Tim Legler replaces Doris Burke on ESPN's lead NBA team; Burke inks contract extension
ESPN announced some changes Thursday for its NBA broadcast teams going into the 2025-26 season — among them, a promotion for Tim Legler and a contract extension (but also a demotion) for Doris Burke.
Legler will join the network's lead NBA crew, which also includes play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, fellow analyst Richard Jefferson and reporter Lisa Salters.
That team will call the 2026 NBA Finals on ABC, as well as the conference finals, several first- and second-round playoff games, a Christmas Day game and NBA Saturday Primetime games on ABC.
Legler is a former NBA journeyman who won the league's three-point shooting contest during the 1996 All-Star festivities. He retired as a player in 2000 and joined ESPN as an analyst the same year.
Read more:'Stupid idea'? Charles Barkley says 'Inside the NBA' hosts may have another show on TNT
ESPN did not provide details on Burke's contract extension, other than to say it is for multiple years. According to a press release, Burke will call "full slates of games throughout the regular season and the NBA playoffs" on ESPN and ABC with play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch.
Burke has been with ESPN since 1991 and joined the network's lead NBA broadcast team in 2023. When she called the 2024 NBA Finals, she became the first woman to serve as a TV game analyst for a championship-round game in one of the four major professional U.S. men's sports leagues.
In 2018, Burke received the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award for outstanding contributions to basketball.
Read more:Plaschke: 'It’s over.' Bidding farewell to ESPN's 'Around the Horn' with gratitude
The news that Burke's future with the lead NBA team was up in the air was first reported by The Athletic in June ahead of the 2025 Finals. Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle spoke in support of Burke during his news conference before Game 1.
“She’s changed the game for women in broadcasting,” Carlisle said. “Doris is a great example of courage and putting herself out there."
Also on Thursday, ESPN announced a multi-year extension for Jefferson, who has been with the network since 2019 and called his first NBA Finals this year.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Mavericks want to bring back Dante Exum, but will they trade (or waive) Prosper or Hardy to do it?
With Kyrie Irving out for most, if not all, of the coming season as he recovers from a torn ACL, the Dallas Mavericks are looking for depth to put behind offseason acquisition D'Angelo Russell at the point. What they'd like to do is bring back Dante Exum, who has spent the last two seasons with the team (although he played in just 20 games last season following wrist surgery) and would return on a veteran minimum contract.
The problem: Bringing Exum in, even on the minimum, bumps Dallas above the second apron of the luxury tax, a place they do not want to be. That has Dallas "focused on finding a new home via trade" for forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who is in his final year of his rookie contract, a move reported by Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. Prosper, the No. 24 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was sent to Dallas in a draft-night trade by Sacramento, but has never found a steady spot in Jason Kidd's rotation.
Jaden Hardy is also available for a trade, Fischer said. The guard, about to enter his fourth NBA season, averaged 8.7 points a game last season in Dallas.
Trading either Prosper (set to earn $3 million this season) or Hardy (with three years and $18 million remaining on his contract) would mean attaching a second-round pick to the deal as a sweetener. Dallas doesn't want to give up those picks, which has the Mavericks considering another option — waiving and stretching a player to create cap space.
That must be done by a league deadline of Friday at 5 PM Eastern. Doing so with Hardy creates plenty of cushion to bring in Exum, and if Dallas is serious about holding onto those picks, that may be the option.
It's something to watch, whatever is happening it likely happens in the next 24 hours.
Lakers brass shows up at EuroBasket 2025 in Poland, watch Luka Doncic's Slovenia team lose
A raucous crowd filled the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland, today when the Polish national team hosted Slovenia in a first-round FIBA EuroBasket 2025 game.
But Slovenia star Luka Doncic had at least a few familiar folks rooting him on. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, general manager Rob Pelinka and others from Los Angeles made the 6,000-mile, 12-hour flight to support the cornerstone of the Lakers' future.
“We just wanted to make a statement to Luka that we support what he does for his country," Pelinka told Dan Woike of the Athletic in Poland before the game. "That’s really important to the Lakers when we have a player that’s the face of our franchise, just to show that support for him. And it’s just great to see him with his teammates, interacting, having fun."
Turned out the game might not have been too fun for Doncic and Slovenia, which lost to Poland 105-95. Doncic led all scorers with 34 points, including 14 in the first quarter. He finished with nine assists, five steals and four rebounds.
Doncic became the first player to combine 30-plus points, five or more assists and five or more steals in a single EuroBasket game. Also, his 17 free throws were the most by any EuroBasket player since 2005, when Juan Carlos Navarro made 18 against Croatia.
Still, the play circulating on social media is Doncic getting assessed with a technical foul after tossing up a long, one-handed three-point attempt to try to draw a foul.
Doncic, acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks for center Anthony Davis on Feb. 1, signed a three-year, $165-million contract extension with the Lakers on Aug. 2. The five-time All-NBA guard has averaged 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists a game during his seven-year career.
Read more:Luka Doncic takes a jab at Mavericks while showing off his revenge body
Poland, which upset Slovenia in the EuroBasket 2022 quarterfinals, has three stars in Aleksander Balcerowski, Jordan Loyd and Mateusz Ponitka. Slovenia was missing several key players — Josh Nebo, Vlatko Čančar, Jaka Blažič and Zoran Dragić — putting pressure on Doncic to carry the team.
The tournament brings together Europe’s top national teams. Besides Doncic, NBA stars participating include Kristaps Porziņģis, Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun. Doncic is determined to continue representing his country in international competition.
"It's an easy choice," he told Woike. "I always want to represent my country. Always did. No matter what."
Doncic, 26, is in the best physical condition of his career. He spent the summer in Croatia working out twice a day and adhering to a gluten-free, low-sugar, high-protein diet.
Read more:Gilbert Arenas rebrands podcast with an NFL focus and Skip Bayless as a partner
"He is in great shape, really committed to working hard this summer, and to be able to watch that in person was worth flying over the ocean to come be with him,” Pelinka said.
Pelinka and Buss were joined on the trip to Poland by Kurt Rambis, Linda Rambis and director of player performance and health Leroy Sims.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Dawn Staley confirms she interviewed for Knicks head coaching job, would have accepted it
Multiple NBA front office personnel have told NBC Sports that Dawn Staley is the name to watch as the first woman hired as a head coach in the NBA. She has proven her coaching chops, leading the South Carolina women to three NCAA titles and coaching the USA women to a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Additionally, she is an eight-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time Olympic gold medalist as a player. More than all that, the executives say Staley has the presence to command an NBA locker room and would have the respect of the players.
The Knicks gave her an interview during their head coaching search this summer, Staley said on the Post Moves podcast with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston (hat tip Hoops Rumors).
Dawn Staley speaks on coaching in the NBA, saying “if the Knicks would have offered me the job, I would have had to do it.” pic.twitter.com/BnBGEskmNx
— Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston (@PostMovesShow) August 27, 2025
"I interviewed for the Knicks. It was the same interview that everybody else that was in their candidate pool. Same thing... I thought I did pretty well. I was well prepared... If the Knicks would've offered me the job, I would've had to do it. Not just for me, it's for women. … To break open that. And it's the New York Knicks, and I'm from Philly, but it's the freakin' New York Knicks."
After firing Tom Thibodeau despite his leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, the Knicks cast a wide net in their search for Thibodeau's replacement. Adding Staley to that mix was the smart move. Knicks' president Leon Rose interviewed a number of people for the job, and a couple of coaches without prior head coaching experience got deep into the process. However, in the end, the Knicks went with a proven and well-traveled coach in Mike Brown.
Staley said she may have cost herself the job by asking pointed questions about whether the Knicks were ready for the attention and pushback that hiring a woman would cause. "Because it would. It would. Because you're going to be asked questions that you don't have to be asked if you hire a male coach," Staley said on the podcast.
Staley didn't get this job — and said she wouldn't take just any NBA job offered — but she's a name to watch when the NBA coaching carousel spins around again. NBA front offices have their eye on her.
Brandin Podziemski reveals how Warriors' locker room views Jonathan Kuminga saga
Brandin Podziemski reveals how Warriors' locker room views Jonathan Kuminga saga originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Jonathan Kuminga saga has dominated Warriors and NBA discourse throughout the offseason.
But how do Golden State’s players actually feel about the situation? Third-year guard Brandin Podziemski revealed how he and his Warriors teammates view the Kuminga noise in a conversation with 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs” on Wednesday.
“Obviously, everybody on our team knows it’s the media’s job to try to nitpick and find things to write and talk about and separate teammates so they have a story to write,” Podziemski told Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “Like, we all know that’s how it works; especially the guys who have been around it for 10 to 15 years, they know how it works.
“Everybody in the locker room knows no matter how that situation’s resolved, it doesn’t change our viewpoint of JK as a person [and] as a player. Obviously, we all want him to be in Golden State; that’s the whole point. But it doesn’t change anything.”
To no one’s surprise, Podziemski has his teammate’s back.
It is no secret that Golden State, the lone franchise that has yet to make an offseason move, likely has transactions in wait because of the Kuminga situation. But it’s also well known that Kuminga and the Warriors are at an impasse in contract negotiations.
At the end of the day, games will be played, and Podziemski will be obligated to lace up his shoes regardless of Kuminga’s status. The guard simply is focused on what he can control.
“The media is going to portray it one way to try and make people think differently of it,” Podziemski told Willard and Dibley. “But it doesn’t change my perspective. I know all I can control is being the best version of Brandin Podziemski that I can be going into my third year, and everything else is going to fall how it may.”
Podziemski said he and his Warriors teammates want Kuminga back for the 2025-26 NBA season. However, it’s uncertain how much Golden State’s front office agrees with that sentiment, if it does at all.
Two Suns minority owners sue team, focused on owner Mat Ishbia, over transparency
When Mat Ishbia purchased a controlling interest in the Phoenix Suns, he offered to buy out any of the team's 16 minority owners (using the $4 billion valuation of the team to set the price). Fourteen of those owners took him up on the offer.
The two that did not — Kisco WC Sports and Kent Circle Investments – have taken the Suns to court in Delaware over frustrations about transparency and access to information, NBC Sports has confirmed.
"Our clients sued to obtain records to which they are entitled as minority owners of the Suns," said attorneys Michael Carlinsky and Michael Barlow of Quinn Emanuel, who are representing the minority owners. "They are concerned by the manager's [Ishbia's] approach towards minority owners, and want more information about certain spending and capital raises in which the manager has engaged. Transparency with minority owners is not optional, and our clients think it is critical to the success of the Suns."
In the court papers, Kisco and Kent Circle claim they have not had access to view basic information about the franchise, including how it has been run and some of the investments that Ishbia and the Suns have made, such as a new practice facility. With that, the minority owners don't believe they have an understanding of what their shares are worth. They are asking the court to allow them to investigate what they perceive as potential violations of the limited liability company agreement, as well as conflicts of interest.
There are somewhat conflicting reports that one or both of the minority owners are looking to sell their shares and get out (it is known that Kisco and Ishbia discussed a buyout at one point). If true, this suit could be in part an effort to gain leverage in those talks. Suns Capital Group LLC sent a letter to the minority owners stating that it does not have a problem with the two groups selling their shares to outside groups, but the owners cannot demand that Ishbia and the Suns LLC buy them out at a higher valuation than the team was purchased for, reports Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports.
For Suns fans, this will have no impact on the court or on how the fans experience their favorite team. For fans with questions about Ishbia's ownership, it's simply something to note for now.
Watch Turkiye's Sehmus Hazer put Kristaps Porzingis in poster during Turkiye's opening game win
EuroBasket tipped off on Wednesday with games across the continent, but being at home did not help Latvia in its opener, as it fell to Turkiye 93-73.
It wasn't a good day for the Hawks' Kristaps Porzingis, who shot 3-of-12 from the floor and ended up in a poster at the hands of Sehmus Hazer.
SEHMUS HAZER WITH THE DUNK OF #EUROBASKET ALREADY pic.twitter.com/kDoFDdvl6D
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 27, 2025
Hazer plays for Turkish power Anadolu Efes and played three games at the 2021 NBA Summer League for the Cavaliers.
Alperen Sungun had an impressive opening game with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, leading a Turkiye team that looked like a real threat in this tournament.
16 PTS 8 REB 7 AST
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 27, 2025
@alperennsengun was doing it all for Türkiye in their #EuroBasket opener! pic.twitter.com/yAV71Jari9
NBA veteran Cedi Osman, who now plays for Panathinaikos in Greece, led Turkiye with 20 points, while former Maverick, Knick, Net and Celtic Shane Larkin added 15. The simple difference in this game: Turkiye shot 60% from the floor while Latvia shot 38.7%.
Dawn Staley says she would have taken Knicks’ coaching job if offered
In an interview with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston on their “Post Moves” podcast, the South Carolina women’s basketball head coach confirmed she had a formal interview for the Knicks’ head coach vacancy earlier this summer and was interested in the position.
“If the Knicks would have offered me the job, I would have had to do it,” Staley said. “It’s not just for me, it’s for women, for … to break open that. It’s the New York Knicks, and I’m from Philly, but it’s the freakin’ New York Knicks.”
Dawn Staley speaks on coaching in the NBA, saying “if the Knicks would have offered me the job, I would have had to do it.” 👀 pic.twitter.com/BnBGEskmNx
— Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston (@PostMovesShow) August 27, 2025
League sources told The Athletic that while Staley impressed during her conversation with team president Leon Rose and other members of the Knicks’ front office, she was not considered a finalist to fill the vacancy left when the team fired head coach Tom Thibodeau following the franchise’s first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years. The franchise hired Mike Brown, formerly the Sacramento Kings’ head coach, to replace Thibodeau.
During the conversation with Parker and Boston, Staley said she went into the interview with the Knicks’ brass with a series of questions of her own, primarily centered around the potential impact of hiring the first woman head coach in NBA history.
“Would I take any NBA job? No,” Staley said. “I will say this: The NBA has to be ready for a female head coach. You can’t just interview somebody and say, ‘We’re going to hire her.’ I probably lost the job by asking this question.”
“Well, I had a series of questions that I asked them,” she continued. “No. 1 was: Why was I in the candidate pool? I said, ‘Has the New York Knicks organization, in its history, ever had what you’re looking for? They wanted a team. They wanted inclusiveness with management, coaches and everyone. They wanted it to feel like a closely-knit franchise. The answer was really ‘no.’ If you don’t hire anyone different, how are you going to get that? That was No. 1.
“My other question was, ‘If you hired me as the first female coach, how would it impact your daily job?’ Because it would. It would. You’re going to get questions that you don’t have to be asked if you hire a male coach. There’s going to be the media, all this stuff you’ll have to deal with that you didn’t have to deal with and don’t have to deal with when you hire a male. That got them to thinking. That really got them to thinking. ‘Maybe she’s right.’ I felt the energy change after that.”
Staley signed a new contract with South Carolina in January that makes her the highest-paid coach in women’s college basketball. The deal, which extends through the 2029-30 season, totals more than $25 million after signing bonuses and annual increases.
Staley’s interview was part of an unorthodox Knicks’ coaching search that ended with Brown’s hiring. Team decision-makers reached out to multiple NBA teams to inquire about their head coaches under contract, like Houston’s Ime Udoka, Dallas’ Jason Kidd and Chicago’s Billy Donovan. The Knicks also interviewed NBA assistant coaches like Minnesota’s Micah Nori and New Orleans’ James Borrego, as well as recently-fired head coaches like Taylor Jenkins and Brown.
More women than ever are joining NBA coaching staffs in high-ranking roles, but no woman has ever been the head coach of an NBA team.
In 2019, the Knicks, under a previous regime, hired Lisa Willis, a former WNBA player, as an assistant coach for their G League affiliate.
There are currently three women who serve as NBA assistant coaches: Jenny Boucek (Indiana Pacers), Brittni Dolandson (Atlanta Hawks) and Lindsey Harding (Los Angeles Lakers). In 2024, Harding, then the head coach of the Stockton Kings, became the first woman to be named coach of the year in the G League. Harding was the first woman to be the head coach of a G League team, and she worked under Anjali Ranadivé, the first female general manager in G League history.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
New York Knicks, South Carolina Gamecocks, NBA, Women's College Basketball, Culture
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Matthew Caldwell leaving Stanley Cup champion Panthers, becoming CEO of Timberwolves and Lynx
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Matthew Caldwell is stepping down as the business operations president of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and accepting a 10-year deal as CEO of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
The teams announced the deal. Caldwell will begin overseeing “day-to-day business operations and high-level strategic initiatives for the Timberwolves, Lynx, and (the G League’s) Iowa Wolves” on Sept. 2.
It’s a major move by new Timberwolves and Lynx owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who assumed full control of those franchises earlier this summer.
“I love the NHL. I’ve enjoyed hockey and I’m a big fan of it,” Caldwell said. “But the NBA is just a much bigger, global platform. I really believe in Marc and Alex and their vision and what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to make Minnesota best in class.”
Caldwell joined the Panthers in 2014 as chief operating officer before being promoted to CEO in 2016.
“Our vision is for the Timberwolves and Lynx to set a new standard of excellence in pro sports and we’re confident that Matthew is the leader needed to make that a reality,” Lore and Rodriguez said in a joint statement. “Leading our organization into an innovative new era requires an exceptional individual at the helm and Matthew’s proven track record leading the business of the Florida Panthers is undeniable. We can’t wait to see the remarkable impact his bold leadership will have on this organization.”
Caldwell — who served in the Army, is a West Point grad, received MBA and law degrees from Northwestern and worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs — played a major role in many parts of the Panthers’ turnaround in recent years, especially off the ice.
Earlier this year the Panthers extended their operating agreement with Broward County for five more years, ensuring that the team remains in the South Florida market through 2033 and likely well beyond. The team is playing host to an outdoor game in the Miami Marlins’ stadium for the first time this season, has a long waiting list for season tickets and opened a new practice facility at Fort Lauderdale’s War Memorial two years ago.
Caldwell said the change was somewhat bittersweet, which was a sentiment echoed by Panthers owner Vincent Viola.
“There are very few opportunities I would advise him to pursue, but working with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore on a global platform like the NBA is at the top of that list,” Viola said. “It’s tremendously bittersweet for our family, but we recognize this is an exceptional opportunity and great next step in his career. Matt’s impact on our organization has been immeasurable and he leaves with our respect and gratitude.”
Pistons president Trajan Langdon says young core remains priority
Detroit is coming off a breakout season: 44 wins and a top-six seed, Cade Cunningham becoming not just an All-Star but an All-NBA player, and then the team's young core gaining some serious playoff experience against the Knicks in the first round.
That left some pundits suggesting consolidation trades — using some of that young core to trade for another star to pair with Cunningham, who could vault the team up the standings even further. That was never the plan inside the building, with Piston's president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon telling The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson the plan is to stick with the young core.
"We want to see what those guys' ceilings are. It's continuing to put players with them that can continue to help them grow, develop and reach their potential. That's one thing we try to be as cognizant as possible of, which is something at times that can be challenging. Of course, you want to continue to get better, but we're very aware of what the timing of that is. We want our guys to continue to develop and at least get close to their ceiling or potential. Then maybe at that point is when we realize, OK, what is the proper player fit for these guys when it's time to really go?...
"I don’t think we truly understand who our players can be at this point. I just think it's too early for us to truly understand what the best way to press the proverbial gas pedal is right now. So, we're gonna try to be patient with that and let our young guys continue to develop."
That young core is led by Cunningham, who had his big breakout last season, but includes a lot of quality players: Jalen Duran (a potential All-Star big man), Jaden Ivey (who was having his own breakout season averaging 17.6 points a game until a broken left fibula ended his season on Jan. 1), Ron Holland (who looked ready for a bigger role at Summer League), Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser.
The one big change in Detroit will be sixth man Malik Beasley, who has not been re-signed (in the wake of a federal gambling investigation) and is replaced by Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson.
In what is considered a down year in the East due to key injuries in Boston and Indiana, can Detroit make another leap up the standings? Is this young core ready for that? The opportunity is there, but the growth of a team is not always as linear as we fans would like it to be.
Whatever happens, it will be on the Pistons' young core to make it happen. Langden is giving them their shot.
Neemias Queta's stellar EuroBasket debut included a notable development
Neemias Queta's stellar EuroBasket debut included a notable development originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If you’re a Boston Celtics fan searching for optimism amid a depressing offseason, allow us to direct you to the 2025 EuroBasket tournament in Riga, Latvia.
That’s where Celtics big man Neemias Queta took the court for his native Portugal against Czechia early Wednesday morning — and put on an absolute show.
Queta racked up a game-high 23 points on 11 of 15 shooting along with 18 rebounds, four blocks and two steals to power Portugal to a 62-50 win, the country’s first in EuroBasket competition since 2007.
Queta was an force on both ends, scoring at will in the paint and dominating on the glass to become the first player with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in his EuroBasket debut since FIBA began tracking rebounding numbers.
But the most notable moment from Queta’s performance came at the very beginning, when the 7-foot big man buried a 3-pointer to open the scoring for Portugal.
For context, Queta has yet to attempt a 3-pointer over four NBA seasons. Yet there he was on Portugal’s opening possession, spacing the floor and knocking down a deep ball.
Lest the hype train go off the rails, Queta only attempted that one 3-pointer in Wednesday’s game, so we’ll need to see a bigger sample size. But there’s little doubt that Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla would be thrilled if Queta developed a 3-point shot.
While the C’s just smashed the NBA record for 3-pointers made in a season, they lost two sharpshooting big men this offseason in Kristaps Porzingis (trade) and Al Horford (likely leaving in free agency). Even if Queta can make the occasional 3-pointer for Boston this season, that could help open up a Celtics offense that will need to rely more on spacing and ball movement with superstar Jayson Tatum sidelined to due to injury.
Czechia is not a very talented opponent, so it’s worth monitoring how Queta fares against the likes of Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Alperen Sengun (Turkey) and Porzingis, who is playing for Team Latvia. But Queta’s debut Wednesday morning certainly was an encouraging sign.
Portgual’s next EuroBasket game is against Jokic and Serbia on Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET.
How Jimmy Butler is at center of Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga contract stalemate
How Jimmy Butler is at center of Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga contract stalemate originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With the pre-divorce posturing of the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga in its ninth week, anticipation has become tedium, which is a hothouse for conjecture finger-pointing. The Blame Game is in full effect.
Golden State CEO Joe Lacob is catching arrows for his publicly staunch devotion to Kuminga, who is catching arrows for rejecting multiple offers. Former general manager Bob Myers is catching arrows for drafting Kuminga, at age 18, on the recommendation of lieutenants in the front office. Coach Steve Kerr and the members of his staff are catching arrows for not teaching Kuminga how to become a young Paul George.
Current general manager Mike Dunleavy is catching arrows for staying patient rather than making a trade that will vault the Warriors back to the top of the NBA mountain – as unrealistic is that is.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler III, whose arrival spun Kuminga toward the exit, is somewhere sipping coffee and playing dominoes.
The case for keeping Kuminga on the roster was considerably weakened on the afternoon of Feb. 6 when Butler was acquired in a trade with the Miami Heat. With the Warriors going in circles with or without Kuminga, Dunleavy gambled on Butler and hoped the move would put the squad back into the NBA playoff picture.
It did. The Warriors, 25-26 before Butler’s debut, won 14 of 16 games immediately after Butler joined the roster. Over the final 31 regular-season games, they were 23-8 – third-best record in the league – with a core of Stephen Cury, Draymond Green and Butler.
Golden State was 13-2 with Butler while Kuminga was inactive with a right ankle sprain. That effectively sealed the young forward’s fate. The Warriors might have consulted an attorney to start divorce proceedings, with at least three valid reasons for taking such action.
One, they know Kuminga was aching to start and there is no way Kerr would start JK at forward ahead of decorated veterans Green or Butler.
Two, there was no way Kerr would start a frontcourt of Kuminga, Butler and Green (at center), inviting a clogged offense that would make every game an obstacle course for Curry and the three defenders chasing him.
Three, the idea of patching a Warriors-Kuminga relationship that spent four years trying to make the incompatible somehow compatible is not desirable for either party.
It always was difficult for Kuminga, a raw talent coming to a franchise which had dreams of transforming his elite physical attributes into a future cornerstone. His arrival coincided with a remaking of the player-development staff, recruiting highly respected Jama Mahlalela from Toronto and Dejan “Deki” Milojević from Serbia.
That led to a 2022 NBA Finals victory, which planted a seed of belief that the so-called “two-timelines” approach could sprout success. It has not. And Kuminga remains a square peg in a system designed for those who fit neatly into round holes.
“One guy that was put in a similar situation is Paul George when he got to Indiana,” one NBA front-office executive tells NBC Sports Bay Area. “When he got there, they were right on the cusp. Danny Granger was playing in front of him, and Lance Stephenson was there. And eventually, he was able to play with that David West group; they were competing for championships.
“But it was like the perfect setup for Paul. They weren’t a big-market team, but they were a good team. He got a chance to grow while they were trying to win. And a lot of his mistakes weren’t as magnified as Kuminga’s have been because of the team he is on.”
George came off the bench as a rookie and became a starter in Year 2. The Indiana Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals in Year 3, with George becoming an NBA All-Star and being voted Most Improved Player.
Whereas George entered the NBA at age 20, having played two years of collegiate ball as a starter at Fresno State, Kuminga entered the league after starting 13 games with the G-League Ignite. Very different conditions, very different trajectory, very different result.
Regarding Golden State’s prevailing quandary, the blame must be shared by the front office, the coaching staff and Kuminga himself.
But it was Butler who last season gave the Warriors the kind of bump they surely hoped Kuminga might provide by Year 4. Following two previous big-money acquisitions in the Lacob era – David Lee in 2010, Kevin Durant in 2016 – Jimmy showed he can lift the Warriors to a higher level.
Sometime within the next 10 months, Kuminga will move on. And all parties will know any hope for his future in Golden State was sacrificed for Butler’s present. Blame Jimmy at your own risk.
Tyrese Haliburton on if he regrets playing in Game 7 of Finals: 'No. Hell no.'
"It's the Finals, man. I've worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete. Help my teammates any way I can."
That was Tyrese Haliburton after undergoing an MRI on his strained calf and before Game 6 of the NBA Finals last June. He knew the risk he was taking, he even called Kevin Durant — who had tried to play through a calf injury in the Finals with the Warriors and tore his Achilles — for advice. Haliburton got through Game 6, but early in Game 7, the worst possible outcome happened — Haliburton went down with a torn Achilles. However, he has no regrets, he told Logan Paul and the crew on the Impaulsive podcast (hat tip Hoopshype).
Haliburton: "I had some close friends, family, and mentors in my life call me after Game 5 and say, 'Hey, shut it down.'"
Interviewer: "Do you wish you would have taken that advice?
Haliburton: "No. Hell no. Hell no. I'll be honest—I called KD after I got my MRI after Game 5. I said, 'Bro, do you regret playing in the game you tore [your Achilles]?' He said, 'No, not at all.' He said, 'You never...' I was like, 'Alright.' Yeah, I wasn't going to switch anyway, so I'm glad he said that. It made me feel a little bit better. But no, I don't regret it, bro."
Haliburton also said it would be 15 months from the injury before he'd play in a game again, echoing what the Pacers have said, that he is out for all of next season.
In a podcast conversation that covers a wide range of topics, Haliburton also laughed at the idea that the NBA is scripted or rigged.
"Well, the problem is, I play for the Indiana Pacers. So, if the NBA was going to rig the league, the last two teams they'd probably rig it for would be the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder."
Cavaliers' sharpshooting wing Max Strus out 3-4 months following foot surgery
Cleveland Cavaliers wing Max Strus — who started all nine playoff games for the team last season and will have a key role in the rotation — will miss the first few months of the NBA season after undergoing foot surgery, the team has announced.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) August 26, 2025
A Jones fracture involves the fifth metatarsal, the bone that connects the little toe up to the base of the foot near the ankle, with the fracture higher up on the bone. It's a relatively common injury in basketball, but healing times can vary because the affected area is not part of the body that has strong blood flow.
The timeline provided by the Cavaliers would have Strus missing at least the first 20 games of the NBA season — past Thanksgiving and into December — and that number could very well climb up closer to 30 or higher.
Strus averaged 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game last season, shooting 38.6% from beyond the arc. He started all nine playoff games for the Cavaliers and averaged 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds a night in the postseason. Look for De'Andre Hunter to be the starter at the three with Strus out.
It's possible the Cavaliers could jump into the free agent market for a wing to fill minutes with Strus out. However, the Cavaliers have the highest payroll in the league and are already well over the second apron of the luxury tax, meaning they can only offer a minimum contract and would be subject to a steep tax bill for any additional players signed. The Cavaliers reportedly have shown some interest in Malik Beasley, who finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season and remains available, but that signing seems unlikely (Beasley is no longer the target of a federal gambling investigation, however, he is still a subject tied to the investigation and it is possible he could face a charges in the case).