MINNEAPOLIS, MN. - MAY 2026: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) sits on the bench during a timeout in the second quarter of Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. on Friday, May 15, 2026. (Photo by Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images) | Star Tribune via Getty Images
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Nic Claxton is on his way out after holding the reins as the longest-tenured Net. More recently, Clax came out and thanked the fans/organization. Now that that’s out of the way, we’re looking forward to who’s on the roster now and what Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. are working with.
Insert two-time All-Star… and good culture guy Julius Randle. Sean Marks made a pre-draft trade that sent out Nic Claxton and the No. 33 pick for Randle and the No. 28 pick, who became Joshua Jefferson.
With the dust settling, how would you grade the trade?
💬 Discussion
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver may regret calling out LeBron James to decide where he will play next season.
Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green said that Silver urging James to make a decision soon might only make him take longer to announce it.
“Adam saying that is not going to speed up LeBron’s decision at all,” Green said on the “Draymond Green Show.”
“If I know Bron well, if anything, it may slow his decision down a little more because that’s just how Bron is.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver during Fanatics Fest this past weekend. Getty Images
Green said that he believes James’ decision will be coming sooner rather than later.
This past weekend at Fanatics Fest, Silver publicly called out James, urging him to decide where he will play next season, as it will have an impact on the NBA schedule, including opening week and Christmas Day.
During a live recording of his podcast “Mind the Game,” at Fanatics Fest , NBA star Tyrese Haliburton told James he should announce his decision, in front of a crowd of 5,000 people watching, to which James responded by saying, “We don’t have an announcement to make just yet.”
LeBron James as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Monday night, James’ longtime agent and friend Rich Paul appeared on his podcast, “Game Over,” with his co-host Max Kellerman and said James is planning to take his time with his decision as he doesn’t know where he wants to go, and called it a “business decision.”
Paul also mentioned that he spoke with Silver following the comments, and reaffirmed to him that it’s still James’ decision to make and remained adamant about not rushing it.
Yaxel Lendeborg was one of the breakout stars of Summer League. He looked like a hand-in-glove fit for the Warriors, capped off by him dropping 21 and 10 in the championship game to lead Golden State to the Summer League crown.
Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick, wins the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship Game MVP!
That capped off a run that saw Lendeborg named Las Vegas Summer League MVP. Over the course of six games he averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and four assists per game.
The NBA also released the All-Summer-League teams:
First Team
Cameron Boozer (Memphis) Brayden Burries (Milwaukee) Yaxel Lendeborg (Golden State) Meleek Thomas (Cleveland) Caleb Wilson (Chicago)
It's unusual to have only rookies on the First Team, but consider it a reminder of just how deep and impressive this rookie class is.
A couple of players on that list stood out to me. Cleveland's Thomas led the Summer League in scoring at 27.1 a game through four games, and the No. 34 pick showed an ability to score at all three levels. He's going to come off the bench for the Cavaliers and will not get touches he saw in Las Vegas, but he showed real potential at providing depth and bringing some scoring off the bench for the Cavaliers next season.
The other was Egor Demin, the Nets lottery pick from a year ago who shot the 3 well last season (38.5%) but struggled to drive into the paint (20.5% of his shots were in the paint compared to 71.7% of his shots coming from beyond the arc, he shot just 27.3% between the paint and arc and 55% in the restricted area). That looked different in Las Vegas, Demin looked stronger and was getting downhill, taking 43.3% of his shots in the paint. It's just Summer League, but that's a promising sign, as was the way he and No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. made a connection. It's something to watch this fall.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 6: Los Angeles Lakers huddle up before the game against the Indiana Pacers on March 6, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
There is good news and bad news regarding the center position in Los Angeles.
The good news is the Lakers acquired their A-list center, trading for Walker Kessler. The bad news is they lost the rest of their frontcourt depth.
Kessler isn’t the only frontcourt player on the roster. LA signed Sandro Mamukelashvili and center Kevon Looney. Mamu can play the four or the five just fine, but Looney at this point is a very limited player.
If this lack of center depth is obvious to the rest of us, it’s also something the Lakers are aware of. And despite having a full roster at this moment, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the team remains interested in trading for a big.
The Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic. They traded for Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney to play center, and Mamukelashvili can play the position, too. The team could address the position either by trade or signing, like with potentially adding Thybulle. The roster is currently at full capacity.
During the regular season, teams can only have 15 players on standard deals. LA has 16 players on the roster after the Matisse Thybulle signing, so they’ll have to trim things down before the start of the year.
LA can still simply sign a center in free agency, but that would require moving multiple players before the start of the season. This is why a trade where the Lakers take one player and send multiple out is more likely.
Also, the best unrestricted center option at this point is someone like Bismack Biyombo, who is more of a veteran leader than an on-court producer. That’s not the kind of upgrade LA is looking for.
The good news is that LA is still trying to improve its center depth. This is exactly what they should be doing at this point in the offseason. They already spent a ton of money trading for Kessler, and they need to invest in his backup.
It’s taken many years, but the Lakers finally have an elite center. The last thing LA wants is awful options if Kessler has to miss some time.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 17: LeBron James speaks onstage during The Shop Live panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Fanatics) | Getty Images for Fanatics
With Summer League now in the rearview, the NBA’s attention has shifted back to free agency as the basketball world waits for LeBron James to announce his next team. The former Los Angeles Laker and four-time NBA champion has reportedly identified several preferred destinations, including the Golden State Warriors. However, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, there is currently “no timetable” for James to make a decision.
“There is no decision, no choice yet, no timetable on a choice as of yet,” – @ShamsCharania with the latest on LeBron James.
James is certainly no stranger to turning his free agency into one of the league’s biggest storylines, dating back to The Decision, when he left his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010. Since then, each major move of his career has effectively put the rest of free agency on hold until he announced his decision—a testament to the league-altering impact a player of his magnitude can have, even at the age of 41.
Likewise, Warriors fans are all too familiar with prolonged offseason uncertainty. Last offseason, Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency stretched all the way into training camp before finally reaching a resolution after Media Day.
Now, Dub Nation finds themselves playing the same waiting game, except this time, they’re waiting on one of the greatest players in NBA history.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, July 21st:
Paul continued to say that teams have circled back with him to see if they should be more involved while James weighs his options and he told them there was no need.
“There’s been several people to call and say, ‘Hey, Rich, is there anything more we should be doing? We could be doing?'” Paul said. “And my answer is, ‘No. We don’t need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It’s clear. All the messages have been sent.'”
Warriors Summer League Head Coach Khalid Robinson joined @SiriusXMNBA to discuss Golden State's 2026 NBA Summer League Championship after the Warriors' 94-90 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas. Listen here: https://t.co/42hlbT7MwW
The Los Angeles Lakers have added wing Matisse Thybulle on a one-year, veteran minimum contract, a team source confirmed to The Athletic, giving them a point-of-attack defender they desperately needed on what could be a high-value deal. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official.
As James allows his free agency saga to continue deeper and deeper into the offseason, in his quintessential melodramatic fashion, fanbases around the league are dealing with a Schrödinger’s roster, one with and without James at once. A recent poll of Dub Nation from SB Nation Reacts asked Warriors fans how they would feel about signing James, given the team’s prolonged rivalry with the former Cavs, Heat, and Lakers star.
Follow@unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 22: Ariel Hukporti #55 of the New York Knicks battles for the ball against Nick Richards #13 of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on February 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You got the feeling when news broke that the Knicks were signing Mavericks rookie center Moussa Cisse to a two-year offer sheet that it wasn’t really going to go anywhere.
As much as we had 10 hours of coping and looking for a reason Masai Ujiri and company would let him go, he was basically their version of Mo Diawara. Would we have let Diawara walk for that? Probably not.
So when Dallas matched it with extreme quickness on Saturday night, it wasn’t too surprising that the Knicks’ quest to fill out their roster and get a third center on the depth chart before the season begins in approximately three months would go on.
For a refresher on where the cap situation is, check here. It’s pretty vanilla, though.
The Knicks have space to sign one more player to a standard contract, regardless if it’s a veteran or a cheaper internal option. The only difference between the two would be how early the team would be able to sign a 15th player.
If the Knicks signed Tyler Nickel to a standard deal at the second-round exception value of $1.36 million, they’d be able to sign a 15th player as early as Thanksgiving, while if they signed a player to a veteran minimum, it would move the window into February right around when the buyout market starts to heat up.
They have some choices, but the remainder of the offseason firmly falls into two categories:
Filling the final roster spot
Figuring out the two-way contracts
Objectively, the right decision is to look for a center to fill the final roster spot because of the team’s current lack of insurance behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. There’s no Precious Achiuwa type who can play it in a pinch. Your emergency center is OG Anunoby.
Who’s available to fill that role? Well, assuming Leon Rose can’t get the Hornets or Pelicans to budge on Moussa Diabate or Yves Missi, here are the top free agent center options (excluding Jalen Duren, obviously):
Nick Richards (2025-26: Bulls)
Xavier Tillman (2025-26: Hornets)
Drew Eubanks (2025-26: Kings)
Tony Bradley (2025-26: Hawks)
Jeremy Sochan (this is a major stretch to call him a center)
Woof.
Richards and Tillman are the only ones you’d even entertain. The former seems more likely, as he’s been linked to the Knicks a bajillion times as emergency center depth over the years. A longtime Hornet who appeared to be on the verge of a breakout in 2024, he was traded to the Suns for three second-round picks and regressed big time.
Never a diverse offensive big, it’s pretty drastic when a guy like him goes from shooting 64% from the field and 74% from the free-throw line to whatever the hell he did last year. In 48 games with the Suns and Bulls, his efficiency cratered. He tried to shoot some threes after being banished to the Bulls’ tankfest but that didn’t go well either.
As underwhelming as the 28-year-old is, and how the team probably doesn’t want another shoddy finisher after adding Drummond’s notoriously bad touch around the rim, he’s two years removed from being pretty promising. As a third center who would spend much of the season (hopefully) on the bench, you could do worse.
Tillman is the other one that you wonder about. He spent a year and a half in Boston as a reserve big, but made big plays when called upon.
Xavier Tillman a guy who hasn't really played a lot of minutes, came in and locked down Luka and Kyrie … then made a big shot. pic.twitter.com/qNxp4yifPk
— Maine☘️Boston Celtics☘️🏈New England Patriots🏈 (@Big_Maine100) June 13, 2024
The most we’ve seen from him in the NBA is with the Grizzlies for a few years as a spot starter, where he did okay as an undersized big. The biggest problem with him is just that he’s a center in a power forward’s body who struggles to do much outside the paint and is also ghastly from the foul line. He’d firmly behind Richards to me, but ahead of the other options.
One more thing on the center chase: if we want to be petty, go after this guy the Mavericks really like but don’t have a lot of room for after matching Cisse’s contract. He’s older, but he can fly.
Naw, apparently Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, who is about 6’10” with a 7’4” wing span, has a 41” standing vertical and a 48” max vertical????
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) July 16, 2026
The last bit of business they’ll have to figure out is the two-way math. Last year, the team carried Kevin McCullar Jr., Trey Jemison III, and Tosan Evbuomwan into the season, but swapped Evbuomwan for NBA champion Dillon Jones midseason.
Jones has stayed around the organization during Summer League, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed on a two-way after being a big locker room piece. Tyler Nickel will probably start on a two-way, and if Jack Kayil stays in America, he’ll also go on one.
But the Knicks should want to keep Jemison and McCullar around. It’s been total radio silence for both of them this offseason, but you can do a lot worse than having them on two-way deals.
The Knicks are able to bring as many as 21 guys into training camp without damaging their second apron space, so it wouldn’t surprise me if we see Nickel, Jemison, McCullar, Jones, and another guy or two in camp to compete for those spots. Did Liam Robbins do enough in Summer League to get a tryout?
"I'm someone who can come in, give good energy, play D and play The Knick Way…championship effort"
–– Center prospect Liam Robbins to @CassidyHubbarth as Knicks get 1st summer W:
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 27: Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns celebrates during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round One Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
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Now that Summer League has come and gone, it’s time to zoom out and look at the bigger picture for the Phoenix Suns. The sights, sounds, and lights of Vegas are fading, and although we have three months until basketball matters again, it behooves us to enter our analytical minds and play out scenarios. Because that is what the summer is for, right?
At this point, the roster is essentially set. Phoenix has all 15 standard roster spots filled, along with its three two-way contracts, leaving very little mystery surrounding what this team will look like entering next season. Sure, there’s always a chance a trade materializes before training camp, but at this stage, that feels highly unlikely. The Suns appear to be who they’re going to be.
There is one important caveat, though. It won’t impact this season’s roster, but it could shape the franchise for years to come.
Both Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks are eligible for contract extensions. The questions now become whether either player receives one, how much those extensions would be worth, and how long the organization is willing to commit.
When evaluating a potential Miles Bridges extension, the timeline matters because of when the Suns acquired him. If Phoenix chooses to extend Bridges before January 13, the maximum extension it can offer is three years. If the organization waits until after January 13, it becomes eligible to offer four years or more. That timing creates two very different paths for the front office to consider.
We’ve already explored what each of those extension structures could look like. If the Suns opted to go the four-year route, that would put Miles Bridges as the only player currently on the books for the 2030-31 season. The maximum the contract would be for is $143.2 million, or an annual average value of $35.8 million.
The question now isn’t what the contracts could be. It’s which path the Suns believe provides the most value, both for Bridges and for the organization’s long-term flexibility.
As for Dillon Brooks, the Suns can offer him a 4-year extension worth approximately $125 million. That’s the maximum. Do they opt to do that? Or do they offer a three-year extension?
While Brooks unquestionably helped change the culture in Phoenix, you have to wonder what that contract would look like by its final season in 2030–31. Will he still provide enough value to justify that level of investment? That’s the question the front office has to answer before committing to a deal of that length.
That’s what we’ll be exploring in this week’s Suns Reacts poll. Should the Suns extend one of these players? Both of them? Or neither?
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 12: Jalen Wilson #22 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors on April 12, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Hawks have been rather busy as free agency seems to wind down in the post-summer league part of the NBA calendar.
In their latest move, the Hawks add a player with three years of NBA experience to their roster on a two-way contract. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype broke the news:
Wilson is a 6-foot-8 stretch power forward who spent his first three seasons with the Brooklyn Nets. In 176 career NBA appearances, he has averaged 7.6 points per game while shooting 40% from the field and 34% from three.
He will join RayJ Dennis and Keshon Gilbert as the Hawks two-way players once the move is officially announced.
Draymond Green believes Kobe Bryant isn't in the GOAT conversation due to his short-lived time as being the best player in the NBA.
Despite being one of the greatest players to play the game of basketball in the 2000’s, Kobe Bryant is often left out of the GOAT conversation.
Bryant’s former partner in crime, Shaquille O’Neal had Golden State Warriors defensive star Draymond Green on his podcast “The Big Podcast” and revealed that due to playing in the same era as LeBron James, that’s why he isn’t in the GOAT conversation.
“Kobe kind of fell in a weird time,” Green said to O’Neal on The Big Podcast. “[Michael Jordan] left the league. When Mike left the league, y’all started to dominate. And then, you left the Lakers. When you left the Lakers, they had a few rough years.”
Draymond Green believes Kobe Bryant isn’t in the GOAT conversation due to his short-lived time as being the best player in the NBA. AFP via Getty Images
Draymond Green explains to Shaquille O’Neal why Kobe Bryant is often left out of the GOAT conversation
Shaquille O’Neal: “How come my guy’s not in that conversation?”
Draymond Green: “Kobe? Yes, for sure. One hundred percent.”
Green went on to say that while Kobe was trying to find his way in the NBA without O’Neal, the emergence of James started to steal the spotlight as Bryant was playing at a high level, but the Lakers weren’t winning a lot of games.
O’Neal departed from the Lakers to the Miami Heat following the 2004 NBA season.
Green and Bryant developed a close relationship over the years before Bryant’s sudden passing in 2020. NBAE via Getty Images
Without O’Neal beside him for the first time in his career, Bryant and the Lakers struggled to win as they missed the playoffs in 2005 and were eliminated in the first round the next two years.
It wasn’t until the Lakers added Pau Gasol to play alongside Bryant that they started to win again.
“In those years, LeBron was starting to make his name, and is he the best player?” Green said. “I think the amount of time it was the consensus that Kobe was the number one in the league, like the top guy.
“I don’t think it was long enough for everyone to say, like, put him in that conversation, because Bron came and put his name in the conversation. And so from that point on, it’s tug of war.”
Despite three years where the Lakers weren’t winning a lot, Bryant’s career finished with him winning 5 NBA titles, 1 season MVP, and 2 Finals MVP’s, while James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has 4 NBA titles, 4 MVPs, and 4 Finals MVPs.
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LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: The sneakers worn by Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the game against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2026 NBA Las Vegas Summer League on July 13, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The timeframe for when LeBron James will make his free agency decision does not appear to be imminent.
James’ longtime friend and agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said Monday evening on the latest episode of his podcast “Game Over” with co-host Max Kellerman that they’re not going to be rushed in making a decision.
“He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make,” Paul said. “We’re not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision, or choice. It’s a business choice he’s making.”
Rich Paul speaking with LeBron James during a Lakers game. Getty Images
It’s been three weeks since James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that they can move on without him next season, as he has become a free agent for the first time in eight years.
James has been under heavy scrutiny, as many believe he is taking too long to decide where he will play next.
“From a business perspective, if you are making a choice between jobs, high-level jobs, and you earned the right, you’re a big-time executive, with an unbelievable, arguably the best resume in the history of your job, who’s rushing you?”
After Silver made those comments, Paul said that he spoke with him, and reaffirmed that it’s still his choice and remained adamant about not rushing it.
Paul went on to say that James is not trying to make his decision a spectacle, like he notoriously did in 2010, when he went on live television to announce “The Decision” he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and taking his talents to South Beach to join the Miami Heat.
Kellerman went on and told Paul that some people believe, “LeBron loves the attention,” to which Paul dismissed.
Since James became a free agent, rumors have circulated that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are considered the favorites to land the future Hall of Famer.
James added to the speculation over the weekend at Fanatics Fest by saying, “Trust the process,” leaving many wondering he might consider signing with the 76ers, to which he later rebuffed and said he’s been saying that phrase since 2003.
On Monday morning, James’ former teammate and longtime rival Patrick Beverley tweeted that “Rumor has it Bron makes his decision today!!!”
“These people don’t know anything,” Paul said. “I don’t know when his choice is going to be made, but it could be 48 seconds [from now]. It could be 48 minutes. I don’t know. Again, you can’t make somebody know something that they don’t know.”
In Golden State’s 94-90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies during the final, Lendeborg posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes on the court. With his stellar performance, the 23-year-old earned himself the summer league MVP award, which is voted on by all 30 NBA teams.
Yaxel Lendeborg of the @warriors has been named Most Valuable Player of the 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Lendeborg averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in six games as Golden State won the championship.
In addition to his summer league MVP honors, Lendeborg was also named to the 2026 NBA All-Summer League First Team alongside the Memphis Grizzlies’ Cameron Boozer, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Brayden Burries, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Meleek Thomas and the Chicago Bulls’ Caleb Wilson.
In his six summer league appearances, Lendeborg averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals in 28.3 minutes per game, and shot 45.9 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range.
The Warriors selected Lendeborg with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. Golden State signed the rookie to a four-year, $28 million contract, with a team option after the first two seasons.
The 6-foot-9, 241-pound forward spent his first two NCAA seasons with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, averaging 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game during the 2024-25 season. Lendeborg gained more exposure during his 2025-26 championship season with Michigan, averaging 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 40 appearances.
Going from a championship team in college to winning a summer league title, Lendeborg keeps his hot streak alive as he continues his transition to the pros. However, it remains to be seen if another championship is on the horizon once he officially begins his NBA career playing alongside Warriors star Steph Curry and Co.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 11: Jaylen Brown attends a game between the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers on July 11, 2026 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Choi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Eventually, LeBron James will pick a new team.
Or an old team.
Either way, we won’t know the full scope of the Sixers’ offseason until James makes his decision for the 2026-27 season. ESPN’s Shams Charania has consistently mentioned the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Sixers as the top-three destinations, with the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves on the periphery. Anyone insisting they know where he’s going is … well … probably full of shit. Admittedly, my gut tells me he’s not coming here, but I also don’t feel comfortable ruling it out. I really, truly don’t know (see, you’re allowed to say that!).
If you want to talk LeBron, we can, but I’m not sure I have much to add to the conversation at this point. He’s either coming here or he’s not and we’ll act accordingly.
With that said, I’m curious to know what other Sixers things are on your mind right now. Hit me with your questions below and I’ll do my best to answer as many as I can!
Years ago, Celtics insider Chris Forsberg learned from Kyrie Irving (by way of the ever-so-wise Brad Stevens) a simple truth about life: Comparison is the thief of joy.
That may be true, but when it comes to projecting ceilings for young players, comparisons are often the clearest way to try to envision what the future may hold. And in the case of Hugo Gonzalez — Boston’s selection at No. 28 overall in the 2025 draft — the comparisons and projections are starting to fly.
On the latest edition of the Celtics Talk Podcast, Forsberg and SI’s John Karalis focused on the 20-year-old Gonzalez after his performances at Summer League and FIBA qualifying competition, with Karalis using Derrick White as a potential comparison.
“I think he could be one of your top-three guys, and I don’t think it’s the top two. I don’t think he’s going to be a multiple-time All-Star. That’s why I compare him to Derrick White,” Karlis said on He’s not the same player as Derrick White, but there are some things in there where it’s energy, it’s defense, and some of the instincts that Derrick had that made Gregg Popovich go, ‘Just be confident and the rest is gonna come.’ I think with Hugo, I don’t think the confidence is lacking at all. It’s just learning the game.”
Forsberg noted that Gonzalez’s passing this summer has been better than expected and used a former Celtics guard as a point of comparison.
“He’s got that sort of competitiveness of Marcus Smart where he just wants to go make the right play,” Forsberg said. “I don’t think scoring will ever be his thing. If he’s a little bit more disciplined than Marcus with the shot selection, which he does feel like he will be, then I love the profile of what he can be. And obviously he’s bigger than both those guys [Smart and White]. He’s stronger, which is weird to say, because Marcus was really strong. But Hugo is freakishly strong and he’s got the wingspan, he’s got the giant hands, he’s got the potential to be a legitimate force on the defensive end and we’ll see how that manifests itself.”
SI’s Chris Mannix also chimed in on Gonzalez, noting that the sky is seemingly the limit for his growth.
“I love Hugo, and I think he does have the highest ceiling of any of the young players on this roster,” Mannix told Forsberg. “I think Hugo has as much room to grow as anyone, because he is kind of a blank slate. Like, he doesn’t know anything about offense. He just doesn’t. … But the things that he does — cutting, rebounding, offensive rebounding, a nose for the ball — you can’t teach that stuff. So I hope the work with Hugo begins immediately.
“I hope we see him polishing around those edges, because I think this guy has all the tools that you want in a rotation player,” Mannix added. “I think this guy has the ability to be a 10-year role player in this league and do it at a pretty high level.”
Also in this episode:
Main takeaways from Summer League
Chris Cenac Jr.’s rebounding ability at the NBA level
If it feels like the LeBron James free agency saga has dragged on and on, it's because it has. Free agency officially opened more than three weeks ago (June 30), and you can be sure LeBron's agent, Rich Paul, had conversations with other teams before that (the NBA is a tampering league).
"We're not going to be rushed. We're not going to be rushed. It's his choice to make, and when he makes the choice, he'll make it...
"I don't know when his choice is going to be made, but it could be 48 seconds. It could be 48 minutes. I don't know. Again, you can't make somebody know something that they don't know."
Paul also pushed back on the idea that LeBron was in no hurry because he enjoys this spotlight and having the NBA waiting on his decision. Again. He said people trying to predict when the announcement will come down have no inside info, this is a process LeBron is still going through.
"I think it's important for people to understand: We're not making this about attention and a spectacle. It's not about a 'Decision' or anything like that. He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make... It's a business choice that he's making. And I think as an athlete, why is it that an athlete has to rush his choice?"
When asked if there's a frontrunner for LeBron's services next year, Paul said he had nothing he could say about that.
Cleveland, Miami and Philadelphia are the teams most discussed (Golden State and Minnesota are also in the mix), with league sources continuing to tell NBC Sports they believe he will return to the Cavaliers. But nobody really knows. It's all just speculation until LeBron announces his decision.
And that will come whenever it comes. LeBron will not be rushed.
