When the Knicks hired Mike Brown as their new head coach, much of the focus was on how he can optimize the All-Star tandem of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, it is Mikal Bridges who might have the most to gain from Brown’s hiring.
The two-way wing recently signed a four-year contract extension worth $150 million to stay with the Knicks. With Bridges set to remain in New York for an extended period of time, putting him in an ideal role will be important to the team's title hopes.
Bridges had a bit of an uneven debut season with the Knicks.
After the club sent five future draft picks to the Nets to acquire Bridges, his fit on the roster was inconsistent. There were the highs -- like a 41-point explosion on Christmas against the Spurs, a buzzer-beater against the Trail Blazers, and key defensive stops against the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.
But there were also nights when Bridges disappeared, like an 0-for-9 shooting performance against the now-champion Thunder in January.
Though his raw numbers of 17.6 points on 50 percent from the field looked good on paper, it never seemed like Bridges was fully comfortable. After altering his shot release this past season, Bridges’ three-point attempt rate dropped and he shot 35.4 percent from beyond the arc, his lowest mark since his rookie season.
He was effective from the corners (42.4 percent) but struggled mightily from deeper. Bridges knocked down only 30.5 percent of his trifectas from above-the-break. In the playoffs, he shot 36.2 percent on above-the-break threes, but made only 32.3 percent of his corner ones.
Ways to build Bridges
There are levers that Brown could pull to help Bridges become more efficient.
Under Brown’s watch, the Kings played fast and also embraced the pass.
In his two full seasons as Kings head coach, they finished seventh in assist rate and top five in passes made per game. Kings center Domantas Sabonis thrived as a creator in Brown’s offense, through dribble handoffs and finding cutters from the mid-post and at the top of the key.
The Knicks can use Towns in a similar way. With Towns’ ability to shoot from outside, it would open space in the paint and create easier scoring opportunities for Bridges, as well as other Knicks. The former Villanova star was successful earlier in his career as an off-ball cutter with the Suns.
Under Tom Thibodeau last season, the Knicks were 26th in pace in the regular season, per NBA Stats. The team was also 13th in transition frequency. When the Knicks did push the ball, they were effective, scoring 1.18 points per possession -- good for second in the NBA.
Bridges is effective running the floor and it would give him more opportunities to find easier buckets.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) dribbles the ball against New York Knicks small forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images
On defense, Bridges was New York’s primary point-of-attack defender. He was often tasked with defending lead ball handlers, and he struggled at times navigating picks while trying to stay in front of guards such as Tyrese Haliburton or Trae Young.
Even with a new coach, it’s hard to see that changing -- none of New York’s other starters are capable of guarding at the point-of-attack.
The only way Bridges won’t be in that position is if Miles McBride plays more minutes with the starters, rather than Josh Hart or Mitchell Robinson. But it’s hard to envision a lineup of four starters with McBride joining the Knicks' primary five-man unit.
One other adjustment the Knicks could embrace would be switching more on defense, so Bridges won’t be hung up on screens as much.
Self-improvement
Even with the coaching change, there are adjustments Bridges can make on his own.
He needs to be more willing to embrace contact -- there were too many occasions where the iron man opted to fade away in the mid-range and avoid defenders. Bridges converted those attempts, making 51.3 percent of attempts from three to 10 feet, according to Basketball Reference.
Last season, Bridges attempted a laughably low 118 free throws in 3,036 minutes. In the year prior, he took nearly 200 more freebies despite playing over 200 less minutes with the Nets.
The lack of foul shots, lower three-point rate, and high volume of mid-range attempts made Bridges the antithesis of efficiency. If he can alter some of that shot diet toward the rim and welcome contact on finishes in the paint while attempting more threes, the Knicks will greatly benefit.
Derrick White has fond memories of Steph Curry’s incredible finish to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After many seasons of seeing Curry and the Warriors unload on White’s Boston Celtics squad, the NBA veteran got to be on the winning side for once during the Olympics last summer, something he cherishes still.
“Steph was unbelievable, he was just going crazy,” White said Tuesday on the “White Noise Podcast.” “In the beginning [of the Olympic tournament], Steph wasn’t himself. We were waiting for that Steph game to happen, and it happened in that Serbia game, and he carried it over to the gold medal game.
“In the [fourth quarter] of that game, Steph kicks it to [Kevin Durant] and [LeBron James] is open in the corner and he’s like, ‘Nah, back to you, Steph,’ it was unbelievable. To be on the good side of it, it was an unbelievable feeling. The whole bench is going crazy, like we can’t believe what we’re watching either.”
Curry shook off some rust early in the tournament to almost single-handedly lift Team USA to the victory over Serbia in the semifinals. After that, Curry turned in an iconic performance against France in the gold medal game, erupting for 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting from 3-point range and five assists.
It was another vintage performance from one of the NBA’s all-time greats and a welcome relief from White’s perspective.
White and the Celtics faced Curry and the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals and saw firsthand his devastating shooting abilities. Boston took a 2-1 series lead, but after that it was all Golden State, with Curry putting things out of reach with a mesmerizing 34-point performance in the series-clinching Game 6.
Still, White always will have golden memories of his time with Curry and Team USA in Paris to go along with his gold medal.
Amid an offseason of change for the Boston Celtics, we have a constant: Joe Mazzulla isn’t going anywhere.
The Celtics announced Friday they have signed their head coach to a “multi-year” contract extension. While terms weren’t disclosed, the deal keeps Mazzulla in place as Boston’s head coach for at least the next several seasons.
Mazzulla took the Celtics’ head coach job under ominous circumstances, replacing the suspended Ime Udoka as the team’s interim head coach just days before training camp in September 2022. Since then, the Rhode Island native had remarkable success behind the bench, posting a 182-64 regular season record (.740 winning percentage) over three seasons and guiding Boston to its 18th championship in 2024.
While there was some speculation about Mazzulla’s contract situation entering this offseason — NBC Sports Boston’s Michael Holley reported the Celtics may have had an upcoming “team option” on Mazzulla’s previous deal — Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens reiterated in June that the C’s “want Joe to be around here for a long time.”
Now, they’ve made that happen.
“We are very excited that Joe has agreed to extend with the Celtics,” Stevens said in a statement Friday. “He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans. He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach – including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship.
“Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”
Mazzulla is about to face his toughest challenge yet to get the most out of a squad that lost Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and (likely) Al Horford and will be without injured superstar Jayson Tatum for most or all of the 2025-26 season.
But it’s clear that Stevens and the Celtics view Mazzulla as the right person for the job.
“This is truly a blessing,” Mazzulla said in a statement. “I would not be here without my faith, my wife, and my children. We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad’s mentorship, and the support of our staff.
“Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons. I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.”
When’s the last time you had fun watching an NBA All-Star game?
A league’s All-Star Game is a marquee event and should be one filled with hype and excitement. But in recent years, the conversation around the NBA’s All-Star festivities has been about what needs changing to make it more interesting.
The WNBA, however, is seeing record viewership and attendance. Growing enthusiasm around the W has made its All-Star events a hot topic on social media.
The NBA All-Star Game of today is about the three Rs: rest, recovery and ramping up for the playoffs. But NBA players could take one specific note from the W: This year’s WNBA All-Star Weekend turned into a celebration of its players, fans and culture. With more people watching, WNBA players also used the opportunity to advocate for their collective bargaining discussions with T-shirts that read “Pay us what you owe us” during pregame.
Players are currently wearing shirts that say “PAY US WHAT YOU OWE US” ahead of this year’s WNBA All-Star game.
— Deyscha “Sway” Smith (@deyschasmith) July 20, 2025
Sharing the joy of playing basketball should be a layup. The NBA will soon play its 80th season, and we are now experiencing a shift in the game with more international players, as well as what looks like a changing of the guard with players such as LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant being late in their careers.
Seeing the veterans and younger players tell their stories with basketball as the background would offer a nice change of pace. Learning what niche or random interest or hobby players have would help highlight who they are for casual fans unable to recite the information typically found on the back of a trading card.
This season, the WNBA added hockey-like live-ball substitutions and the 4-point line to make things more interesting. The game itself wasn’t highly competitive (or featured much defense) as Team Collier blew out Team Clark 151-131. But the hype wasn’t around the game or skills challenges. Fans seemed to understand it was an exhibition, and players weren’t going to play super hard in a game that didn’t count.
Instead, the enjoyment came from the excitement of players and the weekend itself, helped in part by the popularity of the 72-hour StudBudz livestream.
The StudBudz, run by Minnesota Lynx players and close friends Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, gave WNBA fans a rare glimpse into players’ off-court lives, sharing behind-the-scenes looks at their experiences during their All-Star weekend. It was the kind of access traditional media doesn’t have.
Fans on social media were sharing clips of every ounce of access they could get. With the use of livestreams, WNBA players were able to give fans at home an unprecedented peek behind the curtain.
Studbudz 72 hour stream has somehow revolutionized sports content the wnba and all star weekend and also threatened the very fabric of professional sports all at the same time lmao
At the WNBA All-Star Game, players mingled and integrated themselves in many events like merchandise pop-ups, panels and parties with the fans. They signed everything. They showed up for their fans and, in some cases, allowed them to get close to them. Players, alumni and fans connected in a way we don’t normally get to see, but it has become common for the W.
That’s what All-Star Weekend should be about: sharing that joy and making the players accessible and relatable, allowing fans to connect beyond a player’s on-court performance.
“(WNBA) players have a clear understanding that this particular weekend is about the fans,” Connecticut Sun sideline reporter Terrika Foster-Brasby said. “You obviously want to protect your players, and you want to ensure that your players have security and that you know there aren’t random people doing and saying crazy things.
“But there is a level of accessibility that you have with women in the WNBA that you don’t have with men in the NBA. I think that kind of creates this vision that the NBA players are sort of untouchable, or that they are unapproachable.”
While that might not be so easy to do with NBA players, humanizing players is one of the things making the WNBA different from other leagues. Seeing players laughing, dancing and having fun with one another reminds fans these aren’t just athletes who accomplish incredible things on the court, but multidimensional people — something we don’t see much of at the NBA All-Star Game. Seeing coaches and even commissioner Cathy Engelbert interact with fans adds to the WNBA’s charm.
At the NBA All-Star Game, players look as if it’s a chore to be there. During the 2025 Skills Challenge, Team Spurs, composed of veteran Chris Paul and French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama, intentionally missed their shots to try to cut down on their time and move on to the next obstacle. The drill consisted of a variety of passes before the players reached a rack of balls to shoot. Paul and Wembanyama weren’t even trying to connect on their shot attempts.
The crowd, aware of the gamesmanship on display, rained boos on Paul. The duo was disqualified for not taking valid shots.
While Paul and Wembanyama thought this strategy would benefit them, it was a joyless moment for the fans. Seeing one of the greatest point guards of all time and a 7-4 big man show the same skills would not only have had the crowd rocking and given them something to cheer for, but also have been a great example of how NBA players’ skills have evolved.
This year’s NBA All-Star Game included a new tournament-like format, and the reception from fans was mixed. The frequent discussion of format changes around the NBA’s game has shown that ship’s probably sailed in terms of legislating the fun and excitement back into the event. Changing the rules and adding gimmicks hasn’t yet seemed to make the All-Star Game more interesting to fans or players. Fans know they’re watching a game that doesn’t count, but they still want to see their favorites putting on a show.
While there was a complete lack of defense in the women’s game, they looked as if they enjoyed being there. The celebratory feel of the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend shone through the players.
Even with several tweaks to the format throughout the last few years, the moments of joy have been fleeting recently at the NBA All-Star Weekend. The players selected for the All-Star Game are already the league’s elite, so what incentive can motivate them to play any harder?
“I think the players want to be viewed as regular guys, as regular human beings having fun, hanging out with my friends and my guys. I don’t think the league always puts them in the best position to give them that human aspect,” Foster-Brasby said. “You can see it even at W All-Star, because a lot of times NBA players are there, and they don’t necessarily have that guarded view during WNBA All-Star that they have during NBA All-Star. You can see it feels like they’re a little bit more relaxed, and they feel a little bit more comfortable within that space.”
Maybe instead of new rules, the NBA needs to make the weekend more player and fan-focused. The NBA has open practices on All-Star Saturday, but there is always room for more fan engagement.
The WNBA community has its groups and cliques among the fan base, and they’re close-knit. Access and connectivity to the players have organically created a growing interest in the league and the players as individuals. All-Star Weekend highlighted that in a way we’d never seen before.
“I think proximity and authenticity is the name of the game,” said Khristina Williams, host “In Case You Missed It,” a women’s basketball podcast. “WNBA players are digital natives. Utilizing social media … that type of technology is always going to hit for women’s sports or women’s basketball, because for years and years none of their stuff was available. They’ve capitalized on building their brands through connecting with their fans.”
The NBA All-Star break was extended during the 2013-14 season from five days to seven to allow players more time to rest, but the break isn’t the true midpoint of the season, as teams head into the break having played more than 50 games. Understandably, players don’t want to risk injury in a game that doesn’t count. But when players appear as if they don’t care about participating in the events, it’s neither fun nor entertaining.
When Major League Baseball held the first All-Star Game on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park in Chicago (“the Game of the Century,” according to the Chicago Tribune) to coincide with the 1933 World’s Fair, the intention was a celebration of the sport and an opportunity to showcase baseball’s top talent and their skills.
The NBA held its first All-Star Game at Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. A crowd of more than 10,000 packed the arena to see the league’s best. Inaugural All-Star MVP “Easy” Ed Macauley of the Boston Celtics finished with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting as the East defeated the West 111-94. Like MLB, the game became a fan favorite.
But it’s not easy for any league to host an All-Star Game. Times have changed. Before interleague play, it was rare for American League fans to see National League players and vice versa. In the NBA, it was rare for someone in Cleveland to see the Denver Nuggets or the Portland Trail Blazers. All-Star games were the places to see the best in one spot. Now, with NBA League Pass and MLB Extra Innings, we can see any player at any time. The NFL and NHL have also recently changed their formats as leagues are constantly trying things to infuse new life into their midseason break.
MLB’s All-Star Game has seen its popularity diminished because superstars don’t play the majority of the game and many starters leave before it ends. This year’s Midsummer Classic ended in a tie after nine innings, so it led to the first All-Star swing-off. Despite the lack of starters like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, the mini-home run derby went over well and brought some of the joy back to the event.
If the NBA wants to infuse some enthusiasm into the events, the WNBA just gave them a great playbook to follow and make their own. Players should see All-Star Weekend as an opportunity to take off their cool and let people see who they are, honor the history of the game and celebrate with the fans.
We’re not here to sell you a gallon of green Kool-Aid. The Boston Celtics’ 2025-26 season will feature more bumps in the road than recent years and the margin for error for this talent-depleted team is razor thin, especially as Jayson Tatum rehabs from Achilles surgery.
But one thing is certain: The Celtics are approaching the obvious uncertainty ahead with remarkable vigor and an utter refusal to put a ceiling on what’s to come.
Where will that lead this team? We won’t suspect to know for sure. But we do believe the 2025-26 season will be far more enjoyable than most seem to be predicting (though we’ll also relent that there are obvious weak spots in Boston’s overhauled depth chart and an injury to any member of the remaining championship core could change the outlook of the season in a hurry).
Good luck trying to get anyone inside the Auerbach Center to buy into a so-called “gap” year. While the team endured painful-yet-inevitable changes in order to open avenues toward building the next championship-caliber roster, those in green universally refuse to put a ceiling on what’s possible for the 2025-26 squad.
“I said this when I was coaching all the time, I never put a ceiling on any team,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in July. “We were fortunate to have a number of teams there, as we led up to this kind of [championship] window, that were really fun, and that I thought never really cared about ceilings and had a chip on their shoulders. I expected this team will, too.
“The last time that Jaylen Brown was on a team that was doubted was a long time ago. The last time that Payton Pritchard’s been on a team that was doubted — he probably hasn’t been. I mean, you go down the list, Derrick White and all these guys. I’m excited to see what this team has in store. I know [coach] Joe [Mazzulla is] excited.”
“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team. We’re trying to win a championship,” said Pritchard. “It’s not even about playoffs; we have one standard in Boston and it’s to win a championship. Everybody in that locker room will have the goal of competing for a championship. And we will do everything in our power necessary to go for that. That’s what [fans] should know.”
🔊 Celtics Talk Podcast: Payton Pritchard on Celtics’ summer changes, NBA’s new heave rule and Kyrie wanting to swing on him | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
We’ve spent a lot of this offseason thinking about the radical shift in expectations for these Celtics. A championship-or-bust mentality is inevitable for a team with 18 banners hanging above its court, but it also made it hard to savor the small wins along the way. Every bump in the road hit like plane turbulence while you sometimes had to remind yourself to savor the little victories.
One of our favorite seasons covering this team was the magical 2016-17 campaign when Isaiah Thomas thrust himself into the MVP conversation while carrying a hard-playing, mentally-strong group straight to the Eastern Conference Finals. Watching that team exceed expectations — with Thomas routinely making fourth-quarter magic — made that season almost as endearing as some of the championship seasons.
Can history repeat itself with this group? If you’re looking at Boston’s frontcourt depth chart after the summer changes and scoffing, we get it. But we’re strangely excited to simply see where this goes.
This season is going to answer a whole bunch of questions about individual players and who will be key pieces to Banner 19. Instead of fretting who’s not on the floor, it’s OK if you simply want to embrace who is. Whatever ceiling you perceive for Jaylen Brown or Derrick White or Pritchard, that might just change during the 2025-26 season.
We subscribe strongly to the notion that you don’t even consider putting Tatum back on the court until he is at full health. And given the history of Achilles injuries, it’s easy to suspect Tatum probably wouldn’t return until the start of the 2026-27 season.
But we also know Tatum is a maniac who has relentlessly attacked the first three months of his rehab. The Celtics put him in the best position to expedite his recovery by getting him into surgery just hours after the devastating injury. Spend even a little bit of time reading about the rehab of NFL running back Cam Akers, and it’s hard not to envision Tatum potentially ramping up activities early in calendar year 2026.
Again, that’s not to suggest the team ought to consider bringing him back expeditiously. But we believe the major parties involved when they suggest that there is no timeline, and that they will simply cross each medical bridge as they cross them.
The Indiana Pacers were quick to rule out Tyrese Haliburton for the 2025-26 season after a torn Achilles in the NBA Finals. The Celtics have resisted doing the same with Tatum. Our read is that Boston chose that approach so as to not put a ceiling on what’s possible.
If Tatum is hell-bent on attacking his rehab — even if just for the possibility of returning quicker than most who have navigated the same injury — then whey take away any bit of hope? The focus right now is on putting one good day in front of another.
If the season goes sideways and the Celtics are not as competitive with this new-look roster, then maybe that allows Tatum and Co. to take a longer view on his return. If Boston exceeds expectations and plays beyond mid-April, then the player, front office, and medical staff can assess the value in an earlier return.
After Tatum made an appearance at a community event in Providence on Thursday, Celtics team president Rich Gotham offered the latest glimpse into that no-ceilings mentality when asked about the possibility of Tatum attempting to return this season.
“[Tatum is] going to do everything he can to put us in a position to make a decision,” said Gotham.
Even that reads like Celtics catnip. The “Jay Watch” on its own will help navigate the season. Tatum’s eventual return offers hope of a brighter future regardless of how the 2025-26 season plays out.
The Celtics have spent much of the summer getting their finances in order. The departures of championship pieces like Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, and (presumably soon) Al Horford, have not been easy for fans to endure. The team could shed even more money in a quest to get below the tax. Splurging to build a championship roster is a heck of a lot more fun than shedding to avoid the tax and aprons.
It’s on Stevens and his front office staff to put this team in position to start adding again soon. Having to navigate some of these financial pain points in a season where Tatum will miss time makes it slightly easier to endure.
But our advice is not to get too hung up on the big picture. Embrace the steps on the journey back to being a title contender. Embrace Tatum’s progress. Embrace the possibility that players like Brown, White, and Pritchard will get every opportunity to show their full potential.
The Celtics are not putting a ceiling on this year’s team. They’re just focused on each day. We’ll see where that takes them.
Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade are going to walk in with him — they were announced as his presenters for the Hall of Fame.
Filled with gratitude. My journey was different, but finding the balance through all the ups and downs made this moment possible. And if you stay true to who you are then the journey is always worth it. Thank you @Hoophall for recognizing 32 years. #STAYME7Opic.twitter.com/Xkrom37rD8
Each year, those about to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame are asked to pick previously inducted members to be their presenters. This year, for the ceremony on Sept. 6 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Anthony selected Iverson, one of his teammates from Denver, as well as one of his best friends in the league in Wade.
NBA Top 75 All-Time Player, Class of 2025 Naismith Hall of Famer, 3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, and now NBC Sports Analyst.
A couple of days after signing his max extension with the Los Angeles Lakers — then seeing the Back Street Boys at the Sphere in Las Vegas with some teammates — Luka Doncic was half a world away in his native Slovenia, preparing with his countrymen for the EuroBasket tournament.
The setting may change, but the questions for Doncic did not — reporters wanted to know about his thinner look and offseason conditioning work. Here are his responses from Slovinian media outlet SIOL.net, as translated by Eurohoops.net.
"There have always been questions about my fitness, but I thought I was playing great before, too. This year we approached things differently. Last summer was rough — I played until June and then jumped straight into Olympic qualifiers. This time, I had more time and a better plan." As for his new workout routine.
"It wasn't easy at first, but then it becomes a habit. We'll see how it translates to games — I haven't played since the NBA season ended, and I've only just started scrimmaging again."
This largely echoed what Doncic told the media in Los Angeles last week. With his improved conditioning, Doncic may be able to play a little faster and is more likely to stay healthy. Still, near the top of Coach J.J. Redick's list of goals for this season will be to get Doncic and LeBron James to the postseason healthy and ready to make a run, which is going to mean some rest and nights off.
It's going to be interesting to see what the new, motivated Doncic looks like on the court. Our first look will come as Doncic and Slovenia play some warm-up exhibitions (starting with a couple of games against Germany in the coming days), but things get serious Aug. 28 when Slovenia opens EuroBasket against Poland.
The expectation remains that Jayson Tatum will not set foot on an NBA court next season. If he does, it will be deep into a season that his Boston Celtics are already treating like a gap year, having focused on money-saving moves this offseason.
All that said, it's still a good sign to see Tatum walking without a boot and moving well at the New England Patriots' practice on Wednesday.
There also have been videos on social media of Tatum working out in the Celtics' practice facility weight room.
Tatum had surgery on his torn Achilles in May, and advancements in techniques and equipment mean anyone getting that surgery is up and moving around much sooner than they would have even a decade ago. That's the case for Tatum. However, a return to the court for a professional athlete remains a long arc because of the need to rebuild strength in the supportive muscles around the tendon, as well as make sure it is fully healed and can handle the intense strain placed on it. Even then, it usually takes time for the player to fully trust that leg again on the court.
Seeing Tatum walking around the Patriots' practice doesn't change any of that, but it's still a good sign.
Austin Reaves is on arguably the best contract in the NBA. The 20-point-a-game scorer last season for the Lakers will make $13.9 million — less than the full midlevel exception — this season, the third year of his four-year, $53.8 million contract.
Next summer, Reaves is expected to use his player option to become a free agent — and the man is going to get paid. Several executives told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps to expect a deal that averages more than $30 million a season.
I think he will get $30 [million] plus," one executive told ESPN, echoing multiple front office sources who were asked about the next deal Reaves could command.
Those executives also echoed the idea that Reaves will re-sign with the Lakers — he is loyal, Los Angeles needs him as the No. 2 shot creator next to Luka Doncic, and he's a fan favorite so the backlash of letting him walk would be ugly. Reaves' ability to shoot the rock (37.7% on 3-pointers last season, 39.9% on catch-and-shoot attempts), play off the ball or on, makes him an ideal fit next to Doncic.
However, there are questions that this season is going to answer about Reaves and his fit with the team. One is the playoffs, where Reaves struggled against the athletic Timberwolves defense, scoring 16.2 points and 3.6 assists per game while shooting just 41.1% overall and 31.9% from beyond the arc — now he needs to prove that was a fluke. While he's improved on that end, Reaves remains a minus defender, which is tough to put next to Doncic for long stretches (especially in the playoffs).
That said, look at the guards making around $30 million a season right now — Jalen Suggs, Tyler Herro, Jordan Poole, Dejounte Murray — and Reaves slots in nicely with that group. A deal in the four-year, $120 million range sounds about right.
If the Lakers don't want to pay it, other teams will. But the Lakers will pay it. Expect Los Angeles and Reaves to work out a deal, although he could be a late official signing as the Lakers use their expected cap space (depending on what happens with LeBron James' future with the team) to build out the roster they want around Doncic, then use their Bird rights to re-sign Reaves. That said, the deal will get done.
When Jayson Tatum went down with a ruptured Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in May, the expectation was that he’d likely miss the entire 2025-26 season.
That very well could be the case, especially as the Boston Celtics enter a “gap year” with lowered expectations after losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and (likely) Al Horford this offseason.
But is there some chance Tatum turbo-charges his rehab to the point where he’s ready to play late in the 2025-26 season? And if he’s cleared to play, would the Celtics be willing to put him back in the lineup?
Team president Rich Gotham was posed that hypothetical Thursday at a groundbreaking event for an early childhood education center in Providence R.I. — and he didn’t exactly say no.
“That’s a down-the-road question. That’s one you can’t really answer today,” Gotham responded, via CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell. “But what I know about JT is, he’s gonna do everything he can to put us in a position to make a decision.
“He’s gonna work hard to get back as soon as he can, and we’ll see how soon that is. But for right now, we’re not really looking at timetables.”
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens has insisted on multiple occasions that the Celtics aren’t putting a timetable on Tatum’s recovery. But that also means the team hasn’t ruled Tatum out for the 2025-26 season, as the Indiana Pacers did with Tyrese Haliburton shortly after he tore his Achilles in the NBA Finals.
And as long as Tatum isn’t officially ruled out, there will be speculation about a potential late-season return, especially given the way he’s attacking his rehab.
Tatum already was in the gym less than 50 days after his surgery and was filmed doing a pool workout without a cast over July 4 weekend. It appears he’s already ditched his walking boot and was walking without a noticeable limp at the Patriots’ training camp practice on Wednesday, as well as Thursday’s event in Providence.
NBA players typically have needed nine to 12 months to rehab from Achilles surgeries. Considering Tatum’s age (27) and work ethic, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s closer to that nine-month timeline, which would be February 2026.
The bigger question is whether the Celtics would want him to return to action, especially if they’re not a legitimate playoff contender in his absence, which seems likely. But Gotham would caution any fan writing off this team before the season starts.
“You’re going to see a team out there working as hard as possible,” Gotham said, per Dalzell. “I don’t think it’s inconceivable that we will be a good team — a good winning team — next year. I’m not sure it’s going to be the step down that people anticipate.”
So, what if the Celtics are in the playoff hunt next spring and Tatum looks ready to return? It sounds like the Celtics would have a decision to make.
Kobe Bryant has influenced plenty of young NBA players; Moses Moody is no exception.
The Warriors guard joined ‘The Young Man & the Three” podcast and discussed what change he’s made recently and improved on the most over the last year.
The 23-year-old said that while training with Dash Athletics (Jamal Dash Lovell) the intricacies of his footwork didn’t stick until he watched some of Bryant’s footage.
“Last year, working with Dash Athletics, he was sitting there, he was trying to like, get me to understand that for a while through the workout,” Moody said. “But I was recording every workout… I would go home and watch all of my drills and stuff and some reps felt better than others and I didn’t know why.
“And It didn’t really crack to me until me and Dash started watching some Kobe footage and Kobe was doing exactly what he was talking about. Then I went back and watched my footage and I realized that thing, that simplicity of that one step, or those steps, and being purposeful with my feet and that opened it up.”
🚨 for the real hoopers 🚨 we got into the weeds with Moses Moody on footwork and how watching Kobe footage cracked the code for him pic.twitter.com/4RAYozEdfQ
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) August 7, 2025
Add Moody to the ever-growing list of young players that Bryant’s legacy continues to impact.
Nobody is safe from Draymond Green’s trash talk, not even Steph Curry’s brother Seth.
The younger Curry, on the latest episode of his podcast, “Greatest Of Their Era,” was discussing with co-host Travonne Edwards and guest C.J. Watson the role of a journeyman NBA player, and shared a hilarious story about the time Green’s trash talk led to an awkward moment for his longtime teammate’s brother.
“I’m at the free throw line, and Draymond’s out there. We’re talking … I say something, and he’s like, ‘Why are you talking? You’re a journeyman. Every team in the league.’ It was funny because Steph was right there,” Seth Curry recalled. “It was kind of awkward.
“Draymond, that’s my guy, but he’s going to talk when we’re on the floor. But I’m talking back to him. I’m a journeyman, but I’m talking back to him like ‘That’s a badge of honor for me.’ How many guys do you know that’s been on two teams and out the league? I’d rather be on eight, nine teams, have a 12-year career, than be one-and-done. I take pride in it.”
The younger Curry went undrafted out of Duke in 2013 before signing with the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of the 2013-14 NBA season. Seth later played for the Cleveland Cavaliers that same season and since has played for seven additional teams (Phoenix, Sacramento, Dallas, Portland, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Charlotte).
Simply put, he’s a journeyman.
And that’s something he takes great pride in, as he prepares to play in his 12th NBA season.
It’s unclear where Seth, currently a free agent, will play next season, but there reportedly is mutual interest between him and the Warriors.
If he were to join his brother in Golden State next season, it’s fair to assume he will be safe from Green’s trash talk … right?
The sale of the Boston Celtics to William Chisholm will likely close late next week or early the following week, according to three people familiar with the details who were not authorized to speak publicly.
The deal still needs approval from the league’s board of governors, who comprise the 30 team owners. The vote can occur remotely and does not require a league meeting.
In March, Chisholm’s group reached an agreement to buy the Celtics in two stages, which was the stated goal of ownership led by the Grousbeck family. The deal valued the team at $6.1 billion in the first payment, which at the time was the most expensive control sale in sports team history. (Josh Harris’ 2023 buy of the Washington Commanders was the previous record, while Mat Ishbia’s $4 billion purchase of the Phoenix Suns in 2022 was tops in the NBA.) In June, Mark Walter reached an agreement to purchase the Los Angeles Lakers at a $10 billion valuation.
BDT & MSD Partners and JPMorgan Chase, who co-led the Celtics sale process, as well as the NBA, declined to comment on the timing.
The Grousbecks led a group that bought the NBA team in 2002 for $360 million. They announced that the franchise was for sale last July, less than two weeks after winning an NBA-record 18th championship. The group said estate planning in the Grousbeck family was the reason for the sale.
Chisholm, who is the co-founder and managing partner of private equity firm STG Partners, is the lead investor and will take over as NBA governor from Wyc Grousbeck after the 2027-28 season.
Aditya Mittal will be the second-largest stakeholder in the Celtics and potentially the alternate governor in the future. Mittal is the son of Lakshmi Mittal, who serves as executive chairman of $62 billion-in-revenue ArcelorMittal, the world’s second-largest steel and mining company after China’s state-owned Baowu.
Private equity giant Sixth Street will also have a major stake in the club. The firm already owns a stake in the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA’s private equity rules cap the stake that a single firm can own at 20% of the team.
As the NBA world has come to learn over the past two decades, that certainly is the case for Warriors superstar Steph Curry.
As Damion Lee recently recalled during his time with the Warriors, Lee shared that Curry would search his name on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, during halftime and use the hate comments as fuel for the rest of the game.
“I was next to him in the locker room,” Lee shared on the “Straight to Cam” podcast. “He would type his name on Twitter at halftime. It would be like, ‘Stephen Curry this’ or whatever. He would look at it for probably a minute or two and scroll, close his phone, put it down then go crazy in the second half.”
"I was next to him in the locker room. He would type his name on Twitter at halftime… He would look at it for probably a minute or two & scroll, close his phone. Put it down & go crazy in the 2nd half."
There was a point where it became public knowledge that Curry would frequently check his phone during the midpoint break of games, so people started having fun with it.
As Curry’s sister, Sydel, who is married to Lee, remembered, some Warriors fans began to use that logic to their advantage by purposely writing hate comments to Curry so he could put on a show in the second half.
Even NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke put Curry to the test, writing him on X to do a human airplane gesture after making his first 3-pointer in the second half. He accepted her challenge and did exactly that after knocking down his first trey in the third quarter of that game.
Aside from the halftime hate, Curry has been used to the doubt dating back to early in his basketball career. Despite all his accolades at the highest level, Curry still faces criticism to this day.
But he — and Dub Nation — will take it, as long as the outcome remains the same.
Luka Doncic got his max contract extension. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got a historic one, and the Thunder also extended and locked up his running mates Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Devin Booker got his extension.
Trae Young has yet to get his, and he's growing increasingly frustrated. He was frustrated at the pace of things a month ago.
ESPN/Andscape's Marc Spears said Tuesday that Young is "disappointed" that he has yet to be offered a deal. From Spears' appearance on NBA Today:
"What I'm hearing now, at this point — you can tell by Trae's Tweet, and I saw him during the Finals — I think he's disappointed that it hasn't come, it hasn't been offered."
Atlanta can offer Young a four-year, $228.6 million max extension right now, but there also is no time crunch from the Hawks' perspective (the deadline to reach a deal is June 30, 2026).
The question becomes: Is Young a max player? If not — and the conventional wisdom around the league is he's not a full max guy — then what is the number where everyone is happy, both in terms of dollars and years?
The Hawks were aggressive this offseason, retooling their roster into one that could be a top-four team in the East. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis, who brings much-needed shot blocking to Atlanta, and he seems a natural pick-and-pop partner with Young. Nickeil Alexander-Walker brings shooting to the wing, plus he and Dyson Daniels give the Hawks an elite wing defense. Luke Kennard adds even more shooting. And that's not counting Jalen Johnson getting healthy and Zaccharie Risacher potentially making a leap in his second season.
There's some logic to the idea of Young at the point leading this roster, he averaged 24.2 points and 11.6 assists per game last season, shooting 34% from beyond the arc. He also led the league in turnovers with 355 (4.7 per game), and is a minus defender.
Does Atlanta want to see how things shake out on the court before getting serious with extension talks? More likely, they talk to Young about a two-year contract closer to his current salary (two years, $100-105 million). Whether he'd accept that is the question.
What Young wants is an offer and negotiations as a place to start. You could easily get that vibe out of his support for Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons and the drama around his contract.
This why you pay the man early, when someone will take less early to stay in a place he wanted to be forever, you do it… the price only goes up now! Get what you deserve bro!
When’s the last time you had fun watching an NBA All-Star game?