Category: NBA

Headed into this past regular season, the Rockets offered Tari Eason a four-year, $100 million extension with protections tied to injuries given Eason’s already extensive injury history. Eason kindly rejected that offer and chose to bet on himself. Now that the dust has settled on the 2025-2026 season, we can begin to answer the question of whether he won that bet or not.

The 6’8” Forward out of LSU made himself a fan favorite immediately in his rookie season with his intense effort and tenacity on the court, specifically on the defensive end. Eason played all 82 games that season, and it appeared that Rafael Stone may have gotten the steal of the 2022 NBA Draft. While there is a chance that can still be the case, unfortunately Tari Eason hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since his rookie campaign.

In 2023, he suffered from a lower leg stress reaction and benign bone growth issue. From 2023-2025 he continued to have soreness and would miss a multitude of games for injury management. In 2024, he missed two games due to concussion. He’s missed time this past season with both ankle and oblique strains and only played in 60 games, which was the most he’s played since his rookie season. The positive for Eason is that both of those injuries are not the kind of soft tissue injuries that wouldn’t throw up too many red flags under normal circumstances, like an ACL or Achilles injury would. However, with Eason’s previous health issues it raises some cause for concern.

Aside from the health portion of the question of whether Tari was right to bet on himself, when he was on the court, did he play well enough to earn a max contract as a restricted free agent? In the 60 games Eason played, he logged 25.8 minutes per game, scored 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. Eason shot 41.6 percent from the field including 35.8 percent from the three-point line, 77.6 percent from the free-throw line, and a true shooting score of 51.4 percent. Granted, that Eason is the kind of player that puts up numbers strictly with effort and hustle, having zero plays drawn up to specifically get him a shot, those numbers do not add up to a max contract, which for Eason would be in the range of about five years $240-245 million from the Rockets and four years $178-180 million should another team offer it to him.

For Eason to win this bet he made on himself, he will need to get more than the Rockets initially offered him, either from another team or from the Rockets if they decide to match the offer, but one thing I do know, Tari Eason is not getting a five-year max contract from the Rockets. If I’m wrong, then I will resign my post as a staff writer on this beloved website. There is no chance. However, can he get more than the Rockets initial offer? Well, sure… it’s the NBA, and there is always one team that is willing to overpay or at least pretend to be willing overpay to put the pressure on the Rockets to match in order to keep the player they drafted. But if I am being honest, I don’t believe Tari Eason deserves much more than the initial contract the Rockets offered him. It’s possible he will get less.

The thing I would point out if I were Eason’s agent is that his soft tissue injuries were not severe, and that Tari stepped up his scoring output in the playoffs. He scored 13.8 points per game in 32.5 minutes played per game. He shot 47.7 percent from the field, (I’d point to his career and regular season three-point percentages) 84.6 percent from the free-throw line and a 58.7 true shooting percentage. The one thing I do like is a guy who steps his game up when the stakes are higher. Tari Eason is going to have to convince either the Rockets or another NBA team that he is that exact type of player, that he will continue to be that type of player, and that he is going to be healthy if he wants any shot out pacing the extension he turned down last summer. If not, 2025-2026 will be the season Tari Eason bet on himself and lost.

It’s clear that for right now, the Western Conference belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs are next up, trying to take them down.

That leaves the Lakers just out of the conversation and trying to improve enough to be a threat to these two young teams. One clear weakness the Lakers have is a lack of depth.

The Thunder were able to play more players for longer stretches in their series against the Lakers. The Spurs have also played nine-plus players for 10 or more minutes in most of their playoff contests.

Meanwhile, LA’s rotation continued to shrink in the postseason, and few players cracked double-digit minutes. In Game 4 against OKC, Lakers head coach JJ Redick essentially played just seven players. The only other players who saw the court were Adou Thiero and Jarred Vanderbilt, and they both played just three minutes.

It’s not sustainable to only play seven guys for months of playoff basketball, but that was the situation Redick was in.

However, now that the postseason is over, the Lakers can assess their roster and bring in guys who can be part of their rotation and contribute to winning basketball.

Redick spoke about depth, continuity and where the Lakers stack up against the best in the West during his exit interview.

“I don’t necessarily view depth as a rotation thing,” Redick said. “Whether you play eight, nine, whether you play 11, 12, you need to have depth and that depth typically comes in the roster spots 10-15. Whether that’s internal development, draft, trade, free agency, whatever that is, we need to build depth beyond just an eight- or nine-man rotation because you’re naturally going to have injuries…It really is about just building that depth.

“We can figure out, as coaches, what a rotation looks like. But you look at OKC’s roster, you look at San Antonio’s roster, those guys, they have 13 high-level rotation players, minimum. That’s a luxury to have in the NBA and it’s one of the reasons those teams are really good.”

Based on how Redick used his roster, it’s clear the Lakers don’t have 13 high-level rotation players. OKC and San Antonio do, and that’s why they are still playing and Los Angeles is not.

Sure, Luka Dončić was out, and he would’ve absolutely helped, but not enough to turn a sweep into a series win.

The tricky part for the Lakers is that they were a very good team, but need to make moves to become great. How can they balance keeping all the things that made them a 50-win team while making enough changes to take a leap?

“I believe in continuity, but…If you’re trying to win a championship, which this organization is, and I’m trying to win a championship, ” Redick said. “I know [Rob Pelinka] is trying to win a championship. I know Jeanie is. I know Mark is.

“We’re trying to win a championship and so you have to be realistic and assess where you’re at. We’re not good enough right now. There probably will be some continuity. There probably won’t be. But that’s what the next two months are for.”

Redick left room for some continuity, but he said it as clear as day that LA isn’t good enough. If they’re trying to win a title, change is needed.

Sure, the Lakers would like to retain Marcus Smart, and bringing back Austin Reaves is a priority, but this is not a run-it-back roster.

Over the summer, we’ll see what that change looks like, but if the Lakers front office does its job, they’ll bring in the players Redick needs so that this time next year, he has enough guys to take on the Spurs and Thunder and have a legitimate shot at beating them.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

The saga surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks got another curveball this week when one of his teammates aired out some behind-the-scenes details about this past season that weren't flattering for former Bucks coach Doc Rivers or the franchise's Greek superstar.

Myles Turner revealed on an episode of his "Game Recognize Game" podcast with WNBA star Breanna Stewart that Rivers had a policy in which he didn't fine any players and "guys were late all the time. Guys were showing up to film whenever they want. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I've personally experienced."

"We literally, if the plane took off 2 o'clock, we weren't leaving until 4:30," Turner continued in comments that were published on Thursday, May 14. "I'm being so serious, bro. It was crazy, dog. Guys were hours late to the plane. It got to the point where I just knew not to show up until like an hour after they said the plane was going to take off. It was crazy."

Stewart asked Turner to name to worst culprit for being late. Turner responded without hesitation: "Giannis."

Steve Kerr reveals how much input Steph Curry, Draymond Green had on return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Plenty of factors were at play in the decision of whether or not Steve Kerr would return as Warriors coach this offseason.

And while Kerr’s allegiance to Steph Curry and Draymond Green likely played a significant role from the coach’s side of things, the Golden State stars didn’t meddle in the decision-making process within the organization.

At his first press conference since his new Warriors contract became official, Kerr was asked Friday about his communication with Curry and Green during the weeks of uncertainty, as well as how much input the players had.

“I was in touch with both of them,” Kerr told reporters. “They did not have any impact or influence on whether I was going to be the coach, and that’s a credit to them.

“You know, I think one of the strong points of our organization is that our best player, who is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is not telling [general manager Mike Dunleavy or owner Joe Lacob] what to do. He understands the repercussions of that if he wanted to go down that path, and it’s not healthy.

“It usually doesn’t work out well when a player tries to dictate what an organization does. So Steph has always recognized the sanctity of that wall that should exist, but we had a lot of discussions and talked about everything, talked about our team and some of the things I’ve just mentioned where we can get better.”

As Kerr stated, Curry has been heralded throughout his career for not interfering with major organizational decisions, despite his superstardom. In the end, though the Warriors haven’t been as successful recently as they have desired, Kerr emphasized the long-standing trust between players and coach in his ultimate decision.

“I know [Curry] wanted me to coach,” Kerr continued. “I know I wanted to coach him, and that mattered, but ultimately we have a really special, strong bond that should carry over into our success as a team. I think I have a better chance of coaching this team than anybody else because of that relationship, my relationship with Draymond, my intimate knowledge of our team and our organization.

“And, as I said from the beginning, I still love what I do. If I were tired and burned out, then I would not be doing this, but I love my job, I love coaching the Warriors, being in this city, being in the Bay. It all worked out.”

So, it seems as though Kerr’s return was the outcome everyone wanted. But now, what remains is whether or not Kerr, Curry and Green can compile one last deep run together in the NBA playoffs.

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Isaiah Thomas last suited up in a Boston Celtics uniform nine years ago, facing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. He spent the remainder of his career playing for eight different teams, all while never relinquishing his desire to return to Boston.

At the same time, the respect and reverence Thomas had and left behind in Boston never faded. In 2019, as a member of the Denver Nuggets, he was honored with a tribute video at TD Garden midway through the first quarter of a regular-season matchup. This past season, as part of the organization’s “Legendary Moments” campaign, Thomas was welcomed back and sat courtside next to team owner Bill Chisholm on Dec. 19 — a night again marked by a video tribute during a game against the Miami Heat.

Now, that connection has come full circle. According to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Thomas will return to the Celtics as a professional and college scout, contributing primarily from the Seattle area, and reuniting him with the franchise where he became a two-time All-Star and MVP candidate.

Himmelsbach also reported that Thomas has already gotten started, joining team executives at the NBA Combine this week in Chicago.

Thomas, now 37 and two years removed from his last NBA appearance, has long awaited an opportunity to contribute to the Celtics once again. Before signing a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns in March 2024 for his final run as a player, Thomas floated the idea of signing with the Celtics, vowing to provide leadership and not needing a single minute on the floor. Boston, at the time, had an open roster spot following February’s trade deadline and before the team began exploring the buy-out market.

The front office passed on Thomas, and four months later, the Celtics won the 2024 NBA Finals.

Boston acquired Thomas in a trade with Phoenix in 2015. Then-head coach Brad Stevens didn’t start Thomas until the following season, playing him off the bench for the final 21 games of the 2014-15 season. Even on a rebuilding, 40-42 roster led by Jeff Green and Avery Bradley, the Celtics made Thomas earn his spot.

He made his first All-Star Game in his first full season with the Celtics, averaging 22.2 points in 72 starts. The following year, Thomas wrote his legacy in Boston. He earned a second straight All-Star selection, averaged a career-high 28.9 points, and finished fifth in MVP voting behind Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and LBJ — and ahead of Stephen Curry.

In the 2017 NBA playoffs, Thomas elevated his game even further. He helped the Celtics rally from an 0–2 deficit in the first round against the Chicago Bulls, then delivered a 53-point performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Washington Wizards, a series Boston went on to win in seven games.

Thomas fell short in the conference finals, departing after 18 minutes in Game 2 versus Cleveland with a right hip injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the series. That was the catalyst for then-president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to trade Thomas for Kyrie Irving months later in the offseason.

That was the beginning of the end for Thomas, who in Boston was at the peak of his career and had done everything to earn a max contract.

His contributions weren’t enough to raise a banner, but they were among the organization’s most pivotal stepping stones. Just before the arrivals of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Thomas helped make the Celtics an exciting, watch-worthy team again. They weren’t the overwhelming favorites in the East like Cleveland, but they were a fearless underdog capable of hanging with the league’s top dogs.

In April 2016 against the Warriors, Thomas scored 22 points as the Celtics ended Golden State’s 54-game home winning streak. Against the Heat in December 2016, he set a then-career high with 52 points and cemented himself as the “King of the Fourth,” scoring a franchise record 29 points in the final quarter alone.

“I’ve opened my arms to try to come back in so many ways,” Thomas told reporters four years ago as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. “It’s not even about playing and trying to pick up where I left off, I’m past that moment, but I know there’s been times where I can help in that locker room. I’m not in there every day, so I can’t speak on what’s going on. This is from the outside looking in, but I’ve felt there’s been times where Brad could make a call and give me an opportunity and it hasn’t happened.”

Thomas added: “That’s disappointing in a lot of ways because I love Boston. I love everything about the city of Boston and the people who showed me the most love is obviously from Boston.”

Over the years, the team has kept its doors wide open to Celtics of the past. Paul Pierce is a frequent visitor at practices and a regular presence at games. Sam Cassell and Phil Pressey are members of Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff. Rajon Rondo made a visit three years ago after receiving an invite from Mazzulla, as did former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau just before Opening Night this past season.

During his run with the Celtics, Thomas wasn’t surrounded by a star-studded cast — and it still didn’t matter. At 5-foot-9, he consistently overcame physical limitations, just as he did in Boston, where he helped turn a post–Big Three rebuild into immediate gratification before handing the reins to Tatum and Brown.

In the history book of Celtics basketball, Thomas has a chapter of his own. It’s arguably the most sentimental, making a reunion long overdue for one of the franchise’s most beloved all-time legends.

Just like in the 1st round against the Orlando Magic, the Pistons have reached the point of win or go home as they face elimination against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland. If there is one positive for the Pistons it is that they only have to win two games in a row to steal the series rather than the three they had to against Orlando.

Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland came with a bit of controversy as what many thought was a missed foul on Ausar Thompson at the end of the game kept the game tied before the Pistons lost in Overtime. The Last Two Minute Report by the NBA has since disproven the controversy by confirming the correct call was made, but it has still led to a ton of discourse.

The bottom line about Game 5 is that the Pistons put themselves in a position to win multiple times during the game and couldn’t seal the deal. You can complain about the foul and free throw discrepancy, and those are valid things, but the Pistons blew a 15-point lead in the 1st half and also a 9-point lead with two minutes left.

Now, they have to go to Cleveland with their season on the line where the Cavaliers have not lost a game during the postseason so far.

Vitals

Where: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH
When: Friday, May 15 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Prime Video
Odds: Cavaliers (-3.5)

Analysis

The big takeaway from the last three games amongst Pistons fans is the foul discrepancy and how many more free throws the Cleveland Cavaliers have taken. In Cleveland’s three straight wins, they have shot a total of 100 free throws while the Pistons have only shot 52. I don’t think I really need to say much more about it here that hasn’t already been talked about to death online.

The biggest reason why the Cavaliers have taken control of the series is because their stars have stepped up while the Pistons have gotten very minimal contributions out of anybody but Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris. It reached a breaking point in Game 5 as Jalen Duren was benched for the whole 4th quarter and overtime in favor of Paul Reed, who is one of the few bright spots outside of Cunningham and Harris.

In Games 1 and 2, the Pistons were able to successfully hold James Harden in check to the point where despite 23 and 31 point games by Donovan Mitchell, they were still able to come out on top. Since those first two games, Donovan Mitchell has kicked it up to another level and James Harden has gotten things rolling. It has scrambled the Pistons defense as they have to sell out more to stop both player’s dribble penetration and it has allowed the Cavaliers to get players like Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Jarrett Allen rolling with easy looks.

You can say it is due to an uneven whistle, but the bottom line is that unless the Pistons make adjustments to how they are defending Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, this series will be ending tonight.

The Pistons have done a bad job defending the three point line as the Cavaliers have gotten quite a few open threes after long possessions because the Pistons lose focus or rotate off somebody too much. The Cavs are too good of a shooting team to consistently allow that to happen.

The Cavaliers have successfully matched the Pistons physicality on defense and are able to bring doubles on Cade to force other players to beat them. That did not happen on Wednesday down the stretch. All the Pistons had to do was make one of the wide-open shots that Cade generated off of a pass out of a double and the controversial call doesn’t matter and we are discussing the Pistons closing out a series tonight.

You can blame the refs all you want, but the bottom line is despite the foul and free throw discrepancy, the Pistons have held leads in 2 of the last 3 games in the 4th quarter and could not seal the deal in either one. Young teams have to learn how to win in the playoffs and the Pistons were able to get the job done against the Orlando Magic, but the Cavaliers are an older, more experienced team with a ton of players that have played a lot of playoff games.

They know how to game the system whether you like it or not. And those plays around the margins can make all the difference in winning or losing a playoff series.

The Pistons are not dead in the water. But, if they want any hope at winning this game and returning home for Game 7, their execution down the stretch has to be much better. The amount of free throws each team have shot won’t matter if you execute your offense and do a better job at defending and creating turnovers. The Cavaliers are prone to doing it as they proved in Games 1 and 2.

JB Bickerstaff and the players can discuss the uneven whistle all that they want, but it is clear at this point that the team that led the league in fouls during the regular season is going to foul a lot. The Cavs know it and have put together a gameplan that focuses on it. Now, the Pistons have to put together a gameplan of their own to counteract it.

Lineups

Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2): James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Detroit Pistons (2-3): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Question of the Day

Do the Pistons get it done and force another Game 7?

What Joe Lacob told Steve Kerr that gave coach confidence in Warriors return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Joe Lacob made it clear what his expectation is for the Warriors each and every season.

Which was, in part, why Steve Kerr was confident in his decision to return to Golden State for two more seasons.

The Warriors coach spoke to reporters for the first time since signing his new contract, and was asked about his relationship with Lacob over the years and currently, as the team navigates a difficult path back to playoff contention.

“Joe and I have great respect for each other,” Kerr said. “I was here as a player all those years at Oracle when the crowd was loving it and the team was lousy. It just was. The team did not have what it haves now, which is really strong leadership, incredible infastructure and a vision for winning. Everyone boo’d Joe when he said ‘We’re going to win a title’ or ‘We’re trading Monta [Ellis]’ or whatever it was, right? You can’t argue with the results.

“Joe came in here, and he built a pretty incredible organization, on the business side, on the basketball side. We’ve had a great partnership. It doesn’t mean we always agree, nor should we. We want to be pushing each other.”

In recent weeks, when Kerr was deciding whether or not he wanted to return and coach the Warriors, he spoke with both Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy on multiple occasions, and one thing Lacob said in those meetings stuck with him and gave him confidence that the organization still is dedicated to winning.

“The only thing I would reveal from our conversations, and I don’t think he would mind if I shared this, but we were talking about our injuries and how this is the first time where we can’t realistically just say, “Hey, let’s win a title next year,’ you know?” Kerr recalled.

“He just said, ‘You know, I’m the owner, and I can’t help but just say I expect to be in the playoffs every year and have a shot.’ Frankly, that’s one of the reasons why we have done that is because of his vision and his passion. I admire that. I love that. I think he sees the same thing in me. We’re both incredibly competitive. He’s going to be frustrated with things that I do, and I’m going to be frustrated with his reaction sometimes on the sideline if he’s upset with something.”

If winning was not Lacob and the Warriors’ No. 1 priority, there is no doubt in Kerr’s mind that he already would have called it quits by now.

“That’s all part of it, but we have great respect for one another, and we share the exact same goal,” Kerr explained. “That’s ultimately why I’m coming back, because if that didn’t exist, then this would have ended.

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The National Basketball Association might have leaked the script for the upcoming conference finals, hasn’t it?

On Thursday evening, the NBA released all possible scenarios for the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, both of which have one team already locked into the matchups—OKC Thunder in the West, New York Knicks in the East—but their opponent still to be determined.

Interestingly enough, the NBA announced the tip-off time for a potential Knicks-Cavaliers ECF, assuming Cleveland beats Detroit in Game 6 later today, setting Game 1 for 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The potential Pistons-Knicks tip-off time in case Detroit beats all odds and advances in seven games? Not even in consideration for the NBA!

Make of that whatever you want, but hey, I wouldn’t complain having the Pistons and the whole ridiculous Deeeeee-trooit baaas-keeet-baall chant the hell out of the picture.

The Cavs won Game 5 on Wednesday, bringing their semifinals matchup to a 3-2 balance with Detroit facing back-to-back win-or-go-home games going forward, starting today… in The Land. None of those teams had won away from home before the Cavs beat the Pistons on the road, taking a series lead for good and making it hellaciously tough for a postseason-underperforming Detroit squad to pull off the miracle and advance.

Tip-off today is at 7 p.m. ET. If you still have popcorn left, grab a whole bunch and enjoy this war while the Knickerbockers get back to practice in their Tarrytown facilities, patiently waiting for their next victim.

On top of that, it’s been announced that Knicks’ all-time great broadcaster Mike Breen will be on the call for all of New York’s ECF games, with ESPN holding the broadcasting rights for the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.

All jokes, but good times all around, ain’t em?

Myles Turner’s loose lips showed just how much of a sinking ship the Milwaukee Bucks were this season — with Giannis Antetokounmpo at the forefront of it all.

The Bucks’ star center, signed to a four-year, $108.9 million deal last offseason in a shocking move after the Pacers let him walk, told “Game Recognize Game” podcast co-host Breanna Stewart that Milwaukee had many problems under the hood, including tardiness.

“Bro, we literally — if the plane took off at 2 o’clock, we weren’t leaving until 4:30,” Turner said on the latest podcast. “I’m being so serious, bro. It was crazy. Guys were hours late to the plane. It got to the point where I just knew not to show up until like an hour after they said the plane was taking off. It was crazy.”

When Stewart asked who the biggest infringer was, Turner had one name on the tip of his tongue.

“That’s easy: Giannis,” he said. “Giannis is gonna show up whenever he wants really, you know? I think that it kinda just came with the territory. And once I saw what was going down, I was like ‘Hey, man, more power to you. They ain’t gonna fine you. Do what you do.'”

When Stewart, star of the WNBA’s Liberty, said her new coach Chris DeMarco added a fine system that includes $25 penalties for missed free-throw box-outs, Turner added that now ex-Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who has since retired, “didn’t fine anyone ever.”

“Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up; guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I’ve personally ever experienced,” Turner said.

On other teams, he said, players were fined regularly.

Doc Rivers never gave out fines, players late for planes, and getting fined for not boxing out.

NEW EPISODE of Game Recognize Game with Stewie and Myles OUT NOW.

Watch on YouTubehttps://t.co/RrTE4wnLZ8@breannastewart@Original_Turnerpic.twitter.com/pgIZDgyFzu

— Game Recognize Game (@gamerecgamepod) May 14, 2026

Taylor Jenkins, the Bucks’ new coach, will need to make changes following a horrific 32-50 regular season.

Antetokounmpo appears likely to be traded this offseason, given the extent of the dysfunction Turner described, as well as public comments from front office executives when the team introduced Jenkins.

“We will do what’s best for Giannis and what’s best for the organization,” Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said during a press conference to introduce Jenkins. “We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”

The expectation is that a solution to this incoherent situation will be found before the 2026 NBA Draft in June.

Antetokounmpo has been publicly upset with the franchise that held him out to end the season due to injuries, public stating that he was healthy enough to play.

His next team odds have the Celtics as the primary option to trade for his services, should he be dealt this offseason.

I had the incredible experience of being Brew Hoop’s eyes and ears at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this past week. As much as I didn’t want to leave, I’m home now, but I left with plenty of thoughts on prospects the Bucks may be targeting with their 10th overall pick. There was a lot to take in at the Combine, and a laundry list of names have been linked to Milwaukee, so to make things easy, we’ll start with the guys Eric Nehm reported have met with the Bucks so far. Here are some notes on all of them:

Darius Acuff Jr.

Most of the concerns surrounding Acuff have involved his (lack of) size. It’s no secret that small guards are an endangered species right now. But Acuff measured better than some may have expected, slotting in at 6’2” barefoot with a 186-pound frame and a 6’7” wingspan. He plays smaller than his size to some degree, but those are still encouraging numbers. Ultimately, though, it feels pretty unlikely that the Arkansas stud will fall past Brooklyn and Sacramento, so scouting him is just due diligence for Milwaukee.

Nate Ament

Ament has all of the parts needed to build a good player, but he doesn’t come with an instruction booklet. The Tennessee forward came out for his athletic testing at the same time as some big guys, including Cam Boozer, Hannes Steinbach, Aday Mara, and Caleb Wilson, and he looked right at home beside them with his 6’9.5” barefoot height and 6’11.5” wingspan. He needs to fill out with more muscle, but he has a real NBA build. He fared pretty well in shooting drills, but the form will definitely need several tweaks if he’s going to be a real deep threat. 

Mikel Brown Jr.

Brown killed it at the Combine. His measurements were great; at 6’3.5” barefoot with a 6.7.5” wingspan, he has real combo guard size, which is important if he’s going to be playing alongside Ryan Rollins. Brown also shot the leather off the ball in drills. His jumper is as effortless and clean as anyone’s in the class. It’s tough to imagine him falling to 10 unless teams get really scared about his noted back injury worries.

Brayden Burries

Burries was another standout performer at the Combine, even if he didn’t make quite as much noise as Brown or the guy we’ll touch on next. He tested well athletically, posting a 38.5-inch maximum vertical and some quick pro lane drill and 3/4 court sprint times while also measuring in at nearly 6’4” barefoot and 215 pounds. Burries also scorched nets in the shooting drills. He’s another guy who could fit next to Rollins in the backcourt pretty seamlessly. 

Cameron Carr

No player helped their stock more at the Combine than Cam Carr. His athletic stuff was impressive, and then he came out and dominated the second scrimmage on Wednesday, going for a LOUD 30 points in 27 minutes. He’s one of the best true three-and-D wings in the draft, and he proved himself to be worthy of consideration at 10 for the Bucks if Giannis sticks around, as long as Yaxel Lendeborg isn’t still on the board. 

Chris Cenac Jr.

Unless the Bucks know something we don’t, Cenac would be a reach at 10. He’s pretty raw and doesn’t have a defined role, but he does have some intriguing tools, which he showed off in Chicago. The Houston product is 6’10” with a 7’5” wingspan and a 37-inch max vert, and his jumper is a lot smoother than what most guys his size are working with. 

In media availability, I asked Cenac how he thinks he’d be able to match up with centers early in his NBA career. He said “it’ll definitely be a challenge, but you know I’m never running from the fire, I’m definitely ready to jump in the fire and see what it’s like and go out there and compete.” He’ll probably be more of a power forward as a rookie, but if he can find some more consistency from deep, that would open up some enticing double big possibilities with him alongside Myles Turner or Giannis. Again, though, he’s not likely to hear his name called 10th overall.

Aday Mara

Not that it was a total shock, but Mara wowed the draft world when he got marked at 7’3” barefoot with an almost 10-foot standing reach. He shot the ball surprisingly well for a guy of his giant stature, specifically during the movement shooting drills, which is honestly pretty scary. However, his form isn’t NBA-ready: it’s slow, and he struggles to put enough arc on the ball. His stretch potential is something to keep an eye on if he’s going to be paired with the Greek Freak.

Labaron Philon

Philon didn’t do much to stand out in either direction at the Combine, which could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. He’s firmly in the running for the 10th pick right now, given he’s a tier behind the Acuffs and Browns of the world on most boards. So, I asked him if he views himself as a true combo guard at the next level and what his favorite way to play offensively is because, again, he could be sharing the floor with Ryan Rollins. His answer: “I don’t really have a preference, I like playing on the ball, off the ball. I think I can do both at a great high rate, so being able to find a mix between playmaking and scoring, really.”

Keaton Wagler

Wagler’s measurements were a tad concerning, with a meh 36-inch max vert and a wingspan that only exceeds his height by an inch. On top of that, he shot surprisingly poorly during drills. This is a case where the larger sample size has to be trusted over the Combine results, although that should always be done anyway. Meeting with the Illinois star is mainly due diligence too, though, with steam picking up quickly for him to land with the Clippers at 5.

Tyler Tanner

Tanner broke the news during media availability that he met with the Bucks on Wednesday. Milwaukee’s interest here is interesting, because the Vanderbilt guard is only ranked in the top-10 by Twitter’s spreadsheet scouting battalion. He unfortunately tanked his stock this week, measuring in at 5’11” barefoot and failing to make an impact in scrimmages (although his decision to play in them as a projected first-round pick was commendable). Tanner will probably return to school, so maybe Jon Horst is doing his 2027 homework early.

Here are some brief notes on some other players worth talking about despite not officially being connected to the Bucks:

Yaxel Lendeborg: Tested not-so-well athletically, but no reason for worry here because he’s a proven awesome functional athlete. Shot it well in the spot-up drill specifically. Met with and worked out for Milwaukee last year, per Nehm.

Hannes Steinbach: Posted measurements of 6’10” barefoot with a 7’2” wingspan and weighed in at 248 pounds. He’s a big fella. The Bucks visited him at workouts recently, again according to Nehm.

Karim Lopez: Didn’t look good in the athletic testing, and his jumper is all over the place. He’s even rawer than Nate Ament.

Dailyn Swain: It was a rough week for the Texas wing. His shot looked clunky during drills, and he had a pretty quiet scrimmage on Wednesday. He opted to sit out of Thursday’s game, but many thought he should have played again.

Morez Johnson Jr.: Had a fantastic showing in every sense. The only blip for him was the spot-up shooting drill. The Michigan forward feels like a lottery party crasher that Milwaukee needs to have on their radar.

Jayden Quaintance: Didn’t do athletic testing. The jumper is gross (which is fine). When I asked him how he thinks he can fit alongside another big at the next level, he said “I feel like my versatility and the way that I move, I feel like it’s different than a lot of bigs, so I feel like we’ll be able to kinda occupy the same space and I’ll be able to do different things to play different roles, especially defensively, and offensively, spacing-wise as well with my quickness and the speed that I have.”

Ebuka Okorie: The Stanford guard’s measurements were better than those of some of his peers (6’1” barefoot, but a nearly 6’8” wingspan and a 37.5-inch max vert). Shot it really well. A potential late riser—he’s not at all significantly worse than other guards projected in the range of the 10th pick.

Stay tuned for more in-depth analysis of these prospects from Brew Hoop, both in written and podcast form!

Steve Kerr reveals how his wife's ‘meaningful' reminder helped Warriors decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The days and weeks leading up to Steve Kerr’s decision about his Warriors future were emotional, to say the least.

While he engaged in productive conversations with team owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy, and even kept in touch with star players Steph Curry and Draymond Green, he also had several discussions with those closest to him, including his wife, Margot.

And one message from Margot helped change his entire perspective.

“She said, ‘You might coach again someday, but you’ll never coach the Warriors again,’ ” Kerr recalled Margot telling him while speaking to the media Friday after signing a new contract with Golden State. “That was really meaningful to me because I love this team, I love our players. That struck me.

“I couldn’t imagine walking away from the Warriors.”

So he agreed to a two-year contract extension to return as coach and continue his decorative 12-year tenure with the team, in which he’s helped bring four NBA titles to the Bay.

Once Margot helped get his emotions together, he turned to the Warriors brass to make the logical decision.

“So at that point, it was really, ‘What do you guys want to do?’ ” Kerr remembers asking Lacob and Dunleavy. “We had great meetings, and over the course of about a week, we agreed. Let’s do it. So here I am.”

The decision is just one of the many important ones Golden State leaders will have to make this offseason, as they will now shift their focus to roster construction with several key players, such as Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, set to miss the start of the 2026-27 season.

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Fresh off his Rookie of the Year award, Dallas Mavericks Cooper Flagg made things Instagram official with girlfriend, Duke women’s basketball center Ari Roberson, on Thursday.

Flagg, who led Duke to the Final Four last March before Dallas took him first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, shared a snapshot of the pair kissing while in Turks and Caicos on his Instagram Story.

Roberson, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman for the Blue Devils, reposted the photo with two black heart emojis.

She also shared a TikTok video that showed them doing an online trend, which included moments from their vacation.

“Carry on…” she wrote with a kissing face emoji.

Roberson is the younger sister of former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Andre Roberson, who last played with the Nets in 2020-21 after six seasons with the Thunder.

Flagg and Roberson made waves online when they shared individual photos of themselves enjoying the same swings over the ocean at Noah’s Ark in Turks and Caicos last Friday.

Before that, Flagg and Roberson stirred buzz when they attended Duke’s 101-64 blowout win over Syracuse at Cameron Indoor Stadium in February.

They seemingly met through their Duke connection.

Roberson overlapped with Flagg for a year at the school when they were freshmen in the 2024-25 season.

Their vacation comes on the heels of Flagg winning NBA Rookie of the Year and edging his former Duke roommate Kon Knueppel, currently a Charlotte Hornets forward, for the honor.

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The 19-year-old Flagg became the second-youngest player to win the award behind Lakers superstar LeBron James.

This past year, Roberson averaged 8.0 points per game on 41 percent shooting across 33 games for the Blue Devils.

Charles Barkley said American society is still unfriendly toward gay people in the aftermath of the death of Jason Collins, the ex-Net who made history in 2013 by becoming the first active Big Four (MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA) athlete to announce he was gay.

Barkley believes there are more male athletes who are gay but unwilling to do so due to a “homophobic” mentality permeating society.

“If another guy did it, it would still be a big deal because we live in a homophobic society,” Barkley said Tuesday on ESPN after Collins died at the age of 47 after battling Stage 4 glioblastoma. “And that’s unfortunate. Anybody who think we ain’t got a bunch of gay players in all sports, they’re just stupid.

Inside The NBA: While discussing Jason Collins' passing, Charles Barkley: "We live in a homophobic society … anybody who think we ain't got a bunch of gay players in all sports, they're just stupid."

Via @ESPNNBApic.twitter.com/TJMIPoytHE

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 14, 2026

“There is such animosity toward the gay community and that’s what really unfortunate. But anybody that think him coming — I know a couple of other soccer players that came out — if you think there are not more gay players in the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA, you’re just stupid.”

Barkley, 63, and his “Inside the NBA” co-hosts touched on Collins’ legacy Tuesday night in a poignant segment after Collins died from brain cancer.

A little more than 13 years ago, Collins — then a free agent — made history when he wrote in the May 6, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated: “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”

He suited up for one final season the following year with the Nets to cap his 13-year career in which he appeared in 735 games and averaged 3.6 points.

Collins’ bravery has had a lasting effect, and eight years later then-Raider Carl Nassib became the first active player in NFL history to come out.

“You say 13 years ago, ‘Well, what’s the big deal somebody said that they’re open gay, what’s the big deal?'” Barkley’s co-host, Kenny Smith, said. “Well, 13 years ago it was a big deal. The reason why it doesn’t feel as big now, at times, is because of people like him. Kudos to him.”

Ernie Johnson, who runs point for the show, later complimented Collins.

“A guy who really through his words and through his actions has told us all, You don’t have to live in the shadows,” Johnson said. “He said, ‘Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self.'”

Barkley has voiced support for members of the LGBTQ+ community over the years, including a notable exchange at a bar three years ago.

He reportedly pushed back against those protesting against Budweiser for using Dylan Mulvaney — a transgender woman — while at a Lake Tahoe bar.

“If you’re gay, God bless you. If you’re trans, God bless you. And if you have a problem with them, f–k you,” Barkley told the patrons, according to People.

He also said: “I’m gonna buy some drinks for y’all and I’m gonna buy Bud Light. Let me tell you something: All you rednecks or assholes who don’t want to drink Bud Light, f–k y’all. Hey, y’all can’t cancel me.”