Category: NBA

The Washington Wizards declined Jamir Watkins’ $2.15 million team option for the 2026-27 season, Spotrac’s Keith Smith reported Monday.

The Washington Wizards decline their team option for Jamir Watkins, a league source told @spotrac.

The Wizards did tender a qualifying offer to Watkins. He'll now be a restricted free agent this offseason.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2026

The Wizards reportedly extended a qualifying offer to Watkins, which makes him a restricted free agent this offseason.

Watkins, 24, was selected No. 43 by Washington in the 2025 NBA Draft. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds across 50 games during his rookie season.

The stout defender, who averaged 1.1 steals per game last season, closed his rookie campaign with a 24-point outburst on 5-for-9 3-point shooting against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jamir Watkins vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 4/12/2026

24 PTS | 7-13 FG | L 117-130 pic.twitter.com/nhHV9xbczD

— NBA Shooting Audit (@NBAShotAudit) April 13, 2026

While Washington declining Watkins’ option is surprising, the team did something similar in 2024 when it declined Tristan Vukcevic’s team option before later signing him back on a two-way deal.

That could be the case for Watkins, who started last season on a two-way before his deal was converted to a standard contract to close the year.

Here’s how Washington’s roster looks without Watkins:

Guard: Trae Young | Tre Johnson | Bub Carrington | Jaden Hardy | D’Angelo Russell

Wing: AJ Dybantsa | Kyshawn George | Bilal Coulibaly | Will Riley

Forward: AnthonyDavis | Justin Champagnie | Cam Whitmore

Center: Alex Sarr | Tristan Vukcevic | Felix Okpara (possible two-way contract candidate)

The Wizards are at 14 standard contracts, pending a possible 15th if Okpara signs a standard deal. They could open a roster spot by waiving or buying out Russell, who opted in to his $5.9 million player option but never reported to Washington following last February’s trade from the Dallas Mavericks.

You probably don’t give a damn with the Sacramento Kings did during the draft. They haven’t been a contender since Andrej Stojakovic’s daddy was shooting threes in the California capitol.

But here in Dub Nation, we believe in knowing your enemies. Not in a conspiracy board and red string kind of way, but like in a “Sacramento is 90 miles from Chase Center and just picked seventh in the draft” state of mind.

So let your Gold Blooded King give you the official Kings draft debrief. Lucky you!

The Kings came into draft night with a very specific hole in their roster where a point guard used to be. De’Aaron Fox was sent to San Antonio to detonate their title dreams in the NBA Finals traded away. Dennis Schröder came and went in the blink of an eye. And Russell Westbrook, a future Hall-of-Famer, was holding down the position the way you hold down a job you know isn’t yours for long.

Sacramento needed a star. And by golly they may have found exactly that.

With the seventh overall pick they selected Darius Acuff Jr. out of Arkansas, and Sacramento may have discovered its point guard of the future.

The Kings passed on Steph Curry for Tyreke Evans

They passed on Damian Lillard for Thomas Robinson

They passed on CJ McCollum for Ben McLemore

They passed on Luka Doncic for Marvin Bagley

Picking Darius Acuff today is a complete philosophical reversal of those choices

— Professor OAK 🇵🇸 (@o_a_khan) June 24, 2026

Acuff averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists last season, shot 44% from three, and won SEC Player of the Year under John Calipari. Calipiari is a coach whose guard pipeline reads like a Hall of Fame waiting room: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey, Derrick Rose, John Wall. When Calipari vouches for a guard, you don’t dismiss it.

Calipari told a story about his star guard:

Darius walked in, we just lost to Alabama. I had four guys fouled out of the game. I’m playing with two guys the last overtime that hadn’t played all year. He’s trying to will us to win. His foot is so bad, he scores 49 … I said listen, ‘You should take the next game off.’ He was in a boot. We were playing Missouri at home. He looks at me and he said, ‘Do you know we lost?’ And he got up and left. Like, I’m not sitting out we just lost a game. You don’t want that? You don’t want a guy that he is going to give you everything he has?”.

This is new for Sacramento, right? In previous years, a franchise this desperate would have traded half the future to move up two spots and overpaid for a prospect the whole league knew they wanted. Instead, apparently GM Scott Perry held firm at seven because the whole league already knew Acuff preferred Sacramento anyway. They sat there, let the pick fall into their lap, and didn’t flinch. Then they traded into the first round to select Connecticut’s Alex Karaban at No. 29, a 6’7″ wing who shot 37% from three, passes with purpose, makes quick decisions, and keeps possessions moving. Then Emanuel Sharp at 45 out of Houston, another 3-and-D guard ready to contribute real minutes immediately. Three picks. One vision.

Sacramento is one of the draft’s big winners with Darius Acuff at #7 and Alex Karaban at #29.

Gotta respect the Kings front office for staying at 7 despite the 5/6 Acuff rumors then aggressively moving up for 29. Acuff, Karaban, Raynaud, Clifford. I love this young core. pic.twitter.com/SPU01QbCwj

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) June 24, 2026

Now before we give them a champiponship, let’s keep it real. Acuff’s defense is a genuine question mark, not media noise, and the Kings still have expensive roster decisions ahead involving players who may or may not fit what they’re building. What do they do with Zach Lavine and Demar Derozan? But as they answer those questions, it’s more than fair to give them so love so far in the process.They’ve had nineteen lottery appearances in twenty seasons so looking competent on draft night is progress.

Golden State should keep an eye out. Sacramento is building something in our backyard, quietly, without the drama, and placing their bets on standout talent.

Keep your friends close, Dub Nation. Keep your Pacific Division rivals in your group chat, your timeline, and your scouting report. Because the Dubs are gonna see these guys several times this year, and the Kings may finally have stopped behaving like the KANGZ.

The Bucks’ roster experienced a shakeup on Monday afternoon after the front office declined Andre Jackson Jr.’s $2.41m team option and Taurean Prince picked up his $3.82 million player option, per Eric Nehm. The two transactions mean that Prince will remain in Milwaukee for the 2026-27 season, while Jackson will become an unrestricted free agent.

It felt like Jackson’s exit from the Bucks was imminent throughout the season—it wasn’t until the Bucks’ 17th game that he registered a point and he appeared in just 48 games in total, the lowest of his three-year career. Across the season, he averaged only 8.5 MPG—also a career low—posting just 2.4 PPG and 1.5 RPG on .328/.250/.625 shooting. Jackson struggled heavily on offense as he failed to shore up the faulty shooting mechanics that followed him throughout last season and eventually fell behind more versatile, serviceable wings on the Milwaukee depth chart.

During his tenure in Milwaukee, Jackson gave the Bucks elite athleticism, high energy and hustle, and unselfish play. His lack of shooting was always a major issue—he was a 29% career three-point shooter at UConn—but he provided potential as a defensive disruptor and playmaking wing. Despite his time in Milwaukee appearing over, and his value as a 6’6 non-shooter low, it’s not out of the question for another NBA team to take chance on him.

While Jackson is leaving, Prince is somewhat of a surprise returnee for the Bucks, with many projecting him to seek a new home on a contender following the Giannis trade and apparent youth movement. After playing the first eight games of the season, a herniated disc and subsequent neck surgery kept Prince out of action for most of the season, but he bravely returned for the campaign’s final 18 games.

Across his 26 total games, including seven starts, Prince was as steady as ever, averaging 9.2 PPG and 3.1 RPG, connecting on 44% of his shots from long range. In addition to this heady play and shooting prowess, he provides invaluable veteran leadership on a team comprised mainly of young players.

The Detroit Pistons and restricted free agent center remain far apart on a new deal, and it has motivated Duren to seek out meetings with teams as free agency opens on Tuesday evening. The Sacramento Kings will be the first team to get a meeting, as we reported earlier, but now another team has entered the chat — the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sam Amick reports that there is a call between Duren and the Lakers scheduled for tomorrow. Any deal would require a sign-and-trade.

There aren’t many details beyond that, to be honest with you. I could have updated the original story with this morsel of information. Instead, I decided to get some of that sweet, sweet Lakers-fan SEO traffic by giving this its own story.

So let’s talk Lakers.

The easiest pathway for the Lakers is to simply let LeBron James walk to Golden State, renouncing his rights along with their other free agents gives them $51 million in cap space, per Keith Smith. As a restricted free agent, the Pistons would still have the right to match any offer. I do imagine Detroit would match any offer instead of risking losing him for nothing.

On the other hand, the two teams could work out a sign-and-trade that was palatable to the Pistons.

What do they have to offer? Honestly, not much. There are two avenues the Lakers could explore, both seem unlikely to me. The first would be a deal that includes Jarred Vanderbilt, Deandre Ayton, Dalton Knecht and a couple first-round picks for Duren.

The other, hilarious, option would be to organize some sort of dual sign-and-trade featuring Austin Reaves and Duren. It was widely reported the reason the Lakers agreed to a max deal with the Lakers is because Los Angeles knew Detroit was prepared to create the space space needed to offer him a max outright. The shoe would be on the other foot.

I can’t fathom a team widely touting the return of a star player on a max deal to then trade him days later, but it feels like a weird offseason.

The Lakers have inserted themselves into one of the biggest developing stories in the hours leading up to free agency.

After setting themselves up to try to steal Austin Reaves in free agency, the Pistons appear to have lowballed their own free agent, Jalen Duren, leading to him meeting with other teams. Among the teams he’s set to talk to? The Lakers.

More intel on Jalen Duren coming in: League sources tell @TheAthletic he now has a call with the Lakers scheduled for tomorrow.

Another sign-and-trade scenario emerges… https://t.co/DziAPKMxxR

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 29, 2026

Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren has a planned call with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, a league source confirmed to ESPN (@sam_amick first). However DET thus far is uninterested in pursuing a sign and trade with their All-Star big man, sources said.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 29, 2026

Earlier in the day on Monday, Sam Amick of The Athleticalso reported that Duren and the Pistons were not close on a contract and that the big man would explore sign-and-trade scenarios, including meeting with the Kings.

All-NBA forward Jalen Duren was underwhelmed by the Detroit Pistons’ initial offer in restricted free agency and is planning to explore sign-and-trade scenarios when they are permitted on Tuesday, league sources told The Athletic.

It’s not hard to see why the two sides would be far apart in negotiations. During the regular season, Duren was one of the best big men in the league, earning Third Team All-NBA honors while averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 65% from the field.

But once the playoffs rolled around, Duren became a shell of himself, averaging 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and shooting 51.4% from the field. He was a huge reason for an underwhelming postseason performance from the Pistons, as they needed seven games to beat the Magic before losing in seven games to Cleveland.

Detroit is likely negotiationg from a standpoint of his postseason performance while Duren and his agent are negotiating from the standpoint of his regular season performance. For now, that gap is big enough for Duren to look elsewhere.

Still, this is restricted free agency and Detroit still holds the power. Even in a sign-and-trade scenario, the Pistons are going to have to get value back as they can simply just match Duren’s offer sheet and bring him back.

But that things have gotten to this point is notable.

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The debates about Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors will never end. The sun will rise in the east and set in the west, oceans will rise and fall, empires will crumble, the sand will inexorably pour down the hourglass of life, and someone will still be arguing about whether Kuminga earned more minutes than Steve Kerr gave him.

Now, Kuminga’s final contract with the Warriors is officially over, as the Atlanta Hawks declined to pick up the 23-year-old’s $24.3M team option for 2026-27. The move doesn’t necessarily close the door on Kuminga to return to the club at a lower salary, but the Hawks did give Kuminga what the Warriors refused to: The chance to pick his next team.

The Atlanta Hawks are declining Jonathan Kuminga's $24.3 million team option, making him a free agent, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Zu57MTTp3g

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026

There’s conflicting reports about the league-wide interest in Kuminga. Marc J. Spears says the Sacramento Kings are still interested in Kuminga, though they can only offer him $2.6M. Yes, much like when they proposed a trade of Dario Saric and Devin Carter for Kuminga last summer, the Kings have very little to offer for Kuminga. Sam Amick reports that the Kings are out on Kuminga, perhaps out of a wildly optimistic hope they can trade for Jalen Duren.

Kuminga had some big moments for the Hawks after heading to Atlanta alongside Buddy Hield in a deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors. He put up 19 and 21 points in the Hawks two wins over the New York Knicks, helping to deal the eventual champions two of the three losses they’d suffer in the entire playoffs. Kuminga averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, upping his three-point shooting to 34.6 percent, and eventually moved ahead of 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher in the Hawks rotation.

At the same time, Kuminga was limited by injuries, something that plagued him during his 2024-25 season with the Warriors as well. He played in 16 of 29 possible regular-season games for the Hawks. After missing 35 games the season before, Atlanta may have been understandably hesitant to pay Kuminga such a large sum, especially at $10M more than Nickeil Alexander-Walker and $16M more than newly-acquired three-and-D wing Aaron Wiggins.

This could be beneficial for Kuminga in the long term. He may not be getting the payday he wanted or expected — Kuminga reportedly turned down an offer for more than $100M when he became extension-eligible in 2024 — but at least he can choose a team that truly wants him.

It can’t have been easy for Kuminga last season, with the Warriors clearly only viewing him as a trade chip. The nature of restricted free agency meant that Kuminga remained in limbo all summer, hoping some team would make him an offer despite his old team threatening to match any offer. In the second-apron era, there are fewer teams than ever with salary cap space, further chilling the market. That also means Kuminga’s best hope this summer might be convincing a team to offer him the mid-level exception, which is $15M for non-taxpaying teams this summer.

In other Hawks news, the team guaranteed Buddy Hield’s full $9.66M salary for next season, rather than buy him out for $3M. It probably means they want to use his contract in a future trade, but good for Hield for getting the remainder of the proverbial bag.

All in all, the Kuminga trade has to be considered a solid win for Mike Dunleavy, Jr, & Co., after Porzingis agreed to a two-year, $40M contract Monday. Of course, waiting until February 2026 to trade Kuminga still goes down as a solid loss.

We would like to wish Kuminga luck in his next endeavors. He’s an exciting player, a world-class dunker, and a guy who contributed to an NBA title despite being in a less-than-ideal situation for five seasons. Kuminga is at a career crossroads, but wherever he ends up, we’d love to see him prove the Warriors wrong.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Wizards fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

So, you saw the news. Anthony Davis could go to the Golden State Warriors. Could he be traded there or to any of the other 28 teams not named the Warriors or Wizards? Vote below!

Hopefully Shams Charania won’t make this a NULL AND VOID SURVEY BY THE TIME THIS PUBLISHES OR SOMETIME TUESDAY!

The Golden State Warriors and center Kristaps Porzingis have reportedly agreed to a two-year $40 million contract extension, per ESPN NBA insider Shama Charania, as he was told by his agent Jeff Schwartz.

Charania’s report also said that Porzingis’ deal will include a player option after the second year, which could allow him to hit free agency following the 2026-2027 season.

Porzingis’ extension comes after he was traded to the Warriros by the Atlanta Hawks during last year’s NBA Trade Deadline.

Porzingis missed a large chunk of games last season, appearing in just 32 as he was dealing with illness [That dates back to when he was on the Celtics in 2025], an achillies, and right ankle injury.

Celtics team doctors diagnosed Porzingis with ostural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, an autonomic conditional that can increase heart rate, and cause dizziness and fatigue.

When he was on the court, Porzingis averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 total rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

The Warriors just snuck into last season’s NBA play in tournament before the playoffs.

Porzingis played 28 minutes in the team’s 126-121 win against the Los Angeles Clippers, where he shot 8-12 from the field, and was 3-6 at the three point line. Porzingis finished the night with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Free agent center Kristaps Porzingis has agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension to return to the Golden State Warriors through 2027-28, with a player option in the second season, agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NZngN3Qv7x

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026

The Warriors season came to an end in their 111-96 loss to the Phoenix Suns on April 17, where Porzingis saw a decrease in minutes, playing 15 minutes, 4 minutes in the third and not making an appearence in the 4th quarter.

Throughout the offseason, rumors have surrounded the Warriors in acquiring LeBron James.

On Sunday night, reports came out that Golden State had interest in bringing in James, alongside his former Lakers teammate Anthony Davis.

On Monday morning, reports indicated that Draymond Greeen would be declining his $27.7 million player option to become a free agent, as a way to help the Warriors create more financial flexibility.

The Spurs have wasted no time with the negotiation period for their own free agents. After agreeing to new three-year deal with Julian Champagnie, ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting that Harrison Barnes will return to the Spurs on a one-year, $8 million deal. He reports that the Spurs valued “his leadership and production” when negotiating the new deal.

Free agent forward Harrison Barnes intends to sign a one-year, $8 million deal to stay with the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell ESPN. The Spurs valued Barnes' leadership and production as he enters a third season in San Antonio, finalizing a new deal with agent Jeff Schwartz of… pic.twitter.com/FzPv5mqoHm

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026

The move will ensure Barnes returns to the Spurs for a third season. He was acquired via trade in 2024 as part of a three-way trade that sent DeMar DeRozan from the Bulls to the Kings. Barnes started in all 82 games in the 2024-25 season for the Spurs to continue a streak of three straight iron man seasons. He started this season as their starting power forward and looked on track to continue that trend. He was red hot from three through the first third of the regular season, living up to his nickname of “Mr. 100%” before his shooting fell off, and he was eventually benched in favor of Champagnie as the Spurs looked for answers during a tough January stretch. Barnes would eventually miss five games with an ankle injury to end his streak of 82-game seasons.

He eventually fell out of the main rotation all together as Mitch Johnson seemed to value Carter Bryant getting more developmental time, even in the playoffs. As a result, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see Barnes test the free agency market, but it’s quite possible that at 34 years old, there may not have been a huge market out there, and he very well may value the Spurs as much as they do him, as well as the possibility of winning another ring.

With these two moves, it’s quite possible the Spurs are aware that the power forward market is a bit dry or outside of their price range. While this doesn’t mean they won’t make any major moves or trades in free agency, the fact that they’re bringing back last season’s rotation shows that they’re prepared to run it back as a worst-case scenario, and provided Bryant continues to improve, bringing back a rotation that went to the finals and was a few blown leads from winning it all isn’t a bad thing.

Welcome back to San Antonio, Harrison!

The Los Angeles Clippers may already have their Kawhi Leonard backup plan, and it comes with a Finals MVP trophy.

Leonard’s future in Los Angeles is now growing murkier, the Clippers have reportedly emerged as a serious team to watch for Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown. According to ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill, one league executive said the Clippers “want Brown bad,” adding another major name to what has already become one of the NBA’s most active rumor cycles.

The timing is not hard to understand.

Leonard is entering the final year of his contract, and the Toronto Raptors have reportedly engaged the Clippers in serious trade talks about bringing him back to the franchise he led to the 2019 NBA championship. Leonard’s camp is reportedly seeking a long-term commitment, while the Raptors appear more willing than Los Angeles to meet that number in a potential reunion.

If the Clippers move Leonard, they are not expected to pivot into a full rebuild.

Owner Steve Ballmer has shown little appetite for a full scale rebuild, and the Clippers’ reported interest in Brown fits that approach. Instead of tearing things down, Los Angeles could attempt to replace one former Finals MVP with another.

Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, would give the Clippers a younger two-way star still in his prime. The five-time All-Star is coming off the best statistical season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field.

He also brings the kind of playoff resume and wing versatility the Clippers would need if Leonard is no longer part of the plan.

The Celtics’ situation makes the rumor even more interesting.

Boston has reportedly taken calls on Brown as Brad Stevens evaluates how to reshape the roster around Jayson Tatum. Brown has not requested a trade, and prying him away would still require a massive return. He has three years and roughly $183 million remaining on his deal, meaning any interested team would need to satisfy Boston both financially and with real assets.

That is where the Clippers’ path becomes complicated.

Los Angeles may not have enough on its own to build a clean Brown package, especially after selecting Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 pick and signaling at least some interest in developing a younger core. But a Leonard trade could change the equation. If the Clippers move Kawhi to Toronto and collect players or draft capital in the process, those pieces could theoretically be redirected toward Boston in a larger deal.

That makes a three-team construction involving Leonard, Brown and Toronto worth watching, even if no agreement appears close.

For now, the Clippers’ message seems clear: if Leonard leaves, they do not want to be left without a star.

And if they are forced to replace a Finals MVP, Brown may be the NBA’s best version of a Plan B.

Free agent center Kristaps Porziņģis has accepted a two-year, $40 million contract to remain with the Golden State Warriors, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. This will see him potentially stay with the Warriors through the 2027-28 season, with the second year of the extension being a player option.

Free agent center Kristaps Porzingis has agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension to return to the Golden State Warriors through 2027-28, with a player option in the second season, agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NZngN3Qv7x

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026

In 15 games with the Warriors, Porziņģis averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks. He provided a dynamic element for the Warriors as a 7-foot-3 stretch five, albeit limited by lack of availability due to illness. The Warriors are hoping that Porziņģis — under the care of Rick Celebrini — will be more available next season.

According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Milwaukee Bucks have pulled their qualifying offer for former first-round pick Ousmane Dieng. Per Salary Swish, Dieng’s qualifying offer would’ve paid him $9.6 million for one season.

After being acquired at the trade deadline in a three-team deal, Dieng played in 30 games in Milwaukee (starting in 20 of them), averaging 26.8 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, shooting 42.3% from the field and 33.1% from beyond the arc.

This was the first time in his career that Dieng had any extended playing time in meaningful minutes. During his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder, his highest average minutes were 19.3 MPG. The young Frenchman showed flashes of his potential as an offensive creator with the Bucks, scoring a career-high 36 points and adding 10 assists in a close loss to the Houston Rockets on April 1. It wasn’t always pretty for Dieng, though, as he had seven games with four or more turnovers, including a seven-turnover game against the Brooklyn Nets.

While Dieng will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent (UFA), that doesn’t rule out a return to Cream City, as the Bucks own his bird rights and can give him any amount of money they would like. Considering the Bucks weren’t willing to give him the qualifying offer outright, I imagine it will be less than that $9.6m figure. With Giannis gone and the Bucks headed towards a youth movement, I would hazard that Dieng is back in Milwaukee, as he’ll have a much bigger role than on some other teams.

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Brew Hoop community, how do you feel about Dieng becoming an UFA? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Detroit Pistons are apparently on the verge of losing All-NBA center Jalen Duren as negotiations on a new contract have apparently reached a breaking point. It’s progressed to Duren planning to meet with the Sacramento Kings when free agency officially begins on Tuesday. That report comes from Chris Haynes. Earlier reports from The Athletic said Duren and the Pistons were far apart in negotiations and that Duren would look to engineer a sign-and-trade to secure a big payday outside Detroit.

“Due to sizable distance apart in negotiations, Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren will meet with the Sacramento Kings at the start of free agency with the intentions of structuring a sign-&-trade out of Detroit,” Haynes reported on social media.

BREAKING: Due to sizable distance apart in negotiations, Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren will meet with the Sacramento Kings at the start of free agency with the intentions of structuring a sign-&-trade out of Detroit. pic.twitter.com/rzUZWy2iJF

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 29, 2026

Still just 22 years old, Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 65% from the floor in his All-Star season with the Pistons. Because Duren made an All-NBA team, he is eligible for a supermax extension while it was reported the Pistons were angling to sign him for less than max with number floated at between $35-$40 million per year.

It’s important to note that the Pistons would need to find a deal construction that they are amenable to because the Kings don’t have the money to sign Duren in free agency. They are over the cap, so if Duren wants to sign with the Kings and the Kings want to sign Duren, they need to send assets back to Detroit.

While that gives Detroit considerable leverage, the Kings will be operating on the premise that a reunion between the Pistons and Duren would be untenable.

It’s also important to note that Duren only counts for half his new salary in a sign-and-trade deal, and that makes salary matching more complicated.

If the Kings sign Duren for $45 million, they will want to send $45 million back to Detroit, but only $22.5 million of that number would be applied to Duren. That would mean Detroit would attach more assets to send Sacramento’s way. I would imagine Caris LeVert would be a likely candidate.

So what assets do the Kings have to offer? They are awash in funky players and contracts. The conversation begins with Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento’s offensively gifted, defensively challenged center. He has two years of $45 million and $48 million remaining.

With the trade of Isaiah Stewart already locked in, losing Duren would mean Detroit would be looking at starting Paul Reed if they don’t make an addition at the big man spot. Sabonis

They also have DeMar DeRozan, an undersized veteran who could play power forward and handle some of the scoring and ball-handling load. He makes $25 million and only $10 million is guaranteed. Zach LaVine is an expiring $48 million deal and is yet another offensively gifted, defensively challenged player (to put it mildly).

Keegan Murray is a young piece that might provide some actual value, and he runs between $24 million and $31 million each of the next five seasons.

There is also nothing saying that this can’t be expanded to include multiple teams if a player like Murray or Sabonis isn’t what Detroit would be looking for. This also might be a bit of last-minute posturing as Detroit and Duren make their final plays before settling into a new long-term pact.

This is a developing story that has the potential to significantly alter the makeup of the Pistons. Stay tuned.

Dang I wonder what the LA Clippers are up to after the Golden State Warriors buried their season last year! Continuing our Rival Report series, we’re getting you up to speed on Pacific Division foes’ moves in the draft so you can know who the heck they’re loading up with for the future.

It’s time to check out the fascinating situation with the Clips.

First, some necessary context. Yes, the Warriors sent the Clippers home in the play-in tournament last April. We remember. More importantly, so do they. But knocking a team out of a play-in game also means they weren’t good enough to avoid one. The Clippers finished 42-40, started the season 6-21, and mounted a genuinely impressive second-half run that ended the moment real stakes arrived. They showed you something; but was nowhere near enough.

That tension is what the entire offseason is built around. Seems like we’re pretty close to the end of the Kawhi Leonard-era in LA. Kawhi is entering the final year of his deal at $50.3 million, coming off a career-high 27.9 points per game season, and the exit signs are everywhere.

This is what a franchise transition looks like when nobody wants to say it out loud yet. Which brings us to Keaton Wagler. A 19-year-old guard from Shawnee, Kansas who entered college ranked 261st in his recruiting class. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident. One season at Illinois later, he’s the fifth pick in the country, the Jerry West Award winner, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and the author of a 46-point game against Purdue where he went 9-for-11 from three. He led the Illini to their first Final Four since 2005 while averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 44.5% shooting from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc. This is the franchise’s highest selection since Blake Griffin went first overall in 2009.

Keaton Wagler is a 6’6” point guard who is a triple-double threat and possibly the best shooter in the class

His incredible shooting, court vision, and rebounding has landed him 5th overall to the Los Angeles Clippers pic.twitter.com/sj33Ct7qYC

— clippa twitta (@clipfullyloaded) June 24, 2026

Every evaluator comes back to the same point. He already plays like an NBA guard. The vision is real. The handle is tight. He drills pull-up threes, makes the right read under pressure, and does it all while playing off the ball, which matters enormously next to Darius Garland. The concerns are legitimate too. He weighed 188 pounds at the combine. He barely ran a fast break all season. The floor will get faster and the bodies will get bigger and strength is the work that’s ahead of him. But the floor is high because the tools are real.

The second round added frontcourt depth in Baba Miller and Nick Martinelli, a direct acknowledgment that the center position is where this roster breaks down most visibly. The draft-and-stash of French center Narcisse Ngoy, who heads to Auburn next season before his NBA rights ever get exercised, is the kind of patient asset management you do when you’re thinking in years, not months.

The honest counterpoint is that losing Kawhi might actually accelerate the thing they’re already building. And even the people who cover this team closest seem to understand that. Robert Flom at 213hoops, one of the sharpest Clippers-specific voices in the game, laid out the offseason roster picture plainly after the draft concluded:

Considering Wagler will play a lot of shooting guard next to Garland, and Sanders, Christie, and Miller can play up or down, the Clippers are relatively set at wing, even if they probably would prefer to bring Dunn off the bench. Garland and Wagler together also make the Clippers ready to go at point guard, though they could probably use a third-string veteran in case of injury.

The obvious areas of need are in the frontcourt, especially considering Yanic’s injury and Baba Miller probably not being ready for NBA rotation minutes. Bringing back John Collins and Brook Lopez would pretty much round out the roster, but that would mean running back the same team from last year, more or less, with only the draft picks being new pieces of note. I can’t see the Clippers going in that direction based on how they’ve talked about their roster and pivoting towards more of a Garland-centric timeline.

The Clippers are molting as the Kawhi-era begins to evaporate dramatically. It’s being replaced, piece by piece, with something younger and leaner and less certain. Wagler and Garland are a real backcourt and the draft capital is stacking. The plan is visible if you squint at it right.

Keep your friends close. Keep the Clippers close enough to know that the most dangerous version of this team isn’t the one saying goodbye to Kawhi Leonard. It’s the one that’s already moved on without admitting it. In the NBA, “not yet” has a funny way of becoming “right now.”