Category: NBA

Julius Randle is headed back to New York, although he will be playing in a different borough this time around.

The Brooklyn Nets acquired the 12-year veteran after he spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, multiple media outlets reported Monday night.

As part of the three-team deal, Minnesota will send Randle and the 28th pick in Tuesday’s draft to Brooklyn in exchange for the Nets’ No. 33 overall pick. In addition, Brooklyn will send veteran center Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls. The Timberwolves will receive Mo Gueye from Chicago but are expected to waive the third-year forward.

Read more:Heat acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo in blockbuster trade with Bucks

For Minnesota, the trade creates a $33 million trade exception as well as financial flexibility to seek free agents to play alongside superstar Anthony Edwards. Later on Monday, the Timberwolves came to terms with guard Ayo Dosunmu on a five-year, $112-million deal to remain with the team after being acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline.

Randle goes from a team that won 49 games in each of the last two seasons and three playoff series during that stretch to one that won just 20 games last year and a combined 78 over the past three seasons.

The Nets, who haven’t had a representative in the All-Star Game since Kevin Durant in 2022, will continue rebuilding with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 draft to go with the first-rounder they received from Minnesota.

Read more:Can the Lakers find a late first-round gem in this lauded NBA draft class?

The Lakers drafted Randle at No. 7 overall in 2014, with his first two NBA seasons coinciding with the final two of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. After becoming a free agent in 2018, Randle played one season with the New Orleans Pelicans before becoming a three-time All-Star during five seasons with the New York Knicks.

In October 2024, Randle went to Minnesota as part of the deal that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Towns was a key member of the Knicks team that defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals and celebrated with a championship parade in Lower Manhattan last week.

During the 2025 postseason, Randle shook his reputation for fading in the playoffs, crediting his perseverance to a mentality instilled in him many years earlier by Bryant.

Read more:Finally a postseason force, Julius Randle credits Kobe Bryant for instilling 'Mamba Mentality'

“I had a great mentor in Kobe that didn’t necessarily let me pout or get down on myself,” Randle said after scoring a career playoff high of 31 points during a conference semifinal game against Golden State. “His thing was always, ‘All right, what’s next? How can you get better? How can you improve?’ So I always just kind of took that mentality with me.”

While Randle hasn’t publicly commented on the trade, his wife Kendra posted a video to her Instagram Story of 9-year-old son Kyden, the oldest of their three children, stating that he’s “so excited” and “so happy” to be returning to New York.

“@brooklynnets fans he really wanted to make this,” Kendra Randle wrote as a caption to the video.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Dusty May’s One Shining Moment didn’t come with the sorts of feelings you’d expect after fulfilling a life-long dream.

After his Michigan men’s basketball team beat UConn back in early April to claim the program’s first national title in 37 years, May wasn’t overwhelmed by elation or joy when he stood at the apex of his profession. It was something much more hollow.

“I don't know if it's just me, but I'd heard where you climb the ladder and you say, 'Is this really it?' And it was worse,” May said in April to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. “It was less than 'it.'”

REQUIRED READING: Days before leaving, Dusty May sounded all-in at Michigan. Then, poof!

May was speaking about the finality of a season and the bittersweet feelings that come when a championship signals the end of a journey for a team he described as “one of the most special groups of humans you'll ever be around.”

More than two months later, though, it’s difficult not to view those comments under a different light.

On Monday, May left behind the program he had just guided to a title to take over as Dallas Mavericks coach.

While the move stunned much of the sport, if only because of the timing, it makes sense from a purely transactional standpoint. 

May’s one of the brightest coaching stars at any level of the sport, someone who took Florida Atlantic to a Final Four and helped Michigan win a national championship two years after he inherited a program coming off an 8-24 season.

He’ll arrive in Dallas with a franchise pillar already in place in Cooper Flagg, the 19-year-old phenom who averaged 21 points per game as a rookie and has the potential to be one of the NBA’s best players in the not-so-distant future. Unlike many college coaches who have made the jump to the pros, May seems well-equipped for the move thanks to his tactical acumen, player development chops and, perhaps most importantly, even-keeled temperament.

The NBA’s gain, though, is college basketball’s loss. And in a sport prone to treating every move as a referendum on the health of the enterprise, it has raised some unsettling questions about what May’s departure says about college basketball in 2026.

Is his unexpectedly early exit at Michigan more than just a personal decision?

Long before “NIL” was an acronym that rolled easily off the tongue and the “transfer portal” sounded like something out of a science fiction movie, college coaches left enviable situations for the NBA, whether it was Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Brad Stevens, Billy Donovan, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery or Fred Hoiberg. It’s not even novel for a Michigan coach to make the leap, as John Beilein had done the same seven years ago. As much as some in the sport may long for it, the old system came with its own headaches that had successful coaches looking for greener, less tiresome pastures.

Once more relaxed transfer rules were enacted and athletes were able to financially capitalize off of their name, image and likeness, the career choices of coaches took on a different meaning. In a span of just three years, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jay Wright and Tony Bennett all retired, leaving behind a combined 11 national championships and a sport that was suddenly down some of its most recognizable and revered figures. In each instance, the newly instituted changes were cited as a reason for the farewells.

May, however, represents a different type of case. Unlike many of the aforementioned legends, he wasn’t in the final stages of his career after years and years at the highest level of the sport. At just 49 years old and two years into his Michigan tenure, he seemed destined to be at the center of the next generation of coaching stalwarts who could come to define college basketball in the same way that Krzyzewski, Williams and Wright did.

And, in what feels like the blink of an eye, he’s gone.

In the coming days, May will have the opportunity to delve into what motivated the move, but until then, there will be speculation about just how much college basketball’s calendar and demands played a role.

May benefited from the modern landscape as much as anyone. He coached at a massive school with an army of wealthy boosters that funded the Wolverines’ NIL endeavors. He mined the transfer portal as effectively as anyone. The top four scorers on his championship team transferred into the program the previous offseason and the year before that, Michigan enjoyed a 19-win improvement in May’s first season thanks to a roster headlined by another batch of transfers.

There’s also ample evidence that May was disillusioned with what being a college basketball coach in 2026 entailed. In an interview last week with The Field of 68, May mentioned the low quality of life for coaches because of “uncertainty and lack of overall structure” in the modern game. He expressed frustration with what he saw as selfishness from stakeholders that got in the way of progress.

“Every time there seems to be a solution to solve one of the biggest problems, some of the more well-known coaches come out and say that affects them in a negative way,” he said. “There’s a give and take with everything. It’s going to have a negative impact on someone. But I think rarely do we look at what’s best for the enterprise of college basketball and what’s best for the whole instead of looking at what’s best for my calendar.”

Though May was thriving in the sport’s modern era, that relentless grind appeared to be taking a toll on him. Building two excellent rosters centered around two largely different groups of transfers allowed him to rapidly rebuild Michigan, but it required a significant amount of scouting and recruiting that, if repeated year after year after year, could wear down even the most well-conditioned coach. At least some of the emotional emptiness that awaited him atop the ladder after the national title game was because he knew the transfer portal was opening in less than an hour. In fact, he and his staff had a 2 a.m. Zoom call planned with a potential addition (though it was later rescheduled).

Nobody’s going to cry over the job complaints of someone making $5 million a year, nor should they, but it’s understandable when they seek out other opportunities.

At least part of what’s distressing about May’s exit is how calculated and deliberate he had been with his career to this point. He didn’t ditch FAU after the 2023 Final Four run, despite more lucrative and prestigious offers elsewhere. When it did come time to leave Boca Raton, he chose Michigan over Louisville, a more historically accomplished program. He wasn’t prone to rash or conventional decision-making. If he’s willing to leave a potential dynasty behind in Ann Arbor to go to the NBA, that surely says something, right?

Not necessarily.

For one, college coaches aren’t fleeing to the NBA in droves. May became the first coach to leave for an NBA head-coaching job since 2019, when Beilein left Michigan for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was only two years ago that Dan Hurley, another championship-winning coach in the prime of his career, turned down the chance to coach LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. May only became a possibility for the Mavericks after Duke’s Jon Scheyer reportedly told them no.

Not every transaction in college basketball during this new, sometimes confusing era has to be treated as an existential crisis.

May was undeniably vexed by the state of play in his beloved sport, but there’s no guarantee the conditions that potentially drove him to the NBA are some permanent fixture.

Right now, college athletics is mired in an awkward transition period, caught between an antiquated age when athletes weren’t able to profit in the same way the coaches and administrators around them were and a more professionalized model featuring full-fledged front offices that take much of the roster-building burden off of coaches, market constraints like a salary cap, multi-year contracts for players and payments to smaller schools for poaching top talent, similar to transfer fees in international soccer.

When that day will come is anyone’s guess, but the “rapidly evolving landscape” that’s so breathlessly mentioned whenever discussing college sports is just that — rapidly evolving, meaning the current conditions are fleeting. The sport’s unsustainable right now in its current, largely free-for-all form, but that kind of chaos often leads to a widespread recognition change is needed, along with an urgency to get that done.

There are significant hurdles that will need to be cleared for any of the aforementioned fixes to be made — namely, recognition of athletes as employees and some form of collective bargaining — but as we’ve learned, it only takes a federal judge’s decision or, maybe, a piece of legislation that passes through Congress for that road to that once unthinkable future to be paved. After all, six years ago who would have thought we’d have athletes cycling through four schools in four years and a second-team all-conference selection reportedly set to make more next year than some top-10 picks in tonight’s NBA Draft?

It’s quite possible May follows the path of Stevens, another Indiana-bred basketball wunderkind, and becomes an NBA lifer. It’s just as likely, though, he flames out like so many of his college-to-pro predecessors did and comes back to the college ranks as the most sought-after coach on the market.

And in that scenario, there’s a reasonable chance the sport he returns to is much more palatable than the one he just left.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Dusty May leaving Michigan doesn't mean college basketball is doomed

The NBA draft is as much of a celebration of its newest players and how far they’ve come on their basketball journeys as it is a coronation. For the past eleven years, there has been no cause for celebration among St. John’s basketball players or their fans. Although the program sent Julian Champagnie and Daniss Jenkins into the Association to break out as bona fide pros, no Red Storm player has heard their name called since Sir’Dominic Pointer in the 2015 draft.

That will certainly change this week. Not one, not two, but three former Johnnies can break the program’s decade-long draft drought.

Reigning Big East player of the year Zuby Ejiofor is a virtual lock to become one of the sixty selections in this year’s draft, but he could also become St. John’s’ first first-round selection since Moe Harkless in 2012, thanks to a surge in his stock during the pre-draft process. There is also the very intriguing possibility that Ejiofor stays in the city where he built his name to play for the defending champions.

Former McDonald’s All-American Dillon Mitchell was likely expected to become an NBA draft selection entering college, yet he’s taken a circuitous route to this point, playing all four years of his college eligibility at Texas, Cincinnati, and St. John’s. He’s since risen through the draft boards and is likely to hear his name called in the mid-to-late second round.

Then there is Bryce Hopkins, who wasn’t considered a potential draft selection up until March, as he caught fire when the games mattered most. Across six games in the Big East and NCAA tournaments, he put up 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest on 63.5% shooting from the field and 65% from three. Hopkins impressed scouts enough that he became one of the select few G-League Combine invitees to get called up to the NBA Combine. His outlook isn’t as clear as his two former frontcourt mates, but he will more likely than not become the third Red Storm selection of this year’s draft.

If Ejiofor, Mitchell, and Hopkins are all selected, it would mark the first time since the 1983 draft that three or more St. John’s players would be selected (David Russell, Kevin Williams, Billy Goodwin, and Bob Kelly), and the first ever since the two-round format was introduced in 1989.

How to watch

When: June 23 and 24, 2026, 8 p.m. each night
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: ABC/ESPN (Round 1), ESPN (Round 2)

Full draft order

1. Washington
2. Utah
3. Memphis
4. Chicago
5. LA Clippers (via Indiana)
6. Brooklyn
7. Sacramento
8. Atlanta (via New Orleans)
9. Dallas
10. Milwaukee
11. Golden State
12. Oklahoma City (via LA Clippers)
13. Miami
14. Charlotte
15. Chicago (via Portland)
16. Memphis (from Phoenix via Orlando)
17. Oklahoma City (via Philadelphia)
18. Charlotte (from Orlando via Phoenix)
19. Toronto
20. San Antonio (via Atlanta)
21. Detroit (via Minnesota)
22. Philadelphia (from Houston via Oklahoma City)
23. Atlanta (via Cleveland)
24. New York
25. LA Lakers
26. Denver
27. Boston
28. Minnesota (via Detroit)
29. Cleveland (from San Antonio via Atlanta)
30. Dallas (from Oklahoma City via Washington and Philadelphia)
31. New York (from Washington via Oklahoma City and Houston)
32. Memphis (from Indiana via Milwaukee)
33. Brooklyn
34. Sacramento
35. San Antonio (from Utah via Minnesota)
36. LA Clippers (from Memphis via Atlanta and Utah)
37. Oklahoma City (via Dallas)
38. Chicago (from New Orleans via Boston, Detroit, and Portland)
39. Houston (from Chicago via Washington)
40. Boston (from Milwaukee via Orlando)
41. Miami (from Golden State via CHA, NYK, OKC, and ATL)
42. San Antonio (from Miami via Indiana)
43. Brooklyn (from LA Clippers via Houston)
44. San Antonio (from Miami via Indiana)
45. Sacramento (from Charlotte via San Antonio, Atlanta, and New York)
46. Orlando
47. Phoenix (from Philadelphia via Houston and Oklahoma City)
48. Dallas (from Phoenix via Washington)
49. Denver (from Atlanta via Brooklyn and Golden State)
50. Toronto
51. Washington (from Minnesota via Detroit and New York)
52. LA Clippers (via Cleveland)
53. Houston
54. Golden State (from LA Lakers via Toronto, Miami, and Cleveland)
55. New York
56. Chicago (from Denver via MIA, PHX, CHA, and PHX, again)
57. Atlanta (via Boston)
58. New Orleans (from Detroit via NYK, BKN, PHX, ORL, and LAC)
59. Minnesota (from San Antonio via Indiana)
60. Washington (from Oklahoma City via San Antonio and Miami)

The Milwaukee Bucks shook up the Eastern Conference landscape when they sent two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat for an underwhelming trade package centered around Tyler Herro and multiple first-round picks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t one of the reported teams in the mix for Giannis’s services, even though there were rumblings that the Bucks were eyeing Evan Mobley as the centerpiece for a possible Giannis trade a few months ago. So what does this all mean for the Cavs?

First, it’s important to acknowledge that there’s another contender in the East.

The bar for entry into the title conversation is lower than it’s been before this era of parity. Teams that have talent, a clear identity, and can enforce that identity on their opponents can have playoff success even if their rosters aren’t perfect. Groups like the Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons are examples that did that well in the playoffs.

Miami has the tools to do the same.

They have the talent to be a formidable defense with a Bam Adebayo and Giannis-led front court, and perimeter pests like Davion Mitchell and Norman Powell (if they’re able to retain him in free agency). This should be an imposing half-court defense that generates plenty of turnovers with Erik Spoelstra’s patented zone.

Offensively, they will be potent in transition. Miami was already one of the league’s quickest offenses. That trend should continue as they likely won’t have the shooting or guard play to be an elite half-court attack. Antetokounmpo is elite in the open court. You’d expect them to leverage that as much as possible.

It typically takes teams a few years to build around a new star. The Heat won’t be the fully optimized version of a Giannis-led team for likely several years. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be a threat to the Cavs in the interim.

Cleveland has had issues against rangy defensive teams that can push it in transition. Their Donovan Mitchell and James Harden-led backcourt has struggled with turnovers in matchups where they don’t have the size or athletic advantage. And Cleveland’s oversized front court isn’t much use defensively if they aren’t able to get set up in the half-court. This is why the Cavs struggled so much against the Raptors in the first round this past season.

Miami — even in its current, imperfect construction — projects to be a better version of the Raptors. They have better backline defenders and should be much more explosive offensively in the open court with Giannis. They also have the strength up front to bully the Cavs. A more talented version of Toronto isn’t a team the Cavs want to face, at least not with Cleveland’s current roster.

Second, the Giannis trade should open up the floodgates on other moves around the league.

The Boston Celtics made Jaylen Brown available in their pursuit of Giannis. Now that they didn’t get that deal done, is Brown someone who could be dealt? And if so, is this someone the Cavs could have interest in?

What we do know is that Mitchell and Brown are good friends. We also know that the Cavs have done everything within their power to make moves that Mitchell approves of. Trading for a former Finals MVP and someone who fills a hole in the roster would make sense. Although figuring out a deal that works for both sides would be difficult — especially if Mobley isn’t on the table.

Brown wouldn’t be the only player who could be more available after the Giannis trade has gone through. Would the Bucks entertain moving on from Myles Turner? Is Kawhi Leonard the next star player to change teams? Could Trey Murphy III finally be on the move? Is Tyler Herro destined for a new home? What about Anthony Edwards? Presumably, the Cavs could get involved in any potential deal, even as a third team.

The Cavs typically don’t telegraph their moves. If they were to do something drastic, we likely wouldn’t know about it until the deal is nearly finalized, as we saw with the Harden trade this February.

All we can say for certain right now is that there’s a new contender in the East. We’ll see in the coming months whether the Cavs can remake their roster in a conference that will be much deeper next season.

Follow along for live rumors and news from around the league on NBA draft day.

Getting the first overall pick in the NBA draft is supposed to be a game-changing occurrence for an NBA franchise, with the team in position to land a generational talent. So long as they don't mess that pick up, they could be set for years, competing for championships.

Unfortunately, fortune doesn't favor teams equally.

As awesome as it might feel to get the No. 1 overall pick, some teams have been destined to return to the top of the draft board time and time again. While that often inspires hope in their respective fanbases, it also leads to utter devastation when it doesn't work out ... again.

So, whether it be by luck of the lottery or continual basement-dwelling, the No. pick has known many teams, but some far more than others.

Here are the teams that have made the most No. 1 selections in NBA draft history:

Teams with the most No. 1 picks in NBA draft history

Since the inception of the draft in 1947, the team to make the most No. 1 picks in NBA draft history is currently a tie between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards. Although with the Wizards earning the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, that will not be the case for long.

The Wizards have not had the No. 1 overall pick since 2010 when they drafted John Wall. Here is a full list of the Wizards' history with No. 1 draft picks:

*If the team was previously known by a different name, that name is listed in parentheses next to the selection

• 1951: Gene Melchiorre (Baltimore Bullets)
• 1954: Frank Selvy (Baltimore Bullets)
• 1961: Walt Bellamy (Chicago Packers)
• 1962: Bill McGill (Chicago Zephyrs)
• 2001: Kwame Brown
• 2010: John Wall

Here are the Cleveland Cavaliers' selections at No. 1 overall:

• 1971: Austin Carr 
• 1986: Brad Daugherty
• 2003: LeBron James
• 2011: Kyrie Irving
• 2013: Anthony Bennett
• 2014: Andrew Wiggins

How many teams have made five No. 1 picks?

Only two franchises, the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings have made exactly five No. 1 overall picks.

Houston Rockets

• 1968: Elvin Hayes (San Diego Rockets)
• 1976: John Lucas
• 1983: Ralph Sampson
• 1984: Hakeem Olajuwon
• 2002: Yao Ming

Sacramento Kings

• 1956: Si Green (Rochester Royals)
• 1957: Hot Rod Hundley (Cincinnati Royals)
• 1959: Bob Boozer (Cincinnati Royals)
• 1960: Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals)
• 1989: Pervis Ellison

Are there any teams to never make a No. 1 pick?

Six franchises have never had the No. 1 pick in the draft:

• Denver Nuggets
• Indiana Pacers
• Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder
• Miami Heat
• Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teams with most top overall picks in NBA draft: Where do Wizards rank?

When Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat late on Monday night, it signaled the end of an annoying, disingenuous, drawn-out process that has lasted almost a year. In that span, Giannis went from being one of the NBA’s most-beloved superstars, to simply a superstar, and now to one of the league’s biggest supervillains. It has far less to do with Giannis wanting a trade, or even specifically wanting to go to Miami — and far more to do with how he approached the process, the lies told along the way, and the acrimonious end to his Milwaukee tenure, which saw a mammoth fish in a small pond escape to larger waters.

Teams and players often outgrow each other, but the ending to the Giannis era with the Bucks wasn’t for lack of effort. Milwaukee had tried everything to bolster the team and turn it back into a contender with Antetokounmpo as the centerpiece after winning the NBA Championship in 2020-21, but each swing quickly turned into a strikeout. At first, they attempted to bring in ancillary role players like Grayson Allen and Jae Crowder while keeping their core intact, but that failed. Then they tried swinging for the fences with the seemingly brilliant trade for Damian Lillard, but that went belly-up when he tore his Achilles. It then became an effort of throwing good money after bad in an attempt to keep the ship afloat. They tried Kyle Kuzma, which failed. They went big to get Myles Turner, and that didn’t work either. Time and time again, the Bucks used every tool at their disposal to try and build a contender, but it just kept on failing.

Hell, the Bucks catered to hilarious nepotism by signing Thanasis and Alex Antetokounmpo to appease Giannis, knowing full well that neither of them had any NBA talent.

That context is important because it highlights that nobody is really in the wrong when it comes to the Giannis/Milwaukee break-up. The Bucks did everything they could to try to make things work, while Giannis kept playing sensational basketball. The whole era had just reached a point where Milwaukee had run out of assets to really improve the team, and Antetokounmpo had crossed the barrier into his 30s, with his biological clock ticking to win another championship.

The issue comes from how Giannis handled this process. A player normally known for his candidness and honesty morphed over the last year into something else entirely. Giannis ended a four-year break from Twitter/X to endorse the trading card platform Arena Club, marking the beginning of his grift era. A player who once tweeted about how much he loved Milwaukee, and complimented other NBA players on their achievements, now he was focused solely on boosting brands or focusing on his investments.

This culminated at the NBA Trade Deadline in 2026 when the entire process played out through rumor mills and predictive markets, with Giannis seemingly executing a staggering rug pull when after a full day of betting and speculation he announced that he had joined the ownership of Kalshi — 25 minutes after spending the day stoking rumors that he would move on.

We all on @Kalshi now pic.twitter.com/cCNGxfLWO8

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 6, 2026

Immediately following the trade deadline he cozied back up to Bucks fans. Posting a scene from The Wolf of Wall Street he seemingly indicated he was in it for the long haul, saying “legends don’t chase, they attract,” a clear jab at players relocating for titles rather than sticking out the process. This refrain continued as Giannis expressed his love for the city and desire to stay as recently as this April, when he sat down with the Milwaukee Journal Constitution.

“I want to be here. I want to be with my team. I want to win here again. This is my home. I’ve spent more years [that I can remember] here than in Greece. It’s my home. I want to help the community with my wife and my brothers. Thanasis is loved here, my brother, my mother are loved here. My kids and I … it’s a normal life, I have a normal life. If you go somewhere else, all this switches.”

In the streets it was all about how much he loved Milwaukee, but in private it was something else entirely. Giannis wanted out. He wanted out when he was talking about how much he desired to stay. He wanted out when he posted a smiling photo at the Milwaukee zoo a month ago. He wanted out when he asked Bucks fans to attend the store he opened with his brothers across the street from the arena. Something happened along the way that turned Giannis the Honest, into Giannis the Kalshi Grifter — and this continued to staggering levels.

Almost everything Antetokounmpo shared on social media was to announce a new investment, trying to leverage his fans into customers. From “IM8 Health,” a supplement brand, to grocery delivery service GoPuff, and endless photos of his new Nike signature shoe in exotic locales, we watched in real-time as Giannis went from being a superstar catching flack for posting a photo wearing a “Protect Kids, Not Guns” shirt, into a man who wanted every follower to be a consumer, a buyer — and he was going to keep fans on the hook for as long as possible, convincing them he wanted to be in Milwaukee out of one side of his mouth, while brokering his exit out the other.

The “normal life” that Giannis preached about wanting for himself and his family is comical now that we know his desire was to head to Miami. In the array of American cities you could label as “normal” Miami sits somewhere near the bottom, somewhere between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He chose a new home with maximal attention, but perhaps more importantly: A whole new array of consumers to pitch his products to.

That’s who Giannis is now, a pitchman — and deep down he knows it too. It would have been so easy to forgive it all if he had simply become a superstar who outgrew the small market that drafted him, or if he was honest about seeing the writing on the wall in Milwaukee and wanting to win another championship before it was too late. Instead, he was intentionally deceptive and strung along a city for the better part of a year, before being jettisoned.

The Giannis Antetokounmpo good guy act is over. The question is whether any of this was genuine to begin with, or a newfound leverage of his stardom while the window was still open. Perhaps the Damian Lillard situation was a wake-up call, showing him how quickly it could all crash down — or maybe this was the plan all along. Get every ounce of juice out of Milwaukee as possible, then move on to a new city. Either way, Giannis is the villain now — not because he chose to bail on the Bucks to join a contender after saying he wouldn’t, but because he toyed with the emotions of a fanbase that loved him like no other.

There might not be a good equivalent to Giannis in the Greek pantheon, but there sure is a Roman one: Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings, endings, and transitions. It doesn’t get more simple than that.

The Milwaukee Bucks finally traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, and now the fallout is really beginning. The move anticipated for an entire NBA season is done, on the eve of the NBA draft, and there is at least one major star whose future could be inextricably altered given how the Antetokounmpo deal went down.

The Boston Celtics were runner-ups to the Miami Heat in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, with a reported offer of Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks not enough to sway the Bucks from the haul they received from Miami. So what does Brown think about all this, coming off the best season of his career with Jayson Tatum mostly sidelined?

This isn't the first time Brown's name has surfaced in serious trade talks, and speculation is already swirling this could prompt him to ask out of Boston. Antetokounmpo's trade has officially kickstarted the NBA offseason, and Brown suddenly might be the best player available for teams that can create the salary cap space for a supermax contract. Unless he and the Celtics can move past nearly parting ways (again) in recent days.

USA TODAY Sports is tracking all the rumors and reports related to Jaylen Brown's future with the Boston Celtics and whether he could end up being traded to another NBA team in the fallout of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Here's the latest ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft:

NBA DRAFT LIVE: Mock draft, league news, rumors, what we're hearing

Is Jaylen Brown getting traded?

Maybe. The Celtics reportedly used him as the centerpiece of their trade offer to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo, along with two first-round draft picks.

It's still unclear if the Celtics were only willing to make Brown available for Antetokounmpo, or whether they still plan to trade him to another team. Brown has not commented on his future since the Antetokounmpo deal went through, but he did allude to his name being mentioned in trade rumors on Sunday, June 21.

"”Somewhat grateful, because I get to see some negativity that I didn’t want. But that just gives more fuel to the fire," Brown said on his Twitch stream while training with Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles. "I see some comments, or takes, that I didn’t even care to see, but it just gives me more fuel to the fire. To all the people who have doubted me, that want me to do this or want me gone, you’re turning me into a monster."

Jaylen Brown trade rumors after Giannis deal

The Celtics previously involved Brown in trade discussions for Kevin Durant four years ago. Brown subsequently won NBA Finals MVP during Boston's title run in 2024 and finished as an NBA MVP finalist with Tatum recovering from a torn Achilles during most of the 2025-26 regular season.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on the Tuesday, June 23 edition of "Get Up" he anticipated a "bidding war" for Brown now that the Celtics made him available in the Antetokounmpo trade talks. Multiplereports have suggested the Bucks chose the Heat's trade package over the Celtics, in part, because there were fears Brown would not want to remain in Milwaukee long-term.

"I am not convinced he’s going to be on the team in October. I think it’s 50/50," The Ringer's Bill Simmons, a Celtics superfan, said on his podcast in the aftermath of the team's failed attempt.

Jaylen Brown landing spots: Teams that could trade for Celtics star

Atlanta Hawks

Brown's hometown team could package emerging young wings like Jonathan Kuminga, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels and draft picks to pair a bonafide star with Jalen Johnson

Houston Rockets

Brown won a title in Boston with Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Houston had a rockier-than-expected first year with Kevin Durant in the fold. There are plenty of young pieces, most notably big man Alperin Sengun, that would likely interest the Celtics in a potential Brown deal.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers have set themselves up to have the salary cap space to bring in Brown and there's a new owner who might want to make a splash. The contracts of Jrue Holiday or Jerami Grant will have to be involved, and a possible deal would hinge on what the Celtics think of Portland's young core.

New Orleans Pelicans

Trey Murphy has long been an attractive trade piece the Pelicans have not been willing to part with, but Brown might be the caliber of player to change their mind. Jordan Poole's expiring contract could help facilitate an easy exchange.

Jaylen Brown contract details

Brown is under contract with the Boston Celtics through the 2028-29 NBA season after signing a 5-year supermax extension worth up to $304 million in July 2023. He is eligible to sign an additional 2-year, $142-million extension with the Celtics during the 2026 offseason. He still has three years and nearly $182 million remaining on his current contract.

Jaylen Brown stats

Brown averaged a career-best 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists during the 2025-26 season. He just completed his 10th year in the NBA after the Celtics chose him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaylen Brown trade rumors, landing spots, contract after Giannis trade

“Is this just not our year?”

These are never the words that an NBA fan wants to hear from their general manager. If a team is rebuilding, it goes without saying. If they’re competitive, it’s a brutal concession.

Yet, those were the words that came out of Rafael Stone’s mouth as the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline approached. The Houston Rockets were waving the white flag. That was confirmed when the deadline passed, and they did precisely nothing.

Was that the wrong move?

Rockets smart to hold at deadline

One frustrating quality a lot of fans share is that they seemingly rely on their team to bring them joy in their lives. They need the dopamine rush that comes with the notification: The Houston Rockets have acquired…

When they don’t get it, they’re mad. How could Rafael Stone just sit on his hands? Why did we acquire Kevin Durant if we’re not making a title push? How am I supposed to find the will to live if Coby White isn’t on this roster?

Here’s the problem: White was traded for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and three future second-round draft picks. Ayo Dosunmu? Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round draft picks. Personally, I wanted the Rockets to get Jose Alvarado, but it feels like the Pelicans willingly sent him to his hometown New York Knicks.

That worked out pretty well for him.

You may be thinking: Sure, but the Rockets could have beaten either the White or Dosunmu packages. That is correct. They could have rendered those deals laughable.

They could have traded Alperen Sengun, and/or Amen Thompson for them.

Too much? Agreed. Do me a favor. Load up the trade machine, and identify the package the Rockets could have offered that was more than either the White or Dosunmu package, but less than “too much”.

Exactly.

The Rockets have a rich team’s problem: They (almost) only have premium assets. Houston has enough second-round draft capital to acquire a rotation player, but excluding Alvarado, both of the needle-moving guards that got moved at last year’s deadline fetched more than, say, Dorian Finney-Smith and all the second-round picks the Rockets could legally move.

Seriously. Is Finney-Smith and seven second-rounders (the most Houston can move) a better package than Sexton, Dieng, and four second-rounders? I’d rather take the flyer on Dieng.

Imagine this. Your friend has a Pokémon card (why not?) that he’s looking to sell. It’s worth $25. Your other friend is willing to give him $30 dollars for it, because he really wants it (because you are children, presumably). You also want it, but you only have $100 bills (because you are rich children, apparently), and about ten bucks in change. Do you want it badly enough to fork over $100?

You have enough for the card: In fact, you have too much for the card. That’s Stone’s issue:

So what’s the solution?

Rockets need to stay the course

Exactly what Stone has been doing: Nothing.

The Rockets don’t have a spare player that any team is trading multiple future seconds for. They have young players with first-round value and veterans who are either too integral to the team or not worth multiple future seconds. So, diversifying their portfolio by recouping some second-round equity is out.

Overpaying shouldn’t be an option. The Rockets could have offered Finney-Smith and a future first for White or Dosunmu. They’d have still not won the NBA championship, and now they’d be contemplating whether to keep either White or Dosunmu in free agency, and they’d be down one valuable future first.

Partly, this is a hole Stone dug for himself. He flipped four second-rounders for Steven Adams. That was good. Attaching two second-round picks to Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington just to make space for a Brook Lopez that never was, was not. The Rockets also moved a pile of second-rounders for Durant, which is hard to argue with.

It feels myopic to hold Stone’s feet to the fire over the two second-rounders he wasted on Garuba et al. The reality is that Stone has (mostly) already used the bulk of his second-rounders (relatively) well.

He’s got enough left to make a move for an Isaiah Joe, or a Klay Thompson, or a Malik Monk this summer. That’s about it. Largely, the Rockets will either have to focus on upgrading their rotation through the draft, or use their premium assets to make a blockbuster deal:

Luckily, they have lots of those.

The NBA Draft has finally arrived. Here are three players that our Raptors HQ experts believe the Toronto Raptors should take at pick 19 to take the next step.

Jayden Quaintance

An awesome choice at this pick is Jayden Quaintance. Some draft projections have him going too early for Toronto to get, but other boards have him somewhere in the 20s. It would be totally possible for him to still be available to the Raptors, as some teams have concerns about an Achilles and meniscus tear he sustained last year. Of course, the Raptors have proven they’re patient and able to help rehab a player back into peak playing form.

His biggest asset is his defence (where have we heard that before). He’s big: six-foot-nine barefoot and 253 pounds with a standing reach of just over nine feet. With explosive strength and athleticism, he’s already a great rebounder, something that Toronto desperately needs. I’m imagining him and Collin Murray-Boyles sharing the court and collecting almost everything that comes off the boards. He also seems to have a motor, something that would fit well with what Toronto is building alongside guys like Jamal Shead and Murray-Boyles.

His offensive game is still a question mark (again, where have we heard that before), as he even struggles from the free-throw line. He shot 6-32 from long range during his college career, but did manage a 53 per cent field-goal percentage largely as a lob threat, operating in the paint, and rim running.

This could be a bit of a gamble, but Toronto got Ja’Kobe Walter at 19 two years ago, so perhaps this will be a lucky pick for the Raps. – Rebecca Schapelhouman

Chris Cenac Jr.

Chris Cenac would be my pick at number 19. Recently mocked as going 20th overall, the big man from Houston stands at 6’11, and has the potential to be the missing piece in Toronto’s offence. Not only is he a capable interior threat, but he has a great looking outside shot, adding some flexibility that the Raptors currently lack.
Cenac’s length exceeds that of other big men projected to be taken towards the middle of the draft, and while the Cougar is not known for his rim protection, extra height is never a bad thing when contending in the modern NBA. Having another centre could only help Toronto better navigate its murky situation at the 5, and with this draft relatively light on big men, grabbing him at pick 19 looks like the right way to go. A stretch big who is also capable on the boards does not come around often, so the front office should attempt to snap him up if he remains available.

Cenac’s ability to contribute offensively without being in the paint could open up offensive opportunities for RJ Barrett drives and Scottie Barnes post moves, allowing the stars to shine even more. Chris and Murray-Boyles could form an undersized “twin towers” duo, pairing the rookie’s lob threat with the sophomore’s interior presence. And considering the whispers about the Raptors trying to pick up Myles Turner, adding a true rebounding centre to balance out that deficiency could mean the difference as Toronto continues to shake up its roster. – Julian Apolinario

Christian Anderson

While I appreciate the idea of selecting a big man, I think the 2026 NBA Draft should be used to add someone who can contribute right away, especially if that prospect has an elite transferable skill. Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson is viewed by many analysts as the best shooter in this year’s draft. The Raptors were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league last season. It’s a perfect fit.

Anderson shot a blistering 41.5 per cent on 7.9 three-point attempts. While the Raptors selected Gradey Dick out of Kansas for his shooting prowess (40.3 per cent on 5.7 attempts), Anderson has something different. The film shows the six-foot-one guard harnessing a shooting-aura that blankets perimeter defenders with dread. Anderson has unwavering confidence and legitimate game-breaking range that fits on any contending NBA bench. The next time defences load up on Scottie Barnes or Brandon Ingram in the playoffs, Raptors fans will want Anderson to get 3-4 attempts at a clean look from three.

While it’s true that Anderson will be hunted on the other side of the court, Toronto has enough weapons to absorb any potential problems. What’s the point of having elite defensive geniuses like Barnes and Murray-Boyles or pesky on-ball defenders like Shead and Walter if they can’t hide an offensive explosion waiting to happen like Anderson? – Kristian Cuaresma

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade has finally happened … and the Detroit Pistons were not involved. Yet. Despite weeks of speculation, when the Milwaukee Bucks superstar’s trade was broken by Shams Charania of ESPN, it involved just the two primary two teams — the Buck and Miami Heat. The Pistons were seen as a natural fit for and highly interested in Miami’s Tyler Herro, who did, indeed, get shipped in the deal. The Wisconsin native is currently slated to be a member of the Bucks, but the deal will not be made official until the new league year on July 6. That gives plenty of times for other organizations, including Detroit, to join the fray.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls decided to sacrifice their cap space to take on Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton in a deal that also saw the Minnesota Timberwolves jettison Julius Randle to the Nets. That opened up the flexibility for Minnesota to agree to a massive new deal for Ayo Donsunmu for north of $100 million. It also might also eat into the cap space for Brookyln, but I have heard there are structures that would allow them to do the deal without using cap space that I don’t quite understand.

If the Nets and Bulls are mostly out on major free agent acquisitions, that leaves the Lakers as the only potential threat, however minor, to lure Jalen Duren with a big offer sheet. I anticipate a multi-year deal for Duren to return to Detroit any day.

Donsunmu getting such a huge contract hints at the going rate for ball-handlers and scorers, which is precisely what Detroit is on the market for. In other words, it expensive.

That is why the Pistons are one of the “many” reported suitors for new Buck Tyler Herro, and why the cost for Detroit might have been as much as Isaiah Stewart, plus Ron Holland, plus stuff.

One other free agent target has also fallen off the board for Detroit with CJ McCollum agreeing on a deal to return to the Atlanta Hawks for another go-round. Oh yeah, and Aaron Wiggins was shipped off the OKC to save a boatload of cap space and put less pressure on them to deal Isaiah Joe, another Detroit target, though a trade might still be needed for financial reasons.

The Pistons currently have the No. 21 pick in the draft, and that feels like the range to be able to grab a skilled guard or wing. It also could present opportunities to draft another defensive-minded big if you really want to take all these Isaiah Stewart trade rumors to heart.

Langdon has said he’s more likely to trade up to get a targeted player than he is to trade down in the draft. We will see what happens.

If any other juicy rumors pop up, add them in the comments. If anything really interesting comes along that involves Detroit, expect that to get its own post.

Happy Tuesday from the basement. Temperatures are set to hit 99 F later today at the place I’m typing this thing from, so I guessed it’d be better to do it now before the keyboard melted. Such is life in sunny Spain, where summers are not as cool and fun as they look.

• It’s Draft Day! Not that we care (that much) with the Knicks coming off winning the title, but SNY’s Ian Begley put together a comprehensive report of who’s worked out in New York, potential targets, and everything else for those watching on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
• Most interestingly, and in the lone insider-like note included in his write-up, Begley named St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor as someone with “fans” within the Knicks organization. Color me excited, we’re finally getting Ron Artest!

“If Robinson and Shamet are back, the Knicks probably look at size on the wing or a player who can handle the ball. Ejiofor has some fans in the organization. If they think they are losing Robinson or Hukporti, maybe the Knicks draft a center? Tarris Reed Jr. from UConn would be a strong pick in New York’s range.”

• The Knicks are set to sign the realest Frenchman hooper to a four-year, $10.5 million deal. Hooray!
• Loud Monday night across the Association, with two All-Stars moving places in Giannis Antetokounmpo (destination Miami) and Julius Randle (back to New York, but the bad one).
• As ClydeWingo pointed out on Monday night’s post-trade comments, and something I wasn’t aware of or simply had forgotten, Randle was seemingly key in the hiring of Tom Thibodeau as the man to lead the Knicks out of wherever the hell they were a few years ago, after Leon Rose asked him about it given his A1 role back then. Gotta love good ol’ Jules.
• The Celtics balked at adding players to the Giannis deal, ended up submitting a one-for-one package built around Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks, failed to convince the Bucks, kept trying to ostracize one of their two superstars, and seem poised to move new-generation Carlos Boozer anyway, says ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Windhorst argued that Boston has simply realized the Celtics don’t have enough to beat the Knicks as currently constructed, and the only way out of purgatory is by dealing Brown away and quickly. Music to my ears.

“The Celtics took a hard look in the mirror and decided, we weren’t going to beat the Knicks”

• Windhorst surely was on a hot run yesterday, also saying that Brown “is accepting (the Celtics want to trade him) and realizes this is a chance to turn the page in his career and he may be getting his own team.” For the next chapter, tune in on whatever platform he streams his life so you get his take on it from the rawest possible source.
• On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Shams Charania brought the Knicks name back into the Giannis trade conversation. Remember when NYK was close to pulling it off a few months ago? Here’s some tiny additional details.

“Antetokounmpo pushed for a trade, with his reps making it clear that the New York Knicks were his preferred destination. The Bucks and the Knicks briefly engaged in discussions last summer, but New York never believed Milwaukee seriously considered trading its superstar. The Bucks, on the other hand, believed the Knicks’ offers were never serious enough.”

• John Wall thinks it’s time.
• Speaking of Carlos Boozer, he was a bit salty about his son Cameron undoubtedly not getting drafted with the No. 1 overall pick, but the No. 2 either. Have a great time in Memphis, Bozo.
• The Knicks are going to need some depth next season, and if they really don’t cross the second apron, well, they will need to work the vet-min market with pinpoint accuracy and savviness. Helping New York, however, is OAKAAK Frank Ntilikina, who just left Olympiacos by mutual agreement. How we feeling?
• Vegas has its first backer for an NBA franchise once expansion comes to fruition, and it’s the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights owner, Bill Foley, who is set to pony up as much dough as needed to bring hoops to Sin City. Years away, yes, but just for fun, if the expansion draft happened tonight, which eight players would you leave unprotected from the Knicks’ title-winning roster?

Knowing Leon Rose and how the Knicks have operated under his guidance, I was always (and still am) convinced they’d move their first-round pick, leaving us all waiting for something to enjoy on Tuesday night on the cold, and with no prospect to call one of ourselves. Anyway, I still think they will end up drafting someone at some point in the second round, and then the UDFA market will open for undrafted prospects.

That’s all for today, fellas. Exciting times ahead!

It finally happened.

After an endless amount of speculation, rumors and reports, the Milwaukee Bucks decided it was time to trade the franchise's star, dealing superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat in a blockbuster – a move that shifts the landscape of the league on the eve of the 2026 NBA Draft.

Whether the trade transforms the Heat into championship contenders is up for debate, but it ends a long search for a franchise player in the post-Dwyane Wade years for Pat Riley. Now it's up to Miami's front office to build around the two-time MVP, who has battled injuries in recent years.

Following rampant trade speculation throughout the 2025-26 NBA season, perhaps an introduction "Heat Culture" is the type of fresh start that Antetokounmpo needed after 13 seasons in Milwaukee.

As for the Bucks, they can now hit the reset button on a team that had stalled since capturing the franchise's second NBA championship in 2021.

So who won the trade? Are the Heat contenders? Reaction has been pouring in across the league and media in the wake of the trade. Here's what the people are saying:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giannis trade reactions: Bill Simmons, Skip Bayless weigh in on deal