Category: NBA

When Brayden Burries had his name called at the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, one of the people he hugged immediately afterward was Tommy Lloyd. Dressed in a tan blazer and slacks, while the rest of Burries’ family donned black, Lloyd looked like as much like a proud parent as anyone else in the room.

Burries was the first of three Wildcats drafted this week, along with Koa Peat and Jaden Bradley, while two others—Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso—signed free agent deals. All ended up in great spots in the opinion of Lloyd, who was as much in the dark about how the draft would play out as anybody.

“There’s a lot of intel flying around, sometimes you don’t know what’s true, what’s not true,” Lloyd said Friday via Zoom.

Burries went 10^th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks, while Peat was the last pick of the 1^st round and ended up getting picked by the Phoenix Suns. Bradley was a second-round pick of the Toronto Raptors, while Awaka signed a 2-way deal with the Chicago Bulls and Dell’Orso inked a deal to play for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Summer League next month.

Burries became the 18^th lottery pick in program history, third in five seasons under Lloyd. And while a few teams before Milwaukee were considering Burries it was a pretty good bet he wouldn’t have lasted much longer had the Bucks passed on him.

“There might have been a certain guy that has a lot of interest in Arizona basketball that was picking right after the Bucks,” Lloyd said, eluding to the Steve Kerr-coached Golden State Warriors, who picked 11^th and ended up taking Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.

Peat, who many draft experts thought should have returned to Arizona for his sophomore season, almost fell out of the first round before the Suns made a last-minute trade to get him. He was technically drafted by the New York Knicks, who had gotten the pick via trade from the Dallas Mavericks, but they selected Peat and then swapped him to Phoenix for three 2nd-round picks.

“We’re thankful for the Suns for choosing him in the first round,” Lloyd said. “I know they started to try to work trades for Koa a lot earlier than the 30^th pick. They really wanted him.”

Bradley, who was the 50^th selection, ironically was the only played drafted in the second round by a team that was using its own pick. All 29 other selections that round had been swapped at least once, some two or three times.

we knew who we wanted pic.twitter.com/nl4UJ4Ejvf

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 25, 2026

Lloyd said he’d thought Awaka was going to get picked by the Bulls in the 2^nd round, with the 38^th pick, but Chicago ended up trading that choice to the Indiana Pacers (who took Purdue’s Braden Smith). After that didn’t happen, though, conversations began about signing Awaka to a free agent deal that will have him split time with the Bulls and their G League team.

“He didn’t get drafted there but he ended up in a situation where I felt he was at the top of their board in the second round,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd said situation can often matter more than draft number, and he feels each of those players ended up in a place where they were both wanted and needed. Burries is going to a team that prior to the draft traded face of the franchise Giannis Antetokounmpo and thus are going in a new direction, which often means focusing on its younger players.

“It’s kind of a restart there,” Lloyd said of Milwaukee. “Brayden’s a guy that we think is ready to play in the NBA, and he ended up in a situation where they have a need.”

Lloyd believes Toronto took Bradley because they feel he can contribute immediately. Immanuel Quickley started 70 games at point guard last season, with Jamal Shead starting the other 12, but minutes should be there for Bradley.

“Jaden is a ready-to-play guy,” Lloyd said. “He impacts winning. Toronto feels like he can come in and carve out a role for him for a long time. All the success that JB’s had and will have in the future is a testament to him.”

The least likely to immediately get into the NBA as a rookie is Dell’Orso, who has no guarantees beyond playing exhibition games this summer. Lloyd doesn’t know if the Australian native plans to try and make a go of it in the G League or head overseas to carve out a career, as have so many other former UA players. Whatever Delly does, though, Lloyd expects it will be successful.

“I know this: Delly is someone I would never bet against,” he said.

I went to sleep yesterday with the Knicks having nine players on their roster, and I woke up to the news that we now have ten. S/o mi hermano Jose Alvarado.

• Jose Alvarado officially welcomed himself back to New York after declining his player option on Friday, only to reportedly sign a three-year, $14-plus million deal with the Knicks. Hooray, José!
• If you can’t wait for Knicks basketball, you’re just two waits away from enjoying it. The NBA released the 2026 Summer League schedule, with games beginning July 10 in Las Vegas. Games against the Nets, Spurs, Pistons, and Warriors are guaranteed, with the semis and the finals potential extra matchups.
• Assuming everyone sticks around, I expect all of Jack Kayil, Tyler Nickel, Pacome Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek, Mohamed Diawara and Kevin McCullar Jr. to get ample Summer League minutes. Kolek and Hukporti (maybe Mo too?) might be too much for SL players already, however, and might not even feature more than once for a few minutes of playing time. We’ll see how that goes.
• We spent the damn day covering the latest on Mitchell Robinson’s free agency and his likely exit from New York yesterday. Shouts out to everybody who posted in the comments section!
• In one of the updates I featured in the article I linked to a story published by The Athletic’s Fred Katz on Friday afternoon which shed some very serious and bright light on the second-apron saga. Katz reports that the front office wants to exceed the second apron to keep the championship roster together, but James Dolan still prefers staying below it.

“The Knicks’ front office understands that dipping below the second apron would lead to much of its depth flocking elsewhere, which is why, despite Dolan’s desires, it wants to go over the second apron, according to league sources, who were granted anonymity to speak freely. But so far, Dolan has not changed his mind.”

• Katz’s point is pretty simple. If the Knicks don’t spend, they’ll lose the depth that brought them the championship with almost no realistic way of replacing it. It’s probably the strongest case yet for simply paying the bill, and I think most fans (although nearly all of us are far from understanding all details about the CBA as Leon does) agree.
• Guerschon Yabusele keeps talking about his brief time with the Knicks. What I found most interesting and stressful at the same time was his comment about being offered the exact same deal by the Denver Nuggets, only for him to choose New York. Remember who (virtually) went the other way in the Jose Alvarado trade? Yeah, you guessed it right. Scary thoughts.
• Joseph Antonio Cartagena dropped a new track with Yung Miami and Jadakiss titled “Victory Lap,” with the clip filmed at the parade.
• One of the cooler Knicks-related reads I found today came from ClutchPoints, where hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash talked about finally seeing the Knicks win another title after waiting more than five decades for it. Born in 1958, the renowned DJ saw both the 1970 and 1973 titles and patiently waited for the third one. A sample:

“(Jalen Brunson) talks very low. If you’re sitting next to him and you don’t say nothing, he ain’t saying nothing to you. He’s very prolific if he knows how to write. Brunson and Rakim are almost the same. They’re not s–t poppers. They’re not braggadocious. It’s just I am who I am. When Brunson has a ball in his hands, when Rakim has a mic in his hands, it’s like, okay. Very dangerous, very dangerous, but very quiet.”

• Kevin Durant weighed in on the Knicks’ championship, although he couldn’t resist adding a little jab. Alas.
• Around the NBA, Jaylen Brown rumors keep escalating. Shams Charania says Boston has asked some teams for at least four first-round picks, while every insider seems increasingly convinced Brown eventually gets moved. Marc Stein says the Blazers are “actively pursuing” Brown.
• The Kings included a “make the NBA Finals” guarantee on DeMar DeRozan’s contract. The Kings are also expected to waive-and-stretch his deal. Not even sure what to make of this whole thing.
• Elsewhere in the rumor mill, LeBron James’ future looks murkier than ever, with Jake Fischer saying there are people around the league who believe leaving the Lakers may now be more likely than staying. Shams says the Lakers haven’t offered anything to LBJ for now, with FA kicking off in less than a week.
• Meanwhile, Dan Gilbert discussed Comic Sans.

I keep banging updates on the Mitchell Robinson post as I get them, so don’t hesitate to bring them to my attention in the comments section so everybody can read them. Go outside, sunbathe, take some fresh air, enjoy the day.

Mets: last in their division, six-game losing streak, just fired their manager

Mr. Met: 🕺 pic.twitter.com/fvctlGtKw9

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 26, 2026

We’ve said for a long time that it’s probably better to be drafted later by a team with a great culture than it is to be taken earlier by a team with a lesser culture.

So we were really excited for Maliq Brown when the former Blue Devil was taken by San Antonio in the second round of this week’s NBA Draft, because he’s with perhaps the best-managed franchise in the modern NBA.

This article from The Sporting News suggests that Brown was “speechless” to see Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili show up at the Spurs’ facility after the draft.

But that’s almost certainly Brown being polite, because that’s very much how Duke works, too.

This week, Cooper Flagg was in town to get some runs in. Jayson Tatum is Chief Basketball Officer. Quinn Cook, Nolan Smith, Jahlil Okafor and Carlos Boozer, former champions all, were in town during the Coach K Fantasy Camp. Former players are in the stands at every home game. Jay Bilas stops by to talk to the team every so often.

For a lot of rookies, having guys like Duncan and Ginobili around would be mind-blowing, but for Brown? Pretty cool, but it also makes perfect sense. It’s probably familiar.

It reminds us of something Shane Battier said during his senior year. Duke had briefly fallen out of first place, and for virtually all of his time as a Blue Devil, Battier had been on teams that were at the top of the standings.

So when a reporter asked him what it was like to be back in first, Battier just smiled and said one word.

“Normal.”

It’s not at most places, but for the Blue Devils and the Spurs, normal is different. Brown should feel right at home.

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Welcome back to the Butterfly Effect- kind of…

So far we have discussed the Anfernee Hardaway and Stephon Marbury trade to the Knicks that cleared up the cap space to acquire Steve Nash and Steve Nash’s departure to the Lakers.

This time, we aren’t quite done with Nash-adjacent topics, though we are getting a little further away from him. This week, I want to discuss Mikal Bridges. As we already discussed, the pick that became Mikal came to the Suns in the Nash to LA trade:

July 11, 2012 – The Inception

Phoenix Suns Trade:

• Steve Nash

Los Angeles Lakers Trade:

• 2013 1st round pick (Nemanja Nedovic)
• 2018 1st round pick (Mikal Bridges)
• 2013 2nd round pick (Alex Oriakhi)
• 2014 2nd round pick (Johnny O’Bryant)

The Mikal Bridges pick would go on to be traded on February 19th, 2015 to the Philadelphia 76ers in a three team trade for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Knight.

Now, so far we have been trying to pull the total on-court value from the trades the Suns have made to see if they have been worthwhile or not. This week, I want to do something different. This week, I want to take the excuse to make a quick journey through the entire career of one of my all time favorite Suns and NBA Champion, Mikal Bridges. 

So, we are ditching the rules of the Butterfly Effect for a week. Let’s talk about the trades and performances of Mikal’s career and their impact on the Phoenix Suns.

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June 21st, 2018 – The Hometown Hero, Draft Night

The child of a single mom, Philadelphia native Mikal Bridges sits in the green room during the NBA draft. The Ringer has him rated as the 10th best prospect in the draft. Sports Illustrated and ESPN both have him mocked to go 10th in the draft. It seems everyone is in agreement. The 10th pick in the draft should be Mikal Bridges.

And what a perfect fit that would be. Because the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft is owned by none other than Bridges’ hometown Philadelphia 76ers.

Now, the 76ers don’t need Mikal Bridges. They are coming off of a 52-win 2018 campaign that saw Dario Saric and Robert Covington play well as the forward duo in between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. In fact, only Simmons played more games than this duo for the 76ers this season.

Covington was especially impactful, coming 8th in Defensive Player of the Year voting and making All-Defense 1st team in 2018. He had fully ascended to the title of superstar-role-player.

In some ways, Mikal Bridges may be redundant on this roster. In the Ringer’s 2018 draft guide, their number one comparison for him was in fact Robert Covington.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Bridges is currently one of Philadelphia’s favorite sons.

Just two months before, Mikal was the second leading scorer in the NCAA national championship game. He, alongside other future NBA players Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall, and Collin Gillespie, beat the University of Michigan 79-62. No weak feat, considering that Michigan team sported a few future NBA players as well, including future Phoenix Sun Isaiah Livers.

Bridges, of course, accomplished this great victory at Philadelphia’s own Villanova University.

While Bridges likely isn’t destined to be an MVP and therefore doesn’t have Derrick Rose to Chicago or LeBron James to Cleveland levels of hometown hero aura about him, he is still a Philadelphia champion, and is available when the 76ers are on the clock at pick #10.

And they do select him.

Bridges and his mother celebrated in the green room. Her son was going to be staying in their hometown. Mikal’s mother, by the way, worked in the Philadelphia 76ers human resources department. The connections to Philadelphia seemed never ending.

Mikal Bridges mom talking about she's excited that her son is going to play for the Sixers where she works…..he gets traded to Phoenix about 10 minutes later…Cold world pic.twitter.com/3puYQQcfFq

— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) June 22, 2018

But, Mikal would not be staying home, he would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Zhaire Smith and a 2021 first round draft pick. If you’re curious, that pick ended up becoming Tre Mann.

Mikal presented a professional face to the disappointment of being shipped out by his hometown team.

LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN !!! @Suns

— Mikal Bridges (@mikal_bridges) June 22, 2018

Years later on Andre Iguodala’s Point Forward podcast, Mikal was a little more honest about how he felt on draft night.

“I was pissed off. I couldn’t control my emotions. After everyone went out, I’m in my hotel room, like, f**k this.” 

But, Mikal did come to Phoenix. Despite later saying that Booker was just about the only thing he knew about the Suns, Mikal packed up and headed for the Valley, where he would become a fan favorite.

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2019-2023 – The Warden

Mikal made a home for himself in the Suns organization. In his rookie season, he averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists per game. His sophomore season wasn’t much more impressive, though it did come with an increase in efficiency.

In his third season in the NBA, 2020-2021, Bridges began to pop. Increasing his scoring to 13 points per game and continuing to be a great defender, he helped lead the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals as a key starter.

A proven winner and true iron-man, Bridges played all 22 playoff games for the Suns that year. He was key in the Suns game two victory over the Bucks in the NBA Finals, scoring 27 points alongside Devin Booker’s 31 to take a 2-0 lead.

It’s hard to overstate how much Mikal Bridges was loved in Phoenix. There were times where Suns Twitter and Reddit were filled with people posting nothing but his name in awe of a great play here or there.

While I can’t find the original tweet from the turn of the decade, The Timeline Podcast’s Mike Vigil returned to the trend during this year’s Finals.

Mikal Bridges.

— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) June 6, 2026

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2023-2024 – The Centerpiece

When Mikal Bridges was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as the centerpiece (along with Cam Johnson and every pick known or unknown to man) of the Kevin Durant trade, he was averaging 17 points per game and coming off of a 2021-2022 season where he came in second in the DPOY race.

Many fans were excited about Durant coming to Phoenix. Every fan was sad to see Bridges leave.

In Brooklyn, Mikal shined. He averaged 21 points per game in his two years on the Nets on solid, though lower than normal, efficiency. He wasn’t a superstar. He was a very talented guy playing in a role that he didn’t belong in and still doing well.

While I, and most every Suns fan, was happy to see him do so well on the east coast, the failures of the Suns in the Durant era led to a lot of buyers’ remorse.

It always felt like Mikal belonged in Phoenix in a way that was never true of Kevin Durant.

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2025-2026 – The Champion

In July of 2024, the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for four unprotected first round picks, one protected first round pick, a first-round pick swap, a second round pick, and some salary filler. 

It was a gross overpay. One made worse, in my mind, by how many picks the Nets got when they traded for Bridges.

If you count the first round picks that the Nets got for KD, as well as the first round picks that the Nets got when they traded away Bridges and Johnson, who came over in the KD deal, you count up eleven first round draft picks. The Nets traded away Kevin Durant and received back eleven first round draft picks by the time it was all said and done.

But, the deal was done. Mikal Bridges would join former Villanova teammates Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart. The ‘Nova Knicks were born.

Fast forward to today, and those ‘Nova Knicks are champions (except for DiVincenzo, who has spent the last couple of seasons in Minnesota).

Now, I have never cared for the big cities on the coasts. I love rooting against anything Los Angeles or New York. But, I couldn’t help but root for the Knicks during these playoffs once the Suns were eliminated. I wanted to see Mikal achieve what the Suns should have in 2021.

And he did.

Mikal Bridges has been many things in his career. The hometown hero, the warden, the centerpiece, and now the champion. To me, he will always be an all-time favorite.

For San Antonio Spurs fans (and anyone born in the last millennium) George Gervin is the undisputed “Iceman.” Don’t even get me started on Top Gun…

Chicago Bear quarterback Caleb Williams has also been dubbed “Iceman” for his clutch delivery and calm demeanor. Unfortunately for Williams, the nickname was not available. The QB, undeterred, filed for trademark rights to the name “Iceman” as part of his clothing line.

His first attempt to procure the moniker has failed.

Caleb Williams’ application to trademark “Iceman” has been initially refused by the USPTO.

Ironically, the biggest obstacle wasn’t George Gervin himself. It was a trademark for “Iceman” insulated boots that’s been on the books since 1988.

Because Williams sought protection for… https://t.co/hfiY2meUsapic.twitter.com/7lyQmXvxTq

— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) June 25, 2026

Ironically, it wasn’t George Gervin who blocked him. As it turns out, Gervin has never trademarked the name. “Iceman” was unavailable due to an insulated boot company that’s had the rights since 1988.

Williams can, and will likely, appeal as his clothing line has been aligned with his use of the handle.

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For those of you interested in a Pounding the Rock Summer Book Club (or PTRSBC), I have purchased a copy of Seth Partnow’s The Midrange Theory. I am also simultaneously reading Expensive Basketball by Shea Serrano. For those interested in a Zoom-style meeting, let’s discuss days and times that work. I’m in CST, so let’ds use that as a base. Once we lock in day/time, I’ll share my email for anyone who wants to be added.

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Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

Let’s be real. 

The Lakers need LeBron James. And he needs them. 

Why is this taking so long?

There’s no better free agent on the market than James, who pretty much single-handedly carried the Lakers past the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

Of all the stars on the team, it was the 41-year-old whose body was healthy come playoff time. While Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were sidelined with injuries, James led the team to a 3-0 series lead over Houston. He’s still a superstar. He still has unparalleled durability. 

How many playoff games has James missed over his 23-year tenure in the NBA?

Zero. 

It’s shocking. But James is as reliable as they come, even as the oldest player in the league. 

James embodies a lot of things the Lakers lack on their current roster, headlined by Doncic and Reaves. 

He’s a big body. He has championship experience. He can impact things on the defensive end. And above all else, he can be counted on during the postseason, something invaluable to a franchise that has won 17 championships and considers anything short of a title as a failure. 

As for James, he’s not going to find a better situation than the Lakers. 

He wants a chance to win his fifth title. There was proof in concept of how successful the trio of James, Doncic and Reaves could be in March, when they went 15-2 and looked like one of the NBA’s best teams. Who knows how far they could’ve gone during the postseason had they all remained healthy. 

He doesn’t want to leave his family. He wants to be able to attend as many of his 11-year-old daughter’s volleyball games as possible. He wants to play alongside his son, Bronny, who has a partially guaranteed contract with the Lakers next season. 

And during his free time he wants to play golf, his latest obsession since turning 40. That pretty much eliminates Cleveland, which is a frozen tundra for much of the year. 

It’s hard to imagine he’d want to start over with new teammates and a new coach in the sunset of his career, even though as you may have read in this column, him teaming up with Steph Curry on the Warriors would be thrilling and him returning to the Cavaliers would put a neat bow on his illustrious career. James cares about narratives. He has been with the Lakers for eight seasons, the longest consecutive stretch he has been with any franchise. A new start at this point seems unlikely. 

Things might not be all sunsets and rainbows between James and the Lakers. He may have felt disrespected as they’ve shifted to making Doncic their priority. He may have been stunned when he was asked to be the team’s third option, knowing that he could be No. 1 or No. 2 on many teams around the league. Things may be a bit stilted between a franchise that’s firmly focused on its future instead of James, who has been the sun for two decades.

But the Lakers need James. And he needs them. 

He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists last season. He’s still him. 

And of all of the destinations that would make sense for him, the Lakers could pay him the most. They have about $50 million in cap space. They could offer James, say, something in the ballpark of $25 million to $35 million and still have room to build out their roster. 

Yes, James would have to take a significant pay cut from the $52.6 million he made last season. Yes, he still plays like a maximum contract player. But he’s not going to command that type of money anywhere he’d want to go. 

As currently constructed, the Warriors could only pay him the $15.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Cavaliers have even less money on their books, something in the ballpark of around $4 million unless they make some major moves, according to ESPN. 

James and the Lakers both need to just rip the Band-Aid off. They’re not going to do better than each other. The sooner they work out a deal, the quicker general manager Rob Pelinka will be able to build out a competitive roster around the team’s stars. 

If they drag their feet, it’s only going to hinder both of them. It could mean the Lakers are forced to act as though James isn’t returning, and they could potentially have even less money to offer him later in the summer. It could mean that James gets fed up and takes his talents elsewhere. It could mean both parties are worse off.

The bottom line is this might not be the perfect marriage. But it’s the one that makes the most sense. 

The Lakers are better with James. 

And for what he prioritizes, he’s not going to find a better situation.

Big Blue Nation was ecstatic when Malachi Moreno announced his withdrawal from the NBA Draft and his subsequent decision to come back to Kentucky Basketball for his sophomore season.

It was a big decision, giving Kentucky a formidable player in their frontcourt and a player Mark Pope thinks could be among the best centers in the country.

“One day we got some of the feedback, and we were like it might be in our best favor to go back and really improve this next year and become, like Pope said, the best center in America,” Moreno recently said when discussing the NBA Draft process.

“Become the best All-American center in the country. I think next year is my year.”

Malachi Moreno says it was a "difficult decision" to come out of the NBA draft, but he came back to Kentucky to be the best big man in country and get better for next year #BBN@FOX56Newspic.twitter.com/bfAu1jDwSx

— Connor Sturgill (@SturgillSports) June 18, 2026

Moreno added that it was a difficult decision. Fans may not realize how happy they are that Moreno is coming back. But this is a player who aspires to be a professional basketball player and may have thought he had a realistic chance at making that dream a reality this year.

That’s not to say he’s not happy to be at Kentucky, but rather that he still has dreams of playing in the NBA.

A member of the SEC’s All-Freshman Team in 2025-26, Moreno averaged 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in his Freshman season. Moreno shot 58.2% from the floor and 69.8% from the free-throw line.

Moreno’s most memorable moment was his buzzer-beater against LSU in mid-January that likely saved the Wildcats’ season early on in SEC play.

Earlier this week, we asked Cleveland Cavaliers fans to grade the James Harden-for-Darius Garland swap after we’ve seen how the Harden-led Cavs looked in the playoffs. Back in February, fans gave the trade an A grade. This time around, they weren’t as generous.

The survey was pretty split as to what grade to give Harden. The consensus was a C. Only 10% gave the grade an A, which is 52% lower than it was in February.

Understandably, opinions on the Harden trade have soured.

The Cavs saw a wide-open Eastern Conference back in the winter and pushed their chips in with a win-now move. That deal allowed the Cavs to advance further in the playoffs than they have at any point with this core. But it didn’t solve the fundamental issues at the top of the roster as seen in their one-sided loss at the hands of the New York Knicks.

This fall, the Cavs will be entering a new season in a much less wide-open conference. The Indiana Pacers should be a factor again with the return of Tyrese Haliburton. The Miami Heat have entered the fray after the addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo. And young teams like the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and Charlotte Hornets should be better next season.

This new reality is reflected in the odds.

According to FanDuel, Cleveland has the sixth-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +1500. They have the 11th-highest odds to win the NBA Finals at +4000.

We’ll see how the roster looks by the time training camp opens up in a few months. There’s a good chance it looks drastically different. However, at this point, it’s understandable to be more down on this trade. The Cavs sacrificed some of their long-term stability for a win-now move, and are currently not in a fantastic position to win now as presently constructed.

The NBA hasn’t always been what it is today. In the earliest days, it was kind of cobbled together, and some guys turned down contracts because they had better offers from other employers.

No one made $100,000 a year before Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1965 (Bill Russell immediately asked Boston to pay him $100,001).

Transportation was not what it is today, either. No one flew charter, and the planes in the 1950s and 1960s were not all up to date, and even if they were, they were not what they are today. Nothing was computerized, for instance, and weather reporting was not what we expect today.

Winston-Salem native Tommy Hawkins, who started his career with the Minneapolis Lakers, underscores that with this story of a flight gone wrong. He tells the story calmly, but it’s hard not to think of Buddy Holly’s last trip.

In this case, they were fortunate enough to land in a cornfield rather than crash in one, but modern-day NBA players have no idea what their predecessors went through to build the league into a global powerhouse.

Isaiah Hartenstein isn’t going anywhere.

Hartenstein is returning to the Thunder on a three-year, $75 million deal, with a rare mutual option after the 2027-28 season, ESPN reported Friday night.

The contract also has a 15 percent trade kicker, according to ESPN.

The Thunder had a big decision to make in settling their frontcourt, and they’ve locked down their man in the middle, which wasn’t always a guarantee heading into the season.

Hartenstein, who turned 28 in May, was initially signed following the 2023-24 season, in which he played for the Knicks, and immediately contributed to what became an NBA championship Oklahoma City team in 2025.

Hartenstein will continue to hold down the frontcourt with the talented but maligned Chet Holmgren.

It’s worth noting that, in the frontcourt, the Thunder are welcoming 7-foot-3 rookie Aday Mara, selected No. 12 overall in this week’s NBA draft out of Michigan, as well as 2025 No. 15 overall pick Thomas Sorber, who sat out all of last season with a torn ACL.

Jaylin Williams, who became key during the Thunder’s loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, is also expected to play a meaningful role in OKC at the forward and center positions.

This, of course, is all pending any sizable transactions over the next few months.

Hartenstein averaged 11.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 2024-25, which dropped to Hartenstein 9.2, 9.4 and 3.5 this past season, which was in part due to a drop in three minutes per game.

In the playoffs, however, his production jumped from 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest in 2024-25 to 9.1, 8.3 and 2.6 this past run.

The Thunder, who are still a second-apron team following this move, could look to make another cost-cutting measure.

The team has already traded multiple solid rotation pieces in Isaiah Joe, a knockdown 3-point shooter, and Aaron Wiggins, a regular season contributor whose minutes were muted in the playoffs, to the Pistons and Hawks, respectively, each for two second-round picks.

It’s possible that the team will maneuver either or both of Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams this offseason as well, in an effort to save money and scoot under the second apron.

It might cost a fortune to trade for Jaylen Brown. 

On ESPN’s “Get Up” Friday morning, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed the Celtics may be asking some teams for several first-round picks for the star who’s been constantly in trade rumors the last few weeks. 

“My understanding is that in some cases the Celtics have asked for at least four first-round picks for Jaylen Brown,” Charania said. “Where does that put him as far as his value? This is a Boston team that’s been contending in the Eastern Conference and their potential ask for some teams is a package of picks and players.”

“How have they reimagined this roster moving forward? Their finances, their viability as a contender in the Eastern Conference. I do think as of right now, time will tell which side will bring the emergence to this matter this offseason,” he added. 

While the Heat ultimately won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes by acquiring him via trade, the Celtics went all-out in their pursuit of acquiring him, reportedly offering Brown and multiple first-round picks. 

As Brown’s name continues floating around in trade rumors, Celtics general manager Brad Stevens remained noncommittal on what’s to come for the star and said he “can’t predict the future”. 

“As you know, we try to keep things as close to the vest and quiet as possible, and at the same time, knowing that the rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there’s going to be a lot of noise out there, that’s why you meet and be upfront as possible,” Stevens told reporters when asked about Brown. 

Though Antetokounmpo was traded for a package that included Tyler Herro and three first-round picks Monday, there have still been trades involving four or more first-rounders recently — like the Knicks trading five for Mikal Bridges in 2024. 

Despite the Celtics blowing a 3-1 loss to the 76ers in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, Brown was pivotal to their regular season success, averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game. 

Brown was the Celtics’ No. 1 option most of the season with Jayson Tatum injured, and he called the season his “favorite year of my basketball career”. 

The 29-year-old has three years left on his five-year contract, and he has averaged over 20 points per game every season since 2019-20.

Kevon Looney, a three-time NBA champion and forever Golden State Warrior, will have to find a new home next season.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, the New Orleans Pelicans have chosen to decline Looney’s $8 million team option, making him an unrestricted free agent.

New Orleans Pelicans are expected to decline the $8M team option on veteran center Kevon Looney, making the 3-time NBA champ an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/U45QTgHWKy

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 27, 2026

Looney’s tenure with the Pelicans was highly limited, playing only 21 games due to injury. The veteran experience and poise that he was expected to provide was ultimately limited.

The Warriors chose to move on from Looney in order to prioritize size and shooting at the center position, a somewhat tough pill to swallow considering Looney’s stature within the organization. So far, that decision is proving to be correct.

Oklahoma City is not letting its big man get away.

Isaiah Hartenstein intends to sign a new three-year deal to stay with the Thunder through 2028-29, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Friday night. With what he has already made in Oklahoma City, the commitment reaches five years and $134 million guaranteed.

The Thunder had possessed a $28.5 million team option for Hartenstein next season, but he now takes a new multiyear deal at a lower yearly number. That matters in Oklahoma City right now. The Thunder are staring at a brutal tax bill once the max extensions for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams land, and spreading Hartenstein's money over more years is how they keep the band together without paying a record-setting penalty.

The Thunder are still looking at one of the most expensive rosters in the league.

The Thunder signed Hartenstein in the summer of 2024 to a three-year, $87 million contract, and people thought it was an overpay. But he gave Oklahoma City a center who rebounds, protects the rim and can pass, and the Thunder won the franchise's first championship in Oklahoma City in 2025.

This spring, Hartenstein made San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in the Western Conference finals work hard before the Thunder fell in Game 7. He averaged 9.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season.

The 28-year-old German was taken 43rd in the 2017 draft. Free agency begins June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are the Thunder re-signing Isaiah Hartenstein through 2028-29?