Category: NBA

The NBA hasn’t always been what it is today. In the earliest days, it was kind of cobbled together, and some guys turned down contracts because they had better offers from other employers.

No one made $100,000 a year before Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1965 (Bill Russell immediately asked Boston to pay him $100,001).

Transportation was not what it is today, either. No one flew charter, and the planes in the 1950s and 1960s were not all up to date, and even if they were, they were not what they are today. Nothing was computerized, for instance, and weather reporting was not what we expect today.

Winston-Salem native Tommy Hawkins, who started his career with the Minneapolis Lakers, underscores that with this story of a flight gone wrong. He tells the story calmly, but it’s hard not to think of Buddy Holly’s last trip.

In this case, they were fortunate enough to land in a cornfield rather than crash in one, but modern-day NBA players have no idea what their predecessors went through to build the league into a global powerhouse.

Isaiah Hartenstein isn’t going anywhere.

Hartenstein is returning to the Thunder on a three-year, $75 million deal, with a rare mutual option after the 2027-28 season, ESPN reported Friday night.

The contract also has a 15 percent trade kicker, according to ESPN.

The Thunder had a big decision to make in settling their frontcourt, and they’ve locked down their man in the middle, which wasn’t always a guarantee heading into the season.

Hartenstein, who turned 28 in May, was initially signed following the 2023-24 season, in which he played for the Knicks, and immediately contributed to what became an NBA championship Oklahoma City team in 2025.

Hartenstein will continue to hold down the frontcourt with the talented but maligned Chet Holmgren.

It’s worth noting that, in the frontcourt, the Thunder are welcoming 7-foot-3 rookie Aday Mara, selected No. 12 overall in this week’s NBA draft out of Michigan, as well as 2025 No. 15 overall pick Thomas Sorber, who sat out all of last season with a torn ACL.

Jaylin Williams, who became key during the Thunder’s loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, is also expected to play a meaningful role in OKC at the forward and center positions.

This, of course, is all pending any sizable transactions over the next few months.

Hartenstein averaged 11.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 2024-25, which dropped to Hartenstein 9.2, 9.4 and 3.5 this past season, which was in part due to a drop in three minutes per game.

In the playoffs, however, his production jumped from 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest in 2024-25 to 9.1, 8.3 and 2.6 this past run.

The Thunder, who are still a second-apron team following this move, could look to make another cost-cutting measure.

The team has already traded multiple solid rotation pieces in Isaiah Joe, a knockdown 3-point shooter, and Aaron Wiggins, a regular season contributor whose minutes were muted in the playoffs, to the Pistons and Hawks, respectively, each for two second-round picks.

It’s possible that the team will maneuver either or both of Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams this offseason as well, in an effort to save money and scoot under the second apron.

It might cost a fortune to trade for Jaylen Brown. 

On ESPN’s “Get Up” Friday morning, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed the Celtics may be asking some teams for several first-round picks for the star who’s been constantly in trade rumors the last few weeks. 

“My understanding is that in some cases the Celtics have asked for at least four first-round picks for Jaylen Brown,” Charania said. “Where does that put him as far as his value? This is a Boston team that’s been contending in the Eastern Conference and their potential ask for some teams is a package of picks and players.”

“How have they reimagined this roster moving forward? Their finances, their viability as a contender in the Eastern Conference. I do think as of right now, time will tell which side will bring the emergence to this matter this offseason,” he added. 

While the Heat ultimately won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes by acquiring him via trade, the Celtics went all-out in their pursuit of acquiring him, reportedly offering Brown and multiple first-round picks. 

As Brown’s name continues floating around in trade rumors, Celtics general manager Brad Stevens remained noncommittal on what’s to come for the star and said he “can’t predict the future”. 

“As you know, we try to keep things as close to the vest and quiet as possible, and at the same time, knowing that the rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there’s going to be a lot of noise out there, that’s why you meet and be upfront as possible,” Stevens told reporters when asked about Brown. 

Though Antetokounmpo was traded for a package that included Tyler Herro and three first-round picks Monday, there have still been trades involving four or more first-rounders recently — like the Knicks trading five for Mikal Bridges in 2024. 

Despite the Celtics blowing a 3-1 loss to the 76ers in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, Brown was pivotal to their regular season success, averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game. 

Brown was the Celtics’ No. 1 option most of the season with Jayson Tatum injured, and he called the season his “favorite year of my basketball career”. 

The 29-year-old has three years left on his five-year contract, and he has averaged over 20 points per game every season since 2019-20.

Kevon Looney, a three-time NBA champion and forever Golden State Warrior, will have to find a new home next season.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, the New Orleans Pelicans have chosen to decline Looney’s $8 million team option, making him an unrestricted free agent.

New Orleans Pelicans are expected to decline the $8M team option on veteran center Kevon Looney, making the 3-time NBA champ an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/U45QTgHWKy

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 27, 2026

Looney’s tenure with the Pelicans was highly limited, playing only 21 games due to injury. The veteran experience and poise that he was expected to provide was ultimately limited.

The Warriors chose to move on from Looney in order to prioritize size and shooting at the center position, a somewhat tough pill to swallow considering Looney’s stature within the organization. So far, that decision is proving to be correct.

Oklahoma City is not letting its big man get away.

Isaiah Hartenstein intends to sign a new three-year deal to stay with the Thunder through 2028-29, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Friday night. With what he has already made in Oklahoma City, the commitment reaches five years and $134 million guaranteed.

The Thunder had possessed a $28.5 million team option for Hartenstein next season, but he now takes a new multiyear deal at a lower yearly number. That matters in Oklahoma City right now. The Thunder are staring at a brutal tax bill once the max extensions for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams land, and spreading Hartenstein's money over more years is how they keep the band together without paying a record-setting penalty.

The Thunder are still looking at one of the most expensive rosters in the league.

The Thunder signed Hartenstein in the summer of 2024 to a three-year, $87 million contract, and people thought it was an overpay. But he gave Oklahoma City a center who rebounds, protects the rim and can pass, and the Thunder won the franchise's first championship in Oklahoma City in 2025.

This spring, Hartenstein made San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in the Western Conference finals work hard before the Thunder fell in Game 7. He averaged 9.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season.

The 28-year-old German was taken 43rd in the 2017 draft. Free agency begins June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are the Thunder re-signing Isaiah Hartenstein through 2028-29?

Hey there! With the defending champs about to embark on a well-deserved summer as the defending champs, what better time than now, the oasis between the draft and the corpse of what used to be free agency, to get all high and mighty up in our perch as Knick fans and cast judgment on all the loser teams beneath us — specifically, five current and/or historic rivals and/or curiosities.

BOSTON — A week or two from now, the Celtics may look completely different than they do now. Maybe they’ve sprinkled enough leprechaun dust around to pull some more Al Jefferson/KG or Kevin McHale/Robert Parish/Joe Berry Carroll shenanigans. If you had to bet on one team retooling a contender on the fly and coming out ahead, besides the Lakers, you could do worse than placing a fiver on the Red (Auerbach) Devils.

But I can’t live a week or two into the future. I can only live today, and sometimes even that’s pushing it. Today, for the first time in quite some time, I find myself wondering — just who or what are the Boston Celtics, anyway?

For a while they achieved a kind of basketball perfection, featuring a rotation where every player could shoot and play both ends. As the hypocritical, soul-sucking Knick-hating CBA pushed cheap billionaires away from the player-empowering “Big Three” model to teams’ decidedly less romantic search for the strongest weakest link, the Celtics seemed to have cracked the code. Figurative reams of digital press praised them not only for winning just the franchise’s second ‘chip since Rick Brunson was 14, but for Brad Stevens’ gossamer genius in building them to contend for years.

A funny thing happened on the way to paradise, though. The team was sold. Odd, it seemed. The Celtics are a flagship North American sports franchise. They’d literally just won the championship. And the people writing and cashing their checks looked at each other and just said “Peace”?

Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles and the new owners did the *practical* thing, “practical” almost always meaning “cashed in something ineffable and intangible for $$,” using the injury as cover to get rid of Jrue Holiday and three centers who could all shoot, rebound and defend. They were always gonna be better than people expected, but they were better than that, even. Tatum came back from his Achilles tear in, like, record time, a statement that seems as likely to age well as Joel Embiid. The playoffs exposed the team’s Achilles heel as its cheap-ass owners, who knew Tatum would be back for the postseason and gave their plucky squad all of Nikola Vučević at the trade deadline.

Credit to Stevens for possessing a seemingly soberer view of his team than some of its media fanboys. The Cs fell 10 wins short of a title in 2025, 13 last season. That’s not title contention. That’s . . . *waves haphazardly at what’s come of Denver*. Excepting Vučević, everyone on the books this past season is next season, too. Something’s gotta give, and something ain’t gonna be Tatum. So it’s gotta be Jaylen Brown or Derrick White.

Speaking of which . . .

DETROIT –

Going from 14 wins one season to 44 the next? Unprecedented. 44 to 60? Nearly as impressive. Next step? That one’s a doozy. After a bittersweet postseason, the Pistons are firmly in “What do we do now?” territory.

Detroit is neither blind to what ails it nor subtle in pursuing its remedy, and while newly-signed Isaiah Joe will narcotize some of their shooting pains, he isn’t a panacea. The last three Eastern conference champions have featured dynamic offensive duos: Tatum/Brown, Tyrese Haliburton/Pascal Siakam, Jalen Brunson/Karl-Anthony Towns. The Pistons have Cade Cunningham. They need Tobias Harris to not be their second-best offensive player. Kawhi Leonard, Tyler Herro, Norm Powell, Jaylen Brown — more in that vein.

Now Jalen Duren, a restricted free agent fresh off All-NBA Third Team honors, is ready to explore sign-and-trades after being underwhelmed by Detroit in contract negotiations. Harris is an unrestricted free agent. Isaiah Stewart’s in Memphis. Duncan Robinson could be cut loose for $2 million. Kevin Huerter? They don’t know her. Not only are the Pistons in obvious need of a serious talent injection, something they haven’t really had to deal with for, oh, 20 years is rather quite suddenly their new normal. Pressure.

Miami acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’d’ve been a terrifying addition for Detroit. LaMelo Ball is about to co-star in a fascinating experiment alongside Anthony Edwards in Minnesota; might’ve been just as interesting watching him and Cade in tandem. Heck, either of Julius Randle or Naz Reid would level-up the Piston attack. Everyone and their cousin knows what they need. Every time another team acquires an offensive star, whether the Pistons were in or even interested in the player, a pressure builds around general manager Trajan Langdon. How about this guy? Why not this guy? Who’s the next guy? What about him? Even if he himself is unaware of it, that doesn’t mean others around him aren’t unaware, i.e. aware. Got that?

Get this: the Celtics are seemingly nudging Brown out the door this summer. They daren’t send their former Finals MVP to a key conference rival, dare’st they? What would it took to make a trade work? Would Duren appeal to Boston, who’ve preferred to play 5-out but were forced away from that style last year? And if Duren isn’t the Beantown ballast, does Detroit have anyone else who appeals? They wouldn’t consider Ausar Thompson? T’would they?

MIAMI – “Men were deceivers ever/One foot in sea, and one on shore/To one thing constant never.” That’s from Much Ado About Nothing, fitting both in that it describes Antetokounmpo’s schtick the past couple of years and captures my feelings about the Giannis trade in four words. Not that I don’t see what they’re going for.

There are times a team needs a superstar player for reasons having nothing to do with basketball. When Amar’e Stoudemire signed with the Knicks, it felt like the first thing to go right for the franchise in a decade. The Knicks weren’t suddenly title contenders; they weren’t even 50-win contenders. But the Knicks were back. That mattered.

And oh by the way: squint hard enough and you can see STAT’s signing in 2011 as the first pebble to roll in what became the 2026 Knicks’ title-winning avalanche. Stoudemire putting the “Ooooh!” back in New York showed Carmelo Anthony what he was missing. The Melo era ended with him traded to Oklahoma City, for a draft pick the Thunder initially received from the Bulls along with two future/former Knicks, Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott. Chicago got back another someday Knick, Cameron Payne.

Seven months later, that pick was shipped from OKC to New York, along with McDermott and Enes Freedom, with Carmelo going the other way. That pick, the 36th in the 2018 draft, became some kinda player, the best on either team in 2023 and 2025 playoff series whose significant endgame efforts on both ends helped the Knicks end their 53-year title drought.

Which is to say I understand the Heat trading for Antetokoumpo. You can’t make money if you’re broke. Takes some to make some. Miami is the rare NBA “destination” franchise, though it hasn’t been for a while. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware are both fun players, but nobody’s uprooting their family to go play with them. Giannis? Different story.

A little less than two years ago, the Knicks added KAT and Mikal Bridges. They saw a way to assemble a title-worthy starting five, which there’s no guarantee pops up in life, and they took it. It cost them depth and continuity, and that cost them in the ECF vs. Indiana. But with the hard part finished, the Knicks used the following summer and trade deadline to assemble a title-worthy bench.

Maybe Miami’s thinking similarly. Even if Giannis never leads them to a championship, or even comes close, there’s a far better chance some future star takes their talents to South Beach in the next few years to join him than Tyler Herro. If that future star is on the Heat in 2030, with Giannis retired, he’ll have delivered what they hoped for. So I get it, in that sense.

What I don’t get is any hype beyond that.

If Antetokounmpo were 25 or 28 next season and not turning 32, I could see them playing a bit of the long game, biding a little time to fully clear their books before adding the next Hardaway to their Mourning, Shaq to their Wade, LeBron to their Wade, Bosh to their Wade, etc. If Bam Adebayo’s fit alongside Giannis felt closer to KAT/OG than Ewing/Cartwright, a little wait would seem to promise a big payoff. If. If! If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there’d be no work for tinkers’ hands.

Before the deal, the Heat weren’t laying a glove on the Knicks, the Celtics, the Pistons or the Cavs. After the trade, and assuming they fill out the roster with an unexceptional lot of role players and given Miami’s success rate turning seeming joes into pros, what’s changed? Cleveland is suspect enough that it’s possible Antetokounmpo’s ferocity alone could take them down. Beyond that? Nah.

If you’re a Heat fan, this trade is a big deal. If you’re a Bucks fan, same. If you root for any other team, this feels like an oddly “meh” takeaway, given this is a story we’ve been hearing about for at least a year. And if you’d told me back then someone would swap four players and a half-dozen picks and swaps for Giannis, I’d have assumed it was a seismic deal, for one team if not two. Not so much.

CHARLOTTE – Hmm.

Hmmmmmm.

Dunno where to go with this one. Let’s try this: when you think of Mitchell Robinson, what words come to mind? What other basketball players or pro athletes in general does he remind you of? Take a minute or two. Think about it. I’ll wait.

Okay, you’re back? Did you think of A.C. Green? Cal Ripken Jr.? Lou Gehrig? No? No ironmen popped to mind? That’s fair. Mitch is a great many great things, but “durable” isn’t one even his biggest stans would attempt with a straight face. What’s that gotta do with Charlotte’s point guard?

The past six seasons, Mitch has played 270 games, only a handful fewer per those six seasons than LaMelo Ball. But while M-Rob is likely to sign for $45-$50 million the next three years, in that same span Ball will make $130 million. Apart from any and all questions of LaMelo’s style of play/stylings, it’s difficult to be worthy of a max or near-max salary even if you’ve generally been available, and generally Ball hasn’t.

So as counterintuitive as it’d seem, it’d seem the situation calls for recognizing and applauding Charlotte for anticipating a tricky point in their aspiring ascension and successfully moving past it. I’m not sure it does, though.

While the Hornets’ 28-10 run to close the season certainly was not much ado about nothing, it’s likely whatever something they were up to was never quite all it appeared to be in the moment. A third of the league spent most of the year tanking. When push came to shoving their way to a playoff spot, the Hornets lost 121-90 to an Orlando team that didn’t score 121 points total over seven games versus Detroit.

It’s fair to wonder if the Hornets have any business being self-confident enough to make this kind of move now, and what the optics will be if it backfires. Ball is now cast out, publicly ex-communicated by a sad sack of a franchise. His ego is wounded. He’ll now be playing with by farrrrrr the best teammate he ever has. And it’s fair to wonder if the team might be confusing their success in collecting the right players for once with those players doing the actual work of embettering the team.

I can’t remember where I read this earlier, but Kon Knueppel made well over 40% of his 3s while playing with Ball versus about 37% without him. As a Knicks fan I’m the last person who will ever doubt Coby White, and he’ll cost the Hornets about $20 million less per year than Ball for three years. Still. I wonder, after a postseason watching the Knicks defy the odds over and over again because their shaman had better magic than the other guy, if the Hornets may have short-circuited something special before it got a chance to spread its wings.

CLEVELAND – LOLOLOLOL

Per Chris Haynes, Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. has become a target of teams seeking knockdown shooting and is expected to decline his $3.9m player option and leave Milwaukee after two seasons with the team. Trent had a much better first year in the Cream City than his second one, when he really fell off the map. Of course, year one was capped off by that stellar playoff performance against Indiana, where he dropped 37 and 33 points in Games 3 and 5.

This performance led him to sign what many suspected was the “Bobby special” contract, in which, despite being worth more on the open market, he took a smaller contract with the non-Bird exception to gain early Bird rights with the team the next offseason. This initial contract would have been signed on the assumption—assuming he had another productive season—that he’d ink a more lucrative, long-term deal this offseason (you know, a wink-wink sort of deal-in-principle).

Well, Trent did not have another productive season, and the team has obviously taken on a new direction that wouldn’t really have suited him anyway. Trent’s representatives at Klutch Sports may not be thrilled right now, but that’s business, I suppose. Thanks for the memories, GT.

The Swiss Army knife that is Gonzaga Bulldogs wing Jalen Warley will be joining the Indiana Pacers at the NBA Summer League. One of his two reported pre-draft workouts came in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Warley becomes the third Zag to join an NBA Summer League roster, including San Antonio Spurs wing Tyon Grant-Foster and Golden State Warriors forward Graham Ike.

Congrats to Jalen on his Pacers Summer League Deal! ✍️🚨 pic.twitter.com/PpnPhru0xh

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) June 26, 2026

In his last and only college basketball campaign with the Bulldogs, the 23-year-old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, averaged 7.1 points on a 56.6 field goal percentage, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Warley led the team in steals with 1.5 per contest.

The 6-7 defensive standout on the perimeter and slasher spent three seasons with the Florida State Seminoles from 2021-24 and redshirted during the 2024-25 season. He originally was committed to the Virginia Cavaliers, but transferred to Gonzaga after coach Tony Bennett retired.

Warley’s first chance at showcasing his skill set to the masses will come at the 2026 California Classic, a summer league taking place inside both the Golden State’s Chase Center and Sacramento Kings’ Golden 1 Center from July 3 through 6. Following that, the 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, runs from July 9 through 19.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

Search Cameron Carr’s highlights on YouTube from his lone season at Baylor, it’ll immediately become clear what made him such a tantalizing prospect.

There are rim-rattling dunks, with the Lakers’ first-round pick taking full advantage of his 42 ½-inch vertical. 

There are deep 3-pointers where it’s evident his smooth shooting stroke will translate to the NBA. 

There are a plethora of blocks from all over the court, with Carr using the 7-foot-plus wingspan on his 6-foot-4 ½ frame to stop shots where they began. 

The plays are “explosive,” which along with “dominant” were one of the ways Carr described his game during his introductory news conference Friday at the Lakers’ El Segundo practice facility. 

But Carr, 21, knows he’ll have to get better at the quieter aspects of the game to carve out a role during his rookie season with the Lakers.

Staying in front of ball handlers while being the point-of-attack defender.

Being more physical. 

---

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“First things first, play defense,” Carr responded when asked how he’ll adjust his skills to fit with the Lakers. “I feel like I’ve got to show that I’m the best defender here. That’s what I’m here to do. Yeah, I was a primary ball handler at Baylor, but that has not always been my role. 

“In high school, I was an off-ball player. I had the best point guard in the country, Elliot Cadeau, so he set the table for me and made it very easy for me. I feel like now stepping in an organization with people with the same type of mindset and abilities, it only makes my job easier. I’ve just got to cut and dunk the ball for them and run in transition. But first things first is establishing a defensive consistency and showing I can be dominant.”

To best do that, Carr knows he’ll have to get stronger. 

His strength, or lack of it, was one of the biggest critiques surrounding him entering the NBA draft, where he was projected to be selected during or just outside of the lottery before he fell to No. 24. The Lakers traded picks with the Knicks to select Carr. 

He weighed 184.4 pounds at the combine, which was the lightest among all players who measured at least 6-3.

“Got to put on some weight,” Carr said. “That’s going to be an emphasis, be in the weight room as much as possible. It’s going to be my second home.”

Carr also spoke glowingly and excitedly about the opportunity to play alongside the Lakers’ best players, including superstar Luka Doncic and star guard Austin Reaves, the latter of whom agreed to a four-year, $185 million deal to stay in Los Angeles.

And Carr, without being prompted, mentioned superstar free agent LeBron James and how he can’t wait to take advantage of the passing/playmaking they bring to the table.

“Man, anytime I can make their job easy and cut, I’m going to do that,” Carr said. “That makes their job easy. I think the chemistry that we build over time, it will only get stronger. Hopefully I can make their job easy of just [throwing] it by the basket and I go dunk it for them.”

Those types of plays will capture attention.

But Carr knows more work is needed.

“Of course just having great vets in front of you to look up to and learn from, follow in their footsteps and take little things from them and implement it into your life,” Carr said. “Overall, it’s going to be exciting. I know I keep saying it and it’s repetitive, but, man, y’all don’t understand how much of a joy it is and blessing to be here in this situation. So just learn and follow in their footsteps.”

No one dominates the offseason headlines quite like LeBron James, even at 41-years old. James could be an unrestricted free agent in a week, and the possibility of returning to the Los Angeles Lakers is seemingly becoming less likely by the day. That opens the door for a possible reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Lakers have made it clear that LeBron isn’t a priority at this time. On Friday morning, ESPN’s Shams Charania said that there “hasn’t been much communication” between the two sides and that James hasn’t received an offer yet.

Later in the day, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst backed up this reporting, saying that the lack of communication is “unusual” and that finding a center is the top priority of the Lakers’ offseason, while James is second.

Then, NBA Insider Jake Fischer said that, “It might be more likely than not that he leaves Los Angeles than stays with the Lakers.”

As it stands, LeBron and the Lakers don’t seem to be on great terms, as was the case in the previous summer. James opted into his player option then, but there wasn’t talks of an extension. This led to a summer of James being passive-aggressive toward the Lakers and having cryptic social media posts about the Cavs when he was back in Akron last June. The difference now is that James can leave Los Angeles.

If LeBron does so, he’ll have more options than just returning to Cleveland. The Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat both make compelling arguments for his services.

The Warriors are “legitimately interested” in adding LeBron. They have the full mid-level exception of $15.1 million that they could offer him.

It’s easy to see the appeal in Golden State for James. He’d be able to link up with Steph Curry and Draymond Green, two players with whom he’s been rivals with throughout his career for one last run at a title. There’s also the fact that he’d be able to stay in California while doing so.

Then there’s the Heat. LeBron could return to the franchise he won back-to-back titles for and is very familiar with. The addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo only makes that proposition more appealing.

LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, added fuel to that speculation. On the Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast, he said that the Heat need to keep building a roster, but alluded to them needing a $30 or $40 million per year player that they could get for $18 million. Those comments seem pretty direct when $18 million is in the ballpark of what James could be earning next season.

Then there’s the possibility of James coming back to Cleveland for a third tour of duty.

The official reporting on a possible LeBron has cooled off drastically since the winter when all signs pointed to him returning. There have, however, been some interesting nuggets in the past few days.

Cavs chairman Dan Gilbert hasn’t been making public comments too often in the last few years. He did make an appearance on the Smart Girl Dumb Questions podcast. One of the things he discussed was regret over the letter he released after The Decision in 2010, calling it “stupid.” He was then asked about the possibility of LeBron returning and replied with “maybe.” Talking about his regret for the letter is one of the things that came up in 2014 when James made his most recent return.

And just like James’s last return, we do have some non-NBA sources claiming that LeBron is returning again. Reports like this proved to be right last time around, for what it’s worth.

This also coincides with LeBron being back in Akron. He’s posted on social media that he’s working out at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and is rumored to have joined a prominent local golf club (or two). It’s normal for him to return home during the summer, but the timing of doing so just before the start of free agency is more noteworthy than normal.

Channing Frye has, however, poured some cold water on the possible return. He spent last week with LeBron during their 10-year celebration of the 2016 championship. Frye said on the Road Trippin’ Show that the Cavs have “soul issues,” which is why James wouldn’t want to return. It’s worth mentioning that other members of that trip mentioned that James didn’t tell them what his plans were for next season.

Additionally, the Cavs don’t have an easy way to pay LeBron. Right now, they can only offer him a minimum contract, which presumably won’t be enough to lure him back. They can find creative ways to move off current salaries and execute a sign-and-trade. If there’s interest on both sides it’s possible, but it wouldn’t necessarily be straightforward.

We’ll see where this all goes.

What we do know is that LeBron is quite fond of being in Los Angeles. There’s a reason he’s put up with poor roster management the last several years and is considering doing so again. It’s also clear that James wants to be paid, or at least get the respect from the Lakers that comes with a high-paying contract.

The smoke that is out there now — and there presumably will be more of in the coming days — could all just be leverage for LeBron to get the contract he wants from the Lakers. We’ve seen him do that before to varying degrees.

At the same time, this feels like the closest James has come to leaving Los Angeles since 2018. And if he does so, Cleveland makes a compelling case.

No team can offer him the farewell tour his hometown can. We see this every time he plays in Cleveland, most notably last time when James was moved to tears by the reception.

There’s also a strong on-court argument as well. The Cavs showed this past season that they’re near a championship level — you don’t luck your way to the conference finals — but they still have a ways to go before they catch a team like the New York Knicks. They also happen to have a perfect LeBron-sized hole at small forward, and from a leadership perspective.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over what could be the next several weeks. All we can say now is that there’s a possibility LeBron comes back home for the storybook ending.

NBA mock drafts projected Cameron Carr getting selected somewhere between 15 and 20 in the first round on Tuesday night.

Ending up with the Lakers later in the draft, however, was more than Carr could have asked for.

The Lakers acquired his draft rights from the New York Knicks, who took the 6-foot-5 Baylor guard with the 24th pick, in a multiple-team deal in which L.A. sent the draft rights to Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea, who was taken 25th, and cash considerations to New York.

As he sat for his introductory news conference Friday, dressed in all black, Carr shared what his thoughts were when he found out he would be playing for the Lakers.

“I’m going to the Lakers! It was more of an exciting thing,” he said. “It felt surreal. It didn’t feel real for the first couple minutes when I found out. It was trying to get my head around, ‘Man, I’m about to walk across the stage and be an NBA player.’ I’ve dreamed of this my whole life, especially since I was a kid. So it took a second. Still trying to get my head wrapped around it, but nothing but excitement and happiness. I feel more motivated to work.”

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, met Carr at the facility on Friday but didn’t speak with the media during the news conference.

It meant Pelinka couldn’t be asked about Austin Reaves agreeing to re-sign with the Lakers on a four-year, $185-million deal, or about how conversations are going with free agent LeBron James.

But NBA rules prohibit team officials from commenting on anything during the free agency moratorium, which won’t be lifted until July 6.

So, this day was all about the 21-year-old Carr and how impressed he was being in the Lakers’ building.

“Walking in the building, first thing you notice is the rich tradition of the people that have been here before you,” Carr said. “It’s a moment of happiness. As a kid, you always dreamed of walking across that stage and accomplishing everything you wanted to. Man, it just felt good to walk in the gym and look at the people that came before me. Now I’m in their shoes.”

Carr was viewed by NBA scouts as athletic with his 42½-inch vertical leap and as having a good jump shot.

During his sophomore season at Baylor, Carr averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks in 34 games. He shot 49.4% from the field, 37.4% from three-point range and 80.1% from the free-throw line.

But Carr quickly talked about how playing defense will be his calling card with the Lakers.

“Stepping into an organization with people with the same type of mindset and abilities, it only makes my job easier,” Carr said. “I’ve just got to cut and dunk the ball for them, and run in transition. But first things first is establishing a defensive consistency and showing I can be dominant or a plus on the defensive end as someone they would like to guard the best player.”

Carr always had his dad, Chris Carr, to lean on during his journey as a basketball player. Having him as a mentor was so beneficial because his father spent six seasons in the NBA. His most famous moment came in 1997, when he became the runner-up to Kobe Bryant in the slam dunk contest.

Now father and son have something else in common: making the NBA.

“I’ve always wanted to be better than him,” Carr said. “I’ve always been behind, so I want to show he’s put a lot of work in me becoming a better man. So I feel the only way I can credit him and show I’m thankful for him is by putting in the work and using it every single day. He was a heck of a player, so it’s some big footsteps I’ve got to follow and a long journey.

“It’s good motivation. My ‘why’ is just to be better and show people I’m better than a lot of people that are put in front of me. I feel like that’s the chip on my shoulder, or the fire under my feet.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Golden State Warriors selected former Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft.

It will be important for Lendeborg to quickly integrate into the Warriors’ locker room, given the big personalities residing there. And it appears that the biggest personality of them all has kept the rookie waiting.

Lendeborg and Golden State’s other 2026 NBA Draft pick, Lajae Jones, had their introductory press conference on June 26.

When Lendeborg was asked whether he had heard from Steph Curry, Draymond Green, or any of the other Warriors veterans since being drafted, he said, “Yeah. Steph actually welcomed both of us in the group chat, the night of the draft. when [Lajae Jones] got drafted [and] I got drafted.

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“And I reached out to [Curry] yesterday, and I asked him a quick question. And then I reached out to Draymond, as well. Haven’t gotten that response back yet from Draymond yet,” Lendeborg added with a laugh.

This prompted Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. to say, “Don’t worry. He doesn’t respond to me, either.”

Yaxel said Steph Curry welcomed him and Lajae to the Warriors groupchat:

“Steph actually welcomed both of us in the groupchat the night of the drafts, when he (Lajae) got drafted, I got drafted. And I reached out to him yesterday I asked one quick question and then I reached out… pic.twitter.com/PiwaYs53oZ

— aly ✶ (@jinthirty) June 26, 2026

Draymond Green and Jayson Tatum partying in Paris. pic.twitter.com/0ERUlckLM2

— Guru (@DrGuru_) June 26, 2026

It didn’t take long for a potential reason for Draymond’s lack of response to present itself, as a video of Green partying with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in Paris, France, has been circulating on social media on Friday.

In the video, the two NBA icons are dancing and lip syncing to “Shabang”, a song that rapper Drake included in his recent “ICEMAN” album.

Perhaps Draymond will get back to Yaxel once he returns from France.

Victor Wembanyama was the man of the hour at a Paris nightclub.

In his return to his native country of France, the Spurs star was greeted at an after-party for the Undercover x Foot Locker Music Festival with MVP chants by raucous fans. 

Social media videos showed hundreds of fans surrounding Wembanyama, who were raising their hands and cheering as the superstar walked through the crowd. 

The 7-foot-4 phenom was seen smiling, interacting with attendees and high-fiving fans as they greeted him.

Wemby was welcomed in a Paris club with MVP chants pic.twitter.com/wPdMKzEGFu

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 25, 2026

The 22-year-old has not only gained popularity rapidly in the United States for his ascension and playstyle but also in his home country, evident by his greeting at a club. 

Wembanyama, the first overall pick in 2023, has quickly transformed the Spurs back into a powerhouse with his two-way ability and height. 

After the Spurs won just 22 games in Wembanyama’s rookie year and went 34-48 in 2024-25, they went 62-20 last season and made the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. 

The Spurs fell to the Knicks in the Finals, but Wembanyama still left his mark in the playoffs.

The Frenchman averaged 25 points and 11.5 rebounds per game last season while playing a pivotal role in the Spurs Western Conference Finals win over the Thunder. 

Some Knick fans took to X to unsurprisingly express their displeasure with the video. 

“Cheap shot artist. Thats the only place besides San Antonio he’d have that welcoming,” one fan wrote. 

“Lol western conference MVP. Doing real big things. France is so soft. #Knicksin5,” another fan wrote. 

Even with Knick fans in his face, Wembanyama isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.