
Durant has made a few throughout his career, specifically in his last couple of years with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns. While he said he hoped to finish his career with the Rockets after being traded last summer, Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley wonders if he has another deal left in him before the end of his career.
“After failing to make it off the launch pad—despite Durant looking every bit the part of his net-shredding best—does Houston just cross its fingers now and hope problems solve themselves? Because it’s been a fairly sleepy summer in Space City, save for Tari Eason’s new contract and the signing of veteran role players Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović,” Buckley wrote.
“Maybe Durant is confident in what this club has, but his first season as a part of it did not seem remotely fun. And it would hardly be out of his norm to tire of his hoops home and seek out a fresh start elsewhere.”
The Rockets may not have accomplished as much as they had hoped in Durant’s first season, but that doesn’t mean they should move on from him quite yet.
With Fred VanVleet supposed to be healthy and ready to go, and with more familiarity with Ime Udoka’s system, the Rockets have a chance to be better than they were this past season. They will need Durant to fully buy in so that they can make steps forward. As long as he is committed to the Rockets, they are going to ride the wave until he wants to get off.
TDS Community, what do you think about the Rockets’ direction with Durant as their top scorer? Let us know in the comment section below.
Oct 9, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) shoots the ball as New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
When the Boston Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship, they did so with three centers who thrived on the perimeter. Sure, Kristaps Porzingis was a nightmare on the high post, and Luke Kornet had a knack for coming up with clutch, timely passes out of the short roll, and Al Horford was the connective tissue at both ends.
Yet for the majority of the time, they operated as part of a five-out offense.
Both Horford and Porzingis were capable of (and sometimes did) spending some time at the four, too. That trio of big men was ideal for what Joe Mazzulla’s system needed at the time. They spaced the floor, hit their threes, and even Kornet, who is a non-shooting big, found ways to excel in a five-out offense.
We saw that system continue into the 2024-25 season. Again, everything worked as intended, apart from Porzingis’ struggles with POTS, which unfortunately appears to be an ongoing issue for him.
Yet, last summer, as Brad Stevens began to restructure the roster, the role of the big man position began to shift. With the elevation of Neemias Queta, Boston began asking different things of its bigs. Sure, Queta still spent a reasonable amount of time as a screener and dribble hand-off creator on the perimeter, but he also featured prominently as a roll-man (accounting for 24.3% of his offense, to be precise), while also being tasked with battling on the offensive glass.
Luka Garza, on the other hand, spent most of his time either spotting up around the perimeter or snagging offensive boards.
The roles of both bigs were well defined. They were put in positions to succeed based on their skill sets, while also being pushed to expand their game as the season went on. Yet, one core aspect of their role stood out above all others: their primary task was to get offensive boards and help the team maximize its possession game.
Now, it’s not like the Celtics didn’t ask their veteran trio of 2023-24 and 2024-25 to do this; they most certainly did, just not near the same level or frequency. In 23-24, the Celtics ranked 14th in offensive rebounding as a team. In 24-25, they jumped to 10th.
Last season, their climb continued as they finished the regular season ranked 7th in the NBA for offensive rebounding.
This summer, Boston doubled down on its quest to become one of the most possession-maximizing teams in the NBA by adding Mitchell Robinson.
Robinson, 28, is one of the best offensive board-getters in the NBA. For the past five seasons, his rebounding totals have been a near 50/50 split between offensive and defensive boards. Last season, he secured second-chance opportunities on 21.2% of his team’s missed shots while on the floor, placing him in the 100th percentile among bigs.
Suddenly, Boston’s new trio of big men all excel at one very specific thing, and that’s going to be their primary remit throughout the upcoming season, and likely the years to come. Sure, they’re going to go about their jobs in different ways. Garza, when on the court, will still lean into his perimeter shooting; he’s too good not to. Queta is the most mobile screener out of the trio. Robinson is a high-level roller who can space the floor vertically or provide physicality on the low block.
Optionality.
That appears to be the buzzword within the halls of the TD Garden these days, and that’s exactly what this trio will give you — options due to differing skill sets, but with one clear throughline.
However, there appears to be one big caveat to Boston’s plan. Robinson, for all of his floor-raising talents, joins the Celtics with legitimate injury concerns. He’s missed sizeable chunks of play in recent years. So much so that he spent last season on a sort of minutes management program.
“There was never a specific minutes limit, so to speak,” Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School told me during a recent episode of the ’Celtics Chronicle’ podcast. “I think there were some games this year where he played in the high 20s, over 25. (But) You can probably count them on one hand…They basically treated him like a sub-20-minute-a-game player in the league…So your starting line is not 82 games, assuming the Celtics also continue with the plan, and they may not.
“If they don’t, that would actually worry me more as a Celtics fan if the Celtics were like, ‘You know what? We’re gonna run Mitchell Robinson out there on the second night back-to-backs. We’re gonna be fine with it.‘ If they continue treating him with kid gloves, your ceiling is probably 20 to 25 minutes per night over 65 games, and that’s not even factoring in other injuries.”
The Celtics are no strangers to dealing with players who require minutes management. They did so with Robert Williams and had great success while managing Malcolm Brogdon’s playing time during his Sixth Man of the Year tenure with the franchise.
Therefore, there’s no reason to believe Robinson won’t be a success or won’t be put in a position to succeed. However, what we should probably expect is a return to the ‘big man by committee’ approach that became commonplace during Brad Stevens’ tenure as head coach.
To me, the whole point of acquiring three high-level offensive rebounders is to ensure that when someone is out due to injury, rest, or management, the crux of the bigs’ offensive role remains intact. No Robinson? Cool, Queta and Garza can get the job done. No Queta? Well, you get the idea…
Regardless of whether Robinson starts games or comes off the bench, it’s likely he’s going to sit in the 18-minute to 22-minute per night range. That leaves 26 minutes to 30 minutes of playing time for Queta and/or Garza to fill.
The most likely outcome is that Mazzulla and his coaching staff will spend the opening weeks, or months, of the season figuring out how to best utilize the trio of bigs at their disposal. Could Garza slide to the four and provide spacing in a similar role to what we previously envisioned for Danilo Gallinari? Or will the coaching staff go for straight minutes splits between the three, something like 20/20/8 with Garza getting the smaller piece of the pie?
We won’t know until the season is underway.
Still, if there’s one thing Robinson’s addition has got me thinking, it’s that Boston is about to lean heavily into possession-maximization, with a premium placed on offensive rebounds, which is likely where a fair share of Boston’s two-point attempts will come from next season (Robinson ranked 12th in the NBA for putback attempts per game last season, shooting 54.9% on those possessions).
With a heavy three-point system, guards and wings will be tasked with “boarding up,” meaning they will cut from the corners, wing or baseline, toward the elbows/nail to snag long rebounds off of misses, while the bigs will eat in and around the paint.
Boston is heading back to its ‘big man by committee’ era, only this time, there’s a clear plan, and it’s one that perfectly fits the system Mazzulla loves.
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 08: Austin Rivers #0 of the Duke Blue Devils launches his last-second, game-winning 3-point basket over Tyler Zeller #44 of the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Dean Smith Center on February 8, 2012 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Duke won 85-84. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We don’t know the entire circumstances of this video, but this guy is talking to Austin Rivers and disses his NBA career, and Rivers is just not having it.
We’ll have to go with Rivers here, and not just because he’s a Duke guy. It’s because he actually played in the NBA and has some idea of what happens in the league.
The podcast is hosted by former UNC players Theo Pinson and Raymond Felton, who has really let himself go since retiring. He’s about as round as Charles Barkley at his roundest post-retirement. In all seriousness, Felton has gained weight to the point where it might be a serious health risk.
The guy Rivers is beefing with is simply called Hong, and while it’s a podcast and people are entitled to their own opinions, obviously, arguing with someone who has professional experience that you lack is probably not a great idea.
You wouldn’t do it with a surgeon or an attorney, so why does it make sense to do it with a professional athlete?
Anyway, it gets pretty heated and there is some NSFW language coming mostly from Rivers, who clearly thinks Hong is a major idiot. You can make your own mind up about that.
Rivers, of course, put his name in the Duke pantheon with his immortal buzzer beater at UNC. It is very nearly on par with Christian Laettner’s devastating shot to knock Kentucky out of the 1992 Elite Eight.
Part 2: Austin Rivers CRASHES OUT after Theo’s co-host (that’s never played professional sports) continues to disrespect Austin NBA career. It gets HEATED! 🔥
“You get there with your little f*ckin laptop & point holes through someone’s career not knowing the time, energy,… pic.twitter.com/Q34CrjbTmK
Boston, MA - March 22: Former Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce reacts after guard Jaylen Brown made a 3-pointer in the first quarter. The Celtics played the Minnesota Timberwolves at TD Garden on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
If you tuned in to the press conference, you heard two buzzwords from President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and majority owner Bill Chisolm: “optionality” and “basketball reasons.” For forty-five minutes, Celtics leadership defended their trade of Jaylen Brown by talking about the future flexibility that it created. There was talk about the analytical fit and the outside noise generated by the social media echo chamber, but really, this was about situational adaptability.
No, it wasn’t about switchability on defense or being able to play different kinds of Mazzulla Ball. We’re talking about optionality when it comes to team-building, specifically on the cap sheet. In addition to the picks and the potential they come with, another potentially bigger reason for flipping Brown for Paul George was one less year on their max contracts.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and take a snapshot of Boston’s books as it stands right now. Consider this one tidbit first:
Paul George waived his $3.9M trade bonus, sources tell ESPN.
His cap hit in Boston remains at $54.1M and $56.6M (P)
That nearly $4 million seems insignificant, but when you’re hard-capped at the $209 million first apron — but in reality, they’re really motivated to get under the luxury tax line of $200 million in order to reset the repeater tax — every penny matters. According to former CelticsBlogger and Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Celtics are just $1.1 million over the tax line; that includes a slight salary bump for Ron Harper Jr. using his non-Bird rights in Year 1 and Dalano Banton’s non-guaranteed deal for next season. The roster is maxed out in all fifteen slots, but should easily be able to limbo under the tax threshold again just like they did at last season’s trade deadline.
“I don’t anticipate anything in the very near term,” Stevens said of the roster as it stands on July 6th. “I think that we do like the team we have, we might be able to add to it, but at the end of the day, we like the group we have.”
As JB put it in his farewell post, let’s” throw the ball up” and see what happens.
Now, Brad obviously won’t rule out moves at this season’s trade deadline or in the summer of 2027. A year from now, he could make changes around the margins, but really, this is all about 2028 when presumably George’s contract expires. So much can happen between now and then, but that offseason is a target-rich environment for seismic change.
Not unlike our rival’s summer this year, the Celtics could act as a cap space team just like the Lakers did this offseason. Los Angeles underwhelmingly filled it with a grab bag of overpaid players from a week free agency class, but Stevens could have a number of options in the 2028 Summer of the Center. Think of it: Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Nikola Jokic could all be available.
Boston will also have that 2028 first round draft pick. Adding a young stud to complement a veteran squad could be like adding, well, Jaylen Brown to a team with then Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
To his credit, Chisolm dispelled any notion that the ownership doesn’t want to spend money. “Brad’s got the green light. I know people feel like oh there must be a smoking gun somewhere, that’s just not what this is about. I can say it but I’ll also prove it to you. When we have the opportunity we’re gonna do that.”
That offseason also coincides with the end of Payton Pritchard’s team-friendly rookie extension and he’ll get paid handsomely in his next deal. The front office will also have to make a decision on Baylor Scheierman and it’s possible that by then, they would have already signed him to a similar deal that Pritchard got after his rookie contract.
If you’re a student of history, this feels eerily like when the Celtics split up the Antoine Walker-Paul Pierce duo. Despite an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals, newly hired Danny Ainge recognized it as fool’s gold and split the pair up. Four disappointing seasons later — after Raef LaFrentz and Ricky Davis and Wally Szczerbiak and Al Jefferson and Antoine Walker coming back! — he put together the Big Three with Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen in the middle of their primes. They won a championship in their first season after winning just 24 games the year prior.
Hopefully, with the parity and speed that the league operates with now, it won’t take that long. Instead of four years, maybe it’s two. Hopefully, it’s two. And for all we know, the defending Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year hang Banner 19 sooner and we’re gunning for Banner 20 in 2028.
MOROGORO, TANZANIA - MAY 26: Giraffes roam the Mkata Floodplain in Mikumi National Park, located in Tanzania's Morogoro Region, on May 26, 2026. Covering an area of 3,230 square kilometers, Mikumi is among Tanzania's largest national parks and is known for its rich wildlife, vast savannas and diverse ecosystems. The Mkata Floodplain is considered one of the park's prime wildlife-viewing areas, offering visitors the opportunity to observe animals in their natural habitat. (Photo by Ali Osman Kaya/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
Not a lot going on, but I still found a few interesting links and clips, and a few notes from everything else going on around the L. Paul Pierce would have to do in the absence of Stephen A. Smith. shrughemoji
OG Anunoby is gracing the SLAM cover and getting a feature story. Bow down.
I didn’t expect Jalen Brunson to appear in a Chicago Sports Network show dedicated exclusively to interviewing him, but here we are. JB talked about staying grounded through his career, discussed the value of individual vs. team awards, touched on the relationship with Rick, talked about D-Rose, and much more. Quotable:
“I think no matter what, I was able to stay grounded because of my family and the close circle I have. I was never really satisfied throughout my time in high school, obviously because we were losing, and I wanted to win a state championship. Most importantly, obviously there are a lot of individual accolades out there, but I think when you win, that’s what’s most memorable.“
New Knickerbocker Andre Drummond didn’t lose a minute getting back to his true New Yorker ways, as a good Mount Vernon native. Yerrr!
Sportico’s Jacob Feldman put together a nice column explaining the reality of the non-existent NBA free agency these days amid yet another LeBron James sweepstakes (which he cleverly labeled “LeBronomy”). LBJ might be grabbing all eyes, but the truth is, there is no FA anymore, with everybody agreeing to bulky contract extensions as early as possible and figuring out their future later. A tease:
“Since LeBron’s 2020 Lakers title, the last six NBA champions have won without luring accomplished free agents. Instead, the teams have largely drafted stars (Bucks, Warriors, Nuggets, Celtics) or assembled lineups by picking up players other teams were willing to part with (Knicks). The Thunder have built a perennial powerhouse by doing a bit of both, while the Spurs are tied with OKC as 2027/28 favorites thanks to a run of draft success.”
Possible Knicks’ FA target Jonas Valanciunas was waived by the Nuggets before his $10 million salary became fully guaranteed, with Denver now owing him just $2 million for 2026-27. For what matters here, JV can now sign wherever he wants to… including a two-year deal to play for EuroLeague club Zalgiris, as reported by Adam Zagoria . Not overly confident in signing a backup center to get 15-20 minutes a pop who could equally be plying his trade in Lithuania, if you ask me.
Miami has officially declared war on Cleveland, being reportedly willing to offer Bronny James a two-way contract if LeBron signs with the Heat. What level of disrespect (on all fronts) are we talking about here?)
Imagine having to hear and deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo for another 20 or 30 years. I might be alone here, but I’m personally not very interested in it, if at all.
Paul Pierce believes he “can get you 20” in Summer League. Right now!
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 6: Darryn Peterson #22 of the Utah Jazz brings the ball up the court agaisnt the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of a 2026 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League game at the Jon M Huntsman Center on July 6, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. ( Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images) | Getty Images
According to multiple sources, the Utah Jazz have signed Mo Bamba to a two-year deal.
Free agent center Mo Bamba has agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Utah Jazz, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/VKJeN38d8c
That’s basically it as far as centers go for the Jazz. They obviously aren’t interested, as of this moment, in making a splash for another center, and they shouldn’t. Utah needs to see how this team fits together before they make any more big moves. If things are looking great for this team and there’s a center on the market that fits their style of play, then they should absolutely make some sort of trade. Otherwise, they need to ride with this roster and see how far this goes.
The NBA rescinded its allowance for Keyonte George to coach in the game tomorrow between the Jazz and the Wizards.
There was a ton of excitement about this from Keyonte George and the Jazz coaching staff, but the NBA reviewed the situation and informed the team that George will not be able to coach at Summer League https://t.co/Ufza1CUXyf
It appears the leage has an ASPIRATION to keep a precedent with the rules. They wouldn’t want to ROOT themselves into anything that might appear negative.
This is actually a really lame thing, and I’m not sure what rules they’re trying to uphold. While actual rule circumvention with things like the salary cap was happening in LA, the Jazz wanted to try something fun that might have created a cool tradition, but now it’s gone. I hope Keyonte George still acts like a coach on the sideline and enjoyed the process of preparing for this. In reality, that perspective might have given him some insight and, hopefully, can help in some way when they’re playing at full strength.
The Walker Kessler trade was made official today and Walker Kessler said goodbye to Utah.
We’ll never know exactly how much of the drama in the Kessler contract negotiations contributed to the eventual breakup that culminated in a sign-and-trade. The reality is it did appear that Utah planned to re-sign Kessler, and then the Lakers decided to give an offer the Jazz couldn’t refuse. In reality, both things can be true. There might have been some frustrations with Kessler regarding the tanking, the contract, and the signing of players like Jaren Jackson Jr., while there was also a good overall relationship with the team. The most likely thing is Kessler was a player the Jazz liked, but not enough to refuse a huge pick package from the Lakers. Jazz fans wish him well, but will be watching the Lakers closely once those picks start coming up.
