Category: NBA

Mikel Brown Jr., whom the Nets selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, takes his first shot at Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: You talk about chasing greatness. What does chasing greatness for you entail?

A: Chasing greatness is just the ability to max out my potential and understand what I’m capable of and hit that goal by any means necessary.

Q: What do you think you’re capable of?

A: Being one of the all-time greats.

Q: People say you have the it factor. What is your it factor?

A: I feel like there’s nothing that I can’t do on the court.

Q: Your general manager (Sean Marks) said that you have a chip on your shoulder, tell me why.

A: Just because at the end of the day there’s people selected over me. So that just drives me every single day. I’m self-driven to be the best version of myself. So that means I have a chip on my shoulder wherever I go.

Q: You’re going to have a natural rivalry with Darius Acuff. What are your thoughts on that?

A: Basketball nowadays, that rivalry brings along a lot of fans, and more people want to watch and it’s competitive. We know we’re going to see each other for the rest of our lives, so buckle up.

Q: I read one opinion that called you one of the bigger risk-reward prospects in the draft.

A: I’m not a risk just because I know night in and night out what I can bring to a team.

Q: What did your father tell you and what did you tell him after you were drafted by the Nets?

A: We said, ‘What are they going to say now?’ Just because when it comes people said I was too small, or I wouldn’t make it. So just beating the odds, I think me and him really took an embrace on.

Q: How much did it piss you off hearing that before your growth spurt?

A: It’s motivation. When people put more wood in the fire, it’s another log, that’s how I look at it, it’s another log in the fire to go out and compete.

Q: When your name was announced by the commissioner, what did you say to your mother when you hugged her?

A: I said, ‘I told you!’

Q: How long have you been telling her?

A: (Laugh) I’ve been telling her for ever since I started this game.

Q: How old were you?

A: Three years old.

Q: Describe your on-court mentality.

A: Passionate, competitive, me being a dawg and also just me being able to create for others, like being a connector as well.

Q: I’m getting the feeling that you see yourself as a killer or an assassin on the court? Am I right?

A: Yes.

Q: How so?

A: The people that I’m going to be going up against for the rest of my life, my goal is to win every single battle, and every single matchup.

Q: Why don’t you feel pressure?

A: Because I hold myself to a certain expectation that I expect to hit every single time just because I know how much work I’ve put in.

Q: If you could build the perfect point guard, what would you take from Mikel Brown Jr.?

A: We would take his ability to create scoring opportunities for himself and others.

Q: What one area do you think you need to improve on?

A: Every single aspect of my game.

Q: Describe your range for me.

A: Shoot — as soon as I step past halfcourt.

Q: On a scale of 1-10, what grade do you give yourself for vision?

A: I’ll say like an 8 as of right now. I definitely think that I have arguably, if not the best vision in this draft class, but I also do think that there’s still a lot of things I can clean up as well.

Q: Your defense on a scale of 1-10.

A: I’ll say a 7. I really do think that I can guard at a high level. It’s just about me bringing that consistently.

Q: 1-10, instincts.

A: 10. I play off of instincts naturally.

Q: How is your hesi-pull?

A: (Laugh). A hesi-pull is definitely lethal. I could definitely sell it and get it off quick, so …

Q: How would you describe your leadership style?

A: Lead by example and also lead by voice, just making sure my teammates are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and holding them to a standard that I know they can hit.

Q: Why would I enjoy playing with you?

A: Just because I’m always for my teammates, I’m always about making other guys better around me, putting them in the right positions to whether that’s score, defensively, just constantly communicating with them. And I also think I’m a great teammate as well, very personable, I want to get to know you because that transmits to on the court as well so now you got the true trust in you that you know what you’re doing.

Q: Do you talk trash?

A: A little bit. Not a lot.

Q: Does it get you going when others talk trash to you?

A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It gets me going for sure.

Q: What happens?

A: I black out (laugh).

Q: Who are some of the guards you’re looking forward to guarding?

A: Everybody. I’m looking forward to guarding everybody.

Q: Do you study tapes of old-time point guards?

A: Like ’90s?

Q: ’90s, ’80s, even before that?

A: A little bit, a little bit, a little bit. Like Mark Price, I feel like he was the one that created the split screen. … Tim Hardaway, Allen Iverson, Isiah Thomas.

Q: Do you take bits and pieces from each of them?

A: Yes I do, yup, yup. Yes I do.

Q: Which one of those have you taken the biggest piece from?

A: Isiah Thomas’ defense, Mark Price’s ability to split the ball screen when they jump, Allen Iverson’s ability to create a shot for himself. And Tim Hardaway’s twin cross, his shiftiness.

Q: How much work do you put in being a student of the game?

A: Hours, hours, nights, early mornings, days, years. … I mean, I’m a savant when it comes to that stuff.

Q: Why do you like the big stage, the bright lights and the big games?

A: Just because I know much work I put in to get to that point and to be able to play on that stage.

Q: What have you learned about your new head coach (Jordi Fernández)?

A: Just a great guy, he’s a player’s coach. Hard worker, loves his family, he’s a big family guy. He actually reached out to me recently because I went to go watch my sister play and he asked me how my sister did and stuff like that. He’s a player’s coach and that’s a coach you really want to play hard for and give it your all for.

Q: What do you know about Julius Randle as a player?

A: He’s a great player. He’s won at this level, so to be able to pick his brain and talk to him, you can tell that he’s a good person and a great guy to be around, to learn from him and ask him his experiences of some of the greats that he’s played with.

Q: Are you 6-4, 6-4 ¹/₂ ?

A: 6-4 ¹/₂ with shoes.

Q: You weigh 190. Do you plan on gaining weight?

A: Yeah. … That’s something that I haven’t spoken with the staff yet and the trainers as well. That’s something that we’re going to talk about soon.

Q: You can go one-on-one with any point guard in NBA history.

A: I’d probably say Kyrie Irving.

Q: Why him?

A: Just because I can learn a lot from him guarding him, just understanding his movements and then he could also teach me his moves as well.

Q: Whatever comes to mind: Steve Nash.

A: Cerebral.

Q: Rondo.

A: Playmaker.

Q: Steph Curry.

A: An anomaly.

Q: Trae Young.

A: Quick.

Q: Did you have any other favorite point guards growing up?

A: I was a big CP3 guy, Dame Lillard. … I really don’t have specific point guards. I watch everybody, because I think everybody has something special that I can learn from.

Q: The low point emotionally at the end of last year with your back.

A: Not being able to play and compete with my (Louisville) teammates.

Q: Describe your mother.

A: Loving, caring, passionate at what she does and passionate in support of our dreams, not just me, but my brother’s and sister’s dreams as well.

Q: Tell me what is so neat about her and your Puerto Rican heritage.

A: Having a close-knit family, hard-working family, my grandfather served 22 years in the Army so he’s very disciplined about his work and then my grandmother knits and she sells clothes at shows. And also big on her faith as well. To be able to represent my country and represent Puerto Rico as well and represent my grandparents. That whole side of the family means a lot to me.

Q: Describe your father.

A: Same way, just supportive, passionate, and he’s going to do everything in his power to try to help us and give us as much information needed so we can accomplish our dream.

Q: Tell me about the tough love he gave you on the court.

A: That tough love was great. I think it was needed, ‘cause without that, I wouldn’t be here today where I am now. It pushed me and it also shaped me to be who I am, that self-driven guy who wants to be the best.

Q: How old is your brother Zackariah?

A: He’s 15.

Q: Is he on his high school team?

A: We’re trying to figure out where he’s going to go for high school basketball actually right now.

Q: Is he a point guard?

A: Yes he is.

Q: Your sister Arianna?

A: She does volleyball. She just turned 14.

Q: You’re a Jalen Hurts fan?

A: I mean, his mentality and just understanding his work, and not caring what other people say or think about him because he knows who he is at the end of the day. He won a championship, so he has that pedigree.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Michael Jackson; Kobe Bryant; Jay-Z.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: Cars 2.

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Denzel Washington.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Zendaya.

Q: Favorite entertainer?

A: Drake.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Steak.

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Q: What have you learned about Brooklyn so far?

A: Brooklyn’s great. I thought it would be like more hectic like New York City, but actually Brooklyn is very chill, peaceful, definitely calm.

Q: Why did you choose to have a Michael Jackson handwritten lyric on your shoes on draft night?

A: Everybody loves Michael Jackson. I actually got to watch the movie, you got to see who he was as a person. Just a great dude that cared for others all the time. And he’s also about the people, and also about getting better, wanting to be the best artist, the best entertainer in the world, so …

Q: Do you have any favorite inspirational quotes that you use?

A: I had one on my shoe — I believe in me so you believe in you … shoot, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. And then tomorrow is not promised, so value every single moment and take it on with purpose.

Q: What do you remember about your earliest NBA dream as a kid?

A: Shoot, I remember me hitting the game-winner. As a kid you always kinda mimic, you have a little mini-hoop and you try to mimic you hitting the game-winner … you’re saying “Kobe” after you shoot a fadeaway … you dunk and you yell like LeBron. You take the pull-up like MJ. Those moments right there I definitely remember the most. And I always said to myself “I want to make it to the NBA.” It’s been a dream of mine since I just really started taking this ball stuff serious, so …

Q:. What gym were you in?

A: At the moment, growing up, the Cavs and the Warriors were going back and forth, so I’ll probably say like Oracle or Quicken Loans.

Q: Personal goals for this season?

A: At the end of the day, our goal’s to win a world championship. And also, getting to understand my teammates better and push towards a winning season this year. But also, the more you win, the more individual accolades will come.

Q: How big of an impact do you think you can make this season?

A: I feel like I can come in and make an impact from Day 1. I’ve prepared myself for this moment, I’ve prepared myself to be in this situation that I’m in, and also I’m feeding off my teammates as well, it ain’t no one-man show.

Q: Your career goal?

A: Obviously being a superstar in this league. Continue to work to that mindset. It’s not going to be easy, taking it day by day, brick by brick and it’s going to turn out that way.

Q: What is your message to all of Brooklyn and to Brooklyn Nets fans about Mikel Brown Jr?

A: Somebody that’s going to come to work every single day with a hard hat on, great attitude, big mentality … as a team our goal is to try to bring back that winning culture and bring a world championship to that city. We know how much pride those people take in being from Brooklyn, so that pride will not be taken for granted, and we have a chip on our shoulder.

These are some MVP puppies.

Five rescue pups coming to Long Island this weekend to be placed with foster families were named after the NBA World Champion Knicks starters.

Jalen, KAT, OG, Josh and Bridges were given their Knicks names by the animal rescue Ollie’s Angels in Greenlawn, which got news of their births the day of Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

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“Ironically, we were asked to help these puppies the same day the Knicks won the championship. When we realized there were five puppies, naming them in honor of the Knicks seemed like a fun idea,” Melissa Bielawski, director at Ollie’s Angels, told The Post.

“All of the women running the rescue are life-long Knicks fans, so we’re really excited for this litter.”

Naming the pooches — which she guesses are “some type of Lab mix” — after the one-time underdogs seemed very fitting, Bielawski added.

“Our rescue is all about determination and second chances, which the Knicks proved over and over again this season. These puppies survived very rough beginnings with a very real chance of not making it, but now they are thriving,” she said.

“And just like the Knicks, our rescue is built on determination and the fact that we simply refuse to quit. Once we commit to helping a dog, we will not stop until the pup is safe. We will work right up until the very last second to ensure we’ve secured foster homes and provided proper medical care.”

The fur babies were rescued from a rural farming area in Dorchester County, SC, known for its problem of unwanted dogs.

“A local man had been feeding several strays who’d wandered onto his property. Due to the lack of spay and neuter in South Carolina, the females soon started having litters. The number of dogs quickly became overwhelming for him, at which point one of our South Carolinian rescue partners reached out for help,” Bielawski explained.

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Ollie’s Angels posted their starting five on its Instagram page this week, with the caption: “Whether they’re zooming around the court (okay, your living room), perfecting their puppy moves, or winning over every fan they meet, they’re proving that five is definitely the magic number.”

“The response from the initial social post has been incredible, which is a huge win for us,” Bielawski said.

“If every social media [post] makes someone stop scrolling long enough to notice a rescue dog, it makes a real difference.”

Bielawski founded OOAR in 2016, and named it in honor of her rescue pup, Ollie. Since its inception, the volunteer-run non-profit has saved over 3,000 abandoned, abused and neglected dogs around the country, and even some internationally.

She hopes their Knicks-named pups attract New York basketball fans who might have never been interested in animal rescue before.

“If naming puppies after Knicks players helps even one more family choose adoption, then we’ve done exactly what we hoped we’d do,” she said.

“Every person who shares one of these puppies’ stories can help us save another life.”

Kevin Durant urged the Knicks and Jalen Brunson to make the most of the organization’s historic championship win while they still can.

The Rockets star addressed the Knicks during an interview with Wall Street Journal Live in Cannes earlier this week — and the advice he would give Brunson in the face of new advertising and promotional opportunities.

“I would tell him to strike while the iron’s hot,” Durant said during the panel alongside Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman and OBB and Bolded founder and CEO Michael D. Ratner. “This is a time that I don’t think New Yorkers or the Knicks are gonna get back. You gotta take advantage of this time right now, you don’t know if this will come around [again].

“It’s been 53 years. It could be another 53-year wait.”

Durant, 37, famously spurned the Knicks to sign with the crosstown Brooklyn Nets in free agency back in 2019, claiming “the cool thing right now is not the Knicks.”

The former MVP and two-time NBA champion later added that he “didn’t want to be the savior of the Knicks or New York.”

After three-and-a-half seasons in Brooklyn, Durant was traded to the Suns in February 2023, the same season Brunson debuted with the Knicks.

Durant has since joined his third team in four seasons, while the Brunson-led Knicks have become an Eastern Conference powerhouse — culminating this past season with an NBA championship.

Since the win, Brunson has become one of the most sought-after athletes, with his nearly $1,000 photo op at Fanatics Fest next month selling out, along with his trading card seeing a 1A-fueled surge.

Brunson himself has suggested he wants to nab a guest star role on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” alongside his friend Mariska Hargitay.

“I would say take all opportunities and listen to them and see which ones you love,” Durant added. “I think Jalen has done such a great job of being him every single day and stepping up. His identity is just about grinding from the bottom and being somebody in New York City who made history in New York City.

“Right now is an important time for him and the Knicks and I feel like he’s gonna take full advantage of it.”

Celtics to re-sign Ron Harper Jr. to three-year contract: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens reportedly crossed an item off his summer to-do list on Saturday.

The Celtics are re-signing Ron Harper Jr. to a three-year, $9 million contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. They declined Harper’s $2.6 million team option for 2026-27 to ink him to a longer deal.

Harper averaged 4.2 ​points and 11 minutes in 29 games (three starts) last season, his first with Boston. The 26-year-old son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and older brother of San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper showcased his potential with several noteworthy performances off the bench, including a 27-point outburst in the season finale vs. the Orlando Magic.

With Harper signed, the Celtics will shift their attention to their other pending free agents, including Neemias Queta ($2.67 million team option) and Jordan Walsh ($2.4 million). The deadline to exercise their options is Monday.

Merriam-Webster defines Schadenfreude as the enjoyment obtained from seeing or hearing about the troubles of others.

As sports fans, you probably experience it all the time.

If you root for the Bears, perhaps you experience it when the Packers lose.

If you root for the Cardinals, you may giggle when a Lincoln Park yuppie slips and faceplants in their own vomit on a Wrigleyville sidewalk.

And if you’re an Illini fan, Juwan Howard getting shitcanned in Ann Arbor likely warmed the cockles of your heart.

Speaking of Ann Arbor.

Native Chicagoan, former Illini commit, signee, and player Morez Johnson Jr. was drafted 9th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.

A year after Johnson departed Champaign, he became the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round selection.

It was the next step in a journey that took Morez from St. Rita to Thornton to Champaign, Ann Arbor, and now the Metroplex. 

Now Morez’ NBA fate is tied to Dusty May and Cooper Flagg.

Not bad for someone still facing the unjust, vitriolic bile of some Illinois fans.

The palpable emotional incontinence in some Illinois fans’ hatred for Morez makes me ashamed to count myself among them in fandom.

No, I will not just stick to sports. Sports don’t exist in a bubble. They exist in the real world with all the joy and pain of the tangible universe. And the people who participate are just as susceptible to the slings and arrows of time as the average anti-Morez Illinois fan.

You do not own the athletes for whom you cheer.

I think there is a series of constitutional amendments that make it so. And being that ignorant this close to Juneteenth is irony rich enough to get naming rights to a college football stadium in Texas.

I know it’s hard for some of you to look at a young man like Morez and take leave of your faculties when he has the gall not to do what you want him to do. 

When Morez transferred from Illinois, some decided to unleash vile personal attacks on the young man and his family.

You wished him ill will. Not just on the court. 

It’s fair to wish his new program failure. They are a conference rival.

But some insults went beyond losing basketball games. 

In that world, his decision to go somewhere else was not a basketball decision. It wasn’t the choice of an ambitious young man trying to achieve his goals. It was a betrayal.

They wanted to call him a greedy, selfish…haberdasher. And perhaps you do privately.

They scoured the internet for comments about his family.

“See, he comes from a family full of haberdashers.”

It’s like there was some joy in satiating that lustful disdain.

Morez Johnson’s mentor left Illinois. Wouldn’t you feel abandoned if the same happened to you?

When Tim Anderson was placed on administrative leave just before the 2024-25 season tipped off, the balance of the program shifted. The arrival of star big man coach and Underwood ally, Orlando Antigua, marked a different direction. Anderson (and Chester Frazier) recruited players like Morez: tough, physical grinders with evolving skill and the willingness to do whatever it takes to win. Think about the players they brought in:

• Terrence Shannon Jr.
• Morez Johnson Jr.
• Sencire Harris
• Ty Rodgers
• Amani Hansberry 

Antigua brings a different approach to Illinois. He brought in international prospects like Tomislav Ivisic (and later his twin brother). That was the new direction of the program. 

The offense was to be built around spacing and shooting and less around having a sledgehammer in the dunker spot.

This is where we find the crux of the basketball insult used to couch more personal animus.

“He left one of the best big men coaches in the country. So that automatically means he had no interest in improving his game. It’s all because that greedy, lying haberdasher wanted to take more money so his family can put shinier rims on their cars.”

His other mentor, Tai Streets, is a University of Michigan alum. 

For a “kid who got bad advice from his father,” he sure did get some wise counsel from both of his mentors. He wound up having two productive seasons in the Big Ten, winning a national title, and landing himself in the lottery.

They wanted him to shut up, run, dunk, and rebound. They didn’t see him as capable of growing as a player. I’ll let you sort out what about him made them think he was a finished product at 17.

“But I saw clips of him shooting. It was obvious his shot was broken and his desire to go somewhere else is stupid. You hear that, boy? You do what I want you to do. Screw your dreams and ambitions, what about mine, dammit? The dang Illini need to win me a national championship.“

Okay, so you thought he was one-dimensional and wouldn’t be anything more at Michigan than he was at Illinois.

And to stop you from being willfully obtuse, let’s look at the numbers.

At Illinois, he took approximately 4 shots per game. That number doubled at Michigan.

With the increased volume, his two-point percentage actually increased from 64% to 66%.

So he took more shots inside the arc and shot a higher percentage.

He went from attempting zero threes at Illinois to taking 35 threes on the season at Michigan. Sure, that is low volume. And no, he did not turn into Koby Brea overnight. But the talk about him being an incompetent shooter was absolute rubbish. He shot 34% from behind the arc. For context, Tomislav Ivisic shot 31% from three-point range last season. (That’s not a knock on Tomi.)

Morez Johnson at least showed the threat of a jump shot. He demonstrated that he can make open shots from deep, so you have to respect him. And that’s an element he didn’t get to show as an Illini.

The advanced stats showcase the difference between a good role player on an excellent team and an emerging star on a championship team.

Playing with Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg meant his rebounding numbers went down. His offensive rebound rate fell from 17% to a still excellent 13%. That is a fair critique of his value.

His true shooting percentage increased from 64% to 67%. And he didn’t need the best big man coach in the nation to do that. 

He more than doubled his win shares from just under 3 to just over 6. The analytics-driven Illini staff would have to be impressed with that number. To understand his true value, the great Keaton Wagler had 7.2 win shares in his lone collegiate season.

So from a basketball standpoint, Morez wasn’t the same player. He was not relied upon to be the primary rebounder. But his prowess still helped anchor a national champion on the glass. His quickness and switchability defensively made him a Swiss Army knife. 

No, Morez didn’t turn from a frontcourt player to a wing while at Michigan. But he demonstrated new skills and the team orientation it takes to succeed at the highest levels. He can play alongside smaller players due to his length and rebounding prowess. He can thrive next to larger players because of his evolving offensive skill.

Dusty May had all three of his former Michigan frontcourt players on the board at number nine. And he chose Morez Johnson. Do you think that pick just happened because someone thought the name Morez sounds cool?

And you were so eager to besmirch his character as a human and a basketball player.

“He was drafted too high. He only went in the top ten because his college coach is in Dallas now.”

Or, because he, you know, excelled as a player and at the combine.

If Morez really agreed to a deal to stay at Illinois and reneged, is that what makes him so detestable?

Because Brad Underwood had a valid contract at Oklahoma State when he agreed to come to Illinois. Is Brad also a dishonorable man? Or is he an ambitious man who saw an opportunity to enhance his life and took it?

Are you going to hurl the same level of invective at Quentin Coleman? He had a signed agreement to enroll at Wake Forest. Does that mean it’s morally okay to break your word if you’re coming to Illinois but not when you’re going from?

I’ll reiterate, I’m not saying anyone has to root for him. I am definitely not saying that anyone should have become Wolverines fans last season.

But if you think that you have dominion over a young man’s character because he didn’t follow your instructions…

A few days away from the start of free agency, we still aren’t entirely sure what rules the Sixers will be operating under this offseason.

Here’s what we do know: After drafting Labaron Philon Jr. with the No. 22 overall pick, the Sixers are entering free agency with nearly $173 million in guaranteed salary on their books. That already puts them well above the projected $165 million salary cap for the 2026-27 season.

As is tradition with this team, the luxury tax and the aprons are the bigger concern. They could be as much as $28.3 million under the $201 million tax line, $36.3 million below the $209 million first apron and $49.3 million below the $222 million second apron, but that would require them to decline their team options on Dominick Barlow ($3.4 million), Trendon Watford ($2.8 million) and Dalen Terry ($2.6 million) and waive both Jabari Walker ($250,000 guaranteed) and Adem Bona ($0 guaranteed).

The Sixers will have to decide what to do with Barlow, Watford and Terry by June 29, which is the deadline for player and team options to be exercised. Even if they pick up their team option on Terry, his salary is non-guaranteed until Jan. 10, so they could still waive him before the season begins without being left with a dead cap hit.

All of those decisions—and whether they re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes and Andre Drummond in free agency—will help determine which mid-level exception (if any) the Sixers have access to this offseason.

Can the Sixers get the non-taxpayer MLE?

If the Sixers use the $15.0 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason, they would hard-cap themselves at the first apron for the remainder of the 2026-27 league year. That means they could not have more than roughly $209 million in salary on their books at any point until next July.

If they picked up their team options on Barlow and Watford and kept Bona, that would already bring them up to nearly $181.5 million in salary before taking Walker or Terry into account. That would leave them roughly $27.5 million below the first apron. Once they spent the non-taxpayer MLE, they’d be only $12.5 million below.

That would all but guarantee the departures of Oubre and Grimes unless they managed to shed salary elsewhere.

If the Sixers aren’t attached to bringing back Oubre and Grimes, they could even have enough wiggle room under the first apron to spend both the non-taxpayer MLE and the $5.5 million bi-annual exception. That would push them dangerously close to the first apron, which could limit their in-season flexibility, but it might be their best chance to build up their supporting cast in the wake of Oubre and Grimes’ departures.

Unless the Sixers have already made up their minds about Oubre and Grimes, timing might be their biggest hurdle. They might not want to spend the non-taxpayer MLE and hard-cap themselves at the first apron until they see how the Oubre and Grimes situations play out, but they’d also run the risk of losing out on high-end non-taxpayer MLE targets if they wait.

The taxpayer MLE route

If the Sixers do cross the first apron by re-signing Grimes and/or Oubre, they’ll lose access to both the non-taxpayer MLE and the bi-annual exception. Instead, they’d only have the $6.1 million taxpayer MLE as long as they stay under the second apron. If they cross the second apron, they won’t have a mid-level exception at all.

This might be the Sixers’ most likely path this offseason, at least initially. If they spend up to $6.1 million of the MLE, they’d get hard-capped at the second apron, but they’d still have the flexibility to go above the first apron to re-sign Grimes and/or Oubre. If both of them leave and the Sixers decide that they’re fine with a first-apron hard cap, they could always spend the remaining ~$9 million of the non-taxpayer MLE later.

The Sixers also don’t have to use the MLE just to sign free agents. They could use it as a trade exception, too. That would have been their best path to acquire Aaron Wiggins or Isaiah Joe from the Oklahoma City Thunder, although the Sixers presumably had no interest in hard-capping themselves at the first apron before free agency began, particularly for another backcourt player.

If the Sixers do cross the first apron, they also wouldn’t be allowed to take back more salary in a trade than they send out, nor could they acquire a free agent via sign-and-trade. They’d also lose their $4.2 million trade exception from the Jared McCain trade, although it wouldn’t be surprising if they wind up letting that expire regardless.

Given their proximity to the first apron heading into free agency, the Sixers would be taking a major risk by hard-capping themselves early on. If the market is unkind to Oubre and/or Grimes, the Sixers might be able to bring them back at a discount. But if the Sixers had already spent the non-taxpayer MLE by that point, it would be far more difficult to squeeze them in and stay under the hard cap.

So, anyone dreaming of luring John Collins, Rui Hachimura or someone of that ilk with the non-taxpayer MLE should be aware of what that would entail. It’s a feasible possibility, but it would come at a real cost.

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.

Before free agency has even started, NBA teams are wheeling and dealing, trying to set themselves up for a championship run.

They can't wait until free agency begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, and any trades or deals can officially be consummated until July 6, when the league's moratorium ends.

Two trades that could shift the odds of teams trying to dethrone the New York Knicks include the Milwaukee Bucks shipping two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat and LaMelo Ball joining Anthony Edwards on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Knicks have said they are trying to avoid the second apron, but have re-signed veteran guard Jose Alvarado, and the Oklahoma City Thunder inked Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million contract extension.

Stay locked with USA TODAY for all the latest NBA news and rumors:

Best available free agents: LeBron, Harden lead the way

Now that the 2026 NBA Draft is done, the league's attention turns to the start of free agency, with the official "tampering" period beginning on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.

Mitchell Robinson, the longest-tenured Knick, is drawing googly eyes from suitors in free agency, and recent reports suggest a return to New York is increasingly unlikely.

Robinson has been with the organization since New York selected him with the 36th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Eight years later, he finally helped deliver the franchise’s first championship in more than five decades. If his time in New York is over, it will mark the end of an almost Dickensian rags-to-riches tale.

The NBA’s salary cap complicates things for New York, which appears to be keen on keeping him. Mitch (or the Blockness Monster, if you like) is an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks are operating under a mandate from team owner Jim Dolan to stay below the second apron.

The apron severely limits roster-building flexibility through restrictions on trades, free agency, and future draft management. Because of that, New York simply cannot match the type of offer another team puts forth without making a Sophie’s Choice between Mitch and Landry Shamet. ShamWow played a terrific season for New York, was clutch during their historic playoff run, and now would also like a fair contract, thank you very much.

Several teams have already been linked to Robinson. The Brooklyn Nets (now with more Julius Randle!) reportedly have legitimate interest, while the Los Angeles Lakers (still with all that LeBron energy) are also viewed as a potential destination. Sacramento has been mentioned as another logical landing spot, particularly with former Knicks executive Scott Perry running the Kings’ front office. Regarding that last one: it is hard to believe that Mitch would leave the championship glory of NYC for the hinterlands of the NBA, but money is money, honey.

In New York, Karl-Anthony Towns is the starting center. Robinson is an elite backup who closes plenty of games, but he isn’t guaranteed starter’s minutes. Elsewhere? He could walk into a starting job. That’s an enticing recruiting pitch, especially when those teams also have considerably more financial flexibility than the Knicks.

Losing Robinson would sting for reasons beyond nostalgia. The Knicks watched Isaiah Hartenstein leave for Oklahoma City when the Thunder outbid them (and OKC just doubled down on its investment in him, so no buyer’s remorse there). Watching another elite defensive center leave because another team can simply offer more money would be one to file under “maddening.”

To be fair, there are reasons New York may be reluctant to hand Robinson another lengthy, expensive contract. At a freshly celebrated 28 years old, he has battled injuries throughout his career. Ankle problems, foot injuries, hand fractures, knee issues, and assorted ailments have cost him well over 250 regular-season games since entering the league. Even after appearing in 60 games during the championship season, durability remains one of the biggest questions surrounding his future. Big men age in dog years, remember.

That makes a long-term, high-dollar commitment difficult, particularly for a team already facing the apron constraint. If the big Cajun departs, the Knicks’ in-house depth chart becomes straightforward: 1) Karl-Anthony Towns. 2) Ariel Hukporti…and not much else. Maybe they recommit to Trey Jemison? He has beastly dimensions (6’10”, 270 lbs.) but has yet to prove he’s more than a scrimmage player in the league.

The organization clearly likes Hukporti. The 24-year-old showed flashes of solid play throughout the season and even handled short playoff stints without becoming dizzy from the spotlight. His mobility, rim protection, and energy have given the Knicks reason to believe there’s real upside. He has also looked exactly like what he is at times: a young center still learning NBA basketball.

Whether Leon Rose & Co. believes Huk can contribute 18-22 meaningful minutes every night may determine how aggressively it tries to cling to Mitch—or pursue another veteran.

It’s telling, perhaps, that the Knicks didn’t seem particularly concerned on draft night. They momentarily acquired young center Ugonna Onyenso, who might develop into a fine NBA center, before immediately flipping him to Detroit for cash considerations. That tells us Leon and Wes did not feel desperate to add another developmental big.

If Robinson walks, a few veteran names have surfaced. One who is high on the radar is Nick Richards, who finished the season with Chicago and is now an unrestricted free agent. He is a clean fit because he does not need touches, protects the rim, and operates well as a roller. The front office liked him in the past, and he could be acquired while remaining under the second-apron threshold.

What remains of Kevon Looney might offer championship experience and meet the general criteria on paper, but the word on the street is that he’s mostly cooked and certainly would not be a long-term solution. Other targets floating around the market include Robert “Time Lord” Williams and Marvin Bagley III. These guys all feel more like contingency plans, no?

If Robinson ultimately signs elsewhere, Banner Night will be bittersweet. He will forever be remembered as one of the franchise’s great homegrown success stories and a key contributor to a championship. Hell, everybody loves him—his hometown in Louisiana held a parade for him on Friday. But from a basketball operations standpoint, his departure would immediately force the brass into Plan B . . . or C . . . or D. . . .

So, let’s use this space to chat about it this weekend, family. What would you do? Do you trust Hukporti in a larger role? Would you pursue Richards, Looney, Time Lord, or another veteran? Or would you prioritize finding Robinson’s long-term successor another way? Air it out in the comments below.

Go Knicks.

When Brayden Burries had his name called at the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, one of the people he hugged immediately afterward was Tommy Lloyd. Dressed in a tan blazer and slacks, while the rest of Burries’ family donned black, Lloyd looked like as much like a proud parent as anyone else in the room.

Burries was the first of three Wildcats drafted this week, along with Koa Peat and Jaden Bradley, while two others—Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso—signed free agent deals. All ended up in great spots in the opinion of Lloyd, who was as much in the dark about how the draft would play out as anybody.

“There’s a lot of intel flying around, sometimes you don’t know what’s true, what’s not true,” Lloyd said Friday via Zoom.

Burries went 10^th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks, while Peat was the last pick of the 1^st round and ended up getting picked by the Phoenix Suns. Bradley was a second-round pick of the Toronto Raptors, while Awaka signed a 2-way deal with the Chicago Bulls and Dell’Orso inked a deal to play for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Summer League next month.

Burries became the 18^th lottery pick in program history, third in five seasons under Lloyd. And while a few teams before Milwaukee were considering Burries it was a pretty good bet he wouldn’t have lasted much longer had the Bucks passed on him.

“There might have been a certain guy that has a lot of interest in Arizona basketball that was picking right after the Bucks,” Lloyd said, eluding to the Steve Kerr-coached Golden State Warriors, who picked 11^th and ended up taking Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.

Peat, who many draft experts thought should have returned to Arizona for his sophomore season, almost fell out of the first round before the Suns made a last-minute trade to get him. He was technically drafted by the New York Knicks, who had gotten the pick via trade from the Dallas Mavericks, but they selected Peat and then swapped him to Phoenix for three 2nd-round picks.

“We’re thankful for the Suns for choosing him in the first round,” Lloyd said. “I know they started to try to work trades for Koa a lot earlier than the 30^th pick. They really wanted him.”

Bradley, who was the 50^th selection, ironically was the only played drafted in the second round by a team that was using its own pick. All 29 other selections that round had been swapped at least once, some two or three times.

Lloyd said he’d thought Awaka was going to get picked by the Bulls in the 2^nd round, with the 38^th pick, but Chicago ended up trading that choice to the Indiana Pacers (who took Purdue’s Braden Smith). After that didn’t happen, though, conversations began about signing Awaka to a free agent deal that will have him split time with the Bulls and their G League team.

“He didn’t get drafted there but he ended up in a situation where I felt he was at the top of their board in the second round,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd said situation can often matter more than draft number, and he feels each of those players ended up in a place where they were both wanted and needed. Burries is going to a team that prior to the draft traded face of the franchise Giannis Antetokounmpo and thus are going in a new direction, which often means focusing on its younger players.

“It’s kind of a restart there,” Lloyd said of Milwaukee. “Brayden’s a guy that we think is ready to play in the NBA, and he ended up in a situation where they have a need.”

Lloyd believes Toronto took Bradley because they feel he can contribute immediately. Immanuel Quickley started 70 games at point guard last season, with Jamal Shead starting the other 12, but minutes should be there for Bradley.

“Jaden is a ready-to-play guy,” Lloyd said. “He impacts winning. Toronto feels like he can come in and carve out a role for him for a long time. All the success that JB’s had and will have in the future is a testament to him.”

The least likely to immediately get into the NBA as a rookie is Dell’Orso, who has no guarantees beyond playing exhibition games this summer. Lloyd doesn’t know if the Australian native plans to try and make a go of it in the G League or head overseas to carve out a career, as have so many other former UA players. Whatever Delly does, though, Lloyd expects it will be successful.

“I know this: Delly is someone I would never bet against,” he said.

I went to sleep yesterday with the Knicks having nine players on their roster, and I woke up to the news that we now have ten. S/o mi hermano Jose Alvarado.

• Jose Alvarado officially welcomed himself back to New York after declining his player option on Friday, only to reportedly sign a three-year, $14-plus million deal with the Knicks. Hooray, José!
• If you can’t wait for Knicks basketball, you’re just two waits away from enjoying it. The NBA released the 2026 Summer League schedule, with games beginning July 10 in Las Vegas. Games against the Nets, Spurs, Pistons, and Warriors are guaranteed, with the semis and the finals potential extra matchups.
• Assuming everyone sticks around, I expect all of Jack Kayil, Tyler Nickel, Pacome Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek, Mohamed Diawara and Kevin McCullar Jr. to get ample Summer League minutes. Kolek and Hukporti (maybe Mo too?) might be too much for SL players already, however, and might not even feature more than once for a few minutes of playing time. We’ll see how that goes.
• We spent the damn day covering the latest on Mitchell Robinson’s free agency and his likely exit from New York yesterday. Shouts out to everybody who posted in the comments section!
• In one of the updates I featured in the article I linked to a story published by The Athletic’s Fred Katz on Friday afternoon which shed some very serious and bright light on the second-apron saga. Katz reports that the front office wants to exceed the second apron to keep the championship roster together, but James Dolan still prefers staying below it.

“The Knicks’ front office understands that dipping below the second apron would lead to much of its depth flocking elsewhere, which is why, despite Dolan’s desires, it wants to go over the second apron, according to league sources, who were granted anonymity to speak freely. But so far, Dolan has not changed his mind.”

• Katz’s point is pretty simple. If the Knicks don’t spend, they’ll lose the depth that brought them the championship with almost no realistic way of replacing it. It’s probably the strongest case yet for simply paying the bill, and I think most fans (although nearly all of us are far from understanding all details about the CBA as Leon does) agree.
• Guerschon Yabusele keeps talking about his brief time with the Knicks. What I found most interesting and stressful at the same time was his comment about being offered the exact same deal by the Denver Nuggets, only for him to choose New York. Remember who (virtually) went the other way in the Jose Alvarado trade? Yeah, you guessed it right. Scary thoughts.
• Joseph Antonio Cartagena dropped a new track with Yung Miami and Jadakiss titled “Victory Lap,” with the clip filmed at the parade.
• One of the cooler Knicks-related reads I found today came from ClutchPoints, where hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash talked about finally seeing the Knicks win another title after waiting more than five decades for it. Born in 1958, the renowned DJ saw both the 1970 and 1973 titles and patiently waited for the third one. A sample:

“(Jalen Brunson) talks very low. If you’re sitting next to him and you don’t say nothing, he ain’t saying nothing to you. He’s very prolific if he knows how to write. Brunson and Rakim are almost the same. They’re not s–t poppers. They’re not braggadocious. It’s just I am who I am. When Brunson has a ball in his hands, when Rakim has a mic in his hands, it’s like, okay. Very dangerous, very dangerous, but very quiet.”

• Kevin Durant weighed in on the Knicks’ championship, although he couldn’t resist adding a little jab. Alas.
• Around the NBA, Jaylen Brown rumors keep escalating. Shams Charania says Boston has asked some teams for at least four first-round picks, while every insider seems increasingly convinced Brown eventually gets moved. Marc Stein says the Blazers are “actively pursuing” Brown.
• The Kings included a “make the NBA Finals” guarantee on DeMar DeRozan’s contract. The Kings are also expected to waive-and-stretch his deal. Not even sure what to make of this whole thing.
• Elsewhere in the rumor mill, LeBron James’ future looks murkier than ever, with Jake Fischer saying there are people around the league who believe leaving the Lakers may now be more likely than staying. Shams says the Lakers haven’t offered anything to LBJ for now, with FA kicking off in less than a week.
• Meanwhile, Dan Gilbert discussed Comic Sans.

I keep banging updates on the Mitchell Robinson post as I get them, so don’t hesitate to bring them to my attention in the comments section so everybody can read them. Go outside, sunbathe, take some fresh air, enjoy the day.

We’ve said for a long time that it’s probably better to be drafted later by a team with a great culture than it is to be taken earlier by a team with a lesser culture.

So we were really excited for Maliq Brown when the former Blue Devil was taken by San Antonio in the second round of this week’s NBA Draft, because he’s with perhaps the best-managed franchise in the modern NBA.

This article from The Sporting News suggests that Brown was “speechless” to see Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili show up at the Spurs’ facility after the draft.

But that’s almost certainly Brown being polite, because that’s very much how Duke works, too.

This week, Cooper Flagg was in town to get some runs in. Jayson Tatum is Chief Basketball Officer. Quinn Cook, Nolan Smith, Jahlil Okafor and Carlos Boozer, former champions all, were in town during the Coach K Fantasy Camp. Former players are in the stands at every home game. Jay Bilas stops by to talk to the team every so often.

For a lot of rookies, having guys like Duncan and Ginobili around would be mind-blowing, but for Brown? Pretty cool, but it also makes perfect sense. It’s probably familiar.

It reminds us of something Shane Battier said during his senior year. Duke had briefly fallen out of first place, and for virtually all of his time as a Blue Devil, Battier had been on teams that were at the top of the standings.

So when a reporter asked him what it was like to be back in first, Battier just smiled and said one word.

“Normal.”

It’s not at most places, but for the Blue Devils and the Spurs, normal is different. Brown should feel right at home.

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Welcome back to the Butterfly Effect- kind of…

So far we have discussed the Anfernee Hardaway and Stephon Marbury trade to the Knicks that cleared up the cap space to acquire Steve Nash and Steve Nash’s departure to the Lakers.

This time, we aren’t quite done with Nash-adjacent topics, though we are getting a little further away from him. This week, I want to discuss Mikal Bridges. As we already discussed, the pick that became Mikal came to the Suns in the Nash to LA trade:

July 11, 2012 – The Inception

Phoenix Suns Trade:

• Steve Nash

Los Angeles Lakers Trade:

• 2013 1st round pick (Nemanja Nedovic)
• 2018 1st round pick (Mikal Bridges)
• 2013 2nd round pick (Alex Oriakhi)
• 2014 2nd round pick (Johnny O’Bryant)

The Mikal Bridges pick would go on to be traded on February 19th, 2015 to the Philadelphia 76ers in a three team trade for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Knight.

Now, so far we have been trying to pull the total on-court value from the trades the Suns have made to see if they have been worthwhile or not. This week, I want to do something different. This week, I want to take the excuse to make a quick journey through the entire career of one of my all time favorite Suns and NBA Champion, Mikal Bridges. 

So, we are ditching the rules of the Butterfly Effect for a week. Let’s talk about the trades and performances of Mikal’s career and their impact on the Phoenix Suns.

June 21st, 2018 – The Hometown Hero, Draft Night

The child of a single mom, Philadelphia native Mikal Bridges sits in the green room during the NBA draft. The Ringer has him rated as the 10th best prospect in the draft. Sports Illustrated and ESPN both have him mocked to go 10th in the draft. It seems everyone is in agreement. The 10th pick in the draft should be Mikal Bridges.

And what a perfect fit that would be. Because the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft is owned by none other than Bridges’ hometown Philadelphia 76ers.

Now, the 76ers don’t need Mikal Bridges. They are coming off of a 52-win 2018 campaign that saw Dario Saric and Robert Covington play well as the forward duo in between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. In fact, only Simmons played more games than this duo for the 76ers this season.

Covington was especially impactful, coming 8th in Defensive Player of the Year voting and making All-Defense 1st team in 2018. He had fully ascended to the title of superstar-role-player.

In some ways, Mikal Bridges may be redundant on this roster. In the Ringer’s 2018 draft guide, their number one comparison for him was in fact Robert Covington.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Bridges is currently one of Philadelphia’s favorite sons.

Just two months before, Mikal was the second leading scorer in the NCAA national championship game. He, alongside other future NBA players Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall, and Collin Gillespie, beat the University of Michigan 79-62. No weak feat, considering that Michigan team sported a few future NBA players as well, including future Phoenix Sun Isaiah Livers.

Bridges, of course, accomplished this great victory at Philadelphia’s own Villanova University.

While Bridges likely isn’t destined to be an MVP and therefore doesn’t have Derrick Rose to Chicago or LeBron James to Cleveland levels of hometown hero aura about him, he is still a Philadelphia champion, and is available when the 76ers are on the clock at pick #10.

And they do select him.

Bridges and his mother celebrated in the green room. Her son was going to be staying in their hometown. Mikal’s mother, by the way, worked in the Philadelphia 76ers human resources department. The connections to Philadelphia seemed never ending.

But, Mikal would not be staying home, he would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Zhaire Smith and a 2021 first round draft pick. If you’re curious, that pick ended up becoming Tre Mann.

Mikal presented a professional face to the disappointment of being shipped out by his hometown team.

Years later on Andre Iguodala’s Point Forward podcast, Mikal was a little more honest about how he felt on draft night.

“I was pissed off. I couldn’t control my emotions. After everyone went out, I’m in my hotel room, like, f**k this.” 

But, Mikal did come to Phoenix. Despite later saying that Booker was just about the only thing he knew about the Suns, Mikal packed up and headed for the Valley, where he would become a fan favorite.

2019-2023 – The Warden

Mikal made a home for himself in the Suns organization. In his rookie season, he averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists per game. His sophomore season wasn’t much more impressive, though it did come with an increase in efficiency.

In his third season in the NBA, 2020-2021, Bridges began to pop. Increasing his scoring to 13 points per game and continuing to be a great defender, he helped lead the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals as a key starter.

A proven winner and true iron-man, Bridges played all 22 playoff games for the Suns that year. He was key in the Suns game two victory over the Bucks in the NBA Finals, scoring 27 points alongside Devin Booker’s 31 to take a 2-0 lead.

It’s hard to overstate how much Mikal Bridges was loved in Phoenix. There were times where Suns Twitter and Reddit were filled with people posting nothing but his name in awe of a great play here or there.

While I can’t find the original tweet from the turn of the decade, The Timeline Podcast’s Mike Vigil returned to the trend during this year’s Finals.

2023-2024 – The Centerpiece

When Mikal Bridges was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as the centerpiece (along with Cam Johnson and every pick known or unknown to man) of the Kevin Durant trade, he was averaging 17 points per game and coming off of a 2021-2022 season where he came in second in the DPOY race.

Many fans were excited about Durant coming to Phoenix. Every fan was sad to see Bridges leave.

In Brooklyn, Mikal shined. He averaged 21 points per game in his two years on the Nets on solid, though lower than normal, efficiency. He wasn’t a superstar. He was a very talented guy playing in a role that he didn’t belong in and still doing well.

While I, and most every Suns fan, was happy to see him do so well on the east coast, the failures of the Suns in the Durant era led to a lot of buyers’ remorse.

It always felt like Mikal belonged in Phoenix in a way that was never true of Kevin Durant.

2025-2026 – The Champion

In July of 2024, the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for four unprotected first round picks, one protected first round pick, a first-round pick swap, a second round pick, and some salary filler. 

It was a gross overpay. One made worse, in my mind, by how many picks the Nets got when they traded for Bridges.

If you count the first round picks that the Nets got for KD, as well as the first round picks that the Nets got when they traded away Bridges and Johnson, who came over in the KD deal, you count up eleven first round draft picks. The Nets traded away Kevin Durant and received back eleven first round draft picks by the time it was all said and done.

But, the deal was done. Mikal Bridges would join former Villanova teammates Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart. The ‘Nova Knicks were born.

Fast forward to today, and those ‘Nova Knicks are champions (except for DiVincenzo, who has spent the last couple of seasons in Minnesota).

Now, I have never cared for the big cities on the coasts. I love rooting against anything Los Angeles or New York. But, I couldn’t help but root for the Knicks during these playoffs once the Suns were eliminated. I wanted to see Mikal achieve what the Suns should have in 2021.

And he did.

Mikal Bridges has been many things in his career. The hometown hero, the warden, the centerpiece, and now the champion. To me, he will always be an all-time favorite.

For San Antonio Spurs fans (and anyone born in the last millennium) George Gervin is the undisputed “Iceman.” Don’t even get me started on Top Gun…

Chicago Bear quarterback Caleb Williams has also been dubbed “Iceman” for his clutch delivery and calm demeanor. Unfortunately for Williams, the nickname was not available. The QB, undeterred, filed for trademark rights to the name “Iceman” as part of his clothing line.

His first attempt to procure the moniker has failed.

Ironically, it wasn’t George Gervin who blocked him. As it turns out, Gervin has never trademarked the name. “Iceman” was unavailable due to an insulated boot company that’s had the rights since 1988.

Williams can, and will likely, appeal as his clothing line has been aligned with his use of the handle.

For those of you interested in a Pounding the Rock Summer Book Club (or PTRSBC), I have purchased a copy of Seth Partnow’s The Midrange Theory. I am also simultaneously reading Expensive Basketball by Shea Serrano. For those interested in a Zoom-style meeting, let’s discuss days and times that work. I’m in CST, so let’ds use that as a base. Once we lock in day/time, I’ll share my email for anyone who wants to be added.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

Let’s be real. 

The Lakers need LeBron James. And he needs them. 

Why is this taking so long?

There’s no better free agent on the market than James, who pretty much single-handedly carried the Lakers past the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

Of all the stars on the team, it was the 41-year-old whose body was healthy come playoff time. While Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were sidelined with injuries, James led the team to a 3-0 series lead over Houston. He’s still a superstar. He still has unparalleled durability. 

How many playoff games has James missed over his 23-year tenure in the NBA?

Zero. 

It’s shocking. But James is as reliable as they come, even as the oldest player in the league. 

James embodies a lot of things the Lakers lack on their current roster, headlined by Doncic and Reaves. 

He’s a big body. He has championship experience. He can impact things on the defensive end. And above all else, he can be counted on during the postseason, something invaluable to a franchise that has won 17 championships and considers anything short of a title as a failure. 

As for James, he’s not going to find a better situation than the Lakers. 

He wants a chance to win his fifth title. There was proof in concept of how successful the trio of James, Doncic and Reaves could be in March, when they went 15-2 and looked like one of the NBA’s best teams. Who knows how far they could’ve gone during the postseason had they all remained healthy. 

He doesn’t want to leave his family. He wants to be able to attend as many of his 11-year-old daughter’s volleyball games as possible. He wants to play alongside his son, Bronny, who has a partially guaranteed contract with the Lakers next season. 

And during his free time he wants to play golf, his latest obsession since turning 40. That pretty much eliminates Cleveland, which is a frozen tundra for much of the year. 

It’s hard to imagine he’d want to start over with new teammates and a new coach in the sunset of his career, even though as you may have read in this column, him teaming up with Steph Curry on the Warriors would be thrilling and him returning to the Cavaliers would put a neat bow on his illustrious career. James cares about narratives. He has been with the Lakers for eight seasons, the longest consecutive stretch he has been with any franchise. A new start at this point seems unlikely. 

Things might not be all sunsets and rainbows between James and the Lakers. He may have felt disrespected as they’ve shifted to making Doncic their priority. He may have been stunned when he was asked to be the team’s third option, knowing that he could be No. 1 or No. 2 on many teams around the league. Things may be a bit stilted between a franchise that’s firmly focused on its future instead of James, who has been the sun for two decades.

But the Lakers need James. And he needs them. 

He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists last season. He’s still him. 

And of all of the destinations that would make sense for him, the Lakers could pay him the most. They have about $50 million in cap space. They could offer James, say, something in the ballpark of $25 million to $35 million and still have room to build out their roster. 

Yes, James would have to take a significant pay cut from the $52.6 million he made last season. Yes, he still plays like a maximum contract player. But he’s not going to command that type of money anywhere he’d want to go. 

As currently constructed, the Warriors could only pay him the $15.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Cavaliers have even less money on their books, something in the ballpark of around $4 million unless they make some major moves, according to ESPN. 

James and the Lakers both need to just rip the Band-Aid off. They’re not going to do better than each other. The sooner they work out a deal, the quicker general manager Rob Pelinka will be able to build out a competitive roster around the team’s stars. 

If they drag their feet, it’s only going to hinder both of them. It could mean the Lakers are forced to act as though James isn’t returning, and they could potentially have even less money to offer him later in the summer. It could mean that James gets fed up and takes his talents elsewhere. It could mean both parties are worse off.

The bottom line is this might not be the perfect marriage. But it’s the one that makes the most sense. 

The Lakers are better with James. 

And for what he prioritizes, he’s not going to find a better situation.

Big Blue Nation was ecstatic when Malachi Moreno announced his withdrawal from the NBA Draft and his subsequent decision to come back to Kentucky Basketball for his sophomore season.

It was a big decision, giving Kentucky a formidable player in their frontcourt and a player Mark Pope thinks could be among the best centers in the country.

“One day we got some of the feedback, and we were like it might be in our best favor to go back and really improve this next year and become, like Pope said, the best center in America,” Moreno recently said when discussing the NBA Draft process.

“Become the best All-American center in the country. I think next year is my year.”

Moreno added that it was a difficult decision. Fans may not realize how happy they are that Moreno is coming back. But this is a player who aspires to be a professional basketball player and may have thought he had a realistic chance at making that dream a reality this year.

That’s not to say he’s not happy to be at Kentucky, but rather that he still has dreams of playing in the NBA.

A member of the SEC’s All-Freshman Team in 2025-26, Moreno averaged 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in his Freshman season. Moreno shot 58.2% from the floor and 69.8% from the free-throw line.

Moreno’s most memorable moment was his buzzer-beater against LSU in mid-January that likely saved the Wildcats’ season early on in SEC play.