Conversations between the Bulls and head coach Billy Donovan regarding an extension began during the season and were well underway before the New York Knicks called to express interest and request permission to speak with Donovan. Chicago shot down New York, but for Donovan's camp, it never hurts negotiations to have other teams calling about the coach.
Donovan has a 195-205 record across five seasons coaching the Bulls, and he led them to the playoffs once (a first-round exit at the hands of the Bucks in 2022). The past three seasons, the Bulls have not advanced past the play-in tournament.
That record would have a lot of coaches polishing their resumes and looking for a new gig, but two things are different with Donovan. First, ownership in Chicago likes the current power structure and has recently extended the contracts of executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley — the entire management team is locked in.
Second, how much of that record is on Donovan, and how much should be on Karnisovas and Eversley for the rosters given the coach? Donovan was given a roster that, for much of the past five years, was built around DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic, with the front office also making a big bet on Patrick Williams. You get what you pay for, and Donovan did as well with this as could be expected.
DeRozan and LaVine are gone, and the Bulls are betting Donovan is the coach to help them transition to what's next. Last season, Donovan attempted to change things up, pushing for a faster tempo, which worked with the arrival of Josh Giddey (who is at his best in open space). Chicago now has to work out its long-term contract with Giddey, although that will get done before the season starts.
Whatever the Bulls are going to look like in a couple of years, we know who their coach will be.
Predicting what 41-year-old LeBron James will want to do a year from now is a fool's errand. Even one of basketball insider Marc Stein’s sources tried to convey the same sentiment in kinder words when discussing LeBron's future: "It all really depends on how this coming season goes."
But what about the season after that, a 24th LeBon season where he turns 42? Stein speculated about that in his Saturday Substack missive.
I believe that, by saying what I just said in the previous paragraph, it means that I expect him to retire in a uniform that isn't purple and gold. It's pretty clear at this juncture that the Lakers have launched the Luka Dončić Era. It certainly appears as though they are approaching the 2025-26 season as LeBron's last in Tinseltown. If James doesn't want retirement forced upon him, as one suspects, that almost certainly means he would have to find a new team next summer...
I believe that the Warriors, who have shown an interest in acquiring James dating to the February 2024 trade deadline some 18 months ago, will remain in the mix if James ever does reach the point that he's looking for a last hurrah elsewhere.
Then there are the Dallas rumors, about LeBron wanting to team up again with two people he won a title with in Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks might be interested, but not in a trade that guts the roster, Stein said.
While there is a fascination with where LeBron might play next, this comment sums up the vibe NBC Sports has gotten when discussing this around the league: LeBron is a fun parlor game, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is the player teams are really watching closely.
I believe that Giannis Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee... still holds far greater behind-closed-doors interest among rival teams than the ongoing chatter about how much longer James is A) likely to play and/or B) be a Laker.
The Knicks have been trying to find assistant coaches to help new head coach Mike Brown in his first season in New York and it appears another name is off the board.
SNY's Ian Begley reported that Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni is staying in Minnesota. The news comes a few days after New York received permission to interview Prigioni for a role on Brown's staff.
With Prigioni no longer available, the Knicks are quickly switching gears and have their radar on a new candidate: Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Brendan O'Connor, per Begley.
O’Connor has a strong defensive acumen while working for the Clippers under head coaches Ty Lue and Doc Rivers.
The Knicks had previously targeted New Orleans Pelicans’ James Borrego and Dallas Mavericks’ Jay Triano before Prigioni, as well as others, for the assistant position under Brown.
They will presumably continue to look for an assistant to help on offense, even if they add O’Connor to help guide the defense.
In recent interviews, Lillard spoke about all of it. When discussing his tenure with the Bucks, injuries were the main topic — Antetokounmpo missing Lillard's first playoffs with the team, then this year with his Achilles — with Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"I think you gotta be a little bit lucky to win big. You gotta be healthy and you gotta be playing your best at the right time and I think we just had bad luck."
He also talked about loving the experience of playing alongside Antetokounmpo, despite some criticism of his production and play.
"But I think Giannis and I, we was the highest-scoring duo during that time. We won a [NBA] Cup. I think a lot of people for me personally was like, we want to see Dame do this and Dame do that, but I'm playing with a 30-plus point per game scorer, a guy who plays with the ball in his hands the same way I've done my whole career. He's aggressive and attacking and I still managed to score 25 points per game and seven assists over my two years pretty much. So I think it's kind of unfair how people was like Dame (isn't the same) because of the way I played in Portland. I had the ball all the time, so it just looked different. But I think for how productive I actually was I think it's been viewed unfairly."
"Just knowing that I'm going to be back home for all parts of my life, with my kids, playing for the Trail Blazers, driving on the same streets that I've driven on pretty much my entire adulthood, my whole family being here, my mom, my brother, my sisters, all my friends around the city of Portland," he said. "All of those things count. I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon."
It did. He is going to spend this season more as an assistant coach working with young guards like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara. He will join them in the rotation in a year.
Warriors superstar Steph Curry has no shortage of jaw-dropping, clutch shots throughout his illustrious basketball career.
But when he looks back on it and reflects, one shot in particular stands out over the others.
“From my eyes, it’s the shot against Gonzaga when I was at Davidson,” Curry told Complex’s Speedy Mormon in a recent interview. “Everybody has these moments where if things went a different way, in that moment, your life could go a different path. I really feel like that was a difference maker in terms of not just that run that we had, because that was the first round, it was a tie game with just under a minute left. Andrew Lovedale, my big man at Davidson, got the biggest offensive rebound and it was like slow-motion.
“He got the rebound, pawed it with one hand, threw it to me. I made it and we go up three. That just started to snowball of what that tournament run was. And then your stardom kind of goes up a little bit and you carry that confidence. Not to say I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out had we lost that game, but that was a big moment that had that shot not gone down, who knows how it would’ve played out.”
The game Curry is referring to took place on March 21, 2008, when Curry dropped 40 points to help his No. 10-seeded Wildcats defeat the No. 7-seeded Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Curry shot 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) from the field and 8 of 10 (80 percent) from 3-point range, with three rebounds, two assists and five steals in 39 minutes.
While he was hot from beyond the arc, it was the trey he took with just over a minute remaining that forever will be engraved in his memory. The triple gave Davidson a 77-74 advantage and forced Gonzaga to call a timeout; the Bulldogs never recovered and ultimately fell 82-76.
Curry then led the Wildcats to upset No. 2 seed Georgetown in the second round and No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. Their Cinderella run finally ended against the No. 1 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight, as Curry and Davidson were just one win away from the Final Four.
“I think about that stuff a lot,” Curry told Mormon. “My faith is a big part of who I am. There’s no real rhyme or reason; stuff happens and you’re always grateful and thankful and trying to find the purpose of it. That’s a moment that was in my formative years where you fantasize had this gone a different way.”
It is all part of the butterfly effect, and Curry — and Dub Nation — surely is happy with how things turned out.
The Warriors superstar sat down with Complex’s Speedy Mormon during a recent interview to unveil his answer.
“The greatest team I’ve played on, which is kind of weird to say, it’s a tie between the ’15, ’16 [Warriors] team and the ’16, ’17 team, for different reasons,” Curry said. “The chemistry, the placement of roles, everybody had a specific job to do out there on the court, we had the highest of skill, we had the highest of IQs, we had the highest of athleticism, good coaching, everything.
But in 2016, one major asset was added to those legacy years. The addition of 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant. Together, they won two championships with the teams Curry views as the best he’s been a part of.
The Warriors’ 2016-17 and 2017-18 teams consisted of key contributors such as Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, Zaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Jordan Bell and Nick Young and others.
Curry also considered another team as which some might view as the greatest assembly of talent: The 2024 USA Team, which won gold at the Paris Summer Olympics.
“That’s the greatest collection of talent,” Curry said. “The ’24 Olympic team, when you talk about the Dream Team, it’s hard to find a collection of guys with the resumes in their prime and the up-and-comers. It just all fit.”
Restricted free agency is a state of limbo that players try desperately to avoid, as the rules are heavily tilted in favor of the teams. This year, in particular, is tough because there were so few teams with cap space, meaning the player had even less leverage. If you need proof, the cases of the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga and the Nets’ Cam Thomas are perfect examples of how a player can get stuck in restricted free agency.
In the end, the smart money is on Kuminga and Thomas returning to play for their current teams, which could create an awkward dynamic. In both cases, it would be for considerably less money than they think they deserve, and on shorter contracts that could help facilitate a trade.
There have been updates on both in recent days, here is where things stand.
Jonathan Kuminga
The pace of talks around the Warriors forward has picked up, but that doesn't mean the sides are closer to a deal. While Warriors' general manager Mike Dunleavy made what the team considered a fair offer, Kuminga told ESPN’s Anthony Slater that the offers the Warriors have made do not come close to what he is seeking.
But Kuminga hasn't found anything they presented appealing, he said, so the drawn-out negotiations will remain motionless, likely keeping the Warriors' other offseason business on pause. They are the only NBA team not to sign or trade for a player this summer.
There are two reasons why Kuminga is stalled: money and role. On the money side, Kuminga is reportedly seeking a contract in the $30 million a season range, while the Warriors are offering shorter deals, two or three years, in the low $20 million a season range. That's a huge gap.
The other part is the role. Kuminga wants a larger one, to have the ball in his hands more, something he has not consistently had under Steve Kerr in Golden State (even after stretches where he has played well).
Draymond: "They can't f****** stop you!"
Kuminga tied Chris Mullin's franchise record for most shots made without a miss: 25 PTS (11/11 FG), 9 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK in 29 MINS
That's why the original hope for both sides had been to find a sign-and-trade deal that would get Kuminga to a new situation and the Warriors a first-round pick and a player — except that trade was not out there. Phoenix remains interested and could offer Kuminga a larger role, but they lack a first-round pick to trade and are not exactly deep with talent they want to move anymore. Slater summed it up this way at ESPN.
"Kuminga is in search of a more guaranteed, consistent starting role and featured opportunity, sources said. That's something the Suns and Kings have pitched. Kuminga would be a significant part of the Warriors' rotation to open next season, and they'd need his supplementary scoring on nights when Steph Curry, 37, or Jimmy Butler, 35, rest. That's something coach Steve Kerr has told Kuminga in recent weeks... But Kuminga no longer wants to be a secondary option or a fallback plan, fearing a minimization in important moments."
In the end, the most likely outcome is Kuminga signing a two-year, $45-50ish million contract — then Kerr has to showcase Kuminga, even if Curry and Butler are healthy. The Warriors will need that added shot creation with their current roster, but it also showcases Kuminga as a potential trade asset at the deadline or next summer.
For now, with the NBA season almost three months away from starting, there is no pressure to finalize a deal quickly. So the stalemate continues.
Cam Thomas
Cam Thomas is a bucket getter — 24 points a game last season when healthy, shot 34.9% from 3, and is a guy who draws doubles — and he wants to be paid like an elite scorer.
The Nets don't see it that way, and so the sides are at a stalemate. Thomas is hoping for a contract that averages more than $20 million per season, but the Nets have not offered anything exceeding $14 million per season, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
"I have not heard that Brooklyn has offered Cam Thomas anything further than a two-year deal with a team option on the second (year) that I don't believe is going much north – if north at all – of the $14.1 million mid-level exception…
"Cam Thomas thinks of himself as one of the most elite play-maker scorers in the NBA, and he wants to be compensated as such… I definitely believes he wants north of $20 (million per year)."
Where the disconnect lies in Thomas' value concerns his level of efficiency in getting buckets and his defense, rather than anything else — teams think he is a one-trick pony, even if it's a really good trick. Thomas got mad at The Ringer’s Zach Lowe when he said the league consensus on Thomas was that of an "empty calorie ball hog." Thomas should not like that, but it doesn't mean Lowe is wrong — that absolutely is the perception of Thomas, fair or not. Thomas said in his defense, "This is most likely the same consensus teams who can't guard me and send double teams from jump ball . Why are we double teaming a guy who's 'not that good' make it make sense please." While nobody is saying Thomas is 'not that good,' the reason teams send doubles is that they don't fear him passing out of it and making the defense scramble (there also isn't a lot of other shot creation on the Brooklyn roster).
There is real value for Thomas around the league, but he needs to get out of Brooklyn, and right now, there is no trade that gets him to someone who will pay him. Expect the sides to settle on a two-year contract, one that (much like Kuminga) is very tradable at the deadline or next summer, to get Thomas somewhere he wants to be.
The 23-year-old wing first joined the Sixers as an undrafted free agent in 2023, signing a two-way contract. He had several impressive performances his rookie season that displayed immense athleticism and confidence.
Remarkably, Council led the injury-ravaged Sixers last year with 73 games played.
However, he only averaged 17.1 minutes and made two G League appearances for the Delaware Blue Coats. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was publicly critical at times of Council’s play, including his rebounding.
“That’s really his forte, to play in the open floor,” Nurse said on Jan. 9. “We certainly are trying to encourage that from him. The biggest concern I have on that, however, is he’s got to get the rebound to do it. My big emphasis point for him and one of the things he needs to do more and better is rebound on both ends.
“He can jump, he’s quick, he’s athletic, and that makeup should result in some more rebounding at both ends for him. Really trying to get him to get on the glass more so he can do more of that.”
Council’s shot selection and overall decline as a jump shooter were clear issues. He went 38.2 percent from the floor and 25.8 percent from three-point range last year.
After waiving Council, the Sixers are at 13 standard contracts, which is two below the maximum. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters about two weeks ago that the team hopes to “work things out” with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. Hunter Sallis, Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker currently fill the Sixers’ three two-way contract slots.
Kings star DeMar DeRozan led the NBA’s rotation players with 34.3 percent of his 22.2 points per game coming from the mid-range during the 2024-25 season. That is no surprise to anyone who has watched him throughout his previous 16 campaigns.
DeRozan revealed how he learned to perfect his mid-range game in appearing on retired NBA icon and fellow mid-range maestro Carmelo Anthony’s “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast on Thursday.
“It started out with me just being a student first,” DeRozan said. “I had the luxury at 16, 17 years old, to work with Kobe [Bryant]. I had that cheat code to really just sit there and lock in, listen to him, really break down details and small movements and learning how to play in a phone booth and get your shot off. I learned that early on.”
DeRozan, a native of Compton in Los Angeles County, had every up-and-coming hooper’s dream teacher to study under to perfect the art of the mid-range. And if you’ve watched DeRozan’s game, you’d know that his style is very reminiscent of the late great, with great emphasis on footwork and poise in contested spaces.
But DeRozan’s younger lessons didn’t stop at studying under Bryant. They spanned idolizing several classic NBA names, some of which he listed off the top of his head on Anthony’s podcast.
“I was just a student of how guys were able to create space, get their shots off — whether you were small or big,” DeRozan said. “I remember talking to Sam Cassell when I was 15. He used to show me the bump, shot fake [into] over right-shoulder fadeaway; he showed me all of that. Cuttino Mobley — how one dribble, hesitating, pulling up; I paid attention. Even Andre Miller, he wasn’t athletic at all, but he had the hesi in there, getting to the basket, getting his shot off.
“I paid attention to guys like that. So now, when I incorporate that into being 6’6” [or] 6’7”, athletic, this … now I got a little bit more of a cheat code, if they’re able to do that with lack of size, athleticism, whatever it may be. And I just try to incorporate that. I’ve done that with everything. My first year in the league, I had Alex English as an assistant coach. I used to sit with him all the time and [ask], ‘Yo, how do you do this?’ He had that one-dribble pull-up; you couldn’t block it, every time.”
Cassell. Mobley. Miller. English.
DeRozan was spoiled with mentors early in his career. Though he concluded his answer by explaining how Bryant helped him lay the groundwork for what became a career of mid-range excellence.
“Me being a student and having a cheat code of being able to work with my idol when it comes to basketball, it just made me pay attention to even more detail in a way,” DeRozan concluded.
Paul and James have undoubtedly been hailed as two of the NBA’s brightest players throughout their combined 2,916 career regular-season games played. Each can facilitate offenses like no other and always has been an extension of their coaching staff.
Curry has a great perspective on each player. He has been a longtime rival of both with Golden State, having defeated their various teams en route to championships. He, too, has played on the Warriors with Paul and on Team USA Basketball with James.
“It’s the way they play, obviously, but the way they talk, the way they can kind of orchestrate an offense [and] control it,” Curry told Morman. “Like, Bron is the one who can control the tempo the greatest.
“And CP’s the one that, every possession, knows what he’s trying to get out of it. At his peak, it was insane; he could get his bucket and get somebody a lob or drop-down pass; he knew what play; the timing was cool; all that type of stuff.”
Curry has much respect for Paul and James. And one day, they will have spots in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame together, largely due to their unique basketball minds.
But Curry mentioned one more name when finishing his answer to Morman — his longtime Golden State teammate and fellow future Hall of Famer, Draymond Green.
“Those two are top of mind with the highest IQ,” Curry reiterated about Paul and James to Morman. “And obviously Draymond. That’s like the podium for me.”
Green’s on-court smarts might be lesser known to NBA fans outside of Dub Nation. Curry knows how much of a genius his running mate is, though, which is all that matters.
The Warriors remain particular in their asking price for a potential trade package including Jonathan Kuminga.
As the stare-off continues nearly four weeks into free agency between both sides, it’s been well-reported that both the Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the most aggressive to acquire the young forward.
“There’s definitely a lot of asset management going on behind the scenes with this entire situation,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Friday on “The Hoop Collective” podcast. “Part of the reason a sign-and-trade hasn’t gotten done for Kuminga, particularly the Kings and Suns I would say have been the most aggressive, is because the Warriors have been pretty steadfast in their requirement of at least a first-round pick.
“They also want a young player and they don’t want to take on bad contracts.”
Sacramento offered second-year guard Devin Carter, big man Dario Šarić and two second-round draft picks to Golden State earlier this month in exchange for Kuminga, sources told NBC Sports California’s Tristi Rodriguez.
It is unclear at this time if the Kings sent a revised offer to their Northern California neighbors, as several reports indicate Golden State has interest in young Kings players Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis.
Kuminga met with Kings general manager Scott Perry, assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie earlier this week, Slater also reported Friday, and the 22-year-old is “open-minded” to the idea of joining Sacramento after hearing Perry’s promising pitch.
In four seasons with Golden State, Kuminga has averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Four seasons have been ample time for both sides to realize they might not be a match, but that doesn’t mean the Warriors will rush or change their asking price for their athletic young wing.
The Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the strongest pursuers of Jonathan Kuminga, and apparently, the Warriors forward wouldn’t mind moving 80 miles northeast.
Kuminga met with Sacramento’s brass this week, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Friday on ESPN 1320 Sacramento, and the 22-year-old had a good discussion with general manager Scott Perry, assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie.
“Kuminga had contact with the Kings in the last couple of days,” Slater said. “It was the first time he met Scott Perry, and this wasn’t in person, but it’s the first time he’s communicated with Scott Perry, Doug Christie and B.J. Armstrong. And from what I’ve gathered, he liked the pitch that Scott Perry gave. He’s open-minded to the idea of Sacramento.
“I think part of that — I know part of that pitch — is you’re talking starting role, you’re talking bigger opportunity than the Warriors are necessarily offering right now. And I think that’s the part that shouldn’t get lost in this situation. Jonathan Kuminga isn’t just looking for the exact contract he wants in free agency. He’s looking for the opportunity he wants on the court.”
Sacramento made an offer to Golden State earlier this month, which sources told NBC Sports California’s Tristi Rodriguez included the Kings sending second-year NBA guard Devin Carter, big man Dario Šarić and two second-round draft picks to the Warriors in exchange for Kuminga.
Golden State selected Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and while the 22-year-old showed flashes of potential, he has never been a perfect fit alongside Steph Curry, and that only intensified with the integration of Jimmy Butler at the end of last season.
In four seasons with Golden State, Kuminga has averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
As Slater attested to, he is seeking a larger role than Warriors coach Steve Kerr has given him, and he could be the perfect addition for the team up the road that has longed for a young, athletic wing to complement Keegan Murray.
That doesn't mean the action is over, there are still a few things worth keeping an eye on. There are still four restricted free agents — Jonathan Kuminga (still seeking a sign-and-trade that nets him around $30 million per season), Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas, and Quentin Grimes. Additionally, a handful of veterans can receive contract extensions, including Luka Doncic (who is expected to re-sign with the Lakers, with minimal drama), Kevin Durant, Trae Young, and De'Aaron Fox.
And, there are still some open roster spots to fill. Here are the 10 best free agents still available, although at this point expect each of them to sign for the veteran minimum or some small exception a team still has available
Horford is the kind of high-IQ two-way player that should thrive with the Warriors and Steve Kerr's system. He can score inside, knock down corner 3-pointers, and is still a quality defender at age 37. Because of that age his minutes have to be monitored during the season, but that's a small price for the quality minutes he gives when on the court (and he can be trusted to play in the postseason).
2) Russell Westbrook
So far, no teams have signed up for the Russell Westbrook roller coaster for next season. Last season, he averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Nuggets, and had good chemistry with Nikola Jokić. However, those solid numbers belie the ups and downs of the season. When he is on his game, his energy is infectious and he still comes up with dynamic, athletic plays that can be game-changing. Unfortunately, those can be followed by head-scratchingly bad decisions that could cost a team a game.
Denver could have re-signed Westbrook after he opted out of a $3.5 million player option, but chose to pivot and go another direction. That may be telling for other contending teams. Westbrook has been strongly linked to the Sacramento Kings.
3) Chris Boucher
Boucher is the kind of player in demand around the league (which makes it a bit of a surprise he's available). He is a solid, rotation-level stretch four who averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds a game last season for Toronto, and shot 36.3% on nearly four 3-pointers a game. He's the kind of player who could plug into a lot of lineups and help, and he's going to surprise fans of wherever he signs who didn't watch him in Toronto.
4) Amir Coffey
A key rotation player on a 50-win Clippers team last season, the 28-year-old wing averaged 9.7 points a game and shot 40.9% from beyond the arc, plus he is particularly strong on catch-and-shoot 3s. When it came time for the playoffs, Coffee was the odd man out of Tyronn Lue's rotation, but for a team looking for wing depth, Coffee can help.
5) Gary Payton II
It's a little surprising he's still available, with teams everywhere looking for defenders who can pressure on ball and knock down 3-pointers (although not known as a great shooter, he is a career 34% from beyond the arc). Payton averaged 6.5 points a game for the Warriors last season. A return to the Bay Area is not out of the question, but the Lakers, Heat, Bucks, and Suns have also been linked to Payton.
6) Malcolm Brogdon
Two years ago he was the Sixth Man of the Year, but injuries limited him to just 63 combined over the last two seasons (in Portland and Washington), dropping his stock around the league. If healthy, he is more than worth the risk for a team because he can be a solid part of a guard rotation. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists a game last season when healthy.
7) Seth Curry
Every team needs more shooting. Seth Curry shot 45.6% from beyond the arc last season in Charlotte. Plugged into a reserve role on the right team, he could be a boost to the guard rotation, and he has been linked to signing with his brother's team in the Warriors (however, like with Al Horford, everything in Golden State seems hung up waiting for the Kuminga saga to end).
8) Trey Lyles
Lyles' case is similar to Boucher's above: A lot of teams could use a stretch four/small ball five, and Lyles can fill that role off the bench. He averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds a game last season in Sacramento (playing part of this season and the previous one for Mike Brown, if you're looking for a team where he could have a connection). Some team will snap him up before the season starts.
9) Ben Simmons
There will be eye rolls from the fan base of whatever team signs Simmons. However, if you watched him when healthy with the Clippers last season, you saw a guy who can have a regular season bench rotation role in the NBA.
Last season with the Clippers, he averaged 2.9 points and 3.8 assists a game in 16 minutes a night, serving as a point forward running the offense for the second unit, and he is still a plus defender (he had a larger role in rebuilding Brooklyn). He isn't going to take 3s (or even jumpers outside the paint), he's not going to help in the postseason. However, in a limited role, he could help the right team for the first 82 games.
10) Monte Morris
A veteran rotation guard who is a career 38.9% from beyond the arc (36% last season). He showed flashes last season, but nothing fit together in Phoenix, and Morris was part of that. He is not the scorer at age 30 (his age when camp opens) that he was five years ago, but he could still help a team in need of guard depth.
In an offseason full of painful departures for the Boston Celtics, there’s one change that actually might make the 2025-26 season more enjoyable than most currently anticipate: the absence of expectations.
After multiple seasons weighed down by championship-or-bust outlooks, a new-look Celtics squad is set to enter a season where it will be virtually impossible not to exceed most prognostications. The pendulum has swung so viciously that the team can endure the obvious bumps ahead in the road but embrace the little victories along the way.
You have to go back to the 2016-17 season to find the last time the Celtics were this devoid of expectations. That year, the Celtics jumped on the back of Isaiah Thomas, got a boost from the veteran addition of Al Horford, and watched a ragtag collection of role players pile up an Eastern Conference-best 53 wins before advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It remains one of our favorite seasons, jockeying with the 2024 title team in terms of sheer enjoyment. Thomas blossoming from a Sixth Man into a top-five MVP candidate certainly injected joy, but so did watching how the likes of Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk thrived in their roles, all while Brad Stevens pushed the right buttons to get the most from a team that trekked to the East Finals against a peak-of-his-powers LeBron James.
Could the 2025-26 Celtics have a similar glow up?
OK, maybe a deep playoff trek is ambitious. But we’d submit that this year’s team with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard at the helm might have more top-end talent than that 2016-17 group. You can fret over the potential depth of this squad, but 1) We don’t suspect this is a finished roster, and 2) Gerald Green was starting key playoff games for the 2016-17 group, so it wasn’t like that team was swimming in depth, either. James Young and Jordan Mickey combined to play 54 games that year.
Sure, the 2025-26 Celtics have a rather obvious void at the big-man position after the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and, presumably soon, Horford. But the 2016-17 Celtics squeezed 77 starts and 1,600-plus minutes out of Amir Johnson.
The margin for error for the 2025-26 Celtics is razor-thin. If Brown tweaks a hamstring or White turns an ankle, then winning games could be a real challenge. Regardless of how competitive they are out of the gates, the Celtics will lean heavier into development than they have in recent seasons with hopes that some pain points this season will aid the team when Jayson Tatum is back at full health.
Vegas prognosticators currently project the 2025-26 Celtics at 43.5 wins. That slots them seventh in the East behind the Cavaliers (55.5), Knicks (52.5), Magic (51.5), Hawks 46.5), Pistons (45.5), and Bucks (44.5).
No one yearns to be a play-in team. And there’s absolutely a case to be made that, if Boston is trending in that direction before the trade deadline, leaning even further into a youth movement and other priorities (like getting below the luxury tax) ought to be a priority.
But it is going to be refreshing to watch games and just embrace the small victories. Maybe Brown blossoms in the 1A role and returns to All-NBA form. Maybe White lands that elusive All-Star nod. Maybe Pritchard morphs from Sixth Man of the Year into a legitimate starting-level guard.
More important might be the development of role players who will comprise the future core of this team.
Can recent first-round draft picks Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman use the 2025-26 season to prove they can eventually hold rotation roles on a title-contending team? Can Neemias Queta and Luka Garza evolve their games given the void in Boston’s frontcourt? Is Josh Minott capable of thriving in an expanded opportunity with the Celtics?
A quick aside here, too: Maybe it’s time Celtics fans embrace Georges Niang. The consternation with his addition, especially given his roots here, has been a little bizarre.
Yes, he put himself in the crosshairs a couple seasons ago by grabbing at Jaylen Brown’s knee during a game. Brown and Niang crossed paths at a WNBA game at the Garden last week and there didn’t look like there was any lingering animosity.
We also love how Niang acknowledged the fan angst, noting on a podcast last week: “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not. They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.’”
Is Niang a long-term piece for this team? Probably not. But if this team is going to outkick expectations, he could be a big part of what’s ahead. If nothing else, he has an expiring — and very tradable — salary that could help future roster constructions. His self awareness, combined with his play style, ought to win over fans quickly.
All of which is our long-winded way of saying: Enjoy the ride. Expectations are going to spike the very second Tatum is back on a basketball court. We’ve been spoiled by the success of this team over the past decade — especially in recent seasons — but there’s nothing wrong with embracing a potential gap year.
We think there’s a very real chance this team performs well beyond expectations at the start of the season. Things might go sideways due to injuries or letting younger players take their lumps, but there are long-term benefits if that happens, too.
The Celtics have created flexibility with their roster. After waiving JD Davison on Thursday, the team is back below the second apron and carries an open roster spot. The team can lean into various pathways during the season, if potential roster moves don’t materialize sooner.
It’s easy to be discouraged by the talent drain. The Celtics needed to get their finances in order, and Tatum’s injury only made that a slightly easier to embrace. The absence of expectations is going to change the way we view games. It’s less about wins and losses and more about the process.
The Warriors superstar rocked cornrows for the first three games of the campaign, but, as he explained in a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman — never again.
“What a time that was. Coming out of COVID, I had the struggle braids where I had just enough to close it up,” Curry told Morman. “And then I started the year, I don’t know what my percentage was, like high 20s, low 30s maybe. Everyone who knows how superstitious I am, I remember where I was. I was in Chicago, in our hotel after we lost to Brooklyn and we lost to Milwaukee the first two games of that season. I’m in the hotel taking out my own braids. I didn’t have my barber with me, I didn’t have anything. I just let it hang.
“And then I got hot in Chicago, and that crept. I kept that haircut — the nasiest haircut I’ve ever had — it was like a mushroom top, half-fro, half I don’t know, whatever. And when I had 62 [point], I still had that cut. That was like two weeks later. So braids to not, I won’t ever have them again — just off of that. It was a [two]-game stretch. Horrible.”
Curry, the greatest shooter to grace the game of basketball, opened that season shooting just 13-of-38 (34.2 percent) from the field and 4-of-20 (20 percent) from 3-point range.
Against the Bulls, Curry dropped 36 points on 11-of-25 shooting (44 percent) from the field and 5 of 15 (33.3 percent) from distance.
Three games later, as he mentioned, he scored his career-high 62 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, shooting an incredible 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) from the field and 8 of 16 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.