Category: NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into one of their most important roster decisions in years, and Austin Reaves has become a central figure in that debate.

As the 27-year-old guard approaches unrestricted free agency, a potential five-year, $240 million extension hangs in the balance. Now former Laker Lonzo Ball is making headlines by questioning whether Reaves is worth anywhere near that figure.

“Nah, I’m not doing that,” Ball said on the “Ball in the Family” podcast. “I got $150 million for him… plays no defense. I keep him, but not for $240. I would trade him for Peyton Watson.”

It’s not exactly common practice for an active NBA player to be so outspoken on a peer’s contract situation, especially one still fighting to solidify a consistent rotation spot.

Ball was traded in February by Cleveland before making their playoff run and he was unceremoniously cut by Utah the same day he was traded to the team.

Ball’s comments were blunt: He labeled Reaves a “fourth option” type player and suggested the Lakers would be better off flipping him for Watson, a rising 3-and-D specialist for the Nuggets.

That perspective, while controversial, aligns closely with recent league reporting.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps noted that the “majority opinion” around the NBA is that Reaves will stay in Los Angeles, but likely for less than a full max.

Several scouts and executives project a deal closer to five years, $200 million, with one league source suggesting the Lakers would be “surprised if the first year starts with a 3 instead of a 4,” meaning they expect an annual salary in the $40 million range.

The tension lies in fit versus production. Reaves has evolved into one of the Lakers’ most reliable offensive creators, averaging over 23 points per game in the regular season while shouldering significant playmaking duties alongside LeBron James and Luka Dončić.

But concerns about his defense, paired with Doncic’s own limitations on that end, have fueled skepticism about committing a massive portion of the salary cap to him.

Reaves’ brother Spencer fired back on social media, dismissing Ball’s criticism with a sarcastic jab: “They need to stop selling mics at Best Buy.”

The comparison between Reaves and Watson highlights a division at the core of the Lakers plan to build around Doncic this offseason, particularly the Slovenian’s liabilities on defense. Reaves is a high-usage offensive engine, capable of running pick-and-rolls and generating scoring bursts. Watson, meanwhile, is valued for versatility, length, and defensive impact, even if his offensive role is more limited.

For the Lakers, the decision is less about talent and more about roster construction. Pay Reaves the max and double down on offense, or pivot toward balance and defense at the cost of losing one of their most productive scorers.

Either way, the debate is only getting louder.

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Stop us if you've heard this before, but Jalen Williams remains with a questionable tag that has been attached to him for the majority of the 2026 postseason.

With the San Antonio Spurs back home to try and force a Game 7, the Oklahoma City Thunder are hoping their star guard can suit up.

Here's a look at the Jalen Williams odds for Game 6, as we provide some Thunder vs. Spurs predictions surrounding the guard if he gets the green light.

Key takeaways

• Injury status - While no call has been made officially, Jalen Williams remains questionable as he looks to get back from a hamstring injury
• Best bet to make: Jalen Williams Over 0.5 threes (-140)- With Williams likely trying to avoid challenging Wemby in the paint on a bum hamstring, he will likely opt to shoot more from deep
• More available props - Books have priced the majority of props in advance in case J-Dub is good to go, posting points (13.5, +102), assists (3.5, -110), and rebounds (3.5, -110).
• McCain brings the pain - If Williams sits out, Jared McCain will surely continue to get increased floor time for OKC. The Year 2 pro started in Game 5 and will likely get the nod again after putting up 20 points. His points line currently sits at 12.5 (-135)
• Shorthanded Thunder - Williams isn't the only player who would sit for OKC, with Ajay Mitchell already ruled out for Game 6

Will Jalen Williams play tonight?

Jalen Williams suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in OKC's opening-round series against the Suns, and he hasn't been able to shake the damn thing since.

J-Dub went on to miss the entire series against the Lakers in Round 2, and he's missed every outing since leaving Game 2.

Hamstring injuries aren't anything OKC wants to eff around with, so it is likely he sits another night with the Thunder holding a 3-2 series lead. As of now, no call has been made.

Latest Thunder vs Spurs odds

Jalen Williams player props tonight

Sportsbooks have posted player props for Jalen Williams for Game 6, just in case he's ready to go for tonight.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Ever since the Lakers traded away Anthony Davis to acquire Luka Dončić, they’ve been searching for a big man they can rely on.

They went with Jaxson Hayes as a starter for the rest of the 2024-25 season after their trade for Mark Williams didn’t pan out. Then, last offseason, they brought in Deandre Ayton to be the starting center. While Ayton was a positive for the team, it’s clear that frontcourt depth is still a need the Lakers must address this summer.

Perhaps they can find the center they desire in the NBA Draft.

The Lakers have the No. 25 pick and can use it to take a young big man. Details on who the Lakers have done pre-draft workouts with are scarce, but one player that has reportedly worked out for the purple and gold is Duke Brennan of Villanova.

Add the Los Angeles Lakers to the list of NBA pre-draft workouts for Villanova big man Duke Brennan.

Per @OG6_SM, Brennan is scheduled to go through an official workout with LAL on Tuesday. https://t.co/UKA4tvRuRX

— Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) May 25, 2026

At Villanova, he started in all 32 games he played in and averaged 12.4 points on 65% shooting. Brennan was also a monster on the boards, averaging 10.3 rebounds per game. He is the first Villanova player to average at least 10 rebounds per game since Harold Pressley did it in the 1985-86 season.

Brennan is currently projected to be a second round draft pick, so one might wonder why the Lakers are looking at him. Well, for starters, it’s all about the franchise doing its due diligence and looking at as many options as possible.

It’s why the Lakers brought on former Virginia coach Tony Bennett as an NBA Draft advisor. They need to explore every option available to bolster their roster. And finding hidden gems in the draft is a great way of accomplishing that.

Also, things can change between now and the draft. It’s possible the Lakers can either trade for a second round draft pick and select a player like Brennan or bring in players like him that go undrafted.

That’s how Austin Reaves became a Laker, joining the franchise after not being selected in the 2021 NBA Draft.

As we get closer to the draft, expect a myriad of bigs, guards and wings to work out for the Lakers. The franchise could use a little of everything as they attempt to become one of the teams to beat in the Western Conference.

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

The consensus among pundits is that this year’s free agent class is not the best, putting aside the mystery of where LeBron James suits up. That said, the Nets have more than enough cap space to make significant offers for whoever is out there plus draft assets that could be put to use in sign-and-trades.

That said, Tim Bontemps of ESPN is out Thursday with his assessment of where the top eight free agents could win up when the bidding begins in a little more than a month. Among the eight are a couple of players the Nets have had reported interest, including Denver’s Peyton Watson and Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu, Bontemps doesn’t mention Brooklyn as potential suitors for those two, but he thinks they could be a player in the player most who will likely wind up with the biggest payday outside of James: his Laker teammate Austin Reaves, the 6’5” 27-year-old shooting guard who would add needed punch to Jordi Fernandez’s offense.

One potential bidder to watch this summer, sources said, is the Brooklyn Nets, who will enter the offseason with more than enough salary cap space to accommodate a max-type player.

While other writers have listed the Nets on the list of potential suitors, Bontemps singles them — and only them — as an LAL competitor for Reaves’ services. Bontemps does note that getting Reaves on the roster would not be cheap.

The majority opinion is that Reaves will remain in Los Angeles — and on a massive raise. But after playing on one of the best value contracts in the league the past few seasons, what number gets that done?

Several scouts and executives predict something in the range of five years, $200 million, but below his five-year max of $239 million, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

“I’d be pretty surprised if the first year starts with a 3 instead of a 4,” an East scout said, “but the Lakers need to keep him, and by all accounts he wants to be there, so I think they make it work.”

Indeed, Reaves is coming off a four-year, $53.8 million contract with Los Angeles Lakers. He also reportedly was offered and declined a four-year $89 million extension from the Lakers, expecting a big payday this summer. Despite missing 31 games, mostly to an oblique strain, Reaves managed to put up big numbers again: 23.3 points on 49/36/87 shooting splits. He also averaged around five assists and five rebounds as well. In his two previous seasons, he missed a total of nine games.

Although he’s not been named to an All-Star team in his time with L.A., he’s seen as one of the franchise’s future keystone pieces along with Luka Doncic. Since he’s an unrestricted agent, the Lakers would not be able to match any bid from the Nets or other teams.

Although Bontemps did not mention the Nets as a team that could pursue Watson but notes that the Nuggets will have to make several moves in order to find the financial resources to keep him.

retaining Watson and keeping the current roster intact would push Denver far into the luxury tax.

The Nuggets have never been big spenders, which is why the belief around the league is that Cameron Johnson (on an expiring $23 million deal) or Christian Braun (on a five-year, $125 million extension signed in the fall) is likely to be moved to create enough room to give Watson something in the per-year range of those players.

Bontemps, a former Nets beat writer for the Post, also cites a Western Conference scout suggesting Watson’s recurring hamstring issues could hurt him.

“They could easily just pay him and pay the tax, but we know how the Kroenkes operate,” a West scout said. “That means sending out either Johnson or Braun, and I don’t know where that lands. The injury stuff is a concern, but so is how they struggled without him.”

Watson is also close to Michael Porter Jr.

In his assessments the off-season possibilities of the Nets’ 27 teams no longer in contention for the O’Brien Trophy, Bontemps’ colleague Bobby Marks noted that the Nets will likely have about $34 million in cap space assuming they deal with the team options for Day-Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams (both $6.3 million) and Josh Minott ($2.6 million). He also noted that Malachi Smith who the Nets signed to a multi-year deal at the end of the season has a $2.1 million team option, indicating the contract isn’t guaranteed.

Bobby Marks laid out some territory familiar to Nets fans as he assessed the franchise that employed him for more than two decades. He found both optimism and pessimism, but mostly a lot of questions.

From an evaluation standpoint, the Nets currently have the look of an expansion tea… The offseason presents an opportunity for Brooklyn to improve significantly, with the No. 6 pick in the draft and cap flexibility this summer..

Marks (again no relation to the Nets GM) wrote that the big question other than their draft pick at No. 6 will be what to do with MPJ, whether they should keep him or trade him for even more assets as well and if they don’t what they should pay him … and how.

[T]he Nets must decide whether to build around Porter or to explore trades. Acquired last offseason from Denver along with an 2032 unprotected first-rounder, Porter averaged a career-high 24.2 points per game and shot 36.3% on 3s. It was his fourth consecutive season shooting greater than 36% from deep. He is on an expiring $40.8 million contract and is eligible for four additional years and up to $234 million.

Porter’s impact on the court, durability and age — he will turn 28 in June — should warrant discussions on a new contract. (Prior to suffering a strained left hamstring last month, Porter Jr. had missed just 14 games since the 2023-24 season.)

Because Brooklyn will have cap space, it could also increase his current salary and then decrease the first year of the extension by up to 40%. For example, Porter would earn $49 million this season and then $30 million next year.

Would a team with Porter, Reaves (admittedly pure speculation) along with the Flatbush 5 and the No. 6 pick help the Nets move into respectability if not playoff contention? The Nets, of course, have no interest in tanking again this year. They will have to swap their first rounder with the Rockets if they finish below Houston in the standings come next April.

Marks also looks into the Nets other free agency this summer, that of Noah Clowney who is looking for an extension beyond 2026-27, the final year of his rookie contract. Marks notes that Clowney had an up-and-down season that could hurt his bargaing position.

Clowney remains an inefficient shooter. For a second straight season, Clowney is shooting below 40% on field goals and 34% on 3s. Defensively, opponents shot 49.9% against Clowney. That ranks fourth worst of any player to contest 750 shots this season.

One final footnote from Marks: “The Nets will have the $9.4 million room midlevel exception available after cap space is used.” That could work out to $29.9 million over three years. Not an insignificant sum.

The Washington Wizards experienced nearly triple their revenue in new full season ticket revenue and have triple the sales of new season tickets compared to last year, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Robbins’ report came after an interview with Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chief Revenue Officer Jim Van Stone.

Let’s give ExPatDE a shout-out for posting this on the feed earlier today. This also is a follow up to a post Greg Finberg wrote last February about the Wizards raising ticket prices though they finished with the worst record in the 2025-26 NBA season.

In Greg’s article, some fans were upset about the increase in ticket prices despite poor performance. But from Robbins’ piece today, the Wizards have a rationale to raise the prices anyway. With the team anticipated to be better in 2026-27, there will be more demand for tickets. And with … maybe … AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer headlining the roster this fall, perhaps the demand and the number of fans in the stands will stay high for years to come.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Hello again, Golden State Warriors fans. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything substantive, as I took some PTO to reset before the offseason begins, and see what all the hype around the food in Italy was about.

But now I’m back, and it couldn’t be at a more exciting time for Bay Area basketball. Steve Kerr is back, and committed for multiple years. A Steph Curry extension is being discussed. A pivotal and fascinating offseason is right around the corner. Superstar names are swirling in rumors and reports. The 2026 NBA Draft is a month away. The Golden State Valkyries are underway and playing well. Two teams that remind us of the Dubs of yesteryear are battling for Western Conference supremacy in the NBA Playoffs.

What a time to be alive!

And what better way to get caught up on all things Golden State than with a mailbag? It’s been both a quiet few weeks, and an exciting few weeks, and I’m curious what’s on your mind, Dub Nation. So drop your comments here — or in The Feed — and I’ll get to them on Friday.

Most years, as June approaches, you have plenty of time to prepare for the offseason and everything that it may potential entail, in the draft, on the trade market, and in free agency.

Yet, with the Knicks in the NBA Finals, it’ll be a quick turnaround, so in the lead-up to the Finals, we’re getting to hear some rumors surrounding Knicks free agency, specifically with two of the players about to hit the market and be in line for nice paydays.

According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, the belief around the league is that both Landry Shamet and Mitchell Robinson will re-sign with the Knicks on multi-year contracts this summer.

ESPN’s @TimBontemps is reporting that “the belief is… both will be back” when it comes to Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet.

The Knicks are ready to run it back. pic.twitter.com/oIUYuPluuD

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) May 28, 2026

After a few years of ducking the harsh penalties of the second apron, it is believed that the Knicks will blow past it to preserve the best roster in generations. The penalties are only considerably harsh if you exceed them for more than two seasons, so Bontemps believes that Shamet and Robinson will sign two-year deals to allow the team to hit a hard reset after the 2027-28 season, which by that point, much of the core will be exiting their prime in their early-to-mid 30s.

Robinson, as the longest-tenured Knick, has full Bird rights, which allow the team to extend him for as much as possible. With his injury history and limited offensive game, his market value is difficult to pin down. ESPN projected him for a three-year, $39 million contract earlier this month, but Bontemps believes a bidding war could push it over the mid-level exception, which would give him a raise over his prior deal with a max value of $64 million over four years.

Shamet, who’s risen to the level of role player folk hero that we rarely see, is in Early Bird territory in a similar fashion to Isaiah Hartenstein in 2024. Unlike Hartenstein, no team is coming with a $29 million AAV offer. Based on Early Bird rules, Shamet can extend for up to $11 million as a Year 1 salary in 2026-27, something that doesn’t feel as risky due to most teams’ financial pictures.

Cam Spencer (53rd overall) and Tristen Newton (49th overall) were second round picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. Both have performed well with the opportunities presented to them as less-heralded pro prospects.

Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, Spencer saw the floor 25 times in his rookie campaign with eight G League appearances. After signing a four-year, $10.5 million contract, he made a major jump in the sophomore season, playing in 72 games and starting in 25.

The 6 ‘3 guard averaged 11.1 points on 44.9% from three-point range, which ranked him 3rd in the NBA behind Bobby Portis and Luke Kennard. The former UConn sparkplug has become a key role player for the Grizzlies.

Spencer is on a rebuilding Memphis team which dealt Desmond Bane to Orlando last offseason and 2-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah at the deadline. He faced off against former teammate Stephon Castle and the San Antonio Spurs in early January, finishing with 21 points, 13 in the 4th quarter, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Spencer hit the go ahead shot with 36 seconds left, knocking off the powerhouse Spurs team.

“It felt good, I love winning,” Spencer said postgame.

Cam Spencer (21/8/8) hit the go-ahead shot as the Grizzlies took down the Spurs tonight. Killa Cam 📸 pic.twitter.com/VrE0dFAdGj

— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) January 7, 2026

Winning is what the former Husky is used to. Off the court, Spencer caught some UConn games, most notably the Elite 8 classic as the Huskies knocked off Duke to head to the Final Four.

“I wouldn’t be here today without them and, super grateful to have had those guys in my life. Got to play with a few of the guys who are still left on the team, obviously, and, just super proud of them for fighting back yesterday,” said Spencer after seeing Braylon Mullin’s buzzer beater to cap off the comeback win over the Blue Devils.

Newton’s path has been more winding. He was selected 49th in the 2024 draft by the Indiana Pacers. The guard played for their G League affiliate before being waived and picked up by Minnesota. This season, he appeared in 35 G League games, 5 for the Iowa Wolves and 30 for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he is currently on a two-way Contract with the Houston Rockets.

Newton was selected to play in this year’s Rising Stars Game at NBA All Star Weekend in Los Angeles. Four out of the five starters on the 2024 championship team, himself, Donovan Clingan, Spencer and Castle were all playing in the Rising Stars Game.

“That shows a lot about UConn as a whole. The level of work we put in day in and day out translates to the next level.” Newton said. The fifth starter, Alex Karaban, is on his way as a prospect in this upcoming draft.

The two-time national champion has proved he is capable of making an NBA roster, averaging 25.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 48% from the field. His scoring ranks 3rd among the G League behind Jahmir Young and 2-time G-League MVP Mac McClung, as he earned All-NBA G League first team honors.

Newton was called up for the final game of the season for the Rockets, where he put up 12 points in 12 minutes, knocking down a pair of three-pointers.

Tristen Newton with his first points as a Rocket 👏 pic.twitter.com/12amnIQuL5

— SleeperRockets (@SleeperRockets) April 13, 2026

There are few things that make my blood boil more than being gaslit. It’s a term people use a lot more these days now that it’s been more clearly defined, and at its core, it’s pretty simple. You witness something with your own two eyes, you experience it in real time, and then somebody turns around and tells you that what you saw was wrong or that you somehow misinterpreted it. In essence, they’re attempting to devalue what you saw or experienced, and in the same breath, dismissing it entirely.

We see it everywhere these days, especially in politics. But I won’t go down that road.

The latest blatant example came courtesy of Adam Silver, who stopped by Pat McAfee’s show yesterday and proceeded to say that NBA “officiating is incredible”.

Adam Silver, professional gaslighter pic.twitter.com/LgTBfFJ9Cp

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) May 28, 2026

No sir, it’s not.

There will always be conversations about officiating in the NBA. The game moves too fast. There’s too much physicality and too much happening in real time for officials to catch everything perfectly. Everybody understands that going in, and there’s an accepted level of missed calls or imperfect moments that come with the territory. That’s part of basketball.

When your sport is in the national spotlight during its biggest and most important stretch — the postseason — and one of the dominant talking points becomes whether flopping has become too prevalent, that’s usually a sign things have drifted a little too far. And that’s where the conversation is right now, as made apparent by McAfee posing the question.

The best team in the NBA and the defending champions are a team that leans heavily into embellishment. People who watch the sport night after night see it. They recognize it immediately. And the frustration comes from watching that behavior continue to be rewarded. It doesn’t feel natural. It feels like a team identifying the flaws in an imperfect system and pushing against them every chance they get. And at this point, it feels like they’re pushing it a little too far.

Adam Silver’s response? 

“Even as I sit in the stands at games, players may be falling down, players may be reacting to a call. But to me, if they’re not fooling the referees, it’s OK. Players are taught to sell calls these days.”

Then what in the name of Vlade Divac’s shoelaces is this shit?

I hope FTA is okay after Fox didn’t touch him at all pic.twitter.com/3qIxu4iyQR

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) May 25, 2026

It’s a tone deaf statement. If players aren’t fooling referees, then what exactly are we watching? Are modern NBA players simply so uncoordinated and frail that the slightest bump sends them flailing to the hardwood? Perhaps the NBA should partner with milk and focus on calcium intake.

And why are players “taught to sell calls”, Mr. Commissioner? Seems counterintuitive to the integrity of the game to me. Seems that if players are being taught to take advantage of poor officiating, the root cause is poor officiating. But you just said officiating was “incredible”. I can read it back to you. Did you order the code red?!

Players are taught to sell calls because officials allow themselves to be duped. And rather than acknowledging that referees are being manipulated over and over by blatant embellishment, Adam Silver doubled down. That’s the frustrating part. It undermines the sport. It undermines fan bases across the league. And yeah, it feels like gaslighting.

We watch multiple members of the Oklahoma City Thunder hit the ground over and over in clear and obvious fashion, trying to sell contact and draw whistles, and then we’re told that’s not what’s happening. Come on. At some point it starts feeling like the league is insulting the intelligence of the people watching.

It has come to the point that analysts are tracking the number of times Shai Gilgeuos-Alexander (whom I affectionately now call FTA) falls down on his shots. Per Tom Haberstroh, who is out there doing God’s work, the two-time reigning MVP falls on 17.4% of his shots (through Game 3 of the Western Conference playoffs, counting only the postseason).

Shai flopped on every single shot attempt. pic.twitter.com/EGsbp3dUbT

— House of Lowlights (@HouseLowlights) May 21, 2026

“Incredible.”

And no, Oklahoma City isn’t the only team that does it. Every team has a guy or two who leans into embellishment. Look at the NBA Finals-bound New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson has built a reputation for drawing contact and snapping his head back on drives to the rim. I often wonder if he’s playing basketball or galvanizing around the mosh pit while Metallica performs “Creeping Death”.

The difference with OKC is volume. They have so many players doing it that it becomes impossible to ignore. Watching them can feel like watching five Brunsons on the floor at once. One guy flopping around is annoying. An entire team kicking legs out on jumpers, throwing themselves backward on contact, and crumbling to the floor the second they feel any physicality, that’s something else entirely.

From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to backup big Jaylen Williams, and everyone in between, the embellishment shows up constantly. And it’s embarrassing.

Jared McCain elbowed Dylan Harper in the throat, backed it up on him and fell down 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/P8JsvftRHl

— Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 27, 2026

For those of us on the front lines who love this sport and spend so much time covering it, it’s hard to defend. This is the time of year when casual fans show up. The people who haven’t been watching all season. The people who naturally tune into the NBA once the postseason begins.

And when they come to me and ask, “What is this?”, I don’t have a great answer for them. Apparently, neither does Adam Silver.

Silver did go on to say the league plans to use artificial intelligence to assist with officiating. “We’re going to move to a system like [Hawk-Eye],” the gaslighting commissioner stated on The Pat McAfee show. “[Objective] calls will be done by an AI automated system with cameras lined around the court…You won’t have to deal with challenges on those calls.”

And hey, I’m open to that. If it helps speed up challenges and makes the review process cleaner, great. I didn’t think I’d be a fan of the ABS system in Major League Baseball either, and that’s worked out pretty well. It’s quick. It’s efficient. It gets you an answer.

That still doesn’t touch the core issue.

If AI is helping correct calls after the fact, at what point do we address the people responsible for getting the call right in real time? At what point is there accountability? At what point does the league truly live up to the standards it keeps talking about, where players aren’t rewarded for embellishment, for unnatural shooting motions designed to bait a whistle, for flopping all over the floor?

That’s the real issue. That’s what fans are frustrated by. And instead of acknowledging any of that, the commissioner looked at all of us and tried to tell us everything is fine. That’s why this lands the way it does. Because it doesn’t feel like the problem is being addressed. It feels like we’re being told not to believe what we’re watching.

And that’s where the disconnect keeps growing between the league office and the people actually consuming the product. Fans can handle missed calls. Players can handle occasional inconsistency. Basketball is chaotic, and nobody expects perfection.

What wears people down is when an obvious issue becomes impossible to ignore, and the response from the top feels dismissive. The postseason should be about brilliance, shot-making, adjustments, and stars delivering on the biggest stage. Instead, too often the conversation drifts toward whistle hunting and whether contact was exaggerated enough to earn two free throws.

That doesn’t mean the NBA is broken. The game itself is still incredible. It does mean the league owes people a more honest conversation than pretending the product on the floor and the frustration surrounding it somehow aren’t connected.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking for ways to upgrade their roster this offseason after a premature elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

The Wolves have a pressing need at the point guard position, so they need to scour the rest of the league to see if there are any upgrades available. One player that could be on the move is Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving. CBS Sports contributor Sam Quinn listed the Wolves as a potential destination for Irving this offseason.

“Minnesota could match money with Randle and DiVincenzo. It doesn’t have much draft capital remaining, but the front office can offer No. 28 this year, first-round swap rights in 2028 (valuable since Dallas currently owes a swap to Oklahoma City, so almost any secondary swap would be helpful), and an unprotected pick in 2033, when Irving will likely be retired. If Dallas likes the long-term prospects of Joan Beringer or Terrence Shannon, that greases the wheels here,“ Quinn wrote.

The Wolves should be willing to move on from DiVincenzo, who has an expiring contract and an injury that will keep him out for part of the upcoming season. As for Randle, he would be hard to move on from, but if the Wolves wanted to land a player of Irving’s caliber, they have to make a big splash.

Another reason why a move like this makes sense is because it allows the Wolves to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu in free agency. Dosunmu could act as the team’s sixth man, while Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert join Irving in the starting lineup.

Canis Hoopus community, what do you think the Wolves should do this offseason? Do you want Kyrie to come to Minnesota? Chime off in the comments section below.

It’s been a tough two-week stretch watching a team the Detroit Pistons probably should have passed get stomped on by the New York Knc

That’s not to say Detroit would have beaten New York in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the fight would have been there. Ultimately, the same glaring shortcomings that lingered throughout the season kept them from truly entering the conversation.

Now the Pistons enter one of the most fascinating offseasons the franchise has had in years, and the decisions ahead could define their future as a contender.

What makes it especially interesting is how interconnected everything feels. On paper, the core of this team already exists, and it seems likely Trajan Langdon’s focus will be on filling holes around the young stars already in place. Still, there’s a lingering feeling that a bigger swing could be brewing.

We’ll explore Detroit’s biggest offseason needs and why each move makes sense. The real intrigue will come from how those deals get done and which players the organization is willing to part with.

1. Re-signing Duren

An underwhelming postseason should impact the overall price tag of Jalen Duren’s next contract, but it still feels clear he is firmly part of Detroit’s future. If the team decides to let Duren go into restricted free agency, only a few teams will have enough cap space to be able to offer Duren a hefty contract. During the 2022 NBA offseason, the Indiana Pacers signed Deandre Ayton to a four-year, $133 million maximum offer sheet—the largest in league history at the time. However, the Suns matched the offer within hours, retaining the center and keeping him on their roster for the next season. Duren would command more money but this could be a similar representation of what we end up seeing.

For the record, I do think there’s some danger in automatically penciling in Duren and Ausar Thompson as long-term fits next to Cade Cunningham. Building around those three means the Pistons have to be extremely intentional with the type of players they place around them, which can make the roster more one-dimensional offensively.

Still, the upside Duren displayed this season was undeniable and earned him Third Team All-NBA honors. The fourth-year big man has improved steadily every season, and this year represented by far the biggest leap of his career, even if some of his best traits disappeared in the postseason.

With a little time removed from Detroit’s collapse against Cleveland, it’s easier to identify why Duren struggled. Most productive playoff big men benefit from better spacing and more offensive balance around them. We even saw during last year’s Knicks series that Duren looked far more comfortable with additional shooting on the floor.

There’s also another leap Duren can realistically make at just 22 years old: shooting.

It’s rare for centers to suddenly develop a consistent jumper midway through their career, but Duren has shown flashes and is only 22 years old. His free throw percentage jumped from 67 percent to 75 percent while taking three more attempts per game. That doesn’t mean he’s about to become a stretch five overnight, but over the course of his next contract it would not be surprising if he develops into at least a respectable mid-range or perimeter threat.

2. Finding a secondary creator

Detroit’s lack of shooting was exposed in the postseason, although there were still stretches where the offense looked functional. The larger issue came whenever Cade Cunningham left the floor. The offense often looked lost, to the point where Detroit had no choice but to overextend him.

It’s difficult to blame Cunningham entirely for the volume of mistakes late in games, even if many of them were careless. It became easy to forget that he entered the playoffs still recovering from a collapsed lung. The workload eventually piled up to a point where the mistakes felt inevitable.

Finding additional shooting is manageable in today’s NBA. Finding someone who can actually organize an offense for stretches and be trusted in a playoff setting is more difficult.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Detroit needs to swing for a superstar like Devin Booker or Kyrie Irving. They simply need someone who can fill a similar stylistic role. Atlanta’s trade for CJ McCollum at the deadline completely changed the trajectory of their season. A low-risk, high-reward veteran addition can raise both the floor and ceiling of a contender.

It’s still frustrating for Pistons fans to think about what this playoff run may have looked like with another secondary creator on the roster. At least now the need is impossible to ignore, and fortunately it should not be overly difficult to find help in that area.

3. Adding frontcourt shooting

Tobias Harris proved he can be a secondary scorer on a playoff team, but probably not on a true championship-level roster. His postseason success may have also played himself into a contract Detroit either cannot or will not entertain.

That means Langdon will need to get creative replacing what Harris brought to the lineup, if it comes down to that.

Depending on how aggressive Detroit gets this offseason, the role Harris played could be completely reimagined. The Pistons already proved they can defend at a high level throughout the roster, and Harris was part of that identity. But everyone understands they need more offensive firepower.

If sacrificing a little defensive versatility makes Cade Cunningham’s life easier offensively, it is probably worth it. That should be the mindset entering the summer.

So what does that frontcourt change actually look like?

If Detroit plans to re-sign Duren, they need a high-level shooter on the floor with him at all times. Too often during the playoffs the spacing collapsed because there simply were not enough complementary offensive players around him.

Cleveland provided a perfect example in the second round. Evan Mobley’s perimeter development completely changed the geometry of the floor and opened opportunities for everyone else.

Maybe Detroit solves multiple issues at once by targeting a dynamic scoring forward who can also space the floor. Someone like Lauri Markkanen immediately comes to mind.

No matter what direction they choose, frontcourt shooting has to become a priority.

Bonus

Detroit needs more perimeter scoring, and this draft gives them an opportunity to find an immediate contributor.

Last year the Pistons played it safe by drafting a more one-dimensional prospect in Chaz Lanier, but the 21st pick in this class appears to hold more value. Some names connected to Detroit include Baylor’s Cameron Carr, Duke’s Isaiah Evans, and Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz.

Expectations have followed Karl-Anthony Towns since he entered the league. This isn’t unique for a former No. 1 overall pick, but it always felt different with Towns.

He’s been far from a bust. Six All-Star appearances, three All-NBA selections, three trips to the conference finals. Most front offices would be beyond themselves at the prospect of drafting a player with this kind of resume. But Towns has always left people wanting more.

Historically, he’s been at his best offensively at the center position. But his physical limitations gave his teams a hard ceiling on defense when they went with this alignment. If you play him at the four spot, he tends to disappear on the offensive side of the ball. How can you build a true contender with this sort of conundrum on your hands?

Well, this postseason, Towns has given us the answer to this seemingly unsolvable riddle, and now, we’re finally getting the fully-realized version of him that we’ve all been waiting for. 

Mike Brown Has Optimized Towns

A critical flaw of Towns is that he often gets tunnel vision whenever he puts the ball on the floor to attack, making it easy to load up on him without fear of him burning the extra help with a pass. Of the 161 players with at least five drives per game in the regular season, Towns touted the fourth-lowest pass rate (18.8%, per NBA.com). 

However, Towns has always had a knack for feathering pretty passes in tight windows when he can survey the floor from a standstill position. To maximize this, after their Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks (the inflection point of the New York Knicks’ season), head coach Mike Brown started running more five-out offense with Towns initiating from the perimeter (often referred to as “delay”). 

Delay Rip – Playoff Playbook

playoffs: 17 plays 1.58 PPP🔥🔥
+ season: 61 plays 1.17 PPP🔥

Part of the new action cycle Brown and staff added in March, increasing Towns' passing usage, and overall half-court touches + space leverage pic.twitter.com/OYNvd8UI4b

— Shax (@ShaxNBA) May 6, 2026

If you spent any amount of time watching the Sacramento Kings when Brown was their coach, you’ve probably seen some form of this with Domantas Sabonis. However, it works even better with Towns on the perimeter because his all-time shooting prowess makes it so that the player guarding him (usually a center) must stay attached to him, nullifying their ability to sink back and protect the paint. Couple that with how hard it is for teams to switch off-ball screens featuring the bruising OG Anunoby and the slippery Jalen Brunson, and you have a recipe for offensive dominance (the Knicks are first in offensive rating this postseason).

Towns Deserves Some Flowers 

To say that Towns is playing the best basketball of his career simply because of decisions made by his coach would be a major disservice. After all, the Cleveland Cavaliers did a great job of defanging the Knicks’ delay offense (as seen in the Knicks’ first offensive possession of the series). Yet, Towns was still immensely effective, finishing a +79 in four games. At the end of the day, Towns’ success is firmly his own doing. 

For starters, quick decisions have never been a strong suit of his. Too often, it seems like he overcomplicates the game, allowing smaller players to get under his skin and bait him into silly offensive fouls, when he should just enable his blend of size, quickness, and skill to make him a walking mismatch.

Conviction has gone from a question mark to a weapon for Towns this postseason. His dribbles per touch are the lowest they’ve ever been, evidence of his decisiveness as an attacker. When a tilt in the defense presents itself, he no longer waits for the floor to re-balance; he exploits it and cashes in.

This is another reason why Towns, the passing hub, has worked so well. Since he’s bullying his way through tinier players, you have to guard him with a big man. Cross-matching assignments is no longer a choice; it’s a death sentence. 

Part of the reason Towns is flourishing on offense is that the Knicks have allowed him to operate as the sole big man on the floor (only sharing 27 minutes with Mitchell Robinson this postseason, per PBP Stats). Only this time, it isn’t the detriment to their defense that it once was. 

I want to say that Towns is defending is you know what, off. But since this is a family-friendly website, I’ll just say he’s defending his tail off. 

A picture-perfect example of this came in Game 3 against the Cavaliers. Early on, Cleveland was doing a great job of punishing his soft hedge/at the level coverage by hitting the roll man and unlocking a 4-on-3 power player (first clip in montage below). The Knicks adjusted by having Towns switch to drop coverage (which he executed perfectly, second clip). But Towns also maintained the presence of mind to know when to switch to a hard hedge/trap when ballscreens were angled toward the sideline (like he did to force a jump ball on James Harden). 

It isn’t a perfect measure, but one way to get a glimpse of Towns’ impact is through Basketball Reference’s Box Plus-Minus (BPM). Through two rounds, Towns was one of only four players to maintain a BPM over 14 while playing at least ten playoff games. Since then, that number has dipped a hair, but he is still at a level that few players in NBA postseason history have ever reached.

Through 14 games Karl-Anthony Towns is having the greatest postseason of all-time by Box Plus-Minus by anyone not named LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. pic.twitter.com/227EKMYHW3

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) May 26, 2026

Now, is Towns actually in the same player classification as the names listed in that tweet? Absolutely not. But is Towns playing at a borderline All-NBA level right now? Probably.

And most importantly, the Knicks are the closest they have been to ending their championship drought that they have been in the last three decades, thanks in large part to Towns unlocking the best version of himself.