Category: NBA

Kicking off in full gear

The last 48 hours feel more like a week has passed, even though NBA Free Agency just started a couple of days ago. The Raptors have landed the central piece that opens themselves a new championship window, and this time it won’t be on a one-year rental — the Klaw will stay in Toronto for the foreseeable future. However, Kawhi Leonard’s return was not the only news that had just recently headlined this year’s free agency. Somewhere 500 miles down the road, a new Big Three had just formed in the City of Brotherly Love. 

The Boston Celtics just shipped disgruntled star Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks, and a couple of future second-rounders, shaking up the landscape in the Eastern Conference, as the 76ers emerge as a new powerhouse to rival their division co-contenders up north.

The Celtics, themselves, have also added another big man to bolster their front court by snatching center Mitchell Robinson from the defending champion New York Knicks, who, barring this move, have dealt new contracts to players with expiring deals to keep their championship roster intact. Further south in South Beach, the Greek Freak just joined the Miami Heat, who, alongside Bam Adebayo, will surely be an immovable force in the paint for any opposing team.

The Raptors’ trade for Leonard indicates that the front office sees a path towards winning a second championship. While he will surely elevate the team on both ends of the floor as one of the best two-way talents in the league, Toronto still has a glaring gap to fill, as other Eastern Conference teams are acquiring talent and front-court depth.

The Raptors’ search for a center

Well, this cannot be overstated, but it’s a sentence that has been echoing for the better part of last season. I may now sound like a broken record by saying this, but look around — other Eastern Conference teams are stacking up their front court with size and strength that works strongly against the Raptors’ style of play. Don’t believe me? Let me take you to the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Toronto loves to play up-and-down basketball. As a matter of fact, the Raptors led the league in fast-break points with 18.6 ppg. The Cavs’ twin-tower duo in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen not only possess incredible rim-protecting prowess, but both are also agile enough to get back on defense to prevent the Raptors from having a clear lane to the hoop. Hence, the Raptors had to grind out most of the series with half-court sets that they struggled to convert on.

With most of the Raptors’ offense operating off of slashers, namely Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, the Cavs pack the paint with rim-protectors, like Allen and Mobley, to force them to settle for perimeter shots that have not been consistent. Raptors’ starting center Jakob Poeltl’s inability to stretch the floor also plays to the Cavs’ favour in maintaining this defensive scheme. Besides his lack of outside shooting and a nagging back injury, Poeltl is also an easy target on switches, with quicker guards flying past him through their speed, while athletic big men such as Allen and Mobley can also beat him on offense. Hence, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic prefers to play an undersized Collin Murray-Boyles at the five, which comes with disadvantages.

While Murray-Boyles is a versatile defender, which makes him a more viable option to guard the pick-and-roll, he is also not much of a perimeter threat like Poeltl, which clogs driving lanes for Barnes and Barrett on offense. As I mentioned, he is also undersized, which warrants double teams with other Raptors forwards when either Mobley or Allen is in the painted area, and allows more explosive guards like Donovan Mitchell to attack him off the dribble and use his aggressive defensive style against him to draw fouls. Murray-Boyles also gives up a good amount of size in the interior, which the Cavs took full advantage of for easy putbacks, touch passes, free throws, or extra possessions.

What does this search mean in matching up with the rest of the East?

With Philly’s addition of former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, the 76ers form an offensive juggernaut with three individuals who can score at all three levels. While the Raptors will bank on versatility and switchability to contain Brown’s shotmaking and Tyrese Maxey’s bursts of speed, they won’t be able to match up with Embiid’s size and skill down low. They will either give up easy points, foul him, or double him and leave a man open on the perimeter. A touch pass from Embiid will collapse the defense, forcing players to scramble and cover ground quickly, and that will lead to closeouts that Brown and Maxey could blow past by to the rack.

As was mentioned, the Celtics add another tall and strong frame in Robinson, who proved to be crucial to the Knicks’ title run with his incredible offensive rebounding and reliable rim protection. Meanwhile, the Knicks pose the same threat as those previous teams, and now boast a championship pedigree. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Heat will also be a match-up nightmare for teams that rely on points inside the paint.

The realistic solution

Poeltl is still locked up to the Raptors for four more years after opting in to his $19 million player option last summer. Besides him, Murray-Boyles is the only serviceable option at the five, but is a tad undersized for the center position. Toronto will have limited cap room to work with after the Kawhi trade and will only be able to offer a veteran minimum for another backup big. With limited trade flexibility on Poeltl’s contract because of his injury history, the Raptors hope that he will remain healthy and regain his form so that Murray-Boyles can slide back up to the four, as the Raptors try to keep up with the rest of the East.

Tim Connelly and the Minnesota Timberwolves have already made their summer splash, and it was not exactly a toe-dip into the pool.

Acquiring LaMelo Ball from Charlotte was the kind of move that immediately changes the way everyone has to think about this roster. The direct cost was steep: Naz Reid, the 2033 first-round pick, multiple swaps and second-rounders. The indirect cost was Julius Randle, who had to be shipped to Brooklyn in what was essentially the salary-clearing first domino that made the bigger move possible and opened the door for an Ayo Dosunmu signing. Put the two transactions together and the Wolves have dramatically reshaped themselves in the span of a week, moving away from the big-body, frontcourt-heavy identity that defined the last few seasons and into something faster, flashier, younger and, potentially, more dangerous.

The Wolves now have one of the most electric backcourts in the league. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, the No. 1 and No. 3 picks from the 2020 NBA Draft, are about to enter their primes together. If you are a Wolves fan who has spent the past few years watching half-court possessions occasionally turn into a clogged sink, this is the kind of pairing that makes your basketball brain start lighting up like a Christmas tree. LaMelo’s passing should take pressure off Edwards. His pace should create easier looks before defenses get set. His creativity should unlock Jaden McDaniels as a cutter, Rudy Gobert as a lob threat, and Ant as the most terrifying off-ball weapon he has ever been allowed to become.

There is only one problem. The Wolves now have a power forward-sized hole in the middle of their roster.

For years, Minnesota’s identity was built around size. They had Gobert, Naz, and Randle. Before that, they had Karl-Anthony Towns. The Wolves were a team that walked into the gym and immediately made opponents feel smaller. Now, after the LaMelo trade and the Randle salary dump, the frontcourt looks awfully thin. Gobert remains, Joan Beringer is waiting in the wings, and McDaniels can slide up in certain lineups. But if Minnesota is serious about contending for a title, there is no way around it: the Wolves need a real answer at power forward.

Which brings us to the weirdest and most surreal possibility on the board: LeBron James.

Earlier this week, James informed the Los Angeles Lakers he would not be returning, a decision that felt less like a shocking divorce and more like the inevitable ending of a marriage that had quietly been sleeping in separate bedrooms for six months. The Luka Doncic trade changed everything in Los Angeles. Once Luka arrived, the Lakers’ future was no longer centered around LeBron. Austin Reaves then inked a massive $185 million max contract, further confirming that the franchise had pivoted into its next era.

LeBron was no longer the sun around which the Lakers orbited. He was still important, but no longer the organizational center of gravity. Once the team was no longer his, once the money was no longer flowing his direction, and once the Lakers looked more like a team hoping to survive the first round than one built to win the whole thing, it made perfect sense for LeBron’s loyalty to evaporate.

So now comes the question that always follows LeBron when a chapter ends: Where does he take his talents next?

The obvious answer is Cleveland, and honestly, it is probably the correct one. If LeBron is thinking about legacy, sentimentality, and the perfect final act, going home makes all the sense in the world. Return to the franchise that drafted him. Return to the city he already delivered a championship to. Bookend the greatest career in modern basketball history where it all began. It would be clean. It would be poetic. It would give every NBA producer exactly the kind of montage material they dream about.

But if this is about basketball fit? If this is about competing for one more championship without simply stapling himself onto a ready-made machine? Then the Minnesota Timberwolves make almost too much sense.

That sounds ridiculous at first, mostly because the phrase “LeBron James should sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves” still feels like something you would hear from a guy calling late-night sports radio. But before you dismiss the idea, first strip away the market-size reflex, the weather jokes, and the decades of Timberwolves dysfunction, and look at the actual basketball situation. Minnesota has the exact positional need LeBron fills. Minnesota has a superstar in Anthony Edwards who is ready to win now but still young enough to benefit from LeBron’s leadership. Minnesota has a gifted playmaker in LaMelo Ball who could absorb more basketball knowledge from LeBron in one season than most players get in a decade. Minnesota has defensive infrastructure in McDaniels and Gobert that could cover for some of the natural defensive slippage that comes with LeBron’s age. Minnesota has a roster that would not ask LeBron to be the franchise savior, but would absolutely need him to be a central piece.

That distinction matters. If LeBron joined Oklahoma City, San Antonio or New York, it would look like coattail riding. Maybe that is unfair. Maybe at this stage of his career he has earned the right to do whatever he wants. But perception matters, especially when your legacy is already being argued in every barbershop and television studio in America. Joining the defending champion Knicks or attaching himself to Victor Wembanyama’s rocket ship in San Antonio would not carry the same weight as going somewhere like Minnesota and finishing the job for a franchise that has never touched the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

That is the part that should intrigue him. The Wolves are not some prebuilt dynasty begging for a luxury attachment. They are a talented, hungry, flawed contender with a superstar, a new elite playmaker, a defensive spine and one obvious missing piece. LeBron would not be along for the ride. He would be part of the reason the ride works.

A starting five of LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, LeBron James and Rudy Gobert would immediately become the best starting group in the NBA. That is not homerism. LaMelo orchestrating. Ant detonating. McDaniels defending the toughest perimeter assignment. LeBron manipulating matchups, organizing the floor and punishing teams that overload on Edwards. Gobert protecting the rim and cleaning up everything behind them. You would have passing, athleticism, defensive versatility, size, star power and enough collective basketball IQ to make every opponent miserable.

More importantly, the roles actually make sense. LeBron would not need to carry a franchise for 82 games. He would not need to be the nightly engine the way he was for so many years. Ant would remain the alpha scorer. LaMelo would handle a major share of the creation. Gobert would anchor the defense. McDaniels would take the toughest wing matchups. LeBron could conserve energy, pick his spots, punish mismatches, quarterback the offense in big moments and become the veteran adult in the room that this team has often lacked when games require maturity.

And let’s be honest, the Wolves have not been a shining example of maturity. They have talent. They have explosive upside. But they have also had stretches where composure evaporates, the offense gets sticky, and the team looks like it needs someone to walk into the huddle and remind everyone how championship basketball actually works. LeBron would bring that instantly. He would bring the kind of veteran authority that cannot be manufactured by a coaching staff or created through a team-building retreat.

For Edwards, it could be transformative. Ant is already one of the league’s best players, but he is still learning the full responsibility of being the face of a championship team. LeBron has lived that burden longer than anyone. If Edwards is truly going to become the player who brings a title to Minnesota, spending a year or two next to the greatest basketball mind of his generation could accelerate that process in ways that are difficult to quantify.

The same goes for LaMelo. For all his gifts, Ball has never been in a winning environment like this. He has never had to organize a team with title expectations. He has never had to make every possession matter deep into May and June. LeBron would not just help him on the floor. He would teach him what winning basketball actually demands.

Of course, there are reasons to be skeptical. LeBron is old by NBA standards, even if he continues to treat aging like an optional side quest. The Western Conference is brutal. Minnesota is not Los Angeles. It is not Miami. It does not offer sunshine and glamour. There is also the very real chance that LeBron simply wants the cleanest storybook ending, and Cleveland provides that in a way no other team can.

But if he means what he says, if the contract is secondary, if market size is secondary, if weather is secondary, if the goal is genuinely to find the best basketball fit and compete for one more championship, then Minnesota should be near the top of the list.

Maybe at the very top.

Because the fit is almost too perfect. The Wolves need a power forward. LeBron needs a team where he can still matter deeply without having to drag everyone across the finish line himself. Minnesota needs leadership. LeBron needs one more meaningful swing. The Wolves need someone who can elevate Edwards and LaMelo. LeBron needs a situation where winning a title would add something real to his résumé rather than simply confirming what everyone already knows.

Winning in Minnesota would matter.

It would not be dismissed as ring chasing. It would not feel like joining the machine. It would be a risk, and that is exactly why it would carry weight. If LeBron James came to the Timberwolves and helped deliver the first championship in franchise history, that would not be a footnote. That would be one of the great final chapters in NBA history.

Will it happen? Probably not.

This is still the Timberwolves. We are still talking about LeBron James. Common sense and Minnesota sports rarely find themselves sitting at the same table for very long. But for once, the crazy idea is not actually crazy because of the basketball. The basketball makes sense. The roster fit makes sense. The need makes sense. The legacy argument even makes sense.

So maybe it is wishful thinking. Maybe it is offseason fever. Maybe we are all just staring at the power forward depth chart and talking ourselves into the most dramatic possible answer. But if LeBron is really searching for the best place to compete, contribute and chase one last title in a way that still feels meaningful, there may not be a better option on the board than the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That might be the strangest sentence of the entire offseason.

The Minnesota Timberwolves currenlty sit at +2700 odds to win the NBA title at FanDuel Sportsbook. If they ever did land LeBron, those are going to be the best odds you’ll see all season!

LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul set the record straight regarding the narrative that the NBA record-breaker only intends to play one more year before retiring during a July 3 episode of his “Game Over’ podcast with Max Kellerman.

“Who said this is going to be [James’] last year?” Paul said to Kellerman on the podcast, per a video of the podcast that was clipped from Instagram account @swishcultures.

He later added: “No one said this is going to be his last year. No one said that. Also, once he got the green light from Savannah and Zhuri — cause they’re the only ones left in the house — once he got the green light, you can do whatever you want to do.”

Hearing this might come as a surprise to many, given that James is 41 years old and will be turning 42 in the middle of next season, and has made it clear that whichever NBA team he signs with in free agency this offseason will be the final team of his legendary career.

Last week, James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would not be returning to the franchise after spending the past eight seasons with them. This has sparked a ton of interest in speculating about where the NBA’s arguable GOAT might end up.

After this comment from Rich Paul, the question isn’t just where James will land, but how long he’ll be playing there before calling it a career. The prospect of him potentially playing several more seasons also means he could be interested in fielding more potential teams, particularly ones that aren’t all about winning immediately.

That being said, James naturally still wants to chase a championship, and whichever team he signs with will surely be a championship contender both next season and in the years to come.

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We are one week away from Summer League tipping off in Las Vegas, and with it comes our first look at Suns basketball since late April, when the team’s season ended with a first-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Granted, Summer League is a much different environment. But it’s exciting nonetheless, especially when you have a collection of young players you hope will one day play meaningful roles in the direction of your franchise. The Suns have made it clear that development is one of the organizational pillars they’re trying to build around, and Summer League provides the first real opportunity to put that philosophy into action.

With that in mind, the Phoenix Suns have officially released their Summer League roster, and there are plenty of notable names on it.

Sophomore draft picks Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming headline the roster, as the expectation is that both will see significantly larger roles with the Suns next season.

Fleming appeared in 55 games as a rookie, averaging 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game. Maluach, whom the Suns selected 10th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, played the fewest minutes of any player chosen in the top 10 of that class. He logged only 411 total minutes across 46 games. The next lowest total among the top 10 picks belonged to Collin Murray-Boyles, who played nearly three times as many minutes for the Toronto Raptors.

Also on the roster is Koa Peat, whom the organization traded up to select with the 30th overall pick out of the University of Arizona. This will be our first opportunity to see him wearing purple and orange. Peat helped lead the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance since 2001, averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game as a freshman.

The roster also features two players who spent last season on two-way contracts, Koby Brea and CJ Huntley. Brea appeared in 12 games for the Suns, knocking down 13-of-30 from beyond the arc in limited action. With the Valley Suns, he averaged 15.0 points per game while shooting 36.5% from three on 9.8 attempts per game. Huntley saw action in only four games with Phoenix, totaling 12 points in 40 minutes. But in 29 games with the Valley Suns, he averaged 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 62.3% from the field.

A couple of other intriguing names on the roster are Sam Hoiberg and Corey Camper Jr., both of whom signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the organization. Hoiberg earned All-Big Ten Defensive Team honors during his senior season at Nebraska, averaging 9.3 points while shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc. Camper finished his collegiate career at Nevada, where the 6’5” guard averaged 16.6 points while posting 45, 40, 80 shooting splits for the Wolf Pack.

Tramon Mark from the University of Texas, a player the Suns brought in for a pre-draft workout, finds himself playing for the Summer Suns. Mark spent six seasons in college after entering as the No. 75 ranked high school recruit in the 2020 class, and he averaged 14.0 points for the Longhorns last season. Another notable name is Jameer Nelson Jr., the son of Jameer Nelson, who played 14 seasons in the NBA and earned an All-Star selection in 2009.

A pair of notable omissions from this year’s Summer League roster are Oso Ighodaro and Ryan Dunn. It appears the minutes they would have occupied are instead being allocated to other young players the organization wants to evaluate, including Rasheer Fleming, Koa Peat, CJ Huntley, and Khaman Maluach. That makes sense. The Suns already have a strong understanding of where Ighodaro and Dunn are in their development. This year’s Summer League is an opportunity to accelerate the growth of the next wave of young talent.

What else stands out from the Summer League roster? Last season, Khaman Maluach was listed at 7’1” on the Suns’ Summer League roster. This year, he’s listed at 7’2”. Koby Brea has also added size, going from 202 pounds to 215. Perhaps the most eye-opening change belongs to Rasheer Fleming. A year ago, he was listed at 190 pounds. He’s now listed at 240.

Whether those measurements are perfectly accurate remains to be seen, but they certainly reflect what the organization appears to be emphasizing: getting bigger and stronger as these young players continue to develop.

The Suns tip off their Summer League schedule next Friday, July 10, at 8 p.m. on ESPNU against the Portland Trail Blazers.

LeBron James is leaving us all hanging in suspense while his agent, Rich Paul, adds fuel to the fire. Paul (via his podcast Game Over) recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at their process in finding a new home for James. This includes a whiteboard with the Cleveland Cavaliers listed as one of the strongest landing spots.

There’s a lot to unpack here.

First, we can see that the Cavs are not alone on this list. Other teams in the inner circle include the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets. The Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks are either directly listed or referenced on the outer edges of the board.

Paul says that the board wouldn’t even exist if New York hadn’t won the title this summer. James would be a member of the Knicks. Looks like we dodged a bullet in that regard.

Let’s go over the main takeaways for Cleveland.

Rich Paul on LeBron’s interest in the Cavs:

• Brandon Weems (current assistant GM) is a ‘brother’ to James
• Dan Gilbert, Grant Gilbert and Koby Altman listed as positives
• James ‘loves’ Darius Garland; Paul considers the James Harden trade a negative
• Paul says Evan Mobley was never going to be traded to Boston

Notably, the Cavs are the only team that has multiple pros and cons written on the board.

“Big, big x-factor, Brandon Weems is basically LeBron’s brother,” said Paul. “That is a big feather in the cap [for Cleveland].”

The connection to Weems is one of the strongest aspects of this. Weems is reportedly seen as the favorite to replace former Cleveland GM Mike Gansey (now the 76ers GM) as the Cavs’ newest general manager. That’s something that sweetens the deal for James to return to Cleveland.

James apparently having a positive relationship with Gilbert and Altman is also a good sign.

The final two bullet points are where things get interesting.

“The negative is, no knock to James Harden, but no Darius Garland,” said Paul. “LeBron loves Darius Garland so much just like LeBron loves Tyrese Maxey.”

Paul famously told Garland, whom he represents, that last year would be his final season with the Cavaliers. However, this can be interpreted as Paul reading the writing on the wall rather than pioneering a trade for Garland on his own. You can decide that for yourself.

I’d also keep in mind that Paul is a professional salesman who will take every opportunity to praise one of his clients. Rightfully so.

It’s possible that Paul informed Garland to make a decision that would be in his best interest — even if that negatively impacted the view that James would have of Cleveland’s roster. Those things are not mutually exclusive, and Paul ultimately has a responsibility to represent all of his clients equally.

Finally, Paul strongly denies that Cleveland had any intention of trading Mobley to the Celtics in exchange for Jaylen Brown.

“They weren’t giving up Evan Mobley, you don’t have to worry about that,” said Paul.

This is as firm a stance as you can take, and it implies that Mobley is safe from the trading block this summer.

That tracks with common sense. Mobley is one of the best defenders in the NBA and a vital part of a Cavalier defense that is hanging on by a thread. I can’t see why James or Paul would advocate for taking that building block off the roster. Trading Mobley feels like the type of risk that could knock down the house of cards before James even arrives.

As always, the more smoke, the better. James has taken the first step towards returning by announcing that he won’t be back with the Los Angeles Lakers. Everything since then has felt like a gradual pull back home. Only time will tell, but Paul’s comments on Cleveland are encouraging to me.

Nearly 48 hours after the Sixers agreed to trade Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to the Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown, the consensus appears to be that the Sixers made out like bandits.

ESPN’s Zach Kram gave the Sixers an A- and the Celtics a D+ for the trade. CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn gave the Sixers an A+ and the Celtics a D-. Yahoo Sports’ Morten Stig Jensen was more generous in giving the Celtics a B, but he still gave the Sixers an A.

However, that opinion isn’t universal. Liberty Ballers’ own Josh Grieb expressed his reservations with the deal, and to be completely honest, I also flinched when the news first hit my timeline. (Granted, that was before I realized that one of the two first-rounders they gave up was in 2028 rather than 2033.)

Chalk it up to Markelle Fultz PTSD if you must. Maybe you’re an analytics nerd who’s overly concerned about Brown’s on/off splits in recent years. That’s ignoring the context in which the Sixers made this trade, though.

Look up any recent ranking of the worst contracts in the league. George routinely appeared toward the top of the list. Even rankings that featured Brown had George ranked higher.

George has one fewer year left on his contract and will not be commanding anything close to a 35 percent max on his next deal, sure. Brown very well might be overpaid relative to his production, both now and moving forward.

But this was a risk that the Sixers had to take.

So long, Sixers apathy

As of midday Wednesday, apathy would likely be the best way to describe how most fans felt about the Sixers.

Adding Dean Wade was fine in a vacuum. Signing Ariel Hukporti to an above-minimum contract was eyebrow-raising, and not in a good way. Adding Wade and Hukporti while losing Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. hardly moved the needle, particularly as other Eastern Conference teams were taking huge swings by adding the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard.

With Brown in tow, the Sixers can think bigger again. They dropped from +6000 to +2000 to win next year’s title after the deal, according to ESPN’s Doug Greenberg, which puts them behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+270), the San Antonio Spurs (+270), the reigning champion New York Knicks (+850) and, ironically, the Celtics (+1300).

It’s unclear whether the Brown trade directly contributed to the Sixers landing Anfernee Simons with what figures to be the remainder of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, but it appears to have helped. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Simons chose the Sixers over other suitors because he believes “his fit is perfect with the revamped 76ers roster.”

The Sixers might not be done there, either. It’s still a long shot—particularly since they have only a minimum contract left to offer—but the Sixers have “entered the mix” for LeBron James and “are attempting to pitch him,” according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

Even if the Sixers don’t land LeBron, the fact that it’s even a possibility is absurd given where they were a few days ago. On The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Bobby Marks said it likely would have cost the Sixers at least one unprotected first-round pick just to dump George alone.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst then asked him, “So, did they get Jaylen Brown for free?” Marks replied, “Essentially.”

So, why did the Celtics part ways with Brown at that price?

“It wasn’t that the league doesn’t think Jaylen Brown is a great player or an excellent player,” Windhorst said Thursday on NBA Today. “It’s that the league doesn’t value what he produces at his salary slot. At $57 million, what he produces. And that is why he was traded, and that is why he was traded for relatively so little.

“As the Celtics evaluated where they were as an organization and evaluated where they have to operate in this new world of aprons and basically hard salary caps and everything like that, they said they had to move off of a player of his production level at that salary number, and the other teams out there didn’t disagree.”

That’s a reasonable conclusion for the Celtics to reach. They already have Jayson Tatum heading into the second season of a five-year supermax contract. They’ve spent the past year tearing down their championship roster in fear of a $500 million payroll and luxury-tax bill. After losing in the first round of the playoffs (ironically to the Sixers), they might not have seen a path back toward title contention with Tatum and Brown gobbling up roughly 70 percent of the cap every year.

The Sixers didn’t have much of an alternative.

George and Joel Embiid were going to consume roughly 70 percent of their salary cap for the next two years. The Sixers could have chosen to ride those years out and preserved their assets for the eventual Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe era. But how would Maxey take to the Sixers lighting two years of his prime on fire in the hope that George and Embiid could stay healthy throughout the regular season and the playoffs?

Maxey is already heading into the third year of the five-year, $203.9 million max contract that he signed in July 2024. By the time George’s contract expired, Maxey would be going into the last year of his deal. And if today’s NBA has taught us anything, it’s that teams are almost always on the clock with their star players.

Flipping George, who played only 78 total games across the last two seasons combined, for Brown, who played 71 games last year and has yet to miss more than 20 games in a season across his 10-year NBA career, could help the Sixers in multiple ways, analytics be damned.

The Sixers shouldn’t have to play Maxey a league-high 38.0 minutes per game again this year, particularly after signing Simons in free agency and drafting Labaron Philon Jr. with the No. 22 overall pick. Ensuring that Maxey and Edgecombe don’t run out of gas in the regular season is key to the Sixers’ hopes of going on a deep playoff run.

As long as Brown continues to avoid catastrophic injuries, he should also help uplift the Sixers more than George did in the games that Embiid misses. Brown finished sixth in the MVP race this past season, while George’s production plummeted upon his arrival in Philly two years ago.

George’s scalability is what made him an attractive option when the Sixers signed him two summers ago. He could shift down into a No. 3 option alongside Embiid and Maxey—and his off-ball shooting ability made him a strong fit for that role—but he theoretically could scale up whenever Embiid or Maxey missed time. However, that didn’t come to pass.

George admitted after the season that he felt like his explosiveness “wasn’t there this year,” and he planned to spend the offseason trying to figure out how (if at all) he could get it back. That won’t be a problem with Brown, to say the least.

There are undeniably questions about how Brown will fit with this Sixers roster, and whether he can live up to both his current contract and his next deal. He might very well be miscast as a No. 1 option. Luckily, he doesn’t have to be that in Philly.

The alternative to the Brown trade was running out the clock with George—and risking Maxey starting to eye an exit from Philly in the next year or two. From that standpoint, this was absolutely a risk worth taking, no matter what the Sixers’ recent transaction history with the Celtics might suggest.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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Life moves fast in the NBA, and after the much-hyped draft and a flurry of offseason moves, Summer League is already here.

Attention turns to the California Classic today, with the San Antonio Spurs battling the Miami Heat before the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors Blue squad, and it’s a first opportunity to see some of the late first-round rookies in action.

Let's dive into my NBA Summer League predictions and free NBA picks for Friday, July 3.

NBA Summer League predictions for July 3

Pick
Spurs moneyline	-127
Lakers moneyline	-108

Today's Summer League Picks

Spurs moneyline (-127 at Kalshi)

Although none of the San Antonio Spurs’ young core will be in action at Chase Center tonight, that clears the way for Tarris Reed Jr. and other members of the San Antonio rookie class to ball out.

Reed Jr., the No. 26 pick, averaged 14.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg last season at UConn, and I expect him to seize this opportunity to make a case for bench minutes next season behind Victor Wembanyama.

Though Jayden Quaintance will miss out for the Spurs, second-round picks Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Mailq Brown should get minutes here, and San Antonio’s serious approach to summer action could be seen in its 5-3 record last year.

While the Miami Heat can turn to Myron Gardner — who appeared in 45 NBA contests last season — the trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo leaves Miami with fewer young pieces for a Summer League run.

Of course, the Heat specialize in discovering undrafted gems, but they face an uphill battle in this California Classic opener, and I’m taking the Spurs up to -140.

Lakers moneyline (-108 at Kalshi)

The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy undergoing roster reconstruction over the past few weeks, and now attention turns to the end of the bench, where spots are up for grabs. L.A. enters as a major underdog against the Golden State Warriors, but I’m expecting an upset in California.

Golden State can unleash rookies Yaxel Lendeborg and Alex Toohey alongside sophomore Will Richard, but don’t sleep on this Lakers squad, with Cameron Carr — the No. 24 selection in last month’s draft — running the offense and Adou Thiero looking to boost his stock.

Thiero had some promising flashes during last season’s injury crisis in Lakerland, and there’s a 3-and-D role within reach if he catches the eye in Summer League.

Meanwhile, a rookie-heavy roster will get a jolt of experience from Zhaire Smith, with the 27-year-old former first-round pick auditioning for L.A. this summer.

Friday’s NBA Summer League parlay

Spurs moneyline

Lakers moneyline

+244 at Kalshi

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Report: Drummond to join defending champion Knicks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Andre Drummond is reportedly headed to the defending NBA champions in free agency.

The 32-year-old big man has agreed to sign a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the Knicks, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported Friday.

New York just lost a major piece of its center picture with Mitchell Robinson agreeing to a three-year Celtics deal. Ariel Hupkorti will sign with the Sixers, too. On paper, Drummond has a good chance to log consistent minutes.

Drummond’s played in 152 games over two stints with the Sixers and averaged 6.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He shared backup center minutes with Adem Bona the past two seasons and took pride in being an active mentor to the ultra-athletic 23-year-old.

Drummond enjoyed expanding his game to include regular three-pointers last season. He went 32 for 90 (35.6 percent) beyond the arc. Entering the year, Drummond had made just 18 threes in his NBA career. The transformation wasn’t as dramatic, but Drummond also set a new career high in free throw percentage, making 63.1 percent of his foul shots. 

“There’s a lot of work that I’ve put into it, not only this year but throughout my entire career,” Drummond said on April 15 of his outside shooting. “I’ve worked countless hours … and the work is showing. Shoutout to (Sixers head coach) Nick Nurse for giving me the green light to shoot those shots.”

At the time of writing, Bona, Hukporti and Johni Broome are the Sixers’ centers behind Joel Embiid.

Success has a cost – but the Knicks’ extreme success is an expense on everyone else.

With the Knicks winning 13 straight playoff games, sweeping two consecutive opponents and making short work of the Spurs in a five-game series in the NBA Finals, the NBA’s salary cap will be much lower than previously expected, according to ESPN.

When the NBA negotiated a $77 billion media rights deal, tripling the previous deal in total value, it attempted to curb the drastic increase in the salary cap by elevating it by a maximum of 10 percent.

After the Knicks’ run, though, the upcoming salary cap jump is reportedly just 6.7 percent in the first year of the new media-years deal, which lasts 11 years.

That the Knicks needed just nine games total across the conference finals and NBA Finals — four in the conference, five in the Finals — factored into the dip, per ESPN.

The salary cap is currently $165 million, so the projected increase of 6.7 percent would land it at $175.73 million.

If it had gone up the full 10 percent, the salary cap would sit at $181.5 million.

The NBA warned that the salary cap increase might not reach the 10 percent number, but the Knicks’ postseason dominance is having even further resounding impacts than had previously been anticipated.

The Knicks played in just 19 postseason games on their dominant run to an NBA championship, where they outscored opponents by 14.9 points per game, the best differential in NBA playoff history.

The 19 playoff games played by a champion are tied for the second-fewest in the NBA since 2002 and are only beaten by the 2017 Warriors, who added Kevin Durant to a 72-9 team.

The 2001 Lakers went 15-1 and remain the gold standard for teams in terms of dominance.

Many even pointed out that the Knicks’ payroll management, which included Jalen Brunson taking a discount of more than $100 million, helped them assemble a team with an incredible talent base, including a deep bench.

While the Lakers got their A-list center in Walker Kessler, Friday’s move to trade Deandre Ayton means the team is once again searching for a big.

LA dealt Ayton to the Wizards for cap relief and draft picks, opening up the backup big spot. Immediately, the team was linked to multiple players, including Andre Drummond and Kevon Looney.

Drummond is an elite rebounder who could come in and make the most of the opportunity. This would be Drummond’s return to LA as he was with the team during the 2020-21 season. Last year, as a backup with the Sixers, he averaged 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Kevon Looney or Jonas Valančiūnas are also viable bigs the Lakers could pursue.

Looney is an 11-year vet who spent his first decade with the Warriors. Last season, he joined the Pelicans but played limited minutes, averaging just 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Valančiūnas is a name that’s been linked to the Lakers for years now. However, it’s important to note that he has committed to a EuroLeague team, so Valančiūnas might not be an option for LA.

He played in 65 games for the Nuggets last season, averaging 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. As a backup in LA, he would make a ton of sense, providing size and strength, along with rebounding and scoring ability.

Nick Richards is another name that’s being reported as a player that could end up with the Lakers.

Richards has bounced around the NBA playing on three different teams in his six-year career. Last season, he averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

The reported trade involving Ayton is a surprise, but it all but guarantees that other moves are coming. The Lakers can’t enter the season with so few bigs, so whether it’s Drummond, Looney, Richards, or someone else, more frontcourt help will have to be arriving.

Stay tuned Lakers fans, the front office is cooking. Hopefully, it’s something everyone will want to eat.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

The Lakers have traded center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks, in 2031 and 2032, people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Times on Friday.

Ayton picked up his player option for $8.1 million on Sunday.

But it became obvious that he was expendable as the starting center once the Lakers acquired 24-year-old center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade deal worth four years and $130 million.

The Lakers now will be in the market for a backup center.

Centers such as Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas and Kevon Looney are still available. Drummond played 21 games for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, when he was picked up on the buyout market.

The Lakers acquired Ayton last season after the Portland Trail Blazers bought out his contract, and then signed him to a two-year, $16-million deal.

Read more:First-round pick Cameron Carr signs Lakers rookie contract

He averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 72 games last season with the Lakers while shooting 67.1% from the field.

The Wizards believe the 7-foot Ayton will be a good fit alongside centers Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr.

The 6-3 Hardy, who spent three-plus seasons with the Dallas Mavericks before being traded in February to Washington, averaged 9.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 42.4% from the field and 39.7% from three-point range last season.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

After a quiet opening night of free agency, the Lakers got to work Wednesday. They agreed to a sign-and-trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and agreed to sign Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton.

In total, the Lakers shelled out more than a quarter-billion dollars. After entering free agency with the ability to create more than $50 million in salary-cap space, they now appear to be almost out of money.

There may be another shoe still to drop, though. On Friday, the Lakers traded Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks. Flipping Ayton’s $8.1 million salary for Hardy’s $6.0 million salary gives the Lakers a bit of remaining cap space, but not enough to do anything meaingful with… yet.

As things currently stand, the Lakers would have to renounce the rights to all of their remaining free agents, including Rui Hachimura, before they can sign all three of Kessler, Grimes and Mamukelashvili. After they spend their cap space on that trio, they’d sign Sexton with the room mid-level exception and can officially sign Austin Reaves to his new four-year, $184.8 million max contract.

The Lakers have no remaining salary-cap exceptions after spending the room MLE, so they’ll only be able to offer minimum contracts from here on out. They’re also now hard-capped at the first apron after acquiring Kessler via sign-and-trade.

Here’s a look at where the Lakers stand financially in the wake of their free-agent flurry and the Ayton trade.

Keep in mind that these are rough estimates for Kessler, Grimes and Mamukelashvili based on the terms reported for their respective contracts, although agent inflation is common at this time of year. There’s a chance that any of those deals could come in slightly lower than reported.

Once the Lakers sign Reaves and Sexton to their new deals, they’re projected to be less than $8 million below the $200.4 million luxury-tax line and roughly $16 million below their first-apron hard cap.

Since the Lakers can’t cross the first apron this season, they will have considerable in-season trade flexibility. Teams above the first apron can’t take back more salary than they send out in trades, but teams below it can take back significantly more.

Kessler, Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Sexton won’t be trade-eligible until Dec. 15 at the earliest, but that’s something to file away for ahead of the trade deadline.

Can the Lakers create more cap space?

Between Reaves, Sexton, Grimes, Luka Dončić and rookie Cameron Carr, the Lakers now appear to be set in the backcourt. Their frontcourt is also in fairly good shape between Kessler, Mamukelashvili, Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt, although they’re now on the hunt for a backup big man after trading Ayton.

However, their situation at the three leaves much to be desired, barring a massive leap from either Adou Thiero or an immediate impact from Carr.

Even if Reaves, Dončić and Grimes all start together in a three-guard lineup, the Lakers could use some additional wing help. They have a few pathways to continue adding to their roster this offseason despite being capped out.

The Lakers could always look to salary-dump Vanderbilt ($12.4 million), but they don’t have much left to sweeten any trade offers. They now have zero tradable first-round picks, only one remaining first-round swap (2032), but do have three second round picks now after the Ayton trade.

They could also pull a 2025 Milwaukee Bucks and waive-and-stretch Vanderbilt. Doing so would leave them with a $5.1 million dead cap hit in each of the next five seasons, but that would equip them with an additional $7.3 million of spending power this summer. They’d have to spend that newfound cap space before they officially signed Sexton or Reaves to their new contracts.

Once the game of free-agency musical chairs runs out, the Lakers might be able to snag a wing for cheap — perhaps even on a minimum contract — since they can offer a legitimate role. Playing alongside an elite playmaker like Dončić could help players improve their market value moving forward, too. But if the Lakers hang on to Vanderbilt, they’re likely done with their big moves in free agency.

Do the additions of Kessler, Mamukelashvili, Grimes and Sexton outweigh the departures of LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Ayton and perhaps Hachimura? Do the Lakers have something else up their sleeves? We’ll find out soon enough.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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As soon as LeBron James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would be signing elsewhere in free agency this offseason, the Golden State Warriors were thought to be among the most likely teams to land him.

However, it seems that one key holdup in the Warriors’ pursuit of another star player could keep them from signing James, which ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania asserted during a July 3 appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” podcast.

When asked which teams he believes have a “legitimate” shot at landing James in free agency, Charania said: “At least a few. But this is a true free agency process, because so much has changed, right? There’s fluidity that comes with it, with information. A few days ago, the [Philadelphia 76ers] didn’t have Jaylen Brown. So now they do … So now they have to be on the radar of LeBron James.”

“The [Cleveland] Cavaliers, the [Miami] Heat — they’re two teams that are known quantities. The Warriors, going into free agency; they dreamt up a grand plan of Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, LeBron James,” Charania continued.

“The big domino with them is trying to get a player like an Anthony Davis, so you can bring in LeBron James and Anthony Davis as a package deal. Short of that, they’re not really looked at right now at the top of this list. But things can change.”

Charania is alluding to Golden State’s interest in signing James’ former Lakers running-mate, Davis, as a way to entice the NBA record-breaker to bring his talents to the Bay Area.

But the Washington Wizards (with whom Davis is under contract through next season) have asserted that they have no intention of trading him at this point.

Since the prospect of reuniting with Davis was seen as a big reason why LeBron might want to join the Warriors, that no longer being realistic presents a tough reality check for Golden State.

Then again, the Warriors still have Curry, who James would surely love to play alongside. And as Charania said himself, things can change very quickly in the free agency landscape.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are rounding out their eventful free agency week with two-way signings, it seems. Fresh off inking Rayan Rupert to a two-way deal, they’ve now signed former Portland Trail Blazer Caleb Love to a two-way contract. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the news:

For those who aren’t familiar with Love, he’s a former five-star recruit with quite an extensive college resume. He played five years in the NCAA, three with the North Carolina Tar Heels, later transferring to Arizona and playing two years there. Across 142 total college games, he averaged 15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He accumulated 200 made three-pointers.

Love declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, and to the surprise of some, went undrafted. He went on to sign a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite never being converted, Love saw plenty of action at the NBA level during his rookie season. He appeared in 49 games for them, starting one, and averaged 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three. Love’s best stretch of basketball occurred from late December through the beginning of February, where he averaged 15.3 points on 43.3 percent shooting. I’d encourage you to check out his game logs, as for a first-year undrafted guy he really lit it up.

Love now caps off the new “guard glut” of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Labaron Philon and Anfernee Simons. There’s no shortage of scoring amongst this group. Love also has quite a few Sixer-centric connections. A year ago, he faced off against Edgecombe in a heated rookie workout, and also crossed over with Dalen Terry during his time at Arizona.

With the signings of Love and Rupert, the Sixers are now down to one vacant two-way spot. Considering Rupert is best classified as a wing, and Love is a guard, it’s safe to assume that could go towards bolstering their big man rotation, currently occupied by Joel Embiid, Adem Bona, Johni Broome, and Jabari Walker.