Category: NBA

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Former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was indicted on new bribery charges on Thursday after federal prosecutors alleged that he accepted $100,000 to manipulate an NBA game. 

Key Takeaways

• Terry Rozier was charged in a Brooklyn court on Thursday.
  
  
• The superseding indictment adds to his wire fraud and money laundering charges. 
  
  
• The former NBA player’s lawyer claims his client’s innocence.  

Rozier was charged in a Brooklyn court through a superseding indictment, which adds to previous federal allegations of wire fraud and money laundering. Rozier, who was arrested in October 2025 as part of an FBI takedown of multiple gambling operations, pleaded not guilty to the original charges and had attempted to have his case thrown out in December that year. 

His attorney, Jim Trusty,told the Associated Press that the latest indictment “just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous – new charges, new theories, but all just a sad effort to make something stick.”

Rozier is still out on a $3 million bond. He was placed on leave following his arrest and missed the entire season. The Heat released Rozier at the end of this NBA season.  

The payment plan

Federal prosecutors said in April that they planned to bring new charges against Rozier, which include defrauding the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets, as well as sportsbooks FanDuel and DraftKings. 

The bribery indictment came hours after bettor Marves Fairley told prosecutors that he agreed to pay Rozier and his longtime friend Deniro Laster $100,000 if Rozier left a game in March 2023 early while he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets. 

Rozier removed himself from the contest with a lower leg injury. He was not on the injury report before the game. His early exit allegedly helped a group of bettors cash over $250,000 worth of under bets on his player props. 

The Hornets guard scored five points, recorded two assists, and hit one 3-pointer, all below his season averages and the prop totals set for that game against the New Orleans Pelicans. However, because Rozier recorded four rebounds, going over his betting total, the co-conspirators agreed to a $70,000 payment.  

Laster allegedly met Fairley to collect the bribe money in Philadelphia and then drove to Rozier’s house, where the co-conspirators counted their payment. Some of the bettors included in the scheme were also part of the Jontay Porter scandal that rocked the NBA in 2024.   

Fixing games

Fairley, a social media influencer,pleaded guilty to seven charges, all related to the illegal betting scheme. Fairley allegedly helped fix games in the Chinese Basketball League, the NBA, and college basketball, a scheme that spanned nearly 40 players from 17 NCAA schools. 

He admitted to paying an unnamed NBA player, who prosecutors believe is Rozier. 

“There are some desperate men in this case with terrible criminal records and tons of exposure, and they know what to say to please these prosecutors,” Trusty said about Fairley’s claim.

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones was also arrested in October for his role in informing bettors of nonpublic injury information on NBA stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Jones pleaded guilty in Aprilto betting scheme charges and for helping recruit players to a mob-run, rigged poker game, and he faces sentencing in January. 

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

With all eyes on Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Final between the Thunder and Spurs we’re looking for insight — the deep, analytic analysis that will tell us whether Oklahoma City has a chance to go back-to-back and potentially start or dynasty, or if Victor Wembanyama will punch his first ticket to the NBA Finals.

We’re also looking to the carpeted stairs of a tastefully decorated suburban home to find out what a trick-shot-making corgi says about it all. Over on Instagram, “aircorg,” otherwise known as “Steph Furry,” has correctly predicted all six games of the Western Conference Finals so far. The corgi knew the Thunder would go up 3-2 before the Spurs answered back in Game 6, which is exactly what happened.

Who is his Game 7 pick?

The canine is calling a Spurs victory in Game 7. That might really make fans in San Antonio feel good, but in looking at the past predictions of aircorg I have serious doubts this pupper has innate psychic abilities. In fact, I think the corgi might be a fraud and this is all just random chance.

Understand that this revelation brings me no joy. We take accusations like this very seriously, and wouldn’t run a story like this unless we were quite sure this corgi was a fraud. So, before you write to my editor, please allow me to show my work.

There have been a lot of predictions from the corgi in recent years, but I chose to use Super Bowl LX as a starting data point. Aircorg correctly predicted that the Seahawks would win, good boy — but moving forward the results were far less compelling. Here are the corgi’s prediction records for each sport, from the Super Bowl moving forward:

NFL: 1-0
NBA: 12-7
MLB/WBC: 0-1
NHL: 7-8
NCAA: 22-10
Soccer: 18-14

Overall: 60-40

A 60-40 split is fine … for a dog. It’s barely better than a coin flip. While aircorg had an impressive run in the NCAA tournament and is on a tear in the NBA right now, the dogs truly struggled in the play-ins and early rounds.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t love the dog, but his ability to make picks is shaky at best. I’m just here to protect you, dear reader, from taking a second mortgage out on your house and wagering it all on the advice of a trick-shot-making pupper.

As the Sixers prepare to make the 22^nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, we want to bring up another name that Philadelphia drafted in the 20s within the last decade. It just so happens that Landry Shamet is still playing basketball as the 26^th pick by the Sixers in 2018, now with the Knicks and playing about 15-20 minutes per night off the bench for New York in the postseason.

Shamet’s game logs for the Knicks in these playoff rounds look a bit sporadic — and we’re certainly not attempting to condemn the Sixers for including Shamet in the Tobias Harris trade back in February 2019. It feels like letting Isaiah Joe and Julian Champagnie go for nothing have elicited stronger condemnations from Sixers fans as both Joe and Champagnie have turned into rotation players in the Western Conference Finals. For what it’s worth, Oklahoma City and San Antonio have done a good job developing lots of players so the surges from Joe and Champagnie should probably be mostly attributed to what their current franchises have done for them and not necessarily what the Sixers didn’t do.

But that’s not the case with Shamet. Even though he did not even play one full season with the Sixers, Shamet came right in and did what many would probably like the 22^nd pick in this year’s draft to do for the team. Having played three years of college basketball at Wichita State, Shamet was an instant bench contributor for the Sixers in 2018-19. It was a Sixers team that was (surprise, surprise) coming off a second-round loss in the 2018 playoffs and looking to accelerate towards contention. Shamet would average 20.5 minutes per game in the regular season with the Sixers and shoot 40% from the three-point line and 81.5% from the free throw line. He was looking like a pretty solid use of a late first-round pick.

However, as the 2018-19 season trudged along, Elton Brand felt the team needed more top-end talent and decided to cash in some bench pieces for Jimmy Butler and Harris. The irony is that Philadelphia was eliminated by a Toronto team that was mostly built on the depth it had behind Kawhi Leonard in 2019. Other recent champions like Milwaukee and Denver have seen rotations go 7-10 players deep behind their own superstars. It feels like New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City are all similarly constructed now. So, Philly’s forever search for more stars doesn’t seem to have aligned with the way the league has trended.

As Shamet’s NBA career continued, he’s mostly been the same player he was in his short time with the Sixers, though he’s dealt with injuries. Between stints with the Clippers, Nets, Suns and now Knicks, Shamet has appeared in 64 playoff games, coming off the bench in the majority of those games. He’s a 37% three-point shooter in the playoffs. This is not an example of a late bloomer or someone who just found his way onto the right roster where he could be developed properly. This is someone who from the day he was drafted eight years ago has been the same useful NBA reserve.

To reiterate, Philadelphia’s trade for Harris and inclusion of Shamet in the trade back in 2019 was entirely understandable. The big mistake the Sixers made was re-upping with Harris on the big contract they gave him in the summer of 2019 when he was a free agent. For as unpopular as Harris was in Philly, he gave them a better chance to win in the 2019 playoffs than Shamet would have.

We’re simply asking the question if you’ve ever found yourself missing a player like Shamet in recent postseasons or if some of those feelings started to introduce themselves during the Knicks series this past season watching Shamet play for New York. Whether you miss Shamet or not, as we sit here eight years after the Sixers drafted Shamet, the Sixers are once again preparing for a draft pick in the 20s in which they hope to get a bench player that can help them build a deeper roster for future postseasons.

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson plans to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after having surgery for a broken right pinkie finger, according to ESPN.com.

Robinson plans to wear a brace on his right hand. Robinson was injured sometime during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers and appeared to favor his right during the third quarter.

Robinson finished Game 4 with eight points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes of action as the Knicks routed the Cavaliers to complete the sweep and earn their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.

The eighth-year favorite has been a key contributor for the Knicks off the bench, averaging 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks during New York's playoff run.

The Knicks will begin Game One of the NBA Finals on June 3 on the road against either the San Antonio Spurs or the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Federal prosecutors alleged on Thursday that former NBA player Terry Rozier arranged a $100,000 payoff to leave a game early as part of a plan shared with bettors. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York filed a superseding indictment hours after co-conspirator Marves Fairley pled guilty to two charges related to the NBA wagering scandal.

Fairley told the court that he paid a player — whom the government has identified as Rozier — for the information. An initial $100,000 payout Rozier was to receive was later negotiated down to $70,000.

Rozier was charged in October with conspiracy wire fraud and money laundering. The government added sports bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy on Thursday. According to The Athletic, Rozier’s lawyer denied the claim and said he would pursue a motion to dismiss the case.

“The new indictment confirms that our motion to dismiss was a good one — it’s just new charges and new theories trotted out in the hope that something sticks,” Rozier attorney Jim Trusty said, perThe Athletic.

Rozier pled not guilty to the wire fraud charges in December and was released on $3 million bond. Since then Fairley is the second co-conspirator to change his plea to guilty. Damon Jones, indicted on wire fraud charges in the NBA scandal and a high-stakes poker scheme, pled guilty last month.

More than $250,000 placed in rigged bets

The new indictment also spells out details of NBAPA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and Uniform Player Agreement, highlighting violations. The new indictment reads that the agreements “required players to ‘refrain from gambling on NBA games, point shaving or other attempts to fix the score or
outcome of an NBA game, or providing confidential team or league information to individuals
involved in gambling.'”

Rozier, then a prolific scoring guard for the Charlotte Hornets, is accused of leaving a March 23, 2023, game early due to a lingering lower leg injury. He shared the information with a friend and gambler, Deniro Laster, who in turn shared it with other gamblers, including Fairley. Laster, Fairley, and “Co-Conspirator 1,” according to court documents, discussed via text Rozier’s plan to exit early and their own plans to use that information to place bets against his statistical performance.

Fairley allegedly also shared the information with co-conspirator Shane Hennen, who in turn passed it along to a network of bettors, resulting in placement of more than $250,000 in “under” bets on Rozier for the game. In addition, two people in Rozier’s “close circle” placed $4,800 worth of bets on Rozier’s “under” totals. Not all of the bets paid, and Rozier ultimately agreed to accept $30,000 less than originally planned, according to the new indictment.

Rozier also allegedly agreed to give Laster part of the bribe.

The Hornets lost the game in question to the New Orleans Pelicans, 115-96. Rozier played 9 minutes, 34 seconds in the game and scored 5 points. During the 2022-23 season, Rozier averaged 21.1 points and 35.3 minutes of playing time per game.

In the new indictment, federal prosecutors outlined the scheme:
In exchange for an approximately $100,000 bribe, ROZIER agreed with co-conspirators, including the defendant DENIRO LASTER, Marves Fairley and Co-Conspirator 1, that ROZIER would withdraw early from a to-be-determined game purportedly on the basis of his injury so that co-conspirators could bet on the information before it became public. ROZIER also agreed to give LASTER a portion of the bribe. LASTER communicated with Fairley and Co-Conspirator 1 using encrypted applications to keep them updated as the anticipated game grew closer. Meanwhile, Fairley and the defendant
SHANE HENNEN lined up individuals who were poised to bet on the inside information once
ROZIER identified the particular game he would withdraw from.

Two other conspirators have NBA ties

About five days after the game, Fairley and Laster traveled to Philadelphia to collect payouts from Hennen for the wagers on Rozier and other “fraudulent” bets. Prosecutors allege that Rozier set up and paid for Laster’s flight. On March 29, 2023, per the filing, “Fairley gave LASTER tens of thousands of dollars in cash as payment for the non-public information that LASTER had obtained from ROZIER and had provided to Fairley regarding ROZIER’s plan to exit prematurely from the March 23 Game.”

From Philadelphia, Laster drove to Rozier’s North Carolina home, and the two counted the money. Prosecutors also detailed information gathered and fraudulent bets made on at least six other games involving co-conspirator Eric Earnest, Jones, and others.

Though all of the defendants and co-conspirators are not named in the latest indictment, Earnest, Fairley, Jones, Timothy McCormack, Long Phi Pham, and former NBA player Jontay Porter are identified. Nine others are identified only as “co-conspirators,” including one who was an NBA player and one who played in the NBA from 1997-2014 and was “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Three others are relatives of Laster, Hennen, or Rozier.

In addition, court documents reveal that the fraudulent wagers were placed with four sportsbooks, including two that are official sports betting partners of the NBA. The league lists DraftKings and FanDuel as its “official gaming partners.”

Rozier, who was traded to the Miami Heat on Jan. 23, 2024, was placed on unpaid leave by the NBA last October due to the gambling charges. He was waived by the Heat on April 10.

To start, here’s a breakdown of the 2026 Executive of the Year voting:

There are a lot of good executives here. If you look leaguewide, of the nine teams that won at least 50 games, eight of them are on this list.

Who’s missing? The Knicks, of course. Only one other team won at least 47 games and saw its executive not earn a single vote: Minnesota.

Fast forward to late May, and despite five different teams in the East having an executive on this list, none of them are in the NBA Finals, but Leon Rose is. You’d think at some point, awards like these would no longer value the regular season in such a way, but how else would we show how highly we think of Brad Stevens?

Individual awards are temporary. Banners are eternal. Even if the NBA Cup banner will never be hung, the 2025-26 Knicks will forever be represented in the rafters at Madison Square Garden, regardless of what happens next.

And it’s all thanks to Mr. Rose.

When James Dolan hired Rose to succeed Steve Mills as the Knicks’ President of Basketball Operations on March 2, 2020, the organization was in a bleak, bleak place. They were just over a year removed from trading their young All-Star on a rookie contract because of his lack of long-term belief in the organization, and had a foundation banking on several late lottery picks and 2019 No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett to move into the future.

Rose had never worked in an NBA front office, but had decades of experience in basketball as an agent with CAA, which had many star connections. Some of the best players in the league had Rose in their inner circle in the past, so the hope among fans was that he’d leverage those connections to make the Knicks a destination after years of being spurned by elite talent.

The day he was hired, the young Knicks took down a veteran Rockets squad led by James Harden (go figure) at Madison Square Garden behind 27 by Barrett and a double-double off the bench by Mitchell Robinson. Despite how bleak this roster looked, those two were your foundation.

Nine days later, their season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Leon Rose era was already in chaotic and uncharted waters before he had even gotten a chance to furnish his office at 34th and 7th.

With no invitation to the bubble when life got more normal, his first offseason began without much of an in-person evaluation period. Interim head coach Mike Miller was shown the door, and the search began for the team’s 13th head coach in 20 years since Jeff Van Gundy was canned in late 2001. There are a lot of directions they could’ve gone.

They interviewed, in some capacity, the likes of Ime Udoka, Jason Kidd, Kenny Atkinson, Jahmal Mosley, Will Hardy, Mike Brown (hmm, whatever happened to him), and more, offering all different types of styles. Developers, young coaches, analytical coaches, offensive coaches, defensive coaches, star target coaches, etc.

Ultimately, in a list that included plenty of faces looking for their first head coaching job, he went for a retread, hiring Tom Thibodeau to take his “dream job” after up-and-down tenures in both Chicago and Minnesota. While their last attempt at hiring a defensive coach failed miserably in David Fizdale, Thibodeau was more respected in the mediascape and showed right away just how serious Rose was about ending the cycle of mediocrity.

Thibs’ scheme required buy-in, effort, and conditioning. For a young team, it might be hard to adapt to, but he made the early-2010s Bulls and late-2010s Timberwolves grow up. Why couldn’t he do it here? It was an edict to get out of the doldrums and start building something competitive.

But going into 2020-21, the team wasn’t expected to be competitive. Rose’s first-ever draft saw the Knicks drop from 6th to 8th in the lottery and select Dayton forward Obi Toppin, who was considered the best player available. This, to date, has been Rose’s only lottery selection, so the fact that multiple talented players like Devin Vassell and Tyrese Haliburton went behind him stings, but oh well. Drafting a talented combo guard in Immanuel Quickley at No. 25 doesn’t hurt.

Drafting Toppin clearly indicated that the conglomerate of power forwards the Knicks signed after striking out on three pitches in 2019 free agency was not part of the future vision. Taj Gibson was waived, Bobby Portis’ team option was declined, and Julius Randle was pretty clearly on the trade block as an expiring contract. The team waived Elfrid Payton, only to re-sign him a few days later.

Rose was also a big fan of wheeling and dealing. He swung multiple trades on draft night to maneuver around the board, ultimately selling the team’s second-round pick for a 2023 Pistons 2nd. He’d acquire a pair of 2nds from the Utah Jazz to eat Ed Davis’ modest contract before flipping him to the Timberwolves for filler and another 2nd. Three seconds just to ship Davis from Utah to Minnesota is good business.

On the margins entering his first season, he signed veteran role players Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Austin Rivers, while eventually bringing back Gibson to continue mentoring the young Robinson in January after waiving OG Nova Knick Omari Spellman. Despite what we know now, this season was supposed to be a continuation of a rebuild that saw the team enter 2021 with another crack at a top pick.

That didn’t happen. Instead, Thibodeau’s system ignited a fire into the ragtag mix of youth and veterans that charged them to an unlikely 41-31 record and No. 4 seed. Randle took himself off the trade block with an unbelievable season, finishing eighth in MVP voting while winning Most Improved Player. Everyone on the team was a sniper. They had the third-best defensive rating in basketball. Even as COVID restrictions limited fans, the energy was palpable as they broke the eight-year playoff drought out of nowhere.

Adjusting to the sudden reality of a potential Knicks playoff team, Rose swung a masterful midseason trade, sending certified bust Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 Hornets’ 2nd to the Pistons for Derrick Rose. He additionally grabbed another two seconds in a midseason trade that shipped out Rivers and Ignas Brazdeikis. D-Rose immediately stabilized a point guard position that had Elfrid Payton eating up too many minutes from Quickley in Thibs’ veteran system, and put the Knicks in a serious position.

But the reality check came hard and fast, as Trae Young became the first true Garden villain of the 21st century and the clock struck midnight on Randle’s Cinderella run. The magic ended as quickly as it began, but there was new hope surrounding the franchise.

The sudden bolt into playoff contention rewired the brains of everyone in the organization. There have been many cases of young teams overreacting to a strong season after years of misery, and it has led to negative blowbacks (the 2023 Giants still give me pain). Unfortunately for Rose, he wasn’t immune.

The flexibility the Knicks had in the 2021 offseason was mostly used to re-sign guys like D-Rose, Noel, and Burks to multi-year deals. They picked up Randle’s team option and gave him a new $120 million contract. But with the team’s offense being a major sticking point in the playoffs, Rose elected to give $72 million to Evan Fournier and, after being bought out by OKC, a one-year deal to former All-Star and New York native Kemba Walker.

In the draft, Rose continued to wheel and deal, drafting a talented quartet that included Quentin Grimes, Deuce McBride, Rokas Jokubaitis, and Jericho Sims while picking up a conditional 1st and two more future second-round picks.

Expectations were as high as they’d been in eight years ahead of the 2021-22 season. The season started brilliantly with a double-overtime win over Boston and a Christmas revenge game against the Hawks, but misery sank in over time. The offensive additions weakened the team’s defensive identity. Randle regressed, as did several veterans who were just given big extensions. D-Rose missed most of the season with an injury. The team sank to a miserable 37-45, missing the play-in and dooming the Knicks back to the lottery for the eighth time in nine years.

The first major inflection point had been reached in his tenure. Many outside voices believed the Knicks rushed a rebuild and urged them to build around their smattering of young players. Barrett took a step forward in 21-22, while guys like Grimes, Quickley, and Toppin showed promise when given time to cook. The vitriol surrounding Randle reached an all-time high as his relationship with the fans grew toxic.

At this point, he had to decide what path to take with the team. Does he tear it down and “Play the Kids”, or does he take a big swing in the offseason to patch the holes in the foundation? The Spurs and Jazz were starting to tear things down, freeing up both Dejounte Murray and Donovan Mitchell in the trade market. Murray was a strong defender with an ability to score, but the real prize was bringing the New York kid home. It would take a hefty sum, but for the first time in over a decade, there was a star that wanted to call the Mecca home.

Rose was adamant about pushing forward to return to the playoffs in 2023. He sent a sizable contingent (including Randle, for some reason) to sit courtside to watch Mitchell in his first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. With Luka Doncic sidelined with injury, he’d have a chance to show that he’s the top dog in this series and win it by himself for the Jazz.

But Mitchell wasn’t the one they were solely there to see. Doncic’s second-in-command just so happened to be Rose’s godson, who has deep ties to the organization through his agency and his childhood. Jalen Brunson stole the show that series, scoring 41 points in Game 2 and averaging 27.8 points across a six-game series victory. With all the connections, coupled with his father being hired as an assistant, it was a match made in heaven when Brunson hit free agency on June 30.

The problem was that the Knicks had zero cap space, and Dallas would likely not be very cooperative towards a sign-and-trade. To fit his contract, they’d need to open up $30 million, which isn’t an easy task. It cost the team their lottery pick, as a complicated web of trades saw the team trade back from No. 11 to No. 13 (collecting multiple conditional firsts in the process) and then flip the pick that became All-NBA center Jalen Duren, along with Walker, to the Pistons for basically nothing. A week later, Burks and Noel met the same fate as salary dumps.

With that new cap space, Brunson was inked to a $104 million contract, the largest-ever free agent deal for a non-All-Star. That gamble was widely criticized, especially when it would seem to complicate the pursuits of Murray and Mitchell. The rest of the day was spent rewarding the homegrown Robinson with a $60 million extension, while signing his backup in analytical darling Isaiah Hartenstein for just eight million per year.

Rose didn’t match the Hawks’ offer for Murray despite a warchest of picks. When Danny Ainge asked for the moon and the stars for Mitchell, he balked at it, too. He didn’t want to give up foundational young pieces like Barrett, whom he rewarded with a $115 million extension. Twice, he stayed frugal when he had a chance to add an All-Star guard, hoping that his acquisition of Brunson and overall roster reshuffling could return the team to the playoffs.

23 games into the 2022-23 season, things weren’t changing. The Knicks were 10-13, and the sharks were circling. So much so that Rose privately started to consider a coaching change as the good graces of Thibodeau’s first year started to fade. For the first time, his job security started to feel in serious danger. What if all of these moves didn’t work out? Would Dolan emerge from his multi-year slumber to take a sledgehammer to the operations?

Thankfully, we never found out. Brunson emerged as a bona fide superstar, forming a formidable tandem with a rejuvenated Randle to revitalize the Knicks’ offense. The defensive fortitude of Robinson and the rising Grimes made the starting five solid defensively despite its natural shortcomings. With the deadline approaching once again, Rose had a decision to make.

And, once again, he made the right move in adding to the roster. Just before the deadline, he flipped the malcontent, benched Cam Reddish, and traded a first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers to acquire Brunson’s college roommate, Josh Hart. His addition would bring a spark on both ends of the floor, as he’d prove to be a dynamo in transition, add a new element to the team’s already gigantic rebounding advantage, and give them the hustle and glue guy they sorely lacked.

That team finished 47-35, obtaining the No. 5 seed. In a twist of fate, they matched up with Mitchell’s Cavaliers in the first round and knocked them out in five games, with Brunson outdueling the New York native and Hart tormenting the Cavs with his hustle. The series win marked the first for the Knicks in a decade, but the good feelings dissipated when Brunson’s supporting cast completely failed him against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the second round.

But the calculus was now significantly easier going forward. The foundation was there and stabilized, no longer relying on outlier performances from veterans on contract years and data that suggested Randle was closer to an all-star than he was to what he was in 21-22.

The 2023 offseason was rather quiet. After trading away their draft pick, the team was essentially muted in the NBA Draft for the first time in quite a while. With Randle’s contract and his performance justifying his role on the team, Rose cut bait with his only ever lottery pick, flipping Toppin for two seconds. He used the savings to sign yet another Villanova product to the mid-level exception, inking Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year contract to add perimeter shooting to a team that was very mid-range and paint-oriented with its three best players in Brunson, Randle, and Barrett.

The start of the 2023-24 season was uneven. There were highs, there were lows, there was a feeling of stagnation. You knew the Knicks were good, a step above what we saw the last 20 years, but you knew they were limited in terms of upward trajectory. With Quickley due for a new extension soon and the team’s ceiling being rather low, Rose made a bold move. Out went the team’s two best young players for a non-All-Star on an expiring contract.

OG Anunoby is one of the league’s best 3-and-D wings, so it was no surprise that he would eventually field the largest contract in franchise history that offseason, but it’s never an easy sell to fully commit to contention by shedding the best young talent on your team. Rose doubled down on this by trading Fournier’s buried contract and the diminished Quentin Grimes for Bojan Bogdanovic and OAKAAK Burks just before the trade deadline.

On the night of the OG trade, Rose made one of his niftiest moves as POBO, extending seldom-used guard Deuce McBride to a three-year, $13 million deal to replace Quickley as the team’s backup point guard. It’s fair to say that it went pretty well.

For a month, the Knicks looked like the best team in basketball. Randle, Brunson, and Anunoby fit together like a glove. The emergence of DiVincenzo as one of the best volume shooters in the league, coupled with the steadiness of Hartenstein on both ends, made the January Knicks a dominant force to be reckoned with, but that all changed when Randle went crashing to the floor on a drawn charge attempt by Jaime Jaquez Jr. on January 28.

Randle would never wear the orange and blue again. Injuries to Anunoby, Bogdanovic, Robinson, Hart, and eventually Brunson saw the team fall apart in Game 7 of a second-round series against the Pacers. An exciting season came to a close, but the Knicks felt like a legitimate player going forward in the Eastern Conference.

This momentum motivated the front office to continue adding pieces. The war chest had been slowly accumulating over the years, to the point where the Knicks had the most future picks of any top-tier team outside of the surging Thunder. With no true 1A emerging on the trade market and wonky fits being passed over yearly, Rose chose a bold move. The war chest would be unloaded… for another non-All-Star role player.

Mikal Bridges is a different flavor of 3-and-D wing. He isn’t quite as impressive a defender as Anunoby, nor as strong, but he possesses a better ability to handle the ball and was a better matchup for the league’s premier guards. He was also a Villanova graduate, further strengthening the Nova Knicks bond. Four unprotected first-round picks, along with an excess Milwaukee pick and a pick swap, is an extremely hefty price, but it was time to push the chips in.

Why? Well, the newly established second apron was quickly approaching. Anunoby was about to ink a $212 million contract. Brunson was extension-eligible. Randle was extension-eligible. While Rose’s cap expert, Brock Aller, was incredible at circumventing the aprons, the time to go all in was now. They couldn’t wait another offseason or two without risking the aprons breaking up the core.

Speaking of all in, there was one big move left to be made. Karl-Anthony Towns is a CAA client, someone that Knicks brass has been eyeing up for years as Minnesota gravitated towards No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards as its franchise face. The tires had long been kicked for a move, but nobody expected it to come days before training camp started in late September. For everything they meant to the franchise and fans, Randle and DiVincenzo were gone. The Big Bodega was in.

The Knicks were all in. While Brunson had taken a massive pay cut to gain flexibility, the team now had two players on $200 million contracts and another two who would be on $150 million deals to go along with two others making over $15 million per year. They built their roster to beat the defending champion Celtics, but those Celtics thrashed them four times in the regular season. The starters looked clunky all season, the offense never felt dominant, and the defense wasn’t able to be elite with two bad defenders. Going into the playoffs, there was real concern.

Then, for a while, it went away. A gritty, six-game series win over the Pistons and an unbelievable upset over the Celtics had fans dreaming of the team’s first NBA Finals trip of the 2000s. All that stood in the way was a Pacers team they knew they should’ve beat the year before. What could go wrong?

It turns out, everything. Rose built the team to conquer the Celtics, but they were not prepared for the run-and-gun Pacers, who ran them out of the gym in a six-game series that was over much earlier than it seems. While the Knicks reached their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years, the season felt underwhelming.

And so, we reached the second major inflection point. Serious flaws with this roster were presented, and many felt like a big change might be necessary to shake things up. There was also the case of Tom Thibodeau, to whom the franchise was indebted after helping return them to relevance. But his issues were abundant. The starters were gassed, his scheme wasn’t modern on either end of the floor, and the locker room was split on him.

It was a tough decision, but Rose and Dolan decided to fire Thibodeau just one year after giving him an extension. To replace him, the front office went on a lengthy coaching search that briefly made the team a laughing stock, but they settled on Mike Brown, an offensive coach who would maximize this team’s offensive potential.

The roster stayed mostly intact, even when the Bucks came calling after Giannis Antetokounmpo made it clear to their brass that he wanted to be a Knick. There wasn’t much the Knicks could offer, but the fact that those talks didn’t get serious implies that they weren’t willing to make the move at all costs.

It’s been a rocky season. The Knicks have looked unbeatable one day and hard to watch the next, but they’ve found their stride at the right time. 11 consecutive wins in the postseason for the team’s longest winning streak, regardless of time of season, in 13 years. Sweeping their way to the NBA Finals against the team led by the man you almost acquired via trade four years ago. Finally reaching the place that seemed unattainable six years ago.

The journey has been exhausting. Dealing with big market expectations has been a chore for every decision-maker for every New York franchise for decades, but the Knicks were a different beast. Rose was considered a savior for several years, but as the Knicks stagnated a tier beneath the true contenders, he traded fan favorites and future flexibility for win-now pieces.

He faced multiple serious inflection points. He had to decide whether he was going to commit to prolonged rebuild or trying to turn things around fast. When the 2021 Knicks’ bubble burst, he had to decide whether it was worth it to continue trying to win or to retool around the young guys. He had to decide whether it would be wise to spend the team’s assets on a star guard in the trade market. He had to decide whether to fire Thibodeau or retool the roster after last season’s disappointing finish.

He had to make bold moves. Signing Brunson to a nine-figure contract was widely criticized by the NBA community. He made all in move after all in move to raise the team’s ceiling high enough to compete for a championship. He fired the most accomplished head coach the franchise had seen this century after the team’s best season in 25 years.

He’s not without his mistakes. The one lottery pick he’s ever had was spent on a permanent role player. He’s traded picks that became Ajay Mitchell, Tre Johnson, and Jalen Duren. He’s passed on the likes of Herb Jones, Jalen Williams, and Tyrese Haliburton. He signed Evan Fournier to a massive contract in an overreaction to 2020-21.

But perhaps his greatest strength is his patience. It’s extremely easy to overreact to things. If he had listened to the fanbase, the team would’ve built around a core of Quickley, Toppin, Reddish, and Barrett and been doomed to 35 wins forever. He knew not to trade Randle at an all-time low in 2022. He didn’t pull the trigger on enticing stars over the years just to finally accomplish a decade-long mission goal. He gave this roster patience, not disbanding them after one year or giving up on them when things looked extremely bleak at the deadline.

Leon Rose’s vision has culminated in things beyond what any fan could’ve imagined in 2020. He’s done this with one singular inherited player still on the roster, one lottery pick, and a whole lot of creativity. Consider where he’s built this roster from:

• Jalen Brunson: signed in free agency on a four-year, $104 million deal that was widely considered an overpay. Extended on a 4/156.
• Mikal Bridges: acquired via trade from Brooklyn for five first-round picks, Bojan Bogdanovic, and filler salary (thanks, Brock Aller!). Extended on a 4/150.
• Josh Hart: acquired via trade from Portland for Cam Reddish and the No. 23 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft (Kris Murray). Extended on a 4/80.
• OG Anunoby: acquired via trade from Toronto for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Extended on a 5/212.
• Karl-Anthony Towns: acquired via trade from Minnesota for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
• Jose Alvarado: acquired via trade from New Orleans for Dalen Terry and two seconds.
• Deuce McBride: drafted No. 36 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Extended on a 3/13.
• Jordan Clarkson: signed in free agency on a veteran minimum in July 2025.
• Landry Shamet: signed in free agency on a veteran minimum in September 2024.
• Mitchell Robinson: inherited from Steve Mills.
• Mo Diawara: drafted No. 51 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
• Jeremy Sochan: signed in the buyout market in February 2026.
• Tyler Kolek: drafted No. 38 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
• Pacome Dadiet: drafted No. 25 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
• Ariel Hukporti: drafted No. 58 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.

In the end, Rose has built something that has proven to be an outlier in the NBA. The Knicks weren’t built through a massive free agency haul like superteams of old. They didn’t rely on tanking for a half-decade and getting lucky in the lottery over and over again. They built their team meticulously in an innovative way, assembling a group of players who were cast off for deficiencies, imperfections, and players who were misvalued in one way or another.

Regardless of how the NBA Finals go, the Leon Rose era has been a resounding success. He’s completed one of the great turnarounds in NBA history, with as little ammunition as any executive in league history.

After a historic 11-game winning streak in the playoffs, the Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. And it’s fair to ask where this Knicks team ranks among the greatest squads in the franchise’s history. 

The Knicks had a really strong regular season, winning 53 games. The playoffs have been even better, with New York winning its the last 11 playoff games by a 262-point differential -- an NBA record. 

With this Finals run still in progress, let’s look at where the 2025-26 team stacks up against the best Knicks squads past and present. 

Regular season record, playoff record, opponent strength, and memorable moments were all factors in these rankings.

Here are the top five Knicks teams ever...

No. 5: 1992-93 

The 1998-99 team, which was the first No. 8 seed to advance to an NBA Finals, deserves an honorable mention. But the only team on this list to not make the NBA Finals, the 1992-93 Knicks, was memorable. New York finished with the second-best record in the NBA at 60-22. The Knicks had the top-ranked defense, which propped up an offense that was ranked just 22nd.

Fifth in net rating, the Knicks were led by All-Star Patrick Ewing. John Starks emerged as a full-time starter by the second half of the season and was second on the club in scoring.

New York went 7-2 in the first two rounds before the ultimate showdown with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, with the Knicks having homecourt advantage in the Conference Finals. The swing moment of the series was Game 5, when Knicks forward Charles Smith was stuffed on four consecutive shot attempts in the waning moments of a deflating 97-94 loss at home. New York would’ve taken a lead if Smith converted. Chicago closed out the series in Game 6.

No. 4: 1952-53

Going 47-23 during the regular season, the Knicks had the best record in the Eastern Division and the second-best mark out of 10 teams. New York was led by All-Stars and future Hall-of-Famers Carl Braun and Harry Gallatin. 

The Knicks swept the Baltimore Bullets in two games and beat the Boston Celtics 3-1 before dropping the final four games to the Minneapolis Lakers in a 4-1 NBA Finals loss. But the combined success in both the regular season and the playoffs gives this group a spot in the top five.

No. 3: 1993-94

After multiple years in the shadow of the Bulls, New York was an instant title favorite for 1994 when Jordan announced his sudden retirement.

Bolstered by strong play from three All-Stars in Ewing, Starks, and Charles Oakley, and a midseason trade for point guard Derek Harper, the Knicks finished tied for the third-best record in the NBA at 57-25.

After two seven-game series in the first three rounds, New York got to the NBA Finals for the first time in 21 years. Facing the Houston Rockets, the Knicks held a 3-2 series advantage after five games. But a game-saving block from Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon on Starks -- who was taking a potential title-clinching three-pointer -- gave the Rockets Game 6 before Houston closed it out in Game 7.

No. 2: 1969-70

New York’s first truly dominant team came in 1969. Led by Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, the Knicks won 23 of their first 24 games in the regular season on their way to setting a franchise record with an NBA-high 60 wins.

The playoffs saw the Knicks beat the Bullets 4-3 and the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 before advancing to the NBA Finals. The Knicks needed seven games to defeat the 46-36 Los Angeles Lakers. 

Part of the reason for the long series was a torn thigh muscle Reed suffered in Game 5. He famously returned briefly for Game 7, and Frazier led the Knicks to a championship with a remarkable 36 points and 19 assists in the clincher.

No. 1: 1972-73

The last championship squad for the franchise, this Knicks team ranked third in offensive efficiency and fourth in defensive efficiency during the regular season. With a 57-25 record, the Knicks had the fourth-best record in the NBA.

The playoff run was of supreme quality. The Knicks had the top net rating (plus-4.9) in the playoffs, per Basketball Reference. After defeating the 52-win Bullets in five games, the highlight of this Knicks team’s run came in the Eastern Conference Finals against the 68-14 Celtics, when the Knicks won 94-78 at the Boston Garden in Game 7. New York then vanquished another 60-win juggernaut with a 4-1 NBA Finals win over the Lakers.

The Knicks' starting lineup was stacked. Its starting five of Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Reed is the last championship team to have all five starters make the Hall-of-Fame.

Final say

Regardless of a win or loss, a competitive NBA Finals would vault this current Knicks squad easily into the top five. 

Thanks to a top 10 finish in both offense and defense during the regular season and a historically dominant run in the playoffs, the 2025-26 Knicks are quickly moving up the list as one of the top teams in franchise history.

There is optimism Mitchell Robinson will be ready to go for the Finals. 

He underwent surgery on his broken right pinky finger, league sources confirmed.

The hope is that he will be ready for Game 1 on Wednesday, though there is still no concrete timeline.

And still, it is uncertain how effective Robinson can be if he does play. 

Beyond Robinson, the Knicks lack depth at center behind Karl-Anthony Towns.

Ariel Hukporti would be the likely next option, but he played sparingly in the regular season and so far in the playoffs.

When Robinson missed Game 2 of the second round against the 76ers due to an illness, Hukporti played seven minutes and recorded two points and three rebounds while also picking up four fouls. 

Jeremy Sochan is theoretically another option, though he has been relegated to strictly garbage time minutes since the end of the regular season.

The Knicks could utilize small-ball lineups with OG Anunoby at the five, though that will be difficult against either the Thunder or Spurs, both of whom feature star bigs. 

If it’s the Spurs, in particular, that the Knicks face in the Finals, Robinson’s availability could be critical.

He was excellent when guarding Victor Wembanyama in the Knicks’ NBA Cup final triumph over the Spurs last December. Robinson spent more time matched up with Wembanyama than any other Knicks defender, per the league’s official tracking stats.

Wembanyama went 3-for-7 from the field and 0-for-2 from 3-point range when Robinson was his primary defender in that game. 

It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster postseason for Robinson.

His brutal free throw shooting – he is 13-for-43 (30.2 percent) from the line in the playoffs – has allowed opponents to utilize Hack-a-Mitch and force the Knicks to take him off the court. 

He is only averaging 14.2 minutes per game in the postseason, down from 19.6 minutes per game in the regular season. 

Regardless, the Knicks don’t have any replacement for his rebounding prowess and his versatile defense.

Talent or fit? It’s the age-old question, at least as far as the NBA Draft is concerned. And with Brayden Burries, a 6’4”, 215 lb combo guard out of Arizona, it raises itself again. Burries is talented, no doubt, but is he talented enough in a draft as deep as this for the Bucks to take him over players who better fit positional needs?

Burries quickly became Arizona’s go-to offensive option as a freshman this season, putting up 16.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.5 SPG with impressive .491/.391/.805 shooting splits and just 1.5 TOPG, leading the Wildcats all the way to the Final Four. While he did struggle shooting in their loss to the Michigan Wolverines (4/16), the rest of his tournament run was impressive overall:

• 18 points and five boards against Long Island.
• 16 and nine against Utah State.
• 23 and five against Arkansas.
• 14 and six against Purdue.

Oh, and he did all that shooting a combined 22/38 (58%) from the field.

As an NBA player, Burries will make an excellent backcourt running mate next to just about anyone. He’s a physical defender with enough size and strength to guard both backcourt positions, is disruptive on the ball and in the passing lanes, and demonstrates genuine commitment to the defensive end, drawing comparisons to All-World defenders Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. While he still has a ways to go to reach those lofty heights, the potential is there.

Offensively, Burries’ versatility similarly holds him in good stead, as he possesses the tools to play both on and off the ball. Off-ball, Burries has value as a floor-spacer for others, using his shooting range to open up driving lanes. This same gravity also helps him attack close-outs to get inside the arc, where he’s adept at finishing in the midrange or with either hand at the rim. On ball, Burries is also a capable shot creator, able to get downhill through a quick first step and decisive dribble moves, and uses a variety of gathers—his low “sweep” gather stands out—to create space to finish at or around the rim.

Overall, while Burries has positional and skillset versatility, he’s not a “true” lead guard and lacks the explosive athleticism (aka flashy play) of some of the other top-end talent. His ceiling isn’t projected as high as some of his peers either, likely due to his lack of a singularly elite skill—though if these playoffs are a reminder of anything, it’s that there’s always a spot for players who are multidimensional, able to help a team win in a number of ways.

Burries touched on this himself in an NBA Draft Combine interview, stating that what separates him from the other guards in this class is his “competitiveness… [his] will to win, [his ability] to just guard one through four, [and his] impact on winning outside of scoring.” He also sees himself as “somebody that you want to play with” and cited Jamal Murray and Devin Booker as current NBA players he studies, seeing them as “big guards that can get to their spots… who can guard, impact winning… and can play on the ball, off the ball.”

All things considered, Burries would make a fitting partner next to Ryan Rollins in the Bucks’ backcourt, sharing ball-handling responsibilities while providing valuable shooting and defence. Their skillsets, though similar, would be complementary rather than duplicative—you can never have enough guards who can do multiple things. And should the Bucks bring back Kevin Porter Jr. too—which they must; Milwaukee can’t afford to let talent walk—they would make quite a talented backcourt triumvirate. So, in Burries’ case, it’s not a matter of talent or fit. It’s both.

What do you make of Burries as a potential fit in Milwaukee? Does he form the backcourt of the future alongside Rollins, or is the thought of yet another ~6’4” guard enough to put you off? Add your thoughts in the comments and vote for who you’d take next in our draft.

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson had surgery earlier this week on his broken right pinky finger and will "push to play" when the NBA Finals start this coming Wednesday, reports SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley.

Shams Charania of ESPN adds that Robinson will wear a brace on his hand. 

The Knicks will head to either San Antonio or Oklahoma City for Game 1 of the Finals, with the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder set to be decided in Game 7 on Sunday. 

Robinson has been a crucial part of the Knicks' playoff run. 

In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers, Robinson provided key minutes, impacting the game with his signature defense and rebounding prowess. In the clinching Game 4, Robinson scored eight points on 4-of-6 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds, and was a plus-14 on the court in his 18 minutes of play. 

One thing that has hampered Robinson and the Knicks this postseason is when opposing teams have used the "hack-a-Mitch" strategy to send him to the free-throw line.

Robinson went just 2-for-14 from the line against the Cavs after going 6-for-16 against the 76ers in the second round and 5-for-13 against the Hawks in the first round. 

"I know that Robinson will push to play. Just in having conversations with people over the last couple of hours," Begley reported Thursday night. "He will want to play; it's ultimately up to the Knicks' medical staff. A player's opinion does matter in these things and so he's going to want to be out there." 

If the Knicks face the Spurs, Robinson could be the physical, tall center to match up with Victor Wembanyama. If the Thunder advance, Robinson could be used alongside Karl-Anthony Towns to combat OKC's massive frontcourt of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. 

Robinson, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks across 60 games this season. The 60 games were the most Robinson has played in a season since he played 59 games in 2022-23.  

As someone who talks to, consumes, and is adjacent to a lot of Mavericks diehards and take artists, the overwhelming sentiment around Dallas’ drop in draft positioning is that it was a worst-case-scenario outcome. Whether it is a complaint about the process or a statement regarding the quality of players past the eighth pick, the opinions thrown at me are far from indifferent. And yet, here I am, a Mavericks blogger, season ticket holder, and fan for life, feeling completely removed from that group. In fact, I find myself a smidge on the other end where cautious excitement lives. Maybe the last 15 months have numbed my senses, but the Mavericks check a lot of boxes that make a lower draft pick an annoyance, not a hindrance. 

The hard part is done

The Mavericks won the lottery a year ago. They selected Cooper Flagg first overall in 2025, and the only thing clearer than the direction of the franchise is the speed at which the train is moving. Finding your version of Flagg is something that teams spend decades doing, and the Mavericks have been without a centerpiece for maybe three months in the last 28 years. If Dallas were constructed like Brooklyn or Washington or Utah, where they have a collection of young guys without the head of the snake, then dropping out of the top eight the way Dallas did may have been more agonizing. But if the Mavericks were in that position, meaning they hadn’t gotten Flagg last season, we may all be devoid of feelings anyway. 

The 9th pick cannot be bad if the draft is deep

As far back as last summer, draft scouts and experts alike have touted the 2026 draft as one of the deepest in recent memory. If that is true, then the 9th overall pick cannot simultaneously be a doomsday scenario. The question now turns to how well the Mavericks can assess talent, and, as our very own Matt Martinez highlighted, new General Manager Mike Schmitz has a very good track record at doing just that. 

Plenty of top 10 picks do not pan out. They can’t, or every team would be a superteam. 

There have been a number of gems between picks nine and 16 in recent years. In 2025, Cedric Coward was selected 11th, and Derik Queen 13th. The 2024 draft saw Matas Buzelis go 11th and Jared McCain 16th. Even in 2023, a similarly top-heavy draft, Cason Wallace, Dereck Lively II, and Keyonte George all went from 10 to 16. Jalen Williams, the number two option on the defending NBA Champion, went 12th in 2022. That was one pick before Jalen Duren, who was the starting center on a 60-win Detroit team. That is nine guys who went between 10th and 16th in the last four drafts that have all contributed to playoff teams or been standout rookies. There will be plenty of talent available to the Mavericks at nine; they just have to find it.

There are options

The thing about owning a pick is that you do not have to use it. Dallas is familiar with this sentiment, as they have just one of their own first-round picks after this year until 2032. So while it is true that the player of their dreams may fall to number nine, there are also a plethora of avenues they can explore if that doesn’t happen. Maybe the guy they really want is available at five, and the Clippers agree to trade back four spots to acquire one of the Mavericks’ veteran wings. Or maybe Dallas thinks their guy will be there later in the lottery, so they trade back to 12 with Oklahoma City and grab the 18th pick as well. 

The Mavericks aren’t in a bind to hit a home run at nine. They have flexibility with where they go. A dud would be bad, but getting on base is just fine. The draft never goes according to consensus, and the talents never perfectly align with projections. Dallas now has very smart people in its war room, and we have to trust that they’ll make the right play.

They didn’t sacrifice a winning culture

The loudest frustration I heard over the last few months was regarding the lack of conviction in Dallas’ process to tank. Intentionally losing was obviously a huge talking point this season, so much so that Adam Silver made fixing it the number one off-season priority. The flagrancy with which some teams tanked this year was shocking, and the Mavericks essentially doing it the “natural” way, by being organically bad, was highlighted in a way it may not normally have been.

The Mavericks made a decision to keep general manager Nico Harrison through the start of the year. As soon as that choice was made, there was never going to be a smooth ride. Dallas going all-in on a tank was only possible with a complete reset last summer, and the fact that they opted out of that doomed their chances from the start. They were 7-26 after February 1st! They were really bad after the decision to move on from the last year was made. Dallas was faced with an impossible situation, and, unsurprisingly, was a mess of an organization. 

They chose to play hard and try to win every night. Now, with a new coach on the way, those habits will carry over and should place them a step or two above where they would be had they made the call for a punt. Now, they can enter the draft with a clean conscience, a top franchise cornerstone, and a trust that the new regime will find the correct pieces to build with. 

A look at the Lakers entering the offseason:

Luka Doncic

Stats: 33.5 ppg, 8.3 apg, 7.7 rpg

Contract status: 2026-27: $49.5 million; 2027-28: $53.5M; 2028-29: Player option for $57.4M.

Skinny:Doncic reestablished himself as one of the league’s best players during the regular season before missing the playoffs due to a left hamstring strain. He won the scoring title for the second time in his career, becoming the first Laker since Kobe Bryant (2006-07) to accomplish the feat, and earned All-NBA first-team honors for the sixth time in his eight-season career. 

LeBron James

Stats: 20.9 ppg, 7.2 apg, 6.1 rpg

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Skinny:James continued to redefine what the latter stages of a player’s career can look like, earning an All-Star selection for a record-extending 22nd season. He navigated multiple changes within the team’s offensive hierarchy — from the co-second option to second option to third option — before closing the season in a primary role after the regular-season-ending injuries to Doncic and Austin Reaves. James was the Lakers’ best player during the first-round playoff series victory over the Rockets.  

Austin Reaves

Stats: 23.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.7 rpg

Contract status: 2026-27: Player option for $14.9M.

Skinny: Reaves’ All-Star-caliber season was hampered by injuries, including the oblique strain that sidelined him for the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. His return during the first round helped get the Lakers over the hump against the Rockets, and he started to regain his rhythm toward the end of the second round against the Thunder. He’s due for a significant pay raise this summer.

Deandre Ayton

Stats: 12.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 1 bpg

Contract status: 2026-27: Player option for $8.1M.

Skinny: The playoffs perfectly captured Ayton’s season with the Lakers. He was an integral part of their first-round series win on both ends of the floor, showcasing the two-way value he can bring. But against the Thunder, he was a nonfactor at best and a detriment to the Lakers at worst. 

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Marcus Smart 

Stats: 9.3 ppg, 3 apg, 1.4 spg

Contract status: 2026-27: Player option for $5.4M.

Skinny: Smart was the emotional and hustle tone-setter for the Lakers during a season he provided a reminder of what he can bring to the floor after two forgettable seasons with the Grizzlies and Wizards. 

Rui Hachimura

Stats: 11.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Skinny:Hachimura continues to grow as a shooter, knocking down a career-high 116 3-pointers and shooting a career-high 55.6% on midrange shots. He averaged a playoff career-high 17.5 points during the postseason, once again elevating his play when it matters most. 

Jake LaRavia

Stats: 8.2 ppg, 4 rpg

Contract status: 2026-27: $6M.

Skinny: LaRavia had his biggest role on the best team he’s played on so far through four NBA seasons. His durability (82 regular-season games played) and tenacity were positive, but he had the worst 3-point shooting season of his career (32.1%) and was too timid offensively in the playoffs. 

Luke Kennard

Stats: 8.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.2 apg

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Skinny: Kennard led the league in 3-point shooting percentage for the third time in his career. A pre-trade deadline acquisition, Kennard provided reminders that he brings more than just shooting to the table during the final stretch of the regular season. 

Jaxson Hayes

Stats: 7.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Skinny: Hayes had the most efficient scoring season of his career (75.6% shooting) and his highest scoring season in his third year with the Lakers. He continues to improve with his screening and not fouling, being the ideal lob threat to play alongside Doncic.

Jarred Vanderbilt

Stats: 4.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Contract status: 2026-27: $12.4M; 2027-28: Player option for $13.3M.

Skinny: Vanderbilt showed a willingness to shoot more corner 3s in 2025-26. But the results were shaky. And he’s still a subpar finisher at the rim, which makes it challenging to keep him on the court alongside a center despite his defensive skills.

Maxi Kleber

Stats: 2 ppg, 2 rpg

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Skinny: Kleber struggled to stay healthy and was the clear third big man in the rotation. He hasn’t played more than 50 games in a regular season since 2021-22.

Nick Smith Jr.

Stats: 6.2 ppg

Contract status: 2026-27: Team option for $2.5M.

Skinny: Smith earned a standard NBA contract after starting with the Lakers on a two-way deal but didn’t factor into the playoff rotation. His season highs of 25 points and six assists in the Nov. 3 win over the Trail Blazers was his best game.

Bronny James

Stats: 2.9 ppg, 1.2 apg

Contract status: 2026-27: $2.3M; 2027-28: Team option for $2.5M.

Skinny:The younger James received more playing time toward the end of the season after the injuries to Doncic and Reaves, even factoring into their playoff rotation. He grew as a defender and shooter.

Dalton Knecht

Stats: 4.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg

Contract status: 2026-27: $4.2M; 2027-28: Team option for $6.5M.

Skinny: Knecht’s deficiencies outside of scoring/shooting have prevented him from having a bigger role since being the Lakers’ first-round pick in 2024. 

Adou Thiero 

Stats: 1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg

Contract status: 2026-27: $2.2M; 2027-28: Team option for $2.5M.

Skinny:The rookie forward wasn’t healthy to start the season, dealing with swelling in his left knee after surgery from before he was drafted by the Lakers. But by season’s end, he was in the playoff rotation, showcasing the athleticism the team needs. But he’s still raw and has many areas to improve..

JJ Redick 

Contract status: Signed through 2029-30 season. 

Skinny:Redick has led the Lakers to back-to-back 50-win seasons, including 53 in 2025-26, which was the franchise’s most in an 82-game season since 2010-11.  

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: If the Suns could trade their 2027 1st round pick (least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota, and Utah) for a late 1st rounder in this year’s draft, would you do it?

Diamondhacks: Beyond 2026 being a “strong class”, my principal insight on drafts involves beer, so I’ll say “No” to a swap. Or to any transaction I have insufficient visibility into. I’d also recommend this hands-off approach to similarly challenged hoops fans. But if you’re addicted to this sort of thing, a recent prospect breakdown by Brynn-Tannehill might be a good place to start assessing the landscape.

Ashton: I think it is pretty safe to assume that Cleveland and Minnesota would be the least favorable picks that probably turn into a late first-rounder in 2027 anyways. By allowing a late first-round pick in the 2026 draft is the preferable option due to the strength of the draft. But I am not overly impressed with what the mocks are saying at the back-half of the draft. I am assuming this pick would fall somewhere between 26 and 30. If it is 20 and above, the better.

Also, I am writing this on Thursday, when the deadline to declare for the NBA draft closed Wednesday night. I now have a better idea of who is returning to college, and that resets the mock draft boards. The main takeaway is that there’s still good talent at those late round picks in the 2026 and 2027 drafts, looks a lot stronger with a boatload of 2026 second rounders opting back into college. The 2026 47th pick is not going to be worth Jack.

But like speculating on the draft, and it would be boring to just consider the 47th pick in June. So sign me up for more options in the heat of summer. Brynn Tannenhill can write an article about it.

But where does the money come from to sign a two-year guaranteed contract for a first-rounder for a team that is already toeing the repeater tax? Let’s say 3 million is added to payroll. By keeping the 2027 pick, the can is kicked down the road to reset the repeater tax clock and another incremental increase in salary cap. That gives MI a bit more flexibility in spending his hard-earned cash.

It is a tougher question than most would think.

Rod: If there’s someone there that they want this year and they can find a trade partner, even if they had to throw in the 47th 2nd rounder, I’d do it. I can’t see that 2027 pick ending up higher than maybe 24th/25th, and there’s no way of knowing if they might be able to get a better player next year if they wait. To me, that’s a relatively cheap deal and one I’d much rather make than trade away any of the few Suns’ 1st rounders that they still own. But, unless there’s someone there that they really want, there’s no valid reason to trade up to the 1st round.

Q2: Between the 1992-93 Suns and the 2004-05 Suns teams (both 62-20), which of the two do you think would perform best in today’s NBA?

Diamondhacks: Stylistically, D’Antoni’s squad more closely resembled a modern team, successfully pushing the volume three onto an unsuspecting league. But I suspect that advantage and breakneck pace wouldn’t flummox modern opponents quite the same. Because everyone defends (and shoots) the three better now, which might effectively ‘steal’ D’Antoni’s thunder.

Speaking of Thunder, Westphal’s team defended better and was probably a bit more balanced overall. They had more rebounds, blocks, a lot more steals and, perhaps most surprisingly, scored more points and dished more assists than the transformative MVP Steve iteration. So against modern competition, I’d lean towards 93.

Ashton: It must be summertime to consider this question. Look, I am probably the youngest poster on the Fantable (we all know it is not OldAz) and the 92-93 Suns have a special place in my heart. It is where I truly began to follow the Suns in earnest as a know-it-all 19-year-old and thus leading to my current sports watching addictions and streaming subscriptions.

What I wouldn’t give to see the 92-93 Suns in today’s NBA. But what this question should really ask is who is refereeing the game? And that is where NBA development has occurred. Flop fouls and foul baiting to get to the free-throw line. Barkley is not going to flop for anyone. Add that more three-point shooting and fewer post-ups would probably doom this team.

I think Steve Nash and his circus dribbling, passing, and shooting would win the league. Yes, that team had some fouling issues of their own, but in more of a more pace-and-space league, 7SOL would set the pace and not let the other teams defend in space.

Rod: I had a tough time making up my mind on this one. Both teams were great; my vote goes to the 1992-93 Suns. It was really close, though, as each had points that kept me going back and forth between them. Overall depth and defense were the final factors in my decision.

The 2004-05 team really didn’t have great bench depth and was 17th in defense while the 1992-93 team had a stronger bench and was 9th in D. Either of the starting lineups would probably play great in this era but, the faster pace of today’s game (and yes, today’s game is actually played at a faster pace than the 2004-05 7SOL team played at) just favors teams with deeper rosters.

Q3: If you could magically add either Charles Barkley or Amar’e Stoudemire in their primes to the current Suns roster, which would you choose?

Diamondhacks: By most standards, Barkley’s prime (way back in Philadelphia) was a little more robust, but also twenty years earlier than Amare’s, and the league evolved a great deal in that interim. That’s the first conundrum of any magical teleportation. Were Chuck’s stats better because he was definitively the better player, or because the average NBA player wasn’t quite as advanced back when he played? I think it’s clearly some of the latter and less clearly some of the former.

In any case, we’re talking about the most serious interior ass kickers in Suns history. Chuck’s passing and shot creation for teammates probably put him over the top for me. Even if he was only 90% superstar and 10% Dillon Brooks. Amare was 100% ballplayer.

Ashton: Another whimsical question, and it bleeds off of Q2.

And again, I would pay good money to see Barkley bang against the top centers and forwards in the league. Barkley vs. Wemby? Barkley vs. Jokic? Hell, pick your dream match-up. My wallet would be picked clean just to see those battles.

But it goes back to pace and space, and Amar’e fits the bill as the defending teams would be forced to sag off players to defend the rim (and earth) shaking shattering dunks. Sign me up for that too.

Okay, these hypothetical “what-ifs” will probably force me to watch YouTube highlights for the rest of the day. It will be interesting to see what the comments say, as I may change my mind.

Rod: As much as I loved Amar’e, I’m picking Sir Charles here. Barkley was better with great players around him, but he was great all by himself and was just a more versatile player than STAT, also more of a leader. I think that would make him more valuable in today’s game, which leans toward positionless basketball.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

Suns Trivia/History

On May 30, 1976, after getting down 0-2 against the Boston Celtics in the 1976 NBA Finals, rookie center Alvan Adams scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds along with 2 steals and a block to lead the Suns to a 105-98 Game 3 victory in Phoenix. The Suns took control from the start, building a 52-38 lead at the half and held on for the win despite a late run by the Celtics in the 4th quarter. A total of six Suns players had 2 steals in this game for a total of 12 vs just 5 for the Celtics. Paul Westphal added 22 points and 6 assists.

On June 1, 1993, Dan Majerle set a then-playoffs record by sinking eight 3-pointers during the Suns’ 120-114 win over Seattle in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Majerle finished the game with 34 points and was 8 for 10 from three (80%) and made 70.6% of his FG attempts. The rest of the Suns team took only 2 shots from three and went 1 of 2. Sir Charles (Barkley) led the Suns in scoring with 43 points while adding 15 rebounds and 10 assists…without even attempting a three-point shot. Tom Chambers was the only other Sun to make a three in the game.

On June 3, 2021, the Suns defeated the LA Lakers 113-100 on LA’s home court in game 6 of their 1st round playoff series to progress to the 2nd round. Devin Booker led all scorers with 47 points while adding 11 rebounds for his first-ever playoff double-double.

On June 4, 1976, the Suns lost Game 5 of the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics 126-128 in the first triple-overtime game in NBA Finals history. That game came to be called “the greatest game ever played,” and Gar Heard’s buzzer beater at the end of the second OT to tie the game and send it into a third OT was dubbed “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. Gar Heard set a then Finals record by playing 61 minutes that night. This record stood until Kevin Johnson broke it 17 years later when he played 62 minutes in the Suns’ triple OT win against the Chicago Bulls on June 13, 1993.

Important Future Dates

Mid-June (date TBD) – Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents (following the Finals)
June 23 – NBA Draft First Round, 8 ET (ABC/ESPN)
June 24 – NBA Draft Second Round, 8 ET (ESPN)
June 30 – Teams can begin negotiations with all free agents
July 1 – Official start of the 2026-27 league year and moratorium period
July 6 – Moratorium ends, official free agent contract signings can begin
July 9-19 – NBA 2K Summer League 2026 in Las Vegas
Late September (dates TBD) – NBA Training Camps open

The 2026 NBA Draft starts with the Washington Wizards, which means they hold all the cards surrounding the No. 1 pick.

If Washington stays put, it will have the first choice in what’s considered one of the most talented draft classes of the last decade. Should another team covet the top choice enough to make a compelling offer to move up, the Wizards can milk that team for several key assets while still drafting a talented prospect in the top three.

The last time a team traded the No. 1 pick was in 2017 when the Boston Celtics traded the top selection for the No. 3 pick and a future unprotected first-round pick. The Sixers selected Markelle Fultz at No. 1. The Celtics took Jayson Tatum at No. 3.

Highlighted below are three trades the Wizards could make surrounding the No. 1 pick.

Trade No. 1: Utah moves up for Dybantsa, Washington picks up a future FRP

Washington: 

No. 2 pick 

2029 unprotected first-round pick

Utah:

No. 1 pick

President of Monumental Basketball Michael Winger told Jake Fischer at the NBA Draft Lottery that the Wizards would consider trading down from the No. 1 pick, which sparked a bevy of trade rumors over the ensuing weeks. Winger’s comments, coupled with the obvious links between Utah and AJ Dybantsa, created speculation surrounding the draft’s top two picks.

The Jazz, who own the No. 2 pick, have long coveted Dybantsa, who spent his senior year of high school at Utah Prep before playing one season at BYU. He attended numerous Jazz games in courtside seats, which created a link between him and Utah’s owner, Ryan Smith, among other members of the organization.

It’s become increasingly likely that Dybantsa will be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. The BYU product is currently -390, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, to be the No. 1 pick. And nearly every mock draft believes the 6-foot-10 forward will be the first player selected in June.

The only way the Jazz would make this offer is if they believe Dybantsa is the clear No. 1 prospect — miles ahead of both Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer — and thus warrants trading significant draft capital to move up one spot. If not, Utah is likely content to sit at No. 2 and take the best prospect available.

Likewise, Washington only makes this move if it believes the gap between Dybantsa and prospects like Peterson and Boozer isn’t that wide. If that’s the Wizards’ belief, they can move back one spot, acquire an additional first-round pick and still select the player they might’ve taken at No. 1.

Trade No. 2: Only if Washington believes Boozer is the top prospect

Washington:

No. 3

No. 32 (via Indiana)

2028 unprotected first-round pick

Memphis:

No. 1

No. 60 (via Oklahoma City)

Most draft experts believe Dybantsa should be the No. 1 pick. But none of those opinions matter inside the Wizards’ draft room, which will pinpoint its top prospect after individual predraft workouts, player meetings with front-office personnel and physical testing.

It’s possible Washington’s brass comes to the same conclusion as most and selects Dybantsa at No. 1. But it’s equally plausible for GM Will Dawkins and his staff to enter June 23 with Boozer as their top guy.

The Duke product won the 2026 Naismith Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year award after averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He shot an efficient 55.6% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range as a bruising 6-foot-9 forward. And at 18 years old — he doesn’t turn 19 until July — Boozer is younger than both Dybantsa and Peterson.

Our Kevin Broom discussed why Boozer might be the perfect franchise player for Washington.

If the Memphis Grizzlies, who own the No. 3 pick, send significant draft capital to acquire the No. 1 pick, it’s almost certainly to select one of Peterson or Dybantsa. Several articles, including a story from The Athletic’s Tony Jones, have stated Utah will select whichever prospect — Peterson or Dybantsa — falls to No. 2. 

So if the Wizards truly believe Boozer is the best player, they can acquire a stockpile of assets from the Memphis Grizzlies and still select the Duke forward at No. 3.

Trade No. 3: Washington goes all in for a superstar

I should preface this trade by saying I doubt the Wizards trade the No. 1 pick for a package that doesn’t include either the No. 2 or No. 3 pick, nor do I think they should. But for the sake of this exercise, and amid swirling rumors of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s availability, here’s a trade Washington could make to go “all in” for a superstar.

Washington:
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee:

No. 1 pick

Anthony Davis

Bub Carrington

2029 first-round pick (via Portland – second most favorable of Portland, Boston and Milwaukee)

The Bucks appear poised to deal their franchise star this summer. And after several trade deadlines and offseasons with palpable trade buzz yet no trade, Antetokounmpo’s return won’t be as grand as it would’ve been years ago.

Milwaukee would acquire Davis — an aging superstar they could relocate for additional draft capital — plus a young player with potential in Carrington. The real kicker, however, is the No. 1 pick in a draft class considered by many as having multiple projected stars. With this return, the Bucks could quickly move past Antetokounmpo and into a new era with Dybantsa or Peterson.

This move would vastly alter Washington’s competitive timeline and give it a real shot at competing in the Eastern Conference next season. While Dawkins has maintained the Wizards “won’t skip any steps” in their rebuilding process, a starting lineup of Trae Young, Bilal Coulibaly or Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Antetokounmpo and Alex Sarr is quite compelling.

Trading the top pick is a steep price to pay for a 31-year-old forward who’s played more than 70 games just once since the 2019-20 campaign. But if the Wizards can acquire a two-way superstar of Antetokounmpo’s caliber while not surrendering any of their own future draft capital or young talent apart from Carrington, it’s a move that should be considered.