Category: NBA

After a year-long investigation, the NBA ruled that the Clippers violated the league’s salary cap circumvention rules by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for star forward Kawhi Leonard with four different companies that did business with the team.

And the punishments were harsh.

As a result of the investigation, the Clippers have been stripped of five first-round picks, were issued a $30 million fine and the league suspended owner Steve Ballmer, President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank for various periods.

Leonard will have to pay the league $700,000 while his uncle and former business representative, Dennis Robertson, is being banned by the NBA from all business dealings for five years.

The independent investigation, which was conducted by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found a “pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules,” per the league’s statement.

“The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”

The five first-round picks the Clippers are losing are for their selections in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033.

Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for one year for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities”, according to the NBA.

The league added that Ballmer approved a business deal with Aspiration because he knew it was a “precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard.” Ballmer was also punished for his “and for his “failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.”

Zucker has been suspended without pay for one year for being “primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators”, while Frank was suspended without pay for six months for his “involvement with the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Mr. Leonard and his family.”

Frank and Zucker received different punishments because Zucker made several statements that were “inconsistent” with other documents and witness statements, while Frank “consistent” during his interviews with investigators, according to summary report by Wachtell Lipton.

Leonard violated the cap circumvention rules, through the conduct of Robertson, by “pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.”

Wachtell Lipton found that the Clippers initiated off-court income opportunities between Leonard and four companies doing business with the team: Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance.

The law firm added that the Clippers facilitated endorsement agreements between those companies and Leonard.

The NBA’s announcement on Wednesday stated: 

“The investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules. As described in a summary report prepared by Wachtell Lipton…the Clippers broke the rules by:

• Affirmatively initiating off-court income opportunities between Mr. Leonard and four companies doing business with the team: Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance;
• Facilitating endorsement agreements between these companies and Mr. Leonard;
• Inducing the companies to enter into these agreements by offering them business from the team;
• Paying personal expenses on behalf of Mr. Leonard and his representatives; and
• Failing to report improper solicitations for off-court income opportunities made on Mr. Leonard’s behalf through his then-business manager, Dennis Robertson.”

The announcement continued: 

“Mr. Leonard, through the conduct of Mr. Robertson on his behalf, violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.

Based on this misconduct, the NBA has imposed the following penalties:

• The Clippers shall forfeit five first-round draft picks, one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA Drafts.
• The Clippers are fined $30 million.
• Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.
• Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year for being primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators.
• Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months for his involvement with the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Mr. Leonard and his family.
• The Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office for a period of five years.
• In connection with his violations, Mr. Leonard is required to pay the league $700,000.
• Mr. Robertson is banned from conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee, or other league or team personnel for a period of five years.”

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Chris Paul may be retired, but “Lob City” apparently travels well.

The Clippers legend recreated a little of his most entertaining NBA era while vacationing on a yacht with fellow retired point guard Russell Westbrook, as the two future Hall of Famers took turns throwing and finishing alley-oops on a hoop set up on the deck.

Paul shared the moment on social media with a simple caption: “Retirement…”

The getaway had actually been in the works before either player surfaced on the high seas.

Former NBA forward Matt Barnes recently revealed on the “All the Smoke” podcast that Paul and Westbrook planned to vacation together with their wives to celebrate the end of their careers.

“They’re taking their wives on a vacation,” Barnes said. “Two of the greatest PGs going to go kick their feet up in the sand, have some drinks and really just celebrate.”

Apparently, some pickup basketball still made the itinerary.

Paul first lobbed one to Westbrook before the roles were reversed, giving the longtime Clippers star another taste of the aerial basketball that defined his six seasons in Los Angeles alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

Paul’s return to the Clippers ended far less gracefully. The franchise abruptly sent him home during a road trip in December before eventually trading him to the Raptors. He never played for Toronto and retired in February after 21 NBA seasons.

Westbrook joined him months later, ending his 18-year NBA career as a former MVP, nine-time All-Star and the league’s career triple-double leader.

The two also share an unusual piece of NBA history: They were traded for each other in the 2019 blockbuster that sent Westbrook to Houston and Paul to Oklahoma City.

Now they’re exchanging lobs instead of teams.

No defenders. No standings. No 82-game grind.

Just throwing down monster dunks with an ocean view.

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Jaylen Brown's Boston farewell party felt right originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

For the past decade, Jaylen Brown meant a lot to the city of Boston. Yet as is often the case when a player gets traded away, his departure was a bit unceremonious.

After having his name floated in trade rumors multiple times over multiple years, Brown was dealt away to Philadelphia in early July, ending his 10-year career with the Celtics.

Unlike most athletes, though, Brown decided to give himself the chance to say goodbye on his own terms, hosting a block party on Boston Common over the weekend. The turnout was impressive and the vibes were positive, as Brown and the fans in attendance shared their mutual appreciation for each other throughout the day.

Celtics insider Chris Forsberg was in attendance for the event and found it to be a meaningful experience.

“It was still super fun to see the way that Boston turned out for Jaylen,” Forsberg said on the latest Celtics Talk Podcast. “And one thing I think that struck me is that it was a reminder how much he meant to the city — the city that he really, more than maybe any player in my time here, tried to wrap his arms around and was so involved. And so when it ends with Mayor [Michelle] Wu coming out and giving him the street sign for Jaylen Brown Way and saying maybe at some point down the road this will be a real thing, then getting the key to the city, it was — I was surprisingly moved by everything that went down.”

Kayla Burton added that the abrupt end of Brown’s Celtics career never felt right, making this unique celebration feel appropriate.

“It didn’t feel right. … I just felt like they didn’t do him right. We didn’t do him right in terms of the farewell goodbye,” Burton said. “So I’m glad this happened because it did kind of solidify the, ‘Thank you, Jaylen, for giving your blood, sweat and tears to the city of Boston.’

“He’s done so much,” Burton continued. “When you look at the Celtics and when you think of specific players that really are heavily involved in the Boston community, his name is at the top of the list. He is so involved, going to schools, Harvard, MIT, being at community centers, going to help the Boys and Girls Clubs around Boston. … So it’s more than just the basketball aspect. And that’s why I think that was that moving part too, is because he’s trying to create this Black Wall Street and doing so many things for young boys, young girls of color, and it means something to the city of Boston. So there is that element of it too, which is why I think it was as moving as it was.”

Both Forsberg and Burton believe Brown’s No. 7 will hang in the rafters at TD Garden after his playing career ends, but that’s a conversation for another day. For now, it can be stated with no doubt that Brown is now the rare athlete to be traded away from Boston while managing to gain some level of closure.

I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I do really love international basketball. Really, I love all forms of national-team events. It’s the reason I watch the World Cup religiously and ignore soccer’s existence for much of the following four years. It’s why I tune in to a lot of sports I usually wouldn’t during the Olympics, both summer and winter. Basketball is no exception, except it’s a sport I do actually watch quite a lot.

It’s a good thing this isn’t a big international basketball summer, as the Knicks are enjoying their offseason following their historic playoff run and third NBA championship. The next two summers, though, are full of it. The FIBA World Cup will take place in Qatar next summer and will determine who plays at the 2028 LA Olympics.

You do have to qualify for that, however, which is what’s gone on this summer. Dozens of countries around the globe are taking to the court in hopes of qualifying for the FIBA World Cup, a place that these nations almost have to be at to even have a chance of calling themselves Olympians.

As such, many NBA players are getting reps in this offseason overseas, particularly the Euros. Just look at Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama squaring off in a heated game during a qualifer to a qualifier in the middle of the offseason:

Two current Knicks and three former Knicks* competed in the most recent window of games across the world, so let’s check in on them and how they balled out for their country:

Pacome Dadiet (Ivory Coast)

Dadiet is a native of France; that much is true, but he was born to Ivorian immigrants along the southern coast, just outside of Nice, so he elected to represent Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). This was actually his senior national team debut after playing for France as a teenager.

Ivory Coast entered the second round of qualification in a very good spot with a 5-1 record that carries over into Group F. With the window’s games being played in Dakar, Senegal, the Ivorians first squared off with Mali last Thursday, winning a narrow 83-77 result.

Dadiet, playing alongside his older brother, Maxence, for the first time, had nine points and nine rebounds, going 4-for-12 from the field and 1-for-8 from three. What the Knicks will like here are the five offensive rebounds, something the team might need some help with after the departure of Mitchell Robinson.

On Saturday, they faced off with Egypt and won another close contest, 72-66. Dadiet scored 13 points with six rebounds in 25 minutes, going 5-for-15 from the field and 3-for-7 from deep, while the team lost his minutes by 12 points.

Ivory Coast re-took the court the next day on Sunday for a game against Angola and got blown out, losing 91-70 to conclude the August window. Dadiet had 10 points, seven assists, and five rebounds across 31 minutes, going 2-for-9 from the field and missing all four of his threes. The jumper still isn’t there right now.

As with every other FIBA Qualifier, the remaining three dates will all be in the February 2027 window, meaning any NBA talent will have no control over what their country does from here. Ivory Coast sits at 7-2 and would likely only need to win one of their final three games to get to Qatar.

Jose Alvarado (Puerto Rico)

The only Olympian on the current Knicks’ roster, Alvarado played for his father’s country in Paris back in 2024 and continues to represent them on the international stage. Unfortunately for Alvarado, the prospects of getting back to Paris are increasingly slim.

Puerto Rico advanced by the slimmest of margins in Group B with a paltry 2-4 record, which unfortunately carried over into Group F play in the second round. In the two games in the August window, where Alvarado was able to participate, they could not manage a win.

The first game last Thursday against Argentina got away from them in the second half, as they lost 89-75 in Mar de Plata. Alvarado had 19 points, six rebounds, and four assists, but also committed five turnovers in 36 minutes of work, going 7-for-15 from the field and 3-for-8 from deep. As the clear focal point of the offense, he was consistently targeted.

On Monday, P.R. stayed in South America, visiting Uruguay in Montevideo and losing 80-75, falling behind early and never recovering. Once again playing considerable minutes, Alvarado was held to just three points on 1-for-9 shooting, but dished out nine assists with just two turnovers in 33 minutes of action, posting a positive plus-minus.

With four matchdays remaining in November and February, Puerto Rico is going to have to likely win at least three to have a shot at the FIBA World Cup, sitting at 2-6 with the Bahamas currently sitting in fourth at 4-4 as the last team in.

Dillon Jones (USA)

Does Dillon Jones count as a current Knick or is he an OAKAAK? The two-time NBA champion is currently a free agent, but is a strong contender to take one of the team’s open two-way spots after participating in Summer League. Nonetheless, he’s in the gray area… for now.

The state of USA Basketball is as follows. We care a lot about the Olympics; we care a bit about FIBA; we don’t give a damn about anything else. Unlike other countries, which have some of their best and brightest playing these qualifiers, Team USA is currently a smorgasbord of ex-college stars and guys with brief stints in the league. Here’s who Jones was teammates with this week. All of these would qualify as “good pulls” if you want to prove your ball knowledge:

• Mike James – former Brooklyn Net teammate of KD and Kyrie
• Jaron Blossomgame – 27 career games with the 2019 Cavs, All-ACC guard at Clemson
• Cole Swider – former Laker who split time at Syracuse and Villanova in college
• DeJon Jarreau – All-AAC guard for Houston who’s played 26 career NBA games for Memphis and Indiana
• Kevon Harris – played 36 games for Orlando, Stephen F. Austin grad
• Pedro Bradshaw – played college at Bellarmine and Eastern Kentucky
• Darius Brown II – UDFA out of Utah State who played three minutes for Cleveland on February 24th
• Tyler Smith – 33rd pick by the Bucks in 2024, 35 career games
• James Nunnally – 37 career games from 2013-21 with five teams. Best known for being the worst card in NBA 2k16
• Garrison Brooks – started for UNC and Mississippi State across a five-year collegiate career. Was a Knick for three days in September 2022
• Orlando Robinson – 115 games for four teams

I mean, look at this group.

They started the August window last Thursday in Santiago against Chile, riding a Swider 19-point game to a blowout victory. Jones didn’t play much, only four minutes where he had a rebound and an assist.

Four days later, on Monday, they came home to face Colombia in Washington, D.C., where they won 102-80. Jones again played only four minutes, scoring two points with a rebound and an assist.

While already qualified for the Olympics by being the host country, the U.S. will want revenge after a terrible 2023 World Cup showing, so these are still important to them. With four matchdays remaining, the Americans are firmly on top with a 7-1 record, as close to clinched as possible. They won’t need any NBA talent for this.

OAKAAK Corner

Mamadi Diakite (Guinea) – Guinea went 4-2 in Round 1 and took two of their three games in the August window, with the former Knick being a big part of them being on track to compete in Qatar next summer.

He had 14-11-6 in a bad shooting game in the loss against South Sudan, but rebounded to put up 11-4-4 with five stocks in the win over Cabo Verde, while posting 12-5-5 with four stocks against Cameroon.

Diakite played seven total games as a Knick in 2023-24, including four in the postseason in garbage time, as the rotating 15th roster spot. He currently plays in Dubai.

Willy Hernangomez (Spain): There is no Knick from the late-2010s dark ages that I have more of a heart for than Hernangomez, who I believed in way too much. Spain went 5-1 in the first round and looked as formidable as ever entering Group E play, but have hit a major roadbump.

Willy, playing alongside his brother Juancho, scored seven points with two rebounds in a 95-89 loss to Portugal to open the August window, before being held off the board in just eight minutes of play in an overtime loss to a Giannis-less Greece.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are sticking with the theme of having a destination training camp. But unlike the last two seasons, when they took a quick plane ride south to Sarasota, Florida, to train at IMG Academy, the Cavs will be taking a much longer trip across the pond as they’ll be conducting training camp in Spain.

Cleveland will be holding training camp at The Embassy in Andalusia. The Embassy is a high-performance basketball training center in Fuengirola, Spain, which is along the Costa del Sol. Training camp will be from September 30 through October 5. The Cavaliers will then start preseason action on October 8 against the Boston Celtics shortly thereafter.

“[W]e’re excited to bring our group together in a setting designed to help us prepare, connect and build the habits and chemistry that will carry us into the season ahead,” Cavs’ President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman said in the team’s press release announcing the location for the upcoming training camp. “It’s also an exciting opportunity to experience the culture and passion for basketball in Spain.”

The Embassy was designed by former Spanish national players Berni Rodríguez and José Calderón. Calderón played for the Cavs in 2017-18 and is a current member of the front office.

The Cavs have also announced that they will conduct media day shortly before heading overseas. That will take place on Monday, September 28.

Cleveland will begin the regular season on the road against LeBron James and the newly revamped Philadelphia 76ers on October 22.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and NBA have each reached out to scoreboard manufacturer Daktronics, seeking information about the company’s dealings with Kawhi Leonard.

This comes as the findings of the NBA-backed investigation into Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers concerning alleged salary cap circumvention still have not been announced.

Howard Atkins, acting chief financial officer of Daktronics, disclosed the development Wednesday, Sept. 2 in an earnings call and said the company was cooperating.

“Let me now briefly address a matter that has been in the media concerning the NBA’s investigation of Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers in connection with the league’s collective bargaining agreement that many of you may have heard about,” Atkins said during the call.

“As you might expect, we have received requests for information from the NBA. Additionally, the Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking information from us concerning the company and Mr. Leonard. We take these requests seriously and are cooperating. At this point, out of respect for the respective processes, we will not be providing further comment.”

It is unclear if this latest development may further delay the disclosure of the findings of the league’s investigation. Training camps are set to begin at the end of the month.

Kawhi Leonard investigation: What to know

In early August, the podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” reported on Daktronics’ alleged partnership with Leonard, which was the second such relationship to come under scrutiny. Previously, Leonard’s ties to a now-defunct green financial services company called Aspiration sparked an investigation into alleged no-show endorsement deals that purportedly funneled money to Leonard.

Daktronics, which is based in South Dakota, is the company that designed the video board inside the Intuit Dome, the home venue of the Clippers.

Torre had previously uncovered thousands of pages of legal documents, including a contract signed by Leonard for $28 million over a four-year term to market and endorse Aspiration, which previously received a significant investment from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

In the contract, a clause states that KL2 Aspire LLC, a company managed by Leonard, could “decline to proceed with any action desired by the Company,” which allegedly set up a framework for Leonard to receive payments without performing any work. Another clause states that Leonard would receive payments only if he continued to be a player on the Clippers.

Then, on Sept. 11, Torre reported that a December 2022 payment of $1.75 million to Leonard that had been running late, was made just nine days after a company led by Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong invested in Aspiration.

Clippers trade remains on hold

The Clippers and Raptors agreed June 30 to a trade that would send Leonard to Toronto, but both franchises released statements July 9, indicating that the execution of the trade was being delayed until the investigation had concluded.

Both teams also acknowledged that the NBA contacted each party and said the trade “can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation.”

The Clippers have undergone a youth movement as the team continues its rebuild. In February, the team traded James Harden to the Cavaliers and, in a different deal, Ivica Zubac to the Pacers. The Leonard deal earlier this summer signaled a desire to build for the future. Los Angeles finished ninth in the Western Conference with a 42-40 record and lost in the Play-In Tournament to miss the postseason.

In exchange for Leonard, the Clippers are set to receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kawhi Leonard investigation draws SEC interest in Daktronics

Yaxel Lendeborg has yet to play a minute in the NBA but already has his eyes on a player he wants to “lock up.”

The X account @EnjoyBBall posted a video that featured Lendeborg.

The Warriors rookie forward paused to think about who he’d want to face, and he revealed it to be the team’s former two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant.

“I want to lock up everybody I guard up, obviously,” Lendeborg said. “… Probably KD, man; I want to try to lock him up, see what I can do.”

Lendeborg said that given his 6-foot, 9-inch frame and weighing 230 pounds, he believes Durant would give him a good matchup just because of their size similarities. Durant is 6-11 and weighs 240.

Lendeborg grew up a Cavaliers fan, idolizing Kyrie Irving, and both of Durant’s Finals MVPs came against the Cavaliers.

Before entering the NBA draft, Lendeborg built a reputation as a strong, versatile defender in college. He finished last season averaging 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for Michigan.

Lendeborg’s college basketball career began as a junior college product at Arizona Western College, and he attended UAB for two seasons and later transferred to Michigan, where he helped lead the Wolverines to an NCAA championship against UConn.

During Michigan’s Sweet 16 matchup against Alabama, he put on a clinic with 12 rebounds, two steals, seven assists and 23 points in 34 minutes.

The Warriors are scheduled to report for training camp on Sept. 29 and hope Lendeborg is a spark plug for their veteran-led team, centered around future Hall of Famer Steph Curry.

Over the summer, Lendeborg made his presence felt across the Warriors’ organization after helping lead the team to an NBA summer league championship and being crowned the game’s MVP.

Aside from lining up across from Durant, Lendeborg also named Irving, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo as other NBA players he hopes to guard one day.

“All because they’re similar to my height, besides Kyrie and, you know, very fluid. So very excited about those,” Lendeborg said.

The 2025-26 season is behind us, and every one is looking forward to 2026-27, where the Spurs will be the reigning Western Conference Champions with something to prove after a disappointing Finals appearance. But we can still take a quick moment to look back after the NBA released the Plays of the Year from last season, as voted by the fans.

Stephon Castle and Luke Kornet both managed to beat out their teammate Victor Wembanyama at arguably his biggest strengths, winning Dunk of the Year and Block of the Year, respectively. Castle’s fan-favorite dunk came in Game 2 of the Conference Finals against the Thunder (which they admittedly lost), when he received a pass from Wemby at the top of the arc and drove straight down the paint for the tomahawk slam over seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein. Replays show he got the ball as high as the top of the backboard square, which is quite some hops for a 6’5” dude. (Coincidently or not, this was also the game where Hartenstein later yanked Castle down after pulling or getting his fingers tangled in his hair — you be the judge.)

Kornet’s block came in Game 7 of the same series and helped clinch a trip to the Finals for the Spurs. Clinging to a precarious six-point lead early in the fourth quarter and Wemby sitting with five fouls, Kornet chased down Hartenstein after a steal and blocked his breakaway lay-up attempt, sucking the life out of the Thunder crowd as they made a last ditch effort to come back. The play stopped a momentum swing that was building for OKC, and the Spurs held on the rest of the way.

Other winners include Nikola Jokic for Assist of the Year, Luka Doncic for best Handles, Bam Adebayo for best Performance (I’m skeptical considering the circumstances of his 83-point game, but he can have his flowers), OG Anunoby for Clutch Play of the Year (ugh, we all know what that was), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for best…Drip? (I assume that’s wardrobe, correct me if I’m wrong, Gen Z Pounders. That slang isn’t part of my Millennial vocabulary.)

The 2025-26 NBA ID Fan Favorites Winners… as voted on by YOU, the fans!

🏆 Stephon Castle
🏆 Nikola Jokić
🏆 Luke Kornet
🏆 Luka Dončić
🏆 Bam Adebayo
🏆 OG Anunoby
🏆 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pic.twitter.com/NVCJ6cBo1h

— NBA (@NBA) September 2, 2026

Do you agree with the fans votes? Do you have other plays that had your vote, be it from the Spurs or otherwise?

Thirty-plus years later, the Swamp Dragons are finally here.

The Nets will hold Swamp Dragons Night on Jan. 29, 2027 against the Clippers to honor the zany idea for a team name that almost came to fruition in the 1990s.

The specialty-themed night will feature a bobblehead and is part of the Nets’ 60th season celebrations.

“One of the most memorable ‘what ifs’ in basketball history will come to life as fans celebrate the unforgettable identity that ‘almost was,'” the team’s press release stated.

One can only wonder how the history of the Nets franchise unfolds had they been named the Swamp Dragons, a name so outlandish it sounds like it belongs in minor-league baseball.

While playing in New Jersey, team brass considered changing the name in an attempt to entice more fans.

Former Nets president Jon Spoelstra told ESPN in a 2016 article that he liked the idea of a “Dragons” nickname after it emerged as a finalist for the expansion Toronto franchise.

The swamp angle played homage to the team’s home in The Meadowlands.

 “The Dragon came up right away, but we needed something to identify it locally. I was sitting in my office with Jim Lampariello, our vice president, and I just said, ‘Every time I look out the window here, I see this swamp. And every time I think of swamps, I think of swamp rats. What about that?'” Spoelstra told ESPN.

“He just said, ‘I don’t think that’s very nice. What about Swamp Dragons?’ I loved it. Dragons are mythical, and fun.”

But one very important NBA person had some qualms: then-NBA commissioner David Stern.

“David told me, ‘This is the stupidest f—ing idea I’ve ever heard,'” Spoelstra told ESPN.

Stern ultimately allowed the Nets to proceed if all seven of the team’s owners would agree on the change and all seven OK’d the name, per the ESPN article.

They reportedly agreed to proceed forward, and the NBA spent $500,000 “to protect the name and any markings they would produce,” according to ESPN.

The team’s logo would have featured a teal, purple and black dragon twirling a basketball on one claw while they breathed red fire, which would have aligned with other logos at the time.

The original Raptors logo is similar in its portrayal.

The Nets next had to get a supermajority from the league’s 27 owners to green-light the change, but some backlash reportedly emerged about using the word “swamp.”

Spoelstra told ESPN that an individual from then-Gov. Christine Whitman’s office called them and said they didn’t like the term being used.

The owners didn’t mind the backlash and reportedly OK’d the change in a 26-1 vote in what should have been a grand moment.

But that one vote somehow came from the Nets co-owner David Gerstein.

“We voted against our own name change,” Spoelstra told ESPN. “I thought (Stern) was kidding. If your own team votes no, you can’t go ahead with something like this.”

Gerstein indicated in 2016 that not proceeding was the right call.

“I don’t recall the vote, but we all thought it was inappropriate in the end. The name just wasn’t right,” he told ESPN. “I mean, would they be the Brooklyn Swamp Dragons today? The rest of the league would have done whatever we wanted, but we decided collectively to vote against it.”

The Nets ultimately changed their logo in 1997, and have since ditched The Meadowlands and moved to Brooklyn and undergone even more logo changes.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a tough salary cap position. Because they’re hard-capped at the first apron after completing the sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, they needed to sign someone with zero years of NBA experience to remain under that threshold. To accomplish this, they signed 2022 second-round pick Khalifa Diop.

Diop is a 24-year-old, 6’11” center from Senegal. He’s spent the last three years playing professionally for Baskonia in Spain. Diop played in 47 games last season in the Liga ACB in Spain and EuroLeague. He started 38 of those contests and averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 16.4 minutes per contest on 67% shooting from the field.

Diop’s only experience in the wine and gold came during Summer League in 2023. There, he played just three games and averaged 4 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 17.4 minutes.

Cleveland’s main roster is likely set for the start of next season. They’ve typically gone into the season with 14 players on the roster, leaving one slot open until after the trade deadline to maintain flexibility. There’s an outside chance that an additional trade gets made or a player on an unguaranteed contract such as Mario Hezonja (contract guarantees on 11/15/26) or Craig Porter Jr. (contract guarantees on 1/10/27) is waived. Barring something like that, this is going to be the group heading into the year.

Diop likely won’t get many minutes with the Cavaliers next season. He’ll be the fourth center on the roster behind Thomas Bryant. Still, there’s upside there given Diop’s physical traits. We’ll see if he can reach his potential in Cleveland.

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Taylor Swift had the “Eras Tour.” Now, the Brooklyn Nets have “Era Nights.”

For Nets fans of all ages, Barclays Center is becoming a celebration of the franchise’s past, present and future in the coming season with six different celebrations. The biggest surprise? The Nets will host Swamp Dragons Night on January 29, 2027, when they face the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center. The event is part of the Nets’ six-night 2026-27 Era Nights series celebrating different periods in franchise history.

CELEBRATING 60 SEASONS OF NETS HOOPS!

Every era, every moment, shaping who we are today — and where we’re going next.

Nets 60th presented by @Ticketmasterpic.twitter.com/8DHhLtzCqg

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 29, 2026

In 2016, Zach Lowe uncovered the story behind the Nets’ nearly becoming the “Swamp Dragons” in an exclusive ESPN feature, revealing a treasure trove of photos of uniforms, logos, court designs and merchandise created for the proposed rebrand that had never seen outside dusty trademark applications.

Appropriately, Lowe broke the news before the Nets sent out official word…

It's happening: Per sources, the Brooklyn Nets will be holding a Swamp Dragons night on Jan. 29 as part of a series of "eras nights" celebrating franchise history. There will be merchandise, I'm told.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) September 2, 2026

The Nets were struggling to attract fans and sell merchandise in New Jersey, and then-team president Jon Spoelstra was searching for a way to give the franchise a new identity. The idea he landed on? The Swamp Dragons — inspired by the Meadowlands and the era of colorful, cartoonish NBA logos.

And the Nets didn’t just kick the idea around. They went all the way in.

The NBA spent $500,000 protecting the Swamp Dragons name and related marks. The team settled on a teal, purple and black color scheme, commissioned new logos and developed uniforms, court designs, shooting shirts and warmups.

Then, it all fell apart because of the Nets! Even after the NBA’s Board of Governors voted 26-1 to approve the name change, the Nets themselves had voted against it. The one dissenting vote was their own!

More than three decades later, the Swamp Dragons are finally getting their night in Brooklyn. Will they play in Swamp Dragon uniforms? Nope, says C.J. Holmes but there will be merchandise. Oh yeah.

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The Brooklyn Nets Era Nights Series

The Brooklyn Nets’ 2026-27 Era Nights series will celebrate six distinct periods in franchise history, from the team’s ABA roots and Julius Erving era to the move to Brooklyn and the back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances of the early 2000s.

Here’s the full Brooklyn Nets Era Nights schedule…

All season long, we’re bringing six decades of Nets history to life with special era-inspired experiences, exclusive giveaways, and more.

Join us as we celebrate the eras, players, and moments that shaped us and look ahead to everything still to come. pic.twitter.com/CgzjF5aFE3

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) September 2, 2026

ABA Night — November 18 vs. Chicago Bulls

The Nets will celebrate their ABA roots, including their championship teams, league innovations and the Julius Erving era that helped establish the franchise as one of basketball’s most forward-thinking organizations.

80s Night — December 18 vs. Orlando Magic

The Nets will look back at their move to New Jersey and stars like Buck Williams, among others who helped lay the foundation.

90s Night — January 9 vs. Houston Rockets

The 1990s brought some of the most influential players and moments in Nets history. The night will celebrate Dražen Petrović’s lasting legacy, as well as the era’s impact on the franchise and the global game.

Swamp Dragons Night— Jan. 29 vs. Los Angeles Clippers

One of the strangest “what ifs” in NBA history will finally get its night in Brooklyn. Expect merchandise to pop off the shelves for this one — Nets fan or not.

2000s Night, presented by Ticketmaster — March 15 vs. Indiana Pacers

The Nets will celebrate the most successful era in franchise history, honoring the back-to-back Eastern Conference championship teams and the players who helped put New Jersey on the national basketball map. So many fans now are present because of this team.

Hello Brooklyn Night — March 31 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

The series concludes by celebrating the Nets’ move to Brooklyn. Hello Brooklyn Night will mark the franchise’s arrival at Barclays Center and the return of major professional sports to the borough after a 55-year absence.

As for the future, we’ll know more then than we do now.

• Nets celebrating Swamp Dragons night in homage to rebrand that fell apart – Matt Ehalt – New York Post
• The Swamp Dragons live: Inside the Nets’ plans to revive their strangest almost-identity ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News

NBA fines Clippers $30M, penalizes Kawhi Leonard and more after investigation originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year by the NBA, the team will forfeit five first-round draft picks from 2029 to 2033, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months for violating salary cap circumvention rules.

Also, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months and team president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year. Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty.

The league came down hard on the organization after a nearly year-long investigation led by an outside law firm.

The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.

The team maintained that stance after the league’s announcement.

“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team said in a statement. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner (Adam) Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.”

The Clippers said they will “now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”

The NBA opened the investigation in September 2025 into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy last year — broke league rules, following a report by podcast journalist Pablo Torre. Earlier this year, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement issued through his new agent, Harrison Gaines.

The NBA said Leonard, through his former business manager and uncle Dennis Robertson, “violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.”

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” Leonard said in his statement.

The league said Ballmer was suspended for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” among other issues.

Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors has been on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. The Raptors had said they still want Leonard, and he apparently is just as eager to return to the team where he won an NBA title in 2019, when he was Finals MVP.

“As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate,” Leonard said in his statement.

NBA fines Clippers $30M, penalizes Kawhi Leonard and more after investigation originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year by the NBA, the team will forfeit five first-round draft picks from 2029 to 2033, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months for violating salary cap circumvention rules.

Also, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months and team president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year. Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty.

The league came down hard on the organization after a nearly year-long investigation led by an outside law firm.

The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.

The team maintained that stance after the league’s announcement.

“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team said in a statement. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner (Adam) Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.”

The Clippers said they will “now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”

The NBA opened the investigation in September 2025 into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy last year — broke league rules, following a report by podcast journalist Pablo Torre. Earlier this year, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement issued through his new agent, Harrison Gaines.

The NBA said Leonard, through his former business manager and uncle Dennis Robertson, “violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.”

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” Leonard said in his statement.

The league said Ballmer was suspended for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” among other issues.

Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors has been on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. The Raptors had said they still want Leonard, and he apparently is just as eager to return to the team where he won an NBA title in 2019, when he was Finals MVP.

“As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate,” Leonard said in his statement.

The Golden State Warriors’ outlook is always solid when Steph Curry is on the court.

Unfortunately, Curry might not be on the court as often as Warriors fans want next season.

This sentiment stems from a comment that NBC Sports reporter Monte Poole shared during an episode of “Dubs Talk” on Tuesday.

“There’s at least some lingering concern about [Curry’s] knee,” Poole said.

Curry missed 39 games during the 2025-26 regular season because of patella-femoral pain syndrome, which is more commonly known as runner’s knee.

“From what I’ve been told, it can be managed. But it has to be managed. And that’s a new thing for Steph, because people always say he’s the most conditioned guy in the league, and now he has to manage a knee. I guess we’ll find out,” Poole added.

“But from what I understand, he and his trainers have devised ways to kind of work around that, and sort of support that whole possibility of the knee not being as great as he wants it to be. So, I’m curious to see how it turns out. But Steph seemed pretty confident that he’ll be able to go out there and put out 70-plus games.”

.@MontePooleNBCS talks about the management of Steph's knee after last season's injury:

"There's at least some lingering concern about the knee. From what I've been told, it can be managed, but it has to be managed and that's a new thing for Steph because people always say he is… pic.twitter.com/YMABpLWR03

— Chef (@CurryForGame) September 1, 2026

Curry has said in the past that the unpredictable nature of this knee ailment (as opposed to something like a sprained ankle, which has a more clear and direct recovery timeline) is especially frustrating.

But nobody expected this issue to last into the 2026-27 season. And the fact that Golden State is already preparing to manage Curry doesn’t bode well for him and the fans who want to see him play.