Category: NBA

The Knicks “checked in” on free agent LeBron James, as stated by his power agent Rich Paul, but a signing is “very, very unlikely,” multiple sources told The Post.

A source said the discussion between Paul and the Knicks was cursory, with Paul later explaining on his podcast why New York actually lost appeal by winning the title.

Either way, a Knicks-LeBron union – which feels decades in the making – is not in the cards. 

“It’s difficult,” Paul said on his “Game Over podcast on Netflix. “The last thing you want to do is mess up something like that. The Knicks have a good thing. … If the Knicks hadn’t have won (the title), there’d be no board (of teams). He’d be going to the Knicks.”

LeBron, who averaged 21 points as an All-Star last season, would obviously be a tremendous fit on the court but adds a different element to the atmosphere.

The defense of the championship would suddenly morph into a different story, replete with distractions – the potential farewell tour of arguably the greatest player of all time. 

 The Knicks, who are trying to avoid the second apron, can also only offer a veteran minimum contract to James, who is looking for a new team after informing the Lakers he wasn’t returning. 

With LeBron out of the mix, the Knicks are still searching for a backup center to replace Mitchell Robinson, who bolted to the Celtics in free agency.

Regardless, a source said that the “core” of the Knicks will remain in place for the upcoming season.

Rich Paul on LeBron James to the Knicks

“If the Knicks hadn’t won, there would be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks…. Jalen Brunson would literally have to pick up the phone and say ‘hey man, there’s no issue with me.’ They (Knicks) have checked in.”

(Via Game Over) https://t.co/iFyuJgEBt8pic.twitter.com/hpy1PnVU1Q

— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) July 3, 2026

“The Knicks are very happy with the core of the roster,” the source said. 

LeBron has been most linked to three potential destinations in free agency – the Cavaliers, Warriors and Sixers. 

Each presents a unique opportunity.

With the Warriors, James can earn more money while playing with fellow legend Steph Curry. With the Cavs, he can try to complete a storybook ending with his original franchise. With the Sixers, there’d be three star teammates – Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey – and a chance to break a long title drought. 

The Knicks? There used to be a lot of reasons but those don’t apply after a championship.

Happy holiday weekend to our largely American audience.

While the Fourth of July is a slow time of the year for the NFL, such is not the case for the NBA.

In case you missed it, which I find hard to believe even if you don’t follow professional basketball, the Philadelphia 76ers made a really big move earlier this week by trading for Jaylen Brown from their rival Boston Celtics.

It was a pretty exciting move. But the intrigue doesn’t stop there.

Now there’s buzz that LeBron James might also end up in Philly. And not just in the form of social media rumors but from an actual podcast hosted by James’ agent himself:

Rich Paul on Sixers: ‘How could they not have [LeBron’s] attention?’

I won’t believe it until it actually happens … but it sure is fun to think about the possibility.

It also allows us to make the joke that Philly could have both LeBron AND Michael Jordan, since the Philadelphia Eagles signed a 28-year-old journeyman offensive guard last month who has that name.

This is the Eagles’ MJ:

Not to be confused with this guy:

For the record, I’ve always been a Jordan > LeBron guy.

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RELATED CONTENT: I joined my good friends Michael Levin and Roy Burton to talk Sixers (and their relation to an Eagles/Cowboys dynamic), the Jaylen Brown trade (with an A.J. Brown trade comparison), LeBron, and more on The Rights To Ricky Sanchez podcast:

Show of hands, who wants Trey Murphy III?

Yeah?

Me, too!

We all need a pick-me-up right now. Trading Jaylen Brown hurt, no doubt. Sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers, to form what is essentially a Big Three-and-a-half, well, that was borderline treasonous. Murphy would be the ideal mea culpa from Brad Stevens. He’s young, talented, and would complement Jayson Tatum’s game perfectly.

There’s a catch, though. The Boston Celtics are now operating under the hard cap of the first apron, courtesy of using the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Mitchell Robinson on Wednesday.

As things stand, the Celtics are approximately $3.5 million over the tax, and $5.1 million under the first apron.

With Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley in the fold, the Celtics are at 15 players on standard contracts (including Chris Cenac). I've got Boston at $3.5M over the tax and $5.1M under their first-apron hard cap (triggered by signing Robinson with the NTMLE).

That's enough…

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 1, 2026

After putting in so much work to duck the tax last season, it’s likely Stevens will ensure the Celtics complete their goal of avoiding the repeater tax this season, meaning some money must be shed before or at the 2027 trade deadline.

Unfortunately, it’s that first-apron hard cap that’s going to make life tough for Boston in any potential Murphy pursuit.

Sure, when looking at Murphy’s $27 million salary for next season, and then remembering Boston boasts a $27.1 million traded player exception (TPE), it feels like the stars are aligned. I mean, how often does your primary target fit perfectly into an exception you just have lying around?

However, using a TPE doesn’t exempt a team from eating the cap hit. The exception removes the need to match salaries, but the incoming cost still counts against the cap sheet. So, the brutal truth of the situation is that the math isn’t going to math.

With just $5.1 million between the Celtics’ current standing in the tax and their hard stop at the first apron, there isn’t enough room to lean on the TPE as a vehicle to acquire Murphy outright. Instead, the Celtics will need to send a sizeable amount of salary back to the New Orleans Pelicans.

That’s where things get tough.

Right now, the only two players who make enough to be a viable trade chip are Derrick White and Paul George. Sam Hauser is making around $10 million next season, Payton Pritchard is in the $7 million range, and everyone else is on a downward sliding scale. Of course, I’m excluding Tatum.

Unless another guard is coming back as part of a trade, I struggle to envision Stevens parting with White in a Murphy deal. After all, the Celtics’ guard rotation was already threadbare before they added Mike Conley Jr., so I doubt they take a step backward there.

That leaves George.

As things stand, Brown’s trade to the Sixers is yet to be made official. Deals won’t be confirmed until Monday. Therefore, Stevens could still look to expand the trade, with George then being rerouted elsewhere, along with some of the picks Boston stands to receive. In return, the Celtics could add a younger, more athletic player or two to the rotation.

I took the liberty of throwing together a potentially expanded trade, just to see how things could look if the Celtics opted to go down this route. The deal would look like this:

Boston Gets: Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy

Sixers Get: Jaylen Brown

Pelicans Get: Paul George

I’ll leave it up to you to decide where the draft picks would end up, and whether the Celtics would have to throw any additional picks into the deal to effectively avoid a partnership with George.

The downside of a deal like this is that it would further push the Celtics toward the hard cap, thus making it harder for Stevens to duck under the tax later this season. Yet, it would ensure Murphy landed with the Celtics while reuniting the backcourt pairing of Murray and White from their time together with the San Antonio Spurs.

Granted, this trade idea is far from perfect, and it isn’t supposed to be. It’s just an exercise to illustrate the challenge Boston will face in trying to acquire Murphy, assuming that is legitimately something they’re interested in doing, and the reporting isn’t just noise.

My bigger point here is that, even armed with a large TPE, the Celtics are in a position where they’re going to need to match salaries in any sizeable trade both now and at the deadline — it kind of defeats the point of having a trade exception in the first place, doesn’t it?

That’s why I’ve become open-minded to what a George and Tatum wing duo will look like this season. It would be far easier to run with George and Tatum this year, and then, assuming George picks up his player option (which I would imagine he does), look to flip him and his expiring deal next season.

So, back to that show of hands. Keep yours up if you still want Murphy. And now keep it up if you think a deal actually gets done. Yeah, my hand went down, too.

Mitchell Robinson’s departure from the Knicks to the Celtics caused a lot of head-scratching around the league, and he’s hinting at there being more to the story.

NBA Finals hero OG Anunoby commented on a post about his now ex-center joining Boston with a cold sweat emoji, resulting in Robinson’s surprising reaction.

“I tried brother I didn’t want this to happen,” Robinson replied to Anunoby. “Hopefully the truth comes out at some point.”

It’s unclear what Robinson is referring to at this point, but the Knicks’ interest in retaining him in free agency was a big to-do after they won the NBA Finals, with owner James Dolan explaining his reluctance to go into the second apron of the salary cap.

“There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron,” Dolan said in an appearance on WFAN’s “The Carton Show” last month. “I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”

Mitchell Robinson on Instagram:

“I tried brother I didn’t want this to happen hopefully the truth comes out at some point.” pic.twitter.com/O8op1vVSwv

— Kris Pursiainen (@krispursiainen) July 2, 2026

The second apron is set at around $222 million, and surpassing the threshold comes with punitive measures including a much higher tax and trade restrictions.

The Knicks currently have at least $211 million committed to their 2026-27 roster.

With the Knicks keeping Landry Shamet (4 years, $24 million), Jose Alvarado (3 year, $14.6 million) and Mohamed Diawara (4 year, $10 million), there was only about $10 million to give to Robinson — who agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Celtics that is set to pay him $15.8 million for 2026-27.

The Knicks could have matched that offer if they were willing to enter the second apron, but they held fast to Dolan’s edict.

If other machinations existed, it doesn’t seem Robinson is going to be the one to spill the beans.

Robinson was drafted by the Knicks in 2018 and played eight seasons with the team before his departure.

He bid farewell to his former teammate Anunoby in the Instagram message.

“I’m gonna miss you, big dawg,” Robinson said. “Keep doing great things.”

Madison Square Garden Corp. Executive Chairman and CEO James L. Dolan announced Friday that he has named his son, Quentin Dolan, the new president, chief operating officer, and alternate governor of the Rangers.

Quentin Dolan, 32, previously served as MSG Sports' senior vice president, player performance, and science leader. He will now assume the day-to-day ownership responsibilities of the Rangers and AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack.

James L. Dolan had held control of both the Rangers and Knicks since 1999, but is now "stepping back from day-to-day responsibilities with the Rangers." He will continue his executive chairman role with the Knicks, per the NY Post.

The team's press release says that Quentin Dolan will report to his father and that Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury will now report to Quentin Dolan.

Below are statements from James L. Dolan, Quentin Dolan, and Drury on the organizational changes:

"Since his arrival overseeing our Player Performance and Science department, Quentin has made a strong impact on the Rangers and Knicks organizations, and we are pleased that he will step into this elevated position,” said James L. Dolan. “Quentin has quickly become an incredibly valued member of the Rangers franchise and played a key role behind the scenes with the Knicks during their championship run this past season. I look forward to seeing the positive influence he can make in this expanded and critical role."

"I’ve always had a tremendous respect and admiration for the New York Rangers organization, it’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” said Quentin Dolan. "I’m honored to have this opportunity to ensure our hockey operations staff, coaches, and players have all the support they need to provide our fans a product they can be proud of. I’m looking forward to immediately getting to work with Chris Drury, Mike Sullivan, and the entire staff."

"Quentin and I have worked together for several years, and I believe him taking on this role will only make the Rangers organization stronger," said Chris Drury. "The front office and coaching staff will be working in unison with Quentin in all key areas of our team in an effort to put this franchise in the best position possible to compete for a Stanley Cup."

Summer League is upon us, folks. As Deolu wrote about back in early May, the Milwaukee Bucks will take part in the California Classic Summer League in addition to the standard NBA Summer League this year. Being a younger team now, this should 1) give players more opportunities to develop and 2) give coaches and front office members more chances to evaluate.

Schedule

The dates for each of the three California Classic Summer League games are as follows:

• July 4, 2:00 p.m. CDT vs. Golden State Warriors
• July 5, 2:00 p.m. CDT vs. Brooklyn Nets
• July 6, 9:00 p.m. CDT vs. Sacramento Kings

The Bucks will then get a few days off before they travel to Vegas for NBA Summer League. The schedule for that is as follows:

• July 10, 3:00 p.m. CDT vs. Miami Heat (did someone say grudge match!?)
• July 12, 8:00 p.m. CDT vs. San Antonio Spurs
• July 13, 9:00 p.m. CDT vs. Phoenix Suns
• July 15, 6:30 p.m. CDT vs. Charlotte Hornets

From there, Milwaukee will play at least one more game, which will be announced at a later date based on seeding.

Roster

The Bucks announced the following roster for the California Classic Summer League:

• Zack Austin
• Brandon Boston Jr.
• Brayden Burries
• John Butler Jr.
• Rafael Castro
• Jesse Edwards
• Kuany Kuany
• Kira Lewis Jr.
• Malique Lewis
• Bogoljub Markovic
• Kevin ‘Boopie’ Miller Jr.
• Pete Nance
• Cormac Ryan
• Kobe Stewart
• Earl Timberlake Jr.
• Luke Travers
• Aaron Williams

Note: Nate Ament and Kasparas Jakucionis are presumably not playing in the California Classic due to the Giannis trade not being able to be finalised until July 6; expect both to play in Vegas. We will provide further updates on any other roster changes as they occur.

The Brew Hoop team should have rapid recaps up following each game. Go Bucks!

Much like city of Los Angeles it resides in, at its essence, the Lakers organization has long been built on the idea of superstardom.

Whether that’s on the big screen, the soundstage or, in the Lakers’ case, someone who can not only be a tentpole performer whose production drives winning on the court, but also possesses the personality and gravitas to draw eyeballs and attract fans off it.

From the days of George Mikan when the team was still in Minneapolis to Luka Dončić today, the ethos of the franchise has almost always been about acquiring not just the best players, but the biggest stars who could propel the team forward and compete for championships.

This will never change, either. It is embedded into the fabric of what makes up the Lakers as a brand as much as a sports team.

That said, when it comes to team building, I would argue that the Lakers, particularly under Rob Pelinka’s stewardship, have applied this same approach of pedigree and name value to the role players it’s acquired as they have with the superstars those secondary talents are supposed to support.

Said another way, setting aside the true “face of the franchise” players the Lakers are always trying to get their hands on, this front office has typically chased role players who fall into two categories:

1. Former lottery/high draft picks whose original (and sometimes second) teams moved on from them. These are the “second draft” players we are all familiar with: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Malik Monk, Rui Hachimura, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes, and Deandre Ayton. These are pure talent and upside plays; the sorts of players you sign in an attempt to capture the talent that got them drafted so high in the first place.
2. The “name brand” role players who have either been stars in their roles at the highest level on previous teams or themselves former superstars who have since transitioned to a different phase in their career, but whose original talent makes them attractive as higher level contributors than what their new roles might ask of them initially: Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard (the secoand and third stint), Danny Green, Trevor Ariza (second stint), Marc Gasol, and Carmelo Anthony.

If you weren’t drafted by the team, signed as an undrafted free agent, or mined out of the G-League, you most likely fell into one of these categories. Are there exceptions? Sure, but look through the team’s rosters under Pelinka and you’ll find way more examples from those two buckets above than ones who do not neatly fit into either.

That is, until this offseason.

The Lakers made waves early on day two of free agency when they sent a haul of draft picks and used a huge chunk of their cap space to acquire Walker Kessler from the Jazz to be their new starting center. Shortly after, and in rapid succession, the Lakers signed Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Collin Sexton to multi-year contracts, using up the rest of their cap space.

As much as this quartet represents a roster overhaul for an organization going through a sea change after losing LeBron James the day before, they are also a shift from the aforementioned two-pronged approach they’d often taken when chasing complementary players.

Instead, in Kessler, Grimes, Mamu, and Sexton, the Lakers targeted three lesser-known — but in their prime — veterans and one promising, but fairly unproven early 20-something, who are not the sort of prestige-based pedigree plays or name-brand, win-the-press-conference signings we’re used to this front office making.

What this also signals is a shift away from what I consider a more draft-based approach to player evaluation toward a purer version of pro-personnel scouting.

To dig deeper here, in many signings over the years, I’ve felt the Lakers had leaned more on their likes and preferences stemming from evaluations made when players were drafted, rather than on how they’d played as professionals. A common refrain I was used to hearing is that the Lakers “liked this player in the draft when they came out” or “they’ve been interested in them for years, since they were drafted”, rather than how that player might fit into their system or how they complemented the players already on the roster.

Pro-personnel scouting, however, leans more into those latter ideas of how to evaluate what a player has done in the pros and how their skill sets — even if they didn’t quite fit on their previous team — could not only be easily integrated into what your team does but also allow them to thrive. This is a more targeted approach tailored to the specifics of your team, your coach and the systems and schemes.

And this is what I believe the Lakers have done with this group. Sure, there is some previous history with some of these players — Sexton and Kessler played together in Utah, Grimes played with Luka in Dallas — but I would argue that more than any of that familiarity, what the Lakers have really done with these signings is target players who fit into what JJ Redick has said he wants in his players and what has, in the past, proven to be supportive of Dončić’s success.

It would be easy to point to Kessler here as the prime example, but I’d actually look at Mamu as a great representation of this idea.

At the Lakers’ season-end press conference, Redick spoke extensively about wanting to improve the team’s athleticism while also getting more players who have “dribble, pass, and shoot” skill sets. Mamu checks all of these boxes and does it from a man position that allows the team to be bigger on the court without a drop-off in skill.

I was NOT kidding about the Mamu grab-and-go thing, by the way.

The Raptors generated over 1.2 PPP (!) on trips where Sandro Mamukelashvili 1) grabbed a defensive rebound and 2) brought the ball up.

Could attack himself, hit lane-fillers, receive drag screens or flow into DHOs. pic.twitter.com/JaeNVqfqpC

— Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) July 1, 2026

This sort of big not only fits into how Redick wants to play, but it’s also the sort of archetype that Luka has thrived with in the past. While we often think of Dončić needing a rim-running lob threat, his history with Maxi Kleber also tells the story of a stretch big who can space the floor and give Luka driving lanes as being meaningful to his success.

Similar explanations could be provided for Grimes as a spot-up shooter who can attack closeouts and Sexton as a secondary shot creator who can push Luka off the ball for some possessions and allow him to either be a spot-up option or just allow him to decoy and occupy defenders while allowing his teammate to operate with more freedom.

How successful any of these moves will be remains to be seen. I am hopeful and optimistic, but until the team is fully complete and gets real reps together, no one can know for sure. But what seems clear right now is that these signings do represent a shift in the types of players the team has targeted with what feels like a greater emphasis on a different part of the scouting department.

You can follow Darius on BlueSky at @forumbluegoldand find more of his Lakers coverage on the Laker Film Room Podcast.

Woo is coming back to Detroit. Javonte Green, the final player signed before the start of the season last year, again takes the 15th roster spot for the Detroit Pistons, assuming Jalen Duren comes back and no other moves. We’ll get to that last bit again soon.

Green is signing a one-year, $3.95 million deal with the Pistons, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

JB Bickerstaff liked the 18-game stint he had with the Cavs when he coached there in 2024-25 and brought him along to Detroit, where both Green and the Pistons had massive success. He signed for a veteran minimum deal last year and surpassed all expectations.

Green played in all 82 regular-season games for the Pistons, shooting a career high from three while averaging 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 17.6 minutes per game. Not bad for an undrafted player who left Radford in 2015, spent years overseas before garnering NBA interest in 2019.

Green spent last season at various backcourt positions, primarily shooting guard and with a healthy mix of small forward. The Pistons aren’t exactly hurting for bodies at those positions with their current roster makeup.

The Pistons return last year’s starting backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson. They drafted Eubuka Okorie in the first round, have Daniss Jenkins back for another full season, added Isaiah Joe to play a major role, have Caris LeVert to do LeVert things, brought back last year’s second-rounder Chaz Lanier, and re-signed Kevin Huerter. That doesn’t even account for the fact that the team is slotting in Ausar Thompson as the starting small forward with an eye toward major minutes.

That is quite a roster glut, even if you’re factoring in the likely trade of Marcus Sasser to the Mavericks once all of Detroit’s moves can be made official.

The big man rotation is not quite so robust. Pencil in Duren for major minutes at center. His backup is Paul Reed, and Detroit will likely look to Tolu Smith as an insurance big. The power forward spot is just John Collins and Ron Holland as it stands today. Holland can certainly play the power forward spot, but he’s listed at just 208 pounds. There were reports late last season that the Pistons had already made arrangements to add Isaac Bonga, a 6-foot-8 forward. We will see if that rumored deal comes to fruition, but it is important to note that he weighs even less than Holland, and there isn’t currently a roster spot available for him.

It all begs the question. Is a consolidation trade coming? There are still murmurs of the Pistons being in on a Trey Murphy deal if the price ever comes down. There were sketchier reports that Detroit almost landed Kevin Durant in a three-way trade involving Jaylen Brown and Alperen Sengun.

Trajan Langdon has certainly been active this offseason. We will see if the Green signing is the capper to his offseason or the final move before a major deal emerges.

Ahead of NBA free agency, the Indiana Pacers elected to pick up former Wisconsin Badgers forward Micah Potter’s team option for the 2025-26 season, keeping him in town as Ivica Zubac’s backup.

Potter, 28, enjoyed a career year in Indiana, where he averaged 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds across 47 appearances with the Pacers. He made seven starts, playinh 19.7 minutes per game, which was also a career high.

Not only did Potter see more minutes and average more points and rebounds, but he did so in a highly efficient manner. The big man shot 51.5 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three on a career high 3.6 attempts per game.

The Pacers had to make a decision on Potter’s option by June 29th ahead of free agency, and it was an easy one for the team. Potter’s contract is non-guaranteed for next year, so there still is a ton of flexibility for the Pacers, but he should have a great chance at sticking around after a quality year.

Back in May, President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard did note his expectation for Potter and Jay Huff to battle for the backup center spot. So far, Indiana’s offseason moves have made it look like that remains the plan for the 2026-27 season.

Potter signed with the Pacers back in December on a two-year, $4.33 million dead that included a club option for the 2026-27 season. That came after he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs back in October. Potter had signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Spurs heading into the season after becoming a free agent, then found his way to Indiana, where he received the opportunity for regular playing time with the NBA team.

Now, he’s set for his biggest contract yet and a chance for a big opportunity in 2026-27.

The Los Angeles Lakers have already spent all their money in free agency, but improvements still need to be made to the roster.

General manager Rob Pelinka was aggressive once the signing window opened and headlined the Lakers’ free agent deals with a four-year, $130 million contract for center Walker Kessler. The Lakers also signed guards Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes as well as big man Sandro Mamukelashvili.

While those additions are strong individually, there’s much doubt surrounding how the team will jell as a collective. Moreover, there is still a glaring hole for a versatile wing defender.

The Lakers have been linked to free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, who is coming off a 2025-26 campaign where he averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He shot 46.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc last season for the Atlanta Hawks.

The 23-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career with the Golden State Warriors, so the Lakers are quite familiar with the type of player Kuminga is. Joining the Lakers would be a good opportunity for Kuminga, who could serve as a starter or bench player in LA.

The organization saw several key players depart this offseason with LeBron James informing the Lakers he would not return for the 2026-27 season as well sharpshooter Luke Kennard and defensive specialist Marcus Smart signing elsewhere.

Their departures left the Lakers without multiple starters and one notable sixth man — Rui Hachimura.

Hachimura is an unrestricted free agent, yet remains unsigned unlike Kennard and Smart. The slow free agency process for Hachimura speaks volumes for the Lakers, who seem to be weighing their options in free agency.

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According to NBA insider Dave McMenamin, there are rumblings that LA is planning on making a potential trade or using the stretch provision to make an offer, which could be made to either Kuminga or Hachimura.

“That Hachimura remains unsigned caused several league sources to wonder whether the Lakers are planning some sort of trade or using the stretch provision on perhaps Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton to be able to offer Hachimura more,” McMenamin writes.

Currently, the Lakers don’t have the ability to sign another player, aside from a veteran on a league minimum. In order to make a considerable offer to Kuminga or Hachimura, the Lakers would have to execute a trade or waive Vanderbilt or Ayton.

Hachimura is coming off a strong playoff performance where he averaged 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. However, the current Lakers roster is lacking a versatile defender and the forward has notoriously struggled in that area.

But Hachimura gives the Lakers a solid three-point shooter who is coming off a postseason where he shot over 50% from three. There seems to be upside for both Hachimura and Kuminga, who is the younger option of the two.

If the Lakers want to continue infusing youth into the roster, Kuminga would be the obvious choice as he has the potential to develop into a solid two-way player at only 23 years old.

Pelinka will have to get creative in order to acquire more talent before the season begins, but it’s clear the path to do so will be challenging.

In an attention economy that rewards instant reactions, Henri’s remarkable slide down NBA draft board became one of the hottest social media content generators to come out of the two rounds. A projected late first round pick, a number of factors coincided to see 51 players selected ahead of the Estonian big man. Condemnation came fast. A sampling includes the following:

Via a UNC source: Henri Veesaar would have had at least a $5 million NIL deal had he returned. He left to chase being a first-rounder.

We're into the mid-40s and he's still waiting.

Easily the biggest mistake of the 2026 draft—and certainly one of the biggest in recent memory.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 25, 2026

"It didn't feel great. I was a little bit surprised."

Former @UNC_Basketball C Henri Veesar on not getting drafted until late 2nd round. Says he felt the @ATLHawks were the best fit for him.

Chip on the shoulder? "Hell yeah!" @wsbtvpic.twitter.com/pGOUos5ynL

— Luke Hetrick (@LHSportsTV) June 25, 2026

A few days ago, this blog looked at those issues and the potential fall-out for Henri. While the CBA between the NFL and its players’ union specifies salary slots through the entirety of the draft, the NBA’s CBA allows teams much more latitude with second round picks. The article noted the likelihood that Veesaar and his agent still secured a deal with some guaranteed years in the range of $2+ million or more, but that wouldn’t be known until the contracts details were released.

Well, those details are now public:

Henri Veesaar has signed a four-year, $9.3 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks, per sources.

Veesaar was the 52nd pick in the draft. The structure of the deal is the same as the 31st, 32nd and 35th picks in last year’s draft. pic.twitter.com/E3KV9tCnLX

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) July 1, 2026

The details of that contract are even better. It appears Veesaar receives three guaranteed years totaling more than $6.3 million. That’s a firm footing in the NBA and reflects a commitment by the Hawks to develop Veesaar over years versus throwing him into the fire in season one and seeing if he sticks. The money’s objectively fantastic for a 22-year-old. It’s exactly what Veesaar wanted when he decided to stay in the draft, a worst-case scenario that’s still pretty great.

Veesaar had this to say about his decision at the combine, before the two-round roller coaster put a national spotlight on him:

“Obviously, it’s tempting,” Veesaar said during the NBA combine this summer. “Like, there’s a lot of money being thrown around in college. It’s another year of going to school, being able to get ready for the NBA, but honestly getting thrown into the fire is the best way to learn. I had that as a freshman in college. I feel like I had the same one as going to Real Madrid when I was 15. You kind of get thrown in the practice with players that are older than you, better than you, more experienced than you. So you learn a lot quicker.”

As a basketball decision, Henri used what he knew of himself and what his agent knew of team interest to make a decision that turned out well for him. Yes, in the short-term, the financial difference seems notable. $1.4 million is much less than $5 million, making the first year shortfall north of $3 million. College basketball was willing to pay a player the NBA values as one of the 35 best coming into the league more than three times that much for a single year of service.

That says more about where college basketball is these days than Veesaar’s decision. Next season probably will have another Tar Heel or two evaluating similar decisions. The college game will offer more immediate money, while the NBA game offers the ultimate validation as well as long-term financial potential. A different player may weigh priorities differently, but it certainly ended well for Veesaar. Good outcomes for UNC players can only help the program moving forward.

On June 17, 2024, the Mavericks walked off the floor in Boston disappointed, but hopeful for the future. They had just made the NBA Finals for the first time since their fateful win in 2011, and although it was sad to see them lose, everything pointed to them being back sooner rather than later. They retooled that summer, got hot in late November, and suited up to play the Timberwolves that Christmas. Luka Doncic had battled some injuries that fall, but he was healthy on Christmas Day. Until he wasn’t. Doncic exited the game in the first half with a calf injury and never put a Mavericks uniform on again. 

He is a Laker now. He has turned the page and played some of the best basketball of his career on the West Coast. But despite the fact that he plays in another city, it’s worth asking whether his heart is still in North Texas. In fact, it’s even worth asking if he’d ever return to North Texas and play for the Mavericks again. As my co-contributor Tyler Edsel and I have found, there is evidence to suggest he would, and we are going to lay out why and how that would happen. 

The Motivation

As we approach a year and a half since the trade, the number of motivating factors to push Doncic out of his foster home has increased tenfold. Let’s start with the reason anyone wants to play anywhere: winning. Doncic’s Lakers just got ousted in the second round via a sweep by the Thunder, giving them one playoff series win in the last two seasons. Of those three series, Doncic has played in just one: a five-game loss to the Timberwolves last year. To say he is motivated by winning in the postseason would be an understatement, and since being traded to the Lakers, he hasn’t done that. Through no fault of his own, I might add. 

And how do the Lakers turn around the disappointment of the last two seasons? Well, it starts with the roster. The roster building has been pinned to this offseason for quite some time. A person from the Slovenian superstar’s camp has said: “Ever since the trade, they’ve always told us: ‘summer of ’26. We’ll show you in the summer of ’26”. Well, it is the summer of ‘26. The Lakers have lost key pieces like Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes and likely Rui Hachimura. They have re-signed DeAndre Ayton and traded two unprotected first-round picks and $130 million over four years for center Walker Kessler, who has played just 63 games in the last two seasons. Not to mention, LeBron James has already stated his intent to play elsewhere.

In terms of additions, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili have signed multi-year deals with the team. Austin Reaves was just re-signed to a max contract, and while he is a similar fit alongside Doncic to NBA Finals teammate Kyrie Irving, the pieces around them do not compare. The Lakers have, effectively, one or two wings, and their bench leaves much to be desired. They will have to thread the needle for the next four months to build a better roster while they allocate north of 80 percent of the salary cap to Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler.

As long as Doncic is on the team, the Lakers will be good. We saw that with the Mavericks from 2020 to 2022. But good teams do not win championships. Doncic is entering his age-28 season, and the clock is ticking on his prime. The Lakers have effectively reset his career to 2021 or so with the roster they have assembled. He will be 29 by the time free agency in 2028 rolls around and his current contract is up. Depending on how the next two seasons go, Doncic could get disgruntled with the team he never asked to be on in the first place. 

If he were to ever leave Los Angeles, he could theoretically go anywhere. But we know how much Dallas means to him. And now the Mavericks have the guy to make playing here again enticing. Cooper Flagg is a fantastic fit alongside Doncic and will only be 21 years old during the summer of 2028. The regime that ultimately threw him out will have been long gone, and time heals all wounds created by an oblivious owner. Doncic has said that Dallas will always be home, and that doesn’t leave you in a few years. He knows that he will be welcomed with open arms and given a chance at redemption.

Right now, this is all posturing. There are fragments here and there that you can piece together, but no real smoke. There is kindling for a fire, however. And starting with this summer, there is a real path to ignite the purple and gold in flames by the time Doncic has a chance to jump ship.

Come back tomorrow for part two in this series.

Ah, yes, NBA Summer League, the time of the year when all the NBA sickos that don’t watch a single second of college basketball suddenly discover college players that we’ve been paying attention to for months if not years.

That’s the side value of Summer League. For our Marquette-centric purposes here, we’re keeping an eye on former Golden Eagles who are right on the fringe of an NBA roster, either on one side of the cut or another.

We will get at least one more game than listed below for every team. The Las Vegas format is “everyone plays four games, then decide a top four to create semifinals,” so there could even be two more games if any of the teams with Marquette players get that far. If they don’t finish top four, then there will be a consolation game for every team involved, so just one more than what is pre-scheduled. If the timing works out right, I’ll find a way to cram those extra games into this schedule eventually.

Because of how Summer League works — there’s more than just the Vegas event! — I have to publish this on Friday, July 3rd, even though Vegas doesn’t start until July 9th. That’s also why I have just one name on the list right now, because Vegas rosters aren’t 100% finalized for every team and for the moment, I’m only aware of one former Marquette player guaranteed to appear in Summer League. We’ll update as we can/need to……

Chase Ross — Los Angeles Lakers

Chase Ross just finished his senior year at Marquette, which goes into the history books as one of the more disappointing 14/4/3/2 seasons you’ll ever see from a college basketball player. To the surprise of no one, he was not selected in the NBA Draft, but Ross was pretty quickly claimed by the Los Angeles Lakers for an Exhibit 10 contract. That deal is enough to lock Ross into a spot with the Lakers here and at training camp, and give him an inside track on a two-way deal or a spot on LA’s G-League team when we get to the fall.

We don’t have just traditional Vegas Summer League to keep tabs on for Ross and the Lakers. They’ll be in the California Classic one week earlier, which is why you’re seeing this schedule now instead of closer to when the Vegas event tips off. It’s possible that Ross’ usage during the three Classic games will tip the Lakers’ hand as to how much we should expect to see him when the action shifts to Sin City, but who can say for certain until the ball is tipped?

California Classic

July 3: vs Golden State Warriors Gold, 9:30pm (NBA TV, ESPNU, Prime Video)
July 5: vs Miami Heat, 3:30pm (ESPN, Prime Video)
July 6: vs San Antonio Spurs, 6:30pm (ESPNU, Prime Video)

Las Vegas

July 10: vs Oklahoma City Thunder, 9pm, Prime Video
July 11: vs Dallas Mavericks, 7pm, ESPN
July 14: vs LA Clippers, 7pm, Prime Video
July 16: vs Chicago Bulls, 3pm, Prime Video

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Sometimes, we as Washington Wizards fans get it wrong — or at least we are 99.9 percent certain that we will be wrong. If only a sportsbook like FanDuel could do robust prediction markets on trades. Just so you know, they did sponsor this post.

According to the latest SB Nation Reacts poll from earlier this week, 64 percent of Wizards fans believe Anthony Davis will be traded this offseason. However, the Wizards are reportedly NOT interested in trading him though.

Our poll came out before reports indicated that the Wizards wanted to see what the brow could do in DC first. pic.twitter.com/8R8b8M3P81

— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) July 2, 2026

It’s possible that Davis could be traded in the middle of next season. Look at previous Wizards like Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valanciunas or CJ McCollum. But the Wizards aren’t supposed to be rebuilding for the sake of rebuilding anymore. At this point, it appears that they want to see how AJ Dybantsa will work with Davis and Trae Young before any major decisions are made.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

In light of the Lakers’ 35-minute free-agency splurge Wednesday morning, which netted them Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton, and the dissection of each of those agreements, what can’t be overlooked is how the Lakers kicked it all off by filling their biggest need.

The Lakers agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Jazz that’ll land them restricted free-agent center Walker Kessler, ending a multiyear saga of attempting to bring the 7-foot-2, 245-pound Kessler to Los Angeles. 

And the cost to acquire Kessler was steep. 

A four-year, $130 million contract (an average annual salary of $32.5 million) that’ll pay Kessler around $30.2 million in 2026-27, making him the 10th-highest-paid center in the NBA next season (he’ll likely drop to 11th after All-Star big man Jalen Duren signs his next deal). 

Two unprotected first-round picks, with the Lakers sending the Jazz their selections in 2031 and 2033.

And providing the Jazz with the right to swap first-round picks in 2028 and 2030. Meaning the Lakers won’t have control of any of their first-round picks until 2032, which they can only trade as a pick swap. They couldn’t outright trade that pick until the day of the 2032 draft because of the “Stepien Rule.”

The Lakers also only have one second-round pick (2033) they can include in a trade, providing them with very little draft capital to make other moves if they need to pivot. 

And the Lakers, who entered free agency with $52 million in cap space, aren’t projected to have cap space again for the foreseeable future, let alone like they did this summer. 

Trading for Kessler was costly.

And he’s absolutely worth it — a player the Lakers needed to acquire this summer to have any semblance of having a successful offseason.

The sticker shock of Kessler’s salary is understandable. 

Among the 12 centers projected to be paid at least $28 million (including Duren), Kessler is the only one who hasn’t been named an All-Star at least once, showing he’s the most unproven. 

But at 24 years old (he turns 25 on July 26), he’s also one of the youngest and has the upside to not only be an All-Star but also an annual candidate for an All-Defense team. 

Kessler is also uniquely qualified to fill multiple needs the Lakers had. 

He’s been one of the league’s best rim protectors since entering the league out of Auburn in 2022, ranking in the top seven of defensive field-goal percentage difference allowed within 6 feet of the rim in each of his first three seasons. This includes No. 3 as a rookie and No. 3 as a second-year player.     

The Lakers? They were the league’s second-worst rim-protecting team in the league in 2025-26. 

Kessler has also been one of the league’s best rim protectors, with opponents consistently shooting significantly fewer shots at the rim when he’s on the floor compared with when he’s not throughout his career.

Since the Lakers traded Anthony Davis as part of the deal to acquire Luka Doncic in February 2025, coach JJ Redick has consistently had to scheme multiple ways to protect the paint despite not having the best resources personnel-wise.

Now, Redick has a player in Kessler he can build the Lakers’ defense around as they look to improve from having the No. 18-ranked defense in 2025-26 and No. 15 defense in 2024-25. 

And Kessler is versatile enough defensively that Redick can use him in multiple ways — though drop coverage is the best way for Kessler to operate.  

While most of Kessler’s value comes on the defensive end, he’s still a useful offensive player. 

He’s a great screener who’ll free up the plethora of ball handlers the Lakers have at their disposal, led by Doncic and fellow star guard Austin Reaves. 

And with great hands and a wide catch radius, Kessler is a strong converter at the rim via lobs, dunks or simple finishes. 

His offensive rebounding — he led the league in offensive boards per game with 4.6 in 2024-25 — will be a welcome sight for the Lakers, who’ve been a bottom-tier offensive rebounding team for five consecutive seasons.

But one of the biggest reasons why Kessler is worth every bit of what the Lakers gave up to get him is he’s what Doncic wanted.

The superstar guard made it clear to the Lakers he desired an upper-echelon center. 

Deandre Ayton isn’t that. Nor was Jaxson Hayes. 

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And while Kessler may be a limited player, he’s great at the areas he excels in and has a lot of room for growth — the type of player worth making a long-term investment in.

He’s also as close to a perfect fit as it gets for Doncic as a rim-protecting, rim-running big man — the center archetype Doncic has always been at his best playing alongside. Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2024 when he had Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II in similar roles. 

With Doncic only having two more guaranteed seasons on his three-year extension that starts in 2026-27 (he has a player option for 2028-29), the Lakers couldn’t afford to strike out on another chance to get Doncic what he wanted. 

They couldn’t risk the potential of Doncic getting a wandering eye in the summer of 2028 if he felt discontent with the Lakers’ ability to build a complementary roster around him. 

Kessler doesn’t solve all of the Lakers’ issues.

They need more help on the wings. They could still get more athletic. They’re going to need at least one of — and probably both — 2026 first-round pick Cameron Carr and 2025 second-round pick Adou Thiero to have significant roles to have a shot at contending in the Western Conference. 

But Kessler fulfills multiple needs and can be a long-term starter alongside Doncic and Reaves. 

He can be a cornerstone for the franchise. 

He’ll give Doncic what he desires on the court and help remove questions about their willingness or ability to build around him. 

Which makes Kessler not worth every bit of what the Lakers gave up to get him but a necessary component of their offseason.