Lawyers for Janie and Joey Buss, two of the co-trustees of the Buss Family Trust that owns part of the Lakers, filed a response to Jeanie Buss’ petition Friday with intention to move forward with the proposed sale of the family’s remaining shares of the team.

While Jeanie is trying to block her five siblings from selling the team, the new response filed in L.A. Superior Court states that Janie and Joey, the two other co-trustees of the family trust, were authorized and required to implement the vote after a majority of the living siblings opted to terminate the trust in August. The vote of five siblings to sell the shares triggered the termination clause in the trust, and the filing argues that the trust doesn’t grant trustees discretion to disregard a valid vote to terminate.

The filing, which follows formal opposition filed on behalf of five Buss siblings last week that defended their right to vote to sell the team, asks the court to dismiss Jeanie’s petition or deny it in its entirety.

Jeanie argued that her siblings could not terminate the family trust and sell the remaining 17.82% of the team without her approval, citing a 2017 court order that instructed trustees to “take reasonably available steps” to support Jeanie’s annual election as Lakers controlling governor. The court order, obtained after Jeanie’s older brothers Jimmy and Johnny Buss tried to oust her from the organization, installed Janie and Joey as co-trustees.

Read more:Jeanie Buss' siblings file formal opposition to her attempt to block sale of Lakers

But the court order did not prohibit a sale or termination of the trust, lawyers for Janie and Joey argue. While the order named “voting the trust’s shares” as a reasonable action, it did not require the trust to hold a 15% stake in the team to reach the NBA’s eligibility threshold for minority owners to serve on the league’s board of governors, the filing states.

Jeanie was selected by her father, Jerry Buss, to serve as the team’s controlling governor after his death in 2013.

Since the family patriarch bought the team, the Forum and the Kings for $67.5 million in 1979, the Lakers have become one of the most valuable brands in sports. Mark Walter, who purchased controlling ownership from the Buss siblings in 2025, sold his shares to venture capitalist Joshua Kushner and former Disney chief executive Bob Iger 14 months later at a record $12.5 billion valuation.

Read more:Inside the Buss family's long, painful history of sibling rivalries running the Lakers

Using a tag-along provision secured during the sale to Walter, the five Buss siblings hope to maximize value for all six beneficiaries, including Jeanie, the new filing reports. Selling the 17.82% stake in the team would be worth about $2.2 billion.

A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8. The Lakers open the regular season on Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. Jeanie was seen at the Lakers’ home preseason opener on Oct. 8, sitting courtside on the baseline.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has all but booked a spot in the Hall of Fame, despite still being the youngest active NBA head coach. In just four years in his role, he became an NBA All-Star Game head coach in 2023, then won the NBA title in 2024 and got the Coach of the Year award in 2026.

Outside of basketball, the 6-foot-2 former point guard also finds time to train various martial arts. Interestingly enough, the 38-year-old likened his recent Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) blue belt promotion to his biggest career achievement in basketball.

“I don’t apply the grappling as much (in coaching) as I apply the mindset, and exposing myself to myself. It’s funny, we were fortunate enough to win (an NBA title) in 2024. I had the same feeling the day I got promoted to my blue belt as I did when I won the championship,” Mazzulla said in an interview with Daniel Cormier.

“Oh c’mon!” the former UFC champion responded with a chuckle.

The first step after white belt seemed trivial compared to an NBA world championship, after all. But Mazzulla, who was once described by NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown as “a psycho in a good way,” continued to explain why he was dead serious about his statement.

“It was a feeling of like, what the f— am I going to do now? Now I got to figure out how to do this again,” Mazzulla explained. “There’s such a small space between genius and insanity, there’s such a small space between champion and ultimate failure… I’ll never forget the day I actually got promoted.”

After getting badly worked in a training session, Mazzulla described a common feeling people get while progressing through the ranks in jiu-jitsu.

“I’m getting the s— kicked out of me… I’m like ‘well, today is not the day. I’m not going to get it.’ (but) I get it,” Mazzulla said about receiving his blue belt. “Then I look around the gym. Now I’m stuck in this space of like I could lose at any time to a white belt, and I’m so far away from the best blue belt.

“That day that I got (my blue belt), I wasn’t happy,” the NBA coach said. “I was more like ‘now I got to figure out how to do this.’ Fear came, anxiety came, paranoia came. Like now I’m not good enough anymore. Literally it was just one change and it changed everything.

“I feel like that’s where I am as a coach. I have a taste of what it’s like (to be a champion), but now I’ve lost and I could go back to this… the (opposite) side of greatness,” he explained. “So I use that same perspective to push myself to hopefully take that into the team.”

Mazzulla also reportedly tries to train around his busy NBA travel schedule, finding a gym on the road to train in the morning, before having a game in the evening. Apart from grappling, Mazzulla was also recently seen working on his striking recently at the famed Xtreme Couture gym.

FOR THE LATEST BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (BJJ) AND GRAPPLING-RELATED NEWS CLICK HERE. FOR ADDITIONAL GRAPPLING CONTENT, FOLLOW @BJJBEAT ON INSTAGRAM.

The Brooklyn Nets recently unveiled their new ABA Classic Edition throwback uniforms and court design, bringing back the bold red, white, and blue look to honor the franchise’s 60th season. It also marks 50 years since the NBA-ABA merger.

As expected, the jersey reveal set off an immediate conversation across the NetsDaily comment section. The reception was enthusiastic with most comments discussing the color schemes, players, and more. In some of our more recent NetsDaily Reacts surveys, there’s been more debate around win totals, player expectations, etc.

To each is own, but this doesn’t appear to be much of a debate.

Thoughts on Brooklyn’s Classic Edition Jerseys?

Permanent Rebrand?

• Omega93: “They are stunning. I wish we’d forego the black and white faux Spurs look (and much of the “Brooklyn centric” stuff, though I’m sure this is an unpopular take) and fully embrace the NY Nets aesthetic, right down to the name. There are 2 banners bearing their name, after all.”
  
• NetsFlow: “Just switch back to this permanently. Black and white colorway has no soul or personality.”
  
• WalterKovacs86: “This is great. If we start a new Nets competitive era in the next few years, I think the team should change its colors / logo. The black and white is a bit drab. There have been some good ones in the teams history. I’m partial to the late 90s / early 00s logos.”

Jersey Options?

• Genis: “I haven’t bought a jersey in at least 3 years. Finally time to open up my Nets wallet. Now my Randle vs Egor vs Brown debate begins.”
  • Doc32: “Randle is [here] temporarily…. I’d go with the other 2”

Comparisons and Skepticism

• NJNETS29: “Going to be a super unpopular opinion – not a fan of these. The other ABAs are Tier 1A+++. These, cool that theyre old i guess. More proof of my conspiracy that Nike gives us the mid alternates until were good.”
  
• free throw: “I saw the ABA throwback uniforms for the 4 former ABA teams. Pacers is best imo and Nets is good but Nuggets (they used to be the Rockets but changed name when it seemed likely they’d join the NBA and Houston Rockets – formerly San Diego Rockets – had dibs on that team name) and Spurs looked drab imo.”

Thanks to everybody who voted and/or participated.

This is a sponsored post. Check out the latest lines, futures, and player props by visiting FanDuel.

The Philadelphia 76ers made a series of moves on Thursday that will likely impact the Delaware Blue Coats’ roster more than the main club. Saint Thomas and Duke Miles were both waived, with Cris Carroll and Taye Fields then signed to similar Exhibit 10 contracts.

Thomas appeared in all three preseason games for the Sixers, with Miles taking the floor twice. The highlight for Thomas was an 11-point, 10-rebound performance in the win over New York. Per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice, both players are still expected to join the Blue Coats.

Taye Fields is a 6-foot-4 guard out of North Alabama who spent last season with the Hefte Helfen Bulls in Austria’s Basketball Superliga. He participated in NBA Summer League with the Sixers a few months ago, averaging 2.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14.7 minutes across the five games. As Dave McMenamin notes above, Cris Carroll is a 6-foot-6 forward out of Youngstown State who could project as a good shooting option from the wing after shooting 39.6 percent from three. We’ll see if either player appears for the Sixers in their preseason finale, before presumably being waived and joining the squad in Delaware.

The only mild surprise to any of these moves is the Sixers not mining for a potential backup center option. However, our Bryan Toporek just sifted through some reports about a couple names the team could be looking to add in December. They might also be hoping Tacko Fall can heal up and fill a two-way contract spot.

We’ll see what other moves Mike Gansey and the front office make with the beginning of the regular season just a few days away.

As it currently stands, the Los Angeles Lakers’ center room features Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Kessler, of course, is a locked-in starter while Looney and Mamukelashvili will split time as the reserves depending on matchups and game flow, given Mamukelashvili is a small-ball 5 and Looney is the traditional option.

But according to Jake Fischer, it doesn’t sound like the Lakers are content to enter the season with just those three as their big man rotation. Fischer reports they’ve been linked to a bouncy Eastern Conference center in an aim to also trim down the roster.

“The Lakers, meanwhile, have been engaged in trade talks to try to get their roster down from 16 to 15 standard contracts and perhaps even acquire some additional frontcourt help in the process,” Fischer wrote.

“League sources say that the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory trade discussions on a framework that would ship former first-round selection Dalton Knecht to Milwaukee (along with second-round draft capital) in exchange for big man Jericho Sims,” Fischer continued. “Yet it must be said that I’ve also heard some pessimism from sources briefed on those talks that such a trade will actually go through.”

Now entering year six, Sims has spent time with both the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks but hardly entrenched himself as a rotation player at either spot. He did, however, appear in a career-high 67 games last season en route to a career-high 1,318 minutes. He’s a sprightly, athletic, undersized center whose offensive arsenal is very limited beyond dunks and plagued by turnovers (career 24.1% turnover rate).

It should not be undersold how dominant of a dunker he is, though. According to Basketball Reference, nearly 60% of all his made field goals (59.5%) have been dunks; he’s totaled 250 of them across five seasons, averaging just under one per game and one every 15.6 minutes.

Furthermore, 82.1% of his career shots have come between 0-3 feet and he’s converted 80.3% of them. Alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, his above-the-rim play-finishing could have value in a small role, and he’s a pretty lively mover whose defensive imprint is often undone by poor positioning and underwhelming size at 6 feet 10 inches.

Acquiring Sims wouldn’t likely be much of a needle-mover for Los Angeles. But it would diversify the center room a bit, bring in an efficient play-finisher who helps generate a good deal of offensive rebounds and offer Sims the most favorable offensive environment of his career. That could help on the margins.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

With the NBA season kicking off on Tuesday, here are 10 bold predictions, including the Knicks' biggest competition in the East, surprise teams in the West, and standout players.

1. Jared McCain wins Sixth Man of the Year

Oddsmakers are pointing to McCain’s teammate, Ajay Mitchell, as the favorite to win this award, but it has historically gone to scorers. More times than not Mitchell will be the one setting up bench units and moving into the starting lineup when needed, while McCain possesses the larger three-ball volume and can be the more explosive scorer at times. 

2. Scoot Henderson wins Most Improved Player

With respect to Collin Murray-Boyles, Egor Demin, Khaman Maluach, Jarred Vanderbilt and the many breakout players to emerge, Henderson has slowly and quietly begun to creep back into the spotlight after struggling early as a third overall pick. Last season he displayed a career-high efficiency, now he’s learning under two All-Star point guards and shined in the preseason.

3. Darius Acuff Jr. wins Rookie of the Year

Most are expecting one of the freaks at the top of the draft — AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer or Caleb Wilson — to take this award. However Acuff is especially situated where he can be an offensive engine but not relied upon too heavily, won’t be bogged down by major defensive responsibilities, and could have an efficiency edge with his deep ball and guard play. 

4. Lakers miss the playoffs

Los Angeles spent its summer building a team in the vision of its superstar, Luka Doncic, after moving on from the LeBron James experience. While they’ve captured that essence, most will admit they don’t possess contender-level talent, but the situation may be even worse than that.

Their “Big Three” have had health issues in recent years, their supporting cast leaves you wanting more, and they have limited flexibility to maneuver away from this construct. They could be a solid team, but when you have Quentin Grimes penned in as your fourth starter, the potential downside should be considered in greater depth. 

5. Victor Wembanyama wins MVP and DPOY

The Knicks’ nemesis during their march to last season’s championship will take the experience of that loss and wreak fresh havoc on the league, winning his first MVP behind incomparable numbers and the best record in the NBA. He came in third last season before keeping that production up through a trip to the Finals and will come back improved and extra motivated this season.

That effect will primarily be felt on the defensive end, where Wembanyama dominated last season and is sure to this year as well. There’s a good chance nothing but an injury can keep Wembanyama from repeating as Defensive Player of the Year. 

6. The Mavericks and Blazers are the West surprise teams 

On this rare occasion, the East actually dwarfs the West in terms of depth of strong teams, with two clear contenders at the top — Oklahoma City and San Antonio — unmatched by the many unproven teams below. This environment is perfect for a young upstart team to break out and surprise experts, in this case Dallas and Portland.

The Mavericks are casually walking into this season with second year Cooper Flagg, a recovered Kyrie Irving,and a deep reserve of legitimate NBA role players, combined with a new head coach, which gives them a real shot to be a surprise Play-In or better team. The Blazers made a splash move in acquiring Ja Morant, whose fit with Damian Lillard is being questioned, but they have the defensive core to protect that backcourt and a lot of momentum coming off last season’s postseason appearance. 

7. The Sixers fall short 

All eyes will be on Philadelphia to start this season, after sweeping changes to the 76ers roster including the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. On paper, this roster reads like a 12-year-old’s 2K team or an Olympic lineup, enough so that they’ve become a favorite to make it out of the East.

But as recent NBA history has shown, you can’t just stick star names together and hope a championship team comes out the other side. Contenders need grit, defense, luck, and cohesion, and if the 76ers want to be a true contender, they’ll need all of their superstars to commit to this script.

They also need to be healthy enough to do so, as LeBron turns 42 and Joel Embiid comes off three consecutive years of under 40 games played. Many don’t see the ceiling on this team, but it’s difficult to see them making it past the second round, let alone reaching it. 

8. The Pistons regress 

A familiar foe to the Knicks, the Pistons dragged them through six tough games in the 2025 playoffs and demolished them during the 2026 regular season. However, everything that’s transpired since has weakened them as a threat.

They lost much of their toughness and veteran reliability moving off Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris, while not addressing their biggest weaknesses — a lack of secondary creation and spacing. They’re likely to have another successful regular season, but expect a step back from 60 wins and another early postseason ouster unless things radically change. 

9. The Raptors and Pacers are the Knicks’ biggest threats in the East

Oddsmakers favor the Sixers or Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals if not the Knicks, but they have it wrong. The health and combustibility of Philadelphia and recent postseason stagnation from Boston make them pushovers in the face of other opposition.

Indiana is a team when, last healthy, was in Game 7 of the Finals after topping this very Knicks team, and they’ve since upgraded at center. Toronto went seven games with a Conference Finalist then added Kawhi Leonard.

The regular season may tell a different story, but barring injury the two teams New York needs to watch out for come the postseason are Indiana and Toronto. 

10. The Knicks repeat

No NBA team has been able to win back-to-back championships since 2018, but the Knicks are in a terrific position to do it this season, as half their conference will spend a good part of the season getting used to fresh faces.

Outside of a breakdown in extension talks or a devastating injury, there’s no reason New York shouldn’t be favored out of the East once again. They know what they have to do, how to do it, and are prepared to win that next trophy. 

The Detroit Pistons are headed in the right direction as the preseason concludes. Jalen Duren saw preseason minutes, and man, did the Minnesota Timberwolves feel his presence. He ragdolled whoever, whenever. The Toronto Raptors function much differently than the newly formed run-and-gun Wolves, but we will see if Detroit gets the full version of Toronto tonight.

After a 122-120 loss to the New York Knicks last night, how many starters play is in question for the Raptors. This is their last preseason game too, so maybe we get a mucked up first half with two of the projected stingiest defenses.  

GAME VITALS

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

When: 7:00 PM EST

Watch: TV20 Detroit/DAZN-DET

Odds: Pistons (-9.5)

That’s how you respond to noise, JD. Whether the sound alarms were self-inflicted or not is irrelevant now. You’ll win over skeptics with performances like that, while carrying it over to the playoffs. But we’re taking it game by game. He treated the Timberwolves like he was a D1 player returning to their high school, scrimmaging against the JV kids.

From the opening tip, it was curtains. Slick right-to-left push dribbles, aggressive up-at-the-level defense, and a “what a future Detroit has” lob to Ausar in transition. Those first few minutes got you out of your seat. The lob to Ausar was an exclamation point because it showed what this team can be.

This Pistons build goes as far as those two go. Cade is going to be an MVP candidate (and winner) for a long time. An aggressive, better-defending Duren and all-around threat Ausar will take this team to another level.

The more Ausar can initiate the offense while being a threat defenses respect, the more freed up Cade will be. You love to see that instinctive behind-the-back dribble leading to a Duncan Robinson trey ball. That’s who Ausar can be!

While the Raptors are still filling out their roster, we may see more reserves fighting for a spot tonight. On the key player front, their Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles lineups will not be pleasant for anyone. That’s a hellacious defensive nucleus.

Hopefully Isaiah Joe can get some string music going tonight if the Pistons reserves play extended minutes. I won’t overreact to his preseason slump because historically he’s a can’t-leave guy. He’ll snap out of it, and teams will forever treat him like the career 40 percent range shooter he his. His two-point scoring is intriguing because he might be the guy taking grenade shots in certain lineups. We’re going to see how much wiggle he has with an expanded role quickly.

Ron Holland, Kevin Huerter, Paul Reed, Daniss Jenkins, Javonte Green, and Ebuka Okorie need to be plus-contributors for Detroit to go further than last year. We’re monitoring Holland’s offensive growth and Huerter’s shooting. Both have clear pathways to scale up there. Should we expect Okorie to get unlimited run on a team contending for a Larry O? No, but his microwaveness could swing games in certain spots.

Detroit’s identity is still intact. They’re physical across the board and can now run more offensively slanted lineups. With J.B. Bickerstaff’s defensive principles, it’s hard to imagine any Detroit lineup trotting out a *bad* defense. They have some pieces to play with and can sacrifice some D for more offensive juice. Those things will be ironed out as the season progresses, but for now, we get through the preseason finale and get ready for the real thing.

Projected Lineups

DetroitPistons: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins, Jalen Duren

Toronto Raptors: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

Question of the day

How would you define a successful season?

Who or what has impressed you the most during the Spurs’ preseason so far?

Marilyn Dubinski: I was just hitting publish on an article about Tarris Reed’s impressive play when these questions came out, so I’ll change things up and go with Carter Bryant. He looks so much calmer and more comfortable, isn’t lost on defense, is contesting well without as much fouling, and while 6-12 from three while missing a game (as of Thursday) is not a huge sample size, his willingness to let it fly and lack of hesitation is a huge improvement over last season.

Mark Barrington: I don’t know if you can learn much from preseason, especially since the Spurs haven’t let their starters play much, and they have looked pretty rusty for much of the time they’ve been on court. The biggest surprise for me has been Tarris Reed. I figured he’d be in the Spurs’ plans this season, but he’s making a case for being in the rotation on opening day. He’s the most NBA-ready rookie I’ve seen on the Spurs since … maybe Tim Duncan? There have been plenty of really good players that have started their careers in the Silver and Black uniform, but most of them weren’t quite fully developed when they arrived. I’m excluding Victor Wembanyama from this assessment, because his talent level defies analysis.

Devon Birdsong: I won’t say that I’m surprised by how good Carter Bryant looks, after he held his own in the postseason as a rookie who had uneven regular season minutes, but he has looked every bit the 3-and-D forward of the future that the Spurs will need him to be. It’s easier to see with Harrison Barnes, but Tobias Harris is also into the back nine of his career, and age is, as always, undefeated. I loved seeing the Spurs inject youth into their big man rotation in the draft, but forward is such a critical position in this era of the NBA, and the Spurs proving they can still find contributors at that part of the draft (14th) and bolster the roster with young talent bodes well for a club with impending depth departures and cap gymnastics in their future. 

Jeje Gomez: The storyline I was the most excited to follow heading into preseason was the battle for minutes at the forward spots, and especially how Carter Bryant looked. So far, Bryant has impressed. There are no signs of a major leap that foreshadows stardom, but that wasn’t really what anyone was looking for. The main things he needed to show were the ability to play under control and to show not as much fear of shooting, and so far, he’s done well in both areas. Teams still leave him open often, but that’s just going to happen until he develops consistency as a marksman. I’m not sure if he’ll start the season getting major minutes, but he has looked like a genuine option.

Have you seen anything so far that has you worried about the Spurs heading into the regular season?

Dubinski: This is where you really can’t overreact to the preseason.  It was easy to half-joke about the Spurs blowing yet another double-digit lead to open the preseason considering how the Finals went, but we’ll worry about that if it continues to be an issue in the regular season.  I was also (jokingly) working to not let my Battered Aggie Syndrome from the way Texas A&M’s football season is going sneak over to the NBA side – from playoff team to this?! You better not do this to me too, Spurs! – but I know they’re just shaking off the rust, and they appeared to start finding their rhythm again by the home game against the Suns (albeit with none of Phoenix’s starters playing, but when talking about rhythm, opponent doesn’t matter).  I trust they’ll be in form by the regular season opener.

Barrington: I’m not worried! Yes, the level of play has been haphazard and inconsistent in preseason, which is basically meaningless. This team went to the Finals last year, and they might have a bit of a slow start to the regular season after a short off-season, but no team has ever won a championship before the All-Star Break*. [Except for the Knicks, who won the NBA Cup and then won the Larry O’Brien trophy, becoming the first team ever to win both in the same season.] This team is supremely talented, and Reed and Quaintance address the major weaknesses in the roster. Will this come together again in Mitch Johnson’s second full year as a head coach in the NBA? I think a lot of that depends on how well Billy Donovan can implement his system in his first year on the staff. I have a good feeling about that.

Birdsong: I still have questions about that three-guard lineup (four, if you count Wemby) they’ve been trotting out, especially on the defensive end. Wemby’s going to be able to smother a lot, but teams with quality stretch bigs have figured out that they can scheme him to the perimeter. Now, that’s not a lot of teams, thankfully, but Spurs brass can’t just depend on Wemby to bail schemes out defensively. I need to see how that (and other) lineups/schemes fare in the regular season, but that’s about as nitty a pick as I can find for now. Preseason disclaimers aside, the team looks really locked in. We’ll know exactly how locked in (and schematically sound) they are soon enough. 

Gomez: Preseason can be a good gauge of how teams with a lot of roster turnover are gelling, but that’s not the Spurs, especially after Harris’ injury, so there’s not much to worry about. I’ll admit that since we know how they look when they are trying, I haven’t been watching the games as attentively as I do when they count, but I have noticed some up-and-down moments that are expected of a team that went so far in the playoffs and probably isn’t taking these games as seriously. The three-guard starting lineup is new, but it seems like it’s here to stay, so I’ll worry (or get excited) about it around 15 into the regular season, when we’ll have a better understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.

Do you think preseason performances will change the projected rotation or result in a signing using the last roster spot?

Dubinski: I don’t think there will be another signing right away considering they have to wait a bit to stay under the cap, but of all the players who weren’t rotation players last season, Reed is the one who will make Mitch Johnson have to start thinking. I don’t think he’ll be in the main rotation right away, but it should mean a shorter leash for Kornet, and Johnson shouldn’t hesitate to throw Reed out there against bigger centers that give Kornet trouble.

Barrington: As I mentioned above, I believe that Tarris Reed has earned himself a spot in the regular rotation. Other than that, nobody has really distinguished themselves. I feel bad for David Jones-Garcia, who has played poorly in preseason. If he sticks as a two-way player, hopefully he can pick up his game during the season and earn more playing time. 

The Spurs aren’t going to fill that last spot with anyone on the preseason roster, but there’s always the chance that they’ll pick up a player that gets waived by another team. I feel like it’s most likely that they keep that spot open until the trading deadline so they can pick up a player for the playoff run if someone good becomes available.

Birdsong: Maybe, but outside of Reed (who has all but locked down the role of 3rd big man), I don’t see much happening that isn’t due to injury. It’s a long season, so I fully expect there to be games where players like Reed and Bryant get a lot of run, but that extra slot feels like flexibility insurance. Whether for trade purposes or waiver pickups, who knows? I’m not sure it’ll matter much, because this team is so insanely deep that it would take a medieval plague for the Spurs to get desperate. *knocks on wood* Still, it’s fun to hypothesize. I choose to believe that they’ll hold it open in case Timmy decides to fundamentally flex on another generation, five minutes or so per game, just for fun.  

Gomez: I don’t see many changes to the rotation. I really doubt a couple of preseason performances would change the plan to go with the three-guard starting lineup; the battle at forward is intriguing, but no one has played so well as to separate themselves from the pack; Reed is a beast, but I doubt he’ll beat out Kornet for backup center, at least to start.

The one spot in which I can see a change is with the third two-way spot. The Spurs have gotten a really good look at David Jones-Garcia, and if they feel like they need more depth at a different spot or someone intriguing is available, I could see a world in which they give someone else a shot. But even that would surprise me. San Antonio seems ready for the season.

The Toronto Raptors fell to the New York Knicks 120-122 at Madison Square Garden. Despite coming off a 50-point victory against the Knicks on Tuesday, the Raptors couldn’t produce a similar performance.

The Knicks fielded a significantly stronger lineup tonight, which featured their usual starting five, except for guard Josh Hart, who did not suit up due to injury. The Raptors would do the same, starting the same five from the last game.

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes would get things started, scoring nine out of the 12 baskets and going 4/4 from the field. Both teams continued to trade baskets as the quarter progressed. The Knicks were finding a lot of success with their ball movement, whereas the Raptors ‘ three-point shooting was difficult to slow down. The Knicks would carry a three-point lead into the break.

The second quarter showed the Knicks bench carrying the load as they jumped out to a quick eight-point lead. The Raptors eventually found their footing and would battle back. Barnes remained the focal point for the Raptors as he would continue to play well. He finished the half with 15 points, two rebounds, and three assists, while being 6/10 from the field and 3/3 on three-pointers.

For the Knicks, centre Karl-Anthony Towns was giving the Raptors all sorts of trouble with his scoring ability in the paint and his flashy passes, contributing to the 63-58 halftime lead.

Coming out of half, it was a committee of Raptors, including forward Kawhi Leonard and former Knicks duo RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who would contribute to an eight-point lead. The Raptors had more success on offence when Quickley, Barrett, Leonard, Barnes, and centre Collin Murray-Boyles were the five on the floor, something to keep an eye on when the regular season starts.  

The quarter would resume with both teams trading baskets, though Toronto looked to be the stronger team. This would be the case until New York exploded for a nine point unanswered run late in the frame to take the 87-79 lead into the final quarter of play.

The final quarter of play started with both teams still having their strongest lineup out there. Barnes and Barrett would continue to add to their strong outings, though it seemed that everything the Raptors did well, the Knicks would do even better. Both teams would opt to put in bench players late in the game to give them valuable minutes.

This would prove worthy to the Raptors, as guard Malachi Smith would hit two crucial three-pointers and a three point play from second-round pick Jaden Bradley would cut the Knicks lead to two. A crucial backcourt violation error for New York would give the Raptors a great opportunity to win the game, though some inspiring Knicks defending would shut the door as time out run out.

An unfortunate result for the Raptors tonight as they played well for the majority of the game. They struggled heavily with on-court communication. Barnes (23 points, three rebounds, four assists and four blocks) and Barrett (21 points, eight rebounds, four assists) were the Raptors standouts and the younger guys in the squad showed reliability, resulting in some positive takeaways from tonight’s match.

The Raptors will have one more preseason game to fix their mistakes as they take on the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.

No more fake basketball for the next eight months, folks!

The Knicks wrapped up the preseason with their most solid performance, defeated the Raps in New York, and will next see the banner(s) rise to the rafters of MSG.

Here’s the latest from everybody and their mothers.

Mike Brown

On the Knicks’ progress over the past year heading into their title defense:

“I’m going to keep it real that there’s something in front of us. I’m not a fan of having an elephant in the room. I’ll address it: It’s about the process. It’s not about the end result. We can’t think about the end result right now. We have a ways to go. This is a new season, new team and we’re gonna have challenges in front of us.

“It’s like climbing a mountain. Sometimes you go a 100 yards, but you might get knocked back five yards. Hopefully, it’s not 50 yards, but you might get back five or 10 yards, and you regroup as a team, and you figure out how to keep going forward the right way.

“But making sure we embrace the process without slippage in that is going to be huge. And if I see us slipping up, it’s my job to let us know as a team that we’re off track. We need to get back on hopefully sooner than later.”

On why Jalen Brunson is the NBA’s best leader, as voted by GMs:

“He studies the game, and that helps a lot because you can always grow in any field you do. But he walks the talk. He works extremely hard, and he strives for perfection from himself. And when you do that, your peers see you do that, and you’re looked upon as the best player on the team, and it gives you credibility to tell somebody else when they’re not given their all or when they need to do this a little bit better or that a little bit better.”

On Brunson’s toughness and willingness to hold teammates accountable:

“He’s not afraid because, as a leader, sometimes you can be on an island because you have to always be conscious of ‘I got to do more, I got to do more’ in terms of work harder, focus, everybody’s going to make mistakes, but those little things. And so when you tell your teammates, they can get pissed at you, or they can be like, ‘hey, screw him because who is he to tell me what to do?’ And so you have to have some thick skin because it’s not going to always be you telling somebody to do something, then they embrace it. And I think Jalen has that thick skin and a toughness about him to be in a seat like this.”

On Brunson potentially becoming an NBA head coach after his playing career:

“I think Jalen has that thick skin and toughness about him to be in a seat like this. You won’t need to, though. My view? If you don’t want to… It’s up to you, Jalen.”

On what he expects from the Knicks’ final roster spot:

“If one of those guys makes our team, at least right now, they may not even play seven minutes — you know, seven straight minutes. And then at the end of the day, we just have to make a decision.”

On the mentality required from the Knicks’ third-string center:

“We just hope that there’s a passion and an energy and a focus coming from that spot because, I’m sure at times that person will start, at times they may be the first backup and at times they may be second backup. So as the minutes are fluctuating, you’re going to have to generate some internal energy at times, to go play in a low-minute game.

“Sometimes he’ll maybe not play one or two, maybe three games in a row. You look for that, and then you know, you just look for somebody that’s going to play hard at the end of the day – try to do the things that you’re asking on both sides of the floor. And bring a little something different than what the two guys in front of you bring.”

On Bruce Brown’s experience, toughness and versatility:

“Bruce has been through a lot with a lot of different teams at a pretty high level. His toughness, his experience, his feel, all those things — he’s a winner. It seems like every place he’s gone, he’s won, but all those things can add a lot to the program, and then he’s versatile both ends of the floor. He could play a few different positions offensively; he can guard a few different positions defensively. So a guy like that, especially a veteran winner, can be helpful to any team.”

On James Wiseman’s potential and development:

“He’s young, he’s talented, you know, he’s raw, still. I think he’s still trying to establish a foothold in this league. But with the God-given attributes he has, in terms of athleticism and length and quickness, [they] can bode well for him on both ends of the floor. And at 25 years old, he hasn’t even reached his prime, especially knowing he hadn’t played a ton of basketball; having a vertical threat at the rim will help [the Knicks], or could help everybody else play the game a little bit easier, whether it’s driving the basketball or playing pick and roll.”

Jalen Brunson

On his recovery from wrist surgery:

“I had nine different casts. I was able to take it off if I ran or worked out with it. So I had one for workouts, one for showering and obviously one for everyday use.”

On maintaining the Knicks’ championship-winning approach entering a new season:

“I think what’s most important is that last year we took everything one day at a time. We were talking about — obviously, the topic was getting back to the conference finals and trying to advance. And I think for us now, the way we approached it last year was to take it one day at a time, every single day. So not talking about certain things.

“Obviously, we know what it takes, but just going into this with the same mindset for this journey. Even though it’s a new journey, it’s a different journey; the approach has to be the same, if not better.

“The first couple of weeks of the season is going to show us who we are and where we are. No matter what we’re doing, whether we’re playing great, playing bad, how are you going to be able to learn? And so, I mean, we’ll find a way. We’ll hold each other accountable, just like we did last year, and then we’ll be better.”

On the Knicks’ preseason progress and preparing to defend their championship:

“Each game got better and better. Just happy to be back. I feel like it’s a learning experience for us. We have to turn the page on last year and figure out how to get better every single day. It’s gonna be a different journey for us. Our mindset has to be different, and we’ll be ready to go.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the Knicks’ preseason finale and preparing for opening night:

“I thought today was a good dress rehearsal. It was cool, it was very nice to get back out there and get back into our flow and be really good. Obviously we have a lot of things to work on. But it was a good way to end the preseason.”

On how he feels physically and his rhythm entering the regular season:

“Yeah, I feel good. I feel really, really good.”

On who’s the biggest complainer to referees among Knicks:

“Josh Hart. Why’d y’all laugh? Did y’all agree with that or something? Everyone behind the camera, I just want y’all to know: y’all just clowned Josh Hart. That’s crazy for y’all to say — in New York, too.”

On choosing between winning another NBA championship and a World Series:

“Win a World Series, for sure. I already won an NBA championship.”

On his pregame routine:

“Before the game starts, I always give everyone at the table, including the fans behind, a chance to really get into the game. Just giving everybody a fist bump down the line of the table, and then go on the court.”

On his favorite all-time big man:

“I think Hakeem. I feel like, in a way, he kind of is mythical, like Wilt Chamberlain… but I’ve been able to talk and meet Hakeem, and he’s an amazing, amazing human.”

Ian Begley

On the Knicks’ roster decisions involving Bruce Brown, James Wiseman, Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek:

“Brown and James Wiseman have made it through preseason cuts. The Knicks clearly like both players. But New York only has room under the second apron in team salary to keep one player. In order to keep both Brown and Wiseman, the Knicks would need to trade a player on a standard contract without taking back salary.

“My read heading into the weekend: Wiseman is a lock to make the roster. There is strong support to add Brown as well. The Knicks would need to make a trade by Monday afternoon if they want to keep Brown. I think they will explore all avenues to make that happen.

“It’s logical to assume that the Knicks will move third-year wing Pacome Dadiet. But I believe New York will explore other deals — including trades involving third-year guard Tyler Kolek — this weekend and Monday.

“The Knicks will be asking teams to take on a player without sending back salary. To get a deal done, New York may need to attach its own second-round picks (New York will have at least 11 second-round picks in the next seven drafts).”

Carmelo Anthony

On the Knicks’ handling of Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract negotiations:

“So, it was smart to dead the conversation. Now, how you deaded the conversation is the problem. I can’t find out on Twitter if that’s what happened…So if that’s the case (Towns learning from the media that the Knicks paused negotiations), then that’s a communication thing right there. [The Knicks] dropped the ball on that one for one. You don’t let that get outside. So again, I don’t know that. The only thing I’m saying is you don’t break up the family. That’s all I’m going to say. You don’t break up the family.”

Amar’e Stoudemire

On fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a police officer:

“It’s something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. I remember back when I was in grade school, elementary school. They asked you on career day, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And my initial response was a police officer.”

On his family’s history in law enforcement:

“It runs in the family. My uncle was a captain. His brother was a deputy. My cousin is a captain. My sister’s in the academy. So, it’s a family tradition, basically.”

On the physical demands of police academy training compared with the NBA:

“Yeah, it was a little bit [more] challenging actually because now I’m running a lot more than I had before. Obviously, in the NBA you run short distances, right? And the police academy, you’re running more long-distance mileage.”

On his wife’s initial concerns about his decision to become a police officer:

“My wife at first was a little bit concerned because obviously being a police officer, there’s some danger to it. But if you are well-trained and you understand your policies and procedures, you’re able to somewhat have officer safety, which is very important, and that’s the goal.”

The Sixers may have been beaten 144-106 on Saturday against the Celtics, but there were still the kinds of positives you want to see from Philly’s young guys as most of the starting five sat out.

As their preseason finale approaches on Friday evening with a rematch against the Celtics, we’ll see if they can end things on a high note as their new stars are set to make another appearance.

While we don’t know exactly how much we can expect to see the Sixers’ starting five on Friday, we should be getting a look at the new group at least until the early second half, according to Nick Nurse when he gave an update after Thursday’s practice.

Nurse originally mentioned wanting to get the starting group to play a couple of games in the preseason, so it makes sense for LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown to return and get a final tuneup before the regular season begins. Even in a preseason setting with lower minutes, it’ll be interesting to see how fluid their cutting and passing looks, how they continue pushing in transition, how others move off the ball while LeBron initiates, and generally how their initial chemistry looks as this group gets started together.

In their brief half together against the Nets, the starters’ offense looked electric with so much firepower and range of styles to attack. Will we see more of the same against the Celtics?

Pure talent alone may carry the offense as the team starts to gel, although the defense may understandably take more time as schemes and communication are polished. That could lead to another strong showing from Jayson Tatum on Friday, after he calmly dropped 23 points on Saturday, with Payton Pritchard leading the team with 25 points and doing most of his damage from range with five made triples.

Apart from seeing the starting group, there’s VJ Edgecombe to focus on who stood out yet again in the Sixers’ last game. He scored a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a pair of threes, plus three rebounds, four assists and four steals. Energetic, impactful and disruptive as always, Edgecombe played exactly how the team would hope.

Jabari Walker continued his strong preseason on Saturday, too. He added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with six rebounds and a pair of assists. Walker stepping up comes at a good time as well, what with Ariel Hukporti’s injury shortening the Sixers’ center rotation. As Nurse inevitably experiments with different looks and mixes in more smaller lineups, especially when Embiid misses time, Walker is starting to make his case to be in the mix for more minutes.

We have to keep a close eye on Labaron Philon as well. On Saturday against Boston, he flashed his silky jumper both off the catch and when creating off the bounce, tallied seven assists to only two turnovers with crisp passing, and finished with 14 points (albeit on modest 5-of-13 shooting) and a 4-of-8 mark from three. Even with how stacked their starting lineup is and how they can stagger stars, the Sixers need spark-plug ball-handling, shooting and playmaking off their bench. Philon has such clear upside to be a factor there.

Basically, from the starting five chemistry to young guys like Philon, there’s plenty to monitor in the Sixers’ preseason finale.

Whatever happens with Friday’s result, though, the main thing that matters is we’re only four days away from the start of real Sixers basketball. On Oct. 20, when they open the regular season against the Knicks, we’ll get our first look at LeBron and Co. playing real NBA action.

It’s going to be quite the season.

Game Details

When: Friday, October 15, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia+, NBA TV
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

What Brandin Podziemski learned from studying Jalen Brunson this offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After a career-best scoring season, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski was busy learning from NBA champion Jalen Brunson’s film during the offseason.

Talking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill and Dalton Johnson on “Dubs Talk,” Podziemski highlighted how he and trainer Dustin Van Lieu were focused on Brunson’s game and style of play.

“I know offseason this year was big on Jalen Brunson,” Podziemski said. “Being able to see him play a variety against defenses of different sorts, whether it was the (San Antonio) Spurs or the (Philadelphia) 76ers or whomever you want to call it, just seeing him having to manipulate different coverages and being successful and winning a championship. I think we took a lot from him this off-season and implemented it.”

Podziemski and Brunson are both stockier left-handed guards, and Podziemski said he specifically studied Brunson’s ability to handle the Spurs’ “full-court” defense during the NBA Finals that the New York Knicks won 4-1.

“We looked at a lot of concepts like that, how (Brunson) does that and keeps and creates the advantage,” Podziemski said. “That’s probably the biggest thing we’ve looked at besides obviously the footwork.”

While Podziemski remains a polarizing figure among Warriors fans, his contract and underlying metrics reflect a productive player who has his organization’s trust.

Coach Steve Kerr called him a “big part” of the Warriors’ future, exemplified by the five-year, $110 million extension Podziemski signed on Oct. 10.

Podziemski played all 82 games in the 2025-26 season, averaging a career-high 13.8 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He also ranked fourth in the NBA with 0.28 charges drawn per game.

More importantly, his presence on the floor next to Curry and Butler appears to be positive. Warriors lineups with Curry and Podziemski posted a net rating of +5.7, while Podziemski- and Butler-led lineups were +10.5.

Podziemski likely will have to reprise his larger scoring role with Butler only slated to return around the All-Star break and center Kristaps Porziņģis out indefinitely with an unspecified health issue.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Doc Rivers believes this Paul George trait could be contagious for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers had the same shocked reaction to the Jaylen Brown trade that most fans did — but he also believes the additions of Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley Jr. can help the Celtics remain competitive in a beefed-up Eastern Conference. 

“I think everything [the Celtics] do is intentional. I really do,” said Rivers, who will serve as analyst this season for the NBA on NBC. “When the trade went down, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is an interesting trade,’ especially to the partner that they chose. I was like, ‘I’m glad Tommy Heinsohn is not around right now,’ doing anything with Philly, you know?

“But, at the end of the day, when you take a step back from the shock, and you look at their team, it fits. I think their team is gonna be really good.”

How important is fit in the NBA?

“As a coach, I never worried about it, the fit thing. I was like, ‘I’m gonna make it fit, you know? I’m not giving up on talent,’” said Rivers. “But there’s so much more now with the NBA and the contracts. Like, when you’re taking up 70 percent of your [salary cap with two players] — it just doesn’t work in the NBA anymore. And so every team is scrambling, as you can see. And, to me, what [the Celtics’ front office has] done is they went for that fit and the financial construction. So I think what they did was pretty smart overall.”

Here are more takeaways from Rivers on the 2026-27 Celtics (you can hear the full interview on the latest Celtics Talk podcast, which also features play-by-play legend Mike Tirico): 

PG’s overlooked value: Defense that changes everyone around him

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Rivers coached Paul George during their time with the Los Angeles Clippers and thinks there’s one primary way that George can still impact winning at an advanced age in Boston. 

“The thing I think you’re gonna be surprised with is his defense,” said Rivers. George has since piled up a team-high 7 steals in 49 minutes of preseason action, routinely sparking fast break opportunities after turning over opponents. 

“On ball, [Clippers teammate] Kawhi [Leonard] was better, but I remember [Clippers current head coach and former Rivers assistant] Ty Lue and I talking one night and I was like, ‘You know, Paul’s an elite defender, and I think he’s even better off the ball.’ What’s happening is elite off-the-ball defenders can be contagious.”

George generated 2.7 steals and a staggering 6.5 deflections per 100 possessions last season with Philadelphia, ranking in the 97th percentile at his position for both marks. George has ranked in the 89th percentile or better in steal rate for his position in each of the past five seasons. 

On the offensive end, Rivers believes George can be maximized as a catch-and-shoot option. 

“He’s a great shooter. And where Jaylen did a lot off the dribble, I think Paul George they use far more as a catch-and-shoot guy. I think he’s elite at that,” said Rivers. “He can take you off the dribble, too. I didn’t use him as that much, when I was with the Clippers, because I wanted him to be catch and shoot. I think he’ll be more back to that catch and shoot stuff.”

George shot 41.6 percent on 4.5 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game last season with Philadelphia (compared to 34.1 percent on 2.2 pull-up 3s per game). The shot defied him a bit in his preseason appearances, but it’s clear the attention that players like Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard can attract on drives will lead to many open catch-and-shoot looks for George.

The D-White bounce back

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Rivers admitted there’s a bunch of potential X-factors for the Celtics this season, but the primary one is Derrick White finding his shot again.

“I think Paul George’s health, I think Mitchell Robinson’s ability to rebound is still underestimated — and I think Derrick White returning back to Derrick White,” Rivers said when asked about X-factors. “[White] didn’t have his typical playoff run, he struggled with his shot. That’s a fluke. So I think Derrick White being back to Derrick White is huge.”

Why is Rivers bullish on White finding his stroke again after the shooting woes of a year ago?

‘It’s the NBA, man. Like you get to missing shots and the NBA doesn’t stop and wait for you to get your mind right, you know?” said Rivers. “It just keeps going and there’s times you get left behind, mentally, and I thought that it was as simple as that.”

More Doc thoughts

–Doc loves Joe Mazzulla and his coaching style: “He’s one of my favorites. I mean, he really is, and not because he’s a Celtic. I just love him. I love him because he is who he is and I love coaches like that. You’re not going to talk him out of it. And that makes him a really good, consistent coach.”

–East is wide open — but also incredibly daunting: ” I think the East is wide open. And unfortunately, it’s wide open meaning there’s five teams that I can rattle off that could win the East. In two years, it went from the worst conference to the best conference. And so I think that’s the tough part. I don’t think any team will win as much as they won last year. I also think there’s no tanking teams this year, so you can’t just count 15 wins, you know? So this is gonna be a hard NBA season for the East.

–He’s got one bone to pick with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett: “You know what pisses me off? Paul and Kevin are golfing now. Like, what the heck? That would have been so much more fun … They ridiculed Ray and I for golfing, and now they love it, especially Paul. Paul plays every day.”

Tonight the Raptors’ final preseason game tips off, this time against the Detroit Pistons. So far, Toronto has split the preseason with a 2-2 record. They started off-balance when they lost handily to the Heat, but followed it up with convincing wins over the Clippers and Knicks and a single-possession loss to the Knicks yesterday. The Pistons are 2-1 in the preseason.

Detroit will have both a homecourt and rest advantage, having played their last contest on Wednesday. With this being the last preseason game though, it’s likely the benches will be cleared to cement final roster decisions for both teams before the official start to the season. Plus, both teams still have things they need to work on.

One of the bigger themes of the preseason has been Toronto’s size and rebounding issues. In both losses they were beaten on the boards, and in both wins they controlled them. Not insignificant, especially given their lack of traditional depth at center. This could be a point of concern tonight as Detroit has size and rebounding power. Jalen Duren was 6th in the League last year in rebounds per game, supported by Cade Cunningham, John Collins, and Ausar Thompson who all averaged more than 5 rebounds per game as well. That, all before you even look at their bench or backups. To win the battle, we’ll probably see a lot of Collin Murray-Boyles tonight who has a great presence around the rim at both ends and seems to be able to read exactly where the ball is going. Scottie will have to step up too, especially when Poeltl is on the bench. 

Detroit has tooled their roster for size and space, with Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter, John Collins, and Isaiah Joe all strong shooters to complement and provide room to operate for Jalen Duren. Cade Cunningham has done a remarkable job distributing the ball and running their offence, always finding the open man and right play. He was second in the League last year on assists and hasn’t even hit his prime yet.  

Toronto’s defence has looked solid over the last couple of games, especially on the wings. This will be a great challenge for them, as plenty of teams around the League continue to develop similar offensive schemes. 

The Raptors’ offence has also been a lot more polished over the last few games, with Kawhi, RJ, and Scottie all taking turns leading the team in scoring. Quickley, CMB, Shead, Battle, Key, Burnett, and Walter have all managed double-digit performances. 

It would be a great way to start the season above .500 in the preseason. 

Where to Watch

Tune in at 7pm ET on Sportsnet

Probable Starters

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Kawhi Leonard

Detroit: Duncan Robinson, John Collins, Jalen Duren, Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson

Injury Status

Toronto: Nate Bittle

Detroit: None listed

It’s now been a week-and-a-half since Ariel Hukporti tore his Achilles in the Sixers’ preseason opener, and they’re no closer to finding a viable replacement for him. That could change in the coming days, though.

NBA teams need to have their 15-man regular-season rosters finalized by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, which means teams will be sorting through their end-of-bench options over the weekend. On Thursday night, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line mentioned two players as possibilities for the Sixers: Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims and Dalas Mavericks center Moussa Cissé.

According to Fischer, the Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers have discussed a trade framework built around Sims and Dalton Knecht, although he’s heard “some pessimism from sources briefed on those talks that such a trade will actually go through.” Instead, the Lakers might wind up waiving Knecht, whom they selected with the No. 17 overall pick in 2024, right after the Sixers took Jared McCain. (Remember when that was a divisive choice among Sixers fans? Welp!)

Cissé’s $2.2 million salary became guaranteed on Oct. 1, which hardly suggests that the Mavs will turn around and cut bait on him. However, they’re “known to be exploring pathways to keep Dwight Powell on the roster,” Fischer reported, which could come at the expense of Cissé’s roster spot.

As we’ve already covered, the Sixers are hard-capped at the $209.0 million first apron, and they’re only about $1.8 million below that line at the moment. Outside of an undrafted free agent, they won’t have enough financial flexibility to sign anyone to a fresh contract until early December. If the Mavericks waive Cissé, the Sixers would not be able to sign him without cutting salary somehow.

The Sixers could waive Jabari Walker, who has only $250,000 of his $2.6 million contract guaranteed heading into the season, to free up the money to sign a free agent. However, Walker might be one of their better small-ball 5 options, so waiving him could wind up solving one problem for the Sixers while creating another.

If the Sixers don’t want to go the salary-dump route, they could trade one of their current players for Sims, Cissé or another option. However, even if the Sixers were willing to trade Hukporti as salary-matching ballast, he isn’t trade-eligible until Dec. 15. That makes Justin Edwards ($2.4 million) their most likely trade chip.

Since the Sixers are under the first apron, they are allowed to take back more salary than they send out. That wouldn’t be an issue with Cissé—in fact, trading Edwards for him would help them carve out an extra $225,000 in flexibility below the first apron—but Sims is earning $2.8 million. Fortunately, they’d be allowed to trade Edwards for Sims without including additional salary. (It might cost them a second-round pick to do so, though.)

Sims and Cissé aren’t the only two backup bigs to watch as cutdown day approaches. A handful of camp battles could help the Sixers find a stopgap option via their last two-way spot if they aren’t able to land a more permanent solution. Fischer and Marc Stein reported Sunday that the Sixers “are unlikely to add a big man on a standard NBA deal before early December” due to their proximity to the first apron, although they were referring to a free-agent signing rather than a trade addition.

If Cissé does shake loose from Dallas, he’d be eligible for a two-way spot. Since Sims already has four years of NBA experience, the Sixers couldn’t sign him to a two-way deal. The same goes for Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley, both of whom the New York Knicks waived on Thursday.

The Sixers will likely fill that last two-way spot with another backup big and hope to make do at that spot for the first six weeks of the season. They can reevaluate their options once December rolls around, although it wouldn’t be surprising if they look to push that out as long as possible to maintain roster flexibility heading into the trade deadline.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Follow Bryan on Bluesky.