Category: NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers moved on from LeBron James by making the first big splash of NBA free agency. The team filled a void in its starting lineup by acquiring Walker Kessler in a trade with the Utah Jazz that also includes a massive new contract extension for the 24-year-old center.

Kessler will join the Lakers through a sign-and-trade agreement, according to multiple reports, in which the Lakers will give the Jazz two future unprotected first-round picks and two first-round picks swaps and sign Kessler to a new 4-year, $130-million contract.

Since Kessler was a restricted free agent, the Jazz had the right to match any contract offer he received from another team. The two sides had been in protracted negotiations on a new extension, with Utah hoping to keep Kessler. But the Lakers' offer proved too good to pass up with talks stalled.

Did Los Angeles give up too much to acquire the center they've needed since trading Anthony Davis? Or did the Jazz give up on Kessler too soon coming off a major injury?

USA TODAY Sports breaks down the Lakers' big move, with trade grades for both teams now that Kessler is going from the Jazz to Los Angeles:

NBA FREE AGENCY LIVE UPDATES: Latest LeBron rumors, signings, trades

Walker Kessler trade details

• Lakers receive: Restricted free agent Walker Kessler (will sign new 4-year, $130-million contract as part of sign-and-trade)
• Jazz receive: Unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030

Los Angeles Lakers Walker Kessler trade grade: B-

The Lakers coveted a new starting center to team with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and they're making a huge bet Kessler is the two-way piece that can best complement them inside.

General Manager Rob Pelinka gave up a lot to acquire Kessler, who played in just five games last season due to a shoulder injury. But the 24-year-old averaged a double-double (11.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks) over 54 games during the 2024-25 campaign. If Kessler quickly returns to form, he can be a dynamic lob threat for Doncic and a premier offensive rebounder, while also providing elite rim protection and defensive cover for the Lakers' backcourt.

But the Lakers are spending most of their salary cap space for the foreseeable future on the trio of Doncic, Reaves and Kessler, and they won't have much draft capital moving forward to build around them. They are making more moves along the periphery of the roster, but questions will likely linger into the regular season about whether this new Los Angeles nucleus can compete with the Spurs and Thunder long-term.

Utah Jazz Walker Kessler trade grade: B

The Jazz lost one of the successful first-round draft picks that have come to the team through its extended rebuild, but they acquired a significant haul of new draft capital in the process.

There is an argument, given Kessler's recent injury history and limited offensive game, that the Jazz just acquired two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps for the right not to overpay Kessler. Utah reportedly had a 5-year, $140-million offer on the table, according to ESPN. The Lakers bested that, and the Jazz did well to get assets in return.

Though Utah seems ready to make a playoff push this coming season after re-signing Lauri Markkanen and trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. in recent years, tying up so much money in three frontcourt players could have been problematic in the future. Losing Kessler will hurt Utah's short-term outlook, and finding a replacement won't be easy. Just ask the Lakers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walker Kessler trade grades: Did Lakers give up too much in Jazz deal?

In need of bench scoring and depth in the backcourt behind their starting backcourt, one of the Lakers’ first signings this offseason will be a backup guard.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers have agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with Quentin Grimes.

Free agent guard Quentin Grimes has agreed to a four-year, $60 million to join the Los Angeles Lakers, with a player option, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5mcp4pULuD

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

The Lakers had been linked to Grimes during free agency, so this move does not come as a total surprise. With both Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard leaving in free agency, the Lakers had a need for guard depth. Along with Grimes, the team signed Collin Sexton, getting two young, athletic players to fill that void.

Now Grimes will reunite with his former teammate Luka Dončić. They played together briefly in Dallas during the 2024-25 season. Ironically, both were traded in pretty terrible deals for the Mavs with Grimes dealt for Caleb Martin days after Luka joined the Lakers.

Grimes had some big scoring nights last season in Philadelphia. He had 20-plus points in 15 games with his best performance coming against the Blazers where he scored 31 points in a win. Across the season, Grimes averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game last season. He also shot 33.4% from beyond the arc.

Overall, Grimes had an up-and-down postseason with the Sixers, but he had some great scoring games. He scored 18 points in a pivotal Game 5 win over the Celtics. In that matchup, he was red-hot from deep, knocking down four 3-pointers.

Over his career, Grimes has averaged 11.1 points per game while shooting 44.6% from the field and 36.6% from the 3-point line.

Grimes reached unrestricted free agency this summer by signing a qualifying offer of $8.7 million last season after failing to reach a deal with the Sixers last summer.

With Grimes on the Lakers, they have added another guard with some youth and athleticism. These are two things they have desperately been lacking over the past few seasons. The Lakers are betting on those two aspects helping the team improve over Smart and Kennard from last season.

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

Jalen Duren might have been eager to test the free agent market in a search to maximize his earnings on a new long-term deal, but that market has all but disappeared two days into free agency. There were few teams with salary cap space to spend, but there were plenty of teams interested in landing a difference-making center.

When it was reported that Duren was interested in meeting with the Sacramento Kings, it made sense because, well, they’re the Kings. When LeBron James made it clear he was moving on from the center-needy Los Angeles Lakers, the fit didn’t seem like it could get better. It was clear throughout the season that the Boston Celtics viewed center as the weakest spot on their roster, and the organization telegraphed that they would work to land a permanent solution in the offseason. You can toss some teams with money to spend and the ability to create more in the mix — the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets chief among them.

In the two days since free agency began, all those teams (save the Kings) have found their answer at center, and it wasn’t Jalen Duren.

The Lakers swung a huge trade to land defensive powerhouse Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. The Boston Celtics landed New York Knicks champion Mitchell Robinson on a new three-year deal. The Bulls and Nets went bargain shopping and signed Zach Collins and Moe Wagner, respectively.

Restricted free agency is a nasty piece of business from the player’s perspective. Your team holds all the leverage and you have few avenues to dictate your own market. Jalen Duren is coming off an All-NBA season and technically qualified for a supermax contract. The Pistons are reportedly not even offering him the standard max. They telegraphed that even if Duren found a team willing to offer him a deal, they would match it. They made clear that any sign-and-trade would have to blow them away to even entertain the possibility.

I’m not surprised Duren is unhappy with the contract Detroit has put in front of him, and I understand he was trying to create leverage by exploring the market for a team that would pay him more. But it appears the league either values Duren differently or fully understands the strong position Detroit found itself in.

Duren now finds himself as the lone starting-level center still on the market. And there is one team he will likely be starting for — the Detroit Pistons.

What that contract arrangement looks like remains to be seen. Will a livid Duren do something as drastic as signing his qualifying offer, playing out one more year in Detroit and getting out at the earliest convenience? Probably not. That would be leaving more than $150 million dollars on the table.

He could sign for the full five years at between $32-38 million, have generational wealth and still be in his prime when he is up for his next monster deal. Or it could fall somewhere in between, fewer years, quicker pathways to a big payday, player options, etc.

But it appears that for all his agent’s posturing and trying to work the media to their fullest advantage, this is going to end up where it was always most likely to land — with Jalen Duren catching lobs from Cade Cunningham and Duren looking at another year in the playoffs where he can really show what he can do.

The floodgates were fully open for the Lakers’ free agency moves Wednesday morning. 

After securing Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes on long-term deals, the Lakers agreed to terms on a two-year deal with veteran guard Collin Sexton.

ESPN was first to report that Sexton is signing a two-year, $19 million deal. 

Sexton, the No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft, is coming off of averaging 15.4 points and 3.3 assists in 68 regular season games (22 starts) for the Hornets and Bulls in 2025-26.

He has career averages of 18.3 points (47% shooting; 50.4% on 2-pointers and 38.9% on 3-pointers), 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds during an eight-season NBA career that’s taken him to Cleveland, Utah, Charlotte, Chicago and now Los Angeles.

Sexton is expected to slot in as the backup ball handler behind star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

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Mamuuu! Nooo!

Shams Charania of ESPN has broken the news that newly minted free agent Sandro Mamukelashvili has officially signed a $52 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, locking the centre-forward up for the next four years. It seems that as Toronto takes from one LA team, the other one takes back, and in a very vulnerable position for the Raps.

The potential effects of Mamu’s departure on the team have already been discussed: the loss of size and a respectable shooter is not something the Raptors can take lying down, and brings even more urgency to the Raptors’ quest to fill out their centre rotation. Trayce Jackson-Davis is now the team’s third stringer, who after playing only 17 games for the team, could see a huge uptick in minutes. All that considered, some additional urgency is probably not a bad thing for this team. The marathon to getting a positionally sound roster together is one that is going painfully slowly, but appears to be quite calculated, picking up Kawhi Leonard along the way.

But, the Raptors have only one seven footer, and ESPN shows Jamison Battle as the fourth string centre. That is an unacceptable state for this team to be in, long term. With even Jonathan Mogbo departing, the Raptors need more size of the bench, and a more reliable centre, full stop. We could see in the upcoming weeks more aggressive pursuit of Myles Turner, as Jalen Duren and many other high profile free agent centres have either been linked with new teams, or have already inked deals. The Raptors will have to make new moves sooner than later.

For more than his play, I’ll miss Mamu. The player seemed nothing but kind in his personal life, and injected excitement into a Raptors’ team that is only now beginning to find its identity. I wish him the best in Los Angeles, but reflect on the way we could have kept the good times going.

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The Golden State Warriors opened the offseason with a big move, signing their trade deadline acquisition, Kristaps Porziņģis, to a two-year extension worth $40 million. The reunion wasn’t at all surprising, though I think the price tag probably raised a few eyebrows.

There are reasons to love and be skeptical about the extension. Porziņģis fit in brilliantly with the Dubs on both ends of the court, and showed just how dynamic of a force he can be in their systems. On the other hand, he also displayed the serious health concerns that have plagued him throughout the last decade.

So with all that in mind … how do you grade the extension?

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms on a four-year, $60 million contract with a free agent who’s also a former teammate of their superstar guard. 

The franchise will sign former 76ers guard Quentin Grimes, who was an unrestricted free agent after one-and-a-half seasons in Philadelphia. 

Grimes, 26, played with Lakers star guard Luka Dončić for a brief period to start the 2024-25 season in Dallas after being traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2024 offseason. 

The 6-foot-4 guard out of Houston, who was the No. 25 pick in the 2021 draft, has averaged 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists during his NBA career. 

Grimes is coming off of averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 2025-26 with the 76ers. 

He’s coming off a down shooting year, making a career-low 33.4% of his 3-pointers, but has been a reliable perimeter shooter for most of his career. 

Grimes shot 37.5% on 3s during his first four seasons in the league. He’s shot at least 38% on catch-and-shoot 3s in four of his five seasons.

Grimes is also a reliable corner 3-point shooter.

Free agent guard Quentin Grimes has agreed to a four-year, $60 million to join the Los Angeles Lakers, with a player option, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5mcp4pULuD

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

At 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, Grimes has shown he can be a strong perimeter defender, especially off of the ball when he doesn’t have lapses.

After starting his career with the Knicks before being traded to the Pistons ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, Grimes hasn’t spent more than one-and-a-half seasons with a single team.

The Pistons traded him to the Mavericks during the 2024 offseason. And then the Mavericks traded Grimes to the 76ers ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.

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As the Lakers look to find shooting to put around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, they turned to one of the better stretch bigs on the market.

After being linked with him since before the start of free agency, the Lakers have reportedly agreed to a deal with Sandro Mamukelashvili, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Just in: Free agent F/C Sandro Mamukelashvili has agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal to sign with Los Angeles Lakers, with a player option for the fourth season, sources tell ESPN. Big fully guaranteed deal for George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports. pic.twitter.com/dN7L6K7SQm

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

Not only can the Lakers add Mamukelashvili, but they can also add a few more pieces with the remaining cap space.

Sandro Mamukelashvili will go into the Lakers cap space based on these terms.

They have $12.4 million remaining and then the $9.4 million room mid-level exception. https://t.co/eYgvCLzYxf

— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) July 1, 2026

The Lakers adding a big, along with reports of Walker Kessler’s signing, means the frontcourt depth has improved. There are likely moves still to be made, but the Lakers have two new frontcourt pieces this season.

Mamukelashvili is a good player who is a capable rebounder and can certainly stretch the floor. Last year with the Raptors, he shot 38.9% from 3-point range. That’s his best shooting season from beyond the arc, and he did it while taking 3.7 3-point attempts per game.

Overall, Mamu had a breakout season with the Raptors last year, averaging 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. His ability to space the floor means he can play as a four and potentially as a five in small ball lineups. With Mamu, the Lakers should be able to play more two-big lineups while still spacing the floor.

At 27 years old, he’s also on the same timeline as Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, another positive sign. One of the overall themes of the Lakers in free agency this year is that they got younger overall.

His signing, paired with the other flurry of moves by the Lakers, almost guarantees that Rui Hachimura will not be back next season, something that has been in the cards since free agency started. Barring some sort of dramatic change or an unexpected change, the Lakers simply won’t have space under the first apron to retain Hachimura.

It all happened quickly this summer, but the Lakers landed a solid big who can space the floor, something the roster did not have last season.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

After completing a trade for Walker Kessler, the Lakers followed with a flurry of moves.

In a sequence of moves announced nearly simultaneously, the Lakers agreed to deals with Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes, then finished with a two-year, $19 million deal for Collin Sexton.

Free agent Collin Sexton has agreed to a two-year, $19 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/S2MBPxTSH4

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

This deal will be for the Room Exception, meaning the Lakers are now out of spending power. The only signings they can make now are veteran minimum deals.

Room mid-level exception for Collin Sexton over two years. Excellent value for him.

Lakers exhaust all their spending power.

They can now make trades with their players under contract to further increase their payroll and upgrade the roster. https://t.co/LavuSTsFwx

— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) July 1, 2026

The Lakers’ interest in Sextondates back many years. He’s a name that has often been tangentially linked to the team but never seemed all that realistic until now.

With both Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard leaving in free agency, the Lakers had a need for backup guards. Sexton is still just 27 years old, so the team is also getting younger.

Last season, Sexton split his season between the Hornets and Bulls, averaging 15.4 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 48.5% from the field and 40.1% from the 3-point line. For his career, he’s a 38.9% 3-point shooter, but has been north of 39% every season since the 2022-23 campaign.

Sexton also has a great ability to get to the rim. Last season, 27.5% of his shots came within three feet while he shot 64.7% on those attempts. The only non-bigs on the Lakers to have a percentage higher than that on the Lakers last season were Adou Thiero in limited minutes and LeBron James.

The Lakers relied heavily on Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to create rim pressure last season, so adding Sexton certainly fills a need in that regard.

Sexton did spend a couple of seasons in Utah playing alongside Kessler, so there will also be a bit of chemistry there as well.

It all happened very quickly, so it’ll take time to digest, but the Lakers quickly made moves to add younger, athletic guards to the roster and surround Luka and Austin with shooting and playmaking on the perimeter, two areas the team lacked last season.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Yeah, that might be a bit rich for our blood.

ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that Quentin Grimes will be signing a four-year, $60 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, ending his Sixers tenure after two seasons. The Lakers were one of two suitors rumored to be interested in Grimes, along with the Miami Heat. The night before he signed, Jake Fischer reported again he expected Grimes to LA.

Free agent guard Quentin Grimes has agreed to a four-year, $60 million to join the Los Angeles Lakers, with a player option, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5mcp4pULuD

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

Grimes’ eventual departure to LA was reported before the Sixers made any moves, but using part of their mid-level exception to sign Dean Wade all but sealed Grimes’ fate. Whether they signed Wade or not, that was probably not a number the Sixers were ever going to match. The Lakers have been big spenders so far this summer, also handing out deals to Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton.

With Grimes gone and Wade signed, the quickest breakdown of the Sixers’ cap situation is that they have $16.3 million to spend before hitting the first apron where they’re hard capped, plus the ~$6 million they have left on their mid-level exception after the signings of Wade and center Ariel Hukporti. They could also access the bi-annual exception ($5.5 million).

Grimes arrived in Philadelphia at the trade deadline during the 2024-25 season, but didn’t really get to play with the real version of this team until 2025-26. Averaging 21.9 points per game for the hospital Sixers appeared to set up Grimes pretty well for restricted free agency, but not many offers came Grimes’ way and he came back to the Sixers on the qualifying offer.

Despite a pretty up-and-down season, mostly in a sixth man role, Grimes was the only playable guard off the bench for the Sixers in the playoffs. He was great down the stretch in Game 5 of round one against Boston, but couldn’t string it together consistently as he shot 39% from the field in the playoffs.

LA will certainly provide a bigger role for Grimes than coming back to play with a backcourt of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Labaron Philon Jr, but the Sixers will miss his two-way ability should they not be able to replace it.

The Lakers have agreed to terms on a four-year, $52 million contract with free agent big man Sandro Mamukelashvili.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Mamukelashvili is coming off of a career-year with the Raptors. 

His scoring average (11.2 points), field goal percentage (52.3%), steals average (.8) and blocks average (.5) with Toronto in 2025-26 were all career-best marks. 

Just in: Free agent F/C Sandro Mamukelashvili has agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal to sign with Los Angeles Lakers, with a player option for the fourth season, sources tell ESPN. Big fully guaranteed deal for George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports. pic.twitter.com/dN7L6K7SQm

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

Mamukelashvili, the No. 54 pick in the 2021 draft, has emerged as a reliable three-level scorer, good passer and strong rebounder after playing for the Bucks, Spurs and Raptors. 

While there are defensive concerns, he’ll likely be a reliable bench option who’ll play at the 4 or 5. 

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The Los Angeles Lakers are fully committed to building around Luka Doncic with LeBron James departing in free agency. Doncic has been clamoring for the team to add a talented young center, and the Lakers delivered on Wednesday afternoon with an incredibly bold deal that mortgages four years of draft control for an effective if often injured big man.

The Lakers acquired Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Kessler, who was a restricted free agent, has agreed to a four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers that includes a player option in the final season.

This is a stunning price to pay for a big man at first blush. The Lakers now have a defensive anchor to play alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves, while the Jazz recouped a tremendous amount of future draft capital to continue their rebuild. Let’s grade this deal for both sides.

Lakers grade for Walker Kessler trade

Kessler is one of the better rim protectors in the NBA when he’s healthy. He just hasn’t been healthy very often. Kessler only played five games last season as he recovered from a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He’s only met the NBA’s 65-game threshold for award eligibility one time in his four-year career, and that came as a rookie. Utah’s tanking shenanigans contributed to Kessler missing games, but he’ll need to stay on the court and play at an elite level for this deal to work out for the Lakers.

Kessler has two main strengths as a player: rebounding and blocking shots. He averages 4.5 blocks per 100 possessions for his career, an elite number. He also led the NBA in offensive rebound rate back in the 2024-25 season, when he posted a wild 16.6 percent o-board rate in 58 games. He’s a fantastic defensive rebounder as well, which plays into his reputation as one of the game’s top defensive bigs.

Kessler’s offense is a much bigger question outside of generating extra possessions on the glass. He’s a total non-shooter from three-point range with 17 made threes in 201 career games, however he did make six threes in five games last season before the injury. He’s a career 54 percent free throw shooter, making him one of the NBA’s worst from the foul line. He can finish dunks and putbacks inside, and that’s about it. He hasn’t added much value as a passer throughout his career, either.

This is the Lakers’ big swing to build a championship team around Luka. Los Angeles obviously needed a strong defensive center to pair with two weak defenders in Doncic and Reaves, and they paid a massive price to get one. Usually a trade like this returns a superstar. Instead, the Lakers acquired someone who fits the team well but doesn’t have the production you typically associate with this type of trade.

Big men are getting huge deals all around the NBA this summer, and Kessler’s is the most jarring yet. The four-year, $130 million contract feels fair for both sides. The amount of draft capital given up to get him is what’s so surprising.

The Lakers way overpaid in my view. It could work out for them because Kessler is really good at protecting the rim and cleaning the glass if he stays healthy, but it’s hard to see how this elevates LA into championship contention, and they don’t have many assets left to keep building the team.

Grade: D

Jazz grade for Walker Kessler trade

Talk about a sell-high trade. It’s amazing the Jazz were able to get this type of return for Kessler after he only played five games last season. He’s not an elite center in my view, but the Jazz certainly got elite value back for him.

Utah is set up so well for the future now. They have No. 2 overall draft pick Darryn Peterson as their new franchise star alongside Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, and Ace Bailey. I honestly don’t think losing Kessler makes Utah that much worse for next season given all their front court depth. They are now stocked with assets to continue to build out the team as Peterson reaches his prime.

This is an amazing move for the Jazz. They robbed the Lakers blind. If Peterson reaches his ceiling, Utah will be set up to be a Western Conference contender for years to come. Their ascent should start this season with what looks like a play-in team at least.

Grade: A+

The Celtics have signed Mitchell Robinson to a 3-year, $47.4 million deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported. Robinson was a crucial part of the New York Knicks’ championship team, particularly as one of the NBA’s premier rebounders. Robinson reportedly has a player option in the third season of his contract.

Last year, the 28-year-old averaged 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds, shooting 72.3% from the field. In his 8 seasons with the Knicks, he averaged 7.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in just under 24 minutes a game.

Free agent center Mitchell Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal to sign with the Boston Celtics, with a player option in third season, sources tell ESPN. Robinson departs the Knicks after serving a key role on the historic championship team. pic.twitter.com/tl3R6nlU1m

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

Robinson was the Knicks’ longest-tenured player; he was drafted 36th overall in 2018 and has been a key rotation player since. He was one of just two Knicks rotation players on the title team that was drafted by the franchise.

In the playoffs, he averaged 4.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes, and secured a key offensive rebound in the closing seconds of the Knicks’ Game 5 championship-clinching win.

Through his career, Robinson has dealt with a slew of injuries, but he appeared in 60 games last season. He appeared in just 48 games in his previous two combined seasons.

What Mitchell Robinson’s signing means for Boston

Mitchell Robinson immediately bolsters the Celtics’ frontcourt and will be the team’s premier big, alongside Neemias Queta. More than anything, he brings rebounding to a Celtics squad that has heavily valued that skill set. The Celtics now have Robinson, Queta, and Luka Garza all at the center position.

Robinson’s rebounding numbers are ridiculous; he averaged 16.1 boards per 36 minutes per game. Last year, with him on the floor, the Knicks had a 37.9% offensive rebounding percentage, which was in the 99th percentile, per The Ringer’s Brian Barrett.

Robinson’s biggest weakness is free-throw shooting; he shot just 40.8% from the free-throw line last season, a career low. Robinson is routinely and intentionally fouled, and the Celtics will undoubtedly work with him on free-throw shooting to ensure he can stay on the floor. But, he’s one of the NBA’s top rebounding bigs and a true seven-footer, someone who immediately gives the Celtics depth at the big position and becomes the team’s best rebounder.

This year’s rookie class is quickly endearing itself to Spurs fans, and perhaps none more so than 26th overall pick Tarris Reed. He clearly has the most personality of the bunch and has already produced several memorable moments. For example, as someone who is a weather nerd, I’ve always enjoyed when rookies (or anyone, really) arrives in San Antonio in the summer and is surprised by the heat. It happened with DeJuan Blair back in the day, and it happened again with Reed, who is already overwhelmed by it and appeared exasperated when told it would only get worse.

Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. is already bracing for the South Texas heat.

“The heat is different out here. That’s another heat; I don’t know if I can handle it.”

Upon being told that it gets worse:

“Everyone says that. Why does everyone say that?” pic.twitter.com/hkhzxeHyCk

— Spurs Nation (@Spurs_Nation) June 30, 2026

Sorry, Tarris, but it’s true: this is just the beginning. South Texas summers are notoriously long, hot and humid. The average high will go up another 4-5 degrees (Fahrenheit) across the next few months, and there won’t be any relief until October at the earliest. You may have experienced heat waves growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, but it didn’t have the humidity mixed in for high heat indexes, where 95 degrees can feel like 110. Down here, it’s just a way of life.

Another moment that went viral was on draft night was Reed happened to have a Spurs teddy bear with him, which he said he got when he was 8-years-old while on the phone with someone (presumably Brian Wright or Mitch Johnson).

Tarris Reed Jr had a Spurs teddy bear with him on the night he was drafted 🥹

“I was like 8 years old when this was up there.. this is crazy, it’s a blessing bro, San Antonio is my favorite.”#GoSpursGo#PorVidapic.twitter.com/DSxIB8QEo9

— Wemby Alien Era (@WembyAlienEra) June 28, 2026

It was a cute moment (plus the mix-up of hats was funny — I get that it was initially Denver that drafted him, but where did the Boston hat come from?), and he got a chance to elaborate on it his first informal media session following summer league practice yesterday.

He was at Disney World in Orlando with his family (although now he’s saying he was 12 or 13), and they visited some NBA-themed restaurant, where he played the claw machine game and just so happened to win a Spurs teddy bear. He loved it at the time since this was still during the Big Three+Kawhi era, and he happened to notice it in his room when he was preparing for pre-draft workouts a decade later. That made him think how cool playing for the Spurs would be (although he wasn’t counting on it), but his mom still brought the bear to his draft viewing party. Then, low and behold, the Spurs traded up for him. It was as if density had been telling him its plan all along.

Tarris Reed Jr talks about his Spurs teddy bear:

“We took a trip to Orlando, we went to Disney world. We stopped by a restaurant.. I ended up playing the claw machine, and somehow someway I won, I had the Spurs teddy bear.

And this is during like the peak run of you know the… https://t.co/9jEOqWNXz8pic.twitter.com/kOldYxYaef

— Wemby Alien Era (@WembyAlienEra) June 30, 2026

Reed isn’t the only player who has had his Spurs moments already. Jayden Quaintance managed to inadvertently make the entire room laugh at his introductory press conference when he said Tim Duncan was his grandfather’s favorite player, making everyone feel old. He was also seen letting his nerdy side out by trying to get Reed hooked on anime. (From David Robinson, to Duncan, Victor Wembanyama and now Quaintance, the Spurs tradition of picking nerdy big men continues.)

Jayden Quaintance says “Death Note” is the anime that can turn Tarris Reed Jr. into an anime fan

These 2 rooks are getting along quick😂 pic.twitter.com/QALFYnpila

— SpursNationSA (@SpursNation_SA) June 30, 2026

With this being the first time the Spurs weren’t in the lottery since 2019, this class’s arrival and getting around San Antonio has been a bit more subdued compared to recent years. However, they have certainly been enjoying themselves, from meeting legends to seeing the practice facility, Frost Bank Center, River Walk and more. If you want a behind-the-scenes view of all their draft night experiences, arrival and tour of San Antonio, check out this video from the Spurs. It’s sure to warm the heart (and provide some entertainment while we wait through what is proving to be a pretty boring free agency period so far, presumably while everyone waits for LeBron James to make a move).